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An Art Deco diamond bandeau tiara, circa 1920

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An Art Deco diamond bandeau tiara

Lot 207, An Art Deco diamond bandeau tiara, circa 1920. Estimate £9,000 - £12,000 ($16,830 - $22,440). Price Realized £17,925 ($33,520). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2004.

Designed as an openwork diamond band, the articulated panels centring on six daisy motifs, with tiara frame and brooch fitting, convertible into a choker, a longer and shorter bracelet, and a brooch, circa 1920, choker 32.8 cm long, bracelets 17.5 and 15.2 cm long, brooch 3.6 cm across, in original Carrington & Co Ltd red leather fitted case. 

Provenance: Lady Margaret Leighton (1870-1950) and thence by family descent 

NotesLady Margaret is pictured here with her husband, Sir Bryan Leighton, 9th Baronet, on the the occasion of being summoned to court on 6th March 1914.

By family tradition, this tiara was originally designed in the late nineteenth century as a much larger and more imposing pearl and diamond ornament. It was composed of several large daisy motifs as a compliment to the name Margaret (Marguerite) and particularly to her family nickname 'Daisy'. This first tiara was then redesigned circa 1920, as the present jewel, retaining the original and pertinent daisy motif.

CHRISTIE'S. IMPORTANT JEWELLERY, 24 November 2004, London, King Street


An antique pearl, sapphire and diamond tiara, circa 1880

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An antique pearl, sapphire and diamond tiara, circa 1880

Lot 205, An antique pearl, sapphire and diamond tiara, circa 1880Estimate £6,000 - £8,000 ($11,220 - $14,960). Price Realized £11,950 ($22,347). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2004.

Designed as five graduating pearl and sapphire-set sprays and diamond-set scroll motifs, centring on a diamond-set marquise's coronet, mounted in silver and gold, with six brooch fittings, five hairpin fittings and a screwdriver, each spray and coronet detachable, circa 1880, inner circumference 17.0 cm., in fitted maroon leather Auger case stamped with a count's coronet 

Notes: Alphonse Auger established himself as a jeweller in Paris in 1862, initially supplying important French firms, and then developing a company reputation for highly prized works of art and royal regalia, such as swords of honour and tiaras.

This particular piece, designed around the central detachable motif of the marquise's coronet, would probably have originally been made for a European marchioness. The size, form and components, that is of a small and highly curved sapphire-set coronet, recall the fashion set by Queen Victoria in the celebrated 1842 portrait by Winterhalter, where the young Queen is painted wearing her little tiara at the back of her head over her bun.

CHRISTIE'S. IMPORTANT JEWELLERY, 24 November 2004, London, King Street

Japanese screens by Matthew McKelway, Professor of Japanese Art History at Columbia University

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 Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958), Pine Trees and Cranes. Pair of six-panel screens. Ink, color, gold and gold leaf on paper. 67 x 151 1/8in. (170.2 x 383.9cm.) each (2) Estimate: $150,000-200,000. Sold for: $267,750 in the Japanese and Korean Art sale on 20 March 2013 at Christie’s New York. Photo: Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Introduced from China in the 8th century, Japanese screens (byōbu) have been prized in both secular and sacred contexts for centuries. Matthew McKelway, Professor of Japanese Art History at Columbia University, offers an expert overview.

Japanese screens represent supreme decoration as well as an aesthetic response to the beauties of nature. ‘What’s interesting in the development of screen paintings,’ says Matthew McKelway, Takeo and Itsuko Atsumi Professor of Japanese Art History at Columbia University, ‘is that we see a really broad variation of themes early on, so while some of the earliest literary accounts seem to describe native landscapes — rounded green hills, cherry blossoms, maple leaves and seasonal flowers — by the late medieval period we have examples that include human figures and narratives.’

Production continued into the 16th century and beyond, with the screens becoming increasingly varied in subject matter and style.

In the early modern period — the 17th century and after — members of the merchant class began collecting screens. Many beautiful examples are held in Buddhist temples, some commissioned by the temples and others donated by patrons. 

Today, gilded screens are still produced and used on special occasions such as award ceremonies and weddings. 

When do screens date from?

Among the earliest screen paintings in East Asia are examples in lacquer on wood from Six Dynasties China. The earliest complete extant example in Japan, explains Professor McKelway, is from the temple Tōji in Kyoto, depicting a ‘Chinese recluse in a landscape with brilliant green pigments for the mountains.

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A pair of six-fold screens with bamboo, Edo period (18th century). Ink, colour and gold leaf on paper. 67 1/10 x 148 2/5 in. (170.5 cm x 377 cm). Estimate: £70,000-90,000. This work is offered in the Fine Japanese Works of Art sale on 9 November 2016, at Christie’s London. Photo: Christie's Image Ltd 2016

What were they used for?

Screens were used as diplomatic gifts: ‘They were sent in considerable numbers to China and also to Korea from the late medieval period onward,’ comments McKelway.

The subject of the screen paintings could often be interpreted as a message to the recipient: ‘It’s interesting, considering they invaded twice in the 16th century, that 17th century inventories describe images of Japanese warrior stories on diplomatic gifts to Korea.’

Japanese screens also played an important part in the sacred setting of Shinto and Buddhist temples. ‘The concept of shōgon is a décor used in the temple context to heighten and intensify the atmosphere for rituals,’ the professor explains. ‘The term encompasses the whole ensemble, from painted images and incredibly intricate silk borders on paintings to beautiful gilded incense burners and the like.’

