Ming Asian Art and Furniture
MING STYLE
In what’s considered a golden age of Chinese furniture, Ming dynasty artisans produced expertly made designs that married elegance and function. Ming furniture was versatile, such as tables that doubled as writing desks and dining spaces. But it was also beautiful, enhancing a room with clean lines, soft curves and sophisticated decoration.
Dating from 1368 to 1644, the Ming dynasty was a vibrant time for international trade and culture. Especially for scholars and the wealthy, there was an emphasis on a home’s design to promote a good life. From large wardrobes to angular sofas, Ming-style furniture was defined by its joinery, which, instead of nails, involved meticulously designed interlocking elements of wood. This material was carefully selected and positioned to make the grain part of the design. The slow-growing huanghuali, a yellowish rosewood, was particularly valued for its bright color.
Although ornamentation was minimal, Ming dynasty furniture often featured carved or painted details of flowers, insects, dragons, fruits and other motifs. Chairs crafted for scholars could include calligraphic brush writing. As overseas trade expanded, techniques from the West, like cloisonné enamel painting, adorned table screens and other pieces.
Ming furniture influenced styles abroad such as Queen Anne in England and Hollywood Regency in the United States. The curved shape of Ming armchairs had a profound impact on legendary Scandinavian modernist furniture designer Hans Wegner. The Danish cabinetmaker shared the Ming artisans’ interest in creating streamlined, functional furnishings, and his China chair, Round chair and Wishbone chair are inspired by Ming dynasty seating. Today, the Ming-style horseshoe chair is a graceful and sought-after type of seat, and contemporary Chinese designers such as Jerry Chen and Gan Erke are also drawing on this heritage for a new era of style.
Find a collection of Ming cabinets, decorative objects, lounge chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
to
130
225
154
448
2
2
482
420
224
186
148
77
56
48
29
26
22
19
14
14
12
12
11
5
285
65
98
4
40
14
7
5
6
1
2
239
161
134
44
34
445
405
371
28
24
452
451
452
1
1
Style: Ming
18th Century Ming Scroll Console Table
Located in San Marino, CA
A Ming period single piece elm top scroll end altar table. Originally from Shanxi, China.
Category
18th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Elm
Antique Meiji Period 19 / 20C Japanese Porcelain Swan/Geese Charger Arita
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Haring with you this very nice piece with what seems to be 2 flying swans. They could also be Geese.
Unmarked at base.
Condition
Perfect, just some frits to base rim. Size: 37...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$2,173 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese Wanli / Tianqi Kosometsuke Plate 1600-1644 Porcelain Ming Monk
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Lovely plate great scene of a monk
Marked at base.
Condition
1 line to rim and some rimfritting/mushikui. 2 firing flaws in base, 1 next to rim and 1 in circle. Size: 188 x 23...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$2,835 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese 17th Century Porcelain Ming/Transitional Plate Boys with Bird
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate.
A late Ming Ko-Sometsuke porcelain dish, Wanli or Tianqi period, 1600-1627.
This Kaiseki blue and white porcelain serving dish is decorated with two ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$3,119 Sale Price
20% Off
Annamese Stoneware Miniature Vase and Jar, Hoi An Hoard, Late 15th C, Le Dynasty
Located in seoul, KR
These ceramics feature finely detailed depictions of birds and cloud motifs using underglaze blue, showcasing an elegant and refined design. The vase portrays a bird in mid-flight, w...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Vietnamese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
$995 Sale Price / set
50% Off
Antique Chinese 17th Century Kosometsuke Tianqi/Chongzhen Dish Porcelain Playing
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate. Late Ming. Boys playing
For similar examples of this listing see:
S. Marchant & Son (2008). Ming Porcelain for the Japanese Market: ko-sometsuke ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$1,701 Sale Price
20% Off
16th Century Stone Pillar, Sianxi, China
Located in New York, NY
A carved stone pillar from Shanxi, China, circa 1560.
Mounted on a heptagonal wood base.
