This Antique Ming style bench is made of a very rare Chinese exotic hardwood called Zha-Zheng wood which is much rarer than Hong Mu types. It likely came from the Nan-Tong area in Zhejiang province as more research in the recent years have lead to a published book with more examples of the early style furniture pieces made of this wood from the area. It is a very dense wood with a dark greyish hue with some very large stripes of lighter color in beige color. I wrote years ago that this wood, when polished by hand without added finish, is very smooth and shines like a rock in the dark which mostly described its striking beauty and density. Raw Zha-Zheng wood particularly carries a green hue, while matured wood or old furniture piece made of this wood tends to turn to a warmer grey and no longer has the green hue. Old furniture pieces made of this wood were treasured and prized by bigger furniture store owners in the Shanghai area because of the same geographical location. Furniture pieces made of Zha-Zheng wood found during the early time also tend to be made in the traditional Ming furniture styles while commonly made in the early to mid Qing period. This might have suggested that fewer examples of furniture pieces made with this wood were created with new styles during the period. And certainly ones that were created in the Ming period should be prized like any other furniture pieces made during Ming Dynasty as they are rare.

The thick single-plank top of this bench has almost turned into white from its unknown journey through time, but one can still see from the side of the plank with its color and grain slightly more intact that the top is likley also made of the same wood. While on the legs and the spandrels, some spandrels repalced, its structure shows more of the original character and color of the wood.

Dimensions: 87" L x 9 1/8" W x 20 1/4" H

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