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
Recognized Seller Listings
Chinese Tang Dynasty-Style Sancai Glazed Camels with Musicians Tomb Figure
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Tang Dynasty-style terra cotta tomb figure of two camels carrying a band of five musicians - four seated with instruments, and one central figure standing to sing. Th...
Category
20th Century Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Two Chinese Porcelain Kangxi 'Pelgrom' Armorial Chargers, circa 1710
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A pair of very large Chinese armorial export blue and white porcelain 'Pelgrom' chargers
Kangxi period, circa 1710
The two chargers, decorated in...
Category
Early 18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Export Silver & Enamel Bowl
Located in London, GB
A rare and exquisite Chinese Export silver & enamel bowl, made in Shanghai around 1895 by Huang Qui Ji, and retailed by the firm of Woshing.
The bowl feat...
Category
1890s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
Chinese Emperor of Qin Mausoleum-Style Terracotta Warrior Statue
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese terracotta warrior figure modeled after one of the 7,000 warriors that form the Terracotta Army in the Mausoleum of the Fir...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Blue & White Dragon Motif Jade Pot Spring Bottle Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Chinese blue and white porcelain vases with jade pot spring bottle forms traditionally found in Chinese porcelain, a dragon design that is painted in the style of the Yuan D...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Rare Large Chinese Export Porcelain 'Table Bay' Cape of Good Hope Dish, C. 1740
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A rare large Chinese export porcelain 'Table Bay' dish
Qianlong period, circa 1735-1750
Diam. 27.5 cm
This version of the ‘Table Bay’ porcelain docu...
Category
Mid-18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Antique Chinese Orange and Gold Floral Round Porcelain Table Lamps
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) round table lamps made from orange, luster porcelain vases with gold floral designs, mounted on brown wooden bases with patinated brass h...
Category
Early 19th Century Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Chinese White and Blue Natural Design Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Late 19th Century) white, porcelain urn decorated in a blue scene of a bird perched on a flowering branch above water, and accented with two light blue scrolled hand...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Koi Fish and Seaweed Porcelain Moon Flask Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (early 20th Century) white porcelain moon flask vase decorated with an underwater scene of seaweed, koi and turtles surrounded by flowers and topped with two handles....
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Olive Green Multi-Tube Porcelain Vase
Located in Queens, NY
"Chinese olive green and brown glaze porcelain vase with one tall tube surrounded by four shorter tubes, all extending from a bulbous shape, on a circular foot.
Necks have been repa...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Framed Chinese Ancestor Portrait Depicting a Man in Golden Robes
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese ancestor portrait depicting a man in flowing golden robes decorated with medalions featuring dragons, seated above a floor featuring additional dragon designs in a heavy rect...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper
Pair of Asian Rooster Finial Lidded Red Urns
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Asian Rooster Finial Lidded Red Urns
Category
20th Century Asian Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
$11,000 / set
Pair of Chinese Pink and White Porcelain Double Gourd Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Chinese (late 19th Century) white porcelain vases with pink pastoral scenes sweeping around the double gourd forms, and red and gold patterned bands at the bottoms, centers a...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese White and Pink, Blue and Yellow Bogu Pattern Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) white porcelain urn painted with pink, light blue, and yellow bogu pattern - a traditional decorative theme that employs items like bronzeware, p...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
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 Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Export Famille Rose Porcelain Dish with Flower Basket & Butterfly
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export Famille rose porcelain dish with flower basket & butterfly,
circa 1765
The Chinese Export famille rose porcelain dish is painted in enamels with a central wicker flower basket overflowing with fruit and flowers and above is a large butterfly. On the other three sides are grouping of fruit or flowers. The inner well is surrounded by gilt chain band. The outer border has four panels with flowers and fruit within a gilt rococo scroll...
Category
1770s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Export Silver Bowl
Located in London, GB
Chinese Export Silver Bowl circa 1895, finely decorated with chrysanthemums on a matte ground, interspersed with six butterflies in flight. It has a single vacant shield-shaped cart...
Category
1890s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
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 Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese Red Painted Wooden Flower Vase Base / Stand
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese carved red painted wooden flower pot base / stand with a circular surface to hold a pot or vase, resting on four bowed and carved feet with a circular stretcher.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
Chinese Tang Dynasty-Style Sancai Glazed Terra Cotta Camel Tomb Figure
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Tang Dynasty-style terra cotta tomb figure of a Bactrian camel, the main form of transport over the Silk Road, with its head tilted back and mouth open to the sky, we...
