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A carved Qingbai 'boys' rectangular pillow, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

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A carved Qingbai 'boys' rectangular pillow, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

Lot 116. A carved Qingbai 'boys' rectangular pillow, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 200,000 (USD 12,957 - USD 25,914). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The pillow is glazed all-over, one narrow side with four spur marks and a ventilation hole, all sides carved with panels enclosing boys against a fish-roe ground. 9 in. (23 cm.) long, box.

The property of Mark Lam

LiteratureDream Quest: The Mark Lam Collection of Chinese Ceramic Pillows, Shanghai, 2008, pl. 2

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


A Ding sgraffiato 'foliage' bean-shaped pillow, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

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A Ding sgraffiato 'foliage' bean-shaped pillow, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)

Lot 118. A Ding sgraffiato 'foliage' bean-shaped pillow, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 100,000 (USD 7,774 - USD 12,957). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The pillow is carved through a layer of pale-russet glaze to a white-slip ground with a foliage scroll on the top and a scrolling band on the sides, all covered with a clear glaze. The base with two small ventilation holes is unglazed, revealing the fine, white body. 9 5/8 in. (24.5 cm.) wide, box.

The property of Mark Lam

LiteratureDream Quest: The Mark Lam Collection of Chinese Ceramic Pillows, Shanghai, 2008, pl. 19

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

Fancy Intense Blue Diamond sells for £2.32 Million at Bonhams London

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Lot 126. A 3.81 carats fancy intense blue diamond ring. Sold for £2,322,500 (€2,702,938). Photo: Bonhams.

LONDON - Bonhams kicks off the fine jewellery autumn season selling Kashmir sapphires, Harry Winston diamonds and signed jewellery for dazzling prices.

A rare blue diamond and pair of Kashmir sapphires caught the eye of global buyers at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale this week (20th September 2016).

The star of the sale was a very rare oval-cut blue diamond. Weighing 3.81 carats, the Fancy Intense Blue diamond hails from a private British collection and sold for £2,322,500 ($792,450 per carat).

Jean Ghika, Head of Jewellery for Bonhams UK & Europe, explains: "Blue diamonds account for only 0.004% of all diamonds mined and are therefore exceptionally rare and remain highly sought after. The price achieved in today's auction demonstrates that the global appetite for coloured diamonds remains as buoyant as ever."

Bonhams has an impressive track record in selling blue diamonds and holds two price-per-carat world auction records: for a Fancy Deep Blue diamond at $1.77m per carat, and a Fancy Greyish-Blue diamond at $730,000 per carat.

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Lot 126. A 3.81 carats fancy intense blue oval-cut diamond ring. Sold for £2,322,500 (€2,702,938). Photo: Bonhams.

The oval-cut diamond, weighing 3.81 carats, within an 18 carat white gold four-claw setting, London hallmark, ring size M½

Accompanied by a report from GIA stating that the diamond is Fancy Intense Blue, natural colour, I1 clarity. Report number 2173507045, dated 4 March 2016.

Blue was certainly all the rage in the sale with the second headline lot, an exceptional pair of late 19th century Kashmir sapphire earrings. Weighing 8.97 and 8.93 carats, the sapphires were fiercely contested and finally sold for £866,500 (or $62,900 per carat) against their pre-sale estimate of £400,000-600,000. 

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Lot 125. A pair of late 19th century 8.97 and 8.93 carats Kashmir sapphire and diamond cluster earrings. Sold for £866,500 (€1,008,437). Photo: Bonhams.

The cushion-shaped sapphires, weighing 8.97 and 8.93 carats, each within a surround of old brilliant-cut diamonds, with an old brilliant-cut diamond surmount, converted from a late 19th century jewel, diamonds approximately 4.20 carats total, earring length 3.7cm

Accompanied by a report from SSEF stating that the sapphires are of Kashmir origin, with no indications of heating. Report number 85864, dated 12 May 2016.

Accompanied by a report from AGL stating that the sapphires are of Kashmir origin, with no indications of heating. Report number CS 1075004 A and B, dated 13 April 2016.

Accompanied by older reports from SSEF and Edelsteinbefundbericht.

Diamonds perform strongly
White diamonds were also in demand at Bonhams during the three-hour sale which achieved £6,440,200, with 92% of lots sold by value.

Much admired during previews in Hong Kong, Geneva, London and New York, a top quality 11.00 carat Marquise-Cut Diamond performed extremely well. The D colour, VS1 clarity, Type IIa stone, was also one of the sale's highest performers selling for £614,500 against an estimate of £200,000-250,000.

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 Lot 124. A 11.00 carat D colour, VS1 clarity, Type IIa marquise-cut diamond  single-stone ring. Sold for £614,500 (€715,158). Photo: Bonhams.

The marquise-cut diamond, weighing 11.00 carats, within a six-claw 18 carat white gold setting, London hallmark, ring size O

Accompanied by a report from GIA stating that the diamond is D colour, VS1 clarity. Report number 2171646461, dated 24 May 2016.

Accompanied by an additional letter from GIA stating that the diamond has been classified as Type IIa.

Elsewhere, a Diamond single-stone ring, by J. Roca, was also hotly contested. The brilliant-cut 13.77 carats diamond hammered for £302,500 against its estimate of £180,000-250,000. 

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Lot 120. A 13.77 carats diamond single-stone ring, by J. Roca. Sold for £302,500 (€352,051)Photo: Bonhams.

The brilliant-cut diamond, weighing 13.77 carats, between shoulders set with trios of graduated baguette-cut diamonds, signed J Roca, ring size L

Accompanied by a report from GIA stating that the diamond is I colour, VVS2 clarity. Report number 5172646445, dated 24 May 2016.

Two diamond lots signed by the King of Diamonds himself, famed American jeweller Harry Winston, also generated considerable interest. The first, a pair of Harry Winston Diamond Earclips, weighing approximately 34.00 carats of diamonds, sold for £80,500, and the second, a Harry Winston Diamond Necklace with 38.00 carats of marquise and pear-shaped diamonds, sold for £110,500. 

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Lot 122. A pair of approximately 34.00 carats diamond earclips, by Harry Winston. Sold for £80,500 (€93,686)Photo: Bonhams.

Each highly articulated elongated hoop, set with brilliant-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, diamonds approximately 45.30cts total, signed Winston, length 4.9cm

Please note that the diamonds are approximately 33.60 carats total, not 45.30 carats total as stated in the catalogue.

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Lot 123. A diamond necklace, by Harry Winston. Sold for £110,500 (€128,600)Photo: Bonhams.

Designed as a v-shaped articulated line of alternating marquise-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, diamonds approximately 38.0 carats total, maker's mark for Jacques Timey, length 39.9cm

A pair of antique diamond earrings, circa 1830, also attracted competitive bidding. The old cut diamonds, weighing 3.02 and 3.25 carats, classified as Type IIa, probably hailed from the famed Golconda mines and sold for £104,500 against a pre-sale estimate of £30,000-40,000.

