Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House Piccadilly London W1J 0BE info@orientalceramicsociety.org.uk www.orientalceramicsociety.org.uk/
PATRON: HRH THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER KG GCVO
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY (Limited by Guarantee)
ACCOUNTS 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered 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 2025.
Activities
The Society, which was founded in 1921, aims to increase knowledge and appreciation of Asian ceramic and other forms of Asian 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 £33,053 (2024 surplus £27,508).
The budget for the year to 30 September 2026 anticipates a 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. As an independent assessor, Mary Ginsberg carried out a review of the 2025 accounts.
BY ORDER OF THE COUNCIL
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
David Canty Honorary Treasurer
Helen Winskill Secretary 14 May 2026
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY (Limited by Guarantee) ACCOUNTS 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30TH SEPTEMBER 2025
| Year to 30/09/25 Year to 30/09/24 £ £ Assets Tangible Assets (computer equipment) Debtors and prepayments (see Note 2) 799 6,121 0 5,631 Cash at bank and in hand (see Note 3) 389,733 357,992 395,854 363,623 Less liabilities: Creditors (see Note 4) Accounts Payable 30,864 1,834 32,722 0 |
Year to 30/09/25 Year to 30/09/24 £ £ Assets Tangible Assets (computer equipment) Debtors and prepayments (see Note 2) 799 6,121 0 5,631 Cash at bank and in hand (see Note 3) 389,733 357,992 395,854 363,623 Less liabilities: Creditors (see Note 4) Accounts Payable 30,864 1,834 32,722 0 |
Year to 30/09/25 Year to 30/09/24 £ £ Assets Tangible Assets (computer equipment) Debtors and prepayments (see Note 2) 799 6,121 0 5,631 Cash at bank and in hand (see Note 3) 389,733 357,992 395,854 363,623 Less liabilities: Creditors (see Note 4) Accounts Payable 30,864 1,834 32,722 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 363,623 32,722 0 |
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| Net assets Represented by Designated Funds: R C Hills Fund 22,666 George de Menasce Fund 1,325 Chinese Scholars' Fund 2,246 Sir Joseph Hotung Fund 53,743 Exhibition Reserves General Surplus C/F |
363,955 22,666 1,325 4,683 79,980 53,743 49,003 234,972 |
330,901 82,417 49,003 199,481 |
| 363,955 | 330,901 |
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.
For the year ended 30 September 2025, 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 of the Companies Act 2006.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
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 Honorary Treasurer
Sarah Wong President
Helen Winskill Secretary
Mary Ginsberg Assessor
14 May 2026
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY (Limited by Guarantee) INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT AND STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
| Year to | Year to | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30/09/25 | 30/09/24 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Incoming Resources | ||||
| Subscriptions | 51,715 | 46,450 | ||
| Estimated Gift Aid Refunds | 3,221 | 3,603 | ||
| Interest | 7,673 | 4,184 | ||
| Gifts & Miscellaneous Income | 25 | 2,725 | ||
| Catalogue sales | 6,409 | 713 | ||
| Total Income | 69,043 | 57,675 | ||
| Resources Expended | ||||
| Secretary's salary and N.I. | 22,852 | 20,950 | ||
| Office postage and printing | 1,961 | 953 | ||
| Stationary, telephone and travel | 0 | 2,057 | ||
| Website, software and IT support | 2,988 | 1,005 | ||
| Storage rental | 2,524 | 2,171 | ||
| Insurance | 0 | 1,202 | ||
| Bank and Stripe charges | 1,278 | 441 | ||
| Exhibition expense | 0 | 450 | ||
| Legal and payroll expense | 394 | 0 | ||
| Donations (outgoing) and other | 154 | 0 | ||
| Meeting room hire general | 1,161 | 0 | ||
| SICS expense | 2,437 | 0 | ||
| Advertising and marketing | 980 | 0 | ||
| Administration costs | 36,729 | 29,229 | ||
| Surplus after administration costs | 32,314 | 28,446 | ||
| Income from OCS tours | 14,639 | 31,775 | ||
| Less expenses | -8,481 | -27,289 | ||
| Net Contribution | 6,158 | 4,486 | ||
| Contributions to meetings, room hire, lecture fees & | 20,500 | 16,378 | ||
| travelling | ||||
| Less expenses | -17,810 | -18,350 | ||
| Net contribution | 2,690 | -1,972 | ||
| Newsletter income | 2,150 | -268 | ||
| Less expenses | -1,790 | |||
| Net Contribution | 360 | |||
| Surplus before TOCS | 41,522 | 30,692 | ||
| TOCS 87 net income | 0 | 816 | ||
| TOCS 88 net provision (lectures to 31.12.24) | 0 | -4,000 |
| Company Registered No. 306924 | Company Registered No. 306924 | |
|---|---|---|
| Charity Registered No 250356 | ||
| TOCS 88 net income | -5,468 | 0 |
| TOCS 89 net provision (lectures to 31.12.25) | -3,000 | 0 |
| Normal surplus | 33,053 | 27,508 |
| Prior year Funds Balance | 199,481 | 172,268 |
| Transfer of Designated Funds to Surplus | 2,438 | -295 |
| General Surplus | 234,972 | 199,481 |
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
THE ORIENTAL CERAMIC SOCIETY
(Limited by Guarantee)
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
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 accrued on a deferred basis over the 12-month period of the membership: 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 2023 to 30 September 2024.
