Kendi, 15th century, Ming Dynasty, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China. Underglaze blue decorated porcelain, silver mounts, 17.2 x 21.0 x 9.5 cm. Found in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.

The elegant shape of this pouring vessel imitates the bronze water containers of Persia and Mughal India. The Indian metal versions originally derived from animal hide drinking flasks that reflected the nomadic Central Asian heritage of the Mughals.

In the context of its ceremonial use in Islamic West Sumatran society, the crescent moon form of this kendi would have had great symbolic appeal.

Kendi, 16–17th century, Ming Dynasty, Zhangzhou, Fujian province, China. Underglaze blue porcelain, 18.5 x 18.0 cm. Tound in Southeast Asia. Collection of the Asian Art Civilisations Museum Collection, Singapore.

Kendi, 15th century, Ayutthya Kingdom (1350-1767), Sawankalok, Thailand. stoneware, underglaze iron decoration, 13.5 x 14.5 cm. Found in Southeast Asia. © Museum of Asian Art, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

Kendi, 17th century, Qing Dynasty, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Provence, China. Underglaze blue decorated porcelain, silver mounts; 17.2 x 21.0 x 9.5 cm; found in Bukittingi, West Sumatra, Indonesia © Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

With its tall neck and full body, the style of this pouring vessel was informed by the shape of Middle Eastern and South Asian metal ewers. Its floral decoration may have been inspired by a type of ornamentation fashionable in Iran at the time of its production.

Exhibition view Lombardo / Gonzalez-Torres. Tullio Lombardo, Young couple (formerly: Bacchus and Ariadne), around 1505/10, stone, marble, traces of painting (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Kunstkammer© KHM Museum Association) & Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987- 1990, Wall Clocks, Edition of 3, 1 AP (© The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation, Courtesy of Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York)

VIENNA.- The Kunsthistorisches Museum is presenting the exhibition The Shape of Time. Following monographic exhibitions of Lucian Freud and Joseph Cornell, and collection presentations curated by Ed Ruscha and Edmund de Waal, this is the first group exhibition conceived as part of the museum’s Modern and Contemporary programme. 

The collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum represent some 5,000 years of human creativity from Ancient Egypt through to European painting around 1800. The Shape of Time presents a group of remarkable art works dating from 1800 to the present day, as stepping stones to lead visitors from the point at which the museum's own collections end to the point at which we find ourselves today. Among them are major works by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Claude Cahun, Mark Rothko, Maria Lassnig, Eleanor Antin, Steve McQueen, Catherine Opie and Peter Doig. Borrowed from some of the most important museums and private collections across the world, they have been carefully placed within the rooms of our Picture Gallery in active dialogue with our own historical objects and artists. Visitors are invited to look simultaneously backwards and forwards between objects made hundreds of years apart, either of which has the potential to alter our experience of the other. 

Exhibition view Titian / Turner. Tiziano Vecellio, Nymph and shepherd, c. 1570/75, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, picture gallery © KHM Museum Association & , Stormy Sea, c. 1840/45, Tate: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856 © Tate, London 2017

The modern works do not attempt to tell the history of art of the last two hundred years, but rather to tune in to the conversations that have taken place across the centuries, and to become part of those conversations themselves. Taking the museum's own collections as the point of departure, the curators have forged a series of encounters between old and new to suggest continuities throughout the history of art. In the spirit of George Kubler’s groundbreaking 1962 book The Shape of Time, they seek to reveal the flow of time and space and the evolution of ideas and images across centuries and cultures, to suggest a view of art history as a reservoir of ideas drawn from repeatedly over time. 

The exhibition begins, chronologically speaking, with Turner’s painting from 1842, and ends with an important new work made specially for the exhibition by the acclaimed American artist Kerry James Marshall in response to Tintoretto. Conceptually speaking, however, its starting point lies elsewhere, in the landmark 1989 exhibition of furniture objects by Franz West in our Picture Gallery. The first ever exhibition of a living artist in the museum, it set in motion a programme that is continuing today. In recreating one specific situation from this exhibition for The Shape of Time, the museum retraces its own institutional history, an investigation developed further with the inclusion of major works by Lucian Freud and Ron Mueck. At the same time, the exhibition provides us with a roadmap for the future: to the work of Mark Rothko, that the museum will present in the form of a major survey exhihition in 2019, and to other artists whose work might one day be shown in greater depth within the museum. The exhibition also seeks to acknowledge important developments in art since the time that the museum’s collection was formed, through the presentation of modern media such as photography, film and installation, the participation of radical female artists, and the presence of artists from beyond the European continent.  

