Comfort and Simplicity of Ming furniture

An important style feature of the Ming furniture is its elegance and simplicity. Simple lines and minimal decoration serve as a foil to the natural beauty of the wood. However, this meaningful simplicity was achieved without compromising comfort.

The pursuit of comfort was reflected in such details as curves, lines, height, and size. The height of chairs and benches ranged from 40cm to 50cm, suitable for the lower legs to drop comfortably. The S-shaped backrest was as high as a person’s back. The tables were designed at the same height as the chest when one sits on a chair, and thus two hands could be placed easily on tables. Enough room was left under the tables for legs to stretch and bend. The numerical specifications of the Ming furniture has been passed down well into today, although its style underwent great changes.

Superb joinery skills were especially reflected at the joints, where only mortise and tenon, instead of nails, were used. The connected parts of furniture were exclusively tightened with glue made from the swimming bladders of sea fish. This type of natural glue, which was sophisticatedly processed, differed from its chemical counterparts and was health friendly. The extremely sticky natural glue and remarkable mortise and tenon joints together ensured the fixedness of the Ming furniture that has lasted for long.

Grandeur and gaudiness of the Qing furniture

Furniture produced during the early Qing dynasty followed Ming styles and continued to display simple lines. However a change in style gradually appeared in the early 18th century, and Qing furniture showed its uniqueness in larger sizes and overly ornate carvings.

Furniture became more elaborate. Straight lines, simple designs gave way to elaborately carved decorations. But it was by no means garish. Engraving and color painting were popular and important means of decorating furniture. The backrest, arms, and legs of chairs were often carved with different patterns. A refined screen panel might have taken ten skillful craftsmen up to several months to complete.

In the Forbidden City in Beijing, the best craftsmen used the best wood, normally red sandalwood, to make furniture for the emperors. Though superb in craftsmanship, Qing furniture sacrificed comfort, designed merely to please the eye. The Imperial ‘Dragon Chair’ was good evidence of this. With the armchairs and the backrest at right angles, the vast chair looks rigid and uncomfortable. It became a symbol of imperial power when the emperor was sitting high on the chair presiding over a court meeting. At this, it was more of a hierarchical symbol than a practical furniture item.

Decorative Motifs

Not confined to the royal family the noble, the wealthy, and even ordinary people decorated their rooms with wood furniture. Different woods were used depending on status of the owners. The noble and the extremely wealthy used high quality hardwoods like rosewood, sandalwood, chicken wing wood, and ebony; the well-to-do usually used the less valuable ironwood or blackwood; and ordinary households turned to the least expensive woods. Inferior as the timber was, the furniture was decorated with auspicious colors or patterns for good luck and prosperity.

Red carries the wish for happiness, and in some areas it is the dominant color in a bride and groom’s bedroom. Almost every piece of furniture is painted red, from cupboards to wardrobes and beds.

Some auspicious patterns were frequently used to decorate Ming and Qing furniture. Dragons and phoenixes were considered an extremely auspicious decorative design, symbolizing good luck. Bats and happiness are both pronounced fu, therefore bats stand for happiness; the peony represents wealth; the lotus and Lingzhi, a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, are both symbols of good luck; geometric patterns were often carved, typically a swastika, or ‘Wan Zi’ in Chinese. In Sanskrit, the swastika represents well-being and in Buddhism, it stands for prosperity and good fortune.

Information on Collection and Purchasing Reproductions

Exports of furniture made of yellow rosewood, red sandalwood, ebony, and chicken wing wood, are strictly prohibited, no matter when it was made. Foreigners living in China are allowed to purchase these four kinds of furniture, only if they don’t take them abroad.

Less than 10,000 pieces of Ming and Qing furniture have been passed down into today. Largely due to its rarity the furniture has witnessed a large price hike over the past few years at auction houses. In the spring of 2006, an embroidered screen panel of the late Qing period was auctioned off in Macau at RMB 85,330,000 (over 10 million USD), setting a record auction price for Chinese classical furniture.

Although genuine Ming and Qing furniture might not be affordable, people can go to antique furniture markets to buy reproductions. There are dozens of antique furniture markets in Beijing, and Gaobeidian Market, Panjiayuan Market, Lvjiaying Market, and Zhaojiachaowai Market are ranked among the best.