Lot 275. Magnificent Jadeite “One Hundred and Eight” Necklace. Largest Jadeite bead measuring approximately 18.62mm; length approximately 1750mm. Estimate：HK$ 18,000,000 – 25,000,000／US$ 2,300,000 – 3,200,000. Courtesy Tiancheng International

The necklace composed of a hundred and eight good translucent jadeite beads of emerald green colour, divided by four 'fotou' (Buddha's head) beads of one jadeite of similar translucency and colour and three handcrafted plated bronze beads, length approximately 1750mm. 

Jadeite beads measuring approximately 18.62 to 12.03 mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory report numbered KJ92661(1-5), dated 31 March 2016, stating that the jadeites are natural, known in the trade as 'A Jade'

Jadeite Court Beads

Jadeite was traded extensively in the provinces of Yunnan and Xinan for nearly four centuries prior to its discovery by the imperial court in the early Ming dynasty. After the Qing dynasty came to power, jadeite was greatly treasured by Emperor Qianlong and the nobility under his reign. Subsequently prized by Empress Dowager Cixi and Madame Song Qingling, jadeite has continued its popularity unabated and prevailed in the culture of Chinese jewellery. 

Jadeite is formed under high pressure and relatively low temperature conditions. Only Burma offers these unique geological conditions and due to its low output, coupled with the wide disparities in the quality of rough, it is exceptionally hard to find jadeite that is superior in colour, texture and transparency. Owing to the complex crystalline structure, jadeite is predisposed to cracks and inherent flaws. Given such considerations, jadeite traders and craftsmen tend to favour thecabochon cut for a less wastage of material and its marketable value. Only when the jadeite rough is of a considerable size with fewer flaws would it be fashioned a bangle or a bead necklace. Hence, the price of a jadeite bead necklace of similar quality would fetch much higher than that of a cabochon design. 

To fashion a strand of jadeite beads, round beads are polished from smaller rough pieces before they are perforated and strung together. Immense wastage is involved during the process. In order to have a matching bead necklace, all the beads must be carved from the same boulder. In order to put together the perfect and most matching ones, as many as thrice the desired number of beads are often needed. It is an utter challenge to amass a strand of jadeite beads than just a single bead. 

If a hairline crack appears in the bead during the polishing process, the bead will be wasted. Size, colour and texture are the utmost important qualities for a matching jadeite bead necklace. The risks of crafting them are immensely high. This is why matching a bead necklace demands absolute supreme quality in the jadeite rough. Notably exceptional and rare, the possession of a strand of old-mine jadeite bead necklace is considered the ultimate symbol of wealth and status amongst the distinguished upper class in Asian society. 

This spring, Tiancheng International is offering a necklace composed of 108 perfectly round and intensely green jadeite beads. Putting together a strand of jadeite bead is a great challenge, not to mention amassing 108 beads of matching colour and texture. One hundred and eight is considered sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Many Hindu gods possess 108 names. The court necklaces were inspired by Buddhist prayers beads which as mentioned in the sutra, usually consisted of 108 beads to indicate the 108 vexations in the ten spiritual realms that can only be eradicated by spiritual cultivation, through which both body and mind attain a state of stillness. Court beads were part of the officials’ court costumes in Qing dynasty and were only worn when the Emperor and his fellow councilors attended meetings in court. Only officials ranked level four or above were allowed to possess or wear court necklaces. Representing the twelve lunar months, twentyfour solar terms and seventy-two pentads of the lunar calendar, these 108 court beads are the epitome of wisdom and good fortune. 

Tiancheng International. HONG KONG SPRING AUCTION, Jewellery and Jadeite. 12 Jun · 1 pm

Lot 3321. An Imperial yellow-enamelled bowl, Jiajing six-character mark within a double circle and of the period (1522-1566). Estimate HK$90,000 – HK$150,000 ($11,640 - $19,401). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The bowl is finely potted with rounded sides rising from a circular foot to a slightly flared rim, covered inside and out with an even enamel of egg-yolk yellow tone, with the exception of the base covered with a clear glaze. 7 3/4 in. (19.5 cm.) diam., box

Provenance: A Japanese private collection acquired from Hirano Kotoken in the 1990s

Christie's. THE IMPERIAL SALE / IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, 1 June 2016, Convention Hall

Lot 3322. A blue and white ‘hundred boys’ circular box and cover, Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1573-1619). Estimate HK$300,000 – HK$500,000 ($38,801 - $64,669). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The domed cover is well painted with a scene of boys at play in a courtyard, surrounded by a band of four dragons striding amidst clouds in pursuit of flaming pearls above a narrow band of precious objects alternating with lingzhisprigs encircling the rim, the sides of box is similarly decorated with an additional narrow scroll band encircling the foot, all outlined in dark underglaze blue and filled in with a blue wash with purplish tone. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm.) diam.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired between 1930 and 1950.

