Christie’s week at Rockefeller Plaza in New York dedicated to Oriental art ended successfully. From 15th to 18th September all types of precious works from the lands of the rising sun were auctioned, and they seem to have been very appreciated. The most consistent takings were achieved by the Chinese ceramics and works of art sector, with 246 lots totalling 13,195,000 dollars. On the other hand, of this conspectus of fine ceramics and porcelains proposed by Christie’s, a splendid and rare white Ming vase revealed to be the top lot of the section: estimated for a value between 600,000 and 800,000 dollars, it was actually sold for about 1,950,000 euros. The precious container, which is now easier to imagine protected as a rare jewel in a showcase rather than displayed as a trivial support of a flower composition, dates back to the Yongle reign (1403-25), which was characterized by a preference for white objects, like this candid and shiny enamel that imitates jade with a very delicate subcutaneous decoration.
Lovers of ancient statuary art certainly had the chance to buy valuable pieces: during the auction session dedicated to masterpieces of ancient imperial China a rare stone head of Buddha exceeded the estimate forecasts, fluctuating between 200,000 and 300,000 dollars, arriving at the price of 866,500 dollars equivalent to about 601,280 euros. Among all the sessions presented one of the highlights was the session dedicated to six Himalayan bronze masterpieces, a very small but not at all poor amount of lots, given that it included the top lot of the whole auction: a Tibetan bronze statue of Buddha dating from the fourteenth century, 142 cm tall, with refined and elegant features, which had already started from an unpronounceable estimate, available only on request, and ended its run with an extraordinary hammer price of 3,666,500 dollars (approx. 2,548,000 euros).
The best sale of the Japanese and Korean works of art was a pair of six-panel 17th century screens, decorated by an anonymous artist, bought for 962,500 dollars equivalent to about 669,000 euros. A good hammer price was also achieved by a Park Sookeun picture from 1965, Figures in a Landscape, sold for 806,500 dollars, especially considering that the estimate value was between 400,000 and 500,000 dollars. Highlights also included the prints, by artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai who first brought to Europe the flavour of the Orient and the taste for exoticism, and with the elegance of their prints fascinated even great Western artists. A print by Hokusai estimated for 7,000-9,000 dollars was sold for 25,000.
Besides the precious antique objects even the contemporary section inspired bidding from the buyers who took part in the New York auction. The session dedicated to modern and contemporary South-Asian art totalled 12,634,375 dollars, also thanks to two works by the same artist which represent the summit of this sale: 1,166,500 dollars for Steal 2 and 1,022,500 for Miter by Indian artist Subodh Gupta, famous for his works portraying the present beauty of modern India in collision with its strong archaic culture.
Original and unique also the auction session dedicated to a particular and widespread object in the Orient: tobacco-snuffing containers. Objects belonging to an ancient tradition, they were used during the Quing Dynasty when smoking tobacco was prohibited, while snuffing it was not, as it was considered a healthy remedy. In the seventeenth century this became a distinctive custom among the wealthiest social classes and then it became very popular during the following century, when these elegant bottles became objects for art collecting. A rather good result for these tobacco snuff bottles at Christie’s auction, with the most appreciated set selling for 422,500 dollars, equivalent to about 290,000 euros.

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(Translated by Giorgina Arcuri)