A very rare and large Qianlong tianqiuping vase saw the top bids in Christie's Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on September 19-20 - the final sale of New York's Asia Week.
 The vase bears two dragons, representing the emperor and his heir |
The vase sold for an impressive $1.6m, making a 110% increase on its $800,000 high estimate. In total, the sale realised $28.2m.
The tianqiuping vase, which takes its name from its distinctive form, is decorated with a five-clawed iron red dragon confronting a smaller pink dragon, which is said to represent the passing of knowledge from the Qianlong emperor (1711-1799) to his son, the prince who would become the Jiaqing emperor.
It was once part of the collection of George H Taber (1859-1940), a prolific collector of Chinese ceramics and jades, and has been passed down to the present vendor by descent.
Overall, Christie's Asia Week sales in New York totalled $71.6m, with the top selling item an important and rare bronze ritual wine vessel from the 11th century BC, which sold for $2.3m in a dedicated sale.
The auction house is particularly pleased with the results of its Fine Chinese Paintings auction, with Jonathan Stone, international head of Asian art commenting: "The re-launch and interest stimulated around Chinese paintings at Christie's New York was well-received by the market."
The highest selling work from any auction house during the event was Su Shi's Gong Fu Tie calligraphy, which made $8.2m in Sotheby's Classical Chinese Painting and Calligraphy sale.
You can find more of the top results from Asia Week in our Art & Photography and Antiques news sections - or sign up to our free weekly newsletter to have all this and more delivered direct to your inbox.
