Michael Backman Ltd
Chinese Art, including Export Art
Pair of Miniature Glazed Pottery Ducks
China
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Inventory no.: 472
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Sino-Tibetan or Sino-Mongolian Silver Covered Kalasha Vase
China or Tibet
19th century or earlier
Inventory no.: 35
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Cloisonné Inkwell
China
late 18th century
Inventory no.: 921
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Large Bencharong Cylindrical Monastery Porcelain Teapot
China, for the Thai market
1860-1880
Inventory no.: 1462
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Terracotta Funerary Tile (Huaxiangzhuan)of an Elephant & Elephant Tamer
China
Eastern Han Dynasty, 25-220 AD
Inventory no. 1563
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Jesuit Baluster Vase for the Portuguese Colonial Market
China
circa 1800
Inventory no.: 1576
RESERVED
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From where do we source our items? We do not go on buying trips to Asia. Nor do we actively buy from dealers or suppliers based in Asia. We do not source items
from China itself for example. Almost all the items stocked by Michael Backman Ltd have been sourced from the UK - from old collections. Countless items were brought to
the UK during the colonial era by colonial administrators and the like. Other items were made in Asia for export to the UK – the UK was wealthy early: it has been a major
destination for the world’s exports for hundreds of years.  This means that most of our items have been in the UK for at least sixty to two hundred years.

The conditions in which they have been kept often has been very good – the climate is kind, and there are relatively few pests. Many items were acquired as keepsakes
and curios, meaning that they stopped being used once they came to the UK. This too has helped to preserve them and their conditions often are far better than had they
remained in their home countries. Buying from old UK sources means that the items have good provenance; it helps to avoid fakes, and items that have been amended or
embellished. It also means that our items are obtained legally – today, most countries in Asia prohibit the export of their antiques. So, because of its colonial past, the UK is
perhaps the world’s biggest source of genuine antiques from Asia, perhaps more so than Asia itself, and that is the source into which we tap.

All the items on this page are available for sale. We are based in central London, but sell to clients around the world.     
Want to enquire about an item on this page?


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Unusually Large Carved Mother-of-Pearl Snuff Box Depicting Napoleon's Tomb with Silver Mounts
Canton, China
circa 1820
Inventory no.: 1813
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Large, Black Ground Bencharong Cylindrical Monastery Porcelain Teapot
China, for the Thai market
1860-1880
Inventory no.: 1821
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Silver Monk's Cap Duomo Ewer, marked 'Zhu Wen'
China/Tibet
circa 1900
Inventory no.: 1917
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'Red & Gold' Ancestral Shrine Cabinet
Straits Chinese, Straits Settlements
19th century
Inventory no.: 1944
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Pair of Solid Ivory Wrist Rests for the Scholar’s Table
China
Qing Dynasty, 19th century
Inventory no.: 2086
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