The Association of Accredited Auctioneers (Triple-A), founded in 2012 by 19 UK auctioneers to attract Chinese buyers, are to hold an auction of Western fine art and antiques in China.
An estimated 900 UK-consigned lots
will be on view in Beijing and Shanghai prior to the auction in
Xiamen Freeport on April 19.
"The sale will be a unique and
ground-breaking event," said Triple-A chairman Chris Ewbank of
Ewbanks in Send, Surrey. "Apart from a charity sale in the
Forbidden City in 1988 and the auction of a single sculpture in
September last year, participation by Western auctioneers in
mainland Chinese auctions has been impossible.
"There has never been a sale of
Western antiques and fine art of this magnitude in China. The
auction will introduce Chinese buyers, first hand, to the enormous
range of Western antiques and collectibles we deal with on an
everyday basis."
The ambitious project involves two
Beijing-based partners: Huachen Auctions, the Chinese auctioneer who
will conduct the sale and Epailive, the online bidding portal who will
promote the event (in both Mandarin and English) to its 100,000
registered members.
More significantly, AAA say an escrow
and foreign exchange licensing system - operated independently of
Epailive - will guarantee payment and transmit funds into sterling
without delays. On registering to bid, prospective buyers are
contractually required to commit funds to cover their purchases,
money that is accessible to the auctioneer within 48 hours of the
sale.
Mixed
Offerings
The auction will feature art and
antiques at inclusive price levels with all Triple-A members
invited to submit items for sale. As the twin aims of the exercise
are to promote the values of British auctioneers and learn more of
the Chinese appetite for Western works of art, members have been
encouraged to source British and European clocks and watches,
silver, jewellery, pictures, furniture and collectors' items valued
at '£1500 upwards' - the exception being the Chinese silver made
for export to the West in the late 19th and early 20th
century.
Vendors involved in the project will
be charged what Chris Ewbank termed "a relatively modest
administration fee" that primarily reflects the cost of shipping by
container. As all approved items need to arrive at the duty-free
Freeport in time for the official launch of the Triple-A enterprise
at the British Embassy in Beijing (April 12), the association has
until the middle of February to complete the consigning
process.
Plans for the auction were laid during
a six-day visit to China by a dozen Triple-A founder members who
manned an exhibition stand at the Beijing International Art
Fair in December. In addition to distributing promotional
literature and catalogues, members gave presentations on Western
antiques to local collectors and dealers.
The lectures, streamed live to
Epailive's online audience, were complemented by a forum discussion
involving Chris Ewbank, Stephan Ludwig of Dreweatts and Jeremy
Lamond of Halls in Shrewsbury and members of state government and
the Chinese art trade aimed at creating greater understanding of
the British auction system.
Two new members have recently been
added to the 19 founder auctioneers - Chorley's in Gloucestershire
and London-based Russian works of art specialists
MacDougall's.
Follow us on:
