BONHAMS HONG KONG RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS SECOND 'GOLDEN GAVEL AUCTION', WHEN PART II OF THE WORLD'S FINEST COLLECTION OF IMPORTANT CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES, THE MARY AND GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION, SOLD 100% AND ACHIEVED WORLD RECORD PRICES. AGAINST PRESALE
ESTIMATES OF HK$24,000,000, THE SALE TOTAL WAS HK$54,832,000 (£4, 437,930) WITH EVERY ONE OF THE 155 RARE BOTTLES SUCCESSFULLY SOLD. A GOOD NUMBER OF THE LOTS SOLD FOR TWICE TO FOUR TIMES ITS ESTIMATE. A NEW WORLD RECORD FOR A PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE WAS REACHED WHEN LOT 121 SOLD FOR A STAGGERING HK$8,384,000 (£678,815), FOR TIMES ITS ESTIMATE PRICE. COMMISSIONED BY THE QIANLONG EMPEROR AND ENAMELED IN THE WORKSHOPS OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE BETWEEN 1736 AND 1760, THIS EXTRAORDINARY SNUFF BOTTLE, DECORATED WITH 'DOUBLE-GOURDS', SYMBOLIC OF LONG LIFE, IS IDENTICAL TO ANOTHER RARE EXAMPLE STILL PRESERVED IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY PALACE MUSEUM. THE HIGHEST PRICE OF THE SALE, AND NEW WORLD RECORD FOR A GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE WAS ACHIEVED BY LOT 152, A 'FAMILLE-ROSE' ENAMELED GOLD-GROUND GLASS 'LOTUS' SNUFF BOTTLE, WHICH SOLD FOR HK$9,056,000 (£732,921), ALMOST FOUR TIMES ITS PRESALE ESTIMATE. THE EXQUISITE SNUFF BOTTLE WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE QIANLONG EMPEROR AND DECORATED WITH LOTUS FLOWERS AGAINST A RICH GOLDEN GROUND, AND INCISED ON THE BASE WITH THE IMPERIAL MARK. PART III OF THE SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE MARY AND GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION WILL TAKE CENTER STAGE AT BONHAMS SPRING 2011 AUCTIONS TO BE HELD IN MAY 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment