November catalogue - Asian Art Society

NOVEMBER issu E

WHO WE aRE

The Asian Art Society features an online catalogue every month listing quality works of Asian art that have been thoroughly vetted by our select members, who are the in-house experts.

By bringing together a group of trusted dealers specializing in Asian art, our platform offers a unique collection of works of art that collectors will not find anywhere else online. To ensure the highest standards, gallery membership is by invitation only and determined by a selection committee of influential gallerists

Ta B l E O f

Cover image: A gold Tali Pendant by Sue Ollemans on p. 70

/asianartSociety

NOVEMBER a RT WORK s

Pieces are published and changed each month. The objects are presented with a full description and corresponding dealer’s contact information. Unlike auction sites or other platforms, we empower collectors to interact directly with the member dealers for enquiries and purchases by clicking on the e-mail adress.

In order to guarantee the quality of pieces available in the catalogues, objects are systematically validated by all our select members, who are the in-house experts.. Collectors are therefore encouraged to decide and buy with complete confidence. In addition to this, the Asian Art Society proposes a seven-day full money back return policy should the buyer not feel totally satisfied with a purchase.

Items are presented by categories, please check the table of contents. Feel free to ask the price if the artwork is listed with a price on request.

PaiR Of GOlD aND GaRNET DROP EaRRiNGs

Cambodia Khmer or later

Length: 5,3 cm

Weight: 40 gr

Price: 5.000 GBP

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Sue Ollemans

M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356

E.: sue@ollemans.com

W: www.ollemans.com

The earrings are made from solid gold and take the form of pendants worn around the neck. The tumbled garnet is held in place with four foliated claws, the shoulders display stylised makara heads. In the open circle is a finely modelled lion rampant. The earrings are fastened to a hook by means of a round disk with granulations.

A lot of iconographic imagery was transferred from India to the Khmer. “As lions are not indigenous creatures of Cambodia, they belong to is the repertoire of mythological beasts possibly symbolizing regal or apotropaic emblems which are highly stylized.”

Similar examples; McCullogh Theresa; Gold Jewellery: pre Angkor and Angkor Civilisations of Cambodia. Arts of Asia April 2000 page 76 #13

A Heavy gold ring made from a single strand of twisted gold wire.

a GOlD fiNGER RiNG

Central Java

10-12th century

Size : US 7.5

Price: 3.500 GBP

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Sue Ollemans

M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356

E.: sue@ollemans.com

W: www.ollemans.com

Ri MPa-sCHOO l

sCREEN W i TH C HRysa NTHEM u M s

A two-fold screen

Japan

Edo period

17th century

Ink, colour and gold on paper

163 cm x 178 cm

Publication:

Rimpa Painting Volume II: Seasonal

Flowering Plants and Birds, Kobayashi

Tadashi; Shikosha, 1990, pl.289.

Price: 36.000 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Gregg Baker Asian Art

M.: +32 468 00 56 85

E.: info@japanesescreens.com

W: www.japanesescreens.com

A two-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with chrysanthemum and autumn plants behind a grassy knoll. The chrysanthemum petals are rendered in moriage (raised design), and a mist of sunago (sprinkled gold dust) drifts amongst the flowers. Sealed: Inen

The ‘Inen’ seal is regarded as a trademark of the Tawaraya workshop, led by Tawaraya Sōtatsu (died ca.1640), who co-founded the Rimpa school with Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558–1637). Sōtatsu is known to have used the ‘Inen’ seal himself, although only until he was granted the honorary title of Hokkyō in or around 1624. Hokkyō literally ‘Bridge of the Law’, is the third highest honorary title, initially bestowed upon priests and then from the 11th century on Buddhist sculptors. From the 15th century the title was also given to artists. Around 1620 the leading pupil of the Tawaraya workshop was given the “Inen” seal by Sōtatsu and is referred to as the ‘Painter of the Inen seal’.

Japanese interest in chrysanthemum as a theme for poetry developed during the Heian period. With the evolution of a native artistic sensibility at that time which was heavily influenced by the passing seasons, the flower gained its place as one of the premier symbols of autumn. In many instances, chrysanthemums appear in ensemble motifs with all or some of the Seven Grasses of Autumn, and it is sometimes included in enumerations of this group.

For more details, please visit:

http://japanesescreens.com/catalogue/screens/6942/

Daia R a K a N (s a CRED aRH aT)

Sculpture

Japan

Kamakura period

12th or 13th century

Wood, crystal

Height: 58 cm

Provenance:

Ishikawa Shuntai collection, 1842-1931

Price: 32.000 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Gregg Baker Asian Art

M.: +32 468 00 56 85

E.: info@japanesescreens.com

W: www.japanesescreens.com

A carved wood figure of standing Daiarakan (Sacred Arhat) with gyokugan (inlaid crystal eyes)

An old fitted wood box inscribed:

Lid: Daiarakan sonzo (A sacred sculpture of Arhat) with two seals Kei and Do

Lid inside: Ishikawa Shuntai ro-taishi hakogaki, Keido shiki (The box inscription by the old respected monk

Ishikawa Shuntai, attestation by Keido) with two seals

External box: Daiarakan sonzo, hakogaki Ishikawa Setsudo roshi dai (A sacred sculpture of Arhat, the title inscription on the box written by the respected monk Ishikawa Setsudo)

