Centuries before Europeans experienced the cultural and artistic awakening known as the Renaissance, civilizations in Asia were flourishing, and artisans in China were creating paintings and sculptures far more sophisticated than those of their Western contemporaries. Thanks to continued digging in modern China, more and more examples of ancient Chinese art are becoming available to museums and art collectors alike.
Doug Dawson is Chicago's preeminent dealer of ancient cultural artifacts. His gallery, Douglas Dawson Ethnographica, specializes in archaeological objects and historic art, including fine tribal textiles, sculpture, ceramics, and furniture from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and ancient America. Here he explains the current market for ancient Chinese art:
- Impressive artwork.
In Dawson's opinion, a great deal of ancient Chinese art is of staggering quality, and is all the more impressive once one considers that Chinese techniques were often a thousand years ahead of those used in Western Europe.
- Ancient objects bring prestige.
There's a lot of prestige in owning great Chinese art. Collectors who display early bronzes, Neolithic jades or fine Chinese ceramics can take pride in knowing that they own some of the best art objects in the world.
- More material is available.
The Chinese government has gone on a building spree of late, and construction digs have unearthed a huge amount of ancient art. As a result, there is more and better material on the market than there has ever been before.
- Prices have dropped.
Because of the influx of new material, overall prices have gone down considerably. Fifty years ago, says Dawson, a particular Chinese pot might fetch a price between $70, 000 and $125,000. Today you could likely buy a superior piece for only $5,000.
- Beware of fakes.
According to Dawson, New York is emerging the center for buying Chinese antiquities. But even with so much more art out there, knock-offs still abound. Make sure you're buying from a reputable, knowledgeable dealer who will stand behind the objects he or she sells.
For more information about ancient art and artifacts, check out the following organizations or websites:
Douglas Dawson Ethnographica
www.douglasdawson.com
Precolumbian Art Research Institute
www.mesoweb.com/pari
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
www.peabody.harvard.edu
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
www.nmafa.si.edu
Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (Asian Art)
www.asia.si.edu/default
Asianart.com
www.asianart.com
Next: Budget Art Collecting
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