Overvalued/Undervalued: Asia Week at Sotheby's

Cloisonné Figures: Overvalued?
Until about five years ago, large cloisonné figures had been utterly disregarded by haute collectors in both the U.S. and mainland China. Then the mainland Chinese set off on a wild scramble to buy up their heritage and focused on the decorative—rhino cups, cinnabar, and of course cloisonné—which has fueled the current craze. A case in point is a pair of Imperial cloisonné figures from the Qing Dynasty that the venerable Guiseppe Eskenazi firm in London swooped up for a spellbinding €6,528,000 ($8.6 million, est. €1,500,000–2,500,000) at Christie’s Paris on June 13. Experts say those objects, which scored a record price for an Asian artwork sold in France, were especially finely modeled, with intricate enameling. They also happen to be twice the size of the figures to the left, which are being featured by Sotheby’s.

These twin boys, considered omens of fertility, have been on the block before. Back in May 14, 1996, the pair was hammered down for a modest £23,000. Now they are for sale again, and “the estimate is quite steep, and wide, too,” says Philip Constantindini of Guiseppe Eskenazi. Word to the wise: The gilt bronze portions of these “hehe” figures are a tad awkwardly modeled.



Cloisonne and gilt-bronze “hehe” twin boys, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period, 1662-1722. Est. $1,300,000 to 1,800,000. Lot 156, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Sept. 18

Courtesy Sotheby's