Welcome to Cynthia Shaver Asian Art Appraiser Newsletter October 2019,

Thank you for being a subscriber.  I appreciate all the feedback and response I receive.  Please keep writing to me.

The month of September included an Estate Appraisal of several Japanese tansu, another with Qing vases and a Buddha, a discussion of a future textile Charitable Contribution appraisal, giving advice to a woman entering the profession of Personal Property Appraiser, and a verbal appraisal of a fabulous lacquer box from Myanmar.

The Japanese tansu were in poor condition, from use over five decades.  The amount and type ofhand-forged ironwork on the tansu was impressive, and each piece was distinctly different from the others.  Some of the tansu were two pieces with iron handles on the sides for easy transport.Tansu were a feature of daily life in Japan in mid 17th to 20th century, some one piece and others two piece and even three pieces. “Tansu were rarely used as stationary furniture.  Mobility was obtained through the use of attached wheels, iron handles for carrying or protruding structural upper rails for lifting.”  Wikipedia.com

The porcelain Qing vases were heirlooms, not the value hoped for but the Buddha was a pleasant surprise.  The textile charitable contribution donation will be a challenge to find a comparable, but then that is my business.  My advice to woman seeking information entering this profession was confidentiality is most important, then to be upfront and ask for help.

The lacquer box was special.  It was a gift from a Buddhist monk in Myanmar to a dentist that donates his services and time once a year to the people of the monk’s community.  The dentist will use it as the receptacle for his cremated ashes, the wife brought it to my husband and I to discuss.  We discussed lacquer and surface decoration, the design of Apsara (Asian angels) and the monastery Bagan.  It was a fun time together telling her it never was a jewelry box, always for a reliquary and easy transport.

And if you were wondering, no weight yet on my broken leg.

Enjoy the day,

Cynthia