Leonard Joel is honoured to announce a new and expanded Asian Art department with the appointment of Luke Guan as Head of Asian Art at Leonard Joel. Luke is acknowledged as a leading expert in his field with a passion for Chinese ceramics and works of art, Buddhist arts, Himalayan arts, Chinese paintings, and Japanese and Korean arts.
Qianlong Mark and of the Period (1735-1796). Sold for $156,250
With extensive experience across local and international auction houses, galleries, and museums, Luke has been successfully advising both private and public collectors in Australia and abroad. In recent years, the Chinese and Asian Art auctions in Australia curated by Luke have consistently surpassed the $1 million mark.
Leonard Joel’s current Asian Art department will merge with Luke Guan’s auction practice.
John Albrecht, Chairman and Head of Important Collections at Leonard Joel, says, “Luke’s experience with Christie’s New York, Hong Kong, and even London, combined with his in-depth background gained from working closely with Raymond and Victoria Tregaskis and Allan Rae in the past, and his time as both a researcher and specialist at the world’s leading Chinese art gallery, Joyce Gallery in Hong Kong, make him the perfect fit to take the reins of Leonard Joel’s Asian Art offering. With Luke’s joining, we have the confidence to offer our clients unrivalled access to the largest marketplace in Australia and overseas, as well as a global network of sellers, buyers, and collectors.”
Luke Guan says, “It is no secret that my dream has always been to create and drive Australia’s preeminent Asian Art auction department and gallery offering. In recent years in Australia, I have overseen the largest Asian Art sales and now this union with Leonard Joel enables me to provide a truly national service on a superior scale. I am confident that the hammers I have traditionally delivered, plus those already established by Leonard Joel in this collecting field, will enable the development of an Asian Art department like no other in this country, and that is exciting to me!”
Important collections that Luke has worked with over his career include “The Linyushanren collection of Chinese Ceramics”; “The Irving Collection”; “Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver”; “Chinese Art from The Art Institute of Chicago”, “Important Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from a Distinguished European Collection”, “The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection”, “The Peter Elliott Colleciton”; “The Raphy Star Collection”, “The Estate of the Late Walter Hochstadter and Alice Chu” and “The Estate of the Late Alan Myren (1934-2022)”.
Highlight pieces from Luke’s time as an Asian Art specialist include a rare and fine pair of famille-rose ‘landscape’ panels by Wang Yeting (1884-1942), sold for $205,760 AUD; a rare Chinese moulded Ding ‘mandarin ducks in lotus’ dish, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), sold for $128,600 AUD; a very fine and rare Nepalese bronze parcel-gilt figure of Tara, 9th-10th century, sold for $330,200; a rare Chinese polychrome wood sculpture of a bodhisattva, Song Dynasty, 11th century, sold for $406,400 AUD, and a finely carved white jade archaistic rhyton, Qing Dynasty, 17th-18th century, sold for $639,000 USD (prices include BP).
Luke Guan will be joining Leonard Joel in Melbourne on March 1st and his first curated auction of Asian Art at Leonard Joel will be in August 2024.
If you have a collection of Asian Art or a single item you are thinking of selling, please contact Luke Guan on 0455 891 888 or by email at luke.guan@leonardjoel.com.au
Luke will also be conducting complimentary appraisals in Sydney from the 3rd – 9th of March, by appointment.
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More about Luke Guan
Luke is an approved valuer for the Australian Government’s Cultural Gift Program. He has provided valuation services to multiple public museums and private collectors across Australia and overseas. He holds a Master of Letters (MLitt) degree in Chinese Art History at the University of Glasgow and Christie’s Education. Luke is a native Chinese speaker.
Other notable sales from Luke’s career include:
A rare and fine Chinese yellow-ground blue and white ‘dragon’ bowl, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722), sold for $19,290 AUD; a fine Chinese Yue celadon ‘chicken head spout’ ewer, Southern Dynasties (420-589), sold for $24,434 AUD; a rare and important Chinese cinnabar lacquer carved three-tiered double-lozenge-shaped box, cover and stand, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795), sold for $33,436 AUD; a rare and fine Ding/Dangyangyu persimmon-glazed conical tea bowl, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), sold for $46,296 AUD; a Chinese carved bamboo incense holder, Qing Dynasty, 17th-18th century, sold for $59,156 AUD; a very rare Guan compressed jar Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), sold for $106,250 USD; a superb Jian ‘hare’s fur’ tea bowl Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), sold for $93,750 USD; a very fine and rare Chinese Longquan Guan celadon vessel, zhadou, sold for $77,160 AUD; and a fine Chinese white jade-carved vase, Qianlong period (1736-1795), sold for $64,300 AUD (prices include BP).
Top Image: Luke Guan, Asian Art Specialist
February 2024