Wooden figure of a horse from the Han dynasty featuring traces of polychrome decoration, estimate €60,000-80,000 at Giquello.
Printemps Asiatique is the Paris version of the longer-standing Asian Art in London and Asia Week New York. All annual events, they involve galleries, auction houses and museums joining together to mount a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of Asian art in their respective capitals.
Dealers hold gallery-based selling shows, auction houses hold their viewings and sales and museums and other institutions put on exhibitions or other special events. All this is accompanied by open evenings, lectures and other events aiming to make a focus for visiting Asian art enthusiasts and collectors.
Printemps Asiatique started in 2018 and this is the seventh edition running from June 6-13.
Timewise, this staging takes place against the background of two anniversaries of symbolic significance: celebrations of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Ecole des Beaux Arts de l’Indochine in Vietnam.
This year there are 29 dealerships taking part including 11 from overseas (the US, Belgium and the UK). Many of the Parisian dealers have their own galleries where they can show their works but Printemps Asiatique also makes use of La Pagode. This distinctive pagoda-shaped building in the Parc Monceau district, which was the home of the famous Chinese dealer/collector CT Loo (1880-1957), is where many of the international dealers and some of the French dealers will have stands.
As this is one of the periods in the Paris art world calendar when auctions of Asian art traditionally take place, many firms put on dedicated sales in the capital.
Sales will be held at the Drouot auction centre (one of Printemps Asiatique’s partners) and in other independent locations in the city, with 11 auction houses participating in the event.
A third sector of the event is the institutional element. This includes the Musée Guimet, the well-known National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris. It will be marking the 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China with a special symposium devoted to museums in the 21st century to be attended by curators and directors from around the world. It is also unveiling an exhibition, Au Coeur de la couleur - the monochrome porcelain collection of Hong Kong collector Richard Kan.
Pictured belowis a selection of some of the items that will be on offer during Printemps Asiatique in the salerooms and galleries.
Further details of all the participants can be found on the website below.
Three generations of dealers
On June 11 at Drouot, Giquello will be offering Asian works from the collection of the Parisian Galerie Jacques Barrère as the gallery moves to focus on ancient Buddhist art. Three generations of the Barrère family - grandfather M Laden, father Jacques and son Antoine - are associated with Asian art. On offer from Giquello will be a range of Asian works from India, China, Japan, Tibet, Cambodia and Vietnam assembled over half a century.
Highlights include a rare mother of pearl incrusted console table made for the imperial palace at Hue in Vietnam dating from the 18th-19th century, estimated at €40,000-60,000, and a wooden figure of a horse from the Han dynasty (206BC to 220AD) - pictured top - featuring traces of polychrome decoration, which is guided at €60,000-80,000.
Marriage bowl
Spinach green jade marriage bowl dating from the 18th/19th century, estimate €15,000-20,000 at Pescheteau-Badin.
The Asian Art sale to be held by Pescheteau-Badin at Drouot on June 13 falls into two parts: the first given over to Japanese works of art and the second to works from China and south-east Asia.
Included in the second section will be this spinach green jade marriage bowl dating from the 18th/19th century and carved with peonies, lingzhi fungus and nandina (often associated with New Year or birthday celebrations). The estimate is €15,000-20,000.
Double up
Ming dynasty, Zhengde six-character mark and period, yellow ground blue and white pomegranate flower dish, estimate €100,000-150,000 at Christie’s.
Christie’s is holding two Asian art auctions - a live sale on June 13 and an online sale running from June 6-18.
And to celebrate the centenary of the creation of the Indochina School of Fine Arts in the autumn of 1924, the auction house is putting on an exhibition devoted to Vietnamese art featuring the work of nine well-known artists that will run from June 8-13.
The live auction opens with 16 lots from a private European collection and one of the highlights is this Ming dynasty, Zhengde six-character mark and period, yellow ground blue and white pomegranate flower dish measuring 11¾in (30cm) in diameter. The estimate is €100,000-150,000.
Collection of pianist, painter and social activist
Chinese silk robe dating from the 18th/19th century, estimate €15,000-18,000 at Aponem.
Costume and accessories from the collection of the pianist, painter and social activist Tchen Gi-Vane (1924-2021) will be offered by Aponem at Drouot on June 10.
The eldest daughter of Cheng Shewo, a newspaper editor in the Chinese Republic, she left the country for France in 1951 and it was while giving a piano recital in Paris that she met her husband Philippe Bertrand, a former marine officer during the Indo-Chinese war. From 1976 they lived in Rambouillet on the edge of Paris in a pagoda-shaped house.
On offer at Aponem will be 250 lots of her Chinese silk robes, jewels and kingfisher feather hair ornaments dating from the 18th to 20th centuries.
The rarest of the robes are those embroidered in gilt thread and polychrome silks such as this dark yellow silk opera dragon robe worked with nine five clawed dragons chasing sacred pearls - symbols of good fortune and longevity. Dating from the 18th/19th century, it has an estimate of €15,000-18,000.
Awesome foursome
Statuette of the eight-armed goddess Ushnishavijaya from central Tibet dating from the 17th century, estimate €600,000-800,000 at Bonhams.
Bonhams is holding four sales (two live and two online) during Printemps Asiatique.
One of these live auctions will be the June 11 sale of 28 statuettes and Buddhist objects belonging to the well-known dealer and collector Jules Speelman. These come from Tibet, Nepal and China and range in date from the 11th-18th centuries.
Pictured above is one of them: a parcel gilt silver and gilt copper alloy statuette of the eight-armed goddess Ushnishavijaya from central Tibet dating from the 17th century.
