Classical Chinese Furniture Is Still A Favorite
By Catherine Murrell / The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

Ken and Helen Ludwick are owners of Ming Gallery in Louisville, Ky., specializing in classical Chinese antique furniture. They opened Ming Gallery in October 1999. In addition to serving as the gallery's buyer, Ken is the international sales manager for Tasman Industries, which deals in raw cowhide. Helen Ludwick has a background in retail clothing sales and a bachelor's degree in fashion design from California State University.

Q: What should I look for when shopping for Chinese antiques?

Helen: A lot of people are taken by the way an antique cabinet looks. They like the appearance and often fail to inspect the piece carefully. It's important to inspect a piece. Open up the doors and drawers and look for wear and signs that the piece has been refinished or repaired.

Ken: Look for the wear that would normally be associated with years of use. One of the important things to know about Chinese antique furniture is that the Chinese do not view them as collectible antique furniture. They view them as old furniture and they're delighted whenever an American comes to China to buy that old furniture from them. They don't keep the pieces in nice condition.

Helen: Ask the dealer if the piece has its original lacquer and the original hardware and if any parts have been replaced or repaired. An antique is defined as a piece that's 100 years or older. Chinese antiques are often much older than 100 years.

Ken: A lot of Chinese antiques won't have the original lacquer because they're so old. We're talking about furniture with a history of more than 1,000 years. Because there were different techniques for lacquering furniture over the years, the type of finish can sometimes help you determine the age of a piece. An expert can look at a table with a very thick, heavily crackled lacquer and tell in five minutes that the piece is over 300 years old. That's something that can't be faked.

Q: How can I be sure I'm getting an authentic antique?

Helen: Ask the dealer a lot of questions, such as the source of their antiques.

Ken: That's one of the first things that informed buyers ask. Ask the dealer if they actually go to China and see the piece before it's been cleaned up. That's something very few dealers do. Do they buy their pieces from wholesalers who import mass quantities or do they buy their pieces over the Internet?

Basically the only way you're going to know if something is a real antique or if it's a fake is if the dealer tells you it is and you trust the dealer. There's no way the average person is going to know if a piece is a fake or not. It's hard sometimes for dealers to tell. You have to be an expert to know if it's an Asian antique. It's a matter of knowing the dealer and knowing you can trust the dealer's word on a piece.

FY Chinese Antique Furniture
Mandarin antique furniture, crafts, accessories
China made homewares, Asian furniture, antiques, porcelain
Chinese antique and reproduction furniture, handicrafts