Chinese Works of Art

A £1.2m house record at Dreweatts was the highlight of the recent round of UK Asian art sales.

Pictured here are two examples of provenanced Chinese imperial works of art that achieved high prices in the French capital this spring.

Translating simply as ‘a box with drawers’ but so much more exotic than that, a rare Spanish Renaissance caja con cajones was the outstanding lot at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood’s (25% buyer’s premium) quarterly fine art sale in Exeter.

This rare doucai porcelain vase, with Qianlong marks and probably of period, provided a classic tale of discovery in the saga of the Chinese boom.

It was during the Song dynasty that tea parties became the vogue and tea houses flourished.

A soapstone seal used by the emperor Qianlong to express his approval of paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection sold at auction in Hong Kong for HK$131m (£13m) on April 29.

The top-selling lots at Hansons’ April 1 Fine Art Sale were two pieces of Chinese blue and white porcelain.

Alastair Gibson Auctions has secured a remarkable Chinese imperial object with a Second Opium War provenance for a sale in London in the summer.

Lyon & Turnbull’s Fine Asian & Islamic Works of Art auction includes this Longquan yuhuchun vase with carved decoration from the early Ming period.

European subject matter adorns this rare 18th century painted enamel ‘Jesuit’ bowl.

This 14th century cinnabar lacquer dish measuring almost 14in (35cm) across was acquired in Shanghai by the father of the present owner in the 1930s.

The sale of Important Chinese Art at Sotheby’s on May 11 includes this monumental Kangxi famille noire vase estimated at £220,000-280,000.

Chiswick Auctions holds three sales on May 16-17: Asian Art Part I and Part II and a catalogue titled The Chinese Art of Monochrome.

Led by Asian art specialist Lee Young, Dore & Rees will conduct a sale of Fine Asian Art in Frome on May 16.

This 2ft (60cm) tianqiuping or ‘heavenly globe vase’ is seemingly the only one known with this decoration.

Vessels of archaistic form were popular with the Qing who wished to emulate the perceived virtues of antiquity.

Dreweatts’ May 18 sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art includes a 42-piece Chinese export part service which has been in the same family since purchase in c.1755.

These are three views of a famille rose ‘flowers and wufu’ tazza that has an estimate of £8000-12,000.

This Jiajing (1525-66) mark and period wucai dragon bowl will be offered for sale at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury on May 17.

The Asian art sale at Duke’s of Dorchester, scheduled for May, has been moved back to June 15 to incorporate a significant late consignment.