The technique of decorating surfaces with carvings appeared as early as the Western Zhou period and this form of decoration was transferred to furniture and other works of art in the mid-Ming period with the additional inclusion of other materials such as carved nephrite, rock crystal, agate, hornbill, turtle shell, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and ivory. This form of decoration continued into the Qing dynasty, most commonly found on boxes and brushpots and by the late 19th century especially on larger scale works such as screens, wall panels and cabinets such as the present examples.

The Royal Pavilion, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, was built beginning 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, who became the Prince Regent in 1811, and King George IV in 1820. In January 1827 the King came to the Pavilion for the last time. His brother, the Duke of Clarence, succeeded him as William IV, and lived with Queen Adelaide at the Pavilion for long periods, however although the young Queen Victoria came to Brighton with her husband, the Prince Consort, and their children, their visits were few and fleeting. In 1845 the Pavilion was closed, and the furniture and decorations were removed to Buckingham Palace. It was expected to be demolished but the people of Brighton purchased it from the Crown for £50,000 in 1850.

The Pavilion was henceforth used as the assembly rooms of the town, and Queen Victoria later returned many decorations, including chandeliers and wall paintings. In 1955 and onwards over a hundred articles of the original furniture designed for the Pavilion, such lacquer cabinets, bamboo chairs and many other decorative objects, were returned from Buckingham Palace. Owing to the incomplete furnishings, between 1946-1965 Regency exhibitions were held at the Royal Pavilion, to which private clients and dealers loaned furniture complementing the pavilion’s chinoiserie interiors. The label to the back of these cabinets suggests that these cabinets were loaned for the 1956 exhibition.