The specialists guide to Chinese antiques. » antique appraisals

Woman finds out her father’s jade collection is worth over a million USD.

Roger — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:45:41 +0000

18th-Century Qianlong Jade Collection from Qing Dynasty

Appraised Value:

$710,000 – $1,070,000

Watch the appraisal video here on the Antiques Roadshow website. Or even better, watch this interview with the owner in North Carolina.

GUEST: My father was in China two different times– I think in the late ’30s and sometime during the ’40s, with the Army, and he was a liaison of some sort. He was just a Kentucky farm boy, but he learned Chinese and he met a Mr. Liang at number ten Jade Street, and that’s pretty much what I remember him always telling me. Mr. Liang would call him and say, “John, I have some pieces you might want to look at.” As children, we heard that some of them had imperial seals, and then I just always have been curious.

APPRAISER: Well, that Mr. Liang must have been a very, very good friend of your father’s, because he led him down the path of great collecting. Generally you see people who purchase things in China at that period of time, and they purchased things that were very, very poor quality. These things are all of very, very fine quality. Did you have any idea about the value on these things?

GUEST: This dragon bowl, as we’ve always called it, we’ve always heard that it may be worth a lot of money, but no, I don’t know the value.

APPRAISER: You start with, basically, the runt of the litter in terms of these groups is that bowl there. And that’s a bowl that’s based on a style from India that they refer to as Mogul style. And it’s Chinese, 18th century. Very, very thin carving, really beautiful, crisp workmanship. This one here is the same style, but only a little more ornate. This is also Mogul style, also 18th century.

GUEST: So 1700s.

APPRAISER: Yeah, they all date from the Qianlong period, which is 1735 to 1796. This one here is set with a ruby in the top and very, very finely carved. The animal is a thing they call bixie. It means to ward off evil. And that animal is just a beautiful piece of celadon jade, wonderfully carved. And then we have the top piece of the group. This one has an inscription in the bottom that is imperial. It has a cyclical date there, which they’re kind of hard to read, because they run in 62-year cycles. But it also has the mark “by imperial order.” Rather than just “made.” So it was made specifically for the emperor himself.

GUEST: Oh, fantastic.

APPRAISER: But you start getting into the value of these objects, and the bowl there, a conservative auction estimate on that bowl would be $30,000 to $50,000.

GUEST: No! Oh, my gosh!

APPRAISER: A conservative estimate on this vase here would be $80,000 to $120,000.

GUEST: Oh, I love this one.

APPRAISER: This animal here, beautifully carved, wonderful quality, would be $200,000 to $300,000.

GUEST: Uh… I can’t believe you.

APPRAISER: And this bowl here, because of the imperial inscription, this would be probably very, very conservatively, $400,000 to $600,000.

GUEST: Oh, I don’t bel… Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER: For a total amount of between $710,000 to $1,070,000.

GUEST: Damn.

APPRAISER: It’s an incredible collection, and he also bought at a period of time where I would doubt if he paid more than a hundred dollars for any one of these pieces.

GUEST: Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. I just can’t… I had no idea.

APPRAISER: It’s the best thing I have ever seen on the Roadshow.

GUEST: Oh, my gosh! I love hearing that. Thank you.

APPRAISER: By far.

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Chinese vase valued at €150 sells for €110,000 at auction

Roger — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:53:23 +0000

“I have a lot of people approach me with inquires about selling porcelain collections they have either inherited or amassed over the years. I am guessing this might be one of the reasons why:”

THE OWNERS of a Chinese imperial vase which sold for €110,000 at a Co Laois auction on Tuesday – a record-breaking price for ceramics at an Irish antiques sale – plan to sell the remainder of an inherited collection of oriental porcelain.

While the Co Carlow family wish to retain strict anonymity, the auctioneers acting on their behalf said they were unaware of the vase’s historical significance and its value when it was consigned for sale. The family did not attend the auction and missed seeing the vase sell for 1,000 times its estimated value.

Durrow-based auctioneers Sheppards said the owners were “shocked but also delighted and chuffed” by the sale. They were also coming to terms with the potential value and importance of the remaining items in the collection.

The family inherited the collection from two sisters who have since died, who had emigrated to the United States in the 1940s. The women lived and worked there for many years and amassed a collection of ceramics which they brought back to Ireland. The vase may have been bought in the city of Philadelphia.

