Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780824828202)

Now in paperback

This outstanding and original book, presented here with a new preface, examines the history of material culture in early modern China. Craig Clunas analyzes "superfluous things"--the paintings, calligraphy, bronzes, ceramics, carved jade, and other objects owned by the elites of Ming China--and describes contemporary attitudes to them. He informs his discussions with reference to both socio-cultural theory and current debates on eighteenth-century England concerning luxury, conspicuous consumption, and the growth of the consumer society.

Author: Craig Clunas
ISBN-10: 0824828208
ISBN-13: 9780824828202
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Language: English
Published: 05/31/2004
Pages: 240
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.89lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.22w x 0.59d