Sotheby’s Hong Kong Presents Imperial Connoisseurship: Treasures of Chinese Art from a Distinguished Private Collection

This November in Hong Kong, Sotheby’s presents Imperial Connoisseurship: Treasures of Chinese Art from a Distinguished Private Collection—a serene and luminous dialogue across dynasties. Fourteen masterpieces, spanning the Yuan, Ming, and Qing courts, unfold like pages of an imperial chronicle, revealing the intimate alliance between craftsmanship and contemplation that shaped China’s aesthetic soul. Each work is more than an object of imperial grandeur—it is the embodiment of an age’s pursuit of beauty and order. From the majestic Yuan blue-and-white dragon jar, to the lyrical Ming Chenghua “fish and lotus” stem bowl, and the stately Qianlong tianqiuping, these creations transcend their materiality, becoming vessels of memory and spirit. The Chenghua bowl, painted with four crimson fish gliding amid cobalt-blue lotus, captures the Daoist ideal of effortless freedom. Its fusion of underglaze copper-red and cobalt-blue—a notoriously temperamental pairing—achieved a harmony so rare that it remains unmatched to this day. The Yuan jar, meanwhile, commands the eye with its surging energy; the Qianlong tianqiuping embodies the emperor’s vision of perfected symmetry and luminous glaze.

Collecting is not an act of possession—it is a conversation with time. After years of adjustment, the Chinese art market has entered a phase of maturity and discernment. Collectors now seek authenticity, provenance, and poetic resonance above mere speculation. In recent years, the finest imperial porcelains continue to affirm their standing: Ming Chenghua “fish and lotus” bowl — Sotheby’s Hong Kong 2024, sold for HKD 32.9 million; Qianlong blue and white tianqiuping — Christie’s London 2025, realized HKD 78 million; Yuan blue and white dragon jar with cover — Sotheby’s Hong Kong 2024, achieved HKD 125 million. Such results reflect not exuberance, but confidence—the market’s quiet recognition that cultural rarity transcends market cycles.

With steady recovery and renewed confidence in the top-tier segment, the Imperial Connoisseurship sale represents a timely opportunity for collectors seeking both cultural depth and lasting value. A full catalog has been prepared for your study and investment reference.