A diamond, ruby and enamel horse bangle bracelet & A diamond, emerald and enamel horse bangle bracelet, by David Webb. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

A diamond, ruby and enamel horse bangle bracelet, by David Webb. Estimate $35,000 – $50,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Designed as an articulated hinged bangle, the black enamel horse with oval cabochon ruby eyes and circular-cut diamond nose, ears and tail detail, holding a circular-cut diamond hoop, decorated with a sculpted gold mane and stripes, 6 1/4 ins. inner circumference, mounted in platinum and 18k gold - Signed David Webb

A diamond, emerald and enamel horse bangle bracelet, by David Webb. Estimate $35,000 – $50,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Designed as an articulated hinged bangle, the white enamel horse with oval cabochon emerald eyes and circular-cut diamond nose, ears and tail detail, holding a circular-cut diamond hoop, decorated with a circular-cut diamond mane and gold stripes, 6 1/4 ins. inner circumference, mounted in platinum and 18k gold - Signed David Webb

Christie's. IMPORTANT JEWELS, 20 October 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A diamond, ruby and enamel frog bracelet, by David Webb. Estimate $20,000 – $30,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Designed as an articulated hinged bangle, with two opposing white enamel frogs set with oval cabochon ruby eyes and circular-cut diamond lips, their gold spotted bodies forming the hoop, joined by an oval cabochon ruby, 6 1/2 ins., mounted in platinum and 18k gold - Signed David Webb

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF GLORIA G. MEYER

Christie's. IMPORTANT JEWELS, 20 October 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A pair of diamond and gold ear pendants, by David Webb. Estimate $50,000 – $70,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Each suspending a detachable circular-cut diamond foliate pendant, to the circular-cut diamond oval plaque surmount, 3 3/4 ins., mounted in platinum and 18k gold. Ear clips signed David Webb, pendants signed Webb for David Webb

With Certificate of Authenticity from David Webb 

Christie's. IMPORTANT JEWELS, 20 October 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A diamond and gold flower brooch, by David Webb. Estimate $50,000 – $70,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Designed as a circular-cut diamond flower, with circular-cut diamond leaf surround and baguette-cut diamond stem, 4 ins., mounted in platinum and 18k gold. Signed David Webb

With Certificate of Authenticity from David Webb

Christie's. IMPORTANT JEWELS, 20 October 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A diamond and gold brooch, by David Webb. Estimate $8,000 – $12,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Designed as a circular-cut diamond flower with sculpted gold detail, to the circular-cut diamond stem, 3 ins., mounted in platinum and 18k gold. Signed Webb for David Webb

Christie's. IMPORTANT JEWELS, 20 October 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

PARIS - Présentée dans la Petite Galerie tout au long de l’année scolaire, l’exposition « Mythes fondateurs. D’Hercule à Dark Vador » raconte comment dessinateurs, sculpteurs, peintres, marionnettistes, cinéastes ou musiciens du monde entier se sont nourris des mythes et leur ont donné forme et vie. Qu’est-ce qu’un mythe ? Comment les mythes sont-ils représentés ? Comment nous sont-ils parvenus ? Comment les artistes s’en sont-ils emparés ? Racontés, chantés, transcrits, illustrés, les mythes sont présents dans toutes les cultures et civilisations, jusqu’à la culture populaire contemporaine. Désireux de rendre l’art accessible à tous, le Louvre propose dans la Petite Galerie des clés pour répondre à ces questions.

Masque et casque de Dark Vador, 1979, métal, plastique et cuir, 40 x 35 x 40 cm, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Collection Lucas Museum of Narrative Art © and TM All rights reserved Lucasfilm Ltd. Used under authorization.

L’exposition présente environ 70 oeuvres, réparties en quatre sections.
La première salle vous invite à découvrir les récits imaginés par différentes civilisations pour expliquer la création du monde. Laissezvous ensuite conter les cycles de la nature dans le monde grec, égyptien ou perse.
Partez à la rencontre des héros mythologiques, comme Gilgamesh, Orphée, Hercule ou Icare et observez comment les artistes de
l’Antiquité ou de l’époque moderne les ont représentés.
Enfin, interrogez-vous sur l’interprétation contemporaine des mythes et des métamorphoses : de Jean Cocteau à Star Wars, les mythologies de la culture populaire ne puisent-elles pas toujours dans le même répertoire d’histoires et de héros ?

