There are many forms and names of chairs and stools in Ming and Qing dynasties, such as treasure chairs, top chairs, round-backed chairs, official hat chairs, armchairs and rose chairs. There are square benches, small square benches, benches, rectangular benches, round benches, pentagonal benches, hexagonal benches, plum blossom benches and begonia benches, as well as various forms of embroidered piers.

Baoyi

A treasure chair is a big chair. Known as the "throne" in the court. Many of them are displayed in the main hall of each palace for the use of emperors and queens. Sometimes it is also placed in the annex hall or living room, and it is usually placed in the center of the room or in a conspicuous position. This kind of big chairs are rarely paired, and they are all placed separately. There is no difference in shape and structure between the treasure chair and the arhat bed, but the body is smaller than the arhat bed. Some people say that it evolved from a bed, and it does have some truth. Thrones are mostly made of rosewood, which is thick, solemn and beautifully carved, adding a sense of majesty to users. The imperial throne in Qing dynasty is characterized by its huge volume, complex structure, standardized materials, fine workmanship and gorgeous decoration. Throne up and down, inside and outside or embossed, or by carving a variety of auspicious patterns, showing the royal dignity and luxury.

Rosewood inlaid beech cushion throne

Republic of China (19 12- 1949)

Height110cm

Valuation: 30,000 RMB.

This throne has smooth lines, with a screen-like back plate and handrails, a round middle and beech inlaid. Below the waist, the disk is concave in the middle, and it is embossed in real letters. The bottom is flush on all sides, and the four feet are everted. The practice of two legs is more solid and steady. The use of floor mats adds a bit of leisure and elegance.

Rose chair

Rose chairs were seen in famous paintings in Song Dynasty, and were more common in Ming Dynasty. This is a chair with unique shape. Its backrest is usually lower than other kinds of chairs, and the height of the armrest is similar. Set several chairs on the back of the window sill, not higher than the window sill; It is precisely because of this unique feature that the rose chair, which is not very practical, is quite popular when it is matched with the console table. Rose chairs are made of rosewood or chicken wing wood, generally without rosewood. Using the unique color and texture of rosewood and the unique shape of the chair itself is more pleasing to the eye. The word "rose" generally refers to beautiful jade. As far as the word "rose" is concerned, one means "beautiful stone" and the other means "wonderful", which means precious. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty "Biography of Bangu Xidu Fu" contains: "Strange materials are expensive, resisting rainbow beams", and "rose" is called a strange thing. Judging from the style, characteristics and modeling, the rose chair is really innovative. The four legs of this chair and the armrest of the backrest are made of round and straight materials, which is really novel and unique compared with other chairs and achieves a rare aesthetic effect. Calling this chair a "rose" is a high praise for this kind of furniture.

Huang Huali carved back rose chair

clean

100.7×60.3×45.9 cm

Appraisal: RMB 248 100 ~ 4 13500.

Transaction price: 296,480 yuan

This rose chair is unique in shape, novel in style and beautifully carved.

Top chair and round back chair

Chair, also known as Hu Chuang, was originally used by the ancient Ma people in China, and is usually considered as a change from sitting on the floor to sitting in a chair. The structure of the chair is that the front and rear legs cross, with the intersection as the axis, and the upper beam can be folded through the rope instead of the seat, and an iron ring is installed on it. The chair ring is generally composed of three to five tenons, and the lower part is composed of eight wooden sticks. Most joints are fixed with metal parts. The whole shape looks like multiple triangles from the side, with slender and lively lines, but stable. Because its legs are crossed, it is called the top spot. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, those with armchair rings were usually called top seats, while those without armchair rings were called shuttlecock or maza-e. The top chair can be folded, which is very convenient to carry and store. They can be used not only indoors, but also outdoors. In the Song, Yuan, Ming and even Qing Dynasties, royal nobles or officials and gentry took this kind of chair when they went out for cruising and hunting, so that their owners could sit down and rest anytime and anywhere. This is why the top chair is also called "walking chair" and "hunting chair".

