General, Qin dynasty, 221 - 206 BCE. Excavated from the Mausoleum of Qinshihuang, near Xi©am, in 1976. Terra-cotta, height 192 cm. Museum of the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses of Qinshihuang, Shaanxi Province.

The authoritative figure, which once held a sword, represents a commander in the army of Qin Shi Huangdi. He wears a chest guard, possibly made of lacquered leather, which descends from his shoulders to cover his upper arms, and his lower body is protected by fish-scale armor connected with laces to allow for freedom of movement. His intricate bird-shaped headdress, which ties under his chin, identifies him as a general.

Pearl and diamond brooch, circa 1860. Photo Sotheby's

Of tied bow design, set with circular-cut and cushion-shaped diamonds, suspending a detachable pearl pendant, the cupola mount set with rose-cut stones, signed G. Confalonieri Milano. Estimate 25,000 — 35,000 CHF. Lot 262. Sold 31,250 CHF

Accompanied by SSEF report no. 53493 stating that the pearl is natural.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels And A Celebration of Taste and Style, Magnificent Jewels from a Private Collection. Geneva, 12 May 2009

Formerly in the collection of Diane Benvenuti, née Rothschild. Natural button-shaped pearl and Type IIa diamond brooch, first quarter 20th Century. Photo Sotheby's

Accompanied by SSEF report no. 53393 stating that the pearl is  natural and that the two pear-shaped diamonds are Type IIa. 

Notes: Madame Diane Benvenuti, née Rothschild (1907-1996), was the daughter of Baron Robert de Rothschild, one of the partners of banque Rothschild Frères in Paris, and Nelly Beer, a niece of German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. Diane and her brothers and sister Alain,Cécile and Elie, spent their childhood between the hotel particulier at 23 avenue de Marigny in Paris and the château de Laversine, off Chantilly.

She was first married first to a diplomat, Anatole Muhlstein, with whom she had three daughters, and then, in 1952, to pianist and Paris Conservatoire music teacher Giuseppe Benvenuti. Concerned about what we may call now 'ecological' matters, she immensely enjoyed the gardens and private potager of her country seat, the Pavillon de Voisins, at Louveciennes, near Paris. Her quiet and constant generosity was famous. After joining the Free French Forces in 1945 as a nurse, she involved herself in the creation of Ecole Moria, a Jewish youth institution, and presented some of her husband's students with rare music instruments. A lady of great taste and enormous vitality, she will be remembered for her unfailing originality.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels And A Celebration of Taste and Style, Magnificent Jewels from a Private Collection. Geneva, 12 May 2009

Mythical animal, Eastern Han dynasty, 25 - 220 CE. Excavated in Luoyang, Henan Province. Stone, height 122 cm, length 165 cm. National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing

Burial grounds were approached through an avenue, a "spirit road," which was flanked by pairs of large stone figures of dignitaries, foreign envoys, and animals.

This vigorously striding animal was one of the first on the road to the tomb. It is a mythical creature,bixie, with the body of a tiger, two horns, and wings, and was meant to frighten away evil spirits.

Stele with Buddha Sakyamuni and two bodhisattvas, Sui dynasty, 581 - 618 CE. Henan Muscum, Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Stone, height 190 cm, width 100 cm. Henan Museum, Zhengzhou, Henan Province

The seated figure of Buddha Sakyamuni is carved in smooth lines, which contrast with the elaborate halo framing his head. His unadorned long-sleeved robe falls in elaborate pleats over the simple plinth.

Buddha is flanked by his two main disciples, Ananda and Kasyapa, which are depicted on a far smaller scale. The upper part of the stele is carved with lotus flowers, whose petals droop down in a bell shape. Small meditating Buddhas are seated on some of the lotus flowers.

An inscription on the back notes that more than sixty donors, headed by Xun Gouchou, commissioned the stele and dedicated it in the second month of the second year of Kaihuang (582 CE) in the Sui dynasty.

Roberto Capucci

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Festoon of Fruit and Flowers, 1660-1670, oil on canvas, h 74cm × w 60cm. SK-A-138. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

In 1626 this Utrecht-born painter moved to Antwerp, where he became acquainted with sumptuous and colourful Flemish still-life painting. He combined this influence with his gift for rendering nature in minute detail. This is clear to see in this floral and fruit festoon: a highly decorative entity that is nevertheless meticulously detailed. All kinds of hungry insects populate this still life.

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Festoon of Fruit and Flowers, detail, 1660-1670, oil on canvas, h 74cm × w 60cm. SK-A-138. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Festoon of Fruit and Flowers, detail, 1660-1670, oil on canvas, h 74cm × w 60cm. SK-A-138. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Festoon of Fruit and Flowers, detail, 1660-1670, oil on canvas, h 74cm × w 60cm. SK-A-138. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Festoon of Fruit and Flowers, detail, 1660-1670, oil on canvas, h 74cm × w 60cm. SK-A-138. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Gold and pearl pendant jewel in form of a couchant hind, probably Spanish or Netherlandish, early 17th century, with later additions; ruby, pearl, gold, enamel. Bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand Anselm Rothschild, 1898. Ex-collection: Albert Denison, 1st Baron Londesborough. WB.162. British Museum collection. © Trustees of the British Museum

Pendant jewel; gold; form of couchant hind, body formed of baroque pearl, fore and rear quarters of gold coated with transparent amber enamel; oval base, set with alternating pearls and rubies; lower part moulded, engraved border with central pendant pearl; chain of alternate plaited and plain links; enamelled cartouche with pendant pearl. Height: 8.7 centimetresLength: 3.6 centimetres (max.)Depth: 2.4 centimetresWeight: 43 grammes

Considerable loss of enamel, especially on the underside of the oval base, but otherwise in a good state of preservation. 

