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An iron-spot decorated qingbai vase, Song dynasty (960-1279)

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An iron-spot decorated qingbai vase, Song dynasty (960-1279)

Lot 16. An iron-spot decorated qingbai vase, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 10,357 - USD 19,420)Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The inside of the short splayed foot is unglazed revealing the whitish body. 7 1/8 in. (17.9 cm.) high, box

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei, prior to 1995

Property from the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong 


A blue and white garlic-mouth vase, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1820-1850)

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A blue and white garlic-mouth vase, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1820-1850)

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Lot 68. A blue and white garlic-mouth vase, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1820-1850). Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000 (USD10,357 - USD 15,536)Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The vase is painted with six sprays of alternating blossoming and fruiting branches, between decorative borders. 11 in. (28 cm.) high

Provenance: Albert Sze (1932-2008) Collection, Paris 
Acquired by the present family in 1992  

Property from a German family collection. 

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

A fine blue and white 'eight immortals' bowl, Jiaqing six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period

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A fine blue and white 'eight immortals' bowl, Jiaqing six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1796-1820)

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Lot 69. A fine blue and white 'eight immortals' bowl, Jiaqing six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1796-1820)Estimate HKD 50,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 6,473 - USD 10,357)Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The exterior is painted with the Eight Daoist Immortals and the centre of the interior with a roundel containing Three Star Gods. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) diam

ProvenanceGeorg Weishaupt Collection, Berlin 
Acquired by the present family in 2002  

Property from a German family collection. 

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

A pair of blue and white 'eight daoist immortals' bowls, Daoguang six-character seal marks in underglaze blue and of the period

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A pair of blue and white 'eight daoist immortals' bowls, Daoguang six-character seal marks in underglaze blue and of the period

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Lot 70. A pair of blue and white 'eight daoist immortals' bowls, Daoguang six-character seal marks in underglaze blue and of the period (1821-1850)Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 12,947 - USD 19,420)Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

Each is painted with Eight Daoist Immortals on the exterior and a roundel enclosing the Three Star Gods on the centre of interior. 4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) diam. 

Provenance: Georg Weishaupt Collection, Berlin 
Acquired by the present family in 2001  

Property from a German family collection. 

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

Attributed to Tôn thất Sa and Trần Văn Phềnh, 20th century, circa 1900 - 1920

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Lot 272. Attributed to Tôn thất Sa and Trần Văn Phềnh, 20th century, circa 1900 - 1920, Twelve drawings of Bleu de Huế(Chinese blue and white) porcelains from an important collection. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

watercolour and gouache on paper, in 11 parts, one of which is double-sided, (framed together as 5 pieces); each: numbered and inscribed (12), each in various size, smallest: 20.5 by 14.5 cm; 8 by 5 3/4  in., largest: 21 by 30 cm; 8 1/2  by 11 3/4  in. Executed circa 1900 - 1920. Accompanied by the original copy of Bulletin des Amis du Vieux Hué (1929)

ProvenancePrivate Collection, France

NotesThis exquisite series of twelve drawings is a fine example of the tastes and collecting pursuits of  the Vietnamese Imperial court and aristocracy in the 19th-20th century. Each unique study represents a piece of fine Chinese porcelain, or what was known as “Blue de Hue”, blue and white Chinese export porcelain commissioned by the Vietnamese Court in the 19th century with special imperial iconography. Only a few Vietnamese artists who worked exclusively for the Imperial Court were privy to such treasures, and came to execute the beautiful studies in this present lot. 

The series has been attributed to Tôn thất Sa and Trần Văn Phềnh, two of the most famous artists of the “Association des Amis du Vieux Hué” (The Association of the Friends of the Old Hue). The association was created at the beginning of the 20th century by a French reverend, Father Cadière, who had gathered a circle of French-Vietnamese collectors, amateurs, and administrators concerned with preserving the cultural and historical legacy of the Old Hue and Vietnam. Tôn thất Sa and Trần Văn Phềnh were thus known among pioneering connoisseurs of Vietnamese arts.

Careful comparisons reveal that the twelve works were inventory studies of twelve porcelain pieces from the collection of the Khai-Dinh Museum in Huế, currently named Bảo tàng Mỹ thuật Cung đình Huế(The Museum of Arts of the Imperial Court of Hue). As color photography was rare in Vietnam at the time, it was important that the imperial collection was documented with the utmost attention to detail. Some studies in the series include different perspectives, inventory numbers or collection marks, indicators of the museum’s deontological practices.

The artists’ impressively accurate drawings showcase the fineness of Chinese porcelain and the illustrative detail of the landscapes, figures and various motifs.Using gouache and watercolor to replicate the iridescent hues, the artists captured the translucency of each vase, plate and vessel. Even the delicate effect of cracking glaze has been reflected in a few of the drawings.

This lot is accompanied by a rare original copy of a 1929 issue of the Bulletin des Amis du Vieux Hué (Journal of the Friends of the Old Hué), a biannual review published by The Association of the Friends of the Old Hue from 1900 to 1945. An exclusive publication, the bulletin is sought after as the first scientific attempt to catalogue Vietnamese historical and cultural heritage. This particular issue presents the collection of the Khai-Dinh Museum and is a fine addition to the twelve unique drawings of long admired “Blue de Huế”.

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Cover of Bulletin des Amis du Vieux Hué published in April – June 1929.

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Illustration plates from the collection of Khai Dinh Museum published Bulletin des Amis du Vieux Hué in 1929.

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Rare and Fine Pair of Jadeite 'Double Hoop' and Diamond Pendent Earrings

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Lot 1788. Rare and Fine Pair of Jadeite 'Double Hoop' and Diamond Pendent EarringsEstimate 5,000,000 — 6,000,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each set with a highly translucent jadeite double hoop of bright emerald green colour, surmounted by an oval diamond each weighing 1.01 carats, to a diamond-set hook surmount, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Diameter and thickness of hoops approximately 17.63 x 6.05mm and 17.09 x 5.81mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificates numbered KJ 93373 and KJ 93375, both dated 11 August 2016, stating that the jadeite are natural, known in the trade as "A Jade". Also accompanied by GIA reports numbered 1199223121 and 2161724240, dated 17 January 2015 and 11 May 2015 respectively, stating that the diamonds weighing 1.01 carats each are D Colour, VS2 Clarity.  

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 04 Oct 2016, 02:00 PM

Important Jadeite Bangle

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Lot 1671. Important Jadeite Bangle. Estimate 5,000,000 — 6,500,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

The circular jadeite bangle of good translucency and celadon tone, with a patch of bright emerald green colour, with flattened inner rim. Inner diameter and thickness approximately 57.75 x 15.93mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade and Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 93368, dated 10 August 2016, stating that the jadeite is natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".  

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 04 Oct 2016, 02:00 PM

Fine Pair of Jadeite 'Peapod" and Diamond Pendent Earrings

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Lot 1764. Fine Pair of Jadeite 'Peapod" and Diamond Pendent Earrings. Estimate 4,800,000 — 5,800,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each suspending a highly translucent jadeite of bright emerald green colour, carved as a peapod, to the circular-cut diamond floral top, diamonds weighing approximately 5.80 carats in total, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Peapods approximately 41.78 x 17.51 x 6.01mm and 41.57 x 17.55 x 6.61mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade and Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 93206 and KJ 93207, dated 18 July 2016, stating that the jadeite are natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".   

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 04 Oct 2016, 02:00 PM


Fine Jadeite Bead, Diamond and Ruby Necklace

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Lot 1672. Fine Jadeite Bead, Diamond and Ruby Necklace. Estimate 4,800,000 — 5,800,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Composed of forty-seven translucent jadeite beads of emerald green colour, completed by a clasp set with circular-cut diamonds and calibré-cut rubies, mounted in 18 karat white gold, length approximately 570mm. Beads approximately 12.41 to 9.62mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 93215(1-3) dated 18 July 2016, stating that the jadeite tested are natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".   

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 04 Oct 2016, 02:00 PM

Sotheby's Hong Kong announces Contemporary Asian Art Autumn Sales 2016

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Oct 2_Liu Xiaodong_Showered in Sunlight

Liu Xiaodong, Showered in Sunlight, 1990, oil on canvas, 180 x 195.  Est. HK$ 15,000,000 – 20,000,000/ US$ 1,940,000 – 2,580,000 (Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong Contemporary Asian Art Autumn Sales will take place from 2 to 3 October 2016 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale on 2 October offers prime representative works by renowned Chinese, Japanese and Korean contemporary artists, including Zeng Fanzhi, Liu Xiaodong, Zhang Xiaogang, Ai Weiwei, Kusama Yayoi, Nara Yoshitomo and Lee Ufan, among others. Together with Contemporary Asian Art Day Sale and #TTTOP, a special sale guest-curated by Asian pop icon T.O.P, the three sales present a total of 230 artworks totaling approximately HK$311.8million – 451 million/ US$40million – 57.9 million.  

Evelyn Lin, Head of Sotheby’s Contemporary Asian Art, said: ‘Our Contemporary Asian Art sales this season boast an impressive line-up of top-notch representative works by prevailing artists. Such rare finds, highly recognisable and with indisputable significance, have long been sought-after at auction. With the Chinese contemporary art market returning to the rational state, this autumn is set to be an opportune timing for discerning connoisseurs to acquire new treasures.’  

Artists In Focus - Chinese Contemporary Artists 
Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963) 
Liu Xiaodong, Showered in Sunlight 1990, oil on canvas, 180 x 195 cm Est. HK$ 15,000,000 – 20,000,000/ US$ 1,940,000 – 2,580,000 (Evening Sale Item)
 
The artist’s early museum-quality masterpiece, Showered in Sunlight features an unusual composition: six nude figures are arranged irregularly upon the canvas, with the foreground occupied by a partial human torso. The close-up perspective results in a strong ‘visual pressure’ that pulls viewers into the painting’s reality. Despite the simple rendering of the background and the treatment of light, the artist’s portrayal of the young men’s spirit and the relationship among them are executed with brilliant virtuosity. 

Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964) 
Sotheby’s Hong Kong will present two large-format works by Zeng Fanzhi this season. From his significant Mask series, which he began in 1993, Society No. 3 is a large-scale exemplar of the series featuring a specific theme. Painted in 2001, it reflects the artist’s gradual experimentation with different approaches, engaging in dialogue with the earlier Society No. 1, with the figure in the earlier painting wearing a traditional Chinese gown, versus the figure in the later piece donning a long, modern coat. The painting illustrates the anxiety rumbling beneath the façade of 1990s urbanisation in China.

