Calligraphy at Sotheby's. New challenge

After the stunning success of calligraphy at an auction in Doha (Qatar), the Hong Kong branch of the auction house Sotheby's once again exposes several lots of rare calligraphic works.

Sotheby’s Hong Kong will hold Fine Chinese Paintings Spring Sale 2011 on April 5 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Several thematic sections will be featured, including Fine Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from the Zan De Lou Collection, A Private Collection of Calligraphy by Hongyi. The total of 308 lots in this sale is expected to fetch in excess of HK$150 million ($20 million).

C.K. Cheung, Head of Sotheby’s Fine Chinese Paintings department, said, “We will present two major thematic sections featuring calligraphy works of great collection value — A Private Collection of Calligraphy by Hongyi and Traces of Ink: Calligraphy Works from Mid-Qing to Mid-20th Century."

"Chinese Buddhist monk Hongyi’s calligraphy works are prized for their unique style, which reveals an even greater breadth of vision following his conversion into Buddhism. We are pleased to have gathered seven treasured calligraphies by Hongyi from one single private collection. Collectively, they trace the subtle progressions in Hongyi’s artistry mirroring the spiritual transformations he experienced. As for Traces of Ink: Calligraphy Works from Mid-Qing to Mid-20th Century, we have assembled a total of 33 works by 31 calligraphers from the mid-Qianlong period to the 20th century. They include the works of literati, calligraphers and seal engravers such as Yi Bingshou, Zhao Zhiqian, Zhang Daqian and Xu Beihong. By far this is the most complete and largest Chinese calligraphy collection ever presented by Sotheby’s."

Zhang Daqian’s Spring Mountains in Sichuan

Source: artdaily.org