Arakan or rakan (arhats) are Buddhist disciples who have conquered all passions and are liberated from the burden of rebirth. They are said to have originally numbered five hundred but in various types of Japanese artistic representations a smaller group of sixteen rakan is the focus. Following Chinese tradition each member of this group is individually named and associated with a particular attribute such as a fly whisk, a gong, a scroll, a palm-leaf book or a dragon. Rakan are usually depicted with shaved heads, long earlobes and unadorned draped robes, sometimes leaving one shoulder bare. Daiarakan refers to the most respected rakan

Ishikawa Shuntai (1842-1931) was a priest of Otani-ha sect of Jodo-shinshu Buddhism. In 1878 he became the secretary general of the Higashi Honganji, the main headquarters of Otani-ha, and was influential in the modernisation of the sect. Priest name: Keiho, Setsudo, Sekijo, Ryuen.

For the comparable figures of ten principal disciples dated 1268 see Tokyo National Museum ed., Special Exhibition: Japanese Sculpture of the Kamakura Period, (Tokyo, 1975), no. 88 (Gokurakuji temple, Kanagawa, Important Cultural Property).

Radio Carbon Dating Ref: RCD-9282

Kaneshige Tōyō (1896-1967)

Bizen Flower Vase with Attached Handles and Kiln Mutation (Bizen mimitsuki yōhen hanaire)

Signed underneath with potter’s mark. Comes with original wooden box, inscribed, signed and sealed.

Japan

Shōwa period

Ash glazed stoneware

Height: 26,4 cm

Diameter: 20,8 cm

Inv. No. 20.014

Price on request

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Galerie Kommoss

M.: +49 (0)30 9854 1123

E.: info@galeriekommoss.com

W: www.galeriekommoss.com

Rare korogashi flower vase with handles by Japan’s pottery legend Kaneshige Tōyō (1896-1967).Korogashi –the so called "knocked-over" pieces – are a group of pottery pieces that are fired laying horizontally on the kiln’s floor, where the temperature and ash circulation has its highest impact. Naturally, only very few pieces survive that process but eventually could bring some of the most fantastic firing effects into life (the "kiln mutations"). Significant characteristics of korogashi pieces can be seen on this outstanding work: Clear, glass-like ash traces running horizontally over the vessel’s wall, reserve patterns, left by the firing supports (which prevented the piece form sticking to the kiln’s floor) and dark, rough and crusty surfaces on the vessel’s back wall.

Kaneshige Tōyō, born 1896 in Inbe, Bizen, is generally acknowledged as founder of the contemporary traditional (gendai dentō) Bizen pottery. By researching and experimenting with old techniques, he is one of the great renovators of Bizen’s golden age and the most important potter in 20th-century Japan. As founding member of the Nihon Kōgeikai (Japanese Craft Society) and for his work, Tōyō was awarded the highest official title of a Living National Treasure and the Medal of Honor (hōshō) with Purple Ribbon by the emperor in the same year 1956. He also worked together with Bernard Leach and other international potters. After his death in 1967, he was additionally awarded posthumously the Order of the Rising Sun. Until today, the Kaneshige Tōyō Price is given only to the best potters in Japan to commemorate him.

Gassaku

Poem signed by Rengetsu on the lid. Signed underneath with potter’s mark by Rokubei III. With original wooden box, inscribed, dated, signed and sealed by Tomioka Tessai.

Japan

Late Edo period

1866/67

Fresh Water Jar with Chrysanthemum Painting and Poem.Glazed Stoneware

Height: 13,4 cm

Diameter: 19,8 cm

Inv. No. 21.008

Price on request.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Galerie Kommoss

M.: +49 (0)30 9854 1123

E.: info@galeriekommoss.com

W: www.galeriekommoss.com

Collaboration work by Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) (Calligraphy), Tomioka Tessai (1837-1924) (Painting), Kiyomizu Rokubei III (1820-1883) (Pottery)

A rare, well documented collaboration work (gassaku) by three of the most important Japanese artists of the late 19th century. The ceramic lidded jar was made by Kyōto potter Kiyomizu Rokubei III of grey stoneware and was then loosely glazed with a white slip on which Tomioka Tessai painted chrysanthemum flowers in iron brown. Finallly, Ōtagaki Rengetsu inscribed the lid with one of her poems:

In the palms of my hands Waiting for Eons to pass… I hear drinking this Will make me younger— The chrysanthemums’ hanging dew.

Rengetsu signed the poem with her age of 75 and Tessai’s box inscription tells us the year 1867. The beautiful poem, which was later officially published in Rengetsu’s anthology Ama no karumo in 1870, indicates the function of the jar: It was used as freshwater container for the tea ceremony, giving the poetic impression that it was filled with the fresh dew from chrysanthemum flowers.

References:

Murakami Sodō: Rengetsu-ni zenshū, 1980, p. 26.

たなぞこを うけて待間も 千代やへん のめば若ゆと きくの下露

iM

aizu M i sE is H i (D aTE s u NKNOWN)

Maki-e Incense Box with a Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu

Signed underneath. Comes with original wooden box.

