Author: LANGE, AMANDA E.
Title: Chinese Export Art at Historic Deerfield
Description: Historic Deerfiel, Inc. Deerfield, Massachusetts. 2005, 1st Edition. (ISBN: 0966676947). Hardcover, with dust jacket. Book, English text; Hardcover (with dust jacket); 21 x 29 cm; 1.3 kg; 284 pages with colour illustrations.; Used with signs of wear on the dust jacket, which shows minor edge wear and minor wear marks and scratches on the front cover, spine and back cover of the dust jacket. Signed and inscribed by Lange on title page to previous owner. The remaining interior in very good condition.; This lavishly illustrated, full-color catalogue represents the first survey of Historic Deerfield's Chinese export art collection. Written by Curator of Historic Interiors Amanda E. Lange, Chinese Export Art at Historic Deerfield presents new research on the involvement of rural New England in the China trade and features in-depth object entries. Western merchants have always been attracted to the products of China and to the profits of trade with the Orient. Exotic luxuries such as silks, porcelains, paintings, and fans were eagerly purchased, but tea, above all other commodities, made trade with China imperative. After the late 1750s, all foreign trade activity was confined to a 12-acre section of the city of Canton (Guangzhou). By the time Americans began trading directly with the Chinese, elaborate rules for commerce had developed. The largely self-sufficient Chinese allowed a limited amount of foreign trade, but closely controlled those transactions and the people involved. Chinese Export Art at Historic Deerfield explores the decorative arts and the nature of commerce between the West and China. The catalogue includes three essays: "Of Merchants and Mandarins: An Overview of the China Trade," "The Connecticut River Valley and the China Trade," and "Collecting Chinese Export Art at Historic Deerfield." New information on the involvement of rural New England in the China trade dispels the myth that trade with China was exclusively a coastal phenomenon. The stories of Connecticut River Valley merchants, sailors, captains, and wives involved in ventures to China are explored through advertisements, diaries, letters, and actual objects brought home. The catalogue also features 114 object entries in the categories of graphic arts, silks, metalwares, novelties, and porcelains. Although considered exotic to Western eyes, many of these Chinese products were specifically designed to appeal to foreign tastes. Objects range from porcelain punch bowls to gilded lacquerware boxes. One of the rarest objects presented is an album of 24 hand-painted images of the tea production process, from harvesting the leaves to packing them in boxes. A selected bibliography on Chinese export art and an extensive index round out the book. Good/Dust Jacket Included.

Keywords: 0966676947 china,china tradesilks,novelties,porcelains,chinese export art,historic deerfield Collections and exhibitions Asian Art


See more books from our catalog: Chinese Art