A viral rumor has swept across Chinese social media in recent weeks, claiming that the Kangxi Emperor was not the grandson of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (1613-1688), but her illegitimate son – fathered by a defector from the fallen Ming dynasty. Though swiftly debunked by historians, the theory sparked lively debate and revived public interest in Qing court life and the secrets of the early Manchu emperors.
At the center of the rumor is Kangxi’s famously close relationship with Xiaozhuang, his grandmother and political advisor. Their deep filial bond has long fueled folk speculation – and works of art reflecting their connection occasionally appear at auction. A recently surfaced imperial gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus, believed to have been commissioned by the emperor in her honor, is one such example.
Set to go under the hammer on 8 December, the Kangxi-era sculpture will be offered at Nagel Auctions in Stuttgart, a century-old German house known for discovering overlooked treasures in Asian art.
Alongside the Buddhist sculpture, the sale will also feature imperial enamels from Beijing workshops – highlighting the breadth of Qing court patronage – as well as a number of archaic bronzes.
Lot 266 | A rare Imperial gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Amitayus
China, Kangxi period
Height: 43.6 cm
Weight: 23.5 kg
Provenance:
- European private collection, owned by the family before 1970, originally collected in the second half of the 19th century while serving in the diplomatic service in China
Estimate: €400,000 - 600,000
Tibetan Buddhism played a central role in the Qing imperial court. Among the many deities venerated, Amitayus, known as the Buddha of Infinite Life, held particular significance. Closely associated with longevity rites, he was perhaps the most revered figure in Qing dynasty Buddhist devotion.
According to the Wanshou Shengdian, an official chronicle of Kangxi’s birthday celebrations, the emperor was described as a living incarnation of Amitayus. His grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, also held the deity in high regard: in his private chapel, a wooden stupa of Amitayus stood at the center, while in the principal Buddhist hall of the Forbidden City – the Yuhua Pavilion – Amitayus presided as the central altar figure.
The Amitayus figure offered in this sale is one of the most representative Kangxi-period Buddhist sculptures currently on the market, believed to have been created as a gift for the emperor’s grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang – a formidable stateswoman often remembered as the “Mother of the Great Qing.”
Born into Mongol nobility, Xiaozhuang was a brilliant strategist who helped unify the Eight Banners, removed the powerful regent Oboi, and supported Kangxi during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories – earning his lifelong reverence and helping lay the foundation for the golden age of early Qing rule.
A devout follower of Tibetan Buddhism, she once received from Kangxi a gilt-bronze figure of Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara, its base inscribed in Mandarin, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan Sanskrit, paying tribute to her compassion and praying for her long life. That Avalokiteshvara closely resembles the present Amitayus in style.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang
A gilt-bronze figure of Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara commissioned from Emperor Kangxi to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang | Beijing Palace Museum
The Kangxi reign marked a turning point in Qing Buddhist sculpture, establishing a new standard for imperial imagery – characterized by refined casting, rich gilding, and lavish materials.
The present figure exemplifies this tradition. Measuring 43.6 cm in height and weighing an extraordinary 23.5 kg (over 52 lbs), it is cast in solid bronze, fully gilded, with traces of vermilion lacquer showing through.
Amitayus is depicted seated in dhyanasana, hands in dhyana mudra, eyes half-closed in serene contemplation, with a subtle smile on his lips. He wears a bejeweled crown and a gem-studded dhoti that cascades over the pedestal – stylistic elements inherited from Ming dynasty sculpture. The hem of the robe is incised with delicate floral scrollwork that balances meticulous detail with lyrical grace.
The double-lotus base features broad, full petals that give the sculpture a commanding presence. The inner layer of petals rises in relief, each tip decorated with a trio of cloud-scroll motifs, creating a dynamic three-dimensional effect. A beaded rim encircles the upper edge of the base, enhancing its visual richness.
The Qing court observed auspicious numerology of the “Nine-Nine Ritual,” favoring gifts in multiples of nine for significant occasions such as imperial birthdays, weddings, and state tributes.
