Lot 48. A wucai'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate: £20,000 - 30,000 (€22,000 - 34,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

With deep rounded sides rising to a slightly everted rim, the exterior painted with two phoenixes descending between green and iron-red dragons pursuing flaming pearls amidst flower sprigs, below a band of Buddhist Emblems alternating with ruyi heads joined by a blue line, the interior with a medallion enamelled with an iron-red striding dragon leaping after a flaming pearl within blue line borders. 15.5cm (6 1/8in) diam.

Provenance: a Dutch private collection

Note: A similar bowl, seal mark and period, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Porcelain in Contrasting Colours, Shanghai, 1999, p.172, pl.158. A similar bowl was sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 30 November 2011, lot 3131.

A fine wucai 'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Qianlong six charater sealmark and of the period (1736-1795). Price Realised  HKD 475,000 (USD 61,264) at Christie's Hong Kong, lot 3131. Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2011.

Well potted with deep rounded sides and slightly flared mouth rim, the exterior brightly painted with two two scaly five-clawed dragons in pursuit of the flaming pearl, alternating with descending long-tailed phoenix, all amidst meandering leafy scrolls and below a band with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang, divided by ruyi elements, the interior with a central medallion enclosing a five-clawed dragon in pursuit of the 'flaming pearl'; 5 in. (12.7 cm.) diam. 

Provenance: Previously sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 November 1994, lot 217A 

Note: A bowl of this pattern with a Qianlong seal mark in the Qing Court collection, Beijing, is illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours,The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Vol. 38, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 148, no. 136. 

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 10 november 2016, 10:30 GMT, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Lot 98. A painted enamel ruby-ground famille rose 'peony' bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (€4,500 - 6,700). Photo: Bonhams. 

The deep rounded sides supported on a short foot rising to a slightly flared rim, the exterior decorated in shades of green, yellow and green with four peonies and further buds borne on leafy tendrils, the interior pale turquoise. 15.1cm (6in) diam. 

Notes: Compare with a similar metal-bodied bowl with painted enamel design of flowers, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, illustrated in the Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Ch'ing-dynasty Painted Enamels, Taipei, 1984, p.144.

The present bowl is closely related to a pair of ruby-ground, painted enamelled bowls, sold at Sotheby's London on 17 December 1996, lot 192.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 10 november 2016, 10:30 GMT, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Lot 1. Situle, thạp, Vietnam, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca 500 BCE-100 BCE. Estimation : 700 € / 1 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint-Cyr

Bronze à patine archéologique, H. 21 cm 
Situle munie de deux anses boucle verticales, à décor de lignes parallèles et hachures verticales.

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS. Arts d’Asie - Art Tribal - Documentation, le 09 Novembre 2016 à 14h30. 6, Avenue Hoche - 75008 PARIS. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel (Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13). Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong (Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59)

Lot 6. Situle, thạp, Vietnam, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca 500 BCE-100 BCE. Estimation : 700 € / 1 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint-Cyr

Bronze à patine archéologique , H. 22 cm 
Situle munie de deux anses boucle verticales, à décor de losanges, lignes parallèles et hachures verticales.

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS. Arts d’Asie - Art Tribal - Documentation, le 09 Novembre 2016 à 14h30. 6, Avenue Hoche - 75008 PARIS. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel (Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13). Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong (Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59)

Lot 4. Lot composé d’un poignard, d’un bracelet et de quatre cloches, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca 500 BCE-100 BCE.  Estimation : 250 € / 300 €. Photo Cornette de Saint-Cyr

Bronze à patine archéologique, L. 28 cm (poignard), D. 8 cm (bracelet), H. 5 cm (cloche)

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS. Arts d’Asie - Art Tribal - Documentation, le 09 Novembre 2016 à 14h30. 6, Avenue Hoche - 75008 PARIS. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel (Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13). Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong (Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59)

Lot 5. Lot composé de quatre haches, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca 500 BCE-100 BCE.  Estimation : 250 € / 300 €. Photo Cornette de Saint-Cyr

Bronze à patine archéologique

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS. Arts d’Asie - Art Tribal - Documentation, le 09 Novembre 2016 à 14h30. 6, Avenue Hoche - 75008 PARIS. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel (Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13). Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong (Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59)

Lot 4. Lot composé de quatre pointes de lance, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca 500 BCE-100 BCE.  Estimation : 250 € / 300 €. Photo Cornette de Saint-Cyr

Bronze à patine archéologique, H. 13 à 29 cm 

Pièces de comparaison: - Musée Cernuschi (Fouilles Janse 1934-35, Dông Son, MC 7998, MC 8896, MC8030, Viêt Nam, collection vietnamienne du musée Cernuschi, cat. 1)

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS. Arts d’Asie - Art Tribal - Documentation, le 09 Novembre 2016 à 14h30. 6, Avenue Hoche - 75008 PARIS. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel (Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13). Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong (Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59)

Munich - Black, the achromatic colour, plays a surprisingly crucial role in the history of painting. Black is a metaphor, a compositional device, and, from a technical standpoint, poses a particular challenge to the painter. In some of the earliest surviving paintings, black was used to add depth to dark areas; it came to be suggestive of the shadowy side of life and the dark recesses of the soul. In portraits, black clothing reflected fashions and social status: for example the noble colour of black became a signature of Spanish court attire. With the emancipation of colour in the 19th century, black also gained a new significance, and, applied in thick impasto, took on a material value of its own, in a process that culminated when artists such as Max Beckmann or Kazimir Malevich finally liberated black completely from the service of naturalistic representation.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Saint Thomas of Villanueva Curing a Lame Man, c. 1675. Canvas, 220,8 x 148,7 cm. Courtesy: Bayerische Staatsgemälde-Sammlungen, Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

Lot 188. Miroir de l'Amour, a sensational pair of 52.55 and 50.47 carats, D colour, Flawless clarity Type IIA diamond earrings, by Boehmer et Bassenge.  Estimate CHF 20,000,000 - CHF 30,000,000 (USD 20,164,744 - USD 30,247,116). Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Each pear-shaped diamond pendant, weighing approximately 52.55 and 50.47 carats, to the pear-shaped and marquise-cut diamond cluster surmount, 7.0 cm, mounted in gold. Signed Boehmer et Bassenge Paris.

Accompanied by report no. 1172644481 dated 26 May 2016 from the GIA Gemological Institute of America stating that the 52.55 carat diamond is D colour, Flawless clarity; and a Diamond Type Classification Letter stating that the diamond is Type IIA.

Report no. 2175432640 dated 22 December 2015 from the GIA Gemological Institute of America stating that the 50.47 carat diamond is D colour, Flawless clarity; and a Diamond Type Classification Letter stating that the diamond is Type IIA.

Further accompanied by 30 additional reports from the GIA Gemological Institute of America stating that the 30 diamonds on the necklace are D colour, Flawless or Internally Flawless clarity.

Christie's. Geneva Magnificent Jewels, 15 November 2016, Geneva

Lot 187. Le Jardin d'Isabelle, an exquisite D colour, Flawless clarity Type IIA diamond and coloured diamond necklace, by Boehmer et Bassenge. Estimate CHF 8,000,000 - CHF 12,000,000 (USD 8,065,898 - USD 12,098,846). Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Lot 216. A rare 9.14 carats, VS2 clarity fancy vivid pink pear-shaped diamond. Estimate CHF 16,000,000 - CHF 18,000,000 (USD 16,131,795 - USD 18,148,270). Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Lot 223. An impressive fringe diamond necklace, by Harry Winston. Estimate CHF 6,500,000 - CHF 8,500,000 (USD 6,553,542 - USD 8,570,016). Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Lot 200. A perfect 45.46 carats, D colour, Flawless clarity Type IIa round brilliant-cut diamond. Estimate CHF 6,250,000 - CHF 7,250,000 (USD 6,301,482 - USD 7,309,720). Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Lot 101. A sancai-glazed pottery cup, Tang dynasty (618-907). Estimate 800 — 1,200 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

the rounded sides rising from a short foot to an everted rim, brightly decorated with amber, green and straw glazes falling short of the foot to reveal the pinkish-buff body; 6 cm, 2 3/8  in.

