What is the history of furniture?

China Ancient Culture-Ancient Craft-China Furniture

China's culture is broad and profound, just like a bright star. And one of the stars is even more eye-catching and amazing. That star is China ancient furniture with a long history.

The history of ancient furniture in China is a "magnificent poem made of wood", with a long history, its own system and strong national style. Whether it is clumsy and mysterious Shang and Zhou furniture, romantic and magical short furniture (Spring and Autumn Period, Warring States Period, Qin and Han Dynasties Period) or elegant and elegant furniture (Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties Period), gorgeous and elegant high and low furniture (Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties Period), simple and elegant high furniture (Song and Yuan Dynasties Period), simple and exquisite Ming furniture and elegant qing-style furniture, they all attract the love and affection of thousands of people in Qian Qian at home and abroad with their eternal aesthetic charm.

Influenced by national characteristics, customs, geographical climate, production technology and other different environments, China ancient traditional furniture took a completely different road from western furniture, forming an oriental furniture system with exquisite craftsmanship, difficult decoration and intriguing, which is unique in the history of world furniture development and has the characteristics of oriental art style. The ancient furniture in China has deeply influenced the development of furniture and interior decoration in the world.

Prehistory-Furniture has a long history.

China ancient furniture has a long history. As early as prehistoric times, primitive ancestors created furniture and furniture art with their laboring hands. Among them are the oldest furniture-chairs (for people to sit on the floor) and all kinds of primitive wood products-wooden boxes, wooden tables, wooden tables and so on. These are the sources of low-rise furniture.

Of course, it is a little rough and naive to look at the furniture art creation of the Chinese nation in childhood with our eyes today, but this is a childhood in the history of the development of ancient furniture in China. Because of it, there will be romantic and magical low-rise furniture, gorgeous and elegant ascending furniture, Ming-style furniture with national essence and elegant qing-style furniture. It is the source of classical furniture in China, and will always show its immortal charm.

The Alnus cremastogyne case was unearthed at Tomb No.2001of Taosi Site in Xiangfen in 1978, and it was made of wooden boards and sold. Both the surface of the watch case and the outer side of the watch foot are painted, and the pigments used are mostly natural minerals, such as vermilion for red and hematite for ochre. When unearthed, the chopping board has been slightly collapsed and deformed. In the middle of the chopping board stood a broken-bellied pottery (wine warmer), which was the ancestor of the bronze ban in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. This is the oldest wooden furniture unearthed in China so far.

Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties-Primitive Gu Zhuo is simple and vigorous.

The furniture in Xia and Shang Dynasties is the initial period of ancient furniture in China, and its modeling and decoration are primitive and simple in Gu Zhuo. During this period, bronze furniture (such as bronze furniture), stone furniture (such as stone furniture) and lacquer wood inlaid furniture (such as lacquer wood trays) appeared. Lacquer wood inlaid with mussel shell decoration is the first time in later lacquer wood mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture.

Because there was a strong concept of ghosts and gods in people's ideology at that time, the decorative patterns of furniture in Shang Dynasty often had a solemn, majestic and fierce feeling.

Gluttony was unearthed in 1979 in Huaerlou, Yixian County, Liaoning Province. Copper, the panel is rectangular, the bottom is the opposite concave foot, and there are two semi-circular nose hinge rings at both ends of the foot. The feet of the board are decorated with exquisite thunder patterns. Gluttonous patterns, decorative patterns on chimes, and exquisite bronze chimes are rare in bronze descriptions in China. This device is now in the Liaoning Provincial Museum.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Lacquered wood furniture: Lacquered wood technology appeared in the Neolithic Age and developed into Xia and Shang Dynasties. Lacquer wood is decorated with mussels, which is the first time lacquer wood is embedded in furniture.

In the history of furniture in China, the pot door decorated with bronze wares (flat with four legs and two symmetrical features between the front and rear legs) has lasted for thousands of years.

the Spring and Autumn Period

Furniture in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, represented by lacquer wood furniture in Chu, formed the main source of lacquer wood furniture system in China. There are many kinds of Chu-style furniture: all kinds of Chu-style furniture, exquisite Chu-style lacquerware, unique Chu-style small seat screen, the oldest bed so far ... Chu-style furniture is colorful, romantic and magical in design, with dragons, phoenixes and larks as the theme, full of strong witchcraft concepts. Chu-style furniture, as an early form of arts and crafts, has had a far-reaching impact on later furniture.

Anything that was advocated before

Painted wooden bed:

The earliest bedding in China is the ancestor of all kinds of bedding in later generations.

Chu-style small seat screen:

It marks that China furniture has begun to have pure decorative appreciation value.

Carving technology:

Widely used in furniture decoration, such as relief, through carving and so on. It is the first time that later generations carved furniture.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

What was the reason for the "H" in the Warring States Period?

Its heavy Gu Zhuo modeling marks the development of arts and crafts from heavy bronze art to light lacquer art.

