Mid-Century Chinese Shanxi Pine Sideboard or Cabinet

Details

Description

Antique sideboard in pine wood, traditional chinese furniture with patinated finish originating from shanxi and dated circa 1950. Originates from … Read more Antique sideboard in pine wood, traditional chinese furniture with patinated finish originating from shanxi and dated circa 1950. Originates from shanxi, in northern china, from the mid-20th century, where local pine was worked using mortise-and-tenon joinery without nails, with a dark painted finish that time has naturally worn.

in the houses of northern china in the mid-20th century, the two-door sideboard remained an essential piece of the domestic trousseau: clothing, bed linen, personal objects. The light paint layer applied at origin over the pine gave it chromatic uniformity and integrated it into interiors where the wood was hidden beneath colour.

built in solid pine using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, without nails. The front presents two parallel doors resolved as recessed panels with moulded frames, articulated by circular iron latch-style pulls. The sides repeat the same language. The piece rises on four short square-section legs with a low perimeter stretcher.

the patina shows the original dark finish heavily worn: the black-grey paint has lost density irregularly and exposes the pine wood across broad areas, generating a natural patinated and distressed effect. The sheen is matte. The structure remains solid.

it fits naturally in wabi-sabi, minimalist with a light chromatic accent or contemporary rustic interiors. It works as a living-room sideboard, a storage piece in a bedroom or an auxiliary piece in an entrance. The distressed finish gives it a different light from raw pine and suits interiors with a neutral palette.

details

dimensions: length 171 cm – width 40 cm – height 90 cm
style: chinese northern provincial furniture
materials and techniques: solid pine, black-grey paint distressed by use; mortise-and-tenon joinery without nails, two framed-panel doors, circular iron latch-style pulls
place of origin: shanxi, china
period: people’s republic of china, early period (circa 1950)
date of manufacture: circa 1950
condition / notes: sound structure. Original finish naturally worn, with broad losses exposing the wood. Wear consistent with age and use.


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