EASTERN CURIOS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 51, 23 November 1937, Page 11

EASTERN CURIOS

Array on London Docks RAPT ENTHUSIASTS A dingy door in a Port of London' warehouse recently became a magic gateway, states a recent issue of the •Morning Post. Outside the London traffic roared; inside the great shed, placed in rows, were more than 700 Chinese and Japanese curios^ worth thousands of pounds. The collectors moved among .them silently, catalogues * in hand, gazing raptly. Here and there a dealer casually marked down prospective bargains to be (brd for at the coming sale. In the backIground other.men in bowler hats, seemJin'gly indifferent, watched intently lest (any small carving should "accidentalty" find its way into a pocket. "Beautiful,,, murmured one enthusiast, and sighed regretfully, "I shall never be able to afford it.'' In front of him a tall ship cnt, from ivory by an nnknown Japanese artist sailed eternally over an- imaginary sea. On its decks were tubby, happy gods frozen in the act of eating and drinking by ihe hand of the craftsman. The whole affair could have been picked up in one hand, but its making had taken many years, and its price in a sale room would be several hundred pounds. Banana Prom Stone. Nearby a ''banana, " coloured realistj.eally, lay beside a half-peeled apple. It was only by lifting them} when their weight became apparent, that it was possible to rcalise they were cut out of stone. i One of the bowler hatted men spoke softly. "Men often come to displays like these who could never afford to I)uy any of the stuff that is worth whilc. They know the pooror speeimens, and will not buy them; they just come here to look, as it's the only j chance they have." The dingy door continued to open and shut, letting men in to a land of dreams. "You'll see surprising things ia the Port of London." added the man in the bowler hat, "but I think these preliuiinary shows before saies are one of tbe most aurpriaing. ' '