Classical Chinese wooden furniture classification

Mahogany furniture is now becoming a part of the target of consumer favor, but most people are difficult to identify the authenticity of mahogany. China Forestry Research Institute of Timber Industry Research Institute, deputy researcher, "mahogany" national standards drafter Yang Jiaju said, mahogany is the domestic mahogany furniture with the agreed-upon general term, not a general reference to all red wood; some people think that mahogany furniture refers to red hardwood furniture, which is in fact a misunderstanding.

According to the "mahogany" national standards, mahogany is rosewood, rosewood class, rosewood class, yellow sandalwood class, black branch class, red branch class, persimmon genus of ebony class, striped ebony class, ironwood genus and the genus of cliff beans of the chicken-winged wood class of 5 genera 8 categories of 33 kinds of materials in the general term. With these 8 types of 33 kinds of materials made of furniture can be called mahogany furniture. Redwood material structure is very fine to fine, the average conduit (tube holes) chord to the diameter of not more than 20 microns. Mahogany heartwood material color is darkened by the atmosphere, of which rosewood class for reddish-purple, rosewood class, incense branch wood class, red sour branch class for reddish-brown, black sour branch class for black purple, ebony class for black, striped ebony class and the chicken wing wood class for black.

Specifically, 33 species of mahogany are: sandalwood rosewood, Vietnamese rosewood, Andaman rosewood, hedgehog rosewood, Indian rosewood, rosewood, big fruit rosewood, capsule rosewood, bird's-foot rosewood, descending rosewood, knife black sandalwood, black sandalwood, broadleaf sandalwood, black sandalwood, Lushootseed black sandalwood, black sandalwood in East Africa, Brazilian black sandalwood, Amazonian sandalwood, Belize rosewood, Brazilian yellow sandalwood, Saiju yellow sandalwood, cross toes sandalwood, velvet sandalwood Central American Rosewood, Austrian Rosewood, Microcosmic Rosewood, Ebony, Ebony with Thick Petals, Ebony with Hair, Ponce Ebony, Sulawesi Ebony, Philippine Ebony, African Clayton Wood, White Flowering Clayton Wood, Iron Blade Wood.

Yang Jiaju said, classical furniture of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the identification of the material is mainly based on experience, depending on the color of the wood, pattern, heavy hard and conduit inclusions to determine, and therefore often confuse the different species of trees. Redwood" national standards for eight types of mahogany materials to determine, not based on experience, but after the wood anatomical study to determine. Some materials, although the appearance of mahogany, but the essence is not mahogany, so it is very easy to fake the real, the consumer has a great deceptive, to the market supervision also brings certain difficulties.

Currently on the market is easy to fake fake mahogany furniture, mainly the use of commonly known as Brazilian wood, saffron pear, cottonwood, black rosewood, ironwood bean wood and other mahogany replacement materials made of antique furniture. Such as Angolan rosewood and African rosewood for the non-mahogany sub rosewood class, belongs to the hardwood, but because of the pipe hole is too large, does not meet the national mahogany standards, does not belong to mahogany. Produced in South America's ant wood is known as Brazilian rosewood, produced in Africa's ancient Ezo wood is known as Brazilian pear or Brazilian sour branch, produced in Southeast Asia, America and tropical Africa, such as the onion leaf ironwood bean species is known as red sandalwood, these are hardwood, is a very good furniture material, but is not mahogany.

Yang Jiaju believes that due to the good texture of mahogany, reserves are decreasing year by year, and slow-growing, so the furniture made of mahogany has a high practical value and collector's value, and the price is much higher than the use of alternative materials produced by the hardwood furniture. He suggested that consumers in the purchase of mahogany furniture, be sure to pay attention to the identification, do not take the hardwood as mahogany.

Mahogany origin

Mahogany furniture originated in China, is China's "national treasure", and China Jingdezhen porcelain, as the Chinese nation's artistic treasures. Mahogany furniture is not only furniture, at least contains: art, wealth.

In 1996 the United States, New York, Christie's auction, a Chinese Qing dynasty Huanghuali screen, to $ 1.1 million was bought by a U.S. museum, the price plus commission of nearly 10 million yuan, a pair of rosewood south official hat chair sold for $ 277,500. According to the Chinese Ming Dynasty Furniture Catalog an acid twig wood waisted square stool, the market estimated at 50,000 yuan.

Scholars have proved that Chinese mahogany furniture originated in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the Suzhou area to produce Huanghuali furniture is famous, is the birthplace of Ming-style furniture. Lingnan region of guangzhou area and the qing dynasty royal office is the birthplace of qing style mahogany furniture, qing dynasty mahogany furniture inherited and carried forward the traditional craftsmanship of the ming dynasty ming style mahogany furniture. Chinese mahogany furniture is also known as Ming and Qing Dynasty mahogany furniture. With the development of modern society, the integration of Western culture, mahogany furniture from the traditional case, couch, chairs, shelves, several, cabinets and then developed into a complete set of mahogany made of "bedroom, living room, dining room, study" modern furniture. However, any one of the traditional mahogany case, couch, chairs, shelves, a few, cabinets can be decorated in different styles of modern living room to play the role of pendulum and icing on the cake.

Mahogany hardness, density of the first, no moth, not afraid of acid, alkali corrosion, known as the king of wood. The richness of mahogany furniture is the first time in the timber, there are "a thousand years of rosewood, a hundred years of sour branch," said. In fact, black sour branch, red sour branch to several hundred years to become a material, produced in China's Hainan Huanghuali to thousands of years into material. Huanghuali in our country has no material can be found, the Ming dynasty a set of three Huanghuali stool has no price to speak of. The traditional sense of mahogany for the Southeast Asian rainforest plants, mainly produced in India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, southern Myanmar and other countries, has faced resource depletion, the United Nations has ordered the protection of tropical rainforest plants, prohibit indiscriminate felling.

China half a century ago made of mahogany furniture (the so-called old mahogany) for India, Thailand's redwood, black sour branch. Now India, Thailand's mahogany after hundreds of years of logging, there are few remaining, the government has banned exports. Recently, the author in Vietnam's "mahogany township" - Bac Ninh Province, the same riding the village inspection, a set of redwood sofa (ten pieces) priced at 23-24 million Vietnamese dong (equivalent to more than 14,000 yuan), the equivalent of a 70-month salary of an ordinary Vietnamese. The price of mahogany origin is so high, coupled with import and export tariffs, the preciousness of mahogany can be seen. The quality of mahogany in Vietnam is similar to that of Thailand and India (in the same climate zone), but now the government monitors the export of raw materials and allows only semi-finished products and a small amount of raw materials to be exported. It can be predicted that, with the rapid development of Vietnam's economy, Vietnam mahogany will have a "value discovery", its export price will be higher and higher. The richness of mahogany furniture, also lies in the time of its into the instrument, the longer the instrument, the higher the value of mahogany can be passed on, a mahogany table is not afraid of oil, salt and water, the more the brighter, the more wonderful, the longer the value of the longer, the higher the value of the world for three generations, five generations is not a problem. Now with the new logging of red and black sour branches made of furniture, 30 years, 50 years later, due to resin secretion, wood molecules, the stability of the activities, and then after several finishing and refurbishment, the new mahogany "fireworks gas" disappeared, replaced by a deep, thick heritage, both weathered, but also opulent, look at a glance have the Forbidden City! Royal style, that is the real old mahogany furniture, the price may be the original 5 to 10 times. Have such a set of mahogany furniture that is a symbol of strength, culture, but also counted to the children and grandchildren left a fortune. The difference between new mahogany and old mahogany does not lie in its material, really lies in the length of time it has become a weapon.

Redwood origin for the 75 degrees east longitude -105 degrees, 225 degrees north latitude, south of the Tropic of Cancer in the tropical rainforest area. China's Guangxi, Yunnan, a small part of the region is also in this case, but China's mahogany as early as a few hundred years ago has been foraging for extinction, almost rely on imports. From the globe can be seen, India, southern Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam produced mahogany quality is the best. Now flowing into the Chinese market of South America, Brazil, Bolivia mahogany, southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar mahogany, not yet fully recognized by the Chinese market. South America and South Africa sour wood furniture prices than the price of furniture of similar materials in Southeast Asia to be lower, the reason for this is twofold: First, the flow of mahogany raw material into China is of low quality, sour wood is mainly white sour branches singing the lead, and Southeast Asia with the same level of red sour branches, black sour branches are fewer in number. Although, South America, South Africa's geographic location and tropical climate and Southeast Asia is similar, but the market is to be high-quality wood; Secondly, in China did not use South America, South Africa made of mahogany furniture has become an instrument for more than 20 years, not to mention the works into the auction house collection market. Southeast Asian mahogany furniture has a thousand years of history, cultural heritage, South America, South Africa mahogany rose recently, only twenty years, thirty years of history, its value is naturally incomparable. However, due to the resources for the end, do not rule out 5-10 years later, South America, South Africa, high-quality mahogany into the Chinese market singing, greatly broaden people's horizons.