Oct 2_CTP Evening_Zeng Fanzhi, 'Society No

Zeng Fanzhi , Society No. 3, 2001, oil on canvas, 218.5 x 144.5 cm. Est. HK$12,000,000 – 18,000,000 / US$1,550,000 – 2,330,000(Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

 In 2004, Zeng began experimenting with abstract landscapes. Created in 2007, the sizable masterpiece Landscape is representative of the artist’s mature phase, continuing the exploration of line from his earlier phase while pursuing a new, more abstract variation. The branches are dense and bold, and the artist demonstrates the use of perspective in the composition. From the lake to the woods, hues of grey run to a combination of deep blues, blacks, and reds. The main subject here is a long road extending from the foreground into the distance. The path is lined with intertwined branches that seem to possess a life of their own. The artist skillfully combines Eastern and Western elements, integrating the traditional Asian influence with an effect in the style of renowned American artist Jackson Pollock, resulting in a unique, cross-cultural work of art. 

Oct 2_Zeng Fanzhi (b

Zeng Fanzhi, Landscape, 2007, oil on canvas 214.5 x 330 cm. Est. HK$ 8,500,000 – 15,000,000/ US$ 1,100,000 – 1,940,000 (Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

Liu Wei (b. 1965) 
The Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale features two 1990s-era works by Liu Wei, each representing an important phase in the artist’s oeuvre. From 1991, Revolutionary Family Series (Three Figures) features the bright colours characteristic of the artist’s Revolutionary Family Series and shows early hints of the distortion and exaggeration that the artist’s later style would define. The background evokes propaganda paintings of the Cultural Revolution, while its Pop style conveys China’s political atmosphere in the early 1990s. One of Liu’s earliest works, it represented the artist in the 1993 Venice Biennale, a watershed moment for Chinese artists on an international stage. 

Oct2_Liu Wei_Revolutionary Family Series (Three Figures)

Liu Wei, Revolutionary Family Series (Three Figures), 1991, oil on canvas, 99.5 x 99 cm. Est. HK$10,000,000 – 15,000,000 / US$1,290,000 – 1,940,000 (Evening Sale Item)Photo: Sotheby's.

Painted in 1998, No Smoking is a classic work of Liu Wei’s return to the individual and the inner being, with political and cultural movements a distant memory. A self-parody, it makes a small jibe at the artist’s own tendency to paint with a brush in one hand and a cigarette in the other, conveying the artist’s relaxed state of mind during his life of seclusion.  

Oct 2_Liu Wei_No Smoking

Liu Wei, No Smoking, 1998, oil on canvas, 170 x 170 cm. Est. HK$9,000,000 – 12,000,000 / US$1,170,000 – 1,550,000 (Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

The Ullens Collection 
One of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chinese Contemporary Art, the Ullens Collection spans generations, schools of thought, movements and media, chronicling the evolution of Chinese modern and contemporary art. Sotheby’s Hong Kong is honoured to once again present key works from this important collection. The net sale proceeds of the 34 important lots from this distinguished collection will support the UCCA’s exhibitions and public programmes in 2016. 

Oct2_Liu Wei_Revolutionary Family Series (Three Figures)

Zhang Xiaogang (b. 1958), Sisters and Brothers, 2009–2010, oil on canvas, 270.5 x 370 cm Est. HK$10,000,000 – 15,000,000/ US$1,290,000 – 1,940,000 (Evening Sale Item) **From The Ullens Collection**. Photo: Sotheby's.

In the 1990s, Zhang discovered, in yellowed family portrait photographs, a standpoint from which to narrate personal history, thus creating the Bloodline: Big Family series. Sister and Brothers features three figures: a sister and her two younger brothers, as compared to the two figure composition most commonly found in Zhang’s works. The sister wears a typical 1970s green coat, while the older of the two younger brothers, clad in the ‘Mao’ uniform, carries a ‘history’ book, representing intellectuals, and the youngest brother faces the viewer, looking bewildered. Appearing regularly in Zhang’s body of work, the siblings represent a shared experience of the Cultural Revolution, allowing viewers to trace stages of Chinese history through the artist’s surreal perspective. 

Important Chinese Contemporary Photography 

The most important photography work of Ai Weiwei’s early period, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn raises powerful questions through a deliberate close-up of the split seconds required to permanently destroy an artefact that had survived for over two millennia. The action imposed upon the antique Han pot represents the end of conventional values, creating a work that is in turn both iconoclastic and regenerative while also reminding us that the significance of a cultural object is always subject to change. Today, the value of this work has exceeded that of the once-prized urn itself, evidence of a creative evolutionary cycle many consider necessary for culture’s survival. Exhibited numerous times, another edition of the work sold at Sotheby’s London Contemporary Art Evening Sale in February 2016 for GBP 755,000 / HK$8,500,000. 

Oct 2_Yang Fudong_The First Intellectual

Yang Fudong (b. 1971),, The First Intellectual, 2000, photograph (colored chromogenic print), 188 x 125cm, ed. 7/10; Est. HK$400,000 – 600,000/ US$52,000 – 77,500 (Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

Yang Fudong is China’s most influential photographer. The First Intellectual is not only the most important and representative work of Yang’s early period, but also a major breakthrough in Chinese photography as a whole. A triptych of photographs, the work’s uppermost image is the most familiar, featuring Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district. In the foreground, a young man stands in the middle of an empty street. Holding a brick in his hand, he wears a rumpled white-collared shirt and has blood on his face, glaring. This artwork captured, without mocking, the yawning gap between images projected by the government and the perspective of a new generation. The educated young man is perhaps viewed as an intellectual person, yet when struck with a brick on the street, he is powerless. 

