A BRONZE TRIPOD CENSER, SONG YUE LUE MARK, 17TH-18TH CENTURYChina. The censer has a compressed body raised on three conical supports, and a pair of 'bridge'-shaped handles that rise in a graceful curve from the rim. The base crisply cast with a recessed square panel enclosing a three-character mark.Inscriptions: To base, 'Song Yue Lue' (Companion of Pine and Moon).Provenance: Christie's South Kensington, 10 September 1987 (according to collector's notes). Collection of John Burke da Silva, acquired from the above and thence by descent within the same family. A handwritten note by the collector, describing the present lot and recording its purchase from Christie's, accompanies this lot. John Burke da Silva CMG (1918-2003) joined the Foreign Office after the war. The job took him to many parts of the world. His love of Chinese porcelain stemmed from a posting to the Embassy in Rome in 1954, where he happened to stay in a rented flat that housed a large collection of Chinese and Japanese works of art. He studied the subject learning from books and visiting museums, eventually joining the Oriental Ceramics Society in 1960, and serving on their Council and as Honorary Treasurer until 1994.Condition: Very good condition with old wear and some casting flaws, few small nicks and dents, occasional light scratches. Fine, naturally grown patina with areas of dark and malachite encrustation.Weight: 1,177 gDimensions: Diameter 13.7 cm (at the widest points)Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze censer, 23.5 cm wide, with the same mark and also dated 17th-18th century, at Bonhams London in Fine Chinese Art on 8 November 2018, lot 267, sold for GBP 13,750. Compare a closely related bronze censer, 23.2 cm wide, but with an apocryphal Xuande mark and dated to the 18th century, of near-identical form, at Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 22 March 2013, lot 1284, sold for USD 13,750.十七至十八世紀“松月侶“款青銅橋耳三足爐中國。橋耳流暢，乳足圓碩，爐身豐滿，比例協調，線條爽朗。底鑄”松月侶“ 三字篆書款。. 來源：南肯辛頓佳士得，1987年9月10日 (根據藏家備註)。John Burke da Silva收藏，購於上述收藏并保存在同一家族至今。隨附藏家來源備註。John Burke da Silva CMG (1918-2003) 戰後加入外交部，從而可以環游世界。 他對中國瓷器的熱愛源於 1954 年在羅馬大使館任職時期，當時他碰巧住在一間租來的公寓裡，樓裡面收藏了大量中國和日本的藝術品。他通過書本學習並參觀博物館，最終於 1960 年加入東方陶瓷學會，在其理事會任職並擔任名譽司庫直至 1994 年。 品相：狀況極好，有舊磨損和一些鑄造瑕疵，少量小劃痕和凹痕，局部有輕微劃痕。自然生長的細膩的包漿，帶有深色和孔雀石綠結殼。 重量：1,177 克 尺寸：直徑13.7 厘米 (最寬處) 拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的青銅爐，寬 23.5厘米，同一款識，十七至十八世紀，見倫敦邦翰思 Fine Chinese Art 2018年11月8日 lot 267, 售價GBP 13,750 ；比較一件相近的青銅爐，寬 23.2厘米，但有宣德款，十八世紀，相似外形，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2013年3月 22日 lot 1284, 售價USD 13,750。
We found 350105 price guide item(s) matching your search
There are 350105 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribe- List
- Grid
-
350105 item(s)/page
A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA AMITABHA, MING DYNASTYChina, 15th-16th century. Finely cast, standing atop a circular lotus base, his right hand lowered in abhaya mudra and the left holding an alms bowl, wearing a diaphanous robe opening at the chest to reveal an incised wan emblem, the hems neatly incised with foliate scroll. His serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes below gently arched eyebrows centered by an urna, flanked by long pendulous earlobes. The hair in tight curls surmounted by a domed ushnisha.Provenance: From an old German private collection, assembled in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s, and thence by descent in the same family.Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, small nicks, dents and losses, light scratches, casting flaws, remnants of ancient pigment.Weight: 6.6 kg Dimensions: Height 45.8 cmAuction result comparison: Compare a related parcel-gilt bronze figure of Buddha, 55.2 cm high, also dated to the Ming dynasty, at Sotheby's London in The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma, 24 March 2021, lot 24, sold for GBP 30,240.明代大型阿彌陀佛銅像中國，十五至十六世紀。銅像頭綰螺髻，寬額面闊，細眉長目，眼瞼下垂，白毫像，雙耳垂肩，表情莊重。身材勻稱協調，身披袈裟，著長裙，伸右手結與愿印，跣足立於仰覆蓮座。 來源：德國私人老收藏，上世紀五十至六十年代購於日本，在同一家族保存至今。 品相：狀態極好，與年齡相稱。 磨損、小劃痕、凹痕和缺損、鑄造瑕疵、古代顏料殘留物。 重量：6.6 公斤 尺寸：高45.8 厘米 拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的明代局部鎏金銅佛想，高55.2厘米，見倫敦蘇富比The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma 2021年3月24日 lot 24, 售價GBP 30,240。
A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, AYUTTHAYA KINGDOMThailand, 17th-18th century. Seated in maravijaya with the right hand lowered in bhumisparsa mudra and the left resting in his lap, wearing a sanghati draped over his left shoulder. His serene face with downcast eyes, arched brows, and full lips, flanked by long pendulous earlobes. The hair arranged in tight curls with a high ushnisha.Provenance: From the collection of Godfried Wauters, who has been active in the Belgian trade for over 40 years. He has built a substantial art collection including Chinese and Buddhist sculptures, significantly expanding on the collection already built by his late father Gustaaf Wauters (1905-1992).Condition: Good condition with some old wear and casting flaws, losses, minor nicks and dents. Remnants of ancient varnish, pigment, and gilt, the base and one leg possibly with minor old repair.Dimensions: Height 84 cmAuction result comparison: Compare a related bronze figure, 88 cm high, dated 16th-17th century, at Christie's Paris on 12 June 2012, lot 321, sold for EUR 46,600.
A BRONZE RITUAL WINE CUP, ZHI, LATE SHANG TO EARLY WESTERN ZHOUChina, 11th century BC. The broad pear-shaped body supported on a spreading foot and rising to an everted rim, finely decorated around the waisted neck with a narrow band of archaic scroll between two line borders and around the foot with similar scroll and geometric designs as well as four bosses.Inscriptions: To the interior, 'Fu' (Father).Provenance: Armin Lemp, Zuerich, Switzerland 1961. The Plesch Collection, no. Bv12 (label to base), acquired from the above. Peter and Traudi Plesch were both refugees from Nazi persecution. Peter had left Germany with his father, who was the medical doctor of Albert Einstein, who once gently commented on the practical difficulties of young Peter's ingenious design for a perpetual motion machine. Peter Plesch had already formed a fine collection when he met Traudi. One influence had been his maternal great uncle, Fritz von Gans, who had left his antiquities collection to the Royal Prussian Museum, Berlin. However, on their honeymoon in Israel, Traudi fell for the lure of ancient Chinese glass which inspired a new joint adventure, the one criterion for a purchase being that she and Peter should both want the object, although not necessarily with the same passion. Thus their collection was formed slowly and wisely over four decades, later expanding into jades and ancient bronzes, reflecting their desire to have beautiful, but also academically meaningful pieces.Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age, and absolutely original with no repairs or touchups whatsoever. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion. Fine, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite and cuprite encrustation.Weight: 481.6 gDimensions: Height 11.2 cmLiterature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze zhi, dated to the early Western Zhou, c. 1050-1100 BC, in the collection of the Arthur M. Sacker Gallery in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institute, accession number S2012.9.585.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related bronze zhi, also dated late Shang to early Western Zhou, of closely related size (11.4 cm high), only the upper body of slightly different design, at Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 14 September 2018, lot 1103, sold for USD 37,500. 商末至西周初年青銅觶 中國，公元前十一世紀。圓腹，侈口，圈足。頸部與足部飾雲雷紋。 銘文: 器内可見“父”字樣。 來源：1961年瑞士蘇黎世Armin Lemp收藏。Plesch 收藏，no. Bv12 (見底部標籤)，購於上述收藏。Peter 與Traudi Plesch 兩人都是遭受納粹迫害的難民。Peter與他的父親一起離開了德國，他的父親是阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦的醫生，愛因斯坦曾經溫和地和年輕的Peter討論如何設計永動機的實際困難。 Peter Plesch 在遇到 Traudi 時已經擁有了一個很好的收藏。他的外叔祖弗里茨·馮·甘斯 (Fritz von Gans) 曾給Peter極大的影響，他將自己的文物收藏留給了柏林皇家普魯士博物館。然而，在以色列度蜜月時，Traudi 被中國古代琉璃的魅力所吸引，因此激發了一次新收藏冒險。他們購買藏品的一個標準是，她和彼得必須都想要這件物品，但並不一定要有相同的熱情。因此，他們的藏品在四十年來被緩慢卻明智地構建著，後來擴展到玉器和古代青銅器，這反映了他們願意擁有美麗但同時也具有學術意義的藏品。 品相：狀況極佳，與年齡相稱，絕對原始，沒有任何修補或修飾。廣泛磨損、風化和侵蝕。細膩且為自然生長的包漿，帶有大量綠色紅色結殼。 重量：481.6 克 尺寸：高11.2 厘米拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近青銅觶，同樣為商末至西周初年，相近尺寸 (高11.4 厘米)，僅在青銅器上半部有不同紋飾，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art，2018年9月14日 lot 1103, 售價USD 37,500。
A MAGNIFICENT GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA, SUKHOTHAIThailand, 15th-16th century. Seated in dhyanasana with the hands lowered in dhyana mudra, wearing a sanghati draped over his left shoulder, the serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes below elegantly arched eyebrows, the hair arranged in tight curls with a high ushnisha surmounted by a removable flame.Provenance: Belgian private collection, by repute acquired before 1980. From the collection of Godfried Wauters, acquired from the above. Wauters has been active in the Belgian trade for over 40 years. He has built a substantial art collection including Chinese and Buddhist sculptures, significantly expanding on the collection already built by his late father Gustaaf Wauters (1905-1992).Condition: Good condition with some wear, particularly to gilt on the reverse, and casting flaws, some dents and nicks, light scratches. The gilt possibly renewed at some point in time, very long ago.Dimensions: Height 77 cm (incl. flame) and 66 cm (excl. flame)Auction result comparison: Compare with a Seated Buddha, Thailand, Ayutthaya Period, 16th/17th century, height 97 cm, at Sotheby's, in Worlds within Worlds, Works from the Collection of Peter Petrou, 21 September 2021, lot 63, sold for GBP 75,600. Compare with a gilt copper alloy figure of Buddha, Thailand, Ayutthaya period, 16th century, height 87 cm, at Bonham's in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art, 23 Sep 2021, New York, lot 1214, sold for USD 137,812.
A SUPERBLY CARVED LIMESTONE FIGURE OF A LION, TANG DYNASTYChina, 618-907. Naturalistically carved, the emaciated beast seated on its taut haunches atop a rectangular base, with its head turned to one side framed by the finely incised curled mane. Its ferocious expression is detailed with deeply carved bulging eyes, heavy brows, and the mouth open in a roar. The stone is of a brownish-gray tone. The base with an oval aperture in the center.Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 3 June 1987, sold for USD 26,400 (approx. USD 64,792 today after inflation). An English private collection, acquired from the above. Christie's London, 5 November 2013, lot 310, sold for GBP 52,500 (approx. GBP 61,529 today after inflation). The property of a Lady, acquired from the above.Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age. Small chips, minor losses, minuscule nicks, light scratches, old wear, ancient age cracks. Traces of erosion. Fine, naturally grown patina.Weight: 3,272 gDimensions: Height 21.5 cm, Width 16.7 cmWith a silk box and cover. (2)The lion is well represented in Buddhist art of the Tang dynasty. Its roar was said to represent the dissemination of the Buddhist scriptures. In their role as guardian figures, lions can be found not only lining spirit roads which lead to imperial tombs, but also in pairs in tombs, such as the pair of small marble lions found guarding the front room of the underground hoard of Buddhist relics at the Famen Temple. See Famen Temple, Shanxi, 1990, pp. 164-167. This figure is stylistically similar to other stone lions of Tang date that are also seated on a plinth, some with head turned, some with mouth open.Literature comparison: Compare the brown-stained white marble lion of related size illustrated by M. Sullivan, Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the Collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow, London, 1963, pl. 14 (no. S36). Compare with a similarly modeled lion, illustrated by Osvald Siren in Chinese Sculpture From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, Sweden, 1998, p.35, pl.435 D.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related puddingstone figure of a lion, 14.3 cm high, also dated to the Tang dynasty, at Christie's New York in Lacquer, Jade, Bronze, Ink: The Irving Collection Day Sale on 21 March 2019, lot 1182, sold for USD 52,500. Compare a related stone figure of a lion, 16.6 cm high, also dated to the Tang dynasty, at Christie's New York in Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II on 24 September 2020, lot 910, sold for USD 32,500. Compare a related marble figure of a lion, 51.8 cm high, also dated to the Tang dynasty, at Christie's New York in The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part I on 17 March 2015, lot 16, sold for USD 317,000.唐代石雕獅子 中國，618-907年。石獅蹲姿，前腿直立支撐，眼窩深陷，張口露出獠牙，口型巨大，獵毛反捲向側後上方聳立，雙耳側豎，轉頭怒視其左側。獅兩後腿左右分立，四趾緊抓地面，蓄勢待發。雕刻線條清晰流暢，動態十足，爆發之力蘊於其身。整體石雕呈現褐灰色調。底座中間有一個橢圓形的孔洞。來源：紐約蘇富比 1987年6月 3日，售價USD 26,400 (相當於如今 USD 64,792 )；英國私人收藏，購於上述拍賣；見倫敦佳士得 2013年11月5日 lot 310, 售價GBP 52,500 (相當於如今GBP 61,529)；一位女士的收藏，購於上述拍賣。 品相：狀態極佳，與年齡相稱。小碎屑、輕微損失、微小劃痕、舊時磨損與裂縫，有侵蝕的痕跡。自然生長的包漿非常細膩。重量：3,272克 尺寸：高21.5厘米，寬16.7厘米 絲錦蓋盒。(2) 獅子在唐代佛教藝術中得到了很好的體現，在佛教的許多經論中，都用它來比喻佛陀的無畏與偉大，它的吼聲代表著佛經的傳播。 作為守護者，獅子不僅出現在通往皇陵的靈道上，而且在墓葬中也成對出現，例如在法門寺地宮前守衛的一對漢白玉獅子。 參見《山西法門寺》，1990年，第 164-167 頁。此獅造型與其他唐朝石獅類似，也坐於台座上，有的轉頭，有的張開嘴。 文獻比較：比較一件漢白玉獅見M. Sullivan, Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the Collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow, London, 1963, pl. 14 (no. S36)；比較一件相似的獅子，見Osvald Siren，Chinese Sculpture From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, Sweden, 1998, p.35, pl.435 D。 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的唐代布丁石石獅，高14.3 厘米，見紐約佳士得Lacquer, Jade, Bronze, Ink: The Irving Collection Day Sale 2019年3月21日 lot 118，售價USD 52,500。比較一件相近的石獅，高16.6 厘米，同樣為唐代， 見紐約佳士得Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II 2020年9月24日 lot 910, 售價USD 32,500。比較一件唐代大理石獅，高51.8 厘米，見紐約佳士得 The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part I 2015年3月17日 lot 16, 售價USD 317,000。
