The hammer has come down on a record sales season for Asian art after collectors and investors splashed out on new acquisitions in spite of turmoil in financial markets.

Christie’s booked total sales of $270.4m at its five-day autumn auction in Hong Kong which closed on Thursday – the highest sales recorded for an Asian season and 28 per cent above last year’s figures. Including its spring auction, Christie’s recorded total sales of $466m for the year in Hong Kong.