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.
Back in December, there was a rather out of place Chinese export lot in the Hong Kong Pavilion sale that caught my eye. Export ware is generally not my thing unless I can combine it’s display with my furniture collection. I have always had some fascination with garniture sets of 18th century porcelain. Such an interesting western concept that gets interpreted through Chinese eyes.
I have held off acquiring these mainly because they generally come down to us in poor condition. Generations of house maids have made it their mission to destroy these sets of porcelain vases that they were required to dust each week.
However, this particular set was in practically perfect condition except for some chips under two of the lids. I was strongly attracted to the overall monochrome design with leaf shaped famille rose inserts. They are not the most refined production, but the vivid decorative colors used for the flowers and insects adds considerably to their charm. The set looked to be early 18th century, very possibly Yongzheng.
I took the plunge and went after them at auction after weighing up all the potential pitfalls and complications of acquiring and shipping these vases across the world. And I was of course right about my fears! There were credit card complications, holiday shipping delays in Hong Kong, customs paperwork complications in the US, and equipment problems with FedEx. Did I forget to mention that shipping costs equaled about half of my winning bid amount?
Finally, they arrived this week and I excitedly started unpacking the crate. Only to find this.
One of the vases was damaged because careless wrapping allowed for porcelain to porcelain contact during shipping. It was entirely avoidable if more care had been taken with wrapping each item. Now the fun continues with insurance claims, negotiating settlements, and restoration costs. Such a shame they survived 285 years relatively undamaged until their trip to Texas.
I am amazed that they did such a terrible job packing. Was this through Christies?
How terrible, dear William. It can really make one angry about these careless sellers (or packers). I hope you have a good restorer at hand and will get a partial refund. I didn’t know it was possible to buy porcelain from Hongkong, isn’t it restricted as in buying from China?
Birgit
Hi William -
Very sorry to hear about this unfortunate, and entirely avoidable, damage to one of the vases …
I do hope you, eventually, receive a satisfactory outcome with the all the claims and restoration costs …
Stuart
Such a shame! I am sorry to see that has happened.
Ugh! So sorry to hear of it. Good luck with the insurance. I am on edge whenever I order breakable (or very valuable things) from overseas and try to avoid it as much as possible.
It's one thing to have things arrive broken, it's quite another to find that the item was packed poorly.
Thanks everyone.
I should have mentioned that this was a Christie’s sale. I have had good luck in the past with them at their New York branch. I don’t know if they handled the packing in house or sent it out for third party packaging or crating. The wooden crate was very well constructed & didn’t show any exterior damage at all.
I guess the Chinese mainland government makes an exception to it’s antiquities foreign sales restrictions with the Hong Kong trade. I wonder if the mainland auction houses restrict foreign participation in their sales?
@william It's astonishing.... this is literally all they do - sell and ship valuable things. How in the hell do they not do that on a professional level, ever? I mean, it's one thing if the crate gets hit with a torpedo - things can happen- but it's just ineptitude if the damage is due to faulty packing. As far as I'm concerned, this is enough reason to never buy from their Hong Kong operation. How disappointing. I hope you let us know how they treat you and handle the issue moving forward.
@william I am so sorry that you will have to deal with the frustration, but at the end of the day, you will have a beautiful garniture set and I hope you will enjoy and love them many years. Sharon
Maybe the packer broke it and was hoping to pass it off as an in transit issue.
I was wondering about the Hong Kong sales recently and how that works now. I had a look for information but couldn't find anything specific to that issue.
😞
I can sympathize, I bought a 150 year old parlour lamp matching base and shade, by the time it arrived the shade had broke, lamp lost two thirds of its value in an instant as a non matched lamp.
now the question for the smart folks, would the value of a set of four be more than valuable than a set of five with one damaged knowing that even a set of four is rare enoupgh?
@ronm It has to be a set of five, displayed on the mantelpiece in the order shown on the picture. Even with one vase repaired it’s more valuable than four perfect pieces.
Birgit
Further up date. Christie’s contacted me today with an offer to refund the cost of shipping the Garniture set. This offer is equivalent to one fifth the total cost of the set so they are basically refunding a bit more than the total amount I have expended for one vase. I now have a name of a expert porcelain restoration person, so I have to get a quote (including further shipping costs) for comparison with the refund number.
Hmm. The offer seems stingy to me. What do you think?
Latest Post: Censer buddha ? Our newest member: Vanda Leipold 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.