Notes: A number of similar boxes of this pattern exist in museum collections. A closely related box and cover is in the collection of Philadelphia Museum of Art and published in Ming blue-and-white : an exhibition of blue-decorated porcelain of the Ming dynasty, Philadelphia, 1949, no. 141; another, in the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, is illustrated by D. Leidy in How to Read Chinese Ceramics, New York, 2015. p.87. 

A further example formerly in the T. Y. Chao collection, was sold in Christie's New York, 20 March 1997, lot 80.

Christie's. THE IMPERIAL SALE / IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, 1 June 2016, Convention Hall

Lot 3323. A large and rare Ming wucai seated figure of Shoulao, Wanli period (1573-1620). Estimate HK$1,200,000 – HK$1,800,000 ($155,204 - $232,807). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The God of Longevity is shown seated atop a recumbent deer raised on an oval plinth painted with clouds and waves breaking against rocks, and holding a ruyi in his right hand. He is dressed in a brightly coloured robe predominantly decorated with peony medallions on an iron-red diaper ground, the front and shoulders with blue-ground green dragon panels and the back with a medallion of an iron-red chilong, tied at the chest and partially open at the front to reveal the yellow under-garment centred with a cloud scroll. His head is detailed with a long beard, characteristically high bald crown and hair tied into a bow at the nape of the neck. The recumbent animal dappled in underglaze-blue, with fur markings streaked in sepia and with a yellow bell hung on a tasselled collar, the oval plinth painted with clouds and waves breaking against rocks, flanked at the front by a crane and tortoise, the broad unglazed foot rim encircling the base pierced with an aperture to one side and picked out in vivid green enamels. 15 1/2 in. (39.5 cm.) high

Provenance: Yamanaka & Co., 1935, Osaka Bijutsu Kurabu, no. 13 (fig. 1)
Edward T. Chow Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 25 November 1980, lot 34
Dr. Elizabeth Shing, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,1 June 2011, lot 3583 

fig. 1

Exhibited: Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, 1990, no. 149

Christie's. THE IMPERIAL SALE / IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, 1 June 2016, Convention Hall

The Ming Xuande (1426-35) mark and period blue and white Stem Cup, sold in Hong Kong by Auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull for £3.6 million, was the most valuable of 270 items bequeathed to the Staffordshire University by Mr Ernest Thornhill on his death in 1944.

HONG KONG.- The Stem Cup, which dates back to the early 15th Century sold for £3.6 million by Lyon & Turnbull at a their debut auction in Hong Kong today (31st May 2016). The Stem Cup was the star lot of a specially curated sale of Chinese Works of Art that Lyon & Turnbull co-produced with their sister company Freeman's of Philadelphia, America's oldest auction house. 

Lee Young, Head of Asian Art at Lyon & Turnbull said “The Ming Xuande (1426-35) mark and period blue and white Stem Cup is a rare masterpiece and is virtually unseen outside museum collections. This is a great result, bringing the sale to Hong Kong has proved to be the right decision for both Lyon & Turnbull and our partner Freeman’s and we are thrilled that the University now have funds to properly carry out the wishes of Ernest Thornhill.” 

The Stem Cup was the most valuable of 270 items bequeathed to the Staffordshire University by Mr Ernest Thornhill on his death in 1944, having originally been sent there during wartime to safeguard the collection. Upon rediscovering the collection, which has been hidden away in storage for a significant number of years, the University appointed Lyon & Turnbull to sell the Stem Cup so that it can raise funds to build a permanent secure new home for the remainder of the collection at its Stoke-on-Trent campus. This resource centre will enable students to access the collection for their study, complying with the original bequest and wishes of Mr Thornhill.  

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University, Rosy Crehan said: "This is a fabulous result for the University of Staffordshire, it will allow us to care for and display the Thornhill Collection for future generations to enjoy. The funds raised will allow the remaining pieces of Chinese Oriental Ceramics to be curated, conserved and enjoyed in a new Ceramic Education and Research Facility. This is something Ernest Thornhill always hoped for and I am pleased that we will now be able to make his dream come true.” 

Ernest Thornhill was a pharmacist from London who collected Oriental ceramics. He donated several pieces to the British Museum as well as the then North Staffordshire Technical College, which later became Staffordshire University in 1992.

A Milanese Cabinet Collection. Photo: Sotheby's. 

