This autumn, Christie’s New York presents the sale Ritual, Cosmos, and Imperial Splendor: Important Chinese Art from a North American Private Collection. Together, these themes provide a lens through which to understand the objects in this sale, while also revealing the profound interconnectedness of religion, imperial authority, and artistic achievement in shaping Chinese cultures across millennia.
In Ritual, we explore works associated with some of the earliest ceremonial practices in China, including a late Shang dynasty bronze you and a rare set of Spring and Autumn period bronze bells. Cosmos turns to works that reflect humanity’s relationship with the divine and the unseen forces believed to govern the universe, specifically showcasing the development and cross-pollination of Buddhism and Daoism in Chinese history. A Xuande mark-and-period Vajrapani created in the imperial workshops for court use and a spectacular set of ten eighteenth-century kesi panels of the Daoist pantheon and celestial realm lead the section. Lastly, Imperial Splendor highlights the extraordinary artistic achievements of the imperial workshops. A Qianlong mark-and-period underglaze-blue and copper-red vase decorated with three playful Buddhist lions and produced under the supervision of Tang Ying (1682-1756), the celebrated superintendent of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen (lot 855), exemplifies the exceptional quality, elegant proportions, and technical mastery of imperial ceramic production.
今秋,紐約佳士得隆重呈獻「禮象皇華:北美私人珍藏中國藝術」專場。以「禮」、「象」、「皇華」三義為綱,不僅為觀照本場器物提供一重脈絡,亦由此見宗教信仰、帝王權力與藝術成就如何相互交織,綿延數千年而塑成中國文化之多重面貌。
「禮」之篇,聚焦中國早期禮儀與祭祀相關之器物,包括商晚期青銅卣,以及一組九件春秋青銅編鎛。「象」則轉而觀照人與神明、天地及無形宇宙秩序之感通,尤著重佛、道二教於中國歷史中的演變與交融。此篇由宣德年製、出自宮廷作坊的金剛手菩薩像領銜,並呈獻一組氣象恢宏的十八世紀緙絲十屏,鋪陳道教眾神與天界仙境。「皇華」之篇,則彰顯宮廷作坊所臻至的藝術高峰。焦點拍品之一為乾隆年製青花釉裏紅三獅紋瓶,由景德鎮御窯名臣唐英(1682–1756)督造。器形端雅,三獅嬉戲,紋飾生動,而青花、釉裏紅之燒造尤見精湛,充分體現清代宮廷瓷器在品質與工藝上所臻至的卓絕成就。