The Antiques Trade Gazette points to a dramatic 63% rise in Mainland Chinese buyers in the recent Christie’s sales in Hong Kong over the prior year. Like all of the Chinese works of art sales, there is intense competition for the best works with the best provenance. But there is one collecting field that Mainland buyers have not taken up with such gusto, Chinese Lacquer. Two of the top lots in Christie’s sale were lacquerware and they both went to Western dealers:

London and New York dealership Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art secured the series’ two Chinese highlights. Both hailed from Part II of the Lee family collection of Chinese lacquer. A large Ming dynasty carved Hongwu period (1368-98) cinnabar lacquer tray, formerly in the collection of Sir John Figgess, fetched HK$22m (£1.73m) and is illustrated here. A Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) octagonal inlaid mother-of-pearl lacquer box and cover took HK$18m (£1.41m). […] Chinese lacquer is not as established a mainland Chinese collecting field as Imperial ceramics, jade carvings or other areas of the works of art market. As such, James Hennessy of Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art believes the best quality lacquer represents value for money. “The Yuan box and cover we bought was rarer than any porcelain Yuan guan that might sell at auction for several million pounds,” he said. “There is relatively little lacquer in China’s top museums and mainland buyers are wary of condition problems and restoration.”

Hong Kong Sales Solid Across the Board (Antiques Trade Gazette)