Lot 533. A carved 'Longquan' celadon 'lotus' bowl, Ming dynasty, 20.6 cm, 8 1/8  in. Estimate 60,000 -- 80,000 HKD. Lot sold 62,500 HKD.  Photo: Sotheby's.

carved to the interior with a stylised leafy lotus blossom, surrounded by dense meandering lotus scrolls around the cavetto, all below a band of classic scrolls at the rim, the exterior similarly decorated, covered overall save for the footring with a lustrous olive-green glaze

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 534. A 'Longquan' celadon-glazed tripod incense burner, Yuan dynasty, 11.4 cm, 4 1/2  in. Estimate 20,000 -- 30,000 HKD. Lot sold 25,000 HKD.  Photo: Sotheby's.

with the cylindrical sides rising from a short central foot and three suspended short cabriole legs, the exterior with carved grooves, applied with an olive-green glaze

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 535. A 'Longquan' celadon 'twin fish' dish, Southern Song dynasty, 21.5 cm, 8 1/2  in. Estimate 60,000 -- 80,000 HKD. Lot sold 75,000 HKD.  Photo: Sotheby's.

with a tapered foot and an everted rim, the interior applied with a pair of sprig-moulded scaly fish in opposite direction, the exterior carved with lotus petals, all under a lustrous sea-green glaze stopping neatly at the foot

Note: Compare a similar dish sold in these rooms, 24th/25th November 2014, lot 1231, and another in our New York rooms, from the collection of Sakamoto Goro, 16th September 2014, lot 2.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 560. A 'Longquan' celadon-glazed tripod incense burner, Ming dynasty, 15th century, 10.1 cm, 4 in. Estimate 30,000 -- 40,000 HKD. Lot sold 93,750 HKD.  Photo: Sotheby's.

with the compressed globular body divided into three lobes, each with a shaped cartouche enclosing diaper pattern, set to the rim with a pair of rope-twist handles, pierced silver cover 

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 562. A large 'Longquan' celadon-glazed tripod narcissus bowl, Late Yuan – Early Ming dynasty, 30.7 cm, 12 1/8  in.. Estimate 50,000 -- 70,000 HKD. Lot sold

raised on mask-and-paw feet, the exterior with carved floral diaper pattern, the interior with moulded leafy floral scrolls on biscuit

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

LONDON.- Sotheby’s Evening Sales of Impressionist & Modern Art and Actual Size at Sotheby’s London totalled a combined £148,877,000 / $187,719,009 (est. £129.9-170.5m). The total for the Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale represented an increase of 24% over the equivalent auction last year. 

The auction record for Wassily Kandinsky was broken twice in the space of six lots. First to go under the hammer was Murnau – Landschaft mit grünem Haus from 1909, which sold for £21 million / $26.4 million / €23.9 million. One of the finest early works by Kandinsky left in private hands, this painting made its auction debut having remained in the private collection of the same family since the 1920s. A major Expressionist painting of blazing colour, it captures the moment of transition in the artist’s career when he was on the cusp of moving from figuration to abstraction. That record was broken minutes later by Kandinsky’s powerful abstract masterpiece Bild mit weissen Linien from 1913, which was driven by a prolonged bidding battle to £33 million / $41.6 million / €37.6 million. A profoundly important work that hails from a landmark moment that fundamentally changed the way art was conceived and understood, it reveals the artist’s discovery that colour could become the principal subject of a painting. Virtually all of the significant paintings of 1913 are in major museum collections, and this work was appearing on the open market for the first time. Together with 4 Figuren auf 3 Quadraten from 1943, a late work illustrating Kandinsky’s interest in tribal iconography and geometry, the total achieved for Kandinsky tonight was £54.4 million / $68.6 million. 

Lot 47. Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944), Murnau – Landschaft mit grünem Haus (Murnau - Landscape with Green House), signed Kandinsky and dated 1909 (lower right); signed Kandinsky on the reverse; signed Kandinsky, titled and numbered no. 79 on the backboard, oil on board, 70 by 96cm. Painted in 1909. Estimate £15,000,000 — 25,000,000. Sold for £20,971,250 / $26,442,649 / €23,882,019. Photo: Sotheby's

Lot 53. Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944), Bild mit weissen Linien (Painting with White Lines), signed Kandinsky and dated 1913 (lower left); signed Kandinsky, titled, dated 1913 and inscribed No. 178 on the stretcher, oil on canvas, 119.5 by 110cm. Painted in October 1913. Estimate Upon Request. Lot sold £33,008,750 / $41.6 million / €37.6 million. Photo: Sotheby's

Lot 44. Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944), 4 Figuren auf 3 Quadraten (4 Figures on 3 Squares), signed Kandinsky and dated 1913 (lower left); signed Kandinsky, titled, dated 1913 and inscribed No. 178 on the stretcher, oil on canvas, 119.5 by 110cm. Painted in October 1913. Estimate 450,000 — 650,000. Lot sold £464,750 / $586,003 / €529,256. Photo: Sotheby's

Another major auction benchmark was set by Joan Miró’s Femme et oiseaux, which sold for £24.6 million / $31 million / €28 million – a new record for the artist in sterling. This price also marks the third highest result for a work on paper by a Western artist*. A mesmerising example of Miró’s celebrated lyricism and freedom of expression during WWII, the work is the eighth of the extraordinary series of twenty-three Constellations - one of the most significant bodies of work by any 20th century artist. Offered at auction for the first time in 30 years, it was the first of the Constellations to appear on the open market since an auction at Sotheby’s in 2001. The previous record for Miró was set for Peinture (Étoile Bleue), which sold at Sotheby’s London in 2012 for £23.6 million / $37.1 million. 

Lot 45. Joan Miró (1893 - 1983), Femme et oiseaux, signed Miró (lower left); signed Joan Miró, titled and dated Varengeville s/mer 13/IV/1940 on the reverse, gouache and oil wash on paper, 38 by 46cm. Executed in Varengeville-sur-Mer on 13th April 1940. Estimate Upon Request. Lot sold for £24,571,250 / $31 million / €28 million – a new record for the artist in sterling. Photo: Sotheby's.

The strong results for sculpture seen in the May New York sales continued tonight, led by Alberto Giacometti’s Grande figure (1947), a unique cast that fetched £17.9 million / $22.6 million / €20.4 million. A further sculpture by the artist, Femme debout sans bras from 1958, was competed for by four bidders to bring £2.2 million / $2.7 million (est. £700,000-1,000,000).  