2.
3.
| Debtors and prepayments Membership accrual Debtor Tax recoverable (gift aid) Cash at bank and in hand High interest accounts Current accounts Euro current account US $ deposit account |
2025 2024 £ £ 0 2,700 210 2,000 3,421 3,421 6,121 5,631 2025 2024 £ £ 388,393 1,051 193 95 356,521 1,064 242 162 389,733 357,990 |
|---|---|
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
4.
5.
| Creditors | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| £ | ||
| Subscriptions paid in advance | 23,898 | 23,452 |
| Creditors and accruals | 6,966 | 9,270 |
| 30,864 | 32,722 | |
| Transactions | TOCS 89 (estimated) | TOCS 88 (actual) |
| £ | £ | |
| Cost and postage | 20,000 | 19,668 |
| Less contributions | 17,700 | 14,200 |
| Net income / (cost) | -2,300 | -5,468 |
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.
Exhibition Reserves
Exhibition Reserves represent the net balance of the provisions, income and expenditure of the 2021 Centenary Exhibition.
Company Registered No. 306924 Charity Registered No 250356
Report of the Council
Last Six Presidents Rosemary Scott Shelagh Vainker Regina Krahl
Jessica Harrison-Hall Beth McKillop Stacey Pierson
Council
Sarah Wong David Canty Clive Jacotine Ian Gaunt Rosemary Scott Beth Gardiner Teresa Canepa Jessica Harrison-Hall Xiaoxin LI
President Honorary Treasurer Honorary Secretary Assistant Honorary Secretary Editor of TOCS Joint Editor of the Newsletter Joint Editor of the Newsletter The British Museum representative The Victoria and Albert Museum representative
Elected in 2023 Stuart Balmer Asaph Hyman Alice Williamson
Elected in 2024 Elected in 2025 Henry Howard-Sneyd Helen Glaister Melanie Gibson Brian Salzberg James Lin Kate Hunt
Secretary: Helen Winskill
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
Sarah Wong was elected President at the 2024 AGM, to serve for three years. She succeeded Professor Stacey Pierson.
The Honorary Treasurer, David Canty, and the Honorary Assistant Secretary, Ian Gaunt, retire under Article 55 and have offered themselves for re-election.
The Honorary Secretary, Clive Jacotine is standing down after eight years on the Council, including five years as Honorary Secretary.
Under Article 56, three existing ordinary Council Members – Stuart Balmer, Asaph Hyman and Alice Williamson – retire from office after three years on the Council. In addition, Council Member, Kate Hunt, will also retire from office.
Xiaoxin Li continues as the representative of the Victoria & Albert Museum and Jessica Harrison-Hall as the representative of the British Museum.
There are three co-opted members of Council, Rosemary Scott, who is the Editor of TOCS . Beth Gardiner and Teresa Canepa who are Joint Editors of the Newsletter .
Responsibilities of Council Members
The Oriental Ceramic 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 which enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Society.
Membership Summary
At the time of writing, there are 1,072 members. UK and overseas members form the majority, representing 37.2% and 35.7% respectively. Students account for 13.6%, with the remaining 13.5% spread across corporate or benefactor, institutional, patron, life, and honorary categories.
A quarterly analysis of membership is carried out by the Secretary. The data contributes to the monitoring and trend analyses in membership levels. Overall, the membership level has remained stable at just above 1,000 since the centenary in 2021.
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.
Marketing
In 2025, the Society commissioned a designer to develop a set of professionally designed advert templates for print, online, and social media. Approved members’ objects are featured in the adverts which form a number of reciprocal placements with Orientations Magazine, Arts of Asia Magazine, Vormen uit Vuur, Asian Art Newspaper, DianCang Magazine and the guidebook for Asian Art in London.
