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Included in Sheffield Auction Gallery's Two Day Quarterly Antique and Fine Art Auction on 14th and 15th April was a very special item in the Works of Art section, an exquisitely carved Cantonese ivory work box, estimated to make between £15,000 and £20,000.
Consigned for auction by a local Derbyshire Client, the box was made in the early nineteenth Century, midway through the Qing dynasty, the workbox is a piece of art in itself, the extensive and densely carved detail illustrating all aspects of Chinese life. Indigenous landscapes scattered with temples, pagodas and bridges, with a myriad of characters at work or at leisure. Each face, only a millimeter or two wide, has their own features. Originally made for export to the West as trade exploded during the nineteenth Century, this and other Oriental works of art are being brought back as part of repatriation by the Chinese, reclaiming their heritage.
Described in the auction catalogue (Lot 215) as a Cantonese Ivory Octangular Work or Sewing Box, early XIX Century, the exterior with exquisitely carved panels of native scenes, with figures at work and leisure, amidst landscapes of temples and bridges, within lotus and foliate borders, the hinged cover revealing an inner compartment tray holding various accessories and covers, with gilded handles, the base with foliate scroll friezes between mask feet, 32cms wide, 24cms deep, 17cms high.
Pre-sale interest in the Lot had been considerable and on the day all telephone lines were fully booked and national and International bidders were registered to bid Live on the internet. Bidding eventually rose well above the upper estimate and the hammer finally fell to a telephone bidder at £31,000!
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