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Lot 109. A pair of 3.02 and 3.25 carats Type IIa diamond pendent earrings, circa 1830. Sold for £104,500 (€121,617)Photo: Bonhams.

The pear-shaped diamonds, weighing 3.02 and 3.25 carats, within pinched collet settings, suspended from similarly-set cushion-shaped diamond surmounts, mounted in silver and gold, remaining diamonds approximately 0.45 carat total, one diamond deficient, later surmounts, length 2.5cm

Accompanied by a report from GIA stating the diamond weighing 3.02 carats is E colour, SI2 clarity. Report number 5171646556, dated 24 May 2016.

Accompanied by a report from GIA stating that the diamond weighing 3.25 carats is F colour, SI2 clarity. Report number 5171646553, dated 24 May 2016.

Accompanied by additional letters from GIA stating that the diamonds weighing 3.02 and 3.25 carats have been classified as Type IIa.

In line with the ongoing demand for coloured stones, the sale also featured an impressive Emerald and diamond cluster ring, circa 1960. The cushion-shaped emerald, weighing 12.50 carats, of Colombian origin, sold for £69,700 against its estimate of £30,000-40,000.

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Lot 90. A 12.50 carats Colombian cushion-shaped emerald and diamond cluster ring, circa 1960. Sold for £69,700 (€81,117)Photo: Bonhams.

The cushion-shaped emerald, weighing 12.50 carats, within an undulating border of tapered baguette-cut diamonds,diamonds approximately 4.00 carats total, French marks, ring size O

Accompanied by a report from SSEF stating that the emerald is of Colombian origin, of medium strong saturation with a minor amount of oil in the fissures. Report number 86334, dated 16 June 2016.

Design-led jewellery in demand
A rare piece from the 1970s by Andrew Grima, the doyen of modern jewellery design in Britain, also performed well at the auction. The gold gem-set and diamond bracelet, dated 1973, features carved emeralds and cabochon sapphires of various sizes, mounted in 18 carat gold, interspersed with brilliant-cut diamond accents, sold for £23,750. 

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Lot 44. A gold, gem-set and diamond bracelet, by Andrew Grima, 1973. Sold for £23,750 (€27,640)Photo: Bonhams.

The articulated strap composed of carved emeralds and cabochon sapphires of various sizes, mounted in 18 carat yellow gold with polished finials, interspersed with brilliant-cut diamonds, diamonds approximately 2.00 carats total, signed Grima, maker's mark AGLtd, London hallmarks, length 18.0cm, fitted maker's case.

Note: This bracelet was exhibited at the Grima 'Retrospective' exhibition at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1991. See exhibition catalogue number 246, page 86.

Jean Ghika, Head of Jewellery for Bonhams UK & Europe, says: "With participation from our global client base, these results, particularly for blue diamonds, Kashmir sapphires and top quality white diamonds demonstrate the market is buoyant for the very best items."

15 preeminent New York City dealers launch October Art Week

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Gaspare Traversi, (Napoli 1722 ca. - Roma 1770), The Monk, the Novice, and the Maiden. Oil on canvas, 24 3/8 x 29 1/8 inches (62 x 74 cm.). Courtesy Robert Simon Fine Art.

NEW YORK, NY.- Fifteen of the city's preeminent galleries-all clustered on the Upper East Side-are hosting simultaneous opening-night receptions to kick off the first edition of October Art Week, October 20 to 26. 

The gallery receptions, open to the public and comfortably walkable from one another, are being held to expand upon the buzz and excitement generated by the opening of TEFAF in New York City. Taking place at the Park Avenue Armory, TEFAF, the world's premier art fair, will bring together the treasures of nearly 100 dealers from around the globe, showcasing outstanding examples of fine art, design, furniture, jewelry and more. 

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Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919), La sortie du bain. Painted in 1890. Oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 21 3/8 inches (65 x 54 cm). Signed lower right: Renoir. Courtesy Hammer Galleries. 

"With the opening of TEFAF New York, we thought it was the perfect time to launch October Art Week. TEFAF draws the world's foremost collectors and curators and while we look forward to seeing them on our stand, we really wanted to get them into our galleries, too," says Bria Koser, director of Otto Naumann Ltd., who with Lydia Johnson, director at Robert Simon Fine Art and Frances Beatty, president of Richard L. Feigen & Co., came up with the concept. 

Koser and Johnson envisioned some special way to observe the week-long activities swirling around the art world. In addition to TEFAF, Christie's has moved their sale dates to coincide with the fair and Sotheby's, too, is holding their private selling exhibitions of Old Master paintings during the week. "We considered various ideas, trying to come up with an exciting way to bring people together to make the most of everything going on this Fall in New York." 

The 15 participating galleries, several of which are exhibiting at TEFAF, include: 

• Jill Newhouse Gallery, 19th- and 20th-century European works; 4 East 84th Street 

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Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (French, 1796-1875), Paysage. Verso: Landscape Study. Charcoal on paper, 20 x 13 1/4 in. (51 x 33.8 cm). Stamped lower leftCourtesy Jill Newhouse Gallery

• Schiller & Bodo, 19th-century European paintings, with emphasis on works from the French Academic, Realist, Barbizon and Post-Impressionist traditions; 4 East 84th Street  

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Francis Picabia (French, 1878-1953), Effet de soleil couchant sur l’Etang de Berre, Martigues, signed and dated lower right: Picabia 1908. Oil on canvas, 21 3/8 x 25 ½ inches (54 x 64.5 cm.)Courtesy Schiller & Bodo

• Otto Naumann Ltd., Old Master Paintings; 22 East 80th Street, Second Floor 

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Christophero Savolini, Madonna and Child, c. 1676-77. Oil on canvas, 103 x 80 cmCourtesy Otto Naumann Ltd.

• Robert Simon Fine Art, Old Master paintings; 22 East 80th Street, Fourth Floor  

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Jacopo Amigoni (Italian, ca. 1680-1752), Madonna and Child with Angels in the Clouds. Oil on canvas, 23 ¼ x 12 ½ inches (59 x 31.7 cm)Courtesy Robert Simon Fine Art.

• Shepherd W & K Galleries, 19th-century European paintings, drawings and sculpture, and modern art; 58 East 79th Street 

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Gallery Installation featuring Academic Male Nude by Franz Xavier Seegen, 1783Courtesy Shepherd W & K Galleries

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Egon Schiele, Seated semi-nude with hat and purple stockings (Gerti), 1910Courtesy Shepherd W & K Galleries

• Les Enluminures, manuscripts and miniatures from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance as well as rings and jewelry from the period; 23 East 73rd Street, Seventh Floor 

 

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Book of Hours (Use of Rome). In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, 4 full-page miniatures and 10 historiated initials, 109 x 86 mm, Central Italy, Umbria, Perugia, circa 1450Courtesy Les Enluminures.

