Lot 387. A Jian'Hare's fur'temmoku bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279); 12.4 cm, 4 7/8 in. Estimate 50,000-70,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.
with deep sides rising to an indented rim, covered overall in a black glaze with cascading russet 'hare's fur' streaks and pooling short of the foot.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM
Lot 388. A painted black-glazed vase, Song dynasty (960-1279); h. 19.5 cm, 7 5/8 in. Estimate 40,000-60,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.
the ovoid body rising from a recessed base to a short neck with a flange below the rim, the exterior liberally painted with strokes forming three abstract birds in flight, the footring unglazed.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM
Lot 389. A Jizhou'tortoiseshell'-glazed bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 11.3 cm, 4 1/2 in. Estimate 30,000-50,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.
the rounded body with a slightly incurved rim, covered overall in a brownish-black glaze and liberally splashed with caramel-beige tones simulating tortoiseshell, the glaze stopping short of the foot.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM
Lot 8016. An extremely rare Duan ink stone, Song-Ming dynasty (960-1644); 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000. Price realised HKD 1,750,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The upper surface is smoothly polished with a narrow, shaped indentation on one end forming the inkwell beneath an olive-green ‘eye’. The hollowed sloping underside is scattered with twenty-eight cylinders of varying heights representing the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Chinese constellation system, below another ‘eye’ at the corner symbolising the moon, each of these cylinders is centred with an ‘eye’. The stone is of a deep purplish-brown colour with olive-green mottling and dark brown veining.
Provenance: Date Family, acquired in 19th century (by repute)
Nagao Uzan (1864-1942), Kyoto
Matsunaga Shuji (1884-1972), Tokushima Prefecture
Shimoda Kozan (dates unknown), acquired in 1938
Matsubayashi Gadai (dates unknown), acquired before 1943
A Japanese private collection, acquired in the late 1980s.
Literature: Shoen, vol. 3: no. 1, Tokyo, 1939, p. 47 (fig. 1)
Meikenten, Tokyo, 1987, no. 13.
Exhibited: Mayuyama Ryusendo, Meikenten, 9-15 October 1987, no. 13.
Note: Duan stones are the most admired materials for grinding ink, and had been mined from Zhaoqing, Guangzhou as early as the Tang dynasty. The stones are known for their smoothness, which allows for easier grinding without damaging the brushes. Duan stones contain several kinds of veining and patterns, one of the most desirable attributes is the ‘eye’, which is a natural inclusion that exists in the form of concentric circles. The value of an inkstone depends on the number and quality of the ‘eyes’. Its desirability is determined by the quantity of ‘eyes’ present, their roundness, size, and colour intensity of the concentric circles. An ‘eye’ that resembles a crested myna is the rarest and receives the highest praise, such as the ones found on the present inkstone.
One of the most famous and widely recorded Duan inkstones is from the Qing Court collection, and now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Of no more than 15 cm. long, the inkstone has more than sixty ‘eyes’, with an incised inscription signed Su Shi, and a further inscription by the Qianlong Emperor. Of comparable quality is another Duan inkstone in the Palace Museum, Beijing, which is very similar in size (27 cm. long) and form to the present inkstone. The quality of ‘eyes’ is comparable among these three inkstones, with the present inkstone having the fewest in number, but some of largest and most distinctive. The carver of the present inkstone had ingeniously utilised the ‘eyes’ in the stone and worked them into cylinders of different heights to represent the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Chinese Constellation System, across from a single ‘eye’ at one corner symbolising the moon, echoing the scene projected by one of Cao Zhi’s (AD 192-232) poems: ‘shadow under the clear moon, constellations across the sky’.
