Attributed to Qiu Ying, Ming Painter (Chinese, 1494-1552). "Palace Courtyard", gouache and ink on paper laid down on three wood panels, signed and sealed. Est. $6,000 - $8,000. Sold for $112,500 © Ahlers & Ogletree

ATLANTA, GA.- Asian lots took center stage at Ahlers & Ogletree’s March 25-26 Spring Salon Auction, as a monumental classical painting attributed to Ming painter Qiu Ying (Chinese, 1494-1552) soared to $112,500, and a pair of Chinese huanghuali hardwood side tables made in the first half of the 20th century made $26,550. Overall, the auction grossed approximately $900,000. 

Bidding was brisk at the two-day weekend sale, with the total of in-house, phone and absentee bidders numbering close to 600 (absentee and phone bids executed fell just shy of 800). But the real action was online, via LiveAuctioneers.com (9,563 registered bidders), Invaluable.com (2,855 registered bidders), Bidsquare (142 registered bidders) and the A & O app (340 bidders). 

Headlining the event was the estate of Anne Eng, owner of Trader Eng’s and House of Eng in Atlanta; the private collection of Susan E. Yeomans of Charleston, S.C. (a direct descendant of former South Carolina Governors Ibra C. Blackwood and Carroll Ashmore Campbell, Jr., and former U.S. President Grover Cleveland); and the estate of Liz Howell Bloodworth of Atlanta. 

The work attributed to Qiu Ying, depicting a palace courtyard, was a gouache and ink on paper, laid down on three wood panels, signed and sealed. It was truly monumental – 6 feet 7 inches tall by 21 feet 3 inches wide, and depicted a series of palace buildings and courtyards set in a mountain landscape. The painting was one of the choice lots from Anne Eng’s impressive estate. 

Ahlers & Ogletree has two auctions planned for the spring and early summer: a May 4th Jewelry & Couture Accessories Auction and a June 10-11 Summer Estates Auction.

Lot 658. Attributed to Qiu Ying, Ming Painter (Chinese, 1494-1552). "Palace Courtyard", gouache and ink on paper laid down on three wood panels, signed and sealed. Est. $6,000 - $8,000. Sold for $112,500 © Ahlers & Ogletree

Monumental exquisitely painted scene depicting a series of palace buildings and courtyards set in a mountain landscape, with some losses to paper throughout. Approximate height 79", width 255" (6' 7" x 21' 3").

Provenance: From the Estate of Anne Eng, owner of Trader Eng's / House of Eng, Atlanta, GA.