MILAN.- For the first time in a Milanese sale on an international level, most of the lots are accompanied by export licence. It’s therefore an important news for the art market in Italy and abroad.  

Sotheby’s Milan will host this event and Filippo Lotti – Sotheby’s Italy managing director -comments: "After a few seasons devoted exclusively to Contemporary Art in Italy, Milan expands again its business thanks to a refined Milanese Private Collection, mostly dedicated to the 17th-18th Century with museum-quality paintings, a selection of Venetian, Roman, Florentine and Genoese furniture, a nucleus of high-quality Works of Art in bronze and terracotta, and a small group of precious corals”. 

The sale combines a private collector’s unique taste for interior furnishing with the passion for Wunderkammer It is a collection that includes about 80 lots, in which the section of Sculptures and Works of Art represents all the finest techniques that cross the artistic styles from Renaissance to Neoclassicism.  

An example of the high quality of the sale is the Roman 17th-18th Century carved and giltwood console with a jasper of Sicily veneered top ( Est. 20,000-30,000 EUR) and the pair of commesso in pietre dure plaques, with ebony and gilt-bronze mounts, each depicting a landscape (Est. 15,000-25,000 EUR). 

Lot 35. A Roman carved and giltwood console, 17th-18th century, with a jasper of Sicily and verde antico veneered marble added top. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lot 37. Italian, Florence, first quarter of the 17th century, a pair of plaques each depicting a landscape, commesso di pietre dure with ebony and gilt-copper mounts, small restorations. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

 Formerly in the collection of the Duke of Norfolk, the commesso in pietre dure, ebony and gilt-bronze mounts casket executed by Botteghe Granducali in Florence, between 1680 and 1720. This precious art object has an estimate of 40,000-60,000 EUR. 

Lot 36. Casket made of semiprecious stones, ebony and gilt bronze applications, Grand-ducal Workshops, Florence, the first quarter of the 18th century. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's. 

the lid decorated with two ovals depicting the Annunciation by the fresco of the fourteenth-century SS.Annunziata in Florence, the plaques made in the forehead and sides with garlands of leaves and flowers, double volute feet, the internal threaded rosewood veneer, paper label written in ink collection: Duke of Norfolk; 29x44x33 cm.

Provenance: Antiquities Alberto Di Castro, Rome.

Notes: The quality of the salesperson, cabinet and gilded bronze applications of this tape can be compared to some boxes designed and planned by Giovanni Battista Foggini. The floral scrolls decorating the front, back and sides of our box are similar to those of the retained deposit box at the Hofburg in Vienna (see A. Gonzalez-Palacios, The Temple of Taste , op. Cit., Milan, 1896, vol. II, p. 62, fig. 80). The feet are comparable with those of the Landesmuseum box Kassel (see A. Giusti, Pietre Dure, Torino 1992, p. 110, fig. 28). Some plaques in hard stone spirals of leaves and flowers like are illustrated by A. Gonzalez-Palacios in Las Colecciones Reales Españolas de Mosaicos y Piedras Duras , Madrid 2001, pp. 114-115, no. 20. The person who decorates the cover of this cassette enjoyed particular favor in the laboratory of the Grand-ducal Workshops and is drawn from the fresco in the church of fourteenth-century Florence, the object of great popular veneration town. The same theme appears in the Royal Palace of Madrid plaque (see A. Gonzalez-Palacios, op.cit., Madrid 2001, p. 153, n. 26) and in the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence signed by Baccio Cappelli and dated 1727 (see A. Giusti, the Factory of Wonders. the Manufacture of Pietre Dure in Florence , Florence 2015, p. 43, figs. 54-55). It was especially under the long reign of Cosimo III (1670-1723) that the manufactures of the Medici Grand Duke of Works Gallery, on the first floor of the Uffizi Vasari's building, is specialized in the creation of many valuable artifacts to give to kings and aristocrats of all over Europe and England.Between the end of the seventeenth century and the first quarter of the eighteenth century the activity of the Grand-ducal Workshops was characterized by a further qualitative and creative impulse under the artistic direction of the sculptor Giovan Battista Foggini, he kept from 1694 until his death in 1725. Giovan Battista Foggini ( 1652-1725) under the protection of the Grand Duke Cosimo III de 'Medici, covered up the post of Director of the Grand-ducal Workshops, overseeing every detail of what is produced in the Medici manufactory. Il Giornale , preserved in the Prints and Drawings Department of the Uffizi in Florence, contains a fascinating series of his drawings that show the care and creativity with which Foggini designed boxes and gilded bronze applications running towards the end of his career between 1713 and about 1718 (see A. Gonzalez-Palacios,the Temple of Taste, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Northern States , Milan, 1986, vol. II, figs. 57-77). 