The underside of the accompanying box cover bears a calligraphic inscription signed by an unrecorded scholar Shimoda Kozan in 1938, in which he praised the quality of the inkstone and provided the names of two previous owners, the sinologist Nagao Uzan (1864-1942), and poet Matsunaga Shuji (1884-1972). On the inside cover within the box are three additional inscriptions signed by the renowned sinologist Ono Shozan (1880-1952), who is known for his extensive research on the Four Treasures of a Scholar’s Studio, brushes, ink cakes, papers, and inkstones. In one of the inscriptions dated 1943, he mentiond that the inkstone was sold by Shimoda Kozan to Matsubayashi Gadai, when the former needed money on an occasion when Matsubayashi Gadai was visiting Ono Shozan.
Christie's. Beyond Compare: A Thousand Years of the Literati Aesthetic (Evening Sale), Hong Kong, 26 November 2018
Lot 390. An inscribed moulded white-glazed square dish, Song dynasty (960-1279); 9.6 cm, 3 3/4 in. Estimate 100,000-150,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.
decorated on the interior with two butterflies, the everted sides with raised ridges, covered overall save for the flat base in an ivory-tinged glaze, the base incised with a guan (official) mark.
Note: Although square dishes of such form are known in various moulded designs, examples inscribed with the guan (official) mark directly pointing to an imperial patronage are extremely rare.
The present dish is inspired by Ding prototypes created in the late Tang to Five Dynasties period. A fragment of a closely related square dish excavated from the Ding kiln site, Quyang county, also decorated with a pair of confronted butterflies, is illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware: the Palace Museum’s Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, no. 20. The characteristic rendering of the moulded design with a white slip, is created in imitation of repoussé decoration found on contemporaneous metalwork of similar shape.
Similar examples of the same form inscribed with the guan mark rarely appear in the market, see a pair dated to Five dynasties-early Northern Song dynasty, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2018, lot 2925.
An important and very rare pair of ‘Guan’-inscribed Ding square dishes, Five Dynasties-Early Northern Song dynasty, 10th century; 3 3/4 in. (9.6 cm.) square. Sold for HKD 9,460,000 at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2018, lot 2925. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM
Lot 391. A fine Junyao blue-glazed dish, Song dynasty (960-1279); 18.5 cm, 7 1/4 in. Estimate 120,000-150,000 HKD. © Sotheby's.
with shallow rounded sides rising from an unglazed neatly pared foot, covered overall in a lavender-blue glaze thinning to a mushroom tone at the rim and pooling around the foot, the base with three spur marks.
Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 4th June 1986, lot 46.
Note: Dishes of comparable size include one from the Victor Reinaecker and Enid and Brodie Lodge collections, sold in our London rooms on 11th July 1978, lot 126; and another from the collection of Lord Cunliffe, sold in our New York rooms on 17th September 1998, lot 200.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art, HongKong, 28 november 2018, 10:15 AM
Lot 3829. An important iron articulated sculpture of a dragon, Meiji-Taisho period (early 20th century), signed Muneyoshi (Tanaka Tadayoshi; ?-1958); 118 1/8 in. (300 cm.) long. Estimate HKD 6,500,000 - HKD 9,500,000 (USD 833,138 - USD 1,217,663). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The russet-iron dragon finely constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body; the mouth opens, the tongue, limbs and claws move, the body bends, the head is applied with elaborate horns, spines and whiskers, the details are finely carved and chiseled, the eyes and flames embellished with gilt, the incised signature on underside of jaw.
Literature: Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 294-297.
Exhibited: National Palace Museum, “The arts and Cultures of Asia,” 2004. cat. no. 19.
“Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11 .cat. no. 1.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 3825. An important iron articulated sculpture of an eagle on stand, Meiji period (circa 1894), signed Shinjiro (Itao Shinjiro; 1842-1911); 19 3/8 in. (49.2 cm.) long without stand. Estimate HKD 5,500,000 - HKD 7,000,000 (USD 704,962 - USD 897,225). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The iron eagle constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body, the beak opens, the neck, wings, limbs and claws move, the eyes inlaid in stone, the details of feathers finely chiseled, the incised signature on underside. With original wood box, stand and brocade curtain.
