Boston, MA – March 4, 2019 – Skinner presents an Asian Works of Art auction featuring 500 lots of Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian art and antiques. Coinciding with Asia Week New York, the sale features five important private collections: Chinese monochrome ceramics, Gandharan and Sino-Tibetan Buddhist sculpture, Japanese Satsuma ware, and Chinese textiles. Collected over an extended period, each illustrates the highly selective tastes of the collector.
Yellow-glazed Dish, China, Ming dynasty (Lot 138, Estimate: $5,000-7,000)
Monochrome Chinese Ceramics
An egg-yolk yellow dish, Jiajing mark and period (Lot 138, Estimate: $5,000-7,000), is a highlight of an extensive local collection of Chinese monochrome ceramics. The group with its breadth of color and form is sure to comprise something appealing to collectors of every period of Chinese ceramics.
Buddhist Art and Sino-Tibetan Bronzes
A collection of Gandharan heads and a stele dating from the 1st to 4th century AD represent examples of Buddhist art featured in the sale. The elegant and classic sculptures were collected in the 1960s by the current owner’s father, an architect with the New York firm of Edward Durell Stone who was commissioned to build the government buildings in Karachi. A serene bronze Manjushri exemplifies a group of Sino-Tibetan bronzes collected by the current owner’s father while employed by Standard Oil in the 1930s in China, and the examples are of exceptional quality and historical interest.
Gandharan Gray Schist Bodhisattva Head, Kushan period, possibly 2nd/3rd century (Lot 265, Estimate: $2,500-3,000)
Gilt-bronze Figure of Manjushri, Sino-Tibet, 18th century or earlier (Lot 254, Estimate: $8,000-10,000)
Satsuma Pottery
Collected with an eye for artisan, exquisite detail and charming compositions, Satsuma pottery by Kinkozan, Hosai, Ryozan, Kozan, Meizan, and Gyokuzan, are on offer. The thirty-one lots in the collection are all in excellent condition and illustrate the range of subjects and techniques characteristic of Satsuma wares.
Kinkozan Satsuma Covered Box, Japan, late 19th century (Lot 228, Estimate: $1,500-1,800)
Textile Art
DETAIL | Three Embroidered Purses and an Aromatic Pouch, China, 19th century (Lot 405, Estimate: $600-800), part of the London textile collection of Nancy Murphy
Primarily dating to the end of the Qing dynasty, the London textile collection of Nancy Murphy showcases purses, fan cases, and collars. Domestic items used by and for women, the accessories are embellished and embroidered in a variety of stitches with decorations rich in symbolism with blessings for the wearer.
Other Auction Highlights include Korean genre paintings by Unbo Kim Ki-Chang, Indian and Nepalese paintings, a rare Tibetan bone apron, with vest, armbands, and cap and many more examples of Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian art, objects, and furniture.
Ritual Bone Apron, Vest, Armlets, and Cap, Tibet, 18th/19th century (Lot 261, Estimate: $3,000-5,000)
Previews, Catalogs & Events
Previews for the auction will be held in the Boston Gallery on March 20, from 12PM – 5PM, March 21, from 12PM – 7PM, and March 22, from 9AM – 10AM. Free and open to the public, specialists will be on hand to answer questions.
About Skinner
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Very informative, Antique and Unique.