Lot 2154. An impressive 39.01 carat fancy vivid yellow diamond ring. Estimate HKD 15,000,000 - 18,000,000 (USD 1,920,000 - 2,304,000). © Poly Auction

Set with a cushion-shaped diamond weighing 39.01 carats, to the diamond set shoulders, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6. 

Accompanied by report no. 2175559183 dated 30 March 2016 from the GIA stating that 39.01 carat diamond is natural Fancy Vivid Yellow color, VS2 clarity .

Lot 32. A celadon lotus-form box and cover, Six Dynasties (220-560), 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000 (USD 38,584 - USD 64,307). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1988

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 33. A small blue-glazed reserve-decorated circular box and cover, Tang dynasty (618-907), 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000 (USD 38,584 - USD 64,307). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1990

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 34. An amber-glazed marbled 'Floral' circular box and cover,Tang dynasty (618-907), 3 in. (7.7 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 150,000 - HKD 260,000 (USD 19,292 - USD 33,440). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1988

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 35. A small white-glazed circular box and cover,Tang dynasty (618-907), 2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 15,434). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

The interior of the box is covered with a dark brown glaze, box.

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1988. 

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 36. A Qingbai pomegranate-form box and cover, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), 2 7/8 in. (7.2 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 15,434). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017  

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 37. A white-glazed circular box and cover, Five Dynasties (907-960), 4 3/8 in. (11.2 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 12,861 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017  

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 38. A large white-glazed flattened circular box and cover, Tang dynasty (618-907), The box, 6 1/2 cm. (16.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 12,861 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Accompanied by a pair of metal tweezers, a bone comb fragment, and a bone fragment of an implement, box.

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1990.

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 39. A Cizhou painted 'floral' circular box and cover, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234), 4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000 (USD 3,858 - USD 6,431). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 40. A Cizhou painted 'floral' circular box and cover, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234), 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000 (USD 3,858 - USD 6,431). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 41. A Ding persimmon-glazed circular box and cover, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234), 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000 (USD 3,858 - USD 6,431). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 42. A Changsha polychrome-decorated circular box and cover and a small Ding-type box and cover, Tang-Five Dynasties (618-960). Estimate HKD 50,000 - HKD 70,000 (USD 6,431 - USD 9,003). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The larger, 4 in. (10.2 cm.) diam., box.

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1990 (Changsha box and cover)

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 43. A Qingbai iron-spot ‘Mandarin ducks’ conjoined box and cover and a celadon iron-spot bird-form conjoined box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 10,289). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Both 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm.) wide, boxes.

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

 Lot 44. A Qingbai moulded chrysanthemum-shaped box and cover and a Qingbai hexafoil box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 15,434). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The larger, 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm.) high, box.

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

 Lot 45. A Qingbai three-tiered 'Floral' foliate box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279), 4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 150,000 - HKD 180,000 (USD 19,292 - USD 23,150). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 46. A Qingbai carved 'Floral' flattened box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279), 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 12,861 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 47. A Qingbai moulded 'Peony' chrysanthemum-shaped box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279), 5 3/4 in. (14.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 150,000 - HKD 180,000 (USD 19,292 - USD 23,150). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 48. Two Qingbai chrysanthemum-shaped boxes and covers, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 10,289). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The smaller box with a “Duan jia he zi x” mark in relief to the base, which may be translated as “Made by the Duan family”.
The larger, 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) diam., box

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection. 

Lot 49.  A Qingbai three-tiered chrysanthemum-shaped box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279), 3 1/4 in. (8.2 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 120,000 - HKD 180,000 (USD 15,434 - USD 23,150). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 50. A blue and white 'Peonies and Rocks' fluted circular box and cover and a Vietnamese underglaze blue and polychrome-enamelled foliate box and cover, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and Vietnam, 16th century. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000 (USD 3,858 - USD 6,431). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The blue and white box with a seal mark in underglaze blue to the base. The larger, 4 3/4 in. (12.2 cm.) diam., box.

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Lot 51. A Longquan celadon carved patterned circular box and cover, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 10,289). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Property of the Dexinshuwu Collection.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 2 October 2017, Alexandra House, Hong Kong

Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, after treatment. Photograph: Simon Gillespie.

GLASGOW - A painting by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens has been found in Glasgow after it was thought to have been lost for 400 years.

