The specialists guide to Chinese antiques » Video Postings

Qianlong vase initially valued at $1300 sets record price of $69 million at auction

Roger S. — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:31:27 +0000

Its been happening so frequently that these headlines are almost starting to become old news. Still, it does make you want to go poking around in your grandmothers attic…

Credit: Reuters/Bainbridges

Neglected Family Vase Sets 66 million Record for Chinese Art at Auction

Apparently the 18th-century Qianlong-era porcelain vase was discovered while cleaning out a modest London suburb home. Other then knowing it was acquired in the 193o’s, the anonymous family who owned it knows little else as to its origins. According to the auctioneer Bainbridges, the vase itself dates from the Qianlong period (1740′s) and would have most definitely been fired in the imperial kilns before finally residing in the Chinese Royal Palace. According to the Antiques Trade Gazette, Bainbridges is a small suburban auction house which normally deals with cheaper antiques, equipment and lawnmowers. Not bad, considering they stand to reap a 13.8 million dollar buyers premium from the sale. Purchased by a Chinese bidder on behalf of an undisclosed buyer, the sale price was not only more than 40 times the pre-sale estimate, but it set a new record for a Chinese work of art. But wait – it gets better. “About 30 years ago it was shown on a television show called Going For A Song where an expert appraised it at $1300 as a “very good copy.” Poor guy – I definitely would not want to be him right about now.

Regardless of whatever price was paid, the real or fake, the vase really is absolutely stunning. Beautiful!

The downside? A tax bill totalling a few million.

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

Roger S. — 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.

Importa muebles orientales de Pekín

Roger S. — Fri, 06 Feb 1987 03:12:42 +0000

Muebles Orientales. Aragón en Abierto (2/05/2007)

La tienda que se ubica en la calle Laguna de Rins, importa muebles de Pekín.

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=9cpmo4Ggffs

(Youtube)

Hot Seller: Chinese Calligraphy Brushes

Roger S. — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:52:14 +0000

Chinese horse hair calligraphy brushes seem to be a hot seller recently. Actually, they have been doing well for quite some time now. We get quite a number of requests for them, particularly from smaller shops, boutiques and designers. They make great accessory items which fit with a range of decorating styles – and depending on how they are displayed, can be seen either as “exotic,” “world traveler,” or simply “oriental.” They are small enough to ship express and inexpensive enough to be impulse buys (while thinking about larger purchases). Whats not to like about them? They come in a range of materials from carved green jade, carved stone, pearl, bone handle, bamboo, glass beads or Cloisonne.

Sidenote: Have a quick look at this video of Chinese water graffiti which I found on Reuben Miller’s blog. Pretty cool actually and yes, some of the larger brushes do get used for this in fact. Every time I go to Jing Shan park in Beijing there is always someone doing this.

Like these brushes? Head over to our Home decor reference catalog for wholesalers to get some for yourself.

These are of course reproductions… One customer in France had an excellent idea on how to increase value (and add a nice touch as well). He requested we have correctly size boxes made for them.

Material Girls Blog noticed a great way to display them on the M Design website (which by the way, has some very impressive interiors). Had not thought of hanging them before….

Stylecourt, always hot on the heels of any trend, has some nice ideas for displaying calligraphy brushes. Personally I prefer these iron ones over the standard wooden stands. Head over to their post entitled Visiting the Cote de Texas for a bit more.

* Photo by Byron Newland

ACF China appears on China Central Television’s “Culture Express” program

Roger S. — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:11:03 +0000

A while back, ACF’s Roger Schwendeman was featured on CCTV (China Central Television) Channel 4′s program Culture Express. CCTV 4 is broadcast throughout China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and worldwide via satellite.

CCTV’s team accompanied Roger for several days during buying trips of un-restored Chinese antiques, and then onward to oversee the next steps of restorations and repairs. They also accompanied him to the Panjiayuan weekend market. We have not yet uploaded the video but plan to do so to soon.

Art of Asia: Ceramics – Innovations in Clay

Roger S. — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:47:19 +0000

There are some good youtube posting on porcelain and ceramics, starting out with this interesting eight minute long academic video overview of the history of Asian ceramics put out by the “Minneapolis Institute of Arts.“

“Ceramic production in Asia dates back many thousands of years. The Chinese have always been regarded as the undisputed masters of ceramics. Other Asian cultures have made astonishing contributions as well. The collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts sheds light on virtually every type of Asian ceramic—from Neolithic vessels, to Japanese tea bowls, to Chinese export porcelain, and beyond. “

[[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qkg16A9SlA]]

Learn Chinese Language Characters for Furniture

Roger S. — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:21:39 +0000

Found some more relevant videos on YouTube about learning Mandarin Chinese speaking and writing.

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Introduction to Chinese Symbols for Furniture

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZY5kKUUqbA]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Dining Table:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3335UK9GbLU]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Armchair:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJapfSRVDUk]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : TV Stand:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FEoY2HmomY]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Side Table:

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Bed:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4rlAJ72mC0]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Bookshelf:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKdOqmL_EMQ]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Desk:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q37anESwskQ]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Cupboard:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhbWjlgfXb8]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Loveseat:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfSRh17isww]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Vanity Table:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9AvGwI3ggE]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Shoe Cabinet:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r0brocmHYo]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Cabinet:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcziPQoljAE]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Coffee Table:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flKldu42hIA]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Sofa:

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZlVCw96n3A]]

Learn Chinese Symbols for Furniture : Wardrobe: Chinese Symbols for Furniture

[[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le70vbbgg6M]]

A Chinese twist on the popular TV show Antiques Roadshow.”

Roger S. — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:54:06 +0000

There is a great show on on BTV (Beijing TV) called “Collection” which I happened to stumble upon late one evening while flipping though the Chinese channels. Normally I avoid the Chinese channels like the plague since about 90% of the time they are eiter a) boring b) lame c) boring and d) lame and boring. But collection caught my eye as right at the minute my clicker landed on that particular channel, they were smashing up a ming dynasty porcelain vase!

“What? What? What? Huh? Why? How?”

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3695420

Which is exactly what I was thinking too. Basically it turns out to be a “Chinese Antiques Roadshow” with a bit of a twist. People bring in items which they honestly believe to be of value and/or genuine for assessment and appraisal. Experts then assess the value and authenticity of the piece. Now this is where the twist comes in. At a certain point in the show the piece is formally valued by the panel of experts and is done in front of an audience and the other contestants. If the piece is real, its smiles, “oh my god!” and all is well and good. BUT if the piece is assessed to be a fake, out comes the golden mallet (I kid you not) and the piece is smashed and destroyed right there on the spot in front of everyone.

Classic! Check out the video on ABC News or read more about it here on Danwei
(If you know how to use a machine translator (like Google translate), check out the shows homepage on BTV. )