A Rare Gilt-enamelled Copper Dish Decorated With White Doves, a Lantern and Other Auspicious Emblems (Kang Hsi Period, Qing Dynasty)

Compiled from Arts of Asia July - Aug 1998

Hidden Treasures: Why Chinese Ceramics Sell for Millions By Georgia McCafferty

Stories of "undiscovered" Chinese ceramics that sell for spectacular prices at auction inspire some to hunt through their attics for potential hidden treasure. Occasional finds such as a Chinese "Ding" bowl that was purchased for $3 at a yard sale and subsequently sold at a 2013 New York auction for $2.2 million help keep local flea markets busy. But discoveries like these are the exception rather than the rule, according to Nicolas Chow, chairman of Chinese works of art at Sotheby's Asia.

CNN spoke with Chow to find out what makes Chinese ceramics so special, what to look for when appraising a piece and how to avoid getting duped.

1. CNN: What makes one piece of Chinese porcelain more valuable than another?

NC: There are a few fundamental tenants when you look at an object. These are rarity, quality, beauty, condition and provenance. You could also add historical value.

2. CNN: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about becoming a collector of fine Chinese ceramics?

NC: Firstly start on the right track. Develop your interest through museum visits, and then come to auction previews. Not necessarily to buy the first time but they are an open space, a transparent platform. You can look, touch, you can get a feel for what these objects should look and feel like without having to buy anything.

And I would say give yourself at least one or two seasons to get familiar and really find what it is you are particularly interested in, because Chinese ceramics is a vast subject. Then do price research to get a sense of where the market sits.

3. CNN: You mentioned that rising prices have resulted in an increasing number of sophisticated fakes in the collecting market. Have you met many people who have a collection they believe is real but has turned out to be fake?

NC: This is the story of my life basically (laughs). My real fear for anyone starting to collect is getting on the wrong track, because once you're there it's hard to extract yourself and I meet people who have spent a lifetime buying fakes.

It can sound quite scary for anyone wanting to buy Chinese porcelain but the truth is, there wouldn't be so much money in our field if there was not such great consensus between auction house specialists, art dealers and museum curators as to what is genuine and what is fake. That's why I recommend starting in a transparent environment.

The fake industry is sophisticated, but rarely do these two paths cross.

4. CNN: How have the 'fakers' gotten so sophisticated?

NC: Before the imperial kiln site in Jingdezhen had been excavated in the mid 1990s, fakers couldn't work with the real thing and so they couldn't feel or tell how it felt. But since the kilns have been properly excavated, there are so many shards there, the fakers can get a hold of this material and get a sense of how an eighteenth century or fifteenth century body should feel. So since then there's been a huge leap in faking the clay and the body of these porcelains.

5. CNN: How can you assess whether a piece of porcelain is real or fake?

NC: It's complex, but it's like when you see your mother. What makes her is the voice, the demeanor, the physical appearance, the smell, it's all these elements together, so it's the same with an object.

What makes a fine piece of Chinese porcelain is the weight, the tactile feel of the glaze and the body on the base, how the mark is inscribed on the base. It's how the design is painted, the enamel used for that design, how does it shine, and how do the colors appear.

The full interview is available at:

http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/sothebys-ceramics/index.html

With an Eye to National Identity, Beijing vows to Stem Loss of Cultural Treasures by Jun Mai

Beijing has pledged to take greater steps to protect its wealth of cultural artefacts, in part by meting out stricter punishment for the theft or destruction of relics.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage will also set up two offices to oversee the movement of antiques across borders in the country’s free-trade zones and bonded areas, according to the organisation’s annual working plan released last week.

Under the working plan, the administration intends to better protect relics against fire, theft and destruction. It calls for stricter punishment for crimes involving relics although details were not given.

During the first half of the 20th century, the mainland saw a flood of antiques out of the country, some looted by foreign troops. Beijing’s official narrative views the loss as a humiliation by Western powers.

