A pair of chairs and a bed made of zitan, red sandalwood, are among more than 80 pieces of furniture that will be auctioned during Asian Art Week in New York in March.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Ecke was a German art historian best known for his book Chinese Domestic Furniture, published in 1944. Humann was a European aristocrat and investment banker in New York whose art collection was purchased by the US art dealer Robert Ellsworth, known for Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) furniture.

About a dozen pieces from the collection were part of a Hong Kong tour in November, and Cheng said that the auction house received a great deal of interest from Chinese collectors attracted both by items' prices and rarity.

"The estimates are very attractively priced. ... We have several pieces that you can't find elsewhere, and several that are the best examples of their type," she said.

"So I think if you are someone who is a serious collector of Chinese furniture and you're looking to acquire something at a very high level, this is a collection you would have your eye on," she added.