Website
In February 2026 we upgraded the website to a new host, which has significantly improved the page load speed. AGM and Tickets pages have been introduced within the members-only area of the website. The Tickets page enables the Society to manage events more efficiently, offering both free and paid tickets exclusively to members via Eventbrite. Tickets are presented within the members-only area of the website, allowing booking without leaving the site while restricting access to nonmembers.
The AGM page provides members with key information about the upcoming and most recent Annual General Meeting, including date, time, venue, agenda, Zoom link and access to meeting papers, along with details on attendance, voting, and proxy arrangements.
Accessibility
An accessibility review is underway in line with the Equality Act, drawing on sector research and current practice, including case studies from The British Museum and tour operator Distant Horizons.
Early findings highlight the importance of clear communication, early identification of access needs, and more structured processes for tours and events. The review is
ongoing and is being considered by the Officers’ Group.
Recordings of lectures are available for viewing on the members area of the website. Lectures from December 2025 now include captions, enabling accessibility features and translation into multiple languages.
International Co-operation
The Society continues to build links with sister organisations and institutions internationally. OCS council members informally hosted a group from the Jingdezhen Ceramic University and from the Jingdezhen Oriental Ceramic Research Society in September 2025. This May, the OCS council members will once again meet with a delegation from the Jingdezhen Ceramic University.
SFECO online events are to be included in the monthly emails along with other Asian Arts events.
OCS/Society of International Ceramic Studies (SICS) Exchange Programme A Memorandum of Understanding between the OCS and the Society of International Ceramic Studies (SICS) was originally agreed in September 2024 and has since been extended, with Council approval, for a further two years to 2027.
SICS is an academic, non-profit society based at the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum in Jingdezhen. The collaboration supports a study exchange programme for early career professionals and scholars working in Chinese art, operating on a reciprocal basis, with an OCS candidate travelling to Jingdezhen one year and a SICS candidate coming to London the next.
The first OCS candidate completed their placement in Jingdezhen in August 2025. Their report was received in November 2026 and a research article as a result of the field trip was published in Newsletter 34 .
In March 2026, SICS selected a reciprocal candidate from the National Museum of China. The candidate will undertake a four-week research residency in London in July 2026. OCS will provide accommodation and a workstation and SICS will provide a research grant of £3,000 to the student.
Publications
Transactions of The Oriental Ceramics Society (TOCS)
TOCS continues to be edited and produced by Rosemary Scott who became the editor in 2021. Volume 89 records lectures given in the 2025 calendar year.
All previous volumes are available on the members-only areas of the website.
Newsletter
The Newsletter , edited jointly by Teresa Canepa and Beth Gardiner, remains an important part of the Society’s publications programme. The latest edition brings together contributions from across the world on a wide range of topics relevant to members. Newsletter 34 (2026), published in April, runs to over 100 pages and saw an increase in advertising.
Publications are available in the members-only area of the website, accessible to paid members. The site also allows users to reset their password. Members can contact the Secretary if they require assistance.
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 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 without the prior agreement of the Council, nor shall any member dealing in antiquities or ceramic wares advertise their membership except in the Society’s Newsletter or TOCS.
The Charity Commission
The Charity Commission requires the Trustees to report on their Charity’s public benefit in their Annual Report, 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.
Activities in 2025
Lectures
The first lecture of Autumn 2026 was given in October by Dr. Clare Pollard , Kindred Spirits: Japanese Ceramics in Chinese Style from the Shen Zhai Collection. The lecture explored how Chinese ceramic traditions influenced Japanese porcelain during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods, using key objects from the Shen Zhai Collection. This lecture was sponsored by Woolley & Wallis.
The Asian Art in London lecture in November 2025 was delivered by Dr. Weng Yanjun, the Director of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute and the Jingdezhen Ceramic Archaeology Institute. His lecture, Findings and Research in the Jingdezhen Luomaqiao Kiln Site: Blue and White Porcelain Production over 700 Years presented new archaeological material from the Luomaqiao kiln site, examining the development of blue-and-white porcelain from the Yuan period onwards, including production techniques, vessel types, and associated wares. He also addressed the broader social and ecological context of porcelain production and Jingdezhen’s international significance. The lecture was attended by over 170 people and was also live streamed on Zoom. The event was hosted by Christie’s, London and was generously sponsored by a private OCS member.
