Bonhams Presents Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Sale Scheduled to End 28 October 2026

Bonhams has placed its Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale on its official calendar, with bidding scheduled to end 28 October 2026. The auction brings together a selection of imperial porcelain, early pottery, and decorative arts. Leading the catalog is a magnificent and finely enamelled imperial yellow-ground sgraffiato yangcai 'floral' vase, yuhuchunping, bearing a Qianlong four-character mark and of the period, which is sourced from an important Asian private collection. The vessel features a pear-shaped body decorated against a yellow enamel ground with engraved sgraffiato designs and various floral sprays. Another major highlight is an exceptionally rare Jun purple-splashed bowl, probably dating to the Northern Song or Jin dynasty, which was previously in the collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth. The bowl is covered in an azure glaze with raspberry-red splashes that melt into lavender halos. Additionally, the sale offers a magnificent large sancai-glazed caparisoned horse from the Tang dynasty, standing four-square with a straw glaze and amber-striped mane, which was exhibited at the Ching Wan Society's thirtieth anniversary exhibition.

The sale also features an exceptionally rare zitan and bamboo veneer incense stand, xiangji, from the Qianlong period. The stand is designed with a square top above a high waist shaped as an architectural pedestal and carved in high relief with archaistic dragon scrolls. These works are presented alongside a massive magnificent cloisonné enamel 'phoenix' basin from the Qianlong period, a large celadon-glazed 'dragon' charger with a Yongzheng seal mark, and a peachbloom-glazed 'beehive' waterpot, taibaizun, from the Kangxi period.

This auction follows several notable sales on the house's calendar. In October, the Fine Chinese Paintings sale realized HK$48,227,200^[1] with 140 lots sold. In September, the house held A Gateway to Fine Wine: Distinguished Private Collections, which realized HK$7,563,938^[1] with 313 lots sold, as well as The Pursuit of Excellence: The Journey of a Wine Collector, which realized HK$7,393,250^[1] with 209 lots sold.

Within the house's broader activity, Bonhams has realized HK$398,472,628^[1] year to date, achieving a sell-through rate of 86.9%^[1]. Across all categories, Bonhams has recorded $429,726,396^[1] in total sales. In the design category, tracked houses have realized a total of $171,455,550^[1], with an average sell-through rate of 81.2%^[1], and Christie's ranks first among the tracked houses. According to the official Bonhams auction catalog, this sale represents a key moment on the autumn schedule for collectors of classical Chinese art.