Stunning variety marks Kaminski’s Asian art sale June 22

Eighteenth century Qing Dynasty cloisonné plaque. Kaminski Auctions image.

BEVERLY, Mass. – Kaminski Auction’s upcoming Fine Asian Arts and Antiques Auction on Saturday, June 22, will feature a stunning variety of objects from China, including robes, cloisonne plaques, pearls and huanghuali furniture. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The 600-lot auction will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

A Chinese kesi robe is positioned to be the top lot of the sale. This particular blue silk robe is an excellent example of the traditional kesi, or “cut silk,” technique, in which the method of weaving leaves what appear to be sharp slices in the fabric where two colors meet. Kesi silk designs are famed for their intricacy, and the example to be offered at Kaminski is no different. It features elaborate roundels of auspicious motifs surrounded by a wave border. The beautiful blue robe lined with yellow imperial silk is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.

An embroidered dragon robe will also be offered alongside the Kesi robe at the same estimated price. The yellow silk of the robe brilliantly offsets the multiple embroidered dragons emblazoned above a wave border hem.

A rare cloisonné plaque from the 18th century Qing Dynasty is sure to be one of the most interesting items of the sale. The incredible plaque depicts a landscape picked out in the delicately detailed lines of cloisonne. Rippling lines form mountains that back a tranquil scene of lush trees and a river that flows past a small house with a single occupant. The high quality artistry of this piece is obvious, and is sure to attract many bidders with a starting estimate of only $3,000 to $5,000.

Also sure to attract bidding attention is an elaborate pearl necklace from later 19th century China. The necklace contains 108 pearls in total, strung alongside carved purple quartz, turquoise, lapis and red coral beads. At the center is a gilt silver pendant with carved agate bats. The 60-inch-long necklace is predicted to sell for between $3,000 to $5,000.

Kaminski’s sale will also feature a selection of fine porcelain. Among the ceramic highlights are a red glazed vase estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 with a bamboo shaped neck and bulbous body that carries a Qing Qianlong mark on its base, as well as a pair of export famille rose jars, detailed with family scenes on an orange ground and estimated at $2,000 to $3,000. Also included in the top lots are a plaque signed Wang Xiliang depicting a female flutist with an estimate of $2,000 to $3,000, and a blue and white vase from the later Ming Dynasty or early Qing Dynasty, estimated at $1,500 to $2,500.

The sale will additionally include a number of bronze pieces, one of the most interesting of which is a seated Buddha. The Buddha, offered as lot 2048, sits on a double lotus vase and holds a jar. This approximately 8 1/2-inch-tall figure is estimated at $2,000 to $3,000.

In addition to these fine silk, pearl, ceramic and bronze pieces, Kaminski’s June Asian Art and Antiques Auction will offer a selection of fine Chinese furniture. Among the excellent furniture lots up for sale is a pair of huanghuali wood rose chairs, estimated at $1,000 to $2,000. The chairs are decorated with a carved gourd and vine pattern and have the characteristic straight spindle arms and backs that define the rose chair form.

The furniture selection will also include a large huanghuali bed frame with dragon and cloud carvings, estimated at $2,000 to $3,000, as well as a zitan wood eight-panel screen. The screen features a different bird and botanical motif in the center of each panel and inscribed characters, archaic scroll patterns and small dragons on the reverse. It stands an impressive 69 inches tall and is predicted to fetch between $3,000 and $5,000.