About PAGODA RED
PAGODA RED is the destination for collectors who love the art, history, style & spirit of Asian and handcrafted objects. Every item is authentic—historically and geographically—and wears the patina of many lifetimes served in homes, palaces and gardens. In the early 1990s, owner Betsy Nathan studied Mandarin and moved to Beijing. There, she met a group of legendary Chinese furniture experts. Under their mentorship, she became an expert in provenance, craftsmanship, joinery and history. Nathan moved back to the United States and established her first showroom in Chicago i...Read More
Featured Pieces
Chinese Kang Table Column Base, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This 19th-century column base likely figured into the imposing surroundings of a Qing-dynasty courtyard, supporting a tall wooden beam as part of a grand entryway. Atop a square slab patterned with hash marks, sits an eight-sided base, carved with small footed legs to resemble a low kang table. Octagonal motifs are common in Chinese art, due to the auspicious nature of the number eight in traditional culture. The table-like base is carved with a decorative apron of intertwined vines and floral motifs. Tucked amidst garden plantings or placed indoors, this low column...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Pedestals and Columns
Materials
Limestone
Provincial Chinese Travel Mirror, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This round folding mirror dates to the mid-19th century and would have accompanied a well-to-do woman on her travels. The wooden frame is carved with simple scrollwork at the hinge and includes a flat cover that props the mirror upright when open. Beautifully aged and full of character, we love this humble traveling mirror...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Table Mirrors
Materials
Mirror, Elm
"Bouquet" Memory Jug by Michael Thompson
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
Chinese Melon Stone Drum Table
Located in Chicago, IL
Drum-form stools such as this were traditionally used in gardens and outdoor pavilions where upper class scholars read, wrote, gathered for discussion and, in general, developed thei...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Organic Modern End Tables
Materials
Limestone
Greenery Meditation Stone Coffee Table
Located in Chicago, IL
Greenery stones are named for the naturally occurring patterns suggestive of trees, grass and other plantlike forms that result from the stone’s conglomerate mix of jadeite, moss aga...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Organic Modern Coffee and Cocktail...
Materials
Stone
Green Glazed Chinese Garden Seat with Clouds
Located in Chicago, IL
The drum-form garden seat was a fixture of the Qing dynasty garden, used as a multipurpose space to rest one's feet or serve tea. This contemporary garden stool is made of ceramic wi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Organic Modern Patio and Garden Fu...
Materials
Ceramic
Pair of Chinese Interlocking Stone Drum Tables
Located in Chicago, IL
Drum-form stools such as these were traditionally used in gardens and outdoor pavilions where upper class scholars read, wrote, gathered for discussion and, in general, developed the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Organic Modern Side Tables
Materials
Limestone
"Peach Bloom" Kite by Michael Thompson
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Contemporary Art
Materials
Fabric, Canvas, Bamboo
Blue and White Brush Pot with Shan Shui Landscape
Located in Chicago, IL
Set alongside the four treasures of the study - the calligraphy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone - a brush pot, or bitong, was an essential fixture of the scholars' desk. This porcela...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Planters, Cachepots...
Materials
Porcelain
"The Embrace (Shunga Study)" Collage by Michael Thompson
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Minimalist Contemporary Art
Materials
Paper
Provincial Chinese Blue and White Plate, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Calligraphic sweeps of blue bring this 19th-century footed plate to life, brushed atop a blue-grey glaze that cloaks its simple ceramic form. Once used as an everyday serving dish, t...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Mounted Objects
Materials
Ceramic
"Twilight (Just Before Dawn)" Kite by Michael Thompson
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Organic Modern Contemporary Art
Materials
Canvas, Bamboo, Fabric
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