Artists in Focus - Japanese Contemporary Artists 
Nara Yoshitomo (b. 1959) 

The current sale showcases a total of 11 lots by Nara Yoshitomo, spanning several stages of the artist’s creative journey from 1988 to 2012, as well as multiple media including oil, acrylic, coloured pencil and felt-tip pen on canvas, paper, cardboard, wood ceramic pieces and mixed media sculptures, among others. 

Measuring nearly two metres in height, Little Ambassador is the very first work from a precious batch of iconic Ambassador paintings that Nara created in the early 2000s. The monumental little girl scowls, furious at the state of the world and the broken promises of her forbearers. Her dress of pale pastel green is soft and luminous, while the neutral background glows with a dream-like simplicity. Enchanting, endearing and powerfully evocative, this is Nara’s peace-advocating magnum opus.

Oct 2_Nara Yoshitomo_The Little Ambassador

Nara Yoshitomo, The Little Ambassador, 2000. Acrylic on canvas, 198.1 x 132.5 cm. Est. HK$16,000,000 – 24,000,000 / US$2,070,000 – 3,100,000 (Evening Sale Item)Photo: Sotheby's.

Strikingly iconic and endearing, S-Girl is a quintessential Nara Yoshitomo portrait, created during the artist’s time abroad in Germany in the 1990s. The solitude of his first experience of living overseas not only made him recall the loneliness of his childhood, but also enabled him to restore a ‘sense of [his] true self.’ Donning a striking red dress, SGirl is a self-portrait of the artist, as well as a portrait of us all in purer, more vulnerable days. In lieu of a warm and cheerful ‘home’, There is no place like home portrays three children seated in a coffin-like box, brooding in adorable costumes. The cat costumes are a recurrent theme: Nara once recalled in an interview: ‘When I was a child, I really liked cats. In my neighborhood, I didn’t have a friend my age. When I came home [after school] I was alone… So I always played with cats.’ 

Oct 2_Nara Yoshitomo_There is No Place Like Home

Nara Yoshitomo, There is No Place Like Home 1995, acrylic on canvas, 81.5 x 162 cm. Est. HK$6,500,000 – 8,500,000 / US$840,000 – 1,100,000 (Evening Sale Item)Photo: Sotheby's.

Kusama Yayoi (b. 1929) 
Kusama Yayoi is one of few Asian Contemporary artists who is dedicated to creating large-scale oil paintings. Respectively created in the 1980s and 2000s, Between Heaven and Earth (set of five) and Infinity-Nets (HOWAZ) (quadriptych) are both classics of the period to which they belong, and undoubtedly rare finds at auction. 

Exhibiting a blazing red hue – a colour preferred by the artist since 1960 –Infinity-Nets (HOWAZ) (quadriptych) features endless repetitions of minute solid red arcs dabbed dexterously over green acrylic, an unusual palette that creates alluring three-dimensionality. The vast, mural-sized piece pulsates with its infinite rhythmic ripples and undulations, implying sublime breaths of pause that award structure and balance to expansive infinity. It is exemplary of Kusama’s earliest and most iconic series that first established her indomitable position in the Western art world.  

Oct 2_Kusama Yayoi_Infinity-Nets(HOWAZ) (quadriptych)

Kusama Yayoi, Infinity-Nets (HOWAZ) (quadriptych), 2005, acrylic on canvas, 194 x 520 cm (overall). Est: HK$12,000,000 – 18,000,000/ US$ 1,550,000 – 2,330,000 (Evening Sale Item)Photo: Sotheby's.

The five-paneled, soft sculpture Between Heaven and Earth (set of five) is a singular, monumental work epitomising Kusama Yayoi’s stellar ascent into international prominence in the late 1980s onwards. The riveting optical patterns evoke an exotically-hued tapestry blooming in writhing dynamism. Transposed onto wall-mounted segments, the unruly, quirkily-coloured protuberances gain a heightened sense of grandeur alongside its paradoxical whimsicality, allowing for a detached contemplation of Kusama’s singular sense of the infinite.  

Oct 2_Kusama Yayoi_Between Heaven and Earth (set of five)

Kusama Yayoi, Between Heaven and Earth (set of five), 1987, soft sculpture on wood, 180 x 900cm (overall). Est. HK$ 7,500,000 – 12,000,000/ US$ 970,000 – 1,550,000 (Evening Sale Item)Photo: Sotheby's.

Japanese Gutai Artists 

Oct 2_Tanaka Atsuko_Work 

Tanaka Atsuko (1932 – 2005), Work, 1968, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 130.8 x 97.4 cm. Est. HK$6,000,000 – 8,000,000/ US$775,000 – 1,040,000 (Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

Hailing from Tanaka’s glorious 1960s era of international acclaim, Work is outstanding for its range of brilliant colour, layered three-dimensionality and compelling immediacy, a testament to Tanaka’s use of quick-drying synthetic enamel paint. Works of such commanding presence from Tanaka’s early 1960s circle paintings are extremely rare, with similar paintings from this period currently held by such eminent museum collections as New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Oct 2_Shiraga Kazuo_Work

Shiraga Kazuo (b. 1924), Work, 1962, oil on canvas, 116.4 x 80cm. Est. HK$7,500,000 – 9,500,000/ US$970,000 – 1,230,000 (Evening Sale Item). Photo: Sotheby's.

