Reflections on an Asian fine art auction

By William Gregory MRICS, Golding Young and Mawer.

A 14th or maybe 15th-century Persian mirror shone out at Golding Young & Mawer’s June Asian Fine Art Sale.

Consigned to the auction by a Lincolnshire Wolds collector, the mirror was thought to have originated from the Ilkhanid or Timurid dynasty; finely decorated with old inlaid Persian calligraphy and a central arabesque and floral design. The front flat steel surface would have been highly polished for use as a hand mirror.

The inscription often features a poem, which loosely translates as “With a pure heart (like a mirror) you can realise the image of God.”

Bidding started at £5,000 and quickly got up to five figures, ending with a final bid of £22,000.

Other notable results from the auction include £4,800 for a pair of impressive Chinese Canton porcelain vases, each standing 88cm high.

A pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain circular plaques more than trebled their pre-auction estimate, selling for £850.

Meanwhile £550 was bid for a 19th-century Chinese porcelain spill vase.

In the metalware section, a Chinese brass circular two-handled censer exceeded expectations as the hammer fell at £900.

The furniture section saw a pair of late 19th-century carved hardwood and double topped iron stands sell for just under top estimate at £550.

Full results for the 470 lot auction can be found at www.goldingyoung.com

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