Thirty exceptional objects connected to Beijing and China’s imperial court will come together this October as Christie’s presents The Ai Lian Tang Collection – Gems of the Imperial Capital, a dedicated sale exploring the artistic achievements and cosmopolitan character of China’s imperial past.
Following the April sale The Ai Lian Tang Collection – 800 Years of Chinese Ceramics, the new auction turns its attention towards a broader group of imperial arts. The 30 works encompass porcelain, jade, lacquer and other forms of imperial craftsmanship, offering a glimpse into the collecting traditions that developed around Beijing as the political and cultural heart of successive dynasties.
The historical scope is considerable. From 1272 to 1911, Beijing served for more than six centuries as the political and cultural centre of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The imperial capital became a meeting point for artistic traditions and technical knowledge from across China, with objects commissioned for courtly, religious, scholarly and ceremonial contexts.
Rather than presenting imperial art as a single aesthetic tradition, the Ai Lian Tang selection reflects the diversity of craftsmanship that flourished around the court. Porcelain, carved jade, lacquer and other decorative arts reveal different approaches to material, technique and symbolism, while collectively illustrating the sophistication of objects produced for — and appreciated by — imperial circles.
Among the highlights is a Qianlong-period yangcai ‘Hundred Deer’ hu-form vase, an ambitious example of Qing imperial porcelain. Its imagery draws upon the imperial Autumn Hunt, with a herd of deer depicted within a richly detailed landscape populated by pine, bamboo, lingzhi and mountain streams.
The composition is particularly significant for the way it translates the scale and narrative qualities of court painting into porcelain. The deer, landscape and auspicious imagery combine ideas of longevity, prosperity and virtue, while the technical refinement of the enamelling demonstrates the extraordinary level of craftsmanship associated with Qianlong-period court production. Christie’s describes the work as ranking among the finest surviving examples of the ‘Hundred Deer’ type.
The collection also offers a window into the cultural world surrounding the imperial court — one in which artistic production intersected with political identity, religious devotion, scholarship and the rituals of court life.
For collectors, the sale is consequently less a survey of a single medium than a portrait of an imperial capital through objects. Each piece carries evidence of the materials, techniques and visual languages that travelled through Beijing and into the Qing court.
The auction takes place on 29 October 2026 at 11:30am HKT at Christie’s Asia Pacific Headquarters at The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central, Hong Kong.
The sale forms part of Christie’s wider 40th anniversary in Asia programme in 2026, marking four decades since the auction house established its presence in the region. Christie’s is presenting a year-long programme of auctions, exhibitions and events across Asia to mark the milestone.
With 30 objects spanning centuries of courtly taste and craftsmanship, Gems of the Imperial Capital ultimately offers something more than a selection of rare artefacts. It presents Beijing through the objects that helped define its imperial culture — material records of power, belief, craftsmanship and an enduring appetite for beauty.
