A writing desk tiger from China's Golden Age and a Bodhisattva of universal compassion

The Asian Art auction at Lempertz offers outstanding objects from China and Tibet as well as works from remarkable private collections of Japanese and Indian art.

China's culture reached a peak under Emperor Quianlong in the 18th century, often referred to as the ‘Golden Age’. He was particularly fond of jade, the ‘stone of heaven’, and on the occasion of his 70th birthday, he had a seal made from this special material, of which various examples were produced in the following years. An outstanding pair of these jade seals, ‘Guxi tianzi’ and ‘Youri zizi’ (lot 77, estimate € 100/150,000) is one of the top lots of the auction on 18th June and is part of a private collection of imperial writing desk objects.

The ‘Youri zizi’ was on permanent loan to the Berlin Museum of Asian Art from 1990 to 2024. A highly significant imperial Chengni inkstone in the form of a tiger (lot 84, estimate € 100/150,000), also on loan to this museum, comes from the same collection. The famille rose candlestick figurine of a court lady (lot 126, estimate € 10/15,000) was also made in the Qianlong period around 1760. 

A pair of chairs with horseshoe-shaped backrests and made of Huanghuali wood (lot 99, estimate € 80/90,000) comes from a private collection in Munich. Although they have a modern feel, with woven seats, the chairs actually date from the 17th century. The consignor acquired the pair in 1994 in London from the renowned dealer Spink & Son.

An outstanding 68 cm-high figure made of fire-gilt bronze depicts the eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara (lot 40, estimate € 35/40,000), the bodhisattva of universal compassion, and was created in the 18th century in Tibet. As early as the 7th century, this deity, originating from Hinduism, developed into one of the most important deities in Buddhism and the patron saint of the Tibetans as ‘the Lord looking down in compassion’. Depictions of this deity in the multi-armed and many-headed form are particularly popular.

A collection of miniatures with a special provenance comes from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad: Dr Mallanah Shrinagesh was the personal physician of the last ruler of the Indian princely state of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, who died in 1967. The doctor received gifts from his aristocratic patients in return for his treatments. Such gifts were also the miniatures now offered here. Two sheets from a Ragmala series, a special genre of Indian miniature painting, tell of the beginning and end of a romantic encounter (lot 12, estimate € 2/3000). Others provide insights into the everyday lives of different people, such as polo players (lot 14, estimate € 1/2000) or water carriers (lot 15, estimate € 1/1400).

With their interest in Japanese woodcuts, Theodor Scheiwe and, after him, his daughter developed a collecting tradition, with the latter focusing on portraits of women. There are 14 lots from this collection to go under the hammer, showing women in very different situations, from the dressing table (lot 226, ‘Eyebrow pencil’, estimate € 2,5/5000) to ‘Snowstorm’ (lot 228, estimate € 5/8000).

The range of netsuke in this catalogue is also strong, as is tradition at Lempertz. Outstanding examples include a sennin standing on tiptoe and stretching upwards, carved from softwood in the early 18th century (lot 372, estimate € 6/8,000) or the monkey on a cushion (zabuton), ivory, 18th century (lot 428, estimate € 12/14,000).

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Jan Bykowski
Press and Public Relations
info@lempertz.com
Tel. 0221 925729 -57