Catalog (15)

A good Chinese boxwood carving of Budai. Three children clamor over him. A bat appears on his right hand. Bone and horn inlays detail his eyes and teeth. Rich, mellow old patina. Nice grain figure in places. Late Qing to early Republic. Ca 1900. Very good condition with typical minor distress checks in the old hardwood surface. Remnants of old label. Height, about 4 5/8 inches high.

A Chinese changhua stone seal of choice, dark red color ("chicken blood") and old, rich patina. Carved to depict Lu Dongpin, a poet scholar elevated to Taoist Immortal over time. A whisk (an attribute associated with Lu Dongpin) is held and a fruit resembling a peach to the side. Condition shows wear from use but good. No seal is extant on the smoothed bottom. Height, 3 1/4 inches

The English adaption, by Burton Watson, of Chinese Sculpture, Bronzes And Jades In Japanese Collections, Yuzo Sugimura, 1966 (first English edition, hardcover.) A scholarly catalog format of important Chinese works of art in Japanese collections with sections featuring Tomb Sculpture, Buddhist Figures, Bronzes and Jades. Profusely illustrated with excellent, full bleed black and white plates and a small number of tipped color plates. Embossed, cloth bound hardcover. Ex Libris Gerald D. Schultz. We are not book specialists and are selling from our own library collection. We consider this book to be in excellent condition with unmarked pages. The dust cover is worn and with tears. Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 66-22477

Bronze, Clay and Stone - Chinese Art in the C.C. Wang Family Collection, by Annette L. Juliano, 1988 (first edition, hardcover.) A scholarly catalog of 75 important early works of art in bronze metalwork, clay ceramic, and sculpted stone. Richly illustrated with color plates, the unnumbered pages include additional introduction, appendix of comparable excavated examples, and indices. We are not book specialists and are selling from our own library collection. We consider this book to be in excellent condition with unmarked pages. ISBN 0-295-96805-2 (We include in the illustrations of this volume a picture of a color plate depicting a Han dynasty bronze hu not unlike one we are offering for sale in our online catalog.)

Art From Ritual, Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, introduction and catalogue by Dawn Ho Delbanco, 1983 (first edition, hardcover.) A scholarly study of 70 important ancient bronzes from the Shang to the Eastern Zhou dynasties. 157 pages illustrated profusely with full page color plates and black and white details. Detailed, scholarly discussion of items in the Sackler collection following an informative introduction. Ex Libris Warren E. Burger, 15th Chief Justice of the United States. Including a typed note from Sonnenreich & Roccograndi (a law practice) dated May 23, 1983 to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger "with compliments of Arthur M. Sackler, M.D." We acquired this volume in the mid 1990s from Second Story Books, Rockville Maryland, which company sold the art books from the estate of Chief Justice Burger. We are not book specialists and are selling from our own library collection. We consider this book to be in excellent condition with unmarked pages. ISBN 0-916724-55-7 (Two ISBN numbers are given, one designating paperbound and the other clothbound. But the present hardcover volume has faux leather covered boards, the front with gilt embossed title. We include an additional illustration of the front board.)

This is Volume I of Ancient Chinese Bronzes In The Arthur M. Sackler Collections - Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, by Robert W. Bagley, 1987 (first edition.) A must have for serious students of ancient Chinese bronzes. 599 richly illustrated pages including index and credits. Steeped in substantive historical, cultural, techniques, styles and forms, scientific analyis, and other scholarship. We are not book specialists and are selling from our own library collection. We consider this book to be in good condition with unmarked pages, slightly rubbed dustcover in good condition, light warping to part bottom of some pages from water exposure. ISBN 0-674-80525-9

An unusual and rare Chinese export blue and white porcelain candle holder. In simple, traditional Western form probably for the export market but bearing traditional Chinese motif of figures in garden landscape with precious objects and burning incense. The crackle surface with cobalt blue decoration under the glaze. The center with figures with antique treasures in garden. The bobeche with bamboo and blossoms. The foot with flowering branches. The center portion is bordered above and below with manganese "mirror black" glazed relief double rings (the lower border on the biscuit) suggesting the appearance of tarnished silver or metal ferrules. The unglazed, angular foot rim carefully shaped before firing and the glaze well controlled with slight crawl. Most interesting, the "mirror black" glazed rings fade to a soft grey-blue rather than to an iron tone. This indicates manganese mixed with cobalt as was done with 18th century Kangxi works (the 19th century mixing manganese with iron to achieve a similar effect.) We are not saying this recent acquisition is necessarily that old. It may be that it was expedient to use the cobalt already available for the under glaze decoration and it does not appear as controlled as might be expected. Then again, it is an export form. A beautiful piece in pristine condition. A slight list is not very noticeable when not framed within a picture. We will not charge extra for melted wax accumulated in the hollow core. We are broadly estimating age as 19th century. A pleasing hoist at 1 lb and 8.4 oz (692 grams). Height, about 8 inches (20.32 cm)

A Han dynasty bronze hu vase. Raised on high, cupped foot. The body cast with three grooves bands around the circumference and below the girth. Another three grooved bands (one smaller) above the girth. Two mask handles with loose rings (original to the vase) on opposing sides of the shoulder. One larger grooved band under the rim. Condition sound with the vessel of solid casting, no active rust and good patina. Some old losses along the foot rim and holes under the girth on one side possibly from an impact or once active rust. The bottom once drilled for a lamp and now plugged (see illustration of inside bottom.) A good metalworker could easily patch the holes and losses for aesthetic display (whether with patinated bronze or with another material such as gold so as not to hide the conservation. Height, about 13 3/8 inches (about 34 cm). For examples of the same form, patina and grooved bands, see Christies 2009 sale 5812 lot 144 and Sothebys 2011 sale 8722 lot 310. Weight may be a factor to ship this item. When placing this vase on our scale it errors out at over 5 kg or 11 lb.

