What's Happening in Asian Art...
March 9, 2021
A Rare Chinese Longquan Celadon Drum Form Box and Cover, Song-Yuan Dynasty
Auction of Asian Works of Art at Doyle
Monday, March 15, 2021 at 10am
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle’s Asian Works of Art auction, part of Asia Week New York, will take place on Monday, March 15, 2021 at 10am. Doyle is presenting a curated sale of over 300 lots featuring the arts of China, Japan and elsewhere throughout Asia dating from the Neolithic Period through the 20th century. Showcased will be bronzes, jades, snuff bottles, porcelains, pottery, scholar’s objects and paintings from prominent collections and estates.
A Rare Chinese Longquan Celadon Drum-Form Box and Cover
Southern Song-Yuan Dynasty
Well-potted with rounded, relief-decorated sides with leafy floral scrolling and mask handles above row of pinwheel bosses at base; the cover with row of bosses at side and molded to top with lotus blossom; decorated with thick and pale blue-celadon glaze; the mouth and foot rim burnt orange red with some slight exposure of grey-white stoneware body. Height 4 1/4 inches. Lot 224.
Estimate: $50,000 - $70,000
Provenance:
The Estate of a Connecticut Private Collector
A Fine Chinese Enameled Porcelain Lantern VaseQianlong Seal Mark in Underglaze Blue and of the PeriodThe rounded, cylindrical vase with molded bat-form handles at shoulder and well decorated in famille rose enamels with lotus scrolls, chimes and red bats. Height 10 3/4 inches. Lot 263.Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Provenance:
Acquired from a Private American Collection
A Fine Pair of Chinese Huanghuali High-Back Armchairs 18th Century
Apart from the subtle grace and symmetry of these rare huanghuali chairs, their originality is what should appeal to buyers of classical Chinese furniture. Both chairs display gentle signs of age and use, from the wear to the foot rails to the rounded edges of the arms. The buyer of Lot 87 will also be inheriting a legacy of care that has kept these fine chairs in show condition for over two centuries.
Estimate: $15,000-$20,000
EXHIBITION
Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14, Noon-5pm
And by appointment on other days and evenings
Safety protocols will be in place.
March 9, 2021
Sunday March 14 at 5:00 EDT
All lectures are Zoom webinars and require advance registration.
Monumental Satsuma Vase featuring Gods of the Sea in a procession with Kiyomizudera bell; Earthenware with wooden stand; Brodey Collection, Chapel Hill, NC
Making Meiji Modern
Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, VP for Global Artistic Programs and Director of the Asia Society Museum in New York, will moderate a conversation with the JASA 50th Anniversary Exhibition's Co-Curators, Dr. Bradley Bailey, Ting Tsung and Wei Fung Chao Curator of Asian Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Professor Chelsea Foxwell, University of Chicago.
Click here to register for the Zoom event: March 14 Zoom Webinar
March 8, 2021
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
March 12 @ 4.30 p.m. ET
John Guy presents
Luxury Goods: Ivory and Temple Décor in 18th Century Sri Lanka
Zoom Lecture. Click here to register.
March 6, 2021
An online discussion on Zoom with Japanese art experts
to open Asia Week New York 2021
Wednesday March 10 at 5pm EST
Kitaōji Rosanjin (1883-1959) has long been hailed as one of the greatest ceramists of the twentieth century. While he forged a remarkable career, it was not without first crossing paths, and even colliding, with many of his contemporaries who were themselves renowned ceramic masters: Arakawa Toyozō, Fujiwara Kei, Kaneshige Tōyō, Katō Tokurō, Kawakita Handeishi, and Koyama Fujio.
Our panel of experts will re-examine the legend of Rosanjin as TRADITION REDEFINED places his oeuvre in dialogue with works by these other mid-century titans. They will discuss how some were indispensable to the advancement of Rosanjin’s outsized reputation, and how most remain relatively unknown in the West today.
PANELISTS:
LOUISE CORT, curator emerita of ceramics, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
JOAN CUMMINS, Lisa and Bernard Selz Curator of Asian Art at the Brooklyn Museum, New York
MEGHEN JONES, Associate Professor of Art History, School or Art and Design, Alfred University
KURODA KUSAOMI of Shibuya Kurodatoen Co., LTD, the foremost modern ceramics gallery in Japan
Discussion moderated by JOAN MIRVISS
Contact Director@mirviss.com to RSVP. Space is limited.
March 5, 2021
UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE, Toto ryogoku yusen no zu (View of pleasure boats at Ryogoku, the Eastern capital), triptych, polychrome woodcut, Japan, c.1830 (Courtesy: Hara Shobo)
New York: Asia Week New York is delighted to present a Virtual Preview of ancient and contemporary treasures from the Far East on Thursday, March 11 at 5:00 p.m. (EST); 2:00 p.m. (PST). To reserve, click here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oA86NxqZSB273qYA5C2gxw
To celebrate this exciting occasion, a panel of distinguished guest speakers will provide a preview of Asian art in their respective fields. They include: Maxwell K. Hearn, Douglas Dillon Chairman of the Department of Asian Art, Olivia Hamilton, Specialist, Head of Department, in the Chinese Works of Art department at Christie’s New York, Katherine Martin, Chairperson, Asia Week New York and Managing Director, Scholten Japanese Art, and Eric Zetterquist, principal, Zetterquist Galleries, New York.
“On behalf of everyone involved with Asia Week New York, I extend my thanks and appreciation for keeping the ball rolling during the past year,” says Katherine Martin. “We are grateful for the devoted group of galleries, auction houses, museums, curators, collectors, scholars, and the public-at-large who have stood behind us and kept us going and are optimistic that Asia Week New York will return in full force next year.”
According to Martin, Asia Week New York has created a highly sophisticated and streamlined digital platform for dealers and auction houses to present a selection of their respective highlights which can be accessed on www.asiaweekny.com, starting March 11th.
