Lot 8005. A fine Ding carved ‘lotus’ hexafoil bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm.) diam. Estimate: HK$1,200,000.00 - HK$1,800,000.00 (USD 153,810 - USD 230,715). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

 The bowl is elegantly potted with thin, slightly rounded sides flaring to a lobed rim, fluidly carved on the interior with lotus blossoms and leaves on slender stems, covered inside and out with a lustrous, pale ivory-toned glaze with the exception of the mouth revealing the fine, white body, box.

Lot 8018. Liu Dan (B. 1953), Jiuhua Rock. Inscribed and signed, with one seal of the artist, 53 x 136 cm. (20 7/8 x 53 1/2 in). Estimate: HK$3,000,000.00 - HK$4,000,000.00 (USD 384,525 - USD 512,700). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

Note: “The physical elements in a painting can do more than simply convey the shapes of rocks and mountains. They can also be employed in a totally non-narrative form to transform the images into indescribable illusions, with the aim of constructing a new order for landscape paintings other than identifiable images.”

Lot 8019. Ruan Yuan's green Duan inkstone mountain, dated Jiaqing twenty-fifth year, corresponding to 1820 and of the period; 24 3/4 in. (63 cm.) long. Estimate: HK$6,000,000.00 - HK$8,000,000.00 (USD 769,050 - USD 1,025,400). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

The Duan inkstone is cleverly worked into the shape of a rolling mountain, detailed with ridges and valleys utilising the natural contours of the stone, the surface delicately carved in low relief with a panoply of trees and waterfall to form an idyllic landscape, some of the stone’s yellowish ‘skin’ retained to represent coloured autumn leaves. At one end a small concave well is hallowed out to serve as a brush washer, and two peaks are hallowed to the top, possibly as receptacles for brushes. The back is incised with two inscriptions, a signature and a seal reading:

Autumn Colours in Lintong
In the twenty-fifth year of Jiaqing, I was in Yuedong arranging matters of matrimony, when I acquired this gigantic boulder from the Duan River. I (had it) carved as a inkstone mountain, and titled it ‘Autumn Colours of Lintong’ to commemorate my place of origin. My uncle immediately wrote to me to say:
That’s an inkstone mountain!

Written by Zhang Xi of Yangzhou

Green Boulder of Duan River
Seal: Langhuan Qianguan

Together with a framed rubbing of the inkstone mountain.

Provenance: Zhang Xi (1802-1822)
Ruan Yuan (1764-1849)
Jiansongge Collection, Taipei
Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, purchased from above in 2005.

Literature: Ruan Yuan, Yanjingshiji, vol. 2, juan 6.

Note: This instone mountain was in the collection of Ruan Yuan, originally acquired by his son-in-law, Zhang Xi. It was recorded in detail in Ruan Yuan’s anthology Yanjingshiji:

“In the 25th year of Jiaqing, Xi was 18. His father ordered him to come to Yuedong, to live uxorially in the Governor’s residence, and to study under my guidance... Xi studied the flora, fauna and products of Ling’nan against ancient texts, and produced a few worthy essays. He also carved an inkstone mountain from a large block of Duan River boulder, and called it ‘Autumn Colours of Lintong’, since the Supervising Censor was originally from Lintong, and came first in the local examination in Shaanxi in the jiazi year of Qianlong.”

Cross referencing this record with the inscription on the inkstone mountain, a more complete picture emerges: Ruan Yuan was Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi at the time, where Duan stone was is mined. Zhang Xi was 18 when he came to Guangdong to marry his daughter, accompanied by his teacher Yan Houmin. He was interested in flora and fauna, and produced some academic studies on them. The inkstone mountain was called ‘Autumn Colours of Lintong’ because his grandfather Zhang Xin, the Supervising Censor, was originally from Lintong. It seems Ruan Yuan admired the inkstone mountain, as he wrote to Zhang Xi proclaiming, ‘that’s an inkstone mountain!’

