Buffet antique chinois sculpted in fir with decorated panels – Gansu, circa 1930

Buffet, an old Chinese piece carved from fir, featuring a sequence of six door panels and two interspersed drawers, originating from the Gansu province and dated around 1930. An exceptional piece that lies between a provincial palace buffet and a family altar table, representative of Northwest Chinese furniture in its most imposing and decorated version. In traditional Gansu homes, long buffets were part of the main furniture in the hall, where they stored everyday items and supported honour pieces on their upper surface. This piece, over two and a half metres long, pushes the logic of the horizontal buffet to the extreme: a rhythmic sequence of carved panels orders the entire surface and transforms the piece into an almost architectural object, comparable to a low façade. Details. Dimensions: Width: 261 cm Depth: 45 cm Height: 68 cm. Style: Chinese provincial furniture, Gansu tradition. Materials and techniques: Solid fir; sequence of framed panels and interspersed drawer panels; dense relief carving; original wrought iron fittings. Place of origin: Gansu, China. Period: Early 20th century. Date of manufacture: Around 1930. Condition / Observations: Good. Original patina and paint. May show signs and traces of use.