: A painted Tibeto Chinese Thangka dated 1479 was the climax of the
31st Special Auction of Asian Art recently conducted at Nagel's.
A Chinese buyer agreed to pay $340,000 for it.
As a Chinese inscription testifies, this picture scroll, painted
on a dark green background with three large images of Vajradhara,
Manushri and Shadakshari sitting above a lotus base, was made on
commission for a prominent personality at the imperial court.
Most probably, the emperor donated the picture scroll to the most
important Tibetan Buddhist monastery center at the time in
Beijing. Later, it came to the residence of the Panchen Lama and
in 1911 onto the art market in Beijing, where a member of the
consigner's family acquired it. The Thangka appears to be the
earliest dated example of Buddhist painting in the second half of
the Fifteenth Century still in private ownership.
On the whole, this three-day Asia auction sale, amply provided
with more than 2,200 lot numbers, turned over $6.3 million. "I am
glad that the auction went off so well," Nagel expert Michael
Trautmann explained. "We had a lot of very good knockdowns in the
four- and five-digit price range, thus making up for the lack of
top-quality objects in the six-digit range, which distinguished
the Asiatica Auction in the autumn, and overall achieved a nearly
equally good total result."
On the very first day of the auction, the sale of Chinese
furniture showed very good results. A Zitan screen
(Kangxi/Qianlong period) bettered its top estimate nearly
fourfold and went to a private English collector for $150,000. A
huanghuali painting table (huazhuo) from around 1700 was bid up
to $111,000 by a private collector from Beijing. A rare
huanghuali square games table (qizhou) went to the Hong Kong
trade for $77,000.
There was also great demand for several fine cloisonné objects,
which attracted the attention of several people bidding at the
auction and by telephone. For instance, a fine, large, cloisonné
enamel censer with gilt-bronze handles from the Eighteenth
Century was valued at $29,000, while another specimen with a
lotus decoration (Qianlong) brought in $24,000. A cloisonné
enamel incense set (Qianlong mark and period) garnered $34,250,
and a large pair of cloisonné enamel vases with dragon handles
went to China for $63,350.
As far as Chinese porcelain was concerned, an old rule of the
market once again held true. Everything that was fresh on the
market and favorably appraised was easily able to surpass
expectations. This included, for instance, a large, carved,
Fifteenth Century longquan baluster vase (Ming), which a Chinese
buyer secured for $44,500. Or a very large, finely painted
famille rose porcelain vase (Yongzheng) from a private Argentine
collection, which went back home to China for $41,000. A pair of
yellow-ground famille rose porcelain vases with fruits, symbols,
branches and birds raked in $37,600, as did a fine imperial
western subject Canton enamel vase.
Chinese porcelain appraised at a high level, including a
coral-red leys jar, an imperial yellow-glazed molded "dragon"
bowl and a pair of famille verte powder-blue vases and covers
were able to be knocked down only subject to reservation for
$308,200, $154,000 and $41,000, repectively. A rare imperial
four-color glass vase made of Peking glass (Qianlong
four-character mark and period) was taken over by a private
collector from Shanghai for $65,000.
A 59 2/5-inch-high Zitan screen (Kangxi/Qianlong period)
bettered its top estimate nearly fourfold and went to a private
English collector for $150,000.
The Japanese netsukes were notable. A carved wood netsuke of
standing Kwanyu, signed Hôjitsu, circa 1790-1873, was honored by a
private American collector for $17,000. An ivory netsuke of a
seated shishi holding a ball, signed Mitsuharu, Eighteenth Century,
went to Japan for $20,500. A set of 16 no and kyogen theater mask
netsukes made of wood are also worth noting; they were taken by a
private Russian collector for $41,000.
A Chinese scholar's object described in the catalog as a netsuke
and only later identified by an inscription to be a Chinese item,
presumably a dress fastener, was also highly coveted. The bamboo
picture of a rock with scholars, late Nineteenth Century, was bid
up to $24,000 by a private American collector against the Hong
Kong trade.
Two of the inros were of note. A four case rogin-lacquer inro
earned $18,800. A five case lacquer inro depicting ravens, signed
Kawazumi, Nineteenth Century, stayed slightly below the estimate
at $17,100. The knockdown of $29,100 paid for an unusual wood and
ivory okimono of two boys working on a large oni mask was also
surprisingly high.
The best result among the Chinese paintings offered at this sale
was realized by a canvas of Roland Strasser (1895-1974). His
"Tibetean Dancers" went for $85,500 to a private collector .
Typical of the situation on the market for Chinese art is the
knockdown for the last lot number of the auction. A convolute
made up of 130 Sotheby's auction catalogs from the years 1968 to
1978 was bought by a dealer from Hong Kong for $7,700. There
appears to be a great need in China for information on the
history of the market.
All prices reported are converted from euros to US dollars and
include the 33 percent buyer's premium. For information, 11 649
69 0 or www.auction.de.