Bibliography: A. Gonzalez-Palacios, The Temple of Taste, Tuscany and northern Italy , Milan, 1986, vol. II, p. 83, Fig. 80; 
A. Giusti, Pietre Dure , Torino 1992 p. 110, Fig. 28; 
A. Gonzalez-Palacios, Las Colecciones Reales Españolas de Mosaicos y Piedras Duras , Madrid 2001, pp. 114-115, no. 20; 
A. Giusti, The Factory of Wonders. The Manufacture of Pietre Dure in Florence , Florence 2015, p. 43, FIGS. 54-55. Lot for temporary artistic import This Has Been items imported under temporary importation artistic license.

The Baroque is beautifully represented by the high bronze inkwell made by the Nicola Roccatagliata workshop, 17th Century, surmounted by the allegorical figure of Fame between two Cupids (Est. 12.000-18.000 EUR). 

Lot 2. Workshop of Niccolò Roccatagliata (circa 1570-1636), Italian, Venice, late 16th century, an inkwell in the form of a sarcophagus and cover with Fame between two Cupids each one with a cornucopia, inscribed on plinth non omnis moriar, bronze. Estimate 12.000-18.000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

Among the terracotta sculptures of the collection, the magnificent group of Bacchus and Venus (h. 50cm approx) signed by Giovanni Baratta in early 18th Century valuated 40.000-60.000 EUR.  

Lot 43. Giovanni Baratta (1670-1747), Italy, Firenze, early 18th century, Bacchus and Venus, Terracotta. Estimate 40.000-60.000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

Venus alt .: 54 cm .; Bacchus alt .: 54 cm.

Provenance: Walter Padovani, Milan. 

Exhibited: Florence, Uffizi Gallery, Splendour and reason. Art of the eighteenth century in Florence , 2009, no. 30.

Literature: R. Spinelli (eds), The pomp and reason. Art of the eighteenth century in Florence, exhibition catalog (Florence, Uffizi Gallery, 30 May to 30 September 2009), Florence 2009, cat. 30, pp. 124-127, illustrated.

Notes: The care and craftsmanship with which these two pottery are made, are certainly related to a high-ranking clients.Giovanni Baratta, the Carrara-born sculptor, but mainly active in Florence, was in fact in charge of the main families of the city and its activities is also documented in the court of the king of Denmark, for which he made some sculptures in the Rosenborg Castle gardens Copenhagen. Notice how analogies can be found between the cloak that envelops our Venus and the robe of Orfeo Rosenborg, while the head of the goddess, for its refined workmanship, is similar to that of the pendant depicting Eurydice. Additional comparisons for the two pottery can be traced with fillers made from Baratta in 1705 in the Hall "Golden Age" in Palazzo Marucelli Fenzi in Florence and the plastic decorations made in the Feroni villa in Bellavista of Borgo a Buggiano. The two easily identifiable sculptures of Venus and Bacchus are probably conceived as preparatory sketches of monumental works to be placed in outdoor spaces and within the niches, as evidenced by the back left in a sketch and not finished. Between the two figures will trigger a balanced game of contrasts that makes the extremely group alive and throbbing. Bacchus, half-naked and handsome in fitness and athletic dry, lasts to the girl with a make languid and accentuated dall'ebrezza, to offer grapes. Venus, unusually covered with a light and enveloping cloak, withdraws, looking down and opposes the impetuousness of Bacchus raising his right arm towards you. Cupid, placed to the right of Venus and originally equipped with arrow, is a participant in the scene and assists amazed explicit gesture of Bacchus. Giovanni Baratta (Carrara 1670-1747), he was a sculptor and internationally renowned decorator. He began his career under the guidance of Giovanni Battista Foggini in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. His mastery in the creation of ornamental architecture was also consolidated with the clever use of stucco, with which made spectacular three-dimensional effects in other works background. The varied activities took place in Florence, city in the top destinations of the Grand Tour , made him known and appreciated as a prominent sculptor even in international circles, whereby undertaken with important commissions from the king of Denmark (1709-1728), reports working with real clients. These collaborations followed with the Savoy in Turin, under the guidance of Filippo Juvarra, who introduced him to the King of Spain in Madrid for which carried out the decoration of the facade of the Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso, in the 40s of seven hundred.   Lot for temporary artistic import This item has Been imported under temporary importation artistic license.

The famous Roman sculptor Francesco Righetti plays with the great celebrity of Apollo and Daphne by Bernini in the bronze (h.40cm) formerly coming from Betterton House, Oxfordshire, and published in The Loyd Collection of Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, London 1991; the bronze has a valuation from 30,000-50,000 EUR.  

