Collecting guide: 10 things to know about classical Chinese furniture | Christie's (2023)

FAQs

What were the main features of Chinese furniture? ›

Chinese classical furniture represenative of the Ming and Qing dynasties used hardwoods such as rosewood and padauk. The common characteristics of these woods are hardness, corrosion-resistant, having distinct textures, and furniture made of them is beautiful and durable.

To determine the age of a Chinese furniture piece, look carefully at the joinery and finish. Natural expansion and contraction of the wood over time will cause a joint to protrude or retract, distorting a once-seamless fit. Antique lacquer finishes become crackled and worn over time.

The ancient people in China created the first piece of furniture for people to sit on: the floor mat. Various prototypes of wooden furniture were designed around the sitting mat, such as short-legged wooden desks for the lap, chopping boards with legs, and short tables. Wealthy and important Chinese sat on platforms.

Oriental furniture, in particular the furniture of China, is popular because of its beautiful styling and solid construction. Because Asia is the largest continent in the world, the term is sometimes limited to only furniture made or originated from the Far East of Asia, such as China, Korea and Japan.

Chinese furniture is made from a variety of hard and soft woods, and is also found in bamboo and lacquer. The price differences between two similar-looking pieces from the same time period in different materials can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In general, the value of fine china depends on the brand, condition, location, and age. This may go without saying, but an older, antique piece of china will command a higher price than newer pieces. The location or origin can also help determine its value.

The most valuable vintage furniture is rare. Consider whether your furniture is an unusual size, shape, or made for a specialized purpose. A unique carving motif, less common glass color, or otherwise atypical design may increase the value of your furniture.

Certain makers are always desirable. Look for names like Grueby, Marblehead, Newcomb College, SEG, TECO and Rookwood. Other names can be valuable but do not always bring top dollar. These are makers such as Fulper, Hampshire, Roseville, Van Briggle and Weller.

Are old china sets worth anything? ›

Depending on the pattern, condition and current supply and demand, you can make a few hundred dollars when you sell Nana's china plates collection. But, unless you have some of the more rare patterns that can fetch $1,000 a plate, don't expect to get rich.

The bottom of authentic pottery will usually have an unglazed area, which lets you know what kind of clay was used to construct the piece. If this is old weathered, it is more likely that your piece is authentic, as a faux one will ordinarily be much newer and therefore less worn.

Northern Elm (Yumu): By far the most common wood used for furniture production in northern parts of China, 'northern' elm has a yellowish-brown sapwood and darker heartwood.

Both the Southwest and the South regions of China produce small amounts of tropical hardwood and a variety of softwood and temperate hardwood. From these regions, species such as Chinese beech, birch, paulownia, alder, maple, rosewood, and mahogany are used for furniture.

Chinese furniture products are usually handcrafted without glue, nails, or screws. They are made of high-quality wood so they are ensured to last for a lifetime. Their design is engineered in such a way that every component is seamlessly connected to other parts of the furniture without making the connections visible.

These eight culinary cuisines are Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan and Zhejiang.

Chinese furniture is usually concentrated in the Pearl River Delta region and the Yangtze River Delta region. The Pearl Delta region is centered on the Guangdong, whereas the Yangtze is mainly focused on Shanghai and Jiangsu.

What is chinoiserie? Rooted in the origins of the word chinois – French for 'Chinese', Chinoiserie is a decorative style inspired by the art and design of China, Japan and Asian countries.

Make sure to search for labels, stamps, or manufacturing tags that can tell when and where a piece was made. Furniture companies and makers often listed their names, locations, and year of production This information can be found on the inside of drawers, the backs of bureaus, and on the lower edges of pieces.

What item was most sought after from china? ›

Silk was the favorite product along the Silk Road. Chinese silk was regarded as a treasure in ancient Central Asia, West Asia, Africa, and Europe. The European market had the biggest demand for silk and Chinese silk was highly appreciated in Europe.

Which Is The Most Expensive Bone China? The most expensive piece of bone china is commonly known as Joseon Baekje. The costliest Joseon object ever sold was a whiteware vase painted in cobalt blue. It was sold at $4.2 million US.

Some people still collect it, but nowadays it might not even end up on a couple's wedding registry. “More and more younger people don't see the need to use their space for things that are ceremonial,” said Cecilia Jones, a personal organizer and productivity coach in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Hallmarks - Identify Antique on the App Store.

McCoy Pottery Cookie Jars

McCoy cookie jars are some of the most popular forms of vintage McCoy pottery among collectors of these vintage collectibles.

