Zhang Daqian, Splashed-Ink Autumn Landscape, 1965. 59 x 44.5cm. Estimate $180,000-250,000. Sold for $509,000. Photo: Bonhams.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Two important paintings by the renowned artist Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) yielded top results in the June 23 auction of Fine Chinese Works of Art and Paintings held at Bonhams in San Francisco. 

A splashed in Autumn landscape, dated 1965, and titled “Qiu Shan Xiao Si” (Buddhist Temple in Autumn Mountain) (est. $180,000-250,000) brought $509,000 and a monumental landscape “Mountain Retreat Among Clouds and Streams,” dated 1972 (est. $150,000-250,000) sold for $485,000 in a hotly contested battle between floor and telephone bidders. The paintings were purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Hal Louchheim in the mid-1970s from the Erickson Gallery of Palo Alto, Calif., during the period when the artist lived in Carmel, Calif., and have been with the owners since the date of purchase.

These fine paintings, and a couplet of calligraphy painted by Zhang Daqian for the Chinese Industrialist Song Feiqing (1899-1955) which sold for $100,000 (est. $40,000-60,000) were among 83 lots of Chinese paintings sold to a full house of bidders during this 400 lot auction, which was part of a two-day sale featuring Chinese works of art and paintings and Asian Decorative Art from private collections, institutions and estates throughout the United States.

Property from the Family of Song Feiqing (Sung Fei-ch'ing). Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Couplet of Calligraphy in Running,Script, 52 1/2 x 12 3/4in (133.3 x 32.4cm) each. Estimate $40,000-60,000. Sold for $100,000. Photo: Bonhams.

The top lot of the afternoon was garnered by an elegant and diminutive blue and white porcelain meiping by the Republic Period artist Wang Bu (1896-1983). Wang Bu, along with his older brother Wang Qi, was one of the Eight Friends of Zhushan, and particularly accomplished in bird and flower paintings. This rare vase, painted with two chicks on a gnarled tree branch and only 17 cm high, carried a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-10,000, and soared within two minutes to a record price of $533,000. It came from a Hawaiian collection by descent, and was acquired in Hong Kong in the 1960s. Late Qing and Republic Period pieces painting by this school and founding artists are currently highly sought after in the market. A massive vase depicting “100 deer” painted by the artist Cheng Men (1833-1908) and dated by inscription to 1877, brought $68,750 - more than six times its pre-sale estimate. 

A blue and white porcelain meiping with birds on branch, Wang Bu (1896-1968), with two seals, 1920-1935.Estimate US$ 3,000 - 5,000. Sold for $68,750.  Photo: Bonhams.

A superbly carved white jade circular table screen of the 18th/19th century was the top lot of the fine jades and hardstone carvings offered from a California Institution and various owners. Selling for $269,000 against an estimate of $20,000-30,000, the elegant panel was carved with a landscape scene featuring Shoulao and two boys on a mountain path near a waterfall. 

A superbly carved white jade circular table screen, 18th-19th century. Estimate $20,000-30,000. Sold for $269,000. Photo: Bonhams.

An inscribed gilt bronze seated figure of Shadaksari Lokesvara, Kangxi mark and period, dated to 1680, sold for $185,000, and was the top lot of the bronzes and works of art offered in the auction. 

An unusual high karat gold 'dragon' snuff bottle, Qianlong mark. Sold for US$ 185,000 (€165,119). Photo: Bonhams.

The Chinese furniture in the auction brought consistently strong prices during both sessions, with a pair of huanghuali rectangular stools from the Estate of Naomi Lindstrom of San Francisco, bringing $87,500. The total for the two-day auction was $7,250,000.  

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Salomè con la testa del Battista, 1670 c., olio su tela. Londra, The Royal Collections - Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

FLORENCE - Why devote an exhibition to Carlo Dolci? And why now? 

