Chinese buffet

Buffet console from southern china. End of the qing dynasty (early 20th). Original red laque with painted decoration of flowers and children riding a qilin, a chimerical animal from chinese mythology. A kind of unicorn, this beneficial animal is a mixture of dragon, deer and bovid. Often ridd by a young boy, he expresses the wish of a male descendant. Note that the interior shelf is not removable.