Maruyama Okyo, Cranes, 1774 / pair of six-panel screens; ink, color and gold leaf on paper, sold for $1,105,000. © Christie's Images Limited 2007

NEW YORK.- Katsura Yamaguchi, International Director Japanese and Korean Art, Heakyum Kim, Specialist Korean Art: “Today’s sale of Japanese and Korean Art was the first sale of Christie’s Asia Week and offered as its beautiful highlight the 18th century pair of screens by Maruyama Okyo, entitled Cranes, which at $1,105,000, not only surpassed the one million dollar mark but also more than tripled its estimate. Twelve aspects of the moon, a set of twelve hanging scrolls by the fêted artist Yoshitoshi, achieved $241,000. The Korean section of the sale was led by a 16th century anonymous painting, Gathering of Scholars, which bore an inscription of Chung Sayong and was acquired for $825,000. A group of modern Korean works rounded off the sale with strong results and was highlighted with Lee Ufan’s From Line, 1980 at $361,000.” (courtesy www.Artdaily.org)