Valuable Chinese Works Of Art
Understanding Chinese art (and evaluating it) is virtually impossible. Basic identifications can be done by us. But evaluating it accurately is most often impossible, All auction houses give modest estimates to ensure the sale of an item but also to foster competitive bidding. Thus we see wide-ranging differences between auction estimates and final results.
Chinese brush pot, estimate $10,000; sold for $1 million.
Twin-handled vase, 200 years old; estimate $15,000, sold for $700,000.
Why? China is an ancient country and vast in size. Obscure artists can tickle the fancy of wealthy unknown collectors in Asia. Art from brief or lesser-known dynasties can command huge prices. Western experts can be fooled.
Collectors speculate. China’s younger, wealthy “Gen Z” collectors are driving the prices of nontraditional art.
Today, instead of sharing things that we’ve had in our office, we’ll share five of the past year’s surprise auction results from LIVEAUCTIONEERS (we are a member and use this platform to reach well-heeled Asians).
Keep in mind that these are the real deal and we see thousands of pieces that look similar every year – copies made 100 to 200 years later than these originals. Porcelain, jade, bronze or paint, we love it!
Famille Rose Prunus bowl, Yongzheng period; estimate $15,000, sold for $3 million.
Chinese bronze steaming vessel, GUI estimate $3,000; sold for $150,000.
Chinese jade figure, estimate $20,000; sold for $300,000.
If you have Chinese works of art, you can trust the auction process to be transparent and find their real value.
This is an archival article formerly written and is for informational purposes only. The valuations in this article have likely changed since it was first written.