Press Release Hong Kong
For Immediate Release
Hong Kong | Carmen Ting | +852 2822 8140 | [email protected]
New York | Dan Abernethy | +1 212 606 7176 | [email protected] | London | Matthew Floris | +44 20 7293 5167 | [email protected]
Sotheby’s Hong Kong Presents
A Series of Private Collections led by
THE FONTHILL DRAGON JAR
EXPECTED TO FETCH IN EXCESS OF HK$80 MILLION / US$10.3 MILLION
At Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Autumn Sales 2014 on 8 October
Hong Kong Public Exhibition: 3 – 7 October│ Auction: 8 October
Hong Kong, 3 September 2014
Sotheby’s Hong Kong Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Autumn
Sales 2014 will take place on 8 October at Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The sales will offer
selected properties from various private collections, led by the Fonthill ‘Dragon’ Jar from the Qianlong period
(Expected to fetch in excess of HK$80 million / US$10.3 million, pictured above). Other highlights include a Xuande
‘fish’ stemcup from the Chunzaizhai Collection, Chinese art from the Hosokawa clan (separate press release
available on request), the Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese lacquer, later Chinese bronzes from the collection of Ulrich
Hausmann and porcelain from the collection of legendary Japanese dealer Sakamoto Gorō, as well as a yellow-ground
yangcai vase from the Qianlong period from the Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art various-owner sale.
Altogether, the seven sales will offer around 420 lots with a total estimate of approximately HK$530 million / US$68
million*.
Nicolas Chow, Sotheby’s Asia Deputy Chairman and International Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of
Art, said, “This season, it is our privilege to present a wonderful selection of some of the world’s most celebrated
collections – Hosokawa, Hausmann, Baoyizhai – spanning a diversity of fields such as Imperial porcelain, later
bronzes and lacquer. Besides, we will also offer a number of masterworks of Chinese Imperial porcelain, including
the magnificently carved celadon jar decorated with dragons formerly in the Fonthill collection.”
Auction Highlights:
The Fonthill ‘Dragon’ Jar
A Magnificent Carved Celadon-Glazed ‘Dragon’ Jar
Seal Mark And Period Of Qianlong
34.4 cm
Expected to fetch in excess of HK$80 million / US$10.3 million
Throughout its 4,000-year history, the production of ceramics with
celadon glazes has seen constant innovation. With the present jar, the
classic jar form was rendered in a larger format unseen in previous
examples, whereas the eternal subject of dragons among waves and
clouds are portrayed in an exceptional style.
With its superbly
harmonious combination of form, carving style, design and glaze colour
the present jar is a characteristic product of the period, when Tang Ying (1682-1756) was supervisor of the imperial
kilns in Jingdezhen and the expectations on a piece of porcelain were set to the highest level ever.
The Chunzaizhai Collection – A Xuande ‘Fish’ Stemcup
An Important And Fine Copper-Red “Fish” Stemcup
Mark And Period Of Xuande
8.8 cm
Est. HK$40 - 60 million / US$5.1 – 7.7 million
The superb Xuande stemcup from the Chunzaizhai Collection is
the only example of this particular type and size ever to come to
the market. The radical simplicity of this three-fish and related
three-fruit designs is without par in the history of Chinese
porcelain decoration and testifies to both the innovative approach
to painting at the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen and the technical progress in the firing of the copper-red, a notoriously
fickle pigment. The admirable, jewel-like colour and texture of these silhouettes was achieved only in the Xuande
reign and was not matched since. Numbers of very well executed examples with red glaze decoration such as the
present piece remained very small. This piece has an illustrious history, having come to the market for the first time at
Sotheby’s in 1956 from the collection of Allen J. Mercher, and since spent two decades in the Chang Foundation in
Taipei.
Chinese Art Through the Eye of Sakamoto Gorō – Porcelain
Following the previous success of offerings from the Sakamoto Gorō collection, Sotheby’s Hong Kong is delighted to
present a selected group of porcelains from the famed collection of the legendary antique dealer. Sakamoto’s career as
an antiques dealer, collector and connoisseur has spanned almost 70 years.
