HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents the November and December sale series of Chinese art, timepieces, jewellery and wine at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery, starting with two sales of Chinese Art to take place on 24 and 25 November. Comprising highlights in Chinese Art as well as snuff bottles from the legendary Mary and George Bloch Collection, the two sales will offer a total of 553 lots, with a total estimate of over HK$46.3 million / US$5.9 million*.

Nicolas Chow, Sotheby’s Asia Deputy Chairman and International Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, said, “We are proud to present a compelling series of auctions this November focusing on private collections of Chinese art from around the world. Of particular note, we have antique brushpots and small playthings for the scholar’s desk from a private collection Xiao Tang Ji, Song Dynasty ceramics and Qing Dynasty glass works of art from renowned Japanese collections as well as other miscellaneous objects. Besides, we will have another fine group of snuff bottles from the legendary Mary and George Bloch collection. Featuring these distinctive private collections, this Chinese Art sale at Sotheby's will undoubtedly draw interest from collectors in Asia and beyond.”

Chinese Art 2:30pm, 24 November 2014 – Section I 10:30am & 2pm, 25 November 2014 – Section II & III

This sale features a superb group of carved brushpots from an Asian private collector, ranking among the finest examples to have emerged on the international market in recent years, a fine collection of Chinese works of art including Song and Yuan ceramics gathered over a period of 30 years in Japan, a collection of Qing dynasty glass, comprising pieces acquired in Sotheby’s London in 1979, from the celebrated Plesch collection, together with jade carvings from an old Hong Kong family collection.

Highlights XIAO TANG JI: FINE BRUSHPOTS AND WORKS OF ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF XIAO TANG

Xiao Tang Ji is a fine collection of brushpots and playthings for the scholar’s desk belonging to Xiao Tang, a renowned Asian designer who shares deep passion for the Chinese literati culture. This collection includes some outstanding brushpots including two examples inscribed by the renowned 18th-century painters Luo Pin and Jin Nong, both part of the so called group of the ‘Eccentrics of Yangzhou’. Through his multi-faceted interests, Xiao Tang is perpetuating in the 21st century this scholarly tradition of non-conformism and creativity, ultimately nurtured in classical studies.

An Exceptional Huanghuali ‘Prunus’ Brushpot Inscribed By Jin Nong (1687-1763) Qing Dynasty, 18th Century 24cm Est. HK$1.6 – 2.5 million / US$207,000 – 323,000

This brushpot is striking for its elegant design of a flowering prunus, which follows the tradition of Chinese painting with the surface of the huanghuali – a favoured motif symbolising perseverance, purity and old age – treated as a horizontal handscroll.

The carver has further enhanced the overall pictorial effect by skilfully incising lines of differing depths, as seen in the broad cuts that define the gnarled tree and the thinly engraved plum blossoms. The brushpot was an essential item for the scholar’s desk, offering not only a utilitarian vessel but also a source of inspiration for reflection through its carved subject.

Known as one of the ‘Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou’, Jin Nong (1687-1763) established himself as a talented poet, calligrapher and painter and a connoisseur of ancient bronzes and stone inscriptions. He is particularly noted for developing the ‘lacquer script’ (qishu), which evolved from inscriptions on Han dynasty (205 BC-220 AD) lacquer vessels made with a brush with the tip cut away.

An Exceptional Carved Zitan ‘Dragon And Phoenix’ Brushpot Qing Dynasty, 17th Century 17cm Est. HK$1.2 – 1.8 million / US$155,000 – 233,000

Zitan brushpots carved with this intricate and dynamic design featuring the dragon chilong are rare. Deftly carved with a complex web of interlocking sinuous chilong and a confronting dragon and phoenix on one side, this brushpot is a fine example of the bold creativity attained by artists working during the 17th century.

The composition of the brushpot would have to be conceived in its entirety to ensure the space was harmoniously filled while allowing the scene to unfold with every turn. Furthermore, it is particularly notable for the bodies of the creatures that are rendered in openwork and high-relief carving, which heighten the sense of movement and three-dimensionality, set against a ground of low-relief swirling clouds. The fine and dense grain of the precious zitan wood has enabled the carver to successfully capture the scene, while the inlaid foliate scroll at the rim heightens its luxuriousness.

A Huanghuali Brushpot Inscribed By Luo Pin (1733-1799) Qing Dynasty, 18th Century, Dated To The Bingzi Year (1756) 16cm Est. HK$250,000 – 350,000 / US$32,300 – 45,200

This beautiful brushpot is signed by Luo Pin (1733-1799), who was later known as Hua si zhi seng (Monk of the temple of flowers). A native of Yangzhou in Jiangsu province, Luo excelled in flower, figure and landscape paintings as well as calligraphy. He studied under the famous artist Jin Nong (1687-1763), together with whom he is celebrated as one of the ‘Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou’, a group of artist painters that rejected the orthodox school of painting in favour of a style that was individualistic and expressive.

