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Pax Romana Apr. 26 auction surveys Art of Asia: Antiquity to Present Day

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
antiquities
L to R: Lot 622 Large Chinese Ming bronze Guanyin, Ming Dynasty, 16th/17th century, weighs over 6kg, est. £4,000-£8,000; Lot 400 Fine Chinese gilt bronze figure of Vajrasattva, circa 1700 or earlier, est. £3,000-£5,000; Lot 353 Superbly modeled Chinese gilt bronze figure of Vajrasattva, circa 1700 or earlier, est. £3,000-£5,000

LONDON – On April 26, Britain’s premier antiquities auction house, Pax Romana, will take collectors on a virtual 5,000-year journey across time, from Ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day China. The expertly curated 337-lot selection allows all collectors, whether novice or advanced, to bid on authentic ancient art and cultural objects backed by trusted provenance and scholarship. Each Ancient lot will convey to its new owner with a professional Certificate of Authenticity signed by Pax Romana’s owner/director, Dr Ivan Bonchev (PhD, University of Oxford). Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

Fascinating art objects follow timeline from Ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day China

Featuring antiquities and works of art from China, India, the Holy Lands, Western and Southeast Asia, the auction’s Ancient section includes a great variety of artifacts in terracotta, stucco, bronze and stone.

Several rare and beautiful gilded Buddha statues (shown at top of page) are among the highlights. A large and finely cast 16th/17th-century Chinese Ming bronze Guanyin from the Ming Dynasty depicts the deity in a seated position on the back of a dragon. This exceptional artwork weighs over 6kg (13lbs., 4oz.) and is estimated at £4,000-£8,000. Also noteworthy are two superbly modeled circa-1700 (or earlier) Chinese gilt bronze figures of Vajrasattva. Each is estimated at £3,000-£5,000.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 594 Rare Chinese bronze ritual wine vessel, circa 12th-11th century BC, Late Shang Dynasty or later, est. £3,000-£5,000; Lot 541 Ancient Chinese bronze bird ritual wine vessel, 11th-10th century BC or later, Early Western Zhou dynasty, est. £2,000-£3,000; Lot 494 Archaic bronze vessel, circa 1100-771BC or later, Gui, Early Western Zhou, est. £3,000-£6,000

Archaic Chinese bronzes of various types and designs from the R. Unger collection include an enviable selection of wine vessels, which always stir collector interest when brought to market by Pax Romana. “These are rare and very collectible pieces,” Dr. Bonchev observed. “We are fortunate to have several superior-quality examples to offer bidders in our April 26 auction.” Leading the esteemed grouping are a circa-12th-11th century BC, Late Shang dynasty (or later), bronze ritual wine vessel, £3,000-£5,000; an Ancient (11th-10th century BC or later, Early Western Zhou dynasty) Chinese bronze bird ritual wine vessel £2,000-£3,000; and a circa 1100-771BC (or later) Gui, Early Western Zhou Archaic bronze vessel, £3,000-£6,000.

antiquities
Fine and very rare Famille Rose enameled double-gourd-shape glass snuff bottle, Qianlong, Chinese Imperial Palace Workshops, 4-character mark (1736-1780). Similar to example auctioned by Christie’s NY in 2006 for $329,600. Est. £50,000-£75,000

A most outstanding and extremely rare Famille Rose enameled double-gourd-shape glass snuff bottle, Qianlong, Chinese Imperial Palace Workshops Beijing, bears a 4-character mark from 1736-1780. The bottle is similar to one that was auctioned by Christie’s New York on March 29, 2006 (J & J Collection of Snuff Bottles, Part III) for a staggering $329,600. “The snuff bottle in our sale is a true connoisseur’s piece, and we anticipate strong interest from collectors worldwide,” Dr. Bonchev said. The lot is conservatively estimated at £50,000-£75,000.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 619 Chinese Tang dynasty terracotta horse, 26in high x 26in long, TL-tested, circa 618-907AD, est. £6,000-£9,000; Lot 603 Chinese pottery figure of Bactrian camel on plinth, circa 618-907AD, Tang dynasty, TL-tested, est. £2,500-£5,000; Lot 621 Rare Chinese Han dynasty pottery model of guard dog, TL-tested, est. £5,000-£8,000

