{"id":678,"date":"2009-08-18T08:53:11","date_gmt":"2009-08-18T00:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/?p=678"},"modified":"2023-04-14T15:53:40","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T07:53:40","slug":"in-search-of-shanghai%e2%80%99s-genuine-antiques","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/press-publications\/in-search-of-shanghai%e2%80%99s-genuine-antiques\/","title":{"rendered":"In search of Shanghai\u2019s genuine antiques"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>Furniture: Fully Furnished<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Original article<\/a> published August 18th, 2009<\/p>\n

You\u2019re tired of seeing your Ikea desk in every other Shanghai home, so you\u2019ve decided to find something unique\u2013a conversation piece. Luckily, Shanghai abounds with places selling all types of antique furniture, but there are some ground rules to finding real deal antiques.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, research and figure out what you like.<\/strong> Are you drawn to the simplicity of Ming era design, the intricate decorations of the Qing Dynasty or the hipness of Shanghai\u2019s art deco period? Sui Jingjing, an antique expert and head of client services at Chong Yuan Auction House, recommends wandering around the large curio markets. \u201cYun Zhou Curio Town (88 Damuqiao Lu) and Zhong Fu Curio Center (542 Fuzhou Lu) are great because there are many shops with a wide selection.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have more specific tastes and money to spend, go to a reputable antique store. For general Chinese antiquities, the formerly stateowned Shanghai Antique and Curio Store (192- 246 Guangdong Lu, Tel: 6321-4697) is a reliable choice. Hu & Hu (No. 8, Lane 1885 Caobao Lu, Tel: 3431-1212) offers high-end provincial pieces (ranging from \u00a525 to \u00a568,000) with great English-language service. For cool art deco pieces, head to Shanghai Art Deco (111 Baise Lu, Tel: 5436-0728).<\/p>\n

When looking, there are no guaranteed ways to spot a fake.<\/strong> However, there are a few simple warning signs. \u201cThe easiest way to spot a fake is if you go to a curio market and you see the piece everywhere,\u201d says Roger Schwendeman, who runs one of the industry\u2019s most informative blogs (www.antique-chinese-furniture. com\/blog<\/a>) and is the managing director of a famed Beijing antique furniture sourcing company. His advice? Take your time in several shops before making any purchase.<\/p>\n

Schwendeman also recommends looking for logical wear and tear. Most counterfeiters will be smart enough to wear down pieces to make them look old, but the wear and tear of a fake will generally be even throughout the piece. Look for individual spots on a piece that would get a lot of daily use\u2013a foot rest on a chair, for example. In addition, if you find a piece with perfect carvings or decorative paintings, chances are you\u2019re being duped. During the Cultural Revolution, most furniture with any sort of decoration was defaced.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve purchased your dream piece, it will take more care than modern furniture.<\/strong> \u201cDon\u2019t place it under direct sunlight or near a heating system, as this is likely to cause the wood to shrink and crack,\u201d advises Chi Fan Tsang, Senior Specialist in Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art at the famed auction house Christie\u2019s. \u201cAlso, make sure to wipe the furniture with a dry cotton cloth, not a wet rag,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, buy a piece because you love it, not because you are looking to hit the jackpot.<\/strong> \u201cThe chances of finding anything rare or amazing is almost zero. If you want to strike gold, you are wasting your time,\u201d Schwendeman warns.<\/p>\n

