Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Swashbuckling Chinese Bidders Appear at Skinner, Drive Qianlong Vase to $25m

September 21, 2014 by Marion Maneker

Doyle $25m Qianlong Vase

Wild Chinese bidders struck again late last week at Skinner as a slightly damaged Qianlong vase made $24.7m against much, much lower estimate ($150,000):

Judith Dowling, director of Asian works of art at Skinner, said the consensus among scholars is that the vase was ordered by the Qianlong Emperor and that it’s a sampler of various techniques that were used during the previous 200 years. The vase last appeared at auction in 1964 when it sold for $750, according to Skinner.

“It says a lot,” Dowling said. “In 1964, China was closed. There were not so many buyers of Chinese material in the U.S. Now the Chinese are taking back their material, buying it wherever they can find it.”

A similar vase is displayed at the Palace Museum in Beijing, according to the auction house. The estimate was conservative because the object had been damaged and included cracks and repairs.

“We put a very low, conservative estimate on it,” Dowling said. “Nothing like this had ever sold.”

Skinner brought the piece to New York on Sept. 12. ahead of the Asia Week’s start, where it was seen by visiting collectors and Hong Kong and Beijing. During the sale, the bidding started at $150,000 but very soon someone from the audience yelled “Five million,” Dowling said. “And then it took off.”

Imperial Qianlong-Era Chinese Vase Sells for $25 Million  (Bloomberg)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Inflation Fears Stalk Super-RichInflation Fears Stalk Super-Rich
  • Whose Heritage Is It Anyway?Whose Heritage Is It Anyway?
  • Before the CullBefore the Cull
  • When Art Is Better Than MoneyWhen Art Is Better Than Money
  • Avery's AscentAvery's Ascent
  • Corporate Art Is Taking on A Whole New MeaningCorporate Art Is Taking on A Whole New Meaning

Filed Under: General

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • Gorky, Kandinsky Works to Make First Public Appearance Since 1970s at Sotheby's
  • Soulages First Owned by Senegalese Poet-Politician Léopold Sédar Senghor Sells in France
  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • For 2020, Phillips Brought in Total of $760.4 million, Down 16 Percent from 2019; Asia Sales Up 24 Percent
  • After Pandemic’s Rapid Change, Sotheby’s Has 8 Predictions for 2021
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • A Season of Resilience: Fall 2020 Hong Kong Auction Analysis
  • Calder, Miró, Léger and More Expected to Fetch $22 M. in Christie's London 20th Century Art Sales
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor