Asian Art Auction at Christie's New York
Vivian Chang
Where: 20 Rockefeller Plaza, NY
When: 9/7 - 9/17
Contact: Vredy Lytsman, (212)636-2682
Info: http://www.christies.com/asia/index.html
--All lots are open for viewing everyday beginning 9/7 until the date
of auction.
Symposium--Buddhist Images from Gandharan Origins to Tang China
"The symposium, focusing on the Buddhist sculpture of India and
China, will be composed of a series of lectures by Dr. Pradapaditya
Pal, Norton Simon Museum; Dr. Martin Lerner, The Metropolitan Museum of
Art; Anthony Lin, Chairman of Christie's Hong Kong; and Marylin Rhie,
Smith College."
When: Monday, September 13
Fee: $145 (includes lunch, cocktail reception and Christie's sale
catalogue)
Contact: Christie's International Art Studies
(212) 355 5262.
"--An Important Collection of Japanese Porcelain, Japanese and Korean
Art Wednesday, 15 September, 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
http://www.christies.com/asia/sale9208/index.html
The sale is broad in scope and covers 15th/20th century works in 390
lots. Among the offerings of Japanese works of art is a group of
Kakiemon-style porcelain from the collection of Richard Weatherhead
(1934-1987), one of the most important and exceptional collections ever
to come to auction. Weatherhead, founder and president of the Midgard
Foundation, which fosters the understanding of Japan and the Far East,
acquired a substantial portion of his collection at auction in London,
including the now famous de la Mare sale in 1976.
Japan began to make porcelain in the first quarter of the 17th century—
nearly 1,000 years after China and only 100 years before the opening of
the Meissen factory in Saxony—reaching its peak around 1645 during a
burgeoning export trade. A masterpiece of early enameling offered in
the sale is a pear-form bottle (1660-1670) decorated in green, blue and
red enamels over clear glaze with flowering peonies and a large Chinese-
style rock (estimate: $150,000-200,000). Among the other exquisite
pieces is a large jar (1660-1680) painted in polychrome enamels over
clear glaze with a wide frieze of two pheasants perched on a long
branch of flowering peony (estimate: $100,000-150,000).
One of the highlights in the sale of Japanese Art is an Anonymous, 17th
century pair of six-panel screens illustrating “The Battle of
Ichinotani” from the 13th century novel The Tale of the Heike, which
brings to life the courage and skill of the samurai (estimate: $200,000-
300,000). The battle took place in 1185, at the end of a grueling five-
year war between the Taira (also known as the Heike) and the Minamoto
(or Genji). The Minamoto emerged victorious and their leader, Yoritomo,
became the first shogun of a new military government. This section of
the sale also features a remarkable group of Japanese modern paintings,
including works by Kuroda Seiki, Asai Chu, Umehara Ryusaburo, Yokoyama
Taikan and Kojima Zenzaburo.
The centerpiece of the 30-lot Korean section is a painting, Mother and
child by Park Sookeun (1914-1965), from the collection of the
University of Alaska Museum (estimate: $250,000-300,000). Subtle in
tone and roughly textured because of a mixture of oil and rice chaff
applied to the canvas, the image creates a triangular form, which is
softened by the mother's arms enclosing the child in a comforting
circle that is reiterated by the curve of the child's upraised arm. In
most of his works, Park conveys the poverty of Korea in the 1950s and
anxiety about the future in post-war Korea. Other highlights include a
large blue and white porcelain jar (estimate: $200,000-250,000) and a
white porcelain bottle (estimate: $200,000-220,000), both from the
Choson Period, second half of the 18th century.
--Masterpieces of Chinese Sculpture from a Private Collection
Thursday, 16 September, 10:00 a.m.
