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| Unique Chinese
Furniture: Ming & Qing Chinese Antique Furniture Style |
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Ming & Qing Chinese Antique Furniture Style
Ming antique furniture style features simple, smooth, and flowing lines, and
plain and elegant ornamentation, fully bringing out the special qualities of
frame-structure furniture. Influenced by China's burgeoning foreign trade and
advanced craftsmanship techniques, furniture of the Qing Dynasty period turned
to rich and intricate ornamentation, along with coordinated engraved designs.
Because of the high level of development of Chinese furniture in the Ming and
Qing dynasties, most Chinese furniture design today follows in the tradition of
pieces from these two periods.
As in traditional Chinese architecture, wood is the major material used in the
manufacture of antique furniture. This was in response both to needs arising
from Chinese life styles, and to China's rich forest resources. The two main
types are lacquered furniture and hardwood furniture. Lacquered furniture was
commonly used in palaces, temples, and in the homes of the wealthy. It includes
the t'i-hung , or carved lacquer style; t'ien-ch'i in which lacquer is used to
fill in an engraved design, then rubbed flat; miao-ch'i , or outlined lacquer
style; and luo-tien , or furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Two or more
methods might also be combined in the same piece. Hardwood furniture was
frequently found in the homes of the wealthy, but was even more common in the
homes of nobles and officials. Woods employed include red sandalwood, pearwood,
padauk, ebony, and nanmu. Of these, red sandalwood is the most highly valued
material for use in furniture making; it is dense, hard, and resistant to decay.
Bamboo and rattan style furniture also have a long history. Bamboo is a product
unique to Asia, and is an especially developed industry in hot and sunny Taiwan.
Simple and ingenious techniques are used to make clever and useful products that
can be "knocked down,'' and modular pieces that can be used together or
separately. Bamboo may be used in combination with other materials, such as
wood, rattan, metal, and ceramic tile, in endless variation. Much bamboo and
rattan furniture is exported to Europe and the United States, where it enjoys
great popularity.
Chinese of Ming & Qing are fond of furniture with inlaid and carved work. In
addition to shells and enamel chips, brilliant, colorful, and artistically
grained jade, stones, ivory (and other animal teeth), horn, agate, and amber are
used for inlaid desi gns. Marble, for example, is a stone often used for inlaid
work; colorful ceramic plates are also a popular material for ornamentation.
Another elegant technique used since ancient times is the inlaying of different
kinds and colors of woods in a single piece. The methods of carving include
relief carving, negative engraving, and free-style carving. Common subjects for
furniture carving are flowers; dragons and phoenixes; the ch'i-lin, a Chinese
mythical beast; and stylized cloud and leaf patterns.
Traditional Chinese furniture style of Ming and Qing dynasty is generally
arranged in symmetrical suites or sets. These are, however, supplemented with
other more flexible arrangements to prevent the room from having too staid an
atmosphere. For example, paintings or examples of calligraphy might be hung on
the wall; ceramic, enamel or other knick-knacks might be placed in an antique
display cabinet; or flower arrangements made of jade or stone might top a square
occasional table. Any or all of these can add splashes of color and elegant form
to the room. These delicate additions set off the heavy furniture to give a rich
composite effect.
The Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) has been called one of the most interesting in
the development of Chinese antique furniture furniture. It was an age of
expansion and prosperity when the decorative arts flourished, and its furniture
is characterized by soft curves, fluid lines and classic proportions.
Floor sitting was widely practiced in China well into the 10th century, but
Buddhism dictated a more formal seating arrangement, and with the advent of the
Ming Dynasty, chairs were common furniture items. The development of the chair
reached its peak in the late Ming period, and its typical elegance and
simplicity extended to all types of furniture made in the era.
An important style feature of late Ming furniture
is its use of plain hardwoods. Requiring superb joinery skills, good materials
and little decoration, materials such as rosewood were used to construct pieces
of remarkable simplicity, distinguished by the technical achievements of both
workmanship and finish.
The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) began with the Manchu conquest of China, and the
more extravagant taste of the new rulers is evident in the furniture style of
this era. More ornate than the earlier period, it is a balance of the Manchu
love of decoration and the prevailing conservative culture. Furniture of this
period is slightly larger and makes more use of carving, but is by no means
garish.
The same high quality hardwoods, joinery and finishes distinguish pieces from
the Qing Dynasty; the pieces also reflect the more openly luxurious style of
living. During this period China became more accessible to the West, and the
elegant curves and carving of this period influenced European furniture makers.
Classic Chinese furniture can be gathered into just a few groups: beds, stools,
chairs, wardrobes, chests and tables: unlike Western homes, Chinese houses
traditionally required less furniture. Each piece was therefore more important,
so excellent workmanship, wood, and styling have become the hallmarks of classic
antique Chinese furniture.
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