Emerging in the 17th century, chinoiserie appropriated the aesthetics and imagery of popular East Asian design for European-made versions. Reflecting the exoticization of China, Japan and other countries in this era, the word directly translates from French to “Chinese-esque,” which reveals its shortcomings as a style of furniture and decor that often stereotypically and reductively mimics Asian culture rather than showcasing and paying tribute to its artistic traditions.
The enthusiastically decorative chinoiserie style was propelled by influential tastemakers including French King Louis XIV, whose Trianon de Porcelaine in 1670 was inspired by Chinese architecture. Expanded trade between the East and West led to a demand for porcelain, lacquer objects, silk and other goods, which further informed the fanciful furniture being crafted in Europe.
Artisans working in the chinoiserie style used materials and elements like pagoda shapes, bamboo, lacquer surfaces, bird and flower motifs and other interpretations of Asian design on pieces that were frequently set against vibrant wallcoverings. This whimsical approach yielded chinoiserie furniture that boasted dramatic flourishes drawing on the natural world and reflected the dominance of Rococo during the 18th century.
As chinoiserie was shaped by approximations of Asian design by European creators, it had regional variations, such as Chinese Chippendale in England where cabinets, chairs and tea tables had wooden fretwork designs and “japanned” surfaces intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia. In North America, furniture makers in Boston and New York integrated chinoiserie-painted scenes into Queen Anne furniture.
Antique chinoiserie furniture has continued to be fashionable, from its popularity with decorators of the Hollywood Regency era — James Mont, Tommi Parzinger, William Haines and Samuel Marx favored the style — to contemporary interior designers, although it brings with it a complex history.
Find a collection of chinoiserie bedroom furniture, cabinets, decorative objects and more on 1stDibs.
Antique English Mother of Pearl Inlaid Table Cabinet Jewelry Box with Lap Desk
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Japanese Mother of Pearl inlaid jewelry box w lap desk This item includes restricted materials and can not be sold outside of the contiguous United States. Additional i...
Mother-of-Pearl
English Chinoiserie Tole Box
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
An English black tole box from the late 19th century decorated with Chinoiserie references like costumed figures, willow trees, and birds. This small rectangular case bears a charmin...
Metal
Antique Hand-Carved Chestnut Box in Asian Bamboo Style Inlaid with Soapstone
Located in Lisse, NL
Exclusive & fine quality hand-crafted Chinoiserie box. The diversity in techniques and materials used by craftsman around the world and over the last centuries never seizes to a...
Soapstone
A Rare Pair of Luxury Chinoiserie Tea Cannister Shop Fittings
Located in Greenwich, CT
A rare pair of large-scale tea cannisters with wooden lids over rounded tin bodies each elaborately decorated with bucolic scenes of a pair of figures in Chinese dress in a garden, w...
Tin
$600Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Chinese Red Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Floral Trinket Box
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, AR
Vintage Chinese Red Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Floral Trinket Box.
Lacquer
Chinese Export Cloisonné Box
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Lovely Chinese export cloisonné box made of brass and enameled with a beautiful floral pattern resting on ball feet. This decorative box was most likely a cigarette box or trinket bo...
Brass, Enamel
Vintage Oriental Chinese Cloisonné Squash Multicolor Vine & Floral Motif Box
Located in Plainview, NY
Vintage Oriental Chinese Cloisonné Squash Multicolor Vine & Floral Design Box This exquisite vintage Chinese cloisonné box is crafted in a graceful squash (gourd) form, a traditiona...
Enamel
Vintage Chinese Porcelain Shard Box Oriental Decorative Nickel Silver
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Chinese Porcelain Shard Box Oriental Decorative Nickel Silver Box Blue and White. Vintage Chinese Nickel Silver Box with Blue and White Porcelain S...
Metal
Chinese cloissoné Circular Cup or Vide Poche Hand-Painted, circa 1910
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Chinese cloissoné Circular Cup or Vide Poche Hand-Painted, circa 1910
Ceramic
Japanese laquered Papier Mâché Circular Cups Hand-Painted, circa 1910 Set of 3
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This is a beautiful papier mâché, circular lacquered St of Cups, which we attribute to being made in Japan during the early 20th century, circa 1910. This is a very decorativeset ...
Paper
Wood Lidded Box, Hand-Painted and Lacquered, Japanese, Early 20Century
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This box is a japanese box, early 20th century, in a red laquer, representing a bird and a flower. This has been made in Japan.
Wood
$164Sale Price|30% Off
Large Vintage Bamboo Lidded Storage Box Chinoiserie Modern Container Case 20"
Located in Dayton, OH
Intriguing modern bamboo case or basket. Features a decorated bamboo wrapped exterior and lid. Great for display or use. Dimensions: 20.5" x 16" x 14"h
Bamboo
Antique Travelling Jewellery Box, Chinese, Lacquered, Campaign Case, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique travelling jewellery box. A Chinese, lacquered pine campaign case, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Delightful example of red lacquered craftsmans...
Pine, Lacquer
$396Sale Price|20% Off
Fish Scale Midnight Blue Chinese Cloisonne Tobacco Box 1930's
Located in Mobile, AL
Monochrome Chinese Fish Scale cloisonne is long famed for it's high quality of craftsmanship and understated elegance. A staple of interior design...
Metal, Enamel
Silver Painted Wooden Pagoda Storage Box
Located in Stamford, CT
Custom silver painted wooden pagoda box. Three tiered storage compartments plus pagoda finial lid. No makers mark.
Wood
Chinese Export Large Round Box Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1950s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large Chinese black lacquered box with numerous figures and gilt detail. Chinese round black lacquer and gilt painted box, made for the expor...
