Asian Antique Shop

Skinner to offer million-dollar jade collection Oct. 17-18

WRITTEN BY AUCTION HOUSE PR

Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

BOSTON - Skinner Inc. will conduct a two-day auction of Asian works of art on Oct. 17-18 at its Boston gallery, with Internet live bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. The highlight of the sale is an extensive collection of jades that includes four pieces previously appraised by Skinner's James Callahan at a taping of PBS Television's Antiques Roadshow. The event marked the first million-dollar appraisal in the show's history.
The consignor acquired the collection from her father who brought the items while stationed in China during the 1930s and 1940s as a military liaison. The collection is crowned by a circa-1774 Imperial jade bowl from the Qianlong reign. It was crafted for the Emperor and is estimated at $400,000-$600,000.

Also offered from the impressive collection is an 18th-century translucent pale green jade bowl (lot 577, est. $30,000-50,000), an Imperial Workshop jade ewer (lot 579, est. $80,000-$100,000), a jade mythical animal (lot 580, est. $200,000-$300,000), a pricket candle stand (lot 600A, est. $10,000-$15,000), an exotic octagonal tea box (lot 598A, est. $10,000-$15,000) and two pure white jade plaques (lots 578 and 594, each estimated at $4,000-$6,000). All of the above will be offered during session II of the sale, which takes place on Oct. 18.

According to James Callahan, Skinner's Asian Works of Art department director, "Our expectation is for this to be a historic sale for Skinner. We have an extremely strong offering of Chinese material, the collection of jades being incredibly rare. And, with that country's improving economic conditions we anticipate highly competitive international bidding."

Aside from the aforementioned jade collection, hundreds of other lots of jades will be offered during session I of the sale, which takes place on Oct. 17. Other important early Chinese offerings include an early Ming gilt-bronze figure of Buddha (lot 666, est. $2,000-$3,000), a carved rhinoceros horn cup (lot 814, est. $10,000-$15,000), and a Jiajing Imperial yellow bowl (lot 686, est. $500-$700).

The sale will also feature a number of museum-quality Korean ceramics from the Koryo and Yee periods, highlighted by a celadon storage jar (lot 267, est. $3,000-$5,000), a pair of Huang Hua Li chairs (lot 632, est. $800-$1,200), a red lacquered painted table (lot 1083, est. $1,500-$2,000), as well as a good group of Chinese textiles.

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 508-970-3000. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.