2025 in Review: Asian Art

With the conclusion of our 2025 auction season, Waddington’s Asian Art department reflects on a year of excellent results. As always, quality, provenance, and scholarship continued to guide collector interest across a range of categories, spanning periods, regions, and material. Our specialists, Amelia Zhu and Austin Yuen, travelled to meet with clients and collectors across Canada and around the world.

A major highlight of 2025 was our co-organization and co-hosting the 57th Annual International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society (ICSBS) Convention in Toronto in November. Waddington’s is honoured to serve as the ICSBS’ only Canadian auction house member. Our recap of that event can be found here.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2025

Our spring 2025 auction, featured a curated selection of quality jade pieces, led by a White Jade ‘Taotie Mask’ Jade Vase and Cover, Qianlong Period, 18th Century 清 乾隆 白玉雕饕餮纹双耳盖瓶, which sold for $20,000. Another highlight was a Cloisonné Enamel and Gilt Bronze Vase, Fanghu, Ming Dynasty, 17th Century 明 铜胎掐丝珐琅花鸟纹大方壶, which sold for $25,000.

Our August auction achieved equally strong results, including three major highlights. The first, a Small Black-Glazed ‘Oil-Spot’ Tea Bowl, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) 宋 黑釉油滴茶盏, which sold for $44,670. Bowls of this form with the distinctive ‘oil spot’ glazes are believed to have been produced at northern kilns in imitation of the celebrated Jian ware of Fujian province, developed during the Southern Song dynasty. The striking glaze effect—achieved by applying a black slip beneath two layers of iron-rich dark brown glaze—results from the iron content surfacing during firing, creating the characteristic metallic ‘oil spot’ pattern. The bowl sold for $44,670.

The second highlight was a Pair of Blue and White ‘Landscape’ Phoenix-Tail Vases, Kangxi Period (1662-1722) 清 康熙 青花山水人物图凤尾尊一对, which sold for $37,350. The final star of the auction was a Gold-Heightened Gesso Painting of Shiva Nataraja, Tanjore, South India, 18th Century 南印度 十八世纪 坦贾武尔 金彩石膏湿婆天舞像, which was featured in Pratapaditya Pal’s article “May the Immeasurable Wealth of Your Dance Fill My Consciousness: Dancing Deities of India.” The painting realised a price of $27,560.

Perhaps saving the most exciting for last, our December auction was a blockbuster, with five major standouts. The first was a Longquan Celadon ‘Dragon’ Jar and Cover, Yuan-Ming Dynasty (1279-1644) 元至明 龙泉青釉龙纹盖罐, which sold for $122,750. This jar’s significance is underscored by the fact that few Longquan celadon jars with carved dragon decoration survive, making it one of the rare documented examples.

Most extant Longquan jars are plain or only lightly decorated, and jars encircled by a boldly carved, four-clawed dragon are exceptionally uncommon. With its large size, strong relief carving, and accompanied by similarly decorated lid, this jar is part of a very small group of surviving works, highlighting both its historical and material importance.

A particularly finely carved and polished White Jade ‘Conches’ Pendant, 18th Century 清 十八世纪 白玉雕’三元及第’佩 attached to a cord of seed pearls and a rubellite bead realised a price of $16,250, while Two Copper-Red-Decorated Blue and White Snuff Bottles, 19th Century 清 十九世纪 青花釉里红钟馗及龙舟人物故事纹烟壶一组两件 painted with motifs of Zhongkui and dragon boat racing sparked a fierce bidding war, eventually selling for $13,750. A Yellow-Enamelled Blue-Ground ‘Dragon’ Bowl, Daoguang Mark and Period (1821-1850) 清 道光 黄地蓝彩赶珠云龙纹盌「大清道光年制」六字青花篆书款 sold for $20,000.

Last but not least, The ‘Fu Gen’ Li, Late Shang/Early Western Zhou, 12th Century BC 商晚/西周早期 青铜’父亘’鬲 铸铭文, sold for $37,350. This archaic bronze vessel comes from the Collection of Albert Y.P. Lee (1930-2021), son of Li Yingshuan (1911-1972), a major donor of important archaic Chinese bronzes to the Shanghai Museum. Their family descends from the prominent late Qing dynasty statesman, general and diplomat Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), who was Li Yingshuan’s grand uncle.

View All Results

Interested in viewing all the results from our 2025 auctions? Please click here.

Consignment Opportunities

The consignment process for our 2026 auctions is already underway. We look forward to connecting with you to discuss how you can achieve excellent results for your items and artworks.

Please contact us for more information on consigning with Waddington’s.