NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s unveiled its Asia Week New York schedule of auctions and selling exhibitions. Beginning over three thousand years ago in the Shang Dynasty in China and continuing through to the 20th century in India, the 1,300+ lots of Chinese Works of Art, Classical Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, and Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, demonstrate the depth and diversity of the Asian Art field. Following a selection of highlight exhibitions around the world, public exhibitions in New York City open on 15 March, with auctions beginning 19 March.

Christina Prescott-Walker, Senior Vice President & Division Director of Asian Art, noted: “Every season the world descends upon New York for Asia Week New York, and this season will be no exception as we host our largest sale series in a decade. We look forward to welcoming the crowds into our York Avenue headquarters where all 10 floors of our building will be filled with Asian Art – for a celebration worthy of the creative vision and history of China, India, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas and beyond.”

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY SOUTH ASIAN ART
Auction: 19 March 2018, 11am
Asia Week New York begins at Sotheby’s with Monday’s auction of Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art. Following in the footsteps of last year’s auction, which featured significant prices for Raja Ravi Varma and Maqbool Fida Husain, the 2018 edition is led by Syed Haider Raza’s Village Provençal (estimate upon request). Painted in 1956, the work was shown later that year at the Venice Biennale, only the second year India participated in the international fair. Evocative of the works of Post-Impressionist artists including Paul Cézanne and Vincent Van Gogh, two artists who greatly influenced Raza’s practice, the 41-by-78 inch landscape beautifully represents the crossroads of India and France where Raza flourished.

MING: LUMINOUS DAWN OF EMPIRE
Auction: 20 March 2018, 10am
The Chinese Works of Art department will present the second iteration of Ming with a dozen works of art from the height of the Ming Dynasty. Shining a spotlight on the exquisite style and craftsmanship of the Chinese court in the 15th century, this year’s auction is highlighted by an Exceptionally Rare ‘Wintergreen’ Glazed Jar and Cover from the Yongle Period, considered to be the most important period for Chinese porcelain production due to its quantity, quality and innovation (estimate $1.5/2 million). The present work epitomizes the era’s achievements with its unusual shape and luminescent glaze; the jar, complete with its cover, is a rare find while its ‘wintergreen’ glaze is indicative of the technical skill of the early Ming craftsman.

JINGYATANG: TREASURES OF CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE
Auction: 20 March 2018, 10:30am
Immediately following the curated selection of Ming ceramics and works of art, Sotheby’s will present four masterpieces of Chinese Buddhist sculpture from esteemed Asian private collection, Jingyatang. Ranging in date from the Northern Wei to the Sui Dynasty, the stone sculptures are a testament to the skills of Chinese artisans. A Grey Schist Relief Carving of an Apsara, Northern Wei Dynasty, is a major highlight of the sale. Formerly in the collection of renowned dealer J.T. Tai, the 22 1/2 inch sculpture was last offered at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 1997. Since then, it has been exhibited at the National History Museum, Taipei and the Kaohsiung Municipal Art Museum, Kaohsiung. An unmistakably museum-quality piece included in the 2016 publication, The Treasures of Chinese Buddhist Sculptures, the sculpture carries an estimate of $1.2/1.5 million.

KANGXI: THE JIE RUI TANG COLLECTION
Auction: 20 March 2018, 11am
Dedicated auctions of Chinese Works of Art continue with KANGXI: The Jie Rui Tang Collection. Personally selected by collector Jeff P. Stamen, the approximately 90 pieces emphasize quality and rarity. The sale is led by a Large Famille-Verte Rouleau Vase (estimate $400/600,000). Measuring 29 3/4 inches in height, this Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period work of art is exemplary for its wucai design. Depicting a lively scene from the Feng Shen Bang (Investiture of the Gods), the greens, iron-red, yellows, aubergines and blues are emphasized by striking black outlines, which are notoriously difficult to achieve. Previously held in the collection of the St Louis Art Museum since 1913, the work was last offered at auction in 2005 and is comparable to a work in the collection of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

INSPIRED: CHINESE ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF GERSON AND JUDITH LEIBER
Auction: 20 March 2018, 2pm
The artistic vision of celebrated handbag designer Judith Leiber and her artistic husband Gerson are encapsulated in this dedicated auction of Chinese art titled Inspired. Thoughtfully and lovingly collected over the course of seven decades, the collection features pieces purchased by the couple from major American and European galleries including Ralph M. Chait. An Impressive and Large Pair of Famille-Rose ‘Soldier’ Vases and Covers from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty is particularly striking (estimate $250/400,000). Notable for their size, these 52 ¼ inch baluster vases are also significant for their design and provenance. Enameled with pheasants, exotically emphasized by their vibrant and long flowing feathers, these large vases were formerly in the celebrated Fonthill Collection, collected by Alfred Morrison.

