A cover of an auction catalogue was leaked on the Internet, featuring a Ru Guanyao porcelain with a title ‘Le Cong Tang’, presumably a leading lot of Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Sales. According to the information just released by the auction house, it is confirmed that its upcoming sale will be led by Le Cong Tang’s Ru Guanyao brushwasher from the Northern Song dynasty. With a diameter of 13 cm, the brushwasher is one of the four handed-down Ru Guanyao pieces from a private collection, labelled estimate on request.
From the information given by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, this brushwasher will be sold at the sale ‘Song - Important Ceramics from the Le Cong Tang Collection’ instead of a separate sale of its own as others expected. The name of the sale also suggests that there will be other pieces of Song porcelain on offer from Le Cong Tang, owned by a famous Taiwanese collector, Cao Xingcheng. Sotheby’s released two photos of the Ru Guanyao brushwasher but they show deviation in colours, probably due to different light and shadow from photo shooting.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong also announced part of its sale highlights and four of them are Chinese art with estimates over HK$10m. The first one is a 19-cm-tall blue and white ‘Makara’ Jar, with mark and period of Xuande, estimated at HK$30-40m.
Another item from Xuande period is a 10.7-cm-tall blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ bowl and cover, with mark and period of Xuande, estimated at HK$35-55m. This bowl is from the collection of a prominent art dealer, Edward T. Chow.
For the sale of Buddhist Art, a gilt-bronze standing figure of Maitreya from Song - Yuan dynasty is estimated at 20m-30m. The figure is so enormous in size with a height of 116.8 cm. The last one is a white jade and cloisonné enamel ram-head teapot and cover of Qianlong period in Qing dynasty, 18.5 cm tall, also estimated at HK$20m-30m.
Highlights at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction
Ru Guanyao Brushwasher, Northern Song Dynasty
Sale: Song – Important Ceramics from the Le Cong Tang Collection
Sale date: 2017/10/3
Diameter: 13 cm
Estimate on request
An Extremely Fine and Rare Blue and White ‘Bajixiang’ Bowl and Cover, Marks and Period of Xuande
Sale: The Edward T. Chow ‘Bajixiang’ Bowl
Sale date: 2017/10/3
Height: 10.7 cm
Estimate: HK$35,000,000 - 55,000,000
An Exceptional Blue and White 'Makara' Jar, Mark and Period of Xuande
Sale: Three Masterpieces from the Collection of an English Lady
Sale date: 2017/10/3
Height: 19 cm
Estimate: HK$30,000,000 - 40,000,000
An Important Gilt-Bronze Standing Figure of Maitreya, Song – Yuan Dynasty
Sale: The Heart of Tantra – Buddhist Art Including Property from the Nyingjei Lam Collection
Sale date: 2017/10/3
Height: 116.8 cm
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
A Rare and Important White Jade and Cloisonné Enamel Ram-Head Teapot and Cover, Qianlong Period in Qing Dynasty
Sale: Important Chinese Art
Sale date: 2017/10/3
Height: 18.5 cm
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000