The Chinese and Asian Art Forum. For Fans, Collectors and Dealers.
Basic Rules For the BidAmount Asian Art Forum: Talk about whatever you want. You can even discuss and offer things that are for sale if they are authentic. Maximum image file size per post is 2 MB. Images of 700pxl x 700pxl are optimal if saved at a medium resolution. Be respectful of others and enjoy yourself. Click the YouTube link for a brief tutorial on using the forum. You can also EMBED Videos by cutting and pasting from You-Tube, Vimeo etc.
NOTE: To post an item or add a new post, click open the category title from the FORUM LIST, and CLICK the Blue ADD TOPIC button.
Ebay is the most popular place for buying antiques, but there are other sites on the web that you might want to have a look at. This is no recommendation, I just want to give you some idea about alternatives to Ebay. Please add your own experiences.
Catawiki: Catawiki auctions antiques and collectibles provided by different sellers. There is no buy-it-now, just auctions that run one week. They have experts judging the items, so the site doesn't seem to be as full of fakes and wrongly described items like Ebay, but of course it's still possible. Items are in the lower to mid price range, descriptions seem to be accurate and there is even an estimated price as a guideline for the bidder. Catawiki is located in the Netherlands and we meet old aquaintances like Shangrila Antiques, where you can buy with confidence, but also new sellers. There's a rating system for sellers like on Ebay. To bid you have to register. I have not had any experience yet with Catawiki, but maybe someone has and can tell more about it.
Trocadero: No auctions, fixed prices only. It describes itself as an online mall, where different sellers have shops. The sellers are responsible for descriptions, I don't think Trocadero controls what they offer. Prices range from low to high. There are sellers from around the world. I have made very good experiences with European sellers. Can't judge the US sellers because I never tried them to avoid import taxes. Many sellers are located in South East Asia. I bought some nice things from them for relatively little money that were shipped fast and reliable. However a bit of caution is necessary: They seem to have an endless supply of pre-Ming pieces in mint condition. I don't know if they are outright fakes or just restored beyond measure. Maybe there's both. Recently there are sellers from mainland China offering "antiques": keep off. Trocadero is like a shop window, so you don't have to register if you want to buy there.
Birgit
It's interesting, I got an eMail yesterday from Catawiki's site auction manager about discussing a cross-platform collaboration arrangement with BidAmount. We'll be talking next week.
From what I can see of Catawiki's site, they have a good setup but need to draw in much more material than they currently do. In order to accomplish that they, of course, must be able to convince sellers of the site's ability to draw traffic sufficient enough to realize good prices.
They may be able to get there by creating well-promoted auction events.
I've added a link at the bottom of the FORUM here for folks who want to check it out. They need members to build it out as an alternative to eBay, which isn't a bad objective.
Trocadaro is also a good site, I know folks who have used it for years and built up good following, but it takes time. They aren't especially good as drawing search engine traffic. They have massive amounts of content, yet rarely turn up in search results, or not as much as they should.
Best Peter
Peter
I contacted Catawicki a few months ago in relation to an item that they had in an upcoming sale. I received an email (after signing up) from them informing me that I was not eligible to bid as I lived in Australia.
I was surprised to say the least and forwarded them another email requesting more information as to why I was not able to bid etc.
They quickly replied with an apologetic email informing me that they were sorry and that hopefully in the future bidders from Australia will be able to do same.
All this despite their home page claiming to be an international company with millions of buyers from around the world!
Mark
That's a bit strange, Mark, because their sellers' ratings are full of Chinese comments, so it doesn't seem to be a Europe-only platform. Why exclude a country like Australia?
Birgit
Hi Shinigami,
No idea.
? Maybe they think we don't count LOL.
Mark
Hi Mark, could it be because of the Australian sale/purchase tax? I have noticed on other websites that they have had to update some stuff for Australia.
Best wishes.
imperialfinegems,
I am going to be talking with them this week, I'll inquire about the issue regarding Australia. I suspect it's some kind of regulatory issue. Nobody dislikes the Aussie's...
Best Peter
Peter
Dear Forum members,
I've been googling some online reviews of Catawiki's business activities, and all is not quite as rosy in the garden as one might hope.
I'm quite aware that you always have to ask who's writing the review. For instance, is it written by a competitor seeking to damage someone who's perceived as a commercial threat? But I've allowed for those considerations, and am still turning up criticisms that seem to me to be valid.
So I'd recommend Forum members to check out online critiques of Catawiki for themselves and make up their own minds.
All the best,
Alan
Hi Goldentoad,
Thanks for your input. As I understand the import duties for items under AUS$1000 the GST will now be across the board at the rate of 10% as of the 1st July 2018. All other purchases over $1000 remain the same, that is the purchaser is responsible for payment.
The onus is now on the vendor to collect/charge said tax on behalf of the ATO and not the purchaser as is with other countries worldwide.
If you are not a business and or have sales/turnover under $75000 pa then this new tax will not apply.
