Rank badges, Buzi (補子), sometimes referred to as ‘Mandarin squares,’ are Chinese dynastical textiles that have survived in surprising numbers. Their preservation is due in large part to the Western collectors that cherished them and gave them their alternate name. These embroidered panels lend themselves easily to different representations, and their custodians proved creative—I have seen them mounted in wood serving trays, repurposed as a lady’s handbag (perhaps a little too creative), and simply framed behind glass as a decorative work of art. Many admirers and collectors do not realize that they were made as functional clothing elements of an official nature. Although Ming and Qing dynasty courtiers wore these insignia badges, the strict regulation and systemization of their design and use only came about when the Manchus began their rul...Read More

When a style of unique furniture and accessories came into fashion in the Victorian era, it took the name of the city where it originated. "Cincinnati art-carved" encompassed a broad spectrum of decorative items, from corner cupboards to fruit plates, and from fireplace mantels to picture frames. At the heart of the movement were a professional woodcarver, Henry Fry, and his son, William. Having migrated from England, they moved to Cincinnati in 1851, where they worked on churches and for owners of estates. Among the latter was Joseph Longworth. Between 1868 and 1872 he commissioned the Frys to carve portions of the interior of Rookwood, his country home, and that of a house he had built for his daughter, Maria Longworth, who later founded the Rookwood Pottery Company. The work in Miss Longworths house caught the eye of her friends, who wan...Read More

Unless you’re selling gold ingots or diamonds, most fine objects don’t have intrinsic monetary value. So why would anyone pay tens of thousands of dollars for a Tiffany vase? To truly understand value, you have to understand the mindset of a collector. Let’s start by comparing vases and bowls.  To simplify this exercise, assume you have a bowl and a vase made of the same material (pottery or glass, for example) by the same company, the same year, decorated by the same artist or one of similar value, in the same condition, and even the same size, though one is measured in height and the other in width.  We’re pretty much talking about the same piece with that one notable exception.  Would the value really be different?        For starters, a bowl takes up nearly twice as much space on a collector’s shelf than a vase.  Few people have unlimit...Read More

We have all watched the funny movie scene of the guy scratching his head only to hear a booming voice yelling “sold” with a thunderous fall of the gavel as the auctioneer points to the unsuspecting gentleman who is sheepishly sliding down in his chair. “Sir, what’s your number? Sir… Yes, you with the beet red face. I have you as the winning bidder for $15,000.” We have all been in the crowd when these moments happen. Maybe you have been the person looking to blend in with the cupboard next to you, hoping that if you do not look the auctioneer directly in the eyes, you will not be seen and if you cannot be seen then you certainly do not have to pay $15,000 for that rusty old piece of junk unearthed from an abandoned barnyard. From the podium, I am privileged to see all of the winks, waggles, nods, waves, and covert telepathic communications ...Read More