Tanuki, Japon. Bois sculpté et peint, cordon, papier. 21 x 10 x 9 cm. Musée du quai Branly © 2015. musée du quai Branly, photo Claude Germain/Scala, Florence

Le public au coeur du projet
La Petite Galerie propose à chacun d’apprendre à regarder les chefs d’oeuvre du Louvre et des autres musées. Grâce à une scénographie originale, des échantillons de matériaux, des cartels ludiques, des repères chronologiques et géographiques, elle facilite la rencontre avec les oeuvres et offre une nouvelle expérience de visite du musée.
Sur le site internet http://petitegalerie.louvre.fr, une visite virtuelle, des commentaires d’oeuvres et des récits de mythes permettent de préparer ou de compléter sa visite.
Un carnet de visite, un livret tactile et une application gratuite enrichie de commentaires audio-décrits et en langue des signes française facilitent la visite de tous les publics. Des activités animées par des médiateurs offrent aux familles un accompagnement précieux, pour faire de la découverte de la Petite Galerie un moment de plaisir et d’émerveillement.

Michel Anguier, Hercule aidant Atlas à supporter le globe terrestre, vers 1668. Terre cuite, 130 x 58 x 60 cm. Musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle

La Petite Galerie. Un lieu inédit pour comprendre et s’émerveiller

Projet nouveau et pérenne pour s’initier à l’art, la Petite Galerie du Louvre propose désormais chaque année aux jeunes et à leurs accompagnateurs (parents, enseignants, animateurs…) d’explorer un thème grâce à des oeuvres majeures de la préhistoire à la création contemporaine.
En dédiant un espace spécifique à l’éducation artistique et culturelle au coeur du palais, le musée du Louvre souhaite rappeler des ses fondateurs, un musée ouvert à tous depuis 1793. Déployée également en ligne et hors les murs, la Petite Galerie donne aux visiteurs les clés d’observation et d’explication des oeuvres, pour faire de la visite au musée un moment de plaisir et de découverte.

Amphore à figures rouges : combat des dieux et des Géants. 410-400 av. J.C. Céramique. 69,5 x 32 4 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Pierre et Maurice Chuzeville

Au Louvre, dans l’aile Richelieu, le public peut découvrir tout au long de chaque année scolaire une exposition mêlant, selon le thème choisi, peintures, sculptures, arts graphiques, objets d’art et de design, musique, cinéma, théâtre et photographie, reflétant ainsi la diversité de la création artistique.
Grâce à une scénographie inventive jouant avec la lumière et les couleurs et à une médiation novatrice (cartels ludiques, parcours de visite, médiateurs présents dans les salles,...), les visiteurs peuvent apprendre à regarder une oeuvre, la comparer à une autre,
s’interroger sur les intentions de l’artiste, développer leur culture générale, leur esprit critique et leur imaginaire.
La première exposition de la Petite Galerie, présentée du 17 octobre 2015 au 4 juillet 2016, s’intitule « Mythes fondateurs. D’Hercule à Dark Vador ».

Eugène Delacroix, Orphée venant policer les Grecs, étude préparatoire. Musée national Eugène-Delacroix © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Gérard Blot

«J’ai voulu concentrer nos efforts autour d’une mission du musée qui me paraît essentielle : l’accueil du public, de tous les publics, quels que soient ses origines, les raisons de sa venue, le temps dont il dispose ou son niveau de connaissance, déclare Jean-Luc Martinez, président-directeur du musée du Louvre. La question n’est plus tant d’augmenter le nombre de visiteurs que de savoir comment les accueillir et les aider à tirer un maximum d’enseignements de leur visite. La Petite Galerie est un projet qui me tient particulièrement à coeur, car elle nous permet d’offrir à nos visiteurs un Louvre plus accueillant, plus accessible et plus généreux. »

Aphrodite, dite Vénus du type de l'Esquilin. IIe siècle après J.-C., Brindisi (Italie) ?, Marbre de Paros. H. : 96 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

PARIS.- What are myths? And how are they portrayed? How are myths passed on to us? How have artists appropriated them? Told, sung, written, and illustrated, myths are a part of all cultures and civilizations, including contemporary popular culture. Presented in the Petite Galerie throughout the school year, the exhibition “Founding Myths. From Hercules to Darth Vader” tells how illustrators, sculptors, painters, puppeteers, filmmakers, and musicians around the world have drawn inspiration from myths, given them form, and brought them to life. 

