Two weeks ago there
was an art and cultural exhibition with talk by experts in Chinese paintings,
Chinese tea and Chinese Antiques. My friend and I missed the talk and by the
time we came to know it was about to end and one lady asked about ta hong pau
tea and one expert mention about Van Goth paintings are worth collecting and
the ending ceremony came so fast that what I actually wanted to ask was cut off
. So I asked one art dealer about Van Goth painting is that why Jho Low sold
his painting at a loss and this was heard by many people and at the refreshment
table a China trained local part time antique dealer openly said that for sale
value which is commercial value you will lose money but for admiration it the
value has no limit so in other words there are two kinds of values to every
antiques most of the items “lau hua” are not with them. I realized that many
collectors are just making use of antiques collecting by fooling around and not
by proper studies. The problems are all with the collectors because they want
to be respected which makes lesser antique dealers in Malaysia but increasing
number of dealers for collectibles.
At the authentication session, my friend and I stayed until
the end and I noticed that none of the collectors who are owners of the
artefacts knows what the items are in their collection which makes them to
bring the items for authentication. One man brought a clay teapot which was
polished by shoe wax and was not told how to remove the shoe wax which is a
very simple way to remove. This person is of the proud type so why bother to
share for the unexplained genuineness or unexplained fakes with him. Another is the marking that is only known by
the Chinese potters and experts in People’s Republic of China and not known to
collectors outside People’s Republic of China when not told. My interest is to
keep good Chinese Antiques with the knowledge for an explained genuineness
whereas most of the collectors only buy and keep thinking that what they had
kept are important pieces.
Rich people want to show off that they are powerful with
their words but to me they are nothing unless what they say is educational in
logical and sensible ways. They like to throw their weight around by saying
this are fakes or copies or that dealer is selling fakes or copies and many
people believe them but they did not talk about Bandung copies or fakes in the
60’s making of call it what you like “Peranakan ware, Nyonya ware, Pua Nguar
ware, Straits Chinese Porcelain ware’” and others and now about Jing
dezhen copies or fakes but nothing comes out what are genuine leaving all items
with collectors are fakes or copies unless and until proven genuine. To be
honorable or respectable collector is very easy and it is by way you show your
knowledge to prove your items are genuine and not Bandung or Jing dezhen copies
or fakes and not by pointing fingers at this and that. One arrogant collector
even confront by telling me that one Datuk doesn’t know how to authenticate
antiques, I told him let them shit in their own bed and after all these
problems are not mine and I don’t know why tell me about this.
Every collector has a right to be proud of their collections
but they must show their worth in Chinese Antiques collecting field otherwise
they will embarrass themselves for not having proper knowledge in collecting. A
number of collectors have brought their items for authentication thinking that
they can have a good show of their collection which ended that they put
themselves into shame for being no good.
I took years to search for good antiques and also made my
research to know what are good antiques and the interesting part is to learn to
know what is genuine and fakes and not by way of thinking. I made my statement that most dealings are
based on rumor buy, rumor sell” and manufacturers do not keep every piece they
make and I would like to be proven wrong .Manufacturers need not know “lau hua”
in porcelain because for the antiques that they have and also to show their
arrogance now that it hits back at them.
