The chairs of the Song Dynasty are both structurally beautiful and comfortable furniture.
The chair has a backrest, which is not only for people to sit on, but also for people to lean on, so the early chairs are also called "Yizi". As a representative of high-seating furniture, the chair had a more mature expression in the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, there were gradually more and more people calling seats with backrests chairs.
In daily life, chairs are probably the most closely related furniture. A person, no matter what his status is or what he is engaged in, cannot stand all day. He must find a place to sit and take a break. The comfort of the chair is the most critical and determines the quality of a person's life throughout the day.
The chair has a backrest, which is not only for people to sit on, but also for people to lean on, so the early chairs are also called "Yizi". As a representative of high-seating furniture, the chair had a more mature expression in the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, there were gradually more and more people calling seats with backrests chairs. Chairs in the Song Dynasty can be roughly divided into armchairs, armchairs, armchairs, high chairs, rose chairs, thrones, etc., with rich styles and types.
A must-have armchair for your home
In the Song Dynasty, the armchair was the most used chair. Whether you are a wealthy family or an ordinary person, every family has one. Although the shape of the armchair is not complicated, the people of the Song Dynasty developed it with complete functions, diverse shapes, and an excellent combination of structural beauty and decorative beauty.
According to the shape of the backrest, the backrest chairs in the Song Dynasty can be divided into two categories: straight backrest chairs and curved backrest chairs. The headrest is a specific part of the chair. As the name suggests, it is the top beam of the chair, used to support the head and neck. The ancients paid attention to the standing posture when standing and the sitting posture when sitting. Sitting upright is the basic etiquette. However, doing so for a long time will inevitably cause back pain. If the head and back can be temporarily supported when leaning back, it will naturally be more comfortable.
Judging from the existing paintings and unearthed objects, most of the backrest chairs in the Song Dynasty had protruding heads, extending far to both sides. This has a certain connection with the wings of the futou on official hats in the Song Dynasty, and also adds to the contrast in form.
More comfortable armchair
Backrest chairs were widely used in the Song Dynasty. Smart people added armrests on both sides of the chair, so that your hands could be rested on the armrests, which provided better comfort than ordinary backrest chairs. The shape of armchairs is usually more complex than armchairs. When designing and making, how to coordinate the armrests with the rest of the chair is the first problem to be solved.
Because some armchairs are very large and ornately decorated, and are reserved for people of high status, they are also called thrones. Among traditional Chinese throne images, the throne Zhao Kuangyin sits on in "Portrait of Song Taizu" is quite majestic. In the portrait, Zhao Kuangyin has a plump body and a majestic expression. The width of the throne is about 110 centimeters based on the ratio between the person and the seat. The height and sitting depth are equivalent to those of a larger chair, about 50 centimeters and 110 centimeters respectively. The armrest is relatively low, about 15cm in proportion. The backrest is not equal to the seat width, but is set in the middle, and the left and right distances from the armrests are approximately 20 cm in proportion.
This is an armchair with four legs. The horizontal armrests and the ends of the bow-shaped armrests have a round carved gold-lacquered crest with a hanging bead in the mouth. The pot door hole is formed between the seat drawer and the mud supports on the left and right sides, and there is a rising Ruyi cloud head pattern under each hole. Although the front and rear sides of the throne are obscured by white chair drapes and Taizu's body, it is inferred from the two pot doors in front of the footrest that there may also be a pot door opening between the left side of the throne and the front and rear mud supports, and there are also cloud heads below them.
The throne of Taizu of the Song Dynasty has a unique shape. It is mainly square with circles in the square. The materials used are not as heavy as the furniture of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It embodies the rhythmic beauty of lines. Together with the smooth and well-proportioned lines on Taizu of the Song Dynasty, it forms a dynamic, still, curved, and straight shape. The interaction of density and density together creates this masterpiece of figure painting.
The throne is very beautifully decorated. In addition to the red paint all over, gilt inlays are also made on the corners of some structures. The decorative elements are grass blade patterns and cloud patterns. The rulers of the early Song Dynasty advocated frugality and opposed luxury. Historical records record that Song Taizu did not engage in extravagance, advocated simplicity, and paid attention to his role as an example. Even so, on the throne that embodies imperial power, even Song Taizu could not blindly "advocate quality". This portrait for future generations to worship highlights this point.
