A very rare Jun bottle vase, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The vase is finely potted with a pear-shaped body rising from a short splayed foot to a long slightly flared neck, covered with a thick even glaze of milky-blue tone suffused with broad faint crackles, thinning to mushroom at the rim and stopping irregularly above the foot, exposing the orange-brown biscuit. Two areas on the mouth rim are covered with gold lacquer repair adorned with lotus blooms. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm.) high. Estimate HK$4,000,000 - HK$6,000,000 ($518,291 - $777,436). Price Realized HK$5,320,000 ($689,166)

Provenance: Sir Herbert Ingram (1875-1958)

Exhibited: The Oriental Ceramic Society, Sung Dynasty Wares. Chun and Brown Glazes, London, 1 to 31 May 1952, Catalogue, no. 2 

Notes: While the majority of Jun wares are sturdily potted in utilitarian forms, vases of this elegant shape with long slender necks are very rare, possibly due to the inherent difficulties to be fired successful. This remarkably potted vase was probably made at the Wugongshan kiln in the south of Linru County, which appears to have produced the highest quality Jun wares during the Song dynasty.

Similar vases of this rare form and plain blue glaze are preserved in important museums and collections. An almost identical example with lipped rim is in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Song Dynasty (I), The Complete Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 217; another is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Grand View: Special Exhibition of Ju Ware from the Northern Sung Dynasty, Taipei, 2006, p. 71, fig. 2. A vase of similar size but with a slightly less slender neck is in the Percival David Foundation, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Ru, Guan, Jun, Guangdong and Yixing Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1999, no. 80. Another example with a lipped rim is in the Tokyo National Museum, included in Special Exhibition Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo, 1994, Catalogue, no. 171. There was also a smaller bottle vase with very similar glaze, also suffused with broad faint crackles, but with a broader and shorter neck in the Falk Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 16 October 2001, lot 72.

Two Jun vases of similar size and shape, but with purple splashes, have been published, one in the Percival David Foundation, illustrated in by R. Scott, Imperial Taste. Chinese Ceramics from the Percival David Foundation, San Francisco, 1989, pl. 14; the other from the Manno Art Museum, illustrated in Selected Masterpieces of the Manno Collection, Japan, 1988, pl. 98. It is believed that these Jun wares splashed with copper oxide are dated slightly later than the present vase with plain blue glaze.

Adding to the significance of this present vase is its rich opalescent blue glaze, which carries a strong link with imperial Ru wares of similar form and hue, produced in close proximity to the Jun kilns during the Northern Song period. Compare for example to a Ru bottle vase with a more bulbous body, but nevertheless with a similar soft crackled bluish-grey glaze, included in the National Palace Museum exhibition, ibid, pl. 11. 

Christie's. THE SOUND OF JADE AND THE SHADOW OF A CHRYSANTHEMUM - 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A Large Northern 'Oil Spot' Black-Glazed Bowl,  Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The large bowl with rounded walls rising from a short splayed foot is covered inside and out with a purplish-brown slip underneath a lustrous black glaze suffused with a dense pattern of silver 'oil spots', which ends neatly above the foot exposing the slip. The foot rim is unglazed, revealing the buff ware. 8 1/2 in. (21.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HK$200,000 - HK$400,000 ($25,915 - $51,829). Price Realized HK$150,000 ($19,431)

Christie's. THE SOUND OF JADE AND THE SHADOW OF A CHRYSANTHEMUM - 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A Longquan Celadon Twin-Fish Dish, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The circular dish has deep rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to an everted rim. It is applied in the centre with two fish in high relief, their scales and fins well defined, and covered overall in a pale celadon glaze stopping around the foot rim. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm.) diam. Estimate HK$100,000 - HK$150,000 ($12,957 - $19,436). Price Realized HK$162,500 ($21,051)

Provenance: Purchased in London in the 1980s
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

Christie's. THE SOUND OF JADE AND THE SHADOW OF A CHRYSANTHEMUM - 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A Longquan Celadon 'Lotus Petal' Bowl, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

With gently rounded sides standing on a small short foot ring, the bowl is carved and moulded around the exterior with overlapping upright petals and covered with a pale celadon glaze pooling slightly below the rim, the foot rim is unglazed. 6 1/4 in. (16 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate HK$150,000 - HK$200,000 ($19,436 - $25,915). Price Realized HK$250,000 ($32,386)

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1980s

Christie's. THE SOUND OF JADE AND THE SHADOW OF A CHRYSANTHEMUM - 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A rare large carved Qingbai vase, meiping, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The vase is well potted with a long slender body rising from the countersunk base to rounded shoulders, surmounted by a ribbed neck tapering to a lipped rim. It is crisply carved on the exterior with a broad band of scrolling tendrils between double borders, all under a translucent glaze of pale aquamarine tone pooling in the recesses, ending in an irregular line above the foot exposing the white biscuit body. 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm.) high. Estimate HK$2,000,000 - HK$3,000,000 ($259,145 - $388,718). Price Realized HK$9,040,000 ($1,171,064).

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

Notes: Starting from the early Northern Song dynasty, kilns at Jingdezhen achieved success in producing very fine white-bodied porcelain covered with an illuminous glaze of icy blue tinge, earning the name qingbai, 'blue white', oryingqing, 'shadow blue'. The exquisite quality of qingbai porcelain was widely recognised, and the Southern Song ceramic historian Jiang Qi mentioned in his treatise Tao ji (Ceramic Records) that white porcelain produced at Jingdezhen was so refined and pure that it was known as Raoyu, 'jade of Rao'. Raozhou was the name of the region in which the Jingdezhen kilns were located. The shape and decorations on qingbai wares were often fashioned after contemporaneous silver wares, and the current meiping is no exception. A silver meiping carved with ruyi-shaped scrolls, excavated in a Southern Song hoard in Sichuan, for example, was possibly an inspiration for the design of the current vase. The silver vase is illustrated in S. Kwan, 'Tixi wenyang fenqi chuyi', Proceedings of Conference on Ancient Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 2012, p. 65, fig. 11.

Qingbai vases of similar shape and design are in the collection of important museums and institutions. An almost identical example was in the Qing Court Collection, now in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 167. Two other examples of varying sizes, one with a height of 26 cm. in the Sichuan Chongqing Museum, the other with a height of 35.1 cm. in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, are illustrated in Song Yuan qingbai ci, Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 16, Kyoto, 1984, pls. 20 and 101. Another example with broader shoulders, registered as an Important Art Object in Japan, is illustrated in Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 450. A slightly shorter example (28.6 cm. high) in the Idemitsu Collection is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 423. One is in the Meiyintang Collection, see R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, p. 325, no. 606. Another vessel that is very close to the current vase, but with a cover that flares out at the lower edge, is in the Chang Foundation, Taipei and illustrated in Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1990, pp. 154-5, no. 58. Another example in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 11, New York, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 59.

Christie's. THE SOUND OF JADE AND THE SHADOW OF A CHRYSANTHEMUM - 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

Marcel Broodthaers, Poêle De Moules’, c1965. Estimate: £40,000-60,000. 

SURREY.- Tate Director Sir Nicholas Serota described Michael Compton as “arguably the first curator working in England to command international respect for his practice as a maker of exhibitions, collaborator with artists and contributor to the discourse of contemporary art”. 

On June 27, Ewbank’s, Surrey’s premier auctioneer of fine art and antiques, will sell The Michael Compton Collection of Post War and Contemporary Art, a group of 28 works by luminaries Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson, most of them gifted in thanks by the artists or their families whose careers were enhanced by the exhibitions Compton created. The collection will be offered with its own catalogue and is expected to raise around £200,000. 

Frederick R.Weisman (1912-1994) was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and art collector, who held an uncompromising belief in the cultural value of art and an understanding of the importance of both the individual artist and the creative process. 

A small Lichtenstein bronze, ‘Yellow Brushstroke’ is an exception. Number 11 of 19 from an initial lifetime casting, it was presented to Compton by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation at an awards event held at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art on May 23 1991. The presentation was in recognition of his work as curator of the 1989 Marcel Broodthaers exhibition at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. It is estimated at £40,000-60,000. 

Lichtenstein developed his Brushstrokes paintings as sculptural representations in the 1980s and ‘90s, depicting the gestural expressions of the brushstroke itself. In his own words, Lichtenstein said the brushstroke “is just an idea to start with, and painting it makes it more concrete, but when you do it in bronze sculpture, it becomes real and has weight and is absurd, contradictory and funny”. 

Roy Lichtenstein, American (1923-1997). Weisman Art Award 'Yellow Brushstroke', 1991.