A BRONZE 'XINIU' MIRROR STAND, MING DYNASTYChina, 1368-1644. Well cast, the recumbent beast with a long curved horn flanked by a pair of funnel-shaped ears, its head turned back and the mouth agape revealing tongue and teeth, the spine supporting a mirror stand in the form of a crescent-shaped moon above a cloud cluster.Provenance: From a private collection formed largely during the 1980s and 1990s.Condition: Very good condition with old wear and casting flaws, few small nicks and occasional light scratches. The mirror holder still with at least partly original rivets and only slightly loose. Minor signs of weathering and erosion, small areas of verdigris here and there. Fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 927.2 g (excl. base)Dimensions: Length 22.7 cm (excl. base)With an associated old fitted hardwood base. (2)Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related mirror stand, also dated to the Ming dynasty, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in Important Chinese Art on 6 April 2016, lot 3670, sold for HKD 162,500. 明代《犀牛望月》銅鏡架中國，1368-1644年。鑄造精美，犀牛為俯臥狀，前蹄支地，似欲撐起上半身，後蹄自然壓於身下，回首望向背部由如意雲紋托起的月牙。牛首有角，雙眼有神。來源：私人收藏，建立於上世紀八十至九十年代。品相：狀況極好，有舊磨損和鑄造瑕疵，少量輕微劃痕。鏡架仍帶有部分原始鉚釘，只是略微鬆動。輕微的風化和侵蝕跡象。整器包漿自然均勻。重量：927.2 克 (不含底座)尺寸：長 22.7 釐米 (不含底座)硬木底座。 (2)拍賣結果比較：比較一件明代相近的鏡架，見香港蘇富比Important Chinese Art 2016年4月6日 lot 3670, 售價HKD 162,500。
AN ARABIC-INSCRIBED BRONZE TRIPOD CENSER, 17TH CENTURYChina. Of compressed globular form, supported on three waisted feet and rising to a waisted neck with galleried and incurved rim, the sides cast with three shaped cartouches enclosing Arabic inscriptions against a ring-punched ground. The rim and neck are decorated with raised line bands.Inscriptions: Two cartouches with the Shahada al Tawhid. 'There is no deity but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.' Written in Persian style.Provenance: Collection of Georg von der Gabelentz and thence by descent. Hans Georg Conon von der Gabelentz (1840-1893) was a German linguist and sinologist. His Chinesische Grammatik (1881), according to one critic, “remains until today the finest overall grammatical survey of the Classical Chinese language.” His father was the more renowned minister and linguist Hans Conon von der Gabelentz, an authority of the Manchu language. Poschwitz Castle in Altenburg, present-day Thuringia, built in the 13th century, was the home of the Gabelentz family for many centuries. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities, minuscule nicks and dents, and occasional light scratches. Ancient lacquer coating with extensive wear. Dark, naturally grown patina overall.Weight: 1,477 gDimensions: Diameter 15.5 cm (at the widest points)The base cast with a prominent six-character mark da Ming Xuande nianzhi within a rectangular reserve.Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze tripod censer, 21 cm diameter, also with Arabic inscriptions and dated to the 17th century, at Sotheby's London in Important Chinese Art on 11 May 2016, lot 241, sold for GBP 7,500. 十七世紀阿拉伯文三足爐中國。縮頸，鼓腹，馬蹄形三足，唇沿上三道漩渦紋，腹部阿拉伯銘文。銘文: Shahada al Tawhid （萬物非主，唯有真主，穆罕默德是真主的使者） 來源：Georg von der Gabelentz 收藏，保存至今。Hans Georg Conon von der Gabelentz (1840-1893) 是德國語言學家和漢學家。 據一位評論家說，他的《漢語語法》（1881）“直到今天仍然是對古典漢語最好的語法研究”。 他的父親是著名的部長兼語言學家Hans Conon von der Gabelentz，他是滿語的權威。 位於阿爾滕堡（今圖林根州）的 Poschwitz 城堡建於 13 世紀，幾個世紀以來一直是 Gabelentz 家族的住所。 品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損和鑄件瑕疵、微小的刻痕和凹痕，以及局部輕微劃痕。漆塗層大面積磨損，包漿整體成深色。重量：1,477 克 尺寸：直徑15.5 厘米 (最寬處)爐底六字“大明宣德年製“。 拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的十七世紀阿拉伯文三足銅爐，直徑 21厘米，見倫敦蘇富比Important Chinese Art 2016年5月11 日, lot 241, 售價GBP 7,500。
A LARGE ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL AND COVER, DING, WARRING STATESChina, 5th century BC. The large and heavily cast vessel of globular form raised on three cabriole legs, flanked at the shoulder by upright rectangular loop handles, the domed cover surmounted by a raised circular handle encircled by four small loop handles. The upper body and the cover cast with a dense design of archaic scroll and kui dragons, a whorl motif cast inside the circular handle on the cover.Provenance: Ader-Tajan, Paris, 1 February 1994, lot 292. French private collection, acquired from the above.Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Old wear, casting flaws, minor cracks and losses. Fine, naturally grown patina with malachite and cuprite encrustation, some corrosion and minimal warping. The legs with old repairs. One area of loss to the back with distinct metal fills, well visible on additional images at www.zacke.at (no hidden damages). Displaying remarkably well overall, the design still crisp and consistent.Weight: 6.9 kg Dimensions: Height 36.5 cm, Width 35.7 cm (handle to handle)Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related ding, 37.2 cm high, also dated to the 5th century BC, at Christie's Hong Kong in The Imperial Sale on 31 May 2010, lot 2072, sold for HKD 1,220,000. 戰國大型青銅高足盛器中國，公元前五世紀。大而厚重的的球狀三足盛器，肩部兩側是直立的矩形耳朵，圓頂蓋上是一個凸起的圓形鈕，周圍有四個小繫環，器身夔龍圖案，封蓋圓形提手內鑄有雷紋。 來源：巴黎Ader-Tajan藝廊, 1994年2月 1日 lot 292；法國私人收藏，購於上述藝廊。 品相：狀況與年齡相稱。 磨損、鑄件瑕疵、輕微裂紋和缺損。自然細膩的包漿，帶有紅綠色鏽斑，有一些腐蝕和最小翹曲。修復的腿。背部有一個明顯的金屬填充區域丟失，在 www.zacke.at 上可清晰見到細節圖片，沒有隱藏的損壞。整體狀況非常好，紋飾仍然清晰一致。重量：6.9 公斤 尺寸：高36.5 厘米，寬35.7 厘米 (柄至柄) 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的鼎，高 37.2 厘米 ，同樣為公元前五世紀，見香港佳士得The Imperial Sale 2010年5月31日 lot 2072, 售價HKD 1,220,000。
AN IMPRESSIVE BRONZE FIGURE OF VISHNU, VIJAYANAGAR PERIODSouth India, 15th century. Heavily cast (total weight is 13.7 kg!), seated in lalitasana, his principal hands held in abhaya and varada mudra, his upper hands holding the wheel and conch. He is wearing a long dhoti, upavita, foliate armlets, necklaces, and tapering cylindrical crown. The serene face with almond-shaped eyes, aquiline nose, and full lips forming a benevolent smile. The present sculpture bears the telltale signs of raised edges rubbed smooth where beholders were gripped with the overt temptation to caress the figure's face and chest.Provenance: A private collector, acquired in 1975. Christie's Paris, 11 June 2008, lot 203, sold for EUR 30,500 (EUR 39,500 in today's currency after inflation). A French private collector in Paris, acquired from the above.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. The base with a crack and small losses. The pedestal is lost. Small nicks, dents and light scratches. Signs of weathering and erosion. One of the attributes is slightly loose. Few minor further losses. Superb, naturally grown patina with a smooth feel overall. Old wear.Weight: 13.7 kg (excl. stand)Dimensions: Height 41 cm (excl. stand) and 45.7 cm (incl. stand)With an associated hardwood stand mounted on a metal base. (2)The art of the Vijayanagar period, which spanned the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries in South India, shows continuity with the earlier styles of the Chola Dynasty (9th-13th centuries). As the Muslim forces established rule in Northern India in the thirteenth century, the South defiantly reaffirmed their commitment to Hindu ideals and practices. The main city bearing the name of the period, Vijayanagar, or “City of Victory”, is a declaration of the South's triumph in overcoming a period of considerable chaos caused by the Northern invaders, and their link to the successful Chola dynasty was an affirmation that political, economic and cultural success would continue.Unlike the naturalism present in the sculptures from the Chola dynasty, Vijayanagar bronzes are more heavily stylized in line, texture and design. The naturalism of the previous era is replaced with a still and motionless quality, as if the figures were frozen in time. The faces and bodies are frontal and straight, every detail is arranged with deliberateness. Although the figures still retain corporeal suppleness, the style is mannered and intentional.Seated manifestations of the four-armed Vishnu with one leg pendant are extremely rare to encounter in bronze. Normally he is depicted standing. However, in a few avatars or incarnations of for instance Narasimha and Varaha one might find him in seated position. The reason for this particular phenomenon in bronze is not clear. On the other hand in stone he is represented regularly seated with one leg pendant. The more archaic rendering of this particular Vishnu bronze suggests a late date for its creation, around the fifteenth century.Auction result comparison: Compare a related copper alloy figure of Vishnu, 38.1 cm high, supported on a pedestal and forming a triad together with two smaller and separately cast figures of consorts, also dated to the Vijayanagar period, circa 14th-15th century, at Sotheby's New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 20 September 2021, lot 371, sold for USD 685,500.
A BRONZE ARROW VASE, TOUHU, XUANDE MARK AND PROBABLY OF THE PERIODChina, 15th-17th century. Heavily cast, the compressed globular body supported on a waisted foot with a stepped and galleried foot rim and rising to a tall cylindrical neck, flanked by lug handles with galleried rims repeated on the neck. Finely decorated with archaistic taotie to the body, divided by curved flanges and enclosed by leiwen bands, and to the upper neck, as well as a band of ruyi-heads to the shoulder, a neatly incised wood grain design to the lower neck and pendent palm blades with leiwen to the central neck.Provenance: Collection particuliere française.Condition: Very good condition with old wear and some casting irregularities, minuscule nicks, occasional light scratches, minor dents. Fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 3,753 gDimensions: Height 29.2 cmThe recessed base incised with a four-character mark Xuande nianzhi within a square and probably of the period.The form of this vase is inspired by archaic bronze vessels used for touhu (lit. 'pitch-pot'), a traditional East Asian game that requires players to throw arrows or sticks from a set distance into a large, sometimes ornate, vessel. The game had originated by the Warring States period, probably invented by archers or soldiers as a pastime during idle periods. It began as a game of skill or a drinking game at parties, but by the time it was described in a chapter of the Chinese Classic Book of Rites, it had acquired Confucian moral overtones. Initially popular among elites, it spread to other classes and remained popular in China until the end of the Qing Dynasty. Touhu was usually a contest between players, who had to throw arrows into the mouth or tubular handles of the vase, which was placed at an equal distance between two mats on which the players knelt. Touhu vases continued to be produced in the Song dynasty and later, made in various materials including bronze, cloisonne, and ceramic.Expert's note: The present touhu vase differs from other examples, commonly dated to the 16th and later centuries, in its elaborate incision work and distinctive mask decoration. Furthermore, the Xuande Emperor was known to be quite fond of the game, as evidenced by a painting of him playing touhu by Shan Xi (in the Palace Museum, Beijing). All this clearly suggests that the present vase may indeed date from the Xuande period.Literature comparison: Compare a related bronze arrow vase, also incised with a four-character Xuande mark, at Sotheby's Hong Kong, in Later Chinese Bronzes From The Collection of Gerard Hawthorn, on 2 December 2015, lot 34, where it is noted that “In Hawthorn's opinion, the quality of the casting, combined with the delicately incised mark, point to this vase being one of the rare Xuande reign-marked bronze vases which are indeed of the period”. 宣德款銅獸面紋投壺中國，十五至十七世紀。長直頸、兩側貫耳，圓鼓腹、高圈足，飾饕餮紋、蕉葉紋、雷紋與如意紋。此件貫耳投壺器形高大，皮色深栗，紋飾精美。來源：法國收藏。 品相：狀況極好，有舊磨損和鑄造瑕疵、微小的刻痕、局部輕微劃痕和凹痕。包漿自然細膩。 重量：3,753 克 尺寸：高29.2 厘米 圈足内“宣德年造”，或爲此時期。
A GILT-BRONZE 'MAKARA' FITTING, 17TH-18TH CENTURYDeccan, Southern India. Finely cast as the head of a makara with large bulging eyes, distinct brows accentuated with incised curved lines, a short trunk-like snout, and the mouth wide open revealing teeth and sharp fangs. The curved neck of square section and pierced for attachment.Provenance: Millner Manolatos, London, 16 October 2007, acquired in the Helsinki trade. English private collection, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Millner Manolatos, dated 16 October 2007 and describing the present lot as a “Makara Finial” from “Deccan, Southern India, late 17th century”, accompanies this lot. A copy of the original catalog description from Millner Manolatos for this piece also accompanies this lot.Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, particularly to the gilt, few tiny nicks and dents, occasional light scratches.Weight: 414.4 g (incl. stand)Dimensions: Length 6.8 cm (excl. stand), Height 8.5 cm (incl. stand)Mounted to a modern metal stand. (2)Makara are legendary sea-creatures in Hindu mythology and in astrology, they are equivalent to the Zodiac sign of Capricorn. They appear as the vehicle of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, and of the sea god Varuna. Makara are considered guardians of gateways and thresholds, protecting throne rooms as well as entryways to temples. It is the most commonly recurring creature in Hindu and Buddhist temple iconography, and also frequently appears as a Gargoyle or as a spout attached to a natural spring. Through its association with water, it symbolizes the unpredictable power of the elemental forces that govern life.The present lot once most likely served as a fitting for a palanquin or was part of a hilt or handle for a sword or other thrusting weapon.Literature comparison: Compare a related Indian sword hilt in the form of a makara, also dated 17th-18th century, with similar eyes and snout, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 36.25.1540.