In its desire to make art open to all, the Louvre provides the keys to answer these questions in the Petite Galerie. 

Plaque dite du Paradis terrestre. Vers 870 - 875. Ivoire. 34 x 11 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMN - Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Daniel Arnaudet

From Hercules to Darth Vader 
The exhibition displays some 70 artworks, grouped into four sections. The first gallery invites you to discover the tales told by different civilizations in an effort to explain the creation of the world. Then find out how the cycles of nature are recounted in Greek, Egyptian, and Islamic civilizations. Meet mythological heroes such as Gilgamesh, Orpheus, Hercules, and Icarus, and see how they have been portrayed by classical and contemporary artists. In the final gallery, ponder modern-day interpretations of myths and metamorphoses: from Jean Cocteau to Star Wars, Japanese manga to Fantômas, do the mythologies of popular culture not still draw from the same repertoire of stories and tales? 

Sculpture zoomorphe (crocodile). Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée. Culture Iatmul. Bois, pigments. 186 x 12 x 22 cm. Musée du quai Branly© musée du quai Branly, photo Claude Germain/Scala, Florence

nnovative approach 
The Petite Galerie gives visitors an opportunity to enrich the way they look at the masterpieces at the Louvre and other museums. Through samples of different materials, entertaining wall labels, maps, and timelines, it facilitates the encounter with artworks and offers visitors a new museum experience. 

A booklet of games and a free application with audio description and in LSF (French sign language) ensure a comfortable visit for all audiences. Activities led by museum guides are an excellent way for families to enjoy a fun-filled and awe-inspiring discovery of the Petite Galerie.  

Masque anthropozoomorphe Kanaga. Mali. Bois, pigments et fibre végétale, 118 x 58 x 20 cm. Musée du quai Branly© Musée du quai Branly, photo Thierry Ollivier /Michel Urtado / Scala, Florence

The Petite Galerie A new space for learning and wonderment 
True “education for the eye,” the Petite Galerie invites young visitors and their accompanying adults (parents, teachers, youth leaders, etc.) to explore a different theme each year through major artworks from prehistory to the present day. By dedicating a specific space to artistic and cultural education at the heart of the museum, Director Jean-Luc Martinez wanted to recall the spirit in which the Louvre was founded, a museum open to all since 1793. Also rolled out online and beyond the museum walls, the Petite Galerie gives visitors the keys to observing and explaining the artworks, thus ensuring their visit to the museum is a real pleasure. 

Hache rituelle, Oshe Shango. Bénin. Bois, perles de verre, fibres végétales. 50 x 20 x 11 cm. Musée du quai Branly© Musée du quai Branly, photo Thierry Ollivier /Michel Urtado / Scala, Florence

Throughout each school year, an exhibition held in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre will focus on a chosen theme through a mix of painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking, decorative art and design, as well as music, film, theater, and photography to reflect the diversity of artistic creation. 

With an inventive design that plays with light and color, and innovative approach (entertaining wall labels, viewing itineraries, museum guides, etc.), visitors will learn how to study an artwork, compare it with another, and consider the artist’s intentions, as well as develop their general knowledge, their critical mind, and their imagination. 

Stèle de la dame Tapéret (recto). Xe ou IXe siècle avant J.-C. (22e dynastie). Bois peint, 31 x 29 x 2,6 cm. Musée du Louvre© 2003 musée du Louvre / Christian Décamps

“I wanted to concentrate our efforts on a mission I see as essential: to accommodate museum visitors – all visitors, regardless of their background, the time they have available, or their level of knowledge,” explains Jean-Luc Martinez, Director of the Musée du Louvre. “It is no longer a matter of increasing the number of visitors, but rather knowing how to accommodate them and helping them gain as much insight as they can during their visit. The Petite Galerie is a project I feel especially strongly about, as it will allow us to give our visitors a Louvre that is more open, more welcoming and more generous.”

