Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780824859015)

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: 0824859014
ISBN-13: 9780824859015
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Language: English
Published: 06/01/2016
Pages: 246
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.63d