The Spring 2012 sales by leading auction house Bonhams this week offer a treasure chest of valuable Chinese and contemporary Asian paintings, and other artworks. Also on sale will be exquisite jewellery and watches, and fine wines, whisky and Cognac. A highlight of the sales is a special array of Yixing stoneware and scholars' objects from a number of private collections.
The sale follows the unprecedented success of the sales of Yixing stoneware from the Mr and Mrs Gerard Hawthorn Collection in November last year, which achieved spectacular results including several world records.
The greatest private collection going under the hammer this week is the Yixing stoneware from the Mr and Mrs Jimmy Sha Collection, consisting of Yixing scholars' objects of extraordinary quality, mostly signed by famous potters. One of the highlights is a Yang Jichu brush pot (lot 548), estimated at HK$2 million to HK$3 million. The collection is also notable for the number of high-quality Chen Mingyuan pieces with established provenances.
The sale opens with the second part of the Hawthorn Collection, comprising 45 lots of teapots and scholars' objects. Also available
are a number of Yixing wares from Japanese and other private collections, including a large Ming dynasty teapot and cover (lot 581) with a history tracing back to the 17th century. The sale ends with 54 lots of Yixing stoneware from a distinguished Asian family collection, which is particularly attractive for collectors because many have been previously exhibited at the National Museum of History, Taipei.
