Chinese classical works by Ming master calligraphers and painters from Dong Qichang to Qi Baishi will feature among rare works at Christie’s Hong Kong Spring sales on May 28 and 29. More than 600 lots valued at over r HK$400 million -US$53 million – will come under the hammer at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Christie’s say the sale will offer paintings and calligraphy from the Ming and Qing periods to the present day, accentuated with private collections from Asia, Europe and the United States.
An ink on paper handscroll entitled Poems in Running Script Calligraphy by Dong Qichang is estimated at HK$5-7million/ US$650,000-904,000. It features work by the poet Li Bai. This handscroll was previously in the Imperial Qing court. There are outstanding works by Zhang Daqian including the 1969 work Mist Clearing Over Pine Covered Peaks, a scroll in ink and colour on paper (HK$12-15 million/ US$1.543 -1.93 million). Other highlights include Landscapes after Old Masters by Shao Mi (1594-1642) and Pigeons and Apples by Qi Baishi (1863-1957). Standing Horse by Xu Beihong (1895-1953), regarded as a pioneer who painted Chinese subject matter with the techniques and perspectives of Western realism, is from the collection of General Zhang Fakui.