Chinese gilt bronze and cloisonné covered jar, Ming dynasty, heavy cast two-part covered jar, the twist enameled finial over domed cover enameled to show dragon among flaming pearls with wide edge, over conforming wide tapering base, heavily gilded interior, also showing red ground dragons on light blue ground, fully gilded flat base, 21½ by 16½ inches, sold for $1,538,500.

On the heels of Freeman’s third consecutive Asian art auction achieving a multimillion-dollar lot, a Chinese Ming dynasty gilt bronze and cloisonné covered jar sold on March 17 for $1.54 million. The massive jar (21½ inches in height and 16½ inches in diameter) was subject to heated competition among more than a dozen bidders from the room, phones and the Internet before selling to a Chinese bidder in the room.

“We are thrilled by the interest in this particular cloisonné lot since our catalog was published. Ming cloisonné pieces are quite rare, and I believe this is the most valuable example sold in several years,” commented Asian art specialist Richard Cervantes.

The jar was originally acquired before 1900 by the great-great-grandfather of the consignor, a Virginia gentleman. Said Freeman’s vice president and southeastern representative Colin Clarke of the consignor, “Our client is familiar with the success of Freeman’s Asian auctions and was thrilled by these results.”

A full report on this auction will follow in an upcoming issue. ‼i>WD