The portrait was considered a copy of an original depicting George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, who was believed to have been James VI and I’s lover. It was hanging at Pollok House, a National Trust for Scotland property. The work caught the eye of Dr Bendor Grosvenor from BBC4’s Britain’s Lost Masterpieces during a visit.

After analysis and restoration the long-lost work has been authenticated and will appear in an episode of the BBC4 program on Wednesday.

Read more at Guardian

The painting before restoration. Photograph: Simon Gillespie.

The painting with the Glasgow Museums curator Pippa Stephenson. Photograph: Paul Devlin/SNS Group/CSG CIC Glasgow. 

Cleveland, OH —The Cleveland Museum of Art’s recent acquisitions include a portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote by British artist Joseph Wright of Derby, a drawing by German Expressionist Oskar Kokoschka, a 14th-century Japanese hanging scroll featuring the Buddhist deity Aizen Myōō, Wisdom King of Passion, and a monumental oil painting on canvas by contemporary Chinese artist Liu Wei. 

Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote. 18th-century artwork showcases innovative figurative and landscape painting

Often described as among the artist’s most successful and appealing portraits, Joseph Wright of Derby’s Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote is one of a limited group of small-scale likenesses made in the early 1770s, depicting the figures at full length in a landscape setting. The subject, Charles Heathcote, of Derby, joined the army in 1745 at the age of 15, and rose through the ranks. At the time of his retirement in 1772, Heathcote was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 35th Foot (Royal Sussex).  

The figure is painted in a relatively soft and smooth technique: facial features are carefully characterized and minute attention paid to rendering details of costume. However, the landscape is painted in a more energetic, almost impressionistic, technique. Indeed, Wright gave the landscape as much personality and presence as he did Heathcote himself. The group of small-scale portraits to which the Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote belongs mark the beginnings of Wright’s interest in landscape painting.

This innovative approach to combining figure and landscape was not particularly well received by critics at the time, who were more accustomed to portraits entirely dominated by a figure alone. When viewed close up, the variance in technique can seem jarring, but when viewed from the intended few steps away, Wright’s radical approach results in a compelling image of an elegant figure in verdant natural surroundings. Wright painted the landscape in bold, broad brushstrokes that call attention to artistic process in a way that seems dazzlingly modern for a painting executed in 1771–72. 

Joseph Wright’s Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote makes a striking addition to the museum’s display of eighteenth-century British art. It complements and offers a counterpoint to the full-length, life-sized Grand Manner portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, Thomas Lawrence and Joshua Reynolds in the collection.  

Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote (1730–1803), c. 1771–72. Joseph Wright of Derby (English, born Derby, 1734–1797). Oil on canvas; 127 x 100 cm (50 x 40 in.). Cleveland Museum of Art.

Wisdom King of Passion, Aizen Myōō. Icon exhibits the spectacular goldwork and vibrant color of Japan’s medieval painting  

Aizen Myōō is the Wisdom King of Passion, one of the Five Great Wisdom Kings who protect the Five Wisdom Buddhas. Aizen Myōō converts carnal desire into a lust for enlightenment. Icons of Aizen were especially prevalent in the 13th and 14th centuries in Japan due to the deity’s association with repulsing attempted invasions by Kublai Khan’s forces in the late 13th century.

Aizen Myōō is depicted with a red body and six arms. He has a flaming mandorla, or body halo, and sits on a lotus supported by a vase from which flaming, wish-fulfilling jewels flow. This medieval Japanese representation of Aizen conveys the color palette, complexity of design, fine line work, and use of cut gold characteristic of the best 14th-century Japanese Buddhist paintings. 

This painting complements a 13th-century sculpture of Aizen Myōō in the museum’s collection, as the painting depicts implements now missing from the sculpture’s hands, as well as the type of dais on which the wooden sculpture would have once been placed. 

Wisdom King of Passion (Aizen Myōō), 1300s. Kamakura period (1333–1392) to Nanbokuchō period (1336–92). Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and cut gold on silk, painting: 102 x 60.5 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Birth of a Child. A quintessentially Expressionist drawing by Oskar Kokoschka

Born in Pöchlarn, Austria, in 1886, Oskar Kokoschka was a key figure in the development of Expressionism in Austria. Between 1909 and 1915, spurred by his withdrawal from art school, his acquaintance with other Expressionists, and his tempestuous affair with the Viennese socialite Alma Mahler, Kokoschka entered a period of prolific creativity. With their expressive brushstrokes and fragmentation of the human body and face, Kokoschka’s portraits ushered in a new era of portraiture that emphasized the uncompromising analysis of the human psyche. 

