We at Dreweatts are thrilled with the results from our latest two-day Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art sale on 21 & 22 May! Day One included a selection of rare and beautiful pieces of great historical value, such as an ornately carved, Imperial zitan and huanghuali table screen that had been gifted by the Dowager Empress Cixi to Anne Evelind Barnes for her work setting up the soup kitchens in Tianjin (Lot 137). Other highlights included a brilliant and detailed cloisonné censer dating to the 15th-16th century (Lot 177), and a pale celadon quatrefoil box and cover of Chinese origin fashioned in Mughal style (Lot 45), among many other spectacular items. Day Two featured a large and varied selection of pieces from other parts of Asia, such as an intricately designed gold coloured enamel and gem-set casket (Lot 528), a rare jewelled jade-hilted Kard dagger and scabbard (Lot 499) - both from India - and an exquisite and delicate, gem-set rock crystal cup of Mughal origin (Lot 529) dating to the 19th century.

The auction achieved a total of £2.29 million (including Buyer's Premium), 276% of the presale estimate. Commenting on the results, Mark Newstead, our Senior Consultant in our Asian Ceramics and Works of Art department said, "We were delighted with the auction with extremely strong bidding from across the world in all categories and with an unusually low unsold rate of 13%".