About the Panel
Maxwell K.,(Mike) Hearn Douglas Dillon Chairman, Department of Asian Art, began working at the Metropolitan Museum in 1971, helping oversee the expansion of the Met’s collection of Chinese art as well as major additions to its exhibition spaces, including the Astor Chinese Garden Court, the Douglas Dillon Galleries, and the renovated and expanded galleries for Chinese painting and calligraphy. He has worked on over 50 exhibitions and authored or contributed to numerous catalogues including The Great Bronze Age of China (1980), Splendors of Imperial China: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei (1996), Along the Riverbank: Chinese Paintings from the C. C. Wang Family Collection (1999), How to Read Chinese Paintings (2008) and Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China (2013). Mike, who received his undergraduate degree in art history from Yale University and his Ph.D. from Princeton, has taught graduate and undergraduate seminars on Chinese painting at Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. In 2014 he was elected a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Olivia Hamilton joined Christie’s in 2016 and has been in the industry for ten years. She has been instrumental in bringing to auction internationally important sales of Chinese art across a range of materials, including masterpiece Song ceramics, rare jade carvings, and the finest Ming and Qing porcelain.
Ms. Hamilton holds a Postgraduate diploma in Asian Art from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Classics at the University of Oxford, following which she studied Mandarin in Beijing. She also spent over three years in the Hong Kong office of an English law firm, qualifying as a lawyer in 2008.
Katherine Martin has been the Managing Director of Scholten Japanese Art in New York since 1999 where she has organized over fifty gallery exhibitions. Prior to consulting privately, Ms. Martin was a specialist in the Japanese Department at Sotheby's New York (1993-1999). While at Sotheby's, Ms. Martin was the primary contact for the sale of the Donna and the Late Arthur Levis Collection of Yoshitoshi Woodblock Prints (Sept. 1997, Mar. 1998), and the New York representative for the London auction of Highly Important Japanese Prints from the Henri Vever Collection in October 1997. Ms. Martin was also the specialist in charge during the series of auctions of inro, netsuke, and works of art from the Collection of the Late Charles A. Greenfield (Sept. 1997, March 1998, Sept. 1998). From 2012 she has served on the Planning Committee of the Asia Week New York Association, Inc. (AWNY), on its Board as Treasurer (2012-2017, and 2019-present), and as Chairperson of AWNY as of March 2019.
Ms. Martin has written several catalogues published by Scholten Japanese Art, including the ongoing series focused on woodblock prints, Highlights of Japanese Printmaking, for which the most recent volume, Part Six – The Baron J. Bachofen von Echt Collection of Golden Age Ukiyo-e, was released in March 2020.
Eric Zetterquist is an artist and Asian antiquities dealer. He opened his eponymous gallery in 1992 after training for ten years with dealer and photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto. While presenting early ceramics from all of Asia, he has specialized in those from Tang through Yuan Dynasties in China, as well as 11th to 16th centuries in South East Asia and Japan.
Since the inception of his gallery, Zetterquist has mounted over 50 exhibitions and authored 14 exhibition catalogs. He has hosted numerous “handling sessions” for University undergraduate and graduate students, in the belief that ceramics should be handled to be fully understood. In 2015, Zetterquist presented "Ly Dynasty White and Brown-and-White Wares; A Visual Declaration of Independence” at the Cornell University symposium, “Vietnamese Ceramics: Objects at the Crossroads.”
As he embarks on his fourth decade as a gallerist, Eric Zetterquist looks forward to presenting the best of Asian ceramics in New York, while contributing to their understanding and appreciation in the rich tapestry of world art history.
About Asia Week New York
The collaboration of top-tier international Asian art galleries, the five major auction houses, Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Heritage Auctions, iGavel, and Sotheby’s, and numerous museums and Asian cultural institutions, Asia Week New York is a week-long celebration filled with a non-stop schedule of simultaneous gallery open houses, Asian art auctions as well as numerous museum exhibitions, lectures, and special events. Participants from Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, and the United States unveil an extraordinary array of museum-quality treasures from China, India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Japan, and Korea.
Asia Week New York Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade membership organization registered with the state of New York. For more information visit www.AsiaWeekNewYork.com @asiaweekny #asiaweekny
About Songtsam, Presenting Sponsor
Founded by Baima Duoji, in 2000, the Songtsam Hotels, Resorts, & Tour is the only collection of luxury Tibetan-style retreats found across the Tibetan Plateau that offers guests sophisticated elegance, refined design, modern amenities, and unobtrusive service in places of natural beauty and cultural interest. With his long-standing and strong interest in Chinese, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian art, Mr. Baima started collecting art long before he established his first hotel, Songtsam Lodge Shangri-La, which is located next to the famous Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri-La. Many of the properties across the Tibetan plateau are decorated with Mr. Baima’s personal collection, with each hotel acting as a private art museum. Songtsam aims to share the beauty of humanity’s imagination and creativity with people from all over the world and has been exploring and preserving the essence of Tibetan culture, all the while maintaining a commitment to supporting economic development, local communities, environmental conservation, and sustainability within Tibet and Yunnan. For more information, visit www.songtsam.com/en
March 4, 2021
An Exceptional and Rare Blue and White 'Floral' Bowl, Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period
Sotheby’s is delighted to present highlights of its upcoming Asia Week sales in New York, featuring a diverse array of Asian art spanning 4,000 years of history. Among the highlights are an exceptional selection of Imperial jades and cloisonné enamels from the Brooklyn Museum, sold to support museum collections; Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s Untitled – which will appear at auction for the first time this March after remaining in the collection of renowned American physicist, Robert Marshak and his wife Ruth for nearly sixty years, and more. All works on offer are open for viewing by appointment in Sotheby’s New York galleries beginning 11 March, with auctions taking place from 12 – 24 March.
