MALVERN, Pa. – Converse Auctions will bid farewell to 2016 with a new name, a new owner and a New Year’s online auction, planned for Friday, December 30th, packed with over 350 lots of fine Chinese antiques, including a rare and important Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Jun Yao bowl. People can register to bid and view the catalog at www.converseauctions.com.

The company has changed its name to Converse Auctions from Gordon S. Converse & Co., founded by Gordon Converse, who began his career as a horologist and an appraiser on the hit PBS series Antiques Roadshow. Converse Auctions is now solely owned and operated by M. Todd Converse.

It’s a seamless transition. Todd had already been working and learning under his father, and he brings 15 years’ of experience to his new position. As someone who understands the auction business and has a deep appreciation of beautiful things, Todd Converse brings a renewed energy to Converse Auctions. Todd proudly displays his family's ancestral crest in the new logo, representing his respect for history and his commitment to fair trade and customer satisfaction.

Right now his focus is on presenting fine items in the Dec. 30 sale. “This auction offers everything from exquisite jade carvings, porcelain and jewelry to bronze Buddhas and zitan furniture,” Converse said. “It also has beautiful art pieces, cloisonné and unusual plique-a-jour.” The auction will start at 10 am Eastern time. Previews will be held Dec. 28-29, from 10-4, in the Malvern showroom at 57 Lancaster Avenue.

With a pre-auction estimate of $10,000-$15,000, the Yuan Dynasty Jun Yao bowl is the sale’s expected top lot. The bowl is glazed in the traditional complex blue glaze, developed in the Henan province during the Northern Song and Jin dynasties. The curving sides rise from a short, unglazed foot. The interior is pale blue, with a purple splash. The bowl was last sold in 1956.

Chinese white jade pieces are expected to do particularly well. A possible challenger to the Yuan Dynast bowl for top lot honors is a white jade vase in the shape of moon flask, with curved, scroll-shaped ears from the neck to shoulder, 7 ¾ inches tall. Carved with a central character and the outside of the body bordered in a ruyi pattern, the lot is estimated to gavel for $5,000-$8,000.

Two other white jade pieces have identical estimates of $3,000-$5,000. One is a bowl carved in a lotus blossom form with eight lobes and a beveled mouth rim. The translucent bowl is raised on a low splayed foot ring. The other is a superbly carved 19th century lidded urn with pierced dragon handles and carved dragons and clouds, bordered by plantain leaves, meander and dragon forms.

A pair of antique Chinese zitan and porcelain wardrobes, each panel decorated with bamboo and birds, two Chinese characters and the artist’s red seal, 94 inches tall by 47 inches wide each, should realize $4,000-$6,000; and a vertical landscape scroll of a mountain in clouds over a tiny house at the edge of a cliff by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), 31 inches tall, should hit $200-$400.

A Qing Dynasty gilt bronze, finely cast Buddha, shown on a gilt bronze lotus leaf, riding a four-footed animal, 7 inches tall, supported on a lotus pedestal, has an estimate of $2,000-$4,000; and a pair of carved rosewood armchairs formed of undulating crest rails above large pierced splats carved with ruyi scepters and inlaid with abalone floral sprays, should make $1,000-$1,500.

A carved jade brush washer in the form of a lotus leaf, with curving edges decorated with lotus blossoms and enhanced by brown inclusions, on a hand-carved base, is expected to command $2,500-$3,500; and a Yong Zheng dragon vase in a box, 11 ½ inches tall, with the vase having a narrow neck and bulbous body and glazed in blue, white and orange, should rise to $800-$1,200.

A pair of carved spinach green jade plates, made to resemble chrysanthemum petals radiating out from the center in three bands, 7 ½ inches in diameter, should hit $1,000-$1,500; while a blue and yellow charger with a large interior central blue and white peony, an interior rim alternating painted fruit, and bordered by curving flower and vine patterns, should command $500-$800.

Two gorgeous Chinese vases have the same pre-sale estimates of $800-$1,200. The first is a famille rose, Qianlong-marked, multi-color trumpet-top vase, decorated in bands of different border patterns above scenes of castles and processions, 15 ½ inches tall. The second is a rare red and white vase with a celadon tint, with dragons encircling the belly of the base, 11 inches tall.

Two plique-a-jour bowls, similar to cloisonné but without the metal backing so light can shine through, decorated with vibrant, multi-colored flowers, will be sold as one lot (est. $400-$600); while a porcelain moon flask with a flat back to be hung on a wall, having a main body decorated in intense cobalt blue waves with white sea creatures, 11 inches tall, should finish at $300-$500.

Bidding may be done directly through the Converse Auctions website, at converseauctions.com, through the Converse smartphone App, or via the online bidding platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. For those planning on attending the preview, Converse Auctions is conveniently located on historic Lancaster Avenue in Malvern, Pennsylvania between Routes 29 and 401 at 57 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern, PA 19355. 

Converse Auctions is accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you may call them directly, at (610) 722-9004; or, you can send an email to Todd Converse, at Todd@ConverseAuctions.com or info@ConverseAuctions.com.

For more information about Converse Auctions and the internet-only Important New Years Chinese Auction planned for Friday, December 30th, please visit www.ConverseAuctions.com.

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