Lot 382. A large blue and white ‘Flower basket’ dish, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722). Diameter 14 1/8  in., 35.9 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000. Lot sold 27,500 USD. © Sotheby's

the shallow, rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a broad flared rim, the interior finely painted with a large woven bamboo basket set on a stand with three ruyi-head feet, the rounded sides of the basket supporting a flared rim overflowing with chrysanthemum, aster, peony, pomegranate blossoms, and other flowers beneath a tall, beribboned bamboo handle, the exterior painted with peony, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, coll. no. 297.

The Jie Rui Tang Collection.

Provenance: Marchant, London, 2001.

Literature: Jeffrey P. Stamen and Cynthia Volk with Yibin Ni, A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-era Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, Bruges, 2017, pl. 23.

Lot 304. Two rare powder-blue-ground floral dishes, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, circa 1720. Diameter 10 1/2  in., 26.6 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000. Lot sold 27,500 USD. © Sotheby's

each with shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot, the center superbly painted with flowers, one with gnarled magnolia branches bursting with blooms amidst sprays of thoroughwort, the other with grasses and lush lotus blossoms under a pendulous lotus leaf, set within a foliate-form reserve against a mottled blue ground, the reverse with two slender leafing bamboo reeds, the base with a beribboned artemisia leaf within a double circle (2), coll. nos 8 & 9.

The Jie Rui Tang Collection.

Provenance: Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York, 1998.

Literature: Jeffrey P. Stamen and Cynthia Volk with Yibin Ni, A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, Bruges, 2017, pl. 42.

Lot 327. A blue and white ‘Immortals’ bowl, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Diameter 6 1/4  in., 15.9 cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000. Lot sold 18,750 USD. © Sotheby's

the widely flared sides painted to the exterior in bright cobalt tones with the Eight Daoist Immortals traversing a landscape to greet Shoulao, the interior with a 'scholar in landscape' medallion, the rim dressed with dark brown, the base with an apocryphal six-character Jiajing mark within a double circle, coll. no. 403. 

The Jie Rui Tang Collection.

Provenance: Geoffrey Waters, Ltd., London, 2002.

Exhibited: Transitional Wares and their Forerunners, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1981, cat. no. 96.

Lot 307. A blue and white beaker vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 8 7/8  in., 22.5 cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000. Lot sold 18,750 USD. © Sotheby's

modeled after archaic gu, the flaring neck painted in blue washes accented with deep blue cobalt illustrating a scholar sitting on a riverbank by twin pines and rocks, the globular center section with two large quatrefoil cartouches respectively enclosing a scholar fishing riverside and another walking a mountain pass with a staff, both against a diaper ground, the lower register with two magpies merrily playing mid-flight amidst dangling prunus and bamboo, the base with an apocryphal six-character Jiajing mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, coll. no. 152.   

The Jie Rui Tang Collection.

Provenance: E. Pranger Oriental Art, Amsterdam, 1996.

Lot 731. A rare wucai square censer, 17th century; 4 ½ in. (11.4 cm.) wide. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 18,000. Price realised USD 32,500. ©Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The square body is decorated on each side in vibrant tones of green, red and blue enamels with immortals, each holding his attributes. The body is supported on a high shouldered base of conforming form, pierced on each side with three quatrefoil apertures, surrounded by delicate flower scroll, and raised on four outcurved feet. An apocryphal Chenghua mark in iron red is inscribed on the mouth rim, gilt-metal cover, mixed-metal cover, Japanese wood box.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 22 - 23 March 2018, New York

Lot 732. A large Dehua gu-form beaker vase, 17th century; 17 in. (43.1 cm.) high. Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 7,000. Price realised USD 8,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The slender vase has a rounded central section between bow-string bands, and is covered in a fine white glaze that also covers the base and continues into the interior, Japanese wood box.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 22 - 23 March 2018, New York

Paul Cézanne, Boy in a Red Waistcoat, 1888-1890, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. 

Washington, DC— Bringing together some 60 paintings drawn from collections around the world, Cézanne Portraits is the first exhibition devoted exclusively to this often-neglected genre of his work. The revelatory exhibition explores the pictorial and thematic characteristics of Paul Cézanne's (1839–1906) portraits, the chronological development of his style and method, and the range and influence of his sitters. The sole American venue, Cézanne Portraits will be on view on the main floor of the West Building from March 25 through July 1, 2018.

"This exhibition provides an unrivaled opportunity to reveal the extent and depth of Cézanne's achievement in portraiture," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "The partnership between the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris has made it possible to explore his working techniques as well as his intellectual solutions to representation in these exceptional portraits."

Paul Cézanne, Uncle Dominique in Smock and Blue Cap, 1866–1867, oil on canvas, Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wolfe Fund, 1951; acquired from The Museum of Modern Art, Lillie P. Bliss Collection (53.140.1).

