Imperial porcelains for sale in London auctions

A Yongzheng period famille-rose "dragon" dish from a noble family is one of the highlight pieces up for auction at the Important Chinese Art sale at Sotheby's.

The highly decorative dish, which is presented in a wooden frame, was acquired by an ancestor of the present owner who was a diplomat in China and returned to Europe in the mid-19th century.

The dish is expected to fetch 360,000 pounds ($465,000) when it goes under the hammer at the sale on Nov 4.

The auction house is also offering a Ming-style blue and white vase formerly in an Austrian collection. The vase is painted in varying shades of deep blue with large floral blooms and the base is inscribed with a six-character Yongzhengreign mark within a double-circle.

Sotheby's said the vase "clearly takes its inspiration in early Ming blue and white porcelain of the Xuande period". It is expected to sell for 250,000 pounds.

Caroline Schulten, Sotheby's European Head of Chinese Art, said: "This promises to be one of our most exciting series of sales during Asian Art in London, in offering objects of the highest quality and rarity. Many of the pieces have been hidden away in private collections in England and Continental Europe for decades, and their appearance on the market now is of great appeal to today's collectors, for whom provenance, rarity and freshness are key."

A large group of classical Chinese furniture from a European collection is also up for sale at Sotheby's. The collection was built up following the collector's frequent trips to Asia via Hong Kong in the late 1980's and early 1990's and was advised by one of the leading experts in the modern Chinese furniture world, Hei Hung-lu.

"The prestigious and diverse range of pieces covers multiples centuries and dynasties, with several standout objects along the way, from imperial porcelains with the most refined and ravishing glazes to exceptional huanghuali furniture. Equally, the opportunity to present the fourth part of a private collection of imperial porcelain, following sales in London, New York and Hong Kong, makes this season particularly special," Schulten added.

Christie's Important Chinese Art sale on Nov 3 features works that span 3,000 years of Chinese civilization.

A group of archaic jade carvings in the Property from a Princely Collection, include a rare yellow jade belt hook dated to the Western Han Dynasty(206 BC-AD 24) with an estimate of 800,000 pounds.

Christie's is also offering a rare pair of Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) gold and silver-inlaid bronze chariot fittings, which is expected to sell at 1 million pounds.

Rosemary Scott, senior international academic consultant, Asian Art said: "This pair of chariot fittings are a testament to the remarkable artistry and technical mastery of Eastern Zhou metal workers."

In the Bonhams Fine Chinese Art sale, a pair of rare iron-red and green-enamelled ovoid jarswill go under the hammer on Nov 5.

Bonhams said the pair of "dragon" jars with Yongzheng marks are exceedingly rare and have a nearly identical example in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Also, in the sale is a remarkable collection of huanghuali furniture from the former Assistant Commissioner of the Shanghai Municipal Police between 1919 and 1928 in the Chinese classical furniture category. This includes an exceptionally rare low-back armchair decorated with a pair of confronted "Chilong" on the back panel and side struts shaped as "Shou" characters. The armchair is expected to fetch a high estimate of 80,000 pounds.