The Jie Rui Tang Collection of only Kangxi porcelain was built up over the course of nearly 40 years by an American collector. Within the collection are some of the finest examples of Kangxi porcelain extant in the world today. The entire collection consists of over 700 examples, any one of the pieces would be a welcome addition to any collection public or private. 

A few weeks before Christmas in December of 2017 the authors were kind enough to forward me a copy of this terrific new book.  Shortly after Christmas in the New Year, I had the opportunity to spend an entire afternoon viewing and handling the key pieces illustrated in the book.  I also looked at many others not included, which were all equally stellar.  The collection, ranging from massive fine vases to sublime smaller table wares were all exceptional in quality and condition.  Several were of types I'd not ever seen before in person, including an enchanting Famille Jaune Openwork Cylindrical Perfumer.

Enjoy the video we put together about the book and collection. If you're a serious collector and fan of porcelains of the Kangxi period, you really need this book.  It will go out of print, so buy it now. You can buy it from the Paragon Book Gallery for $120.00, it's already being offered on eBay for $180 which means it will become much more expensive in time. 

About The Asian Art Market, It's Bicameral Selling Environment

Selling Asian art, in particular, Chinese art and objects, in today's market offers two very obvious choices.  To make sure you get the most money possible requires a little strategy on your part. Also some basic math. 

In general, sellers can either make an auction consignment or a make a direct sale to a dealer, preferably a specialized one.

Dealers and Auctioneers will both give you a pricing evaluation(s) based on what they know about their own particular market.  One will be higher than the other pretty much every time.

Dealers and Auctioneers do function in the same overall market but occupy different spheres that do overlap but are not the same.   

Despite the common perception, auction houses do not always get the most money for items. As a result, dealers make up a huge percentage of buying dollars in the auction market.  Conversely, some collectors prefer buying in a competitive environment over buying from a dealer. While other collectors prefer to buy exclusively from dealers 90% of the time.  

This is why it's a good idea to check both possibilities before making a decision. 

The advantages of selling Asian art to a specialist dealer are fairly obvious. 

Instant payment with no months of waiting for an auction to take place. Over and done with in minutes with instant payment.

Flexibility for the Seller. You as the seller can get "high" and "low" auction estimates, you can then ask t the dealer what he would pay right now, today for the item.  

Auction houses can take anywhere from three to eight months to sell an item, you may not wish to wait that long. 

Why Dealers prefer private purchases

Dealers prefer buying from private sources as it precludes their clients from being able to learn what they paid. After an auction everyone knows the prices, it's a public record. 

Good Dealers know Collectors often prefer buying from dealers, as it keeps their buying private and doesn't leave a traceable sales history should they opt to sell in the future. 

What's in it for you, the Seller?

Total Confidentiality, for some this is very important.

No negotiating commission rates. 

No worries about changes in the market while waiting for an auction. 

No disappointments if the piece doesn't sell at auction, or does but after commissions nets less than a dealer would have paid. (this does happen a lot.)

No worries about the buyer not paying the invoice after waiting months to sell the item(s).  (It happens)

The Proliferation of Fake Chinese Porcelain Today, A Few Auction Basic Rules

Knowing how to avoid buying fake Chinese porcelain isn't all that difficult. It does, however, require a little knowledge about porcelain, common sense and economics.

These are my thoughts on the topic after nearly 4 decades in the business.

Until you know a great deal and are rather expert on the topic, you need some rules to avoid being taken and becoming discouraged.

Also, understand, the copyists are extremely talented and skilled.  Some know as much, if not more about fine Chinese porcelain than Department heads at Sotheby's.

Never forget, fine RARE Chinese porcelains are not more common today than they were 30 years or 40 ago. It's just the opposite, they are rarer, much much rarer by a multiple of dozens.  Though you would never know it judging by the numerous examples of purported Imperial and high-end Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing which appear on a weekly basis in the market. They are nearly ALL copies.

If you're relatively new at this (less than 5 or 10 years), this "Post" is for you. 

Note: If you're looking for a site containing "vetted Chinese and Asian Art" by experts, visit our other site Bidamount.com

The Chinese Art Auction Market, A Reality Check  (If it seems too good to be true, RUN.)

The chances of an American auction firm other than Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman's and Doyle-New York,  offering one fine Imperial early Ming to early Qing vase in a year is very improbable. Having more than one the chances are about zero.  After looking at Live Auctioneers or Invaluable, you'd think these pieces were as common as Coke bottles.

If a small to medium size regional auction house advertises they DID actually land a fabulous "Old Collection", (NOTE: Most were formed PRE-1970) be VERY suspicious.  These old collections are few and far between.

Great collections are nearly always well documented. Upon dispersal usually, they are sold one of two ways. Most experienced collectors leave specific instructions on how best to handle the sale of their collections.