Cézanne painted almost 200 portraits, including 26 self-portraits and nearly 30 portraits of his wife, Hortense Fiquet, as well as portraits of his son Paul and his uncle Dominique Aubert, art dealer Ambroise Vollard, critic Gustave Geffroy, and the local men and women in his native Aix-en-Provence. The exhibition presents a selection of portraits that reveals the most personal and human aspects of Cézanne's art.

Cézanne Portraits explores the artist's series of portraits of the same sitter; traces his portraits chronologically, revealing changes in style and method; and shows the full range of his sitters and how they influenced his practice. Cézanne's unique vision was informed by a desire to see through appearances to the underlying structure using mass, line, and shimmering color. The exhibition traces the development of Cézanne's portraits and the changes that occurred through style and method and the understanding of resemblance and identity.

Paul Cézanne, The Artist’s Father, Reading “L’Événement”, 1866, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon.

Cézanne made his first portrait in the early 1860s, although it was not until 1866 that he began to paint portraits in earnest. Often painting family and friends with whom he felt comfortable, his early works were stylistically influenced by Gustave Courbet's and Édouard Manet's Parisian portraits. The family paintings include large portraits of his father, small paintings of his mother and sisters, and about nine portraits of his uncle, the bailiff Dominique Aubert, and provocative paintings of poet and art critic Antony Valabrègue and the artist Achille Emperaire.

By the end of the 1860s Cézanne's portraits became more refined and more sympathetic to his sitters. He began to produce fewer portraits until 1875, when he created a group of self-portraits painted in an impressionist style prominently featuring his bald head. Between 1876 and 1877 he began to incorporate heightened hues in which areas of prismatic color help to shape a vivid human presence, as seen in Madame Cézanne in a Red Armchair (c. 1877), on view in the exhibition. Over the following seven or eight years, Cézanne created portraits of sculptural gravity, including paintings of his wife, their young son, and his son's friend Louis Guillaume, as well as self-portraits.

Paul Cézanne, Self-Portrait, c. 1875, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of Jacques Laroche, 1947, © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski.

Between 1872 and 1892 Cézanne painted 28 portraits of his wife. Seventeen of these, painted during the second half of the 1880s, form three distinct stylistic groups. The first group, a set of small, lightly painted canvases, were painted around 1886 and includes the most expressive images of her made to date, marking a major shift in his portraiture practice. The second group, made a few years later, is more explicit in its description of emotion and more heavily painted. The third group of four portraits depicts Hortense wearing a red dress. Fifteen of these portraits will be on view.

Cézanne also painted several portraits of the model Michelangelo de Rosa in Italian garb. The Gallery's version, Boy in a Red Waistcoat (1888–1890), is the largest, most resolved of these portraits. Influenced by 16th-century mannerists such as Bronzino and Pontormo who painted iconic images of urban, male adolescents, Cézanne presents a moving, formally innovative image of a boy morphing into manhood.

Paul Cézanne, Victor Chocquet, 1876–1877, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Photograph © Bridgeman Images.

During the 1890s Cézanne began to paint portraits of local people in and around his native Aix-en-Provence. His portraits of agricultural laborers record his admiration for people who had grown old without changing their ways. The paintings of domestic servants and children indirectly reflect Cézanne's increasing preoccupation with old age. Included among these works are Child in a Straw Hat (1896), Man in a Blue Smock (c. 1897), Portrait of a Woman (c. 1900), and Seated Peasant (c. 1900–1904), all of which are in the exhibition.

Of the 100 paintings Cézanne made between 1900 and 1906, only about 20 are portraits, seven of which were painted outside. During this period, Cézanne painted his final self-portrait, Self-Portrait with Beret (1898–1900), on view in the exhibition, which depicts a fragile, prematurely aged but still vehement figure. The subjects of these later portraits are local men, women, and children as well as a pair of portraits of his sister, Marie, depicted in a blue dress, and five paintings of his gardener, Vallier, three of which are on view.

Paul Cézanne, Madame Cézanne in a Red Armchair, c. 1877, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Bequest of Robert Treat Paine, 2nd, Photograph © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The exhibition is curated by John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, with Mary Morton, curator and head of the department of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Xavier Rey, formerly director of collections at the Musée d'Orsay, now director of the museums of Marseille.

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

The exhibition in Washington is made possible through the generous support of the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

 Paul Cézanne, Self-Portrait, 1880–1881, oil on canvas, The National Gallery, London. Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1925, © National Gallery, London

Paul Cézanne, Madame Cézanne in a Red Dress, 1888-1890, oil on canvas, The Art Institute of Chicago, Wilson L. Mead Fund.

