Bague Art Déco “Cinq Plans” diamants, par René Boivin. Estimation €15,000 – €25,000 ($17,093 - $28,489). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
Formée de trois pans sertis de cinq lignes de diamants baguette, monture en platine, poinçon français, poids brut: 11.70 gr., vers 1930
Accompagnée d'un certificat de Françoise Cailles
Christie's. PARIS JEWELS, 1er Juin 2015, Paris
Paire de clips d’oreilles diamants, par René Boivin. Estimation €8,000 – €12,000 ($9,116 - $13,675). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
De forme géométrique, à décors de volutes partiellement sertis de diamants ronds taille brillant et de diamants baguette, monture en or gris, poinçons français, poids brut: 29.05 gr., dans leur écrin, vers 1990. Signés R. Boivin pour René Boivin, avec une copie du dessin de la Maison René Boivin
Christie's. PARIS JEWELS, 1er Juin 2015, Paris
Quartz with Arsenopyrite inclusions from Portugal
Strawberry Quartz
Red Phantom Quartz or Quartz with iron oxide inclusions
An extremely rare Yaozhou molded floral bowl, Song Dynasty (AD960-1279). Estimate HKD120,000 - 160,000 (TWD486,000 - 648,000) (USD15,500 - 20,600). Photo courtesy Ravenel.
This bowl in the shape of a ten-petaled blossom has a wide belly, and its scalloped rim curves inwards very slightly. The vessel rests on a round foot, and its interior walls are decorated with imprints of tendril vine patterns, while the bottom shows a chrysanthemum design. The whole bowl is covered with Yao ware celadon glaze of a deep, comparatively opaque hue and refined aesthetic appeal. In its entirety, the bowl is designed to resemble a blooming chrysanthemum. Floral imprints are the main type of decorative design used in Yaozhou ceramics, although other motifs, such as animals or human figures, are also used, especially for more stylized designs. Bowls of this particular shape are very rare, making this a very valuable addition to any collection. MD: 12.6 cm
PROVENANCE: Old Private Hong Kong Collection
Ravenel Spring Auction 2015 Hong Kong. Literati Sublimation - Oriental Arts for the Chinese Scholars. Tuesday, June 2, 2015, 3:30 PM. Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel Boardroom, Mezzanine Floor, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
A small tortoise-glazed Jizhou bowl with prunus decoration at the inside. China, Song dynasty. Estimate CHF 1 500.- / 2 500.- € 1 430.- / 2 380.- Photo courtesy Koller
diameter circa 11 cm. Restored.
KOLLER. Asian Art (Himayalas and China): Sale A173AS, 02 June 2015 10:00
A small celadon glazed Yaozhou-bowl with floral spray inside, China, Song dynasty. Estimate CHF 1 000.- / 1 500.- € 950.- / 1 430.- Photo courtesy Koller
diameter 11 cm.
KOLLER. Asian Art (Himayalas and China): Sale A173AS, 02 June 2015 10:00
A fine celadon glazed bowl, China, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate CHF 1 200.- / 1 800.- € 1 140.- / 1 710.- Photo courtesy Koller
diameter 17.4 cm.
KOLLER. Asian Art (Himayalas and China): Sale A173AS, 02 June 2015 10:00
A Jun-glazed bowl, China, Yuan dynasty. Estimate CHF 2 000.- / 3 000.- € 1 900.- / 2 860.- Photo courtesy Koller
diameter 14,5 cm.
KOLLER. Asian Art (Himayalas and China): Sale A173AS, 02 June 2015 10:00
Paire de pendants d'oreilles perles fines, perles de culture et diamants. Estimation €50,000 – €70,000 ($56,978 - $79,769). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
Chacune formé d'un motif géométrique ajouré serti de diamants ronds taille brillant, taille 8/8 et baguette ponctué d'une perle de culture et retenant en pampille une perle fine grise ovale mesurant environ 10.7-10.8 x 13.3 mm. et une perle fine crème de forme poire mesurant environ 12.1-12.3 x 14.00 mm., monture en platine, or gris et argent, poinçons français de platine et d'or, poids brut: 25.95 fr.
Accompagnés de deux certificats du Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie (LFG) no. 309543 et 309542 en date du 10 avril 2015 attestant que les deux perles des pampilles sont d'origine naturelle
Possibilité de retirer les pampilles, un système cassé
Christie's. PARIS JEWELS, 1er Juin 2015, Paris
Collier perles de culture, rubis et diamants. Estimation €35,000 – €45,000 ($39,884 - $51,280). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
Formé de deux rangs de perles de culture, le fermoir serti d'un diamant rectangulaire à pans coupés dans un double entourage de rubis calibrés et de diamants ronds taille brillant et épaulé de diamants baguette, 35.5 cm., monture en or jaune, poinçons français, poids brut: 77 gr.