A Brilliantly Painted and Extremely Rare Blue and
White Narrative Fragment of a Meiping
Yuan Dynasty
Diameter 24.3 cm
HK$2 – 3 million / US$260,000 – 380,000
The present piece is a fragment of a meiping delicately
painted in vivid shades of cobalt-blue with a continuous
narrative scene alluding to the Yuan dynasty zaju (‘variety
plays’), Baihuating (‘Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers’). The
Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) is the only period when witty illustrations of popular scenes from contemporary theatre
found their way onto porcelains. The superbly painted, complex stories represented on less than two dozen vessels
that are preserved are among the most magnificent examples of Chinese porcelain painting ever achieved. This genre
of porcelains made to evoke romantic or patriotic sentiments like contemporary drama developed in the relative
freedom in porcelain production under the Mongol regime and was quickly abandoned again due to the subsequent
submission of the Jingdezhen kilns under imperial control in the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Part 2
As ritual bronzes fell out of vogue in the late Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC), lacquerwares began to take their
place as one the most coveted luxury items one could own. Since that time, lacquer has continued to hold its place
among highly esteemed collected objects like ceramics and jades. Hailed as one of the world’s top Chinese lacquer
collectors, Dr. Hu Shih-chang (1924-2006) assembled a comprehensive collection which includes pieces from the
Warring States period (475-221 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and has been widely published and
exhibited.
An Exceptional and Important Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Bowl Stand
Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Period, Yongle And Xuande Marks
21.4 cm
Est. HK$10 – 15 million / US$1.3 – 1.9 million
Made to support bowls of hot tea, bowl stands were incorporated into the
repertoire of the imperial workshops in the Ming dynasty. Ming (13681644) emperors typically commissioned their own porcelains and relegated
wares from previous reigns to storage. However, as carved lacquer was far more precious and laborious to recreate,
this teabowl stand passed from ruler to ruler: produced for the Hongwu Emperor (r.1368-98), it was appropriated by
the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-24), whose reign mark was thinly engraved, before the Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-35)
had his magnificent gilded mark carved on top.
Later Chinese Bronzes from the Collection of Ulrich Hausmann
Passionately collected over 45 years by the German architect Ulrich Hausmann, the Wei Liao Qing Yuan is the
definitive collection of later Chinese bronzes. Encompassing all the major categories, the sale includes incense
burners, archaistic vessels, water droppers, hand warmers and religious figures, reflecting the refined taste of the
official scholar elite from the Song to Qing dynasties.
From left to right:
A Gold-Splashed Bronze Tripod Incense Burner, Liding
Ming Dynasty
17.5 cm
Est. HK$500,000 – 600,000 / US$64,000 – 77,000
A Large Bronze Dragon-Handled Vase, Zun
Yuan / Early Ming Dynasty
28 cm
Est. HK$40,000 – 60,000 / US$5,000 – 8,000
A Partially Guilt-Bronze ‘Duck’ Water Dropper
Late Ming Dynasty
6 cm
Est. HK$40,000 – 60,000 / US$5,000 – 8,000
A Gold and Silver-Inlaid Bronze Incense Burner, Liding
Song Dynasty
19 cm
Est. HK$300,000 – 500,000 / US$38,000 – 64,000
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
A Magnificent Yellow-Ground ‘Yangcai’ Vase
Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong
29.3 cm
Est. HK$30 – 40 million / US$3.8 – 5.1 million
The current yangcai decorated yellow-ground bottle vase is representative of
the advanced technical innovation as well as the successful synthesis of
classical Chinese taste and Western decorative technique and palette in
porcelain manufacture during the reign of the Qianlong emperor (r. 1735-96),
who is known for his love for yangcai pieces. It also marks the innovative
combination of ‘flowers on brocade’ sgraffiato with yangcai colours that
result in a most pleasing arrangement. The present yangcai vase is truly exquisite, in a fine state of preservation, and
the quality of its enamelling compares favourably with the finest examples from the Imperial Collection still preserved
in Taipei and Beijing. That it has been possible to find its original entry in the Qing imperial court archives makes it a
truly magnificent legacy of the Qianlong reign.
