Ming vs. Ming Style

Original Ming furniture is very hard to come by and can be very expensive. We are fortunate to have found a pair of small "country" Ming cabinets at relatively reasonable prices. Be aware, however, of the difference between Ming and Ming Style items. Just like with early American furniture, newer furniture makers took artistic license to modify the look of items and frequently exaggerated certain features. Shown here are three examples of cabinets. One is original Ming, one is Ming Style from the early 1800's, and the last is Ming Style from late 1800's. These cabinets show, perhaps not too well in the pictures, how the tapered sides became more pronounced over time. This is neither good nor bad, but shows how a beautiful classic style can be adapted. In fact, the accentuated taper of the large, late 1800 cabinet is well done because it keeps the entire piece in pleasing scale. If you are interested in seeing other pictures of these pieces just let me know. Tom