Lot 78184  . A Pair of Wang Dafan Porcelain and Hardwood Table Screens, Republic Period, circa 1912-1949. Marks: Two red artist's seals; 29-1/2 h x 19-3/4 w x 11-1/4 d inches (74.9 x 50.2 x 28.6 cm) (overall);15-1/4 inches high x 9-7/8 inches wide (38.7 x 25 cm) (plaque, each). Sold for $150,000.

DALLAS, TX.- Eager collectors drove the sale price for a pair of Wang Dafan Porcelain and Hardwood Table Screens, Republic Period, circa 1912-1949 to $150,000 to claim top-lot honors in Heritage Auctions’ Asian Art auction Sept. 11 in New York. The total sale from the auction was $1,166,232. 

Multiple bidders pursued the Wang Dafan table screens in an event that marked the return to New York-based “Asia Week.” 

“The extraordinary lots in this auction really celebrated our return to New York for ‘Asia Week,’” Heritage Auctions Asian Art Director Richard Cervantes said. “The collectors in this auction clearly understood the importance of Wang Dafan for his work as a painter and with porcelain, prompting the aggressive bidding on the table screens.” 

An Exceptional Pair of Chinese Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Court Chairs with Peony and Landscape Motifs, Qing Dynasty, Jiaqing-Daoguang Period brought $93,750. They feature ornate engraving and rich red hues derived from cinnabar, the bright scarlet form of mercury sulfide. Engraving such as that found on these chairs was a popular and important way of decorating furniture, often depicting character patterns to geometric patterns to scenes in nature. 

 Lot 78210. An Exceptional Pair of Chinese Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Court Chairs with Peony and Landscape Motifs, Qing Dynasty, Jiaqing-Daoguang Period; 43-1/2 h x 24 w x 22-1/4 d inches (110.5 x 61.0 x 56.5 cm). Sold for $93,750. 

A Tibetan Mandala Thangka with Abbot Lineage, 18th century was another exceptionally popular lot among collectors, who pushed the final price to $81,250. Thangka like this one often are kept unframed and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile backing in a style similar to that of Chinese scroll paintings, which helps explain the demand for such an exceptional example.  

Lot 78334; A Tibetan Mandala Thangka with Abbot Lineage, 18th century; 15-1/4 inches high x 13 inches wide (38.7 x 33.0 cm) (work). Sold for $81,250. 

Distemper on cloth, framed under glass 21 x 18 inches.

Provenance: Frederick Keppel & Co., New York City (label verso);
Acquired from the above;
Thence by descent.

Once a part of the collection of a German Consular Officer in China, a Fine Chinese Carved Hardwood Bitong Brush Pot, Qing Dynasty, 18th century drew $68,750. Spotlighting the ornate style of workmanship often used at the time, this lot is a superb example of the vessels used to hold the brushes used by scribes for Chinese calligraphy. 

 Lot 78221  A Fine Chinese Carved Hardwood Bitong Brush Pot, Qing Dynasty, 18th century;6-3/8 inches high x 6-1/4 inches diameter (16.2 x 15.9 cm). Sold for $68,750. 

Provenance: Collection of a German Consular Officer in China (1902-1917 and 1920-1930);
Thence by descent.

Reference: Christie's London, June 6, 2000, lot 158 for a nearly identical example. 

A gouache, watercolor and ink-on-silk Chinese Silk Painting Depicting a Seated Budai and Children, early Qing Dynasty realized $65,625. This 31-by-18-1/8-inch painting comes directly from a collection in Princeton, N.J.  

Lot 78349. A Chinese Silk Painting Depicting a Seated Budai and Children, early Qing Dynasty, Gouache, watercolor, and ink on silk. 31 inches high x 18-1/8 inches wide (78.7 x 46.0 cm) (work). Sold for $65,625. 

A Large Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Dish, Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period, circa 1403-1424 sold for $62,500. The dish reflects the extraordinary innovation of ceramics during the period, as kilns allowed new techniques in design and shape, and an expansion in the uses of color. The often-brilliant cobalt blue had a tendency to bleed in some previous pieces, but the addition of manganese dulled the color while making the lines more crisp.  

Lot 78141. A Large Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Dish, Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period, circa 1403-1424; 2 inches high x 15 inches diameter (5.1 x 38.1 cm). Sold for $62,500.  

Cf. my post: Heritage Auctions returns to 'Asia Week' in New York with Fine & Decorative Asian Art Auction

Other top lots include but are not limited to: 

Lot: 78280. Chen Wen Hsi (Singaporean, 1906-1991), Folio Album, (eight works). Ink and color on paper, 26 inches high x 19-1/2 inches wide (66.0 x 49.5 cm) (overall). Signed with red artist's seals. Sold for $45,000.

Cf. my post: Heritage Auctions returns to 'Asia Week' in New York with Fine & Decorative Asian Art Auction

Lot 78382. A Large Japanese Silvered and Partial Gilt Bronze Rooster Okimono. Marks: Three-character Masatsume mark; 27-1/2 h x 18 w x 7-3/4 d inches (69.9 x 45.7 x 19.7 cm). Sold for $27,500.

Lot: 78283. Attributed to Xu Beihong (Chinese, 1895-1953), Animal Folio Album (twelve works). Ink and color on paper,11-1/8 inches high x 12-5/8 inches wide (28.3 x 32.1 cm) (each). Signed with red artist's seals. Sold for $18,750. 

Cf. my post: Heritage Auctions returns to 'Asia Week' in New York with Fine & Decorative Asian Art Auction

Lot 78253. A Large and Impressive Chinese Gilt Silver, Bronze, Enamel, Jade, Coral, and Hardstone Tea House and Pavilion Diorama, 20th century; 13 h x 28-3/4 w x 20-1/2 d inches (33.0 x 73.0 x 52.1 cm) (overall). Sold for $13,750.

Lot 78051. A Chinese Carved Agate Snuff Bottle, Qing Dynasty; 2-1/2 inches high (6.4 cm). Sold for $13,750.