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Volume 37 - Number 5 - June 2006 Traditional Jumu Furniture and the Museum of Classical Jumu Furniture by Curtis Evarts, an independent scholar, consultant and dealer living in Shanghai. Jumu, a wood that is indigenous to the Jiangnan region, has long been considered a premium furniture-making timber due to its strength, hardness, pleasing grain pattern and workability. A variety of forms in this much admired wood form the basis of the Museum of Classical Jumu Furniture, a small private museum newly opened by James Zhou in Shanghai. In addition to his account of the jumu furniture-making tradition, the author explains how the 1,000-square-metre space was transformed into a gallery of modern-classical style that provides a stunning setting for more than 100 examples of Ming-style examples of jumu furniture. The collection reflects Zhou's high standards: objects had to be in original condition with a minimal amount of restoration and their original patination. Selected highlights - tapered cabinets, a zither table, a clothes rack, a yokeback armchair and an altar table - demonstrate how the collection provides a unique window through which to view jumu furniture in the classical tradition. The museum offers a new opportunity to explore the world of Chinese furniture and reach new levels of understanding.
Imperial Chinese Furniture by Désiré Feuerle, the curator of `The Art of Furniture-Making in Imperial China: 2nd Century BC - 18th Century'. To draw attention to the exhibition `The Art of Furniture-Making in Imperial China: 2nd Century BC - 18th Century', comprising works expressly created for the emperor's court from various private collections in Asia and Europe, at the Fundacio Francisco Godia in Barcelona until 20 June, the author has selected for discussion four highlights from the early Qing period - a white marble table typically designed to meet the sovereign requirements of majesty and solemnity in an imperial setting; a pair of Wanli-style huanghuali cabinets with lacquered doors decorated with groups of dragons, a symbol of the imperial family; a lacquered wood chair carved with lingzhi motifs that was probably a birthday gift for an emperor or an empress dowager; and a massive pedestal table in tieli mu.
Ming Art and Culture from an Archaeological Perspective — Part 1: Royal and Elite Tombs by Yang Xiaoneng, Curator of Chinese Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. The abundance of recent archaeological discoveries of the Ming period not only tell us about how artefacts were used in daily life then but also establish criteria for authenticity to reassess collections in museums and private hands. This is the first in a series of papers that concentrates on imperial and elite art and culture as revealed by tombs, workshops, kilns and other archaeological sites and gives a tantalizing glimpse into the dynasty's highest achievements in art and craftmanship.
`Hongwu Imperial Porcelain' from the Yongle Reign by Du Feng and Su Baoru, both work at the Qingdao University of Science and Technology. A group of unmarked porcelain with underglaze copper-red and cobalt-blue decoration and monochrome glazes which possess visual characteristics found in wares from the Yuan period and from the Yongle and Xuande reigns have made their way into private and public collections all over the world. Nowadays most scholars consider them to be imperial porcelain of the Hongwu period. However, the authors of this article believe that the group together with scientifically excavated material and historical texts suggest that this designation is questionable as no porcelain with an official Hongwu mark has been found and recorded. The existence of the group raises many controversial and interesting issues concerning the dating of early Ming porcelain and the establishment of a Ming imperial kiln at Jingdezhen. Through a careful examination of the composition, quality and colour of their glazes, the construction of their foot rings and the cobalt-blue and copper-red used for underglaze decoration, the authors suggest that the so-called Hongwu wares were produced for a short time at the beginning of the Yongle reign.
Warriors of the Himalayas by Donald J. LaRocca, curator of Arms and Armor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. An exhibition `Warrior of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet' at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York until 2 July offers the first in-depth exploration of a surprisingly rich, deeply nuanced and yet virtually unknown subject. To draw attention to the show, the author looks at one completely atypical but particularly well-decorated sword from Tibet, possibly 15th/16th century, which is representative of the overall approach taken in the exhibition catalogue and gives some idea of the new insights that can potentially be learned from a closer look at Tibetan arms and armour.