A magnificent collection of fully authenticated (by Ralf Kotalla, Germany) Ancient Chinese objects includes a menagerie of Han animals and their attendants, as well as Tang horses, camels and other animals. These sorts of figural artworks are favorites with interior decorators and often grace the pages of architectural and design magazines. Pax Romana’s selection includes a TL-tested circa 618-907AD Tang dynasty terracotta horse, 26in high x 26in long, £6,0000-£9,000; and a TL-tested circa 618-907AD Tang pottery figure of a Bactrian camel on plinth, £2,500-£5,000. An appealing TL-tested Han dynasty pottery model of a guard dog could “fetch” £5,000-£8,000.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 358 Chinese blue and white rouleau vase with lion-form handles, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or later, est. $£600-£900; Lot 360 Magnificent Chinese blue and white ‘tianqiuping’ vase with motif featuring two three-clawed dragons, six-character Xuande mark, Ming dynasty style, est. £1,000-£1,500; Lot 359 Chinese blue and white porcelain moon flask, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or later, est. £1,000-£1,500

Ever-popular Chinese blue-and-white ceramics will cross the auction block, with highlights including a rouleau vase with lion-form handles, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or later, $£600-£900; and a desirable Ming-dynasty-style “tianqiuping” vase with six-character Xuande mark whose motif features two three-clawed dragons, £1,000-£1,500. A blue-and-white porcelain moon flask, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or later, is estimated at £1,000-£1,500.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 356 Pair of Chinese iron-red ginger jars with lids, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or later, est. £2,000-£4,000; Lot 384 Rare 19th-century Famille Verte plate with three finely painted five-clawed dragons, est. £800-£1,600

Additional ceramics include a pair of Chinese iron-red ginger jars with lids, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or later, £2,000-£4,000; and a rare 19th-century Famille Verte plate with three finely painted five-clawed dragons, £800-£1,600.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 554 Important Gandharan grey schist statue of Bodhisattva, circa 300AD, est. £2,000-£3,000; Lot 543 Extremely rare Gandharan Buddhist shrine panel/stela, made of Phyllitic schist, circa 500-600AD, est. £4,000-£8,000; Lot 515 Rare Gandharan bronze Buddha, hollow bronze cast, circa 200AD, est. £2,000-£3,000

A stellar array of Gandharan sculptures depicting the Buddha and various scenes includes many prized works. An important Gandharan grey schist statue of Bodhisattva, circa 300AD, is estimated at £2,000-£3,000; while an extremely rare Gandharan Buddhist shrine panel/stela made of Phyllitic schist, circa 500-600AD, could reach £4,000-£8,000. A rare and beautiful Gandharan hollow cast-bronze Buddha dating to circa 200AD is entered with a £2,000-£3,000 estimate.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 394 Large Sassanian bronze ritual bowl, circa 500-600AD, rare artifact, est. £3,000-£5,000; Lot 503 Finely made Nishapur terracotta jug with paint decoration, circa 1000AD, est. £1,000-£2,000; Lot 496 Medieval Islamic glazed terracotta bowl, possibly Abbasid, circa 1000AD, est. £1,000-£2,000

The auction also includes various objects from western Asia and the Holy Lands, rare pots from Persia, Indus Valley idols, Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and more. A large and rare Sassanian bronze ritual bowl, circa 500-600AD, is expected to reach £3,000-£5,000, while a finely made Nishapur terracotta jug with paint decoration, circa 1000AD, is estimated at £1,000-£2,000. A Medieval Islamic glazed terracotta bowl, possibly Abbasid, circa 1000AD, is similarly estimated at £1,000-£2,000.

antiquities
L to R: Lot 378 Finely carved white jadeite figurine of two monkeys, est. £1,000-£2,000; Lot 375 Chinese celadon bi-disc carved in high relief, circa 1644-1911, Qing dynasty or earlier, est. £600-£900; Lot 379 Chinese ram figurine carved from single piece of celadon pale green jadeite, est. £600-£900

Pax Romana is a member of both the Art Loss Registry (ALR) and British Numismatic Trading Association (BNTA). All Ancient items in the auction will convey with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Dr. Ivan Bonchev. The company ships worldwide and all packing is handled by white-glove in-house specialists. View the fully illustrated catalog and bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers. For questions about any item in the Sunday, April 26, 2020 auction, call Dr. Ivan Bonchev, Director, Pax Romana, London, on +44 7424 994167 or email director@paxromana.auction. Online: www.paxromana.auction

Rate of exchange: £1 = US$1.25

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