NEW YORK, NY.- After two days, two sales, and 234 lots that ranged across millennia, medium, style, and technique, Christie's Chinese Works of Art auctions showed a vibrant market asserting its strength. Together, Ritual, Cosmos, and Imperial Splendor: Important Chinese Art from a Private North American Collection and Important Chinese Art Including Ceramics from the Art Institute of Chicago totaled $25,966,160, more than two times the combined low estimate. The sale series began with Ritual, Cosmos, and Imperial Splendor: Important Chinese Art from a North American Private Collection, which totaled $8,695,680, or 1.7 times its low estimate, and was 94 percent sold by lot. The Important Chinese Art Including Ceramics from the Art Institute of Chicago auction made $17,270,480, realizing 2.5 times the sale's low estimate.

The top lots across the two sales demonstrated strong demand for a diverse range of categories, from gilt-bronze sculpture and huanghuali furniture to ceramics. The two highest-priced lots overall were a 17th-century Waistless Huanghuali Daybed, which achieved $3,170,000 (26 times its low estimate), and a Famille Rose 'Bats and Peaches' Bowl from The Art Institute of Chicago, which realized $2,048,000 (five times its low estimate), both offered in Important Chinese Art. The third-highest result was achieved in Ritual, Cosmos, and Imperial Splendor: a 15th-century gilt-bronze figure of Vajrapani, which realized $704,000, more than double its low estimate.

The Head of the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department in New York, Vicki Paloympis, said: “This season we had two fantastic sales that showed great results. As we have seen in previous seasons, but now more than ever, the strongest results were driven by works that combined superb quality with exceptional provenance. The enthusiasm for pieces from the private North American collection, as well as works from The Art Institute of Chicago, highlights the market's continued appreciation for objects with superb quality and compelling histories.”

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS Ritual, Cosmos, and Imperial Splendor: Important Chinese Art from a Private North American Collection. This sale featured an innovative curatorial approach, with specialists organizing the lots into sections centered around three important themes of Chinese Works of Art.

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS Important Chinese Art Including Ceramics from the Art Institute of Chicago

The sale included classical Chinese furniture and scholar's objects from the Shanruoshui Xuan Collection; rare robes from the Collection of Jon Eric Riis; early Chinese works of art from the Max N. Berry Collection; and Kangxi famille verte treasures formerly in the collection of William J. Ruane.