Lot 486. A painted pottery figure of a court lady, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 37cm (14 3/5in) high. Est: £800 - £1,200. Sold for £ 5,355 (€ 6,239). © Bonhams

Standing in a languid pose, with full rounded face and delicate features, her head tilted to one side and hair coiffed into two large side-buns, her hands raised to her chest, clad in voluminous robes tied with a sash around her waist, falling in neat pleats to reveal the slippers.

Provenance: Eskenazi Ltd., London, 2001

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2001, no.29.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C101e18 dated 19 March 2001, is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Note: See a similar example illustrated by J.Ayers, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1993, no.11.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 489. A pair of pottery models of attendants, Tang Dynasty (618-907). The taller 26.5cm (10 1/2in) high. Est: £500 - £800. Sold for £1,147 (€ 1,336). © Bonhams

Each moulded standing upright, clad in long flowing robes holding their hands before the chest, the faces with gentle smiles beneath hair piled into a high chignon, some traces of orange pigment remaining.

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2004, no.29.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test nos.C104e50 and C104e51 dated 25 March 2004, is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 491. A very large pottery model of a camel and 'foreign' rider, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 85cm (33 1/2in) high. Est: £4,000 - £6,000. Sold for £21,500 (€ 25,049). © Bonhams

The two-hump Bactrian camel modelled striding with right legs forward, neck raised and mouth gaping open to reveal tongue and teeth above the mottled hairy beard, the simple saddle modelled separately and further laden with a separate layer of travel supplies including hanging flasks and rolled blankets, the foreign rider perched above his goods, the bearded face looking ahead with determined expression below the exotic peaked cap, both arms outstretched to hold reins, wood stand.

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2006, no.31.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C201b83 dated 6 December 2001, is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Note: A related example of a pottery camel and rider was unearthed from the tomb of Wang Chen (buried 679) in Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, in 1954, and is illustrated by Yu Weichao, A Journey into China's Antiquity, vol.3, Beijing, 1997, pp.66-67, no.58. See also a figure of a groom wearing a similar pointed felt hat, in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, illustrated by E.Schloss, Foreigners in Ancient Chinese Art, New York, 1969, no.4.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 492. A painted straw-glazed pottery model of a horse, Sui Dynasty (581-618); 29cm (11 3/8in) long. Est: £4,000 - £6,000. Sold for £1,402 (€ 1,634). © Bonhams

Standing four-square on a rectangular base, arrayed with a tassel-hung bridle and a red saddle cloth all finely detailed in red, black and pale green and fitted over the cantle to sit above long stirrups, the body with hogged mane and long tail covered with yellowish glaze.

Note: See a related example illustrated by R.D.Jacobsen, Celestial Horses and Long Sleeve Dancers: The David W.Dewey Collection of Ancient Chinese Tomb Sculpture, Minneapolis, 2013, pp.152–153; see also J.Baker, Appeasing the Spirits: Sui and Tang Dynasty Tomb Sculpture From The Schloss Collection, New York, 1993, no.22.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 493. Two painted pottery models of caparisoned horses, Tang dynasty (618-907). The larger 32cm (12 1/2in) long. Est: £1,500 - £2,000. Sold for £4,462 (€ 5,199). © Bonhams

Both shown standing four-square on a flat rectangular base with the head turned slightly to the left, one horse with a spotted mane, fitted with an ornamented bridle and harness, traces of coloured pigments remaining, wood stands.

Note: See related pottery horses, Tang dynasty, illustrated by R.D.Jacobsen, Celestial Horses & Long Sleeve Dancers: The David W. Dewey Collection of Ancient Chinese Tomb Sculpture, Minneapolis, 2013, p.219.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 494. An amber-glazed pottery figure of a lady, Tang dynasty (618-907); 39cm (15 2/8in) high. Est: £2,000 - £3,000. Sold for £2,805 (€ 3,268). © Bonhams

Gracefully modelled standing with the hands held together at her waist under a long scarf flowing down from her shoulder, the hem of her high-waisted robe folded naturally revealing the tips of her upturned shoes, the waistband tied in a long trailing bow on the back, her hair in an elaborate coiffure above the full round face.

