HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong June series of Chinese Works of Art sales will take place on 2 – 3 June 2016. A dedicated sale titled Water, Pine and Stone Retreat – Playthings will offer scholarly objects from the esteemed collection assembled since the 1960s, many inscribed with rare marks revealing the original identities of the makers and those for whom the artworks were commissioned, while the Chinese Art sale presents private collections of ceramics and works of art from Asia and Europe, highlighted by an exceptional set of three 18th century gilt-bronze figures of Amitayus in their original wooden cabinet.

WATER, PINE AND STONE RETREAT COLLECTION – PLAYTHINGS
10am│2 June 2016
The fifth sale from this esteemed collection of scholarly objects, assembled since the 1960s, consists of 122 lots in a diverse variety of media, with estimates ranging from HK$5,000 to HK$3 million. Many are inscribed with rare marks that point to the exact maker or commissioner, and provide a window into the aesthetics and lifestyle of the literati class in the late Ming and Qing dynasty. The sale title, ‘Playthings’ (yiwan), pertains to a specific category of objects, usually of small proportion, intended to ornate the scholar desk or simply be enjoyed for their visual or tactile quality.

Highlights:
Lot 88 An Inlaid ‘Hunters’ Zitan Box and Cover Attributed to Zhou Zhu, Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Period 9 x 25 x 14.9 cm Est. HK$2 – 3 million / US$260,000 – 390,000
Zhou Zhu, the Ming-dynasty master carver, is famous for his technique of inlaying a wide variety of materials onto wood and lacquer. On the present box, and on others attributed to him, one finds coral, silver, gold, malachite, lacquer, different types of horn, mother-of-pearl and even gilt-bronze, suggesting that he had access to a wide range of crafts and materials within a single workshop. He also created stunning three-dimensional works by deploying multiple layers of inlay. His work was hardly rivalled even at the height of Qing-dynasty craftsmanship. The design on the box illustrates the legend of the master archer, Yang Youji, from the Spring and Autumn Period. In an imperial test for skilled archers, Yang was assigned by the emperor the highly challenging task of shooting an agile white monkey. Yang aimed at the spot where the monkey was going and successfully hit his target as it arrived.

Lot 32 A Large Gold-Splashed Bronze Incense Burner and Stand Tianniantang Zhi Hall Mark, Late Ming – Early Qing Dynasty Incense burner (width) 38.5 cm; stand 24.5 cm Est. HK$500,000 – 700,000 / US$65,000 – 91,000

Lot 7 An Imperial ‘Realgar’ Glass Facetted Vase Qing Dynasty, 18th Century 15.7 cm Est. HK$250,000 – 300,000 / US$32,000 – 39,000

Lot 5 An inscribed Yixing Stoneware ‘Prunus’ ‘Stone Dipper’ Teapot and Cover By Yang Pengnian, incised by Qiao Zhongxi, Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period, dated to the Jiachen Year (in accordance with 1844) 14.5 cm Est. HK$250,000 – 300,000 / US$32,000 – 39,000

CHINESE ART
Session I: 2 pm, 2 June│Lots 601 – 727 Session II: 10 am, 3 June│Lots 728 – 844 Session III: 2 pm, 3 June│Lots 845 – 943
This sale will offer private collections of Song ceramics from Europe and Asia, a private collection of jade carvings assembled since the 1970s, selected Ming and Qing porcelain and a European collection of works of art. Among the highlights is a private collection of ceramic plaques and screens by the Eight Friends of Zhushan from the Republican period.

Highlights:
Lot 758, Property from a Private French Collection A Rare Shrine of Three-Gilt-Bronze Figures of Amitayus Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period Sculptures 30 cm; shrine 95 x 90 x 40 cm Est. HK$3 – 4 million / US$390,000 – 520,000
Amitayus is perhaps the most popular long-life deity in Tibetan Buddhism, and is sometimes portrayed in a group of Three Long-Life Deities. Shrines dedicated to multiple images of the long-life deity Amitayus (immeasurable life) were popular in the Qing dynasty: at least five examples made of different materials are housed at the Summer Palace in Chengde.

Lot 747, Property from a Private French Collection A pair of Huanghuali Barrel-Shaped Stools Qing Dynasty, 18th Century 49 x 40 x 40 cm Est. HK$200,000 – 300,000 / US$26,000 – 39,000

Lot 665, Property from an Old Hong Kong Collection A Large ‘Cizhou’ Painted ‘Floral’ Meiping Song – Jin Dynasty 43.5 cm Est. HK$300,000 – 400,000 / US$39,000 – 52,000
This meiping vase ranks among the largest ‘Cizhou’ wares and is most impressive for its superb bold painting and the strong contrast of black painting against the white-slip ground. Vases of similar form and black-painted decoration are very rare, although they are represented in a few famous collections worldwide, varying in size, proportion and designs. This meiping is therefore probably unique.

Lots 604, 635, 601, 603, 630 Selection of Early Ceramics from Private Collections Estimates range from HK$30,000 to 200,000 / US$3,900 to 26,000

A Private Collection of Ceramic Plaques and Screens By the Republican Period Artists, the Zhushan Bayou (The Eight Friends of Zhushan)
The works of the Eight Friends of Zhushan are among the most renowned of all porcelains from the Republican period. These talented artists, who gathered in Jingdezhen, were not only skilled in the classical techniques of fencai painting, but also steeped in the rich traditions of Chinese painting and influenced by Western and Japanese painting. Offering works by six of the Eight Friends, the present sale is truly a rare opportunity for collectors.

Lot 875, Property from the Riyue Xuan Collection A Famille-Rose ‘Zhong Kui’ Screen By Wang Qi, Republican Period Panel: 41 x 31.5 cm Est. HK$500,000 – 700,000 / US$65,000 – 91,000
The founding leader of the Eight Friends of Zhushan, Wang Qi (1884-1937) fused his experience in making dough figurines, sculptures and painting pottery, as well as influence of the illusionistic use of colour in Western porcelain, to create a pottery painting style that combined illusionism in faces and xieyi renditions of clothing. At once elegant and strikingly bold, Wang’s style is considered a breath of fresh air to Jingdezhen pottery painting.