Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

中國瓷器及工藝精品

Christie’s remains the auction house of choice for the most important private and institutional collections that have come up for sale in recent years, including Important Chinese Lacquers from the Lee Family Collection, Property from the Ping Y. Tai Foundation, Magnificent Clocks from the Nezu Museum, the Robert Chang Collection of Imperial Porcelain, the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection of Jades, the Manno Museum Collection, the Falk Collection, the C. Ruxton and B. Love Collection and cloisonné enamels from the Amezaga Collection, all of which were record breaking sales in their respective categories.

The 2008 season began in March in New York, with Christie’s setting a record for the highest total for a series of Chinese works of art sales held at Christie's New York with a total of US$26,299,588. London achieved the second highest sale total for a Chinese sale at Christie’s London with just over £9,000,000 (US$13,500,000). This was followed in Hong Kong by the highest ever total for a Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art auction series at Christie’s totalling over US$94 million. Among the outstanding successes of the year was the sale of Maganificent Clocks from the Nezu Museum which achieved nearly ten times its pre-sale estimate to become by far the most valuable horological auction ever held in the world and set records for both English and Chinese clocks; the Von Oertzen collection of jades in London which set the world record for an archaic jade; sales in both Hong Kong and New York of property from the Ping Y. Tai Foundation including the spectacular famille rose ‘butterfly’ vase which became the third most expensive Qing porcelain ever to have sold at auction at HK$53,300,000 (US$6,900,000); and the ground-breaking sale of lacquers from the Lee Family Collection this Autumn in Hong Kong which established a world record for a Chinese lacquer with a specatcular Yongle bowlstand incribed by the Qianlong Emperor selling for HK$33,140,000 (US$4,294,944).

The message from our Autumn sales was absolutely clear. Rare property with good provenance and in good condition continues to generate record prices. Christie’s prides itself in leading the way both in traditional collecting categories but also in developing new categories and bringing new collecting opportunities to our clients. We look forward to a strong series of sales in 2009 which will begin with a sale of important Chinese art from the Sackler Collection in New York in March.

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  • Leila de Vos van Steenwijk

    Head of Furniture and Decorative Arts

    ldevos@christies.com

    Tel: +31 (0)20 575 5205
    Fax: +31 (0)20 664 0899

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