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.
Midcentury Italian Terracotta Foo Dog Garden Seats, a Pair
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a facing pair of midcentury Italian glazed terracotta foo dog garden seats in very good condition. They are a rare find! They are unmarked and i...
Majolica, Terracotta
Pair of Vintage Chinese Lacquered and Painted Garden Seats
Located in Chireno, TX
Pair of vintage Chinese lacquered and painted garden seats. Hand-carved wooden garden seats, or stands. Decorated with painted foliate scrolls and birds over red. Perfect height to s...
Wood
19th Century Chinese Elm Rustic Farmhouse Primitive Brutalist Stool
Located in Germantown, MD
Dated to mid 19th century, this rustic, farmhouse, primitive and brutalist stool has simple splayed-leg design and well-worn finish. Crafted of northern elm wood with mortise-and-ten...
Elm
Vintage Chinese Red Lacquered Dragon Barrel Form Garden Stool
Located in San Diego, CA
A very nice Chinese red lacquered barrel form garden stool / plant stand with dragon motif, circa 1940s. I believe the stool is made of elm wood and covered with a rich red lacquer f...
Elm
$2,550Sale Price|25% Off
19th Century Two-Tone Patinated Chinese Brass & Copper Garden Barrel Drum Stool
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Rare two-tone Copper and Brass hand tooled Chinese garden stool. Versatile and exuding character to be used indoors, on the porch or exposed to the elements. The hollow centre can be...
Brass, Copper
Antique Chinese Side Table or Stool, Hand-Crafted Wood, 19th Century
Located in Sheffield, MA
The antique Asian stool has a square top and a balanced form with timeless rustic appeal. Beautifully worn from a century of use, the aged wood pat...
Wood
Chinese Red Crackle Headrest
Located in Chicago, IL
This low, four-leg stool is actually a headrest used atop a daybed or mat to support the head while sleeping, reclining, or smoking opium. As an opium accessory, rigid headrests such...
Wood
Pair Chinese Plant Stands Lacquered Painted Pedestal Table 1920
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Gorgeous pair of Chinese hardwood stools or pot stands With floral decorations all over Circa 1920 Offered in great shape ready for home use right away We ship to every corner of the...
Hardwood, Paint
Pair of Vintage Famille Rose Porcelain Garden Stools with Mandarin Ducks
Located in Sarasota, FL
A finely decorated pair of famille rose porcelain garden stools, each painted with Mandarin duck motifs—traditional emblems of fidelity—set among lotus blossoms, floating coins, and ...
Porcelain, Paint
Chinese Hardwood Melon Shape Garden Seat Side Table with Mother of Pearl Inlay
Located in New York, NY
Chinese curved melon shape hardwood garden stool or side table with mother of pearl inlay. Beautiful floral tree and bird motif inlaid top, with floral sprays at top of curved wood b...
Mother-of-Pearl, Hardwood
Pair of Antique Chinese Hardwood Flower Stands Rouge Marble Top Insert
Located in Brea, CA
Pair of antique Chinese hardwood flower stands rouge marble top insert, 20th century. Measures: H 18”, D 20”.
Hardwood
$1,290Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair Of Vintage Barrel Stools, Chinese, Inlaid, Decorative Display Stand, C.1970
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a pair of vintage barrel stools. A Chinese, mahogany and mother of pearl inlaid decorative display stand, dating to the late 20th century,...
Wood
$1,650Sale Price|40% Off
Post-war Chinese Koi Fish Glazed Art Pottery Garden Patio Toadstool Stool
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Original set of art pottery Chinese toadstool-shaped stools featuring a relief of koi fish along the base of each stool. Crafted with exquisite detail, this table features a vibrant ...
Pottery
19th Century Chinese Elm Rustic Primitive Brutalist Stool
Located in Germantown, MD
Dated to mid-19th century, this rustic, farmhouse, primitive and brutalist stool has simple splayed-leg design and well-worn finish. Crafted of northern elm wood with mortise-and-ten...
Elm
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Chinese Hand-Carved Wood Elm Writing Console Entryway Table Pi Stool
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Possibly Late 19th century, heavily patinated, still usable, not loose, but with cracks and chips to wood. Mainly decorative uses recommended. There is a split to one leg, pictured. ...
Elm
Antique Shanxi Province Elm Stool
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Shanxi Province Elm Stool Antique Shanxi Province Elm Seat with Original Color and Patina
Wood, Elm
Pair of Asian Terracotta Garden Stools
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A stylish pair of vintage ceramic garden stools, often referred to as barrel seats, finished in a rich mottled green crackle glaze. Crafted in glazed ceramic, each stool features a d...
Terracotta
Ceramic Hand Painted Chinese Garden Stool
Located in Vilnius, LT
Vintage Chinese ceramic garden stool with hand painted decor in blue and white dragon motives. Very good/excellent vintage condition. NOTE: Buyer is solely responsible for paying cu...
Ceramic
Midcentury Italian Majolica Neoclassical Style Garden Seat Stool
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Whimsical Mid-Century Modern Italian Majolica garden seat stool made in the neoclassical taste. The square stool features a Tromp l'oeil verde green tassel...
Majolica, Pottery
Ceramic Hand Painted Chinese Garden Stool
Located in Vilnius, LT
Chinese ceramic garden stool with openwork details and circumferential decoration of the floral elements and scenes of ladies.