Lot 57. Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966), Grande figure, inscribed A. Giacometti, dated 1947 and with the foundry mark Alexis Rudier Fondeur, Paris, bronze, height: 130.3cm. Executed in plaster in 1947, this unique bronze was cast by the Alexis Rudier foundry in Paris in 1948. Estimate £15,000,000 — 25,000,000. Lot sold £17,933,750 / $22,612,665    / €20,422,920. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lot 42. Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966), Femme debout sans bras, inscribed A. Giacometti, numbered 5/6 and with the foundry mark Susse Fondr Paris; numbered 5/6 on the underside, bronze, height: 32cm. Conceived in 1956 and cast in bronze in an edition of 6. The present example was cast by Susse Fondeur in 1958. Estimate £700,000 — 1,000,000. Lot sold £2,168,750 / $2,734,577 / €2,469,768. Photo: Sotheby's.

Further notable prices across the sales included a record established for a work by Théo van Ryssleberghe, as L’Escaut en amont d’Anvers (1892) sold for £8.5 million / $10.7 million (est. £7 10m), along with a record in sterling for a work on paper by Paul Klee, as Salon Tunisien sold for £2 million / $2.6 million (est. £1.5-2m). 

Lot 59. Théo van Ryssleberghe (1862 - 1926), L’Escaut en amont d’Anvers, signed with the monogram and dated 1892 (lower right), oil on canvas in the artist's original frame, 66.7 by 90.5cm. Painted in 1892. Estimate £7,000,000 — 10,000,000. Lot sold £8,483,750 / $2,734,577 / €2,469,768. Record established for a work by the artist. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lot 48. Paul Klee (1879 - 1940), Salon Tunisien, signed Klee (upper right), watercolour and ink on paper laid down on card, 22.5 by 28.5cm. Executed in 1918. Estimate £1,500,000 — 2,000,000. Lot sold £2,048,750  / $2,583,269 / €2,333,113. Record in sterling for a work on paper by the artist. Photo: Sotheby's.

Helena Newman, Global Co-Head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department & Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, said: “To have three landmarks in the development of 20th Century art by Kandinsky, Miró and Giacometti come to the market in a single sale tonight was momentous. These key works stand as turning points in the history of art, and tonight auction history was made when the record for Kandinsky broken not just once but twice and an unprecedented three works sold over £20m in a single London Evening Sale. The strength at the very highest level of the market was echoed across price points – and sizes. Collectors were out in force, participating from a record number of locations around the globe, with the level of Asian buyers as numerous as those from the US, underscoring the enduring importance of London as a key driver of the global art market.” 

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Still life of flowers in a Berkemeijer glass beaker decorated with raspberry prunts, including red and white parrot tulips, a white rose with a butterfuly and a pink rose, marigolds, lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-not and violets, with a sprig of rosemary and a fly on the shelf beneath, signed with the monogram AB (lower right), oil on copper. Lot sold £2,971,250. Auction record for the artist in sterling. Courtesy  Sotheby's 

LONDON.- A small group of luscious strawberries, painted by Lucian Freud at the height of his fascination with the still-life paintings of the Old Masters, sold moments ago in Sotheby’s saleroom for £1,208,750, or £120,875 a strawberry. The painting is just the seventh work to fall under the hammer at Sotheby’s so far this evening, with some 50 major works still to be offered, including three works set to fetch over £20 million. 

Although known first and foremost as a portrait painter, Freud’s rare still-lifes speak most clearly of his passion for Old Masters, for which he was dubbed “the contemporary old master”. Indeed - such was his fascination that he was given 24 hour access to the National Gallery by its director Neil MacGregor, so he could roam the galleries after midnight with his models and friends, or alone with his easel. These actual-size strawberries were painted in 1950 and given as a gift to Ann Rothermere, who was at the time deep in an affair with Ian Fleming (the two married in 1952). Ann was Freud’s patron and enjoyed with him a friendship so close that Fleming himself suspected them of having a concurrent affair. This tiny painting measures just 10.2 by 12 cm. 

Lot 7. Lucian Freud (1922 - 2011), Strawberries. Oil on copper, 10.2 by 12cm. Painted circa 1950. Estimate: £550,000-750,000. Lot sold £1,208,750. Photo: Sotheby's. 

The painting sold just moments after the hammer came down at £2,971,250 on another work, also painted on copper and with a sable brush, but from a different era entirely. Just the kind of work Freud would have admired and studied closely, Jan Bosschaert the Elder’s jewel-like flower piece from 1610 ranks as the most perfect, best-preserved work by 'the father of still life painting', by whom only 50 works are documented.  

The curated Actual Size evening auction was led by an extremely well-preserved still-life of flowers by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder – which was both won and underbid by Asian private collectors – selling for £3 million / $3.7 million (est. £2-3m), an auction record for the artist in sterling. Asian interest was evident throughout the sale, with over 20% of lots in the Actual Size auction purchased by collectors from Asia. 

Lot 6. Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (Antwerpt 1573 - 1621 The Hague), Still life of flowers in a Berkemeijer glass beaker decorated with raspberry prunts, including red and white parrot tulips, a white rose with a butterfuly and a pink rose, marigolds, lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-not and violets, with a sprig of rosemary and a fly on the shelf beneath, signed with the monogram AB (lower right), oil on copper, the reverse stamped with the mark of the maker Pieter Stas, 23.2 by 18cm.; 9 1/8  by 7 1/8 in. Estimate £2,000,000 — 3,000,000. Lot sold £2,971,250. Auction record for the artist in sterling. Photo: Sotheby's

Note: Ambrosius Bosschaert was one of the very first artists to specialise in still-life painting, and certainly the first painter whose œuvre consisted almost entirely of flower pieces. In his finest works such as this he rendered his subject with a highly finished and meticulous naturalism. The variegated bouquet of both wild and cultivated flowers, placed in a simple studded glass roemer, is here set against a monochrome background. The composition is deliberately considered and executed, and its symmetry achieved without recourse to repetition: the bouquet is carefully composed by the balanced arrangement of different flowers, each minutely delineated in a highly naturalistic, almost scientific, manner. The considered individuality of each bloom supports the contention that these earliest of all still-lifes may have been painted as commissions for botanists, and conceived out of the individual studies required for such works. As in all Bosschaert’s works, a few carefully chosen insects - here a butterfly alighting on a white rose and the fly in the foreground – enliven the composition. In contrast to Bosschaert’s earliest essays in this vein, the bouquet is less crowded and a greater harmony achieved as a result by its constituent parts. Even seemingly small details such as the sprig of rosemary, the fly and the painter’s monogram in the foreground, all combine to anchor the diagonals of the composition. In contrast to the nervous and shimmering lines of his contemporary and fellow pioneer Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), whose work he clearly knew and was greatly influenced by, Bosschaert applied his paint carefully and methodically; the smooth surface of the copper lends it a rich enamel-like finish, and it is this, combined with the extraordinary detailing of the flowers and insects which lends this tiny panel a richness which transcends its tiny dimensions.1