Kangxi is known to have presented his step-grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaohuizhang, with birthday offerings that followed this ritual format, including gold, silver, gemstones, court artworks, and antiques. Qianlong took the tradition even further, once gifting 900 Amitayus statues in a single day to his mother.
Identical Amitayus figures often bear two sets of numbers engraved beneath their sealed bases. On this example, the numbers “76” and “105” are visible. While the total number produced remains unknown, prevailing theories suggest that one number indicates the figure’s serial number, and the other refers to its placement or casting batch. Whether the total number during Kangxi’s reign was 99, 108, or as many as 900, most have been lost to time.
Among the known examples, the most celebrated is the one formerly in the collection of David Rockefeller, sold at Christie’s New York in 2018. Despite damage to the head, that figure carried an estimate of US$400,000 – and ultimately realized US$2.53 million.
The numbers “76” and “105” are engraved beneath their sealed bases
A similar example from the collection of David Rockefeller, sold for US$2.53 million at Christie’s New York in 2018
Lot 270 | An extremely rare imperial Beijing enamel vase and cover
China, Yongzheng four-character mark and of the period
Height: 16.5 cm
Provenance:
- European private collection, family-owned before 1970, originally collected in the diplomatic service in China in the second half of the 19th century - Old collection label no. 83 and a further label to base
Estimate: €40,000 - 60,000
At the recent Christie’s Hong Kong autumn auction, an imperial Beijing enamel inkstone warmer from the Qianlong period (height: 10.8 cm) drew widespread attention when it sold for HK$37.1 million – 2.5 times its estimate. The result has reignited interest in imperial enamelware, an exquisite category of Qing court craftsmanship often overshadowed by porcelain.
Beijing enamelware, as the name suggests, refers to copper-bodied vessels painted with enamels applied directly to the surface. Unlike cloisonné, which uses metal wires to separate colors, this technique allows for softer, more painterly effects. Introduced to China by Jesuit missionaries, the method was quickly refined by Qing imperial workshops into a distinctive court art form – later adapted to porcelain (famille-rose), glass, and gilt metal.
A classic example of Yongzheng-period enamelware (1723-1735), this elegant, slightly flattened baluster vase is exquisitely executed in vibrant colors. The body is decorated with scrolling floral vines on a yellow ground, while the shoulders are draped with painted pink furoshiki cloths bearing butterfly-and-peach motifs. These folds open to reveal floral roundels within ruyi-shaped reserves, as if the vase were wrapped layer by layer in brocade.
The motif draws inspiration from Japanese lacquerware in the Qing court collection, where objects are often depicted swathed in folded cloths, tied cords, or sachets. Its Chinese transliteration, baofu (包袱), is a homophone for bao fu (包福), meaning “to wrap up blessings” – an auspicious pun that added to its appeal. Favored by the Yongzheng Emperor, it was adopted by the imperial ateliers and carried across a wide range of media. It remained popular well into the Qianlong reign.
Japanese lacquerware in the Qing court collection | Taipei Palace Museum
Imperial Beijing enamel vases and covers | left from the Yongzheng period; right from the Qianlong period | Taipei Palace Museum
A comparable Yongzheng example of slightly smaller size (height: 12.1 cm) is preserved in the Taipei Palace Museum, alongside two later Qianlong-period variants – testaments to the enduring admiration for this form by both Yongzheng and his son.
Notably, this vase – along with several other highlights in the Nagel sale, including the gilt-bronze Amitayus – comes from a European private collection with longstanding ties to China. Assembled in the second half of the 19th century by a diplomat stationed in China, the collection has remained in the family ever since, with a clear and traceable provenance prior to 1970.
Lot 269 | An extremely rare and important imperial Beijing enamel bowl on copper with pink ground
China, four-character mark Kangxi yuzhi in blue enamel and period
Diameter: 15.3 cm
Provenance:
- European private collection, in family ownership since before 1970, originally collected in the second half of the 19th century in the diplomatic service in China
Estimate: €15,000 - 25,000
In recent years, the term “dopamine dressing” has gone viral on social media, encouraging people to embrace bold, joyful color combinations. Yet this exuberant trend made its debut centuries earlier.
