A journey to imperial China, a one-round live auction to rediscover the elegant and harmonious art of a millennia-old culture, from sought-after jades to imposing carved woods and enigmatic porcelain figures: this is Fine Chinese Works, which on Thursday, November 23 at 10 a.m. brings to the Milan headquarters of Cambi Casa d'Aste a precious selection of exceptionally crafted furniture, vases, bottles, brush holders, bowls, frames, cabinets and paintings.

An appointment dedicated to beauty and quality, sublime forms and workmanship that the maison presents with a catalog of 229 lots on display at the Via San Marco venue from Friday, November 17 to Monday, November 20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Among the top lots we highlight, among others, the small figure of the Lama Tzongkhapa seated on a lotus flower: a sculpture of rare beauty for the gracefulness and balance of the composition, dating from the late 17th to early 18th century, made in Tibet probably on imperial commission. On the back of the artifact, an inscription bears the name of Tzongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa, a mythical protagonist in the history of the Buddhist faith, initiator of the Gelukpa order and founder of Ganden Monastery: a master still beloved by many practitioners, author of the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path of Enlightenment and promoter of the Great Prayer Festival (estimate 60,000 / 80,000 euros).

Exceeding one meter in height is the rare blue and white porcelain baluster vase with lid dating from the Kangxi (1662-1722) and Qing Dynasty eras, embellished with decorations of warriors and dignitaries (estimate €10,000 / 15,000), and also worth mentioning is the pair of large Famiglia Rosa vases with scenes of communal life dating from the Guangxu (1875-1908) and Qing Dynasty eras (estimate €6,000 / 12,000).


Also noteworthy is the original watercolor on paper signed Pan Tianshou (1897-1971), a painter and art master born in Ninghai County (Zhejiang Province) and a graduate of Zhejiang First Normal School, now Hangzhou High School (estimate €20,000 / 30,000). The artist is known for laying the foundation for education in traditional Chinese painting; in 1962 he held a solo exhibition in the then newly established Beijing Museum of Chinese Art, exhibiting 90 works of painting and calligraphy. Unfortunately, after the Cultural Revolution began in 1965, he began to be persecuted and continued to be persecuted until his death.