With impressive collections of Chinese art coming to the podium on Saturday, September 9, Gianguan Auctions is open for previews Sunday (today) and Labor Day Monday. The principals and specialists are on hand to provide information and condition reports on Buddhist art, Chinese seals, classic paintings and Chinese ceramics.

All properties are on view. The highlights are:

The  five-color (wucai)  jar with cover from the legendary Bo Ling Di Studio of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1372).  This remarkable work, which has not been overly publicized, features four ogival panels outlined in raised, red slip, that showccase luted blooms and leaves around a central insect. The work has beast handles and is surmounted by a beast finial. Porcelain collectors understand the deliberation and craftsmanship needed to execute such an intricate form–from the appliction of relief to the many glazes and firings. The guan is Lot 146, estimated at more than $850,000.  

“The Wandering Mallard” by Zhu Da (Bada Shanren), the Han Dynasty painter of royal descent who took refuge in a monastery and became a monk. Exquisite in its full-bleed background of dark brown with the singular duck, tree and rockery rendered in black, it is signed Bada Shanren and bears one artist seal. Lot 107 is expected to command upwards of $600,000.

Gray-stone Buddhist sculpture of  Guanyin seated in dhyanasana, clad in a plain monastic shawl that exposes a bare chest. Of the Western Wei (386-535 CE), it weighs in at nearly one-hundred pounds and is two feet tall. It is Lot 265, valued at $50,000 or more.

Tbetan gilt-bronze thangka of Avalokiteshvara, the human manifestation of the eternal Buddha Amitabh. This masterpiece of intricate repoussé depicts the deity in dharmachakra. It is seated on a stepped throne within a stupa inlaid with coral, turquoise and lapis, all mounted in a border of chased lotus tendrils. 

Carved stone seals, highlighted by an unusual octagonal seal of shoushan stone with poetry and landscapes inscribed on its panels. Its reticulated knob features nine dragons chasing pearl. Six-inches tall, three and half pounds, the rarity starts at $1,500. (More than 20 seals in the collection.)

Chinese pillows, early headrests, including a Warring States jade rarity with a ruyi shaped headrest above evil-thwarting hogs at rest. Another jadeite pillow, Lot 156, is an adorable Ming-carved boy laying on his stomach. The Song gave us Lot 273, a heart-shaped Cizhou area porcelain pillow of ivory, black and brown slip. The pillows range in value from $3,000-$8,000.

For the complete line-up of Chinese antiques and paintings, you may download the catalog at www.gianguanauctions.com. Gianguan Auctions is open from 10-7 Sunday and Labor Day Monday. For more information, email info@gianguanauctions, or visit the gallery at 39 W. 56th Street.