Carabus Eucarabus Obsoletus

Carabus irregularis

Carabus Macrothorax morbillosus alternans

Carabus Chrysocarabus solieri liguranus

Bernardo Bellotto (Venice 1722 - 1780 Warsaw), Architectural Capriccio with a Self-Portrait in the Costume of a Venetian Nobleman, c. 1762 - 65. Oil on canvas, 61 1/2 x 44 1/4 inches (Courtesy of Otto Naumann, Ltd.)

NEW YORK, NY.- Otto Naumann and Robert Simon jointly announce that their exhibition “In Light of Venice: Venetian Painting in Honor of David Rosand,” will open on January 11th, 2016 at the Otto Naumann Gallery, 22 East 80th Street in New York. More than thirty important works of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods -- many never before seen publicly-- will be on view for this milestone event. A portion of the proceeds of sales will benefit the David Rosand Tribute Fund at Columbia University, which was formed last year establishing a Professorship in Italian Renaissance Art History in David Rosand’s honor, as well as to fund other programs important to Venetian studies and to the teaching of art history. These include support for Casa Muraro, Columbia’s residence and study center in Venice, Italy that Professor Rosand first conceived and developed. 

Both Naumann and Simon studied art history at Columbia and have continued their scholarly work while operating their eponymous art galleries devoted to Old Master paintings. Simon notes that with the changing focus of academic art history, support is needed to maintain the teaching of the crucial Renaissance period. “With the establishment of the Rosand Professorship in the Italian Renaissance, the subject is insured to be taught in perpetuity by distinguished scholars.” 

Adds Naumann: “The exhibition demonstrates that important works by some of the greatest masters of the period are still on the market and many are certain to find homes in private collections, as well as in museums.”  

Palma il Vecchio (Bergamo, ca. 1480 - 1528 Venice) A Shepherd and Two Women, oil on panel, 27 1/4 x 37 1/4 inches (Courtesy of Otto Naumann, Ltd.)

While the exhibition will feature paintings from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries, the focus will be on the 1500s, the period most studied by Professor Rosand in his many books and publications. Featured artists include Carpaccio, Giovanni Bellini, Palma il Vecchio, Titian, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, and Jacopo Bassano. Other sixteenth-century paintings to be exhibited are by Palma il Giovane, the subject of Professor Rosand’s doctoral dissertation, Bonifazio Veronese, and Paris Bordone. Later Venetian paintings include significant works by Amigoni, Bambini, Guardi, Diziani, and Bernardo Bellotto. All paintings will be for sale. 

David Rosand received his undergraduate and graduate education at Columbia, earning his Ph.D. in 1965. He was on the faculty there from that time until his death in August 2014, when he held the title of Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History Emeritus. His impact on students at Columbia and in the field of Venetian Studies has been enormous –through his teaching, his groundbreaking publications on Venetian art, and his studies on the making of art spanning all periods. 

The exhibition will be held at Otto Naumann, Ltd., 22 East 80th Street, in New York City. Gallery hours during the exhibition will be Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tiziano Vecellio, called Titian (Pieve di Cadore, ca. 1488 - 1576 Venice), Saint Sebastian. Oil on canvas, 74 3/4 x 37 3/4 inches (Courtesy of Otto Naumann, Ltd.)

Hans de Jode, View of the Tip of the Seraglio with Topkapı Palace, 1659. Canvas, 135 x 221 cm © KHM-Museumsverband.

VIENNA.- Kunst Historisches Museum in Vienna's Point of View # 14 presents a painting with a highly unusual subject matter that has not been on show to the public for several decades. The large-scale, recently restored composition by Hans de Jode (c. 1630 – c. 1663) depicts the tip of the Seraglio with Topkapi Palace (Turkish “Topkapi Sarayi”) in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). Signed and dated 1659, this view of the main residence of the Ottoman Sultan is first mentioned that very year in the inventory of the collection assembled by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Vienna. We do not know, however, if the passionate collector acquired the work on the art market, if he commissioned it, or if the artist dedicated it to him. 

We also know very little about de Jode’s life: born in The Hague, the Netherlandish artist eventually moved to Vienna at some as yet undetermined date; our painting was probably produced here. The only thing we do know for certain is that de Jode was married in Vienna in 1662, and that he belonged to the circle of Netherlandish artists with contacts to the Imperial court. Various stylistic influences suggest an earlier Italian sojourn where he produced his first dated paintings. 

