Posted by Yon Bard on March 26, 1999 at 08:30:38:
In Reply to: Importance as reason for collecting posted by Yon Bard on March 25, 1999 at 15:03:29:
I just want to clarify one misunderstanding: I (and the ceramics collector) used the word 'important' not in the usual sense (which I abhor) but in the sense of being important for the furtherance of the aims of one's collection.
As for researching a piece before buying it, there is usually a limit to how far that can be pursued given the time constraints within which one must make a purchasing decision. The ceramics collector cited cases where it took her four years to track down literature relevant to some pieces she had bough (for example, naval records of a ship depicted on a plate). I once bought an 1855 friendship quilt (a quilt consisting of panels each signed by a different person, usually dedicated to a friend on some important occasion), and it took me months to track down historic records about the people and the occasion involved - and it was real fun. I admit, though, that much of this is difficult to apply to the collecting of tribal rugs, but I did want to bring it up as a very appealing reason for choosing ones acquisitions. The ceramics collector had really achieved enviable results following these guidelines.
Regards, Yon