| Click here to view the Exhibition Catalogue | "CHINE GALLERY'S AUTUMN EXHIBITION FEATURES MASTERPIECES OF OLD CHINA" 42A Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong 25 October to 15 November 2001 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (Mon - Sat) 1:00pm - 6:00 pm (Sunday) When Anwer Islam, the director of Chine Gallery in Hollywood Road, saw Ang Lee's Oscar-winning film 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' he was struck by the ornate Qing Dynasty furniture in the film's interiors. He decided to create a "Masterpieces of Old China" exhibition consisting his favourite pieces that had been set aside over several years. These fine pieces will be on show during this year's Autumn exhibition to be held in the gallery from 25 October to 15 November 2001. In the film, the actors Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Chung Chen leap over chairs, tables and daybeds, float up the walls, through carved screens, and over gallery balustrades and soar over the rooftops in the fantasy world of the Hong Kong kung fu movie genre. During some of the beautifully choreographed fight scenes the actors come crashing down and alas, the beautiful furniture is smashed into smithereens. Anwer Islam, however, treats his masterpieces with a great deal more respect than that! My exhibition features a selection of fine pieces reminiscent of those in the film. They have been gathered from places as far afield as Pingyao in Shanxi Province and Yixian in Anhui, says Anwer. "These pieces would have been commissioned by wealthy merchants or well-to-do families of Mandarins who spared no expense to create refined interiors. Each piece has its unique personality and deserves to be in pride of place in a fine collection," he adds. "When I see a fine masterpiece I imagine the life of the craftsman who created it," says Anwer. "He was probably a humble craftsman whose skills were honed during a long and dedicated apprenticeship to a master carpenter. I can feel the inspiration of these artistic carpenters through their masterpieces created two centuries ago and their spirit of creativity lives on, even today. Unlike the minimalistic Ming-style pieces which were featured in Chine Gallery's Spring 2001 Exhibition "Ming Syle - Milliennium Interior", which showed how the clean lines of Ming-style furniture blend well into a contemporary decor, the 'masterpieces' in the current exhibition were never intended to blend quietly into the background. Rather, they were made to stand out, to become the centre of attention, to be conversation pieces in their own right. Most of the pieces in the exhibition were made during the Qing Dynasty with some dating from even earlier. Among the collector's pieces being shown are a fine pair of 15th century red lacquer temple stands. The stands are in an early traditional style and retain much of a red lacquer coating that is heavily crackled with age. The coats of lacquer were traditionally applied over an underlay of fabric which had itself been soaked in a mixture of thickened lacquer before it was pasted onto the timber. Other examples of red lacquer work in the exhibition are a carved canopy bed and a pair of plain tapered cabinets with a hidden compartment from the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Also on show is a late18th century daybed which imitates the form and decoration of ancient jades and bronzes, a style which attained great popularity as a result of the Emperor Qianlong's fascination with ancient art objects. This style is generally associated with northern China - the apron is carved in relief and the waist sections are pierced with lobed openings. Among the treasures on show are an unusually slim and elegant black lacquered lute table, a brazier stand made to hold a charcoal burning brazier used to heat wine or water for tea and to provide warmth, and a rare incense stand with cabriole legs. There is also a carved stone well, a trapezium-shaped bench, a three-dimensional carved black lacquer decorative panel, a book cabinet with ten compartments, and a pair of medicine cabinets.