Sotheby s Hong Kong Presents Fine Chinese Paintings Autumn Sale On 4 October 2016

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1 Press Release Immediate Release Hong Kong Bonnie Ko / 8129 bonnie.ko@sothebys.com New York Dan Abernethy dan.abernethy@sothebys.com London Matthew Floris matthew.floris@sothebys.com Sotheby s Hong Kong Presents Fine Chinese Paintings Autumn Sale On 4 October 2016 Market Debuts Masterpieces by Fu Baoshi from a European Collection Inaugural Offering of Seal Impressions at Sotheby s Hong Kong Fine Chinese Paintings Sale Paintings, Calligraphy and Seal Impressions Previously in the M K Lau Collection Zhang Daqian s Gongbi Brushwork Landscape Painting Spring Clouds Amidst Autumn Landscape Public Exhibition: 30 September 3 October Auction: 4 October 2016

2 Hong Kong, 7 September 2016 Sotheby s Hong Kong will present a sale of Fine Chinese Paintings on 4 October 2016 during this year s Autumn Sale Series at Hall 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, offering around 300 works by celebrated artists and calligraphers. Highlights include neverbeen-seen masterpieces by Fu Baoshi from a European collection, a rich array of paintings, calligraphy and seal impressions previously in the M K Lau Collection, as well as an assemblage of works by 20th-century artists from the Cheng Xin Xuan Collection. The sale is estimated at a total close to HK$190 million / US$24 million*. C.K. Cheung, Head of Chinese Paintings Department, Sotheby s, said, This season, we are delighted to once again assemble important and fresh-to-the-market works for our discerning clients, leveraging Sotheby s unparalleled global network and trusting relationship with collectors. The sale will see historically significant masterpieces many from major private collections by distinguished modern Chinese painters and calligraphers, among them include the market debut of masterworks by Fu Baoshi from a European collector, as well as a blue-and-green gongbi brushwork landscape painting, Spring Clouds Amidst Autumn Landscape, by the legendary Zhang Daqian. Another notable highlight is the first ever presentation of seal impressions at Sotheby s Hong Kong s Fine Chinese Paintings auction. The opportunity to present a complete picture of Chinese art with a sale that encompasses Chinese calligraphy, Chinese paintings and seals, together in one place, is truly one not to miss! Sale Highlights Zhang Daqian ( ) Spring Clouds Amidst Autumn Landscape 1948 Ink and colour on paper, framed, x 61cm Est. HK$30 50 million / US$ million Spring Clouds Amidst Autumn Landscape is a birthday gift from Zhang Daqian to his confidant, Li Qiujun. Zhang and Li s brother were best friends, and later developed a very close rapport with the rest of his siblings. During Zhang s travel to Sichuan s Mount Qincheng, he painted eight landscapes using the mountainscape as his subject matter. In celebrating Li s birthday, Zhang travelled to her hometown in Shanghai and gifted her with this Gongbi brushwork landscape painting.

3 Masterpieces by Fu Baoshi from a European Collection Fu Baoshi ( ) Warriors on the Night March 1945 Ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll, x 60.7 cm Est. HK$15 20 million / US$ million Making its auction debut this October, Fu Baoshi s Warriors on the Night March was a work dedicated to the father of French-Vietnamese collector Doan ( ), and have been kept in a private European collection ever since. Doan was tracing the path of his ancestry and roots in China, and commissioned Fu to use a piece of history related to his Chinese last name as the key context of this painting. Deviating away from the artist s usual subject matter, Fu drew inspiration and reference from Book of the Later Han, one of the official works documenting the history of the Han Dynasty. He vividly portrayed warriors marching in the night, with their heads solemnly bowed in solidarity. In this work, the artist brilliantly addresses the common issues of traditional Chinese paintings such as the lack of perspective and distance as well as the relationship between light and shadow by adding lighter shades and tones to depict an empty space and the moonlight. Fu employs a modern approach through traditional ink medium to express both simplified and intense brushstrokes. Finely detailed, deeply evocative, Warriors on the Night March is a masterful depiction of a 20th-century war scene. Works by 20th Century Artists from the Cheng Xin Xuan Collection Jiang Zhaohe ( ) Old Women 1938 Ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll, 116 x 53cm Est. HK$ million / US$230, ,000 Old Women is created by Jiang Zhaohe during the late 1930s which demonstrates traces of realism by portraying the daily lives of the lowest stratum of social class living in Beijing. Based in Beijing during and following the Second Sino-Japanese War, Jiang Zhaohe was a teacher at Jinghua College of Fine Arts and painted numerous works depicting war-era devastation. Merging Eastern and Western painting techniques, Old Women portrays a homeless, elderly Manchu woman in ragged clothing, evoking the artist s compassion for those left in the wake of conflict. The work s title is translated in Chinese as Fate of the Manchu, referring to the plight of the Manchus following their fall from power after the Qing dynasty.

