Tibetan Furniture
In a concise but very useful summary of the `Land and People',  Buckley stresses the influence of cultural and environmental factors such  as high altitude and nomadic lifestyle, concluding that these did not  provide a suitable `market' for ordinary domestic furniture (pp. 2-11).The following chapter which discusses `Forms and Uses" provides a good  summary with examples of the various types of furniture including comments  on regional styles.  Buckley discusses the various items used by wealthy  lay families. And it is interesting to note that the range of tables,  benches, cabinets and the like did not differ much from what was used in  religious establishments.Two chapters provides a detailed presentation of the themes and decorations  found on most furniture. The painted and carved decoration falls in a  number of categories including the full range of Buddhist symbolism:  floral, geometric and textile pattern; zoomorphic motifs including tigers,  dragons, snow lions and various other legendary animals. The next chapter  which deals with furniture decorated with painting of the various  `wrathful' gods who were protectors against evil, is particularly useful in  understanding decorations that would otherwise be viewed as violent and  macabre by the uninitiated.The volume rounds off with illustrations of well-known pieces that  represent the various types and designs discussed in the previous  chapters. --Orientations,  Fall 2006In this new book author Chris Buckley provides a basic  introduction to the subject for those readers even with little or no  acquaintance with Tibetan art, by outlining types, decor, uses and  iconography in a clear manner. One follows Buckley on his own inquiry into  Tibetan art and culture, inspired by the themes of Tibetan furniture.The chapters are well illustrated with numerous contemporary photos from  various parts of Tibet depicting furniture in situ in monasteries and  private homes. The section on prayer wheels is exemplary and the chapter on  furniture for the wrathful deities stands out. Also, included are wall  paintings, particularly form the prominent central Tibetan monasteries of  Shalu and Gyantse. Their extensive programmes of richly informative art  span the period from the early 14th through the early 15th centuries, a  crucial period in the development of Tibetan art,  providing helpful  depictions of figurative style, iconography, the decor of the times, and  even furniture.All in all, author Chris Buckley has produced a welcome addition to Tibetan  furniture studies, enabling readers to identify the main types, understand  the cultural and historical contexts, interpret the decor, and gain  confidence to initiate judgments of chronology, aesthetics and  authenticity. --Arts of Asia,  August 2006