Round-backed chairs are developed from top chairs. The back ring of the top chair goes down with the armrest. When sitting, elbows and arms are supported together, which is very comfortable and popular with people. Later it gradually developed into an armchair for indoor use. The difference between it and the top chair is that it uses four legs instead of cross legs, and the surface is made of wood, which is not much different from the chassis of ordinary chairs. Only the upper part of the chair surface still retains the shape of the vertex. Most of these chairs are placed in pairs, not much apart. The round chair is curved, so the round material is more harmonious. Round-backed armchairs mostly use light elements, and only a group of simple patterns are embossed in the middle of the back plate, but they are all very shallow. Backboards are all made into S-shaped curves, which are made according to the human spine curve, which is a typical example of the scientific nature of Ming furniture.

In the middle and late Ming dynasty, some chair rings carved a group of patterns outside the cloud head of the end armrest, which not only beautified the furniture, but also played a special role in strengthening it. In the Ming dynasty, people admired this kind of chair, so at that time, it was often called "plush chair". There is also a round-backed chair, the back plate is higher than the chair ring and slightly rolled back, which can be used as a brain tonic. There are also some round-backed chairs that extend from the back plate to both sides through side posts, but do not extend downward. This becomes a semi-circular chair without armrests. This kind of chair has a strange shape, which can be described as fresh and unique.

Qing Huang Huali inlaid with copper

106.6×73.7×62 cm

Appraisal: 65,438 yuan+0,600,000 ~ 2,000,000 yuan.

Transaction price: 2053440 yuan.

The top spot is the appliance of emperors and nobles and a symbol of status, so there is also a saying of "top spot" in our country, implying that someone is the most important role. This chair consists of only a few necessary lines, without any redundant parts, and its shape is simple; Huanghua pear is made of wood and covered with copper, which is novel and unique; The carving of corner patterns of armrest head and pedal, the wrapping decoration of back plate and the application of through-carving patterns add a bit of style to the rough and generous top chair.

Huanghuali Round Back Armchair (a pair)

bright

60×47×99 cm

Valuation: RMB 100000 ~ 120000.

Round-backed armchairs are typical Ming furniture. The chair ring extends from the back of the head to the armrest, the back plate is S-shaped, decorated with small relief, the chair door is set under the surface, and the sub-floor adopts the method of "step by step". These are typical Ming-style features, which are the unity of practicality and science.

Official hat chairs and armchairs

There are two kinds of official hat chairs: south official hat chair and four-headed official hat chair. From the modeling point of view, the southern official hat chair is not as generous as the four-headed chair, but it is easier to play in the decoration technique, and the chair back and armrest can be decorated in various forms; Materials can be round, curved and straight. Characterized in that a soft fillet is made at the joint of the upright post of the chair back and the lap joint, the upright post is tenon, the cross beam is tenon, and the cross beam is pressed on the upright post. The "S"-shaped chair back mostly adopts the method of frame plate, which is divided into grids, or carved with through holes and wishful clouds, or embossed with a group of simple patterns, which is beautiful and elegant. Generally used in a hall or in pairs, rarely used alone.

The four-headed official hat chair, that is, the front corners of the headrest and armrest on the back of the chair are not made into soft rounded corners, but the beams of the headrest and armrest pass through the column and then bend slightly to the back and sides, forming a natural and smooth curve. The end is ground into a round head, giving a soft and smooth feeling. Most of these four chairs are made of Huang Huali wood. The back plate is mostly S-shaped and made of a whole plate. Simple and generous modeling and clear and beautiful texture colors form elegant and noble styles and characteristics. There were official hat chairs in Ming and Qing dynasties, but the production was different, mainly in the brain, backrest and armrest. In the Qing Dynasty, the head of the official hat chair was mostly in the shape of Luo or flowers, and the backrest and armrest were mostly decorated with flowers, which was completely different from the simple and simple style of the Ming Dynasty.