Hailing from Shiraga Kazuo’s critical early period of explosive dynamism, this stunning masterpiece heaves and writhes with fiery turbulence, exuding potent, visceral ferocity. Claw-like lacerations of red, orange and deep burgundy converge at thrilling points of intersection, accented by masterful finishing swipes of electric cobalt. The young Gutai master’s legendary feet-generated strokes thrash out a path of primal expression via impassioned collisions of body and paint.  

Special Day Sale Section: ‘Full Circle II: Yoshihara Jiro Collection’ 

Oct 3_Jiro Yoshihara

Yoshihara Jiro (1905 – 1972), Work, 1971, acrylic on canvas, 22 x 28cm Est. HK$260,000 – 450,000 / US$33,600 – 58,500 (Day Sale Item)Photo: Sotheby's.

Following the success of last autumn’s debut ‘Full Circle: Yoshihara Jiro Collection’ themed sale – which achieved HK$26.7million / US$3.4million – comes ‘Full Circle II’. This assemblage of paper, canvas and ceramic works by the renowned Gutai leader includes exquisite pieces that shed light on the charismatic master's early artistic explorations in brushwork and medium, as well as the development of his seminal 'circle' motif. 

Sotheby's to offer Lord & Lady Attenborough's celebrated private collection of Picasso ceramics

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 My family and I have experienced untold joy assembling our ceramic collection over the last 50 years” Lord Attenborough, 2007. Photo: Sotheby's.

LONDON.- This November, Sotheby’s will offer at auction the celebrated private collection of Picasso ceramics assembled by Lord and Lady Attenborough. Renowned for its quality and prescience, the collection was built with the joyfilled tradition of an annual pilgrimage to the South of France, where Lord Attenborough, his wife Sheila, and their children enjoyed holidays at their summer home, not far from the town of Vallauris. Beginning in 1954 with one of Picasso’s souvenir ashtrays, they spent the next 50 years acquiring many different examples of the artist’s ceramic editions. A casual visit to the Madoura pottery – where Picasso began working in 1949 – developed into a regular event, and, as their collection grew, it followed Picasso's developments in working in the medium of fired clay. Providing an extensive overview of one of the most fruitful periods in Picasso’s career, the sale begins with a work from 1947 and spans pieces which were conceived by the artist over the following 25 years. Comprising 67 lots, and estimated to bring a combined total in the region of £1.5 million, the single-owner auction will take place in London on 22 November 2016. 

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 A photograph of Pablo Picasso and a selection of ceramics owned by Lord and Lady Attenborough. Photo: Sotheby’s

Séverine Nackers, Sotheby’s Picasso Ceramics Specialist, said: “This is quite simply the best collection of its kind in private hands, infused with the sheer joy that it gave Lord Attenborough and his delight in Picasso’s impish sense of humour. There is no doubt that the appearance of these ceramics on the market, with the distinguished provenance of such a well-loved and respected actor, director and producer as the late Lord Attenborough, will generate a great deal of excitement among collectors anxious to become their next custodians.” 

Michael Attenborough, CBE, said: “Vallauris was a great annual pilgrimage. In those days I remember wrapping pots up in brown paper for the drive back to England. At Old Friars, our family home, there was a huge, long table in the hall and the top surface of it would have four or five Picasso pots and underneath it there would be another four or five. Dad scattered them liberally everywhere; he adored them and just loved their extraordinary combination of beauty and wit.” 

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Some of Attenborough’s collection. Photo: Sotheby’s

Lord Attenborough has recounted how every summer during the 1960s, he and Sheila took their children to a pension in the South of France and, on or around 29th August, they would drive to the Madoura studio to choose his birthday present. Just as Lord Attenborough was immediately enchanted with Picasso's ceramics, he became equally enchanted with the artist on meeting him for the first time, at Madoura in 1963. His recollection speaks volumes: "I think my heart missed a beat – the impact would, I am certain, have been no less had I suddenly found myself face to face with Shakespeare or Beethoven. He was outrageously charming." On this joyous occasion – Lord Attenborough’s 40th birthday, no less – Picasso presented him with a signed photo, and to Sheila, a little terracotta medallion to wear around her neck.  

Lord and Lady Attenborough were in many ways pioneers in collecting these ceramics, recognising in them not only Picasso's creative ingenuity but also actively building a collection that was unique for its time. As early as 1984, Lord Attenborough contributed to an exhibition of ‘Original Ceramics by Pablo Picasso’, held at the Nicola Jacobs Gallery in London, with an introduction in the catalogue. Not only has the collection been celebrated since at least that time, but Lord Attenborough’s astute views on Picasso’s body of work in ceramics have also been lauded. He understood that Picasso created these works with the same innovative passion as his paintings, sculptures and prints.  

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Art belongs to no one, some of us are simply its temporary, fortunate and delighted custodians.” Lord Attenborough, 2007Photo: Sotheby’s

The Attenborough collection includes both editioned and unique works depicting real and mythical creatures, classical motifs, bullfighting scenes, and portraits, each piece epitomising Picasso’s masterful and playful take on the age-old tradition of firing clay.  

The passion and confidence of Lord and Lady Attenborough’s collecting was celebrated in Sotheby’s landmark sale, A Life In Pictures: The Collection of Lord and Lady Attenborough, in London in 2009. Exemplars of what it means to be a collector, Lord and Lady Attenborough housed their collection at Old Friars, their family home.  

