A Glimpse into Asian Art in London: Highlights from a Vibrant 2024 Edition

Posted on November 7, 2024November 11, 2024 by Ashley Crawford

Over the past few days, I have enjoyed attending Asian Art in London (AAL), which is always a focal point of the year. Whether you are an arts professional, a seasoned collector, or a complete newcomer to the world of Asian art, AAL offers a multitude of valuable experiences for everyone.

As an Asian art valuer, I always make sure to attend as many Asian art fairs as possible to assess current market trends, widen my knowledge of objects outside of my specialties, meet new colleagues, and, of course, enjoy some world-class Asian art! This year, I attended Asia Week in New York, Printemps Asiatique in Paris, and AAL, which is currently running through 8 November. Over a 10-day period, AAL celebrates galleries from all over the world, local Asian art auctions, and, for the first time ever, a full-day symposium on various Asian art topics at SOAS, University of London. While all of the Asian art fairs I’ve attended have been very successful, Asian Art in London is unique because it is the oldest, currently celebrating its 27^th year. This is the third year I’ve attended, and thus far, 2024 has been my favorite. Here are three highlights from my experience this year:

The Asian Art in London Gala

The annual gala was held at the V&A this year, where guests networked, learned about the winners of each of Asian Art in London’s prize categories, and were able to view the Asian galleries outside of the hustle and bustle of opening hours. I enjoyed attending a curator-led tour of the Japan collections, particularly the kimonos on display. One of my favorite kimonos was a bright and bold contemporary work by Ueoka Taro, which was a striking juxtaposition placed next to the traditional kimonos.

Ming Gu Gallery’s Lecture with Artist Li Chevalier

This year, Sotheby’s is hosting several gallery participants from AAL. Ming Gu Gallery, a contemporary gallery specializing in East Asian art, very kindly invited me to attend a lecture with Li Chevalier, the artist of the gallery’s solo exhibition Unveiled Silence. As an antiques specialist, I greatly benefitted from learning more about contemporary Asian art trends and techniques. Chevalier has led a fascinating and international life, reflected in her mixture of Chinese and Italian art techniques. Her career began in music, rather than art, at the age of 15, when she joined the Chinese army as an opera singer. She has since lived in Italy and France and often works in the UK. Today, her work remains heavily influenced by music, poetry, and a multicultural identity. This is demonstrated in her painting In der Fremde (In a Foreign Land), named after Robert Schumann’s Lied. [1]

The SOAS Symposium

As a SOAS alumna of both the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art and the MA in History of Art, I was excited to attend SOAS’ first ever symposium for AAL, Asian Art: Objects in Focus. I attended to learn more about the specialist topics offered, but also as a Travel Hands volunteer guide for a deafblind participant, as I frequently provide museum tours for this organization. SOAS has a very engaged alumni community, so it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Two major recurring themes across the lectures were provenance and dating, topics that are always at the forefront of an Asian antiques valuer’s mind!

My favorite lecture was Dr Johnson’s Chinese Teapot: Tracing the History of a Celebrity Object by Professor Stacey Pierson. This keynote presentation explored the fascinating and complex provenance of a teapot at the British Museum that had been incorrectly labeled as having been owned by Dr Samuel Johnson, the British lexicographer. Professor Pierson raised important questions about the implications of naming an object after a famous person or place, a term called “provenance branding”. She cited other examples such as the Hope Diamond and the Benin Bronzes. In the case of the Dr Johnson teapot, the issue extended far beyond a single object, as many stylistically similar teapots were also misattributed. Going a step further, auction lots of similar teapots (such as here and here) that had no contact with Dr Johnson at all often still include reference to this celebrity somewhere in the listing.

As valuers, we employ the same provenance research skills when assessing objects. The correct provenance is crucial when determining values, and, as Professor Pierson’s lecture demonstrated, it’s important not to automatically assume that the provided provenance is accurate! I learned so much from the various case studies at the SOAS symposium and was very grateful for the invitation from the SOAS-Alphawood Diploma in Asian Art. I hope the symposium will become an AAL tradition in future years!

Asian Art in London runs through Friday, 8 November. You can learn more about the events offered here.

You can learn more about Ming Gu Gallery’s current exhibition Unveiled Silence here.

You can learn more about the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art here.

