Tibetan Style Rock Crystal Bead Necklace with Glass Phallic Pendants

Modelled standing on a tiered base; wearing a tall hat, a floor-length robe and boots; arms held in front of his body above a drum strapped to his waist; green and brown glaze. 494 grams, 24 cm



Ex H.N. collection, Milton Keynes, UK, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

China provides some of the earliest traces of music making. These are mainly in the form of well-preserved musical instruments, the tangible evidence of music. Over several millennia, musical instruments from regional indigenous traditions as well as from India and Central and West Asia were assimilated into the mainstream of Chinese music. Some of the most ancient instruments have been retained, transformed, or revived throughout the ages and many are in common use even today, testifying to a living legacy of a durable art. This legacy is frequently celebrated in the visual arts of China, documenting rituals and celebrations, or as status symbols of those whose lives were enhanced by the resonate sounds of instruments. Ancient Chinese people believed they would go to an afterlife when they died. So they placed miniature versions of things for everyday use in tombs for the deceased, such as these musicians, hoping that the dead could enjoy the next life like when they were alive. These grave objects gradually developed into funerary artworks and reflected the social standing of the deceased.

Comprising six wide bowls with rolled rims, each with painted floral and linear decoration. 2.52 kg total, 16-17.1 cm



Ex Nagel Auction, with official Tek Sing Treasure labels to verso. Accompanied by an illustrated information sheet about the Tek Sing shipwreck. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The Tek Sing (True Star) wreck is one of the famous recovery stories of the 20th century. Sailing from the port of Xiamen (then known as Amoy) in February 1822 the vessel Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, Indonesia laden with porcelain goods and 1600 Chinese emigrants. The captain decided to pass through the Gaspar Strait, between the Bangka-Belitung Islands, and ran aground on a reef. The vessel sank in about 100 feet of water. The next morning, February 7, an English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl, passing through the same waters, encountered debris and some survivors and managed to rescue about 190 of the latter.

Piriform in profile with broad mouth and rolled rim, cream glaze. 2.7 kg, 28.5 cm



Ex Hong Kong collection, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.