Special-edition Leica Q ‘Khaki’ camera is both vintage and cutting-edge

For well over a century now – ever since Oskar Barnack invented the world’s first 35mm camera, the Ur-Leica – the renowned German camera brand Leica has been setting the benchmark for photo quality and image capturing technology. Across the intervening decades, its cameras have stood at the frontier of unfolding historic events, capturing iconic moments that have become world-famous.

To pay tribute to this long legacy, a nostalgic, special-edition Leica Q ‘Khaki’ has just been released. This classic model features a genuine leather trim and a matching strap in a nostalgic khaki reminiscent of WWII-esque army camouflage fatigues. The engraving of the classic Leica script at the top plate has also been accented in the same hue.

But don’t be fooled by its vintage-looking exterior. In terms of mechanics, the Leica Q ‘Khaki’ boasts the same technical specs as a standard Leica Q – a speedy Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7ASPH lens, a full-frame sensor, an integrated viewfinder with a 3.68MB resolution, full HD-quality video recording of up to 60 frames per second and WiFi capabilities for remote control and digital file transfers. Merging the classic with the high-tech, this 495-piece limited edition Leica Q ‘Khaki’ is almost sure to be a guaranteed collectors’ item for any vintage Leica lover.

Historic Horology: Thomas Tompion timepiece clocks in at HK$2.6 million

Clock designed by Thomas Tompion sells for HK$2.6 million — *Historic clock designed by Thomas Tompion sold for HK$2.6 million at a recent Bonhams auction*

As true watch collectors would surely vouch, any clock made by Thomas Tompion, the renowned 16th century British timepiece technician, merits a place in the all-time great league of classic chronometers. Favoured by British royalty from Charles II to Queen Anne, Tompion is credited as being among the first watchmakers to introduce precision technology to the industry. It’s no wonder then, that his clocks command astronomical prices when they go under the gavel.

The most recent such piece to pique the hunger of haute horologists was a particularly fine late-17th century specimen – an ebony-veneered quarter-repeating table-clock, which sold for nearly HK$2.6 million at a recent Bonhams London auction. Featuring a gilted-brass body, three separate dials and a mounted quarter-repeat system, the skills of the master watchmaker were evident in every detail. Proving its provenance beyond any doubt was a give-away engraving reading: “Thomas Tompion LONDINI Fecit”. Surely no forger would be smart enough to include such a detail.

Old China Yangcai Vase: Attic-found premium porcelain sold at auction

It’s not often that sifting through an attic turns up anything more valuable than sepia-toned photos of distant relatives. One Parisian family that recently discovered an ornate vase stowed away in a shoebox had rather more luck. When Olivier Valmier, Asian Arts Specialist at Sotheby’s Paris, was granted a peek into the box, he soon realised the true value of this particular piece of porcelain. It was nothing less than an imperial Yangcai vase, custom-made for the 18th-century Qing dynasty Qianlong Emperor.

While Sotheby’s claims that it is the only existing such item not safely stashed in a museum, it is undeniable that the vase is an intact specimen of the Yangcai style. And there isn’t many of those to be had. Produced during imperial Chinese times, such items were either unique one-offs or part of a specially commissioned pair.

This particular rediscovered relic has been hailed as a splendid example of the porcelain of the period, with its mixed landscape of deer, cranes and pine trees showing both Western and Chinese influences. With the only comparable piece kept in Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris, it’s no wonder the yangcai vase got snapped up for a staggering €16,182,800, almost 23 times the original estimate.

Flying Start to Buying Art at Macey & Sons with Asia Miles Points

As the whisky-loving world comes to terms with the shortage of aged Japanese Whisky, Macey & Sons, house of art, antiques and luxury collectibles, has consigned over 100 bottles of rare Japanese and Scotch single-malt whiskies for true whisky lovers.

Macey & Sons’ ‘The Whisky Auction Day’ will be held on Thursday 25 October 2018, from 6pm to 9pm. An exclusive VIP viewing will be held on 18 October, from 7pm to 9pm. General viewing will take place on 19, 22, 23, 24 and 25 October, from 10am to 8pm daily.

Macey & Sons not only has access to incredible pieces of fine art and collectibles, the auction house also likes to show their appreciation to new and loyal clients in many different ways. With that in mind, from 1 September 2018, Macey & Sons is partnering with Asia Miles. For every piece of fine and contemporary art or collectibles purchased, customers can get 1 Asia Miles point per HK$5 dollar spent.

To register interest, inquire or request a call back, contact info@Maceyandsons.com or +8523468 7908

Affairs of the Art: Fine Art Asia 2018 and Ink Asia 2018 from 29 September to 2 October

Good news for those who have their heart set on art this season! Fine Art Asia 2018, Asia’s leading international fine arts fair, returns to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this fall, along with Ink Asia 2018, the world’s first art fair dedicated to ink art.

Taking place from 29 September to 2 October 2018 (with a VIP preview and Vernissage on 28 September), the two events will open up a world of artistic possibilities for art aficionados. While Fine Art Asia 2018 will showcase a wide array of art, ranging from Western artists’ Impressionist paintings and avant garde photography to Oriental artifacts, Ink Asia 2018 will focus on contemporary ink and ink-inspired works.

Bringing together worlds both ancient and modern, the fairs will provide a unique opportunity to view and acquire the best artworks across a wide range of categories.