You can read Professor Pierson’s article about the Dr Johnson teapot here.

[1] Some examples of her previous similar paintings are here and here.

To arrange a valuation of your Asian Art call us on 01883 722736 or email [email protected]

Lunar New Year

Posted on February 6, 2024December 13, 2024 by Ashley Crawford

Lunar New Year, which begins on 10 February in 2024, is the largest festival in many East and Central Asian cultures. Lunar New Year typically falls on the second new moon following the winter solstice. In China, this festival is also called Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival. Each year highlights one of twelve animals in the Shengxiao, the Chinese Zodiac.

This year will be the year of the dragon, one of the most prevalent symbols in East and Central Asian material culture. People born in the year of the dragon are characterized as intelligent, lucky, and charismatic. Dragons have historically been depicted in forms such as embroidery, porcelain, sculpture, paintings, jade, ivory, and furniture.

Dragons are particularly popular in embroidery, one of East Asia’s oldest decorative arts traditions, originating in China during the late Neolithic period. From the first century CE, silk embroidery technology spread to Japan, Korea, and Central Asia. Throughout the centuries, Chinese symbols, imagery, and embroidery techniques continued to have significant influences on embroidery practices across Asia. Dragons, also originating in China, have a long history in East Asian art forms. Dragon imagery dates to at least the Zhou period (1046-256 BCE), where it functioned as a totem to which small agricultural clans prayed for rain and protection from fires. This is why many East Asian dragons, such as those depicted in the much later Meiji tapestry below, are often depicted in ponds or seas. Water dragons symbolize prosperity for the owner. While imperial robes are the most famous form of dragon embroidery today, everyday water dragons comprise a far larger quantity of objects that have survived. This is particularly a result of the Ming Dynasty’s (1368-1644) rapidly growing merchant class, which increased the demand for silk embroidery and continued into the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was unprecedented Western demand for Chinese and Japanese silk embroidery, as China and especially Japan opened foreign trade. Export markets were already popular within Asia and Europeans had long enjoyed fine examples of handwoven dragon embroideries. As foreign demand grew, China and Japan mass produced silk embroidery in export markets for the first time. Improved technology and the advent of embroidery factories also contributed to this rapidly increasing market, which catered to Western tastes. In the early 20th century, silk was China’s largest export commodity. By the 1930s, this demand subsided due to the rise of synthetic fibers. Today, regardless of the medium, dragons continue to enjoy popularity in Asia and throughout the world.

Year of the Dragon

Posted on January 23, 2024August 9, 2024 by Alastair Meiklejon

In East Asian cultures, the Year of The Dragon in the Zodiac is marked with power, energy and fortune, with strength and intelligence assured of those born during this period.

Whilst every symbol holds a special place in East Asian cultures, the dragon has always held a significant place in the nations folklore and history, with emperors associating themselves with the dragon as a symbol of imperial authority and strength.

The dragon has often been used for many decorative items throughout history in the art world and even further afield. At Doerr Dallas we thought we would talk you through some of the most glorious examples of this most auspicious figure.

1. Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers – Recits de Voyages collection

Vacheron Constantin, despite usually being a very conservative watch brand have recently introduced this impactful piece in a series of multicultural one-offs. Included in the stunning line-up is an ode to China, with a five-clawed dragon realised in grisaille enamel. The 16th century technique uses white enamel on a dark enamel base to emphasise the interplay of light and shadow without the use of vibrant colours.

2. An early 20th century Chinese Dragon carpet

The carpets of the far east have always been fascinating to many people and this example is no different.

Stunning golden dragons on a deep indigo blue background with a classical T pattern border design, it is supposed that the figures from which they were derived, once symbolised thunder and clouds.

3. A mid 19th century Tibetan painted chest of drawers

The number 12 figures prominently in Tibetan astrology, making this simple chest’s dozen drawers the perfect canvas to honour the year of the dragon. Tibetan astrology recognizes a 12-year cycle, characterized by 12 animals, including the dragons that wind their way on this expressively painted cabinet. The gessoed dragons symbolize ambition, dignity and success. Camouflaged by lush flowers and vines, each writhing dragon clutches in its claws a lotus flower, a symbol of purity and perfection, and a peach, a symbol of immortality.

