Sunday, October 10, 2010

Private Sale - Unique Beijing Hutong Shopping Experience

October 9, 2010 8:27 am

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Private Sale - Unique Beijing Hutong Shopping Experience

Please mark your calendars! Merci de marquer vos agendas !

La Maison Taupe will be opening its shopping doors once more for two days of carefully chosen selections of rare and unusual antiques, folk art, furniture, bags, accessories and children’s cashmere in the idyllic surroundings of a downtown courtyard house. For two days only, enjoy a great opportunity to purchase gifts, treat yourself, or just to listen to expert Roger Schwendeman talk about Chinese antiques. We hope to see you on October 14th and 15th for another Hutong Shopping experience near the Lama Temple.

Dans le cadre idyllique d’une maison au coeur des hutongs,La Maison Taupe reouvre ses portes pour deux jours de courses d’antiquites, d’art populaire,de meubles et de cachemires pour enfants. Nous esperons vous y accueillir les 14 et 15 octobre pour une seconde experience << Hutong Shopping >> pres du Temple des Lamas.

Who / Qui :

Where / Ou :

When / Quand :

Susan Alberti

Roger Schwendeman

Mandarine Coco

Shanghai Trio

La Maison Taupe

Shanghai Trio

606 Yonghe Villas,
22 Jianchang Lane

off Guozijian Street,
near Lama Temple

Beijing, China

(Map)

14 October @ 10am – 7pm
(open for late night shopping!)

15 October @ 10am – 4pm

Further information available by email: lamaisontaupe @ yahoo.com / roger @ antique-chinese-furniture.com

Pour plus d’information, merci de me contacter par email: lamaisontaupe @ yahoo.com / roger @ antique-chinese-furniture.com

606 Yonghe Villas, 22 Jianchang Lane off Guozijian Street, near Lama Temple Beijing, China

For directions call 13051440767

Related Books:

Field Guide to American Antique Furniture: A Unique Visual System for Identifying the Style of Virtually Any Piece of American Antique Furniture

Furniture Restoration Workshop

Friday, September 3, 2010

Antique, reproduction & solid wood furniture industry trends & outlook for 2010-2011

August 8, 2010 8:15 am

Antique, reproduction & solid wood furniture industry trends & outlook for 2010-2011

Chat with any “old school buyer” of Chinese antiques about the late eighties/early nineties and stories of 200 RMB rosewood tables and Ming dynasty porcelain for a few hundred RMB will bubble quickly to the surface. In recent times, this period might be considered the modern birth of the industry, with western buyers in Hong Kong at the forefront. Ten years later, Chinese mainland buyers have become the dominant force with Hong Kong playing backseat to Beijing, Ningbo and Zhongshan – all playing equally major roles in the industry. How times have since changed! The last three years however, have seen lighting fast changes within many of China’s industries. And the antiques/reproductions segment has in no means, escaped this. So what can we expect in the future?

Producers	Buyers
China Labor Shortages Rising labor cost in China Bargaining power Improve/Innovate/go under Domestic China market! New Opportunities! A Gradual Recovery	Money talks! Rising antique prices Things may cost a lot more. Quality & Design is improving Chinese buyers are paying record prices

For suppliers, factories and workshop

Labor Shortages:There has been much coverage in the media attesting to fact that, despite its 1.3 billion strong population, China is experiencing labor shortages in many industries/areas (particularly in the pearl river delta). In the furniture industry, the effect is evident in the average age of a carpenter with a glance inside any workshop revealing most are well into their 40ies. As many young people today have no desire to pursue a career perceived as dirty, backwards, low paid and labor intensive, expect this imbalance to continue. Its no secret within these circles that each year it becomes increasingly difficult to find/employ skilled Chinese carpenters and within five to ten years this will become a major problem for the industry.

Higher labor costs: In 2007, the starting salary of a college graduate ( w/computer and language skills) working in a foreign company was equal to or exceeded that of a Chinese carpenter. Its important to realize that office staff are generally individuals who live/work in the city, have college degrees, computer skills and likely foreign language skills as well. Yet by 2010, the monthly salary of carpenter from the countryside, with a middle school or high school education living and working in the factory will exceed (in many cases be double or more) that of entry level office worker. Therefore its no surprise the average monthly salary of a carpenter is a hot topic among workshops this year. Once treated as unskilled labor, carpenters and antique restorers are now essentially taking their rightful place as skilled craftsmen with compensation to match.