A selection of about 20 pieces from the collection was included in the general sale of furniture and collectibles at Sheppards Irish Auction House in Durrow, Co Laois, earlier this week. Most of the Chinese lots, including the vase, had pre-sale estimates of €100-€150.

However, international collectors who had spotted the vase on the internet recognised it as part of the personal collection of 18th-century Chinese emperor Qianlong. They travelled to Co Laois and sparked frenzied bidding, which resulted in the vase being sold for €110,000. A separate lot of two vases, with the same estimate, sold for €41,000.

Both lots were acquired by a London antiques dealer who outbid the wife of a collector in China, who had travelled from Beijing in a quest to buy the vase.

Auctioneer Philip Sheppard said the vase was “part of the first tranche” of the collection and the remainder would be sold at a future auction in Durrow.

The purchaser of the vase said he expected to make “a handsome profit” on its resale. Richard Peters said from his shop on Kensington Church Street that he was “absolutely delighted” with his purchase and described the vase as “incredibly perfect and a very special piece”. He will offer it for resale shortly and is confident it will appeal to collectors of oriental ceramics “especially in London and China”.

Mr Peters is “likely” to return to Co Laois for the sale of the rest of the Carlow collection.

Arabella Bishop, the head of Sotheby’s Ireland, was “excited about what happened in Durrow”. The Chinese market was “especially strong at the moment – particularly for good, fresh pieces, particularly those with an imperial connection”.

Dublin’s Chester Beatty Library, which has a world-class collection of oriental manuscripts, paintings and rare books, also houses a small collection of imperial Chinese porcelain which is available for public viewing “by appointment”.

Acting curator Laura Muldowney, said while she “could not comment on values”, thought the vase sold in Durrow “looks like a lovely piece” based on photographs. She said the Chester Beatty collection did not have any porcelain from the period of Emperor Qianlong but had pieces from the era of his grandfather, Emperor Kangxi.

MICHAEL PARSONS

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0304/1224265559078.html

Chinese vase smashes €150 guide price and sells for €110,000 in Laois

MICHAEL PARSONS in Durrow, Co Laois

A CHINESE vase with an asking price of just €150 sold at a Co Laois auction yesterday for €110,000.

The 12-inch-high blue-and-white porcelain vase attracted an opening bid of €50 – before a bidding war erupted between two international antique collectors.

Both had recognised it online as an authentic Imperial vase, and flew in for the one-day sale of furniture and collectibles at Sheppards Irish Auction House in Durrow.

Afterwards, the purchaser, London antique dealer Richard Peters (48), said: “I got a bargain.”

Underbidder Rong Chen (48), who had travelled from Beijing especially for the auction, said she was “very sad and disappointed”.

Her husband, an accountant and antique collector, had spotted the vase on the internet and believed “This is the one – we think it was in the Imperial household.”

The item was part of a collection of Chinese porcelain inherited by an unnamed Co Carlow family and consigned for sale. They were last night “chuffed and delighted” by the sale, the auctioneers said.

Mr Peters, who runs an antiques business in Kensington, said the vase was “made for the personal collection of the Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century”. He explained that the vase, in a shape known in Chinese as hu-yu-chun-ping, was decorated simply with “images of banana and bamboo trees”.

It had “probably been looted from the Imperial Palace in Peking by French or British or American soldiers sometime during the 19th century”, he added, describing the field of Chinese ceramics as “difficult because the market is filled with fakes and forgeries”.

When auctioneer Michael Sheppard called for an opening bid for the vase shortly after noon, he received an offer of just €50. But, within seconds, intense and frenzied bidding was under way and bids jumped, first in multiples of hundreds, and then thousands of euro. Mr Peters, who was seated, bid by nodding discreetly, while Ms Chen stood as she took instructions on a mobile phone from her husband. Later, she told The Irish Times that he had told her “to drop out at €100,000”.

When Mr Sheppard brought down the gavel at €110,000, there were gasps and then applause in the tightly packed saleroom.

Mr Sheppard said “that was the highest figure ever achieved for any item” in the 60-year history of the family-run firm of auctioneers and valuers. He said “something like this happens once in a lifetime”.

Mr Peters bought a second lot – a pair of Chinese polychrome vases – for €41,000. Like the Imperial vase, the items had carried a guide price of €100-€150.

Mr Peters returned to London last night with the items, which he is likely to sell to a Chinese client.

