Chinese antique furniture, all in the detail

As you know, we specialise in Chinese and Oriental antiques, and in this post, we’ll focus on some of the wonderful detail which makes these pieces so unique.

Intricate carving features on much of the furniture we source from China. The stunning chest of drawers on the left features a beautiful floral decoration in carved relief on the upper drawers. The spandrels at each side of the coffer are also beautifully carved, as is the bottom apron. The coffer retains its old dark colour, now worn to leave a wonderful patina. The top surface in particular is full of character, showing signs of use of the decades. Scorch marks towards the front suggest that the coffer perhaps doubled as an altar table for offerings to ancestors.

This heavily carved low sideboard (right) is typical of the furniture of Xinjiang province. This piece was once a large daybed, and would have been brightly coloured in pinks, greens and blues. The colours are now beautifully faded. but show a hint of the old finish within the relief carvings. Many of our antiques feature wonderfully detailed paintings, offering a unique glimpse into history and showing how life must have been in China hundreds of years ago.

 The wonderful sideboard below was originally from the city of Lanzhou in western China, and would have been used for grain storage. Charmingly, it shows figures participating in the ancient art of tai chi, with an inscription at either side in old characters. The two lower panels are decorated with paintings of flowers.

Another interesting piece is this one, from Gansu, which again would have originally have been used for storing grain and other foods. Here, the detailed paintings depict mountain landscapes, with the central door showing a vase of flowers and the three shallow drawers above with floral designs.

 Take a look at our website for lots more amazing Oriental antiques, all with their own history. If you want to know more about the story behind any of our antiques, please call us or visit our West Yorkshire showroom, where we’d be delighted to chat to you about the provenance of any piece.