Each piece of antique furniture has unique attributes in terms of wood choice and the artistic talents of the carpenter as well as his fluency of skill and craftsmanship.
In days gone by, the carpenter was constrained by the rules and convention dictated in the “lu ban jin” (the classic manual for carpentry, as well as architecture) but at the same time was able to “create” something unique.
Therefore, Chinese antique furniture should be judged by the workmanship involved in its original creation, and in its design, rather than solely by the type of wood.
Book Chest
This is a mobile book chest used by scholars when they traveled. Normally for scholars from wealthy families, they would have a young “book boy” who carried the book chest around for them. For those who couldn’t afford a “book boy”, they would carry the chest themselves. You will see a C-shape ring on each side of the side panel, and special strings or leather would be used to go around these rings and the top of the chest when carried on the back of the book boy. The door panels are decorated with low relief carvings of bamboo.
Red Lacquer Plate
This type of lacquer plate is also called Tsang Pun – meaning fruit plate. It is used for important occasions such as weddings and ancestor worshipping ceremonies to hold fruit and snacks. This plate is in the shape of lotus blossom. The process of producing such a lacquer plate is tedious and includes a lot of work. Each petal is individually carved from a solid panel and then metal is used to bind each individual carved panel together. The painting is done in the Miao Jin method. Many layers of thin lacquer are applied to the wood and then careful finishing is performed to bring about the smooth surface.
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