As the salesroom emptied, attendees spoke of their astonishment. David Stapleton, from the nearby town of Ballyragget, said “It was one of those moments. You had to be there – like the GPO in 1916.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0303/1224265504158.html

Chinese reverse glass paintings

Roger — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:45:10 +0000

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 in their home. The one below is the one appraised in the show.

APPRAISER: “When you look at these, you’ll notice that there’s not that much attention to detail. The face is very white. Probably all made up with powder. Generally they wear very elaborate hair dress and earrings, and you can see the elaborate earrings. She’s holding a fan– that’s not unusual– and seated in an old chair. The details of the new ones are not that different from this. That’s why I have to point out to people, when you see one of these, you can only assume it’s new. Before you buy it, have a specialist look at it, because the new ones are quite deceiving. This has all the earmarks of an old one. One thing that’s interesting is you can see her arms through the dress. ”

APPRAISER: “Very unusual to find pairs. Could go for as much as $5,000.”

GUEST: “Wonderful. ”

APPRAISER: “This by itself is worth $1,500 to $2,000. “

GUEST: “Wow. That’s amazing. ”

To watch online:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200702A16.html

thermoluminescence testing for porcelain, ceramics and bronzes

Roger — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:14:40 +0000

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 small sample of ancient pottery will emit a faint blue light when heated to a sufficiently high temperature. This faint blue light is known as thermoluminescence, or TL and is over and above the background red glow that is emitted from all materials. The TL can be measured using a sensitive detector known as a photomultiplier tube. The intensity of the TL signal is proportional to the time which has elapsed since the clay was last heated, normally since the kiln firing, and can be used to date when the object was last fired.

Sampling

Photo: Pottery
Only a fully qualified representative of Oxford Authentication Ltd is authorised to take a sample of powder. 100mg of powder is removed from an inconspicuous area of the object. Usually more than one sample is taken from each piece to verify that all the parts are of the same antiquity. Each piece is fully documented and photographed at the time of sampling, and the samples are sent to our laboratory in Oxfordshire for analysis.
Porcelain
Porcelain and stoneware are fired to a higher temperature than pottery, and the clay body is much harder. It must be sampled using a diamond core drill under running water. Two 3-mm diameter cylinders, 4mm long, are removed from the base or other unglazed part of the object. These are then cut into 200-micron (one fifth of a millimetre) slices using a fine diamond wheel. These slices are used for the TL measurement.

Bronze casting cores
Bronze antiquities are often cast around a clay mould and this casting core is trapped inside otherwise hollow sections, such as handles, legs, heads, or torsos. Once this core has been extracted through the bronze outer casing, the sample can be dated in the same way as pottery.

The Test

Powder samples are prepared by sedimentation in acetone: fine grains being deposited onto aluminium discs. After drying overnight, they are ready for TL analysis. Larger grains are not used for TL, but are analysed for their radioactive content. Bronze casting cores are prepared in a similar way.

Fine grains evenly deposited onto aluminium discs

Measurements are made on our RisØ TL readers, which we maintain at the state-of-the-art through regular involvement with the RisØ team. The TL readers have been programmed to run controlled sequences of heating and of laboratory irradiations. Radioactive analyses are carried out on our Elsec thick source alpha counters.

The RisØ TL reader.

TL analysis Once a sequence has finished on the TL readers, the data files are analysed. The TL signal is displayed as a glow-curve, a graph of Intensity versus Temperature (see CASE STUDIES, genuine and fake Tang ladies). We compare the natural or archaeological glow-curve with that obtained after a known laboratory irradiation. This enables us to calculate the total radiation dose absorbed by the object since it was last fired. Radioactive analysis from the thick source alpha counters gives the annual internal dose-rate. The environmental contribution to this total usually has to be estimated based on data from dated archaeological sites. The approximate age is given by:

Approximate AGE = Total absorbed dose (from TL analysis)

Annual dose-rate (from alpha counting)

Quoted age limits. All age ranges are quoted with ±20% limits.

Reprinted from http://www.oxfordauthentication.com/

Where can I find detailed information on Chinese porcelain, pottery and ceramics?

Roger — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:37:48 +0000

(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 and it would be impossible to cover even just a fraction of the material available here today. Rather then attempt to do so, I will suggest a few quality resources,

The website of Koh Antique in Singapore, has one of the most comprehensive sources of information on Chinese porcelain and ceramics, all meticulously described and cataloged in an easy to read format.