Provenance: James (1914-1990) and Marilynn Alsdorf (1925-2019), New York
Sotheby's New York, 22 March 1999, lot 362.

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2000, no.29.

Note: The Alsdorfs operated an export and investment business based in Chicago, and James served as president of the Cory Corp., the largest manufacturer of glass coffee equipment that was later sold to Hershey Food Corporation. The couple were renowned art patrons, having built a wide-ranging collection across categories including Old Master Drawings, 19th-century Impressionism, mid-20th century Surrealism, Post War and Contemporary American art, Asian works of art, and more. Moreover, they were instrumental in founding and expanding the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art.

See a related figure, Tang dynasty, illustrated by S.G.Valenstein, The Herzman Collection of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1992, no.16; see another example illustrated by J.Ayers, The Seligman Collection of Oriental Art, Volume 2, Chinese and Korean Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1964, no.D44, pl. XVIII.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 495. A large pair of 'sancai'-glazed figures of officials, Tang dynasty (618-907). The taller, 49cm (19 1/4in) high. Est: £2,000 - £3,000. Sold for £2,422 (€ 2,822). © Bonhams

Both heavily potted and wearing a large unglazed crisply-moulded ceremonial hat, one holding a pointed upright audience tablet, the other with his hands in a muff, under rich partially-iridescent brown, apple-green and straw glazes.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.C207m32 dated 17 December 2007, is consistent with the dating of this lot. (official holding tablet).

Note: See a related example illustrated by Lü Chenglong and Yang Jingrong, Ceramics Gallery of the Palace Museum, Part I, Beijing, 2008, pl.83.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 496. Two sancai-glazed figures of Lokapalas, Tang dynasty (618-907). The larger 43.5cm (16 7/8in) high. Est: £3,000 - £5,000. Sold for £3,187 (€ 3,713). © Bonhams

Both well modelled and covered overall with cream, green and amber glaze except for the face and parts of the body, the first guardian shown standing on a recumbent ox, his head turned to the left, and with his left hand placed on his hip and his right hand raised to hold a now-missing weapon, his face with a fierce expression, clad in elaborate armour with divided breast plate over a knee-length tunic; the second guardian shown standing on a rockwork base with right hand raised to hold a weapon and left hand rested on his hip, the face with fierce, scowling expression, clad in tight armour.

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2011, no.34.

Note: See a single similar figure, Tang dynasty, illustrated in Exhibition of Chinese Arts, C.T.Loo, New York, 1941, no.472; see also another example illustrated by J.Baker, Appeasing the Spirits: Sui and Tang Dynasty Tomb Sculpture From The Schloss Collection, New York, 1993, nos.71 and 73.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Zao Wou-Ki dans son atelier de campagne, vers 2000. © Photo : Guillaume de Laubier

L’Hôtel de Caumont-Centre d’Art présente une exposition des œuvres de l’artiste français d’origine chinoise Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013), réalisée en collaboration avec la Fondation Zao Wou-Ki.

L’exposition regroupe près de 80 œuvres de 1935 à 2009 (huiles sur toile, aquarelles et encres de Chine sur papier) provenant de collections publiques et privées. Cet ensemble a pour ambition de mettre au jour un des grands thèmes de création de l’artiste : inventer de nouveaux espaces picturaux construits à partir de son travail sur la couleur et la représentation de la lumière. Lumière et espace sont en effet indissociables dans son œuvre et permettent de comprendre son objectif récurrent de « donner à voir » ce qui ne se voit pas et qui l’habite, « l’espace du dedans ».

Dans la période qui suit son installation à Paris en 1948, Zao Wou-Ki explore le thème de la lumière diurne ou nocturne dans une série d’œuvres poétiques intégrant simplement la représentation des astres lunaire et solaire.