Taishō or early Shōwa period

1920/30s

Wood, lacquer, gold silver

Height: 2,6 cm

Diameter: 7,6 cm

Inv. No. 17.022

Price on request

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Galerie Kommoss

M.: +49 (0)30 9854 1123

E.: info@galeriekommoss.com

W: www.galeriekommoss.com

A rare luxurious maki-e incense box made by the prewar Taishō/Shōwa-period lacquer master Imaizumi Seishi. Against a black-lacquered and gold-sprinkled, polished togidashi background, the exterior of the box is finished with a delicate takamaki-e imaginary portrait of the famous Heian-period (794-1185) court novelist Murasaki Shikibu (10./11. century) watching falling autumn leaves.

The wonderful arrangement is catching an intimate moment: The lady is elegantly hiding her noble face behind a fan and possibly contemplating the impermanence of all worldly phenomena (mujō) whilst watching a falling red colored maple leaf. Her face is modeled in a semi-relief takamaki-e technique with rounded cheeks and black pupils beneath the tiny eyelids of her half-closed eyes. Her black hair is scratched and retouched with black lacquer – even thinner than real human hair – in this technical masterpiece. Her robe is beautifully adorned with two flying phoenix –usually a symbol for the empress.

Imaizumi Seishi is the most important Japanese lacquer master from the pre-war Taishō and Shōwa period. He specialized in inrō and has been board member of the Tōkyō Maki-e Lacquer Association. Although, there is not much recorded about his life, his objects are illustrating his high technical achievement of the Japanese maki-e lacquer art. They are held in several collections such as the Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum in Kyoto, which has one of the finest maki-e collections in the world.

h aya K awa s hō K osai iii (1864-1922)

Open Work Freestyle Bamboo Flower

Basket

Signed: Shōkosai III. Signed underneath. With original wooden box, inscribed signed and sealed.

Late Meiji period

Spring 1912

Height: 42,6 cm

Diameter: 26,0 cm

Inv. No. 21.025

Price on request

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Galerie Kommoss

M.: +49 (0)30 9854 1123

E.: info@galeriekommoss.com

W: www.galeriekommoss.com

An impressive, large open work freestyle bamboo basket made by Hayakawa Shōkosai III. The Hayakawa family is regarded as the founding fathers of modern bamboo art in Japan, since Hayakawa Shōkosai I (18151897) is said to be the first one who started to sign his works in 1856. His fifth son, Shōkosai III, followed the footsteps of succeeding the family business due to the premature death of his elder brother, Shōkosai II, in 1905. Specialists agree that he possibly played the most important role in "broadening the expressive capabilities of bamboo and departed much further than his father from Chinese models." (Earle 2018, 17) With his flexible organic style he exerted an immense influence on later bamboo art.

Two similar baskets have been published in Joe Earle: Baskets. Masterpieces of Japanese Bamboo Art 1850-2015, John Adamson Dist A/C (2018), pp. 88-91.

Mu To K u Ryōgo (1651-1742)

Calligraphy ‘Cha 茶’ (“Tea”)

Signed by the artist. With plain wooden box.

Edo period

Late 17th or early 18th century

Height: 111,2 cm

Weight: 59,2 cm

Inv. No. 19.028

Price on request

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Galerie Kommoss

M.: +49 (0)30 9854 1123

E.: info@galeriekommoss.com

W: www.galeriekommoss.com

Powerful calligraphy with a large, bold single character 茶 (cha, ’tea’) and a fluid inscription next to it in running script by Zen master Mutoku Ryōgo. The inscription reads:

“Whether you have reached [here/it] before or not, have a cup of tea!”

不到喫茶去

This saying is referring to a Zen Buddhist kōan, that has been originally published in the Wudeng huiyuan (“Compendium of the Five Lamps”) in 1252, but can also found for instance in Dōgen Kigen’s (1200-1253) collection of 300 kōan (Shinji Shōbōgenzō). Here, Zen master Zhaozhou (Jap. Jōshū, 778-897) questioned two new arrivals. He asked the first one: “Have you reached [here/it] before?” – “No, I haven’t reached [here/it] before.” Zhaozhou said: “Then have a cup of tea.” Then he asked the other monk: “Have you reached [here/it] before?” – “Yes, I have reached [here/it] before.” Zhaozhou said: “Then have a cup of tea.” The monastery head monk [who observed that] asked Zhaozhou afterwards: “Aside from the one who has been here, why did you say ‘Have a cup of tea!’ to the one who had not been here?” Zhaozhou replied: “Head monk.” The head monk responded: “Yes?” Zhaozhou said: “Have a cup of tea!”

Mutoku Ryōgo, born 1651 in Aizu, has been a Sōtō school monk, who also learned under the new Chinese Ōbaku Zen masters Yinyuan Longqi (Jap. Ingen Ryūki, 1592-1673) and Mu’an Xingtao (Jap. Mokuan Shōtō, 1611-1684), as well as under the popular Japanese Rinzai Zen master Bankei Eitaku (1622-1693) – who were all excellent calligraphers too. Mutoku played an important role in revitalizing the Sōtō school in mid Edo period Japan.

aR i Ta TO s H ia K i

Signed by Toshiaki saku

(Made by Toshiaki)

An inlaid vase with dragonflies

Japan

Circa 1955

Bronze, silver, gilt and various soft metals

Height: 22 cm

Publication:

Nittenshi (History of Nitten) vol.18 p. 496 pl.12

Exhibition:

11th Nitten (The Japan Fine Art Exhibition), Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, 1955

Price: 3.200 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Gregg Baker Asian Art

