This antique carved sideboard in fir wood features a front with three geometric carved panels in flat relief and a scalloped lower apron. It originates from northwestern China, from the late Qing dynasty, where fir was worked using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Domestic furniture from northwestern China combines mainland constructive tradition with a geometric decorative vocabulary of local roots. The repeated flat carving — diamonds, borders, interlaced foliate motifs — covers the surface without interruption and stands as a recognisable regional mark. Sideboards like this stood in the main room of rural houses.
The body is built in solid fir. The front face is divided into three recessed square panels carved with geometric motifs in flat relief, separated by carved vertical uprights. Above and below the panels run carved foliate borders. The lower apron has a double-scallop profile. The hardware is hand-forged iron. The construction is traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon, without metal fasteners.
The patina presents a pale bleached tone, the result of natural aging of fir and the loss of the original finish. The carving preserves its original definition and the borders keep their pattern perfectly legible. The top surface shows the natural grain of the wood with small longitudinal cracks consistent with age.
With a 165 cm length and a contained 84 cm height, this sideboard fits living rooms, dining rooms, entrances and hallways. It works as a central decorative piece, as low storage or as a support in larger rooms. It suits wabi-sabi, japandi, contemporary rustic and Asian-inspired interiors.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 165 cm – Width 40 cm – Height 84 cm
- Style: Qing Dynasty
- Materials and techniques: Solid fir; hand-forged iron hardware; traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon joinery; flat carving with dense geometric motifs and foliate borders.
- Place of origin: China
- Period: Late Qing dynasty / Early Republic
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1920
- Condition: Good. Carving well preserved and pale bleached patina. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
