Red and Black Gansu Storage Cabinet antique-lacquer Ancestor portraits like this one

Ancestor portraits like this one formed an important part of the Chinese practice of ancestor worship

These cast bronze horses are copies of one unearthed in Gansu province in 1969 that dates from the Han dynasty (206BC - 220AD)

like many similar pieces from the region

A single shallow drawer provides handy storage space and the bottom shelf is useful for magazines or ornaments

Red and Black Gansu Storage Cabinet antique-lacquer Ancestor portraits like this oneGansu, circa 1900 The contrasting red panels and black lacquer frame are typical colours for storage cabinets like this one, produced from pine in the northern Chinese provinces of Gansu and Inner Mongolia and made for holding grain. The cabinets would be solidly constructed, usually from pine and with thick, chunky frames and would be accessed through removable half boards in the top. As in this case, the cabinets are almost always modified when