In 2021, Nagel grabbed headlines when a 14th-century imperial gilt-bronze determine of Vajrabhairava offered for a whopping €14.1 million (round US$14.7 million ) after fierce bidding wars.

This yr, to mark the one centesimal anniversary of the main German public sale home, Nagel is bringing us all kinds of Chinese language artwork, together with an imposing Buddha sandstone stele, magnificent gilt-lacquered figures, minimalistic Ming-style furnishings, extravagant imperial artworks, and delicate work by Chinese language artists – this eclectic ensemble is definitely to not be missed.

Listed here are the highest picks fastidiously chosen by The Worth:

Lot 8 | An especially uncommon and necessary bronze determine of Indra in captivity
Nepal, early Malla interval, thirteenth/ early 14th century
Peak: 22.7 cm
Provenance:

• From the gathering of Gerd-Wolfgang Essen (1930-2007), collected between the Fifties and Nineteen Eighties

Estimate: €100,000 – 150,000

Nepal has lengthy been one of many world’s biggest Buddhist heart. The Kathmandu Valley loved a singular location sandwiched between India to the south and Tibet and China simply past vary to the north, the nations the place non secular artwork thrived. Influenced by these neighboring cultures, the Newari artisans developed a wealthy native fashion, notably acknowledged for his or her masterful casting methods. 

In each Hindu and Buddhist mythology, Indra is taken into account the king of the gods, generally known as ‘The One with a Thousand Eyes’, symbolised by the third eye horizontal on his brow. In Nepal, he’s typically depicted seated in the pose of ‘Royal Ease’, with one arm relaxedly resting on a raised knee. The current determine’s gesture of oustretched arms is extraordinary. 

Legend has it that Indra descended to earth and disguised as a farmer in pursuit of of parijata, a white flower required by his mom for a ritual. Unaware of his divinity, the valley dwellers seized the Lord of Heaven and certain his palms and ft with ropes. Indra was launched solely after his mom promised to offer the valley with the rain that was desperately wanted to ripen the crops.

As much as the current day, a pageant devoted to worshipping Indra because the Lord of The Rain, Indra Jatra, stays a significant annual celebration in Nepal. 

Indra Jatra stays a significant annual celebration in Nepal
Bronze determine of Indra seated in the pose of ‘Royal Ease’ | Rubin Museum of Artwork, New York

Dr. Wenhua Luo, Palace Museum Beijing has devoted an essay for the current lot, see pages 44 to 46 of {the catalogue}; and credit to Dr. Pratapaditya Pal and Michael Henss for his or her feedback on the classification on this uncommon bronze.

Lot 426 | A really positive gilt-bronze determine of Amitayus
China, Kangxi interval (1661 – 1722)
Peak: 44.5 cm
Provenance:

• Previous Viennese personal assortment, by reputation asembled earlier than 1930, present to the current proprietor by a household descent

Estimate: €500,000 – 800,000

As a newly established dynasty, the Qing, who had been themselves Manchus and never of Han Chinese language descent, relied on the self-discipline and assist of different overseas ethnic teams, together with the Mongolians and Tibetans, to keep up their authority over China correct. Within the pursuit of this purpose, the Manchus propagated and closely patronized Tibetan Buddhism, resulting in the flourish of Buddhist artwork on the time.

Whereas the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661 – 1722) initially promoted Tibetan Buddhism as a method to solidify its allegiances, he ultimately turned a religious Buddhist himself. Throughout his reign, the Emperor commissioned a number of large-scale gilt-bronze picture of varied Buddhist deities, together with the current lot, which was engraved with Chinese language quantity on the base. These gilt bronzes, produced by the imperial workshops, are characterised by a robust Indo-Himalayan aesthetic.

With out inscriptions, the character behind the current determine will not be totally recognized, however it’s typically instructed that such solid photographs of Amitayus had been produced for the birthdays or memorial days of the Emperor or his royal household. As Amitayus was thought of the Buddha of Everlasting Life, photographs of the bodhisattva had been becoming items for such events, sending auspicious blessing of longevity. 

In 2018, an analogous gilt-bronze determine from the gathering of David Rockfeller was provided at Christie’s New York. Carrrying an estimate between US$400,000 and 600,000, it elicited intensifying bidding battles to promote for US$2.5 million. 

A positive gilt-bronze lacquered determine of Amitayus from the gathering of David Rockefeller

Lot 305 | A uncommon and huge sandstone stele depicting Buddha Shakyamuni
China, Ming dynasty, fifteenth century or earlier
Peak: 68 cm
Provenance:

• From the gathering of Gerd-Wolfgang Essen (1930-2007), assembled between the Fifties and Nineteen Eighties, purchased from Hauswedell, Hamburg, 15.11.1968, lot 13

Estimate: €25,000 – 35,000

The confluence of cultures and spiritual concepts typically ignites aesthetic magic, ushering in an period when varied artwork blossom. The current standstone stele, as an example, is a masterpiece created below multifarious cultural influences. 

