17th Century Chinese travelling bookcase

Christie's is auctioning off this 17th century Chinese travelling bookcase -- frustratingly, they don't have any photos of the interior, but even the measly 512px-wide image supplied of the exterior has set my mouth a-water. Seriously: the love-child of a steamer trunk and a bookcase? Drool, drool, dribble, dribble.

Of nearly square form, fitting into a slightly larger shaped and carved base and conforming upright frame with a rounded toprail with ox-nose bail handle to enable transportation, and with a pair of foliate-form spandrels where each upright arm meets the base, with two framed rectangular doors opening to the interior fitted with single shelf and a row of two drawers at the bottom, the front rectangular lockplate with square openings to receive the metal members attached to the interior shelf

A Rare Huanghuali Travelling Bookcase, Tushu Shinggui (via Cribcandy)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Anonymous

There used to be traveling librarians in china that would rent out books in installments and they would carry their books in cases at the two ends of a bamboo pole.
Anonymous

I’ve always wanted to make this Lighthouse Traveling Library:

http://www.michiganlights.com/lhlibrary.htm
Baron Karza

I know I can’t be the only one out there whose first thought on seeing this was “damn, what an awesome portable bar setup that would make!”
demidan

Meh, it’s just another fake made from old wood w/new hinges and hardware. There is no wear and tear, the pulls though heavy metal show now damage to plate beneath, and it has a new lacquer. I’ve seen many pieces Chinese “antique” furniture and they all have the same hallmarks, sure they are attractive but buyer beware, one thing China has always had is many many skilled craftsmen.
DeWynken

I thought I had seen a post here before about these. They were common on sailing ships worldwide. Looks beautiful.

Sure beats a Kindle for aesthetics. Imagine whipping that out at the coffee shop.
- turn_self_off
  
  Yep, i think there was a article a while back about a lighthouse “library” case. Basically a box with doors that was stacked full of a assortment of books. These where regularly rotated between lighthouses to give the watchers something to do during those lonely days.
Jake0748

A beautiful object to be sure. The description quoted, not so much. Not a period in sight.
Anonymous

The Chinese invented the Kindle 350 years ago, so it’s ok for them to rip off the design and code.
BrokenFiction

Daddy want.
awjtawjt

30 something thousand bucks later… “honey… ummm… why’s the bank account drained? What’s this weird charge from Christie’s?”
Anonymous

Am I mistaken, but doesn’t the linked site show this was auctioned in Sept, 2000? But none the less, a very impressive item.
toffer99

Chinese traveling bookcase? Must be a descendant of Terry Pratchett’s The Luggage.http://flic.kr/p/KGLJT
- Jake0748
  
  Ah… so THAT’s why they didn’t show the interior. All the little legs are in there.
  - jjsaul
    
    Worse… “with square openings to receive the metal members attached to the interior shelf”
JAL

That might be a fake (as per demidan’s comment) but someone paid $47,000 for it. More evidence that the rich keep getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. Well, at least some of the rich are buying pretty toys…some comfort in that, I guess.