Review 2025

36 FIVEDECADESOF ASIATICA Koller’s Asian Art department looks back on a long history. Shortly after the founding of Galerie Koller by her brother Pierre, Antoinette Koller introduced this field. Together with the specialist Berti Aschmann, she laid the foundations in the 1970s and 1980s for outstanding results with works from China, Tibet and Nepal. The scope was continually expanded and now also includes works from Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India and Persia. Even after Antoinette Koller’s death, the department continued to achieve ma- jor successes. Over the past 15 years in particular, the international Asiatica market has benefited from the opening of the Chinese market. Today, Koller Auctions ranks among Europe’s leading auction houses in the field of Asian art. A highlight of Koller’s Asian art auc- tions was the sale of a four-headed, fire-gilded Pancaraksha goddess from 14 th /15 th -century Tibet, which realised CHF 3 million in 2012. Another spectac- ular bidding battle took place in summer 2019, when an imperial phoenix incense burner in bronze dating from around 1700 achieved a final price of more than CHF 4.8 million after having remained in German family ownership for over a century. In recent years, an increasing number of private Asian art collections assem- bled during the early phases of Koller’s engagement in this field have returned to the market. These works attract particular interest from Asian collec- tors, as their authenticity is supported by long-established European prove- nances. Moreover, many of these ob- jects have not been publicly offered for decades. Fine figure of a Pancaraksha goddess Nepalese school in Tibet, 14 th /15 th century. Height 32 cm. Sold in 2012 for CHF 3 million to China Netsuke of a tiger Japan, early 19 th century. Width 4 cm. Sold for CHF 12 000 to the USA Seated Guanyin Late 18 th century. Height 22 cm. Sold for CHF 100 000 to China Large coral sculpture China, first half of the 20 th century Height 55.5 cm Sold for CHF 90 000 to China Antoinette Koller