China Guardian's 22nd Quarterly Auction opening event will begin on June 16 at the Beijing International Hotel Convention Centre. For this quarterly auction China Guardian will offer nearly 3700 fine works in 13 individual auctions dedicated to Chinese Painting and Calligraphy as well as two auctions presenting Chinese Porcelain and Jade, Furniture, and Works of Art. The preview exhibition will take place June 16-18 followed by the auctions June 19-21.
Among the eleven Chinese Painting and Calligraphy auctions presenting more than 2300 fine works, there will be top quality treasures from three overseas collections featured in the special auctions "Returning from Overseas," "Delicate Scent of Ink," and "Collected Treasures of Painting and Calligraphy." Highlights include an important painting by Xu Beihong entitled "War Horse" completed in the summer of 1938 before he left Chongqing, and a rare work by Qi Baishi painted in his later years called "Autumn Lotus Pond." In addition the special auction, "Masters of the Brush," represents the first time China guardian will present fourteen related works by the masters Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Wu Changshuo, Xu Beihong, Pan Tianshou, Huang Binhong, and Chen Shaomei together in one session. This is a new theme Guardian will continued pursue moving forward. This time there will also be a group of Republican-era paintings and calligraphy gathered from several fine collections. Contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy will make another appearance in a special auction offering exciting visual experiences for all. Paintings and calligraphy from the collection of Far East Books––Japan's largest Chinese bookstore––will be the focus of another session. In the area of classical Chinese painting and calligraphy, some works have recently returned from Japan and will join others in a regular auction. Shi Tao's ink landscape on paper "Purple Jade Screen at Mt. Huang" will certainly draw much attention.
In Porcelain and Works of Art, Guardian will present a special auction called "Freshly Emerged, Magnificent Past” featuring an extensive group of tea ceremony implements provided by collectors, including many fine small “zisha” plain teapots from China and abroad and a few unique highly-sought-after items for Japanese tea ceremonies like the Jinhu, Yinhu, Tiehu, and other special utensils. In the area of tradition porcelain there will be some exceptionally fine pieces including a Qing dynasty "Qianlong Blue-and-White Lotus Design Tripod Censer," a Ming dynasty “Zhengde Blue-and-White Cloud Design Dish," a Qing dynasty “Jiaqing Famille-Rose Teapot with Poem, and a "Qianlong Famille-Rose Teapot with Poem and Landscape." There will also be small objects from the Scholar's Studio, like the exquisite "Early Qing Bronze Censer Sprinkled with Gold"––a must see. Among the handcrafts, the “Early Qing Rhinoceros Horn Cup Carved with a Hornless Dragon Motif" is another item that should not be missed.