Birth of a Child, executed in tempera and charcoal, was made in 1914. The drawing features Kokoschka’s characteristically energetic brushstrokes and brilliant, contrasting colors, which create vigor and movement around a central woman, in white, who gives birth. The hardship of the birthing process is relayed by the gestures of the three women who surround her: a woman in pink holds the birthing woman’s arms above her head, while another in green at her side grasps her shoulders. A third pours a basin of water between her legs. The newborn is noticeably absent, and the birthing woman’s lifeless pallor foretells a tragic outcome. 

This large sheet was preparatory for a commission Kokoschka received for the interior decoration of a reception hall at a new cemetery complex in Breslau (Wroclaw). A related drawing in Switzerland reveals the concept for a wall fresco exploring the inevitability of death at every stage of life. World War I derailed plans for the cemetery, and Kokoschka’s fresco project went unrealized. This drawing resonates with other works Kokoschka made around the same time that exhibit a preoccupation with women as both torturers of men and life-giving mothers. His relationship with Alma Mahler and his anguish over Mahler’s abortion of their child formed the undercurrent of much of his work at this time.   

This is the first drawing by this artist to enter the collection and joins a small but strong collection of German Expressionist drawings, including works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Egon Schiele, Emil Nolde, Käthe Kollwitz, Ludwig Meidner, and Paula Modersohn-Becker.

Birth of a Child, 1914. Oskar Kokoschka (Austrian, 1886–1980). Tempera or opaque watercolor, black chalk, and graphite on paper; 19.4 x 22 in. The Cleveland Museum of Art.

Panorama No. 2. Painting is a superb example of artist’s technique and approach

Liu Wei is among China’s most accomplished contemporary artists. Born in 1972 in Beijing toward the end of the Cultural Revolution, he belongs to a generation of artists whose careers emerged during a period of accelerating urbanization and globalization. 

Working with a wide range of media, including film, painting, sculpture, and installation, Liu Wei’s work addresses the rapidly changing social and architectural landscape of China while simultaneously taking global issues into account. Free of the visual tropes associated with historical Chinese painting, Liu Wei’s artistic practice frequently references the computer age.

The monumental diptych Panorama No. 2 exemplifies a technical shift that Liu Wei introduced into his work in 2010, when he began using computer software to generate patterns of pixels that are converted onto canvas and subsequently filled with specific color palettes. The semi-abstract imagery of Panorama No. 2recalls the vast skylines of mega cities. At the same time, by employing the binary code of the computer to generate the painting’s overall composition and oscillating pattern of grey, orange, purple, and yellow, the imagery is removed from primarily functioning as a social or political commentary. Instead, the abstract quality of the painting is so strong that it becomes unclear whether the viewer is looking at a landscape or a purely abstract pattern. 

Panorama No. 2, 2015–16. Liu Wei (Chinese, b. 1972). Oil on canvas; 350 x 400 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art.

Forest Fire, January 5, 1984. Donald Sultan

In the 1980s Donald Sultan began a series of industrial landscapes entitled the Disaster Paintings. He worked on the series for nearly a decade, using images of actual events drawn from the daily newspaper including forest fires, railway accidents, arsons, and industrial plants exuding toxic fumes. Sultan’s Disaster Paintings illustrate robust, man-made or natural structures as fragile constructs that can be undone by catastrophic events. 

Sultan was one of the first artists of his generation to employ a wide range of industrial tools and materials in lieu of traditional brushes and paints. His works have a physical power as well as an emotional weight that keeps them suspended between painting and sculpture. Forest Fire, January 5, 1984 exemplifies this captivating series of large-scale paintings. 

Forest Fire, January 5, 1984, 1984. Donald Sultan (American, b. 1951). Latex, plaster, and tar on vinyl tile over Masonite; 243.8 x 243.8 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art

Lot 2081. An 18.11 carat no oil Colombian emerald and diamond ring. Estimate HKD 14,000,000 - 22,000,000 (USD 1,792,000 - 2,816,000). © Poly Auction

Set with a cushion-shaped emerald weighing 18.11 carats, surrounded by ten oval-shaped diamonds, altogether weighing 4.66 carats, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6 . 

