We found 13121 price guide item(s) matching your search

Refine your search

Year

Filter by Price Range
  • List
  • Grid
  • 13121 item(s)
    /page

Lot 390

Eight pairs of Chinese calligraphy couplets,20th century, in running script in the style of Qigong (1912-2005), with the signature and artist's seals of Qigong,each 68 x 12.5cm (16)Condition ReportStaining, foxing and dirt marks in various locations. Small creasing or tears to edges.

Lot 402

A Chinese calligraphy,20th century, in the style of Qigong (1912-2005), of a selection of renowned poems, inscribed with the signature of Qigong and three artist's seals, ink on paper,146 x 360cmCondition ReportCreasing and cockling, foxing and staining throughout.Small holes and tears in various locations, signs of repair with tape to the back.

Lot 401

A Chinese album,20th century, in the style of Qigong (1912-2005), each page with calligraphy or a landscape, inscribed with signature and artist's seals of Qigong, ink and colour on paper,each picture 32 x 45.5cmCondition ReportCreasing, cockling, tears, foxing and staining marks in various locations.

Lot 408

A Chinese calligraphy couplet,20th century, in the style of Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996), in running script, with the signature and artist's seals of Zhu Qizhan, ink on paper,133.5 x 33cm (2)Condition ReportCreasing and cockling throughout. Minor foxing and dirt marks.One scroll with staining to the mounting.

Lot 348

Five large Chinese calligraphy brushes, 19th century and later, with lacquered wood, hardwood and zitan handles, the largest 38.5cm long over bristles (5)Provenance: formerly from a private collection, purchased in Tokyo in the 1940s and by descent from Californian estate 紫檀柄及雕漆柄大毛笔等五把Condition Report: the brush with carved lacquer handle has chips to the handlezitan handled brush with one crack to the woodCondition Report Disclaimer

Lot 128

A RARE AND IMPORTANT IMPERIAL COURT PAINTING OF THE BANNERMAN TE'ER DENG CHEQianlong, dated by inscription to the Wushen year, corresponding to 1788 and of the periodInk and colours on silk, depicting a bannerman facing directly the viewer with finely painted whiskers, donning a fur-lined hat surmounted by a coral bead and a peacock feather with a single-eyed plume (dan yan hua ling), dressed in a grey surcoat with foliate roundels, green colour and tunic, wearing a pair of black silk boots with white soles, his right hand drawing his sword, his left hand holding the shagreen scabbard, eulogised with several lines of text above, the right side with Chinese in kaishu calligraphy and in Manchu on the left, with one seal of the Qianlong emperor between, reading Qianlong Yulan Zhibao, mounted on board.  The painting, 186cm high x 96cm wide (73in high x 37 3/4in wide).Footnotes:清乾隆戊申年 1788 特爾登徹像 設色絹本Provenance: an English private collection; according to the owner, the painting was gifted to the owner's late husband circa 1970s.來源:英國私人收藏;據現藏家稱,該畫於二十世紀七十年代由友人贈予其現已過世的丈夫The inscription in Manchu reads:meiren i janggin i jergi uheri da bihe xukdan baturu teldence daci solon i dorgi gabtara manggangge da tolome goirakvngge akv, dabkime morin noilhumbume faida be birehe de dardai andande efulerakvungge akv, ehe hvlha be sihame fargara de etuhun hvsun i fafurxame funturxehe de dasame arbun nirubufi, erei faxxaha be saixame iletulehe abkai fehiyehe xufayan bonio aniya juwari ujui biyade han i arahanggeThe inscription in Chinese reads:原副都統銜總管舒克丹巴圖魯特爾登徹索倫勁手箭無虛發躍馬突陣縱横倏忽視力窮追猛氣咆勃再炳丹青用旌偉伐乾隆戊申孟夏御題Which may be translated as:Former Lieutenant-general, Commandant [and] Xukdan Baturu [Manchu term for national hero], TeldenceOriginally from the Solon [people], he is an expert at archery and who does not miss [literally: counting his hits, he has no misses]. When whipping his horse, making it gallop, and rushing to attack the formation, there is nothing he does not destroy. When hot on the pursuit of the evil bandits, he vigorously rooted them out. Having [ordered] to paint [his] image, through this moreover, I commend him and make obvious his effort.Written by the Emperor Qianlong in the early Summer of the Wushen year (1788) Bannermen were the Qing dynasty's military elite administered into divisions known as the Eight Banners. Apart from being soldiers, the banner system was also the basic organisational framework of all Manchu society and included various groups including Manchus, Mongols and Han Chinese. The Solon people, mentioned in the present inscription, are a subgroup of the Evenki people of north-eastern Asia. The Solon were ordered by the Qianlong Emperor to stop using rifles and instead practice traditional archery, issuing an edict for silver taels to be issued for guns to be turned over to the government. It is not surprising therefore, that the Emperor praises Teldence's archery skills in particular. The eulogy of the present lot describes the bannerman Teldence (Chinese name Te'er Dengche), as a heroic and brave warrior and praises his relentless pursuit of the rebels. This portrait, and those of other officers in this series of Bannerman paintings, was commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor as part of two series of portraits after the triumphant campaign in Taiwan against Ming-loyalist rebels in the years 1787 to 1788. Teldence's rank and excellence in the battlefield is unmistakable in the single-eyed peacock feather that hangs prominently from the back of his black fur-trimmed winter hat, an Imperial gift bestowed only to officers who had distinguished themselves in a military campaign.In 1786 a rebellion arose out of central Taiwan in the village of Daliyi, led by the Ming loyalist Lin Shuangwen. The brutality of the Qing army against the local populace sparked an uprising on 16th January 1787, and Lin organised an army that quickly seized Taichung, Hsinchu and Chunghwa, which was established as their capital. He assumed the title 'King of the Ming' and extended his territory to Fengshan, but was unable to gain control of the capital city, Tainan. The rebels were able to defend their holdings despite Qing reinforcements from the mainland until Lin Cou, one of Lin Shuangwen's generals, defected to the Qing. On 10th February 1788, after ruling central Taiwan for over a year, Ling Shuangwen was captured and later executed, marking the end of the campaign.This portrait, painting number 5 in the second set of portraits, was produced in 1788. The yuan 原 ('former') character in the inscription implies that Teldence had died by the time the portrait was painted, either during the campaign or after. Such Imperial bannerman paintings were housed in the Ziguange (Hall of Purple Splendour), a hall of fame for Immortal heroes, located in the West Garden of the Imperial Palace Precincts in Beijing. During the Qianlong Emperor's reign in total 280 compositions of bannermen portrait paintings were made which were hung in the Ziguang Pavilion. Following Qianlong's example, later emperors continued adding new portraits to the collection in the Ziguang Pavilion. During the reign of the Qianlong emperor the building was also used to display battle wall charts and seized weapons and was also known as the 'Hall of Barbarian Tributes'. The Qianlong emperor often held banquets and received foreigners there; to impress on foreign guests the Qing empire's formidable military power. See C.Ho and B.Bronson, Splendors of China's Forbidden City: the Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, Chicago, 2004, p.118.The present lot embodies the Imperial academy workshop style of the eighteenth century, which combined traditional Chinese portrait painting with Western painting techniques introduced by Jesuit missionary artists at Court such as Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), Ignace Sichelbart (1708-1780) and Jean-Denis Attiret (1702-1768). 

