Antiques has to genuine in order to be called “Antiques”. There are not many good collectors in porcelain especially Chinese educated because there was no importance for them to find out the values of old porcelain. I have not come across books written about Antique Chinese before 1920’s. In the 60’s Chinese Government sells porcelain treasures which is also authentic specimen to pay Soviet Union the money owed for Korean War tells me that porcelain items are of no importance in China.

I have a good laugh at two old man who are respectable people in Kuala Lumpur. I brought a book written not long ago by a famous Chinese expert to show this old man. In this book a Yuan dynasty Blue & White Jar drawn with a Lohan (Arahat) riding on a carriage powered by a mythical lion. Another jar with the same motif was for sale at a shopping complex. This old man claim that the one in the book is better. I then question him on how he tells that the one in the book is better. I say that both may be the same unless I am able to study the two items. He was at the loss of word.

Another is this old man who claim to be well versed with Penang and Malacca family crockery ware. It started off when I said that my late father bought a Nyonya Ware Kamcheng ( foodpot) from a Indian Muslim dealer in the 60s in the presence of a few collectors. He then objected by saying that in the 60’s got ‘no’ Nyonya ware and it is called ‘Pua’ & ‘Nguar’ in Hokien means plates & bowls and that Nyonya ware came its existence after 1970’s. I then asked for the difference between the Pua Nguar and Nyonya ware. I am still at the puzzle because he has not made it clear. Does it mean that the ones in the 60’s does not have phoenixes and the ones in the 70’s does and which is of better value or the both are cheap stuff? If those item are RM5 to RM10, I wouldn’t bother to ask and but when it comes to above RM100 and above, then knowledge is necessary.

Since he claimed that there is no Nyonya ware in the 60’s, then we have Pua Nguar spitoon, Pua Nguar Kamcheng Pua Nguar tehko(tea pot) etc. and another is, call it what ever you like Nyonya, Straits Chinese or Peranakan spitoon, kamcheng, tehko etc. When I asked further he accuse me of stirring up trouble, so Nyonya ware and Pua Nguar collectors has to know which is which otherwise anyone will be accused of selling the wrong thing with the aim to cheat. This incident happened at Amcorp Mall Flee Market. I am still looking for answers so that I won’t fall into the wrong place.

The painting by Xu Bei Hong with one horse galloping is too easy to copy and with many of it in the market. The one that are with two horses, one horse lifting up legs is difficult to copy (Two photo attached with one alleged copy is mine and the other is from a book telling about Xu Bei Hong’s painting in China) yet it is being copied by unknown artist and the horses in the alleged copy does not looked like cartoon. If master copier like Chang Ta-Chien can copy Xu Bei Hong’s painting, Chi Pai Shih’s painting then copies will be called Chang Bei Hong’s painting, Chang Pai Shih’s painting and further that art students who copy the famous artist will follow like copier with surname Chen will be Chen Bei Hong and so on.

A European lady got a surprise because I told her that every collector must know what they have in their collection like genuine or fake. She told me that scientific ways can imitate porcelain items exactly the same, my reply is that every item in your collection will not fetch good value because money could easily buy the antique items in your pocession from factories. I cited an example that Nyonya ware items can be seen and bought everywhere. After that conversation I came to know why the Chinese proverb says that wealth never passed three generations. To the first generation, the artefacts in their collection are treasures. Second generation keeps them for fun without much knowledge, only by the word that they are treasure from the first generation. Third generation without knowledge to tell that those artefacts are genuine, will throw them away when they see so many copies in the market or after consulting experts who claim that they are fakes thus turning treasures in garbage.

The photos of the item which is Pua Nguar or Nyonya ware is not known to me yet and both photos of Xu Bei Hong’s painting and another ? Bei Hong’s painting with the horse that I mentioned are marked.

There are experts known to me that pluck facts from the air and claim that they are mighty thus leaving collector confused and causing wealth never passed three generations.

Greedy collectors wants museums’ pieces which is not for sale and ends up that in their lifetime not getting anything. Many collectors missed collecting good pieces available at one time but they are not interested to study themselves but to rely on experts’ opinion without getting proper judgement as in precedent found in The STAR World news pg. 43 titled “Forgotten vase sells for RM19 mil” which quote “Her blue and white “dragon” vase had been sitting at the bottom of her wardrobe since the l970s when an expert told her the piece was a copy.” Why do we collect? The answer is in page13 found in book titled “Collecting & Looking After Antiques” by John Fitzmaurice Mills.

Netsuke is well known among collectors compared to Japanese porcelain like Ko-Kutani, Arita Nabeshima, Kakimon, Imari, Satsuma and others.

These two items are they Pua Nguar or Nyonya ware?

This two photos is extracted from a book that talks about Xu Bei Hong’s painting and the horse that I emphasized is marked.

This is the painting that I owned and the horse on the painting which is marked does not looked like cartoon.