PO Box 77859, London, SW20 2GB, UK +44 (0)7546 026 338 info@orientalceramicsociety.org.uk www.orientalceramicsociety.org.uk/
PATRON: HRH THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER KG GCVO
Report of the Council, presented at the AGM held on 13th June 2023
Last Six Presidents
Carol Michaelson Rosemary Scott Shelagh Vainker Regina Krahl Jessica Harrison-Hall Beth McKillop
Council
Stacey Pierson President David Canty Honorary Treasurer Clive Jacotine Honorary Secretary Sarah Wong Assistant Honorary Secretary Rosemary Scott Editor of the Transactions Beth Gardiner Joint Editor of the Newsletter Teresa Canepa Joint Editor of the Newsletter Jessica Harrison-Hall Representative at the British Museum Xiaoxin LI Representative at the Victoria and Albert Museum 2020 Elected in 2021 Elected in 2022 No Election Katharine Butler Ivy Chan Ian Gaunt Robert Bradlow Kate Hunt Malcolm McNeill Ana Moas Beth McKillop
Secretary: Alan Ip
Patron
We are most honoured to have as our Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, KG, GCVO and are grateful for his support of and interest in the Society.
Members of Council
Professor Stacey Pierson, Professor of the History of Chinese Ceramics at the School of African and Oriental Studies was elected as President of the Society at the 2021 AGM and would serve for three years.
The Honorary Secretary, Clive Jacotine, the Honorary Treasurer, David Canty, and the Assistant Honorary Secretary, Sarah Wong, retired under Articles 44 and 45 and offered themselves for re-election.
Beth McKillop steps down from the Council at the AGM.
Xiaoxin Li continues as the Victoria & Albert Museum representative and Jessica
Harrison-Hall as the British Museum representative.
Responsibilities of Council Members
The Society is a charitable company limited by guarantee and members of Council are the trustees. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Society and to enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Companies Act 1985. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Society.
Proposed Constitutional Changes
During the pandemic, Government restrictions prevented the Society from holding an AGM in person, but temporary permissive Government legislation allowed us to hold online general meetings. The process was easier than anticipated, and it allowed members across the world to take part. Now that the temporary legislation has expired, we need to change our legal constitution (the Memorandum and Articles of Association) if we want to allow more members, including overseas members, to take part in general meetings such as the AGM.
The current legal documents were adopted in 1960 and in 1999. Not only has legislation changed, but also the way the Society carries out its business and detailed study of the present constitution revealed some errors. Whilst most of the provisions within the documents are both sound and sensible, by simplifying the language, streamlining processes and changing the order of some of the Articles the documents will be easier to understand and to use. The new draft legal document will draw heavily on the model Articles of Association published by the Charity Commission.
The Society will first consult with the Charity Commission and then send members a new draft constitution for initial comments. We plan to have an online interactive consultation session before finalising proposed changes and then hold an extraordinary general meeting in 2024 so members can make the final decision.
Membership Summary
At the time of writing, there are over 1,070 entries on the membership database. UK and Overseas members account for the majority (38% each). 9% of members are students and the rest are a mix of Corporate, Benefactor, Institutional, Patron, Life, and Honorary members. A monthly analysis of membership is being carried out by the Secretary. The data will contribute to the monitoring and trend analyses in membership levels.
Members are encouraged to pay for their subscriptions online via the OCS website. This automatic system enables a more efficient and effective management of membership and reduces manual handling of data.
The Society will soon be able to offer members special discounts on book purchases in conjunction with publishers. The offers will be for fully paid-up OCS members and will be in the form of a link direct to the publishers found in the members only area of the website.
The membership fees have not been raised in many years. The Society is able to maintain the existing fee levels in large part due to the generous support of our sponsors.
Website
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
The Society’s website is being updated continuously. Members can still access the page on the Centenary Exhibition with presentations of some of the exhibited items, a film on the history of the OCS, recordings of the lectures of the Study Day and a virtual tour of the exhibition at the Brunei Gallery.
We also now have a very well-managed website and social media presence that both contribute to promoting the Society and its events.