Exhibition View Tintoretto / Marshall. Jacopo Robusti, gen. Tintoretto, Susanna in the Bath, c. 1555/56, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery © KHM-Museumsverband & Kerry James Marshall, Untiteld, 2018 © Courtesy of Artists and David Zwirner, London.

The architecture of the exhibition – for which low stages have been placed beneath the works as an invitation to the visitor to participate, and to activate the dialogues through their own observation of the art works and comparison of them – owes something to the approach of West’s 1989 exhibition in the same galleries. That exhibition’s explanatory text is as relevant today as it was then: “That contemporary art has for the first time made an inroad into this richly traditional institution is due, among other reasons, to the fact that Franz West’s objects on exhibit here counteract the rash and smooth enjoyment of art with bitter irony... The user must leave behind the convention of dwelling passively while regarding art, leave behind a strict separation of the viewing subject and the object to be admired and enter as an actor into the work of art which has thus become a tableau vivant.” 

The works have been lent by museums across the world – including Tate, London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Musée Picasso, Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago, The British Museum, London, the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and the Wadsworth Atheneum, Connecticut – in addition to important private collections. 

The exhibition has been curated by Jasper Sharp, and will be accompanied by a series of artist talks featuring Catherine Opie, Fiona Tan, Kerry James Marshall and Steve McQueen. Catalogue texts have been written by Jennifer Higgie, Ben Street, Jasper Sharp and Anja Heitzer.

Exhibition view Manet / Velázquez. Édouard Manet, Boy with sword, 1861, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York& Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Infant Philipp Prosper, 1659, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery © KHM Museum Association.

Exhibition view Rembrandt / Rothko. Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Great Self-Portrait, 1652, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery © KHM-Museum Association & Mark Rothko, Untiteld, 1959/60, The Collections of Christopher Rothko @ 2016 by Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko

Rubens / Lassnig Exhibition View. Peter Paul Rubens, Helena Fourment ("The Pelzchen"), c. 1636/38, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery, © KHM Museum Association & Maria Lassnig, Iris Standing, 1972/73 © Maria Lassnig Stiftung, Vienna

Exhibition view of Antiquity / Antin. Torso: Nude Aphrodite (Type Medici), 1st or 2nd century AD, Roman copy of the Greek original, around 300 BC. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Collection of Antiquities © KHM-Museumsverband & Eleanor Antin, Carving: A Traditional Sculpture, 1972, 148. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Twentieth Century Discretionary.

Exhibition View West / Caravaggio. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Rosary Madonna, around 1601, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery © KHM-Museumsverband & Franz West, Chaise Longue (Caravaggio), 1989, Private Collection, Vienna& Franz West, Chaise Longue (Caravaggio), 1989, Musée d ' Art, Toulon (France) © Archive Franz West

Exhibition view Santvoort / Opie. Dirck Dircksz. Santvoort, Casanova del Monte Turris, Mayor of Prague, 1639& Dirck Dircksz. Santvoort, Anna Heinz von Jaden, wife of Casanova del Monte Turris, 1639, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, picture gallery © KHM-Museumsverband & Catherine Opie, Kayla with her young son Owen, 2017& Catherine Opie, Joanathan Franzen, 2012& Catherine Opie, self portrait, 2017 © Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery, London.

Exhibition view Bruegel / Doig. Peter Doig, Two Trees, 2017 © The Artist. Courtesy Michael Werner Gallery, New York and London & Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hunters in the Snow (Winter), dated 1565, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Gemäldegalerie © KHM-Museumsverband

Exhibition view. Peter Doig, Two Trees, 2017 © The Artist. Courtesy Michael Werner Gallery, New York and London

Lot 91. A reticulated 'Fahua' garden seat, Ming dynasty, circa 1500; height 14 3/4 in., 37.5 cm. Estimate 10,000—15,000 USD. Lot Sold 25,000 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

of barrel-form, boldly decorated around the rounded body with a reticulated design of peacocks striding amidst luscious flowering peonies and rockwork, all picked out in white, blue, turquoise and aubergine, flanked by lion mask handles and bordered by bands of raised bosses, the top with a pair of  shishi lions encircling a central pierced cash motif.

