About Us

We have been in business for over forty years and offer a broad selection of authentic Asian antiques in our 36,000 square foot gallery/warehouse space. All pieces are either directly imported from the country of origin, purchased from estates, or consigned from select collections.

Zentner offers the largest collection of Japanese tansu in the world, outside of Japan, along with a large assortment of other antique Asian furniture and home decor. Japanese antique include tansu, Imari, netsuke, ikebana baskets, mingei items, Japanese scrolls, screens, prints and framed art.

Under Chinese antiques you will find Chinese hardwood furniture, Chinese scrolls, porcelain and pottery pieces dating from Song, Ming and Qing dynasty, coromandel screens, jade, snuff bottles and neolithic period bronzes and pottery pieces.

In addition we have a large selection of Korean furniture, Koryo and Silla Dynasty pottery, Korean screens and art along with Southeast Asian and Himalayan religious statues and Middle Eastern rugs. The list goes on and on. 

Robert Zentner III

Proprietor / Principle Owner

Meet the Proprietor

I remember being a young boy and being able to spend time and participate at the shop.  Both my parents would give me things to do allowing me to take responsibility. A lesson that I continue to live by everyday. As I grew into an adult and finished schooling with a B.S. in Aviation, I saw the opportunity to take the next step.  Deliberately working and sifting through years of experience from my parents and to looking forward to the future to create the new chapter.

Having had the opportunity to grow up in this business, surrounded by magnificently crafted history and traveling the world collecting unbelievable pieces, I was able to  open my eyes to what true passion really was.  Not doing it because it pays you but because I love it.  So I came back to were it all began and continued creating a legacy.

My mission was to create a Gallery space within The Zentner Collection  to unveil and showcase incredible collections of art, as well as to hold private catered events for museums and charity events alike. We would open up the gallery for  exhibitions for local artist and allow the space.

Meet the Team

Robert Zentner III

Proprietor / Principle Owner

Gary Llamido

Creative Director / Fine Art Conservationist / Fine Art Sales

Steve Kotake

Online Sales / Shipping

Raven Halderman

Office Manager / Researcher

Hung Vuong

Master Wood Craftsman

Raul Rivera

Master Wood Craftsman

Meet the Founders / CEO

When my husband and I had the opportunity to live and work in Japan we set off.  He was hired as a Structural Engineer to work on off shore oil platforms.  Our first home was in a small seaport town called Tsu in the Mie Prefecture. 

A popular TV movie at the time had just aired called “Shogun” with the well known actor Richard Chamberlain. This had created a wave of excitement of anything Japanese. 

 To see a tansu was to see an exotic and interesting piece of furniture.  There was nothing to compare it with.  Low chest of drawers with round black metal faceplate for a lock.  Lots of black metal protecting the edges and wood surfaces.  Moveable handles to open the drawers and carry the portable unit.  

I had gotten hooked on Japanese antiques by finding an exotic looking chest in my friend’s dorm room.  It was the start of a livelong obsession.  I was taking Asian History at UCD and doing tea ceremony at a friend’s tea house every week so it all seemed to fit together interest-wise.

It was always easy and enjoyable while in Japan.  The dealers were hard to find at first.  At the small town of Matsusaka. there were narrow winding streets, some so narrow that you could spread both arms and touch both sides.  At first I wouldn’t walk without losing sight of the tall hotel we were staying in for the first two months.  Walking we peered into the shop windows and found an old clock repair shop.  He had a small box with many drawers and that was something we were looking for, the first in the town.  Somehow we communicated that we wanted to find more old items that looked similar.

We were told there was a second hand household item collector with a space on a back street.

When we finally visited him we found a teakettle, a woodblock print, a tea caddy with porcelain tea set, and several tall 3-section light wood chests.  We bought them and he let us know that more could be found. The next storage unit was visited by riding on borrowed bicycles over small canals.  It seemed like a wonderful way to spend our time in foreign land that was so friendly to us.  

We had Perry’s folks visit us when they heard what fun we were having.  We were living in a nice house with a brand new station wagon, all new items provided for by the company that gave a special perk of free shipping of a 20 foot container of our household effects back when we were finished living in Japan.  We spent our money every payday and sometimes had to borrow from our neighbors, also fellow engineer resident workers.  

First trip to Kyoto I was with Bob and Sharon, we visited the Toji Flea Market and found a foreign dealer selling teakettles, Sharon asked if there was any other things we might purchase, he said that he was going to preview an antique auction that evening and so we also previewed and were to tell him the items we wanted him to purchase for us for a set commission.  Needless to say it was a great success for us and loads of fun.

We offer a really unique journey that we take with a client that begins with meeting with you here in the space getting to know your wishes, your wants, and your needs. We then curate an incredible group of pieces that speak to that and outfitting a home that speaks volumes to not only who you are but what you want to achieve in your life. Whether it’s your home or the office, we come back and curate an incredible selection of items balancing that with the feng shui and create a warm inviting environment for you and your family so that we can achieve a space that exceeds all expectations. 

We believe in this experience. We allow you as a client to live in the space with multiple pieces to find out what truly speaks to you.

Begin Your Journey
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We are Open By Appointment (In-person) 4 Days a week.

Currently scheduling Zoom and FaceTime meetings with clients for gallery tours and to view and discuss merchandise & projects.

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