Hu's* on Third?

From Personal Property Journal – Winter 2002 & Spring 2003
By Paul Drooks, Candidate Member

Students attending Erica Philip's class at the University of California-Irvine campus on November 9th & 16th quickly learned that their instructor was not teaching them Chinese baseball terms. The attendees discovered that she was teaching them the elements for understanding that "the Chinese aesthetic of form, function and design coming together is one whole statement of perfection," Erica Philips, ASA, offered her expertise in Chinese porcelains, bronzes, jades and other decorative arts to students in UC Irvine's Appraisal Studies Program.

Chinese decorative arts are something that many general appraisers come across in their work. Many of us have learned the fundamentals of the typical fare of cloisonné vases and snuff bottles that are overly abundant in many of our clients' homes. Erica's class addressed these areas, but her primary focus was on the Archaic period through the Ming Dynasty. Combining current scholarship with textbook standards, course work focused on shapes of Chinese decorations. A guided tour through the Bowers Museums exhibit on "Symbols of Power, Chinese Decorative Arts" was the culmination of the two Saturdays' studies.

A long-time member of ASA, Erica Philips studied Fine Arts at Scripps College, Claremont, California, and has a Masters Degree from the Pratt Institute, New York. Her professional experience includes working for Sotheby's and Butterfield's as a Chinese Decorative Arts expert. She has been an independent appraiser since 1987.

This information-packed quick course introduced students to some basic issues and pitfalls in researching Chinese works. UC Irvine is offering Decorative Arts courses as electives to students in the Appraisal Studies program as well as established professionals. Members of ASA joining Erica's class were Sheryl Gillett, ASA; Steven Caudana, ASA; Pamela Bensousssan, Candidate Member; and Paul Drooks, Candidate Member. Previous courses offered at UCI in this series have included a "History of Oriental Rugs" taught by Guido Muzarelli, ASA, ISA. An upcoming course on Victorian Jewelry will be taught by Mona Miller-Smith, ASA. Many thanks to the instructors who are taking time from their busy practices to share their knowledge with us.

Kirwan Rockefeller, Ph.D., is director of the Appraisal Studies Program and is working hard to bring a level of scholarship to students interested in becoming professional appraisers. The UC Irvine program is being run in conjunction with ASA. Personal Property Fundamentals courses 201-204 form the core of the program, with a certificate offered to students completing an additional ten units of electives. UCI's program is similar to that offered at George Washington University, Washington DC. Course offerings can be found on the ASA website or at www.unex.uci.edu.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul Drooks is a Candidate Member of the Los Angeles chapter of ASA; his company is Paul F. Drooks Appraisals in West Hollywood