Diminished bargaining power: Chinese treat business as war and negotiating for a raise is no exception. Stories of the Nouveau riche coal miners snapping up high priced antiques, car buyers paying for their buicks with cash, the international spectacles of the Beijing Olympics, twenty years of strong growth and even the local media’s heavy propaganda coverage of the “communist economic miracle” have given rise to a “sky’s the limit” mentality. This combined with massive social pressure to get rich have turned many workers into mercenaries. Despite the global economic crisis and subsequent slow recovery, workers continue to demand increases and stories of workers defecting to the factory down the road for a mere extra 50 RMB are very common. In China loyalty in not earned but rather purchased.

Improve/Innovate or go under : In other words, all the things which should occur in a maturing market. Of course, this will also present both opportunities and challenges. Some general trends:

Both Chinese and foreign customers have a multitude of choices and are gradually demanding better quality-better value for their money.
Foreign customers particularly import buyers, reluctant to pay higher costs will need extra incentives or greater value added. In cases where customers are unwilling to pay more, producers may need to operate under thinner margins, provide better value for the money or seek out new customers.
Price was once the dominant (only) factor. Good design has now become an additional buying factor.
Its no secret (or shame in) that China wants to climb up the value chain. In practical terms, this means industries perceived as unskilled, labor intensive or resource heavy can expect no assistance from the government in the form of tax breaks, incentives or loose regulations.
The Lacy Act: More paperwork for exporters who are sending product to the US. See here for more info.

Don’t ignore the domestic market:

Searches for “Chinese antique furniture” have decreased on Google since 2004,
yet on Baidu (Google’s chinese language competitor) an equivalent Chinese language term
has held steady and now after the economic crisis appears to be once again rising.

Click here to continue on to our site and read the rest of this article…

Plant closings, layoffs return to industry. (Trends & News).: An article from: Wood & Wood Products

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The ultimate comprehensive english/Chinese dictionary of chinese furniture vocabulary and terms

August 3, 2010 3:22 am

The ultimate comprehensive english/Chinese dictionary of chinese furniture vocabulary and terms

I have seen this list floating around on the internet (though I have no idea where it originally came from). Though some terms are region-specific, its nevertheless very comprehensive with over 450 different terms.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
朵云双螭纹	duǒ yún shuāng chī wén	Cloud surrounded by confronting dragons motif.

In order to make it a bit more user friendly I have a) added Hanyu pinyin pronunciations and b) reorganized the list itself according to specific categories. Trust me when I say this was no easy task! There are also links to pronunciation via the MDBG Chinese-English dictionary wordpress plugin. Though far from perfect, I hope this is a useful guide to anyone working with Chinese antique furniture. The list is broken down as follows:

Decorative Beading and Molding
Patterns, Designs and Motifs
Chinese Joinery Names And Types
Lacquers, Inlays, and Wood Carving
Names of Decorative Openings

Common Names of Chinese Furniture
Hinges, Pulls and Metal Hardware
Legs and Feet Descriptions
Woods and Materials
Other Specialized Terms and Words

