Further Details:
The treasure trove of works of art collected by the Belgian engineer and banker Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949) and his highly cultivated wife Suzanne contained exquisite relics of many of the world's great cultures. They acquired Italian gold ground paintings of the 13th and 14th centuries, Egyptian statues, Iranian miniatures, Byzantine and Gothic jewellery and enamels, African carvings and pre-Columbian masks, as well as Chinese works of art from the Shang to the Ming periods such as those to be exhibited. The Stoclets housed these wonderfully diverse products of the past in a contemporary setting, commissioning the Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) for the task. The resulting Palais Stoclet in Brussels, completed in 1911, is a monument to the style of the Vienna Secession movement, from the dining room walls decorated with mosaic panels by Gustav Klimt to such small details as the door-knobs designed by Hoffmann himself.

In the U.S.A., works of art formerly in the Stoclet collection, and now in public collections, may be seen at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among others. In the U.K., former Stoclet paintings are in the collection of the National Gallery, London, while Chinese works of art are to be found in the British Museum. Eskenazi has previously shown Chinese items from the collection in exhibitions in 1975, 1977 and 1980.

The eighteen pieces to be exhibited in New York are from the Shang period (13th-11th century BC) through to the Ming (1368-1644 AD). The oldest piece is over 3,000 years old: a Shang period carved bone reputedly from the tombs at Anyang county, Henan province. From the Late Western Zhou period, 9th-8th century BC, is a large archaic ritual bronze food vessel (gui) a companion to almost identical vessels in the Cernuschi Museum, Paris, and the Berenson collection at Villa I Tatti, Florence. It is cast in low relief with various decorative motifs including a band of elongated dragons, the massive handles cast with a dragon head and the interior with 34 characters in a five-line inscription referring to a father and son.

An intricate silver-inlaid bronze corner-piece dating from the Late Eastern Zhou period, 4th-3rd century BC, is cast in the form of two striding mythical beasts with powerful curving wings, their joined heads merging at the corner.

A magnificent, pugnacious bronze chimaera (bixie) from the Han period (206 BC-220 AD) is cast in a striding position. From the Han period there appears to have been an increasing interest in miraculous creatures as omens and portents. Among the fabulous beasts commonly portrayed was the bixie which literally means 'to ward off evil'. This example would have been intended to provide powerful spiritual protection for its owner.

A large limestone head of a Bodhisattva from the Sui period (581-618) is crisply carved, the deity wearing an expression of calm benevolence, his head adorned with an elaborate crown. The way in which Bodhisattvas from this period are decorated may be related to the wealth and luxury enjoyed by the Sui court, especially during the reign of Emperor Yang (604-617).

Among the later pieces is a rare and charming Ming dynasty gilt bronze and cloisonn� incense burner of a duck standing on a lozenge-shaped base from the 16th century. Fashioned as a vessel with cover, the duck is set with gilt cloisons enclosing green, blue, turquoise, aubergine, red, yellow and white enamels suggesting feathers, and the gilt bronze stand is engraved with exceptionally delicate designs, including branches of exotic fruit trees. Other exquisite pieces from the Stoclet collection to be exhibited include a gold and silver-inlaid bronze feline head, a green jade bracelet with a rope-twist design, and a gold and silver-inlaid bronze vessel, also Ming, in the form of a phoenix. Such works exemplify the Stoclets' taste that tended towards the precious and the uncommon.

The Eskenazi family firm began dealing in Chinese and Japanese works of art in Milan in 1925 and opened an office in London in 1960. In 1993 Giuseppe Eskenazi moved the company to 10 Clifford Street, off London's New Bond Street. Over the years he has established a reputation for presenting some of the rarest and most desirable Asian works of art to be found on the international market. PaceWildenstein, founded by Arne Glimcher, is one of the most prominent modern and contemporary galleries in New York. Chinese Works of Art from the Stoclet Collection will be the seventh annual Eskenazi exhibition to be held in New York and coincides with The International Asian Art Fair.

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10.00 am to 6.00 pm
Catalogue: The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, price �25, US$40