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF MANDARAVA, 16TH-17TH CENTURYTibet. Standing on a lotus base, leaning slightly to the side, holding a kapala in one hand, the other in vitarka mudra. She is wearing a long robe with incised and beaded borders. Her foliate-shaped earrings and beaded necklace are inlaid with coral.Provenance: Christie's, New York, 23 March 1999, lot 130. A British private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Very good condition with some wear, small losses, nicks and dents, light scratches. The inlaid coral beads might be later replacements. Fine, naturally grown patina overall.Weight: 392.4 gDimensions: Height 15.3 cmMandarava was the wife of Padmasambhava, founder of the Nyingmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism. According to legend, as discussed by Rinpoche Tulku Thondup in Buddhist Civilization in Tibet, 1987, page 32, Padmasambhava enraged the king of Sahora by preaching Buddhism to his daughter. He was ordered to be burnt alive in a valley filled with wood and oil. However, his miraculous powers saved him by turning the oil into a lake as he emerged accompanied by dancing dakinis on a lotus stalk. The king, overwhelmed by the display, converted to Buddhism and gave his daughter to Padmasambhava in marriage. The present figure was most likely once part of a triad with Padmasambhava at the center, Mandarava sitting to his proper right, and Yeshe Tsogyal, his Tibetan partner, to his left.Literature comparison: Compare a bronze Padmasambhava triad, dated to the 16th century, with a related figure of Mandarava, in the Museum der Kulturen Basel, accession number W.lld140009.R0090 (Himalayan Art Resources item no. 3314009).Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of a seated Mandarava, 12.6 cm high, dated to the 16th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 22 March 2011, lot 293, sold for USD 37,500. 十六至十七世紀鎏金銅曼達拉娃佛母西藏。曼達拉娃佛母立於蓮座上，微微側身，一手握著嘎巴啦碗，另一隻手施安慰印。她穿著一件鑲有珠飾的長袍，戴著葉形耳環和鑲嵌著珊瑚的串珠項鍊。 來源：紐約佳士得，1999年3月23日 lot 130；一個英國私人收藏，購於上述拍賣。 品相：狀況極好，有一些磨損、小缺損、刻痕和凹痕、輕微劃痕。鑲嵌的珊瑚珠可能是後來的更換品。包漿整體細膩。重量: 392.4 克 尺寸：高 15.3 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的鎏金銅曼達娃拉佛母坐像，高12.6 厘米，十六世紀，見紐約佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2011年3月 22日 lot 293, 售價USD 37,500。
A RARE AND LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF VAJRASATTVA, WESTERN TIBET11th-12th century. Finely cast standing in tribhanga, his right hand holding a four-pronged vajra, the left stretched along his body and holding a lotus stem forming a small loop at the elbow. His diaphanous robe secured by a belt with sacred thread, richly adorned with beaded jewelry. The serene face with heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes, elegantly curved eyebrows, an urna, and full lips, flanked by long pendulous earlobes.Provenance: Dr. J. Macken, Antwerp, Belgium.Expert Authentication: A certificate on the letterhead of Galerie de Ruimte, Oude Aziatische Kunst, Jean en Marcel Nies, signed personally by Marcel Nies, addressed to Dr. J. Macken, confirming the attribution and dating stated above, accompanies this lot. Marcel Nies is a Belgian art expert and dealer who specializes in important works of art from Southeast Asia, India, and the Himalaya regions. Active since 1975, he has built an internationally recognized expertise and advises numerous vetting committees worldwide. Apart from the annual exhibitions held at his gallery, Marcel Nies has taken part in TEFAF Maastricht for over 30 years, showcasing some of the finest pieces in his collection. He has supplied works of art to important private collections and museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the museum for Ostasiatische Kunst Koeln, the Victoria and Albert Museum London, the Rietberg Museum Zurich, the Metropolitan Museum New York, the Asian Art Museum San Francisco, the Barbier-Mueller Museum Dallas, and the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore.Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, casting flaws, minor nicks, light scratches, few small cracks and dents. Several minor losses, some with associated old fills. Remnants of pigment. The base is modern. Weight: 6.9 kg Dimensions: Height 60.5 cmBronzes from the vital early years of the Second Transmission of Buddhism to Western Tibet in the late 10th and early 11th century under King Yeshe, the translator Rinchen Sangpo, and the Indian sage Atisha, are extremely rare. This example is remarkable for its presence and strength with strongly pronounced features, combined with a prominent, large size.Literature comparison: Compare a related brass figure of Padmapani, 26.2 cm high, dated 10th-11th century, in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1976.70.Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze figure of Padmapani, 56 cm high, dated late 11th to early 12th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 17 September 1999, lot 69, sold for USD 189,500.西藏罕見大型金剛薩陲立像十一至十二世紀。呈三區姿勢，右手握金剛杵，左手握蓮莖，在肘部形成一個小圈。 他那透明的長袍被一條用腰帶繫著，上面綴滿了珠飾。金剛薩陲面容安詳，眼睛呈杏仁狀，優雅的眉毛，眉間白毫，豐滿的嘴唇，兩側是長長的耳垂。來源：比利時安特衛普Dr. J. Macken收藏。 專家鑒定: 隨附一份亞洲藝術藝廊Galerie de Ruimte Marcel Nies 簽名的證書，收件人為 Dr. J. Macken, 確認了其製作時期。Marcel Nies是比利時藝術專家和經銷商，專營東南亞、印度和喜馬拉雅地區的重要藝術品。 他自 1975 年開始，積累了很多專業知識，並為全球眾多審查委員會提供建議。除了在他的畫廊舉辦的年度展覽外，Marcel Nies 參加 TEFAF Maastricht 已有 30 多年，展示了他收藏中的一些最好的作品。 他為重要的私人收藏和博物館提供了藝術作品，包括阿姆斯特丹國立博物館、德國科隆東亞藝術博物館、倫敦Victoria and Albert Museum博物館、蘇黎世Rietberg Museum博物館、紐約大都會博物館、舊金山亞洲藝術博物館 、達拉斯Barbier-Mueller Museum博物館和新加坡亞洲文明博物館。品相：狀況良好，與年齡相稱。 磨損、鑄件瑕疵、輕微劃痕、小裂紋和凹痕，一些小缺損填充，色素殘留，現代底座。 重量：6.9 公斤 尺寸：高60.5 厘米 公元10世紀末至11世紀初葉，西王、譯者仁欽桑波、印度聖賢阿底峽等第二次在西藏傳播佛教，此時期的青銅造像極爲罕見。 這個例子因其存在和造型引人注目，而且尺寸碩大，極具有衝擊力。 文獻比較: 比較一件蓮花手菩薩立像，高 26.2 厘米，十至十一世紀，見Cleveland Museum of Art美術館收藏, 編號1976.70。 拍賣結果比較：比較一件蓮花手菩薩銅像，高56 厘米，十一世紀末至十二世紀初，見紐約佳士得 Indian and Southeast Asian Art 1999年9月17日 lot 69, 售價USD 189,500。
A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA, 11TH-12TH CENTURYCentral Tibet. Superbly cast, seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base, the right hand lowered in bhumisparsa mudra and the left above his lap holding a separately cast alms bowl. His richly pleated monastic robe is draped over both shoulders and cascades in voluminous folds. The exquisite face with heavy-lidded eyes below gently arched, remarkably wide eyebrows. Centered by an urna above full lips forming a benevolent smile, flanked by long, pierced, rectangular earlobes. The hair arranged in tight curls surmounted by a domed ushnisha with a distinctive four-petaled bud finial (see fig. 2).Provenance: From a noted Hungarian private collection, by repute acquired in Central Asia between 1950 and 1960, thence by descent in the same family.Condition: Excellent condition, fully commensurate with age. The base possibly resealed a long time ago. Some wear and casting irregularities. Small nicks, minor dents, and light surface scratches. Fine, naturally grown patina overall. Remnants of ancient pigments and old varnish.Weight: 1,668 gDimensions: Height 20.6 cmThis fine and distinctive sculpture of Shakyamuni Buddha, created during a period that marks both the revival of Buddhism in Tibet and a formative phase in Tibetan Buddhist art, has arguably more in common with Buddha images of North India and Central Asia from the previous 500 years than with those produced during the subsequent millennia of Tibetan sculpture. The face's blend of Indian and Tibetan features results in a countenance of confident nobility. Its distinct modeling makes this gilt bronze a rather singular depiction of Shakyamuni Buddha from Tibet, while at the same time wonderfully encapsulating the archaism of Tibetan art at a pivotal moment of its history.Produced between 1081-93, the murals of Drathang correlate to the present lot. Borrowings from the Pala-Sena style are apparent throughout. For example, while the present Shakyamuni's handsome face has a squarer, more Tibetan physiognomy than Buddhist bronzes made in India around the 11th century, his mouth, eyes, and brow mimic features of the Pala style – a combination present throughout the host of bodhisattvas painted at Drathang. Compare the treatment of the plump lower lip and recessed rounded corner of the smile of a painted Maitreya (see fig. 1). The present Shakyamuni also adopts the undulating upper lid of Maitreya's eye, as well as his sinuous brow with upturned ends.The idiosyncratic sculpture and painting created in Central Tibet during the 11th century embrace contemporary doctrinal and stylistic innovation while also celebrating the Buddhism that was practiced in Tibet when the religion was first introduced. As such, this Buddha provides a rare glimpse into the formative period of the Second Diffusion, when Tibet revived its patronage of Buddhism.Literature comparison: Compare a related but larger Central Tibetan gilt bronze seated Buddha Shakyamuni, dated to the 12th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2012.458; and a closely related Central Tibetan gilt bronze seated Buddha Shakyamuni, dated c. 11th century, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number AC1996.26.1.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related Central Tibetan gilt copper-alloy standing Buddha, dated 11th-12th century, 81.5 cm high, at Bonhams New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art on 23 September 2021, lot 1204, bought-in at an estimate of USD 800,000-1,200,000. Note the similar four-petaled finial atop the ushnisha (see fig. 2) as well as the similarly cast face with undulating upper lid, full lips, and rectangular lobes.十一至十二世紀銅鎏金坐佛像西藏。以精銅鑄造，鎏金璀璨。結全跏趺坐，右手自然下垂，施降魔觸地印，左手托鉢於腹前，坐於仰覆蓮座上。肉髻高隆呈塔形，螺髮排列規整，寶珠頂嚴。寬額豐頤，雙耳垂肩，彎眉細長與鼻脛相連，點丹白毫，雙目微合下視，嘴角微露笑意，神態怡然，法相莊嚴。頸施三道弦紋，胸膛寬闊，腰部收束，著袒右肩袈裟。薄衣貼體，衣紋轉折流暢自然，富有層次感。蓮瓣寬大飽滿。座下固封裝藏保存完好，底蓋中央鏨刻精美十字金剛杵紋。 來源：匈牙利知名私人收藏，據説於上世紀五十至六十年代購於中亞，自此保存在同一家族至今。 品相：狀況極佳，與年齡完全相稱。 底座可能很久以前曾重新密封過。 一些磨損和鑄造不規則。 小刻痕、輕微的凹痕和表面劃痕。 整體上包漿精細自然。古代顏料和舊清漆的殘餘物。 重量：1,668 克 尺寸：高 20.6 厘米 這尊精美而獨特的釋迦牟尼佛像應該製於於藏傳佛教復興與其藝術形成階段時期，與隨後數千年的藏傳造像相比，他可以說與過去500年來北印度和中亞的佛像有更多共同之處。他的面部融合了印度和西藏的特徵，顯得自信高貴。 其造型獨特更加體現了西藏藝術的古樸。 扎塘寺的壁畫創作於 1081 至 1093 年間，與現在的拍品密切相關。他顯而易見自始至終都借用了帕拉塞納風格。 例如，雖然現在釋迦牟尼的面容比 11 世紀左右印度製造的佛教造像更為方正，但他的嘴、眼睛和眉毛卻模仿了帕拉風格——這種組合存在於扎塘寺壁畫。 比較彩繪彌勒佛豐滿下唇和笑容凹陷圓角的處理（見圖1），現在的釋迦牟尼也採用了彌勒的上眼瞼起伏，眉梢上翹。 11世紀，來自西藏中部的獨特造像和繪畫包含了當時的教義和風格的創新，同時也頌揚了西藏當時所奉行的佛教。 因此，這尊佛陀提供了一個難得的機會，讓我們得以目睹佛教第二次在西藏得到發揚時的光輝。 文獻比較：比較一件十二世紀更大型的來自西藏的銅鎏金釋迦牟尼坐像，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，編號 2012.458; 一件十一世紀西藏銅鎏金釋迦牟尼坐像，見洛杉磯美術館，編號 AC1996.26.1。 拍賣結果比較：比較一件十一至十二世紀西藏銅鎏金立佛，高81.5厘米，見紐約邦翰思Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art 2021年9月23日 lot 1204, 估價USD 800,000-1,200,000，注意其四瓣寶珠頂嚴 (見圖 2) 與面容表現以及起伏的上眼瞼、豐滿的嘴唇和長方形的耳垂。
A GILT-SPLASHED 'ETERNAL TREASURES' BRONZE CENSER, 17TH CENTURYChina. The heavily-cast censer, Yajinglu, is raised on three tapering feet and has two loop handles on the sides, and the exterior is splashed with numerous small gold-foil flakes. The base is with a recessed cartouche enclosing a four-character seal mark.Inscriptions: Seal mark to base, 'zhenshe yongbao' (eternal treasures).Provenance: Clyde Kwok, Montreal, Canada. Karl Alexander Plath (1939-2020), Montreal, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. Plath was born in Germany and moved to Canada at the age of 21, where he established two businesses producing parts for telecommunications and aircraft engines. In 1964, Plath became friends with Clyde Kwok, a professor at Concordia University who later founded Wingho Auto, which designs sports cars to this day. In 2005, Plath acquired Kwok's collection of Chinese bronzes. According to the Plath family, the present lot was previously part of an old Shanghai family collection. Condition: Good condition with old wear, some casting irregularities, minor nicks, occasional light scratches, the interior with extensive traces of use. Fine, naturally grown patina.Weight: 2,190 gDimensions: Width 21 cmLiterature comparison: For another gilt-splashed censer with a zhenshe yongbao mark, see Sotheby's London, 3 November 2021, lot 165.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related gilt-splashed bronze tripod censer, 23.4 cm wide, also dated to the 17th century, at Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 17 March 2017, lot 1046, sold for USD 112,500. 十七世紀灑金壓經爐中國。平口，短頸，腹圓潤，腹上飾板耳，底承三乳丁足。全器造型規整，銅質精純，通體以灑金為飾，疏密分佈，錯落有致，盡顯內斂沉靜之韻。款識: 珍舍永寳 來源：加拿大蒙特利爾Clyde Kwok收藏；蒙特利爾Karl Alexander Plath (1939-2020) ，購於上述收藏，保存在同一家族至今。Plath出生於德國，21 歲時移居加拿大，在那裡建立了兩家生產電信和飛機發動機零件的公司。1964 年，Plath與Concordia大學Clyde Kwok教授成為朋友，Clyde Kwok後來創立了永和汽車，至今仍設計跑車。 2005 年，Plath收購了Clyde Kwok的中國青銅器收藏。 根據Plath家族的說法，這件拍品以前是來自舊上海一個家族收藏。品相：狀況良好，舊時磨損，鑄件瑕疵，輕微刻痕和劃痕，內部有大量使用痕跡。自然生長的細膩包漿。重量：2,190 克 尺寸：寬 21 厘米 文獻比較: 另一件“珍舍永寳“款灑金爐，見倫敦蘇富比2021年11月3日 lot 165。拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的灑金三足爐，款23.4厘米，十七世紀，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2017年3月17日 lot 1046, 售價USD 112,500。
A HU WENMING PARCEL-GILT BRONZE INCENSE-TOOL VASE, MING DYNASTYChina, 17th century. Of cylindrical form with a waisted neck and base, supported on a flat circular foot, cast and chased around the body and neck with auspicious and Buddhist symbols against a ring-punched ground, the foot and galleried rim with leiwen bands.Inscriptions: To base, 'Hu Wenming zhi'.Provenance: From a Swedish collection.Condition: Very good condition with old wear and casting irregularities, few small dents and minuscule nicks, occasional light scratches.Weight: 264 gDimensions: Height 10.3 cmHu Wenming is one of the most renowned metalworkers in Chinese history and one of the few whose name and style are discussed in Chinese art-historical writing. Most of the works attributed to Hu Wenming are scholarly objects, such as incense burners and brush pots, characterized by densely worked backgrounds covered with detailed naturalistic and other motifs cast in high relief.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related incense-tool vase by Hu Wenming, 10.5 cm high, also dated to the 17th century, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in Water, Pine And Stone Retreat Collection: Later Bronzes on 7 April 2014, lot 202, sold for HKD 175,000.明代“胡文明製”款局部鎏金銅小瓶中國，十七世紀。小瓶圓柱形，直頸，底足內縮，直圈足。唇部與圈足飾雷紋，瓶身圓點地浮雕鎏金吉祥和佛教符號。 款識: 胡文明製。 來源：瑞典私人收藏。 品相：狀況極好，有舊磨損和鑄件瑕疵，少量小凹痕和微小的刻痕，局部有輕微的劃痕。 重量：264克 尺寸：高10.3厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件十七世紀“胡文明製”小瓶，高10.5 厘米，見香港蘇富比Water, Pine And Stone Retreat Collection: Later Bronzes 2014年4月7日 lot 202, 售價HKD 175,000。
A BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA, AYUTTHAYA KINGDOMThailand, 17th century. Finely cast with a serene expression, with heavy-lidded eyes below gently arched eyebrows, a long nose, full lips forming a calm smile, elongated earlobes with elaborate earrings, the tiara decorated with beaded, scrolling, floral, and flame designs below the ushnisha.Provenance: Asiatic Fine Arts, Singapore, 28 April 1990. A private collector in the United Kingdom, acquired from the above. A copy of the original stamped and signed invoice from Asiatic Fine Arts, dated 8 August 1990, stating the sale date of 8 April 1990, the purchase price of SGD 5,300 (approx. EUR 5,480 in today's currency), and confirming the dating of the present piece, accompanies this lot.Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, nicks, dents, scratches, signs of weathering and erosion, areas of verdigris. Remnants of various ancient lacquer coatings. Fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 2,965 g (excl. stand)Dimensions: Height 24 cm (excl. stand) and 33.4 cm (incl. stand)With an associated stand. (2)Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related bronze head of Buddha, 33 cm high, also dated to the 17th century, at Christie's Amsterdam in Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art on 18 October 2005, lot 124, sold for EUR 7,170.
A BRONZE STORAGE VESSEL, FANGHU, HAN DYNASTYChina, 206 BC to 220 AD. The tall, square vessel raised on a spreading foot, with plain curved sides narrowing to the neck set off by a lozenge-shaped mouth, a distinct characteristic of vessels from the Han dynasty. Two alternate sides are crisply cast with taotie mask handles suspending thick rings.Provenance: From an old German private collection, assembled in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s, thence by descent in the same family.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, minor casting flaws, few minuscule cracks, minuscule nicks to edges, signs of corrosion. Superb, naturally grown patina with scattered malachite encrustation.Weight: 3,699 g Dimensions: Height 36 cmLiterature comparison: Compare a similar bronze fanghu excavated at Shuihudi, Yunmeng, Hubei province, now in the Yunmeng County Museum, published in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji ('Complete collection of Chinese archaic bronzes'), vol. 12, Beijing, 1998, pl. 9; and another in the collection of the Fujii Yurinkan, Kyoto, illustrated in Sueji Umehara, Nihon shucho Shina kodo seikwa ('Select Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Japan'), vol. 6, Osaka, 1964, pl. 471.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related bronze fanghu, also dated to the Han dynasty, at Bonhams San Francisco in Fine Chinese Works of Art on 16 December 2014, lot 8008, sold for USD 8,750. 漢代青銅輔首啣環方壺中國，公元前206 至公元220 年。器方口微侈，方唇，長頸，饕餮紋鋪首銜環耳，鼓腹、下部緩收，平底，方圈足。來源：德國私人老收藏，上世紀五十至六十年代購於日本，在同一家族保存至今。 品相：狀況極佳，與年齡相稱。 廣泛磨損、輕微鑄造瑕疵、少量微小裂紋、邊緣的微小刻痕，有腐蝕跡象，極好的自然生長的包漿，帶有散落的孔雀石綠色結殼。 重量：3,699 克 尺寸：高36 厘米 拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的漢代銅方壺，見舊金山邦翰思Fine Chinese Works of Art 2014年12月16日 lot 8008, 售價USD 8,750。
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF VAJRAPANI, 16TH CENTURYTibet. Powerfully cast striding in alidasana atop a lotus base with beaded upper edge, his right hand holding a vajra aloft and his left hand at his chest holding a lasso, wearing a tiger-skin dhoti tied around his waist and a snake and beaded garland, his bearded face with three bulging eyes and a wrathful expression, the flaming hair secured by a foliate tiara, the jewelry and crown inlaid with coral and turquoise. The seal plate incised with a double vajra.Provenance: From a private collection in New York, USA.Condition: Good condition with some old wear, particularly to gilt, and casting flaws, some dents, nicks and light scratches, remnants of pigment, the inlays possibly later replacements, few minor losses. The base sealed.Weight: 1,215 gDimensions: Height 19.5 cmAuction result comparison: Compare a closely related figure of Vajrapani, 22 cm high, also dated to the 16th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 21 September 2007, lot 192, sold for USD 37,000.13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium – only for buyers within the EU. 十六世紀銅鎏金金剛手菩薩西藏。金剛手菩薩呈左展姿站立在覆蓮座之上，右手執金剛杵向上托舉，左手於胸口，整體富有張力。頭戴五葉冠，火焰狀的頭髮飄揚於頭頂，面部豐圓，目如銅鈴，眉間白毫，呈忿怒相，神情威嚴。身材壯碩，上身袒裸，腹部圓鼓，腰間圍一張刻滿斑紋的虎皮裙，全身綴有瓔珞、人頭長鏈、臂環、手釧、腳釧等飾物，鑲嵌綠松石。造型端莊大方，鎏金厚重亮麗。底部封印上有雙金剛杵。來源：紐約私人收藏。 品相：狀況良好，有一些舊磨損，特別是鎏金和鑄造瑕疵，一些凹痕、刻痕和輕微劃痕，顏料殘留，鑲嵌物可能後期有過更換，少量輕微缺損。 底座密封。 重量：1,215 克 尺寸：高19.5 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的金剛手菩薩，高 22 厘米 ，十六世紀，見紐約佳士得 Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2007年9月21日 lot 192, 售價USD 37,000。
A LARGE BRONZE FIGURE OF GUANYIN, LATE MING DYNASTYChina, 16th-17th century. Heavily cast seated in dhyanasana, the right hand raised in karana mudra and the lowered left hand holding an amrita cup. Dressed in finely cast, loose-fitting, elegantly flowing robes opening at the chest revealing beaded and floral jewelry, the cuffs and hems of the robes incised with floral bands against a ring-punched ground.Published: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, Skulpturen des Buddhismus und Hinduismus, 1985 (described as mid-Ming dynasty).Provenance: A private collector in Vienna, acquired from Galerie Zacke, Vienna, Austria, in 1985. The reverse with an old label from Galerie Zacke, 'Foto 285/12'. Thence by descent in the same family.Condition: In very good condition, commensurate with age, with old wear, casting flaws, signs of weathering, remnants of pigment, small nicks, losses, cracks and minor dents, occasional light scratches. A small section of the tiara has been reattached. The interior with extensive cuprite encrustation, and some to the exterior as well. Fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 4,826 gDimensions: Height 34 cmThe serene face with heavy-lidded eyes below gently arched eyebrows and full lips forming a benevolent smile, flanked by long earlobes with floral earrings. The finely incised hair elegantly falling over her shoulders and arranged in a high chignon behind the tiara centered by a small figure of Buddha Amitabha.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related bronze figure of Guanyin, also dated to the late Ming dynasty (41.6 cm high), at Sotheby's London in Chinese Art on 12 May 2021, lot 74, sold for GBP 23,940. 明末大型觀音銅像中國，十六至十七世紀。觀音呈坐姿，頂嚴梳髻，上承寶珠，辮髮橫垂兩肩。頭戴花冠，花冠正面中央安化佛。高額寬廣，雙目下視，雙唇輕抿，嘴角微揚，面容莊嚴慈悲。上半身披通肩天衣，頸胸垂掛瓔珞，衣褶流暢自然，褶襬鐫刻纏枝花卉紋，並飾連珠紋。觀音左臂內屈，懸空置於腰臍，掌心向上，手托淨瓶。右臂高舉當胸，拇指與中指並撚持楊枝。下半身內著高腰長裙，裙緣垂地，結跏趺坐，具有超凡脫俗與高雅聖潔的崇高豐姿。出版：維也納Zacke藝廊 《佛教及印度教造像》，1985年 (描述爲明代中期)。來源：維也納私人收藏，1985年購於Zacke藝廊。底部可見藝廊標籤“Foto 285/12”，自此保存在同一家族至今。品相：狀況極好，與年齡相稱，有舊磨損、鑄造瑕疵、風化跡象、顏料殘留、小劃痕、缺損、裂縫和輕微凹痕。 頭飾的一小部分已重新連接。 內外都有大量的結殼。包漿細膩。重量：4,826 克尺寸：高 34 釐米拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的明末觀音銅像 (高41.6 釐米), 見倫敦蘇富比Chinese Art 2021年5月12 日lot 74, 售價GBP 23,940。
A WESTERN ASIATIC BRONZE 'GOAT' OPENWORK FINIALCirca 5th century B.C. - 5th century A.D. Finely cast in the form of a mountain goat with long, ribbed, and powerfully curved horns, pricked funnel-shaped ears, and a short tail, atop a pierced rectangular base.Provenance: Collection of Oliver Reginald Hoare (1945-2018). Inventory label to interior of base, '1461 C'. A prominent English art figure, described as arguably the most influential dealer in the Islamic world, Hoare joined Christie's London in 1967 where he was initially overseeing Russian art. After spotting some carpets left lying in a corridor and recognizing them as Persian, Hoare used them as the basis of a successful auction, which led to the launch of the Islamic Art Department, the first of its kind in a major auction house. He left Christie's in 1975 and opened Ahuan, a gallery in Pimlico, in partnership with David Sulzberger. In 1994, he negotiated the return of a Persian 16th-century manuscript to Iran, the Houghton Shahnameh (the most important illustrated manuscript ever created in Persia), in exchange for Willem de Kooning's Woman III which had been in Iran since the Islamic revolution. In the 1990s, he famously liaised with Diana, Princess of Wales.Condition: Good condition, overall as expected and fully commensurate with age. Old wear, losses, small dents, minor nicks, extensive signs of weathering and erosion, soil encrustations. Weight: 751.7 g Dimensions: Height 20.5 cmExpert's note: It is interesting to note that wild goats and other bovids appear in artifacts from a wide range of sites within Western Asia over a long period of time spanning thousands of years. Goats are among the earliest animals domesticated by humans. The most recent genetic analysis confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild bezoar ibex of the Zagros Mountains is the likely original ancestor of probably all domestic goats today. Neolithic farmers began to herd wild goats primarily for easy access to milk and meat, as well as to their dung, which was used as fuel, and their bones, hair, and sinew which were used for clothing, building, and tools. The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years before the present are found in Ganj Dareh in Iran. Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in Jericho, Choga Mami, Djeitun, and Cayonu, dating the domestication of goats in Western Asia at between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago.Literature comparison: Compare a harness ring depicting a goat, dated ca. 8th-7th century BC and attributed to Iran, probably Luristan, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 32.161.30. Compare a bronze finial surmounted by a gazelle, dated 5th-4th century BC and attributed to Northwest China and southwestern Inner Mongolia, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2002.201.49. Compare a bronze rhyton with a centaur holding a goat, from Gilgit (Pakistan) and dated late 1st millennium BC, in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, accession number EA1963.28.Auction result comparison: Compare a Transcaucasian bronze wild goat rattle standard, dated circa 13th-12th century BC, at Christie's New York in Antiquities on 13 October 2020, lot 5, sold for USD 87,500.
'LADY WITH QIN', QING DYNASTYChina, 19th century. Oil on canvas. Finely painted with a beautiful lady seated in a chair and wearing long, loose-fitting robes, her right arm resting on a qin on a wooden table and her left holding a white chrysanthemum. The face with a fine expression marked by alert eyes and pursed lips.Provenance: Collection of Henrik Eugen Reuterswaerd, thence by descent to Marina Reuterswaerd. Henrik Eugen Reuterswaerd (1881-1964) was an employee of Mo och Domsjoe, the Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer later led by the famous Asian art collector Carl Kempe (1884-1967) after succeeding his father as CEO in 1917. Reuterswaerd began collecting Chinese art during the golden age of collecting in Europe and was possibly also inspired by his relative C.R. Patrik Reuterswaerd (1885-1963), who was posted as charge d'affaires in Tokyo, Peking, and Shanghai between 1911 and 1914. The present painting is listed in Reuterswaerd's 1921 prenuptial agreement with Ebba Ingeborg Sjoegren.Condition: Good condition with minor old wear, little soiling, expected craquelure, and few minor touchups. Mounted on stretcher. The hardwood frame dating to the late Qing dynasty and with a fine patina and old bronze hook.Dimensions: Size incl. frame 65.3 x 50.5 cmFrom the late sixteenth century onwards, the newly enriched merchant class in China sought to spend its fortunes in a variety of amusements. There were wine shops, pleasure boats, and numerous luxury products, and all of these intersected with the rise of the courtesan culture. Beautiful, intelligent, and cultured young women skilled in music, literature, painting, singing, dancing, and conversation became sought after companions for men of means. Portraits of idealized beauties were popular throughout the Qing dynasty. They conjured up the essence of feminine grace and attraction. Some do not represent real persons, but rather a romanticized version of the perfect, ideal woman. This specific genre was originally made for the domestic market only.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related painting, 66 by 51 cm, also dated to the 19th century, at Christie's Paris in Art d'Asie on 12 June 2019, lot 69, sold for EUR 10,625. Compare another pair of closely related paintings, also dated to the 19th century, at Sotheby's New York in Asian Art on 17 September 2016, lot 1130, bought-in at an estimate of USD 30,000-50,000. 清代《仕女圖》 中國，十九世紀。布面油畫。畫中一位仕女坐在椅子上，身著寬鬆的常服，右臂輕輕擱在木桌上的琴上，左手撚著一株白菊。面容寧靜，眼睛微微看向一側，嘴唇噘起，非常典雅。 來源：Henrik Eugen Reuterswaerd收藏，一直保存至 Marina Reuterswaerd。Henrik Eugen Reuterswaerd (1881-1964) 曾是由著名亞洲藝術收藏家 Carl Kempe (1884-1967) 領導的瑞典紙漿和紙張製造商 Mo och Domsjoe 的員工，後來在 1917 年接替父親擔任首席執行官後。Reuterswaerd 在歐洲黃金時期開始收藏中國藝術品，可能還受到他的親戚 C.R. Patrik Reuterswaerd（1885-1963 年）的啟發，他於 1911 年至 1914 年間在東京、北京和上海擔任代辦。這幅畫被列入 Reuterswaerd 1921 年與 Ebba Ingeborg Sjoegren 的婚前協議書內。 品相：狀況良好，有輕微的舊時磨損、少量汙漬、預期的龜裂和少量輕微修飾。清末硬木框，包漿細膩，老銅鉤。 尺寸：總65.3 x 50.5厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一見相近的十九世紀的仕女圖（66 x 51厘米），見巴黎佳士得Art d'Asie 2019年6月12日, lot 69, 售價EUR 10,625。比較一對相近的十九世紀油畫，見紐約蘇富比Asian Art 2016年9月17日 lot 1130, 估價USD 30,000-50,000。
A RARE BRONZE 'ROARING BULL' POURING VESSEL, YI, SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIODChina, 770 to 476 BC. The deep rounded body supported on three legs, the front legs naturalistically rendered with paws and the hind leg slightly shorter and of cabriole form. Well cast with a wide spout formed from the open mouth of a roaring bull with large, bulging eyes, a broad snout, and curved ears, its tail in the shape of a dragon forming the loop handle. The animal's face is further decorated with archaic scroll and pierced in the center, the front legs with similar scroll decorations, and the hind leg issuing from a beast mask. Provenance: J. Y. Nathan, Paris, France, 2006. Collection particuliere française, acquired from the above.Expert Authentication: A copy of a 'Certificat D'Expertise' by J. Y. Nathan, Paris, France, dated 8 February 2006, dating the piece to the Warring States period, accompanies this lot.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. One small crack (ca. 2 cm long) to the edge of the body. Minuscule losses, nicks to edges and small dents. Few minor areas of erosion. Soil encrustations. Fine, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite encrustation.Weight: 902.4 gDimensions: Length 33 cmLiterature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze yi, also with a spout in the form of a bull's head, unearthed in Cailou village by the Xinzheng Municipal Cultural Relics Management Bureau in 2005, and another closely related bronze yi of similar form found in tomb M6 in Zhenghan Road, Xinzheng City, by the Xinzheng Work Station of the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute. The tombs in Xinzheng were dated to the Spring and Autumn period because of the typological features of the bronze vessels, but the vessels are not described specifically as ritual vessels. See New Bronze Discoveries, China Heritage Newsletter, no. 3, September 2005, The Australian National University, fig. 2 and fig. 5.Auction result comparison: Compare a related bronze yi with a spout in the form of a dragon's head, 15.8 cm high, also dated to the Spring and Autumn period, at Sotheby's New York in Informing The Eye Of The Collector: Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art From J.T. Tai & Co. on 22 March 2011, lot 188, sold for USD 40,000.春秋時期罕見青銅牛彜中國，公元前770 至 476年。深圓腹，三足，前腿自然前伸，可見蹄子，後腿略短。 鑄工精良，如咆哮的公牛，張開的嘴形成寬口，大而凸出的眼睛，寬闊的鼻子和彎曲的耳朵，尾巴呈環柄。 獸面飾雷紋地並在中央穿孔，前腿有類似的紋飾，後腿可見獸面紋。 來源：法國巴黎J. Y. Nathan收藏，2006年；法國particuliere française收藏，購於上述收藏 專家鑒定：隨附一份2006年2月8日法國巴黎J. Y. Nathan出具的 “Certificat D'Expertise”（《鑒定證書》），認爲此器來自戰國時代。 品相：狀況極佳，與年齡相稱。身體邊緣有一條小裂縫（長約2厘米）。微小的損失，邊緣的刻痕和小凹痕。很少有輕微的侵蝕區域。整體感覺不錯，油潤。土壤結痂。 精細、自然生長的銅綠，帶有廣泛的孔雀石結殼。 重量：902.4 克 尺寸：長33 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近龍頭形青銅彜帶勺，高15.8 厘米，春秋時期，見紐約蘇富比Informing The Eye Of The Collector: Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art From J.T. Tai & Co. 2011年3月22日 lot 188, 售價USD 40,000。
A CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'MAGPIES AND PRUNUS' PLAQUE, QIANLONG TO JIAQING PERIODChina, 1736-1820. Of rectangular form, finely enameled with six magpies, five of them perched on branches of a gnarled, densely blossoming prunus tree. The sixth standing on the rock below, scattered with bamboo and shrubs, all against a vibrant turquoise ground and framed by a gilt-bronze border. The reverse with original rivets along the edges.Provenance: From an English private collection. Condition: Overall good condition with old wear, manufacturing flaws, expected pitting and crackle, minor nicks and light scratches, some dents, minor hairlines, the plaque slightly warped overall. The reverse with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 3,031 gDimensions: Size 45 x 39 cmExpert's note: In China, magpies are seen as messengers of joy, while the character for 'prunus' is homophonic with the character for 'eyebrows'. Together, the two motifs form a rebus on the phrase 'Joy up to one's eyebrows'.Literature comparison: For a panel of similar size and decoration, see Brinker and Lutz, Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, nos. 311, 313, and 314.Auction result comparison: Compare a related cloisonne panel with cranes, dated to the 18th century, at Bonhams London in Asian Decorative and Export Art on 6 March 2007, lot 18, sold for GBP 16,800.乾隆嘉慶時期銅胎掐絲琺琅喜鵲梅花掛屏中國，1736-1820年。長方形，琺琅繪製六隻喜鵲，其中五隻棲息在一棵盛開的梅樹枝頭。第六隻站在下方岩石上，四周竹林灌木樅。綠松石地，邊框鎏金。背面沿邊有原始鉚釘。 來源：英國私人收藏。 品相：整體狀況良好，有舊磨損、製造瑕疵、預期的麻點和裂紋、輕微劃痕和一些凹痕，有輕微裂線，整體略微翹曲。 背面帶有細膩的自然生長的深色銅綠包漿。 重量：3,031 克 尺寸：45 x 39 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件十八世紀銅胎掐絲琺琅仙鶴掛屏，見倫敦邦翰思Asian Decorative and Export Art 2007年3月6日 lot 18, 售價GBP 16,800。
A VERY LARGE AND MASSIVE SICHUAN POTTERY FIGURE OF A STRIDING HORSE, HAN DYNASTYChina, 206 BC to 220 AD. Powerfully modeled striding with the right leg forward, its strong neck and head poised with open mouth and flaring nostrils, pricked up funnel ears and staring eyes, the haunches incised with stylized muscles and terminating in pronounced hooves, the upturned tail ending in a knob, the bridle with a central mask motif in high relief, the unglazed body of a grayish-brown color.Provenance: Pao & Moltke, Toronto. A distinguished private collection, acquired from the above. Sear Hang Hwie Pao (1937-2009) was one of Canada's leading dealers of Chinese porcelain and works of art. His antique store, Pao & Moltke, owned together with his wife Mrs. von Moltke, who descended from a German and Danish noble family, was a fixture in Toronto's trendy Yorkville area from the 1980s to early 2000s.Condition: Very good condition overall, commensurate with age. Some repair to legs and other areas as generally expected from Han dynasty excavations of this size. Extensive wear, losses, encrustations. Drilled holes from sample-taking.Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence sample analysis has been conducted by Oxford Authentication, reference no. C121k44, dated 13 September 2021, and is consistent with the suggested period of manufacture. A copy of the thermoluminescence analysis report accompanies this lot. Dimensions: Height 122 cm, Length 103 cmExpert's note: Large horses of this type have been found in a number of tombs within the Han empire. Among the most famous are those from the graves of the well-known Han dynasty minister Zhou Bo and his son excavated at Yangjiawan, Xianyang, Shaanxi province, see Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Quest for Eternity, Thames and Hudson, 1987, Catalogue, nos.11-15. The well-sculpted head, flaring nostrils and upwardly-curling top lip are characteristic of these Han horses, typified by the large bronze horse excavated at Hejiashan, Jinyang, Sichuan province and recorded in Wenwu, 1991, no. 3, page 9, pl. iii.漢代罕見四川灰陶馬中國，公元前206年至公元220 年。通體素面，造型敦實。馬作直立狀，右腿向前邁出，昂首挺胸，腰肥體壯，雙耳豎立，小耳大眼，目光前視，鼻翼翕張，尾巴上翹，身軀健碩。 來源：多倫多Pao & Moltke藝廊；一個知名的私人收藏購於上述藝廊。Sear Hang Hwie Pao (1937-2009) 是加拿大中國瓷器和藝術品的主要經銷商之一。他和妻子創立了Pao＆Moltke Ltd古玩店，他們的古玩店從1980年代到2000年代初期曾是多倫多時尚的Yorkville地區的熱門店鋪。 品相：整體狀況極好，與年齡相稱。 有著漢代考古裡預期的修復，比如在腿部。大面積磨損、缺損、結殼。取樣鑽孔。 科學檢測報告：隨附一份2021年9月13日牛津熱釋光分析報告，編號 C121k44，與建議的製作年代一致。 尺寸：高122 厘米，長 103 厘米 專家注釋：類似這樣的陶馬佣在漢墓考古發現中出現了一大批。其中最著名的是，出土於陝西咸陽楊家灣的漢朝大臣周勃周亞夫父子墓，見洛杉磯美術館，The Quest for Eternity, Thames and Hudson, 1987, 畫冊，nos.11-15。漢馬造型精巧，鼻孔張開，上唇上翹，以四川晉陽何家山出土的大型青銅馬為代表，見《文物》，1991年，圖3，第9頁，圖 iii。 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的漢代陶馬，高 110 厘米，見阿姆斯特丹佳士得European Furniture, Clocks, Sculpture and Works of Art 2008年12月16日 lot 6, 售價EUR 23,750。比較一件相近的漢代陶馬，高 116.2 厘米，見紐約蘇富比Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2007年3月19日 lot 583, 售價USD 22,800。比較一件相近的漢代陶馬，高125 厘米，見倫敦邦翰思Fine Asian Art 2006年7月10日 lot 72, 售價GBP 21,600。
AN IMPORTANT AND RARE BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD WINE VESSEL, JUE, SHANG DYNASTYChina, 13th century BC. The vessel is raised on tall, graceful, blade-shaped legs with sharp edges and cast with a band of taotie masks with raised bosses and indented flanges, one mask centered by a flange, the other by the handle and a two-character clan mark, cast on the body beneath. Above is a band of neatly incised short blades and two longer blades, one on the underside of the spout and one on the flared collar. A pair of capped posts with engraved scroll rises from the rim.Inscriptions: Two-character clan markProvenance: Bluett & Sons, London, circa 1960 or earlier. A private collector in London, acquired from the above and thence by descent. The present lot is listed in an inventory dated March 1977 which was compiled for insurance purposes. Copies of two pages from this inventory, each listing the jue vessel as a “Chueh”, one showing a value of GBP 2,500 (approx. GBP 40,000-60,000 today after inflation), the highest price for any item on either page, accompany this lot. A copy of a signed letter from Brian Morgan of Bluett & Sons, dated 22nd March 1977, accompanies this lot. Morgan replies to the owner of the Jue who requests “an up-to-date valuation for insurance purposes” from Bluett, stating that he “cannot remember [the present lot] well enough after the lapse of years” and asks for it to be brought in again. This indicates that the purchase must have taken place at least 10-15 years before 1977, pointing to an acquisition date of c. 1960.Bluett & Sons was an important dealer of Chinese works of art, founded by brothers Leonard and Edgar Bluett and later continued by Leonard's son Roger Bluett, who was president of the British Antique Dealers' Association, of which his father and uncle were founding members in 1919. Brian Morgan joined Bluett & Sons in 1954, where he became a director of the company.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Minuscule nicks to edges and small dents. Few minor signs of erosion. Soil encrustations. Superb, naturally grown patina with various tones of malachite and cuprite. The crisply cast decorations are extremely well-preserved, which makes this one of the most attractive examples of its kind. In such pristine condition, it must be considered exceedingly rare.Weight: 722.3 gDimensions: Height 19.2 cmThe present jue's shape is particularly elegant. The tall, slightly curved, blade-shaped legs are longer in proportion to the body than usual, thereby creating a sense of lightness. The vessel itself is also rather unusual, with a shallow, rounded lower body below the taotie band with pronounced upper and lower edges, which combined with the flanges create a distinct, slightly angular profile.Jue appear to have been essential to Shang dynasty rituals, as they are one of the most numerous vessels found in Shang tombs. Their shape implies that they were used for the heating and pouring of ritual wines, and possibly for drinking the wine.Expert's note: The present lot belongs to a distinct group of jue which is one of the earliest and largest types. It differs from later groups in that there is a clan mark, the decorations are particularly crisp, the undersides of the spout and collar are decorated with palm blades, the capped posts are incised, and the blade-shaped legs are taller and sharper. In general, later types are usually smaller and significantly less elaborate than the present lot. The discovery of comparable vessels in Fu Hao's tomb argues for a date at the end of the first century of the Anyang period (1300-1050 BC). See Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. 1, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1987, page 182, figure 12.1, and pager 185, number 13. This type of jue appears to be extremely rare compared to later types, with not a single example as well-preserved sold at auction by Christie's or Sotheby's after 2000.Literature comparison: A near-identical jue is illustrated by Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. 1, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1987, p. 184-185, no. 13, which is dated 13th century BC.Auction result comparison: Compare a pair of closely related jue, 19.8 cm high, dated 13th-12th century BC, at Christie's New York in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 25 September 2020, lot 1503, sold for USD 118,750. Note that the Christie's pair of jue are less well-preserved than the present lot, and thus this auction result does not adequately reflect the value of the present lot. Compare a related jue, 22.8 cm high, dated 13th-12th century BC, of slightly different form with a bovine mask above the handle and elongated capped posts, at Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 21 March 2014, lot 2017, sold for USD 112,500.商代重要青銅三足酒器爵中國，公元前十三世紀。圓腹，一側的口部前端有流——倒酒的流槽，後部尖狀尾，流與口之間有立柱，腹部一旁有把手，杯腹一側有鋬，呈獸頭銜環狀，下有三個錐狀長足。三足高大細長外撇，刀狀。頸部蕉葉紋，流下雷紋地蕉葉紋，腹部饕餮紋，把手一側的腹部有兩個字符，可能為家族標記，整體器形線條流暢。 款識: X己 來源：倫敦Bluett & Sons藝廊，約 1960 年或更早。倫敦私人收藏，購於上述藝廊，保存至今。此拍品可在1977年3月的一份保險文件找到。隨附一份兩頁的清單副本，當時寫著 “Chueh”, 價格為 GBP 2,500 (相當於現在的 GBP 40,000-60,000 ), 單子上都寫著藏品的最高價格。隨附一份Bluett & Sons 藝廊的Brian Morgan寫的信，時間爲1977年3月22日。Morgan 回復爵的持有人關於保險最新估價，“cannot remember [the present lot] well enough after the lapse of years”（多年後記不清）並問是否可以買回來。這表明購買應該是在 1977 年之前至少 10-15 年前進行的，表明購買日期為 1960年前後。 Bluett & Sons是中國藝術品的重要經銷商，藝廊由Leonard 與Edgar Bluett兄弟共同創立，後來由Leonard的兒子Roger Bluett繼承，他是英國古董商協會的主席，他的父親和叔叔是該協會1919 年的創始成員。Brian Morgan 於 1954 年加入 Bluett & Sons，並擔任公司董事。 品相：狀況極佳，與年齡相符。邊緣有微小的刻痕和凹痕。 少量有輕微的侵蝕跡象。佈滿了青綠色的銅鏽，紋飾保存得非常好，十分珍貴。 重量：722.3 克 尺寸：高19.2 厘米 整體器形線條流暢，高而略彎曲的刀狀腿比通常的更長，張弛有度，下腹淺且圓，素面無紋，上下邊緣明顯。爵在商朝儀式中至關重要，它們是商墓中發現的數量最多的器皿之一，用於加熱和倒酒，也可能用於飲用酒。 專家注釋：本拍品是一件很獨特的爵。與後世的不同之處在於有氏族印記，紋飾清晰，流和頸部下飾有蕉葉紋，刀形腿更高更鋒利。一般來說，後來的類型通常比此拍品更小，而且精緻得多。在婦好墓中發現了類似的器皿，表明其時間為安陽時代（公元前 1300-1050 年）末。見Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, 第1冊, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1987, 第182頁，圖12.1, 以及第185頁, 圖13. 此類爵相比于後來的如佳士得或蘇富比2000年之後的拍品，保存完好，十分珍貴。 文獻比較：一件幾乎一模一樣的爵，見Robert W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes，Arthur M. Sackler 收藏，第 1冊, 華盛頓The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation基金會，1987年, 第184-185頁, 圖13, 公元前十三世紀。 拍賣結果比較：比較一對相似的爵，高19.8 厘米，公元前十三至十二世紀 ，見紐約佳士得Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2020年9月25日 lot 1503, 售價USD 118,750。注意佳士得的一對爵保存得沒有這麽好，因此，該拍賣結果並不能充分反映當前拍品的價值。比較一件相近的爵，高 22.8 厘米，公元前十三至十二世紀，形狀略有不同，手柄上方有一個牛面紋和加長的柱, 見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2014年3月21日 lot 2017, 售價USD 112,500。
AN IMPORTANT AND RARE BAMBOO FIGURE OF A CITIPATI, 17TH-18TH CENTURYTibet or Himalayas. Finely carved standing in samabhanga atop a small skull, lacking feet or arms, the spine neatly detailed, the ribs well-executed in openwork, the two large eye sockets vacant, with fierce grimace and teeth bared. Wearing a crown in the form of a vajra rising from lotus-lappets behind three smaller skulls.Provenance: Marc Assayag, Montreal. Indian Heritage, Paris, acquired from the above. Collection d'un Grand Amateur, France, acquired from the above. Marc Assayag is an art dealer, photographer, researcher, and writer. As one of the pioneers of presenting Tribal Art, Marc has been engaged as guest curator in New York, invited to travel with the Cousteau Foundation and served as photographer for many noted publications. As an international Art dealer, Marc participates in major art fairs around the world both as lecturer and dealer. Specializing in Melanesian art, Marc is also, since 2015, owner of the world class Jolika Collection of New Guinea art, and its reputed library. Established in 2006 by Frederic Rond, Indian Heritage is a gallery specializing in Indian and Himalayan art. Located in St Germain des Pres, Paris, it offers a large selection of primitive and classical pieces with a focus on Himalayan masks.Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, few minuscule nicks, and occasional light scratches. Fine natural patina, commensurate with age, and an unctuous feel overall.Weight: 107.2 g (excl. stand)Dimensions: Height 30.7 cm (incl. stand) and 29.6 cm (excl. stand)With an associated metal stand. (2)Auction result comparison: Compare a related but larger gilt-bronze figure, described as a Chitipati or Kinkara from Tibet or the Himalayas and also dated 17th-18th century, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in The Heart of Tantra – Buddhist Art Including Property from the Nyingjei Lam Collection on 2 October 2017, lot 3144, sold for HKD 9,100,000. 十七至十八世紀罕見竹雕屍陀林像 西藏或喜馬拉雅。竹雕屍陀林立像，無足無臂，脊椎細密，肋骨鏤空，兩個大眼窩，猙獰地露出牙齒。頭上有三個骷髏，其後有一個金剛冠。 來源：蒙特利爾Marc Assayag。巴黎的Indian Heritage，購於上述收藏。法國 一個業餘愛好者收藏，購自上述收藏。 Marc Assayag 是一位藝術品經銷商、攝影師、研究員和作家。 作為展示部落藝術的先驅之一，Marc曾在紐約擔任客座策展人，受邀與Cousteau基金會一起旅行，並擔任許多著名出版物的攝影師。 作為國際藝術品經銷商，Marc 以講師和經銷商的身份參加世界各地的主要藝術博覽會。 Marc 專注於美拉尼西亞藝術，自 2015 年以來，他還是世界一流的新幾內亞 Jolika 藝術收藏館及其著名圖書館的所有者。 Indian Heritage 由 Frederic Rond 於 2006 年創立，是一家專門從事印度和喜馬拉雅藝術的藝廊。 它位於巴黎的聖日耳曼德佩區，有大量原始和古典作品，重點是喜馬拉雅面具。品相：狀況極其好，有輕微的磨損，微小的劃痕，局部有輕微劃痕。 細膩的自然光澤，與年齡相稱，整體感覺潤滑。 重量：不含底座107.2 克 尺寸：總高 30.7 厘米，不含29.6 厘米 配金屬支架 (2) 拍賣結果比較：比較一件稍大的十七至十八世紀西藏銅鎏金屍陀林或吉迦夜像見香港蘇富比The Heart of Tantra – Buddhist Art Including Property from the Nyingjei Lam Collection 2017年10月 2日 lot 3144, 售價HKD 9,100,000。
