Heritage Auctions
For its inaugural participation in Asia Week New York Heritage Auctions will be offering the Chenn Family collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy as part of its March 19 sale in New York.
The collection was started by the early Chinese Republic scholar and political reformer Chen Guoxiang (1871-1919). The paintings passed to his son, a railway executive and relocated along with subsequent generations of the family to Taiwan in 1949 then the US.
Among the highlights of the collection is this set of four calligraphic ink and colour paintings on paper from 1917, above, titled Peony Bottle Gourds and Loquats by Wu Changshuo. The four works, each of which measures 4ft 5in x 12¾in (1.53m x 32cm), were given to Guoxiang by the artist and are estimated at $300,000-$500,000.
Skinner
This late 19th century Ryozan globular koro is estimated at $2000-3000 in Skinner’s Asian works of art sale on March 22.
This late 19th century Ryozan globular koro, standing 4¼in (11cm) high, is part of a single owner collection of 31 lots of Japanese Satsuma pottery to be included in Skinner’s Asian works of art sale on March 22 in Boston.
The globular koro is decorated with harvest scenes, grapevine and figures, has a squirrel form knop to the cover and a Ryozan jo shi mark on its base. The estimate is $2000-3000.
Christie’s
The 400-work collection of Florence and Herbert Irving will be a feature of the nine auctions to be mounted by Christie’s during Asia Week.
The Irving material will be offered across two sessions one evening and one day on March 20-21, both of which are titled Lacquer, Jade, Bronze, Ink, a reference to the material the Irvings spent their lives studying and collecting. There is also a complementary online auction of the Irvings’ Yixing pottery.
Among the highlights will be a rare gilt bronze figure of a multi-arm Guanyin, estimate $4m-6m, lacquer by master craftsman Shibata Zeshin (1807-91) and this imperially inscribed greenish white Twin Fish jade brushwasher above, guided at $1m-1.5m.
The 10in (25cm) vessel, which bears a Qianlong-incised four-character mark and is of the period, is carved in high relief with a pair of fish. The base has an incised and gilt highlighted imperial poem and inscriptions translating as ‘A Khotan Jade Twin Fish Washer, imperially composed by Qianlong’, dated to autumn of bingwu year (1786) and followed by two seals reading guxi tianzi (Son of Heaven at seventy) and youri zizi (Still diligent every day).
Bonhams
This rare pair of Yongzheng mark and period imperial famille rose quails and chrysanthemum bowls is estimated at $300,000-500,000 in Bonhams’ March 18 auction.
Bonhams’ four-sale series kicks off on March 18 with Chinese works of art – a sale which will include this rare pair of Yongzheng mark and period imperial famille rose quails and chrysanthemum bowls.
They were acquired by the heiress Virginia Ella Hobart in the early 20th century, possibly from Yamanaka and Co and have passed down by descent.
Distinctive for their design incorporating chrysanthemum rather than prunus and nandina (therefore symbolising autumn rather than spring) and for the continuous decoration extending over the rim to the interior, the pair is estimated at $300,000-500,000.
