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Qing Boxes

QING STYLE

The last imperial dynasty from 1644 to 1912 was a time of change in China, beginning with the invasion by Manchurian forces that ended the Ming dynasty and established the Shunzhi Emperor. The expansion of exportation and trade that had bolstered the arts during the Ming era continued, as Qing dynasty furniture involved the same attention to craftsmanship with expert construction techniques in hardwood pieces that were assembled with mortise and tenon joints rather than nails or glue. Together, these eras comprise a golden age of Chinese furniture design.

Ming-style furniture is simple and elegant with clean lines. Chairs of the period and other Ming furniture made an impression on Scandinavian modernist Hans Wegner and his streamlined seating, for example. Whereas Qing-style furniture is elaborate, with an increasing influence from the West leading to lavish carving inspired by the European Baroque and Rococo styles. And while many of the forms that define examples of the latter are common within classical Chinese furniture, such as curving and folding chairs as well as large screens, Qing designs are laden with ornamentation. Frequently, the carved motifs and inlaid designs in mother-of-pearl were auspicious, such as peonies for wealth or dragons for luck. Bats were symbols of happiness in the design of Qing furniture, with one of the characters in the word for bat, bianfu, being a homophone for fu, or “fortune.”

While several types of wood were used in the construction of Qing beds, tables, storage pieces and seating, today’s collectors know that the most prized were the rare rosewoods zitan and huanghuali. They were both sourced from Hainan, China’s largest island, and are marked by a rich luster that occurs naturally, without the application of lacquer or other decorative materials. Many of the most popular woods were imported from southeast Asia, adding to their value. Red sandalwood was also sought after for its durability and connection with Chinese medicine, with some chairs being made for health benefits.

Find a collection of antique Qing tea tables, stools, benches, decorative objects and more furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Qing
Chinese Reverse Glass Treasure Chest. c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
As much an artwork as a piece of furniture, this 19th-century treasure chest from northern China is richly decorated with relief carvings and delicate gilt paintings. The doors bear ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Glass, Elm

A Chinese Carved Red Lacquer Cinnabar Box, 19th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Chinese Carved Red Lacquer Cinnabar Box, 19th Century Provenance: Private Australian Collection. Description: Cinnabar is a red mineral compos...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

19th Century Chinese Leather Box
Located in Singapore, SG
This antique leather box from Shanxi province has an original dark, almost black, exterior, and a deep maroon leather interior. The characteristic cracked leather texture throughout ...
Category

1850s Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Leather, Pine

Chinese Cloisonne Box with Carved Jade Inset Medallion
Located in Stamford, CT
Circa 1900 Chinese box decorated with green, blue, red and yellow floral design set against a white background. The top with a carved white jade floral medallion. The apple green ena...
Category

Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Jade, Brass

Chinese Lao Tian Li Cloisonne Cylindrical Box, Late Qing Dynasty, China
Located in Austin, TX
A delightful antique Chinese cloisonné cylindrical box and cover by Lao Tian Li, late Qing Dynasty, circa 1900, China. The box of cylindrical form and w...
Category

Early 1900s Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass, Copper, Enamel

Chinese Mother of Pearl Mounted Box with Four Boxes and Counters, 18th Century
Located in Bishop s Stortford, Hertfordshire
An exceptional and rare Chinese mother of pearl mounted games box with four matching interior boxes containing gaming counters and dating from the 18th century. The rectangular shape...
Category

1770s Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Mother-of-Pearl

Round red lacquered and gold leaf work box - China 19th Qing Dynasty
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Magnificent round box in red lacquer in two parts. Completely decorated by hand. With gilded, gold decoration. There are floral and geometric decorations, handmade interlacing, with gold leaf. The box is placed on 4 feet. The interior is lacquered black. Very nice dimensions. This box shows some wear due to its age and authenticity. This round Chinese box in red and gold lacquered woven bamboo Was probably a wedding box, a work box, a storage box. It can be used as a hat box, sewing box, games box or tea bag box...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Bamboo, Wood

Chinese Coconut tea pot - China - late 18th / early 19th - Qing - Asian Art
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very pretty and old tea pot, gourd shaped, in sculpted coconut, chiseled and mounted on pewter. The cap is also made of pewter. The coconut is decorated with imperial motifs. Chinese...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Tin

Large Chinese Export Round Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1950s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large Chinese black lacquered box with numerous figures and gilt detail. Chinese round black lacquer and gilt painted box, made for the expor...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