From the earliest days of enamel painting at the Qing imperial workshops, artisans of the 17th-century court pushed technical boundaries by experimenting with how enamel hues could be blended and fired. Unlike glazes, enamel colors retain their vibrancy after firing and can mix freely on the surface – like pigments on a painter’s palette – offering unprecedented creative freedom.
The soft pink seen here was one such innovation: a new enamel color developed at court by combining gold-based ruby enamel imported from Europe with arsenic white to create a distinctive milky pink tone.
This extremely rare Beijing enamel bowl on copper is a refined example of balance and color harmony. It rests on a short, stable footring, with rounded walls rising gently to a subtly flared rim.
The exterior is delicately painted with dense floral scrolls in bright yellow, purple, blue, and green enamels, each bloom shaded with remarkable finesse and natural gradation. The rich, opaque pink ground softens the overall palette, lending a refined warmth to the composition. The rim and foot are gilt, while the interior is coated in turquoise enamel. The base bears a four-character Kangxi yuzhi mark in blue enamel, reading “Made by Imperial Order of Kangxi.”
A nearly identical example, similarly decorated and bearing the Kangxi yuzhi mark, is held in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. Bowls of this type – especially with Kangxi imperial marks – are exceptionally rare. To date, no other pink-ground copper enamel example has been recorded.
Lot 274 | A very rare Imperial enamel vase with pink background and floral decoration 'yuhuchunping'
China, in red enamel four-character mark Qianlong and period
Height: 33.4 cm
Provenance:
- European private collection, family-owned since before 1970, originally collected in the second half of the 19th century in the diplomatic service in China
Estimate: €20,000 - 30.000
Since its development during the Kangxi reign, pink enamel became a hallmark of Qing imperial taste. This Qianlong-period yuhuchunping (pear-shaped vase), with its radiant pink ground and floral decoration, continues that legacy with striking elegance.
Crafted in the Beijing Imperial Workshops, the vase showcases the exquisite painted enamel technique perfected during Qianlong’s reign. Its surface is adorned with filigree flower tendrils and symmetrical arabesques, rendered with dense detail and layered complexity. Large reserves are filled with floral arrangements – peonies, chrysanthemums, and roses – blooming in a vivid tapestry of blue, yellow, green, and purple hues.
The vessel’s elegant silhouette – a drop-shaped, bulbous body rising to a narrow neck – follows the traditional form of the yuhuchunping, a vessel type with deep historical roots. The term refers to vases with a flared mouth, slender neck, broad shoulders, and a circular footring, a form that dates back over a thousand years and remained a fixture in Chinese ceramic history.
Originally used as a wine vessel, the name yuhuchunping is believed to derive from a Tang-dynasty poem, which describes “a jade vase buying spring,” with “spring” (chun) serving as a poetic metaphor for wine.
Over the centuries, the form evolved from the slender, graceful profiles of the Song and Yuan periods to the shorter necks and heavier bodies of the early Ming. By the Qianlong reign, the shape had reached new heights of refinement, reaching the full, graceful S-curve seen in this example.
Lot 271 | A very rare Beijing enamel double gourd vase
China, Yongzheng to Qianlong period
Height: 22.6 cm
Provenance:
- European private collection, family-owned before 1970, originally collected in the second half of the 19th century in the diplomatic service in China - Old collection label no. 10 at the base
Estimate: €6,000 - 10,000
Shaped like a double gourd and painted in cobalt blue on white enamel, this playful yet sophisticated vase draws on early Ming porcelain – but reimagined through the luminous surface of enamel on copper.
Crafted in the imperial workshops during the Yongzheng or early Qianlong reign - a period when craftsmanship reached its zenith - the flattened, loop-handled form echoes vases of the Yongle and Xuande periods, themselves influenced by West Asian metalwork. In the Qing dynasty, these Ming-era shapes were not only admired but creatively revived, often with innovative twists.
