Lot 54. A gilt copper alloy figure of Buddha, Tibet, 15th century. With inset turquoise, coral, and lapis. Himalayan Art Resources item no.68458; 33.5 cm (13 1/4 in.) high. Estimate HK$ 8,000,000 - 12,000,000 (€ 870,000 - 1,300,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Provenance: The Nyingjei Lam Collection

Published : David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, London, 1999, pp.112-3, no.23. 

Exhibited: Casting the Divine: Sculptures of the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2 March 2012 - 11 February 2013. 
The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet: Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 6 October - 30 December 1999.

Note: The master artist of this sumptuous gilded sculpture of Buddha revels in the visual practice of representing Buddha's perfection through an ideal body wrapped in the finest conceivable garments. Extravagant pleats fan out before Buddha's ankles and over his right shoulder in luxurious folds with engraved patterns. The robe's hems are most distinctive; rather than incise foliate patterns, the sculptor has molded a vine of flowers with inset semi-precious stones for blossoms. They run across the delightful contours of a well-sculpted chest. Buddha's hands and feet are elegantly modeled and, sparing no detail, feature raised chakras at their centers. From these distinguished features, there can be little doubt this magnificent image of Buddha was a special commission. 

For his patron, the artist also endeavored beyond a generic modeling of Buddha's face to produce a distinctive portrait. Unlike formulaic examples, with long noses, puckered mouths and ovoid faces, Buddha's face here is broad, with a flat chin, short nose, prominent widow's peak, and wide smile. The eyes are finely modeled with undulating lids, crisply delineated above the high cheekbones. The result is a sculpture of Buddha with a rather unique countenance: commanding while blissfully detached from mundane concerns.  

As discussed by Weldon and Casey Singer, the artist has drawn on Nepalese and Chinese aesthetic traditions for this sculpture's special robe. While the inset hem is inspired by Nepal, Weldon elaborates on Chinese precedent in the articulated folds. "The fall of the robe along the Buddha's legs is indicated by subtle changes in volume; its folds are indicated by deep, emphatic lines. The practice of modeling folds of cloth in this manner was brought to Tibet from China, and can be seen in Yuan period sculpture and in sculpture of the Yongle period" (see Weldon and Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, London, 1999, p.112). The decorative scheme of this sculpture's hemlines closely resembles that of a gilt bronze Karmapa from the same approximate period (see Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, pp.183-4, no.129).  

Lot 72. A blackground thangka of Panjarnata Mahakala, Central Tibet, 18th century. Distemper on cloth with gold; verso with an "om ah hum" invocation in red Tibetan script. Himalayan Art Resources item no.61759. Image: 71 x 65 cm (28 x 25 5/8 in.); With silks: 116 x 82 cm (45 3/4 x 32 1/4 in.). Estimate HK$ 3,200,000 - 4,800,000 (€ 350,000 - 520,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Provenance: Belgian ambassador to China, early 20th century 
Henri Kamer, New York, circa 1970s 
Private New England Collection.

Published : Ann W. Norton, Gods, Saints and Demons: Hindu and Tibetan Art, Storrs, CT, 1989, p.18, no.65. 

Exhibited: Gods, Saints and Demons: Hindu and Tibetan Art, The Benton Museum at University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 23 January - 12 March, 1989.

Note: In the 18th century, blackground thangkas used for wrathful deities reached the height of their popularity and quality. Among them, this breathtaking example of Panjarnata Mahakala is of unsurpassed quality. Comprised of flawless details, exquisite lines, and brilliant colors, this thankga is a masterpiece of the blackground genre. 

At the center of its composition, a powerful figure of Panjarnata Mahakala stands over a prone man before an aureole of coiling flames with bright red and golden hues. Panjarnata Mahakala, "Lord of the Pavilion", protects the tantric practice of Hevajra, a potent means through which an initiate can acquire Buddha-consciousness. The artist has depicted the protector's intimidating size and iconography with luxuriant detail among the tiny snakes, sumptuous jewelry, and hyper-realistic severed heads. 

