fine chinese ceramics and works of art at sotheby’s on 19th and 20th march

7/29/2019 Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works Of Art At Sotheby’s On 19th and 20th March

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For Immediate ReleasePress Release New York

New York | +1 212 606 7176 | Lauren Gioia | [email protected] |

Dan Abernethy | [email protected] |

Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works Of ArtAt Sotheby’s On 19th and 20th March

On 19th and 20th March 2013 Sotheby’s will present the bi-annual Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

auction as part of Asia Week New York. As ever the sale will be particularly focused on property from over 50

private collections. Among the highlights of these are A Private Japanese Collection, A Private North

American Collection as well as many others formed by distinguished collectors over several decades. All

works go on view on Friday 15th March.

An Im portant G ilt-Bronze Votive Stele O f G uanyin

Northern W ei Dynasty,est. $200/300,000

A Pale Celadon Jade ‘Longevity’ Table Screen

Q ing D ynasty, 18th/19th Century, (est. $60/80,000)



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Among the leading collections in the sale and opening the auction is A Private Japanese Collection of 53 lots

which reflects the exquisite taste of the collector and their deep understanding of East Asian Art. It

includes archaic Chinese bronzes, ceramics, jades and Buddhist art, as well as Korean metal-work and

ceramics. Among the highlights is An Important Gilt-Bronze Votive Stele Of Guanyin, Northern Wei

Dynasty, depicting bodhisattva Padmapani known as the “lotus bearer” that was especially popular in ChineseBuddhism (est. $200/300,000). A number of similar pieces are in the collections of major museums including

the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Seattle Art Museum, the Tokyo National Museum, and the British

Museum. This Japanese Collection was put together over several decades and has been published and

exhibited widely. Also included in the collection is A Fine Molded ‘Ding’ Dish Northern Song Dynasty

(est. $100/150,000) and A Finely Carved ‘Ding’ Dish Song Dynasty (est. $120/150,000).

A distinctive Private North American Collection includes a number of important pieces such as superb jadecarvings and works of art. It was put together by a prominent Canadian and American family that travelled

extensively in Asia, Europe and North America to find the best Chinese jade, porcelain, sculpture, and

paintings. The collection was formed over several decades from the 1930s to the 1990s with pieces acquired

from major auction houses and leading dealers. Among the highlights is A Pale Celadon Jade ‘Longevity’

Table Screen Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th Century filled with auspicious symbols (est. $60/80,000, pictured on

page 1) and A Fahua 'Lotus' Jar Ming Dynasty, 16th Century (est. $40/60,000)

One of the outstanding highlights of the auction is

An Imperial Qing Dynasty Green Jade ‘Dragon’

Seal that was recently discovered in the state of

Washington (est. $1/1.5 million). The Green-Jade

‘Wufu Wudai Tang Guxi Tianzi Bao’ Seal was

passed down through the family and was

bequeathed to the current owner by his great-

grandfather, a United States Brigadier General who

held various senior level positions across Europe

before, during and immediately after World War II. The piece was stored for several decades at the home of

the family who had no idea of the work’s value or importance until they contacted Sotheby’s experts earlier

this year.



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The seal was made to celebrate several important events in the Qianlong Emperor’s life and is one of the

more important seals he used. At the beginning of the 1780s the Empire was prosperous and stable and so as

he turned 70 the emperor instructed his artisans to carve a series of seals with the inscription ‘Guxi Tianzi’

meaning ‘Seal of the seventy year old son of heaven.’ When his first great-great grandson was born threeyears later the Emperor added to the inscription so it would read ‘Wufu Wudai Tang Guxi Tianzi Bao’ – ‘Seal

of the Seventy year old Son of Heaven at the Hall of Five Happiness’s and Five Generations.’ Of all the seals

made to commemorate these events, this is the largest.

A further jade highlight of the sale is A Finely Carved

White Jade Vessel (Zun), Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period

that comes from the collection of a Chinese AmericanFamily. The piece takes inspiration from the ancient bronze

wine vessels known as zun which were used until the

beginning of the Shang Dynasty (est. $350/450,000, left).

The Cannon Collection has a remarkable history having been hidden

from occupying Japanese forces in a false ceiling. Lewis R. Andrews

and his wife Hope, lived in Shanghai from 1919-1947; having served in

the Northamptionshire Yeoman Cavalry in World War I, he became

a Commander of the Shanghai Light Horse Volunteer Corps – an

international military unit that protected the foreign compounds in

Shanghai. The couple was interned by the Japanese during World

War II. However, before the war he and Hope hid their Chinese art

collection in a false ceiling in his house outside of Shanghai which the

Japanese seized and use as their headquarters. After the war the

Andrews and their collection moved to Tulip Hill, the historic

landmark in Maryland. Among the works from the collection in the



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sale are a number of Dehua wares, formerly known as Blanc de Chine, that are increasingly sought after by

collectors in both Asia and the US. Highlights include A ‘Dehua’ Figure Of Guanyin, Qing Dynasty, 17th

Century (est. $15/25,000) and A Group Of Four 'Dehua' Wares , 17th/18th Century (est. $10/15,000).

From A Private Family Collection comes A Rare Celandon-Glazed Six-Necked Vase (Liulianping),Qianlong Seal Mark and Period which has been in the family collection for at least three generations (est.

$200/300,000, below left). The vase has stayed with the family as they have moved from Hong Kong to

Europe and then onto North America in the 1970s.

A Rare And Important 'Ding' Bowl Northern Song Dynasty is the highlight of Property From A New York

State Family Collection (est. $200/300,000, above right). The piece is characteristic of the finest ‘Ding’ works

that are celebrated for their thin potting, fine near-white body, ivory-colored glaze, and exquisite decoration.

The piece is exceptionally light with particularly thin and delicate carved flower motifs.



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A further highlight of the sale is An Imperial Battle Painting From The Set Of Seventeen Paintings

Commemorating The Campaign Victories In The Northwestern Region, 1862-1877 Qing Dynasty,

Guangxu Period (est. $400/600,000, above). The impressive work belongs to a set of seventeen paintingsdepicting commemorative battle scenes between the Qing Imperial Army and the rebel forces in the

northwest of China from 1862 to 1877. The whereabouts of only a few of these paintings are known, with one

thought to be in the Royal Collection at Sandringham House.

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Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first internationalauction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) andFrance (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allowsvisitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors theresources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department,

and two retail businesses, Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

Estimates do not include buyer’s premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium.

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fine chinese ceramics and works of art at sotheby’s on 19th and 20th march

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