Renowned collector’s Asian art comes to Heidelberg sale

Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette

Among the lots in the sale of porcelain and works of art at Metz in Heidelberg on December 15 about 80 Asian pieces come from an old German collection that was on loan to the state museums in Berlin for many decades from 1963 onwards.

A bronze head of a Buddha from Thailand, dated to the 16th or 17th century. It is being sold without a reserve at Metz in Heidelberg.

Several of these pieces had a prestigious provenance: they once belonged to Friedrich Hirth (1845-1927) a sinologist, author of numerous publications and a renowned collector.

From 1870-97 he worked for the Chinese maritime customs services, during which time he presumably built up his collection of textiles, porcelain and other works of art.

Hirth later became professor of Chinese at Columbia University and was also a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His collection provided material for numerous exhibitions from the 1890s until his death in 1927.

One of the pieces now offered is a 19in (49cm) high bronze head of a Buddha from Thailand, which can be dated to the 16th or 17th century. It is being sold without a reserve or a guide price – the market must decide.