• Jack Kilgore & Co., European old master paintings; 154 East 71st Street, Third Floor 

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Vicente López Y Portaña (Spanish, 1772-1850), Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, oil on canvas, circa 1795-1800, 73 by 42 ½ inches (185 by 107 cm)Courtesy Jack Kilgore & Co.

• Richard L. Feigen & Co., wide-ranging works, from Sir Joshua Reynolds to Ray Johnson; 34 East 69th Street 

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Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, Head of Charlemagne, c.1811-15, oil on canvas, 24 x 19-2/3 inches. Courtesy Richard L. Feigen & Co

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Peter Saul, The Rembrandt Duck, 1992, oil on canvas, 54 x 50 inchesCourtesy Richard L. Feigen & Co.

• Didier Aaron, Inc., predominantly French paintings and drawings from the 17th- through 19th-centuries, plus European furniture and decorative arts from the same period; 32 East 67th Street 

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Alfred Stevens (1823 Brussels – Paris 1906), Exotic Ornament (or Silent Dialogue). Oil on panel: 20 x 24 7/8 in. Signed upper right hand corner: AStevens. Courtesy Didier Aaron, Inc.

• Taylor | Graham, American and European art from the 19th century to the present, and sculpture; 32 East 67th Street 

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Gustave Loiseau (French, 1865-1935), Baie de Treboul, 1913. Oil on canvas, 18 3/8 x 24 1/4 inches. Signed lower right: G Loiseau. Courtesy Taylor | Graham. 

• Andrew Butterfield Fine Arts, European art, chiefly Renaissance and Baroque sculpture (exhibiting at Dickinson Roundell, Inc.); 19 East 66th Street  

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Gian Lorenzo and Pietro Bernini, Bust of the Savior,  c. 1615-16. Courtesy Andrew Butterfield Fine Arts. 

• Dickinson Roundell, Inc., old master, Impressionist and contemporary paintings and works of art; 19 East 66th Street  

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Edvard Munch, Blond og mørk aktmodell (Blonde and Dark-Haired Nudes), 1902-03, oil on canvas, 60.3 x 70.5 cm. (24 x 27 ¾ in.). Courtesy Dickinson Roundell, Inc.

• Daphne Alazraki Fine Art, European paintings of the 17th through 21st centuries; and Trinity House Paintings, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, modern British and 19th-century works; 24 East 64th Street 

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Pablo Picasso  (Spanish 1881-1973), Colombe de la paix. Colored crayon on paper, 7 x 10 ½ inches (18 x 27 cm). Signed lower right: PicassoCourtesy Daphne Alazraki Fine Art.

• Mark Murray Fine Paintings, 19th-century, early 20th-century and Impressionist art; 159 East 63rd Street  

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Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851), The Storm (c. 1823). Watercolour and bodycolour on board, 4 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.  (125 x 189 mm). Courtesy Mark Murray Fine Paintings

An outstanding and rare wucai 'mythical beast' jar and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

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An outstanding and rare wucai 'mythical beast' jar and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

An outstanding and rare wucai 'mythical beast' jar and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

An outstanding and rare wucai 'mythical beast' jar and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

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Lot 110. An outstanding and rare wucai'mythical beast' jar and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619). Estimate 8,000,000 — 12,000,000. Photo: Sotheby's

of barrel form, the exterior of the rounded sides boldly and freely decorated in the wucai palette with four mythical beasts, including two qilin, leaping through through a setting detailed with pine trees and jagged rockwork beneath cloud wisps, the mythical beasts vibrantly coloured and rendered with windswept manes and tails, all between bands of coin diaper and lotus scrolls encircling the rim and foot respectively, the unglazed base of the jar centred with a recessed glazed medallion enclosing an underglaze-blue six-character reign mark within a double-circle, the well-fitted cover with a raised border of multi-coloured scrolls, encircling the central medallion enclosing three further mythical beasts beneath a pine tree, the straight sides with a band of waves interrupted by florets - 14.6 cm, 5 3/4  in.

Amusing the Wanli Emperor with Cricket and Chess
Li Baoping 

It is extremely rare to find covered boxes in barrel form among Ming dynasty porcelain. Potted in a distinctive and pleasing form and inscribed with a reign mark of the Wanli period (1573-1620), the box is painted in attractive, brilliant wucai (‘five colour’) enamels with fascinating auspicious beasts depicted in lovely postures, including qilin. Its decoration is nearly identical to two other Wanli-marked wucai boxes from the collection of Iver Munthe Daae, a member of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service from 1867 to 1888, although the Daae boxes differ slightly in proportion (fig. 1).

Wucai ‘mythical beast’ box and cover, mark and period of Wanli Collection of Iver Munthe Daae

Wucai‘mythical beast’ box and cover, mark and period of Wanli. Collection of Iver Munthe Daae, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 1st November 1994, lot 54Photo: Sotheby's

The usage of these drum-shaped boxes is still not fully understood. While some were probably made as cricket cages, related boxes, also extremely rare, may have been used by the Wanli emperor as containers for chess pieces (often known by its Japanese name go). In Japan, this form was later valued as mizusashi or water jars for the tea ceremony. Contained in this unique piece and related boxes is rich information on the art, intelligence, strategy and recreation of the Chinese royal court, and cultural interactions with Japan.

Playing with crickets has a long history in China and the mania for cricket fights reached new heights in the Ming dynasty, with one observer noting that on the death of one enthusiast’s prized cricket, “he made a silver coffin” for the insect, in the form of those made for Buddhist reliquaries. Porcelain cricket cages in barrel form, but with recessed covers, were first made for the Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-35), as discussed in Liu Xinyuan, Ming Xuande guanyao xishuai guan [Xuande period cricket jars from the Ming imperial kilns], Taipei, 1995. Cricket fights were particularly popular in the Wanli period, especially in Beijing and south China. The Wanli Emperor has gone down in history for decades of lethargic governance and may well have indulged in this pastime. A variety of imperial porcelain cricket cages from the Wanli period is illustrated in line drawings in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jiandin [Appraisal of Ming and Qing Porcelains], Hong Kong, 1993, fig. 264; and a wucai box in the Shanghai Museum, with dragons chasing flaming pearls amongst clouds and above mountains and waves, in Lu Minghua,Shanghai Bowuguan cangpin yanjiu daxi/Studies of the Shanghai Museum Collections: A Series of Monographs. Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 3-104 (fig. 2).

Wucai ‘dragon and clouds’ box and cover, Ming dynasty

Wucai‘dragon and clouds’ box and cover, Ming dynasty. After: Lu Minghua, Shanghai Bowuguan cangpin yanjiu daxi/Studies of the Shanghai Museum Collections: A. Series of Monographs. Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 3-104 .