‘We know that [screens] were set up for official visits by the Shogun to the mansions and castles of his vassals,’ McKelway continues.

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Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958), Pine Trees and Cranes. Pair of six-panel screens. Ink, color, gold and gold leaf on paper. 67 x 151 1/8in. (170.2 x 383.9cm.) each (2) Estimate: $150,000-200,000. Sold for: $267,750 in the Japanese and Korean Art sale on 20 March 2013 at Christie’s New YorkPhoto: Christie's Image Ltd 2016

They were also used in other contexts, such as funerals and the births of very high-ranking members of the aristocracy. The latter, says the expert, are ‘completely white or white with white imagery like cranes or egrets painted on them.’

Did screens contain popular narratives or themes?

Screens often depicted images from the Tale of Genji, the classic work of Japanese literature written in the early years of the 11th century. Others, such as those given as a dowry for a young wife, might contain an underlying message, such as direction on how to behave in a court setting.

Who were the leading screen painters?

Although many of the screens are not signed, there are some famous names that stand out in the inventories of the past for their innovation and skill. ‘Hasegawa Tōhaku — to whom this pair of screens of the Uji River is attributed — was attempting to do very different things with composition and materials to his competitors in the Kano school, for example,’ says McKelway. 

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Attributed to Hasegawa Tohaku (1539-1610), Willows and Uji River. Pair of six-panel screens. Ink, colour, gold, silver and gold leaf on paper. 62 ¾ x 139 ½ in. (159.4 x 354.3 cm.) each. Estimate: $600,000-800,000. Sold for $605,000 in Inquiring Mind: American Collecting of Japanese and Korean Art on 22 April 2015 at Christie’s New York. Photo: Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Around the 17th and 18th centuries, the artist’s hand began to be prized as much as the subject or material and, just as in the West, the individual’s work was often preferred to that of the studio.

Further important names from this period include Maruyama Ōkyo, Nagasawa Rosetsu, Soga Shōhaku and Kishi Ganku. Yosa Buson, who was equally renowned as a haiku poet, is known to have established a lottery system in order to raise funds for the finest materials, such as silk satin. 

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Anonymous (17th century), Court carriages and maple trees. Six-panel screen. Ink, colour, gold and gold leaf on paper. 61 5/8 x 137 ½ in. (156.7 x 349.3 cm.) Estimate: $30,000-40,000. This work is offered in An Inquiring Mind: American Collecting of Japanese and Korean Art on 15 April at Christie’s New York

What can we tell from signatures and seals?

Signatures and seals began to appear on the screens in around the 16th century. ‘An older, established painter who led a big atelier producing for a younger patron might enter his name in the lower corners of a pair of screens,’ Professor McKelway notes. The seals, meanwhile, more commonly appear to indicate studio production.

A lack of signature can also be revealing: ‘It could depend on the status of the patron,’ explains the professor. ‘If an artist were painting a screen for the shogun he might not want to be so bold as to put his name on it.’

How did production evolve and develop over time? 

As with the gilded or painted altarpieces of the West, there was a marked difference in materials from commission to commission. In the 16th century, for example, we see a growing preference for extensive application of metal foils, particularly gold. 

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Anonymous, Edo Period (18th century), Cranes and Pine. Six-fold screen. Estimate: £5,000-8,000. Sold for £12,500 in the Refined Beauty: Japanese Art of the Edo Period online auction, 14-28 July 2015

Changes in Japan, such as national unification in the late 16th century, led to an advancement of technique. ‘The late Momoyama period is considered by art historians to be the period of major compositional innovation,’ says McKelway. ‘By the end of the 16th century, greater political stability contributed to urban development and increasing competition amongst painting studios.’

From the late 17th and on into the 18th and 19th centuries, the breadth of patronage for works of art widened considerably, explains Professor McKelway. ‘Cities like Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya and Edo were growing exponentially, flourishing on the base of the very solid merchant class and craftsmen who created an enormous basis of consumerism.’

This new consumerism was conspicuously displayed every year at the traditional Gion festival in Kyoto, when screens and other treasures were taken out and put on display. This was unusual within Japanese culture, with its emphasis on discretion and strict social mores.

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Anonymous (17th century), Stable with fine horses. Twelve paintings mounted as a pair of six-panel screens. Ink, colour and gold flecks on paper 52 x 19 ¾ in. (132.1 x 5.2 cm.) each approx. Estimate: $60,000-80,000. This work is offered in An Inquiring Mind: American Collecting of Japanese and Korean Art on 15 April at Christie’s New York

How did Japanese screens influence western art?

‘The first known Japanese folding screen to have been sent to the West was part of a Japanese diplomatic mission to Spain, Portugal and eventually Rome in the 1580s,’ explains the expert. Due to their delicacy and rarity these gifts were not widely proliferated, in the same way as, say, traditional fans or Chinese export porcelain.

Japanese screens, however, can be seen in the work of western artists such as Whistler, Manet and the Impressionists in the 19th century, a period in which they began to be acquired by museums and major collections.

Are they difficult to maintain?

Like any work of art, screen paintings require a great deal of care in order to be kept in good condition. For example, they should not be put up on a wall because the hinges will start to strain, which will damage the interior framework and cause tears on the painting surface.

