Fine Arts: Adam’s sale of Asian art is steeped in history

From hongmu tables to bronze Buddha hands and dragon trumpets, the November 23 auction promises to be a feast for connoisseurs of Far Eastern culture

Squirrel and Grapes Hongmu table from the late Qing period (€4,000-€5,000)

Provenance has a huge impact on the value of fine art and antiques, and Adam’s Asian sale offers a number of fascinating back stories.

A headline piece of 19th-century furniture is a Chinese intricately carved “squirrel and grapes” marble top hongmu table, late Qing period (€4,000-€5,000). It was once owned by Ferdinand Marie Viscount of Lesseps, a French diplomat with two claims to fame. The first was laudable: while consul in Cairo, he successfully combated ...