Art

Taishi armchair

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-09-18 11:21

Introduction

One special armchair among the classic furniture of ancient China, named after an official title, is the Tiashi (the prince’s teacher) Armchair. It emerged during the Northern Song dynasty. There are many ancient records and descriptions about it.

The Taishi Armchair can best demonstrate the characteristics of furniture of the Qing dynasty. It is big and wide, with its back and arms connected together to form a folding screen. The original form of the Taishi Armchair was just like a folding chair. It became a chair with arms in the Qing dynasty and played a very important role in people’s daily lives.

Origin

In the Song Dynasty

The earliest record of Taishi Armchairs can be seen in Zhang Ruiyi’s book. It says that one day, Tiashi Qin Hui rested on a chair, and his head cloth fell onto the ground when he erected his head. His subordinates saw that and asked craftsmen to make a lotus leaf-shaped wooden screen and set it on the chair to support his head. Thus, this kind of armchair came into being. Its function of supporting heads is like the function of headrests in cars and planes.

In the Ming Dynasty

In the Ming Dynasty, the name “Taishi Armchair” was still popular. But the object itself changed a lot. It no longer referred to the folding chair with a screen that can support one’s head; it referred to the round-backed armchair.

In the Qing Dynasty

“Taishi Armchair” in the Qing dynasty referred to neither folding chairs nor round-backed armchairs. It referred to those armchairs that were put in halls or quite formal and elegant places.

Taishi Armchairs from Qianlong’s reign are the most exquisite. They were made of red sandalwood and rosewood, and mounted with china, stone or enamel. They look formal and rigorous. The Taishi Armchair was a symbol of its master’s status and identity then.

In the late Qing dynasty, the manufacture of Taishi Armchair has become more and more complicated. Its forms have become inappropriate and it has become less comfortable. Despite the advancement in modeling techniques, it has declined in terms of furniture’s development pattern.

Extension

The Taishi Armchair used to be a symbol of power and status. It was put in palace and yamen (government offices in feudal China) for officials. Since the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, it has entered common people’s houses. It was very popular due to its exquisite sculpture and elegance. Later, it was even made of beech and became a common seat article.