Category
20th Century Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Chinese Monumental Imari-Style Lidded Light Orange Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese monumental, lidded porcelain floor vase celebrating Japanese Imari ware in both palette and design, featuring natural scenes of birds and flowering trees set against a light-...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Off-White and Blue Pastoral Scene Porcelain Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) small, porcelain jar depicting a blue pastoral scene on an off-white background with an unglazed rim.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Chinese White and Blue Fish Decorative Plates
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain decorative plates painted with thin blue patterned bands along the rims, opening to wider floral motifs on the interiors that surround centra...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Han Dynasty-Style Patinated Bronze Footed Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Han Dynasty-style copy of a patinated bronze urn carved with raised geometric patterned bands wrapping its form, sitting atop a round foot, and fitted with two curved...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Metal
Chinese Carved Wooden Wall Plaque Depicting Riders on Horseback
Located in Queens, NY
"Chinese carved wooden wall panel depicting two riders on horseback attempting to capture a wild horse from its herd in a rectangular wooden frame.
...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
Chinese Blue and White Peacock Motif Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
"Antique Chinese (Late 19th Century) large off-white, porcelain urn with a blue peacock amid florals and two blue scrolled handles along the neck.
Light wear."
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Export Trade Painting Depicting ‘the Tea Shop', Chinoiserie Chique
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A refined Chinese export painting depicting ‘The Tea shop’
Canton, early 19th century
Ink and watercolour on silk, H. 63.5 x W. 52.3 cm
Framed in giltwood frame.
?The paintin...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silk
Chinese Export Silver Bowl
By Luen Hing
Located in London, GB
A Chinese Silver Bowl on plain round pedestal base. The decoration comprises of two applied opposing dragons against a plain background. Marked LH, for Luen Hing, a retailer based in...
Category
Early 1900s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
$16,258
Chinese Rust Agate Vessel
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese rust agate (vessel) urn with a carving in relief and ring sides holding a loop handle with a cover having carved bats. (modern hanging stand 8½"w x 11¾"h)
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Marble
$12,500
Chinese Red Lacquered and Gilt Altar Console Table
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese (Possibly Vietnamese 19th Century) red lacquered and gilt carved console (alter) table with scroll top sides and 3 front panels with carved floral and bird design.
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Gold Leaf
Asian Gilt Guan Yin Buddha
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese Asian style gilt carved figure of seated Guan Yin Buddha on a lotus base (20th Cent)
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Giltwood
Chinese Export Silver Card Case
Located in London, GB
Chinese Export Card Case, circa 1885, embossed and chased with figural scenes on one side, and crythusanmum, a butterfly and two flydragons surrounding a single vacant shield-shaped ...
Category
1880s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
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 Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese White and Navy Egret Design Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
"Antique Chinese (Late 19th Century) white, porcelain urn with a navy egret amid florals and two blue scrolled handles along the neck.
Dimpling and crazing."
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Rust Agate Elephant Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese rust agate tapered urn with carved elephant handles having rings and scroll & floral carving in relief with a finial top with filigree sides. (modern base 1¬O" high).
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Marble, Stone
Antique Chinese Export Silver Dragon Card Case
Located in New York, NY
Chinese export silver card case, ca 1910. Rectangular. Chased ornament on stippled ground. On recto, a blossoming prunus branch with armorial cartouche (vacant). On verso, a fanged a...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
Pair of Chinese White and Cherry Blossom Branch Porcelain Urns
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of similar Chinese white porcelain urns depicting small yellow birds in cherry blossom branches on the fronts, and characters on the rever...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Imari-Style Orange and Gold Monumental Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese monumental floor floor vase celebrating Japanese Imari ware in both palette and design, featuring medallions of natural scenes against an orange ground intricately decorated ...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese White and Blue Dragon Motif Porcelain Floor Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese large white porcelain floor urn decorated with a blue dragon and cloud motifs and accented with dragon ornamentation around the opening.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Large Aubergine, Purple, and Maroon Porcelain Urn Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese porcelain urn-form vase in a rich aubergine color overlayed with a barely visible blue base, creating highs and lows that add dimension to the finish and form.
Slight imperf...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Antique French Porcelain, Gilt and Silvered Brass Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This wonderful clock set, which is comprised of a mantel clock and pair of flanking vases, is designed in a fanciful French ‘Oriental’ style. The set is crafted from brass which has been silvered, parcel gilt and painted. The clock is also mounted with porcelain plaques which are beautifully painted with colourful depictions of birds and flowers.
The mantel clock is composed of a tall rectangular body with a break arch top which is crowned by a covered twin-handled urn. The urn features a parcel gilt pointed finial on its cover and a silvered body painted with pink cherry blossoms. The urn stands on the arched top of the clock, which is decorated with a sculptural gilt scrollwork band and a gilt foliate border. The arch contains a circular porcelain dial which features a central painting of a pair of birds, encircled by black Roman Numerals within white cartouches. This dial is framed by a gilt beaded bezel. The shoulders of the clock body are mounted with parcel gilt and silvered elephant heads holding ring handles.
Porcelain panels decorate the front and sides of the silvered clock body. These panels are beautifully decorated with paintings of colourful birds, butterflies and cherry blossom trees, set within gilt stiff-leaf frames. The clock body is set on a silvered rectangular base which is edged with a parcel gilt foliate band. The front of the base is mounted with a silvered and parcel gilt lion's head mask and flanking painted porcelain plaques. The clock stands on four parcel gilt silvered feet, which are geometric and scrolled in form.
