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Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
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Ceramics & Glass
16th Century Bottle Sells for $683,000
April 24, 2013Together, two bottles and a rare temple step accounted for almost $2m at Bonhams’ Islamic and Indian art sale in London yesterday. The bottles, as one might imagine, were very special, 16th century Iznik vessels from the Ottoman Empire. One made a new world record at $683,000, and the other sold for $460,000. Both were from the collection of a Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, who paid $765 for them back in 1919.
Read more...Imperial Price For Qianlong Jade Seal
March 21, 2013Stories of unlikely discovery have highlighted Sotheby’s Asia Week in New York, the latest being the one concerning an imperial seal of the Qianlong emperor. Until a Washington family submitted it for evaluation, they had no idea of its value. It developed that the seal was among the most significant of those created to mark the Emperor’s 70th birthday. With that rarity in mind, Sotheby’s assigned an estimate of $1m-$1.5m. This, as it happened, was modest. This week the seal fetched $3.4m, more than double expectations.
Read more...$3 Tag Sale Bowl Realizes $2.2m
March 20, 2013What collector hasn’t had this fantasy? Yesterday in New York, a Chinese bowl purchased for $3 at a 2007 tag sale sold at Sotheby’s for $2.2m. Curiosity about the 1000-year old ‘Ding’ bowl’s origins led to its eventual consignment with Sotheby’s, which set an estimate of $200,000-$300,000. After a bidding war with three other contenders, London-based dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi claimed the Northern Soon Dynasty bowl for $2.225m, including commission.
Read more...Controversial Chinese Vase Sells For $40m
January 17, 2013The story begins two years ago, when an 18th century Qianlong porcelain vase sold to a Chinese bidder for more than 50 times its estimate, or $83m at a London auction. It was the highest price ever paid for an Asian work of art. The problem was, that “casino price,” as one dealer called it, was never paid. The bid, according to some, was merely a protest against the original theft of the vase from the Emperor’s Palace in the 1860’s. Now, in a deal reportedly brokered by Bonhams, the vase has finally changed hands in a private sale for an undisclosed sum, reported to be $40m.
Read more...Christie’s Luxury Week
December 10, 2012Closing out its 2012 season, Christie’s will offer a Luxury Week series of sales, beginning today with an event in New York devoted to jewels, led by a 50.01 carat diamond ring by Graff, (est. $7m-$10m). In tomorrow’s sale, Christie’s will auction a collection of furniture, fine and decorative art from the estate of legendary director Billy Wilder, and in coming days, there will be sales, six in all, devoted to watches, wine, and 20th century design.
Read more...Old Flower Vase Sells For $451,000
September 13, 2012The lady of the house used the old glass flower vase so much it developed a green tide line. She died. The vase was packed away until a routine estate appraisal discovered it was an extraordinarily rare Lalique that sold yesterday for a world record $451,000 after an American collector got in a bidding war for it at a Newcastle auction.
Read more...Woman’s Chamber Pot To Sell For $100,000?
September 05, 2012A chamber pot, used, is estimated to sell for $100,000 at a Bonhams Auction in London. Ornate bathroom fixtures like this porcelain piece from Dresden’s Meissen factory, circa 1724, not only had a practical function, but also were often displayed to show wealth and status. This oval bourdaloue style toilette was designed specifically for women, and was useful for travel.
Read more...Chiparus Sculpture Of Jazz Age Divas To Sell
August 14, 2012Beware the morality lesson of the Dolly Twins, once the dancing rage of the Jazz age, so beautiful they drove millionaires to near bankruptcy, consorted with kings, gambled lavishly, and died miserably. An ivory and bronze sculpture of them by Demetre Chiparus will be auctioned by Bonhams in London in November. High estimate is $300,000.
Read more...Wucai “Fish Jar” From Ming Dynasty
July 26, 2012Today, Imperial porcelain from China is worth a fortune. Sotheby’s will be selling a Ming Dynasty wucai fish jar (so called because of the decorations) in September, anticipating bids of $500,000-$700,000 in New York. In April, an older porcelain bowl from the Song Dynasty went for nearly $27m in Hong Kong.
Read more...Sotheby’s Scores Big In Hong Kong
April 04, 2012Sotheby’s had anticipated a total of $233m for its spring series of auctions in Hong Kong. As it turned out, the auction house did quite a bit better, achieving a result of $316m. Contributing to that tally was the $60m generated by its sale of Fine Chinese paintings. That was more than double the $25.6m estimate. Top seller was a pair of gold screens by Qi Baishi, “Willows At The Riverside; Begonias” (1922), which realized $9m, more than three times its $2.6m high estimate.
Read more...Snuff Bottles Featured In Bonhams Asia Week
March 15, 2012As Chinese collectors have flooded into the market for collectibles, a small but consistent focus of their attention has been Chinese snuff bottles. Bonhams will offer over 150 examples drawn from three collections as part of its Asia week series. Leading the March 20th event in New York will be an 18th century carved rock crystal double gourd form bottle produced in the Imperial Palace workshops. It’s expected to sell for $25,000-$35,000.
Read more...16th Century Buddha Highlights Christie’s Asia Week
March 14, 2012Christie’s Asia Week brings to market a number of illustrious collections, including the late dealer Doris Weiner’s trove of Indian and Asian Art. One of the week’s big highlights, however, comes from the last event in the March 22-24 series, a two-part sale devoted to Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. The star item is a massive Ming Dynasty gilt-bronze Vairocana, or Celestial Buddha, from the 16th century. Formerly in the collection of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, it’s expected to sell for $2m-$3m.
Read more...Chinese Ru Bowl May Bring $10m
March 08, 2012This Ru bowl is only about five inches in diameter but Sotheby’s thinks it could sell for $10m at its auction next month in Hong Kong. Called a “washer” bowl, it was created a thousand years ago for the Northern Song Dynasty. They think it was used it to rinse writing brushes. There are only 79 Ru ware pieces in existence. This is one of 7 still in private hands, and that may change after the April 4th auction.
Read more...This Coke Bottle Is The Real Thing
December 02, 2011Competitors were copying the Coca Cola bottles so 96-years ago the company sponsored a contest to design a bottle so unique you could tell it was a Coke even if you felt it in the dark. Earl Dean, who worked at a Terre Haute glass company, won the contest with the “contour bottle.” Glass prototypes were made. Only two survived. Coke owns one. Julien’s is selling the other. They already have a $70,000 online bid before the actual Dec.3 auction.
Read more...Small Bottle, World Record Price
November 28, 2011The 18th century Chinese enameled glass snuff bottle that Bonhams offered earlier today in Hong Kong may be tiny. Its price was not. The bottle from the Qianlong period (1736-1795) set a new world record price of $3,328,400. That was over five times its pre-sale estimate, and more than double the previous record, set at Bonhams last year, of $1.19m.
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