These drum-shaped boxes are, however, also often interpreted as chess jars. For example, Lu Minghua proposes this for the above-mentioned box in the Shanghai Museum, and cites from Veritable Records of the Ming Shenzong Emperor a list of a variety of porcelains urgently required by the Wanli emperor in the 12th year of his reign (1584), including chess pieces, chess jars, brush handles, and various other types of boxes, ibid., p. 171. Another record in the Gazetter of Jiangxi Province lists many imperial porcelains made for the Wanli emperor in the 11th year of his reign, including chess boards with dragon and clouds in wucai, as well as chess pieces with dragon design in underglaze blue, see Wang Guangyao, Ming dai gongting taoci shi [A history of ceramics for the Ming dynasty court], Beijing, 2010, p. 93. The polychrome dragon box in Shanghai may therefore represent a chess jar, having formed a set with the chess boards and chess pieces of similar decoration listed in the above record. The same may apply to a companion box missing the cover, illustrated in Suzanne Valenstein, The Herzman Collection of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1992, pl. 85, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Closely related is a blue and white Wanli-marked covered box of similar form and dragon design, from the collection of C.P. Lin, included as a chess jar in the exhibition Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration: Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, Percival David Foundation, London, 1992, cat. no. 90. Covered boxes of drum form certainly have already been used as chess jars in the Song and Yuan dynasties; see two imperial blue and white boxes with dragon design, ascribed to the Wenzong emperor (r. 1328-32) of the Yuan dynasty, included in the exhibition Yuan’s and Ming’s Imperial Porcelains Unearthed from Jingdezhen, Yan-Huang Art Museum, Beijing, 1999, cat. nos. 1-2 (fig. 3), which also illustrates a Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) celadon-glazed covered box unearthed with chess pieces inside from the Yaozhou kiln site in Shaanxi, p. 13, fig. 9. A chess set including a pair of ceramic covered boxes in drum form with chess pieces inside, excavated from the tomb of Zhu Tan (1370-90), the Ming Prince Huang of Lu, are illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Ming: 50 Years that Changed China, the British Museum, London, 2014, fig. 168.

Blue and white ‘dragon’ jar and cover, Yuan dynasty

Blue and white ‘dragon’ jar and cover, Yuan dynastyCourtesy of Jingdezhen Municipal Institute of Ceramic Archaeology. 

Compared with the above boxes and traditional chess jars used today, the current box is rather large for chess pieces and may seem more suitable as a venue for cricket fights. Although cricket cages are not expressly recorded on any list of porcelains made for the Wanli emperor, this may be because this petty sport was not officially approved as occupation for a sage king according to the Confucian tradition, but they may have figured among the “various forms of boxes” that were listed.

In any case, comparable examples are exceedingly rare. Of the two slightly shorter boxes from the Daae collection one, now in the Oslo Kunstindustrimuseet is illustrated in Johanne Huitfeldt, Porselenet fra Kina, Oslo, 1978, p. 80; the other was sold in these rooms 1st/2nd November 1994, lot 54, and is illustrated in Sotheby's. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 176. Also related are Wanli-marked wucai boxes of similar proportions and size to the Daae boxes, but painted with human figures, of which only three examples appear to be recorded, including one in the Jingguantang Collection of T.T. Tsui, illustrated ibid., pl. 177, in Sotheby's Hong Kong – Twenty Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 134, and in Regina Krahl,Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1704, sold at Christie’s London, 15th November 2000, lot 32, and twice in these rooms, 13th November 1990, lot 149, and 7th April 2011, lot 70 (fig. 4).

Wucai box and cover with pairs of dancers, mark and period of Wanli

Wucai box and cover with pairs of dancers, mark and period of Wanli. Meyintang collection, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7th April 2011, lot 70. Sold for 10,516,000 HKDPhoto: Sotheby's

For Wanli-marked cricket cages in other shapes, see a box from the Qing court collection, of six-lobed form and with cover missing, with polychrome dragon motif, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 32, and covered boxes of fan form, one with underglaze blue dragon motif and the other with polychrome mythical beasts, see Enlightening Elegance: Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late. Ming. The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. nos. 102-103.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM

 

A rare wucai 'figures' ewer, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

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A rare wucai 'figures' ewer, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

A rare wucai 'figures' ewer, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619)

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Lot 109. A rare wucai'figures' ewer, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1619). Estimate 8,000,000 — 12,000,000. Photo: Sotheby's

 the flattened pear-shaped body supported on a short slightly splayed circular foot, rising to a waisted neck and everted rim, set with an elongated arched spout on one side, the opposite with a slender curved handle surmounted by a small lug and culminating with a protruding flange at the end, each side of the vessel moulded with a raised almond-shaped panel enclosing a scene of an attendant standing before a scholar below a pine tree, surrounded by floral scrolls extending along the spout, the upper neck with beribboned babao emblems below a band of florets encircling the mouthrim, the handle picked out with classic scrollwork, all above a green-ground floret band encircling the footrim, all the details rendered vibrantly in rich tones of the wucai palette, the base with an underglaze-blue six-character reign mark within a double-circle - 19.9 cm, 7 3/4  in.

NotesNotable for its elegant proportions and colourful design, late Ming ewers of this shape are seldom found decorated in the wucai palette and are more commonly known covered overall in a monochrome white glaze. See for example a Jiajing ewer from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 691, and sold in our London rooms, 8th July 1974, lot 235; one with its matching cover and incised with dragons, sold in these rooms, 28th November 1978, lot 118; and a third, sold in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 92. See also an iron-red ground example, decorated on the central panel in gilt with a peacock, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th October 2003, lot 606; and another sold at Christie’s London, 18th November 2005, lot 14. 

Depictions of scholars and immortals in idealised and remote landscape were particularly popular during the reign of the Wanli Emperor and his predecessor, the Jiajing Emperor, as they depicted the Daoist ideal of retreat from bureaucratic life in favour of a life in tune with nature. Artefacts of all media produced in these two reigns brimmed with auspicious Daoist imagery, in response to the Emperors’ fervent support of Daoism and its magical practices. This ewer is a fine example of this practice, as it is also decorated with the babao ('Eight Precious Things') and lingzhi scrolls, which are auspicious symbols of good fortune and longevity.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM

National Gallery of Denmark presents new aspects of French master Auguste Rodin

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Auguste Rodin, Nude Seen From Behind, Arms Raised, n.d. Pencil and watercolour© Musée Rodin, D. 4559. Exposition organisée en collaboration avec le musée Rodin.

