The auction, already online, features porcelain, jade, paintings, furniture, carvings, more.
(WEST CHESTER, Pa.) – Nearly 500 lots of Chinese and Asian objects, many of them rare and highly collectible pieces drawn from prominent estates and collections, will be sold in an Internet-only auction to be held Saturday, Dec. 29, at 9:30 a.m. (PST), by Gordon S. Converse & Company, based in Strafford, Pa. The sale is now online, at www.AuctionsatConverse.com.
Pair of Chinese Zitan chairs with fine and sophisticated carving (est. $5,000-$1,000).
Internet bidding is being facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com (bidders can log on now, at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/35659). Live previews are planned for Thursday and Friday, Dec. 27-28, in a gallery located at 128 Greenhill Road in West Chester, Pa. Preview times both days will be between 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Phone and absentee bids will be accepted.
“This sale features a wide variety of items,” said Todd Converse of Gordon S. Converse & Company, “including stamps and currency, carved Zitan furniture and brushpots, seals and scrolls, bronze and jade, porcelain and bamboo.” He added, “It is our largest auction ever, in terms of total number of lots – and it just may be one of our largest grossing auctions ever, too.”
Mr. Converse pointed to the rapidly burgeoning market for quality Chinese and Asian antiques as the reason for his optimism. “These last few years have seen an explosion in the demand for such objects,” he said. It’s coming not just from stateside collectors but from bidders overseas, including the Chinese. Their emerging wealthy class has discretionary cash to spend.”
Perhaps the top lot of the auction will be a pair of Chinese carved Zitan chairs, with fine and sophisticated carving. Each chair measures 41 inches by 25 ½ inches by 20 ½ inches and the pair carries a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$10,000. Another candidate is a Chinese Qing Buddhist book with Imperial jade pages (est. $4,000-$6,000). Each page measures 5 ¾ inches by 9 inches.
Certain to attract attention is a set of four 18th or 19th century double-paneled fine antique Chinese Kesi-like silk embroidered examples, which were apparently part of a set (est. $1,250-$2,500). These feature finely detailed stitch work, depicting figurals of the Chinese culture of the time, all of the highest quality. “These rank among the best we’ve ever seen,” Mr. Converse said.
Collectors of Chinese Huanghuali pieces will not be disappointed. Offered will be a chest with very fine carving, 12 ½ inches by 13 ½ inches by 9 inches (est. $2,000-$4,000); and a lunch box boasting finely carved flying dragons, 10 inches by 14 inches (est. $500-$800). Also sold will be a fine Chinese silk and metallic palace rug, 70 inches by 90 inches (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Additional offerings will include a 19th century Chinese crystal mountain-shaped brush holder with detailed carvings (est. $1,000-$2,000); a Chinese hardwood brushpot, 5 ¼ inches tall (est. $300-$500); and a large Chinese Qing Imperial green jade seal, with 18 smaller seals, in a Zitan box with a finely carved cover, measuring 9 ½ inches by 13 inches (est. $1,000-$2,000).
Collectors of Chinese paper money will be able to bid on currency bills in multiple lots, with pre-sale estimates ranging from $400 to $800. Chinese stamps will feature a group of 318 early stamps (Qing Dynasty to Republic) housed in an album (est. $400-$600); and a collection of People’s Republic of China stamps (quantity unknown) expected to hammer for $200-$300.
A pair of large Ming Dynasty cricket cages measuring 6 inches by 10 ½ inches, with the lidded vessels having a pierced top and decorated in multi-colors, with dragon tracing along the sides, should realize $800-$1,250. Also sold will be a Chinese famille rose teapot, decorated with a landscape view and showing the artist’s mark, diminutive at 5 ¾ inches tall (est. $500-$800).
A Ruyi is a Chinese amulet in the form of a curved, lobed scepter, meant to bestow good wishes for the prosperity of the recipient. The 19th or 20th century Zitan Ruyi with jade in this sale is 14 ½ inches long and should bring $300-$500. Also, a square Chinese famille verte brush pot, marked on the bottom and standing 5 inches tall, carries a pre-sale estimate of $200-$400.
Other expected top lots include a Chinese watercolor landscape book, 12 pages, 10 ½ inches by 14 ½ inches closed (est. $200-$400); a Chinese Daoguang dragon charger, 13 ¼ inches in diameter (est. $800-$1,250); a Chinese porcelain panel, unframed, 14 ½ inches by 10 inches (est. $200-$400); a late 19th century Chinese Tianhuang stone, signed Deng Sun Mu (est. $500-$700); and a 19th century Chinese carved green Duan inkstone in a stone case (est. $400-$600).
Gordon S. Converse & Company is planning a sale in early 2013 that will feature a large collection of tribal arts and silver. Watch the website for details: www.AuctionsatConverse.com, or send an e-mail to [email protected] with a request to be added to the mailing list. Gordon S. Converse & Company is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you may call them directly, at (610) 722-9004; or, you can send an e-mail to either [email protected] or [email protected].
Anyone interested in finding out what an antique item might be worth may do so by sending a photo of the item, along with a check for $40, to Gordon S. Converse & Co., Attn: Gordon S. Converse, 758 Mancill Rd., Strafford, PA 19087. To learn more about Gordon S. Converse & Co., and the Dec. 29 auction, please log on to www.AuctionsatConverse.com