The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Aixin Jue Luo Puyi, has undergone drastic changes from birth, and his legendary life has inspired Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci to create the Oscar-winning blockbuster "The Last Emperor". Now, international auction house Phillips has announced that it will present the legendary relics of the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Aisin Kyaw Luo Puyi, during the opening of its new Asian headquarters in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District from March 18 to 31, including a Patek Philippe Model 96 Quantieme Lune watch, a paper fan inscribed by Puyi, a series of ink paintings, Puyi notebooks, and a leather cover of Confucius's Analects. The lots will then tour New York, Singapore, London, Taipei (6-7 May) and Geneva; The auction schedule and details will be announced at a later date.
Puyi was born in 1906 and ascended the throne at the age of three. World War II ended after Japan's surrender in 1945, and he was captured by the Red Army while fleeing, sent to the Chita and Boli internment centers, where he was extradited to China in 1950, where he died in Beijing in 1967 at the age of 61. During his time in a Soviet internment camp from 1945 to 1950, Georgy Permyakov, a Soviet official fluent in Chinese, served as his Russian translator and mentor, and the two formed a friendship. According to the memoirs of Puyi's nephew Yuyan, on the eve of his repatriation in 1950, Puyi gave the Patek Philippe rare watch he had worn to the translator.
This Patek Philippe Model 96 with full calendar and moon phase display is not only because of its legendary experience, but also because it is one of the most important Patek Philippe vintage watches in the history of watches: only seven of the same model are known and have never appeared on the market. The watch is equipped with a Calatrava platinum case refined by the Geneva case master Antoine Gerlach, exuding the Bauhaus style, decorated with the "Key number 4" marking, the dial is decorated with Arabic numerals and rose gold willow leaf hands, and is equipped with an 11-inch Victorin Piguet ébauche movement; This movement was never launched because it was born during the Great Depression.
Only two watches of the same model with Arabic numerals "roulette" have ever been introduced to the market, both with platinum cases and continuous movement numbers, one now in the Patek Philippe Museum collection and the other purchased by a private collector since 1996. According to the Patek Philippe Archive, the silver dial, rose gold time zone and enamel hour markers of this watch were made in 1929 and later sold on October 6, 1937, and are still in good condition, like a bronzed time capsule full of historical significance.
Interestingly, the mottled marks on this watch are said to be scratched by Pu Yi himself in order to verify whether the gold watch is scratched, which is indeed strange!
In addition to Patek Philippe watches, Puyi's collection also includes a red paper fan, which Puyi presented to the translator Permyakov during his court appearance in Tokyo, and Puyi personally inscribed a poem with the following words: "The small courtyard is not at night, and the bright moon shines through the south window." Sitting in front of the lamp, Qingyi is long. On August 19, 1946, in Tokyo, he presented Comrade Be'er Mian Fu with Ai Shin Kyaw Luo Puyi."
Another treasured notebook is Puyi's daily miscellaneous notes during his five years in the Soviet Union, a summary of the books and magazines he read, and the customs and culture of Chinese and daily life. A leather-covered copy of Confucius' Analects. Among the relevant lots presented this time are 15 ink paintings by Guo Bulunqi, Puyi's wife and brother of the last empress Wanrong, which depict the Chinese countryside with pictures and texts.