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.
A Pair of Tall Chinese Export Porcelain Figural Vases with Birds and Flowers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Pair of Tall Chinese export porcelain figural vases. The ovoid porcelain bodies decorated with colorful flowers, tropical birds, tree...
Porcelain
$676Sale Price|35% Off
20th Century Vintage Chinese Country Style Console Table/Sideboard
Located in Pomona, CA
This beautiful vintage console table has beautiful traditional Ming style simple country design. It features double open doors compartm...
Elm
Pair 19th Century Chinese Rose medallion porcelain garden seats.
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A wonderful quality pair of 19th Century Chinese Rose medallion / Cantonese porcelain garden seats. Each with beautiful bold classical green and pink colouring. Depicting scenes of v...
Porcelain
Chinese Famille Rose Bowl with Offering Fruits, 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 opaque overglaze enamels that favored roses and pinks, famille rose porcelain ware was crafted with the same technical virtuosity as imperial porcelain but designed for Western tastes. This famille rose bowl...
Porcelain
$1,516Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Chinese Export Hardstone Horses and Stands
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Chinese export hardstone horses and stands, each one finely carved of a standing horse with one leg up, facing left and right. Removable from the associated lacquered stands....
Precious Stone, Lacquer
Fine Near Pair of Georgian Padouk Fretwork Gallery Tables
Located in Greenwich, CT
Very fine near pair of George II period padouk fretwork gallery tea tables, the pierced laminated galleries with trellis designs over shaped single bo...
Padouk
Pair of Antique hand-carved Jade Foo Dogs, China 19th Century
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a pair of exuisite Antique Foo Dogs hand-carved in dark green jade. Known as Shishi or Pinyin, these are Chinese Imperia...
Jade
Asian Blue and White Ceramic Elephant Form Lidded Vase or Box, 20th Century
Located in Doylestown, PA
Unique and charming blue and white Asian crackle glazed ceramic elephant lidded vase or box, 20th century. Beautifully decorated throughout with a fitted lid on top of the saddle wit...
Ceramic
$3,082Sale Price|25% Off
Portuguese India Company Porcelain Platter, Floral, 18th Century
Located in Lisbon, PT
A refined 18th-century Chinese porcelain platter from Portuguese India Company of the Pink Family. Hand-painted with bright pink, orange and green floral designs, typical of the Pink...
Porcelain
Porcelaine De Paris French Limoges Tobacco Leaf Table Lamps by Paul Hanson
By Mottahedeh, Chelsea House, Kutani Studio, Porcelaine de Paris
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of vintage French Porcelain de Paris table lamps by Paul Hanson circa Mid 20th Century. These large and heavy pair of lamps are done with a French Chinoiserie design known as Fl...
Brass
$260Sale Price|35% Off
Mid-20th Century Chinese Cloisonne Ginger Jar with Chrysanthemums and Butterfly
Located in Pomona, CA
This is a cloisonné ginger jar, a type of decorative enamelware. Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metal objects, where thin metal wires are soldered to a metal surfac...
Copper
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...
Porcelain
Antique Chinese Coral Red Lions Foo Dog Calligraphy Hat Stand Vase Qing c.1911
Located in Richmond, CA
Antique Chinese late Qing dynasty early 20th century porcelain hat stand vase, reticulated with quatrefoils to the round cylindrical body, hand painted ...
Porcelain
$152Sale Price|35% Off
Antique Chinese Carved Jade Pig Statue, Zodiac Sign
Located in Pomona, CA
This is a original hand carved Jade pig statue. the Twelfth Sign of the Chinese Zodiac. Pig symbolizes wealth, lucky and good fortune and prosperity. As you ...
Jade
A Pair of Blanc de Chine Ceramic Foo Dogs, Ca. 1840
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of Blanc de Chine (Chinese White Glazed) Ceramic Foo Dogs, Ca. 1840 DIMENSIONS Width: 5 inches Height: 11 inches Depth: 6.5 inches ABOUT SCULPTURES There is a small baby lio...
Ceramic
$1,196Sale Price / set|20% Off
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. ...
Brass, Enamel
Antique Chinese Peking Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Green Field, 1925
Located in Norwalk, CT
Beautiful antique Chinese Peking hand knotted wool rug with a green field, orange frame, and multi-color accents in an all-over Classic Chinese floral design. This rug measure: 8'...
Wool
Doris Leslie Blau Vintage Chinese Abstract Pale Sand Hand-Knotted Wool Rug
Located in New York, NY
This captivating vintage Chinese Art Deco rug, dating back to the 1940s, is a remarkable example of East-meets-West modernism, blending traditional Chinese motifs with the streamline...
Wool
Antique Chinese Urn Shaped Orange Foo Dog Design Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese porcelain vase with an urn-shaped form and swirling orange foo dog designs on a grayish-beige background. (Previously broken and repaired. Matching in-tact vase: NWL2688) Co...
