Imperial yellow embroidery, China, embroidered with five-clawed dragons among clouds and waves, 92 inches x 44 inches. Price realized: $11,000. Kaminski image.
LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
While a few high selling lots became the clear stars of the auction, the sale performed very well overall. The majority of lots sold within or above estimate, indicating the high quality and desirability of the items selected for the sale by Kaminski’s Asian appraiser Bob Yang, with the aid of Asian department assistant Helen Eagles. Yang joined the Kaminski team in November 2012 and has since brought a deep knowledge of Chinese antiques as well as a wide variety of truly intriguing and valuable objects to each auction.
Of the standout lots of this sale, the highest grossing was a large carved hardwood screen that stood 73 inches tall. The screen featured figurative carving to both sides, broken into multiple panels. An online bidder purchased the piece for $14,000.
A large huanghuali armchair also commanded a high price for its beautiful carvings. Raised on a huanghuali platform, the chair featured carved dragons on the headrest, seat back and skirt. This impressive piece of furniture sold for $11,000, far above the $5,000 original high estimate.
A rare cloisonne plaque from the collection of a former Boston College professor also displayed impressive artistry as well as veritable age. The 18th century Chinese Qing Dynasty plaque depicted a range of azure mountains against a sky of the same color, and in the lower portion, elegantly bent trees shading a small building with a lone inhabitant. The scene also included an inscription in the top right hand corner. Many bidders competed to own the plaque, which ultimately sold for $12,000.
The sale additionally included a number of silk and embroidered pieces, the most impressive of which was a yellow Chinese imperial embroidery. The length of fabric, 92 inches by 44 inches, was filled with detailed and multicolored embroidery outlining the sinuous curves of five clawed dragons among billowing clouds and waves. Originally estimated at $4,000 to $6,000, the embroidery was hammered down at $11,000.
A decisive absentee bid outperformed a number of eager buyers on the floor and online for a bronze figure of Yama, 7 inches in height. The 18th or 19th century Tibetan figure of the wrathful god also sold for far above its estimate, fetching $9,000.
One of the most highly anticipated lots of auction was a red glazed vase from the Chinese Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795). The vase featured a bamboo shaped neck that opened into a wide bulbous body, and had been preserved in excellent condition. After intense bidding on the floor and online, the final hammer price of the vase came to $8,000. Other high selling porcelain lots included a pair of famille rose boy figures from the Qing Dynasty, also in very good condition, which sold for $4,250, and a pair of finely painted landscape plaques in rosewood frames for $4,750.
The smaller jewelry items included in the sale were equally impressive. Many bidders were especially drawn to a Chinese pearl necklace of the later 19th century. Sold for $11,000, the stately necklace consisted of a string of 106 large pearls rich with iridescent pinks and purples and accented by carved coral beads, turquoise, lapis, agate and cloisonne elements.
Equally impressive in quality was a white jade brush holder, carved in the form of a mountain range. The high quality piece of jade carried a carved Shiru mark, and rested upon a zitan wood stand. The lot sold for $5,500.
With the conclusion of this summer auction, the Asian Arts and Antiques Department at Kaminski looks forward to their fall Asian auction, to be held on Sept. 21.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Imperial yellow embroidery, China, embroidered with five-clawed dragons among clouds and waves, 92 inches x 44 inches. Price realized: $11,000. Kaminski image. Rare cloisonne plaque, China, Qing Dynasty, 18th century, depicting a landscape scene, 19 1/2 inches x 26 3/4 inches. Price realized: $12,000. Kaminski image. Pearl necklace, China, later 19th century, with carved turquoise, lapis, and red coral beads, carved purple quartz and cloisonne hanging accent pendants, 60 inches long. Price realized: $11,000. Kaminski image. White jade brush holder, China, with carved Shiru mark, carved in the form of a mountain range, on a zitan wood stand, 1 5/8 inches x 4 3/4 inches. Price realized: $5,000. Kaminski image. Bronze figure of Yama, Tibet, 18th/19th century, 7 inches x 7 inches. Price realized: $9,000. Kaminski image.