Lot 134

A PALE GREEN JADE IMPERIALLY-INSCRIBED BOULDERQianlongCrisply carved as a rounded rocky grotto enclosing a bearded scholar strumming a guqin on a ledge, all beside gnarled pine trees, finely incised flowing water underneath, the top right section incised in elegant kaishu calligraphy with an Imperial poem, the stone of even pale green tone, wood stand. 16cm (6 1/4in) wide. (2).Footnotes:清乾隆 御題詩《松陰橫琴》巧雕玉山子Provenance: an English private collection來源:英國私人收藏The inscription on the present boulder reads: 御製松陰橫琴抱琴松下來,獨坐聽流水。聲不在絲桐,卻在心與指。Which may be translated as:Imperially made 'Playing qin under the shade of pine trees'.Coming under the pine trees, I hold a qin in my arms.I sit alone listening to the sound of the flowing water.The sound does not come from the strings and wutong wood.But comes from my heart and fingers.The poem is published in book 13 of the 'Collected Imperial Poems' (御製詩初集卷十三). In the anthology it is recorded as being written in the Guihai cyclical year corresponding to 1743, when the Qianlong emperor inscribed it on a painting by Zhu Lunhan 朱倫瀚 (1680-1760), of a scholar playing the qin. The poem, like the carving, depicts a scholar playing the qin, attuning himself not only to the music but the nature of the cosmos. The sound of flowing water relates to the physical stream and sound of the water, but also the famous melody 'Flowing Waters' (流水) played by the famed qin player Bo Ya of the Eastern Zhou period, to his cherished friend Zi Qi, who understood and appreciated the meaning conveyed through the music. The names Bo Ya and 'Flowing Waters' thus came to be almost synonymous with the notion of intuitive understanding and deep friendship. Hence the term for a close friend in Chinese is zhiyin (知音), literally, 'someone who knows the sounds'. For the Qianlong emperor, an accomplished qin player himself, the musical instrument would not only have exemplified his mastery and guardianship of traditional Han Chinese literati culture, but also his understanding that music and governance in a Confucian context were related; a musician who understands harmony can bring harmony to the realm. The present lot belongs to a small group of jade boulders and screens which were carved with Imperial poems authored by the Qianlong emperor and which additionally relate to paintings - thus connecting the written word with pictorial and three-dimensional representation. For other examples in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, nos.43, 62, 64 and 66.Compare with a related Imperial inscribed pale green jade boulder depicting Wang Xizhi, Qianlong, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 October 2016, lot 50.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: YY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 153

A FAMILLE VERTE 'LADIES AND THE FOUR ARTS' VASEKangxiOf elegant baluster shape, decorated around the exterior with ladies in a balustraded garden setting engaged in various pursuits including playing encirclement chess or weiqi, the seven-string zither or guqin and other musical instruments, and looking at a painted scroll representing both painting or hua and calligraphy or shu, all beneath a diaper-pattern band with shaped cartouches containing scroll, guqin in its cover, books and weiqi board and pieces, the neck decorated with boys playing with flowers. 44.5cm (17 1/2in) high. Footnotes:清康熙 五彩仕女琴棋書畫圖觀音尊The present vase is notable for its lively enamelling style with the numerous ladies exquisitely detailed, their delicate features offset by richly patterned robes revealing their high cultural status and wealth. The vase is also particularly to be treasured for its subject matter, not only for its lively depiction of the Four Elegant Accomplishments of painting, calligraphy, playing the qin and playing weiqi, but in particular for its depiction of refined ladies enjoying these pursuits. The Four Elegant Accomplishments were codified as highly esteemed cultural activities suitable for the Chinese scholar gentleman, and it is was only from around the 16th and 17th centuries that women could engage in such activities.In later Imperial Chinese society, women were confined to the home and were not encouraged to be educated. During the late Ming dynasty however, against a background of social change and economic prosperity, some women managed to challenge these conventions. The famous late Ming philosopher Li Zhi (1527-1602) even declared in his ironically titled Book to be Burned that women were equally intelligent to men and took female students, much to general surprise. Celebrity courtesans accomplished in the genteel arts of music and literature entered male society, heralding a new model of feminine identity almost equal to the male literati. The present vase reflects this unusual emergence of accomplished females, and celebrates them as being knowledgeable and intellectually engaged, whilst still being refined, delicate and attractively feminine. See S.McCausland and Lizhong Ling, Telling Images of China: Narrative and Figure Paintings 15th-20th Century from the Shanghai Museum, London, 2010, pp.65-67.Another similar vase, also with ladies engaged in the Four Accomplishments, from The Salting Bequest but with a figure of Li Tieguai on the neck, is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, (acc.no.c.11246-1910). See also a related Kangxi vase depicting ladies engaged in the Four Elegant Accomplishments, in The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics IV, Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, no.93. Another example from the Grandidier collection in the Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet is illustrated by M-C.Rey, Les Très Riches Heures de la Cour de Chine, Paris, 2006, no.35. Another smaller vase, but with a more restrained treatment of the ladies' pursuits, from the bequest of Benjamin Altman, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, (acc.no.14.40.88).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 158

A FINE PAIR OF EXPORT REVERSE-MIRROR PAINTINGS WITH GEORGE II GILT-WOOD FRAMESQianlongEach depicting a pair of elegantly-dressed Court figures seated beneath large trees in river landscapes with buildings beyond, one with the figures seated beneath a tree in a fenced garden, the other with figures flanked by a flock of ship, within a George II (circa mid 18th century) gilt-wood frame. Both 97cm (38 1/8in) x 64cm (25 1/8in) including the frames. (2).Footnotes:清乾隆 宮廷人物風景圖玻璃畫(配喬治二世時期鎏金木框)一對Provenance: Sir Michael Oppenheimer (3rd Baronet, 1924-2020) and Lady Helen Oppenheimer DD (1926-2022), and thence by descent來源:Michael Oppenheimer 爵士(三代從男爵,1924-2020年)與Helen Oppenheimer DD夫人(1926-2022年)舊藏,並由後人保存迄今The collection belonged to Sir Michael and Lady Oppenheimer DD (3rd Baronet, 1924-2020). Sir Michael's maternal grandparents were Sir Robert Grenville Harvey, 2nd Baronet (1856-1931) and Lady Emily Blanche Harvey (1872-1935) of Langley Park, Buckinghamshire. The Chinese art collection can be, at least in part, traced back to Langley Park, Buckinghamshire, home to the Harvey Baronets from 1788 until 1945.Sir Michael Oppenheimer's paternal family was the well-known South African mining family. The baronetcy was created in 1921 for Bernard Oppenheimer, Chairman of the South African Diamond Corporation for setting up diamond sorting factories to employ wounded ex-servicemen after the First World War. The family has been involved with De Beers over many decades. Lady Oppenheimer DD (1926-2022) was a distinguished moral and philosophical theologian, with a particular interest in the ethics pertaining to personal relationships.The practice of painting on glass and the flat glass itself were both introduced to China between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Although the glass workshop were established in 1696 in the Forbidden City, no flat glass was produced and when attempts were made, it was reported that the manufacturers did not know how to manufacture it with the adequate materials; see B.de la Martinière, China, its Costume, Art Etc, London, 1813, vol.1. However, the large European mirrors which visiting European dignitaries presented to the Kangxi emperor in 1686, proved to be a revelation to the Chinese. The practice of painting on mirrors developed in China after 1715, following the arrival of Giuseppe Castiglione in Beijing. He found favour with the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors and was entrusted with the decoration of the Imperial Garden in Beijing. He learnt to paint in oil on glass, a technique that was unknown in China previously. Chinese artists, who were already well versed in painting and calligraphy, took up the practice by tracing the outlines of their designs on the back of the mirror plate and, using a special steel implement, scraping away the mirror backing to reveal the glass that could then be painted. Common designs included still lives, birds and groups of figures, usually depicted against backgrounds of rivers or pavilions.Many reverse mirror paintings were exported to Europe, following the increased interest in Chinoiserie style, which found the highest expression in the homes of wealthy aristocrats, such as Saltram House in Devon, owned by Lord Boringdon, and Shugborough Hall, lived in by the Earl of Lichfield; see T.Audric, Chinese Reverse Glass Painting 1720-1820, Berlin, 2020, pp.162-163.Compare with a related pair of reverse mirror paintings, third quarter of the 18th century, with similar gilt wood frames as the present examples, which was sold at Christie's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 820.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 177