The 6¾in (17cm) high work, which is attributed to the Newar artisans of the Tashi Lhunpo monastery, has an estimate of €600,000-800,000.
Tang dynasty silver and part gilt bowl decorated to the interior with a scene of mandarin ducks among flowers and foliage, estimate €60,000-80,000 at Bonhams.
The following day a mixed-owner live offering of around 100 lots of Chinese furniture and works of art will include a rare Tang dynasty silver and part gilt bowl (above) decorated to the interior with a scene of mandarin ducks among flowers and foliage. It has a guide of €60,000-80,000.
Bell chimed with a new standard
Gilt bronze ritual bell or bianzhong from a set or carillon of musical chimes, from the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty, estimate €200,000-300,000 at Tessier Sarrou & Associés.
This gilt bronze ritual bell or bianzhong from a set or carillon of musical chimes will be one of the highlights of a sale of Asian art to be held by Tessier Sarrou & Associés at Drouot on June 12.
It dates from the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty. To aid dynastic harmony the Manchu (Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong) emperors encouraged refined court music which they decided to codify to a national standard.
The Kangxi emperor established the first musical system in China in 1713 based around 16 notes divided into 12 for the months of the year and four flats. From this point bells such as these formed part of a carillon ranging in tone from low to high, each one engraved by hand before being gilded.
Tessier Sarrou’s 9in (21cm) high bianzhong is of typical barrel shape decorated in finely engraved relief with a central band of two five-clawed dragons flying over frothing waves chasing the sacred pearl and two panels: one inscribed Yi Ze, the other Kang Xi Bing Shen Nian Zhi corresponding to 1716.
The top is surmounted by two coiled dragons standing on their feet with their mouths agape to reveal pointed fangs.
It has a provenance to the family of Robert de Semallé (1849-1936) who brought it back from China in 1884 and is estimated at €200,000-300,000.
Newly discovered
Les Chanteuses de Campagne, newly rediscovered oil on canvas by the artist Nguyễn Phan Chánh, estimate €600,000-900,000 at Sotheby’s.
Buddhistic sculpture, Chinese paintings and calligraphy, Chinese ceramics and furniture and Vietnamese paintings will all feature in Sotheby’s June 14 auction of Asian art.
A highlight of the Vietnamese paintings section will be a newly rediscovered oil on canvas by the artist Nguyễn Phan Chánh (1892-1984). Previously known only through archival records and landmark exhibitions in Hanoi (1930) and Paris (1931), the painting was unearthed in a modest rural French home having been acquired by the current owner’s grandfather at the 1931 Paris Exhibition - an inaugural showcase of Vietnamese modernism in the West.
Titled Les Chanteuses de Campagne, the 2ft 11in x 3ft 3in (90cm x 1m) work, which is signed and dated 1930 lower left and also inscribed with a poem in Chinese and has the artist’s seal upper left, is estimated at €600,000-900,000.
Monster attacks
Late 18th century Indian watercolour, priced at €24,000 by Runjeet Singh.
One of the overseas exhibitors at the Pagoda is Runjeet Singh from Leamington Spa in the UK.
He is showing this late 18th century (1780-1800) Indian watercolour, a provincial Mughal work, probably from Awadh, depicting a marine monster devouring an Indian boat. Measuring 8¾ x 6½in (21 x 16.5cm), it has a provenance to a private UK collection; the London dealer Simon Ray in 2011 and prior to that auctions at Bonhams in London in 2010 and Sotheby’s New York in 1989.
The painting is priced at €24,000.
Divine intervention
Black stone north-east Indian sculpture of the divine couple Uma Mahesvara from the Pala period (9th-10th century), priced at €80,000 by Christophe Hioco.
Christophe Hioco, who is chairman of Printemps Asiatique and has a Paris gallery on the rue de Phalsbourg, will be among the dealers showing works at the Pagoda.
On offer will be this 23in (59cm) high black stone north-east Indian sculpture of the divine couple Uma Mahesvara from the Pala period (9th-10th century). It has a provenance to a private collection in the US, then a Sotheby’s auction in 1988 and is priced at €80,000.
Lion v dogs
Qianlong period Chinese plate decorated en grisaille, priced at €1500 by JM Bealu & Fils.
JM Bealu & Fils is taking part in Printemps Asiatique from its left bank gallery on the rue du Bac.
Among the pieces on show will be this Qianlong period 9in (23.5cm) diameter Chinese plate decorated en grisaille with a scene showing Dutchmen in the foreground attacking a lion with the aid of dogs and, to the background, a walled city with a temple. It is priced at €1500.
Gandharan origin
Copper alloy group from the Gandharan region depicting a divine mother and child playing, priced at $175,000 (€162,500) by Carton Rochell Asian Art.
Among the overseas exhibitors taking part in Printemps Asiatique and showing at the Pagoda will be Carton Rochell Asian Art from the US which is bringing this copper alloy group from the Gandharan region (Afghanistan or Pakistan) depicting a divine mother and child playing.
It measures just over 8in (20.5cm) in height, has a provenance to a private European collection, acquired in 1996, and is priced at $175,000 (€162,500).
Late Qing date
Pair of covered jadeite bowls dated to the late Qing dynasty, priced at €9000 by Galerie Valérie Levesque.
The Paris Asian art dealership Galerie Valérie Levesque will be exhibiting at Printemps Asiatique from the gallery on the rue des Saints-Pères.
Works on offer include this pair of covered jadeite bowls dated to the late Qing dynasty (early 20th century). They measure 6in (15.5cm) in width, are finely carved and pierced with foliate and floral motifs and are priced at €9000.
