Treasures of the Chinese Scholar by Fang Jing Pei

Treasures of the Chinese Scholar is a softbound book in English with beautiful color plates that presents the most detailed and illuminating commentary on the objects of the Chinese scholar's studio available in English. These treasures of the Chinese scholar's studio—including brushes, inkstones, water droppers, toggles, figurines, and scholar's rocks—represent the pinnacle of complex art, which, having been refined over thousands of years by Chinese artisans, came to embody the highest degree of technical precision and a finely honed aesthetic sensibility. Through an understanding of the materials and motifs with which these objects were so artfully crafted and embellished, one can gain profound insight into the classical Chinese civilization, while the pieces themselves stand alone brilliantly as objects of aesthetic interest. This book examines in detail the form, function, and symbolism of some of the finest scholarly objects extant, primarily from the Ming and Qing dynasties and spanning five hundred years of continuous craftsmanship.