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY SOUTH ASIAN ART, Auction 16 March @ 10:00AM
There is an exceptional offering of works from the storied collections of Ruth and Robert Marshak and design impresario Patwant Singh, as well as masterpieces, such as Akbar Padamsee’s 1956 Landscape, which traveled for a representation at the La Biennale di Venezia, 1956, and a 1961 French landscape by Sayed Haider Raza. This year’s sale features works by more than 65 artists, with an effort towards expanding the discourse around the diverse corpus of South Asian Art created in the 20th century.
The sale is led by two rare paintings on public view for the first time in decades, including Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s Untitled, which will appear at auction for the very first time since it was acquired in the 1960s; and Jehangir Sabavala’s Lone Vigil from 1989, which entered a private international collection thirty-two years ago and has not been seen since. The sale features works from other significant private collections, including the Patwant Singh and Romen & Rasil Basu Family Collection, and works from the collection of renowned art critic George Butcher; a selection of sculptures led by an archetypal bronze masterpiece by Meera Mukherjee; as well as a diverse selection of works from the Bengal School of Art by many of the leading artists that defined this iconic genre including Gaganendranath Tagore, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Sunayani Devi and Sailoz Mookherjea.
Acquired directly from the artist in Bombay in the 1960s, Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s incandescent red canvas Untitled, 1962 will appear at auction for the first time this March, after remaining in the collection of renowned American physicist, Robert Marshak and his wife Ruth for nearly sixty years (estimate $800,000/1,200,000). The early 1960s were a critical moment in both Gaitonde’s career and the development of Color Field painting. The present work represents the artist’s unique experimentation with color, surface, texture, proportion and suspension, a defiant and remarkable intent which became the hallmark of Gaitonde’s celebrated œuvre.
IMPERIAL CLOISONNE & JADE: CHINESE ART FROM THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM, Auction 17 March @ 9:00 AM
Leading Sotheby’s Asia Week sale series this March is a remarkable selection of Imperial jades and cloisonné enamels produced during the Ming and Qing dynasties from the Brooklyn Museum, sold to support museum collections. Two of the most significant gifts made to the Brooklyn Museum during the early years of the twentieth century are the cloisonné enamels collected by Samuel P. Avery, Jr. (1847- 1920), and jades and hardstones acquired by Colonel Robert B. Woodward (1840-1915). The 45 works on offer from the Brooklyn Museum represents the generosity of these two patrons, among others, who together were to shape the understanding of these two materials.
This distinguished group of works is led by a magnificent Qing dynasty, Qianlong period Exceptional White and Russet Jade Brushpot (estimate $1/1.5 million) from the Woodward Collection. Colonel Robert B. Woodward (1840-1915) was a lifelong Brooklyn resident whose generous gift of 218 jade and hardstone carvings was made to the institution in 1914. Produced in increased quantity from the mid-Qianlong period on, jade brushpots were rarer and more valuable than those made from bamboo, wood or porcelain, and tended to be concentrated in the collections of the imperial family and other nobility. Under the Qianlong Emperor’s auspices, the jade brushpot became an important medium for pictorial subjects. Many of these illustrate historical events or stories as memorialized in classical paintings, while others interpret their source material, aiming to capture the spirit of China's rich tradition of landscape painting. The decoration of the present brushpot follows in the tradition of Chinese painting, treating the surface of the material as a horizontal scroll. The motif unfolds in front of the viewer as the brushpot is turned and with each scene a new perspective of the landscape is revealed, making the brushpot an object that can be appreciated from multiple vantage points. Also on offer from the Brooklyn Museum collection is a group of cloisonné enamels from the world-renowned Samuel P. Avery, Jr. Collection, led by an exceptionally rare ‘Bats And Clouds’ cloisonné enamel vase (estimate $300/500,00). The Avery Collection of Chinese Cloisonné Enamels was not only the most important and largest of its type in America, but it remains today one of the most important holdings of Chinese cloisonné worldwide.
IMPORTANT CHINESE ART, Auction 17 March @ 10:00 AM
The day continues with a diverse assemblage of rare and exceptional Chinese works of art from distinguished collections, spanning 4,000 years of Chinese history from the Shang dynasty onwards. The Important Chinese Art auction highlights include two early Ming dynasty blue and white masterworks, led by an exceptional and rare 15th century Chinese Yongle period Blue and White ‘Floral’ Bowl, which will appear at auction for the first time after it was amazingly discovered at a yard sale near New Haven, Connecticut - where it was purchased for just $35 (estimate $300/500,000). While perusing yard sales in Connecticut last year, the consignor came across the small yet eye-catching bowl. Given his attraction to its striking and intricate design, he purchased the bowl without hesitation for a modest $35 – the asking price. Intrigued by the piece, the buyer brought the bowl to Sotheby’s specialists for evaluation, where it was immediately identified as an exceptionally rare piece. For comparison, only six companion bowls are known, with most held in the most renowned museum collections in the world, including two in the National Palace Museum, Taipei; one in the British Museum; one in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and one in the National Museum of Iran, Tehran. This delicate bowl is a quintessential Yongle product made for the court, showing the striking combination of superb material and painting with a slightly exotic design that characterizes imperial porcelain of this period.
On offer from the collection of Stephen Junkunc III, a superb and important parcel-gilt silver 'Lotus And Pomegranate' bowl further highlights the sale (estimate $1/1.5 million). With its exquisite shape, lavish decoration and rich gilding, the present silver bowl stands firmly in the tradition of the best Tang silverwares, yet it is in many ways unique: it is extremely rare in being fully gilded on the outside, for example, rather than only to high-light the designs, as on the inside. Gold and silver are eternal symbols of wealth and luxury and were coveted in every period, but perhaps never more so than at the court and among the elites of the Tang dynasty (618-907).
