Tibetans value their painted furniture highly, but their reverence of antiquities for their own sake is not particularly strong. The result is that antique Tibetan furniture is more highly valued outside Tibet than it is within, and it is becoming increasing popular among Western collectors. Tibetan Furniture is an authoritative and comprehensive resource. This book explains the forms and uses of Tibetan furniture, the construction and decoration of the main types, and the history of many designs. Examples illustrate the range of types of furniture in Tibet and the range of decoration, both painted and carved. Also presented are examples with descriptions that expand on themes. In most cases aesthetic considerations have been the primary criterion for inclusion, but the book is more than a catalogue of attractive pieces. Attentive readers will learn to: identify the main types of Tibetan furniture; appreciate their origin and their uses; identify and understand the most common designs; judge the quality of pieces; and derive increased pleasure from Tibetan furniture they have bought.

Tibetan Furniture, Chris Buckley, Floating World Editions, Hardcover, 2005, 240 pp Over 200 color illustrations, $60.00

Chris Buckley was educated at Balliol College Oxford and at Wolfson College Oxford, where he received a doctorate in chemistry. After being captivated by Tibetan art and culture during visit to Tibet ten years ago however his interests led him in a new direction; he now lives in Beijing, where he is well-known as a speaker on antiques and collecting, and especially on the relatively new study of Tibetan furniture.

VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VIII. INTRODUCTION

1. Land and People

13. Forms and Uses

49. Themes and Decoration

95. Furniture for the Wrathful Gods

111. Selected Pieces

216. GLOSSARY

220. RECOMMENDED READING

221. INDEX