A blue and white double gourd vase from the Yongle period | Beijing Palace Museum
A gourd-shaped flask with handles and cloud and dragon decoration in underglaze blue from the Qianlong period | Taipei Palace Museum
A gilt copper pitcher with painted enamel lotuses on a white ground from the Yongzheng period | Taipei Palace Museum
The decoration is rendered in carefully modulated shades of cobalt blue. On the lower bulb, a prominent shou (longevity) character is surrounded by flying bats – an auspicious motif symbolizing blessings and long life.
The upper bulb is adorned with scrolling lotus and stylized kui dragons, their forms painted with elegant fluidity. A warm yellow ground frames the neck, foot, and handles, adding a vibrant contrast to the cool blue palette.
The double gourd (hulu) form itself carries layered meaning. In Chinese tradition, the gourd is a symbol of good fortune, its rounded body and trailing vines evoking fertility – containing elixirs, spirits, or entire hidden realms, as in the tales of Li Tieguai, one of the Eight Immortals.
Lot 142 | A superb 'li ding' bronze
China, late Shang dynasty
Height: 19.5 cm
Weight: 1.575 kg
Provenance:
- From the collection of the chemist, engineer and director of Merck & Co. Heinrich Georg Johann Harms (3.9.1906-28.6.1975) and his wife Eva Harms (10.11.1905-13.10.1998), largely collected in Shanghai between 1935 and 1942
Estimate: €15,000 - 25,000
Among the diverse forms of ancient Chinese bronze vessels, none is more emblematic than the ding. According to legend, after Yu the Great united China, he cast nine bronze cauldrons, one for each part of his new kingdom, symbolizing his power and Heaven’s mandate.
This example is not a standard ding, but a variant form known as a li ding, which blends the ancient li and ding vessel types. The li began as a ceramic cooking pot in the Neolithic period. Like the ding, it has three legs and a wide mouth, but its legs are shaped like bulging pouches. This shape helped heat the contents more efficiently during cooking. In early bronzes, the li and ding were made as separate forms. But over time, their shapes began to overlap.
Eventually, craftsmen combined features of both, creating the li ding – a vessel that retained the dignified, ritual presence of the ding while adopting the curved, pouch-like legs of the li. The result is a form with a distinctive and easily recognizable silhouette.
A li bronze from the Shang dynasty in the Shanghai Museum
This vessel has two upright handles, a gently rounded belly, and three simple columnar legs. Its surface is covered with raised decoration, set against a finely cast leiwen (thunder pattern) background – a hallmark of expert bronze casting in the Shang period.
Encircling the belly are three taotie masks, a classic Shang motif. Each is composed of bulging eyes, curled horns, leaf-like ears, and a coiled body with clawed feet. The taotie is an ancient mythological creature traditionally associated with gluttony. During the Shang dynasty, it was often depicted without a lower jaw – interpreted as a moral warning against excess and indulgence.
A closer look reveals a sophisticated visual device: each taotie mask is formed from a pair of confronting kui dragons, another creature from early Chinese mythology. The kui is often described as one-legged, with the power to summon wind, rain, and thunder. It became a lasting symbol in Chinese art, and remains a key part of dragon iconography.
From both a historical and collector's perspective, a bronze vessel is especially prized if it bears an inscription. This example has one cast on the interior wall, reading zuo bao zun yi (作寶尊彝), meaning: “[I] made this precious ritual vessel.”
Comparable examples of li ding are held in major museum collections, including the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Musée Cernuschi in Paris, Harvard Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, and the Seikado Bunko Art Museum in Kyoto.
A closely related example appeared at Sotheby’s New York in 2019. Formerly part of the collection of renowned Japanese antiquities dealer Hirano Kotoken, it sold for US$150,000.