Perfectly styled armchair
The armchair is a chair whose backrest and armrests form an arc-shaped whole. It was basically finalized in the Tang Dynasty. The decoration of armchairs in the Song Dynasty inherits the style of the Tang and Five Dynasties. The headrest and armrests slowly slide down, and the ends of some armrests are rolled back, and the shape has become perfect. As the sitting height of the chair increased, the armchairs of the Song Dynasty already had the general shape characteristics of the classic Ming-style armchairs, with the shape of a round sky and a square place, showing the harmonious beauty of plastic arts. Later generations were appreciated by various countries and were called Chinese designs. The most perfect chair. In terms of chair ring structure alone, the Song Dynasty people made a lot of innovations. Some chair rings were formed with the support of vertical wooden bars, and some were formed with the upward extension of the front and rear legs and the support of the backrest.
The functions provided by the armchairs of the Song Dynasty are also very unique. When people sit on it, not only their elbows are supported, but their armpits and arms are also fully supported, making them feel particularly comfortable. The back of the armchair is mostly made into an S-shaped curve that is compatible with the human spine, and forms a certain inclination angle with the seat surface. When a person sits on it, there is a large contact surface between the back and the backrest, and the ligaments and muscles can rest.
Literati’s Favorite Rose Chair
Literati in the Song Dynasty loved elegant gatherings, and a kind of chair frequently appeared in elegant gatherings, indicating that it was loved by the literati at that time and was quite popular among this social class. This kind of chair is called the rose chair. The rose chair remained popular until the early Ming Dynasty. However, the rose chairs of the Song Dynasty and the rose chairs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are different in shape. The backrest is low in height and most of them are flush with the armrests. They can be called "rose chairs (fold-back style)" or "flush armchairs", which are A transitional form that can be regarded as the predecessor of the rose chair in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The characteristic of the rose chair in the Song Dynasty is that it is "short and balanced", which means that the chair back is low, and the height of the chair back is roughly equivalent to half the height of an ordinary chair back. The armrests and backrests are of the same height, and are horizontally connected with a straight-sided square-angle structure. The drawer is smaller. The Rose Chair (folding back style) has almost simplified the frame structure to the point where it cannot be reduced any more. The components are mostly thin, powerful and very concise. They are mainly structural, and there is no reinforcement and decoration of tooth heads, tooth bars and tooth plates. There is no waste of materials and craftsmanship. The overall aesthetic is closely related to the literati at that time advocating elegance, simplicity and simplicity. It also coincides with some simple styles in Western modernist design, reflecting the aesthetic characteristics of "structure is also a kind of beauty".
Because the rose chair has a low and straight back, it is suitable for sitting under the window and against the wall. Although the comfort cannot be compared with some other armchairs, the simple and well-proportioned shape and pleasing appearance make people have a special liking for it.
A seat that symbolizes status and power
According to the furniture noun specification, the foldable chair is called a chair, and the Chinese chair evolved from the Hu bed. The Hu bed is composed of eight wooden sticks as a whole. The sitting surface is connected by ropes. It can be opened for sitting and closed for lifting. It can also be bundled and carried on horseback. It is suitable for nomadic people who stay on horses for a long time. Therefore, it is also It's called "Mazar". As Hu Feng spread eastward, it was gradually used in the Central Plains.
However, although the bed has many advantages as a temporary seat, its shortcomings are also obvious, that is, it cannot be relied on. In order to solve this problem, people in the Song Dynasty made improvements, absorbing the Ω-shaped features of the upper part of the armchair, and adding backrests and armrests. These changes can be seen in literary works of the time, such as "Leaning on the Hu Bed on the South Bank of the Painted Bridge" in Qin Guan's "Enjoying the Coolness". It can be seen that some Hu beds in the Song Dynasty were not only foldable stools, but also had the function of "leaning". They were already chairs in function, so they were also called school chairs or high chairs.
The legs of the chair in the Song Dynasty were made into a cross shape, with pivot hinges installed at the overlapping parts. Ropes were woven between the crossbars of the seat drawers. After the legs were opened, the backrest tilted backwards to maintain balance. It is light, foldable, and easy to carry, and is suitable for resting after a long journey; but it also has flaws. Since the stress point is at the cross axis of the leg, even if it is usually reinforced here, it is not very strong.