Literature: Nihon Bijutsu Gaho (Japanese Fine Arts Magazine) (1894), unpaginated.
Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 268-275.
Exhibited: Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai (Japanese Art Association), "The spring exhibition of the Japanese Art Association," 1894.4.1-5.20.
National Palace Museum, “The arts and Cultures of Asia,” 2004. cat. no. 50.
“Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11. cat. no. 7.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 3827. An iron articulated sculpture of a mythical beast (shachi), Edo period (18th-19th century); 20 ½ in. (52.1 cm.) long. Estimate HKD 2,800,000 - HKD 4,000,000 (USD 358,890 - USD 512,700). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The russet-iron mythical beast with tiger head and fish body finely constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body; the mouth opens, the tongue moves, the fins open and spread and the body bends, the head applied with elaborate horns and spines and the eyes of shakudo embellished with gilt.
Literature: Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 354-359.
Exhibited: Preparatory Office of the National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts, “Japan Arts of Meiji Period; Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival Special Exhibition.” 2011.7.8-2012.1.8. cat. p. 111.
“Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” , shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11. cat. no. 4.
Note: The sculpture is in the form of a mythical beast derived from an ancient Indian sea creature said to have the body of a fish and the head of a tiger, the literal meaning of its name “shachi” in Japanese. Shachi were favored by Japanese samurai as symbols of defense against fire, for the tiger-fish is associated with water. Pairs of shachi were made as corner tiles or as crests on end tiles of temples, samurai dwellings and castle gates throughout the Edo period. An alternate reading of the creature as a dragon fish, with head, as here, of a whiskered dragon, may have originated from a Chinese legend of a carp that was transformed into a dragon after ascending a powerful waterfall. Such connotations of striving against impossible odds appealed to the samurai clientele for whom the Myochin school of metalsmiths first made them as display pieces (okimono). The overlapping plates of the fish body are related to the riveted plates of Japanese armor that provide strong protection as well as mobility.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 3811. An iron articulated sculpture of a long snake, Early 20th century, signed Muneyoshi (Tanaka Tadayoshi; ?-1958); 81 7/8 in. (208 cm.) long. Estimate HKD 1,600,000 - HKD 2,400,000 (USD 205,080 - USD 307,620). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The russet-iron snake constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body, the head incised with scales and fitted with a hinged jaw, gilt eyes, signature on underside of jaw.
Literature: Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 298-303.
Exhibited: Preparatory Office of the National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts, “Japan Arts of Meiji Period; Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival Special Exhibition.” 2011.7.8-2012.1.8. cat. pp. 106-107.
“Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11. cat. no. 6.
Note: This is the work of Tanaka Tadayoshi, a modern metal artist active in the Taisho and Showa periods. He apprenticed in the Kyoto workshop of Takase Kozan (1869-1934), who directed the studio creating articulated sculptures for both domestic and international markets. Tadayoshi was known as a master of articulated sculptures especially of large scale, such as the present lot.
For a similar work signed by Muneyoshi in the British Museum, see Harada Kazutoshi, ed., Jizai okimono / Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, Rokusho 11, special edition (2010), pl. 12.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 3828. An impressive iron articulated sculpture of a dragon, Edo period (18th-19th century); 37 3/8 in. (94.9 cm.) long. Estimate HKD 1,600,000 - HKD 2,400,000 (USD 205,080 - USD 307,620). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The russet-iron dragon finely constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body; the mouth opens, the tongue, limbs and claws move, the body bends, the head is applied with ears, elaborate horns, spines and whiskers, the details are finely carved and chiseled, the eyes of shakudo and flames embellished with gilt.
Literature: Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 346-351.
Exhibited: “Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11. cat. no. 3.
Note: The head of this dragon shows fine details worked in uchidashi (translate literally as “hammered”), known as special technique for creating three-dimensional, sculptural works from a thin iron sheet by hammering. The Myochin family of armorers was particularly skilled at this technique of uchidashi and the details on the present lot suggest that this dragon was made by the Myochin artist from Edo period.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 2003. Rare 8.88 and 7.46 carats Colombian Emerald and Diamond Earrings. Estimate: HK$5,300,000.00 - HK$8,000,000.00 (US$670,000-1,000,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Cushion-shaped emeralds of 8.88 and 7.46 carats, circular, shield and hexagonal-shaped diamonds, platinum, 4.5 cm.
SSEF, 2017-2018, report no. 91588 and 99992: 8.887 and 7.461 carats, Colombia, no indications of clarity modification.
AGL, 2017-2018, report no. 1082986 and 8087822: 8.88 and 7.46 carats, Colombia, no clarity enhancement.
Christie's. Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 1964. Important 15.10 and 14.86 carats Fancy Yellow Diamond and Diamond Earrings. Estimate: HK$4,800,000.00 - HK$6,500,000.00 (US$600,000-800,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Fancy yellow pear brilliant-cut diamonds of 15.10 and 14.86 carats, ten marquise and pear brilliant-cut diamonds of 1.01 to 0.70 carats, gold, 4.3 cm .
GIA, 2013, report no. 5151211157: 15.10 carats, Fancy Yellow colour, Internally Flawless clarity
GIA, 2013, report no. 2155192509: 14.86 carats, Fancy Yellow colour, VS2 clarity
10 GIA, 2013: 1.01 to 0.70 carats, D to E colour, VVS2 to VS2 clarity.
Christie's. Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 2059. Important 9.11 carats Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring. Estimate: HK$4,800,000.00 - HK$6,500,000.00 (US$600,000-800,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Cushion-shaped sapphire of 9.11 carats, pear and circular-cut diamonds, gold, ring size 5¾.
SSEF, 2014, report no. 75203: 9.118 carats, Kashmir, no indications of heating
Gübelin, 2014, report no. 14067114: 9.11 carats, Kashmir, no indications of heating
AGL, 2014, report no. CS 61364: 9.11 carats, Kashmir, no heat and clarity enhancement
8 GIA, 2018: 0.81 to 0.70 carats, D to F colour, VVS1 to VS1 clarity.
Christie's. Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 1884. Rare 396.89 carats Burmese Sapphire and Diamond Pendant Necklace, Mounted by Etcetera. Estimate: HK$4,000,000.00 - HK$8,000,000.00 (US$500,000-1,000,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Cabochon sapphire of 396.89 carats, rose-cut sapphires, marquise-cut diamonds of 1.01 and 1.01 carats, circular-cut diamonds, gold, 74.0 cm, maker's mark (Etcetera).
Guinness World Records, 2018: 396.89 carats, the largest cabochon-cut sapphire, Myanmar
Gübelin, 2018, report no. 1803118/1: 396.89 carats, Burma, no indications of heating, Appendix Letter
Lotus, 2014, report no. 7099-4170: 396.89 carats, Burma, no enhancement, 'cornflower blue', Research Letter
SSEF, 2011, report no. 58956: 397.095 carats (weight before repolishing), Burma, no indications of heating, Appendix Letter
2 GIA, 2016-2017, report no. 1258171939 and 2238309768: 1.01 and 1.01 carats, E to F colour, VS1 to VS2 clarity respectively.
Christie's. Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 1961. The Moon of Baroda. Historical 24.04 carats Fancy Yellow Diamond Pendant Necklace. Estimate: HK$4,000,000.00 - HK$6,000,000.00 (US$500,000-750,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
Fancy yellow pear modified brilliant-cut diamond of 24.04 carats, black leather cord, gold, black fitted case.
GIA, 2018, report no. 5192555037 and Monograph: 24.04 carats, Fancy Yellow colour, VS2 clarity, potential.
