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Contact: Josh Chait
310.285.0182
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I.M. Chait’s February 19, 2006 Asian and International Fine Art Sale

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Stunning Bronzes and Porcelains Ming and Qing Dynasty from a Central California Collection; Antique Japanese Netsuke, Metal-work and Ceramics, including a fine massive Imari vase, from a Boston, MA Collection; Antique Chinese Snuff Bottles and Jades, together with carved Ivories, from two Southern California Estates; and much more headline I.M. Chait’s February 19, 2006 Asian and International Fine Art Sale

Lot 200

February 2006, BEVERLY HILLS: Successful auction house I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers will host its first Asian and International Fine Art sale for 2006 on February 19th. As early as late December, inquiries by clients and collectors on the sale from all over have been resolute. “There is newfound public interest in Asian art as a whole. New and seasoned collectors see beyond the aesthetic qualities to the fact that art from the Asian region, particularly China and Japan is a sound, solid investment,” offers Mr. Isadore Chait.

Sales of Asian art and artifacts have reached lofty highs far beyond projected estimates at auction houses across the country. In the November 2005 issue of Art + Auction, Mr. Souren Melikian writes “the Chinese art market is reliving at top speed a transformation that took 40 years in the market for Western art.” Indeed, Chait Gallery’s over four-hundred-lot February sale promises to showcase a grand array of art and artifacts that serve as great representations to this growing trend.

“Like an unstoppable tide, China is looming ever larger on the art scene. Without anyone taking much notice, Chinese objects have now become the most expensive of all in the International market.” - excerpt from “Waves of Chinese Masterpieces Storm Market” by Souren Melikian International Herald Tribune
The February sale offers numerous artifacts from some of the most celebrated dynasties in Chinese history. Spanning nearly three centuries (1368 BCE 1644 BCE) the Ming Dynasty stood strong between the fall of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the rise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The Ming period was stable and one of China’s most prosperous. The population reached nearly 100 million and this agrarian-centered society cultivated new crops such as cotton, sweet potato and maize. Advances in the arts and sciences flourished. New and improved technologies allowed the final construction to the Great Wall that included the enlargement of the brick and granite work, redesigned watch towers and the placement of cannons. Completion of this grand project bestowed China its most revered landmark. Industries producing porcelain and textiles reached new heights as well, and a magnificent example of this is Lot #200 in the February sale. Massive and finely detailed, this exquisite early 15th Century Chinese, Ming Dynasty Yongle Period, blue and white porcelain dish, with wide shallow form and a central design of willowy lotus blossoms bordered by scrolling foliage and flowers, flanked by waves on the flared rim and a diameter measuring 17 1/4". This important piece is expected to generate between $60,000-80,000.

Lot 195
ANTIQUE TANG DYNASTY MARBLE GUANYIN
H: 12 ½ “
Estimate $18,000-$24,000

In Chinese Buddhism, Guanyin or Guanshiyin is the goddess of mercy. In Japan she is Kannon or Kwannon, an attendant of the Amida Buddha (Amitabha). Guanyin’s origins span thousands of years to India as the male bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. A most beloved deity, there is an known saying in China that reads: "Guanshiyin in every household, Amitabha in every place." The name signifies endless, boundless compassion and healing. Guan means “contemplate,” shi means “world,” and yin means “sounds.” It is believed that Guanyin hears the woes, cries, and triumphs of sentient beings across the land, and assists in the passage to enlightenment.

Of the many symbols in Buddhism, perhaps the most recognizable is that of the lotus. The transformation of the lotus from a seed to its final form is compared to the spiritual transformation of beings during their journey to enlightenment. The seed begins at the bottom of a murky body of water, in the wet mud. Deep from the dark cold waters, upwards and out springs the seed to float on top of the water, white and luminous. This simple metamorphosis is sacred to Buddhists, and the lotus flower is much revered for its spiritual significance. The February sale offers a lovely depiction of Guanyin atop a lotus base from the Tang Dynasty. Beautifully carved, the marble figure is in a stately and serene pose, in draped robes and with dressed hair held in a crown. The figure has a height of 12 1/2". The magnificent piece is estimated between $18,000 and $24,000.

The I.M. Chait Gallery has a reputation for carrying one of the finest and most eclectic collections of Snuff bottles, Netsuke and Inro. This auction promises to bring a fabulous array of snuff bottles to the most discriminating collector, fifty in all. Snuff bottles were the Chinese equivalent to snuff boxes in the west, used to carry powdered tobacco, or snuff. Chinese craftsmen used jade, precious and semi-precious stones, glass, porcelain and metals, and organic material such as ivory, amber, tortoiseshell, and wood to create these miniature works of art. Snuff bottles became a status symbol for the nobility and the sophisticated elite.

The sale offers numerous choices of this well-collected artifact. Lot #39, a beautifully carved and well hollowed, black and white Suzhou School-type, jade snuff bottle; with figural scenes in relief; front with sages playing chess. Height: 2 3/8" and expected to fetch $2,500-$3,000. Lot #40, a finely carved, celadon jade snuff bottle; with a fisherman hunched over and clutching a fish, his well featured face in an expression of exuberance, coral stopper with tortoise shell spoon and a height of 2 1/4". The piece is expected to generate $1,800-$2,400.

Lot 331

Other items of interest include:

Lot #108: PAIR CARVED IVORY BICYCLES
Pair of finely carved, delicate Chinese ivory bicycles: each fully articulated with meticulous, accurate detailing; complete with kickstands, headlights and bells, each L; 6 1/4"
Estimate $1,500-$2,000

Lot #112: TORTOISE SHELL TRIPOD VESSEL
Chinese, sectional appliqué tortoise-shell tripod vessel in the form of an archaistic wine cup (jue); with animal head handle and flared spouts, the body with three chilong panels; H: 7 1/2"
Estimate $1500-$2000

Lot #126: WHITE JADE BUDDHA'S HAND
Very finely carved, Chinese jade, of very pure white coloration, model of "Buddha's Hand" finger citron with openwork foliage; H: 7"; wood stand
Estimate $3000-$4000

Lot #156: LARGE FAMILLE ROSE VASE
Large and elaborately enameled, Chinese Famille Rose porcelain bottle vase; with continuous festive scene of boys playing in a garden, the neck with scrolling blossoms on yellow ground above patterned borders; H: 13 1/2"
Estimate $2000-$3000

Lot #163: FINELY CARVED FOSSIL IVORY
Fossil mammoth ivory tusk section with a charming and finely carved and detailed family of lions in a den, with the cub tucked in beneath pine boughs, well polished, inlaid eyes, L: 8 1/2", openwork carved wood stand
Estimate $3500-$4000

Lot #185: KANGXI WUCAI PORCELAIN VASE
Tall and finely detailed, Chinese Kangxi Period wucai enameled porcelain rouleau-form vase; with garden scene of two beauties watching over young children, diaper pattern on shoulder with panels of sea life, Circa 1700; H: 18 1/2"
Estimate $10000-$12000

Lot #191: KANGXI BLUE AND WHITE JAR
Large, antique Chinese blue and white porcelain jar and cover; of attractive baluster form, with allover plum blossoms design, domed cover with wide rim and peach knop, Kangxi Period, Circa 1700; H: 171/2"
Estimate $10000-$12000

Lot #193: NORTHERN QI STONE STELE
Beautifully carved, large Chinese Northern Qi Dynasty stone stele of lotus bud form; with Buddha standing at center flanked by a Bodhisattva on either side, crest of floating deities with ornately carved keystone, the verso with incised designs, some remaining pigments; H: 33 3/4"; with authenticity report dated September 9, 2003
Estimate: $12000-$18000

Lot 196

Lot #196 (pictured above): RARE WANLI MING WUCAI EWER
Extremely rare and of good form, Chinese 16th Century Ming Dynasty, wucai enameled porcelain ewer with cover; the bulbous body with blossoms and foliate bands, openwork scroll details, the cover with precious emblems, with incised Wanli Mark and of the Period; H: 8 1/4"
Estimate $35000-$50000

Lot #196A: YONGZHENG DOUCAI JAR
Superbly enameled, Chinese early 18th Century, Yongzheng Mark and of the Period, doucai porcelain jar and cover; with ornate design of phoenix in flight amid scrolling foliage, the domed cover with peach form knop; H: 6"
Estimate $30000-$40000

Lot #202: SET OF FOUR CHINESE PAINTINGS
Rare and well rendered, set of four Chinese ink and color on silk paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions, each finely detailed with beards and dressed as Ming-style generals: Dhritarasta of the East holds a lute; Vidradhaka of the South with a long-bladed sword; Virapaksa of the West grips a snake; and Vaisravana of the North holds a jewel-spitting mongoose; each 58 1/2" x 32 1/2"; each well framed
Estimate $2000-$25000

Lot 204: OIL ON PANEL BY OSWALD MOSER
Extremely rare oil on panel by Robert Oswald Moser (English, 1874-1953), entitled "The Lord of Creation"; of a fanciful scene representative of Genesis with figures and animals cavorting in a landscape, 48" x 53 3/4", signed, Circa 1925; numerous inscriptions on verso and other old paper stamps: "The Lord of Creation" Genesis I:28 by Oswald Moser....Sussex, England; Royal Academy Exhibition, James Bourlet & Sons, Ltd., A62514; Theo J. Gidden, London; Provenance: M & J Pruskin Gallery, London
Estimate $8000-$10000

Lot #205: ANTIQUE MARBLE BUST BY RUXTHIEL
Antique and well carved, marble bust by Henri-Joseph Ruxthiel (French, 1775-1837, student of Houdon and David); depicting Jean-Francois Dieudone known as Yvan Simonis, of the Belgian Simonis Family; with curling locks and side burns in the Empire taste, and with high collar and tied cravat, wearing vest and jacket and set on a plinth, Circa 1830; H: approx. 28"; Provenance: Simonis Family by direct commission of the artist
Estimate $6000-$8000

Lot 227

Lot #227 (pictured above): CHINESE CLOISONNÉ CENSER
Very heavy, Chinese cloisonné enamel and gilt bronze tripod censer; with animal paw feet from lion heads, ornate openwork lion head handles, the openwork cover with seated lion finial, with allover Buddhist emblems amid scrolled blossoms on turquoise ground, Kangxi mark; H: 11 1/4"
Estimate $1500-$2000

Lot #287: DIAMOND HEART PENDANT
14K white gold and diamond heart pendant on chain: centering a brilliant-cut diamond weighing approx. 1.0 Ct., further set with small round diamonds together weighing approx. 1.50 Cts.; suspended from a white gold rope-twist chain; L: 14 ½"
Estimate $2500-$3000

Lot #289: GREEN JADEITE IN GILT BUCKLE
Finely carved, Chinese bright apple green jadeite plaque with a phoenix amid large blossoms in relief, set into a gilt metal belt buckle; L: 2 1/4"
Estimate $2000-$3000

Lot #312: ART DECO STYLE BRONZE AND IVORY
Art Deco style dancer (after D.H. Chiparus' Thais); of a female ivory and patinated bronze dancer in a lunging stance with arms outstretched and head tilted, inscribed D.H. Chiparus in onyx base; L: 24"
Estimate $2500-$3500

Lot #327: ANTIQUE FRENCH AUBUSSON SALON SET
Antique French Aubusson salon set, including: four armchairs and settee; all with foliate gilt frames, round backs and fluted columnar tapering legs, the seats and backs with classical foliage framing bouquets of flowers, 19th Century; L: 53 1/2" (settee)
Estimate $7000-$9000

Lot #329: ANTIQUE ENGLISH DISPLAY CABINET
Antique English bow-front, marble-top display cabinet; the frieze with classical ormolu mounts above two fluted pilasters flanking a bow-front door and glass side panels, all on a shaped base and tapering square section feet, 19th Century; H: 55 3/4"
Estimate $2400-$2600

I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers is scheduled to have the next Asian and International Fine Art sale on April 30th, 2006. In May, 2006, the Gallery presents a magnificent array of museum quality fossils, meteorites, and dinosauria during the Natural History Sale. The February 19, 2006 International Fine Art auction will begin promptly at 1:00 PM Pacific Time. The auction offers in-room, absentee, phone, and live on-line bidding. The I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers is located at 9330 Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills, California, 90210. For more information, or to order a catalogue, kindly call (310) 285-0182, or visit our website at www.chait.com.