$114,000 QIANLONG JADE MOUNTED KNIFE HIGHLIGHTS COWAN'S INAUGURAL 2013 ASIAN ART AUCTION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Evan Sikes, Director of Marketing Communications cowansmarketing@gmail.com 513.871.1670 ext.30
$114,000 QIANLONG JADE MOUNTED KNIFE HIGHLIGHTS COWANS INAUGURAL 2013 ASIAN ART AUCTION
CINCINNATI, OH – January 21 – Cowan's Auctions Asian Art Auction realized $850,000 on January 18 in the first live auction of 2013. The 490-lot live sale featured a wide selection of high quality ivory, jade and porcelain, snuff bottles, Chinese and Japanese prints and scroll paintings, Chinese furniture and reference material on Asian Art. Over 1,000 Internet, phone, and floor bidders from over 15 different countries participated in the sale.
"The sale exceeded our expectations, but of course we have become accustomed to this trend with our Asian department," notes Graydon Sikes, Director, Asian Art. "The focus remains consistent – early works collected by families, entirely fresh-to-the-market and with strong provenance and ownership history. The market has remained robust for this material. This was particularly evident with our early jades from the Dr. Charles Collection, as well as material de-accessioned from the Conner Prairie Historic Park."
A Qianlong Jade Mounted Knife was the highest selling lot in the auction. More than ten bidders battled back and forth on the phone as the knife hammered down at $114,000 to a phone bidder, trouncing its pre-auction estimate of $600/800. The carved jade knife is finely carved with dragon figures and hailed from the collection of Dr. Herman Charles, a collector and Olympic athlete who won a bronze medal in the 1904 St. Louis games.
Two snuff bottles started the auction off with a bang, selling to bidders on the Internet. Both bottles exceeded their pre-auction estimates of $10,000/15,000. The first lot, a very fine 18th century Chinese White Jade Double Gourd Snuff Bottle, realized $54,000. The second lot, an extremely well polished Chinese White Jade Melon Form Snuff Bottle, carved with figures of butterflies and foliage, sold for $36,000.
Other exceptional jade and ivory pieces also performed particularly well in the sale. A Chinese Jadeite Lidded Vase, previously estimated at $400/600, sold for $28,800. An 18th century Chinese Ivory Pomegranate Carving realized $12,000, and a set of Chinese Jadeite Cranes sold for $5,400.
Two bidders on the phone and floor battled competitively for an 18th century Chinese Porcelain Dragon Planter, which eventually hammered down at $48,000 to the floor bidder. The planter included a custom rosewood stand and beautiful carved scrollwork feet.
A number of Chinese pots had a strong showing in the auction. A lot of 3 Chinese Republic Period Brush Pots realized $26,400. A Chinese Hardstone Wine Pot sold to a floor bidder for $19,200, and a Chinese Stoneware Brush Pot realized $10,200.
Additional noteworthy lots in the sale included a masterfully painted Tibetan Thangka, which sold for $36,000. A Northern Chi-Style Buddha, possibly dating to the 4th century, realized $24,000, and a fine Chinese Nephrite Jade Archer's Ring realized $6,600.
Cowan's will continue to seek important consignments for its August 2013 sale of Asian Art. For more information about the auction or consignment, please visit cowans.com.
About Cowan's Auctions, Inc. As one of the nation's leading auction houses with sales approaching $20 million, Cowan's has been helping individuals and institutions build important collections for more than a decade. To learn more about Cowan's, visit cowans.com.
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