跳到主要内容

The Beijing Center

the beijing center for chinese studies

Furniture

Amphora with loop handles

information

Qing dynasty, c. mid-19th century
Diameter: 126cm Height: 87cm

introduction

This table was created in three parts: the top round panel, the central decorative support structure, and the bottom base table. The top panel of the table is a large single piece of wood, cut vertically with the grain of the tree. The circumference of the tabletop is banded with three rows of design.

The topmost row is carved with a repeating five-segment pattern of interspersed scrolls and flowers inside rectangles. This band of design is separated from the bottom band by carving imitating the angles and joints of bamboo, running uninterrupted around the entire circumference of the table. The bottom band of design, carved onto an outward-curving apron, intersperses auspicious cloudheads and a geometric pattern of stylized florals with small carved motifs depicting flowers and foliage, as well as scenes depicting a deer under a tree and a cricket in a flowering branch. The table top is cleverly kept locked into place on its base with four small blocks of wood that fit into the transverse stretchers fitted below the top.

The central support structure is an openwork pattern of abstract pointed shapes, reminiscent of the stylized floral pattern set around the table top, and then all mortise-and-tenoned together. These pieces were formed into two flat panels with the shape of a vase in the center, and were then joined crosswise to create a square supportive perimeter. Blended into the openwork pattern are carved pieces depicting bats (symbolic of good luck and happiness) and floral motifs.

The lowermost part of the table is a classic kang table, a small, low table used on a daybed or traditional Chinese platform bed. The contrast of its square shape and utter simplicity with the elaborate, curvilinear forms of the rest of the table emphasizes the three different structures which make up the table. The kang table top is made of a floating framed panel supported by transverse stretchers underneath with exposed tenons on the four sides. The top has an ice-plate edge that leads down to the recessed waist. The waist is subtly decorated with two inset, raised, thin strips of wood on each side before flaring out again. The outward-curving apron curves into low cabriole legs which end in flattened feet. The underside of the table has good remains of the original deep reddish-brown varnish originally applied to the piece.

Door couplets (menlian)

information

Qing dynasty, Guangxu period (1875–1908), 1893
Length: 235cm each

introduction

Each of this pair of curved boards is carved with a single central line of large characters and a smaller line of secondary characters on the side. The entire board, originally of a light-colored wood, was varnished to a dark shade, and then the characters were painted with red lacquer and outlined in gold paint. Although the colors have darkened and there are pigment losses, the couplets would have originally been very bright and striking. The message translates as:

“We take the liberty of announcing that, as the fate dictated by the heavens decided, outstanding talents who passed the civil service exam at the very top arose in large numbers. We pray that they enjoy excellent food and wealth, as well as offer sacrifices by being virtuous, with the family and the state full of happiness” (or, “so that the virtue of our family can be passed on from generation to generation). With best regards for Jing Yu, 20th generation grandson, 19th year of Emperor Guangxu (1893). Countryside of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province.”

The imperial civil service exams were nationwide tests given to recruit talented men to the bureaucracy. To pass the exams, which were given at different levels, one had to be well versed in the classic Confucian texts and the Song scholar Zhu Xi’s commentaries, as well as be able to write the ponderous “eight-legged essay.” Passing the exam meant an official job and salary, and brought great honor to the examinee’s family, especially if he was one of the top three to pass the imperial-level exam. Door couplets were typically made of red paper and pasted on either side of the main door of the house. They were most commonly used to welcome the new year, or to celebrate an important event such as a marriage or a major birthday. More permanent wooden couplets such as this one would have demonstrated the examinee’s intellectual talents to passersby, as well as showing off the Emperor’s personal congratulations to the examinee, Jing Yu, for passing the exam.

Recessed-leg Table with Everted Ends

information

Qing dynasty, c. mid-19th century
Width: 87cm Length: 230cm Height: 83cm

introduction

This table is distinguished by its subtle decorations. Although the apron itself is undecorated, the apron-head spandrels are in the shape of auspicious clouds, which are divided into symmetrical halves by the elongated bridle joints. The table top is a single floating panel with exposed tenons and inset carved, everted flanges. This table’s recessed legs are stabilized with cusped side floor stretchers, above which on each short side is a cusped open apron with carved flower patterns at the top and bottom. Although the table dates to the mid-19th century, it is created in a Ming style: everted ends joined to the shorter sides of the table, inset carved panels forming the apron, and recessed legs are all part of classic Ming side-table design.

