All gone to pot

Jars, whether elegant in their glazed simplicity or exquisitely painted, starred in London's Asian Art sales, including an exceptionally rare pair that belonged to China's answer to Henry VIII

- Huon Mallalieu

BEN JANSSENS began his career with the late Oriental-art dealers Clemens and Neeltje Van der Ven in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, before moving to Spink in London 45 years ago and opening his own gallery in 1996. His principal interest was early Chinese works of art, but he has also dealt in later and Japanese art. He was chairman of TEFAF Maastricht for a number of years until a holiday bicycling accident forced him to retrench. At about the same time, Mr Janssens left his Jermyn Street gallery to deal from home and now he is further returning to his roots in Domburg. Naturally, retirement will not be total and he will continue to act as an adviser. Part of the business is being taken on by Paul Ruitenbeek, an Amsterdam dealer, who will be participating in TEFAF (www.paulruitenbeek.​com), and Mr Janssens himself can still be reached through his website (www.benjanssens.​com).

In the meantime, there have been sales of Mr Janssens’s stock by Bonhams, one based at Bond Street, the other, in which lots were mostly offered without reserve, at Knightsbridge. One of the latter had perhaps found itself in the wrong company, because two white-glazed bowls with two cream-glazed jars (Fig 1