The Annual Sir Michael Butler Memorial Lecture in November 2025 was delivered by Professor Sabrina Rastelli, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, who spoke on Challenges and Solutions: The Ingenuity of the Yaozhou Potters . The lecture examined the development of the Yaozhou kilns, best known for their carved celadon wares, and explored how potters adapted to technological challenges, materials, and changing tastes over time. Professor Rastelli traced the history of the Huangpuzhen kilns from the Tang dynasty to the thirteenth century and also considered key themes such as the idea of a ‘signature’ product and its relationship to other celadon types and ceramic genres. This lecture was sponsored by Katharine Butler with additional support from Woolley & Wallis.
The Brian McElney Memorial Lecture was delivered in December 2025 by Dr. Ivy Yi Yan Chan, an art historian, curator and consultant specialising in Chinese art and collecting histories. She spoke on The Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving: The Collection of Brian McElney at the Museum of East Asian Art . The lecture examined the significant collection of Chinese bamboo carvings at the Museum of East Asian Art, assembled by its founder Brian McElney. It explored the development of his collection from the 1970s, the role of early scholars in promoting the field, and highlighted key works alongside the broader history of collecting Chinese bamboo carving. A generous bequest from the late Brian McElney enabled this lecture to take place.
‘By means of a strange circulation’: the availability of Chinese objects in the 17thcentury Dutch Republic was delivered in January 2026 by Dr. Willemijn van Noord, Curator of China at the Wereldmuseum. The lecture examined the circulation and availability of Chinese objects in the Dutch Republic, drawing on 17th century sources such as correspondence, advertisements and visual material. While blue and white porcelain imported by the Dutch East India Company was widely accessible, a broader range of Chinese objects including paintings, lacquer and bronzes could also be acquired, often requiring specialist networks. The lecture explored how these objects were encountered, traded and interpreted, as well as the wider cultural impact of their growing presence in Dutch society. This lecture was sponsored by Paul Ruitenbeek Chinese Art, Amsterdam.
The 2026 Annual Sonia Lightfoot Memorial Lecture in February 2026 was delivered by Dr. Mariana Zegianini, Associate Professor at the University of Oslo, who spoke on The Subversive Art of Portraiture in Seventeenth Century China . The lecture examined a group of seventeenth century portraits and self-portraits of living individuals, challenging the traditional view of portraiture as a minor genre. Focusing on a period of political upheaval and cultural change, it argued that artists used portraiture as a means of expressing dissent, transforming it into a subversive artistic form. This lecture was supported by John Lightfoot with additional sponsorship from Woolley & Wallis.
The Annual Woolf Jade Lecture was delivered in March 2026 by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Clais, Senior Curator of the Asian and Porcelain Collections at the Louvre Museum, who spoke on Ordering Disorder – Mughal, Central Asian and Chinese Jades – An Attempt at Classification . The lecture examined recent scholarship on jade production
across India, Central Asia and China, highlighting the growing body of material available through exhibitions and the art market. It explored the challenges of classifying and attributing these jades, particularly in the absence of inscriptions and workshop records, and considered questions around production centres, imperial versus non imperial works, and cross-cultural exchange. The lecture was sponsored by The Woolf Charitable Trust.
In April 2026, Frederic Leighton – A Victorian Traveller and Collector in the Middle East was delivered by Council member Dr. Melanie Gibson, Editor of the Gingko Art History Series. The lecture explored Frederic Leighton’s travels across the Mediterranean and Middle East and his developing interest in Islamic art and architecture. It examined how he formed his collection of ceramics through purchases abroad and in European markets, as well as his role in the 1885 Burlington Fine Arts Club exhibition. The lecture also traced the later dispersal of his collection and identified surviving works now held in museums. The lecture was sponsored by Roseberys.
The Dr H. Y. Mok Charitable Foundation Lecture was delivered in May 2026 by Becky MacGuire, an independent author and researcher specialising in Asian export art. She spoke on The Albuquerque Foundation: From Private Collection to Dynamic Public Institution for the Study of Chinese Ceramics . The lecture introduced the collection of Renato de Albuquerque and examined its transformation into a public institution dedicated to the study, preservation and display of Chinese ceramics. The lecture also presented highlights of the Foundation’s inaugural exhibition. The lecture was sponsored by the Dr H. Y. Mok Charitable Foundation and the Albuquerque Foundation.
