The Decorative Arts of the China Trade - Crossman

The Decorative Arts of the China Trade: Paintings, Furnishings and Exotic Curiosities by Carl L. Crossman. From the blurb: 'From the late 1700s, an increasing number of British, American and continental European sailing ships brought back ship loads of exotic objects which found a ready market in America and Europe. The technicalities of trading with the Chinese are followed in detail through a voyage, shipwreck and subsequent trading in Canton in 1819/20 by Captain Benjamin Shreve of Salem, Massachusetts (though it could equally have been by a captain of any of the other nationalities), while details of life and objects bought in China are depicted throughout the book. This work, which completely supersedes the earlier work of the same title by the author, includes many new discoveries and attributions, as well as a wealth of additional information. With 325 black and white and 136 colour plates, it is the definitive source book and essential reference on the decorative arts of the China trade.' Hardcover. 462pp.