MANNER OF XUE JIElegant Gathering the Western Garden, 19th century Ink and colour on silk, with spurious signature of the artist, glazed and framed. 45cm (17 3/4in) high x 300cm (118in) long.Footnotes:十九世紀 薛稷款 西園雅集 設色絹本 木框裝裱Despite the signature of Xue Ji (649-713), a famous Tang dynasty calligrapher, painter and politician, the subject matter of the present lot is based on an event that supposedly occurred in the Song dynasty. According to legend, in 1088 a group of sixteen famous statesmen, literati, and artists gathered in the Western Garden of Wang Shen, an Imperial son-in-law. The scholar and artist Mi Fu (1052–1107) purportedly wrote an account commemorating the occasion, and Li Gonglin (d.1106) is said to have painted a scene of the gathering. Regardless of whether this event indeed took place, it entered the cultural imagination and became both a model for later literary gatherings and a theme in painting. Here, the scholar Su Dongpo (1037-1101) is seated at one table practicing calligraphy while others look on. Further along the painting Mi Fu (1051-1107) stands with a brush in hand, inscribing a stone face.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * TP* VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 201

AFTER TAO CHENGHare Gazing at the Moon, Ming Dynasty or laterInk and colour on silk, hanging scroll, with thirteen collector's seals. 39cm (15 3/8in) wide × 89.5cm (35 1/4in) long.Footnotes:明或以后 (仿)陶成 蟾宫月兔 絹本設色 立軸鈐印:「濟之」「君謙」「天籟閣」「寄敖」「檇李」「退密」「项子京家珍藏」「桼園吏」「信公珍賞」「琴書堂」「瑁湖」「顓菴」「王蔭嘉印」The present lot portrays a hare gazing at the moon amidst bamboo, flowers and rocks. It appears to be after a work of identical subject by the Ming dynasty artist Tang Cheng, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Zhang Zhimin, in Zhongguo huihua shi tujian: Huaniao juan, vol.3, Jinan, 2014, pl.168, p.50.Tao Cheng (active in the 15th century) was a native of Baoying, present day Jiangsu Province. Passing the provincial level Imperial examination in the seventh year of Chenghua period (1471), he was a learned scholar, adept at poetry, calligraphy and painting. He adopted the blue-green manner in landscape painting and was extremely skilled in painting rabbits, bamboo and flowers. Some of his works are recorded in the Qing Imperial Collected Treasures of the Stony Moat 石渠寶笈 (compiled in 1745) and survive in the collections of the Palace Museum, Beijing and the Shanghai Museum. The collectors' seals indicate the sequence of collectors through whose hands the painting has allegedly passed, including 王鏊 Wang Ao (1450–1524), 楊循吉 Yang Xunji (1456–1544), 項元汴 Xiang Yuanbian (1525–1590), 耿昭忠 Geng Zhaozhong (1640–1686), 王頊齡 Wang Xuling (1642–1725), 王掞 Wang Shan (1645–1728) and 王蔭嘉 Wang Yinjia (1892–1949).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 50

Peter Wray (b.1950)Landscape Calligraphy - No 5, 1992artist's proof, signed, dated and titled in pencil (in the margin)etching and aquatint28 x 38cm. Provenance:The collection of Margaret Bailey.

Lot 309

TAI XIANGZHOU (b.1968)Cosmos Worlds 1 and 2, 2014Two paintings, ink on paper, each framed. 45cm high x 75cm wide (17 3/4in high x 29 1/2in wide). (2).Footnotes:泰祥洲(1968年生) 天象世界1和2 水墨紙本 鏡框 2014年作Born in 1968 to a scholarly family in the provincial capital of Yinchuan, Ningxia, in north-central China, Tai began his training in Chinese calligraphy at the young age of four. After studying interactive design in Auckland, New Zealand, he led successful careers in digital media and conservation, founding the cultural magazine 'Chinese Heritage'. In 2003, his encounter with the painter Liu Dan pushed him to further explore the techniques of traditional Song and Yuan dynasty paintings. By 2006, Tai had devoted himself to ink painting and had begun to investigate Chinese landscape paintings from the perspective of astrology. Under the mentorship of philosopher Bao Lin, he completed his PhD from Tsinghua University in 2012 with a dissertation entitled 'Phenomena of the Universe-The Concepts and Structure of Chinese Landscape Paintings.' This work was highly admired by renowned art historian Fang Wen, who recommended the book in the preface and recommended for publishing by the Zhonghua Book Company. Attending to the nature of the materials of painting, Tai has researched traditional papermaking techniques and now paints exclusively on paper and silk produced by tenth-century methods. He also only uses ink from the Qianlong era (1736-1795), which is considered to be one of the highest-quality inks. In addition to painting, Tai in 2010 created an interactive and multimedia installation based on classical Chinese cosmology, 'The Gateway of Expedient Means', modelled on medieval revolving repositories of Buddhist sutras and constructed in wood using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. He currently lives and works in Beijing. Tai Xiangzhou's works are in the Art Institute of Chicago; the Arthur M.Sackler Museum, Harvard University; the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; the Brooklyn Museum; Princeton University Art Museum; and Yale University Art Gallery.For related paintings by Tai Xiangzhou, see Ink Worlds: Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang, Stanford, 2018, pp.44-45.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 318

TONG YANGTZE (b.1942)Not Acting Does Not Imply an Inability to do so (Mencius), 1996Ink on paper, framed. 69cm long x 137cm wide (24 1/4in long x 54in wide).Footnotes:董陽孜(1942年生) 是不為也,非不能也(孟子) 水墨紙本 鏡框 1996年作Born in Shanghai in 1942, Tong Yang-tze begn to practice calligraphy at the age of eight in the styles of the fourth century Jin dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303-361) and Tang dynasty governor Yan Zhenqing (709-785). She received her BFA from the National Taiwan Normal University, and later studied oil painting and ceramics at the University of Massachusetts, where she received an MA degree in 1970. Tong, who currently lives and works in Taiwan, has gradually developed her own visual language that benefits from her previous training in different mediums and art-forms. Inspired by philosophical works like the Dao De jing and texts from Confucius and Mencius, Tong creates powerful calligraphic works in cursive style (caoshu) that reach toward the extremes of abstraction. Characters are dramatically distorted but usually remain decipherable so that there is a sustained dialogue between content and style, meaning and autonomous gesture. Variations in the width and character of the lines/strokes serve to sustain the effect of movement generated in the execution of each character and contribute to dramatic overall visual effects. Moreover, Tong's works - titled with the phrase calligraphed - are not only visually beautiful but are also profound in content.Tong Yangtze's works are in several important museums and collections, including the Kaohsiung Fine Art Museum, Taiwan; Taipei Fine Art Museum; the Olenska Foundation, Geneva; City University of Hong Kong; and the Taiwan National College of the Arts. See a related work by Tong Yangtze, illustrated in Ink Worlds: Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang, Stanford, 2018, pp.166-167.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 323

