Collectors Are Well Advised To Seek Asian Art Treasures In California
Collectors Are Well Advised To Seek Asian Art Treasures In California
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 is 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 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 Thermoluminescence 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, the carved rock crystal and bejeweled figure of Tara 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 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.
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