Provenance: Sydney L Moss Ltd., London, 19th August 1963.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londron, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM

Lot 102. A rare sancai-glazed pottery rhyton, Tang dynasty (618-907). Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

the sides forming an elephant head with the handle as the trunk and scrolling foliage forming the ears, covered with an even green, amber and cream glazes; 9 cm, 3 3/4  in.

Provenance: Acquired from Kochukyo & Co., Tokyo, 1956 (according to inscription on the box).

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londron, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM

Lot 103. A rare sancai-glazed 'phoenix' ewer, Tang Dynasty (618-907). Estimate 35,000 — 45,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

the finely potted body of elegant ovoid form, supported on a splayed foot, the sides moulded in relief with cartouches bordered with flowers, centred with a prancing phoenix to one side and a hunter on horseback to the other, below a long curved handle terminating in the head of a ferocious phoenix, surmounted by a short neck and an oval straight rim, covered with amber, cream, blue and green glazes; 33 cm, 13 in.

Notes: Similar examples to the present, with the imported cobalt-blue pigment combined with amber glazes, include one from the Ernest S. Heller and Stanley Herzman collections, illustrated in Suzanne Valenstein, The Herzman Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 1992, pl. 6, sold in these rooms, 6th November 1981, lot 161, and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; another in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in He Li, Chinese Ceramics, 1996, pl. 166; and a third ewer, from the Szeyuan Tang collection, sold in these rooms, 21st September 2005, lot 16.

Margaret Medley in ‘Metalwork and Chinese Ceramics’, PDF Monograph Series, no. 2, p. 4, discusses the far-reaching effect on Chinese culture of the opening of diplomatic relations between the Chinese Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty and the Sassanian Persians in the late 6th century, and the remarkable results on ceramics. She illustrates a phoenix ewer of this pattern, pl. 3b, together with other Chinese pottery bird-headed ewers, pl. 3a, 2a and 1b, and a Sassanian silver ewer, pl. 1a. Ewers of this type appear to have been slung from the hump of laden camels, as seen with the animal excavated from a tomb at Guanlin, illustrated in Luoyang Tang sancai [Tang sancai ware from Luoyang], Beijing, 1980, pl. 80.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londron, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM

Lot 104. A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of a horse, Tang Dynasty (618-907). Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

well-moulded, standing foursquare with head turned slightly to the left, the head well-articulated with ears pricked, eyes bulging and nostrils flared, the arching neck with cream-glazed mane, a bright green-glazed saddlecloth draped over the high ridged saddle and gathered in pleats to either side, all over a cream and amber-glazed saddle blanket, the body covered with a rich mottled amber glaze with green-glazed hooves, wood stand, Japanese wood box. Quantité: 3 - 57.5 cm, 22 1/2  in.

Notes: The splendid modelling of this horse, which gives the impression of tamed strength and power, is emphasised by the simplicity of the adornment. It is a naturalistic rendering of the fabled ‘celestial’ or ‘blood-sweating’ Ferghana horse captures , introduced into China from Central Asia during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and immortalised in Chinese literature and the visual arts. They were celebrated for their speed, power and stamina. The renowned court artist Han Gan (AD 720-60) changed the nature of horse representation when he depicted one of Emperor Xuanzong’s (r. AD 847-59) favourite horses, Night-Shining White (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art), in a realistic rather than supernatural manner.

Han Gan (Chinese, active ca. 742–756), Night-Shining White, ca. 750, Tang dynasty (618–907). Handscroll; ink on paper. Image: 12 1/8 x 13 3/8 in. (30.8 x 34 cm). Overall with mounting: 14 in. x 37 ft. 5 1/8 in. (35.4 cm x 11.4 m). Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1977, 1977.78. © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Many large Tang horses are depicted with elaborate trappings, indicating the use of the horse in ceremonial parades, while the saddled or plain harness appears to have been customary for more functional outings, and is of a type rarely seen on large sancai horses. Compare a similarly well-modelled horse coated with a pale yellow glaze sold in our New York rooms, 26th March 1971, lot 134; and a dark ochre-glazed horse sold at Christie’s London, 11th December 1978. A slightly smaller example, included in the exhibition Seeking Immortality, Early Chinese Ceramics from the Schloss Collection, Bruce Museum, London, 1998, cat. no. 165, was sold at Christie’s New York, 21st September 2000, lot 270, from the Schloss collection.