Provenance: Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., 23rd and 24th April 1975, lot 287.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

Lot 92. A rare and large 'Fahua' jar, Ming dynasty, circa 1500; height 17 in., 43.2 cm. Estimate 15,000—25,000 USD. Lot Sold 266,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

robustly potted of baluster-form, finely molded and incised around the exterior with a dense design of peacocks standing between rockwork and flowering tree peonies, all set between pendent ruyienclosing large blooms around the shoulders with further clouds on a diaper ground collaring the straight neck and upright petal lappets skirting the foot and neck, brightly glazed in aubergine, yellow and turquoise on a rich dark blue ground with details picked-out in aubergine, turquoise and ivory enamels, reserved against a deep purplish-blue ground, the interior glazed green.

Provenance: Duveen Brothers, New York (until 1964).
The Norton Simon Foundation, Los Angeles.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 7th May 1971, lot 3.

Lot 93. A 'Fahua'-type jar, Ming dynasty, 16th century; height 12 7/8 in., 32.7 cm. Estimate 7,000 — 9,000 USD. Lot Sold 27,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

exaggerately potted of baluster form, with high swelling shoulders tapering sharply to a narrow splayed foot, surmounted by a short neck everting to a lipped rim, applied evenly with a rich blue glaze falling neatly above the foot.

Lot 94. A 'Fahua' vase, meiping, Ming dynasty, circa 1500; height 12 1/4 in., 31.1 cm. Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD. Lot Sold 27,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

of slender baluster form, the decoration of flowering lotus and pods rising from a bed of foaming waves, the shoulder with a band of beaded pendants suspending Daoist emblems, all picked out in aubergine, turquoise, yellow and white against a deep blue ground.

Provenance: Antique Porcelain Company, New York, 1971

Note: A related vase in the British Museum is illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. , pl. 13.5; another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is published in Li Zhiyan et. al., Chinese Ceramics from the Paleolithic Period through the Qing Dynasty, New Haven and London, 2010, pl. 8.63; a related but smaller piece is illustrated by Regina Krahl, The Anthony de Rothschild Collection of Chinese Ceramics, n.p., 1996, vol. 1., no. 89.

Porcelain meiping with 'fahua'-type decoration and traces of red lacquer, Ming dynasty, circa 1450-1505. Height: 42 cm. Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, Franks.67 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum.

Bottle with Lotuses, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), late 15th century. Porcelain with raised slip and enamels (Jingdezhen ware). H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm); Diam. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm). Bequest of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1960; 61.200.52 © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Lot 95. A 'Fahua' jar, Ming dynasty, circa 1500; height without cover 14 1/2 in., 16.8 cm. Estimate 1,500 — 2,500 USD. Lot Sold 50,000 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

the broad-shouldered body with a design of peacocks striding between luscious peony flowers and foliage, all outlined in relief and filled with bright turquoise, yellow and aubergine enamels reserved on a dark blue ground, together with: an associated dome-shaped cover with a bud-shaped finial (2).

Provenance: Duveen Brothers, New York (until 1964).
The Norton Simon Foundation, Los Angeles.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 7th May 1971, lot 4.

Exhibited: On loan to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965 - 1971.

Note: Compare a jar decorated with similarly spacious design, published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pp. 420-421, pl. 13.23.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

Lot 96. A large and rare 'Fahua' jar, Ming dynasty, circa 1500; height 15 7/8 in., 40.3 cm. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Lot Sold 146,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

well potted of baluster form, the broad shoulders and sides tapering toward a flared base, surmounted by a short neck with a lipped rim, the body decorated in yellow, turquoise, white and aubergine enamels against an ink-blue ground with three Star Gods with halos, each dressed in luxurious robes and seated at a low table, flanked by attendants, and accompanied by Xiwangmu with an attendant holding a tray of peaches, set between a band of small lappets and Daoist emblems on the shoulders, the foot encircled with a band of lappets, the neck with wispy cloud scrolls set on an intricate honey-comb design.

