Asian Art: Tradition, Detail and Decoration


October 2026

The Asian Art Auction, taking place on Friday 9 October 2026 from 3:00pm, brings together Chinese and Japanese works spanning ceramics, jade, bronze, carved objects and decorative art.

What gives the sale its character is the variety of scale and surface. There are pieces made to dominate a room, others that reveal themselves only on close inspection, and objects where symbolism, material and technique are all part of the appeal. Across the catalogue, familiar traditions sit alongside more unusual combinations of form and decoration. Below are nine pieces that offer a flavour of the wider sale.

Porcelain & Painted Ceramics

The ceramics featured in the sale bring together strong decorative presence with finely worked painted detail. A large pair of 19th century Cantonese famille rose vases, Lot 12, is difficult to overlook. Standing 58cm high, each vase is densely painted with courtly scenes, including mounted warriors before an official and attendants, while double Buddhist lion handles and applied chilong add further sculptural detail. With an estimate of £1,500 to £2,500, they have the scale and visual richness to anchor an interior.

Also featured is Lot 36, Woodcutter Heading Home, a porcelain plaque in the manner of the Eight Friends of Zhushan. Framed like a painting and estimated at £300 to £500, it rewards closer viewing, with the painted scene carrying much of the quiet narrative appeal associated with Chinese porcelain plaques. A 19th century Japanese Imari bowl, Lot 56, brings another type of colour and pattern into the mix. Painted extensively inside and out with landscapes, flowers and traditional motifs, it has the dense, layered decoration that makes Imari so immediately recognisable. The estimate is £150 to £200.
Large pair of 19th century Cantonese famille rose vases, each painted with various courtly...Large pair of 19th century Cantonese famille rose vases, each painted with various courtly...Estimate £1,500-2,500Manner of the Eight Friends of Zhushan (Chinese 19th/20th Century): Woodcutter Heading Hom...Manner of the Eight Friends of Zhushan (Chinese 19th/20th Century): Woodcutter Heading Hom...Estimate £300-500Japanese 19th century Imari bowl, painted profusely internally and externally with landsca...Japanese 19th century Imari bowl, painted profusely internally and externally with landsca...Estimate £150-200

Bronze & Metalwork

Some of the most intriguing pieces in the sale are those where form and decoration feel slightly unexpected. A Chinese bronze vase, Lot 45, is a good example. Its cartouches contain Arabic characters set against a granulated ground, creating a striking meeting of Chinese form and Islamic script. Standing 19cm high and estimated at £200 to £300, it has a strong cross-cultural quality.

More compact but no less distinctive is the Chinese bronze tripod censer, Lot 44. Its squat globular body is banded with Greek key decoration and finished with elephant-head handles, while an incised two-character mark appears to the base. The estimate is £100 to £200. Japanese Meiji metalwork takes a more playful route with Lot 51, a covered vessel where two crabs form the lid and fish decorate the body. Estimated at £100 to £200, it is full of naturalistic detail and movement, with a character signature to the base adding further interest.
Chinese bronze vase, the cartouches containing Arabic characters on a granulated ground, u...Chinese bronze vase, the cartouches containing Arabic characters on a granulated ground, u...Estimate £200-300Chinese bronze tripod censer, of squat globular form, the body decorated with a band of Gr...Chinese bronze tripod censer, of squat globular form, the body decorated with a band of Gr...Estimate £100-200Japanese Meiji period covered vessel, the cover formed with two crabs and the surround dec...Japanese Meiji period covered vessel, the cover formed with two crabs and the surround dec...Estimate £100-200

Carved & Sculptural Objects

The carved works reveal another side of the sale, from finely worked jade and seed carving to more substantial figural sculpture. A Chinese 18th or 19th century jade pendant, Lot 34, has been carved as a peach on a branch and later mounted as a brass paper knife. The later brass blade is engraved with bamboo, creating a curious marriage of earlier jade carving and later functional design. It is estimated at £100 to £200.

Even more intricate is the Chinese Hediao necklace, Lot 43, formed from twenty-one pierced and carved seeds strung with smaller beads. The tiny scenes include birds among foliage, crabs and fish, figures and warriors, turning the necklace into a sequence of miniature narratives. It carries an estimate of £200 to £400. A larger carved piece comes with Lot 74, an early 20th century Chinese hardwood group depicting two boys riding on the back of a water buffalo. At 37cm wide and raised on a wooden stand, it has an appealing sense of movement and story, with an estimate of £150 to £250.
Chinese 18th/ 19th century jade pendant, carved as a peach on a branch, later mounted as a...Chinese 18th/ 19th century jade pendant, carved as a peach on a branch, later mounted as a...Estimate £100-200Chinese Hediao necklace, comprising twenty-one pierced and carved seeds strung with smalle...Chinese Hediao necklace, comprising twenty-one pierced and carved seeds strung with smalle...Estimate £200-40019th century Chinese carved hardwood figural group of two boys on the back of a water buff...19th century Chinese carved hardwood figural group of two boys on the back of a water buff...Estimate £150-250

Browse The Asian Art Catalogue

Browse the full catalogue to discover the wider selection of Chinese and Japanese ceramics, bronzes, jade, carved works and decorative objects.

The auction is open for bidding now and ends on Friday 9 October from 3pm, live online and from Duggleby Stephenson of York. Browse the catalogue, register to bid and place your bids before the sale closes.
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