Lot 251, A 'Longquan' celadon vase, Southern Song Dynasty. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the pear-shaped body rising from a short tapered foot to a tall cylindrical neck and everted rim, the glaze of an even attractive bluish-green color thinning at the lip, the unglazed footrim fired to a light orange. Height 5 7/8  in., 14.8 cm

Provenance: Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Marvin Gordon, San Francisco.
J.J. Lally & Co., New York.

Literature: Robert Mowry, 'Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Gordon', Orientations, March 2004, p. 118,  fig. 5. 

Lot 252, A 'Longquan' celadon 'lotus' dish, Southern Song Dynasty. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot, the exterior carved with overlapping petals, covered overall in a rich sea-green glaze stopping neatly at the foot, the footrim unglazed and burnt slightly orange in the firing. Diameter 6 1/2  in., 16.4 cm

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 16 Mar 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 253, A 'Longquan' celadon 'lotus' bowl, Southern Song Dynasty. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the deep sides supported on a low tapered foot, carved around the exterior with overlapping lotus petals, covered overall with a fine sea-green glaze pooling to a slightly deeper tone in the recesses of the carving, the unglazed footrim burnt slightly orange in the firing. Diameter 3 3/4  in., 10.3 cm

Property from the Bella and P.P. Chiu collection

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 16 Mar 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 5, Deux bols et une assiette, Vietnam, dynastie des Trần, 13e-14e siècle. Estimation : 80 € / 100 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Grès à couverte céladon. D.11 cm et 12 cm

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com – Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong. Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59

NB: Ce lot est pour moi!

Lot 29, Bol, Vietnam, dynastie des Trần-Lê, 14e-15e siècle. Estimation : 100 € / 150 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Grès à couverte céladon, D. 14 cm. Bol à bord polylobé, à décor moulé de fleurs dans des panneaux de lotus et revêtu d'une couverte céladon.

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com – Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong. Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59

NB: Ce lot est pour moi!

Lot 2, Lot de trois pots, Vietnam, Culture de Gò Mun, ca 1000 – 600 BCE. Estimation : 60 € / 100 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Terre-cuite, H. 11,5 , 9,5 et 9 cm.

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com – Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong. Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59

Lot 38, Manjushri, Tibet, ca 13°-14° siècle. Estimation : 8 000 € / 15 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Alliage cuivreux doré. H. 30 cm 
Représenté debout en tribhanga le bodhisattva tient dans ses mains les tiges des lotus qui s’épanouissent au dessus de ses épaules, supportant les attributs, glaive et livre, qui permettent de l’identifier. 
Il est richement paré et coiffé d’un haut chignon dans une combinaison stylistique mêlant des éléments empruntés aux modèles de l’Inde Pala aux apports des artistes Newars. Petites consolidationset reprises visibles au niveau des pieds. 

Provenance : Acquis par son actuel propriétaire sur le marché français en 1996

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com

Lot 39, Vajravarahi, Tibet, ca 16-17°siècle. Estimation : 2 000 € / 3 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Bronze doré. H. 18 cm 
Debout dans une attitude de danse, la dâkinîà tête de laie sortant de sa coiffure brandit le kapâla et le kartrika. Sa coiffure est marquée de têtes de morts et elle arbore un long collier de têtes tranchées. Anciens accidents et manques visibles.

Provenance : Acquis par son actuel propriétaire sur le marché français en 2001

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com

Lot 40, Bhairava, Népal, ca 18e siècle. Estimation : 800 € / 1 500 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Alliage cuivreux. H. 11 cm 
L’aspect farouche de Shiva est ici représenté fendu sur la droite, maintenant la coupe crânienne, une tête tranchée, un bouclier, un trident, un damaru et une épée. Sa taille est ceinte d‘une peau animale, et ses ornement d’oreilles sont des serpents enroulés. La surface est oxydée, et l’objet est fixé sur un socle en pierre verte et rouge, probablement une forme de rhodonite, réalisé par Claude de Muzac.

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com

Lot 132, Ancien et beau siège de dignitaire, Zula, R.D. du Congo. Estimation : 6 000 € / 8 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Bois. h. 42 cm 
Ancien et beau siège de dignitaire figurant traditionnellement une femme supportant de sa tête et de ses deux mains relevées une assise circulaire. Elle présente une belle coiffure complexe, a le corps partiellement scarifié, et est représentée assise, jambes écartées, les genoux relevés, les pieds reposant au sol de part et d'autre de la base circulaire. Au delà de la belle patine d'usage et du grand équilibre sculptural de cette oeuvre, on notera la superbe stylisation de la position des jambes et du dos, qui en font une des plus belles réussites du style. 

Apparentéà celui de leurs voisins Luba, l'art des Zula demeure encore fort peu connu, principalement du fait de la forte conversion à l'islam d'une part importante de la population depuis la fin du XIXe siècle qui a du entraîner la destruction d'une grande partie du matériel sacré traditionnel. Il semblerait que seuls quelques rares sièges de dignitaires de ce type aient survécu, constituant de fait les ultimes et précieux témoignages d'une culture à jamais disparue.  

Cf: M. Felix : "100 people of Zaïre and their sculpture" pp 210- 211 

Provenance: - Antérieurement acquis de J. Visser (Bruxelles)

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com

Lot 137, Ancien tabouret supporté par une cariatide agenouillée, Luba, R.D. du Congo. Estimation : 3 000 € / 5 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Ancien tabouret supporté par une cariatide agenouillée, au tronc scarifié, supportant l'assise de sa tête et de ses bras relevés. La stylisation des bras et du visage sont caractéristiques de l'oeuvre d'un maître sculpteur dont plusieurs autres pièces similairessont répertoriées. Petits accidents, fentes et restaurations indigènes visibles.  

Cf: F. Neyt. "Luba" Musée Dapper 1993. F. Neyt a identifié un autre atelier exploitant la même stylisation des bras, mais avec des caractéristiques faciales un peu différentes, et l'aurait localisé dans la région de Lukulu- Kiambi. 

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com

Lot 152, Ancienne statuette masculine debout, Pende, R.D. du Congo. Estimation : 3 000 € / 4 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Bois. H. 33 cm 
Ancienne statuette masculine debout, les bras en avant, mains jointes devant l'abdomen. Le visage aux traits caractéristiques du classicisme Pende est surmonté d'une coiffure constituée d'une coque ramenée vers l'avant. On notera que si les masques Pende sont extrêmement nombreux dans les collections, la statuaire, principalement dans ce style classique se référant aux archétypes des masques, est relativement rare. 

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com

NB: J'ai eu un coup de coeur lors de la séance photo pour cette statuette...

Hemmerle earrings, diamonds, aluminium, copper, gold. Photo courtesy of Hemmerle.

Hemmerle Earrings, diamonds, aluminium, white gold. Photo courtesy of Hemmerle.

Lot 155. An Exquisite Famille-Rose Enameled Yellow-ground Garlic Head Butterfly Floral Vase, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Six Character Mark and of the Period. Estimated Price: $10,000,000 - $18,000,000.

NEW YORK, NY.- When Asian art collectors and museum curators visit New York for Asia Week, Gianguan Auctions will greet them with collections of headline-making Chinese ceramics, ancient and modern scroll paintings and works of art by court scholars, artisans and monks whose vision and craftsmanship inspired emperors and influenced style for generations to come. The Gianguan Auctions sale is Saturday, March 19th at 39 W. 56th Street and online. Previews open on Friday, March 11th. 

