Every fall, Asian Art Week brings a gorgeous array of treasures from the East to auction houses in New York and across the country. Here some highlights of pieces sold at auction last 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."
Chandra Noyes
Chandra Noyes is the former Managing Editor for Art & Object.