M.: +32 468 00 56 85

E.: info@japanesescreens.com

W: www.japanesescreens.com

A bronze flower vessel inlaid in hirazogan (low-relief inlay) with tombo (dragonfly) amongst grasses using a mixture of shakudō (copper and gold alloy), shibuichi (copper and silver alloy), silver and gilt

Tomobako (original box) inscribed:

Lid: Seireibun kabin. (Dragon fly design flower vessel)

Lid interior: Arita Toshiaki. Seal: Toshiaki

Da GGER sC a B Ba RD

Ainu Hokkaido, Japan

19th or early 20th century

Wood, fiber, horn

Price: 2.800 USD

The Ainu are an ethnically distinct Paleo Mongoloid people living in the far north of Japan. They carry forward an ancient Siberian hunting and fishing culture and are known for the beauty of their traditional artistic expressions. Although the Japanese government outlawed possession of metal blades, including those in daggers of this type, we are pleased to offer this extraordinarily rare Ainu scabbard with traditional motifs.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Thomas Murray

M.: + 1 415.378.0716

E.: thomas@tmurrayarts.com

W. : www.tmurrayarts.com

Boro Ba G

Japan

19th or very early 20th century Braided recycled cotton cloth and fiber

21 cm x 9,5 cm

Price: 1.500 USD

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Thomas Murray

M.: + 1 415.378.0716

E.: thomas@tmurrayarts.com

W. : www.tmurrayarts.com

Boro, are a class of textile from the Japanese word meaning ’tattered.’ Made from recycled indigo cotton cloth, boro are now a celebrated fashion aesthetic. This bag exemplifies the spirit of the Minegi folk art philosophy.

fEMalE HEaDlEss sCulPTuRE

Bengal 5th century Gupta Period

Terracotta

46 cm x 21 cm x 10 cm

Provenance:

Private French collection

Price: 18.000 euros

This beautiful fragment is typical of the style of the Gupta period. During this time, a new aesthetic ideal emerged, based on the explicit understanding of the human body in all its flexibility and softness. That ideal is perceived here as the cloth follows the gentle contours of the body beneath it.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Alexis Renard

T.: + 33 1 44 07 33 02

E.: alexis@alexisrenard.com

W: www.alexisrenard.com

a

Ra M’s H E a D sH a M s H i R

Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Northeastern India

19th century

Length: 47,7 cm

Provenance:

Acquired on the UK art market.

Price: 60.000 USD

The shamshir’s name comes from the radical curve of its blade, translating to ‘lion’s claw’ or ‘lion’s tail.’ The blade itself is forged from wootz steel; the carbon deposits within the iron ingots forming intricate wave-like patterns known as ‘damascus.’ A modern scabbard of tooled black leather, attached with shell-shaped brackets for suspension, accompanies the sword.

The present shamshir is a beautiful example of the famed silver metalware produced in Lucknow during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The diamond-shaped quillion is made from engraved silver with fine blue and green champleve and bassetaille enamelling particularly characteristic of Lucknow. In the center is a Hyderabadi poppy in aquamarine blue–a distinctive motif in the Lucknow vocabulary which demonstrates the fusion of Deccani opulence and Mughal naturalism. (see Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India, 1997, p. 87, pl. 74.)

M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300

E.: info@kapoors.com

W: www.kapoors.com.com

Perched above is a bird in blue and cherry red, its head bowed and wings spread wide. A spiral of bristling green leaves encircles the scene, and is flanked by two birds in flight. On the border appears a quatrefoil floral pattern on a blue ground, another characteristic motif of Nawabi enamel. The quillon’s tapered ends mirror the splendid offset pommel, which is formed into a ram’s head. The fine etchings in the ram’s fur and curling horns shine through the vibrant blue and orange enamel, contrasting the animal’s brilliant silver smile. The grip–extending as if the curving neck of the ram–is made of translucent rock crystal, secured to the tang with small pins.

Compare the present example to another fine ram’s head shamshir from Lucknow currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. 36.25.1302a, b). The scabbard exhibits similar enameled metal work motifs such as the Hyderabad poppy, the scrolling green foliage, and the quatrefoil floral border.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by: Kapoor Galleries

a Mai DEN

aPPROa CHE s a

N OB l EM a N

Kishangarh, India

Circa 1740

Ink drawing with opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper 26,7 cm x 21 cm

Provenance:

Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, inventory no. 43439.

Dorothy and Alfred Siesel, Washington, D.C., acquired from the above 14 December 1976.

Price: 80.000 USD

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Kapoor Galleries

M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300

E.: info@kapoors.com

W: www.kapoors.com.com

A naturalistically depicted elder nobleman seated against a bolster puffs from the metal tip of a winding hookah stem, his eyes half shut with a sheathed sword and shield laid out before him. A beautiful young maiden looks intently out from behind a screen, coyly hiding part of her body as if trying to be careful not to be seen. Her angular face with its pointed nose and chin, pursed mouth, almond-shaped eye and high brow, and black hair tied back with three curls placed over her cheek are reminiscent of Bani Thani—a poetess and courtesan, considered the epitome of idealized Kishangarh beauty. The scene could be the old man’s intoxicated dream; a glimpse into the memory of a past love, now elevated to perfection in the noble’s thoughts. Conversely, the maiden could be taking the position of the archetypal seductress, a universal subject serving as a trope of the older man’s desire for a youthful woman. This is an enigmatic scene often found in paintings from Kishangarh and particularly from the period of the artist Nihal Chand (ca. 1710-1782), whose training in the Imperial Mughal workshops at Delhi helped him create a popular new style that combined Mughal naturalism with the romantic, poetic idealization beloved at Kishangarh. The signature Kishangarh style began to develop under Raj Singh (r. 1706-1748), and reached full fledged actualization under Sawant Singh (r. 1748-1764). As the present painting dates to the mid-1700s, we know it was executed under one of these rulers’ reigns. As such, it is a delightful example of the evolution of Kishangarh painting during the century. This idyllic, amatory manner so-valued within the realm is well suited for the depiction of bhakti, the ecstatic longing for the divine often anthropomorphized as Radha’s love for Krishna.