Inkstone mountains are desk accoutrements that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The most famous example is the one said to have been owned by Emperor Li Yu of the Southern Tang period, and later came into the possession of Mi Fu in the Northern Song Dynasty. Mi Fu exchanged a piece of land with it to build his studio Haiyue ‘an (Studio of the Marine Peak), and later wrote his masterpiece calligraphy Yanshanming (In Commemoration of Inkstone Mountain). According to his contemporary, Cai Tiao, Su Shi also made himself an inkstone mountain. Mi Fu had two in his possession, and so did the Huizong Emperor, showing their popularity at the time. The material of Mi Fu’s inkstone does not appear to have been recorded. Many later presumed it to be of Lingbi rock. In Haiyue zhilin (Assorted Notes from the Marine Peak), Mi Fu was recorded to be in possession of another inkstone mountain:

“The Monk Zhou had a Duan stone that could be erected like a mountain, and its slopes could take water for grinding (ink). Later Mi Fu acquired it, and held it in his sleep for three days. He then asked Zizhan (Su Shi) to write an inscription on it for him.”

This inkstone mountain was clearly recorded as being that of Duan stone. Had it survived, it would have been another masterpiece that bears the mark of both Mi Fu and Su Shi.

Inkstone mountains are not so commonly seen after the Song Dynasty, but avid inkstone collector Ruan Yuan was an exception, and there were several large Duan inkstone mountains in his collection. Perhaps because he was the governor of the Guangdong area, and material was abundantly available, he favoured using large boulders to make inkstone mountains, like the current example. Although Ruan Yuan mentioned in his writing that Zhang Xi ‘carved an inkstone mountain from a large block of Duan River boulder’, it was unlikely that Zhang Xi, being an 18 year-old scholar, would have had the skill to carry out such work. Most likely he found a craftsman to carve it for him. Who might that be? Although it was not recorded on the inkstone mountain, we could attempt to find clues from other works.

A green Duan inkstone from a private collection, previously acquired from J. J. Lally, has very similar carving style to the current lot, and is inscribed:

“Hermit of Auxiliary Perusal, Hu Changling, made this square-well inkstone in the Governor’s Residence in Yangcheng, in the gengchen year of Jiaqing.”

Gengchen year was the 25th year of Jiaqing, the same year the current inkstone mountain was made. The inscription stated that Hu was the maker of the piece, and he made it in the Governor’s Residence in Yangcheng (present day Guangzhou), which would be in Ruan Yuan’s residence.

Another inkstone mountain (fig. 3) from the collection of Tianjin Museum is decorated with a similar theme to the Lally example, but with much deeper carving and more threedimensional. The inscription on this piece is worthy of note. On the base is an inscription by Ruan Yuan:

“A rock from Duan river carved as a mountain, with lined paddy fields in its midst; Cultivate it with brush and ink to keep for generations; pass on the baton without lagging for an instant. My son Fu came to visit me in Yangcheng. By chance I acquired this inkstone mountatin at the same time, so I inscribed on it as commemoration. The Old Librarian (Yuntai Laoren).”

At the back there is another inscription:

“Inhaling the scenery of the lake, and drinking from the mountain green 
For the pure pleasure of Hu Changling in the first year of Daoguang”

Fu in the inscription is in reference to Ruan Yuan’s son Ruan Fu. He was recorded to have visited Guangzhou in the second year of Daoguang, which would date the Ruan Yuan inscription one year later than the Hu Changling inscription. It is therefore possible that Hu Changling made the inkstone mountain a year earlier, before handing it to Ruan Yuan.

There are a few other pieces which are carved in the Hu Changling style, all of which are related to the Ruan Family. One is a shallow-relief inkstone mountain (fig. 4) in the collection of Tianjin Museum, inscribed:

“Made by the Immortal Chamber of the Heavenly Library, using a slab of Duan River rock, in the style of the Yuan painting Fishing Boat in a Clear Stream.”

The other, also in the collection of Tianjin Mueum, is carved in shallow relief with clouds amongst woods, and inscribed with sealmark

“for Boyuan’s (Ruan Yuan) discerning pleasure”

It is worth mentioning that all three pieces from the Tianjing Museum were collected by one of the most avid inkstone collectors in the early Republic period, Xu Shizhang. The inkstone mountain bearing the Hu Changling inscription was acquired by him in the winter of 1934 at great expense, and one of his favourites. He employed the legendary rubbing maker Zhou Xiding to make rubbing of the inkstone, and left a lengthy inscription on it detailing how he acquired it. The last known piece in the Hu Changling style is the ‘House of Hundred Singing Plums’ inkstone mountain carved for Ruan An, illustrated in Emperor, Scholar, Artisan, Monk, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1984, pp. 210-211, no. 74.

