SLATE INFORMATION

GV EXT. Christies auction house
GV INT. Lot 141 gilt bronze figure
CU Lot 146 gilt bronze dragon
CU Lot 228 Archaic bronze Fang-i (2 shots)
CU Lot 77 Mai P'ing (2 shots)
GV Auction room with sale in progress, lot 141 being sold (3 shots)
GV People in room
SV and GV Lot 146 being sold (2 shots)
SV Lot 228 being sold
Background: The Chinese art collection of Frederick Mayer, a famous American collector, sold for 2,672,995 pounds sterling (about 6.5 million U.S. dollars) at eh end of a two-day sale in London on Tuesday (25 June). The auction was held at Christies' salesroom.

The 228-item collection is considered by experts to be the finest to have come on the market for 35 years.

The sale was held over two days. On Monday (24 June) -- the first day -- 112 of the items fetched 1,514,184 pounds sterling (abut 3.6 million U.S. dollars). The highlight of this day was the sale of a 14th century blue and white Me P'ing jar -- it was sold to a Japanese collector for 231,000 pounds sterling (about 555,000 U.S. dollars). This was the second highest price ever aid for a Chinese work of art, and the second most expensive work of art other than a picture.

On the following day a Shang dynasty archaic bronze Fang-i sacrificial vessel sold for 178,500 pounds sterling (about 427,000 U.S. dollars). This is the highest price paid for a Shang piece. The previous record was 66,000 pounds sterling (about 158,000 U.S. dollars).

The second da's sale of the Mayer collection fetched a total of 1,158,811 million pounds sterling (about 2.8 million U.S. dollars).

Japanese buyers accounted for about 28 per cent of the money spent. Bidders from the United States, Europe and China were also present at the packed saleroom.

Mr. Mayer, moved to the United States from Vienna, Austria, in 1937 and settled in New York. He began his Chinese collection in 1945. He was present throughout the sale at Christies'
In Britain such sales are conducted in guineas. A guinea -- now an obsolete form of currency -- is worth 1.05 pounds sterling.