July, 1912 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS ns 
A 
SPURIOUS ANTIQUES IN THE EAST 
ONSUL GENERAL George E. And- 
erson, Hongkong, has the following in- 
teresting article in a recent number of the 
U.S. Daily Consular and Trade Reports: 
“The attention of tourists traveling in 
this portion of the world should be called 
to the fact that spurious goods of all sorts 
are upon the market of the Far East for 
sale to them. Not only are there spurious 
“antiques” of all sorts, such as chemically 
treated “old” brass, modern make “‘antique’”’ 
porcelains, so-called “ancient” wall hang- 
ings, and works of art of all sorts, but there 
are some especially clever base imitations 
of standard modern goods. 
“The imitation of antiques in this portion 
of the world has taken on all the forms 
to be found in Europe and elsewhere and 
has some features peculiar to the East, but 
the chief imitations of this class have had 
to do with Chinese porcelains and brass, 
ancient Chinese and Japanese armor and 
weapons, old Korean chests, old carved 
furniture, and similar goods, and in lesser 
degree of some of the various works of 
art in fine bronze, ivory, lacquer, and the 
like, in much of which in fact good imita- 
tions are not practicable. 
“The imitation of old Chinese porcelains, 
as has long been known to connoisseurs, 
has long since become a branch of business 
so extensive and so successful that the sale 
of a genuine old piece nowadays is an event. 
While this is generally understood by col- 
lectors, the general public does not seem 
to appreciate the fact, for seven large new 
shops handling such goods were opened last 
year upon the principal shopping thorough- 
fare of Hongkong within the three months 
preceding the opening of what is generally 
considered the tourist season in this port. 
The trade in these imitation ancient porce- 
lains has developed so far that there are 
regular auction sales in Hongkong of this 
imitation ware. To local people these goods 
are sold as imitations, but a considerable 
portion of them eventually find their way 
into the hands of people without knowledge 
of the actual facts and spurious “ancient” 
Chinese vases and other porcelains made 
in Europe and Japan have been scattered 
all over the world. 
“Similar imitations of ancient brasses 
and bronzes, ivories, lacquers, and other 
art objects are made and sold in these or 
similar sales; in fact, there is almost no 
limit to the business. Genuine old pieces 
in brass, bronze, porcelain, jade, or in hang- 
ings or other embroideries or in similar 
goods beloved of collectors are practically 
not to be had on the market in Hongkong 
or other eastern ports except in very limited 
quantities, and to some extent, at least, 
there is better opportunity to acquire good 
Chinese and Japanese pieces in New York 
or London than in Hongkong or Shanghai. 
In spite of this fact, generally known to 
collectors and more or less known to the 
casual traveler, dealers here do a thriving 
and a very profitable business. 
“Perhaps the worst feature of the situa- 
tion is the fact that while there is a fair 
supply of good, standard quality modern 
art goods of all these classes the vast mass 
of such goods now sold are imitation goods 
of a quality false in some respect; and 
while the average tourist buyer may be on 
the lookout for imitation antiques he may 
be readily deceived by the “bronzes” of 
baser and cheaper metals, “silver” of pew- 
ter, particularly souvenir spoons and the 
like, clay “filled” silk, brass in all shapes 
and grades made in imitation of old pieces; 
in short, practically everything of any merit 
in Chinese or Japanese art, ancient or mod- 
ern, which may be looked for. 
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