The Tibor Collection © Christie's Images Ltd 2019

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announced The Tibor Collection: A Noble Eye for Chinese Export, one of the most significant collections of Chinese Export porcelain in the world. Covering all aspects of Chinese Export porcelain, from late Ming blue and white to 18th century armorial and European subject wares, the sale is named for the stunning, oversized vases, jars and ‘soldier vases’ known in Hispanic America as tibores, of which more than 50 examples are offered, including many pairs. A true connoisseur’s collection comprised of objects of great beauty, quality and rarity, works with important provenance are also featured, highlighted by royal candlesticks and soldier vases made for Philip V of Spain. 

The landmark sale series begins with a single-owner sale on April 10 in New York, and continues with top pieces offered in ‘The Exceptional Sale’ across upcoming seasons in New York, London and Paris, with further dedicated sales to be announced. Comprised of more than 500 works of art in total, the collection is expected to exceed $6,000,000. 

The Tibor Collection © Christie's Images Ltd 2019

Becky MacGuire, Senior Specialist, Chinese Export Art, comments, “Visiting this magnificent collection was like stepping into the cultivated and elegant world of another century. The very personal vision of the collector, honed by his deep respect for the history of his region, led him to seek out a fantastic variety of charming and high quality porcelains.” 

The Tibor Collection was assembled over many decades by a highly discerning collector from a distinguished Latin American family. An exceptionally gracious man with a refined sense of beauty, he traveled widely and acquired pieces from top dealers and auction houses across the world. Housed in a longtime family house in a quiet, leafy quarter of a major capital city, The Tibor Collection was thoroughly enjoyed by its charming and erudite collector as well as by his large family and legions of friends, including major art dealers and scholars. The richly appointed rooms, with their eclectic mix of Chinese porcelain, Old Master paintings and Hispanic American furniture, reflected the collector’s exquisite taste, his family legacy and his many intellectual interests. 

The Tibor Collection  © Christie's Images Ltd 2019

Highlighting the collection are an amazing array of 30-plus lots of large-scale porcelain jars. First made as storage jars to hold oil or wine, the large-scale porcelain tibores became masterworks of the Chinese enameler – and highly impressive décor for Western palaces and halls. Fine examples include 10 lots of ‘soldier vases’, plus pairs of large jars and covers in armorial, famille rose, famille verte and blue and white.

Porcelains in very high-style European silver forms are well-represented in The Tibor Collection, led by a handsome pair of tureens, covers and stands extravagantly molded with vegetables after 18th century French silver (estimate: $100,000-150,000). Armorial porcelain includes top examples made for the Dutch and English markets and a notable group of pieces made for Spain or New Spain (as the Spanish territories in North and Central America were named), including important royal candlesticks (estimate: $40,000-60,000) and soldier vases (estimate: $500,000-700,000) made for Philip V of Spain.

A Rare Pair of Soup tureens, Covers and Stands, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate: $100,000-150,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019

A pair of Rose-Imari ‘Soldier’ vases and covers, Yongzheng-Early Qianlong period, circa 1735. 52 in (132.1 cm). Estimate: $175,00-275,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

A rare large tiger and foxhunting bowl, Qianlong period, circa 1785. 16 in (40.6 cm) diameter. Estimate: $15,000-25,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

A large pair of famille rose laughing boys, Qianlong period (1736-1795). 14 in (35.5 cm) high. Estimate: $20,000-30,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

An unusual massive blue-ground baluster jar and cover, 18th century. 24⅝ in (62.5 cm) high. Estimate: $10,000-15,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The collection also features an extraordinary and rare group of magnificent bird and animal tureens comprised of goose, fish, rooster, duck, boar’s head and oxhead. A large variety of elegant porcelain cranes are offered, as well as richly enameled pairs of hawks and pheasants and a kennel-sized group of Chinese porcelain dogs. Estimates range from $5,000-7,000 to $300,000-500,000 for this group.

A massive pair of geese, late 18th-early 19th century. 22¼ in (56.5 cm) high the taller. Estimate: $40,000-60,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

A large pair of cranes, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

A pair of famille rose roosters, Qianlong period (1736-1795). 14½ in (36.8 cm) high. Estimate: $30,000-50,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.