Low Chinese Gansu Sideboard or Cabinet in Pine

Details

Description

Low two-door sideboard in pine wood, originating from the chinese province of gansu and dating from around 1930. A piece … Read more Low two-door sideboard in pine wood, originating from the chinese province of gansu and dating from around 1930. A piece of balanced proportions and sober craftsmanship, halfway between a traditional low cabinet and a living-room sideboard, representative of the provincial furniture of northwestern china.

gansu, lying east of the silk road corridor, developed its own furniture tradition — more austere than the beijing style, but recognizable for surfaces finished with lime washes or thin pigment washes. Sideboards like this one stood in the main room of the house to store crockery, textiles or everyday utensils, and held a central place in domestic life.

it is built in local pine, with two front doors framed by a mortise-and-panel structure. The doors open on wooden dowel hinges and retain their original iron-ring pulls on simple plaques. The top, made of a single board, rests on a narrow cornice. The entire carpentry is assembled with traditional mortise and tenon, without nails or industrial adhesives.

the patina combines the natural pine tone with an original light wash, today much softened by use, that lets the grain and the irregularities of the wood show through. The edges show gentle wear, the hardware retains stable oxidation and the doors show small dents and marks that attest to decades of daily opening. A lived piece, free of invasive restoration.

because of its restrained scale and its quiet surface, it integrates naturally into wabi-sabi, japandi, contemporary rustic or minimalist interiors, where it works as a tv unit, a dining-room sideboard, an entrance cabinet or a bedroom storage piece. Its pale tones dialogue particularly well with whitewashed walls, natural textiles and handmade ceramics.

details

dimensions: width: 110 cm depth: 40 cm height: 85 cm
style: chinese provincial furniture, late qing – republican period
materials and techniques: pine wood; mortise-and-panel structure; traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery; original wrought-iron hardware
place of origin: gansu, china
period: late qing dynasty – republican period
date of manufacture: circa 1930
condition: good. Retains original patina and hardware. Wear consistent with age and use, no invasive restoration


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