What: Auction Preview: Curiosity VWhere: Sotheby’s; 88, 5 / F One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong Pacific Place, 88 Queensway fifth floor, Hong Kong, ChinaWhen: April 2; 10.30 am HKTPublic Viewing: FRI, 29 MAR 19 | 10:00 AM - 05:30 PM HKTSAT, 30 MAR 19 | 10:00 AM - 08:00 PM HKTSUN, 31 MAR 19 | 10:00 AM - 08:00 PM HKTMON, 01 APR 19 | 10:00 AM - 06:30 PM HKTTop lots of the sale:—Lot 3020: “An Important and Exceptional Jade Cong.” Neolithic Period, Liangzhu Culture. Of tubular form, the exterior superbly and subtly angled with four projecting corners, each worked with a stylised monster face accentuated with well-defined eyes widening towards the temples and enclosing piercing circular pupils, above a narrow horizontal ridge indicating the mouth, and below two horizontal bands, possibly the forehead or hairline, the monster face further exquisitely rendered with finely incised scrollwork, the four monster faces divided with a gently recessed vertical band in the centre of each side, the opaque stone of a lustrous brownish-beige color mottled with russet-brown inclusions, the cover of the burl wood-inset box carved with an inscription signed Taozhai, eulogising the stone as well as the meticulous precision of the incised hair-fine decoration on the cong, the interior lined with blue silk and bearing a seal mark reading Taozhai jiancang shuhua ('Paintings and calligraphy appreciated by Taozhai'). 10 cm, 3 7/8 in. Estimate: 8,000,000 HKD — 10,000,000 HKD (1,019,600 USD - 1,274,500 USD)—Lot 3050: “A Monumental and Extremely Rare Stucco Head of Buddha.” Liao Dynasty. The sensuous full face with slender bow-shaped eyes and hooded eyelids casting a serene and meditative aura with downcast omniscient black glass pupils, all below evenly arched eyebrows tapering at the ends issuing from the broad straight nose and small bud mouth with full lips above a double chin, the forehead centred with a faint circular indentation that once held a jewelled urna, all below the hair and domed ushnisha with traces of the neatly coiffed hair remaining on the forehead and on the sides around the pendulous earlobes, the top of the head and the side of the ushnisha revealing hemp layers underneath, traces of paint, stand. 77 cm, 30 3/8  in. Estimate: 6,000,000 HKD — 8,000,000 HKD (764,700 USD - 1,019,600 USD)—Lot 3016: “A Fine and Extremely Rare Geyao Square Brush Washer.” Southern Song Dynasty. Finely potted in quatrelobed shape, the gently flaring sides elegantly rising from a countersunken base with four small sesame spur marks, covered overall including the base with an opaque glaze of soft greyish tone suffused with an intricate matrix of iron-wire crackle and golden threads, save for four tiny spur marks unglazed revealing the dark body. 7.3 cm, 2 7/8  in. Estimate: 4,000,000 HKD — 6,000,000 HKD (509,800 USD - 764,700 USD)—Lot 3029: “A Rare and Superbly Carved Large Black Stone Figure of a Lion.” Tang Dynasty. Depicted seated on its haunches atop a rectangular base with a tail naturalistically swept against its side, the beast portrayed with its mouth open in a roar and baring its teeth, below bulging eyes and pricked ears, the back of its head with tufts of mane ending in upcurled ends, its body flanked on the sides with prominently defined ribs and accentuated with a broad chest below its upheld head, the stone patinated to a glossy ebony sheen. 53.7 cm, 21 1/8  in. Estimate: 3,000,000 HKD — 5,000,000 HKD (382,350 USD - 637,250 USD)—Lot 3063: “A Superb and Rare Jade 'Chilong' Cup.” Song Dynasty. Of oval section, well worked with deep rounded sides resting on a short straight foot, the exterior of the body skilfully depicted in low relief with two chilong clambering sinuously, the stone of a pale beige colour marked with attractive russet mottles and striations. 13.3 cm, 5 1/4 in. Estimate: 3,000,000 HKD — 5,000,000 HKD (382,350 USD - 637,250 USD)—Lot 3021: “A Rare and Complete Woolly Mammoth Skeleton, Mammuthus Primigenius.” Siberia, Russia, Late Pleistocene. The monumental skeleton of an individual Mammuthus primigenius exceptionally preserved in its entirety, the skull with a piercing elongated cavity above a pair of long tusks powerfully extending out towards the sides with a dramatic curvature, the body terminating in a tailbone and supported on four legs, the patina of a pale beige colour with characteristic brown streaks. h. 350 cm, 137 3/4 in. Estimate: 2,500,000 HKD — 3,500,000 HKD (318,625 USD - 446,075 USD)—Lot 3028: “A Rare Longquan Celadon 'Kinuta' Mallet Vase.” Yuan Dynasty. Well potted with a cylindrical body rising to a canted shoulder and sweeping up to a tall gently tapering neck surmounted by a wide everted rim with an upturned lip, the neck flanked by a pair of handles moulded and carved in the form of serpentine dragon-fish, each crisply rendered lively and detailed with scales, fins and eyes, covered overall save for the unglazed footrim with an even sea-green glaze thinning to reveal the pale grey body at the extremities, the hand-pared footrim draining to a paler tone at the edges. 27.9 cm, 11 in. Estimate: 2,000,000 HKD — 3,000,000 HKD (254,900 USD - 382,350 USD)For details, visit: https://www.sothebys.com/en/Click on the slideshow for the highlights of the sale.http://www.blouinartinfo.com/Founder: Louise Blouin Read more