Low Antique Carved Fir Sideboard, Gansu, China, 1900

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This antique carved low sideboard in fir wood is a Chinese cabinet of generous scale with a relief-carved front and … Read more This antique carved low sideboard in fir wood is a Chinese cabinet of generous scale with a relief-carved front and three doors. It originates from Gansu, in north-western China, from the Qing dynasty, where mountain fir was carved with the gouge on solid board.Gansu holds the Hexi corridor, the natural Silk Road passage between the Chinese plateau and Central Asia. The geometric repertoire of its domestic furniture draws on that traffic: the lattice, the quatrefoil and the fret are forms shared with the Islamic ornament of the western cities.The case is solid fir with mortise-and-tenon joinery. The top, of considerable thickness, overhangs the sides. Three panel doors open onto an interior with a full-width shelf, and the back is closed with vertical boards.The front is covered entirely in relief carving. Six panels alternate diamond lattices with quatrefoils, radiating palmettes set within circles and lobed tracery. A quatrefoil frieze runs along the upper rail and the plinth carries a meander fret, the Chinese key pattern or huiwen, which stands for unbroken continuity. All of it is executed without polychromy: the relief works with light alone.The fir is left bare, a pale honey tone, the carving softened by use. The top retains tool marks, open knots and an uneven tone. The absence of finish keeps the material in the foreground.Its 265 cm of length call for a long wall: a wide living room, a gallery or a dining room of generous proportion. It serves as a living-room low cabinet or a television base, and suits minimal and rustic interiors alike.

Dimensions: Length 265 cm – Width 48 cm – Height 77 cmStyle: Carved ChineseMaterials and techniques: Fir wood; mortise-and-tenon joinery; relief carving.Place of origin: China, GansuPeriod: Qing dynastyDate of manufacture: Circa 1900Condition: Good. Bare wood, carving softened by use and tool marks on the top. Wear consistent with age and use. See less