Antique Chinese Furniture from the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Chinese Furniture

The forms of Chinese furniture evolved along three distinct lineages which dates back to 1000 BC, based on frame and panel, yoke and rack (based on post and rail seen in architecture) and bamboo construction techniques. Chinese home furniture evolved independently of Western furniture into many similar forms including chairs, tables, stools, cupboards, cabinets, beds and sofas. Until about the 10th century CE the Chinese sat on mats or low platforms using low tables, in typical Asian style, but then gradually moved to using high tables with chairs.

Chinese furniture for sitting or lying on was very often used with cushions, but textiles and upholstery are not, until very late historical periods, incorporated into the piece itself in the Western manner. Openwork in carved wood or other techniques is very typical for practical purposes such as chair-backs, and also for decoration. The Ming period is regarded as the “golden age” of Chinese furniture, though very few examples of earlier pieces survive. Ming styles have largely set the style for furniture in traditional Chinese style in subsequent periods, though as in other areas of Chinese art, the 18th and 19th centuries saw increasing prosperity used for sometimes excessively elaborated pieces, as wider groups in society were able to imitate court styles.

Four Categories of Chinese Furniture

Chinese furniture traditionally consisted of four distinct categories, all formed by the mid Qing dynasty, but each with its own unique characteristics.

Beijing category (京式家具): characterized by its simple build, directly developed from Ming Dynasty furnitures.
Guangzhou category (广式家具): incorporating western influence, fully formed in the 19th century but dating back to at least 17th century. Characterized by the adoptation of Baroque and Rococo artistic styles, use of native timbers in the Lingnan region, and the decorative mounting of marble and the shells of shellfish.
Shanghai category (海式家具): characterized by its decorative carving and carved lacquer.
Suzhou category (苏式家具): opposite to the Beijing category, characterized by its elaborate decoration, developed from early Qing Dynasty furniture.

Introduction of Antique Chinese Furniture from the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The classification of Qing Style furniture

Bed and thorn – there are framed bed and arhat bed.
Chair, footstool, square stool, bench
Desk, table, tea table
Folding screen
Cabinet, cupboard, chest, chest of drawers, shelf

Furniture produced in China from the 16th to the 19th centuries reflects a wealthy society that was full of formality while appreciating quality and style.

The later years of the Ming dynasty were a period of rising affluence among the elites of China following the austerity of earlier years. Those with wealth and power, and many of more modest means besides, wanted to express themselves socially through their possessions. It was a time of progress in the design and quality of Chinese furniture. This trend continued as the Ming was overthrown by the Manchus of the Qing, until that dynasty too reached the peak of power and prosperity in the late 18th/early 19th century.

Furniture of The Ming Dynasty

The late Ming of the 16th and 17th centuries was a period of elegant furniture that was fluent and well-proportioned, but quite simple to suit the needs of the day. The influential scholarly class had previously distanced itself from mere material possessions. But by the late Ming the scholars and the mandarins had started to take a more active interest in contemporary society, and under their influence furniture evolved that was practical and functional. Comfort was not sacrificed in the pursuit of simplicity. Designers carefully built in the lines and proportions that would suitably accommodate the human form.

In the production of Ming furniture the natural features of the material used, timbers of the highest quality, were shown to best advantage. Ostentatious decoration was frowned upon, the preferred form of adornment being the engraving of calligraphies and paintings in the pieces to increase their artistic and aesthetic value.

Characters of Qing style furniture

Ming furniture is treasured for its precious wood, comfortable design, simple decoration and superb craftsmanship.
The texture of wood was fully used to reveal natural beauty. Simple design had nothing to do with cheapness; red sandalwood and scented rosewood represented essential value. Handwritings and paintings by well-known calligraphers and painters were engraved in desks and chairs.
The Ming Dynasty is considered, in hindsight, the golden era in the development of ancient Chinese furniture.

Materials used for Ming Dynasty Furniture

The timber used in Ming Dynasty furniture was of tough quality, high strength, beautiful color and fine grain. The woods used including
Huanghuali or yellow flowering pear 黄花梨木 (D. odorifern T. chel), a member of the rosewood family
► Red sandalwood 紫檀木 (Pterocarpus santalinus)
► Siam or Thailand rosewood 酸枝木 (Dalbergia cochinchinensis)
► Ceylon ebony乌木 (Diospyros ebenum)
► Kassod 鸡翅木 (Senna Siamea – earlier known as Cassia Siamea)

Furniture of the Qing Dynasty

During the early years of the Qing dynasty the use of furniture continued as a means to indicate status. At the same time fashions were evolving aling with the imperialism of the Manchu rulers. Qing pomp and ceremony began to be reflected in the furniture of the time. The result was a more bulky, much heavier style of furniture that made a statement about power at the expense of comfort.

Qing period furniture became much more elaborate with its intricate carvings and inlaid decoration. Scale and complexity took precedence over the elegant lines of earlier times. The heyday of the imposing Qing furniture that made a statement about power and authority was during the reign of the third Manchu emperor Kanxi (1654–1722).

Characters of Qing style furniture

Various types, multi-functioned design with transformation, elaborate skill and stable structure.
Carefully material selecting and making process. The materials selected in Qing Dynasty furniture prefer deep colors hardwoods such as rosewood, sandalwood, ebony and beech, so as to guarantee that the color and luster lamination of appearance are unanimous, and make sure it is a very firm structure.
Well-considered and various designed decorations.
Qing style furniture is deeply influenced by the western style furniture. There are two kinds of furniture influenced by western style furniture. One is tototally copy the western style furniture with poor handicraft.

Kinds of Timbers Used in Chinese Furniture

All Ming and Qing Furniture of quality had one thing in common: the use of timbers that had their own distinctive natural features the craftsman could exploit. Many of these were rare and hard to come by, making the end product exclusive and thus increasing its appeal.

Zitan or Red Sandalwood

The most highly prized timber was zitan or red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus). The dark purple of this slow-growing tropical hardwood native to Southern India resembles the colour that in Qing times was reserved for the use of the dynasty’s rulers. For a time, therefore, it was decreed that only the imperial households could own furniture from this species. Accordingly, zitan furniture is extremely rare.

Washuanghuali, or Fragrant Rosewood

More commonly used and also noted for the quality of its finish washuanghuali, or fragrant rosewood (Dalbergia odorifera). Grown mainly in Guangdong and Hainan provinces of China, this timber is purple/red in colour and has a fragrance that the Chinese liken to incense.

Ceylon Ironwood

Tieli (Mesua ferrea), a large hardwood from Sri Lanka, where it is the national tree known as Ceylon Ironwood. It was used in Southern China for large pieces of furniture such as tables.

Pagoda Pattern

Ju (Zelkova sinica), is a member of the elm family. It grows commonly in Jiangsu and Zhenjiang provinces, so it was popular with the furniture-makers of Shanghai and Suzhou. It has a distinctly red colour, and its pronounced grain was given the name “pagoda pattern”.

Many fine pieces of furniture were produced using the burls of trees. These are the large knotty masses that grow naturally under certain conditions of the tree’s life cycle, and which produce unique and distinctive patterns. Burls were particularly used in table design and ornamentation.