What are the status and characteristics of furniture in Ming Dynasty?

Ming Dynasty furniture is the most glorious period in the history of China furniture. The Chinese classical furniture recognized and sought after by the international community now mainly refers to the works of this period. However, some people in the industry often refer to qing dynasty furniture as "Ming and Qing furniture" when talking about Ming-style furniture, which is inappropriate. Because the artistic style and historical value of furniture in these two periods are two concepts. Style directly gave birth to Ming Dynasty furniture. So what are the main characteristics of Ming Dynasty furniture? Generally, animal glue is not used, and the finish is very high. Such a furniture structure is impossible without quite advanced tools. Ming dynasty furniture was developed on the basis of Song and Yuan dynasties, especially Song dynasty furniture, which is characterized by heavy proportion, rigorous structure and beautiful lines. China traditional furniture reached its peak from Ming Dynasty to early Qing Dynasty, reaching the highest level in history. And unique, self-contained, in the history of world furniture. The furniture of this period is made of hard hardwood materials, with exquisite workmanship, simple and elegant shape and unique style. Because the furniture in this period has the same style and characteristics of the times, and the production time is mainly in the Ming Dynasty, it is called "Ming-style furniture". After the mid-Ming Dynasty, with the germination of capitalist mode of production, civic culture and aesthetic consciousness gradually grew, and new cultural concepts and aesthetic tastes began to be accepted by literati. In painting, there are various schools of literati painting, which show their own individuality and are full of original spirit. At that time, Suzhou was far from the Imperial Capital ... Understanding and mastering the style characteristics of classical furniture in Ming Dynasty is a necessary condition for us to appreciate and identify furniture. There are four points in the detailed analysis of the style characteristics of Ming dynasty furniture: 1. Simple modeling and strict proportional relationship based on lines are the basis of furniture modeling. Let's take a look at the Ming dynasty furniture in the picture above. The proportion of parts and decoration is extremely symmetrical and coordinated with the proportion of the whole form. Such as chairs, tables and other furniture, its upper and lower parts, its legs, legs, backrest and pillows, their height, length, thickness and width all make people feel impeccable symmetry and coordination. But also meets the functional requirements, without unnecessary burden, and the overall feeling is the combination of lines. The lines of all its parts are very high and beautiful. Combining rigidity with softness, the lines are rigid but not stiff, soft but not weak, showing the beauty of simplicity, simplicity, elegance and generosity. 2. The mortise and tenon structure of Ming dynasty furniture is very scientific. No nails, less glue, not affected by wet or dry natural conditions, and the method of saving edges is adopted in production. Between the long-span parts, there are inlaid teeth plates, teeth strips, ring mouths, coupon mouths, short and old, overlord, Luo Guo, clip flowers and so on. , both beautiful and strengthened the firmness. The structural design of Ming dynasty furniture is an excellent combination of science and art. Today, after hundreds of years of changes, furniture is still as strong as ever, which shows that the mortise and tenon structure of Ming dynasty furniture is highly scientific. 3. Appropriate decoration, simple and simple Ming furniture decoration techniques can be said to be diverse, including carving, engraving, embedding, painting and so on. Decorative materials are also very extensive, such as enamel, Luodian, bamboo, teeth, jade, stone and so on. However, we will never covet stacking and carving, but make appropriate local decoration according to the overall requirements. For example, a small area is carved or inlaid on the back of the chair, and the desk part should be short and old or with flowers. Although it has been renovated, on the whole, it is simple and exquisite; It can be described as appropriate and icing on the cake. 4. The wood is hard and the texture is beautiful. It can be clearly seen from the above pictures that the wood grain of Ming dynasty furniture is natural and beautiful, showing the image of a feathered animal face, which makes people have endless reverie. It is another outstanding feature of hardwood furniture in Ming dynasty to make full use of the texture advantage of wood and give full play to the natural beauty of hardwood materials. The hardwood furniture materials in Ming Dynasty were mostly Huang Huali, rosewood and rosewood. Wood, etc. These high-grade hardwoods all have the natural beauty of hue and texture. When making, the craftsmen not only worked carefully, but also did not decorate with paint or in a large area, and made full use of the unique color and texture of wood, forming their own unique aesthetic taste and style. This is another feature of Ming dynasty furniture. To sum up, the style and characteristics of Ming dynasty furniture can be summarized in four sentences: simple shape, rigorous structure, moderate decoration and beautiful texture. The above four sentences can also be said to have four characteristics, which are not isolated, but interrelated and isomorphic, forming the style characteristics of furniture in Ming Dynasty. When we look at a piece of furniture and judge whether it is Ming-style furniture, we must first grasp its overall feeling and then analyze it item by item. It is not enough to look at only one point, and only one feature is inaccurate. These four characteristics are interrelated, and they are both external and internal, so it can be said that they are indispensable. If a piece of furniture has the first three characteristics, but there