Christie's. Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 108. An exceedingly rare and important white and russet jade carving of a bear, Western Han Dynasty (206 BC- 8 AD); 5.7cm (2 5/16in) long. Estimate: HK$4,000,000.00 - HK$6,000,000.00 (€ 450,000 - 670,000). © Bonhams.
Powerfully carved in movement, with the right foreleg extended forward, the head slightly tilted to the left, the round eyes gazing forward flanking the nose with small indentations for nostrils, the wide head with incised lines along the edges delineating the fur, the forehead with a central line below the raised ears, the rounded body and spine extending to the short tail with very fine incised lines on either side, the haunches well rounded and extending to the muscular legs and clawed feet, with one tucked underneath, the paws marked by circles, the fur along the belly denoted by two crescent incised lines, the stone of even white tone with russet along the nose and further minor inclusions, box.
Provenance: Piasa, Paris, 3 - 4 April 2006, lot 170
Durwin Tang Collection.
Note: This exceptional white jade sculpture of a bear represents the powerful beast caught in the midst of movement, with its left foreleg ready to pace forward ahead of the already extended right foreleg. Its head is set forward and slightly tilted to the left gazing intensely ready to challenge any opponent. This potent and powerful posture is characteristic to natural representations in jade and in bronze of Han dynasty bears, tigers and other wild beasts. However, jade sculptures in comparison to other carvings such as chimeras, are very rare.
A similar white jade carving of a bear, Western Han dynasty, with its head raised, was excavated from Weicheng District, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, in the Xianyang Museum, is illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.271. See also a related large jade weight in the form of a bear, Western Han dynasty, excavated at Beidongshan, in Xuzhou Museum, Jiangsu Province, illustrated by J.C.S.Lin, ed., The Search for Immortality: Tomb Treasures of Han China, Cambridge, 2012, no.37, where the author notes that keeping of exotic wild animals in captivity was popular among the Kings of Chu.
White jade carving of a bear, Western Han dynasty, excavated from Weicheng District, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. Image courtesy of the Xianyang Museum.
Whilst Han dynasty gilt-bronze models of bears were used either as supports - or as mat-weights - such as the Robert Hatfield Ellsworth one which was sold at Christie's New York, 17 March 2015, lot 1 - jade carving as the present lot, considered particularly precious, would have most likely been on display for their spiritual protective prowess.
The bear has been a popular totemic emblem in China since ancient times. China's foundation myths hold that the legendary Yellow emperor, or Huang Di, early on lived with his tribe in the northwest, presumably in modern Shanxi Province, but then later migrated to Zhuolu, in present-day Hebei Province, where he became a farmer and tamed six different types of ferocious beasts, including the bear, or xiong, with which the Yellow emperor ever since has been linked. According to legend, Gun — said to have been the great-grandson of the Yellow emperor and the father of Yu the Great, or Da Yu — stole a special soil with which he planned to build dikes in an attempt to control the Yellow River's constantly recurring and very devastating floods; he failed in his mission, however, and, as punishment for his theft, was killed by Zhurong, the God of Fire. Gun's corpse turned into a yellow bear, or huangxiong, and jumped into a pool; a while later, a golden bear, alternatively said to be a golden dragon, emerged from the corpse's stomach and ascended into heaven, where the Yellow emperor instructed it to complete his father's work in taming the Yellow River's waters. That bear turned out to be Da Yu, who according to popular belief heroically controlled the floods and became the mythological forefather of China's Xia dynasty. Therefore, the bear has been prominently associated with legendary rulers and Chinese national foundation myths since the earliest times.
From the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) onwards, and probably even much earlier, bears have also been linked with military prowess, shamanism, and Immortality. As a corollary, it might be noted that the words for 'bear' and 'virility' are exact homonyms, pronounced xiong.
