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Subject:Re: Is this huanghuali, zitan or hongmu?
Posted By: Kirk Sat, Jul 02, 2016
These are quite typical of Guangzhou cabinets of the late Qing dynasty. Unlike western furniture that changes in style significantly every generation, Chinese models remain unchanged for many, so being more accurate than that I'm afraid is just not possible. They are the hat boxes of a pair of compound cabinets. Their being huali wood is certainly not out of the realms of possibility. Nor is their being hongmu, but cabinets of this design were not typically made of zitan.
The word huanghuali is a connoissuers term that relates largely to patina, and is not a wood species as such.
Underneath the cabinet there should be a panel that has no finish on it whatsoever. Examine that with a magnifying glass & compare with the photo & description in the following link:
http://www.rarefurniture.org.uk/species-identification
If you're still having issues in identification after that, we would be happy to reccomend various tests that should provide an unambiguous answer, for you.
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