Last August Reeman Dansie’s Fine Art and Antiques sale became the focus of national and international collectors and dealers. The object generating all the interest was a small blue and white Chinese dish decorated with dragons. The piece (above) was in less than fine condition, as according to family tradition it had for some years functioned as a dog’s feeding bowl! The surface was punctuated by ancient staple repairs, often a sign of authenticity and suggesting that at some point it was considered important enough to preserve. Most significantly, the ornament included a six-character Chinese dynastic script mark denoting the Ming dynastic reign of Chenghua (1465-1487), and after furious bidding the 30cm dish sold for £90,000. T he recent dramatic growth of the Chinese economy has brought with it a comparable growth in the market for Oriental art including ceramics, Reeman Dansie’s forthcoming bi- monthly Fine Art and Antique sale contains another good selection of Oriental gems. Of particular note is an 18th century pale green jade carving of a mythical beast, estimated at £6,000 - £9,000, whose workmanship demonstrates the ingenuity of the carver who has utilised the natural inclusions in the stone to determine and create the design. Jade is traditionally highly prized, since the density of the material meant that until the Daniel continues “Our saleroom is now a prime hunting ground for the Chinese collectors, and we are aware that masterpieces of Oriental art may still lay undiscovered in the homes of our region. So do please contact us if you have any Oriental pieces for which you’d like an expert opinion, even if they are stapled together!”
carved jade and ivories, bronzes and other items. Interest has been led by wealthy oriental buyers keen to buy back items of their cultural heritage. Many of the best items were originally exported to Europe during the flourishing trade in the 17th and 18th centuries, when artefacts were exported to satisfy the European taste for Oriental works of art. The political leaders of the 1960s Chinese Cultural Revolution regarded any attention and appreciation of China’s past artistic achievements as regressive, and the period saw the systematic widespread destruction of huge quantities of antiques and works of art in both public and private collections. The recent collecting spree is going some way to redress these losses, with an almost entirely one-way traffic of Chinese works of art back into the country. The Chinese public attach great honour to the purchasers’ transactions, seeing it as restoring ownership of their country’s heritage. This is not to say that Chinese collectors are not also looking for other ways to spend their new-found wealth and the country’s buyers now dominate the international auctions for vintage wine, whisky and prestigious wristwatches.
Reeman Dansie salerooms are located at 8 Wyncolls Road, Severalls Business Park, Colchester CO4 9HU tel 01206 754754 email auctions@reemandansie.com www.reemandansie.com The Scrutton Bland insurance team provide insurance broking services for all types of household policy, including arranging specialist cover for art, antiques and jewellery. If you have any questions about whether your valuables are covered, or simply want to find out more about our insurance services contact Natasha Sadler on 01206 838400 or natasha.sadler@ scruttonbland.co.uk
advent of modern power tools, working the semi-precious stone was an arduous process and a palm-sized carving such as this could be the result of months of work. “It is almost certain that the buyer of such a piece will be Chinese and will probably never have heard of Reeman Dansie Auctioneers or even Colchester,” says Daniel. “Our auctions are conducted online, with all lots carefully catalogued and illustrated with multiple high-resolution images ensuring that buyers from all over the world can make informed decisions about lots which they are considering buying, without ever needing to attend our saleroom. They can then bid online live during the auction. Nowadays when auctioneering I might sell 50% or more of the lots to online bidders, and whilst we may have a full to bursting saleroom of potential buyers, we may also have up to 1500 online bidders registered at any one time for our sales, spread across the globe, ensuring that we achieve excellent hammer prices for our clients.”
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