Floating on colorful clouds at the top are the first three founding patriarchs of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism. The first, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158), is at the center. The second, Sonnam Tsemo (1142-1182), is on the right. And the third, Dragpa Gyaltsen (1147-1216) is on the left. Panjarnata Mahakala is particularly revered by the Sakya, with Sachen Kunga Nyingpo considered one of the masters of the Panjarnata Mahakala teachings. Although diminutive to allow more space for Panjarnata Mahakala to dominate the composition, the three teachers are treated with painstaking attention. From the densely patterned textiles to the malas on their wrists, and from the knuckles on their fingers to each hair and wrinkle, the level of precision and realism remains constant. 
  
Below the teachers, an array of rocky cliffs leads the eye through terrifying scenes from the cremation grounds. A jackal eats a man alive. A bull pierces a man's chest. A snow lion attacks growling tigers. And human flesh and skeletons litter the ground. Still the high level of painted detail resounds. The fierce imagery is furthered at the bottom, where Panjarnata Mahakala's two attendants, two-armed Ekajati and four-armed Shri Devi, guard the bloody offering of the five sense organs. 

The painting might have been produced at Gongkar Chode near Lhasa, or an equivalent important Sakya monastery in Central Tibet; its painter demonstrates a mastery of multiple painting traditions, but the Khenri style predominates. Gongkar monastery is the main site for the surviving body of work by Khyentse Chenmo (fl.1450-90), the Khenri tradition's founder. Khenri stylistic features linking the wrathful deities depicted in Gongkar mural's to the present masterpiece include the manner of depicting Panjarnata's hair in spiralling buns and the rendering of the flaming mandorlas (cf.Jackson, A Revolutionary Artist of Tibet, New York, 2016, pp.65&96-7, figs.2.22&4.22-4). Also, the ravens carrying off human organs in this painting's top register may be directly inspired by Gongkar's Upper Protector's Chapel (ibid., p.70, fig.3.5). 

However, emphatic of the syncretism of painting traditions that really blossoms in the 18th century, the painter also shows a mastery of the New Menri tradition in his brilliant rendering of the golden, jagged landscape. In fact, his treatment is significantly more sophisticated than a blackground thangka of Panjarnata Mahakala predominately in the New Menri style, held in the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR no.65004; Linrothe & Watt, Demonic Divine , New York, 2004, p.81, fig.2.28). Central Tibet in the 18th century witnessed tremendous prosperity and artistic patronage under solidified Gelug rule. This followed a turbulent 17th century in which the Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lozang Gyatso (1617-1682) unified Tibet. His unifying strategies included an attempt to homogenize Tibetan visual culture. From a muddier amalgamation of painting traditions in the 17th century comes a resplendent crystallization in the 18th century, represented in this masterpiece's clean, sophisticated, flawless design and rendering. 

Details such as Panjarnata Mahakala's charismatic skull crown with pendant festoons are shared by a painting of Shri Devi exhibited in Beijing in 2001 (see Jin We Bao Zang: Xizang Li Shi Wen Wu Xuan Cui, Beijing, 2001, p.106). The treatment of the flayed human skin hanging from Shri Devi's mule in the present painting's bottom right corner also compares closely with those on the Simhavaktra and Hayagriva illustrations of the Kangxi Kangyur in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, dated to 1669 (see Sung (ed.), Om-mani-padme-hum: Tibetan Buddhist Art in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2015, pp.130-1). Another related painting of Panjarnata Mahakala, with similarly patterned scarf and ghandi stick, is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum (acc.no.IM.31-1937). 

Compare this painting's magnificent quality with two other blackground thangkas representing the pinnacle of the genre. One is published in Rochell & Rossi, Masterpieces of Himalayan Art, New York, 2009, no.23. The other sold at Sotheby's, New York, 20 & 21 September, 1985, lot 158 and is now in the Museum der Kulturen, Basel (Essen and Tingo, Die Gotter des Hialayan, Munich, 1989, p.225, pl.138). 

