Most of the ancient furniture made of which wood?

Nanmu color and elegant uniformity, small expansion and contraction, easy to operate and durable and stable, is the best kind of non-hardwood. Ming and pre-Qing furniture in addition to the overall use of nanmu, often used in conjunction with several hardwoods.

There are three kinds of nanmu: one is the fragrant nanmu, the wood is slightly purple and fragrant, the texture is also very beautiful; the second is the golden nanmu, the wood grain in the gold wire, is the best kind of nanmu, the more rare is that some of the nanmu material knotted into a natural landscape character pattern; the third is the water nanmu, the wood is softer, and more of the production of furniture with it.

Nanmu belongs to the camphor family, there are many species, commonly used in construction and furniture is mainly Ya Nan and purple nan. The former is a large evergreen tree, produced in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, the irrigation county area; the latter, also known as golden nan, produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and southern Jiangsu. The color of nanmu is light and even, the expansion and deformation is small, easy to process, resistant to decay, is the best kind of soft wood.

2, rosewood

Rosewood from India, the Philippines, Guangdong, Malay Peninsula, Thailand, is an evergreen sub-tree, is our country since ancient times that the most valuable wood.

Purple sandalwood material dense and hard, into the water that is sunken, heartwood bright red or orange-red, long exposure to the air after the purple reddish-brown stripes, the texture of the slender floating, endless changes, aromatic, but also valuable medicinal herbs, with which it is made of chairs, sofas, and healing effect.

China since ancient times, that is, Zitan is the most valuable wood. Because it is too expensive, so rosewood artifacts remain less. If it is large furniture, because the material is difficult to obtain, the retention of less, rosewood in a variety of hardwood in the texture of the hardest, the weight of the heaviest, in addition to more than purple and black, some black as paint, almost invisible texture. Not as gorgeous as Huanghuali, but the quiet ancient, is any wood can not be compared to doubt. In a variety of hardwood in rosewood texture is the most dense, the weight of the wood is the most heavy, wood grain is not obvious. Rosewood wood flowers in white wine, wood flowers will immediately decompose into pink, and with the wine to form a more viscous gel, pouring can be connected to the line. This is an effective way to identify rosewood, rosewood origin is mainly in India, China's Yunnan, two Guangzhou and other places also have production.

Purple sandalwood a long time ago by the world known as the wood in the best, Jin Dynasty Cui Bao by the "ancient and modern note" has been recorded: "Purple nanmu, out of the Fu Nan, the color purple, also known as the purple sandalwood." And how to use the knowledge of rosewood.

The tree mainly grows in the South Seas and China's two Guangzhou area, rosewood grows slowly, not hundreds of years can not become wood. Its quality is hard, extremely high density, made of furniture and carvings dark as paint, a few missing texture, more royal style, gorgeous and introverted.

According to records, not only China has always treasured rosewood, and Europe and the United States also regarded rosewood as the world's most valuable wood. Legend has it that Napoleon's tomb in front of a half-foot-long rosewood hammer model, so that the viewers all feel amazed. Later, some people came to China, only to know the world's rosewood best all concentrated in Beijing's Forbidden City. From the Ming Dynasty, rosewood began to be favored by the Palace, used to make furniture, furnishings, and soon the domestic sandalwood tree was harvested, and the Commissioner went overseas to collect. To the early Qing Dynasty, the world's rosewood to say the vast majority of the collection in China. This appeared in front of Napoleon's tomb palm-sized rosewood, so that Europe and the United States feel that the line of rare treasures.

The Ming and Qing dynasties produced rosewood, in the international art market, enjoys a very high reputation, loved by collectors. As early as the end of the Qing dynasty, westerners came to China, see the zitan wood on multiple buy, shipped overseas. Because of the large furniture transportation difficulties, carrying inconvenience, so the European and American collectors of Chinese zitan wood is mostly small pieces of type ware

The two kinds of wood is the most valuable, generally used for the royal family.

3. According to national standards, "mahogany" range identified as 5 genera and 8 categories. 5 genera are named after the genus of arboriculture, namely, rosewood genus, yellow sandalwood, persimmon genus, the genus of cliff beans and the genus of ironwood. 8 categories are named after the wood of the commodity name, namely, rosewood class, rosewood class, incense wood class, black sour branch class, red wood class, ebony, red wood class, red wood class. Rosewood, rosewood, incense sticks, black sour branch, red sour branch, ebony, striped ebony and chicken wing wood. At the same time, mahogany refers to the heartwood of these 5 genera and 8 types of wood, which is the center, non-living cell part of the tree. Furniture made from wood other than this cannot be called mahogany furniture.

Mahogany for the tropical region of the leguminous sandalwood wood, mainly produced in India, China's Guangdong, Yunnan and the Nanyang Islands are also produced, is a common and valuable hardwood." Redwood" is a popular name in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and the north, the Guangdong area commonly known as "sour wood".

