Like chinoiserie, which had emerged in Europe in the 17th century, antique Chinese Chippendale furniture was an appropriation of Asian design that often distilled it to stereotypes.
Thomas Chippendale published The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director in 1754, and the widespread popularity of the book of furniture designs influenced a new style of furniture named for the English cabinetmaker. Artisans in England, the United States and Europe adapted the work illustrated in its pages. The publication of the pattern book included designs reflecting “Gothic, Chinese and Modern Taste,” with illustrations of “Chinese” chairs and cabinets featuring elaborate hand-carved latticework.
Pagoda-shaped flourishes and wood painted in the “japanned” finish that mimicked lacquer were common on these pieces, as were fretwork patterns on chair backs. The back of a chair is the easiest way to distinguish between Gothic, Rococo and Chinese Chippendale chairs, all of which typically feature broad seats and luxurious upholstery. Chippendale’s designs for “Chinese” chairs tend to favor more clean lines and less ornamentation than the other styles, with cutouts in the rails and the fretwork on the back evoking a European ideal of East Asian design.
Dark woods such as walnut and solid mahogany were commonly used, as were bamboo turnings. Cabinets for imported Chinese ceramics frequently were adorned with glazing bars, while small tea tables were detailed with angular fretwork. The style remained popular through the 18th century and into the decades that followed, even inspiring an entire room at Buckingham Palace.
Find antique Chinese Chippendale dining room chairs, side tables, case pieces and other furniture and decor on 1stDibs.
Pair of Chinese Chippendale Style Faux Bamboo Armchairs
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Striking pair of Chinese Chippendale style armchairs. Painted red frames with red leather seats. This Chinoiserie style features an open fretwork geometric lattice design.
Faux Bamboo, Leather
Hollywood Regency Faux Bamboo Chinese Chippendale Armchairs, Pair
Located in Miami, FL
A pair of Hollywood Regency faux bamboo Chinese Chippendale armchairs. Professionally refinished. No makers mark. Measures: Arm height 26.63 inches. A-808-335
Faux Bamboo, Cane, Lacquer
Chinese Chippendale Single Bamboo Chair With Lattice Back and Les Touches Fabric
Located in Locust Valley, NY
A single vintage armchair features a Chinese Chippendale bamboo style frame with a warm, medium-brown finish. The back showcases a lattice design with gently curved detailing. The se...
Fabric, Bamboo
Pair of English Chinese Chippendale Style Black Lacquered Armchairs, circa 1950
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of English Chinese Chippendale style black lacquered armchairs from circa 1950 with upholstered seats. This elegant pair of English Chinese Chippendale style black lacquered a...
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Burnt Bamboo Tessellated Chinese Chippendale Armchair
Located in Stamford, CT
1970s burnt bamboo Chinese chippendale style armchair attributed to Harrison Van Horn. Chinese Chippendale wood chair with applied Burt bamboo ...
Fabric, Bamboo, Wood
$1,596Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Gorgeous Red Chinese Chippendale Faux Bamboo Armchairs
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This pair of striking red Chinese Chippendale armchairs showcases the timeless elegance of faux bamboo craftsmanship combined with the sophistication of classic Chippendale design. B...
Faux Leather, Walnut
$12,500 / set
Set of 6 Chinese Chippendale Style Dining Chairs
Located in Sheffield, MA
A very handsome set of 6 English, Chinese Chippendale ebonized carved mahogany chairs -- 2 arm chairs and 4 side chairs with open fretwork, ball and claw feet, upholstered slip seats. The carvings are beautifully articulated on the pierced back. Chairs offer a wide comfortable seat and sturdy construction. 2 of the 4 side chairs are slightly larger in scale but a well matched set of 6. Dimensions given are for the 2 arm chairs. Larger side chairs...
Upholstery, Mahogany
Pair of Mid Century Chinese Chippendale Arm Chairs
Located in Pasadena, TX
This is a King and Queen set of chairs made in the Chinese Chippendale style. The backs and arms have nice fretwork and the seats are made of cane.
