Lot 116
RARE TENTURE EN BROCART DE SOIE REPRÉSENTANT LE PARADIS BOUDDHIQUE, Chine, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1736-1795)
Adjugé 28 864 €

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Finement tissé en fils d'or et de couleur, il représente le paradis bouddhique :

de haut en bas, le soleil et la lune, deux groupes de quatre apsaras portant des offrandes, trois bouddhas du passé, du présent et du futur (Bhaisajyaguru, Sakyamuni, Amitabha), les disciples les plus proches de Bouddha (Mahakashyapa et Ananda), et enfin les dix-huit luohan et quatre rois célestes (Si Da Tian Wang 四大天王). Une inscription Wu Liang Shou Zun Fo « Amiytayus, Bouddha de la vie éternelle » est placée dans la partie supérieure. Les bordures sont tissées d'une frise de fleurs avec des accrocs et des déchirures horizontales.

L. : 143 cm (56 ¼ in.)

L.: 70 cm (27 ½ in.)

René Scholten: The Journey of a Collector and Connoisseur of Japanese Art

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René Scholten, president of Scholten Japanese Art, inaugurated his New York gallery in September 2000, following a dedicated and discerning path as a collector of Japanese art, with a particular expertise in prints.

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His journey began in the 1980s with the acquisition of his first major work: a print by Torii Kotondo titled Makeup. This foundational purchase marked the beginning of a collection that would soon flourish, fueled by his deepening engagement with Japanese art circles in the Netherlands and internationally.

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Initially, Scholten focused on artists of the shin-hanga movement—contemporaries of Kotondo—but gradually broadened his interests to include more traditional ukiyo-e prints from the 18th and 19th centuries. Through these works, especially those from the Edo period, he developed a profound understanding of and appreciation for Japanese culture and aesthetics, eventually extending his expertise to encompass a wider range of artistic forms.

Today, the Scholten collection comprises far more than prints: it includes paintings, folding screens, lacquerware, porcelain, sculpture, and more recently, contemporary ceramics.

For René Scholten, collecting Japanese art has been a lifelong source of intellectual and aesthetic fulfillment, driven not only by the intrinsic beauty of the artworks but also by the rich cultural dialogue and personal connections that collecting has fostered.

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After nearly four decades of carefully cultivated passion and scholarship, René Scholten has chosen to offer part of his collection at auction on June 12, 2025, through the house Audap & Associés.

His journey also led him to open his first gallery in The Hague in 1995. The gallery’s swift success inspired him to establish a permanent presence in New York in 1999, where he soon focused all his professional efforts. To avoid competing with his own gallery, he gradually reduced the expansion of his personal collection.​ Yet a true connoisseur never fully steps away: today, René Scholten continues to share his passion by lending works to museums in the Netherlands and the United States, and by actively supporting numerous initiatives and institutions dedicated to the study and appreciation of Japanese art.