T he Important Chinese Art auction presents a tightly curated sale including masterworks spanning five millennia, from the Neolithic period through to the Qing dynasty. The highlight is a recently discovered superb Yongzheng period puce-enamelled falangcai ‘dragon’ vase, which ranks among the largest porcelains ever to have been enamelled at the imperial workshops in Beijing - an unimaginable feat had it not been recorded in the court archives.
Sotheby’s will also present a group of archaic bronzes and gold works of art which passed through the hands of the esteemed dealer, Giuseppe Eskenazi; over 80 archaic jades from the Robert and Cissy Tang collection; exceptional jades from the De An Tang collection including a massive green jade seal from the Qianlong period bearing the seal face tian'en baxun zhi bao, which was extensively impressed on imperial paintings; and a selected group of Jun ware from the Beixuan Shuzhai collection which is led by an early Ming dynasty hexafoil flowerpot, formerly in the T.Y. Chao Family Trust Collection.
中國藝術珍品拍賣欣呈清雍正御製胭脂紅琺瑯彩逐珠雲龍紋玉壺春瓶，乃清代琺瑯彩瓷中最宏碩之屬，若非有清宮檔案記載，難以讓人相信宮中琺瑯作有製如此分量之品。
更多名家收藏包括：一組曾由著名英國古董商埃斯卡納齊經手的吉金禮器；喜聞過齋藏玉八十餘件；平野古陶軒精選宋代雅瓷，均乃由第三代主理人平野龍一在過去二十年間細選慎擇之物；德安堂藏玉，當中包括尺寸碩大的乾隆年製和闐青玉「天恩八旬之寶」璽，鈐印遍見無數御藏書畫上；以及柏煊書齋藏鈞窰選萃，其中包括趙從衍舊藏明初天藍釉葵花式花盆，形色俱雅。
Extraordinarily enamelled win a deep puce enamel with two powerful dragons, this magnificent vase ranks among the most important and largest porcelains ever to have been enamelled at the Imperial workshops in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Corroborated by the imperial court archives to have been completed in 1732 – a mere two months after the Yongzheng Emperor disapproved of the blurriness on a copper-red vase, the vase testifies to not only the craftsmen’s unrelentless will to innovate and please the Emperor but also the unparalleled culmination of technical virtuosity during the Yongzheng reign.
此雍正琺瑯彩龍紋玉壺春瓶，屬清朝御瓷中最宏碩罕珍的品類。此瓶繪彩精妙超卓，器底藍料署款，佐證北京紫禁城清宮造辦處琺瑯作所製，乃琺瑯彩瓷無誤，但他例罕稀，若非造辦處活計檔有載，實讓人難以置信清代琺瑯彩瓷器中盡有如此絕品。據造辦處活計檔記載，此瓶乃1732年清宮藝匠據雍正帝諭旨特別繪造。僅在兩個月前，景德鎮窰釉裏紅瓶被指紋樣暈糊，在聖上的批評校正下，宮中藝匠創新不懈，以琺瑯紅彩臨摹繪成，終得龍顏一悅，見證雍正時期工藝的登峰造極。
50 Years New in Asia: From Inside the Forbidden City, an Imperial ‘Dragon’ Vase
Possibly made in 1732 according to Qing court record
清雍正 御製胭脂紅琺瑯彩逐珠雲龍紋玉壺春瓶
《雍正年製》藍料款
據錄或製於雍正十年
The sale includes other important Chinese works of art, such as a monumental limestone head of Vairocana Buddha from the height of the Tang dynasty, a well-published Northern Song dynasty black-glazed 'vortex' jar, a rare Xuande blue and white 'fish pond' brush washer formerly in the Alfred and Ivy Clark collection, and a unique early Qianlong period blue and white 'nine dragon' meiping.