A comparable example in the Musée Cernuschi in Paris
A bronze tripod ritual food vessel (liding), late Shang / Western Zhou dynasty | Sold for US$150,000 at Sotheby's New York in 2019
Lot 143 | A fine ritual wine vessel 'gu'
China, Shang dynasty
Height: 27.8 cm
Provenance:
- From the collection of the chemist, engineer and director of Merck & Co. Heinrich Georg Johann Harms (3.9.1906-28.6.1975) and his wife Eva Harms (10.11.1905-13.10.1998), largely collected in Shanghai between 1935 and 1942
Estimate: €15,000 - 25,000
While ancient Chinese bronzes took many forms, most were made for ritual ceremonies, including offerings and ancestral banquets. These vessels are broadly categorized as either food containers or wine vessels. Among the latter, the gu is one of the most refined. This tall, elegant wine vessel first emerged in Upper Erligang and remained in use through the late Shang dynasty.
By the early Western Zhou period, the gu gradually fell out of ritual use. However, its distinctive silhouette continued to captivate collectors and connoisseurs. By the Song dynasty, it had been repurposed as a flower vase, inspiring later versions in porcelain, jade, glass, and metal. These reinterpretations became collectively known as hua gu, or “flower gu.”
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the gu form reappeared as one of the “Five Offerings” (wu gong) used on domestic and imperial altars, where it took on renewed ritual and decorative roles.
This vessel has the classic gu form, with a trumpet-shaped mouth, tall flaring neck, narrow waist, and a tiered, sloping foot. Its decoration is arranged in three clear sections.
At the top, banana leaf motifs follow the curve of the neck, emphasizing the vessel’s elegant shape. The midsection features stylized masks of mythical creatures with curled horns and wide eyes—framed by four vertical flanges. The foot repeats the motif with additional flanges, creating a strong rhythmic balance. A thunder pattern background (leiwen) unifies the design and adds depth.
A comparable Shang dynasty gu, similar in size and form, was offered by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2022 in a dedicated sale honoring Sir Joseph Hotung, the esteemed collector and philanthropist. Estimated at HK$400,000, it ultimately sold for HK$880,000.
Other notable examples are held in the permanent collections of the Beijing Palace Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Collection.
A comparable Shang dynasty gu | Sold by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2022 in a dedicated sale honoring Sir Joseph Hotung for HK$880,000
This gu vessel, together with the li ding and a group of eleven standing Tibetan Guanyin figures, forms part of a special selection of ancient artworks from the collection of Heinrich Georg Johann Harms (1906–1975) and Eva Harms (1905–1998). The pieces were acquired in Shanghai between 1935 and 1942, during a formative period in the international art market.
Heinrich Harms was a chemist, engineer, and director at Merck & Co., the American subsidiary of the German Merck Group. Founded in 1891, Merck USA experienced rapid expansion and restructuring during the early 20th century. Today, it is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, with global operations in vaccines, oncology, and animal health.
Lot 33 | A fine bronze of Ekadashalokeshvara
Tibet, 16th century
Height: 29.3 cm
Provenance:
- From the collection of the chemist, engineer and director of Merck & Co. Heinrich Georg Johann Harms (3 Sept. 1906-28 June 1975) and his wife Eva Harms (10 Nov. 1905-13 Oct. 1998), largely collected in Shanghai between 1935 and 1942
Estimate: €10,000 - 15,000
Among the many deities in Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) is one of the most widely venerated and frequently depicted. This bronze sculpture represents the bodhisattva in his Eleven-Headed, Eight-Armed form – a relatively rare iconography, especially on the market.
According to tradition, Avalokiteshvara vowed to save all sentient beings. If he ever wavered, his body and head would shatter. Despite tireless efforts, the suffering he witnessed remained overwhelming. In despair, he faltered – his body broke into a thousand pieces, and his head split into ten.
At that moment, Amitabha Buddha, his teacher, appeared and restored him. The shattered skull became ten faces – some serene, others wrathful – and Amitabha’s own image was placed at the top, guiding and blessing him. This became the Eleven-Headed Avalokiteshvara, a form specifically associated with the Asura Realm, where beings are afflicted by pride, aggression, and conflict.
