Classical Chinese Furniture

This unique publication illuminates a fascinating and little-known area of Chinese decorative art—Chinese furniture of the 16th-18th centuries. These beautiful chairs, stools, cabinets, and tables are highly sought after and have become the fastest-growing area of collecting within China itself.

Author Marcus Flacks begins the book with a historical overview to place the furniture in context and then traces the trends and changes in collecting over the past 30 years. The heart of Classical Chinese Furniture is the presentation of 52 masterpieces—all exceptional examples of great rarity—accompanied by detailed descriptions. These outstanding pieces—most never published before—teach an important lesson on the Chinese approach to aesthetics, craftsmanship, architecture, and culture. They have even affected, directly or indirectly, much of 20th-century art, design, and architecture.

Complete with invaluable appendices that visually unlock the secrets of timber, joinery, regional production, and the art of restoration, Classical Chinese Furniture is an essential volume for collectors and experts—Western and Chinese alike—as well as for anyone interested in furniture, aesthetics, and interiors, or simply fascinated by the extraordinary beauty of the pieces themselves.

Praise for Classical Chinese Furniture:

"One new tome coming out that I can't wait to get my manicured hands on is Classical Chinese Furniture by Marcus Flacks. He does a few things for us in this volume. He educates us on the secrets of timber, joinery, regional production, and the art of restoration of these fine—and often quite rare—pieces. More importantly, he presents 52 masterpieces to us in this glossy photo-filled book—most of which have never been published." —Life in a Venti Cup blog

"'Magnificent' best describes the hefty volume Classical Chinese Furniture written by Marcus Flacks...The fascinating text is accompanied by 200 jaw-dropping photographs that feature the kind of objects in heavy demand by well-heeled collectors both in this country and in China." - San Jose Mercury News

Within a few years of the Manchu invasion, Chinese craftsmen combined their highly refined design aesthetic with exotic woods, veneers, and lacquer to create some of the finest furniture ever made. Classical Chinese Furniture illuminates this fascinating and little-known area of Chinese decorative art from the period of 1640 to 1790. These beautiful stools, desks, chairs, and bureaus have become the fastest-growing area of collecting within China as impassioned experts rediscover the glory of their artistic patrimony. The heart of Classical Chinese Furniture is the presentation of 52 masterpieces that provide an invaluable lesson on the Chinese approach to aesthetics, craftsmanship, architecture, and culture.

Marcus Flacks has been one of the forces behind the rediscovery of Chinese furniture over the past 20 years. He has mounted a host of exhibitions to introduce this field to Western and Chinese collectors alike.