The decorative arts of the China trade: paintings, furnishings and exotic curiosities

Abstract

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

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