Furniture played an important role in the artistic life of the Song Dynasty. For the literati of the Song Dynasty, owning a satisfactory piece of furniture can make life comfortable: they can be alone in the room, or travel in groups; they can linger in the mountains and rivers, or perch in the pond and pavilion; or they can watch the clouds and relax. Or watch the flowers bloom and fall. These are common scenes in Song Dynasty paintings, so they are regarded as the elegant taste of literati. Among them, the top chair among the seats is often an important "prop". When Su Dongpo passed by Runzhou (today's Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province), local officials and literati hosted a grand banquet to entertain him. When the banquet was over, the singer sang a song from "Tea" written by Su Dongpo's friend Huang Tingjian: "Only a cup of spring grass can relieve the lingering guests." "Spring grass" refers to tea, which means that only this cup of tea understands our mood of staying as a guest. Su Dongpo was humorous by nature. After hearing this, he deliberately joked: "So you are keeping me here just to let me eat grass?" As soon as he said this, everyone burst into laughter. Dongpo was sitting on a high chair, and the singers stood behind him, holding on to the chair and laughing. Dongpo's own weight and the strength of the singers made the chair unbearable and collapsed to the ground. The poet Yang Wanli wrote in "Chengzhai Poetry Talk": "After all the tricks were established on Dongpo, those who stood on Dongpo's bed would laugh and fall, and the bed would break and Dongpo would fall to the ground." It became a favorite story in the literary world.
When a person with high authority travels, someone needs to carry the chair and follow him all the way. When he is tired, he can sit on it to rest. Others are not allowed to sit on it. Over time, the top spot has even become a symbol of power and status, and the common word "top spot" comes from this.
The Grand Master's Chair Starting from Qin Hui
Among the chairs in the Song Dynasty, there was a round head-shaped model with a lotus leaf-shaped holder with a handle inserted into the back of the chair for people to look up and sleep on. This is the so-called "Taishi chair". Judging from the current historical data and images, this kind of complex structure of the chair appeared relatively late. It was once popular in the Southern Song Dynasty as a new style of furniture, especially used by important officials. Zhang Duanyi of Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty recorded in his "Gui'er Ji" volume: "The school chair today is also the Hu bed in ancient times... Because Qin Shiyuan was in a national taboo, he would drop his scarf when he lay down. Wu Yuan, the Yin of Beijing, was flattering Prime Minister, he deliberately made a lotus leaf support with forty handles, so it was named Taishi Model." It can be seen that the name of Taishi Chair comes from Qin Hui, and Taishi Chair has become a special case of Chinese furniture named after official rank. The design and production of the Taishi Chair originated from the needs of official life in the Southern Song Dynasty. The lotus leaves on the back of the chair were mainly used to facilitate sleeping or to prevent the headscarf from falling off. Therefore, it became a common furniture for dignitaries in the Southern Song Dynasty.
The anonymous "Picture of Spring Outing and Returning Late" from the Southern Song Dynasty shows future generations the travel customs of officials at that time. The silk of this painting is of high quality and the picture is complete. Although the figures and horses are not full in size, their beards and eyebrows are fully visible and their postures are vivid. Officials wearing black veils enjoyed the beautiful spring scenery, enjoyed the delicious food in the boxes, and returned happily surrounded by their servants. The servants carried chairs, carried ladles, shouldered burdens, or led horses, cheering in front and behind. The official looked back with a whip on his horse, as if he was still nostalgic for the beautiful scenery, which is reminiscent of the famous poem "Inscribed on Lin'an Residence" by Lin Sheng of the Southern Song Dynasty: "Outside the Qingshan Tower outside the mountain, when will the singing and dancing in the West Lake stop? The warm wind makes the tourists drunk, and they are so excited Hangzhou becomes Bianzhou!”
It is worth noting that the Taishi chair carried by the servant in the picture has a typical lotus leaf headrest. Although adding lotus leaf headrests to the chair solves some problems, it also brings some new problems. For example, the extra headrests will inevitably become a burden when moving, and the comfort of the headrests when supporting the back of the head is not enough. This may be the Song style. One of the reasons why the Taishi chair did not continue. Later, the name of the Taishi Chair changed. The Taishi Chair in the Ming Dynasty refers to an armchair, while the Taishi Chair in the Qing Dynasty mostly refers to armchairs with a steady style and larger size. This has nothing to do with the famous Taishi Chair in the Song Dynasty.