La pratique de l’encre de Chine, grâce à Henri Michaux à partir de 1970, lui permet de faire évoluer la tradition chinoise. Il entame alors un travail sur le vide, associé au blanc ou à la réserve, et le plein, associé au noir de l’encre. Cette recherche se prolonge dans sa peinture et lui fait découvrir de nouveaux espaces.

Les œuvres des années 1970 et 1980 renvoient à une face plus sombre, correspondant à des périodes de souffrances et de deuil. Ces va-et-vient entre lumière et part d’ombre puisent leur inspiration dans la longue histoire de la peinture chinoise qui recherche l’équilibre des contraires.

Guidéà ses débuts et jusqu’à la fin de sa vie par le génie de Paul Cézanne (Paysage Hangzhou, 1946 ; Hommage à Cézanne, 2005), Zao Wou-Ki a lui aussi été sensible à la lumière spécifique du soleil du midi de la France. Après avoir loué entre 1958 et 1972 un atelier dans le Var où il retrouvait nombre d’amis, l’architecte Josep Lluís Sert lui construit un atelier à Ibiza en 1973, qui sera un nouveau lieu de création.

À partir de 2004, Zao Wou-Ki séjourne à plusieurs reprises en été dans la propriété du Luberon du couturier Emanuel Ungaro, très attaché par ailleurs à sa ville natale d’Aix-en-Provence. Zao Wou-Ki y travaille « sur le motif », fait nouveau pour lui, et peint une série d’aquarelles qui seront présentées pour la première fois à l’Hôtel de Caumont. Elles rendent compte de la luminosité et des couleurs tantôt flamboyantes tantôt assourdies des paysages du Luberon. Ces œuvres expriment à l’ultime moment de sa vie son bonheur de peindre l’immuable.

Ciel, Zao Wou-Ki © Tous droits réservés

01.10.73, Zao Wou-Ki, 1973 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo : Courtesy Christie’s.

06.10.71, Zao Wou-Ki, 1971. © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo : Collections Musée Bertrand de la ville de Châteauroux

Hommage à José Luis, Zao Wou-Ki, 1988 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Manuel Alves

14.03.92, Zao-Wou-Ki, 1992 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Dennis Bouchard

01.10.73, Zao Wou-Ki, 1973 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo : Courtesy Christie’s.

Diptyque Il ne fait jamais nuit, Zao Wou-Ki, 2005 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo : droits réservés.

Ville engloutie, Zao Wou-Ki © Tous droits réservés.

Sans titre, Zao Wou-Ki, vers 1950 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Antoine Mercier.

Sans titre, Zao Wou-Ki, 1949 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Antoine Mercier.

Sans titre (La Cavalierie), Zao Wou-Ki, 2008 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Antoine Mercier

Hommage à Turner, Zao Wou-Ki, 1975 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: droits réservés

Hommage à Henri Matisse, Zao Wou-Ki, 1986 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Naomi Wenger

Hommage à Henri Matisse I, Zao Wou-Ki, 1986 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo Dennis Bouchard.

Hommage à Cézanne, Zao Wou-Ki, 2005 © Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo: Dennis Bouchard

Feuille du carnet peint à Saint-Jeoire-en-Faucigny, Zao Wou-Ki, 1950 ©Adagp, Paris, 2021, photo Naomi Wenger.

Lot 3109. A group of four silver boxes and covers, Liao-Northern Song dynasty (907-1127). The largest: 2 ¾ in. (7 cm. )diam. Estimate HKD 15,000 - HKD 30,000. Price Realised HKD 106,250. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

The lot consists of a silver and gilt-decorated ‘bird’ silver box and cover, Liao dynasty; a silver oval ‘mandarin ducks’ box and cover, Liao dynasty; a silver ‘floral’ box and cover, Northern Song dynasty, and a silver circular box and cover, Northern Song dynasty.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3112. A green-glazed moulded dish and a sancai-glazed moulded square dish, Liao dynasty (907-1125). The larger: 8 in. (20.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 15,000 - HKD 30,000. Price Realised HKD 47,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3113. A sancai-glazed floral vase, Liao dynasty (907-1125); 9 ¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high., Japanese wood box. Estimate HKD 15,000 - HKD 30,000. Price Realised HKD 22,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Provenance: Japanese private collection, 1990s (by repute).

