Chinese Works of Art

On September 30 Veritas in Lisbon is selling Asian works of art from a single-owner private Portuguese collection formed over the past 35 years in an auction titled An Erudite Collection: objects and works of art from Shang to Qing Dynasty.

Estimated at Zar20,000-30,000, this 11in (28cm) ‘crane and deer’ famille rose pear-shaped vase sold for Zar2m (£91,800) at Stephan Welz (14% plus VAT buyer’s premium) in Cape Town.

This month’s Asian art series in New York could be the last sales to avoid the new trade tariffs that have been imposed by the Trump administration.

The Northern Wei dynasty (386-534 AD), founded by the nomadic Tuoba clan, was the most long-lived and most powerful of the northern dynasties prior to the reunification of China under the Sui. Most importantly for Chinese art history, the ruling royal family were converts to Buddhism.

South London auction house decided to press pause but was rewarded with a bumper result

Two very different Chinese vases took the limelight at a recent sale Fieldings (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in Stourbridge.

Delay due to lockdown turns out to be a blessing in disguise in terms of consignments

This 7in (18cm) Satsuma 'koro' is modelled in the form of a 'yoroi bitsu' (Samurai armour storage box) with the 'kabuto' (traditional Japanese helmet) forming the lid.

A pair of Chinese export black lacquer chinoiserie decorated cabinets on stands came for sale at Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) in Wisborough Green, West Sussex on August 11 with a blue-chip provenance.

Included in the Asian art section of the Kendzia two-day sale in Hamburg on September 4-5 is this set of nine Kangxi blue and white plates painted with a design of a lotus pond with flowers and insects.

Solid selling punctuated by a number of estimate-eclipsing bids made the July 17-18 sale a very welcome return to business for Tennants (20% buyer’s premium).

In Tibetan Buddhism the elephant-headed deity Vignataka is treated with considerable ambivalence.

Some aspects of the traditional antiques market continue to perform with zest – and ‘folk art’ is among them.

A pair of imperially inscribed Qianlong (1735-96) mark and period famille rose wall vases set a house record for Asian art at Roseberys.

The recent Mallams (22.5% buyer’s premium) live online sale of Chinese, Japanese and Islamic art in Cheltenham included Chinese works on paper and textiles from a relative of Katherine Talati (1922-2015).

It was during the so-called Transitional period, the era of protracted civil war that marked the transition from Ming to Qing, that the centuries-old system of court-sponsored porcelain manufacture at Jingdezhen collapsed.

Two lost folios from the 'Yongle Dadian', the Ming dynasty encyclopaedia that has assumed national treasure status in China, surfaced for sale in Paris last week.

A highpoint of the Dreweatts (25% buyer’s premium) ‘lockdown’ sale of Asian art in Newbury was provided by this 19th century Chinese export silver gilt and enamelled box.