Beautiful colors still remain on this brightly painted fo kan family shrine from Gansu used for ancestor worship

 

Chinese fo kan family shrine 239x300 Beautiful colors still remain on this brightly painted fo kan family shrine from Gansu used for ancestor worship

Been quite busy recently spreading time between Beijing, Guangdong and Hong Kong and thus have been a bit slow with blog updates.  Which is all the more reason why I enjoyed some free time hunting around of the back alleys of the antiques world with James from UK based Shimu Chinese Furniture (who by the way also a fan of Shanxi painted furniture and has a very nicely developing blog on Chinese antiques here worth a look).  Of course the “finds” are different each time and this particular visit turned up this amazing family Shrine from Gansu in western China.

chinese Gansu furniture family shrine 282x300 Beautiful colors still remain on this brightly painted fo kan family shrine from Gansu used for ancestor worship

Known as  ”fó kān” (佛龛) in Chinese (or sometime fo gui 佛柜), these are shrines of worship – essentially a family temple. In ancient times, Fo Kan were dug from rock much like niches or grottos as can still be seen today in many buddhist heritage sites.  Later stone, wood and other materials were used. Eventually Fo Kan evolved and began taking on architectural characteristics, modeling houses, official buildings and even palaces. In many ways they are very particular to each region, more so like architecture then furniture. This particular one is quite impressive and its owner would likely have had some level of material wealth judging by it size and grandeur.

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Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture

People frequently ask me for recommendation on good books to learn about Chinese and Tibetan Antiques. Here are a few from my own collection along with some additional suggestions.

Tibetan Furniture by Chris Buckley Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture

Despite the author being a good friend of mine, and despite the fact that there really doesn’t seem to be too many good books out there on Tibetan furniture Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture though even if there were, its likely this one would still remain at the top of the list. The amount of history and detail covered in this book is amazing, as is the fascinating and stunning images of  furniture and Tibetan symbolism Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture. More then just a “coffee table book,” this hardcover offers an extremely in depth look at the history, craftsmenship, techniques, meanings and just about anything else one might want to know behind Tibetan painted furniture. The novice will walk away sounding like an expert after studying this book and even the expert will  be surprised at just how much more there is to learn.

You can also check out Chris’s RugDogBlog at:

http://www.toranahouse.com/rugdogblog/

Wooden Wonders: Tibetan Furniture In Secular And Religious Life Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture

I have yet to add this book on Tibetan furniture Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture to my collection though I plan to as it looks pretty good. Though a bit more expensive then Chris Buckley’s book it definately seems to be worth having if you primary area of study is items from Tibet.

Books of further interest:

The only book I am aware of on Tibetan artifacts and metal working Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture A worthy edition for those who want to plunge into the symbolism behind it all. Focuses exclusively on  Tibetan rugs carpets. Books about collecting Tibetan Antiques and Tibetan furniture

Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.

asiatic table 1.thumbnail Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.

We have a fair amount of Tibetan painted furniture, though most of it is not genuine Tibetan antique furniture (despite what many claim). Most are either new or vintage, though we do sometimes find real antiques. In general, it tends to be a bit too bright and colorful for my tastes, though nevertheless, Tibetan furniture does have its place and if the designs and motifs are subtle, they make beautiful accent pieces.

Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.

A while back we had a few old door panels which went out in a container, and surprise surprise, I stumbled upon our doors, modified into dining tables and coffee tables on the website of J.W Kinsey’s Woodcraft (Cabinetry/custom furniture makers) in Modesto California. Looks like Josh Kinsey did a pretty nice job of both preserving the original items and turning them into something more functional in the home.

tibetan door asiatic table 2.thumbnail Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.   tibetan door asiatic table 3.thumbnail Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.

He did a nice job of solving the issue of how to mount the door on the frame without modifying it (notice the strut across the bottom of the door) . The table bases seem to work.

asiatic table 4.thumbnail Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.   asiatic table 81.thumbnail Tibetan painted furniture: Dinning table made from an old door.

The rest of the photos are on their site at:

http://jwkinseyswoodcraft.com/jwkinseys%20woodcraft/projects%20portfolio/Portfolio.html

Basic guide to recognizing Tibetan antique furniture – Part 1

“Tibetan” style furniture is a phrase used loosely and frequently items made just yesterday are placed side by side with items 50 or 80 years old. Of course, all are claimed to be real “Tibetan Furniture.” So when it comes to so called Tibetan” items, its important to know just what is is that you are actually purchasing and (hopefully) later on selling to your customers. So, without further ado, we will start off a series of posts to help you better understand and demonstrate the differences in the low end, the fake and even the good stuff!

painting comparisions.thumbnail Basic guide to recognizing Tibetan antique furniture Part 1

An comparison of styles

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Integrating Tibetan furniture into the home

Chinese furniture is becoming more and more popular, surely about 50% of the decorated homes have an item one or the other Asian style. Before the 90’s Asian furniture used in western interiors was often of a abstract, cold, zen style. Mono-colored cabinets, without any curls. Often plain red or black lacquered. But in the past 10 years there has been a change, and the ‘new’ antique styles became ;more popular. It is a trend in general that since the start of the millennium fashion became less sober, minimalism is over it’s top. Now, colors, ornate carvings, flower scenes, … became possible again.

Mongolian and Tibetan styles are the newest fashion. It are items where colors are very vivid and contrasting. At first glance people often are shocked by the used of yellow with green and red, saying that could never integrate into their classic living room. But that is a false idea. Instead, it will apart from adding color, life and variety to your room. Placed correctly they can be an anchor between 2 places with different color and style.tibetintegr Integrating Tibetan furniture into the home

Interior designers and stylists can again use their skill for combining the right colors. The picture here shows a perfect integration of a Tibetan antique sideboard with strong contrasting colors into a classic country style western dining room. The piece is not screaming out for attention, but subtly adds movement to the space.

The specialists guide to Chinese antiques is Stephen Fry proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache