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Chinese art collection

Great Gatsby’s presents huge Chinese art collection Sept. 21-22

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Chinese art collection
Pair of Chinese carved jade sculptures of celestial beauties executed in lavender, celadon and mottled green jade, 23.5in. high x 14in. wide x 5in. deep. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Great Gatsby’s image

ATLANTA – Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery will present over 1,000 lots in a two-day sale Sept. 21-22. The auction will feature Chinese Works of Art, Part 1 – the Private Collection of Jack Belz of Memphis Tennessee. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

Jack Belz is chairman and CEO of Belz Enterprises, one of the largest real estate and development firms in the South. He began collecting rare and unusual Chinese works of art over 50 years ago and is now bringing his collection to the marketplace.

Because of the vast size and large number of pieces in the Belz Collection, Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery will be selling items from this collection over several auctions throughout the next 12 months.

The Sept. 21-22 sale features monumental cloisonné vases, carved rosewood cabinets, oversized figural sculptures in carved jade and rose quartz, along with embroidered robes and hanging scrolls.

An outstanding example of Chinese jade sculpture to be offered is a pair of carved celestial beauties (above), executed in lavender, celadon and mottled green jade, each weighing 34 pounds and standing 23½ inches high.

The cloisonne vases on stands, each 8 feet 3 ½ inches high, depict pheasants standing on rockwork amid peonies and chrysanthemums on one side and cranes and deer amid lotus, peony and prunus on the other side.

Chinese art collection
Pair of monumental Chinese cloisonné vases on stands, 99½in. high x 36in. diameter. Estimate: $15,000-$18,000. Great Gatsby’s image

Also from the Belz Collection is a Chinese festival robe executed in silk with silk embroidery and gold couching. Displayed in a large shadowbox frame, the garment is decorated with writhing dragons contesting pearls of wisdom amid auspicious cloud forms; Penglai, the mountain of the Immortals; good luck symbols such as bats; and the Eight Precious Things, including pairs of fish, the state canopy, the endless knot, and the flaming wheel, all above waves.

Chinese art collection
Chinese festival robe of silk with silk embroidery and gold couching, in shadowbox frame 68¾in. high x 49¾in. wide. Estimate: $2,500-$3,500. Great Gatsby’s image

Estate furnishings from other collections including a tour de force 19th century German figural clock measuring 63 inches tall, 19th century French Gothic Revival furniture including hall benches, fireplace mantels and cabinets, a 19th century work of art after Rubens and once owned by William Randolph Hearst, a pair of 19th century portraits of Baron and Baroness Daublebsky, plus fine jewels, luxury timepieces more.

Chinese art collection
Monumental 19th century French carved walnut mantel, 110½in. high x 61in. wide x 24½in. deep. Estimate: $3,000-$4,000. Great Gatsby’s image

The German figural clock depicts Kaiser Friedrich III, German emperor and king of Prussia (1831-1888) wearing a full-dress uniform. Its plinth is decorated with a sculpture of a seated goddess holding a scepter on one side and a seated goddess holding a scroll on the other, likely allegorical figures depicting authority and knowledge.

Chinese art collection
Carved clock depicting Kaiser Friedrich III, German emperor and king of Prussia (1831-1888), 63in. high x 25in. wide x 19¾in. deep. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Great Gatsby’s image

The large 19th century oil painting after Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640) is a family portrait of Deborah Kip, wife of Sir Balthasar Gerbier (1592-1667) and four of their nine children. It was once owned by William Randolph Hearst and exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Chinese art collection
After Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), oil on canvas, 19th century, 60in. high x 51½in., once owned by William Randolph Hearst. Estimate: $7,000-$10,000. Great Gatsby’s image

Great Gatsby’s Luxury Estates & Private Collections auction will be conducted Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22, starting at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time both days.

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