http://www.christies.com/asia/sale9270/index.html
The 31 lots in this sale reflect the different traditions in Chinese
sculpture—an art form in which Chinese artists truly excelled. Mostly
of Buddhist origin but also featuring secular sculpture, the sale is
divided into three sections—“Sculpture for the Afterlife,” “Sculpture
from Cave Temples” and “Temple Sculpture.” Highlights in the first
section include a large, finely modeled sancai-glazed pottery figure of
a caparisoned horse, Tang Dynasty (estimate: $300,000-350,000), and a
rare bronze raptor arching backwards with its beak open in a scream of
pain as its wings are crushed in the jaws of two attacking lions,
Warring States Period (estimate: $280,000-350,000). The “Sculpture
from Cave Temples” section features a rare and important Tang Dynasty
stone figure of a Bodhisattva, circa 700, from the Longmen Caves, shown
standing atop a lotus socle and loosely holding an elixir bottle
(estimate: $380,000-500,000); a rare gilded and polychrome grey stone
figure of a Bodhisattva, Northern Qi Dynasty, richly decorated with
elaborate jewelry; and a rare grey stone stele of Buddha and a
Bodhisattva, Eastern Wei Dynasty, each of these last two sculptures
carrying an estimate of $220,000-280,000. Among the magnificent pieces
of “Temple Sculpture” are a superb gilded and painted wood figure of
Guanyin, Jin Dynasty, which is very similar to the one currently in the
Shanghai Museum (estimate: $400,000-650,000); and a rare dated Ming
glazed stoneware figure of Guanyin dated to the 1st month of the 43rd
Year of Jiajing or 1564 A.D. (estimate: $250,000-350,000).
--Fine Chinese Furniture, Ceramics and Works of Art
Thursday, 16 September, 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
http://www.christies.com/asia/sale9210/index.html
The Fine Chinese Furniture section of the sale is accentuated by a few
superb pieces, including a fine and rare huanghuali four-poster canopy
bed, 17th century (estimate: $320,000-380,000); a fine Imperial carved
zitan long table, 18th century, carved with prunus and other trees
(estimate: $180,000-250,000); and a rare and fine huanghuali folding
and reclining armchair, 17th century(estimate: $150,000-180,000).
Interestingly, the clean and basic form of this century's modernist
aesthetic seems to be resonant of the simplicity of Ming furniture, a
simplicity that only seems to enrich the minimalist expression and can
be subtly incorporated into today's interior design.
The Ceramics and Works of Art section features a large painted pottery
figure of a court lady, Tang Dynasty (estimate: $200,000-300,000); a
rare Tang Dynasty amber and green-glazed pottery figure of a
caparisoned horse with an unusual, striped mane (estimate: $180,000-
250,000); a rare archaic bronze jar, lei, 8th/7th century B.C.
(estimate: $180,000-220,000); and a rare 18th century wool carpet
decorated with a Buddhistic lion (estimate: $100,00-150,000).
--Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Friday, 17 September, 10:00 a.m.
http://www.christies.com/asia/sale9212/index.html
The largest and most comprehensive sale Christie's has ever offered in
this category, the property comprises a wide range of highly select
pieces, spanning Gandhara through India, Kashmir, Nepal and Thailand.
The top lot is an important large bronze figure of Padmapani with
silver eyes and copper inlaid lips, created in the aftermath of the
Second Transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, Western Tibet, late
11th/early 12th century (estimate: $250,000-300,000). Also featured is
an important bronze portrait figure of Atisha, bearing an inscription
stating that it originally contained relics of Atisha and of his
primary disciple Drom Tonpa, Tibet, circa 13th century (estimate:
$120,000-150,000). Two further portrait bronzes include Tsondu Zangpo,
the great sage and master engineer credited with the construction of
most historical bridges in Tibet to facilitate communication and the
spread of the Buddhist Dharma, Tibet, 15th century (estimate: $60,000-
80,000); and a very fine and early bronze figure of Milarepa, the
renowned poet and singer holding his hand to his ear, a characteristic
he is identified with, connoting his listening to the “echoes of
nature,” Tibeto-Chinese, 14th century (estimate: $80,000-120,000).
Further highlights include a large and important bronze figure of
a “Walking Buddha,” a striking Thai iconic invention, representing both
the Buddha's earthly travels and his descent from heaven, Thailand,
Sukothai, 15th/16th century (estimate: $100,000-150,000); a large gilt
bronze figure of Vajrad.hara, exemplifying the highest Newari standards
of bronze craftsmanship reflected in the sensitive modeling of his
features, Nepal, 15th century (estimate: $100,000-120,000); a red
sandstone figure of the goddess Devi, whose voluptuous body and
graceful posture embody the Indian ideals of female beauty, India,
Uttar or Madhya Pradesh, 1th century (estimate: $35,000-50,000); a rare
and large bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, of which only very few
examples are believed to exist, Kashmir, 8th century (estimate:
$160,000-180,000); and a large bronze figure of Yamantaka, with silver
inlaid eyes and a nimbus of numerous arms, Tibeto-Chinese, late
17th/early 18th century (estimate: $80,000-100,000). A fine selection
of Tibetan thankas starting from the 17th century and a group of Indian
paintings also will be featured in the sale."
http://www.christies.com/asia/index.html
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