Paul Cézanne, Woman with a Coffee Maker (Cafetière), c. 1895, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Victor Pellerin, 1956, Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski.

Paul Cézanne, Gustave Geffroy, 1895–1896, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Pellerin family, 1969, Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski.

Paul Cézanne, Man in a Blue Smock, c. 1897, oil on canvas, Kimbell Art Museum, Forth Worth, Texas. Acquired in 1980 and dedicated to the memory of Richard F. Brown.

Paul Cézanne, Ambroise Vollard, 1899, oil on canvas, Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay)/Agence Bulloz.

Paul Cézanne, Man with Crossed Arms, c. 1899, oil on canvas, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Paul Cézanne, Seated Peasant, c. 1900–1904, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Photograph © Musée d'Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Patrice Schmidt.

Paul Cézanne, The Gardener Vallier, 1906, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer.

Paul Cézanne, Paul Alexis Reading a Manuscript to Emile Zola, 1869-70 Gift Congresso Nacional, 1952. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand.

Paul Cézanne, Self-portrait, Rose Ground, c.1875 Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Gift of Philippe Meyer, 2000. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay) / Michèle Bellot..

Paul Cézanne, Self Portrait, c.1862-4, Private Collection, New York.

Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Skull, c. 1885. Oil on canvas, overall: 32.2 x 44.5 cm (12 11/16 x 17 1/2 in.). The White House Collection. 

Lot 1451. A blue and sancai-glazed pottery tripod censer, Tang dynasty (618-907); 8 in. (20.3 cm.) across. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 20,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The somewhat compressed globular body raised on three amber-glazed paw supports and applied at mid-body atop a bow-string band with three foliate medallions alternating with three flower-form medallions applied on the shoulder, glazed in green, amber and ivory and reserved on a rich blue ground, the out-turned mouth rim streaked in blue, amber and ivory, and the interior washed with a pale amber glaze, stand.

Provenance: Yin Chuan Tang Ltd., Hong Kong, 15 May, 1989.
Greenwald Collection no. 13. 

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 13. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II, 15 September 2011, New York

Lot 1452. A phosphatic glaze-splashed brown-glazed stoneware jar and cover, Tang dynasty (618-907); 11¾ in. (29.9 cm.) high. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 13,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Probably from the Dundian kilns, Lushan county, of ovoid form with short neck and out-curved rim, covered inside and out with a glaze of dark olive-brown color splashed on the the rim and shoulder with splashes of milky, pale blue tone that trail down the body on one side towards where the brown glaze ends in an irregular line above the neatly finished foot to expose the granular ware, the conical cover with everted rim and bud-form finial similarly glazed.

Provenance: In the Booth Collection, United States, by the mid 1990s. 

Note: Splash-glazed wares were made in the Tang dynasty primarily in Henan province, where several kilns that produced them have been found. The earliest discoveries were the kilns of Huangdao in Jiaxian, after which these wares are ofen named, though other kiln sites have been found in the area of Jiaocheng, Shanxi province. See Fen Xianming et al., Zhongguo taocishi, Beijing, 1982, p. 213. As can be seen on this jar, the brown glaze applied to the body typically stops short of the base. The pale blue splashes were applied after glazing, often poured onto the pot held in a sideways or an inverted position.

A similar jar is illustrated by R. Ward and P.J. Fidler (eds.), The Nelson-Atkins Musuem of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, New York, 1993, p. 294. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II, 15 September 2011, New York

Lot 1456. A very rare green and amber-glazed pouring vessel, Tang dynasty (618-907); 6½ in. (16.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 40,000. Price realised USD 35,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The compressed globular body with a short waisted neck, the shoulder applied with a band of six florets interrupted by the short, angled cylindrical spout and double-strap handle that terminates in a dragon head biting the mouth rim, covered all over with a bright green glaze that continues over the edge of the low foot onto the flat base, the florets accented with splashes of amber that trail down the sides, cloth stand, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Nitta Collection, in Japan by the 1990s. 

Note: Pouring vessels of this shape are very rare. More common are the ewers such as the one sold in these rooms, 20 March 2001, lot 139, with ovoid bodies and simple double-strap handles. However, there are smaller pouring vessels without handles, but with similar compressed globular bodies and short cylindrical spouts, such as the two examples sold in these rooms, also on 20 March 2001, lots 112 and 128.

