An antiques dealer in China’s Nanchang area, who is well known for being a scholar of antiques, visits his local antique market every day hoping to find genuine items among all the fakes offered for sale.

Mr Wang is a serious scholar of Chinese antiques, it has always been his dream to find something rare that has been missed by other antique dealers.

Read moreChinese Antique Dealer Buys Rare Song Dynasty Book For Pennies And Sells It For 26 Million

In the face of the Western Eight Power Allied forces advancing on Beijing, news spread quickly to the Forbidden city. Dowager Cixi quickly got ready to flee Beijing with the Emperor Guangxu and a group of followers and servants, all in an extreme panic.

The dowager and her entourage disguised themselves as civilians, hoping to go unnoticed as they fled Beijing to head West. The Emperor Guangxu did not want to leave the Forbidden City, he wished to remain dressed in his court clothes and confront the foreigners, this caused a huge conflict with the Dowager, who ultimately pressed him hard enough to leave the forbidden city for his own safety along with the Dowager and her entourage.

Read moreDowager Cixi Fled The Forbidden City And Threw Huge Amounts Of Antiques And Jewellery Down A Deep Well

Sichuan is famous throughout China for its long cultural history and the amount of antique relics buried beneath the ground. A group of Chinese locals found silver coins buried in a field and word soon got around, which attracted more people to the area to look for treasure.

Read moreChinese Fisherman Digs Up Gold Seal And Sells It For 7.7 Million Yuan

Dore & Rees is delighted to announce their first Asian Art auction, coming up at the end of this month. The sale will feature ceramics, silver, works of art, furniture and more.

Highlight lots include a rare copper red and underglaze blue meiping vase from the Kangxi period, the beauty in its iridescent surface shines, estimate £5,000-10,000. Imperial wares are represented, including a massive blue and white charger, with a striking coiled scaly five claw dragon, writhing amidst clouds. The mark reads ‘made for the Palace of Gathered Elegance’, estimate 5,000-10,000. A rare imitation bronze standing Bodhisattva figure raised on a single lotus throne is an exercise in exquisite decoration in the detail of the draping robes, estimate £5,000-10,000.

Fine examples of cloisonne from China and Japan feature throughout the sale. A cloisonne moonflask is one of the most eye catching pieces from a Private collection of over seventy lots. If small and beautiful is your thing, then there’s an enamel ‘Lotus’ box and cover with brightly coloured turquoise and rose enamel, estimate £1,500-2,500. From Japan, a very fine tea kettle and a vase will be of interest to lovers of intricate details, sold separately, they each carry an estimate of £800 – 1,200.

Head of sale Lee Young comments: “A bumper first Asian Art auction for Dore & Rees will be presented online and in their newly refreshed premises marking a new and exciting chapter for the business.”

The auction will be on view 23 – 26 May at Dore & Rees in Frome.

Dore & Rees
Auction Salerooms
Vicarage Street
Frome BA11 1PU

01373 462 257

www.doreandrees.com

HIGHLIGHTS

MASSIVE BLUE AND WHITE ‘DRAGON’ CHARGER CHUXIU GONG ZHI SEAL MARK, GUANGXU PERIOD

Painted in tones of underglaze blue to the interior with a medallion enclosing a coiled scaly five-clawed dragon writhing amidst clouds and fire in pursuit of a flaming pearl, the sides and exterior similarly decorated. 63.5cm diam

NOTE: the Chuxiu Gong zhi seal mark on this charger reads ‘made for the Palace of Gathered Elegance’. Built in the 18th year of Ming Emperor Yongle in 1420, the Palace was residence of concubines during the Ming and Qing Dynasty’s. It was renovated to celebrate Cixi’s 50th birthday in 1884, and it is likely that this group of chargers where made around that time.

PROVENANCE: Prominent Scottish collection £5,000-10,000

Read moreChinese Antique Auction – Dore And Rees – 27 to 28th Of May 2021

A shepherd in Luxian County, China, has accidentally discovered ancient buried tombs from the Southern Song dynasty while out tending his sheep.

So far, archaeologists have uncovered over 160 tombs in this small county thanks to the shepherds initial discovery. Experts are sure there are many more tombs in the area yet to be discovered.

Read moreShepherd Finds Song Dynasty Tomb Filled With Imperial Treasures.

The demand for blood-red jade is huge in China, produced in the snow covered plateau of Tibet.

Due to its rarity and price antique dealers in China are using ordinary jade to stuff into the living body of sheep, for three years the jade is left inside the sheep to soak in the animals blood, after three years the jade is removed and has obtained the exact blood-red colour jade buyers are desperate to buy.

Read moreChinese Antique Dealers Putting Jade Into Live Sheep For Three Years To Fake Rare Blood Jade

Mr Huang from Anhui in China, collected blood chicken blood soapstones for many years.

Chicken blood stone in China is very highly prized, in ancient times the stone was used by the elite to make seals, the stone is rare and out put was small. Owing a piece of chicken blood stone is a huge status symbol during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Read moreWife Leaves Husband Who Racks Up Huge Debt To Buy Chicken Blood Stone