A small bronze ritual wine vessel, zhi, Late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 11th century BC

January 12, 2019, 10:32 am

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Lot 1237. A small bronze ritual wine vessel, zhi, Late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 11th century BC; 5¼ in. (13.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 10,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Of rounded oval section, the deep body raised on a spreading pedestal foot encircled by a bow-string band, the sides cast in relief on both sides with a taotie mask between single and double bow-string borders, with milky green patina, lucite stand.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, 14 May 1999.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011.

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A rare and finely cast large ritual bronze wine vessel, pou, Shang dynasty, 11th century BC

January 12, 2019, 10:56 am

≫ Next: A large bronze ritual food vessel, yu, Late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 12th-11th century BC

≪ Previous: A small bronze ritual wine vessel, zhi, Late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 11th century BC

Lot 1239. A rare and finely cast large ritual bronze wine vessel, pou, Shang dynasty, 11th century BC; 11 in. (27.9 cm.) high. Estimate USD 400,000 - USD 600,000. Price realised USD 1,022,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Raised on a tall, slightly splayed foot crisply cast with addorsed dragons centered around short flanges and masks cast in low relief, the lower register of the body cast with three large taotie masks with bulging eyes beneath a plain, narrow band and a wider band of dragons confronted around three bovine masks cast in high relief on the wide shoulder, each band reserved on a leiwen ground and all beneath two bow-string bands below the everted rim, the smooth surface with some milky green malachite encrustation.

Provenance: Yamanaka, Kyoto.
Shigezo Nakanishi collection, Kyoto.
Bunzo Nakanishi collection, Kyoto.
Private New York collection.
Acquired in Brussels in 1994.
The Tsui Museum of Art.

Exhibited: Exhibition of Antique Porcelain, Metalwork and Stoneware, Osaka Arts Society, December 1932, pl. 2.

Note: Pou seem to have been common in the transitional period between the Erligang and Anyang periods, but appear to have become less popular in the later Anyang period, and by the Zhou dynasty were no longer being made.

This exceptional pou is noteworthy for its particularly fine casting and impressively large size. A pou of slightly smaller size (26 cm. high) with similar cast decoration and similar large bovine masks cast in relief on the shoulder is illustrated by R.W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C. and Cambridge, 1987, p. 334, no. 57. Also illustrated, p. 337, fig. 57.3, is another very similar pou (26.5 cm. high) in the Museé Cernuschi, Paris. Further comparable pou of approximately the same size include the example illustrated in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei, 1998, pp. 388-9, no. 65 (26.2 cm. high); one excavated in 1974 from the Cai Family Tomb in Chenggu county illustrated in Bronzes of Shang and Zhou Dynasties Unearthed in Shaanxi Province, Beijing, 1979, p. 107, no. 122 (25.5 cm. high); and the pou of slightly larger size (29.4 cm. high) excavated from Wulang Temple in Zhenggu county, Shaanxi province, illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji - 4 - Shang(4), Beijing, 1998, p. 102, no. 105. The eyes of the taotie masks and dragons on this last example excavated in Zhenggu county are flat-cast and do not bulge out in relief as they do on the present pou and the other aforementioned examples.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A large bronze ritual food vessel, yu, Late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 12th-11th century BC

January 12, 2019, 11:51 am

≫ Next: Galerie Schoffel de Fabry at BRAFA 2019, Stand 48a

≪ Previous: A rare and finely cast large ritual bronze wine vessel, pou, Shang dynasty, 11th century BC

Lot 1240. A large bronze ritual food vessel, yu, Late Shang-early Western Zhou dynasty, 12th-11th century BC; 10 in. (25.5 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000. Price realised USD 782,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The deep rounded sides crisply cast in high relief with four large taotie masks centered on and separated by notched flanges, which also divide and separate confronted birds on the pedestal foot, the pairs of similar birds below the everted rim similarly separated by flanges but confronted on small animal masks, all reserved on bands of leiwen, with a mottled milky green patina with buff earth encrustation allover, box.