The best way to answer those questions is by conducting an overview of the current state of scholarship in the field of 17^th century art in Florence – a field on which much research has been focusing for several years now, sparked in particular by the memorable anthological exhibition on 17^th century art in the Tuscan capital curated by Mina Gregori and Piero Bigongiari in Palazzo Strozzi in 1986. Almost thirty years on from that "historic" exhibition devoted to Florentine painting in the age of the Baroque – a field of study still relatively untapped at the time and a neglected area of Italian art history in general – much study and exploration has now been devoted to Florentine artists of the era, spawning numerous monographic publications and exhibitio ns on the work of individual masters, including Francesco Furini in 2007–8. In view of this rapidly growing interest in 17^th century Florentine art, we felt duty-bound to devote an exhibition to its undisputed protagonist, Carlo Dolci.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), San Giuseppe mostra la croce a Gesù Bambino, 1635-1640. Olio su tela. Marsiglia, Musée des Beaux-Arts.

An artist lauded by the critics and biographers of his day for producing works unique in their genre, painted with unimpeachable diligence and with a descriptive stringency that one might almost call "hyper-realistic", Dolci, who was extremely popular with the most illustrious members of the Medici family and with the aristocracy of Europe in general, distinguished himself in the masterly definition of his figures – often captured in poses of ecstasy, bathed in a sort of moonlight that gives them a complexion reminiscent of the finest porcelain – and in the intriguing, almost obsessive attention that he devotes to detail, from the soft, almost palpable fab rics of his figures' clothing to their splendid jewels which, to quote his biographer Filippo Baldinucci, were "imitated in such an astounding (and real) fashion that, however much one might touch the canvas to make sure that they were in fact painted, the eye still harboured doubt".

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Adorazione dei pastori, 1630-1635 circa. Olio su tela. Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art.

To pay fitting tribute to this great master, almost one hundred paintings and drawings  have been selected for the exhibition, to point up the lofty quality achieved by Dolci in the course of his career. His work is matched by painting and sculpture by other Florentine artists of his era, or a little earlier, and by a small but fascinating corpus of works which can be attributed to his pupils, who had the honour of preserving his style well into the 18^th century.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Ritratto di Stefano della Bella, 1631. Olio su tela. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina.

In its effort to shed light on the unique nature of Dolci's art, the exhibition showcases works of the first order from some of Florence's leading museums and from renowned public a nd private collections abroad, such as the British Museum in London, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Staatliche Museen inBerlin, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Cleveland Museum of Art inCleveland, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Fitzwilliam Museum inCambridge, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, Burghley House nearStamford, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Brest, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid and last but by no means least in importance, the Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II, who has loaned for the occasion Dolci's fabulous Salome with the Head of St. Jo hn the Baptist, which has never been shown in Italy before.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Angelo custode, 1640-1645. Olio su tela ovale. Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum.

It is worth highlighting the fact that a major restoration campaign was undertaken to coincide with the exhibition, focusing in particular on Dolci's work in the Florence area in addition to the pictures in the Galleria Palatina and other Florentine museums, producing a total of 33 complete restorations and revisions. TheOpificio delle Pietre Dure also restored and performed an in-depth technical inspection on the Dream of the Young St. John the Baptist (Galleria Palatina)and on a drawing of David and the Head of Goliath (Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera). This provided us with an opportunity to deepen our knowledge of the unique painterly technique favoured by Dolci, who used a range of highly original expedients such as gold for haloes applied in light dust form to obtain a nuanced effect. X-ray analyses also revealed a number of totally unexpected facets even to some of Dolci's better-known paintings.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), San Giovanni Evangelista, 1640-1650. Olio su tela in ottagono. Berlino, Staatliche Museen, Gemäldegalerie.

Dedicated to Mina Gregori, the exhibition is curated by Sandro Bellesi and Anna Bisceglia, who also edited the richly illustrated catalogue published by Sillabe with contributions from illustrious students of Florentine 17^th century painting. Thanks to this scholarship, much of which explores areas of Dolci's art overlooked until now, it has been possible to reconstruct the artist's "exact" career through the acquisition of hitherto unknown documents and the correct interpretation of the dates and inscriptions on some of his paintings, several of which had been erroneously transcribed even in recent studies. This comprehensive revision of Dolci's corpus of work, even today occasionally clouded by paintings of questionable attribution closely linked to the requirements of the art market and often devoid of any "history", has also led to the discovery of works hitherto unknown or thought lost, and presented here for the first time.      

