FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Josh Chait
310.285.0182
josh@chait.com
COLLECTORS ARE WELL ADVISED TO SEEK ASIAN ART TREASURES IN CALIFORNIA.
View Sale
BEVERLY HILLS, CA
With more people planning to travel to China this year than last year,
globetrotters are discovering the East's rich body of antiques and arts.
But before risking funds on treasures 6,000 miles away, collectors would
be well advised to look first in the United States, where the best of
the Asian arts come to be authenticated, catalogued and sold at I. M.
Chait Gallery / Auctioneers in Beverly Hills.
In a few days, on
Sunday, October 5, the 40-year old auction gallery will bring to the
podium collections broad enough to satisfy the instincts of the
hungriest travelers and collectors. This particular sale features
remarkable items from China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal and Cambodia
Dominating the sale
is a fine collection of Asian deities, representing the many facets of
Buddhism as it spread across Southeast Asia before coming to America in
the 19th Century. It is now America's fourth largest religion
and its influence can be seen in the proliferation of home altars and
contemporary décor that often mixes ancient Eastern art with
contemporary.
The sale features
numerous figures carved from sandstone, hardstone, marble and rock
crystal. Others are made of pottery and dry lacquer, gilt- and silvered
bronze. They range in estimate from $1,200 to $20,000. The most imposing
lot 168 a life-sized monk. Standing 70-inches tall, the antique
Chinese carved wood figure is more than 400 years old, probably from the
Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). Wearing draped robes, with his hands in
mudra, the monk's gaze is serene. Bearing the lot number 215, the
ancient figure is expected to sell at the high end of the price range.
At half the size,
but equally dramatic, is
lot 195 a pair of pottery Lokapala, the guardian gods who, in
the Chinese Buddhist tradition, watch over the directions of the world.
The pair, which have Oxford
Thermo luminescence
Test Certificates (the standard
method for dating pottery), have been handed down intact from the Tang
Dynasty (618-907). Each wears elaborate armor with flared sleeves and a
helmet. One hand is closed, as if once it held a weapon; the other is
outstretched. Both figures have traces of red pigment, one of the
things serious collectors look for. The catalog estimate for these (Lot
205) is $10,000 to $12,000.
For those whose
prize a bit of splendor,
lot 212 the carved rock crystal and bejeweled figure of Tara
(pictured top) will be of interest. The female Bodhisattva, most often
associated with Tibetan Buddhism and known as the mother of liberation,
is decorated with pigment and gilt copper repoussé. Rubies and emeralds
adorn the scrolling foliage from she appears to have just materialized.
The jewels are on the ornate base as well. Standing nearly 15 inches
tall, the notable carving (Lot 212) is estimated to bring around
$15,000.
From Cambodia, once
called the "Pearl of Asia," comes
Lot 218, an 11th Century carved stone female torso. The
Khmer Baphuon (fragmental) is delicately carved. She is nude
above a long, fluted skirt. Two-feet tall, the figure is expected to
command between $12,000 and $15,000.
There is also a 10th
century Jain stele of Gomedh and Ambika, (Lot
220). Carved of buff sandstone, the deities are portrayed sitting in
an arched niche above a row of seven, small seated figures. It is
expected to bring as much as $7,000. A rare Cambodian (Khmer) head,
probably 11th Century, is carved of green hardstone. The
figure has open eyes and elongated earlobes and wears a tall and
elaborate conical headdress. It bears an authenticity report and is
estimated at between $7,000 and $8,000.
In addition to the
deities, the I.M. Chait sale fuels the taste for period porcelain. Among
the higher valued pottery (in the $20, 000 to $25,000 range) there is
lot 202 a Northern Song (960 - 1127 ) Meiping (a vase
inspired by the female body) that is as much "good design," as anything
being created today. Of ovoid form, it is has a brown glaze of flowering
branches loosely painted. According to Izzy Chait, president of I.M.
Chait, as early artisans became masters of their trade, their precision
work took on a loose flourish. It is one of the characteristics that
serious collectors look for.
There is also a
strong field of items of popular taste, such as elaborate carved jade
table-top sculptures. The collection runs from a spinach jade rhinoceros
(Lot
245, $3,500 – $4,000) to an elaborate lavender jadeite urn with
green suffusions (Lot
236,) and a Chinese celadon jade teapot (Lot
241, $7,000 to $8,000).
All of these items,
and more, including a rare Rodin watercolor entitled "Nude," (Lot 284,
$20,000 to $24,000) can be previewed online at
www.chait.com or in person at I.M. Chait, 9330 Civic Center Drive,
Beverly Hills through October 4. Bidding can be done in person, by
phone or on-line. For further information, contact Josh Chait Director
of Media Communications at 1-800-775-5020.
