For Immediate Release: 22nd March 2013 Contact: Iona Sale, IONA PR, 01451 832 268, 07721

030 825 or iona@ionapr.com

FANTASTIC ASIAN ART 2013

PRICES ACHIEVED FOR THURSDAY 18 TH MARCH

The much anticipated sale of Asian Art held at Chorleys on Thursday, 18th March 2013 was a resounding success and for a few hours the Prinknash saleroom was buzzing with Chinese bidders in the room battling it out with telephone and online bidders. While the Chinese market is becoming more selective, Chorleys sale included exactly the type of quality objects with good provenance that are so sought after. The star of the show was undoubtedly the jade marriage bowl, Lot 265, which led the sale at 260,000. This bowl had impeccable provenance, having been acquired by Commander Paul Bridgeman of Dowdeswell Manor from Bluetts, one of the major London dealers in Chinese art of the early 20th Century. The bowl retained the Bluetts label beneath and was in overall good condition. Originally a bowl of this type would have formed a portion of the dowry at the marriage of a woman to a highly important member of Chinese society. Its size, colour and even the auspicious phoenix mask handles all set the bowl apart and the pre-sale estimate of 200,000-250,000 reflected this. A hushed saleroom witnessed a battle between a bidder in the room and a telephone before the hammer came down at 260,000 to a ripple of applause. Sadly, most of the Bridgeman collection was destroyed by fire in 1939 and just 11 lots were offered in this sale. Among the other successes from this group was Lot 273, a Ming dynasty celadon bowl, this was in good condition, set on three lion mask feet and came with an attractive but later carved hardwood stand. Estimated at 400-600 it caught the eye of several bidders and fetched 4,200. A Qing dynasty blanc-de-chine figure of Guanyin, Lot 271, also exceeded its pre-sale estimate knocking down for 2,500. Objects from a variety of other private collections made up the rest of the Oriental section of the sale. Lot 277, a blue and white baluster jar, was a good size and dated from the Kangxi period. A stylish object of this sort attracts the interior decorator as well as the usual Chinese buyers. This crossover appeal saw it double its pre-sale estimate at 4,500. The highest prices for Chinese items tend to be for porcelain and jades, however there were signs that the market is beginning to widen with strong prices for Chinese silver, pictures and furniture. A 19th Century reverse painted glass picture of figures playing in a garden, Lot 350, had its original carved hardwood frame and despite some minor condition issues reached 3,000. Lot 357, a charming portrait miniature, also 19th
Lot 277 A large Chinese baluster jar, Kangxi, sold for 4,500

Lot 265 A Chinese fine white jade Pheonix marriage bowl, Qing Dynasty, sold for 260,000

Lot 273 A Chinese celadon shallow bowl, Ming Dynasty, sold for 4,200

century, depicted a lady wearing Chinese headdress, a red coat and holding a fan. Although unsigned this was spotted by several bidders and reached a pleasing 1,400. Among the furniture it was a 19th century altar table, Lot 370, that drew the most interest. This also had crossover appeal being of a style that would fit well in a traditional or modernist interior and saw bidding reach 3,000. Strong results for traditional British antiques in the same sale were encouraging, positive signs included strong Chinese bidding on clocks. Lot 99, a Queen Anne longcase clock, had undergone slight alterations but was a handsome clock with a good seaweed marquetry inlaid case. The square brass dial was signed Tho Barett, Lewes and fitted with an eight-day striking movement. This was contested between the room and the internet, it eventually clocked up an impressive 5,000. The picture section also produced some strong results. The market for Victorian genre paintings has not been buoyant over the last few years, buyers appetite for sentimental scenes having waned. Lot 158, an oil by Walter Dendy Sadler entitled The Old and The Young depicting a woman pouring wine for three gentlemen seated at a table is typical of his work and it was encouraging to see it achieve a mid-estimate 10,000, the highest auction price for the artist since 2009. Among the watercolours, Lot 140, a study of the interior of Exeter Cathedral executed in 1797 by Thomas Girtin, topped the bill. This was a rather academic subject matter, however it had good provenance, had been exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1798 and is one of the largest watercolours by the artist. The time spent researching this lot was well spent, and it sold for 8,000. Sale details: 18th March 2013 Total hammer price: 454,385 Total no of lots: 319 Sold lots: 83% For further inform ation please contact Catrin Ham pton on 01452 344499 or ech@simonchorley.com For jpeg images please contact Iona Sale, IONA PR, on 01451 832 268, 07721 030 825 or iona@ionapr.com Chorleys next sale is Thursday, 11 th April 2013.
Lot 140 Thomas Girtin, The Interior of Exeter Cathedral, watercolour, sold for 8,000 Lot 357 th A 19 century School oval portrait of a lady in Chinese headdress sold for 1,400

Lot 158 Walter Dendy Sadler, The Old and the Young, oil on canvas, sold for 10,000