How did the "days" of the ancient Chinese people three hundred years ago "live" comfortably? What is the study furnishing with the aesthetic taste of the literati? In "Living a Life: A Colorful Drawing Chronicle of the Daily Life of Ancient Chinese", you can get a glimpse of it. This book collects a number of export albums painted by painters in Guangzhou, China during the Qing Dynasty, combined with a large number of documents passed down from generation to generation, these more than 100 hand-drawn portrait paintings covering clothing, food, housing, travel and music are analyzed and interpreted, in order to restore the rich and interesting daily life and customs of the ancients.
Among them, the "Furniture Furnishings Picture Album" drawn by the late Qing Dynasty Chinese export painter Fa Yue, a total of 46 paintings, the content is mainly Chinese furniture, such as cabinet shelves, chairs and stools, tables, beds, palanquins, lanterns and related furnishings, such as screens, book boxes, bottle holders, dish holders, porcelain bottles, cups and plates, study room utensils, etc., each paper back has a handwritten English introduction. His trademark was printed on the front of the book, which read "Fa Que, Oil Painting, Watercolor Painting and Glass Painter" – at that time, many Guangdong export painters were called "A Certain Que". Calling a painter a "painter" is an honorific title for a profession, and some painters of the Thirteen Lines at that time may indeed have worn it.
Furniture is an important instrument closely related to people's daily life, Chinese indoor furniture is mainly wood, but also with bamboo and other materials, rich in types, diverse forms, and the furniture that has survived to this day is mainly in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ming and Qing dynasty furniture can be roughly divided into bedding, seating, living utensils, screens, storage utensils and other daily miscellaneous utensils, which are all involved in the albums of Fa Que. This article excerpts the furniture associated with the study.
The following is an excerpt from "Living a Life: A Colorful Drawing Of the Daily Life of Ancient Chinese" with the permission of the publisher, which is abridged and modified from the original text. The illustrations used in this article are from the book.
"Living a Life: A Chronicle of Colorful Drawings of the Daily Life of Ancient Chinese People", by Hou Yinguo, Anon. Painting, Taiwan Straits Publishing House, July 2022.
bookshelf
The furniture in the picture is a book grid filled with books, that is, a bookshelf. Books and shelves in China have evolved with historical changes. Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, the text was mainly written on bamboo and wooden boards, and when collected, it was bundled into a scroll. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, paper books, and paper books were parallel, and paper books became popular after the Three Kingdoms. The form of the book and the paper book is a scroll, and in order to store and use it conveniently, it is inserted in the bookshelf, which is called the interstitial. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Bijiafu collected books, and Han Yu's poem Zhongyun said: "The Marquis of Yi has many books, and inserts 30,000 axes." "During the Sui and Tang dynasties, engraving and printing began to develop, and by the Song Dynasty, album books began to prevail, and the method of book binding was mainly line binding. In order to protect books, envelopes are often made, that is, box coats made of thick board paper as the inner layer and framed with fabrics such as cloth or brocade. The bookshelf in the picture has books in different colored envelopes.
The bookshelf is constantly improving with the change of the form of the book, and its form is varied, with a variety of ingenious and ingenious designs, and the material is also made of high-grade wood, as well as bamboo or other materials. The bookshelf in the picture is light in shape, divided into four layers, with two drawers spaced in the middle. The small bookshelf next to it is quite chic. Wen Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty described the ideal bookshelf in his "Chronicle of Long Things": "The bookshelf has two types of sizes, the largest is more than seven feet high, the wide times, and there are twelve grids on it, and each grid can only accommodate ten books for easy inspection; The next grid can not be placed in the book, in order to be near the low humidity of the reason also. The foot should also be slightly higher. The smaller ones can be placed on a few. Two flat heads, square wood, bamboo frames and vermilion lacquer, all unusable. ”
Bogu shelf desk
This is a desk with the characteristics of a Bogu shelf. Bogu Shelf is a shelf designed for Chen Fangwen to play with antiquities, and the height of the frame is staggered to form several small grids of different sizes. Generally furnished in the study, living room. It is often depicted in paintings and prints of the middle of the Qing Dynasty. The items placed on the desk for viewing are called Qing Offerings, which mainly include various bonsai, flower arrangements, seasonal fruits, strange stones, handicrafts, antiques, exquisite stationery, etc., which can add interest to the halls and bookstores.
The shape of the Buddha's hand is varied, interesting, and the sound is harmonious "Fushou", giving people a sense of auspiciousness, so it is a kind of desk offering that the Qing Dynasty literati like very much, and in the early Qing Dynasty, there is a large pot of Buddha's hands on a table in the "Yan Bed", with more than ten sticks. In the four screens of the famous painting monk Xugu of the late Qing Dynasty, there is a place for the Buddha's hand. In "Dream of the Red Chamber", it is described that the Autumn Shuangzhai of Exploring Spring is that "on the left rosewood shelf is a large plate of a large kiln, and the plate contains dozens of delicate yellow and exquisite Buddha hands". This picture also depicts a bergamot offering.
Fan-faced table and interstitial seat screen
The table in the picture is relatively rare, shaped like a fan, called a "fan table", and the size is equivalent to half of the hexagonal table. Mr. Wang Shixiang speculated in the "Ming-style Furniture Research" that when used, two pieces may be put together into a hexagonal table.
Next to the fan table is an interstitial seat screen. Screens are very old furniture, before the Han Dynasty, screens were even once the main decorative furniture in the interior. Eastern Han Dynasty Li You's "Screen Ming" Yun: "If you are sheltered, you will be hidden, and if you use it, you will set up Zhang." Standing upright, everything must be honest. Yong Fu wind evil, fog dew is resistant. Give it up and don't lose your normality. "Give the screen a thick cultural spirit. Seat screen, also known as floor screen, floor screen, is a single fan floor with seat screen, generally relatively tall, is an important furniture in the ancient hall, often placed in the middle of the living room, there is a sense of solemnity and stability.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the floor-to-ceiling screen was made of exquisite materials and exquisite craftsmanship, with decorative techniques such as wood carving, inlaid stone, jade inlay and carved lacquer, and a porcelain plate painting painted with ink color landscapes was inlaid in the center of the picture. Wen Zhenheng's "Chronicle of Long Things" said: "The system of screens is the oldest, and it is precious to those who are fine in marble inlaid with seats." "The Ming and Qing dynasties also had floor-to-ceiling screens inlaid with marble grinding stones, and the landscape picture is the natural texture of marble, which is particularly rare, and can be seen in Suzhou gardens such as the Lingering Garden today."
Flat headline table
Ming and Qing long tables can be divided into strip tables and strip cases. The difference between the table and the case lies in the position of the table corner, Mr. Wang Shixiang in the "Ming-style Furniture Research" called the leg foot in the four corners of the panel as the "table-shaped knot body", the four feet are not in the four corners but indented in some positions are called "case-shaped knot body", that is to say, the legs and feet of the table are along the four corners of the face, and the case is the position where the two ends of the case surface are retracted inward. In daily life, some people also call the larger ones "cases" and the smaller ones "tables".
The table and the strip case are divided into two kinds, flat head and upturned head, the picture depicted is the flat head table, corset waist, four straight legs between the pot and the pot, straight legs inward turned horse hoof foot, rich in three-dimensional sense. The strips feature porcelain, bamboo and bronze. Among them, the bronze on the far right is called "Yao", with a trumpet-shaped mouth, a thin waist, and a high circle foot, which was originally a wine vessel.
Grid frame
A uniquely shaped decorative character holder that can be used to place books and antiques. The fruit in the picture as a offering is citron. Citron entered the life of the literati in the Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty's elaborate "Wulin Past" listed the "small brokers" sold in Lin'an, including "citron luoer" and "citron sitting", the so-called citron luoer, which is about using silk thread to weave the citron for hanging in the living room and account. The "Outer History of Rulin" says that "there is a lavender basket next to the pillow, and a rack of dozens of citrons in front of the bed is formed into a tassel", which is a similar practice. It was also a Ming and Qing custom to use citron as a Qing offering, and even a special citron plate for this purpose appeared.
Rose chairs with chair drapes and square tables with table drapes
Pictured here are rose chairs with chair drapes and square tables with table drapes. The square table features a jade ruyi and a bonsai. Yu Ruyi was a common furnishing in the Qing Dynasty and reached its peak during the Qianlong period. In the collection of poems of the Qianlong Emperor, there are a total of 87 poems such as "Yonghe Khotanyu Ruyi", "Yongbai Yu Ruyi", "Title Tanyu Ruyi", "Title and Khotanese Jade Ruyi", one of which was written in Qianlong's forty-seventh year of "Yonghe Khotanese Jade Ruyi", which reads: "A grasp of jade ruyi, a long ruler has a strange ruler." Handle Wen Hun Sheng painting, the first su to be inscribed poem. ”
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the literati also liked to put bonsai in several cases, and the "Chronicle of Long Things" said that "bonsai and ancient stones should be placed on the table". In the Ming Dynasty Gao Lian's "Eight Notes on Zunsheng", it is recorded that "the bonsai is still the most prosperous in the world: Nandu, Su and Song Counties, Hangzhou in Zhejiang, Pucheng in Fuzhi, and many people love it." If the value is in thousands of dollars, it is good to know. But bonsai is better to have a few tables to put on", and in his opinion, of all potted plants, Tianmu pine is the first, "such as the most quaint, the product is Tianmu pine as the first, but Hangcheng has it, high can be a ruler, its nature is like an arm, a short cluster of needle hairs.". The bonsai depicted in the picture is a pine tree.
Bamboo incense table
Pictured here is a hexagonal table made of bamboo and an incense table. The hexagonal table is different from the six-immortal table, which is a square table for six people and has four table legs, while the six-square table is a regular hexagonal table with six table legs. Incense burners are the furniture used in ancient Chinese life to place incense burners. In the Song Dynasty Zhao Xihu's "Dongtian Qinglu Collection", Yun: "The bright window is clean, and the incense is burned in it, and the jiake jade stands in the background." ”
Xiangqi belongs to high-foot furniture, there are round and square, with the passage of time, it has lost its original function, is used as a flower trellis or furniture rack, etc., it is also called a flower table, flower trellis.
