Bonhams Hong Kong 2011 Spring Auctions will offer The Q Soapstone Collection, on 25 May at 11:30am.
The Q Collection is arguably the greatest collection of soapstone figures ever to be offered at auction. The 78 figures represent the personal journey of the collector, who showed remarkable vision in collecting these figures, starting in the late 1970s. They were purchased from top art dealers in USA, Europe and Japan, and also from street markets. One of the rarest examples was purchased for a token sum in Cat Street in the late 1970s.
Soapstone, or shoushan stone, is produced in South East China near to Fuzhou city. Prized throughout Chinese history, attractive to the eye and highly tangible, it was somewhat overlooked by collectors of Chinese art in the 20th century, who focused on porcelain and jade. Now however, there will be great interest from new Chinese collectors looking for pieces of quality and provenance.
Highlights include:
• Lot 221: An extremely fine and rare large carved ‘huang furong’ figure of a luohan, Early Qing dynasty, 20.2cm high
Provenance: Douglas Wright Ltd, London, 1980
Estimate: HK$2,000,000-3,000,000
• Lot 208: An exquisitely carved ‘bai furong’ recumbent figure of Maitreya by Zhou Bin, Early Qing dynasty, 9.8cm long
Provenance: Oriental Art Gallery, London, 1983
Estimate: HK$2,000,000-3,000,000
• Lot 274: An outstanding and extremely rare carved soapstone figure of Kanakabharadvja, signed Weirufen zhu, Early Qing dynasty, 10.5 cm (including cushion) high
Provenance: Christie’s Hong Kong, October 1994, lot 338
Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong
Estimate: HK$1,500,000-2,500,000
Julian King, Head of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, comments: “This is an unparalleled opportunity for collectors to acquire soapstone figures of the highest quality with impeccable provenance”.
Image: Lot No: 274 A carved ‘gaoshan’ figure of Kanakabharadv?ja, by Wei Rufen Early Qing dynasty
Auction
25 May at 11:30am
Public Viewing
23 May from 1pm to 9pm
24 May from 10am to 9pm
25 May from 10am to 11:30am
Venue
Island Ballroom, Island Shangri-La Hotel
Admiralty
Hong Kong
www.bonhams.com/hongkong
