Identifying the style of Chinese furniture can be tricky for the uninitiated but here we make it simple, starting with the first of six main schools: Suzhou Style
The specialists guide to:
Video: The roots of Hong Kong’s antiques trade and collections
A nod to the Chinese New Year month and the roots of Hong Kong’s antique trade, this talk takes a look at the strength and resilience of Chinese antique trade and collecting in the city. This talk will cover the perseverance and revitalisation of this trade in contemporary times, the current social climate, the ongoing global pandemic and more.
Chai Kai – the art of structural repairs to Chinese furniture
拆开 (Chāi kāi) essentially means to “take apart” and people often don’t realize that when you restore a piece of Chinese antique furniture, usually in addition to carefully cleaning it, it also usually must be taken apart and entirely refitted back together. Since Chinese furniture rarely uses nails, and instead uses a complex system of pegs and joints, the item can be completely disassembled, with the pieces spread out over the workshop floor.
Dirt, dirt and more dirt – cleaning a late Ming table via wet sand as part of the antique restoration process
A look at carefully removing about 300 to 400 years of accumulated dirt on a late Ming table revealing the patina & original lacquer when the grime is removed.
Look at the dirt – quick tips for authenticating neolithic and ancient Chinese pottery
Super quick post regarding a recent discussion I was having about cleaning antiquities, particularly those which would have been buried underground. While there are many highly specialized and scientific ways to authenticate a piece (for example TL testing), there are also some very practical clues one can look out for. For example dirt. When an […]
Red or Black Lacquer Gilt Paintings – determining the old from the new on Chinese gold painted furniture.
Is your Chinese Antique Furniture a genuine antique or a recent copy? How does one determine what is original and what new? The answers you need are here.