Asian Art

Auction house Lawrences of Crewkerne is no stranger to stand-out objects from China after a remarkable vase sold at 150-times its estimate in January.

An exceptional Xuande mark and period ‘fish pond’ bowl, trumpeted by Sotheby’s as among the greatest examples of early Ming blue and white porcelain in private hands, sold in Hong Kong for HK$229m (£22.9m) on April 4.

Christie’s sale of works of art of Art from the Fujita Museum of Art met with a glowing reception in New York on March 15.

Dealers braved the elements in New York this week as the city’s ‘Asia Week’ events kicked off in spite of 7in of snow falling.

A snowstorm expected to hit New York over the next 24 hours has led to changes to ‘Asia Week’ auctions scheduled for this week.

A Chinese porcelain wucai fish vase sold for £810,000 at Fellows on Monday – 450 times its estimate. Such large wucai or 'five colours' fish jars tend to date from the reign of Jiajing (1522-1566) but Fellows believed it to be 20th century.

Qi Baishi’s painting of bees and chrysanthemums is coming up for sale at Chiswick Auctions, featuring both a charming subject and history as it once belonged to a journalist who trod on Chairman Mao Zedong’s toe.

A selection of Ming dynasty objects are to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s New York next month.

Drawing spectacular bidding at Lawrences of Crewkerne, this rare Chinese altar vase was knocked down at over 150-times estimate at the Somerset saleroom’s latest fine art auction. It was thought to have been specially commissioned by the Qing court for ceremonial use in palaces and temples.

A woman from the village of Hindhead in Surrey made a spectacular return on a £2 charity shop purchase when her small Chinese censer was knocked down at auction for £21,000.

Australian auctioneers Mossgreen set an AUS$2m record for a single-owner sale of Asian Art sold down-under when they offered part of Raphy Star’s collection in Sydney earlier this month.

A Chinese hardstone imperial seal set a record at Drouot in Paris on when Pierre Bergé & Associés sold this impressively carved 4in (10.5cm) square specimen, inscribed 'Qianlong Yu Bi Zhi Bao', for a hammer price of €17.5m (£14.58m).

An imposing brass alloy figure of Canda Vajrapani set an auction record for a Tibetan sculpture when it was knocked down at HK$42.5m (£4.34m) at Bonhams Hong Kong.