Cast bronze sculpture with patina and enamel paint. Incised with signature 'rf Lichtenstein' on the side of the base. Stamp numbered 11 on the bottom of the base (from initial lifetime casting of 19). Stamped with dedication, date and foundry mark 'F.R. WEISMAN ART AWARD, 1991, R.L. -89-2157. ROY LICHTENSTEIN & GEMINI G.E.L.' on the base. Only the initial 19 produced in the original lifetime casting were distributed as awards between 1991-1995 by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. h:8.70 w:12.60 d:4.70 in. Estimate £ 40,000-60,000

PROVENANCE: This award was presented to Michael Compton CBE by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation at an awards event held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on May 23 1991. The award was given to Mr. Compton for his work as curator of the 1989 'Marcel Broodthaers' exhibition at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis (see lots 19 to 28 for works by the artist in this sale). Another sculpture award from the original lifetime casting was recently sold in New York at Phillips Evening & Day Editions auction on 28th April 2014 (lot 66). 

Frederick R.Weisman (1912-1994) was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and art collector. Holding an uncompromising belief in the cultural value of art and an understanding of the importance of both the individual artist and the creative process. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997) - BRUSHSTROKES 
'Brushstrokes series' is the name for several paintings produced from 1965 by Roy Lichtenstein and also refers to sculptural representations made in the 1980s and 1990s - mainly monumental vertical sculptures to be displayed out of doors in which he playfully used the gestural expressions of the brushstroke itself. The 'domestic' size of 'Yellow Brushstroke' is rare among the artist's oeuvre. For a similar example see the Lichtenstein painting 'Yellow Brushstroke' (1965), Kunsthaus Zürich (museum in Zürich, Switzerland). In 2001 "Brushstrokes: Four Decades" was held in New York City at the Mitchell-Innes and Nash Gallery. 

"It [the Brushstroke] was the way of portraying this romantic and bravura symbol in its opposite style, classicism. The Brushstroke plays a big part in the history of art. Brushstroke almost means painting or art. I did isolate Brushstrokes in 1965 and used cartoon brushstrokes to depict subject matters in the 1980s. I also did Brushstroke sculptures in bronze and wood to make them more palpable. ... the Brushstroke, it is just an idea to start with, and painting it makes it more concrete, but when you do it in bronze sculpture, it becomes real and has weight and is absurd, contradictory and funny" ROY LICHTENSTEIN. 

(Mercurio, Gianni (2010). Roy Lichtenstein: Meditations On Art. SKIRA. p. 211). 

Marcel Broodthaers (1924-1976) spent 20 years in poverty as a struggling poet before turning to art and began to make objects in 1963. One the surreal images linked to him most often is ‘Poêle De Moules’, mussel shells in a frying pan, a witty nod to his homeland’s national dish. The piece is one of 10 lots in the sale gifted to Compton by the artist’s widow, Maria, at the time he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of her husband’s work. This involved regular visits to Brussels in the 1980s and ‘90s to do research. 

Broodthaers was a writer, poet, filmmaker, photographer, journalist and artist, who famously remarked he would rather have put off the choice of profession until his death. Closely associated with the Belgian Groupe Surréaliste-revolutionnaire, he made use of found objects and collage, incorporating written language in his art, using whatever was at hand for raw materials, most notably the shells of eggs and mussels. Poêle De Moules’ is estimated at £40,000-60,000. 

Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian (1924-1976), c1965. 'Poêle De Moules'. Mussel shells, dyed resin, and frying pan. 

h:6.30 w:11 d:6 in. Estimate £ 40,000-60,000

PROVENANCE: Gifted to Michael Compton by the artist's widow, Maria, when he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of the artist's work. This involved regular visits to Brussels to do research in the 1980s and 1990s. Similar examples were exhibited at the Tate Gallery Retrospective in 1980 which was curated by Michael Compton. These included 'Poêle De Moules', 1965; and 'Moules sauce blanche' 1967 (Marcel Broodthaers, Walker Art Center, Rizzoli, pp.130/131). Underside of Mussels with label stamped 'Broodthaers Estate' and numbered '40006' in red ink. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

MARCEL BROODTHAERS (1924-1976): A writer, poet, filmmaker, photographer, journalist and artist. As Broodthaers himself said, he would rather have put off the choice of profession until his death. Language, as a symbol that conveys meaning, is a central theme in his texts, objects, installations, films, photographs, slide projections and prints. 

Broodthaers was born in Brussels in 1924. Aged 16 or 17 he had some contact with the Belgian Surrealists, particularly Magritte, who gave him a 1914 copy of 'Mallarmé's 'Un Coup de Dés' where the contradiction between the printed word and their layout were later a crucial influence on him. From 1945 he was associated with the Groupe Surréaliste-revolutionnaire. Also a keen photographer, in 1958 he began to publish articles illustrated with his own photographs. At the end of 1963 he decided to become an artist, symbolically embedding fifty unsold copies of his book of poems 'Pense-Bête' in plaster, creating his first art object. A Broodthaers press release from 1964 read as follows: 

"I, too, wondered whether I could not sell something and succeed in life. For some time I had been no good at anything. I am forty years old... Finally the idea of inventing something insincere finally crossed my mind and I set to work straightaway. At the end of three months I showed what I had produced to Philippe Edouard Toussaint, the owner of the Galerie St Laurent. 'But it is art' he said 'and I will willingly exhibit all of it.''Agreed' I replied. If I sell something, he takes 30%. It seems these are the usual conditions, some galleries take 75%. What is it? In fact it is objects." 
- MARCEL BROODTHAERS, 1964 

Broodthaers made use of found objects and collage, incorporating the written language in his art and using whatever was at hand for raw materials, most notably the shells of eggs and mussels. Such as in 'Grande casserole de moules', 1966; and 'Coupe avec coquilles d'oeufs', 1967 (Marcel Broodthaers, Walker Art Center, Rizzoli, P.126/127). From late 1969, Broodthaers lived mainly in Düsseldorf, Berlin, and finally London. He died in Cologne in 1976 on his 52nd birthday. He is buried at Ixelles Cemetery in Brussels under a tombstone of his own design. 

In 1980 Compton curated the exhibition 'Marcel Broodthaers' at Tate Gallery, London, the first retrospective after the artist's death in 1976. In 1989 Compton curated 'Marcel Broodthaers' at the Walker Art Center Minneapolis for which he received a Weisman award (Lot 1 in this Sale). The exhibition travelled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Other important Broodthaers exhibitions include Jeu de Paume, Paris, 1991; and Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 2000. In England his work was shown at Milton Keynes Gallery, 2008 and Michael Werner London, in 2013. 

‘Un Chateaubriand bien saignant pour deux’. (A rare Chateaubriand for two) is unsigned but shares the same provenance as the mussels. It is stencilled (?) on the unprimed reverse of the canvas. It is estimated at £30,000-50,000, while ‘Palette’, done in coloured pencils on a prepared canvas board in 1973-4 is estimated at £15,000-25,000. 

Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian (1924-1976), 'Un Chateaubriand bien saignant pour deux' 1973. (A rare chateaubriand for two.).

Painted impression on un-primed/back of canvas. Unsigned, framed and glazed. EXHIBITED; LOANED TO MILTON kEYNES GALLERY 26TH JANUARY-30 MARCH 2008; MARCEL BROODTHAERS EXHIBITION (ill in Catalogue for the Exhibition p85.)  h:43.50 w:36 in. Estimate £ 30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE: Gifted to Michael Compton by the artist's widow, Maria, when he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of the artist's work. This involved regular visits to Brussels to do research in the 1980s and 1990s. Similar works are included in 'Peintures' (Pictures), a 1973 work comprising nine canvases currently in the Tate collection. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

EXHIBITED; LOANED TO MILTON kEYNES GALLERY 26TH JANUARY-30 MARCH 2008; MARCEL BROODTHAERS EXHIBITION (ill in Catalogue for the Exhibition p85.) 

A photographer’s light box with photographs and slides inscribed ‘Avion’ and ‘Avis’ is estimated at £10,000-20,000. 

Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian (1924-1976), Light box with Avion and Avis inscribed photographs/slides. 

h:7.50 w:6 d:2.80 in. Estimate £ 10,000-20,000

PROVENANCE: Gifted to Michael Compton by the artist's widow, Maria, when he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of the artist's work. This involved regular visits to Brussels to do research in the 1980s and 1990s. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

Language as a symbol that conveys meaning is a central theme in Broodthaers’ texts, objects, installations, films, photographs, slide projections and prints. A work comprising three magic slate boards mounted on grey card is estimated at £5,000- 10,000 and a group of 12 children's ABC play bricks stencilled in black in a Dr. Pusscat on the Mouse box is estimated at £4,000-6,000, as is a pair of green glass wine bottles with printed labels ‘Pluie’ and ‘Mer du Nord’ (‘Rain’ and ‘Sea of The North’. 

Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian (1924-1976), Three magic slate boards mounted on grey card. 

h:13.50 w:27 in. Each Panel 7.75" x 5.75", frame 13.5" x 27". Estimate £ 5,000-10,000

PROVENANCE: Gifted to Michael Compton by the artist's widow, Maria, when he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of the artist's work. This involved regular visits to Brussels to do research in the 1980s and 1990s. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian (1924-1976), a b c (Children's Cubes) 1974.

a b c stencilled in black on a set on twelve childs play bricks in Dr. Pusscat on the Mouse B M Series box. h:2 w:7 d:5.50 in., each brick 3.5cm x 3.5cm. Estimate £ 4,000-6,000

PROVENANCE: Gifted to Michael Compton by the artist's widow, Maria, when he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of the artist's work. This involved regular visits to Brussels to do research in the 1980s and 1990s. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

EXHIBITED; LOANED TO MILTON kEYNES GALLERY 26TH JANUARY-30 MARCH 2008; MARCEL BROODTHAERS EXHIBITION (ill p 83 in the catalogue) 

Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian (1924-1976), Pair of green glass wine bottles with printed labels 'Pluie' and ' Mer du Nord'. 

English translation: 'Rain' and 'North Sea'. With a negative image of the bottles labelled 'Heini Schneebeli Photographer'. Estimate £ 4,000-6,000

PROVENANCE: Gifted to Michael Compton by the artist's widow, Maria, when he was working with her on a proposed catalogue-raisonné of the artist's work. This involved regular visits to Brussels to do research in the 1980s and 1990s. 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

More valuable of two untitled abstracts by Sir Terry Frost (1915-2003) is an unfinished oil and collage on hardboard done in 1954-56 and estimated at £10,000- 20,000. The work was begun when Frost was a Gregory Fellow at Leeds University and given to Compton who at the time was assistant to the director at the city’s art gallery.

Frost told Compton and his wife, Susan, that the motifs were inspired by a visit to Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales. Frost had already produced a smaller sketch, also painted on hardboard, which Mr and Mrs Compton owned, so he presented them with this version saying, “I don't know how to finish this so I'd like you to have it”. The work was probably painted in the studio provided by the university in Moor Road, Leeds and is similar to a group of works which Frost related to his experience of the Dales landscape. 

Sir Terry Frost, R.A., British (1915-2003), untitled, unfinished oil and collage on hardboard, 1954-56. 

122 x 40 cm - h:48 w:16 in. Estimate £ 10,000-20,000

PROVENANCE: This work was begun when Frost was a Gregory Fellow at Leeds University and given to his friends Susan and Michael (who was Assistant to the Director, City Art Gallery and Temple Newsam House, Leeds from 1954-57). Frost told them the motifs were inspired by a visit to Malham Tarn; he had already produced a smaller sketch (also painted on hardboard) which they owned so he presented them with this version saying, "I don't know how to finish this so I'd like you to have it!" The work was probably painted in the studio provided by the University in Moor Road, Leeds as it belongs to the period when he was a Gregory Fellow and it bears a likeness to a group of works which Terry Frost related to his experience of the landscape of the Yorkshire Dales. Similar details can be found on 'Untitled Composition' 1954-56 (Tate ref: T05719). 

This lot is part of a single owner collection of 28 lots to include Roy Lichtenstein, Marcel Broodthaers, Terry Frost, Henry Moore, Richard Long, Victor Newsome, Keith Milow, Billy Al Bengston, Ian Stephenson, Sol LeWitt and Joe Tilson. 

SIR TERRY FROST, R.A, 1915-2003: Born in 1915 in Warwickshire. An abstract painter known for his association with the St Ives School. Frost was captured during the 1941 invasion of Crete. While a prisoner of war he discovered his love for painting. Later in London Frost developed his signature style of circles and abstract shapes used to convey movement. Married in 1945 before moving to Newlyn in 1946, Frost worked as an assistant to Barbara Hepworth and played a crucial role in the St Ives School, a colony of mainly abstract artists, along with Ben Nicholson and Patrick Heron. He taught at Bath Academy of Art and in Leeds, before becoming Artist in Residence at the Department of Fine Art, Reading University in 1965, later the university's Professor of Painting. Made a Royal Academician in 1992 and knighted in 1998 Frost exhibited in London many times. A major retrospective 'Terry Frost: Six Decades', was held at the Royal Academy in 2000. 

An abstract in watercolour on paper in black, brown and white was painted in 1957 after Frost's Gregory Fellowship ended and while he was teaching at Leeds College of Art. It is estimated at £2,000-4,000. Similar detail can be found in a work in the Tate Collection ‘Khaki and Lemon, 1956’. 

Sir Henry Moore (1898-1986) gifted two inscribed lithographs to Compton in thanks for organising the 1977 Henry Moore Drawings exhibition at the Tate Gallery curated by Alan Wilkinson of the Ontario Art Gallery. They show a reclining figure and a mother and child respectively and each is inscribed “For Michael Compton from Henry Moore”. Each is estimated at £600-1,000, as is a signed wine bottle given to Compton during the dinner for Henry Moore at the Cafe Royale which followed the opening of the exhibition. With it is a second bottle from the opening of a Henry Moore exhibition in 1989 at the Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Martingny, Switzerland, where a local vintage was named for the artist and served at the gallery. 

Rare relique de Vasco de Gama, 10 000 / 15 000 €, lot 43.
Grand plat en argent, signé Xavier Lisboa, 3 000 / 5 000 €, lot 42.
Deux assiettes en faïence fine, Lisbonne, XIXe siècle, 300 / 500 €, lot 37.
Assiette en porcelaine, service de Carlos Ier roi du Portugal, 500 / 800 €, lot 36.
Coffret cabinet en bois sculpté, indo-portugais, golfe du Bengale, XVIe siècle, 20 000 / 30 000 €, lot 16.
Manche de chasse-mouche en ivoire, art cingalo-portugais, XVIIe siècle 1 000 / 1 500 €, lot 11.
Coffret écritoire en ivoire sculpté, Inde, XVIIIe siècle, 3 500 / 4 000 €, lot 22.
Coffret colonial hollandais en écaille de tortue, XVIIe siècle, 4 000 / 6 000 €, lot 14.
Deux pipes en bambou, Indochine, XIXe siècle, 300 / 400 €, lot 64.
Godet de peintre en jade céladon, Chine, 3 000 / 4 000 €, lot 99.
Table bureau en palissandre, Portugal, XIXe siècle, 2 500 / 3 000 €, lot 3. © Charlotte Moulard pour FauveParis

PARIS - FauveParis, la nouvelle maison de vente qui entend libérer les enchères, organise le 11 juin 2014 à 19h une vente intitulée Sur les traces de Vasco de Gama. Parmi les lots mis en vente à cette occasion, sera notamment présentée une exceptionnelle relique du portugais Vasco de Gama, premier navigateur à avoir rallié les Indes par la mer en 1498.

Cette étoffe provenant du tombeau du célèbre explorateur avait été offerte en 1880 par l’état portugais à la famille du héros
national, à l’occasion du transfert de sa sépulture au monastère des Hiéronymites (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) à Lisbonne, et était depuis lors conservée par la famille.

C’est la première fois au monde qu’une relique de Vasco de Gama est mise en vente.

Hormis cette pièce absolument exceptionnelle, plus de 130 objets d’art indo-portugais, chinois et japonais seront proposés
et raviront les amateurs désireux de parfaire leur collection comme les curieux de l’ailleurs.

Pour Cédric Melado, commissaire-priseur directeur chez FauveParis : «Au lendemain de la fête nationale portugaise qui se tient tous les 10 juin, cette vente rend hommage à l’histoire du Portugal et à son ouverture au monde. »

FauveParis, 49 rue Saint-Sabin 75011 Paris - mercredi 11 juin 2014 à 19h

Enfant Jésus en ivoire, indo-portugais, XVIIe siècle, 600 / 900 € lot 6.
Enfant Jésus en ivoire sur un globe, indo-portugais, XVIIe siècle, 2 000 / 2 500 € lot 10.
Enfant Jésus en ivoire nu, indo-portugais, XVIIe siècle 1 000 / 1 500 €, lot 17.
Poire à poudre en nacre, art moghol, XVIIe siècle, 4 500 / 5 000 €, lot 12.
Coffret en nacre, Gujarat, XVIe-XVIIe siècle, 20 000 / 30 000 €, lot 24.
Poire à poudre en burgau et nacre, art moghol, XVIIIe siècle, 2 000 / 2 500 €, lot 18.
Coupe en nacre, Gujarat, XVIe / XVIIe siècle, 10 000 / 12 000 €, lot 23.
Vierge de l’Assomption en ivoire indoportugais, XVIIe siècle, 1 200 / 1 500, € lot 8.
Vierge à l’Enfant en ivoire, indo-portugais, XVIIe siècle, 2 500 / 3 500, € lot 21.
Petit retable en argent filigrané et doré, Goa, XVIIe siècle, 3 000 / 5 000 €, lot 13.
Jésus Bon Pasteur en ivoire, indo-portugais, XVIIe siècle, 2 000 / 2 500 €, lot 19.
Jésus Bon Pasteur en ivoire, indo-portugais, XVIIe siècle, 4 000 / 6 000, € lot 15.
Petite coupe en nacre, Gujarat, XVIe / XVIIe siècle, 2 000 / 3 000 €, lot 9. © Charlotte Moulard pour FauveParis

Joan MIRÓ. Plat enfant noir, 1956. Céramique. Diamètre 37 cm. Exemplaire Unique. © Collection Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght, Saint-Paul.  © Successio Miro Adagp Paris 2014. 