The item to watch is Lot 155, a Qing Dynasty yellow-ground famille-rose enamelled vase with garlic head and arched scroll handles valued at $15,000,000. The estimate reflects the sophisticated use of enameling and sgraffiato - literally, scratching the hard fired surface to tap the hue of a glaze or slip beneath. The abundance of precisely executed peonies and butterflies set beneath ruyi heads, floral scrolls and a gilt rim belie the time and effort it took to create them. The 9-inch tall vase bears the Qianlong six-character mark and is of the period. 

Lot 155. An Exquisite Famille-Rose Enameled Yellow-ground Garlic Head Butterfly Floral Vase, Qing Dynasty? Qianlong Six Character Mark and of the Period. Estimate: $10,000,000 - $18,000,000.

Delicately enamelled with peony blooms borne on leafy stems and surrounded by fluttering butterflies below ruyi heads and floral scrolls at the waisted neck with key-fret band at the gilt rim. Applied with a pair of scroll arched handles and an overlapping lotus petal at the base, the decorations all reserved on a yellow sgraffiato ground. The recessed base turquoise with a central white square for the reign mark.

Leading the Chinese paintings is Lot 78, ‘Five Cattle” by Yan Ciping of the Southern Song Dynasty. The period was one of heightened appreciation for art. Fine paintings often inspired others to copy them, as is the case with this painting which is after Han Huang’s earlier “Five Cattle”. It will command as much as $5,000,000. 

Yan Ciping, Southern Song. After Tang, Han Huang’s "Five Cattle". Hanging Scroll, Ink & Color on Paper; Signed and Entitled by Yan Ciping; Nine Emperors’ seals; Nine Collectors’ seals; Colophon by Zhao Yong, Yong Xing. 32½× 17 in., 82.6 × 43.2 cm. Estimate: $2,000,000 - $5,000,000.

The cultural phenomenon of showing respect via imitation accounts for much of the mystery surrounding Lot 92, “Chess Game abut Screen”, attributed to Zhou Wenju, a Five Dynasty’s painter. A similar painting in the Forbidden Palace is considered a National Treasure although experts feel it might be a copy made by Song Emperor Zhou. New evidence indicates the painting on view at Gianguan Auctions may be the long lost original. For details, please contact the auction gallery. 

Lot 92, “Chess Game abut Screen”, attributed to Zhou Wenju, Five Dynasty (907-960). Estimate upon request. 

Zhou Wenju, a Five Dynasties, court painter from Jiangsu province, China served under Southern Tang Dynasty emperor Li Yu. He was known for his landscape, figure, vehicles, horses and architecture paintings. Emperor Li often summoned him together with fellow painter, Gu Hongzhong to the palace to record banquets, nightlife. Unfortunately, only some of Gu’s paintings survived. 

An unique feature of Zhou Wenju’s painting was his fibrillation pen techniques which was also a favorite of emperor Li, but which history could not trace its origin. “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)” has been a national treasure in the Forbidden Palace. Critics had appraised it as a copy from later, probably Song Dynasty. Xu Bangda also affirmed the findings by historical documentation. Prominent artists, emperors and collectors of Song Dynasty like Guo Ruoxu (Tu Hua Jian Wen Zhi), Emperor Hui Zong (Xuan He Hua Pu), Emperor Ming Qing (Hui Chen Lu), Ming Chendu, Wen Zhengming, Qing Huhe and many others had all concurred. In the book ”Qing Xi Zha Ji” by Hu Jing, it described the original “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)”as a color painting on silk, with no seal mark except emperor Hui Zong’s calligraphy. Nevertheless, emperor’s Zong’s inscription of “authentic work of Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu by Zhou Wenju” which would authenticate it, is missing. Thereby judging it as an imitated copy. 

When I compared this with my Shi Yang Tang collection, I found that it was actually a “Tian Shui” copy drew by Song emperor Zong. These are the findings: First, During Northern Song period the emperor had absolute power and rule the kingdom, so the original “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)” could only be possessed by the emperor himself. No one else would have the opportunity to imitate it. Second, the emperor had always enjoyed imitating master’s works from previous dynasties. That was why the “ Tian Shui” imitated paintings became so famous. As a brilliant painter, the emperor liked to transfer his own opinions and ideas into paintings. For example, in the original version of “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)”, Zhou Wenju used single lines to draw the furniture; compare to Hui Zong’s double lines. In this way, the furniture looked more vivid and heavy; also added a perspective feeling to the work. Besides, he scripted four different inscriptions among the four corners of the painting, to demonstrate his fondness. This was a very rare occasion among other “Tian Shui” pieces. In this case, I believe the “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)” in Beijing was a work by Song emperor Zong. However, I will leave the final judgment to later ages. Starting 2016, Shi Yang Tang, the oversea Forbidden Palace, will unveil its long-lost national treasures including the original “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)” with Song emperor Zong’s inscription. 

The original “Chess Game abut of Screen (Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu)” is a rectangle silk painting, not long scroll. Inches away from the boy figure on the canvas, vividly the ten elegant and stylish characters inscribed by emperor Zong-“authentic work of Chong Ping Hui Qi Tu by Zhou Wenju”, with his seal mark. There is also emperor Gao Zong’s stamp “Feng Hua Tang Yin” on the top right corner, Jia Sidao’s stamp“Shen Sheng” next to it, and Qing emperor Qian Long’s inscriptions on left. These dedications told the history and details about obtaining this painting, with Qian Long’s stamps “Da Qing Qian Long Yu Lan” around it. 

On the top left corner there’s a long stamp named “Zheng He”, and lower left corner has emperor Gao Zong’s stamp“Nei Fu Shu Yin”. In addition, there’s a colophon attached to the left side frame, Zhang Chou wrote it from Ming Dynasty. By displaying our prestige Chinese treasures, Kwong Lam of “Shi Yang Tang” is contributing to our profound and far-reaching Chinese cultural and civilization.

Note: “Tian Shui”means the emperor Hui Zong of Song Dynasty’s family was originally from “Tian Shui” area. “Tian Shui” paintings refer to the works imitated by Song Hui Zong himself.

Meanwhile, Lots 85-88 are rebellion paintings created by Bada Shanren, a Qing citizen turned monk. The four images are leaves of an album. Each depicts a lone animal in a nuanced scene that reflects the artist’s disdain for the Qing rulers. Bidding on each starts at $250,000. 

Lot 85, Zhu Da (Bada Shanren), (1626- 1705), "Deer and Pine", Qing Dynasty. Mounted and Framed, Ink on Paper. One artist seal. Two Collectors’ seals; 12 × 11⅝ in., 30.5 × 29.5 cm. Estimate $250,000 - $400,000. 

Lot 86, Zhu Da (Bada Shanren), (1626- 1705), "Lynx Cat", Qing Dynasty. Mounted and Framed, Ink on Paper. One artist seal. Two Collectors’ seals; 12 × 11⅝ in., 30.5 × 29.5 cm. Estimate $250,000 - $400,000. 

Lot 87, Zhu Da (Bada Shanren), (1626- 1705), "Crane and Pine", Qing Dynasty. Mounted and Framed, Ink on Paper. One artist seal. Two Collectors’ seals; 12 × 11⅝ in., 30.5 × 29.5 cm. Estimate $250,000 - $400,000.

Lot 88, Zhu Da (Bada Shanren), (1626- 1705), "Pine Landscape", Qing Dynasty. Mounted and Framed, Ink on Paper. One artist seal. Two Collectors’ seals; 12 × 11⅝ in., 30.5 × 29.5 cm. Estimate $250,000 - $400,000.

