HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s will present two sales of Chinese Works of Art at its Hong Kong Gallery this November: Ceramics and Jades from the Collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee (28 November) and Chinese Art, including Snuff Bottles and Jades from an Old Hong Kong Family Collection (28-29 November). All works will be exhibited for public viewing from 22 – 27 November 2019.

SALE HIGHLIGHTS

CERAMICS AND JADES FROM THE COLLECTION OF SIR QUO-WEI LEE | 28 November
Following the success of the past two editions in 2018 and 2019, highlights of the third sale of this prestigious Hong Kong ‎collection Ceramics and Jades from the Collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee include further rare examples of Ming and Qing porcelain and several exceptional jades, including a Qing dynasty 18th century large white jade bowl, a spinach-green jade ‘twin fish’ marriage bowl and a celadon jade ‘landscape’ screen from the Qianlong period, formerly in a French collection and first acquired at a Paris auction in 1965.

Sir Q.W. Lee was a banker and philanthropist well-known for his passion for collecting outstanding Chinese works of art. This collection is notable not only for its scale and scope but as an unerring reflection of Sir Q.W. Lee’s legendary diligence, and integrity as the consummate perfectionist of his time.

A RARE BLUE AND WHITE MEIPING
MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD
24.5 cm
Estimate: HK$400,000 - 600,000/ US$51,500 - 77,000
Blue and white porcelains of the Yongle period rank among the finest in the history of Chinese ceramics and their designs provided inspiration throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. The present Meiping, with its harmonious combination of foliate scrolls with lotus blooms gracefully draped over an elegant form, exemplifies the style and taste of early Ming imperial porcelain. Closely related Meiping can be found in important museum collections worldwide.

A SPINACH-GREEN JADE 'TWIN FISH' MARRIAGE BOWL
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD
23.5 cm
Estimate: HK$700,000 - 900,000/ US$90,000 - 115,000
This bowl was fashioned from a spinach-green jade boulder of striking translucency and depth of colour, skilfully enhanced by the low-relief carving of two fish. The natural variegated hues of the stone were cleverly incorporated into the design, thus making the fish appear as if swimming in deep waters.

CHINESE ART, INCLUDING SNUFF BOTTLES AND JADES FROM AN OLD HONG KONG FAMILY COLLECTION | 28-29 November
This season’s Chinese Art sale features several private collections, including an old Asian family collection of ceramics ranging from the Tang to Qing dynasties, and an old family ‎collection of snuff bottles and jades assembled in Hong Kong from the late 1960s.

SELECTION OF SONG DYNASTY CERAMICS FROM OLD ASIAN FAMILY COLLECTION
This old Asian family collection encompasses the full range of Chinese ceramics, ranging from the Neolithic Yangshao culture to the closing years of the Qing dynasty. Many ceramics in the group have impeccable provenance, including some formerly exhibited in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology at the University of Durham when they were in the collection of the Malaysian businessman Loke Wan Tho. Highlights include a Northern Song carved Dingyao ‘peony’ washer, a moulded Dingyao ‘lotus’ dish and a superb Yaozhou chess box and cover.

• A RARE CARVED DINGYAO 'PEONY' WASHER
NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY
18.1 cm
Estimate: HK$280,000 - 380,000/ US$36,000 - 48,500

• AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE AND RARE MOULDED DINGYAO 'LOTUS' DISH
NORTHERN SONG – JIN DYNASTY
30 cm
Estimate: HK$300,000 - 400,000/ US$38,500 - 51,500

• A SUPERB AND RARE YAOZHOU CELADON 'PEONY' BOX AND COVER
SONG DYNASTY
13.2 cm
Estimate: HK$400,000 - 600,000/ US$51,500 - 77,000

SELECTION OF SNUFF BOTTLES FROM AN OLD HONG KONG FAMILY COLLECTION

• A FAMILLE-ROSE 'QUAILS' SNUFF BOTTLE
SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAQING
5.7 cm
Estimate: HK$100,000 - 150,000/ US$13,000 - 19,500

• A CINNABAR-RED AND EMERALD-GREEN OVERLAY CARAMEL-BROWN GLASS 'HORSES' SNUFF BOTTLE YANGZHOU, QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY
5.5 cm
Estimate: HK$30,000 - 50,000/ US$4,000 - 6,500

• AN AMBER PIG-FORM SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
5.1 cm
Estimate: HK$30,000 - 50,000/ US$4,000 - 6,500

• AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS 'ZOO ANIMALS' SNUFF BOTTLE BY WANG XISAN, DATED 1972
6 cm
Estimate: HK$20,000 - 30,000/ US$3,000 - 4,000

• A PUDDINGSTONE SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH – 19TH CENTURY
5.3 cm
Estimate: HK$15,000 - 20,000/ US$2,000 - 3,000

This collection of snuff bottles, jades and hardstone carvings was formed by an erudite couple with a true passion for Chinese art. Most of them were acquired in Hong Kong from Y.F. Yang. In that golden era of collecting, primarily from the late 1960s to early 1970s, a great range of high-quality bottles was available, both antique examples such as the Jiaqing porcelain bottle decorated with quails, formerly in the Qing court collection, and contemporary masterpieces created by Wang Xisan at the zenith of his career. The snuff bottle collection encompasses a great diversity of media and subject matter and is particularly notable for the sheer quality of the glass bottles, with their kaleidoscopic range of colours. A particularly favourite bottle of theirs was the delightful amber pig, originally sold by H.R.N. Norton at Sotheby’s London in 1963, and now being dispersed with the rest of the collection for others to enjoy.