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Studio di angelo in volo, 1638-1640 circa. Matita rossa su carta paglierina. Roma, Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica

The exhibition is promoted by the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo with the Regional Secretariat of the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività culturali e del turismo for Tuscany, the former Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze, the Galleria Palatina e gli Appartamenti Reali di Palazzo Pitti and Firenze Musei. 

Galleria Palatina di Palazzo Pitti, Florence. 30 June - 15 November 2015

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Martirio di sant’Andrea, 1646. Olio su tela. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Ritratto di Serafina Pezzuoli, 1640-1642 circa. Olio su tela fissata su doppia tavola. Firenze, Santi Michele e Gaetano.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Madonna con Bambino (Madonna dei gigli), 1650 circa. Olio su tela. Monaco di Baviera, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek (attualmente conservato a Schleißheim, Staatsgalerie).

 Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Poesia, 1648-1649. Olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria Corsini.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), San Domenico penitente e orante per le anime del Purgatorio, 1645-1646. Olio su tela. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), San Pietro in lacrime, 1654. Olio su tela. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687),  Cena in casa del Fariseo, 1649. Olio su tela. Stoccolma, Nationalmuseum.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687),  Carità, 1659-1660 circa. Olio su tela in ottagono. Prato, Palazzo degli Alberti, collezione Banca Popolare di Vicenza.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Gesù Bambino con una ghirlanda di fiori, 1663. Olio su tela. Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Vaso di fiori e bacile, 1662. Olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Ritratto di Thomas Baines, 1670 circa. Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), David con la testa di Golia, 1670. Olio su tela. Milano, Pinacoteca di Brera.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), San Giovanni Evangelista, 1671. Olio su tela ottagonale. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Beato Filippo Benizi in gloria, 1648-1649 circa. Olio su tela ottagonale. Brest, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Brest Métropole.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Ecce Homo, quarto decennio del XVII secolo. Olio su tela. Firenze, Museo diocesano di Santo Stefano al Ponte.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Pazienza, 1677. Olio su tela ovale. Londra, Trinity Fine Art.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Claudia Felicita d’Austria in veste di Galla Placidia, 1672-1675. Olio su tela. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Studio di fanciulla a mezza figura volta di tre quarti verso destra, 1658-1659 circa. Matita nera e rossa su carta bianca. Londra, The Courtauld Institute of Art.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), San Giovannino dormiente (il Sonno di san Giovannino), 1675 (?). Olio su tela in ovale. Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Sant’Agata, 1665-1670 circa. Olio su tela. Londra, collezione privata.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Cristo nell’orto, 1645 circa. Olio su rame. Genova, Musei di Strada Nuova - Palazzo Rosso.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687),  Angelo custode, 1670-1675. Olio su tela. Prato, Musei Diocesani, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (dal 1967).

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Angelo custode, 1670 circa. Matita rossa e nera su carta bianca filigranata, contro fondata su cartoncino azzurro. Firenze, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi.

Carlo Dolci (Firenze, 1616-1687), Autoritratto, ante 1674. Matita nera e rossa e azzurra su carta bianca. Firenze, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi. 

A magnificent diamond 'Holly Wreath' necklace set with 152ct of pear-shape, round and marquise diamonds by Harry Winston, New York. Hancocks at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C27.

Retro citrine & gold necklace, brooch & bracelet suite by Trabert & Hoeffer – Mauboussin, c.1940 – Hancocks at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C27.

A suite composed of a necklace with graduating rectangular-cut citrines, terminating at a central point, with removable brooch/pendant in the form of a tied ribbon, the bracelet with similar citrine ribbons surrounding a large claw-set central citrine. 

Important gold & citrine cuff bracelet & earrings suite by Aldo Cipullo for Cartier, c.1970 – Hancocks at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C27.

Fancy coloured and white diamond en tremblant dragonfly brooch by Bulgari, c.1970s – Hancocks at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C27.

