Page 38 - Christie;es Marchant January 18 2018

MARCHANT:

CELEBRATING NINE DECADES IN CHINESE ART

(lots 59-150 and 116-173)

or over ninety years the frm of
Marchant has been one of the most
F respected in all of Chinese art, known
for deep scholarship and high quality.
Founded in 1925 by the visionary Samuel
Sydney Marchant, the frm developed
alongside fellow legendary London dealers
Bluett & Sons and John Sparks, Ltd. Its frst
premises were in Cursitor Street in the City
of London, but the shop suffered a direct
bombing hit in World War II that, though
it spared the staff, destroyed the entire stock.
After the War, the frm reopened in Duke
Street, moving in 1952 to its current location,
120 Kensington Church Street.

In 1953 Sydney’s son Richard entered the
business, and his keen knowledge of and
affnity for Imperial wares of the Ming and
Qing dynasties led the frm increasingly into
these areas. Though supply of high quality
goods was relatively plentiful in the U.K.
in those days, with weekly Chinese art sales
in London and other opportunities in the
country, Sydney and Richard began regular
travel to Hong Kong and Japan in the 1960s,
developing key relationships and sources.
Marchant was a longstanding exhibitor at the
important Grosvenor House Art & Antiques
Fair (1975-2009), with Richard leading the
Oriental Vetting Committee for a decade
(1999-2009). He was also a leader in the
British Antique Dealers Association, serving as
treasurer (2003-2005) and then chairman
(2005-2009).

Richard’s son Stuart joined the frm in 1985
after working for two years at Christie’s King
Street and a further two years in the New
York Chinese art trade. From 1980 Marchant
held regular exhibitions with accompanying
catalogues, many with an introduction by
John Ayers, founder and keeper of the Far
Eastern Department at the Victoria & Albert
Museum. Now those catalogues are worked
on by Stuart’s children Natalie and Samuel,
who came onboard in 2011 and 2015,
respectively.
So now the frm of Marchant celebrates
not just more than 90 years in business, but
also the commitment of four generations
of the family, each with a dedication to the
exceptional, the rare and the interesting in
Chinese art. For those who have not yet
visited the Kensington Church Street gallery
or the Marchant stand at a major antiques fair,
this sale is an opportunity to consider a rich
selection of Marchant pieces.