Lot 44. Francesco Righetti (1749-1819), Italian, Rome, Apollo and Daphne, signed and dated on the base Righett. F. Rome. 1791, bronze on an associated marble base. Estimate 30.000-50.000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

The Milanese Cabinet-Collection contains also a group of precious Corals, among which excels the 17th Century Casket, in coral and silver (Est. 80,000-120,000 EUR) and two real painted Neapolitan waxes by Francesco Pieri (1699-1773).  

It can’t be missed in an accurate collection a table clock; and here, we point out the carved and gilt wood table clock, dated 1770 and inscribed: Antoine Vasquet a fils/orologer du prints du Carignan/Racconigi (h. 56cm; Est 15,000-25,000 EUR).

Lot 27. Wall clock in carved wood table, carved and gilded with gold metal and silver applications and details in tablet, Piemonte, about 1770.  Estimate 30.000-50.000 €. Photo Sotheby's.

amphora-shaped two handles, topped with metal basket with flowers from which descend garlands, the two leaf-ending loops with zoomorphic heads, the entire surface covered with lattice pattern in gold metal on silver foil resting on the plinth in veneered wood with pink thread final four vase on the corners, writing under the base: Antoine Vasquete and fils / orologer du prins du Carignan / Racconis, similar words, also under the pedestal ; 56x32,5x21,5 cm.

Provenance: Walter Padovani, Milan.

Notes: A Piedmontese carved and giltwood table clock with gilt metal and silver mounts, about 1770 The mechanism was dismantled, cleaned and revised in 2007, for details on its operation, please refer to the expertise of Capponi & C. Antiquities accompanying the clock . 

The watchmaker Antonio Vascheti appears mentioned in two repertoires, by E. Morpurgo and B. Loomes, who see him both active in Racconigi in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. However, from a stylistic point of view, our clock may date back to a time before even more; the neoclassical style of the elegant two-handled vase still tied to the Rococo sinuous and at a certain inclination for C hinoiseries, place it in the late sixties and early seventies, when the Prince Luigi Vittorio di Savoia-Carignano, to which the ' watchmaker refers, he had called the arrangement of the Racconigi Castle. Prince of Savoy-Carignan, born in Paris in 1712, married in 1740 the sister of the King of Sardinia wife. The title of Princes of Carignano dates back to 1620 together with the donation of the territory of the eponymous Duke of Savoy and the Racconigi Castle to a younger son. The building, already maximized by Guarino Guarini in the Baroque period, was again placed their by Luigi Vittorio. The architect was chosen by Prince Giovanni Battista Borra (1712-1826), whose activities took place mostly in England and is marked by a trip to Asia Minor (1750-1751), before you start working in Racconigi in 1765 . in his interpretation of a Neoclassicism Savoy steeped in Anglo-Chinese taste it can be found similarities with our watch. we thank Dr. Roberto Valeriani for the information contained in this note. 

In the section dedicated to Eastern Art - the Chinese seated Figure of Guanyin in gilded bronze, dating back to the Ming dynasty, wearing a long dress open on his chest that reveals an elaborate necklace (Est. 40,000 - 60,000 EUR). 

Lot 59. A Chinese gilt-bronze seated figure of Guanyin, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century, the figure seated in dhyanasana. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Furthermore the collection offers Italian and European 18th century paintings focusing on some of the most renowned muster of the Ritrattistica from Fra’ Galgario to Giovanni Battista Lampi il Vecchio and Rosalba Carriera, the most famous Venetian portraitist of her time. 

By the great portrait - painter from Bergamo, the Portrait of a Gentleman included in the well-known 1967 Bergamo exhibition dedicated to the Works by Fra’ Galgario in the Bergamo private collections has an estimate of 30.000 – 40.000 EUR.  

Lot 15. Victor Joseph Ghislandi, said Brother Galgario (Bergamo 1655-1743), Portrait of a Gentleman, oil on canvas, 54x40,5 cm. Estimate 30.000 – 40.000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: Lorenzelli Gallery, Bergamo, 
Milan Sotheby's, Old Masters , May 20, 2008, lot 76

Exhibited: Bergamo, Lorenzelli gallery, Among Galgario (1655-1743) in private collections in Bergamo, September-October 1967 cat. 12. 

Literature: Among Galgario (1655-1743) in the private collections of Bergamo, the exhibition catalog, Bergamo, Lorenzelli Gallery, September-October 1967 Bergamo 1967 cat. n. 12, illustrated Fig. 12; 
U. Ronchi, "Vittore Ghislandi painter and great heart" in L'Eco di Bergamo, November 5, 1967, p. 3, 
MC Gozzoli, "said Brother Vittore Ghislandi Galgario" in the Bergamo painters, the eighteenth century,Bergamo 1982, vol. I, cat. n. 105, p. 117, illustrated Fig. 6, p. 162.