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Mori Kansai (1814-1894), Rabbits, 1881. Two-panel screen. Ink, colour and gold leaf on paper. 65¼ x 72¼in. (165.7 x 183.2cm.) Estimate: $8,000-10,000. Sold for $11,875 at the Japanese and Korean Art sale on 18 September 2013 at Christie’s New York

Temperature and humidity are also extremely important considerations: ‘Screens have to be kept in conditions like those in their place of origin,’ advises McKelway. 

What should a new collector look out for?

Although the professor advises that one should always follow personal taste, there are important things to look out for when buying Japanese screens. These include rarity, the quality of the painting and materials, the composition or theme and the condition.

‘The appearance of the artist’s name might be significant but because so many works were not signed it becomes important to look at the works simply for the power of the imagery, craftsmanship, the command of the medium and so forth,’ McKelway says. ‘My sense is that screen paintings are still a real bargain, especially in comparison to some of the household names in western and contemporary art.’

Matthew McKelway, Professor of Japanese Art History at Columbia University © Christies 2016

A Yaozhou celadon hexafoil dish, Five Dynasties (907-960)

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A Yaozhou celadon hexafoil dish, Five Dynasties (907-960)

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Lot 86, A Yaozhou celadon hexafoil dish, Five Dynasties (907-960). Estimate HK$60,000 – HK$80,000 ($60,000 – HK$80,000). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The dish is thinly potted with slightly rounded sides rising from a low circular foot to a hexalobed rim, covered overall with a pale celadon glaze of greyish-olive tone. The base has three elliptical spur marks. 7 1/4 in. (18.5 cm.) diam., box

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1990s

CHRISTIE'S. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART5 April 2016, Hong Kong

A pair of small moulded Yaozhou celadon octagonal dishes, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

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A pair of small moulded Yaozhou celadon octagonal dishes, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

Lot 90, A pair of small moulded Yaozhou celadon octagonal dishes, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)Estimate HK$40,000 – HK$60,000 ($5,182 - $7,773). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Each dish is moulded on the interior with a single spray of lotus. It is covered inside and out with an olive-green celadon glaze stopping in an irregular line revealing the pale grey body on the countersunk base. 4 3/8 in. (11.3 cm.) diam., brocade box

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1990s

CHRISTIE'S. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART5 April 2016, Hong Kong

A Yaozhou brown glaze and white slip-decorated dish , Tang dynasty (618-907)

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A Yaozhou brown glaze and white slip-decorated dish , Tang dynasty (618-907)

Lot 92, A Yaozhou brown glaze and white slip-decorated dish , Tang dynasty (618-907)Estimate HK$30,000 – HK$50,000 ($3,887 - $6,478). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The dish is potted with flaring sides rising from a slightly recessed base, decorated with blackish-brown glaze forming abstract floral sprays on a white slip within a pentagonal border of glaze continuing over the rim to form another pentagon on the exterior atop further white slip. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm.) diam., box

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1990s

LiteratureKuro to Shiro ~Soji~Tokyo, 2015, pl. 2

CHRISTIE'S. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART5 April 2016, Hong Kong

A small Yaozhou brown glaze and white slip-decorated jar, Tang dynasty (618-907)

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A small Yaozhou brown glaze and white slip-decorated jar, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Lot 93, A small Yaozhou brown glaze and white slip-decorated jar, Tang dynasty (618-907). Estimate HK$40,000 – HK$60,000 ($5,182 - $7,773). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The jar is potted with a compressed body rising from a short foot ring to a lipped rim. The body is decorated with a band of oval-shaped patterns below a band of trefoils, all in brown glaze reserved on a white slip ground. 3 1/4 in. (8 cm.) high, box

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1990s

LiteratureKuro to Shiro ~Soji~Tokyo, 2015, pl. 1

CHRISTIE'S. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART5 April 2016, Hong Kong

2016 AGTA Spectrum Awards™. Savor Silver Award

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Savor Silver Award. Bridal Wear. Hisano Shepherd, little h, Los Angeles, CA. Sterling silver cufflinks featuring sliced 12 x 13mm Tahitian baroque Pearls accented with black Diamonds (2.0 ctw.).

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Savor Silver Award. Business/Day Wear. Elizabeth Garvin, Elizabeth Garvin Fine, New York, NY. Oxidized sterling silver and 18K yellow gold "Cyclone" cuff featuring Aquamarine and Heliodor (52.0 ctw.) in asymmetrical mirror cuts.

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Savor Silver Award. Classical. William Travis Kukovich, William Travis Jewelry, Chapel Hill, NC. Oxidized silver and 18K yellow gold ring featuring a 14.36 ct. Prehnite cabochon.

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Savor Silver Award. Men's Wear. William Travis Kukovich, William Travis Jewelry, Chapel Hill, NC. Oxidized silver and 18K yellow and rose gold ring featuring a 20.98 ct. golden sheen Sapphire.


A very rare grey jade 'chi' dragon openwork plaque, Warring States Period-Han Dynasty

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A very rare grey jade 'chi' dragon openwork plaque, Warring States Period-Han Dynasty

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Lot 21, A very rare grey jade 'chi' dragon openwork plaque, Warring States Period-Han Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 600,000 (€58,000 - 69,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Deeply carved in openwork with a twisted chi dragon clambering amidst asymmetric archaistic scrolls incised with ruyi-head and geometric designs, the greyish stone with russet and speckled inclusions. 10.9cm (4 1/4in) long

NotesFrom the end of the Warring States period to the Han dynasty, the scale and quality of jade production reached an unprecedented level. Many historians and connoisseurs regard it as China's first high point in the development and art of jade. Carvings from this period typically possess a combination of intricacy in detail and boldness of design, enabled greatly by technological improvements with bronze implements and tools. Stylistically, designs and compositions often included long sinuous creatures in openwork with ornate surface decoration of linked scrolls. The present lot is an excellent example of this. Furthermore, its remarkable asymmetrical ground of scrolls diverts from the orchestrated symmetry of earlier carvings and imparts a greater sense of movement and dynamic rhythm. 