Provenance: Acquired by Walter Hochstadter prior to 1997 and gifted to Alice Chu, Mr. Hochstadter's companion in Australia, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Note: A yu of approximately the same size (18.2 cm. high) and with very similar cast decoration in the Winthrop Collection, Harvard Art Museums, is illustrated by R.W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington D.C. and Cambridge, 1987, p. 500, fig. 96.7, along with another similar yu of slightly smaller size (17.8 cm. high) in the Pillsbury Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, fig. 96.8. Also illustrated, pp. 502-3, no. 502, is a yu in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections with similar decoration, but also of slightly smaller size (17.5 cm. high) and with a less rounded, more tapering profile to the bowl.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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Galerie Schoffel de Fabry at BRAFA 2019, Stand 48a

January 12, 2019, 12:55 pm

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Tsangui mask, South Gabon, Punu people, late 19th-early 20th century. Polychrome wood. H 26.5 cm. © Galerie Schoffel de Fabry at BRAFA 2019, Stand 48a.

Provenance: Philippe and Hélène Leloup, Paris.

Literature: Gabon the order of the sacred, masks and statue of the peoples of Ogooué, Galerie Leloup, fig. 7, 1988; Visions of Africa, National History Museum, Taipei, 2003, p. 220.

Janus sculpture of ancestral spirit, Papua New Guinea, coastal area of East Sepik, pre-contact, late 19th century. Stone-cut wood. H 17.8 cm. © Galerie Schoffel de Fabry at BRAFA 2019, Stand 48a.

Provenance: Julius Carlebach, New York; Makler Gallery, Philadelphia, 1960.

Toba powder flask, Indonesia, Sumatra, Batak Toba people, 19th century. Horn. H 18 cm. © Galerie Schoffel de Fabry at BRAFA 2019, Stand 48a.

Provenance: Jacques Marchais, Paris.

Depuis quelques années déjà Judith Schoffel de Fabry et Christophe de Fabry, ont donné, aux côtés de Christine Valluet, une orientation des plus dynamiques à la galerie grâce à des expositions et des publications historiques. Leur dernier ouvrage sur la Côte d’Ivoire, fut d’ailleurs récompensé du prix du livre d’art tribal en décembre 2013. Ainsi la nouvelle génération a repris les rênes de la galerie familiale. Cette famille d’antiquaires, impliquée depuis les années 60 dans l’Art premier et jouissant d’un rayonnement international, a contribuéà l’élaboration d’importantes collections aussi bien privées qu’institutionnelles comme la Fondation Dapper, le Musée du Louvre, le Musée du Quai Branly et plus récemment le Louvre Abu Dhabi. La galerie étend son savoir aux arts d’Océanie, d’Afrique, d’Amerique du Nord et de l’Asie du sud-est.

Judith Schoffel & Christophe de Fabry, 14 Rue Guénégaud, FR-75006 Paris schoffeldefabry@gmail.com

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Claes Gallery at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 601

January 12, 2019, 1:23 pm

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Bakongo Statue, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Late 19th century. Wood, metal, pigments and vegetal fibres. Height 53 cm (20.9 in.). © Claes Gallery at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 601.

Provenance: Max Itzikovitz, France.

Exhibited: Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Stanford, California, September 2011-August 2013; San Francisco, De Young Museum, 'Embodiments. Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture', 31 January - 5 July 2015.

Songye Kifwebe Mask, Republic Democratic of the Congo, Late 19th-early 20th. Wood with pigments. Height 44 cm (17.3 in.). © Claes Gallery at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 601.

Provenance: Pierre Dartevelle Collection, Belgium; Onghena Collection, Belgium.

Didier Claes has been immersed in African tradition and culture since childhood. Numerous expeditions to the Congo enabled him to further his knowledge and he spent ten years supplying specialist dealers in Brussels, Paris and New York with exceptional pieces. Since 2000, he has presented his own selection of works at a variety of prestigious international fairs. Claes opened his first gallery in 2002 in the famous Sablon district of Brussels, devoting himself to high quality art objects from important Western collections. In 2008, Claes participated in the prestigious fair TEFAF in Maastricht for the first time. Other projects also occupy him. Vice-president of Bruneaf, he co-curated the exhibitions ‘Mestach l’Africain’ and Congo mythical masks in 2009 in Brussels. In 2011, he curated ‘Arts d’Afrique. Voir l’invisible’ at the Musée d’Aquitaine in Bordeaux and directed the creation of the book ‘Empreintes d’Afrique: l’art tribal au fil des fleuves’ published by Editions 5 continents. His nomination as vice-president of Brafa in 2012 cemented his reputation in the art world. This year also marked his first participation in the Biennale des Antiquaires at the Grand Palais in Paris. In 2015, Claes curated the exhibition Uzuri wa Dunia [‘beauties of the world’ in Swahili], which brought 130 masterpieces together in the old Nonciature in Brussels, to celebrate Bruneaf ’s 25th year. Galerie Didier Claes is now located in a new space near Avenue Louise, where the best modern and contemporary galleries have recently gathered. His clients include numerous American and European collectors, international museums and art centres.

