Ranging from ancient paintings, handicrafts and jade ware to contemporary paintings and deluxe Swiss watches, the 2006 spring auction of Sotheby's Hong Kong promises to offer art collectors much more. It runs from April 7-10 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, said Lena Han, an organizer of the previews of the auction in Beijing and Shanghai over the past week.

What might interest art lovers the most are the special sale of a total of 43 lots, including the sabre, satin, royal robe and jadeites, the organizers said.

Emperor Qianlong, an enlightened sovereign, assumed a great variety of personas during his 60-year reign(1736-95) on the dragon throne.

"As a warrior, collector, and patron of the arts, the Emperor's intent was to assert his legitimacy as a ruler and his right to the Mandate of Heaven, which is exemplified by the on-auction sabre, lavish armour, and swords he wore for military parades, as well as the antiques that he cherished," commented Sam Y. M. Shum, with Sotheby's Chinese ceramics and works art department.

On April 7, a special sale for Hong Kong-based connoisseur Robert Chang's"Yun Hai Ge" collection will be held in Hong Kong, said C. K. Cheung, head of Sotheby's Chinese paintings department.

To celebrate his 80th birthday, Chang, a legendary dealer and collector, has consigned a group of 58 Chinese modern paintings from his"Yun Hai Ge" collection to Sotheby's for auction.

The spring sale incorporates 30 works by Qi Baishi(1863-1957), along with works by 15 other Chinese painters, including Zhang Daqian(1899-1983), Huang Binhong(1864-1955) and Fu Baoshi(1904-65).

Another special sale of the"Dong Tian Shan Tang" collection from Taiwan art connoisseur Zhuang Yan(1899-1980) includes a total of 236 paintings.

The highest priced lot in this collection is the"Majestic Peaks," created by master Chinese painter Li Keran(1907-89), during his final years, estimated HK$ 5-7 million(US$ 640,000-900,000).

(Source: China Daily)