ALAMEDA, Calif. – Chinese arts and antiquities continued to prove their worth as a hot commodity in Michaan’s estate auction Aug. 3. A runaway sales success was found in lot 179, a set of six hanging scrolls of calligraphy brushwork attributed to Yu Youren, which was estimated to sell for $2,000-3,000. The set provided a formidable as well as collectible group of works to a worldwide bidding audience. Competition was strong for the calligraphy suite, ending with an impressive winning bid placed by a Chinese American floor bidder. The sale of the calligraphies came to surpass the high estimate well over eight times, with a final price realized of $25,960.

LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.

Asian Art Specialist Harry Huang believed what struck bidders was “the comprehensiveness of the grouping. Having these artworks as a complete body of work in a collection of six scrolls is a wonderful way to not only present them, but also to display them.”

Desirable performance was achieved by many other Asian lots, found in an impressive list of top performers at auction. Of note was a painted Buddhist scripture upon silk (lot 180, $800-1,200, sold for $7,080) as well as two famille rose vases depicting beauties and birds (lot 232, $300-500, sold for $4,130).

Among Michaan’s jewelry offerings, certified stones carried their weight at auction. A pair of jade, diamond and white gold earrings accompanied by a Mason Kay Report sold for a handsome $6,490 (lot 093, $2,000-2,500). Also on the auction block was a GIA-certified diamond and platinum ring of a marquise cut that realized a price of $4,425 (lot 089, $1,700-2,000). Select pocket watches also sold well, as evidenced by a Spaulding & Co. 18K yellow gold piece (lot 123, $800-1,000, sold for $2,950) and a group of 10 gold-filled timepieces listed as lot 118 ($400-600, sold for $2,655).

Top selling lots were seen across department lines as well. An authentic, mid-century modern classic Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair was sold alongside its original ottoman for $7,670 (lot 425, $3,500-4,500). Also noteworthy was a standout lot from the furniture and decorative arts portion of the sale in a stately Kindel Winterthur mahogany inlaid sideboard that more than quadrupled estimates (lot 389, $500-700, sold for $3,245).

For general information please call Michaan’s Auctions at 510-740-0220 ext. 0 or e-mail info@michaans.com.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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