The composition seems to imply that de Jode actually visited Constantinople; this, however, is not supported by various motifs clearly invented by the artist, for example the fantastic mountains in the background. But we may assume that he based his more-orless realistic renderings of some of the buildings on extant templates. The great metropolis on the Bosporus, capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1452 when it became the seat of the Ottoman rulers, attracted numerous European artists, many of whom travelled there as part of a diplomatic embassy. After their return, their drawings informed countless views of the city and the palace that pandered to Europe’s deep fascination with the appearance of these sumptuous buildings and the legendary exotic splendour of the Ottoman court. The painting now in Vienna is a little-known but highly representative example of the Baroque’s love for all things Oriental. 

In 2012 the Picture Gallery began a series of exhibitions entitled Points of View, each of which showcases a single exceptional artwork from the collection that is rarely exhibited either due to lack of hanging space or where recent research has revealed interesting new aspects that invite visitors to take a closer look

Model Dovima wearing Balenciaga, 1950. Photo by Richard Avedon

Balenciaga, 1950s. Photo by Philippe Pottier

Pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain octagonal pear-shaped vases, 1700-1730, Erddig, Wrexham, NT 1145621.1&2.© National Trust Collections/Susanne Gronnow

Chinese blue and white porcelain octagonal pear-shaped vase, 1700-1730, Erddig, Wrexham, NT 1145621.1. ©National Trust Collections/Susanne Gronnow

Chinese blue and white porcelain octagonal pear-shaped vase, 1700-1730, Erddig, Wrexham, NT 1145621.2. ©National Trust Collections/Susanne Gronnow

Erddig, Wrexham

The Hongs Bowl, 1786 - 1788, Guangzhou workshop. Hard-paste porcelain with enamel, 150 mm (Height); 370 mm (Diameter). NT 959642. Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire © National Trust / Robert Thrift

Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire

David Le Marchand (1674-1726), John Somers, 1st Baron Somers of Evesham (1651 – 1716), 1706. Ivory, 411 mm (Height) x 90 mm (Depth); 494 mm (Height); 189 mm (Diameter). NT 208766. Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire© National Trust Photo Library

Lot 8147. A mottled red and yellow glass water coupe imitating realgar, 18th century. Sold for US$ 1,875 (€1,720). Photo Bonhams.

Of compressed globular form, the exterior walls shaded from rose to a yellow orange that continues onto the wide foot and much of the recessed base mixed with faint lines of olive while the interior surfaces present more vivid swirls of red and yellow (burst bubbles, wear to foot). 7in (17.8cm) diameter

Property from the Collection of William J. Lillyman

Bonhams. CHINESE, INDIAN AND HIMALAYAN WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 10 Dec 2015 10:00 PST - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 8148. A translucent golden amber glass bowl with carved decoration, Qianlong four-character mark and of the period. Sold for US$ 5,250 (€4,817). Photo Bonhams.

Thickly formed with a flared rim and raised on low foot, its exterior walls carved in high relief with lotus, water plants, birds and waves and the shallow recessed base displaying the four-character mark incised in regular script within a square cartouche. 6 5/8in (16.8cm) diameter

Published and illustrated: Emily Byrne Curtis, 'Chinese Glass-Making: Tradition and Transformation,' Arts of Asia, vol. 28, Nov.-Dec. 1998, No. 6, p. 103, illustrations 8 & 9, as of the period

A copy of the 1998 Arts of Asia volume accompanies this lot.

Bonhams. CHINESE, INDIAN AND HIMALAYAN WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 10 Dec 2015 10:00 PST - SAN FRANCISCO

Chinese Han Dynasty earthenware model of a horse. Price £3,250 at Cooper Events.

A 2000-year-old Chinese earthenware model of a horse from the tomb of a wealthy Chinese ruler will be a major attraction when it goes on sale at The Tatton Park Antiques, Decorative & Art Fair from 8th - 10th January.