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer of the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) in The Hague for suggesting a date of execution to around 1608-10 for this painting. Such a dating can be supported by comparison with other extant still-lifes from the same period, for example a Still life with flowers in a vase and shell, probably from 1608-10 sold Zurich, Koller, 19 September 2008, lot 3014 (SFR 5,700,000) and later with Johnny van Haeften in London.2  The variegated cyclamen leaf to the lower right is a frequent motif in Bosschaert’s work, and can be found again, for example, in an earlier work of around 1606-8 sold in these Rooms, 6 July 2000, lot 56, together with the butterfly alighting on the white rose on the left of this picture, and the small yellow ranunculus beneath it. Similarly the rose, butterfly, lily-of-the-valley and the pink rose between them are all to be found in another earlier but rather smaller copper panel of 1608, formerly in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, and sold New York, Sotheby’s, 10 November 2014, lot 33 ($4.64 million). Another comparable but slightly later copper depicting Roses, tulips and other flowers in a glass vase of circa 1612-14 was formerly with Galerie Sanct Lucas in Vienna.3  Here we find the same balanced colour scheme, with the vivid reds and yellows of the tulips offset by the cooler tones of the pinks and whites of the roses. The arrangement of lily-of-the-valley, forget-me-nots and a yellow ranunculus at the base of the bouquet is very similar in both works. As with each of these works, pride of place in the composition is given to the magnificent variegated tulips in the centre and right of the bouquet. Tulips had only been cultivated in the Low Countries for a few decades at this date and were extremely rare and expensive flowers, most likely far too costly for Bosschaert to have owned many examples himself. Although such pictures were no doubt intended by Bosschaert and his viewers to be read as celebrations of the abundance and variety of divine creation, the presence of the butterfly and the fly in the picture (both common motifs in  Bosschaert’s paintings) serve to remind the spectator of the brevity and vanity of life on earth.

In common with these other works, this still life was painted in Middelburg, the prosperous capital of Zeeland, where Bosschaert and his family had moved for reasons of religious persecution around 1587. He seems to have taken up flower painting rather late in life, around the age of thirty, and he is recorded as both a painter and a dealer and served as Dean of the Painters’ Guild of Saint Luke on several occasions. The majority of his working life was spent here, helped no doubt by the fact that Middleburg was then a city where floriculture was enthusiastically pursued, and where rare and exotic species of plant were collected and studied. Bosschaert was to remain there until 1614, when he moved again via Amsterdam and Bergen-op-Zoom to Utrecht.  His following was larger in the latter city, where his sons Ambrosius the Younger and Abraham were both active as still-life painters, as indeed was his son-in-law, Balthasar van der Ast. A document of 1619 recording a civil case for debt between Bosschaert and a certain Ludolf von Lintsenich provides us with an idea of the prices charged by him for such pictures: ‘ ….for a painting of a large flower pot £33:6:8…for two other pieces with flowers, both in ebony frames, equal to the sum of £33:6:8 (200 guilders)’. Bosschaert finally died in The Hague in 1621, apparently in the process of delivering a painting made for the butler of Prince Maurits.  By this date his pioneering still life paintings had become enormously influential and would continue to remain so until the middle of the century.

1. For Bosschaert’s use of Peter Stas as a maker of copper panels see J. Wadum, ' Antwerp copper plates', in Copper as canvas, exhibition catalogue Phoenix, Phoenix Art Museum, Kansas City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Hague, Mauritshuis, 1998-1999, pp. 107, 109-10.

2. The last digit of the date is indistinct and has been read variously as 1608, 1610 or 1612.

3. Copper 25.1 x 17.1 cm. L.J. Bol, The Bosschaert Dynasty, Leigh-on-Sea 1960, p. 61, no. 16.

From the father of still-life painting to a record for a still-life by contemporary master Lucian Freud, whose Strawberries soared above high estimate to £1.2million / $1.5 million (est. £550,000-750,000) – or £120,000 per strawberry.

Works by Pablo Picasso also performed well throughout the auction, with six works together totalling £7.9 million / $9.9 million. These were led by Buste de femme couchée from 1970 that fetched £2.4 million / $3 million – more than double its high estimate of £900,000. Eight bidders eagerly competed for the work in the room and by phone.

Lot 17. Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973), Buste de femme couchée, signed Picasso and dated 14.8.70. (upper right), oil pastel and pencil on card, 22.5 by 27.6cm. Executed on 14th August 1970. Estimate £700,000 — 900,000. Lot sold £2,408,750 .Photo: Sotheby's

Lot 537. A 'Yue' celadon-glazed box and cover, Northern Song dynasty, 8.6 cm, 3 3/8  in. Estimate 30,000 -- 50,000 HKD. Lot sold 62,500.  Photo Sotheby's

of circular form supported on a splayed foot, carved to the top of the cover with a bird flying amidst flowers, covered overall with an olive-green glaze

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 538. A 'Yue' celadon-glazed box and cover, Five Dynasties, 10.6 cm, 4 1/8  in. Estimate 60,000 -- 80,000 HKD. Lot sold 75,000 .  Photo Sotheby's

freely carved and incised to the top with a central flower head surrounded by four stylised petals, covered overall with a greyish-celadon glaze

Provenance: Mayuyama & Co., by repute.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 542. A 'Yue' celadon-glazed bowl, Five Dynasties, 18.2 cm, 7 1/8  in. Estimate 70,000 -- 90,000 HKD. Lot sold 137,500.  Photo Sotheby's

with the deep rounded sides rising from a splayed foot to a foliate rim, covered overall with a thin layer of yellowish-celadon glaze suffused with a network of fine crackles

Exhibited: Chugoku Toji Series, vol. 7: Celadon of Yue Ware - Tang to Northern Song, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1994, cat. no. 38.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

Lot 50. A jade ring ornament, Han Dynasty, 4.1cm (1 1/2in) long. Estimate HK$25,000 - 30,000 (US$3,200 - 3,900). Sold for HK$ 812,500 (€93,254). Photo: Bonhams.

