Ming and Qing Masterpieces: Icons of Antique Chinese Furniture is an impressive overview of the bygone arts of Chinese furniture making. The exhibition traces the development of Chinese furniture craftsmanship and style through over 300 objects, from delicately inlaid chests to immense twelve panel screens. Visitors will discover how the clean lines and unadorned grain-work of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) evolved into the European-influenced, ornately carved forms of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), as China began to open its doors to the West.

 

Arranged by time period and material, the lower floor of the exhibition focuses on Ming and early Qing huanghuali, while the upper floor features pieces made of zitan, a dark, almost purple rosewood that became popular during the Qing dynasty.