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20 août 2016

Christie's announces highlights from Asian Art Week sales

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Lot 17. Yuan Yao (Active 1720-1780), Spring Mountains. Scroll, mounted for framing, ink and color on silk, 78 5/8 x 95 ¾ in. (199.5 x 243 cm.). Dated spring, first month, yihai year (1755). Estimate: $450,000-650,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announces Asian Art Week: a series of auctions, viewings and events, from September 13-16. This season includes eight sales featuring over 900 lots, drawing together an extraordinary breadth of works from every category of Asian Art and is led by one of the finest collections of classical Chinese furniture to appear at auction, as well as Chinese ceramics from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gandharan sculpture, Nepalese bronzes, modern Chinese and South Asian paintings and more. 

In conjunction with the sales, Christie’s will host a day of gallery talks and lectures on September 10th and 11th, featuring guest speakers and prominent scholars. In addition, Christie’s will display Zao Wou-ki and Abstract Expressionism, a private sale exhibition at Christie’s New York Rockefeller Galleries from August 27 to September 14. 

ASIAN ART WEEK | AUCTION OVERVIEW: 

Fine Chinese Paintings 13 September | New York 
Christie’s sale of Fine Chinese Paintings features 93 classical, modern, and contemporary works all from North American collections. Leading the sale and the cover lot is Yuan Yao’s Spring Mountains, dated 1755 (estimate: $450,000-650,000). Additional highlights include Zhang Daqian’s (1899-1983) Bird on Branch (estimate: $70,000-100,000), Pu Ru’s (1896-1963) Gibbons Playing (estimate: $70,000-120,000), Fang Zhaolin’s (1914-2006) Vermillion Landscape (estimate: $15,000-20,000), and Huang Junshi’s (Kwan S. Wong, born 1934) Calligraphy (estimate: $1,5003,000). 

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Lot 17. Yuan Yao (Active 1720-1780), Spring Mountains. Scroll, mounted for framing, ink and color on silk, 78 5/8 x 95 ¾ in. (199.5 x 243 cm.). Dated spring, first month, yihai year (1755). Estimate: $450,000-650,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Notes: Yuan Yao was a professional painter in Yangzhou who worked in and continued the style of the studio of the popular painter Yuan Jiang (active ca. 1680-1730). Catering to the preferences of the city’s wealthy merchants who sought massive hanging scrolls and screens to fill their mansions, the Yuans created fantastic landscapes of precisely painted grand residences, using the ruled-line technique, set in dramatic mountains with swirling mist. These magical vistas at once evoked imperial palaces of past dynasties and legendary realms of immortals. 

According to the current owner, this landscape was displayed in the “boiserie” study, which was decorated in Chinese style, of Villa Vitiano in the Tuscan countryside in Chianti since the late 19th century when it was owned by the Moriani family. The painting was sold by the Morianis with the villa’s furnishings to Raffaello Landini in 1953. When Mr. Landini’s son sold the villa and moved to Caracas, Venezuela in the mid-1970s, he had the painting restored and took it with him. When the Landini family moved to Miami in the early 1980s, they again took this landscape with them to their new home, where it has remained in their family. 

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Lot 51. Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Bird on Branch. Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper. 27 x 32 ½ in (68.5 x 82 cm). Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist. Dated autumn, dingwei year (1967). Dedicated to Ha’te. Estimate: $70,000-100,000Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist.

Note: Zhang Daqian painted this picture for the recipient when he met him while living in Carmel. The owner of the painting visited Zhang Daqian after the artist moved to Taiwan and the two remained friends throughout the artist’s life. Ha'te, who is still the owner of this painting, occasionally played guitar while the artist worked. This recollection inspired him to write:

As he painted, he was like a child dancing with unbridled glee.
Each stroke definite, but placed with such joy.

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Lot 61. Pu Ru (1896-1963), Gibbons Playing. Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper. 40 x 13 in (101.5 x 33 cm). Inscribed with a poem and signed, with four seals of the artist. One collector’s seal of Wang Guichen. Estimate: $70,000-120,000Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

ProvenanceChristie’s Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Modern Paintings, 24-25 November 2014, lot 1278.