同場並呈多件中國藝珍，如宏偉莊嚴的盛唐寶冠佛首、著錄極豐的北宋黑釉鐵鏽花渦紋罐、克拉克伉儷舊藏宣德青花魚藻紋葵花式洗，與乾隆初年青花海水九龍紋梅瓶，或為孤品。
Masterpieces tracing back to the genesis of Chinese civilisation this season include an exceptional and very rare group of archaic bronzes and gold works of art dealt through the hands of Eskenazi, each piece embodying the technical sophistication and historical significance that have proven increasingly sought-after in recent years. Notable highlights include a powerfully cast Shang dynasty bronze ritual wine vessel and cover, you, from the Xinyu period, that showcases a very rare combination of both the iconic you form and the archetypal taotie design, embodying the high and mature ‘Anyang’ style that flourished from the mid-Shang period. It is further endowed with a provenance and publication history that can be traced back to as early as the first half of the 20th century.
本季拍賣所獻佳器源溯華夏文明之初，同場欣呈一系列頂級高古藝術品，包括吉金禮器曾由著名英國古董商埃斯卡納齊經手的，每件均展示青銅工藝之高及其重要歷史意義。近年青銅禮器於拍賣場上備受追捧，屢創佳績。當中亮點要數商晚期青銅獸面紋提樑蓋卣，器形經典，鑄工精美，比例勻稱，綴饕餮紋，輔以繁複裝飾，其形與飾搭配鮮見，卻兩相呼應，華美絕倫。商代中葉，「安陽風格」青銅器於殷都（今河南省）地區始漸興盛，本品即為此風格成熟至高之典例。此器傳承有緒，早於1937年已存記錄。
The Robert and Cissy Tang collection of Chinese jades ranks among the finest and most renowned jades in private hands, and the 88 archaic jades on offer this season showcase the discerning eye and connoisseurship of Robert Tang that guided his collecting journey spanning almost four decades. Highlights include an outstanding jade ‘bird’ ornament from the mid-late Shang dynasty. Rendered with a tall crest and worked with the finest details, the relatively large ornament, veiled with a lustrous patina, has continued to embody the spiritual and/or ruling power for over three millennia.
喜聞過齋主人鄧國楨法官伉儷藏玉為私人玉器收藏最佳典範。今春呈獻喜聞過齋藏玉八十八件，由鄧國楨法官用上近四十載蒐集而成，展示其眼光獨到，好古善鑑。例如此商代中晚期玉鳥飾，高冠後垂，刻劃細膩，尺寸甚大，玉色褐黃，略帶光澤，存世超過三千年。
The De An Tang is the only private collection of jades ever to have been exhibited in the Forbidden City, at the Yongshou Palace in 2004, and highlights include a magnificent Qianlong Khotan-green jade 'tian'en baxun zhi bao' seal and a superb Yongzheng imperial white jade 'prunus' teapot.
德安堂藏玉，2004年曾在北京故宮博物院永壽宮展出，瓊瑛琳瑯，首推乾隆和闐青玉「天恩八旬之寶」璽，乃為慶高宗八十整壽而製，極具歷史價值。且有雍正御製白玉梅花蓋壺，玉質溫潤，雕琢雅緻，意趣橫溢。
The Beixuan Shuzhai Collection spans a history of more than 40 years. In addition to the Collection’s master’s great fondness of imperial porcelain and works of art from the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors of the midQing period, as showcased in the single-owner sale of his collection in these rooms in Spring 2015, he also holds in high regard monochrome wares of the Song - Yuan dynasties. His Jun ware collection, featured in the book by renowned scholar Qin Dashu, comprises carefully and well selected pieces demonstrating his discerning eye and connoisseurship. Sotheby’s is honoured to have the privilege to present eight gems from the group, each varying in shape, size, and colour.
柏煊書齋主人收藏閲歷逾四十載，從2015年香港蘇富比春拍內其私人拍賣專場可知他對盛清康雍乾御瓷及器物之喜好外，他亦鍾情宋元單色瓷，其中鈞窰藏品為數可觀，選材亦見精心，可謂珠玉紛陳。後更邀得權威學者秦大樹編集成書，並撰〈鈞窰歷史與成就論述〉鴻文深度闡述其發展及對後世影響。本場拍賣特從中精挑美品共八件，器形、大小、釉色均各異，充分彰顯藏家識見之深廣及對美器之愛惜。
