Angela McAteer, Head of the Chinese Works of Art Department commented: “With a packed salesroom and strong prices across the board, demand for Chinese Works of Art remains robust. The $22.6m total exceeded the high estimate and was in line with previous seasons. We assembled a series of sales built around the strongest parts of the market which attracted vigorous bidding on the many distinguished collections being offered. In particular, there was unprecedented demand for Classical Furniture, with pieces continuously selling for multiples of their estimates as bidders recognized the elegant beauty of these refined works of art, as well as Qing Dynasty ceramics which remained highly sought after.”

The Reverend Richard Fabian Collection of Classical Chinese Furniture
Offered without reserve, 63 lots from the San Francisco home of Reverend Richard Fabian drew tremendous interest in the room, online and on the telephones. This single-owner sale launched Sotheby’s Asia Week with total sales of $5,521,625 (estimate $2,980,500/4,510,700). A Rare and Exceptional Pair of Huanghuali and Huamu ‘Fu’ Character Yokeback Armchairs (Sichutouguanmaoyi) was the top lot of the sale, realizing $1,210,000 (estimate $500/700,000).

Chinese Art from Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Sold to benefit the Rosen House in Katonah, New York, selected property ranging from cloisonné to jades, bronzes to ceramics, brought a total of $2,360,177 (estimate $1,700,900/2,628,500). Collected by Walter and Lucie Bigelow Rosen in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, the sale epitomized early 20th Century taste. Amongst the many highlights was a Rare and Impressive Cloisonne-Enamel and Gilt-Bronze Five-Piece Altar Garniture (Wugong), Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, which sold for $550,000 (estimate $300/500,000).

Early Ceramics and Huanghuali Furniture from the Collection of David and Nayda Utterberg
‘Intelligent angularity’, the thoughtful alignment of structure and proportion that drew David and Nayda Utterberg to Chinese art, attracted collectors from around the world to this single-owner sequence of Important Chinese Art. The Utterberg Collection achieved $3,818,375, three times the low estimate. Amongst the many highlights was a Huanghuali Side Table (Tiaozhuo), Qing Dynasty, 18th Century, which sold for $1,450,000 (estimate $80/120,000).

Property from the Collection of Terence Stamp
British actor Terence Stamp’s personal collection of Classical Chinese furniture found new heights during the morning session of Important Chinese Art. A beautifully-rendered Qing Dynasty Huanghuali ‘Bamboo-Style’ Recessed-Leg Table, estimated at $60/80,000, doubled the estimate, selling for $150,000. This single-owner sequence underlined the strength of the Chinese Art market, particularly that of Classical Chinese furniture.

Property from the Collection of Elizabeth Mead Merck
The demand for Qing Ceramics was noteworthy in Sotheby’s Chinese Art sale, as displayed in the single-owner sequence of Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of Elizabeth Mead Merck. Amongst the porcelain initially collected by her step-father Edward H. Bennett was this Magnificent and Rare Large Yellow and Green ‘Auspicious Emblems’ Dish, Yongzheng Mark and Period which sold for $1,162,000 (estimate $600/800,000) as well as a Lime-Green Ground Famille-Rose Five-Piece Altar Garniture, Jiaqing Seal Marks and Period estimated at $600/800,000, which realized $790,000.

Property from the Collection of A. Alfred Taubman
Affectionately referred to as the Tang Princess, the Rare and Important Sancai-Glazed Pottery Figure of a Court Lady from the A. Alfred Taubman Collection greeted many visitors during the Asia Week exhibition, Formerly in the possession of esteemed collectors such as Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez and C. C. Wang, the Sancai-Glazed Court Lady sold for $1,330,000 against an estimate of $700/900,000.