Comparison of Furniture Characteristics in Ming and Qing Dynasties

Classical furniture is a bright pearl in China's long and splendid artistic culture. The value of classical furniture not only serves people's use value, but also reflects different artistic styles in different periods formed in a specific environment, which comprehensively reflects the production development, living customs, concept consciousness, aesthetic taste and the development level of technology and materials in different historical stages. The history of human use of furniture is very long, and the earliest and most complete furniture remains found at present belong to the Warring States Period. The ancient furniture that people can see today is mainly the products of Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Ming Dynasty was the golden age in the history of China furniture. During this period, the furniture's modeling, decoration, technology and materials all reached the level of perfection, with elegant and concise characteristics of the times, and was praised as "Ming-style furniture" by later generations. Qing-style furniture is characterized by ingenious design, gorgeous decoration, fine workmanship and various types. Especially the palace furniture in Qianlong period, with excellent materials and exquisite craftsmanship, has reached a state beyond measure. It was during this period that qing-style furniture's style was established. The furniture of Ming and Qing Dynasties typically embodies the exquisite craft value, high artistic appreciation value, rich historical and cultural value and collection value of China furniture.

Furniture can generally be divided into chairs and stools, desks, beds, cabinets and other miscellaneous categories.

First, the artistic style and decorative features of Ming and Qing furniture

1. Ming furniture

Ming-style furniture refers to the exquisite, elegant, simple furniture made from the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, which has a specific modeling style. Ming-style furniture, with its rationalization of structure and artistry of modeling, fully demonstrates its concise, bright and simple artistic style. And he is good at combining elegance and vulgarity in one furnace, which is elegant and practical, vulgar without hurting elegance, and achieves the perfect unity of aesthetics, mechanics and function.

The overall structure of Ming-style furniture is mainly in the form of frame, showing two structural characteristics: waist-binding and waist-free. Waistless furniture is mainly round legs and side feet, and its shape is simple and steady. Corset furniture with straight legs, or three-legged or bulging legs, dignified and beautiful. These two methods give people a sense of honesty and stability, and successfully embody the beauty of modeling combining science and art.

Another feature of Ming furniture modeling is that it pays special attention to the beauty of lines. It doesn't win by complicated ornamentation, but focuses on the line changes of the external contour of furniture, which varies from thing to thing and shows its appearance, giving people a strong beauty of lines. For example, the S-shaped chair back not only conforms to people's physiological characteristics, but also has a unique style. The change and application of line foot is another embodiment of line modeling of Ming furniture. Foot refers to the molding line at the edge of furniture frame. Through the combination of plane, concave surface, convex surface, negative line and positive line in different proportions, the ever-changing geometric cross section is formed, which achieves unique decorative effect and is very artistic.

The decorative techniques of Ming-style furniture are carefully selected, which are mainly reflected in wood grain, carving, inlay and accessory components, reaching an unprecedented level. In the selection of materials, great attention is paid to the texture of wood. All "beautiful materials" with clear and beautiful texture are always placed in the prominent part of furniture, which is particularly useful and meaningful. There are many carving techniques, such as relief, through carving, the combination of relief with through carving and round carving, among which relief is the most commonly used. Sculpture has a wide range of themes, including rolling grass, lotus pattern, moire pattern, ganoderma lucidum, dragon pattern, insect pattern, flowers and birds, animals, landscapes, figures, Feng Huangwen and religious patterns. The knife method has smooth lines and vivid images. The carved parts are mostly in backboard, dental plate, teeth, shell and so on. In furniture, small-area carvings are often made, so that the exquisite decorative effect is particularly eye-catching.

2. qing-style furniture

Furniture in the early Qing Dynasty followed the style of Ming-style furniture. However, with the development of history, the integration of Manchu and Han cultures and the influence of cultural exchanges between China and the West, qing-style furniture style, which paid attention to form, pursued originality and advocated gorgeous style, gradually formed in the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty and reached its peak in the Qianlong period. Furniture in Qianlong period, especially palace furniture, is a typical representative of qing-style furniture, with excellent materials and exquisite craftsmanship, especially decoration, and the combination of various materials and techniques.

In terms of materials, before the mid-Qing Dynasty, precious hardwood with deep color, dense texture and fine texture was commonly used in furniture, followed by rosewood and chicken wing wood. Pay attention to uniform materials and don't mix all kinds of wood. In order to ensure the consistency and firmness of appearance, color and texture, some furniture is made of a whole piece of wood instead of small materials. After the mid-Qing dynasty, the above three kinds of wood were gradually lacking, so mahogany was used instead.