This collection is known as the Waddesdon Bequest under the terms of Baron Ferdinand Rothschild’s will.

Provenance: Unrecorded, although in Read 1902 it was categorically stated that this jewel was "From the Londesborough Collection". It is not published in F.W. Fairholt, ‘Miscellanea Graphica, Representations of ancient, medieval and renaissance remains in the possession of Lord Londesborough’, London, 1857.

Commentary: Although this jewel has previously been given the attribution “German about 1600”, first published in Read 1902 and repeated in Dalton 1927, the evidence of the drawings in the Llibres de Passanties of Barcelona, especially those dating from the 1590s and the first decade of the seventeenth century, would suggest that this type of pendant jewel was fashionable in Spain.
The evidence of the designs in the Llibres de Passanties (especially folio 317 dated 1593, folio 344 dated 1599, folio 359 dated 1603 and folio 385 dated 1609) is interesting because it shows that as soon as the idea of placing the animal on a cushion or mat was introduced (after 1593), then the suspension chains were increased to four and were attached to the cushion or mat - not to the animal itself, as had been the custom in earlier drawings such as that of 1591 depicting a camel pendant by Bennex Bussot (folio 307). The latter shows that, even though there is no cushion or mat, the camel is represented lying down with its legs arranged in very much the same way as the Waddesdon couchant hind. An extant version of this type of camel pendant jewel can be seen in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (see Diana Scarisbrick, in ‘Jewellery, Ancient to Modern’, exh. cat., Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1979, no. 523, col. pl. 188).
Comparable 'baroque' pearl pendant jewels representing couchant animals, with attached suspension rings but no cushion or mat beneath, are recorded: the couchant doe jewel in the Kunstegewerbe-Museum, Cologne (see Elizabeth Moses, 'Der Schmuck der Sammlung W. Clemens', 1925, p. 50, fig. 118), the seated cat in the Grünes Gewölbe, Dresden (see Yvonne Hackenbroch, ‘Renaissance Jewellery’, Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, London, New York and Munich, 1979, p. 154, fig. 405), and two jewels, the wounded lion and the rabbit pendants, in the Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence (see Hackenbroch 1979, pp. 250-2, figs 673 and 685).
In the case of the Waddesdon couchant hind pendant, however, it must be noted that the cushion or base does not project as far outwards around the hind as in the Barcelona drawings, and there is the possibility that the hind was originally without any base at all. The design of the lower part of the base is not entirely convincing as a work of the early seventeenth century, although it is unrelated to that designed by Reinhold Vasters in his Aachen workshop (now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, E. 2818-1919). The jewel made from that Vasters design in the nineteenth century is in the Linsky Collection but was illustrated as a Spanish jewel “1580-1590” in Hackenbroch 1979 (no. 908, p. 338). Another similar jewel with a different animal but exactly the same cushion design in the lower zones was in Lord Astor's Collection (sold at Christie's, 27 November 1979, lot 170). Both the Astor jewel and the Linsky pendant (see Clare Vincent, in ‘The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’, New York, 1984, no. 114, where it is dated “ca 1870-95”) correspond with the Vasters drawing (‘Princely Magnificence, Court Jewels of the Renaissance, 1500-1630’, ed. A. Somers Cocks, exh. cat., Victoria and Albert Museum (Debrett’s Peerage Ltd), London, 1980, H 20, HG 4).
No such similarity exists between the base (or 'platform') of the Waddesdon hind pendant and the Vasters drawings. Its relative simplicity should be contrasted with the extremely grandiose couchant hind pendant jewel in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection at Lugano, which was published as “Spanish, c. 1580” in Hackenbroch 1979 (no. 902, p. 337), and which has most recently been catalogued as “Spanish, circa 1570” on the basis of its strapwork ornamentation being closest to designs in the Llibres de Passanties of the 1560s and 70s (see Somers Cocks 1984, p. 84, no. 9). Unfortunately, in neither publication is there any illustration of the underside of the 'platform', nor any detail views of the hook( ?) on the animal's head. Although both Hackenbroch and Somers Cocks relate the Lugano jewel to the drawings in the Llibres de Passanties depicting animals seated on cushions, they do not comment upon the complete absence of any drawings incorporating 'platforms' or cushions of this elaborate form and heavy strap-work design - a feature so beloved by Vasters and so conspicuous among his drawings.
It is very important that the suspension chains do not rub against the animal because any friction will quickly damage the surface. There were two solutions: on the one hand, this kind of jewel could be so designed that the mat or cushion 'platform' projected far beyond the animal placed upon it and, consequently, four suspension chains could be attached to the edges of the cushion and so not touch the animal. The Barcelona drawings indicate that the Spanish apprentices favoured this solution. On the other hand, this kind of jewel could also be designed so that its cushion or 'platform' did not project beyond the animal, thereby creating a more integrated, neater-looking jewel; with this tighter form of design, two suspension chains would have to be attached to the animal - not to the cushion or 'platform'.
At least one designer north of the Alps preferred the second solution. He was Assuerus van Londerseel (1572 - 635), whose set of engraved designs for twelve pendants was published in Antwerp at the beginning of the seventeenth century. In this example the chains for suspension are attached to the recumbent animal - between the ears and above the tail. His 'platform' elements are certainly more elaborately conceived than the Waddesdon example, but van Londerseel has greatly 'scaled down' the extravagant gem-studded versions of Hans Collaert's 1582 engravings. Indeed, the weakness of Collaert's designs was the disproportionate size of the animal in relation to the ‘platform’; van Londerseel has resolved this problem and produced a more unified composition, albeit far grander than the Waddesdon couchant hind jewel. No doubt there were others whose designs were even more practical - and, in consequence, more modest. One of them, perhaps a member of the school of Antwerp Mannerist jewellers, may have been responsible for this Waddesdon pendant in its entirety - including that rather unexpected oval radiating design in relief on the underside - but it is probably a later 'marriage'.

Bibliography: Charles Hercules Read, ‘The Waddesdon Bequest: Catalogue of the Works of Art bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898’, London, 1902, no. 162, pl. XXXVIII; O.M. Dalton, ‘The Waddesdon Bequest’, 2nd edn (rev), British Museum, London, 1927, no. 162; Hugh Tait, 'Catalogue of the Waddesdon Bequest in the British Museum. 1., The Jewels', British Museum, London, 1986, no. 162, pls. XVIII, fig. 149-150; Dora Thornton, 'A Rothschild Renaissance: Treasures from the Waddesdon Bequest', British Museum, London, 2015, pp.29-31.

Pair of statues of Confucius and his wife, Madame Qiguan, Song dynasty (960–1279). Wood, originally painted. Confucius: H. 37 cm; W. 15.5 cm. Madame Qiguan: H. 42 cm; W. 16 cm. Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province

Finial for a staff, Warring States Period (475–221 BCE). Bronze with gold and silver inlay. H. 10 × W. 22 cm. Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province.

Gold enamelled pendant- jewel depicting a galloping horse with warrior, German, 1525-1575, ruby, pearl, gold, enamel, emerald. Bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand Anselm Rothschild, 1898. Ex-collection Baron Anselm von Rothschild (1866 cat. no. 338). WB.161. British Museum collection. © Trustees of the British Museum

Pendant jewel; gold; enamelled; form of galloping white horse ridden by warrior dressed in helmet, cuirass and buskins; holds scimitar and buckler; one side of horse set with three rubies; plain chain with cartouche in open-work with central emerald and pendant pearl. Height: 7.6 centimetres (max.). Width: 3.8 centimetres (of horse (max.)). Width: 4.2 centimetres (max). Depth: 1.3 centimetres. Weight: 32.07 grammes

The enamel has been damaged in a number of places but otherwise is in good condition; both the chains and the 'cartouche' (at the top) appear to be modern replacements.

This collection is known as the Waddesdon Bequest under the terms of Baron Ferdinand Rothschild’s will.

Provenance: Baron Anselm von Rothschild, Vienna, before 1866 (cat. no. 338).