Provenance: Rare Art, New York, 1973.

Exhibited: On loan to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965 - 1971.

Note: A small Fahua tile in the British Museum collection is similarly decorated with deities, identified as the Three Official Great Primordial Rulers (San Guan Da Di), popular Daoist stellar deities also known as the controllers of Heaven, Earth and Water, see Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pp. 426-427, pl. 13.35. A virtually identical jar is illustrated in Regina Krahl, The Anthony de Rothschild Collection of Chinese Ceramics, n.p., 1996, vol. 1, no. 87.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

LOt 97. A rare dated 'Fahua' altar garniture, Zhengde mark and period (1506-1521); height of tallest vase 23 3/8 in., 60.6 cm. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 USD. Lot Sold 116,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

comprising an incense burner and two vases, the former of compressed globular form supported on three stout cabriole legs, set to the shoulders with a pair of detachable curved strap handles fastened by slots and metal pins, the sides decorated with lotus scrolls in turquoise with gilt flowers on a purple ground, separated from sprays of lingzhi on the neck by a band of ruyi heads, the galleried rim bearing the inscription 'Made and joyfully bestowed on an auspicious day in the second year of the Zhengde in the great Ming dynasty' (Da Ming Zhengde er nian ji ri zhao xi she), the vases each with matching decoration on the body, bands of upright lappets around the neck set with loop handles, the galleried rims each bearing the inscription 'Made as an offering and respectfully presented on an auspicious day in the eigth month of the second year of Zhengde in the Great Ming Dynasty' (Da Ming Zhengde er nian ba yue ji ri faxin zhozao gong feng ) (3).

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 14th November 1967, lot 110.
Sotheby's New York, 5th November 1977, lot 200.

Literature: Regina Krahl, The Anthony de Rothschild Collection of Chinese Ceramics, n.p., 1996, vol. 1, fig. 1.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

Lot 98. A large 'Fahua'-type garlic-head mouth vase, Ming-Qing dynasty; height 21 in., 53.3 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 USD. Lot Sold 37,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

the compressed globular body rising to tall neck everting to a garlic-head mouth, decorated with large flowers around the neck and body, with jewelled garlands suspended around the neck and upright lappets encircling the foot, the design picked-out in yellow, blue, green and ivory-white enamels on a deep aubergine ground, the interior glazed green.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

Lot 99. A turquoise-ground 'Fahua' jar, Ming dynasty; height 12 1/2 in., 31.8 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Lot Sold 56,250 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

the body decorated in relief with figures on horseback accompanied by attendants, riding towards a pavillion enveloped in clouds, above a band of lappets around the foot, the shoulders with a ruyi-band each enclosing auspicious emblems, all picked out in white, blue, turquoise-blue and green against a vibrant turquoise ground, the interior glazed green.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

Sanyu, Nu endormi, executed in 1950s, oil on board, 50 x 100 cm, est. HK$ 20 – 30 million / US$2.56 – 3.84 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s unveiled highlights from its Evening Sales of Modern Art and Contemporary Art, both of which will be held on 31 March at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The auctions will be led by a line-up of Western Contemporary and Modern Art, as well as an array of rare works by Modern and Contemporary Asian masters. The two Evening Sales, offering over 90 lots, have a combined estimate in excess of HK$640 million / US$82million*. 

“In 2017, Sotheby’s Hong Kong introduced Western Contemporary Art as part of our Evening Sale, with an auction record set by Andy Warhol’s Mao in April^ and a stunning 100% sell-through rate in October. This season, we are delighted to expand the category to include a selection of Western works from the Modern period, alongside fresh-tomarket works by Asian Modern and Contemporary artists. This latest addition is part of our 20-year industry-leading effort to grow Asia’s appreciation of the Western Art - through overseas auctions' previews, curating selling exhibitions and transacting through private sales, to introducing Western works to our Hong Kong auctions. This month, we are also thrilled to present three exciting selling exhibitions– ‘Face-Off: Picasso / Condo’, ‘Game Changers: José-María Cano’, and‘Panorama – A New Perspective’, as part of the strategy to entice and fulfil the growing demand in Asia.” - Patti Wong, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia.

