London – Bonhams continues to lead the Asian and Chinese Art market across the UK and Europe, crowned by the series of Asian Art sales which ran from 13 May to 13 June 2025 achieving an impressive combined total of over €22 million, sold in London, Paris, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Bonhams had an extraordinary Asian Art Week from 12-19 May 2025 at New Bond Street and Knightsbridge totalling £10,700,000 across the five sales. Private collections offering exceptional quality and provenance also saw outstanding results with the superb sale of Song Ceramics from a lifelong collector, the late Emmanuel Christofides. The 28-lot sale made £5,246,000 and provided the top lot of the London week: a Junyao light-blue-glazed bowl, Northern Song/early Jin Dynasty which made £1,016,400, against an estimate of £80,000-120,000.

The success of the series is part of a growing momentum for Bonhams with connoisseurs and world-renowned dealers in Chinese and Asian Art looking to Bonhams in-house expertise to offer their collections. This June saw the superb collection of scholar's works of art from the renowned dealer and collectors Gerard and Elvina Hawthorn, which achieved £1,337,662 doubling the estimate. Amongst the highest prices delivered in Fine Chinese Art sale were three Fine China Trade Paintings from the collection of Martyn Gregory by the Cantonese artist Spoilum (active 1770-1805).

These results attest to Bonhams' reputation for offering some of the finest collections, with previous successes including The Speelman Collection, which also commanded high prices in Hong Kong sales last May (HK$64 million), following on from the resounding success in Paris, June 2024, which delivered over€15,000,000.

Printemps Asiatique sales at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris made a total of €7,390,145 across the four sales. The top lot was a magnificent and very rare pair of massive bronze-alloy mythical beasts (bixie) from the Qianlong period (1736-1795) which sold for €4,065,600. A highly important 13th-century Ge Mallow-Shaped Brush Washer belonging to the celebrated jewellery designer Elsa Peretti (1940-2021) sold for €1,379,400.

Asaph Hyman, Global Head, Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, said:
"These exceptional results are a testament first and foremost to the connoisseurship of the collectors, as it is to the enduring value of the rarest and finest works of art. We are most grateful for the trust of our clients, both sellers and buyers. It has been a great privilege to handle these magnificent objects and to have the opportunity to study, research and present them to the public. Many of the pieces had exceptional provenance which is greatly valued by today's collectors, and it was a pleasure to discover the stories behind the pieces. My gratitude to our international team led by our specialists, which offers unparalleled access to the international Asian and Chinese art market."

Chabi Nouri, Bonhams CEO, said: "I'm delighted with these outstanding results which are first and foremost testimony to the expertise and exquisite taste of the collectors themselves. It is an incredible achievement by the entire Asian Art team at Bonhams led by Asaph Hyman, Global Head of Chinese Art."

(Press Release)