Christie's. PARIS JEWELS, 1er Juin 2015, Paris
Emerald and diamond choker. Estimation : 175 000 €. Photo courtesy Balclis
White gold, emeralds and diamonds. Attached, valuation report by Gemacyt No. 13-JWL-006150 done in 2013 certifying that there are five natural emeralds, pear cut, 46.12 cts approx., and diamonds, brilliant and pear cut, 56.72 cts approx. 116 gr
BALCLIS, Bijoux et Montres, le 19 Mai 2015 à 16h30. CALLE ROSSELLO 227, 08008 BARCELONA - 93 2175 607 - marketing@balclis.com
Masriera hermanos and Joaquín Carreras, Belle Époque diamond brooch, circa 1915. Estimation : 7 200 €. Photo courtesy Balclis
Gold with platinum decoration, central diamond, old brilliant cut, 1.10 cts approx., colour L approx. and purity SI3 approx. Rest of diamonds, old brilliant and rose cut, 4.70 cts. With contemporary case signed "Masriera Hnos and Joaquín Carreras". 12 cm. 21.9 gr
BALCLIS, Bijoux et Montres, le 19 Mai 2015 à 16h30. CALLE ROSSELLO 227, 08008 BARCELONA- 93 2175 607 - marketing@balclis.com
Attributed to Masriera Hermanos, Modernista pendant, circa 1910. Estimation : 3 900 €. Photo courtesy Balclis
Engraved gold, plique-à-jour enamel, diamonds, rose cut, 0.40 cts, and pearl 4.5 mm in diam.
Reference literature: "Els Masriera, un segle de joieria i orfebreria", Girona, 2004. p. 141. nº 125.
With certificate of Bagués Masriera. 6.4x4.1 cm. 11.5 gr
BALCLIS, Bijoux et Montres, le 19 Mai 2015 à 16h30. CALLE ROSSELLO 227, 08008 BARCELONA- 93 2175 607 - marketing@balclis.com
Attributed to Jaume Mercadé i Queralt (Valls (Tarragona), 1887 - Barcelona, 1967), Matching choker, bracelet and ring, circa 1930. Estimation : 3 500 €. Photo courtesy Balclis
Engraved silver, aquamarines, oval and round cut, 21.23 cts, and cameos in carved malachite depicting female busts. With original case. 95.5 gr
BALCLIS, Bijoux et Montres, le 19 Mai 2015 à 16h30. CALLE ROSSELLO 227, 08008 BARCELONA- 93 2175 607 - marketing@balclis.com
Catalan emerald earrings, Late 18th-early 19th century. Estimation : 3 000 €. Photo courtesy Balclis
Gold with silver decoration, emeralds, oval, rectangular, square and triangular cut, 5.54 cts, and diamonds, table cut, 0.25 cts. Punched. With contemporary case. 13 cm. 90.5 gr
BALCLIS, Bijoux et Montres, le 19 Mai 2015 à 16h30. CALLE ROSSELLO 227, 08008 BARCELONA- 93 2175 607 - marketing@balclis.com
A famille rose'hundred deer' vase, Hu, Qianlong seal mark, Late Qing Dynasty. Sold for £35,000 (€48,486). Photo Bonhams.
The pear-shaped body raised on a straight foot and flanked by a pair of stylised dragon handles to the tapering upper section, brightly painted with a herd of spotted deer enamelled in white, beige and brown, variously depicted grazing and galloping in an open field amidst pine trees and craggy rocks, beside a meandering stream flowing from the mountains forming a background to the scene. 44.8cm (17 5/8in) high
Provenance: a distinguished European private collection
Notes: The 'hundred deer' motif was a popular motif in Chinese art as 'bailu 百鹿' is a pun for the wish to receive a 'hundred emoluments' or 'bailu 百祿'. For a Daoguang period example of a 'hundred deer' vase, see Liu Liang-yu, Ch'ing Official and Popular Wares: A Survey of Chinese Ceramics, Taipei, 1991, p.225. A Qianlong period prototype of the current vase is illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain Of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Nanjing and Hong Kong, 1995, no. 86.
Two similar vases were sold in our Hong Kong Rooms, 24 November 2013, lots 246 and 247.
A famille rose'hundred deer' vase, hu, Qianlong seal mark, 19th century. Sold for £25,000 (€34,633). Photo Bonhams.
The pear-shaped body supported on a straight foot and flanked by a pair of stylised dragon handles, the exterior finely painted with a herd of spotted deer enamelled in white, beige and brown, variously depicted grazing and galloping in an open field amidst pine trees and craggy rocks beside a meandering stream flowing from the mountains behind.45.7cm (18in) high
Provenance: a European private collection
Notes: For the Qianlong period prototype of this vase, see The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 2009, pp.98-99, no.85.
Two similar vases sold in our Hong Kong Rooms on 24 November 2013, lot 246 and 247.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015 10:00 BST - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
A large and rare enamelled rouleau vase, Kangxi period. Sold for £92,500 (€128,142). Photo Bonhams.