Another series of painting, Lot 98, The Four Seasons by Li Keran are notable. A set of four detailed landscapes take the viewer into China’s magnificent countryside to view the features that are emphasized during each change of the year. Above each scene, calligraphy from the same hand adds to the flavor. The series is valued at $40,000-$60,000.

Lot 98, Li Keran (1907 - 1989), "The Four Seasons". Hanging Scroll, Ink & Color on Paper; "Spring Time in the South", "Summer Stock in the Hills", "Sunset in the Fall", "Winter Snow". Each entitled and signed Keran, with four artist seals. Estimate: $40,000 - $50,000.

Happiness, harmony, longevity, prosperity, the universal themes the Chinese portray so well, live in the collection of paintings of mynah birds, eagles, monkeys, and horses positioned throughout the auction. Values range from $6,000 for Lot 73, Gao Jianfu’s “Eagle and Maple” to $15,000 or more for Lot 111, Zhao Shaoang’s “Birds and Sunflowers.” 

Lot 73, Gao Jianfu (1879 - 1951), "Eagle and Maple". Hanging Scroll, Ink & Color on Paper. Signed and Inscribed by Jianfu, with two artist seals. Dimensions: 45 × 21½ in., 114.3 × 54.6 cm. Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000.

Lot 111, Zhao Shaoang (1905 - 1998), “Birds and Sunflowers”. Hanging Scroll, Ink & Color on Paper. Dated 1987. Inscribed and signed Shaoang, with two artist seals. 53½ x 13¼ in. 136 x 33.6 cm. Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000.

Calligraphy based paintings have their own story to tell. Lot 74, “Script Calligraphy,” by Liu Yong, and Lot 79, “Emperor Daoguang’s Calligraphy,” 1828, signed by the Emperor and bearing two artist seals, anchor the collection at $6,000-$8,000. Lot 91, Dong Qichang’s 17th century “Script Calligraphy,” is representative of mid-level works. Its estimate tops off at $80,000. 

Lot 74, Liu Yong (1719 - 1805), “Script Calligraphy”. Hanging Scroll, Ink on Paper. Inscribed and signed, with two artist seals. Dimensions: 51 × 13¼ in., 129.5 × 33.6 cm. Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000.

Lot 79, Emperor Daoguang (1782 - 1850), Qing Dynasty, "Emperor Daoguang’s Calligraphy". Hanging Scroll, Ink on Paper. Dated 1828. Signed by Emperor Daoguang, with two artist seals. Dimensions: 51⅛ × 24½ in., 129.9 × 62.2 cm. Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000.

CHINESE CERAMICS 
Among the Chinese ceramics, mixtures of clay and precious glazes are at play. For example, on Lot 151 gold moulded birds decorate a pair of red glazed vases. Of the Qing period and engraved with the Qianlong six-character mark, the long necked vases will fetch upwards of $60,000. At Lot 175, a twin-linked jar has incised gilt silver overlays. Of the Qing Dynasty, the Qianlong six-character mark supports its $3,000-$4,000 estimate. Pewter is used to enhance three zisha clay teapots at Lots. 238,239,240 From the atelier of Yang Pengimian, they are further enhanced with jade spouts, handles and finials. Valued at $3,000-$4,000, they lead a collection of teapots. 

Lot 151, A Pair of Famille-Rose Enamelled Dish-Mouthed Vase with Gilt Moulded Birds, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Six Character Engraved Mark and of the Period. Estimate $60,000 - $80,000. 

Finely potted on a red-glazed wave-ground with two chirping birds on ascending peony branches. Dimensions: Height: 7⅛ in (18.2 cm)

Lot 175,  Gilt-Silver Porcelain Twin-linked Jar with Incised Floral Motifs, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Six Character Impressed Mark and of the Period. Estimate $3,000 - $4,000. 

Dimensions: Height: 5⅜ in (13.7 cm). Length: 10½ in (26.7 cm)

Lot 238, Yang Pengnian Jade and Pewter Encased Zisha Teapot, Qing Dynasty. Estimate $3,000 - $4,000. 

Of ladder-shape with celadon jade finial, spout and handle, incised with floral and poem inscription Maker Yang Pengnian impressed Mark on the Underside. Dimensions: Height: 4½ in (11.43 cm)

Lot 239, Yang Pengnian Jade and Pewter Encased Zisha Teapot, Qing Dynasty. Estimate $3,000 - $4,000. 

Of square shape, celadon jade finial, pout and handle, incised with floral and poem inscription Maker Yang Pengnian impressed Mark on the Underside. Dimensions: Height: 4⅛ in (10.48 cm)

Lot 240, Yang Pengnian Jade and Pewter Encased Zisha Teapot, Qing Dynasty. Estimate $3,000 - $4,000. 

Of pouch-shape, celadon jade finial, spout and handle, incised with floral and poem inscription Impressed Maker Yang Pengnian Mark on the Underside. Dimensions: Height: 4¼ in (10.8 cm)

The finest famille-rose ceramics date from the Yongzheng period (1723-1735) of the Qing Dynasty. Lot 183 is a fine bowl depicting birds in flight and nestling amidst plum blossoms. The Yongzheng four-character mark with double squares authenticates the period. The bowl is $60,000-$80,000.  

Lot 183, A Fine Famille-rose Enamel Birds on Twigs Bowl, Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng Four Character Mark within Double Squares Mark and of the Period. Estimate $60,000 - $80,000. 

When decoration gives way to shape and form, amazing items like the glazed arrow vase at Lot 168 are born. The mouth of the crackle glaze, slender neck is flanked by tubular handles that deliver minimalist impact. The vase, however, is Qing and has the Kangxi six-character mark. Catalog estimate is $6,000 and up. Lot 158, A Tibetan style Benbahu - a floral decorated ewer with canted sides rolling inward and a canopy style mouth - also has modernist look to it. Of the Qing period, it sports a six-character seal. The estimate is $150,000. 

Lot 168, A Very Fine Guan-Type Glazed Arrow Vase, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Six-Character Impressed Mark and of the Period. Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000.

With compressed body and a slender neck flanked by a pair of tubular handles, covered overall and on the base with a crackled glaze, foot rim unglazed. Dimensions: Height: 5¼ in (13.3 cm).

Lot 158, A Fine Doucai Tibetan Style Ewer, Benbahu, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Six Character Seal Mark and of the Period. Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000.

The bulbous body raised on a spreading foot and decorated with composite foliate scrolls bearing blossoms. The knopped neck surmounted by a canopy-shaped mouth with canted sides and rounding inwards to a narrow opening, all decorated with floral scrolls in rich tones. Dimensions: Height: 9¼ in (23.4 cm)

A group of 19th century Korean ceramics, Lots 225-228, also provide insight into design perspectives of the past. Three vases, spare of line, and a teapot decorated with abstract flower pods are highly collectible at $300-$500 each. 

STONE CARVINGS & SMALLS 
Amber, jade, crystal, glass and shoushan carvings, a favorite among collectors, run deep and are modestly valued. The amber stand out is Lot 162, a Han chao zhu, or court necklace, It is defined by five pendants of amber, Han glass, coral beads shooting off an amber bead collar. The ancient jewelry will go for as much as $15,000.  

Lot 162, A Magnificent and Fine Amber Bead, Coral and Han Glass Court Necklace, Chao Zhu, Qing Dynasty. Estimate: $8,000 - $15,000.

Dimensions: Length: 27½ in (69.9 cm)

Another amber star lot is Lot 222, a phoenix formed ewer with matching cups, all of golden honey hue. The ewer, surmounted with a Buddhist mandorla and sporting a tail shaped handle, sits on an eight-lobed saucer. Its cups are all carved as phoenix with ruyi tails. The low estimate is $8,000.  

