Blog

December 20, 2009

Ming and Qing Furniture: the Epitome of Chinese Culture   

    The development of Chinese furniture has a long history dating back to the Shang dynasty over 3,000 years ago, when bronze and stone furniture of  intricate designs was already made. With the changing lifestyles over the centuries, furniture developed from the mat level to become taller in height.  By the Song dynasty, not only was there a wide range of furniture of all types and in various designs, the craftsmanship was increasingly exquisite, the structure was scientifically sound and decorations were diversified.  This paved the way for the acme of artistic perfection of the Ming and Qing furniture.  Through the furniture we are also offered a glimpse into only only the state of the manufacturing industry, the lifestyle and customs of the populace, the thoughts, feelings and aesthetics in China at the time, but also the historical characteristics and cultural tradition of China and its people.  Chinese furniture is not only cherished by Chinese at home, it also enjoys high esteem in the furniture history worldwide.

    Due to its exquisite craftsmanship, high aesthetic and important historical value, Chinese furniture especially that from the Ming and Qing periods, has exerted a lasting effect on many countries in the East and West.

    The development of Chinese furniture peaked during the Ming dynasty. In late Ming, while lacquer furniture as in common use, hardwood furniture became much sought-after as the nation craved antique design in their furniture.  As mentioned in Yunjian jumu chao by Fan Lian of the Ming, 'Since the Longqing and Wanli periods(respectively of Ming Emperors Muzong and Shenzong [1567-1620], even minor officials cannot do without furniture made of fine woods at home.' This provides a documentary proof of the popularity of hardwood furniture during the late Ming dynasty, when no one wanted to be left out in the race to own hardwood furniture.  Also, the design and making of furniture became a common passion of men of letters of the time, and Ming furniture took on a literati aesthetic dimension. Knowledgeable about the history and art of traditional Chinese furniture, these men of letters instilled into furniture making of the time such cultural elements as aesthetics, mechanics, philosophy, ergonomics and ethics.  This gave Ming furniture a richer sense of culture, encompassing deeper, greater and aesthetically more pleasing cultural contents.  Its simplicity, archaic elegance and spirituality; its soft and warm tough without losing a sense of solemnness and presence; its upright and dignified design and its well-balanced proportions - have become through the ages what scholars and researchers of later generations hail as the epitome of 'practical aesthetics'. As for decoration, Ming furniture tended to be minimalist in design, sometimes to the point of no decoration at all.  At times drawing from plants, animals, natural scenery, or auspicious patterns as its motif, Ming furniture always gives the beholder a sense of simplicity and elegance.

    Inheriting some of the style elements of Ming furniture, Qing furniture took it a step further and tended toward more splendid and elaborate decorations, incorporating various art crafts and including intricately carved decorations and inlaid work.  Whereas the form of the furniture was bulky with a sense of heaviness, the craftsmanship was refined and delicate.  The development of Qing furniture culminated in the reign of Emperor Qianlong.  Furniture of the time, particularly that for use in the imperial palace, was made of the finest material, representing the very best of Qing furniture.  Auspicious motifs such as the dragon, the phoenix and bats were employed abundantly not only as a show of wealth and splendour, but also with wishes of peace and good fortune.  Furniture making was taken so seriously during the Qing that Emperor Qinglong was known to personally oversee its process at times.  Thus the Ming and Qing furniture witnesses not only the social and economic progress of the two dynasties, but also the importance attached to furniture by the imperial courts.

    Furniture of the Ming and Qing was cherished for its high aesthetic value.  Mr. Wang Shixiang said, "It goes without saying that furniture of the Ming and the early Qing goes very well with traditional Chinese architecture.  What is surprising is when you see Ming furniture looking so becoming in some modern households in Europe and US. Why would Ming furniture go so well with contemporary lifestyle? Well, the answer is obvious: the simplicity that has become the order of the day in modern time echoes that of the Ming dynasty. This is certainly proof that the art of furniture of the Ming and the early Qing has become the common wealth shared by people from all over the world.  When Chinese furniture was introduced to the West in the 15th century, it first found its way into Europe.  From the 18th century onwards Chinese furniture entered the US on a massive scale.  Although limited at first to items made of lacquer, bamboo and rattan, the import of Chinese furniture contributed significantly towards the development of furniture industry in the West.  Through the publication Chinese Domestic Furniture by the German scholar Gustav Ecke during the 30's in the last century, the first work on classical Chinese furnture, readers were given the change of appreciate the beauty of classical Chinese furniture.

This essay is credited to Mr. Zheng Xinmiao, Vice Minister of Culture and Director of the Palace Museum, PRC.

January 22, 2010          Monday

High Yokeback Armchairs are called officials' hat chairs in the Chinese, the name taken from the chairs resemblance of Ming court officials' hat wear.  The vigorously shaped top rail with a shaped headrest ends in everted rounded ends.  The S-shaped back splat with traditional Chinese decorative carving of cloud in the center is tongue-and-grooved into the underside of the top rail and the back member of the set frame. The stiles are tenoned into the top rail and pass through the seat to become the legs.  The elongated S-shaped arms, mortised and tenoned into the stiles and the S-shaped posts are supported by tapering S-shaped braces of circular sections.  The mitred, mortised and tenoned seat frame, with exposed tenons on the short rails has two transverse braces underneath.  The edge of the seat frame is decorated by a groove and molds downward and invward to end in a narrow flat band.