The circular ornament gracefully carved with the phoenix head and tail emerging from the edge, the head turned backward with its pointed beak biting on its incised feathers, the attractive translucent stone of even white tone highlighted with a faint russet inclusion at the beak.  

Provenance: Acquired from the distinguished Hong Kong art dealer Lai Loy (1926-2012) in 1980
The Songzhutang collection, no.62

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade,
Hong Kong, 2011, pl.62

Note: Ring ornaments are one of the principal categories of Han dynasty jades, typically carved with a denser design of dragons and phoenix or geometric pattern. Compare a ‘dragon’ ring ornament, Western Han dynasty, excavated from the Han tomb site at Sanjiaowei, Anhui Province, also simply decorated in relief with the head of the dragon above the ring, illustrated by Gufang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.235.

Bonhams. THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES, from the Neolithic Period to the Yuan Dynasty, 30 May 2017, 14:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 52. A very rare jade 'crouching tiger' seal, Han Dynasty, 2.4cm (1in) square. Estimate HK$150,000 - 200,000 (US$19,000 - 26,000). Sold for HK$ 1,062,500 (€121,948). Photo: Bonhams.

The square seal platform surmounted by a ferocious crouching tiger superbly and vividly carved with a writhing body showing a fierce expression with bulging eyes and open mouth, the underside uncarved, the smoothly-polished stone of calcified white tone. 

Provenance: Acquired from the distinguished Hong Kong art dealer Lai Loy (1926-2012) in 1986
The Songzhutang collection, no.69

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.69

Note: According to Hangong jiuyi (The Old Rites of the Han Dynasty), only the seals of the emperor and empress were made of jade with a tiger-shaped knob, and the seal of the empress bears the same characters as that of the emperor. 

Compare a similar jade seal also vividly carved with a crouching tiger as the knob, Western Han dynasty, excavated from the tomb of Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan in Mancheng, Hebei Province, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, vol.1, Beijing, 2010, p.195. See also a pale green jade seal, Western Han dynasty, with the underside inscribed 'King's seal', excavated from the tomb of the King of Nanyue at Xianggang, Guangdong Province, illustrated in ibid., vol.11, Beijing, 2010, p.135. 

Bonhams. THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES, from the Neolithic Period to the Yuan Dynasty, 30 May 2017, 14:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 42. Ensemble de douze panneaux en zitan et nanmu montés en paravent, Chine, Dynastie Qing, XIXème siècle. Estimate EUR 12,000 - EUR 18,000 (USD 13,455 - USD 20,183). Price realised EUR 602,500 (USD 672,792). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Chaque panneau est composé d'un cadre en zitan dont la partie inférieure est ornée d'une chauve-souris soutenant le symbole de bon augure du double carpe. La partie supérieure est ornée d'une pierre sonore. Les panneaux en nanmu sont sculptés de fleurs diverses (lotus, chrysanthèmes, bambous, pins,...). Dimensions : hauteur 167 cm. (65 ¾ in.), largeur 39.3 cm. (15 ½ in.), profondeur 2 cm. ( 7/8 in.)

Provenance: Private French collection, acquired in China prior to 1946, and thence by descent in the family.

Note: Compare to a similar but slightly larger screen sold at Christie's, New York, 13-14 September 2012, lot 1365.

Christie's. Art d'Asie, 20 June 2017, Paris

Lot 51. Rare paire de chaises en huanghuali, dengguayi, Chine, Dynastie Qing, XVIIIème-XIXème siècle. Estimate EUR 100,000 - EUR 150,000 (USD 112,127 - USD 168,190). Price realised EUR 506,500 (USD 565,592). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Le dossier ajouré, centré d'un large bandeau galbé surmonté d'une traverse à ressaut central. L'assise rectangulaire à châssis en natte tressée. La ceinture ornée aux angles de ruyi stylisés repose sur quatre pieds de section rectangulaire aux angles extérieurs arrondis et réunis par quatre barre d'entretoise dont une forme repose-pied. Hauteur : 108 cm. (42 ½ in.), largeur : 50.2 cm. (19 ¾ in.), profondeur : 42.5 cm. (16 ¾ in.) 

Provenance: With R.H. Ellsworth, Ltd., New York, 6 March 1980.
Private European collection. 

Note: The present pair of chairs are unusual for the carved openwork decoration found on the aprons and spandrels below the seat. Compare to a similar pair of huanghuali lamphanger side chairs with the more common construction of cusped apron and spandrels, sold at Christie’s, New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1385.

Christie's. Art d'Asie, 20 June 2017, Paris

Lot 34. Statue de Vajrabhairava en bronze, Tibet, XVIIIème-XIXème siècle. Estimate EUR 8,000 - EUR 12,000 (USD 8,970 - USD 13,455). Price realised EUR 278,500 (USD 310,992). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Il est représenté en pratyalidhasana sur des divinités placées sur une base lotiforme. Ses mains principales, tiennent lekarttrika et le kapala et enlacent sa parèdre. Son visage principal est celui d'un taureau. Ses visages sont dorés à froid et rehaussés de détails peints ; rescellée. Hauteur : 23 cm. (9 in.)

Provenance: Private French collection, acquired in China prior to 1946, and thence by descent in the family.

Christie's. Art d'Asie, 20 June 2017, Paris

Me and Kaikai and Kiki, 2010, by Takashi Murakami (Japanese, b. 1962). Silkscreen; platinum leaf on paper; ed. 12/50. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, R2016.39.3.© Takashi Murakami. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco conjures images of hippies frolicking in the park with daisies in their hair. But the power of flowers to inspire peace and love goes back far more than 50 years and far beyond our city shores. From June 23 – Oct. 1, 2017 the Asian Art Museum presents Flower Power , an original exhibition of pan-Asian artworks that reveals the powerful language of flowers across times and cultures. 

The exhibition brings to light unexpected connections among gloriously gilded folding screens, modern-looking lacquers, rare porcelains, sumptuous textiles, and contemporary installations of live flowers and sensory-igniting multimedia. Drawn primarily from the museum’s renowned collection, dozens of masterpieces are displayed in a way that highlights their shared botanical bounty. Visitors to Flower Power will discover that for centuries humans have used flowers to communicate ideals from the refined to the revolutionary. 

“ Flower Power offers a unique take on the spirit of the Summer of Love and its connections to Asian artistic practices, past and present,” says Museum Director Jay Xu. “In addition to serving as an oasis of beauty during this lively anniversary year, our exhibition shows why artists return again and again to floral imagery to express themselves during times of social uncertainty and cultural change — a message that is more relevant now than ever before.”

Powerful Flowers Explore the Human Experience 
“The anti-materialist and pacifist spirit of the Summer of Love was really a starting point for developing the exhibition,” says Flower Power curator Dany Chan. “Ultimately, we were guided in organizing Flower Power as much by the richness of the artworks as by the philosophy behind an ancient Chinese proverb:‘If you have two pennies, spend one on a loaf and one on a flower. The bread will give you life and the flower a reason for living.’” 

The exhibition uses a thematic approach that invites audiences to explore the lasting appeal and surprising stories of six flowers as distinctive as their blooms. These themes are organized into different galleries and range from the mystical, to the worldly, to the quietly activist, tracing subjects that continue to inspire us in our everyday lives: 

• The transcendence of the luminous, though swamp-dwelling, LOTUS. Visitors to the gallery will be greeted by a Thai painting nearly two hundred years old and over thirteen feet long that depicts the spectacle of Buddha overcoming demonic forces, transforming weapons into tranquil lotus blossoms. The image echoes legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg’s coining of the expression “flower power” as a call to join peaceful anti-war demonstrations in the 1960s. 

• The sophistication of the carefully cultivated, globe-trotting TULIP and ROSE. Gallery highlights include an intriguing Ottoman-era dish that stylizes the esteemed tulips and roses of Western Asia. Such artworks help tell the story of cross-cultural pollination and the circulation of treasured bulbs and seeds across continents and empires — leading to moments like the fabled tulip mania bubble in 17th-century Amsterdam. 

Dish with tulip and other floral motifs, approx. 1575–1600. Turkey, Ottoman period (1281– 1924). Composite-body ceramic with multicolor decoration under clear glaze. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Menke family in memory of their parents and grandparents Betty and John Menke, 2015.26. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

• The transience of ephemeral PLUM and CHERRY BLOSSOMS. Gallery highlights include lyrical scenes of courtly cherry blossom viewing from the Tale of Genji . The essence of this Japanese classic, perhaps the world’s first romance novel, is poignantly captured on shimmering gold-leaf screens that deploy these short-lived flowers to suggest the fragility of love. 

Scenes from The Tale of Genji, one of a pair, Japan, approx. 1700–1800, Edo period (1615-1868). Six panel folding screen. Ink, colors and gold on paper.Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60D46+. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

Scenes from The Tale of Genji, one of a pair, Japan, approx. 1700–1800, Edo period (1615-1868). Six panel folding screen. Ink, colors and gold on paper.Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60D47+. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

This work depicts popular episodes from The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari), a famous eleventh-century novel by Lady Murasaki. Its fifty-four chapters tell a romantic and eventful story about the charming Prince Hikaru Genji. The novel was a favorite among court nobles, and soon inspired artists to depict its famous scenes on handscrolls, album leaves, and screens.

In the upper right is the most famous scene of the fifth chapter, "Lavender" ("Wakamurasaki"), in which Prince Genji encounters for the first time the young Murasaki, his future principal consort. Below it is an episode from the third chapter, "The Shell of the Locust" ("Utsusemi"), in which the prince peeks at the wife and the stepdaughter of a provincial officer, Nakagawa. The scenes on the left are from the last ten chapters, which revolve around Kaoru, a young man mistakenly thought to be Genji's son. These episodes take place near the famous Uji Bridge.

• The pause for reflection demanded by the auspicious CHRYSANTHEMUM. Gallery highlights include a “hundred flowers” vase, with each blossom rendered in perfect lifelike tones. The all-over pattern on this delicate Qing-dynasty porcelain from China creates a dizzying array, reminiscent of sixties psychedelic fashions, which conveys tidings of health, longevity, and the introspection and insightfulness from which such lasting prosperity arises. 

Vase with "hundred flowers" decoration, 1736-1795. China; Jiangxi province. Porcelain. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B65P13. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

The decorative scheme on this bowl, with a variety of flowers covering the entire body, takes the name baihua di ("hundred flowered ground") to signify that the empire would last as long as flowers grew in the world. This luxurious design was started by the Qianlong Imperial Workshop and flourished during the next two reigns. This piece, perhaps due to the irregular writing shown in the reign mark, was previously published as a nineteenth-century work. The mark, however, is identical to others also written in red enamel on some pieces at the Taipei Palace Museum. One of the stylized Qianlong imperial marks, it was possibly written by the same person (National Palace Mus. 1986: 180, figs. 126, 138, 143). No later reproduction could have achieved such extravagant enamel colors and superb painting as appear on this piece.

Installations by contemporary artists touch on themes of social engagement, provocation, and the enduring power of flowers to express our most cherished values. Together, these artworks underscore how the community-oriented heart of the Summer of Love still beats strong in the Bay Area today.

• Taiwanese American artist Lee Mingwei’s The Moving Garden invites visitors to pluck a single stem from beds of flowers placed in a channel in his sculpture — on the condition that they give the blossom to a stranger, expressing social solidarity at a moment of heightened political insecurity. Lee will speak at the museum on July 27. 

• Japanese paper and print artist Ayomi Yoshida’s Yedoensis comprises hundreds of ephemeral hand-printed cherry blossoms that invoke the unfolding catastrophe of climate change. “As the earth’s temperature rises, the trees
that used to flower in April are now flowering in March … I once believed that the coming of spring and the cherry blossoms would always happen, but lately I am less certain. Will there come a time when the trees fail to bloom?” Yoshida will lead a participatory workshop on July 2. 

• San Francisco–based artist Megan Wilson, a celebrated Mission district muralist best known for her colorful repurposing of pop motifs to address capitalism’s impact on civic society (with a particular focus on issues like gentrification and homelessness), creates a rainbow pathway of giant flowers to lead audiences from her LIZ (Living Innovation Zone) mural on Fulton Street Plaza to the front entrance of the Asian Art Museum and into the exhibition. 

Flower Power also includes recent artworks by the exuberant maestro of smiling daisies Takashi Murakami and the digital collective teamLab.

Cold Life, teamLab (est. 2001), 2014. Digital animation. Duration: 7:15 min. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Richard Beleson and Kim Lam Beleson in honor of Joan and M. Glenn Vinson, B65P13. © teamLab. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.