Process source

The bronze casting technology has developed greatly, and the "lost wax method" casting method has appeared.

Qin and Han dynasties-a wide variety, exquisite.

The Han Dynasty was the first heyday of China feudal society, and the furniture technology of the whole Han Dynasty advanced by leaps and bounds. The prominent decoration of lacquered wood furniture in Han Dynasty made it bright and exquisite. In addition, there are all kinds of jade furniture, bamboo furniture and ceramic furniture. , it has formed a complete combination of floor-to-ceiling furniture series. It can be regarded as the representative period of low-rise furniture in China.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Single-seat stool: A new type of small chair appeared in Han Dynasty, which was the originator of chairs in past dynasties.

Several (variety increase): activities, levels, ears, and even prototypes of tables.

Couch screen: a new variety of screens and couches, marking the birth of emerging furniture in Han Dynasty.

Kitchen and cupboard: The new furniture in Han Dynasty is different from the traditional box barn, mostly for storing more valuable items.

Jingtai: The earliest image of Jingtai appeared in the murals of the Han Dynasty. It is a circular base with a long square plate and a disk mounted on it.

The Three Kingdoms and the Jin Dynasty-Show a new look, be elegant and elegant.

The modeling changes of ancient furniture in China mainly revolve around the changes of sitting on the floor and hanging feet, and there are two major furniture series: low type and high type. The Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties is an important transitional period in the history of the development of ancient furniture in China, connecting the Han Dynasty and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. During this period, high-quality furniture such as Hu Chuang was introduced from ethnic minority areas and merged with furniture in the Central Plains, which led to the emergence of furniture with high quality in some areas: chairs, stools and other furniture began to appear, and sleeping furniture also gradually became high-quality, but generally speaking, low-quality furniture still dominated.

The origin of furniture (furniture developed from low type to high type, connecting Han Dynasty and Sui and Tang Dynasties. )

Hu bed (seat): promote the integration of high-type and original low-rise furniture in the Central Plains. If the bed is gradually enlarged with a bed surface and mosquito nets, you can sit on the edge of the bed with your feet down.

What's the reason? There are strange-shaped three-legged curved wood that can hold the waist.

Chairs and stools: The earliest images of chairs and stools appeared on murals.

Sui and Tang dynasties-colorful world is gorgeous and beautiful

The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of feudal society in China, and furniture making entered a new historical stage on the basis of inheriting and absorbing the nutrition of the past and foreign culture and art.

The furniture in the Tang Dynasty pursues a fresh and free style in craftsmanship and decoration. Therefore, the artistic style of furniture making in the Tang Dynasty got rid of the characteristics of Gu Zhuo since the Shang, Zhou, Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, and was replaced by a gorgeous, elegant, plump and dignified style.

The origin of furniture (high and low furniture coexist at the same time)

Tables: Tables are gradually increasing and widely used in all aspects of life.

Easy chair: evolved from the back of the Hu bed in the Three Kingdoms period, and gradually appeared in the secular society, no longer unique to monks.

Waist-drum-shaped pedestal: Bodhisattva pedestal appeared in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and became more refined and popular in Tang Dynasty, with obvious increase in forms.

Five generations-gradually mature and simple

On the basis of inheriting the furniture style of the Tang Dynasty, the furniture craft style of the Five Dynasties continued to develop. The furniture in this period is a special period of transition from high and low furniture to high furniture. The functional differences of furniture are more and more obvious; Change the mellow and rich style of Datang furniture and tend to be simple.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Chairs, stools and tables: the outline furniture is gradually mature;

Screen: from small screen to high screen;

Furniture decoration and display: from uncertain mode to fairly stable display mode.

Song dynasty (Liao and Jin dynasties)-mature, universal, concise and beautiful

By the Song Dynasty, high-type furniture had spread to ordinary families, such as high-bed furniture, high-legged furniture, towel rack furniture and so on. At the same time, many new varieties have appeared: plush chairs, drawer kitchens and so on. The furniture in Song Dynasty is concise, neat and elegant. No matter all kinds of furniture win by simple modeling, there are few complicated decorations, but at most they are the finishing touch: for example, the feet of furniture are slightly decorated. (see above) but it also lacks the spirit of majesty.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Tables and chairs: pure imitation of building wood frame, using simple frame structure, which laid the foundation for the further development of frame furniture in Ming and Qing Dynasties. And there is a "master chair" named after the official rank.

Screen: As almost every household must have a screen, the placement of the screen is very important. Aesthetic significance is often greater than practical value.

Yuan dynasty-huge and sculpture.

The Yuan Dynasty was a feudal regime established by Mongols in China. Because Mongolians advocate force and pursue luxury enjoyment, it is reflected in furniture modeling, which is heavy body, gorgeous sculpture and magnificent artistic style. And the style is very different: the size of the bed is very large, and the seats are horseshoe feet.