4. A 20th century Chinese Jardiniere upon stand

This monumental cloisonné enamel jardinière is a superb example of 20th century Chinese design. The jardinière is of traditional form, rising from a narrow foot to a flared shoulder and culminating in a rolled rim. The body is profusely adorned with cloisonné enamel designs over the white enamel ground: dragons, waves, floral patterns, and other motifs abound. The piece is supported by a wooden stand, each of the stand’s four legs ornately carved and finished.

So whilst the images of other Zodiac figures such as the Rat, Dog, Rabbit and others all have their fans, it’s clear that the Dragon really does hold a special place in the heart of the Chinese people and judging by the popularity of the items relating to it, all over the world.

Decoding Bencharong Porcelain

Posted on September 12, 2023August 9, 2024 by Ashley Crawford

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Bencharong porcelain was considered Thailand’s most valuable ceramic ware and is still widely celebrated in Thai culture today.

First commissioned by the royal Thai court from the late Ayutthaya period (1351-1767), Bencharong wares were produced in a variety of shapes, colours, and sizes, featuring both religious and secular motifs.

These pieces are instantly recognizable for their bright palette, geometric patterns, and frequent appearance of Thai Buddhist scenes. The name “Bencharong” means “five colours” in Thai; however, most Bencharong palettes range from three to eight colours.

The Bencharong palette first included yellow, black, white, red, and turquoise. Later, blue, orange, purple, and pink increasingly appeared.There is more than meets the eye, however, as this quintessentially “Thai” form was crafted entirely in China at Jingdezhen!

The most common theory for Bencharong’s name cites a literal translation from Bencharong’s Chinese Ming predecessor, wucai (“five colours” in Chinese). Another theory links the name to bencharongse, a Thai cotton dyeing technique with a similar five-colour palette, dating to the Sukhothai period (1238-1438).

Techniques

Bencharong techniques closely resemble those of Ming and Qing wucai (sometimes called yingcai in the Qing Dynasty or famille verte, noire, or jaune). Like Bencharong, wucai was also glazed, double fired, and decorated with three-to-eight polychrome enamels.

The primary differences between domestic wuai and Bencharong are Bencharong’s different colour palette (particularly turquoise), which catered to Thai tastes, its lack of underglaze blue, and its enamel, which was more thickly applied.Bencharong enamels also cover the entire surface of the body, displaying no white porcelain, unlike many of their domestic Chinese counterparts.

Bencharong’s production history is difficult to reconstruct, as no commission records remain. However, recent excavations at Jingdezhen have revealed decorated Bencharong sherds, suggesting that Bencharong wares were both fired and decorated at Jingdezhen, during a period when some export wares were only fired at Jingdezhen and decorated after export.

Dating and Uses

One useful technique to date Bencharong objects is by palette. Objects such as the one below (currently on display at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin) can be dated to the eighteenth century because nineteenth- century pieces often heavily feature pink or gold, a technique called Lai Nam Thong.

This piece also minimizes use of purple and blue, meaning that it was unlikely produced after 1800. When examining an object, don’t forget to examine the interior, which can provide useful clues! For example, turquoise interiors are only found in earlier Bencharong wares. Precise dating is typically unreliable, as Bencharong styles did not always align with Thai reigns.

Bencharong was often used as a dining ware, and therefore often came in matching sets.

Early Bencharong court wares also sometimes served as containers for cosmetics or medicine.

Initially, Bencharong was only produced for the Thai court, but high nineteenth-century demand necessitated expanded production for Thai nobility and merchants.

In the nineteenth century, King Rama II so admired Bencharong that he attempted to produce copies himself, as he was an amateur artist!

Visual Characteristics

Bencharong decorations often reflect traditional artistic tastes across Thai media. Bencharong’s most common motifs include geometric patterns, Buddhist or Hindu iconography, mythic or literary creatures, and Thai flora and fauna.

The entire surface of the Buddhist lidded bowl at the Humboldt Forum is covered with polychrome enamels in red, navy, turquoise, white, yellow, and green, with floral bands and motifs surrounding Buddhist figures. These bands typically frame primary motifs and are either plain or subtly decorated.

The various floral patterns, particularly the yellow stem pattern at the top of the bowl, are commonly found in Buddhist Bencharong wares. The red band near the bottom of the bowl and repeated throughout the lid is a lai kruay cherng pattern (a funnel motif) depicting repeating tri-lobed flowers.