Chinese Turquoise Cloisonne Trinket Box, Republic Period, c 1920, China
Located in Austin, TX
A lovely Chinese turquoise cloisonne trinket box with images of the Hundred Antiques, Republic Period, circa 1920, China. The rectangular box de...
Category

1920s Chinese Vintage Qing Boxes

Materials

Copper, Enamel

Petite Chinese Opium Box, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
A petite 19th century canister once used to store a smoker's personal supply of opium paste. A keepsake from a bygone era, the small box is formed of brass and provided an airtight s...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Late 19th Century Large Chinese Pigskin Storage Box
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Late 19th century large pigskin storage box, Chinese. Late Qing dynasty. Burnt red color silvered brass or paktong fittings; the handles their back plates of good quality...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Chinese Qing Dynasty 19th Century Long Wooden Scroll Box with Brass Hardware
Located in Yonkers, NY
A long Chinese Qing Dynasty period wooden scroll box from the 19th century, with brass hardware. Created in China during the Qing Dynasty period, this un...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Small Chinese Cloisonne and Hardstone Trinket Box, Republic Period, China
Located in Austin, TX
A lovely small Chinese export cloisonne trinket box with a carved hardstone roundel, Early Republic Period circa 1915, China. The small cloisonne box set on four short bun feet, and...
Category

1910s Chinese Vintage Qing Boxes

Materials

Stone, Copper, Enamel

Petite Etched Chinese Opium Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
A petite 19th-century canister once used to store a smoker's personal supply of opium paste. A keepsake from a bygone era, the small box is formed of brass with a copper interior and...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass, Copper

Late 19th Century Qing Carved Lacquer and Varnished Wood Decorative Box, China
Located in North Miami, FL
Late 19th century Qing lacquer and hand-carved varnished wood decorative box, China By: unknown Material: wood, lacquer Technique: carved, hand-carved, hand-crafted, lacquered, varn...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

19th Century Chinoiserie Gilt Painted Box
Located in New York, NY
A 19th century Chinese chinoiserie gilt painted box. Lacquer work box of very high quality. Beautifully painted.  
Category

Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood

Decorative Antique Chinese Stacking Box, Shanxi Province
Located in Kastrup, DK
A portable stacking box featuring five separate tiers, crafted from limewood and originally coated in black lacquer. Remnants of the lacquer are still visible, lending the container ...
Category

Late 18th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Iron

18th Century Burmese Rakhine State Lacquer Bamboo Pillow Box
Located in Brea, CA
18th century Burmese black bamboo pillow box in relief with red Rakhine lacquer. Created with bamboo weaving. Decorated all-over with geometrical shapes and...
Category

Early 18th Century Burmese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Lacquer

Chinese Canton Enamel Round Stacking Boxes and Cover, circa 1900, China
Located in Austin, TX
An absolutely lovely Chinese export pink Canton enamel round stacking box and cover, late Qing Dynasty, circa 1900, China. The circular stacking box consists of a bowl form base, ...
Category

Early 1900s Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Copper, Enamel

Chinese Silver Repoussé Box with Warriors, Early 20th Century, China
Located in Austin, TX
A fine late Qing or early Republic Period Chinese silver repoussé box featuring a scene possibly from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Silver

Chinese Studded Nanmu Lock Box, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
A special place for storing jewelry and other treasures, this early 19th-century lock box was created by a skilled artisan in China's Jiangsu province. The box is minimally decorated to showcase the rich, swirling grain of the nanmu wood, an esteemed softwood found throughout China. The interior contains a small lidded compartment and a removable dividing tray...
Category

Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Chinese Gourd-Form Presentation Box, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This finely lacquered box was once presented as a gift, filled with popular snacks like roasted melon seeds, dried fruit, and cinnamon-toasted soy beans. The lightweight box is formed in the shape of a melon, a traditional symbol of perpetuity. Cloaked in layer upon layer of rich red lacquer, the box is intricately decorated with paintings of ruyi-framed lotus...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood

Chinese Cloisonne Double Peach Box, Republic Period, early 20th century, China
Located in Austin, TX
A lovely Chinese turquoise ground cloisonne "double peach" box and cover with shaped hardwood stand, Republic Period (1911 to 1949), early 20th century, China. The box formed as a p...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Copper, Enamel

Provincial Chinese Wooden Box with Bone Chopstick Handles
Located in Chicago, IL
A narrow wooden box with a sliding lid and a pair of carved bone chopstick handles with contrasting dark inlay at the ends. The bone handles were likely originally affixed to chopsti...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood, Bone

