Expanded trade between Europe and East Asia, starting in the 16th century, led to a booming market for exported goods, particularly furniture. This was bolstered by the establishment of the Dutch and English East India Companies at the beginning of the 17th century. From folding screens and chairs to lacquer tables and silver, Chinese Export furniture was in demand and regularly copied and imitated, leading to styles like chinoiserie and Chinese Chippendale.
The expansion of exporting that had strengthened the arts during the Ming dynasty continued into the Qing dynasty era — Chinese designers made many furniture pieces specifically for export, resulting in distinctive designs that mixed traditional techniques with forms appealing to foreign buyers. For instance, cabinetmakers in Canton (modern-day Guangzhou) were prolific in crafting hardwood furniture for export in European styles that involved the expert joinery techniques of Chinese furniture. Designs for Chinese Export porcelain, cabinets, decorative objects and other furniture were often more ornately adorned than they would be for a local audience, such as with mother-of-pearl overlays or surfaces featuring lavish pictorial scenes or gold on black motifs. Some were even commissioned by wealthy European families to be adorned with their coat of arms.
Because lacquer furniture was especially prized, and the resin used to create it was difficult to import as it would harden during the long voyage, artisans in China and Japan exported numerous lacquer pieces. Long before lacquer made its way to Japan, the Chinese treated the material differently. They used it to create smooth, glossy surfaces, but also for carving, an art that began in the 12th century and is exclusively Chinese. These pieces are called cinnabar lacquer after the powdered mercury sulfide (cinnabar) employed to produce their characteristic red hue. A popular form for export was a compact cabinet with drawers, usually displayed on a small table. Undecorated furniture built in Europe was also shipped to China to be lacquered. The international exchange of design would influence furniture into the 19th century and later, informing styles such as Art Deco and Art Nouveau.
Find a collection of antique Chinese Export tables, beds, cupboards, table lamps and more furniture on 1stDibs.
$1,580Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Chinese Canton Export Lacquered Giltwood Tea Caddy on Shishi Feet
Located in Haarlem, NL
Clover or quartreform shaped mid-19th century Chinese canton export tea caddy in gold lacquered wood on a black background. Decorated with palace scenes...
Pewter
Chinese Hexagonal Cast Brass Tea Caddy
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A Chinese hexagonal cast brass tea caddy, early 20th century. Each rectangular side with a shou symbol surrounded by five stylized bats on blue enamel ...
Brass
Pair of Chinese Mahogany Tole Hinged Figural & Foliage Bird Tea Bins, Circa 1840
Located in Charleston, SC
Pair of Chinese mahogany tole demilune hinged poly chromed tea bins with gilt figural stenciling and decorative landscape scenes with foliage and bird motif, M...
Brass, Metal
Mid 19th century Chinese export hand painted tea caddy
Located in Allentown, PA
This is a mid 19th century handpainted Chinese export tea caddy. This tea Caddy stands on four hand carved miniature foo dog sculpted feet. This tea caddy has its original pewter lin...
Wood
Large Chinese Tea Box Black Lacquered Gilt Hand Painted Octagonal Box 1940s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large Chinese Export Tea Box Octagonal Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1940s. Antique Chinoiserie black lacquer box with numerous figures and gilt detail. Asian Chinese blac...
Giltwood, Lacquer
Oriental Chinese Octagonal 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
$679 / item
H 7 in W 20 in D 8 in
Vintage Chinese Black Lacquer Box with Gilt Bamboo and Green Leaf Motifs
Located in Yonkers, NY
A vintage Chinese decorative box, crafted in wood and finished in lustrous black lacquer, its surface delicately adorned with a gilt bamboo and green leaf motif. The design, executed...
Wood
Chinese Lattice Top Incense Box, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This slender metal container is a 19th-century white brass incense burner, used for storing and burning incense sticks. The small box has a rectangular form and a removable sliding t...
Brass
Chinese Baitong Stacking Incense Clock, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This three-tiered container is a 19th-century white brass incense clock, once used as a relatively accurate method to mark the passage of time. Incense c...
Brass
19th Century Chinese Export Lacquer Tea Caddy
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
The burgundy / brown lacquer is decorated with gold depicting figures and buildings in a landscape. The caddy stands on four carved wooden feet in the shape of claws. The interior contains a single pewter canister...
Paper
Chinese White Brass Happiness Brazier, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Filled with burning coals, this petite 19th-century brass brazier once warmed the hands of a well-to-do person on a cold winter's night in northern China. The brazier is crafted of white brass in a rectangular form, complete with a hinged handle and an intricately pierced lid with a chrysanthemum pattern. The exterior is etched with a pattern of golden coins...
Brass
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
H 4.5 in W 8.75 in D 6 in
19th Century Chinese Export Lacquer Decorated Tea Caddy Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
Chinese for the English market, 19th century. A fine quality antique Chinese export tea caddy decorated with beautiful gilding surfaces, a hinged lid which opens to reveal a tooled ...