VALLAURIS - Pour l’été-automne 2014, le musée Magnelli - Musée de la Céramique de Vallauris, a souhaité faire découvrir au public la richesse de l’ensemble céramique de la Fondation Maeght, qui célèbre son cinquantenaire, avec un choix de céramiques uniques d’artistes liés à la Famille Maeght.

«Cette exposition vise à présenter des jalons essentiels de la céramique des plus grands artistes de l’art Moderne du XXe siècle, explique Sandra Benadretti, conservateur des musées de Vallauris Golfe-Juan. La plupart des céramiques présentées ont été réalisées dans les ateliers mis à la disposition des artistes dans la maison familiale des Maeght, le Mas Bernard à Saint-Paul de Vence ou réalisées dans les ateliers d’Artigas père et fils à Galifa près de Barcelone. Conçues dans un climat d’amitié et de confiance, ces œuvres en volume traduisent les préoccupations spatiales de leurs auteurs et leur confrontation avec la matière. »

L’exposition rend hommage au céramiste Josep Llorens Artigas. Ami de Joan Miró, il a renouvelé l’art de la céramique tant dans les formes que dans les matières ou les couleurs. Sandra Benadretti et Isabelle Maeght, co-commissaires, ont choisi de présenter un ensemble représentatif de son travail. (Josep LLORENS ARTIGAS. Vase n° 29 gris, 1969. Céramique. 15 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

C’est avec Josep Llorens Artigas que Joan Miró a réalisé les œuvres du Labyrinthe Miró de la Fondation Maeght, mais également Le Mur de la lune et Le Mur du soleil pour le siège de l’Unesco à Paris. Pour cette exposition, Sandra Benadretti et Isabelle Maeght ont choisi de présenter plusieurs œuvres de Joan Miró, plats aux formes animales ou vases colorés et uniques, afin de rendre compte de toute la richesse des formes explorées par l’artiste. (Josep LLORENS ARTIGAS. Vase noir, 1969. Céramique. 18,5 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

Marguerite et Aimé Maeght rencontrent Artigas dès 1948 et travaillent avec lui dès 1951. Son œuvre est exposéà la Galerie Maeght en 1969, Artigas a collaboré avec nombre de très grands artistes notamment avec Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy et Eduardo Chillida. 

L’exposition parcourt une quarantaine d’années de céramique artistique. Les plus anciennes ont été créées par Georges Braque, Marc Chagall ou Joan Miró, elles dialoguent avec des œuvres plus récentes de Pierre Tal Coat, François Fiedler, Jacques Monory, Joanet Gardy-Artigas, Marco Del Re, artistes qui se sont également mesurés aux possibilités de la céramique, sans cesse revisitée, réinterprétée, sublimée.

De Georges Braque, on retrouvera l’exceptionnel Vase à têtes de chevaux, daté de 1940, ou Valse de 1960, où l’artiste transpose en céramique la force de ses tableaux. (Georges BRAQUE. Vase à têtes de chevaux, 1940.Céramique. 30 x 19 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

C’est à Vallauris que Marc Chagall réalisa son œuvre de céramiste, « cohabitant » avec Picasso chez les Ramié dans les années 1950, au sein de l’atelier Madoura. C’est de cette époque que datent Jeune fille au cheval et Le Matin, présentées dans l’exposition. En 2007, le Musée de la céramique a réalisé une importante exposition rétrospective « Chagall et la céramique, la terre est si lumineuse ». (Marc CHAGALL, Le Matin, 1957. Céramique. Diamètre 41 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

Pierre Tal Coat, auteur de la mosaïque du mur d’enceinte de la Fondation Maeght, est considéré par beaucoup comme l’un des artistes les plus importants du XX^e siècle. Originaire de Bretagne, ami de Giacometti, il restitue dans la céramique la force des éléments (la terre, l’eau, l’air). Le Domaine de Kerguenec-Collection Pierre Tal Coat présente en permanence un choix du travail de cet artiste et durant l’été 2014 une exposition Fondation Maeght. De Giacometti à Tàpies, 50 ans de collection. (Pierre TAL COAT. Sans titre (plaque), 1972. Céramique. 21 x 20 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

François Fiedler fait partie des artistes dont l’importance est aujourd’hui soulignée par Olivier Kaeppelin, directeur de la Fondation Maeght, et que l’on retrouvera dans son exposition d’été« Face à l’œuvre ». Son travail de céramiste reprend la densité des noirs de ses gravures au carborundum. (François FIEDLER. Assiette, 1974. Céramique. Diamètre 26 cm. Exemplaire Unique. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

D’Eduardo Chillida, Sandra Benadretti et Isabelle Maeght ont choisi plusieurs oxydes et terreschamottées, chefs-d’œuvre de puissance graphique que cet «artiste forgeron » a créés dans les ateliers Maeght sur les collines de Saint-Paul de Vence. Ses céramiques reprennent les lignes des gravures parues chez Maeght éditeur. Ignacio Chillida, qui dirige la Fondation Chillida Leku près de Saint Sébastien au pays basque, a été le commissaire de l’exposition Chillida à la Fondation Maeght durant l’été 2011. (Eduardo CHILLIDA. Lurra, 1978. Terre oxydée. 24,5 x 26 x 3 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

Sandra Benadretti et Isabelle Maeght ont choisi de Jacques Monory, une céramique peinte de 1976 « Pour les beaux yeux bleus d’Aimé », réalisée pour les 70 ans d’Aimé Maeght, où l’on retrouve plusieurs des codes de l’artiste : le bleu, le questionnement qui mobilise la figure. Le musée de Perpignan présente jusqu’au 15 juillet une exposition majeure de Jacques Monory. (Jacques MONORY. Pour les beaux yeux bleus d'Aimé,1976. Céramique peinte. 22 x 38 x 9 cm. © Collection Maeght. © Adagp Paris 2014)

Joanet Gardy-Artigas, sculpteur de talent, a prolongé la passion pour la céramique de son père. Proche de Giacometti, il a également travaillé auprès de Braque et de Chagall comme de Miró. Son œuvre est le fruit de cette pratique savante de la céramique comme d’un univers d’artiste très personnel ; il a participéà la réalisation de toutes les céramiques de la Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght et a été exposéà de nombreuses reprises par la Galerie Maeght. Son œuvre de sculpteur se poursuit aujourd’hui avec notamment une grande exposition prévue à New-York à l’automne 2014. 

Marco Del Re aime travailler avec les artisans pour créer de nouvelles formes d’expression. La liberté, l’imagination et la poésie sont au cœur de son œuvre. Elles pénètrent son travail céramique, où il développe ses grands thèmes nourris d’histoire de l’art. L’exposition présente une série de bas reliefs inspirés des fresques classiques italiennes. (Marco DEL RE. Double visage, Terre cuite. 71 x 73,5 cm. © Galerie Maeght.)

Cette exposition est le fruit de la longue amitié qui lie les Maeght et Vallauris, amitié placée sous le sceau d’une passion commune pour la céramique. Les souvenirs qui illustrent ce compagnonnage sont nombreux. Suzanne Ramié était ainsi graphiste à la Galerie Maeght, à Cannes, avant de créer avec son mari, Georges Ramié, leur atelier de céramique à Vallauris, en 1938 : l’atelier Madoura où Picasso réalisa la plus grande partie de son œuvre céramique. C’est aussi dans cet atelier que la jeune artiste Baya, révélée par Aimé Maeght dès 1947, va explorer la céramique. Son œuvre a fait l’objet d’une exposition en 2013 au Musée Magnelli – Musée de la Céramique. 

