A blog of Chinese art, culture and design

The Ming Dynasty not only represented the peak of furniture design in China; it represented China to the rest of the world. Ming tables, beds, and vases were among the most famous Chinese exports to gain widespread popularity in Europe. Those designs were, in turn, absorbed by European furniture-makers and transformed into modern versions of Ming style. Charting the course of a Ming table, we can trace a line from its assembly to-many centuries later-its assimilation into global markets. As we map the trajectory from Ming furniture to its influence on the rest of the world, it becomes clear that a table is, in fact, more than just a table.

The Language of Good Design
Furniture design in China has been a revered craft for thousands of years. Yet, prior to the Ming period, no word existed in the Chinese language for objects we understand as “furniture” today. Beds, tables, cabinets, and chairs were referred to as “household implements.” As scholarly intellect grew in importance, Ming philosophy became visible in the material world as well. Like the sharpened mind of a Ming scholar, chairs and tables were free of fuss. This moral, philosophical approach to craft changed the Chinese concept of furniture. By the 15th century, Ming scholar Wen Zhenheng’s Treatise on Superfluous Things contained entire chapters on “Tables and Couches,” as well as “Chairs and Beds.” In the 276-year span of the Ming Dynasty, furniture making evolved from a utilitarian endeavor into an art.

Starting at Square One
The story of Ming furniture is embodied in the simplest of objects, the Ming square table. Consisting of four legs and a flat tabletop, the square table was the most basic symbol of domesticity. It hosted family dinners, board games, and afternoon tea. Communal dishes were set in the center of the table, and guests helped themselves to rice. As simple as this table seems, the methods that went into its construction were complex. The lines were straight; the joints were flawless. The square table represents the culmination of a craft honed over many centuries-a moment in history when aesthetic tastes merged with economic prosperity and advances in artisanship to create a nearly perfect object.

Joinery and Construction
The construction of wooden furniture in China was analogous with advances in architecture. Just as Chinese architects used mortise-and-tenon joints to build houses; furniture makers used the same system to construct tables. Nails and screws were never used; joints were individually carved to fit into one another like wooden locks and keys. By the Ming period, tables had evolved from low slabs into high dining tables surrounded by chairs. A wooden panel known as a “waist” was used between the tabletop and apron to secure the top to four sturdy legs, while S-curved braces further stabilized the table. Dovetail and tongue-and-groove joints are also common in Ming tables.

A Table is Not a Table
Furniture during the Ming Dynasty rarely served one purpose. Beds were used as couches, sofas doubled as beds, and dining tables were among the most multi-functional furnishings in the home. According to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, “a table used for serving food at mealtime could also be the surface for a chess game or fortune telling several hours later.” Tables occupied the center of family life, functioning not only as places for meals, but more broadly as the hub around which household activities revolved.

Simplicity and Elegance
For a table to fulfill its many purposes while achieving the Ming ideal of understated elegance, it had to be made from unassuming materials and methods. Wood was allowed to speak for itself-carvings were minimal and restrained. Fine-grained woods such as hard pine or huanghuali (“yellow rose wood” wood) were carved into clean-lined furniture with nearly invisible joints. Expert craftsmen revealed the richness and depth of the wood in pieces that exhibited an even grain structure throughout.

Ming Style and Modernism
The ideals that guided Ming furniture designers in the 15th and 16th centuries resurfaced in the West, much later, under the 20th century mantra, “form follows function.” Lightweight, slim, and timeless, Ming furniture blends in seamlessly with modern décor. Well-known designers of the modernist era often cited Ming design as their inspiration. Round-backed Ming chairs inspired Hans Wegner’s famous “Chinese Chair” in the 1940s. As recently as the past decade, Piero Lissoni debuted a contemporary “Ming Console Table” and Marcel Wanders designed an avant-garde interpretation of traditional Chinese porcelain with his “Ming Vase.” The ideals of the Ming Dynasty have not faded. Indeed, they have imprinted themselves on the global consciousness like wood grain on a table.

                              My bed concealed by a folding screen, bamboo desk aslant,

                          I lie and watch the year’s new swallows arrive at my humble home.

                                                Kao Ch’I (Ming Dynasty), Lying at Leisure During Rain

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chinese beds were not only used for sleeping at night but also for sitting and chatting with friends and family, drinking tea, smoking opium, and playing games of Go. Significant pieces of furniture, they were passed down through generations of families.

Beds figure prominently in classical Chinese poetry, stories, and paintings. In addition to their erotic importance, they were the place of opium dreams, where oracles visited the souls of sleeping bodies. Shen Ji-ji—a storyteller from the early Tang Dynasty—wrote the famous tale of the World in a Pillow, in which a man dreams an entire lifetime in the span of an afternoon nap. The story attests to the bed’s significance as a place for both dreams and waking life.

