Chinese Art Appraisal & Consulting Services
We are Asian art historians (Ph.D. in Chinese History, Ph.D. in Chinese art & Tibetan Art; M.A. in Buddhist Art) with integrity. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals at the minimum cost. We firmly believe that having an appraisal is not the only solution. When you request an appraisal, we are not eager to solicit the assignment but willing to listen to your needs, concerns, plan and budget. Our job is to help you see your options before commissioning an appraisal. If an appraisal is in order, we will customize our services to serve you to the best of our abilities. Once we understand what you wish to accomplish, we will propose the most appropriate appraisal plan that suits your needs.
We are committed to serve you with honesty and integrity. We comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) in practice and the report presentation. To help you understand your appraisal options, we outlined the appraisal reporting options recommended by USPAP for your reference. A typical written appraisal report starts with an identification, description and visual analysis of your art work, followed by a proper ranking of the property among its equals in rarity, quality, artist or workshop and condition, closed by a value assessment that reflects the market desirability of the subject property in an appropriate open market. In the report, we will comment on the value features of your property in light of its comparables. Our value conclusion is based on the facts and the market evidence. We aim to demystify Asian art appraisal, explain the valuation methodology in plain language, and help you achieve your goals in complete conformity with the law.
The scope of work determines the appraisal cost. Our goal is to help you understand what you have, its market potential and your feasible options at the minimum cost.
Option I: Restricted Appraisal
The Restricted Appraisal Report is restricted to the client as the only intended user. This appraisal report meets a narrowly defined need of the intended user. Due to its succinct nature, parts of the report, particularly, the appraiser's opinions and reasoning for value conclusion, may not be discussed in detail and the analysis of facts and data leading to the conclusion is not fully spelled out. However, if you are considering a general understanding of what you have and its potential and under no obligation to share the report with third parties, this appraisal option may work for you.
A Restricted Appraisal report is not recommended for insurance, tax-related purposes (capital gains, charitable contribution, estate tax, etc), dissolution of marriage or business, and bankruptcy, etc.. If your property is valuable or of high quality, you should consider a standard appraisal (Option II).
Option II: Appraisal Report
(Contents of an Appraisal Report)
An Appraisal Report serves people with various appraisal needs. It is suitable for insurance coverage & claim, estate planning & distribution, marriage dissolution, Pre-nuptial agreement, and bankruptcy, as well as tax-related purposes. An appraisal report summarizes the appraiser's analysis and the rationale for his or her value conclusion in a clear, logical and orderly manner, providing a reasonable amount of information to the intended users, such as insurance agents, attorneys, estate executives or IRS. The appraisal cost depends on the nature of your property and the scope of work necessary to complete the assignment.
A properly done appraisal report is informative and educational. Information included should equip you with the knowledge of an expert and help you achieve your goals with confidence. Whether marketing the property on your own, working with an insurance claim agen or a divorce lawyer, negotiating with a buyer, or hiring a sales agent, an appraisal report will support you at all levels of negotiation. In the report, we report our findings on your property in terms of originality, quality, craftsmanship, aesthetics and the recent performance of items of compatible features in its most appropriate market place. Our market analysis is tailored to address your needs, including ranking your property among its equals recently sold, introducing qualified comparables, and discussing the facts that may affect value.
Option III: Customised Research Report
We offer research support to art owners. With our doctorial training in Chinese art, history, philosophy, religion and our hand-on experience on major forms of Asian art, we assist your research project with your research goals in mind. We are interested in studying items of unique features in terms of rarity, quality and aesthetics or authorship. We welcome research challenges on art works that are not well attested in the standard sources and references. Art works by marginal artists or workshops also merit our research attention. The fee for research suppot is determined by the nature of the subject property, your research objectives and time needed to complete the project. A retainer is required to engage our research services.
A Research Report also serves Chinese art collectors of quality art objects. Either you are building up a quality Chinese art collection or learning to appreciate what you have collected or inherited, the kind of research we conduct on your art work is of professional depth. We are willing to put our doctoral training in Chinese art, history and religion, our specialiszed knowledge of Chinese art and our mastery of a set of unique Asian language skills at your service. If we accept your assignment, you are guaranteed to receive the information you need, the guidance you seek and the advice you desire.
