At approximately 3:15 pm on Saturday, September 10, Freeman’s sold at auction an important Chinese imperial-style “double dragon” white jade seal that left its $30/50,000 estimate in the dust when it attained $3.5 million, creating new records for the highest-selling single lot and most successful sale of the company.

Freeman’s President Paul Roberts said, from the auction floor, “This is not far from the total turnover for Freeman’s 12 years ago, and will most definitely create a sale record of over $5 million by the time it is over with.”

Asian Arts Associate Specialist Rich Cervantes notes that “The imperial-style jade seal was, of course, very popular at exhibition and we knew it was going to do well, but only the bidders could determine whether or not it was truly imperial. The multimillion-dollar winning bid was an overwhelming validation for us.”

The square-form seal, measuring 22/5 inches tall, was bought by a Philadelphia collector in Palm Beach, Fla., in the 1970s and was previously part of a Nineteenth Century French collection. Due to its small size, it is thought that it was likely commissioned as a pair and fitted in a decorative box.

A complete report on the sale will appear in a future issue.