Mar 24, 2026 10:00 EST
Fine Chinese Works of Art Featuring The Tina Hills Collection / Fine Asian Works of Art
50
A Fine and Rare Chinese Brown-Ground Embroidered Silk ‘Baishou’ Dragon Robe, Jifu
Qianlong Period
The Collection of David Redden
The finely-detailed chestnut ground robe embroidered with colorful silk and gold-wrapped threads to show nine gold dragons with pearls amidst wispy, flame-like clouds and red fu bats over a geometric blue pattern incorporating Buddhist emblems and above a wide lishui band at hem with auspicious emblems tossed in the roiling waves and showing the emerging rocky earth; the robe embroidered throughout with evenly-spaced gold 'Shou' characters; the collar and horse hoof cuffs finely and similarly embroidered with dragons and Shou characters in light blue.
Length 57 inches; Width 80 inches
Phillips New York, June 24, 1982; Sale 456, Lot 128
'Baishou' robes from the Qianlong and Jiaqing Periods are exceptionally rare. This robe made for an imperial nobleman bearing numerous wishes of long life is likely to have commemorated an important birthday celebration or may have been given as a token of filial respect to an aged father. Imperial Wardrobe by Gary Dickinson and Linda Wrigglesworth (published by Bamboo Publishing Ltd, London, 1990) shows two women's 'Baishouyi' robes in the 'shen yi' configuration adorned with Shou characters in different scripts. These robes did not conform to the same standards of court dress as did the 'jifu' and were made as burial garments.
Sold for $38,400
Estimated at $10,000 - $15,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
The Collection of David Redden
The finely-detailed chestnut ground robe embroidered with colorful silk and gold-wrapped threads to show nine gold dragons with pearls amidst wispy, flame-like clouds and red fu bats over a geometric blue pattern incorporating Buddhist emblems and above a wide lishui band at hem with auspicious emblems tossed in the roiling waves and showing the emerging rocky earth; the robe embroidered throughout with evenly-spaced gold 'Shou' characters; the collar and horse hoof cuffs finely and similarly embroidered with dragons and Shou characters in light blue.
Length 57 inches; Width 80 inches
Provenance:Phillips New York, June 24, 1982; Sale 456, Lot 128
'Baishou' robes from the Qianlong and Jiaqing Periods are exceptionally rare. This robe made for an imperial nobleman bearing numerous wishes of long life is likely to have commemorated an important birthday celebration or may have been given as a token of filial respect to an aged father. Imperial Wardrobe by Gary Dickinson and Linda Wrigglesworth (published by Bamboo Publishing Ltd, London, 1990) shows two women's 'Baishouyi' robes in the 'shen yi' configuration adorned with Shou characters in different scripts. These robes did not conform to the same standards of court dress as did the 'jifu' and were made as burial garments.
Errant and missing threads to localized areas around robe; some fraying at collar and cuffs; there are some areas where gold-thread details are missing, most notably one claw of forward-facing dragon to front; color fade throughout.
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.
Auction: Fine Chinese Works of Art Featuring The Tina Hills Collection / Fine Asian Works of Art, Mar 24, 2026
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Two-Day Auction of Asian Works of Art on March 24-25, 2026 Tops $2.5 Million!
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Property from The Tina Hills Collection More Than Doubles Its High Estimate
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Doyle is an Auction House Partner of Asia Week New York
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle's highly successful two-day auction of Asian Works of Art on March 24-25, 2026 topped $2.5 millon, far surpassing expectations. Bidders from around the globe drove exceptional results for a wide range of porcelain and ceramics, bronzes, jades, snuff bottles, scholar’s objects, furniture, paintings and other traditional arts representing centuries of East and South Asian history and culture.
The Tina Hills Collection
Over 100 lots of fine Chinese porcelain and other works of art from The Tina Hills Collection attracted spirited bidding, driving exceptional results and a total that more than doubled the high estimate for the collection. The top lot was magnificent pair of Kangxi famille verte rouleau vases that soared over their $30,000-50,000 estimate to achieve a stunning $203,700. The vases were decorated in full 360 with fine and intricate detail depicting throngs of onlookers clamoring to view the handsome youth Pan Yue.
Argentina "Tina" Hills was an Italian‑born American media executive and philanthropist who played a significant role in Puerto Rico’s and Miami’s civic and cultural life. In 1950, she married Ángel Ramos, the owner of El Mundo in Puerto Rico, and for decades she led the Fundación Ángel Ramos, a major philanthropic foundation. After Ramos’ death in 1960, she married Lee Hills, the Pulitzer‑winning editor of The Miami Herald who later became chairman/CEO of Knight Ridder newspapers. The couple were influential figures in journalism and philanthropy. Tina Hills also broke ground as the first woman to serve as president of the Inter‑American Press Association and was active in arts, education and community causes until her death in Miami at age 103 in 2025. Read more about Tina Hills, click here.
The Jane Stanton Hitchcock Collection
A Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of Virupa, dating to the 16th-17th century, also exceeded expectations, selling for an impressive $152,900. Property from The Jane Stanton Hitchcock Collection, the bronze was a rare early example depicting the revered Mahasiddha, and thus performed strongly despite the loss of his iconic raised arm, traditionally shown blocking the sun.
Asia Week New York
Doyle is proud to be an Auction House Partner of Asia Week New York, the annual city-wide celebration of Asian art. For information on Asia Week New York 2026, visit AsiaWeekNY.com
We Invite You to Auction!
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
