Antique black painted sideboard in elm wood, traditional Chinese furniture with black paint originating from Shanxi and dated circa 1900. Originates from Shanxi, in northern China, from the late 19th century, where local elm was worked using mortise-and-tenon joinery without nails, painted in black on the front, the sides and the top.
In the houses of northern China, black-painted sideboards held a place of prestige in the main room. Black paint, associated with formal interiors and with pieces of hierarchy within the family trousseau, gave the piece a deep and stable chromatic presence. Its front articulated in four doors followed the classical language of provincial furniture.
Built in solid elm using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, without nails. The front articulates four parallel doors resolved as recessed panels with a moulded frame, articulated by circular iron latch-style pulls. The front carries a central forged-iron plate with rivets, both a practical closure element and an ornamental detail. The sides repeat the same language and the piece rests on four exposed square-section legs.
The patina retains the original black paint, today softened by the natural oxidation of the pigments and by wear on edges and contact areas, where the elm wood shows through. The sheen is matte. The surfaces show uniform abrasions and a fine craquelure proper to century-old finishes. The structure remains solid.
It fits naturally in eclectic, wabi-sabi or contemporary rustic interiors with a chromatic accent. It works as a dining-room sideboard, an anchor piece in a wide entrance or a storage piece in a generously proportioned living room. The black paint gives it a singular chromatic presence within bright spaces.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 195 cm – Width 46 cm – Height 87 cm
- Style: Chinese northern provincial furniture
- Materials and techniques: Solid elm, black paint, forged iron hardware; mortise-and-tenon joinery without nails, four framed-panel doors, central riveted plate, circular iron latch-style pulls, exposed legs
- Place of origin: Shanxi, China
- Period: Late Qing dynasty (circa 1900)
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1900
- Condition / Notes: Sound structure. Original black paint with uniform wear and fine craquelure. Original hardware. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
