NEW YORK CITY — Asia Week New York continued at Sotheby’s on March 20 with four auctions of Chinese works of art. Beginning with a sale dedicated to the Ming dynasty and concluding with the Judith and Gerson Leiber collection of Chinese art, the day’s offerings achieved $18.2 million, well within the total pre-sale estimate.

The first of the morning’s auctions, dedicated to the first century of the Ming dynasty, climbed above its high estimate and totaled $9.4 million. The group was led by a rare blue and white ewer, Xuande mark and period. Appearing in public for the first time in nearly 600 years, this striking work of art from the Detring / von Hanneken collection elicited bids from three eager telephones in the auction room. Over the course of four minutes, the work flew above its presale estimate of $600/800,000, before selling to a private Asian collector for $3,135,000.

Watch for a full wrap-up of Asia Week New York auctions and events in an upcoming issue.