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI, QIANLONGChina, 18th century. Finely cast seated in dhyanasana atop a double lotus base with beaded edges, holding aloft a flaming sword in his raised right hand and a lotus stem in his left, coming to full bloom at his shoulder and supporting a sutra, the blossom and book separately cast and inset beside his left elbow. He is clad in a voluminous dhoti and adorned with sashes and jewelry. The face is serene in expression and surmounted by a foliate tiara in front of the braided chignon topped by a lotus finial.Provenance: From a private collection in Texas, USA.Condition: Overall fine condition and presenting well with old wear, particularly to gilt, and minimal casting irregularities, one of the sashes with a small split at his left arm, the sword with an old repair. Few small nicks, minor dents, and light scratches. Small areas of verdigris here and there. The sealplate is most likely original but can be removed and the statue is empty.Weight: 1,140 gDimensions: Height 17.2 cmThis impressive and dynamic gilt-bronze figure of Manjushri is rare for the virtuosity of the casting technique and the expressive vitality of the figure itself. Displaying fine attention to detail in the treatment of the robes and jewelry, the figure is also depicted with supple proportions that characterize the finest 18th-century Chinese figures.The scripture supported by the padma (lotus) held in his left hand is a Prajnaparamita sutra, representing his attainment of ultimate realization from the blossoming of wisdom, while the flaming sword symbolizes the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality.Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of Manjushri, also dated to the 18th century, at Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 15 September 2017, lot 926, sold for USD 10,000, and a related Tibetan-Chinese gilt bronze figure of Manjushri, also dated to the 18th century, in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 21 September 2007, lot 132, sold for USD 15,000.乾隆銅鎏金文殊菩薩坐蓮像 中國，十八世紀。鎏金文殊菩薩銅像結跏趺坐於雙層蓮座上。左手當胸，結轉法輪印，持蓮莖；左肩靠蓮瓣，上放經函。右手高舉火劍。身上裝飾華麗纓絡珠寶。面容平靜，頭戴蓮冠。 來源：美國德克薩斯私人收藏。 品相：整體狀況良好，舊磨損情況良好，尤其是鍍金，輕微鑄造不規則，其中一個腰帶在左臂有一個小裂口，劍有舊時修復。 輕微劃痕和凹痕，局部包漿。封印板很可能是原始的，但可以移除並且雕像是空的。 重量：1,140 克 尺寸：高17.2 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近銅鎏金文殊菩薩像，十八世紀，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2017年9月15日 lot 926, 售價USD 10,000 ；一件漢藏銅鎏金文殊菩薩，十八世紀，見佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2007年9月21日 lot 132, 售價USD 15,000。
A LARGE BRONZE MANDALA PETALNortheastern India or Nepal, 12th-13th century. Cast as a lotus petal, the exterior with a seated deity holding an alms bowl and a staff above a stupa, each in relief and surrounded by neatly incised figures, animals, and auspicious symbols, the interior with Yamantaka and Vajravarahi, each standing in tribhanga atop a prostrate figure, wearing a skull garland and beaded jewelry, and four-armed with an attribute in each hand, and with incised geometric decorations.Provenance: From the important private collection of Jochen and Herbert Kienzle, and thence by descent in the same family. A private collector, acquired from the above. Jochen (1925-2002) and Herbert (1931-1997) Kienzle were sons of Herbert Otto Kienzle (1887-1954), whose father Jakob (1859-1935) was a German watchmaker, who founded Kienzle Apparate, a German manufacturer of data processing equipment. Jochen and Herbert took over management of the company after their father's death in 1954 and pioneered the use of computer systems for commercial office-based applications in Germany. From 1965 until 1986, the brothers assembled a well-known and highly regarded collection of East Asian and Tibetan art.Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, small nicks, minor dents, light scratches. Fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 430.0 gDimensions: Length 21 cmThis fragment was once part of a lotiform mandala with articulated petals that close to form a lotus bud. First conceived in northeastern India during the Pala period, very few examples remain today, let alone in the size of the present lot.Literature comparison: Compare a complete lotus mandala from Nepal and dated to the 13th-14th century, in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum, accession number M.88.228. For a smaller and incomplete Pala-period example in the Pan Asian Collection, see P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals, 1977, p. 96-97, cat. no. 57.Auction result comparison: Compare a complete lotus mandala from Northeastern India and dated 11th-12th century at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 22 March 2011, lot 382, sold for USD 62,500, and another dated 13th century at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 14 September 2010, lot 61, sold for USD 122,500. 大型青銅曼陀羅花瓣 印度東北部或尼泊爾，十二至十三世紀。成蓮瓣狀，外部浮雕為坐在佛塔上的手持化齋缽和手杖的天神，四周分佈著人物、動物和吉祥紋飾，內部為大威德金剛和金剛亥母，分別呈三屈式，身著頭骨花環和串珠首飾，四臂上的每隻隻手都拿著一個法器，並飾幾何紋飾。 來源：重要Jochen 與Herbert Kienzle私人收藏，在同一家族收藏至今；私人藏家購於上述收藏。Jochen (1925-2002) 與 Herbert (1931-1997) Kienzle 是 Herbert Otto Kienzle (1887-1954) 的兒子，他的父親 Jakob (1859-1935) 曾是一位德國製錶師，他創立了德國Kienzle數據處理設備公司。Jochen 和 Herbert 於 1954 年父親去世後接管了公司，並率先在德國將計算機系統用於商業辦公應用。 1965 年到 1986 年間，兄弟倆收集了一批著名且備受推崇的東亞和西藏藝術收藏品。品相：狀態極好，與年齡相稱。 大面積磨損、小刻痕、輕微凹痕、輕微劃痕。 自然生長的深色包漿非常細膩。 重量：430.0 克 尺寸：長 21 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件十一至十二世紀來自印度東北部的曼陀羅蓮花，見紐約佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2011年3月22日 lot 382, 售價USD 62,500；另一件十三世紀的，見紐約佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2010年9月14日lot 61, 售價USD 122,500。
A MASSIVE BRONZE 'ARCHAISTIC' BALUSTER VASE, LATE MING TO EARLY QINGChina, 17th-18th century. Well cast, the baluster sides rising from a short spreading foot to a waisted neck with galleried rim. The rounded shoulder with taotie masks in high relief and four distinct vertical flanges, above confronting dragons divided by smaller flanges, above stiff leaves enclosing confronting phoenixes, all against key-fret and other diapered grounds. With a key-fret band at the rim and a foliate band above the foot.Provenance: The Mee-Din and Robert W. Moore Collection. Robert W. Moore is a famed California collector of Chinese and Korean art, whose passion began in the 1950s when he served in the US Army and was stationed in Korea. After his return to the United States, he began collecting Korean and later also Chinese works of art, and over the following decades became a knowledgeable, discerning, and influential collector.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities, few minuscule nicks, and occasional light scratches. Remnants of old varnish.Weight: 5,753 gDimensions: Height 38.2 cmWith a wood storage box. (2)明末清初饕餮紋青銅瓶 中國，十七至十八世紀。瓶大口，縮頸，豐肩平直，收腹，平底。肩飾雷紋地仿古饕餮紋，腹部祥雲紋地蕉葉紋。 來源：Mee-Din 與Robert W. Moore收藏。Robert W. Moore是加州著名的中國和韓國藝術收藏家，他的收藏熱情始於 1950 年代。當時他在美國軍隊服役並駐紮在韓國。回到美國後，他開始收藏韓國和中國的藝術品，在之後幾十年裡，他成為了一位知識淵博、眼光敏銳、影響深遠的收藏家。 品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損和鑄造不規則，輕微劃痕。 舊漆餘留。 重量：5,753 克 尺寸：高38.2 厘米 木盒 (2)
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BIXIA YUANJUN, MING DYNASTYChina, 1368-1644. The female deity portrayed with a benevolent face framed by an elaborate phoenix headdress, her hands clasping a gui tablet, wearing a finely layered, long, flowing robe with neatly incised floral hems and adorned with ruyi-shaped ornaments at the chest and shoulders. Beautiful hand painted base, most certainly a work by the painter who once owned the piece. Provenance: Collection of Klaus Clausmeyer and thence by descent. Klaus Clausmeyer (1887-1968) was a German painter. He decided to collect Buddhist art during World War I, when a Buddha head rolled to his feet in an embattled city in Belgium. He built a substantial collection, which later focused on African and Oceanic art, the largest part of which is in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne today. Old collector's label 'm 4' to interior. See images for a painting by Klaus Clausmeyer which features the present lot in the front left. Condition: Overall good condition with old wear and casting flaws, an old repair to the hands, few minor nicks, occasional light scratches, small losses, dents, cracks, extensive wear to gilt. The interior with remnants of malachite and extensive cuprite encrustation.Weight: 1,951 g (excl. stand)Dimensions: Height 27.5 cm (excl. stand) and 32 cm (incl. stand)With a metal-fitted hardwood tripod stand, dating from the earlier 20th century. (2)The present figure can be identified as Bixia Yuanjun, also known as the Sovereign of the Clouds of Dawn or the Goddess of the Morning Clouds, by the representation of the three phoenixes in the headdress. The goddess was the daughter of the male god of Mount Tai, the easternmost of the Five Sacred Mountains in Shandong Province, where the Palace of the Clouds of Dawn, Bixia Gong, was built at the top of the mountain as her shrine during the Ming dynasty. Figures of Bixia Yuanjun are a personification of the yin force and made for use on Daoist altars.Literature comparison: See a larger bronze figure of Bixia Yuanjun dated to the 15th century in the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrated in S. Little and K. Schipper, Taoism and the Arts of China, California, 2000, p. 278, no. 95. Compare also a slightly larger gilt-bronze figure of Bixia Yuanjun dated to the Ming dynasty in the British Museum, accession number 1908,0420.6.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related gilt bronze figure of Bixia Yuanjun, also dated to the Ming dynasty, at Bonhams London in Fine Chinese Art on 8 November 2018, lot 244, sold for GBP 6,000. 明代鎏金銅碧霞元君像 中國, 1368-1644年。元君面容慈祥，頭戴精美的鳳凰頭飾，雙手捧著一塊圭，身著一件飄逸長袍，花邊細節精美，胸前與肩部飾有如意形飾物。漂亮的手繪底座，幾乎能肯定是曾經擁有這件拍品的畫家的作品。 來源：Klaus Clausmeyer收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Klaus Clausmeyer（1887-1968）曾是一位德國畫家。第一次世界大戰期間，他在比利時的一個被圍困的城市裡，一個菩薩頭像滾到他的腳邊，從此他決定收集佛教藝術。後來他把收藏重點放在非洲和大洋洲的藝術品上。如今，其中最大的一部分收藏在科隆的Rautenstrauch-Joest博物館內。内部有藏家老標籤 'm 4'。參閱圖庫中一幅Klaus Clausmeyer的畫作，其中前排左側為此拍品。品相：總體狀況良好，有舊磨損和鑄造缺陷，手部有舊修補，少量小劃痕，局部有輕微劃痕，小缺損，凹痕，裂紋，鍍金磨損嚴重。 內部有孔雀石綠色殘餘物和大量赤色結殼。 重量：1,951 克 (不含底座) 尺寸：高 27.5 厘米 (不含底座)，總 32 厘米 配有金屬硬木三足底座，可追溯至 20 世紀早期。(2) 拍賣結果比較：比較一件銅鎏金碧霞元君，明代，見倫敦邦翰思Fine Chinese Art 2018年11月8日 lot 244, 售價GBP 6,000。
A TIBETAN-CHINESE GILT COPPER-ALLOY ARM OF A BODHISATTVA, LATE MING TO EARLIER QING17th-18th century. The hand held in karana mudra, the lower arm and wrist applied with an elaborate bracelet decorated with vajras and strings of beads. The interior with a wood core.Provenance: Collection of Richard Nathanson. Richard Nathanson (d. 2018) began his career as a porter at Sotheby's in 1966 and subsequently joined the Impressionist department. He left in 1970 to set up as an independent art advisor and had a particular involvement with Sisley, Modigliani, Rouault, Renoir, and Bonnard. He produced BBC documentaries and publications on several of these artists.Condition: The fragment in good condition, commensurate with age. Small nicks and dents, light scratches, minor losses, few structural cracks.This gesture, also known as tarjani mudra, expels demons, and removes obstacles such as sickness or negative thoughts. It is performed by raising thumb, index and little finger, thereby folding the remaining fingers.Weight: 2,574 g (incl. stand)Dimensions: Length 36.5 cmMounted to an associated metal stand. (2)Auction result comparison: Compare a related but larger (56.5 x 52.5 cm) gilt-bronze arm of Buddha, dated to the Ming dynasty, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in EYE/EAST on 21 May 2020, lot 5001, sold for HKD 275,000. 明末清初漢藏鎏金銅佛手殘件 十七至十八世紀。手施説法印，下臂和手腕上飾有精緻的飾品，上有金剛杵和串珠。佛手內部為木芯。 來源：Richard Nathanson收藏。Richard Nathanson (2018年去世) 於1966 年在蘇富比開始了他的職業生涯，隨後加入了印象派部門。 他於 1970 年離開，成為一名獨立的藝術顧問，並特別參與了 Sisley、Modigliani、Rouault、Renoir 和 Bonnard的項目。 他為其中幾位藝術家製作了 BBC 紀錄片和出版物。品相：殘件品相良好，與年齡相稱。 小劃痕和凹痕，輕微的劃痕和缺損，少量結構裂縫。 重量：2,574 克 (含底座) 尺寸：長 36.5 厘米 金屬底座 (2) 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近但更大 (56.5 x 52.5 厘米) 的明代銅鎏金佛手臂，見香港蘇富比EYE/EAST 2020年5月21日lot 5001, 售價HKD 275,000。
A MONUMENTAL BRONZE HEAD OF BUDDHA, CHIENG SEN STYLELan Na Kingdom, Northern Thailand, 15th century. Finely cast, the serene face with downcast eyes, heavy eyelids under arched eyebrows, flanked by long pendulous earlobes. The hair finely worked in rows of curls, pulled together at the top towards the separately cast ushnisha, which is surmounted by a jewel.Provenance: Collection of Giovanni Testori and Alain Toubas, acquired in the Italian antiques trade in the 1990s or earlier. Collection of Leonardo Vigorelli, Bergamo, acquired from the above. Giovanni Testori (1923-1993) was an Italian writer, journalist, poet, art and literary critic, dramatist, screenplay writer, theatrical director, and painter. His screenplays were directed by Luchino Visconti during the 1960s. Testori had met Alain Pierre Toubas (1938-2021), his long-time companion, at the end of the 1950s.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, minor losses, small dents, minuscule nicks and cracks. Fine, naturally grown patina, the bronze almost entirely covered with a thin and consistent layer of verdigris, as typical for cast bronzes that have been exposed to exterior weather conditions over an extended period of time. Dimensions: Height 47 cm (excl. stand) and 66 cm (incl. stand)Mounted on a modern stand. (3)This larger than life-size and superbly cast head of the historical Buddha shows him with a sublime inner calm resulting from his deep spiritual compassion. This is enhanced by the remarkably fine, deep-green patina of the bronze. The voluminous face, with its snail-shaped curls, is a solid testimony of the casting workshops of the city of Chieng Sen in the Lan Na kingdom in North Thailand.Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze statue of Buddha at Christie's Paris, 13 June 2018, lot 241.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related bronze head, 41 cm high, also dated to the 15th century, at Christie's London in The Dani & Anna Ghigo Collection, Part I: South East Asian, Himalayan and Indian Works of Art on 11 May 2016, lot 102, sold for GBP 40,000.