The flower throne in glaze (figure 1) is 24. 1cm high, 29.3cm long and 5.3 cm wide, belonging to Jingdezhen kiln, with a rectangular seating surface. There are three screens on the back, one screen on the left and right, and * * * counts as five screens; Four feet are clouds and beads. The whole throne was decorated with flowers and weeds. The throne with patterns in glaze gives people the impression that it is full in shape, heavy in shape and deep in color. It represents the typical style of furniture in Yuan Dynasty.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Bed: Because the Mongolian body is huge, the bed becomes bigger.

Table: basically inherited the shape of the Song Dynasty, but the number of high tables increased, and a drawer-type table appeared (see Figure 2).

Luo Guowa: Changing the straight table into Luo Guowa is a creative contribution of Yuan people to the comfort and applicability of China furniture.

Ming dynasty-the essence of the nation, simple and beautiful.

Ming-style furniture is a glorious period in the history of the development of classical furniture in China.

China ancient furniture experienced thousands of years of development and reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty, among which hardwood furniture was most admired and appreciated by the world. Ming furniture is exquisite in materials, simple and elegant. The hardwood with exquisite firmness, high strength and beautiful color and texture is selected, and the natural texture and color are expressed by wax ornaments, which infiltrates the aesthetic interest of Ming literati in pursuing simplicity and elegance.

Ming-style furniture, as the quintessence of China, occupies a lofty position in the history of ancient furniture in China. Since then, China traditional national furniture has entered an unprecedented new era represented by "hardwood furniture".

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Ming-style bed: There are many kinds of beds, such as couch, frame bed similar to small house, solemn arhat bed, step bed with suite in the room and so on.

Ming-style chair: made of hardwood, high quality, famous at home and abroad. There are many kinds: there are official hat chairs like ancient official hats; There is an open pier, a ring back connected to the handrail and so on.

Ming-style screen: Compared with the screen in Song Dynasty, it has made great progress in production and variety style, and its production is more exquisite. There are six screens, eight screens and twelve screens in styles. In particular, the famous "water-piercing teeth" appeared.

Qing dynasty-prosperous and elegant

Qing dynasty furniture's exquisite craftsmanship reached the peak of the feudal period. In the process of inheriting the traditional furniture manufacturing technology, qing-style furniture also absorbed foreign culture and formed a distinctive style of the times. Due to the prosperity of economy, furniture styles in different regions have been formed, such as Guangdong style, Soviet style and Beijing style, each with its own characteristics. Qing-style furniture has its own unique artistic style: it is famous for its vigorous and steady modeling, rich decoration and exquisite craftsmanship.

Moreover, qing-style furniture is close to our present time, and many furniture items have been handed down, which has a great influence on our modern society.

The Origin and Development of Furniture

Stool pier: the overall shape continues Ming style, but there are regional differences: the external decoration and changes of Guangdong style are relatively large; Beijing flavor is exquisite, and there are methods such as bronze ornaments.

Hot spot: After entering the Qing Dynasty, it was used less and less, and there were fewer and fewer producers, which became a kind of furniture that was eliminated by the times.

Qing Dynasty Yi Deng Boutique

A veritable unified flat chair

The Qing armchair has made great progress on the basis of the Ming armchair, with fine production and the most distinctive feature is the unified flat armchair.

Armchair with common palindromes

Corrugation is the most representative decorative pattern in qing-style furniture, and it is a zigzag line with square corners, so that people regard the furniture with palindromes as synonymous with qing-style furniture.

Extraordinary throne

Qing armchair has a greater development than Ming armchair, one of which is a huge armchair, commonly known as "throne". The whole throne is resplendent and magnificent, becoming the highest symbol of imperial power.

Spring stool with strong national consciousness

In the south of the Yangtze River, when getting married, bedding is often placed on a spring stool, and wedding flowers are pasted as dowry furniture and carried into the husband's family.

China Ancient Furniture Modeling

Ancient people's lifestyles can be divided into two types: sitting on the floor and sitting with their feet down. The change of furniture modeling mainly revolves around two series: short furniture and high furniture.

Among them, Qin and Han furniture is a typical low-rise furniture. At that time, people sat on the floor, and the furniture used was generally low-key. At that time, people sat on the floor, and the furniture used was generally low-key, such as mats, lacquer cases, lacquerware and so on. You can use it at will, and there is no fixed position.

During the Three Kingdoms period, a kind of high-type furniture-Hu Chuang was introduced from ethnic minorities. After evolution, furniture such as high round stools and square stools gradually appeared in the Central Plains. Bedding, sofa, etc. Are gradually getting higher. But the dominant thing is low furniture.

In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, most people were sitting with their feet down, and the high-type furniture developed rapidly and finalized, forming a complete combination of new high-type furniture. Typical high furniture chairs, stools, tables, etc. Has appeared and is popular in the upper class. It was not fully popularized until the Song Dynasty.

Ancient furniture in China developed into high-type furniture in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the shape of furniture can be made according to the different body shapes of human body. The development of ancient furniture in China is fully mature.