Buddhist artwork originated from the Gandharan sandstone statue, and stele was additionally a creation of the traditional area. In China, sandstone statues of Buddha on this type had been developed as early because the Southern and Northern dynasties (420 – 589). The roaring lions beneath the attendants’ lotus thrones are distinctly Indian and Nepalese, however the pair of dragons chasing the flaming pearl on the higher part are clearly Chinese language, signifying symbols of imperial energy.

The principle deity Shakyamuni’s upward-growing hair is among the 32 main marks of Buddha. He’s seated in vajrasana along with his benevolent eyes downcast and earlobes elongated, displaying a serene and solemn expression on his face. The pair of attendants on the sides stand on a lotus base, smiling and with their palms in anjalimudra. 

Historically, when the principle deity is Buddha, the 2 flanking attendants can be Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya, however different pairings might exist relying on the faculty of Buddhism.

Outdoors of Buddhism, arguably probably the most well-known holy trio is Guan Yu, Guan Ping and Zhou Cang – figures from the Three Kingdoms interval (184 – 280 AD) who’re revered for his or her loyalty and righteousness.

The Three Kingdoms is a turbulent time in China when the nation was break up up between three rival factions. Its historical past turned a supply of inspiration for folktales within the following imperial dynasties, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a 14th-century novel hailed as one of many 4 Nice Classical Novels of Chinese language literature.

Lot 392 | A positive and huge gilt- and red- lacquered wooden determine of Guan Ping
China, seventeenth/ 18th century
Peak: 110 cm
Provenance:
Assortment of Siegfried Claßen (1935-2022), Cologne, assembled between 1960 and 1990
Estimate: €10,000 – 15,000

With the novel rose to prominence, lots of its characters have been tremendously admired for his or her advantage, probably the most notable of which being Guan Yu the overall, who’s dubbed because the God of Warfare. Not solely is Guan Yu a family title in China, however he’s additionally worshipped as a guardian deity after his loss of life, held up as a job mannequin of impeccable morality.

When Guan Yu is deified, Guan Ping and Zhou Cang would typically seem by his sides in statues positioned in temples and shrines. In such a mix, Guan Yu is often depicted seated with one hand on his beard and the opposite on his lap, or studying Chinese language classics. 

As for Guan Ping and Zhou Cang, their typical photographs may be exemplified by the 2 gilt-lacquered wooden figures right here. Guan Ping, Guan Yu’s son, was famed for his prowess with each the pen and the sword. Subsequently, his face is portrayed as white, akin to a elegant literati; and his palms maintain the overall’s seal whereas wearing armor, highlighting that he had each brains and brawn.

Lot 393 | A big gilt-lacquered wooden determine of Zhou Cang
China, seventeenth/ 18th century
Peak: 120 cm
Provenance:

• Assortment of Siegfried Claßen (1935-2022), Cologne, assembled between 1960 and 1990

Estimate: €10,000 – 15,000

Zhou Cang, then again, was a fictional determine within the Romance of the Three Kingdoms recognized as a bandit with nice navy expertise. As a weapon bearer of Guan Yu, his palms would wield the overall’s famed Inexperienced Dragon Crescent Blade, a pole weapon with a large blade and a spike on the again. 

Portrayed as impulsive, he is all the time angry-looking, and his face can be coal black with a full beard and bulging eyes, whereas his mouth open as if roaring.

This pair of statues, greater than a meter tall and coated in gold lacquer, will need to have been housed in a large temple, if not in connection with the royal household. 

A comparable gilt-lacquered wooden determine, created throughout seventeenth century, may be discovered within the Tsz Shan Monastery Artwork Museum. 

Standing Weituo, seventeenth century, China | Tsz Shan Monastery Buddhist Artwork Museum

Lot 13 | An necessary gilt-bronze determine of Takkiraja
Central-Tibet, fifteenth century
Peak: 27.2 cm
Provenance:

• Vital Austrian personal assortment, purchased 1993 on the Artwork Truthful Vienna, from Gallery Asboth, Vienna

Estimate: €40,000 – 60,000

Takkiraja, the King of Need, is among the Ten Nice Wrathful Deities in Tibetan Buddhism and particularly in style amongst followers of te Saskyapa faculty. Along with Kurukulla and Ganapati, they type an iconographic group a trio of wealth deities generally known as the Three Nice Purple Deities. 

In Tibetan Buddhism, wrathful deities possess the ability to destroy the obstacles to enlightment. As such, they’re typically depicted as terrifying and demonic, serving as a protector to defend and guard Buddhist followers from risks and enemies.

