A casted bronze paper weight from the Qianlong period (1735-1795). JP/Susanna Tjokro
The art (and value) of Chinese scholar objects is little known to the mainstream antique market business in many countries, including Indonesia — thus, to find a person who collects them in Indonesia is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
“In our country, collectors tend to look for colorful, big, eye-catching antiques — the bigger the better, size does matter in order to make the artworks very noticeable in a room as people like to flaunt their wealth. Colorful antiques from Qing dynasty [1644–1911] have always been popular. Hence, Chinese scholar objects are out of favor here, as in terms of size, they are not big enough for most Indonesians’ liking,” says Musa Jonatan.
Musa has a soft spot for scholar objects and collects them with passion. Musa himself is a voracious reader with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, including information on antiques and history, especially Indonesia-related history. At this scholar’s home, one can see beautiful Chinese paintings and calligraphy he has made himself.
Stone Seals — from the Kangxi period dated 1666 (left) and Qianlong period dated 1747 (right).JP/Susanna Tjokro
Compare to most collectors, Musa is less market-minded — he tends to buy what he likes as opposed to what has commercial value. He says several factors determine the value of Chinese antiques, in random order — age, rarity, condition, size, shape, history (provenance) and last but not least, the item must be aesthetically beautiful. In terms of size, in Indonesia, the tagline is “The bigger, the better”. Thus, scholar objects, which are small, are worthless.
When scholars and literati practiced painting and calligraphy, they used scholar objects, which include brush washers, brush pots, water droppers, paperweights and armrests.
There are items not directly related to writing and painting, but which are considered scholar objects, such as small carvings made of ivory, rhinoceros horns and jade. Usually these small treasures are carved into plants, animals and figures as well as figural landscapes. The more finely and deeply carved, the more valuable.
A casted bronze brush pot, from the Qianlong period (1735-1795).JP/Susanna Tjokro
Rhinoceros horn carvings were highly prized as drinking vessels, since scholars believed in the medicinal properties of rhinoceros horns. Drinking from those horns was believed to treat fever and high-blood pressure, for example.
The horns are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing and have superb quality — hence, they were used to decorate the scholar’s desks.
Chinese antiques are rich in symbolism. Hence, we can also see various auspicious symbols on scholar objects — such as a squatting monkey, which symbolizes longevity, as referred to in the book titled For the Enjoyment of Scholars, Selections from the Robert Blumenfield Collection. Scholar objects often bear poetic inscriptions carved on their surfaces too as scholar elites had a soft spot for all-things poetic.
An antique snuff bottle dating from the 19th century, Qing Dynasty. JP/Susanna Tjokro
“They are not only collectible pieces of history, but also magnificent artworks. Many of them are highly detailed,” says Musa who started collecting scholar objects in 1996.
Among his scholar objects collection, Musa’s favorites are two stone seals (dated 1666 and 1747), a casted bronze paperweight and a beautiful casted bronze brush pot that depicts a furious dragon and an enraged tiger. Both ancient bronze vessels have a smooth feel and sheen that comes with aging — they were from the Qianlong period (1735-1795).
Musa also owns a special scholar object from Qing dynasty (1644- 1911) — a simple yet beautiful peach bloom-glazed pinkish red circular ink box which is highly sought after by antique collectors, as peach bloom glaze is one of the most beautiful glazes known.
“In Indonesia, one does not have to spend a fortune to buy small artwork, including Chinese scholar objects. They are still under-appreciated, thus scholar objects and other small treasures are not investments to be sold if I need extra cash as Indonesian collectors, in general, do not acknowledge the value of those artworks,” says Musa.
His job as an art curator at Denindo Auction House requires him to do lots of research to know the current trend and prices of antiques.
Thus, he knows scholar objects are gaining popularity overseas, with prices climbing to staggering heights.
In New York City, on March 25 2010, Christie’s Auction House presented For the Enjoyment of Scholars: Selections from the Robert H. Blumenfield Collection. A very rare mother-of-pearl-inlaid black lacquered porcelain brush pot, from the Kangxi period (1662-1722), 5 3/8 inches high, was sold for US$662,500 against estimates of between $80,000 and $120,000. The result of the single-owner sale of Robert Blumenfield’s scholar
objects collection was $13,866,500 — more than double the pre-sale estimate.
Besides scholar objects, snuff bottles are another kind of small artwork. The little bottles were used to store tobacco powder. In March 2010, Bonham’s Auction House in New York City sold over 100 snuff bottles from The Collection of the American Margaret Polak for $911,005.
Musa, a big fan of miniature art, also collects snuff bottles; one of them was made in the 19th century (Qing dynasty).
“It is valuable because it bears an Imperial mark, meaning that this bottle belonged to the Imperial family [see the side bar]. On this small bottle, 6.5 centimeters high, the artisan wrote household rules — this job obviously required superb craftsmanship,” says Musa.
For Musa, collecting art pieces is a labor of love. He welcomes any discussions on antiques, including scholar objects, in either Indonesian or English.
Musa Jonatan can be contacted at: (+62 21) 5686050, 4892252 or via Email: info@denindoauctionhouse.com
Interesting facts on Chinese antiques
• Unlike some other art businesses, where people are willing to pay hefty prices for the name of the creator rather than the aesthetic value of the artwork, in the Chinese antique business, the craftsman’s name is less important. Generally, according to Musa (in no particular order): age, rarity, size, craftsmanship, history / provenance and overall condition are far more important than the artisan’s name. Note: artisans and craftsmen in China rarely signed their work.
A peach bloom-glazed ink box from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The peach bloom glaze is one of the most beautiful glazes known. Courtesy of Musa Jonatan
• While name has less importance than other factors, a particular mark, Imperial seal to be precise, is highly valuable. As said by Musa, antiques bearing the Imperial mark have always been in high demand. They are aesthetically pleasing and of excellent quality — the Imperial seal means the piece (from dinnerware to vases belonged to the imperial households. An exquisite peach-shaped Guam-typed brush washer from the Qianlong period (1736–1795) is estimated at between US$321,000 and $450,000, by Sotheby’s for the auction of Imperial Chinese Porcelains in Hong Kong on April 7.
• A note in rhinoceros carvings: Artisans and craftsmen in China rarely signed their work unless they were commissioned to do so or felt that it was among, or indeed, their very best. In terms of rarity, the most highly prized of all the carvings are those that carry inscription — preferably the name of the maker and a date when it was made. As far as we know at present, about 10 percent of the carvings are either signed or have some sort of inscription, perhaps a poem (source: Sotheby’s Rhinoceros Horn Carvings from the Edward & Franklin Chow Collection. Note: the collection will be auctioned in Hong Kong on April 8).
Last but not least, as said by Musa, beware of “apocrypha antiques” — in order to make the items more valuable, sometimes the pieces, which actually were produced in Qing dynasty (1644-1911), were marked or stamped as items from the previous dynasty (Ming dynasty, 1368 644).
— JP/Susanna Tjokro
