Paris – Ce 10 juin, alors que la 8e édition du Printemps Asiatique bat son plein à Paris, la vente d’Art d’Asie de Christie’s a réalisé 4 944 240 €, dépassant son estimation haute. Composée de 148 lots provenant majoritairement de Chine, la vente couvrait un large panorama historique de l’art asiatique, allant du néolithique chinois à la Dynastie Qing en passant par l’époque Xuande, âge d’or de la Dynastie Ming.

Temps fort de la vente, les trésors de céramique impériale chinoise ont attiré un grand nombre d’enchérisseurs et notamment ce chef-d'œuvre, lot phare de la vente, représentatif de l’art de la porcelaine chinoise bleu blanc : orné d’un motif de dragon à cinq griffes, ce bol à pied figurait parmi les pièces qu’affectionnaient l'empereur Qianlong (1711-1799). Il était resté dans la même collection française depuis un siècle, et a trouvé preneur à 882 000 €, triplant son estimation.

Lot 26. Rare et important bol à pied en porcelaine bleu blanc à décor de dragons, Chine, dynastie Ming, marque à six caractères dans un double cercle en bleu sous couverte et époque Xuande (1426-1435). Diamètre : 15,5 cm. Hauteur: 10,5 cm. Prix réalisé : 882 000 € (Estimation : 300 000 – 500 000) © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

Provenance: French noble family collection, acquired before 1900.

An Imperial Xuande Masterpiece of the Decorator’s Art
Rosemary Scott, Independent Scholar

Un autre bol, en porcelaine émaillée jaune et vert à décors en rouge de fer, datant de la période Yongzheng (1723-1735), s’est vendu 151 200€ contre une estimation de 40 000-60 000 €. au

Bol en porcelaine émaillée jaune et vert à décor en rouge de fer de chauves-souris parmi les nuées, Chine, dynastie Qing, marque à six caractères dans un double cercle en bleu sous couverte et époque Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diamètre : 15 cm. Prix réalisé : 151 200 € (Estimation : 40 000 – 60 000 €). © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

Provenance: With Eileen Kershaw Ltd., 2 January 1985, by repute.

Note: Bowls of this design are rare, as they depart from the more common convention of using solely green enamel decoration on a yellow ground. Vessels combining multiple enamel colours on a yellow ground are described in the imperial archives as “a new category of wucai,” an innovation of the Yongzheng period. In both traditional and innovative examples, the designs are characterised by finely incised details.
Notable examples of Yongzheng bowls with this pattern include one from the Constantinidi Collection, illustrated by S. Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, 1971, pl. LXIX, no. 3; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Kangxi Yongzheng Qianlong, 1989, p. 238, pl. 67; and several sold at auction, including a bowl from the British Rail Pension Fund, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 16 May 1989, lot 78, and subsequently at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2001, lot 545, another sold at Christie's London, 3 November 2020, lot 34.

On mentionnera également ces deux lots en porcelaine Wucai qui ont multiplié par 10 leur estimation, deux bols à décor de dragons et phénix (Chine, Dynastie Qing) acquis pour 100 800 €, ainsi qu’une jarre à décor de grues datant de la dynastie Ming, vendue 119 700 €.

Lot 19. Deux bols en porcelaine Wucai à décor de dragons et phénix, Chine, dynastie Qing, marques à six caractères en cachet en bleu sous couverte et époque Qianlong (1736-1795). Diamètre : 15,4 cm. Prix réalisé : 100 800 € (Estimation : 12 000 – 18 000 €). © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

Provenance: With S. Marchant & Son, London, 12 June 2008, label to both bases.

Note: Examples of this type of finely enamelled bowl with dragon and phoenix decoration first appeared during the Kangxi period (1662-1722), though imperial examples continued to be produced throughout the Qing dynasty. Two bowls of this design, both bearing Kangxi reign marks, are part of the Qing Court Collection in Beijing, illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Vol. 38, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 147-148, nos. 135 and 136. A pair of Qianlong-period bowls of this type was sold at Christie's, London, on 13 November 2015, lot 1239. A single wucai bowl of this type was sold at Sotheby's London, 6 November 2024, lot 11.