Realistically modelled dragonfly brooch, the body set with a graduated line of yellow & brown diamonds, the wings each similarly set with brilliant cut fancy coloured green, pink & yellow diamonds, the diamond head set with cabochon emerald eyes. 

Important Gothic Revival long necklace with a cabochon sapphire pendant by Jules Wiése, c.1870– Hancocks at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C27.

Beautifully sculpted Medieval lady’s head gold pendant set with a single cabochon sapphire drop suspended from a quatrefoil-link chain.

Hancocks. 52 & 53 Burlington Arcade, London, W1J 0HH - United Kingdom. T  +44 20 74 93 89 04 - M   +44 7850 555 555 - F  +44 20 74 93 89 05 - E-mail info@hancocks-london.com - Website http://www.hancocks-london.com

An exquisite Tahitian pearl and diamond Cartier bracelet dating from the 1950s, which once belonged to Sita Devi, the Maharani of Baroda. Symbolic & Chase at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C7.

An Important Ruby and Diamond Bracelet, by Suzanne Belperron. Fred Leighton at Masterpiece London 2015, stand B20.

A paved field of mixed shape cabochon rubies is dotted with baguette diamonds totaling approximately 2.25 carats in platinum mountings with makers marks by societe Groene et Darde and French hallmarks.

René Boivin gold cuff set with a rare 52ct oval aquamarine. Fred Leighton at Masterpiece London 2015, stand B20.

It is typical of the retro jewellery created in the 1940s when World War II brought with it a scarcity of precious stones.

Fred Leighton. 773 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10065 - United States. T  +1 212 288 1872 - contact@fredleighton.com - E-mail contact@fredleighton.com - Website http://www.fredleighton.com

Balenciaga Haute Couture, automne-hiver 1965-1966. Robe du soir en plumetis de brivet entièrement appliqué de plumes d'autruche par Albert. Estimation 6,000 — 8,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: Garde-robe Madame Francine Weisweiller, mécène et amie de Jean Cocteau, figure emblématique du Tout-Paris d'alors.

Exposition: Hommage à Balenciaga, Musée historique des tissus de Lyon du 28 septembre 1985 au 6 janvier 1986.

Bibliographie: Hommage à Balenciaga, Musée des Tissus de Lyon, Editions Herscher, 1985, photographie de Jean Kublin, p. 91.

Note: Modèle similaire ayant appartenu à Jane Wrightsman conservé au Metropolitan Museum of Art à New York. 

Modèle porté par un mannequin de la Maison Balenciaga, vers 1965© DR

Photographie d’archive de la Maison Balenciaga© Archives Balenciaga © DR

untitled

 Jane Wrightsman portant une robe du soir, photo Cecil Beaton, Vogue 1966. 

Sotheby's. Rencontres Couture à Paris de la Collection Didier Ludot, 8 juillet 2015

Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1962. Robe de cocktail Évêque en cloque de la maison Véron. Estimation 4,500 — 5,500 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Cristóbal Balenciaga dans son atelier, Paris, 1968© Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

Sotheby's. Rencontres Couture à Paris de la Collection Didier Ludot, 8 juillet 2015

The Frederiksen Collection. Photo: Bonhams.

EAST JUTLAND.- Bonhams announces the single-owner sale, the Frederiksen Collection. Based in Denmark, the collection consists of 48 rare and iconic motor cars, all offered at an auction taking place at the home of owner, Danish gentleman, Mr. Henrik Frederiksen. 

The sale features predominantly pre-war motor cars, built by some of the worlds most exclusive manufacturers, including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Lagonda and Maybach. 

The Frederiksen Collection. Photo: Bonhams.

“Mr. Frederiksen has spent several decades building this outstanding collection, so it’s a great privilege for Bonhams to have the opportunity to offer these incredibly rare and meticulously maintained motor cars,” said Jakob Greisen, head of Bonhams US Motoring Department. “It’s certainly one of Europe’s most important motoring collections, with several of these outstanding vehicles having received internationally recognized awards at Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este.” 

Housed on the grounds of Lyngsbækgaard, a 16th century manor house built for Danish Royalty, the collection offers access to a personal museum of motor cars from pivotal points in early motoring history. 

