From India to China, Christie’s experts share an exclusive look at highlights from Asian Art Week

‘This work represents the crystallisation of all the influences that Raza absorbed when he moved from India to Paris on a French government scholarship. He was deeply influenced by Cezanne, as well as primitive art, medieval painting from Siena and Byzantine paintings, all of which are reflected in this work. The important critic Jacques Lassaigne bought this work from Raza’s very first exhibition in Paris in 1953, and it has remained in that same collection for nearly 80 years. This work, one of Raza’s most widely published, also foreshadows the importance that the black sun would have in his future oeuvre.’

‘The dragon has long been an emblem of imperial power associated with the emperor himself, so to me, this “dragon” dish, which is on the cover of our sale catalogue, powerfully embodies the essence of “Chinese art.” Unlike the more commonly seen blue-and-white porcelain, the present dish is also decorated in iron-red, a colour imbued with auspicious symbolism in Chinese culture. What sets this dish apart is the individuality of each of the five dragons, rendered in dynamic and expressive poses. Additionally, the five-clawed dragon is traditionally reserved for the emperor, while the three-clawed dragons represent princes, reinforcing the hierarchical distinctions embedded in Chinese imperial iconography.’

‘This season our sale includes ten impressive Korean celadon pieces from the collection of David and Nayda Utterberg, who began building their collection during the 1980s, and this jardinier is a highlight. While there are many examples of Korean celadon objects with inlaid work, the jardinier form is extremely unusual. There are probably only three or four similar examples of the same quality in collections around the world. Christie’s has never offered anything like this before.’

‘This head of a Bodhisattva from the ancient region of Gandhara is one of the most beautiful examples, especially in terracotta, that I’ve seen in recent years. Gandhara is a really interesting region where the images of the Buddha were first formed. The area was previously settled by Alexander the Great, so alongside the South and Central Asian traditions, there was a heavily Hellenistic artistic legacy in which figural depictions were highly idealised and realist. This head is also remarkable because terracotta works rarely survive in great condition, and this work has so many delicate features, such as the curls of his hair and the intricate headdress.’

‘Zarina is one of my favourite artists, and this is the largest cast-paper sculpture that she ever made. Zarina worked with paper her whole life as a printmaker, but during the 1980s she made paper the medium of her sculptural practice, which was very labour intensive. Highly architectural, Spiral also evokes the artist’s childhood memories of her garden where she grew up in the town of Aligarh in northern India. The work recalls a time when a snake slithered from the garden into her house on a wet night. Spiral is sentimental and yet very minimalistic, which is what makes it really fascinating for me.’

‘This is a very sensual table, as can be seen in the elegant curving lines of the cabriole legs. During the Qianlong period, which is 1736 to 1795, there was a lot of cultural exchange between the West and the East, and you see that reflected in furniture. Generally Chinese tables were either rectangular or square, so this half-round table is an extremely rare form. Demi-lune tables were typically made in pairs so that you can have two tables on either side of a doorway, but they can also be combined to make a circular table. This table’s back is finished, and the legs are full, indicating it was likely commissioned as a single demi-lune table for a specific interior.’

‘Ito Jakuchu is a very important Japanese artist who often painted traditional Chinese subject matter, such as the auspicious combination of a crane, pine and bamboo seen here. His works are quite rare and desirable, and many great paintings by him are featured in museum collections across Japan and the United States. This is the most exceptional example of work by Jakuchu that we have seen in some years, perhaps, ever. Crane, Pine and Bamboo was published in 1934 but has been missing since and was recently rediscovered, which makes it especially exciting.’

‘This head is from the 16th-century Ayutthaya period in Thailand, known for its international style. The centre of the kingdom was a major trading port, and because of that it had a lot of influences from Indian, Persian, Chinese and Cambodian Khmer art. But there was also a native Thai art form that had developed just a few centuries before this period, and that heavily influenced the style you see here, which is far more stylised. The art was more about creating a pleasing face that calms its viewers, which I think this piece perfectly exemplifies. I’m always drawn to these heavy eyes, which would have been inlaid.’