Chinese Furniture is a survey of 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.The renewed interest in antique furniture has sparked a wave of forgeries.Thousands of factories in southern China are churning out brand new or refurbished items and passing them off as antiques.

Of all the great art forms to evolve in China, furniture craftsmanship was perhaps the least appreciated and the last to be collected.Today, 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.Carpenters from this era were artisans, elevating furniture from the functional to the philosophical.By artfully incorporating wood grain patterns,experimenting with spatial dimensions and innovating new forms of joinery, simple tables and chairs came to represent something higher: the harmony and union between man and nature. Chinese Furniture is a survey of 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.The renewed interest in antique furniture has sparked a wave of forgeries.Thousands of factories in southern China are churning out brand new or refurbished items and passing them off as antiques.With its historical overview and regional sweep, this book highlights the diversity of antique Chinese furniture and serves as an indispensable guide to collectors, new and old.

Chinese Furniture:A Renaissance

Evolving Styles

Classifying Chinese Furniture

 Style 32

 Wood 32

 Types of Wood 34

 Rarity and Age 37

 Carving, Workmanship and Symbolism 41

 Decoration in Chinese Furniture 42

 Joints 47

Chairs

 Yoke-back Armchairs 52

 Southern OFficial's Hat Armchairs 54

 Lamphanger Chairs 60

 Rose Chairs 61

 Horseshoe-back Armchairs 63

 Folding Armchairs 67

 Qing-style Armchairs 70

 Western-influenced Chairs 71

Stools and Benches

Tables and Desks

 Recessed-leg PaintingTables 90

 Side orWineTables 93

 Flush-sided Corner LegTables 95

 Waisted Corner LegTables 96

 Altar Tables 96

 Square Tables 98

 Kang Tables 99

 HighTeaTables and Stands 102

 Pedestal Tables 103

 Coffer Tables 104

 Round Tables 106

 Qin Tables 108

 Gaming Tables 108

 Desks 109

Beds

 Day Beds 113

 Couch Beds 114

 Canopy and Alcove Beds 116

Cabinets and Bookshelves

 Square-corner Cabinets 122_

 Compound Cabinets 129

 Sloping-stile Cabinets 130

 Bookshelves 134

 Display Cabinets 136

 Lacquer Furniture 138

Doors and Screens

Household Accessories

 Candlestick Stands and Lanterns 15 I

 Braziers 155

 Shrines 155

 Garment Racks and Washstands 156

 iVlirror Stands 158

 Clothing Chests 158

 Tiered Boxes and Tea Containers 158

 Document Boxes 160

 StationeryTrays and Gaming Boards 164

 Brush Pots and Scroll Pots 164

 Display Stands 166

 Toggles and Figurines 166

 Miscellaneous Items 167

Classical Versus Vernacular

Regional Differences

 Suzhou Style or Jiangsu Style 188

 Canton Style 190

 Zhejiang Style 19 I

 Shanghai Art Deco 194

  Northern Styles 197

Shanxi Style 199

 Fujian Style 202

To Strip or Not to Strip

May the Buyer Beware!

 The Meaning of"Styles" 216

 What to Buy 216

 Pitfalls of Collecting 217

 Buying before Restoration 217

 The Quality of Restoration 218

 The Joints 218

 Wear and Tear 218

 Price Watch 218

 Credible Dealers 218

 Conclusion 219

Guide to Dealers

Bibliography

Acknowledgments