Dating from between 206BC - 220AD, the horse originates from the Chinese Han Dynasty and is a large example of its type at 62cm high. It belongs to dealer Paul Burnett from Bristol who sells antiquities amongst his stock of decorative interior pieces. Says Paul: ‘This horse is an exceptional find because of its good condition and size. It will appeal not only to collectors of rare antiquities but also anyone seeking a striking talking point for their home. It’s the kind of antique that today is often bought by interior designers.’ The horse is priced at £3,250.

The Tatton Park Fair is a popular three-day event that heralds the start of the antiques season in the North of England and provides the ideal opportunity to view and buy a wide range of fine quality antiques, decorative period pieces, collectors’ items and original art, all at prices from less than £50 to more than £20,000.

Cooper Events - January 8-10, 2016 - www.cooperevents.com

Samuel F. B. Morse, Gallery of the Louvre, 1831 – 33. Oil on canvas, Image: 73 3/4 x 108 in. (187.3 x 274.3 cm) Frame: 88 3/4 x 123 in. (225.4 x 312.4 cm) Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1992.51 Photography ©Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago

BENTONVILLE , Arkansas - Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art announces the opening of Samuel F.B. Morse’s Gallery of the Louvre and the Art of Invention on view January 23 through April 18, 2016 in the Early Twentieth-Century Gallery.

Known today primarily for his role in the development of the electromagnetic telegraph and Morse code, Samuel F. B. Morse began his career as a painter. In 1829, Morse embarked upon a three-year period of study in Paris. This culminated in the monumental painting Gallery of the Louvre, in which the artist chose masterpieces from the Louvre’s collection and depicted them as if they had been exhibited together in one of the museum’s grandest spaces. The work brings together Morse’s artistic and scientific pursuits, revealing an adoration of the old masters as well as the artist’s Calvinist worldview and conservative cultural politics. In total, Morse included 38 of his favorite masterworks in this tightly arranged “salon-style” presentation. Gallery of the Louvre was created between 1831 and 1833 in Paris and New York and is now part of the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago.

“We are pleased to offer our visitors the rare opportunity to see a brilliant artistic experimentation in one of the most significant American paintings of the early nineteenth century,” says Manuela Well-Off-Man, Crystal Bridges curator.

Gallery of the Louvre (detail), 1831–33, Samuel F. B. Morse. ©2016 SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Gallery of the Louvre (detail), 1831–33, Samuel F. B. Morse. ©2016 SEATTLE ART MUSEUM 

Gallery of the Louvre (detail), 1831–33, Samuel F. B. Morse. ©2016 SEATTLE ART MUSEUM 

Gallery of the Louvre (detail), 1831–33, Samuel F. B. Morse. ©2016 SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Gallery of the Louvre (detail), 1831–33, Samuel F. B. Morse. ©2016 SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Gallery of the Louvre (detail), 1831–33, Samuel F. B. Morse. ©2016 SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Morse hoped Gallery of the Louvre would offer Americans a fine example for arts education, as well as stimulate art collecting and patronage. Scholars believe that Morse painted himself (at front center) in the role of teacher advising a student. The author James Fennimore Cooper, a friend of Morse, is depicted at left with his wife and daughter.

Morse showed Gallery of the Louvre as a single-painting exhibition only twice—in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut—where it was praised by critics and connoisseurs but failed to capture the imagination of the public. Crushed by the lukewarm public response, Morse soon ceased painting altogether, moving on to his more successful experiments with the electromagnetic telegraph, and, most famously, Morse code. Today, after months of conservation and years of scholarly study, this impressive work of American art reveals Morse’s fascination with the transmission of information: in both his desire to share masterworks from Europe with the American people, and his invention of Morse code.

In addition to the Gallery of the Louvre, the Terra Foundation for American Art is providing the painting, Overview of Francis I, (1831-32) the only known study related to Gallery of the Louvre by Samuel F. B. Morse. The exhibition also features works on loan from the Oklahoma City Museum of Art including William Merritt Chase’s Venice, (1877) and works from Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection including Thomas Cole’s View of Mt. Etna, (1842). 

Samuel F. B. Morse, Francis I, Study for "Gallery of the Louvre", between 1831 and 1832. Oil on panel. Image: 8 x 10 in. (20.3 x 25.4 cm). Frame: 15 15/16 x 13 15/16 x 1 7/8 in. (40.5 x 35.4 x 4.8 cm). Terra Foundation for American Art, Gift of Berry-Hill Galleries in honor of Daniel J. Terra, C1984.5. Photography ©Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago.

