$32 million Bloch collection of snuff bottles on the block
- February 24, 2010 15:17
Bonhams expects to raise at least 20 million pounds ($32 million) in a series of auctions featuring antique Chinese snuff bottles.
The late Hong Kong-based businessman, George Bloch, and his wife Mary, known as astute collectors, accumulated 1,720 Qing Dynasty bottles over the course of twenty years. About 140 pieces from their collection will be in the first sale on May 28 in Hong Kong.
The collection should appeal to China's newly minted wealthy elite who have been driving prices up for works representing their heritage. According to the database Art Market Reasearch, porcelains dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties have increased 48.2 percent between 2005 and 2009.