In one notable case in 2013, two bronze statues originally from the Summer Palace and dating to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) were returned to Beijing by a French collector. They were among the 12 animal head statutes looted by Anglo-French forces, which raided and burned the palace in 1860 during the Opium war.

Last year, Beijing banned the auction of looted antiques in its latest regulation on cultural relic auctions. According to the United Nations cultural organisation Unesco, about 1.67 million Chinese relics are housed in more than 200 museums across 47 countries.

The Chinese Cultural Relics Society said the mainland had lost more than 10 million antiques since 1840 due to wartime looting and illegal excavations. But Beijing also faces a serious problems of looting at home.

Experts believe the growing tide of wealth on the mainland has given rise to a lucrative black market trade in antiquities as collectors compete to acquire prized artefacts without considering their origin. Archaeologists have also complained about the destructive impact of aggressive tomb raiders who care little about using explosives to get access to treasures.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2072199/eye-national-identity-beijing-vows-stem-loss-cultural

Featured Zisha Teapots at Naik Antiques and Oriental Gifts for Aug - Sept 2017

Dear readers,

Please feel free to drop by and have a look at our featured Zisha teapots for Aug - Sept 2017:)

Venue: Naik Antiques & Oriental Gifts

Add: 111M, Jln SS 21/37, Damansara Utama (Same row as HSBC), 47400 PJ, Selangor.

For further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact May at 018 3867939.

Rising China: Why a Chinese Vase Made €740,000 at Auction By Michael Parsons

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“Chinese vase sells for record price. ” Heard it before? Well, here we go again.

Last Saturday, a bidding war lasting seven minutes unexpectedly erupted during Sheppard’s auction of Chinese Ceramics, in Durrow, Co Laois. Lot 86, an antique blue-and-white “Qing Period” vase measuring just 23cm sold for €740,000 – 740 times its median pre-sale estimate (€800-€1,200) – and a record price for a piece of decorative art at auction in Ireland.

Why was it so valuable?

The vase was catalogued as “Qing Period” – a reference to the imperial Qing dynasty that ruled China from 1636 until 1912. But the bidders believed that the vase had a personal connection to the 18th-century Emperor Qianlong who reigned from 1735-1796 and was a major patron of the arts and a collector of carved jade, bronzes and ceramics. The vase was likely to have been either part of his personal collection or to have been given by him as a gift to, perhaps, a visiting dignitary.

The price beat the previous record – also achieved by Sheppard’s in 2012 when a matchbox-sized, carved Chinese jade seal sold for €630,00. The estimate for the seal had been €4,000-€6,000.

Both are classic examples of auction “sleepers” – the term used to describe items which have been massively, and unintentionally, undervalued but are spotted by at least two bidders who believe the true value to be far, far higher.

Chinese “sleepers” have emerged at Sheppard’s and other Irish and international auction houses during the past decade – and achieved jaw-dropping prices – as a generation of newly-rich Chinese collectors roam the world seeking to buy back items associated with the country’s imperial past.

But a bemused public may wonder why does this keep happening?

Auctioneers say that Chinese ceramics can be very difficult to value with absolute precision even by the most eminent experts. Items continue to slip through the net – to the delight of vendors and, of course, the auctioneers who earn whopping commission on such sales. Of course, it’s not just Chinese antiques that can cause a surprise. For example, at Adam’s auctioneers in Dublin in April this year, a painting of Christ with a top estimate of €800 sold for €120,000. But, in recent years, it is Chinese “sleepers” that have attracted most attention. The first major such sale in Ireland took place also at Sheppard’s in 2010 when another blue-and-white Chinese vase valued at around € 100, and consigned by a Carlow family who thought it was only of ornamental value, was bought by a London dealer for € 110,000. Since then, there have been quite a few spectacular prices achieved at Sheppard’s and other auction houses both here and overseas.

Spotting the imperial pieces among the sea of blue-and-white antique Chinese porcelain has become the stuff of legend in auction rooms worldwide. The market for antique Chinese porcelain is also reputedly full of counterfeits and so buyers and collectors need to exercise extreme caution. If you own a piece of Chinese porcelain and have never had it valued – now might be a good time to visit an auctioneer for a free valuation.

