Bonhams Spring Auction 2013 - Archaic Bronzes from the Sze Yuan Tang Collection with Julian King

Bonhams spring auctions in Hong Kong will present treasures in a diverse range of categories, including Ming and Qing Imperial porcelain, scholar's objects and jade.

This guided tour with Julian King will focus on one of the auctions – Archaic Bronzes from the Sze Yuan Tang Collection. The collection includes a group of rare ritual bronze vessels ranging in date from the Erligang culture (1500-1300 B.C.) of the Shang dynasty through to the Tang dynasty (618-907), and is rich in inlaid bronze material, including ritual implements, chariot fittings and weapons. There are also a number of rare gilt-bronze dragon and animal sculptures. The collection is marked for the diversity and high quality of the pieces, encapsulating the heights of bronze workmanship created in the earliest recorded period of Chinese civilization.

Julian King studied Classical and Modern Chinese at Wadham College of the University of Oxford. He worked as a Chinese art specialist in London from 2000 to 2008 before joining Bonhams Hong Kong as the Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. At Oxford, King's main passion in Chinese art was for archaic material, particularly bronzes of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Having lived in the Himalayas teaching English to Tibetan monks in earlier years, he is also fascinated by Sino-Tibetan iconography and gilt-bronzes.