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART
Auction: 21 March 2018, 10am & 2pm
Chinese Works of Art continues on Wednesday morning and afternoon with nearly 230 lots of ceramics, sculpture, textiles and jades. Highlighted by property from distinguished private collections, the sale is led by an Extremely Rare and Important Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel and Cover (You) (estimate $1.5/2.5 million). From the Shang Dynasty, this 1,500-year-old masterpiece of magnificent presence and patina is a testament to skills of its artisans as well as the care of its previous owners. Previously published in Beijing in the 1930s, the work was offered once before on 30 March 1978 in our London salesroom.

The seasonal sale of Chinese Works of Art also features a Rare Pair of Famile-Verte ‘Western Chamber’ Cups, Kangxi Marks and Period from the Cook Family Collection, a group of Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain purchased primary from respected dealer John Sparks in the 1950s and 60s (estimate $100/150,000). Finely potted in a beaker form, this exceptional pair is flawlessly enameled with a scene from the play Xixiangji/Romance of the Western Chamber. On the first, the central figure of Huiming is illustrated running alongside General Du, in pursuit of the fleeing rebel Sun Feihu, while on the second, scholar Zhang Sheng, Yingying and her attendant Hongnian bid adieu to Huiman as he rushes off to battle. Cups of similar form can be found in distinguished institutional collections including the Palace Museum, Beijing, the Shanghai Museum, and the British Museum, London.

THE RICHARD R. & MAGDALENA ERNST COLLECTION OF HIMALAYAN ART
Auction: 22 March 2018, 10am
Sotheby’s Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Department announced the sale of the Richard R. & Magdalena Ernst collection. Spanning six centuries of Himalayan Art – from the 13th through 19th centuries – this unrivaled collection captures the aesthetic beauty of the region in rare and superb religious paintings. The undisputable highlight of this dedicated auction is a Thangka Depicting An Early Buddhist Master from circa 1200 or 13th century Tibet. Measuring 36 5/8 by 28 3/8 inches, this portrait painting is one of the largest and earliest examples known, and is remarkable for its condition, color and quality. Formerly exhibited at The Art Institute of Chicago and The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and appearing in numerous publications, the work carries an estimate of $800/1,200,000

INDIAN, HIMALAYAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN WORKS OF ART
Auction: 22 March 2018, 2pm
The afternoon session of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art shines a light on Buddhist, Hindu and Jain ritual, devotional and decorative art. Amongst the offerings is a stunning selection of Himalayan bronzes from the Collection of Edwin and Cherie Silver. A Fine Gilt-Bronze Figure Depicting Nairatmya pays tribute to the refined tastes of the Silvers (estimate $80/120,000). Measuring 10 5/8 inches in height, this circa 14th century Tibetan sculpture depicts the consort of Hevajra, one of the principal meditational deities of the Sakya order of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

A Magnificent and Monumental Grey Schist Figure of Standing Buddha from the ancient region of Gandhara is another highlight of the auction. Dating from the Kushan Period, 2nd/3rd century, this important sculpture is an artistic amalgamation of the region’s Greek, Roman, Scythian and Iranian traditions. With its beautifully carved yet monumental proportions, the powerful sculpture returns to Sotheby’s after fourteen years with a pre-sale estimate of $1/1.5 million.

THE CHEW FAMILY COLLECTION OF CHINESE PAINTINGS AND CALLIGRAPHY
Auction: 22 March 2018, 5pm
In the 1970s, Ms. Frances Chew and her parents Thomas and Joan Chew began assembling a collection of classical Chinese paintings and calligraphy in their hometown of Carmel, California. The result, being auctioned at Sotheby’s on 22 March in a dedicated evening sale, is a fantastic selection of nearly 80 paintings and calligraphy by both classical and acclaimed modern masters. Water and Sky Gazing After Rain in Splashed Color headlines the offerings. Painted by Zhang Daqian, one of the foremost modern ink painters and a friend of the Chews, the radiant horizontal scroll cleverly straddles the line between reality and abstraction (estimate $1.2/1.8 million).