To view the full article, please go to:

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/fine-art-antiques/rising-china-why-a-chinese-vase-made-740-000-at-auction-1.3126959

Sotheby's Plunges After Second-Quarter Results Miss Estimates By Katya Kazakina

Sotheby’s plunged the most in nine months after second-quarter earnings missed estimates due to higher expenses.

The New York-based auction house of fine art and collectibles reported a 14 percent decline in profit for the period ended June 30, according to a statement Thursday. Net income slid to $76.9 million from a year earlier even as the company sold the most expensive artwork of 2017 in May -- a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting for $110.5 million.

Chief Executive Officer Tad Smith said on a conference call that the art market “is healthy and efficient but neither frothy nor depressed.” Masterpieces that are fresh to the market result in “eye-popping" prices while lesser works need “realistic” prices to sell.

Like rival Christie’s, Sotheby’s saw an increase in high-priced lots. The number of works priced at more than $1 million rose 5 percent during the first half of the year. The number of buyers and sellers in that price range increased by 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively, he said. Private sales for the first half rose 34 percent to $333.8 million.

Sotheby’s reported adjusted earnings of $1.44 a share, compared to the $1.51 average estimate of five analysts in a Bloomberg survey. Revenue of $314.9 million slightly missed the estimate even as it increased 5 percent.

Expenses rose almost 20 percent. The company attributed this to the projected payment of target bonuses for employees and investment in areas such as technology, digital marketing and specialist expertise. Also with more higher-priced works in the mix, Sotheby’s auction commission margin was largely flat for the quarter at 16.3 percent.

The shares slid 8.3 percent to $51.15 at 4 p.m. in New York, the biggest decline since November 2016. On July 25, Sotheby’s closed at a record $57.70.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-03/sotheby-s-plunges-after-second-quarter-results-miss-estimates

Why Genghis Khan's Tomb Can't Be Found by By Erin Craig

Genghis Khan (known in Mongolia as Chinggis Khaan) once ruled everything between the Pacific Ocean and the Caspian Sea. Upon his death he asked to be buried in secret. A grieving army carried his body home, killing anyone it met to hide the route. When the emperor was finally laid to rest, his soldiers rode 1,000 horses over his grave to destroy any remaining trace.

In the 800 years since Genghis Khan’s death, no-one has found his tomb.

A possible lead in a forbidden location

Folklore holds that Genghis Khan was buried on a peak in the Khentii Mountains called Burkhan Khaldun, roughly 160km north-east of Ulaanbaatar. He had hidden from enemies on that mountain as a young man and pledged to return there in death. Yet there’s dissent among scholars as to precisely where on the mountain he’d be ‒ if at all.

“It is a sacred mountain,” acknowledged Dr Sodnom Tsolmon, professor of history at Ulaanbaatar State University with an expertise in 13th-Century Mongolian history. “It doesn’t mean he’s buried there.”Scholars use historical accounts to puzzle out the location of Genghis Khan’s tomb. Yet the pictures they create are often contradictory. The 1,000 running horses indicate a valley or plain, as at the Xiongnu graveyard. Yet his pledge pins it to a mountain. To complicate matters further, Mongolian ethnologist S Badamkhatan identified five mountains historically called Burkhan Khaldun (though he concluded that the modern Burkhan Khaldun is probably correct).

Honouring a warrior’s final wish

With the tomb seemingly out of reach, why does it remain such a controversial issue in Mongolia?

Genghis Khan is simply Mongolia’s greatest hero. The West recalls only what he conquered, but Mongolians remember what he created. His empire connected East and West, allowing the Silk Road to flourish. His rule enshrined the concepts of diplomatic immunity and religious freedom. He established a reliable postal service and the use of paper money. Genghis Khan didn’t just conquer the world, he civilised it.

The full article is available at the link below:

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170717-why-genghis-khans-tomb-cant-be-found