Our Autumn auction in Sydney on Sunday 24th May enjoyed a packed room of eager bidders keen to secure rare pieces from numerous discreet single-owner collections.
The cover lot, a rare six armed Bulmo Buddha lot 151, sold for more than four times its estimate and realised $31,720 (IBP). The only 11cm high piece emanated from the Siegfried Hearst estate and had been held in that collection for more than half a century.
As the auction progressed it was clear that very focused connoisseurship was at play as unusual pieces flew and more readily available pieces sold within estimates. No more so was the hunt for the unusual on display than with lot 229, an extremely rare Tibetan copper book cover from the 16th century, that doubled its low estimate to sell for $9760 (IBP).
But stellar results were not restricted to the Asian region. The auction felt like a tour of world decorative arts when a French origin carving of the Madonna and Child, lot 385, realised $17,080 (IBP). The tall carving of the 14th century sold to a European buyer over the phone. An important private collection of Royal Worcester seemed to complete the tour when lot 3
98, a most impressive Windsor Castle vase painted by Harry Davis, sold for $20,740 (IBP) more than quadrupling its low estimate!
More than $500,000 in fine jewellery, Asian art and European and English objects changed hands and marked Leonard Joel’s most successful Sydney auction to date.