How Art May Become A Casualty of US-China Trade War By Scott Reyburn

The latest list of targeted Chinese goods ran to 205 pages. It included sand blasting machines; eels, fresh or chilled (excluding fillets); hats; and, at the bottom of the last page, paintings and drawings executed entirely by hand, original sculptures, and antiques more than 100 years old.

The tariffs would apply to all artworks that originated in China, regardless of how they entered the United States. That means American buyers could be required to pay 25 percent more for a Ming dynasty bowl sold by a British owner at an auction in New York, as well as for a painting by a young Beijing-based artist at a gallery in Hong Kong.

The announcement has caused outrage in the art world.

James Lally, the founder of J.J. Lally & Co., a dealer based in New York that specializes in Asian art, said that the proposed tariffs were "a matter of great concern" to museums, collectors, curators and dealers worldwide.

Sotheby's, Christie's and the Asia Week New York association of dealers said in a written complaint that the United States, not China, would be affected most.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/25/will-art-become-a-casualty-of-us-china-trade-war.html

Damaged Chinese Vases Still Pack A Punch At Auction By Roland Arkell

In recent years, as prices for the best Qing porcelain has spiralled, buyers have shown more tolerance towards damaged pieces. A similar 13in (32cm) vase from the preceding Qianlong period (1735-96) in broken condition ‘sold’ at Eastbourne Auctions earlier this year for £70,000 against a £100 estimate.

After the buyer failed to pay, it was reoffered on June 8 with bidders asked to provide a deposit of £5000. It sold this time at £53,000 (plus 24% buyer’s premium).

https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/2018/damaged-chinese-vases-still-pack-a-punch-at-auction/

A Fine Imperial Famille Rose Bowl with Gold-plated Enamels Featuring Scenic Landscape For Sale.

A fine imperial famille rose bowl with gold-plated enamels featuring scenic landscape.
Diameter - 15cm

Qianlong mark

Interested parties can contact May at +6018 3867939 or write to emperorsantique@gmail.com.

Collecting Guide: 7 Things to Consider When Collecting Chinese Porcelains

1. Examine decoration.

Chinese-taste pieces created for domestic consumption are almost always decorated with Chinese motifs, such as flowers, landscapes, Buddhist emblems and so on. Those bound for the West often incorporate Western themes or designs, which the artists would have received from foreign traders.

2. Chinese-taste motifs.

The dragon, which symbolises imperial power, is one of the most frequent motifs in Chinese porcelains. ‘It is a symbol of the emperor and one of the most sought after decorations for today’s Chinese collectors.

The imperial dragon appears on the finest of porcelains created for the emperor, which also bear imperial reign marks. Eventually, the dragon became an enduring motif and appears on a variety of wares, including imperial, domestic and export.

Pieces can range in value: ‘Much depends on rarity, condition, and provenance,’ says Gristina. ‘There are definitely affordable imperial pieces that are perfectly authentic and available to the new collector.

3. Take a look at transitional wares.  

Traditionally a Western collecting category, porcelains made in the period between the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as ‘Transitional’ wares, are gaining popularity with Chinese collectors.

The kilns in China were not under imperial control at the time, so the painters and artisans had greater artistic freedom. You find a lot of interesting designs and some beautifully painted landscapes during that time period.

4. Consider hybrid porcelains.

There are also hybrid pieces, which blur the boundaries between domestic and export works. Made in the early 18th century, these objects reflect Chinese tastes but were sold to both domestic and export markets. At this point in history, before private European orders were common, demand in Europe for Chinese porcelains was great, and Western trading companies brought back porcelains decorated with Chinese motifs for a demanding clientele.

5. Porcelain objects for the scholar. 

Another interesting sub-category of Chinese porcelains to consider includes pieces that would have adorned scholars’ desks: small brushpots, objects upon which brushes rested, flower vases and more. These pieces were made in a range of materials, such as wood and enamel, and also in porcelain.

6. Do your homework. 

As is always the case, new collectors should strive to see as many works as they can, and get their hands on any and every material that they can from museums, auction houses, and dealers.

7. Look for restorations.

In the past, restorations tend to brown or yellow and flake with time, but new techniques make restorations harder to see. One trick to uncover restorations is to stick a pin in the questionable area; if it sticks be wary. Porcelain that has not been overpainted will not scratch. Holding a flashlight up to a work can also help with spotting hair-line cracks.

https://www.christies.com/features/Chinese-porcelain-Collecting-guide-7781-1.aspx

Chinese Dealers Who Made Hong Kong An Antiques Trade Hub Recall The Glory Days By Enid Tsui

The period from the 1950s to the ’70s saw the beginning of Hong Kong’s economic miracle. The blow dealt to the city’s post-second-world-war recovery by the Korean conflict and the consequent American-led blockade on Chinese trade was ameliorated by an influx of people from China who brought fresh capital and built factories, reducing the city’s reliance on the entre­pôt trade.

The antiques business flourished in this environ­ment and the market was dominated by dealers from China who moved to Hong Kong to escape the political and econo­mic turmoil after the Communist Party took over.

The field widened in the late 1960s, when Hong Kong began to attract more international collectors. Western deal­ers such as Hugh Moss and Glenn and Lucille Vessa, of Honeychurch Antiques, began to trade in the city. Holly­wood Road started to fill with antiques shops catering to expatriates and visitors, initially from America and Europe, later from Japan and Taiwan. In 1973, Sotheby’s became the first international auction house to hold regular sales in Hong Kong.

