Qing and Ming Dynasty Art is some of the most sought-after Chinese Art in the world. Even in the most uncertain of economic times around the world, investing in the right piece of Chinese Art and/or antique can bring back gains of two or three times the original price later on.

There is some truly special about collecting art, particularly Chinese Art. Besides its obvious beauty and intrinsic value, collecting Chinese Art is an investment in education for future generations to reflect upon the culture of the Chinese people.

Christie's in Hong Kong, one of the world's leading auction houses, reports that the total auction sales of HK$3.6bil (RM1.6bil) in Chinese artpieces recorded in 2007 was the highest in recent years. Eighty-three percent of the buyers came from Asia, 9% from Europe and 7% from North and South America.

To study the history of Chinese Art is to study a rich tapestry of cultural and social influences much of it created between the Ming Dynasty (1368 C.E. - 1644 C.E.) and the Qing Dynasty (1644 C.E. - 1911 C.E.).

At its peak, the Mongolian/Yuan Empire stretched from China and Annam/Vietnam to Europe, making it geographically the largest Empire in history. It was during this era that making and encouraging trade became much easier as movement of goods and wealth could be facilitated. After all, the Yuan Empire bordered a huge part of the known world and most of that world was terrified of the Mongols due to their history. In the later years of the Empire, that power collapsed.

Once Chinese potters and artists embraced the use of cobalt blue they were able to create complex and spectacular decorations on porcelains. Many of these decorated pieces were massive examples of porcelain in a very short period of time the demand out side of China skyrocketed for these fabulous cobalt decorated pieces. The Emirs of Turkey and Shahs of Persia collected and coveted it, along the way they created some of the finest and largest collections extant in the world today. This fascination and collecting impulse lasted from the Yuan throughout the Ming and well into the Qing dynasty in the Middle-east.

Today the Topkapi Palace Museum in Turkey has one of the most important collections in the world of Chinese porcelains.

Collecting Chinese art is very hot right now. The arts of China are varied and extensive.

Gloucester, MA arts and antiques dealer Peter Combs of plcombs.com recommends visiting museums and galleries that show both ancienct and contemporary Chinese art to get a better feel for its subject matter and style. However, Combs warns that nearly all of them have done a very poor job at indexing, populating, and posting on their sites.

Combs explains, "Many museums and dealers have websites that tend to have a a dozen or fewer images, all too small and maybe a title and little else. This includes the National Palace Museum in Taiwan and the Metropolitan Museums of Art in New York. These two get at best a "D" for content, information, ease of use and image quality. In other cases they show things of such low quality, but lots of them it might end up making you hate Asian Art."

There is one gallery though that Peter Combs raves about. "For the very best in quality and depth online The Freer and Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. wins hands down," says Combs. "This is the Asian art reference informational and image site of all sites!! Fantastic is an understatement."

Combs continues, "If you include; Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian and cover Ceramics, Paintings, , Prints, Bronzes and Carvings etc. somewhere around 5,500 images are available and ALL FOR FREE!!!! ALL the images Enlarge!!!"

After nearly 18 years as an appraiser, auctioneer, and partner at Landry Auctions in nearby Essex, Marblehead, Massachusetts native Peter Combs decided to open his own business and gallery in downtown Gloucester.

Prior to joining Landry's, Peter was an antiques dealer and had found many great items in Gloucester's many antique and secondhand stores.

Additionally, Gloucester has been a destination for artists, fishermen, art galleries, and inventors throughout its history so it was both an ideal place and a natural choice for the headquarters of plcombs.

Plcombs does have a particular focus on antique, Asian works of art.

According to Peter, "We buy and sell in a variety of mediums and categories that include early ceramics, bronzes, bamboo, lacquers, paintings, screens and items from the China Trade era. We always have on hand a good selection of Chinese porcelain, ceramics and other Far Eastern ceramics including fine estate examples from the Sung, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties as well as Japanese Imari and Arita wares."

"We also sell on eBay under the plcombs user name (it keeps things simple). Please take a few moments and browse our inventory for celadons, monochromes, Famille Enamels, Blanc de Chine, blue and white porcelains and ceramics."