AbonnéArt & Design

Ancient Chinese art: the great fortunes want more

By Cristina D’Agostino08 novembre 2022

Slightly on the sidelines of the record-breaking mega-sales that Christie's organises periodically throughout the year, the one to be held in Paris on 13 and 14 December entitled "From Beijing to Versailles, the V.W.S. Collection: A Family's Odyssey in the 20th Century" promises to attract the great Chinese fortunes that are finally back in Europe.

Some pieces from the "From Beijing to Versailles, the V.W.S Collection" held in Paris in December 2022 (Christie's)

These objects were often collected by soldiers, diplomats and engineers who lived in China and brought them back to Europe

Camille de Foresta, specialist and auctioneer in Christie's Asian art department in Paris

They don't make the headlines in the media, but they attract the great Chinese fortunes. It is a fact that Chinese art sales are popular and attract a very specific audience. Few Westerners are interested in and familiar with them. However, the particularity of ancient Asian art objects is that they do not come from one collection, but from many different sources, scattered throughout Europe, belonging to families for generations, often without knowing that they represent real treasures. Yes, the myth of a trinket deemed useless and forgotten in a trunk in the attic exists and can turn out to be an important piece of art. This was recently the case for a group of young family members who were gathered in their country home one rainy day. In a suitcase, a number of unsuspected 17th century Chinese objects turned out to be worth several million euros at auction at Christie's (The Henry Mazot Collection).

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The collection is marked by the great number of extraordinary white, yellow and pale celadon jades (Christie's)

These objects considered as bridges between the East and the West also have a high value at auction

Camille de Foresta, specialist and auctioneer in Christie's Asian art department in Paris

Camille de Foresta, a specialist and auctioneer in Christie's Asian art department in Paris, has many such stories to tell. "These objects were often collected by soldiers, diplomats and engineers who lived in China and brought them back to Europe. They are many beautiful stories of objects hidden in attics. It is important to know that Chinese porcelain, for example, was considered an incomparable and very rare luxury item, because its manufacture was unknown in Europe until the middle of the 18th century and the discovery of the kaolin component. Today, these objects considered as bridges between the East and the West also have a high value at auction."

Ancient Asian art, a must for the Chinese collector

Unlike London, New York or Hong Kong, the market is considered to be very young in continental Europe, because until 2007, Asian art objects sold at Christie's were scattered among furniture and art sales and did not constitute a department in their entirety. From 2002 onwards," explains Camille de Foresta, "the Chinese in China, and especially in Taiwan and Hong Kong, began to take an interest and to bid against traditional Western buyers. Prices started to rise. There was even a peak in activity from 2010 to 2012 when everything sold at high prices. This was the time of the boom in Islamic art and Orientalism. Then the market stabilised in a high range. Today, sales are more selective, objects are rarer to find."

The imperial quality of the jade and porcelain is a testament to the collector’s keen eye and in-depth knowledge of the medium (Christie's)

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