Bonhams is privileged to announce the sale of The Parry Collection of Chinese Art, an important English private collection of Imperial enamel, lacquer, porcelain and jades, which was formed from as early as 1919 and kept within the family for three generations. The Parry Collection will be offered at Bonhams New Bond Street Saleroom on 2 November this year. Highlights of the Collection will be on view at Bonhams Hong Kong from 4 to 9 October.

Six of the pieces in the Parry Collection were included in the famous International Exhibition of Chinese Art, held in 1935-36 at Royal Academy of Arts in Burlington House, London. Amongst these is the highlight of the Collection, an Exceedingly Rare Imperial Beijing Enamel Melon-shaped Teapot and Cover, Qianlong four-character mark and of the period (1736-1795), estimated at £500,000 – 800,000. This exquisite teapot is one of only three examples known, with the other two in museum collections: the first in the collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei, and the second in the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. The Parry teapot was illustrated in the Spink catalogue in 1925 and acquired by Mrs E.A. Parry from Spink on 30 September 1925.

The Collection boasts strong provenance, with many of the pieces having been acquired from the famous London dealers Spink and Bluett's. Other highlights from the Parry Collection include:

An Exceptionally Rare Imperial Red Lacquer Inscribed Chrysanthemum-shaped Bowl and Cover, Qianlong seal marks and of the period, the inscription dated Spring 1776, estimated at £100,000 – 150,000. Also exhibited in the Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition in 1935-36, this delicate vessel represents the highest quality of Qing Imperial lacquer craftsmanship. The interior of the bowl and the cover both have gilt inscriptions of a poem by the Qianlong Emperor, dated 1776 which compares the vessel to a chrysanthemum flower.

A Magnificent and Very Rare Pair of Zitan-framed Kingfisher Feather-Inlaid 'Landscape' Screens, Qianlong, estimated at £120,000 – 180,000, was also exhibited as two entries in the Royal Academy of Arts 1935-36 Exhibition. Formerly in the collection of H.E. Monsieur Aleksander Vlangali (1823-1908), Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in China (1863-1873), this important pair of screens demonstrate the exceptional artistry of the 18th century craftsmen reproducing idyllic landscapes lavishly utilising the brilliantly enduring colours of kingfisher feathers meticulously inlaid within the design, all within the prized zitan frames.

A Fine and Rare White Jade 'Dragon and Young' Pouring Vessel, Yi, Qianlong, estimated at £50,000 – 80,000, is a superb example, with the lustrous white jade stone exemplifying the exceptional jade available to the Imperial Court since the 1750s. Its archaistic form and design are exemplary of the Qianlong Emperor's taste for inspiration from antiquity. A further archaistic vessel, made further to the Emperor's advocacy of inspiration from antiquity, is a Superb Jadeite Archaistic Incense Burner and Cover, Fangding, Qianlong seal mark, late Qing Dynasty, which is estimated at £60,000 – 80,000.

A Very Rare Imperial Cinnabar-Lacquered Yixing Teapot and Cover, Qianlong, estimated at £70,000 – 120,000, was acquired by E.A. Parry from Spink in 1919. The lavishly carved two-colour cinnabar lacquer Yixing teapot and cover, was made for use at the Imperial Court. The design on each main side of a pair of phoenix flanking a blossoming tree peony, indicates it was likely made for use by the Empress or one of the Imperial consorts.

The Collection also includes two Rare Famille Verte 'Month' Cups, Kangxi six-character marks and of the period (1662-1722), with one decorated with lotus and Mandarin ducks, estimated at £70,000 – 120,000, and the other decorated with peony blossom, estimated at £40,000 – 60,000. Both were acquired in 1929 from the well-known Liddell Collection sold by Bluett's. Complete sets of 'Month' cups are in important museum collections including the Palace Museum, Beijing; the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum, London; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The Parry Collection offers collectors an unparalleled opportunity to acquire exquisite Chinese Imperial works of art which have not been seen for many decades, until now.