Decorative Beading and Molding Names

Chinese	Pinyin	English
冰盘沿	bīng pán yán	Ice-plate edge. General term for allinward-sloping mouldings.
打洼	dǎ wā	Concave moulding; also called aomian or wamian.
灯草线	dēng cǎo xiàn	Beading, a rounded moulding.Dengcao
瓜棱线	guā léng xiàn	Melon-shaped moulding, a ridge-shaped moulding used on legs. (When the leg is seen in section, it resembles the section of a fluted melon.) It is often found on waistless square tables and round-corner cabinets. Also called
剑脊棱	jiàn jǐ léng	Sword-ridge moulding. Moulding which slopes downwards from a central ridge. Lu Ban jing (Lu Ban’s Classic) calls it jianjixian.
拦水线	lán shuǐ xiàn	Water-stopping moulding. High moulding around the edge of a table to prevent spilt water or wine from soiling the user’s clothes.
两柱香	liǎng zhù xiāng	Two-incense-stick beading. Double row of beading down the centre of the leg of a recessed-leg table.
劈料	pī liào	Split moulding. Convex moulding made from a single piece of wood which is usually divided evenly into two (also three or four in late Qing times) segments.
皮条线	pí tiáo xiàn	Leather-strip moulding. Moulding which is rather flat and broad.
皮条线加洼儿	pí tiáo xiàn jiā wā ér	Leather-strip moulding and beaded moulding with concave centre.
起边线	qǐ biān xiàn	Edge beading.
双混面压边线	shuāng hún miàn yā biānxiàn	Double convex moulding with flat edges.
甜瓜棱：	tián guā léng ：	Melon-shaped moulding. See瓜棱线.
洼面	wā miàn	Concave moulding; also aomian or dawa.
委角线	wěi jiǎo xiàn	Indented corner moulding.
线脚	xiàn jiǎo	Moulding. General term for all types of moulding.
弦(xian)纹	xián (xian)wén	String moulding, on round stools.
一炷香	yī zhù xiāng	One-incense-stick beading. Single row of beading down the centre of the leg of a recessed-leg table.
凹面	āo miàn	Concave moulding
亚边线	yà biān xiàn	Flat edges of a moulding.
拧麻花	níng má huā	Twisted rope pattern. Form of moulding resembling a fried dough twist; also called shengwen.
托腮	tuō sāi	Stepped apron moulding. Term used in the Qing Regulations and by craftsmen for a moulding between the waist and the apron, which may be in one with the apron or made from a separate piece of wood.

Click here to continue on to our site and read the rest of this article…

Related Books:

Oracle Bones, Stars, and Wheelbarrows: Ancient Chinese Science and Technology

Oracles, Bones, Stars and Wheelbarrows (Ancient Chinese Science And Technology)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A quick look at some beautiful antique shanxi painted furniture in unrestored form

July 19, 2010 7:45 am

A quick look at some beautiful antique shanxi painted furniture in unrestored form

During a recent buying excursion, I stumbled across these beautiful lacquered / painted armoires, from Shanxi province in Northern China. While not nearly as prized by Chinese buyers, who often prefer hardwoods like Hua li or Hong mu, the status of Shanxi painted furniture has nevertheless risen significantly over the years for its beauty and stunning colors and is a favorite of the noted Chinese collector Co La Ma.

Particularly interesting, is this close-up section of a door panel. Notice the change in color and patina which has occurred over the years? Once covered by a brass plate which was removed/lost within the last twenty or thirty years, (possibly during the great leap forward), the left side (where the colors are beautiful and subtle) has survived the years, protected by the brass or iron plate that would have originally been there. The colors on the right are faded and muted by comparison. The effect of daily life, pollution, coal dust and years of rough handling and exposure to the elements is clearly visible.

And yet, it remains beautiful. Known as “Bu Wen Qi” or “Da Qi,” the process used in this style of Chinese lacquering is both complex and unique. The first step would have involved covering the raw wood construction with a base layer of hemp, horsehair, straw or other fabric depending on the period in which it was made. This allows for the wood frame construction to shift to some degree without damaging the rigid upper layer of hardened lacquer. On older pieces this sometimes still visible in damaged areas and can be a good indicator of age.

The second step is the application of an even layer of gesso known as “ni zi, ” consisting of plaster mixed with pigs blood (which must be applied within a set period of time lest it spoil). This provides the base material and smooths any impurities or flaws in the wood, straw or fabric below. The third step is multiple coats of natural resin based lacquer, with vibrant red or “ink black” being the two most commonly used colors. Each coat of lacquer must be dried, and carefully wet sanded by hand with a very fine abrasive paper before receiving the next coat. The process is then repeated several times with even the most common pieces receiving at least five to seven coats, until the surface becomes smooth, glassy and mirror like. Finally in the forth step, an artist carefully hand paints motifs ranging from flowers and vases to city scenes to people.

Restoration of such pieces requires a extremely skilled craftsman in order to avoid further damage to the piece and to restore it to its former beauty.

Click here to continue on to our site and read the rest of this article…

Related Books:

Furniture Repair & Restoration

How to Restore Antique Furniture

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Reduced prices - Sale of gorgeous antique walnut alter tables, armoire, benches from Gansu province.