A Superb Blue and White Palace Bowl
Mark and Period of Chenghua
14.7 cm
Est. HK$40 - 60 million / US$5.1 – 7.7 million
Chenghua palace bowls are regarded as the most refined blue and
white porcelains ever made and rank among the rarest wares ever
produced at the Imperial kilns. Porcelain of the period remained
greatly treasured by later Emperors, particularly Emperor Wanli
and Emperor Yongzheng, who both had copies commissioned from the Imperial kilns. Both the interior and exterior
of the bowl are decorated with gently undulating meanders of musk mallow, a flower design that appears for the first
time in early 15th century blue and white porcelain. The present bowl is one of only two bowls of this design still
remaining in private hands, while eleven examples are in museum collection, six of them in Asia and five in Europe.
A Fine And Rare Pair Of Doucai “Peach” Bowls
Marks And Period Of Kangxi
14.6 cm
Est. HK$8 – 10 million / US$1 – 1.3 million
These bowls are notable for the elegant and unusual
design which has been restricted to a narrow band. The
refined composition is accentuated by the variation of colours and delicacy of the enamelling which illustrate carefully
observed details. With its highly auspicious decoration, this pair of bowls was possibly part of the large production
for the Kangxi Emperor’s sixtieth birthday celebrations in 1713 for which peaches symbolic of longevity featured as
the main motif.
An Important Imperially Inscribed White Jade Blade
Yuti Mark And Period Of Qianlong
18.1 cm
Est. HK$8 – 10 million / US$1 – 1.3 million
The present blade pendant is an excellent reflection of the passion of Qianlong
Emperor for creative archaism in jades. Its form and decorative motifs are clearly
based on the face-like motifs of Neolithic jades, but at the same time differ from the
latter in execution. Pure and warm in material, subtle and profound in form, antique
and refined in decoration, with an inscription of praise by the emperor himself, the
present jade blade pendant is a perfect fusion of various cultural elements.
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium
Images available upon request │All catalogues are available online at or through Sotheby’s Catalogue iPad App
NOTES TO EDITORS
I) SOTHEBY'S HONG KONG AUTUMN SALES 2014 CALENDAR (The schedule is subject to change)
Auction
Category
4 Oct
Finest & Rarest Wines Including Henri Jayer Magnums from the Exceptional Cellar of James H. Clark &
The Romanée Conti Superlot
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art – Evening Sale
20th Century Chinese Art Day Sale
Contemporary Asian Art Day Sale
Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings Day Sale
Contemporary Literati: Landscapes In Mind
5 Oct
6 Oct
7 Oct
NIGO® Only Lives Twice
Fine Chinese Paintings
Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite
8 Oct
Important Watches
The Fonthill ‘Dragon’ Jar
Heirlooms of Chinese Art from the Hosokawa Clan
The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Part 2
The Chunzaizhai Collection – A Xuande ‘Fish’ Stemcup
Later Chinese Bronzes from the Collection of Ulrich Hausmann
Chinese Art Through the Eye of Sakamoto Gorō - Porcelain
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
HONG KONG EXHIBITION AND AUCTION VENUE
Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (New Wing), 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
I) ASIA TRAVELLING EXHIBITIONS CALENDAR
Date
City
Venue
4 - 5 Sep
7 - 8 Sep
20 - 21 Sep
Shanghai
Beijing
Taipei
Jing An Shangri-La
Kerry Hotel
Fubon International Convention Centre
III) UPCOMING SELLING EXHIBITIONS (SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER)
Date
Selling Exhibitions
Venue
6 - 24 Sep
The World According to Nara
Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery
7 – 8 Sep
Age Of Elegance – European Paintings, Furniture and Sculpture
Kerry Hotel, Beijing
3 - 7 Oct
Age Of Elegance – European Paintings, Furniture and Sculpture
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
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