«La céramique est une passion des Maeght, explique Isabelle Maeght, co-commissaire de l’exposition. Venu de l’imprimerie, Aimé Maeght était un homme d’avant-garde, passionné par les techniques qui permettent à l’art de se sublimer. La puissance de la terre mariée avec le feu, l’exigence, le dialogue que la matière engage avec l’artiste, n’ont jamais cessé de l’interroger. C’est pourquoi je suis très heureuse que cette exposition, proposée dans le cadre du cinquantenaire de la Fondation Maeght, soit mise en lumière dans ce bel écrin qu’est le Musée de Vallauris. »

L’exposition rassemble une quarantaine d’œuvres prêtées par la Fondation Maeght mais également par la famille Maeght.

Musée Magnelli - Musée de la Céramique. « Les céramiques de la Fondation Maeght à Vallauris ». 14 juin - 3 novembre 2014

PARIS – Du 20 au 30 août prochain, grâce au spectacle « La Verità» de la compagnie Finzi Pasca en représentation exceptionnelle à Abu Dhabi, une œuvre du peintre surréaliste Salvador Dali foulera pour la première fois le sol du Moyen Orient. 

« La Verità» passera par Abu Dhabi lors de 14 représentations de ce show hommage à Dali et dont la pièce maîtresse est un rideau de 9m × 15 m peint par l’artiste lors d’un séjour à New York en 1944.

Le rideau fût crée par Salvador Dali spécialement pour son ballet, Tristan et Yseult. Il tomba dans l’oubli jusqu’en 2010, lorsqu’un collectionneur d’art européen contacte Daniele Finzi Pasca – l’homme derrière certains des plus beaux spectacles du Cirque du Soleil et producteur de la cérémonie de clôture des Jeux Olympiques de Sotchi. L’artiste d’origine italienne se vît offrir le rideau de scène peint par Dali en échange d’une production spéciale autour de la vie du peintre.

Un an plus tard, Pasca décida alors de former la compagnie Finzi Pasca et créa le spectacle « La Verità».

Aujourd’hui maintes fois récompensé, le show offre à ses spectateurs une performance inoubliable de plus de 90 minutes grâce à ses 13 acrobates/danseurs de 8 nationalités différentes. Les 14 représentations de « La Verità» clôtureront en beauté l’Abu Dhabi Summer Season.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1699), Portrait of Dirck van Os, ca. 1658, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase, 1942.30. Photograph by René Gerritsen.

OMAHA, NE.- The Joslyn Art Museum unveiled its newly conserved Rembrandt painting, Portrait of Dirck van Os (ca. 1658). Recently returned from Holland following extensive conservation, this popular favorite of the Joslyn collection, acquired by the museum in 1942, has now been definitively attributed to the hand of Rembrandt by Ernst van der Wetering, the leading Dutch authority on the artist. 

Over the centuries, Rembrandt’s portrait of Dirck van Os was subject to additions painted after the artist’s time, as well as conservation efforts that obscured its original appearance. Following treatment by conservator Martin Bijl, the former head of conservation at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the canvas has been carefully conserved in a manner consistent with its original appearance. Removal of layers of varnish and embellishments added by later artists gave van der Wetering the confidence to attribute this engaging and compassionate portrait to Rembrandt. 

Prior to its conservation, Portrait of Dirck van Os was last on public view at the Museum in December 1999. It will remain on view indefinitely. 

The Subject of Joslyn’s Painting: Who was Dirck van Os?

Dirck van Os III (1590–1668) was a prominent Dutch citizen and respected dijkgraaf or mayor of the Beemster, a municipality built upon land reclaimed from a former lake. Using windmills, canals, and a ring of dikes, Dirck van Os’ enterprising father (Dirck van Os II, 1556–1615) drained a large area north of Amsterdam to create the Beemster in 1612. The elder van Os financed the engineering project with the huge fortune he amassed in banking and as a founder of the Dutch East India Company. 

The younger van Os earned considerable respect in his own right. Over the course of his lengthy governance of the Beemster (1618–1666), Prince Maurits awarded him the title of Lieutenant Forester, and Holland’s most famous poet, Joost van den Vondel, praised van Os as a wise and experienced “ox” — a reference to his last name — overseeing an Arcadian land. 

Rembrandt and Dutch Portraiture

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) was the most acclaimed painter of the Dutch Golden Age, an era marked by Holland’s prominence in trade, global exploration, science, and art. Portraiture sprang to life as a new class of prosperous citizens desired likenesses to hang in fashionable mansions, and civic and professional organizations commissioned life-size group portraits to commemorate their roles as members of the Dutch Republic. Rembrandt garnered fame for his profound ability to express mood and feeling in his portraits and historical and religious paintings, although his inventiveness as a draftsman and printmaker is equally notable. 

The son of a miller, Rembrandt was born in the university town of Leiden and moved to Amsterdam around 1632, where he worked for the remainder of his career. The city pulsed with intellectual curiosity — wondrous goods arrived in port daily, as did accounts of an ever-expanding world. Scientists studied natural phenomena, and philosophers challenged long-held beliefs, seeking new ways to find meaning in existence. Rembrandt’s genius stemmed from a similar impulse to understand and express man’s place in a changing world. Acknowledged as one of the most distinguished portraitists in European art, the impact of Rembrandt’s style comes from his perpetual interest in observing directly from nature and exploring new possibilities of expression. His early years in Amsterdam were incredibly prosperous. Newly married to Saskia van Uylenburgh, many young artists came to study in Rembrandt’s studio, and commissions flowed in from princes and wealthy burghers. Shedding the static, idealized poses favored during the Renaissance, his keen appreciation of the subtleties of expression, gesture, and emotion reveal the personality and likeness of his sitters far beyond their physical appearance — Rembrandt’s portraits stand out because they so readily capture us and draw us in. 

In his day, Rembrandt was popular, innovative, and at times, controversial. He was renowned for his ability to capture psychological moments and suggest the inner complexities coursing beneath his sitter’s outward appearance. In quick chalk drawings, leisurely sketches, and numerous prints, Rembrandt captured endless varieties of pose and form, but also subtle, fleeting passages of mood and spirit, often turning to himself as a subject. 

Although criticized for not making the requisite journey to Italy to study classical models, Rembrandt was acutely aware of Renaissance masters like Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio, and emulated his predecessors’ use of color, light, and shadow. Inherently an innovator, Rembrandt stepped beyond older models by reducing compositional elements and amplifying the expressive potential of his paintings with the bold twist of a brushstroke, the tactile presence of paint, and the looming power of negative space. Masterful and forward-thinking, Rembrandt’s style feels almost modern to audiences today. 

The period when Rembrandt created this portrait of Dirck van Os saw a profound shift in the artist’s life. The artist was struck by a number of personal hardships, beginning with the death of his wife in 1642, and persisting after legal and financial troubles forced him to declare bankruptcy in 1656. Rembrandt’s early fame tangled with changing tastes, but the works he produced between 1656 and his death in 1669 are also recognized as his most bold and evocative. Distilling narrative elements, Rembrandt used an increasingly expressive brushstroke to experiment with texture, formal abstraction, and emotional intensity. Dirck van Os’ aging face and downcast eyes suggest solemn introspection. Although he holds a cane, his careful posture conveys quiet authority, making us question whether this is a fragile old man, a resilient commander, or both. Rendered in a manner that is insightful and empathetic, Rembrandt instills in his likeness an expectant tension. The evocative quality of Dirck van Os’ expression and the careful modeling of his features glow softly against the heavily-shadowed background, exemplifying Rembrandt’s genius as a portraitist. 

Rembrandt, Portrait of Dirck van Os, before conservation.

The Conservation and Attribution of Joslyn’s Rembrandt

Joslyn’s portrait of Dirck van Os underwent many generations of changes since it was originally painted more than 350 years ago. To return this masterpiece as close to its original condition as possible, the painting was sent to Amsterdam in March 2012 for treatment by Martin Bijl, one of the most experienced and respected conservators of Dutch paintings. The former head of restoration at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Bijl now collaborates with the Bijl-van Urk gallery in Amsterdam, which specializes in seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish Old Master paintings. He has conserved over 20 Rembrandts in his career, as well as works by Jan Lievens, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Jacob van Ruisdael, and many other masters of the Dutch Golden Age of Painting. 

Bijl sought not only to repair existing damage but also to remove or hide areas of over painting that had clearly been added in other hands over the years. Embellishments to van Os’ costume were probably carried out in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, including lace added to the sitter’s collar and on his right cuff, a ribbon added to his cane, and a chain with a cross. Gold-colored ends were added to the sleeves, as were other parts of the costume, such as gold buttons that were painted over the original deep purple buttons. Significantly, a large coat of arms was also added in the top right corner with an inscription, a common practice when the identity of the sitter was at risk of being forgotten. 

