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A piece of painting, an automobile or anything that has an interesting story and history to it always becomes a priced possession and dominates in the auction world. To add to it, if the bidding item is completed with great craftsmanship, it is always bought for millions.
Passionate CLINCH
Woman sculptor inspired by ancient poem
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-70712 size-full" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Claudel1_p-e1680746759358.jpg" alt="great craftsmanship" width="500" height="603">
Camille Claudel’s L’Abandon sold for £831,600 (about US$1.01 million) at a Christie’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art in London, beating out two sculptures by Auguste Rodin, briefly her collaborator and lover, for the auction top spot. Cast in bronze by Eugène Blot in 1905, the work is hailed as the French figurative sculptor’s breakthrough. Born in Fère-en-Tardenois, a rural village between Paris and Reims, Claudel’s mother told her any desires to become an artist were ‘unladylike’. Her father, however, presented some of her early work to a neighbour: the sculptor Alfred Boucher. Impressed, he became the girl’s mentor, and following his advice, the family moved to Paris in 1881. Claudel enrolled at the Académie Colarossi – a progressive art school that admitted women. In 1886, she began working on L’Abandon, a sculpture of an embracing couple inspired by the ancient Sanskrit poem Sakuntala. Exhibited in plaster at the 1888 Salon des Artistes Français, it won an honourable mention. The critic André Michel praised its “profound feeling of tenderness both chaste and passionate, an impression of quivering, of restrained ardour”
Top table
Italian dining furniture attracts huge bid
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A magnificent Italian ormolu, white marble and semi-precious hardstone-inlaid centre table went for a healthy US$1.5 million at the widely-anticipated auction of Modern Medici: Masterpieces from a New York Collection held by Christie’s. One of the sale’s shining highlights, this bejewelled piece of furniture is a prime example of early 19th-century Italian craftsmanship – an elegantly sculptured base expertly rendered in gilt bronze with a rich combination of chased and burnished surfaces, paired with a marble top inlaid with glorious coloured stones. The latter, circa 1800-1810, is the handiwork of Roman mosaicist Giacomo Raffaelli. Assessing the appeal of this rare lot, William Strafford, Christie’s Deputy Chairman, European Furniture and Decorative Arts, said: “The spectacular table is a fine embodiment of the art of pietra dura and sculptural gilt-bronzes. Its eye-catching top is inset throughout with rare samples of semi-precious hardstones, an attribute that saw the table hugely admired during an exhibition dedicated to this exquisite collection. We were thrilled that it was one of two lots that fetched the highest prices of the sale, selling for US$1.5 million to an anonymous buyer.
Church Record
Happy ending for looted Kandinsky
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A bid of US$44.9 million at a recent Sotheby’s sale scooped up a masterpiece by Wassily Kandinsky, representing a new auction record for the artist. The painting, Murnau mit Kirche II (Murnau with Church II), originates from 1920 and encapsulates the beginnings of the revolutionary abstract language that would underpin the rest of Kandinsky’s career. The work was recently returned to the descendants of its rightful owners, the Berlin art collectors Siegbert and Johanna Margarethe Stern; Johanna died at Auschwitz in 1944. Auction proceeds are to be shared between the 13 surviving Stern heirs and used to fund further research into the fate of their family collection. Lucian Simmons, Vice Chairman and Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Restitution said: “This year marks the 25th anniversary of the conference, held in Washington, D.C., that first established the ground rules for the restitution of artworks looted by the Nazis during the Second World War. Since then, Sotheby’s Restitution Department has worked with many heirs and families to reunite them with their stolen property and, at the same time, to help re-tell their stories and celebrate their lives.”