Commentary: Despite its imperfect state, this little figure group is impressive because of its excellent composition and its fine detail in the modelling of both horse and warrior. Another similar equestrian jewel has been preserved, albeit detached from its original setting, in the Grünes Gewölbe, the Elector of Saxony's Schatzkammer in Dresden (illus. in Hackenbroch 1979, fig. 594, where it is dated “c. 1600”, though no reasons for such a late dating are given as the text contains no discussion of the Dresden equestrian group). A less closely related equestrian jewel, now mounted on the cover of the Loffelholz gold cup (in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg), is said to depict the Emperor Charles V in armour on a white-enamelled, gem-set horse, in the manner of Titian's famous painting in the Prado; it is, therefore, likely that this equestrian jewel would have been made c. 1550 (see Yvonne Hackenbroch, Some Portraits of Charles V, ‘Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin’, 27, 1969, pp. 330-1, figs 17-18).
In contrast, the only other closely related pendant jewel is so similar that it is almost a copy. It must be studied critically, as its authenticity is seriously to be doubted and it has no recorded history earlier than 1958. A fully illustrated description and discussion of it was first published in Parker Lesley 1968, pp. 129-30, where it was given the attribution “South German, late 16th century”. Parker Lesley drew attention to the fact that it was a slightly smaller version of the Waddesdon pendant and that there were other minor differences both in the enamelling and the application of gemstones. What he did not mention was the significant alteration in the position of the rider; the warrior does not sit down on the horse, gripping with his knees, but, instead, his knees are above, or in line with, the saddle, giving him a precarious appearance on the horse. His body is more erect and in no way expressive of that union of movement that exists between rider and galloping horse. Consequently, a larger space exists between the warrior and his billowing drapery, which is not only set with a diamond in the middle but has both ends of the drapery curled round the rider's two arms, instead of being attached by a large knot to his waist on either side. A table-cut diamond is set in the chest of his cuirass, which has an elaborate design reserved in the gold against the opaque blue enamel, a second diamond is set in his helmet and a third in the centre of his buckler, which has not retained a convincing shape - indeed, it was described by Parker Lesley as a “modified cross patée”. Finally, the girth below the horse's belly has been enriched with a table-cut diamond in a rectangular gold collet, set vertically, so that the diamond cannot fail to be seen from the front - regardless of the fact that the view from the other side is undecorated and even more ridiculous. The lower edge of this gold collet has a suspension loop, from which hangs a pearl, dangling between the horse's hooves.
It is, perhaps, not surprising that the enamelling on the Gutman Collection example was stated to be in a far better condition, when Parker Lesley described it in 1968, and this fact was confirmed when it came to be sold with the rest of the Melvin Gutman Collection at Parke-Bernet (New York) on 24 April 1969, lot 85. It was subsequently published in the exhibition catalogue ‘The Art of Jewelry, 1450-1650’ (the Martin D'Arcy Gallery of Art, Loyola University of Chicago, 1975, no. 28) and, recently, was illustrated in Hackenbroch 1979, fig. 412, incorrectly captioned as in the “British Museum, Waddesdon Bequest”.
In each case a late sixteenth-century date for the ex-Gutman Collection version of this pendant has been suggested, but in none of these publications has there been any attempt to discuss and analyse the similarities and differences of these two jewels. The enamelling of the rider and the horse is not the same. Parker Lesley's detailed description reveals that the goldsmith who made the ex-Gutman Collection example did not use a translucent blue at all; indeed, in two of these areas (i.e. the saddle and the buckler) he used a translucent red enamel, but in the case of the helmet a black enamel. This goldsmith also used black enamel for the buskins, the lappets below the cuirass, details on the arms and the horse's eyes. In contrast, the Waddesdon pendant has no black enamel.
The use of a red translucent enamel on the ex-Gutman Collection jewel is significant because it is identical with the red translucent enamel used on the 'cartouche' from which the jewel is suspended. The same red translucent enamel is used on the 'cartouche' of the Waddesdon pendant, and, as Parker Lelsey pointed out, the two 'cartouches' are identical, made from the same castings in three layers and riveted together in the same way. The first layer is the 'cartouche' proper, two openwork c scrolls and strapwork enamelled white and translucent red; the second layer is an enamelled four-lobed flower, the lobes alternating with four small pointed leaves; the third layer is a table-cut gemstone (emerald or diamond) in a rectangular gold collet, set in the centre and thereby concealing the central rivet, which is clearly visible on the reverse. The Waddesdon pendant's cartouche is virtually undamaged and the loss of enamel is minimal, unlike the equestrian group itself. Not only does the condition of the 'cartouche' not agree with the rest of the Waddesdon jewel but the palette and the quality of the enamels used on the 'cartouche' are not the same as on the equestrian group. The 'cartouche' and the two plain chains on the Waddesdon pendant appear to be modern replacements.
The 'cartouche' on the ex-Gutman Collection version appears to have the same origin as that of the Waddesdon pendant - presumably mid-nineteenth century. The unity of quality and palette between the ex-Gutman Collection pendant's 'cartouche' and the equestrian group itself, which is scarcely damaged, seems to indicate a common origin. Apart from the excessive application of gemstones (all table-cut diamonds, in fact), including the location in unlikely places such as the front of the helmet, the middle of the billowing drapery, and slung below the horse's belly, there is the crude method by which these extra diamonds are affixed. The reverse of the jewel (see Parker Lesley 1968, p. 130) reveals that a crude 'butterfly-clip' through the billowing drapery holds that diamond in place.
Furthermore, Parker Lesley records that both the rider and the horse belonging to the ex-Gutman Collection pendant “are hollow cast and held together by the bolt through the center, which also serves as a base of the table-cut diamond under the horse's belly”. This method of construction was not used by the maker of the Waddesdon equestrian group and, indeed, does not accord with Renaissance practice, as far as it has been reliably established.
Finally, Parker Lesley has also recorded that the buckler, the billowing drapery and the tail are “cast separately”, and that they are “attached by flanges and bending to the figure” and the tail is soldered to the horse's body. Again, this method is not paralleled on the Waddesdon pendant and bespeaks a modern origin. For a further discussion of several dubious jewels in the 'Renaissance style' fashioned in the form of animal pendants with riders see Hugh Tait (ed. and contrib.), ‘The Art of the Jeweller, A Catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift to the British Museum: Jewellery, Engraved Gems and Goldsmiths’ Work’, London, 1984, pp. 45-6, no. 272.

