Lot 384. Turquoise, sapphire, emerald and diamond bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1960s. Estimate 96,000 — 145,000 CHF (87,736 - 132,518 EUR). Photo Sotheby's. 

Of floral design, set with cabochon turquoise, emeralds and sapphires within gold corded wires, and brilliant-cut diamonds, length approximately 175mm, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, numbered, French assay and maker's marks. 

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Geneva, 17 May 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 36. Property from the Cunliffe Collection. A rare yellow-glazed saucer dish, Wanli six-character mark and of the period (1573-1619). Sold for £15,000 (€19,045) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 40. A large blue and white 'kraak porselein' dish, Wanli period (1573-1619). Sold for £20,000 (€25,394) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

The interior boldly painted in deep cobalt-blue with a shaped panel encircling a scene of a white elephant beside a horse in a river, a white rabbit gazing at both from a short distance behind a rock, all amidst dynamic rockwork and various blooming flowers, all framed by shaped panels enclosing various diaper grounds, surrounded by large floral lappets enclosing further geometric patterns, peaches and auspicious objects extending over the cavetto and wide flaring rim, the exterior painted with roundels enclosing floral sprays. 50cm (19 3/4in) diam.

Provenance: a distinguished Belgian private collection

Bonhams. AUCTION 23237: FINE CHINESE ART, 10:30 BST - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Lot 296. Pair of natural pearl and diamond ear clips, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1960s. Estimate 96,000 — 145,000 CHF (87,736 - 132,518 EUR). Photo Sotheby's. 

Each surmount of cluster and scroll design set with brilliant-cut, tapered baguette and baguette diamonds, supporting a detachable pendant set with a drop shaped natural pearl measuring approximately 10.40 x 11.90 x 17.35mm and 11.05 x 12.10 x 17.40mm respectively, capped with square-, single-cut and tapered baguette diamonds, signed Van Cleef & Arpels and V.C.A., numbered, French assay and maker's marks, drops and baguette diamond pendants detachable, case signed Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Accompanied by SSEF report no. 84922, stating that the pearls were found to be natural, saltwater.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Geneva, 17 May 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 39. A blue and white beaker vase, gu, Circa 1640. Sold for £20,000 (€25,394) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

The flaring neck vibrantly painted with a scene of a kneeling attendant presenting an official's cap to a dignitary surrounded by attendants with a horse and soldiers carrying banners, the mid-section decorated with a scholar reclining at leisure next to a pile of books while his boy-attendant brings his zither in its silk case, the lower section with pendent leaf lappets, the rim incised with a floral scroll and around the lower body a chevron band. 43.2cm (17in) high

Note: According to Scarlett Jang, generic representations of the emperor's emissary handing a scroll or cap of official appointment was a popular motif of Zhe school and court painters during the Ming dynasty. The present vase highlights a dilemma faced by the scholar-officials after the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644. To serve the emperor was to fulfill the highest Confucian obligation, but to serve the invading Manchu emperor would compromise loyalty to the fallen Ming. See J.Curtis, Chinese Porcelains of the Seventeenth Century: Landscapes, Scholars' Motifs and Narratives, New York, 1995, p.144. 

Compare a dish, dated to the Shunzhi period, with a similar motif illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), Hong Kong, 2002, pp.4-5. 

Bonhams. AUCTION 23237: FINE CHINESE ART, 10:30 BST - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Lot 41. A blue and white double-gourd 'Seven Sages' vase, Chongzhen period (1627-1644). Sold for £12,500 (€15,871) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 422. Sapphire and diamond bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate 96,000 — 145,000 CHF (87,736 - 132,518 EUR). Photo Sotheby's. 

Composed of calibré-cut sapphires en serti mystérieux, between two lines of collet-set brilliant-cut diamonds,length approximately 170mm, signed V.C.A, numbered, French assay and maker’s marks, case stamped Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Geneva, 17 May 2016, 10:00 AM

Hall d'entrée

Grand Salon

Bibliothèque

Salle à manger

Salle de musique

Salle de dégustation

 Cuisine

Château Fourcas Hosten, Listrac

Histoire.

Jolie chartreuse nichée au coeur d’un parc magnifique de 3 hectares, à l’ombre du clocher de l’église romane, le Château Fourcas Hosten est situé au coeur même de Listrac, paisible village qui donne son nom à l’appellation.

En 1810, M. Hosten cède le vignoble, hérité de son père, avocat à Bordeaux, à la famille de Saint Affrique qui, en créant le Château Fourcas Hosten, lui donne une notoriété internationale. Depuis septembre 2006 le Château Fourcas Hosten est la propriété de Renaud et Laurent Momméja.

Reconnu comme l'un des grands crus bourgeois de la presqu'île médocaine, le Château Fourcas-Hosten produit un vin dont l'équilibre de l'assemblage a toujours été salué comme une réussite.

S'inscrivant dans une dynamique de progression, la famille Momméja et son équipe ont entrepris des démarches concrètes visant l'amélioration de la structure existante, des bâtiments et des 47 hectares du vignoble.

Dès 2008, d'importants travaux sont entrepris au sein du domaine et portent sur :

• La rénovation des trois chais : vinification, stockage et chai à barriques,
• La rénovation de la chartreuse,
• Un travail de "restauration" de la vigne sur certaines parcelles 

Renaud et Laurent Momméja, entourés de leur équipe, consacrent beaucoup d'énergie, d'application et de moyens financiers par passion pour cette terre, qui engendre chaque année des vins que l'équipe s'applique à rendre exceptionnels.

Membre de l'Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Renaud et Laurent Momméja partagent chaque jour leur passion pour le Vin avec tous ceux qu'ils rencontrent en France et dans le monde.

En 2013, le Château Fourcas Hosten a été récompensé de ses efforts par deux labels: le label "Vignobles et Chais en Bordelais" et le label "Best Of Wine Tourism 2014".

History

A beautiful country manor house nestled in the heart of a magnificent 3-hectare park, in the shadow of the bell tower of the old Roman church, Château Fourcas Hosten is situated in the centre of Listrac, a peaceful village in the eponymous appelation.

In 1810, Mr Hosten, who inherited the vineyards from his father, a lawyer in Bordeaux, ceded the vineyards to the Saint Affrique family who created Château Fourcas Hosten and brought it international renown. Renaud and Laurent Momméja have been the new owners since September 2006.

Recognised as one of the bourgeois Great Growths on the Médoc peninsula, Château Fourcas Hosten produces a wine whose balanced blending has always been hailed a success.

Dedicated to the dynamics of progress, the Momméja family and their team have undertaken concrete steps targeting the improvement of the existing structure, the buildings and the 47 hectares of vineyards.

Since 2008 the following massive projects have been undertaken within the property :

• The renovation of 3 cellars: the winery, the storage and  barrel rooms,
• The renovation of the Charter house,
• Restoring the vines in certain plots.

Renaud and Laurent Momméja, surrounded by their team, have devoted an enormous amount of energy, effort, involvement and financial means out of pure passion for this land which produces wines that the team endeavours to make exceptional each year.

As members of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Renaud and Laurent Momméja share their passion for wine on a daily basis with all those they meet in France and in the world.

In 2013, Château Fourcas Hosten  was rewarded for its efforts by two labels : "Vignobles et Chais en Bordelais" and the label "Best of Wine Tourism 2014".

 Lot 21. A rare Imperial Ge-type vase, zun, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 4.5 million - 6 million (€510,000 - 680,000). Photo: Bonhams.

HONG KONG.- Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale in Hong Kong on 2 June 2016 will offer fine and rare porcelain and works of art which would once have graced the Imperial palaces. They include exquisite treasures from the reigns of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors - all with impeccable provenance.  