The 2026 AGM lecture, part of The Sir Joseph Hotung Memorial Lecture Series , will be delivered by Professor Stacey Pierson, Professor of the History of Chinese Ceramics at SOAS University of London. She will speak on ‘Porcelain Through the Ages’: Exhibiting China at 25 Park Lane (1934) . The lecture will examine the 1934 exhibition hosted by Philip Sassoon at his London home, which brought together over 500 European and Chinese porcelains from prominent lenders, including Percival David and members of the OCS. It will highlight the exhibition’s significance in the collecting and display history of Chinese ceramics, reconstructing its contents to shed light on key objects and the role of collectors within the pre-war London art world.
Handling Sessions
In addition to the lecture programme, a large number of handling sessions were organised for members throughout the year.
In October 2025, two handling sessions were held at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Chinese and Korean Celadon Glazed Ceramics from the 10th to the 13th Centuries was led by Council Member Dr. James Lin, offering the opportunity to handle ceramics from the museum’s collection.
In November 2025, two handling sessions were held at The British Museum titled 1935 Revisited: Handling Objects from the International Exhibition of Chinese Art . Stepping back to 1935, when London hosted this landmark exhibition bringing together masterpieces and participants from across the globe, members had the
opportunity to examine a selection of objects that featured in this historic event.
In March 2026, members visited the Butler Collection in Dorset, where they had exclusive access to the 17[th] century Chinese porcelain housed in the private, purpose-built museum. The visit included the opportunity to handle objects and hear from Katharine Butler, curator of the collection and daughter of the collector Sir Michael Butler.
Council member Professor Brian Salzberg organised a programme of events for North American members. This included invitations to a reception at Bonhams, New York in September 2025 and a reception at Sotheby's New York in March 2026. Two handling sessions of Professor Salzberg’s private collection also took place at his residence, focusing on Yaozhou wares in December 2025 and Qingbai wares in March 2026.
In April 2026, Dr. Melanie Gibson hosted members on a guided tour of The Arab Hall at Leighton House to complement her lecture Frederic Leighton – A Victorian Traveller and Collector in the Middle East .
In May 2026, members will attend two handling sessions to view Transitional and early Kangxi ceramics from the Anthony Lovett Collection.
In June 2026, members are invited to a private viewing of a selection of porcelain at Burghley House. The visit will be led by Senior Curator Jon Culverhouse, who will guide members through some of the porcelain collection at Burghley House. The visit includes access to the house and gardens.
In addition, a number of handling sessions for members were hosted by auction houses including Bonhams and Chiswick Auctions.
Tours
Council received an update on the proposed China tour, being developed by China Less Travelled with Distant Horizons. The tour is provisionally planned for October 2027 to coincide with the Jingdezhen Ceramics Fair, with a 12-day itinerary. Further details will be published this coming September.
Sponsorship
We thank the generous sponsors of our lectures and lecture receptions, and the Society welcomes new potential sponsors.
Regularly sponsored lectures and regular sponsors include:
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The Sir Michael Butler Memorial Lecture supported by Katharine Butler
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The Annual Dr H. Y. Mok Charitable Foundation Lecture sponsored by Dr Edwin Mok
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The Sir Joseph Hotung Memorial Lecture Series supported by Ellen Hotung
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The Sonia Lightfoot Paintings Lecture sponsored by John Lightfoot
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Shang Shan Tang
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The Annual Woolf Jade Lecture sponsored by Mr Jonathan Woolf and the Woolf Charitable Trust
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Woolley & Wallis
In addition, Paul Ruitenbeek Chinese Art, Amsterdam, Roseberys and the Albuquerque Foundation provided sponsorship funding for lectures. With costs for lectures, premises and refreshments rising significantly, we rely ever more on this sponsorship and are grateful for its continuance.
The Society is also grateful for sponsorship of a joint annual OCS / Asian Art in London lecture by Christie’s (2025) and a private OCS member. This joint sponsorship enabled us to invite speakers from overseas as well as from the UK.
Advertising
We thank members and colleagues who support the Society through advertisements in TOCS and the Newsletter. This income helps offset publication costs while enabling organisations to reach our membership.
Financial Summary
We are grateful to Mary Ginsberg, who has independently assessed the 2024-2025 accounts. Further details are shown in the annual accounts report on this agenda.
Council Elections
i) Council nominations for new ordinary elected Council members are: Katharine Butler , Emile de Bruijn , David Priestley and Dr Ivy Yi Yan Chan .