Bibliography: Franz Schestag, ‘katalog der Kuntsammlung des Freiherrn Anselm von Rothschild in Wein’ Vienna, 1866, no. 338; Charles Hercules Read, ‘The Waddesdon Bequest: Catalogue of the Works of Art bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898’, London, 1902, no. 161, pl. XXXVI; O.M. Dalton, ‘The Waddesdon Bequest’, 2nd edn (rev), British Museum, London, 1927, no. 161; Parker Lesley, ‘Renaissance Jewels and Jewelled Objects from the Melvin Gutman Collection’, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, 1968, pp. 129-30; Yvonne Hackenbroch, ‘Renaissance Jewellery’, Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, London, New York and Munich, 1979, fig. 418; Hugh Tait, 'Catalogue of the Waddesdon Bequest in the British Museum. 1., The Jewels', British Museum, London, 1986, no. 17, pls. XIV, XV, fig. 113-114.

Gold and pearl pendant jewel of the Lamb of God, Spanish, 1600-1650, ruby, pearl, gold, enamel. Bequeathed by Baron Ferdinand Anselm Rothschild, 1898. Ex-collection Baron Anselm von Rothschild (1866 cat. no. 339). WB.164. British Museum collection. © Trustees of the British Museum

Pendant jewel; gold; lamb in white enamel, back formed of baroque pearl, seated on closed book; back of book with three bands, panels enamelled blue; underside is open-work with scrolls; clasps jewelled with rubies; four suspension chains united by cartouche; inscribed. Height: 5.5 centimetres (max). Height: 1.9 centimetres (lamb and book). Length: 2.7 centimetres. Width: 2.5 centimetres. Weight: 25 grammes 

Some loss of enamel, especially on the head of the Lamb and on the book, but otherwise in a good state of preservation. 

This collection is known as the Waddesdon Bequest under the terms of Baron Ferdinand Rothschild’s will. 

Provenance: Baron Anselm von Rothschild, Vienna, before 1866.

Commentary: The Llibres de Passanties in Barcelona contain apprenticeship drawings that demonstrate the early seventeenth-century fashion in Spain for jewels of this kind; in particular, folio 385 has a design for an Agnus Dei pendant by Agosti Castello dated 1609 (not dated '1593', as stated in Yvonne Hackenbroch, ‘Renaissance Jewellery’, Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, London, New York and Munich, 1979, p. 336, fig. 899). Agosti Castello has placed his Lamb on a richly patterned textile, which is knotted at the four corners and has four suspension chains united in a 'cartouche' with a central pendant pearl hanging above the Lamb.
Curiously, the closed book with handsome covers was a popular subject on its own among Spanish jewellers from the first half of the sixteenth century. Two later drawings in the Llibres de Passanties in Barcelona confirm the continuing fashion for these small gold enamelled pendants in the form of a closed book with elaborate strapwork covers and jewelled clasps: folio 401 is dated 1613 and was submitted by Mateu Torent; folio 410 is dated 1616 and is the work of Joseph Jordan. An extant gold enamelled version, with gem-set spine and covers, is illustrated in Priscilla E. Muller, ‘Jewels in Spain, 1500 – 1800’, The Hispanic Society of America, New York, 1972 (p. 70, fig. 98), and another was found in 1968 in the wreck of the Girona, one of the ships of the Spanish Armada which, under the command of Fabricio Spinola, escaped from the guns of the English fleet only to be destroyed on the rocks of the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland on 16 October 1588. This gold pendant book (with its tiny internal compartments) is now preserved in the Ulster Museum, Belfast. The little compartments may indicate that this small book was used as a sacred container for the pascal waxes of the Agnus Dei, blessed by the Pope at Easter in the first year of his Pontificate and on every succeeding seventh year (L.N.W. Flanagan, ‘The Wreck of the Girona’, Ulster Museum, Belfast, 1973, p. 3, where it is described as 'a Reliquary').
The style of the openwork strapwork covers of the Waddesdon Ecce Agnus Dei book corresponds so closely with the Barcelona drawings and the two other extant examples that the present attribution to Spain c. 1600-20 seems fully justified, despite the tentative attribution in Read 1902, “? French, 16th century”, also repeated in Dalton 1927. Representations of the Lamb of God seated on a book were part of the standard iconography, especially in Spain, and a pascal wax oval 'seal' dated 1677 is preserved in the Museo Episcopal in Vich, Spain (illustrated in Muller 1972, p. 73, fig. 104). It depicts the Agnus Dei seated on a closed book with two prominent clasps and the name of Pope Innocent XI in the encircling inscription; it was issued during the Pontificate in 1677.
Priscilla Muller, quoting from Spanish inventories of the sixteenth century, demonstrates how very varied the Agnus Dei jewels were and how often they included representations of other saints or emblematic figures; others examined or inventoried in jewellers' shops at the time were simply listed as “of gold with single or multiple chains, as was one bought from Juan Rodríguez for the Infanta Catalina” (see José Gestoso y Pérez, ‘Ensayo de un diccionario de los artífices . . . de Sevilla’, 3 vols, Seville, 1899-1909, vol. II, pp. 134, 181, 335, 348; vol. III, pp. 426-7; see also Antonio Rodríguez-Monino, Artes suntuarias en Badajoz (1562-1600); Antologia de materias preciosas, in ‘Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología, Universidad de Valladolid’, X, 1944, pp. 81-97; also A. G. de Amezúa y Mayo, ‘Isabel de Valois, reina de Espana (1546-1568)’, 3 vols, Madrid, 1949, vol. III, p. 552).

