China Guardian will offer about 560 items from the collection of an eminent Chinese art collector during its autumn sales show, which runs from November 16th to the 20th in Beijing.

In addition to antiques and furniture, the auction will include first-run items, such as gourds, pigeon whistles and ancient books, which were collected by Wang Shixiang, an expert on traditional Chinese culture and leading art collector.

“It is fair if we define Wang Shixiang as a connoisseur of relics, collector, expert or scholar. But I am afraid we may have missed a point in that he was also a knowledgeable bibliophile,” said TuoXiaotang, general manager of the ancient books department, referring to an estimated1,000 books Wang duplicated and collected throughout his lifetime.

Upon graduating from Yenching University in 1941, Wang became an assistant researcher and librarian of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture, a fresh organization in Beijing dedicated to the study of traditional Chinese architecture building methods. With years of reading and studyingcame an acquired a taste for ancient books and documents, creating a solid foundation for his emergence as a prominent master of Chinese cultural relics.

Among the books offered during the autumn auction, a hand-written list of collections at the library will be included, in addition to another 380 books that he collected and duplicated, with a few from the Qing and Ming dynasties.

Other highlights include a broad Huanghuali painting table with footrest designed by Wang and produced by his student TianJiaqing, who now is an influentialexpert of classical furniture at home and abroad. A rare guqin, Da Sheng Yi Yin (大圣遺音), from the Tang Dynasty will also be available. It took the Chinese art market by surprise when it was sold for a record 8.91 million yuan in 2003, and 115 million yuan in 2011.

Also, the auction will feature gourds and pigeon whistles from Wang’s art collection.

QiaoHao, head of China Guardian’s art department, says, “From these artworks, we can see how extensively Wang Shixiang was devoted to his research and study. He is a real scholar, collector and follower of Chinese culture.”

The auction follows an exciting event in 2003 when China Guardian earned up to 63 million yuan from the sale of Wang and his wife Yuan Quanyou’s collection. All of the lots during that auction sold out.