Chinese bronze shi (or foo) lion seal. Four character seal mark. Good condition. Height, little more than 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm)

Chinese scroll painting depicting figures in boats in mountainous landscape with bridge and retreats. A note attached by old paperclip (the note very dry and brittle with age) indicates "Chien Chien-chiu, member of the legislative Yuan and chief, Women's Activities Section, KMT". A search on the name paired with Kuomintang finds that Chien Chien-chiu was a member of the Central Committee of the KMT at least between 1969 and 1973 when nominated with eight others by Chiang Kai-shek to the presidium for its Fourth Plenary Session. This is interesting whether Chien Chien-chiu is the artist or presented the painting as it illustrates the tradition of literati interest and scholarship among statespeople in Chinese culture. The painting is in good, clean condition with wrinkles/folds in the mounting not intruding terribly into the paper of the painting (will remount nicely.) The scroll ends are buffalo horn. Painting height 27 1/8 inches (68.9 cm), width 11 5/18 inches (28.65 cm). Mounting height about 53 1/4 inches (135.3 cm), width 14 1/2 inches (36.83 cm)

A Thai market Chinese porcelain bowl. Turquoise, iron red, white, yellow, blue, green, black and magenta enamel decoration. Known as Benjarong, this class of porcelain made and decorated for the Thai taste of the period is so unique to that market that it is often thought of as a Thai ceramic. Metal covered rim and foot. The present example has wear and minor loss to the enamel in the bowl and a hairline crack from the rim (illustrated.) Condition issues are not uncommon with 19th century Southeast Asian market Chinese porcelain which also helps to explain the popularity of metal rims on these (perhaps more vigorously used) ceramics. The bowl in otherwise good condition with body and glaze crawling inside the foot from the firing. Bowl diameter a little more than 7 inches (17.8 cm), Height 3 5/8 inches (9.21 cm)

A pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain cups. Nicely painted decoration of three flower arrangements on each cup - the bouquets respectively centering a peony, a chrysanthemum and a camellia bloom (appearing to represent blooms from different seasons.) The cobalt blue has a deep, clean quality. Late 19th to early 20th century. Condition is good - one cup with small flake inside the foot rim (illustrated.) Height each, little more than 2 1/4 inches (5.72 cm). Diameter each, about 3 1/4 inches (8.25 cm) - one slightly under.

Pair Bleu de Hue porcelain bowls. Late 19th century Chinese kiln production (most from Jingdezhen) for the Vietnamese market. Blue and white decoration of ducks in water among lotus. If you look at the photographs closely, you will barely discern a very soft, pale blue wash for the water in the decoration. Four character hall mark on each piece (each illustrated here.) Metal rims, popular among late 19th century Bleu de Hue wares, have kept the porcelain rims well protected and so these are in excellent condition with no issues. Bowl diameters approximately 5 1/16 inches (12.9 cm). Cover diameters approximately 4 11/16 inches (11.9 cm). Acquired through a third party from the estate of a retired government employee who worked and travelled extensively throughout Asia in the 20th century.

A rare, antique Chinese Imperial court necklace presentation case. Gilt, red lacquered formed and stitched thin wood armature with carved or pressed fret pattern on sides and top also with auspicious symbols and characters conveying congratulations upon promotion. Diameter, about 7 5/8 inches (19.37 cm). Height, about 2 1/2 inches (6.35 cm). Very good condition with tasteful and old conservation to small areas of lacquer and expected rubbing to gilt surface. Retaining the original hinge and latch hardware (a thin bronze-like alloy). Also retaining a shaped, seal stamped label on the interior (where it was well protected) which may date to when the case was made. We are conservatively estimating the case to be late Qing to early Republican. A similar case but with archaic characters was sold by Aspire Auctions, February 6, 2014, lot 306

Pair kesi badges without rank insignia. With background only, we assume this must either mean it was for a student candidate not yet with rank or perhaps awaiting the addition of rank insignia (if it was appropriate to embroider or stitch onto a kesi badge.) We have included photos of the front and of the back with lining lifted to reveal the kesi technique including varied gold metallic thread. Condition is fair to good. Most of what appear to be fraying along the edges is confined to the back lining rather than to the facing badge. One of the pair is two pieced with more delicate state where the halves meet. Each 'square' is approximately 8 3/4 inches (22.23 cm) by 8 1/4 inches (21 cm). The two uncut, stitched together, are together nearly 18 inches long.