Ancient Traditional Chinese Furniture

Chinese home furniture evolved independently of western furniture into many similar forms including chairs tables stools cupboards cabinets beds and sofas.

Ancient traditional chinese furniture.

Chinese ming and qing furniture gallery of shanghai museum is an ideal place to appreciate various styles of classical furniture. It presents vividly what the rooms and gardens were like back in the ming and qing dynasties. Chinese furniture mostly made of precious wood of the ming 1368 1644 and qing 1644 1911 dynasties are widely recognized as the best because the wooden crafts before the ming dynasty did not survive wars and time and traditional chinese furniture craftsmanship reached its zenith until the ming dynasty when demand for fine furniture. It takes up about 700 square meters of exhibition space with about 100 pieces of well preserved ancient chinese furniture.

Examples of excavated lacquer furniture from the ancient kingdom of chu ca. It includes tables cabinets chairs stools and bedframes as well as other furnishings used in domestic settings. Classical chinese furniture embraces the artistry and craftsmanship of the finest traditional chinese furniture.

Within the following pages curtis evarts a leading authority in the field offers a wealth of information for enthusiasts scholars and collectors. Wealthy and important chinese sat on platforms. Classical chinese furniture generally refers to a wide variety of pieces made during the ming and qing dynasties from the end of the 14th century through to the beginning of the 20th century. Various prototypes of wooden furniture were designed around the sitting mat such as short legged wooden desks for the lap chopping boards with legs and short tables.

This is a cultural shorthand taken from the passage of the now lost book of burial recorded in guo. The ancient chinese knelt or sat cross legged upon woven mats surrounded by various furnishings including low tables screens and armrests. The exhibition of ancient chinese furniture is a special feature of shanghai museum. Classical chinese furniture information cybercenter for the collector and scholar.

Combining pieces of wood together using nothing more than the wood itself is a traditional carpenter s craft in ancient china. The forms of chinese furniture evolved along three distinct lineages which dates back to 1000 bc based on frame and panel yoke and rack based on post and rail seen in architecture and bamboo construction techniques. The most exquisite aspect of chinese classical furniture is the structural part of the furniture mortise and tenon work.