Majestic Auction brings Chinese antiquities to the Village
A gathering of antiques from jade to sculptures each going to the highest bidder
Have you developed a taste for Chinese antiquities? Majestic Auction has a collection on hand. Drop by the gallery to see what’s in stock.
See anything you fancy? You can look but you can’t buy. Every piece is up for auction. Meaning, you’ll have to bid on them. Online.
“We gather all kinds of antiques world-wide” says Roger Liu, owner of the gallery located at 2805 Bathurst St., just north of Glencairn.
“Most of the antiques we focus on so far are Chinese antiques, such as antique porcelain, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, jade, antique furniture, precious stones, antique books, and sculptures or statues made with rare materials and Western oil paintings.”
Liu says that all items in upcoming auctions are available at the gallery for hopeful buyers to peruse.
Got something you want sold? All antiques collectors must bring their collections to the auction house for preview at least one month before the auction starts.
The Liu family has been appraising antiques for generations
Liu was born and raised in the city of Jingdezhen, in the People’s Republic of China. Jingdezhen, known at the “Porcelain Capital” of China, has been the home of the porcelain crafting for over 1,700 years.
Liu says he has been learning Chinese painting and porcelain appraisal since childhood.
“My ancestors engaged in ceramic art technology and the appreciation of ancient heritage going back to the middle of Qing Dynasty.”
Before Liu immigrated to Canada, he managed an art gallery in China. Most of his relatives are also in the art and antiques business in China.
Majestic Auction has been dealing in Chinese antiques for nine years. Liu moved the auction to the Bathurst and Glencairn area four years ago.
Online live auctions run much like live auctions
Online live auctions aren’t that much different from live auctions, Liu explains.
Just like live auctions, there are sellers and bidders and winners and losers. Winners are expected to pay for what they bid on at the conclusion of the auction.
When a bidder is ready to make a bid on a particular item, they simply click the bid button on the control panel to place or raise the bid online.
The auction will send potential buyers who want more detailed images and information about the lot they are interested in before the auction.
Appraising an antique calls for sense and experience
Each type of antiques has a unique standard when it comes to an appraisal. With more than 40 years of appraising experience, Liu and his appraisal team rely on look, touch, smell, research, discussion and other processes to appraise the antiques.
Appraising an antique is an art, not a science, relying on the appraiser’s sense and experience.
‘The controversy over an antique’s value has always existed’
Liu maintains there are no auction houses that will 100 per cent guarantee the genuineness of an antique “because appraising an antique is not like food detection where you can list all the ingredients it contains. That is why the controversy over an antique’s value has always existed.”
In short, caveat emptor, buyer beware.
But Liu insists “Majestic Auction will always try our best to put on antiques of the highest authenticity in our auctions.”
For more information and for the date of next auction, visit www.majesticauction.ca or email info@majesticauction.ca
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