Bonhams announces Fine Chinese Painting & Calligraphy sale this September 12

On September 12, Bonhams New York will hold its inaugural Chinese painting and calligraphy auction featuring a selection of excellent examples spanning the XIVth century to 2005. Comprised of over one hundred works on paper and silk the sale will commence with a number of early classical treasures.

Opening for preview on September 8, collectors and connoisseurs will enjoy a charming fan painting of a buffalo and calf datable to the XIVth century (pre-sale estimate $12,000-15,000), a depiction of Bamboo and Rock dated 1695 by the early Qing dynasty orthodox master Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715) (pre-sale estimate $250,000-350,000), a rare group of exquisite album leaves by the Anhui artist Yao Song (XVIIIth century) (pre-sale estimate $10,000-15,000), as well as a sublime depiction of Guanyin by a Lotus Pond datable to the second half of the XVIIth century, but based on a XVIth century composition that has been in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 1918 (pre-sale estimate $120,000-180,000).

The bulk of the works of art offered at the sale are fresh to the market, coming from collections of legendary figures such as Walter Hochstadter, Senator Theodore Francis Green, and C. C. Wang. There are several strong calligraphic works featured in the sale, including: Qing dynasty masters such as Zheng Xie (1693-1765) (pre-sale estimate $60,000-90,000), Chen Hongshou (1768-1822) (pre-sale estimate $3,000-5,000) and He Shaoji (1799-1873) (pre-sale estimate $5,000-7,000). XXth century artists are also on offer such as Qi Gong (1912-2005) (pre-sale estimate $8,000-12,000) and Guo Morou (1892-1978) (pre-sale estimate $5,000-7,000).

Following recent market trends, XXth century painting masters working in traditional styles will attract a great deal of attention, notably Qi Baishi's (1863-1957) Kingfisher and Hibiscus (pre-sale estimate $20,000-30,000); Li Keran's (1907-1989) Boy and Buffalo (pre-sale estimate $30,000-50,000) with a personal dedication to his fellow artist Yu Zhizhen (1915-1995); and a Zhang Daqian's (1899-1983) Cabbage, Radish, and Mushrooms (pre-sale estimate $50,000-70,000) composition from 1961, which was published and included in an exhibition of contemporary Chinese painting that toured the United States in 1970-1971.

Other highlights of the sale are a Cheng Shifa (1921-2007) album that is believed to be one of his last works (pre-sale estimate $100,000-120,000), and an abstract landscape by the innovative master Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010) (pre-sale est. $20,000-30,000).

CCheng Shifa (1921-2007). Spring Festival Album, 2005.
Ink and color on paper, album of eleven double pages, each page inscribed and signed,
followed by artist's seals on each page. US$100,000-120,000

Source: Art Daily