Bibliography: Franz Schestag, ‘katalog der Kuntsammlung des Freiherrn Anselm von Rothschild in Wein’ Vienna, 1866, no. 339; Charles Hercules Read, ‘The Waddesdon Bequest: Catalogue of the Works of Art bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, M.P., 1898’, London, 1902, no. 164, pl. XXXVIII; O.M. Dalton, ‘The Waddesdon Bequest’, 2nd edn (rev), British Museum, London, 1927, no. 164; Hugh Tait, 'Catalogue of the Waddesdon Bequest in the British Museum. 1., The Jewels', British Museum, London, 1986, no. 29, pl. XVIII, figs. 144-148.

Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leaf from album of 36 paintings; ink and color on silk. Each leaf: 33 × 57–62 cm (painting only); 40.8 × 66 cm (overall with mounting). Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province. 

Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leaf from album of 36 paintings; ink and color on silk. Each leaf: 33 × 57–62 cm (painting only); 40.8 × 66 cm (overall with mounting). Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province. 

Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leaf from album of 36 paintings; ink and color on silk. Each leaf: 33 × 57–62 cm (painting only); 40.8 × 66 cm (overall with mounting). Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province.

Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leaf from album of 36 paintings; ink and color on silk. Each leaf: 33 × 57–62 cm (painting only); 40.8 × 66 cm (overall with mounting). Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province. 

Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leaf from album of 36 paintings; ink and color on silk. Each leaf: 33 × 57–62 cm (painting only); 40.8 × 66 cm (overall with mounting). Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province. 

 Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leaf from album of 36 paintings; ink and color on silk. Each leaf: 33 × 57–62 cm (painting only); 40.8 × 66 cm (overall with mounting). Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province. 

Gucci Tian, an exclusive new capsule collection designed by Alessandro Michele. Inspired by 18th century tapestries, Gucci Tian’s three-dimensional style print features on a special lineup of accessories, including these men’s slip-on sneakers. Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

Gucci Tian’s contemporary motif is inspired by Chinese landscapes depicted in 18th century tapestries. The design’s plants and creatures embellish men’s high-top sneakers, with red leather accents. Alessandro Michele, Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

Gucci Tian accessories collection, a backpack crafted in signature GG motif enriched with spring’s exclusive new print. Alessandro Michele, Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

A structured tote with leather trim from the Gucci Tian collection. The exclusive birds and plants print is overlaid on the House’s GG motif. Alessandro Michele, Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

Trimmed with maple brown leather and Web stripe strap, the new Gucci Tian suitcase from Gucci Spring-Summer 2016 by Alessandro Michele. The luggage is detailed with a contemporary floral print, composed of flowers, insects and birds, adorning the House’s GG motif. 

A lacquered bamboo handle tops a Gucci Tian shopper tote, decorated with a contemporary floral motif. Alessandro Michele, Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

The bird and plants on this Gucci Tian tote color the House’s GG motif in brushstroke style graphics, creating a three-dimensional effect. Designed by Alessandro Michele, the bag features red leather trim. Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

Birds and blooms decorate GG motif in Gucci Spring-Summer 2016’s new Gucci Tian Padlock shoulder bag. Designed by Alessandro Michele, it features maple brown leather trim and a sliding gold chain strap.

From the new Gucci Tian capsule collection, a zip pouch decorated with a three-dimensional effect flora and fauna print, designed by Alessandro Michele. Gucci Spring-Summer 2016.

Rectangular food container of the Earl of Lu (Lu Bo xu), Western Zhou (1027–771 BCE). Bronze. H. 19 × W. 35 × D. 17 cm. Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province

Wine container (xi zun), Zhou dynasty (1122–221 BCE). Bronze, with wooden stand (added in Qing). H. 29 x W. 39 x D. 15.5 cm. Kong Residence Cultural Relics Archive, Cultural Relics Administrative Committee of Qufu City, Shandong Province.

Buccellati. Ghirlanda Heart Pendant in white gold with central heart-shaped diamond.

The light reflecting on the engraving, the elegance of the lacework technique, the brilliance of diamonds, all in one little, precious Buccellati Heart.

A suite of conch pearl, spinel and diamond jewellery. Estimate HK$1,000,000 - HK$1,200,000 ($129,585 - $155,502). Price Realized HK$1,200,000 ($155,502)© Christie's Image 2005

The fringe of conch pearls and cabochon spinels with marquise and circular-cut diamond spacers and backchain, and a pair of ear pendants en suite, necklace 39.5 cm, ear pendants 3.0 cm (3). Lot 2229

Christie's. MAGNIFICENT JEWELLERY AND JADEITE JEWELLERY, 29 November 2005, Hong Kong

Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863), The Martyrdom of Saint Sulpicius, c. 1847-50. Private Collection. Photo courtesy Clark Art Institute.

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.- The Clark Art Institute has received a long-term loan of a magnificent oil study by Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863). The study, The Martyrdom of Saint Sulpicius (c. 1847–50), is relatively unknown, having only been exhibited once in 1930. The painting shows Saint Sulpicius kneeling with arms outstretched as his executioner wields his sword. The Roman captain who ordered the execution is depicted on horseback, while a veiled standing figure depicts Saint Domitilla, whose prayers had led Sulpicius to convert to Christianity. The only known published reference to the study appeared in The Adolph Lewisohn Collection of Modern French Paintings and Sculptures (1928), a limited edition catalogue published by the Lewisohn family. While the canvas exhibits all of the dramatic, loose brushwork and vibrant color characteristic of Delacroix, the exact origin of the study remains the subject of ongoing research at the Clark. The painting will be on view beginning February 9, 2016. 

