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PROPERTY FROM THE QUEK KIOK LEE COLLECTION (LOTS 2933-2949)QUEK KIOK LEE – A CONNOISSEUR OF DISTINCTIONMr Quek Kiok Lee (1920-2018) was a Chinese Singaporean who had a long-term fascination for Chinese ceramics and works of art. Throughout his long collecting career, Mr Quek meticulously recorded every single piece in his collection which included where each item was purchased, writing a detailed description, and noting and supporting his research on the dating. All-in-all his decades of enthusiasm led to the compilation of his handwritten inventory of the collection, numbering over a thousand pieces, being passed down in two thick volumes.His own records indicated that he started collecting during the 1960s, firstly with an interest in snuff bottles and then later in ceramics, jades, bronze mirrors of the Shang to the Tang dynasties, and scholar’s objects made of bamboo, and different types of stones. His research was largely driven by his curiosity for Chinese art where he could wonder, explore, experience, and play with the objects in his collection. Mr Quek humorously intimated to his daughter that on occasions when he felt inclined he would hold a ‘cabinet meeting’ to consider how to rearrange his collection in a ‘cabinet reshuffle’.Undoubtedly, Mr Quek was not collecting purely to amass objects, he also generously shared his knowledge and experiences to a wider public audience. He was one of the founding members of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS), and was invited by the Chancellor of Singapore University to assume an appointment as the museum’s acquisitions advisor for Chinese antiquities in 1994.For six years until his retirement in 2000, he worked alongside his friends Er Lu and curator Lu Yeow.Mr Quek’s collection remained his pride and joy until his death in 2018 at the age of 98. With illustrious and solid provenances, some dating back to the 1960s, it is believed that this collection will bring much excitement to collectors, and indeed for the objects to find new appreciative owners.
A PIERCED CELADON AND RUSSET JADE ‘CHILONG’ BOULDER
JIN DYNASTY (1115-1234)
Details
A PIERCED CELADON AND RUSSET JADE ‘CHILONG’ BOULDER
JIN DYNASTY (1115-1234)
The boulder is of irregular shape and pierced with numerous apertures in imitation of a scholar’s rock, the flat base with a further two perforations. At the top are carved two confronting chilongs around a lingzhi sprig, which are highlighted by the dark brown skin, their bodies and tails around the two main apertures. The stone is of a celadon tone turning to a caramel colour at the surface.
4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) high
JIN DYNASTY (1115-1234)
The boulder is of irregular shape and pierced with numerous apertures in imitation of a scholar’s rock, the flat base with a further two perforations. At the top are carved two confronting chilongs around a lingzhi sprig, which are highlighted by the dark brown skin, their bodies and tails around the two main apertures. The stone is of a celadon tone turning to a caramel colour at the surface.
4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) high
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Priscilla Kong