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)