The modelling feature of armchair is that it has a backrest without handrails, and the backrest is not prominent. There are different types of backrests, some of which are called "Unified Monument" chairs. This chair is slightly smaller than the official hat chair, and the two ends of the beam on the back of the chair are similar to the official hat chair. It is also divided into two forms: one is to make soft rounded corners; One is that two pillars grow on the beam, which are slightly upturned, just like a lamp pole, so it is also called "lamp hanging chair". In terms of materials and decoration, hardwood, miscellaneous wood, colored paint, filler paint and bamboo are all available, featuring lightness, flexibility and convenience.

Screen back chair

Its backrest is like a screen, hence the name. The backrest is often inlaid with marble, or hollowed out and carved into patterns such as bottles, leaves and bowls, and then inlaid with porcelain, which is quite distinctive and unique to qing-style furniture.

Huang Huali four-year-old official hat chair (a pair)

bright

60× 45.5×117cm

Estimated price: 70,000 ~ 80,000 RMB.

Four-year-old official hat chairs are more common in Ming furniture. When the back plate is made into a curve, the method of saving the frame plate is adopted, and the edges are engraved and barefoot, which is in harmony with the simplicity and transparency of the whole. The front roof at the bottom is widened to form a pedal, which gives people a natural and comfortable feeling.

Mahogany armchair (four pieces)

Republic of China (19 12- 1949)

52× 43×105cm

Estimated price: RMB 50,000 ~ 70,000.

This set of armchairs, similar to the "unified tablet style", is exquisitely carved, with a delicate back plate and a more detailed carving of the flower board under the waist. The chair leg is made of three legs, with straight legs and lion claws on its feet, which should be a work influenced by western style in Qing Dynasty. These are two of them.

Square stool

A stool is a seat without a backrest. As far as stools are concerned, they can be roughly divided into two forms: square stools and round stools, among which square stools have the most kinds. In various forms of stools, there are two types: those with waist and those without waist. Square materials are used for belts, and circular materials are generally not used; If there is no waist, there are square and round materials. If you have a waist, you can bend your legs, such as bulging legs, bulging teeth and three legs. And those without waist use straight legs. The ends of the feet with belts are all turned in or out, the feet without belts are square or round, and the ends of the feet are not decorated.

There are also many patterns in the center of the stool. There are shadow wood hearts, all kinds of hardwood, painted wood frames, rattan hearts, mat hearts, marble hearts and so on. And the materials and production are very particular. There are very long stools. Long roads are common, mostly with one board as the surface, and the four legs and side feet are obvious, commonly known as four points and eight forks, which are only used by one person. There is also a long board that can sit two or three people, called a "long bench" or a "bench"; There is also a "spring stool", which is shaped like a kang and can accommodate two people. Because the sitting surface is wide, it can also be used to put utensils when not sitting.

Round stools in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, also known as round stools, were divided into three feet, four feet, five feet and six feet. The practice is the same as that of a square stool, with straight legs and bent legs. Round stools in the Ming Dynasty were generally waist-tied, with a round stool surface, plum blossom or begonia shape, and a round mud tray with four feet, six feet and eight feet under it, which was more solid and firm. Meticulous workmanship and beautiful shape. People who didn't have waist seals in Qing dynasty used the top of their legs as tenons to directly support the sitting surface; If there is a waist seal, the seat surface is mainly supported by the tooth plate and the waist seal. It is also a little different from the square stool. Square stools all use four feet, and round stools are not limited by angles. At least three feet can be used, and many can use six feet.