a sMall GOlD DiaMOND aND

RuBy KOHl BOTTlE

South India

19th century

Length: 6 cm

Price: 8.000 GBP

A small bulbous bottle made from gold and finely set in the kundan style with even- matched rubies and flat –cut diamonds with a cap which screws off to reveal a small pin to apply kohl to the eyes. Made in the traditional style of the Deccan. It has three loops so that the bottle maybe suspended.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Sue Ollemans

M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356

E.: sue@ollemans.com

W: www.ollemans.com

17

Bu DDH a

sH a K ya M u N i

Northeastern India

Pala period

11th – 12th century

Black basalt

41,9 cm x 29,8 cm x 6,4 cm

Provenance: Private New York collection, since the 1990s.

Publication:

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 7677.

Price: 35.000 USD

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by: Kapoor Galleries

M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300

E.: info@kapoors.com

W: www.kapoors.com.com

This stone stele depicts Buddha Shakyamuni expressing his shared identity with Vairochana, flanked by two attendants and surrounded by many buddhas. As Shakyamuni ascends to the pureland of Akanistha upon his enlightenment, he is crowned by the buddhas of the ten directions and recognized as the nirmanakaya or form-body or the cosmic buddha Mhavairochana. Thus, here, he is shown donning a crown and turning the wheel of the dharma in the ultimate paradise. The historical buddha’s identity is distinguished from that of the celestial buddha Vairochana only by his simple sanghati in lieu of the heavenly ornamentation typically worn by beings of the sambhogakaya. While the Buddha’s threepointed crown is referenced in Mahayana sutras, the manner in which it is executed in stone, the arch just above and the niche it surmounts, as well as the beaded edge of the stele, point to the Vajrayana context and Pala origin of this devotional work of art.

a GOlD Tali PENDaNT

Part of a Kali Thiru (auspicious necklace)

Chettiars Nattukottai

Tamil Nadu, India

South India

19th century

Inset with rubies and red stone.

13 x 10 cm

Provenance:

Private English collection

Price: 12.000 GBP

The Chettiars were former salt merchants belonging to the caste of rich merchants who were once settled on the Coromandel Coast and later migrated inland. The auspicious wedding necklaces were comprised of large central pendants and a number of smaller ones such as this that would flank the central pendant. These pieces evoked crab claws and shells that the Chettiars wore as ornaments or would represent the hands of the bride and groom.

These necklaces were part of the dowry offered by the parents to their daughter. They were considered as auspicious and protective and under Hindu law remained undisputedly her property to be used for her protection and security.

C t P R e S e N ted by: Sue

Ollemans

M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356

E.: sue@ollemans.com

W: www.ollemans.com

The word Tali comes from the name of a palm tree, the talipet that in some communities is used as a single strip of palm leaf tied around the bride’s neck to serve as a marriage emblem. The use of this auspicious emblem goes back into antiquity and in Southern India marriage tokens are strung on a sacred yellow thread and tied with three knots around the neck of the bride invoking the blessings of the Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Similar Examples; Barbier Mueller Museum, Geneva, Switzerland. Metropolitan Museum, New York, United States of America.

Obje

Śiva naṭa R āja

Northern India

Pratīhāra period

Circa 11th century

Red sandstone

Height: 63 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, U.K.

Price: 48.000 euros

Beautiful stele of Śiva Naṭarāja in the chatura-tāndava pose. It is the 107th step in the 108 step dance of Śiva Naṭarāja, just before he launches into destruction. Śiva as Naṭarāja is the cosmic dancer and is the master and source of all the dance forms and performs the tāndava, the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and dissolved. The chatura tā ava pose is that where the right leg is firmly placed on the apasmārapuru a (ignorance) and the left leg is raised half way into the air shortly before being stretched out as the Naṭarāja tā ava pose.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Christophe Hioco

M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65

E.: info@galeriehioco.com

W: www.galeriehioco.com

Śiva’s hair is dressed high in jaṭāmukuṭa and his long, matted tresses, usually piled up in a knot, loosen during the dance and crash into the heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them utterly. A thin sash runs around the waist. The costume consists of short drawers worn with an elaborate girdle decorated with a floral clasp in front. He wears a tiara with fillet, several ear-rings and a chain of flowers on each shoulder, yajñopavīta, necklace, udarabandha, spiral armlets, bracelets, rings and anklets. The stoic face of Śiva represents his neutrality, thus being in balance and is surrounded by flames which represent the manifest Universe.