The handle on the present vessel echoes the handles found on the popular amphoras, some of which also have applied floral decorations on their shoulder, such as the example sold in these rooms, 29 March 2006, lot 387. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II, 15 September 2011, New York

Lot 1460. A pair of Yaozhou celadon flower-form bowls, Northern Song dynasty, 11th century; 4½ and 4 3/8 in. (11.5 and 11.2 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 7,500. © Christie's Images Ltd., 2011

Lot 1462. A paper-cut resist-decorated Jizhou bowl, Southern Song dynasty, 12th-13th century; 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 8,750. © Christie's Images Ltd., 2011

Lot 1463. A Cizhou painted jar, Northern Song-Jin dynasty, 12th-13th century; 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) high. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price realised USD 10,000. © Christie's Images Ltd., 2011

Lot 1465. A Yaozhou celadon carved bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty, 12th-13th century ; 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm.). Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 7,000. Price realised USD 10,000. © Christie's Images Ltd., 2011

Lot 1467. A well-carved Yaozhou celadon bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty, 11th-12th century; 8 5/8 in. (20.8 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 20,000. Price realised USD 68,500. © Christie's Images Ltd., 2011

Lot 1469. A Qingbai carved petal-lobed bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279); 7 in. (18 cm.) diam. Estimate $3,000 - $5,000. Price Realized $6,875. photo Christie's Ltd 2011

The slightly rounded, flared sides rising to the slightly everted, petal-lobed rim cut with six notches, the interior carved with a leafy, scrolling stem bearing three flowers reserved on a rouletted ground below a single line border, covered overall with a glaze of pale aqua color that continues over the tapered foot ring and ends in a circle around the unglazed center of the base burnt pale brown in the firing, stand.

Provenance: Greenwald Collection no. 32.

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, no. 32. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II,  15 - 16 September 2011. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. 

Lot 1473. A rare Junyao water pot-brush washer, Jin-Yuan dynasty, 12th-13th century; 5 in. (12.6 cm.) across. Estimate $30,000 - $50,000. Price Realized $37,500. photo Christie's Ltd 2011

Unusually made in the shape of two conjoined pomegranate-form water pots attached to a small cup with slightly everted rim, each water pot with a small hole in one side and the cup with two holes in the adjoining walls that allow water to flow in from each pomegranate, covered overall with an opaque glaze of milky blue color highlighted with splashes of purple that thins on edges to mushroom color and falls in an irregular line to the shallow ring foot of each receptacle exposing the granular ware, box.

Provenance: The Montague Meyer Family Collection of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art; Christie's, London, 14 April 1980, lot 229.
Christie's, New York, 29-30 November 1984, lot 94.
Gisèle Cröes, Brussels, 1985. 

Note: This very rare pomegranate-form combination water pot/brush washer is similar to another, also with Jun glaze, included in the exhibition, Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection, 22 July - 11 September 1994, Hong Kong Museum of Art, no. 46. Another combination water pot/brush washer imitating a natural shape is the Southern Song dynasty Guan ware example formed as two side-by-side lotus pods illustrated in the Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, London, 1935-6, no. 854, which was on loan from the Chinese Government. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II,  15 - 16 September 2011. New York, Rockefeller Plaza.

Henri Matisse, Nymph and Faun, c. 1911. © National Gallery of Denmark

Lot 2133. An exceptionally fine and rare ‘Imperial green’ jadeite cabochon and diamond pendant. Estimate Upon Request. © Poly Auction

Set with an oval jadeite cabochon of brilliant emerald green color with exceptional translucency weighing approximately 104.46 carats, to a round diamond weighing 3.09 carats, mounted in 18K gold, jadeite cabochon approximately 31.78 x 29.01 x 14.03mm

Accompanied by report no. 18021030 dated 15 February 2018 from the Gubelin stating that the jadeite tested is natural jadeite jade, with no indications of treatment and comments that these type of jadeite may also be called “Type A” in the trade.

Accompanied by an Appendix letter to report no. 18021030 stating that “the described jadeite displays a richly saturated and evenly distributed imperial green color, combined with the size and a high degree of translucency, making it a piece of outstanding beauty and importance.

Accompanied by report no. 18021030 dated 15 February 2018 from the Gubelin stating that the jadeite tested is natural jadeite jade, with no indications of treatment and comments that these type of jadeite may also be called “Type A” in the trade Accompanied by an Appendix letter to report no. 18021030 stating that “the described jadeite displays a richly saturated and evenly distributed imperial green color, combined with the size and a high degree of translucency, making it a piece of outstanding beauty and importance.

THE STONE OF IMMORTALTY, THE COLOR OF ENVY 

Lot 2134. An exceptionally fine and impressive jadeite bead and diamond necklace. Estimate Upon Request. © Poly Auction

Composed of thrity-nine jadeite beads of emerald green color and high translucency, diameter measuring approximately 15.09-13.55 mm, completed with a diamond-set clasp mounted in 18K gold, length approximately 56.00 cm.

Accompanied by report no. EXKJ 4207(1-2) dated 2 March 2018 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone laboratory Limited stating that the jadeite tested is natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”.

Accompanied by report no. EXKJ 4207(1-2) dated 2 March 2018 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone laboratory Limited stating that the jadeite tested is natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”.

Note: The history of jade covers a period of time dating back over 4000 years and a geographical area spreadig over 4 continenets. However, the most well known story this exquisite stone tells is buried deep within the history of china. There, jade has always been valued more highly than any other precious stone, and was treasured as the royal gemstone called the ‘Yu’. It was believed that the gem possessed many virtues suches as healing powers, good luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness and love. The color contrasts in which jadeite is found range through a variety of greens, manve, yellows, white and black. However, the most sought after color is deep, emerald green color. Unlike the usual sparkles of a cut gemstone, jade has a distinct glowing effect, caused by the gem’s translucency. The light is caught within the stone and reflected back in an even manner. Because of tectonic plates float, they move and occasionally collide with one another, when the lower plate take the stone to depths where the necessary intense pressure, heat and minerals will eventually form it into jade. A high pressure, low temperature metamorphic environment is necessary to form the jadeite. The delicacy of its design doesn’t imply the production of the necklace is simple. For the unity of its look and the consistency of its color, it requires a rough large enough to withstand the great deal of weight loss during production, more importantly, it also requires inconceivable patience and luck to find such stone that carries a wide enough band of vivid green color. The rough is cut by welltrained and experienced jadeite experts into most economical number and size of cubic shapes. Then the cubes are polished into round beads. Of this complicated procedure, meticulous planning, steady hands, attention to detail and well-practiced expertise are required at every stage, which marks the extremely high value associated with an outstanding piece like jadeite bead necklace. Composed of thirty nine natural graduated translucent jadeite beads in the necklace, possessing a richly saturated and evenly distributed green coloration, combined with the high translucency as well as their very fine texture. Such a combination of characteristics of this set of green jadeite a piece of matching beauty and importance.

Lot 2186. An extraordinary rare and very fine pair of golden jadeite bangles. Estimate Upon Request. © Poly Auction

Comprising two cylindrical jadeite bangles of yellow color and high translucency, weighing 189.65 and 180.20 carats, inner diameter approximately 54.57 and 53.41 mm, thickness approximately 8.73 and 8.51mm.

Accompanied by report no. KJ97707 and KJ97706, both dated 20 February 2018 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory stating that the jadeite tested are natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”.

Accompanied by report no. KJ97707 and KJ97706, both dated 20 February 2018 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory stating that the jadeite tested are natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”.

Note: Yellow Jade is made up of calcium magnesium iron silicate. It’s one of the rarest kinds of jades, with colors being as light as lemon. It can also exhibit a dark golden color. Its yellow color is caused by ions that get inside the crystal lattice and by the element tantalum. It’s favored by many collectors because its believed to encourage the bearers to harness personal power and achieve a sense of fulfillment. Yellow jade will bring energies of self-confidence, courage, and abundance. It will impart wisdom in silence and tranquility, and dispel harm and negativity.

Lot 2178. Ahighly important 10.03 carat fancy intense pink diamond and diamond ring. Estimate HKD 68,800,000 - 86,000,000 (USD 8,769,110 - 10,961,388). © Poly Auction

Centering on a rectangular-shaped fancy intense pink diamond weighing 10.03 carats, surrounded with eight marquise-shaped diamonds, outer framed by circular-cut diamonds, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6. 

Accompanied by report no. 2165524627 dated 22 October 2014 from GIA stating that the 10.03 carat diamond is Fancy Intense Pink, natural color VS1 clairty.

Accompanied by report no. 2165524627 dated 22 October 2014 from GIA stating that the 10.03 carat diamond is Fancy Intense Pink, natural color VS1 clairty.

AN IMPORTANT 10.03 FANCY INTENSE PINK DIAMOND RING

Lot 2069. An important 10.22 carat fancy blue diamond and diamond ring. Estimate HKD 38,800,000 - 48,000,000 (USD 4,945,370 - 6,117,984). © Poly Auction

Centering on an emerald-cut fancy blue diamond weighing 10.22 carats, surrounded by circular-cut pink diamonds, and the half hoop, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6.

Accompanied by report no. 2165451403 dated 17 May 2016 from GIA stating that the 10.22 carat diamond is fancy blue, natural color, VS2 clarity. 

Accompanied by report no. 2165451403 dated 17 May 2016 from GIA stating that the 10.22 carat diamond is fancy blue, natural color, VS2 clarity.