Andy Hei, founder and director of Fine Art Asia and Ink Asia, said, “As always, our aim is to create a professional platform for the art market in Hong Kong, and to promote cultural exchange between East and West. Hong Kong is the focal point of the art market in Asia. Fine Art Asia 2018 and Ink Asia 2018 provide ideal platforms for international galleries to cater to the aspirations of knowledgeable collectors.”

Hermès bags: How much is too much for a clutch?

With handbags now just as valued for their aesthetic appeal and investment value as for their durability and capacity, it should be no surprise that at the very forefront of this trend are two of the very finest examples of lady luggage ever produced by Hermès, the Paris-headquartered high-fashion luxury goods manufacturer – the Birkin and the Kelly.

Indeed, these two collections alone account for 90% of all the haute couture handbags that ever come up for auction. Their auctionability, though, is down to much more than just their desirability, with availability also playing a huge role. Typically, even those fortunate enough to get on a waiting list will have to endure a two-year interval before their very own Hermès materialises.

Inevitably then, this has inspired a bristling resale market, with many haute couture hankerers only too happy to pay well over the odds to secure their preferred choice of Hermès clutch. Even against such a backdrop, though, it is still somewhat remarkable that a joint lot of two 2010 Birkins went for a massive US$330,000 at the recent Handbags and Accessories Sale held by Christie’s Hong Kong.

Zao’s Wows: Abstract works by Zao Wou-Ki go for unrecognisable figures

One artist above all dominated proceedings at Christie’s Hong Kong’s 20th Century Asian & Contemporary Art Sale – Zao Wou-Ki, with many of the esteemed abstract master’s works going for well beyond their original estimates.

One such piece was the enigmatically titled 14.12.59, which eventually went for a remarkable US$22.5 million, nearly double its initial estimate. Tellingly, even those unsteeped in the arcane nuances of the fine arts world confessed themselves drawn by the primeval force of this painting by Zao Wou-Ki, with its bold red and black hues embodying passion, fire, blood and life itself.

02.11.59, another of the Beijing-born artist’s classic works in oil, which sold for US$12 million, again reflects the battle between the light and the dark, one of Zao’s most abiding motifs. With both works completed in 1959, part of their value is derived from the rare insights they offer into the late painter’s more mature artistic vision. With the value only set to soar as the posthumous reputation of Zao Wou-Ki continues to build, his works seem to offer that rarest combination – aesthetic delight and escalating investment value.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Holy Expensive: Prayer book attracts angel investors

While the wisdom of the Almighty may be freely available to all those willing supplicants who earnestly seek it out, the prices of religious manuscripts and prayer books from times Medieval and Renaissance are really rather sinful – a truth that was self-evident at a recent Sotheby’s London auction.

With the sale dedicated to such highly sought-out prayer books, as well as to antique Continental and Russian religious tracts, the lot most longed-after was the Breviary of Marie, a Roman Catholic prayer book dating back to around 1360. Once the property of Marie of France, the Duchess of Bar (1344-1404), this exquisitely illustrated volume went for a truly divine US$790,000. Commissioned by Marie’s father, King John II of France, prior to Marie’s marriage to a French nobleman, the finished volume came complete with Italian miniatures, heraldic shields, illuminated borders and the Duchess’ own coat of arms.

The value of the prayer book was further enhanced by the fact its contents were written in Latin in the style of Jean Pucelle, one of the most renowned Parisian illuminators of the 14th century, while also featuring several full-page depictions of the Duchess at prayer.

Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto: High Speed Laps of Luxury

As any true car connoisseur will willingly testify, classic racing cars are the true aristocrats of the automotive world. Recognising this, this year’s Festival of Speed – Bonham’s annual car auction where classic gas-guzzlers across the globe go under the gavel – saw keen bidders battling it out to secure the vintage vehicle of their dreams.

Undoubtedly, one of the most remarkable cars up for auction was a 1932-1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto, previously owned by Richard Shuttleworth, the legendary British racing driver and aviator. Arriving just in time for the 1935 race season and coming courtesy of Italy’s Scuderia Ferrari quasi-works team, the car secured its place in the record books that very year, smashing all previous fastest lap times at the Donnington Grand Prix and easily outpacing two Type 59 Bugattis, its close second cousins in the Ferrari family. With such a pedigree, it was no surprise that this remarkable roadster eventually changed hands for an astonishing US$6 million.

Old Master Q Drawings fetch astronomical prices at recent auction

Nostalgia gripped Hong Kong this August as comic artist Alphonso Wong Ka-hei’s Old Master Q 2.0 comic series went under the hammer at a Sotheby’s online auction recently for an astonishing HK$650,000, five times over its original estimate!

In the early 1960s, Alphonso Wong Ka-hei began his Old Master Q comic series, which went on to enjoy a meteoric rise to fame, thanks to the social and cultural narrative of the series. His legendary characters, Old Master Q, Big Potato, Mr. Chin and Miss Chan became a symbol of Hong Kong’s culture, forming the collective childhood memory of entire generations. In 1995, Alphonso’s son, Professor Joseph Wong, took up the mantle and founded the Old Master Q Company.

The exhibition showcased original works by both generations of the Wong family, including Alphonso Wong’s early colour covers and comic strips. Jonathan Wong, Gallery Director, says: ‘We are fortunate enough to present the earliest existing Old Master Q cover artwork on our online auction platform, allowing participation from collectors and fans around the world. Through version 2.0 of the series exhibition, we hope to express our sincerest tribute to Alphonso Wong, and to share with the audience the nostalgia of old Hong Kong.”