內容簡介
The international market for antique Chinese furniture is booming, and masterpieces from the Ming and Qing dynasties are now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Chinese Furniture is a survey of these collectibles—from the very best hardwood pieces featured to standard softwood specimens still available on the Asian market. The book presents an overview of carving styles, wood types, regional variations, class distinctions and restoration techniques.
With this renewed interest in antique furniture, a forgery market has emerged. Thousands of factories in southern China are churning out brand new or refurbished furniture and passing them off as antiques. Chinese Furniture unearths these forgeries and serves as an indispensable reference guide to collectors.
作者簡介
Karen Mazurkewich is an Asian Wall Street Journal reporter who has covered Asian culture and the retail scene for three years from her base in Hong Kong. Mazurkewich has investigated art forgery, interviewed countless collectors, grilled innovative businessmen and queried tradesmen—all in a quest to better understand antiques and manufacturing in Asia.
目錄
Chinese Furniture:A Renaissance
Evolving Styles
Classifying Chinese Furniture
Style
Wood
Types of Wood
Rarity and Age
Carving, Workmanship and Symbolism
Decoration in Chinese Furniture
Joints
Chairs
Yoke-back Armchairs
Southern Official's Hat Armchairs
Lamphanger Chairs
Rose Chairs
Horseshoe-back Armchairs
Folding Armchairs
Qing-style Armchairs
Western-influenced Chairs
Stools and Benches
Tables and Desks
Recessed-leg PaintingTables
Side or WineTables
Flush-sided Corner LegTables
Waisted Corner LegTables
AltarTables
Square Tables
Kang Tables
High TeaTables and Stands
Pedestal Tables
Coffer Tables
Round Tables
Qin Tables
Gaming Tables
Desks
Beds
Day Beds
Couch Beds
Canopy and Alcove Beds
Cabinets and Bookshelves
Square-corner Cabinets
Compound Cabinets
Sloping-stile Cabinets
Bookshelves
Display Cabinets
Lacquer Furniture
Doors and Screens
Household Accessories
Candlestick Stands and Lanterns
Braziers
Shrines
Garment Racks and Washstands
Mirror Stands
Clothing Chests
Tiered Boxes and Tea Containers
Document Boxes
StationeryTrays and Gaming Boards
Brush Pots and Scroll Pots
Display Stands
Toggles and Figurines
Miscellaneous Items
Classical Versus Vernacular
Regional Differences
Suzhou Style or Jiangsu Style
Canton Style
Zhejiang Style
Shanghai Art Deco
Northern Styles
Shanxi Style
Fujian Style
To Strip or Not to Strip
May the Buyer Beware!
The Meaning of"Styles
What to Buy 216
Pitfalls of Collecting
Buyingbefore Restoration
The Quality of Restoration
The Joints
Wear and Tear
Price Watch
Credible Dealers
Conclusion
Guide to Dealers
Bibliography
Acknowledgments