These elements of Dirck van Os’ dress were considered to be later additions for several reasons: they were atypical for Rembrandts style, they appeared to be painted in an awkward fashion, and they were historically inaccurate to the fashion of period the portrait was originally painted, in particular the lace additions to the collar and the cuffs. Research confirmed that these decorative elements were painted on top of dried paint, and that the quality of white lead in the paint used for these additions did not exist in the seventeenth century. 

Old layers of varnish were first removed with alcohol, and all modern retouching from previous conservations was removed. The coat of arms in the upper corner and the improvements to van Os’ dress – considered to be of possible historic value – were not removed. Following this process, the surface of the canvas was carefully retouched under magnification, using what remained of the original paint as a guide. Bijl was able to determine with certainty that the portrait originated in Rembrandt’s workshop because ground quartz was found in the background layer of paint, a practice exclusive to his studio. To return the portrait to its appearance in Dirck van Os’ time, the later additions to his clothing were retouched with paint of the same color as the original background. Following this, all old damage and missing areas on the painting’s surface were carefully retouched under magnification, using what remained of the original paint as a guide. 

Old layers of varnish were first removed with alcohol, and all modern retouching from previous conservations was removed. The coat of arms in the upper corner and the improvements to van Os’ dress – considered to be of possible historic value – were not removed. Following this process, the surface of the canvas was carefully retouched under magnification, using what remained of the original paint as a guide. Bijl was able to determine with certainty that the portrait originated in Rembrandt’s workshop because ground quartz was found in the background layer of paint, a practice exclusive to his studio. To return the portrait to its appearance in Dirck van Os’ time, the later additions to his clothing were retouched with paint of the same color as the original background. Following this, all old damage and missing areas on the painting’s surface were carefully retouched under magnification, using what remained of the original paint as a guide.

During the conservation, the characteristics and qualities of the original areas of the canvas became more clearly evident. On the basis of those original passages, most especially in the face of the sitter, ample evidence was preserved to support the attribution of the painting to Rembrandt. Ernst van der Wetering pointed to the relation between brushwork, color, and illusion in the face as characteristic of Rembrandt’s own hand, as well as the rendering of the facial features and hair of the sitter, firmly attributing Joslyn’s portrait to the great Dutch Master. 

The painting returned to Joslyn in September 2013, where it remained in the vaults until today. Portrait of Dirck van Os will be included in van der Wetering’s definitive publication surveying Rembrandt’s oeuvre. Five volumes of A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings have already been completed as part of van der Wetering’s Rembrandt Research Project, begun in 1968 with the aim of separating Rembrandt’s own paintings from the vast number of Rembrandtesque paintings made by his many apprentices and followers. A relatively small number of Rembrandt paintings (possibly as few as 40 or 50) exist outside of Europe in US Museum collections. In the US, the museums housing the most notable collections of Rembrandt paintings include Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. The museums in closest proximity to Joslyn with one Rembrandt painting in each of their collections are The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City), Art Institute of Chicago, and Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

On View Again in Joslyn’s Galleries

The Portrait of Dirck van Os is on view in a special installation in the Hitchcock Gallery (gallery 3) at Joslyn Art Museum. Illustrated text panels describe the complex conservation of the painting and the details of its attribution. Rembrandt’s painting is flanked by other great Dutch artworks from the permanent collection, including the evocative Jacob van Es Still Life (1630) and a second recently-conserved painting, Landscape with Waterfall (1665-75), by Jacob van Ruisdael, as well as a selection of prints by Rembrandt and other seventeenth-century Dutch artists.

Rembrandt at Joslyn Art Museum. photo by Ryan Soderlin

Francis Bacon, Study for Head of Lucian Freud, 1967. Oil on canvas, 14 x 12in. (35.5 x 30.5cm.). Estimate: in the region of £8,000,000 - 12,000,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2014.

LONDON.- One of only two single portrait heads of Lucian Freud ever to be painted by Francis Bacon, this jewel- like painting has spent all of its life within the private collection of the celebrated writer Roald Dahl and the Dahl family. This canvas, which will be offered at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale on 1 July 2014, was bought by Roald in 1967 for only £2,850 with proceeds from the previous year’s first British publication of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

As Francis Outred, Christie’s Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe, says: “Following on from Christie’s success in making a world record for Bacon’s The Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969, which sold in November 2013 for $142.4 million, the highest price ever paid at auction for a work of art, Study for Head of Lucian Freud connects three titans of the arts from the 20th century, and draws together Bacon, Freud and Dahl at the height of their artistic powers.” 

Dahl once remarked that, ‘You cannot begin to appreciate any work of art in the true sense until you have studied the personalities involved and the struggles they had.‘3Over the years, the close friendship and rivalry between Bacon and Freud has been well documented, whereas Dahl’s friendship with Bacon has never been as well known. Even though these two creative geniuses worked in different fields, they shared a keen sense of the macabre, which can be seen in both of their work: where Bacon used his rapid, impulsive brush marks to create an intimate and startlingly animated portrait, Dahl used his pen to create unforgettable stories that sear the imagination with provocative and affecting images. 

Dahl and Bacon had much in common. Both were enigmatic outsiders who were hard to pin down and liked to work in small, claustrophobic spaces. Both also aroused controversy and fascination in their public and private lives. Dahl maintained a close friendship with the artist for many years, often inviting him for dinner at his Buckinghamshire home Gipsy House in the 1970s and 1980s, where they bonded over their mutual admiration for the work of Van Gogh, among other topics. 

Dahl, who was also a British spy, fighter pilot and medical pioneer, had an overwhelming passion for art. ‘I had become an enthusiastic collector of pictures as soon as World War II ended,’ he wrote. `Each time I sold a short story, I would buy a picture when there was a bit more money in the bank, and I began buying pictures for keeps.’4He first became familiar with Bacon’s work through his friend, the artist Matthew Smith, and subsequently when Bacon was shown alongside Smith and Victor Pasmore in a 1958 Arts Council touring exhibition entitled Three Masters of British Painting. Dahl was immediately impressed by what he saw as the ‘blend of economy and profound emotion in [Bacon’s] painting’, and immediately declared him a ‘giant of his time’.4 He went on to buy four Bacon canvases between the years of 1964-67 and subsequently sold all except Study for Head of Lucian Freud, which retained its undisputed place in his collection and then the family’s after his death in 1990. 

Study for Head of Lucian Freud was painted at a time of great happiness in both Bacon’s and Dahl’s lives. For Bacon, his relationship with his muse and lover George Dyer was at its peak, his paintings were gaining international recognition and he was being offered exhibitions at major museums around the world. For Dahl, 1967 marked the fruition of a series of professional triumphs including a lucrative deal with UK publishing house George Allen & Unwin for the UK publication of James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Within weeks both books sold out and a subsequent reprint sold out as well. Dahl was also finding success in Hollywood, where he wrote screenplays for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was in this ebullient atmosphere that Dahl was able to act in earnest on his appreciation for art, and specifically for Bacon. 

From 1961 Bacon employed the fourteen-by-twelve inch canvas format exclusively for an unprecedented portraiture cycle depicting a close coterie of friends, as well as his own self-portraits. It was a format and subject that occupied him until the end of his life. These works, like Bacon’s friendship and later rivalry with his fellow painter, Lucian Freud, played a central role within the artist’s oeuvre. From as early as 1951, Freud and Bacon began to capture their friendship in portraits – one undertaking a painting or a drawing of the other. Bacon’s earliest Portrait of Lucian Freud, 1951, (Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester) was his first portrait to acknowledge the name of his sitter. As Freud said of Bacon, ‘He talked a great deal about the paint itself, carrying the form and imbuing the paint with this sort of life. He talked about packing a lot of things into one single brushstroke, which amused and excited me, the idea of paint having that power.’5

Preferring to paint his subjects from photographs rather than life, Bacon commissioned John Deakin to take photographs of Freud. From these, with each masterful sweep of his brush in Study for Head of Lucian Freud, Bacon paid homage to his friend and rival and to their shared passion for painting. Conveying the intimacy of their relationship, Bacon succeeds in expressing a sense of Freud’s character, his inner resolve, pride and vitality in paint. 

Proceeds from the sale of this painting will enable the Dahl family to continue the philanthropic work that Roald began and that the family has expanded over the last twenty years, including: 

Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity helps seriously ill young people to deal with their conditions in many different ways, including with the provision of fifty specialist children’s nurses around the UK. In the spirit of Roald Dahl, it aims to give assistance in an imaginative, inventive and impactful manner. “We are proud that so many people support our cause,” says the charity’s Chief Executive Dr. Richard Piper, “but our greatest supporter remains the Dahl family, which continues Roald’s own generous philanthropic tradition, and have helped to improve the lives of nearly a quarter of a million children in the UK.” 

