A highly important Beijing-enamelled pouch-shaped glass vase, blue enamel mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 18.2 cm. Estimate upon request (Expected to fetch in excess of HK$200,000,000/ US$ 25,000,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

Hong Kong - Sotheby’s Hong Kong Chinese Works of Art Autumn Sale Series 2019 on 8th October will be led by A Highly Important Beijing-Enamelled Pouch-Shaped Glass Vase, Blue Enamel Mark and Period of Qianlong, arguably the greatest example of Qing dynasty art in private hands. Two other highlights include An Exceptionally Rare Blue and White ‘Dragon’ Stem Bowl, Mark and Period of Xuande, unseen on the market since 1986 and A Superb and Fine Blue and White ‘Day Lily’ Palace Bowl Mark and Period of Chenghua from the Alan Chuang Collection. In addition, we are offering three private collections, namely Important Chinese Art from the Collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee II, riding on the success of its first sale in October 2018, Qing Imperial Porcelain – A Private Collection, a carefully selected group of twenty-two pieces of Qing Imperial porcelains, as well as An Important Collection of Chinese Ceramics.

Nicolas Chow, Chairman, Sotheby’s Asia, International Head and Chairman, Chinese Works of Art, comments, “This season we are thrilled to present a stellar line-up of objects, showcasing the sheer breadth and depth of Chinese works of art. We are particularly honoured to have been entrusted with the Qianlong enamelled pouch-shaped glass vase, arguably one of the finest objects ever made at the Forbidden City and the greatest example of Qing dynasty art in private hands.”

AN ENAMELLED JEWEL, THE LE CONG TANG COLLECTION

A highly important Beijing-enamelled pouch-shaped glass vase, blue enamel mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 18.2 cm. Estimate upon request (Expected to fetch in excess of HK$200,000,000/ US$ 25,000,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

This truly extraordinary glass vase, enamelled by imperial command of the Qianlong Emperor in the early years of his reign, is arguably the greatest example of Qing dynasty art in private hands. Enamelled glass vessels were by far the most complex and demanding of all works of art commissioned at the Beijing Palace Workshops, and the current example is the most successful of all surviving examples, in the intricacy of its pouch-shaped form with simulated pink sash tied at the neck, and with its unique and brilliantly enamelled design of a pair of phoenix soaring amidst clouds and peonies, one bud with the blue-enamel mark. Emanating from the legendary collection of Prince Gong, it later passed through the hands of A.W. Bahr and Paul and Helen Bernat, before being acquired by the present owner in October 2000 for a then record price. Its appearance on the international art market now is a moment of celebration.

BLUE AND WHITE ‘DRAGON’ STEM BOWL

An exceptionally rare blue and white ‘Dragon’ stem bowl, Mark and period of Xuande (1426-1435); d. 15.6 cm. Estimate upon request (Expected to fetch in excess of HK$60,000,000/ US$7,650,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

The stem bowl is of outstanding quality, encapsulating the highest achievements of early Ming porcelain. Powerfully painted with a majestic design of dragons amidst waves, its skillful use of shading demonstrates the developments achieved at the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen in the Xuande (1426-35) period.

Only three other Xuande stembowls of this exact design are recorded, one in the Capital Museum, Beijing, another in the National Museum, Beijing, and a third sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2012 for HK$114m, from the Meiyintang collection. With impeccable provenance, published in the landmark book on Ming porcelain by Adrian Joseph in 1971, and later in the collection of T.Y. Chao, it has been in a private collection for the last 33 years.

TWO MING PORCELAIN MASTERPIECES FROM AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION

The sale consists of two outstanding masterpieces of 15th century blue and white porcelain assembled by Hong Kong collector Alan Chuang: a Chenghua palace bowl painted with scrolling day lilies and a Xuande reverse-decorated ‘pomegranate’ dish.

A superb and fine blue and white ‘Daylily’ palace bowl, Mark and period of Chenghua (1465-1487), 14.8 cm. Estimate upon request (Expected to fetch in excess of HK$50,000,000/ US$6,400,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

Blue and white ‘palace bowls’ created in the Chenghua (1465-87) reign rank amongst the most coveted of all Chinese ceramics, and have consistently achieved very high prices, with one selling for HK$141m at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2013. The current example from the Alan Chuang collection is a particularly fine and rare example, with an exquisite design of day lilies. There are only two other ‘palace bowls’ of this design, both in the British Museum, London.

An exceptionally rare and important blue and white reverse-decorated ‘Pomegranate’ dish, Mark and period of Xuande (1426-1435); 29.5 cm. Estimate  HK$25,000,000 - 30,000,000 (US$3,190,000 - 3,830,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

This exceptional large Xuande (1426-35) dish from the Alan Chuang collection, beautifully painted with a design of fruits and flowers, is arguably the greatest example of reverse-decorated porcelain in private hands. Only three other similar dishes are recorded – one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, another from the Rockefeller collection, in the collection of the Asia Society, New York, and a third damaged one in the Palace Museum, Beijing. 

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF SIR QUO-WEI LEE II

Following on from the success of the October 2018 sale, the second instalment of the Chinese art collection assembled by Sir Quo-Wei Lee (1918-2013) consists of a selection of over 40 lots of the finest imperial porcelain and jade. Highlights of the sale include a Yongle blue and white ‘rose’ conical bowl and a Qianlong white jade barbed gu-form vase of the finest quality.

A superbly carved and rare white jade barbed vase, Gu, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 20.8 cm. Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000 (US$384,000 - 640,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

A fine and extremely rare blue and white conical ‘Rose’ bowl, Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403-1425); 19.9 cm. Estimate HK$HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000 (US$320,000 - 448,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

QING IMPERIAL PORCELAIN – A PRIVATE COLLECTION

This superb collection consists of twenty-two Qing Imperial porcelains assembled by a private collector with a highly discerning eye for quality. One of the great strengths of the collection is the sheer range and breadth of the Yongzheng monochromes. Highlights include a magnificent and extremely rare large Qianlong blue and white ‘anbaxian’ moonflask and a Qianlong Ru-type handled vase. 

A magnificent and extremely rare large blue and white 'Anbaxian' moonflask, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 50.5 cm. Estimate upon request (Expected to fetch in excess of HK$40,000,000/ US$5,100,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

A fine and superb Ru-type handled vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 19.9 cm. Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000 (US$384,000 - 480,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

A fine and exceptional famille-rose 'Prunus and Lingzhi' bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 10.1 cm. Estimate HK$HK$12,000,000 - 15,000,000 (US$ 1,530,000 - 1,920,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

A very rare blue and white 'Peach' vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 25.3 cm. Estimate HK$6,000,000 - 8,000,000 (US$76,500 - 102,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

A unique glass holy bowl, Tang dynasty (618-907); 31 cm. Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000 (US$510,000 - 765,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.

A magnificent and extremely rare large seated wood figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); 122 cm. Estimate HK$16,000,000 - 18,000,000 (US$2,040,000 - 2,300,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.