Essays, Reviews & Blogs
Short essays, book reviews, exhibition reviews and other commentary regarding non-western material culture, the arts, collecting and curating can all be found below.
26th February 2025
Is Anything Value for Money in Singapore Anymore? Try the Museums
7th December 2024
Some Thoughts on the V&A’s ‘The Great Mughals’ Exhibition
7th December 2024
‘Malay Silver & Gold’ Reviewed in ‘Arts of Asia’
4th December 2024
The Asian Bronze Exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
1st December 2024
Museums & Provenance: Speaking at the Book Launch of ‘Provenance and Possession’ by Dr Kate Lowe
17th November 2024
The British Museum’s ‘Silk Roads’ Exhibition
16th November 2024
Michael Backman Speaking at the Rijksmuseum, The Netherlands, on ‘Malay Silver and Gold’
1st October 2024
Special Exhibition of Luxury Goods from the East, Burghley House, England
22nd August 2024
Provenance & Possession: A Reassessment
17th August 2024
Filigree Beads by Jane Perry
4th August 2024
‘Malay Silver and Gold’ reviewed in ‘Nikkei Asia’
28th July 2024
An Early Sri Lankan Ivory Box at Belton House, England
26th May 2024
Visiting Kuala Lumpur’s Fabulous Textile (and Jewellery) Museum
26th May 2024
New Podcast: Burmese Art Collector Graham Honeybill in Conversation
4th May 2024
‘Malay Silver and Gold’ Launched at London’s Leighton House
17th February 2024
Ancient Bronze Sculptures from the Srivijaya Kingdom
8th January 2024
New Podcast: Celebrated Art Historian Dr Annemarie Jordan in Conversation with Michael Backman
30th December 2023
Architecture of Nan, Northern Thailand
17th August 2023
Contemporary Palestinian Embroidery on Show in Cambridge, UK
13th August 2023
New Podcast: Fiona Kerlogue on Batik, being a Museum Curator & her new Book
9th August 2023
New Palestinian Embroidered Costumes Exhibition
27th June 2023
New Podcast: An Interview with Thweep Rittinaphakorn, author of ‘Unseen Burma’
22nd June 2023
On the Repatriation of Museum Artifacts – The Spectator
16th April 2023
Extraordinary Pre-Columbian Gold & Terracotta in Antwerp
13th March 2023
New Podcast: Are Antiques Sacred?
28th January 2023
Spain & the Hispanic World – London Exhibition
13th November 2022
New Book on Burmese Silverware Just Published!
25th August 2022
New Podcast: Eastern Jewellery Treasures with Oytun Evliyazade Camcigil
23rd August 2022
A Rare Pair of Japanese Satsuma Vases for the Islamic Export Market
26th June 2022
New Podcast: The Author Robyn Flemming on Alcohol, Art & other Addictions
15th June 2022
Visiting the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris
6th May 2022
New Podcast: Straits Chinese Jewellery – Edmond Chin in Conversation with Michael Backman
8th April 2022
Khir Johari’s splendid new book on the food history of the Singapore Malays
20th February 2022
How Art Dealers Decorate their Homes
13th February 2022
A Superb Piece by Oomersi Mawji
6th February 2022
Colonial Spain & Portugal – Conduits for Motif Exchange from Asia to the Americas
12th December 2021
Our Palestinian Christian Pilgrimage Shells now on Permanent Display in Paris’ Musée du quai Branly
7th December 2021
The Extraordinary Tale of 17th-18th century Dutch Colonial Decanter Sets
31st October 2021
New Podcast: Comparing & Contrasting – A Tuareg object from Africa & a Minangkabau item from Sumatra
15th October 2021
New Podcast: Comparing & Contrasting – An Object from Tibet & one from the Philippines
26th September 2021
A Surprising Collection of 19th century Batak Manuscripts in Florence, Italy
10th September 2021
Discoveries 6: Our Best Balinese Find – Rawana Kidnapping Shinta
27th August 2021
Discoveries 5: Our Best Chinese Export Silver Find – A Massive Wang Hing Punch Bowl
18th August 2021
Discoveries 4: Our Best Sri Lankan Find – Rare Gold & Silver Lime Box (Killotaya) set with Rubies & Garnets
15th August 2021
Discoveries 3: Our Best Burmese Find – The Disciples Sariputta & Moggallana
11th August 2021
Discoveries 2: Our Best Jewellery Find – A Rare 17th-18th century Moroccan Enamelled Gold Necklace
9th August 2021
Discoveries 1: Our Best Dutch Colonial Find – A Rare Gold & Mother-of-Pearl Betel Box
25th June 2021
Are Collectors Addicts by Another Name? Michael Backman & Paul Bromberg in Conversation in a New Podcast
17th June 2021
New Podcast: The Art of Traditional African Currencies
7th June 2021
New Podcast: How to stay curious?
