Specializes in fine Chinese antique furniture and objets d'art.
CONTES D'ORIENT
Showroom:
G/F, 52 Hollywood Road,
Central, Hong Kong
Tel:(852)2815 9422 Fax:(852)3010 4298
Email: info@contesdorient.com
Warehouse:
Rm. 1207-1210, 12F., Hing Wai Center
7 Tin Wan Praya Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Tel:(852)2554 0200 Fax:(852)2554 7953
Open by Appointment Only.
Please phone (852)2815 9422.
Gallery Oi Ling:
85 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tel:(852)2964 0554
email: info@galleryoiling.com
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Hardwood
Hongmu
A dark brown wood, sometimes known as black wood, hongmu
is one of the most common hardwoods. It was used extensively for furniture
from the mid-Qing dynasty, as supplies of huanghuali began to dwindle.
Hongmu can be difficult to distinguish from huanghuali and can resemble Zitan.
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Huanghuali
A member of the rosewood family, this was the principle
hardwood used for furniture making in the mid-Ming to early Qing dynasties.
It varies in colour from pale honey to dark purple-brown.
In premoderm times this wood was known as huali. The modifier~huang was added
to describe the old huali wood whose surfaces had mellowed to a yellowish
tone due to long exposure to light. |
Jichimu
Jichimu is a hardwood with strongly grained pattern and
lines of purple and yellow. It also has deep brown and gray patterns which,
when cut tangentially, are said to resemble bird feathers.
Old jichimu (laojichimu) was rarely seen after the middle of the Qing dynasty.
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Tielimu
Tielimu literally means "strength of iron wood" and is
the oldest hardwood indigenous to China. The wood resembles Jichimu but is
coarser, more open in grain, and predominantly grayish black.
It also lacks the contrasting colours found in Jichimu. Furniture made of
Tielimu often has a thick quality, with little or no carved decoration. |
Zitan
This member of the rosewood family is considered to be
the most distinguished cabinet wood. It has an extremely fine texture, which
is especially suitable for intricate carving.
A closely grained hardwood varying in colour from reddish-brown to purple
black, Zitan has a deep lustrous surface and often contains "crab claw markings".
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Softwood
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Huamu
Numerous varieties of huamu exist, but this softwood is
now considered extremely rare, and is therefore very expensive. Its fragile
grain means that jointed pieces will tend to split over time.
The light brown, close-grained Jipihua is courser in texture and is found in Hubei, Liaoning and Jilin.
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Jumu
Jumu tends to be strong and is an excellent wood for wood-workers.
Jumu furniture is much valued by collectors and craftsmen because of its
artistic and historical importance.
Southern elm trees are found throughout China, but particularly in Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.
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Nanmu
There are many varieties of nanmu. For example, yangmu is
a large evergreen tree from Yunnan and parts of Sichuan province, while zinanmu
("golden-grain") is found in Zhenjiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and parts of southern
Jiangsu.
It
is a pleasant softwood, notable for being generally knotty in the grain.
It seldom expands or contracts very much and was considered one of the best
softwoods for Ming and early Qing furniture, especially in cabinets and bookcases.
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