Like many wrathful deities, Takkiraja has three eyes: two bulging under raised eyebrows, one vertical at his brow. He often stands along with his sturdy legs in pratyalidhasana, with the correct drawn in and left prolonged, whereas holding an iron hook ending within the curved prongs of a half-vajra. His lengthy hair is tied in a prime knot adorn with snakes and jewelry made from semi-precious stones. 

Exquisitely executed and well-proportioned, the current lot was featured within the catalogue of 1993 artwork honest Vienna Hofburg.

The current lot revealed and illustrated within the Artwork honest catalogue Vienna Hofburg 1993, pp. 78-79

Lot Y434 | An especially uncommon and wonderful imperial kingfisher feather and ivory hanging in a carved zitan body
China, Qianlong interval (1736 – 1795)
111 x 149 x 6.3 cm
Provenance:

• Former previous German personal assortment, acquired between 1890 and 1900 (an previous {photograph} of the panel dated 09.80 is out there)

Estimate: €60,000 – 100,000

Diancui, which means ‘dotting the kingfisher’, is a method of incorporating the iridescent blue feathers of kingfisher birds into luxurious ornament, principally as an inlay for positive artwork objects and adornment similar to headdresses, followers and panels. It has a historical past relationship again greater than 2,000 years, however when imperial China fell aside, the approach was misplaced and will solely be seen in surviving artifacts.

A posh and delicate approach, diancui involoved a painstaking means of chopping and reshaping every feather, earlier than attaching it with glue onto the floor. The irridescent impact created is much like cloisonné, however no enamel would be capable of compete with the electrical blue colour.

Measuring 111 x 149 cm, the current panel represents an opulent use of kingfisher feather, reaching a wealthy and vivid ornamental impact complemented by different extremely useful supplies, from finely carved ivory and jade to zitan wooden. Every prized materials is skilfully mixed to create an idyllic mountain lanscape crammed with a number of animated figures in varied scenes of farm and city life. 

Such a valuable panel would have been produced by the imperial workship, and comparable examples might be discovered within the Palace Museum in Beijing. 

Lot 469 | An distinctive pair of white jade bowls
China, Qianlong interval (1736 – 1795)
Diameter: 6.6 cm; Peak: 5.4 cm
Provenance:

• Previous European personal assortment, assembled earlier than 1990

Estimate: €8,000 – 12,000

Whereas the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736 – 1795) was famend his extravagant and elaborate creative style, he would additionally admire the sweetness and magnificence of minimalistic artwork piece, as demonstrated by the current pair of white jade bowls.

The Qianlong Emperor’s conquest of the Dzungar Khanate, now generally known as Xinjiang, permitted for a better amount of jade to be delivered to the Qing Courtroom, therefore the chance for cautious collection of the highest-quality materials for the Son of Heaven’s use. 

The distinctive high quality of the white jade stone, easily polished to a lustrous sheen, would have made any embellishment superfluous. Completely proportioned, these monochrome bowls, exquisitely matched in color and polish, stand as a testomony to the best jade craftsmanship completed through the celebrated reign of the Qianlong Emperor. 

An analogous pair of unmarked jade bowls from the 18th century may be discovered within the British Museum.

Lot Y478 | A uncommon set of 4 matted low-back armchairs ‘meiguiyi’
China, early to mid Qing dynasty
Peak: 86 cm
Provenance:

• From an previous European personal assortment, acquired within the Nineteen Sixties or 70s

Estimate: €20,000 – 30,000

Lot Y480 | A positive huanghuali and burlwood chair
China, early to mid Qing dynasty
98 x 60.7 x 47.3 cm
Provenance:

• From the Tafel household assortment, based by the Tibetan explorer Dr. Albert Tafel (1876-1935) and expanded by Albert Tobias Tafel (1913-1981), principally acquired in China within the Thirties and 40s

Estimate: €10,000 – 15,000

Lot Y476 | A uncommon and finely carved ‘lingzhi’ mushrooms armchair
China, mid-Qing dynasty
Peak: 90 cm
Provenance:

• From an Austrian personal assortment, acquired previous to 1990

Estimate: €6,000 – 10,000

Modern in development and stylish in design, meiguiyi, or rose chair, represents the minimalist aesthetic of classical Chinese language furnishings at its most interesting.

This small, common chair is characterised by a low again solely barely larger than the straight arms, that are positioned at proper angles to the entrance posts. Whereas the type of such chair basically demonstrates a restrained magnificence, its design can vary from ultrasimple to polished and complicated, as proven by the three heaps above. The third lot, as an example, was deftly carved with an intricate motif of lingzhi mushrooms, image of longevity.

With its angular silhouette, rose chair was not meant for leisure, however splendid for scholarly settings, sitting neatly beneath the window with out obscuring the view exterior, or flanking a desk in pairs. As a result of literati’s fondness for the chair, it’s also known as a ‘scholar chair’ in Southern China. 

