As the hammer came down on Sotheby’s Hong Kong Chinese Works of Art December Sale Series it brought the Hong Kong 2015 annual auction total for Chinese works of art to HK$1.696 Billion, making it the highest annual total for the category among all international auction houses in Asia this year.
Christian Bouvet, director and head of Mid-Season Sales, Chinese Works of Art Department, said, “Sotheby’s Hong Kong Chinese Works of Art sales have gone from strength to strength in 2015, with the December mid-season sales achieving HK$65.2 million, bringing our annual total for the category to HK$1.696 billion and reinforcing our longstanding market leadership in the category.
The strong results of our mid-season sales capitalised on the success of our HK$764 million Autumn Sales in October. The sales that we have been holding in our Pacific Place galleries for the past two years are now recognised as an excellent platform to present to the market long-kept family collections of Chinese works of art and engage new collectors in this field.
Led by a ritual vessel, jue, which topped the two-day sales at HK$3.32 million, Later Chinese Bronzes from the collection of Mr and Mrs Hawthorn achieved HK$16 million.
The Chinese Art sale comprising private collections from Hong Kong, Asia and Europe totalled HK$49.2 million. There was keen competition for many of the lots that sent them well above high estimates. Ceramics and artefacts in general from the Song dynasty performed particularly well.”
