[Sleuth]

Anyone have any advice on buying Chinese antiques, specifically those Tang Dynasty horse sculptures (and the smaller ones, not the ones that need their own room in the house)? Do the certifications mean anything or are they as fake as the antiques? Have heard they are cheaper in Macau but I would have similar concerns there. Would rather pay more in HK for something I knew to be antique than less in Macau (or PRC) for a fake.

[KnowItAll]

Pacific Place has a shop which is supposed to be reputed. Will have to dig around for the name. My ex boss had bought a couple from there ... $$$

[Sleuth]

What we were looking at on Hollywood Road was running around US$2,000 for a 12 or 18 inch tall one. Seems to be a lot of money to spend on a fake.

[Yellowpages]

There seems to be a general misconception art pieces on
and around Hollywood Road are all fakes, but some are not.
USD2,000 seems to be reasonable considering buying a pc
of pottery handicraft from over a thousand years ago if it is
preserved in good condition and that you like it.

The sculpting details and techniques, posture of the horse,
the colors and painting techniques, the texture of where
there is no paint, are all important indications of whether
the piece is authentic or not. As the TL (Thermoluminescent
Test) costs several thousand HK dollars, the shops usually
will not run the test for pieces at this price range, plus
of course they will have to drill holes into the sculpture for
the test samples, so you might not want it done on something
you want to buy. Even with the TL certificate, sometimes
auction houses (maybe the ones back home where you might
return to later) would deny them right out for all sorts of
reasons to protect their own interests.