TEFAF Maastricht, March 16-24, 2019, Stand 601. Claes Gallery Rue de l'Abbaye 14 1050 BrusselsBelgium +32 24141929 Visit website

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Galerie Bernard Dulon at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 615

January 12, 2019, 1:45 pm

≫ Next: World-renowned jewellery artist Wallace Chan holds public exhibition in Hong Kong

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Male Ancestor figure, Hemba people, D. R. of the Congo, 19th century. Wood, 70 x 19 x 17 cm (27.6 x 6.7 x 7.5 in.). © Galerie Bernard Dulon at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 615.

Provenance: Jerry Solomon collection, USA.

Literature: Mary Nooter Roberts and Alison Saar, Body Politics. The Female Image in Luba Art and the Sculpture of Alison Saar, UCLA Fowler Musem, Los Angeles, California, 2000, cat. no. 14, p. 21.

Exhibited: Los Angeles, The Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 'Body Politics. The Female Image in Luba Art and the Sculpture of Alison Saar', November 12th 2000 - May 13th 2001

A Divination Box, D. R. of the Congo, 19th century.Wood and metal, 28 x 7 x 6.5 cm (11 x 2.4 x 2.6 in.). © Galerie Bernard Dulon at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 615.

Provenance: Private collection, Paris.

For over thirty years Gallery Bernard Dulon focused on the representation of the art of ancient tribal societies. A member of the Compagnie Nationale des Experts since 1985, Bernard Dulon made himself known as commissioner for famous exhibitions such as Lumière Noire (1997), Château de Tanlay, Objetos-Signos de Africa with the Iber Caja foundation in Saragosse (2000), Carnets de Voyage in cooperation with the MRAC of Tervuren for Musée du Président Jacques Chirac (2010). In 2002 the gallery inaugurated its new premises in Paris with a selection of the sculptor Arman collection of african art, and since then regularly presented high quality exhibitions such as West Dreams (2003), Thila (2004), Art of Cameroon (2006 & 2013), Kota Ancestors (2011), and Tsogho, bwiti icons (2016). The Gallery also organizes exhibitions in New York with Friedman Vallois Gallery, and participates in important international art fairs.

TEFAF Maastricht, March 16-24, 2019, Stand 615. Galerie Bernard Dulon 10 Rue Jacques Callot 75006 Paris France +33 143252500 Visit website

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World-renowned jewellery artist Wallace Chan holds public exhibition in Hong Kong

January 13, 2019, 5:50 am

≫ Next: A pair of large grey pottery figures of buffalos, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)

≪ Previous: Galerie Bernard Dulon at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 615

Wallace Chan's 'Shapeshifter: The Multiverse of Wallace Chan. © Wallace Chan

HONG KONG.- Internationally renowned jewellery creator and innovator Wallace Chan is presenting Shapeshifter: The Multiverse of Wallace Chan – a public exhibition in Hong Kong, showcasing over 80 unique creations from 14th to 25th January 2019 at the Christie’s Gallery in Central. The exhibition, epitomising a multiverse of culture, craftsmanship and creativity, will take viewers on a journey through time and space with contemporary sculptures, wearable works of art, and pieces composed of the artist’s innovations over the past 45 years – including the much-celebrated Wallace Cut, titanium mastery, patented jade technology, Gemstone-Setting-Gemstone technique, Secret Abyss, and now, The Wallace Chan Porcelain.

“To me, jewellery is an art form. Ornamentation means little unless it amalgamates with the human body. I want my creations to trigger a provocative dialogue between form and function, between the individual and the universe, and between the past and the future. Many of my pieces also explore the eternal interdependence of life and death,” said Wallace Chan, who was the first contemporary Asian jewellery artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Gemstone Museum in Germany and the Capital Museum in Beijing, and also to exhibit his work at the Paris Biennale des Antiquaries and TEFAF Maastricht. Ever-curious in the unknown and undiscovered, Wallace does most of the research, experimentation and artisanal work himself, hence it often takes years to complete a piece.

