Chinese Export Furniture
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
Early 20th Century Chinese Raincoat and Hat set
Located in Pomona, CA
A very rare and pristine condition traditional Chinese raincoat consisting of both an apron skirt, cape and hat made entirely from palm tree and coconut fibers several layers thick. ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Palmwood
$1,447 Sale Price
25% Off
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 Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair, Chinese Export Cloisonne Enameled Dragon Figurines on Stands
Located in Atlanta, GA
Chinese, 20th century.
A pair of Chinese export style cloisonne dragon figurines on stands. Each dragon is detailed with brass wiring and hand enamel decorated across the surfaces. ...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass, Enamel
$1,196 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Chinese Fu Lion Fantail Vase, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
This porcelain vase from the early 20th-century is sculpted to a classic phoenix-tail silhouette and decorated on all sides with mythical fu lions. Also known as shizi or foo dogs, f...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Mid-Century Chinese Black & Gold Cloisonné 'Good Luck' Circular Table Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Mid-Century Chinese black & gold cloisonné 'good luck' circular table box.
The tall circular box of exceptional quality, The conforming removable lid enameled with the Chinese character for 'Happiness' A stately piece, its an unusual example in black cloisonné fish...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass
$636 Sale Price
20% Off
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 Furniture
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 Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Carriage Box
Located in Sheffield, MA
19th century Northern Chinese carriage box with five stacking trays. Adorned with brass trim and hand-carved details. Used for porting of personal...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
$2,400
Circa 1850 Chinese Export Papier Mache Footed Tray
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1850 Chinese export papier mache footed tray. Exquisitely hand painted & gilded. Minor rubbing & darkening commensurate with age, material & use. Text worn away label intact.
7...
Category
1850s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Paint, Paper
Large Vintage Decorative Chinese Cloissone Vase with Imperial Dragon Handles
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This large vintage cloissone vase is signed by an unknown maker, and originated from China dating to approximately 1980 and done in a Chinese Export st...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass
CHINA REPUBLICAN 20th Century Buddha Statue In Porcelain Zeng Long Sheng Mark
Located in Miami, FL
A China republic seated Buddha in porcelain.
This is a beautiful antique devotive figure of a seated happy Buddha created in the China Republic back in the early 20th-century, circa...
Category
1920s Chinese Vintage Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Enamel
$698 Sale Price
30% Off
Chinese Taoist Han Elder Man Longevity God Porcelain Figurine
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese porcelain figurine with a long beard and raised forehead, clad in yellow and blue robes and holding a staff that symbolizes health ...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese Export Silver Bird and Cattail Bowl
By Luen Wo
Located in New York, NY
Chinese export silver bowl, ca 1900. Round and curved with molded mouth rim and raised foot. On exterior cattails in rippling and eddying water populated with wading geese, while oth...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Elm
Chinese White and Blue Figurative Scene Porcelain Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
"Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) table lamp made from a white and blue baluster-shaped porcelain vase depicting a mother and children playing outside...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Metal, Brass
Pair of Mid-Century Chinese Tessellated Bone Horses
Located in Palm Beach, FL
With a reference to the Tang Dynasty an impressive pair of Chinese horses, hand crafted in a tessellated technique with carved bone as a symbol ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Bone
Set of Eight Chinese Cloisonné Process Vases
Located in Chicago, IL
A decorative technique first adopted in China in the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644), cloisonné is achieved by outlining intricate patterns with thin strips of metal, which are then f...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Copper, Enamel
Chinese Scholar Rock Yellow Taihu Stone on Wood Stand
Located in Atlanta, GA
On offer is a tall Chinese Taihu scholar rock in an upright mushroom-cloud shape displayed on a custom wood stand. Well-balanced in form, the stone is of an uncommon deep yellow colo...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Limestone
Chinese Green and Botanical Hand-Made Tole Lidded Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese hand-made, light green tole urn painted with branches, fruit, and a dark green band at the base and finished with a finial atop its lid.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Metal
Lovely Pair of Antique Chinese Ancestral Portrait Hand Painted Glass Paintings
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques
Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely pair of Antique Chinese Ancestral Portraits w...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Glass
Pair of Antique Chinese Carved Rosewood Flower Stands Marble-Top Insert
Located in Brea, CA
A pair of antique Chinese hardwood stands 6 sides marble top insert, 2 pieces, the inset marble top over carved rosewood apron with dogw...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
Chinese Mauve Glazed Porcelain Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese tall glazed porcelain vase in an elegant mauve shade (date mark on bottom, see photos).
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Large Chinese Export Punch Bowl in Mandarin Palette & Gilt Accents, ca. 1780
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large Chinese Export punch bowl in Mandarin Palette & Gilt Accents, ca. 1780.