In terms of decoration, in order to pursue the rich and luxurious decorative effect, we make full use of various decorative materials and use various arts and crafts means, which can be described as a collection of decorative techniques. However, some qing-style furniture's decoration for decoration and over-carving have also become a major shortcoming of qing-style furniture.

The most commonly used decorative techniques in qing-style furniture are carving, inlaying and painting. The carving knife is meticulous, and through carving is the most commonly used, highlighting the ethereal and transparent effect, and sometimes combining with relief to achieve a better three-dimensional effect. Inlays are widely used in qing-style furniture, including wood inlays, bamboo inlays, bone inlays, tooth inlays, stone inlays, mother-of-pearl inlays, treasure inlays, enamel inlays, agate inlays and amber inlays. The variety is rich, colorful and dazzling. Among them, enamel technology was introduced from abroad and was only used for furniture decoration in Qing Dynasty. Gold lacquer and painting are also common decorative means in qing dynasty furniture, and auspicious patterns are qing-style furniture's favorite decorative themes.

Looking at qing-style furniture, represented by the mid-Qing Dynasty, the general characteristics are rich varieties, changeable styles and the pursuit of ingenuity; The decoration is rich and luxurious, which can absorb foreign culture and integrate Chinese and western arts. It highlights the stability and massiness in modeling, and integrates superb skills such as carving, inlaying, tracing, painting, painting and rhinoceros removal in production. In terms of varieties, there are not only the types of Ming dynasty furniture, but also many new furniture forms, which makes qing-style furniture a distinctive feature different from the Ming dynasty style.

Step 3 paint wooden furniture

Lacquer wood furniture is another major category of traditional furniture in China, and it also belongs to lacquerware. It is made of wood and painted outside. This is a joint work of a carpenter and a painter. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the lacquer-making technology in China was very developed, and all kinds of techniques were readily available. It is used for furniture decoration, either monochrome or color, forming a dazzling decorative effect.

Second, Ming and Qing furniture materials

The stone and metal ornaments used in Ming and Qing furniture are exquisite in materials and well-made, which are quite distinctive and have a miraculous effect on the decoration of furniture.

1. High quality wood

The wood used in Ming and Qing furniture is mostly produced in tropical areas, with hard texture and beautiful color and texture, which can be divided into hardwood and non-hardwood. Rosewood, rosewood, wingwood, rosewood, ebony are hardwoods, while nanmu, beech, camphor and boxwood are non-hardwoods. Here is a brief introduction:

red sandalwood

Mainly produced in India, Malay Peninsula, Philippines and other places, with a small amount produced in Hunan, Guangdong and Yunnan. Red sandalwood is dense and hard with high density. When it enters the water, it is black and purple-black like a rhinoceros. The texture is fine and fluttering, with irregular cow hair lines and a slight fragrance. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was mainly used to make high-grade furniture and exquisite utensils. Rosewood furniture is deep and quaint, using its natural characteristics, using light elements and not carving, showing a solemn and generous, quiet and simple temperament. Red sandalwood is divided into old and new ones, the new one is red, the old one is purple, the old one does not fade when immersed in water, and the new one fades, which is used to distinguish the old and new ones.

red sandalwood

Pears are also divided into old and new. Laohua pear, also known as Huanghua pear, is mainly produced in Hainan Island. Its wood color varies from orange to purple, with hard texture, clear and beautiful texture and pleasant aroma. The wood of the new pear is loose, the color of the wood is red and yellow, striped, dull and odorless, and the texture and color are obviously different from those of the old pear. Huang Huali, with its gorgeous texture, bright colors and large materials, became the main material of high-grade furniture in the early Ming Dynasty. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, Huang Huali furniture gave full play to the natural beauty of its own wood texture, which was simple and beautiful.

Wenge

The texture of the old Pteris is dense and delicate, and the purple and brown patterns are as beautiful as bird feathers, especially in the longitudinal section, and the luster changes in depth. Looking closely, it looks like floating cilia on chicken wings, hence the name Pteris pteridoptera. The wood of the new wing leaf wood is rough, purple-black, unclear in texture, dull and lacking in change.

red sandalwood

Mainly produced in India, China, Guangdong, Yunnan and several Nanyang Islands, it is the most common rare hardwood in modern times. Old mahogany is similar to rosewood, with dark red or dark red wood color, a small number of black spots, smooth texture and slight aroma. The new mahogany is yellow and patterned. It looks like Huang Huali. The color of the new mahogany becomes darker after being treated with raw lacquer, which is quite similar to the old mahogany, but different from the old mahogany. The older the old mahogany, the darker the color, and the older the new mahogany, the lighter the color. After the Qing dynasty, the high-grade furniture was mostly mahogany.

