CHINESE ART

In what promises to stand as a new definitive work in the field, two authoritative orientalists have put their vast knowledge into an excellently designed and written treatise on the separate phases of Chinese art as they have come down through the ages from ancient history to the present day. A short essay on the way of life that made Chinese art the necessary and complementary aspect of society it was, orients the reader for a dozen or so more detailed chapters on calligraphy and painting, pottery, bronzes, jade, ivory, architecture, furniture, sewing and weaving, sculpture in wood and stone, metalwork and jewellery. Though this kind of categorizing may not lend itself too readily to an overall picture of a period or periods, there are helpful cross references and a table of dynasties. Further material on the meaning on symbol and subject matter and on the do's of collecting should prove a boon to both students and enthusiasts.