The woods of 18th & 19th Century Chinese Furniture
By Carol Goldstein, Ph.D
The Qing dynasty (1644-1911) was the last imperial dynasty and the one from which the vast majority of furniture still available originates. However, the study of Chinese furniture and therefore the material from which it was made, is relatively recent. The materials used were not well documented and there is widespread variance in much of the information available. To say that opinions differ among botanists and connoisseurs regarding the identification of these woods is a gross understatement. The materials used for constructing furniture in today’s China
Dr. Carol Goldstein was born and raised in New York City , she moved to Denver in 1972 to earn a Masters degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Hong Kong where they lived, worked, traveled and most importantly, engaged in serious collecting of antique Chinese furniture and accessories for 10 years. Her home is filled with various collections ranging from antique Caucasian rugs, Neolithic pottery and antique Chinese furniture to contemporary art. In addition to her academic teaching activities, Carol has been active with the Asian Art Association of the DAM since returning from Hong Kong and currently serves as the Association’s immediate past president.
Café Botanique is a part of the Botanical Art and Illustration Program and is open to everybody. The 30-40 minute talk starts at 6:30 p.m. and is followed by a discussion. Café Botanique generally meets every first and third Thursday of the month, each time with a different topic relating to Denver Botanic Gardens’ Botanical Illustration program. Pre-registration is not required but encouraged at http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/dateselect.aspx?item=430. This lecture offers one elective credit hour in the BI-program. Suggested donation $5.