Finding Chinese Antique Furniture
How are benches different from stools? There can be many different answers to that question. It all boils down to this, a stool is made to seat one individual while a bench can seat, at least, two individuals.
Much more can be said about benches and other furniture of Chinese origin. Appreciation of antique furniture in China, as something other than simply used household goods, is new. Eastern societies, in contrast to many Western cultures, often did not value old or antique furniture. Therefore, old furniture did not get the same kind of protection and care as old furniture may have in other societies. Keep in mind that the Chinese don’t make use of hardwood flooring very much. Inside furniture absorbed moisture via its legs a lot of the time; additionally heating was more sporadic, thus the furnishings were subject to a greater amount of changes in temperature than might have been the circumstances in western locations. Certainly, these observations are real, for all Chinese furnishings, and we talk of them here merely since several of the old benches available out West have evidence of moisture that was absorbed through the legs and have been repaired. Everyone knows that there’s a lot of repairing that Chinese furniture requires.
Most of the old benches available for sale have been refinished. Chinese furniture that’s been refinished still retains its unique history, and the patina or grain design often remains after the process brings it to a nice gloss. Refinishing and repair do not matter to the average person seeking only to have attractive antique furniture at home. Only those who subscribe to the collecting school of “Buy it ratty and leave it alone” will object.
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