Chinese Art Objects, Collecting, and Interior Design in Twentieth-Century Britain

This book explores the relationship between collecting Chinese ceramics, interior design, and display in Britain during the years leading to, during, and following the Second World War, focusing on the Ionides Collection of European-style Chinese export porcelain. It highlights the role of collecting Chinese art objects in constructing individual and group identities, and the social networks linking the collectors to agents, dealers, auctioneers, and museum specialists.

Format: Hardback
Length: 162 pages
Publication date: 26 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the intricate relationship between collecting Chinese ceramics, interior design, and display in Britain during the years leading up to, during, and following the Second World War. The focal point of this study is the remarkable Ionides Collection of European-style Chinese export porcelain, renowned for its design hybridity. By examining the collection, this book offers insightful perspectives on the agency of Chinese porcelain in diverse contexts, spanning from seventeenth-century Batavia to twentieth-century Britain. It raises thought-provoking questions about notions of Chineseness, Britishness, and identity politics across time and space. Through the biographies of the collectors, this book highlights the profound role of collecting Chinese art objects, particularly porcelain, in the construction of individual and group identities. The social networks linking the Ionides to agents, dealers, auctioneers, and museum specialists shed light on the dynamic nature of collecting during this period, as well as the taste of the Ionides and their self-fashioning as collectors. This book appeals to scholars engaged in the fields of art history, history of collections, interior design, Chinese studies, and material culture studies, offering a rich and multifaceted exploration of the intertwined realms of art, design, and culture.

Weight: 500g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032135403