Bidamount News June 5, 2026, Vol 633
This week's story is a profile published on the Asia Society's Philippine's Site. A Friend, Fellow Dealer and Devoted Collector.
A Fascination with Antiquity: Karl Hahn Rodriguez of The Oriental Room
by Raissa Claire R. Falgui
There was a room in his grandmother’s house, a room forbidden to him and all his young cousins. During the rare times that the door was left ajar, he would peep in, but never dare enter, catching no more than brief, enticing glimpses of its treasures: “... jades, hundreds of celadon wares with luminous green glazes, as well as jars, dishes, and sculptural figures,” were among the myriad of ancient ceramics hoarded by his grandmother which Karl Hahn Rodriguez, now in his thirties, recalls.
“My grandmother playfully referred to it as ‘The Devil’s Room,’ spinning stories that some of the jars had been found alongside ancient burials, even containing the ashes of the dead. She was only half-serious, of course, but to us as children, it was enough to frighten and keep us out. None of us dared to go in. My only glimpses came during her gatherings, when she would tour and guide guests through the house. To them, it was elegantly introduced as “The Oriental Room.” I would linger at the edges, quietly observing both the objects and the reactions they inspired. Those rare moments left a lasting impression. That room, more than anything, sparked my curiosity.”.
That room’s moniker now lends itself to Rodriguez’s ceramics trading business that he has passionately built over the last six years. “Finding the right name for the business and brand proved to be a challenge in itself. I chose The Oriental Room: Asian Art & Antiques as a tribute to my grandmother.” Currently, it is an online antique store on the Trocadero platform with Facebook and Instagram pages, but plans for a physical gallery are in the works.
Rodriguez is an unexpected figure in the field of antiquities. For most of his adult life, his main connection with East Asian culture was merely tangentially, through mixed martial arts. He ran multiple mixed martial arts studios, practicing and teaching the sport until the pandemic hit. Forced to close down most of his venues, he was at first at a loss on what new business to pursue. His father, a passionate art collector, suggested paintings. Rodriguez had been surrounded by his collection of works by great Philippine modernists all his life, which included rare custom pieces by major names who were friends of his father. Yet as impressed as he was by the value of the Ang Kiukoks, Manansalas, and more which surrounded them, he didn’t feel at ease enough in the current art scene to discover new artists and promote their works.
Then, at a family dinner at his grandmother’s house, his fascination with her ceramics collection was rekindled. A cousin dragged him to see a piece in Lola Letty Hahn’s collection that he claimed was just like one that had just been auctioned off at Sotheby’s. “This just sold for 50,000 dollars!” he declared, showing him the photo. Rodriguez noted that they weren’t exactly alike. But this news from his cousin gave him a fresh view of the ceramics he had grown up around. They were not only mysterious objects but rare and valuable items. He began to learn more about them and started collecting some himself, eventually daring to sell and trade pieces.
Rodriguez is foremost a collector like his grandmother, seeking out pieces he is personally interested in. Their age and their stories as well as aesthetics draw him to them. As he presents his favorite pieces, he gushes that these were created by hand in China, brought across the sea to the Philippines, carried even further inland on large balangay boats to Chinese and local settlements, and may have been purchased and used by datus many centuries ago—-and survive to this day. He has been around many antiques and ancient artifacts, his grandfather of German descent (a Quezon-sponsored Holocaust refugee) being a collector as well of old cannons, swords, and sculptures as well as European porcelains. But it is the ceramics of dynasties past that have captivated him more than any other collectibles. The familiarity he developed with her collection bolstered his confidence as he forged on into collecting and later selling.
“What ultimately pushed me to turn a personal passion into a business was the difficulty and, at times, frustration of starting out as a collector. In the beginning, I simply didn’t know where to look. The market felt opaque, and it was often hard to distinguish truly old, authentic Chinese ceramics from newly forged pieces being passed off as antiques. That uncertainty stayed with me.” And it continues to drive him. “I remember thinking how different the experience would be if there were a gallery you could walk into with complete confidence—-where every object was genuinely old, carefully vetted, and chosen not just for its beauty, but for its integrity. I found myself wishing for a space defined by trust: a place led by someone who valued honesty over quick sales, where nothing was misrepresented, and where each piece could stand on its own merit, supported by proper research and, when possible, the insight of respected scholars in the field,” Rodriguez explains.
As a beginner, he occasionally made the mistake of buying misrepresented artifacts. Having the extensive family collection to compare items to was extremely helpful, but he found he needed expert advice as well. He has go-to consultants who help him to confirm claims about each vessel he considers procuring. “I work in close and constant dialogue with trusted experts—-an esteemed scholar based in Hong Kong and a highly regarded specialist in Boston. Only when all three of us reach a shared conclusion regarding a piece’s authenticity do I move forward. In this way, each acquisition becomes more than a transaction; it is a carefully vetted addition, chosen with intention, scholarship, and a deep respect for the object’s journey through time.” There is only so much one can tell through photos, however, and there are times a piece must be directly handled by the expert before confirming details about its age and provenance.
Over the last few years, Rodriguez has developed his skills in identifying ceramics as well. “As both a collector and dealer, I quickly realized that a deep understanding of the material is not optional, it is essential. You have to know exactly what you are looking at, beyond surface appearance. With each piece, I try to uncover its story: when it was made, why it was produced, what purpose it served, who the potters might have been, and from which kiln or region it originated. It often feels like piecing together a complex puzzle, or deciphering a historical code that reveals itself slowly over time. For me, learning does not happen in isolation or through theory alone. It happens piece by piece, through close study, comparison, and constant research. Every object becomes its own lesson, and over time, those individual discoveries build into a much deeper and more intuitive understanding of ceramics as a whole.”
Rodriguez also associates with other collectors, as one of the youngest members of The Oriental Ceramic Society of the Philippines. Through his active involvement with the organization, he recognizes that expertise, honesty, and reliability in the field needs to be available for all enthusiasts as they build their collections.
“So I decided to build exactly what I had once been searching for—-a gallery grounded in authenticity, transparency, and a genuine respect for history. In many ways, it became my answer to that early experience: a quiet but deliberate attempt to offer collectors the clarity and confidence I once lacked, and to bring forward objects that are not only beautiful, but undeniably real.”
Interwoven with this is an advocacy to develop an appreciation for the ancient cultures that produced these ceramics. Through his extensive study, Rodriguez has developed a great appreciation for the intricacy and workmanship of these pieces created by hand in distant times with what we consider limited technology. His knowledge of the process informs him: when looking upon a simple bowl, his enthusiasm waxes over the process that went into creating it: the care and attention to detail in forming it on a wheel then glazing it and tooling it with an understated yet intricate design.
He particularly favors two dynasties. His grandmother was partial to the Ming and Qing dynasties, with their blue-and-white porcelain, and he is learning more about these due to their current popularity. But his own favorites are Song Dynasty ceramics for their “quiet refinement . . . almost meditative quality to their restrained forms and subtle glazes—-an elegance that does not demand attention, yet rewards it the longer one looks. The balance, proportion, and understated beauty of these works create a sense of stillness that feels remarkably contemporary, even centuries later.” Yet he is equally drawn to the contrasting “bold and often playful spirit of ceramics from the Yuan Dynasty with their “distinct personality.” He observes: “In contrast to the disciplined aesthetic of the Song, Yuan pieces often embrace a more expressive vocabulary, featuring moulded appliqués, dynamic animal forms, and unexpected decorative motifs. . . .Together, these two periods represent a fascinating dialogue between restraint and expression—-one that continues to shape my appreciation for form, style, and the enduring artistry of ceramics.”
His interest in the field of ceramics is truly broad, encompassing the full range of Asian cultures and periods. He has many celadons, including a particularly rare, ancient piece. “The oldest ceramic piece In my collection is a celadon-glazed oil lamp in the form of a bear, produced at the Yue kilns in Zhejiang Province, China. It has been dated to the Western Jin Dynasty (266-316 A.D.), making it nearly 1,700 years old.”
He also has many interesting pieces that were made particularly for Philippine customers—-the market-savvy Chinese produced wares with distinct features for each of their markets, with intricately detailed blue-and-white items targeted to Europeans and certain unique forms particularly for Filipinos, like pots resembling balimbing (star fruit) in form and whimsical animal-shaped containers for mixing ink for calligraphy.
On his Oriental Room page, he not only gives the essential facts of each featured piece but details of the skill and labor that went into their creation. Posts are not just of items for sale but at times of museum displays with information to educate his global audience, sharing his passion.
“When you consider that some of these ceramics are over a thousand years old, you are looking at objects that existed during periods such as the Song Dynasty or even earlier. At that time, China was one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in the world, pioneering mass ceramic production, global trade systems, and urban commercial life. Meanwhile, in what is now the Philippines, thriving coastal communities were forming alliances, trading forest and marine products, and integrating into this broader Asian world. So when you hold or study these relics, you are not just looking at fragments of clay. You are engaging with tangible proof that pre-colonial Filipinos had agency, connectivity, and a vibrant culture. These ceramics collapse time. They remind us that long before colonial narratives reframed the region, there already existed a dynamic, outward-looking society whose legacy continues to shape Filipino identity today.”
To know more about The Oriental Room and Karl’s work, follow the brand’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheOrientalRoom.
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