MODERN ART EVENING SALE 5pm, 31 March 
Leading the Modern Art Evening Sale is Sanyu’s Nu endormi, an important oil painting from the pinnacle of the artist’s career. A portrait of one of Sanyu’s lovers – who was also the muse of one of Zhang Daqian’s ink portraits – this 1950s work will make its auction debut on 31 March after being held in private hands for the past 60 years. Nu endormi carries exceptional provenance, having been in the collection of the prominent Lévy family who shared close ties with the artist in his later years. In additional to being featured in the artist’s final solo exhibition, the work has also been extensively published, and was included in the grand retrospective exhibition of Sanyu in Taipei’s National Museum of History in 2001. The work measures a remarkable size of 50 x 100 cm. Other oil paintings of similar sizes by the artist have sold for over HK$80 million at auction in recent years. 

24.04.62 is one of Zao Wou-Ki’s finest works from his 1960s Hurricane Period. Executed on a monumental-sized canvas, the painting is a reflection of the young artist’s unbounded creativity and self-confidence. Similar works of this size by Zao have repeatedly surpassed the HK$80 million mark at auction. Chu TehChun’s Rouge lourd et vert leger is representative of the artist’s early abstractionist works. Dated 1959, a pivotal year in which the artist established his status in the Parisian art world, this painting marks the best example of the artist’s 1950s works of this size and coloration. 

Zao Wou-Ki, 24.04.62, 1962, oil on canvas 97.4 x 194.8 cm, Est. HK$ 60 – 80 million / US$ 7.68 – 10.24 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Chu Teh-Chun, Rouge lourd et vert léger, 1959, oil on canvas, 87 x 116 cm Est. HK$ 50 – 60 million / US$6.4 – 7.68 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

This sale also marks the first time that works by Western Modern masters take the stage at a Sotheby's Hong Kong Evening Auction. Painted during his residence in the South of France, a formative period for the artist, Pablo Picasso’s Juan-les-Pins belongs to a rare series of only four to five similar examples that capture his home using an Eastern-style composition. In Sotheby’s New York Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale in November 2017, Chagall’s monumental Le Grand Cirque (1956) was purchased by an Asian private collector for US$16 million, setting the second highest auction price of the artist (US$14.9million) #. In the wake of this, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will present the Chagall’s circus painting Soleil au cheval rouge. A late period painting featuring a pair of entwined lovers, the lyrical work is emblematic of the artist’s two great loves and his nostalgia for the past. This season’s auction will also features Walter Spies’ Berge und Teich (Mountains and Pond), an extremely rare, museum-quality masterpiece from the peak of the artist’s career. The work has been in private hands for over 20 years and represents Spies’ legacy in Bali. 

Pablo Picasso, Juan-les-Pins, 1924, oil on canvas, 22.2 x 35.7 cm, Est. HK$ 5 -8 million / US$ 640,000-1.03 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Marc Chagall, Soleil au cheval rouge, 1977, oil on canvas, 88.9 x 116.2 cm, Est. HK$ 16 – 24 million / US$2.05 3.07 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Walter Spies, Berge und Teich (Mountains and Pond), oil on canvas, 1938, 71.5 x 59.5 cm, Estimate Upon Request. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Other Modern Highlights:

Zao Wou-Ki, Sans titre, 1958 oil on canvas, 54.5 x 64.5 cm Est. HK$ 8 – 12million/ US$ 1.03 -1.54 million (Property From Carnegie Museum of Art). Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Zao Wou-Ki, Quand il fait beau, 1955 oil on canvas, 73 x 92cm Est. HK$ 15 – 25million/ US$ 1.92 – 3.2 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Contemporary Art Evening Sale 7pm, 31 March 
Iconic fresh-to-market works by Lucio Fontana, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg are amongst the offerings of Contemporary Art. Fontana’s Concetto Spaziale, Attese is a classic example of the artist’s Tagli series, rendered in the highly sought-after crimson colour, while Lichtenstein’s The Conversation is one of the artist’s most important sculptures inspired by great legacies of art history. Rauschenberg’s Cartoon rounds out the group; pushing the traditional boundary between painting and sculpture, this three-dimensional work is a magnificent summation of the artist’s seminal career.  

Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale, Attese, 1965, waterpaint on canvas, 72 x 60 cm, est. HK$ 15 – 24 million / US$1.92 – 3.07 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Roy Lichtenstein, The Conversation, 1984, painted and patinated bronze 123.2 (H) x 104.1 x 29.8 cm, Est. HK$ 16 - 24 million / US$ 2.05 – 3.07 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Robert Rauschenberg, Cartoon, oil, wood, and metal on canvas, 1962 182.9 (H) x 91.4 x 14 cm, Est. HK$32- 40 million / US$4.09 – 5.12 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Also featured are large-scale fresh-to-market works by the best-known Asian artists. Lee Ufan’s With Winds is the largest work from the artist’s Winds series ever to appear at auction, while Shimamoto Shozo’s Untitled – Bottle Crash, coming from a distinguished private American collection, is a rare large-scale bottle-crash masterpiece executed in the 1960s. In You, In Me, a unique work over three-metres wide by Singaporean artist Jane Lee, is the largest painting by the artist to ever come to auction. The work was exhibited at the 56th Venice Biennale in the critically acclaimed ‘Frontiers Reimagined’ collateral show. Lastly, Peach Blossom in the Spring Once Again (diptych) by Zhou Chunya, specially commissioned and inspired by traditional literati scrolls, is the largest painting by the artist ever to appear at auction. 

Lee Ufan, With Winds, 1988, oil and mineral pigment on canvas, 218 x 291 cm, Est.HK$ 6,800,000-9,800,000/ US$ 870,000-1.26 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Shimamoto Shozo, Untitled – Bottle Crash, 1962, glass and oil on canvas, 162 x 130 cm, Est. HK$8-10 million / US$1.03 – 1.28 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Jane Lee, In You, In Me, Acrylic paint, acrylic paste, pigment,epoxy, reflective mirror on wood, 2015, 220 x 326.5 x 23 cm, Est: HK$ 780,000 – 1,300,000/ US$ 100,000-167,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Zhou Chunya, Peach Blossom in the Spring Once Again (diptych), 2013, oil on canvas, overall: 100 x 500 cm, Est. HK$10 – 15 million / US$1.28 – 1.92 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Other Contemporary Highlights

Cai Guo-Qiang, Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 10 (in 5 pieces), 2000, gunpowder and ink on paper, each: 303 x 401 cm, overall: 303 x 2005 cm, Est. HK$15-25 million / US$1.92 – 3.2 million. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Lot 83. A rare large green 'Jun' dish, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); diameter 10 1/2 in., 26.7 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 USD. Lot Sold 35,000 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

well potted with a wide flat center and shallow rounded sides resting on a broad foot rim of narrow tapered section, covered entirely inside and out with a crackled, finely pitted grayish-green glaze falling in thick drops of bluish tone on the exterior, the evenly pared foot rim fired to a reddish-brown color, with five spur marks on the glazed base.

Note: The Jun kilns located in the counties of Yu and Linru in Henan province are best known for wares applied with rich opaque pale blue glazes, as exemplified in lot 84. However, they also produced fine wares that were applied with a similarly unctuous glaze of a soft green color as on the present piece. Rare for the color of the glaze, the dish is also unusually large. No other Jun dish of this size and green glaze appears to be known. A related blue-glazed Jun dish of similar size is illustrated in Idemitsu Museum of Art, Exhibition of Sung Ceramics, 1979, no. 70. Similar green-glazed Jun dishes of smaller size are published in Michael Sullivan, Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the Collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow, London, 1963, pl. 35a. Another small green Jun dish from the Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum is illustrated in Catalogue of Ru, Guan, Jun, Guangdong and Yixing Wares, rev. ed., London, 1999, p. 69, no. A66.

Sotheby's. Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co. 22 Mar 11. New York

Lot 84. A fine and large blue 'Jun' dish, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); diameter 11 3/8 in., 29 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Lot Sold 104,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

Lot 85. An attractive 'Longquan' celadon jar, Yuan dynasty (1279-1366); height 9 1/4 in., 23.5 cm; width 13 in., 33 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Lot Sold 104,500 USD. photo Sotheby's 2011

HONG KONG.- On 3 April, Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Spring Sale 2018, will offer exceptional and rare treasures that epitomise quality and artistry. Headlined by a superb jadeite bangle estimated in excess of HK$80 million / US$10,230,000, the sale also offers an impressive 24.70 carat Burmese ruby, complemented by a special curation of show stopping earrings, classic period jewels, such as a rare Art Deco Egyptian revival bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels from 1925, as well as other stylish and contemporary designer creations. Featuring over 280 lots, the sale is estimated in excess of HK$730 million / US$93.6 million*.

