A white jade snuff bottle with carved decoration, 1780-1840. 2 3/8in (6cm) high. Est. USD1,500-2,000. Image: Courtesy of Bonhams.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Bonhams announced the Year of the Snake’s first Asian Decorative Arts auction in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 12. 

The sale will include 460 lots of Chinese ceramics and decorative arts, and more than 100 lots of artworks from Japan, Korea and other Asian countries and regions, from private collections and estates, as well as from institutions and non-profit organizations. There will be property from the collection of Joseph Klein (1899-1987); the Alan E. Feen collection; the Sarkisian collection, Denver, Colorado; the collection of Herman A. Blumenthal, Art Director for 20th Century Fox, 1947-1980; a private collection, Geneva, Switzerland; a New York Estate; the J. Russell Wherritt Administration Trust; the Estate of Charles and Eleanor de Limur, San Francisco; a Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; and the Tacoma Art Museum. There will also be unaccessioned property from the Honolulu Museum of Art, sold to benefit future museum acquisitions. 

The sale’s lots encompass a wide range of materials, dating from the Neolithic period (about 4,000 BC) to the 20th century, all set at conservative estimates to encourage the participation of worldwide buyers. 

The auction will commence with jade and hardstone carvings. Highlights in the section will include two white jade carvings of boys, 18th/19th century (est. $1,500-2,500); a group of three carved jade libation cups from late Ming/Qing dynasty (est. $3,000-5,000); two attractive 19th century white jade bangles, sold to benefit the Tacoma Art Museum (est. $1,500-2,000); and a late Qing/Republic period, spinach jade lotus-form libation vessel from a private Bay Area Collector (est. $900-1,300). 

There will be nearly 70 lots of fine and decorative snuff bottles for collectors, including such star lots as a white jade snuff bottle with carved decoration, 1780-1840, sold to benefit the Tacoma Art Museum ($1,500-2,000), and an inside-painted glass snuff bottle by Yian Yutian (est. $1,000-1,500). 

A pair of massive cloisonné enameled metal covered urns is one of the most attractive offerings in the sale. The pair, with elaborate, rich and classic floral and ba jixiang design, reveals infinite patience in the execution process, as well as the high skill level of the cloisonné enamel craftsmanship during the 19th century in China. The very conservative $12,000-18,000 estimate for the item offers an exciting opportunity for any interested buyers to participate in the bidding, and possibly add the striking pair to his or her collection. The metalwork section also will feature bronzes dating from the Shang dynasty to the 18th century.

Forty-two lots of Chinese paintings and calligraphy work will be on offer. Two highlights in the section will include a couplet of calligraphy in running script by Yan Fu (1854-1921), and an austere fisherman and landscape-themed ink painting, attributed to Lu Wei (17th-early 18th century), estimated at $2,500-4,000 and $2,000-3,000, respectively. 

Diverse examples from various periods are represented in the Chinese ceramics section. Among the star lots are a Tang dynasty straw glazed pottery amphora, sold to benefit the Honolulu Museum of Art (est. $1,200-1,800), and a large famille verte enameled porcelain fish bowl from the late Qing/Republic period (est. $2,000-3,000). 

A good variety of furniture, textiles and other works of art also constitute portions of the Chinese art section. 

In addition to traditionally popular netsuke, okimono and sagemono, a group of fine quality decorative bronze works, mostly from the Meiji to the Showa periods, is available in the Japanese works of art section. One noteworthy example is a bronze vase with mixed metal inlay by Hattori Studio, Meiji period (est. $1,500-2,000). 

The sale will conclude with Korean and other Asian works of art. 

A pair of massive cloisonné enameled metal covered urns, 19th century. Each sturdily cast in double lozenge section tapering towards the base and surmounted by waisted necks beneath fitted lids supporting elaborate pieced finial edifices rendered as stylized fluttering tassels, the exterior surfaces covered in a dense vine and lotus ground surrounding ba jixiang motifs and crane roundels above the large side panels depicting the flowers of the four seasons against a ground of repeating cash motifs, now mounted in modern gilt lacquered soft wood stands. 35in (89cm) height inclusive of gilt wood stands. Est. $12,000-18,000. Image: Courtesy of Bonhams.