• They go to a major auction house or
• To a known established dealer to be sold.
• On occasion, they are divided between the two options.

Great Chinese art collections are rarely if ever handed over knowingly to small regional auction houses.

The Power Of The Web, IS Your Enemy

While the internet is a big part of daily life for everyone, it's also a dangerous place when it comes to buying art.  In particular when it comes to Chinese antiques. Auction houses across the country have sprung up like weeds. All of them it seems, offering alleged rarities, with great sounding stories and rare finds from coast to coast.

Many firms claim provenances ranging from the decedents of Chinese Missionaries to retired Chinese Generals who came to America in 1949 after fleeing Mao. They are pretty much all fibs concocted by the auctioneer and his consignor in partnership. These porcelains, bronzes, jades, scrolls, and scholar's objects all came here recently on container ships.  Here is a classic example of an auction of fakes

Here is a classic example of an auction of fakes we blogged about on our other site.  An Auction of Copies

Avoid Buying Fake Chinese Porcelain on the web, the Auction Trap

Pretty pictures, convincing stories being offered by all appearances by a well established local auctioneer. The Website looks good, they have nice descriptions about themselves, encouraging messages to contact them with any questions. It's all so inviting and seems so legitimate. Best of all, you think you "discovered" this amazing auction nobody else has!

If this is you at some point, run for your life.  The possibility of the auction being legitimate is in negative numbers of possibility.

But You Say! Potential Chinese Buyers Are Previewing!!

This means nothing and plays into the assumption that all Chinese people understand Chinese art.  In truth, most of the Chinese buyers are no more knowledgeable than most interested Americans. In the US there are some really sharp highly paid Chinese nationals who work as buyers for Hong Kong and Mainland collectors. You won't be seeing them at these auctions. I know many of them, they can tell at a glance what is real and what isn't.  They do not attend these auctions.

Discouraged Yet? Don't Be! Here are the simple rules.

Collecting Before Computers, The Old School Was The BEST School

In the past, during the "pre-internet age", collecting Chinese ceramics required a few essentials. These have withstood the test of time and have not changed. It requires patience, thought, getting good information and do not be a bargain hunter. You can bargain hunt later once you really KNOW what you're doing. It will take years of diligent and enjoyable learning, trust me.

• Every GREAT collection was built with the help of a good dealer, without exceptions. It is also a lot more fun. An active dealer sees more in a month than the average active collector sees's in a year or two. So, build relationships with a long term knowledgeable dealer(s), this is essential.  Sure you might pay a bit more for things, (you might also pay a lot less too by not overpaying for real things and by avoiding mistakes) you will also learn much more and more quickly than going it alone.  In the long run, you'll come out way ahead in every way.
• Get to know the folks at the bigger auction houses mentioned above too. They are nice people and are always willing to share information. However, don't become a phone pest, they are incredibly busy. So make the time to attend auction previews when it's likely to be quiet, and ask lots of questions. They will help you.
• Buy great books, specialized books pertaining to your area of interest. Before buying ask your dealer what he/she recommends.
• Join a good Asian ceramics society.
• Join a few museums with good Asian Departments. Most of the major museums have their collections online these days, bookmark them and learn from them.

It's not all that complicated but requires controlling the urge to dive in, and not knowing what you do not know. Once you learn how to avoid buying fake Chinese porcelain and copies you'll have a terrific and satisfying time.

Relax, read, listen, study and enjoy.

Ans: They are ALL brand new modern copies.  Yes, even the John Sparks receipt is a fake, Alfred Clark died in 1950. 

Chinese bronze vases and incense burners made between 1200 AD and 1912 are very well known among collectors and dealers. Despite this awareness, examples made during the Song to Qing dynasty remained until recently largely under-appreciated when compared to other objects. In particular when compared to porcelain, jade, paintings, and furniture from the same periods.  All of which have enjoyed massive amounts of interest over the last 20 years with ever escalating prices into the stratospheres. 

 While Archaic Bronzes of the Northern Shang and Western Zhou periods have remained among the most highly valued and best-known of China's history with this art form. Later Chinese bronze, including fine incense burners, vases and scholar's objects, have lagged sorely behind garnering significant interest from collectors in general by comparison.  That is until very recently during the last 5 to 10 years. 

Today, lovely incredibly well patinated Song bronzes that could be had 10 or 15 years ago for well under $300, even under $100, are now in the thousands. Extremely fine Ming and Kangxi examples can now realize over $150,000.  They are however still a long way from catching up with objects in other categories from the same periods. 

One of the biggest obstacles for those interested in the topic, there is a dearth of information out there. To help share our enthusiasm for later Chinese bronze art, we decided to put this page together. 