Bears were depicted in Chinese art at least as early as the Shang dynasty, as demonstrated by three jade bears excavated in 1976 from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao (died circa 1200 BC), Anyang, Henan Province; by two jade bears in the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection at the Harvard Art Museums (1943.50.308 and 1943.50.509); and by a rare marble sculpture seemingly depicting a kneeling human figure with a bear's head—sometimes said to be a feline head, that archaeologists from the Academia Sinica recovered from Xibeigang Tomb M1001 at Anyang in 1928, illustrated in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, exhibition catalogue, King Wu Ding and Lady Hao: Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty, Taipei, 19 October 2012 - 19 February 2013, pp.230-231, no.RO1757. Perhaps the most famous Shang-dynasty work representing a bear, alternatively said to be a tiger, however, is the bronze ritual you wine vessel in the Sumitomo Collection, Kyoto, which was cast in the form of a beast either embracing or consuming a human figure. See R.Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronze Vessels in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C., 1987 p.123, fig.197. In the Western (206 BC–AD 8) and Eastern Han (AD 25–220) periods, both bronze and ceramic vessels often were outfitted with legs in the shape of bears; such vessel legs, generally in sets of three, portray the bears resting on their haunches and supporting the perimeter of the vessel base on their shoulders. Such Bronze Age representations typically present bears in formal, bilaterally symmetrical poses with the animals kneeling or resting on their haunches.
The depiction of jade bears continued after the Han dynasty; however, later carvings would seem to lack the stronger earlier characteristics of movement, as exemplified in a white jade recumbent bear, Tang dynasty, illustrated by Bai Wenyuan ed., Jade Wares Collected by Tianjin Museum, Beijing, 2012, no.117.
Bonhams. Tang's Hall of Precious, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 110. An exceptionally rare and important yellow jade 'Heavenly' horse, tianma, Song Dynasty or earlier; 7.6cm (3in) long. Estimate: HK$1,500,000.00 - HK$2,000,000.00 (€ 170,000 - 220,000). © Bonhams.
The mythical beast deftly carved as a recumbent horse with the right foreleg extended forward and the others tucked alongside with detailed hooves, its head raised in anticipation and the mouth open as if neighing, revealing the teeth, with short oval-shaped ears flanking the crested mane carved from the forehead and along its neck reaching the well-defined spine along the body raised at the back in readiness for movement, crowned with a long curved tail along the backside, the body flanked by finely incised double wing-scrolls, the stone of soft yellowish tone with russet inclusions to one side of the head and the rear legs, box.
Provenance: Timothy Allan Lewis (1937-2004) and Fran Lewis, Melplash Court, Dorset
Duke's, Dorchester, 23 September 2010, lot 1018
Durwin Tang Collection.
Timothy A. Lewis, was born in Vancouver and lived with his wife Fran in Melplash Court, Dorset from 1984 to 2004, but also owned homes in London and Thailand. His father sold aircraft and held the first pilot's licence in China. Mr Lewis was born in 1937 and spent the war years as a child imprisoned in Hong Kong. After the war he was educated in America, Australia and Canada and was a talented athlete and exceptional oarsman. He supplied aircraft engines and helicopters to South East Asia.
: Lifelike sculptures of real animals and mythical beasts adorned the avenues leading to tombs and used as spiritual guardians embodying forces of the world, as can be seen in large stone statues on the tomb mound of the general Huo Qubing (d.117 BC) and in the tomb avenues of the Southern Dynasties. Large stone sculptures of winged horses were also positioned on the Spirit Road at Jianling, the tomb of the Tang emperor Suzong (d.762 AD). The interest in depicting powerful creatures in durable materials such as stone and jade, as the present lot, coincided with a growing interest in miraculous creatures as omens and portents and as links with the spiritual word; see J.Rawson, Chinese Jade: From the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pp.351-354, fig.4.
Jade carvings as the present lot, like its life-size stone counterparts, were not merely a sumptuous and highly prized display and handling objects, but were most likely perceived to have an important protective spiritual function in life and death.