Publications
Transactions of The Oriental Ceramics Society (TOCS)
Transactions continues to be edited and produced by Rosemary Scott who assumed the editorship in 2021 and has produced volume 85. Transactions also has a new schedule. Following the Centenary, the contents now reflect the calendar year so volume 85 covers January to December 2021 and the forthcoming volume 86 will continue with this approach.
Newsletter
The Newsletter, edited by Teresa Canepa and Beth Gardiner, is also a valuable part of the Society’s publications programme. They have produced an informative and interesting edition which brings together contributions from around the world on a wide range of topics of interest to members. At present, the Newsletter is published in May.
All previous volumes of Transactions with indexes can be viewed online. Volumes 13 and 16 to 25 of the Newsletter have been digitised and can be found on the website. The other volumes will be scanned and uploaded to the website in due course.
These publications are loaded to a protected area of the website accessible to paid up members only. Members must have an active account and log into the website for access. The website also has the facility for you to reset your password. Please contact the Secretary if you require any assistance. Members are reminded that access to these publications is a member’s privilege and the links should not be shared.
Privacy Statement and Data Protection
The OCS retains the names, addresses and other contact details (including email addresses) of its members for annual renewal and mailing purposes only (lecture announcements and TOCS etc.). Appropriate care is taken by the Society to ensure the security of this data. This list is updated annually, on renewal of membership, and membership is understood to grant consent for the OCS to retain and use these details in the above manner. Members’ details are not accessible to, or shared with, third parties, and these details are not used for commercial purposes. The OCS does not retain members’ financial details (credit card details etc.). If members have any concerns on this matter, they should email the Society’s Secretary.
Rules of the Society
The Rules of the Society provide that no member is entitled to make use of the Society’s name for any business or trade purpose, nor shall any member dealing in antiquities or ceramic wares advertise their membership except in the Society’s Transactions or Newsletter.
Activities in 2022
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
Lectures
All our lectures are now in-person events once again and are held at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, London.
On 11th October, Professor Anne Gerritsen from the University of Warwick presented The business of making porcelain. Life and work in the city of blue and white . The lecture was the annual Sir Michael Butler Memorial Lecture and was jointly sponsored by The Michael Butler Collection and Woolley & Wallis.
The OCS Asian Art in London Lecture 2022 took place on 31st October and was sponsored by Bonhams. In his talk A Collectors View , Sam Marsh who is an OCS member and a collector of Chinese porcelain and scholar’s table items, shared some of his views of 17th century porcelain, on their construction, their decoration and on why they were innovative and remarkable pieces.
The December lecture which took place on 13th December had a Southeast Asian theme. Dr Stephen Murphy from SOAS, University of London, spoke on Connecting Empires: The Belitung Shipwreck and maritime trade in ninth century Asia . The lecture was sponsored by Woolley & Wallis.
The first lecture of 2023 was on 10th January when Amy Raphael, a Project Curator of Japanese Ceramics at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, gave a talk on the Art of Japanese Porcelain – The Irene Finch Collection at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery . Irene Finch was a retired science teacher with a passion for Japanese porcelain, who collected, researched, and published on the subject over a 30-year period. She was also a member of the OCS. The lecture was sponsored by Roseberys.
The Annual Sonia Lightfoot Memorial Lecture on Paintings was given by Professor J.P. Park from University of Oxford on 14th February. In his lecture Traditions of the AvantGarde: Radicals and Experimentalists in China, Professor Park spoke of provocative artistic expression in East Asia that may predate ground-breaking Western counterparts by centuries and even millennia.
The Annual Woolf Jade Lecture, sponsored by Jonathan Woolf and the Woolf Charitable Trust, was held on 14th March 2023. Éléonore Dérisson, Chargée des collections at La Fondation des Artistes, Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild presented A discreet collection of curiosities: Adèle and Salomon de Rothschild’s Chinese jades . Ms Dérisson spoke about the history of the Fondation and some highlights of the collection.
