![](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" height="1600px" width="2400px"></svg>)
12 Extraordinary Highlights of Asian Art
Led by the glorious Qing imperial relic Zhou Zha Hu, two highly anticipated sales of Asian Art are opening this week at Sotheby’s.
R eturning to Sotheby’s New York on 12-18 September, this year’s auction week dedicated to Asian Art features two extraordinary sales covering the pinnacle of artistic expression: Dharma and Tantra and Chinese Art, which will be led by a the Zhou Zha Hu, a magnificent archaic bronze ritual wine vessel. Here are 12 highlights across both sales, which will be on view 12-17 September in the New York galleries.
Heading to auction on 18 September at 9am is a sale dedicated to Chinese Art that features over 270 lots of Ming and Qing porcelains, early ceramics, jades and more.
The Zhou Zha Hu: An Archaic Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel
Discover a 3,000-Year-Old Bronze Masterpiece from the Forbidden City: The Zhou Zha Hu
The Zhou Zha Hu, a well-known ancient relic once treasured in the Qing imperial collection, stands as a monumental testament to the artistry and sophistication of a glorious age in ancient China. Towering with an imposing presence, the vessel is majestically cast, embodying both commanding power and graceful elegance, with a deep, mature patina that whispers of centuries past. Its intricate design and craftsmanship reflect the ceremonial and ritualistic practices of the time, serving not only as a functional object but also as a medium for conveying the social and political prestige of its owner. Its long inscription of historical importance has been documented and studied by generations of imperial scholars and collectors, further solidifying its status as an esteemed masterwork of archaic bronze from the dawn of China's civilization.
Ge-Type Bronze-Form Hu
Covered in a creamy-white glaze suffused with a captivating web of crackles, the present vase is a magnificent example of the Song-imitation ceramics produced during the brief reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735). While the ravishing crackle glazes of the Song dynasty enjoyed an unbroken history of appreciation throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties, the most exceptional reproductions were produced during the Yongzheng period. Yongzheng’s personal appreciation of antique ceramics and exacting standards pushed artisans at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen to develop better and better reproductions of Song glazes, even going so far as to send Song originals from the court collection as study pieces to replicate. Especially following the appointment of the famed superintendent of the imperial kilns, Tang Ying, in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign, this period saw a growing demand for such magnificent pieces with subtle forms and minimal decoration.
Jun-Imitation Vase
Imposing yet subtle, sturdy yet sensuous, the present lot is a rare and important testament to the high quality and vibrant experimentation in porcelain production under the command of the Yongzheng Emperor. More than just statesman and warrior, the Yongzheng Emperor was also a connoisseur. Growing up surrounded by the greatest works of Chinese art, Yongzheng developed a passion for the shapes and glazes of antiquity. With a particular interest in the subtle enchanting glazes of the Song dynasty, Yongzheng tasked his artisans to study antique pieces from the court collection and develop new experimental glazes for use at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. The resulting glazes, a synergy of ancient beauty and modern technical ability, are a marvel to behold and this imitation of a “Jun” glaze is no exception.
Famille-Rose Figure of Puxian Seated on Elephant
This figure of Puxian, depicted with a brilliant and serene facial expression, sitting in lalitasana – the pose of “royal ease” – upon a ferocious six-tusked elephant, is among the finest examples of Qing porcelain sculpture ever recorded. Puxian (Samantabhadra in Sanskrit, literally “Universal Joy”) is the primary bodhisattva associated with practical adherence to Buddhist teachings. Discussed in great detail in the Guan Puxian Pusa xingfa jing (“Puxian Meditation Sutra”), an epilogue to the famous Lotus Sutra, Puxian is deified as a paragon of Buddhist practitioners and symbolic of the value of meditation and repentance. As the sutra explains, although Puxian is generally regarded as transcendental and amorphous, he is able to transform himself into a white six-tusked elephant when visiting the Earth.
Carved Agate ‘Geese’ Censer
Capturing a glorious spectrum of cloudy white, rich persimmon-orange and dramatic inclusions of chocolate brown, the captivating color of the agate material alone is grounds enough to see the present piece for what it is: an exceptional imperial treasure. Unlike the relative calm of the preceding Ming dynasty, the early Qing saw decades of ongoing battles to secure control of the northwest, which disrupted trade routes and limited access to much beloved jade. Although alternative sources of jade from Russia and beyond were imported to the court, these rarely met the emperor’s exacting standards. Thus, only truly resolved with the annexation of the western provinces in the 24th year of Qianlong's reign (1759), this disruption forced the artisans of the Imperial Jade Workshop, yuzuo, in Beijing to embrace other materials including turquoise, coral, rock crystal and, in this case, agate.
