PHILADELPHIA — In Freeman’s April 13 Asian Arts auction, competitive bidding across the board sent lots soaring past their pre-sale estimates. Top lot honors were decisively claimed by Lot 28, a pair of Chinese huanghuali armchairs; the handsome pair, exemplars of Chinese craftsmanship from the late Ming to Qing dynasty, achieved $948,000 against an estimate of $80,000-$120,000.
“We were delighted to achieve such a strong result for the family who had so carefully preserved these rare and beautiful chairs for nearly 70 years in a local collection,” said the Head of Freeman’s Asian Arts department, Ben Farina. “The response to our international marketing was extremely gratifying, leading to an exceptionally long day on the rostrum. We are delighted to have achieved the sale results for our consignors and look forward to curating our next sale.”
The sale’s successes underscore the strength of market demand for Asian art, particularly Chinese furniture, cultural artifacts, design objects and artwork. Testifying to this strength was the performance of two finely-painted Chinese blue and white porcelain panels that sold for $403,200, more than 200 times their pre-sale high estimate of $1,500-$2,000.
Qing dynasty artistry consistently outperformed estimates in the April 13 sale, led by porcelain and jade highlights: a Chinese famille rose-decorated Butterflies and Blossoms vase with a four-character Yongzheng mark achieved $189,000, and a Chinese creamy-white jade carving of a bear earned $107,100.
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