Eight Beauties Painting, ink and color on silk, signed Hua Xuan, with a cyclical date corresponding to 1736. A very rare painting of extravagantly large size—230 by 52 inches—it is estimated to sell for $200/300,000. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's

Sotheby’s Spring 2009 Asia Week sales begin on March 17th with Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, highlighted by this Eight Beauties Painting, ink and color on silk, signed Hua Xuan, with a cyclical date corresponding to 1736. A very rare painting of extravagantly large size—230 by 52 inches—it is estimated to sell for $200/300,000. It is unusual to find a group of women as the subject of a single Chinese painting. Each “beauty” holds a object representing different virtues; the woman in the center is pictured with a finger citron, symbolizing long life. The Asia Week sales continue on March 18th with Indian & Southeast Asian Works of Art including Miniatures, and on March 20th with Indian and Southeast Asian Modern & Contemporary Art.