Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

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

Christie’s Astounding Fujita Sale Had Buyers Taking Home Multiple Lots

March 16, 2017 by Marion Maneker

Chang Dynasty Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel $37m

Kelly Crow was at the Fujita Museum sale of Chinese works of art that did so well last night. Many have wondered why the sale was so explosive. But the answer seems to lie in two places. The museum, unlike many consignors, was not eager to see estimates raised; and, the record of similar objects sold—which were nowhere near the level of quality of the Fujita works—could not support higher estimates.

In the field of Chinese Works of Art, because of the problems with authenticity and documentation, provenance adds tremendous value if the works come from a well-known, well-researched and well-respected collection. The Fujita Museum is one, judging from these results. Which explains that there were buyers lining up to get more than one of the 31 lots offered, as Crow narrates:

The mood in Christie’s was exuberant most of the night. When auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen opened bidding on Li Gonglin’s scroll, “Treaty of Bianqiao,” he tried to kick-start bids at $500,000, but prices quickly escalated when a telephone bidder lobbed a $10 million bid. The room gasped, but other collectors joined in, and another anonymous phone bidder eventually won it for $17.6 million. Its estimate: $800,000 to $1 million.

Zhao Lingrang’s late 11th-century depiction of “Willows and Geese” sold for $27.1 million to the phone bidder who kept supercharging the event with $10 million bids. “Willows” was only expected to sell for up to $950,000.

Song Dynasty Scroll Painting of Dragons Sold for $49 Million at Christie’s (WSJ)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Christie’s Blumenfield Collection (Highlights)Christie’s Blumenfield Collection (Highlights)
  • Christie’s Asia Week = $75.8mChristie’s Asia Week = $75.8m
  • Foreign Fellow Lands Gilt BuddhaForeign Fellow Lands Gilt Buddha
  • Christie's HK Works of Art: HK$436mChristie's HK Works of Art: HK$436m
  • Christie’s Can’t Wait, New York Sales Move to October with $25 M. Cézanne AnnouncementChristie’s Can’t Wait, New York Sales Move to October with $25 M. Cézanne Announcement
  • Bacon, Picasso, Lichtenstein Top 2020 Global Modern & Contemporary Auctions: AnalysisBacon, Picasso, Lichtenstein Top 2020 Global Modern & Contemporary Auctions: Analysis

Filed Under: Auction Results, General Tagged With: Chinese Works of Art, Christie's, Fujita Museum

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

  • After Pandemic’s Rapid Change, Sotheby’s Has 8 Predictions for 2021
  • 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
  • A Season of Resilience: Fall 2020 Hong Kong Auction Analysis
  • A Season of Improvisation: Fall 2020 New York Modern and Contemporary Art Auction Analysis
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Soulages First Owned by Senegalese Poet-Politician Léopold Sédar Senghor Sells in France
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Christie's Announces $70m Picasso Self Portrait
  • 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