27 août 2017

Lot 14. A rare celadon-glazed tripod incense burner, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Diameter 4 1/2  in., 11.4 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 52,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's. of rectangular form with indented corners, the shallow tapered sides rising from four angled feet to an everted rim, finely carved in low relief to the exterior with stylized kuilong and bats, covered with an attractive translucent celadon glaze paling on the raised designs, the base... [Lire la suite]

Lot 13. A celadon-glazed 'kuilong' jardinière, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Length 10 1/2  in., 26.6 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Lot sold 32,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's. of rectangular form with indented corners, the shallow tapered sides rising from four angled feet to an everted rim, finely carved in low relief to the exterior with stylized kuilong and bats, covered with an attractive translucent celadon glaze paling on the raised designs, the base with eight... [Lire la suite]

Bronze Buckle Ornament Inlaid with Malachite, Dian Kingdom, South West China, 2nd-1st century B.C.E. Bronze and malachite, D. 16.2 cm. © Miho Museum. These two circular ornaments have excavated counterparts among the burial goods belonging to the local agro-pastoral peoples of the Dian Kingdom, who, during the late Eastern Zhou and Western Han periods, lived on the southwestern periphery of dynastic China in the vicinity of Lake Dian near Kunming in Yunnan province. Sima Qian, the grand historian of China... [Lire la suite]

Chinese Bronze Round Lid with Inlay, Late Eastern Zhou Dynasty, late 4th-3rd century B.C.E. Bronze with silver and gold foil inlay, D. 13 cm. © Miho Museum. The size of this roundel, the height of its sides, and the trench around the edge on the underside suggest that it may have been the lid of a lacquered wooden vessel, now disintegrated. The trench contains crusty black material, probably the remains of black lacquer. Four rectangular cavities distributed regularly around the vertical edge each hold the remains of... [Lire la suite]

Northern Chinese Bronze Belt Buckle with Gold and Silver Inlay, 3rd-2nd century B.C.E. Bronze, gold, and silver, L. 14.5 cm. © Miho Museum. The major northern pastoral peoples contemporary with the Han empire were the Xiongnu, who by the end of the third century B.C. had formed a vast empire in the steppes beyond the Great Wall.1 These plaques represent one of the major types of belt ornament produced during the height of Xiongnu power. The two mirror-image plaques, number 110, together form one belt buckle. The... [Lire la suite]

Chinese Recumbent Ox with Inlay, Late Eastern Zhou Dynasty, 4th-3rd century B.C.E. Bronze with silver inlay, L. 15 cm. © Miho Museum. (One of a pair pictured) These two recumbent oxen, with all four legs folded, show mirror-image symmetry both in their forms and surface patterns. The surfaces are decorated with cloud-like bird motifs of silver inlay. The heads of birds can be seen around the shoulders and rumps of both oxen. Small circular motifs, line motifs, and grain motifs are executed from the hips to the... [Lire la suite]

Chinese Incense Burner in the Form of a Tortoise with Gold and Silver Inlay, Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). Bronze, gold, and silver, L. 11 cm. © Miho Museum. This bronze tortoise appears to stop for a moment, taking a break from a slow walk, with the right legs pulled back and the left legs pushed forward, and with the head lifted up to the left. The tail is directed to the upper right. The openworked shell is removable, like a lid, and a hole is made at a side of the center ridge, where the center of gravity of the lid is... [Lire la suite]

HONG KONG - Among all kinds of ancient Chinese craftsmanship, goldworking techniques are less well-known. The research project "Ancient Chinese Gold Techniques" is a collaborative effort of Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shaanxi Institute for Preservation of Cultural Heritage, the Conservation Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong, and the Master Studio of Chow Tai Fook, for the first time to use interdisciplinary research methods to reconstruct several major ancient... [Lire la suite]

Lot 11. A rare white-glazed handled jar, Yongzheng seal mark and period (1723-1735). Width 10 1/8  in., 25.8 cm. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Unsold. Photo: Sotheby's. the compressed globular body rising from a slightly splayed foot to a wide neck, applied to the shoulder with a pair of dragon handles, each modeled with an arched spine extending to a bifurcated tail, covered overall with a smooth white glaze, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue. ... [Lire la suite]

Lot 10. A fine and rare celadon-glazed double-gourd vase, Yongzheng seal mark and period (1723-1735). Height 12 3/4  in., 32.4 cm. Estimate 320,000 — 500,000 USD. Unsold. Photo: Sotheby's. elegantly potted with a globular lower bulb supporting a slightly smaller upper bulb with a narrow mouth, covered overall in a lustrous glaze thinning at the rim to reveal the white body, the recessed base encircled by an unglazed footring, the base with a six-character archaistic seal mark in... [Lire la suite]