The chi dragon depicted on the present plaque appears strikingly feline in its elegantly striding body and long swaying tail. Scholars argue that such 'S'-shaped cat-like dragons derive from feline motifs on Central and Western Asian objects, see J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1996, pp.67 and 310. It is evident however that jade carvers elaborated such 'Western motifs' in new ways and effectively strengthened these feline images to appear more dragon-like in nature. The current plaque is an excellent example of this with scrolling wings and curved bifurcated limbs.

Compare a jade sword fitting with dragon and phoenix design, Han dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 4, Beijing, 2011, p.77, no.63; see another jade plaque with chi dragon motif carved in relief, illustrated in ibid., p.170, no.218.

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

A very rare jade conjoined double bi-disc, Warring States Period

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A very rare jade conjoined double bi-disc, Warring States Period

Lot 25, A very rare jade conjoined double bi-disc, Warring States Period. Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 800,000 (€58,000 - 92,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Comprising two bi discs, each incised with scrolls and flanked by a pair of stylised sinuous dragons, connected at the centre by a tubular section carved with a stylised mask, the stone of an opaque pale brown tone. 7.5cm (3in) wide

NotesThe Warring States period, marked by strife between several strong independent countries, saw a development of inter-regional trade and commerce. With strong demand and consumption for luxury goods by the elite and high market competition from the various states, artistic innovation led to a rise of dynamic jade carving. Embellishments in the form of zoomorphic or floral flange-like elements that go beyond the boundaries of a jade object's given shape, such as those found on the present lot, demonstrates this. The addition of these ornate decorative elements on bi discs, was a marked departure from the austerity of earlier examples which had remained in shape largely a stark disc with a central aperture. For a discussion of this see R.Keverne, Jade, London, 1991, p.107.

Innovative composite carvings of linked pieces also demonstrates the creativity and great technical finesse utilised during this period to carve jades. Examples of conjoined or linked bi discs from this early period are very rare. Given the difficulty of manufacture that included carving the main pieces and links from a single stone, these would have been infrequently made and remain today in limited numbers. 

Compare a related group of four linked bi discs, with similar tubular link sections, Eastern Zhou dynasty, in the British Museum, London, illustrated by J.Rawson, The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, London, 1992, p.72, fig.44. Other comparable but more complicated examples were found in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, pp.188-189.

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

An exceptionally rare brown jade ceremonial dagger, ge, Warring States Period

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An exceptionally rare brown jade ceremonial dagger, ge, Warring States Period

Lot 28, An exceptionally rare brown jade ceremonial dagger, ge, Warring States Period. Estimate HK$ 800,000 - 1.2 million (92,000 - 140,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Skilfully carved on both sides in openwork, with scroll-incised borders following the shape of the blade, enclosing a stylised chi dragon in the centre flanked by two smaller chi dragon, the tang boldly decorated as a large dragon facing the back edge, its elegant thin sinuous body undulating in a compressed 'S'-shape, the stone of a pale brown tone with black inclusions. 14.8cm (5 3/4in) long

NotesWeaponry was an important part of the period's material culture due to the general turmoil and warfare with various states contending for hegemony. The dagger-axe ge, a type of pole weapon which is mounted by its tang to a wooden shaft, was the primary weapon of the Chinese Bronze Age. In use starting from the Shang dynasty, it eventually evolved during the Zhou dynasty to a dagger blade with a spear head to the top of the shaft. This effective combination was more versatile in allowing the wielder to use it with both a thrusting and swinging motion. 

Bronze ge blades would have provided the basis for the form and decoration of their jade counterparts, consider a late Zhou dynasty bronze ge of similar form, also decorated with a dragon, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no.21.144. These jade versions of weapons would have been used for ceremonial purposes and were important objects interred in the tombs of the wealthy and elite, possibly as emblems of their power and authority. 

It is extremely rare to find jade ge blades of such high quality and size, with impressively well-articulated pierced decoration. This tedious process would have required: cutting the stone to the shape of the weapon; marking out the patterns using small blades and boring holes with diamond drills; piercing out the marked patterns with a metal string bow saw and fine abrasives. Given the high amount of wastage in such openwork technique, this ge blade would have been extremely expensive to make.

The pierced decoration and the similar stylised chi dragons can be seen from a group of jade plaques excavated from the royal tombs of the Zhongshan State from the Warring States period. Compare with a jade plaque, mid-Warring States period, also with openwork decoration, in the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.212.

See a related example dated to the mid-Warring States period in the Aurora Art Museum collection, illustrated by Sun Qingwei, Jades of Warring States Period, Taipei, 2007, pl.251. 

