Michele Beiny, expert in European ceramic

Michele Beiny

Michele Beiny Harkins started her own gallery in 1987 in New York specializing in 18th and early 19th century English and Continental porcelain and European faience, as well as French furniture and decorations, and objets de virtue and sèvres porcelain. She has been exhibited at many international antiques shows including TEFAF Maastricht in Holland, The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair and The International Ceramics Fair and Seminar in London, The Winter Antiques Show in New York, the International Fairs in Basel and Munich, and the Paris Biennale. She is the founder and President of the Board of the American Friends of the Wallace Collection. She is also a member of the N.A.A.D.A.A.: The National Antique & Art Dealers Association of America, Inc and the C.I.N.O.A: Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d'Art.

She has a realistic vision of buyers towards the ceramic market, especially concerning French clients:
“In general English porcelain collectors and English silver collectors aren't chauvinistic. The English and the Americans would collect everything, the French won't collect English porcelain but they will collect German porcelain as much as French one, as the German factory is more fashionable that others. The Russian will focus on Russian porcelain and early 19th Century German and French porcelain because they are very similar to Russian productions.”

Let's do a historical revue of porcelain:

Meissen porcelain was developed in 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death Johann Friedrich Böttger took on his work.The production of porcelain at Meissen, near Dresden, started in 1710 and became one of the most famous porcelain manufacture. Its logo is repesented by the mark of the crossed swords is one of the oldest trademarks in existence.

Another well known manufacture is the Sèvres. But before talking about it we must refer to the Vincennes manufacture. Sèvres is very close from the Russian porcelain design because Russian has been inspired by this fashionable style.
In 1740, the Vincennes manufactory was created, with the support of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. It moved to Sèvres in 1756, near Madame de Pompadour's Bellevue Palace. It became a royal factory in 1759.
Louis-Simon Boizot and Alexandre Brogniart were its representatives figures between 1773 and 1847.

According to Jean-Gabriel Peyre, an expert in ceramic, in the art market, it is Contemporary art that sells the most artwork. “I am member of the SNA as well, and we have well realized that of the 18th century artwork, only the exceptional pieces will always be sold, whereas in Contemporary art even the middle-quality artwork can be sold.” Crises have always existed, and this one is greater, but people will not sell their pieces because of that. A collector is impassioned by his collection and will keep its artwork. Collectors buy artwork because they enjoy them, and do not invest.”

The trend that the 18th century artwork is less sold than Contemporary art is present, but with ceramics, the trend comes because old collectors disappear, collectors own practically everything of the manufacture and look for the rarest pieces. There is however disaffection in ceramics, But not for all manufactures.

We can add that English ceramic that has been disliked in the past so underestimated, is know rediscovered by American whom buy it... more demand equals higher prices, so English 18th and 19th ceramic is definitely a safe investment!

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