The Lally example, dated gengchen year of Jiaqing, is the earliest dated piece bearing the signature of Hu Changling. This is also the same year that Zhang Xi arrived in Guangzhou, and the same year the current green Duan inkstone mountain was made. Could it be the case that it was Zhang Xi who, after acquiring the green Duan boulder, also made acquaintance with Hu Changling, and asked him to carve the mountain for him? Could it also be Zhang Xi who then introduced Hu to Ruan Yuan, thus starting a fruitful relationship between the artist and the patron family? In any case, from the inscriptions Hu Changling left on these pieces, he did not appear to be a regular artisan, but a learned literati. The few pieces he made for the Ruan Family are very distinctive in style, and in keeping with the literati aesthetics. The current inkstone mountain is not only documented in great detail, but also bears an informative inscription. It is an important piece that sheds much light on the relationship between Hu Changling and the Ruan Family.

Lot 8011. Zhan Wang (B. 1962), Artificial Rock No. 94, titled ‘94#’; signed in Chinese; dated ‘2006’; numbered ‘4/4’ (lower back), stainless steel sculpture, sculpture: 105 x 51 x 33 cm. (41 1/4 x 20 x 13 in.), stand: 16 x 29 x 28 cm. (6 1/4 x 11 3/8 x 11 in.), edition 4/4. Executed in 2006. Estimate: HK$1,000,000.00 - HK$1,800,000.00 (USD 128,175 - USD 230,715). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

Lot 301. A carved Yaozhou celadon bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 22.1 cm, 8 3/4  in. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

the interior deftly carved with a floral spray, covered overall save for the footring in a greyish-celadon glaze.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM.

Lot 302. A carved Yaozhou celadon bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 13.2 cm, 5 1/4  in. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

decorated on the interior with a composite floral scroll, the exterior with radiating lines, covered overall in an olive-green glaze.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM

Lot 303. A Cizhou russet-splashed black-glazed jar, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 13.9 cm, 5 1/2  in. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

Lot 304. A moulded Qingbai 'phoenix' bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279); 19 cm, 7 1/2  in. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

Lot 305. A Dingyao slip-decorated pillow, Song dynasty (960-1279); 17.3 cm, 6 3/4  in. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

Lot 8008. Su Shi (1037-1101), Wood and Rock, Handscroll, ink on paper. Painting: 26.3 x 50 cm. (10 3/8 x 19 3/4 in.). Painting and colophons: 26.3 x 185.5 cm. (10 3/8 x 73 in.). Overall with mounting: 27.2 x 543 cm. (10 3/4 x 213 3/4 in.). Colophons by Liu Liangzuo (11th century), Mi Fu (1051-1107), Yu Xilu (1278-1368) and Guo Chang (1563-1622). Forty one collector’s seals, including one of Liu Liangzuo, twelve of Wang Houzhi (1131-1204), three of Yu Xilu, twelve of Yang Zun (circa 1294-after 1333), nine of Mu Lin (1429-1458), two of Li Tingxiang (1485-1544) and two of Guo Chang. Estimate On Request. © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

Colophon by Liu Liangzuo:
It has been thirty years since Qiyun of Runzhou, the venerable Master Feng, resigned from his official position and followed the Way of Tao. Now in his seventies, his dark beard and hair ever glowing, he carries an elegant, calm air. As he showed me Wood and Rock by Dongpo [Su Shi], I hereby inscribe a poem for him, and still invite the respectable Haiyue [Mi Fu] to respond in the same rhyme. Liu Liangzuo of Shangrao.
From ancient dreams a rock rises from the clouds,
In vicissitude the wood sheds its skin;
Its gnarled branches forever blessed by the heavens,
Heroically defying worldly fates.
Unrolling the scroll brings me so much joy,
For true friends are rare behind closed doors.
Such a sight exists in the garden of my home,
Only embarrassed am I, to have forgotten to return.

