LARCHMONT, N.Y. – A pair of Chinese enamel decorated porcelain plaques went well above the $600 high estimate to sell for $42,500 in the November 8 sale at Clarke Auction Gallery. The plaques came from an Armonk, N.Y., estate. Housed within wood frames, one of the two examples featured “a depiction of a gilt decorated butterfly among flora, and the second a portrayal of a snail atop a series of rocks with Lingzhi in the background,” according to the auction house. They measured just over 8½ inches diameter.

Watch for a sale review in a future issue.