Recollections: The Chinese Porcelain Company Taste & Connoisseurship at Stair

On September 18, 2025 at 10am, STAIR presents Recollections: The Chinese Porcelain Company, a single-owner auction celebrating the enduring taste and influence of The Chinese Porcelain Company and its founders, Khalil Rizk and Pierre Durand.

Founded in 1984, The Chinese Porcelain Company quickly rose to the pinnacle of New York’s art and antiques world. With a focus on quality above all else, the gallery offered a refined mix of Old Master paintings, European furniture, Venetian glass, contemporary artisan-designed objects, and Asian works of art. Rizk and Durand’s discerning eye and flair for presentation made the gallery not just a mercantile enterprise but a world of elegance and refinement; a vision that continues to resonate with collectors today.

Interior designer Robert Couturier recalls his early encounters with Khalil Rizk:
“Khalil was cultured, charming, and witty – he was an Homme du monde. He and Pierre created a world of perfectly elegant, well-chosen furniture and art, greater than the sum of its parts. They were the only dealers in New York who had created a world of great elegance and refinement that was an extension of who they were, and not just a mercantile operation. The closing of their gallery marked the end of this breed of antique dealer in New York City.”

Former colleague James Cummings adds:
“The Chinese Porcelain Company, a jewel-like Park Avenue gallery, showcased museum-quality artwork, scholarly exhibitions and extravagant openings welcoming a constellation of curators, auctioneers, celebrities, and aristocracy. Synonymous with excellence and connoisseurship, the Company’s influence can be seen to this day in leading museums throughout the United States and distinguished collections around the world.”

Auction Highlights
The sale at Stair reflects this legacy of taste and connoisseurship, with works that bridge cultures, centuries, and disciplines. Highlights include:

Louis XVI Ormolu-Mounted Cabinet (Lot 699)

A masterpiece of French parquetry craftsmanship, richly accented with gilt bronze. 
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000

Pair of Louis XVI Painted and Parcel-Gilt Fauteuils à la Reine, Stamped H. Jacob (Lot 670)

Elegant neoclassical chairs by one of the most celebrated 18th-century menuisiers.
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000

Chun-Yi Lee (b. 1965), Heart Landscape (Lot 418)

A contemporary ink painting that pulses with lyrical abstraction. 
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000

Pair of Chinese Export Famille Rose Vases (Lot 475)

Monumental porcelain vases richly decorated in the famille rose palette, symbolizing global trade and taste.
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000

Fine Baccarat Eleven-Light Chandelier (Lot 701)

A dazzling example of 19th-century French opulence in cut glass and gilt bronze.
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

Chinese Painted Wallpaper Panel in the manner of Jiang Tingxi (Lot 712)

A rare and refined example of Chinese export luxury, blending artistry and decorative grandeur.
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

With this sale, Stair honors the vision of Rizk and Durand, whose gallery was synonymous with beauty, scholarship, and refined living. Collectors now have the rare opportunity to acquire works selected with the same dedication to excellence that defined The Chinese Porcelain Company for over three decades.

View the full catalog, and register to bid on Bidsquare.com.