COPENHAGEN.- On 22 September the National Gallery of Denmark opened a major exhibition about the French artist Auguste Rodin and his works on paper. This is the first exhibition of Rodin's drawings on Danish soil since 1930, and several of the almost one hundred exhibits have never been shown in Denmark before. The works come from many sources, including Musée Rodin in Paris and the Royal Collection of Graphic Arts in Copenhagen. 

The history of sculpture can be said to fall into two chapters: before and after Rodin. In the late nineteenth century, the French artist Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) reinvented sculpture. Before this point, sculptures were mostly static, monumental and idealised figures raised on pedestals, but Rodin set sculpture free, introducing dynamic and passionate human figures that interacted directly with the space around them. 

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Auguste Rodin, Female Nude in Profile, Her Hair Loose, n.d., © Musée Rodin, Paris / D. 5014. Exposition organisée en collaboration avec le musée Rodin.

Today, Rodin is best known for sculptures such as The Kiss and The Thinker. However, he was also a prolific and multi-faceted draughtsman who explored the wide-ranging potential of paper as a medium. His drawings allowed Rodin to experiment freely and spontaneously in ways that were not possible in the large-scale sculptures. He transferred the lessons learned through these drawings to his work with clay and stone. Rodin himself said: “It is very simple. My drawings are the key to my work. I began with drawing: I have never stopped drawing." 

Thousands of works on paper by Rodin’s hand still exist today. His drawings are often rapidly executed, with lines that sweep across the paper – which might sometimes be irregular scraps, napkins or ticket stubs. He would later continue working on these pieces, using media such as watercolour and gouache. He was interested in the female form in motion, and it was not unusual for female nude models to walk around his studio while he drew them. This keen interest in the body – in motion, in states of sexual ecstasy, in dance, etc. – is at the heart of the exhibition Fleeting Moments. Drawings by Auguste Rodin, which the SMK will show from 22 September. 

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Auguste Rodin, Two Figures, c. 1905, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mrs John W. Simpson, 1942 / 1942.5.37

The drawings in this exhibition cover a wide range of themes. From “vase-like” women to Cambodian dancers to the so-called black drawings that Rodin created during his many years of working on The Gates of Hell, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. In addition to this, the exhibition shows a range of works that take their starting point in Rodin’s “private album”. He used this album to store particularly erotic – and, hence, provocative – drawings of masturbating women and other motifs that he only showed to select guests. 

The exhibition features 87 drawings and six sculptures. The selection includes several drawings that have never before been on public view in Denmark, where the last major exhibition of Rodin’s drawings took place in 1930.  

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Edward Steichen, Auguste Rodin, 1911, Brooklyn Museum. Gift from Arnold and Pamela Lehman, 2003 

Auguste Rodin was born in Paris 1840. He made two unsuccessful attempts at applying to the staunchly traditional French academy of fine arts. He proceeded instead to accept various commissions for decorative work while concurrently working on his own drawings and sculptures. Rodin had his breakthrough as an artist at the age of forty, and his first official commission was The Gates of Hell – a set of monumental gates for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Rodin worked on the gates for the next thirty-five years without ever completing the task. 

Throughout his adult life Rodin lived with Rose Beuret (1844–1917), whom he married in 1917 – the year of his death. He did, however, also have several mistresses over the course of his life, including a passionate relationship with the sculptor Camille Claudel (1864–1943). He bequeathed all his works and his collection to the French government, which set up a museum dedicated to his art in Rodin’s own home in Paris. 

To coincide with the exhibition, the SMK publishes a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated catalogue about Rodin's drawings. In Danish and English, featuring contributions from Thomas Lederballe, Sophie Biass-Fabiani and Natasha Ruiz-Gómez.

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Auguste Rodin, Naked Woman in her Garments, C. 1890 © Musée Rodin, Paris, D. 4358. Exposition organisée en collaboration avec le musée Rodin.

A Longquan celadon tripod censer, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279

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A Longquan celadon tripod censer, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279

lot 119. A Longquan celadon tripod censer, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000 (USD 38,870 - USD 64,784). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The censer is covered overall with a soft green glaze of even tone ending at the bottom of the legs to expose the pale grey ware. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm.) diam. box.

ProvenanceSotheby's Hong Kong, 21-22 May 1985, lot 76
Simon Kwan Collection, Hong Kong
Sotheby's London, 12 November 2003, lot 90

The property of an Asian collector.

ExhibitedHong Kong Museum of Art, Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection, 1994, cat. no. 56.

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


A carved Qingbai censer and a small Longquan tripod censer, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) & Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)

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Lot 120. A carved Qingbai censer and a small Longquan tripod censer ; Qingbai censer: Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), Longquan censer: Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Estimate HKD 40,000 - HKD 60,000 (USD 5,181 - USD 7,771). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The Longquan censer is covered overall with a thick, crackled glaze of sea-green tone, the interior with three apertures connecting to the feet; the qingbai censer is carved on the globular sides with a band of floral motifs, applied to the exterior with a clear glaze of pale bluish-white tone, the interior and base are unglazed revealing the fine white body with small brown specks. qingbai: 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) high; Longquan3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm.) wide.

The property of an American collector.

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

A carved Longquan celadon vase, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

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A carved Longquan celadon vase, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Lot 121. A carved Longquan celadon vase, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 100,000 (USD 7,774 - USD 12,957). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The vase is carved on the exterior with diagonal lines forming a trellis pattern, set between a band of petal lappets above the foot and undulating lines below the neck, all under a glaze of olive-green colour. 8 3/4 in. (22 cm.) high, Japanese wood box.

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

 

A Longquan celadon 'dragon' jar and cover, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)

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A Longquan celadon 'dragon' jar and cover, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)

Lot 122. A Longquan celadon 'dragon' jar and cover, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)Estimate HKD 600,000 - HKD 800,000 (USD 77,740 - USD 103,654). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Both the vase and cover are covered with an unctuous glaze of soft sea-green color that thins on the raised areas, and also covers the inside of the foot. 10 ½ in. (26.7 cm.) high, box.

Provenance: T. T. Tsui Collection, Hong Kong
Sotheby's London, 19 June 2002, lot 36

The property of an Asian collector.

LiteratureThe Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, no. 45

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

An important and rare blue and white dish porcelain, Jiajing period (1522-1566)

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An important and rare blue and white dish porcelain, Jiajing period (1522-1566)

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Lot 50. An important and rare blue and white dish porcelain, Jiajing period (1522-1566). Estimate 8000.00€ - 15000.00 €Photo Czerny's

Resting on a low ring foot, the inside of the dish is decorated with a wonderful flow of lotus flower, the back are finely depicted at intervals six storks flying and six clouds, on the basis you notice different written in Arabic characters and a five-pointed star in the center. The dish has a large central spinning with a small old restoration on the decoration, inside of the dish is a small cooking defect - diameter 40 cm.

NotesA very similar dish is present in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, object nr. TKS 15/1892. 