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3114. A set of four small sancai-glazed stacking quatrelobed dishes, Liao dynasty (907-1125); 5 ¼ in. (13.5 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000. Price Realised HKD 106,250. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Provenance: Japanese private collection, 1990s (by repute).

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3120. A blue and sancai-glazed tripod dish, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 11 3/8 in. (29 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 100,000. Price Realised HKD 187,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

The shallow dish, with everted rim, is raised on three cabriole supports, and is stamped in the interior with a central stylized flower head encircled by eight conjoined petals. The decoration is picked out in deep blue, leaf green, amber and cream glazes, and reserved on a slightly green-toned straw glaze that continues over the rim to cover the sides, and also covers the supports.

Provenance: Dr. Henry De Laszlo Collection
Sold at Christie's New York, 2 December 1993, lot 250
Sold at Christie’s New York, 13-14 September 2012, lot 1383.

Note: Compare slightly smaller dishes with the same decoration: in the Idemitsu Museum of Art, illustrated by Koyama, Chugoku Toji, vol. I, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 21; illustrated by H. Scott, The Golden Age of Chinese Art, The Lively T'ang Dynasty, Rutland, Vermont/Tokyo, 1967, pl. 83; by C. Riely, Chinese Art from the Cloud Wampler and Other Collections in the Everson Museum, Everson Museum of Art, 1968, pl. 20; and in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, vol. I, no. 279.
In 'Metalwork and Chinese Ceramics', PDF Monograph Series No. 2, London, 1972, Margaret Medley, p. 6, explains that dishes and plates with flattened rims, found both in silver and in stamped polychrome-glazed pottery, ranging from the late 7th-early 8th centuries, were inspired by Iranian metalwork. The author cites an example illustrated by J.J. Smirnoff in L'Argenterie Orientale, St. Petersburg, 1909, pl. 77.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd thermoluminescence test no. C112m29 (1 November 2012) is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3121. A large sancai-glazed jar, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 7 3/8 in (19 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 100,000. Price Realised HKD 212,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

The interior is largely covered with an amber glaze. The foot rim and base are unglazed revealing the buff ware.

Provenance: Dexinshuwu Collection, acquired in Taipei, prior to 1995
Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 4 October 2016, lot 8.

Exhibited: National Museum of History, The Special Exhibition of Tang Tri-colour, Taipei, 1995, Catalogue, p. 138.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3122. A sancai-glazed tiger-form elbow rest, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 5 ½ in. (14 cm.) long. Estimate HKD 50,000 - HKD 80,000. Price Realised HKD 200,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, February 1999.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3123. A sancai-glazed caparisoned horse, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 19 ¼ in. (49 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 20,000 - HKD 30,000. Price Realised HKD 162,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Provenance: Acquired in New York, prior to 1999.

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a thermoluminescence test, conducted by Oxford Authentication Ltd, sample No. C199s46, 9 June 1999.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3124. A phosphatic glaze-splashed brown-glazed jar, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 9 7/16 in. (24 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 15,000 - HKD 30,000. Price Realised HKD 56,250. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, October 1999.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3125. A pair of green-glazed pottery flasks, Liao dynasty (907-1125). The larger: 9 ¾ in. (25 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000. Price Realised HKD 137,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021

Lot 3126. A sancai-glazed bottle vase and a bronze long neck bottle vase with cover, Sui dynasty (581-618). The larger: 11 in. (28 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 40,000 - HKD 60,000. Price Realised HKD 475,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.

Provenance: Bronze bottle vase: Acquired in Hong Kong in December 1998
Sancai-bottle vase: Acquired in Hong Kong in October 1999.

Christie's. Pavilion Online – Chinese Art, 27 May-11 June 2021