At long last the West is looking with interest and appreciation at Chinese furniture. In the past this furniture was sought out by a few pioneer collectors who lived in China during the first part of the 20th century. Fortunately many curators of the Oriental arts of American museums were well aware of the great beauty of this furniture. With knowledge and foresight they presented representative collections to the public. As a result, many fine examples exist in the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Cleveland Museum. The time is now ripe for more than a visual presentation of this important field of the Chinese decorative arts. It must be treated in the same fashion that specialists in European decorative arts have approached its Western counterpart. For this reason I have given detailed descriptions of intricate forms of joinery--so radically different from the European forms. It is the most minute of these details that places Chinese furniture in distinct and proper periods. Many conclusions are based on the change of seat styles during the Ming period. -- Introduction.
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