Asian Art
Koller Auctions is one of the leading auction houses in Europe in the field of Asian Art. The origins of this department go back more than 50 years: in the 1970s and 1980s, Antoinette Koller and Berti Aschmann were pioneers in the field, developing the Koller name as a brand for auctions of high-quality works of Asian art, with a focus on China, Tibet and Nepal.
In the first decade of the current century, new Chinese collectors began to seek out objects from their cultural heritage that had been acquired by occidental collectors during the 19th and 20th centuries, initiating a boom which continues to this day. We serve these clients from our representative office in Beijing, and we also regularly exhibit the highlights of our auctions in Hong Kong, and more recently in Beijing as well.
Excellent contacts with important East Asian collectors have enabled us to realise top prices such as 2.8 million Swiss francs for a gilded Pancaraksha goddess from Tibet, 1.2 million Swiss francs for an imperial bronze bell from the Qianlong period, over 500,000 Swiss francs for a carved jade plaque from the 18th century, and 4.8 million Swiss francs for a large 17th-century incense burner.
In addition, our auctions offer works of art from Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India and Persia. Some highlights from these regions include a Japanese bronze vase by Shoami Katsuyoshi (CHF 48 000), a set of four rare 19th-century Korean paintings (CHF 415 000), a Thai bronze Buddha from the U-Thong period (CHF 175 000), a Basohli miniature of Krishna Govardhanadhara (CHF 205 000) and an inlaid bronze candlestick from Khorasan (CHF 290 000).
Regi Preiswerk, our specialist and department head for Asian Art, will be pleased to appraise and value your objects in view of a possible auction consignment.
Our auctions for Asian Art are held in June and December. Consignments are accepted until mid-March and mid-September.
ASIAN ART HIGHLIGHTS EXHIBITED IN HONG KONG
After a pause of three years due to the pandemic, Koller's Asian Art department was able to once again exhibit highlights from the upcoming June auctions at the prestigious International Fine Arts Fair (IAF) in Hong Kong from 27 to 30 May 2023.
The fair was particularly well-visited this year, and large numbers of collectors were present at Koller's exhibition space during the preview as well as the fair's four-day run.
The excellent turnout and reactions from the public bode well for the June Asian Art auctions as well as for Koller's continued presence in East Asia.
If you wish to consign to one of our auctions, we will value your artworks free of charge. Please send us photos if possible, or call us. We will arrange an appointment to view your property at your home or in one of our offices in Zurich, Geneva, Florence, Munich or Düsseldorf. You will then receive our auction estimates so that you can make your decision.
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SELECTED RESULTS Asian Art
A GREY SCHIST FIGURE OF BUDDHA.
CHF 33 240
A BRONZE FIGURE OF THE SEATED BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI.
CHF 41 780
THEO MEIER (1908–1982).
CHF 29 580
A FINE GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF AMITAYUS, ATTRIBUTED TO SONAM GYALTSEN.
CHF 73 500
A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE EIGHT-PRONGED IRON VAJRA.
CHF 79 600
A CLASSICAL BRONZE WINE VESSEL 'ZUN'.
CHF 287 000
A RARE PAIR OF GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE CENSERS.
CHF 110 100
A LARGE AND ELABORATELY CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN.
CHF 73 500
A MOON JAR.
CHF 39 340
A KOZANE-GUSOKU SAMURAI ARMOUR (YOROI).
CHF 23 480