Research And Practice On Identification Methods Of Historical Chinese Wood Furniture (Methods Of Differentiating Authentic Historical Chinese Wood Furniture From Counterfeits)

On the basis of putting forward basic principles of identification of historical furniture and carrying out investigation reports on historical furniture market, the thesis outlines the use of examination of whole characteristics, surface characteristics and wood characteristics of historical Chinese furniture to identify new furniture masquerading as old.The main research contents are as follows:(1) From the theoretical aspect, the thesis clarifies the concept of identification of historical wood furniture, brings forward the principles and characteristics of identification of historical wood furniture, and explores the basic steps to identify genuine historical wood furniture.(2) The analysis of the sampling results of marketing research shows that while the accuracy of sharp and decorative patterns of historical Chinese wood furniture is high, it is still a serious problem that much newly-made-furniture was made to appear to be old with masquerading wood.(3) When identifying a piece of furniture from its whole characteristics, the thesis focuses on integrity and consistency, to see if the information the furniture is carrying is the same as it should be.(4) When identifying a piece of furniture from its surface characteristics, the thesis not only points out how the counterfeit furniture is faked, but also uses pictures to illustrate examples of relevant cases and how to recognize them by identification of decorative patterns, mechanical marks, and traces of use.(5) The thesis summarizes knowledge of common woods utilised in historical furniture, classifies the local names, Chinese names, used names, Latin names and trade names of those woods, and also points out the specific names of commonly used fake wood. It concludes with a description of an effective way to identify traditional furniture by its wood drying shrinkage property.(6) After extensive practice and an intensive internship, the writer has been involved in working with many examples of historical Chinese wood furniture, experience that provides a solid grounding for the conclusions of this thesis.This study could guide historical furniture activities such as artistic appreciating, collecting, academic research and academic exchange on the one hand; one the other hand, it provides a professional identification method and will guide the historical furniture market into a virtuous circle.