Where and How to Learn About Asian Art

When it comes to understanding and learning about Asian Art the subject is so big and long in history, its best to do it in sections. One of the most pleasing periods of Asian art and an era that was so closely connected to the west was the reign of Qianlong.

The Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795) was the grandson of the Qing Dynasty's founder the Kangxi Emperor (1662-1722) and was a enthusiastic benefactor to the development of the arts by giving support with money, his own interest in all schools of creative expression and by Imperial Edict. This was also happening during a time in which China was viewed as being pretty much at it's peak of wealth and power during the modern era. Consequently no expense was spared on the creation of spectacular objects from porcelains to textiles.

The 18th C. was also in this time that foreign traders from Europe, South America, America and Middle East plied the waters of China conducting trade in all manner of things. Interestingly spices and herbs were the initial catalyst and was known as "The Spice Trade".

Throughout it's history China (and Japan) viewed the west with great suspicion despite having had long relations in trade with many Non Asian cultures. As Qianlong once said "the west wants everything we have and we want nothing they have" of course with the exception of gold. TO this day a bounty of great things can still be found from this era if you learn how to look and take the time to do it.

Before you begin buying, do some homework. Visit local museums and historical houses in your area, ask them about collections in your area. Most towns and cities have historical societies and many have good China Trade material.

Often small institutions and BIG museums have Chinese things wrongly described and displayed. Once you start to learn, you'll be amazed at how often it happens, it can a a fun game. For many years the Brooklyn Museum in New York had a large display case of Dutch and English Blue Delft pottery, in the display case near the bottom was a large circa 1630's Chinese Transitional vase. They look like their Dutch copies..of the same era and are easily confused from a distance.

18th C. Chinese art whether its porcelain, ivory, bamboo carving, paintings and jades all seem share an exceptionally high standard of work. Fineness of detail and excellent quality of material are a hallmark of this era.

For example, porcelains of the Qianlong period were made from; very finely prepared pastes, the application of under-glaze blue was pure and clear, glazes were uniformly even and clear. The unglazed areas along the foot-rim were very smooth and nearly pure white in color. The glazes end neatly along the foot rim's exterior and might be slightly uneven along the underside of the rim. Knowing this kind of thing will save you a small fortune while out looking and might MAKE you a small fortune.

Today, every collector must keep a VERY VERY keen eyes out of modern copies of pretty much everything. With the heating up of the Asian art market over the last ten years, the Chinese themselves have taken to mass producing copies. Most are terrible, other are so well done they have gotten into major auction company catalogs and have sold.

To learn, pick an area that appeals to you most, get to know some good dealers, they can help more than anything else. BE very wary of ALL Auction houses including the BIG ones. No great collection has ever been built in any category without the help of a good dealer. A good dealer will see more great material in the course of a year than the average collector will in 10 years.

Study the aspects of the things you like best, the characteristics, tone of glazes, bubbles in the glazes, the tone of the lacquer. Each type of object has specific qualities which indicate its quality and rarity.

Do take the time to learn what might seem like minor points, but are in fact crucial to telling the difference between fakes and authentic. You will learn much and succeed as a collector by learning to tell the difference between later objects from ones made in the period.

Lastly, the most important things to do when collecting. First BE honest with yourself, don't use a little knowledge to convince yourself you have discovered a REAL rarity. The odds of stumbling onto one is pretty much "nil" until you've learned a lot. Second, listen to your instincts, let them develop, if your gut says "no" don't talk yourself into buying something you'll later regret and hate every time you look at it. Always remember REAL Qianlong Imperial pieces ARE in fact very very rare and few exist "in the wild" so bear in mind 99% of the ones you're likely to see are copies and the same goes form MOST periods.

My name is Peter Combs, I have been a dealer in Asian Art, Marine Art, American Antiques, European Antiques and Decorative Art as well as Folk Art. I was raised in Marblehead , Massachusetts where as a child I sailed (and still do) and was fortunate enough to live in a pretty idyllic setting. Stripper Fishing all Summer!!!

My website is http:www.plcombs.com and I sell under the user name "plcombs" on Ebay where I am a Gold Power Seller and Reviewer.

Today our family runs plcombs in the Coastal Community of Gloucester, Massachusetts, as the crow flies just a few mile north of Marblehead.