Christie’s New York is delighted to present The Flacks Family Collection: A Very Personal Selection, a group of 46 lots from the collection of Marcus and Debbie Flacks. Since 1995, the couple have established their gallery, MD Flacks, Ltd., as one of the preeminent sources for classical Chinese furniture, scholars objects, and contemporary Asian paintings.

The works selected for sale in September, mainly from the Ming and Qing dynasties, exhibit a refined and restrained aesthetic, balancing luxurious materials with simple forms and traditional construction that is characteristic of the Chinese literati ideal. The selection represents a diverse mix of furniture, scholar’s rocks and desk accoutrement, as well as contemporary Asian paintings. Among the highlights is an extremely rare pair of 17th century huanghuali and spotted bamboo scholar’s cabinets; perhaps the only known pair in existence, each cabinet is elegantly constructed with 114 strips of spotted bamboo, resulting in a mirage-like mottled surface that is made only more attractive upon closer inspection.

Also among the top works of the sale is Liu Dan’s Far-off Journey, painted in 2006 for Marcus Flacks, who holds a close relationship with the artist. Far-off Journey explores an unused element from an earlier project, the massive Ink Handscroll, now at The San Diego Museum of Art.