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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2018

Chinese Ivory Antiques in Auction Houses in Hong Kong and France since 2000s

Résumé

The circulation of elephant ivory, a precious material, is increasingly restricted, especially in China, the principal destination for ivory flows in the world since 1990, with Hong Kong being a transit hub. The Chinese works of art in antique ivory (elephant ivory before the middle of the twentieth century and mammoth ivory), transiting through auctions in France and Hong Kong to mainland China or Singapore, are concerned with these restrictions. Based on a multi-sited ethnographic survey (France, Hong Kong, South China), this paper aims to question the role of auction houses in France and Hong Kong as windows of heritage. Like museums, they broadcast a way of thinking about Chinese ivory objects. Since 2010 auction houses in France have been defending their right to sell them. By contrast, in Hong Kong, based on the study of art education programms, objects exhibited and then sold, and their place among art institutions, some auction houses do not seem to value these objects, especially mammoth ivory carvings. It is explained by several factors, such as a less attractive market, administrative constraints, or distance from buyers and sellers. They, therefore, indirectly participate in the debate on the ban on the ivory circulation. The “disappearance” of these objects accelerates the transformation of the know-how of ivory carving, registered as a national intangible heritage of China. Thus, the circulation of Chinese works of art in antique ivory in France and Hong Kong questions the balance in the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage.
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Dates et versions

hal-03983778 , version 1 (11-02-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-03983778 , version 1

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Claire Bouillot. Chinese Ivory Antiques in Auction Houses in Hong Kong and France since 2000s. 22nd Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies. University of Glasgow, European Association for Chinese Studies, Aug 2018, Glasgow, France. ⟨hal-03983778⟩

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