A limestone funerary relief bust of Haliphat, a fashionable bejeweled woman of Palmyra's prosperous merchant class who died in 231 CE., which is a part of the Smithsonian collection.

WASHINGTON, DC.- An exquisitely sculpted ancient bust of a woman from Palmyra, Syria, is returned to view for the first time since 2006 at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Named "Haliphat," it will be accompanied by images of 18th-century engravings and 19th-century photographs of ancient Palmyra selected from the Freer|Sackler Libraries and Archives. A newly created 3-D scan of the bust will also be released for viewing and download at a later date as part of the Smithsonian X 3D Collection. 

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world. 

"In the face of current tragic upheavals in Iraq and Syria, every stone, arch and carved relief plays a greater historical and cultural role than it has in the past," said Julian Raby, the Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art. "Like the relief of Haliphat, each stone can remind a people of its past, and fashion identity both individually and collectively." 

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.

Once lush, wealthy and cosmopolitan, Palmyra ("the city of palms") was an oasis in the desert at the hub of trade between the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, ancient Iran and Southeast Asia. Two millennia ago, its inhabitants constructed monumental colonnades, temples, a theater and elaborate tomb complexes, a significant amount of which survives today. 

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.

Dating from 231 AD, the limestone funerary relief sculpture depicts an elegant, bejeweled figure with both Roman and Aramaic artistic influences, reinforcing Palmyra's status between the Eastern and Western worlds. 

The accompanying photographs were taken 1867-1876 by prolific photographer Fèlix Bonfils and provide the most complete visual record of Palmyra from the 19th century.  

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.

The engraving images are from Robert Woods' 1753 The Ruins of Palmyra, a publication that inspired the popular neoclassical architecture style in Britain and North America. Its image of an "Eagle Decorating an Ancient Roman Temple" was the model for the image on the seal of the United States, and its depictions of Palmyra's coffered ceilings shaped the ceiling of the north entrance of the Freer Gallery of Art. 

The display will be on view indefinitely.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.

The Airelian Wall in Rome, Josephus Augustus Knip, c. 1809-1812. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Purchased with the support of the Gerhards Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds, the Vereniging Rembrandt, the VSBfonds and the Mondriaan Fonds.

AMSTERDAM.- Thanks to generous contributions from a large number of funds, the Rijksmuseum has been able to acquire a group of 46 watercolours by the 19th-century artist Josephus Augustus Knip. The Rijksmuseum is presenting these spectacular, large-format drawings for the first time this summer in the new exhibition wing. J.A. Knip: Watercolours of Italy is on display from 5 June to 21 September 2015. 

The ensemble of watercolours by J.A. Knip (1777-1847) was acquired in 2014 from the collection assembled by I.Q. van Regteren Altena (1899-1980). The purchase last year was made possible thanks to significant contributions from the Gerhards Fund/Rijksmuseum Fund, the Rembrandt Association, the VSB Fund and the Mondriaan Fund. 

The Basilica of San Giovanni in Leterano, with the Temple of Minerva Medica in the Foreground, Josephus Augustus Knip, c. 1809-1812. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Purchased with the support of the Gerhards Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds, the Vereniging Rembrandt, the VSBfonds and the Mondriaan Fonds.

Surprisingly modern 
Under Louis Napoleon, who wanted to organize the Dutch art scene according to the French model, a total of 13 artists, including four landscape painters, were sent to Paris and Italy. One of them was the young Josephus Augustus Knip, who was able to stay in Italy from November 1809 to September 1812 thanks to a Prix de Rome scholarship. 

He produced eighty sheets in oil paint while he was there (of which few remain) and numerous stunning watercolours of cityscapes and landscapes in and around Rome. The hyper-realistic watercolours have a surprisingly modern feel and are among the most visually stunning works by Knip anywhere in the world. 

The temple of Vesta in Rome, Josephus Augustus Knip, c. 1809-1812. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Purchased with the support of the Gerhards Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds, the Vereniging Rembrandt, the VSBfonds and the Mondriaan Fonds.

Knip showed a fondness for the ruins of ancient Roman architecture, to which he responded in a very personal way, without idealization, but rather as a sober observer. Knip’s watercolours were collected by a select group of leading collectors in France and the Netherlands, against the prevailing taste of the time. In general, people were not so keen on the un-Dutch scenes in which ‘the skies were too blue, the water too green and the oxen have horns that are too big’. For a long time everything that was romantic - including the work of Knip - was ignored by museums. In recent years, there has clearly been a turnaround and the exceptional value of Knip’s Italian work is again being recognized. 

Overgrown Rocks, Josephus Augustus Knip, c. 1809-1812. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Purchased with the support of the Gerhards Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds, the Vereniging Rembrandt, the VSBfonds and the Mondriaan Fonds. 

The presentation J.A. Knip: Watercolours of Italy can be seen at the same time as the exhibition Home and Abroad, devoted to 16th- to 18th-century Dutch and Flemish landscape drawings from the collection of John and Marine van Vlissingen in the Philips Wing of the Rijksmuseum.

Basilica and Monastrery of SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Rome, Josephus Augustus Knip, c. 1809-1812. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Purchased with the support of the Gerhards Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds, the Vereniging Rembrandt, the VSBfonds and the Mondriaan Fonds.