Given Buddhism’s predominance in Thailand, many Bencharong wares depict scenes specific to Thai Theravada Buddhism. This scene takes place in the Himaphan forest, a lower Buddhist heaven. At the center of the primary scene sits a thephanom on a red medallion shaped like a lotus petal, with his hands in anjali mudra.

The thephanom is a minor celestial being in Thai Theravada Buddhism, often mistaken by contemporary viewers for a Buddha. He wears jewellery and an ornate Thai headdress.

Although he is featured alone here, he is often surrounded by norasinghs, Thai Buddhist semi-deities who flank the thephanom and can be identified by their human upper body and lion/ deer mixture lower body.

Collecting Bencharong

Bencharong remains a popular form in museums and in private collections throughout the world, with a demand for a contemporary reproduction market in Thailand. Taking your Bencharong wares to a valuer may help you determine whether your objects are antiques or are contemporary reproductions.

Bencharong reveals a rich history of trade, religious activity at Thailand’s royal court, and upper-class desires to emulate royal tastes.

Further academic examination of the history of Bencharong may result in a better understanding of China’s historical relationship with Thailand, religious and secular imagery in Early-Bangkok Period art, merchant trade culture, and the upper class’ relationship with the royal Thai court.

Meanwhile, there is plenty Bencharong for us to enjoy in public collections, such as the Humboldt Forum,
the V&A, and the British Museum!

Enter the Dragon- The rise of Chinese buyers in the Art Market

Posted on October 9, 2020August 22, 2024 by Mark Longley

From my experience in the UK Art Market the rise of interest from Chinese buyers has been enormous. For the first part of my career I worked in the European works of art and Asian Art salerooms of Christie’s South Kensington during the late 1990’s. The supply of available material for sale meant that every other week we could sell Chinese and Japanese works of art and porcelain. Very few clients were from the Asian countries, with most being drawn from the London and European trade. There was no internet and most buyers were reliant on catalogues, being present to bid or telephone bidding to buy at auction.

The current market is completely different. The availability of the internet to view sales, the use of agents for buyers in China and the global nature of the Art business has completely changed the market, with Chinese buyers coming to London especially in November to view and buy at sales and via the trade during Asian Art week. Regional salerooms have as much power to sell high value works of Chinese Art, as Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams. Regional auctioneers, while retaining their business independence, have worked together with the common interest to service and support the rise in demand for services to Chinese buyers.

The most valuable and saleable objects that are sold in the trade and via auction are those that exhibit rarity and a fine provenance. Previous ownership from a distinguished family, history and proof of trade via prestigious dealers all confirm on an object, a proof of history and by virtue of these qualities value.

At Rosebery’s Fine art auctioneers in July 2020, a rare pair of Chinese porcelain wall or sedan chair vases, from the reign of the Emperor Qianlong were sold for £324,500 including buyer’s premium. They were consigned from a private collection in the UK, and decorated in what were termed as yangcai or “foreign colours” because of the pink famille rose grounds, which came to the knowledge of Chinese craftsmen from the influence of European missionaries and craftsmen who were in China. The Emperor Qianlong was a connoisseur of porcelain and ordered his craftsmen at the Imperial porcelain works in Jingdezhen to design a vase for a sedan chair for flowers. He is known to have written poetry, some of which appears on these vases, and those sold in the past.
The Imperial poem inscribed on the offered pair of vases, titled ‘The Hanging Bottle’, is documented in The Complete Library of the Four Treasures. The Qianlong emperor composed this poem in 1758, the 23rd year of his reign, to express his delight upon viewing a sedan vase filled with fresh flowers hanging in his sedan chair on the way to a hunting trip. There are 320 Qianlong wall vases recorded in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing and about 138 of them are inscribed with poems by the emperor. There are thirteen wall vases in varying glazes and forms on the wall of The Hall of Three Rarities, the emperor’s special study in the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City.

The value achieved at auction was influenced by the colour of the decoration, the fact that they were a pair and that they had direct connection to the Emperor Qianlong. A Chinese agent eventually secured the winning bid.

A pair of Chinese porcelain wall or sedan chair vases, from the reign of the Emperor Qianlong were sold for £324,500 in July 2020. Image courtesy of Rosebery’s fine Art auctioneers.

