Antique pine buffet with original green paint – China, circa 1930

This antique pine wood sideboard, with its original green paint and two solid doors, is a domestic piece from north-west China dating to around 1930. It does not retain a manufacturer's label and is described by typology and region. Sideboards from Gansu, along the ancient Silk Road, maintained the tradition of painting domestic furniture with popular earth pigments—greens, blues, ochres. The paint not only served a decorative purpose: it protected the soft pine from the continental climate and added colour to homes with whitewashed walls. The structure is assembled using blind mortise and tenon joints. A light-binding green paint has been applied to the pine, now worn unevenly, revealing the warm wood on the edges, corners, and areas of friction. The two solid doors pivot on wooden axes and close with original forged iron rings shaped like leaves. The lower front incorporates a profiled panel. Details. Materials and techniques: Solid pine wood; original green paint on wood; forged iron fittings shaped like leaves. Place of origin: Gansu (China) Period: Republican period. Date of manufacture: Circa 1930. Dimensions: Length 139 cm – Depth 40 cm – Height 81 cm. Condition: Good. Original patina and paint. Wear consistent with age. May show signs of use.