With a sloping shoulder rising to a slightly flaring neck, boldly and vividly enamelled to the gently tapering body with a domestic scene at a fenced garden extended from a tiled pavilion with the interior revealed through the opened door, depicting two elegant ladies playing chess observed by a scholar, next to a lady holding a fan at leisure, seated at a table placed with books, scrolls and a vase holding lotus sprays, opposite to a further lady stretching out her arms to embrace an approaching child, scattered with four boys playing around their feet against a deer, all surrounded by bamboo, prunus branches, pine and wutong trees grown on rockworks, the slightly waisted neck similarly decorated with four boys attempting to reach and snatch the gilt headdress from the leaping boy wearing a cap. 68cm (26 3/4in) high
Provenance: J.T. Tai Co. Inc., New York (label)
Notes: Large rouleau vases of this type adorned the mansions and palaces of the wealthy and the nobility in Europe in the early eighteenth century. They were not shipped as merchandise by the Western trading companies, but were bought by individual merchants in Canton, Macao or Batavia, who could afford the investment and had the network to ship such costly items to their destinations in England, France or Holland. Unfortunately, the very nature of this private trade is the reason why we have no documentation about who shipped what – letters, invoices, shipping lists and other papers have not been preserved.
The first Western owner of this vase will have enjoyed his or her new acquisition because it was grand, extremely well painted, and because it showed an exotic scene of Chinese 'Long Elisas' engaged in leisurely pursuits in an idealised domestic setting. The many symbolic meanings casually embedded in the scene will undoubtedly have been lost on the Western owner, his or her successors and their contemporaries. During the eighteenth century and for most of the nineteenth too, China was the far-away fairy-tale land, characterised by standard iconographic elements such as the elongated Chinese ladies, the playing children, the architecture, the clothing, etc. Even a minimal understanding of the decoration from within its Chinese cultural context was absent in those days.
Such vases were not just produced for export, but also – perhaps even primarily – for the Chinese domestic market. For a Chinese owner the decoration had several layers of meaning, adding to its overall grandeur. At first view the vase shows a well-organised household, where the family members feel at ease and act according to their position; in brief, it is a visualisation of Confucian ideals. Behaviour according to the acknowledged moral rules is blessed here by the inclusion of symbols of luck, riches and long life such as the spotted deer and the lotus flowers. Interesting, too, in this context is the depiction of the five young boys on the neck of the vase. One boy, running in front of two others, holds a golden helmet high above his head, while the others try to intercept him. This scene refers to a well-known game named 'Catch the General's Helmet', and whichever boy wins is destined to become a high-ranking military leader; this will, of course, be another blessing for such a perfect family. These and other positive connotations will not have been lost on a Chinese owner of the vase or those who admired it in the study or studio where it was prominently exhibited.
The question whether this vase was produced for export or for the domestic market is therefore irrelevant, because such high-quality porcelains served the needs of many. They were undoubtedly exported, as proven by comparable grand pieces in well-documented eighteenth-century collections, for instance, the Royal Collection of Augustus the Strong in Dresden, Germany. But they also were bought by Chinese literati and connoisseurs. Such multi-marketing by the porcelain workshops in Jingdezhen was particularly strong during the later Kangxi period, around 1700, when the economic situation in China as well as in Europe facilitated the sale of such costly items.
From an art-historical point of view it is interesting to note how this vase shows a combination of overglaze enamels of the famille verte type and a lavish use of rouge de fer. The latter, an overglaze iron-red enamel, is applied here in several grades of red. Objects with rouge de fer decorations became popular at the end of the seventeenth century and even formed a group of their own with typical Kangxi decorations done in red and gold only. On this vase, various enamel colours are skillfully applied and give the scene a more lively appearance than would have been the case if only rouge de fer were used. In order not to distract the eye from the figures in the interior and on the terrace, the section that encloses and connects the scene is painted with trees, bamboo and rocks in a light palette with only a few accents in green.
A closely related pair of vases is illustrated by E.Ströber, 'La maladie de porcelaine...' East Asian Porcelain from the Collection of Augustus the Strong, Berlin, 2001, no.33, pp.80-81. For other similar examples, see L.Hájek and W.Forman, A Book of Chinese Art: Four thousand years of sculpture, painting, bronze, jade, lacquer and porcelain, London, 1966, no.64 (left), in the collection of the National Gallery, Prague; and C.Samoyault-Verlet, Le Musée chinois de L'impératrice Eugénie, 1986, pp.24-25, fig.17, in the Chinese Museum at Fontainebleau established by Empress Eugénie in 1863.
For smaller rouleau vases decorated with similar subjects, but enamelled in more conventional famille verte, see J.Ayers, The Mount Trust Collection of Chinese Art, London, 1970, no.103; and Tie Yuan, The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province: Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty I, 2005, p.53, in the collection of the Jingdezhen Museum of Pottery and Porcelain.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015 10:00 BST - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