How this will even work remains to be seen.
This was to be implemented back in 2017, but due to pressure/threat from ebay and others to close down access to Australia it was forwarded to 2018.
Thanks Peter for raising the issue. It is much appreciated.
Mark
Out of curiosity I placed a bid on a Catawiki auction that ended yesterday. I am not really happy with the way these auctions work. All of the more expensive items have a hidden minimum price, something I also hate on Ebay. In this case it turned out that the seller set the minimum price on exactly the same amount that the experts had estimated as the value of the item, and that had seemed a bit overprized to me from the beginning.
Also you can't put a last minute bit, which is what makes Ebay so interesting. If someone bids within the last minute, the offer is prolonged for another minute again and again to give everyone the chance to outbid you (and the seller to extract the maximum gain).
In the hope that I might end with a lower price I put on a very high bid (in my opinion) but to my dismay this high price was shown as valid from the beginning. On Ebay your bid is only 1 EUR higher than the previous bid, no matter how much you offer. So I was almost glad when someone overbid me and met the minimum price. Nothing more happened for another minute, no bidding war, and I was glad that I had saved the money and someone else bought the slightly overprized article.
You might say I'm just dissappointed to have lost, but that's not the case. In my opinion the system has its disadvantages: there's no suspense, no possibility to make a deal by clever bidding. It would be better to offer the items as buy-it-now for the price these experts have set. Well, the seller has got what he wanted, the auction house gets its 9% fee (paid by the buyer), but every hall auction in a small auction house is more exiting.
Birgit
Dear Shinigami,
Quite so. The points you raise are only some of the criticisms I've already come across in reviews of Catawiki.
As a matter of interest, does the site explain how its 'experts' are selected and vetted? I haven't got as far as exploring that particular aspect of its business practice yet.
All the best,
Alan
Dear Alan,
they are still looking for experts, these are the requirements, in this case for French antiques:
https://www.catawiki.com/jobs/job/expert-antiques-france?gh_jid=1214416
Birgit
I have similar experiences with Catawiki like Shinigami. Very interesting platform and auction concept.
They have reputable experts and other kind of experts (who may not work there anymore IMO.)
There was an auction of Song Ceramics Collection from a Czech Professor. Most of them are fakes. After that I didn't see any similar auctions. I think they found out they hired the wrong expert.
www.wyssemaria-art.com
[email protected]
Dear Shinigami and Xin,
Thank you for providing that link, Shinigami. I imagine the wish list for their French antiques expert would look very similar to any other wish list they post. Looking over this set of job specs, it's very loose, in my view. And Xin, you say that they hire reputable experts. Perhaps they do, but if as you also say they hired the wrong expert when the fake Song ceramic collection was offered for sale, then it necessarily follows that their vetting process leaves something to be desired. And that simply confirms my impression that the wish list is very loose!
Best wishes,
Alan
Latest Post: Blue & white mystery bowl Our newest member: Pierre Jordaan Recent Posts Unread Posts
Thanks for visiting "The BidAmount Asian Art Forum | Chinese Art"
If you sell on eBay, or have a shop feel free to post images and descriptions and links.
Check back often for discussion about the latest news in the Chinese art and antique world. Also find out about the latest Asian art auctions at Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams and Tajans.
Auction results for: fine porcelain, ceramics, bronze, jade, textiles and scholar's objects. As well as Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and other Asian cultures.
Thank you,
Peter Combs
Topics and categories on The BidAmount Asian Art Forum | Chinese Art
Kangxi vases, Kangxi dishes and chargers, Kangxi ritual pieces, Kangxi scholar's objects, Qianlong famille rose, Qianlong enamels, Qianlong period paintings, Qianlong Emporer's court, Fine porcelain of the Yongzheng period. Chinese imperial art, Ming porcelain including Jiajing, Wanli, Xuande, Chenghua as well as Ming jades and bronzes.
Join the BidAmount Chinese and Asian art discussion board and forum today
The BidAmount Asian Art Forum | Chinese Art
A free Asian art discussion board and Asian art message board for dealers and collectors of art and antiques from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Linked to all of the BidAmount Asian art reference areas, with videos from plcombs Asian Art and Bidamount on YouTube. Sign up also for the weekly BidAmount newsletter and catalogs of active eBay listing of Chinese porcelain, bronze, jades, robes, and paintings.
The art of calligraphy - and for the ancient Chinese it certainly was an art - aimed to demonstrate superior control and skill using brush and ink. Calligraphy established itself as one of the major Chinese art forms during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), and for two millennia after, all educated men were expected to be proficient at it.
The Museum’s collections of Asian art span nearly five millennia and encompass the cultures of China, the Himalayas, India, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In 2007, the Museum launched an initiative to create dedicated galleries for the collection, beginning with a gallery for the arts of Korea ...
Chinese art is full of symbolism, in that artists typically seek to depict some aspect of a totality of which they are intuitively aware.