Lot 2. A large celadon-glazed carved and moulded ‘Peony scroll’ bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795); 10 ¼ in. (26 cm.) diam., lacquer cover, Japanese wood box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000 (USD 10,249 - USD 15,373). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 4. A teadust-glazed deep bowl, Qianlong impressed six-character seal mark and possibly of the period; 7 7/8 in. (20 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate HKD 200,000 - HKD 300,000(USD 25,622 - USD 38,432). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 6. A Guan-type glazed ‘trigram’ cong-form vase and two greenglazed vessels; vase: Guangxu six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1875-1908); green vessels: Qing dynasty, 19th century. The largest: 10 3/8 in. (27 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 85,000 - HKD 120,000(USD 10,889 - USD 15,373). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Provenance: Acquired in the 1980s.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 4 October 2018

Lot 51. A large white-glazed moulded ‘Lotus’ bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735);8 in. (20.3 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 200,000(USD 12,811 - USD 25,622). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 4 October 2018

Lot 52. A pair of small Dehua cups, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 2 1/8 in. (5.5 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 60,000 - HKD 80,000 (USD 7,686 - USD 10,249). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Provenance: Collection of Eugene Bernat
Collection of Eugene Perkins
Sold at Christie's New York, 2 June 1989, lot 40.

Exhibited: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Exhibition of the Chinese Ceramics: Lent by Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Bernat, Boston, 9 September-19 October 1947, Catalogue nos. 167 and 168

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 4 October 2018

Lot 56. A flambé-glazed quatrefoil vase, gu, Qianlong incised six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795); 10 1/2 in. (26.5 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000(USD 38,432 - USD 64,054). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 57. A russet-splashed celadon-glazed square brush pot, bitong, Qianlong four-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795); 3 ¼ in. (8 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000(USD 12,811 - USD 19,216). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 58. A white-glazed puce-enamelled 'dragon' vase, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century; 7 in. (18 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 200,000(USD 12,811 - USD 25,622). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 62. A rare robin's egg-glazed cong-form vase, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 11 ½ in. (29 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000(USD 10,249 - USD 15,373). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 63. A small robin’s egg-glazed bottle vase, Qing dynasty, 19th century; 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) high, box. Estimate HKD 30,000 - HKD 80,000(USD 3,843 - USD 10,249). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 64. A large celadon-glazed moulded ‘Lotus’ vase, tianqiuping, Qing dynasty, 19th century; 21 ½ in. (54.5 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 260,000 - HKD 500,000(USD 33,308 - USD 64,054). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Currier & Ives (American, 1834–1907) after Artist Unknown (American, 19th Century), The Great Fire at Boston, Nov. 9 & 10, 1872, 1872. Hand-colored lithograph on paper, 7 15/16 x 12 11/16 in. Clark Art Institute, Gift of J. Thomas Wilson, 1981.23.

A new exhibition, Extreme Nature!, on view at the Clark Art Institute November 10, 2018–February 3, 2019, examines how nature’s extremes—remote, fantastical, and unpredictable—permeated artistic imagery throughout the nineteenth century. During this period, news outlets detailed natural disasters around the globe, researchers defined modern scientific fields, and authors like Jules Verne popularized the science fiction genre. More than thirty-five prints, drawings, photographs, and books included in the exhibition explore how artists absorbed and responded to emerging research in the physical and life sciences to probe nature—from volatile weather patterns and celestial activity to the earth’s cavernous depths.

Extreme Nature! is organized by Michael Hartman, a 2018 graduate of the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art, which is jointly administered by the Clark. “Michael brings a fresh and informed curatorial perspective to works on paper in the Clark’s collection,” said Olivier Meslay, the Hardymon Director of the Clark. “The exhibition provides a fascinating consideration of many rarely-seen works. It is an excellent representation of the value of the collaboration between the Clark and Williams College in preparing the next generation of art historians.”

Natural Disaster

The public’s interest in nature’s unrelenting fury developed into a morbid fascination with disaster in the nineteenth century. Popular magazines and scientific journals transformed floods, fires, and catastrophes at sea into cataclysmic spectacles. Currier & Ives issued lithographs like The Great Fire at Boston, Nov. 9 & 10, 1872 (1872) to document the devastating blazes that engulfed the city, while Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910) contemplated water’s unbridled power in etchings such as Saved (1889), portraying a rescue in choppy waters. The eight eruptions of Mount Vesuvius in the nineteenth century formulated the basis of a popular fireworks show staged in New York that purported to reenact the decimation of Pompeii. Charles Graham’s (American, 1852–1911) Fire-Works at Manhattan Beach—“The Last Days of Pompeii” (1885) transforms the prospect of disaster into an eerily beautiful and exciting occurrence.

Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910), Saved, 1889. Etching on paper, 16 7/8 x 30 1/16 in. Clark Art Institute, 1972.16.