Śiva’s upper right hand holds a small drum shaped like an hourglass (re ugarbha). A specific hand gesture (mudra) called çlamaru-hasta is used to hold the drum. It symbolizes sound originating creation or the beat of the drum is the passage of time. His lower left hand holds a sword which signifies that he is the destroyer of births and deaths and his mid left hand holds a ak amālā (rosary) made of rudrāk a beads which symbolizes concentration. Rudrāk a mālā have been used by Hindus and Buddhists as rosaries at least from the 10th century for meditation purposes and to sanctify the mind, body and soul.

Śiva’s mid left hand is in abhaya mudra (fearlessness gesture) with a serpent coiled around the forearm, the abhaya mudra is meant to bestow protection from both evil and ignorance to those who follow the righteousness of dharma. His other mid left hand holds a kāpala danda (skull-club) that derives from the khatvanga (long skull-capped staff originally created to be used as a weapon).

Pa ND a N - B ETE l BOx

Lucknow, India

Second half of the 18th century

Enamelled silver

Height: 14 cm

Diameter: 12 cm

Provenance:

Han Coray collection, Casa Coray, Agnuzzo

Price: 24.000 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Alexis Renard

T.: + 33 1 44 07 33 02

E.: alexis@alexisrenard.com

W: www.alexisrenard.com

This high-quality betel set has one more compartment and level than most betel boxes or pandan of its kind. Luxury objects like this one were used to prepare betel using areca nut, lime and other ingredients, folded together in a Piper betle leaf. This preparation was very popular in South Asia. Here the additional tray has four gilded compartments to store the ingredients and four small candlesticks. The lime container is hidden in the cover.

Another example of a silver enamelled pandan from Lucknow is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Inv. AC1993.137.1.1-2), and is published in: S. Markel S. and T. Bindu Gude (2010), India’s Favourite City: The Art of Courtly Lucknow, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum, n° 86, p. 204.

T HE C E l E s T ial

Musi C ia N, Na R a D a

Bikaner, India

Circa 1630-1640

Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper

25,7 cm x 19,1 cm

Provenance:

From an important European collection.

Price: 80.000 USD

In Hindu mythology, Narada is revered for both his sage advice and his mischievous ways, creating some of Vedic literature’s most humorous tales. He is also known as a master of the vina and is frequently depicted with one, as in the present scene. Narada is said to have dictated the story of Rama to the esteemed Sanskrit poet Valmiki. Upon visiting Narada at his hermitage, Valmiki asked who the perfect man was; someone powerful, educated, fear-striking, and beautiful. Narada responded that he knew of only one, and that was Rama. He then went on to give an account of Rama’s adventures to Maharishi Valmiki, who authored the Ramayana. This painting belongs to the same set as the illustration of Brahma; from the same series as The Liberation of Gajendra, illustrated by Andrew Topsfield in In the Realm of Gods and Kings, New York, 2004, p.117, no. 43, formerly in the collection of Cynthia Polsky and sold at Bonhams New York, 16 March 2015, lot 70.

Recto translation:

Obje C t P R e

S e N ted

Kapoor Galleries

M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300

E.: info@kapoors.com

by:

W: www.kapoors.com.com

Narada, the sage of the heaven, is a great god [bhagavan]. He becomes overwhelmed with joy as he creates the Vedic melody, characterized by regulated rise and fall of sounds through the musical scale [grama] with the skillful use of the plectrum for manipulating the multiple strings of the lute that he carries on his shoulder. The sage, whose appearance is as lustrous as the moonlight of the full moon night, purifies the world as he sings Vishnu’s prayers. May the sage protect the great king Prthvisimha.

Verso translation:

[The name of the meter] is Savaiya. Having seen the rapidly increasing problematic situation caused by viraga [the lack of gentle feeling of fondness or liking] in the world, [the sage] Narada incarnated himself and explained [the significance] of raga [attachment; enthusiasm] to everybody in order to increase anuraga [love; affection]. [The name of] the tala is Samaipagi. Those who sing the virtues of [other people] are smart, control the feeling of mind and meditate.

Translations by Gautama Vajracharya.

Mulla H D O-Piyaza

India

17th - 18th century Black line drawing and pigments on paper

Page: 17,5 cm x 14,4 cm

Drawing: 15,3 cm x 12,3 cm

Price: 2.500 euros

Deccan, India

First half of the 19th century Pigments on paper

Dimensions: 18 cm x 25,4 cm

Provenance:

Formerly in the collection of S. E. Jean Pozzi

Enrico Isacco collection

Françoise and Claude Bourelier collection

Price: 8.000 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by: Alexis Renard

T.: + 33 1 44 07 33 02

E.: alexis@alexisrenard.com

W: www.alexisrenard.com

Named after a fragrant Indian dish in which the onion is the key ingredient, the Mullah Do-Piyaza (literally ‘two onions’) is represented with his characteristic rotund figure and onion-shaped turban. He is also sitting on an emaciated horse, creating a humorous contrast.

He is said to have been part of Akbar’s close circle, and to have attained a high rank at court. He is described in 19th-century folk tales as an amusing yet spiritual character. Most academics and art historians consider him to be purely fictional.

For a painting representing the same subject, see: Hurel R., exhibition catalogue, Miniature et peintures indiennes – Collection du département des Estampes et de la Photographie de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 10 March to 6 June 2010, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, vol. 1, p. 96, n. 102.

