Experts talk about the origin of mahogany furniture
As a mahogany furniture that the people of the country are proud of, when did it originate? What is the reason for its development? Guan Yi, deputy secretary-general of the Traditional Cultural Committee of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society and Guan Yi, a wood restoration expert, recently published his own opinions.
Relevant records are not earlier than Ming Wanli years
The way of living in our country can be roughly divided into sitting on the ground and sitting on the ground. According to Guan Yi, sitting on the ground, the seats and the bed are the living center, which is about the dynasties of Shang, Zhou, Han and Wei. At the beginning of the Western Jin Dynasty, the height of sitting and squatting gradually rose. When the Northern and Southern Dynasties began to sit, the high-seat seat became popular. After the Tang Dynasty, tables, chairs, and benches were no longer rare objects, and at the same time there was a relatively high table. After the Song Dynasty, various high-grade furniture were initially shaped. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the styles and types of furniture have been quite perfect, and the craftsmanship is becoming more and more sophisticated.
"The Ming Dynasty was the golden age of China's traditional furniture development. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, a large number of furniture made of hardwood appeared." According to Guan Yi's research, Fan Wei's "Clouds in the Clouds" has such a record: "Long, Wan, Although the slaves of the fast-moving family, all use the fine tools, and the small carpenter of the emblem, vying for the rule of the county, that is, the marrying of the miscellaneous devices, all of them belong to the genius. The luxury is extravagant, and the coffin is not expensive, The table is made of rosewood, eucalyptus, ebony, acacia and boxwood. It is extremely expensive, and it costs a lot of money.
"But the records about mahogany furniture will not be earlier than the Ming Wanli years." Guan Yi said.
At that time, the court did not introduce a lot.
There is a saying that Zheng He’s voyages to the Western Ocean in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, when returning through Southeast Asia and other countries, cut down the local Sian rosewood as a paddle boat to press the cargo ship, thus bringing back the red rosewood. Guan Yi said that there are indeed a large number of historical records, Zheng He’s voyages to the West may bring back some red rosewood, but there is no particularly sufficient historical evidence, and from the development of Ming Dynasty court furniture, the redwood has not developed. Because most of the court furniture of the Ming Dynasty, we see most of them today are firewood.
"From the historical records, there are very few hardwood furniture entering the court in the Ming Dynasty." Guan Yi said that the historical rumors of the Yuan Dynasty used a large number of red sandalwood to cover the hall, and was later burned by Zhu Yuanzhang. In fact, the red sandalwood is easy to crack, the deformation rate is relatively high, and the houses that are covered are also easy to collapse. Therefore, the use of the rosewood to cover the hall is not established by experts and scholars.
As for the appearance of rosewood furniture, there is another saying that it is accompanied by the emergence of glass. In Guan Yi's view, the reason why the court of the Ming Dynasty did not introduce a large number of mahogany, there is also an important reason for the problem of daylighting. In the past, the court used paper-paste windows, which caused the house to look darker, if it was blacker. The red furniture is even more heavy and oppressive, which limits the development of hardwood furniture in the court to a certain extent.
Hardwood really has a certain development in the court during the Ming Dynasty. According to the "First Shi Zhi Shi" said: "Axe is the genus of the axe, all of them are self-study. Although the craftsman can not be too embarrassed." and "Study Luban, learn Yu Yu, learn Li Wei, all day with an axe, saw, The plane is dealing with it.†Guan Yi said that this is the evaluation of the “Carpenter Emperor†of Mingzong, but the record of the material is limited to hardwood at this time, but the record of the mahogany is not mentioned. In addition, some novels in the late Ming Dynasty wrote: "The Jiangnan dynasty used to use fine wood", but in fact the fine wood at this time has the shadow of mahogany.
The folks in Jiangnan have prospered
In the court, the redwood that did not get favored was developed in the private sector. Guan Yi said that during the late Ming Dynasty, the development of handicraft workshops and a large number of overseas trade in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces made it a commodity distribution center for Unicom at home and abroad. With the influx of a large number of goods, mahogany also came.
At the same time, the Jiangnan area transported materials to the north through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Among the many materials, there was a figure of redwood, and the redwood was gradually popular throughout the country. Coupled with the enhancement of productivity at that time, the handicraft industry has made great progress, which also provides a strong guarantee for the development of the redwood industry.
"In addition, the participation of Jiangnan literati also promoted the development of mahogany furniture. Due to the eunuch's dictatorship and the darkness of the officialdom in the Ming Dynasty, a large number of literati in the south of the Yangtze River, the official slogan, and the leisurely residence, have also caused literati. Participated in the design and production of furniture, and cherished the words and sentiments, so the furniture of the Ming Dynasty is generally very popular." Guan Yi said.
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