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stone
$5,281 Sale Price
35% Off
Antique Decorated Brown-Glazed Mataban Vase/Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Brown-Glazed Mataban Jar Vase
This large antique Chinese urn has six small figural handles made of beasts and multiple dragons carv...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Blue & White Pale Celadon Dishes, Pair
Located in Astoria, NY
Pair of Chinese Blue and White Pale Celadon Porcelain Dishes, Ming Dynasty, 17th century, each with molded foliate design and cobalt blue geometric design to center. Each approx.: 1....
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$1,800 / set
17th Century Ming Dynasty Carved Stone Barrel #01
Located in Chicago, IL
17th Century Ming Dynasty carved marble garden seat with Foo Dog handles, floral reliefs and bat wing decoration.
The Chinese symbol for bat and fo...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Marble
17th Century Pair of Painted Terra Cotta Chinese Gentlemen on Horses
Located in WEST PALM BEACH, FL
This is a unique pair of painted Chinese terra cotta gentlemen in native costumes on horseback, purported to be Ming.
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Clay
Antique Chinese Taste Kosometsuke Tianqi/Chongzhen Dish Porcelain Go players
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate. Late Ming. Go players in a mountain landscape under a palm tree and next to a pavillion. Dish on high foot.
For similar examples of this listing see...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
$1,701 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese Ming Form Painting Table, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
This Qing-dynasty painting table from Hunan province is a beautiful example of the elegance of Chinese furniture design. With its broad surface ideal for contemplating scrolls and pa...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Elm
Chinese Ming Dynasty Tomb Funeral Pottery Bed Model
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Chinese stoneware day bed model circa Ming dynasty (15th-17th century). The miniature models were traditionally made as burial offering objects. Pottery models of daily life necess...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Miniature Mingqi Skirted Table
Located in Chicago, IL
This miniature ceramic table is from Shanxi Province and may have been made to represent Mingqi, a type of ancient Chinese burial good. Mingqi were plac...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Chinese Stone Tabletop Altar, c. 1600
Located in Chicago, IL
This tabletop altar with scrolled edges, a scalloped apron, and turned legs from China's Shanxi province is a rare find. We conservatively estimate it to be late Ming dynasty (circa ...
Category
Early 17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Limestone
Pair of Small White porcelain Cup, Late Ming Era(16-17th Century)
Located in seoul, KR
Teacup from the late Ming dynasty shipwreck. An identical piece is included on page 141 of the Bin Thuan catalog titled Asian Ceramic Found along Maritime Si...
Category
17th Century Vietnamese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Porcelain
Black glazed bottle, Late Ming Era(16-17th century)
Located in seoul, KR
Black glazed bottle from the late Ming dynasty binh thuan cargo. An identical piece is included on page 146 of the Bin Thuan catalog titled 'The Age of Disco...
Category
16th Century Vietnamese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Pottery
$792 Sale Price
20% Off
Qingbai ewer with slip decoration of two phoenix and lotus leaves, Yuan Dynasty
Located in seoul, KR
This small ewer is an exquisite example of Qingbai ware, known for its pale blue-tinged glaze. The vessel showcases the advanced ceramic techniques and artistic sophistication of the...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Hong Kong Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Porcelain
$2,950 Sale Price
50% Off
Bronze Figure of a Seated Luohan, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644
Located in Torino, IT
Cast seated wearing a simple robe with his right hand resting on the hilt of a snake-entwined sword, the left hand held aloft, his face with meditative expre...
Category
Early 1600s Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Ming Dynasty Two Green Glazed Horses and Riders (15-16th Century)
Located in seoul, KR
Statues of Chinese horse riders, featuring glazes in green, are set on rectangular bases.
