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Chinese antiques punch up dull decor
Author: Dana Coffield, Denver Post Staff Writer
Edition: SUN LIFESTYLES
Section: STL
Page: L-06
Chinese decorative arts - or at least Western interpretations - long have had their place on the end table of American design sensibilities.
But when trade barriers between China and the U.S. began to dissolve in the early 1980s, the occasional porcelain ginger jar and red lacquer box gave way to a relative rush of authentic antiques.
Elegant and graceful pieces began to spill from shipping containers, giving the modern American eye perhaps its first glimpse of the clean lines and utilitarian forms that served Chinese households for centuries.
By most accounts, we like them.
Nancy Foster, a senior sales associate at Eron Johnson Antiques Ltd. in Denver, says in 40 years of dealing in fine old furniture, she's never seen interest in Chinese pieces so high. "It just wasn't available to any extent," she says. "Possibly, before the second World War, there was more interest, but then, it wasn't available reasonably."
Compared with American and European antiques, Chinese pieces are affordable, Foster says. Furthermore, Chinese furniture forms are functional in modern interior designs.
"People tend to think of Chinese as elaborately carved, but the really good early things are far more plain in their lines and are made from wonderful woods. They fit in every design, from country to very dressy," Foster says. "That's what people really love about them."
Long, narrow altar tables, some very plain, some dressed with simple brackets or ornately carved skirting, serve as sofa tables or sideboards. Lacquered cabinets stand in as bedside tables. Furnishings designed to sit atop massive fire-heated platforms known as kangs, which are found in ancient northern Chinese homes, are repurposed as elegant coffee tables.
"Coffee tables are a modern innovation, so people have to really hustle to come up with coffee tables that fit in with antiques," Foster says. "Chinese low tables offer that option."
Kia Harrold of DecorAsian on Boulder's Pearl Street mall says people shopping for Chinese design elements typically are looking for a powerful accent for their homes. "People are trying to steer clear of Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn trends more toward having something in their home that is very unique that has a story behind it. You may not know the story, but the piece has character and is unique."
While the increased demand for the Zen-like qualities reflected in antique Chinese furniture has influenced modern manufacturers to echo their sleek lines and dark lacquered finishes, it also has opened the door to counterfeiters trading on the hope that prospective buyers won't notice an edge that is aged a bit too perfectly, sloppy joinery, or pieces built from woods that don't grow in Chinese forests.
Carolyn Shaver, co-owner of the sprawling CaShi Gallery located in the warehouse district north of Denver's Ballpark Neighborhood, advises her clients to hit the books before buying.
"Read," she says. "Look. Any piece we have in this gallery, we can cross reference in a book."
She also touts the Denver Art Museum for its excellent collection of Chinese objects and furniture, and for its public lectures. "I can't stress enough what a wonderful resource it is," she says.
As part of an effort to cultivate an educated clientele, CaShi Gallery will host a lecture by Chinese antiques expert Curtis Evarts on Sept. 16. Evarts was the curator of the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture until its collection was sold to a Taiwanese businessman and then consigned to Christie's in 1996; the collection was auctioned for $11.2 million.
Foster says it also helps to buy from reputable dealers who already have done the legwork.
"A lot of these forms were not available until recently," Foster says. "We're learning right along with our clients. Some of the forms, we don't know how old they were because they've been made for thousands of years in the exact same way, and all of those old forms are being reproduced today.
"You must make sure you trust the people from whom you're purchasing."
All you need to know
IF YOU GO
What: Curtis Evarts, a leading Chinese furniture scholar who was the curator for defunct Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, lectures on "Chinese Furniture and Asian Sensibilities."
Where: CaShi Gallery, 3458 Walnut St., Denver
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 16
RSVP: 303-291-2947 or cashi@earthlink.net
RESOURCES
Online: Websites for both CaShi Gallery (www.cashigallery.com) and Eron Johnson Antiques (www.eronjohnson.com) provide visual examples of fine Chinese antiques. Both galleries show various furniture forms, porcelain accessories and architectural elements.
Curtis Evarts' website (www.chinese-furniture.com) offers links to scholarly publications, collections and dealers, and offers information about the historical periods, construction, materials and styling.
The Denver Art Museum's Asian Art Department has an excellent collection of Chinese objects, textiles and furniture.
VISIT
Take a virtual tour of Yin Yu Tang, a Qing dynasty home moved from southeastern China to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. www.pem.org/yinyutang
BOOKS
Hidden treasures: "Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture," Leigh Keno, Leslie Keno, Warner Books, 2002, $15.95. The focus is on American furniture, but expert restorer Steve Thurston says provides excellent tips for any antiques collector.
"C.L. Ma Collection: Traditional Chinese Furniture from the Greater Shanxi Region," Curtis Evarts, 1999.
"Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming & Early Qing Dynasties," Wang Shixiang, Art Media Resources Ltd., 1986, $125.
"Straits Chinese Furniture: A Collectors Guide," Ho Wing Ming, Art Media Resources Ltd, 1994, $55.
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