What is the most valuable vintage china? ›

Blue Willow is arguably the most collectible – but it's also one of the most widely produced. Even today, companies are creating Blue Willow patterned china. The rare, original, and very old Blue Willow china pieces are the most collectible and the most valuable, if you can get your hands on them.

Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old.

soft-paste porcelain. p. painted.

Now you know about the 4 main types of clay for pottery: Porcelain, earthenware, stoneware, and ball clay. Want to know even more about clay? Check out our article on everything you need to know about pottery clay.

potter's mark, also called factory mark, device for the purpose of identifying commercial pottery wares. Except for those of Wedgwood, stonewares before the 20th century were not often marked. On some earthenware, potters' marks are frequently seen, but signatures are rare.

Chinese furniture has traditionally been made of harder, rarer tropical hardwoods while Japanese furniture uses much softer woods which were locally accessible in their climate. At the moment we have several Chinese cabinets — two in red-lacquered wood and one large one in elmwood.

This system was based upon the material used in the construction of the instruments, the eight being stone, earth (pottery), bamboo, metal, skin, silk, wood, and gourd.

Flexible – ideal for making curves on furniture. Hardwood – usually made from beech, mahogany, or oak, this material is excellent for heavy-duty flooring. Softwood – generally sourced from cedar, fir, and redwood, this is used in general construction for roofing and flooring.

It has solid texture, firm structure and long service life. Main uses： Oak can be used to make any type of furniture, from oak bedroom furniture and sofa to wardrobe and kitchen cabinet. It is also widely used in decoration materials, flooring materials and so on.

Which Chinese brand is best? ›

Walled compounds, raised pavilions, wooden columns and panelling, yellow glazed roof tiles, landscaped gardens, and a careful application of town planning and use of space are all notable features of the architecture of ancient China, with many of them still playing an important part in modern architecture across East ...

Chinese architecture is characterized by bilateral symmetry, use of enclosed open spaces, feng shui (e.g. directional hierarchies), a horizontal emphasis, and an allusion to various cosmological, mythological or in general symbolic elements.

Some distinct features of traditional Chinese architecture are symmetry, hierarchy in the built environment, the cosmological influence of Feng Shui, horizontal expansion rather than vertical, gardens, courtyards, and a distinct construction system.

The geography of Ancient China shaped the way the civilization and culture developed. The large land was isolated from much of the rest of the world by dry deserts to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and impassable mountains to the south.

Yellow symbolizes royalty and power of the throne. Red is the Chinese national color and represents happiness, beauty, success and good fortune. Green symbolizes money.

Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used for residences, palaces, temples, monasteries, family businesses, and government offices. In ancient times, a spacious siheyuan would be occupied by a single, usually large and extended family, signifying wealth and prosperity.

3 Architectural Styles

Ancient Chinese architecture includes palaces, city walls, temples, pagodas, and houses. Their architectural styles varied with purpose. The main three types were imperial administration buildings, traditional residences, and religious buildings.

The oldest datable timber building is the small main hall of the Nanchan Temple, on Mount Wutai in Shanxi province, built sometime before 782 ce and restored in that year. Brick and stone are used for defensive walls, the arch for gates and bridges, and the vault for tombs.

Principles of Architecture

Below are 7 basic architectural design principles that every architect should know. They are balance, rhythm, emphasis, contrast, visual, proportion, and scale.

What are Chinese design elements? ›

The primary visual design elements being discussed are form, material and color. These elements have been used in traditional Chinese design in a manner that represents Chinese culture.

Several Confucian thoughts are based on family. For example, three of the five important relationships are parent and child, husband and wife, and elder and younger siblings.

The Chinese traditional cultural values of harmony, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, loyalty, and filial piety are embodied in China's diplomacy through the concept of harmony, the most important Chinese traditional value.

Chinese doorways take on a variety of shapes. This round doorway is often referred to as a moongate because of its shape. It represents the full moon, or happiness. The color red represents joy and the bringing of good fortune.

In ancient Chinese cosmology, the five basic phases that explain change in the cosmos are earth, wood, metal, fire, and water. These elements were believed to overcome and succeed one another in an immutable cycle and were correlated with the cardinal directions, seasons, colours, musical tones, and bodily organs.

The Chinese people became unified as one kingdom, which lasted for about 2,000 years. It was the most advanced civilization the world had ever seen. Under the Chinese kingdom, education was highly prized, and the arts, especially music and painting, grew and flourished. The Ancient Chinese were also great scientists.