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

A rare yellowish-grey and black jade stem cup, Western Han Dynasty

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A rare yellowish-grey and black jade stem cup, Western Han Dynasty

Lot 38, A rare yellowish-grey and black jade stem cup, Western Han Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 400,000 - 600,000 (€46,000 - 69,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The deep tubular 'U'-shaped body carved in low relief with several registers of various decorative bands including a ground of 'C'-shaped scrolls, incised floral and geometric scrolls, and lappets, all raised on a tall and waisted cabriole foot with a wide circular base, the mottled stone of a yellowish-grey tone with black inclusions. 11.3cm (4.1/2in) high 

NotesJade cups of this particular form are exceedingly rare. Vessels such as the present lot were not simply luxury objects that indicated wealth and rank, but also belong to a group of wares closely associated with longevity and the search of immortality. 

Using the excavated example of a very similar jade tubular cup found in the tomb of the King of Nanyue, which was buried with a lobed jade stand attached to a bronze basin, scholars also suggest it is likely a dew-collecting object associated with immortality elixirs, see National Treasures - Gems of China's Cultural Relics, Hong Kong, 1997, pp.192-193. 

Due to its translucency and hardness, jade was an incredibly prized material and a symbol of durability, believed to possess powers of protection. Liquid collected in jade vessels was thus understood to be imbued with magical qualities, resulting in a potion that grants immortality. It is recorded in the Shiji that Emperor Wudi of Han, in his fervent search for immortality, ordered the construction of a device for collecting dew drops in the Jian Zhang Palace. See J.C.Lin, The Search for Immortality, Tomb Treasures of Han China, Cambridge, 2012, p.288. 

The search for immortality was popular and an important preoccupation among the Han dynasty's powerful and elite, proliferated by the spread and prominence of Daoist sects by the mid-2nd century. The abundance of various jade objects, including whole jade burial suits, interred in royal tombs and of other powerful individuals, demonstrates how significant the quest for immortality was. 

Compare the excavated jade cup of very similar form, from the tomb of the King of Nanyue, excavated at Xianggangshan in Guangzhou, dated Western Han dynasty, illustrated by J.C.Lin, ibid., p.288, no.164. Two other very similar cups were excavated, including one from the Luobowan MI tomb in Guixian, Guangxi, and another dated to the Qin dynasty from the Epang Palace site at Chezhangcun in Xi'an city, see ibid. See another related example in the Aurora Art Museum Collection, illustrated by Cai Qingliang in Jades of Han dynasty, Taipei, 2005, pl.144.

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

A rare pale green and brown jade carving of an elephant and man, Song Dynasty or later

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A rare pale green and brown jade carving of an elephant and man, Song Dynasty or later

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Lot 44, A rare pale green and brown jade carving of an elephant and man, Song Dynasty or later. Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 800,000 (€58,000 - 92,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The elephant carved with its head slightly turned, a swaying trunk between a pair of fitted tusks and a short thick tail, standing with the figure of a man using the bend of one lowered back leg to climb up its body on one side, the man detailed wearing high-waisted trousers and a rounded flat-crowned hat, the stone of pale grey-green with varying brown tones and opaque buff inclusions. 10.5cm (4in) wide

Published and IllustratedArt and Imitation in China, Hong Kong, 2006, pp.158-159, no.48

ExhibitedUniversity Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong (14 October - 17 December 2006)

NotesThis group recalls an earlier portrayal of the monumental mammal with a foreigner naturalistically captured in the motion of rising from a seated posture, with the foreign mahout clambering up on one side of the elephant.

The elephant represents strength, wisdom and prudence. Elephant, 象 xiang, is a pun for 'sign', written and pronounced exactly the same way. Riding on an elephant, 騎象 qixiang, is a homophone for 'may there be good fortune', 吉祥 jixiang.

Large mammals such as the elephant and rhinoceros existed in Central and Southern China since the Shang and Zhou dynasties but they soon became extinct. This has been attested by archaeological evidence and depictions in archaic ritual bronzes of these periods. Such rare archaeological relics are housed in important museum collections around the world: see two examples of late Shang dynasty archaic bronze elephant-shaped zun in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., and another in the Musée Guimet, Paris, illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji. Shang 4, Beijing, 1998, pp.126 and 128, nos.129 and 131. Compare also an excavated example in the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, unearthed at Shixingshan, Liling, Hunan Province in 1975, illustrated in ibid., Beijing, 1998, p.127, no.130. 

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

The sculpture of the fifteenth century wooden painted in Florence at Uffizi Gallery, March 22 to August 28 2016

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Donatello (Firenze 1386 circa – 1466), Crocifisso, 1407-1408 circa. Legno intagliato e dipinto, Firenze, basilica di Santa Croce.

The statues of the Uffizi Gallery and Paintings hosts from March 21 to August 28, 2016 a temporary exhibition offering for the first time to the public, through a nucleus of about fifty works, painted wooden sculpture of the Florentine Quattrocento, a topic studied with passion by Margrit Lisner and Alessandro Parronchi, but still niche and known almost only to insiders, albeit dotted with works of great artistic value. 

In Florence painted sculpture of the fifteenth century, in line with the artistic leadership of the sculpture, he was a essential expressive model for all artists.In particular, the theme of the suffering body on the cross, modeled with a new naturalism heard in the crucified by Donatello and Brunelleschi, was the object of reference for the work of later generations of artists. 

Fig

Donatello (?) (Firenze 1386 circa – 1466), San Girolamo, 1460-1470. Legno intagliato e dipinto, Faenza (Ravenna), Pinacoteca comunale.

Beside the qualified production of crucifixes, is also carved statues of Madonna, saintly and holy hermits tormented by bodies or preserved by pain, portrait busts, statues in the middle of mixed altarpieces and statues for the liturgical furnishings. 