Colophon by Mi Fu:
Fu, following the rhyme:
Who can say what it is like at the age of forty?
For three years, I haven’t had any new clothes made.
In poverty one understands the dangers of life;
In old age one feels the intricate wisdoms of Tao.
Already too late to devote oneself to an official career,
Not to mention how few souls truly know me.
Delighted am I to find such refined company,
In the autumn years of my life, I have yet to speak of returning home.

Colophon by Yu Xilu:
Having read Ode to Old Tree by Yu Zishan [Yu Xin, 513-581], I loved the incomparable sharpness of the language and tried to paint the old tree from my imagination, but to no avail. Now I see this painting by Dongpo where the proud, withered tree branches resemble giant creatures and dragons appearing and disappearing from stormy seas - a phenomenal result of the artist’s years of experience. I can almost see Zishan’s Ode coming to life! Master Liu of Shangrao and Master Mi of Xiangyang both composed fine poems; particularly, the calligraphy by Master Mi is most attractive. What a rare treasure combining both painting and calligraphy!
On the occasion of Zongdao [Yang Zun] showing me this fine scroll in his collection, I hereby inscribe my joy upon seeing it. Yu Xilu of
Jingkou.

Colophon by Guo Chang:
Withered wood, bamboo and rock by Su Changgong [Su Shi] with calligraphy by Mi Yuanzhang [Mi Fu] - a renowned work by two masters showcasing the finest achievements in both painting and calligraphy. A real treasure to be cherished! At the Pavilion of the Omniscient Mind. Jiayin year of the Wanli Reign (1614), two days after the Dragon Boat Festival.

Provenance: Property from a Japanese Private Collection
Previously in the So¯raikan Collection of Abe Fusajiro¯ (1868-1937).

One of the Rarest Discoveries in Chinese Art History
Su Shi’s Wood and Rock is among the most significant classical Chinese paintings in existence. It comes from the hand of one of the world’s greatest cultural luminaries, it embodies a revolution in the creative potential of the visual arts, and it is accompanied by centuries of commentaries that recognise its exceptionalism and uniqueness.

The location of Wood and Rock was unknown to the international scholarly community for most of the past century. A household name in the Chinese world, Su Shi is the quintessential “renaissance man” half a millennium before the Renaissance.

A Great Name of Chinese Cultural History
Su Shi was a true polymath, excelling in art, literature and statecraft. His legacy looms large over Chinese culture. Su’s verses were sung in the streets of the Song empire a thousand years ago, and remain mandatory reading for Chinese students today. He was a 
child prodigy who went on to achieve the highest honours in the imperial civil service examination. At the tender age of 24 Su passed the incredibly arduous decree examination, awarded a rank never surpassed in the history of the Northern Song dynasty. In spite of his genius, Su’s career fell foul of court factionalism. He underwent successive exiles to ever more remote regions, dying en route back to the capital in 1101 after the end of his final exile. While Su’s voluminous writings have been preserved in China’s literary cannon, his paintings are exceedingly rare. Wood and Rock is the only example still in private hands.

An Artistic Revolution
Wood and Rock embodies a seismic shift in world art history. In his terse, controlled brushstrokes Su explores painting’s capacity to express an artist’s psychological communion with nature. His contemporaries in the Song imperial atelier were required to carefully reproduce the world they observed. Su admired their accomplishments, but eschewed their approach in his own work. Instead he pursued subjects he described as having “inconstant form but constant principle.” He conceived ink painting as a process that xternalised the moral character of the artist in the moment of creation. A millennium on, Su’s creative process is still visible to us today. We see it in the sinewy strength of the twisted tree, the carefully contoured structure of the rock, and the liquid flexibility of the newly sprouting bamboo. Court painters recorded a sumptuous world before their eyes. Wood and Rock takes us into the mind of the artist.

