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LIFE
Jean McClelland: Olympics tie Chinese collectibles to the present
With the close of the 2008 Olympics, many Americans will be returning home with treasures from China. Some may have memorabilia from the Olympics, while others may have happened onto an honest-to-goodness antique. Either event could spark a collector's interest.
It is little wonder Chinese antiques and art are so coveted with more than 4,000 years of history to be considered. Many of these antiques can show exquisite craftsmanship and be uniquely handcrafted. The Chinese world of antiquity is huge. However, some of the baubles of old that Westerners in particular covet are those made from jade, lacquer, bronze and ceramics.
To the Chinese culture, jade symbolized beauty, perfection and immortality. It has been used as an art form in China for several thousand years. Many collectors like the smaller items such as snuff bottles, pendants, tools and ornaments. The individuality and quality of carvings on these items can be exquisite.
Cinnabar lacquer ware is another Chinese specialty collectors enjoy.
The cinnabar part means an item has had red dye added to the lacquer. Lacquer ware is the result of many coats of this clear paint added to an object over a long period of time.
Intensive labor and length of time to attain perfection can make these Chinese antiques quite costly.
Bronze was a product that marked man's exit from the Stone Age, and for the Chinese it had special significance. Considered a rare commodity, they perfected the process of forming the copper alloy into ritual vessels, weapons, sculpture, cups and plates, incense burners and more. Most were finely decorated and inscribed with Chinese characters.
Porcelain and pottery have long been a specialty exported by the Chinese. Over the past 300 years, much of it has been made to appeal to the European and American market. Designs such as coats of arms, flowers and for the Americans, eagles and stars were made to export.
Still there are so many authentic Chinese pieces available going back hundreds of years that one would do well to specialize in one era, venue or dynasty.
All in all, the Chinese were and are very good at wedding art to a natural resource in order to come up with a useful product of the day and consequently an antique of the future. The trick here is to be sure what you purchase is authentic and is priced reasonably.
Jean McClelland writes about antiques for The Herald-Dispatch.
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