In the media from time to time will see unscrupulous manufacturers with the new mahogany as the old mahogany reports to deceive consumers, many consumers will ask: mahogany is mahogany, and what is the old and new say? In fact, mahogany is not only old and new points, and the old and new mahogany value difference is huge, in the use of the quality gap will also be found is also quite large. So, what is the old mahogany? Old and new mahogany and those differences?

The difference between the old mahogany and other mahogany

The old mahogany, as the name suggests, is the experience of a long time of mahogany, "National Standard" called sour branch, mainly produced in Laos, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. China in the late Qing Dynasty before the early Republic of China, Guangxi, Yunnan and other provinces also have, but after the Republic of China has been completely extinct. Its wood is hard, delicate, can be sunk in water, generally to grow more than 500 years to use, it distinguishes itself from other wood in the most obvious place is its wood grain in the dark red is often interspersed with dark brown or black stripes, giving a person a sense of antiquity.

Old mahogany not only grows for a long time, but also after hundreds of years of washing after cutting. Now said the old mahogany generally refers to the mid-Qing dynasty imported from Nanyang mahogany, the old mahogany wood width is wider, brown eye slender, specific gravity between zitan and Huanghuali.

New, old mahogany material color comparison

In color, the old mahogany color is darker, mostly purple-red, some color similar to rosewood, just lighter color, fine grain, brown eye significantly less than the new sourwood, density, feel excellent. New mahogany general color yellow red, wood grain, color compared to the old mahogany has a "tender" feeling, texture, feel are not as good as the old mahogany.

Why is there such a big difference? Originally, the life of the wood is not because it was cut down and terminated, its internal microstructure is changing all the time, it is just that people are difficult to notice it. With the passage of time, mahogany internal structure will become more and more compact, hardness and specific gravity is more and more high, into the water that is sunk, and resistance to deformation is also the stronger.

And the new mahogany generally use baking and other ways to make it reach the use of requirements, but man-made technical processing can not shake the internal structure of the material, in the long-term use of the process, often produces subtle deformation, thus affecting the collection value and quality.

What is the old mahogany

"Mahogany" at the beginning of a species has little to do with a certain species, just since the Ming and Qing dynasties in a certain period of time red quality hardwoods collectively, including rosewood, sour wood, rosewood, they varying degrees of yellow-red or purple-red. People have no intention to identify what kind of tree they are, they will be a customary habit to call them mahogany. Zhao's "Antiques Guide" book emphasizes the mahogany for the specialized species, the book said in Chapter 29: "only the world called mahogany, is a kind of wood is a special term, not referring to the red wood," which can be proved, a kind of wood in the book, refers to the old mahogany. The old redwood produced in the central and southern peninsula, China's yunnan area also has growth, its long oval leaves, white flowers, flowers were five-petal shape, color red. "The quality of the wood is good, in addition to rosewood, when the mahogany is the most", this is the book on the old mahogany evaluation.

The old mahogany and redwood can not be confused. The red sour branch refers to a large class of wood, including cross-toe sandalwood, O's sandalwood and Barry sandalwood and so on more than a dozen kinds of wood. The old mahogany is just a kind of redwood, that is, O's sandalwood. Although the same yellow sandalwood genus, but the old mahogany color purple-red, clear and rich in changes in the texture and fine structure is the same kind of red dendrite wood can not be compared with it.

With the old redwood furniture production process after the use of rosewood the same practice - rubbing wax, can not use ordinary red twig wood practices - with paint. Because the old mahogany is full of wax, only need to rub the wax, can be smooth and lubricated, glossy and durable, give a person a kind of simple implicit beauty. If the use of modern lacquer process, just cover up the good nature of its wood. And the old mahogany with lacquer to deal with, easy for some manufacturers will be other red twig wood mixed in, to facilitate its fish in troubled waters.

Because many of the properties of the old redwood, such as rich wax, purple red color, similar to rosewood. Therefore, the old mahogany and huanghuali, zitan and listed as the Ming and Qing dynasties palace three special wood.

4. Huanghuali produced from China hainan island hanging Luo mountain peak ridge low altitude plains and hilly areas, more grow in hanging Luo mountain altitude of about 100 meters sunny place.

Huanghuali is the main hardwood furniture of the Ming and qing dynasties, due to its color yellow, material fine, soft texture, aroma and highly favored by the Ming and qing dynasties craftsmen, especially the Ming and qing dynasties, the literati, the family of the furniture of the aesthetic interest makes this period of huanghuali furniture outstanding, no matter from the perspective of art aesthetics, or artifacts are impeccable, can be called the world of furniture art! The treasures of the world furniture art.

There is a kind of yellow pear is fruit tree

Huanghuali is by zhejiang university horticulture department professor ShenDeXu cultivated by the sand pear varieties. 1984 introduced into the zhouxiang town planting, due to the yellow pear early maturity disease resistance, better quality, the cultivation area continues to expand, and gradually become the main planting varieties of the sand pear of ningbo city. To 2000, cixi city huanghuali planting area has reached 46000 acres, of which zhouxiang town in more than 30,000 acres, zhouxiang town was named by the state council department as "China hometown of huanghuali".

