A superb Japanese satsuma Meiji period koro c1890. The painting on the piece is quite wonderful as is the applied decoration. A koro is an incense burner used on Buddhist altars, though this piece is purely decorative. The handles take the form of a dragon whilst the lid is topped with a foo dog finial.

A beautiful and quite elegant early 19th century Chinese blue and white coverd vase c1820. The decoration is well balanced around the body of the vase and features an altar and various Buddhist symbols including taijitu.

A Chinese export silver inlaid rosewood tray on stand c1870. Absolutely beautiful in its simplicity this sensational tray has a silver N inlaid into the centre which could be for Napolean III or the initial of the person who ordered it. The tray surface is strung with inlaid silver strips and has cast silver corners with bamboo shaped silver handles. It sits upon a folding rosewood stand. The ritual of tea serving attained great importance in both China and Japan and curiously was mirrored in Europe with ladies taking great pains with the objects used and the time and place of serving. The French though co opted the process for coffee surving rather than tea!

A beautifully painted pair of Cantonese enamelled porcelain vases c1870. Enamelled porcelain of this type was developed in Canton by the Europeans there who brought together the various technologies to produce highly decorative porcelains for the export market.

A very fine framed panel of Chinese silk embroidery in pale blues and gold on a champagne coloured silk base c1850. The piece features four ladies in gardens within a border of flowers. Textiles were a major export from China to West and silk was always highly prized. As the nineteenth century progressed mechanism made most textiles much cheaper and Chinese exports decreased. In 1860 at the sacking of the Summer palace and in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion huge amounts of decorative Chinese objects were brought back to Europe.

A superb Chinese export ivory pagoda c1850.The most celebrated building in China to 18th century Europeans was the porcelain pagoda built at Nanjing, capital of the early Ming Emperors. The pagoda was first published by the Dutch in 1655 and became a well known icon. The image of a pagoda became synonymous with China and was used by European decorators on porcelain and furniture from the 17th century to this day. This example is in good condition with some minor damage to the fretted panels.

A carved lacquer coromandel screen c1820. These screens received their name from India’s Coromandel coast, where they were transshipped to Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by merchants of the English and French East India companies. They had many fashionable moments the last being in the 1920's. Diana Vreeland also had one in her office at Vogue.

A fabulous Chinese porcelain blue and white covered bowl c1855. Finely painted with a dragon and phoenix on the top and scenes of boys playing in a garden in the middle and a dragon around the base. Xian Feng reign mark 1851-1861.

A chinese export teak what not c1830. By the Regency period large amounts of furniture destined for the domestic British market was made cheaply in China or India, using local woods but to classic Regency designs. This what not is a great example and would have been used to display fine china which was becomming both fashionable and decorative as opposed to purely functional a generation before. The teak of this piece has mellowed to a beautiful colour.

A Chinese export porcelain meat plate c1780. By 1800 the market for Chinese export blue and white table ware was over as British manufacturers especially, perfected their own much more affordable versions. Staffordshire blue and white dominated the market place for the next century.