2. Stone materials

Generally, it is made into plates, which are used for desktop center, screen insert, screen of arhat bed or screen center, door center, pier center, chair backrest, etc. Qing-style furniture mostly uses stone, and the seats of Cantonese furniture are mostly centered on stone. Stone materials mainly include marble, variegated stone, purple stone, bluestone, white stone, greenstone and yellow stone. In the choice of stone materials, natural mountains and rivers and cloud patterns are the top grade, which strives to reflect the artistic effect of ink painting in landscape painting and is pleasing to the eye.

3. Metal ornaments

Metal ornaments commonly used in Ming and Qing furniture, such as cabinets, boxes, cabinets, chairs, screens, etc., are particularly common, with various names, such as hinges, face pages, tags, corners, locks, inserts and so on. , different shapes. Ornaments are decorated with various patterns by carving, gold plating, hammering and other processes, which are gorgeous and dazzling. The design of metal ornaments is closely related to the overall modeling and carving of furniture, which fully embodies the mature artistic treatment methods of furniture in Ming and Qing Dynasties in terms of structure, decoration and practicality. These artistic and creative metal ornaments have some indispensable functions, and some play a role in protecting and strengthening furniture, while adding luster to furniture. Dazzling metal ornaments and natural wood textures form a sharp contrast of different colors and textures, which complement each other and make Ming and Qing furniture more perfect.

Third, the main producing areas and styles of Ming and Qing furniture

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, furniture was produced everywhere, while refined furniture was mainly produced in Suzhou, Guangzhou, Beijing, Huizhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Yangzhou, Shanxi and other places. Due to the differences in geographical environment, customs and cultural traditions, different areas have formed different furniture styles. Among them, Su Guangjing's furniture is the most famous, and Su Zuo, Guang Zuo and Jing Zuo are also called the three masterpieces of Ming and Qing furniture.

1. Su Zuo Furniture

Refers to the furniture produced in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River with Suzhou as the center. Su Zuo furniture has a long history and profound tradition. It is the birthplace of Ming-style furniture, which is famous at home and abroad. Su Zuo furniture in Ming Dynasty is elegant, concise, beautiful in shape, smooth in lines, moderate in proportion and exquisite in materials. Compared with Beijing and Guangzhou, the source of hardwood is not as rich as theirs, which shows that the fine materials are used, and the household appliances are often inlaid, with miscellaneous wood as the bone and hardwood pieces attached outside; Small pieces are considered carefully, and small pieces are common. This technology is demanding and time-consuming, but it can be seamless and beautiful. After entering the Qing Dynasty, Soviet-style furniture also changed in richness and luxury, but it was gradually surpassed by Cantonese-style furniture.

Generally speaking, the biggest feature of Soviet-style furniture is that it is light and small in shape, simple and beautiful in decoration, and not as rich and dignified as Cantonese-style furniture. Su Zuo's furniture mostly adopts small-area relief, line carving, wood inlay and stone inlay, and the themes are mostly taken from famous paintings, especially landscapes, flowers and birds, pines, bamboos and plums. He likes to use grass dragons, square patterns, ganoderma lucidum patterns, fish grass patterns and lotus flowers.

Make furniture extensively

Furniture made in Guangzhou is called widely used furniture. Guangzhou, located at the forefront of China's opening to the outside world, is the main channel for importing high-quality timber from Southeast Asia, and Guangdong and Guangxi are sometimes important producing areas of valuable timber in China. The unique conditions have promoted the development of Cantonese furniture, which has sprung up since the middle of Qing Dynasty, surpassing Soviet-style furniture and becoming the most famous producing area in qing-style furniture.

The widely used furniture is characterized by heavy materials, heavy shapes, uniform materials, and luxury. In terms of structure, modeling and decoration, it is greatly influenced by the western architectural decoration style, and it is mostly a combination of Chinese and western. It is particularly worth mentioning that the mosaic technology in Cantonese furniture is unique and unique.

3. Beijing furniture

Beijing furniture does not refer to ordinary folk goods, but refers to the furniture made by court workshops in Beijing, mainly hardwood furniture such as mahogany, Huang Huali and mahogany.

Due to the abundant financial and material resources, the palace spared no expense in making furniture, striving for gorgeous decoration, inlaid with precious materials such as gold, silver, jade, ivory, enamel and treasures, which are unmatched by other furniture manufacturers, making Beijing-made furniture luxurious and combined with various handicrafts. On the other hand, due to the excessive pursuit of luxury and decoration, the practicality has been diluted and even reduced to decoration, which is the biggest regret of Beijing furniture.