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri dit Le Guerchin, Circé, vers 1665. Huile sur toile, 124 x 81 cm. Musée du Louvre©RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle

Héraklès et le lion de Némée. Début Ve siècle avant J.-C., Pyrgos. Calcaire, traces de polychromie. 25,50 x 10,20 x 6,50 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMN - Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Christophe Chavan

John Martin, Le Pandemonium, Entre 1823 et 1827. Huile sur toile, 123 x 185 cm. Musée du Louvre© 2006 musée du Louvre / Harry Bréjat

Héraclès amenant Cerbère à Eurysthée (Face A), Peintre des Aigles. Hydrie de Caeréà figures noires. Vers 525 avant J.-C., Cerveteri (Caeré). 43 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

Héraclès et le lion de Némée (Face B). Amphore à figures noires. Vers 540 avant J.-C., Athènes. 42,30 x 28,50 cm. Musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

Paul-Ambroise Slodtz, La Chute d’Icare, 1743. Marbre, 38 x 64 x 54 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMNGrand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

Pierre Boucher, Serge Lifar dans la Chute d’Icare, 1938, Epreuve gélatino-argentique, 30,8 x 29 cm, Fond national d’art contemporain, Centre Pompidou—Musée national d’art moderne—Centre de création industrielle © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMNGrand Palais / Georges Meguerditchian © Fonds Pierre Boucher

Yves Klein, Ci-gît l'espace (RP3), 1960. Eponge peinte, fleurs artificielles, feuilles d'or sur panneau de bois. 10 x 100 x 125 cm. Don Rotraut Klein-Moquay à l’État en 1974. Paris, Musée national d’art moderne—Centre Pompidou, AM 1975-5 © Yves Klein / Adagp, Paris, 2015 © Photo tous droits réservés

Berdaguer et Péjus, Septième continent, 2001. Demi-sphère en Plexiglas, dispositif électronique et câble électrique. Diamètre : 320 cm. Paris, Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou© Adagp, Paris, 2015. Photo © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN-Grand     Palais / Philippe Migeat

Masse d'arme à tête de taureau, Iran. Musée du Louvre© 2015 musée du Louvre / Hervé Lewandowski

Dôme de clavette à motif de dragons. IIIe s. av. J.-C, âge du fer, Roissy-en-France. Bronze. 20 cm environ. Musée d’archéologie nationale© RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'archéologie nationale) / Thierry Le Mage

Amphore à figures noires : animaux réels et fantastiques, VIe siècle av. J.-C., Athènes. 30,9 x 19,4 cm. Musée du Louvre© RMNGrand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Hervé Lewandowski

Masque de Kagura. Début du XXe siècle. Bois de cèdre sculpté et peint, poils. 20 x 19 x 13 cm. Musée du quai Branly  © 2015. Musée du quai Branly, photo Claude Germain/Scala, Florence.

Masque miniature représentant le renard Kitsune. Papier mâché peint. 17,5 x 12,5 x 9,5 cm. Musée du quai Branly© 2015 musée du quai Branly /Scala, Florence.

BOLOGNA.- The Museo Civico Archeologico is hosting Egypt. Millennia of Splendour. Beneath the two towers, the splendour of a civilisation that lasted thousands of years and has always fascinated the entire world, has sprung back to life: the Egypt of the pyramids, pharaohs and multiform gods, but also that of sensational discoveries, captivating archaeology, passionate collecting and rigorous scholarship. 

The exhibition ‘Egypt’, which is being held at the Museo Civico Archeologico in Bologna, is not just an exposition of high visual and scientific impact, but also an unprecedented international enterprise: the Egyptian collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Netherlands – among the top ten in the world – and that of the Bologna museum – among the most important in Italy for the quantity, quality and state of conservation of its collections – have been brought together in an exhibition space measuring around 1,700 metres, filled with art and history. 

500 finds, dating from the Pre-Dynastic Period to the Roman Period, gave been brought from the Netherlands to the Bologna museum. 

And, together with the masterpieces from Leiden and Bologna, the exhibition also includes important loans from the Museo Egizio in Turin and the Museo Egizio in Florence, creating a network of the most important Italian museums. 

For the first time, the masterpieces of the two collections are being displayed side by side, including the Stele of Aku (Twelfth–Thirteenth Dynasty, 1976–1648 BC), the ‘major domo of the divine offering’, with a prayer describing the otherworldly existence of the deceased in a tripartite world divided into sky, earth and the beyond; gold items attributed to General Djehuty, who led the Egyptian troops to victory in the Near East for the great conqueror Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BC); the statues of Maya, superintendent of the royal treasury of Tutankhamen, and Merit, a chantress of the god Amun, (Eighteenth Dynasty, reigns of Tutankhamen and Horemheb, 1333–1292 BC), the most important masterpieces in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden have left the Netherlands for the first time for the Bologna exhibition; and, among the numerous objects attesting to the refined lifestyle of the most wealthy Egyptians, a Mirror Handle (1292 BC) in the shape of a young woman holding a small bird in her hand. 

