{"id":5162,"date":"2021-08-16T17:01:54","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T17:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/?p=5162"},"modified":"2023-08-07T15:47:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T15:47:49","slug":"collectors-edition-good-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/16\/collectors-edition-good-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Collector\u2019s Edition: Creating a Good Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our 20+ years of collecting extraordinary objects at PAGODA RED, we\u2019ve had the honor of forging deep and interesting\u00a0 relationships with our clients. Exploring things together, we share stories of the hunt \u2014 the ones that got away, likes and dislikes, dreams and renovation blunders. Over time, these intimacies build meaningful friendships with mutual understanding and trust. <\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve come to learn the unique tastes of these friends, designers, collectors, scholars, and artists all over the world. There is the woman in Hawaii who has thoughtfully been creating a shrine in the center of her space, the couple on the North Shore with their a secret doorway to the upper level of their ravine home where they sip coffee amidst acquired curiosities, the man with the tool belt around his swim trunks who created a stunning rock garden with Chinese meditation stones… it goes on and on. <\/span><\/p>\n

We are lucky to be invited into homes, both in person and now virtually, to help source and style. Together we create truly unique environments. We see the bones of wonderful homes converse with collections of art and personal charms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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An example of chinoiserie with European regency influence.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

We are excited about our recent acquisition of an exceptional Chicago Gold Coast estate. This collector was a philanthropist and supremely dedicated to bettering education, access to health care, and public\/cultural spaces in Chicago. We were lucky enough to know her through much of her collecting life. She lived and loved travelling, exploring and weaving it all into her exciting elegance. Her space was a comfortably graceful expression of 18th and 19th-century European and Chinese curio. Follow along with us, as we explore the depth of this estate, what kind of objects are within, and what makes it so remarkable. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Maker\u2019s Hand<\/span><\/h2>\n

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19th-century Glazed Temple Jar<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

When exploring the common thread that exists in her collected objects, there is a recurring presence of the maker. This manifests in imperfect glazing, provincial materials, and distinctive one-of-a-kind objects handcrafted with techniques achieved only by proficient artisans.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tibetan Hide Trunk, circa 1900<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The richness of an object that hasn\u2019t been mass-produced is otherworldly. Each has a story of the artist to tell \u2014 you just have to slow down, look and listen. <\/span><\/p>\n

Collecting for Connecting<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Pair of Sancai Fu Dog Incense Burners<\/a><\/p>\n

Antique objects provide a connection to history \u2014 it is a physical link to traditional culture and beliefs. In our current world, Google gives the feeling you can transcend time (with quick access to endless information), but historic objects are actually pure time-travel, so to speak. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Japanese Gilt Black Lacquer Tea Chest<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Take this Edo-period Tea Chest, for example. The time spent to precisely build and adorn every surface is astounding, especially for household storage. The artful expression from design to decoration lifts our spirits and brings us back to a time when the humble act of tea preparation was revered and elevated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtue over Value<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Buddha\u2019s Hand Citron Offering Fruit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Our favorite kind of collections are those that are idiosyncratic and full of passion. This collector was expressing her true self and was primarily unmotivated by market value. She liked what she liked. This is something that can\u2019t be taught. Singular visions are cultivated; and it\u2019s so beautiful to see one unfold here. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Pair of Black Lacquer Ladies’ Chairs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

We imagine the collector was moved by the humble, unusual forms of these chairs, pictured above. Influenced by European designs, these early 20th-century perches are uniquely sculptural and add a certain quirk to their surroundings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, these objects are a reflection of a distinctive individual \u2014 a collector who was a force of nature. She effortlessly mixed objects that lacked pretension and surrounded herself with tokens of intrigue, spirit, and history. Now that\u2019s what we call a good life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/a>,\u00a0William Alfred Delamotte, 1840<\/em><\/p>\n

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Shop the Story<\/h2>\n

Recent Acquisitions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t