Blue Lacquer Painted Four Door Sideboard

Gansu, circa 1920 This colourful sideboard from Gansu dates from the early twentieth century and has been converted from a grain storage unit. Its richly textured blue and cream crackled finish frames vivid flower paintings, with red and pink blooms and deep green foliage standing out against pale backgrounds. Thick moulded frames and smaller landscape panels give the frontage a lovely decorative balance. Lotus flowers spread across the left-hand doors, while peonies fill the panels on the right, accompanied by a small bird. In Chinese culture, the lotus represents purity, rebirth and resilience, emerging clean from muddy water to bloom again each morning. The peony is associated with wealth, prosperity and honour, making these paintings both decorative and auspicious. The original fixed front panels have been adapted into four doors, preserving the painted designs while providing easy access to the cupboard space. Metal drop handles complete the frontage, and a shelf divides the interior for practical storage. A broad lower rail and sturdy legs, including a central supporting foot, give the sideboard a solid, substantial appearance. A striking focal point for a dining room or living room, this piece combines useful storage with colourful detail, offering plenty of display space on top for lamps, photo frames and favourite ornaments.