Pewter
19th Century Chinoiserie Lacquer Sewing Box, Hand-Painted with Gilt
Located in Toronto, CA
This is a remarkable 19th century, Japanese lacquered sewing box with multiple compartments on the interior. The exterior is decorated in elaborate black and gilded motifs including...
Bone, Wood, Lacquer
19th Century English Regency Tea Caddy
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A large English tea caddy. It is mahogany with brass feet.
Brass
Chinese Export Black Lacquer Game Box
Located in Essex, MA
Rectangular hinged shaped top enclosing small trays. Conforming case with gilded feet.
Lacquer
$1,627 / set
H 5.32 in W 11.23 in D 7.88 in
Chinese Export Tea Caddy, Lacquered Wood with Gilded Decorations
Located in Kastrup, DK
A beautifully crafted Chinese export tea caddy made of wood with black lacquer, richly adorned with gilded motifs featuring classical Chinese scenes of people, houses, and more. The ...
Wood
19th Century English Penwork Tea Caddy
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th Century English Penwork Tea Caddy
Wood
Burr Yew 19th Century Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A Very Attractive And Good Quality Early 19th Century Regency Period, Burr Yew Wood Tea Caddy Having Boxwood Strung Decoration Throughout, The Hinged Pagoda Top Enclosing Two Lidded ...
Yew
Chinese Export Antique Lacquer Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING Raised on Dragon Feet From our Tea Caddy collection, we are pleased to offer this Chinese Export Lacquer Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of curvaceous rectangular ...
Lacquer
Chinese Export Porcelain Tea Caddy Jar
Located in Bradenton, FL
Chinese Export hand-painted porcelain tea caddy jar. Pictures of a boy and his dog adorn both sides of jar in rich colors of dark blue, gold, red and turquoise. Greek key border fram...
Porcelain
Woven Chinese Tea Cozy Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Tea drinking has been an integral part of Chinese culture for centuries, resulting in a wide range of social customs and material traditions. In addition to tea leaves, water, and he...
Wood
Sold
H 4.34 in Dm 4.73 in
20th Century Chinese Export Solid Silver & Enamel Tea Caddy, Luen Wo, c.1900
By Luen Wo
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique early-20th Century Extremely Rare Chinese export solid silver & enamel tea caddy, the melon shaped body sides are applied with shaded enamels, depicting blooming chrysanthemu...
Silver, Enamel
Chinese Export Octagonal Black Lacquer Tea Caddy with Original Pewter Liner
Located in San Francisco, CA
A Chinese export octagonal form tea caddy retaining its original pewter liner, the exterior beautifully decorated overall with figures of men and women in an elaborate garden setting...
Pewter
Tea Caddy in Black Lacquer with Floral Decorations
Located in Kastrup, DK
Chinese tea caddy with body in polychrome lacquered wood on a black background. Decorated throughout with floral decorations, birds and butterflies. Interior with four pewter com...
Pewter
Chinese Famille Rose Pumpkin Tea Leaf Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Used to store loose leaf tea, this porcelain jar is decorated in a style of overglaze enameling known as "famille rose." Sometimes referred to as "yangcai" or "foreign colors," the famille rose style emerged during the 18th century and employs a pastel palette of opaque overglaze enamels that favors roses and pinks. This cylindrical tea leaf jar...
Porcelain
Chinese Famille Rose Sanxing Tea Leaf Jar, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This porcelain jar is decorated in a style of overglaze enameling known as "famille rose." Sometimes referred to as "yangcai" or "foreign colors," the famille rose style emerged duri...
Porcelain
Sold
H 5.12 in Dm 4.34 in L 5.12 in
20th Century Chinese Solid Silver Dragon Tea Caddy, Houcheong, Canton circa 1880
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique 19th century Chinese solid silver tea caddy, shaped as a Chinese ginger jar, well-crafted and profusely embossed, depicting a dragon in high relief on matted ground, fitted w...
Silver
Chinese Teapot Caddy in Carved Wood
Located in Astoria, NY
Chinese carved wood teapot caddy. The front panel has a hole opening for the spout, with a shaped wood carrying handle inserted into the ears, the lid havi...
Wood
Lacquered Tea Box, China, 1925
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Lacquered tea box, China, 1925, pewter interior. Measures: L 21 cm, H 12 cm, P 14 cm.
Wood
Sold
H 5.5 in W 5 in D 5 in
Chinese Burl Walnut Tea Caddy with Decorative Floral Pewter Bins, Circa 1810
Located in Charleston, SC
Chinese burl walnut hinged tea caddy with the original five decorative floral Pewter bins with lids. Tea Caddy retains the original lock and key. Bins are...
Brass, Pewter