Lastly, for the first time 200 years after the discovery of his tomb in Saqqara, the exhibition offers the unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the important Reliefs of Horemheb reunited: Horemheb was the head commander of the Egyptian army during the reign of Tutankhamen, then rising to become the final sovereign of the Eighteenth Dynasty, from 1319 to 1292 BC and the reliefs are divided between the collections in Leiden, Bologna and Florence. 

Thousands of years of the history of a unique civilisation revealed in a major exhibition that brings together masterpieces from important world collections and tells of the pyramids and pharaohs, the great captains and priests, the gods and other divinities, and the people that made Egyptian history and that, thanks to discoveries, archaeology and collecting, never stop enchanting, revealing, intriguing, fascinating and charming generation after generation.

THE SEVEN EXHIBITION SECTIONS 
The Pre-Dynastic and Archaic Periods – At the Origins of History 
The transition from raw material to form, from the oral tradition to the written one and from prehistory to history was a fundamental moment for Egyptian civilisation. The Leiden collection is rich in materials documenting the central role played by nature during this long cultural and artistic evolution. The exhibition opens with a selection of these objects, which are strikingly modern in style, including a vase from the Naqada IID Period (named for a site in Upper Egypt and datable between 3375 and 3325 BC) decorated with ostriches, hills and water motifs. The scene depicted on this vase takes us back to an Egypt characterised by a flourishing landscape later changed over time by climatic changes. Ostriches, here painted red, along with elephants, crocodiles, rhinoceros and other wild animals were common in the Nile region at the time. 

Vase decorated with ostriches, hills and waters, IID1 Naqada (3450-3325 BC). Painted Pottery. Height: 15cm, 17cm diameter max . Collection Insinger, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden, inv. 1901 F / 9.93. 

The Old Kingdom – A Political/Religious Model Destined for Success and its Weaknesses 
The historic period of the Old Kingdom (from the Third to the Sixth Dynasty, roughly between 2700 and 2192 BC) is known for the pyramids and for the consolidation of a bureaucracy at the apex of which stood an absolute sovereign, considered a god on earth and lord of all of Egypt. This definition of State and its worldly and otherworldly rules, which were highly elitist, are well documented by funerary objects, of which the Leiden museum has a particularly rich collection, including a calcite (alabaster) table for offerings. Offerings to the deceased were a fundamental part of the funerary ritual, ensuring life after death. The uniqueness of this table, which belonged to a high state official named Defdj, lies in its circular shape, which was unusual, as well as the repetition of the concept of the offering as indicated by the inscription, the sculpted receptacles and, most importantly, the central depiction corresponding to the hieroglyph hotep (offering), or a table upon which one places a loaf of bread. 

Offering table of Defdji, End V-VI Dynasty (2347 - 2216 BC). Alabaster. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden, inv. 9 AM.

The Middle Kingdom – The God Osiris and a New Perspective on Life in the Afterworld 
The end of the Old Kingdom and the period of political breakdown that followed it led to major changes in Egyptian society, within which the individual had greater responsibility for his own destiny, including in the afterworld. Any Egyptian with the means to build a tomb complete with a sufficient funerary assemblage could now aspire to eternal life. The god Osiris, lord of the afterworld, became Egypt’s most popular divinity. Many steles now in Leiden and Bologna came from his temple in Abydos, one of Egypt’s most important cult centres. Among them is that of Aku, major domo of the divine offering, who dedicated the stele to Min-Hor-nekht, the form of the ithyphallic god Min worshipped in the city of Abydos. Aku’s prayer to the god describes an otherworldly existence in a tripartite world: the sky, where the deceased were transfigured into stars, the earth, where the tomb was the fundamental point of passage from life to death, and the beyond, where Osiris granted the deceased eternal life.

Stele Aku, XII-XIII dynasty (1976 - 1648 BC). Limestone with traces of polychrome, Abydos. Height: 64cm, width: 41,5cm, depth: 10cm. Palagi collection, already Nizzoli. Archaeological Museum, Bologna, cat. EG 1911. 