Rare et important repose-coupe en laque rouge sculpté, Marque et époque Yongle. Estimation 200,000 — 300,000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme globulaire aux côtés arrondis se prolongeant vers le bord incurvé, reposant sur une coupe à sept lobes et un haut pied évasé, le pourtour profondément sculpté dans d'épaisses couches de laque d'un buissonnant feuillage dans lequel s'épanouissent six fleurs de camélia, grenade, pivoine, chrysanthème, hibiscus et gardénia, le même décor répété sur les deux faces de la coupe et autour du pied, l'intérieur et le pied laqués brun foncé, marque verticale à six caractères incisée à l'intérieur du bord du pied. Diam. 21,4 cm; 8 3/8  in.

A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER BOWL STAND, YONGLE MARK AND PERIOD

Notes: The technique of carved lacquerware was not new in the Ming dynasty, but had been developed in the Southern Song (1127-1279). In the Yuan period (1279-1368) this branch of artistry experienced a first flowering but, like with porcelain, the Yuan style of lacquer carving is bold and vigorous, and still somewhat rough and angular. In the Ming dynasty, this form of decoration was transformed into a highly sophisticated art form, as the overall layout meticulously worked out beforehand, and the carving style developed towards softer and rounder reliefs that were not only pared with a knife but carefully smoothed down and polished.

The Yongle Emperor made China’s finest artefacts imperial and introduced a style of unprecedented elegance and sophistication. In order to make China’s works of art suitable ‘ambassadors’ of the Ming Empire, the court took over porcelain as well as lacquer workshops, carefully monitored their production, emphasized quality control in order to maximize quality, and created an unmistakable identity for the imperial products. Like porcelain, carved lacquer was manufactured for the court, and probably in the same way as porcelain, lacquer was produced according to well-defined specifications, its production process monitored by the court, secrecy strictly guarded by the court, and distribution organized by the court and assured through official channels.

The Yongle Emperor repeatedly made gifts of lacquer ware to the Japanese Shogun. An important Ming document recording gifts from the court of the Yongle Emperor to the Ashikaga Shogun of Japan lists 203 pieces of carved red lacquer sent by the Chinese court to the Japanese ruler between 1403 and 1407, with the most important gift of fifty-eight pieces occurring in the first year of the Yongle reign. The first list of gifts to Japan in 1403, which is detailed enough to make identification possible, includes ‘mallow-shaped bowl stands … carved … with flowers of the four seasons’, like lot 112, of which two examples were sent to the Shogun.

Since the laborious, time-consuming process of creating vessels with a lacquer layer thick enough to be carved can extend over years, it is considered impossible that the whole process could have been completed within the first year of the reign. It equally seems out of the question that such work could have been done in the unruly times of the short Jianwen period (1399-1402), particularly as the Emperor is known to have ordered all works that were not vital to be stopped. Pieces such as a companion bowl stand from the Baoyizhai collection, recently sold in our Hong Kong rooms, have therefore been attributed to the Hongwu period (1368-98).

Closely related seven-lobed bowl stands carved with seasonal flowers are in the Palace Museum, Beijing, inscribed with a Yongle reign mark published in Zhongguo qiqi quanji [Complete series on Chinese lacquer], Fuzhou, 1993-8, vol. 5, pl. 26; in the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum, Tokyo, without reign mark, included in the exhibition Carved Lacquer, Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, and Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 83; and one from the Baoyizhai collection, inscribed with a Xuande over a Yongle reign mark, included in the exhibition 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 46, was sold in our London rooms, 13th December 1983, lot 56, and recently in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2014, lot 3210.

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris. 10 juin 2015, 10:30 AM

Rare plat en laque rouge sculpté, Marque et époque Yongle. Estimation 70,000 — 90,000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

finement et densément sculptéà travers les épaisses couches de laque rouge sur un fond couleur ocre, de luxuriantes fleurs d'hibiscus accompagnées de petits bourgeons et larges feuilles polylobées se déployant sur toute la surface intérieure, l'extérieur sculpté d'une frise de fleurs d'hibiscus représentées de face et de profil dans leur feuillage, la base relaquée brun, la marque à six caractères incisée à la base partiellement effacée mais toujours visible. Diam. 32,6 cm; 12 7/8  in.

A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER 'HIBISCUS' DISH, YONGLE MARK AND PERIOD, MARK PARTIALLY ERASED BUT VISIBLE

Notes: As noted by Regina Krahl in her essay, only one other carved cinnabar lacquer dish of this particular design and size and bearing a Yongle mark, seems to be known, illustrated in Joan Hornby, Chinese Lacquerware in the National Museum of Denmark, Denmark, 2012, cat. no. 3. The Copenhagen dish also bears the incised Tianshi fang characters which refer to the Department of Sweetmeats, one of the twelve directorates of the Yuyong jian in which the palace eunuchs were organised and which responsible for ordering the manufacture, use and storage of household objects used at the imperial court. 