Category
Late 18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
19th C. Chinese Figural Carved Wood Lacquer Scholars/ Offering / Opium Stand
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
19th C. Chinese Figural Carved Wood Lacquer Scholars/ Offering / Opium Stand
Chinese 19th Century
A truly unique and remarkable piece from 19th-century China, this figural carved w...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Shell, Wood, Lacquer
$1,590 Sale Price
20% Off
Zee Sung Signed Chinese Export Antique Chased Silver Presentation Bowl & Stand
By Zee Sung
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This silver bowl was made by Zee Sung of China in approximately 1910 in the period Chinese Export style. The bowl is composed of silver with six stylized petal shaped panels done wit...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
Fine Chinese Late 20th Century Carved Green Serpentine Center Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Chinese late 20th century finely carved green serpentine center table. The six-legged pedestal table entirely carved of green serpentine, with a pierced apron in a Cantonese design...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Serpentine
$28,950 Sale Price
76% Off
Mid 20th Century Vintage Chinese Carved Rosewood Living Room Chairs Set
Located in Pomona, CA
This set of gorgeous Chinese Rosewood Carved Living room Chairs have about 70 years history and still maintained its original condition, very smooth to touch, full of patina. They w...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
$1,687 Sale Price / set
25% Off
Pair Rose Medallion Chinese vases / lamps, 19th Century.
Located in Brighton, Sussex
Pair of good quality 19th Century Chinese Rose medallion porcelain vases / lamps. Each vase having the unusual pink colouring, bird handles to either side, and Lizards. The inset han...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Chinese Pagoda Towers
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking pair of four tiered pagoda towers crafted in composition with a black lacquer finish decorated with gold painted floral designs, brass balconies, and bells.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Composition
$5,400 / set
Chinese Blue and White Jar with Mythical Fu Lions
Located in Chicago, IL
This round, porcelain storage jar is brightly glazed in the classic blue-and-white manner. A combination of stenciled linework and hand-brushed shading, the sides of the jar are deco...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Chinese Famille Rose Hand Painted Porcelain Vase
Located in Dallas, TX
Crafted in China circa 1920, the tall vase is round in shaped with an elegant long neck. The colorful antique urn is decorated with hand painted figural motifs including a mother playing with children. The large Famille Rose...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Garden Seat End Table in Beautiful Colors
Located in Hopewell, NJ
One of the prettiest Chinese garden seats ever with flowers, birds and tobacco leaves makes a lovely end table with 11.75 diameter top. The color palette of pinks, purple, orange, ...
Category
1980s Chinese Vintage Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Antique Red Chinese Wool Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
Beautiful Antique Chinese Art Deco Rug, hand-knotted wool with a red field, green frame in an allover Classic Chinese floral design.
This rug measures are: 10' x 13'.4
Category
1920s Chinese Vintage Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wool
Pair of Chinese Gilt Foo Dogs
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Asian Chinese style gilt carved foo dog figures holding a open design ball
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
$1,500 / set
19th Century Pair of Chinese Carved Rosewood Flower Stands Marble-Top
Located in Brea, CA
19th century a pair of antique 31.5” large Chinese rosewood flower stands marble top insert, 2 pieces, the inset marble-top over carved rosewoo...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
18thC Chinese Export Porcelain Bowl Hand Painted Famille Rose, Qing Ca 1780
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a hand painted Chinese export bowl from the late 18th century, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, 1736-1795. We date this piece to...
Category
18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Chinese Geometric Lattice Window Panels
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Near pair of wood Chinese window panels or grates featuring a geometric lattice design. Mortise and tenon joinery with parcel painted finish and C...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
$1,000 / set
Pair of 19th Century Ormolu-Mounted Chinese Porcelain Vases
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of 19th century ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain vases.
Category
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Two Ebony Black Chinese Tall Sculpture Stands
Located in Sheffield, MA
Add class and elegance with these highly stylish sculpture or plant stands in ebonized black. The sleek styling lends itself to be used in various styles of decor. Wonderful statemen...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
$5,400 / set
Chinese Export Porcelain Miniature Elephant Figurine
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine Chinese Export porcelain figurine.
In the form of a recumbent elephant resting atop an oval shaped plinth with a flower design on...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Four Chinese Rosewood Nested Tables
Located in London, GB
These beautiful tables were created in China in the early 20th century. They have been carved from rosewood. These ‘nested tables’ vary in their size, so th...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
$6,197 / set
19 Century Antique Chinese Carved Shan Xi Console Table/Sideboard
Located in Pomona, CA
This beautiful antique carved Shan Xi console table has beautiful traditional detailed deep/raised carving works on the front drawers panel and legs. This console table features 1 la...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
$2,437 Sale Price
25% Off
Antique Wooden Bedside Cabinet with Carved Chinese Scenery
Located in Monrovia, CA
Antique Chinese Wooden Bedside Cabinet with Intricately Carved Chinese Scenery.
Beyond The Decorative Carvings The Carvings Can Therefore Be Enjoyed At Their Face Value For The Skill...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
19th Century Carved Hardwood Chinese Etagere
Located in Norwood, NJ
An exquisite 19th-century Chinese hardwood display cabinet, masterfully carved and richly detailed throughout. Crafted during the late Qing Dynasty, this rare piece exemplifies the a...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
Early 20th Century Chinese Hand Painted Rose Medallion Temple Vase
Located in Pomona, CA
This magnificent Chinese Rose Medallion Tall vases also know as "Export Porcelain" vase. It was hand made and hand painted at about 1910 - 1920 with gilt foo dog handles and dragons to neck and shoulder. The vase body is decorated with hand painted courtly figures, floral and exotic birds. This large temple vase...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$2,625 Sale Price
25% Off
Monumental Chinese Export Gilt and Painted Low Coffee Table
Located in Queens, NY
Monumental Chinese Export low coffee table with a raised scalloped gallery surrounding a gold texture painted tabletop, surrounded by a dark brown apron with gold painted floral deta...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
Pair Mid-20th Century Chinese Export Jet Black Green Porcelain Tall Roll Vases
Located in New York, NY
An impressive pair of vintage Chinese export jet-black and light-green tall roll vases. These monumental decorative earthenware pieces are entirely handcrafted in porcelain and ename...
Category
1970s Chinese Vintage Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Enamel
Mid 20th Century Chinese Hand Painted Sewing Box, Jewelry Box
Located in Pomona, CA
This unique vintage Chinese sewing box is 100 percent hand made and hand painted with traditional Chinese painting on the side and lid of the box. It wa...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
$363 Sale Price
25% Off
Pair of Chinese Teal Nine-Peach Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Chinese (Mid-20th Century) teal porcelain vases depicting a playful figurative scene of children at play in and around a peach tree and nine ripe peaches in total, symbolizin...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$12,500 / set
Antique Shanxi Province Red Lacquer Elm Coffee Table
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Shanxi Province Red Lacquer Elm Coffee Table
This Antique Shanxi Province coffee table is made of elm, and has red lacquer. The color and patina...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood, Elm, Lacquer
A 1970s Traditional Blue and White Ceramic Chinese Vase
Located in Catania, Sicilia
A blue and white ceramic vase hand-crafted and painted in China in the second part of 20th century, it's in original condition with normal signs of age. Blue and white ceramics have ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Pair of Asian Chinese (19th Cent) Red & Gilt Side Chairs
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Asian Chinese (19th Cent) red and gilt lacquered side chairs with filigree sides and back (PRICED PER Pair) (matching table #032840)
ONLY 3 available
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
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 Furniture
Materials
Porcelain, Pottery
Vintage Asian Foo-Dog Statues On Pedestal - Pair
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Asian Sculpted Resin Pedestal Mounted Foo-Dog Statues - Pair
This pair of foo dog sculptures would be a distinctive accent piece in your space. Their neutral white coloring ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
$1,845 / set
Antique Shanxi Province Elm Coffee Table with Enforced Rattan Top
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Shanxi Province Elm Coffee Table with Enforced Rattan Top
The Antique Shanxi Province Elm Coffee Table with Reinforced Rattan Top is a stunning vintage piece from the 1900s....
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Rattan, Elm
3 Pc, Martha Washington "States" Place Service - Tiffany & Co Retailer
Located in Atlanta, GA
This elegant 3-piece Martha Washington "States" Place Service is a refined blend of antique English and French porcelain, inspired by the historically significant Chinese export serv...
Category
Early 20th Century French Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$716 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Pair of Soapstone Buddhist Lions
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A pair of soapstone Buddhist lions
Each finely carved seated on its haunches with a fierce expression,
modelled in mirror image seated on a rectangu...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Soapstone
$950 / set
19th century Chinese Export Blue/ White Porcelain Large decorative Urn/ Piece
Located in Tarry Town, NY
This 19th century Chinese Export Blue and White Porcelain Decorative Urn is a stunning example of fine craftsmanship and intricate artistry. The urn boasts beautiful hand-painted flo...
Category
19th Century Asian Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Wooden Lacquered Rectangular Chest with Hand Painted Figural Scenes
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese Mid-Century rectangular hinged chest with black metal latch and two side ring handles, lacquered and hand painted featuring three women and one girl in two outdoor courtyard ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
Chinese Green and Orange Lu Xing Wealth and Prosperity Deific Porcelain Figurine
Located in Queens, NY
"Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) glazed porcelain statue of Lu Xing, one of the deities of the three stars considered essential in Chinese astrology, each...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Export furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Chinese Export furniture 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 furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include asian art and furniture, decorative objects, 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 furniture made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and China pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Europa Antiques, Wang Hing & Co., Luen Wo, and Hung Chong & Co.. 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 furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $40 and tops out at $216,780 while the average work can sell for $1,998.