From East to West and back again: A critical review of the cross-cultural consumption, collecting and historiography of Chinese ‘classic’ furniture from the Ming and early Qing dynasties

Fung, Helena (2025) From East to West and back again: A critical review of the cross-cultural consumption, collecting and historiography of Chinese ‘classic’ furniture from the Ming and early Qing dynasties. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Chinese hardwood furniture enjoyed a renaissance during the twentieth century that saw furniture objects become an important part of national, public and private collections. Desirability among collectors and connoisseurs continues to increase as the significance and appreciation for classical Chinese furniture intensifies. Whilst the prominence and popularity of refined Chinese hardwood furniture has risen with alacrity, the art-historical discourse as it is understood both outside and within China was principally constructed through historiography formed in books on the subject published by Western writers during the first half of the twentieth century.

This thesis documents the cultural consumption, appreciation and collection of furniture made during the Ming and early Qing dynasties, between 1368 and 1735; a period described as the apex of Chinese furniture production. The research addresses the historiography and collecting of classic Chinese furniture, commencing in Europe and China in the 1920s and 30s when furniture from China for domestic use became of interest to Western collectors and scholars alike, with reference to the interpretation and consumption of furniture at the time of its making. The early Western pioneers of Chinese furniture were fundamental in disseminating a taste for elegant and deceptively simple Chinese furniture which placed it on a global platform and elevated furniture from fine craft to art object.

Despite its significance, the collecting and literature of Chinese historic furniture has not been subject to comprehensive academic review and remains to be critically examined in its entirety from historiographical and a theoretical perspective. The thesis systemises the
activities of individual art historians, collectors and art market participants to provide an analytical and observational study of the development of Chinese furniture collecting and its accompanying literature. Analysis of the literary materials provides clarification and understanding of the development of the cultural history of classic Chinese furniture. To facilitate comparison with the social, visual and experiential perception of classic Chinese furniture as it was understood at the time of its production, the study will consider and cross-reference primary textual and visual evidence from the Ming and Qing dynasties with 20th Century and later literature on Chinese furniture. This overarching review of the historiography and sources relating to Chinese classic furniture may also shed light on widely held presumptions regarding the materials and presentation of classic Chinese furniture, including the importance and knowledge of particular wood types which have informed appreciation and collecting practices.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > History of Art
• Supervisor's Name: Pearce, Professor Nick, Torma, Dr. Minna and Cura, Ms. Nixi
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85107
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 02 May 2025 08:56
• Last Modified: 02 May 2025 08:59
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85107
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85107