A t the end of 2020, Sotheby’s Hong Kong Chinese Art sale brings together a wide range of ritual bronzes, ceramics, carved jades and a diverse range of Chinese artworks ranging centuries. The works presented in the sale are from the collection of Cheng Huan, a well-known barrister and writer, and other Hong Kong collections as well as leading art dealers in New York, London and Tokyo. Among the highlights are magnificent ritual archaic bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The auction will also feature a fine selection of Song ceramics, and an extensive group of Qing white jade carvings.
2020年即將結束，香港蘇富比薈萃各式青銅禮器、瓷器、玉雕及歷代中國藝術珍品，拍品來自資深大律師兼作家清洪珍藏及其他香港收藏，此外更包括來自紐約、倫敦、東京三地知名藝商的精品，焦點包括多件商周高古青銅禮器、臻美宋瓷及一組清代白玉雕。
Bronze ritual objects bear the mystery of their origin. Through a perfect harmony of form, decoration, and inscriptions, the Chinese bronze vessel with its engraved animal motifs represents the earliest narrative that predates the written word, and the height of technological and artistic expression in an ancient period of history.
The bronze vessels are an interaction between art and ritual, reflecting the spiritual aspirations from the early beginnings of the Shang and Zhou dynasties to secure harmony and order. Central in the ritual practices that protected the earthly realm, the bronze ritual objects served as a tangible symbol of political legitimacy and the divine authority bestowed upon ancient rulers. From the tripod jue and flared gu, which both held wine during the ceremonies, to the all-important ding, each vessel shape had specific functions and fascinating history.
Included in the highlights of this sale is an intricately cast bronze bell from the Warring States period, as well as a large bronze drum which was presented as a gift to the Honorable Parker T. Hart while he was serving in the U.S. foreign service.
青銅禮器起源神秘，引人入勝，器型、紋飾及銘文協調和諧完美，動物紋飾是最古老的敘事途徑，比文字出現更早，並代表了古代歷史上技術和藝術 的驕人成就。
青銅器是藝術品也是禮器，兩種身份互動相連，從中可理解商周初期開始，古人在精神上追求和諧與秩序，是這些高古宗教儀式的重心，也是天子權威的象徵，宣示其權位乃由天授。不同器型的青銅器各有功用及典故，如爵、觚為儀式上的盛酒器，爵帶三足，觚口外撇，鼎則屬重器，編制龐大。
拍賣亮點包括一座戰國青銅鐘以及一件青銅鼓，鑄工精美，後者乃帕克·哈特任職美國外交部時獲贈之禮物 。
The timeless, aesthetic sophistication and outstanding craftsmanship of the ceramics from China’s Song dynasty (960-1279) do not require an adept of Chinese art to be understood; they appeal to any connoisseur of classic beauty. Song ceramics were, and still are, treated with the utmost reverence and regarded as the foremost expression of ceramic art in the world. The beauty lies in the understated elegance of the forms and monochrome glazes – tones can in turns evoke the pale luster of melting snow, and the ethereal green of a spring stream, to vivid sky blues and somber smoky black.
宋代（960-1279年）瓷器，藝臻技絕，歷久彌新，鑑賞宋瓷，無需精通中國藝術，但凡喜愛古典美學者皆受其吸引。無論古今，宋瓷皆受推崇備至，被認為是世上陶瓷藝術的最重要體現，簡約器型，單色釉含蓄優雅，或如白雪初融，或如溪流碧綠，或天藍，或若煙熏，美不勝收。
Double-walled warming bowls were made to hold medicine and food and produced by joining together two bowls of slightly different sizes. The outer bowl commonly had a circular hole at the foot to allow hot water to fill the cavities between the two bowls and keep the vessel and its contents warm.
溫盌，盌壁共兩層，用於載藥或食物，以大小略有不同之兩盌組合成套，外盌多有一注水圓孔於足處，兩層之間注熱水作保溫用。
This selection of carved white jades from a Hong Kong collection showcases the artistic skill of Qing dynasty jade craftsmanship. Highlights of the sale include four jades of the finest quality.
此組精選白玉雕出自一個香港收藏，展現清代玉匠造詣，焦點包括四件頂級白玉，淨白純美。
The artworks from the collection of Cheng Huan in this auction include a diverse range of carefully selected material, ranging from extremely rare miniature turquoise animals from the Warring States period, acquired from the dealer Susan Chen, to an auspicious Qing dynasty famille-rose ‘peach and bat’ cup.
Highlights also include a finely cast parcel-gilt copper alloy incense burner by Hu Wen Ming, intricately decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems. Hu Wenming from Songjiang, Jiangsu province, was one of the most accomplished master metalworkers of the late Ming period, who specialized in the production of gilt metal vessels for the scholar's desk.
本拍賣呈獻清洪藏珍，材質多樣，如戰國時期之松綠石及玉動物袖珍把件 （購自藝術商陳淑貞），或飾福壽紋飾的清粉彩瓷小盃，佳品紛呈。
其他焦點包括胡文明製局部鎏金銅簋式香爐 ，飾佛教八吉祥紋飾，造工精巧。 胡文明，居雲間（今江蘇松江），晚明製銅名匠，以其鎏金文房器皿見長。