FINE CLASSICAL CHINESE PAINTINGS & CALLIGRAPHY
Auction: 23 March 2018, 10am and 2pm
This March, Fine Classical Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy will feature approximately 240 works by some of the most celebrated artists in the field. Wen Zhengming, Wang Hui, Wang Yuanqi and You Shouping are represented in Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from the Collection of Joe and Hellen Darion, led by Wen Zhengming’s Ode to the Red Cliff (estimate $380/580,000). Carrying three seals of the artist, this serene landscape and beautiful calligraphy, executed when the artist was at the age of 87, also bears a number of collectors’ seals including those of Kong Guangtao (1832-90), He Kunyu (1828-96), Wango Weng (born 1918) and the present owners. Previously exhibited at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor and Asia House Gallery, New York City, this handscroll is an outstanding work by one of the leading artists of the Ming Dynasty.

The sale also includes Wen Peng’s Poems in Cursive Script, an elegant handscroll measuring 215 5/8 inches in length. Signed Sanqiaofu Peng and dated 1560, the 16th century ink on paper also features three seals of the artist alongside colophons by Xiang Hanping (1890-1978) and Wang Yunzhong (1873-1918). Last offered at auction in June 1987, the work now carries a pre-sale estimate of $120/180,000.

The Wellington and Juliana Koo Collection offers another opportunity to acquire Chinese paintings and calligraphy that have not been available for decades. Cultivated over the course of 40+ years, during Dr. Koo’s tenure as one of China’s most distinguished diplomats, the collection features Su Shi Poems in Running Script by Zeng Guofan (estimate $60/80,000). A framed set of six, this group of calligraphy was a gift from the artist to Li Hanzhang, the elder brother of Li Hongzhang who became Prime Minister. Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from the Collection of Professor Chu-tsing Li is also of note this season. Comprised of nearly 50 works including paintings by Zhao Shao’ang and Xie Zhiliu, the collection illustrates the collector’s academic background as a Distinguished Professor of Art History at the University of Kansas and passion for the field, as he pioneered the study of this field in North America.

SATURDAY AT SOTHEBY’S: ASIAN ART
Auction: 24 March 2018, 10am
Asia Week New York concludes this March with Saturday at Sotheby’s. Encompassing nearly 400 lots beginning in the Warring States and continuing through to the Republic period, the porcelain, textiles, sculptures, furniture and paintings illustrate the abundance of creativity from East, South and Southeast Asia. A Blue and White Stemcup with Lança Characters, bearing a Qianlong seal mark and of the period, leads the ceramic offerings this season with an estimate of $15/25,000, while a ‘Huanghuali’ Ming-Style Recessed-Leg Table-Form Stand from the Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th Century, is the top furniture lot this March. Designed with a two-panel top with a rectangular, molded-edge frame, supported by four elegantly carved legs, it carries a pre-sale estimate of $15/25,000.

THE GREAT WITHIN: PHOTOGRAPHS OF INDIA AND THE BRITISH RAJ IN THE 19TH CENTURY
Selling Exhibition: 14-29 March 2018
Collected and curated by Clark Worswick, the founding curator of photography at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, The Great Within is a selling exhibition of 19th century photography. Seen through the eyes of renowned artists of their time – including Colin Murray, Felice Beato, Raja Deen Dayal and Bourne and Shepherd – the images document the people and the landscape of the British Raj. The works being offered in this selling exhibition are reprints from originals collected by Mr. Worswick, in state-of-the-art carbon inks, which will last nearly 400 years, extending the lifetime of these works of art as well as their historical significance.

LUIS CHAN: THE WORLD COMES TO HIM
Selling Exhibition: 15-28 March 2018
Sotheby’s will present a retrospective of Luis Chan this Asia Week New York. Born in Panama in 1905, Luis Chan adopted Hong Kong as his home in 1910 where he established himself as a painter, teacher, writer, curator and cultural advocate. Travelling around the world virtually via international art publications, he picked up artistic cues from the Surrealists, Abstractionists and Impressionists, all of which are represented in his exhibition. On view from 15-28 March, the artistic strength and joie-de-vivre of Luis Chan comes to life at Sotheby’s this Asia Week 2018.