T he 11 December Asian Art sale in Paris will feature exceptional Buddhist sculpture, grand classical Chinese furniture and imperial decorative arts, as well as a private European collection of Chinese classical and modern paintings.
The Buddhist art section includes several rare early Buddhist figures from across the Asian region, including an exceptional 12th-century gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Maravijaya from the Dali Kingdom, a 9th-century Nepalese bronze figure of Vajrapani and a 13th-14th-century figure of Shadakshari Avalokitesvara from Tibet. All three are completely fresh to the market and long preserved in French private collections. A fascinating set of the Three Dharmachakra Kings, revered in Tibet for establishing the Buddhist faith from the 7th to the 9th centuries, is another great highlight of this section.
The sale will also feature some rare examples of Imperial furniture from the Qing court, including a magnificent pair of Imperial lacquer cabinets from the Qianlong reign, decorated with' 100 Children at Play'. Formerly housed in the prestigious Villa Fiorentina in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and the interior of Ann and Gordon Getty's residence in California, these masterpieces of Imperial lacquer work can be dated circa 1741 and were most likely commissioned to mark a union at the court.
Other fine works in this section include an exquisite inlaid zitan ‘landscape' panel from the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) as well as classical huanghuali furniture from the collection of a French diplomat, acquired in China circa 1920.
Several ceramics from the Song to the Qing dynasties complement the sale, including two 12th-century ‘cizhou' russet-splashed conical bowls, acquired in China prior to 1927 and a rare lime-green sgraffiato ground famille-rose bottle, Qianlong mark and period.
The works of arts section includes a superb pair of large Qing dynasty square cloisonné vases decorated with flowers and birds, as well as an exquisite Qing dynasty paste embellished gilt-bronze and jadeite octagonal box, also from a historic French collection.
Finally, a collection of modern and classical Chinese paintings and calligraphy from a private European collection provides another great focus for the sale. Assembled in China by two generations of Dutch diplomats and sinologists from 1922 to 1992, the collection was scattered through the family during the 1990s but has now once again been assembled to be offered for sale. The first instalment of the collection sold very successfully in London in November and we are very pleased to present the second part of this collection in Paris this December. Highlights of this second group include a fine landscape, ‘nine poems in standard script’ by Pu Ru (1896-1963), as well as a rare calligraphy by Kang Youwei (1858-1927).
