Chinese sideboard. Qing Dynasty

Chinese sideboard. Qing Dynasty, late 18th-early 19th century.
Red lacquered wood.
Metal hardware and handles.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 90 x 200 x 50 cm.

Sideboard or console furniture from the Qing period, also called "altar type" because of the curved upward-curved aileron ends, which have roots in the ancestral Chinese culture, evoking the curved corners of the roofs of temples and traditional houses, adding a distinctive touch of sophistication. The ailerons also symbolize protection and expansion towards the sky. It rises on short rectangular-section legs and houses three drawers lined up at the waist and a lower cabinet, all opening with metal handles decorated with circular metal plates.

Qing furniture is characterized by greater ornamentation and detailing compared to the more restrained designs of the Ming dynasty. Qing craftsmen incorporated decorative elements such as more elaborate carvings and brightly colored lacquer finishes. This is a late Qing period sideboard, where furniture combined functional elements with aesthetic details that reflected status and wealth.