Donatello and Brunelleschi painted, presumably, as well as shape their works, as the colorfulness notch formed along an essential element for the achievement of that naturalism that were pursuing in their works. These include the proud Crucifixes of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella. 

Fig

Bartolomeo Bellano (Padova 1434 circa – 1496 o 1497), San Bernardino da Siena, 1450-1455 circa. Legno intagliato dipinto e dorato, Padova, chiesa dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo agli Eremitani.

Many sculptors instead to paint their works addressed to painters. Blacks of Bicci, who had started a shop in Florence in via Porta Rossa, was one of the most popular painters for the purpose: he painted carved busts by Desiderio da Settignano and crucifixes by Benedetto da Maiano; with monaco-sculptor, Don Romualdo from Candeli, the painter entertained a close working relationship, described in his' Ricordanze ', and attested by Maddalena to Museum of the Collegiate of Sant'Andrea in Empoli, present in the exhibition. 

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Lorenzo di Pietro detto il Vecchietta (Siena 1410 – 1480), San Bernardino da Siena, 1460-1464. Legno intagliato e dipinto, Firenze, Museo nazionale del Bargello.

Just' Maddalena ', by virtue of that performed by Donatello (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence), formed a favorite theme by sculptors, as attested in the attractive displays of Desiderio da Settignano Magdalene of the Holy Trinity church, completed by Giovanni d' Andrea, a pupil of Verrocchio, and that of Francesco da Sangallo the diocesan Museum of Santo Stefano al Ponte. Just the Maddalena Santa Trinita is an example of that polimaterismo that adopted by Donatello for its Madeleine, was later recovered, in its technical - expressive values, by Pollaiuolo and Verrocchio: the statue, mentioned by Vasari as "beautiful as say you can ", is not in fact carried out exclusively in wood, as obtained from a willow trunk, but with the back of cork and plaster molded hair. 

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Scultore prossimo a Donatello, Crocifisso. Legno intagliato e dipinto, cm 180 x 160, Firenze, oratorio di San Sebastiano, detto dei Bini.

The exhibition also shows how the last quarter of the fifteenth century some great workshops run family, stressed by the demands of the art market, they were specialized in making crucifixes and not just for churches, but also for the private devotion and convent. This production was predominant among the members of the highest Florentine woodcraft tradition: the brothers Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano, the Sangallo - Giuliano, Antonio and Francesco the Elder - the Del Tasso - Francesco and Leonardo - and Baccio da Montelupo.On display is especially notable for the quality of the SS Crucifix. Annunziata in Florence by Giuliano da Sangallo, one of the Museum of San Gimignano by Benedetto da Maiano painted by artist Cosimo Rosselli and the copy of the Convent of San Marco Baccio da Montelupo, once belonged to Savonarola.

Fig

Michelozzo (Firenze 1396 – 1472), Crocifisso, 1435 circa. Legno intagliato e dipinto, cm 192 x 180, Firenze, chiesa di San Niccolò Oltrarno.

The Doni Tondo, which is part of the circuit of the exhibition, is one of the most famous episodes of collaboration between artist, Michelangelo, and an exponent of the highest Florentine woodcraft tradition, Francesco del Tasso, who carried out the frame with grotesque, racemes imaginative and human busts, almost certainly a design by Michelangelo. 

Fig

Andrea Guardi (Firenze 1405 circa – Pisa 1476), Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, 1465 circa. Legno intagliato e dipinto, Pisa, Museo nazionale di San Matteo.

Another opportunity for close collaboration between painters and sculptors sprang from the realization of mixed polyptychs: large altar with a central wooden statue and side panels painted. The scenic beauty of these compositions, which stood out in the liturgical space, is attested on display from Sant'Antonio Abate (National Museum of Villa Guinigi, Lucca), the central part of the dismembered altarpiece Bernardi and by Benedetto da Majano, originally flanked by two tables Filippino Lippi depicting each two Saints (now the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena) and the Tabernacle of Saint Sebastian (Sant'Ambrogio, Florence) carved by Leonardo del Tasso and painted by Filippino Lippi. 

Fig

Andrea Cavalcanti detto il Buggiano (Borgo a Buggiano, Pistoia 1412 – Firenze 1462), Maddalena orante, 1440 circa. Legno intagliato e dorato, Pescia (Pistoia), oratorio della chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena.

In this tale of painted wood sculpture it gives account of 'foreign presence' in Florence. In 1457 is documented in the city the mysterious sculptor Giovanni Teutonic, an itinerant artist - author of some jobs in the city including the Crucifix, on display, the Sant'Jacopo Soprarno church - that the vehicle experiences across the Alps in Italy, in sign of a face in a raw naturalism, theatrical, expressive rendering of the human drama, other than Donatello, however, inspired by a truthful, shared humanity. 

Present also shows the San Rocco of the Annunciation by Veit Stoss, another noted sculptor d 'beyond the Alps, which was hailed by Vasari as "wooden miracle (...) without any color blanket." In classical thought sixteenth, the wooden sculpture was in fact called upon to present the material and not cover it with the colorfulness.

Fig

Desiderio da Settignano (Settignano, Firenze 1430 circa – Firenze 1464), Giovanni d’Andrea (documentato a Firenze a partire dal 1469, morto prima dell’ottobre 1499), Maddalena penitente, 1458-1459, ante 1499. Legno intagliato e dipinto, stucco, sughero, Firenze, basilica di Santa Trinita.