NoteWang Guichen was born in 1928 in Tieling, Liaoning Province. He is a well-known historian, calligrapher, art collector and paleographer.

Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art 13 September | New York 
Christie’s sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art will present nearly 90 carefully chosen lots featuring an array of fine bronzes and sculptures from Gandhara, India, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Highlights include a 13th century important gilt bronze figure of Vasudhara from Nepal and a monumental gray schist figure of a bodhisattva of the 2nd/ 3rd century. 

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Lot 222. An Important Gilt Bronze Figure of Vasudhara, Nepal, 13th century, 6 ½ in. (16.6 cm.) highEstimate USD 150,000 - USD 200,000Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Provenance: With Spink & Son, London, 1979.
Private Collection, Pennsylvania, 1980-2008.
Collection of Mr. & Mrs. J. Meijer, Netherlands 2009-2013, by repute.
Private Collection, Hong Kong 2013 - 2016.
Acquired by the current owner from the above in 2016. 

Literature: Spink & Son, The Art of Nepal & Tibet, London 1979, pp.2-3, fig.1
Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), Masterworks Collection, item no. 24160

ExhibitedThe Art of Nepal & Tibet, Spink & Son, London, 14-31 December 1979

Notes: Richly cast in gilded copper alloy, this exquisite image of Vasudhara, the goddess of fertility and wealth, embodies the mastery of early Malla period (1200-1482) bronze casting. Post-twelfth-century Nepalese sculpture illustrates an important stylistic shift from the earlier Licchavi period aesthetic (330-880), which was rooted in the full and naturalistic forms of Gupta India. While Licchavi period bronzes are celebrated for their elegantly languorous figures, by the twelfth-century a new sculptural style emerges, characterized by intricate detail and lavish ornamentation. 

The present figure of Vasudhara perfectly embodies this new aesthetic in all its glory. Seated in lalitasana, her six arms radiate fluidly from broad shoulders - the lower two relaxed in her lap, the upper four animatedly raised - creating a muscular arch in her back. Her ample bust gives way to a tapered waist and full hips. Her pendant leg, gently resting on a lotus blossom, suggests movement while her proper left leg is delicately tucked beneath her. Her body is both robust and elegant, her posture dynamic and graceful. She is powerful and feminine, formidable and benevolent. The artist of this masterful image perfectly merged the voluminous contours of the early Gupta style with the refined intricacy of his time. 

Adding to the present figure’s distinctive beauty is her wide, almost rectangular face, which tilts gracefully downwards. Compare the almond-shaped eyes, long aquiline nose and small mouth - features reminiscent of Pala period prototypes - with a twelfth/thirteenth-century bronze figure of Vasudhara in the Patan Museum, Kathmandu (gallery F, case 2, F-4). Like the influence of Gupta art on early Nepalese sculpture, “It has become axiomatic with modern scholars to assert that post-ninth century Nepali art was strongly influenced by the Pala art of eastern India” (P. Pal, Nepal: Where the Gods are Young, New York, 1975, p.14). Both the Patan Museum example and the present work are emblematic of this influence. 

While there are various iconographic forms of Vasudhara throughout South Asia, the six-armed seated image is most prevalent in Nepal, where she is celebrated as a goddess of fertility and the land. Compare the elegant proportions and fine modeling of the present figure with another Nepalese gilt bronze Vasudhara of similar size, also from the thirteenth century, sold at Christie's New York on 21 March 2008 (illustrated left).

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Lot 229. A Monumental Gray Schist Figure of a Bodhisattva, Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century, 78 ¾ in. (200 cm.) high. Estimate USD 150,000 - USD 200,000Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016.

Provenance: Acquired from Sotheby's London, 27 April 1995, lot 188.

Property from a Dutch Collection.

Notes: The present figure is extraordinarily large and beautifully carved, making it one of the most rare Gandharan figures in circulation. Note how the diaphanous dhoti falls in thin pleats against the lower body, subtly outlining the firm legs and bent left knee. In contrast, the voluminous shawl is wrapped over the left shoulder, dipping artfully across the thighs and then rising up to wrap around the right arm, displaying the artist’s mastery of the medium as he describes the softness of the drapery against the well-defined flesh. The muscular torso has a naturalistic sense of definition and depth, further enhanced by the intricately detailed necklaces and amulets, and fully embodying the virility of youth. His handsome, youthful face has a moustache, indicating his accumulated wisdom, and he is crowned with an elaborate jeweled turban, signifying his royal stature. The artist has also taken great care to render magnificent details of ornamentation. The flat torque at the neck is composed of numerous small elements, and the beads on the multi-stranded necklaces are finely and lavishly rendered. 


