Peking glass water pot

A fine egg-yolk yellow Peking glass water pot carved with peony,
Circa 1780-1850

A rare pair of Dragon Bowls

A rare pair of copper-red and celadon moulded dragon bowls, Kangxi (1662-1722)

Neolithic Ovoid Pot

A burnished Neolithic pot,
Machiayao culture,
Panshan type,
3rd Millenium BCE.

Previous Exhibition - Treasures of the Literati, Jade and Other Objects 19th -31st October 2007

Chinese Celadon seal box (SOLD)

A rare Chinese Longxuan Celadon box and cover, moulded design under a fine bluish-green glaze, Song dynasty, 960-1279.

Tibetan Tara - SOLD

A fine Tibetan gilt-bronze seated Tara, Kasamala Kingdom, with original inlays, 13th-15th century, 15cm.

Outstanding Auction Results

Raymond and Victoria Tregaskis Oriental Antiques

The Estate of Raymond Mitchell

The Collection of Julian Sterling

The Mossgreen auction of Feb 26 and 27 was a major success, with a sold rate, by value, of well above 100%, and a clearance rate of almost 100%. This result is important for the continued success of the Oriental antique market in this country and proves beyond doubt that international prices can be achieved here, just as easily as London or New York.

However, there were still some patchy results and some weak areas, as could be expected with such a range of material.

Auction Analysis:

First night -

• Chinese Sculpture: this area was exceptionally strong, with spirited bidding from a number of Asian buyers. The bronze figures, in many cases, sold for way over the high estimate. Works of Art: objects sold reasonably well, with some doing particularly well, ie: the pair of Ming lacquer bowls and the rhinoceros horn cup.

• Porcelain: this section was very strong, with all pieces well contested, even though there was only one star lot, the pair of Imperial Qianlong bowls, which sold very well, to a local collector

Export Ware: this was by far the weakest area. Chinese buyers are not collecting in this field, and due to a lack of overseas bidders, there were some very good buys in this section. The items on offer were of high quality and quite desirable and it simply demonstrates that auctions are always unpredictable.

• Tibetan & Himalayan: this was another strong area, although there were still some good buys to be had. Bronzes did well overall, but nowhere near as well as the Chinese section. Indian bronzes had a good following across the board, Indian miniatures also sold well.

Second night –

• Japanese: this was always going to be problematical, given the general weakness in the Japanese market internationally. None-the-less there were some very good results, together with a sprinkling of bargains

Netsuke: with such a large offering, the result was very mixed. Some good prices were achieved for the finest ivory examples and solid prices, mixed with some very low offers, amongst the others. Almost all netsuke were sold

Metalwork, Sword fittings: these were of high quality and were the centre of strong bidding from the room and a New York dealer, all were sold. The Ozeki silver koro sold below the estimate to the London trade, once again demonstrating the overall weakness in that aspect of the market

Lacquer: the modern inro by the master Unryuan all sold, but prices ranged from quite low to reasonable. However, because his works do not normally turn up at auction and are contemporary, it was very difficult to know what the outcome would be. The other lacquer did quite well. Porcelain: The rare pair of Arita figures sold very well, to a French buyer, against a local collector. The carp vases sold to the same buyer.

Summary:

There is overall strength in the Chinese market and there are some areas where it is almost impossible to compete; notably, Buddhhist bronzes, white jades, Works of Art, Qing dynasty porcelain. The infatuation with wares from the Qing dynasty, does allow for good buying in other fields, notably earlier jades, tomb wares, Song ceramics. Also, I still believe that Works of Art will continue to rise in value, as collectors become more educated and more experienced.

The Japanese market has never fully recovered from the recession of the early 90’s. Meiji art did make a strong revival, but has slipped back, with the withdrawal from the market of several important collectors and the death of two leading dealers, Barry Davies being one. There are certainly many opportunities to buy well and this is an area offering excellent value for interested collectors.

I believe the market in Tibetan and Himalayan art will continue to strengthen over a long period, as it has continued steadily to date and also, there is a limited access to material. With the rise of India and a booming economy, it seems only logical that prices will also rise, with the expected increase of interest from the local community.

I am travelling to New York this week for Asia Week and will be away for some time. Victoria will be manning the ship in my absence. May we wish you all a very prosperous Year of the Pig.

Ray Tregaskis.