The market for good Chinese works of art has been hugely strong for more than a decade. Well-provenanced objects from the Qing period in particular have excelled with a corresponding growth of interest in works from both earlier and later periods.
Sworders have achieved great results in recent years for mark and period porcelain, selling a Qianlong famille rose wall vase inscribed with an imperial poem for £484,880 in November 2019, and a Kangxi blue and white brush pot inscribed with the text of the Shengzhu de Xianchen Song for £162,500 in November 2021.
We have also enjoyed success selling Chinese taste bronzes (particularly Buddhist artefacts) plus jades and other carvings. Highlights have included an exceptional rhinoceros horn libation cup from the late Ming period c.1600 (£252,800 in November 2016) and a Qing bronze censer with gilt splash decoration and a four-character Shijia Guzhi mark (£136,500 in November 2020).
Our buyers and sellers can expect the best customer service before and after the sale. Bidders who cannot make it to the sale or attend viewing in person can trust our detailed images and thorough condition reports and benefit from dual language cataloguing when appropriate.
Sworders has continued to observe exceptional results throughout the Covid 19 pandemic, including £182,000 for a Qianlong hardwood lacquer and ivory table screen sold in May 2021 and £27,300 for a Qing silk ‘peach festival’ kesi in May 2020.
To find out more about our forthcoming sales or talk further about potential consignments, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our specialist team.
Our specialists hold regular valuation days. Please contact us for more information, or complete the online form to enquire about the valuation of your items.
Want to know how much your Chinese Works of Art may be worth? Fill out our easy to use form and a member of the team will be in touch with free advice shortly.
During the latter half of the 19th century, North Indian calligraphers based in Delhi were working through a transformative period, as the Mughal Empire’s official patronage waned and British colonial influence expanded.
11 May 2026
In Japan, sound carries meaning far beyond what we hear. Few objects embody this idea more powerfully than the bonsho, large temple bells whose resonant tones have marked the passage of time, called communities to reflection, and echoed through centuries of spiritual life.
1 May 2026
The term ‘Company School’ refers to a genre of painting that emerged in India in the late 18th and 19th centuries, flourishing under the patronage of British East India Company officials, their families, and other European residents in India. Sworders Asian & Islamic Art department is pleased to present a curated selection of these wonderfully insightful works in their next auction on Friday 15 May.
20 April 2026