is no fourth point, you can be sure that what he said is not Ming Dynasty furniture. Furniture made by later generations imitating the above four characteristics is called Ming furniture. Ming dynasty furniture type: lamp hanging chair: named for its shape like a bamboo lamp hanging on the kitchen wall in the south to support oil lamps and lamps. Lamp hanging chair is the most popular chair type in Ming Dynasty. It can also be said that it is a popular style since the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty. The basic characteristics of lamp hanging chairs in Ming Dynasty are: most of them are round legs, which are picked out from the brain to both sides, and the whole is simple and only partially decorated. Some embed a small piece of jade, stone or wood, or carve simple patterns on the back plate. Under the chair surface, most of them are decorated with teeth strips, coupons and rings. There are single, double and step patterns on four sides (that is, the front one is lower, the two sides are second, and the back one is the highest). ) under the landing platform (also known as the stepping platform), dental strips are generally used. The two retreats have side feet and points. The overall feeling is straight, concise and delicate, which is the characteristic of furniture modeling in Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the shape of the lamp hanging chair can be said to be a masterpiece of furniture in the Ming Dynasty. The wood of lamp hanging chair is mostly wood and elm, and the high-grade furniture is mostly Huang Huali, rosewood and chicken wing wood. Four-year-old official hat chair: the basic feature is that both ends of the brain and armrests should stand out. This style is like the winged official hat worn by Ming officials, hence the name. There are various linear changes in the armrest, lever (the vertical wall between the armrest and the seat surface, also called sickle handle, because it looks like a sickle handle) and gooseneck (the vertical wall between the front end of the armrest and the seat surface, that is, the upper part of the front leg) of the four-year official hat chair. The corners of the bracket are also decorated with teeth. These are the main features of official hat chairs in their early forties. Official hat chair: also known as South-style official hat chair, its main feature is that the brain and armrest are not in front. The rest are the same as official hat chairs in their early forties. Round-backed armchair: Since the Picture in the Palace in the Five Dynasties and the Picture of Nine Old People in Huichang in the Song Dynasty, few people have seen it, and it was only in the Ming Dynasty that round-backed armchairs began to resurface. Round-backed armchair, commonly known as round-backed armchair, means that its back is covered with brains and handrails and consists of a smooth curve. This curve is smooth and smooth as a circle, with its back resting on the brain, much like the top spot in the Yuan Dynasty. A curve slides forward to form two handrails. The two ends of the handrail roll outward or not, and are directly connected with the gooseneck into a whole. Rose chair: the name is unknown. In the furniture of the Ming Dynasty, there are many rose chairs handed down. It can be seen that rose chairs were a very popular fashion in Ming Dynasty. The basic shape of the rose chair is: the back of the chair is low, and the height of the back of the chair is similar to that of the armrest. Handrails, backrests and legs are mostly round sticks. The backrest has no side feet and stands upright on the seat surface. The part above the rose chair seat is unique and famous for its beauty. On the backrest, most of them are decorated, or coupons, or carved boards. On the surface of the chair, most of them are provided with cross stiles, and the middle of the cross stiles is supported by old ones or clips to break the dull feeling of the low backrest. Rose chairs in Ming Dynasty were mostly round legs. Rose chairs with square legs are mostly works of Qing Dynasty. The biggest highlight: the development of Mazar, which can also be said to be Mazar with backrest. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there were both straight-backed chairs and round-backed chairs. But in the Ming dynasty, there were few straight backs, only one round back was left. So the vertex on the back of the circle is directly called the vertex. The seat ring of the top chair consists of three or five tenons. The whole chair ring is also a smooth curve. The seat surface can be divided into leather weaving and rope weaving, and the back plate can be divided into smooth and carved. Under the backrest, there are still eight sticks. Can be folded, convenient for friends or outdoor use. In ancient times, when marching and fighting, or going out for an outing, people occupied more seats. It can be found in many paintings and written records. Because it can be folded, there must be many intersecting joints, and metal parts are used everywhere. Not only strong, but also add luster. Some square stools are decorated with teeth on the backboard, armrests or legs: the ancestors of stools originally referred to boarding tools for sleeping, equivalent to pedals, and later used as seating tools. The earliest stool images are the waist-drum-shaped round stool on the tomb murals in the Han Dynasty and the square stool on the Dunhuang murals in the Northern Wei Dynasty. After 1000 years of development, by the Ming Dynasty, there were more styles and more beautiful shapes of stools. The stools in Ming Dynasty were divided into square stools and round stools. In terms of modeling, there are mainly two kinds: no waist and waist. The legs without waist are straight, and there are many square legs with waist, and most of them use curved legs or three-curved legs. At the lower end of the leg, it is usually regarded as varus and valgus. In some areas, square stool and round stool are collectively referred to; Some areas are collectively referred to as. No matter how many names they have, the