Page 13 - Bonhams Catalog Cohen and Cohen Jan 24, 2023 New York

Will Motley and Ewa Cohen, New York, 2008 Michael Cohen at his desk in Partridge Fine Art formerly on
London’s New Bond Street

Together with many others—several of whom returned after the fall of Bonhams would like to thank our two international consultants
Communism to take part in the new government—she was obliged William (Bill) Sargent and Colin Sheaf, both authorities on Chinese
to leave Poland. With the help of close friends of her father, she was export art, for greatly assisting in securing this collection and for their
relocated to London despite having no knowledge of the language. extensive contributions to the text of the catalogue.
Not one to be easily overwhelmed, she began learning English while
holding down a variety of jobs. Determined to pursue her interest in Please note that Colin Sheaf and William Sargent will each present
art and antiques, she enrolled in the Fine and Decorative Art course a fascinating lecture about aspects of Chinese export art during the
at the study centre at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Fascinated public preview on the afternoon of Sunday 22nd of January at our New
by ceramics, she was advised by her tutor to find a position as an York (580 Madison Avenue) galleries. Admission is free. No booking
assistant with a ceramic dealer. She succeeded, having been hired required. Please see our website www.bonhams.com for further details.
by the respected London dealer Peter Kemp for whom she worked
for several years. In 1988, Ewa decided to strike out on her own, and Michael C. Hughes
started dealing in ceramics from a stand first on Portobello Road and Vice President, Head of Department
later in Gray’s Market, off Bond Street. In 1990, a chance meeting with Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
Michael Cohen at Heathrow Airport, en route to a sale in Amsterdam,
led to marriage and a new business partnership in 1994. Over 50 years’ worth of objects that were acquired
Will Motley studied Botany at Durham University, and then taught from Cohen & Cohen can now be found in the
biology at a large private school for fourteen years, where he also ran following museum collections:
the drama department and school theatre. He joined Cohen & Cohen
after moving to London in 1999. There, he developed a keen interest British Museum, London
in the stories connected with Chinese export porcelain, particularly Bristol Museum
the exchange of design sources between East and West, and spent Jeffrye Museum, London
many hours tracking down source prints for Western designs on 18th Foundling Hospital Museum, London
century Chinese export art. Will also dabbled in local politics, first Groniger Museum, Groeningen
serving as a Councillor on Ryedale District Council and later in the East India Company Museum Lorient
London Borough of Brent. He now lives quietly in rural Herefordshire Adrien-Dubouché National Porcelain Museum, Limoges
with his husband Gray, still researching print sources and establishing Sèvres Ceramics Museum
a reference collection of these prints. He is presently writing his next Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts
intriguing publication for a private American collector with the working Kenton Foundation, California
title ‘The Prints and the Porcelain: The Thomas Lurie Collection of New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana
Chinese Export Porcelain en grisaille’, to be published in late 2023. Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond, Virginia
Minneapolis Museum, Minnesota
Since 1999, most years at Cohen & Cohen have been marked by the Winterthur Museum, Delaware
production of a catalogue, complete sets of which will be available Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida
for purchase at the auction preview. These have been researched Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California
and written by Will Motley since 2000, who has established himself The Tea Museum, Hong Kong
as a leading authority on Chinese porcelain decorated with European Hong Kong Maritime Museum
subjects. Also available will be copies of “Mandarin and Menagerie”, a Nanchang University Museum
wide-ranging study on Chinese export porcelain figures and animals The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina
written by Michael and Will, which also documents the collection of The Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
James Sowell, one of several North American collections that Cohen The Musée Guimet, Paris
& Cohen have helped to form and to grow. Each lot in this auction is The Metropolitan Museum, New York
offered accompanied by a complimentory copy of the Cohen & Cohen Muzeum Żup Krakowskich, Wieliczka, Poland
catalougue in which the lot was published (if available).