A couple months ago, one of my favorite auction houses featured one of its big Gallery Auctions, with the focus on what it called “Orientalia.” It had over 500 lots of Asian screens, artwork, furniture, carvings and more.
I know very little about Asian art, but I dropped by to see how the bidding would go. This was the place to be to get what looked to be some good works – some ancient, some not so ancient. There were about 50 to 60 people seated and standing in the room, with others wandering in as they waited for the non-Asian auctions to begin.
There were also a few bidders on the phone through Live Auctioneers (This auction house had used Ebay Live until the company discontinued its service last year).
Among the items offered were some lovely folded screens, whose winning prices ranged from $95 to $700. Among the nicest pieces was a pair of porcelain plaques that resembled a screen and went for a tidy $3,400. I’m sure they were all bargains compared to what you’d spend elsewhere, especially at major galleries.
That reminds me of a dust-up earlier this year in the world of multimillion-dollar art deals over Christie’s sale of some Chinese bronze animal heads that were stolen by British and French troops in 1860. Beijing was not happy with the impending sale, and a Chinese art dealer submitted a phony bid for them, a move that spurred much talk among art connoisseurs.
This auction, though, was a far cry from that one. Here’s a peek, with text from the auction guide sheet, at the one I attended:
Pair late 19th c. Chinese Export Porcelain Plaques (photo, left), rosewood frames with 7 signed painted panels depicting scenes from life, landscapes and plants. (7 1/4″ X 41″). Sold for $3,475.
Chinese 8-fold Coromandel screen (first photo, above), burnt amber lacquer with low relief and polychromed with life scenes, bordered by everyday elements. Nature scenes on back. 19th century. $700.
Chinese 4-fold Coromandel screen (photo, below), black lacquered with gilt and relief carved figural life scenes, floral landscapes on back. Mid-20th century. $110.
Chinese 4-fold Coromandel screen (below, left), black lacquered with figural life scenes. Floral and birds on back. Mid 20th century. $95
Chinese 8-panel Coromandel screen (below, right), black lacquered with relief carved and polychromed with village scenes. Floral scenes on back. Early 20th century. $200.