Wallace Chan's 'Shapeshifter: The Multiverse of Wallace Chan. © Wallace Chan

Wallace started collecting porcelain artefacts in his 20s, and in 2011, in order to fulfill his creative visions, began experimenting on a material that is heavily rooted in culture and history, has rich colour, intense luster, strength, toughness and a contemporary spirit – The Wallace Chan Porcelain. The innovation was unveiled in the US in November 2018.

For the first time in Asia, members of the public are invited to view The Wallace Chan Porcelain, along with numerous other enchanting creations from the creator’s decades-long journey with gemstones, at this rare exhibition of jewellery art and innovation.

Stilled Life. Brooch and Sculpture. Brooch: Imperial Jadeite, Lavender Jade, Ruby, Fancy Colored Diamond. Bamboo Sculpture: Crystal, Yellow Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Diamond, Tsavorite Garnet. © Wallace Chan.

Butterfly Nebula Brooch. Left: Yellow Diamond 1pc 2.01ct, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Tsavorite Garnet, Pink Sapphire, Amethyst, Ruby. Right: Yellow Diamond 1pc 2.32ct, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Tsavorite Garnet, Pink Sapphire, Ruby. © Wallace Chan.

Legend of the Jade Dragon Brooch. Jadeite, Pearl, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Green Tourmaline, Ruby, Sapphire,Opal, Lapis Lazuli, Crystal.© Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan. Music on My Mind parure. Necklace: Oval-shaped Ruby 7 pcs 56.23ct, Dimond, Pink Sapphire, Ruby, Yellow Diamond, Crystal, Lapis Lazuli, Opal. Earrings: Oval-shaped Ruby 2 pcs 13.11cy, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Crystal, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Ruby. Ring: Oval-shaped Ruby 1 pc 8,19ct, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Crystal, Lapis Lazuli, Opal. © Wallace Chan

Wallace Chan. ‘A New Generation’ ring. Sapphire 3pcs 12,713ct in total, Aquamarine, Diamond,Sapphire, The Wallace Chan Porcelain. © Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan. The Love of Two Horses Ring, Brooch and Sculpture. Ring: Blue Diamond 1pc 7.32ct, Diamond, Sapphire,Pink Sapphire, The Wallace Chan Porcelain. Brooch: Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Onyx. Base: Black Jade, Agate, South Sea Pearl. © Wallace Chan.

A Dream Within A Dream transformable necklace made with a 96.71-carat emerald, a 74.35-carat pear-shaped aquamarine, South Sea pearls, rubellite, emeralds, pink sapphires green tourmalines, amethyst, diamonds, titanium and "The Wallace Chan Porcelain". © Wallace Chan.

The Eye of Time pendant made with a 1.06-carat yellow diamond with sapphires, diamonds, 18k white gold, magnifying lens, titanium and "The Wallace Chan Porcelain." The magnifying lens allows people to view "minute treasures we did not know existed". © Wallace Chan.

The "Shapeshifter" pendant, the porcelain spoon that was inspiration behind Chan's unbreakable porcelain. © Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan ‘Dream Within a Dream’ transformable necklace with 96.71ct emerald, 74.35ct pear-shaped aquamarine, South Sea pearl, rubellite, emerald, pink sapphire, green tourmaline, amethyst and diamond, in titanium and Wallace Chan Porcelain. © Wallace Chan.

A traumatic childhood experience inspired Wallace Chan’s Shapeshifter pendant.© Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan ‘Double Star’ ring with 6.39 ct fancy coloured diamond, 38.90 ct aquamarine, 1.48 ct pear shaped pink sapphire, pink sapphire, sapphire and diamond in titanium and Wallace Chan Porcelain. © Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan ‘Dream Planet’ ring with diamond, crystal, lapis lazuli, opal and pink sapphire in titanium and Wallace Chan Porcelain. © Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan ‘Starlight Ballet’ ring with 12.88ct spinel, diamond and pink sapphire in titanium and Wallace Chan Porcelain.© Wallace Chan.

Wallace Chan ‘Multiverse’ earrings with South Sea Pearls totaling 58.45ct, fancy yellow diamond, diamond and pink sapphire in titanium and Wallace Chan Porcelain. © Wallace Chan.

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A pair of large grey pottery figures of buffalos, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)

January 13, 2019, 9:33 am

≫ Next: A painted red pottery figure of a lady, Tang dynasty (618-907)

≪ Previous: World-renowned jewellery artist Wallace Chan holds public exhibition in Hong Kong

Lot 1277. A pair of large grey pottery figures of buffalos, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); 27 in. (68 cm.) long. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 18,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Each boldly modeled standing foursquare with head slightly lowered and ears pricked behind the horns, the well-defined body with muscular back and haunches, traces of earth encrustation, stands.

Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, 6 December 1989, lot 78.

Note: Compare the similarly modeled grey pottery body and head of a buffalo of smaller size (39.8 cm. long) illustrated in Kandai no Bijitsu, Osaka Museum of Art, 1974, p. 15, no. 1-119, which shows how these large figures were made in sections, with the legs made separately.

The result of Oxford thermoluminescense test nos. 466y92 and 466y93 are consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A painted red pottery figure of a lady, Tang dynasty (618-907)

January 13, 2019, 9:40 am

≫ Next: A rare painted grey pottery figure of an equestrian, Tang dynasty (618-907)

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Lot 1278. A painted red pottery figure of a lady, Tang dynasty (618-907); 18 in. (45.7 cm.) high. Estimate USD 12,000 - USD 18,000. Price realised USD 15,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The corpulent figure portrayed standing on a rectangular base, with her left hand held at chest level and her right arm held gracefully at her side, her elaborate hairstyle framing her full face, wearing long layered robes partially tucked under the belt worn at her hips, with traces of black, green and red pigments remaining.

Provenance: Christie's, London, 11 December 1989, lot 80.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A rare painted grey pottery figure of an equestrian, Tang dynasty (618-907)

January 13, 2019, 9:48 am

≫ Next: A painted grey pottery figure of a bull, Northern Wei dynasty (386-534)

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Lot 1279. A rare painted grey pottery figure of an equestrian, Tang dynasty (618-907); 17 3/8 in. (44.1 cm.) high. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price realised USD 8,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The horse standing foursquare with head raised and looking forward, with a clipped mane and docked tail, the rider and saddle modeled separately as one piece, the rider posed as if holding the reins, his face expressively modeled, with a thin white pigment over the gray clay, with traces of red, black and orange pigment.

Provenance: Christie's, New York, 27 November 1991, lot 300.

The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test no. 566u65 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011.

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A painted grey pottery figure of a bull, Northern Wei dynasty (386-534)

January 13, 2019, 9:55 am

≫ Next: A green-glazed pottery model of a well head, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)

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Lot 1281. A painted grey pottery figure of a bull, Northern Wei dynasty (386-534); 6 in. (15.2 cm.) high. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 12,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The muscular beast modeled standing foursquare on a rectangular base, its well-formed head positioned between the large hump on its neck and the dewlap that hangs beneath, adorned with a decorative harness and trappings applied with circular bosses suspending oval-shaped ornaments, the details all accented with orange pigment.

Provenance: Kozo Moriya Collection, Kyoto, Japan.
Christie's, New York, 30 May 1991, lot 236.

Note: Compare a similar caparisoned ox illustrated by J. Ayers, Chinese Ceramics: The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl. 7; another is included in the Idemitsu Museum of Art Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Works of Art, Tokyo, 1978, no. 154.

The result of Oxford themoluminescence test no. 566p33 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A green-glazed pottery model of a well head, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)

January 13, 2019, 10:01 am

≫ Next: A blue and amber-glazed pottery bowl, Tang dynasty (618-907)

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Lot 1283. A green-glazed pottery model of a well head, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); 10 in. (25.4 cm.) high. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000. Price realised USD 3,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Modeled as a deep well applied with a water jug on one side of the rim adjacent to the tall arch, where two birds rest on either side below a third sitting on the pulley housing, covered all over in a green glaze.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong in 2000.
Bareiss collection.

Note: The birds on the superstructure of the present lot are a rare feature which appears to be previously unrecorded. Compare the simpler models of wells with water jugs, although lacking birds, included in the special exhibition organized by the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society held at the National Museum in Singapore and illustrated in Spirit of Han, 1991, nos. 192-3.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A blue and amber-glazed pottery bowl, Tang dynasty (618-907)

January 13, 2019, 10:07 am

≫ Next: A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of an earth spirit, zhenmushou, Tang dynasty (618-907)

≪ Previous: A green-glazed pottery model of a well head, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)

Lot 1284. A blue and amber-glazed pottery bowl, Tang dynasty (618-907); 6 3/8 in. (16.1 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 7,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

