Friends of the House: Furniture from China's Towns Villages by Nancy Berliner and Sarah Handler
folio. pp. 133. profusely illustrated. hardcover. dw. (fine condition). Salem: Peabody Essex Museum, [1996].
Peabody Essex Museum Collections Volume 131 No. 2.
ISBN-10: 0883891344 / ISBN-13: 9780883891346
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It is an exciting privilege for the Peabody Essex Museum to be the venue of this groundbreaking exhibition of Chinese vernacular furniture. Though Chinese furniture has been displayed in American museums for more than a century, only precious hardwood pieces made for the Chinese elite have been the focus of shows and books until now. Here, for the first time, are gathered examples of softwood, bamboo, and root furniture made for the general populace of China. The furniture in this exhibition illustrates the creative talents and honed skills of Chinese carpenters as well as the many diverse manners of sitting, leaning, and reclining. Works in the museum’s collections, including baskets, wood-block prints, shoes, and tools, some collected over one hundred years ago, reflect the richness of everyday life in China. Because of the depth and character of the collections, it is a delight to host this exhibition in surroundings where the furniture can feel “at home.” The museum is particularly grateful to the private collectors who have generously loaned their tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds for the exhibition, and to the donors whose support has made the exhibition possible. An especially gratifying aspect of the project has been the opportunity to work with colleagues at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which opens a companion exhibition in May of 1996 highlighting fine sixteenth - and seventeenth-century furniture created for China’s elite. These two exhibitions and their respective catalogues provide the museum and collecting world with an unparalleled chance to view and appreciate a superb array of treasures spanning the entire range of Chinese furniture and lifestyles.