Lot 2191. An exceptionally fine and rare jadeite bangle. Estimate HKD 20,000,000 - 30,000,000 (USD 2,549,160 - 3,823,740). © Poly Auction

The round bangle of emerald green color and high translucency, weighing 275.99 carats, inner diameter approxmately 55.13 mm, thickness approxmately 10.40 mm

Accompanied by report no. EXKJ4206 dated 2 March 2018 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone laboratory Limited stating that the jadeite tested is natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”

Accompanied by report no. EXKJ4206 dated 2 March 2018 from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone laboratory Limited stating that the jadeite tested is natural, known in the trade as “A Jade”

Note: Lot 2191 is an extremely fine jadeite bangle with the style thought to date back at least four thousand years, it resembles the circular shape for both outer and inner circles, resembling the most traditional styling of all jade jewelry. Though simplistic, it is considered the perfect form, and it has been expressed in both ancient poetry and modern pursuits. This style of jadeite bangle is called “Hololiths”, which means they are fashioned a form a single piece of jadeite rough. This requires a rough large enough to withstand the great deal of weight loss during cutting and polishing. At the same time, it is extremely rare for a piece of rough of this size to display such stunning vibrant color, as well as good translucency due to fine internal interlocking structures.

Lot 2157. ‘Le Royale de Burma’. An exceptional 71.31 carat Burmese sapphire and diamond necklace. Estimate HKD 16,000,000 - 20,000,000 (USD 2,039,328 - 2,549,160). © Poly Auction

Suspending a cushion-shaped sapphire weighing 71.31 carats, surrounded by pear- and oval-shaped diamonds, suspended by a necklace set with pear-, oval- and marquise-shaped diamonds, diamonds altogether weighing 79.12 carats, mounted in 18K gold, length approximately 42.0 cm.

Accompanied by report no. 17080081 dated 22 August 2017 from Gubelin stating that the 71.31 carat sapphire is of Burma (Myanmar) orgin, with no indication of heating. 

Accompanied by report no. 95444 dated 20 September 2017 from SSEF stating that the 71.315 carat sapphire is of Burma (Myanmar) orgin, with no indication of heating. 

Also accompanied by SSEF appendix letter to report no. 95444 titled”Exceptional Sapphire”, stating that “The described gemstone exhibits an impressive size and weight of 71.315 ct, combined with an attractive blue color and a fine purity” and “A natural sapphire from Burma of this size and quality can be considered very rare and exceptional”. 

Also accompanied by 54 GIA certificates from GIA stating that the diamonds weighing from 0.30-2.19 carats are G-H color, VS1 - VVS2 clarity.

Accompanied by report no. 17080081 dated 22 August 2017 from Gubelin stating that the 71.31 carat sapphire is of Burma (Myanmar) orgin, with no indication of heating Accompanied by report no. 95444 dated 20 September 2017 from SSEF stating that the 71.315 carat sapphire is of Burma (Myanmar) orgin, with no indication of heating Also accompanied by SSEF appendix letter to report no. 95444 titled”Exceptional Sapphire”, stating that “The described gemstone exhibits an impressive size and weight of 71.315 ct, combined with an attractive blue color and a fine purity” and “A natural sapphire from Burma of this size and quality can be considered very rare and exceptional” Also accompanied by 54 GIA certificates from GIA stating that the diamonds weighing from 0.30-2.19 carats are G-H color, VS1 - VVS2 clarity.

Note: The natural sapphire described in gemstone report no.95444 from the swiss gemological institute SSEF possesses extraordinary characteristics and merits special mention and appreciation. The described gemstone exhibits an impressive size and weight of 71.315ct, combined with an attractive blue color and a fine purity. The few inclusions found by microscopic examination are consistent with those found in sapphires from the classical mines in Burma （Myanmar）. Its blue color is due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in the gemstone, which are typical and characteristic for the finest sapphires of Mogok, Burma. In addition to these qualities, this sapphire has been spared exposure to heat treatment and its clarity and color are thus entirely natural. A natural sapphire from Burma of this size and quality can be considered very rare and exceptional. - “SWISS GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUE-SSEF” Poly Auction Hong Kong is honored to offer a magnificent 71.31 carat Burmese Sapphire and Diamond Pendant Necklace. In consideration of its rarity and as a tribute to the land where they derived, it has been named “Le Royale du Burma”. The mesmerizing blue is deep yet bright, vivid, and so highly saturated that it is impossible to mimic in printing or on screen. Reminiscent of the color of the sea and the sky, blue sapphires have been signifying an elegant temperament of loyalty, faithfulness, love and honesty, as well as supreme power. It has been gaining admiration from royal families over the years worldwide. The sapphire is sumptuously surmounted by various shapes of diamonds, altogether weighing 71.31 carats. Of exceptional size, fine purity, refined cut and attractive blue color, this Burmese Sapphire and Diamond Pendant Necklace is an incredibly extraordinary and unique piece.