6th June 2021
Dramatic Cross-Cultural Portuguese Family Saga Just Published
26th May 2021
New Podcast: The Mysteries of Gold & Silver Filigree
23rd May 2021
Thomas Becket Exhibition Opens at the British Museum
25th April 2021
Personal Adornment & the Subjugation of Women
11th April 2021
Slavery, White Slaves & a New Museum Exhibition on Slavery
27th March 2021
Relaunch! Get Ready for Our Upcoming April Monthly Catalogue
21st March 2021
Visiting the Wanglee Family Compound, Bangkok
4th March 2021
Excellent Podcast on Indian Spices: Then & Now
7th February 2021
Silver Thai Reliquary Urns
23rd January 2021
Billy Steinberg’s ‘Wild Beads of Africa’ book – Now available on Amazon worldwide!
15th October 2020
A Stunning Book on African Beads – Beads like You’ve Never Seen them!
29th September 2020
New Book Published on Burmese Silver
10th September 2020
New Podcast: Discussing Marjorie Ransom’s Book on Yemeni Silver Jewellery
4th September 2020
A Case of Mistaken Identity: Elephant Teeth
23rd August 2020
Our Sales, so far this Year, to Museums around the World
18th August 2020
New Podcast – Michael Backman discusses his favourite ever book on Asia art – ‘Court Arts of Indonesia’
12th August 2020
New Podcast – Michael Backman Talks about Writing his Latest Book on Malay Silver & Gold
27th July 2020
Headhunters! A New Exhibition in Germany
23rd July 2020
New Podcast: All you need to know about our Monthly Catalogues
28th May 2020
Michael Backman speaking about the Malay World – A Podcast Produced by Asia House
19th May 2020
Excellent New Documentary on Southeast Asia’s Empires Presented by Peter Lee
19th May 2020
LACMA’s Extraordinary Damascus Room
3rd May 2020
Status Shoes in Ornament Magazine
21st April 2020
Women’s Kolam Patterns of Tamil Nadu, South India
4th April 2020
Europeans in early 19th century Thai Temple Wall Murals
27th March 2020
Podcast: Michael Backman in conversation with Narisa Chakrabongse (Part 2)
22nd March 2020
Indonesian Shadow Puppet Dishes – Unusual Exportware from Japan
18th March 2020
Podcast: Thai Royal & Publisher Narisa Chakrabongse, in Conversation with Michael Backman (part 1)
17th March 2020
Rare ‘New World’ Treasures on Display at Buckingham Palace
15th March 2020
New Podcast: With Anupasana Suwanmongkol – Saving Thailand’s Silver Nielloware Industry
11th March 2020
New Podcast: In conversation with prolific author on Asian art, Dawn Rooney
9th March 2020
New Exhibition: Fabulous India Paintings for the East India Company at London’s Wallace Collection
8th March 2020
Visiting the Southern Thai Culture Museum in Pattani, Southern Thailand
6th March 2020
‘Yeh Ballet’ – Julian Sands & Netflix India
1st March 2020
New Ashanti Gold Weight Exhibition at London’s V&A Museum
23rd February 2020
Betel Nut Sets
12th February 2020
Fakes & Forgeries – Listen to our New Podcast on the Topic
3rd February 2020
Patric Hollington – Parisian Designer
29th January 2020
Our New Podcast: Chinese Export Silver
22nd January 2020
Our New Podcast: Julian Sands, Hollywood Actor & Collector in Conversation with Michael Backman
20th January 2020
Southeast Asia’s Red-Stained Gold
9th January 2020
An Oddity from China & Nepal: The ‘Cadogan’ Teapot
8th December 2019
Bangkok’s National Museum’s New Textile Gallery
26th November 2019
Announcing: World Art Now
17th November 2019
New Exhibition & Book on the last 20 years of Acquisitions by the world’s greatest non-Western & Tribal Museum, the Quai Branly Museum
9th November 2019
Brilliant new Buddhism Exhibition at the British Library
29th October 2019
Thorns in Oman & Men’s ‘Bullet’ Tweezers
27th October 2019
Our Top 15 Discoveries!
