A gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Yuanshi Tianzun from the late Ming Dynasty in Ireland since 1914 sold last November for around £45,000.
A specialist in fine Chinese art from Bonhams is to visit Ireland on June 23 and 24 in search of treasure. Sing Yan Choy will be based at Bonhams, 31 Molesworth Street Dublin. Over the years, Bonhams has found several pieces of Chinese art in Ireland which have sold successfully in London. Many of these have a provenance which links them to families involved in the shipping and banking industries in China during the 18th and 19th Century, and to European families with military or diplomatic ties to Asia.
Ahead of his visit, Sing Yan Choy commented: “The Chinese market is still yielding encouraging sale results, particularly if objects have a good provenance as with so many of the pieces we have found in Ireland. Being able to trace the history of an item is always a valuable reassurance to buyers and Chinese collectors, especially, go to great lengths to satisfy themselves about previous ownership”.