Chinese Country Antiques: Vernacular Furniture and Accessories, C.1780-1920 by Andrea McCormick

A new kind of antique Chinese furniture swept onto the market in the early 1990s. It appealed to people who were sure they did not like Chinese furniture, people who were ready for new ideas about Orientalia, and people who couldn't afford the five- and six-figure prices routinely attached to classical Chinese pieces. This new variety has struck a surprisingly sympathetic chord with Western tastes, and the prices are still surprisingly low. It comes from 18th and 19th century China, the last days of the emperors, and expresses a sense of creative freedom, vigor, and visual elegance. Here are cabinets, tables, chairs, and accessories in various woods and finishes to enhance each room of your home. This book offers the first comprehensive and compelling look at Chinese country furniture from the consumer's point of view. 380 color images, some in room settings, others with great detail, bring the beautiful designs to life. A guide to pricing makes this a useful tool for collectors and dealers alike. Because of a changing political and economic landscape in China, this late-Ching furniture has flooded Western markets, giving retail customers equal footing with collectors and keeping prices reasonable, for now. Because the quality covers a wide range, it takes an informed buyer to navigate between the real and the not-quite-so-real. The information in this beautiful book will give the reader the bearings they need to make the right decisions. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
With all the fuss about Ming and early Ching Dynasty antiques, I am glad that someone has finally written a book about furniture from the late Ching Dynasty. At face value, it is a very attractive book indeed, with colourful pictures of antique Chinese furniture and accessories. However, those hoping to learn more about antiques from this book will be sorely disappointed. Not much was written about the history behind the antiques, such as the difference in styles during different times in China's history or even differences in styles between regional furniture. This book was written by people who own an antique business, so what you read is rather like what you would hear should you walk into an antique shop and speak to the shopkeepers. The literature covers only the first 29 pages of the book, and save for the last 2 pages where there is a short discussion on the various kinds of wood, the rest of the 176 page book contains page after page of photographs of furniture and accessories, with no further explainatory notes.

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