“One of the great things about being a curator is having the opportunity to encounter and study works of art that haven’t been widely known or exhibited to the public, and in turn to be able to share this knowledge with a larger audience. Delacroix’s The Martyrdom of Saint Sulpicius is one of those wonderful opportunities. There is a great deal to be learned and shared about a work like this that is quite exciting, and gives you the sense that you are unraveling a mystery of sorts,” said Lara Yeager-Crasselt, the Clark’s interim curator of paintings and sculpture. “Art history is often thought of as being a static discipline—learning the dates of paintings and recognizing artists—but it is extraordinary in the way that it remains a living, breathing discipline that engages the objects themselves as much as the historical and cultural contexts that shaped them, in their own time and in their history thereafter. There are always challenges inherent in that pursuit and this painting is a wonderful example of that kind of challenge.” 

For the past several months, members of the Clark curatorial team have been researching the study to determine its place in Delacroix’s oeuvre. To date no extant painting relating to the study has been located, but it is believed that it may have been a preparatory work for Delacroix’s last major commission, the murals in the Chapelle des Saints-Anges at Saint-Sulpice in Paris. However, St. Sulpicius is not represented in the Saint-Sulpice murals, and it appears Delacroix does not refer to him as a possible subject in his journals or correspondence from the period. 

The commission was fraught with problems and its execution was delayed by numerous administrative setbacks, programmatic revisions, and technical challenges. Delacroix’s correspondence and journals indicate that the subject matter of the murals was changed many times from 1840 when the commission was first discussed to 1847 when it was begun, and 1861 when the murals were completed. It is therefore quite conceivable that in the early stage of planning the commission, Delacroix considered the martyrdom of Saint Sulpicius as a potential subject. 

The work also relates to Delacroix’s artistic interests from the period, including his admiration for the seventeenth-century Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. In his journals and correspondence from the 1840s and 1850s, Delacroix expressed interest in the “beautiful exaggeration of the horses and the men of Rubens.” He painted two versions of Emperor Trajan’s Justice, one in 1840 and the second in 1858. In both, the emperor rides a rearing horse positioned similarly to that beneath the Roman captain in The Martyrdom of Saint Sulpicius. Both paintings attest to Delacroix’s interest in the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117) – significantly, the period in which St. Sulpicius was martyred. 

The shape of the study is likely one of the strongest connections between The Martyrdom of Saint Sulpicius and the Chapelle des Saints-Anges. Like the paintings on the east and west walls of the Chapelle des Saints-Anges, the oil study is a vertical rectangle with an arched top. Outside of preparatory works for the Saint-Sulpice commission, this is an unusual shape among Delacroix’s paintings and drawings. 

Whatever its original intentions, the oil study is a beautiful example of Delacroix’s vigorous and confident handling of paint and color, and of the effects of light and shadow. The work is an excellent example of his creative process and brushwork, his sensitivity to the use of accents of color, and ultimately his ability to create a powerful and emotionally charged scene of martyrdom.

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640). Double Portrait of Charles V and Empress Isabella, ca. 1628. Oil on canvas, 44 15/16 x 65 1/2 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid. 

NASHVILLE, TN.- Featuring works by Dürer, Goya, Murillo, Ribera, Rubens, and more from the splendid palaces of the Alba dynasty in Spain, Treasures from the House of Alba: 500 Years of Art and Collecting will make its second and final stop in the U.S. at Nashville’s Frist Center for the Visual Arts from February 5 through May 1, 2016. Co-organized by the Meadows Museum and the Casa de Alba Foundation, the exhibition brings together more than 130 works of art, dating from antiquity to the twentieth century, drawn from one of the oldest and most impressive private collections in Europe. 

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746–1828). The Duchess of Alba in White, 1795. Oil on canvas, 75 5/8 x 51 3/16 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid.

Exhibition highlights include masterpieces of Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian, and Spanish painting, such as Francisco Goya’s The Duchess of Alba in White (1795), along with four other major portraits by the great Spanish master, two of which are on loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. Several Christopher Columbus documents are on display, including his list of men who accompanied him on his 1492 Journey of Discovery and a drawing of the coastline of La Española (Hispaniola), the first island he encountered in the New World (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti). The illuminated Alba Family Bible (finished in 1430) is one of the earliest known translations of the Old Testament from Hebrew into a Romance language. Prints and drawings, sculptures, historical documents, illuminated manuscripts, decorative objects, and tapestries provide further insight into the influential role of the Alba family in European history.

Anthonis Mor (North Netherlandish, 1516/20–1575/76). The Grand Duke of Alba, 1549. Oil on canvas, 39 3/4 x 32 11/16 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid.