This figure compares favorably with a well-known example of a Bodhisattva formerly in the Heeramaneck Collection, and now on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.83.105.1, published in A. Heeramaneck, Masterpieces of Indian Sculpture from the Former Collection of Nasli M. Heeramaneck, Italy, 1979, cat.no.11, and P. Pal, Indian Sculpture Vol. 1, Los Angeles, 1986, p.167, cat.no.S45, illustrated below). Comparing the two shows the present figure to be taller and more naturalistically described; for example, note how the present figure’s broad shoulders slope gently in a realistic manner. 

The left forearm of the present example is missing, however based on the insertion points in the arm and directly below, one can be reasonably sure this arm was lowered and holding something – either a waterpot, identifying him as Maitreya, or a garland, as with the Heeramanack example, which Dr. Pal has identified as Avalokiteshvara. With majestic poise, the present bodhisattva stands as a classic example of the highly-skilled carving for which Gandharan sculptors from this period are known.

South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art 14 September | New York 
South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art comprises over 100 lots representing the rich artistic styles of the Indian subcontinent. Paintings by leading modern masters, Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Francis Newton Souza, Maqbool Fida Husain, George Keyt, Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Jagdish Swaminathan and Jehangir Sabavala, alongside contemporary stars Bharti Kher, Shilpa Gupta, A. Balasubramaniam and Ranjani Shettar are included in the sale. Also included is a tribute to three leading masters who passed away this year, Jeram Patel, K.G. Subramanyan and Syed Haider Raza, with significant works by each offered. In conclusion, the auction will feature a selection of 10 works donated by artists and patrons with the entire proceed raised from the sale of these lots to benefit the Germination Project, Philadelphia. 

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The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles: Part III 
14 September | New York
 
The third sale dedicated to The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles features a broad range of fine and rare bottles in a wide range of materials, including glass, agate, porcelain, lacquer and jade. Following the success of the first two sales, in September 2015 and March 2016, Part III will be sold without reserve, offering beginning and experienced collectors an exciting opportunity to obtain a snuff bottle from this renowned collection. 

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The Classic Age Of Chinese Ceramics: The Linyushanren Collection, Part II 15 September | New York 
The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: The Linyushanren Collection, Part ll, is the second of a three-part sale series from an important private Japanese collection. The sale features 28 lots from the Five Dynasties period (10th century) to the Yuan/early Ming period (14th -15th century), with a focus on classic and elegant Song ceramics. The Linyushanren collection emphasizes works with rarity, superb quality, and distinguished provenance, and includes outstanding examples from the most notable kilns, including Ding, Jun, Longquan and Jizhou. 

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Collected in America: Chinese Ceramics from The Metropolitan Museum of Art 15 September | New York 
In the nearly 140 years since its first acquisition of Chinese ceramics, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has become one of the world’s great centers for the preservation and study of Asian art. In September, a number of fine Chinese ceramics from its collection will be sold by Christie’s to benefit the Met’s Acquisitions Fund. The group of over 400 lots dating from the Song to the Qing dynasty, offers a fascinating insight into the history of Chinese ceramics in America from the end of the 19th century through the mid-20th century. The selection represents a broad range of categories, including Song-dynasty Jun wares, blue-and-white porcelains from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and domestic and export wares from the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. Highlights include a large group of porcelains from the museum’s first major acquisition in 1879 of Asian art from the collection of Samuel Putnam Avery, an early trustee; and refined Kangxi peachbloom-glazed scholar’s vessels from the mid-20th-century collection of Mary Stillman Harkness, wife of Standard Oil heir Edward Stephen Harkness. Reflecting the tradition of cultural and civic patronage that has shaped The Met’s collection, other collectors associated with the sale include philanthropists Mary Clark Thompson, wife of banker Frederick Ferris Thompson, and John D. Rockefeller Jr., financier and son of legendary Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller Sr. The live sale will be followed by ‘Collected in America: Chinese Ceramics from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’ online auction, 13 – 22 September. 

The Flacks Family Collection: A Very Personal Selection 16 September | New York 
Christie’s New York will present The Flacks Family Collection: A Very Personal Selection, a group of 46 lots from the collection of Marcus and Debbie Flacks. Since 1995, the couple have established their gallery, MD Flacks, Ltd., as one of the preeminent sources for classical Chinese furniture, scholars objects, and contemporary Asian paintings. The works selected for sale in September, mainly from the Ming and Qing dynasties, exhibit a refined and restrained aesthetic, balancing luxurious materials with simple forms and traditional construction that is characteristic of the Chinese literati ideal. The selection represents a diverse mix of furniture, scholar’s rocks and desk accoutrement, as well as contemporary Asian paintings. Among the highlights is an extremely rare pair of 17th century huanghuali and spotted bamboo scholar’s cabinets; perhaps the only known pair in existence, each cabinet is elegantly constructed with 114 strips of spotted bamboo, resulting in a mirage-like mottled surface that is made only more attractive upon closer inspection. Also among the top works of the sale is Liu Dan’s Far-off Journey, painted in 2006 for Marcus Flacks, who holds a close relationship with the artist. Far-off Journey explores an unused element from an earlier project, the massive Ink Handscroll, now at The San Diego Museum of Art. 

Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 16 September | New York 
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art will be held on September 16 and comprises approximately 180 lots, representing works from a variety of collecting categories, including Imperial porcelain, translucent jade carvings, Buddhist sculptures, and classical Chinese furniture. Highlights include a superb pair of Jiaqing mark-and-period (1796-1820) yellow-ground famille rose baluster vases, a pair of imperial bronze tripod censers and covers bearing Qianlong six-character cast seal marks and of the period (1736-1795), a rare group of three red pottery figures of female polo players from the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907), and an exceptional huanghuali recessed-leg wine table.

A very rare and superbly enameled pair of yellow-ground famille rose baluster vases, Jiaqing six-character seals mark in iron red and of the period (1796-1820)

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Lot 1368. A very rare and superbly enameled pair of yellow-ground famille rose baluster vases, Jiaqing six-character seals mark in iron red and of the period (1796-1820)Estimate USD 400,000 - USD 600,000Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016

Each vase is decorated with an allover design of flower scroll incorporating on two sides a large lotus suspended from a chime between an iron-red bat above and a pink bat below and on the other two sides with a pair of butterflies confronted above a giltshou character repeated on each side of the neck in the center of lotus sprays between the pair of iron-red scroll handles. The interior and the base surrounding the nianhao is covered in deep turquoise enamel. 12 5/8 in. (22 cm.) high, wood stands

Provenance:Nicholas Monsarrat (1839-1910), Columbus, Ohio, acquired in the 1870s, and thence by descent within the family.

Nicholas Monsarrat, who originally acquired this rare pair of vases during the 1870s, was born in London, Ontario in 1839, of Irish and French heritage. He has been described as a "tall, distinguished-looking man with a fine mind and great executive ability." He attended the University of Toronto and became an attorney and barrister, but like other young men of the time he decided that he would have more of a future in America and moved here in his early 30s. This was the beginning of a period of enormous growth in the United States, much of it spurred by the expansion of railroads, and while first working in one of the banks of the financier Collis Huntington, Monsarrat learned about railroads, and saw this as his future. In 1872 he obtained his first position in the railroad business at the Paducah and Memphis Railroad. After resigning from this position in 1881 he continued to advance within the railroad business holding various positions at various railroads until in 1899 he was made president of the Hocking Valley Railroad as well as the Kanawah & Michigan Railroad, which was based in Columbus, Ohio. It was twelve miles outside of Columbus that Monsarrat created a 200 acre estate, Mount Air, where he and his wife, the former Corinne Blanche Henry whom he met in Kentucky during his early years in the railroad business, and six children lived, and where he enjoyed his collections of fine books, paintings and furniture. Mount Air was his retreat from the world of business, with its own railroad siding to accommodate his private railroad car that he would take from Columbus. 

