Internationally known antiques dealer, Cristina Ortega, has recently joined our team of in-house antiques experts. With more than 30 years of experience in the antiques trade, she is bringing yet another level of expertise to the already experienced team. We spoke with her to discuss her role at Catawiki and how her work is important for our weekly Antiques auctions. Read on to learn more.
How did your passion for Asian art & objects begin?
My passion for Asian art & objects began when I was a small girl discovering Chinatown in San Francisco. For me it was like discovering treasures, even if nothing was old... then I needed to know more about the objects, their creation and their link with history and cultural exchanges.
What is your experience? How did you become an in-house expert at Catawiki?
I have been an antique dealer for more than 30 years and also an appraiser. Today, I can see a big change in the way many customers approach antiques. Many don’t have time to visit physical antique shops, so they shop on the internet. I actually discovered Catawiki as a buyer and having the opportunity to become an expert for me was like participating in the evolution of the antique business, so of course I joined the team when the opportunity presented itself. Now I’m responsible for assessing every lot that is offered up for auction and curating the weekly Antiques auctions together with my team.
How do you decide what lots are suitable for auction? And can you give some examples?
First, it has to be antique, really antique. Then it has to have a price that is reasonable for both sellers and buyers.
As for examples, I’ll explain a bit more about how we assess porcelain and Chinese antiques. We pay special attention to porcelains. This is because as there is a huge demand that make some prices rise to unexpected peaks; the fake market is expanding in all directions. We do not accept known fakes for auction.
When assessing for Chinese antiques, you must use more than what you learned. What you learned is about technique, shape and colour of enamels. Then, there's a research about similar items in collections, museums... But most important is the 'logical question'. Fakes often have a little detail that is not logical and makes us do deeper research.
What do you do for buyers and sellers?
I help the sellers to get the descriptions of the lots as accurate as they can so that buyers can really know what they are bidding for. It’s all about building trust from both sides. A happy seller will trust in us to sell more items and a happy buyer will have a look to our auctions knowing he will not be disappointed.
Why is your work important for Catawiki in regards to quality?
I hope my work will give trust to sellers so that Catawiki is not one more website for antiques, but instead the place where you can buy and sell antiques online. Having a good quality selection allows people to have a look at other auction categories that they may not be as familiar with, and still have the same confidence that they are buying high-quality objects.
How do you see Catawiki’s role specifically in the Asian antiques market?
Europe has been importing Chinese art and objects for several centuries. Chinese art is part of our culture and all big cities have antique shops selling Asian antiques. Catawiki is opening the doors of those shop to all the world.
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