We are highly trained art professionals. Art is our passion and research is our strengh. Our qualifications are unmatched in the field. We have the highest degrees in the field (Ph.D in Chinese Art, Chinese History and Religion, Certified Appraiser of Fine and Decorative Arts, Accredited Senior Appraiser of Asian art), over 30 years of hand-on research experience with Asian art and history. We understand Asian art traditions, cultural myths and visual aesthetics. We are competent art professionals who provide quality research support and professional Asian art consulting & appraisal services.For more information, please Contact Us, or call us at (609) 688-6891
How to Select Appraisal Options
The two appraisal reporting options differ in the amount of information provided and the intended use of the report. A Restricted Appraisal states the basic information relevant to the subject propert, serving art owners with a limited goal and modest budget. An Appraisal Report summarizes important details in a concise manner, serving art owners with general appraisal needs such as insurance, sale, consultation, tax-related purposes.
Being specific about your appraisal needs will certainly cut down the cost. The amount of information you request determines the appraisal cost. The more you want, the more expensive an appraisal is.
Step 1: Identify your need with a specific focus (insurance, sale estate distribution or tax, etc.). Consider how much imformation you need to achieve your goal. For example, if you need an appraisal for sale, you need to discuss the merit of your property for appraisal with an art professional. Not all art works merit professional attention.
Step 2: Think about why you need an appraisal and your budget for appraisal. Sometimes, you may not need an appraisal at all. For example, for insurance coverage, if your art work is of modest value, including it in your house insurance might be a better option as compared with a special art coverage. For sale, marketing it yourself at an active online sales venue or consign it directly to a suitable auction house might be more appropriate than having it appraised without considering its merits.
Step 3: An ethical art professional will be happy to discuss your options. We offer an informational Preview service to art owners in similar situations. Plese follow the instructions and send us a few photos of your art work, we are happy to help you figure out a solution that works best for you.
Questions? Please Contact Us, or call us at (609) 688-6891.
Discounted Collection Rate
A discounted collection rate in the form of flat fee is available upon request. The appraisal fees reflect the nature of your collection, the scope of work, and time required for completing the research and composing the report. We consider sensible to offer a discounted collection rate to owners of a medium-large collection (25 items or more), often a mixed colloection of any of the following categories.
Painting and Calligraphy; Decorative Arts; Antique Furniture; Antique Textiles
Ceramics; Buddhist Art; Tibetan Art; Jade
We will invite other experts to join us for a thorough investigation of your collection if necessary. Our research team consists of highly trained and dedicated Asian art historians and specialists, however, sometimes, we see the needs of consulting other experts on certain items. Once we understand your needs, concerns and objectives, we will design an appraisal plan that suits your appraisal needs and budget. Prior to proceeding, we will make a proposal on a suitable appraisal approach, inspection options, fee estimate, payment structure, a tentative completion schedule and delivery method. A signed engagement letter and a retainer are required to engage our services.
What You Pay For
We NEVER sell you services you do not need. You pay ONLY for the appraisal or consulting services suitable to your needs. We only recommend services to you based on the information you provide and the goal you wish to aim for. Our job is to help you appreciate your art work, understand it, take care of it, or make an informed decision based on the objective fact-supported value conclusion. We run extra miles for you at no additional cost if additional information merits your attention. For example, in a typical consultation Appraisal Report for Sale, we often identify the most recent market trend for the sale of your property, its appropriate market places and the merits of a private sale or marketing-it-yourself approaches in the report.
We help you meet your goals at the minimum cost. Although a thorough investigation of your property is impossible if your budget is limited, we make every effort to assist you receive quality professional services at a price you can afford.
If you are not certain about what you have or what to do with it, considering our informational Preview prior to appraisal is wise. After reviewing three or four photos of your art work (front, back, and a close-up of inscription or mark), your report on value characteristics and condition, our art experts will tell you HONESTLY if your property merits an appraisal or not. If your property is of some market appeal, we usually make some recommendations based on the quality of your art work and your needs.
You don't have to be an art expert before you contact an art professional--otherwise you probably would not be seeking a professional art appraiser in the first place! Our Asian art specialists are happy to help you find a suitable solution to your appraisal needs.
Interested? Please Contact Us, or call us at (609) 688-6891.