B R a HM a W i TH D EVOTEE s

Bikaner, India

Circa 1630-1640

Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper

25,7 cm x 19,5 cm

Provenance:

From an important European collection.

Price: 80.000 USD

A third of the Hindu triad of supreme divinity, along with Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer, is Brahma the Creator—progenitor of the hymns and ritual texts known as The Vedas. The Brahma Purana describes him with five heads. As the story goes, he became too arrogant, referring to himself as the greatest of the Trimurti or divine triad, so Shiva removed his fifth head to humble him. In the present composition, Brahma is shown worshipped by four devotees who may represent the four Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda, and the Atharva Veda.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Kapoor Galleries

M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300

E.: info@kapoors.com

W: www.kapoors.com.com

The current painting is from the same series as The Liberation of Gajendra, illustrated by Andrew Topsfield in In the Realm of Gods and Kings, New York, 2004, p. 117, no. 43, formerly in the collection of Cynthia Polsky and sold at Bonhams New York, 16 March 2015, lot 70. The serieswas commissioned for a Maharaja of Bikaner; it includes a variety of Hindu deities including Vishnu’s many avatar Each of the compositions display a strong Mughal and Deccani influence.

Recto translation:

Four great gods including Sanaka are the mind-born brilliant children of [Brahma]. Although they are eternally five years old, they are indeed renowned for their knowledge. May these divine beings protect the great king Prthvisimha, who is regarded as the partial incarnation [amsaja] of Vishnu.

Verso translation:

[The name of the meter] is Savaiya. For the benevolence [of living beings], the god Brahma created the beautiful world, both animate and inanimate. Through his mental and ascetic power, he manifested himself in the form of forty incarnations including Sanaka. This is indeed beyond description. May [the creator god] protect our learned poet king [Prathipati; Skt. Prthvipati] and make him ever young and immortal.

Translations by Gautama Vajracharya.

宋|西夏 骨雕人物殘部

China

Song or Xi Xia Dynasty (1038-1227)

Width: 7 cm

Price: 4.500 USD

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Rasti Chinese Art

M.: + 852 2415 1888

E.: gallery@rastichineseart.com

W: www.rastichineseart.com

A bone fragment carved in relief with two seated figures flanked by two standing attendants above floral motifs, with two circular apertures for attachment.

For a very similar Song/Xi Xia dynasty bamboo fragment found Ningxia in the royal tomb of Li Zunxu (1162-1226) see Kao, ed. Chinese Ivories from the Kwan Collection, p. 42, pl. E (2), and p. 51.

商 骨饕餮紋爵

China

Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BCE)

Height: 14 cm

Price: 11.000 USD

A green-stained bone jue, the tripod vessel with wide flaring mouth on three rounded triangular feet, carved to the body with a taotie head and two bands of key-frets between circular borders and triangular lappets to the neck, one foot incised with two archaic characters

For numerous Shang dynasty bone fragments with similar designs see Siren, Ars Asiatica: VII Documents d’Art Chinois de la Collection Osvald Siren, pls XXVII, XXVIII and XXIX.

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Rasti Chinese Art

M.: + 852 2415 1888

E.: gallery@rastichineseart.com

W: www.rastichineseart.com

Dia N s PE a RHE a D

Yunnan, Southeast China

Dian Kingdom

200-100 B.C.

Bronze

Height: 26,5 cm

Provenance:

Galerie David Dechamps, Royan

Sotheby’s Paris, 18 décembre 2009, lot

257

Publication:

"Art of the bronze age in Southeast Asia", Martin Doustar, 2014.

Price : 3.500 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Pascassio Manfredi

M.: + 33 (0) 642195423

E.: pascassiomanfredi@orange.fr

W.: www.pascassio-manfredi.com

Similar spearheads can be seen in the Kunming City Museum, Yunnan. This shape derives from earlier spears of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and the central decorative band consisting of simple spirals and concentric triangles is characteristic of the Dian culture.

南北朝 骨雕胡人獻魚

白玉髮簪

China

Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589)

Length: 12,4 cm

Price: 26.000 USD

A white jade hairpin with a bone terminal modelled as a kneeling foreigner wearing a tall conical hat, holding a bowl with both hands, carrying a fish suspended from a rope around his back, traces of pigments including grey-green from burial

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Rasti Chinese Art

M.: + 852 2415 1888

E.: gallery@rastichineseart.com

W: www.rastichineseart.com

Towards the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was an influx of foreigners, or huren, many from Central Asia, who assimilated into society while maintaining their own religions and customs. The figure with the tall hat and pronounced features on top of the jade hairpin represents one of these immigrants. Although depictions of huren occur more frequently in the Tang Dynasty, examples can also be found from the Six Dynasties. A glazed pottery candlestick in the form of a foreigner riding a mythical beast is illustrated in Major Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2003, frontispiece and p. 111. A Tang dynasty wood model of a horse and a groom wearing a tall hat is shown in Li and Hansen (eds.), The Glory of the Silk Road: Art from Ancient China, p. 98, no. 32, which also illustrates a pottery model of a merchant on a camel on p. 170, no. 85.

bO dhi S att Va

Nepal or Tibet

Circa 14th century

Gilded repoussé copper

Height: 16 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, London

Price: 8.000 euros

Of a particularly elegant and aerial form, this superb ornamental element combines the figure of a bodhisattva richly adorned and with a graceful posture, with a generous stylized foliage displaying a set of floral motifs with extremely careful and varied details.