This table form is often known in English as an “altar table,” although the general name for such a table translates literally as an “everted-end table.” However, they are often named “altar tables” or “wall tables” in Chinese according to their particular use. “Wall tables” usually functioned as side tables, or could be placed against the center back wall in a main hall, above which might be hung a large scroll painting, and on which would be displayed a few family treasures or antiques. Such tables could also function as domestic “altar tables,” but it is misleading to take the English name “altar table” as the definitive description of its form and function.

Large standing cabinet with folding doors

information

Walnut
Qing dynasty, c. 1880
Gansu province
Length: 192.5cm Height: 152.5cm Depth: 63cm

introduction

This sturdy cabinet makes the most of its length with a pair of folding doors which allow both partial and full access to the interior space and the single shelf which runs the length of the cabinet. The inner panels are each made of two pieces of wood, although the outer panels are each made of single pieces. The external capsule-shaped hinges are made of bronze, as are the ring pulls and central plate. Below the main space are three drawers, each with a lobed, diamond-shaped brass plate and ring pull. The entire interior and exterior of the cabinet is coated with a dark varnish. The piece is unpretentious and solid, with no superfluous decorative elements to distract from its function.

Low painted cabinet

information

Qing dynasty, c. 1820
Gansu province
Length: 215cm Height: 92cm Depth: 60cm

introduction

The paintings on the three doors and three drawers of this cabinet immediately attract the viewer’s attention. The left and right doors are both painted with traditional Chinese ink-and-brush landscape paintings, without the addition of color. The image on the central door panel, in contrast, is a fine-line depiction of antiques and flora: a bowl of finger citrons and a red pomegranate sit in a bowl on top of a low red stand with cabriole legs. In the center, an archaic-style vase based on early bronze designs holds chrysanthemums and foliage. In the front sits a dark teapot. To the left, a tinted incense burner sits on a simple stand. These three door paintings are all executed on a pale ground, framed by a simple, beaded molding painted black. The cabinet structure around the doors is painted red, setting off the black molding, which in turn emphasizes the pale background of the paintings. The three drawers below the doors are all painted with ink-and-brush flowering branches, with a few color additions to the flowers themselves. The interior is divided into six discrete, separate spaces, one for each door and drawer. The top of the cabinet is painted opaque black, although the sides are merely varnished in a dark shade and the wood grain is still visible.

Painted chest

information

Qing dynasty, c. early 19th century
Tibet
Length: 135cm Height: 74cm Depth: 50cm

introduction

The front of this striking chest is painted in vibrant colors with a central lobed lozenge filled with a swirling floral pattern. The corners are also filled with a curvilinear pattern in deep orange on a black ground. These corners were originally covered with gold pigment, although very little still remains. The border is painted with a key-fret pattern in black. At the top of the front decorative panel is an inset wooden ball, topped with a curved floral-pattern metal plate with a ring that could be locked by securing it with the decorative plate on the lid of the chest. The corners of the chest are all reinforced with metal strips, curved and tapered at the ends to imitate the painted forms. The short sides of the chest are tinted a deep red, and the top and back are unpainted. The lid is attached to the body of the chest with loose ring hinges.

Painting Table

information

Qing dynasty, c. 1840
Length: 230cm Width: 87cm Height: 83cm

introduction

This large table is constructed of a frame top with a single floating panel supported by four transverse stretchers underneath. The curved giant’s arm braces provide additional support and stability while alleviating the need for supportive side stretchers. The corner legs end in hoof feet which lighten the overall feeling of the table. Both hoof feet and the giant’s arm braces are Ming-era characteristics, as is the overall simplicity of the table, although the piece itself dates to the mid-19th century. The table is varnished to a dark shade which imitates the deep hue of zitan wood.

So-called “painting tables” have large, flat surfaces to facilitate the user’s painting or calligraphy practice. The height of this particular table would have allowed the user to enjoy unrestricted movement while either sitting or standing. The giant’s arm braces provide stability, because curved corner braces created a stable piece of furniture without interfering with the placement of the user’s legs. The decision to varnish the wood to a dark tone is meant to create the impression that the wood is zitan (“purple” or “red” sandalwood), a rare and expensive hardwood whose luxe simplicity exemplified the Ming aesthetic of eliminating unnecessary elements to draw attention to the beauty of the essential. Another reason to imitate zitan was because by the mid-Qing period, the supply of this precious wood was largely exhausted. If this were a Ming dynasty table, it would likely have been made of real zitan, and it would have been assembled with mortise-and-tenon joints rather than nails and pegs as this one is. But even in the Qing dynasty, the luxurious simplicity of classic Ming pieces was still widely appreciated, hence the desire to create a piece in that style.