So enjoy the images, priced Sotheby's catalog, and video!  The majority of the bronzes below, after about the first 11 or so, are also priced from recent auctions. 

All images below enlarge after being clicked. 

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About plcombs Chinese-Asian Art on YouTube, helping our customers and friends stay informed about the Chinese and Asian art market. 

Why we do them. A few years ago it occurred to us, that very few video's could be found on the web which provided much timely information on the Chinese and Asian art market. We found even less for collectors, hobbyists, and dealers when it came to identifying and learning about objects. Sure there are a few on great rarities, like the 35 Million dollar Chenghua Chicken cup or the Guan bowl that brought millions, but nothing or very little about the "real world" environment of things you're very likely to encounter. 

What we talk about and share every week

• eBay Auction Results. An enormous number of folks who buy, sell and collect, do so through eBay. Contrary to many people's perceptions about eBay, sellers around the world sell millions of dollars of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Tibetan antiques pass through the massive site each month. While many of the items offered are fakes and copies, with a little looking and knowledge authentic things can be found. Each week we review the auction results of items sold during the previous week. many if not most of them had been posted on our sister site Bidamount.com's weekly Auction Catalog Newsletter page.
• Major Auction House Previews and Auction results. We for professional reasons keep a close watch on the world auction market. We also like talking about what's going on and sharing our thoughts with our visitors and friends. So we make video's to talk about things before they are sold and again post auction.
• Learning about Chinese-Asian Art. Over the last few years, we've done a number of video's on identifying fakes and real examples. A couple are fairly long with dozens of dozens of examples for comparison. We've also done one of carved Rhino horns and other on porcelain types from Famille verte to monochromes. 

Take a look

So check it out, please do subscribe and tell us if there is an area or topic you think we might do a future video on. 

Previous Videos, (just a few, there are hundreds of them)

"The Chinese Art - Antique Market Prices Today, have they peaked?"

This is a question we've heard a lot over the last few years, in particular in the last 10 months.  The answer is not quite so simple, it's both yes and no for a variety of reasons. If you currently own Chinese antiques either through your own collecting efforts or by inheritance, I'll try and explain where things stand currently. 

First, A Brief Look Back At The Last 25 Years

Starting around 1990, as the personal wealth of Chinese citizens began to rise due to global trade many began buying examples of their own material culture for their homes. Many have since gone so far to build their own private and public museums to share and showcase their acquisitions. 

The obvious consequence has been a rapid rise in prices across the board for Chinese art and antiques on the global market. This was particularly noticeable from 2000 to 2012. During this period it seemed almost every week somewhere in the world a headline appeared of one kind or another regarding a NEW record auction price for an object. This news created waves of additional market excitement, in particular among Chinese mainland buyers resulting in even higher prices. Around 2012, prices began to cool a little, with the exception of the greatest rarities. Since then, they've "cooled" a bit. 

Why The Change? Four reasons.

1. Market saturation, new buyers are fewer and far between.
2. China's economic slowdown.
3. Collector selectivity, remaining buyers became more careful and more sophisticated.
4.  Over Supply, remaining objects around world, with the exception of the BEST pieces, are more plentiful than previously thought. Short and long term collectors began adding to the market supply to either "cash out" or to raise funds to upgrade. 

Is the Party Over? The Good News Is YES

Those of us who've been in the business for many decades knew and understand what was inevitable and has finally happened. Chinese art - antique prices have leveled off. Not only have they leveled off, but have declined gently in many areas. 

In my opinion, it's long overdue and is good for the market. Overheated markets, when they correct can result in a total collapse. Just ask anyone who collected American furniture during the 1980's and 1990's, the values have in the last 15 years plummeted by 75 to 90%.  It was also a VERY hot market, today Americana is as dead as a wet stump. 

So, be glad you're not on a runaway price train which could totally disintegrate.

More Good News, Chinese Art - Antique Market Prices Today

If you're still in possession of some fine Chinese porcelain, bronzes, jades, paintings and other objects, you're pretty much sitting on top of the market. Yes, some prices have retreated a bit but its not a catastrophic drop, just a little bit.

Prices aren't likely to resume the crazy increases we saw again anytime soon, if ever, but the market has begun it's maturation process. This will create a stable steady market for future buyers and sellers. 

The other good news is, today, more than ever before are so many options for both buying and SELLING a single piece or a collection. Where and how you buy or sell today can be tailored depending on what it is you're dealing with. The only limitation is for collectors, and it's a minor one, you cannot BUY in mainland China and take the item out of the country legally. 

In closing as my kids and grandchildren say, "Its all good."  Chinese Art - antique market prices today are healthy! They will remain this way for a good long time. 

If you need help, advice or guidance in buying or selling a collection or single item, let us know.