Une importante statue tibétaine en cuivre doré du XVe siècle, Maitreya, réalisée par l’atelier de l’artiste tibétain Sonam Gyaltse, a été achetée 478 800 €. Pièce exceptionnelle provenant d’une collection hollandaise, elle fut exposée en 2005 au musée ethnographique d’Anvers à l’occasion de l’exposition Bronze Masterworks from India and the Himalayas.

Lot 94. Rare et importante statue de Maitreya en cuivre doré, Tibet, Atelier de Sonam Gyaltsen, première moitié du XVème siècle. Hauteur : 40,6 cm.. Prix réalisé : 478 800 € (Estimation : 400 000 – 600 000 €). © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

Provenance: Collection of the journalist Christian Roll, Krefeld, Germany (1915 - 2007), who assembled his collection in Hong Kong and China between 1960 and 1996, by repute the bronze was acquired in Hong Kong in the early 1980s.
Nagel, Stuttgart, Spezialauktion November, 15 November 1997, lot 1674.
Collection of David Weldon, Brussels, 1997-circa 2000.
Offered at Sotheby's New York, 16-17 September 1998, lot 110.
With Marcel Nies Oriental Art, Antwerp, 2001.

Literature: Jan van Alphen, Cast for Eternity. Bronze Masterworks from India and the Himalayas in Belgian and Dutch Collections, Etnografisch Museum Antwerpen, Antwerp, 2005, cat. no. 67, pp. 200-201.

Exhibited: Antwerp, Antwerp Ethnographic Museum, Cast for Eternity. Bronze Masterworks from India and the Himalayas in Belgian and Dutch Collections, 12 April - 26 June 2005.

Note: The Bodhisattva Maitreya is depicted seated in bhadrasana, or "the European posture," with both legs pendant over the edge of the throne. This pose symbolizes his readiness to descend from Tushita Heaven and take earthly form as the future Buddha. His feet rest upon a double lotus flower, a traditional symbol of purity and divine birth. Maitreya wears an ornate five-leaved crown, with the central leaf bearing a dharmachakra (wheel of Buddhist law) and a kirtimukha (face of glory). His hair is styled in a high chignon surmounted by a cintamani flaming pearl. His jewelry includes large circular earrings resting on his shoulders, three necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and a pearl cord that graces his feet. Cast flowers bearing attributes would have emerged from the throne at the bodhisattva’s side and been attached at the shoulders. The statue is beautifully cast and gilded with flowing designs engraved on the hems of the robe and throne.
Stylistically, the Maitreya is associated with central Tibetan fifteenth century sculpture. It can be confidently attributed to the atelier of Sonam Gyaltsen, who was active during the first half of the century. He was commissioned to do work for the Rinpungpa Lord Norbu Wangpo (1403-1466) and his younger brother Palzang, both students of the famous Sakya teacher Zhonnu Gyalchog, in turn a student of Tsongkapa Lobzang (1357-1419).
Bronzes from the atelier of Sonam Gyaltsen exhibit characteristic features such as similarly shaped five-leaf crowns, shape of jewelry, and neatly articulated repetitive folds of drapery over the legs. These statues are cast in a fine copper alloy with a fine yellowish gilding, and often inlaid with small turquoise semi-precious stones, which is a typical characteristic. Bold floral designs such as visible on the cloth’s hems reflect the patterns found in Ming textiles that were sent to Tibet as tribute. Similar single large flower patterns can be found on the Guhyamanjuvajra in the Rietberg Museum (see Uhlig, On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, p. p. 170, no. 113), which is also convincingly attributed to Sonam Gyalytsen. The style relates on formal traditions established in the imperial workshops in China under the Yongle reign, many of whose works were sent as imperial gifts to Tibetan monasteries.
The present figure can be regarded as the best known example of a Maitreya sacred image of this quality, date and size in Western private hands. See another Tibetan Maitreya figure, of a similar size but of a later date, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, object number 2004.2403. A few examples also dating from the first half of the 15^th century but of a smaller size are known in private hands, such as a Maitreya figure formerly from the Claude de Marteau Collection recently sold at auction.