Bugatti blast
Frenzied bidding for last-of-its-kind supercar
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A Bugatti Chiron Profilée, the last W16-powered car available from the famed French automotive atelier, has gone for nearly 9.8 million euros (about US$10.7 million), making it the most valuable new car ever sold at auction. It was the last possible opportunity to buy a new Bugatti powered by the legendary W16 engine – the only 16-cylinder engine in the world to be used in a car. With such an important piece of Bugatti history at stake, bidding was fierce. Marcus Görig, Car Specialist at RM Sotheby’s, said: “It was an honour for us to host this very special lot in collaboration with Bugatti. The sale of the Chiron Profilée was one of the most anticipated moments of the whole auction. With enormous global interest in the car, the Profilée attracted considerable attention at the auction among bidders and curious viewers who had visited to have a glimpse of this unique car.” Designed as a more radical version of the Chiron Sport, the Profilée took its name from one of Jean Bugatti’s first creations – a specific Type 46 model known as Surprofilée, with a sleeker silhouette and an elegant sweeping tail.
<h5>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gafencushop.com/auction-bids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Applauding Creations From Different Centuries – Auction Bids to Note</a></h5>

Highly-valued Craftsmanships – The Latest Top Bids in the Auction World

Mahjong, a tile-based game with its origins lost in the mists of ancient China, has become, arguably, one of the most iconic manifestations of Hong Kong culture. Indeed, any local will inevitably have found themselves caught up in this engaging pastime at some point in their lives. Whether at a family gathering, a wedding or even at a funeral, the clash and clang of mahjong tiles and the frantic exclamations of “Pong” and “Mo” are backdrops to many childhood experiences. For many younger residents, however, it has only been by association that this centuries-old game has impinged on their lives, as it has most frequently come to be regarded as solely a diversion for the more elderly.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57955" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine culture How Mahjong conquered Hong Kong and then the world...classic set" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...classic-set-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
More recently, however, there have been signs that the generation that once spurned it is now embracing the game. At the same time, there are also indications that its appeal is spreading out well beyond Asia as it finds keen participants on a truly international basis. In fact, there are now more than 20 recognised variants of the game in different parts of the world, all of them involving slightly different rules of play and contrasting levels of difficulty.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57956" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine culture How Mahjong conquered Hong Kong and then the world...hand carved" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hand-carved-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
Believed to have evolved in mainland China during the time of the Qing dynasty, mahjong actually had its roots in the dice and card games of the earlier Ming era. Indeed, it is actually an updated take on a classic card game known as Peng He Pai that became what we now recognise as mahjong. Before it took on its iconic tile styling, it was played in the form of a deck of cards with symbols and characters. As such cards were easily blown away by a passing gust or wildly scattered by the motion of the sea when playing aboard a boat, carving the deck onto tiles came to be seen as a more resilient means of play and one that came to dominate.
<blockquote>
“Frantic exclamations of ‘Pong’ and ‘Mo’ are the soundtrack to many Hong Kong childhoods”
</blockquote>
The game continued to grow in popularity across the country until 1949, when the People’s Republic of China imposed a national ban on card games and all other forms of gambling, with mahjong then vanishing from public sight until after the Cultural Revolution. It was this enforced hiatus that saw much of the history of the game forever lost. Once the game was again officially sanctioned, however, its popularity soared, with its fame being carried far and wide by Western visitors to China. In the wake of this, mahjong was introduced to the United States and its gradual move to becoming a global cultural phenomenon began.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57954" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine culture How Mahjong conquered Hong Kong and then the world...Agate" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...Agate_-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
Today, it is a pastime enjoyed as far afield as China, Japan, the United States and even South Africa. Such is its popularity and ubiquity that it has become a bigscreen staple, taking all but starring roles in such international hits as Joy Luck Club and Crazy Rich Asians. Regardless of its growing global repute, however, mahjong remains, for Hongkongers at least, a game that inevitably unites people, while embodying the city’s cultural and societal values.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57957" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set.jpeg" alt="gafencu magazine culture How Mahjong conquered Hong Kong and then the world...hermes set" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set.jpeg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set-200x133.jpeg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set-421x280.jpeg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set-120x80.jpeg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set-500x333.jpeg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set-400x266.jpeg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...hermes-set-600x399.jpeg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
How to Play 
Depending on your preferred version of the game, the number of players and tiles, as well as the exact rules and the form of winning hands, can vary considerably. The two constants, however, are the need for a mahjong table and a set of tiles. For the latter part, the tiles typically feature a range of characters and symbols that form what suits – bamboo, dots, characters (Simple), winds and dragons (Honours), flowers and seasons (Bonus).
