Christie’s London Asian art week
Published July 5th, 2006
Following record sales of Chinese ceramics and art in Hong Kong in May, Christie’s London Asian Art Week is set to offer a stunning array of sought-after works from the Middle Kingdom.
Among the exquisite and rare objects, some of which will be available for export, are a Qianlong imperial blue and white ‘Nine Dragon’ vase and a Qianlong imperial inscribed embroidered hanging scroll.
However, the highlight of the event starting on July 11 is said to be a magnificent blue and white fish jar from the Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD-1368 AD).
The main decorative band, which has been beautifully painted to achieve a richly-textured, perfectly balanced composition in a brilliant sapphire blue, depicts four fish swimming among lotus and other aquatic plants.
Naturalistic fish and aquatic plant imagery was applied to a wide variety of art disciplines during the Southern Song (1127 AD-1279 AD) Dynasty. The specific fish chosen for the decoration on Yuan jars of this type had a significant influence on imperial porcelain of succeeding periods.
Meanwhile, auctioneers estimate that the ‘Nine Dragon’ vase from the Qianlong period (1736 AD-1795 AD) will fetch between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds (540,000-720,000 U.S. dollars).