Highlights 

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Pablo Picasso, Grand vase aux femmes nues. Terre de faïence vase, 1950, numbered 8/25 height: 26in. Estimate £250,000-350,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Picasso was keen to create large pots that had a stronger sculptural dimension. Grands vase aux femmes nues represented a new phase in which scale played an important role. These large flared vases depict female nudes, whose figures are emphasised by the curves of the vase – the hips and buttocks of the four nudes follow the curves of the actual vase. Similar to a classical group, Picasso drew inspiration from the Three Graces, a theme which can be seen in his prints and drawings from the 1920s through to the post-war period. 

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Pablo Picasso, Tripode. Terre de faïence vase, 1951, numbered 35/75 29¾in high. Estimate £80,000-120,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

With a form inspired by ancient Cypriot pottery, Picasso decorated the front and back with depictions of Françoise Gilot, his muse and lover, the front showing her resting on her hands.

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Pablo Picasso, Tête de femme couronnée de fleurs. Terre de faïence vase, 1954 signed, numbered 48/50 9in high. Estimate £15,000-25,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Modelled to emphasise the shape of a woman’s face, with the design of the eyes and eyebrows accentuated, this vase is the only editioned Picasso ceramic to be signed by the artist. Modelled and carved by Picasso from a single-handled pot, in this instance he left the white earthenware undecorated.

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Pablo Picasso, Oiseaux et poissons. Terre de faïence vase, 1955, numbered 19/25 19¼in high. Estimate £40,000-60,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

One of the first ceramics to be produced in the smaller edition size of 25, this piece alternates in red and white with a linear design. The simple decoration of the vase creates the impression of birds and fish moving their way around the vase.

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Pablo Picasso, Vase gros oiseau vert. Terre de faïence vase, 1960, numbered 17/25 22½in high. Estimate £50,000-70,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Vase gros oiseau vert was a particular favourite of the Attenboroughs. The oval form of this vase is reminiscent of Picasso’s earliest experiments for bird vases, made up of thrown and assembled parts. The faun-like faces, a decoration similar to those of his plates at the time, fill the body of the vase, whilst the handles represent both wings and horns.  

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Pablo Picasso, Chouette. Terre de faïence vase, 1969, numbered 169/300 11¾in high. Estimate £10,000-15,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Created in 1969, a particularly innovative time for Picasso when he re-worked some of his earlier designs, this vase is an example of how he incorporated new decoration into his earlier owl shaped pots. Here Picasso has used brushed glazes, slips and gouging to create a feathered effect. 

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Pablo Picasso, Vase aux chèvres. Terre de faïence vase, 1952 from the edition of 40 7½in high. Estimate £7,000-9,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

The goat motif is common in Picasso’s work and he continues the theme in this vase, where he uses a dramatic black and white contrast to depict a goat’s profile and another goat running. 

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Pablo Picasso, Oiseau au ver. Terre de faïence ashtray, 1952 from the edition of 500 diameter: 5¾in. Estimate £1,000-2,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Picasso was keen to use the sale of his editions to make his art available to a wider audience. With this in mind, he created a series of little round ashtrays. Together with a traditional form and an animated design, Picasso used the technique of wax resist and copper oxide to create a spread of green colouring, adding a distinctive decoration to each piece.  

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Pablo Picasso, Visage de femme. Executed 4.8.1951 unique large ceramic jug with long spout 19½in high. Estimate £120,000-180,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

The Attenboroughs added several unique ceramics to their collection, including Visage de femme, which came directly from the artist’s estate. A large ceramic, this vase shows Picasso’s fascination with simplistic designs and monochromatic tones to depict a woman’s face. Picasso carried out the transformation of a tradition Provençal vessel into a head with wit and a great understanding of the materials. He incised the features of a woman’s head directly into the raw white clay, painted her hair with a dark slip around the back and at the top, and decorated the long spout to give the impression that the woman has a tall, Spanish comb on top of her head. 

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Pablo Picasso, Tête de chèvre de profil. Terre de faïence plate, 1952 from the edition of 100 diameter: 16¼in. Estimate £8,000-12,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

The first important ceramic that the Attenboroughs acquired was Tête de chèvre de profil. Picasso associated the horned animal with the mischievous fauns of antiquity. In this piece, the goat’s head fills the space of the plate, with special attention given to the central placement of the eye. 

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Pablo Picasso, Corrida. The complete set of 8 terre de faïence dishes, 1959, each numbered 46/50 diameter: each 16½in. Estimate £30,000-£50,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Whilst exiled in France, Picasso continued to explore the customs and traditions of his native Spain through his work. He welcomed the opportunity to attend bullfights and the imagery of the corrida quickly made its way into his ceramics. In 1959, the artist carved and decorated a series of round, earthenware dishes. This sequence depicts the different stages of a bullfight in black on red clay. In this case, a set of eight dishes was reserved for the Attenboroughs in advance of their annual trip to Madoura in 1960. 

 

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Pablo Picasso, Personnages et têtes. Terre de faïence vase, 1954, numbered 5/25 22in high. Estimate £50,000-70,000. Photo: Sotheby’s.

