NEWBURY.- The auction of Chinese Ceramics and Asian Works of Art will take place at Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE and comprises an impressive selection of works of art from across the Asian continent including China, Japan, Tibet, India and Persia. Estimates range from £100 to £15,000.

Of special note is the collection of Iraqi architect Mohamed Makiya (1914 – 2015). Makiya was lauded as a master of incorporating traditional styles into modern architecture. His collection embraces the culture of the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. Born in Baghdad, Makiya came to Britain in 1935. He studied architecture and civil design at Liverpool University where he met his future wife Margaret Crawford, a student of History. By 1946 Makiya had been awarded a Ph.D from King’s College Cambridge, and had returned to his native Iraq where he established Makiya Associates. One of Dr Makiya’s most important commissions was the extension to the Khulafa Mosque in Baghdad, undertaken in 1960. The late 1980s saw a natural progression of the Makiyas’ interests, with the founding of the Kufa Gallery in London. This non-profit charity devoted to the promotion of the art and architecture of the Middle East would play an important role in promoting Iraqi and Arab culture in London.

One of the earliest objects in the collection is a 2nd-4thcentury grey schist figure of Buddha Shakyamuni from Gandhara (now northern Pakistan/Afghanistan). The Buddha is modelled standing with his left hand lowered and holds a section of his garment that is draped over both shoulders falling in symmetrical pleats. The face is serene with downcast eyes, below arched eyebrows and has elongated earlobes and a halo behind (Lot 319. Est: £4,000-6,000). Colourful ceramics from Persia include a 10th-century scraffito and splashed bowl of a stylised design in the typical T’ang colours of green and yellow giving it a fresh and contemporary look that would complement today’s interiors (Lot 386. Est: £500700). A 13th-century Kashan or Raqqa Bowl from Persia or Syria is a rare piece decorated with stylized flowers in black ink beneath a turquoise glaze (Lot 340. Est: £500-£700).

The Mohamed Makiya Collection includes an exquisite selection of pictures and miniatures. Lot 311 features a scene from the Ramayana (a Sanskrit epic poem) depicting Lakshamana (the hero’s brother) cutting off the nose and ears of an ogress set in wooded landscape. Executed circa 1820-30 in gouache on paper, this painting is estimated at £300-500. A charming late 16th-century Persian miniature features Yusuf with the maidens cutting oranges among blossom laden trees in gouache and gold on paper (Lot 395. Est: £200-400).

Leading the Chinese section of the auction, is a fine Chinese blue and white Chogzhen (1628-43) transitional bottle case decorated with a scholar in a winged hat being presented with a vase of arrows. The neck of the bottle is decorated with formal tulips among symbols (Lot 164. Est: £10,000-15,000). Charming and of fine quality is a Qing Chinese celadon jade elephant carved with its head turned slightly to one side with naturalistically rendered wrinkled skin and saddle. At only 4.5cm high it is estimated at £500-1,000 (Lot 88).

From the 20th century comes two important lots pertaining to China. An ink painting by Zhang Anzhi (1911-1990) is a fascinating example of east meets west. The ink and colour on paper work is thought to depict the Bell Tower of Magdalene College, Oxford and is estimated at £1,000-£1,500 (Lot 10). Geoffrey Hedley who was responsible for the Shanghai office of the British Council between 1946 and 1952 was instrumental in sending four artists from Nanjing to study in Britain during this period which included Zhang Anzhi. Lot 155 is a 20th-century Chinese 12 symbols dragon robe (Est: £2,000-4,000). The robe features a chestnut ground (one of the five imperial yellows recognised to be worn by the Royal Court). The robe was possibly worn in the court set up by Yuan Shi Ki and features nine five clawed dragons, lishui water and wave patterns and clouds together with auspicious symbols.

The Japanese section of the auction features a wide assortment of netsuke. A particularly fine example comes from the late 18th/early 19th-century school of Tomotada: an ivory netsuke of a reclining Ox with a boy (Lot 252. Est: £3,000-4,000). Also of interest is a four-fold Komai-Style Screen (Lot 268. Est: £600-800).