passion for early chinese ceramics The first piece of early Chinese terracotta that I handled was a dancing Tang horse. It was 1988 and I had just started to work at Vanderven with my aunt and uncle, who mainly dealt in Chinese porcelain from the Ming and Qing periods. At the time, early ceramics were gradually becoming more fashionable and commonplace in Europe and the United States. We were struck by the beauty and history of these early objects, and decide to develop the business to include early ceramics. It has now become an integral part of our collection, just as important as the porcelain. Travelling to China and visiting the imperial tombs in Xian for the first time was a revelation. It made me realise how developed Chinese culture was, producing the most extraordinary and wonderful artefacts over thousands of years. From the Han dynasty onwards Chinese society was highly sophisticated and cultured, reflected in the burial objects of that time. The Han and Tang periods are my particular favourites. The Han dynasty for its timelessness and slightly primitive objects. The Tang because of the influx of foreign influences into China via the Silk Route and the idea that China went through a spectacular renaissance whilst Europe was in not even in the middle ages!
Early Chinese ceramics have been collected in Europe and America since the late 19th century. In 1901 Mr. Jacob Schiff donated funds to the American Museum of Natural History for research and acquisition in China. This task was entrusted to Dr. Berthold Laufer, who spend nearly three years (1901-1904) in China. The first peak of collecting early ceramics, was in the 1930’s with great collections of Sir Pericval David and George Eumorfopoulos (London), Walters and Rockefeller (USA). The two world wars, followed by the Chinese cultural revolution, brought the decline in the taste for early Chinese ceramics, which wasn’t re-established until the mid 1980’s. With the discovery of the terracotta army and China becoming more accessible again, the popularity of early ceramics increased once again. This is confirmed by the quality and variety of objects you see on display at international art fairs, major international museums, and specialist exhibitions related to early ceramics around the world. More recently, we have also seen a huge increase in the number of publications on Chinese art and the development and sharing of knowledge by the Chinese people themselves. With this catalogue we would like to pass our passion for the beauty and charm of early Chinese ceramics and are sure that you will enjoy the objects as much as we do. Floris van der Ven
Vanderven Oriental Art The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0)73 614 62 51 info@vanderven.com www.vanderven.com
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