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris. 10 juin 2015, 10:30 AM

Grande boîte en laque burgauté, XVIIe siècle. Estimation  4,000 — 6,000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme octogonale, le dessus et chaque pan du couvercle et de la boîte à décor incrusté de scènes animées, découvrant un plateau compartimenté, laqué rouge à l'intérieur (3). Haut. 37,5 cm; 14 3/4  in.

A LARGE OCTAGONAL MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID TIERED LACQUER BOX AND COVER, 17TH CENTURY

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris. 10 juin 2015, 10:30 AM

Plateau octogonal en laque burgauté, Dynastie Ming, XVIIe siècle. Estimation  1,500 — 2,500 €. Photo Sotheby's.

l'intérieur orné de quatre gerbes de fleurs de thé, chrysanthèmes, lychnides et camélias entourées d'une frise de ruyi, l'intérieur de chaque pan rehaussé d'une branche fleurie - 30,5 cm; 12 in.

Provenance: Christie's Paris, 22nd November 2005, lot 205.

AN OCTAGONAL MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID LACQUER TRAY, MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris. 10 juin 2015, 10:30 AM

Rembrandt, Saul and David, Mauritshuis © 2015 Mauritshuis

THE HAGUE.- The Mauritshuis has one of its most famous Rembrandts back. The (full) attribution of the painting Saul and David to Rembrandt is the exciting conclusion of eight years of research by a large team of international experts under the leadership of the Mauritshuis. The painting has been carefully restored and is the centrepiece of the exhibition Rembrandt? The Case of Saul and David, which is presented in the exhibition hall of the Mauritshuis from 11 June to 13 September 2015. 

Emilie Gordenker, director of the Mauritshuis and curator of the exhibition Rembrandt? The Case of Saul and David: "For eight years, a large team of international experts has contributed to the research. A wide range of trusted and innovative research techniques have been employed. The result is significant: the Mauritshuis has one of its most famous Rembrandts back. At the same time, we have created an exciting exhibition in which we share our findings using interactive methods and techniques. We hope that our visitors will not only come for the newly attributed painting, but also to follow the fascinating story of this painting along with us." 

The case of Saul and David 
The painting Saul and David first emerged in 1830 at an auction in Paris. It then remained on the market for years until its purchase by Mauritshuis director Abraham Bredius in 1898. There was no doubt in his mind that this was one of Rembrandt's most important paintings. After his death in 1946, he left the painting to the museum. Saul and David was considered one of the most beautiful works by Rembrandt, and was a favourite of the visitors of the Mauritshuis. 

In the sixties and seventies, Rembrandt's oeuvre was examined in a new light. Horst Gerson (a Rembrandt expert and authority in his time) wrote off many of Rembrandt's paintings, including Saul and David. Opinions about the attribution have varied widely ever since: is it really by Rembrandt? By a pupil? Or perhaps both? To solve the mystery once and for all, the Mauritshuis decided to research and restore the painting again in 2007.  

CSI: Mauritshuis 
Before embarking on the conservation of Saul and David, the team at the Mauritshuis studied the painting thoroughly. To this end, the Mauritshuis composed an international committee of advisers and set out to find answers to key questions such as the original dimensions, the curtain, and the attribution. 

The research on the painting had many similarities with a crime scene investigation. Indeed, the masterpiece was likely cut into two pieces between 1830 and 1869, and later reassembled. Using the latest equipment and research methods clearly showed that the current painting consists of no fewer than fifteen different pieces of canvas: two large pieces from the original canvas (one with Saul and one with David), complemented by an old canvas (a copy of a portrait of Anthony van Dyck) and other strips on the edges of the painting. In addition, the research shows that the original painting was larger. 

The curtain on which Saul is drying his tears play an important role in the exhibition. It is a striking detail in the painting and has a prominent place on the canvas, but it was heavily overpainted and it was unclear whether it was part of the original composition. Two research techniques proved extremely useful when studying this issue. First, paint samples showed that the primer was typical for paintings from Rembrandt's atelier in the late 1650s and 1660s, and that the composition of the paint, with pigments such as smalt, red lake and earth pigments, was the same throughout the area of the curtain. A new technique, known as MA-XRF (macro X-ray fluorescence analysis), was also used. A mobile device, developed by the universities of Antwerp and Delft, was used to map out which chemical elements are present in the area of the curtain, making it possible literally to see under the overpainted layer of paint. The results exceeded all expectations. They clearly showed that the curtain was part of the original subject and, despite the discolouration, was largely intact. 

A person touches the painting "Saul and David", re-attributed to Rembrandt, during the exhibtion "Rembrandt? The case of Saul and David" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, on June 9, 2015. After eight years of examination and restoration by the museum’s own conservators, with support from researchers from various outside institutions including the Delft University of Technology, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Netherlands Institute for Art History and Cornell University, the Mauritshuis museum has reclaimed the painting as an authentic Rembrandt, saying it was painted in two stages by the master’s own hand. AFP PHOTO / ANP / MARTIJN BEEKMAN.

Attribution 
In 1969, when Horst Gerson de-attributed the work to Rembrandt, his assessment must at least have partly been due to the condition of the painting. Although the lining was robust, the paint layer was worse for wear. 