Dr Annabel Gallop, Head of the Southeast Asia at the British Library gave a talk on Chinese Plates fit for an Acehnese Queen on 11th April, which examined an intriguing motif found on a group of Zhangzhou wares. The lecture was sponsored by Shirley Mueller.
The Dr H.Y. Mok Charitable Foundation Lecture took place on 9th May 2023. Ming Wilson, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum talked about The Cost of Receiving Foreign Tributes to the Qing Court. In this lecture Ming showed that Chinese emperors had to pay large sums of money to receive presents and tributes from abroad. We are grateful for to the Dr H Y Mok Charitable Foundation for the sponsorship
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
The AGM 2023 and Shang Shan Tang Lecture and Reception take place on 13th June 2023. Rose Kerr will give a talk entitled Jun, Yaozhou and Longquan: Three Different Kilns, Three Common Factors . Mr Song Tao is the sponsor of this event.
Handling Sessions
A number of handling sessions were held in the past year.
Sotheby’s hosted two sessions, one in August and one in October, for members to handle objects available for sale from the Wou Kiuan Collection. Bonhams invited members to a pre-sales session in October as well as a handling session in May 23 on Chinese jade animals from the Shang to the Ming. They also hosted a tour of the Michael Goedhuis sale in May. Members were invited to attend a session on Persian ceramics in October organised by Christies.
Robert Bradlow led a visit in March 2023 to Harrow School to see objects from collections from founder member H. B. Harris. Also in March, Woolley & Wallis held a handling session on a number of jade objects.
To coincide with the annual Woolf jade lecture, Mr Jonathan Woolf has again generously invited members to view his collection of imperial Chinese jade. About 40 members took up the opportunity for this special visit.
Tours
In September 2022, two tours to Scotland were organised and led by Harry DouglasHamilton. Sites visited included Newhailes House, former home of the Dalrymple family, Bowhill House, home of the Duke of Buccleuch, Abbotsford House, former home of Sir Walter Scott, The Burrell Collection and Pollok House. There was also a handling session hosted by Lyon & Turnbull. Originally only one tour was planned but a second one was organised to accommodate demand.
A tour to Berlin organized by Ricarda Brosch with Harry Douglas-Hamilton and Honorary Secretary Clive Jacotine, took place in May 2023. Its success is demonstrated by the fact that the tour was so popular that it too will be repeated in September 2023 to meet member demand.
The Charity Commission requires the Trustees to report in their Annual Report on their Charity’s public benefit, and they should be clear about what benefits are generated by the activities of the Charity. The benefits must be related to the objectives of the Charity. The Trustees of the Oriental Ceramic Society consider that the Society meets the public benefit requirements, and they confirm that they have due regard to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance which is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/charitable-purposes-and public-benefit.
Sponsorship
The Society is most grateful for sponsorship of an annual lecture by Bonhams, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Woolley & Wallis. This generous sponsorship enables us to bring important speakers from overseas as well as from the UK. The Society is always open to more offers of sponsorship.
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
We also thank the generous sponsors of our lectures and lecture receptions. Regularly sponsored lectures include:
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The Woolf Jade lecture sponsored by Mr. Jonathan Woolf and the Woolf Charitable Trust
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The Sonia Lightfoot Paintings Lecture sponsored by her husband John Lightfoot
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The Sir Michael Butler Memorial Lecture sponsored by The Butler Collection
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The Mok family export art lecture supported by the Dr Mok Hing Yiu Charitable Foundation
In this year we also received sponsorship and support for lectures, receptions and drinks from Roseberys. In addition, Dr Shirley Muller, and Mr Song Tao have both provided sponsorship funding. With costs for lectures, premises and refreshments rising significantly since the pandemic, we rely ever more on this sponsorship and are grateful for its continuance.
Advertising
We thank those members who support the Society through advertisements in our annual Transactions and also the annual Newsletter . This helps us to defray the costs of these publications. The Society hopes that such advertising will continue and increase.
Financial Summary
Mary Ginsberg has independently assessed the 2022 accounts. For further details, please consult the accounts summary.