Notes: The Portrait of a Gentleman , announced on the occasion of the exhibition in Bergamo in 1967, is a second manuscript version of the portrait with the same subject already in the collection of Giuseppe Beltrami Milan. The work can be dated around the years 1735-'40 and is a successful example of the way the whole of dough with which Brother Galgario created his most famous portraits, especially those of his more mature production characterized by a brushstrokes "impressionistic" and Atmospheric. The model presented here seems suddenly seized with a modern cut, as in passingbehind the red curtain which is the fifth in the foreground. The richness of the clothing details of the gentleman who wears fashionable eighteenth century with the jabot and wig from delicate harmonies of silvery gray, does not prevent the painter to reveal the character and feeling: "... happy psychological characterization character, whose facial features, emerging from the shadows, almost melt in a witty smile, using a pictorial pasty "( Fra Galgario [1655-1743] in the Bergamo private collections , the exhibition catalog, Bergamo 1967, no page).  

While the realism of the portraits of Ceruti and Ceresa is synonymous with simplicity and sobriety, to Brother Galgario dresses of fantasy to which the Lombard aristocracy of the time is very sensitive. The great appreciation that Ghislandi receives in life makes it one of the most important portrait painters of the eighteenth-century Europe, and is also due to the development that he has been able to give to the genre, portraits executed by the Venetians in the wake of the Friulian Sebastiano Bombelli to those affected by the neo-rembrandtiani German painter Salomon Adler. The work is accompanied by free movement certificate license is available for this lot An export.

Published in the 1988 and 2007 catalogues dedicated to Rosalba Carriera - the Portrait of a Gentlewoman (est. 30,000-50,000 EUR) is accompanied by the Portrait of a Gentleman, again by Carriera, offered in 1973 at Sotheby's London and today at auction in Milan, with a valuation of 50,000-70,000 EUR.  

Lot 78. Rosalba Carriera (Venezia 1675-1757), Portrait of a Gentlewoman, pastel on paper, 60x40 cm. Estimate 30.000 – 50.000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lot 79. Rosalba Carriera (Venezia 1675-1757), Portrait of a Gentleman, pastel on paper, with an original carved and gilt english frame, 57x43 cm. Estimate 50.000 – 70.000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Included in the catalogue of the beautiful 2001 Trento exhibition Un ritrattista nell’Europa delle Corti. Giovanni Battista Lampi 1751-1830 curated by Fernando Mazzocca, the spectacular Portrait of Gentleman in Red (Martin Knoller?), by Giovanni Battista Lampi il Vecchio, the highly appreciated portrait painter of the eighteenth Century European aristocracy (Est. 20,000-30,000 EUR).

Lot 30. Giovanni Battista Lampi the Elder (Romanian 1751-1830 Vienna), Portrait of Gentleman in Red (Martin Knoller?), oil on canvas, 79,5x63 cm. Estimate 20.000 – 30.000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: Collection Georg Schaefer, Schweinfurt; 
Neumeister Kunstauktionen, Monaco, February 25, 2005, lot 496 (sold at € 60,000); 
Walter Padovani, Milan.

Exhibited: Schloss Laxenburg , Romantik und Realismus in Osterreich. Gemalde Zeichnungenaus und der Sammlung Georg Schaefer, Schweinfurt , 18 May to 14 October 1968 cat. 92, 
Schweinfurt, Museum Georg Schaefer, Die Entdeckung der Wirklichkeit , June 15 to November 2, 2003, n.110 

Literature: K. Kaiser (eds), Romantik und Realismus in Osterreich. Gemalde Zeichnungenaus und der Sammlung Georg Schaefer, Schweinfurt , exhibition catalog (Schloss Laxenburg, 18 May to 14 October 1968), Schweinfurt 1968, p. 118, cat. 92, Fig. 92; 
R. Pancheri, "John the Baptist Lampi portraitist Polish aristocracy" in Europe A portrait of the courts.Giovanni Battista Lampi 1751-1830, exhibition catalog (Trento, Buonconsiglio Castle, 23 June to 30 September 2001), edited by F. Mazzocca, R. Pancheri, A. Casagrande, Trento 2001, p. 52; 
B. Bushart , Die Entdeckung der Wirklichkeit, exhibition catalog (Schweinfurt, Museum Georg Schaefer, 15 June to 2 November 2003), Schweinfurt 2003, pp. 144-145, cat. 110.

