The sale features a particularly strong selection of Chinese jades, including works from the collection of the Colonel Tom Hall (1928-2022) of the United Kingdom 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-pale-celadon-jade-figure-of-an-immortal-qing">(Lots 2-30)</a>
 
 , highlighted by an impressive Qianlong period pictorial jade brushpot 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-spinach-green-jade-landscape-brushpot-qing">(Lot 21)</a>
 
 . Two exceptional examples of jade animal carvings of the Qianlong period 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-yellow-jade-recumbent-horse-qing-dynasty">(Lots 57</a>
 
 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-pale-celadon-jade-buffalo-and-boys-carving-qing">& 58)</a>
 
 , as well as an important rediscovered historical jade boulder depicting the favorite mountain retreat of the Qianlong Emperor 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/an-imperially-inscribed-zhulu-shanfang-celadon">(Lot 72)</a>
 
 , all from French private collections, complement this category.

Chinese Jades

The imperial seal, 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/an-important-imperial-white-jade-circular-jiaqing">(Lot 1)</a>
 
 , is one of the personal seals of the Emperor Jiaqing (r. 1796-1820), the chosen heir of the Emperor Qianlong (r. 1736-1795). Jiaqing is considered the last great ruler to be associated with peaceful and prosperous times in China before the country got thrown into political unrest and the turmoil of the 19th century.

From the Estate of Emile Guimet (1836-1918)

An Imperial Seal 

An Imperial Seal, from the Estate of Emile Guimet

The Buddhist section is one of the strongest ever presented in an Asian art sale in Paris. Beside two great examples of Buddhist Chinese devotional figures, a rare large seated gilt bronze figure of Shakyamuni Buddha 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-rare-and-important-gilt-bronze-figure-of">(Lot 77)</a>
 
 and two large companion figures of Bodhisattvas 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/two-large-companion-gilt-bronze-figures-of">(Lot 64)</a>
 
 , both from old European family collections, the sale features one of the most outstanding group of Tibetan sculptures to come on the market for the last 15 years 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/an-extraordinary-gilt-bronze-figure-of-hayagriva">(Lots 169-174)</a>
 
 . The group originally comes from Densatil, a celebrated monastery in Tibet that had long been considered the richest in religious treasures before its destruction during the upheavals of the twentieth century. The Hayagriva 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/an-extraordinary-gilt-bronze-figure-of-hayagriva">(Lot 169)</a>
 
 , the Mahakala 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/an-exceptional-gilt-copper-alloy-figure-of">(Lot 170)</a>
 
 , the Nagaraja 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-gilt-copper-alloy-figure-of-nagaraja-inlaid-with">(Lot 171)</a>
 
 and the three Vajravaharis 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-gilt-copper-alloy-figure-of-vajravahari-densatil">(Lots 172-174)</a>
 
 are 14th and 15th century works of superlative quality and remain highly important documents of one of the greatest temples ever constructed in Tibet. From the southern side of the Himalayas, the leading piece from a French private collection of Indian and Southeast Asian art 
 
 (Lots 135-155)
 
 is a Chola period, 13th century bronze figure of the Indian Goddess Uma, elegantly portrayed standing in a subtle tribhanga 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-bronze-figure-of-uma-south-india-chola-period">(Lot 140)</a>
 
 .

Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculpture 

Chinese ceramics also form an interesting corpus of works in the sale, led by two European private collections of Song ceramics: the collection of Karl Emil Strømstad and his Late wife Tove, arguably the most esteemed collectors of Chinese ceramics in Norway 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-ding-white-glazed-bowl-song-dynasty-song-ding">(Lot 182-197)</a>
 
 ; and an old Belgium Family collection acquired from Spink &amp; Son Ltd and John Sparks Ltd in the UK during the 1960s 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-rare-pair-of-longquan-celadon-glazed-mallet">(Lots 31-53)</a>
 
 . The Strømstad collection includes interesting examples of ceramics from the Ding kiln 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-ding-white-glazed-bowl-song-dynasty-song-ding">(Lot 182)</a>
 
 , Yue kiln 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-yue-celadon-glazed-pear-shaped-vase-wu-western">(Lots 188</a>
 
 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-rare-yue-celadon-glazed-cat-water-dropper-wu">& 190)</a>
 
 and Longquan celadon 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-longquan-celadon-glazed-and-biscuit-decorated">(Lot 185)</a>
 
 . The Belgium collection is highlighted by a wonderful pair of Longquan celadon Mallet vases with phoenix handles 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-rare-pair-of-longquan-celadon-glazed-mallet">(Lot 31)</a>
 
 , acquired from John Sparks in 1961. A Swiss private collection of Qing ceramics assembled by the parents of the present owner in America prior to 1940 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/an-underglaze-blue-and-green-enamelled-dragon-dish">(Lots 202-209)</a>
 
 , amongst them two rare examples of Yongzheng yellow glazed monochromes 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-pair-of-lemon-yellow-glazed-cups-marks-and">(Lots 203</a>
 
 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-small-lemon-yellow-glazed-saucer-dish-mark-and">& 204)</a>
 
 , and a group of ceramics from an old European collection, led by an inscribed Kangxi period blue and white brushpot dated to 1712 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/a-rare-inscribed-blue-and-white-seven-sages-of-the">(Lot 128)</a>
 
 , will complement this section of the auction.

Chinese Ceramics

Several examples of Chinese and Vietnamese modern paintings provide an interesting focus, including works by Zang Daqian 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/zhang-daqian-chang-dai-chien-1899-1983-landscape">(Lot 71)</a>
 
 , Ling Fengmian 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/lin-fengmian-1900-1991-autumn-scene-with-a-bridge">(Lots 81-83</a>
 
 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/lin-fengmian-1900-1991-cormorants-lin-feng-mian-lu">& 85)</a>
 
 , Vu Cao Dam 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/vu-cao-dam-1908-2000-lady-with-cherry-blossom-wu">(Lot 86-87)</a>
 
 and a rare lacquer panel from the Maison des Beaux Art De l’Indochine 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/arts-dasie/maison-des-beaux-arts-de-lindochine-landscape">(Lot 88)</a>
 
 .

Modern Paintings

Modern Paintings from China and Vietnam

Sotheby's Spotlight: Asian Arts

Paris

Senior Director | Head of Department Asian Art

Christian Bouvet

Deputy Director | Specialist | Asian Art

Liting Hung

Associate Cataloguer

Marceau Rakotoniaina

Pre-sale Coordinator

Shu-Yu Chang

Meet our Specialists

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 <a class="Link" href="mailto:bids.paris@sothebys.com">bids.paris@sothebys.com</a>

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This season’s opus is one of the strongest Sotheby’s auctions ever assembled in the field in Paris, encompassing masterpieces of Chinese jade carvings, including a white jade seal for the Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796-1820); superlative Buddhist art including a French private collection of Indian and South East Asian sculpture; and fine Song to Qing dynasty ceramics from European private collections.

Arts d'Asie