Scholars have collected a wide range of different ceramic wares from China over the centuries. Of my favourite are the wares decorated in single colours or variations of this theme. One type of ware is called Jun ware and dates from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Ceramics were produced in Junzhou Prefecture (today’s Yuzhou) in Henan province, found in the middle of China. Ceramic production lasted there from the Song (960-1279) to the Ming (1368-1644) dynasty and is usually typified a thick almost custard like pale purple glaze, with splashes of a deeper purple on the surface. These wares, while not greatly prized, were still revered in the Ming dynasty and continue to achieve high values at auction.

Chinese Jun bowl produced during the Song Dynasty. Image courtesy of Woolley and Wallis.

This Chinese Jun bowl was sold on the 21^st May 2014 for £26,000 and is typical of the wares produced during the Song Dynasty, but was attributed to a rival faction of the same period, the Jin. It is typical of the type of bowl made of the period with the thick pale lavender coloured glaze over laid with abstract cloud like large purple splashes.

Bill of sale Chinese Jun bowl dated 1946

Invoice for the Chinese Jun bowl dated 1946, from John Sparks, London. Images courtesy of Woolley and Wallis.

Of importance to the piece was the provenance from the dealership of John Spark’s Ltd, a prominent London dealer, whose receipt was sold with the piece, dated the 1^st January 1946 and the former owner, the late Dowager Viscountess Harcourt. Of equal importance is the fact that a similar form of bowl is found in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Made in China, a Brief Guide to the Meaning of Chinese Porcelain Marks

Posted on October 9, 2020October 21, 2024 by Mark Longley

As a valuer of Chinese and European ceramics, one of the main actions in assessing an item is to look at the base of an object as it can tell a thousand stories.

Mostly, this simple action will yield information, although on the rare occasion it does not, you might find the ashes of your client’s beloved relative at your feet, or indeed the corpse of a dead mouse. While I have not had the ashes of any deceased individual at my feet, passing meetings with mummified mice are a hazard of the job to which I can relate to in the hunt for an item’s history and authenticity.

The marks on Chinese porcelain wares are generally found on the base of the pot and are made up of four or six characters or a stylised seal mark, made of geometric designs that mirror the handwritten characters.

The marks will generally refer to an Emperor’s reign and confusingly are not a real indication of the age of the piece. If the age of the porcelain is considered to be of the same date as the mark in question, it is commonly described as being “of mark and period.” However, Chinese potters did mark porcelain with earlier reign marks to the date of the manufacture as a mark of respect to earlier wares and Emperors.

This can cause some confusion with dating Chinese porcelain!

Only expertise and experience can assess age, although sometimes an invasive test, such as a thermoluminescence test, might assist the valuer. Invasive tests are far from ideal as they do require a sample to be removed from a pot. Commonly, ancient Chinese terracotta tomb figures are sold on the marketplace with these tests and accompanying certificates. Oxford is currently one of the centres for issuing these certificates in the UK.

The translation of the marks one finds on Chinese porcelains are well documented in books including Gerald Davison’s excellent, “The Handbook of Marks on Chinese Ceramics”, which includes the main reign marks for the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors and other less commonly documented marks.

With practise, comparing and reading both written and seal marks on Chinese porcelain becomes easier, especially with the correct textbooks by your side. However, with a little more knowledge of written Chinese and the method of writing Chinese characters, this can be made easier and more satisfying to understand.

Each character would have been applied with a brush; the shapes made by varying the amount of pressure applied to the brush as the stroke is made. This is also relevant to forming Chinese characters in calligraphy. Each character would have been made by performing a varied number of strokes, from three to fourteen in the characters below. Understanding the order in which the strokes are written (generally left to right), their proportion and the formation of the character can help one to appreciate the character more precisely, and if one could understand the components of each character more fully, one would be able to consult a Chinese dictionary to find the meaning. Mostly marks used on Chinese porcelain appear as commonly used words in today’s modern Chinese language. For example, the character for year has not changed in hundreds of years, and can be found on Ming porcelain, and in an e mail today.

The first mark below is a Ming blue and white porcelain bowl that sold for $7,470,000 (£733,927) at Christie’s Hong Kong in May 2013 and below that, a pair of Yongzheng doucai conical Dragon bowls and covers, that sold for £212,000 at Christie’s London in November 2019.