Alluring Landscapes

Mountainous topographies, rocky bluffs, and plummeting waterfalls by artists such as Aaron Draper Shattuck (American, 1832–1928) illustrate how the modern foundation of geology and other natural sciences influenced artistic portrayals of the landscape. The replication of nature’s minutest details in Shattuck’s Monument Mountain (c. 1862) in southern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in William Westall’s (English, 1781–1850) Entrance to Peak Cavern, Derbyshire (c. 1822), and in a late 1890s color photochrom of Niagara Falls elicited wonder and excitement among viewers who might imagine the exhilarating experience of encountering these geographic phenomena. William Bradford’s (American, 1823–1892) photographs of towering arctic icebergs and Timothy O’Sullivan’s (American, c. 1840–1882) Cañon de Chelle, Walls of the Grand Cañon about 1200 feet in height (1871) brought these locales into the popular mindset while also scientifically documenting geological features using the latest in photographic technology. 

William Bradford (American, 1823–1892), Between the Iceberg and Field Ice, from The Arctic Regions, 1869. Albumen print, 19 7/16 x 24 7/16 in. Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA: Museum purchase, Joseph O. Eaton Fund (77.27)

Volatile Atmospheres

The late-eighteenth-century invention of the hot air balloon contributed to modern meteorology. By the end of the century, new discoveries in weather encouraged an interest broader than the bounds of the atmosphere—one that questioned the stars, considered the moon’s formation, and examined the power of the sun. Scientists’ observations from the air, as well as increasing global travel, brought heightened awareness of atmospheric conditions. Publications like early meteorologist Luke Howard’s 1803 classification of clouds as cumulus, stratus, and cirrus inspired artists such as Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775–1851) and John Martin (English, 1789–1854) to portray weather’s volatility with greater attention to detail. William Baillie’s (Irish, 1723–1818) dramatic The Three Trees (c. 1800) depicts a zigzagging lightning bolt as it strikes three trees on a hilltop. Based on Rembrandt van Rijn’s (Dutch, 1606–1669) etched landscape of the same name, Baillie’s etching added darkened storm clouds and violent lightning, suggesting an interest in the relationship between electricity and this severe form of weather.

William Baillie (Irish, 1723–1818), After Rembrandt van Rijn, (Dutch, 1606–1669), The Three Trees, 1743–1810. Etching and drypoint on laid paper, 8 3/8 x 11 1/16 in. (21.2 x 28.1 cm), Clark Art Institute, 1960.27. 

Extremes Imagined

Extreme Nature! is drawn primarily from the Clark’s permanent and library collections with additional material on loan from The Troob Family Foundation, Williams College Museum of Art, and Williams College’s Chapin Library. The exhibition is on view in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper.

Lot 129. A huanghuali square incense stand, xiangji, Late Ming-Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century; 33 7/8 in. (86 cm.) high, 23 in. (58.4 cm.) square. Estimate HKD 600,000 - HKD 800,000 (USD 77,282 - USD 103,043). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 125. A huanghuali waisted square corner-leg games table, qizhuo, Qing dynasty (1644-1911); 33 ½ in. (85 cm.) high, 35 ½ in. (90 cm.) wide, 35 ½ in. (90 cm.) deep. Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000 (USD 51,521 - USD 77,282).© Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 4 October 2018

Lot 126. A small huanghuali'lamp-hanger' side chair, dengguayi, Qing dynasty (1644-1911); 26 7/8 in. (68.2 cm.) high, 21 in. (53.2 cm.) wide, 17 1/8 in. (43.6 cm.) deep. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000 (USD 38,641 - USD 64,402). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

Lot 124. A pair of hardwood weiqi boxes, a huali and boxwood xiangqi chess set, and a hongmu dual-sided chessboard, Qing dynasty, 19th century. The xiangqi board: 22 3/8 in. (56.7 cm.) long; 22 in. (56 cm.) wide, boxes. Estimate HKD 180,000 - HKD 220,000 (USD 23,185 - USD 28,337). © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

Lot 128. A Dali marble-inset huanghuali table screen, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Including stand: 22 7/16 in. (57 cm.) high, 22 7/16 in. (57 cm.) wide, 11.15/16 in. (30 cm.) deep. Estimate HKD 180,000 - HKD 240,000 (USD 23,185 - USD 30,913).© Christie's Images Ltd 2018