In the Shanghai Tang, there is an "old mahogany" furniture concept, then corresponds to a "new mahogany" furniture concept. "Old mahogany" furniture from the material, mainly refers to the sour wood furniture, and specifically refers to the red and black sour wood. Secondly, the "old mahogany" furniture and into the instrument time to pay attention to, generally speaking, into the instrument at least 10 years or more, because of the acid wood resin has a natural secretion process, wood molecules have a stabilization of the aging process, which takes time. There is a traditional way of speaking "mahogany furniture will inevitably occur in the phenomenon of cracking, not cracking is not mahogany furniture", this phenomenon of cracking generally appear in the first three years of mahogany furniture into the device. Therefore, the use of mahogany furniture in the process of becoming a tool, within 5 years will occur several finishing repairs, one is to add material to repair cracks, a variety of panels: table tops, chairs, cupboards, such as the face of the common seams; second is a local refurbishment, such as cupboards, chairs, dining tables, etc., local mortise and tenon openings loose; third is a structural refurbishment, refers to the mahogany furniture, large-scale seams caused by the overall structure of the asymmetric, such as the door openings up and down, around the same, pattern Shift and so on. Structural refurbishment is generally disassembled and reassembled, the need for structural refurbishment of mahogany furniture is not much. It can be said that the choice of sour wood made of mahogany furniture, into the instrument more than 10 years, after several refurbishment, is a real "old mahogany" furniture, as long as the style process in place, its "value" will grow exponentially.

Mahogany class division

"New mahogany" furniture concept is broader, where it is included in the "mahogany" category of leguminous timber made of new furniture, collectively referred to as "new mahogany "Furniture. But not all "new mahogany" furniture can evolve into "old mahogany", therefore, it is necessary to give mahogany furniture from the material on a point of rank.

The first class for Huanghuali, rosewood. Here refers to China's Hainan Huanghuali (Fragrant Yellow Sandalwood) and Indian sandalwood rosewood. These two types of wood has been basically out of print, into the furniture almost all have entered the auction collection market. The price of a piece of furniture are hundreds of thousands, millions of yuan. China's Hainan rosewood young tree is currently only 4-5 centimeters in diameter, to become a timber is estimated to be several hundred years later, the complete set of furniture (bedroom, study, living room), may be African "rosewood" or other high-grade mahogany (black sour branch) alternatives, to say a fair word, African rosewood is also the Rosewood, the market does not agree with its market value, that it can not be compared with Southeast Asian rosewood. But the pure African rosewood furniture on the market is also extremely rare, and its price is the current "new mahogany" furniture is one of the most expensive.

Second class for black sour branch, wood (also known as ebony), African rosewood. This is the current market can see the best mahogany furniture. Because of the Southeast Asian rosewood has been foraging, the market generally also called the black pickled wood "rosewood". Bedroom (five pieces) black sour branch, ebony complete sets of furniture, Shanghai market price of about 10-15 million yuan, but the number of rare, rare. This is the mahogany furniture that can be passed on for generations, adding value and preserving its value. Now on the market in Africa rosewood, Beijing as the center of the timber experts agree with its material, while Shanghai mahogany furniture experts do not agree with its value, the main reason is that the African rosewood furniture into a short period of time, there is no heirloom works, let alone enter the auction collection market, I believe that with the passage of time, African rosewood furniture will glow its brilliant luster, as the "new mahogany". "New rosewood" the first collector's item, the value will be gradually reflected. African rosewood made of complete sets of bedroom (five) furniture, Shanghai market a year rare to see a set, the transaction price of more than 200,000 yuan.

Third class for the red acid branch. China's traditional sense of "old mahogany" are made of red sour branches from India, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, southern Myanmar, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian regions. Comparison of the strict sense of the red-acid branch (origin of Southeast Asia) made of bedroom furniture sets are generally priced at 50,000 -80,000 yuan, the same material in the case of its price is high or low to lie in its craftsmanship and workmanship. Such high-grade red-acid branch furniture on the market in the number is not much.

The fourth class for the other dendritic wood. For example, Southeast Asia's yellow twig, white twig, including market recognition of the poor region produced by the red twig (southern Africa, southern South America), which is the mainstream of China's mahogany furniture, known as mid-range mahogany furniture. Bedroom furniture set, its market price is generally in the 35-50,000 yuan, as long as it is the sour branch wood furniture, passed on for several generations, and continue to increase in value is no doubt, in the history of Chinese mahogany furniture, sour branch wood "mahogany" status has never wavered.

The fifth class for Southeast Asia rosewood, chicken wing wood, leguminous "red sandalwood" wood, as well as South America, Africa, such as white sour branches. Southeast Asian rosewood, its quality and price are better than South America and Africa's common sourwood. Now on the market legume class "red sandalwood" wood (some of which is ironwood) furniture, some sold "red twig" price, in fact, this is a "sandalwood" word is misleading, because there is a Rosewood, ebony, then red sandalwood is bound to be the third and so on, in fact, not, "red sandalwood" is an unclear concept, and many varieties of mahogany raw materials. Redwood, rosewood, sour branch, pear, chicken wing four famous Dan outside, produced in the tropical rainforests of the legume class dark red purple hardwood, collectively known as red sandalwood. Red sandalwood is a modern name, the concept of tolerance, generally not included in the collection of the list. Of course, the wood grain is smooth (close to the sour wood), color and lustre of red sandalwood furniture is also a top quality mahogany furniture, the difficulty is that consumers are difficult to identify