The mark below shows from the top right down to left down, the characters for Da Ming Xuan, De Nian li, which translates as Great Ming Xuan De Year produced (in) or effectively, “this piece was produced in the reign of the Ming Emperor Xuan De.”

Ming porcelain mark. Image courtesy of Christie’s

The mark below shows from top right down and across to the left, the characters Da Qing Yong Zheng Nian li, with translates as Great Qing Yong Zheng Year produced (in), or effectively, “this piece was produced in the reign of the Qing Emperor Yong Zheng.”

Yongzheng porcelain mark . Image courtesy of Christie’s

The History of Collecting Oriental Works of Art

Posted on July 23, 2019August 14, 2024 by Andrew Parker

Vase, made during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong. £53.1 million

In Europe the collecting of Oriental works of art goes back to the end of the 15th Century when Portuguese traders began to import Chinese porcelain and this fashion for exotic items from the Far East soon swept the whole of Europe with many countries vying to control the market.

Such was the popularity and value of Chinese porcelain that in 1717 Augustus the Strong of Saxony swapped 151 pieces of Chinese porcelain for 600 of the King of Prussia’s finest soldiers.

Other materials were also highly sought after by the Europeans including silk, lacquer and Jade.

In the middle of the 17th century the civil war in China led to a shortage of Chinese goods and so the Western traders approached the Japanese to produce similar items, whilst back in Europe many people were trying to produce wares in the style of the Chinese.

Until fairly recently the market in the West has been dominated by Europeans and North Americans, though the Japanese, who had also collected Chinese porcelain for over 1,000 years, were also buyers.

Recent Trends
In the 21st century the increasing wealth of a great many Chinese nationals has led them to try and buy back their heritage.

The best prices are paid for items made the for the domestic market, particularly those made for the Imperial Court, whilst pieces made for export to the West are largely looked down upon as being inferior.

Imperial porcelain from the 18th century is especially sought after for its high quality, which was often dismissed by Western collectors as lacking the soul and character of Ming and earlier wares.

The finest of these 18th century pieces make many millions of pounds, most famously the vase, made during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong, who ruled China from 1736 to 1795, which sold at a small auction in the Home Counties for £53.1 million.

In recent years the Chinese market has become much more selective as knowledge has increased amongst the dealers and collectors in mainland China, where a few years ago Chinese pieces were bought in an almost indiscriminate manner there is now a greater appreciation of the range of Chinese artefacts and their relative quality.

The high prices and subsequent publicity achieved by Chinese piece brought a considerable number of items onto the market and so the prices for more common pieces fell.

Another result of the high prices being paid for Chinese pieces has been that extremely good copies are now being made which has undermined certain sections of the market and means that provenance has now become of even greater importance than previously, with collectors looking for evidence that a piece has a confirmed history.

Because of strict limitations on the export of cultural items from China, once a piece has been bought and taken to China it can no longer leave the country creating a diminishing supply of good quality pieces in the West, one effect of this has been to broaden the range of pieces collected, pushing up the prices for Ming and earlier pieces, the increase in knowledge of Chinese collectors has also enabled this to happen.

1100 AD porcelain brush washer. £30 million

Chinese porcelain plate, Qianlong period (1736-1795) £40 million

Recently a porcelain brush washer from the Imperial Ru kiln, made around 1100 AD, 13cm diameter with a pale blue/green glaze and typical finely controlled cracking to the glaze, sold in Hong Kong for 294,287,500 HKD, around £30 million.

The entry of the Chinese collectors into the market has pushed many of the finest pieces out of the reach of Western Collectors, though there are still areas that are affordable and have not yet been greatly affected by recent events, Chinese export porcelain from the 18th century is still remarkably inexpensive with many attractive piece passing through UK auctions and fairs on a daily basis.

Values for attractive pieces often being measured in the tens and hundreds of pounds rather than the many thousands and even millions, it is possible to buy individual plates from the 18th century in good condition for less than £50, fine export examples with the most attractive and rarest decoration rarely cost more than a couple of thousand leaving a broad and interesting collecting area that is still surprisingly affordable.

Chinese porcelain plate, Qianlong period (1736-1795) £40 million

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[email protected] or visit our website www.doerrvaluations.co.uk