LONDON.- Following on from the tremendous success of The Rousset Collection sold in Paris, which made €14.5M, more than four times its pre-sale estimate, Bonhams Asia Week sales in London achieved a total of over £8.5M. Leading the way was an exceptionally rare blue and white ‘384 Shou’ brushpot, bitong, Kangxi six-character and of the period (1662-1722) that sold for £277,500 at The Marsh Collection: Art for the Literati sale on Thursday 3 November. It had been estimated at £80,000-120,000.

The Marsh Collection: Art for the Literati offered an exceptional collection put together over decades of brushpots and other vessels and paraphernalia made for the scholar’s desk from the late Ming to the Qing dynasty.

Among the other highlights of The Marsh Collection were:

• A rare blue and white ‘Descending Geese’ ovoid jar and cover, Chongzhen. Sold for £94,800 (estimate: £20,000-30,000).

• A very rare Wucai Brushpot, Bitong, Chongzen/Shunzhi. Sold for £75,900 (estimate: £30,000-50,000).

Asaph Hyman, Bonhams Global Head, Chinese Art, commented: “I am delighted with the 100% selling rate and exceptional results for The Marsh Collection, and other exceptional prices in our Fine Chinese Art sale in London, following on from the resounding success of the white glove Rousset Collection in Paris. We’re now looking forward to our sales in Hong Kong later this month.”

The Fine Chinese Art sale, on the same day, was crowned by a rare 18th century Huanghuali ‘Falcon Stand’ Yingjia, which sold for £655,500, against an estimate of £40,000-60,000. Another top lot was an exceptionally rare and large blue and white reserve-decorated 'peony' dish, which sold for £529,500. This rare dish dated back to the early Ming dynasty, with only three other published dishes of its type bearing the mark of Xuande and of the period.

Other highlights of Fine Chinese Art were:

• An exceptionally rare and important gold gem-inset figure of an ‘able minister’ Qianlong. Sold for £479,100 (estimate: £80,000-120,000).

• An important and very rare cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze circular ‘Chun’ box and cover, Qianlong. It came from the exceptional private collection of Sir Michael and Lady Oppenheimer DD (3rd Baronet, 1924-2020) of Imperial cloisonné enamel. Sold for £195,600 (estimate: £150,000-200,000).

Earlier in the week, the two-day Asian Art sale in Knightsbridge on 31 October and 1 November presented nearly 600 lots spanning a broad spectrum of Chinese and Japanese ceramics and works of art, textiles and paintings. Also included were works from Korea, the Himalayas and South-East Asia. The sale achieved a total of £1,466,085.

Highlights included:

• Loquats by Wu Changshuo. Sold for £33,060. Estimate: £4,000-6,000.

• Six small archaistic jade and a bone carving. Late Qing dynasty. Sold for £32,430. Estimate: £500-600.

• A Huanghuali mirror cabinet and cosmetic chest 19th/20th century. Sold for £28,020. Estimate: £8,000-12,000.

Rounding off the week was Patient Detail, Perfect Design: Japanese Art across the Centuries. The top selling lot was a charming woodblock print by the enigmatic and sought-after master Sharaku active for only a year in 1794-5. It depicted Daidozan, an eight-year-old wrestler, parading at the opening ceremony for a sumo tournament. Sold for £94,800 (estimate: £80,000-100,000).

Other highlights included:

• A lacquer Inro with Shoki the Demon-Queller and an Oni (Demon), and a Netsuke with a Sake-Bottle, Meiji era (1868–1912), circa 1886 by Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891). Sold for £38,100 (estimate: £30,000-40,000).

• A wood netsuke of a tiger by Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856). Tanba Province, early/mid-19th century. Sold for £35,580 (estimate: £10,000-15,000).

Upcoming Asian Art sales, based in Hong Kong, will be Fine Chinese Paintings on 28 November; GANBEI: A Toast to the Chinese Wine Culture, Images of Devotion and Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, all on 30 November. An online sale, Chinese Art Online, will run from 25 November to 2 December.