With rounded sides rising from the flared foot to the slightly everted rim, the center of the interior decorated with a grouping of small five-petalled flowers with blue-splashed petals and amber centers below eight sections of blue stripes at the rim, all reserved on a straw glaze that continues over the rim atop a white slip that ends mid-body to expose the buff-colored body.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong in 1987.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of an earth spirit, zhenmushou, Tang dynasty (618-907)

January 13, 2019, 10:14 am

≫ Next: An unusual painted grey pottery mythical beast-form stand, Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220)

≪ Previous: A blue and amber-glazed pottery bowl, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Lot 1285. A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of an earth spirit, zhenmushou, Tang dynasty (618-907); 41¾ in. (106 cm.) high.Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 12,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The human-faced beast with wavy horn fronting its firey mane, portrayed seated attentively on its haunches, supported on a pierced rockwork base, its chest and belly highlighted by a cream-colored stripe outlined in green, with wings with spiky green feathers rising from its shoulders beneath fins projecting from either side of its neck, the wings and back splashed with green and amber, the details on its unglazed head painted in red, black and orange on white slip.

Provenance: Christie's, New York, 27 November 1991, lot 286A.

Note: Guardian figures with ferocious or powerful aspects, such as is seen on the present lot, were buried in the entrances of tombs and served to protect the precinct of the dead from threatening evil spirits. A similar, though smaller (90.2 cm.) sancai-glazed figure of a zhenmushou was sold in these rooms, 16 October 2001, lot 356.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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An unusual painted grey pottery mythical beast-form stand, Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220)

January 13, 2019, 10:30 am

≫ Next: A large painted grey pottery figure of a horse, Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 9)

≪ Previous: A large sancai-glazed pottery figure of an earth spirit, zhenmushou, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Lot 1304. An unusual painted grey pottery mythical beast-form stand, Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220); 16 in. (40.7 cm.) long. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 25,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Crisply modeled as a crouching, winged mythical beast, with pricked ears, layered tail and a short mane extending to the rectangular socket in the back, painted in red and black with feather markings and other details on a cream ground, wood stand.

Provenance: Yin Chuan Tang Ltd., Hong Kong, 1998.
Greenwald Collection no. 75.

Note: A similar figure excavated from an Eastern Han tomb at Xianyang, Shaanxi, is illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji; Diaosu bian 2; Qin Han Diaosu, Beijing, 1985, vol. 2, p. 48, pl. 129. See, also, the similar pair included in the exhibition, Visions of Man in Chinese Art, Kaikodo, 17 March - 19 April 1997, no. 32; and another sold in these rooms, 16 September 1999, lot 265.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. test no. C198b75 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011.

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A large painted grey pottery figure of a horse, Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 9)

January 13, 2019, 10:41 am

≫ Next: A painted straw-glazed torso of a guardian, Sui-Early Tang dynasty, 7th century

≪ Previous: An unusual painted grey pottery mythical beast-form stand, Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220)

Lot 1305. A large painted grey pottery figure of a horse, Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 9); 23 in. (58.4 cm.) high. Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 6,250. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Shown standing foursquare with head facing forward, the head modeled with flat cheeks, prominent brows and slightly open mouth, the ears alertly pricked, with separate socketed tail, covered overall with brick-red pigment.

Provenance: In the United States prior to 1987.
Greenwald Collection no. 1.

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 1.

Note: This horse is of the early Western Han type unearthed at Yanjiawan, near Xianyang, Shaanxi province.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A painted straw-glazed torso of a guardian, Sui-Early Tang dynasty, 7th century

January 13, 2019, 10:51 am

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Lot 1306. A painted straw-glazed torso of a guardian, Sui-Early Tang dynasty, 7th century; 13¼ in. (33.7 cm.) high. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 13,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Finely and crisply modeled, the face detailed in black with beard, mustache, eyes and scowling brows, his hands positioned and hollowed to hold weapons, wearing breast and back plates bound with cords and buckled straps, with animal mask epaulets at the shoulders, wearing a close-fitting leather helmet with long flaps that protect the neck, covered in a finely crackled yellowish straw glaze, and showing traces of pale blue, green, red and black pigments, with gilt highlights, wood stand.

Provenance: The Collection of Captain S.N. Ferris Luboshez, USN (Ret'd); Sotheby's, 18 November 1982, lot 72.
Sotheby's, New York, 9 December 1987, lot 215.
Greenwald Collection no. 4.