Lot 2072. Property of an important Asian collector. An exceptional jadeite 'Ruyi Treasure Bowl' pendant. Estimate HKD 14,000,000 - 22,000,000 (USD 1,792,000 - 2,816,000). © Poly Auction

Suspending a jadeite of intense green color and high translucency, weighing 280.52 carats, carved as a "treasure bowl" with ruyi atop, to a lavender jadeite bead surmount, plaque approximately 57.90 x 31.31 mm, thickness 13.31 mm.  

Lot 2062. A 1.03 carat fancy purplish red and 10.02 carat D/IF type IIA diamond and diamond pendant necklace. Estimate HKD 13,000,000 - 18,000,000 (USD 1,664,000 - 2,304,000). © Poly Auction

The pendant set with a hexagonal-shaped fancy purplish red diamond weighing 1.03 carats, suspending a pear-shaped D color, internally flawless diamond weighing approximately 10.02 carats, surmounted by a pear-shaped D color, internally flawless diamond weighing 2.66 carats, to the fancy-and circular- shaped diamond-set line necklace and clasp, mounted in 18K gold, 42.2 cm long.  

Lot 2052. A pair of 10.47 and 10.50 carat diamond ear pendants, by Harry Winston. Estimate HKD 12,000,000 - 16,000,000 (USD 1,536,000 - 2,048,000). © Poly Auction

Each suspending an emerald-cut internally flawless diamond weighing 10.47 and 10.50 carats, to the surmount set with emerald-cut diamonds weighing 1.17 and 1.11 carats, each within a brilliantcut diamond frame and to the diamond-set hook, mounted in platinum, 4.3 cm long.  Signed HW for Harry Winston, no. 181960.

Accompanied by report no. 2171718424 dated 8 November 2016 from the GIA stating that the 10.47 carat diamond is of E color, Internally Flawless clarity, with Excellent Polish and Symmetry Accompanied by report no. 5172718454 dated 8 November 2016 from the GIA stating that the 10.50 carat diamond is of E color, Internally Flawless clarity, with Excellent Polish and Symmetry Accompanied by report no. 6187281988 dated 4 August 2017 from the GIA stating that the 1.17 carat diamond is of E color, VVS2 clarity Also accompanied by report no. 1243953517 dated 14 February 2017 from the GIA stating that the 1.11 carat diamond is of E color, VVS2 clarity. 

Lot 2027. A 37.06 carat no oil Colombian emerald and diamond ring. Estimate HKD 12,000,000 - 18,000,000 (USD 1,536,000 - 2,304,000). © Poly Auction

Centering upon an oval-shaped emerald weighing 37.06 carats, surrounded by twelve ovalshaped diamonds, to the brilliant-cut diamond shoulders, mounted in platinum, ring size 6.

Accompanied by report no. 90798 dated 8 March 2017 from the SSEF stating that the 37.063 carat emerald is of Colombia origin, with no indications of clarity treatment Accompanied by report no. 17038078 dated 24 March 2017 from the Gübelin stating that the 37.06 carat emerald is of Colombia origin, with no indication of clarity enhancement. 

Antoine-François Callet, Louis XVI, 1779, huile sur toile. Musée du château de Versailles© Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

PARIS.- En 2017-2018, pour sa troisième saison, l’exposition de la Petite Galerie montre le lien qui unit l’art et le pouvoir politique. Gouverner, c’est se mettre en scène pour assoir son autorité, sa légitimité et son prestige. L’art, au service des commanditaires mécènes, devient alors instrument de propagande. Les figures du prince inspirent les héros tragiques du théâtre classique, qui lui oppose des symboles de contre-pouvoir.

De l’Antiquitéà nos jours, une quarantaine d’œuvres des collections du musée du Louvre, du Musée national du château de Pau, du Château de Versailles et du musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris illustrent l’évolution des codes de représentation du pouvoir politique

PARIS.- The Petite Galerie exhibition for 2017–2018 focuses on the connection between art and political power. Governing entails selfpresentation as a way of affirming authority, legitimacy and prestige. Thus art in the hands of patrons becomes a propaganda tool; but it can also be a vehicle for protest and subverting the established order.  

Spanning the period from antiquity up to our own time, forty works from the Musée du Louvre, the Musée National du Château de Pau, the Château de Versailles and the Musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris illustrate the evolution of the codes behind the representation of political power. 

François Gérard, L'empereur Napoléon Ier en costume de sacre, 1805, huile sur toile, Paris, musée du Louvre© RMN-GP (musée du Louvre) Thierry Ollivier

L’exposition se déploie sur quatre salles : « Les figures du prince » : dans la première salle sont présentées les fonctions du roi (roi-prêtre ; roi-bâtisseur ; roi de guerreprotecteur) qui permettent d’évoquer les différentes techniques artistiques. On y trouve notamment Louis XIII de Philippe de Champaigne, le Retable de la crucifixion, émail de Léonard Limousin et la Triade d’Osorkon II ;

The exhibition is divided into four sections: "Princely Roles": The first room presents the king's functions— priest, builder, warrior/protector—as portrayed through different artistic media. Notable examples are Philippe de Champaigne's Louis XIII, Léonard Limosin's enamel Crucifixion Altarpiece, and the Triad of Osorkon II from ancient Egypt. 

Philippe de Champaigne (Bruxelles (Belgique actuelle),1602 - Paris, 1674), Louis XIII couronné par la Victoire (siège de la Rochelle. 1628), 1635. Huile sur toile, 2,28 m x 1,75 m, musée du Louvre © Musée du Louvre, dist. RMN - Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola

Léonard Limousin (Limoges,1505 - Limoges, 1575), Retable de la Crucifixion, 1553, Limoges. Email peint sur cuivre, 1,06m x 0,74m, musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle

Pendentif au nom du roi Osorkon II : la famille du dieu Osiris, 874- 850 avant J.-C, 22ème dynastie. Or, lapis-lazuli et verre rouge, 9 cm x 6,6 cm, musée du Louvre © Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christian Decamps

© Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 74. A bronze 'Lion and Grapevine' mirror, Tang dynasty (618-907), 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 50,000 (USD 3,858 - USD 6,431). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1997

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 75. A Yue celadon chicken-head ewer, Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420), 8 3/8 in. (21.2 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 10,289). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1997

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 76. A Lushan phosphatic glaze-splashed brown-glazed foliate-appliqué twin-handled jar, Tang dynasty (618-907), 9 1/8 in. (23 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017  

Provenance: Acquired in Taipei in 1998 

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 77. A Cizhou sgraffiato white-glazed 'floral' pear-shaped vase, yuhuchunping, Jin dynasty (1115-1234), 12 3/4 in. (32.3 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017   

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Literature: National Museum of History, The Exhibition of Chinese Ceramics of Eight Dynasties, Taipei, 1987, Catalogue, p. 38
Chugoku meito ten: Chugoku toji 2000-nen no seika [Exhibition of Chinese Pottery: Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics], Tokyo, 1992, no. 33.

Lot 78. A black-glazed cut-glazed ‘floral’ meiping, Xixia dynasty, 12th-13th century, 13 7/8 in. (35.3 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017   

Property from the Yangdetang Collection. 

Lot 79. A Jun shallow dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), 7 3/4 in. (19.8 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017    

Property from the Yangdetang Collection. 

Lot 80. A Jun purple-splashed bowl, Jin-Yuan dynasty (1115-1368), 7 5/8 in. (19.2 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 10,289). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017     

Property from the Yangdetang Collection. 

Lot 81. A white-glazed barbed-rim dish, Five Dynasties (907-960), 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 120,000 - HKD 180,000 (USD 15,434 - USD 23,150). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017      

Property from the Yangdetang Collection. 

Lot 82. A russet-painted black-glazed 'bird' wine jar,Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), 8 in. (20.2 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000 (USD 12,861 - USD 19,292). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017     

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 83. A Yaozhou moulded 'chrysanthemum' bowl,Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), 8 1/4 in. (20.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 40,000 - HKD 60,000 (USD 5,145 - USD 7,717). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017      

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 84. A Jizhou paper-cut resist-decorated tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 10,289). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017       

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 85. A Shufu moulded 'Dragon' washer, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), 5 in. (12.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 100,000 (USD 7,717 - USD 12,861). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Lot 86. A Shufu moulded 'Scrolling Lotus' washer, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm.) diam.. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000 (USD 10,289 - USD 15,434). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

The bowl is moulded to the cavetto with ‘Shu' and 'Fu’ characters separated by lotus scrolls, box.

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 2 October 2017, Alexandra House, Hong Kong

Lot 2019. A 13.66 carat Kashmir sapphire ring. Estimate HKD 12,000,000 - 16,000,000 (USD 1,536,000 - 2,048,000). © Poly Auction

Centering upon a rectangular-shaped sapphire weighing 13.66 carats, flanked by two trapezoid -shaped diamonds, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6 1/4.

Accompanied by report no. 17038008 dated 23 March 2017 from the Gübelin stating that the 13.66 carat sapphire is of Kashmir origin, with no indications of heating Also accompanied by an Information Sheet to report no. 17038008 titled 'Unheated Sapphires'. 

Lot 2026. A pair of 11.29 and 10.45 carats no oil Colombian emerald ear pendants. Estimate HKD 10,000,000 - 15,000,000 (USD 1,280,000 - 1,920,000). © Poly Auction

Each set with a rectangular-shaped emerald weighing 11.29 and 10.45 carats, within a brilliant-cut diamond surround, suspended by rectangular-cut diamond surmount, mounted in 18K gold, approximately 3.0 cm long .

Accompanied by report no. 15116073 / 1 and 2 dated 24 November 2015 from the Gübelin stating that the 11.29 and 10.45 carats emeralds are of Colombia origin, with no indications of clarity enhancement Also accompanied by report no. 80251 dated 25 May 2015 from the SSEF stating that the 11.296 and 10.458 carat emeralds are of Colombia origin, with no indications of clarity modification. 

Lot 2130. A highly important and rare pair of jadeite and diamond earrings. Estimate HKD 9,800,000 - 15,000,000 (USD 1,254,400 - 1,920,000). © Poly Auction

Each set with two oval jadeite cabochons of intense green color and high translucency to a brilliant-cut diamond gallery, mounted in 18K gold, jadeite cabochon approximately 18.90 x 15.19 x 9.65 mm. 

Accompanied by report no. KJ96367 dated 24 August 2017 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory stating that the jadeite tested is natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”.

Lot 2137. A very fine and important jadeite and diamond ring. Estimate HKD 9,000,000  - 15,000,000 (USD 1,152,000  - 1,920,000). © Poly Auction

Set with an oval jadeite cabochon of intense green color and high translucency, to a diamond-set shoulder and hoop, mounted in 18K gold, cabochon approximately 21.57 x 18.20 x 10.93 mm, ring size 8 1/2 

Accompanied by report no. KJ96156 dated 4 August 2017 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory stating that the jadeite tested is natural, known in the trade as “A Jade” .

Lot 2089. A 5.03 carat Burmese 'pigeon blood' ruby and diamond ring. Estimate HKD 8,000,000  - 12,000,000 (USD 1,126,400 - 1,536,000). © Poly Auction

Centering upon a cushion-shaped ruby weighing approximately 5.03 carats, surrounded by six D color oval-shaped diamonds, weighing 3.71 carats in total, to the brilliant-cut diamond half-hoop, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6. 

Accompanied by report no. 90723 dated 8 March 2017 from the SSEF stating that the ruby weighing 5.032 carats is of Burma (Myanmar) origin, with no indications of heating, and the color of this ruby may also be called 'pigeon blood red' based on SSEF reference standards Also accompanied by 6 GIA diamond dossiers, details see table.

Lot 2117. A pair of 13.01 and 13.79 carat Burmese 'Royal Blue' sapphire ear pendants by Harry Winston. Estimate HKD 7,800,000 - 9,800,000 (USD 998,400 - 1,254,400). © Poly Auction

Each suspending a detachable pendant, set with an oval-shaped sapphire, weighing 13.79 and 13.01 carats, within a brilliant-cut diamond surround, to a pear-shaped and oval-shaped diamond 'cluster' surmount, mounted in platinum, approximately 5.4 cm long; Signed HW for Harry Winston, with a Harry Winston blue leather box. 