Porcelain
Doris Leslie Blau Vintage Chinese Floral Navy Blue Hand-Knotted Wool Rug
Located in New York, NY
This captivating 1920s Chinese rug embodies the refined artistry and subtle modernity characteristic of early 20th-century Chinese weaving. The design features a serene field of vari...
Wool
$2,495 / set
Pair of Japanese Pagoda Form Porcelain Lamps
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
A Rare Pair of Japanese Pagoda Form Porcelain Lamps. Beautifully glazed in very vibrant colors with gilt accents. Lamps are mounted on square carved ha...
Enamel
$760Sale Price|35% Off
Mid-20th Century Chinese Natural Organic Tree Roots Plant Stand, Pedestal
Located in Pomona, CA
A vintage Chinese sculptural pedestal from the Mid-20th Century, made from the tree root with natural finish. Created in China during the Mid-century period, this pedestal attracts o...
Wood
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 ...
Bone
Antique Chinese Alum Red Taishi Shaoshi Design Porcelain Vase Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese table lamp made from a porcelain vase mounted with wood and brass hardware as a lamp, with an alum red Taishi Shaoshi lion d...
Brass
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...
Porcelain
Green Jade Cow and Feeding Calf Sculpture
Located in Pasadena, TX
This sculpture depicts a mother Cow feeding her young. The piece is sculpted out of Jade.
Jade
Vintage Asian Chinese Brass Prosperity Dragon Wall Hanging
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Asian Chinese Brass Prosperity Dragon Wall Hanging. As the embodiment of the masculine gender, the dragon has long been an auspicious symbol of power in Chinese culture. Dragons chasing a ball is the auspicious scene of good luck, prosperity and wealth. According to Chinese Feng Shui...
Brass
Sweet 19th Century Chinese Peking 'Double Happiness' Rug
Located in Chicago, IL
A sweet petite 19th century Chinese Peking rug with a simple "double happiness' character woven in dark indigo in the center and with Fu characters in each corner. The double happine...
Wool
Antique Chinese Han Dynasty-Style Patinated Bronze Pot, 1900s
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Han Dynasty-style copy of a patinated bronze pot decorated with intricate raised pattern banding wrapping its form, two serpentine handles with hanging rings and a gr...
Brass
Chinese, Export Silver Set of Three Soy / Salt Cellars, Marked Zhen Hua on Side
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful 3 silver soy , salt cellar, spices with a divider and marking that reads Hua. All pieces engraved with birds and flowers .
Silver
19th Century Handmade Wooden Chinese Hat Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Chinese wooden hat box - handmade, with a chinoiserie image. The box is in very good condition with fitted top, the wood is a wonderful patinated colo...
Wood
Small Antique 18th Century Famille Rose Chinese Export Tray or Dish
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A small Chinese Export porcelain tray or dish. Decorated in Famille Rose flowers and leafwork with a gilded rim and interior edge. Having a wonderful orange peel finish to the glaz...
Porcelain
Large 18th Century Chinese Imari Porcelain Plate, Kangxi Period
Located in Bilzen, BE
18th century Chinese porcelain plate, Kangxi period with Imari decoration in good condition. Apocryphal Kangxi mark, 18th century period. Perfect condition Diameter 35.3 cm, height 4...
Porcelain
$230Sale Price|35% Off
Early 20th Century Antique Chinese Cloisonne bowl
Located in Pomona, CA
This Unique Chinese Antique Cloisonné Bowl is the perfect decor piece. With beautiful floral and bird design, it is a majestically hand crafted ...
Metal, Copper
Tang Style Sancai-Glazed Figure of a Court Lady
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A Tang style Sancai-glazed Figure of a Court Lady, 20th century. Standing figure with the long amber and green-glazed robe and green-glazed shoes, the delicate features ...
Pottery
Antique Beige Peking Chinese Wool Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
A beautiful antique Peking Chinese hand-knotted Wool rug with a beige field. This rug has a frame of blue and multi-color accents all-over Chinese desig...
Wool
Old or Antique Celadon Chinese Porcelain Low Bowl with Clouds
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique Chinese celadon porcelain bowl. With white accents & highlights against a pale green celadon body. The bowl has a slightly scalloped rim with a white border. The p...
Porcelain
Table Lamp Oriental Colors 19th Century, China
Located in New York, NY
Table lamp oriental colors 19th century, China. A table lamp made during the 19th century in China. Multicolored with gilded details.
$320Sale Price|20% Off
Yi Feng Studio Blue and White Porcelain Tea Cups Nautical Hand Painted Theme
Located in Lomita, CA
This little mid-century trio of tea cups is collectible and full of charm. There is a beautiful glaze over the blue and white ceramic hand painted design. The cups are in excellent condition. The three Chinese or Japanese export blue and white porcelain tea cups...
