Antiques Trade Gazette 13


Terence Ryle reports


AUCTIONEER Tony Pratt has had his fair share of the Asian boom at the Canterbury Auction Galleries, but he was still surprised to see stars from the Orient offered on December 7 outshine the previous day’s display of jewellery which traditionally tops pre-Christmas sales. “Eighty lots of Oriental sold for


£88,500, an average of £1106 per lot, while 177 lots of jewellery sold for £82,515, or £466 per lot, the first time this has happened in our history,” said Mr Pratt. “The internet has opened up our sales to a remarkable degree and there seems to be no end in sight for demand in the Oriental objects we offer.” What, to some observers,


seemed more of a suprise was that the top lot was not from China but Japan, while the runner-up – and sleeper of the sale – came from India. The Japanese piece was the Meiji


period Tokyo School carved ivory okimono of a bearded man with children and a flower ball illustrated on this page. Found in a house in Folkestone, it


was “one of the finest carvings I’ve ever handled and in perfect condition”, said Mr Pratt, who estimated it at £8000- 12,000. International bidders valued it more


highly but they finally gave way to a Yorkshire collector who won the okimono at £15,500. The Indian star was the Mughal-


period, mutton-fat jade dagger handle also illustrated here. The head of the 4¼in (11cm) handle


was carved as a camel’s head with a gold-coloured metal collar inset with rubies. The fixing had suffered damage, the collar was creased and damaged and some rubies were missing. All this, and the fact that jade can


be notoriously difficult to date, kept the printed guide down to a low-ball £200-


Above: Mughal jade dagger handle – £14,500 at the Canterbury Auctions Galleries. Above right: Tokyo School ivory okimono – £15,500. Right: celadon jade bowl – £9500.


Seasonal surprise as rising sun shines brighter than jewellery


Canterbury Auction Galleries Number of lots offered: 1290 Lots sold: 71% Buyer’s premium: 19.5% Sale total: £360,000


Lots sold to internet: 116 Value sold to internet: £45,140 Registered internet bidders: 367


300. It sold to a Sussex specialist arms and armour dealer at £14,500. Best of the Chinese pieces was


another piece of jade, a 7in (18cm) wide celadon bowl also illustrated here. It was carved to the exterior – indeed


one might say framed by – naturalistic foliage, flower and scrolling branches. Although it was given no date or


dynasty – ‘leave it to the market’ is the


practical, safety-first policy of most cataloguers of Chinese ceramics and works of art – the auctioneers were in no doubt of its value, giving it an estimate of £10,000-12,000. However, the cooling of Chinese


buyers has been noted elsewhere and the bowl went at £9500 to a Chinese mainlander on the phone. The same buyer secured a pale and


Craftsmanship key to gold and silver


THE melt price of gold and silver played their part in the £275,000 sale held by Hartleys (15% buyer’s premium) at Ilkley on December 7, but rarity and craftsmanship also impelled bidding – one of the best silver prices came for a 1oz 7dwt rare lace-back trefid spoon. The 7¾in spoon, dated c.1680 was made by Katherine Mangy and hallmarked for Hull. It sold just above the lower estimate at £3100. Among the gold offerings, the eye-catcher was


the early 19th century 18ct musical snuffbox, right, which was held over from the large estate which produced several high prices in September. The 2½ x


1½in (6 x 4cm) box with a cylinder musical movement came with its original key and red leather case and, against a £2500-4000 estimate, sold on the phone to a Continental buyer at £6000. While there is nothing unusual these days in


seeing a piece of Chinese porcelain go at ten times the estimate, what was rather less common here was the nationality of the winner. An 8½in high (22cm) tall Chinese blue and white ovoid jar decorated with figures marked for the Kangxi period was estimated at £300-500 but sold at £6500 to a member of the Yorkshire trade in the room.


dark grey jade 3½in (9cm) belt hook carved with a dragon from the same local vendor at a below-estimate £2700. The more selective Chinese bidders


become, the more chance there is for home buyers. At Canterbury a good, large,


20th century carved ivory puzzle ball continued on page 14


Above: gold musical snuffbox – £6000 at Hartleys.


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