The Palace Museum Collection: A Treasury of Ming & Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture (2 VOLUMES)

Desheng, Hu (text); Evarts, Curtis (translated by)

ISBN 10: 158886099X / ISBN 13: 9781588860996

Published by Forbidden City Publishing House, Art Media Resources, Ltd., 2008

About this Item

English text.; Hardcover (cloth with dust jacket in slipcase. Gilt on the outside text block.).; 23 x 30 cm.; 4 Kg.; 728 pages with colour illustrations throughout.; Used with signs of wear on the slipcase and on the dust jackets. Interior with minor signs of wear. Very good condition overall.; This book summarizes the author's thirty years of engagement with curatorial duties and research with the Ming and Qing dynasty palace furniture at the Palace Museum. It includes 455 of the finest works of Ming and Qing dynasty palace furniture, which is only about 5 percent of the entire collection. Selected upon the basis of category, materials and decoration, these works represent the best of the collection. Chapters 1, 2 3 and 8 introduce the origins of Ming and Qing palace furniture, stylistic characteristics, categories and outstanding highlights of the collection. Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 analyze and display the joinery of Ming and Qing palace furniture, and its forms, decoration, workmanship and materials as well as arrangements and use. The intention is to provide the reader with a format with which he can delve into the study with overview as well as detail. All the plates and line drawings are numbered with Arabic numerals in accordance with the sequential order, and are also listed in the Appendix for the readers convenience. Chapters 8 and 9 contain the highlights of the book, and are those chapters where one can quickly assess the dignity, harmony and luxury of Ming and Qing palace furniture and its display.

Seller Inventory # 985B

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Palace Museum Collection: A Treasury of Ming & Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture (2 VOLUMES)
• Publisher: Forbidden City Publishing House, Art Media Resources, Ltd.
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 158886099X
• ISBN 13: 9781588860996
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Seller catalogs:
  • Chinese Art
  • Asian Art
  • Collections and Exhibitions

About this title

Synopsis

This two-volume set is an important publication in the study of furniture from the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) in Beijing. Through 30 years of work and research in the Palace Museum, furniture specialist and author Hu Desheng has selected 455 of the most outstanding pieces (or sets) of furniture, illustrated in these volumes in high-quality color photographs.

Chapters 1, 2 and 3 introduce the origins, styles and types of furniture from the Ming and Qing palaces, providing a solid overview and background to the collection; while Chapters 4 through 7 analyze and illustrate the structure and form, detail and decorative work, patterns and motifs, and materials used in making the furniture, allowing the reader to explore the pieces in more detail and depth.

Chapters 8 and 9 comprise the culmination of this study, showing representative pieces and sets of furniture, as well as exploring the arrangement and use of the furniture, allowing the reader to appreciate the pieces in their original context.

The breathtaking pieces, scholarly insight and abundant information contained within this set make it of great value to any enthusiast, collector or researcher of Chinese furniture.