Sotheby's Asia

A fter an impeccable result in September with the auction Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, which achieved an exceptional 99.5 percent sell-through rate, Sotheby’s Chinese Works of Art returns this month with two single-owner collections on 21 and 22 November.

Masterpieces of Asian Art from the Okada Museum of Art is an extraordinary collection encompassing the breadth of East Asian art featuring world-class masterpieces from across China, Japan and Korea. The private collection was originally curated under the careful guidance of Kochukyo Co., Ltd, the century-old legendary Tokyo-based dealership. More than 120 lots spanning Japanese screens, paintings and Korean ceramics, and Chinese ceramics and works of art will go under the hammer. Highlights include a Qianlong doucai and famille-rose ‘Eight Treasures vase’, tianquiping, a Northern Song Ru guanyao bowl, and a Chenghua blue and white ‘day lily’ palace bowl – all of which rank among the rarest and most coveted of Chinese ceramics. Japanese masterpieces include a pair of six-panel screens by Kano Motonobu from the Muromachi period, Kitagawa Utamaro’s epic ukiyo-e painting Fukagawa in Snow (Fukagawa no yuki), and Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave, indisputably one of the most iconic images in art history. Adding to the richness of the collection is a 13th century (Goryeo dynasty) large slip-inlaid celadon-glazed 'floral' kundika vase.

This season, Sotheby’s Hong Kong is also bringing to the rostrum a significant and tightly curated group of ceramics and works of art representing some of the highest achievements of Chinese imperial craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility. Spanning from the Yuan and Ming dynasties to the Qing, each piece in Imperial Connoisseurship: Treasures of Chinese Art from a Prestigious Collection is a testament to the technical perfection and artistic brilliance achieved by Chinese artisans under the watchful eyes of its emperors. Highlights of the collection include a Qianlong underglaze-blue and copper-red ‘dragon and cloud’ vase, tianqiuping, and a Chenghua copper-red and underglaze-blue 'fish' stem bowl.

November also brings an exclusive offering of 130 lots of Chinese Baijiu from the collection of Mr. Yang Zhendong. The live auction on 21 November will see the auction market debut of several classic and distinguished brands including Jian Nan Chun, FenJiu, DongJiu, Laojiu Tequ, Xifeng, Langjiu, and Gujing. Other highlights including more than 200 bottles of “Metal Capsule” Moutai ranging from 1986 to 1996, the Wuliangye "Red Label ChangJiang Bridge" label, produced between 1977 and 1980, and the first-ever Wu Liang Ye Artist Collection bottle, of which only five exist in the world.

Stay tuned for further announcements of events in Hong Kong and across Asia.