Ceramic
$990
H 16.5 in W 21.5 in D 9.5 in
Mid-Century French Hand Painted Faience Elephant Garden Seat or Side Table
Located in Dallas, TX
Bring a sculptural and whimsical accent to a room or patio with this vintage French faience elephant garden seat, crafted circa 1960. Modeled with its trunk raised for good fortune, ...
Ceramic, Faience
Pair of Antique Chinese Ceramic Garden Stools
Located in Atlanta, GA
A beautiful pair of Chinese ceramic garden stool from late Qing Dynasty. Classic barrel shape with Famille Verte glaze depicting figurative groups in garden settings.
Ceramic
Chinese Interlocking Tri-Leg Stool, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Deceptively simple, this early 20th century stool from Shanxi province shows off the ingenious joinery methods traditionally used by Chinese carpenters. The stool's three splayed leg...
Pine
Fornasetti Red Lip Lacquered Bocca Stool
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Piero Fornasetti (Italian, 1913-1988) black and white lacquered wood Bocca stool featuring the red lips of Lina Cavallieri (Italian, 1874-1944), upon three tapering black legs, marke...
Wood
$1,205 / set
H 18.5 in Dm 13 in
Pair of Vintage Famille Rose Porcelain Garden Stools with Mandarin Ducks
Located in Sarasota, FL
A finely decorated pair of famille rose porcelain garden stools, each painted with Mandarin duck motifs—traditional emblems of fidelity—set among lotus blossoms, floating coins, and ...
Porcelain, Paint
$1,000
H 9.06 in Dm 14.97 in
Japanese Antique Wooden Block Stool 1860s-1900s / Wabi Sabi Wood Chair Primitive
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
This Japanese wooden block stool was crafted during the Meiji to Taisho period (1860s–1920s). Carved from a massive single piece of solid wood, it possesses both the raw strength of ...
Wood
Vintage Chinese Famille Rose Medallion Garden Stool, Porcelain, 1950s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Vintage Chinese Famille Rose Medallion Garden Stool. Wonderful floral motif with traditional figures. These traditional cultural motif's alternate with courtyard settings and nature....
Porcelain
Hand Painted Chinese Ceramic Garden Stool
Located in Vienna, AT
ceramics garden seat, green glaze Chinese garden stools with pierced medallions on both sides. Stool has raised dots around top and buttom.
Ceramic
Pair of Oriental Tables From the Early 20th Century
Located in Opole, PL
Pair of oriental tables from the early 20th century Pair of black tables with tops decorated with genre scenes. Both pieces are circa the 1st of the 20th century. The arch-like le...
Wood
Chinese Export Porcelain Rose Medallion Garden Seat
Located in Downingtown, PA
Verdant Elegance: A Chinese Export Rose Medallion Garden Seat Mid-19th Century (One of two we have in stock and on 1st Dibs- There is a ve...
Porcelain
Chinese Export Porcelain Rose Medallion Garden Seat
Located in Downingtown, PA
Verdant Elegance: A Chinese Export Rose Medallion Garden Seat Mid-19th Century (One of two in stock, the decoration on the top is very sligh...
Porcelain
Blue and White Porcelain Garden Seat
Located in New York, NY
Profusely decorated in blue with dragons within shaped cartouches on a meander fretwork ground bordering scrolling chrysanthemums. Very fine example.
Porcelain, Paint
Pair Antique Asian Octagon Garden Stools, Off-White & Salmon Color, Hong Kong
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Just in from Hong Kong this pair of Antique Asian Octagon Garden Stools, Off-White & Salmon Color, Hong Kong. This pair is a heavy glazed clay, with an off-White background and hand ...
Ceramic
Pair of Blue and White Chinoiserie Porcelain Garden Stools
Located in Sarasota, FL
An elegant pair of blue-and-white porcelain garden stools, each finely hand-painted with continuous bird-and-branch landscapes enclosed by classic trellis and fretwork borders. The c...
Porcelain, Paint
Chinoiserie Chinese Garden Stool or Side Table Black Lacquer w/Asian Details
Located in Topeka, KS
Marvelous vintage Chinoiserie Chinese garden stool or small side table with black lacquer & hand painted & gilded Asian details, Made in China. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind t...
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Early 20th hand painted century Chinese terra-cotta garden stool
Located in Allentown, PA
This is a hand mid-century Chinese export hand painted terra-cotta garden stool. This garden stool has a dark brown background with a golden Amber hand painted dragon decoration arou...
Pottery
Blue and White Porcelain Garden Seat
Located in New York, NY
Of hexagonal form; decorated in blue with pagodas in riverscape settings. Collection of Mario Buatta, New York, NY
Porcelain, Paint
Pair of Vintage Terra Cotta Blue and White Garden Seats
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Unusual pair of mid century Chinese garden seats crafted in terra cotta in classic form with hand decorated stylized white floral designs on an alluring deep blue background.
Porcelain
Chinese Export Porcelain Hexagonal Garden Seats, A Pair
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export Porcelain Hexagonal Garden Seats, A Pair, Circa 1850-60 The Chinese Export porcelain Rose Medallion Garden Seats are of a hexagonal barrel form with gilded studs repr...
Porcelain
Chinese Enameled Ceramic Garden Stool
Located in Germantown, MD
A Chinese Enameled Ceramic Garden Stool for your consideration. Measures 10.5" in diameter and stands 16" in height.
Enamel