Lot 222, A Finely Carved Amber Phoenix-Form Ewer with an Octo-lobed Saucer and Four Cups with Saucers. Estimate: $8,000 - $15,000.

Of golden honey hue, molded with a phoenix in the upper body and its extending tail as handle, the cover has a Buddhist halo and movable bead as finial accompany by four set of cup, each carved with a phoenix and a ruyi handle. Dimensions: Height of Ewer: 5.8 in (14.9 cm). Height of Cup: 2.1 in (5.4 cm)

Lot 200 is a pair of blue glass zuns with dragon handles and loose rings. At more than 8 inches tall, they are carved with dragon masks and geometric shapes and emblazoned with hardstone. Bidding begins at $30,000. As an alternative to size and price, Lot 43 is a 1926 crystal snuff bottle by maker Ma Shaoxuan that co-joins three bottles within. It is inside-painted with fish. The $2,000 estimate makes it an excellent entry level glass collectible. 

Lot 200, A Pair of Fine and Rare Blue Glass Zun. Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000.

Embellished with Hardstone Carved with Dragon mask, ruyi and geometric shapes, flanked with dragon handles and loose rings. Dimensions: Height: 8¾ in (22.2 cm)

Crystalized inclusions in scholar’s rocks make for an added and unusual highlight. Lot 52, looks, from one side like nothing more than an interesting grayish rock. Turn it around and a brilliant crystalized burst of calcite in the shape of a chrysanthemum entrances and focuses the mind. Mounted on a wooden base, the 8 inch stone is $2,000-$3,000. Lot 55 is double calcite chrysanthemum formation with quartz in a carved stone. It is similar to a stone flower screen in the Hunan Provincial Museum. Bidding starts at $2,000.  

Lot 52, A Natural and Rare Chrysanthemum Stone Scholars Rock. Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000.

The blackish grey stone with greyish-white chrysanthemum inclusions for calcite. Dimensions: Height: 8 in (20.3 cm). Width: 6¾ in (17.1 cm). Weight with stand: 2588 g

Lot 55, Carved Liuyang Chrysanthemum Stone Scholar’s Rock. Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000.

Brownish-green in background, with two chrysanthemum like blossoms bursting through the calcite and chalcedony (quartz) in tracery-like form, with wood stand. Dimensions: Height: 6 in (15.2 cm). Weight with stand: 1346 g

Hetian white jade defines a collection of snuff bottles and small figural carvings early in the sale. Lot 50 is a white jade carving of three rams, an auspicious sign. Its estimate is upwards of $4,000. Contrasting this is Lot 51, a deep spinach green recumbent horse with monkey signifying prosperity. It starts at $2,000. 

Lot 50, A White Jade Auspicious Three-Ram Group. Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000. 

Well carved in the round to depict an adult ram holding a spray of lingzhi and ruyi in its mouth, recumbent besides her two young, the jade of even white tone with some area of opaque. Dimensions: Height: 2⅛ in (5.4 cm). Length: 4⅜ in (11.1 cm). Weight: 255 g

Lot 51, A Finely Carved Spinach-Green Jade Recumbent Horse with Monkey atop Signifying Prosperity, Qing dynasty. Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000.

Dimensions: Length: 3¾ in (9.5 cm). Weight: 309 g

Finally, Lot 194 a root stand of highly polished boxwood will enliven any collection with its naturalistic beauty. An intertwined and irregular top stands on a gnarled base, Thirty-three inches tall and weighing thirty pounds, the stand will go for more than $3,000.  

Lot 194, A Rare Boxwood Root-Form Stand, Qing dynasty. Estimate: $3,000 - $4,500.

For details on these and other properties in Gianguan Auctions sale on Saturday, March 19, please visitwww.gianguanauctions.com. Previews begin Friday, March 11 and continue through Friday, March 18. The auction takes place at the gallery, 39 W. 56th Street, NYC and online at invaluable.com.

A Fine Sedimentary Stone Stele Depicting Scenes from the Life of Buddha, Eastern India, Pala period, 11th-12th Century. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s spring offering of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art Including Property from the Estate of Dr. Claus Virch features Buddhist, Hindu, Mughal and Jain devotional works of art, including several significant sculptures. 

Formerly on loan to the Brooklyn Museum, this Fine Sedimentary Stone Stele Depicting Scenes from the Life of Buddha hails from 11/12th Century Eastern India (estimate $100/150,000). Part of a small group of miniature sculptures carved during the Pala period, these steles served as a memento for pilgrims making their way from Eastern India to Tibet and Burma. This shrine beautifully depicts Buddha’s triumph over Mara while seated beneath the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. The Buddha reflects the stylistics traits associated with the image of Buddha in the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya.

Lot 754, A Fine Sedimentary Stone Stele Depicting Scenes from the Life of Buddha, Eastern India, Pala period, 11th-12th Century. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13093. Height: 5  7/8  in. (14.9 cm). 

Provenance: A&J Speelman, Ltd., 1998. 

Exhibited: On long-term loan to the Brooklyn Museum, New York, October 2004-July 2006. 

Note: This exquisite stele is one of a small group of miniature sculptures carved during the Pala period (8th-12th Century) in eastern India. A number have been found in Tibetan and Burmese monastery collections indicating that they were probably made in part as pilgrims’ sacred mementos.

These shrines were originally thought to be Burmese but recent research has confirmed their origin as eastern India, see Hiram W. Woodward, “The Indian Roots of the ‘Burmese’ Life-of-the-Buddha Plaques”, Silk Road Art and Archaeology 5, 1997-98, pp. 395-407; and Steven Kossak’s seminal article “A Group of Miniature Pala Stelae from Bengal”, Orientations, July/August 1998, pp. 19-27 which firmly established the Indian provenance of the group.

The central figure of Buddha portrays the moment at which he triumphs over Mara just prior to his enlightenment: this momentous episode took place while seated beneath the bodhi tree at the vajrasana site in Bodh Gaya. In common with the majority of similar miniature stone stelae, the Buddha is depicted with a noticeably short neck, a stylistic trait associated with the principal image of Buddha in the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, now lost. The Mahabodhi sculpture is likely to have been a massive bronze made in contrasting metals, copper for the red monk’s robe and brass for the golden body of Buddha, and would have incorporated the idiosyncratic short neck: the statue was probably removed and destroyed for its metal content during the Muslim invasions of the twelfth century, see David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, London, 1999, pp. 61-7. The present stele commemorates the Mahabodhi vajrasana Buddha in form and style, and portable plaques such as this served to spread the eastern Indian aesthetic and stylistic idiosyncrasies to Burma, Tibet and beyond.

The stele depicts the Eight Great Events in the life of Buddha. The nativity at Lumbini is depicted at the top left, with the first sermon at Sarnath below, and the taming of the Nalagiri elephant beneath.  The miracle at Sravasti is depicted top right, with the descent from Trayatrimsha heaven below and the presentation of honey by the monkey at Vashali beneath. Above the central image of Buddha seated beneath the bodhi tree at the vajrasana site is a scene representing his death and final enlightenment, or mahaparinirvana.

Compare a similar miniature sedimentary stone shrine in The Asia Society, see Sherman E. Lee, Asian Art: Part II: Selections from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III, The Asia Society Inc, 1975, pls. 13-4, pp. 24-5; and nine similar shrines in Ulrich von Schroeder’s survey of Tibetan monastery collections, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, Vol. I, pp. 400-05, pls. 129A-31C.

