For those who subscribe to Orientations Magazine, please check out my new article in their January/February 2017 issue. Titled 'Representing Current Market Trends in the Modern Asian Art Institution', I selected three impressive pieces of 18th Century Chinese Imperial porcelain kept in the storage area of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto.

The highlight of these pieces is a magnificent and extremely rare famille rose yangcai vase with Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795). I am unable to show a photo of this vase on my blog at the moment, but here is a link to the object in the ROM's website.

This yangcai 洋彩 (foreign colour) vase was donated to the ROM in 1911 by one of their greatest benefactors, Mrs H. D. Warren, a Toronto businesswoman and philanthropist. The vase is stunning and probably one of the most important examples of this type of Imperial porcelain in North America. It was especially ordered by the Qianlong emperor sometime between 1740-1744 for his own private residence within the Forbidden City.

So in addition to describing the importance of these pieces, I ask why they are in storage and not on public display. The international market for Imperial porcelains have been fetching amazing prices over the years - even with the slight dip in the current economy. Many museum visitors would love to see these pieces in person since most people do not have the opportunity to view the comparable examples during the auction previews. In the article, I present reasons why this dilemma exists in the museum world, as well as provide possible solutions.

If you are not a subscriber to Orientations, this issue can be purchased from most museum bookstores or ordered directly from their website. Many East Asian Art libraries (including the ROM's) should have a copy as well.

My next Orientations article will be published in their March/April issue and feature a market report of the international Fall 2016 Chinese art auctions at Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's. You can also follow me through my Asian Art blogs featured in 'On the Square' at Bidsquare.com or through my Instagram feed @anthonywuart.

Below, please find the cover of the January/February cover of Orientations with a detail of 'Parashurama with the Battle Axe' (1946) by the Indian artist Y. G. Srimati (1926-2007).