History of Chinese Furniture
China is a country with a history of over 5,000 years , the Chinese furniture is of no exception. The models, colours and craft of the carved ancient furniture have their specific oriental and Asian national style.
The Chinese Antique Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (A.D. 1368-1644 and A.D. 1644-1911), the two last dynasties before the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, is made of selected excellent wood, which is based on both popular and imperial use, handed down from the previous dynasties: Tang, Song, Yuan. Nowadays, in villages of China, unique ancient pieces are explored daily from the population, or from museums in different parts of China.
The Chinese antique furniture has two characteristics:
* The work is always executed with the greatest care. The structure is strict and tight; the line is smooth. The splendor and emitted light are realized by deep-carving and hollow carving, and by repeating varnishing, upto 10 times in all.
* The forms and varieties of models cannot be matched by any other country. There are hundreds of variations under each category, different types of Wedding cabinet, Sideboards, Hallway tables, desks, chairs, screens, dressing-tables, barrels and benches. They are not only a piece of furniture; they are precious art works and displays, which are greatly appreciated by modern homes all over the world.
There exist two major styles of traditional Chinese furniture: The lacquered furniture with sculpture and painting of vivid and variable colors, it fulfills a pre-eminently decorative role, and traditional furniture that is much more sober, with a facade of almost unique color. It is frequently used by families in the ancient China.