Cocking case
The picture shows a cocked head case with a cocked head at both ends of the case and a delicate gold pattern painted on the tooth strips. Because the case is narrow, it is generally placed against the wall and used for Chen Fangwen to play with ornaments. According to the purpose, the table in the picture can also be called the offering table, which is a table for ancestors to place pots, cups, plates and other sacrificial utensils. The temple is also used to place incense burners, fruit offerings and other offerings.
The fifty-third time in the Dream of the Red Chamber describes the sacrifice of Jia Fu, writing: "Jia Jing held the dish to Jia Rong, and Jia Rong passed it on to his daughter-in-law, and then to Sister Feng and the people of the You clan, and directly to the offering table, Fang and Lady Wang." Lady Wang passed it on to Jia Mu, and Jia Mu Fang put it on the table. Lady Xing was standing in the west and east of the offering table, offering to Jia Mu. ”
Bogu shelf
A bogu shelf full of personality, used to display antiques. In the picture, you can see porcelain lanterns, bronze dings and jade pot spring bottles, and a small model of a weapon inserted in the bottle, which is called "Fang Tian Painting Blade", which was used by lü Bu, Xue Rengui and other protagonists in the popular opera of the Qing Dynasty.
Rack a few cases
This kind of desk can also be called a shelf case, that is, a narrow panel on two seats with exactly the same shape and ornamentation. In the decoration of the case, a bronze three-legged small round ding is quite eye-catching. The Qing Dynasty was the heyday of epigraphy, and scribes and merchants rushed to buy, making bronzes such as three generations of Yi ware a popular collection on the market. Pan Zuyin in Suzhou and Chen Jieqi in Shandong are the most prestigious bronze collectors.
Clear-style desk
Qing Dynasty furniture and Ming Dynasty furniture have some differences in plastic arts and styles, and the desk in the picture reflects the characteristics of Qing-style furniture: the materials are heavy and heavy, and the overall size is wider; The decoration is gorgeous, the overall stability, refinement, luxury, and gorgeousness, and the simple, generous, beautiful and comfortable of Ming-style furniture are in stark contrast.
From left to right, the desk features Taihu stone, Yi utensils and pomegranate bottles with peacock fans.
Mahogany drum-style embroidered pier with lacquered square table
Pictured here are mahogany drum-style embroidered piers and a square table of lacquered lacquer for writing. Chinese furniture has long begun to use lacquer, in the Warring States, Han Dynasty tombs have unearthed lacquered furniture, such as Henan Xinyang Changtai Guanchu tomb excavated lacquer, lacquer table, Suizhou Zeng Hou Yi tomb unearthed lacquer table, Hunan Changsha unearthed black paint long scheme and so on.
The technique of painting is called "lacquer" and does not stop at painting furniture. In the Ming Dynasty, the first monograph on the technology of lacquer painting in the mainland appeared, "Records of Decoration". At the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, lacquer craftsmen appeared, the lacquer technology improved rapidly, and the lacquerware industry began to flourish. At that time, the level of lacquerware production was crowned by Ningbo and Fuzhou.
Strip table
Various antiques are displayed on the table. On the far left are two stacked chess pieces, which are jars used to hold Go. On its right side is a specially shaped jade pot spring vase, which is an evolution of the water purification bottle in Buddhist monasteries, and the basic shapes are skimming, thin neck, hanging abdomen, and circle feet. To its right is a blue porcelain cup with an open foot and a straight wall.
In the middle is a four-legged square with a special shape, and the upper part resembles a mound. To its right is a porcelain bowl. On its right is the Stone Ornament, which is produced in Yingde City, Guangdong Province, and its large one can be built into a garden garden and mountain view, and the small one can be made into a landscape bonsai and placed on the case table. On the far right is a letter of books.
Piano table and stool
Pictured here is a set of piano tables for placing and playing the guqin. Song Huizong's famous painting "Listening to the QinTu" has similar furniture. In ancient times, the exquisite piano table would use stone as the tabletop, and Cao Zhao mentioned in the "Treatise on gegu": "The piano table must be made of Wei Mo style, two feet and eight inches high." It can accommodate three pianos, which is about a foot longer than the piano. Guo Gong bricks are the best for the tabletop, especially agate stone, Nanyang stone and Yongshi. ”
There are also Han Dynasty hollow bricks as a desktop, especially quaint, and the piano tone can form a resonance within the bricks, resulting in a unique playing effect. The Chronicle of The Long Things says that at that time, "the ancient Guo Gong bricks made in Zhengzhou, Henan, on top of fang sheng and elephant eyes, used as a piano platform, and took the hollow to make a sound."
Original text/ Hou Yinguo
Illustrator/Anon
Excerpts/Ann also
Edit/Rodong
Introduction part proofreading / Liu Baoqing