The two-city tour marks the first major exhibition outside Spain of works from the collection of the House of Alba—one of the most prominent noble families with ties to the Spanish monarchy since the fifteenth century. “Today, the Alba name is most closely associated with the glamorous lifestyle of the 18th Duchess of Alba, doña Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, who died in 2014,” says Frist Center Curator Trinita Kennedy. “Charismatic and vivacious, Cayetana was one of Spain’s best-known and most recognizable public figures. She was a lifelong champion of the arts and understood the historical significance of her family and its art collection.” 

Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta (Spanish, 1870–1945). Portrait of María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, Seventeenth Duchess of Alba, 1921. Oil on canvas, 80 3/8 x 70 1/8 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid.

Through commissions, acquisitions, and dynastic marriages, the family’s dukes and duchesses have assembled a collection whose objects tell a story that extends beyond Spain to include many cultural developments that have shaped Europe. From Renaissance Italy to the Dutch Golden Age, and from the courtly splendor of the Baroque to the high ideals of the Enlightenment, the collection offers an extraordinary window into European history.

Christopher Columbus’s logbook of the Voyage of Discovery of the New World. Map of La Española, 1492 (?). Paper, covered in parchment, double folio. Dukes of Alba Collection, Columbus Vitrine, Liria Palace, Madrid.

The exhibition curator is Dr. Fernando Checa Cremades, former director of the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, who also served as editor of the accompanying catalogue. The exhibition is organized in a manner that explains the historical development of the family and the collection from the end of the 15th century to the present day. Aside from selected works from other lenders such as the Prado Museum’s Goya portraits that were once part of the Alba collection, a majority of the objects in the exhibition originate from three of the splendid palaces that historically belong to the lineage. The first of them is the Liria Palace in Madrid, an 18th-century building influenced by Parisian architectural styles that was severely damaged during the Spanish Civil War and rebuilt under the 17th Duke of Alba and the 18th Duchess of Alba; the second palace is the Dueñas Palace in Seville, a magnificent Renaissance/Mudejar construction from the 16th century, the most important in this style preserved in Spain; the third is the Monterrey Palace in Salamanca, a masterpiece of the Spanish Renaissance.

Christopher Columbus’s logbook of the Voyage of Discovery of the New World. Map of La Española (detail), 1492 (?). Paper, covered in parchment, double folio. Dukes of Alba Collection, Columbus Vitrine, Liria Palace, Madrid.

The Alba family has formed part of the most important aristocratic lineages in Europe, not only because of its military, political, and social significance, but also due to the relevance of its cultural patronage and its art collecting. The Álvarez de Toledo family first rose to prominence in central Spain at the end of the Middle Ages with the political and cultural ascendancy of the 3rd Duke of Alba, don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo (1507–1582), a soldier and political adviser to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (reigned 1519–1556), and King Phillip II (reigned 1556–1598), and a devoted patron of the arts.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660) and Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (Spanish, ca. 1611–1667). The Infanta Margarita, 1653. Oil on canvas, 45 5/16 x 35 7/16 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid.

In regards to art collecting, the most important period for the family was from 1688 to1802, during which the marriage between the 10th Duke of Alba, don Francisco Álvarez de Toledo (1662–1739) and the 8th Marchioness del Carpio and 8th Countess of Monterrey, doña Catalina de Haro (1672–1733), resulted in the incorporation of a large part of the collection of the Marquis of El Carpio. With major works by Diego Velázquez, Jusepe de Ribera, and Raphael, the Marquis of El Carpio’s collection was one of the finest in Europe at the time.

Fernão Vaz Dourado (Portuguese, ca. 1520–ca. 1580). Portulano, Atlas of the World, 1568. Book, vellum, 16 3/16 x 10 1/4 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid, Vit. Biblia.

A pivotal moment in the family history came in 1802 when Goya’s patron, the 13th Duchess of Alba, doña Maria del Pilar Teresa Cayetana (1762–1802), died without leaving any heirs, which resulted in the title of Duke of Alba, as well as the other titles in the lineage, passing to the Berwick family, direct descendants of James II, Stuart king of England (reigned 1685–1688). This was the start of the Alba-Stuart lineage, which is still in existence today.

Christopher Columbus’s list of the people who went on his 1492 Journey of Discovery, 1498. Paper, 4 folios, 8 1/2 x 12 7/16 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Columbus Vitrine, Liria Palace, Madrid.

Although a large part of the Marquis of El Carpio collection was lost during the change of family line, the 7th Duke of Berwick and 14th Duke of Alba, don Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart (1794–1835) led a second period of strong growth. His purchases of works during his Grand Tour form one of the centerpieces of this exhibition.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Spanish, 1617–1682). Portrait of Don Juan Antonio de Miranda y Ramírez de Vergara, 1680. Oil on canvas, 77 9/16 x 42 1/2 in. Dukes of Alba Collection, Liria Palace, Madrid.

The collection continued to expand during the 20th century with acquisitions and commissions by the 17th Duke of Alba, don Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart (1878–1953), who was a friend of artists such as Joaquín Sorolla, Ignacio Zuloaga, and John Singer Sargent. His daughter, the 18th Duchess of Alba, doña Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart (1926–2014), commonly known as Cayetana, continued the momentum by acquiring works by English, French and Spanish 19th- and 20th-century masters. Today Cayetana’s eldest son, don Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba, is the guardian of the Alba’s treasures for future generations.