How We Describe

What the works are

• Made by hand. Every work on this site was painted with a brush on paper or silk. None is a print, a photomechanical reproduction or an edition.
• In the Chinese tradition. Landscapes, birds and flowers, animals and figures in the established manners of Chinese painting, mounted as hanging scrolls, framed panels or folding screens.
• Sold as decorative works of art. We think they are good paintings for real rooms, and we describe and sell them as exactly that.
• One object each. You buy the single work in the photograph, with the mount, frame, glazing, roller ends or hinges shown, and nothing else unless the page says so.

What we do not claim

• Age. We do not assign a date, a period, a reign or a dynasty to any work, and none should be inferred from its style, its paper, its mounting, its wear or its inscriptions.
• Maker. We do not name a painter, a school or a workshop for any work. Signatures, inscriptions and seals are recorded as they appear. They are part of the object; they are not offered as a record of who made it, and we have not translated them.
• "In the manner of." Where a page uses this phrase, or names a style, it describes the appearance of the work and nothing else.
• Provenance. We do not offer a history of ownership for any work.
• Materials beyond appearance. We describe supports and media as they appear to us: paper, silk, ink, light color, mineral color, gold ground. We do not analyze pigments or certify the composition of a ground. If a material matters to you, have it tested before you buy; we will cooperate.
• Certificates. No certificate of authenticity is supplied, because there is nothing to certify beyond what is written here. Your invoice describes the work in the same terms as this page.

Measurements, color and condition

Measurements are given on request, in inches and centimeters, for the painted area and the overall mounted or framed size, and are accurate to within about half an inch. Colors on screen depend on your display; if a particular tone matters, ask for a photograph in daylight next to something of known color. Mounts and frames are described as they appear. Small marks, creases, foxing, toning, and irregularities of the paper or silk are ordinary in works of this kind; anything we would call a fault beyond that is described to you in writing before you pay.

If we have got something wrong

If a work arrives and is not as described here and on its page, tell us within fourteen days and we will collect it at our cost and refund you in full, including the outbound shipping. That applies whatever the reason, and it applies to trade buyers too.