Highlights of the Asian Art auction include paintings and graphics from China and calligraphy from Japan. Amongst these are 48 lots of Chinese paintings from the collection of Andreas F. Fritzsche (up to 80.000), many pictures from an old Austrian collection (up to 40.000) and woodcut prints from the Pommeranz–Liedtke collection (up to 5.000). A remarkable small collection of four calligraphic works by Inoue Yûichi (up to 80.000) lead the Japanese art on offer.

China

Andreas F. Fritzsche (1920-2010), a Swiss development and research engineer, first began collecting vases, ivory sculptures and seals but from 1970 the focus of his collecting widened to include Chinese painting, an interest that would continue over the next four decades. Shining out amongst the albums, fan paintings, hanging and hand scrolls from the Qing dynasty and later is an ink painting from Fu Baoshi illustrating the first lines of a famous 8th century poem by Zhang Ji (lot 33). A group work from Qi Baoshi and others, measuring 106 x40 cm and valued at 70.000 shows the Chan patriarch Damo meditating under a pine before a cliff (lot 32). A 1942 hanging scroll of an autumn landscape from Huang Junbi has an estimate of 20.000 (lot 31). The highlight of an old Austrian collection of paintings is a hanging scroll from Wu Changhuo (1844-1927) depicting red blossoming plum branches (lot 78, 40.000). A further hanging scroll from Huang Junbi from 1985 shows a landscape with a waterfall and a figure walking (lot 81, 20.000).

A large jade plate from the Qing dynasty 18th century or earlier has an estimate of 15.000 (lot 291), and the Chinese sculptures feature a bronze Bhaishajyaguru, the medicine Buddha, from the Ming Dynasty, 16/17 century (lot 415, 13.000).

Japan

A small collection of monumental, later calligraphic works by Inoue Yûichi (1916-1985) dominates the Japanese paintings. Three of the works each show just one character, on sheets measuring up to 136.5 x 168 cm (up to 50.000), whilst the largest work is a monumental piece covered with the transcription of Yûichi’s experience of the air attack by the US Air Force on Tokyo on 10 March 1945. It is valued at 80.000 (lot 565). A screen by Morita Shiryû from 1989 is offered at 15.000 (lot 570).

The highlight of the important, 29 piece okimono collection from Willibald Lerch, Vienna, is a standing rakan of boxwood and ivory from the early 20th century (lot 707, 6.000). A late 19th century Shibayama înro of ivory, mother–of–pearl and tortoise shell is valued at 10.000 (lot 720). Five Samurai sets of armour from the 18th to 20th centuries from a private collection are estimated up to 6.000 (lots 609–613). An articulated, russet–painted iron dragon from the late 19th century is set at 9.500 (lot 649).

Contact Asian Art

Highlights

Online Catalogue

Preview

Absentee bid form