Teamlab is an "ultra-technologists group" made up of programmers, mathematicians, architects, animators, web designers, graphic  designers, artists, editors, and more. Based in Japan, the group creates works through a collaborative process of "experimentation and innovation,"  blurring boundaries  between art, science, and technology. In teamlab's works, traditional calligraphic  forms fuse with anime aesthetics to present a digital world  of natural and supernatural imagery. The artists say that their work has been influenced by
the representation  of space in traditional  Japanese art, in which figures and objects share a single, flattened spatial plane.

Festivities of the twelve months, Japan, 1700-1750, Edo period (1615-1868). Handscroll, Ink and colors on paper. Asian Art Museum, Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Lucius H. Horiuchi in memory of Mrs. Horiuchi's parents: Admiral and Mrs. Charles Maynard Cooke, B86D19. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

The Buddhist deity White Tara, Tibet, 1800-1900. Thangka. Colors on cotton. Asian Art Museum, Gift from the Paul and Kathleen Bissinger Collection, 2016.92. Photo: © Asian Art Museum. 

The Hindu deity Krishna as the god of love, personifying a musical mode (Vibhasa Ragini), India, former kingdom of Jaipur, Rajasthan state, approx. 1750. Ink, colors and gold on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Annamma and James Spudich, 2016.272. Photo: © Asian Art Museum. 

Warhol/Silver, Takashi Murakami (Japanese, b. 1962), 2012. Silkscreen; Ink and platinum leaf on paper. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, Thomas F. Humiston Acquisition Fund, 2017.2. © Takashi Murakami. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

Vase with peony scrolls, Northern China, Northern Song dynasty (960-1126). High-fired ceramic with sgraffito decoration, cizhou ware. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P161. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

Sgraffito was the most luxurious of all decorative techniques on cizhou wares and was highly valued in part because so few objects were produced using this technique. The design of peony flowers covering the surface of this voluminous vase-one of the largest of its type-reflects the understated elegance typically associated with Song ceramics.

The Hindu deity Surya flanked by Pingala and Danda, India, Bihar state, approx. 600-700. Limestone. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B63S36+. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

The deity Surya is associated with the skies, and particularly with the sun. Here he holds the stems of two large lotus flowers that radiate brightness. His sashes flutter at his sides as if blown by the wind. Standing to one side of Surya is his bearded scribe, who carries a pen and inkpot. On the other side is an attendant holding a staff. His name, Danda, means "staff." Scholars link the origins of the deity Surya with the far western parts of the Indian world near Iran, where solar deities were prominent. Even images made in other parts of India, such as this, wear the long robes and boots linked with traditional Iranian dress. (Here the robe clings to the contours of the body, but its lower border can be seen along the lower legs.)

The Hindu deity Parvati, Pala, India, Jaynagar-Hasanpur, Bihar state, approx. 1050-1100. Basalt. Asian Art Museum, B67S2. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

Parvati, the wife of Shiva, holds in her left hand a now-broken figure of her child Skanda; her other child, the elephant-headed Ganesha, can be seen near her right foot. Beneath her lotus throne is the lion she customarily rides. Above her, elephants pour water over her in a gesture of homage.

Vase (maebyeong), Korea, approx. 1100, Goryeo dynasty (918-1392). Stoneware with iron painted decoration under the celadon glaze. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P17+. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

This type of vase with a swelling shoulder, cupped mouth, the flat base, and no foot is known as maebyeong in Korean or plum vase. A band of chrysanthemum petals or S-shaped lines painted in iron pigment decorates the shoulder area, and a wide band covered completely with iron pigment at the bottom gives the vase a sense of stability. The contour line from shoulder to bottom falls rather straight instead of making the sharp s-curve often seen on plum vases during the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The body of the vase is covered with the floral design known as bosanghwa meaning 'treasure appearance flower' combined with a scroll design. Its brown color identifies it as an oxidation-fired piece. Because both clay and glaze used in making this type of stoneware were the same as those used for grayish blue or green celadons of the reduction-fired pieces of the same period, brown colored stonewares are also called cheongja (grayish blue or green celadons) by Korean scholars.

In the 1983 underwater excavation of Wando-Island, South Jeolla province, were found eleven yellowish-brown plum vases decorated in iron pigment. Three of them similar to this piece in their overall shape, decorative scheme, and design motifs, date to the late eleventh century. The more carefully organized floral scrolls that sweep in curves over its entire surface would indicate that this plum vase was produced at a slightly later date during the early twelfth century.

Dish with moon and plum blossoms motif, Korea, 1800-1900, Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). Lacquered paper with inlaid mother-of-pearl. Asian Art Museum, 2016.44. Photo: © Asian Art Museum.

This scene—a crescent moon shining above a plum tree—was cherished by Joseon dynasty scholars. In Korea, there are many poems praising the beauty of plum blossoms in moonlight. It is said that the exquisite fragrance and beauty of plums can be caught and best appreciated under the moon on a quiet night.

The body of this dish is made of numerous layers of paper, and paper in thick layers can be used for various structural purposes. During the Joseon dynasty, Korean paper (hanji)—known for having the texture and resilience of silk—was in high demand not only domestically but also in China, for making books and paintings. Used paper in particular was repurposed in a variety of areas, such as clothing, craft, and furniture.

A bowl with One Hundred Flowers motif, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Reign of the Jiaqing emperor (1796-1820), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province.Porcelain with overglaze polychrome decoration, fencai. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P2095. Photo: © Asian Art Museum. 

This piece revives the "hundred-flower ground" once made by the Jiaqing imperial shop. Commonly used flowers applied on an earlier illustrated piece (cat. no. 665), including peony, lotus, chrysanthemum, magnolia, peach, yellow hibiscus, apricot, morning glory, rose camellia, day lily, pinks, narcissus, wisteria, and more, were massed together in bloom. The enamels were fired to a proper lustrous quality in even layers. The color tonality, dominated by lightly shaded yellow, green, and blue, creates a tender subtlety.