THE HUNDRED ANTIQUES: FINE & DECORATIVE ASIAN ART, Auction 12 – 24 MARCH
Open for bidding online from 12 – 24 March, The Hundred Antiques: Fine & Decorative Asian Art comprises over 190 Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Himalayan works of art and paintings. The sale features Ming and Qing dynasty porcelains, classical furniture, jade, and scholar’s objects, among others. Together, they exemplify the range of artistic expressions, materials, and techniques from Asia’s diverse cultures. Highlights include a large Qing dynasty blue and white Tianqiuping (estimate $15/20,000, pictured left); an ornate hardstone-inlaid Nepalese votive plaque (estimate $5/7,000); a selection of Indian miniature paintings, jade and jadeite carvings from the Estate of Allen O. Battle, PhD; Qing dynasty glass from an important American private collection; a group of early Chinese ceramics from a Boston private collection; and numerous Chinese works of art from the collection of Henry H. Arnhold, sold to benefit the Arnhold Foundation.
March 3, 2021
An incredibly rare and museum-quality 11th century brass figure of Vajravarahi from Northeastern India, dating from the Pala Period; an important 10th century lacquered wood sculpture of Amida Buddha; and a wonderful grouping of Ming and Qing lacquer wares from the Collection of Robert W. Moore are among the highlights of Bonhams New York Asia Week sales announced today. This March, Bonhams New York will present a plethora of fine and rare works from a range of art historical periods throughout Asia’s past and present, the sales include: Chinese Works of Art and Paintings on Monday, March 15 at 10AM EST, Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art on Tuesday, March 16 at 6PM EST, and Fine Japanese and Korean Art on Wednesday, March 17 at 10AM EST.
Chinese Works of Art and Paintings
Monday, March 15, 2021
10AM EST
This sale offers treasured works of art from a series of prestigious private collections from America, led by the Ming and Qing lacquer wares from The Collection of Robert W. Moore, famed California collector of Chinese and Korean art. Among the highlights is a superb 15th/16th century Ming mother-of-pearl and black lacquer octagonal tray, exquisitely inlaid with courtly scene of figures at a lakeside pavilion (Estimate: US$25,000-35,000). Other featured collections include:
• Select sculptures from The Estate of Marilynn B. Alsdorf, featuring a rare black stone cross-legged figure of Maitreya dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (Estimate: US$70,000-100,000).
• Ceramics from the 9th century through late Qing, led by a cream-glazed ingot-shaped pillow with an Imperial Qianlong inscription from The Rosalind Ching Pastor Collection (Estimate: US$50,000-70,000). Research suggests that it formed part of the renowned Japanese dealer Yamanaka & Co. Inc. property, which came to market in 1943 at the Parke-Bernet Galleries liquidation sale.
• A select group of archaic jade ‘animal’ carvings from the Shang Dynasty through Han Dynasty from The Estate of Robert Youngman, including a russet jade Shang bear (Estimate: US$30,000-50,000).
Highlights of Chinese paintings and calligraphy date from the 16th through 21st century, including:
• An interesting collaborative fan painting (Estimate: US$8,000-10,000) by two leading painters of the 19th century Shanghai School: Xugu (1823-1896) and Wu Changshuo (1844-1927). Created for their fellow artist of the school Ren Yi (1840-1896), this one small fan connects the three giants, and is a testament to the collaborative and social nature at play in Shanghai at the time.
• Qi Baishi (1864-1957) Mice and Candlestick (Estimate: US$70,000-90,000).
Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
6PM EST
Leading Bonhams marquee sale week is a museum-quality brass figure of Vajravarahi from Northeastern India, dating from the Pala Period, circa 11th Century (Estimate: US$400,000-600,000). Possibly one of the earliest known bronze sculptures of Vajravarahi in existence, this figure from the eminent Nyingjei Lam Collection has been on loan to the Rubin Museum over the past 15 years, and has never since been published. Vajravarahi has been the most important female meditational deity in Tantric Buddhism since 11th century in Northeastern India, and it was at that very moment this figure was created. It brims with expressive iconography recalling the Indian myth of the Earth Goddess, envisioned as a young girl rising from the depths of cosmic waters. Bronzes remaining in India are believed to have been buried, but the alluring buttery patina on this figure suggests that it had been taken to – and preserved in – Tibet in the 11th or 12th century.
Among the highlights are also sculptures from the Siddharth K. Bhansali Collection and a grouping of South Indian Ganesha sculptures, as well as:
• A gilt copper alloy figure of Lokeshvara Padmapani from Nepal, 12th/13th century (Estimate: US$100,000-150,000). Intimately scaled and sensuously modelled, it is a depiction of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the lord who looks upon the world. It offers a calm, benevolent gaze and its right hand is in the gesture of granting wishes. The lotus in bloom by his left shoulder symbolizes every being’s potential to achieve enlightenment despite their past.
• A gilt copper alloy and repoussé shrine of Manjuvajra, Nepal, 17th/18th century (Estimate: US$130,000-180,000). The distinct shrine invokes Manjuvajra, an esoteric form of Manjushri – the Bodhisattva of Transcendent Wisdom. With three heads and six arms, he crosses his principal hands at the chest, embracing his consort while symbolizing the union of skillful means and wisdom.
Fine Japanese and Korean Art
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
10AM EST
The Fine Japanese and Korean Art sale is comprised of more than 180 Japanese and Korean lots, led by an important 10th century lacquered wood sculpture of Amida Buddha (Estimate: US$100,000-150,000). This Amida Buddha was created during the Heian period (764-1158), considered the first golden age of Buddhist sculpture in Japan. The distinctly Heian features – the soft lines, the voluminous body and limbs, and almost childlike appearance with gentle serene expressions – are considered as a native Japanese style.
Equally appealing is an important model of a celestial musician from the Horyuji temple (Estimate: US$35,000-50,000). This figure is believed to have been attached to the rim of an elaborate jeweled canopy of one of the three important statues in the Golden Hall of Horyuji Temple, Nara – Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. The canopy has been erected since the hall’s reconstruction after a fire in 670.
