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Chinese Export Jars

CHINESE EXPORT STYLE

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.

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Style: Chinese Export
Pair of Mid 20th Century Chinese Lidded Ginger Jars Vases
Located in Pearland, TX
A lovely pair of vintage Chinese Kangxi style handmade ceramic lidded ginger jars hand painted in vibrant cobalt blue and white. These fabulous jars are decorated with flower pots in...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

Chinese Export Porcelain Canton Jar decorated with Panels of Chinese Figures
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export Porcelain Large Canton Temple Jar, American Market, Daoguang, First Quarter 19th Century A handsome Chinese Export Canton Large Temple Jar, produced for the American ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Famille Rose Phoenix & Peony Jars, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
During the 18th century, Europeans provided an eager market for Chinese export porcelain, especially the colorful and fanciful ware known as “famille rose.” Named for a palette of op...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Famille Rose Ginger Jar with Peacocks & Peonies
Located in Chicago, IL
During the 18th century, Europeans provided an eager market for Chinese export porcelain, especially the colorful and fanciful ware known as “famille rose.” Named for a palette of op...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Mid Century Black Cloisonne Ginger Jar
Located in New York, NY
Chinese Export Mid Century Black cloisonne ginger jar featuring large scale chrysanthemum flower. Hand Made.
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Brass

Blue and White Double Happiness Ginger Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
The symbol for double happiness adorns this slender ginger jar with best wishes for love, companionship and marital bliss. Glazed in the classic blue and white manner, the porcelain ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese White and Blue Figurative Porcelain Ginger Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese white porcelain jar decorated with blue figures amid scroll detailing with a finial topped lid. Condition: Good; Wear consistent with age and use
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Double Happiness Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
The symbol for double happiness adorns this round tea leaf jar with best wishes for love, companionship and marital bliss. Glazed in the classic blue and white manner, the porcelain ...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

20th Century Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Ginger Jar
Located in Pomona, CA
This magnificent Chinese Antique Blue and White porcelain Ginger Jar was hand made and hand paint from famous Chinese Blue and White Porcelain. It is a painting by Youqiu from the Mi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Hand Painted Famille Rose Porcelain Ginger Jar - China - Mid 20th C.
Located in Chatham, ON
Vintage porcelain ginger jar with lid - famille rose decoration with hand painted scenic panels to the front and back - turquoise bands to the top and bottom of the jar - unsigned - ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

Two Chinese Blue & White Porcelain Globular 'PRUNUS' Jars
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
TWO CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN GLOBULAR 'PRUNUS' JARS Late Qing Dynasty Each painted with prunus branches against a mottled blue 'ice' ground both with hardwood covers, doubl...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

Chinese Blue & White 'Prunus & Birds' Jar/Vase & Cover Earlier Qing Dynasty
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Chinese Blue & White 'Prunus' Jar/Vase & Cover Early Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) This impressive Chinese Blue & White 'Prunus' Jar/Vase and Cover, dating to the Early Qing Dynasty, is...
Category

18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Double Happiness Temple Jars - A Pair
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th Century Chinese Blue and White Chinese Porcelain Double Happiness Temple Jars. The Double Happiness symbol is the central motif used to represent joy and marital happiness, and ...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Early 20th Century Chinese Porcelain Jar with Lid
Located in Pomona, CA
Look at this magnificent Vintage Chinese porcelain jar. It was hand made and hand paint with beautiful Chinese traditional folks art on it. You can see from the pictures that it has ...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Blue and White Jars with Lids
Located in Bradenton, FL
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Eternity Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This porcelain tea leaf jar is beautifully glazed in the blue-and-white manner, with hand-painted cobalt-blue decoration against a crisp white field. The porcelain jar has a rounded form and flat lid, a traditional shape for jars used to hold Chinese...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Famille Rose Soup Tureen, c. 1870
Located in Chicago, IL
This late 19th century covered jar takes its rounded shape from serving tureens used to serve soups and stews. Contrasted by a crisp white field, the lid and sides are decorated with a lively scene of children at play in a courtyard garden. Accompanied by a man and woman, the children are each playing with a different toy, including a kite, a reed organ...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Oriental Ginger Jar, Large, Polychrome Ceramic, Mid-Late 20th Century
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a vintage oriental ginger jar, a large, brightly decorated polychrome ceramic with lid, dating to the mid-late 20th century. Of Classic ...
Category

Late 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

20th Century Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Ginger Jar
Located in Pomona, CA
This magnificent Chinese Antique Blue and White porcelain Ginger Jar was hand made and hand paint from famous Chinese Blue and White P...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

