Contents
VOL 56 NO 6 NOVEMBER 2021
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REGULARS 3 Editor’s Welcome: Georgina Wroe introduces this month’s bumper Asian art issue
6 Antique News: All the latest from the world of fine art and antiques, as well as three must-see exhibitions
10 Your Letters: The best of this month’s postbag, including
memories of a childhood fan club
12 Around the Houses: Our round-up of the lots making waves in the UK’s salerooms in recent weeks
20 Saleroom Spotlight: Behind the scenes at the sale of the contents of the Sitwell family’s manor house
A RECORD CERAMICS COLLECTION PEMBROKE TABLES UK’S BEST COLUMNISTS
ANTIQUE
COLLECTING
NOV 2021
THE ASIAN ART ISSUE
IMPERIAL
REINS The mighty Tang horse and its unstoppable
pulling power for Western collectors
DIFFICULT CHARACTERS
DECIPHERNG CHINESE MARKS
Plus:
MING’S DYNASTY: CHINA’S LEADING CERAMICIST
APPRECIATING THE SCHOLAR’S DESK MOSCOW MULES DISCOVER FABERGÉ’S CHARMING CARVED HARDSTONE ANIMALS
YEARS OF ASIAN ART IN THE UK 100
Celebrating the pioneering collectors through the decades
ALSO INSIDE Reflections on antique mirrors • Country house sale • Latest listings
COVERTang dynasty (618–907) a whinnying horse with saddle, image courtesy of Lam’s Gallery, Hong Kong
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27 Subscriptions Offer: Save 50 percent on the cover price and have the magazine delivered to your door every month
34 Waxing Lyrical: David Harvey reflects on the enduring appeal of
antique mirrors with a whistlestop tour of periods and styles
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44 Puzzle Pages: Test your antiques knowledge with two pages of brain teasers from Peter Wade-Wright
50 Without Reserve: Antiques Roadshow’s Lennox Cato puts Pembroke tables in the spotlight
56 Saleroom Spotlight: In our second behind-the-scenes preview, we celebrate a jaw-dropping auction of studio pottery this month
63 Profile: Antique’s Roadshow’s Siobhan Tyrrell on her new role as an auctioneer and valuer
69 Top of the Lots Jewellery: Two bracelets with impeccable royal provenances go on sale in Geneva
70 Top of the Lots: 18th-century porcelain scent bottles go under the hammer, as well as a number of Asian pieces
THIS MONTH
72 Book Offers: Start your Christmas shopping with the latest bargains from our sister publisher ACC Art Books
75 Fairs Calendar: The latest events around the UK
76 Auction Calendar: Never miss another sale with our up-to-date listings from the UK’s salerooms 82 Marc My Words: Antiques Roadshow’s Marc Allum reflects on our insatiable appetite for Asian art
FEATURES 16 Looks Famille: Natalie Merchant on what makes famille verte such an attractive ceramics style
22 Ming’s Dynasty: An exclusive interview with one of China’s most celebrated contemporary ceramicists – Bai Ming
28 Freedom Fighters: Why abolitionist artefacts, including Wedgwood’s
famous medallion, are making waves at auction rooms around the world
36 Making a Mark: Gerald Davison’s guide to deciphering seemingly impenetrable Chinese marks
40 Hot Desks: Collecting scholar’s desk pieces has never been more exciting, writes Lazarus Halstead
46 Animal Magic: Quirky and charming: some 20 hardstone carved animals
by Fabergé come up for sale
52 Stable Returns: Allen Wang takes up the charge for Tang horses
58 Porcelain Miles: How chinoiserie Meissen porcelain once stolen by the Nazis has made its way home to a Dutch museum
64 Eastern Eyes: Sarah Wong celebrates 100 years of the influential Oriental Ceramics Society
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