R.J. RubleMar 302 minA Pet PeeveAs both a collector and a dealer I have always been concerned with the condition, history, and provenance of a piece, whether buying for...
R.J. RubleFeb 252 minChinese Whispers or the Telephone GameIn the mid-17th century foreign access to Chinese porcelain was curtailed, and the Dutch shifted their sourcing of Asian porcelain to...
R.J. RubleDec 25, 20233 minTo Arms...Browsing through the December 2023 issue of Architectural Digest I came across an article by Sam Cochran on page 58 titled “A Knights...
R.J. RubleOct 30, 20232 minFollowing A ThreadIn last month’s blog I wrote that while “clobbered” Chinese export porcelain was considered by many to be garish, it fit the interior...
R.J. RubleSep 30, 20232 minContextIn a previous blog I wrote about “clobbered” Chinese porcelain, using a densely over-painted cider jug as an example. Here in the first...
R.J. RubleAug 25, 20232 minDouble Dutch“Double Dutch” is a jump-rope game said to have originated with Dutch immigrants in New York City where a pair of jump ropes are turned...
R.J. RubleJul 28, 20232 minPutting some English on it…The phrase to put “English on a ball” means to put a spin on it, and as a verb “English” can mean to Anglicize something. When it comes...
R.J. RubleJun 30, 20233 minBetwixt and BetweenI’ve come to appreciate 19th century Japanese transferware, but I’m afraid I’m one of the few who has. Collectors of English transferware...
R.J. RubleMay 26, 20232 min“Silver Threads Among the Gold…”So goes the title of a 19th century song. A Chinese export porcelain example of silver threads among the gold is this armorial plate made...