Advice for Chinese antique buyers from man who wrote ‘the bible’ on European furniture
It’s a great time to buy 19th century pieces, but do your homework and don’t overpay or bargain too hard, says Christopher Payne, formerly of Sotheby’s, whose own passion for Chinese furniture often brings him to China
Chinese antiques collectors have made a wise choice in buying furniture by 19th century Parisian maker Francois Linke in recent years, says British expert Christopher Payne. He should know – he’s one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject.
“Many middle-class Chinese will buy 19th century French furniture. It’s very good quality and a fantastic investment,” Payne says of the highly decorative pieces.
Best known as one of the experts on BBC TV’s popular Antiques Roadshow, on which he has appeared for 31 years, Payne also knows a thing or two about China.
He travels to the country three or four times a year, deepening his knowledge of the market, and because Chinese furniture is his “private passion”.
In 2013, he held a joint exhibition with Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei, curating an assortment of furniture around which she drew inspiration for a clothing collection. After their collaboration, Guo’s husband arranged a private tour of Beijing’s Summer Palace, where Payne viewed rooms generally not open to the public. He was impressed by some of the details, such as a 17th century table that had been veneered. “This never happened in China,” he says of the unusual object.