PARIS - Sur tout le continent asiatique, l’or tient une place centrale. Présent dans la symbolique bouddhique, le bouddhisme tantrique et, pour une moindre part, l’hindouisme et le jainisme, le lumineux métal ne pouvait que s’inscrire dans une exposition d’envergure. Pour cette occasion le musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet a choisi d’interroger ses propres collections, dont certaines, ressorties des réserves, restaurées ou nouvellement acquises, viendront former un ensemble de 113 chefs-d’œuvre. C’est avec un regard d’orfèvre que le MNAAG explore et pose ainsi le cadre des échanges du métal inaltérable et des raisons de sa rareté, qu’il soit poudre d’or au Japon, en Chine ou en Corée, émissions monétaires dans l’Afghanistan kouchane ou parure de maharajahs indiens. Les techniques d’extraction et du travail de l’or seront abordées en préambule, avant qu’un florilège de splendeurs ne raconte sa fabuleuse épopée, les raisons de l’attrait et du pouvoir de séduction qu’il suscita en Asie, mille et une histoires en or autour de 113 pièces.

Virupaksha, roi-gardien de l’ouest, Tibet, 15e siècle, Cuivre doré, incrusté de pierres, H. 70 cm ; L. 43 cm. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier

Qu’il s’agisse d’hommage rendu aux reliques de maîtres défunts, d’images d’êtres vénérés, d’objets rituels sur les autels, l’or fut hautement recherché pour sa parfaite pureté comme l’exige la loi bouddhique. C’est d’ailleurs le bouddhisme qui lui ouvre de vastes horizons aux résonances toutes symboliques : comment la lumineuse carnation du Bouddha ne pourrait être mieux évoquée que par l’or ? Vecteur d’éternité, l’or tient dans la parure funéraire, comme dans la conservation de la mémoire, une fonction de premier ordre, offrant à la statuaire de saisir de façon frappante ces facteurs d’unitéà l’échelle du continent asiatique, de telle sorte que lorsque l’or est absent, le bronze ou le bois doré en jouent les substituts.

Quand l’or fréquemment mentionné est stimulé dans les sutras, les vêtements rapiécés des compagnons du bouddha historique deviennent les prétextes à la création de luxueux patchworks à bande d’or, tout comme l’or présent dans le costume de Lucknow, dernier bastion de l’Inde moghole. Promesse d’éternité, l’or défie le temps humain et joue la transmission : l’empereur de Chine, Qianlong, ne fit-il pas calligraphier à l’encre d’or des plaques de jade, ses propres écrits sur l’éthique et la philosophie en politique, à l’occasion de son quatre-vingtième anniversaire ? 

Investi de la symbolique du pouvoir et de la richesse, l’or et ses fastes sont évoqués à travers le matériel archéologique mais aussi la production d’objets de luxe dans l’Inde moghole. En Afghanistan, durant la dynastie kouchane (1er-3e siècle), le monnayage en or apparaît et la monnaie d’or qui fait référence à l’irruption des nomades dans le monde sédentaire, exprimait aussi l’immense prestige et la puissance du souverain, l’Altaïétant la source de l’or. En écho au monde des steppes, certains objets archéologiques tel que la couronne typique du royaume de Silla (5e-6e siècle) provenant d’une tombe de Kyongung en Corée, attestait de l’importance du faste au temps des Trois Royaumes. 

Au Japon, l’or habille de grâce les éblouissants objets de laque, les paravents et textiles de l’apogée bourgeoise, les plus raffinés comme les plus frivoles du monde flottant, rappelant ici que la fascination pour le métal magique n’empêche pas le vieil adage : « tout ce qui brille n’est pas d’or ».

Du 21 juin au 18 septembre 2017

Coupe à anse, Chine, Mongolie intérieure, bannière unie de Da’erhan Maoming’an, Dynastie Yuan (1279-1368), Or Martelé, repoussé, gravé, soudé, L. 12 cm ; l. 12,8 cm. © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier

Le dieu Vishnu au Vaikuntha avec les sept kumaras, Attribué à Ranjha Inde, école Pahari, Chamba, vers 1790- 1800, Gouache et or sur papier, H. 23,7 cm ; L. 31,7 cm ; page : H. 24,7cm ; L. 32,6 cm. © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Mathieu Rabeau

Costume de cour ou de danseur, Birmanie, dynastie Konbaung (1752-1885), milieu ou fin du 19e siècle, Coton et velours de soie brodé de fils d’or, applications de sequins et de perles de verre, H. 122 cm. © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Mathieu Rabeau

Paravent nanban byobu : l’arrivée de navigateurs occidentaux au Japon, Japon, époque de Momoyama, dernier quart du 16e siècle, Paravent à six volets, H. 153,2 cm ; L. 361,4 cm. © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Daniel Arnaudet

Avalokitesvara à mille bras et aux mille "chonsu kwanum posal", Corée, Epoque Koryô, X^e-XI^e siècle. Fonte de fer, H. : 58 cm - L. : 63 cm. Photo © Musée Guimet, Paris, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Jean-Yves et Nicolas Dubois

 Le bodhisattva Avalokitesvara aux mille bras, Vietnam, Fin 18e, début 19e siècle. Bois doré. Hauteur : 1.51 m, Largeur : 1.42 m, Profondeur : 0.5 m. © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier

Base de "huqqa" (pipe à eau), Inde, Empire moghol (1526-1857), 1ère moitié du 18e siècle, Verre, dorure, Hauteur : 0.155 m, Largeur : 0.134 m. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier

Pendentif en forme d'oiseau, Inde, Empire moghol (1526-1857), 17e siècle, cristal de roche, émeraude, or, perle, rubis. Hauteur : 0.1 m, Largeur : 0.06 m, Profondeur : 0.025 m. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier

Paravent (faisant partie d'une paire) aux éventails flottants sur la rivière, Anonyme, Epoque d’Edo (1603-1868), XVII^e siècle. Couleurs et feuilles d’or sur papier. H : 1,56m ; L. 3,612m. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Michèle Bellot

Boite à décor de fleurs et d'oiseaux. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Mathieu Rabeau

Hitomi Hosono © Musée National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet

"Porcelaine, chefs-d'œuvre de la collection Ise": Affiche

PARIS - Les chefs-d’œuvre de céramique chinoise de la collection Ise sont exposés pour la première fois en France. Monochromes, céladons, « trois couleurs », porcelaines bleu et blanc, etc., au-delà d’un parcours esthétique et historique, le MNAAG vous invite à la rencontre de la passion d’un collectionneur.

Riche agro-industriel et philanthrope, Hikonobu Ise commence à constituer sa collection de céramiques il y a une trentaine d’années, afin, dit-il, d’éviter la dispersion, d’assurer la pérennité et de présenter au public du monde entier ces chefs-d’œuvre de la haute civilisation chinoise qu’il admire tant. 