LIU DAN (b.1953)Old Cypress from the Forbidden City, 2007Ink on xuan paper, signed in lower right corner. 259.1cm high x 137.2cm wide (102in high x 54in wide) Footnotes:劉丹(1953年生) 紫禁城御花園古柏 水墨紙本 鏡框 2007年作Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Chinese Ink Painting Now, New York, 2010, p.71.Michael Goedhuis, Ink: The Art of China, Saatchi Gallery, London, 2012, p.75.展覽著錄:《當代中國水墨畫》,紐約,2010年,第71頁。Michael Goedhuis著,《Ink: the Art of China》, 薩奇美術館,倫敦,2012年,第75頁。Liu Dan is one of the most internationally renowned painters of his generation, known for his meticulously detailed ink paintings of rocks, trees and flowers that combine literati traditions with western hyper-realism. Liu Dan's paintings of trees are rare, and most of his work usually depicts rocks or flowers. The present lot depicts a specific cypress tree in the Imperial garden of the Forbidden City. The garden, which is at the rear of the palace, was a private retreat for the Imperial family. Many of the trees planted there date to the Ming dynasty and are living time capsules of history. Indeed, the cypress in Chinese is baishu (柏樹) which is homophonous with bai (百) 'hundred', and so symbolises longevity as well as virtue. The present painting therefore, seems to capture the essence of China's long and textured history. Born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, in 1953, Liu studied the Confucian classics, poetry, painting, and calligraphy with his grandfather at an early age. After the disruption of the Cultural Revolution and joining the Nanjing Red Guards, Liu returned to traditional painting under Ya Ming (1924-2002) at the newly reopened Jiangsu Academy of Chinese Painting, Hangzhou, from 1978 to 1981. He later moved to Hawaii and studied Western art. Liu then moved to New York in 1992, and after fourteen years there, he returned to China in 2006.Despite his highly privileged training with noted ink painter Ya Ming, and years of study at the Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Painting in his native town of Nanjing, Liu Dan's work departs from the dramatic expressive qualities of the brush and brushstrokes that were central to his education. Having mastered the art of self-expression via the brushstroke, for centuries regarded as key to the most sophisticated Chinese ink painting revealing the hand and heart of the artist, Liu Dan rejected it in favour of a focus on structure. There are three reasons why Liu's painting moved away from brush-strokes to hyper-realism: Firstly, he found it imperative to reconnect with an original pure creative spirit and for this reason he delighted in the less self-conscious forms of classical and medieval Western art, and Chinese art of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and earlier. Secondly, while living in the West - primarily Hawaii and New York, from 1981 until moving to Beijing in 2006 - he concluded that most twentieth-century Chinese art had been produced in response to external pressures. He aspired to be an agent of self-directed creativity rather than reactive production. Thirdly, he developed a personal philosophy of nature's generative force, observing that natural forms evolve and duplicate on a grand scale, such that rocks can be considered the 'stem cells of landscape, see, C.von Spee, Modern Chinese Ink Paintings, London, 2012, p.101. Liu Dan explains his doctrine as an artist: 'Your one responsibility as an artist is changing the visual experience of people, the way they look at things. Your one purpose is to encourage an openness of mind that allows them to look beyond everyday concerns and think freely.' Liu Dan's ink paintings, whether of landscapes, scholar's rocks, or old cypress trees in the Forbidden City, are all fastidiously conceived, complex works which highlight his concern to emphasise underlying compositional structure over virtuoso expressions of brushwork. Liu's paintings are collected globally and can be found in many prestigious museums and collections including the British Museum; the Musée Guimét, Paris; The Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum; the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; and the San Diego Museum of Art. See a painting of a poppy by Liu Dan, which was sold at Christie's New York, 16 September 2016, lot 1118.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 331

XU BING (b.1955)Happy the Man, 2019Ink on paper, signed by the artist and with two seals, framed. 60cm high x 100cm wide (23 1/2in high x 39 1/2in wide).Footnotes:徐冰(1955年生)快樂的人 水墨紙本 鏡框 2019年作Xu Bing, born in Chongqing, Sichuan Province, is one of modern China's internationally acclaimed artists. He originally entered the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, in 1977, and eventually began to teach and acquired his Master of Fine Arts there. The work that made Xu Bing's name however, was the monumental installation Tianshu (1987-1991), now known as Book from the Sky; woodblock printed books containing thousands of invented characters that cannot be decoded. The artwork raised fundamental questions about the Chinese identity and its relationship to the written word. In 1988 he participated in the pioneering and seminal Chinese contemporary art exhibition 'China Avant-Garde' at the National Gallery, Beijing. A year later, Xu became honorary fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moved to the United States. Starting in 1993, the year in which Xu moved back to Beijing, he began to exhibit widely throughout the world and gained international prominence as an artist and educator.Xu is perhaps most famous, however, for his square-word calligraphy, as exemplified in the present lot. Square-word calligraphy, also known as New English calligraphy, is a way of presenting English or other words of the Roman alphabet as Chinese characters. The appearance of the writing is very close to that of a Chinese text; yet closer inspection shows that each 'character' is composed not a brushstroke components representing the radical or phonetic elements of a Chinese character, but letters of the Roman alphabet organised in a way that resembles the shape and proportions of Chinese characters. The present lot in fact is from the poem by John Dryden (1631-1700), 'Happy the Man'. Square word calligraphy forces the viewer to readjust their reading, and raises questions about cultural assumptions regarding language. It perhaps gives the viewer the feeling of learning to read again; see Xu Bing: Landscape/Landscript: Nature and Language in the Art of Xu Bing, Oxford, 2013, p.149.See a related piece of Square-word calligraphy 'On Returning to the Wheel Rim River', by Xu Bing, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 1 October 2018, lot 584.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 334

HUGH MOSS (b.1943)Realizing the Self in the Stone (One of the Five Strange Stones of the Neidan Alchemist), 2005Ink and colours on cloud-dragon paper mounted on xuan paper, with three seals of the artist. 137cm long x 68cm (54in long x 26 3/4in wide).Footnotes:The artist requests that the present lot be sold without reserve. 藝術家要求本拍品不設底價Hugh Moss (1943年生) 內丹煉丹師的五奇石之一 紙本設色 立軸 2005年作Inscription: Perhaps the strangest and most exciting of the five stones I found on my second visit to the gorge-side retreat in the Mountains of Shu of the Neidan Alchemist seemed to depict him as part of the stone gazing intently at a matching form above him. It was so compelling that in making a root stand for it I decided to elevate it to a greater height than normal balance would dictate. The image was somewhat unsettling so I also placed it in an unsettling manner. Alchemists appreciate strange transformations. Inscribed by the Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat at the Garden at the Edge of the Universe in the autumn, 2015Hugh Moss, also known as the Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat occupies a unique position as both a highly respected dealer of Chinese art and a master of the literati tradition of ink painting. The present lot depicts a scholar's rock and exhibits the artist's deep understanding of literati culture and rock appreciation. Throughout the centuries both emperors and the scholar-elite have considered the rocks' unusual forms worthy of contemplation in both an exterior garden setting as well as inside the home. Enjoyed for their dynamic shapes that could be judged with similar criteria used for calligraphy — traditionally the highest art form in China - or appreciated for their resemblance to lofty mountains or coiled dragons, fantastic rocks (guaishi) were prized for their abstract qualities as well as their inspiration for imagination. The present lot is unique in that the calligraphy is in English, although at first glance, it may perhaps look like cursive caoshu calligraphy.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: WW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 358