Horses have long been a symbol of status and wealth and this sculpture reflects the high rank and importance of its owner, particularly as the ownership of horses was an aristocratic privilege. The use of Tang sancai ware was discussed at a recent symposium at National Taiwan University, Taipei, February 2015, where it was suggested that it was used both in daily life as utilitarian vessels or religious objects and as funerary goods, but primarily by the upper and wealthy classes. See also Hsie Mingliang, The World of Ancient Chinese Lead-Glazed Wares: from the Warring States to Tang, Taipei, 2014, pp. 85-118.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londron, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM

Lot 110. A ‘Longquan’ celadon mallet vase, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

the tapering cylindrical body rising to angled shoulders, surmounted by a tall columnar neck with a wide everted rim, flanked by a pair of archaistic phoenix handles, covered overall in an opaque sea-green glaze suffused with a network of crackle, the footring unglazed revealing the buff-orange body; 16 cm, 6¼ in.

Provenance: Collection of Sir Michael and Lady Cynthia Postan.
Bluett and Sons Ltd., London.
Blitz Oriental Art, Amsterdam.

Bibliography: Bluett and Sons Ltd., The Postan Collection of Early Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, cat. no. 18

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, London, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM

Lot 113. A rare 'Cizhou' sgraffiato 'peony' vase, Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

the baluster body rising from a short spreading foot to a tall trumpet neck with rolled rim, freely carved through the layer of brown slip to the ivory white layer beneath with two large peony blooms borne on a meandering leafy scroll, all above a lappet band at the base and covered overall with a transparent glaze, Japanese wood box. Quantité: 2 - 20 cm, 7 7/8  in.

Notes: Some of the most attractive Cizhou ware produced at the Cizhou kilns in Guantai, Ci county, are arguably those decorated in this impressive and vividly contrasting black-and-white sgraffiato style, which was created through the application of two layers of slip. A layer of white slip was applied over a layer of black slip, which was later carefully incised and cut away to reveal the pristine white layer beneath and then covered by a layer of clear glaze.

A vase of this form and decoration was excavated at Guantai and illustrated in The Cizhou Kiln Site at Guantai, Beijing, 1997, col. pl. 9, no. 2. Compare also a closely related vase, from the collection of Hirota Matsushige, now in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, pl. 560;  another in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 115; a third in the Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo, included in the Museum’s exhibition Famous Pieces of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, Tokyo, 1983, cat. no. 23, and sold in these rooms, 25th March 1975, lot 14; and a further vase in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, published in John Ayers, Far Eastern in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980, pl. 113.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, London, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM

Lot 114. A rare 'Ding''fish' basin, Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

with deep rounded sides rising from a recessed base to a lipped rim, the interior incised with twin fish among waves, the exterior carved with three bands of overlapping lotus petals, all covered in a clear ivory glaze, wood stand. Quantité: 2 - 20.8 cm, 8 1/8  in.

Notes: This finely potted basin is notable for its large size and the crisp design of fish swimming in the interior. It is unusual to find basins of this deep flared form with a slightly recessed base, the closest related examples being bowls potted with a flat foot, such as one decorated with lotus, in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, pl. 357; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware, op. cit., pl. 52; and a third from the Linyushanren collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2nd December 2015, lot 2815.

Basins carved on the interior with fish are more commonly robustly potted with a foot and of larger size; see a larger example, also carved on the exterior with lotus petals, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware. The Palace Museum Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, pl. 53; one with a single fish, from the Sir Percival David collection, now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Mary Tregear, Song Ceramics, London, 1982, pl. 29; another also in the British Museum, London, from the Eumorfopoulos collection, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 4, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 56; and a fourth sold in these rooms, 11th May 2016, lot 32.

The motif on this basin of two fish swimming together is steeped in auspicious symbolism, as pair of fishes represents marital happiness, good fortune and fertility. Furthermore the word for fish (yu) is homophonous for the word for abundance or plenty (yu). Fish swimming in ponds became a popular subject in literati paintings from the Northern Song dynasty onwards, as fish came to represent the concepts of freedom and vitality.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, London, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM