Auction recap / Bonhams
Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Sale Realizes $2,224,964
The auction in New York featured imperial snuff bottles and zitan furniture, achieving a 56.6% sell-through rate.
Auction highlights
A RARE AND SPLENDID ZITAN 'LOTUS' LUOHAN BED AND KANG TABLE Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th century (2)
Estimate$600–900KSold—
A MAGNIFICENT GILT COPPER ALLOY GLASS-EMBELLISHED ELEPHANT STAND Qianlong/Jiaqing period
Estimate$150–250KSold$610,100
A FINE AND ELEGANT ZITAN CABINET DESK Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th century
Estimate$250–350KSold—
Estimate$100–150KSold—
Estimate$100–150KSold—
A VERY RARE AND FINE ZITAN LOW TABLE, KANGZHUO 18th century
Estimate$130–150KSold—
A WHITE JADE 'QUAILS AND MILET' VASE AND COVER 18th century (box)
Estimate$40–60KSold$121,150
AN IMPORTANT AND EXCEPTIONAL WHITE JADE SNUFF BOTTLE Suzhou, 1700-1780
Estimate$70–100KSold—
Estimate$60–90KSold—
A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL 'LOTUS' PEAR-SHAPED VASE 15th/16th century
Estimate$15–25KSold$89,400
Estimate$10–20KSold$83,050
A FINE AND RARE AGATE 'TWO HORSES' SNUFF BOTTLE Suzhou, 1740-1850
Estimate$60–80KSold—
Estimate track marks the pre-sale range; the tick marks the sold price. Lot photography: Courtesy Bonhams.
Contextual data provided by Pricing Culture Analytics; this is not an exhaustive list. Pricing Culture Analytics organizes publicly available auction data to analyze and produce insights.
In a sale that closed on 15 September 2026, Bonhams presented its Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction. The event brought together a selection of imperial glass, jade carvings, and classical Chinese furniture. According to the official results published by Bonhams, the sale realized a total of $2,224,964,[1] with 98 of 173 lots sold, representing a 56.6% sell-through[1] rate.
The auction highlighted several significant categories of Chinese decorative arts, including zitan furniture and imperial glass snuff bottles. Among the notable furniture offerings was a zitan luohan bed and kang table set from a distinguished New York family collection, featuring back and side panels carved to resemble a nine-part screen with a dense network of lotus plants. The sale also featured glass snuff bottles from the Beijing Palace Workshops, showcasing the technical expertise of imperial craftsmen during the Qing dynasty.
Auction highlights
Sale file- A RARE AND SPLENDID ZITAN 'LOTUS' LUOHAN BED AND KANG TABLE Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th century (2) | estimate $600,000[2] to $900,000[2]
- A MAGNIFICENT GILT COPPER ALLOY GLASS-EMBELLISHED ELEPHANT STAND Qianlong/Jiaqing period | estimate $150,000[5] to $250,000[5] | sold for $610,100[5]
- A FINE AND ELEGANT ZITAN CABINET DESK Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th century | estimate $250,000[3] to $350,000[3]
- A RARE AND IMPORTANT FACETTED SMALL TRANSPARENT XI HU SHUI SNUFF BOTTLE Imperial, Beijing Palace Workshops, Qianlong four-character seal mark and of the period, 1736-1795 | estimate $100,000[6][4] to $150,000[7][6][4]
- A FINE AND RARE ENAMELED CARVED GLASS 'PHOENIX' SNUFF BOTTLE Imperial, Beijing Palace Workshops, 1780-1830 | estimate $100,000 to $150,000
- A VERY RARE AND FINE ZITAN LOW TABLE, KANGZHUO 18th century | estimate $130,000[7] to $150,000
- A WHITE JADE 'QUAILS AND MILET' VASE AND COVER 18th century (box) | estimate $40,000[8] to $60,000[8] | sold for $121,150[8]
- AN IMPORTANT AND EXCEPTIONAL WHITE JADE SNUFF BOTTLE Suzhou, 1700-1780 | estimate $70,000[9] to $100,000[9]
The furniture selection was led by the zitan cabinet desk, which was also consigned from the same New York family collection. This piece is composed of three sections with a four-panel top housing four drawers, each carved with scrollwork and a central bat chime. Additionally, the imperial glass snuff bottles attracted attention, including a rare facetted small transparent Xi Hu shui bottle of compressed octagonal shape and pale lime-green color. This bottle is incised with forty characters of five-character verses on each side and carries a four-character seal mark on its base, representing the highly specialized production of the Beijing Palace Workshops during the Qianlong period.\n\nSource note: The auction house publishes this official lot page as part of the sale, providing a direct first-party source for the listed object.[5]
Sources
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