Low Antique Sideboard in Painted Pine, China, 1900

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This antique painted low cabinet in pine wood is a Chinese kang cabinet with three drawers, two painted doors and … Read more This antique painted low cabinet in pine wood is a Chinese kang cabinet with three drawers, two painted doors and an open central recess. It originates from northern China, from the Qing dynasty, where pine was lacquered in garnet and then painted with the brush.Pieces like this stood directly on the kang, at the height of someone seated on the floor, and ordered whatever was needed without getting up.The case is solid pine with mortise-and-tenon joinery. Three drawers align at the centre and two panel doors close the side modules. The apron is cut into brackets and the pulls are iron rings on rosettes.The doors retain traces of a floral decoration painted over the garnet lacquer: pink peonies and green leaves, sprinkled with a gold pigment that still glints against the light. The drawing is much lost and today reads more as a trace than as an image.The garnet lacquer has gained depth and turned almost black in the protected areas. On the top and the fronts the wear reaches the wood. The piece is shown as it has come down, with no repaint.Its minimal height places it as a low living-room table, an occasional bench or a corridor cabinet. It sits well in wabi-sabi interiors, where wear is part of the appeal.

Dimensions: Length 152 cm – Width 24 cm – Height 38 cm. Style: Qing. Materials and techniques: Pine wood; hand-forged iron hardware; mortise-and-tenon joinery; garnet lacquer and hand-painted decoration. Place of origin: China. Period: Qing dynasty. Date of manufacture: Circa 1900. Condition: Good. Original garnet lacquer and traces of much-lost floral decoration on the doors. Wear consistent with age and use. See less