See Book Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, A complete catalog, Vol. 2, Yuan and Ming Dynasty Porcelains; Regina Krahl in Collaboration with Nurdan Erbahar, by John Ayens;Sotheby's Pubblication, p. 721 Fig. 1273.

Czerny's. CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART

A beautiful and large blue and white porcelain plate, Jiajing period (1522-1566)

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A beautiful and large blue and white porcelain plate, Jiajing period (1522-1566)

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Lot 51. A beautiful and large blue and white porcelain plate, Jiajing period (1522-1566). Estimate 2500.00€ - 5000.00 €Photo Czerny's

Finely painted in white and blue; depicting a hill landscape surrounded by water and with a man on a donkey crossing a bridge between two mountains; the border is decorated with a painted band with storks and lotus flowers; finely painted at the back with three pomegranate branches with a bird on top. Chips on the border and a firing damage at the center - diameter 34.5 cm.

NotesThe depicted scene presumably takes place in the Huangshan (literally: "Yellow Mountains") mountains, on the Immortals' Bridge. This landscape inspired a lot of Chinese artists and it can be easily found on several paintings on paper. Moreover, it is quoted in more than twenty-thousand poems from the Tang dynasty (618 – 907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1908). During the Qin Dynasty (221 a. C. – 206 a. C.) these mountains were known as Yi Shan. The current name was used when the poet Li Bao (701 – 762) used it in 747 in one of his poems. 

A similar plate is at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, object TKS 15/3487; TKS 15/1553; TKS 15/1923. 

See the book Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, A complete catalogue, Vol. 2, Yuan and Ming Dinasty Porcelains; Regina Krahl in Collaboration with Nurdan Erbahar, by John Ayens; Sotheby's Pubblication, page 685/6, pic. 1121/22 e page 697, fig. 1169.

Czerny's. CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART

A beautiful and rare blue and white porcelain tea pot, 17th Century

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A beautiful and rare blue and white porcelain tea pot, 17th Century

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Lot 49. A beautiful and rare blue and white porcelain tea pot, 17th Century. Estimate 600.00€ - 800.00 €Photo Czerny's

Zigzag spout, bulb-shaped body and raised handle; finely painted in blue underglaze, featuring two frames depicting two Chimeras; at the top of the body is a round band decorated with flowers; handle and sprout decorated with clouds, the cover is decorated with floral motifs. Featuring a big, star-shaped headline on the body; a restored breakage on the border and some chips on the border and at the inside of the cover - height 24 cm.

Notes: A similar teapot was sold at Christie’s, SALE 11640 – CHINESE EXPORT ART; 21 January 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza; lot. 197. 

See also the pair of teapots sold at Christie’s, SALE 5262 – CHRISTIE’S INTERIORS; 8 April 2014, London, South Kensington; lot. 47. 

Compare to the Guest & Gray teapot, Catalogue: Chinese Ming & Earlier Ceramics & Works of Art, Ref. Y441.

Czerny's. CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART

'Shock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design, 1980s–90s' at the Denver Art Museum

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Comme des Garçons, Jacket with Skirt, “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body” collection, Spring-Summer 1997. Nylon/polyurethane stretch gingham with padding. Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection

DENVERShock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design, 1980s–90s, shows work by Japanese designers who started a fashion revolution in Paris. The exhibition features 70 looks by powerhouse designers Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada, Kansai Yamamoto, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, and Junya Watanabe, whose impact on fashion still resonates today.

Works on view illustrate concepts such as the intersection of tradition and modernity; the influence of pop-culture motifs; molding the body versus hiding the body with oversized shapes; reinventing the traditional Western representation of femininity; collaborations between contemporary artists and fashion designers; and other diverse ways of challenging the fashion system.

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Issey Miyake, Jacket with Transformable Bustle and Asymmetric Skirt, Autumn-Winter 1986 collection. Japanese ikat-printed cotton. Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection 

Emphasizing these elements, the exhibition demonstrates how Japanese designers confronted the work of European designers (such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Anne-Marie Beretta, Azzedine Alaïa, and Thierry Mugler) during the 1980s, while they inspired younger European designers (such as Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, John Galliano, and Dries Van Noten) in the 1990s.

Shock Wave is the inaugural exhibition organized by Florence Müller, the Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Curator of Fashion, who joined the museum in 2015. It includes 20 recent acquisitions for the DAM’s collection and also spotlights important loans from the fashion collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, as well as from local and national private lenders.

On View through May 28, 2017

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Kansai Yamamoto, Jacket, about 1980. Cotton jersey printed with a graphic including the brand name Kansai. Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection.

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Comme des Garçons, Jacket and Skirt, Autumn–Winter 1994–1995 collection. Felted wool. Denver Art Museum: Neusteter Textile Collection

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Issey Miyake taking his bow at the end of his spring 1980 fashion show. His models surround him, several wearing the iconic bust he created for his winter 1980–81 collection. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré.

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Kansai Yamamoto in the company of the famous Asian model, Sayoko, at a party. Her dramatic flair is typical of Kansai's flamboyant style. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré

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Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons, backstage at her spring 1986 fashion show wearing her own iconic style: a loose-fitting black ensemble and flat shoes. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré

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Kenzo Takada enjoying a moment backstage with his models at the end of a fashion show in 1986. This collection was inspired by the western cowgirl style. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré

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Kansai Coat, Spring–Summer 1991 collection. Photo by Guy Marineau. Photo © Guy Marineau

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Junya Watanabe Ensembles, Spring–Summer 2000 collection. Photo by Guy Marineau. Photo © Guy Marineau

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Comme des Garçons Ensemble, Spring–Summer 1997 collection, “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body”. Photo by Guy Marineau. Photo © Guy Marineau

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Yohji Yamamoto Suit, Autumn–Winter 1993–1994 collection. Guy Marineau photo. Photo © Guy Marineau


A lobed famille-rose 'floral' abstinence plaque, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

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A lobed famille-rose 'floral' abstinence plaque, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

A lobed famille-rose 'floral' abstinence plaque, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Lot 101. A lobed famille-rose 'floral' abstinence plaque, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period  (1736-1795). Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 

of quatrelobed form, one side centred with a vertical oval raised gilt band enclosing the characters zhaijie ('abstinence'), surrounded by a composite floral scroll delicately rendered in the famille-rose palette against a white ground, the reverse similarly rendered save for the central cartouche, inscribed in Manchu script with bolgomi karga ('purity charm [pendant]'), all within gilt and moulded sides, pierced vertically through the centre with an aperture - 5.3 cm, 2 in.

