The stands, amassed over a period of almost 40 years, many from dealer Gerard Hawthorn, will be offered across 32 lots.
Stands, generally produced from the 17th century onwards to elevate and enhance the works of art they displayed, are garnering increasing interest in the market. The majority of examples in this collection were carved from hongmu, although there are also huali and zitan designs. Some were created from a single piece of wood while others were meticulously constructed from 30 or more individual pieces.
Pictured above are four examples: an 18th or 19th century silver and green-stained bone inlaid zitan stand, 3in (8cm), estimate £500-800; an early 18th century hongmu ‘chilong’ stand, 7in (18cm) diameter, £800-1200; an 18th or 19th century hongmu stand on five cabriole legs, 11in (27cm), £800-1200; an early 18th century hongmu stand with an openwork lotus flower, 7in (18cm) diameter, £800-1200.
Chiang Kai-shek provenance
The two 17th or 18th century embroidered thangkas offered by Chiswick Auctions on May 20 have an impressive provenance. Both pieces come by descent from Maharaj Bhim Shumsher Rana, ruler of Nepal, who received them as a diplomatic gift from Chiang Kai-shek in 1930.
An embroidered thangka showing the Buddhist 18-armed bodhisattva Cundi – estimated at £40,000-60,000 at Chiswick Auctions.
One of the textiles depicts the Buddhist 18-armed bodhisattva Cundi (estimate £40,000-60,000), the other Lord Lama who was responsible for judging souls in the afterlife (estimate £20,000-30,000). Both embroideries are mounted in Ming dynasty silk brocade borders.
Japanese cloisonné enamel dish
The Japanese works in the sale at Chiswick Auctions on May 20 include this 6in (15cm) cloisonné enamel dish by Namikawa Yasuyuki worked with butterflies over chrysanthemums, pinks, begonia and dayflower against a black reserve.
The piece is unusual as, alongside the typical signature to a silver plaque, it carries the date 1895 in silver wire. It has been in the same family for three generations.
Estimate £3000-5000.