A Renowned Work by Two Masters
As the scroll unrolls past the painting we find commentaries inscribed by successive generations of connoisseurs and collectors. Mi Fu (1051-1107), a close friend of Su Shi, is foremost among this illustrious roll of inscribers. Both Su and Mi rank among the four greatest calligraphers of the Song dynasty. Mi’s short verse reflects on Su’s long life, the introspection he was inclined to in his later years, and the profound value of their shared friendship. The undulating turns of Mi’s brush and his careful balance of form and rhythm make his inscription a masterpiece in its own right. Su and Mi’s deep affinity is visible in their paired examples of artistic excellence and signify a glorious monument of World Culture.

Lot 8020. Anonymous (Attributed to Zhang Jizhi 1186-1263), Calligraphy. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 46 x 76.2 cm. (18 1/8 x 30 in.). Estimate: HK$1,000,000.00 - HK$2,000,000.00 (USD 128,175 - USD 256,350). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

Property from the Linyushanren Collection.

Powerful and Bold, yet Elegant

The Japanese collector Linyushanren began collecting Chinese art in the 1970s and has been considered a connoisseur with an extremely discerning eye. Since 2015, Christie’s has held a series of four dedicated auctions, offering objects from his collection. Since many of the ceramics are extremely rare with good provenance, Linyushanren is synonymous with ancient and high ancient ceramics in the auction world. He was also a collector of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, with a focus on rare and exceptional works from
the Song and Yuan dynasties.

This work of the shoujian type, which is attributed to Zhang Jizhi, is quite different from the usual shoujian. A shoujian is the collected authentic calligraphy of a specific calligrapher that a connoisseur uses to authenticate ancient calligraphic works. Since it is usually made from cutting and pasting certain lines or characters, the majority of shoujian are fragmented pastiches. Lot 8020, however, is a rare piece as it was taken from a work of monumental size, trimming off the damaged top and bottom portions and preserving most of the original. While the remaining twelve large characters do not read smoothly, together they form a poem of lively joy and demonstrate the characteristics of Zhang Jizhi’s hand nevertheless. Zhang Jizhi (1186-1266), whose style name is Wenfu and sobriquet Chuliao, was a native of Hezhou (present day Anhui province). He held an official position in the Ministry of Agriculture. His calligraphy is rooted in the styles of the Tang dynasty masters: disciplined structure and forceful brush strokes. As an influential alligrapher of his time, Zhang Jizhi was renowned for his large-scale standard and running scripts. Many of his extant works are monumental in size, such as Song of Twin Pines in Standard Script at the Beijing Palace Museum and Excerpt from “Song of Leyou Park” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (see Illustration).

There are three characters in each vertical line and each character has the size of the opening of a rice bowl. Following the unique qualities of Yan Zhenqing and Huang Tingjian, the form is balanced and square, the brushwork is strong and confident, and the qi (the spiritual ether) of the calligrapher is pervasive. Using a brush lacking fullness to write large characters entails pressing the brush hard on the paper, forcing a sharper contrast in line thickness and more exaggerated lines. Zhang Jizhi’s adherence to Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy, amid the popularity of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, and their followers during the Southern Song dynasty, further illustrates his unique character.

Lot 306. A sancai'peony' vase, yuhuchunping, Liao dynasty (907-1125); 27.2 cm, 10 3/4  in. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

Lot 307. A marbled sancai pillow, Tang dynasty (618-907); 12.5 cm, 4 7/8  in. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

Lot 309. An impressive sancai'lotus' dish, Tang dynasty (618-907); 23.6 cm, 9 1/4  in. Estimate 60,000 — 100,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

Lot 8017. A rare jade carving of a camel, Song dynasty (960-1279); 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) long. Estimate: HK$1,200,000.00 - HK$1,800,000.00 USD 153,810 - USD 230,715). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

The recumbent animal is depicted with head turned over its back, the face delicately carved, the body characterised by two gently ridged humps and softly polished vertebrae. The stone is of an opaque greyish-brown tone with mottling and dark veining. 

Provenance: Sold at Sotheby’s New York, 31 May 1994, lot 15.

Note: Jade camels from the Tang and Song dynasties are often depicted recumbent with a coiled neck, like the present carving. This aligns with the stylistic change seen on Song dynasty art when animal representations became much more naturalistic. A number of examples modelled in a similar posture with the animal straining its neck to lick or nibble its back or hoof, dated to the Tang or Song dynasty, are known, including one dated Tang dynasty or later in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated in Ming Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 1997, no. 74; another dated Tang dynasty in the Avery Brundage Collection at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated by James Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, New York, 1980, p. 61, no. 39; and one from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Bull, dating to the Tang dynasty or later, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 6 December 1983, lot 212.