Accompanied by report no. 17012115 and 17012116 dated 30 January 2017 and 1 February 2017 from Gübelin stating that the 13.79 and 13.01 carat sapphires are of Burma(Myanmar) origin, with no indication of heating Also accompanied by report no. 1081840 and 1081839 dated 20 February, 2017 from AGL stating that the 13.79 and 13.01 carat sapphires are of Burma(Myanmar) origin with no indication of heating Also accompanied by report no. GRS2017-088536 (1&2) dated 28 August 2017 from the GRS stating that the 13.01 and 13.79 carats sapphire are of Burma origin, Royal Blue color, with no indication of heating, Also accompanied with an important platinum award.

LOT 2116 and LOT 2117 show cases one of the most coveted and iconic jewelry designs - the Winston Cluster is the ultimate embodiment of timeless glamour, and unsurpassable style. Capturing the daring modernity and energy of New York over six decades ago, the Winston Cluster freed diamonds from their heavy metal settings and created a new dance of light. The various shapes, all poised at different angles, captured the stones' maximum brilliance and light, creating an abundance of scintillating sparkles.

Lot 2024. A very fine and rare 23.49 carat Burmese 'Royal Blue' sapphire and diamond ring, by Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate HKD 6,800,000 - 9,800,000 (USD 870,400- 1,254,400). © Poly Auction

Centering upon an oval-shaped sapphire weighing 23.49 carats, flanked by two pear-shaped diamonds, mounted in platinum, ring size 6 3/4. Signed Van Cleef & Arpels, no. 127732. 

Accompanied by report no. 13025090 dated 18 February 2013 from Gübelin stating that the 23.49 carat sapphire is of Burma(Myanmar) origin, the blue color is described in the trade as 'Royal Blue', with no indications of heating Accompanied by report no. 66579 dated 29 January 2013 from SSEF stating that the 23.495 carat sapphire is of Burma(Myanmar) origin, with no indications of heating Also accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity from Van Cleef & Arpels.

Lot 1. A finely carved large imperial heirloom Dingyao bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), 25.8 cm, 10 1/8  in. Estimate 3,000,000 — 4,000,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

the rounded conical sides supported on a knife-pared foot, rising to a flared rim with six indentations, the interior liberally and superbly carved with two large lotus blooms and broad leaves borne on curling stems, applied overall with an ivory-coloured glaze pooling in characteristic teardrops on the plain exterior, save for the unglazed lobed rim, the base partially covered with a dab of glaze and revealing the greyish-white body.

Provenance: Collection of the Chang Foundation, Taipei.

Bibliography: James Spencer (comp.), Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1990, cat. no. 25.

Note: At a casual glance this elegant bowl might seem like the archetypal Ding bowl; a closer look makes it clear that this bowl is on a different plane from most related pieces: its superb potting, swiftly and masterfully carved design, exquisite glaze and exceptional size are hard to match among extant Ding wares. The Ding kilns are known to have produced porcelains for the Northern Song (960-1127) court, but only occasionally do we come across a piece so concisely designed and exquisitely crafted that an imperial provenance springs to mind, and so well preserved that we think of a carefully protected heirloom piece. The present bowl, one of the largest examples of its type in existence, is one of those pieces.

Although this superbly styled and executed vessel would seem like a blue-print for Ding bowls, as its shape and design stand in the well-known stylistic tradition of the Ding kilns at the peak of their activity in the Northern Song dynasty, the present bowl stands out not only because of its large size, but also its distinct, mould-enhanced shape, the crispness and clarity of its carving with two lotus blooms and a large leaf and two stems of arrow-head, and the gloss and tactility of its glaze. It is an individually crafted example which seems like an idealised model for a more quickly produced series of smaller bowls, to which nowhere near the same amount of time and care could be devoted, and which therefore could not rise to the same standard. 

Celebrated for their thin potting, fine white body, which does not require a coating of slip to appear white after firing, and their ivory-coloured glaze, which tends to run down in somewhat darker ‘tears’, Ding wares became renowned for their elegant forms, some of which derived from contemporaneous silver and lacquer shapes, but many others – like the present form – were independently developed by the potters, and found favour with the court and wealthy monasteries during the Northern Song and Jin (1115-1234) periods. Due to the fragility of their thinly potted body that was prone to warping during the potting and firing stages, Ding bowls of similar type often measure around 22 cm in diameter, but hardly ever exceed that size. Only some of the wide basins and shallow moulded dishes from the Ding kilns are larger in diameter, but they are much more sturdily potted. 