4 Calligraphy and Seal Impressions Previously in the M K Lau Collection Xu Beihong ( ) Seal Impressions of Xu Beihong (partial) 1939, Album Each album: 21 x 15.2 cm Est. HK$250, ,000 / US$32,000 45,000 In September 1939, Xu Beihong organised an exhibition in Singapore and stayed with Huang Mangshi during his time there. Huang created two sets of impressions from the seals that Xu used often, and the album on offer at this Autumn Sale is one of the two. The album contains a total of 83 seal impressions, each with an annotation written by Xu to explain whether the seal was for his own use or created for someone else. The seals themselves were crafted by a total of 17 individuals, including seal masters such as Chen Shizeng, as well as Xu s close friends Qi Baishi, Yang Zhongzi and Chen Zifen. Calligraphy and Seal Impressions Previously in the M K Lau Collection Qi Baishi ( ) Book of Seal Impressions A Set of three albums (partial) Each album: 19.5 x 13 cm Est. HK$120,000 18,000 / US$15,000 23,000 A gift from Qi Baishi to his wife, Hu Baozhu, the seals impressed in this set of three albums were all crafted by Qi Baishi, with an annotation on each album. Majority of the seals documented here were carved by Qi for other people, including families and friends, as well as government officials, scholars and painters such as Ma Lian and Takeuchi Seihō. This important collection illustrates Qi s extensive network and relationships with influential figures from all walks of life. ******** IMAGE DOWNLOAD: or (Access Code: ead8) ^The sale schedule is subject to change *Estimates do not include buyer s premium Sale catalogues will be available online at

5 NOTES TO EDITORS: I) SOTHEBY'S HONG KONG AUTUMN SALES 2016 CALENDAR (The schedule is subject to change) Auction Category 1 October The Classic Cellar II Featuring Château Pétrus A Unique Crystal Magnum Decanter of Special Louis XIII Cognac Asian Edition The Connoisseur s Cellar Part I 2 October The Connoisseur s Cellar Part II Finest and Rarest Wines Featuring Large Format Masseto Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale (Modern Asian Art, Contemporary Asian Art and Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art) 3 October Modern Asian Art Day Sale Contemporary Asian Art Day Sale Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Day Sale #TTTOP Classical Chinese Paintings 4 October Fine Chinese Paintings Contemporary Ink Art: Journey Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite 5 October Important Watches Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Part III Chinese Art through the Eye of Sakamoto Gorō. Early Buddhist Bronzes Roger Keverne 50 Years in the Trade Important Chinese Art Dragon Emperor Ming Furniture Portable Treasures HONG KONG EXHIBITION AND AUCTION VENUE Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (New Wing), 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong II) FINE CHINESE PAINTING: ASIA TRAVELLING EXHIBITIONS CALENDAR Date City Venue September Taipei Hua Nan Bank International Convention Center III) UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS Date Event Venue 25 August 2 September Ming Ma: The Artist Upstairs Sotheby s Hong Kong Gallery September Bernard Buffet: Infinite Jester Sotheby s Hong Kong Gallery 30 September 5 October Age of Elegance: European Paintings, Sculptures and Works of Art Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre IV) FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBY S Visit: Follow: & & WeChat (ID: sothebyshongkong) Join: Watch: Sotheby s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since Sotheby s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby s presents auctions in nine different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby s Financial Services, the world s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S 2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, Sotheby s Diamonds and Sotheby s Wine. Sotheby s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).