A technical tour-de-force, Personnages et têtes has strong classical associations: as well as the subject matter, the colours – black, white and red – echo the decoration of ancient Greek pots. On each of the four sides of this tall, square vase, heads of bearded fauns and youths were used in both positive and negative form. Some of these heads project forward, while others are impressed into the surface

A sancai-glazed tripod jar, Tang Dynasty (618-907)

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A sancai-glazed tripod jar, Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Lot 93. A sancai-glazed tripod jar, Tang Dynasty (618-907). Estimate HKD 120,000 - HKD 180,000 (USD 15,538 - USD 23,307). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The lower body and base are unglazed revealing fine white ware. 5 3/8 in. (13.8 cm.) high, Japanese wood box.

ProvenanceJapanese private collection
Eskenazi Ltd., London, 1985, no. 9711

The Property of a Japanese Private Collector.

The result of Oxford Authentication thermoluminescence test no. 366j42 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

Rijksmuseum discovers new paintings by Dutch Golden Age master during preparations for major exhibition

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_Woodland Path

Hercules Segers (1589/90-1633/40), Woodland Path, canvas on panel, 16.1 x 22.7 cm, ca. 1618-20. private Collection.

AMSTERDAM.- Until very recently only twelve paintings by the seventeenth-century artist Hercules Segers were known. Extensive research by a team of specialists from the Rijksmuseumhas now added six more to his oeuvre. Four of these works were previously practically unknown. The most recent attribution of a painting to Segers took place last week. It brings the total number of paintings that can be securely attributed to Segers to eighteen. 

They are: 

• Woodland Path, canvas on panel, 16.1 x 22.7 cm, ca. 1618-20. 
• Landscape with a Wind Mill, canvas, 20 x 30.5 cm, ca. 1620-25. 
• Mountain Landscape, panel, 25.7 x 64.1 cm, ca. 1625-30. 
• River Landscape with Figures, panel, 45.5 x 88.5 cm, ca. 1625-30. 
• Panoramic Landscape with Two Towers, panel, 18.4 x 32.8 cm, ca. 1625-30. 
• Panoramic Landscape with a Town on a River, panel, 17.2 x 29.8 cm, ca. 1625-30. 

All the ‘new’ paintings, which are in private collections, will go on show at the Rijksmuseum, along with one hundred and ten prints by the artist, in an exhibition Hercules Segers, which will run from 7 October 2016 to 8 January 2017, the most complete retrospective of the artist ever seen. The exhibition will travel to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 

Since the middle of the last century, most art historians have agreed about the attribution of ten to twelve paintings to Hercules Segers. Thanks to exhaustive art-historical investigations and research into materials and techniques by a team of Rijksmuseum specialists, sixteen paintings and two oil sketches can now be presented as autograph works. The three paintings, Woodland Path, Panoramic Landscape with a Town on a River and Panoramic Landscape with Two Towers, all owned privately, have never been seen before. TheMountain Landscape from Hovingham Hall in England was last shown almost fifty years ago. Alongside the four works by Segers, there are two other paintings from private collections that have long been considered doubtful but may now also be definitively added to Segers’ oeuvre. They are the River Landscape with Figures and River Landscape with a Mill. Two new prints by the artist have also been found. 

Taco Dibbits, General Director, Rijksmuseum: “Very seldom can one add so many new paintings to such a small oeuvre. It is truly fantastic that we can show so much unknown work by this most innovative artist of the Golden Age in the exhibition.” 

Hercules Segers (1589/90-1633/40) was an artist, like Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt van Rijn, who wanted to fathom and reproduce the essence of nature and the world. He combined scenes ‘from life’ with imaginary elements, as he did in the view from his own house on Lindengracht in Amsterdam, which he placed in a mountain valley. There is no evidence that Segers ever travelled or saw mountains in real life. 

Rembrandt was a great admirer of Segers’ work and owned eight of his paintings. He also acquired an etching plate from Segers’ estate and replaced the figures with some of his own, but left the landscape untouched and printed it many times. Segers’ wonderful coloured etching remains popular with collectors and artists, but it was not until the 20th century that printmakers would experiment as freely again. Segers is consequently regarded as a precursor of modern graphic art and modern art in general.

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Hercules Segers (1589/90-1633/40), River Landscape with Figures, panel, 45.5 x 88.5 cm, ca. 1625-30. private Collection.

A white-glazed handled cup, Jin dynasty (1115-1234)

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A white-glazed handled cup, Jin dynasty (1115-1234)

Lot 94. A white-glazed handled cup, Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,769 - USD 10,359). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

Supported on a tall ring foot, the shallow bowl with a slightly sunken base is applied with a bracket-lobed flange on one side, moulded with a single fish, covered with a thin, clear glaze stopping irregularly above the foot, exposing the white body. 4 1/4 in. (10.7 cm.) wide, box.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

A Ding-type deep bowl, Five Dynasties-Early Northern Song Dynasty, 10th-11th century

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A Ding-type deep bowl, Five Dynasties-Early Northern Song Dynasty, 10th-11th century

Lot 95. A Ding-type deep bowl, Five Dynasties-Early Northern Song Dynasty, 10th-11th century. Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,769 - USD 10,359). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The deep bowl is covered inside and out with a creamy white glaze. The foot is neatly trimmed and unglazed revealing fine white body. 3 1/2 (9 cm.) high.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong


A Xing foliate-rim dish, Five dynasties (907-959)

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A Xing foliate-rim dish, Five dynasties (907-959)

Lot 96. A Xing foliate-rim dish, Five dynasties (907-959). Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,769 - USD 10,359). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The dish is covered inside and out with a white glaze that falls short of the foot on the exterior to expose the fine-grained white body. 6 5/8 in. (17 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box.