Compare also to a yellow jade mythical beast with camel humps and similar posture as the present piece, dating to the Song dynasty, in the Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in Jadeware (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, no.58.

Lot 308. A small carved Dingyao 'Fish' bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 11.7 cm, 4 5/8  in. Estimate 120,000 — 150,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

the interior deftly incised and carved with a pair of fish swimming amid waves, the exterior encircled by a double-line border around the midsection, applied overall with an ivory-tinged glaze.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).

Note: See a larger bowl with similar incised and carved 'twin fish' decoration in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 56.

Lot 311. A carved Dingyao 'Fish' bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 21 cm, 8 1/4  in. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

the interior freely carved with two fish swimming amid dense waves, applied with an ivory-tinged glaze, metal-bound rim.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM

Lot 8004. A very rare Tixi lacquer fly whisk, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm.) long. Estimate: HK$1,000,000.00 - HK$1,500,000.00 (USD 128,175 - USD 192,262). © Christie's Image Ltd 2018.

Tapered at both ends, the cylindrical shaft of the fly whisk is carved through more than ten layers of red and black lacquers with overlapping rows of cash motifs, affixed on one end with an ornate weave of hemp, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Toko Shinetsu (1639-1696) (by repute) 
Gionji Temple, Mito (according to inscription on Japanese wood box)
Ono Showasai (1912-1996)

Note: Known as vyajana in Sanskrit, the fly whisks were produced in ancient India from white tail hairs of yaks, oxen, or horses, and had appeared in Indian art as early as the 1st century B.C.. They became an important implement in Buddhism as a sign of leadership and a manifestation of the vow not to kill, as they could be used to ward off flies, mosquitoes, and other insects without killing them. In Chan Buddhism, the fly whisks assumed a further role as an implement used during meditation, while in Daoism, they came to symbolise the carefree nature of the ideal Daoist stage.

Bernardo Lopez Piquer (Valencia, 1799 - Madrid, 1874), Maria Isabel of Braganza, Queen of Spain, as Founder of the Museo del Prado, 1829. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado

MADRID.- Since the Museo Real opened its doors on 19th November 1819 with works from the Royal Collections, this institution has served as one of the leading depositaries for the history of Western art, a key point of reference for Spanish culture and an object of collective pride. Some two hundred years after it was founded, the Museo del Prado would like to reflect on all this and share its celebrations, especially with those who visit the exhibition that is taking place over almost four months in Halls A and B, an exhibition designed to provide a rich insight into the Museum’s development and historical significance. 

Organised by Javier Portús, Chief Curator of Spanish Painting (up to 1700) at the Prado, in his own words the exhibition “proposes a chronological journey through the Museum’s evolution, which enables us to highlight the aspects that have made this a living institution, one that has been especially influenced by the country’s historical vicissitudes. The main aspects the exhibition focus on when telling this story include the following: Spanish patrimonial awareness; the ways in which the dialogue between the Museum and its public and society at large has evolved; the ways in which the Museum itself has reflected some of the critical moments in Spain’s history over the last two centuries; the criteria that have guided the creation of its collections and exhibition policy; the development of the history of art as a humanistic discipline; the impact that the Museum and its collections have had on the art and artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and the symbolic contents that have gradually been associated with the Museum as an institution”. 

In this respect, the chronological journey revolves around eight different periods, through which we can see how the institution has developed its own personality, at the same time as it has reflected the country’s historical development. Amongst the themes that are being addressed, based on their artistic importance, we might mention the Museum’s key role as a venue for reflection and inspiration for successive generations of Spanish and foreign artists, as represented with works by Renoir, Manet, Chase, Sargent, Arikha and Pollock, amongst the foreign artists, and Rosales, Saura and, in particular, Picasso, amongst the Spanish artists. By using all kinds of documents and representative works of art in each case, the exhibition also focuses on the following aspects: the institutional ups and downs experienced by the Prado; the ways in which its collections have grown and the variety of formulas that have been employed to this end; the criteria for organising and exhibiting the collections; the manner in which historical and artistic studies have been promoted; and the ways in which the Museum has fulfilled its didactic vocation and established its relationship with society. 