Since Roald’s death, the Dahl family has given more than £8 million pounds to these two charities. 

3 R. Dahl, ‘Architectural Digest Visits: Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal’, in Architectural Digest, February 1981, p.75
4 N.Crosland in conversations with D. Sturrock and R.Dahl, Letter to Claude Gallimard, 29 October, 1971, in D. Sturrock, Storyteller: The Life of Roald Dahl, London 2011, p. 440.
5 L. Freud quoted in W. Feaver, ‘Beyond Feeling’, Lucian Freud, exh. cat., Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1993, p.13

© Claude Monet, Impression, soleil levant, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris © Christian Baraja

Impression, soleil levant, la toile qui a donné son nom à l’impressionnisme et qui est le fleuron des collections du musée Marmottan Monet, est l’une des peintures les plus célèbres au monde. Cette œuvre n’a pourtant pas fait l’objet d’une étude approfondie jusqu’à ce jour. Au contraire, depuis près de quarante ans, le mystère semble grandir autour du chef-d’œuvre : que représente véritablement le tableau ? Un soleil levant ou un soleil couchant ? Quand fut-il peint ? En 1872 ou en 1873 ? Qu’est-il advenu du tableau à l’issue de la première exposition impressionniste ? Pourquoi a-t-il rejoint, en 1940, les collections du musée Marmottan, un établissement initialement dédiéà l’Empire et qui n’abritait alors aucune peinture impressionniste ? Pourquoi à cette date ? Dans quelles circonstances ? Le musée Marmottan Monet répond à ces questions à partir du 18 septembre 2014.

Cette vue du port Havre dans les brumes, signée et datée en bas gauche « Claude Monet 72 », est exposée pour la première fois en 1874 dans les anciens ateliers de Nadar qui accueillent l’exposition de la Société anonyme des peintures, sculpteurs, graveurs. Désignée au livret sous le titre Impression, soleil levant, elle inspire au critique Louis Leroy, du journal satirique Le Charivari, le terme « impressionniste » qui désignera par la suite le groupe d’artistes réuni autour de Monet. Si le terme se diffuse rapidement, l’œuvre et son histoire sont peu à peu oubliées. En mai 1874, le collectionneur Ernest Hoschedé l’acquiert pour 800 francs. Le tableau est revendu quatre ans plus tard, 210 francs dans l’indifférence générale et sous le titre Impression, soleil couchant. Son propriétaire, le docteur Georges de Bellio, le lègue à sa fille Victorine, qui en fait don au musée Marmottan en 1940. Entre 1940 et 1959, l’œuvre apparaît encore dans les inventaires de l’institution – comme dans de nombreux ouvrages – sous le titre Impression ou Impression, soleil couchant. Elle n’y prend le titre d’Impression, soleil levant qu’en 1965. Dix ans plus tard, l’auteur du catalogue raisonné de l’œuvre de Monet, Daniel Wildenstein – faute de documents biographiques retraçant la vie de Monet en 1872, date l’œuvre du prin-temps 1873, date avérée d’un séjour de Monet en Normandie.

Dans le cadre du 80ème anniversaire de l’ouverture du musée Marmottan au public et à l’occasion du 140ème anniversaire de la première exposition d’Impression, soleil levant, le musée Marmottan Monet a décidé d’ouvrir l’enquête et d’organiser, du 18 septembre 2014 au 18 janvier 2015, la première exposition jamais dédiée à l’œuvre fondatrice de l’impressionnisme.

Autour d’Impression, soleil levant, l’exposition présente une sélection rigoureuse de vingt-cinq œuvres de Claude Monet, cinquante-cinq œuvres d’Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin, Johan Barthold Jongking, William Turner, Berthe Morisot, Alfred Stevens, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, des photographies anciennes par Gustave Le Gray, Emile Letellier, ainsi qu’une vingtaine des documents d’époque dont beaucoup sont inédits. Les œuvres proviennent des plus grands musées français (Musée d’Orsay, Paris ; Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris ; Musée d’art moderne André Malraux, Le Havre ; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lille, Musée des Beaux-Arts Nancy…) et étran-gers (National Gallery, Londres ; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphie ; Städel Museum, Francfort-sur-Main ; The National Museum Cardiff, Cardiff…) et de collections particulières. La bibliothèque nationale, la bibliothèque historique de la ville de Paris, les archives de Paris, la bibliothèque et les archives du Havre se sont également activement associées au projet.

L’exposition retrace l’histoire du tableau. Delacroix, Courbet, Boudin, Jongkind ouvrent le par-cours avec une série de marines, de soleils levant et de soleils couchant peints avant 1872. Turner, que Monet découvre à Londres en 1870-71, vient ensuite et permet de mieux appré-hender la formation et l’œuvre de Monet au début des années 1870 et la genèse d’Impression, soleil levant.

Impression, soleil levant est présenté dans la section suivante qui regroupe un ensemble unique de vues du port du Havre. Citons, le prêt exceptionnel par une collection particulière américaine de l’Avant port du Havre, effet de nuit de Monet, un rarissime nocturne peint à la même date qu’Impression, soleil levant. Les peintures et les documents exposés dans cette section (photographies, plans et documents anciens) ont permis de mener la première étude iconographique d’Impression, soleil levant. Cette approche, conduite par des équipes française et américaine, s’est appuyée sur des données topographiques, météorologiques et astrono-miques. Elle a non seulement permis de confirmer quel moment Monet a choisi de peindre : un soleil levant ou un soleil couchant, mais aussi de proposer une datation affinée de l’oeuvre, c’est-à-dire à l’année, au mois et au jour près.

Le parcours se poursuit avec la première exposition impressionniste évoquée à travers deux chefs-d’œuvre de Monet présentés aux côtés d’Impression, soleil levant en 1874 : Le Déjeuner (Städel Museum, Francfort-sur-Main) une toile de 232 x 151 cm et Le Boulevard des Capucines (Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas City). Le livret de l’exposition et l’original du Charivari sont également présentés. Dix-neuf peintures issues des deux seules collections où figura Impression, soleil levant : celle d’Ernest Hoschedé et celle Georges de Bellio continuent le parcours. Chaque œuvre est commentée et resituée par rapport à l’œuvre fondatrice de l’impressionnisme. Des documents rares dont de nombreux inédits illustrent également le propos. Il apparaît ainsi qu’Impression, soleil levant loin d’occuper une place centrale au sein de ces collections fut longtemps oublié et sous estimé.

La dernière partie du parcours révèle une page tout à fait inconnue de l’histoire d’Impression, soleil levant. Les recherches menées à l’occasion de l’exposition on permis de retracer les circonstances de l’entrée du tableau dans les collections du musée Marmottan. Le dépôt de l’œuvre au musée le 1er septembre 1939 pour « risque de guerre », son évacuation à Chambord avec les collections du Louvre où elle est entreposée à l’insu de tous durant six ans, son don au musée Marmottan décidé le 23 mai 1940, quelques jours seulement après le passage des Ardennes par l’armée allemande le 10 mai et le début de l’occupation allemande. L’exposition se termine autour de Soleil couchant sur la Seine à Lavacourt (Paris, Petit Palais) qui illustre la pérennité du thème chez Monet et présente les premiers ouvrages de l’après guerre qui érigèrent Impression, soleil levant au rang d’œuvre fondatrice de l’impressionnisme.

Un symbole est né.

Musée Marmottan Monet. IMPRESSION, SOLEIL LEVANT,L’HISTOIRE VRAIE du chef-d’œuvre de Claude Monet. 18 septembre 2014 – 18 janvier 2015

A fine Imperial Mughal-style white jade bowl, Qianlong Period (1736-1795). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The bowl is finely carved with deep rounded sides below a short everted rim and flanked by two bud-form handles, the exterior is carved in shallow relief with a band of upright acanthus leaves with four blossoming flowers, the short foot is formed by a large flower head to the base. The semi-translucent stone is of an attractive even 'mutton fat' white tone. 6 1/4 in. (15.8 cm.) across. Estimate HK$2,600,000 - HK$3,500,000 ($336,889 - $453,504). Price Realized HK$4,240,000 ($549,260)

Provenance: Sold at Christie's London, 10 May 2011, lot 21

Notes: This exquisite bowl, carved to remarkable thinness with a very fine polish, is an example of the very best jades made in the style of Mughal jade pieces which were greatly admired by the Qianlong Emperor.

