Art of Asia Including the Palmer Family Collection - Online

Sale Overview

Art of Asia, including the Palmer Family Collection, brings together a superb selection of over 140 lots of Chinese ceramics, painted enamels, cloisonné, jade, paintings and furniture from the Tang dynasty to the Republic period, sourced from important private English, European and Asian collections with exceptional provenance. At the core of the sale are 112 lots from the Palmer Family Collection, assembled in the first half of the 20th century by three generations of the family.

Highlights from other private collections include a rare Xuande mark and period gilt-brass-alloy figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, an exceptional group of imperial cloisonné enamel works of art, and a small selection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy. Explore the auction in person at our King Street galleries from 31 October to 11 November.

Christie’s is also pleased to announce the book launch of The Significance of Jade in China’s Culture, History and Art, produced in collaboration with Christie’s. This academic volume includes essays from six leading international museum curators and academics and is beautifully illustrated with works from the Woolf Collection of Chinese Jades. The book launch at King Street on 2 November will be accompanied by a non-selling exhibition of highlights from the Woolf Collection of Chinese Jades. Order your copy of the catalogue now.

Special Notice

From June 2025, EU regulations 2019/880 and 2021/1079 introduce new licensing requirements and regulations relating to the import of cultural goods into the EU. We recommend clients check ahead of the sale whether the lot they wish to purchase and its import into the EU could be impacted by the regulations.

Auction times

30 Oct 12:00 PM (GMT)

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Kate Hunt

Director, Head of Department | Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

Kate Hunt joined Christie’s London in February 2012 and is Head of Sale for Chinese Works of Art. Her areas of expertise include Chinese ceramics, works of art and textiles. Prior to Christie’s, Kate worked at Spink & Son Ltd and as a journalist covering the Asian art market.

Zheng Ma

Senior Specialist | Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

Zheng Ma joined the Asian Art department as a Chinese art Specialist at Christie’s Paris in 2013. Over the years, she contributed significantly to the success of the department by bringing in important consignments, including an 18th century handscroll attributed to Gu Quan, sold for €5.58 million in 2015, a Qianlong blue and white Penba ewer in 2016 (€421,500), an important imperial ivory seal from the Wanli period (€475,500), and a rock crystal deer from the personal collection of Coco Chanel, which sold for €162,500 in 2019. Speaking French, English and Chinese fluently, Zheng is also the main contact with Christie’s top Chinese clients in the Paris office.

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Zheng Ma rejoignit le département d'Art d'Asie en tant que spécialiste en Art Chinois chez Christie's Paris en 2013. Au cours des années, elle contribue beaucoup au succès du département en rassemblant des consignations importantes, notamment une peinture chinoise en rouleau du XVIIIe siècle attribuée à Gu Quan, vendue à 5,58 millions d'euros en 2015, un pichet en porcelaine bleu et blanc de Penba de l'époque Qianlong en 2016 (421 500 €), un grand sceau impérial en ivoire de l'époque Wanli (475 500 €), et un cerf en cristal de roche de la collection privée de Coco Chanel vendu à 162 500€ en 2019. Parlant couramment français, anglais et chinois, Zheng est également le contact principal des importants clients chinois à Paris.

Tiphaine Nicoul

Head of department | Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

Having graduated in History of Art and Museology from the Ecole du Louvre after a law degree, Tiphaine Nicoul joined Christie’s in 2003. Since then she has developed her department and the success of a number of sales which led to Paris becoming an international market place for Asian art.

Thanks to her twenty years of experience, she was involved in some of the most remarkable sales at Christie’s. In 2006, she achieved exceptional results with Le banquet de la victoire dans les jardins de l’Ouest by Zhang Tingyan and Zhan Kun (€6,000,000). In 2007, she was in charge of the sale of gift bronzes and Chinese enamels from Juan Jose Amezaga’s rare collection (€13,200,000). In 2012, after a bidding war over a unique Guanyin wood sculpture, she realised the highest auction total of the year in France, across all categories (€9,000,000).

Camille de Foresta

Senior Specialist, Deputy Chairman of Christie's France | Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

Camille makes her debut at Christie’s as an auctioneer in 2016 with a record sale for an Art d’Asie auction in Europe (€26 million). Driven by a deep admiration for the key figures in the profession, her career path is precocious and eclectic, taking her from classical furniture to the Estates, Appraisals & Valuations department and the arts of Asia.

She oversees a succession of record sales of Asian art from major European collections such as the Buddha statue from a Dutch collection (€13.5 million) or the Himalayan ensemble from the Lionel and Danielle Fournier collection – major donors to the Musée Guimet. Camille launches multiple cultural initiatives in the field of Asian Art, organizing a themed auction on Japonisme and Art Nouveau and playing a key role as Vice-President, in the revival of the Printemps Asiatique in Paris.

Fascinated by fashion and Haute Couture, Camille champions the role of these disciplines in the history of creativity by drawing on such iconic collections such as that of Catherine Deneuve, whose auction she organises, and by placing exceptional fashion pieces at the heart of art auctions, setting world records for works by Paul Poiret, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent.

Camille de Foresta is Deputy Chairman at Christie’s since 2023 and, as such, is the auction house’s special ambassador in France. In every region, she has developed a network of specialists that has led to international successes such as the sale in 2023 of the work by Ribera discovered in the Toulouse region, which sold for more than €2 million.

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Commissaire-priseur, Camille débute chez Christie’s en 2016 par une vente record pour l’Art d’Asie en Europe (26M€). Nourrissant une admiration profonde pour les grandes figures du métier, elle mène un parcours aussi diversifié que précoce, du mobilier classique, au département des inventaires et jusqu’aux arts de l’Asie.

Dans ce domaine, les records et les ventes de grandes collections européennes se succèdent, tels ce Bouddha d’une collection hollandaise (13,5M€ ) ou cet ensemble himalayen de la collection Lionel et Danielle Fournier, grands donateurs du Musée Guimet. Toujours dans cette spécialité, Camille multiplie les initiatives culturelles en organisant une vente thématique sur le Japonisme et l’Art Nouveau ou en participant activement au renouveau du Printemps Asiatique de Paris dont elle est Vice-présidente.

Passionnée de mode et de Haute Couture, Camille défend la place de ces disciplines dans l’histoire de la création en s’appuyant sur des collections emblématiques comme celle de Catherine Deneuve, dont elle disperse la garde-robe, ou en inscrivant des pièces d’exception au cœur de ventes d’art, décrochant ainsi des records mondiaux pour des œuvres de Paul Poiret, Karl Lagerfeld et Yves Saint Laurent.

Vice-présidente depuis 2023, Camille de Foresta est une ambassadrice privilégiée de Christie’s pour la France. Elle y développe un réseau de spécialistes de terrains qui conduit à des succès internationaux tel la vente de cette œuvre de Ribera, trouvée dans la région de Toulouse et vendue au-delà de 2M€ en 2023.