Antique Chinese Painted Lacquer Cabinet

A Handcrafted Oriental Masterpiece of Storytelling and Heritage

Beneath its timeworn black lacquer, this Antique Chinese Painted Lacquer Cabinet reveals a world alive with color, ritual, and legend. Hand-painted with exquisite detail, the front panels unfold like a storybook of ancient China — figures in flowing robes, pagodas beneath golden trees, and lush garden scenes rendered in soft vermilion and aged gold. Each brushstroke, each scene, tells of a culture where furniture was not merely functional but a canvas for beauty, faith, and everyday poetry.

Crafted by hand during the late Qing period, this cabinet embodies the dual nature of traditional Chinese craftsmanship — the balance between art and purpose. The deep black lacquer ground, applied in multiple layers and then hand-polished to a reflective sheen, provides an elegant backdrop for its vivid pictorial narrative. Time has mellowed the surface, softening the colors into an earthy symphony of red, gold, and black, lending the piece an aura of quiet grandeur.

Open its double doors, and the cabinet reveals an interior of warm natural wood — a tactile contrast to the lacquered exterior. Inside, two shelves and a trio of small drawers await, designed centuries ago to hold calligraphy tools, scrolls, silks, or small personal treasures. The drawers’ brass handles, now delicately tarnished, gleam faintly like heirlooms rediscovered.

Once the centerpiece of a scholar’s room or merchant’s home, this Antique Chinese Painted Cabinet today offers a portal into a distant world. Its presence transforms any space — a sitting room, study, or entryway — into one touched by history and handcraft. In a Vintage Boho interior, it harmonizes with woven textures, ceramics, and books; in a Vintage Glamour setting, it becomes a moody, luminous statement of worldliness and taste.

Every imperfection — the soft crackle of its lacquer, the faint fading of color, the texture of age — is a mark of authenticity, an echo of hands that once opened its doors with reverence. It stands now as both sculpture and story, a vessel for the poetry of the past and a timeless expression of craftsmanship that refuses to fade.

Design Features

• Handcrafted wooden cabinet with double doors and inner drawers

• Traditional black lacquer finish with painted figural and landscape scenes

• Depicts pagodas, robed figures, and garden motifs in red and gold tones

• Two internal shelves and three drawers for storage or display

• Brass hardware with patinated handles

Color Palette

• Deep black lacquer

• Accents of crimson, gold, and ochre

• Warm natural wood interior

Condition Notes

• Authentic antique condition with visible wear, cracks, and surface patina

• Lacquer shows natural distressing from age

• Paintwork softened and darkened over time, enhancing character

Origin & Construction

• Handcrafted in China, likely late 19th to early 20th century

• Painted wood with layered lacquer finish

• Brass hardware and hand-cut joinery

Dimensions

• 30.75" L × 18.5" D × 34" H