Chamber beds are the most elaborate examples, composed of a raised platform and a wooden awning that encloses the sleeping area. Constructed from hundreds of pieces carved into interlocking joints, chamber beds could be closed with curtains or lattice panels, providing a private space to sleep, talk, conceive, and bear children. The intimate quarters of a chamber bed witnessed the entire cycle of life, from birth to death.

For women, in particular, beds were symbols of their status within the household. Included as part of a woman’s dowry, an antique Chinese canopy bed is often referred to as a “wedding bed.” It was one of the few items that remained in a woman’s possession throughout her life, even if her marriage ended in divorce. 

Daybeds and couch-beds are simpler, used in men’s bedrooms and sitting areas. Ming writer Wen Zhenheng advocated a spare aesthetic for a man’s bedroom when he argued that “even the slightest touch of stylish adornment would make it look like the women’s quarters.” The design of masculine couch-beds and daybeds ranged from spare wooden platforms to more intricately carved pieces with latticed armrests and backs.

 Today, the Chinese bed is a unique example of antique furniture that remains a multi-functional object. Chamber are particularly beautiful in lofts or large rooms, where they establish an intimate area for sleeping or sitting. The raised platform also creates a small riser where you can leave your shoes and step into a private space. Daybeds and couch-beds are as versatile as they once were, often used in contemporary homes as a sofa or divan. These antique beds have witnessed many lifetimes, and will continue to see many more, enduring as objects of beauty and utility.

The craftsmanship of traditional Chinese furniture is unrivaled. Constructed without nails or screws, antique cabinets, tables, and beds are held together by carefully carved joints that fit one another like individually forged locks and keys. Many Chinese antiques were crafted centuries ago, and—with the proper care—will continue to last several lifetimes.

Prized Patinas

Furniture-makers of the past incorporated handmade paints and lacquers into their designs. Today, the craft of antique lacquer is a lost art. When Chinese antiques first became popular in the West, many people stripped the furniture of its original patina, unknowingly reducing its value. As collectors became more educated about the nature of Chinese furniture, original patina became more and more prized. Antiques retaining their patina are among the most highly respected and sought after pieces.

Caring for Lacquered and Painted Finishes

Although hard and glossy, antique lacquer and paint finishes can also be quite brittle. Avoid chipping or scratching lacquer by moving furniture with care and keeping surfaces clear of sharp or heavy objects. Do not use water, oil or solvents on the surface. For daily cleaning, use a soft, dry cloth. If the surface is dull or dirty, lightly polish it using a high-quality clear paste wax.

Maintaining Furniture Finishes

Unpainted wood furniture should be waxed—not sanded, stained, or lacquered. Altering the original wood finish will detract from its value. In the case of lacquered or painted pieces, the dealer or craftsman should determine whether the finish is old or new. If the finish is new, the craftsman can sometimes strip or replace it without damaging the furniture’s value. If the finish is antique, it should be kept in tact as much as possible, with damaged areas cleaned or repaired by a professional.

Humidity and Dryness

Constructed largely from wood, Chinese furniture is designed to expand and contract with moderate seasonal changes. To prevent wood from drying out in the winter months, a simple solution is to keep a cup full of water inside a cabinet or drawer. In humid summer months, basic air conditioning or a dehumidifier will keep the wood from warping. To prevent cracking, treat unpainted wood with a fine, clear furniture paste wax every six months—more in a dry climate, less in a humid environment.

Cleaning Wood Furniture

Do not clean antique wood with wet cloths, oils, or spray wax. For daily cleaning, use a dry cloth. To clean heavily carved areas when dust or dirt builds up, use a soft toothbrush lightly coated in a high quality paste wax. Regular waxing of the entire piece—every six months or so—will keep antique wooden furniture in top form.

Restoring Broken Furniture

Proper repair of Chinese antiques requires an inherent understanding of the object’s nature. We recommend contacting the original dealer for recommendations if your furniture requires restoration. A skilled craftsman will disassemble the furniture without damaging it, fix the broken part(s), and correctly reassemble the piece.

Floating Panels

Many Chinese antiques, such as cabinets and sideboards, were designed with floating panels in the center. Over time, these panels may expand and contract, sometimes leaving a small gap or white space when the panel moves. Depending on the width of the gap between panels, the seam can be darkened by a conservator. If the gap is significant, a conservator may fill the seam with a piece of antique wood. These gaps are a normal result of the wood’s expansion and contraction over many years, and do not generally effect the value of a piece.