International Symposium

A good start at the for studies about antique porcelain of the “Blue and White Porcelain In Late Yuan and Early Ming Dynasties Maritime Tour Exhibition”.  I was looking for someone who can help me to know what is old and what is new and I was turned down. I then asked around and there was a International Symposium and I was told to sit at a corner by one of the person in charge and later a lady ushered me to a place for conference and the person seated beside me was Mr. Mah, a Chinese national who after he got Ng Ting Kau Antique Shop name card, he showed me the items from his collection hand phone photo clip.

At the talk which I like to research in, it was all about artefacts  excavated  found in China and also discoveries found in Philippines and Indonesia.

I have been and am living in two worlds about Chinese artefacts, one world is about artefacts excavated and another world is how to know that it is genuine of that time which till now no one has given me answer which make a problem.

At the symposium there was a suggestion for scan to authenticate artefacts which I do not know how reliable it will be because scientific tests has caused an antique dealer to pay a fine of US$350,000 and also to crease business in Seattle.

 I met a collector whom I don’t know but he has some artefacts on show and when I introduce myself, he said he has heard about Ng Ting Kau. I told him that most of the collectors collect based on rumour buy, rumour sell and if they collect the wrong artefacts which mean fake or imitation, it can cause wealth never pass one generation or loss of coffin capital (in Cantonese) .

There is a vast difference in interest which I have discovered and that is not so much in authentication but the support by status. If you have the status having the piece then you can be comfortable and to pull string with someone of international figure but if he is there then you can be somebody and if he is no longer there then you are no body.

 I got to know a number of experts while having lunch and we shared our knowledge and I brought five items from my personal collection to share and not for anyone to authenticate otherwise it is too boring and they asked me to take photo to e-mail which is a problem because I have items in another country and at the same I want to keep them for my generations to come. The next problem is I am English educated and a there is a communication problem. It is not because you have a lot of money and you can own them. Knowledge on the artefacts owned by collectors is important.

I am semi-retired after many years as a dealer and looking forward to full retirement to see the market “rumour buy, rumour sell”, to declare “all artefacts are fake or copies unless and until proven genuine” and to advise “do not become a collector if you have not started to be one”. Further reading in these blogs will tell you history and stories and not grandfather and grandmothers’ stories in antiques like most collectors do.

Funny Experts

This week has been a real fun for me.  I met these people who want to be smart and one of them is a collector of willow pattern porcelain items and he wanted to lay a claim that one piece in his collection is special by having a few more birds drawn in flying in the sky on that piece and that he has checked in the internet about willow pattern to make comparison which resulted in his piece having more birds. To me is that what make the more birds important or special needs an answer.  I have a food warmer with willow pattern which I did not count the number of birds but I know it is a special piece which cannot be seen any for sale in the streets and furthermore I can tell it is genuine and I have no worry not selling it but has high value keeping it for pleasure or education purpose. To authenticate a piece with the extra birds is dangerous because to makers of imitations the few strokes are very simple from makers of “Bandung” or “Jing dezhen”.

One collector who also repair houses makes comparison with ceramic tiles and he told a group of us that new ceramic is very sharp and old porcelain are not sharp, I then asked him whether did he break up his pieces to authenticate and the whole group laugh at him.

 One antique dealer overheard my explanation to another antique dealer about old Chinese Teapots should leak and when this antique dealer saw me he was trying to hint me that what I said was wrong to a customer. This antique dealer has some teapots on display on his table and there was one which was fine crafted. There are confusions by collectors old teapots are valued by age and new teapots are valued by the beauty. Last year a maker has a piece priced at Rm.128,000 which is the highest and the rest range from Rm.98,000 to Rm. 1,500. I saw those teapots at a tea exhibition.      

One visitor to this blog from Singapore searching “antique authentication singapore”. I had already given the names of experts earlier in this blog. Saya tak tahu apa nak buat lagi kerana Bahasa Inggeris buruk. 

Uncomfortable Meetings

An invitation by a close friend to a one night stay at an island has brought about a good experience for me. When we first arrived at the jetty there was a restaurant, I saw a vase and was within my reach to feel the glaze and the owner brought down the vase for me to see if it is genuine. I was really surprised that there are so many collectors who are interested to collect old porcelain and also there is a shop that sells old coins and other collectable items. The first question was is this vase old? And my reply is that why do you want to collect old porcelain items and also my interest is to know what is old and what is new in porcelain. He then said that imitations from China can be made exactly the same as the old. My reply is that all old items can be ordered from the factories in China then why keep the old ones, might as well take the a stone from the road side to the house which is the world oldest and further conversation that I am looking for teapots that leaks and they seem more friendlier.

The shop owner of the antique shop was very proud at first and after I told him why we look for old porcelain items and Chinese teapots, he then said that those must be worth a lot and I said that only to those who knows. At his shop, he sells very few types of coins and most of the coins I have in my collection like Straits Settlement coins Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V and Malaya and North Borneo King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II and others.

In order to get better collectors must get knowledge and exchange what genuine is like and fake is like and not shouting at the person for selling fakes. I am getting a new batch of collectors who will be able to tell the fakes and not, whereas the old batch knows just to shout and avoid Ng Ting Kau Antique Shop for selling fakes.  The experts that I mentioned will be able to help to bring better understanding in authentication.

In my lifetime experiences, many collectors will be at my place with my father trying to buy antiques and once the items are said to be fakes or copies by expert or experts, my father is thrown aside and they even send someone to celebrate his death. Many have known to point fingers at him for selling fakes or copies has the ability to tell the importance of old Chinese porcelain. I am yet to learn from collectors what are Bandung fakes or copies, Jingdezhen copies or fakes and genuine ones and not on wishy-washy basis because I have been thrown aside as well. There was a Chinese tea dealer who defaced my name card in front of me and after many years, he wanted to talk to me and his friend wanted me to help him check his items from hand phone photo clip which I turned down. I felt very uncomfortable talking to the people which were the reason for me to leave immediately after any talks or meeting with them at coffee places.