The citywide festival Asian Art in London holds its 11th edition from October 30 through November 12, spotlighting all things Eastern, from Indian gems to Uzbeki weaving. There are exhibitions—selling and academic—lectures, films and symposia, as well as specialist auctions at Bonhams, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, beginning November 4. A highlight of the Chinese sale at Christie’s on the 4th is a rare imperial famille rose bowl, 1723–35 (est. £250– 400,000; $454–726,000). Mallett Antiques, famous for its fine British furniture and objects, surprises and delights with glittering Indian jewels presented in tandem with fellow London dealer Samina Inc. Showing in St. James Place, Esther Fitzgerald has a range of textiles from Burma, China, Indonesia and Uzbekistan that date to the 14th through 20th centuries. And the first-time festival participant I-MYU Projects has brought works by such contemporary Korean artists as Debbie Han and Seahyun Lee, whose paintings are priced from £3,000 to £15,000 ($5,400–27,200). Meanwhile, Chinese contemporary art has not been overlooked: Artsrepublik is selling paintings by Chun Hai, Liu Jian Xia and Li Guo Rui priced from £3,000 to £20,000 ($5,400–36,300), all profits from which are to be put toward the art education of Chinese children.

“The festival’s success could never have been envisaged when it was first proposed,” observes the renowned Oriental art dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi, who is offering a rare Western Han (206 B.C.–A . D. 9) earthenware figure of a kneeling female attendant that has retained its original painting. “Asian Art in London has become an essential occasion for collectors, curators and enthusiasts from around the world.”

A guide with event listings and maps can be found at participating venues and at asianartinlondon.com. "Eastern Eden" originally appeared in the November 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's November 2008 Table of Contents.