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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 Porcelain Traditional Figures
Located in Queens, NY
7 Asian Chinese (20th Cent) porcelain figures in blue and white patterns in traditional dress (PRICED EACH).
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Wooden Bar Cabinet with Shou Carvings
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese hardwood bar cabinet with a paneled exterior and brass-hinged top and doors that open to reveal ample storage for glassware, slide-out bottle trays, two drawers and S...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Wood

Chinese Watercolors of Exotic Fruit on Pith Paper- A Set of Eight
Located in Downingtown, PA
The Chine trade watercolors are of fine quality and depict various exotic fruits including pineapples, lychees, finger citrus and orange amongst others. Now framed with a thin gilt f...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Paper

Chinese Export Canton Famille Rose Plate with Rare Central Peacock, ca. 1865
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Canton Famille Rose Plate, Qing Dynasty, Tongzhi Era, ca. 1865. The Central Roundel with a Polychrome Enameled Full Displaying Peacock, with an inner border to the cavetto of an al...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Enamel

Chinese Export Porcelain Famille Rose Botanical Teapot Stand
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export Porcelain Famille Rose Botanical teapot stand, circa 1775 The Chinese Export porcelain famille rose hexagonal teapot stand is centered...
Category

1770s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Guangcai Export Porcelain Orange Pattern Scalloped Centerpiece Bowl
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Guangcai (Late 19th Century) export porcelain centerpiece bowl decorated with blue and orange patterned panels around a center scene of a woman walking with a large u...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Celadon Glazed Porcelain Pot
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (19th Century) glazed porcelain pot in a celadon color with a rounded form (date mark on bottom, see photos).
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Porcelain Bird Motif Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese style (20th Century) yellow and turquoise porcelain table lamp with bird design. Condition: (Ships without a shade)
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Porcelain Canton Famille Jeune Footed Dish, ca. 1870
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Chinese Export Porcelain Famille Jeune (Yellow-Ground) Footed Dish, Qing Dynasty, Tongzhi Era (1862-1874). The five-lobed dish decorated with a male foo lion glazed in rose among a s...
Category

1870s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Large and Impressive Chinese Export Reverse Painting of Women in Exotic Setting
Located in San Francisco, CA
A large and impressive Chinese reverse painting on glass depicting a group of traditionally garbed women in an exotic setting with mountains and foliage in the background. The subjec...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Glass, Paint

Chinese Han Dynasty-Style Patinated Bronze Handled Pot
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...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Brass

Chinese Export Silver Cocktail Shaker
Located in London, GB
Chinese Export Silver Cocktail Shaker, made by Tu Mao Xing (涂茂興) in Jiujiang (九江), circa 1930. Finely embossed and chased in high relief with two opposing dragons chasing a pearl on ...
Category

1930s Chinese Vintage Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Silver

Chinese Stone Bi Discs on Wooden Stands
Located in Queens, NY
Set of Chinese Jade discs on later wooden stands, of varying sizes, can be sold individually or in groups. Measurement represents the largest disc
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Wood

Antique Chinese Blue & White Rooster & Florals 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 blue roster and floral design aga...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Brass

Chinese Export Porcelain Group of Batavia-ware Urns & Covers
Located in Downingtown, PA
A Collection of Five Chinese Export 'Batavia-ware' & Famille Rose Jars and Covers Qianlong Period, Circa 1750s This handsome collection of five graduated jars and covers is a superb example of mid-18th-century Chinese Export porcelain, prized for its striking and luxurious aesthetic. Each piece features a lustrous, deep chocolate-brown glaze, a style known to Western collectors as "Batavia-ware." This rich, dark ground provides a dramatic contrast to the vibrant, jewel-like reserves that adorn the body of each jar. The historical name "Batavia-ware" is a direct link to the golden age of global sea trade. While these wares were crafted in the great porcelain kilns of Jingdezhen, China, they are named for Batavia (modern-day Jakarta), the bustling administrative and trading headquarters of the powerful Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Asia. It was through this vital port that vast quantities of porcelain were shipped to Europe. This particular style, also descriptively known as café au lait, became famously associated with the Dutch trade. Within the finely rendered, leaf-shaped panels, exquisite floral sprays are painted in the fashionable famille rose palette. The arrangements are dominated by the peony, a flower that in Chinese symbolism represents wealth, nobility, and honor. The combination of the dark, glossy Batavia ground with the bright, opaque enamels of the famille rose palette was a triumph of ceramic art, perfectly suited to the opulent Rococo interiors of Europe. Sets like this, known as garnitures, were the height of sophisticated decoration, displayed on mantelpieces or atop large cabinets as a testament to their owner's worldliness and wealth. Dimensions: Largest Jar: 7 1/2 inches high x 7 1/2 inches diameter Second Jar: 7 1/4 inches high x 6 1/2 inches diameter Third Jar: 5 1/2 inches high x 5 inches diameter Pair of Smaller Jars...
Category

1750s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese White and Orange Foo Dog Design Winter Melon Porcelain Jar
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) white porcelain vase with an elongated, rounded winter melon form decorated in an orange foo dog on one side and ch...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

East Asian Porcelain Warming Bowl
Located in Queens, NY
East Asian porcelain warming bowl with two spouts, decorated with figures, showing an antique repair to the bottom
Category

20th Century Asian Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Hardwood Bar Cabinet with Shou Carvings
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese hardwood bar cabinet with a paneled exterior and brass-hinged top and doors that open to reveal ample storage for glassware, slide-out bottle trays, two drawers and S...
Category

20th Century Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Hardwood

Chinese White, Blue and Orange Floral Moon Flask Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (early 20th Century) white moon flask vase decorated with a central botanical design surrounded by blue and orange flowers, and topped with two blue handles. Conditi...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Large Chinese Carved and Painted Wooden Buddha Head Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese carved bleached wood table lamp with Buddha head on a square giltwood base with a giltwood head piece under a three light top with central...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Glass, Wood

Pair of Chinese Bogu Pattern Lobed Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Chinese (Early 20th Century) similar off-white lobed porcelain vases with red foo dog side ornaments and a pink and green traditional bogu pattern ...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Chinese Famille Rose Multi-Colored 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, with a famille rose intr...
Category

18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Brass

Chinese White and Blue Multi-Pattern Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
"Chinese white porcelain urn painted with a variety of blue, decorative patterns, including feathers and bold vertical markings, that are proportionally balanced to create a harmonio...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Celadon and Blue Peacock Porcelain Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) celadon, round porcelain vase with a small mouth opening, painted with a blue peacock and floral blossoms.  
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Chinese Painted Porcelain Plate and Wood Vanity Mirror
Located in Queens, NY
Carved wooden standing vanity mirror with mirrored surface on one side, and a hand-painted porcelain plate on the reverse featuring a pastoral scene with characters in the top right ...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Wood, Porcelain, Mirror

Pair 18th Century Chinese Export 'The Hundred Antiques' Decoration Candlesticks
Located in San Francisco, CA
A tall and impressive pair of Famille Verte Chinese export pricket sticks decorated in 'The Hundred Antiques' style which became popular in the 17th century and is commonly found in...
Category

Late 18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

Pair of Antique Chinese Urn Shaped Flowering Fruit Tree Design Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Antique Chinese (late 19th-early 20th Century) porcelain vases with urn forms and a design depicting flowering fruit trees in brown, pink and green against an off-white backg...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Set of 4 Chinese Black Lacquer Geisha Screen Panels
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 4 Asian Chinese style (20th Century) black lacquer screen panels depicting geishas, intaglio etched with painting (PRICED AS SET).
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Paint

Chinese Export Silver Beaker
Located in London, GB
Chinese Export Silver Beaker, circa 1900, embossed and chased with prunus flower against a matte background, with a single round vacant cartouche. The barrel-shaped beaker marked wit...
Category

Early 1900s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Silver

20th Century Chinese Porcelain Ginger Jar Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese style (20th Century) porcelain ginger jar cylindrical form lamp in red, green & yellow on a white field. Ships without a shade
Category

20th Century Unknown Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Han Dynasty Style Patinated Bronze Carved Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Han Dynasty-style copy patinaed bronze urn carved with raised geometric patterned bands wrapping its form and adorned with two small handles beneath the neck.
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Metal

Chinese Black and Multicolor Floral Porcelain Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese black porcelain vase decorated with an abundance of flowers varying in size, shape and color and two patterned bands around the to...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Han Dynasty Style Patinated Bronze Lidded and Footed Pot
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese Han Dynasty-style copy of a patinated bronze pot etched with raised geometric patterned bands wrapping its form, sitting atop three feet, fitted with two handles and ...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Chinese White and Blue Cherry Blossom Porcelain Moon Flask Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (early 20th Century) white porcelain moon flask vase decorated with a bird perched on flowering cherry blossoms, and two handles. Condition: Good; Wear consistent wi...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Silver Plate Dragon Picture Frame
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese-style silver plate rectangular easel picture frame with dragon and horse shoe embossed frame.
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Silver

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...
Category

1760s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Padouk

Chinese Blue & White Porcelain Covered Jars with Floral Decoration & Calligraphy
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese blue & white porcelain ovoid jar with calligraphic characters on the lid plus a double border, the body painted with a keyfret border surrounding the mouth, a foliate pattern...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Paint

Chinese Tall Black Glazed Porcelain Vase
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese black glazed porcelain vase with a tall, slim shape and a white interior.   
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

China Trade Watercolors of Flower Baskets with Chinoiserie Frames, A Set of Six
Located in Downingtown, PA
China Trade Watercolors on Pith Paper of Flower Baskets, Circa 1850. The watercolors on pith paper framed vertically within Chinoiserie black and gold frames depict flowers within h...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Paper

