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Published on November 14, 2007

Asian Furniture
Edited by Peter Moss
Published FormAsia
Available at Asia Books, Kinokuniya Book, B2S and Bookazine, Bt2,995

Reviewed by Manote Tripathi
 
The Nation

If you’re looking for a book that celebrates the splendours of Asian furniture in a single volume, look no further than “Asian Furniture” by Peter Moss.
It charts the course of the development of the region’s decor cultures through marvellous furniture collections from eight countries – Thailand, India, Tibet, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, South Korea and Japan. They come from various sources, including private collections, old cafes, museums, galleries, coffee plantations in remote Indonesian towns, temples, old palaces, teahouses, antiques shops and hotels like the Taj Palace and the Dara Dhevi.
Despite the absence of rationale in the selection of countries, the contributing authors make it clear that the notion of Asian furniture is not restricted to only indigenous furniture culture, but implies a juxtaposition of Asian with Western influences. This that led to the rise of exotic hybrids that in turn shaped the gallimaufry – the hodgepodge – of products to which this coffeetable tome is dedicated.
 The book is divided into 10 chapters, one for each country and the rest presenting interesting facts about the woods and tools used in furniture making.
A good grasp of the subject requires an understanding of the region’s colonial history, so much of the text deals with the impacts the Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, French and British had on both political and artistic developments in Asia.
It’s through foreign hegemony that the charms of Asian furniture reflect the best of East and West.
In India, we are treated to not just AngloIndian furniture but also other hybrids – IndoPortuguese and IndoDutch styles – all reflecting that nation’s skilful adaptation and transformation of imported Western originals.

The selection of lavishly dec¬orated and carved items bring to mind images of the nawabs – the ruling princes – the Nizams and the maharajas, whose fondness for European styles is well docu¬mented.
Illustrating the riches of the Subcontinent are Bombay Blackwood chairs and sofas, painted chests from Bareilly, boxes from Calcutta, a silvercovered bedstead from Benares, ivory chairs from Vizagapatnam. The most exotic must be 18thcentury wedding palanquins and a love seat of sterling silver, both from Andhra Pradesh.
In Indonesia, these same colonial influences plus Chinese, Indian and Javanese styles pro¬duced fascinating collections for the elite, including chairs, chests, tables, Portuguesestyle settees and Dutch colonial desks from Batavia, as Jakarta was once known.
In Thailand, furniture was considered unsuitable and unnecessary, and thus remained unknown to the locals until the 19th century, when the Kingdom embraced Western modernity. One reason was that most early Thai houses were built of rattan or bamboo, which couldn’t bear the weight of heavy furniture.
It’s no wonder, then, that much of the country’s lavish col¬lections of fine furniture evolved for religious uses, as seen in monasteries of brick and masonry. The illustrations of the Thai furniture consist mainly of scripture cabinets, monks’ preaching platforms and the like.
However, unlike the colonised countries featured, Thailand managed to adopt Western influences during the Fifth Reign both whole¬heartedly and strategically, as a way of balancing one superpow¬er against another.
Like Thailand, Tibet saw fur¬niture as an expression of the Buddhist faith. For craftsman, all work was a manifestation of spiritual belief rather than a form of personal expression.
Of all the Asian countries fea¬tured, it’s true that China is far superior in terms of the authen¬ticity of its furniture culture.
In the Ming Dynasty (13681644), furniture became a repre¬sentation of great purity. Their artisans perfected ingenious ways of joining timber, for example, a skill reflected in aspects of Siamese furniture in the Ayutthaya and early Bangkok periods.
The Middle Kingdom export¬ed such items as wedding trousseaux, herbalmedicine cases and scroll cabinets. Any reader would want to own that wardrobe with carved doors fea¬turing vase and floral motifs, or a horseshoeshaped armchair, or even a kitchen cabinet made from bamboo.
The text may be heavy with history, but overall, the book is a visual feast that is already enjoyable in its own right, an ideal keepsake or a perfect gift for the coming festive seasons.