Thomas Cole, View of Mount Etna , 1842. Oil on canvas 32 x 48 in. Courtesy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonvil le, Arkansas. Photography by Dwight Primiano.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco present the world premiere retrospective of Oscar de la Renta’s work – the first major survey celebrating the life and career of one of fashion’s most influential designers. The exhibition is organized in close collaboration with the House of Oscar de la Renta and the designer’s family, and is curated by André Leon Talley, former American editor-at-large forVogue and a lifelong friend of de la Renta.

Oscar de la Renta for Elizabeth Arden, Evening dress, "Queen of Thailand", 1967. Acetate, Wool, Metallic Threads; Quilted Brocade, 141.6 cm (55 3/4 in.). Gift of Constance B. Peabody (2015.52.1). © 2014-2015 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Included are more than 130 ensembles produced over five decades. These garments are organized into several thematic sections: early work; Spanish, Eastern, Russian and garden influences; daywear and eveningwear; and ball gowns and red carpet ensembles. The presentation traces the rise of de la Renta’s career in Spain, where he gained his first commissions; his formative years spent in the world’s most iconic fashion houses; and his eventual role as a designer for many of the most influential and celebrated personalities of the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Oscar de la Renta, Evening ensemble (dress and pants), Fall 1997. Silk Cut Velvet, Chiffon, Painted Trim. Gift of Mr. Thomas L. Kempner, 2007.34.5a-b  © 2014-2015 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 

“I am honored and excited to be the curator of the definitive Oscar de la Renta retrospective exhibition at the de Young museum,” said André Leon Talley. “This privilege is exceedingly important for me after years of close friendship with Oscar, as well as a strong working relationship during my life at Vogue. My goal is to highlight the extraordinary depth of Oscar’s creative aesthetic from his earliest designs for Jane Derby throughout the five decades of his remarkable career.” 

Oscar de la Renta for Pierre Balmain, Evening jacket, 1998. Silk Faille, Metal Purl, And Silk Embroidery Floss. Gift of Mr. Thomas L. Kempner, 2007.34.1 © 2014-2015 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 

“Both our company and our family are proud that the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are organizing the first full-scale retrospective of Oscar’s work,” said Alex Bolen, CEO of Oscar de la Renta. “The Museums’ outstanding collections, augmented by open access to our archives, all viewed through the curatorial eye of Oscar’s dear friend André Leon Talley, will convey well the unique artistry that Oscar brought to the world of fashion.”

Oscar de la Renta for Pierre Balmain, Ensemble (a) evening top and (b) skirt, 2000–2001.  Gift of Mr. Thomas L. Kempner, 2007.34.76a-b © 2014-2015 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 

Ensembles in the exhibition will be drawn from the designer’s personal collection, the archives of the House of Balmain, public and private collections from around the world and the Fine Arts Museums’ costume collection. Viewers will see gowns worn by dignitaries and celebrities that include former First Lady Laura Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift, Karlie Kloss, Nicki Minaj, Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Rihanna and Amy Adams. 

"I am proud that the Fine Arts Museums can present this comprehensive collection of Oscar de la Renta's work,” said Diane B. Wilsey, president of the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “He was an inspired designer who was a longtime personal friend and was considered by so many to be the consummate gentleman.” 

Oscar de la Renta, Evening gown. Gift of the family of Diana Dollar Knowles, 2014.100 © 2014-2015 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 

Oscar de le Renta: The Retrospective continues the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s commitment to fashion as art. Previous costume exhibitions include Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion (2007), Yves Saint Laurent (2008–2009), Balenciaga and Spain (2011), The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk(2012) and most recently High Style: The Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection(2015).

Lot 2208. A celadon glazed recumbent ram, Eastern Jin dynasty, 4th century. Sold for US$ 1,500 (€1,376). Photo Bonhams.

Its body incised with wing-like forms above the four legs turned under, its head incised with the characterwang and a circular hole made in front of the curving horns, the translucent olive green glaze unevenly applied and displaying some opalescent bluish-white patches, the unglazed base burnt dark cinnamon brown (glaze degraded). 8 1/4in (21cm) long

Notes: For a similar opalescent bluish white deposit in a the celadon glaze of a fourth century chicken-headed ewer in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, see He Li,Chinese Ceramics: a New Comprehensive Survey, 1996, no. 103, pp. 82 and 116.