Walnut
Pair of Midcentury Chinese Chippendale Style Black Faux Bamboo Armchairs
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of vintage Chinese Chippendale style black faux bamboo armchairs from the mid 20th century, with new upholstery. Made in the USA during the midcentury period, each of this pair of faux bamboo armchairs features a Chinese Chippendale ebonized design perfectly complimented by the neutral tones of its upholstered seat. Resting on straight legs connected to one another through cross stretchers, this pair of midcentury Chinese Chippendale...
Upholstery, Faux Bamboo
$720Sale Price|20% Off
Midcentury Chinese Chippendale Cockpen Faux Bamboo Cane Desk Chair
Located in Pasadena, TX
Midcentury Chinese Chippendale Cockpen faux bamboo cane desk chair Named after pew chairs with a Chinese lattice design in the Cockpen Church, Cockpen, M...
Faux Bamboo
Mid Century Chinese Chippendale Chrome Armchair, Fabric, 1970s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Classic Chinese Chippendale style chrome armchair with newly upholstered seat cushion. A traditional, yet modern design.
Fabric
Grosfeld House Hollywood Regency Mahogany Arm Chairs after Dorothy Draper - Pair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Grosfeld House Hollywood Regency Mahogany Arm Chairs after Dorothy Draper in the Chinese Chippendale form- a Pair. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 39" H x 28" W x 28" D...
Mahogany
Pair of Chinese Chippendale Qing Dynasty Red Lacquered King Wood Arm Chairs 1840
Located in Charleston, SC
Pair of Chinese Chippendale Qing Dynasty red lacquered king wood serpentine crest curvature arm chairs with decorative carved straight legs and original connecting stretchers. Mid 19...
Kingwood, Lacquer
Fine Pair 18th Century Robert Manwaring Carved Mahogany Library Armchairs
By Robert Manwaring
Located in Lymington, GB
A fine pair of mid-eighteenth century carved mahogany library armchairs attributed to Robert Manwaring, ca 1760. Crisply carved, of superb colour and...
Mahogany
Armchair Red Horseshoe Chair 19th Century China
Located in New York, NY
Armchair Red Horseshoe chair 19th century, China. A beautiful armchair made in a horse shoe style, during the 19th century in China. Original dark red paint
Antique English Chippendale Mahogany Fretwork Armchair, Circa 1850-1870
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English Chippendale Mahogany Fretwork armchair, Circa 1850-1870. This chair is of magnificent quality.
Mahogany
Pair Of 19th Century English Armchairs In The Chinese Chippendale Style
Located in Dublin, IE
A beautiful pair of 19th century armchairs in the Chinese Chippendale taste, the domed crest above an elaborately carved and interlaced ribbon splat, joined by an upholstered padded ...
Fabric, Wood
Chinoisery decorated Arm Chair, Ann Getty House Collection
By John and William Linnell
Located in San Francisco, CA
George II style Armchair, part of a suite of furniture designed by David Linell, for Badminton House. Mrs. Getty had a pair of the original chairs, one chair is at the V&A- her pair sold at auction for $ 250,000.00 a few years ago. This chair is a authentic reproduction, commissioned by Ann Getty, who had some of her most iconic pieces of Antiques faithfully copied and sold via a few showrooms thru-out the United States. I was Mrs. Getty's consultant during those years, and personally selected workrooms in California who were commissioned to reproduce these special items. Of the offeredd chair, only 12 were ever fabricated. It was very important to Mrs. Getty that the reproductions were as authentic as humanly possible. Wood for frames was carefully selected to mimic choices of the 18th and 19th century. Hot glue was used - same as during those centuries. Lacquer was made from lacque fragments. Painstakingly, the Japanning was copied from the original. The Seat on this chair is upholstered with a antique silk velvet and antique crewel...
Giltwood, Lacquer
Pair of Antique Chinese Elm Black Lacquered Chairs
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Pair of Chinese Elm Black Lacquered Chairs. Wide horseshoe frame design that is extremely comfortable. Newly reupholstered in a Chinese Double Happiness black and white fabric. Sea...