The restrained, yet flowing lines of the carved decoration successfully capture the spirit and grace of the lotus flower, like brush strokes in contemporary ink painting, while accentuating the refined quality of the porcelain body. Symbolic of purity and integrity, because it rises clean out of muddy waters, the lotus was a popular motif throughout the Song dynasty (960-1279) due to the Confucian value of personal virtue, and frequently appeared on white-glazed Ding wares, whose pure glaze tone enhances the flower’s message. 

Lot 2. A very rare Yaozhou celadon 'Peony' box and cover with 'Floret' appliques, Northern Song – Jin dynasty, 13.2 cm, 5 1/8  in. Estimate 1,800,000 — 2,500,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

with a drum-form body rising from a flat base centred with a countersunk circular section, the exterior decorated around the foot with nine small 'floret' appliqués below a thin raised fillet, the cover similarly applied around the sides with nine small florets, the slightly domed top carved with a large peony bloom borne on a curling stem and wreathed by undulating foliage, the exterior applied overall save for the base with an unctuous sea-green celadon glaze pooling in the extremities and thinning along the raised edges.

Provenance: Collection of the Chang Foundation, Taipei.

Bibliography: James Spencer (comp.), Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1990, cat. no. 37.

Note: This drum-shaped vessel, probably made to contain chess (weiqi) pieces, is exquisitely potted, decorated, glazed and fired and, not surprisingly, exceedingly rare. The Yaozhou kilns at Huangpu, southwest of Tongchuan city in Shaanxi province, which had gained renown through their pale green vessels with deep, large-scale carving in the Five Dynasties period (907-960), became China’s major suppliers of high-quality celadon wares in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). While they turned to producing bowls and dishes with incised or moulded designs on a vast scale, they also created a small number of vessels in other shapes, which were generally given particular attention and thus remained rare.

Comparisons to the present piece, with its charming applied florets to reproduce ‘drum nails’, are mainly found in the form of wasters discovered at the kiln site. One well-preserved box and cover recovered from the kiln site, of similar form and design, but with an additional foliate scroll around the centre, its glaze turned a very dark tone especially where it pooled, is published together with some chess pieces in Songdai Yaozhou yaozhi/The Yaozhou Kiln Site of the Song Period, Beijing, 1998, col. pl. XI’ (see fig. 1); also illustrated are fragments of boxes similar to the present piece or with additional carving, pl. LXXXIX, figs 1-3, and p. 332, fig. 167: 1-12; and similar covers, with applied or impressed florets, or lacking florets altogether, pl. XCIV, figs 3-5, and p. 346, fig. 172.

 Celadon box and cover, together with chess pieces, excavated from Yaozhou kiln site, Shaanxi province © The Institute of Archaeology, Shaanxi.

The complete example from the kiln site was included in the exhibition The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1997, pl. 76, together with a miniature version from the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, cat. no. 77, and a later version with more yellowish glaze, attributed to the Jin dynasty (1115-1234), also excavated from the kiln site, pl. 89. 

This type of covered box was copied by the Juntai kilns of Yuzhou, Henan province, which are better known for their bright blue Jun wares, which might explain differences in quality of some extant pieces. A small example from the Juntai kiln site, decorated with a diaper design around the centre, is illustrated in Henan Sheng Bowuguan [Henan Provincial Museum], Beijing, 1985, pl. 133; a related piece, carved with a foliate scroll, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 1, pl. 422; and one from the Yang De Tang collection, carved with petals and with a yellowish glaze, was sold in our New York rooms, 17th March 2015, lot 62. 

A 'Yaozhou' celadon carved box and cover, Northern Song dynasty, from the Yang De Tang collection. Diameter 4 1/8  in., 10.5 cm. Sold for 125,000 USD ar Sotheby's New York rooms, 17th March 2015, lot 62. 

Cf. my post A 'Yaozhou' celadon carved box and cover, Northern Song dynasty

Sotheby's. Song – Important Chinese Ceramics from the Le Cong Tang Collection, Hong Kong, 03 oct. 2017, 10:20 AM