NotesThe term zhaijie refers to a ritual cleansing of the body from within, whereby one abstains from meat, intoxicants, intimate relations and the five strong smelling vegetables. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM

A rare ruby-ground famille-rose 'floral' wall vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795)

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A rare ruby-ground famille-rose 'floral' wall vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795)

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Lot 102. A rare ruby-ground famille-rose 'floral' wall vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 

well modelled and flattened at the back, the ovoid body sweeping up from a short splayed foot to a broad shoulder and waisted neck, the neck flanked by a pair of archaistic scroll handles, all resting on a trompe l'oeilgilt-decorated faux-bois stand, the body centred with a slightly sunken gilt-bordered lobed cartouche enclosing a scene depicting gnarled and intertwining foliate stems issuing multi-coloured floral buds and blooms, including camellia blossoms, two small butterflies rendered fluttering nearby, the cartouche surrounded by stylised lotus blooms borne on scrolling foliage, below a descending bat suspending a tasselled chime painted on the neck, all reserved on a rich ruby-red ground, a pendent ruyi band picked out along the mouthrim, below a dotted band repeated at the foot, the footrim further bordered with a floral frieze, the interior enamelled turquoise, the 'wood' base gilt-inscribed with a horizontal four-character seal mark - 21.1 cm, 8 1/4  in.

NotesThis vase illustrates the dexterity of 18th century imperial porcelain manufacturers at Jingdezhen who produced an immense variety of styles and constantly devised further novelties to satisfy the Qianlong Emperor's predilection for idiosyncratic forms and designs. During the Qianlong reign, and often under his personal supervision, simulations that were often difficult to distinguish from the 'real' were produced and these pieces became the trompe-l'oeil of ceramics. This vase with stand simulating wood is a good example of the technique of combining the 'real' with the trompe-l'oeil. Zhu Yan in Tao shuo [Description of Ceramics], published in 1774, noted that "in fact, among all the works of art in gold, embossed silver, chiselled stone, lacquer, mother-of-pearl, bamboo and wood, gourd and shell, there is not one that is not now produced in porcelain, a perfect imitation of the original (fang xiao er xiao)".

Wall vases of this type were an innovation of the Qianlong period. Flattened at the back as though cut in half and often made in pairs, these vases were commonly hung inside sedan chairs. In a poem inscribed on one porcelain wall vase, the Qianlong Emperor commented on the pleasure provided by these vases when filled with flowers, which allowed him to enjoy their fragrance while the "red dust" (cares of the world) could not reach him (see the catalogue to the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, pl. 445).

Four other Qianlong mark and period wall vases with similar simulated stands, in the Huaihaitang collection, were included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. nos. 129-32; one, similarly decorated with a floral panel against a pink ground, was sold at Christie's New York, 3rd June 1988, lot 305; and a pair, decorated with a poetic inscription, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1383. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM

A pair of famille-rose ministers of the treasury, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

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A pair of famille-rose ministers of the treasury, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Lot 104. A pair of famille-rose ministers of the treasury, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate 300,000 — 500,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 

each modelled as the 'Minister of the Treasury' of the qizhengbao or qizhen ('Seven Royal Treasures'), depicted seated in sukhsana on a voluminous pile of garment detailed with cloud scrolls, the figure portrayed extending his elbows outward and holding a flaming motif in his right hand, the left hand held in vitarkamudra, the serene countenance picked out with rosy cheeks and pursed lips, framed by long pendulous earlobes and a five-leaf habit with a pair of long billowing yellow ribbons, dressed in loose pale turquoise robes flaring upward near the elbows, further adorned with a gilt-decorated iron-red scarf prominently billowing over the shoulders and fluttering outward near the base, the base pierced with three (one infilled) apertures - 11.8 cm, 4 5/8  in..

NotesIntricately modelled as emblems for altar ornaments raised on stands, the present pair of Ministers of the Treasury represents one of the Seven Royal Treasures (qizhengbao or qizhen). For a detailed discussion of the Seven Royal Treasures, see a pair of famille-rose ‘flaming pearl’ altar ornaments to be offered in this sale, lot 106. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM

A magnificent and extremely rare pair of large famille-rose stands and trompe l'oeil persimmons and pomegranates, Qianlong perio

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A magnificent and extremely rare pair of large famille-rose stands and trompe l'oeil persimmons and pomegranates, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

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Lot 105. A magnificent and extremely rare pair of large famille-rose stands and trompe l'oeil persimmons and pomegranates, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate 7,000,000 — 9,000,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 

each stand of slender proportion, sturdily potted on a rounded stepped foot rising to a shapely statuesque profile, centred with a bulbous central section between elaborate contours flaring out and curving inward, all below a wide double-lotus bordered top meticulously painted with striated lotus petals, the stand decorated in the yangcai palette with bands of floral designs arranged in registers, the bands of varying widths enclosing multi-coloured floral blooms rendered borne on curling foliage, interspersed with borders of dotted motifs and scrollwork, one stand supporting a neatly arranged pyramidal pile of eleven trompe l'oeilpersimmons, each rendered lusciously fleshy and ripe with four main reddish-orange glazed 'cheeks', detailed at the top with a variegated beige calyx, the other a similarly modelled pile of eleven trompe l'oeil pomegranates, each plump fruit rendered lifelike and decorated with a pale peach glaze with areas of rosy speckles and depicted succulent with its skin bursting open revealing dense clusters of ruby-red seeds - 47.5 and 47.8 cm, 18 5/8  and 18 3/4  in.

Good Fruits for Emperor and Buddha
Li Baoping

This pair of magnificent fruit trays is likely to have been commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795), arguably the greatest collector and patron of the arts in Chinese history, and is perhaps unique in the world, as no similar examples appear to be recorded. These trays with their porcelain fruits may have been produced as offerings for the altar of a Tibetan Buddhist shrine in the Forbidden City, although they could also have served as display items in a palace hall, as pomegranate and persimmon both have auspicious meanings.

The brilliant, attractive famille-rose palette here used was favoured by the Qianlong Emperor and has been called by him and others as yangcai or ‘foreign colours’, since this colouration had been inspired by European enamels introduced to the Qing court by Jesuit artisans. The lifelike rendering of the fruits, with meticulous attention to detail, demonstrates the marvelous technical skills of the potters in the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, as porcelains of this size and complex form are very difficult to construct and prone to deform during firing. Objects like these must have been made in very limited numbers, and even fewer survive today, due to their fragility. 

The Qing emperors are well known for their interest in Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, the Qianlong Emperor commissioned Buddhist figures and other objects in porcelain on numerous occasions through his reign of sixty years. For example, in the 24th year of the Qianlong period (1759), the Emperor ordered a range of Buddhist objects to be made in Jingdezhen following wooden models sent there that were based on painted samples that he personally examined and approved, such as porcelain pagodas, holy-water bottles, the Eight Treasures including dharma wheels and treasure bottles, and the Seven Offerings which typically include incense, flowers and fruits, etc. It is likely that the present fruit trays had been made for the Qianlong Emperor on an occasion like this. 