Elm
English Black Lacquer Pagoda Armchair in the Chinese Chippendale Style
Located in London, GB
An armchair in the ‘Chinese Chippendale’ manner. The design for the frame of this chair is drawn from Plate XXVII in Thomas Chippendale’s ‘The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Dire...
Wood, Lacquer
English Midcentury Bleached Faux Bamboo Lounge Chair with Upholstery
Located in Atlanta, GA
A rustic vintage English Chinese Chippendale style lounge chair from the mid 20th century, with bleached faux bamboo structure and new linen doub...
Upholstery, Faux Bamboo
$4,231Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Chinese Chair in Lacquered Red Wood and Gold of 18th Century
Located in Milano, IT
Large and very elegant and well-made pair of Chinese armchairs from the late 1800s. The pair of armchairs is in curved wood. The backrest is curved and is paneled with friezes depict...
Wood
$1,996Sale Price / set|20% Off
Fine Pair Creme Painted Chinese Chippendale Faux Bamboo Armchairs Circa 1960
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This fine pair of crème painted Chinese Chippendale faux bamboo armchairs, circa 1960, beautifully captures the timeless elegance and exotic appeal of mid-20th century design. Each c...
Walnut
Antique Chinese Chippendale or Boho Styled Faux Bamboo Accent or Side Chair
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This vintage Chinese Chippendale or Bohemian styled accent chair is presumed to have been manufactured in the United States in circa 1950. The frame is done in a sculptured wood to mimic bamboo stalks and covered with a bright honey amber lacquer...
Wood
Chinese Chippendale Armchair
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A Chinese Chippendale design lattice back, column carved, and square leg dining chair. Please note we are currently working to a 30-36 week lead time and that this item is made to o...
Mahogany
Monumental Pair of Faux Tortoise Chinese Chippendale Style Arm Chairs
By Frederick P. Victoria & Son, Inc.
Located in Lyndhurst, NJ
The frame, all over painted in a faux tortoise design and having a "Wingback" form, with a geometric pierced back and sides. The insert seat set on a square frame all on square legs....
Wood, Paint
Pair of Chinese Rosewood Nicely Carved Arm Side Chairs
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair of decorative Chinese Asian arm dining chairs.
Rosewood
19th Century Cockpen Chair
Located in Lymington, GB
A 19th-century Cockpen armchair in excellent condition throughout. This is of wonderful Chinese Chippendale design: a pierced back of a rarely-encountered scheme. Most have a typica...
Fabric, Mahogany
Chinese Chippendale Walnut and Cane Armchair on Casters
Located in Pasadena, TX
This chair is made in the Chinese Chippendale style. It has a cane and horseshoe shaped back. It has Chippendale style legs and rolls on casters. The back and seat cushions are a fau...
Cane, Walnut
$1,871Sale Price / set|25% Off
Vintage George Zee & Co Hand Carved Rosewood Armchairs A Pair
Located in Lake Worth, FL
For FULL item description click on "Read More" or "View More Details" below. Shipping Quote Information The shipping quote stated in the listing is from 1st Dibs and they normally s...
Rosewood, Cotton
$19,500 / set
Set of Ten Chippendale Armchairs
By Donghia
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Set of ten mid century armchairs crafted in mahogany in a modern version of the classic chippendale form designed by Yale Burge for Donghia.
Mahogany
A fine pair of large late 19th century Chinese Chippendale armchairs
Located in Dallas, TX
A fine pair of oversized late 19th century English Chinese Chippendale style mahogany carved open armchairs. Covered in a white muslin
Mahogany
Antique English Chippendale Armchair, Mahogany, Gothic Design, 1900
Located in Queens, NY
Turn-of-the-century English Chinese Chippendale style armchair. The chair is composed of mahogany and features a Gothic pierced tracery des...
Mahogany, Leather
A fine pair of 19th century Chinese Chippendale mahogany Gainsborough chairs
Located in Dallas, TX
A fine pair of large 19th century Chinese Chippendale carved mahogany Gainsborough style armchairs . Beautiful carving and fretwork . Covered in a green silk material
Mahogany