A portrait of late Chinese military legend Zhu De (1886-1976) by
an American painter, a Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain jar
with a design of interlocking sprays of peony flowers, and a rarely
seen huge hanging scroll of a landscape by Chinese ink painting
master Qi Baishi (1864-1957).
These are some of the interesting and precious items to be sold
during the Beijing Huachen Auctions' 2005 Spring Auctions on
Saturday and Sunday at the Jingguang Center Hotel, in eastern
Beijing.
The auctions feature more than 1,000 items of 20th century
Chinese oils, Chinese ink masterpieces, porcelain, jade carving and
jewellery.
One of the highlights is a refined, blue and white porcelain jar
bearing a design of interlocking sprays of peony flowers, estimated
to have a floor price of at least 10 million yuan (US$1.25
million).
Believed to have been created in the Yuan Dynasty, this elegant
jar, with a height of around 30 centimeters and a diameter of 20.5
centimeters, is one of the very few pieces of its kind.
So far, the most famous works of Yuan Dynasty blue and white
porcelain are displayed in museums in Japan, Turkey, Iran, and some
European countries. Thanks to its unique historical background,
along with its novel design and exquisite craftsmanship, art
historians regard Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain as a
watershed in the development of Chinese porcelain.
As a key commodity of China's foreign trade in the 14th century,
most of these porcelain works were sold outside China
As they were manufactured according to the designs and specific
requirements of overseas buyers, blue and white porcelain was not
popular with the royal families of the Yuan Dynasty, but it did
have a following among noble and royal families in the Middle East,
experts say.
Another highlight in the ceramics and porcelain category is a
very refined "Yueyao Kiln" celadon glazed censer from the Northern
Song Dynasty (960-1127), which has a floor price of 333,000-380,000
yuan (US$41,677-47,559).
Standing at just 25.5 centimeters, the delicately made censer,
glowing with a slight, greenish hue, is one of only three such
pieces known to exist.
The other two, ranked as items of the State first rank cultural
heritage, are reportedly in the collections of Zhejiang Provincial
Museum, and Changzhou City Museum of East China's Jiangsu Province.
In the Chinese oil painting category, so-called "red art" works
are the highlights again this year.
"Red art" primarily refers to works created during the first
three decades of New China, particularly the "cultural revolution"
(1966-76), but can also include paintings or sculptures portraying
late Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong or historical and
revolutionary events in early 20th century China.
Although the auction of a portrait of Chairman Mao, which served
as a model for portraits hung on Beijing's Tian'anmen Rostrum, was
called off last Friday after the owner said he might donate it to a
Chinese museum, many items of "red art" remain available.
Among others, the most eye-catching piece is probably the 1939
portrait of late Chinese military giant Zhu De, created by
French-American painter Aimee A. Lozier (1900-96).
Lozier first displayed her paintings about China at a 1939
exhibition in Hollywood, California.
The exhibition soon attracted a great deal of media and public
attention for its unique depiction of Chinese figures ranging from
the ancient Chinese Yellow Emperor, and the mythical Guanyin, or
Goddess of Compassion, to Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth
Route Army, and Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek.
The grave and stern Zhu De, portrayed slightly differently from
other works most Chinese people are familiar with, is rendered
against the backdrop of a military map indicating the city of
Ruijin, the starting point of the Long March, the Great Wall, and
the revolutionary base of Yan'an, in Northwest China's Shaanxi
Province.
But the painting is even more attractive thanks to the
inscriptions on the upper right corner of the oil painting, similar
to that on a typical, traditional Chinese painting scroll.
The Chinese-language inscription tells about the Long March, the
conflicts between Communist and Kuomintang troops and the two
parties' concerted efforts to fight the Japanese invasion since
1937.
Lozier's painting of Zhu De is regarded by Chinese critics as
one with an immense historical value.
The painting, estimated at about 280,000-350,000 yuan
(US$35,043-43,804), "is a rare piece done by a foreign artist about
China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It is a
visual complement to Edgar Snow's 'Red Star over China'," commented
Beijing-based critic Chen Lusheng.
Other important "red art" items include Chinese oil artist Chen
Yanning's "Checking and Accpeting," a 1977 portrayal of a PLA
officer on a battlefield in the late 1940s to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army,
estimated at 1.5-1.8 million yuan (US$187,700-225,281), and veteran
oil painter He Kongde's 1968 work entitled "Proceed along the
Revolutionary Route under Chairman Mao's Guidance," expected to be
sold for 1.5-1.8 million yuan.
In the Chinese painting category, a huge, colored ink landscape
painted by Qi Baishi in 1933, with a floor price of 2.48-3.50
million yuan (US$310,000-438,000), a spectacular landscape by
innovative artist Li Keran (1907-89) and a figure painting of a
graceful ancient Chinese young lady by master painter Lin Fengmian
(1900-1991), are certain to attract the attention of art
lovers.
A preview of the Huachen Spring Auctions will be held at the
Jingguang Center in Beijing from 10 AM-7 PM, May 31-June 2 at the
Grand Ballroom, Jingguang Center.
(China Daily May 30, 2006)