This very fine and rare Qianlong-period bronze depicting Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, reflects earlier eastern Indian sculptural traditions (estimate $250/350,000). Large parcel-gilt bronzes such as this were popular with the Qianlong emperor, who commissioned quantities of statues in this elegant style representing buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities from the Tibetan pantheon. The emperor was fascinated with ancient bronzes from India, Kashmir and Nepal that had accumulated in the court and Chinese monastery collections, and this extraordinary bronze is a testament to that artistic legacy. 

Lot 746, A Parcel-Gilt Bronze Figure Depicting Khasarpani Avalokiteshvara. Tibeto-Chinese, Qianlong Period (1735-1796). Estimate: 250,000 — 350,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13086. Height: 12  1/2  in. (31.8 cm)

Provenance: Berwald Oriental Art, London, 2003. 

Note: This rare Qianlong period bronze maintains a long tradition in China of representing Avalokiteshvara seated in the posture of royal ease, rajalilasana, and is often identified as Water-Moon Guanyin residing on Mount Potalaka. However the stylistic conventions in this case are Indo-Tibetan rather than Chinese.

Such parcel-gilt bronzes were popular with the Qianlong emperor who commissioned quantities of statues in this elegant style representing the Tibetan pantheon devised by the imperial preceptor Rolpai Dorje (1717-1786), see Walter Eugene Clark, Two Lamaistic Pantheons, Cambridge, 1937. Both the emperor and Rolpai Dorje were fascinated with the ancient bronzes from India, Kashmir and Nepal that had accumulated in the court and Chinese monastery collections.

The style of this Avalokiteshvara reflects Pala period eastern Indian sculptural traditions. In marked contrast to the highly burnished fire gilt bronzes that exemplify Qing period Buddhist sculpture, the Avalokiteshvara is un-gilt, like the majority of Pala bronzes, but with gold applied to the body as seen in numerous Pala and Nepalese works in the Qing Palace collection, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Hong Kong, 2003, pls. 5, 19, 34, 43-4, 52, 74.

The single leaf crown tied to the knotted hair is a feature often seen on Pala sculpture. A Qing period fire-gilt bronze in the E. M. Scratton Collection, depicting this same rajalilasana iconography, highlights the difference of appearance between the parcel-gilt bronzes and the more common gilded works of the period, see Giuseppe Tucci, Tibet: Land of Snows, New York, 1967, p. 18, pl. 2.

The Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art sale also features this Gilt-Bronze Figure Depicting a Dakini from Tibet, 16th/17th Century (estimate $250/350,000), likely part of a larger sculptural group that centered upon Chakrasamvara and his consort Vajravarahi. What makes this cast-bronze representation of a Dakini so remarkable is the attention to detail: the lotus placed at the crown of the head behind the tiara with its pearl and foliate clasp, its elaborate jewels and ornaments, and the skull garland wrapped around her neck. 

Lot 721, A Gilt-Bronze Figure Depicting a Dakini, Tibet, 16th-17th Century. Estimate: 250,000 — 350,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13062. Height: 7  3/4  in. (19.7 cm)

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 30th November 1994, lot 66.

Note: This magnificently cast bronze depicts one of the four retinue dakinis from the inner mandala of Chakrasamvara, identifiable by the lotus and kapala attribute attached to the base at lower right. 

The dakini stands in alidhasana on a double lotus throne, wearing a five-pointed tiara adorned with skulls, elaborate jewels and bone ornaments, and a garland of skulls around her neck. An elegant lotus is placed at the crown of head behind the tiara, and a pearl and foliate clasp secures the tiara at back atop her flowing hair, which falls gracefully across her lower back. She holds a kapala in her primary left hand, and the secondary left hand is raised and likely would have held akhatvanga. She holds a kartrika in the primary right hand, and a damaru in the raised secondary hand.  

This sculpture would have been part of a larger set with Chakrasamvara and his consort Vajravarahi at the center, and fourdakinis in a circle around the central deities. The four goddesses—red Khandaroha, yellow Rupini, green Lama and blue Dakini—have the same iconographic presentation and are only distinguished from each other by color. This assembly of deities and dakinis are from the Thirteen Deity Samvarodaya Chakrasamvara Mandala as described in the Shri Maha Sambarodaya Tantraraja; for an example of the complete mandala, refer to a 16th Century thangka depicting the same, seeMandala: The Perfect Circle, New York, 2010, p. 124, pl. 24. Compare the four dakinis in the lotus petals surrounding the central figures, and also the lotus and kapala motif in the auxilliary four petals between each dakini with the current work. 

The style of the base suggests a strong Newari influence and supports the 16th/17th Century attribution; compare the upper and lower pearl motif, double-petaled lotus rows and lower base tier to a contemporaneous Nepalese bronze depicting Chakrasamvara, see Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3rd December 2015, lot 299. 

Ritual objects, sculptures, paintings, thangkas and miniature paintings from the Estate of Dr. Claus Virch are also on offer in this diverse sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art. The exhibition will open to the public on 10 March, with the sale commencing at 10am on 16 March, followed by a second session at 2pm.

Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825), "Women Washing and Stretching Cloth", each sheet signed Toyokuni ga, with censor's kiwame (approval) seal and publisher's seal of Tsutaya Juzaburo (Koshodo, 1750-1797), ca. 1795, oban tate-e triptych 28 1/8 by 14 5/8 in., 71.5 by 37 cm. Asking price: $14,000. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

NEW YORK, NY.- Scholten Japanese Art participates in Asia Week 2016 with Ukiyo-e Tales: Stories from the Floating World, an exhibition focused on classic Japanese woodblock prints. 

This exhibition will take us back to the golden age of ukiyo-e and will feature works by some of the most important artists of the late 18th and up to the mid-19th century. We will focus predominately on images of beauties and the layers of meaning and stories that are conveyed via subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) clues found in the compositions. The exhibition will begin with works by Suzuki Harunobu (ca. 1724-70), who is largely credited with bringing together all of the elements that launched the production of nishiki -e (lit. brocade pictures), the full-color prints that we recognize today as ukiyo-e or images of the floating world. The term ukiyo (lit. 'floating world') references an older Buddhist concept regarding the impermanence of life, but during the prosperity of the Edo period in Japan the term began to be used to encompass and embolden everyday indulgences because of that impermanence. It was Harunobu's designs, primarily celebrating youth and beauty, that are believed to have first launched the production of full-color woodblock printing in Japan around 1765. 

One of the finest Harunobu prints included in this exhibition, Fashionable Snow, Moon, and Flowers: Snow, ca. 1768-69 depicts an elegant courtesan accompanied by her two kamuro (young girl attendants) and a male servant holding a large umbrella sheltering her from falling snow. The subject, a beautifully adorned courtesan parading en route to an assignation, and her placement within the lyrical setting of an evening snowfall, are hallmarks that define the genre of ukiyo-e. There are relatively few Harunobu prints extant, and due to their scarcity and the fragile nature of the vegetable pigments used at that time it is unusual to find a work in such good condition. Hence there are only two or three other authentic impressions of this particular design which have been recorded in public collections.