A similar ram of slightly smaller size (14.5cm long) is in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, listed as a proto-Yue candlestick, Eastern Jin Dynasty, early-mid 4th century, ROM#992.131.1 - Dr. Herman Herzog Levy Fund. See also the ram with brown wash details excavated in 1980 at the Jianbi Brick and Tile Factory, Dantu County, Zhenjiang City, published in Zhongguo chutu ciqi quanji, vol. 7: Jiangsu Shanghai, 2008, no. 64, p. 53 (as early Yue ware, Eastern Jin dynasty, 16cm long).

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 11 Dec 2015 10:00 PST, SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 2214. A Longquan celadon jar, guan, 14th century. Sold for US$ 6,250 (€5,734). Photo Bonhams.

Of compressed ovoid form with a thick rim to the short neck, the exterior walls carved with a band of alternating lotus flowers and leaves and another of lotus petals rising above the thick foot pad, the base closed with a separately shaped concave plug before the lustrous sea-green glaze was applied on all surfaces except the cinnamon-burnt lip and foot pad. 11in (28cm) diameter - 8 1/4in (21cm) high

Notes: For a jar of similar base construction, form and carved decoration with the original cover preserved, see the example in the Philadelphia Museum of Art illustrated in Margaret Medley, Yuan Porcelain & Stoneware, 1974, pl. 70a-c (22.9cm high).

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 11 Dec 2015 10:00 PST, SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 2216. A Longquan celadon deep dish with incised and stamped decoration, Ming dynasty. Sold for US$ 1,062 (€974). Photo Bonhams.

Its wide rim flange incised with a dissolved leafy spray, the curving walls with a classic lotus flower and leaf scroll and the floor with an ogival reserve framing a stamped flower spray, the reverse finished without decoration above the wide foot ring and an olive-green glaze applied everywhere except the cinnamon-burnt firing ring on the recessed base. 13 3/8in (34cm) diameter

Provenance: purchased in Tokyo, January, 1953

Notes: For a dish of similar size and incised program of decoration but stamped with two fish instead of the floral spray, see Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul , 1986: vol. I, no. 375 (TKS15/752), p. 334, as 15th century (35cm diameter).

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 11 Dec 2015 10:00 PST, SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 2217. A Longquan celadon tripod censer, Ming dynasty. Sold for US$ 875 (€802). Photo Bonhams.

Of compressed globular form with a dissolved peony flower and leaf spray pattern summarily incised into the curving exterior walls visible beneath a thin olive-green glaze also covering portions of the interior walls and the thee short legs protruding from the base, the unglazed surfaces burnt a dark cinnamon brown (extensive wear, soiling from use). 11 1/2in (29cm) diameter

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 11 Dec 2015 10:00 PST, SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 2472. An underglaze blue and iron-decorated water dropper in the form of the Geumgang Mountains, Joseon dynasty, 19th century. Sold for US$ 10,000 (€9,305). Photo Bonhams

Of irregular oval silhouette displaying two opposing Buddhist shrines nestled amid finger-like peaks that also disguise an air hole at the top and a tiny water spot to one side, the surfaces colored with iron and cobalt washes beneath a glaze of pale blue-green hue that intensifies in color where thickly pooled, the glaze also covering the recessed base within the unglazed circular foot pad 4 3/8in (11cm) high

Notes: A number of these whimsical mountain-shaped water droppers are published from various collections. For examples in blue and white porcelain, see The Radiance of Jade and the Clarity of Water: Korean Ceramics from the Ataka Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1991. cat. no. 112, p. 148; and Christie's, New York, Korean Works of Art sale 7430, 22 April 1992, lot 52. For examples combining underglaze blue and iron washes similar to this lot, see the water dropper that entered the collection of the Musée Guimet in 1893, illustrated in The Poetry of Ink: The Korean Literati Tradition 1392-1910, Paris, 2005, cat. no. 46, p. 104; and Sotheby's, New York, Korean Works of Art sale 6961, 18 March 1997, lot 44.

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 11 Dec 2015 10:00 PST, SAN FRANCISCO

Waistcoat, 1780-1800. Gold figured silk satin with green silk thread embroidery, fabric-covered buttons.