Among the fine selection of imperial porcelains and works of art from the reign of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-1735) is a pair of exceptionally rare imperial doucai waterpots, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period, estimated at HK$ 10,000,000 – 15,000,000. The waterpots were formerly in the Jingguantang and Gerald M. Greenwald collection, exhibited on many occasions by the Min Chiu Society and in the Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong. Besides the present pair, there are only four other known examples, two in the Palace Museum, Beijing and in the Nanjing Museum, with another pair previously in the collections of C.T.Loo, Paris, Paul and Helen Bernat, Boston, and the Shimentang collection.  

Lot 12. A pair of exceptionally rare Imperial doucai waterpots, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period (1723-1735). Estimate HK$ 10 million - 15 million (€1.1 million - 1.7 million). Photo: Bonhams.

Each gracefully potted with gently curving sides, the exterior delicately outlined in subtle underglaze-blue with vaporous swirling clouds encircling the base and rising towards the top, exquisitely enamelled in soft tones of yellow, aubergine, dark and light green, with some of the edges picked out in iron-red, the interior and base covered with a transparent glaze, the base with a six-character kaishu mark in underglaze-blue, wood stands. Each: 5.3cm (2 1/8in) high (4).

Provenance: The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991
The Jingguantang Collection
Christie's Hong Kong, 3 November 1998, lot 956
The Gerald M. Greenwald Collection, collection no.88
Christie's Hong Kong, For Imperial Appreciation: Fine Chinese Ceramics from the Greenwald Collection, 1 December 2010, lot 2816
An important Asian private collection

Published and Illustrated: Min Chiu Society, Catalogue of the 7th Annual Exhibition of Porcelain of Ch'ing Dynasty. K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Periods (From 1662 to 1795AD), Hong Kong, 1968, no.57
Min Chiu Society, An Anthology of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1980, no.144
The Tsui Museum of Art, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl.112
Chinese Ceramics. Vol.IV, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.131

Notes: The present pair of doucai waterpots is exceptionally rare and aesthetically pleasing. Only four other examples appear to have been published as follows: a single waterpot, from the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in Small Refined Articles of the Study. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Shanghai, 2009, p.223, no.221; another single example, possibly the pair to the Palace Museum, Beijing example, is in the collection of the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.178 (it is interesting to note that these presumed pair of waterpots both have seemingly lighter shades of enamels and do not have red enamel highlights); and a pair of waterpots, previously in the collections of C.T.Loo, Paris, Paul and Helen Bernat, Boston, and the Shimentang collection, was sold by Eskenazi Ltd., illustrated in the catalogue Qing Porcelain from a Private Collection, London, 2012, no.3. 

The Yongzheng emperor who practiced a balanced combination of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, became in later life increasingly involved in Daoist matters related to the 'elixir of immortality', even bestowing upon a high official the pill of longevity. However, on 8 October 1735 he passed away, possibly as a result of consuming toxic materials contained in the 'elixir of immortality'. The Imperial pursuit of longevity and consumption of 'elixirs of immortality' is said to also have been practiced by Qinshi Huangdi (260-210 BC), China's first emperor, and by the Ming emperor Jiajing (1522-1566). In all three cases, this pursuit proved ineffective. 

The power of granting the 'elixir of immortality' is attributed to the divine Daoist deity Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, in whose garden, said to be hidden by high clouds in the Kunlun mountains, grow the peaches of immortality, ripening once every 3,000 years. One of the paintings in the Album of the Yongzheng Emperor in Costumes from the Palace Museum, Beijing, shows the emperor wearing a multi-coloured robe, reminiscent in colour scheme of the present pair of waterpots, offering a peach of immortality to a monkey; see E.S.Rawski and J.Rawson, eds., China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, pp.167-168. 

The wispy lingzhi-shaped five-coloured clouds, 'wuse yun' (五色雲) or 'qing yun' (慶雲), depicted on the present lot, represent the emperor's wish for longevity. The motif can be further interpreted as a pun on the word 'cloud', yun(雲), which is a homophone for fuyun (福運), 'good fortune'. In an agricultural society, the rain-bearing clouds would have been perceived as a benevolent omen, for the necessary irrigation of the crops.  

It is interesting to note that the Yongzheng emperor seemed to have a particular fondness for the physical as well as symbolic appearance of qing yun between the 7th and the 10th year of his reign (1729 – 1732). Scenes of auspicious five-coloured clouds appearing above the sky were recorded several times in the Palace memorials presented to the emperor. The Imperial archives also recorded that paintings depicting such particular type of clouds were ordered by the Yongzheng emperor in 1730, see Lin Lina, 'Auspicious symbols and scenes of the Yongzheng period', in Feng Mingzhu, Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, pp.374 – 399. 

The Yongzheng emperor's fondness for this decoration is evident in the number of extant Imperial works of art, similarly decorated with multi-coloured clouds, including the carved wooden plaque inlaid with painted enamel wispy clouds and the inscription reading 'Heed Rashness and Use Perseverance'; a painted enamel snuff bottle, Yongzheng mark and period; a painted enamel tiered box and cover, Yongzheng mark and period; and a stand with a hanging fish pendant, depicted in 'Yinzhen's [Yongzheng's] Amusements: Copying a Sutra in a Studio', illustrated in the National Palace Museum, Taipei exhibition catalogue by Feng Mingzhu, ibid., Taipei, 2009, pp.20, 116-117, 258 and 269. See also a doucai bottle vase, Yongzheng mark and period, similarly decorated with cloud scrolls, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2010, lot 1862.  

The above examples illustrate the emperor's use of this highly particular stylised motif with which he personally identified and for decorating objects for his personal use. It is therefore not surprising that the same auspicious motif was also employed on one of the essential literati paraphernalia, especially made for the Imperial 'scholar's desk'. The very small number of extant doucai waterpots of this particular design indicates their exclusive Imperial use. 

The use of this motif on a waterpot, though in a more refined and colourful palette, also presented a continuation of related waterpots made during the reign of his father, the Kangxi emperor. Such vessels were of more conical form, with carved wispy cloud scrolls, covered in white or celadon glaze; for a white-glazed example, Kangxi mark and period, see Wang Qingzheng, Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl.227; and for a celadon-glazed example, Kangxi mark and period, from the Nanjing Museum, see Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.107. However, the combined use of the doucai palette and lingzhi-shaped cloud scroll decoration was inspired by bowls from the Chenghua period; for Chenghua examples from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, 1465-1487, Taipei, 2003, pp.153-155 and p.156 for a Wanli example, nos.143-150. 

The Yongzheng emperor personally influenced the artistic direction of the Imperial kiln production, achieving together with the celebrated kiln supervisor Tang Ying an unsurpassed standard of quality, aesthetic subtlety and refinement by merging his admiration both of classic styles of the past and of contemporary innovation. His interest in antiques, scholarly objects and curios, and arguably his wish to be identified as a cultivated literatus, is demonstrated in the scroll painting titled Guwan tu (古玩圖) or 'Record of Ancient Playthings', dated 1729, illustrated by Rawski and Rawson, ibid., pp.252-255; as well as in a number of paintings depicting him beside a scholar's desk, see Feng Minzhu, ibid., pp.115 and 117. The present pair of waterpots therefore, represents an outstanding example of the highest level of Imperial porcelain production and innovation at its zenith, realised during the Yongzheng period.

Another item from the Imperial ‘scholar’s desk’ is an imperial banded-agate oval brushwasher, incised Yongzheng horizontal four-character seal mark and of the period, estimated at HK$ 2,500,000 – 3,000,000. The simplicity and natural beauty of the piece reflects the Yongzheng emperor’s personal taste; it is recorded in the imperial archives that he ordered agate brushwashers and bowls to be left undecorated in order to highlight the quality of the original stone surface.  