Lacquer
Vintage Shanghai Weave Lidded Elephant Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This delightful vintage elephant box is a masterclass in the intricate "Shanghai weave" tradition, capturing the whimsical yet sophisticated essence of mid-century Asian decorative a...
Wicker, Rattan
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
Luscious Leather Embossed Hand-Painted Chinoiserie Box
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Wonderful Chinese box in red, gold and black having a Chinoiserie painted design on embossed leather with original brass hardware. There's a removable metal liner and the interior is...
Leather
4 Panels of a Wooden Box with Mother of Pearl Inlay, Chinese Scenes.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
4 Panels of a Wooden Box with Mother of Pearl Inlay, Chinese Scenes, 19th Century. 4 panels of a wooden box with mother-of-pearl inlays depicting Chinese scenes, Asian Art, 19th cen...
Wood
Japanese Porcelain Vintage Trinket Lidded Boxes Set of Three
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Japanese porcelain vintage trinket boxes with lid, set of 3. Vintage Asian porcelain Japanese trinket boxes with Geishas figures wearing traditional kimonos. Japanese porcelain decorative box, each box with a different design, perfect for storing small items or use them as decorative boxes on a table or shelf. Asian Trinket Box...
Porcelain
Two Korean Antique Dowery Boxes in Brown Rattan and Red Papier-Mâché
Located in New York, NY
Two attractive 19th century Korean dowery boxes in brown rattan and red hand-painted papier-mâché, the one slightly larger in delicately interwoven brown ra...
Rattan
19th Century black lacquered jewellery box
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
19th century chinese black lacquered jewellery box circa 1860. Good quality shaped chinese jewellery box with overstuffed top cushion. Hand painted i...
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer
19th Century Chinese Victorian Tea Caddy
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Hand-crafted in China for the European market, this Asian-style English black lacquered octagonal hinged tea caddy features a decorative stenciled motif of pagodas and foliage in gil...
Pewter
Chinese Export Cloisonné Box
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Lovely Chinese export cloisonné box made of brass and enameled with a beautiful mountain scene decoration in vibrant yellow color resting on ball feet. This chinoiserie box is marked...
Brass, Enamel
Oriental Carved Camphor Wood Chest
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Oriental carved camphor wood chest This Beautiful Carved Chest is made from Camphor Wood, for those of you who do not know campho...
Wood
Papier Mâché Massive Size Fine Quality 19th Century Sewing Box or Jewelry Box
Located in Westport, CT
Papier mâché circa 1870 English inlaid lacquered sewing box/jewelry box, with many Velvet and mother-of-pearl compartments, hidden area in center. Hand-carved mother-of-pearl, inlaid...
Gold Leaf
$680Sale Price|20% Off
Collectible Coca-Cola Special Edition Asian Chinese Bottles, a Set of 5
Located in Plainview, NY
A custom made special edition Coca-Cola set of 5 miniature glass bottles. Each bottle is handprinted to portray traditional Chinese emblems such...
Glass
$300Sale Price|20% Off
Porcelain on Metal Fine Chinoiserie Occupied Japan Art Deco Box
Located in San Diego, CA
Porcelain on metal fine chinoiserie occupied Japan Art Deco box, beautiful and rare petite box delicate and painted with metal inserts, a couple of tiny...
Metal, Brass
18th Century Japanned Chinoiserie Dome-Topped Box, Circa 1715-1725
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Early 18th century George I Japanned Chinoiserie dome-topped box, Circa 1715-1725. England or France. A rare survivor from the first quarter of the ...
Cherry
Antique Chinese Black Lacquer Gilt Painted Covered Tea Box 1940s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Oriental Chinese Export Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1940s. Large Asian Chinese black lacquered tea box with nume...
Lacquer
Chinese Antique Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1940s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Oriental Chinese Export Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1940s. Large Asian Chinese black lacquered tea box with nume...
Giltwood, Lacquer
Chinese decorative lacquered leather box - 19th Century
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Asian Art - Antique Decoration Measures : 30x18cm H:10,5cm Materials : Leather, Metal, Wood, Lacquered
Metal
Vintage Hand Carved Asian Landscape Wood Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exceptional vintage storage chest is a masterpiece of relief carving, showcasing an immersive panoramic village scene set amidst a rugged, architectural mountain landscape. Hand...
Wood
Blue and Yellow Chinoiserie Tea Caddy
Located in New York, NY
Blue and yellow chinoiserie tea caddy. Charming Prattware shaped tea canister in a blue cast paste with blue, yellow and moss green decoration fe...
Pottery
Decorated Wooden and Pewter Casket with Floral Relief, Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
A rectangular wooden casket with hinged lid, adorned with repoussé pewter panels worked in low relief. The decoration depicts stylized flowers, leaves, and a butterfly among foliage,...
Other
19th Century Chinoiserie Sewing Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Nice condition for its age. Does not have key. Has original sewing box utensils inside - spools, etc.
Bone, Wood, Lacquer
Asian Chinese Box Black Lacquered Gilt Painted 1940s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Oriental Chinese Export Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1940s. Large Asian Chinese black lacquered tea box with nume...
Giltwood, Lacquer
19th Century Chinoiserie Tall Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In great condition for its age. With bone handle pulls.
Bone, Wood, Lacquer
Chositsu Cylindrical Chinese Box. China, late 19th Century.
Located in Madrid, ES
Cylindrical box made of bronze using the sculpted lacquer technique called "Chositsu". A highly valuable technique, since in order to sculpt the motifs, it was necessary to apply a l...
Bronze
18th Century George I Domed Topped Japanned Chinoiserie Falconry Box, circa 1710
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A rare and important Queen Anne-George I japanned chinoiserie domed topped box depicting scenes of falconry, circa 1710-1720. England Falconry is ...
Oak