Christie’s concluded its fall Asian art week with a combined total of $44,735,075 achieved over four days of sales, September 11 to 14.
The sale of Japanese and Korean art on September 11 achieved $9,116,600, and the top lot of the sale was a monumental blue and white porcelain dragon jar, Joseon dynasty (Eighteenth Century) realizing $3,218,500.
Katsura Yamaguchi, international director of Japanese and Korean art, said: “The Japanese and Korean art sale attracted a packed saleroom and active telephone bidding from all over the world. Throughout the auction, bidders were eager to compete for high quality art spanning a variety of categories, especially from private collections, including Hasegawa Tonin’s ‘Egrets and Ducks in a Winter Landscape,’ which realized $626,500, and the iron articulated model of a dragon fish, Edo period ⁅ighteenth Century †which achieved $458,500, seven times its estimate.”
Heakyum Kim, specialist of Korean art, added, “Museum-quality ceramics and paintings became the centerpiece of the sale, which was led by the monumental blue and white porcelain dragon jar. Exceptional prices were further achieved by Park Sookeun’s ‘Tree and three figures,’ from a US private collection, which achieved $1.9 million, a world auction record for the artist in the West.”
The firm conducted its sale of South Asian Modern and contemporary art on September 12. The sale achieved $7,060,625, with 76 percent sold by lot and 91 percent by value. The top lot of the sale was Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s untitled, oil on canvas, 1969, realizing $962,500.
Also on September 12, the sale of Indian and Southeast Asian art achieved $7,670,750, 72 percent sold by lot and 95 percent by value. Leading this sale was a rare thangka of the Green Tara, Tibet, Twelfth⁆ourteenth Century, realizing $1,762,500, a world auction record for a thangka.
Christie’s conducted its sale In The Pursuit Of Knowledge: Asian art reference books, including selections from the C.T. Loo library on September 13, achieving $1,290,825 and selling 100 percent by lot and by value. The top lot of the sale was Yun-Kang The Buddhist Cave-Temples of the Fifth Century AD in North China , 1951‱956, realizing $74,500.
September 13 and 14 were given over to the sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art, which totaled $19,596,275, 74 percent sold by lot and 86 percent by value. This sale was lead by a rare bronze ritual wine vessel, zun, late Shang/early Western Zhou dynasty, Twelfth⁔enth Century BC, realizing $1,426,500.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For more information, 212-636-2000 or www.Christies.com .
