Objects
I bought this small Chinese porcelain brushpot at auction in Thailand, where it was catalogued simply as twentieth century. At 1,200 baht it was hardly presented as an undiscovered Qing treasure. It measures 12 cm high and 7.5 cm in diameter and is decorated in famille-rose enamels
Objects
I bought this bowl for around US$250 from an older French collector who had lived in Thailand for many years. I did not buy it believing I had discovered an important Ming bowl. His collection contained a considerable amount of nineteenth-century bleu de Huế, together with some clearly
Objects
Chinese or Vietnamese. Mid-20th century. Nikon 105mm at f1.4 on a D850 body.
Documentary
The Farmers. By now, as I wandered around, the reason for the lack of people in Son Village became obvious. Almost everyone was working, many in the fields. Some worked alone, others in pairs or small family groups. From a distance the farmers were often difficult to spot, many hidden
Documentary
The Elder. A little into my stay in Son village I realised there was one person I had not seen working. Throughout the valley people were already busy. Buffalo moved slowly through flooded rice fields, children carried small bundles between the fields and adults disappeared into the surrounding forest in
Documentary
Observations from a mountain farming community. Chapter 1 - The Journey. In the summer of 2011 I spent several days in Son Village, a small farming community hidden deep in the mountains of north-west Vietnam. Rice planting—the second crop of the year—was underway. Across the small valley bowl
Objects
One of the pleasures of collecting is encountering an object that refuses easy classification. This small square warming vessel measures approximately 11.5 cm high by 10 cm wide on each side. The body is highly translucent, transmitting a warm honey-orange light at thinner points. The glaze is distinctly
Documentary
In 2011, in a village called Son, deep in the mountains of Northern Vietnam, I met an aging veteran of the war. He told me his brother was killed in one of the battles. Then, Head of the Village, his life revolved around his grandson, and the generations who will
Documentary
Northern Vietnam travels. 2012.
Objects
Overview This small covered blue-and-white storage jar presents a compelling combination of structural integrity, original survival, and unusually competent landscape painting. Measuring 13 cm high with its original cover, the jar belongs to the long tradition of Chinese storage and ginger jars produced at Jingdezhen during the late
Photographs
Burning fields of sugar cane following a successful harvest. Thailand 2011. The first indication was not the fire but the orange glow in the evening sky. Then the scent of burning sugar cane which drifted into the village in which I was fortuitously staying. Pick up the camera and walk,
Documentary
The story of Davy Keo, who lived through the genocide of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge as a teenager in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.