Lot 13. An extremely rare Imperial banded-agate oval brushwasher, Incised Yongzheng horizontal four-character seal mark and of the period (1723-1735). Estimate HK$ 2.5 million - 3 million (€280,000 - 340,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The exquisite translucent stone of golden-yellow and honey-brown tones highlighted with a matrix of natural milky and creamy yellow veins and banded ripples, superbly carved as a slender oval bowl with shallow rounded sides gracefully raised on a slightly recessed base, expertly polished to a lustrous sheen, the underside carefully carved with a horizontal four-character mark in seal script. 18.7cm (7 3/8in) wide

Provenance: A British private collection, acquired prior to the 1950s, and thence by descent
Bonhams London, 12 May 2011, lot 184

Notes: The agate brushwasher belongs to an exceptionally rare group of Imperial vessels carved from agate, made in the Imperial Jade Workshop, yuzuo, within the Imperial Palace Works, the Zaobanchu, during the Yongzheng reign and bearing the Imperial mark. It encapsulates the Yongzheng emperor's interest in antiquity as well as in objects made for the scholar's desk and demonstrates the superb craftsmanship achieved by the Imperial Workshops.

The Yongzheng emperor took personal interest in the artistic production during his period including both Imperial porcelain and works of art. Records in the archives of the Imperial Jade Workshops, yuzuo, dated between 1724 and 1729, note that the emperor ordered for agate brushwashers and bowls to be kept undecorated in order to show the original pattern of the agate stone; pieces with 'intricate' designs or of unsatisfactory quality were rejected and sent back to the Imperial Palace Workshops. The Imperial collections in Taipei and Beijing hold a number of extant agate vessels, bearing the Yongzheng mark and of the period, which similarly to the present lot and according to the Yongzheng emperor's instructions, were kept plain. These include from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, bowls of various forms, a water dropper, and a cup on a similarly shaped oval stand; see Feng Mingzhu, Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, pp.235-245; and from the Palace Museum, Beijing, an agate cup and dish; see Yang Boda, Zhongguo yuqi quanji, Hebei, 2005, pp.553 and 550, nos.10 and 62.  

When comparing the number of agate vessels and jade carvings bearing the Yongzheng and Qianlong reign marks, it is evident that the Yongzheng emperor greatly admired the natural virtues of the agate stone. The Qianlong period saw greater output of jade carvings, although there was continuity of agate carvings in the Imperial Workshops as demonstrated in an agate bowl-stand, Qianlong mark and period, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which according to the Wells bequest records came 'from the Summer Palace at Pekin', referring to the Yuanmingyuan; see M.Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, pp.96-97, pl.95 (museum no.1551A-1882). 

The oval rounded shape of the present lot is particularly rare and possibly derives from the form of the archaic wine vessel known as a yushang, which first appeared during the Warring States period (475–221 BC). See also an agate vessel of similar form excavated from a tomb dated to the Tang dynasty in the Eastern suburb of Xi'an, now in the Shaanxi History Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua dacidian: jinyinyushi juan, Hong Kong, 1996, p.62, no.190.

The sale also features: 

Lot 6. An rare iron-red and gilt-decorated ‘dragon’ candlestick, Yongzheng seal mark and of the period (1723-1735). Estimate HK$ 900,000 - 1.2 million (€100,000 - 140,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Intricately and elegantly structured standing on a chalice-formed base with three cabriole legs, surmounted by a tall and slender stem in the form of a baluster issuing from an inverted bell-shaped section borne on a collar of elaborate leaves curving outward, supporting a wide and waisted dish-shaped drip pan, each facet of the base vividly enamelled in rich iron-red tones with a front-facing five-clawed dragon soaring ferociously amidst flames and ruyi-shaped clouds above turbulent waves, the mid-section similarly decorated with three striding dragons, each section divided by narrow bands of finely-gilt flowers on a café-au-lait ground and slim gilt borders, wood stand. 42cm (16 1/2in) high (2).

Provenance: Lieutenant-Colonel T.S.Cox and thence by descent

Notes: Lieutenant-Colonel T.S.Cox time in China 1900 – 1902 

Lieutenant-Colonel T.S.Cox graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in 1892 and was commissioned in 1894 in the 16th Indian Cavalry, The Bengal Lancers. His noteworthy military service included in 1897, Tochi Field Force, N.W. Frontier; and in 1900, the China Expeditionary Force during the Boxer Rebellion, when he was awarded the US Military Order of the Dragon. In 1901 he was seconded as the Advisor to the Chinese Government and awarded an Imperial decoration by Shanqi, Prince Su (1866-1922). In 1903 he was elected to the Royal Geographical Society. In 1903 he served as Captain in the Indian Army; between 1904–1907, he was posted in the D.M.O. War Office, London, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Somaliland, Abyssinia, Russian central Asia, and Ottoman Middle East; in 1911 he was awarded the King George V Delhi Coronation Durbar medal. Between 1912-1913 he was posted in the Middle East and Central Asia. In 1915, he took part in the Gallipoli Campaign and in 1916 transferred to command the 37th Dogras. In 1917 he served in the Mesopotamian campaign and was wounded whilst serving in the Aden Field Force. In 1920 he served with the Waziristan Field Force, NW Frontier; in 1921 he transferred to command the 3rd Madras Regiment and in 1925 retired from the Indian Army as Lieutenant-Colonel. 

July 1900: Cox was ordered to North China to join China Expeditionary Force to relieve the siege of the Beijing International Legation Area by Chinese 'Boxers'. Collected a troop of 16th Bengal Lancers in Hong Kong on August 15 1900 and disembarked at Sinho for Tianjin on September 11. Advanced on Beijing September/October 1900. Subsequently placed in charge of a 'Flying Column' sent to capture Boxer leaders at Baoding, a hundred miles south-west of Beijing. Campaign medal, and learned to speak Chinese. Passed 6-day Chinese language examination.  

January - June 1901 worked for the British Military Commander, General Sir Alfred Gaselee, and awarded Military Order of the Dragon in April. July 1901 promoted Staff Captain and seconded to raise and train a Battalion of Chinese Railway Police, whose task was to guard the Beijing, Tongshan, and Tianjin districts for the British High Command, stationed at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.  

January 1 – December 25 1902 Cox was the Officer Commanding Railway Police, Chinese Imperial Railways, most of this time under contract to the Chinese Imperial Government. In addition to this role, from June 1 to December 1902 he was 'Confidential Adviser' to His Imperial Highness Prince Su, Governor of Beijing (the Emperors uncle), and from August 15 to December 1902 also 'Confidential Adviser' to His Imperial Highness Prince Qing, Head of Chinese Octroi (Customs) Department. Cox received a Letter of Appreciation and was awarded a Chinese Imperial Decoration for his services. He left Beijing for India on December 25 1902.

Lot 18. An exceptionally rare Imperial underglaze-blue and iron-red enamelled vase, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 4.5 million - 6 million (€510,000 - 680,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The slightly compressed globular body on a splayed foot rising to a flaring trumpet neck, the main body vividly enamelled with two pairs of confronted winged dragons in iron-red amidst billowing clouds, the neck featuring smaller matching pairs of winged dragons, all beautifully set within lappets, trefoils, pomegranate motifs and ruyi-heads in underglaze-blue with iron-red decorated bats on the foot and repeated on the stepped shoulders, the base with a six-characterzhuanshu seal mark in underglaze-blue. 13.1cm (5 1/8in) high

Provenance: T.Y.Chao, Hong Kong
Sotheby's Hong Kong, The T.Y.Chao Private and Family Trust Collections of Important Chinese Ceramics and Jade Carvings: Part II, 19 May 1987, lot 320
Shimentang collection
Eskenazi Ltd., London, Qing Porcelain from a Private Collection, London, 2012, no.18

Exhibited: Hong Kong, 1973-74, The Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Published: J.C.Y.Watt, Ch'ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, Hong Kong, 1973, no.69 

Notes: The present vase is exceptionally rare - one of only three recorded - with the other two examples, a pair from the collection of Milo, 7th Baron Talbot of Malahide, Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, Ireland, having been sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 1 June 2011, lot 3652.

Whilst the underglaze-blue lingzhi-fungus shaped cloud scrolls and the iron-red enamelled bats, bestowing the wish for long life, are a mainstay of Qing dynasty auspicious decorative motifs, the archaistic iron-red enamelled mythical creatures are a rare feature. It has been proposed that they may be identified as kuifeng (kui phoenixes), based on the wings and bi-furcated tails. This is further supported by an underglaze-blue and iron-red enamel dish, Yongzheng mark and period, decorated with a pair of kui phoenix, from the Qing Court Collection, and an iron-red, blue and green-enamelled waterpot, Yongzheng, decorated with kui phoenixes, both displaying similar features such as the upturned culing snout and rings on the body, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains, Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, Shanghai, 2009, pls.22 and 151. 

However, the feature of upwards curling snout evident on these mythical creatures is more readily identified in archaic bronzes as kui dragons; see for example the stylised dragons on an early Western Zhou dynasty bronze youvessel and cover, illustrated in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, exhibition catalogue The Cultural Grandeur of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Taipei, 2012, pl.100. This feature is rather different than the archaic depiction of phoenixes, which is shown with a distinct sharp beak and tail feathers, as demonstrated on a middle Western Zhou dynasty zunwine vessel, illustrated in ibid., pl.101. Furthermore, it would seem that the winged kui dragons on the present vase, also referred to as ying long or feiyu ('flying fish dragon'), are a continuation of winged dragons, depicted on early Ming Imperial porcelain dated to the Xuande and Chenghua periods, amongst other 'sea creatures' or haishou; see for example a blue and white 'sea creatures' stem cup, Xuande mark and period, excavated in 1993 from the Imperial kiln site in Jingdezhen, and another in underglaze-blue and iron-red enamel, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Imperial Porcelains from the Reign Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2015, pls.29 and 94; and a blue and white bowl, Chenghua mark and period, illustrated in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, Taipei, 2003, pl.17.

The archaistic inspiration as depicted on this vase is a manifestation of the Qianlong emperor's wish to 'restore ancient ways', calling on craftsman to draw inspiration from archaic examples, enabling them to imbue their designs with simplicity and honesty, achieving refinement and elegance. The 'ancient ways' referred to the intrinsic values of sincerity, simplicity, and happy exuberance. As shown above, the decoration and palette are also in direct continuation from the preceding Yongzheng period, although displaying innovation in the unusual elongated form.

The vase is related in form and similar in palette to an underglaze-blue and iron-red enamel vase, Qianlong seal mark and period, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of The Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), Shanghai, 2010, pl.225.

Lot 21. A rare Imperial Ge-type vase, zun, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 3.5 million - 5 million (€400,000 - 570,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Well potted in baluster form with steep sides and high shoulder rising to a broad waisted neck surmounted by a thick lipped rim, the neck set with a pair of archaisticchi dragons forming 'C'-shaped handles, covered overall with a rich and thick greyish glaze suffused with a network of dark grey craquelure and finer golden crackles, the base with a six-character zhuanshu seal mark in underglaze-blue.
22.8cm (9in) high 

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 10 June 1986, lot 291
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20 May 1987, lot 519
S.Marchant and Son Ltd., London
A European private collection

Notes: The present vase may be the pair to a Ge-type vase, Qianlong seal mark and period, of identical height at 22.8cm high, from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated by R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol.II, London, 1994, pp.218-219, no.887. 

The vase was inspired in form and in its glaze by antiquity, in accordance with the Qianlong emperor's wish to 'restore ancient ways', calling on craftsman to draw inspiration from archaic examples, enabling them to imbue their designs with simplicity and honesty, achieving refinement and elegance. The 'ancient ways' referred to the intrinsic values of sincerity, simplicity, and happy exuberance. The form is a contemporary innovation of the Han dynasty bronze hu shape, whilst the glaze is a direct reference to the celebrated Southern Song dynasty Ge glaze.  

The first reference to Ge yao in surviving literature appears to be in the 1428 publication Manual of Xuande Ritual Vessels (Xuande ding yi pu). Such wares appear to have been produced continuously from the Southern Song dynasty to the 15th century, with the prized glaze reproduced once more from the early 18th century.  

It is recorded that on the 13th year of the Yongzheng reign, corresponding to 1735, Tang Ying, on the eve of leaving Jingdezhen to take on his newly appointed role as the Superintendent of the Huai'an Custom Office, composed the famous document Taocheng jishi bei ji or 'Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production', on the management and productions of the Imperial Factory in Jingdezhen. The document lists nearly forty types of monochrome glazes, including the Ge glaze. This glaze was described as '...with iron body, including millet colour and pale green, copied from ancient pieces sent from the Imperial Palace'; see Peter Y.K.Lam, Shimmering Colours. Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods. The Zhuyuetang Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, pp.42-44.  

The Qianlong emperor recorded his admiration of the famed Ge glaze by composing a number of poems, including one inscribed on two Ge-type glazed arrow vases, Yuan dynasty, from the Percival David Collection in the British Museum (collection nos.PDF.23 and PDF.94), as follows: 

百圾雖粉撫則平
處州陶實出難兄
一般樸質稱珍重
那誠精工宣與成
乾隆乙巳御題

 'Despite the pattern of hundreds of intermingling crackle lines, its texture is fine and smooth to the touch. 
This is the work of the talented Elder brother. 
One discovers that the value of these undecorated wares is the same as that of unpolished gems. 
How could one compare this and the more elaborate products of Xuan(de) and Cheng(hua)? 
Each has its own individual charm. 
Composed by the Qianlong emperor in the cyclical year yisi [1785]' 

The present vase embodies the Qianlong emperor's esteem of this particular glaze, as reinterpreted by Tang Ying and his master-potters. 

The outline form of the vase is illustrated by Geng Baocang, Ming Qing Ciqi Jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p.268, pl.457, no.17. A similar Ge-type vase, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, was sold at Christie's London, 4 December 1973, lot 357. See also a related flambé-glazed hu vase, Qianlong incised seal mark and of the period, of similar form but larger size, which was sold at Christie's London on 9 November 2010, lot 218.

Lot 16. Collection of H.R.H the Duke of Gloucester K.G. A very rare Imperial red jasper archaistic vase, Mid-Qing Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 800,000 (€57,000 - 91,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The lustrous stone of a bright red tone vividly veined and mottled with shades of aubergine, the baluster form rising from a short straight foot to a waisted neck, set with a pair of openwork dragon-head handles in high relief, the centre of the body crisply carved in shallow relief with a taotie mask on both sides, all above a band of cicada blades, wood stand. 16.6cm (6 1/2in) high (2).

Provenance: Prince Henry, HRH the Duke of Gloucester KG (1900-1974)
Christie's London, Fine Chinese Porcelain, Carvings in Hardstones and Objects of Art, The Property of His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, KG, 20 May 1954, lot 41
Acquired from Spink & Son Ltd., London, on 26 July 1956
A distinguished European private collection and thence by descent

Notes: Prince Henry, HRH Duke of Gloucester, KG, KT, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, was the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. He served as a soldier for most of his life, achieving the rank of Field Marshall in 1955 and Marshall of the Royal Air Force in 1958. He was also the 11th Governor-General of Australia from 1944 to 1947. 

The present lot is an exceptionally rare artefact of the Qianlong period, combining the Imperial taste for archaism with the opulence of the red jasper stone, further emphasised by the generous use of the material. 

Red jasper is a fine grained opaque form of chalcedony of a rich red colour that occasionally contains dark grey or black stripes of quartz. The material of the present lot is certainly among the best of its kind with its lustrous red tone and attractive aubergine veins. For a full discussion of this material used in the Qing Imperial palace, see Chen Xiasheng, Su gu hua jin tan gugong zhubao, Taipei, 2013, pp.111-112. 

The idea of archaism, displayed on the present lot in the crisp carving of the taotie masks and dragon-head handles, was particularly favoured by the Qing court during the 18th century, and much promoted by the Qianlong emperor. The emperor proposed to 'restore ancient ways', referring to the view of ancient culture as having intrinsic qualities of sincerity, simplicity and happy exuberance. See Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50. The present jasper vase shares the related form and similar carving style with some of the archaistic jade vessels of the Qianlong period, which originally drew their inspiration from ancient bronze vessels; see a white jade vase decorated with taotie masks and cicada blades, Qianlong, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 10, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl.9, and another malachite vase also with archaistic taotie masks from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated inibid, p.169. Compare also a red jasper flower holder in the shape of a peach tree, dated to the 18th/19th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 24.80.143).

Further vestiges of the Imperial Qing Court can be seen in a rare Imperial gilt-bronze archaistic ritual bell, bianzhong, Kangxi cast mark, dated to the 54th year corresponding to 1715 and of the period, estimated at HK$ 2,200,000 – 2,800,000. Part of a graduated set of sixteen ritual bells, this bell is heavily and thickly cast to produce the musical tone of nanlu, corresponding to the musical scale of major sixth or note ‘A’.

Lot 24. A rare Imperial gilt-bronze archaistic ritual bell, bianzhong, Kangxi cast mark, dated to the 54th year corresponding to 1715 and of the period. Estimate HK$ 2.2 million - 2.8 million (€250,000 - 320,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Heavily cast in barrel form, surmounted by a robust double-headed dragon handle, each dragon powerfully modelled with bulging eyes, flaring nostrils and opened jaws revealing tongue and fangs, the details of their manes and scales beautifully rendered in realism, the bulging sides cast with four vertical panels at the cardinal directions, the front panel enclosing Kangxi wushisi nianzhi seven-character reign mark betweentaiji and yin emblems, the reverse with a two-character inscription nanlü, further flanked on each side panel with raised archaistic dragons set between ruyi and keyfret motifs, all perpendicular to five alternating horizontal bands of raised bosses and pairs of trigrams, all above eight circular disks, box. 31cm (12 1/4in) high (2).

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 19 March 1997, lot 25
A distinguished Asian private collection, and thence by descent

Notes: The Qing Court followed Confucian ideals as set out in ancient Chinese classics such as the Book of Rites, Zhou Li, which advocated that rituals should commence with music. Court protocol required that certain musical instruments, including a set of sixteen gilt-bronze bells, bianzhong, be used during state rituals (particularly in the Temple of Heaven and Temple of Agriculture), Court assemblies, formal banquets and processions of the Imperial Guard. The gilt-bronze ritual bells, bianzhong, were therefore an essential part of the Qing Court ceremonies. For an example of the use of the bells, see a painting by the Court painter Giuseppe Casiglione, circa 1755, titled 'Imperial Banquet in Wanshu [Ten Thousand Trees] Garden', illustrated by C.Ho and B.Bronson, Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, Chicago, 2004, pp.92-93, no.101.

The present lot would have been part of a graduated set of sixteen ritual bells, suspended on sturdy wooden frames in two tiers of eight, each cast in varied thickness to provide a range of twelve musical tones, shierlu (十二律), with four additional repeated notes in lower octaves. These varying tones are cast on the reverse panels of each bell in the following sequence: huangzhong (黃鐘), dalü (大呂), taicu (太簇), jiazhong (夾鐘), guxi (姑洗), zhonglü (仲呂),ruibin (蕤賓), linzhong (林鐘), yize (夷則), nanlü (南呂) (as on the present lot), wuyi (無射), and yingzhong (應鐘). Thenanlü tone corresponds to the musical scale of major sixth or the note 'A'. 

The heavily-cast bell, comprising the Eight Trigams around the exterior, is inspired in form by archaic bells of the Western Zhou dynasty (1100-771 BC ), evoking antiquity and continuity. For an example of archaic prototypes excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Zeng, in the Hubei Provincial Museum, see L.von Falkenhausen, Suspended Music: Chime Bells in the Culture of Bronze Age China, California, 1993, p.6, fig.1.  

The double-headed dragon handle surmounting the bell is known as pulao (蒲牢), which according to Chinese legend is one of the nine sons of the dragon. Pulao first appeared in Chinese literature during the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty scholar Li Shan (630-689) wrote 'there is a whale in the sea and a creature called pulao at the shores. Pulaois always afraid of the whale, so whenever the whale attacks, pulao will roar loudly.' The form of the bell therefore incorporates the legend as an additional mythical layer, whereby the impact of the striker – the whale – with the bell -pulao - would result in the dragon producing it loud ringing roar.  

Four sets of bells of this heavily-cast form appear to have been produced during the Kangxi period for the Temple of Agriculture in Beijing: two sets cast in the 52nd year (1713) and two sets in the 54th year (1715). Compare a pair of similar bianzhong, dated to 1715 bearing the tones of ruibin (蕤賓) and yingzhong (應鐘) which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 December 2009, lot 1942 ; see also a similar bianzhong, dated to 1715, cast with a guxi (姑洗) tone, which was sold at Sotheby's New York on 20 March 2012, lot 2012; another also dated to the same year but with the tone of wuyi (無射), was sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 28 November 2012, lot 2253.

Also impressively cast is an imperial gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Amitayus from the Kangxi period, estimated at HK$ 4,000,000 – 6,000,000. The figure is engraved on the underside with the character shi denoting the number ‘ten’, and is believed to be a limited series of imperial gilt-lacquered bronze Amitayus specially commissioned by the Kangxi emperor.

Lot 9. A rare Imperial gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Amitayus, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate HK$ 4 million - 6 million (€460,000 - 680,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Heavily cast seated with legs crossed in dhyanasana and hands held in dhyana mudra atop an exquisite double-lotus base decorated with beaded rim and details in relief, wearing a dhoti overflowing onto the pedestal and incised at the hem with floral decoration, with billowing scarf across both shoulders leaving the chest bare, wearing beaded necklaces, armlets, bracelets and earrings inset with semi-precious hardstones, the serene facial expression with downcast eyes framed by pendulous ears and elaborate headdress holding the hair in high chignon, overall richly gilt and the body lacquered red, engraved to the underside hem with the character shi, denoting the number ten. 41.8cm (16 1/2in) high

The inscription states that the gilt-bronze figure was commissioned and presented in dedication to the Kangxi emperor's grandmother, empress dowager Xiaozhuangwen (1613-1688). The year 1686 was neither the empress dowager's seventieth jubilee, nor the Kangxi emperor's thirtieth jubilee; however, the Amitayus's strong association with longevity, known as the Buddha of Infinite Life, could conceivably present the explanation for this highly costly production of the prized sacred figures. The Buddha Amitayus, associated with the rites that ensure long life, is especially worshipped by Tibetans, who believe that life can be extended through long lineages, faith and compassion. It is also believed that one can achieve self-enlightenment and cater to the welfare of others with the help of Amitayus.  

The dowager empress was largely responsible for the Kangxi emperor's upbringing and education under the rule of the Four Regents, following the death of the emperor's mother, empress Xiaokangzhang (1640-1663). The Kangxi emperor's devotion to the dowager empress is clearly demonstrated in him personally looking after her, when she fell ill in the autumn of 1687. It is therefore possible that this group of exceptional figures of Amitayus was made for prayer and hope for the prolonging of the dowager empress's life, or in her honour after her passing. 

The remarkable size and weight of the Amitayus, intricately cast and richly gilt, finely inlaid with semi-precious stones elevating the figure to a higher art form, enriched with gold-lacquer, softly worn in places touched and worshipped for centuries, all combine to create a magnificent portrayal of the Buddha Amitayus, worthy of Imperial worship. Such a magnificent production would have been costly and therefore only a limited number of such figures would have been made in comparison to the thousands of much smaller gilt-bronze figures of Amitayus ordered by the Qianlong emperor in honour of his mother, empress Xiaoshengxian's (1693-1777) sixtieth, seventieth and eightieth birthdays. 

There are very few recorded examples of Kangxi gilt-bronze figures of Amitayus engraved with a numerical inscription at the underside of the foot; compare a gilt-lacquered bronze figure of Amitayus, Kangxi, bearing the engraved number 'seventy six', which was sold at Christie's London, 14 May 2013, lot 154. 

Compare a similar Imperial gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus, Kangxi, which was sold at Sotheby's London on 5 November 2014, lot 18, and another from the same rooms sold on 10 November 2010, lot 233. See also another similar example which was sold at Christie's London on 13 May 2008, lot 147.

Altar Head, 16th century, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria. Bronze, copper alloy. Height: 8 1/8 inches University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from W. O. Oldman. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #250922. Photograph by Gary Ombler for Dorling Kindersley.

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- This spring the Philadelphia Museum of Art is presenting five exhibitions and a series of related programs that feature a broad spectrum of the arts from across the African continent. These exhibitions include historical works of art as well as contemporary fashion, photography, design, and architecture. The centerpiece is Look Again: Contemporary Perspectives on African Art, a major exhibition drawn from the collection of the Penn Museum, on view from May 14 through December 4, 2016. It examines the rich artistic heritage of West and Central Africa, and is designed to acquaint visitors with the diverse styles and functions of African art through the act of close looking. 

Male and Female Figures, c. 1880–1925, Kongo Kingdom, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo. Ivory. Height: 2 5/8 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Received from various sources. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #250919. Photograph by Gary Ombler for Dorling Kindersley.

Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and CEO, Philadelphia Museum of Art, notes: “This season of related exhibitions will offer our visitors a wonderful opportunity to make connections between centuries-old traditions and contemporary artistic practices. We are especially grateful for the loan of a large number of works from the Penn Museum’s world-renowned collection, which will be presented in an exhibition that anchors our celebration of African art.” 

Reliquary Guardian Figure, 19th or early 20th century, Obamba culture, Gabon. Copper, brass, wood. Height: 19 5/16 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from J. Laporte. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #195502.

Look Again takes advantage of some of the greatest strengths of the Penn Museum’s collection, placing a strong emphasis on process, materials, and ornamentation as well as the understanding that can be gained through an examination of context, function, and provenance. Highlights from the kingdom of Benin include carved ivories and bronzes, among them plaques that once adorned the Oba’s palace, a magnificent architectural complex at the heart of Benin City in present-day Nigeria. Bronzes created as early as the 16th century include commemorative heads, ranging from the very simple to the extremely ornate, that would have been placed on altars. 

Plaque Depicting Seven Figures, c. 1540–70, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria. Bronze, copper alloy, 18 1/2 x 16 15/16 x 1 9/16 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from W. O. Oldman. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #250995. Photograph by Gary Ombler for Dorling Kindersley.

Many of the works on view are sculptures from Central Africa, including power figures created to strengthen, protect, or heal their users. These works can range in size from small handheld objects to figures of imposing scale. In some cases, nails and blades were inserted into these figures as part of their ritual use. Wooden sculptures originating from West, Central, and South Africa present a wide array of poses and expressions, and some incorporate the figure into functional objects, such as headrests or tools. 

Altar Head, c. 1848–88, Benin Kingdom,Nigeria. Bronze, copper alloy. Height: 17 5/8 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from W. O. Oldman. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #255381

Art from the Kuba culture (from the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) includes cloth, made from dyed raffia and other natural fibers showing bold and lively geometric designs, along with carved wooden cups, bowls, and boxes adorned with patterns. The exhibition also features brass weights from present-day Ghana that were used by the Akan peoples to weigh gold. Made through lost-wax casting, they are miniature sculptures of people, animals, objects, and abstract patterns that reflect motifs and proverbs from West Africa. 

Queen Mother Head, early 17th century–18th century, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria. Bronze, copper alloy. Height: 18 11/16 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from W. O. Oldman. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #250958. Photograph by Gary Ombler for Dorling Kindersley.

The exhibition closes with a display of Kota reliquary figures, from present-day Gabon and Republic of the Congo, which were made to protect bundles of ancestral relics and are distinguished by exquisite applied metalwork. Through the use of an interactive digital program jointly developed by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Rampant Interactive, and Frederic Cloth, visitors can further explore the individual qualities and intriguing stylistic associations of these works. 

Doll, late 19th or early 20th century, Zulu culture, South Africa. Raffia, fiber, glass, ceramic, 7 x 2 1/8 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Gift of Ernst Anspach. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #243848.

Look Again is curated by Dr. Kristina Van Dyke, noted scholar and curator of African art, and former Director of the Pulitzer Foundation. 

The exhibition is coordinated at the Philadelphia Museum of Art by John Vick, Project Assistant Curator.

Cup, 19th or 20th century, Kuba Kingdom, Bushoong culture, Democratic Republic of Congo. Wood, 7 1/2 x 2 3/8 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from J. F. G. Umlauff. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #243913

Figurative Cup, late 19th or early 20th century, Wongo culture, Democratic Republic of Congo. Wood, 7 1/2 x 2 3/8 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from J. F. G. Umlauff. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #243913

Figure of an Official or Attendant, early 17th century–18th century, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria. Bronze, copper alloy, 25 3/16 x 8 7/16 x 7 5/8 inches. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia: Purchased from W. O. Oldman. Image courtesy of the Penn Museum, Image #250923. Photograph by Gary Ombler for Dorling Kindersley.

Fang Head, Artist/maker unknown, African, Gabon, Fang. Wood, 10 7/8 x 5 x 6 inches (27.6 x 12.7 x 15.2 cm) Wood Base: 8 × 6 × 5 inches (20.3 × 15.2 × 12.7 cm) Stone Base: 6 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 inches (15.2 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm). 1950-134-202. The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950. © 2016 Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Reliquary Guardian Figure, Mbulu Ngulu, Early 20th century, Artist/maker unknown, African. Iron, brass, and copper over wood, 22 x 12 x 3 1/2 inches (55.9 x 30.5 x 8.9 cm). 1988-115-1. Gift of the estate of John F. Harbeson, 1988. © 2016 Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Lot 227. Patek Philippe: A rare white gold open-faced minute repeating perpetual calendar watch with moon-phases, ref. 844, made in 1973. Estimate CHF: 280,000 - 380,000. Sold for CHF: 472,000 (475,488 USD). Photo: Sotheby's.

GENEVA.- Yesterday’s sale of Important Watches at Sotheby’s in Geneva was led by an extremely rare pocket watch by Patek Philippe, which surpassed its estimate to reach CHF 472,000 / $475,488 (est. CHF 280,000 – 380,000). Thought to be one of only two models of reference 844 in white gold, this minute repeating perpetual calendar watch with moon-phases from 1973 bears a full digital display of day, month and date held within a single aperture. 

Lot 227. Patek Philippe: A rare white gold open-faced minute repeating perpetual calendar watch with moon-phases, ref. 844, made in 1973. Estimate CHF: 280,000 - 380,000. Sold for CHF: 472,000 (475,488 USD). Photo: Sotheby's.

(Cf. my post Sotheby's Sale of Important Watches includes historically significant timepieces) 

Offered for the first time at auction, a very rare stainless steel Patek Philippe wristwatch with black dial and Breguet numerals, reference 1504, soared to more than ten times its pre-sale estimate, reaching CHF 328,000 / $330,424 (est. CHF 20,000 - 40,000). This is the only known example of this reference which combines a stainless steel case, black dial and pink gold Breguet numerals. 

Lot 212. Patek Philippe. A very rare stainless steel wristwatch with black dial and Breguet numerals, ref 1504 mvt 921092 case 623344, made in 1941. Estimate CHF: 20,000 — 40,000. Sold for CHF: 328,000 (330,424 USD). Photo: Sotheby's.

(Cf. my post Sotheby's Sale of Important Watches includes historically significant timepieces) 

Lot 114. The Ex-Ecurie Francorchamps, Roger Laurent, Baron Charles de Tornaco, Jacques Swaters, Olivier Gendebien – 1953 Le Mans 24-Hour, Spa 24-Hours, ADAC 1,000-Kilometres race. 1953 Jaguar XK120C 'C-Type' Sports-Racing Two-Seat Roadster. Registration no. POV 114 (UK). Chassis no. XKC 011'– Originally 'XKC 047're-stamped 'XKC 011' by Jaguar Cars Ltd. in 1954. Engine no. E 1066-9. Sold for €7,245,000 (£5,715,580). Photo: Bonhams.

MONACO.- The unique, unrestored, ex-Le Mans 24-Hour race Jaguar C-Type sports car, ‘POV 114’ sold for €7,245,000 (£5,715,580) at Bonhams Monaco Sale, leading the British auction house’s outstanding return to the French Riviera. 

James Knight, International Group Director, Bonhams Motoring, said: “Bonhams’ return to Monaco featured a refined and elegant selection of magnificent collectors’ motor cars, achieving a total €15.3 million. 

“Following months of painstaking research, working with the best historians and notable marque specialists, Bonhams unraveled an intriguing mystery involving the unrestored Jaguar C-Type offered, correcting more than 60 years of accepted Jaguar history. Today after 53 years in private ownership, it has sold for the superb price of €7,245,000 (£5,715,580). It is wonderful to see our team’s groundbreaking work help achieve such a result.” 

Bonhams’ verification began with the accepted Jaguar belief that this was the works team car which substituted at the last moment as a Belgian Ecurie Francorchamps entry in the 1954 Le Mans 24-Hour race, combining that chassis with the bodywork from an earlier Belgian entry which finished at Le Mans the previous year. However, Bonhams’ specialist research confirmed otherwise. 

“The Jaguar was not at all a combination of the chassis from one car, the body from another,” said James Knight. “On further inspection, we established that the it really is the 1953 Belgian-entered Le Mans car in toto, chassis number ‘XKC 047’ - still bearing its original, complete ‘K 1047’ body – but with its chassis number merely re-stamped ‘XKC 011’ by the factory before sale in January 1955.” 

Lot 114. The Ex-Ecurie Francorchamps, Roger Laurent, Baron Charles de Tornaco, Jacques Swaters, Olivier Gendebien – 1953 Le Mans 24-Hour, Spa 24-Hours, ADAC 1,000-Kilometres race. 1953 Jaguar XK120C 'C-Type' Sports-Racing Two-Seat Roadster. Registration no. POV 114 (UK). Chassis no. XKC 011'– Originally 'XKC 047're-stamped 'XKC 011' by Jaguar Cars Ltd. in 1954. Engine no. E 1066-9. Sold for €7,245,000 (£5,715,580). Photo: Bonhams.

• Le Mans 24-Hour race finisher, placing 9th overall
• Jaguar works-supported entrant
• One of the most original C-Types extant
• Single family ownership since 1963
• Incredible provenance  

Chasing the Jaguar for top honours, the 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Coupé - a model so desirable that before production had even begun, every single one had been sold - achieved €1,817,000 (£1,433,431). 

Lot 110. By order of the executors, One owner from new, Ferrari Classiche certified. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Coupé. Registration no. C908 CRU (UK). Chassis no. ZFFPA16B 0000 55171. Engine no. F114B 00128. Sold for €1,817,000 (£1,433,431). Photo: Bonhams.

•Exotic Group B 'homologation special'
•One of 272 built
•Fully documented with extensive history file
•Fastidiously maintained
•Recently serviced with cam belt change

A further highlight of the day’s auction was the magnificent, light and powerful straight-8 engined 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater, first owned by ‘Bentley Boy’ Glen Kidston. Chassis No '4450' offered was the nineteenth such Grand Prix Bugatti to be manufactured by the Molsheim factory, and boasts a racing heritage that includes notable drivers George Duller, Vivian Selby and Lyndon Duckett. After intense bidding, the Bugatti sold for €1,058,000 (£834,656) to an auction room bidder. 

Lot 118. Current Bugatti connoisseur ownership since 1964, The ex-Glen Kidston, George Duller, Vivian Selby, Lyndon Duckett, Ex-Miramas Autodrome, ex-Brooklands Motor Course, ex-Shelsley Walsh, ex-Southport Sands, ex-Rob Roy Hill-climb, etc. 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater. Chassis no. 4450. Engine no. 75C. Sold for €1,058,000 (£834,656). Photo: Bonhams.

Meanwhile - raced by two Formula 1 World Champions, Michael Schumacher and Nelson Piquet - the 1991-1992 Benetton-Ford B191/191B Formula 1 Racing Single Seater sold for an incredible four-times the estimate, achieving €1,058,000 (£834,656) to a telephone bidder.  

Lot 106. The Ex-Michael Schumacher, Nelson Piquet, Martin Brundle. 1991-1992 Benetton-Ford B191/191B Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater. Chassis no. B191B-06. Sold for €1,058,000 (£834,656). Photo: Bonhams.

 Further highlights include a 2006 Porsche Carrera GT Roadster, sold for €713,000 (£562,485), a 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster, sold for €304,750 (£240,417), and a 1963 Ferrari 330 America sold for €431,250 (£340,213). 

Lot 111. 2006 Porsche Carrera GT Roadster. Chassis no. WPOZZZ98Z6L000110. Engine no. 90630639. Sold for €713,000  (£562,485). Photo: Bonhams.

•Delivered new to Europe
•One owner
•Circa 14,300 kilometres from new
•Full Porsche factory service history
•Never before offered for sale

Lot 121. 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster. Chassis no. WDD1994761M001821. Sold for €304,750   (£240,417). Photo: Bonhams.

•Left-hand drive model delivered new to Japan
•Circa 9,700 miles (approximately 15,600 kilometres) from new
•Full service history
•Registered in the UK
•Collectible future classic

Lot 127. 1963 Ferrari 330 America Berlinetta. Coachwork by Pininfarina. Chassis no. 5069. Engine no. 5069. Sold for €431,250 (£340,213). Photo: Bonhams.

•One of 50 made
•Delivered new to the USA
•Matching chassis and engine numbers
•Restored circa 15 years ago
•Registered in Italy

Lot 126. A Burma ruby and diamond necklace, by Bvlgari. Estimate CHF150,000 – CHF200,000 ($154,506 - $206,009). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The front composed of three rows of pavé-set diamond bombé panels, each set to the centre with an oval-cut ruby, to the pavé-set diamond scrolling sides, the back composed of two similarly-set rows of ruby and diamond panels, 39.0 cm, mounted in gold, in black leather Bulgari case. Signed Bvlgari.

Christie's. GENEVA MAGNIFICENT JEWELS, 18 May 2016, Geneva

Lot 124. A 22.32 carats Ceylon cushion-shaped sapphire, ruby and diamond ring, mounted by Bvlgari. Estimate CHF90,000 – CHF130,000 ($92,704 - $133,906). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Set with a cushion-shaped sapphire, weighing approximately 22.32 carats, between baguette-cut diamond shoulder lines, within the calibré-cut ruby broad surround, ring size 6 ½, mounted in gold. Signed Mont. Bvlgari

Accompanied by report no. 77775 dated 10 December 2014 from the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute stating that the origin of the sapphire is Ceylon (Sri Lanka), with no indications of heating.

Christie's. GENEVA MAGNIFICENT JEWELS, 18 May 2016, Geneva

Lot 228. A sapphire and diamond bracelet, by Bvlgari. Estimate CHF90,000 – CHF130,000 ($92,704 - $133,906). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Set with eleven graduated oval-cut sapphires, within a baguette and rectangular-cut diamond geometric surround, 17.0 cm, mounted in platinum and gold, in blue leather Bulgari case. Signed Bvlgari

Accompanied by report no. 85411 dated 6 April 2016 from the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute stating that the origin of 10 sapphires is Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and 1 sapphire is Madagascar, with no indications of heating.

Christie's. GENEVA MAGNIFICENT JEWELS, 18 May 2016, Geneva

Lot 170. Đức Lợi, Tête de jeune femme au chignon, Vietnam, début XXème siècle. Estimation 300 € - 400 €. Photo Leclere

Bronze à patine marron ; socle cubique en bois. Signé. H : 25,5 cm

LECLERE - MAISON DE VENTES, Un intérieur Eclectique Partie 1 : Art d'Asie, Objets d'Art, Curiosités, Tableaux Anciens et Modernes, le 18 Mai 2016 à 13h30. DROUOT RICHELIEU - SALLES 14 ET 15 - 9, RUE DROUOT 75009 PARIS

Lot 171. Tête de jeune vietnamienne, Vietnam, école de Hanoi, début du XXème siècle. Estimation 300 € – 400 €. Photo Leclere

Bronze à patine noire sur un socle en bois noirci. Signé« Tun » et accompagné du cachet de l’artiste. H : 32 cm.

LECLERE – MAISON DE VENTES, Un intérieur Eclectique Partie 1 : Art d’Asie, Objets d’Art, Curiosités, Tableaux Anciens et Modernes, le 18 Mai 2016 à 13h30. DROUOT RICHELIEU – SALLES 14 ET 15 – 9, RUE DROUOT 75009 PARIS

Dawid, Carl XVI Gustaf, 2005. © Dawid.

STOCKHOLM.- In celebration of Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th birthday, the Friends of Nationalmuseum, Nationalmusei Vänner, has given the Swedish National Portrait Gallery at Gripsholm Castle a gift comprising eight portraits of H. M. the King and members of the royal family. The photographic portraits are by four renowned Swedish photographers: Dawid (Björn Dawidsson), Bruno Ehrs, Thron Ullberg and Mattias Edwall. Despite the fact that several of the portraits are official in nature, they have retained their individuality and each represent tradition as well as renewal. 

Dawid (Björn Dawidsson, born 1949) is deemed one of Sweden’s foremost photographers and was one of the first to work with conceptual photography. He made his debut in 1973, but his definitive breakthrough came a decade later with the exhibition Rost (Rust) at the photography museum Fotografiska museet (now an integrated part of Moderna Museet). At the time he demonstrated, as he did later, how the apparently banal in a rusty, bent nail can be transformed into something unique and artistically expressive. Since then in his works Dawid has stretched time-honoured concepts and the limits of what can be seen as photographic art. Given his tendency towards non-figurative art, at times he has been interested in the photogram, a simple technique that Man Ray from the US and Swede Olle Nyman were working with back in the 1920s and 1930s which involves placing objects straight onto the copying paper, which is then lit. Apparently trivial objects emit an enigmatic, almost magical, power. 

Although Dawid is mainly associated with a kind of avant-garde and abstract photography, he has also produced many powerful, empathetic and sympathetic portraits. The more unusual among them include his innovative portrait of H. M. the King of Sweden (2005) which was used as the original for a stamp the next year to celebrate the King’s 60th birthday. Despite its contemporary look, here Dawid is returning to the classic portrait of a ruler in profile whose roots go back far into the mists of antiquity. 

Bruno Ehrs (born 1953) started his work as a photographer at Stockholm City Museum under the legendary Lennart af Petersens. This gave him a thorough grounding in photographing architecture, a skill he most recently demonstrated in a book on the French château Vaux-le-Vicomte (Flammarion 2015). He has been working freelance since the early 1980s. 

Ehrs has worked on his own projects and on commissions for newspapers, magazines, books and advertising. He has had about twenty one-man exhibitions in Sweden and abroad and published a handful of his own books. Works published by Ehrs include Goodwins vackra Stockholm (Our Beautiful Stockholm) (1999), a photographic history. As part of Stockholm’s 750th anniversary, Ehrs produced a series of portraits of famous Stockholm residents, including King Carl XVI Gustaf. This was acquired by the Swedish National Portrait Gallery and was displayed in the exhibition Kungar i svart och vitt (Kings in Black and White)atGripsholm Castle in celebration of H. M. the King’s 60th birthday. Ehrs continued to be commissioned by the royal family for official portraits and in 2010 created his first original for stamps, depicting the King and Queen of Sweden. 

Thron Ullberg (born 1969) is one of Sweden’s leading portrait photographers. He started studying art history but soon switched to photography. Ullberg often works with large format cameras and traditional negatives which he processes digitally, a sign of his love of the craftsmanship of traditional photography. The portraits are deliberately staged, with special illustrative associations, and are theatrical in nature, drawing inspiration from advertising and fashion photography as well as film and video. Ullberg’s portraits include examples of intimacy and distance, up close and personal, and official. His portraits have often come about for a specific context – for the press, particularly for various photo journalism magazines. They may have artistic pretensions but are still characterised by the context for which they were created. The radiance of the portrait is partly due to the familiarity of the face. Indeed, the picture of H. M. the King in the Logård Parterre was taken for an article on his majesty himself. 

Mattias Edwall (born 1958) is a still photography and film photographer. As the son of actor Allan Edwall and author Britt Edwall, he came into contact with the world of film early on in life. He started his career as a fashion photographer in New York and one of his early jobs was as an assistant to Annie Leibovitz and Patrick Demarchelier. Here he also gained the opportunity to explore his own personal form of expression. Edwall returned to Sweden in 1986, producing a wealth of advertising films and music videos throughout the following decade. 

In recent years Edwall has become particularly known for his photographic book on Cirkus Cirkör, in which he collected a series of expressive and colourful photographs of tightrope walkers, acrobats, fire-eaters and jugglers spanning 17 years in the work Cirkus (2013). Another important genre that Edwall has worked with is portrait photography. Considering his background, actors and artists have long dominated. Edwall works thoroughly and prepares the ground with sketches, gathering ideas for his staged pictures. It is not unusual for him to have his models act as if they were on stage, a method used to good effect in his portrait of H. R. H. Prince Carl Philip.

Lot 304. 7.04 carats Colombian emerald, sapphire, rock crystal and diamond ring, René Boivin, 1991. Estimate 44,000 — 53,000 CHF. Lot sold 131,250 CHF. Photo Sotheby's

Set with a sugarloaf emerald stated to weigh 7.04 carats, between pear-shaped cabochon sapphires and framed with brilliant-cut diamonds, the mount composed of rock crystal, size 481/2. 

Accompanied by SSEF report no. 84043, stating that the emerald is of Colombian origin, with no indications of clarity modification; together with a copy of the original invoice.

Literature: Cf.: Françoise Cailles, René Boivin Joaillier, Paris, 1994, pg. 386 for a picture of the ring.  

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Geneva, 17 May 2016, 10:00 AM 

Lot 216. 18 Karat Gold, Emerald and Diamond Bracelet, René Boivin, France. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's

Of waved design, composed of alternating links set with round emeralds and diamonds, length 6¾ inches, with French assay and maker's mark. 

Sotheby's. Fine Jewels New York | 10 Jun 2016, 10:00 AM