With this exhibition, "Thanks to new studies or because of incidental findings, wonderful statues are freed from centuries of segregation in the dark chapels, others are of new clothes after careful restoration, others are a more appropriate attribution placement. It turns out that the Tuscan sculpture was much more cosmopolitan than you think: was absorbing the best innovations from across the Alps and Iberian, borrowed the decorations French goldsmith.In the exhibition, as in the accompanying catalog, the works can talk again in a living reality: and it seems almost to feel, to half a millennium later, the subbie noises of chisels, pestles in mortars, the voices of the boys who bring chalk bags, grind the pigments, bring into order the shop, they feel in the background of the masters orders - all feverish, wonderful, hard-working, creative existence of the Renaissance workshops. " (Eike D. Schmidt).

Fig

Donatello (Firenze 1386 circa – 1466), San Pietro martire, 1440-1450 circa. Legno intagliato e dipinto, Fabriano (Ancona), chiesa di San Domenico.

The exhibition curated, as the catalog published by Giunti, Alfredo Bellandi, is promoted by the Ministry of goods and cultural activities and tourism with the Uffizi Gallery, the Gallery of the Statues and paintings of the Uffizi and Florence Museums. 

The fifteenth century painted wooden sculpture in FlorenceFlorence, Uffizi Gallery. March 22 to August 28 2016

Fig

Francesco da Sangallo (Firenze 1494 – 1576), San Giovanni battista, 1515-1520 circa. Legno intagliato e dipinto, Bivigliano (Firenze), pieve di San Romolo.

A pair of jade 'dragon-head' plaques, huang, Warring States Period

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A pair of jade 'dragon-head' plaques, huang, Warring States Period

Lot 12, A pair of jade 'dragon-head' plaques, huang, Warring States Period. Estimate HK$ 300,000 - 400,000 (€35,000 - 46,000). Photo Bonhams.

Each arc-shaped pendant, carved with tight spirals in low relief, terminating at both ends with a dragon head detailed with a slit mouth, with a small circular aperture drilled at the centre, the surface of opaque mottled grey-white tone. Each 12cm (4 1/3in) wide

NotesOrnamental jade carvings like huang plaques, pendants and beads, were manifestations of wealth and status, and were used as funerary items for the deceased. Jade ornaments also functioned to protect and preserve the physical body. These ornamental carvings were assembled in sets according to the time's fashions. 

By the Warring States period, where long garments which required a belt at the waist became popular, pendent sets moved from being worn around the neck to hanging down a belt. A more extravagant aesthetic appeared fashionable compared to the early Zhou dynasty, with larger sized pieces of jade carvings including elaborate bi discs, beads andhuang, each typically ornately embellished with raised bosses, incised carving and openwork dragons. See Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth – Chinese Jades through the Ages, Taipei, 2015, p.82.

Double-dragon-headed jade huang plaques were very popular, as evidenced by many examples in museums. Although they vary, the dragon heads are normally carved with pointed snouts and fierce expressions. The present pair of plaques are rarer for their rounded snouts and slightly more benign expressions. Compare a related jadehuang with similarly styled dragon heads and spiral bosses, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 3, Beijing, 2011, p.136, no.136.

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY


A pale green jade 'chi' dragon sword chape, bi, Western Han Dynasty

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A pale green jade 'chi' dragon sword chape, bi, Western Han Dynasty

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Lot 15, A pale green jade 'chi' dragon sword chape, bi, Western Han Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 300,000 - 400,000 (€35,000 - 46,000). Photo Bonhams.

Of compressed trapezoidal form, with three pierced chidragon clambering on the sides and top, with sinuous bodies and long scrolling tails, the base drilled with three deep holes between two smaller ones, the stone of a pale green tone with brown inclusions. 8cm (3in) long

Published and IllustratedArt and Imitation in China, Hong Kong, 2006, p.122, no.17

ExhibitedUniversity Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong (14 October - 17 December 2006)

NotesWith its connotations of magical protective powers, jade was a particularly appropriate material for weaponry fittings. It was believed to enhance the material strength and force of both the weapon and its wielder. It also would have added value and prestige to the weapon. During the Western Han dynasty, jade sword fittings with three-dimensionalchi dragon seemed to be particularly popular. The fact that there are several extant examples may suggest some sort of jade workshop existed with craftsmen excelling in such carving. See J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1996, p.294. 

This sword chape, with three holes pierced at the top for attachment to the scabbard or blade, is a fine example of the intricate openwork jade carvers were adept at by the Western Han dynasty. The sculptural quality of the three clambering chi dragon likewise reflects the carver's ingenuity. Minute painstaking details were applied such as a rope-twist appearance to the tails of the chi dragon. Compare the chi dragon on two jade sword fittings, similarly carved with rope-twist-type tails, Han dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 4, Beijing, 2011, pp.80-83, nos.67-68.

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

A very rare pair of grey jade 'twins' pendants, Warring States Period or later

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A very rare pair of grey jade 'twins' pendants, Warring States Period or later

Lot 22, A very rare pair of grey jade 'twins' pendants, Warring States Period or later. Estimate HK$ 400,000 - 600,000 (€46,000 - 69,000). Photo Bonhams.

