OAKLAND, Calif. – Clars Auction Gallery’s June 27-28 sale featured exceptional offerings of Asian art and antiques, and the international bidding community took note. The highlight of the $1.6 million sale was a Chinese underglaze blue and white porcelain stick dragon vase (above), which came from the Albert Braun estate of Pennsylvania. The vase featured the Qianlong mark and measured 16 1/2 inches high. Bidding opened at $25,000 and competitive phone bidding drove the sale price to $426,000.

LiveAuctioneers.com provided absentee and Internet live bidding.

Strong results continued in the Asian arts category throughout the sale. Coming from the Dr. Graeme Hanson Collection, a Longquan dish from the Song dynasty, incised with floral sprigs, sold for $22,600 and a Ge-type arrow vase flew past its high estimate of $1,200, selling for $17,900.

The exciting June sale also produced a new record for American artist Julia Thecla (1896-1973). A charcoal and gouache on paper titled Signal-Sketch (1939), achieved the record price of $9,200 soaring past its $800-$1,200 estimate.

The decorative arts and furnishings category also experienced significant results, particularly on the two important clocks that were offered. A Chinese export automaton bracket clock (below) having a shell-carved crest and a mother-of-pearl marquetry case soared to $27,400. Also achieving an excellent final sale price was a French Sevres-style Japy Freres gilt clock that sold for $15,500.

In special collections, a Marilyn Monroe signed panoramic photo of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High School summer class of 1941 realized $6,000.

For more information email: info@clars.com.

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