This is the most comprehensive source of information on Qianjiang porcelain on the internet. Besides giving a brief history, more than 350 pieces of Qianjiang porcelains have been cataloged. The pieces are displayed based on chronological order and also by artist.

Topics covered, range from “Symbolism on Chinese Ceramics,” to more specific information on time periods and individual styles such as Ming Blue and white, Celadon wares, Qingbai, Shufu, Ding and Cizhou wares. Particularly useful is his dictionary of Chinese symbolism and motifs used in ceramics.

Also invaluable for anyone wanting to understand the progression of styles between the various periods, is their Chart (available here) showing the development over time of the different Chinese porcelain types.

The other site most commonly cited on this topic is Gotheborg in Sweden, run by Jan-Erik Nilsson. The “Marks on Chinese Porcelain” page is probably the first stop for anyone trying to identify a piece.

The other two really major resources here are the “Antique Chinese and Japanese Pottery and Porcelain Discussion Board” and the links list which is very, very extensive.

With this Chinese noodle cabinet-scholar cabinet, appearances can be deceiving!

Roger — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:57:39 +0000

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 it valuable”

Is it really old?

If you read “Blurring the line” you know answering this question becomes even more difficult when you consider the awkward journey a piece my take as it travels through the “antique-reproduction” supply chain.

The first question of “is it old” is quite easy to answer: Yes and No. Before going any further, take a moment to read a post from a while back entitled “Blurring the line further… How to tell if its a genuine antique?” which will explain just nicely the points to consider here. Finished yet? Ok, great – back to this item.

In this particular case, the actual cabinet itself is a very common tapered edge Chinese Noodle cabinet or “Mian tiao gui” since the shape of the cabinet itself or the hardware (depending on who you talk to) slightly resembles the shape of a noodle. With carved doors like this, it may be mistaken for a scholar cabinet. In un-restored form, a cabinet like this may be referred to by the workers as as a “la ji gui” which literally means “trash cabinet.”A Chinese country antique cabinet such as the one above, in un-restored form, built from common woods (value is often placed on exotic hardwoods), of a non-descript style and in poor condition will often hold minimal value on its own, with its true worth being essentially as parts and raw materials. From a materials cost perspective, a badly damaged cabinet will be cheaper to restore then to build new from scratch.

A quick look at the overall process...

Here is a quick overview of what typically occurs:

Take a fairly standard poor condition country antique cabinet ranging in age from 30 to 80 years old, which can be used for parts & materials
Restore main structure, replacing damaged panels and other sections with replacement wood.
Add in additional details to spice it up like carved panels.
Add shelves and drawers for additional functionality (easier to sell)
Add a new lacquered finish to cover inexpensive woods, repairs, etc.
Use aging technique so item does not look “too new.”
Add detailed gold “miao jin” painting for an additional touch.
Install new hardware.
Claim to customer it is Qing dynasty scholar cabinet, at least 150 years old and sell at a premium price.
Finished!

A "trash cabinet," like the one pictured above,may often be worth more for its parts then the sum.

Is it worth anything?

The answer is yes! However, maybe not for the reasons you might expect. Its worth something, because of the time and effort that an artisan put in hand-painting the gold trim and other details. Its worth something, every time someone visits your home and remarks what a beautiful cabinet it is. And its worth something, because you probably have a story about where and how you purchased it. So while it may not be worth an extreme amount in dollars, money is not the only value of worth. Its a beautiful piece and would look great in any home, and you never know – in 100 years down the road it just might be someone else’s genuine antique!

Some pretty standard inexpensive Chinese noodle cabinets up for sale on the internet

Collecting & Buying Antique Chinese Rose-medallion Porcelain

Roger — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:38:13 +0000

Here’s a nice post on another blog that I happened to stumble upon today:

Rose Medallion Porcelain – An Antique Chinese Import

Very informative overview of how to recognize and collect 19th and 20th century rose-medallion china. While not necessarily Chinese porcelain, he also has a nice explanation of what Flow Blue China is.

Another site with some amazing images of Chinese Porcelain is Guest & Grey, a website that specializes in Antique Chinese Porcelain & Japanese Porcelain. Some of the images are just stunning. Rich turquoise vases, ox-blood bowls and beautiful blue and white ginger jars.

