Highlights from the October Chinese and Japanese Art Sale

On Wednesday 31st October Mallams auctioned over eight hundred lots for the well attended biannual Chinese and Japanese Art Sale.

With an estimate of £2000 to £3000, this 17th century Chinese Pale green jade figure of a seated Bodhisattva was one of many intriguing highlights, reaching an impressive hammer price of £15,500. Originating from the collection of the late British stage and film actor Peter O'Toole, the figure gained international interest prior to the sale but in the end, sold to a buyer attending the auction in person.

A Japanese shodana dated to the Meiji period achieved a figure towards the top end of its estimate, selling for £14,500. Every inch of the cabinet showcases the artist's talent with intricately decorated Redwood panels, each finely worked in lacquer, mother of pearl and ivory, depicting floral ikebana arrangements, vases, furniture and musical instruments. The shodana will make a great centerpiece to any collection.

The foundation of the sale is still its selection of ceramics. Having an estimate of only £100-200 it was a surprise when a Chinese Guan ware blue glazed incense burner, after a string of highly competitive bids, settled at the hammer price of £4,600.

Other highlights include an extensive collection of opium pipes and paraphernalia spread across forty lots which achieved a total hammer price of just over £7,000, a 16th-century Korean lacquer and mother of pearl casket at £8,200 and a Chinese bronze censer bearing a Xuande mark to its base, selling for £7,600.

After another successful sale achieving a total nearing £350,000 (excluding premium) and with items already being consigned for our next spring Asian Art Sale, the market shows no signs of slowing.

Click here for the 31st October Chinese and Japanese Art sale results