One of Two Chinese Porcelain Glazed Figural Ginger Jars with Lids, 19th Century
Located in Antwerp, BE
Two Chinese blue and white porcelain glazed decorative figural and floral ginger jars with the original removable lids, 19th century. Measure: Diameter 28 cm. Height 28 cm. Two of t...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Spice Jar, Oriental, Ginger, Baluster Urn, Art Deco, 20th Century, 1940
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a vintage spice jar. An Oriental ceramic ginger baluster urn dating to the Art Deco period of early 20th century, circa 1940. Generously s...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

Chinese White and Blue Character and Floral Lidded Ginger Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (late 19th century) lidded ceramic ginger jar urn with blue floral designs surrounding bold, centered characters on 4 sides.        
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Perpetual Harmony Baluster Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This contemporary lidded baluster jar continues the centuries-old tradition of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain ware. Painted with cobalt pigments for a brilliant blue finish, the ja...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Famille Rose Ginger Jar with Ancient Censers, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Beautifully commemorated on this oval ginger jar, censers have been used for thousands of years in Chinese culture as a part of funeral rites or prayer offerings. Filled with dried a...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Antique Chinese Blue/White Temple Jars from Ching Wang Shu XIX Dynasty
Located in Houston, TX
This pair is very old from the Ching Wang Shu XIX Dynasty And the color is exquisite. They are in good condition with only A few flea bite tiny chips on ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porphyry

Petite Chinese Blue and White Double Happiness Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
The symbol for double happiness adorns this petite tea leaf jar with best wishes for love, companionship and marital bliss. Glazed in the classic blue and white manner, the small porcelain jar has a rounded form and flat lid, a traditional shape for jars used to hold Chinese...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue & White Double Happiness Spice Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
The symbol for double happiness adorns this round tea leaf jar with best wishes for love, companionship and marital bliss. Glazed in the classic blue and white manner, the porcelain jar has a rounded form with a slight taper and is topped by a flat lid, a traditional shape for jars used to hold Chinese...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue & White Jar with Birds & Flowers
Located in Chicago, IL
Loosely brushed with cobalt blue pigments, this round blue-and-white storage jar is adorned with a ribbon-tailed bird perched on a cluster of rocks, a symbol for a long and happy lif...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Off-White and Light Blue Vine Pattern Lidded Porcelain Ginger Jars
Located in Queens, NY
"4 Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) lidded porcelain ginger jars with a swirling light blue dense vines and spaced floral motifs against off-white back...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Porcelain Glazed Figural Ginger Jars with Lids, 20th Century
Located in Charleston, SC
Pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain glazed decorative figural and floral ginger jars with the original removable lids, 20th century.
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

Chinese Blue & White Dragon Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This large porcelain jar is beautifully glazed in the classic blue-and-white manner, with hand-painted cobalt-blue decoration against a crisp whit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese White Glazed Ginger Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
A strong but silent 20th century Chinese white glazed porcelain ginger jar with a lid and straight sides. Perfect as is, or filled with flowers, branches, or any other myriad vices y...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Large Chinese Blue and White Baluster Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This blue and white baluster jar was made in the Jiangxi region of China. The landscape scenes hand painted by feathery brushstrokes are richly evocative and bring to mind ancient Ch...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Black and White Cherry Blossom Tree Motif Porcelain Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese black porcelain jar with red and white cherry blossom trees growing from a green pastoral scene at the base. Condition: Good; Wear consistent with age and use
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Style Porcelain Temple Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese style (19th/20th Cent) porcelain temple jar with blue & brown decoration on a white field.
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Squared Famille Rose Ginger Jar with Ritual Vessels, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Beautifully commemorated on this squared ginger jar, tripod censers and bronze ritual vessels have been used for thousands of years in Chinese cultur...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue & White Jar with First Scholar
Located in Chicago, IL
Loosely brushed with cobalt blue pigments, this round, blue-and-white storage jar is underglazed with a celebratory procession of young boys leading a mythical qilin. Also known as k...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

1960 China Export Pair Porcelain Blue and White Decorative Giant Jars Vases
Located in Brescia, IT
This pair of elegant and fine giant jars in porcelain, has its origin in the extremely East part of the Chinese continent, probably from Japan. The entire surface is decorated with the relief of white flowers, the peonia flowers, symbol of authority, power and wealth. On the surface, are present many drawings in blue of the Pho dogs...
Category

1960s Chinese Vintage Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Pale Green and Pink Blossom Lidded Jars
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Chinese pale green lidded jars decorated with lily pads and pink lotus blossoms on one side of their round forms and extending up to the lids,...
Category

20th Century Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Blue and White Brush Pot with Shan Shui Landscape
Located in Chicago, IL
Set alongside the four treasures of the study - the calligraphy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone - a brush pot, or bitong, was an essential fixture of the scholars' desk. This porcela...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Blue and Orange Fish Design Lidded Porcelain Jars
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Chinese (Mid 20th Century) lidded porcelain jars with orange fish swimming on blue, sponged backgrounds, inspired by patterns from the Ming Dynasty...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of 19th Century Blue and White Lidded Temple Jars/Urns
Located in Manhasset, NY
Pair of 19th century blue and white temple jars, Chinese or Urns. Each 19 inch large and impressive Urn with a full original lid, measures 15 in High without the lid. The pair signed...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain, Pottery