From the Middle to the New Kingdom – Territorial Control at Home and Abroad 
The defeat of the Hyksos, ‘princes from foreign lands’ who invaded and governed northern Egypt for a few generations, marked the beginning of the New Kingdom. An extremely aggressive foreign policy enriched Egypt, and this was one of its periods of greatest splendour. The social class of professional warriors rose to the top of the state hierarchy and spawned a number of ruling dynasties. The wealth and prestige of these soldiers was also expressed in the production of sophisticated objects, including the gold items attributed to Djehuty, a general under the pharaoh Thutmose III. The Egyptian goldsmith’s art has survived in works of high artistic and economic value, an example being the pectoral element on view in the exhibition. This piece is a sophisticated exemplar attributed to the tomb of General Djehuty, the man to whom the sovereign Thutmose III entrusted control of his foreign territories. Representing a blue lotus flower, a symbol of rebirth and regeneration, it must have served as the central element of an elaborate pectoral. The scroll engraved on the back suggests that the piece was given personally by Thutmose III.

Element pectoral blue lotus, XVIII Dynasty, reign of Thutmose III (1479 - 1425 BC). Gold and glass. Height: 8,6cm, width: 8,1cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden, inv. AO 1b. 

Element pectoral blue lotus, XVIII Dynasty, reign of Thutmose III (1479 - 1425 BC). Gold and glass. Height: 8,6cm, width: 8,1cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden, inv. AO 1b. 

The Saqqara Necropolis of the New Kingdom 
The Leiden and Bologna museums can be considered ‘twins’ in a certain sense, since they house two important groups of antiquities from Saqqara, one of the necropolises of the city of Memphis. During the New Kingdom, this early Egyptian capital returned to its role as a strategic centre for the expansionist policy of the sovereigns of the Eighteenth Dynasty. This is seen in the funerary monuments of high state officials who held administrative, religious and military roles, including the tombs of the superintendent of Tutankhamen’s royal treasury, Maya, and his wife, Merit, chantress of Amun, and that of Horemheb, head commander of Tutankhamen’s army and the pharaoh’s crown prince.

Statue of Maya, XVIII Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333 - 1323 BC) and Horemheb (1319 - 1292 BC), Limestone. Height: 216cm, width: 74cm, depth: 108cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

Statue of Meryt, XVIII Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333 - 1323 BC) and Horemheb (1319 - 1292 BC), Limestone. Height: 216cm, width: 74cm, depth: 108cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

The statues of Maya and Merit arrived in the Netherlands in 1829 as part of the collection of Giovanni d’Anastasi. More than a century and a half would pass before, in 1986, a British/Dutch archaeological expedition identified the tomb from which they came, southeast of the pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. These statues, which are the greatest masterpieces in the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, left the Dutch museum for the first time to be displayed in the exhibition. 

 Statues of Maya and Meryt, XVIII Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333 - 1323 BC) and Horemheb (1319 - 1292 BC), Limestone. Height: 158cm, width: 94cm, depth: 120cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

Statues of Maya and Meryt, XVIII Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333 - 1323 BC) and Horemheb (1319 - 1292 BC), Limestone. Height: 158cm, width: 94cm, depth: 120cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

The statues of Maya and Merit arrived in the Netherlands in 1829 as part of the collection of Giovanni d’Anastasi. More than a century and a half would pass before, in 1986, a British/Dutch archaeological expedition identified the tomb from which they came, southeast of the pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. These statues, which are the greatest masterpieces in the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, left the Dutch museum for the first time to be displayed in the exhibition. 

It should be noted that, when the Egypt Exploration Society of London and the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden began excavation work southeast of the Djoser pyramid in 1975, the goal was to find the tomb of Maya and Merit. It was therefore a great surprise when they instead discovered the burial of General Horemheb, who had capped off his stunning career by becoming the last sovereign of the Eighteenth Dynasty. His tomb, which has a temple structure, is characterised by a pylon entrance, three large courts and three cult chapels facing onto the innermost court, which has a peristyle structure. This court is where most of the reliefs preserved in Leiden and Bologna were found, narrating Horemheb’s most important military feats against the populations bordering Egypt: the Asians, Libyans and Nubians. 

Relief with prisoners of war led by Egyptian soldiers in the face of Tutankhamun, XVIII dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333 - 1323 BC), Limestone. Height: 76cm (a relief), width: 192cm, depth: 20cm. Collection Humbert. 

