Ming 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.
Style: Ming
Color: Black
Fine Black Lacquer Console Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine black lacquer console table with four drawers and pair of doors. Very elegant and fine quality. Beautiful color and simple form. We carry fine quality furniture with elegant fin...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Fine Black Lacquer Console Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine black lacquer console table with four drawers, waterfall legs, brass fitting, elegant and simple form, beautiful lines. We carry fine quality furniture with elegant finished and...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Foo Dogs Chinese Sancai Architectural Roof Tiles
Located in Cheltenham, GB
Foo Dogs Chinese sancai architectural roof tiles in green and mustard / orange shades.
Antique Chinese lion guardians (also known as "Foo Dog") ...
Category
20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Pair of Fine Black Lacquer End Tables with Gilt Motif
Located in Greenwich, CT
Pair of elegant black lacquer square end tables with gilt motif, beautiful form and color, We carry fine quality furniture with elegant finished and has been appeared many times in "...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Fine Black Lacquer Console Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Elegant black lacquer console table with five drawers, brass fitting. Simple form and beautiful color. We carry fine quality furniture with elegant finished and has been appeared man...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Fine Black Lacquer Console Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine black lacquer console table with four drawers, waterfall legs, brass fitting, elegant and simple form, beautiful lines. We carry ...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Vintage Boho Glazed Ceramic Tall Ming Vase
Located in west palm beach, FL
A fabulous vintage Boho Glazed ceramic vase. A classic Ming style in a black high gloss finish. Rests on a wooden plinth. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate.
Category
Late 20th Century American Ming Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Cabinet in Original Black Lacquer, Shanxi Province, 1820-1830
Located in Kastrup, DK
Original black lacquer cabinet with a pair of doors.
The front with a layer of "thick varnish" this is used to attach the thick varnish, first the canvas and after the "varnish pa...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Metal
Black Lacquer Console Table with Drawers
Located in Greenwich, CT
Black lacquer console table with two drawers and hoof feet.
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Pair of Asian Black Lacquered Square Coffee Tables with Gilt Detail
Located in Locust Valley, NY
A gorgeous pair of asian square coffee tables, newly lacquered and refinished with ming and gilt detail!
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Pair of Early 19th Century Chinese 'Lazy Chairs' in Walnut and Black Lacquer
Located in Kastrup, DK
Pair of 'Lazy Chairs' in walnut, black lacquer with a natural cracked wear that gives the chairs an exciting and artistic look.
Ming style, early 19th century China.
The term 'Laz...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Walnut, Lacquer
Antique Ming Period Cizhou Statue of a Guanyin China Chinese Porcelain
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Chinese statue representing Kwan Yin/ Guanyin seated in rajalilasana on a throne, holding a child on her knees, two servants on either side. Cizhou porcelain with cream and brown gla...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Fine Black Lacquer End Tables
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine pair of fine black lacquer end tables with shelves. Very elegant and fine black lacquer end tables, beautiful form and color...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Pair of Fine Black Lacquer End Tables
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine black lacquer end tables. Simple and elegant form. Beautiful color and form. We carry fine quality furniture with elegant finished and has been appeared many times in "Architect...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Fine Black Lacquer Console Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Simple black lacquer console table with waterfall legs, elegant color and lines. We carry fine quality furniture with elegant finished and has been appeared many times in "Architecture Digest...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Abalone, Lacquer
Vintage Cloisonné Chinese Dragon Enamel Bowl
Located in London, GB
A charming Vintage Chinese cloisonné bowl.
This intricately designed bowl was made using traditional methods, and boasts beautiful deta...
Category
1960s Chinese Vintage Ming Furniture
Materials
Metal
Bobyrug’s Wonderful Antique Chinese Pictural Embroidery with Silk and Metal
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Exquisite Early 20th Century Chinese Embroidery
Discover a stunning piece of art from the early 20th century – a Chinese embroidery masterpiece. This work of art features a mythologi...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Metal
17th Century Ming Dynasty Carved Stone Barrel #02 (Pair or Individually)
Located in Chicago, IL
- Sold individually or as a pair -
17th Century Ming Dynasty carved stone barrel, with Foo Dog handles, floral reliefs and bat wing decoration. The Chinese symbol for bat and for go...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Marble
19th Century Antique Chinese Carved Bi Disks, Set of 3
Located in Forney, TX
An exceptional antique trio of hand carved Ming Dynasty Chinese bi disks, dated to the late 19th century, featuring three distinctive circular stones wit...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Stone
Antique Vases in Southern China / Small Vases / 16th to 17th Centuries
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
It is believed that pottery baked in southern China in the early Ming dynasty was imported into Japan.
It is a small size.
The upper part is slightly ...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Pottery
Fine Antique Blue Peking Imperial Dragon Carpet, Circa 1880
Located in Milan, IT
A central, five-clawed dragon (the symbol of both the forces of nature and the Chinese emperor), is surrounded by four other dragons, all floating on an indigo blue background. At bo...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wool
Antique Chinese Ming Dynasty Ceramic Ox Bow Tomb Votive Chair
Located in New York, NY
Antique Chinese green glazed ceramic votive chair.
Ming Dynasty 1368 A.D.–1644 A.D. Originally purchsed from Gracie Gallery, New York City; original label on base.
Provenance: A P...
Category
Early 1600s Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Antique Chinese Art Deco Rug with Ming Dynasty Style
Located in Dallas, TX
77449, antique Chinese Art Deco rug with Ming Dynasty style. This hand knotted wool antique Chinese Art Deco rug features a color-blocked field and border scheme festooned with asymm...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Wool
17th Century Pair of Ming Dynasty Chinese ZiTan Inlaid Silver Cups
Located in Brea, CA
17th century a pair of Ming dynasty Chinese ZiTan inlaid silver cups, the exterior carved in high relief and undercut around the sides and base with Chi dragon, 5 edges with silver l...
Category
Early 17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Pair of Early 19th Century Chinese 'Lazy Chairs' in Walnut and Black Lacquer
Located in Kastrup, DK
Pair of 'Lazy Chairs' in walnut, black lacquer with a natural cracked wear that gives the chairs an exciting and artistic look.
Ming style, early 19th century China.
The term 'Lazy'...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Walnut, Lacquer
Ming Dynasty Celadon Glazed Charger
Located in Stamford, CT
Ming dynasty celadon glazed charger having fluted interior with plain well center.
Category
Mid-17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Ceramic
Chinese Stoneware Funeral Shrine Model and Figure Ming Dynasty
Located in Atlanta, GA
A stoneware shrine model with a figurine made in Ming dynasty (15th-17th century) in China and used as funeral burial objects. It is not known whether the two objects were originally associated, but they display similar glaze and oxidation and were in the same collection. The stoneware building is an architectural rendering of a typical ancestor shrine used at the time. It features a single room behind an elaborate front with double doors, under a multiple layered eaves. There are great architectural and decorative details throughout. The green glaze shows a wonderful silvery oxidation, an indication that the piece was buried in the ground. The side appears to be glazed lightly originally and some scrape marks and oxidized glaze residues remains. The back is unglazed. The figure is a typical tomb figurine...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming 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 Furniture
Materials
Stoneware
Fine Antique Blue Peking Chinese Rug with Scrolling Lotus Flowers
Located in Milan, IT
A very finely woven antique Chinese rug woven in the Imperial workshops of Peking. Distinguished by an elegant pattern of scrolling lotus flowers on an indigo background, this type r...
Category
1890s Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wool
19th Century Chinese Apothecary Balance Scale Stand
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Large Chinese carved wood apothecary balance scale with stand and storage drawer cabinet. It features beautiful carved fretwork on the top and sides...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Brass
18th Century Set of 8 Chinese Silver Lacquer Bowls with Mother of Pearl Inlaid
Located in Brea, CA
A fine set of 8 pieces Chinese lacquered and mother of pearl inlaid bowls with silvered interiors from the 18th century Qing Dynast...
Category
Early 18th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Mid-18th Century Ming Style Chest in Black Lacquer
Located in Kastrup, DK
18 century chest in original black lacquer.
This Ming style chest is constructed of wood with multiple layers of original black and red lacquer, acco...
Category
Mid-18th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Antique Chinese Ming Style Altar Table with Carved Apron and Black Patina
Located in Yonkers, NY
An antique Chinese Ming dynasty style altar console table from the 19th century, with black patina, everted flanges, carved spandrels and sides. Born in China during the 19th century...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Pair of Fine Black Lacquer End Tables
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine black lacquer end tables. Simple and elegant form. Beautiful color and form. We carry fine quality furniture with elegant finished and has been app...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Rare, Ming-Dynasty, Terracotta Figural Procession
Located in Newport Beach, CA
Beautiful and unusual, hand-molded, painted and glazed, eight-person procession of robed attendants both surrounding, and bearing a litter born on poles. The central figures and litt...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Pair of 20th Century Italian Terracotta Fu Dogs
Located in Houston, TX
A fabulous large pair of Italian terracotta Fu dogs. The opposing pair are ornately handmade and hand painted with vibrant jewel tones.
Category
20th Century Italian Ming Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Ming Goatskin Side Table in Brown
By Jimeco ltda
Located in Munich, Bavaria
This Ming side table has its unique look due to the brown white goatskin material. The curved legs as well as the detailed sides show the high level of craftsmanship of this unique p...
Category
20th Century Colombian Ming Furniture
Materials
Goatskin
Impressive Terracotta Funerary Procession - Ming Dynasty, China '1368-1644 AD'
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Impressive Funeral Ensamble of 10 Terracotta Glazed Figures in green and caramel colors depicting a votive procession with a palanquin, his four carriers, a horse, a stableman, two musicians, and an offering carrier.
This ensemble 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).
Burial figurines of graceful dancers, mystical beasts, and everyday objects reveal both how people in early China approached death and how they lived. Since people viewed the afterlife as an extension of worldly life, these figurines, called mingqi, sometimes referred as “spirit utensils” or “vessels of ghosts” disclose details of routine existence and provide insights into belief systems over a thousand-year period.
The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China – then known as the Empire of the Great Ming – for 276 years (1368–1644 AD). Founded by Chu Yuan-chang, the rebel leader that was successful in removing the mongols from the throne. Chinese control was re-asserted in China and eastern Asia. Literature became more important, schools were created, and the justice system was reformed. The Ming dynasty is described by some as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history,” was the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese.
The practice of burying ceramic objects with the deceased went into decline from the 10th to the 14th Century AD. There was a revival in placing miniature representations of glazed terracotta objects such a furniture, food offerings, horses, miniature statues...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Large Chinese Altar Table or Scholars Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A very large and intricately worked Altar Table. The reeded legs with scalloped scrolled tops and openwork carved side panels in geometric motifs and medallions with mythical creatur...
Category
20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Chinese Antique Rose Chairs Pair Armchairs
Located in Somis, CA
The famed Rose chair's legacy began in the Song dynasty when they were wider and shorter. Ming dynasty revolutionized the ancient chairs by elevating and st...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Vintage Porcelain Plaque "Figures Showing Respect to an Elderly Man" Made 1982
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Porcelain plaque in nice wooden frame, with characters and figures showing respect to an elderly man. Made in 1982. Marked with seal mark
Dimension: Plaque 535mm x 310mm.
The p...
Category
20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Orientalist Rug with Floral Motifs in Bone and Blue Tones
Located in New York, NY
This graphic and sophisticated Ming rug was realized in China, circa 1880. Presented against a black background, the circular rug presents sprigs of cherry blossoms resting in a vase...
Category
1880s Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Cotton
Song to Ming Dynasty Cast Iron Daoist Buddhist Head
Located in Dallas, TX
Daoist sage, official, or possibly a Buddhist acolyte.
A large, thick and heavy cast iron statue of a head. Custom vintage carved hardwood stand finishes off this outstanding and de...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Iron
Ming Dynasty Polychrome Lacquer and Gilt Iron Figure of Ananda
Located in Austin, TX
Ananda is portrayed in a typical fashion, as a youthful monk with a shaved head and dressed in simple robes. He stands upon a double lotus pedestal with hands clasped in front of him...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Iron
Antique Red & Black Lacquer Chinese Scholar's Book Chests/Cabinets, Chinoiserie
Located in 10 Chater Road, HK
Covered in rich black & red lacquer, of rectangular form with square corners, the fine scholar’s cabinets with a pair of paneled doors, fitted with oval shaped brass lock plate, open...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Softwood, Lacquer
Large Polychromed Wood GuanYin Head on Stand
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large antique wood polychrome GuanYin head, in Ming style but from the late Qing dynasty period. The fine features of the Bodhisattva has a clear Indo-sin...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Materials
Wood
Ming Dynasty Iron Arrow Game Vase Lamp
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Sophisticated cast iron lamp made from a Ming Dynasty arrow vase. Arrow vases were originally made as part of a game where players tried to shoot arrows through the loops. A similar ...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Furniture
Black Lacquer Console Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Simple black lacquer console table with waterfall legs, elegant color and lines
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Lacquer
Ming furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Ming 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 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 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 furniture, popular names associated with this style include Century Furniture, George Zee, Broyhill, and Baker Furniture Company. 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 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 $690,000 while the average work can sell for $2,941.
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