It has been noted that when Emperor Qianlong married Xiang Fei, the daughter of a Uighur chieftain, in 1760, the union served to establish links between China and the West, and enabled a flow of beautiful jades to be sent to Court from the Xinjiang region. When the Qianlong Emperor's admiration for Mughal jades was known, foreign princes sent them as gifts, while Qing dynasty officials presented them as tribute. The Emperor displayed these jades in some of the most important palaces within the Forbidden City, such as the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the Palace of Longevity. However, he was not only a passionate collector, he also enjoyed studying works of art and composed prose and poetry about them. The degree of his appreciation is reflected in more than fifty of his poems lauding the beauty of Mughal jades, which he described as 'thin as paper'.

Here, on the current bowl, the Chinese lapidaries were able to emulate their Indian counterparts extremely well, making something equally exquisite in workmanship, but when looking closely at the details, such as the acanthus leaves on the handles, and the floral motifs around the body, the true origin of this bowl is revealed.

For a Mughal prototype of bowls of this type, refer to a similarly constructed piece in the National Palace Museum, illustrated in Exquisite Beauty- Islamic Jades, Taipei, 2007, pl. 52.

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A rare Imperial transparent olive-green glass vase, Qianlong incised four-character mark within double squares and of the period (1736-1795). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The vase with a globular body is supported on a circular foot rising to a tall cylindrical neck. The material is of a transparent yellowish-green tone, with characteristic crizzling on the inner surface. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) high. Estimate HK$400,000 - HK$600,000 ($51,829 - $77,744). Price Realized HK$625,000 ($80,964)

Literature: M & C Gallery, Seeking Antiques-Studying Treasures- II, Hong Kong, 2009, p102-105

Notes: Glass has been made in China since the Bronze Age, but it was in the Qing dynasty that Chinese glass reached its apogee. This was due in considerable measure to the establishment by the Kangxi Emperor of the Imperial Glassworks. Critical to the establishment of the Imperial Glassworks was a German Jesuit missionary by the name of Father Kilian Stumpf (1655-1720). In 1695 Stumpf was summoned to Beijing. In 1696, the 35th year of the Kangxi reign, the emperor commanded that a glass workshop be built in Canchiko, near the Xi'an Gate, inside the Imperial City, and Kilian Stumpf was installed as Director.

At some point during the Yongzheng reign the imperial command was issued to move the glassworks to the Summer Palace, where it would become part of the Liusuo (six workshops). Scholars have speculated that in the Qianlong reign, the bolichang (glass factory) mentioned in the records was the original glassworks at Canchiko, which fired and blew the glass, and supplied blanks for decoration by the bolizuo (glass workshop) in the Summer Palace, which would have been involved in the production of highly refined pieces, under the close supervision of the emperor.

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A very rare Imperial cloisonne enamel oval bowl and cover, Qianlong incised four-character mark within double squares and of the period (1736-1795). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

Of oval section, the bowl is decorated on the sides with multi-coloured lotus blooms divided by ribbon-tied stylised chi dragons facing opposite directions, above a band of upright petals picked out in red, yellow and blue. The oval stepped cover is similarly decorated with alternating lotus blooms and chi dragons on the lower section, and lotus sprays on tendrils on the upper section, surmounted by a gilt rounded finial cast with ruyi clouds above a ring of petal lappets. The interior and base of the bowl are gilt. 6 3/4 in. (17.3 cm.) wide. Estimate HK$900,000 - HK$1,200,000 ($116,615 - $155,487). Price Realized HK$1,840,000 ($238,358)

Provenance: Sold at Sotheby's New York, 21 September 2005, lot 222

Literature: M & C Gallery, Seeking Antiques-Studying Treasures, Hong Kong, 2007, pp 20-25

Notes: The current bowl and cover, constructed of perfectly balanced proportions, is particularly notable for its exquisite enamelling, consummately filling in each cloison with enamels of vivid tones. The gilding is also notably thick. All these suggest the origin of manufacture at the Imperial enamel atelier within the palace in Beijing.

The form and decorative motifs on the present vessel are also highly unusual. To date there has been no absolute agreement as to the function of this vessel, although it has been suggested that its rare shape resembles ritual vessels used in Lamaist temples. It has been recorded that the Qianlong Emperor frequently commissioned cloisonne enamel ritual vessels to be made for use in the Palace, so it is likely that the current bowl was made to serve this purpose.

The conjoined chi dragons also represent a new invention in the Chinese decorative repertoire through the recreation of an age-old archaic motif. During the Qing dynasty, a major influence on both the shape and decoration of enamel wares was the interest in antiquity evinced by the emperors themselves and other members of the elite. The expense of fine cloisonne wares was such that only members of this group would have had access to them. This interest in antiquity resulted in archaism being a significant aspect of the designs of cloisonne enamels. This was not a new development in the Qing dynasty, but can be said to have reached its zenith in the 18th century. This vessel is a very fine example which encompasses the confluence of old and new artistic elements during the prolific reign of the Qianlong Emperor.

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A very rare Imperial large lacquer-lined bamboo-weave three-tiered double-gourd box, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The box is composed of three parts, all lined with lacquer and covered in woven bamboo. The bottom part comprises a rectangular box and cover, decorated on four sides with woven-bamboo cartouches. The top of the cover is lacquered brown, incised with four ferocious dragons filled with gilt and red pigment surrounding a circular receptacle containing a compressed circular box which forms the lower part of a double gourd. The circular box is lacquered on the inside and wrapped with bamboo-weave on the outside, flanked on each side with a roundel enclosing the character Ji rendered in gold lacquer, the mouth and foot rims lacquered brown, incised and gilt with leafy scrolls. It is topped by a similarly shaped and designed box, forming the upper part of a double gourd, lacquered in gold with a roundel containing the character Da. The conical-shaped cap is secured to the overhead lacquered handle with two gilt-metal pins, underneath another smaller scroll-shaped gilt-metal handle. 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm.) high. Estimate HK$600,000 - HK$800,000 ($77,744 - $103,658). Price Realized HK$1,240,000 ($160,633)

Notes: The current box set exemplifies the ingenious combination of aesthetics and functionality in vessels made for the Imperial court. The set is devised intelligently to ensure it is easily portable with the boxes fastened securely in the correct position by having two interlocking pins securing the top cover to the overhead handle. It would have been used as a picnic box containing utensils for Imperial members, possibly commissioned by the Imperial kitchen.

The Beijing Palace Museum has a very similar double-gourd box set of approximately the same size, similarly constructed encompassing three boxes wrapped with woven bamboo and an overhead handle fastened by two gilt pins. Attributed to the Kangxi period by the Museum, this set contains the original set of utensils including dishes, bowls, chopsticks and a spoon, providing us with the context of how the current box set would have been used within the palace during the Qing dynasty. The Palace Museum example was included in the exhibition Qing Legacies: The Sumptuous Art of Imperial Packaging, Macau, 2000, pl. 75

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

A fine Imperial small cloisonne enamel 'Lotus' dish, Qianlong incised six-character mark within double rectangles and of the period (1736-1795). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The dish is cast with rounded sides flaring to the rim, supported on a short slightly splayed foot, decorated to the interior with a central radiating flower borne on scrolling tendrils within a flower-shaped cartouche, surrounded by blooming lotus sprays on the well beneath a band of ruyi-heads at the rim, the design repeated on the exterior. The base is gilt. 5 1/8 in. (13 cm.) diam. Estimate HK$260,000 - HK$350,000 ($33,689 - $45,350). Price Realized HK$400,000 ($51,817)

Provenance: Sold at Christie's London, 6 November 2007, lot 95

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/

Rare alexandrite crystal, 41.11 cts from Tanzania.

Paire de vases en verre de Pékin jaune, Dynastie Qing, XVIIIe-XIXe siècle. Photo Sotheby's

le pourtour sculpté en bas-relief d'un décor continu de personnages marchant le long d'un chemin planté d'arbres et de rochers, le décor de l'un symétrique au décor de l'autre (2);24,5 cm, 9 5/8 in. Estimation 15,000 — 25,000 EUR.

ANCIENNE COLLECTION DU BARON ANTOINE ALLARD (1907-1981)

A PAIR OF YELLOW PEKING GLASS VASES, QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

Sotheby's, Arts d'Asie, Paris | 10 juin 2014 - http://www.sothebys.com/

A sapphire and diamond necklace, by Kern. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The rectangular cut-cornered sapphire weighing approximately 16.22 carats, to a marquise-cut diamond three stone surmount, suspended from an articulated box-link necklace, channel-set to the front with baguette-cut diamonds, with polished backchain and concealed clasp, 43.7cm long. Estimate £16,000 - £18,000 ($26,784 - $30,132). Price Realized £140,500 ($234,776)

Accompanied by report no.09866 dated 9 May 2014 from The Gem & Pearl Laboratory, London, stating the 16.23 carat sapphire is natural with no evidence of heat treatment observed

Christie's. IMPORTANT JEWELS,4 June 2014,London, King Street -http://www.christies.com/