Suzuki Harunobu, ca. 1724-70, "Fashionable Snow, Moon and Flowers: Snow" (Furyu Setsugekka: Yuki), signed Suzuki Harunobu ga, ca. 1768-69, chuban tate-e 11 by 8 in., 27.8 by 20.3 cm. Sold. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

An elegant beauty is accompanied by two young girls and a male servant who holds an umbrella to shelter her from falling snow. Seeking the warmth within her layers of clothing, she tucks her chin into her collar, and hides her hands within the robes. Her brocade obi is tied in a large knot at the front identifying her as a courtesan, and her pink outer-robe is decorated with folding fans and braches of blossoming plum- a wishful harbinger of early spring. The two young girls in her retinue, attired in matching apparel and sharing their own smaller umbrella, are herkamuro- children attendants assigned to a specific courtesan of ranking house. The fresh snow gathers in clumps around the platforms of their lacquered geta (raised sandals) while large flakes of falling snow contrast against the pale grey pigment in the background with some areas of oxidation which emphasizes an evening setting. The procession is likely en route to an assignation: parading the courtesan with her attendants in all of their collective splendor was an important opportunity for pageantry in the ritual of seduction in the pleasure quarters.

This design is part of a group of three which reference the classical trio of Snow, Moon and Flowers (Settsugekka), from a poem by Bai Juyi (772-846) which is included in the anthology Wa-Kan roei shu (734). The poem on the print above the stylized cloud focuses on the snow.

Shirotae no 
masago no ue ni
furisomete
omoishi yori mo
tsumoru yuki kana

On the pure white of
the sand it has started to 
fall, sinking in: just
look how the snow is piling
up, deeper than expected!

Waterhouse records only two other impressions of this design which he dates to circa 1768-69. One is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (acquisition no. 06.465); the other is in the collection of The New York Public Library (acquisition no. 135, D-12). He identifies four other examples as either late impressions from the 19th century with recarved color blocks or reproduction prints.

References: David Waterhouse, The Harunobu Decade, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2013, Vol. I, p. 211, cat. 342 (from the Spaulding Collection, accession no. 21.4498) and poem translation.

A print by a contemporary of Harunobu, Ippitsusai Buncho (fl. ca. 1755-90), titled Eight Views of Inky Water: Night Rain at Hashiba, ca. 1768-75, depicts the world from the perspective of a courtesan, without the pageantry of her parade through the pleasure quarters. Stepping out on to the verandah overlooking the Sumida River, she seems lost in thought as she adjusts the comb in her hair and looks down towards the small ferry boats navigating the dark ('inky') waters during a rainstorm while the passengers try vainly to protect themselves from the downpour. Streaks of rain partially obscure the view across the river where we see a figure carrying a lantern approaching a teahouse near the shore at Mukojima. While it was not uncommon to use accepted themes such as landscapes or literary subjects as a way to circumvent restrictions on overt depictions of famous actors and beauties or decadent displays of wealth, most of the time the 'cover' subject was relegated to an inset cartouche and the figural subject was front and center. In this composition the figure and the landscape are given equal consideration in a way that is unusual for the period because the landscape in the background tells as much of the 'story' as the figure in the foreground. 

Ippitsusai Buncho, fl. ca. 1755-90, "Eight Views of Inky Water: Night Rain at Hashiba" (Bokusui hakkei: Hashiba no yoru no ame), signed Ippitsusai Buncho ga with artist's seal Mori uji, with collector's seal HV (Henri Vever), ca. 1768-75, chuban tate-e 10 1/4 by 7 3/4 in., 26 by 19.6 cm. Price: $14,500. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

The series title Bokusui hakkei (Eight Views of Inky Water) is a reference to the Sumida River- the primary conduit for Edoites to the various entertainment districts, including the licensed pleasure quarters of Yoshiwara. The title itself is presented within a cartouche in the shape of asumi ink cake, while the specific location of Hashiba is identified above the cloud-shaped reserve. The Hashiba ferry would carry patrons of the Yoshiwara across the Sumida River to the landing on the eastern shore at Mukojima- a scenic area with teahouses along the shore.

The composition depicts a willowy courtesan adjusting her haircomb while standing on a second story balcony overlooking the Sumida River. She looks down towards the small ferry boats navigating the dark ('inky') waters during a rainstorm; the passengers in one boat shield themselves from the downpour beneath two interlocking umbrellas. The streaks of rain partially obscure the view across the river where we see a single figure wearing a straw rain cape and holding a lantern approaching a teahouse near the shore at Mukojima.

Provenance: Louis Gonse (1846-1921) 
Henri Vever (1854-1942) 

Published: Jack Hillier, Japanese Prints & Drawings from the Vever Collection, 1976, p. 223, cat. no. 237

References: Sadao Kikuchi, A Treasury of Japanese Wood Block Prints: Ukiyo-e, Tokyo National Museum, 1963, cat. no. 418 (with series cartouche and half of the signature trimmed)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (www.mfa.org), from the Spaulding Collection (Ex. Kobayashi Collection), accession no. 21.4697

Another important artist well-represented in the show is Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), a leading painting and print artist in his time, who practically owned the market for images of beauties in the 1790s and early 1800s, until his untimely death in 1806 shortly after a traumatizing episode when he was made to wear manacles under house arrest in punishment for having the audacity to depict the shogunate in an irreverent manner. A triptych of 'Brine Carriers' at a seashore was produced in happier times and visually references a classical literary subject, the sisters Matsukaze ('Wind in the Pines') and Murasame ('Autumn Rain'), from the famous 14th-century Noh Drama, Matsukaze . Although the original story is about love and loss, Utamaro only barely references the cautionary legend and instead focuses on the opportunity to sidestep restrictions and depict women in revealing clothing in an everyday setting. The two sisters have been replaced by a bevy of beauties wearing grass skirts far shorter than acceptable in normal public settings, and their kimono tops are literally falling open while they wade in the surf collecting the brine. 

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1753-1806, "Brine Carriers" (Shiokumi), each sheet signed Utamaro hitsu, with publisher's seal Waka, of Wakasaya Yoichi (Jakurindo), ca. 1804, oban tate-e triptych 29 3/4 by 14 5/8 in., 75.5 by 37.3 cm. Asking price: $26,000. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

This triptych depicting a group of beautiful woman gathering brine at a seashore gently references a classical literary subject, the sad story of the two sisters, Matsukaze ('Wind in the Pines') and Murasame ('Atumn Rain'), from the famous Noh drama, Matsukaze, which was written in the 14th century by Kanami, and revised by his son Zeami Motokiyo (c. 1363-c.1443). The story is based on the legend of the nobleman Ariwara no Yukihira who spent three years in exile at Suma. While expelled to the shrine famously located at a beach, he indulged himself in dalliances with two sisters who were lowly salt-collectors. Shortly after his punishment is ended and he abandons them to return to court, they hear that he had died, causing the sisters to die of broken hearts themselves, but their spirits remain trapped, lingering at the beach at Suma because of the sin of attachment to mortal passions. In the play, Matsukaze's spirit continues to descend in to madness, while her sister Murasame's spirit eventually releases herself from her desires and is able to transcend beyond the physical world.

The story was adapted as a puppet play by Chikamatsu Mozaemon (1653-1725) and eventually as akabuki drama which was subsequently condensed into a hengemono (multi-role) dance, Shiokumi (Dance of the Salt Maidens), performed as an interlude between other plays. Utamaro's interpretation of Shiokumiexpands the theme to a gathering of seven beauties with one young man one child at the edge of the foaming surf along a beach. They wear the costume of the salt maidens with rustic grass skirts and carry the buckets of brine suspend from yokes resting across their shoulders, but their tops also fall open revealing their bare breasts without too much concern for decorum. The mood among the beautiful laborers appears playful, far removed from the tragedy of the original legend.

