asian antiques

Some folks like to do things in a big way.  They enjoy the spotlight, and blossom with a little extra attention.  We’re sort of that way, too, so we understand.  Even when it comes to selling an antique or collectible, we think it’s always more fun to make a splash.  Why do anything the conventional way when you can make it fun? Do you remember that Super Hero Auction we had last year?  We had national news coverage for that event, plus plenty of local headlines and spots on our local news networks.  Our own John discovered he looked good in ...

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There’s something about wintry days that make a person see their home with new eyes. Maybe it’s all that indoor time between the holidays and the Super Bowl that spurs that itch for change. Whether you while away your weekends rearranging the furniture, or reclining on your George Nelson sofa, I’m pretty sure you’ve spent a little time envisioning how swell your living room would look with that orange chair parked in front of the picture window. Before you know it, you might find yourself brandishing a paintbrush and picking out new throw pillows.  Being the voice of experience, I ...

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We've all heard the saying "You can't take it with you." But what if you could? Death in pre-modern Chinese culture was of tremendous importance, and it was crucial that when one left this life for the next, the departed were given everything needed to enjoy the next chapter of their eternal life. This included everything from representations of houses, horses, guardians, camels and even young hand maidens, that stood as reminders of events that shaped the existence they left behind. The ceramic wares produced during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.) for this purpose are considered the most ...

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The Norton Museum or Art's Chinese galleries present a fascinating array of expertly crafted jade objects ranging from prehistory to the eighteenth century. The long span of production – up to 7,000 years by some estimates – indicates the significance jade possessed among the inhabitants of China’s earliest cultures, as well as the resonance of the material and its meanings throughout Chinese history. In the Meyer Gallery on the Museum’s second floor, some of the earliest jade forms are based upon utilitarian blades (such as the ceremonial blade known as a zhang). Others, in the form ...

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Upon entering the Hodroff Gallery at the Norton Museum, visitors are greeted by a deluge of colors sparkling from the surfaces of a multitude of porcelain objects. There are wares decorated solely in blue and white, with colors ranging from a deep violet-blue to paler hues. Elegant scrolling motifs, often depicting leaves and other floral designs, adorn these objects, as do narrative scenes, dragons and phoenixes. Deeper into the gallery, rich greens, pinks, golds, and reds accent flowers, animals, figures, and armorial designs. The shapes and sizes of these porcelains range from ...

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The perfect antidote for the recession blues, PBS' hit series "Antiques Roadshow" plans to keep reeling in viewers with exciting discoveries. From attics, and now government safes, valuable (and worthless) art, antiques, and collectibles continue to emerge from the long parade of hopeful Americans who line up in auditoriums across the country for a televised appraisal. On Friday, the show taped its experts perusing jewelry in Colorado's Unclaimed Property Division. Show host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Peter Shemonsky headed to Denver to inspect bling held in the state's $450 million ...

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