Auction of Fine Oriental Ceramics and Works of Art
on Monday 7 November, 2011 at 12 noon
Viewing Sunday 6 November 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and morning of the sale 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Viewing Sunday 6 November 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and morning of the sale 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Art and Antique Auctions (AAA) is an auction house specialising in antique Oriental ceramics and Works of Art together with antique European ceramics. The directors have a combined experience of dealing and cataloguing early ceramics of over 80 years and therefore feel they are able to offer an excellent comprehensive service.
Unlike any other auction house AAA do not charge the vendor a commission as they appreciate that due to the ever-diminishing supply of excellent antique ceramics (Chinese ceramics in particular) it has become a seller’s market.
Any collector wishing to sell would do well to contact AAA and discuss their selling options. AAA will, in nearly all cases, be able to offer the vendor the best possible deal. It is generally accepted that the power of the Internet has enabled all auction houses to reach the serious collectors, provided an item is well advertised and properly catalogued it will fetch the same price whether it is sold in a major auction house or a smaller one.
It is worth noting that the world-record price for a piece of Chinese porcelain was not achieved by a major auction house but by a small auction room on the outskirts of London. In fact the primary factors from the vendor’s point of view are the standard of cataloguing and the auction house’s commission.
Taking into consideration that interest rates are at an all-time low and likely to remain that way for some time, buying a beautiful object, which is very likely to be a good and safe investment, should be a very attractive proposition.
AAA’s sale will primarily consist of a small part of one of the director’s wonderful collection. Anthony Lovett has collected for over twenty-five years and during this time has been fortunate enough to accumulate an impressive collection of seventeenth and early eighteenth century Chinese and Japanese ceramics. Naturally there is an appreciation that with any collection there is a need for it to remain dynamic and as such subject to periodic review. With this in mind Anthony has selected a number of pieces for auction which include not only a strong offering of Kangxi blue and white porcelain and famille verte porcelain but a number of high-quality Japanese Kakiemon and Arita wares. His selection reflects not only a discerning eye for quality but also a deep respect for the long tradition of collecting.
Pieces of such high quality are becoming extremely rare and are fast disappearing into Mainland China. The demand far exceeds the ever-diminishing supply from the West and that strongly indicates that prices will continue to rise due to the huge and growing interest in Mainland China.
This sale will also contain carefully selected items from a variety of other sources, including an early Ming celadon guan from a collector in Gloucestershire, a late but interesting iron brush pot made for the Tibetan market from a London collector, a finely cast English silver teapot in the Chinese style dated to 1815 and other desirable items including a rare Chinese famille rose bowl, mark and of the period Jiaqing (1796-1820) bearing the Label of Fonthill Heirloom; part of this collection was sold at Christies in 1965.
In the context of ceramics, Japanese porcelain offers the best aesthetic value for money. Designs can be original and imaginative and painted with great expertise on ceramics of many different forms. Although this auction does not contain any of the wonderful Nabeshima porcelain (named after the Nabeshima clans Saga Domain) however, it does contain some pieces of fine blue and white porcelain often referred to as Kakiemon. Shards from the Nangawara Kakiemon kiln showed that it produced blue white porcelain in addition to its better-known enamelled ceramics, the popularity of which is demonstrated by its many copyists including Meissen, Chelsea, Bow, Saint-Cloud, the list is endless. (The Japanese potter Kakiemon Sakaida (1596-1666) is thought to be the first in Japan to use enamels on porcelain.) It seems extremely unlikely that the cost of these fine wares can do anything but increase in value.
The first auction will take place on 7 November, 2011 at 12 noon at the The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 5AB.
We are able to offer live bidding via the-saleroom.com for bidders who cannot attend the sale.