Kaminski Auctions offered buyers a three-day sale of some 1,200 lots, of mostly Chinese material that saw some good prices and some good buys at its December 8‱0 auction. Buyers were noticeably particular this time out and a number of lots were passed. Material from collections around the globe provided some appealing buying opportunities, and those who did participate were pleased.
A bronze vessel that was dated from the Warring States period, which ended with the reunification of China in 221 BC, came from a Florida collection and generated the most interest when it sold for $30,420, while an Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze figure that may represent Padmapani Avalokiteshvara seated on a double lotus throne came from a San Diego collection and realized $21,060.
An Eighteenth Century blue and white vase with a delicate scrolling lotus, ruyi decoration and bearing a six-character Qianlong mark was exceptional, selling for $15,210. A Nineteenth Century blue and white bulbous vase with floral and ruyi decoration with a six-character mark brought $11,700.
A Qing dynasty set of 16 semiprecious stone ornaments of jade, jadeite, lapis lazuli, coral, seed pearl and turquoise in a fitted silk lined case brought $14,040.
Choice brush pots included a Seventeenth Century huanghuali wood example carved with figures in various activities in a landscape that sold to the Chinese trade for $12,870. An Eighteenth Century cylindrical zitan wood example with an incised decoration of a landscape with pavilions along a lake was signed and took $10,045. A Nineteenth Century ivory example carved with figures in a landscape brought $5,558, while a Ming period green jade brush pot went for $4,680.
A jade panel from the Twentieth Century depicting a seated Guan Yin with attendants on one side and mythical beasts on the other sold for $8,190.
Imperial objects of interest were the Nineteenth Century pair of Manchu green jadeite pendants (each of which was incised on one side with the name of a concubine and on the other with Manchu inscriptions) that sold for $5,850, and a single green imperial jadeite example incised with “Empress Longyu” and Manchu inscriptions on reverse that elicited $5,265.
A jade highlight was a Twentieth Century green jade censer carved with dragons and a pierced ruyi design that sold for $8,190 followed by a Twentieth Century jade carving of the Second Century General Guan in full armor and holding a spear that brought $3,521.
From a San Francisco collection that sourced a number of objects in the sale, a Nineteenth Century carved pair of Shoushan stone figures of Lokapala attracted $11,700. A Nineteenth or Twentieth Century classical-form rhinoceros horn stupa, which was carved as a stepped circular plinth with a double lotus throne and four seated Buddha, came from the San Francisco collection and sold for $9,360.
An Eighteenth Century cloisonné censer with a decoration of scrolling lotus blossoms sold for $8,190, while a Qianlong gilt bronze figure of a Buddha seated on a pedestal and having an aureola realized $8,775. A late Ming to early Qing dynasty gilt bronze figure of a seated Buddha went for $4,378.
Porcelain lots also found favor with buyers as three Nineteenth and Twentieth Century porcelain figures of the Three Star Gods, each with his own emblematic symbol, realized $7,020, and a Nineteenth Century pair of porcelain figures of women, each holding a gu vase, brought $5,850. A Nineteenth Century green and white porcelain bowl decorated with a dragon reaching for a pearl and having a six-character mark on the base sold for $7,020.
Nineteenth Century Rose Mandarin porcelain attracted interest. A 34½-inch porcelain baluster form vase decorated with cartouches with figures and a border of auspicious animals and symbols brought $7,898. A bowl on a carved gilt wood base realized $7,605. A pair of Nineteenth Century garden seats decorated with continuous scenes of figures in a courtyard fetched $7,020. A Nineteenth Century Rose Mandarin tureen and undertray with gilt decoration sold for $6,435.
An early Twentieth Century famille rose vase by Wang Zhang decorated with classical figures in a landscape on one side and a pair of oxen on the other sold for $8,190, and another famille rose vase, also of the early Twentieth Century, with elephant head handles and decorated by Ren Huan Zhang with an image of classical figures and chrysanthemums on one side and an exotic bird on the other went for $5,558.
A Nineteenth Century Rose Mandarin bowl decorated with courtyard scenes, scholarly objects and flowers with a border of birds, flowers and butterflies realized $7,605, while a Rose Mandarin platter decorated with a scene of ladies in a courtyard fetched $3,803.
An Eighteenth Century Daoguang period vase was decorated with red and blue dragons in clouds above waves in pursuit of a pearl. It realized $5,265 from an online buyer.
Fine art also performed well in the sale as a Ming to early Qing ink and color painting in silk of pairs of birds attracted $7,605, and a Ming dynasty painting on silk of figures processing in a mountainous landscape brought $6,435. An Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century ink and color painting of a pair of perching birds with calligraphic inscriptions went for $5,850.
Lin Fengmian’s Twentieth Century ink and color painting of chrysanthemums was signed and realized $5,850. Many of the artist’s works were destroyed in various political episodes. “Fishing Boats,” an ink and color on paper depiction of a cluster of boats, by Wu Guanzhong, considered the father of Chinese modern painting, also brought $5,850. Both pictures bore seals and came from a San Francisco collection.
A dramatic Twentieth Century mountainous landscape with houses in ink and color on paper was signed and sealed by contemporary artist Li Keren and sold for $4,235. A Twentieth Century Japanese woodblock print by Joichi Hoshi was a standout. Signed and dated “’78,” and estimated at $400/800, it went to $4,680 from a buyer on the phone.
An Eighteenth Century Qianlong gilt metal vase with famille rose decoration and European images in cartouches retained the Qianlong mark and sold for $4,680, while a Ming dynasty zitan wood stand made for a charger and carved with ruyi designs sold for $4,680.
Rounding out the auction were an interesting album of ten letters from the Republic period from Revolutionaries and Nanking government officials for $4,680, a Nineteenth Century 21-inch ivory tusk carved with Buddhist figures for $5,616 and two half-cylindrical ivory carvings of figures in leisure pursuits, with trees at $4,973.
All prices reported include the 17 percent buyer’s premium. For more information, www.kaminskiauctions.com or 978-927-2228.