Literature: Illustrated in Arts of Asia, 1972, July-August, p. 29. Washington Post Magazine, 26 March 1972.
Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 4.

Exhibited: Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, University of Maryland Art Gallery, 23 March - 30 April 1972, no. 76, fig. 6.

Note: An almost identical (complete) figure in the Royal Ontario Museum is illustrated by M. Medley, Tang Pottery and Porcelain, London/Boston, 1981, p. 53, pls. 43a & b. Another almost identical (compete) figure excavated in 1971 from the tomb of Zheng Rentai (dated 664), Liquan, Shaanxi province, and now in the Shaanxi History Museum, is illustrated in by James C.Y. Watt et al., China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004, pp. 292-3, no. 184(b).

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011.

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A rare small blue and sancai-glazed pottery flask, Liao dynasty (907-1125)

January 13, 2019, 11:47 am

≫ Next: Two small sancai-glazed pottery vessels, Tang dynasty (618-907)

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Lot 1308. A rare small blue and sancai-glazed pottery flask, Liao dynasty (907-1125); 7¼ in. (18.4 cm.) high. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price realised USD 47,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Of 'owl' form, the rounded front with a lower panel filled with rounded bosses in irregular rows suggesting feathers, below large blue and resist-glazed medallions suggesting eyes, covered in amber, green and cream glaze, the flat back covered with an amber glaze, all below an arched handle and attached to the diagonally set spout, wood stand.

Provenance: Yin Chuan Tang Ltd., Hong Kong, 1 February 1994.
Greenwald Collection no. 19.

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 19.

Note: Flasks of this unusual type were inspired by Liao leather pilgrim bottles. W. Watson, Tang and Liao Ceramics, New York, 1984, pp. 224-6, divides pilgrim's bottles, also known as 'cockscomb' in Chinese, into five distinct chronological groups. The present flask likely belongs to the fourth group where "the flattened body of the earlier type becomes round in the the plan and even subspherical, the spout smaller and the handle more prominent". A larger (9¾ in.) flask of this type without the 'feather' molding was included in the exhibition, Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, University of Maryland, 23 March - 30 April 1972, no. 6, fig. 2. Another smaller (12.5 cm.) flask is illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, Tokyo, 1976, vol., 11, p. 141, no. 126.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011.

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Two small sancai-glazed pottery vessels, Tang dynasty (618-907)

January 13, 2019, 11:57 am

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Lot 1309. Two small sancai-glazed pottery vessels, Tang dynasty (618-907); 5 7/16 and 4 in. (13.9 and 10.2 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000. Price realised USD 5,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

One a small shallow dish, impressed in the center with a flower head in amber, green and cream glaze reserved on a green glaze that continues over the rim to partially cover the flat base; the other a small bowl with deep rounded sides, molded on the exterior with a pattern of four-petaled flowers reserved on a granular ground, the base with a flower head, splash-glazed in green, amber and cream all over, wood stands.

Provenance: Dish: Sotheby's, New York, 8 May 1980, lot 110.
Bowl: The Honorable Hugh Scott Collection: Sotheby's, New York, 19 November 1982, lot 166.
Greenwald Collection nos. 17 and 18, respectively.

Literature: Dish: Gerald M. Greenwald, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 17.
Bowl: H. Scott, The Golden Age of Chinese Art, Rutland, Vermont/Tokyo, 1966, pl. 61.
Gerald M. Greenwald, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 18.

Exhibited: Chinese Art from the Collection of the Hon. Hugh Scott, Mary Washington College, 1968, no. 84.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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A rare small sancai-glazed pottery pillow, Tang dynasty (618-907)

January 13, 2019, 12:10 pm

≫ Next: A blue, amber and straw-glazed pottery 'phoenix-head' ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907)

≪ Previous: Two small sancai-glazed pottery vessels, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Lot 1310. A rare small sancai-glazed pottery pillow, Tang dynasty (618-907); 5 1/8 in. (13 cm.) long. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000. Price realised USD 10,625. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Of unusual faceted shape, the upper facet of the two long sides molded with a panel of a galloping horse above a panel of a pair of ducks confronted on a foliate motif, with further foliate motifs on the ends, all resist-glazed in amber and cream and reserved on a green granular ground, the borders and slightly arched base also resist-glazed, one end pierced, wood stand.

Provenance: Yin Chuan Tang Ltd., Hong Kong, 14 February 1992.
Greenwald Collection no. 16.

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 16.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011

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