One of the collections belonged to the late Gerry Virtue and his wife Pamela who met in 1961 – two years after he spent six months on the hippie trail from Calcutta to London with a total budget of just 10 pounds.
The two were an adventure made in heaven and together travelled India, cycled through China, visited Peru three times and Nepal more than 30.
They also ran antique Himalayan jewellery businesses and guided treks and other expeditions into the Himalayas and China.
During their travels, Gerry and Pamela collected Himalayan and Nepalese art – in particular important pieces from Kathmandu – and the collection is rich in scholarly Nepalese manuscripts and painted book covers featuring Shaivite, Shakta and Buddhist examples.
Rare bronzes and stone sculptures such as the 19th century Tibetan figure of Vajrapasa (Lot 1 ) and Nepalese black stone rendition of Vishnu with Lakshmi (Lot 18 ) are of particular importance, along with a 13th/14th century Tibetan painting of Vajrasattva (Lot 50 ).
A renowned scholar of silk textiles from the Tai ethnic groups of northeast Laos, Russell Howard began collecting in the late 1970s.
He also is a great fan of Burmese tribal textiles (particularly the Chin, Kachin and Karen groups) and has collected items from regions as diverse as Bhutan and South America.
Many of these are now part of the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection.
In the early 1990s, Russell visited Yunan and other parts of southern China to study and collect minority textiles – many of which comprise lots offered in this auction.
These include rare tribal embroideries, barks and weavings of the Miao, Dong and Maonan people.
Also featured are Russell’s collection of antique Burmese manuscripts including rare astrological and magical works. A good example is lot 109, a group of Burmese fortune telling manuscripts.
Originally from Penang, in 1971 Professor David Ch’ng began collecting Chinese art. Some 20 years later, he developed a specific interest in Yixing wares.
According to Professor Ch’ng, Yixing is unique among Chinese teawares and ceramics because it combines the art of the potter with that of tea drinking and of scholarly painting and calligraphy.
“Yixing wares are said to mark the inception of studio ceramics, where the lineage of the master Yixing potters can be traced to the Ming Dynasty when pottery production based in small studios was closely aligned to the art of calligraphic inscription,” he said.