A painting by modern Chinese master Lee Man Fong topped estimates to bring $1,314,500 at Freeman’s on Sunday. Fong was a painter born in Guangzhou, China. he died in 1988. The auction house reports this is the fourth consecutive Asian Arts auction to achieve million-dollar-plus prices for top items. Other recent sales include a Ming Dynasty gilt bronze and cloisonné covered jar sold in March 2012 for $1.54 million, an Imperial jade seal that realized $3.5 million in September 2011, and a blue and white Ming-style vase in the March 2011 sale that went for $1.38 million. Freeman’s also says paintings overall did well and 18th-century jade continues to be outstanding. Quality ceramics from Ming to Qing are very strong. In snuff bottles, demand was high for top quality. Furniture and textiles also held their own. The one disappointment was glass. But other categories more than made up the difference.
Urban Art & Antiques 