Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi sold at Christie's NY, 22 march 2024 (I)

11 avril 2024

Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi sold at Christie's NY, 22 march 2024 (I)

Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi earned his doctorate from Jikei University’s School of Medicine, Japan’s oldest private medical university, where he pursued gastroenterology with a specialization in gastrointestinal endoscopy. He holds an additional Master of Medical Administration from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University’s School of Medical Administration. During his storied career, his focus has been on the integration of AI into endoscopic medicine and treatment methods.

Descended from a long line of physicians, Dr. Horiuchi’s grandfather was a surgeon who maintained close relationships with doctors and politicians from foreign countries such as the U.S. and China, serving as a local guide and friend to the family of Michael Joseph Mansfield, mentor to U.S. President Joe Biden and former Majority Leader of the United States Senate, during his tenure as American ambassador to Japan. Dr. Horiuchi began work as a hospital CEO while still in his thirties. He is currently in charge of Japan’s Advanced Medical Council, an organization he founded to further promote the integration of scientific inquiry and medical treatment that provides support to cutting-edge medical researchers and their patients.

Dr. Horiuchi’s family has collected artwork for generations. Dr. Horiuchi has long enjoyed reading through auction house publications, a pastime that started with Christie’s catalogues in his teen years. From his late twenties onward, he began to pursue the acquisition of Chinese works of art in earnest—exactly when the Chinese art market began to experience a surge of renewed interest. However, even when the competition was fierce, he frequented Tokyo’s most esteemed antiques dealers and used his own acquired knowledge to painstakingly select works for acquisition. Coincidentally, his alma mater, his place of employment, and own residence are all close to the Tokyo Art Club, and as a result, he has served as a physician and medical consultant for over thirty auction and art industry professionals, supporting their health as much as they have supported him in his connoisseurship. To honor this partnership, a portion of the proceeds from this sale of high-quality works will be donated to fund gastrointestinal cancer research.

Lot 913. Property from the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Longquan celadon 'Twin fish' dish, Southern Song-Yuan dynasty (1127-1368); 12.5 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Price realised USD 6,048 (Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000) © Christie’s 2024.

Provenance: Shogado, Tokyo.

Exhibited: On loan: Fukuoka, Kyushu National Museum, August 2019-June 2023.

Note: Paired fish symbolize fertility and connubial bliss, and they are also one of the Eight Buddhist symbols. Dishes of this type, known as 'twin fish' dishes, were popular products of the Longquan kilns during the late Southern Song to early Ming period. Similar dishes have been recovered from Southern Song kilns in the Longquan region, such as the bowl unearthed at Jincun, illustrated in Longquan Qingci Yanjiu, Beijing, 1989, pl. 36:3. Longquan molded fish dishes of this type were recovered from the cargo of a trading vessel that sank off the coast of Sinan, South Korea, in the 1320s, and were included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off the Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, pl. 28. Other examples are in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Lung-chu'än Ware, Ko Ware and other Wares, Taipei, 1974, pl. 26, and in the Percival David Foundation, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares, rev. ed., London, 1997, p. 27, no. 265.

Lot 914. Property from the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A rare carved Ding 'ducks' bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 15.6 cm diam, cloth box. Price realised USD 18,900 (Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000) © Christie’s 2024.

Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 13 November 2002, lot 83.

Exhibited: On loan: Tokyo National Museum, September 2022-June 2023.

Lot 915. Property from the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. An unusual large carved Ding 'lotus' bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234); 25.4 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Price realised USD 6,930 (Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 7,000) © Christie’s 2024.

Provenance: Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.

Literature: Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II - Special Exhibition 'Strolled for last ten years', Tokyo, 2016.

Exhibited: Tokyo, Sen Shu Tey, The Collection of Chinese Art II - Special Exhibition 'Strolled for last ten years', 2016.

Lot 916. Property from the Collection of Dr. Hiroshi Horiuchi. A Jian 'hate's fur' tea bowl, Southern Song-Yuan dynasty (1127-1368); 10 cm diam, Japanese wood box. Price realised USD 4,032 (Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000) © Christie’s 2024.

Provenance: Kitayama Fine Art, Tokyo.

Exhibited: On loan: Fukuoka, Kyushu National Museum, August 2019-June 2023

Christie's. Important Chinese Art Including the Collection of Dorothy Tapper Goldman, New York, 22 march 2024.