3 November 2009, King St. - Christie's Asian Art Week London commences with the bountiful riches offered in the Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale on 3 November. Led by four private collections, the auction as a whole comprises over 300 lots and includes superb jades, ceramics and sculptures. Leading the works from various owner collections is a very fine famille rose imperial 'peach' bowl, with Yongzheng underglaze blue six-character mark within double circles and of the period (1723-35) (estimate: £300,000-500,000) illustrated above. Further highlights range from a rare large famille noire 'dragon' dish, with Kangxi underglaze blue six-character mark and of the period (1662-1722) (estimate: £80,000-120,000); the cover lot which is a rare and finely enamelled famille rose pink-ground model of a Buddhist Stupa, Qianlong period (1736-95) (estimate: £60,000-80,000); a fine Ming-style blue and white garlic-head pear-shaped vase, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-95) (estimate: £30,000-50,000) and a very fine 18th century white jade 'camel' seal (estimate: £15,000-20,000).
Following the strength of demand for the Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections in September, Christie’s New York, which realised $3.2million, selling 99% by value and 97% sold by lot, Christie’s London are pleased to present 24 beautiful archaic jades from the revered collections. These include a greyish-green and russet jade cong, from Northwest China, 2nd -1st Millennium BC (estimate: £4,000-6,000); a Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 200) bronze sword with jade pommel and guard (estimate: £5,000-8,000) and two blackish-green jade ceremonial blades, Zhang, late Neolithic period, Northwest China, circa 2000 BC (estimate: £10,000-15,000).
Arthur M. Sackler was one of America’s foremost collectors, whose collection encompassed Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and Pre-Columbian art as well as European ceramics, sculpture, paintings and drawings from the mediaeval to the modern periods. In 1965 he established The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation to make over a thousand works of art accessible to scholars, students and the general public. His name lives on in many art-related projects including the Sackler Wing, housing the Temple of Dendur, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology in China, which teaches museology to students in Beijing. An insightful connoisseur, he believed that “Art is a triumphant demonstration of how one people can speak to all people; how artists can speak to everyone across the void of time and the vastness of distance; and how a past civilization can relate to the present.”
Works offered from The Lord Blackford Collection of Chinese Works of Art are led by an Imperial, finely carved spinach-green jade brushpot (estimate: £300,000-400,000) from the Qianlong Period (1736-95), illustrated left. This refined collection also includes three further Qianlong jade artifacts and two cloisonné enamel birds with estimates ranging from £8,000 to £20,000. Offered for the first time in over fifty years, these fascinating examples are a perfect reflection of the taste in collecting Chinese Art amidst the British nobility during the 20th century. For more details please see separate release.
19 lots from The Plesch Collection are featured, ranging from jades and bronzes to sculptures and ceramics. Peter and Traudi Plesch came separately to Britain as refugees from Berlin and Vienna respectively, during World War II. Both from homes where art was appreciated,
the collection provides insight into the couple’s shared passion which has deepened and developed during their marriage; showcasing works which they sought out and only purchased after careful consideration and mutual agreement. Key lots include an impressive 18th century large celadon jade 'peach' box and cover (estimate: £50,000-80,000); a finely carved jade finger citron, Qianlong Period (1736-95), which is naturalistically carved to imitate a fruit with curled finger-like tendrils (estimate:£15,000-25,000) and an attractive cloisonné enamel octagonal spittoon, with elaborate lotus flowers, Qianlong Period (1736-95) (estimate: £8,000-12,000) illustrated right, which is similar to an example in the Palace Museum collection, Beijing. Further works range from a finely carved 18th century lacquered-wood figure of Damo (estimate: £6,000-8,000), to a rare small guanyao vase, Song dynasty (960-1279) (estimate: £6,000-8,000).
A dynamic and varied array of 74 works from The Clive D. Collins Collection will also be offered. This collection has been formed over nearly half a century, fuelled by a passion for learning and initially with a purely aesthetic focus. It presents jade, bought from trusted London dealers in the 1970s, as well as beautiful works of art and porcelain, which Collins, now 92, increasingly concentrated on. Leading the collection are a large pale celadon jade ruyi sceptre 18th century (estimate: £30,000-50,000) and a large 18th century spinach-green jade 'immortals' boulder 18thcentury (estimate: £80,000-120,000), illustrated left. The decoration on the two sides of this finely carved jade mountain depicts contrasting landscapes, with the abode of immortals symbolized by pine trees and a peach tree which stand for longevity.
Further notable works include an attractive celadon-glazed double-gourd vase, with Qianlong underglaze blue seal mark and of the period (1736-95) (estimate: £8,000-12,000) and a finely carved cinnabar lacquer panel, Ming dynasty, 16th century (estimate: £15,000-20,000). Such panels were once the lid for large boxes, used to contain marriage documents. Several complete boxes of this type are in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. An iron-red and underglaze blue 'wufu' saucer dish, with Qianlong underglaze blue seal mark and of the period (1736-95) (estimate: £4,000-6,000) will also be offered. The decoration comprises five bats which symbolize good fortune and also represent the Five Blessings: longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue and a peaceful death.
Collins increasingly fine tuned his appreciation of the purity of porcelain glazes, the skills of painting and the consistency of repeated patterns. Professing that he has learnt more from his mistakes than from purchases that have become valuable treasures, Collins’s collection reflects a collector who has followed his instincts, and built up his knowledge over decades, without regard to Chinese tastes, or the then value of what he was buying.
Public Viewing:
• Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 3 November at King Street:
Between 30 0ctober and 2 November
• Japanese Art & Design on 4 November at South Kensington:
Between 31 October and 3 November
• Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles on 6 November at South Kensington:
Between 31 October and 5 November
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Date:23/Oct/2009