The question of the attribution of the painting remained unresolved until the end of the project. It became clear fairly early on that the painting was made in Rembrandt's atelier. This is suggested by the similarities with other paintings by him in the 1650s and 1660s, both in terms of primer and paint composition. An earlier suggestion, raised in a publication about Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis (1978), was that the painting was created in two phases. 

When the painting surfaced from beneath the dark and matt varnish layer, it became quite clear that the painting had indeed been painted in two phases. The Mauritshuis dates the first phase of painting to the early 1650s. The large format of the historical piece and the colourful and sensitive modelling of some aspects of the painting correspond well with other works of Rembrandt from that period. 

The research team was more hesitant about the second phase. The loose brushstrokes that make up the mantle at lower left look uncharacteristically wild. The daubs of paint on Saul's hand and nose, and especially around the eye, seem unnecessary and even ham-fisted. But it is important to realise that the appearance of the painting has changed greatly over time. Not only was it cut apart and put back together, but paint layers were removed in old restoration treatments and some pigments have discoloured. However, rejecting Rembrandt as the author of the second phase would force us to acknowledge that he allowed a pupil to 'finish' some of the more crucial parts of the painting, specifically Saul's face and hands - a quite improbable scenario. Another possibility is that the painting remained unfinished at the time of Rembrandt's death and was subsequently completed by another artist – but we have no evidence for this. The Mauritshuis has therefore concluded that the second phase was also painted by Rembrandt, in the mid-1650s. The rough appearance of parts of the second painting phase can be explained by the fact that the picture’s appearance has altered dramatically over time. Bredius, therefore, bought a genuine Rembrandt for the Mauritshuis in 1898.  

Exhibition 
Rembrandt? The Case of Saul and David is an exhibition about scientific research and restoration techniques. The masterpiece is shown to the public for the first time since 2007. An interactive presentation guides Visitors through the different questions that restorers and experts faced while working on Saul and David. The restored painting is presented together with six loans (three paintings, two drawings and a print) and a 3D reconstruction of the original format of the painting. This reconstruction was made possible by advanced 3D scan technology from Delft University of Technology and the innovative, high-quality elevated printing technology of Océ.

The painting "Saul and David", re-attributed to Rembrandt, during the exhibtion "Rembrandt? The case of Saul and David" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, on June 9, 2015. After eight years of examination and restoration by the museum’s own conservators, with support from researchers from various outside institutions including the Delft University of Technology, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Netherlands Institute for Art History and Cornell University, the Mauritshuis museum has reclaimed the painting as an authentic Rembrandt, saying it was painted in two stages by the master’s own hand. AFP PHOTO / ANP / MARTIJN BEEKMAN.

Boîte en laque bicolore sculpté, Dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong. Estimation  20,000 — 30,000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme polylobée comme une corolle à huit pétales, le couvercle finement sculpté au centre de trois pêches de longévité réunies parmi les feuillages peuplés de lingzhi et chauves-souris, entouré des attributs des Huit Immortels dans chaque alvéole alternés de lotus, le tout sur fond vert foncé de grecques, les côtés à décor de cartouches polylobés abritant différentes fleurs sur fond vert foncé alternés des Huit Symboles Bouddhistes, reposant sur quatre pieds en forme de ruyi à décor de lotus dans les rinceaux (2). Diam. 34,3 cm; 13 1/2  in.

Exhibited: Chinesische Lackkunst. Eine deutsche Privatsammlung, Museum fuer Lackkunst, Muenster, 30th May -29th August 2010, no. 50.
Lack - Meisterwerke chinesischer Handwerkskunst des 12. bis 18. Jhdts, Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, 19th May -29th August 2011.
In Lack getraenkt. Eine deutsche Privatsammlung chinesischer Lackkunst, Museum fuer Asiatische Kunst, 5th October 2012 - 13th January 2013.

Literature: Patricia Frick. Chinesische Lackkunst. Eine deutsche Privatsammlung, Muenster, 2010, cat. no. 54.

A CARVED RED AND GREEN LACQUER BOX AND COVER, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD 

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris. 10 juin 2015, 10:30 AM

Francis Bacon, Study For a Pope I, 1961. Estimate: £25-35 million. Photo: Sotheby's.

LONDON.- On July 1 Sotheby's in London will offer Francis Bacon's famed painting, Study for a Pope I, 1961, estimated £25,000,000-35,000,000. Consumed by an obsession with Diego Velázquez’s Portrait of Innocent X, the Irish-born artist created this monumental work specifically for his breakthrough retrospective at the Tate Gallery in 1962. For 40 years the painting remained in the collection of the celebrated art collector (and infamous playboy) Gunter Sachs, before being sold at auction in 2005 for $10m (£5.8m), a record price for any work by Bacon at that time. The subsequent ten years have seen a meteoric rise in the value of paintings by the artist. Today, the record for a Bacon stands at $142m (£89.3 million), the highest price for any work of contemporary art at auction. With the artist’s critical and commercial standing at new heights, Study for a Pope I, will lead the highest estimated sale of contemporary art ever staged in London, estimated £143.2m-204.6m. 

Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Senior International Specialist in Contemporary Art: “Bacon speaks to the soul; he captured what it means to be human like no other artist that came before or after. His portraits are sought by collectors from all corners of the globe because they express something universal, exploring the deepest psychological depths of the human mind” 

BACON AND VELAZQUEZ 
“…it’s one of the most beautiful pictures in the world and I think I’m not at all exceptional as a painter in being obsessed by it. I think a number of artists have recognised it as being something very remarkable.” - Francis Bacon 

Diego Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X captivated Francis Bacon. From the early 1950s he obsessively acquired books on the work, plastering black and white reproductions from the pages across his studio walls. Despite such an all-consuming infatuation with the painting, he famously chose never to view the original in the flesh at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome. 

Commissioned to paint the notorious Pope Innocent X, Velázquez dutifully portrayed the Bishop of Rome encased in the trappings of the most powerful man in the world. Yet within the gold, silk and lace vestiges of papal power, exquisitely rendered by the Spanish Master, we see a tortured human being beset by flaw and fallibility. Innocent X wears a pained and suspicious countenance which betrays his unscrupulous and duplicitous dealings as Pontiff. Legend has it that so insightful was Velázquez’s portrait, that when the Pope saw the finished work, he exclaimed with consternation: "Troppo vero!" (too truthful!). 

Critics have long debated the reasons behind Bacon's obsession with the Velázquez portrait. It is the subject that announced Bacon’s genius at the beginning of the 1950s, and would continue to obsess him for 20 years. “I became obsessed by this painting and I bought photograph after photograph of it. I think really that was my first subject”, the artist said. Born in Dublin in 1909, Bacon grew up during time of great political and religious unrest in Ireland, with the country on the verge of civil war. Religion and the church became closely bound with conflict, violence and power for the artist from a young age. Many viewed the Pope (just as in Europe at the time of Velázquez) as an unimpeachable figure of authority. Despite being a fierce atheist, an existentialist, he continually returned to religious subject matter, most famously in his portraits of the Pope. 

“I think that most people who have religious beliefs, who have the fear of God, are much more interesting than people who just live a kind of hedonistic and drafting life.... I can't help admiring but despising them.... - Francis Bacon 

Bacon identified the figure of the Pope as the supreme vehicle for an expression of modern man’s godlessness in the wake of the traumas of the Second World War. On his studio walls, alongside the images of Velázquez’s Pope, he would post photographs of Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler. Bacon takes us beyond the veneer of Papal infallibility to expose the flawed human being, presenting a figure afflicted by inner turmoil and despair. 

“If you look at a Velázquez, what do you think about? ... I don’t think about his sitters, I think about him… I think about Velázquez, I think people believe that they’re painting other people, but they paint out their own instincts.” - Francis Bacon 

AN EXCEPTIONAL HISTORY 
Francis Bacon's Study for a Pope I boasts an exceptional history. It is the first in a series of six major Pope paintings created by the artist between April and May 1961 specifically for his breakthrough retrospective at the Tate in 1962. A landmark moment in Bacon’s career, the exhibition was described the by The Times art critic as “the most stunning exhibition by a living British painter there has been since the war.” The second work from the acclaimed series, Study for a Pope II, hangs in the collection of the Vatican Museum in Rome. 

The painting was acquired from Marlborough Fine Art in 1966 by Gunter Sachs, former husband of Bridget Bardot and one of the great art collectors of the 20th-century. It remained in Sachs's collection for almost 40 years until sold at auction for $10m, a record-price at the time for any work by Francis Bacon. Over the last ten years there has been a remarkable rise in the market for works by the Irish-born artist. Today, the record for a Bacon stands at $142m (£89.3 million), set for Three Studies of Lucian Freud in 2013, the highest price for any work of contemporary art ever sold at auction. In 2005, Bacon’s auction record stood at less than that of the American contemporary greats Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rothko and Pollock. Now, in the space of just a decade, his work has superseded all of these artists in market terms. 

Study for a Pope I, 1961 will be offered as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction in London taking place on 1 July 2015 at 7pm.

Boîte couverte en laque rouge sculpté, Dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong. Estimation  15,000 — 25,000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme quadrilobée, le couvercle plat finement sculpté de trois dragons à cinq griffes menaçants volant autour de la perle enflammée dans les vagues écumantes, la scène encadrée d'une frise de pétales stylisés, les côtés ornés de flots tumultueux d'oùémergent les Huit Trésors, l'intérieur et la base laqués noir (2) - 19,7 x 19,7 cm; 7 3/4  by 7 3/4  in.

Exhibited: Chinesische Lackkunst. Eine deutsche Privatsammlung, Museum fuer Lackkunst, Muenster, 30th May - 29th August, 2010, no. .
Lack - Meisterwerke chinesischer Handwerkskunst des 12. bis 18. Jhdts, Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, 19th May - 29th August 2011.
In Lack getraenkt. Eine deutsche Privatsammlung chinesischer Lackkunst, Museum fuer Asiatische Kunst, 5th October 2012 - 13th January 2013. 

Literature: Patricia Frick, Chinesische Lackkunst. Eine deutsche Privatsammlung, Muenster, 2010, cat. no. 53.

