Sothebys : (English) Sotheby's December Asian Arts sale Total almost EUR5 million in Paris

Press release Paris

| 33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 | Sophie Dufresne |sophie.dufresne@sothebys.com | 33 (0)1 53 05 52 32 | Claire Jehl |claire.jehl@sothebys.com

Sotheby's December Asian Arts sale

Total almost €5 million in Paris

A magnificent gilt bronze statue of

Yamantaka Vajrabhairava and Vajravetali - €1,149,000

Jiangnan landscape by Li Keran - €393,000

Rare Imperial bowl in silver, Jiaqing mark and period - €297,000

Paris, 12 December 2017 - The last Asian Arts sale of the season at Sotheby's France ended with a total of almost €5 million, with 85 % sold by lots, and 95 % sold by value. Exciting rediscoveries and provenances, many of them Imperial, appearing on the market for the first time, fetched the highest prices of the sale.

Registration no. 2001 - 002 of 25 October 2001

Sale conducted by Olivier Valmier

The impressive large gilt-bronze ensemble of Yamantaka Vajrabhairava and Vajravetali achieved

the highest price of the sale: €1,149,000 (lot 27). In the 18th century, this impressive couple certainly stood on an exceptional stand of Imperial quality dating from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. It first appeared on the French market in 1955 when it featured on the cover of a prominent Paris sale catalogue.

The sale also includes a rare gilt-copper alloy portrait figure of a Buddhist hierarch, probably

representing the second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso (1476-1542), which at €225,000 largely topped its high estimate of €80,000 (lot 23).

An exceptional fine Famille Verte charger, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi period, had remained in the same

French family since the 19th century before featuring in this sale catalogue. This large size dish painting with Imperial banquet scenes, was sold for €175,000, making three times its high estimate of €50,000 (lot 77).

The sale featured several Imperial commissions, including an extremely rare Imperial parcel-gilt silver bowl, which fetched €297,000 (lot 51). This beautiful bowl features an incredibly refined decoration combining Buddhist and Taoist symbols with Tibetan characters.

Bidding was competitive for paintings and albums, like this rare complete set of the "Thirty-Six Views

of the Mountain Estate for Escaping the Summer Heat" by Matteo Ripa. This set was originally

commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor. Collectors were highly impressed by this important rediscovery illustrating the magnificence of the Imperial residence and battled all the way up to €162,500 for this last copy still in private hands (lot 76). The exact history of this album is shrouded in mystery but according to the ex-libris, it can be traced back to the collection of celebrated 19th century bibliophile and collector Arthur-Auguste Brölemann (1826-1904).

The sale started with two collections of modern Chinese paintings - French and Italian. The piece giving rise to the highest competition in the two groups was the Jiangnan Landscape by Li Keran, which went for €393,000 (lot 3). The most popular painting of the Italian collection was Sailboats braving the waves by Lin Fengmian, which sold for €162,500 (lot 11).

The sale featured a fine selection of textiles, including court robes in embroidered silk from the Qing Dynasty. Those from the Qianlong period were the most sought-after, including the abricot-yellow silk 'dragon' court robe, which fetched €93,750 (lot 45).

This sale ended with some highly appealing collections of Japanese art, including groups of 18th and 19th century lacquer inros, and several parcel-gilt bronze figures of samurai from the Meiji period. These pieces from former French collections, which came with attractive estimates, attracted great interest from collectors. For example, a pair of Meiji period samurai by Miayo sold for €32,500 against a high estimate of €5,000 (lot 130).

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Estimates do not include buyer's premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevoca bid

Images are available on request

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