Lot 2158. A 5.57 carat Burmese ‘pigeon blood’ ruby and a 5.01 carat diamond ‘Toi et Moi’ ring. Estimate HKD 15,000,000 - 22,000,000 (USD 1,911,870 - 2,804,076). © Poly Auction

Of toi et moi design, set with a cushion-shaped ruby and diamond, weighing 5.57 carats and 5.01 carat respectively, to the diamond set half hoop, mounted in 18K gold, ring size 6.

Poly Auction. Magnificent Jewels, 1 APRIL 2018 2:00PM, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong 

Lot 3023. A superbly carved and extremely rare limestone fragmentary figure of a Bodhisattva, Tang dynasty; 63.5 cm, 25 in. Estimate 8,000,000 — 12,000,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018

exquisitely carved in the form of a slender, elegant figure standing in the pronounced tribhanga pose on a circular base decorated with overlapping lotus petals in relief, portrayed with the hips gently thrust forward and slung slightly to one side, depicted dressed in thin diaphanous robes clinging to the body and cascading in graceful folds and revealing the bare feet, the torso further rendered adorned with a necklace with similar armlets carved with lozenges and florets, and scarves draped loosely from the shoulders across the bare chest, with one hanging loosely across the lower torso and gathered up over the bent left arm, and another trailing below the knees, wood stand.

Provenance: Collection of Stevenson Burke (1879-1962).
Sotheby's New York, 8th May 1980, lot 77 and cover.
Christie's New York, 22nd March 1999, lot 162.

SENSUAL BODHISATTVA
LEGACY OF THE TANG DYNASTY
Julian King

This sensual image of a Bodhisattva, so gracefully carved with deeply voluptuous movement, is an outstanding legacy of the high period of the Tang dynasty (618-907), when China’s sculptural tradition reached its most mature phase. The modelling of the aristocratic male figure is articulated with vivid realism, the dignified poise of the Bodhisattva endowed with the uttermost spirituality. In contrast to the more sinicised treatment of the human form in the Northern Qi (550-577) and Sui (581-607) dynasties, masterpieces of the high Tang, of which this is such a superb example, exhibit a deep level of influence from the artistic style of the Indian Gupta Empire (320-647), itself embued with resonances of the Hellenistic tradition.

This type of grey stone, likely to be from Shanxi province, is particularly conducive for high quality carving in the round, enabling intricate and naturalistic detailing of the facial features and curved poised body. The eye is drawn not only to the form of the figure itself, but also to the graceful folds of the robes, distinctly Hellenistic in their adherence to the contours of a realistically conceived body as they flow freely down. However, where Gandharan and other earlier prototypes are sterner and more distinct in their seated posture, sculptures of the high Tang period are characterised by gentle S-curves on the body and hips slightly tilted to one side, which imbue the figures with dynamic movement and deep sensuality. These characteristic touches of the high Tang are heightened by the exquisite details the sculptors were able to bring to life from the versatility of the stone: the skilfully defined and muscular torso; the graceful curve of the exposed belly above the waistband; the slightly raised heel and curved toes exuberating movement.

Throughout the Tang period, monks and pilgrims frequently travelled to North India, the spiritual home of Buddhism, in a quest for knowledge and inspiration. Renowned travellers including Xuanzang returned with abundant findings of original manuscripts. Others also returned with works of art and sketches from the holy sites, which served as models for artists back in China. In this way, the great artistic tradition of Gupta India increasingly provided a rich source of inspiration to Tang stone carvers.

Close comparison of the current sculpture with a monumental Gupta torso of a male deity from fifth to sixth century India, originally in the collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck, and most recently sold in our New York rooms, 19th September 2008, lot 269 (fig. 1), clearly shows this influence. The muscular upper body is characterised by the same graceful curves of the tribhanga pose. Tribhanga, a pose deeply enshrined in the Indian sculptural tradition, derived from the ancient classical dance tradition of Odissi, literally meaning ‘three parts break’, consists of three bends in the body; at the neck, waist and knee. These opposing curves at the waist and neck give the body a gentle 'S' shape so visible in the current torso. The prominent belly buttons on both the current torso and the Gupta torso draw the eye to the gentle undulations of the bulbous area of the stomach just above the band, the voluptuousness of both so skilfully conveyed through the manner in which the weight rests on the right leg. Where the Gupta torso is unrestrained in its sensuality, however, the twisted knot falling revealingly loose around the waist, in the current torso the scarves are tied modestly to the body, but carved of such precision and delicacy that they seem to adhere to the skin.

Sandstone torso of a male deity India, Gupta period, Sotheby’s New York, 19th September 2008, lot 269.