A PRIVATE JAPANESE COLLECTION OF EARLY CERAMICS

Ceramics range from HK$30,000 – 350,000 / US$3,900 – 45,200.

• A Finely Carved ‘Ding’ ‘Lotus’ Bowl, Northern Song / Jin Dynasty 21.7cm

• A ‘Yaozhou’ Celadon ‘Floral’ Bowl, Northern Song / Jin Dynasty 19.2cm

• A Carved ‘Yaozhou’ Celadon-glazed ‘Lotus’ Bowl, Northern Song 14.3cm

• A ‘Yaozhou’ Persimmon-Glazed Meiping, Northern Song 30.8cm

• A ‘Yue’ Celadon-Glazed Ram, Western Jin Dynasty 10cm

A SELECTION FROM A JAPANESE COLLECTION OF QING DYNASTY GLASS

• A Turquoise Glass Bottle Vase and A Pink Glass Bowl, Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th Century The Vase 19 cm; The Bowl 11.5 cm Est. HK$50,000 – 70,000 / US$6,500 – 9,100

• A Blue Glass Bottle Vase, Wheel-Cut Mark and Period of Qianlong 32.8cm Est. HK$200,000 – 300,000 / US$25,800 – 38,700

• A Rare Sapphire-Blue Overlay Glass ‘Peony’ Bottle Vase, Wheel-Cut Mark and Period of Qianlong 20.1cm Est. HK$150,000 – 200,000 / US$19,400 – 25,800

• A Sapphire-Blue Overlay White Glass ‘Vine’ Bottle Vase, Qing Dynasty, 18th Century 23.8cm Est. HK$50,000 – 70,000 / US$6,500 – 9,100

• A Ruby-Red Overlay White Glass ‘Altair and Vega’ Bottle Vase, Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th Century 22.5cm Est. HK$40,000 – 60,000 / US$5,200 – 7,800

• A Pair of Ruby-Red Overlay White Glass ‘Crab Apple and Prunus’ Vases, Qing Dynasty, 19th Century 21.1cm; 20.9cm Est. HK$80,000 – 120,000 / US$10,400 – 15,500

SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE MARY AND GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION: PART IX 10am, 24 November 2014

The ninth instalment of Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection consists of close to 200 lots of snuff bottles in different media, reflecting the rich diversity and artistry of Qing dynasty craftsmanship. Originally numbering over 1,700 bottles, the Bloch Collection is legendary and counts among the finest Chinese snuff bottles ever made for the Imperial court and scholarly elite. It has been extensively published and exhibited at international institutions including the British Museum and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

The highlight of the auction is an outstanding Qianlong mark and period famille-rose porcelain snuff bottle produced under the supervision of Tang Ying at the Imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, enamelled on one side with a wondrous landscape scene, the reverse with a poem by the Qianlong Emperor. The auction also includes an exceptional group of inside-painted bottles by Ding Erzhong, the greatest of late Qing dynasty snuff bottle artists.

Highlights A Famille-Rose Porcelain ‘Landscape and Imperial Poem’ Snuff Bottle Attributed To Tang Ying, Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong 4.3cm Est. HK$4 – 5 million / US$520,000 – 645,000

This is undoubtedly the finest and rarest of all the porcelain snuff bottles in the Bloch Collection. Commissioned as one of a pair in the early Qianlong period under the direct supervision of Tang Ying, the superintendent of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, it is remarkable for the quality of the enamels and the intricate engraving on the ground, that skilfully reveals the white underlayer, providing a stronger contrast for the brilliant and richly coloured enamel decoration. The Qianlong Chen Han seal on the poem is extremely rare on porcelain snuff bottles, and elevates the bottle to the same level as the finest famille-rose porcelain vases produced in the early Qianlong period.

An Exceptional Group of Inside-painted Bottles by Ding Erzhong

• An Inside-Painted Glass ‘Cranes and Landscape’ Snuff Bottle Ding Erzhong, 1896 5.7cm Est. HK$240,000 – 280,000 / US$31,000 – 36,000

• An Inside-Painted Glass ‘Lakeside Landscape’ Snuff Bottle Ding Erzhong, 1897 6.7cm Est. HK$240,000 – 280,000 / US$31,000 – 36,000

• An Inside-Painted Glass ‘Nine Likenesses’ Snuff Bottle Ding Erzhong, 1904 6.4cm Est. HK$250,000 – 280,000 / US$32,000 – 36,000

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium