LONDON - International auction house Bonhams sale of Fine Japanese Art made a total of £1.5million yesterday (15th May 2014), confirming its current place as the leading venue in Europe for selling the art of Japan.
The top lot in the sale was a pair of fine and rare early-19th-century sword covers with metal fittings (lot 196), which were estimated to sell for £35,000 to £45,000 but went to a telephone bidder for £75,500.
The sale took place in a packed room of enthusiastic buyers at Bonhams spectacular new £30m headquarters on London's New Bond Street, with bids coming in from a bank of telephones and the internet.
A world-record auction price for a miniature Satsuma masterpiece was set for a work by Yabu Meizan as bidders competed fiercely for a small Satsuma jar and cover from the celebrated Tomkinson collection, finely decorated in enamels and gilt with a continuous snow scene (lot 464). The lot was secured by a mystery online buyer for an exceptional £52,500 against its pre-sale estimate of £6,000-£8,000.
Other top performing lots included a small four-case inro and lacquer netsuke by the important Meiji period artist Shibata Zeshin (lot 96) which sold for £50,000, doubling its estimate. The inro, intricately decorated in gold and inlaid with pewter and mother-of-pearl, shows three boats in a sea of formalised waves.
A small lacquer four-case inro and lacquer hako-netsuke. Both by Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), Meiji Period. Sold for £50,000. Photo: Bonhams.
A stunning gold-lacquer writing-box set (lot 401) decorated with a night view of glowing fireflies realised £50,000 – five times its estimate.
The panoramic array of items sold included a wealth of Arts and Crafts, netsuke (carved sculptural toggles) and inro (miniature interlocking medicine cases); armour; woodblock prints, featuring a selection of erotic 'shunga' subjects; painted folding screens; sculpture in ivory and metal; lacquered works; and ceramics. The lots dated from as far back as the Jomon period (c.10,000-c.300BC) right up to the Heisei era (1989-present), showcasing more than two millennia of Japanese culture.
Suzannah Yip, UK director and Head of Japanese art at Bonhams, commented: "Once again our range of the Arts of Japan attracted a wide audience from Europe, USA, Australiasia, the Far East and Russia. This time, particularly notable were Chinese-speaking bidders from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan who featured prominently in the bidding and purchased widely among the best objects. We look forward to selling the next part of the legendary Wrangham collection as a highlight of our auction in November during the world famous international event 'Asian Art in London'."