WANG DONGLING (b.1945)Confrontation of Yin and Yang, 2005Ink on xuan paper, signed on the lower right, dated 2005.4. 216cm high x 144.8cm wide (85in high x 57in wide). Footnotes:王冬齡(1945年生)陰陽際會 水墨紙本 鏡框 2005年作Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, China Onward: the Estella Collection, Chinese Contemporary Art 1966-2006, Humlebaek, 2007, pp.275-276.Chinese Ink Painting Now, New York, 2010, p.111. Michael Goedhuis, Ink: The Art of China, Saatchi Gallery, London, 2012, pp.86-87.Michael Goedhuis, The Ink Art of China, London, 2019, pp.6-7. 展覽著錄:路易斯安納現代藝術博物館, 《China Onward: the Estella Collection, Chinese Contemporary Art 1966-2006》,胡姆勒拜克,2007年,第275-276頁《當代中國水墨畫》,紐約,2010年,第111頁Michael Goedhuis著,《Ink: the Art of China》, 薩奇美術館,倫敦,2012年,第55頁。pp.86-87Michael Goedhuis著,《水墨中國》,倫敦,2019年,第6-7頁Wang Dongling was born in Jiangsu Province in 1945. When he was 17, he was admitted into the Department of Fine Arts at Nanjing Normal University and studied calligraphy. The classes were interrupted, however, by the Cultural Revolution during the 1960s, but Wang survived the turmoil by writing big-character posters featuring a revolutionary slogan for posting in a public place, a job that ironically provided him with an artistic freedom not available at the university. After the Cultural Revolution, Wang attended the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou and received his MFA degree in 1981; he has taught there (now the China Academy of Art) ever since, and he is currently Vice-Chair of the Calligraphy Department. Wang Dongling's works were influenced by his experience in the United States from 1989 to 1992, when he served as a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota and at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His solid and structural forms are reminiscent in particular of the abstract expressionist painter Franz Kline; for a comparison of Franz Kline's work and Wang Dongling's work, see Ink Worlds: Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang, Stanford, 2018, pp.108-109.Wang began developing a new form of composition that synthesises traditional Chinese aesthetics such as the use of negative space and flying white (feibai; drybrush technique) with abstract expressionist art. Wang's calligraphy pushes it to extreme as they are no longer decipherable Chinese characters, but become purely abstract paintings rather than calligraphy. Wang Dongling has been enormously influential on the whole development of contemporary calligraphy and ink painting. His works have been prominently exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, New York; Yale University Art Gallery, and the Palace Museum, Beijing.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 371

WANG TIANDE (b.1960)Digital-No.08-MH56, 2008Xuan paper, Chinese ink on paper, burn marks, framed. 56cm high x 14.5cm wide (22in high x 5 3/4in wide).Footnotes:王天德(1960年生) 數碼No.08-MH56 水墨、焰紙本 鏡框 2008年作Born in Shanghai in 1960, Wang Tiande is one of the most innovative calligraphers in China. A graduate of the Chinese Painting Department at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1988, he is now Dean and professor at the Art and Design Department at Fudan University in Shanghai. Wang's art is a serious meditation on the precarious relation between permanence and fleeting efflorescence, between the material and the immaterial, between past and present, between tradition and contemporaneity.He started to create his Digital series when he was on an artist's residency in Paris in 2002. A portion of his cigarette accidentally fell onto a piece of paper and hollowed it out; Wang drew inspiration from the burning and developed it into a creative technique. Furthermore, his direct encounter with contemporary art in Paris, especially conceptual art, not only inspired new approaches in his own work but also further convinced him of his love for the language of ink. In the Digital series Wang Tiande paints landscapes and calligraphies onto xuan paper and then enriches the images with cigarette burns. Rich in form and content, this series goes beyond any boundaries dividing painting and calligraphy. Wang Tiande's works are collected in several important and prestigious museums and galleries globally, including the British Museum, London; The Shanghai Art Museum; the Shenzhen Art Museum; Hong Kong Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. See a similar work by Wang Tiande, illustrated by C.Von Spee, Modern Chinese Ink Paintings, London, 2012, pp.98-99, no.28. For a related landscape by Wang Tiande, see Ink Worlds: Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang, Stanford, 2018, p.78 and 197; and also China Onward: the Estella Collection, Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966-2006, Humlebaek, 2009, pp.290-291.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 372

WANG TIANDE (b.1960)Digital No. 06-M36, 2006Ink on xuan paper, burn marks, large panel, framed. 133cm long x 66cm wide (52 1/2in long x 26in wide).Footnotes:王天德(1960年生) 數碼No. 06-MH31 水墨、焰紙本 鏡框 2006年作Born in Shanghai in 1960, Wang Tiande is one of the most innovative calligraphers in China. A graduate of the Chinese Painting Department at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1988, he is now Dean and professor in the Art and Design Department at Fudan University in Shanghai. Wang's art is a serious meditation on the precarious relation between permanence and fleeting efflorescence, between the material and the immaterial, between past and present, between tradition and contemporaneity.He started to create his Digital series when he was on an artist's residency in Paris in 2002. A portion of his cigarette accidentally fell onto a piece of paper and hollowed it out; Wang drew inspiration from the burning and developed it into a creative technique. Furthermore, his direct encounter with contemporary art in Paris, especially conceptual art, not only inspired new approaches in his own work but also further convinced him of his love for the language of ink. In the Digital series Wang Tiande paints landscapes and calligraphies onto xuan paper and then enriches the images with cigarette burns. Rich in form and content, this series goes beyond any boundaries dividing painting and calligraphy. Wang Tiande's works are collected in several important and prestigious museums and galleries globally, including the British Museum, London; The Shanghai Art Museum; the Shenzhen Art Museum; Hong Kong Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. See a similar work by Wang Tiande, illustrated by C.Von Spee, Modern Chinese Ink Paintings, London, 2012, pp.98-99, no.28. For a related landscape by Wang Tiande, see Ink Worlds: Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang, Stanford, 2018, p.78 and 197; and also China Onward: the Estella Collection, Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966-2006, Humlebaek, 2009, pp.290-291.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 381

WEI LIGANG (b.1964)Chinese Poem-Bronze Script, 2010Ink and acrylic on paper, signed at the lower left corner, framed. 180cm long x 96cm wide (70 3/4 long x 37 3/4in wide).Footnotes:魏立剛(1964年生) 中國詩-金文 水墨丙烯紙本 鏡框 2010年作Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Michael Goedhuis, Wei Ligang, London, 2018, pp.4-5.展覽著錄:Michael Goedhuis著,《魏立剛》,倫敦,2018年,第4-5頁Wei Ligang was born in Datong, the first capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and home to the famous Buddhist grottoes of Yungang, which instilled in him a fondness for the grandeur of Han (202 BC- 220 AD) and Tang dynasty (618-907) art. Wei's father was an art-loving railroad worker, who inspired in Wei an interest in both mechanics and calligraphy. When he was 17, Wei entered the mathematics department of Nankai University, where he honed his logical and analytical skills. Wei also became President of the University Calligraphy Society, where he came under the mentorship of the local masters Li Henian (1912-2000), Wang Xuezhong (1925-2013), and Sun Boxiang (1934-) in classical poetry and epigraphic scripts. Wang Xuezhong, an early pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, was especially influential to Wei.After graduating from Nankai University in 1985, Wei Ligang became a teacher in Taiyuan and immersed himself in the legacy of Fu Shan (1607-1684), a fellow Shanxi native. From 1995, he increasingly engaged with abstract painting and international contemporary art. Over the 90s, Wei gained prominence as a young pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, participating and organising a number of influential exhibitions in the field. Wei Ligang delights in abstraction and has pushed the boundaries of calligraphy further than most contemporary calligraphers. His wide-ranging inspirations include ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, industrial civilisation and modern machines, European castles and palaces, contemporary physics and astronomy, and the structures of animals and plants. Indeed, the present lot has a bird visible in one of the characters. Wei Ligang's works are in the collections of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; British Museum; Cernuschi Museum, Paris; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle; National Museum of China, Beijing; National Art Museum of China, Beijing; François-Henri Pinault Family, France; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; among others.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 392

