Christie’s experts reveal the standout works from Asian Art Week

‘With its robust size, elegant shape and detailed carving, this rare incense stand was the ultimate status symbol and could only have belonged to someone of very high rank in society.’

‘Painted in 1969, the work reflects Sabavala’s shift toward a quieter, more restrained visual language, where subtle light and a muted palette evoke both serenity and introspection. Inspired by the Arabian Sea and Bombay’s natural harbor, the painting transforms a familiar landscape of sailboats dotting the bay into something timeless and contemplative. For me, it is both a masterpiece of modern Indian art and a meditation on our place in the universe.’

‘The panels portray a detailed scene of Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, accompanied by Dongwanggong, King Father of the East. She’s descending towards other Daoist immortals who are gathered at the Turquoise Pond on Mount Kunlun. It’s a very elaborate depiction of the Daoist paradise with different auspicious emblems including fruiting peach trees, cranes, streaming rivers and beautiful pagodas. It gives you a keen sense of what this mythical paradise was believed to be.

‘Whenever I look at these panels, I discover something new. They offer an extraordinarily rich depiction of the most important figures of the Daoist pantheon, set within a remarkably grand celestial landscape. I am particularly drawn to the smaller details, such as the robes and hairstyles, which provide a fascinating glimpse into material culture in eighteenth-century China.'

‘We have a fantastic selection of paintings by Souza from the ‘40s to the ‘80s, but, for me, Rome, Church by Tiber (1960) is the jewel in the group. It was painted during a six-month stint in Rome on a scholarship from the Italian government, which greatly influenced his practice.

‘Rome is a city I have always loved, and this sumptuous scene is a view of St. Peter’s Basilica across the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Vatican City. Souza characteristically distorts the architecture to create this leaning tower against the Catholic architecture which informed so much of his oeuvre. His Rome series is very rare, and the works have this joyous palette that sets them apart.’

‘What first captivated me was the luminous wash of reddish pink that seems to borrow its light from the rising sun, filling the scene with the promise of a spring dawn. A majestic plum tree rises in the foreground, its weathered trunk and arching branches commanding the composition. Rather than simply framing the landscape, the tree draws the viewer inward, inviting the eye to wander through its living lattice and into the quiet world beyond, where spring unfolds in all its splendour.

‘Hiroshige’s bold perspective and radiant palette transform a fleeting spring scene into a timeless vision. His poetic artistry reached far beyond Japan, inspiring artists such as Vincent van Gogh, whose work echoes Hiroshige’s remarkable influence.’

‘Particularly impressive is the guoqiangzhi design, in which the flowering branch continues from the exterior, passes over the rim and extends into the interior. Although such decoration reached its pinnacle during the Yongzheng period, it was more commonly employed on dishes whose broad surfaces facilitated execution. To accomplish this intricate scheme on a small, deeply curved bowl — while adding two fully developed peaches within the interior — required exceptional technical control. Together with the six peaches and five bats, symbols of longevity and the Five Blessings, the bowl embodies the ingenuity and perfection of Yongzheng imperial porcelain.’

‘This graphic evolution balanced regional heritage with global appeal using mid-century styles to capture the breathtaking scope of the Indian landscape. They reflect the romance of arrival in an exotic land. The large, bolded text conveys places to add to an itinerary, though the tourism posters did more than just highlight travel destinations. They actively manufactured an alluring, commercialized image of a nation transitioning into modernity.’

‘Ainu communities don’t farm, they only gather from nature, so many of their robes are made from the fibres of elm trees. This example, however, is made of cotton, likely acquired through trade with Japan. Notably but not well-known, during Japan’s long period of isolation under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Ainu maintained one of the country’s few trade routes with the outside world.

‘These coats are exceptionally rare on the market, and their cultural significance and singularity make them unlike anything else in the Asian art sales.’