SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- As the hammer hit down for the last lot in the gallery on October 2nd, Bonhams Fall Asian Decorative Arts auction in San Francisco marked another successful sale, fetching a total of $1,858,337.

Chinese works of art continued to attract the most competitive bidding interest from a roomful of enthusiastic buyers, as well as buyers participating in the sale online and by telephone.

Chinese paintings and calligraphy was one of the strongest areas of the sale. A group of seven Chinese Imperial Edicts and Edict fragments from the Qing dynasty sold for $98,500, soaring past its pre-sale estimate of $15,000-20,000. A hanging scroll attributed to Gao Qifeng (1889-1933), depicting birds and banana leaves, was added to the collection of a new owner at the price of $43,750, easily beating a pre-sale estimate of $1,200-1,800. Another traditionally themed Chinese painting by a group of celebrated artists, Guan Shanyue (1912-2000), Yang Shanshen (1913-2004), Zhao Shaoang (1905-1998) and Li Xiongcai (1910-2001), sold for $22,500, outperforming a pre-sale estimate of $2,500-4,000.

Chinese porcelains and jade carvings remain popular categories in the market. A famille rose enameled porcelain stick-neck vase from the Republic Period achieved $43,750 (pre-sale est. $6,000-8,000); a tall blue and white porcelain figure of Guanyin from the 20th century sold for an impressive $47,500 (pre-sale est. $2,000-3,000); and a pair of massive carved spinach jade basins from late Qing/Republic period sold for $40,000, doubling its pre-sale estimate of $20,000-40,000.

A 16th century gilt copper alloy figure of Syamatara was one of the top performing lots from other works of art; its realized price of $32,500, far exceeding a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-6,000.

The next auctions of Asian works of art at Bonhams will be Fine Asian Works of Art and Asian Decorative Arts, set to take place December 10-11 in San Francisco, with previews to be held December 8-10.