basic features are the same, that is, seats without backrests. According to modern custom, it is better to call a stool. Bench: It is a bench with a long strip-shaped seat surface, and its four legs are turned outward into a figure of eight, commonly known as "four legs and eight seven". This bench is of a common style. Similar to benches, there are spring benches and benches. The typical practice of spring stool is to use hard miscellaneous wood with natural color or coated oil, with teeth on all sides, hanging head, seat surface falling down the hall, hardwood or rattan heart and other different treatments. The bench is also a strip-shaped sitting surface, but it is relatively simple and simple. Generally, it is just a rough stool made of hard board seats and miscellaneous wood. Sitting pier: In the Ming Dynasty, sitting piers were mostly round, mostly below the seat surface. Chord patterns are engraved on both ends above the base, and a row of drum nails are engraved in the middle of the chord patterns. Simple and quaint. Therefore, sitting pier is also called drum pier. The shape of the pier can be divided into open type and non-open type. Opening is to carve bright holes with different shapes on the drum body. The styles of the seat surface are begonia, plum blossom, melon, oval and so on. Wooden piers are mostly precious wood such as rosewood, rosewood and rosewood. There are also wooden piers that imitate rattan and bamboo joints. Covered with leather and wool in winter and rattan in summer. Pier is a kind of exquisite decorative furniture, which is indispensable for nobles and literati to sit at home. Crescent table: it is a half round table, take half of the round table. Crescent table has different forms, such as straight legs, three curved legs and fried legs. There are hooves or mud under the legs, and some have waists and some have no waists under the desktop. Kang table: This is a low table for people sitting on the kang, so it can also be called a low table. Kang table is a unique furniture in the north. Because of the geographical and climatic reasons, the northern part of China has formed a living custom of having a wide kang and living on it. In winter, whether eating, drinking tea, reading, writing or even entertaining guests, they are all on the kang. In a year, there are more time and opportunities to walk on the kang, so kang tables are more popular in the north. Kang table also has the advantages of small size, light weight and easy movement. When in use, it can be placed, and when not in use, it can be detached and stood in an irrelevant corner. In summer, you can also do outdoor activities. Kang table has a wide range of uses and is a necessary furniture for families in the north. Kang table in Ming Dynasty is a kind of modern low table, which is more beautiful in shape, richer in style and more particular about materials and workmanship. It has become a kind of furniture that can't be ignored in the Ming Dynasty. Flat head case: characterized by a straight face and no ornaments at both ends. The style of the flat head case is also colorful. In terms of mortise and tenon structure, decoration and local treatment, it can be said that it is ever-changing and varied. Qiaotou case: its main feature is that both ends of the case are upturned, which was called "flying angle" in Ming Dynasty. When the head is tilted, it is often to beautify the baffle. Box several cases: its modeling features are: two pieces at both ends, and case faces are set respectively. Its characteristic is that the two ends and the case surface are not integrated, but separated furniture, which is flexible to assemble and convenient to carry. It has always been favored by literati. Corner cabinet: it is characterized by being made of round material, with four columns connected with legs and made of a piece of wood. More importantly, it has no hinge, and the combination of the door and the cabinet is the practice of inserting the door shaft. The corner cabinet has obvious side feet. There is also a spitting edge on the top of the cabinet. Fang Jiaogui: The characteristic is that all sides of the cabinet are vertical and there are no side feet. There is no spouted edge on the top of the cabinet. There is a copper hinge between the door leaf and the column. Stuffy cabinet: it is a combination of desk and cabinet. Chen Fang, arhat bed has two functions: it is a bed with fences on three sides, also known as Maitreya couch. Probably because monks often use it, or because during the period of advocating Buddhism, the world often sat on this bed when talking with monks about classics and Taoism. Frame bed: Surrounded on three sides, with columns at four corners and a bedspread at the top, forming a big bed with shelves on all sides and an independent space in the middle. Because there are shelves on the bed, it is called a rack bed. Jiangnan folk still like to use frame beds. Washstand: There are two types of washstand: high washstand and low washstand. The high washstand is a six-legged integrated structure. The two hind legs are tall and long, with the upper part of the brain at both ends and a flower card in the middle. Teeth are often hung under the brain. Low-face basin stands are generally simple and unadorned. There are three legs, four legs and six legs in different styles. There are two structures: integral and folding. With the further development of handicraft industry, furniture has become a circulating commodity, and many scholars have participated in interior design and furniture shape research. All these contributed to the great development of furniture in Ming Dynasty. On the basis of inheriting the tradition of furniture in Song Dynasty, the furniture in Ming Dynasty inherited and innovated. It is not only complete in types and styles, but also exquisite in materials, simple and elegant in shape, rigorous and accurate in production, reasonable and standardized in structure, and gradually formed a stable and distinctive furniture style in Ming Dynasty, pushing China ancient furniture to the peak.