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY
(Limited by Guarantee)
ACCOUNTS 30 SEPTEMBER 2022
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY
(Limited by Guarantee)
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL
The Council submits its report and accounts for the year ended 30 September 2022.
Activities
The Society, which was founded in 1921, aims to increase knowledge and appreciation of Asian ceramics and other arts. It provides a creative link between collectors, curators, scholars and others sharing those interests.
Lectures to the Society, together with reports on activities are published annually in the "Transactions of The Oriental Ceramic Society" (TOCS).
Results
The surplus for the year, added to the general fund, was £10,358 (2021 surplus £10,383).
At 30.09.22, £7,000 of net expenses for TOCS 86 (entries covering lectures in 2022), have been provided for. (See note 5 to the Accounts).
The budget for the year to 30.09.23 anticipates a small surplus.
Council Members' Responsibilities
The Society is a charitable company limited by guarantee and members of Council are the trustees.
Company law requires the trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Society and of the income and expenditure of the Society for that period. In preparing these accounts, the trustees are required to
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Society will continue to operate.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Society and to enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Companies Act 1985. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Society and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Assessor
A resolution not to re-appoint auditors was passed at the 2006 AGM, as the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Mary Ginsberg carried out an assessment of the 2022 accounts as an independent assessor.
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
BY ORDER OF THE COUNCIL
David Canty Honorary Treasurer
ALAN IP Secretary
13[th] June 2023
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY
(Limited by Guarantee) ACCOUNTS 30 SEPTEMBER 2022
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY (Limited by Guarantee) BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022
| BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022 |
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022 |
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Year to 30/09/22 Year to 30/09/21 £ £ Assets Debtors and prepayments (see Note 2) 16,166 23,238 Cash at bank and in hand (see Note 3) 284,287 323,772 300,453 347,010 Less liabilities: Creditors (see Note 4) 38,628 67,999 |
||
| Net assets Represented by Funds:- R C Hills Fund 22,666 George de Menasce Fund 1,325 Chinese Scholars' Fund 4,683 Sir Joseph Hotung Fund 53,743 Provision for 2021 Exhibition C/F General surplus C/F |
261,825 24,247 1,825 4,683 82,417 53,743 49,003 130,405 |
279,011 84,498 80,366 114,148 |
| 261,825 | 279,012 |
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Charity Commission’s publication “Financial Reporting Standard 102” (“FRS 102”) and “Update Bulletin 1” applicable to reporting periods beginning on or after 1st January 2016.
Signed on behalf of the Society
| David Canty | Hon. Treasurer |
|---|---|
| Alan Ip | Secretary |
| Mary Ginsberg | Assessor |
| Stacey Pierson | Director |
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY (Limited by Guarantee)
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT AND STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2022
| FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year to | Year to | |||
| 30/09/22 | 30/09/21 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Incoming Resources | ||||
| Subscriptions | 54,042 | 44,172 | ||
| Estimated Gift Aid Refunds | 15,975 | 6,390 | ||
| Interest | 32 | 31 | ||
| Gifts & Miscellaneous Income | 1,862 | 993 | ||
| Total Income | 71,911 | 51,585 | ||
| Resources Expended | ||||
| Secretary's salary and N.I. | 23,637 | 23,276 | ||
| Office postage and printing | 944 | 5,354 | ||
| Stationery, telephone, and travel | 1,531 | 2,671 | ||
| Computer systems assistance | 1,726 | 5,195 | ||
| Storage rental | 1,400 | 814 | ||
| Insurance | 2,120 | 2,385 | ||
| Bank charges and Worldpay costs | 1,167 | 1,523 | ||
| Net cost (gain) of OCS tours | -1,856 | 0 | ||
| Administration costs | 30,669 | 41,218 | ||
| Surplus after administration costs | 41,242 | 10,367 | ||
| Computer Newsletter layout less advertisements | -369 | 254 | ||
| Contributions to meetings, room hire, lecture fees & | 5,641 | 11,331 | ||
| travelling | ||||
| Less spent | -11,567 | -8,463 | ||
| Carried Forward for year to 30.09.21 | 0 | 1,651 | ||
| Net contribution | -5,926 | 4,519 | ||
| Surplus before TOCS | 34,947 | 15,140 | ||
| TOCS 84 net provision (lectures to 30.09.20) | 0 | 3,000 | ||
| TOCS 84 net cost | -13,788 | -3,857 | ||
| TOCS 85 net provision (lectures to 31.12.21) | 3,900 | -3,900 | ||
| TOCS 85 net cost | -7,701 | 0 | ||
| TOCS 86 net provision (lectures to 31.12.22) | -7,000 | 0 | ||
| Normal surplus | 10,358 | 10,383 | ||
| Prior year Funds Balance | 114,148 | 103,765 | ||
| Funds accrued from previous year | 5,899 | 0 | ||
| 130,405 | 114,148 |
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY
(Limited by Guarantee)
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2022
1. Accounting Policies
The Accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985 and the Statement of Recommended Practice ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ issued in October 2000.
