10 Auction Highlights from Asian Art Week

Four Jade Archer's Rings, Qing dynasty

Bonhams Chinese Works of Art and Paintings
Lot 39

Price realized: $68,750

"Three of white jade; the first carved in low relief with a Tibetan Amitabha mantra, the stone with russet inclusions; the second carved with a cat and butterfly, the surfaces irregular; the third finely inscribed with an imperial poem and a scene alluding to the verse; and one of yellow jade with russet skin around the edge, carved with archaistic scrolls."

An Important and Very Rare Grey Limestone Figure of Mahasthamaprapta, early Tang Dynasty, 8th Century

Christie's Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
Lot 1123

Estimate: $1,500,000 - USD 2,500,000

Price realized: $3,252,500

"The figure is well carved in a tribangha pose on top of a waisted lotus pedestal, with a lotus stem, originally held in the right hand, twining up the arm to the shoulder. The figure wears a beaded necklace, a scarf draped around the torso and over the shoulders, and a diaphanous dhoti that is gathered at the waist and falls in deep U-shaped folds to just above the feet. The face is carved with a serene expression and small sensuous mouth, and the hair is dressed in a high, looped topknot decorated in front with an elixir bottle and on the sides with flowers and pendent ribbons."

A Pair of Wang Dafan Porcelain and Hardwood Table Screens, Republic Period, circa 1912-1949

Heritage Auctions Asian Arts auction
Lot 78184

Price realized: $150,000

Xu Beihong, Horse, 1944

Bonhams Chinese Works of Art and Paintings
Lot 261

Price realized: $225,000

Two White Jade Bowls, China, possibly 18th century

Skinner Asian Works of Art auction
Lot 447

Estimate: $8,000-10,000

Price realized: $46,740

These Two White Jade Bowls, China, possibly from the 18th century, feature a flaring mouth, sit on a short raised foot, one with gray wisps, and the other with russet undertone mottled with white streaks and spots.

An Exceptional Pair of Chinese Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Court Chairs with Peony and Landscape Motifs, Qing Dynasty, Jiaqing-Daoguang Period

Heritage Auctions Asian Art auction
Lot 78210

Price realized: $93,750

"The chairs feature ornate engraving and rich red hues derived from cinnabar, the bright scarlet form of mercury sulfide. Engraving such as that found on these chairs was a popular and important way of decorating furniture, often depicting character patterns to geometric patterns to scenes in nature."

Red- and Green-enameled Double Gourd Vase, China, Ming dynasty

Skinner Asian Works of Art auction
Lot 83

Estimate: $10,000-15,000

Price realized: $363,000

This Red- and Green-enameled Double Gourd Vase is decorated with scrolling lotus design, a band of lingzhi scroll around the waist, and features a six-character Jiajing mark on base.

Tyeb Mehta, Diagonal XV

Christie's South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art
Lot 259

Estimate: $1,500,000 - 2,000,000

Price realized: $1,392,500

"Paintings from the diagonal series are the first of Mehta’s mature style, with an emphasis on form over content, and mark a watershed in his long engagement with figuration. The artist explained, 'Painters who are over concerned with content, burn themselves out […] my experience is now transformed into colour and form. When you transpose your ideas into colours and forms, you are making a suggestion. A suggestion is stronger than a direct message.' (Artist statement, G. and U. Beier, ‘Contemporary Art in India’, Aspect: Art and Literature, Australia, no. 23, January 1982, unpaginated)"

Blue and White Refuse Vessel, China, Ming dynasty style

Skinner Asian Works of Art auction
Lot 84

Estimate: $300-500

Price Realized: $79,950

This Blue and White Refuse Vessel is a compressed gu-shape vase, resting on a stem foot with a broad bisque foot rim, is decorated with bands of mountains and waves and a stylized ruyi band, with a banana leaf band to neck, and featuring a six-character Xuande mark on the base in a double ring.

A Tibetan Mandala Thangka with Abbot Lineage, 18th century

Heritage Auctions Asian Arts auction
Lot 78334

Price realized: $81,250

"A Tibetan Mandala Thangka with Abbot Lineage was another exceptionally popular lot among collectors, who pushed the final price to $81,250. Thangka like this one often are kept unframed and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile backing in a style similar to that of Chinese scroll paintings, which helps explain the demand for such an exceptional example."