A Song Dynasty 'Ge' Octagonal Vase sold for $1.8 million at Sotheby's. Image via Sotheby's

By Mackie Healy, Art Market Views Contributor

Chinese zillionaires, dealers and a few well-off Americans ignored estimates yesterday at Sotheby’s New York Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale, paying out-sized prices for the rarest material on offer.  The sale tallied $15.2 million.

Choosy bidders sifted through porcelain, Imperial jades, furniture and paintings, snatching up a discriminating 61% of lots, leaving 92 of the 233 total lots unsold.

The highlight was a pear shaped 8-inch tall ‘Ge’ Octagonal Vase (Ba Fanghu) which fetched nearly $1.8 million, more than double the $600,000 pre-sale high estimate. The creamy white glaze is riven with dramatic craquelure. The vase sold to an anonymous American collector.

Jade vessels were also in demand, with three ranking among the top ten lots. An impressive early Qing jade vase, depicting knotted tree branches and a pair of cranes, failed to sell, however. The eight inch high, pale green stone was projected to go for $650,000 – $750,000.

The Top Ten lots:

1. A ‘Ge’ Octagonal Vase (Ba Fanghu)         $1,762, 500            Est. $400,000 – $600,000

2. “Landscape with Boats” by Yao Shou        $1,082,500            Est. $300,000 – $500,000
Handscroll, Ink and Color on Paper

3. Important Imperial Painting from the Set    $   992,500            Est. $120,000 – $150,000
of Seventeen Paintings Commemorating the
Victories over the Muslim Rebellion

4. Jadeite Bird-Shaped Vessel and Cover,      $   632,500            Est. $  40,000 – $  60,000
Late Qing Dynasy

5. Pair of ‘Huanghuali’ Yokeback Armchairs    $   482,500            Est. $   60,000 – $  90,000
(Guanmao Yi) Qing Dynasy, Kangxi Period

6. Parcel-Gilt Bronze Vase (Hu) Qing Dynasy,  $   442,500            Est. $140,000 – $180,000
Kangxi Period

7. Spinach Jade Vase (Hu)            $   442,500            Est. $350,000 – $450,000

8. Imperial ‘Zitan’ ‘Dahlia’ Table (Tiaozhuo)    $   392,500            Est. $300,000 – $500,000

9. Imperial Inscribed Khotan Jade Book        $   386,500            Est. $250,000 – $300,000

10. ‘Ru’-Type Vase (Hu), Qianlong Seal        $   386,500            Est. $180,000 – $250,000
Mark and Period