Since the death of Nicholas Monsarrat in October 1910, the present pair of vases has remained in the family, and has been passed down through several generations. 

Notes: No other pair of vases of this unusual shape, and with this decoration, appear to have been published. The type of formal decoration, that of a dense design of flower scroll incorporating auspicious symbols such as lotus, bats, shou characters and chimes, executed in rich famille rose enamels which are then enhanced by being showcased on a bright monochrome ground, is found on other vases and jars of Jiaqing date. A baluster jar and cover of Jiaqing date with related famille rose decoration, similarly arranged between decorative borders of petal lappets and ruyi heads on a yellow ground, is illustrated by Zhejiang Province Museum (ed.) in Jia You Bao Cang: zhe jiang min jian shou cang zhen pin da zhan te ji, Beijing, 2004, p. 98, and cover. See, also, the meiping of Jiaqing date in the Qing Court Collection illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 39 - Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 195, pl. 172, where the decoration is on a lime-green ground. All of these pieces also have a turquoise-enameled interior and base.

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Lot 1227. A very rare pair of imperial bronze tripod censers and covers, Qianlong six-character cast seal marks and of the period (1736-1795)Estimate USD 400,000 - USD 600,000Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016

Each censer is heavily and finely cast in high relief with three full-face, five-clawed dragons protecting a flaming pearl, each positioned above one of the lion-mask-surmounted cabriole legs and flanked by two dragons also pursuing flaming pearls, their bodies extending around the sides. Further dragons and flaming pearls decorate the rim and the handles, and a pair confronted on a flaming pearl form a band on the cover below a band of eight ruyi heads that encircle the base of the pearl-form finial. The seal mark is cast on the underside of the censer. 15 ½ in. (39.4 cm.) high

Provenance: Collection of Phillip Maurice Torf (1922-2016) and Millicent Owen Torf, House of Props, Los Angeles.

Notes: The House of Props was one of Los Angeles’ oldest and renowned prop houses. Founded in 1948 by Alexander Torf, former prop master for United Artist Studio Corporation, and later run by his nephew Philip and his wife Millicent, the House of Props worked behind the scenes of television shows and movie sets worldwide supplying rare art objects for over 70 years.

Sacrificial ceremonies were among the most important rituals of the Qing court, with the emperor attending, if not performing, all of the major rites. Buddhism was the primary religion of the Qing dynasty and there were numerous Buddhist shrines and temples, as well as altars, in the private quarters of the emperors and empresses. All of these necessitated ritual paraphernalia, including altar sets, which were made in various materials including bronze, porcelain and cloisonné enamel of varying size. 

This magnificent pair of censers and covers exemplifies the artistic excellence and technical quality of bronze ritual vessels cast for the imperial court in the 18th century. The present pair is particularly exceptional as each censer retains its original cover, and no other examples retaining their covers appear to have been sold at auction. The creation of such lavish vessels was a tremendous undertaking, with each vessel being cold-worked with a hammer and chisel after the initial casting to bring out the intricate and crisp details, such as the individual scales on the dragons’ bodies. Two related bronze censers with their covers are illustrated by Wan Yi, et al., in Daily Life in the Forbidden City, New York, 1988, pls. 473 and 474, pp. 302-303, where they are shown in situ in the shrine in the interior of the rear Hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and in the rear part of the Hall of Ancestral Worship. Wang Yi points out that "this was the family temple of the Qing imperial house." The emperor himself would have visited or sent a relative on the day of the new moon with the most recently available foods for offerings to express his filial piety and to ensure that his ancestors would "enjoy the greatest range of delicacies as soon as they were available." 