References: Kiyoshi Shibui, Ukiyo-e Zuten Utamaro, 1964, 34.1.1-3
Gina Collia-Suzuki, The Complete Woodblock Prints of Kitagawa Utamaro, A Descriptive Catalogue, 2009, pp. 421-422 
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org), from the Bigelow Collection, accession no. 11.14470-1 (center and right sheets only) 
Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org), from the Havemeyer Collection, accession no. JP1683.

Another story told by Utamaro is of a lovers' quarrel. Eight Pledges at Lovers' Meetings: Maternal Love between Sankatsu and Hanshichi, ca. 1798-99, is from a series that plays on puns referencing the classic landscape theme of Omi hakkei ('Eight Famous Views of Omi'). This print uses the word ' bosetsu ' in the title, which can be translated as 'a mother's constant love,' but also works as a pun for 'evening snow,' a clever reference to Hira no bosetsu ('Evening Snow on Mount Hira'), one of the Omi hakkei subjects. But clever wordsmithing aside, what makes this print so remarkable is the tiny gesture of the woman, holding her index finger to her eye to wipe away a tear. For all of the dramas and tragedies in ukiyo-e, this small display of emotion stands out. While there are numerous visual shortcuts that artists employed to convey elements to a story, such as wisps of hair being out of place signaling excitement (good or bad), wiping away a tear is not at all common. Even more telling is the body language of her lover, who is looming over her shoulder and glaring at her. Their story is from a kabuki play (based on a true incident), in which the lovers resolve to give up their daughter and commit double suicide. Thus the 'maternal love' in the title suggests Sankatsu's heartache over leaving her child, and it would seem Hanshichi is impatient with her hesitation. Utamaro, an artist known for his depictions of beautiful women of all ranks as well as erotic art, seems to convey his disapproval of their decision. Rather than feeding into the high drama in a way that romanticizes their story, Hanshichi especially is portrayed in an unflattering light. 

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1753-1806, "Eight Pledges at Lovers' Meetings: Maternal Love Between Sankatsu and Hanshichi" (Omi hakkei: Sankatsu hanshichi no bosetsu), signed Utamaro hitsu, with publisher's mark Hon(Omiya Gonkuro of Shuhodo), ca. 1798-99, oban tate-e 15 1/8 by 10 in., 38.3 by 25.5 cm. Asking price: $22,000. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

This print is from a series of three-quarter length portraits of pairs of lovers from popular jojuripuppet plays. The series title, Omi Hakkei (Eight Famous Views), is a common classical theme which groups eight specific locations in Japan (originally based on the Chinese Eight Famous Views of the Xio and the Xiang) paired with eight set poems or images which was utilized in seemingly endless variations by ukiyo-e artists to present more decadent subjects under the guise of propriety. In this print, illustrating the lovers Sankatsu and Hanshichi, Utamaro refers to their affection for each other with the term bosetsu, which can be translated as 'a mother's constant love,' but also works as a pun for 'evening snow'- a clever reference to Hira no bosetsu ('Evening Snow on Mount Hira'), one of the set Omi Hakkei themes which is illustrated within the circular landscape cartouche.

The various plays popularly known as 'Sankatsu and Hanshichi' were based on a the true story of a love suicide that took place in the Sennichi burial ground in Osaka in 1695. Sankatsu was the adopted daughter of Minoya Heizaemon of Nagamachi and a courtesan in Osaka, and Akeneya Hanshichi was the son of a sakemerchant in Gojo in the Yamato Province. One of the first adaptions of the story was the play Hade sugata onna mai-ginue which was first staged as a Bunraku puppet play 1772. The story was not converted to a kabuki play until 1874. In the play, the lovers, who have a daughter named Otsu, decide to send the child to Hanshichi's parents carrying a suicide note (where is wife Osono has dutifully stayed with her in-laws) before they commit the act. This print seems to depict the climatic moment when Sankatsu weeps for her child and struggles with their decision, and Hanshichi, here noticeably impatient with her hesitation, urges her to go on, just before they exit the stage by running down thehanamichi in order to commit their suicide out of view.

The composition of this print is very remarkable in its overt display of emotion which is not often found in ukiyo-e subjects. In a genre that usually conveys passions with just a misplaced strand of hair, Utamaro takes a less restrained approach to communicate tensions between the lovers. Sankatsu is sits in crumpled dejection, her head lowered well below her shoulders and she wipes at the corner of her eye, surely in an effort to contain her tears. Hanshichi sits behind her, nearly looming over her shoulders and scowling in her direction. He holds his tobacco pipe vertically, the tip resting on his lap in a manner that mimics a ruler holding a scepter. Perhaps Utamaro's unflattering portrayal of the lovers reflects on his own disapproval of their tragic end.

References: J. Hillier, Utamaro: Colour Prints and Paintings, 1961, p. 124, cat. no. 80 
Sugo Asano and Timothy Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, 1995, cat. nos. 296 and 323

There are several prints in the exhibition that show how young women, both in and out of the pleasure quarters, pass their time. Fashionable Five Festivals: Amusements of the Girls in the Seventh Month by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) from ca. 1796 shows a young girl struggling with writing her poetic wish for the Tanabata Festival. She sits at a writing table, brush in hand, with all the accoutrements needed, but the blank paper looms before her. On the floor are completed poems on decorative paper, rejected or not, is unclear. But a companion at her side holds open a copy of the poetry anthology, Ehon hyakunin shu (Picture Book of One Hundred Poets), ready to provide inspiration to the young poetess. 

Utagawa Toyokuni I, 1769-1825, "Fashionable Five Festivals: Amusements of Girls in the Seventh Month" (Furyu Gosekku: Fumizuki musume asobi), signed Toyokuni ga with publisher's seal Waka(Wakasaya Yoichi of Jakurindo), ca. 1796, aiban tate-e 13 1/4 by 9 in., 33.5 by 22.9 cm. Asking price: $3,800. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

A beauty seated at a writing table prepares to write a wish upon a narrow slip of paper which will be used as an ornament to hang on a bamboo decoration for the Tanabata Festival. On the desk are her necessary implements: a small inkstone and ink stick, additional brushes, a water dropper in the shape of a teapot, and extra paper in an array of colors. On the floor there is a small pile of decorative paper with completed (or rejected) wishes already inscribed on the top sheets. She pauses, brush in hand, and turns to confer with a companion seated at her side who holds open a copy of a poetry anthology, Ehon Hyakunin shu (Picture Book of One Hundred Poets). Branches of bamboo with Tanabata Festival ornaments are illustrated above within the reserve defined by a stylized cloud.

The Tanabata Festival (or Star Festival), held on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is based on a legend associated with a celestial event- the meeting of the Vega star and the Altair star across the Milky Way, described in the legend of the married lovers, Orihime (the Weaving Princess, or the Vega star), and Hikoboshi (the Herdsman, or the Altair star). The pair were separated by Orihime's father, Tentei ('heavenly king') after they married because he was angry the Princess had stopped weaving her beautiful silks and Hikoboshi was neglecting his cows. He placed the Amanogawa River (a river of stars, ie. the Milky Way) between them and forbade the two to meet. He was eventually moved by his daughter's tears and relented, allowing them to reunite once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month.

Reference: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (www.mfa.org), accession no. RES.49.154

The private life of a courtesan inside the pleasure quarters is depicted by Kikugawa Eizan's (1787-1867) Twelve Hours in the Pleasure Quarters: Daytime, Hour of the Snake, Courtesan Tomoshie of the Daimonji, ca. 1812. The so-called hour of the snake was a two-hour increment that began around 10 in the morning. Here we see the courtesan Tomoshie who is just getting up. She barely keeps her lightweight kimono closed, exposing an astounding length of leg and a deep décolletage. She seems to have just finished washing up and is using the sleeve of her robe to dry behind her ears. A young assistant holding a bowl of water is not entirely put together herself; her robe is disheveled at the collar and is opening at the legs revealing her upper thigh.  