Pair of Petite Chinese Red Lacquer Butterfly Chests, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
These late 19th century miniature tapered cabinets would have been kept in a woman's quarters, likely used as a jewelry box or cosmetics case. The carved door fronts are decorated wi...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Elm

Chinese Petite Repoussé Traveling Mirror, c. 1930
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite traveling mirror dates to the early 20th century and is crafted with a metal frame embellished with allover repoussé decoration. Designed after Qing-dynasty vanity boxes,...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Metal

Qing Dynasty Red Lacquered Scroll Box with Distressed Gold Chinoiserie Décor
Located in Yonkers, NY
A Chinese Qing dynasty red lacquered lidded scroll box from the 19th century with distressed gold chinoiserie motifs. This exquisite Chinese Qing dynasty red lacquered lidded scroll ...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood

Qing Dynasty 19th Century Red and Brown Lacquer Jewelry Box with Carved Foliage
Located in Yonkers, NY
An antique Chinese Qing Dynasty red and dark brown lacquer elmwood jewelry box from the 19th century with carved and gilt motifs. Created in China during the Qing Dynasty era, this j...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Wood

White Brass Five Blessings Chinese Brazier, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Filled with burning coals, this finely crafted 19th-century brazier once warmed the hands of a wealthy lady on a cold winter's night in northern China. The portable brazier is hand-w...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Chinese Copper Coin Opium Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
A petite 19th century canister once used to store a smoker's personal supply of opium paste. A keepsake from a bygone era, the small box is formed of antique coins and copper and pro...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Copper

Chinese Bronze Opium Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
A petite bronze canister once used to store a smoker's personal supply of opium paste. A keepsake from a bygone era, the small box dates to the early 20th century and provided an air...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Bronze

White-glazed Circular Box and Cover, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Era, Circa 1690
Located in seoul, KR
White glazed box from the Qing dynasty Vung Tau cargo. An identical piece is included on page 459 of the Vung Tau catalog titled 'Christies Amsterdam 19...
Category

1690s Vietnamese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Chinese Export Hardstone and Gilt Silver Filigree Peacock Box, 1920 s, China
Located in Austin, TX
An exquisite Chinese export peacock from hardstone and gilt silver filigree canister box, Republic Period, circa 1920's, China. The graceful and elegant hardstone container of cyli...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Stone, Silver, Enamel

Chinese Miniature Noodle Cabinet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
A treasure of a chest, this charming miniature cabinet is named for the narrow, rounded molding that surrounds the frame and resembles noodles. Lacquered rich red, the small cabinet exhibits the same high level of craftsmanship found in larger such cabinets made in the Qing dynasty with exquisitely painted floral decorations and handcrafted hardware. The cabinet opens to a single shelf, making it just the place to stow jewelry...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Pair of Chinese Longevity Relief Scroll Cases, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Delicately carved of dense hardwood, these 19th-century scroll cases were an essential accessory for the esteemed Qing-dynasty scholar. The perfect size for a rolled-up scroll, the cases were once used to store and protect works of traditional calligraphy and landscape painting. The matching cases are hand-carved in low relief with all-over scrollwork and borders of geometric meanders. Each case is carved with repeated Shou characters, symbols of longevity and a blessing for a long and complete life. Amid the scrollwork flourishes are ribbon-clad objects known as the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, including the eternal knot...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Boxes

Materials

Hardwood

Chinese Finely Woven Lacquered Trunk, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
This finely woven circa 1800 trunk is a work of art in itself and was possibly used to store prized painted scrolls. A skilled artisan painstakingly wove thin-as-hair reeds to cover ...
Category

Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Elm, Lacquer, Reed

Chinese Finely Woven Lacquered Trunk, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
A work of art in itself, this finely woven Qing-dynasty trunk likely once stored prized painted scrolls. Framed in elmwood, the trunk’s panels are lined with thin reeds that were pai...
Category

Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

19th Century Chinese Lacquer Tea Caddy
Located in Brea, CA
19th century Qing Dynasty Chinese export gilt decorated black lacquer tea caddy. Hexagonal shape with floral chased pewter covered caddies deta...
Category

19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Lacquer

19th Century Chinese Elmwood Box with Canted Corners
Located in Dallas, TX
A 19th century Chinese elmwood box with brass hardware with canted corners. This unusual long and narrow box was probably custom made to house a musical instrument, it is very decor...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Qing Boxes

Materials

Brass

Qing boxes for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Qing boxes for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Mid-20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage boxes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, asian art and furniture, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Qing boxes made in a specific country, there are Asia, China, and East Asia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for boxes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $276 and tops out at $57,280 while the average work can sell for $1,080.

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