Follow Canada Investment Immigration and Life in Canada: On December 15, Canada L&D International Auction Co., Ltd. will launch its eighth Chinese art auction in Richmond Hill. Among the more than 380 lots, nearly half are exquisite jade pieces. Notable items include a Zhou Dynasty white jade tiger head pendant, a Han Dynasty jade tube with taotie patterns, and a Qing Dynasty Qianlong period Hetian white jade bird-shaped vessel, all of which are highly eye-catching.
According to Yuan Kangjia, the auction house's head of Asian art, although the Chinese jade market has cooled down rationally this autumn, the trend of top Chinese collectors seeking art treasures overseas is still on the rise. He stated that the main reason is the significant price difference between the domestic Chinese market and overseas markets, so this contrast—cool domestically and hot internationally—will continue for some time. He noted that for the key lots in this auction, such as the Qing Dynasty blue crystal and tourmaline court beads paired with the Zhou Dynasty white jade tiger head pendant, the estimated value is 50,000 USD, while the actual domestic market price is at least 1.5 million RMB. It is not uncommon for top Chinese auction houses to sell Qing Dynasty jade pendants for over 3 to 5 million RMB.
Yuan Kangjia said that this Zhou Dynasty white jade carved tiger head pendant serves as the pendant for the Qing Dynasty blue crystal and tourmaline court beads in the same lot, and it originates from a senior Spanish collector. The court bead necklace itself is very rare, and the Zhou Dynasty white jade pendant is even more so. In the Qing Dynasty, blue crystal and tourmaline were symbols of power and were among the materials used for the finials of first and second-rank officials, as well as for the court beads they wore; the imperial court prohibited their use by commoners. Yuan expressed his hope that such precious jade ornaments, like the Chinese art treasures in previous auctions, will be successfully bid on by buyers from mainland China and returned to the motherland.
