Christie’s two-day sale of Captains & Kilns: European ceramics, Chinese Export and maritime art, including Pallisy ware and French majolica, the property of Animal Art Antiques on January 20-21, totaled $2,389,068, with 75 percent of the lots sold and 82 percent sold by value.

The sale’s results brought the overall total for the series of ceramic sales to $4.4 million.

Becky MacGuire, Christie’s specialist in Chinese export art, said, “Chinese export performed extremely well across the board, and was highlighted by the very rare crab tureen and cover, which created such tremendous excrdf_Descriptionent that it soared to an astounding $276,300.” The exquisite and realistically modeled crab tureen and cover is one of only two or three known to exist.

The sale was also highlighted by the strong result for a pair of Eighteenth Century famille rose soldier vases and covers, which sold for $197,900. The vases display a plethora of richly enameled birds in a lavishly blooming garden. A tour de force of the potter’s art, the soldier vase was named after Frederick Augustus (1670-1733), the king of Poland and a founder of the Meissen factory, who traded a regiment of soldiers for a collection of them.

“The Bund at Shanghai,” Chinese School, circa 1860, achieved $95,600, while a pair of Dutch Delft blue and white vases and fixed covers, late Seventeenth Century, brought $65,725. A massive blue and white five-piece garniture, Kangxi period, sold for $57,360.

Rounding out the sale’s top ten lots were: an Order of the Cincinnati plate, circa 1785, $41,825; a large pair of white cranes, Qianlong period, $35,850; a very large famille verte dish, Kangxi period, $33,460; a pair of cranes, Nineteenth Century, $31,070; and a pair of Mandarin palette vases and covers, Qianlong period, $28,680.

The day ended with the large collection of Palissy ware and French majolica from Animal Art Antiques. “As the largest collection of its type to hit the international market, the Palissy ware and French majolica from Animal Art Antiques was greeted with great enthusiasm,” said Melissa Bennie, head of Nineteenth Century ceramics and glass. “We saw a new group of international first-time buyers as well as knowledgeable collectors and members of the trade who all expressed great interest, particularly for pieces by Massier and those in the Palissy style.”

All sold prices include buyer’s premium.