FOUR ASIAN ART SALES AT
BONHAMS CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR IN PARIS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's leading auction houses, offering fine art, antiques, classic cars and jewellery. Its 14 auction rooms are located in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh and Sydney. With a global network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advisory and valuation services in 60 specialist areas.
Four auctions will be held this June 2024:
Jules Speelman: Completing a Cycle - 60 years of Devotion
11 June | Paris, Avenue Hoche
Chinese Art
12 juin | Paris, Avenue Hoche
Chinese Art Online
10 – 14 juin | Online
Southeast Asian Art Online
21 – 27 juin | Online
Jules Speelman: Completing a Cycle - 60 Years of Devotion : 11 June | Paris, Avenue Hoche
After a touring exhibition in Asia and Europe, the exceptional collection of Jules Speelman, one of the world's greatest collectors and dealers of Asian art, was exhibited in Geneva from 13 to 16 May 2024 before its auction at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris on 11 June 2024.
This exceptional and highly personal collection features a selection of 28 Tibetan, Nepalese and Chinese Buddhist statuettes and objects dating from the 11th to the 18th centuries.
A 17th-century statuette of the eight-armed goddess Ushnishavijaya in partially gilded silver and gilded copper alloy, adorned with turquoise stones, will be the centrepiece of the sale, with an estimate of €600,000 to €800,000. The personification of a Buddhist mantra, the goddess procures long life, enabling one to obtain more merits and a better reincarnation. This superb example in gilded silver and copper alloy is attributed to the Newar craftsmen of the Tashi Lhunpo monastery.
Ushnishavijaya statuette
in partially gilded silver and copper alloy,
central Tibet, 17th century,
17.2 cm high.
Estimate: €600,000-800,000
A statuette of Shri Devi in gilded copper alloy by "Sogyal", probably Sonam Gyaltsen, 15th century, central Tibet, Densatil monastery. Around 1431-35, 38cm high. This statuette is truly exceptional, both for the quality of its workmanship and its state of preservation.
A Gilt copper alloy statue of Shri Devi by "Sogyal",
central Tibet, Densatil monastery,
circa 1431-35.
Estimate: €600,000 - €800,000.
Chinese Art: 12 June | Paris, Avenue Hoche
Bonhams is auctioning around 100 lots of Chinese archaic art and furniture on 12 June. Among the highlights of the sale is a magnificent and very rare enamelled porcelain gourd imitating bronze bearing the Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795) and listed in the O. du Sartel collection before 1881 (estimate: €400,000-600,000). Embellished with archaic bronze motifs, such as the chilong, and enamelled with a finish resembling the aged patina of old bronze, this gourd embodies an important artistic motif of the Qianlong era. The trompe-l'œil effect simulating bronze vessels reflects the Qing court's fascination with ancient Chinese history.
An enamelled porcelain flask imitating bronze bearing the mark and Qianlong period (1736-1795) and listed in the O. du Sartel collection before 1881
Estimate: €400,000-600,000.
An important and very rare partially gilded silver bowl from the Tang dynasty (618-907) is estimated at €60,000 to €80,000. Circular in shape, with slightly rounded sides rising from a flat base, the interior is finely chased with a central medallion surrounding a pair of Mandarin ducks amidst lush flowers and foliage.
Tang dynasty (618-907) partially gilded silver bowl Estimate: €60,000-80,000
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Chinese Art Online: 10 - 14 June | Online
This online sale of Chinese art will offer connoisseurs lots starting at €200. The most affluent will be able to bid for an important bronze Budai statue from the Ming Dynasty, dated to the 5th year of the Jiajing reign (1526), from the Collection of Anders Hellström (1877-1940), who built up an important collection of early Chinese bronzes acquired by the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm after his death (estimate: €8,000 - 12,000).
Southeast Asian Art Online: 21 - 27 June | Online
This online auction will be divided into three chapters. The first will feature Vietnamese paintings and drawings by Joseph Inguimberty (1896-1971), Nguyen Van Binh (1917-2004) and living artists such as Do Xuan Doan (b. 1937) and Bui Huu Hung (b. 1957).
Do Xuan Doan (born 1937) Family Day in North Vietnam, lacquer on panel
(estimate: €30,000 - €50,000)
This will be followed by a fine selection of Southeast Asian jewellery from a private collection. These include rings, earrings, necklaces and various gold ornaments set with fine stones and made between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries.
Finally, there will be a collection of Indonesian paintings by Mangku Mura (1920-1999) and his daughter Mangku Muriati (born 1967). Acquired by a Danish collector who bought them directly from the artists in Bali between 1999 and 2003, these paintings depict scenes inspired by great epic tales, entitled Scène narrative tirée des épopées traditionnelles (Narrative scene from traditional epics), with estimates ranging from €1,000 to €1,500.
Find out more
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Bonhams - Cornette de Saint Cyr
6 avenue Hoche
75008 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 61 10 10
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