The figure of the bodhisattva

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Christophe Hioco

M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65

E.: info@galeriehioco.com

W: www.galeriehioco.com

From the multiplication of his jewelry and his posture, there is no doubt that we are facing the representation of a bodhisattva. Seated in the lotus position (padmāsana) on a lotiform base, he sketches with his right hand the gesture of absence of fear (abhayamudrā) while his left hand closes on his attribute, perhaps the stem of a lotus or a vajra. Without this iconographic element, the precise identification of this bodhisattva cannot be advanced. Bodhisattvas developed as a result of the emergence of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its desire to introduce laymen into religious life. These beings, of great purity, are ” promised to an Awakening “, a specific state of historical Buddha before their “Enlightenment”. However, they refuse to reach it, feeling compassion for all sentient creatures of the earth and only wishing to break free of the causal loop along with them.

Himalayan arts: preciousness and refinement

The richness of the ornaments and their sophistication echo the great refinement of the scrolls and floral motifs of the vegetal foliage. Petal, stem, leaf: each ornament is carefully crafted. This precious aspect, this finesse in the treatment of the details (the face and the hand of the bodhisattva are good examples), this overall elegance are all characteristic of Himalayan arts. One can also note a certain mannerism (very elegant here and in no way excessive) which is a common taste in Nepal, Tibet and China.This beautiful object, with its superb openwork, is made of gilded copper using the repoussé technique, a technique in which the Newar craftsmen of the Kāthmāndu valley excelled. It consists in creating relief decorations on a metal plate, by pressure or percussion, and the whole was then fire-gilded. The resulting works could reach substantial sizes. This relief here is a fragment. It must have been part of the decoration of the elaborate nimbus surrounding the main divinity.

fR i E z E

illus TR aT i NG THE B i RTH O f THE Bu DDH a

Ancient province of Gandhāra

3rd-4th century

Schist

Height: 19 cm x 46 cm

Provenance:

Private Japanese collection.

Publication:

Volume 1 (1988) of Gandhāran Art

written by Isao Kurita.

Price: 14.000 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Christophe Hioco

M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65

E.: info@galeriehioco.com

W: www.galeriehioco.com

This work is an emblematic example of the GrecoBuddhist art of Gandhāra. It bears a very rich and lively historiated decoration, revealing a specific iconography.

An iconic scene in the life of the Śākyamuni Buddha: his birth

It is in the region of Gandhāra that the iconography of the Buddha in human form is gradually established. The Gandhāran school emphasizes the last existence of the historical Buddha, as well as his previous lives or jātaka. It develops a syncretic style, which is notably evident in the use of pilasters and columns surmounted by Hellenistic-style capitals with acanthus motifs, a device well known to the Greeks that allows the different moments of a narrative to be divided, as is the case here. The most important scene in this frieze is also easily identifiable: it is the birth of Śākyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. In keeping with classical iconography, Queen Māyā – the Buddha’s mother – is depicted in Lumbinī, grasping a branch of the śāl tree with her right hand. From her flank is born the future Buddha, gathered in a cloth stretched by Indra. On the right, Mahāprajāpatī supports her sister, and gently touches her belly, as if to soothe her.

An undeniable Hellenistic heritage, but not only

This scene of the Buddha’s birth is in itself a concentration of various influences: the clothes of the figures show Hellenistic and Roman stylistic influence, sometimes draped in broad clothes with quilted folds reminiscent of the toga or himation, sometimes the muscular bust left exposed and covered with jewels, then reminiscent of the nomadic ancestry of the Ku ā tribes (Guishuang, the Yuezhi tribe that led to the term Ku ā ). The elaborate headdresses and heavy earrings, for their part, are typically Indian. The scene on the right is more enigmatic, perhaps depicting two beings who have come to celebrate the birth of the Buddha or the past and future miracles of the Blessed One. They are on either side of a table that we can believe is filled with modaka, small Indian pastries, although it is difficult to say for sure. Above, appear several Buddha worshipped by orants, each time separated by columns. This stylistic cosmopolitanism is a fortunate characteristic of Gandhāra art; the dual influence of classical Mediterranean and Indian sculpture gives this work its charm by endowing it with a strong aesthetic and a great historicity.

The art of narration in the region of Gandhāra Finally, it is interesting to note the curved shape of this frieze: this indicates that it decorated a stūpa. The Gandhāran monasteries indeed had two types of areas: courtyards accessible to devotees and crowded with all sorts of ex-voto monuments, such as reliquary tumuli (stūpa) and chapels, and beyond that an area reserved only for monks. In the public areas, the bases of the stūpa, the door and window surrounds, the plinths and sometimes even the risers of the stairs bore numerous reliefs, juxtaposing decorative motifs and apologetic narrative scenes. This is the case with this frieze, which was read from right to left according to the traditional practice of circumambulation (consisting of turning ritually around the sacred object, keeping it on the right, here the stūpa).

ax E HE a D

Luristan, Iran

End of the 2nd Millennium or beginning of the 1st Millennium B.C.

Bronze

16,5 cm x 9 cm

Price : 700 euros

Obje C t P R e S e N ted by:

Pascassio Manfredi

M.: + 33 (0) 642195423

E.: pascassiomanfredi@orange.fr

W.: www.pascassio-manfredi.com

MED ia Pa RTNER s