New York Susan Ollinick Hong Kong Rhonda Yung

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Press Release New York For Immediate Release New York 212 606 7176 Susan Ollinick Susan.Ollinick@Sothebys.com Hong Kong 852 2822 8142 Rhonda Yung Rhonda.Yung@Sothebys.

1 Press Release New York For Immediate Release New York Susan Ollinick Hong Kong Rhonda Yung Sotheby s New York to Hold Sale of Including Chinese and Japanese Art from the Collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal on September 16, 2008 Guhyasadhana Avalokitesvara, Ming Dynasty, Xuande period, est. $1.4/1.6 million Sotheby s New York leads its fall series of Asia Week sales with including Chinese and Japanese Art from the Collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal on September 16 th, offering one of the widest selection of precious objects in years. Highlights include the very rare Guhyasadhana Avalokitesvara, pictured above (est. $1.4/1.6 million),* and a diverse selection of fine

classical furniture. Property from the sale, which comprises 312 lots, will be on exhibition beginning September 12 th and is estimated to bring $6.8/9.1 million.

(1426-1435), pictured on page one, estimated to sell for $1.4/1.6 million.

2 classical furniture. Property from the sale, which comprises 312 lots, will be on exhibition beginning September 12 th and is estimated to bring $6.8/9.1 million. The cover lot and one of the top highlights of the sale is a magnificent and extremely rare polychrome wood and gesso sculpture of Guhyasadhana Avalokitesvara, Ming Dynasty, from the Xuande period ( ), pictured on page one, estimated to sell for $1.4/1.6 million. Seated upon a double-lotus base, the four-armed bodhisattva is engaged in mystical union with his consort, or prajna, who represents female wisdom. A circular plug on the underside of the two deities seals an apparently undisturbed chamber, which according to CAT-scans, holds scrolled consecration material within. The sculpture is from an American Private collection and was recently on view in the Dallas Museum of Art. Although the iconography of this statue is drawn from the Tibetan pantheon the work is Chinese and was sculpted in the early Ming dynasty, a period of strong political and religious relations between Tibetan and Chinese rulers. While the iconography is recorded in the Tibetan sacred canons, there appears to be no Tibetan sculpture of this particular form. Very few early Ming dynasty wood temple sculptures depicting deities from the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon have survived. This offering may well be one of the only wood sculptures that can be confidently attributed to the Xuande reign. Furthermore, due to the esoteric nature of the subject, it would have been located within a chapel for private devotion, likely in close proximity to the center of Tibetan Buddhist activity in China during the early 15 th Century the Imperial court at Beijing. A fine and rare embroidered five-panel throne-back floor screen, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period (est. $180/220,000), seen at left, with Imperial-quality embroidery panels illustrating a scene of Daoist Immortals and the Peach Festival will also be featured. The panels are of graduated length and width, with the tallest in the center, each with a scalloped top edge set in a carved hardwood (hongmu) frame. The screen belonged to a prominent American family based in Japan during the late 19 th and early 20 th century and was acquired during their travels throughout Asia.

The Henricksen Collection of Chinese and Japanese Paintings The works in the Henricksen Collection were acquired between 1957 and 1972, while Rodney Pete Henricksen and his wife Marjorie were living

During this time, the Henricksen s collecting encompassed a broad range of Japanese arts and crafts, including porcelain and pottery, tansu (traditional Japanese cabinets), netsuke, inro, sword

3 The Henricksen Collection of Chinese and Japanese Paintings The works in the Henricksen Collection were acquired between 1957 and 1972, while Rodney Pete Henricksen and his wife Marjorie were living in Japan, teaching the children of American servicemen and raising their own family of four children. During this time, the Henricksen s collecting encompassed a broad range of Japanese arts and crafts, including porcelain and pottery, tansu (traditional Japanese cabinets), netsuke, inro, sword fittings, and, most importantly, Chinese and Japanese scroll paintings. The Henricksens acquired only works which appealed to them, spanning several genre, techniques and periods. The entire collection is particularly strong in landscapes and flower paintings. A highlight of their collection is a large hanging scroll featuring a dramatic landscape by Huang Ding, Lofty Mt. Lu After Shen Zhou, circa (est. $40/60,000) shown here. The entire collection, comprising 24 lots, is estimated to bring $219/321,000. Chinese and Japanese Works of Art from the Collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal A section of the sale 112 lots will be devoted to Chinese and Japanese Works of Art from the Collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal, which features diverse pieces of the highest quality. The Rosenthals were avid and focused collectors, surrounded by their artworks at home, and they shared their extensive knowledge with other collectors and museums. Collecting mostly in the 1980s and primarily at auction, their collection features classical Ming and Qing furniture, including several fine examples of 17 th and 18 th Century Huanghuali furniture with beautiful patina from years of superb attention. Among these are a pair of Chinese Official s Hat armchairs from the Ming Dynasty (est. $80/100,000), shown here, and a fine and rare side table, Ming Dynasty (est. $50/70,000), notable not only for its rich color and classic form, but also as a rare type where the construction allows it to be easily assembled and disassembled.

