Antique buffet painted in pine wood – Shanxi, circa 1930

Antique buffet painted in pine wood, Chinese provincial furniture with painted panels originating from Shanxi, dated around 1930. It comes from Shanxi in northern China, from the early 20th century, where pine was worked using traditional mortise and tenon joinery without nails, and buffets were decorated with painted panels on the doors. In the living rooms and dining rooms of affluent homes in Shanxi in the early 20th century, long buffets were central pieces of the household trousseau: they contained crockery, textiles, and everyday objects, visually articulating an entire wall. When they featured painted panels, these acted as fixed domestic paintings that conveyed the cultural values and aspirations of the family. Their typology belongs to the provincial tradition of northern China. Constructed from solid pine from Shanxi according to traditional joinery without nails. The façade is organised into three sections: two individual side doors and a central double door, all lacquered in vermilion with a black frame and wrought iron ring handles. The lower base retains its original lacquer. The feet are square in section. The joinery retains the imprint of northern provincial furniture. Details. Dimensions: Length 192 cm – Depth 40 cm – Height 63 cm. Style: Painted Chinese provincial furniture, painted panels. Materials and techniques: Solid pine from Shanxi, black and vermilion lacquer, painting on a gold background, wrought iron fittings; mortise and tenon joinery without nails, two painted side doors, lacquered central double door. Place of origin: Shanxi, China. Period: Late Qing dynasty / early Republic of China (circa 1930) Date of manufacture: Circa 1930. Condition / Observations: Structure intact. Original patina and paint. Marks and signs of use. Possible minor restorations. Wear consistent with age and use.