NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announces Asian Art Week, a series of auctions, viewings, and events, from March 14-26. This season presents nine auctions featuring over 1,000 objects from all epochs and categories of Asian art spanning Chinese archaic bronzes through Japanese and Korean art to contemporary Indian painting. The week is headlined by the landmark collection of Florence and Herbert Irving, the namesakes of the Asian Art Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and celebrated philanthropists of New York. The sales are titled Lacquer • Jade • Bronze • Ink: The Irving Collection, in celebration of the materials the Irvings spent their lives studying and collecting. The week also welcomes the return of Japanese and Korean Art (March 19) to the schedule alongside the category sales for Fine Chinese Paintings (March 19), Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art (March 20), South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art (March 20), Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (March 22), as well as a single-owner sale Power and Prestige: Important Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from a Distinguished European Collection (March 22). All works will be presented in a public exhibition from March 14-20 at Christie’s New York. Additionally, on view will be a non-selling exhibition of Chinese painting and calligraphy from the Shuishi Xuan Collection (March 14-22), titled Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996): Following My Own Truth.

Lacquer • Jade • Bronze • Ink: The Irving Collection features over 400 treasured objects and paintings which the renowned collectors lived with in their New York City apartment, including gilt bronzes, jades, lacquers, ceramics and paintings from across Asia, as well as European decorative arts. The collection will be sold across an Evening Sale (March 20) and a Day Sale (March 21), with a complementary online auction Contemporary Clay: Yixing Pottery from the Irving Collection (March 19 to 26). Collection highlights include an extremely rare gilt-bronze figure of a multi-armed Guanyin ($4,000,000-6,000,000); an important Imperially inscribed greenish-white jade ‘Twin Fish’ washer ($1,000,000-1,500,000); lacquer pieces by Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891) including a tray of autumn grasses and moon ($60,000-80,000); and Lithe Like A Crane, Leisurely Like A Seagull, by Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) ($800,000-1,200,000).

Highlights from the Fine Chinese Paintings sale (March 19) include a long handscroll of Fourteen Poems on Planting Bamboo ($800,000-1,200,000) by the scholar-official Li Dongyang (1447-1516) and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Splashed Ink Landscape ($200,000-300,000). Japanese and Korean Art (March 19) returns to Asian Art Week with an impressive sale featuring a strong selection of Japanese woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), including the “Great Wave” ($200,000-300,000) and “Red Fuji” ($90,000-100,000). Featured Korean works include a gilt wood sculpture of a seated Bodhisattva ($60,000-80,000) from Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) and a slip-inlaid celadon stoneware maebyong ($300,000-400,000) from the Goryeo dynasty.

The South Asian Modern + Contemporary sale (March 20) features paintings by the seminal Progressive Artists’ Group and their associates, as well as important works by other pioneers of modern South Asian art. Highlights include Maqbool Fida Husain (1913-2011), Untitled (Horses) ($700,000-900,000) and Akbar Padamsee (B. 1928), Jeune femme aux cheveux noirs, la tête inclinée ($300,000-500,000). The sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art is led by a rare black ground painting of Mahakala Panjarnata, Tibet, 18th century ($250,000-350,000) and a curated selection of Himalayan bronzes and Indian paintings from the Estate of Baroness Eva Bessenyey.

This season’s sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (March 22) features rare masterpiece objects, including an exceptional 'numbered' Jun jardinière ($2,500,000-3,500,000); a magnificent Xuande ‘Fruit Spray’ bowl ($2,000,000-3,000,000); a rare Northern Qi gilded grey stone figure of Buddha ($1,200,000-1,800,000), and a magnificent and very rare huanghuali painting table, jiatousun hua’an, 17th century ($800,000-1,200,000).

The Shao Fangding ($1,000,000-1,500,000) is a highlight of the dedicated single-owner sale of Chinese archaic bronzes, Power and Prestige (March 22).

ASIAN ART WEEK | LIVE AUCTION OVERVIEW

Fine Chinese Paintings
19 March | 10am | New York
Christie’s sale of Fine Chinese Paintings features over 90 lots of landscapes, calligraphy, figures and floral compositions across classical, modern and contemporary ink paintings from the Ming dynasty to present day. Leading the sale is a long handscroll of Fourteen Poems on Planting Bamboo ($800,000-1,200,000) by the scholar-official Li Dongyang (1447-1516). Additional highlights include Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Splashed Ink Landscape ($200,000-300,000); Wen Shu (1595-1634), Flowers and Butterflies ($50,000-100,000); and Lu Yanshao (1909-1993), Poetic Images of the Tang Dynasty ($60,000-100,000). Additionally, on view will be a non-selling exhibition of painting and calligraphy from the Shuishi Xuan Collection (March 14-22), titled Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996): Following My Own Truth.

Japanese and Korean Art
19 March | 10am | New York
Christie’s sale of Japanese Art and Korean Art features 161 lots of classical, modern, and contemporary works. Highlighting the Japanese section is a superb offering of prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), and Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), including the “Great Wave” ($200,000-300,000) and “Red Fuji” ($90,000-100,000). Other Japanese highlights include a pair of screens by Unkoku Toeki (1591-1644), Horses in a Mountain Meadow ($100,000-200,000) and a silver kettle wrapped in iron ($100,000-150,000) by Yamada Sobi (1871-1916). Featured Korean works include a gilt wood sculpture of a seated Bodhisattva ($60,000-80,000) from Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) and a slip-inlaid celadon stoneware maebyong ($300,000-400,000) from the Goryeo dynasty.