Leading the Rosenthals Chinese offerings is a very rare Limestone Buddhist Stele from the Northern Wei Dynasty, (AD 386-535) (est. $120/160,000).

The two narrow sides are carved with a small figure of the Buddha inside a niche, with an abraded inscription on one side.

Also included in the Rosenthal offering: a very large Ningxia carpet, circa 1800 (est.

Highlights from the Collection include a striking pair of sancai-glazed pottery Earth Spirits, Tang Dynasty (est. $70/90,000), pictured at left.

4 Leading the Rosenthals Chinese offerings is a very rare Limestone Buddhist Stele from the Northern Wei Dynasty, (AD ) (est. $120/160,000). It depicts Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) on one side and bodhisattva Maitreya on the reverse. The two narrow sides are carved with a small figure of the Buddha inside a niche, with an abraded inscription on one side. The stele is most unusual for its compact size and for its crisp and detailed carving on all four sides, indicating that it was made as a portable dedicatory piece to be viewed in the round. Also included in the Rosenthal offering: a very large Ningxia carpet, circa 1800 (est. $80/100,000), Han and Tang Dynasty pottery, featuring an outstanding pair of painted pottery vases and covers, Han Dynasty (est. $15/25,000), paintings and Japanese 18 th /19 th Century gold lacquer. Highlights from the Collection include a striking pair of sancai-glazed pottery Earth Spirits, Tang Dynasty (est. $70/90,000), pictured at left. Tomb guardian figures of this magnificent large size and exceptional quality of modeling are rare, indicating that the present pair was made in the workshops of either Luoyang or Chang an, the two metropolitan centers of the Tang era in the late 7 th and early 8 th Century. The Rosenthals exquisite Japanese lacquer is highlighted by a Finely-Decorated Gold Lacquer Set made for the Meiji Emperor, late 19 th Century, consisting of a Writing Box, a Document Box (within a storage box bearing Imperial Household storage labels), and a Low Table, pictured at right (est. $55/75,000). * * * Also included in the Japanese portion of the sale is an important set of four circular dishes by Ogata Kenzan, c , signed Kenzan, (est. $200/300,000), decorated in enamels and gilt with Rimpa style design. The plates picture primrose with horsetails, geese flying over a stream, reeds and chrysanthemums in a river. * Estimates do not include buyer s premium.

5 Sotheby s New York Fall 2008 Asian Art Auction Schedule September 16 September 17 Contemporary Art Asia: China, Korea, Japan September 18 Modern and Contemporary Art South Asia: India, Pakistan September 19 Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art Sotheby s London Fall 2008 Asian Art Auction Schedule November 5 Sotheby s Paris Fall 2008 Asian Art Auction Schedule December 17 Asian Art Sotheby s Hong Kong Fall 2008 Asian Art Auction Schedule October 4 Modern and Contemporary Asian Art Evening Sale October 5 20 th Century Chinese Art Contemporary Chinese Art October 6 Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings Fine Chinese Paintings October 7 Important Watches Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite October 8 **Sales information and dates are subject to change** * * *

33 (0) Sophie Dufresne 33 (0) Claire Jehl

33 (0) Sophie Dufresne 33 (0) Claire Jehl Communiqué de presse Paris 33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 Sophie Dufresne sophie.dufresne@sothebys.com 33 (0)1 53 05 52 32 Claire Jehl claire.jehl@sothebys.com Asian Arts SOTHEBY S UNVEILS A RECENTLY REDISCOVERED