ProvenanceA Japanese private collection, acquired in 1990s

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Two Beauties, 1942

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Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Two Beauties, 1942

Lot 251. Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Two Beauties, signed, stamped with a seal of the artist and dated 1942, ink and gouache on silk, 56.5 by 33 cm; 22 1/4  by 13 in. Estimate 350,000 — 550,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

NotesMai Thu’s art is a reflection of both splendor and elegance. Residing for most of his career in Paris, Mai Thu nonetheless retained an unassailable sense of patriotism and devotion to his birthplace Vietnam. His strong Vietnamese identity encouraged him to display his artistic talents on silk, forgoing the traditional Western medium of canvas. The present lot is painted with ink and gouache on silk, a technique culturally resonant in Asia, dating back to ancient China. Mai Thu incorporated the French Salon style with Vietnamese aesthetics to fashion a wholly unique artistic identity. Perhaps his artistic choices suggest an internal sense of nostalgia for his beloved Vietnam, for his subject matter is primarily reminiscent Vietnamese women, children and daily life.

Mai Thu gifts female subjects in his oeuvre impressive sophistication and poise, a quality faithfully reflected in Two Beauties.The painting at hand is far more than a mere reflection of feminine beauty, for it succinctly weaves together the portrayal of two culturally diverse expressions. With her hair neatly fashioned in a bun and her head gently resting on her hand, the seated maiden in blue is a reflection of traditional Vietnamese beauty, an inspiration no doubt inspired by the artist’s oriental roots. Contrastingly, her peer in white adopts a decidedly Western expression of charm, with her head arched back and her hair flowing down to her waist, which is likely attributed to Mai Thu’s time in France. Mai Thu’s genius shines through in his masterful portrayal of both women, leaving none more graceful than the other, exhibiting an understanding and acceptance of exquisiteness from vastly different mores.

The meticulous precision of Mai Thu’s brushwork is widely adulated for its delicacy, evoking a delightful sense of innocence and harmony, qualities which are furthered by the use of soft tones and pigments. The theatric deportment of his subjects coupled with his skillful attention to detail reveal his experience as a film-maker and photographer, interests which truly complemented his mastery in the fine arts.

With many of his works in private European collections, Mai Thu has left a legacy that imbues the art world with a magnificent amalgamation of Vietnamese and French charm;

Sotheby’s. Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2016, 10:00 AM

Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Deux fillettes (Two Girls), 1940

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mai-trung-thu-1906-1980-deux-fillettes-two-girls-1940

Lot 268. Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Deux fillettes (Two Girls), signed, stamped with a seal of the artist and dated 1940. Ink and gouache on silk, 42 by 25 cm; 16 1/2  by 9 3/4  in. Estimate 220,000 — 350,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

ProvenancePrivate Collection, Japan

NotesMai Thu is celebrated for his skill in painting with ink and gouache on silk, with the paintings being seen as a combination of Eastern aesthetics with the French salon style. He was inspired by traditional folk themes centering on domestic scenes and daily activities. The paintings often depicted people and scenes from the artist’s past, instilling a sense of nostalgia for the rustic fragrance of everyday Vietnamese life from a bygone era.

Deux Fillettes stands out from his oeuvre as a special piece portraying the intimate rapport amongst friends. The scene engages the audiences to reminiscence about their childhood. The two girls are creating a silent dialogue as they read a book together. The artist often painted domestic scenes, exemplifying the value of community and human relationship. In the current work both girls are seated on a bench, the gracefully decorated furniture seen as a bridge that physically and mentally connects them together, thus symbolizing their sisterly bond.

The present painting alludes to the artist’s sentimental longing for his childhood. Mai Thu’s application of silk further enhances the mood of the narrative, the pastel colours gifting the figures with a special elegance and charm. Deux Fillettes is scented by Mai Thu’s love for a bygone era, for his paintings are respected as vignettes of Vietnamese life, moments from his personal history that are serene and peaceful.

Sotheby’s. Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2016, 10:00 AM

Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Poème sur soie (Poem on Silk)

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Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Poème sur soie (Poem on Silk)

Lot 266. Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Poème sur soie (Poem on Silk). Estimate 35,000 — 55,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby’s.

signed, stamped with a seal of the artist and dated variously between 1950 – 1960 (8); lithography on silk fixed on paper (8); each print varies in size (8); smallest: 12 by 9.5 cm; 4 3/4  by 3 3/4  in.; largest: 17.8 by 12 cm; 7 by 4 3/4  in.; book case: 29.5 by 19 by 3.5 cm; 11 1/2  by 7 1/2  by 1 1/2  in. The book consists of 8 poems by Pham Van Ky, 8 lithograph silk prints by Mai Trung Thu, and accompanied with a black silk presentation case. Published in 1961 and numbered 486 / 523.

Sotheby’s. Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2016, 10:00 AM

A small carved Ding 'lotus' dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

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A small carved Ding 'lotus' dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

Lot 97. A small carved Ding 'lotus' dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 12,948 - USD 19,423). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The dish is potted with a flat, slightly countersunk base, carved to the interior with a single lotus stalk, covered overall with a clear glaze of pale-ivory tone with the exception of the mouth which is bound with a metal mount. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) diam.

ProvenanceP.J. Donnelly Collection, no. 227a.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 October 2016, Hong Kong

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