The Set 
Hong Kong mahjong (otherwise known as Cantonese mahjong) consists of 144 tiles traditionally hand-carved on bone or ivory, a rare skill now that most modern sets are mass produced in plastic. There are, of course, many premium, luxury sets, frequently adorned with gems and fashioned from precious metals, with both Hermès and Louis Vuitton offering intriguing variants.
The tables, too, can be found in a variety of styles. While square boards that can be placed on a flat surface remain the most popular, there are even several high-tech incarnations, one of which incorporates a robo-shuffling function.
The Gameplay 
Although commonly involving four participants, the absence of a fourth doesn’t necessarily preclude playing the game In fact, Korean mahjong is often played with just three players. As for the tiles, different variations may omit or include various tiles, as is the case with American mahjong, which typically sees the addition of a ‘joker’ tile. In Cantonese mahjong, however, four players are the standard, with 144 tiles used.
At the start of each round, the tiles are ‘washed’ (shuffled) facedown, before being arranged into a wall of 36 tiles in an even stack of two rows in front of every player. Each player begins with 13 tiles in their hand, from which they then proceed to draw and discard tiles in a bid to form a winning hand.
Winning 
In Cantonese mahjong, a successful hand consists of 14 tiles in any of the four winning combinations: Pong (three identical tiles), Kong (four identical tiles), Chow (three simple tiles all of the same suit in numerical sequence) or Eyes (two identical tiles). Compiling any such hand involves a mixture of skill, calculation and good fortune. 
Although there are more than two dozen ways to play mahjong, with different rules and scoring systems, the objective remains the same – to create a complete hand with more points than any of your opponents.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world....jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-57953" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world....jpg" alt="gafencu magazine culture How Mahjong conquered Hong Kong and then the world..." width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world....jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gafencu-magazine-culture-How-Mahjong-conquered-Hong-Kong-and-then-the-world...-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
MAHJONG AROUND THE WORLD
Cantonese Mahjong 
Overall, Hong Kong mahjong (also known as Cantonese mahjong) remains the most popular version of the game. Viewed as faster-paced, more competitive and more challenging than other versions, it is the choice of the most skilled players and those who most enjoy the thrill of gameplay.
Chinese Classical Mahjong 
Another significant iteration of the game is classical Chinese mahjong (or Chinese Official mahjong), the oldest version of mahjong. Although legitimised by an international rulebook issued by the Sports Committee of the People’s Republic of China in January 1998 as means of standardising the game in all global competitions, it is still not as commonly played in China as its Cantonese counterpart.
Western Classical Mahjong 
Western classical mahjong is basically an American form of game play established in the ’20s. Featuring the most dramatic variants of any incarnation of the game, it includes the use of joker tiles and melds of five or more tiles (instead of three or four). It is this version that is favoured by American Mahjong League and has also found popularity in such US-friendly territories as the Philippines.
Sichuan and Other Mahjong 
Sichuan mahjong, by contrast, is the simplest iteration of the game and acts as a good introduction for those new to the game and keen to learn the basics. It uses only 136 tiles (discarding the flower suit).
Other iterations that have significant differences are Japanese mahjong, in which the rules of declaring rīchi (ready hand) and dora (bonus tiles) are somewhat unique. Taiwanese mahjong, meanwhile, sees players hold 16 tiles per hand (instead of 13), while Korea’s iteration of the game excludes the use of the bamboo suit entirely and also relaxes its scoring system in a significantly stripped down version to the Cantonese and classical versions.
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