Kikugawa Eizan, 1787-1867, "Twelve Hours in the Pleasure Quarters: Daytime, Hour of the Snake, Courtesan Tomoshie of the Daimonji" (Seiro juniji toki: Hiru mi no koku, Daimonji Tomoshie), signed Kiku Eizan hitsu, with censors kiwame(approved) seal and gyoji (publisher guild) seal,Tsusan (Tsumuraya Saburobei), and publisher seal Ezakiya (Ezakiya Ichibei of Tenjudo), ca. 1812, oban tate-e 14 7/8 by 10 in., 37.9 by 25.5 cm. Asking price: $6,000. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

It's mid-morning, the hour of the snake, at 10:00, and the courtesan Tomoshie is getting up at the Daimonji brothel. She stands barely dressed holding her yukata (light cotton kimono) closed just below her waist, exposing a deep décolletage and much of her bare legs. An ornateuchikake (outer-robe), perhaps tossed aside in haste the previous evening, is draped over thekimono rack to her left. An attendant kneeling at her side, possibly a shinzo (teenaged apprentice), holds a tray with a porcelain bowl filled with water which was likely used for washing up, as Tomoshie rubs the back of her neck and ear with the sleeve of her robe and wisps of hair fall into her face. The younger beauty who hasn't bothered to completely secure her rumpled kimono shows a flash of her upper thigh and also has a few strands of hair out of place, suggesting a morning rush in the household.

References: Eiko Kondo, ed., Eizan, Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, 1996, p. 63, no. 83
Minneapolis Institute of Art (collections.artmia.org), from the Hill Collection, accession no. P.78.65.95

While some prints provide titles and puns to help us identify the story behind the composition, others provide only oblique clues and leave the rest to our imaginations. A stunningly well-preserved print by Keisai Eisen (1790-1848), has a curious title that seems to marry manufacturing with artistry: Modern Specialties and Dyed Fabrics: Sound of Insects at the Bank of the Sumida, ca. 1830. While the series title references a certain type of cloth dyed in a dappled pattern, the print title evokes the poetic sound of insects along the Sumida River in the summertime, and the composition itself seems to have little to do with either. The image is of a woman reading a letter by the light of a lantern which casts a dramatic beam across the room. The temperature must be uncomfortably warm because she wears her kimono very loosely, leaving the collar wide open at her chest with the sleeves pushed up, allowing it to open between her thighs to reveal a suggestive view of the red under-robe. She sits awkwardly with her knees folded at an angle, hunched over a long scroll of paper with an anguished look on her face with tell-tale wisps of hair falling forward signaling her distress. What is in the letter? Why is she so intense? Is it good or bad? We don't know, her story is open for our interpretation.  

Keisai Eisen, 1790-1848,"Modern Specialties and Dyed Fabrics: Sound of Insects at the Bank on the Sumida" (Tosei meibutsu kanoko: Sumida-tsutsumi no mushino oto), signed Keisai Eisen ga, with censor's seal kiwame(approved), publisher's mark Hei (Omiya Heihachi), ca. 1830, oban tate-e 13 7/8 by 9 3/4 in., 35.3 by 24.9 cm. Asking price: $3,800. Photo courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

An interior view of a young woman reading a letter by the light of an andon (lantern). The temperature must be uncomfortably warm- she wears her purple and green plaid kimono as loosely as possible, leaving the collar wide open at her chest with the sleeves are pushed up, and allowing it to open between her thighs revealing the red under robe, and there is a summer fan decorated with bonito fish and daikon (both summer foods) at her feet. The lantern casts a beam a light across the room, and a kimonodecorated with an auspicious bat pattern hangs to the side. She sits awkwardly with her knees folded at an angle, hunched over the long scroll of paper, with a look of anguish on her face. Wisps of hair fall into her face signaling her distress.

The term kanoko, in the series title, refers to a type of cloth dyed in a dappled pattern, worn by all of the beauties in this series.

Reference: Chiba City Museum of Art, Keisai Eisen: Artist of the Floating World, 2012, pp. 152-153 (series), p. 283, cat. no. 90-2

The exhibition will feature 48 woodblock prints including works by: Suzuki Harunobu (ca. 1724-70), Katsukawa Shunsho (1726-1792), Kitao Shigemasa (1739-1820), Katsukawa Shunko (1743-1812), Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), Ippitsusai Buncho (fl. ca. 1755-90), Hosoda Eishi (1756-1829), Katsukawa Shunsen (1762- ca. 1830), Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769-1825), Utagawa Toyokuni II (1777-1835), Chokosai Eisho (fl. ca. 1780-1800), Keisai Eisen (1790-1848), Kikugawa Eizan (1787-1867), and collaborative works by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858); and one painting by Hosoda Eishi. 

Gallery viewing will begin on Thursday, March 10th, and continue through Friday, March 18th. An online exhibition will be posted in advance of the opening at www.scholten-japanese-art.com. Scholten Japanese Art, located at 145 West 58th Street, Suite 6D, is open Monday through Friday, and some Saturdays, 11am - 5pm, by appointment. To schedule an appointment please call (212) 585-0474. 

For the duration of the first segment of the exhibition, March 10 – 18, the gallery will have general open hours (no appointment needed), 11 am to 5 pm; and thereafter by appointment through March 31st.

Lot 11, Pot sur pied, Vietnam, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca 500 BCE-100 BCE. Estimation : 100 € / 150 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Terre cuite. H. 21 cm 
Décor d'impression de tressage et de lignes incisés.

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com – Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong. Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59

Lot 13, Pot, Vietnam, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca. 500 BCE – 100 BCE. Estimation : 200 € / 250 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Terre-cuite, H. 16 cm 
Muni de quatre anses boucles et à décor de motif de chevrons. 

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com – Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong. Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59

Lot 14, Pot, Vietnam, Culture de Đông Sơn, ca. 500 BCE – 100 BCE. Estimation : 150 € / 200 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Terre cuite, H. 20 cm 
A décor gravé de demi cercles disposés en bandeaux et de lignes horizontales. 

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com – Consultant pour le Vietnam : Monsieur Philippe Truong. Tel. : +33 6 31 34 40 59

Lot 135, Imposant masque de la société du Ndunga, Woyo, R.D. du Congo. Estimation : 6 000 € / 8 000 €. Photo Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Bois. h. 54 cm 
Imposant masque de la société du Ndunga. Le caractère monumental de ce type de masque est liéà l'imposant costume de feuilles de bananiers qui dissimule les danseurs. Il est sculpté dans un subtil jeu de courbes liant les formes périphériques à celles des joues, du nez et de la bouche qui laisse apparaître les deux incisives supérieures. Une riche polychromie à dominante de rouge, blanc, noir et vert le recouvre suivant des zones alternées et des points dont la disposition n'est absolument pas laissée au hasard, mais correspond à une forte symbolique associée à sa fonction. La face interne présente une très belle patine d'usage. 

Cf: R. Lehuard. "Art Bakongo : Les masques" Arnouville 1993 pp 720 à 771 pour un panorama des masques du Ndunga. 

Provenance: - Antérieurement acquis d’Alain Guisson (Bruxelles)

CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR PARIS, Arts d’Asie – Art Tribal Documentation, le 23 Mars 2016 à 14h30. Expert : Cabinet Daffos-Estournel. Tel. : +33 6 09 22 55 13 – http://www.aaoarts.com