For centuries it has been a common practice for Buddha followers from all classes and walks of life in China to put fruits, flowers and other offerings, either real or replicated in other materials, in front of Buddha images to express the wish for Buddhahood and/or worldly success, so the present fruits would have represented the perfect imperial altar offerings for a Tibetan Buddhist shrine of the Qing court. 

The trays supporting the fruits, with their up- and down-pointing lotus petals, are very similar to the pedestal supporting a seated porcelain Buddha glazed in imitation of gilt-bronze, also from the Qianlong period, preserved in the imperial palace in Shenyang, Liaoning province, one of the summer residences of the Qing emperors, see The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume, Part II, Shenyang, 2008, p. 217. Similar lotus petals are also found on stands supporting famille-rose porcelain models of the Eight Treasures, of Qianlong mark and period, two of which were sold in these rooms, 27th April 1999, lot 448 (fig. 1), and two others at Christie’s New York, 16th September 1999, lot 382. The tall stands of the present pieces are very similar in form and decoration in their base parts to a Qianlong-marked stand supporting a dharma wheel, sold in our London rooms, 13th May 2009, lot 201, and to a Qianlong-marked holy-water bottle from the Qing court collection and now in the Nanjing Museum, in Treasures in the royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 226. 

Two famille-rose altar ornaments, marks and period of Qianlong

Two famille-rose altar ornaments, marks and period of Qianlong. Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 27th April 1999, lot 448. Photo: Sotheby's

The pomegranate and persimmon are perfect examples of cultural merging as they have special auspicious meaning in Chinese culture apart from their connection to Tibetan Buddhism. With many seeds, the pomegranate symbolises abundance of descendants and was a favoured design on porcelain throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. This confluence of traditional Chinese lore and Tibetan Buddhist custom is well documented by an unmarked blue and white porcelain ewer of the Qianlong period in form of Tibetan monk’s hat, painted with the popular motif of ‘Three Abundances’, consisting of the auspicious fruits pomegranate, peach and Buddha’s Hand citron, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2002, vol. 2, pl. 211. Together with the peach, pomegranate and persimmon also form the auspicious motif of Three Fruits favoured for porcelain decoration. See a Xuande-marked white porcelain stem cup with the Three Fruits in copper red, in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, published in the Museum's Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 86; and a Yongzheng-marked bowl of similar design, in the Nanjing Museum, in Treasures in the royalty,op. cit., p. 146. 

Although unique, the present fruit trays are closely related to other imperial Qianlong porcelains in various aspects. Compare a pair of famille-rose reading lamps made to the order of the Emperor in 1744 and inscribed with a poem by him, of related form and decoration, but of much shorter height and simpler form and design, included in Liao Pao Show ed., Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch'ien-lung Reign, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, cat. no. 24. Detailed lotus scroll designs in famille rose similar to those on the present pieces can also be found on a Qianlong-marked vase in the exhibitionEmperor Ch'ien-lung's Grand Cultural Enterprise, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2002, cat. no. V-29. While imperial porcelains are usually inscribed with marks of the reigning emperors, exceptions are not uncommon, especially for items used in Buddhist ceremonies. A court record that the Qianlong Emperor decreed marks not to be used on some holy-water bottles with iron-red designs made in the 11th year of his reign (1746) is listed in Feng Xianming, Annotated Collection of Historical Documents on Ancient Chinese Ceramics, Taipei, 2000, p. 241, for such a bottle from the Qing court collection seeTreasures in the royaltyop. cit., p. 225. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM

A pair of famille-rose 'flaming pearl' altar ornaments, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795)

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A pair of famille-rose 'flaming pearl' altar ornaments, seal marks and period of Qianlong

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Lot 106. A pair of famille-rose 'flaming pearl' altar ornaments, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795)Estimate 1,800,000 — 2,500,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 

each modelled as the 'flaming pearl' of the qizhengbao or qizhen  ('Seven Royal Treasures') resting on an elaborate pedestal, the stylised emblem fashioned with a band of gilt-decorated iron-red flaming wisps surrounding multi-coloured lappets picked out with circular motifs and highlighted with gilt bands, all resting on an oval base flanked by a pair of foliate flanges, the base encircled with a lotus lappet border, the pedestal elaborately formed with a stylised top flaring out along the centre and decorated with bands of petal and foliate lappets, resting atop a shapely post modelled in openwork with a multi-coloured herringbone upright flanked by foliate scrolls, all stemming from a beribboned vase supported on a rounded stepped foot delicately rendered in registers with floral scrolls and petal lappets, the turquoise-enamelled base centred with an iron-red six-character seal mark within a white cartouche - 38 cm, 14 7/8  in.

NotesThe present altar emblem is a stylised representation of a flaming pearl which belongs to the ‘Seven Royal Treasures’ (qizhengbao or qizhen) of Buddhism, the other six comprised by a golden wheel (representing Buddhist doctrine), dark swift horses (facility in war and transportation), white elephants (sovereignty and great wealth), loyal generals (responsible for the welfare of the people), Ministers of the Treasury (who holds authority over the military troops to defend the borders from attack), and the lady (who serves as virtuous wife to the king). According to an Indian Buddhist myth, the ‘wheel turning sage king’ (cakravarti-raja) possessed the Seven Treasures, which would aid him in ruling his domain. Later, these seven treasures were inherited by Buddhism, which were said to have been brought to earth by the Universal Monarch, theChakravartin. These emblems were taken as offerings presented to Sakyamuni Buddha and symbolic of his pacifying and protective powers. Due to the emblems being associated with sage kings, with whom the Chinese emperors often liked to identify themselves, the symbols became popular decorative motifs in the Imperial Palace. A complete set attributed to the 18th century, in the Chengde Imperial Mountain Resort Museum, Chengde, was included in the exhibition Imperial China. The Living Past, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1992, cat. no. 79.

Porcelain altar emblems of this type are extremely rare, possibly due to the fragility and limited production of these altar wares. A related pair consisting of an elephant and a horse, with iron-red Qianlong seal marks and of the period, was sold at Christie’s London, 8th June 2004, lot 437; two figures, the ‘Minister of the Treasury’ and the ‘Woman’ were offered in these rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2608; and a stand, but lacking the top figure, was sold in our London rooms, 6th June 1995, lot 257. See also a pair depicting the 'Ministers of the Treasury' to be offered in this sale, lot 104

A number of sets of the ‘Seven Royal Treasures’ is known in various materials; for example see a dark-green jade set in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 45; an enamelled gilt-copper set also in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition Buddhist Art from Rehol. Tibetan Buddhist Images and Ritual Objects from the Qing Dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1999, cat. no. 69; and a number of sets in a range of materials, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in A Special Exhibition of Buddhist Gilt Votive Objects, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1995, cat. nos. 22-7.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III. Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016, 11:30 AM
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