Following Sotheby’s unprecedented sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art last spring, which shattered the previous record for the category in New York, this fall Sotheby’s sale in New York on September 18th will feature a rich and diverse offering of works, including Chinese ceramics, cloisonné figures, archaic bronzes and classical furniture, among other highlights. Property from the sale, which comprises approximately 300 lots, will be on exhibition beginning September 14th and is estimated to bring approximately $9 million. The cover lot of the sale is a magnificent pair of cloisonné and gilt bronze ‘Hehe’ twin boys, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, which were previously on the cover of Sotheby’s London catalogue in 1996. The pair, each modeled kneeling on one knee with both arms raised, wear elaborate waistcoats boldly enameled with three dragons, is estimated to sell for $1.3/1.8 million. Mee-Seen Loong, specialist for the sale, said: “The September New York sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of art features a magnificent pair of Kangxi period cloisonne and gilt bronze Hehe Boys, a superb inlaid gilt-bronze ‘mythical beast’ from the Qianlong Period, a beautiful classic Yuan dynasty blue and white peony jar and an important early Yaozhou carved ‘surprise’ ewer from the Northern Song dynasty. This sale also encompasses a wide range of classic Chinese works of art, in scholar’s taste, from the group of archaic bronzes from a Private Collection, to the third offering of fine rhinoceros horn carvings from the Kenyon Painter Collection, complemented by numerous works of art in wood and ivory from the Collection of Maris Ozolin, within a setting of classical Chinese furniture from the Gruber Family of Hamburg, Germany.” The back cover of the catalogue will be a superb inlaid giltbronze ‘mythical beast’ censer, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (est. $500/700,000). The finely cast beast stands foursquare in an alert and threatening pose, its head held high, chest thrown out and claws flexed with tension. The fierce leonine head stares intensely forward through large bulging eyes, dispaying flared nostrils and sharp teeth. The piece is elaborately embellished with a myriad of various semi-precious stones including malachite, agate, turquoise, carnelian, rose-quartz, lapislazuli and white and spinach-green jade. A magnificent and classic 14th century blue and white ‘peony’ jar, Guan, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), will also be featured from a Private Collection in Paris (est. $1.2/1.8 million). The vase, of a superbly-potted baluster form, wide swelling shoulders gently tapering to the foot and surmounted by an upright neck with a rolled lip, is deftly painted in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a central frieze of meandering peony. Six large blooms are shown from various angles, each bearing a luxuriant array of petals. In shape, design and painting style, this jar is an archetypal example of Yuan blue and white porcelain. Another cornerstone is a group of approximately thirteen lots of classical Chinese furniture, which spans more than seven decades and two continents and is estimated to bring $275/400,000, from the Gruber family of Hamburg, Germany. Purchased in China in the late 1920s and early 1930s, these pieces have remained in the same household since 1938, when the head of the family, Dr. Karl Benno Gruber, returned from ten years of teaching in Beijing at the German School. The family, including three small children, traveled back to Germany by freight boat, a three month long journey, with the furniture in tow. Highlighting the collection is an important pair of monumental huanghuali compound cabinets, Qing dynasty, 17th century (est. $100/150,000), a massive camphor wood clothes chest, late 18th century (est. $10/15,000) and three pairs of 17th century stools (est. range from $15,000 to $30,000). An emphasis on leisure time is suggested by the rare 18th century tielimu and hardwood gaming table outfitted with the requisite board and parts, including a set of Chinese chess pieces and a jigsaw puzzle (est. $30/50,000). A Ming-style huanghuali recessed-leg painting table (est. $15/20,000) and a hongmu pedestal-top “scholar’s desk” table with side drawers, late 19th century (est. $6/8,000) demonstrate the weight they placed on intellectual pursuits. These versatile and lively pieces, along with the remainder of the collection, reflect the lifestyle of the young family. Following the highly-successful sale of archaic bronzes last season from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, Sotheby’s will again offer a single-owner group of approximately twenty archaic bronze vessels, which are expected to bring $1.4/2.2 million, from a Private Collector. The offering effortlessly demonstrates why these types of wares were among the earliest antiques that aroused the interest of collectors in China. Apart from their aesthetic appeal, they were important as historical documents as a result of their inscriptions, which fascinated collectors since at least the Song dynasty. A number of the bronzes were previously exhibited at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. A highlight is an outstanding archaic bronze set of an ewer and matching basin, Western Zhou dynasty, 10th/9th BC (est. $200/250,000). The broad shallow basin is raised on a tall splayed pedestal foot, set with two arched bridge handles below a narrow band of four pairs of confronting long-tailed birds divided by alternating bovine and taotie marks. A very fine archaic bronze ritual suspension bell (Zhong), Late Western Zhou/Spring and Autumn Period, will be included in this offering (est. $100/150,000). The present zhong is most impressive for its decoration that includes fine details such as the animal mask on the loop which is extremely rare. Also rounding out the sale is a number of fine examples of Song ceramics from the 11th and 12th centuries. Highlighting this offering is a rare and important early ‘Yaozhou’ carved ewer, Northern Song dynasty (est. $700/900,000). This beautifully potted piece of globular form is exquisitely carved in relief depicting pairs of mandarin ducks formed in fine detail, a boy holding another duck and a lotus scroll with sumptuous leaves. This ewer is arguably the most important extant example of this early type of Yaozhou ware, which is characterized by a fine pale green glaze and bold high-relief carving, and is unique in being decorated with a figurative scene rather than a stylized floral design. A third offering of rhinoceros horns from the Kenyon V. Painter Collection will also be featured. Highlighting the eleven lots is an outstanding large rhinoceros horn ‘scholars’ libation cup, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, carved on the exterior with a continuous landscape scene depicting eighteen scholars variously engaged in leisurely pursuits (est. $100/150,000). The Maris Ozolins Collection, belonging to the film art director and set designer, encompasses a great variety of scholar’s objects, furniture and books collected over thirty years of extensive travel. Together they reflect the intimacy one can attain with a work of art, a relationship vital to the influential literati of imperial China.