Finally, this is not per say a site about porcelain but nevertheless the story here is absolutely fascinating. The author talks about her collection of Chinese pottery excavated from Chinese gold miner settlements from the 1850′ies during the California gold rush.

http://299opine.blogspot.com/2008/07/chinese-pottery.html

Rosewood Antique Bench – value

Frederic — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:53:57 +0000

Recently we have installed a live-chat function, and we start to meet a lot of interesting people through that.

There was this man who possesses an antique bench from China, a masterpiece. He would like to know the value of it. Sounds like : “the antiques road show” on BBC television! (where people bring their ‘treasures’ to be estimated by an expert who then tell the good news that it’s worth a few thousand Pounds, or he hits it with a hammer, meaning it’s worthless)

So, this way is ‘safer’. In this blog I would like to open a discussion about the value of this piece. Give it a shot, what do you think the price in an antique boutique would be, or tell us what amount of money you’re prepared to pay for it.

Along with this another discussion opened : “we’ve heard that Chinese are trying to buy back valuable artifacts. Too many were shipped out for some small cash, only now they realize the value of their history. Is this true?”

Here’s a description (if you know more about it, please comment)

Heavy Rosewood, hand carved, maybe more than 150 years old.
It has foo dog legs and dragon arm rests. The arm rests have holes, as is ropes used to pass through them. (large silk ropes). It has birds carved on the back and elaborately on the top.

In the book next to it, it showed a set of them, one of each animal of the Chinese horoscope. It was located in a palace.

It is supposedly made in the 1800’s, and auctioned off in the 1930’s.

Blurring the line further… How to tell if its a genuine antique?

Roger — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:17:00 +0000

If you read my previous post “blurring the line” you know how difficult it is to honestly decide whether or not an item should be considered an “genuine Chinese antique.” Answering this question becomes even more difficult when you consider the awkward journey a piece my take as it travels through the “antique-reproduction” supply chain. Consider this attractive low table, we purchase and restored for a customer in Italy. The first picture (upper left) is what it looked like when we purchased it BEFORE restoration. The last two on the bottom are the final result AFTER restoration.

The cabinet itself is a antique. It was collected from a peasant on a farm by a “materials collector” who then sold it to what we would consider to be a wholesale antiques flea market far off in Shanxi province, to the west of Beijing. From there is was bought (in bulk along with many, many other pieces) by a local furniture factory who re-laquered the front and completely retouched (actually repainted) the beautiful gold painting you see on the front of the piece. Or what DID the front look like in the first place? Maybe there never was any red lacquer and the peice was just a common wood color. So while the delicate gold “miao jin” paintings and trim look old, they are in fact completely new. Why is this?

The answer is mostly about business and economics. The cost of labor in the areas in the country side is also more expensive, which means that artist costs less then if he were located near the city. And an added unintended bonus is that the retouching was probably done by a local peasant craftsmen or artist who has been painting the exact same motifs, patterns and styles as his fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers have for generations. This adds to the authentic feel as unless you are a craftsmen from Shanxi province you will probably not know how to paint those particular motifs in just the right sort of look. It LOOKS authentic because in this regard it IS authentic.

At this point though, the piece is still unrestored which means it will be loaded into the back of a flatbed truck, along with a hundred or more other pieces and trucked overland in the open air eventually reaching Beijing. Chicken may catch a ride in the same truck and who knows what else. Along the way it will hit bumps, dirt, dust and maybe even rain, taking on a fresh layer of dirt, grim and dust. Again, this all adds to that antique aged look. Arriving in Beijing it will be unloaded by workers who see it not as an antique but rather as yet another piece of junk to be sold and therefore the scratching and scrapping really doesn’t matter. It will then be loaded into another warehouse – or maybe left in the open air for a few days before being restored.

And all this BEFORE we got it and restored it…. So, is it antique or what?

Blurring the line – Is it an antique or a reproduction?

Roger — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:49:53 +0000

Determing whats antique and whats reproduction is getting harder and harder. Sometimes this is a deliberate attempt to pass off a reproduction as antique with the idea that customer would be willing to pay more for the antique. But other times, the line between whats antique and whats reproduction is simply just blurry. In the example shown here, this reproduction coffee table built to size and stained to a particular color is obviously new. But the carvings inset into the top face of the table are in fact antiques. Is it antique? Is it reproduction? What if its actually both?

Approximate AGE =	Total absorbed dose (from TL analysis)
	Annual dose-rate (from alpha counting)