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.
So lately the economy has been soft and Peter mentioned this is a time for great buys. I don’t want to miss the window of opportunity. So I got involved in an online estate auction it had a group of 5 imperial court rank badges 2 of them Military and 3 civil. I actively fought for all five one got away it was the king of the lot. It was due to bad connection and all five were being auctioned separately. I was wanting all 5 but I got 4. So my question is does a group of items help increase or decrease value. Second what percentage of an items actual cost should I stop at? I don’t spend thousands of dollars on an item or group and alway play very conservative but I have been losing some great stuff being jittery. Does anyone have some advice. I have money but I don’t want to just blow it down the shaft. I’m trying to purchase investments does anyone have a successful method.
Not much of a veteran, but...
Patience helps. I resell when I get too conservative, but the risk is greater with the better stuff. Sometimes, I see an item and just know it's right. I will get someone to help verify its authenticity first, and then I will push it passed its high estimate if I know it is mine. With this comes fewer items to sell, but I am only a hobby seller.
If you are buying for pleasure and possibly investment then I would suggest paying up to 60% of what it's value would or could potentially be.
The question is what is its value? Values are very different (in most cases) from auction to retailers. Higher end auction houses often will fetch 50% plus more than a unknown or lower end run of the mill auction house in most cases. But not all. It's very subjective on many things.
I am not writing or referring to high end or imperial pieces that sometimes are on offer with smaller auction houses. I am referring to the mid-range that you will find at both high end and smaller auctions.
The high end have the prestige that buyers (some) are looking for.
So if you think a piece is worth say a minimum of $1000 on bad day them I would normally pay up to 60-70%. But no more!
Of course everyone has different buying strategies. So I would be most interested in reading their thoughts.
I don't normally bid live either. Unless it's something that I really want. I normally do my research and leave bids.
Mark
It’s very hard to understand it’s value for sure that’s my issue economy trends and a lot of factors. And on top is the value even real. I did research on this live auction if they didn’t offer shipping like 95 percent of the live auctions this would have been a slam dunk but they did and the bidders from world wide got involved one of the names I recognized he goes to estate sales all over the country like Tim does. Either way I had more competition than I expected? One factor I considered was I didn’t have to pay shipping. When it’s a $25 to $100 no big issue but when it’s $500 each I get nervous.
@lotusblack Hi Brian. As I might have mentioned on occasion, I’m a former business banker, and I started buying & selling Asian antiques during the last recession in 2008. So, let me add my 2 cents….
First, I was not an investment banker - I worked with brick and mortar businesses that sold products and/ or services.
Treating art as an investment is not the same as buying and selling art as a business.
As a business, you buy art as a commodity below current retail (market) price, then you sell it for a profit as quickly as you can to generate cash flow. This is how I do business and most auction houses. Very little concern is given to the prospect of the value going up in the future of the art being sold.
As an investment, you would need an in depth understanding of who is buying, why they are buying, and what would make the buyer pay more years later - this is very tricky business. Unlike stocks, there are no financial statements to evaluate. The value of art is highly subjective, and the changes in popular taste as well as availability is unpredictable. For these reasons, I do not recommend buying art as an investment.
If you like art and wish to collect as a hobby, that’s perfectly fine.
Let me also point out that historically, as the economy moves into a recession (which we kind of already are in), art becomes a safe haven for the wealthy to store their wealth - prices on high end art go up. Lower and mid range art might go down, but there is no predictable way of knowing if or when the value might go back up.
Regarding your badges, if your confident you can resell them today with even a small profit, then you’ve bought right. If not, well, unless you have a lot of cash liquidity, perhaps you should exercise restraint the next time a buying opportunity arises.
And, if you just bought the badges because you thought they were wonderful looking, then great! Enjoy them for their artistic beauty and don’t worry yourself over the cost.
All the best.
Tim
@greeno107 Thanks Tim very interesting point of view. Honestly I will probably let Christie’s or Sotheby’s take a shot at the badges. I have seen a ton of badges sold at auction and these will fly off the shelves. Silk embroidery is hot so it makes since. I believe if I go by past auction results I should do well I just need to get them in the right hands. I agree we are already in a recession. This information will help with my retirement strategy.
Here is the one badge I lost yesterday in the live auction. 1st rank military badge Qilin. So I’ve been told that military badges bring the highest dollars. Due to the burning of them by officers after the revolution most that exist were purchased by western collectors and preserved. One thing I forgot to mention is these badges except for one was framed in museum glass. So I took into account the cost to frame a piece is this a good practice? I know a museum glass frame can cost $250 to $400 bucks depending on the size go much higher.
@lotusblack The value of the frame would only be relevant to a decorator/designer planning to hang the piece up for a client... collectors generally do not factor the value of the framing into the purchase price.
That said....uh....sorry to say it, but this badge looks fairly modern. I am not a badge specialist (and they do exist), but the colors do not look correct for Qing dynasty badge work. It looks like something from the 1970's.
The use of gold wrapped around silk is a well known technique used in the 19th c., but the detail in this badge is overly simple....they used real gold, so the look should be more vibrant, highly detailed, super elegant.
Perhaps this badge was made for a costume.
@greeno107 This was a rank badge for the wife of an officer. I had the badges looked at by a specialist because of the fakes they all had providence. She said at the very end of the Qing dynasties simple less valued badges were made because they knew they would be gone soon. I didn’t buy this one. She also told me Kesi badges are not faked to hard to make. I used Christie’s and Sotheby’s for mine I do see what you mean.
@lotusblack I just want to confirm you know that the badge you've posted is not kesi. Kesi badges, and kesi embroidery in general, is very hard to do... in fact I think it is a lost art. So, yes, kesi badges can not be faked. However, this type of cushion stitch does exist today, but was especially popular in theatre costumes.
Anyway, I put together a quick coparison of the badge you posted with similar military badges using gold thread. Going from left to right, it starts with the subject badge, followed by badges from early 19th c., to mid 19th c., and finally to Guangxu (the last).
I think what I notice other than the degree of stitching that differs is that all eight of the buddhist objects are present in the badges I reference, and in the subject badge, I don't see all eight, or perhaps they're just too small to really see clearly.
@greeno107 I hope it is real or the guy that bought it is out $1300 bucks I’m the only one in the auction to get the Kesi badge. I’ve been watching this auction on eBay this set of badges almost at $10000 as for the badge you are talking about here there were several bidders involved I might have owned it if the connection wasn’t so shaky.
@lotusblack The one selling on Ebay is late 18th to early 19th c.....AMAZING CONDITION! So, yes, the prices get up there.
Latest Post: Antique Cloisonne Our newest member: Brian Fanning 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.