Charlotte's Auctions
Lot 45
A Chinese Copper Red Dragon Vase Meiping. Yuan Dynasty. Dimensions: Height 15 5/8 inches, Width 9 3/8 inches (40 cm x 24 cm). Sakamoto Goro (1923 - August 15, 2016) was a globally renowned Japanese antique art dealer and the founder of the antique art store Buyantang. He became famous for selling a Chinese Yuan Dynasty Blue and White Porcelain Jar for approximately 176 million Japanese yen at a Sotheby's auction held in London in 1972. He was actively involved in auctions at houses like Sotheby's and Christie's and set several records for the sale of Asian artworks, bringing numerous exquisite art pieces back to Buyantang. In April 1999, Sakamoto Goro acquired a Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong for 29.17 million Hong Kong dollars, setting a record as one of the highest-priced items in the auction market for ancient Chinese porcelain. Sakamoto Goro made several significant donations of Chinese ceramics, bronzes, and other artifacts to institutions such as the Tokyo National Museum, Nara National Museum, National Museum of China, and the National Palace Museum in Taipei. He often collaborated with institutions like the Tokyo National Museum and Nara National Museum for exhibitions, sharing his extensive collection of fine art with the public through museums. An example of this is the Cizhou Kiln White Glaze Basin he donated to the National Palace Museum, which was exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum in 1961 and the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts in 1978. After these artworks were returned to Buyantang, Sakamoto Goro retained the temporary labels they used during their museum displays. The items being auctioned in this event are from Sakamoto Goro's personal collection, which our auction house diligently collected from a close friend of Sakamoto Goro in Tokyo, Japan. Some of the items in this auction are extensively documented in a beautiful illustrated book titled Illustrated Guide to Chinese Ceramics from Buyantang, which includes detailed descriptions of patterns, dimensions, and bears the Buyantang seal. Some of the ceramics mentioned in this book were previously exhibited at the National Museums, and the labels from these exhibitions are still preserved within the book. He graciously provided us with a beautiful Illustrated Guide to Chinese Ceramics from Buyantang book to share with everyone.
