NEW YORK, NY.- The three live sales of Asian Art Week totaled $46,685,403, achieving 259 percent hammer and premium above low estimate combined, with a sell-through rate of 91 percent. More than half the lots during the week sold above the high estimate, and 28 percent of buyers were either new to Christie's or to the category they were buying in. Christie's set four records for artists in the South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art sale, saw a thriving modern Japanese and Korean market, and strong bidding in the Chinese Works of Art sale across categories. The week began with Japanese and Korean Art, which totaled $2,463,419, selling 159 percent hammer and premium against low estimate and 86 percent by lot. South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art was 100 percent sold by lot for a total of $12,383,154, or 191 percent hammer and premium above low estimate. Important Chinese Furniture and Works of Art made $31,838,830, 92 percent sold by lot, and 320 percent sold hammer and premium against low estimate.

The Head of the Chinese Works of Art Department in New York, Vicki Paloympis, said: “The Important Chinese Furniture and Works of Art sale capped off a fantastic week of sales, showing strength in Classical furniture, Ming and Qing porcelains, and early jades. We saw particular interest in works from private American collections, such as the Chinese furniture from the Shanruoshui Xuan Collection and the Chinese porcelains from the Thomas R. Vaughan Collection. There was energetic participation in the saleroom, on the phone, and online-- especially from North America and Asia-- showing a continued global interest in the Asian art market.”

Asian Art Week continues with two online auctions:

• Concluding 24 Sept. Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, including Property from the Pal Family Collection.

• Concluding 25 Sept. Arts of Asia Online.

Japanese and Korean Art
Live 16 Sept.

A Hokusai painting of a Standing Beauty led this season's Japanese and Korean Art sale, fetching more than four times its low estimate at $444,500. Overall, the sale totaled $2,463,419, selling 159 percent hammer and premium against low estimate and 86 percent by lot. The sale was strong in modern and contemporary works. The top modern lot of the sale was Kim Whanki's oil painting Untitled, which brought $177,800; followed by Okada Kenzo's Rock ($139,700); and Inoue Yuichi's Shoku (To belong to, to pay attention to), which made $101,600.

KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Standing Beauty
Price realized: $444,500

South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art
Live 17 Sept.

The auction was 100 percent sold by lot for a total of $12,383,154, or 191 percent hammer and premium above low estimate. An important Untitled painting from 1984 by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde brought the highest price in the sale, realizing $2,393,000. First sold by Christie's on 20 December 1987 in a charity auction in Mumbai, this luminous work is meticulously constructed using numerous translucent layers of fiery amber and gold. Among the notable results in the sale were records that Christie's set for a work by Sheikh Mohammed Sultan for Untitled (Cultivation), which realized $50,800; for a work by Ivan Peries for Untitled (Figure on the Shore), which made $63,500. There were also records for works on paper by two artists: for Biren De's Untitled, which brought $20,320; and for Rashid Choudhury's XXX at $8,890.

VASUDEO S. GAITONDE (1924-2001)
Untitled
Price realized: $2,393,000

Important Chinese Furniture and Works of Art
Live 18-19 Sept.

Competitive bidding from around the world and in the saleroom drove the total for the sale to $31,838,830, 92 percent sold by lot, and 320 percent sold hammer and premium against low estimate. As has been the case in recent years, this sale had strong section of important pieces of furniture that attracted important prices. The highest-valued furniture lot was the top lot of the sale and of Asia Week in total, a rare Huanghuali Corner-Leg Table of the 17th century fetching $3,369,000, more than 10 times its low estimate. The Ceramics market also remained very strong, attracting aggressive bidding by global collectors. The top lot in this category was an exceptionally rare imperial ruby red-ground Falangcai 'Indian Lotus' wine cup that soared past five-times its low estimate to bring $1,587,500, one of a number of works from the Collection of Thomas R. Vaughan (1908-1979) that realized strong results in the sale. Other notable results from other collections included: a magnificent and extremely rare Dehua figure of standing Damo Ming Dynasty, 17th century, which made $1,143,000 against a low estimate of $400,000; as well as an exceedingly rare imperial blue-ground Falangcai 'peony' bowl that went almost 15 times its low estimate to realize $889,000 from the collection of Louise and Donald Aberfeld.

A VERY RARE HUANGHUALI CORNER-LEG TABLE 17TH CENTURY
Price realized: $3,369,000