Auction valuers discover Chinese art treasures and fakes in Australia
Auction valuers in Australia discover Chinese treasures and plenty of fakes as the descendants of immigrants shed their family heirlooms
It was life imitating reality television. When a woman recently arrived at a valuation day offered by international auctioneers and valuers Bonhams in Melbourne, she clutched a dish her parents had brought to Australia from China.
It was a family heirloom, but the number of fakes made in China mean that's no guarantee of value, says John Chong, Bonhams' Hong Kong-based Chinese paintings and ceramics specialist.
"Sometimes it might not be of historical value, but it is quite important to them in terms of feelings so it is important that we take care of their feelings," Chong says. "We tell them it would not be suitable for auction, and they understand."
This time the client was in for a shock. "She did not know what she had," says Jennifer Gibson, head of furniture and decorative arts for Bonhams, Australia. "She occasionally put things in the bowl and definitely used it, God forbid."
We want to educate people and make sure they don't make rash decisions
That dish, an imperial yellow, will now be featured in Bonhams' May sale in Hong Kong, where it is expected to fetch more than HK$60,000. Also consigned for sale will be a white glazed bowl, whose owner did know it was valuable and wanted to know what price it might fetch, along with several paintings and scrolls.
For Chong and Hong Kong colleague Vincent Wu, finding such treasures is one of the joys of valuation days. Bonhams' Hong Kong specialists have visited Australia twice yearly for two years. This year, with the recent opening of the London-based auction firm's Melbourne office, the pair spent two days there and two in Sydney.