Pair of White and Blue Pattern Lidded Porcelain Ginger Jars
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Chinese white and blue porcelain lidded ginger jars painted with floral and vine motifs, Greek key patterned bands at the openin...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Han Amber Glazed Porcelain Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese (Han Dynasty 206BC-220AD) amber glazed pottery vase (jar) with a band of animals in relief raised on a modern 2¬O" high base.   
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Four Flowers Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Loosely brushed with cobalt blue pigments, this round, blue-and-white storage jar is underglazed with lush garden scenery featuring the flowering plants of the four seasons. Tree peo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Off-White and Blue Vine Lidded Porcelain Ginger Jar
Located in Queens, NY
"Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) lidded porcelain ginger jar with a dark blue vine and floral motif against a white ground, and bold blue characters on 4 sides. Wear throughout...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Large Chinese Blue and White Baluster Jar with Shizi
Located in Chicago, IL
Images of shizi, a lion-dog symbol of power and strength of character, cavort among the stylized clouds of heaven on this hand-painted covered jar. Original...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Early 20th Century Chinese Hand Painted FooDog Ginger Jar
Located in Pomona, CA
This magnificent Antique Chinese Famille-Rose porcelain Ginger Jar was 100% hand made and hand paint from famous Chinese Famille-Rose Porcelain. It has beautiful hand painted foo dog...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese White and Blue Vine Motif Lidded Porcelain Ginger Jars
Located in Queens, NY
3 similar antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) lidded porcelain ginger jars with dark blue vine and floral motifs against white backgrounds, Greek key patterns around the necks, and ...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and Orange Fish Design Round Lidded Porcelain Jars
Located in Queens, NY
4 antique Chinese (Mid 20th Century) similar porcelain vases with orange fish swimming around blue backgrounds - some displaying sponged effects - inspired...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Blue and White Scholar's Joy Ginger Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This contemporary ginger jar continues the tradition of Chinese blue-and-white ceramics with classic curves and auspicious, hand-painted decorations. Symbols that would surely give a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Han Dynasty-Style Green Patinated Bronze Lidded Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Han Dynasty-style copy of a bronze lidded jar decorated with the highs and lows of its green patina, carved with raised geometric patterns and topped with a domed, fi...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Chinese Famille Rose Butterfly & Gourd Containers, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
Used to store loose leaf tea, these small porcelain jars are decorated in a style of overglaze enameling known as "famille rose." Sometimes referred to as "yangcai" or "foreign color...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Famille Rose Ginger Jar with Ancient Censers, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Beautifully commemorated on this oval ginger jar, censers have been used for thousands of years in Chinese culture as a part of funeral rites or prayer offerings. Filled with dried aromatic plants and essential oils, the censer issued fragrant smoke that forged a connection to the spiritual realm. This late Qing-dynasty jar...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Provincial Blue and White Tea Leaf Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Tea has an auspicious beginning—it was purportedly enjoyed by the Buddha himself, and cakes of tea as large as wagon wheels were given to Chinese emperors as tribute. Tea drinking wa...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

Chinese Blue and White Shizi Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Images of shizi, a lion-dog symbol of power and strength of character, cavort among the stylized clouds of heaven on this hand-painted covered jar. Original...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Ceramic

19th Century Chinese Export Lacquered Tea Canister in Red and Gilt, “No.17”
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This beautifully preserved 19th-century Chinese export tea canister, hand-painted in rich red lacquer with gilt floral and calligraphic detailing, is a classic example of 19th-centur...
Category

19th Century English Antique Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Metal

Early 20th Century Chinese Hand Painted FooDog Ginger Jar
Located in Pomona, CA
This magnificent Antique Chinese Famille-Rose porcelain Ginger Jar was 100% hand made and hand paint from famous Chinese Famille-Rose Porcelain. It has beautiful hand painted foo dog...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Blue and White Double Phoenix Baluster Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This contemporary lidded baluster jar continues the centuries-old tradition of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain ware. Painted with cobalt pigments for a brilliant blue finish, the ja...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Double Happiness Spice Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
The symbol for double happiness adorns this round tea leaf jar with best wishes for love, companionship and marital bliss. Glazed in the classic blue and white manner, the porcelain jar has a rounded form and flat lid, a traditional shape for jars used to hold Chinese...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Jars

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export jars for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Chinese Export jars for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage jars created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, asian art and furniture, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, porcelain and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Chinese Export jars made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and China pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for jars differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $68 and tops out at $27,000 while the average work can sell for $1,095.

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