The pair of silvered vases...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Vintage Asian Green and Gold Tole Bonsai Palm Tree Sculptures
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Vintage Asian tole bonsai palm tree sculptures with green and gold painted leaves and trunks, mounted in circular pot bases. (PRICED AS PAIR)
Category
20th Century Asian Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Metal
Chinese Celadon-Glazed Molded 'Fish' Brush Pot
Located in New York, NY
The cylindrical body molded with overlapping waves and applied with leaping carp; the underside bearing a molded apocryphal Daoguang seal mark.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Celadon, Porcelain
Antique Chinese Alum Red Taishi Shaoshi Design Porcelain Vase Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese table lamp made from a 19th century porcelain vase mounted with wood and brass hardware as a lamp, with an alum red Taishi S...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass
Chinese Carved Painted Wood Dressing Table / Vanity Mirror with Gilt Highlights
Located in Queens, NY
"Chinese (19/20th Century)red painted dressing table mirror with an elaborately shaped carved wood frame with openwork design and raised on a rectangular base
Losses on the pinecone...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Metal
Set of 4 Chinese Imari Style Porcelain Plates
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 4 Chinese Export Imari style porcelain plates with red, white, and blue designs (PRICED AS SET)
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$1,800 / set
Chinese Tang Dynasty-Style Sancai Glazed Terra Cotta Woman Figure
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Tang Dynasty-style terra cotta figure of a woman wearing robes bearing the Tang Dynasty's traditional tri-color glaze, or Sancai, utilizing brown, green and off-white...
Category
20th Century Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Chinese Rose Quartz Reclining Lady
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese rose quartz carved reclining lady on an oval wood base (20th Cent)
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
Chinese Ormolu and Cloisonné Enamel Vase for the Islamic Market
Located in London, GB
Chinese Ormolu and cloisonné enamel vase for the Islamic Market
Chinese, early 20th century
Dimensions: Height 18cm, diameter 25cm
Crafted in China...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Chinese Export Porcelain Double Boy Figure Group of Hehe Erxian
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export Porcelain famille rose Fire Group Representing the Hehe Erxian.
Harmony & Joy,
Qianlong period,
Circa 1770-80.
The Chinese Export porcelain figure group is decorated...
Category
1770s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Cloisonné Enamel Inset Circular Carved Hardwood Pedestal
Located in London, GB
A Chinese cloisonné enamel inset circular carved hardwood pedestal
Chinese, early 20th century
Measures: Height 34cm, diameter 45cm
Made in China in the early twentieth century,...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Enamel
Chinese White, Green, and Pink Floral and Rooster Design Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (early 20th century) white porcelain urn incised and painted with decorations of roosters amid blooming floral branches mixed with geometric patterned bands at the bo...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Off-White and Navy Vine Motif Porcelain Urn Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) off-white porcelain vase with an urn form decorated in a navy blue vine and floral motifs and bold characters on 4 sides.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Chinese Red Carved Wooden Display Cabinet
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (early 20th Century) red wooden display cabinet with an open main shelf framed above a cabinet, and intricate gold figurative sc...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Wood
Framed Chinese Pen and Ink Ancestor Portrait in Navy Dress
Located in Queens, NY
Vintage (20th Century) Chinese pen and ink ancestor portrait capturing the honoree seated in a green chair and wearing an elaborate hat and blue dr...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Glass, Wood, Walnut, Paper
Five Extremely Rare Chinese Drawings of Foreigners, 18th Century, Colonial
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Five Chinese paintings of western people by an unknown artist
China, circa 1760, captions later
All in giltwood frames.
“A woman with Portuguese hairdo, with gold, silver and gemstone necklace, a skirt under a vest, a koi on her back, called a cloak, a woman customarily inherited the family business, the male humble, to the threshold (Qianlong year, circa 1735).”
Gouache on silk, measures: 32 x 25.4 cm
“He is a Westerner who had a white skin. He does not have a heavy beard but plaits his hair. He wears a triangular black hat, short jacket, leather shoes and long stockings...
Category
Mid-18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Paper
Chinese Export Silver Three Piece Tea Service
By Luen Wo
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Chinese export silver three piece tea service; an addition to our diverse silver teaware collection
This exceptional antique Chinese silver tea service...
Category
Early 1900s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Silver
Antique Chinese Famille Rose Procession Scene Design Porcelain Vase Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese table lamp made from an 18th century porcelain vase mounted with wood and brass hardware as a lamp, a multi-colored famille rose and genre scene depicting a processio...
Category
18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Monumental Imari-Style Monumental Orange Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Chinese monumental porcelain floor vases celebrating Japanese Imari ware in both palette and design, featuring white, blue, orange and gold floral motifs on rust-colored grou...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
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
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.