The earliest example relating to the present lot is a white jade carving of an Immortal riding on a winged horse set on a rectangular base, Western Han dynasty, which was excavated at Weicheng District, Xianyong City, Shaanxi Provincen, and is now in the Xianyong History Museum, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.273. However, the present lot though sharing certain aspects, would appear to differ in the style of the horse's head. It is, however, nearer in style of carving to a related white jade carving of a heavenly horse, Wei and Jin dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 4 Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, p.239, no.297. The Wei and Jin dynasty carving shares a similar posture, with the present lot depicted with a greater sense of movement, its back arched in readiness. Both carvings, in addition to the posture, share similarities in the manner of carving the tail, the eyes and eyebrows, the high crested mane and the finely incised lines on the mane and wings. See also a similar 'rectangular' mouth feature on a yellow jade winged mythical beast, Southern and Northern dynasties, from the Tianjin Museum, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.274.
White jade carving of a heavenly horse, Wei and Jin dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing. Image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.
Bonhams. Tang's Hall of Precious, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 3835. A hammered iron vase, Meiji period (late 19th century), sealed Sobi (Yamada Sobi; 1871-1916); 14 5/8 in. (37.1 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 800,000 - HKD 1,200,000. Price realised HKD 1,000,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The ovoid form with short flared neck finely hammered in low relief, the body section encircled by a band designed with various animals, seal mark on base.
With original wood box titled tetsu uchidashi gunju kabin (hammered iron vase designed with various animals) on lid, signed Yamada Sobi zo (made by Yamada Sobi) and sealedYamada Sobi on underside of lid.
Literature: Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 218-220.
Exhibited: Preparatory Office of the National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts, “Japan Arts of Meiji Period; Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival Special Exhibition.” 2011.7.8-2012.1.8. cat. p. 81.
“Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11. cat. no. 85.
Note: Yamada Sobi was the son of Yamada Munemitsu (?-1908), a ninth-generation armorer who learned metal-hammering in a Myochin-school studio. He was particularly skilled at the technique of tetsu uchidashi(hammered iron) for producing three-dimensional, sculptural works from a single ingot of iron. He participated in many exhibitions and received thirty-five prizes at national and international expositions, including the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, 1905 Belgium World Exposition and 1909 Seattle World Exposition.
He was under consideration as Artist to the Imperial Household (Teishitsu gigeiin) but he died before the announcement of those honors. His works are in the collection of major museums including, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, The Walter's Art Gallery, Baltimore and the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, Tokyo.
Sobi was highly skilled at creating objects from a thin iron sheet by hammering. Because it requires great time and effort to produce large scale objects, the present lot is extremely rare.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018
Lot 3834. A silver kettle wrapped in iron, Meiji period (late 19th century), sealed Sobi (Yamada Sobi; 1871-1916); 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 650,000 - HKD 950,000. Price realised HKD 1,125,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.
The compressed globular form with a spout, the body and lid finely hammered and wrapped in iron, applied with hammered iron handle, the lid set with a round finial partially applied with gold, signature on body.
Literature: Kuo Hong-Sheng and Chang Yuan-Feng, chief eds. et al., Meiji no bi / Splendid Beauty: Illustrious Crafts of the Meiji Period (Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, 2013), pp. 226-227.
Exhibited: Preparatory Office of the National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts, “Japan Arts of Meiji Period; Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival Special Exhibition.” 2011.7.8-2012.1.8. cat. p. 92.
“Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art,” shown at the following venues: Tokyo University of the Arts Museum, 2016.9.7-10.30. Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, 2016.11.12-12.25. Kawagoe City Art Museum, 2017.4.22-6.11. cat. no. 88.
Note: This is a rare example of silver kettle wrapped in iron. Wrapping silver in iron is exceptionally difficult due to the different density of the two materials. In order to avoid damage or dent on the silver body, the thin iron sheet needs to be delicately hammered and applied.
Christie's. The Meiji Aesthetic: Selected Masterpieces from a Private Asian Collection, Hong Kong, 27 November 2018