SKINNER TO HOLD AUCTION
OF ASIAN WORKS OF ART
Featuring Important Selections from the Berwind Collection
and the Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Collection
BOSTON, Mass. - October 10, 2006
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www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, one of the nation’s leading auction houses of antiques and fine art, will hold an auction of Asian Works of Art at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 21, 2006 in its Boston gallery. It will be a sale marked by important offerings, including objects from the Berwind Collection and the collection of dealer and collector Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, among other highlights. Significant objects will include a Chinese bottle shape blue and white vase with a flaring rim, probably from the Yuan period (1279-1368), (lot 394A, est. $100/120,000). Additional highlights range from an 18th century Chinese southern official’s hat chair (lot 546, est. $23/25,000), and a pair of 18th/19th century Chinese chairs, the surface of cinnabar lacquer carved with dragons, phoenixes, and clouds (lot 547, est. $12/15,000) to two silver beakers from the Achaemenid period (lots 98 and 99, est. $3/5,000 each). “These very rarely appear on the market,” says department director James Callahan of the beakers.
Collections
Several pieces from the private collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth will be offered, some of which have not been seen on the open market for more than thirty years. Of particular note is a painting by Pan Tien Shou (1897-1971), head of the Hsin Hua Academy (1926) and director of the National Academy (1948) (lot 63, $40/60,000). The scroll, bearing the artist’s seal, was purchased by Ellsworth in the early 1970s from the artist’s estate from the Chi Ku Chai.
Assembled before 1950, the Berwind Collection is known for its selection of fine jades, a number of them of Imperial quality. There are over 60 pieces in the group, including a pair of Chinese jade jars with stands, bearing the Ch’ien Lung six character mark (lot 248, est. $40/60,000), a jade covered jar and stand, bearing the Ch’ien Lung mark (1735-1796) (lot 249, est. $40/60,000), and a pair of jade table screens, dated to a cyclical date during the Ch’ien Lung period (1686-1722) (lot 250, est. $20/30,000). Additional offerings include an Indian jade dagger hilt from the 17th century Mughal period (lot 261, est. $8/10,000), a jade vase, cover and stand, bearing a four-character Ch’ien Lung mark (1735-1796) (lot 253, est. $6/8,000), and an 18th century jade carving with stand (lot 260, est. $6/8,000). An 18th century Chinese Jade incense case (lot 246, est. $5/7,000), another jade vase, with the four-character Ch’ien Lung mark (1735-1796) (lot 255, est. $4/6,000), and an 18th century Chinese white jade snuff bottle (lot 345, est. $3/5,000) also will be featured. Other important examples from the collection include a very large (height: 17 ½ inches) 18th century Sang de Boeuf vase (lot 395, est. $5/7,000), as well as a 19th century Chinese six-panel ivory folding screen (lot 291, est. $6/8,000), and a pair of 18th/19th century Chinese hanging lanterns, each composed of twelve rectangular engraved panels (lot 258, est. $4/6,000).
Additional Highlights
Also highlighting the sale are an 18th century Spanish Colonial Southeast Asian figure of a saint, with goan ivory carved head and hands (lot 274, est. $30/50,000), and a 17th/18th century Vietnamese carved wooden image of Avalokiteshvara (lot 496, est. $5/7,000). Other noteworthy selections include a Jade vase, cover and stand, with a four-character Ch’ien Lung mark (1735-1796) (lot 253, est. $6/8,000), a Fang Ku form Jade vase with four-character Ch’ien Lung mark (1735-1796) (lot 255, $4/6,000), and a Japanese Meiji period palace vase (1868-1911) (lot 526, est. $3/5,000). Additional features include a large collection of ancient Chinese bronzes (including a gilt-bronze spittoon from the Han period (2nd century B.C. to 2nd century A.D., lot 139, est. $2,5/3,500), a group of very fine early ceramics, and a selection of fine modern paintings.
Previews and Catalogue Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m., Thursday, October 19th, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, October 20th, and 9 to 10 a.m., Saturday, October 21st. Illustrated catalogue #2335 is available by mail for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the Subscription Department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is also available at the gallery for $29. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, or visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner’s site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogues online.
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About Skinner
Skinner, Inc. is one of the nation's leading auction houses for antiques and fine art and the only major auction house headquartered in New England. With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest of buyers from all over the world and its auctions regularly achieve world record prices. Skinner provides a broad range of auction and appraisal services, and it is widely regarded as one of the most trusted names in the auction business. Skinner's appraisal experts regularly appear on the PBS-TV series, Antiques Roadshow, and its specialty departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, and Discovery. Skinner galleries are located in Boston and Bolton, Mass. For more information on upcoming auctions and events, visit Skinner's web site
www.skinnerinc.com.
