ASIA IN ALL ITS DIVERSITY AT BONHAMS CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR
FROM JUNE 9 TO 16, 2023
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's leading auction houses, offering fine art, antiques, classic automobiles and jewelry. Its 14 auction rooms are located in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh and Sydney. With a global network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advisory and appraisal services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of upcoming auctions, as well as details of Bonhams' specialist departments, please visit www.bonhams.com.
Paris - Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr will offer six auctions from June 9 to 16, 2023 (including two online) preceded by pre-sale exhibitions and conferences on Saturday June 10. This rich and varied program will allow collectors from all over the world visiting Paris for Printemps Asiatique (Asia Week in Paris) to discover and appreciate all the specialties of Asian Art.
Exhibition for all auctions are open to the public from June 10 to 12, 2023 from 10 am to 6 pm
Statuette de Virupa en cuivre doré du Tibet du XVe siècle
Estimation : 150 000 - 200 000 €
The Claude de Marteau Collection, Part III | June 12, 2023 
Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr will offer the third part of the remarkable Claude de Marteau Collection of Tibetan, Nepalese, Indian and Southeast Asian Art at its offices at 6 Avenue Hoche on June 12. This collection is recognized as a unique group of artworks gathered over the decades by the Belgian dealer and collector who discovered by chance the art that would become his passion during a long journey through Afghanistan, the Hindu Kush, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. After two successful auctions in Paris in 2022, this collection will again offer a range of Hindu and Buddhist treasures including a gray schist Gandhara bodhisattva statue, over 1 meter high, from the 3rd century, estimated at 400,000 to 600,000€. A 15th century gilt copper Virupa statue from Tibet is estimated at €150,000 to €200,000. Famous for both his exceptional wisdom and his antics, Virupa underwent traditional Buddhist training before retiring from monastic life to follow his own path. The figure is richly gilded and inlaid with turquoise stones. The face is painted in gold and the lips, eyes and eyebrows are also painted in the Tibetan style, making it look more real than life.
Also up for auction will be a gilded copper alloy Padmapani with embedded stones and pigments, Nepal, 14th century (estimate: €250,000-350,000) and a gilded copper alloy Vajrayogini with pigments, Tibet, Densatil, 15th century (estimate: €150,000-200,000).
Art of India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia | June 12, 2023
A magnificent 43 cm Amitayus statuette of gilt copper alloy bears all the hallmarks of the exceptional mastery of one of the greatest known artists in Tibet, active during the first half of the 15th century, namely the master craftsman Sonam Gyaltsen, active in Shigatse, central Tibet, c. 1430-40 (Estimate: €1,000,000-1,500,000)
An important Damarupada thangka from the Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet, circa 1600, published in numerous reference works and exhibited at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago, will be offered with an estimate of €300,000-500,000.
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Art of China | June 13, 2023
Bodhisattva de la dynastie Jin (1115-1234)
Estimation : 800 000 - 1 200 000 €
From the Paul Houo-Ming-Tse collection (circa 1880-1949), a rare bodhisattva from the Jin dynasty (1115-1234) still bearing traces of polychromy is extremely interesting for its provenance and monumental size and is reminiscent of the one in the Rousset collection sold last October (estimate: €800,000 - 1,200,000).
Seated in rajalilasana, the position of royal relaxation, with his right arm delicately resting on his bent right knee, while he leans with his left arm on the ground, his face is imbued with serenity, his half-closed eyes inlaid, his mouth fleshy, the urna in the middle of his forehead, his hair gathered up in a bun.
From the same collection, an important stone Guanyin bodhisattva head from the Tang dynasty (618-906) will be offered, still showing traces of polychromy. The serene face has half-closed almond-shaped eyes, surmounted by sharp eyebrows, an aquiline nose and a fleshy mouth (estimate: €60,000 - 80,000).
Statuette of Amitayus Sonam Gyaltsen, active in Shigatse, central Tibet, 1430-40 (Estimate: €1,000,000-1,500,000)
Damarupada Thangka from Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet, around 1600 (Estimate €300,000 to €500,000)
Japanese Art - Myths, Mischief and Magic: The Netsuke and Sagemono Collection by Guy de Lasteyrie | June 14, 2023
On June 14, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is offering the extraordinary collection of Guy de Lasteyrie, who discovered the world of netsuke in his grandmother's library, where these small objects fascinated him. His grandmother left him her collection as an inheritance, thus marking the starting point of a long passion of more than fifty years.
Made by numerous schools located throughout the Japanese archipelago in Edo, Osaka or Kyoto, some remarkable pieces are signed by great masters such as Tadayoshi, Toyomasa, Masanao, Tsuji and Tametaka. They often represent animals, ghosts or characters with an admirable precision and taste for detail.
Since the 17th century, the Japanese have worn a kimono tied at the waist with a belt called obi. The men carried objects in sagemono, small boxes attached to the belt by a cord. This cord was passed behind the obi and blocked by a small object, the netsuke. It seems that the first specimens were particularly sober and purely utilitarian: simple shells or pieces of wood. But with the advent of the Edo period (1603-1868), these objects became objects of unprecedented refinement in various materials such as wood. With the opening of Japan to international trade in 1854, Westerners became fascinated with these objects which they imported to Europe. In this sale one will notice the work of Shugasai Toyokazu active in Tamba in the 19th century. A saber-toothed tiger measuring 3.8 cm in length is worth €10,000 to €15,000.
A wooden netsuke depicting the giant sansukumi snake by Masanao, Yamada, Ise Province, 19th century is estimated at 18,000 to 25,000€. Another model depicting an elephant and a karako (little boy) by Tsuji, Osaka, mid/late 18th century (estimate: €25,000- 35,000) and a sarumawashi (monkey trainer and showman) by Matsushita Otoman, Hakata, 19th century is estimated at €12,000- 18,000.
Netsuke en bois représentant un éléphant et un karako par Tsuji, Osaka, mi-/fin du XVIIIe siècle
Estimation : 25 000 - 35 000 €
Art of Vietnam (online) | June 9 - 15, 2023
After the success of the first auction, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is organizing a second auction on the Art of Vietnam from June 9 to 15 under the direction of Joan Yip. Mixing Vietnamese and French traditions, the paintings gathered in this sale explore not only the Golden Age of Vietnamese Art (1930-1945) but also the pre-war and post-war period with paintings by Vietnamese artists such as Lê Phổ.
From the collection of Pierre Le Tan, this painting entitled The Family is dated to the Romanet period (1946-1962) during which Lê Phổ continued to paint on silk, using gouache and thick oil paint to give substance and intensity to his paintings. The color palette became lighter, the brushstrokes lighter, and he abandoned the dark, clearly delineated lines of his earlier work to explore a freer, impressionistic style. Here, Phổ creates an ideal world of beauty and love through an idyllic scene of love between a mother and child in a flowery setting (estimate: €250,000 - 340,000).
Lê Phổ (1907-2001), La famille, vers 1955
Huile et gouache sur soie
Estimation : 250 000 - 340 000 €
Lectures will be held on Saturday 10 June 2023 from 3 pm onwards on the occasion of this Asia Week in Paris:
3pm – 3:30pm
Vietnamese ceramics: some specific pieces
with Philippe Truong, Independent researcher
4pm – 4:30pm
Asia under the hammer: questions of price, taste and provenance (1858-1939)
with Léa Saint-Raymond, PSL Junior Fellow, Ecole du Louvre Register
5pm – 5:30pm
The Claude de Marteau collection
with Gilles Béguin, Honorary general Heritage Curator
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Location :
Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr - 6, avenue Hoche - 75008
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