The exhibition features a total of 168 original works, of which 134 form part of the Museum’s own collections and 34 have been loaned by different Spanish institutions and foreign institutions in the United States, France, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Israel, Germany and Russia. These works help to create a context that enables us to understand the Museo del Prado in relation to general trends regarding European heritage policy, whilst also highlighting the terms of the dialogue that many contemporary artists have maintained with the institution.

Roman Sculptor, The Dance of the Maenads, 120 - 140. White marble. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Gérard David (Attributed to), The Virgin with the Child, Ca. 1520. Oil on panel. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Raphael (Raffaelo Sanzio) (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520), The Holy Family with a Lamb, 1507. Oil on panel. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Anonymous, Case for jasper boat-shaped cup with a dragon, 1650 - 1711. Leather, Wood, Cloth. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

José Antolínez (Madrid, 1635 - Madrid, 1675), The Assumption of the Magdalen, 1670 - 1675. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Francisco de Zurbarán (Fuente de Cantos, Badajoz, 1598 - Madrid, 1664), The Vision of Saint Peter Nolasco, 1629. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Sevilla, 1599 - Madrid, 1660), The crucified Christ, Ca. 1632. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Cecilio Pizarro y Librado (Toledo, 1818 - Madrid, 1886), Ayer y boy, 1863. Oil on canvas, 43 x 65 cm. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Genaro Pérez Villaamil y Duguet (El Ferrol, La Coruña, 1807 - Madrid, 1854), Diptych with 42 Monumental Views of Spanish Cities, 1835 - 1839. Oil on paper, panel, tin plate ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Fray Juan Bautista Maíno (Pastrana, Guadalajara, 1581 - Madrid, 1649), The Resurrection, 1612 - 1614. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Candia, Crete, 1541 - Toledo, 1614), The Resurrection, 1597 - 1600. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Candia, Crete, 1541 - Toledo, 1614), Christ carrying the Cross, Ca. 1602. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Sevilla, 1617 - Sevilla, 1682), The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables, 1660 - 1665. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Candia, Crete, 1541 - Toledo, 1614), La Sagrada Familia, santa Ana y san Juanito, Ca. 1600. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Pedro de Mena (Granada, 1628 - Málaga, 1688), Penitent Mary Magdalene, 1664. Wood. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Alonso Cano (Granada, 1601 - Granada, 1667), The Virgin and Child, 1645 - 1652. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Jusepe de Ribera, lo Spagnoletto (Játiva, Valencia, 1591 - Naples, 1652), Saint Andrew, Ca. 1631. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Mariano Fortuny (Reus, Tarragona, 1838 - Rome, 1874), Saint Andrew (copy after Ribera), Ca. 1867. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Charles-Emile-Auguste Durand Carolus Duran (Lille, Francia, 1837 - Paris, 1917), The Painter Matías Moreno, 1867. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado. 

Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (¿Beteta? (Cuenca), 1611 - Madrid, 1667), Margarita de Austria, Infanta of Spain, Ca. 1665. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Valencia, 1863 - Cercedilla, Madrid, 1923), María Figueroa, dressed as a menina, 1901. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Sevilla, 1599 - Madrid, 1660), Doña Antonia de Ipeñarrieta y Galdós and her Son, don Luis, Ca. 1632. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Sevilla, 1599 - Madrid, 1660), Don Diego del Corral y Arellano, Ca. 1632. Oil on canvas. ©Museo Nacional del Prado.

Lot 312. A Geyao mallow-shaped brush washer, Ming dynasty or earlier; 10.2 cm, 4 in. Estimate 80,000 - 120,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.

the gently flaring sides supported on a countersunk base with five spur marks, covered overall in a soft greyish glaze suffused with a matrix of iron-wire crackles.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).

Note: Compare the mallow-shaped Geyao washers dated to the Song dynasty are preserved in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pls 56-57, 59-61.