South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art
20 March | 10am | New York
Christie’s sale of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art presents over 80 lots by members of the seminal Progressive Artists’ Group and their associates, as well as important works by other pioneers of modern South Asian art such as Hemendranath Mazumdar, Allah Bux and M.V. Dhurandhar. Leading the sale is Maqbool Fida Husain (1913-2011), Untitled (Horses) ($700,000-900,000). Also featured is an impressive selection by celebrated living artists including Akbar Padamsee (B. 1928), Jeune femme aux cheveux noirs, la tête inclinée ($300,000-500,000); Arpita Singh (B. 1937), Ashvamedha ($250,000-350,000); and Rameshwar Broota (B. 1941), The Other Space ($200,000-300,000). The auction additionally includes pieces by Francis Newton Souza, Syed Haider Raza, and Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, along with a section of contemporary works by artists such as Ranjani Shettar, Nalini Malani, Zarina, Atul Dodiya and Muhanned Cader, among others. Featuring a range of works by top artists in the field, this season’s sale offers emerging and established collectors unique buying opportunities across the category.

Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art
20 March | 2pm | New York
Christie’s sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art will present 131 carefully chosen lots featuring an array of fine sculptures and paintings from India, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. The sale is led by a rare black ground painting of Mahakala Panjarnata, Tibet, 18th century ($250,000-350,000); and a fine South Indian bronze figure of Chandikeshvara from the Chola period ($200,000-300,000). Other highlights include a curated selection of fresh-to-market Himalayan bronzes and Indian paintings from the Estate of Baroness Eva Bessenyey; a fine group of Indian and Southeast Asian stone and bronze sculpture; Indian picchvais from a distinguished European collection; and an elegant selection of Indian miniature painting from private American and European collections, including the Estate of Mr Carol Summers.

Lacquer • Jade • Bronze • Ink: The Irving Collection
Part I: Evening Sale
20 March | 7pm | New York
Lacquer, Jade, Bronze, Ink: The Irving Collection evening sale will present 26 of the finest pieces from across the Irvings’ most collected categories of Asian art: lacquer, jade, bronze, and ink, and some select ceramics. Featured lots include a highly important and extremely rare gilt-bronze figure of a multi-armed Guanyin ($4,000,000-6,000,000); an important and extremely rare Imperially inscribed greenish-white jade ‘Twin Fish’ washer ($1,000,000-1,500,000); a rectangular lacquer tray with decoration of autumn grasses and moon, Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), Meiji period ($60,000-80,000); and Lithe Like A Crane, Leisurely Like A Seagull, by Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) ($800,000-1,200,000).

Lacquer • Jade • Bronze • Ink: The Irving Collection
Part II: Day Sale
21 March | 10am & 2pm | New York
The Day Sale is divided into a Morning Session of Asian Works of Art and an Afternoon Session for English and European Decorative Arts, Carpets, Fine Art, and other Asian Works of Art. The morning session highlights include a silver-and copper-inlaid bronze figure of a Buddha, Western Tibet ($100,000-150,000), a sandstone figure of a male deity, Khmer ($100,000-150,000), and a white jade ‘Bridge Scene’ brushrest and spinach-green jade base ($80,000-120,000). Among the featured lots in the afternoon session are a set of eight George III solid mahogany dining chairs, possibly by Wright & Elwick, circa 1765 ($40,000-60,000); a Chinese Export reverse mirror painting, last quarter 18th century ($25,000-40,000); and a pair of George III silver candelabra by John Wakelin & William Taylor, 1777 ($20,000-30,000).

Power and Prestige: Important Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from a Distinguished European Collection
22 March | 10am | New York
Power and Prestige: Important Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from a Distinguished European Collection presents eleven important archaic bronzes in a single-owner sale. Carefully amassed over two decades by a private collector, the selection encompasses almost all forms of early ritual bronzes. Each piece is exceptional in its craftsmanship and provenance, with all vessels containing important inscriptions. The top lot of the sale is The Shao Fangding, a rare and important bronze ritual rectangular food vessel, late Shang dynasty, Anyang, 11th century BC ($1,000,000-1,500,000).

Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
22 March | 10:30am & 2pm | New York
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art will be held on March 22 across two sessions and comprises over 200 lots, representing works from a variety of collecting categories, including early bronze objects, Song ceramics, Ming and Qing porcelain, jades, and fine furniture. Highlights include an exceptional 'numbered' Jun jardinière ($2,500,000-3,500,000); a magnificent Xuande ‘Fruit Spray’ bowl ($2,000,000-3,000,000); a rare Northern Qi gilded grey stone figure of Buddha ($1,200,000-1,800,000), a rare Qianlong Period White Jade washer ($500,000-700,000), and Imperial robes and fine lacquer pieces from important private collections.

ASIAN ART WEEK | ONLINE SALE:
Contemporary Clay: Yixing Pottery from the Irving Collection
19 March – 26 March | Online
Contemporary Clay: Yixing Pottery from the Irving Collection, takes place from March 19-26 and comprises 68 teapots, figures and objects made by well-known Yixing pottery artists. Florence and Herbert Irving, known for their great eye for exceptional quality in art and form, appreciated the unique charm of contemporary Yixing ware. Steeped in earlier Ming and Qing traditions, while drawing creative inspiration from nature and the daily life, each potter represented in this collection has their own distinct style.