QIN FENG (b.1961)West Wind East Water 0604, 2006Ink, coffee and tea on custom made silk and cotton paper, signed lower right, framed. 190.2cm long x 94cm wide (74 7/8in long x 37in wide).Footnotes:秦風(1961年生) 西風東水系列0604 水墨、茶、咖啡絲棉紙 鏡框 2006年作Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Made in China: Contemporary Chinese Art at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, September 2007-March 2008Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, China Onward: The Estella Collection, Chinese Contemporary Art, 1966-2006, Humlebaek, 2007, pp.224-225.Chinese Ink Painting Now, New York, 2010, p.121.Michael Goedhuis, Ink: The Art of China, Saatchi Gallery, London, 2012, pp.94-95.Michael Goedhuis, The Ink Art of China, London, 2019, pp.26-27. 展覽著錄:《中國製造:當代中國藝術在以色列博物館》展覽,耶路撒冷,2007年9月-2008年3月路易斯安納現代藝術博物館編, 《China Onward: the Estella Collection, Chinese Contemporary Art 1966-2006》,胡姆勒拜克,2007年,第224-225頁Michael Goedhuis著, 《Ink: the Art of China》,倫敦,2012年,第94-95頁Michael Goedhuis著,《水墨中国》,伦敦,2019年,第26-27頁Born in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 1961, Qin Feng is an iconoclastic artist who is actively involved in China's avant-garde art movement. Being an eclectic ink artist, Qin Feng is committed to integrating Eastern and Western styles. Xinjiang, Berlin, Boston, and Beijing, places where the artist calls home, infused his artwork with a global perspective that led him to a bold and significant artistic path - extending the tradition of classical Chinese ink painting and calligraphy. From 1996 to 1999, Qin taught at the Berlin University of the Arts, where he further explored the possibility of the fusion of Western modernism and traditional Chinese ink. He used tea and coffee, two different beverages from the East and the West, to render multiple layers on xuan paper, which serves as a metaphor of the merge between the two cultures. The artist uses ink as the medium and calligraphy as the form, and also adopts smooth yet dry brushstrokes, creating seemingly powerful traditional calligraphy that skilfully demonstrates the freedom and agility in abstract expressionism, resulting in ink pieces that connect the past and the present. In the dynamic portrayal of West Wind/East Water, Qin simultaneously expresses the rhythm of leisure and the hysteria and explosiveness of ink brushstrokes, adding tension to the image while charging the work with contemporary vitality and poetic quality.Qin Feng's work can be found in several important and prestigious museums and collections globally, including the British Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Getty Museum, USA; The Museum of Fine Art, Boston; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the Jerry Yang collection.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 394

WEI LIGANG (b.1964)Zhu Ma Ting (Stop the Horse and Listen), 2010Ink and acrylic on paper, signed at the lower rightcorner, framed. 180cm high x 96cm wide (70 3/4in high x 37 3/4in wide)Footnotes:魏立剛(1964年生) 駐馬聽 水墨丙烯紙本 鏡框 2010年作Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Michael Goedhuis, Wei Ligang, London, 2014, pp.26-27.展覽著錄:Michael Goedhuis著,《魏立剛》,倫敦,2014,第26-27頁Wei Ligang was born in Datong, the first capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and home to the famous Buddhist grottoes of Yungang, which instilled in him a fondness for the grandeur of Han (202 BC- 220 AD) and Tang dynasty (618-907) art. Wei's father was an art-loving railroad worker, who inspired in Wei an interest in both mechanics and calligraphy. When he was 17, Wei entered the mathematics department of Nankai University, where he honed his logical and analytical skills. Wei also became President of the University Calligraphy Society, where he came under the mentorship of the local masters Li Henian (1912-2000), Wang Xuezhong (1925-2013), and Sun Boxiang (1934-) in classical poetry and epigraphic scripts. Wang Xuezhong, an early pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, was especially influential to Wei.After graduating from Nankai University in 1985, Wei Ligang became a teacher in Taiyuan and immersed himself in the legacy of Fu Shan (1607-1684), a fellow Shanxi native. From 1995, he increasingly engaged with abstract painting and international contemporary art. Over the 90s, Wei gained prominence as a young pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, participating and organising a number of influential exhibitions in the field. Wei Ligang delights in abstraction and has pushed the boundaries of calligraphy further than most contemporary calligraphers. His wide-ranging inspirations include ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, industrial civilisation and modern machines, European castles and palaces, contemporary physics and astronomy, and the structures of animals and plants. He employs the bright colours of gold, red, and blue, and uses acrylic paints to increase substance and texture. In these respects his art differs from traditional Chinese calligraphy, which typically is monochrome. Wei Ligang's works are in the collections of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; British Museum; Cernuschi Museum, Paris; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle; National Museum of China, Beijing; National Art Museum of China, Beijing; François-Henri Pinault Family, France; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; among others.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 397

WEI LIGANG (b.1964)Thatched Cottage Beside the Water Lined with Phoenix-Tail Fern Moistened in the Mist, 2016Ink and acrylic on paper, signed WEI LIGANG in pencil and dated 2016, two panels, framed. Each panel 180cm long x 96cm wide (70 3/4in long x 37 3/4in wide). (2).Footnotes:魏立剛(1964年生) 臨水草堂與霧靄鳳尾蕨 水墨丙烯紙本 鏡框 2006年作Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Michael Goedhuis, Wei Ligang, London, 2018, pp.16-17.展覽著錄:Michael Goedhuis著,《魏立剛》,倫敦,2018年,第16-17頁Wei Ligang was born in Datong, the first capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and home to the famous Buddhist grottoes of Yungang, which instilled in him a fondness for the grandeur of Han (202 BC - 220 AD) and Tang dynasty (618-907) art. Wei's father was an art-loving railroad worker, who inspired in Wei an interest in both mechanics and calligraphy. When he was 17, Wei entered the mathematics department of Nankai University, where he honed his logical and analytical skills. Wei also became President of the university calligraphy society, where he came under the mentorship of the local masters Li Henian (1912-2000), Wang Xuezhong (1925-2013), and Sun Boxiang (1934-) in classical poetry and epigraphic scripts. Wang Xuezhong, an early pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, was especially influential to Wei.After graduating from Nankai University in 1985, Wei Ligang became a teacher in Taiyuan and immersed himself in the legacy of Fu Shan (1607-1684), a fellow Shanxi native. In 1995, he thereafter increasingly engaged with abstract painting and international contemporary art. Over the 90s, Wei gained prominence as a young pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, participating and organising a number of influential exhibitions in the field. Wei Ligang delights in abstraction and has pushed the boundaries of calligraphy further than most contemporary calligraphers. His wide-ranging inspirations include ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, industrial civilisation and modern machines, European castles and palaces, contemporary physics and astronomy, and the structures of animals and plants. In the present lot, elegant black lines peregrinate fluidly on a brilliant gold foreground, displaying the impulsive gestures of abstract expression and at the same time preserving the archaic grid system of Chinese writing in a pictorial form. The bold application of colour, rarely used in traditional Chinese calligraphy, provides a stark contrast against the ink, representing the artist's unconventional style and take on the incorporation of new media.Wei Ligang's works are in the collections of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; British Museum; Cernuschi Museum, Paris; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle; National Museum of China, Beijing; National Art Museum of China, Beijing; François-Henri Pinault Family, France; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; among others.Compare with a similar single panel by Wei Ligang, 2007, illustrated in Chinese Ink Painting Now, New York, 2010, p.125, which was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 April 2016, lot 563.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W TPW Lot is located in the Bonhams Warehouse and will only be available for collection from this location.TP For auctions held in Scotland: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Constantine, Constantine House, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge ML5 4EF, Scotland, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please refer to the catalogue for further information.For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 417

A selection of mainly framed and glazed pictures to include an Indian gouache, watercolour of a European building, still life oil painting of a jug, candle, lemon and grapes, and other items, along with a Chinese calligraphy scroll picture Location:

Lot 357

A GOOD SAFAVID MINIATURE PAINTING, depicting a punishment scene, with calligraphy top and bottom, image 24cm x 14cm.