A WELL-CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER 'THREE DRAGON' BOX AND COVER, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD 

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris. 10 juin 2015, 10:30 AM

A sapphire and diamond collar. Estimate £25,000-35,000. Photo Dreweatts

DONNINGTON PRIORY.- The Fine Jewellery auction at Dreweatts, Donnington Priory on Thursday 9th July has been carefully curated from private collections across Europe. Spanning nearly 2000 years of jewellery design and history, the sale features sparkling, enviable stones, with a comprehensive collection of designer pieces from Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier. 

The crowning glory of the sale are two beautiful rings, a 7.82 carat Colombian emerald and diamond ring [Lot 544, est. £30,000-50,000] and a 4.73 carat step diamond mounted ring by Van Cleef & Arpels [Lot 542, est. £50,000-80,000]. 

A 7.82 carat Colombian emerald and diamond ring. Estimate £30,000-50,000. Photo Dreweatts

the rectangular shaped emerald, weighing 7.82 carats, claw set between two triangular shaped diamonds, approximately 1.50 carats total, on a polished shank, finger size M

Offered for sale with a Gubelin Gem Lab Gemstone Report, number 15050217, dated 27th May 2015, stating: Origin: Characterists consistent with emeralds originating from Colombia. Condition: Indications of minor clarity enhancement 

A single stone 4.73 carats diamond ring by Van Cleef and Arpels. Estimate £50,000–80,000.  Photo Dreweatts

the step cut diamond with canted corners weighing 4.73 carats, four claw set above tapered baguette cut diamond shoulders, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, numbered M38644, L 1/2. 

Offered for sale with a photocopy of an Insurance Valuation from Van Clef & Arpels, dated September 5th 2003
Offered for sale with a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) diamond report, no. 5172187457, dated 3rd June 2015, stating: Colour E. Clarity VS1

Also from Van Cleef & Arpels are a pair of 1970s diamond clip earrings that were purchased by the current owner from Van Cleef & Arpels in Monaco, the pair are estimated to achieve £8,000-12,000 [Lot 540] and for buyers with more taste is a mother of pearl Alhambra necklace and ear clips, also by Van Cleef & Arpels estimated at £3,500-4,500 [Lot 537] 

A pair of diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate £8,000-12,000. Photo Dreweatts

designed as a foliate spray, set throughout with brilliant cut diamonds, approximately 7.20 carats total, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, stamped with French poincon, with clip fittings, 2.8cm long

An Alhambra mother of pearl necklace and ear clips by Van Cleef. Estimate £3,500-4,500. Photo Dreweatts

the quatrefoil mother of pearl panels within a beaded surround, one stamped VCA and numbered BL152582, with facetted belcher link chain connectors between, the clasp with French poincon, 80cm long; the matching stud ear clips signed VCA and numbered JB107743; both items have Authenticity certificates, in a Van Cleef & Arpels case

The ever desirable haute jewellery atelier Bulgari is well represented in the auction with 12 lots; prices start at £500 for a pair of B.Zero 1 hooped earrings [Lot 513] to £6,000 for an exceptional and rare suite set with diamonds and shagreen [Lot 522]. 

A shagreen and diamond collar by Bulgari. Estimate £4,000-6,000. Photo Dreweatts

the central circular shaped pendant set with brilliant cut diamonds with an inner disc set with further brilliant cut diamonds , approximately 0.95 carats total, suspended from a shagreen strap, signed Bulgari, stamped 750 with Italian control marks, 38cm long; together with a matching bracelet, the central circular pendant set with brilliant cut diamonds, approximately 0.85 carats total, signed Bulgari, stamped 750 with Italian control marks, 21cm long, in a black leather Bulgari pouch with outer box 

The post war period is extremely well represented with a rare early piece from Graff dated 1974 [Lot 381, est. £4,000-6,000]; a fabulous 1960's owl brooch from Cartier London [Lot 416, est. £8,000-12,000]; a 12 carat sapphire and diamond ring from Mario Buccellati [Lot 420, est. £8,000-12,000] and two scarab set dress rings from the Roman jeweller Masenza by Franco Cannilla [Lot 438, £1,200-1,800]; a gold and ivory competition piece from Gubelin [Lot 421, est. £3,000-5,000] and 1980s jewellery design from Hong Kong by the leading Hong Kong designer Trio [Lots 439, est. £1,500-2,000 and 440, est. £700-1,000]. 

A 1970's gem set Inca figure brooch by Graff. Estimate £4,000-6,000. Photo Dreweatts

the figure with a fringed skirt and a sapphire, diamond and ruby set head dress, holding a cabochon ruby, with diamond accented necklace, and cabochon sapphire knees, signed Graff, and stamped 18ct, London import mark 1974, 6.2cm long 

A gem set owl brooch by Cartier, circa 1960. Estimate £8,000-12,000. Photo Dreweatts

with a mixed cut citrine set body, and emerald and diamond accented eyes, with engraved feather decoration, sitting on a diamond accented branch, signed Cartier London, 5.7cm long

A 1960s 12.06 carats Ceylon sapphire and diamond ring by Mario Buccellati. Estimate £8,000-12,000. Photo Dreweatts 

the oval mixed cut sapphire, weighing 12.06 carats, claw set within a scalloped surround set with brilliant cut diamonds, approximately 1.30 carats total, with a border of foliate and scroll engraved decoration, on a textured brush finish shank, signed M.Buccellati, stamped 750 with Italian control marks, finger size M 1/2