Jessica Wyndham, Head of Department, Jewellery, Sotheby’s Asia, comments, “We are so pleased to present such an exciting sale to the market – not only do we have some superb examples of jadeite, led by“The Circle of Heaven”, and coloured stones with our 24.70 carat unheated Burmese ruby, but also a wonderful selection of contemporary and vintage signed jewels. This sale is a standing testament to Sotheby’s strong position in the global jewellery market.”

Chin Yeow Quek, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Asia, Chairman International Jewellery, Sotheby’s Asia, adds, “This season, Sotheby’s continues to bring the most fabulous jewels to Hong Kong for our most discerning jewellery connoisseurs and collectors, with an expansive offering across categories of diamonds, gemstones and jadeite. Prepare to be dazzled!”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON

‘The Circle of Heaven’. A Superb Jadeite bangle. Estimate: HK$80,000,000-100,000,000 / US$10,230,000-12,790,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

“The square earth is a chariot; the round heaven is its canopy.” - Excerpt of a poem written by Song Yu in 300 BC.

Not only does its circular form signify the ideal of ultimate unity and wholesome fulfilment, according to the Gaitian theory of cosmography in which the heaven is portrayed as a round, full circle, jadeite is also believed to be “the stone of heaven” in ancient Chinese belief. An extremely rare and highly translucent jadeite bangle of full brilliant emerald green colour with fine texture, the bangle is rich and potent in its symbolism. 

A Spectacular Burmese “Pigeon Blood”  Ruby and Diamond Ring. Set with a cushion-shaped ruby weighing 24.70 carats, within a surround of pear-shaped diamonds, the shank paveset with brilliant-cut diamonds of pink tint. Estimate: HK$82,000,000-92,000,000 / US$10,490,000-11,770,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

For centuries, the ruby has been distinguished as one of the most valuable gemstones in the world, and amongst them the Burmese “Pigeon Blood” Ruby is the most sought after and the discovery of any gemstone larger than 5 carats is a cause for celebration among gem connoisseurs. In addition to being set with an impressive 24.70 carat treasure from Mogok, this extremely rare ruby is mounted within a surround of diamonds which are Dcolour and internally flawless to VVS1 clarity. 

“Unheated Mogok rubies in excess of 20 carats are among the rarest gems in the world. Very few of these treasures from the world’s most important and legendary ruby source are known to exist.” - Christopher P. Smith, President, American Gemological Laboratories

A Dazzling Collection of Signed Pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels

A Unique Art Deco Gem Set and Diamond Bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1925. Estimate: HK$6,600,000-8,500,000 / US$845,000-1,090,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

This Egyptian-revival bracelet embraces the aesthetics of striking geometrics which the Art Deco has come to be known for. Inspired by exotic motifs from faraway lands whilst celebrating the avant-garde woman, the wide diamond bracelet serves as a tabula rasa to the bright and contrasting colour schemes of the finest sapphires, rubies, emeralds and onyx. Depicting the subtle beauty of lotus flowers, a prominent decorative motif in Egyptian art. Van Cleef & Arpels’ archival sketches for such pieces reveal the company’s meticulous study of the iconography of the ancient empire.

Ruby, Diamond and Emerald Brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate: HK$2,200,000-2,800,000 / US$282,000-358,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

In the form of a swan, a long-revered symbol of grace and serenity, this beautiful brooch is a triumph of artistry. The rubies, carefully selected for their uniform hues, are carefully polished and fitted one-by-one onto metal rails, in such a way that the metal is invisible to the eye. The result is an entirely smooth canvas of colour and brilliance that twists and turns to the beholder’s delight.