Archaic Jade Ceremonial Yue
Of simple yet striking form, the present lot numbers among the finest jade axes (yue) produced in ancient China. A dark central striation meandering through the middle of the blade accentuates its subtle shape and contrasts the enchanting light green stone with the serenity of the blue-gray opposite. Although yue may trace their origins to more humble Neolithic stone tools, by the time of the Shang period, they had reached lofty heights as imposing ceremonial weapons hewn from jade – true symbols of power and majesty. Indeed, this yue is a prime example of the heights of jade craftsmanship; worthy only to be held by the most powerful of leaders.
17 September will see Dharma and Tantra begin at 10am. The auction features a carefully curated auction of 75 sculptures, paintings and ritual works of art that encapsulate the development and diffusion of Buddhist art in Asia.
Gilt-Bronze Figure of Vajrasattva
Vajrasattva (“Adamantine Being”) is regarded as both a Buddha and a bodhisattva, who remains in the world for the benefit of the living and is worshipped through rites of purification. A key figure in two Esoteric Buddhist texts, the Mahavairochana and Vajrashekhara sutras, Vajrasattva is said to have learned the Dharma from Mahavairochana Buddha along with esoteric rituals to help achieve this divine “Way.” The present figure, with his serene smile, radiates compassion and benevolence. He appears youthful yet regal with his sumptuous crown and jewelry, as well as a shawl elegantly draped over his shoulders. He is depicted seated in vajraparyankasana on a double-lotus pedestal base, his left hand holding a ghanta and the right in a clutching position, wearing a dhoti.
Thangka Depicting Dragpei Tsenchen
The present thangka, depicting Dragpei Tsenchen (1376-1421), Fifth Abbot of Riwoche, is the finest preserved extant example from a set commissioned for Riwoche Monastery circa 1550. Others from the set include a portrait of Jigten Wangchuk (1454-1532), Eighth Abbot of Riwoche, and a portrait of Kyualwa, Second Abbot of Takyung, sold by Sotheby’s in 2018 from the Richard and Magdalena Ernst Collection. Both are illustrated and discussed by Jane Casey in Taklung Painting: A Study in Chronology, who also expounds the biography of Dragpei Tsenchen, recounting how he received full monastic ordination in 1398 and acceded to the abbot’s throne in 1418. He was considered a reincarnation of Sangye On, and had a patron-priest relationship in India, China, Nepal and Tibet.
Ritual Conch Trumpet
This rare and exceptionally carved conch trumpet, a Buddhist ritual object with powerful connotations of both imperial and religious significance, represents one of the finest of its type. The body of the conch is carved with seven buddha figures, likely representing Shakyamuni Buddha and the six previous buddhas. Each sits on a double-lotus base, backed by a throneback, with beaded festoons hanging above and between them. Bands of lotus lappet run above and below, interspersed by beaded bands, and additional beaded bands run along the contours of the conch near the mouthpiece. A band of archaic keyfret and a band of alternating ruyi motifs are carved at the outer edges.
Inscribed Figure of Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso
The inscription reveals that this exquisitely cast portrait bronze was created during the lifetime of the Fifth Dalai Lama and blessed by he himself, as opposed to being created posthumously like the majority of extant examples. Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-82), one of the most significant figures in Tibetan political and religious history, was renowned as “The Great Fifth” for his preeminent skills as a diplomat and politician. He was the first Dalai Lama to assume both spiritual and secular leadership (with the support of the Mongol leader Gushri Khan) within a newly unified Central Tibet. He commissioned the construction of two of the world’s most awe-inspiring edifices: the Potala palace, his headquarters and monastery, and the Lukhang, his private meditation temple built within a man-made lake, illustrated with very finely executed 17th-century esoteric wall murals.
Bronze Bell and Vajra Set
Centerpieces of Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice, the vajra (dorje in Tibetan) and bell (ghanta in Sanskrit, drilbu in Tibetan) are among the eight Buddhist implements used by monks in devotional worship. Representing method (upaya) and wisdom (prajna) respectively, the vajra and bell are combined in esoteric movements by a practitioner as a reminder of the inextricable link between the compassion of the bodhisattva and the awareness of life’s ultimate emptiness.
Gilt-Bronze Figure of Maitreya
Maitreya, a key figure in all schools of Buddhism, is considered to be a future reincarnation of the Buddha. Though depicted here residing in Tushita Heaven as a princely bodhisattva, his face is imbued with compassion, the elongated leaves about his shoulders are a sign of Maitreya’s future role: teaching the masses as Buddha beneath the naga-puspa tree in a future aeon. His depiction alongside a water vessel – in this case a kundika that rests by Maitreya’s right shoulder – is a feature shared with depictions of the earlier deity Brahma and may represent the legend that Maitreya is to be born of the noble Brahman caste.