Katharine Butler is an entrepreneur as well as a collector and researcher in Chinese porcelain. She has an MA in History of Art from Edinburgh University. From 1992 – 2017, she founded, ran and then sold companies in the consumer goods sector in the Czech Republic. She is co-author of Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain , (2021). She has lectured widely and has published articles in Arts of Asia , TOCS and recently the Journal of the Society of International Ceramic Studies of which she is a founder member. From 2025 she has been working on a new start-up providing AI services to the world of art and culture as well as co-supervising a PhD student at Cranfield University working on a forensic research project into 17th and 18th century Chinese porcelain.
Dr Ivy Yi Yan Chan is an art historian specialising in Chinese art, collecting histories and art market studies. She is a Lecturer on the MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, a Co-Convenor of the Arts of China module for the SOAS-Alphawood Asian Art Programme at SOAS and a Curatorial Consultant at the Museum of East Asian Art. Between 2010-2020, Ivy worked in the Chinese Art Department at Christie’s, holding positions including Associate Director, Specialist and Head of Sale. She has also worked for White Cube, Eskenazi Ltd., and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and regularly guest lectures for the V&A Academy. Her PhD on Hong Kong collecting histories was awarded by SOAS in 2021. She is an author, translator, and editor of numerous publications related to Chinese art and culture.
Emile de Bruijn studied Japanese at Leiden University, the Netherlands, and museology at Essex University, UK. He worked for the auctioneers Sotheby’s in London and is currently employed by the UK charity the National Trust as
Assistant National Curator Decorative Art. Emile has developed a research interest in the reception history of East Asian material culture in Europe, particularly in Britain. In 2017 he was one of the organisers of an international conference on the subject of Chinese wallpaper, in a partnership between the National Trust, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. His publications include Chinese Wallpaper in Britain and Ireland (2017) and Borrowed Landscapes: China and Japan in the Historic Houses and Gardens of Britain and Ireland (2023).
David Priestley was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, where he read Chinese Studies, including the study of Chinese ceramics under Mary Tregear — with whom he handled his first piece of Song ceramic. He began his career in 1984 as a specialist in the Chinese Department at Sotheby's London, and from 1987 travelled regularly to Hong Kong to catalogue the twice-yearly series of Chinese ceramics sales there, eventually becoming a Director of Sotheby's Hong Kong. In 1994 he cofounded Priestley & Ferraro, Chinese Art, with Benedicta Ferraro, a gallery with a particular focus on Song ceramics. The gallery exhibited regularly at major international art fairs, and David served on the vetting committees of many of them. Following the closure of the gallery in April 2026, he now runs his own business, David Priestley Ltd Chinese Art.
ii) Council nominations for re-election to the honorary positions of the Council are: David Canty for Honorary Treasurer Ian Gaunt for Assistant Honorary Secretary
David Canty has been a Council member for 8 years, and Honorary Treasurer since 2021. Now a self-employed consultant he previously worked for several accounting and investment management firms and is appointed to a number of non-profit boards. He is a Chartered Accountant (FCA). He has a longstanding personal interest in Song ceramics.
Ian Gaunt is a full time Arbitrator in international maritime and commercial cases and Past President of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association. He is a member of the Baltic Exchange and a member of the Board of Maritime London. From 1999 to 2008 he was Senior Vice President-International of Carnival Corporation and was responsible to the Chief Executive for contracting and implementation of the group’s large-scale shipbuilding programme. Mr Gaunt has been an avid collector of early Chinese ceramics since he lived in Hong Kong from 1986, with a particular interest in Ding and Yaozhou wares.
iii) Council nomination for the election to the honorary position of the Council is: Beth Gardiner for Honorary Secretary
Beth Gardiner is an independent researcher living in London. She received her Undergraduate Degree in Art History from Duke University and her Masters from Sotheby's Institute in London. She worked for a decade as a producer for
NBC News in both the Washington DC bureau and at Rockefeller Center in New York City, where she was a producer for the news magazine show, Dateline, receiving a national Headliners Award, one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic excellence.
In London she delivered an OCS lecture with Dr. Teresa Canepa on the 1558 Portuguese shipwreck, Espadarte, off the coast of Mozambique, later published in TOCS (Volume 88, 2024). For our OCS Centenary Exhibition in 2021, she researched and wrote about the archives of the Oriental Ceramic Society held at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She has published an article on early 17th century Chinese porcelain discovered in Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America and is currently publishing an article on 17th century Chinese porcelain found in Dutch settlements in New Netherlands (present-day New York). For the last 12 years, Beth has been a trustee at the College of the Atlantic, a small liberal arts college in Maine, USA. Most recently she completed a 4-year term as board chair at the college.