KOLLER VIEW 2/24

For further information Asian Art Regi Preiswerk asiatica@kollerauctions.com Online catalogues www.kollerauctions.com Heroic deeds and chance finds Preview of the Asian Art auction on 18 June 2024 Highlights of the Asian Art auction range from a pair of Japanese screens to a modern Chinese painting. The screens, from the Hasegawa School in Kyoto, whose founder, Hasegawa Tôhaku, is one of Japan’s most fa- mous artists (ill. 1), depict a well-known scene from the Heike Monogatari (‘Tales of the Heike’). During the wars between the Minamoto (Genji) and Taira (Heike) clans in the 1180s, the Uji Bridge was deliberately made im- passable in order to protect the Byôdôin temple from invaders. While the Minamoto army was still conferring, two of its warriors, Kajiwara Genta Kagesue and Sasaki Shirô Takatsuna, advanced to be the first to cross the river. The two large-format screens splendidly render the dramatic scene in ink, colours and gold leaf. While the wildly determined warriors plunge into the river on their horses, the bridge and the raging river form the connecting elements. Lin Fengmian is one of the most important modern Chi- nese artists. The painting in our 18 June auction shows the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and his entourage in the opera ‘Uproar in Heaven’, which was adapted from the famous Ming-period novel ‘Journey to the West’ (ill. 4). Tragically, Lin Fengmian lost a large part of his oeuvre in the 1937–1945 Sino-Japanese War, and he destroyed hundreds of his own works under the political pressure of the Cultural Revolution. After almost five years in prison, in 1977 he emigrated to Hong Kong and recre- ated some of his lost work there. A seal on this painting indicates that it is an early work of Lin’s. A Swiss collector who had been browsing Zurich flea markets for decades came across the painting around ten years ago. Although he did not know the artist, he bought it, fascinated by its dynamism. The painting’s long journey will now reach another milestone when it is offered to a public enthusiastic about such works by the modern master. 1 A pair of Hasegawa School standing screens. Japan, early 17 th c. 154 × 356 cm. Estimate: CHF 80 000/120 000 2 A black stone figure of Ganesha. India, Bihar, Pala Period, 9 th c. H 78.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 30 000/50 000 3 A large figure of a standing Buddha. Grey schist. Gandhara, 2 nd /3 rd c. H 85 cm. Estimate: CHF 25 000/35 000 4 Lin Fengmian (1900–1991). ‘Uproar in Heaven’. Mixed media on paper. 69 × 65 cm. Estimate: CHF 180 000/250 000 4 pre view. 02 25