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

Chinese Export Porcelain Bacchus Mug After Derby Porcelain
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese export porcelain bacchus mug after Derby Porcelain, circa 1785. The Chinese Export porcelain mug is modeled after a Derby Porcelain original as the head of Bacchus, the face naturalistically & delicately enameled. The eyebrows, beard and hair picked out with lightly etched brown lines. Around his head is a garland of vine leaves enameled in green, the veins of the leaves well delineated in grey, the bunches of grapes in a rich purple. The "C" shaped handle is decorated with stylized vine leaves, the sides of the thick handle with gold lappets. Dimensions: 4 inches high Reference This type of mug was copied directly from a Derby original that dates to around 1780-1785 and was created by William Duesbury II (1763-97) when the company was known as William Duesbury & Co. For a similar mug, see Sargent: The Copeland Collection: Chinese & Japanese Ceramic Figures...
Category

1780s Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Chinese Silver Blossoming Branch 4-Part Glass Decanter
Located in New York, NY
Chinese silver-mounted glass decanter, ca 1900. Ovoid bowl and cylindrical neck; interior partitioned forming four compartments. Blossoming branch cage. Neck rings and collar with fl...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Silver

Japanese Meiji Terra Cotta Pitcher
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Japanese Meiji period (19/20th Century) red and black glazed terra cotta pitcher with figures of scholars in high relief (signed Sumida Gawa).  
Category

20th Century Japanese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Terracotta

Chinese Black and White Porcelain Pot
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese-style (19/20th Century) black & white jardiniere (fishbowl) with 4 scenes with figures and decorated on inside.
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Chinese Famille Rose Multi-Colored 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, with a famille rose intr...
Category

18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Brass

Chinese White and Multicolor Floral and Vine Motif Meiping Porcelain Urn
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese white porcelain vase with a Meiping form decorated in swirling green vines interspersed with colorful florals. Condition: Good; Wear consistent with age and use
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Charger
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese-style (19/20th Century) blue and white porcelain charger decorated with a bird and floral design and a brown scalloped edge.
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Porcelain Blue and White Porcelain After Maria Sybille Merian
Located in Downingtown, PA
Pair of Chinese Export 'Pronk' Blue and White Plates after Maria Sibylla Merian For the Dutch Market, Qianlong Period, Circa 1740-1745 This rare and historically significant pair o...
Category

Mid-18th Century Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Reticulated White Porcelain Table Lamp
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese-style white filigree porcelain table lamp with floral design and black round base. Ships without a shade
Category

20th Century Unknown Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Export Porcelain American Market Soup Tureen, Cover and Stand
Located in Downingtown, PA
Chinese Export Porcelain American Market Soup Tureen and Cover and Stand, Circa 1780. The Chinese Export porcelain bombe-form soup tureen, cover and...
Category

Late 18th Century Chinese Antique Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese White and Blue Floral and Character Ginger Jar Vases
Located in Queens, NY
5 Antique Chinese (Early 20th Century) similar porcelain ginger jars with blue floral designs around bold, centered characters and geometric bands leading to unglazed rims (jars vary...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Chinese Red and Brown Wooden Storage Bench
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Chinese (Early Republic) wooden bench with removeable, red-sided, black two-piece top painted in a gold and red central figurative scene and moths in each corner, supported b...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Wood

Chinese Carved Bamboo Root Face Wall Hanging
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese wall plaque made from a bamboo root carved in the shape of a smiling face with a bamboo root fiber beard. (Companion pieces: NWL2543A-F).       
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Bamboo, Wood

Pair of Chinese Celadon Scalloped Pots
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of Chinese celadon colored pots with scalloped tops and detached base trays framing tonal, raised carvings of cranes in natural settings (priced as pair).   
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Porcelain Floral Umbrella Stand
Located in Queens, NY
Asian Chinese (20th Century) porcelain cylindrical shaped umbrella stand with dark blue, purple and green decoration of birds and flowers
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Cobalt Blue and Incised Motif Meiping Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Chinese cobalt blue vases in Meiping shapes, covered with incised patterns of dragons and curvilinear designs, and bearing small white rectangles featuring blue characters (P...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Pale Gray Glazed Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of similar Chinese porcelain vases with globular forms in pale gray hues with glazed finishes (vases vary slightly in shape) (PRICED AS PAIR).  
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Chinese Wooden Small Rectangular Chest with Hand Painted Exotic Birds
Located in Queens, NY
Chinese Mid-Century small rectangular hinged chest with metal latch and two side ring handles, hand painted featuring two exotic birds (depicted on the top and front), pine, berries,...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Wood

Chinese Blue and Gold Painted Lidded Porcelain Pot
Located in Queens, NY
Vintage Chinese dark blue porcelain pot decorated with a combination of intricate gold painting and raised medallions of florals, each with a beetle in the center, and a stem emergin...
Category

20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Chinese Multi-Color Pattern Porcelain Vases
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of Chinese vases decorated with all-over swirling floral motifs intercepted by yellow patterned bands at the bottom and top of the base and striking blue designs wrapping concav...
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.

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