Magnificent artworks of Asia at Dublin auction
A six-panelled lacquered wood screen of a Mekong River landscape with village at James Adam.
The fabulous arts of Asia — magnificent, rich, colourful, symbolic, auspicious — will come under the hammer at three days of sales at James Adam in Dublin kicking off next Tuesday.
More than 1,000 lots including newly discovered masterpieces of fine Chinese and Himalayan art will feature in two "Asian Spring" auctions and one of decorative Asian art.
There will be global interest in an auction series which has been already previewed at the Pagoda Fair in Paris. Irish collectors and those dipping their toes into this market for the first time will find plenty of opportunities at sales where estimates range from €80 to €400,000.
In an era of fakes, knockoffs and forgeries seasoned collectors of Asian art value provenance very highly. These auctions are rich in works from well-known collections like that of Carlos Alfredo Tornquist Altgelt (1885-1953); Juan Carlos Katzenstein (1925-2018); Jorge Casares of Buenos Aires and Canadian industrialist Baron Sir Duncan Orr-Lewis.
The top lot of the auction is a rare six-panelled lacquered wood screen of a Mekong River landscape with village by Vietnamese artist Le Quoc Loc (1918-1987). The 1943 screen is estimated at €200,000-€400,000.
The sale gets underway at 10 am on Tuesday with a rare white jade melon and butterfly Qing Dynasty linked box and cover from an Irish collection. Carved out of a single piece it is estimated at €6,000-€8,000. From snuff bottles to carved animals to screens and vases there is enough jade to make one green with envy. On day one there are Sino-Tibetan gilt-bronze figures, rock crystal censers, blanc de chine porcelain vases, Chinese export porcelain, silver, cloisonne ware, an opium tray, furniture, art and scrolls.
The emphasis on Wednesday is on Vietnam, Indochina, Asian painters and Japan. There are some Japanese prints along with a selection of art and artefacts headed by the six-fold lacquer screen le Le Quoc Loc and a beautiful lacquer panel with a Byzantine inspired gold ground by Alix Ayme (1894-1989), professor at the Indochina Fine Arts College in Hanoi. The artist, once a pupil of Maurice Denis, was instrumental in the revival of the ancient art of lacquer which she taught in Hanoi.
The decorative arts sale on Thursday is brimful of interest. The Chinese incorporate auspicious symbols in nearly every aspect of life, including arts and culture. All sorts of symbols represent the aspiration for a longer, more prosperous and happier life. Lot 701 is a Famille Rose eight boys bottle vase. Three of them are climbing up the vase, and the depiction of five on the shoulders is particularly auspicious as it signifies the saying "wu zi deng ke" referring to the supreme achievement of one family whose five sons passed the civil service examination.
The catalogue is online and there is viewing at St. Stephen's Green from 1 pm to 5 pm today and tomorrow and from 11am to 5pm on Monday.
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