May 11, 2010 7:16 am

Reduced prices - Sale of gorgeous antique walnut alter tables, armoire, benches from Gansu province.

Chinese Gansu Walnut Furniture SDC12013117 150x150 How to avoid cracking and splitting in Chinese solid wood furniture

Chinese Gansu Walnut Furniture DSC00446111 150x150 How to avoid cracking and splitting in Chinese solid wood furniture

One of ACF’s local “inside suppliers” wishes to liquidate his existing stock of restored antique walnut furniture from Gansu at reduced prices, as he is now dealing only in un-restored antiques. As an “inside supplier” this restorer does not normally sell directly to overseas customers and instead local furniture factories buy from him to then resell in their own warehouse at a premium. As he is one of the few people who specializes primarily in walnut furniture from Gansu province (halfway between Beijing and Tibet), this is an very unusual and rare opportunity to see such a large volume of walnut pieces in one single location. Normally factories will only have a few such pieces (which they likely purchased from him).

Chinese Gansu Walnut Furniture DSC00113110 150x150 How to avoid cracking and splitting in Chinese solid wood furniture

While not as costly as rosewood or Huali, walnut furniture is generally more expensive them Elm, Pine or Poplar and are generally sold at a higher premium. Availability has dropped and prices for walnut furniture have risen significantly over the past few years. Walnut is a much harder wood, more durable and longer lasting with a rich deep copper or caramel brown color with a nice grain and wonderful texture. Restorers also tend to use better brass hardware for walnut as the two colors compliment each other. Mostly from Western Gansu, styles are often understated, well balanced and elegant in their own right.

A few other things to know about this lot:

ALL these pieces are antique (there are no vintage or reproduction pieces in this batch).
Quality is quite good and all pieces are restored and ready to ship.
With a very few exceptions 90% of the pieces are walnut and from Gansu.
Not all items are pictured here (there is at least a 40 foot container).
He also has a few rare items that are not seen very often.
Sizes and proportions are very practical and usable.
The flash on the camera tends to give everything more contrast and more yellow (note this).

Larger photos of the complete lot can be seen online at this address:

http://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=254

For price list/additional details email me at roger at antique-chinese-furniture.com

: This cabinet is best made from veneers or kiln dried wood

: This cabinet which is intended to appear antique must be made from 100% solid reclaimed wood

: A “pickled finish” applied to both a veneer and solid wood. Can you tell the difference?

: Wood frame construction with MDF panels

: This cabinet is best made with composites like MDF

: Floating panel construction

: Stacks of “burlwood” veneer ready to be used in furniture making

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mystery: Are these Chinese oracle bones inscriptions carved on a tortoise shells?

April 25, 2010 1:54 am

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Mystery: Are these Chinese oracle bones inscriptions carved on a tortoise shells?

Interesting recent find… The question is “what is it?” Are these oracle bones ( 甲骨 jiǎgǔ) ? And if so, why is it not cracked? Or was this particular one simply used for practicing carving inscriptions? Or maybe even record keeping? Is this pictographs indeed an example of jiăgŭwén (oracle script) or is it seal script (小篆 Xiaozhuan /大篆Dazhuan)? What about clerical script (Li shu 隸書)?

According to the I-Ching, tortoise divination is one of the best method for making sense of the events. So, the very symbolism of the tortoise shell itself, would lead credence to the idea that this was used for some form of divination. Most popular and known for during the Shang dynasty, documented cases show this practice continued up until the Qing Dynasty though less frequently. Personally I would guess this example is Ming. But as I said, your guess is as good as mine…

If anyone wants to dig-in to what it says, Harmen Mesker’s website has some fascinating Chinese character analysis topics.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

How to avoid cracking and splitting in Chinese solid wood furniture

April 2, 2010 7:19 am

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How to avoid cracking and splitting in Chinese solid wood furniture

Lacquered Furniture? Then wood frame construction with MDF panels is probably the correct choice.

“Is that a crack?” About once a week, I am asked this question. Some of the times, its about furniture which has been purchased elsewhere. Other times its about our own furniture. It might have been custom made or simply the customer purchased it from from a moving sale. Some pieces might have traveled the globe and eventually landed in a dry climate – a once beautiful stable piece, is now turning into a cracking, splitting mess. But rest assured, at least once a week, I am asked this question.