The sale’s Korean section features:
• An outstanding selection of ceramics from a private Japanese collection formed in the early 20th century, including an intricately carved white porcelain brush pot (Estimate: US$40,000-50,000) carved with symbols of longevity: deer, cranes, bamboo and pine.
• A large-scale painting of Yeongsan (Vulture Peak) Assembly (Estimate: US$7,000-9,000), which features the historical Buddha preaching the Lotus Sutra to his disciples. This impressive work, likely displayed at an alter behind the principal deity in a temple, was purchased in the 1960s by an American officer stationed in Korea.
March 2, 2021
An Indian Miniature Painting Depicting Krishna with Gopis
DALLAS, TX.- An extraordinary selection of artwork from Chinese artist Qi Baishi and an impressive array of Indian and Himalayan art are among the top draws in Heritage Auctions' Fine & Decorative Asian Art auction March 16, an event in which Heritage will expand its footprint in Asia Week New York.
"Heritage Auction's Consignment Directors Moyun Niu and Clementine Chen shared their excitement to celebrate New York Asia Week with over 300 fine and decorative Asian Art pieces, comprised of Chinese, Japanese and Korean ceramics, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, furniture and more," Heritage Auctions Asian Art Consignment Director Moyun Niu said. "Among the many fine treasures, they highlight, are a group of fine snuff bottles from a private California collection, a large white jade ruyi scepter from a major Dallas collection, a pair of large painted grey pottery guardian figures, Tang Dynasty from a New York collection, a Chinese scroll painting after Lu Zhi, three Qi Baishi fan paintings, and so many more."
"As a painter famed for his portrayal of small animals, Qi Baishi mastered the art of painting chicks fairly late in life," Heritage Auctions Asian Art Consignment Director Clementine Chen said. "Not until his early 60s did he fully grasp the technique to use various tones of black ink to illustrate the flocculent feathers of a young chick. His paintings of chicks, like Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864-1957) Chicks (estimate: $40,000-60,000), became one his most sought-after works.
"He also produced a series of beautiful fans, from a single collection in upstate New York, two of which – DragonflyandOrchids – are offered in the sale, each with an estimate of $15,000-25,000 and a Landscape fan with an estimate of $20,000-30,000. As a pioneer in the modern Chinese watercolor movement, the artist focused his works heavily on secular subjects, namely farmscapes and farm animals, rather than traditional literati landscape paintings, which makes the current landscape fan exceedingly rare."
"The sale includes an assortment of exquisite Chinese ceramics. One example is a Large Chinese Yellow-Ground and Iron-Red Decorated Enamel Dragon Fishbowl (estimate: $30,000-50,000) that is enameled in iron-red on a yellow ground with five-clawed dragons racing around in pursuit of flaming pearls amid auspicious clouds," Niu said. "A Chinese Wucai 'Eight Immortals' Dish (estimate: $20,000-30,000), from a private New York collection, bears a scene depicting the Eight Daoist Immortals, holding their attributes, accompanied by Shoulao, the Star God of Longevity, seated and flanked by his crane, deer and an attendant, all in a garden setting under pine trees."
After Lu Zhi (Chinese, 1496-1575) Chrysanthemums and Calligraphy(estimate: $30,000-50,000), with 15 red seals, comes from a private collection California. Lu Zhi (159-192) was an ancient Chinese general, government official and scholar during the Eastern Han dynasty.
A Pair of Large Painted Grey Pottery Guardian Figures, Tang Dynasty (estimate: $25,000-35,000) was created under the imperial dynasty that ruled from 618-907. Pottery created during the Tang Dynasty was known for low-temperature glaze that is among the most popular of ancient Chinese ceramic firing techniques. The offered figures stand 16 inches tall.
The event features an assortment of Japanese cloisonné-enamel vases, created in the ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold or silver. Top Japanese cloisonné-enamel lots include, but are not limited to:
• An Important Japanese Cloisonné-Enamel Vase, Namikawa Yasuyuki, Meiji Period (estimate: $6,000-8,000)
• An Exceptionally Fine Moriage Enamel Bottle Vase, Ando Jubei (1876-1953), circa 1920 (estimate: $5,000-7,000)
• A Fine Japanese Cloisonné-Enamel Pedestal Vase, Ando Jubei (1876-1953), Meiji Period (estimate: $3,000-5,000)
The event features a dozen lots of Indian art, highlights of which include:
• An Indian Miniature Painting Depicting Krishna with Gopis (estimate: $15,000-20,000)
• An Indian Carved Wood Ganesha Relief from the Dallas Estate of Stuart Cutshall (estimate: $10,000-20,000)
Other top lots include, but are not limited to:
• Wang Rong (Chinese, 1896-1972) Landscape(estimate: $15,000-25,000)
• A Chinese Jade and Hardstone-Inlaid Wood Six-Panel Screen, Qing Dynasty, 19th century (estimate: $15,000-20,000)
March 1, 2021
NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announces Asian Art Week, a series of auctions, viewings, and events, from March 4-19. This season presents seven auctions featuring over 750 objects from 5,000 years of art spanning all epochs and categories of Asian art from Chinese archaic bronzes through Japanese and Korean art to modern and contemporary Indian painting.
Highlights include Shang: Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Daniel Shapiro Collection led by The Luboshez Gong, an exceptional and highly important bronze ritual wine vessel and cover from the late Shang dynasty, 13th-12th century BC ($4,000,000-6,000,000). Also featured in the week of sales are important Gandharan sculptures from a private Japanese collection, including a magnificent 3rd to 4th-century gray schist figure of Buddha Shakyamuni ($1,500,000-2,500,000); a significant painting by the pioneer of Indian modernism Tyeb Mehta, titled Confidant and painted in 1962 ($600,000-800,000); an important and highly exhibited work by Katsushika Hokusai titled Mitate Asazuma bune (The Parody of Boat Asazuma) from the collection of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum ($400,000-500,000); an exceptionally rare huanghuali incense stand from the Yunwai Lou collection ($800,000-1,200,000) and Chinese works of art from the celebrated Junkunc collection. From rare huanghuali furniture to a collection of works by respected artist and teacher Benodebehari Mukherjee, treasures from every category of Asian art wait to be discovered.
