While there’s no substitute for authentic pieces of classical Chinese furniture, scholars and lovers of fine furniture can also pick up a wealth of fascinating information from artwork of the same era.

1. Ming Dynasty Art
Brings Classic
Chinese
Furniture to Life

2. • While there’s no substitute for
authentic pieces of classical Chinese
furniture, scholars and lovers of fine
furniture can also pick up a wealth of
fascinating information from artwork of
the same era.
• There is a particular wealth of
paintings, woodblock art, and drawings
from the Ming (1368 - 1644 AD) and Qing
(1644 – 1911 AD) dynasties that depict
the furniture and interior spaces of the
times.

3. • These images show people resting
on daybeds, playing games and
musical instruments while seated at
tables, studying while seated or
reclining, and serving and eating
meals. This artwork offers a clear
picture not only of what furniture
and interiors looked like in
centuries past, but also of how
furniture and household objects
were commonly used, down to
small details like how items would
be arranged on a table.

4. • Woodblock illustrations from the late
16th century classic text The Plum in
the Golden Vase (also known as The
Golden Lotus) and other literary works
show a variety of household furnishings
from the Ming era. Sotheby’s compared
a few of these illustrations with rare
antique pieces from the period in a
recent article.
Unfolding room after
room in book illustrations

5. Unfolding room after room in
book illustrations
• For example, an image from The Plum in the Golden
Vase depicts a man seated in a capacious armchair
with a yoked back. The chair’s broad seat
accommodates a cross-legged meditation posture,
while its flowing curves and elegant frame contrast
with its sturdiness. It’s interesting to compare this
illustration, made in simple black brushstrokes, with
an actual yoke-backed armchair of the late Ming
dynasty, crafted of glowing and polished golden-
brown huanghuali hardwood.

6. Unfolding room after room in book
illustrations
• Another woodblock print from The Plum in the Golden
Vase contains a glimpse of a qiaotouan altar table,
similar to a 17th century huanghuali recessed-leg long
table sold by Sotheby’s. The qiaotouan type of table
was extremely versatile in Chinese homes of the period.
It might serve as a means of displaying antiques, as an
artist’s drawing table, or as a useful piece of decor in
an entryway, as is the case in the woodblock
illustration.
• The top of the table sold by Sotheby’s was made from a
single long plank of huanghuali wood. It displays high-
level precision techniques that suggest the work was
done by a master craftsman. Its spandrels—triangular
shapes often carved into furniture and architectural
frames—swirl upwards, carved into phoenix shapes.

7. Unfolding room after room
in book illustrations
• The carved panels between the table’s
legs depict chilong, a term often
translated to indicate a type of young
dragon. The dragon, along with the
phoenix, are two extraordinarily
powerful symbols in Chinese mythology.
When paired, they embody the idea of
the harmonious marriage, and of male
and female energies.

8. • One painting in the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art,
Immortals Playing Weiqi on Penglai, offers a fascinating
view of the interior of a 14th century building. The
artwork was completed in ink and colors painted on silk.
It shows us a pair of players intent on their game (better
known by its Japanese name as go), set up on a low table
between them. An observer reclines nearby on a low
daybed, while we look on at the group through the open
window of a spacious pavilion shaded by trees. A worker
tends the garden outside this window, as other figures
throughout the building go about other tasks. One of
these other figures is a woman moving along a corridor to
bring the game-players a tray of peaches—a symbol of
immortality.
A glimpse of a
scholar’s paradise

9. A glimpse of a scholar’s
paradise
• This work was originally attributed to the 14th
century artist Leng Qian. The version in the
Smithsonian’s collection is thought to be a faithful
18th century copy of a 16th century reinterpretation
of Leng Qian’s original by the Ming dynasty painter
Qiu Ying (ca. 1494-1552), a master of the style.
• Although the title of the painting suggests that the
people depicted are deities on Penglai, the mythical
home of Daoist immortals, its imagery is much
closer to the real world of Ming China, suggesting a
well-to-do scholar’s private retreat.

10. The beauty of simplicity
• In an early 17th century artwork by Wen Zhengheng,
a scholar reclines at his leisure on an elegant
daybed, surrounded by comforts such as a
decorated screen, table, and stepstool. The daybed
depicted is one style that had been evolving since
ancient times in China.

11. The beauty of simplicity
• Daybeds of various lengths and
widths were among the most
useful and versatile styles of
classical Chinese furniture,
allowing for sitting, reclining,
or lying at full length. A scholar
might recline on a daybed, as
in Wen’s depiction, with texts
or works of calligraphy spread
about him. He might have
plates of fruit or other food
and drink nearby, possibly on a
mat or a simple table.

12. The beauty of simplicity
• Wen was a titan of Ming-era scholarship in the field
of design. His A Treatise on Superfluous Things is
available in English translation and offers a
fascinating look at Chinese interior design during
this era. His philosophy in these writings might be
described as “less is more.” Wen focused on the
importance of using simple lines and materials, and
once wrote that a room could demonstrate its
charm solely through placement of a small table and
a daybed.

13. The beauty of simplicity
• In fact, experts note that furniture from
the late Ming and early Qing period
might be considered the epitome of the
classical, simple, and unadorned “Zen-
inspired” style popular around the world
to this day.