[.ca] Art of Opium Antiques (ISBN 9749511220)

A stunning and decadent art form that I never even knew existed.:
In 1914 the mayor of San Francisco was presiding over the burning of hundreds of opium pipes that had been confiscated in police raids on opium dens. But before the torch could be put to the stacks of pipes, the mayor decreed that the most beautiful and luxurious examples, pipes made from ivory and silver and jade and encrusted with jewels, be spared and donated to a local museum. It sounds apocryphal (or at least one of those "only in San Francisco" events) but when you see the opium pipes and lamps illustrated in this book you will fully understand the mayor's actions. This book is like a peek through the keyhole on an unhurried and decadent past. The author not only shows us the opulent paraphernalia once used to smoke opium, but illustrates the point with rare photos of opium smokers - men and women, whose eyes are soft with a gentle euphoria. Unlike most picture books, the captions here are generous, and do an excellent job of describing the deep symbolism of the Chinese and Vietnamese art motifs that were used to decorate opium paraphernalia. In short, this book is both a great "coffee table" book that begs you to slowly page through it admire the evocative photography, as well as an engaging read on the intricacies of this forgotten art form.