An embodiment of simplicity and refinement, rose chair can be a flexible piece even in in the present day’s interiors, pairing effectively with fashionable décor for a clear Scandinavian or vintage-industrial fashion.

Lot 388 | Gao Qifeng | Two Crusing Boats, Ink on paper
China, dated 1929
109 x 41 cm
Inscription and signature by the artist: “Autumn Colours on the Lakeside. Within the ninth month of the eighteenth yr of the Republic (1929) painted for Dr. Shinaide (Schneider), Gao Qifeng”
Three seals of the artist: “Qifeng zhi xi”, “Lingnan Gao Weng”, “Mei yi yan nian”
Provenance:

• Previous North German personal assortment, within the household of the current proprietor since 1929, when the portray has been devoted to a member of the family

Estimate: €30,000 – 50,000

Acclaimed as one of many “Three Masters of the Lingnan Faculty”, Gao Qifeng is repsected for energizing Southern China’s artwork scene by fusing the poetic Chinese language ink portray with Western realist methods and Japanese plein air fashion.

Orphaned in childhood, Gao began portray at an early age below the tutelage of his elder brother. In 1907, they travelled to Japan to deepen their examine of artwork. His time there proved to be an influential encounter which introduced him into contact with European naturalism and perspective, paving the way in which for his later ink work in a singular East-West fashion.  

After returning to China, he started to arrange artwork societies and educate work to advocate his beliefs in artwork. Sadly, struck with lung illness, he retreated to a secluded island in Guangzhou in 1929. That very same yr, he painted the Two Crusing Boats as a present to Dr. Shinaide, a member of the family of the current proprietor, who has saved the piece for almost a century.

In Two Crusing Boats, the boats reveal a robust affect of Western portray with its real looking depiction, whereas the darkish ink wash within the foreground comes from the Chinese language custom.

Lot 774 | Signed Zhang Daqian | Woman with Fan (Xiwangmu), Hanging scroll, ink and colours on paper
China, dated 1972
79 x 26.5 cm
Provenance:

• In keeping with the house owners, from a personal assortment in Hesse, collected between 1970 and 2015

Estimate: €6,000 – 10,000

Some of the well-known and prolific Chinese language artists of the twentieth century, Zhang Daqian is famend equally for his splashed-ink landscapes and meticulous portraits. 

With roots firmly grounded in Chinese language custom, the females in his earlier work had been typically depicted as willowy figures with slender shoulders and slender waists, exuding a way of fragility.

Within the Nineteen Forties, Zhang spent two years learning and copying Buddhist mural work on the famed Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. The expertise marked a pivotal turning level in his creative growth – when he returned to China, his mastery for figures work had reached a pinnacle. By absorbing the traditional rendering of the human physique, the women below his brushwork turned voluptuous and vigorous, echoing the values embraced by fashionable society.

A masterful artist apart, Zhang was additionally an necessary collector and connoisseur, along with his collector’s seals discovered on varied work in world-class museum collections. 

Lot 792 | Yu Ping | Sleepwalking, Oil on canvas
China, 2009
Whole: 200 x 560 cm
Provenance:

• From a Swiss personal assortment

Estimate: €50,000 – 80,000

A professor at the Hubei Institute of Tremendous Arts, Yu Ping has held solo exhibitions throughout America, China, France and Switzerland since 2004. Her artworks has graced the partitions of many museums in China, together with Hubei Museum of Artwork, Guan Shanyue Artwork Museum and He Artwork Museum.

With a bachelor’s diploma in oil portray and a grasp’s in Chinese language portray, Yu Ping established an inventive fashion merging the 2 distinct genres. In her signature Sleepwalking sequence, the dream-like landscapes are harking back to classical Chinese language depiction of the character, whereas the figures are strongly Neo-expressionist. 

Public sale Particulars:

Public sale Home: NAGEL Auktionen Stuttgart 

Deal with: Neckarstrasse 189-191, 70190 Stuttgart, Germany

Preview Date and Time: 2 – 5 December 2022 | 10am – 5pm (German Native Time)

Sale Date: 6 December 2022 9:30am (German native time)

China I : Lot 1-231 | China II : Lot 232-490  | China III : Lot 491-599

Sale Date: 7 December 2022 9:30am (German native time)

China IV : Lot 600-829 | China Varie : Lot 830-1795

Sale Date: 8 December 2022 9:30am (German native time)

Lot 1800-2598

• Japan/Korea | Lot 1800 – 1955
• India | Lot 2100 – 2237
• Southeast Asia | Lot 2300 – 2371
• Artwork Books | Lot 2380 – 2491
• Carpets | Lot 2500 – 2536
• Oriental Artwork | Lot 2537 – 2590
• African Arts | Lot 2591 – 2598

Web site: www.public sale.de

E-mail: china@public sale.de

Enquiries: +852 69191741