Relief with prisoners Nubians controlled by Egyptian soldiers, XVIII dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333 - 1323 BC), Limestone. Height: 62,5cm, width: 85cm. Collection Palagi, already Nizzoli. 

Handle mirror, XVIII dynasty (1539 - 1292 BC). Wood and ivory. Height: 14,5cm, width: 3.4 cm. Collection Palagi. 

The New Kingdom – Prosperity after the Conquest 
Refined furnishings, musical instruments, table games and jewellery: these are just a few of the luxury goods attesting to the widespread prosperity enjoyed in Egypt as a result of the expansionist policy of the sovereigns of the New Kingdom. Through these sophisticated objects, it is possible to conjure up moments of everyday life, imagining what it was like living inside a royal palace or the residence of a high official. One example in the exhibition is a mirror handle in the graceful, sensual shape of a young women holding a small bird in her hand. 

Anthropoid sarcophagus of Peftjauneith, XXVI Dynasty (664 -525 BC). Wood stuccoed and painted. Height: 36cm, width: 63cm, length: 240cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

Anthropoid sarcophagus of Peftjauneith, XXVI Dynasty (664 -525 BC). Wood stuccoed and painted. Height: 36cm, width: 63cm, length: 240cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

Anthropoid sarcophagus of Peftjauneith, XXVI Dynasty (664 -525 BC). Wood stuccoed and painted. Height: 36cm, width: 63cm, length: 240cm. Collection D'Anastasi, Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden.

Egypt in the First Millennium 
In the first millennium BC, Egypt was characterised by the increasingly clear weakness of its central power to the advantage of local governors who gave themselves the role of ruling dynasts. The loss of political and territorial power weakened Egypt’s defence capacity at its borders, opening the way for Nubian, Assyrian and Persian invasions. The temples remained strong centres of power, and managed a sizeable portion of the economy and the transmission of knowledge, taking on the role of a political intermediary between the ruling power and the devout populace. Many of the masterpieces on view in the exhibition were part of the funerary assemblages of priests and came from important temple areas. Among them is the sarcophagus of Peftjauneith, which represents the likeness of the god Osiris, wrapped in a linen shroud and with a green face evoking the concept of rebirth. The refined decoration of this sarcophagus confirms the high rank of its owner (the superintendent of the possessions of a temple in Lower Egypt) in the temple sphere. Of particular note is the interior scene of the sky goddess Nut swallowing the sun every evening (to the west) to then give birth to it in the morning (to the east). 

Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt in 332 BC ended the ‘pharaonic’ phase of Egyptian history. The period of Greek domination was begun by his successors, the Ptolemies, the last of whom was the renowned Cleopatra VII. 

The golden decline of Egypt would continue for many more centuries, beyond the Roman conquest in 31 BC up to Arab domination in the sixth century AD. 

The dialogue between old and new, local and foreign that distinguished the Greco-Roman period brought a return to high artistic achievements, including the celebrated Fayum portraits, exquisite examples of which from the Leiden collection are on view in the exhibition.

Female portrait of Fayum, Roman Period (30 BC - 395 AD). Wood painting ecausto.  Height: 34,5cm, width: 17cm, thickness: 3cm. Purchased in Berlin in 1928. Rijksmuseum van Ouheden, Leiden. 

A Junyao tripod incense burner, Jin-Yuan Dynasty. Estimate £2,500 - 3,000 (€3,400 - 4,100). Photo Bonhams.

Set on three cabriole style feet, the compressed globular body rising to a cylindrical neck and everted rim, covered overall in a lightly crackle suffused turquoise glaze, reserved with a deep pinkish purple splash to one side of the body, rising to the rim and continuing to the interior, two further small violet splashes to the interior. 10cm (4in) diam.

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 9 Nov 2015 10:30 GMT - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A Junyao bowl, Jin-Yuan Dynasty. Estimate £1,000 - 1,500 (€1,400 - 2,100). Photo Bonhams.

The conical bowl covered in a thick phase-separated glaze of a mottled blue and turquoise hue, thinning to mushroom at the gently inverted mouth rim, the glaze stopping short of the unglazed foot rim, the interior with a vibrant purple splash. 18.8cm (7 3/8in) diam.

Provenance: Guest & Gray (label)

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 9 Nov 2015 10:30 GMT - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A Junyao saucer dish, Yuan Dynasty. Estimate £700 - 900 (€960 - 1,200). Photo Bonhams.

With petal lobed rim, the mottled bluish grey glaze thinning to a mushroom hue at the raised lobe edges and in streaks to the centre, the side with a pinkish purple splash, the glaze falling short of the foot. 11.5cm (4.1/2in) diam.

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 9 Nov 2015 10:30 GMT - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

A small Junyao dish, Yuan Dynasty. Estimate £1,500 - 2,000 (€2,100 - 2,700). Photo Bonhams.

The shallow dish with a flat lip and raised on a short footrim, all covered in a thick sky-blue phase-separated glaze, thinning to a speckled mushroom hue at the mouth rim. 12.6cm (5in) diam.

Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 9 Nov 2015 10:30 GMT - LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

Chaumet high jewellery Liens earrings in rhodium-plated white gold, set with four round-cut Ceylon blue sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds.

Chaumet Liens necklace set with 34 round-cut Ceylon blue sapphires alternating with brilliant-cut diamonds in rhodium-plated white gold.

Chaumet high jewellery Liens ring in rhodium-plated white gold, set with brilliant-cut diamonds and a 5.78ct cushion-cut Ceylon sapphire.

Sifani white and pink gold peacock necklace, set with blue Sri Lankan sapphires, tsavorites, brown diamonds and diamonds.

Vintage hummingbird brooch in white gold from Careems Jewellers, set with Sri Lankan sapphires and tsavorites.

Bulgari high jewellery necklace set with a central Sri Lankan sapphire, sapphire beads, brilliant-cut diamonds and pavé diamonds.

Van Cleef & Arpels Seven Seas Etoiles high jewellery ring in white gold, inspired by the Arabian Sea, set with an oval-cut 7.29ct Sri Lankan blue sapphire surrounded by round and baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires.

Lee Miller, Jeanne Lanvin in Vogue, June 1, 1928. Photo Edward Steichen

Joan Clement in Lanvin's crystal embellished robe de style, Vogue, November 1, 1926. Photo Edward Steichen

Mme-Hilling, wears Lanvin's Russian diadem, Vogue, October 1, 1933. Photo George Hoyningen-Huene 

Helen Lyons in Jeanne Lanvin Vogue, May 1, 1924. Photo Edward Steichen 

Lanvin's romanticism, here Expressed with a butterfly bow at the back of a stunning evening dress, coexisted with Art Deco's streamlined aesthetic Vogue, May 1, 1927. Photo Edward Steichen

Jeanne Lanvin draping fabric on a model, 1929. Photo Laure Albin Guillot - Roger Viollet

Jeanne Lanvin for Studio Harcourt (c) Lanvin Heritage Palais Galliera Collection Katerina Jebb

Jeanne Lanvin (c) Getty Images

Lee Miller in Lanvin, 1937. Photo George Hoyningen-Huene

"GIGI", Lanvin, 1951. Photo Henry Clarke

A 'Qingbai' ewer and cover, Song dynasty. Estimate £8,000 — 12,000. Photo: Sotheby's

the well potted lobed globular body rising to a waisted neck flaring at the rim, set to one side with a slender curving spout opposite a strap handle surmounted with a small ring corresponding to a ring on the circular concave cover, covered overall with a transparent pale blue glaze pooling to a darker tone within the recesses, the base and footrim unglazed/ Quantité: 2 - 12.2cm., 4 3/4 in.

PROPERTY FROM A PORTUGUESE PRIVATE COLLECTION 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 11 nov. 2015, 11:00 AM 

A 'Qingbai' moulded 'double phoenix' bowl, Southern Song dynasty. Estimate £5,000 — 7,000. Photo: Sotheby's

the gently sloping sides rising from a short straight foot to a flared rim, moulded to the interior with two phoenix in flight amongst lotus, below a thin band of keyfret - 15cm., 6in.

PROPERTY FROM A PORTUGUESE PRIVATE COLLECTION  

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 11 nov. 2015, 11:00 AM 

A 'Qingbai' carved foliate dish, Southern Song dynasty. Estimate £4,000 — 6,000. Photo: Sotheby's

the rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a gently everted rim cut with notches to create six lobes, carved to the interior with three sprays of lotus, covered overall in a vitreous pale blue glaze - 18cm., 7 1/8 in.

PROPERTY FROM A PORTUGUESE PRIVATE COLLECTION  

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 11 nov. 2015, 11:00 AM