Notes: Giovanni Battista Lampi the Elder (Romanian, Non Valley Vienna 1751-1830) was one of the most famous and popular portrait painters of the time and his fame reached international extension from Vienna to Warsaw to St. Petersburg.After the period of training at the Academy of Painting in Verona, he moved in 1783 to Vienna where he became a professor at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts. Its recognition is enhanced by the performance of some famous portraits of the rulers of the House of Austria, including the full length of Joseph II kept at Gemäldgalerie der Akademie in Vienna. He follows his stay in Poland and Russia, documented by the many portraits of dignitaries of the two courts now on display at the Muzeum Narodowe of Warsaw, all'Eremitage of St. Petersburg and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. In 1797 he finally returned to Vienna, where he resumed his favorite portrait painter of the Habsburgs and Central European aristocracy.  

Roberto Pancheri has related this beautiful portrait of Giovanni Battista Lampi the Elder presented here with a second version kept at the Lvivska Kartynna of Galerija Lviv / L'viv in Ukraine. The version of Lviv has almost similar size (oil on canvas, 78,7x63 cm) but a state of preservation more compromised than our canvas, which instead allows you to capture the sophistication of chiaroscuro and the most minute details. It 'plausible that the two portraits have been carried out almost simultaneously at the request of the landlord himself, eager to keep a copy for himself and the other to deliver to a different recipient.  

There are many similar cases in the production of portraits of the Trentino painter. For example, the famous portrait of Count Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki with children is known in two almost identical versions, one preserved at the Muzeum Narodowe in Warsaw, the other at the Musée du Louvre. Also in this case the two canvases, unanimously helpful autograph and contemporary, do not show any signature. Even the portrait of Ignaz von Born , there are two prototypes unsigned preserved respectively at Museen der Stadt Wien and the Museum of Natural History in Vienna. Similarly the famous portrait of the last king of Poland Stanislaw August Poniatowski II, executed by Lampi during his stay the Polish 1788-1791, are known two versions kept in Warsaw, Muzeum Narodowe.  

Our canvas was exhibited for the first time the exhibition Romantik und Realismus in Österreich , staged in the castle of Laxemburg in 1968. at the time it was part of the German industrialist Georg Schaefer collection (1896-1975), whose core then merged into the Museum Georg Schaefer opened to the public in Schweinfurt (Bavaria) in 2000. Other nuclei of the collection were instead sold in various auctions to finance the eponymous foundation set up by the heirs. Monaco Neumeister auction held at February 25, 2005, our work also appeared erroneously presented as a portrait of the Grand Marshal of Lithuania Wladislaw Gurowski .  

The lot is accompanied by a small self-portrait in oil that goes to towards the word: Martin Knoller, self portrait, (already owned by the painter Bertini Milan) and which would suggest a possible identification of the young gentleman pictured with Martin Knoller (1725 -1804 Steinach am Brenner Milan), considered one of the most important Austrian painters of the eighteenth century. This small portrait is accompanied by free movement certificate. Lot for temporary artistic import This item Has Been imported under temporary importation artistic license

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled (Rose), 2008, acrylic and chalk on wood, 252.5 x 187.3 x 1.1 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

MUNICH.- With more than 200 works from various periods in his artistic career, the Brandhorst Collection provides a unique survey of Cy Twombly’s development as an artist. This retrospective selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs spans an arch that reaches from the early 1950s right up to a picture from Twombly’s very last series of works, completed in 2011, shortly before his death. Featuring the diverse media in which Twombly worked, starting with the time of his studies at Black Mountain College, the show is able to bring surprising constellations between them to light. 

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), dogwoods (Bassano in Teverina), 1980. Colored Dryprint on cardboard, Edition 8/16 43.1 x 27.9 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Throughout his life, Twombly attributed central importance to the specific places in which his works were made. Especially in his photographs, Twombly frequently represents the creative process and the particular atmosphere that accompanied the creation of his paintings and sculptures. In his Interiors , Twombly takes his domestic spaces and elevates them to poetic sites of imagination where nature and culture, banality and refined taste meet. In keeping with this practice, the exhibition juxtaposes photographs with Twombly’s monumental roses that the artist arranged for the central gallery on the museum’s upper floor. The photographs reflect the context in which the paintings were made: intimate scenes from Twombly’s studio, lemons from his garden, seashore photographs, gaudily coloured pictures of sweets and poetic flower arrangements. Taken together, they illustrate the broad range inherent in Twombly’s representations of roses.  

