By Carter B. Horsley

The March 16, 2017 evening auction of Important Chinese Art from the Fujita Museum is highlighted by some spectacular early Chinese bronzes and a very great early Chinese scroll of dragons.

The museum opened in 1954 in Osaka and is one of the most important in Japan and even after this auction contains 9 National Treasures and 51 Important Cultural Properties.  It was founded by Fujita Denzaburo, who made his fortune in military uniforms and became and industrialist.  In 1908, he built three modern buildings in Osaka to house his very important art collection.  The houses were destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945.

This auction total was $262,839,500, which alone surpassed the previous record for any Asian Art Week series.  Of the 31 offered lots, only one failed to sell and most were sold at multiples of their high estimates.

The top lot was "Six Dragons," by Chen Rong (13th Century), which sold for $48,967,500.  It had a modest estimate of $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.  The painting section of the scroll is 173 3/8 inches long and it contains 14 seals of the Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) and was included in his Shiqu Baoji catalogue.  The entry for this lot in the very impressive and lavish catalogue is 13 pages long. 

After the sale, Jonathan Stone, the chairman of Asian Art at Christie's, said that "it was an honor to represent this exceptional collection of Chinese works of art from the Fujita Museum and support the institution's long-term future by giving them the opportunity to invest in the overall infrastructure and the core of its collecting mission of Japanese art."  The Japanese have long been great connoisseurs of Chinese art and it is hard to imagine any institution sacrificing such a spectacular and awesome treasure as the "Six Dragons" scroll.


The auction included five other scrolls mentioned in the Emperor's catalogue as well as some very impressive bronzes.

Lot 523, Fangzun, ritual wine vessel, Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, 13th Century B.C., 20 5/8 inches high

The auction included five other scrolls mentioned in the Emperor's catalogue as well as some very impressive bronzes.

Lot 523 is a "Magnificent and Highly Important" bronze ritual vine vessel, known as "fangzun," that dates to the Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, 13th-11th Century B.C.  It is 20 5/8 inches high and has been widely published.  The catalogue devotes 15 pages to this very impressive lot.

Lot 526 close-up

The lot has an estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000.  It sold for $27,127,500.

Lot 524, Ritual wine vessel and cover, fanglei, Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, 13th-11th Century B.C., 25 inches high

Lot 524 is a "Magnificent and Highly Important bronze ritual wine vessel and cover, Fanglei," Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, 13th-11th Century B.C.  It is 25 inches high. 

The catalogue provides the following commentary:

"Fanglei are amongst the rarest, most imposing, and most majestic of Chinese archaic bronzes....there are only 45 examples."

The lot has an estimate of $5,000,000 to $8,000,000.  It sold for $33,847,500.

LOT 525, "Massive Bronze, Ritual Wine Vessel and Cover, Pou," Late Shang Dynasty, 13th-11th Century B.C., 22 1/2 inches high

Lot 525 is a "massive" bronze ritual wine vessel and cover" known as a pou from the Late Shang Dynasty, 13th-11th Century B.C.  It is 22 1/2 inches high and the catalogue notes that it is the third largest known.  It has an estimate of $4,000,000 to$6,000,000.  It sold for $27,127,500.

Lot 510, "Snow Plum Blossoms," by Wang Mian, handscroll on paper, 11 3/4 by 117 5/8 inches

Lot 510 is a beautiful handscroll on paper of Snow Plum Blossoms by Wang Mian (1287-1359).  It measures 11 3/4 inches by 117 5/8 inches.  It has six seals of the Emperor Qianlong.  It has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000.  It sold for $8,647,500.

Lot 512 is an impressive handsroll on silk of "Washing Horses" by Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322).  It measures 14 7/8 by 121 3/4 inches.  It has an estimate of $500,000 to  $700,000.  It sold for $4,503,500.

Lot 509, "Horse" is a handscroll by Han Gan (706-783), silk, 12 1/2 by 15 1/8 inches

Lot 509 is a silk handscroll of a horse by Han Gan (706-783).  It measures 12 1/2 by 15 1/8 inches and has 12 seals of the Emperor Qianlong.  It has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000.  It sold for $17,047,500.