On November 27 in Hong Kong, Christie's will offer 24 works from the RFA Riesco Collection of Important Chinese Ceramics.
 The sale has caused controvery among Croydon's residents, though much of the collection is still on display |
The collection, which was acquired by the London Borough of Croydon after the council purchased the home of businessman and collector Raymond Riesco (1877-1964), is expected to realise in excess of $14m, with profits to be invested in Croydon's cultural infrastructure.
The majority of the collection, 206 works spanning the Neolithic period until the 19th century, remains on view at the Riesco Gallery in Croydon Clocktower.
Ming dynasty (1368-1644) blue and white porcelain is expected to highlight the sale, with the collection boasting a particularly strong selection. Leading will be a rare Xuande blue and white double-gourd moonflask, which dates to 1426-1435, and is recorded in Riesco's personal catalogue as a Pilgrim's Bottle. It is expected to sell for $2.7m-3.7m.
Also starring from this section is a blue and white "boys" bowl, which originates from the Chenghua period (1464-1487), and is estimated to bring $875,000-1.2m.
Qing dynasty ceramics will also make up a large part of the sale, highlighted by an extremely rare pair of Kangxi (1622-1722) marked, polychrome enamelled ruby-backed cups, which are some of the earliest to display the famille rose palette. They are expected to sell for $875,000-1.2m.
In addition to the Ming and Qing sections, the sale will also offer three monochromes from the 11th-13th centuries. A foliate-form Guan ware glazed bowl from the Song dynasty (1127-1279) is expected at make $1.1m-1.5m, while a large Jun-ware purple bowl from the Jin-Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and Ding lotus dish both share a $150,000-250,000 estimate.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will be bringing you more Asia art news over the coming week as Asia Week takes over in New York. Be sure to visit our Art & Photography andAntiques sections to see more.