Following the success of the September 2020 season, Chinese works of art sales on March 18-19 will be presented in New York and simultaneously in Hong Kong for increased phone bidding and streamed live on WeChat. Christie’s continues to leverage digital tools to extend access to key bidding areas and provide global audiences with opportunities to view auctions.
All works will be presented in an exhibition by appointment from March 12-18 at Christie’s New York.
February 26, 2021
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), Fujiwara Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight, ca. 1883, woodblock printed triptych, 14 1/8 by 28 1/2 in., 36 by 72.4 cm. Scholten Japanese Art
Asia Week New York is almost here. We are very excited to present the 12th annual Asia Week New York, which continues to delight collectors and connoisseurs with its spectacular trove of Asian works of art–both ancient and contemporary– spanning the Far East and South Asia. Opening on March 11th through March 20th, the 29 international galleries will present their exhibitions virtually and by-appointment, with six auction houses–Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Heritage, iGavel, and Sotheby’s mounting their respective sales.
Says Asia Week New York chairman Katherine Martin: “We are very pleased to have a significant number of participants this year. Up until the pandemic, Asia Week New York focused our energies on the March event, and we also supported our exhibitors who participated in the smaller September Asia Week schedule. However, the ‘new normal’ prompted us to consider a new direction, so we decided to extend membership to dealers, auction houses and museums on an annual basis, which allows us to provide additional and sustained outreach through our website and social media platforms as well as a program of virtual panel discussions throughout the year.”
This year the wonderful and varied works at Asia Week New York’s participants can be viewed in an online exhibition featuring all 29 galleries and highlights from the sales at the six auction houses. 13 gallery exhibitions and viewings at five auction houses are open by-appointment and free to the public. Each reveals the rarest and finest examples of Asian ceramics, paintings, prints, textiles, sculpture, jewelry, bronzes, representing artistry, ingenuity and imagination from every time period and corner of Asia.
Organized by category, here is a round-up of the highlights at the galleries:
Ancient and/or Contemporary Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art
Among the offerings at Art Passages is A Bird and Blossoms, a Safavid period tile, circa 17th century. Richly illustrated with a scene depicting a multi-colored bird in flight approaching a blossoming branch and a cypress tree, this was part of a larger composition inspired by the natural world and used to decorate the walls of palaces and houses of the nobles in Isfahan, an Iranian city known for its Perso–Islamic architecture, grand boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, tiled mosques, and minarets. Online only
Prahlad Bubbar will present a series of outstanding works from the Persian, Indian and Himalayan worlds, connected to the theme of his exhibition, The Abundance of Nature, which reflects the innate generosity and regenerative power of nature, a quiet observer in all these works. Krishna, Radha and Yamunaji Dance in the Lotus Ponds of the Yamuna–a rare and remarkable pichhvai (devotional Indian paintings) from Kota or Nathdwara– illustrates a masterful interpretation on textile of Krishna playing his magical flute in tribhanga pose amongst a web of lotus blossoms. Online only
Among the notable Indian paintings at Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd, is Rustam before Kai Kavus having knocked down Tus, Folio from a Shahnama, circa 1610, a rare survivor from the court of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1571 – 1627), the fifth sultan of Bijapur, who was a great patron of music and painting. The extraordinary quality of the paper used is incredibly thin, refined and burnished and is in near impeccable condition. The lavish use of gold leaf is one of the hallmarks of painting in the Deccan and gives us a glimpse into the confident opulence of the world of the Bijapur court under the Adil Shai sultans. Online only
This rare and exquisite 17th century gilt copper and blue champlevé enamel container or pandan, Mughal, from North India–featured at Francesca Galloway–was intended for the storage of betel nut and belongs to a group of four gilt copper enameled pandans to survive from this period. Only the most skilled craftsmen with substantial knowledge of the highly complex firing processes, were able to produce enameled objects. Two of the pandans from this group are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the Jagdish and Kamala Mittal Museum and the third is now available at Francesca Galloway. Online only
Uma (Parvati), South India, Tamil Nadu, Chola period, 11th-12th century, Copper alloy, 15 x 8.5 in. (38.1 x 21.59 cm.), Kapoor Galleries Inc.
