A Qing dynasty Chinese porcelain enamel decorated fishbowl sold for $123.139.
NEW YORK CITY – Lark Mason Associates’ sale of Asian, ancient and ethnographic works of art, which was hosted on igavelauctions.com, achieved $1,076,618. Leading off the two-session sale, which closed on April 26-27 was a pair of Chinese portraits, each one far exceeding its $30/50,000. The pair of oil on canvas portraits by Luo Zhongli (Chinese, b 1948), “Portrait of a Woman,” 1987, and “Portrait of a Man,” also 1987, were both bid to under $20,000 on the morning of the sale; closing when the digital gavel fell, the two paintings sold for a combined total of $268,750.
Commenting on the Zonghli paintings, Lark Mason, said: “Both Zhongli paintings were hovering under $20,000 on the morning of the sale’s closing. It was in the final minutes that they rose, doubling and tripling the high estimate. The oil on canvas portraits, bought by the consignor’s parents in Beijing in 1987, hung on the wall together for nearly 40 years. We are delighted that both portraits are returning to Asia with their new owner.
“This sale had a number of superb works of art with competitive bidding from buyers from China and Europe,” said Mason. Two of the standouts that caught their eye was a Qing dynasty Chinese porcelain enamel decorated fishbowl realizing $123,139, with 57 bids, and a Chinese blue and white porcelain he-form vessel and cover, with Daoguang mark that attracted 45 bidders, bringing $78,125.
Among the other top lots that sold were a Twentieth Century Chinese celadon jade qilin group, with 44 people extending the bidding 29 minutes after the closing to finish at $44,251; a Korean painting of a Gwaneum (Guanyin) gouache on silk, Josean dynasty, that sold for $41,250; four Nineteenth Century Samson hexagonal enamel decorated vases, three parts of a set and one other, realizing $19,375; a Ming dynasty Chinese bronze figure of a Buddha, ringing up $14,375; a pair of Tibetan Qing dynasty painted paper and silk sutra covers for $12,500; and a Qing dynasty Chinese carved bamboo brush pot for $12,500.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, www.igavelauctions.com.
