NEW YORK, NY.- The bi-annual New York sale of Important Chinese Art on 15 - 16 September will be led by extraordinarily rare Imperial Bronze Bell made for the court of the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-1795), and which has remained in the Hearst family since it was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1921. Further highlights include a pale celadon jade ‘taotie’ censer and cover from The Kitson Collection, dating from the Qianlong period, and a massive silver-inlaid bronze ‘chilong’ vase, 17th century with a Shisou mark. All categories of Chinese art are well-represented in this sale which includes pieces largely drawn from distinguished private collections in the US and abroad including Property from the Collection of John F. Lewis, Jr. as well as private collections of Chinese ceramics, jades from The Feng Wen Tang Collection, furniture, scholar’s objects and other works of art.

William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) was one of America’s most audacious and influential figures whose art collecting was so prolific that obituaries at the time of his death noted that he accounted for twenty-five percent of the world’s art market during the 1920s and 30s. He was the only son of businessman and later US Senator Georg Hearst and Phoebe Apperson Hearst who William credited with inspiring his life-long passion for art and collecting. In 1887 Hearst took control of the The San Francisco Examiner, a struggling newspaper owned by his father. Under his guidance, the newspaper rebounded and Hearst went on to become the nation's largest and most prominent publisher.

The Imperial Bell was acquired in 1921 at an auction of Far Eastern works of art in New York and sent to Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California. The Qianlong emperor was keenly aware of the significance of sets of bells known as zhong and their power in tradition. With a deep interest in music theory the Emperor created a music division which endured into the 20th century. This bell, dating from 1743 with its extravagantly gilt, sinuous dragon-form handles and ornate high relief casting forms a distinctly Qing declaration of power and wealth.

The sale also features a selection of rare ceramics dating to China’s Tang dynasty, including A Rare And Important Sancai And Blue-Glazed Pottery Goose-Form Vessel (est. $350,000/450,000). Tang sancai pieces such as this charming goose were used primarily by nobility and officials as daily utility wares, religious ceremonial objects, and as funerary goods while the blue glazes are significant for studying the origin of blue and white porcelain and cross-cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

A further highlight from this section of the sale is A Magnificent Painted Pottery Camel With Sogdian Rider And Hunting Owl, Early Tang Dynasty (est. $180,000/250,000). The superbly modeled piece features a foreign rider sitting on top of a camel striding forward in haste. Among the skilfully depicted details are an Eurasian owl perched on the rider’s outstretched hand and the wide lapels of the riders fur-lined jacket thrown open by the wind. The highly animated depiction of the camel is reminiscent of the running camels from the hunting scenes painted on the walls of Crown Prince Zhuang Huai's tomb in Qianxian near Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Furniture is led by A Huanghuali Recessed-Leg Long Table (Qiaotouan) 17th Century which is notable for the balance of ornate paneling balanced by the elegant simplicity of the apron and spandrels (Est. $450,000/600,000). Other furniture highlights include A Pair Of Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Armchairs (Est. $80,000/100,000).

Among a number of superb jade works in the sale is A White Jade ‘Taotie’ Censer And Cover Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, the piece is finely carved to highlight the quality of the stone (est. $120,000/180,000). In a continuation of the Song dynasty tradition of carving jade vessels in the form of archaic bronzes, the Qing dynasty adapted classical forms and reinterpreted them in new ways as can be seen in the style and form of this censer.

The sale also includes a strong selection of cloisonné enamel metal wares, including A Pair Of Large Cloisonné Enamel Vases (est. $200/300,000) from the Qianlong period.