The dealers in Hong Kong often returned to [China] and bought from the antiques market in Beijing’s Liulichang district or from dealers who kept stock at home.”

There were restrictions, though.

“Nothing as old as Han [206BC-AD220] and Tang [AD618-907] dynasty was allowed to be taken out but Qing [1644-1911] and Ming [1368-1644] stuff, no problem,” says Hei Snr. “Even imperial kiln ceramics could be exported.”

Hong Kong dealers continued to source from China during the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.

Nevertheless, the mood is gloomy along Hollywood Road, where Andy Hei has had his own furniture shop since 2000. Last summer, Honeychurch Antiques became the latest of many dealerships to close their doors for good. Rising rent is the main cause. In the ’80s, the average monthly rent was HK$10,000. By 2000, Andy Hei was paying about HK$30,000. And then the market went berserk.

In some ways, the industry has also become a victim of its own success. “It is hard for anyone to set up a new business unless they come from a family of dealers with an existing inventory. It costs so much to buy now, and there are so many fakes out there,” Andy Hei says.

The market has changed dramatically in other ways.

“The old clients have gone along with the generous housing allowances that expatriates used to get,” he says. “Westerners also don’t have the same romantic idea about ‘the Orient’ that used to spur Europeans and Americans to study, collect and live with Chinese antiques. Buyers [from China] have different tastes and ways of doing business.
“They bargain. They are impatient. They phone you up at midnight on a Sunday.”

http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2127782/chinese-dealers-who-made-hong-kong-antiques-trade

Grandpa Brought Chinese Antiques Abroad. Now Sotheby’s New Asia Chief Wants to Bring Them Home By Ryan Swift

As a toddler in the 1970s, Nicolas Chow would run around in the Geneva house of his legendary grandfather, Edward T. Chow, a famed dealer of Chinese antiquities. “We used to visit my grandpa for lunch on Sundays, and he had this thick carpet on the floor … that was my first contact, seeing these beautiful porcelains,” Chow recalls. 

The elder Chow was famous for dealing with some of the world’s earliest collectors of China’s ancient artifacts, building an international network from his home in Shanghai, before he joined the exodus to Hong Kong in 1949, finally escaping the 1967 riots to Switzerland. Edward Chow also had a hand in the great exodus of Chinese antiquities from China to western collectors. 

Now, his grandson, newly promoted as chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, is playing a part in bringing those antiquities back to China. He is also doing his best to widen the interests of China’s collectors  to boost Sotheby’s presence in China. 

Having joined Sotheby’s in 1999, Chow arrived at just the moment that Chinese collectors began to make their presence felt in the market. His moment of glory came with the now-legendary chicken cup, bought by Shanghai-based collector Liu Yiqian.

The evolution of the mainland Chinese art collector is moving into a wide array of new types, says Chow, and the price is not the determining factor. “The Chinese are keen on building collections; that’s why they have this energy. In the beginning, a lot of people were ridiculing them as ignorant. But when you engage with that degree of intensity, you learn quickly,” Chow says. “In the beginning, they (mainland Chinese buyers) may have gravitated towards decorative pieces, but quickly moved to the essentials … now they are branching out to other areas – contemporary Asian, Western, even Old Masters.” 

One of the things that mark out mainland Chinese buyers, Chow says, is their willingness to experiment in their collecting, much more so than buyers in Hong Kong. It may also have something to do with the intrusion of social media into the art world, which Chow thinks has led to collectors, particularly new collectors, wanting more stimulation and more worlds to explore. 

http://www.scmp.com/business/money/wealth/article/2145688/grandpa-brought-chinese-antiques-abroad-now-sothebys-new-asia

Hong Kong Must Shut Door on Illicit Trade in Antiquities Before It Can Emerge As Global Art Hub By Eduard Fernández

The trade in looted artefacts in Hong Kong began over a century ago, when such items were sold on Hollywood Road. Experts say Hong Kong’s busy port and set of rules protecting buyers of illicit pieces have allowed this trade to continue. “If you want to buy looted antiquities, Hong Kong is one of the best places in the world to do it,” says Steven Gallagher, associate dean of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law. 

Along Hollywood Road, the antiques stores are still a tourist attraction. Joanna Caen, a senior consultant and adviser for high net worth individuals, banks and trustees from the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, recommends to those interested in acquiring antiquities to buy “through reputable agents” and have the provenance documentation reviewed by independent experts.

That said, the challenge of determining real provenance is tough, paperwork or not. “Receipts and certifications are only as good as the person that writes them,” says Roger Schwendeman, an antiques merchant who operates in China and Hong Kong. 

Other dealers admit there are still objects with questionable origins on the market, but stress that most professionals will stay away from them. “It’s up to the individual dealer; some take a chance, and some are more cautious, because you can have some problems with collectors, as many might reject those pieces,” says Nader Rasti, owner of Rasti Chinese Art. However, Jamie Wang, from Orientique Arts Dealer, says regardless of their origin, “good [pieces] will eventually be picked up”.

As Hong Kong ramps up its bid to become a global art hub, experts have called for the city to close its doors to the illicit trade of cultural property once and for all.



http://www.scmp.com/business/article/2136161/hong-kong-must-shut-door-illicit-trade-antiquities-it-can-emerge-global-art