A VERY LARGE GILT BRONZE OF GUANGMU TIANWANG, THE GUARDIAN-KING VIRUPAKSHA, MING DYNASTYChina, 16th-17th century. Massively cast standing, clad in full armor decorated with beast heads and pendent sash, adorned with billowing scarves. His right hand is lowered in shuni mudra and the raised left is holding a stupa. The face with a wrathful expression marked by intense almond-shaped eyes below furrowed brows, a broad nose, and full lips. The hair arranged in a high chignon behind the tall crown with a small image of Buddha Amitabha. Provenance: From a private collection in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, USA.Condition: Good condition with old wear, dents, minor cracks and small nicks, some losses as seen on the images, light scratches, and a fine naturally grown patina overall. The lacquer gilding with scattered old touchups. Remnants of ancient polychromy.Weight: 8.8 kgDimensions: Height 49.4 cm (incl. stand), 44 cm (excl. stand)With a fitted hardwood stand dating to the Qing dynasty. (2)This figure represents Virupaksha, known in China as Guangmu Tianwang, one of the four Celestial Kings of the Directions, sworn to protect Buddhism eternally. They were traditionally placed at the cardinal points of the compass in Buddhist temples, to protect Buddhist deities. They are reputed to be accompanied by large forces of supernatural warriors and placed at four corners of the Buddhist altar. Guardian figures continued to be of importance in Buddhism, and are found as sculptures or paintings in most Buddhist temples in China today.Virupaksha is the guardian of the West. He lives on the western part of Sumeru. He is the leader of the nagas and putanas, and possesses the divine eye, which allows him to see great distances as well as the karma of sentient beings.Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related lacquered bronze of Virupaksha, also dated to the Ming dynasty, at Christie's Paris in Art d'Asie on 14 December 2011, lot 62, sold for EUR 43,000. 明代大型銅鎏金廣目天王中國，十六至十七世紀。天王開臉方正，面部肌肉緊實，眉如彎月，杏眼圓睜，左手托寶塔。他身著甲胄，足蹬雲頭戰靴，甲胄的形製形式繁複，層次分明。頭髮高束于寳冠后，寳冠上有阿彌陀佛像。整體造型大方，形像生動，通體鎏金。來源：美國賓夕法尼亞Garnet Valley私人收藏 品相：品相良好，舊時磨損，凹痕、小裂縫和小刻痕與缺損，輕微劃痕和細膩包漿。漆金局部有舊時修補。彩繪殘餘。 重量：8.8 公斤 尺寸：高49.4 厘米 (含底座), 44 厘米 (不含底座) 相配清代硬木底座。(2) 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近漆彩廣目天王銅像，明代，見巴黎佳士得Art d'Asie 2011年12月14日 lot 62, 售價EUR 43,000。
A LARGE WHITE JADE AND GILT-COPPER RUYI SCEPTER, QING DYNASTYChina, 18th-19th century. Superbly decorated to the sinuous shaft in high relief with numerous cranes and peaches borne on gnarled leafy branches amid clouds and rockwork against a finely punched ground, framed by two borders with evenly spaced lotus sprays against a similarly punched ground, all above a Shou character flanked by two bats in flight. The head with a band of T-scroll above scrolling vines framing the translucent white jade plaque carved in high relief with a bat flying above two peaches borne on a gnarled leafy branch.Provenance: From an English private collection. Condition: Good condition with extensive wear to gilt, minor dents, few minuscule nicks and cracks, occasional light scratches, few small splits.Weight: 830 gDimensions: Length 45 cmAuction result comparison: Compare a related white jade and gilt copper ruyi scepter, also dated 18th-19th century, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in Important Chinese Works of Art on 7 April 2015, lot 3664, bought-in at an estimate of HKD 500,000-700,000. Compare a related white jade and gilt copper ruyi scepter, dated to the 19th century, of considerably smaller size (32.8 cm long), at Sotheby's Hong Kong in Chinese Art on 1 June 2015, lot 855, sold for HKD 200,000. Compare a related gilt bronze ruyi scepter, dated to the 19th century, of smaller size (31.1 cm long) and inset with jadeite and ruby, at Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics, Jades and Works of Art on 19 September 2007, lot 103, sold for USD 37,000. 清代鎏金銅鑲白玉福壽如意中國，十八至十九世紀。柄體扁平，鏨卷葉邊，柄體鏨鶴桃紋與蝙蝠紋，寓意“福壽連綿”。如意頭部鑲嵌白玉，上面浮雕壽桃，四周纏枝紋。來源：英國私人收藏。 品相：狀況良好，鎏金大量磨損，輕微凹痕，少量微小的劃痕和裂縫，局部有輕微劃痕，少量有小裂痕。 重量：830 克 尺寸：長45 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近十八至十九世紀白玉銅鎏金如意，見香港蘇富比Important Chinese Works of Art 2015年4月7日lot 3664, 估價HKD 500,000-700,000；比較一件相近的十九世紀白玉銅鎏金如意，尺寸稍小 (32.8 厘米長)，見香港蘇富比Chinese Art 2015年6月1日 lot 855, 售價HKD 200,000。比較一件相近鎏金銅如意，十九世紀，尺寸稍小(31.1 厘米長)，鑲嵌翡翠和紅寶石，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics, Jades and Works of Art 2007年9月19日 lot 103, 售價USD 37,000。
A RARE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF DIPANKARA BUDDHA, LATE MALLA, THREE KINGDOMS PERIODNepal, 17th-18th century. Well cast standing in samabhanga, his left hand raised in abhaya mudra and the right lowered in varada mudra, wearing a long, flared robe and pleated outer garment, both with finely incised scroll decoration at the hems. The serene face with heavy-lidded eyes below gently arched eyebrows centered by a prominent urna, flanked by long pendulous earlobes suspending elaborate floral earrings. The hair arranged in tight curls with a domed ushnisha surmounted by a jewel behind the foliate tiara.Provenance: J. J. Klejman, New York, before 1974. Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, New York, 26 October 1974, Lot 4. A private collector in New York, acquired from the above. John J. Klejman (1906-1995) was a noted Polish-American collector and dealer who founded the Klejman Gallery in New York in 1950.Condition: Good condition with some old wear, particularly to gilt, minuscule nicks, light scratches, minor dents, small losses. The flared robe with a small old repair to the backside. The crown slightly bent backwards.Weight: 4,996 g (incl. base)Dimensions: 30 cm (excl. base) and 36.5 cm (incl. base)Dipankara, one of numerous Buddhas of the past, is said to have predicted the coming of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. According to legend, a rich Brahmin named Sumati saw that Dipankara was about to walk into a puddle of water. To prevent him from soiling his feet, Sumati laid his long hair across the puddle. Following this event, Dipankara prophesized Sumati's rebirth as the future Buddha. Images of Dipankara in Nepal are worshipped as icons bestowing charity and protecting merchants.The Three Kingdoms period – the time of the later Mallas – began in 1520 and lasted until the mid-eighteenth century. The complete flowering of the unique culture of the Kathmandu Valley occurred during this period, and it was also during this time that the old palace complexes in the three main towns achieved much of their present-day forms. The kings still based their legitimate rule on their role as protectors of dharma, and often they were devout donors to religious shrines. Kings built many of the older temples in the valley, gems of late medieval art and architecture, during this final Malla period.Buddhism remained a vital force during these times for much of the population, especially in its old seat of Patan. Religious endowments called guthi arranged for long-term support of traditional forms of worship or ritual by allowing temple or vihara lands to pass down through generations of the same families. This support resulted in the preservation of a conservative art, architecture, and religious literature that had disappeared in other areas of South Asia. Newari was in regular use as a literary language by the fourteenth century and was the main language in urban areas and trading circles based in the Kathmandu Valley.Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of Dipankara, 47.6 cm high, dated 1520-1768, in these rooms in Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, on 16 October 2021, lot 379, sold for EUR 22,000. 尼泊爾馬拉王朝後期三國鼎立時期罕見鎏金銅燃燈佛尼泊爾，十七至十八世紀。精美鑄造燃燈佛成三摩地冥想狀態，佛祖左手飾與願印，右手施無畏印，身披半肩式過膝大褂，裙褂上簪刻紋路精細，裙擺自然舒展。面容安詳，眼瞼下垂，眉毛微微拱起，眉間白毫，兩側是長長的耳垂，佩戴著精緻的耳環。 頭戴五葉冠，頭髮成螺髻。 來源：紐約J. J. Klejman, 1974年前；紐約蘇富比Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, 1974年10月26日 Lot 4；紐約私人藏家，購於上述拍賣行。John J. Klejman (1906-1995) 曾是知名的波蘭裔美國藏家和經銷商，1950年在紐約成立了Klejman Gallery 藝廊。 品相：狀況良好，有一些舊磨損，特別是鎏金，微小的刻痕、輕微的劃痕和凹痕，少量缺損。長袍背面有一個小小的舊修復，王冠微微向後彎曲。重量: 4,996 克 (含底座) 尺寸：30 厘米（不含底座)，總 36.5 厘米拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的鎏金銅燃燈佛，高 47.6 厘米，1520-1768年, 於本藝廊 Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism 2021年10月16日 lot 379, 售價EUR 22,000。
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, 15TH CENTURYTibet. Finely cast seated in vajraparyankasana on a double lotus base with beaded upper edge, the right hand held in bhumisparsha mudra and the left in dhyana mudra, dressed in a robe draped loosely over the left shoulder, partially revealing the chest.Provenance: From a noted Swiss private collection.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities. Some wear to gilt, particularly to the raised parts. The base rim with a small loss and associated old fill, and two minor cracks, one going up from the rim extending to the right leg of the figure, the other ca. 3 cm long, all as visible with no hidden damages whatsoever. Few minuscule areas of malachite encrustation. Details to face neatly picked out with ancient pigments. The base sealed. Weight: 1,778 gDimensions: Height 24 cmThe hems of the garment finely detailed with a beaded border, the serene face rendered with a meditative expression beneath an urna and flanked by long pendulous earlobes pierced with vertical slots, all beneath the domed ushnisha covered with tight curls and surmounted by a jewel, brilliantly gilded throughout.The iconographic form in which the historical Buddha is seated, with his right hand in the earth-touching position, bhumisparsha mudra, recalls a momentous episode from his spiritual biography in which he triumphs over Mara just prior to his enlightenment. Having vowed to remain in meditation until he penetrated the mystery of existence, Shakyamuni was visited by Mara, a demon associated with the veils and distractions of mundane existence. The Buddha remained unmoved by all the pleasant and unpleasant distractions with which Mara sought to deflect him from his goal.According to some traditional accounts, Mara's final assault consisted of an attempt to undermine the bodhisattva's sense of worthiness by questioning Shakyamuni's entitlement to seek the lofty goal of spiritual enlightenment and the consequent freedom from rebirth. Aided by spirits who reminded him of the countless compassionate efforts he had made on behalf of sentient beings throughout his numerous animal and human incarnations, Shakyamuni recognized that his destiny was to be poised on the threshold of enlightenment.In response to Mara's query, Shakyamuni moved his right hand from the meditation position in his lap and touched the ground stating “the earth is my witness”. This act of unwavering resolve caused Mara and his army of demons and temptresses to disperse, leaving Shakyamuni to experience his great enlightenment. The episode took place at the adamantine throne, vajrasana, beneath the bhodi tree at Bodh Gaya, eastern India, a location said to have been especially empowered to expedite the Buddha's enlightenment.Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related gilt bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17.7 cm high, also dated to the 15th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 19 March 2013, lot 408, sold for USD 81,250. A closely related gilt bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 28 cm high, also dated to the 15th century, was sold in these rooms in Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism on 25 April 2020, lot 43, sold for EUR 139,040.十五世紀鎏金銅釋迦牟尼坐蓮像西藏。釋迦牟尼佛身著袈裟，左手施禪定印，右手施觸地印，全跏趺坐於仰覆蓮座上。造像頭部肉髻高聳，珠寶頂嚴，額飾白毫，長眉與鼻脊相連，雙目垂視內斂，嘴角微微揚起，面容溫和沈靜。肩胸寬闊，身披偏袒右式迦裟，袈裟拉起一角覆蓋右肩。來源：瑞士知名私人收藏。品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損和鑄造瑕疵。鎏金有些磨損，特別是凸起部分。底部邊緣有少量缺損和相關的舊填充物，以及兩個小裂縫，一個從邊緣向上延伸到人物的右腿，另一個約 3厘米長，沒有任何隱藏的損壞。少量地區有綠色鏽斑。底座密封。 重量: 1,778 克 尺寸：高 24 厘米衣紋薄透貼體，軀體起伏，線條極爲流暢。下承仰覆式蓮花台座，上下層蓮花對立排列，花瓣細長挺拔。釋迦牟尼右手施觸地印姿勢坐蓮的形式，讓人想起他歷史上的一個重要事件：在他開悟之前，他戰勝了瑪拉。根據一些傳統的說法，瑪拉的最後攻擊，包括試圖通過質疑釋迦牟尼尋求精神啟蒙的崇高目標，以及隨之而來的免於重生的權利，來破壞菩薩的價值感。在神靈的幫助下，他想起了他在無數動物和人類化身中，為眾生所做的無數慈悲努力。釋迦牟尼佛在證悟時，受魔王波旬干擾，魔王波旬提問：“誰可為你做證你已經開悟？” 釋迦牟尼佛即以右手觸地並說：“大地可以為我作證！” 隨即堅牢地神出現為釋迦牟尼佛證明他已經成就佛道，魔王才退去。拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近鎏金銅釋迦牟尼像，高17.7 厘米，十五世紀，見紐約佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2013年3月19日 lot 408, 售價USD 81,250。另一件相近的鎏金銅釋迦牟尼像，高28 厘米，十五世紀，在本藝廊Fine Chinese Art, Buddhism and Hinduism 2020年 4月 25日lot 43, 售價EUR 139,040
A CELADON JADE FIGURE OF A BOY MOUNTED ON A GILT BRONZE STAND, QING DYNASTYChina, 1644-1912. The boy wearing loose-fitting robes and holding a vase in both hands, a single peony blossom borne on a leafy stem rising from the vessel, the child with a content smile playing across the face. The translucent stone of a celadon tone with icy veins and inclusions.Provenance: Collection of Alexander Foerster, thence by descent in the same family. Alexander Foerster was an Austrian art dealer and expert who worked as an appraiser of Asian art for the auction house Dorotheum during the 1960s. A copy of Alexander Foerster's collection inventory, dated July 1961 and listing the present lot as no. 83, accompanies this lot.Condition: Good condition with old wear, minor losses, small nicks, the stone with natural fissures, some of which have developed into hairline cracks over time. The interior of the stand with some verdigris.Weight: 421.8 gDimensions: Height 14 cmMounted on a gilt-bronze stand of French origin dating to the same period, the rocaille stand issuing two curved leafy vines framing the figure as well as reeds and millet.Auction result comparison: Compare a related white jade carving of a boy, 8.9 cm high, dated 18th century, at Sotheby's New York in Important Chinese Art on 21 March 2018, lot 654, sold for USD 18,750. 十六至十七世紀鎏金銅曼達拉娃佛母西藏。曼達拉娃佛母立於蓮座上，微微側身，一手握著嘎巴啦碗，另一隻手施安慰印。她穿著一件鑲有珠飾的長袍，戴著葉形耳環和鑲嵌著珊瑚的串珠項鍊。 來源：紐約佳士得，1999年3月23日 lot 130；一個英國私人收藏，購於上述拍賣。 品相：狀況極好，有一些磨損、小缺損、刻痕和凹痕、輕微劃痕。鑲嵌的珊瑚珠可能是後來的更換品。包漿整體細膩。重量: 392.4 克 尺寸：高 15.3 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的鎏金銅曼達娃拉佛母坐像，高12.6 厘米，十六世紀，見紐約佳士得Indian and Southeast Asian Art 2011年3月 22日 lot 293, 售價USD 37,500。
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITAYUS, 15TH-16TH CENTURYTibet. Finely cast, seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base with beaded edges, wearing a dhoti secured with a belt at the waist and neatly incised with floral decorations, richly adorned with beaded jewelry inlaid with turquoise and coral. The serene face with almond-shaped eyes below elegantly curved brows centered by an urna, flanked by long pendulous earlobes. The hair falling in strands over the shoulders and pulled up into a topknot surmounted by a jewel behind the foliate crown.Provenance: Austrian private collection, by repute acquired 1997 in the Austrian antiques trade.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, particular to gilt in some areas due to extensive handling over a long period of time, few minuscule nicks and occasional light scratches, remnants of pigment, the base unsealed.Weight: 537.6 gDimensions: Height 14 cmAuction result comparison: Compare a closely related gilt bronze figure of Amitayus, 15.2 cm high, also dated 15th-16th century, with similar incised decoration to the robe, at Christie's New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 11 September 2019, lot 347, sold for USD 11,875.十五至十六世紀銅鎏金阿彌陀佛坐蓮像 西藏。鑄造精良，坐於雙層珠紋蓮花上，身披束帶，腰間繫著腰帶，花卉紋，配飾鑲嵌著綠松石和珊瑚。面容安詳，杏仁狀的眼睛，彎曲的眉毛，兩眉之間有白毫，兩側是長長的耳垂，大耳環。頭髮披散在肩膀上，在葉冠後面鑲嵌著一顆寶石。 來源：奧地利私人收藏，據説 1997年購於奧地利古玩市場。 品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損，局部鎏金磨損，少量微小的劃痕，顏料餘留，底座未密封。 重量：537.6 克 尺寸：高14 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的銅鎏金阿彌陀佛造像，高15.2 厘米，十五至十六世紀，天衣上有相似紋飾，見紐約佳士得Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art 2019年9月11日 lot 347, 售價USD 11,875。
A RARE BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL, GU, SHANG DYNASTYChina, 14th-13th century BC. The vessel has a plain trumpet-shaped neck and spreading foot, and the bulbous mid-section is cast with two taotie masks with boss-like eyes divided and separated by slender notched flanges and set between raised bow-string borders, the lower of which is interrupted by a cruciform aperture.Provenance: Roger Keverne, London, 16 October 2009. A British private collection, acquired from the above and thence by descent. Note that Roger Keverne's pricelist for this exhibition states a purchase price of GBP 18,000 (approx. GBP 26,350 today after inflation) for the present lot.Published: Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics Winter Exhibition, London, 2009, no. 1. Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Minuscule nicks to edges and small dents. Few minor signs of erosion. Old wear. Superb, naturally grown patina with various tones of malachite as well as some cuprite and azurite encrustation.Weight: 516.2 gDimensions: Height 19 cmExpert's note: The present vessel belongs to the latter stage of the Erligang phase. Robert W. Bagley in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, volume 1, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1987, illustrates a series of bronze gu that span this transitional period, pages 218-219, figures 25.1-6. In these illustrations one can see the gradual change in the shape from the broader silhouette of the earlier examples, figures 25.1 and 25.2, to the taller and more slender silhouette of the later examples, figures 25.5 and 25.6, and notes that the thickened waist is seen only occasionally during this period. Furthermore, all of these vessels, along with the present vessel, share similar cruciform apertures left by the casting process.Literature comparison: For related examples, see Jan Fontein and Tang Wu, Unearthing China's Past, no. 7, p. 37-38, and note particularly fig. 5, excavated at Minggonglu, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, which has a very similar decorative band and a cruciform aperture, and see Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, The Panlongcheng Site Report of Archaeological Excavation from 1963-1994, vol. 2, color pl. 30, fig. 1 (PYWM 4:6), pl. 36, fig. 1 (PWZM 1:4), and pl. 87, Fig. 2 (PYWM 11:5). 商代青銅觚中國，公元前十四至十三世紀。此器敞口呈喇叭形，長頸，腰腹收窄，斜坡狀圈足；器身紋飾分為三段，口部到頸部素面無紋，至中部兩道凸弦紋，中部饕餮紋，兩條扉棱對稱分佈，腹部與圈足之間飾兩道凸弦紋，底足部素面。整器線條優美流暢，銅質富光澤，金屬厚重。來源：倫敦Roger Keverne 2009年10月16日；英國私人收藏，購於上述藝廊並保存至今。請注意Roger Keverne當時的展覽價格單上價格為GBP 18,000 (相當於現在的 GBP 26,350)。 出版: Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics Winter Exhibition, 倫敦2009年, 圖 1. 品相：狀況極佳，與年齡相稱。 邊緣有微小的刻痕和小凹痕。少量輕微的侵蝕跡象，以及舊時磨損。 自然生長的包漿，帶有各種色調的美麗鏽斑。重量：516.2克 尺寸：高19 厘米 專家注釋: 此拍品來自於二里崗後期。見Robert W. Bagley 在 Arthur M. Sackler 收藏中的青銅禮器，第 1 卷，Arthur M. Sackler 基金會，華盛頓特區，1987 年，展示了跨越這一過渡時期的一系列青銅器，第 218-219 頁，圖 25.1-6。在這些插圖中，我們可以看到從早期例子（圖 25.1 和 25.2）的較寬輪廓到後面的例子（圖 25.5 和 25.6）的更高和更細長的輪廓的形狀在逐漸變化，腰部加粗，也可以在此期間偶爾看到。此外，所有這些青銅器，連同本器，在鑄造過程都留下的類似的十字形孔。 文獻比較: 一件相近青銅器，見Jan Fontein and Tang Wu, Unearthing China's Past, no. 7, p. 37-38, 請注意特別是圖 5、出土於河南鄭州明公路，裝飾帶與十字形孔極為相似；另見 湖北省文物考古研究所The Panlongcheng Site Report of Archaeological Excavation from 1963-1994, 第 2冊，彩圖 30, 圖 1 (PYWM 4:6), 圖 36, 圖1 (PWZM 1:4), 以及圖 87, 圖2 (PYWM 11:5)。
