Emperor Kangxi reigned from 1662-1722, the longest reign in Chinese history. It was a prosperous time for the nation in economics and trade as well as in the arts; it was a great period of production of high quality porcelain with styles and shapes never seen before. There were pieces being made for export as … Continued

Emperor Kangxi reigned from 1662-1722, the longest reign in Chinese history. It was a prosperous time for the nation in economics and trade as well as in the arts; it was a great period of production of high quality porcelain never seen before. The exhibition comprises a variety of forms, including 8 ‘mark and period’ … Continued

Two and a half years has passed since our last Blanc de Chine exhibition, comprising 132 pieces and the fourth on this theme by Marchant. Museums, dealers and collectors alike find allure in the rich creamy porcelain of Dehua, Fujian Province. A great amount was produced, ranging from deities to vessels and consequently, are hard to date … Continued

In the Chinese art market of today, although one’s experience and knowledge plays a key factor in determining whether to purchase an object, provenance (a record of ownership of an object throughout history) is now seen to play an ever-increasing role. This is primarily due to the large influx of modern copies we have seen … Continued

One of the most familiar styles of Chinese porcelain to the West is the famille-rose palette. Famille-rose literally translates as ‘pink family’ and is the French name for the enamels introduced around the end of the 1720’s to be used on porcelain. This takes its name from the rose-coloured enamel that makes up the characteristic colour within the … Continued

At the conclusion of the Wanli period, the Ming dynasty was waning and the Imperial Court was low on finances, which led to very few orders for the kilns at Jingdezhen. Therefore, Chinese potters and production kilns were looking for new markets in which to sell porcelain. Japan, unable to make porcelain until the Chongzhen … Continued

Reclining horse, ma, the ears folded back, with detailed hairwork to its mane and tail, looking back at a monkey, hou, climbing on its hind quarters, its hands on the horse’s nose, the monkey with a furrowed brow and detailed hairwork to its spine, the stone mottled dark and light grey. 3 ¼ inches, 8.3 cm long. … Continued

90 pieces are contained in the book, comprising; vessels, animals, pendants, bracelets, buckles, snuff bottles and objects for the scholars’ desk. Several are imperial and 4 pieces have imperial marks. The front cover of the book is the Hodgson Rhyton, one of the most important jades Marchant has ever handled. It was exhibited at the … Continued

There are 50 pieces in the Qing Porcelain catalgoue, of which 22 are ‘mark and period’. Marchant believe the most important piece is no. 41, the imperial fencai lantern vase and cover. It is in perfect condition and comes from an English private collection. There are ten pieces from the Professor Robert de Strycker Collection, formed in Belgium in … Continued

White jade ram with yin-yang. Qianlong, 1736-1795. From the collection of Edward T. Chow