The specialist guide to Asian antiques and exotic home decor from the far east.

Note: All images are clickable.
During our treks and travels, we come across all sorts of rare, unusual and interesting things. Like this 300 year old temple table we stumbled across this past summer. Or this Chinese ancestor painting which eventually wound up permanently wall-mounted in a friends living room. But this cache of Han Dynasty earthenware, [...]

[Read more →]

People frequently ask me for recommendation on good books to learn about Chinese and Tibetan Antiques. Here are a few from my own collection along with some additional suggestions.

Tibetan Furniture by Chris Buckley
Despite the author being a good friend of mine, and despite the fact that there really doesn’t seem to be too many good [...]

[Read more →]

This enormous solid wood console (over two meters) which probably dates back to the Ming Dynasty, originally made its home in a temple in Shanxi province before being stumbled upon by us in the far off, dusty dirty corners of the antiques trade. Known in Chinese as a “Gong An,” or roughly a”temple table” the [...]

[Read more →]

Li Songtang at his museum in Beijing, where he displays relics saved from demolition sites in the rapidly modernizing city.

Doug Kanter for The New York Times
// < ![CDATA[
function getSharePasskey() { return \\'ex=1390280400&en=184347f2e9c75dff&ei=5124\\';}
// ]]> // < ![CDATA[
function getShareURL() { return encodeURIComponent(\\'http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/world/asia/19beijing.html\\'); } function getShareHeadline() { return encodeURIComponent(\\'Finding Treasures in a City’s Disappearing Past\\'); } [...]

[Read more →]

Below is very short but useful post reprinted from Wikipedia time-lining the various Chinese Dynasties (Click on H for the history of the dynasty, and E for a table of its emperors (or other rulers).

[Read more →]

Over the years, having spent a fair amount of time in and out of Hong Kong, it suddenly dawned on me that (up until now), this famous Hong Kong antiques street in Central, has yet to be mentioned here. Adding insult to injury, is that fact that for many years, upon my arrival in Hong [...]

[Read more →]

I get so backed up with blog posts, because there is so many interesting and fascinating things to see and talk about. And being detailed oriented, I really want to spend the time to talk about each item in detail, the history behind it, where it comes from and all the other details that make [...]

[Read more →]

The Antiques Roadshow on PBS, has some great Chinese antique-relevant episodes, particularly this one on Chinese reverse glass paintings. Even cooler is the fact you can watch these episodes online!  The Chinese reverse painted glass mirror pictured above was recently sitting in our shop before it was purchased by someone who is now enjoying it [...]

[Read more →]

Another super quick post but a link worth including here: http://www.oxfordauthentication.com/
One thing to be aware of is that thermoluminescence testing works only with fired items, in other words items like porcelain, earthenware or bronze. If you don’t know what thermoluminescence testing is have a quick read of the snippet below from their website:

Thermoluminescence
A [...]

[Read more →]

(This is a section from a previous post which I think is worth separating out here, since I am asked this question quite a lot).
Where can I find more detailed information on Chinese porcelain, pottery and ceramics?
Chinese porcelain, Oriental ceramics and Japanese porcelain and pottery are all unique entire subjects of their own [...]

[Read more →]

Oriental silk rugs (and their cousins, Persian rugs) are simply gorgeous. They allude to a certain tasteful style which is both exotic and luxurious, yet at the same time classic and timeless all at once. Open any magazine with interior photos and there is probably at least one image in there with (what else, [...]

[Read more →]

We have a fair amount of Tibetan painted furniture, though most of it is not genuine Tibetan antique furniture (despite what many claim). Most are either new or vintage, though we do sometimes find real antiques. In general, it tends to be a bit too bright and colorful for my tastes, though nevertheless, Tibetan furniture [...]

[Read more →]

A customer recently sent me these photos of a Chinese Noodle cabinet which they purchased from an estate auction. Their inquiry was pertaining to its age, value and authenticity. In other words, a quick antique appraisal. The question of course was the one I am asked most frequently which was “Is it old and is [...]

[Read more →]

The Brutal Truth about Buying Chinese Antiques on eBay
This is a great little guide from an ebay seller who goes by the screen name of  loveshackbaybee. Its fairly comprehensive and worth a reprint here. Well written, very candid and overall good advice for the masses looking to pick up that “authentic Qing Dynasty vase at [...]

[Read more →]

(Click images to enlarge)
 Question:
A reputable local beijing based antique Chinese furniture dealer sold us this nice Chinese table. It cracked a few months after getting it.  He has his own shop to produce furniture as well as sell antiques. I am sending you 3 photos, 1 of each side of the table, and 1 [...]

[Read more →]