The Bodhisattva exhibits close stylistic similarities with other recorded examples from China’s cave temples, particularly those of Tianlongshan, such as the sandstone Bodhisattva donated by Eduard von der Heydt to the Rietberg Museum, Zurich, illustrated in Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 2002, pp. 62-63 (fig. 2). It is also recorded in situ in Tomura Tajiro’s comprehensive photographic studies of the Tianlongshan caves Tenryūzan Sekkutsu [Tianlongshan Caves], Tokyo, 1922, where it is illustrated with another Bodhisattva along the west wall of cave no. 14. The form and contours of both torsos match each other closely, both carved with the same naturalism of expression, with similar delicacy of articulation of the jewellery and flowing robes. However, the current torso is much more aristocratic in its bearing and more demonstrative in its sensual movement. The fine texture of the grey stone on the current torso also differs slightly from the flakier sandstone found on sculptures directly attributed to the Tianlongshan there, and so it is cannot be directly attributed to there. Clearly there were flourishing traditions of stone sculptural art in and around Shanxi, directly influencing each other, and the present sculpture clearly stands in this tradition. 

Sandstone torso of a standing Bodhisattva Tang dynasty, Tianlongshan© Rietberg Museum, Zurich

Other published examples of Tianlongshan sculpture include a Bodhisattva, photographed in situ in Cave 14, illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, New York, 1925, pl. 495; a figure of a Bodhisattva in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, originally in Cave 17, illustrated in situ in Sun Di, ed., Tianlongshan Shiku [T'ien Lung Shan Grottoes], Beijing, 2004, p. 148, pl. 176; and a torso from the Cleveland Museum of Art, illustrated in Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Buddhist Sculpture, vol. II, Taipei, 1990, pl. 123. For a Tianlongshan torso of a Bodhisattva sold at auction, see the example with replacement head from the collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, originally loaned by Yamanaka to the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. no. 234, later illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, col. pl. 340, and sold at Christie’s New York, 26th March 2003, lot 148. It is now in the collection of the National Museum of China, Beijing. It is illustrated in Sun Di, ed., Tianlongshan Shiku. T'ien Lung Shan Grottoes, Beijing, 2004, p. 178, pl. 210, in situ on the north wall of Cave 21, with the head already removed, and together with its replacement head, pl. 213.

Of all the published important high Tang torsos of Bodhisattva, the closest related example and the only similar example ever to have appeared at auction is an example from the Patino family collection, acquired by Eskenazi in our New York rooms, 3rd December 1986, lot 280, and now in the collection of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. It is illustrated in Giuseppe Eskenazi in collaboration with Hajni Elias, A Dealer’s Hand. The Chinese Art World Through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, pl. 119 (fig. 3). Both torsos are characterised by the same pronounced tribhanga pose, with similar carving of the defined muscular features and the same skilful treatment of the drapery, sculpted into graceful folds and naturalistic curves that reinforce the dynamic sensual movement inherent in the sculpture. The only significant difference between the two is the larger size and more lavish treatment of the pendent jewellery on the Patino example. Both are carved from the same high quality grey stone, differing from the supple and flaky sandstone of Tianlongshan. Their stylistic influences and close similarity to other sculptures in Tianlongshan clearly demonstrate they emanate from that same illustrious period, both probably from the same cave complex in Shanxi.

Stone figure of a Bodhisattva Tang dynasty. Image Courtesy of Eskenazi Ltd, London

The form, sculptural style and iconography of the current Bodhisattva is also closely related to the famous white marble torso of a Bodhisattva unearthed from the grounds of the Daming Palace, Xi’an and now in the Xi’an Beilin Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Diaosu bian. Yuan Sui Tang diaosu [The complete series on Chinese Art. Sculpture. Sui and Tang dynasties], vol. 4, Beijing, 1988, pl. 53. The texture of the stone is quite different to the current figure. However, the fundamental approach to the divine image, voluptuously carved in the Gupta tradition with sensational attention to the muscular form of the torso, the fleshy treatment of the naturalistic curves of the body and the graceful folds of the drapery, is exactly that of the current image, demonstrating that the current example, if not carved at Chang’an in the same workshop, emanated from a cave complex with close links to the sculptural traditions of the capital.

The current Bodhisattva was originally in the collection of Edmund Stevenson Burke (1879-1962), a wealthy banker and sportsman, who came from a prominent Cleveland family of philanthropist industrialists and served on the advisory council of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The rest of his art collection, including paintings by major artists such as Corot's famous painting 'Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld', now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, was sold at Parke-Bernet galleries, New York, 6th November 1963. Other than a small number of archaic bronzes, which were subsequently donated to Cleveland Museum of Art, the asian art section of his collection was relatively small. However, in the early twentieth century, high Tang dynasty sculptures of this quality were among the most highly coveted of all artworks, actively pursued by the world’s leading museums and very few remain in private hands now.

Sotheby's. Curiosity IV. Hong Kong, 02 Apr 2018, 10:30 AM