How to buy Chinese Furniture
Article by Chinese Furniture
Chinese antique chair Qing Dynasty 250 year\\'s old 0 Ancient vase 300 years old 0?
Do these people really think they can sell such items on E Bay or from their business with any sort of legitimacy? Absolutely! And they do time and time again. I guess the people paying ,000 USD for the 300 year old vase at an auction in New York have been living under a tree and are not aware of E Bay.
Unfortunately the consumer is getting ripped of every time they purchase an item from these people. 250 years old maybe 300? Maybe it was made last week, in a little factory out of old wood? Hmm oh, but why would they lie to me?
One of my goals is to educate the customer on what is antique and what isn\\'t. Yes even industry experts get fooled by the world\\'s best craftsmen, but I can assure you that you will not be buying any legitimate antiques from the Ming dynasty for less than the price of a Porsche.
The Chinese government also forbids the exportation of antiques and associated items over 250 years old, that is not to say that none have ever left the country, but the chances of you buying them from E Bay or a quaint little shop is extremely rare.
Often a retailer will provide a certificate of authenticity or age, but unfortunately these are often not worth the cost of the paper they are written on. Unless the certificate is written by an industry expert or someone of relevance, it is just another piece of advertising designed to entice the unsuspecting customer.
With that little piece of knowledge we can then sift through a lot of the rubbish that is on the market today. Most pieces that are sold are well under 150 years old, which is still an antique in my eyes.
If you are buying from a dealer ask them as many questions as possible to help determine how genuine the piece is.
Did they source the furniture direct from China or from a wholesaler locally?
Do they travel to China themselves?
What type of timber is the piece made from? The type of timber ! will oft en dictate the value of a piece combined with its age.
Do they know what province the piece came from?
Does the piece smell of fresh paint and or lacquer?
Are the painted pieces fresh and distinct or faded and smooth?
Are there wear marks on the drawer runners?
Are the dovetail joints small and universal in shape? They should be large and chunky if they are hand-made.
A very old antique lacquered cabinet will often show cracks running through the lacquer, this type of ageing extremely difficult to reproduce and is often a good indication of age.
Unfortunately there are also a lot of companies that are also deceiving the unsuspecting retailers of the world, which unknowingly pass the incorrect information onto the public. They manufacture \\"antiques\\" from old lamp posts and the like so the timber is old, but the construction is new. This type of furniture is hard to detect from the genuine antiques, but asking the right questions and looking at some of the details discussed above should help.
Another indicator though not often realized until your treasured piece is at home is the movement of the furniture. Chinese furniture is designed to move with the seasons, however excess cracking and continual movement is often an indication of young timber that has not yet dried properly.
All of the above should be taken into consideration when deciding to purchase a genuine Chinese antique. This will hopefully be a basic guide for those of you who wish to purchase genuine Chinese antiques.
Chinese Antique Furniture Video #7 Symbols - Animals and Chinese Characters
BK0278Y-Chinese Red Lacquered Box with Latch, Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chines
- Vintage
- China
- Red
- 16.5" wide x 10.75" deep x 10.75" high
Lonely Planet China (Country Travel Guide)
"Antique yet up-to-the-minute, familiar yet unrecognizable, outwardly urban but quintessentially rural, conservative yet path-breaking… China is a land of mesmerizing and eye-opening contradictions." – Damian Harper, Lonely Planet WriterOur Promise
You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, and you can rely on us to tell it like we see it.
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Yixing Pottery: The World of Chinese Tea Culture (Arts of China)
Yixing ware elevates something as simple as a teapot or cup into a work of art accessible to all collectors. Its history is rich and vigorous, offering something for just about everyone interested in pottery, tea, or Chinese culture.
The Dynasties of China: A History
Yuan Mei: Eighteenth Century Chinese Poet (China: History, Philosophy, Economics)
First published in 1956. Arthur Waley here presents an engrossing account of the works and life of Yuan Mei (1716-1797), the best-known poet of his time. Gaiety is the keynote of his works and the poet was a friend of the Manchu official with whom Commodore Anson had dramatic dealings at Canton in 1743. Yuan Mei gives an account (not previously translated) of Anson's interview with the Manchu authorities. The book contains many translations of Yuan Mei's verse and prose.Fascinating Stage Arts (Culture of China) (Chinese Edition)
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The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century (Asian Security Studies)
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This is an essential book for all students of Chinese military and security affairs, and highly recommended for students of Chinese Politics, Asian Security, and International Relations and Strategic Studies, in general.
Art in China (Oxford History of Art)
About the Oxford History of Art Series:"An impressively challenging and ambitious series intended to rewrite no less than the whole history of art in terms of new ideas and new scholarship."--Christopher White, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
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The last twenty years have witnessed profound changes in art history, the greatest of which stem from the social and cultural perspectives now attached to art scholarship. Written by scholars at the forefront of new thinking, many of whom are rising stars in their fields, theOxford History of Art series offers substantial and innovative texts that clarify, illuminate, and debate the critical issues at the heart of art history today. Providing a fresh new look at art that moves away from traditional elitist approaches, the series makes use of new research and methodologies, as well as newly accessible and non-canonical works to offer comprehensive coverage of the art world from archaic and classical Greek art to twentieth-century design and photography, from the artistry of African-American and Native North Americans to the masterpieces of Europe, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Lavishly illustrated and superbly designed, the Oxford History of Art brings new substance and verve to the exciting and ubiquitous world of art.
China boasts a history of art spanning 5,000 years and embracing a wide diversity of images and objects--from jade tablets, painted silk handscrolls and fans to ink and lacquer painting, porcelain-ware, sculpture, and calligraphy. But this rich tradition has not, until now, been fully appreciated in the West where scholars have focused their attention on sculpture, while largely ignoring those art forms most highly prized by the Chinese themselves, such as calligraphy. Now, in Art in China, Craig Clunas marks a breakt! hrough i n the study of the subject. Taking into account all the arts practiced in China, and drawing on recent innovative scholarship, this rich text examines the production and consumption of art in its appropriate contexts. From art found in tombs to the state-controlled art of the Mao Zedong era, Art in China offers a novel look and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Chinese art.
Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art
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In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix
The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.List Price: $ 0.99 Price: $ 0.99BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint
- Vintage
- China
- Red / Gold
- 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese painted fancy food basket with carved images of bats of happiness and deer on lid and other Chinese symbols on the bottom rim. Reed handles and red lacquered finish.Price:Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set
- Great starter set
- 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
- Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
- Size: 8.5" x 6"
- Made in China
Chinese character writing is a highly evolved discipline that relies as much on artistic craftsmanship, as it does on literary composition. Our basic writing set comes with two brushes, a black ink stick, ink stone and red ink for the "chop" or signature stamp. The ink is made by gently rubbing the ink stick in a small pool of water in the ink stone. This ancient method allows for very little waste. The same bushes and inks may be used both for writing and painting, as the two art forms are so closely linked. Our writing set comes from Shanghai, the literary capital of China. Also available on Amazon from REORIENT, is the traditional rice paper used for painting and writing.List Price: $ 14.94 Price: $ 14.94
In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix
The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.
BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint
- Vintage
- China
- Red / Gold
- 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set
- Great starter set
- 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
- Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
- Size: 8.5" x 6"
- Made in China
Treasury of Chinese Folk Tales: Beloved Myths and Legends from the Middle Kingdom (No Series)
More than just a storybook, Treasury of Chinese Folk Tales also explores the historical impact and roots of each tale, inviting you and the children you love to fully enjoy the many layers of meaning contained within them. The included pronunciation guide as well as information for further reading makes this a perfect tool for educators, librarians and parents.
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