To celebrate Asia Week New York in the coming September, Christie’s has prepared an array of Asian art from Buddhist figures to Chinese paintings in the coming autumn sales. We are going to introduce some of the highlights here. Let’s take a look at the sale schedule first.

The focal point of the sale series is definitely the Zuo Bao Yi Gui, an archaic bronze vessel from the early Western Zhou dynasty (11th-10th century BC). It is estimated at US$4m-6m. The present vessel is different from other Gui vessels that we usually see. Many Gui vessels are made with a circular or square base while this one stands on four legs. The vessel has an illustrious provenance as it belonged to numerous prominent collectors like Wu Dacheng, C.T. Loo, Edward T. Chow and Bella and P.P. Chiu.

Gui is a ritual food vessel with a compressed globular body, raised on a waisted foot, with a pair of loop handles usually decorated with animal heads. Most Gui vessels are now in kept in museum collections.

A rare grey limestone figure of ‘Mahasthamaprapta’ from the early Tang dynasty (8th century). The 67cm-tall figure is estimated at US$1.5m-2.5m.

Mahasthamaprapta is bodhisattva mahāsattva that represents the power of wisdom, often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), especially in Pure Land Buddhism.

Rooftops, created by Indian contemporary artist Akbar Padamsee in 1959, carries an estimate of US$800,000 - 1.2m. Padamsee was born in 1928 in Mumbai. During the 1950s, he lived and worked in Paris, where he was influenced in particular by Fauvist painters like Georges Rouault, and his use of heavy use of black outline. In 1959, he returned to Indian after staying eight years in Paris.

Ma Xinle was a close friend of David Rockefeller

Horse, created by Chinese painter Ma Xinle, is estimated at US$250,000 -350,000. Ma Xinle studied in America and held a number of exhibitions during his stay there. He was a close friend of David Rockefeller. This painting ‘Horse’ is from the collection of Steven C. Rockefeller, whose uncle is David Rockefeller.

Carrying the same estimate is a thangka of scenes from the Life of Milarepa from Eastern Tibet, late 17th century. It depicts Milarepa, who is generally considered one of Tibet's most famous yogis and poets.

 

Other highlights

A white jade marriage bowl. Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Estimate: US$150,000 - 250,000

A large painted Cizhou truncated meiping. Northern Song - Jin dynasty (960-1234)
Estimate: US$60,000 - 80,000

An agate snuff bottle. Zhiting School, Su Zhou. 1750-1850
Estimate: US$30,000 - 50,000

Christie’s New York｜Highlights from Asian Week in September
Location: 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, USA
Preview: 7 -12 September 2018
Auction: 11-14 September 2018