China Online Museum is the finest online museum of Chinese art. It features Chinese calligraphy, painting, ceramics, bronzes, carving, and other artworks.
Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. Overview Upcoming auctions Contacts Auction results ... Christie’s sales of Chinese ceramics and works of art showcase centuries of Chinese history. Held throughout the year in London, New York, Paris and Hong Kong, they attract a wide audience of collectors and connoisseurs vying for pieces as diverse as ...
Explore Asian Art Week. Contact the Specialist Department. Chinese Paintings ... Senior Specialist, Head of Sale. [email protected]. Tel:+1 212 641 5760. Bid in-person or online for the upcoming auction:Fine Chinese Paintings on 10 September 2019 at New York. Bid in-person or online for the upcoming auction:Fine Chinese Paintings on 10 ...
Discover an abundance of must-see art from all corners of a vast continent at Christie’s NY Asian Art Week. From contemporary classical and Chinese paintings to works with exemplary provenance from the Art Institute of Chicago, our Rockefeller Paza galleries will be full of ancient treasures and contemporary masterworks in a salute to the vibrant arts of Asia.
Sold to benefit The Art Institute of Chicago’s Asian Art Acquisition Fund, the sale features 84 lots with a focus on Ming and Qing porcelains, and offers a rare insight into the taste for collecting Chinese ceramics and works of art in the Midwest from the end of the 19th century through the 1980s. Highlights include two Wanli wucai garlic-head vases, a Qianlong mark and period, blue and ...
Specialist, Chinese Paintings, Christie's London Dr Malcolm McNeill is a Specialist in Chinese Paintings at Christie’s, based in London. He previously worked as an assistant curator of the Chinese collections and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as a researcher at the British Museum, and as a translator and tour guide at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
The Christie's Education 2020 Conference: The Chinese Art Market 18 Jun 2019 Christie’s Education is delighted to announce our first international academic conference in Asia which will take place in Hong Kong from 26-27 November 2020 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will run in parallel with Christie’s Hong Kong Autumn Auctions.
The summer Chinese Art sale in Hong Kong will feature works of art from several private collections, including Qing porcelains and textile from the collection of the legendary Chinese art dealer A. W. Bahr (1877–1959), fine gilt bronze Buddhist sculptures from an old Hong Kong collection, an East Asian collection of Qing dynasty wine cups and jades, and a Japanese collection of Song ceramics ...
Sotheby's Chinese Works of Art Department holds two auctions each year in London, New York, Hong Kong and Paris.
Chinese Art - View Auction details, bid, buy and collect the various artworks at Sothebys Art Auction House.
With more than 340 Chinese works of art dating from the Neolithic to the Republic periods, highlights of this sale include a selection of Qing Imperial monochromes from the collection of Arnold and Blema Steinberg, early ceramics from the Art Institute of Chicago and Chinese porcelain and works of art from the collection of Henry Arnhold.
Results: Sotheby's Asia Week achieved $52.4 million in six strong auctions, exceeding pre-sale estimates. With 76.5% of lots sold and 60.3% of lots surpassing high estimates, the Asian art sales at Sotheby's indicate continued collector interest in the finest works of art from China, India and and the Himalayas.
Today's sale of Important Chinese Art will proceed as planned with sessions at 10 AM and 2 PM EDT. Sotheby's will be monitoring the weather conditions throughout the day and will be available to coordinate alternative bidding options should conditions make it difficult for clients to attend the auction in person.
Bonhams Chinese Art department is renowned for offering the finest works of art representing the richness and breadth of China's artistic heritage, particularly Imperial porcelain, white and spinach green jades, cloisonné and Buddhist art. Specialised international auctions are held globally, including London, Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Bonhams : Chinese Works of Art We use cookies to remember choices you make on functionality and personal features to enhance your experience to our site. By continuing to use our site you consent to the use of cookies. Please refer to our privacy and cookie policies for more information.
Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers: auctioneers of art, pictures, collectables and motor cars. We use cookies to remember choices you make on functionality and personal features to enhance your experience to our site. By continuing to use our site you consent to the use of cookies. ... Chinese Art (US) General enquiries
Bonhams : Fine Chinese Art We use cookies to remember choices you make on functionality and personal features to enhance your experience to our site. By continuing to use our site you consent to the use of cookies. Please refer to our privacy and cookie policies for more information.
Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers: auctioneers of art, pictures, collectables and motor cars Bonhams : Asian Art We use cookies to remember choices you make on functionality and personal features to enhance your experience to our site.
Bonhams are international auctioneers of fine Chinese and Japanese art. We specialise in rare Imperial and Export Chinese ceramics and works of art, as well as Japanese ceramics, fine and decorative works of art from the Neolithic Period to the 20th century. View on map
Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers: auctioneers of art, pictures, collectables and motor cars. We use cookies to remember choices you make on functionality and personal features to enhance your experience to our site. By continuing to use our site you consent to the use of cookies. ... Asian Art Bonhams. Work. 22 Queen St.