Brief introduction of Ming and Qing furniture

The 1930s. Gustav Ike's first book on Chinese classical furniture, Textual Research on Furniture of Ming Dynasty in Huang Huali, has had a great influence in academic circles, making people realize the importance of this material and cultural heritage left by their ancestors. Many experts and scholars at home and abroad are amazed by the skills of ancient craftsmen in China reflected in the pictures in the book. The collection of Ming and Qing furniture in Asia, especially in Hong Kong and Taiwan, was not until 1985 when Mr. Wang's Appreciation of Ming Furniture was published that Hong Kong and Taiwan collectors flocked to the mainland to search for Ming and Qing furniture. At that time, there was no classical furniture market in Chinese mainland, and antique dealers in Chinese mainland did not know the international price of classical furniture. The prices offered by collectors in Hong Kong and Taiwan have greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of mainland furniture manufacturers. They went deep into the urban and rural areas of Jiangsu, Shanxi, Hebei, Shaanxi and other provinces, searched in every old house, and removed Huang Huali, mahogany, ebony, chicken wing wood and other Ming and Qing furniture at a very low price, which made the price of Ming and Qing furniture soar by nearly 10 times. At the climax of the outflow of antique furniture, domestic collectors also began to collect classical furniture. The first thing that attracts China people is the rapidly rising prices. Collecting antique furniture not only preserves the value, but also makes people feel the artistic charm of Ming and Qing furniture. In the mid-1990s, the furniture trade in Ming and Qing dynasties became the highlight of antique trade.

In the 1950s, Wang and other experts participated in the formulation of the legal provisions that mahogany and other Ming-style furniture should not be exported. 1985 at the climax of furniture outflow, Mr. Wang appealed to the cultural relics department again, but furniture vendors completely ignored this regulation. The overseas auction price of a rosewood table is as high as $325,000, equivalent to RMB 2.7 million. The price gap at home and abroad has been unable to stop the outflow of Chinese classical furniture. After 1985, the market prefers Ming-style furniture made by Su Zuo, Guang Zuo and Jing Zuo. By the end of 1980s, due to the decrease of hardwood furniture supply in the market, Ming-style fuelwood furniture from Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shanxi, Quanzhou, Fujian, Xiamen and other places became the main targets of outward dumping. In the early 1990s, this kind of folk furniture with China folk flavor began to enter international auction houses in new york, London, Hongkong and other places, and each auction accounted for more than 30% of antique furniture. Classical furniture manufacturers in Taiwan Province Province set up factories in Chinese mainland to receive goods for maintenance, and then hold professional lectures and promotions after returning to Taiwan Province Province. People in Taiwan Province Province began to emphasize the display of antique furniture, showing China people's understanding of their own national art.

Some experts pointed out that the prices of various traditional collections in China, such as calligraphy and painting, ceramics and antiques, are still on the high side, but there is still a huge gap between the prices of Ming and Qing furniture and the international market, and there is a great room for appreciation in the future, so it should be a potential investment project. According to estimates, the annual appreciation of Ming and Qing furniture is about 20%, which shows that the collection of Ming and Qing furniture really has great appreciation potential, and collecting Ming and Qing furniture is a promising investment behavior.

With the passage of time, the ancient Ming and Qing furniture preserved by the people will be less and less, the price will be higher and higher, and the reality of lack of resources will become more and more difficult to meet the strong wishes of collectors. Under this general trend, people will settle for the second best and naturally turn their attention to the antique furniture they can find, especially those with excellent materials, fine workmanship and both form and spirit, because both the value of its precious wood and its artistic value have the potential to increase value.