Antique Chinese Worship Cabinet or Display Cabinet

Antique Buddhist Shrine Cabinet (Antique Chinese Worship Cabinet or Display Cabinet). This elegant late Qing Dynasty cabinet was probably used as a worship or a display cabinet. The open shelf is surrounded by carved lotus motif, with the same motif carved into the apron. The carving is well executed and done in a early traditional style, sometimes called "scrolling grass". This open area would traditionally have been used as the area in which to place a worship item or offerings. Today, it would still be nicely used as a worship or display cabinet but also as a bookcase or even a media cabinet: blue-ray, DVD, & music above and the screen below.

Inside the cabinet are two drawers and a spacious area with brackets for a shelf. Also available is a hidden compartment, accessed by lifting the wooden plank.

Ornamental brass escutcheons adorn the pull hinges for the 2 doors. The hardware is all original. This antique cabinet is a very good example of a "softwood" piece imitating a classical hardwood piece. Also, the finish on the piece is often referred to as Zitan finishing. The finish is almost entirely intact and the lacquer has traces of silver. Antique Asian Furniture & Furnishings: Antique Chinese Worship Cabinet or Display Cabinet from Northern China.