NEW YORK – Collectors of Chinese works of art will find Gianguan Auctions’ summer online sale on Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m. Eastern time, an exploration in connoisseurship. The properties include rare examples of devotional art, traditional and modern paintings, bronzes, ceramics and carved jades. Additionally, highly personal items such as Chinese stone seals, carved jades and Tibetan thangka are being offered. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
With devotional art an integral part of the Chinese ethic and highly popular among western practitioners of Buddhism, the sale would not be complete without exceptional offerings. Among those consecrated in Buddhist ceremony is Lot 9, a relief carved amber tablet of Bodhisattva Manjushri riding on a Buddhist lion (est. $1,500-$2,000).
Another hidden treasure is a Qing polychrome furong stone figure of Guanyin. Dressed in a long flowing robe, the benevolent figure holds an amphora bottle, with a lotus leaf as a backdrop and a mandorla inset, adorned with lotus blossoms. A fitted wood stand is included (est. $3,000-$5,000).
Meanwhile, a remarkably detailed gilt-bronze and pigment painted figure of Tara. Richly gilt overall, seated in lalitasana with her pendant right foot resting on a lotus rising from the double-lotus base with beaded rims, her lower body clad in a closely fitting dhoti gathered at the ankles and secured with a belt at the waist, a shawl across her chest and shoulders, the hands forming varada and vitarkamudra, her face serene with polychrome accents to the face and a crown framing the forehead and secured by a band tied over blue painted hair drawn up into a knotted jatamakuta and topped by a Chintamani jewel, with tresses falling to the bare shoulders and flanked by lotus blossoms on either side. The metal covered underside incised with a double varja. The statute embodies a deep and engaging opportunity to reflect on human experience (est. $20,000-$40,000).
Equally dramatic is Lot 46, a silver-plated bronze group of four standing buddhas on a circular lotus pedestal dressed in billowing robes and holding staff encircling a central flaming sun with spikes (est. $3,000-$4,000).
Similarly, Lot 135, a finely carved hardwood root-form Qing Guanyin grotto shrine in a naturalistic shape with minimal manipulation and utilizing the natural beauty and features of the tree-root, carved and pierced depicting a free-form, irregularly-shaped mountain as a Buddhist shrine with a seated Guanyin inside. The superb work of root carving is rendered here in the facial expressions of Guanyin, with distinct and serene features (est. $4,000-$6,000).
Gianguan has gathered an excellent collection of moderately valued modern and contemporary paintings for this sale. Zhao Shaoang, known for Western-inspired realism in his work, depicts his favorite subject, the cicada. Zhao goes beyond traditional painting by capturing the varied textures of the insect’s body and wings (est. $8,000-$15,000).
Another 20th century master of landscape is Guan Shanyue. The Autumn Founder of the Lingnan School, Guan adhered to and strived for variety in brushworks while innovating and following the methods of the ancients. His landscape evokes the close relationship between nature and man and pulls the spectator into the painting (est. $10,000-$15,000).
A traditional master from the Qing Dynasty, Wang Wu, was an independent artist and poet. He was known to be an observer of nature. His Wild Geese Calling portrays the birds in exquisite detail (est. $8,000-$10,000).
The leading jade carving is Lot 83, an archaistic Bi disc with five circular rings carved in openwork. The disc and terminal are both meticulously carved in circular and movable rings on both sides. Undulating Qilins pierced symbols and incised characters adorn each ring with a central medallion of Yin and Yang. Two musicians flank the top sides of the disc (est. $6,000- $8,000).
An exquisitely carved Shoushan stone teapot that depicts Laozi’s journey through the Plum Blossom’s mountain paths. The handle is shaped like a gnarled branch and the cover with an eagle feeding its young is the finial (est. $4,000-$6,000).
For details and condition reports, call the gallery at 212-867-7288 or email info@gianguanaucitons.com.
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