Skinner to Host Asian Works of Art Sale in Boston The Asian Art auction in Boston on April 20 - 21, 2012 features cloisonne, snuff bottles, fine jade, scholar's objects, and Asian furniture.
News-Antique.com - Apr 05,2012 - BOSTON, Mass. – April 5, 2012 – Skinner, Inc., one of the world’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host an auction of Asian Works of Art on April 20th and 21st in its Boston gallery. The sale will feature more than 950 lots of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese artwork and antiques.
Cloisonné
An important group of cloisonné works from China covers a range of periods from the 18th through 19th centuries. A noteworthy example is a bottle-form vase from the K’ang-hsi period. The vase (lot 463, estimated between $10,000 and $15,000) is made from polychrome enamel on bronze with a turquoise blue ground and is decorated with leaf scrolls and central lotus flowers. It comes from the collection of Robert M. Hoi and was purchased at the American Art Association sale on February 18, 1911.
Other highlights include a rectangular vase depicting a dragon and phoenix with a “Cun Tun Dian Zao” mark at the base (lot 450, $500 to $700), and an 18th century censer decorated with scrolling lotus flowers and leaves, marked with “Xuan De Nian Zhi Se” at the base (lot 451, $1,000 to $2,000).
Snuff Bottles and Flasks
The sale features eighty lots of snuff bottles. Highlights from this excellent assortment include a green and black 19th century pudding stone snuff bottle (lot 384, $300 to $500), a 19th century jade snuff bottle carved in the shape of a peach (lot 425, $300 to $500), and a tan colored jade snuff bottle with russet markings (lot 426, $300 to $500). An interior-painted snuff bottle (lot 398, $250 to $350) depicting a landscape and an image of two horses and trees has lion mask handles and an inscription “belongs to Sir Kang You Wei.” This remarkable example dates to Republic’s First Year and is signed “Ye Zhong San.”
A blue, white, and copper red moon flask (lot 626, $5,000 to $10,000) from the 18th/19th centuries depicts a scrolling lotus and tendrils. The lotus is rendered in pale copper red with ruyi-head borders and stylized chilong handles. A disc-shaped, copper red and underglaze blue flask from the 18th century (lot 556, $20,000 to $25,000) depicts a leaping full-face dragon encircled with a “flaming pearl” and rising above a band of stylized crested waves on each side. A cloud surrounds the cylindrical neck on each side and handles are decorated with spiral scrolls. There is a Qianlong mark to the base.
Scholar’s Objects – Brush Pots, Inkstones, and Table Screens
A diverse selection of scholar’s objects will be offered, including a Chinese bamboo brush pot depicting Immortals and attendants in a nature scene (lot 303, $300 to $500), a zitan brush pot decorated with the scene of a scholar and attendant at the entrance of a hut surrounded by the “Three Friends of Winter:” pine, bamboo, and plum (lot 302, $800 to $1,000), and two inkstones with bird designs (lot 306, $150 to $250).
A goldstone table screen depicting figures in a boat surrounded by
