: The European and Asian Furniture and Decorative Arts auction at
Skinner this past Saturday, July 17, provided plenty of
excitement for those in attendance.
The auction, attended by more than 120 new clients and a host of
regulars, saw healthy sales top $1.68 million.
The high lot came as a huge surprise to almost everyone in the
gallery. Late in the auction - lot 1,178 of 1,300 lots, in the
Orientalia section - was a pair of Ming period "official's hat
chairs" that carried a presale estimate of $1/1,500. Bidding was
spirited, with the rare chairs hammering down at $99,500,
including premium. Two lots later a Ming period "painting table,"
with the same estimate, soared to $44,650.
Both lots carried a provenance of the collection of Professor
James Hightower.