Cette collection, qui couvre les productions du 5e siècle avant notre ère jusqu’au 19e siècle, des périodes antiques aux Qing (1644-1911), a acquis au fil du temps un grand rayonnement. Si la sélection des pièces maîtresses de la collection Ise, présentée dans les salles rénovées du rez-de-chaussée de l’Hôtel d’Heidelbach, permet de dresser un panorama de l’évolution des techniques et des décors de l’art céramique chinois, elle est aussi l’occasion de saisir ce phénomène remarquable qu’est le goût japonais pour la céramique chinoise. Depuis l’époque de Kamakura (1185-1333), des céramiques chinoises sont importées par l’Archipel, pour la cérémonie du thé, que les Japonais ont transformée en un art de vivre à forte dimension cultuelle.

C’est dans cette filiation que s’inscrit le collectionnisme d’Hikonobu Ise, porté notamment par son admiration pour la culture lettrée chinoise. Il raconte ainsi que chaque semaine, il sort de son étui l’un de ces objets, pour le contempler en dégustant un thé ; le sentiment de joie qu’il en ressent alors est au-delà du simple moment de détente. Ses choix semblent en effet guidés en premier lieu par l’émotion procurée par des objets qui « ont attrapé [son] cœur » et par le dialogue esthétique qui s’instaure avec l’œuvre dès le « premier regard » : face à une céramique Ming, représentant un combat de coqs, il fut ainsi « totalement ébloui et [se sentit] presque en état d’ébriété pendant les six mois qui ont suivi ».

Le respect du Beau et la nécessité de réaliser des emballages propres à protéger les objets précieux, notamment des dangers sismiques, ont permis de conserver de manière exceptionnelle ces céramiques, dont les vibrants reflets des glaçures, les couleurs chatoyantes des émaux, les subtilités des décors sont d’une telle qualité que ces œuvres de plusieurs siècles semblent être à peine sorties du four.

Présenter cette collection, c’est ainsi convier chacun à un voyage sensoriel et esthétique, dans l’intimité d’un passionné.

Du 21 juin au 4 septembre 2017. Hôtel d'Heidelbach, 19 avenue d’Iéna  

Jarre fu, céramique sancai avec motifs rapportés de fleurs. Dynastie des Tang (7ème - 8ème siècles), H. totale 21.5cm, D. 23.1 cm © Collection Ise  

Aiguière en forme de melon, porcelaine qingbai. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Song du Nord (11ème - 12ème siècles), H. 25,5 cm, L.16 cm, l. 12,2 cm © Collection Ise

Coupe et soucoupe, porcelaine qingbai. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Song du Nord (11ème - 12ème siècles), coupe : H. 4,7 cm, D.10.4 cm ; soucoupe : H. 4.5 cm, D. 14.9 cm © Collection Ise 

Vase-bouteille, motif de pivoines, décor peint sous glaçure. Fours de Cizhou. Dynastie des Jin (12ème–13ème siècles), H. 21 cm, D. max. 20,5 cm © Collection Ise 

Vase à long col, glaçure noire et nervures en relief d’engobe blanc. Lignée des fours de Cizhou. Dynastie des Jin (12ème -13ème siècles), H. 22,8 cm, D. max. 13 cm © Collection Ise 

Vase à décor de pivoines et d’arabesques, porcelaine céladon. Fours de Longquan. Entre la dynastie des Song du Sud et la dynastie des Yuan (13ème - 14ème siècles), H. 26,2 cm, D. 12,6 cm © Collection Ise

Vase à décor de phénix et qilin, porcelaine bleu et blanc. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Yuan (13ème- 14ème siècles), H. 25 cm, D. max. 12 cm © Collection Ise 

Plat avec fleurs et rinceaux, porcelaine bleu et blanc. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Ming, règne de Yongle (1403-1424), H. 7.2, D. 37.5cm © Collection Ise 

Vase à motif d’oiseaux aquatiques sur un étang de lotus, glaçures fahua. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Ming (15ème -16ème siècles). H. 27 cm, D. 17.3cm. Objet d'art d’intérêt majeur © Collection Ise 

Vase en forme de gourde, porcelaine, décor d’émaux de petit feu. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Ming. Marque de l'empereur Jiajing (r. 1522-1566), H. 21.2 cm, D. max. 12.2 cm © Collection Ise

Coupe à pied haut avec arabesques de pivoines, porcelaine kinrande (« brocart d’or »). Dynastie des Ming (16ème siècle), H. 11 cm, D. 13.4 cm © Collection Ise

Bol en porcelaine à décor vert rehaussé d'or avec cerfs, fleurs et oiseaux. Fours de Jingdezhen. Dynastie des Ming. Marque de l’empereur Jiajing (1522-1566). Crédits : © Collection Ise / Photo de Shigefumi Kato

Lot 7. Two jade dragons, Neolithic Period, Liangzhu and Hongshan Cultures, 4.2cm (1 3/4in) and 3.7cm (1 3/8in) wide (2). Estimate HK$70,000 - 100,000 (US$9,000 - 13,000). Sold for HK$ 475,000 (€54,505). Photo: Bonhams.

Each thickly carved in the shape of a circular ring resembling a stylised coiled dragon with the horns, eyes and snout subtly depicted in relief, the larger stone smoothly polished, and of pale green tone suffused with buff inclusions, the other of dark olive-green tone mottled with black inclusions.

Provenance: The larger dragon: Kalam Cheung, Hong Kong
The smaller dragon: Acquired from the distinguished Hong Kong art dealer Lai Loy (1926-2012) in 1978
The Songzhutang collection, nos.7 and 86

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.7 (the larger dragon)

Note: The coiled dragon was highly significant to the Hongshan people as demonstrated in the large numbers found in tombs. Although the Hongshan Culture did not influence the later Neolithic societies directly, many aspects were transferred to the Liangzhu Culture.

Compare two smaller jade dragons in the shape of a ring, the dragon heads similarly carved in relief, late Songze to early Liangzhu Culture, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth: Chinese Jades through the Age, Taipei, 2012, p.55, pls.4-5-6 and 4-5-7. For another related example of a ring-shaped jade dragon from the Neolithic period, Liangzhu Culture, see one excavated from tomb no.8 at the Luodun site in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China 7: Jiangsu, Shanghai, Beijing, 2010, p.20.

Bonhams. THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES from the Neolithic Period to the Yuan Dynasty, 30 May 2017, 14:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY