Highlights of Sotheby's 2014 spring sale
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E-mail CNTV, April 9, 2014
Sotheby's 2014 Hong Kong Spring Sale concluded on Tuesday. The auction featured exceptional objects encompassing various works of art, fine Chinese ceramics and outstanding Chinese paintings.
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Sotheby's 2014 Hong Kong Spring Sale concluded on Tuesday. |
This is not a concert, but an auction. This viola is a special offer by Sotheby's this spring. Created by Antonio Stradivari in 1719, it is one of the greatest instruments in existence.
"Stradivari made a number of instruments over his very long career. There are about 650 stands in existence, but only 10 complete violas survived. The market is a very exciting event." said Tim Ingles, Dircetor, Ingles & Hayday.
Offered via sealed bid, this viola is expected to fetch more than 45 million US dollars, and thus become one of the most expensive instruments in the world. At Sotheby's 2014 Hong Kong spring sale, more than 3,400 objects were auctioned, including jewellery, paintings and porcelains.
Among all the precious items up for grabs, this wine cup painted with chickens is one of the most prized pieces. It was created during the Chenghua reign, and is five centuries old. Only 15 of these cups remain in the world, and only four of them are in private collections. So this auction is a rare opportunity indeed for collectors who are serious about Chinese porcelain.
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Sotheby's 2014 Hong Kong Spring Sale concluded on Tuesday. |
The chicken cup is only 8 centimeters in diameter, delicate and dainty. It is the pinnacle of Chinese porcelain artistry.
With a legendary aura that goes well beyond their immediate artistic and historical importance, "chicken cups" set record prices for Chinese art in 1980 and 1999. And this time, it also fetched a record price, at over 32 mln US dollars.
"Chenghua chicken cup is such an iconic piece in the Chinese history. It's important since the Qing dynasty… It's a rumor that in order to cheer up her Wan Guifei, Chenghua emperor introduced this small play object to her…It costs a lot to produce such objects." said Sam Shum, Sotheby's.
Besides the chicken cups, many other items are also a highlight of the auction, including this splendid jadeite bead necklace, and Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang's oil painting titled "Bloodline: Big Family No.3". Undoubtedly the five-day sale provides people a magnificent opportunity to collect their favorites.
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