Oriental collectibles

James Harris
Register Columnist

May 06, 2008 07:38 am

— As a follow-up to last week’s column, I would like to spend some time discussing the collecting of Orientalia. While there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of interest in this collecting field in central Kentucky, I can tell you that nationwide there is certainly an explosion in the collecting of Oriental items.
By Oriental, I do not mean just Chinese or Japanese items. Collectibles from Korea, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and as far away as India are all sought by knowledgeable collectors.
The collecting of Orientalia may be as broad or as specific as you desire. You may collect Chinese snuff bottles or marble images of Buddha from across the region. Your interest and your bank account are the determining factors.
There are more and more Oriental antiques coming on the market. As the various countries loosen their export restrictions, dealers are bringing a wider variety of items into this country. These are as varied as textiles and robes to sculpture to country furniture.
Oriental porcelains always have excited interest in various sections of the country. Not only the one-of-a-kind pieces, but also porcelains that have been recovered from supposedly lost shipwrecks are now available. These may be found in local auction venues and in on-line sales and from dealers who specialize in such items.
If you are looking for “smalls,” the collecting of Chinese snuff bottles might be your thing. There is a wide variety of such bottles available in a broad range of materials — jade, glass, porcelain. Unfortunately, these, too, have been reproduced, so either know your subject or know your dealer — preferably both.
Textiles are another popular collecting area, but these take up more room and need specialized storage and display. Textiles run the gamut from scrolls to screens to rugs and robes.
Conservation of textiles is a field with very specific do’s and don’ts. Before starting a collection of Oriental textiles, read, study and learn all you can about the field.
Oriental art is becoming increasingly popular as a collecting field. You can specialize in Japanese prints from specific periods or schools or in a particular genre from a variety of Oriental nations. Beside two-dimensional art, there is a varied collecting area in Oriental sculpture.
Such sculptures are available in a wide variety of media — marble, brass, wood and stone. They also comprise a variety of subjects — Buddhas, animals, humans and everyday scenes. Size also varies from miniatures to life-size.
There are a number of wonderful references in book and periodical form for your study. Learning is the first step in developing criteria for your collection and for developing taste and discrimination.
Good luck in your collecting adventures and don’t forget to mark June 7, the date for the first White Hall Antiques Show.
Copies of the first 50 columns in this series are available in book form by sending a check for $7.50 plus $2.50 shipping to: P.O. Box 672, Richmond, KY 40475.
For questions of a general nature about personal property appraising, contact the author by e-mail at jimant@ipro.net.