An early stool

The word "stool" originally did not refer to the seat stool we are talking about today, but specifically to the pedal. Later, backless seats were called stools. Explaining the name and bed account says: "The couch and stool are placed in front of the big bed and above the small couch, so the bed is also pedaled." It is obviously a sleeping appliance, which is the pedal we see today. Pedal, also called footstool. There are many records about footstool in the history books of Ming Dynasty. There are all kinds of footstools in Lu Ban Jing. In particular, "Long History: Eight Stories of Respect for Life" also introduced a peculiar footstool, which organically combined health preservation with fitness and became a highly respected fitness furniture at that time. "Historical Records" said: "The footstool is a wooden roll stool, two feet long and six inches wide. As tall as usual. Divided into a gear, with an empty mouth and two logs. The two ends are kept rotating, and the feet are used to kick the shaft and roll. Gai Yongquan is born of essence, so exercise is better. A big bamboo stool can also be used. "

Value identification of ancient furniture

The furniture made in the early Qing dynasty is quite consistent with the furniture made in the Ming dynasty in terms of modeling style, structure, workmanship and materials, and has high artistic value. Some domestic furniture research authorities collectively refer to the furniture made in the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty as "Ming-style furniture", and basically treat them equally when determining their values. The reason why furniture in the early Qing Dynasty can be compared with furniture in the Ming Dynasty is that it has high artistic value, which also shows that the history of ancient furniture is not the only criterion to evaluate its value. The quality of furniture plastic arts is an important factor to determine the value of furniture. Mr. Wang highly summarized the standards of furniture modeling art, which made the description of furniture modeling standardized and specific, and the relationship was clear at a glance. Sixteen pieces of furniture he proposed are simple, simple, heavy, dignified, majestic, round, plain, gorgeous, graceful, graceful, ethereal, exquisite, elegant and fresh; Eight diseases are cumbersome, redundant, bloated, stagnant, exquisite, absurd, misplaced and vulgar. The level of manufacturing technology is another ruler to measure the value of ancient furniture, which can be mainly investigated from the aspects of structural rationality, tenon and mortise accuracy, carving kung fu and so on. The entrance of ancient furniture is often a striking carved part. The quality of sculptor directly affects the value of furniture. Carving on ancient furniture is generally divided into three types: general carving, plane three-dimensional carving and three-dimensional carving. The quality of carving depends on whether the modeling is realistic, whether the three-dimensional sense is strong and whether the level is clear; See whether the carved holes are smooth, whether there are file marks, whether the roots are clean and whether the foundation is flat. Generally speaking, when evaluating the carving of furniture, besides considering the difficulty of technology and the accuracy of operation, the key is to see whether the whole has touching texture and vivid charm.

Huang Huali Square Stools (a pair)

bright

64×64×55 cm

Appraisal: 500,000 ~ 700,000 RMB.

This square stool uses more decorative techniques. The edges of the strips, legs and feet are shaded, and the feet are made of moire horseshoes. The additional flower teeth under the stripe are different from the common horn teeth, although the carving is more complicated and the age is earlier.

Chicken wing wood crutch square stool (four-piece set)

clean

46×46×47.5 cm

Valuation: RMB 12000 ~ 15000.

This set of square stools is solemn and elegant, with four legs flush with the stool surface, the tooth plate and the bottom floor split in two, the foot carved back pattern, and the ethereal tooth plate decorated with kidnapper pattern, which is not complicated, but adds a little luster, plus the rare chicken wing wood texture, which can be called the top grade in classical furniture.

Mahogany stone drum stool (a pair)

Early Qing dynasty

45×33 cm

Estimated price: RMB 50,000 ~ 60,000.

Transaction price: RMB 200,000.

Drum stool is a common style in Ming and Qing furniture. The upper and lower teeth of the drum stool are made into symmetrical shawls, and the thick four legs contrast with the double-line begonia-shaped decorative lattice, which makes people feel stable and exquisite.

Square stool with mahogany inlaid porcelain plate (a pair)

clean

Height is 48 cm

Estimated price: RMB 36,000.

This pair of exquisite square stools is made of movable side hollowed out, with inner leg lines and two legs, which is very strong. The horseshoe with everted feet and inlaid with colorful porcelain plates embodies the comprehensive aesthetic taste of designers and producers.