AN IMPORTANT THANGKA DEPICTING ZANABAZAR, 19TH CENTURYMongolia. Distemper and gold on cloth. Seated on a low cushion, backed by a bolster and a halo, dressed in heavy robes, holding a vajra in his raised right hand and a ghanta in his lowered left. An offering of peaches stands before him and a group of small vessels on a low table to his right. The background with green hills under a blue sky behind the elaborate curtain painted with floral scroll. Five-character inscription to backside. Provenance: From a Hungarian private collection.Condition: Good condition with only minor wear, little soiling and creasing, and small losses here and there. Possibly minuscule touch-ups.Dimensions: Image size 32 x 21.5 cm, Size incl. frame 44.9 x 34.6 cmMatted and framed behind glass.Jetsun Lobzong Tenpai Gyaltsen (1635-1723), commonly known as Zanabazar, was an important Mongolian religious figure and personal guru to the Kangxi Emperor (1654-1722). The son of Khalkha Tushyetue Khan, leader of the Khalkha Mongols, Zanabazar was at an early age recognized by both the Panchen Lama and Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the Tibetan lama, Taranatha (1575-1634), and proclaimed the First Jetsundamba, an honorific title. He traveled to Tibet to continue his religious instruction under the powerful Gelugpa lamas before returning to Mongolia in 1651, bringing fifty sculptors and painters with him in an attempt to establish the Gelug order amongst the Mongols. Rather than settle at one established monastery, his portable temples traveled from one oergoeoe (traveling place) to another, in what became known as Da Khuree (Great Circle).During his time as religious leader of the Khalkha Mongols, Zanabazar oversaw a proliferation of Buddhist art in the region. He is especially known for his visualization and design of gilt bronze sculpture, subsequently carried out by master Nepalese bronze casters, which are widely recognized as some of the finest Buddhist bronze sculpture created.In 1691, faced with the threat of the rival Dzungar Mongols, Zanabazar agreed to integrate the Khalkha into the Qing Empire, at a ceremony before the Kangxi Emperor at Dolonnor Monastery. While Zanabazar had previously sent tribute and religious gifts to Kangxi, the formal ceremony solidified the relationship between the two men. In later life, Zanabazar acted as the personal religious teacher to Kangxi in Beijing. With the help of his guru, the Emperor took an increasing interest in Buddhism and established a tradition of Imperial propagation of Buddhist art that continued into the reigns of his son and grandson, the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors.Today, Zanabazar is viewed as one of Mongolia's most important historical figures, celebrated for propagating Tibetan Buddhism throughout Mongolia while reshaping it to fit Mongolian sensibilities, thereby establishing for the Mongols a unique cultural identity. His artistic works are generally regarded as the apogee of Mongolian aesthetic development and spawned a cultural renaissance among Mongols in the late 17th century. Even during the country's socialist era (1921-1991) he was acknowledged to be a prominent scholar (his religious roles quietly discarded) and recognized for his artistic and cultural achievements. As a political personality, however, socialist authorities portrayed Zanabazar as a traitor and deceiver of the masses, responsible for the loss of Mongolian sovereignty to the Manchu. In the post socialist era, however, there has been a reevaluation of his image to where his actions in negotiating the Khalkha's submission to the Qing are considered to have been in the long term interests of Mongolia, and he is generally exonerated for his role in 1691.Literature comparison: Compare a related Mongolian thangka of Zanabazar, also dated to the 19th century, in the collection of the Rubin Museum of Art, object number C2006.66.587. 十九世紀哲布尊丹巴呼圖克圖唐卡蒙古。布面描金膠彩。活佛坐在一個矮墊子上，背靠一個靠枕，身後有光背。身著厚重的長袍，舉起的右手拿著金剛杵，低垂的左手拿著金剛杵。 一個桃子供奉在他面前，右邊的一張矮桌上置放著一組小器皿。背景是藍天下的青山，花卉紋窗簾。來源：匈牙利私人收藏。 品相：狀況良好，只有輕微磨損、少量汙漬和起皺，而且到處都有小缺損。輕微修補。 尺寸：畫面32 x 21.5 厘米，總44.9 x 34.6 厘米 玻璃裝框。
A KHMER BRONZE FIGURE OF UMA, ANGKOR PERIODCambodia, 12th-13th century. Finely cast standing in samabhanga, wearing a pleated sampot with an elaborate hem, holding a lotus flower in her right hand, richly adorned with jewelry. Her serene face with almond-shaped eyes, an urna, and full lips, the head surmounted by a large and elaborate pointed crown.Provenance: H. M. Luther, London, 1969. An old British-American collection, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice, dated 20 June 1969, dating the piece '10/12th century', accompanies this lot. Founded in London in 1947, H. M. Luther has long been a favorite source of knowledgeable and discerning clients.Condition: Good condition overall, commensurate with age and as expected for a bronze from this period. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, losses, structural cracks, encrustations and minor old fills. Fine, naturally grown malachite patina.Weight: 802.7 g (excl. base)Dimensions: Height 25 cm (excl. base) and 27 cm (incl. base)With an associated wood base. (2)The finely cast details of the face, clothing and jewelry are all indicative of the Angkor period. Uma was a favored goddess in Khmer Angkor, and while sandstone representations of the goddess abound, bronze devotional figures of Uma are considerably rarer, especially in the size of the present lot.Literature comparison: Compare a related Khmer bronze figure of Uma, dated 11th-12th century, in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number IS.62-1993.Auction result comparison: Compare a related Khmer bronze figure of Lokeshvarara, dated to the 13th century, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 21 September 2007, lot 366, sold for USD 21,250.
A GILT AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE 'ARCHAISTIC' CENSER, DING, LATE MING TO EARLIER QINGChina, 17th-18th century. The compressed globular body supported on three tall legs and rising to a galleried rim set with two upright loop handles. Finely decorated with silver and gilt inlays with an intricate archaistic taotie mask to either side, below key-fret bands along the rim and handles, each foot additionally inlaid with a rectangular design.Provenance: From a private collection in Los Angeles, California, USA. Condition: Good condition with minor wear, few minuscule nicks, light scratches, small dents, and few small losses to inlays. Fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 698.1 gDimensions: Height 13.8 cm, Width 10.8 cm (across handles)Auction result comparison: Compare a related silver wire-inlaid bronze tripod censer, dated to the 16th century, at Christie's Hong Kong in The Imperial Sale & Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 3 June 2015, lot 3315, sold for HKD 150,000. Compare a related gold and silver-inlaid bronze tripod censer, also dated 17th-18th century, of larger size (26 cm), at Bonhams London in The Parry Collection of Chinese Art on 2 November 2021, lot 18, sold for GBP 18,375. 明末清初銅錯金銀鼎式爐 中國，十七至十八世紀。鼎式爐球形深腹，雙立耳，下承三蹄足。外壁錯金銀饕餮紋。 來源：美國加利福尼亞洛杉磯私人收藏。 品相：輕微磨損，有微小的劃痕，小凹痕，錯金銀輕微缺損，自然生長的深色包漿。 重量：698.1 克 尺寸：高13.8 厘米, 寬10.8 厘米 (雙耳之間) 拍賣結果：比較一件相近銅錯銀三足爐，十六世紀，見香港佳士得The Imperial Sale & Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2015年6月 3日 lot 3315, 售價HKD 150,000。比較一件相近銅錯金銀三足爐，十七至十八世紀，尺寸稍大 (26 厘米)，見倫敦邦翰思The Parry Collection of Chinese Art 2021年11月2 日 lot 18, 售價GBP 18,375。
A RARE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF A BUDDHIST DISCIPLE, POSSIBLY ANANDA, MING DYNASTYChina, 16th-17th century. Finely cast standing atop a double lotus pedestal above a beaded edge, wearing a monastic robe cascading in voluminous folds, the hems decorated with lotus scroll, two corners of the robe looped into a distinct circular clasp at the left shoulder held by a ruyi-shaped buckle and below a three-stranded knotted rope, the two hands clasped one over the other and held in front of the chest, the undergarment also with an embroidered hem of zigzag motifs from which the two feet in cloth shoes protrude.Provenance: From an old Viennese private collection.Condition: Good condition with some old wear, particularly to the lacquer gilding, small nicks, few minuscule losses, minor dents, light scratches.Weight: 3,605 g Dimensions: Height 35 cmHis serene face with heavy-lidded downcast eyes, curled brows and beard, and full lips forming a calm smile, flanked by long pendulous earlobes, the tonsured hair arranged in tight curls.A luohan is a disciple of Buddha who has attained Enlightenment and has achieved the status of the perfected being, but chooses to postpone his accession to Nirvana and remain in the world to aid all sentient beings. The luohan achieves enlightenment through instruction rather than through his own insight and meditation, and as a result, ranks just below the bodhisattva. The term luohan, or 'arhat' in Sanskrit, means 'worthy' or 'venerable' and refers to the Buddha's original disciples, and by extension, to any holy figure who upheld and defended the Buddhist dharma. Originally only four, their numbers increased to sixteen, then eighteen and ultimately to five hundred.The present figure depicts either Ananda or Kasyapa, two of Buddha's ten principal disciples, and was likely one of a pair (with the other) or triad (both flanking Buddha). When Kasyapa first met Buddha, he was already in his late eighties. He was a teacher in his own right and had a large following. After an encounter with Buddha, Kasyapa recognized Buddha's superior wisdom and converted along with all of his disciples. He is often portrayed with Ananda, each standing on either side of Shakyamuni Buddha. Ananda was one of Buddha's first cousins, and as such is often depicted as a young man with hands held in anjali mudra.Literature comparison: A bronze figure of a monk dated to the 17th century, with closely related features to the present lot, is in the collection of the British Museum, accession number 1990,0529.1.Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of Ananda, 52 cm high, also dated 16th-17th century, at Bonhams Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 29 November 2016, lot 30, sold for HKD 1,740,000. Compare also a related gilt bronze figure of Kasyapa, 42 cm high, at Bonhams New York in Chinese Works of Art and Paintings on 10 September 2018, lot 132, bought-in at an estimate of USD 50,000-70,000. Note that both figures share their cascading robes with hem decoration, the circular clasp at the left shoulder held by a ruyi-shaped buckle, and the distinctive lotus pedestals with their naturalistic overlapping petals above stylized lappets with the present lot.明代罕見銅鎏金佛陀弟子像，或爲阿難尊者中國，十六至十七世紀。尊者雙目微合，面帶微笑，雙手合十，表情虔誠。身著寬袍廣袖僧衣，衣紋流暢，法相莊嚴肅穆。雙足立於蓮花寶座之上。通體鎏金保存較好，袈裟及衣擺紋飾突出，技法高超。來源：維也納私人老收藏。 品相：狀況良好，有一些舊磨損，尤其是漆面燙金、小劃痕、微小缺損、輕微凹痕、輕微劃痕。 重量: 3,605 克 尺寸：高 35 厘米 拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的銅鎏金阿難尊者，高 52 厘米，十六至十七世紀, 見香港邦翰思 Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2016年11月29日 lot 30, 售價HKD 1,740,000。比較一件相似鎏金銅迦葉尊者，高 42 厘米，見紐約邦翰思Chinese Works of Art and Paintings 2018年9月10日 lot 132, 估價USD 50,000-70,000。請注意，這兩位尊者的僧袍都帶有下擺裝飾，左肩上的圓形搭扣由一個如意形的搭扣固定，以及帶有自然主義重疊花瓣的獨特蓮花座與本拍品的荷葉相似。
In cedar wood, with ebony and stained bone inlays, measurements: 13 x 27.5 x 15 cm. Provenance: private collection, Paris, Export permit attached. The piece that we present stands out for it's quality and the use of inlay marquetry, an Andalusian technique characteristic of the Spanish Late Middle Ages as an ornamental procedure for furniture and household items. The term inlay, whose origin is found in the Arabic word tarsi (inlay), traditionally applied to the ornamentation of pieces of furniture with fine fragments of different colors and textures, as well as with other materials such as bone and ivory. We find the origin of this industry in Córdoba, during the Omeya al-Andalus, it will not be until the time of the Nasrid sultanate, when its use becomes popular in noble and courtly environments as a procedure to ennoble objects of the wealthiest classes. After the capture of Granada, even before the conquest, we find pieces produced with the same Moorish influence. As a synonym, the Spanish word “marquetry” is usually used. Already in the Caliphate period, an excellent cabinet-making workshop located in the Umayyad Córdoba was active in al-Andalus. A technique that consists of gluing small prismatic portions (triangular and/or trapezoidal) of ivory or bone – in natural color or dyed, together with small polygonal pieces of selected woods, often of exotic origin (aloe, ebony, sandalwood, boxwood). , lemon Tree…), to which fragments of tortoiseshell or mother-of-pearl and even small metallic silver or bronze points were added. To achieve the green color of the inlays, the most used technique was to obtain it based on copper compounds impregnated in the bone. Even after the capture of Granada, Moorish artisans ran inlay workshops located in places like Seville, Aragon or Catalonia. These converted masters would be in charge of keeping this production alive throughout the Modern Age, even exporting it to the New Continent. Also noteworthy is the use of inlay since the 14th century in workshops in northern Italy, applied to pieces of ivory or bone. Far from disappearing, in the 18th and 19th centuries the marquetry of the Moorish tradition acquired a great diffusion in the Peninsula, deeply rooted in the artisan practice of southern Spain, in such a way that even today it is possible to acquire in Granada both modern souvenirs executed in this technique and interpretations and reproductions of furniture in marquetry emulating the mastery of Mudejar artisans. Works in comparison: Nazarí casket in marquetry, Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, inv. nº 4862 Reference bibliography: “GALÁN, Medieval Ivories of Islam, p. 483” ; “Yes. CALVO CAPILLA, “Two inlaid chests”, in IG BANGO TORVISO (coord.), Wonders of medieval Spain. Sacred treasure and monarchy, Valladolid, 2001, vol. I, p. 120, no. 36; Art and cultures of al-Andalus, cat. No. 156”. in such a way that even today it is possible to acquire in Granada both modern souvenirs executed in this technique and interpretations and reproductions of furniture in marquetry emulating the mastery of Mudejar craftsmen. Works in comparison: Nazarí casket in marquetry, Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, inv. nº 4862 Reference bibliography: “GALÁN, Medieval Ivories of Islam, p. 483” ; “Yes. CALVO CAPILLA, “Two inlaid chests”, in IG BANGO TORVISO (coord.), Wonders of medieval Spain. Sacred treasure and monarchy, Valladolid, 2001, vol. I, p. 120, no. 36; Art and cultures of al-Andalus, cat. No. 156”. in such a way that even today it is possible to acquire in Granada both modern souvenirs executed in this technique and interpretations and reproductions of furniture in marquetry emulating the mastery of Mudejar craftsmen. Works in comparison: Nazarí casket in marquetry, Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, inv. nº 4862 Reference bibliography: “GALÁN, Medieval Ivories of Islam, p. 483” ; “Yes. CALVO CAPILLA, “Two inlaid chests”, in IG BANGO TORVISO (coord.), Wonders of medieval Spain. Sacred treasure and monarchy, Valladolid, 2001, vol. I, p. 120, no. 36; Art and cultures of al-Andalus, cat. No. 156”. nº 4862 Reference bibliography: “GALÁN, Medieval Ivories of Islam, p. 483” ; “Yes. CALVO CAPILLA, “Two inlaid chests”, in IG BANGO TORVISO (coord.), Wonders of medieval Spain. Sacred treasure and monarchy, Valladolid, 2001, vol. I, p. 120, no. 36; Art and cultures of al-Andalus, cat. No. 156”. nº 4862 Reference bibliography: “GALÁN, Medieval Ivories of Islam, p. 483” ; “Yes. CALVO CAPILLA, “Two inlaid chests”, in IG BANGO TORVISO (coord.), Wonders of medieval Spain. Sacred treasure and monarchy, Valladolid, 2001, vol. I, p. 120, no. 36; Art and cultures of al-Andalus, cat. No. 156”.
In patinated solid bronze, finely chiselled by hand. Possibly a display model for a fountain in a palazzo or a garden, 17th - 17th century Italian or French master. Close to models by Jerôme Duquesnoy (II) the Younger (baptized May 8, 1602-September 28, 1654) and Alessandro Algardi Alessandro Algardi (Bologna, July 31, 1595 - Rome, June 10, 1654). Measurements: 13 x 10 x 6 cm. Provenance: former private collection, Spain.
Loading...-
350105 item(s)/page