Vintage Home Furniture

Valuation of antiques- asian bronzes -in Sydney ?

My grandmother has left me two unusual pieces sorry no photos :one is a very realistic cast blackbird which balances on a tree base -detachable it is life sized and seems solid 45 cms black in colour :second a vase with dragons breaking through the surface of the vase swirled around from top to bottom tipped with gold- bronze vase 35-40 cm . Both Chinese I think..? I am thinking of trying the Art Gallery of NSW to get some kind of contact ? Wheres Antiques Roadshow when you need them !!!???Does anyone know of an antique dealer who specialises in Asian items in Sydney?

Public Comments

1. If you are in Sydney, there is probably a good museum or university near you that has a department that could help you. I would be careful of dealers because they are in business to make money and you may not necessarily be able to trust them . I would caution you against doing anything to the pieces to try and clean them. Leave the surface as is until you find out what you have, then maybe it would be worth your trouble to have a pro do any needed restorations.
2. I agree. Take them to a museum. I would, if I were you... In the meantime, insure them for about $5,000.00 to $8,000.00 each. If they are indeed bronze and Japanese, lifesize and in good condition? and you are sure they are old? They are worth at least that much and I don't even have to see them to know that... Look for chop marks or makers signatures and bring them to an asian art specialist or a museum right away. Sounds like you have yourself a treasure! I envy you! I collect Asian artifacts and objects. Let me know if you are interested in selling them when you find out!
3. Try submitting your piece to http://www.mythings.com/valuations.aspx We run a community valuation site, where you can get free valuations of items. You'll need to get some images to participate, but again, its a free service. Yumio - Product Manager of MyThings.com