Le musée Guimet a acquis deux très belles sculptures. L’une en bronze doré de Shakyamuni provenant d’une collection particulière européenne. Ce Bouddha historique sur son socle lotiforme de la dynastie Ming, a doublé son estimation à 315 000 €. La seconde sculpture est une statue tibétaine de Yab-Yum en argile polychrome datant du XVème (30 240€). 

Lot 83. Rare et importante statue de Bouddha Shakyamuni en bronze doré sur son socle lotiforme, Chine, dynastie Ming, XVIème-XVIIème siècle. Hauteur totale : 80 cm. Prix réalisé : 315 000 € (Estimation : 150 000 – 250 000 €). Acquis par le musée Guimet © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

Provenance: Acquired with the Scheut Missionaries, Belgium, 1964, by repute.
The Scheut Missionaries are known for having sent the first Belgian missionaries to China in 1865.
Then by descent within the family.

Note: The present Buddha is depicted in monastic form, as indicated by his simple robes and cropped hair. While not definitive on their own, these features, along with the urna, elongated earlobes, snail-shell curls, webbed fingers, and serene expression, are all traditional attributes of a Buddha figure. Among the many Buddhas venerated in Chinese Buddhism, the most commonly represented are Shakyamuni (the Historical Buddha), Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light), and Bhaisajyaguru (the Medicine Buddha). Each can be identified by specific iconographic features or hand gestures, known as mudras.

This present figure is identified as Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, through his use of the bhumisparshamudra, or "earth-touching gesture," which symbolizes the moment of his enlightenment, when he called the earth to witness his spiritual triumph. In this pose, the left hand rests in the lap, palm upward, in the meditative dhyanamudra, while the right hand reaches down over the right knee, palm inward. Although Shakyamuni may be shown in a variety of mudras, the bhumisparshamudra remains the most iconic and widely recognized.

Shakyamuni was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama around 563 BC, in the Shakya clan in what is now Nepal. Despite his royal status, he renounced worldly life and all claim to the throne, embracing a spiritual path. After attaining enlightenment, he preached the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Upon his passing around 483 BC, at the age of eighty, he entered nirvana.

The Buddha is seated upon a large, tiered lotus pedestal rising from swirling waves carved in low relief, bordered by a post-and-rail balustrade, each post topped with a lotus-bud finial. This ensemble rests atop a hexagonal plinth whose form and bracketed apron recall the elegant bases of fine Ming dynasty hardwood furniture. The statue’s grand scale and refined casting suggest it may have served as the central figure in a triad, possibly commissioned by a prominent patron for a major temple.
For comparison, see a gilt-bronze Buddhist triad, dated to the 16th–17th century and measuring 78 cm in height, sold at Christie’s Paris, 16 December 2022, lot 91.

Lot 93. Statue de Yab-Yum en argile polychrome, Tibet occidental, XVème siècle. Hauteur: 30 cm. Prix réalisé : 30 240 € (Estimation : 8 000 – 12 000 €). Acquis par le musée Guimet © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

Provenance: Collection of Giuseppe Tucci.
Private collection, Italy, acquired from Manlio Goffi, Rome, 29 April 1959.

Note: For two comparable examples and possibly from the same group of sculptures illustrated in Giuseppe Tucci, The Temples of Western Tibet and their artistic symbolism, Tsaparang, Indo -Tibetica vol III. 2, Aditya Prakashan, 1999, pl. III, IV;