Uma (Parvati) stands guard at Kapoor Galleries. This striking 11th-12th century Chola bronze deity from Tamil Nadu, is representative of the most important of South Indian Hindu temple images; it is part of a 'Somaskanda' image which describes the divine family constituted by Shiva, Parvati and Skanda. The present figure of Parvati, or ‘Uma’ in the native language of Tamil Nadu, seated in the posture of royal ease, belonged to a group of three portable bronze images essential to worship within each South Indian temple. The bronze figure is also processional, as indicated by the holes fit for poles enabling worshippers to carry the divine figures into the streets for all to experience darshan. 34 East 67th Street, for gallery hours, phone 212-794-2300
Thomas Murray presents an early 19th/early 20th century Nuo Mask of a Wise Leader, from southwest China. Rooted in a shamanic/animistic tradition dating back thousands of years and preserved in remote mountains by the tribal minorities of Southwest China, the dramas feature heroic battles between the forces of good and evil and serve as a means to drive out devils and malevolent ghosts. This mask is thought to capture the character of a wise but strong leader; it comes from an old French collection and is one of the finest known. Online only
At Susan Ollemans’ exhibition, Recent Acquisitions of Asian Jewelry 8-19th century, a spectacular 19th century gold pectoral from Sumba, Indonesia stands out among her stunning collection of jewelry and adornments. Made from a single rod of gold, it was hammered out into two triangular flanges. This piece would have been part of a nobleman’s treasury and exposed to daylight only for ritual purposes and under the guidance of a priest. Online only
Route Map of Experience, by Jayashree Chakravarty at Akar Prakar is a monumental work in two parts, one measuring 10.5 ½’ x 41’ and the other 10.5’ x 14.5’. Chakravarty creates immersive painted installations, comprising great, supple, and shape-shifting walls of rice paper, tissues, fabric and brown paper. In them, she arrests fleeting moments from the flux of experience. This is space where she can hold conversations with her inner self. As the eyes get used to this monumental twilight landscape, the details begin to reveal themselves. It’s as if some natural formations were playing with your vision in the semi-darkness and creating fantastic images in your mind’s eye. Online only
Made as a unique commission for a person of importance and taste, this 17th century Khatamkari dagger from the Ottoman Empire is one of the rarities on view at Runjeet Singh. The carved wooden handle and case is inlaid with gold, mother of pearl, ebony and ivory. Khatamkari refers to a technique that originated in Persia, most probably Shiraz and Isfahan, and travelled throughout the Middle East and India. Online only
Ancient and/or Contemporary Chinese Art
Spring 2021 Exhibition of Chinese Porcelains and Works of Art, at Ralph M. Chait Galleries, will feature a magnificent Chinese green porcelain bowl with the Imperial mark–a very rare type and usually dated toward the beginning of the Kangxi reign. The decorative motif of eight sacred horses leaping over waves strewn with precious things originates from the early Ming dynasty. The vibrant colors combined with this classic decoration was a bold artistic expression of the Kangxi period in the pages of Chinese history. 16 East 52nd Street,
10th floor, for gallery hours, phone 212-397-2818
A pair of hongmu square stools, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century, height 47 cm / 18 1/2 in, width 55.6 cm / 21 7/8 in, depth 55.6 cm / 21 7/8 in. Nicholas Grindley LLC
A pair of early 18th century hongmu square stools, from the Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, is among the offerings at Nicholas Grindley LLC. What is particularly interesting about these stools, especially when they survive in pairs, is their scale. They are rarely 22 inches square, making them not only particularly useful as end tables in a domestic setting, but also strong enough to stand on their own in a museum installation. Online only
On view at Ink Studio, is Almost Full Moon, by Peng Kanglong, a literati-recluse artist who paints in the traditional landscape and flower genres and is considered the singular artist of modern times. His major stylistic influences include the 17th century Monk artists Shitao and Kuncan, as well as the Modern landscape master Huang Binghong. In classical Chinese painting there are three major subjects—the figure (including portraiture), landscape, and plants and flowers. Kanglong’s painting epitomizes the best in his category. Online only
Among European admirers of Asian art was the incomparable Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). While conversant with Chinese painting, Giacometti might not have known that his signature cast-bronze sculptures with surfaces appearing rough, crusty, and eroded, the human and animal forms attenuated, their limbs stretched thin and spindly, had predecessors in the ancient art of China. From the standpoint of Asian art specialists, the oxen featured in Earthly Agendas at Kaikodo LLC– are clear examples of a Han period regional artistic norm. Presently they serve as appropriate symbols of this lunar year, advancing under the spell of the metal ox. Online only
A veritable “Treasure Box” of ancient objects deserves attention in Ceramics and Works of Art from China, Japan and Korea, the exhibition at Zetterquist Galleries. Housed in this magnificent 18th century scholar’s objects box are relics dating from the Shang to Ming Dynasties. With a lid and two doors, it is constructed of huanghuali with recessed white copper hardware, and each tray and drawer has been custom-fitted for 13 ancient gilt and silvered bronze, stone and porcelain objects. In the left drawer sits a rare revolving porcelain stem-cup with Qingbai glaze from the Yuan Dynasty, a 12th -13th century Cambodian bronze necklace is in the top drawer and a Tang Dynasty gilt and silvered lotus-shaped chariot hubcap beckons from the bottom drawer. 3 East 66th Street 2B, by appointment
Ancient and/or Contemporary Japanese Art
In the foothills of the mountains, Atagoyama 1932; Fall and Summer is one of several woodblock prints on view at The Art of Japan. This print depicts Fall and Summer views of Mt. Fuji. Merely by altering pigments, baren techniques and adding a block to create the effect of rain, the publisher and artist worked together to create two completely different moods using essentially the same blocks and the same subject. Although these designs were published in an edition of 200, they have become scarce, and because of the large format, they are difficult to find in fine condition. Online only
Chambers Fine Art, which specializes in Asian contemporary works of art, turns its attention to a young Japanese artist for its return to Asia Week New York. In Egami Etsu: Facebook a single artist show debuts the work of Egami Etsu, the 26-year old Japanese artist, who is in New York on an artist residency program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Cultural Affairs. 55 East 11th Street, by appointment only
Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd., will present Erosion, a ceramic work by Shingu Sayaka, a young emerging ceramist, in the exhibition, The Passage of Time. Internationally recognized for her ceramic flower series, her work represents transience, fleetingness and immortality. 18 East 64th Street, by appointment
Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints is presenting Chiura Obata (1885-1975): Woodblock Prints and Paintings. One of the highlights in this single artist exhibition is Evening Glow at Mono Lake, from Mono Mills (1930), one of the finest designs from the “World Landscape Series: America”, the ground-breaking effort which represents the apogee of woodblock printing in the 20th century. Obata collaborated with the Japanese publisher Takamizawa, who employed more than 32 carvers and 40 printers for eighteen months for this project. Each of the finished prints in the series required between 120 and 205 separate hand printings, and some required 15 to 20 blocks just to replicate a single brushstroke. Although a professor at Berkeley, in 1942 Obata and his family were incarcerated at the Topaz internment camp, where he then opened an art school for fellow internees. His colleagues at Berkeley were able to preserve many of his artworks; he returned to teaching there in 1945. Online only
Toto ryogoku yusen no zu (View of pleasure boats at Ryogoku, the Eastern capital), a polychrome triptych woodcut by Utagawa Hiroshige, is one of the woodblock prints available at Hara Shobo. It’s a traditional scene depicting pleasure boats on the Sumida River with people gathering to celebrate beginning of summer and view fireworks from the Ryogoku Bridge, on the riverbank of the Sumida River. Online only
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865): His World Revisited is the single artist exhibition at Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art, which showcases A Tipsy Courtesan from Fukagawa, from the series: Three Fashionable Tipplers, signed Gototei Kunisada. This very lively and expressive woodblock print portrays a hard-drinking Fukagawa geisha drinking wine from a crystal goblet with a cup of sake ready in the other. She can indulge in alcohol for seven days and nights without ill effect, and once drank a total of one hundred shots and one hundred “bull’s eyes” in five days, earning her the title of itagashira, given the highest-ranking women in the local argot. 17 East 76th Street, 3rd Floor, by appointment
Master of an enormous range of glazes, Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883-1959) produced superb functional vessels and tableware in stoneware and porcelain that were initially created for his celebrated and exclusive eating club in Tokyo. Today, globally, Rosanjin, whose work will be on view in the exhibition–Tradition Redefined: Rosanjin and His Rivals–at Joan B Mirviss LTD., is the best-known Japanese ceramist of the twentieth century. This powerful vessel of 1955 flaunts Rosanjin’s genius for imbuing a classical form with a striking sense of modernity–– in terms of form, with the thick rising neck, texture, with the irregular rippling combed lines and surface patterning, with the flung splashes of mottled glaze. 39 East 78th Street, 4th floor, by appointment
One of the most recent works that Ōsumi Yukie has produced, Araiso, or ‘Rough Shore’ on view at Onishi Gallery references the artist’s signature motif: the ceaseless movement of nature. Ōsumi employs a centuries-old technique known as nunomezōgan, or ‘textile imprint inlay’ in which the surface of the object is incised with a fine chisel, then inlaid with gold and lead. 521 West 26th Street, by appointment
One of the highlights in On the Vanguard: Meiji Period Woodblock Prints, the exhibition at Scholten Japanese Art is Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s masterpiece triptych, Fujiwara Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight, ca. 1883, easily the artist’s most famous work and one of the most memorable designs from the entire genre of Japanese woodblock prints. It illustrates a dramatic kabuki scene with the famous court musician, Fujiwara Yasumasa (958-1036), playing his flute while passing under a moonlit sky dramatically streaked with dark clouds. ‘The Flute Player’- as he is known, is apparently unaware that his outlaw brother, Kidomaru, is creeping up behind him with the intention of robbing him of his robes but is instead mesmerized by the Yasumasa’s music and leaves his brother unharmed. 145 West 58th Street, Suite 6D, by appointment
Thomsen Gallery will feature a solo exhibition of 10 new works by the Kyoto lacquer artist Yoshio Okada (b. 1977). The exhibition is centered around two series: “Celestial Phenomena” and “Jellyfish.” Ocean creatures resembling multiple moons reflected on the surface of the night sea inspired Okada to create “Jellyfish.” An immersive sense of depth is achieved by executing the decoration in two layers. Okada uses meticulous processes to achieve the lightest and most evanescent of visual effects. The resulting works are compelling fusions of time-honored skills with contemporary sensibility. 9 East 63rd Street 2nd floor, by appointment
This Fallen Pine Needles basket, made from madake, bamboo and rattan, is one of the intricately woven bamboo baskets featured at TAI Modern. Creating complex details and a beautiful sense of depth, artist Monden Yuichi employs a technique he inherited from his father by using long, thin strips of bamboo intertwined in seemingly random layers. To help achieve the tightness of the weave in this piece, Yuichi used a tool he fashioned from the rib of a discarded umbrella. Online only
Gozu Tennō a menacing Buddhist deity with hair rising up like flames and two bull horns emerging from its head, stands guard at Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art. In Japan, Gozu Tennō, known as “Ox Head Heavenly King,” was thought to quell epidemics and has been worshipped since the Heian period. The sculpture is exceedingly unusual as it lacks the bull’s head that is commonly perched atop the deity’s human head. Online only
Kokon Biannual: Spring 2021 at Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, will present an appropriately titled Landscape, an ink-on-paper hanging scroll, by Kano Motonobu (1476-1559) from the Muromachi-Momoyama period, 15th-16th century. This beautiful landscape painting is a recent and exciting discovery. Motonobu was a talented and politically savvy painter who played an essential role in the success of the Kano school of painters. 17 East 71st Street #4, by appointment
At her namesake gallery, first-time participant, Miyako Yoshinaga, presents a solo exhibition by Tokyo-based Manika Nagare (b. 1979). Manika Nagare‘s abstract color paintings, such as Through a Faraway Eye, are inspired by awe-inducing natural phenomena and nature's boundless vistas. Through these works created during the pandemic, Nagare has sought to express her emotional response to losing loved ones. All elements of her work, such as layers of unmixed colors, lines suggesting mountain ridges, contours of plants, and smooth rhythms like flowing water coexist organically as in nature itself. 24 East 64th Street, for gallery hours, phone 212-268-7132.
Ancient and Contemporary Korean Art
This elegant, yet simple, late 19th century inkstone case, or Yeonsang, at HK Art & Antiques LLC, is a superb example of the wood furniture used in a Sarangbang or scholar’s study. In the Joseon Dynasty, the study was a multifunctional room in the men’s quarters of an upper-class home. Made of persimmon wood, this inkstone case was used to store important scholar’s objects: inkstone, ink stick, brush, and paper, known collectively as the Four Friends. 49 East 78th Street, by appointment only
For gallery hours and auction schedules visit: www.asiaweekny.com
https://www.asiaweekny.com/sites/asiaweekny/files/smartphone_2014.jpg
Contact Us
