The Decorative Arts of the China Trade: Paintings Furnishings and Exotic Curiosities

About this book

From the late 1700s an increasing number of British American and continental European sailing ships brought back ship loads of exotic objects which found a ready market in America and Europe. The insatiable interest in the Orient resulted in a large range of painters depicting everyday life in China as well as portraits of both Chinese and Westerners. Among other objects brought back were furniture silver silk embroideries lacquerware clay figures fans and wallpaper. New research has resulted in a detailed study in which wrong attributions are corrected and in some areas such as furniture our knowledge revolutionised. This is a fascinating account of Chinese artists and craftsmen and their techniques and of the way of life encountered by Westerners in this most mysterious of trading countries. An admirable introduction which is both detailed and scholarly - World of Interiors