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BEDSIDE, SMALL AND MEDIUM CABINETS
Availability in Belgium
Availability in US

281271 - Gansu - Mid 20^th C.

The altar coffer was developed for over 500 years in China. In the early 1400 a.d. the Chinese created the altar table and then they upgraded it to serve as an altar table as well as a cupboard together with drawers.  Nowadays it could be used as a buffet next to the dining table. Special attention should go to the beautiful carved side aprons, typical for this area. These aprons, that look like wings on each side are the reason why people often call this type of furniture a "winged" cabinet.

Some pieces may have been replaced during restoration.

Located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, northwest China, Gansu is one of the cradles of Chinese cultures. It occupies a total area of 173,700 square miles. Neighboring provinces are Shaanxi to the east, Sichuan to the south, Qinghai and Xinjiang to the west and Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the north. With a population of 23.7 million, Gansu has a multinational population which includes ethnic minority groups of Kazak, Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Dongxiang, Tu and Manchu. They mutually influence each other in the fields of economics, politics and culture and hold close ties with the Han people. They have thus developed a unique cultural community.