The sun., 1908-11-29
ORIENTAL ART SALE OR NOTE
VON STERNBURG COLLECTION
40 BE DISPERSED HERE.


IN Among Them-ExtraO ordinary Screen
Il Made In the Reign OF k'ang-hsI.
The objects Of Oriental art collected
by the late Baron Speok Won Sternburg,
German Ambassador TO the United States,
are to be sold at auction In New York
this winter and as an exhibition will pre-
cede the sale those interested will have
4 an unexpecte opportunity to see some
very beautiful and rare works Of art,
DR.. WI Ting-fang has had transla-
tions made Of rome Of the important
inscriptions on Baron Won Sternburg's
treasures. 30 the catalogue when pre-
pared win probably be more enhghten-
ing than catalogues sometimes are. 9th
efS In official life in Washington who have
had opportunity to see the SterRburg
collection have interested Themselves.
,snd the sale may be looked forward: TO
rs most interesting. The collection has
not yet left Washington but is being
packed up at the home of the Baroness
Won Sternburg. 1t will be sold here at
the American Art Galleries in January.
the sale requiring probably a week, as
there are more than thousand lots TO
be dispersed.
~ Baron Won Sternburg's collection in
cludes some valuable and interesting
works OF European art also. His resi-
dence in Germany and his home connec-
,tidng permitted him to acquire these,
some Of which were brought from shis
y HIeipsic castle. His life in the Orient
when he was Secretary of the Embassy
under the Baron Won Brandt, German
~ 30
procure some rare productions of the
art of the Asiatics, Indeed American
s collectors will find In the coming sale
another reminder of Baron Won Brandt
besides the association Of Baron Won
EStenburg with him in the diplomatio
Gervice. --r 49,,
+ Those memories go back to the first
Won Brandt sale in New York in 1898, and
.Sthose who bought at it will find material
and interesting reminders in some Of the
objects in the Won Sternburg sale. Baron
won Brandt as some may remember.
found New England beauty surprisingly
attractive, but encountered such powerful
objections in Berlin to the desires OF his
heart that he made his country pay in
some degree for the deprivation it forced
him to endure --t @'Fs
II he couldn't marry as he pleased he
could at least dispose as he wished of his !
great collection of art. though it was
iinade in his diplomatic life. So al
though he had intended 10 present the col |
lection to the Dresden Museum he changed |
bis mind and soldit at auction in New !
York. and IL was at that sale that were
obtained such obj eots for example as the
large figure Of Buddha carved from a
solid block Of turquoise. which one New
York collector picked up. and various
ether objects which when they have
come upon the market at dispcrsals of |
private collections since then have gone
nt prices sometimes thousands of dollars
above the prices of the Won Brandt sale.
In the Won Sternburg collection are
some of the original companion pieces
% objects in the Won Brandt collection.
Aside from residing in Pekin with Won /
Brandt Won Sternburg trRv elled with /
|fhe Ambassador through Tibet. and the 4
Won Sternburg collection shows that in
many instances when, There we're two I
objects alike the Ambassador took one
and the secretary the other, so the coming
sale may enable some persons to com
piete the pair a work dear to many
collectors. Baron Won Sternburg ranked
as connoisseur and he had travelled
In other countries also, notably in India.
where he picked up rare works.
The Baron's collection enables a study
OF Chinese ceramics from the Yuan and
eariy Ming periods to the reign of Ch'ien-
lung, in the list being examples of the
iamille verte, famille rose and the black
hawthorn decorations, and nearly a
NAfal ,ln - O, ]
Ming manufacture, with the highly valued !
celadon glaze. In the blue and white
porcelain the collection ranges from cabi-
net pieces OF soft paste to grand jars and .
tah vases, and these blues are those which l
only the old Chinese knew how to bring '
but to the utmost Of perfection. There are !
large fish bowls in this part of the collec- ! :
non and there is a vase ~ feet high !
which the Emperor Ch'ien-lung dedicated / y
20 the Temple of kuan-ti (God of War), :
a. the Chin-men gate of Pekin. after n .
campaign in-Tibet.
There Is one extraordinary, object in 5
he Won Sternburg collection which may p
% the most remarkable Of its kind out e
'ide OF China. IL 1t certainiy-a a notable
me and has attractions DISTINGUISHING IL :,
rom two similar productions IN the pos l
ession Of the South kensington Museum
which Dr. Bushel describes. ThiA-is a Il
Green OF twelve panels which unfolds to
! length Of about fifteen feet. It, is eight q
eet high. 80 Il
The screen was made in the reign Of
Yang -hsi. Its decoration is more elab-
rate and more gorgeous in the scenes II
lepicted that that Of the two South Ken :
lngton screens Of similar workmanship. =
he decorations picture the interior Of "
he Summer Palace, with ceremonial ri
etes I'm the presence of K'ang-hsi and q
Iotabilities of the court The wood r
'anels are carved, inlaid with lacauers ..
nd painted in brilliant colors Of the ie
amille verte, the painting enamelled as in
he case OF similar painting on poroelains W
nd the whole ornamentation embellished OF
y gliding. On the backs Of the panels :.
re some OF the Inscriptions which the W
hlnese Ambassador at Washington has II
lterested himself to have translated. bt
he South kensington screens of this 2,
lass which were purchased many years OF
20, are SAID to have cost respectively liz
0.0o0 and sl2O VI
When Won Sternburg was travelling tn
nth Won Brandt in Tibet he gathered
q some Buddhistic idols Of bronze, gilded vi
ome porcelains and carvings and an la
interesting set OF fifteenth century illu- WI
linated scrolls Illustrative of the thou- nc
andth incarnation of Buddha. In India H
8 well as In other of the Asiatic com. dc
ries, China included, he secured acme sti
ugs In keeping with the general char
cter OF his collection for household R
Sc and adornment, among other pur-
bases in this list being an Agra Garnet ~,
Fhich WAS made in the Drisnn for r. ! IL