18th century Chinese Qing dynasty bronze tripod censer brings $30,000 at Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers

CRANSTON, R.I. - Aug. 30, 2019 - PRLog -- An 18^th century Chinese Qing dynasty bronze tripod censer, originally used to burn incense to honor ancestors, purify the air or cure ailments, soared to $30,000 at a Fine Art & Antiques Auction held August 17^th by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, online and in the Cranston gallery at 63 Fourth Avenue. The sale featured 380 lots, pulled from prominent estates.

The front and underside of the 5-inch-tall censer were both impressed with the Xuande character seal mark. In overall good condition, with original untouched patina, the lot sailed past its pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000 to be the sale's top achiever. The event featured French furniture and accessories, lovely paintings, bronzes, jewelry, clocks, Chinese arts, modern arts and more.

"Overall it was a great day, with active participation from both the house and online," said Bruneau & Co. president Kevin Bruneau. "Asian arts again proved to be the wild card of the antiques business, as you never know what something will sell for. That censer was truly an exceptional example, plus the fact that it's going back to China says something in itself."

Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. specialist and auctioneer, added, "Every auction always ends up being an exciting one for me, especially when you get to hammer down a pricey bronze censer. Outside the censer, it was nice to see Heinrich Kley's market remaining hot and viable as results stayed consistent with what we achieved in 2017. Bidders competed hard for the Kley painting."

He was referring to the watercolor and ink on paper by Heinrich Kley (German, 1863-1945), titled Der Patient ("The Patient"), a mythical illustrative work depicting an ill dragon resting on a pillow stuffed with gold as a wizard inspects his wound. A bare-breasted woman stands nearby with a worried look. The 8 ½ inch by 13 inch (sight) painting found a new owner for $4,375.

Online bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com and bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com. Bidders also participated via the mobile app "Bruneau & Co." on iTunes and GooglePlay. Telephone and absentee bids were also be accepted.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the firm's calendar of upcoming events, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently. To contact the company via e-mail, use info@bruneauandco.com. Or, you can phone them at (401) 533-9980.