This antique painted sideboard in elm wood features two doors with central pictorial panels over a cream ground and a vermilion red and black lacquered frame. Two lower drawers with painted landscapes sit beneath the doors. It originates from China, from the mid-twentieth century, where elm was worked using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Chinese painted furniture from the Qing-Republican transition kept the classical two-door sideboard typology while shifting the palette towards a livelier register: vermilion red frames profiled in black, central panels with figurative scenes in light tones, continuous pictorial decoration extending to the lower drawers. The type served in main rooms as storage and as a decorative central piece.
The body is built in solid elm. The front comprises two identical doors with a vermilion red perimeter frame profiled in black and a central panel painted over a cream ground. Below the doors, two long drawers carry painted landscapes and ring pulls in hand-forged iron. The interior is divided into two compartments with a middle shelf. The construction is traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon, without metal fasteners.
The painted decoration on the panels shows figurative compositions with flower baskets and vases over a cream ground, framed by a golden border. The lower drawers display shan-shui landscapes in soft inks. The palette combines vermilion red, lacquered black, cream, gold and black strokes for outlining. These motifs belong to the auspicious repertoire of Chinese domestic furniture.
The patina presents an honest aging. The vermilion red lacquered frames show wear areas where the elm comes through in warm tones. The central panels keep the pigments softened but the composition remains legible. The black outline of the frames has oxidised in parts, adding depth to the chromatic reading.
With a contained 141 cm length and 80 cm height, this sideboard works as a decorative piece of clear presence. It fits living rooms, dining rooms, entrances and as low cabinetry in intermediate spaces. The height allows use as a low cabinet for television with the screen hung above. It suits wabi-sabi, japandi, contemporary eclectic and Asian-inspired interiors.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 141 cm – Width 42 cm – Height 80 cm
- Style: Qing Dynasty
- Materials and techniques: Solid elm; hand-forged iron hardware; traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon joinery; painted panels with vermilion red and black lacquered frames.
- Place of origin: China
- Period: Mid-twentieth century
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1950
- Condition: Good. Original paintwork and patina preserved, with warm wear on the lacquered frames. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