Lot 19

A JAPANESE GILT AND BLACK LACQUER CALLIGRAPHY SEAL.

Lot 335

AN ENGRAVED SELJUK STYLE BRASS EWER, with bands of calligraphy, 34.5cm high.

Lot 337

A LARGE ISLAMIC SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS CIRCULAR TRAY, with panels of calligraphy and decorative motifs, 63.5cm diameter.

Lot 305

A 15TH CENTURY PERSIAN TIMURID ENGRAVED COPPER DISH, with panels of calligraphy, 23.5cm diameter.

Lot 327

A LARGE ISLAMIC ENGRAVED BRASS CANDLESTICK, with panels of calligraphy and decorative motifs, 40cm high.

Lot 523

A FINE AND LARGE CHINESE WATERCOLOUR PAINTING, depicting a rocky landscape with waterfall, calligraphy inscription, framed and glazed, image 60.5cm x 121cm.

Lot 464

A LARGE FINE PERSIAN MINIATURE PAINTING ATTRIBUTED TO QASIM BIN 'ALI, depicting Rustam kicking the boulder pushed by Bahman, with gilt highlights and panels of calligraphy, framed -unglazed, image 43cm x 31.5cm.

Lot 234

TWO 12TH-13TH CENTURY PERSIAN SELJUK KHURASAN BRONZE ROSEWATER SPRINKLERS with Kufic calligraphy, each 13cm high.

Lot 358

TWO ISLAMIC ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT PAGES, each finely painted with scenes of figures and panels of calligraphy, framed and glazed, images 20cm x 12cm and 19.5cm x 10.5cm, (2).

Lot 113

A PAIR OF CHINESE CORAL RED AND WHITE PORCELAIN LIDDED BOWLS, painted with beasts and calligraphy, 13.5cm high.

Lot 336

AN ISLAMIC SILVER AND COPPER INLAID BRASS CIRCULAR TRAY, with panels of calligraphy and finely engraved decoration, 55cm diameter.

Lot 261

AN 18TH CENTURY INDIAN DECCANI MINIATURE PAINTING, depicting imam Ali and his two sons Hassan and Hussein, finely signed calligraphy to the verso, unframed, 25.5cm x 18.5cm.

Lot 522

A SMALL CHINESE BRONZE CENSER, with Islamic calligraphy.

Lot 89

Attributed to Xu Liangbiao (Qing Dynasty), Lady, signed and with two seals of the artist, ink and colour on silk, picture size 36cm x 36cm, with calligraphy on top in a different section by Gao Yunsheng, 28.5cm x 36cm许良标(款)《仕女图》设色绢本 卷轴 Condition Report: minor foxing to fabricCondition Report Disclaimer

Lot 113

Hu Shu (1825-1872), Calligraphy, ink on paper, signed and with one seal of the artist, picture size 104cm x 37.3cm 胡澍(1825-1872)书法一幅 设色纸本 镜心Condition Report: multipal bug holes and damage to paperCondition Report Disclaimer

Lot 115

Qi Gong (1912-2005), Calligraphy, ink on paper, signed and with three seals of the artist, scroll, picture size 44.3cm x 110cm启功(1912-2005)《黄鹤楼》书法 卷轴Condition Report: overall good condition, very minor fading to paperCondition Report Disclaimer

Lot 116

Hu Shi (1891-1962), Calligraphy, ink on paper, signed and with one seal of the artist, framed but not glazed, picture size 25.5cm x 22.5cm胡适(1891-1962)《书法》纸本 镜心Condition Report: foxing to paperCondition Report Disclaimer

Lot 118

Anonymous (Republican), Calligraphy, ink on paper, with one seal on top, picture size 107cm x 50.3cm(民国)匿名《福禄寿》书法 纸本 镜心Condition Report: extensive creasing to paperCondition Report Disclaimer

Lot 155

A 1946 WW2 - 20th Century Islamic Egyptian antique Cairoware brass wall charger. The charger of circular form having intricate chasing with silver and copper overlay detailing script, calligraphy and scrolls bearing central notation for  ' To Commander S A Nettle RNVR Chief Staff Officer to PSTO Mediterranean from Officers & Staff Mediterranean area on the occasion of his marriage 19th December 1946. Measures 60cm diam

Lot 753

A set of four Chinese cups, covers, and saucersRepublic periodTwo covered in a puce glaze and set with panels of famille rose landscapes and calligraphy, two glazed in pale blue and set with panels of puce-painted landscapes and calligraphy, 10.5cm diameter of cups (4).Provenance: the Collection of Mengbi (1888-1970).民國 胭脂紅地、淺藍底開光繪山水圖紋茶蓋盌兩套來源: 夢弼(1888-1970)先生舊藏。夢弼先生(1888-1970)乃現藏家祖父。廣東順德人,一九〇六年南下馬來西亞,一九二一年創立大馬首個集成橡膠廠,至今仍由其家族經營。夢弼性耽藝術,好收藏。喜交文人雅士,於藝術家溫永琛,徐悲鴻及劉海粟相交。

Lot 963

Zhou Peichun (active circa 1880-1910)Late Qing DynastyA paper bound album containing thirty-two export paintings on rice paper of the 'punishment scenes' in China during the late Qing period, each accompanied by a paragraph of calligraphy explaining the procedure of the execution, each with a seal of the artist, 34.5 x 25cm.周培春(約 1880-1910)刑法圖設色紙本,三十二開冊Cf. Zhou Peichun was active as a painted between 1880 and 1910, who had his studio in Beijing and painted for foreign, mainly Western, customers. Who apparently was active in Guangzhou Shisanhang, and later returned to Beijing.Condition Report: 品相報告Foxing to the front cover, back cover and the edges of the paintings, tearing, folding, creasing, slight staining to some pages. Rusty staining marks near binding to the front and back cover. Small sections missing from the edges of various pages.  English writing in pencil on every painting. some Please request extra images for a full overview.

Lot 968

Gao Yong (1850 - 1921)A pair of Chinese calligraphy, ink on gold-flecked red paper, signed and dated 1908, with two seals of the artist, 163cm x 36cm. (2)高邕 (1850 - 1921)對聯水墨灑金紅箋款識: 鶴鳴雲路鴻漸星臺,虎攫詞場螯弄筆海。 李盦高邕幷記歲月。 光緒戊申十月書於泰山殘石樓。鈴印:「高邕」、「李盦」。Condition Report: 品項報告Significant creases and damages to both scrolls, please request extra images from the department for a full overview.