Solid wood/old wood vs. veneer and composites

When making furniture,
the first question one must ask is, do you want solid wood or are composite woods also acceptable.

Solid wood furniture is strong, long lasting and can be re-sanded, re-finished and re-stained for years to come. That’s the good news. The bad news is, this comes at a price. Since wood is a natural, living, breathing material, it therefore has a tendency to swell / shrink, warp and/or crack as it ages, in relation to environmental changes in temperature and humidity. In door environments, in particular modern homes where dry electric heat is used, will accelerate this process. If the furniture is painted or lacquered, this presents an even bigger problem as the lacquer covering the outer surface will crack (often badly) when the wood underneath expands and contracts.

Reclaimed wood waiting to be used in furniture making

One way furniture makers attempt to compensate for this by using aged wood and reclaimed wood. While all wood, including old wood continues to breathe and change, unlike new wood, old wood has (theoretically) already reached its critical drying point over many, many years. Unfortunately access to reclaimed wood depends on the supply of old wood (often from buildings) which may not always be available in large quantities. Aged wood may also have a certain amount of dents, nicks and other characteristics that come along with age. And because its still real wood, this means it will still breath and change to some extent.

A second method of compensation is by using air dried or kiln-dried wood. Air dried wood, which has been exposed to outside air for extended periods of time, is often harder, though tends to have a higher moisture content and may take months or even years to dry. Kiln dried wood can be ready to use in under a month, but is softer as the artificial heating process stops the wood from naturally hardening any further. The heating process may also cause defects in the wood such as the “honey comb effect.” Unfortunately many smaller factories do not have kilns as the process is costly and requires specialized technical expertise. Even large modern factories shipping 200 containers a month may find running their kilns to be expensive and technical. Therefore because Kiln dried wood must be either pre-purchased or sent out for drying, air drying is the most common method in use for smaller workshops.

Stacks of "burlwood" veneer ready to be used in furniture making

Stacks of "burlwood" veneer ready for use in furniture making

Click here to continue on to our site and read the rest of this article…

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Chinese vase valued at €150 sells for €110,000 at auction

March 30, 2010 7:53 am

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Chinese vase valued at €150 sells for €110,000 at auction

“I have a lot of people approach me with inquires about selling porcelain collections they have either inherited or amassed over the years. I am guessing this might be one of the reasons why:”

THE OWNERS of a Chinese imperial vase which sold for €110,000 at a Co Laois auction on Tuesday – a record-breaking price for ceramics at an Irish antiques sale – plan to sell the remainder of an inherited collection of oriental porcelain.

While the Co Carlow family wish to retain strict anonymity, the auctioneers acting on their behalf said they were unaware of the vase's historical significance and its value when it was consigned for sale. The family did not attend the auction and missed seeing the vase sell for 1,000 times its estimated value.

Durrow-based auctioneers Sheppards said the owners were "shocked but also delighted and chuffed" by the sale. They were also coming to terms with the potential value and importance of the remaining items in the collection.

Click here to continue on to our site and read the rest of this article…

Thursday, March 25, 2010

A pair of late 18th to early 19th century Qing dynasty Chinese Nanmu compound cabinets

March 24, 2010 8:59 am

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A pair of late 18th to early 19th century Qing dynasty Chinese Nanmu compound cabinets

Item: A pair of late 18th to early 19th century Qing period Chinese compound cabinets
Region: Shanxi Province in Northern China
Materials: Nanmu (楠木 – Phoebe) and Chicken Wing wood (鸡翅木) *
Price: 60,000 to 80,000 Chinese RMB (SOLD) **
Condition: Purchased un-restored. Minimal restoration. New hardware. Carvings likely replaced after being defaced during the cultural revolution.

Click here to continue on to our site and read the rest of this article…

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Please mark your calendars! Merci de marquer vos agendas !

Related Books:

Friday, September 3, 2010

For suppliers, factories and workshop

Related Books:

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Decorative Beading and Molding Names

Related Books:

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Related Reading:

Monday, April 26, 2010

Related Reading:

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Solid wood/old wood vs. veneer and composites

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010

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