Chinese Rosewood Cabinet with Pagoda Top and Drawer

• Rosewood - A dense timber that varies in shade to very light brown to almost black. When rosewood is cut and sanded the colour of the timber will turn black, and after polishing and exposure to daylight, the surface will gradually lighten over time to light brown with black streaks.
  
  The name comes from the odour emanating from the timber when it is planed, sanded or cut.
  
  Rosewood was very popular for use in Victorian furniture in the second half of the 19th century, and at that time most of the rosewood was imported from Brazil. However it also grows in India and Indonesia.
  
  It is used in the sold for chairs and table legs, but for carcase furniture such as side cabinets and bookcases, and for table tops it is always used as a veneer.
• Pagoda Top - A shape based loosely on that of a Chinese pagoda, that is, pyramidal with sloped sides and a top cap. However there are many variations on the basic shape from a relatively flat pagoda to a tall pagoda with almost parallel concave sides to a true pagoda shape. As found on a pagoda, the pagoda top is often surmounted by a fancy finial. The pagoda top is most frequently found on the hoods of 18th century long case clocks, and on bracket clocks, and sometimes on Chinese Chippendale style furniture.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Chinese furniture, type or function - storage cabinets 609