A portrait of late Chinese military legend Zhu De (1886-1976) by an American painter, a Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain jar with a design of interlocking sprays of peony flowers, and a rarely seen huge hanging scroll of a landscape by Chinese ink painting master Qi Baishi (1864-1957).

These are some of the interesting and precious items to be sold during the Beijing Huachen Auctions' 2005 Spring Auctions on Saturday and Sunday at the Jingguang Centre Hotel, in eastern Beijing.

The auctions feature more than 1,000 items of 20th century Chinese oils, Chinese ink masterpieces, porcelain, jade carving and jewellery.

One of the highlights is a refined, blue and white porcelain jar bearing a design of interlocking sprays of peony flowers, estimated to have a floor price of at least 10 million yuan (US$1.25 million).

Believed to have been created in the Yuan Dynasty, this elegant jar, with a height of around 30 centimeters and a diameter of 20.5 centimeters, is one of the very few pieces of its kind.

So far, the most famous works of Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain are displayed in museums in Japan, Turkey, Iran, and some European countries. Thanks to its unique historical background, along with its novel design and exquisite craftsmanship, art historians regard Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain as a watershed in the development of Chinese porcelain.

As a key commodity of China's foreign trade in the 14th century, most of these porcelain works were sold outside China

As they were manufactured according to the designs and specific requirements of overseas buyers, blue and white porcelain was not popular with the royal families of the Yuan Dynasty, but it did have a following among noble and royal families in the Middle East, experts say.

Another highlight in the ceramics and porcelain category is a very refined "Yueyao Kiln" celadon glazed censer from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), which has a floor price of 333,000-380,000 yuan (US$41,677-47,559).

Standing at just 25.5 centimeters, the delicately made censer, glowing with a slight, greenish hue, is one of only three such pieces known to exist.

The other two, ranked as items of the State first rank cultural heritage, are reportedly in the collections of Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and Changzhou City Museum of East China's Jiangsu Province.

In the Chinese oil painting category, so-called "red art" works are the highlights again this year.

"Red art" primarily refers to works created during the first three decades of New China, particularly the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), but can also include paintings or sculptures portraying late Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong or historical and revolutionary events in early 20th century China.

Although the auction of a portrait of Chairman Mao, which served as a model for portraits hung on Beijing's Tian'anmen Rostrum, was called off last Friday after the owner said he might donate it to a Chinese museum, many items of "red art" remain available.

Among others, the most eye-catching piece is probably the 1939 portrait of late Chinese military giant Zhu De, created by French-American painter Aimee A. Lozier (1900-96).

Lozier first displayed her paintings about China at a 1939 exhibition in Hollywood, California.

The exhibition soon attracted a great deal of media and public attention for its unique depiction of Chinese figures ranging from the ancient Chinese Yellow Emperor, and the mythical Guanyin, or Goddess of Compassion, to Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, and Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek.

The grave and stern Zhu De, portrayed slightly differently from other works most Chinese people are familiar with, is rendered against the backdrop of a military map indicating the city of Ruijin, the starting point of the Long March, the Great Wall, and the revolutionary base of Yan'an, in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

But the painting is even more attractive thanks to the inscriptions on the upper right corner of the oil painting, similar to that on a typical, traditional Chinese painting scroll.

The Chinese-language inscription tells about the Long March, the conflicts between Communist and Kuomintang troops and the two parties' concerted efforts to fight the Japanese invasion since 1937.

Lozier's painting of Zhu De is regarded by Chinese critics as one with an immense historical value.

The painting, estimated at about 280,000-350,000 yuan (US$35,043-43,804), "is a rare piece done by a foreign artist about China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It is a visual complement to Edgar Snow's 'Red Star over China'," commented Beijing-based critic Chen Lusheng.

Other important "red art" items include Chinese oil artist Chen Yanning's "Checking and Accpeting," a 1977 portrayal of a PLA officer on a battlefield in the late 1940s to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, estimated at 1.5-1.8 million yuan (US$187,700-225,281), and veteran oil painter He Kongde's 1968 work entitled "Proceed along the Revolutionary Route under Chairman Mao's Guidance," expected to be sold for 1.5-1.8 milllion yuan.

In the Chinese painting category, a huge, colored ink landscape painted by Qi Baishi in 1933, with a floor price of 2.48-3.50 million yuan (US$310,000-438,000), a spectacular landscape by innovative artist Li Keran (1907-89) and a figure painting of a graceful ancient Chinese young lady by master painter Lin Fengmian (1900-1991), are certain to attract the attention of art lovers.

A preview of the Huachen Spring Auctions will be held at the Jingguang Centre in Beijing from 10 am-7 pm, May 31-June 2 at the Grand Ballroom, Jingguang Centre.

(China Daily May 30, 2006)