Porcelain
Pair Of Vintage Chinese Porcelain Celadon Vases As Lamps
Located in Norwood, NJ
Custom lamps made from vintage Chinese celadon vases. Two elephant handles with rings. Octagonal shape with ornamented panels.. All patinated brass hardware and mounted on wooden bas...
Porcelain, Wood
Antique Samson Porcelain Chinese Export Style Reticulated Fruit Bowl
By Samson & Cie
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique reticulated porcelain fruit bowl. By Edmé Samson et Cie. With a reticulated rim and decorated throughout with painted flowers in ye...
Porcelain
Chinese Flambè Glazed Hu Vase With Elephant Head Handles
Located in Bradenton, FL
Early 20th century Chinese Flambè Hu vase with elephant handles. Beautifully fired with shades of purple and blue throughout. Mouth of vase is 4" i...
Ceramic
$7,196Sale Price / set|20% Off
Magnificent Antique Chinese Porcelain Porcelain Flambe Glazed Elephants - Pair
Located in Atlanta, GA
Chinese, 19th century or earlier. A PAIR OF CHINESE PORCELAIN FLAMBE-GLAZED ELEPHANTS. Each elephant is a modeled mirror image - with an arched back and curling trunk. The entire ...
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...
Ceramic
Antique Peking Blue and Brown Chinese Handmade Medallion Wool Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
Beautiful antique Peking Chinese hand-knotted wool rug with a brown field. This Chinese rug has a blue frame, multi-color accents in a gorgeous all-over Chinese medallion...
Other
Chinese Watercolors of Exotic Fruit on Pith Paper- A Set of Eight
By Sunqua
Located in Downingtown, PA
Glistening Gems of the Orient: A Spectacular Suite of China Trade Watercolors Circa 1870 These exquisite China Trade watercolors are of exceptionally fine quality and meticulously d...
Paper
Chinese Porcelain Filigree Garden Seat
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese style (19/20th Cent) beige and aqua porcelain filigree garden seat / pedestal.
Porcelain
Antique Peking Burgundy Chinese Handmade Wool Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
A beautiful antique Peking Chinese hand-knotted wool rug with a burgundy field. This rug has a frame of red and multi-color accents in a gorgeous all-over Chinese floral design. ...
Other
Two Ming Style Chinese Pottery Dignitaries
Located in Bradenton, FL
Two Chinese Ming style sancai polychrome glaze terracotta pottery figures of Chinese dignitaries in glazed green and ocher terracotta on hexagonal bases and removable heads. The man ...
Pottery
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...
Porcelain
Midcentury Pictorial Chinese Handmade Wool Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
Beautiful vintage pictorial hand knotted wool rug with an abstract brown field. This rug has multi-color accents in an all-over gorgeous Oriental pictorial design. This rug measur...
Wool
Chinese Bronze Vase with Bird Design
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese (19th Cent) bronze vase with birds in relief.
Bronze
Set of 4, Chinese Export Style Porcelain Rooster Figures, Mid-20th C
Located in Atlanta, GA
A whimsical and well-modeled set of four porcelain rooster-form figures in the Chinese Export style, likely dating to the mid-20th century. Each figure is delicately hand-painted, wi...
Porcelain
Antique Art Deco Brigth Red Traditional Chinese Handmade Wool Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
Beautiful antique Chinese Art deco hand-knotted wool rug with a bright red field, This Deco rug has a green frame and multi-color accents in an all-over Classic traditional Chinese f...
Wool
ANTIiQUE DECORATIVE HAND HAMMERED CHINESE RICE MEASURE MASKET GREAT FRUIT BOWL!
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely antique Chinese rice bowl measure which can be used as ...
Iron
Vintage Asian Carved Figure of a Man with Pack and Walking Stick
Located in Queens, NY
Vintage carved figure of a man with a large backpack, beard, and walking stick on a rectangular wooden base.
$422Sale Price|35% Off
More Views Mid-20th Century Vintage Chinese Hand-Painted Porcelain Jar Table L
Located in Pomona, CA
A vintage famille rose porcelain table lamp from the mid-20th century with fairies and landscaping design. Born in China during the mid-20th century, this vintage famille rose porcel...
Porcelain
Chinese White Figurative Scene Porcelain Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
"Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) table lamp made from a white porcelain urn painted with a scene of children playing in orange, pink, and red, mounted on a brown wooden base and...
Metal, Brass
$743Sale Price|20% Off
The Laughing Buddha Statue, Budai
Located in Milano, IT
Immerse yourself in the world of serenity and abundance with this exquisite Budai, the Laughing Buddha statue. Crafted from a uniquely patterned green material, this statue captures the spirit of Budai, a beloved figure in Buddhist culture known for his joyful demeanor and generous nature. Budai, often identified with the historical Chinese monk...
Jade
Petite Famille Verte Canton Vase, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
Dated to the 1920s during China's Republic Period, this petite vase is decorated in a style known as Canton enamel, so named for the long-standing industry of export enamels based in...
Copper