Chinese Red Lacquer Furniture

Red lacquer is made using cinnabar or vermillion (a form of mercury sulfide) mixed with resin made from the rhus verniciflua tree. It has been used in the production of Chinese furniture for over 2000 years. Traditionally, these pieces were often decorated with coloured lacquer designs or gold leaf, which you can see partial and more complete remnants of on the pieces in our collection. Red lacquer is also used in India, particularly in the areas of Uttar Pradesh & Sindh. 

Most pieces originally come from Shanxi or Hebei provinces and date from the Qing Dynasty. 

Black lacquer is also authentic to the Qing Dynasty but is traditionally less common than red. We stock a great selection of Chinese black lacquer furniture, perfect for adding depth to your interiors. Other lacquer colours such as green, blue or grey did not come about until the 1980s, so these will be reproduction pieces. Black lacquer furniture was particularly popular with the Western export market in America, Europe and British Isles. This style of black lacquer exportware was made in Canton in South China and often heavily decorated with gilding.

Red lacquer Chinese cabinets were popular with scholars. Original pieces were not usually decorated on the side, reserving intricate details for the front doors and drawers. The best quality red lacquer cabinets tend to be made from elm. Poorer quality cabinets from Zheijiang & Ningbo areas in South China were usually made from pine or cypress wood.

Each of our Chinese cabinets in this collection exhibits a stunning red finish, and many showcase intricate hand-painted designs, bringing a sense of unique character into your home. 

For larger pieces with multiple functional storage options, our red lacquer sideboards make lovely additions to diversely styled interiors. Many were originally used as storage for clothing, bedding and grains, as well as functioning as altar cabinets for family ancestor worship. 

Like the cabinets, our lacquer sideboards feature exquisitely painted designs, telling a story about the piece’s past. 

Our Chinese red lacquer furniture is always dated, so you can be sure each piece is a genuine antique with a rich heritage and authentic craftsmanship. For more traditional pieces, see our full collection of antique Chinese furniture.