Objects stand test of time
The 'Voyages of Discovery' collection includes 12 exquisite Chinese Imperial masterworks spanning the northern Song dynasty (960-1127) through the Ming dynasty to the Guangxu period of the Qing dynasty (up to 1908). The collection includes ceramic dishes, flambe-glazed vases and unique cloisonne enamel boxes.
Lot 12 is a magnificent and extremely rare cloisonne enamel incense burner and cover from the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, with an estimate of HK$3 million to HK$6 million. Featuring a striking blue floral pattern across its case and detailed with gold, the box is held up on both sides by kneeling figures and adorned on its lid by a gold lion. This work is one of only two of its kind, its twin residing in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Lot 8, the oldest work in the collection, is an extremely rare Dingyao dish from the northern Song dynasty. It is estimated at HK$2 million to HK$4 million. It is inscribed with a poem by the Qianlong emperor in 1776.
Lot 7 is a copper-red lotus bowl from the Hongwu period, estimated at HK$900,000 to HK$1.8 million. This bowl illustrates the very best quality of work from the Ming dynasty. Hongwu, the first Ming emperor, claimed the Mandate of Heaven on his seizure of the Yuan capital (present-day Beijing) and established the Ming dynasty in 1368, making this work both one of aesthetic brilliance and historical significance.
Also for sale are an outstanding Junyao lotus dish from the Song dynasty, estimated at HK$1.5 million to HK$3 million, and an exceptional pair of doucai wufu bowls, featuring Yongzheng six-character marks, estimated at HK$500,000 to HK$1 million. The 12 items have an estimated value of HK$9.95 million to HK$19.6 million.