Period: Ming Dynasty
Medium: Green-glazed Pottery
Typ...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Hong Kong Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Pottery
Chinese Ming Dynasty Tomb Funeral Pottery Bed Model
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Chinese stoneware day bed model circa Ming dynasty (15th-17th century). The miniature models were traditionally made as burial offering objects. Pottery models of daily life necess...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Ceramic Glazed Guardian Ming Dynasty
Located in Atlanta, GA
A stoneware figure depicting a seated armored warrior with a striking pose circa 15th-17th century. He is likely one of the four heavenly kings, th...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
Pair of Chinese Ming Dynasty Tomb Funeral Pottery Chair Models
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of Chinese stoneware horseshoe cross chairs circa Ming dynasty (15th-17th century). The miniature models were traditionally made as burial offeri...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
A Pair of Chinese Ming Period Patinated Bronze Enameled Elephant Vases/Censors
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of Chinese Ming Period Patinated Bronze Enameled Elephant Vases/Censors. The elephant has a Buddhistic caparisoned dress with pearl harness, tassels, and high-relief dragon p...
Category
1640s Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Bronze
18th Century Black Lacquer Painting Table
Located in Santa Monica, CA
This painting table from Shanxi retains most of its original black lacquer finish. The table top is of standard mitered frame construction with a floating panel. Both ends of the t...
Category
18th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
$2,800 Sale Price
30% Off
Paintings By The Poet Yan Zhen RARE 3-Volume Set 2008
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Yan Zhen born 1930 is a Chinese poet, painter, and calligrapher, best known in China for his writing. Yan has published over 30 works of literature, including poetry, prose, and fict...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Paper
Set of Four Ming Musicians, 'Men'
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Ming musicians (men) 7.75h
A set of glazed musicians with drums and trumpets.
The base of the sculpture is 2 inches by 2.25 inches - the stand measures 3 inches by 3 inches.
Whi...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Pottery
$700 Sale Price / set
43% Off
Ming Dynasty Chinese Countryside Villa - TL Tested
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Extremely rare Chinese model of a countryside villa for the royal courtiers and ministries of the Ming Dynasty -1368-1644 AD- showing three guest houses and one main entry. The villa is surrounded by a cuadrangular wall painted with bucolic scenes of garden, mountains, and bamboo forests. The roof tiles are glazed in green enamel with yellow finials – as the ones in the forbidden city – typical from the Ming epoch. Truly a museum piece. The doors swivel and are painted in ochre. State of preservation: impeccable mint condition with original paintings, all of the original parts are complete, except for one house which is missing part of the plinth (broken during transport). Each part has been tested for authenticity, consisting of eight separate TL tests...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Chinese Blue & White Swatow Ware Bowl, 17th C.
Located in Astoria, NY
Chinese Blue and White Swatow Ware Bowl, Ming Dynasty, 17th century, with hand-painted floral central medallion and geometric border. 2.75" H x 12.25" Diameter. Provenance: From an U...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Ming Dynasty Very Rare Wooden Bust of Lohan
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Very serene depiction of a Lohan carved in wood, eroded with the pass of time. Lohan is the Chinese term, derived from the Sanskrit word Arhan, for a disciple or follower of Buddha w...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Ming Dynasty Celestial Deity Head Carved in Stone - China '1368-1644 AD'
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Wonderful celestial deity head with a jovial expression in stone with a finely engraved cap. It is mounted on a custom lucite base.
This piece is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, and Certificate of Expertise by Jean-Yves Nathan - Specialist in Asian Arts for the CEDEA (The European Confederation of Art Experts).
The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China – then known as the Empire of the Great Ming...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Asian Art and Furniture
Materials
Stone
Ming asian art and furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Ming asian art and furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage asian art and furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include asian art and furniture, tables, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, ceramic and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Ming asian art and furniture made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and China pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original asian art and furniture, popular names associated with this style include and Gracie. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for asian art and furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $195 and tops out at $137,256 while the average work can sell for $3,038.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Japanese Painted Silk Scroll
Japanese Plant Stand
Japanese Screen Kano School
Kano School Screen
Lacquer Six Panel Screen
Large Buddha Head
Ming Marble
Japanese Rabbit
Japanese Silk Paintings Of Birds
Japanese Water Basin
Japanese Four Seasons
Japanese Turtle
Japan Bell
Japanese Screen Kimono
Japanese Screens Pines
Japanese Stone Garden Lantern
Meiji Samurai
Large Japanese Lantern