Comprising two pieces to be fitted back to back, each carved flat and in the shape of a pair of twins standing side by side and locking arms, wearing long sleeved robes intricately decorated with a dense ground of finely incised interlocking scrolls above boots, surmounted by tall elaborate scroll forms above their heads pierced with a small circular aperture, the somber faces featuring thick eyebrows, large incised almond-shaped eyes and small mouths detailed on the front piece, with hair depicted parted down the middle on the back piece, the stone of a light grey tone with small darker grey flecks. Each 11.5cm (4 1/2in) high (2).

NotesEarly jade carvings depicting humans are rare and appear only intermittently as burial objects from the Neolithic period to Han dynasty. During the Eastern Zhou dynasty and following into the Han, human figures in jade were principally in the form of ornamental beads and pendants. The use of human figure motifs in a predominantly decorative context is a discernible departure from the more ritualistic or religious aspect related to the Neolithic period, Shang or Western Zhou dynasty tomb jade or bronze figurines. This change to the more functional and secular corresponds to the use of figures as supports for bronze frames and lamps, such as those excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. See J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1996, p.281.

While no figural pendant of the same decoration appears to have been published, elements of the design are comparable to extant figures. Consider the similar facial expression on a jade standing figure, with related almond-shaped eyes and a rounded nose carved in relief, Warring States period, in the Grenville L. Winthrop collection, in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, accession no.1943.50.329. For an earlier dated example, see a jade figural pendant, Western Zhou, excavated from the tomb of Marquis Jin, currently in the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.126. Compare also with a jade figural 'twins' pendant from an assemblage of pendants, beads and gold chain, Warring States period in the Freer Gallery of Art, accession number F1930.27a-k. 

The ground of scrolls on the present lot also parallels the character of various cloud scroll patterns frequently incised on the period's bi discs and dragon pendants, albeit in a more elaborate fashion: Compare the thickly incised cloud scrolls on a jade 'dragon' pendant in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth – Chinese Jades Through the Ages, Taipei, 2012, p.98, pl.5-6-13; and a jade disc incised with a design of geometric cloud scrolls, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 3, Beijing, 2011, p.116, no.111.

Bonhams. THE SZE YUAN TANG COLLECTION OF CHINESE JADES, 11:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), Mother and child, 1971

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Lot 246, Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), Mother and child. Signed, stamped with a seal of the artist and dated 1971. Ink and gouache on silk fixed on cardboard, 47 by 19 cm; 18 1/2  by 7 1/2  in. Estimate 220,000 — 350,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Sotheby's. Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, Hong Kong, 04 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), La calligraphie (Calligraphy), 1964

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Lot 241, Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), La calligraphie (Calligraphy). Signed, stamped with a seal of the artist and dated 64; signed with the monogram of the artist, titled and dated 64 on the reverse. Ink and gouache on silk fixed on paper laid on board, 44.5 by 94.5 cm; 17 1/2  by 37 1/4  in. Estimate 180,000 — 280,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

ProvenancePrivate Collection, Hong Kong

ExhibitionThis work is accompanied with the artist's original border

 NotesMai Trung Thu is highly regarded for his talents with painting on silk, and the artist’s oeuvre has established him as a master of the medium in Vietnam’s history of modern art. His paintings provide insight into the French colonialist rule of Indochina from the viewpoint of the upper class society. Women and children engaging in domestic activities were favored motifs in the paintings. As a collective whole his body of works may be viewed as a seen as a narrative of the country undergoing the transition of Eastern values in the face of Western modernity.

The artist studied under the guidance of French artist Victor Tardieu. He established Ecole de Beaux-Arts d’Indochine, the first art school in Hanoi, and subsequently ignited the country’s interest in cultivating their artistic identity. Tardieu brought with him the European aesthetics and techniques, notably the Impressionist modes of thinking with lush colors, attention to composition, and thick brushstrokes. His influence upon the Vietnamese students had a lasting impression on the artworks that were produced from the late 1920’s and onwards.

Mai Trung Thu’s own paintings are reminiscent of these modes of thinking, and this further evident in the present piece. A rich color palette and a keen eye for details was the artist’s hallmark throughout his career. Many of his paintings featured an original, handmade frame, and this detail only enhanced the Eastern allure of the artworks overall. La Calligraphie perfectly exemplifies this relationship, for as seen in the painting, eight children are gathered together working on their calligraphy, engaging in youthful comradery.

La Calligraphie is a charming vignette of an East and West relationship as experienced by the artist. In the painting, the artist has positioned the children in a clear and dignified way. Each young individual able to stand out from their friends, and yet together they are a unified group. It is a moment of shared joy conveyed in their interaction with one another, and is ultimately relatable across cultures.

Mai Trung Thu’s oeuvre acts as a guide on 19th century life in Vietnam, while also delving deeper into the mindset of a man witnessing these changes unfold. In 1937, the artist migrated to Paris where he lived the remainder of his life, a deliberate choice to escape the Communist idealism that conflicted with the colonialist rule. The artist created the present work when he was living overseas, and within this light, La Calligraphie is a moment from Mai Trung Thu’s memory of his childhood in Hanoi.

Sotheby's. Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, Hong Kong, 04 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), Lady praying, 1954

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Lot 245, Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), Lady praying. Signed and stamped with the seal of the artist and dated 54. Ink and gouache on silk fixed on cardboard, 24 by 18 cm; 9 1/2  by 7 in. Estimate 90,000 — 150,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

This work is accompanied with the artist's original frame.

Sotheby's. Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, Hong Kong, 04 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

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