“I think cars are a kind of art,” said Mr. Frederiksen. “I think they’re beautiful. I’ve always bought with the heart and not with the brain, I go with what I like, so no ‘one’ is my favourite. 

“Also, I've never sold a car before, so this is a first for me. I’ve used the ex-J.D. Rockefeller Bentley and the Cadillac the most, so I’ll be sad to see them go. I’ve been in the motoring world for a long time now, but it’s time for that door to close and a new one to open. I like the way Bonhams do things, so it was easy to make that choice." 

The Frederiksen Collection. Photo: Bonhams.

The Collection 
“Rarely does one see a single-owner collection that showcases such a broad variety of important brands, and yet still keeps to such a clear, historic theme where manufacturers pursue motoring perfection. It’s truly remarkable,” said Bonhams co-chairman, Malcolm Barber. 

Spanning the best of British, European and American motoring, the collection features some 13 Rolls-Royce, three Mercedes-Benz, three Cadillac’s and two Bentleys, in addition to offerings from Lagonda, Duesenberg, Jaguar, Horch, Chrysler, Renault, Citroën, Isotta Fraschini, Ahrens-Fox, Lincoln, Stutz, Packard, Auburn, Pierce Arrow and Alvis. 

From a 1905 Woods Electric Queen Victoria Brougham, to a 1974 Citroën DS 23 Pallas, the collection provides a fascinating look at the evolution of motoring, including vehicles of considerable rarity, such as Pebble Beach Concours winner, the 1939 Lagonda LG6 Rapide Drophead. 

The Frederiksen Collection sale will take place at Lyngsbækgaard Manor, in Mols Bjerge national park, Denmark, on Saturday 26 September 2015.

1931 Duesenberg Model J 'Disappearing Top' Convertible Coupe. Photo: Bonhams.

1933 Maybach DS8 Zeppelin Roadster. Photo: Bonhams.

1939 Lagonda LG6 Rapide Drophead Coupe. Photo: Bonhams.

A large Arita somestsuke charger, circa 1700. Estimate£500 - 700 (€710 - 990). Photo: Bonhams.

The well depicting birds around a lotus pond within an arcaded border featuring flower designs spaced by a fish scale ground, 53cm diameter

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 8 Jul 2015 11:00 BST - EDINBURGH

A Kraak blue and white saucer dish, 17th century. Estimate £400 - 600 (€560 - 850). Photo: Bonhams.

Freely painted to the interior with a medallion enclosing a confronting dragon, the broad flaring rim with eight lotus-lappet panels variously enclosing Buddhist emblems and sunflowers, divided by narrow panels of pendant Buddhist emblems reserved on trellis-diaper grounds, the exterior with stylised lotus-lappets, 32.5cm diameter

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 8 Jul 2015 11:00 BST - EDINBURGH

A blue and white goblet, circa 1690. Estimate £1,000 - 1,500 (€1,400 - 2,100). Photo: Bonhams.

Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1950. Tailleur "Pont" en ottoman noir. Estimation 4,500 — 5,500 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Balenciaga Haute Couture 1950, A black ottoman suit with curvaceous lines, ‘Pont’ model, owned by Madame Pauline de Rothschild

Note: Modèle comparable reproduit dans : Hommage à Balenciaga, Musée historique des tissus de Lyon, Editions Herscher, Lyon, 1985, p. 23.
Marie-Andrée Jouve, Balenciaga, Editions du regard, Paris, 2011.

Pauline de Rothschild portant un modèle identique© DR

 Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1950, modèle identique © DR

 Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1950, modèle identique © DR

Sotheby's. Rencontres Couture à Paris de la Collection Didier Ludot, 8 juillet 2015

Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1948. Robe de grand soir drapée en satin duchesse midnight blue. Estimation 4,000 — 6,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: Garde-robe de Mademoiselle Cécile de Rothschild.

Note: Modèle comparable conservé dans les collections du Kyoto Costume Institute, reproduit dans:
Marie-Andrée Jouve, Balenciaga, Editions du Regard, Paris, 2011, p. 51. 
Fashion, une histoire de la Mode au XXème siècle, Taschen, 2012, p. 176.

Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1948. A midnight-blue duchesse satin evening gown with side drapes to skirt, from the wardrobe of Madame C écile de Rothschild. 

Balenciaga Haute Couture, illustration d’Éric, vers 1948© DR

Balenciaga Haute Couture, 1948, untitled.

Sotheby's. Rencontres Couture à Paris de la Collection Didier Ludot, 8 juillet 2015 

A magnificent neo-classical gold fringe necklace by Eugene Fontenay, Paris, circa 1875. Wartski at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C1.

A Pair of Antique Gold Earrings. French. Circa 1880. Wartski at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C1.

in the form of pails suspended on movable gold chains from well wheel pulleys, the yellow gold pails finely chased to represent wooden staves, bound by platinum hoops. 

A Gold, Enamel and Gem-Set Frame by Carl Fabergé. Workmaster: Johann Victor Aarne, St. Petersburg, c. 1900. Wartski at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C1.

the circular yellow gold frame enamelled translucent blue over a moiré ground, the circumference decorated with gold beading, centred by a heart shaped aperture within a pearl bezel topped by a gold bow, supported on a scrolled gold strut and backed with an ivory panel secured with gold screws. 

An Art Nouveau Magnifying Glass by Lucien Gaillard, Paris, circa 1900. Wartski at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C1.

made of iron, the body in the form of a stag beetle with characteristic silver bands, the long horns encircling the glass lens.

A gold and gem-set brooch by Gustave Baugrand. Wartski at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C1.

centred with an oval rock crystal panel applied with an enamelled portrait of the Egyptian goddess Isis, her head-dress and twin necklaces lavishly set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, the border similarly decorated and set with three carved emerald scarabs.

A Gem-Set and Enamel Brooch, by Cartier, in the form of two fighting cockerels, New York, 1945. Wartski at Masterpiece London 2015, stand C1.

Wartski . 14 Grafton Street, London, W1S 4DE - United Kingdom. T  +44 20 74 93 11 41 - F  +44 20 74 09 74 48 - E-mail wartski@wartski.com - Website http://www.wartski.com

A Longquan celadon glazed octagonal dish, Ming Dynasty. Estimate £600 - 800 (€840 - 1,100). Photo Bonhams.

Its everted walls carved with flower sprays framed by combed lines and the well with a quatrefoil combed panel around diaper, its exterior walls combed and incised with repeat leaf shapes, the olive green glaze covering all surfaces except a large cinnamon-burnt firing ring within the base, wood display stand, 33cm wide

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 8 Jul 2015 11:00 BST - EDINBURGH

A Longquan celadon circular dish, Ming Dynasty. Estimate £600 - 800 (€840 - 1,100). Photo Bonhams.

The barbed rim above a lobed cavetto further engraved with foliage around a well with engraved diaper work, the olive green glaze covering all surfaces except a large cinnamon-burnt firing ring within the base, wood display stand, 36.5cm diameter

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 8 Jul 2015 11:00 BST - EDINBURGH

A Longquan celadon glazed stoneware jar, Ming Dynasty. Estimate £800 - 1,200 (€1,100 - 1,700). Photo Bonhams.

Thickly potted with a short neck, the compressed globular body surrounded by bands of carved peony and leaf scrolls above stylized lotus petals, and with all over translucent olive green glaze the unglazed foot pad burnt a cinnamon brown, 16.2cm high

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 8 Jul 2015 11:00 BST - EDINBURGH

Raqib Shaw, Trio III, 2014. Bronze with Renaissance Patina, 22.7 kg. 48 x 40 x 29,5 cm. Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris/Salzburg, © Raqib Shaw

A première vue, les nouvelles sculptures de Raqib Shaw, scrupuleusement exécutées selon la méthode traditionnelle de la fonte à la cire perdue à la prestigieuse fonderie d'art londonienne AB Foundry, ressemblent aux bronzes du maniérisme tardif. Un examen plus attentif révèle que ces hommes aux formes impeccablement polies, qui dansent, se débattent et se contorsionnent en petits groupes enchevêtrés, ont des têtes de chauves-souris vampires, des crânes à la place du pelvis et des mâchoires d'animaux chimériques à la place du sexe. Ils portent des bottes et autres accessoires en cuir tout droit sortis des clubs de nuit. 