Huanghuali fruit is conical, skin is yellow-brown, general single fruit weight of 250 grams or so, the heart of the fruit is small, meat white and tender, juicy and sweet, taste is obviously better than the general pear. Especially the yellow pear in mid-August that can be ripe, at this time the northern pear such as Dangshan pear, Laiyang pear, Ya pear, etc. are not on the market, the yellow pear naturally became the people's home in the seasonal fruits.

Huanghuali classification

Huanghuali is a literary name, from ancient times to the present day there is no tree called "yellow pear tree". It has a new scientific name, called "buckeye boxwood". As for this wood has several varieties, there is no accurate statement. Observed with the naked eye, yellow rosewood is roughly divided into two categories. A class of light color, brownish yellow; A class of deep color, brownish red. These two types of yellow pear wood is clearly different, its characteristics are the same and different.

Light color huanghuali luster is generally stronger, even if the wax is lost over the years, a little bit of finishing, it will be flashing with a ghostly light. The weight is slightly light, the texture is clear and smooth, not warm. This light color huanghuali made of furniture, the north found in the majority, especially in the city of Ming-style furniture, to light color huanghuali more often. Dark colored huanghuali to visually feel oily, so the luster is not as light colored huanghuali. Comparison of the two, dark color huanghuali weight some, texture is not as clear as light color. This kind of huanghuali furniture origin tends to the south more than the north.

Huanghuali furniture wood identification difficulties often out of three aspects. One is not differentiated from mahogany. Dark colored huanghuali, if the use of the years, preservation of the state is not good, at first glance and mahogany is very much like. In fact, from the essence of the judgment, Huanghuali wood small, so the deformation rate is small, light and gentle. Grasp this point, other problems can be solved; Second is not divided with grass pear. Grass pear is due to the emergence of Huanghuali wood cut off, as a supplement to the late Qing dynasty to the Republic of China appeared in the market, in the hardwood in the most low-grade. Its rough wood, brown eye is too big, color earth yellow and no luster; Third is not divided with the new huanghuali wood, new material weight than the old material huanghuali wood, wood grain containing black line is too much and hard, so many of the wood grain is too beautiful and eye-catching is the new huanghuali wood.

Understanding the characteristics of yellow rosewood, it is very important to recognize its material. For example, yellow pear wood has a strong toughness, unlike mahogany as brittle. Carpenters in the construction of the yellow pear wood and mahogany is very easy to recognize, in the planing edge is very thin, only yellow pear wood can appear similar to the shape of the spring like long shavings, and mahogany only out of the crushed as a flake of shavings, about which any one hardwood carpenter is very clear.

The above is to identify the Huanghuali wood of the primary stage, more important from the shape of the judgment, Huanghuali furniture prevalent seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Huanghuali furniture has been set, although the shape of a thousand variations, the essence of the human nature but very unified. From the essence of understanding the golden age of Chinese Ming furniture, coupled with the understanding of Huanghuali wood physical nature, recognize Huanghuali will become very simple.

For a long period of time, our understanding of Huanghuali furniture into the misunderstanding, think Ming style Huanghuali furniture is mostly produced in Ming dynasty. And in fact the opposite is true, Huanghuali furniture production of the golden age is the early Qing Dynasty to Qianlong this hundred years, after the Jiaqing almost no longer produce. The reason is that the late ming jiajing wanli two dynasties, palace furniture are mainly lacquer. Gorgeous lacquer furniture to occupy the market, Huanghuali furniture is obviously not the mainstream. And qing style furniture by the palace formation before entering the folk, it takes some time, and people's imagination will have a small gap. Therefore, can not only to "Ming style", "Qing style" to determine the age. In fact, the vast majority of the ancient furniture is made by the production method is refined into "symbols" after a comprehensive decision to understand the subtle changes in the determination of Ming-style furniture which Ming which Qing is quite important.

These wood, rosewood for the most expensive, mahogany for the most second, but are good furniture wood, which is common for large households to mahogany furniture for more.

Paulownia hard texture, color from deep black to red work, varied, fine grain, feel fine moist.

Redwood is particularly hard, appear deep and heavy, clear wood grain, finished smooth and shiny.

Nanmu texture, delicate through, often showing the tiger skin texture, the view is extremely beautiful. When it's cloudy, the wood also gives off a faint scent, which can be retained for hundreds of years. The color of nanmu is astringent, and when it is first cut open, it is golden yellow, especially the golden nanmu, which flashes with golden threads in the light, which is very beautiful. After a long time, the color is warm, from golden yellow to slightly grayish green, language is difficult to describe.

Floral pear is also known as "old pear", the color from light yellow to purple red, bright colors, clear texture and fragrance. More breathtaking is his peculiar texture structure, that is like a strange ugly "ghost face", commonly known as the "ghost face"