T he Important Chinese Art auction presents a tightly curated sale including masterworks spanning five millennia, from the Neolithic period through to the Qing dynasty. Highlights include archaic objects from an important Japanese collection and Chinese jades from the Victor Shaw collection.
中國藝術珍品拍賣，慎選精挑，由新石器時代至清朝，跨越中華文化五千年。呈獻多個私人雅蓄，包括日本顯赫收藏高古藝術品，以及邵維錫藏中國玉雕。
The Shang dynasty marble frog belongs to a very rare group of marble carvings marking the dawn of Chinese sculpture. Ever so skilfully and minimalistically carved, the sculpture has truly stood the test of time in its timeless aesthetic.
Also from the same important Japanese collection as the marble frog is a group of archaic artworks, including a charming jade pendant densely carved with stylised dragons, as well as a splendidly decorated gold and silver inlaid sword-hilt.
The collection also includes a majestic polychrome limestone Bodhisattva from the Northern Qi dynasty. It stands out because of its fine, even facial features and the attention paid to its elegant, decoratively stylised crown and garment with loose scarves and knotted ribbons.
商代大理石雕蛙，線條簡練，去盡繁紋細節，抽象卻生動，歷三千寒暑雖古宜今，所蘊美感恒久雋永。
與大理石蛙同出自日本私人收藏的還有一組高古藝術品，包括東周玉珮，滿飾龍紋，小巧雅致。
東周至漢的錯金銀劍柄，飾祥龍攀柄而上，展現藝匠創思巧技，昇華兵戎之器，炫耀物主富榮與權力。
收藏中尚有一尊北齊彩繪石灰岩雕菩薩立像，其面容端麗，眉目舒展，冠飾恬雅，華衣楚楚，帔帛寬綽，飄帶交結，皆精工細作而軼群出塵。
- Hongshan culture 紅山文化
- Liangzhu culture 良渚文化
- Shijiahe culture 石家河文化
- Eastern Zhou dynasty 東周
- Tang dynasty 唐
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A celadon jade oblong pendant, Neolithic period, Hongshan cultureFlourished in the Northeast regions of present-day Inner Mongolia, Liaoning and Hebei, Hongshan Culture (c. 4500-3000 BC) produced jades, which are distinctive in style, characterised by smoothly polished and softly rounded surfaces that appeal to the haptic sense.
東北紅山文化（公元前約4500-3000年），在今內蒙、遼寧、河北一帶，所出玉器，自成一格，琢磨細膩，撫之圓弧柔和。
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A calcified jade cong, Neolithic period, Liangzhu cultureAmong the large variety of artefacts from the Liangzhu culture (c. 3300-2200 BC) in the Yangtze River Delta, cong stand out as iconic of this culture. They were made for the most prestigious ranks in society.
綜觀長江下游環太湖流域良渚文化（公元前約3300-2200年）古物，當中又尤以玉琮最具代表性，僅許貴族使用。
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A jade 'eagle' hair ornament, ji, Neolithic period, Late Shijiahe cultureThis jade hairpin, charmingly carved in the form of an eagle, belongs to a group of ornaments attributed to the Shijiahe Culture (c. 2500-2000 BC) in the middle Yangzi River valley around Tianmen in Hubei province.
玉笄採鷹為形，屬長江中游今河北天門一帶的石家河文化（公元前約2500-2000年）的髮飾。
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A pair of silver-inlaid bronze crossbow fittings, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States periodFittings of this type were used in pairs to support crossbows on chariots, either to facilitate aiming or easy access.
此類承弓器，成雙裝於戰車前方，作承托之用，有助瞄準或迅速拔弓。
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A rare small bronze figure of a rhinoceros, Tang dynastyRemarkable for its sculptural excellence and naturalistic portrayal, it is likely to be depicting the two-horned Sumatran rhinoceros, which were once native to ancient China. Despite the apparent local extinction by the Tang dynasty, their image persisted and was considered majestic and auspicious.
此像靈動如生，頭頂大小雙角，類屬蘇門答臘犀牛，古代中國有見，然至唐時，已幾近絕跡中原，然其圖案、塑像尚存，信有莊嚴、吉祥之意。
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The ‘raree’ box, possibly commissioned in the 17th year (1752), is set with a mirror flanked by two circular holes through which the Qianlong Emperor would have peeped through to view painted pictures, one of which being his most poignant and enigmatically titled double-portrait, ‘One or Two?’ The powerfully carved box cabinet not only showcases the influence of Western mechanism in 18th-century court in China, but is possibly the only example known to be employed by the Qianlong Emperor to ponder on the nuances between the literal reflection of the self and self-identity.
乾隆西洋座鏡，或於十七年（1752年）奉旨成造，採珍貴沉香木材浮雕傳統雲龍，卻揉合歐洲光學科技，一探鏡孔才知別有洞天，層層牌畫營造立體效果，左方蓬萊仙境，右方乍見高宗〈是一是二圖〉，讓人嘖嘖稱奇。遙想乾隆帝初觀其像，莫不念鏡中花、水中月、夢中蝶，自我與非己，虛實難辨。
This magnificent vase is remarkable not only for its high quality of enamelling which represents the zenith of such technique during the Qianlong period (1736-95), but also the unusual selection of auspicious emblems depicted, and the intricate phoenix handles.
本品雙鳳耳器形，典雅富麗，洋彩紋飾，寓意祥瑞，華緻絕倫，彰顯乾隆御窰造瓷技藝之巔峰。
邵維錫（1935-2020年）於卑詩大學前校長 David Strangeway 宅邸，1997年5月9日
The sale also includes a carefully selected group of Ming and Qing dynasty jades from the collection of Victor Shaw (1935-2020), who was renowned not only for his discerning eye but also for his philanthropic pursuits.
本場欣呈邵維錫（1935-2020年）藏明清玉器。邵氏樂善好施且眼光獨到，藏玉色潤工精，雅逸大方。