Porcelain: China’s China<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Chinaware has been around longer than China itself. As a result, there are hundreds of styles, periods and techniques.<\/strong> Not surprisingly, antique chinaware shopping can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. Before even hitting the stores and markets, Schwendeman recommends picking up a comprehensive coffee table book on the subject, but adds that there\u2019s no need to be picky. \u201cIf you\u2019ve read one, you\u2019ve read most of them,\u201d he says. There are also several Internet forums with tons of information, such as www.gotheborg. com<\/a> and www.koh-antiques.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor chinaware, you have to think about the shape, the clay, the glaze and the technique,\u201d Sui explains. \u201cMy favorites are Song Dynasty chinaware. They are very simple, but the form is beautiful and elegant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once you develop a knowledge base and a personal taste, get out there and start shopping\u2013and you have the advantage of timing on your side. \u201cFrom last year, the antiques market cooled off a lot. Now is actually one of the best times to purchase antique [chinaware],\u201d explains Qi Dole, a Chinese chinaware expert<\/strong> and author of a forthcoming book on the subject called The Porcelain Road<\/em>. \u201cIn Shanghai, one of the places I can recommend is Shanghai Antique and Curio Store (192-246 Guangdong Lu, Tel: 6321-4697). The prices there may not be the best, but the value they give is accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

For markets, check out Cang Bao Lou and Hua Bao Lou (457 and 265 Fangbang Zhong Lu, respectively, Tel: 6355-2722, 6355-9999) near Yu Gardens or, for a destination outing, wander around the antiques market and little shops on Duolun Cultural Road, a walking street in Hongkou District. But don\u2019t expect to waltz home with a genuine antique. It\u2019s much harder to spot fake chinaware than fake furniture.<\/strong> \u201cCheck and compare reference books for similar pieces that are either in museum collections or have been sold at auctions in the past,\u201d recommends Chi.<\/p>\n

You might also want to go to an auction house or a museum to see if you can handle some real pieces.<\/strong> \u201cWhen you see real pieces you get a better sense of when pieces are fake,\u201d explains Schwendeman. In addition, for Imperial- style porcelain, hold it up to the light and check for a high translucence. Some pieces are nearly paper-thin.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve brought your piece home, make sure to have special stands made for display, otherwise you\u2019re risking breakage, warns Chi. If you decide not to display your porcelain, she recommends getting a padded box for storage.<\/p>\n

Make sure to ask the antique dealer about a piece\u2019s history if it takes your fancy.<\/strong> Usually the more passionate a seller is about the story behind the piece, the better the chance of it being real. And, of course, a conversation starter isn\u2019t worth much without a story.<\/p>\n

Jade: Finding the Green Light<\/strong><\/h1>\n

If you\u2019re in the market for antique jade, chances are you\u2019ll find it near impossible to authenticate the age of a piece.<\/strong> After all, the stone itself is millions of years old. However, there are some simple ways to check if you are indeed buying jade and not some other less valuable material.<\/p>\n

Yang Yang, the owner of jade boutique Ni (No. 4, Lane 254 Nanchang Lu, Tel: 5306-6295, by appointment only), says to burn the jade with a lighter. If it\u2019s real, it won\u2019t emit any smell<\/strong>, but if it\u2019s fake, it will usually smell like burnt plastic (don\u2019t worry, it won\u2019t harm the stone).<\/p>\n

For jade bracelets, most stores will have a special stone to test authenticity.<\/strong> When struck against a real piece of jade, the stone will produce a sound like a wind chime, but if the piece is fake, the sound will be dull.<\/p>\n

She recommends heading to Fei Cui Yuan (514 Huaihai Zhong Lu, Tel: 5383-8099), a small shop that has reasonably priced jade with spectacular carvings. Although the Yu Gardens area, especially near Cheng Huang Temple, is renowned for jade shops, Yang warns that most pieces will be heavily overpriced.<\/p>\n

As for taking care of your jade, it is a very durable material. In fact, it is one of the hardest stones in the world<\/strong>, but just make sure not to bang it hard against anything or it could shatter.<\/p>\n

By Jordan Calinoff<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Furniture: Fully Furnished Original article published August 18th, 2009 You\u2019re tired of seeing your Ikea desk in every other Shanghai home, so you\u2019ve decided to find something unique\u2013a conversation piece. Luckily, Shanghai abounds with places selling all types of antique furniture, but there are some ground rules to finding real deal antiques. First, research and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":427,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-678","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=678"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8840,"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/678\/revisions\/8840"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antique-chinese-furniture.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}