Each cabinet surmounted with an asymmetrical archaic-style rail decorated with incised scrolling vines and chrysanthemums, the tops with butterflies floating amidst a Hundred Flowers pattern, the front and sides incised and painted in 6 idyllic landscapes with villages, lakes, fishing boats, temples, bridges, and figures amongst pine and willow trees with scenic rock outcrops and mountains, the double doors fitted with incised butterfly escutcheons and pierced pulls, the whole framed within trailing lotus scrolls, on bracketed square legs and brass feet, the interior of red lacquer with one shelf, alterations and restorations.

Provenance: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (label on reverse of each)  C.T. Loo et Cie (label on inside right door of one cabinet) C.T. Loo, the preeminent dealer of Chinese art during the early 20th century, contributed pieces to the collections of J.P. Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Henry Clay Frick, and Alfred Pillsbury. Loo pieces are also found in the collections of the Museé Guimet, Paris; the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and in this instance, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  The decoration suggests the cabinets were a dowry gift for a bride in the Imperial family or a high dignitary. The tops are adorned with the Hundred Flowers pattern wishing the new couple fertility and abundance in their union. Lotus flowers found in the borders symbolize love, happiness and devotion between husbands and wives. The chrysanthemum flowers found in the railings symbolize nobility, good fortune and a life of ease. The sides and front of the piece may depict Lake Tai, located in the Yangtze Delta near Shanghai. Lake Tai is famous for its scenic views of 90 islands dotted across its landscape. Its celebrated limestone formations have been valued for centuries for their unique forms and prized as decorative Chinese scholar's rocks.