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Gianguan sale Dec. 10 captures China’s artistic traditions

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Tang Zun of gilt silver and gold inlaid with turquoise, agate and diamond chips with gold long-tailed phoenixes, a base that features dragons and lids covered with deer. Estimate: $800,000—$1,500,000. Gianguan Auctions image
Tang Zun of gilt silver and gold inlaid with turquoise, agate and diamond chips with gold long-tailed phoenixes, a base that features dragons and lids covered with deer. Estimate: $800,000—$1,500,000. Gianguan Auctions image

 

NEW YORK – On Dec. 10, Gianguan Auctions will present an exceptional collection of Chinese antiquities and paintings that celebrate China’s heightened artistic standards. The emphasis is on Neolithic to Qing Dynasty works of art, including a painting by Song Meiling, exceptional Qing and Ming ceramics and jade carvings. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Kwong Lum, Gianguan’s founder and president, said the carefully curated collections emphasize rarity, aesthetics and craftsmanship at every price point, from top tier to mid-range and entry level.

The Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907) provides the day’s marquee item, a magnificent pair of gilt silver and gold vessels, or Zun, of hexagonal form inlaid with turquoise, agate and diamond chips. The covered vessels (above) are decorated with gold long-tail phoenixes with raised wings amid other scrolling birds, a base that features dragons and lids covered with deer. Lot 172 is expected to command $800,000—$1,500,000.

Precursers to sophisticated beauty begin with the catalog cover lot, a rare Eastern Han blue-glass model of a courtyard with four buildings and a front entrance (below). Delicately worked with ribs and bricks, the ceremonial ornament is 12 inches wide by 5 inches tall. Possibly unearthed near Huangnigan Hepu County, Guangx, as were similar glass items in the Guangxi Museum, Lot 152, valued at $400,000-$500,000.

 

Eastern Han blue-glass model of a courtyard surrounded by four buildings with a front entrance. 12-inches wide by 5 inches-tall., $400,000-$500,000. Gianguan Auctions image
Eastern Han blue-glass model of a courtyard surrounded by four buildings with a front entrance. 12-inches wide by 5 inches-tall., $400,000-$500,000. Gianguan Auctions image

 

Rare Neolithic (6500-1700 B.C.) cultures are represented too. Lot 163 is an Ouija ritual jade spade (below) with 14-inch blade of greenish white jade. The handle is inlaid with turquoise tesserae in the form of a taotie mask. It weighs nearly 4-pounds and is estimated at $50,000-$80,000.

 

Neolithic Ouija ritual jade spade with 14-inch blade of greenish white jade. The handle is inlaid with turquoise tesserae in the form of a taotie mask. Estimate: $50,000-$80,000. Gianguan Auctions image
Neolithic Ouija ritual jade spade with 14-inch blade of greenish white jade. The handle is inlaid with turquoise tesserae in the form of a taotie mask. Estimate: $50,000-$80,000. Gianguan Auctions image

 

Chinese ceramics of the Yuan, Qing and Ming dynasties are among the finest to come to the Gianguan podium in recent years. The sections epitomize the strength of the gallery to acquire fine properties of Famille Rose, copper red, blue and white, as well as items with unique glazes.

Among the most difficult of glazes for artisans to conquer was copper red, as exemplified by Lot 91, the hard-edged, two-tone octagonal meiping (below) on which two phoenixes cavort among leafy sprays and lotus lappets.

 

Yuan Dynasty, hard-edged, octagonal meiping on which two phoenixes cavort among leafy sprays and lotus lappets. Gianguan Auctions image
Yuan Dynasty, hard-edged, octagonal meiping on which two phoenixes cavort among leafy sprays and lotus lappets. Gianguan Auctions image

 

In the mid-range, outstanding properties include Lot 76, a blue and white dish with an interior center phoenix in flight and phoenixes amid scrolls on the exterior. Of the Qing Dynasty and bearing the six character mark of the period, it is $20,000-$30,000.

A delicate 20th century ink-on paper titled Flower is by Song Meiling, popularly known as Madame Chang, who was schooled in the United States at Wellesley College. It is said that her paintings were second only to her extraordinary beauty and political acumen. Lot 57 (below) is expected to create interest at $20,000-$30,000.

 

‘Flower’ is by Song Meiling, aka Madame Chang, ink-on-paper. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Gianguan Auctions image
‘Flower’ is by Song Meiling, aka Madame Chang, ink-on-paper. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Gianguan Auctions image

 

The sale starts at 10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, Dec. 10. It will be conducted live at Gianguan Auctions, 39 W. 56th St. and on LiveAuctioneers.com. For details, please contact the gallery director at info@gianguanauctons.com or call either 212 867-7288 or 212 867-9388.

 

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