Skinner, one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, today announced the results of its recent Asian Works of Art sale, which grossed $3,722,862.00.  The auction, which was held on April 26th in the Boston gallery, represents the most successful sale to date for that specialty area at Skinner and is the 5th most successful auction in the company’s history.

High prices were realized across the board, with the auction boasting an impressive sell rate of a 94%.  Unlike previous sales, most of the buying came from bidders in the room, not from phones or the internet.  A large amount of foreign buyers were present, including a considerable number of Europeans, in part the result of a finely-focused strategy of advertising in European antique publications.

According to James Callahan, director, Asian Works of Art, “The demand for Asian Art –especially contemporary works – continues to be strong, coming from collectors as far reaching as the pieces themselves.”  Callahan continued, “And, we don’t seem the trend waning; it’s likely the next auction will generate even greater interest.”

The top selling lot was a pale celadon carved jade figure (lot 461) from 18th/19th century China, which sold for $358,000.  Jade carvings were hotly contested, accounting for 9 of the top 10 lots sold.  Other jade highlights included: a jade carving of a reclining cat (lot 479) – $213,300; a jade censer carved in the shape of a foo dog (lot 480) – $189,600; a rectangular jade screen (lot 455) – $130,350; a jade ewer with foo dogs (lot 477) – $112,575; a jade vase ornately carved with dragons, pearls, flowers, bats and small children (lot 454) – $106,650; and a jade disc in the Pi ritual shape (lot 458) – $106,650.

Also exceeding the $100K sale price was an exquisite pair of Chinese snuff bottles, Ch’ia Ch’ing four-character mark in red and of the period, featuring famille rose designs of the Immortals (lot 174), which brought in $100,725.00