Richmond Hill, ON – 888 Auctions concluded a successful auction with a rare and genuine antique French Gilt-Bronze and Champlevé Enamel Clock bringing in an astounding $15,600, far exceeding the high estimate (est. $5,000-10,000). The June 21 sale comprising 450 lots, experienced robust participation from around the world with bidders from over 25 countries.

From the outset, it was clear collectors were looking intently at the breadth and quality of the stone carvings featured in the June auction. In an unexpected and crowd-pleasing turn of events, lot 174, a signed Zigang white jade pendant fetched $19,200, nearly 40 times its high estimate (est. $300-400). It was clear upon careful inspection the small jade pendant hailed from the Qing Dynasty.

Tianhuang stone carved seals also found many new owners. Most notably, at lot 109, after a feverish bidding war between two floor bidders and 27 bids, a Chinese Carved Tianhuang Stone Seal with Surmounted Dragon, soared above its $1,000 high estimate, bringing in a remarkable $8,400 and a resounding round of applause from the gallery floor.

In all, the category of stone carvings alone achieved $43,400 alone.

Estimated at $5,000-10,000, the featured lot of the sale was unquestionably a rare and genuine antique French Gilt-Bronze and Champlevé Enamel Clock, Circa 1900. Bidders on the floor, on the telephone, and the internet competed fiercely for the rare enameled clock. Starting at $900, the bidding for lot 442 concluded with the hammer falling at a winning bid $15,600.

In light of a crackdown on the exportation of exotic ivory and horn carved items around the world in recent months, it was not a surprise to see several ivory and horn carved items fail to reach its estimate. However, lot 422, a Chinese ivory carved figural group, still managed to achieve a strong of final price of $13,200.

Despite the excitement surrounding the high prices achieved by jade and Tianhuang stone carvings, the collection of porcelains did not perform up to par. Whether the underwhelming performance of ceramics was due to a saturation of ceramics in the Asian art market remains to be seen; however, it was clear collectors around the world were thirsting for authentic high quality items with provenance. In fact, for this auction the numbers did not lie; high quality items with a high estimate of over $5,000 nearly doubled their respective estimates across all categories of art in this auction.

With a sell-through rate of over 50%, connoisseurs of Chinese art have realized they do not need to pay an arm and a leg for an authentic piece of Asian Antiques and fine works of art at 888 Auctions.

For consignment inquiries for our August auction or additional information, please contact 888 Auctions at 905.763.7201 or by email at info@888auctions.com. For detailed post-auction results and hammer prices, please visit us at www.888auctions.com.