Lot 265

Autograph album, including early C2th sketches and calligraphy

Lot 398B

A Chinese scroll painting of horses with signature and one of Chinese calligraphy

Lot 63

CHIANG, MAYLING SOONG (MADAME CHIANG KAI-SHEK), 1898-2003 SIAN: A COUP D'ÉTAT A FORTNIGHT IN SIAN: EXTRACTS FROM A DIARY 蔣宋美齡著 帶其簽名及印璽 《西安兵變記:西安兩週日記節錄》書一冊 first edition deluxe bound in hardback, printed in China by Kelly & Walsh Ltd., The China Publishing Company, 1937, Shanghai, printed on specially-prepared Chinese handmade paper made from bamboo fibre, the silk cover with Chinese titles in the Generalissimo- Chiang Kai-Shek's own calligraphy, signed by the author 'Mayling Soong Chiang' in black followed by her four-character seal in red, also featuring a chapter with historical extracts taken from Chiang Kai-Shek's diaryDimensions:25cm x 18.5cmProvenance:Provenance: Private Scottish collection, GlasgowNote: Note: Several other copies similarly signed and sealed by Chiang Soong Mayling were sold in auctions, notably one further signed by Chiang Kai-Shek's personal pilot Royal Leonard, his 'head of operations' James C. Elder, and chief pilot Julius Barr, sold at Bonham's New York, 20 March 2013, lot 8; another sold at Bonham's Hong Kong, 24 November 2013, lot 330.

Lot 57

INK SCROLL CALLIGRAPHY OF BRONZE INSCRIPTIONS AND PAINTING OF CRANES WITH FLOWERS ATTRIBUTED TO ZHANG DANNONG (1903-1975) 張丹農款 薛侯盤銘文書法 紙本水墨 及 水墨梅樹祥鶴圖 扇頁 紙本設色 立軸雙挖1.款識: 薛國薛侯盤二十字「薛侯作叔妊襄媵盤,其眉壽萬年,子子孫孫永寶用」等鈐印: 張、丹農2.款識:戊寅七月丹農居士鈐印: 張丹農 comprising: a circular calligraphy on gold splashed paper, the middle section written in bronze inscription font after a 20-character inscription on a Western-Zhou dynasty bronze 'Xue Guo plate', together with a fan-shaped painting depicting two cranes perching on a large rock beside a blossoming plum tree, both signed and sealed, two mounted as one hanging scroll Dimensions:widths: 26cm and 52cm

Lot 666

An Islamic gilded calligraphy painting on blue ground, 50 x 39cm, framed and glazed.

Lot 7138

A small collection of Tom Wolfe books and correspondence including an autograph letter signed from Wolfe to one Mr. Neil Cooke, London architect, dated January 11th 1980 "Dear Mr. Cooke, GENIUS is marvellous...much wackier than any American comic strip since the demise of ARMADILLO COMICS. I was completely unaware of GENIUS and COLOR XEROX C=X, like the HOUSE of DAISIES in Holmby Hills (Los Angeles) is beyond taste. Thanks[?] for the JENNINGS piece, it is so funny that I am going to encourage HARPER'S to see about reprinting it. It is the DAMNEDEST piece...it makes you see all over again every ballet you've ever seen. Meantime I press on with mighty or perhaps mythty piece on architecture; and I may indeed, take you up on your offer. Yours Tom Wolfe. Richmond Virginia January Eleventh 1980. Tom Wolfe 232 E62nd New York NY10021 U.S.A", one sheet (28x22cm), two sided ALS, "Wolfe" embossed letterhead in psychedelic font and written in Wolfe's usual graceful calligraphy and flourishing signature, housed together with two typed letters from Neil Cooke to Tom Wolfe relevant to Wolfe's letter in original postally used envelope addressed in Wolfe's hand to Neil Cooke, 3 Saint Ann's Cresecent, London, together with two Tom Wolfe books: 'The Right Stuff', London, Jonathan Cape, 1979, 1st UK edition, original cloth gilt, dust wrapper, 'The Painted Word', Bantam paperback, 1978 4th printing, signed by Wolfe to title page, orig. wraps, etc

Lot 416

A Japanese Kairakuen ware 'melons' deep dish by Eiraku Hozen (1795–1854)Edo period, mid-19th century, 'Eiraku' impressed seal markThe dish carved to the centre with a pair of melons on their vine, the rim moulded and carved with alternating flowering peonies and shishi, all covered in yellow, green and aubergine enamels in the Chinese Fahua style, the base with impressed artist's seal mark within a roundel, 33.5cm diameter.Hozen was one of the most influential ceramicists in Kyoto in the late Edo period. Having been adopted by Ryozen (10th Eiraku), he became the eleventh generation in the Eiraku Zengoro lineage; he started sealing his works as 'Eiraku' after 1827. He produced a variety of fine-quality wares, mostly on special order, including blue-and-white porcelain, copies of Chinese porcelain, and Cochin-style (Kōchi ware) works with polychrome glazes. With Ryozen, he became involved with the private kiln in Kairakuen in Kii province, owned by Tokugawa Harutomi. He was well versed in calligraphy, painting and poetry and enjoyed the patronage of noble families. His technical mastery encompassed the areas of underglaze cobalt, gold and colored enamels, celadon and wares evoking the ceramics of Korea, China and Southeast Asia.Condition Report: 品相報告Four hairlines running from rim to well, two with tiny associated chips to the exterior of the rim. Some general expected surface wear; firing imperfections, mostly consistent with type, including pitting, unglazed spots and a couple of fine firing lines.

Lot 273

A Chinese porcelain brush washer of cylindrical form with two panels of calligraphy, unmarked, height 19cm.

Lot 203

A BLUE AND WHITE 'RED CLIFF' BOWL AND THREE DISHES17th/18th centuryThe bowl painted to the exterior with a panel enclosing a scene with the poet Su Shi and companions in a boat, all enclosed by a larger continuous calligraphy panel with an excerpt from Su Shi's Ode to the Red Cliff, the interior with a four-character Yongle reign mark; the dishes each decorated with a central medallion depicting Shoulao riding a crane, surrounded by four panels each depicting two of the Eight Immortals, separated by stylised shou characters, the exterior with a further shou character band.The dishes: 21cm (8 1/8in) diam. (4).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 369

FOLLOWERS OF WU ZHEN (1280-1354); WU KUAN (1435-1504) & SHEN ZHOU (1427-1509).Bamboo; Calligraphy; CalligraphyInk on silk, hanging scroll吳鎮(傳)竹;書法;書法 水墨絹本 立軸款識:梅道人戯墨。鈐印:「楳花盦」裱邊題跋:(沈周(傳)):白香山詩云:植物之中竹難寫,古今畫之無似者,是寫竹之難,視丹青為尤甚。唯梅花道人筆力超邁,丹青之餘,間涉墨戯。所作山水墨氣淋漓,專以韻致骨力見長;所作梅蘭竹二種,尤能老葦紛披,方之無咎老可,猶無愧色。此幀枝幹聼健,葉片飛動,的係真跡無疑。藏者苟得沙瀰梅花一幅,真成合璧也。成化甲午仲夏七日,長洲沈周志。鈐印:「啓南」「白石翁」(吳寬(傳)):元季四家,首推子久,次及仲圭。予謂吳仲圭天資功力□於山水見稱。所寫墨竹,又為黃王諸公所難爲。吾□沙瀰□。自謂與可以竹掩畫,仲圭以畫掩竹,足徵先生亦以墨戯自負也。此幅槎牙勁削,氣韻生動,直從雲烟,□□可流露而出,真足為此君寫照。啓南擬之老可,實定論也。成化十七年嘉平,延陵吳寬題。鈐印:「吳寬」The painting: 104cm (41in) high x 30cm (12 in) wideFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Lot 62

A mixed collection of items to include cased calligraphy pen, Parker fountain pen, military type folding chair, peg boards etc

Lot 557

A small Chinese famille rose porcelain teapot hand painted with flowers, butterflies and calligraphy, with square seal mark to the base. 16.5 cm long.

Loading...Loading...
  • 13121 item(s)
    /page

Recently Viewed Lots