An Iconic Diamond Necklace / Bracelet, ‘Zip’, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate: HK$1,200,000-2,000,000 / US$154,000-256,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Van Cleef & Arpel’s iconic ‘Zip’ necklace exemplifies the Maison’s creativity and capability to transform the everyday objects into exquisite jewels. This ingenious creation is credited to originate from a suggestion from the Duchess of Windsor in 1938, with the micro-engineering of this design taking the Maison’s workshops decades to perfect. Celebrated as a collier fermeture éclair, the highly flexible and decorative design can be converted from a necklace to a bracelet, and is emblematic of the iconic pieces created by Van Cleef & Arpel since the 1950s.

Coloured Stones

A Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring, Cartier. Estimate: HK$9,500,000-13,000,000 / US$1,220,000-1,670,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

This 10.18-carat Kashmir Sapphire, mounted by Cartier, is a wonderful example of the highly desirable velvety colour which is coveted by collectors far and wide.

An Important Colombian Emerald and Diamond Ring, Monture Cartier. Estimate: HK$8,700,000-11,000,000 / US$1,120,000-1,410,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

This wonderful step-cut 14.72-carat emerald originating from Colombia sports a rich natural saturation, a rare feat as it has not undergone traditional oil treatments that are common amongst its contemporaries.

Coloured Diamonds

A Rare Fancy Blue Diamond and Diamond Ring. Estimate: HK$46,200,000-60,000,000 / US$5,910,000-7,680,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

This step-cut fancy blue diamond weighs an impressive14.18 carats, rendering it a rare specimen of its category. With the increasing demand for coloured diamonds, this stone is the perfect choice for anyone looking for a blue diamond of impressive size. 

‘The Cullinan Vivid’. Estimate: HK$4,200,000-6,500,000 / US$540,000-835,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

The step-cut fancy vivid yellow diamond weighs 5.29 carats and is of enviable provenance. It is thus named The Cullinan Vivid because of its provenance traced to the Cullinan Family, known for their exceptional diamond collection. 

Jadeite

A Rare and Important Jadeite and Diamond Ring. Estimate: HK$18,000,000-28,000,000 / US$2,310,000-3,580,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

A highly translucent oval jadeite cabochon of brilliant emerald green colour, the jadeite is exceptional for its very fine texture and superb shape.

A Rare and Important Pair of Jadeite and Diamond Earrings. Estimate: HK$15,000,000-25,000,000 / US$1,920,000-3,200,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

A finely matched pair of jadeite cabochon ensuite with the cabochon ring.

Earrings for the Red Carpet

From a marker of social status to a fashion statement, earrings have been a principal form of jewellery throughout history. The way earrings have been worn and their function within an ensemble have quickly become the ideal form for harmonising or adding drama to an overall ‘look’, and in Hollywood, earrings are the essential finishing touch. The inspiration for this curated collection came from Ashley Judd’s red carpet look at the 2018 Golden Globes, during which she wore the Martin Katz Emerald and Diamond Pendent Earrings (Estimate: HK$1,600,000-2,000,000 / US$205,000-256,000), listed below.

Pair of Keshi Pearl, Rock Crystal and Diamond Pendent Earrings, Wallace Chan. Estimate: HK$480,000-650,000 / US$61,500-83,500. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Pair of Aquamarine and Diamond Pendent Earrings, ‘Charlize’, Cartier. Estimate: HK$950,000-1,400,000 / US$122,000-179,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Pair of Emerald and Diamond Pendent Earrings, Martin Katz. Estimate: HK$1,600,000-2,000,000 / US$205,000-256,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Pair of Spinel and Diamond Pendent Earrings, BHAGAT. Estimate: HK$950,000-1,400,000 / US$122,000-179,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

Pair of Diamond Pendent Earrings, ‘Four Seasons’, Cindy Chao. Estimate: HK$650,000-850,000 / US$83,500-109,000. Courtesy Sotheby’s. 

“Earrings are the one jewellery pieces that add instant glamour for any woman at any occasion. On the red carpets the dangling earrings are especially loved for their dramatic movement, and their ability to accentuate contours of female necklines." 

"My Four Seasons art jewel collection has been seen on international red carpets by BingBing Li, Amy Adam and Salma Hayek. This particularly sculptural and articulated pair of Maple Leaves earrings is my latest creation of the collection." - Cindy Chao