Lot 226. Coupe couverte en noix de coco à monture et pied en vermeil, non poinçonnée, probablement Suisse ou Allemagne, vers 1580. Estimation 12,000 — 15,000 €. Photo Sotheby's.
les montures ciselées de personnages ailés, le fût ciselé de masques, la prise du couvercle en soldat. Haut. 32,5 cm; height 12 3/4 in.
A COCONUT CUP WITH SILVER-GILT MOUNTS, UNMARKED, PROBABLY GERMANY OR SWISS, CIRCA 1580
Sotheby's. Importante Orfèvrerie, Boîtes en or et Objets de vitrine, Paris, 03 May 2016, 10:30 AM
Lot 5. A fine gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Vajrapani, Tibeto-Chinese, 15th century. Estimate 6 000/10 000 €. Photo Nagel
standing in alidhasana on a separate cast lotus base, his right hand brandishing the vajra while the left shows tarjanimudra, wearing skirt, scarf floating around his shoulders with its streamers encircling the arms and its ends partly curling up, bejewelled, his face displaying a wrathful expression with protruding eyes below bushy eyebrows, beard and his hair combed in a chignon secured with a tiara, resealed. H. 21,5 cm. Losses to lacquer gilding.
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
Lot 19. A gilt-copper ewer and cover with immortals and engraved flower bands, China, 17th century. Estimate 1 800/2 500 €. Photo Nagel
wear to gilding, the finial of the cover in shape of a Buddhist lion dented and with small repair. H. 28,3 cm.
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
Lot 20. A fine gilt-bronze vase in gu form, China, 17th century. Estimate 5 000/8 000 €. Photo Nagel
meticulously cast around the cylindrical body and the splayed base with formalized taotie masks separated by vertical flanges, the tall trumpet neck with upright blade-shaped lappets containing a deconstructed taotie mask and cicada issuing from a band of kuilong, all reserved on a finely detailed diaper ground. H. 25,3 cm. Minor wear
Modelled after archaic bronze ritual wine containers known as gu, the present vessel was created for the scholar's studio primarily as an art object to hold flowers or 'a branch of coral, peacock feathers, an inspiringly shaped piece of wood or anything the scholar might chose to put into it.
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
Damiani brooch. Photo almakarinastudio
Dior ring, Chopard earrings. Photo almakarinastudio
Damiani brooch. Photo almakarinastudio
Lot 330. A very rare Augustus Rex vase with bird painting by C.G. Häntzschel, Meissen, around 1745. Estimate 38 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
the painting very likely by Christian Gottlob Häntzschel (Krummenhennersdorf bei Freiberg 1709 - Meissen 1761?). Ovoid body with slim neck. On both sides painted with birds, framed by butterflies and beetles. U'glazed blue 'AR' mark. H. 35,5 cm.
The painting of one of the two birds, a great spotted woodpecker, is based on the coloured copper engraving by Eleazar Albin (see: Eleazar Albin: A natural history of birds, London 1731, vol. 1, pl. 19, 'the great spotted woodpecker'). Albin's book was acquired by the Meissen factory in April 1745. Höroldt entrusted it to the painter Christian Gottlob Häntzschel, who had been working in the factory since 1733.
Literature : U. Pietsch u. C. Banz (Hrsg.): Triumph der blauen Schwerter. Dresden 2010, p. 239; Abraham L. den Blaauwen: Meissen Porcelain in the Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam 2000, p.317.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 329. An important Augustus Rex baluster vase with Chinese scenes by the Höroldt workshop, Meissen, around 1740. Estimate 28 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
Polychrome painting, gilding. The painting carried out in Höroldt's workshop. On both sides large, black-line gold cartouches with 'Laub- und Bandelwerk', inside decorated with Chinese scenes on terrestrial pedestals. In between small cartouches with Chinese scenes in purple monochrome. Finely painted flower bouquets and single flowers. Large manufactory mark 'AR' in u'glaze blue and former's mark for Johann Christoph Leibnitz. Prof. rest. H. 29,5 cm.
Literature : Rückert, R.: Biographische Daten der Meißener Manufakturisten des 18. Jh., München, 1990, S. 117.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 316. A rare early jug with chinoiserie, Meissen, around 1725, gilded silver mount 19th century. Estimate 9 500 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
Pear shaped jug with bulging handle. Painted with playing Chinese child and two men between flowering bushes in u'glazed blue, overlaid with gold, and polychrome onglaze decoration. Unglazed bottom without swords mark. Golden rims min. worn, lid knob rep. H. 23 cm.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 315. A rare Böttger sugar-box with gold chinoiseries, Böttger porcelain, the painting by the Seuter workshop, Augsburg, around 1725. Estimate 2 600 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
Rectangular form with tapered edges, pagoda finial to cover. Gilded stripes.Decorated with gold incised chinoiseries, gold border characteristic of Augsburg. Without mark. 8 x 11 x 9 cm.
Literature : Comp.: Rückert, cat.no. 40, fig. 15
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 317. A rare Boettger jug with Augsburg silver mount by Elias Adam (1669-1745), Meissen, gold painting by the Seuter-workshop, probably Abraham Seuter, around 1725. Estimate 3 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
The body of the pear-shaped jug is decorated with a incised scene of a falconry on a gold arabesque pedestal. No manufactory mark, '8' in purple lustre. Foot rest., gold painting age-related slightly worn. H. 16 cm.
Literature : Comp.: S. Ducret, Meissner Porzellan bemalt in Augsburg, vol.I, Braunschweig 1971, fig. 301-304
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 324. A rare large tankard with underglazed blue painting, Meissen, around 1730. Estimate 2 500 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
Cylinder form with ear-shaped handle. The body continouisly decorated with rich lotus flowers and peonies in underglazed blue. Border with ornamental pattern and four reserves. The handle with spiraling flowers. Unglazed underside. Tin mount added later. Crossed swords mark. Min. chip. H. 26,5 cm.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 530. An exceptional necklace with a natural, high-grade Ceylon and Burma sapphires and diamonds. Estimate 60 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
18 ct. yellow gold and with white gold, marked. Handcraft.
All around setting in yellow gold with 20 very fine, un-treated Ceylon and Burma sapphires in oval, cushion and round cut in total approx. 108 ct. (from 1.95 ct. to 12.79 ct., diameter approx. 7.94-7.9 mm and 14.31 mm/ 11.38 mm).
Further setting with 158 diam. in round brillant and old cut in white gold bezel settings in total approx. 15.67 ct. G-H.internally flawless-vvs-vs. L. approx. 48 cm, weight approx. 127,93 g.
Details and replacement value of 240.000 Euro according to the report of the Sachverständige F.-J. Schupp Pforzheim from April 2015.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 521. An extraordinary 12 carats Fancy Light Yellow vs1-2 Old Cut Diamond solitaire ring. Estimate 65 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
The natural Fancy Diamond in old cut of fine brilliance in high prong setting approx. 11.50 - 12 ct. FancyLightYellow.vs1-2 (approx. 14.8 -14.7 mm). Proportions good, symmety and polish good, UV fluorescence very slightly blue. Size 55, weight approx. 8.2 g.
Details according to report of the Gemmologisches Institut Hamburg form November 2015.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 520. A highcarat 'tutti-frutti' bracelet in the style of Art Déco. Estimate 15 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
8 ct. white gold, marked. Setting with 13 emeralds, 5 rubies and 21 sapphires in foliage shape, carved and in prong settings in total approx. over 60 ct. The bars with rich diamond setting in pavé and bezel setting in total approx. 4,50 ct. I-P.si-P. W. 23 mm, l. 19,5 cm, weight approx. 68 g.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Lot 405. Gottfried Schmidt (active 2nd half 17th century), a grand beaker with chased allegory of the four seasons, Leipzig, around 1680. Estimate 10 000 €. Photo Auktionhaus Stahl
Silver, chased and engraved, interiour overall and outside partly with gilding, stamped with Leipzig assay mark, MM.: 'GS' and date letter F. Conical beaker on 3 spherical feet, body with fine chased and engraved szenes of the four seasons. (Comp. Rosenberg, Nr. 2995 und 3053). H. 22,5 cm, weight c. 800 g.
Leipzig silver smith, master since 1667.
Provenance : Private Collection Schleswig-Holstein.
AUKTIONSHAUS STAHL, Maîtres Anciens, Objets d'Art, Extrême Orient, Bijoux, le 23 Avril 2016 à 11h00
Limestone head from a temple. Selinous, Sicily, c.540–510 BC. Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonio Salinas, Palermo. © Regione Siciliana.
LONDON.- The British Museum opened the first exhibition in the UK to explore over 4000 years of history on the island of Sicily. Sponsored by Julius Baer, Sicily: culture and conquest provides new insight into the vibrant past of the Italian island familiar to so many visitors today.
The exhibition sheds light on the remarkable artistic and architectural achievements of the island through objects in the British Museum’s own collection alongside outstanding loans from Sicily and around the world, including many objects coming to the UK for the very first time.
Gold libation bowl decorated with bulls. From the ancien site of Sant'Angelo Muxaro, Sicily, c. 600 BC. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and across time it has been shaped by the aspirations of many different peoples and cultures. Its perpetual allure lay in its fertile soil, fed by the volcanic dynamics of Mount Etna. Across time, people from as far and wide as the eastern Mediterranean and northern Europe settled on Sicily, forging a varied and sophisticated culture. The exhibition focuses on two major eras: first, the arrival of the Greeks from the latter half of the 7th century BC and their encounters with earlier settlers and with the Phoenicians, and second the extraordinary period of enlightenment under Norman rule, about AD 1100 – 1250. The exhibition explores how an astonishingly rich material culture flourished in both of these periods.
Terracotta altar depicting a lion attacking a bull. From Centuripe (Ancient Kentoripa), Sicily, c. 550-500 BC. Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi, Siracusa. © Regione Siciliana.
Over 200 objects have been brought together to reveal the richness of the architectural, archaeological and artistic legacies of Sicily. When the Greeks made their first official colony at Naxos in around 735 BC, they brought new ideas and forged cultural and trading links with the earlier indigenous settlers. Sicily’s undemocratically elected rulers, known as ‘Tyrants’, and civic governing bodies displayed their wealth and power through the building of temples, sometimes of colossal dimensions, competing against the largest temples in Greece and the ancient Greek world.
Terracotta roof ornament depicting the head of Medusa the gorgon, c.500 BC. © Regione Siciliana
A rare and spectacularly well preserved, brightly painted terracotta altar, dating to about 500 BC, is one of the highlights of the loans from Sicily. It shows a scene of an animal combat on the upper tier, while below stand three striking fertility goddesses. The British Museum is also fortunate to have received on loan a magnificent terracotta architectural sculpture of a Gorgon, the famous Greek monster, that was once perched on the highest point of a building at Gela in south-east Sicily. Terracotta ornaments were frequently used to decorate the upper levels of buildings on Sicily and are amongst the finest that have survived from the ancient world. Another important Sicilian loan is a rare and iconic marble sculpture of a warrior from ancient Akragas, modern Agrigento. Marble statues were likely to have been commissioned, carved and imported into Sicily from overseas or made by local sculptors, trained in the Greek tradition. Such rare statues decorated major temples or were part of sculptural groups, most of which are long gone.
Carthaginian grotesque terracotta mask, c. 550–475 BC. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
After a long series of wars involving Greek Sicilians, Carthaginians, and Romans, the island was eventually conquered by Rome. The exhibition includes a direct remnant of the final battle of that conquest which took place on 10 March 241 BC: a bronze battering ram that was fitted on the front of the Roman warships to sink enemy ships, and which was only recently excavated from the waters around the island. For Rome, Sicily’s primary role was to supply its population and its armies with grain; otherwise it cared little for the province. Following Rome’s ‘fall’, Christian Byzantines and Muslim Arabs competed for domination over Sicily, each ruling the island for several centuries. At the end of the 11th century, however, Norman mercenaries who had been settling and ruling in the south of Italy, in turn conquered the island, now inhabited by Byzantine Greek, Muslim, Jewish and Norman people. Under Kings Roger II, William I and William II, Sicily once again became one of the Mediterranean superpowers, easily rivaling the Byzantine Empire in the East, the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt and the Papal States around Rome.
Marble statue of warrior, Akragas, Sicily, c.470 BC. Museo Archeologico Regionale di Agrigento © Regione Siciliana
Through the coexistence of Norman, Islamic and Byzantine cultures on Sicily, Roger II created a climate of multicultural collaboration. Unique forms of art and architecture emerged from the mixture of influences. In 2015 nine buildings in the Arab-Norman style that emerged in Palermo and the surrounding area were elected as UNESCO world heritage. Coming on loan from several of these buildings are a twelfth-century Byzantine-style mosaic, and marble and wooden Islamic-influenced architectural decorations that give visitors a sense of this extraordinary architectural style that emerged under Roger II. At the same time, the palace workshops produced beautiful objects, from ceremonial glassware and ivory, gold pendants and intricate enamel mosaics and cameos. Each object demonstrates the skills of the craftsmen and the variety of cultural influences that inspired their artistic production and experimentation.
Silver didrachm of Akragas showing a crab, c. 464 BC. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Roger also welcomed scholars of all races and faiths to his court and took a direct interest in scientific innovation. The exhibition displays one of the oldest surviving copies of a new world map that Roger commissioned from al-Idrisi, an Arab cartographer, instructing him to base it on new research. The interest in innovation and scientific experiment was continued by Roger II’s grandson, Frederick II, who as Holy Roman Emperor ruled a large part of Europe, but based his court in Palermo. His desire to found a new Roman Empire was unfulfilled when he died heirless, and for the rest of its history, Sicily returned to being part of larger empires and states, rather than being its own master.
Marble relief of a charioteer, Sicily, ca 440-400 BC. Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonio Salinas, Palermo. © Regione Siciliana.
The British Museum has worked closely with the Sicilian Ministry of Culture since 2010 on several loans, both at the British Museum and in Sicily. This exhibition presents the next collaboration between curators of the British Museum and Sicily. Objects of outstanding cultural significance have been carefully selected through consultation with Sicilian specialists from different museums across the island. These objects are being displayed alongside loans from Italy, the US and the UK, as well as items from the British Museum collection.
Bronze rostrum from a Roman warship. From the seabed near Levanzo, Sicily, c. 240 BC. Soprintendenza del Mare. © Regione Siciliana.
Joanna Mackle, deputy director of the British Museum said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce the British Museum’s exhibition on the rich cultural history of Sicily. We are hugely grateful to Julius Baer for their long term partnership with the British Museum and their generous support of this exhibition. We are also delighted to be working in collaboration with Sicilian colleagues to bring the fascinating story of this island to life."
Engravings made between 13000 and 8000 BC in the Addaura cave near Palermo. © Regione Siciliana, Assessorato dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana.
Terracotta altar with three women and a panther mauling a bull. Gela, Sicily. C.500 BC. Museo Archeologico Regionale di Gela© Regione Siciliana
Terracotta head of a horse from the Acropolis of Gela, c. 480-460 BC.© Museo Archeologico Regionale di Gela.
Head of a marble statue of the Roman empress Livia. Sicily, AD 30-50. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Gold Bracelet, Mount Pantalica, Sicily, ca. AD 650. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Gift of Alastair Bradley Martin, 1952 (52.76.1). © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fragments of the funerary robe of Henry VI, red-and-gold lampas silk, tomb of Henry VI, Palermo, Sicily, 1197 AD© The Trustees of the British Museum
Gilded bronze falcon. Sicily or Southern Italy, AD 1200-1220. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters Collection, 1947 (47.101.60). © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ceiling panel from the Norman palace in Palermo, Sicily, c. 1130- 1200. Gallerio Interdisciplinare Regionale della Sicilia di Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo. © Regione Siciliana.
Map of Sicily from the Book of Curiosities, Egypt, about AD 1200. © The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.
Mosaic of the Madonna from Palermo Cathedral. Sicily, AD 1130-1189. © Museo Diocesana di Palermo.
Portrait of a colossus… bust of Frederick II. Italy, AD 1220–50. © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Rome
14th century copy of a map of Sicily by Muhamaad al'Idrisi's 12th century Tabula Rogierana. Bodeleian Library. University of Oxford, MS Pococke 375, folios 187v-188r.
A tombstone in four languages, Sicily, AD 1149. Soprintendenza Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Palermo. © Regione Siciliana.
Lid of a casket with peacock decoration, Enamel, gold, copper, Probably Sicily, c.1250–1300© The Trustees of the British Museum.
Lot 38. A very rare blue overlay white glass mallet vase, incised Qianlong four-character mark in a square and of the period. Estimate 25000/35000 €. Photo Nagel
The vase has a broad base rising to a rounded shoulder under a high cylindrical neck, carved through the blue overlay to the white ground with two long-tailed phoenix in flight amidst cloud scrolls. The blue overlay base is incised with the reign mark within double squares - H. 19,5 cm - Good condition - Old written collector's number 494 to base.
The matching vase as a pair from a Japanese private collection was sold Christie's Hongkong, May 29th, 2013, Lot 2311
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
Lot 505. A fine light pink blossom-shaped Beijing glass bottle vase, incised Qianlong four-character mark in a square and of the period. Estimate 6000/10000 €. Photo Nagel
H. 15,2 cm. Few very small chips, partly polished
Provenance: From the collection of a member of the Family Baron von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, formerly Palais Grüneburg, Frankfurt on the Main
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
Lot 506. A deep cut turquoise-blue Beijing glass bottle vase with dragon decoration, engraved Qianlong four-character mark, 18th-19th century. Estimate 3000/5000 €. Photo Nagel
H. 21,5 cm. Glass bubbles, few tiny chips.
Provenance: From the collection of a member of the Family Baron von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, formerly Palais Grüneburg, Frankfurt on the Main
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
Lot 507. A good blue-green Beijing glass bottle vase, incised Qianlong four-character mark and period. Estimate 3000/5000 €. Photo Nagel
H. 17 cm. Tiny polished chip to stand.
Provenance: From the collection of a member of the Family Baron von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, formerly Palais Grüneburg, Frankfurt on the Main
Nagel Auctions. "Asiatische Kunst", Sale 736, 06.05.2016