Offered for sale with a Gubelin Gem Lab Gemstone Report, number 15050216, dated 27th May 2015, stating: Origin: Characterists consistent with sapphires originating from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Condition: No indications of heating (NTE)

Two scarab set dress rings by Franco Cannilla for Masenza. Estimate £1,200-1,800. Photo Dreweatts

each ring set with a blue glazed scarab beetle in a pierced raised textured setting, both rings signed Cannilla, Masenza Roma, one ring has a split shank, finger size K; the second ring finger size H 1/2 

A gold and ivory necklace by Gubelin, circa 1972. Estimate £3,000-5,000. Photo Dreweatts

composed of interlocking abstract gold colour and ivory pierced geometric links, 4.7cm wide, to a hidden clasp, stamped 750 with the Gubelin makers mark, 38cm long, 244g gross, with original blue Gubelin case

Offered for sale with a CITIES certificate A10 No. 533944, and a letter from Gubelin, ref. 42C-0233, dated January 2015, stating; Year of manufacture: 1972. Origin of ivory: Germany/ Friedrich Kolletsky KG

The ivory necklace belongs to a set with bracelet, brooch, earrings and a ring which were made for an ivory design contest in 1972. Kolletsky KG of Erbach, Germany still exists and had been Gubelin's ivory supplier for many years.

A coral and turquoise necklace by Trio. Estimate £1,500-2,000. Photo Dreweatts

the necklace composed of polished pierced square links interspaced with alternating coral beads and vari shaped turquoise panels, the box clasp signed Trio and stamped 14k, 48cm long, with a coral bead and oval shaped turquoise panel drop, 10cm long

A lapis lazuli, turquoise and diamond set dress ring by Trio. Estimate £700-1,000. Photo Dreweatts

the central cabochon lapis lazuli claw set above a round cabochon turquoise and brilliant cut diamond bombe setting, the reeded shank signed Trio and stamped 18k, finger size L.

The sale also features a comprehensive selection of fine antique, period and estate jewellery with pieces from the late 17th century to the early 20th century, including the most sought after names in jewellery history - Carlo and Arthur Giuliano [Lot 333, est. £8,000-12,000] and Alessandro Castellani [Lot 334, £2,000-3,000].

A late Victorian gold, enamel and gem set bracelet by Carlo and Arthur Giuliano, circa 1900. Estimate £8,000-12,000. Photo Dreweatts

the pierced circular panels each centred with a round cut ruby and a pearl to the cardinal points, decorated with red, green, blue and pale pink enamel, with peridot set links between, stamped C & AG, 18.5cm long, in Warski box with description.

A mid 19th Century Archaeological Revival brooch by Alessandro Castellani, circa 1870. Estimate £2,000-3,000. Photo Dreweatts

the brooch with a textured rams head swallowing its tail in the form of an Ouroboros, with ropetwist and granulation decoration, marked with the Castellani makers mark, 4.2cm long, 26g.

A Samanid slip-painted pottery Bowl,  Persia, 10th Century. Sold for £2,750 (€3,775). Photo: Bonhams.

decorated in cream and brown slip with pseudo inscriptions - 27 cm. diam.

Bonhams. ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART, 9 Jun 2015 10:30 BST - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A Samanid slip-painted calligraphic pottery Bowl,  Persia, 10th Century. Sold for £3,125 (€4,290). Photo: Bonhams.

decorated in cream and brown slip with inscriptions - 24.5 cm. diam.

Note: Inscriptions: al-'ilm ashraf al-ahsab ... wa al-[murr]owah ash[bak] ... [al ans]ab, 'Knowledge is most noble of all values and chivalry the most praise-worthy quality of one's heritage'. to the centre, ahmad, 'most laudable'.

Bonhams. ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART, 9 Jun 2015 10:30 BST - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A Timurid inscribed jade Amulet,  Persia, 15th Century. Sold for £1,500 (€2,059). Photo: Bonhams.

of cusped drop-shape, with flattened top edge, one side carved with floral design, the other side similarly carved with central hexagonal calligraphic panel - 6 x 7 cm.

Provenance: Collection of La Comtesse de Broissia-Tortillia, Alexandria; and by descent.

Note: Inscriptions: aqebat be-kheyr bad, 'May the end be good'.

Bonhams. ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART, 9 Jun 2015 10:30 BST - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A Safavid underglaze-painted pottery Vase,  Persia, 17th Century. Estimate £400 - 600 (€550 - 820). Unsold. Photo: Bonhams.

decorated in cobalt blue on a white ground with Chinese style designs consisting of pavilions, waterfalls, figures, and floral and vegetal motifs, pseudo Chinese mark to base, later copper mounts - 18.5 cm. high

Bonhams. ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART, 9 Jun 2015 10:30 BST - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A Kubachi underglaze-painted pottery Dish,  Persia, 17th Century. Sold for £2,125 (€2,917). Photo: Bonhams.

decorated in blue, white and black with Chinese style decoration consisting of cranes in an ornamental pond  33.8 cm. diam.

