Traditional Chinese Toggles

Traditional Chinese Toggles
Author: Margaret Duda
Publisher: Editions Didier Millet
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2011
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9814260614

This volume is a much-needed reference guide to the historical and cultural significance of Chinese toggles or zhuizi - carved pieces of jade, ivory, bone, wood, shell and semi-precious stones used by the Chinese in ancient times as counterweights to secure personal effects like tobacco pipes and money pouches to their belts. Over time, toggles became treasured objects of identity and expression, believed to bring the bearer good luck, happiness, fertility, longevity and health. The book explains how toggles were used in daily and ceremonial life, and interprets the designs that are fundamental to understanding these artefacts. Accompanied by stunning photography and detailed descriptions, Traditional Chinese Toggles: Counterweights and Charms will be the definitive illustrative guide to this little-known Chinese art form.

Chinese Art

Chinese Art
Author: Patricia Bjaaland Welch
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2013-02-19
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1462906893

With over 630 striking color photos and illustrations, this Chinese art guide focuses on the rich tapestry of symbolism which makes up the basis of traditional Chinese art. Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery includes detailed commentary and historical background information for the images that continuously reappear in the arts of China, including specific plants and animals, religious beings, mortals and inanimate objects. The book thoroughly illuminates the origins, common usages and diverse applications of popular Chinese symbols in a tone that is both engaging and authoritative. Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery is an essential reference for collectors, museum-goers, guides, students and anyone else with a serious interest in the culture and history of China.

Chinese Ideas About Nature and Society

Chinese Ideas About Nature and Society
Author: Charles Le Blanc
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 1987-05-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 962209189X

The universe, in Chinese eyes, is a harmonious organism; its pattern of movement is inherent and not imposed from without; and the world of man, being a part of the universe, follows a similar pattern. (Derk Bodde, Harmony and Conflict in Chinese Philosophy). The main theme that pervades this Festschrift, written by fellow-scholars and students of Bodde for his seventy-fifth birthday, is that of the proper ordering of the universe as it obtains in the Chinese tradition.

Chinese Furniture

Chinese Furniture
Author: Karen Mazurkewich
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2024-05-14
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 1462906923

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. This antique furniture book presents an overview of carving styles, wood types, regional variations, class distinctions and restoration techniques. It includes detailed chapters on various types of wooden furniture cover chairs, stools and benches, tables and desks, beds, cabinets and bookshelves, doors and screens and household accessories. 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 Chinese antiques. Chinese Furniture unearths these forgeries and serves as an indispensable reference guide for collectors of antique wood furniture.

Chinese-Islamic Works of Art, 1644–1912

Chinese-Islamic Works of Art, 1644–1912
Author: Emily Byrne Curtis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2019-11-27
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1000752798

Chinese-Islamic studies have concentrated thus far on the arts of earlier periods with less attention paid to works from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). This book focuses on works of Chinese-Islamic art from the late seventeenth century to the present day and bring to the reader’s attention several new areas for consideration. The book examines glass wares which were probably made for a local Chinese-Muslim clientele, illustrating a fascinating mixture of traditional Chinese and Muslim craft traditions. While the inscriptions on them can be related directly to the mosque lamps of the Arab world, their form and style of decoration is characteristically that of Han Chinese. Several contemporary Chinese Muslim artists have succeeded in developing a unique fusion of calligraphic styles from both cultures. Other works examined include enamels, porcelains, and interior painted snuff bottles, with emphasis on either those with Arabic inscriptions, or on works by Chinese Muslim artists. The book includes a chapter written by Dr. Shelly Xue and an addendum written by Dr. Riccardo Joppert. This book will appeal to scholars working in art history, religious studies, Chinese studies, Chinese history, religious history, and material culture.

Chinese Popular Prints

Chinese Popular Prints
Author: John Lust
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2021-12-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004490906

Chinese Popular Prints ventures into the world of Chinese blockprint illustration that had its assured niche in the rich history of Chinese popular culture from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. These prints were not considered high art in China, but were produced for the urban and rural populations. The book deals with all aspects of the Chinese popular print. In the first two chapters its invention, origins, powerful traditions and its history are described. Classical art and the Ming illustrated book were important impetuses. Three major centres of north and central China emerged. Finally the popular print took on something of the roles of the modern cinema or television. In the following four chapters the main themes are: the printmakers and printshops; society, symbolism and visual pun; categories of popular prints and their display; technical terms. A description of the workshops and their techniques, figure drawing and colouring, gives a good insight in the technical side of the print. A varied popular culture and a certain realism are strands in it, as are spirit protection of the house, recalls of the past, hopes for the future, the hold of the theatre, etc. Two elaborate appendices provide much detailed information about persons, symbols, as well as about some images in the lore of the print. A special section of 28 illustrations (8 full colour) demonstrates the potentialities of the Chinese blockprint illustration.

Dictionary of Chinese Symbols

Dictionary of Chinese Symbols
Author: Wolfram Eberhard
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2006-12-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134988656

This unique and authoritative guide describes more than 400 important Chinese symbols, explaining their esoteric meanings and connections. Their use and development in Chinese literature and in Chinese customs and attitudes to life are traced lucidly and precisely. `An ideal reference book to help one learn and explore further, while simultaneously giving greater insight into many other aspects of Chinese life ... the most authoritative guide to Chinese symbolism available to the general reader today ... a well-researched, informative and entertaining guide to the treasure trove of Chinese symbols.' - South China Morning Post

The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography

The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 420
Release: 1999
Genre: Art
ISBN:

The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography is a comprehensive bibliography of more than 4,400 bibliographic print and non-print entries covering all aspects of Japanese netsuke, the miniature carvings which Japanese men used to suspend various items from the sash belt that fastened their kimono. It is organized into 15 major and 5 minor categories. Each category is further divided into 11 subcategories. Additional features include four indices (Author, Journal, Place, and Subject), and a variety of appendices. It contains 2,196 books, 1,861 journal articles (457 from the Netsuke Kenkyukai Study Journal), 367 from the Journal of the International Netsuke Collectors Society 1,494 auction catalogs, 431 items in French, 254 items in Japanese, 60 items prior to 1900, including 9 auction catalogs. Includes most materials published through the end of 1998. A section of Late Arrivals, including last minute submissions and items in early 1999, is listed as well. This volume is a necessity for every netsuke collector, bibliophile, art library and museum.