11th October 2019
Visiting the Orientalist Museum, Marrakech
6th October 2019
Raffles at the British Museum
9th September 2019
Exhibition in Paris on Felix Feneon, Early Tribal Art Collector
21st August 2019
The Snake Charmers of Marrakech
13th August 2019
Teapots that aren’t! Water Vessels from Southeast Asia.
30th July 2019
Dayak Ear Weights & Ornaments of Borneo
25th July 2019
Himalayan Art in Russia’s State Hermitage Museum
18th July 2019
Executing the Malay way – the Kris Panjang
15th July 2019
The Spectacular Mansions of the Chettiars in Chettinad, South India
26th June 2019
Visiting the Faberge Museum, St Petersburg
24th June 2019
Tekat Embroidered Textiles from Malaysia
19th June 2019
Surprising Thai Niello Silverware in Russia’s State Hermitage Museum
13th June 2019
Why are many Miniature Indian Bronzes so Worn?
30th May 2019
Metalwork of ‘Tribal’ Africa
27th May 2019
Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum’s Superb Makeover
12th May 2019
Ramadan, Southeast Asia & Food
6th May 2019
Selling to Museums – Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum
4th May 2019
The Escalating Problem of Faking
19th April 2019
It’s Easter! It’s Passover! Jesus in Islam, Judaism & Hinduism
10th April 2019
Morocco Jewellery & Islamic World Evening
9th April 2019
Russian & Ottoman Art at Buckingham Palace
5th April 2019
Christian influence on Mughal Art – A Presentation at Asia House
28th March 2019
Thai Silver & Nielloware in London
19th March 2019
India’s Tipu Sultan, his Library & the Destruction of his Palace
17th March 2019
Zanzibar’s Controversial Princess Salme & her Museum
13th March 2019
Central Javanese Manuscripts at the British Library
8th March 2019
International Women’s Day & the Minangkabau People
3rd March 2019
Ethiopia’s Disputed Maqdala Treasures at the V&A
25th February 2019
Exhibition of Bencharong Porcelain & Related Arts, Bangkok
22nd February 2019
Visiting the UNESCO-Protected Necropolis at Al Ayn, Oman
18th February 2019
Visiting Bangkok’s Private Prasart Museum
12th February 2019
Visiting Zanzibar’s Beit el Amani Museum
10th February 2019
Opening of Raffles Exhibition, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
6th February 2019
Presentation in Bangkok on Fine, Antique Thai Silver
25th January 2019
Exploring the Carved, Wooden Doors of Zanzibar
22nd January 2019
Rosewater Antiques in the Islamic World
21st January 2019
Visiting Sur, Oman – another unique home for Omani Jewellery
17th January 2019
Visiting Nizwa – Oman’s Old Silver Jewellery Capital
3rd January 2019
Lending to a new exhibition on Hieronymous Bosch
1st January 2019
Visiting Oman’s New National Museum
23rd November 2018
Launch of ‘Desert Silver: Understanding Traditional Jewellery from the Middle East and North Africa’
21st November 2018
Thanksgiving 2018
16th November 2018
Recent Sales to Museums Worldwide
7th November 2018
SOAS ‘Silk Roads’ Visit
3rd November 2018
Chinese Temple Visit, Central London
28th October 2018
Our November Catalogue is Coming…
18th October 2018