Raqib Shaw, Trio IV,2014. Bronze with Renaissance Patina,52 x 36 x 37 cm (20,47 x 14,17 x 14,57 in). Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris/Salzburg, © Raqib Shaw

«Comme les sculpteurs maniéristes, écrit l'historienne de l'art Carolyn Miner, Raqib Shaw sculpte des corps souples, agiles et longilignes dont les membres et le cou sont parfois légèrement allongés… [Il] cherche à surprendre et à enchanter le spectateur en intégrant des éléments ludiques ou inventifs. L'étrange combinaison de têtes d'animaux et de sexes en forme de mâchoires dentées rappelle curieusement le bestiaire grotesque des bronzes maniéristes.» 

Raqib Shaw, Quintet, 2014. Bronze with Renaissance Patina, 65,5 x 36 x 40,5 cm (25,79 x 14,17 x 15,94 in). Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris/Salzburg, © Raqib Shaw

Toujours fidèle à son style singulier, Raqib Shaw donne à voir des images radicales, à la fois profondément imprégnées de références historiques et d'une telle somptuositéérotico-grotesque qu'elles nous entraînent aux confins de l'imagination.

Raqib Shaw,Duo I, 2014. Bronze with Renaissance Patina, 30,5 x 40 x 34,5 cm (12,01 x 15,75 x 13,58 in). Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris/Salzburg, © Raqib Shaw

Plusieurs peintures récentes composent également cette exposition. Riches de renvois iconographiques à l'histoire de l'art occidentale ou orientale, à la mythologie, à la poésie, au théâtre et aux origines de la science, elles séduisent aussi par le raffinement de la composition, la splendeur du coloris, la précision du trait et la finesse d'exécution extraordinaire. 

Tel un alchimiste d'autrefois ou un mixologue d'aujourd'hui, Raqib Shaw emploie une laque industrielle, peu courante dans le domaine des beaux-arts, qu'il applique méticuleusement à la plume de porc-épic afin de créer un foisonnement de détails d'une beautééblouissante.

Raqib Shaw, Self portrait in the studio at Peckham (after Steenwyck the Younger) I, 2014-2015. Acrylic liner and enamel on birch wood. 114,5 x 155,5 cm. Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris/Salzburg, © Raqib Shaw

Les quatre peintures exposées s'inspirent d'œuvres conservées à la National Gallery de Londres. Il y a trois autoportraits «d'après Steenwijck», «d'après Antonello da Messina» et «d'après Mocetto» respectivement, représentant l'artiste dans son bureau ou dans son atelier. 

En fait, il ne s'agit pas d'autoportraits au sens classique, mais plutôt d'auto-mises en scène qui rassemblent une foule d'éléments investis d'une forte valeur affective, tels que ses chiens adorés, certaines vues de la fenêtre de l'atelier, des bouteilles de champagne et même ses propre bronzes.

06 juin-25 juil. 2015

Raqib Shaw, Self portrait in the sculpture studio at Peckham (after Mocetto)I, 2014 - 2015. Acrylic liner and enamel on birch wood104 x 155,5 cm (40,94 x 61,22 in). Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris/Salzburg, © Raqib Shaw

Hemmerle brown patinated copper ring in white gold, with rubellite and spinels (£POA). Masterpiece London 2015, stand B33

Hemmerle  Earrings crafted out of garnets, copper, white gold - Munich, 2014. Masterpiece London 2015, stand B33

Hemmerle earrings crafted out of natural pearls, diamonds, copper, white gold. Masterpiece London 2015, stand B33 

Hemmerle ring crafted out of diamond, bronze, white gold. Masterpiece London 2015, stand B33 

Hemmerle earrings crafted out of diamonds, bronze, white gold. Masterpiece London 2015, stand B33