「The Art of Collecting」A Ming-style Chair, AScholar’s Soul

The Ming-style chairs are not just ordinary chairs. They are the spiritual sustenance of literati, who incorporated the artistic charm of landscapes and their aspirations for official careers into the wood through the use of mortise and tenon joints. The curvature of each chair conceals the entire philosophy of life of the scholars of the Ming Dynasty.

The curved chair embodies the principle of moderation. Its “upper round and lower square” shape reflects the principles of heaven and earth. The curved back follows the shape of the armrest and does not have abrupt transitions. The craftsman combined the wood’s nature with the essence through the use of mortise and tenon connections at the edge. Placed in a hall, it appears dignified without causing a sense of oppression. This is also the way of life for scholars, who are “externally round and internally square”.

The rose chair is an elegant choice for a lady’s room, and is also known as the “lady’s chair”. Its backrest is low and level with the armrest, and the materials used are slender and lightweight, making it suitable for the delicate layout of a lady’s room.

The “four-cornered” design of the official hat chair best conveys inner thoughts. The ends of the backrests are extended like the wings of an official hat, which sounds like “Shi Chu Tou”in Chinese and it means “achieving success in one’s career”. The shape is square but not stiff. It is suitable for placing in a study or in the central position for receiving guests. It not only embodies the scholar’s aspiration for fame and success but also maintains an unadorned and unpretentious demeanor with its simple lines.

The lamp-attached chair is simple and plain in design, without armrests. The backrest extends outward like a lamp support, with a straight and elegant line. It is often placed on both sides of the hall, not competing for attention but maintaining a dignified and proper demeanor.

The Zen chair is a private object for contemplating the mind in solitude. Its spacious seat allows one to sit cross-legged. The frame is transparent and ethereal. Its shape, which is designed to minimize constraints and be suitable for a study environment, perfectly aligns with the Zen Buddhist sentiment of calming the mind and engaging in meditation.

These chairs lack elaborate carvings, yet they incorporate the qualities of moderation, leisure, integrity, modesty and emptiness of scholars into their lines. A small chair is not only the unity of craftsmanship and temperament, but also embodies the profound wisdom of the Chinese people, who “find the truth in the objects”.

There is much more to collecting. That’s all for today. We’ll continue next time.