The Past Within the Present: Contemporary Classical Chinese Painting from the John & Alice Z. Berninghausen Collection by Arnold Chang, an independent scholar and landscape painter. Wang Yan Po (Gazing at Wild Geese Ridge) is the Chinese name of John and Alice Z. Berninghausen's home in Cornwall, Vermont. It is also home to one of the most important collections of contemporary Chinese ink painting in America. Beginning in 1987, during John's sabbatical year to do research in Nanjing, they were exposed to the work of Nanjing painters and became witnesses to the coming of age of a new generation of ink painters in China. As a couple they recorded the trials and tribulations of these painters as they faced the challenges of responding to their artistic past and reflecting the new realities of late 20th century China. The author gives an account of how the Berninghausens amassed their collection which is on view in `The Past Within the Present: Contemporary Classical Chinese Painting from the John & Alice Z. Berninghausen Collection' from 29 June to 13 August at the Middlebury Museum of Art.
The Wen Fong Weekend - a two-day symposium in his honour - was held at Princeton University on 1 and 2 April including a dinner for 260 guests. The long list of speakers at the symposium `Bridges to Heaven' included James Cahill, Chu-tsing Li, Richard Barnhart, Helmut Brinker, Roderick Whitfield and many of Fong's students (see report by Wu Xiaojin in this issue). Jerome Silbergeld gave a moving tribute to Wen Fong at the dinner and each guest received a little book of ISMS which included a few `oxymoronics' and `only wen fongs' such as `The object is always right, we simply have to hear what it is telling us'.
Celebrities and participants of Asia Week, New York, gathered at the Guggenheim Museum to celebrate Alexandra Munroe's appointment as its first Senior Curator of Asian Art. Lisa Dennison, Director of the museum, and trustee Jack Wadsworth, gave welcoming remarks.
For his review of `The Very Rich Hours of the Court of China (1662-1796): Masterpieces from Qing Imperial Painting' at Musée Nationale des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet until 24 July 2006, John Finlay discussed with its curator Marie-Catherine Rey the themes and contents of this unprecedented exhibition. Four works by Wang Hui along with six paintings in various formats by Wang Yuanqi exemplify the overlapping roles of scholar-artists and court officials; to further demonstrate the multiple connections among painting styles, Ming and Qing dynasty porcelains decorated with images painted in direct imitation of landscapes and figure paintings were included; and Giuseppe Castiglione's collaboration with Chinese artists provides an opportunity to examine the complex interaction between Chinese painting and the techniques of painting introduced from Europe.
Wu Xiaojin provides a synopses of the fifteen papers covering a wide variety of media, issues and methodologies in Chinese, Japanese and Korean art presented at `Bridges to Heaven: A Symposium on East Asian Art in Honor of Professor Wen C. Fong' at Princeton University on 1 and 2 April 2006. Wen Fong's position in the field was evident in the pantheon of scholars who assembled for the occasion, including 33 PhD and numerous MA students, and senior colleagues such as Michael Sullivan, James Cahill, Wan-go Weng and Chu-tsing Li.
Representatives of major constituencies in the cultural property debate gathered at Asia Society for a panel entitled
`China and Cultural Property: Who Owns the Past?' on 3 April to discuss China's request for a US embargo on the
importation of Chinese art from the prehistoric period up until 1911. Kate Fitz Gibbon gives an account of the dialogue
between the panellists and explains how they disagreed strongly on the feasibility of a US embargo as a solution to
China's current archaeological situation. For the most part, this disagreement was based on whether or not the panellists
felt that China had met the criteria for import restrictions under the pertinent US law, the Cultural Property
Implementation Act (CPIA).
In his review of Chinese Furniture: The Hung Collection by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Robert P. Piccus comments that the release of the second volume is a significant event as it completes the publication of the collection formed by the Hungs over the past 20 years and has also allowed Ellsworth to revisit and update the subject he pioneered some 35 years ago. Piccus concludes that if we were to add the two volumes of the Hung Collection to Ellsworth's 1970s publication and Wang Shixiang's of 1986 and 1990, we would have a compendium of just about all that has been studied and concluded to date on the captivating subject of classical Chinese furniture.
In her tribute to Renee Beningson, Annette L. Juliano states that, with her death on 16 February 2006, the Asian art world lost one of its most ardent and committed supporters. In the last two or three decades of her life she expanded her focus from pre-Columbian, classical and contemporary art to Asian art, particularly Cambodian and Chinese. This love of art was expressed not only in her collecting but also in her generous support of arts organizations, projects and talented scholars. She was a sponsor of the Asia Society and Museum and of the China Institute In America arts programmes as well as other arts and cultural organizations.
In his essay `Sotheby's Puts China's Contemporary Art to the Test', David M. Raddock looks at the trends at Sotheby's groundbreaking auction in New York. He also poses several questions such as did the sale raise the consciousness among the Chinese and the broadening of the base of potential buyers among the economic elite in a fast-growing nation? Will `supply and demand' take over? When the large proportion of speculative investors diminishes, will the individual artists be tested against their counterparts elsewhere in the world more in terms of artistic merit? Will some artists be tempted by higher prices, perhaps pandering to certain publics and to what they perceive as the taste of foreigners? Do Westerners have sufficient understanding of Chinese art in a historical, philosophical and aesthetic context? He comments that the art has become a prime investment target for China's rich and for chauvinistic Chinese-Americans and others. Will it be affordable to the more schooled professional and middle-class constituency that used to rally around it?
In her report on the most successful Asia Week to date, Margaret Tao talks about some of the record prices achieved. There were many Japanese in town and actively bidding at Christie's `Japanese Art Including Property of The Metropolitan Museum of Art' and Christie's had also been successful in their efforts to broaden the audience for Japanese art as many top lots went to European and American buyers. As anticipated, the highest bid in the session was for the pair of early 17th century Hasegawa School six-panel screens titled Whose Sleeves? from the collection of the Kozu Kobunka Kaikan Museum in Kyoto - one of the most important screens ever to be sold at auction. The buyer, a new American collector, came specifically to bid for this lot and left after paying US$968,000, the highest price for a Japanese work of art at auction since the 1980s. There were numerous bidders at the `Korean Art Including the Robert Moore Collection' sale. A number were disappointed when prices rose beyond expectations, as in the case of a rare Joseon period underglaze copper-red and blue-decorated porcelain bottle going for the top price of US$296,000 to a Korean collector in the room who outbid an institution on the telephone.
Sotheby's sale of `The Jucker Collection of Himalayan Paintings' was a phenomenal success. 141 of the 148 lots sold for US$9,050,601, almost four times the low estimate. Swiss collectors Angela and Mischa Jucker have collected paintings from Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan since the 1960s. A collector from California set a world record for a Nepalese work of art by paying US$676,800 for a finely executed paubha dated 1409 of Siddhi Manjusri and Kesani Tara. As few Nepalese paintings have survived, professionals were astounded by the selection and high prices - the sale of the 47 lots ended with applause. Another record was established for Tibetan examples - a widely published circa 1200 thangka depicting the Nyo master Drupapal went to a telephone bidder for US$1.136 million.
Sotheby's had their best ever total with US$13,633,821 for their `Indian & Southeast Asian Art' sale. As anticipated, the top ten lots were modern and contemporary paintings, with those by Syed Haider Raza, Jagdish Swaminathan, Akbar Padamsee and Ram Kumar reaching record prices; buying was dominated by Indians. An acrylic on canvas titled Tapovan by Syed Haider Raza was the top lot at US$1.472 million. Also exceeding the US$1 million mark was a winning bid by a New York-based Indian hedge-fund manager of US$1.248 million for the cover lot Falling Figure with Bird, an oil on canvas by Tyeb Mehta. At the Christie's `Indian and Southeast Asian Art' sale on 30 March there was a lot of international bidding and interest in the Gandharan pieces from the Met and the collection of Alfred E. Mirsky. The top lot, a Tibeto-Chinese gilt-bronze image of Buddha Shakyamuni with a Yongle mark went to a new mainland Chinese buyer for US$240,000. The room for their `Modern and Contemporary Indian Art' sale was packed with collectors and dealers from India and there was interest from several new people including New York-based contemporary art and classical Chinese art collectors. A record of US$15,627,080 was achieved, almost triple the US$5.6 million achieved in September 2005. A world auction record was established when the New York-based Indian hedge-fund manager, who had been active at Sotheby's, paid US$1.472 million for Vasudeo S. Gaitonde's untitled work in oil and mixed media on canvas. Another record was set for Maqbool Fida Husain's acrylic on canvas titled Sita Hanuman - it went to an English collector for US$576,000. Part three of `Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the J & J Collection' at Christie's on 29 March was as successful as the first two. A black-and-white jade example from the Zhiting School of Suzhou was considered by many to be the finest they had seen; it went to an American collector for US$374,400. All 94 lots at Christie's `The Collection of Evelyn Annenberg Hall: Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art' sold for US$5,496,360. Bidders on the telephone competed with those in the room from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China, but most of the top lots went to Western buyers. There were contests over two impressive Qianlong mark-and-period examples - a large blue-and-white pear-shaped bottle vase was bought by John Berwald for US$1.136 million and a celadon-glazed archaistic relief-decorated flask went to Eskenazi for US$744,000.
Bidding at Christie's `Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art' sale was a little more selective but there was interest in almost all categories and prices often greatly exceeded estimates, except in the early sculpture and ceramics. A Taiwan collector managed to outbid Richard Littleton on the most important lot - a large Yuan dynasty double-gourd vase lavishly painted in cobalt blue with a bold pattern of peonies. It went for US$2.032 million. The `Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art' sale at Sotheby's was also very successful. An Asian collector bidding on the telephone, against the reserve, bought a Yuan dynasty blue-and-white baluster jar for US$4.72 million, considered a solid price for a beautiful but not extraordinary example. It had twice been sold at auction, most recently in Hong Kong at Christie's in October 1993 for HK$9.04 million.
The most anticipated auction of the week was Sotheby's New York launch of `Contemporary Art Asia' on 31 March. Extensive presale publicity attracted huge crowds to the viewing and the sale. The total of US$13,228,960 was Sotheby's highest for this category worldwide and, given that the presale estimate was US$6/8 million, it was well beyond the expectations of all those involved.
Another record was set for a massive work by the renowned performance artist Zhang Huan. Titled Peace and executed in 2001 as the second of a series of three editions, it comprises a cast bronze bell with the ringer in the form of a gold-leafed bronze representation of the artist's body. It went to a telephone bidder for US$408,000. Doyle's New York sale `Asian Works of Art' on 4 April followed the same strong pattern. They achieved a total of US$1,158,726, more than double the presale estimate. Many Chinese, primarily from Hong Kong, were bidding on the telephone and in the room, attracted by property from various estates that was fresh to the market. Fifteen bidders competed on the highlight of the sale - a Qianlong period enamelled vase. The winning telephone bid was US$276,800.
The positive trends were also evident in Washington, DC on 7 April at Sloans & Kenyon's `Asian Works of Art' sale comprising 497 lots. The total of US$560,694,700 surpassed previous auction figures with Chinese art performing the best. Highlights included a pair of 19th century copper-red and cobalt-blue porcelain vases which went for US$18,880 and an century white jade box which brought US$12,9800. .
As noted by Margaret Tao the upbeat atmosphere at the auctions continued at the galleries and fairs with a great deal of spending by collectors, institutions and dealers. Howard and Mary Rogers of Kaikodo were celebrating the opening of their new establishment on East 79th Street with an exhibition titled `Spring Fever'. A constant stream of international museum curators and directors and collectors came to see their collection of Chinese and Japanese paintings all with stunning seasonal themes and beautifully displayed in the high-ceiling gallery. Most popular among the Liao ceramics was a gourd-shaped ewer with a incised dragon beneath the leaf-green lead-silicate glaze. It was snapped up early in the show as were a number of other classic Song wares that conveyed the vigour and freshness that come with a new season. James Lally had sold most of the pieces in his catalogue by opening night and Carlton Rochell did equally well, with many of his going to new American and European buyers who are interested in building collections of Indian and Himalayan art. Rossi & Rossi sold a Mauryan period ringstone to the Metropolitan Museum and four pieces to the Rubin Museum. An amazing Western Han gilt-bronze dragon, probably an element of furniture or architecture, could have been sold many times over at Eskenazi's.
For the first time the Arts of Pacific Asia show opened with an evening preview on 29 March. It was very well attended with Thomas Murray reporting an excellent fair and Orientations Gallery met lots of new clients interested in their enamel and metalwork of the Edo and Meiji period. The consensus was that the extra day boosted sales as well as attendance figures.
The International Asian Art Fair was rather different from its previous eleven years. Many London-based dealers did not return and were replaced by a more eclectic group that included several contemporary Asian and tribal art dealers. Changes notwithstanding, many of the dealers reported strong sales.
In tune with the buzz around contemporary Chinese art, China 2000 sold so many contemporary paintings that they had to reinstall their booth on the third day. Contemporary Japanese ceramics were in great demand at Joan Mirviss, so much so that she has to make a trip to Japan to acquire new stock for the SOFA show in New York in May. Sundaram Tagore, joining the fair with his collection of contemporary Indian art, found the venue with its juxtaposition of contemporary and classical art ideal. He was successful in presenting the artists Natvar Bhavsar, Sahan Qadri and Anil Rivri to a new and broad audience. Following close on the heels of their success in New York during Asia Week, Sotheby's spring sales in Hong Kong raised a record HK$841,943,906. At the `Chinese Contemporary Art' on 8 April, only two of the 132 lots were unsold. Not surprisingly, two works from the Taipei-based Yageo Foundation took centre stage. A determined Asian collector on the phone raised HK$28.12 million for Sanyu's Pink Lotus, establishing a record for both the artist as well as for a Chinese oil painting. Lin Fengmian's 1965 painting, Lotus Pond, which had hung in the office of Yageo's chairman, was bought by an Indonesian collector for HK$7.4 million, establishing another artist's record.
It seemed a less than promising beginning when only 58.6 per cent of the 58 lots sold in the opening sale, `Important Paintings Chinese Paintings from the Robert Chang Collection' on 7 April. Among the thirty works by Qi Baishi, his Refusing Drink was the top lot at HK$3.256 million. The artist painted this subject several times but this 1923 example was notable for its highly personal inscription.
A similar pattern of selectivity continued in the `Fine Chinese Paintings' auction. There was a discernable lack of the energy, noise and pre-emptive bidding and applause that characterized past sales. Nonetheless, a record price was established for Gao Qifeng when the top lot, Green Peacock by Old Pine, a richly coloured hanging scroll, fetched HK$4.488 million. Results of Sotheby's `Qianlong - Sovereign, Warrior, Patron' sale on 10 April demonstrated how successful the Sotheby's and Christie's have been in appropriating the emerging market in Asia, more specifically China. There were many observers curious to witness the sale of some unique lots. The first of these was a ceremonial sabre and scabbard fitted with a white jade handle carved in Mughal style. It went to a mainland collector for HK$46.04 million, a record for an imperial work at auction. The same bidder, competing against Taiwan dealer Michael Wang, set another record for a Qing textile at HK$14.68 million on a suit of parade armour. The suit had been in France - before 1910's - in the collection of Alfred Forgeron and more recently owned by Paris-based textile dealer Myrna Myers. Myers had exhibited it in `Silk Thrones and Altars, Chinese Costumes and Textiles' in 2003 with an accompanying catalogue written by John Vollmer.
Myers had consigned a robe from this same 2003 exhibition. Formerly in the Paris-based Edmond Fourier collection and equally unique, it is the only known example of the period embroidered with seed peals and with the twelve symbols of imperial authority. It went to an Asian collector for the same price - HK$14.68 million. Earlier in the day there had been a positive response to Qing monochromes in the `Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art' sale. Provenance, quality, rarity, size and motif were the reasons cited for a copper-red decorated stemcup being the most expensive lot of the sale; it went for HK$15.24 million to an American collector.
Several international exhibitions are previewed. The exhibition `Ming Furniture in the Forbidden City' until 15 June is part of the celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Belgium's diplomatic relations with China and represents the realization of a dream that began nearly twenty years ago when Philippe De Backer, owner of the Lu Ming Shi collection, first became interested in Chinese furniture. 79 pieces from his collection are displayed alongside modern Western furniture from the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. This juxtaposition is intended to highlight how Ming furniture has influenced Western design and, in particular, the importance of cultural exchange. The latter is of great interest to De Backer since he believes that it fosters greater communication and understanding between nations; he also feels that his activities have contributed to preserving cultural heritage. Carlo Cristi will be showing his latest acquisitions from Nepal, Tibet and Central Asia at Patrick Derom Gallery, 1 Rue aux Laines during the Brussels Oriental Art Fair from 9 to 15 June. A highlight among the sculptures is an early 7th century image of Lokeshvara from Nepal in copper which was found in Tibet. From Central Asia is a remarkable complete silk dress dating to the 6th century. According to Cristi, experts who have examined its woven design of warriors and the silver mirror-like applications suggest it might be a robe for a shaman. Alisan Fine Arts's exhibition `Kong Baiji, Modern Master: Innovations in Oil on Rice Paper' in Hong Kong from 23 June to 22 July features thirty works by New York-based Shanghai artist Kong Baiji. A self-taught artist, Kong absorbed the ideas of European classicism and impressionism and combined Eastern and Western techniques to create an Asian blend in oil and Chinese ink on ricepaper. His depictions of nature, landscapes and portraits convey human suffering, strength and Eastern beliefs. An exhibition `Little Tibet Comes to Clerkenwell', on view at Hoopers Gallery in London from 9 June to 7 July, will reveal another aspect of Graham Brandon's work. As a frequent visitor to Ladakh he has recorded with sensitivity `one of the few remaining places where Tibetan Buddhism is a living tradition'. His photographs are magnified studies of architectural details, fluttering prayer flags and wheels, and everyday life. Prices range from ú300 to ú500 and the exhibition is accompanied by a colour catalogue. San Francisco-based Sandra Whitman will show `Chinese Carpets and Textiles' at Deborah Gage Works of Art on Old Bond Street, London from 12 to 16 June. Highlights include an 18th century Kashgar rug with a field design derived from 16th/17th century Western carpet design; a 17th century Kangxi brocade carpet with scrolling lotus; and an important Yongzheng example with a repeating quatrefoil cloud medallion. Completing the show is a collection of her early textiles including woven and embroidered examples of the Han period. Whitman can be reached on 1 415 990 0425 for appointments.
More than 100 works from the Neolithic period to the 19th century will be on view at Roger Keverne's gallery in London from 16 June. One of the strengths of the exhibition is an unusually large Kangxi baluster vase and cover decorated with deer amid pine trees, where applied reliefs, vivid enamels and gilt are used to dramatic effect. Two examples with notable provenance include a 12th century Ding ware brushwasher carved with two dragons, which belonged to Ip Yee, and a pair of Tang period sancai attendants wearing blue coats that were formerly owned by the British Rail Pension Fund. Cloisoné enamel is particularly well represented: the quality of a large vase of the 18th century suggests imperial origins.
From 30 May to 20 June Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, New York will hold an exhibition `Clay's Life Through Fire Evolves' comprising the work of Tsujimura Shiro. Inspired by Shigaraki, Bizen and 16th century wares from Korea, Tsujimura experiments with various glazes and forms to add a different dimension to his interpretations. The sixty pieces in the show include faceted and cylindrical vases, some with double handles. His newest form, tsubo, a globular urn, is constructed from two thick-walled hemispherical halves. Hanging scrolls with calligraphy in ink and wash, and paintings on canvas in traditional Japanese colour mixed with ink, sand, charcoal and sometimes gold leaf or silver, complete the display. Technical mastery and control are evident in Tsujimura's paintings and ceramics.
The British Museum: A Museum of the World for the World by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum.
Three years ago the British Museum celebrated its 250th anniversary. Since then we have undertaken major initiatives to emphasize the importance of the museum's worldwide collection, not only in London and the UK, but also within the context of the world as a whole.
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