The new face of China may easily evoke images of a post
revolutionary country with dense, efficient cities, and a population
of workers frenetically churning out every imaginable item to fill the West’s collective desires. But the spectacular display of imagination and grace during the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony may have been a poignant reminder of centuries of a
largely rural life, when a nation proud to be known as the oldest
Eastern civilization, bestowed upon the world a host of discoveries,
mathematical, spiritual and artistic, which have influenced the path of other nations more than we can imagine.

Its artistic path was marked particularly by the invention of the potters wheel, which led to the firing and refinement of porcelain many hundreds of years before other cultures, and the unique beauty of any piece from the affluent Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) remains a testament to a peoples’ deft skills. Techniques were also mastered in metalwork and in the process of enameling, and let us not forget the legend of the Empress who saw the possibilities in the strand of an unravelling silk worm after it fell into her tea cup.

Furnishings were crafted to reflect the Chinese peoples’ overall beliefs in serenity and simplicity, with homes having little need beyond the most basic chairs, tables, cabinets and partitioning
screens.

From the earliest evidence of the Tang Dynasty between 618 - 907 a.d. to as late as the Qing dynasty of the eighteenth century, the designs of these items were rarely committed to paper, and techniques in wood and metalworking were verbally handed down from one generation to the next, along with a craftsmanship so expert that there was little need for nails or glue to hold a piece of furniture together.

It is significant that during this long period, the restrained lines of these early pieces changed little, but their embellishment developed along with techniques in gilding, lacquering, painting and carving, with each region of China expressing its own cultural character. Lacquers were generally red or black in color, and beautifully proportioned metal hinges, handles and lock plates adorned the chests that we are familiar with today.

Wall partitions depicted painted local scenes or auspicious
symbols such as flowers, fish, animals or blossoms. These multi paneled screens were also encrusted with mother-of-pearl, jade or agate, and as the rest of the world began its fascination for all things Chinese, they were given the name Coromandel after India’s South Eastern coast.

During the 17th century, traders from Portugal, England and Holland, began to export furniture and decorative items to
Europe, and very soon the courts of its ruling nations insisted on
adding Chinese imagery to their homes. Louis XV of France
sought to blend the overly ornate Rococo style with a “Chinoiserie”
influence, and soon no royal home was complete without a Chinese theme, either in its choices of fabrics and patterns or with collections of porcelain. Entire rooms were painted to depict
landscapes, and gardens were punctuated with pagodas or tea
pavilions.

Landscape designs themselves took on a less formal appearance than before, and Thomas Chippendale, the influential British furniture maker blended fretwork shapes and glazing techniques to change the appearance of furnishings.

In England, women of means took up the art of “Japanning”, a
method of lacquering furniture, as a pleasant diversion from
embroidery, with imaginably mixed results, and themed wallpaper
became the rage in every middle class home.

It is a credit to the well proportioned lines and decorative styles of Chinese artistry, that even today it is immediately identifiable. Its characteristics have remained a part of our homes in one way or another for centuries, and the peaceful lines of early pieces fit seamlessly within today’s sleeker environments, possibly as an antidote to the frenzied world in which we now find ourselves. But even a single ornate item, or the use of an eastern themed wallpaper add great character to today’s home.

While many of the products that we find in the marketplace
today are manufactured in China’s large factories, there still
remains a strong tradition of craftsmanship within a few companies
who have upheld the spirit of their family’s legacies. This is a particular achievement in the face of the cultural drought of the communist period, when almost two generations of skilled people were forbidden to practice their craft. One such company is Robert Kuo (www.robertkuo.com), now based in California, who continues to advance the design of exquisite furniture and objects
using techniques that he learned from his father.

Despite China’s industrial surge into the twenty-first century, its artistic legacy is large, and has assured us that we can enjoy what it has given the world for centuries to come.