Office and Computer equipment
Written off in year of purchase.
Income
Subscriptions are payable on 1 May for the next financial year: they are accounted for in the financial year to which they relate. Other income is accounted for on a receipts and due basis.
Expenditure
Expenses are accounted for on an accruals basis.
Foreign Currencies
Converted into Sterling and recorded as actual receipts.
Prior year Funds Balance
The accumulated excess of revenues over expenditure for the current year.
Estimated Gift Aid Refunds
Accrued in the year the gift aid is claimed. In the current year the claims relate to the period from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2021.
2.
3.
| Debtors and prepayments | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Debtor | 0 | 13,986 |
| Tax recoverable | 16,166 | 9,252 |
| 16,166 | 23,238 | |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 2022 | 2021 |
| £ | £ | |
| High interest accounts | 273,232 | 320,961 |
| Current accounts | 1,042 | 1,035 |
| Cash in hand | 406 | 212 |
| Euro current account | 12 | 0 |
| US $ deposit account | 8,031 | 0 |
| Other bank account | 1,564 | 1,564 |
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
| 284,287 | 323,772 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | |||
| Creditors | 2022 | 2021 | |
| £ | £ | ||
| Subscriptions paid in advance | 22,816 | 22,351 | |
| Creditors and accruals | 15,812 | 45,648 | |
| 38,628 | 67,999 | ||
| 5. | |||
| Transactions | TOCS 86 (estimated) | TOCS 85 (actual) | |
| £ | £ | ||
| Cost and postage | 19,670 | 16,100 | |
| Less contributions | 12,133 | 12,200 | |
| Net cost | 7,537 | 3,900 |
6. Purpose of funds
R.C. Hills Endowment fund
The R.C. Hills Gold Medal is presented for a lecture by an established academic figure. The lecture is included in the ‘Transactions’ and the fund also makes a contribution towards the cost of the publication. A lecture celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the first presentation took place in October 2021.
George de Menasce Memorial Trust Fund
The George de Menasce Trust Bursary is awarded for a research project and a lecture to the Society, with publication in the ‘Transactions’. A bursary was awarded in 2021 and £1,000 has been paid to the recipient.
Scholars Fund
The Chinese Scholars Fund was launched in 1988 with the purpose of giving scholars in China the opportunity to visit the West. The Fund has now been extended to cover scholars both in China and elsewhere.
Sir Joseph Hotung Fund
The Sir Joseph Hotung Fund was started in 2006 and the capital is to be used for specific projects and not for the day to day running of the Society.
7. Provision for 2021 Centenary Exhibition
| Provision for 2021 Centenary Exhibition | |
|---|---|
| £ | |
| Brought forward | 80,366 |
| Donations during the year | 0 |
| Net proceeds from catalogue sales and | 14,808 |
| grant |
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)
| Net spend on exhibition in year to 30.09.22 Net spend on catalogue in year to 30.09.22 Balance carried forward |
-32,375 -13,796 49,003 |
|---|---|
For the year ending 30 September 2022, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
Signed on behalf of the Society
David Canty Hon. Treasurer
ALAN IP Secretary
Registered Office: The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE (Registered Charity No. 250356)