Bonhams. ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART, 9 Jun 2015 10:30 BST - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

An Ottoman gold-mounted jade Pendant,  Turkey, 17th Century. Sold for £1,000 (€1,372). Photo: Bonhams.

of cusped form, with glass insets in raised floral gold mounts surrounded by engraved scrolling floral decoration, the top of the pendant drilled for suspension, the reverse plain  5.5 x 7 cm.

Provenance: Collection of La Comtesse de Broissia-Tortillia, Alexandria; and by descent.

Bonhams. ISLAMIC AND INDIAN ART, 9 Jun 2015 10:30 BST - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Rampart near the Bulwark beside the St. Anthonispoort in Amsterdam, c. 1648 – 1652. John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation. 

AMSTERDAM - John and Marine Fentener van Vlissingen have brought together an impressive collection of landscape drawings by Dutch and Flemish artists during fifty years of collecting. The Rijksmuseum is presenting an extensive selection of 115 masterpieces from this collection. The drawings range from Amsterdam and Utrecht to popular destinations for artists such as Italy, France and England and to exotic locations such as North and South Africa. Highlights include the Amsterdam landscapes of Rembrandt (1606-1669) and Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/29-1682). The Home and Abroad exhibition can be seen from 5 June to 21 September 2015 in the Philips Wing of the Rijksmuseum.

Jacob van Ruisdael, View of the Amstel Bridge (Hogesluis), Amsterdam, c. 1663. John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation.

Wanderlust

Dutch artists have always had a reputation for being avid travellers. Under sometimes difficult conditions, they travelled on horseback, rattling stagecoaches, towing barges or on foot through the Netherlands, to Italy, Germany, England and/or France during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. 

A few even dared to travel to more exotic places, such as Malta or North Africa. Both while under way and once at their destination, they fanatically recorded the landscape in their drawings. For those who did not have the money, inclination or the courage to embark on such a venture, the work of other artists or their own imagination offered the solution. Dutch artists discovered the landscape as it was and depicted it in their sober realistic imagery. For the first time, rather than the landscape forming the backdrop to a biblical or mythological scene, artists regarded the landscape as a subject in itself.

Willem van de Velde II, De Gouden Leeuw Coming to Anchor in the IJ, c. 1673. John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation.

Rembrandt

Although he probably never left the Netherlands, Rembrandt also ventured out and frequently drew his surroundings, particulaly the area around Amsterdam. When he was in his forties in particular, Rembrandt became captivated by the everyday Dutch landscape, producing, for instance, the drawing on display here, the Rampart by the Bulwark beside the St. Anthonispoort in Amsterdam, It shows a view with a windmill and a man on a bench, which was just a few minutes walk from his home. Such views of Amsterdam were also a popular theme for collectors. The Bulwark beside the St. Anthonispoort in Amsterdam, for example, once belonged to one of the very first drawing collectors, the father of one of his pupils. Other highlights of the exhibition include the spectacularly coloured landscapes by Gerrit Battem (ca. 1636-1684), panoramas by Willem van de Velde the Elder (1611-1693) and Willem Schellinks (1627-1678), a woodland scene by Lucas van Uden (1595 - ca. 1672) and the monumental sheets showing Italian ruins by Josephus August Knip (1777-1847). A group of drawings of views in and around Utrecht from the famous Atlas Munnicks van Cleeff is also on display.

Abraham Bloemaert, Cabbages and Other Plants at the Base of a Tree, c. 1610-1630. John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation.

Publication

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue entitled Home and Abroad: Dutch and Flemish Landscape Drawings from the John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation
Edited by: Jane Shoaf Turner and Robert-Jan te Rijdt
With further contributions from Marleen Ram, Marijn Schapelhouman, Annemarie Stefes, Maud van Suylen, Hans Verbeek and Gerdien Wuestman. For sale in the Rijksmuseum shop and on www.rijksmuseum.nl

Gerrit Battem, Winter Landscape, c. 1670-1684. John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation.

Pieter Saenredam, The Choir of Utrecht Cathedral, 1636. John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation.

Coupe libatoire en corne de rhinocéros, Chine, Fin XVIIème-Début XVIIIème siècle. Estimation : 20 000 € / 25 000 €. Photo Aguttes

en forme de fleur à cinq pétales à décor en relief et détaché de volatiles dans un décor montagneux et végétal. H: 8 cm. Poids: 155,39 gr. 

Aucun document CITES ne sera délivré pour ce lot

AGUTTES, Arts d'Asie, Archéologie (Lyon). le 11 Juin 2015 à 14h00. Tel: 04 37 24 24 24.

Coupe libatoire en corne de rhinocéros blonde, Chine, Fin XVIIème-Début XVIIIème siècle. Estimation : 15 000 € / 20 000 €. Photo Aguttes

à décor sculpté en relief et détaché d'un personnage sous un arbre formant anse. H: 7 cm  Poids: 151,86 gr  (découpe hémisphérique postérieure en bordure) 

Aucun document CITES ne sera délivré pour ce lot

AGUTTES, Arts d'Asie, Archéologie (Lyon). le 11 Juin 2015 à 14h00. Tel: 04 37 24 24 24.