Wanted  We buy Antique Chinese Silk Robes. Collecting antique Chinese silk robes and Kesi-Kossu panels is a massive global art market.  While many might not think of Asian robes, rank badges and assorted handmade silk accoutrements as an art form, they are and are highly sought.  We know because we sell a lot of good silk to some of the best collectors in the world.

Here in the United States stored away in closets, chests, trunks, and attics are tens of thousands of fine Chinese silks of the 18th and 19th C..  Many of them are worth thousands of dollars each.

How So Much Chinese Silk Came To America

During the late 19th and early 20th C. fine and rare Chinese silks flooded out of China and into America. While some certainly went to Europe, I believe much more came to the United States.  This phenomenon was driven largely by the same factors which brought so much Chinese art to the USA, China was desperate for foreign cash. Everything was for sale.

Over the years we've bought and sold many collections that have come down through New England families. Interestingly they were almost invariably collections built entirely by women. They usually were either acquired by husbands or extended family members traveling in China brought home as gifts or were bought by wives of Missionaries or businessmen while living in China.  Many were fascinated by the skill with which these textiles were created, more than a few learned how to repair and care for them as a hobby.

Silk Trivia: The history of silk in China is a very long one, they, after all, invented the first process for extracting the threads and weaving it.  For nearly 3,000 years how it was made remained a closely held secret, with the penalty of death for anyone who divulged to foreigners how it was made. This was enforced stringently by an Imperial Edict.

Eventually, around the middle of the 5th century, Nestorian monks managed to smuggle silk worms from China as gifts for the Turkish emperor Justinian. Soon, the Turks had their own monopoly supplying Europe. The Turkish court controlled it directly for centuries.  Eventually silk making spread throughout France, Spain and Italy in particular.

Wanted Antique Chinese Silk Robes and Kesi-Kossu (We HAVE Customers)

Today's we supply a wide array of active collectors with antique Chinese silk robes and kesi-kossu examples all over the globe.

We have ready willing and eager buyers seeking very good to the finest examples, ranging in values from $500 to over $100,000 for exceptional Imperial court examples.  If you've gotten an appraisal or an auction estimate and don't want to wait months or are uncomfortable with the inherent risk of auctions, call us.

We'll pay you immediately, its that simple. We can, of course, come to you if it is more convenient.

CONTACT US for more information. 

We buy Antique Chinese Silk Robes, Rank Badges, Hangings and Covers.