This standing bronze features eleven vertically stacked heads, crowned by a five-leaf tiara. The primary hands are joined in anjali mudra (prayer) at the chest, while one right hand extends downward in varada mudra (giving). The remaining hands hold ritual objects, one now lost. The gestures are fluid, the fingers finely modeled, and the overall composition graceful and composed.
Bare-chested and adorned with necklaces, armlets, earrings, and turquoise inlay, the bodhisattva stands barefoot on a lotus pedestal. A lower dhoti wraps at the waist in rhythmic folds that follow the body’s movement.
The eleven heads, arranged in five tiers, symbolize the Ten Bhūmis – the ten stages on the bodhisattva path: generosity, morality, patience, aspiration, strength, wisdom, diligence, meditation, insight, and skillful means. The topmost head, depicting Amitābha, represents the final stage – equal enlightenment – signifying the attainment of Buddhahood.
This 16th-century work is a fine example of Himalayan bronze sculpture, skillfully integrating multiple artistic traditions. It retains subtle traces of Pala-style influence from India – seen in the modeling of the body and jewelry – while the gilded face and blue-painted hair reflect Tibetan customs, often refreshed during major festivals to keep the image spiritually “radiant.”
Draped over the bodhisattva’s left shoulder is the skin of a kṛṣṇasāra, or “gentle beast” –a small antelope associated with compassion and self-sacrifice. This motif dates back over a thousand years and appears in early Indian texts such as the Measurement Sūtra for Images. Bodhisattvas have worn this pelt since at least the Gupta period (3rd–6th century), where it symbolized the bodhisattva’s willingness to offer even their own life for others.
Two notable examples of this iconography can be found in museum collections: a 12th-13th century sculpture in the Potala Palace Collection, Lhasa, and a 17th-18th century bronze in the Art Institute of Chicago.
A 12th-13th century sculpture in the Potala Palace Collection, Lhasa
A 17th-18th-century bronze in the Art Institute of Chicago
Other Highlight Lots:
Lot 137 | A very rare and large carved jade 'cong'
China, Neolithic, Liangzhu culture, 3rd millennium BC.
Height: 30.7 cm
Provenance:
- From an important German private collection, acquired at Christie's London, 7 June 1993, lot 3
Estimate: €15,000 - 25,000
Lot 34 | A fine silver-inlaid bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni
Tibet, 16th century
Height: 17.7 cm
Provenance:
- From a Southern German private collection, collected by the father of the present owner in the 1970s until 1985, depicted on a photo dated 1985
Estimate: €8,000 - 12,000
Lot 28 | A fine gilt-bronze figure of Hevajra
Tibet, late 16th century
Height: 18 cm
Provenance:
- From the collection of the chemist, engineer and director of Merck & Co. Heinrich Georg Johann Harms (3 Sept. 1906-28 June 1975) and his wife Eva Harms (10 Nov. 1905-13 Oct. 1998), largely collected in Shanghai between 1935 and 1942
Estimate: €6,000 - 10,000
Lot 500 | A rare and fine 'Famille rose' teapot with lotus decoration and foliage
China, iron-red Daoguang seal mark and of the period
Length: 20 cm
Provenance:
- Old European private property, assembled before 2007
Estimate: €2,000 - 3,000
Auction Details:
Auction House: NAGEL Auktionen Stuttgart
Sale: Asian Art (838)
Preview: 5 - 7 December 205 | 10 am - 5 pm
Address: Neckarstraße 189 - 191 D - 70190 Stuttgart
CHINA
Lot 1 - 136 | Objects from Tibet, China, and India
Lot 137 - 595 | Decorative Arts, porcelain, paintings, and textiles
Date: 8 December 2025 | 9:30 am (Germany local Time)
Six Continents
Lot 590 - 897 | Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian art
Date: 9 December 2025 | 9:30 am (Germany local Time)
Enquiry: Ms Chan
Phone: +852 69191741 / +86 178 17491463
Email: china@auction.de