A Qianlong-marked bronze five-piece altar set including a nearly identical censer, but lacking a cover, is illustrated by R. D. Mowry in China's Renaissance in Bronze: The Robert H. Clague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900, Phoenix Art Museum, 1993, p. 180, no. 38. Mowry explains that "both the style of the dragons and the relatively small number of clouds (compared to those on later Qianlong bronzes) indicate that this altar set was made early in the reign, probably before 1750." See, also, the Qianlong-marked bronze five-piece altar set sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11 April 2008, lot 2826, which included a censer of similar broad proportions to the current example. However, unlike the current censer, which features a front-faced dragon protecting a flaming pearl over one of the lion-mask legs, the Sotheby’s censer, as well as the other vessels of the garniture, are cast with pairs of dragons confronted on flaming pearls. Another Qianlong-marked bronze censer with a design of pairs of dragons, of slightly smaller size (37 cm. high) and of taller, less broad proportions than the current example, and also lacking a cover, was sold at Christie's New York, 22 March 2007, lot 201. Similar cast decoration of pairs of dragons confronted on flaming pearls can be also seen on a pair of Qianlong-marked bronze vases sold at Christie's London, 15 May 2012, lot 188.

A very rare group of three red pottery figures of female polo players, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907)

Lot 1305. A very rare group of three red pottery figures of female polo players, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907); 13 ½ in. (34.3 cm.) longEstimate USD 150,000 - USD 180,000Price realised USD 161,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016

Each spirited horse is modeled as if in full gallop, and the rider, wearing a long close-fitting tunic worn over one arm, the other sleeve tucked under the belt, is shown twisted at the waist and with head lowered to follow the course of the ball. The face is detailed in black and red pigment on a white slip, and there are traces of dark red and black pigments, stands

Provenance: Christie's New York, 30 May 1991, lot 263.

Notes: Pottery figures of polo players fall into two categories: dynamic riders seated on horses shown in full "flying gallop", with no support or stand, and elegant riders seated stiffly on horses standing on a rectangular base. The present figures belong to the first category, as do the four similar figures of female polo players in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, referred to inHandbook of the Collections, vol. II, Art of the Orient, Kansas City, 1973, p. 81. See, also, the figure in the Tenri Museum in Japan, illustrated by Hasebe and Sato, Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 183. 

The earliest literary and visual evidence of polo in China dates from the 7th and 8th centuries, including stories of polo-playing emperors and members of the imperial family. A mural depicting a game of polo, datable to the years AD 706-11, found in the tomb of Li Xian, Crown Prince Zhanghuai (AD 654-84), is discussed and illustrated by J. Fontein and Wu Tung in Han and Tang Murals, Boston, 1976, p. 101, nos. 122-25, col. pl. 15. For a full discussion of polo see, Robert Harrist, Jr., Power and Virtue, The Horse in Chinese Art, China Institute in America, New York, 1997, pp. 74-75, nos. 11 and 12. Also see Colin Mackenzie and Irving Finkel (eds.), Asian Games: The Art of Contest, Asia Society, New York, 2004, pp. 282-303, where the authors note, p. 285, that many women played polo and according to the poet Wang Jian (c. 751-830), "they were especially noted for their deftness at executing back-hand shots." This is corroborated by ceramic tomb figures of female polo players which show them appropriately dressed in close-fitting attire.

The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test no. 566p1 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

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Lot 1205. A rare and superb huanghuali recessed-leg wine table, jiuzhuo, 17th century; 32 in. (82.3 cm.) high, 39 7/8 in. (101.3 cm.) wide, 28 ½ in. (72.4 cm.) deepEstimate USD 250,000 - USD 350,000Price realised USD 293,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2016

The two-panel top is set within a rectangular frame with molded edge above plain aprons and spandrels. The whole is supported on thick legs of rounded section joined by pairs of stretchers. 

Provenance: Everarts Gallery, Hong Kong.

Notes: A distinguishing and very rare feature of the present table is thehuanghuali top. Due to the heavy use of these portable, lighter weight tables, more durable materials such as stone or less luxurious woods were often used as work surfaces. Woodblock prints depict tables of this size and proportion used in daily activities, such as for writing, displaying objects, and dining. See, a smaller serpentine-inlaid huanghuali wine table illustrated by Wang Shixiang and Curtis Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, pp. 94-95, no. 44. The presence of a huanghualitop suggests the wealth and importance of the gentleman who commissioned the table.

In Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1990, p. 77. no B34, Wang Shixiang illustrates a wine table of smaller proportions with square-section, beaded legs. The author also discusses the form, and its variants, ibid., vol. I, pp. 54-6.

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