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Robert Rauschenberg's Combine material in the studio on Fulton Street (NYC), 1954. Colored Dryprint on cardboard, Edition: AP 43.1 x 27.9 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

For the first time since the collection’s opening, all 18 sculptures belonging to the Brandhorst Collection are being exhibited: a collection of everyday objects taken from his immediate environment, including a broomstick, a straightedge, the dregs of bottles of wine and olive oil, and a wooden case of Johnnie Walker whisky. Twombly uses these ‘humble’ materials to recall an entire panorama of traditions and periods from art history. Associations that surface range from archaic kuroi and antique inscriptions, Egyptian and Persian monuments, African fetish objects, and neoclassical figures to references to modern art movements such as Dada and Arte Povera. 

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled, 2001, plastics, wood pulp, printed paper, plaster, synthetic resin paint, acrylic paint, 39 x 40 x 29.8 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation

New Acquisition 
A new Cy Twombly acquisition will also be available for the first time for visitors to discover: the work ‘Untitled (Camino Real)’, 2011, from a series of paintings Twombly left behind in his studio in Gaeta. Loops of red, yellow and orange extend across a light green background, forming radiant colour chords. To paint this piece, Twombly used wide brushes which he bound to long sticks. The dynamic quality of the sweeping strokes almost gives the viewer the impression that Twombly intended, with his ‘stick technique’, to widen his aging body’s radius of action. 

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled (Camino Real), 2011, acrylic on plywood, 252.4 x 185.1 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation. 

Born in 1928 in Lexington, Virginia, Cy Twombly was one of the most influential figures in contemporary art. Coming out of Abstract Expressionism, he developed his own gestural style with calligraphic, ‘gauche’ scribbled signs that he enlarged to monumental scale on massive canvases. No other 20th-century artist committed him or herself as fully to the ‘zero degree’ of modern art as Twombly. Children’s handwriting exercises, absentminded scribbling and graffiti serve as contemporary points of departure from which to actualise experiences of mythical tales and trace the arc of Mediterranean cultural history’s major themes. In the final years of his life, Twombly created an impressive late work reminiscent of the painterly abundance typical of William Turner and Claude Monet.  

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled ( "OM MA NI PAD ME HUM"), 2000, wood, wire, nails, plaster, synthetic resin paint, tempera, pencil 230 x 65.5 x 45.5 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Bavarian State Painting collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly and Munich 
Throughout his life, Twombly was closely intertwined with Munich’s cultural life. His relationship with the city began in the 1960s with his friendship with Lothar Schirmer, whose publishing company Schirmer/Mosel took charge of many of the artist’s catalogues, monographs and catalogues raisonnés. Beginning in the 1970s, Twombly exhibited regularly in Munich: in 1973, at the Lenbachhaus, followed by exhibitions at the galleries of Heiner Friedrich, Schellmann und Klüser, Helmut Klewan, Lothar Schirmer and presentations of his Lepanto cycle (2002) and sculptures (2006) in the Alte Pinakothek. With the opening of the Museum Brandhorst, Cy Twombly’s presence on the museum’s light-suffused upper floor became an integral part of the cultural life of Munich.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Interior (Rome), 2003. Colored Dryprint on cardboard, Edition 4/6 43.1 x 27.9 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled (by Nino), 1970, acrylic, crayon and paper collage on paper 62 x 49.5 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled (New York City), 1968, paint, chalk, pencil on canvas 201 x 261.6 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled (Bacchus), 2005. Acrylic on canvas 317.5 x 417.8 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), studio (with Bacchus Painting) (Gaeta), 2003. Colored Dryprint on cardboard, Edition 4/6 43.1 x 27.9 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Untitled (Gaeta), 1992, oil, wax crayon and pencil on plywood 222.5 x 99.7 cm - depending. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Miramare - Seaside (Gaeta), 2008. Colored Dryprint on cardboard, Edition 1/6 43.1 x 27.9 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, Photo: Sybille Forster, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011), Cake (Boston, MA), 2007. Colored Dryprint on cardboard, Edition 1/3 43.1 x 27.9 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Cy Twombly (1929 - 2011) Untitled (Rose), 2008, acrylic, chalk on wood 252.5 x 185.2 x 1.1 cm. Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection, photo: Nicole Wilhelms, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Museum Brandhorst, Munich © Cy Twombly Foundation.

Lot 213. Impressive jadeite, ruby, pink sapphireand diamond 'Orchid' brooch-ring. Estimate HK$3,500,000 - 4,500,000 (US$450,000 - 577,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International

Modelled as an orchid, the brooch centring on a detachable finely translucent jadeite cabochon of emerald green colour, amid petals of invisible-set rubies, circular-cut rubies, pink sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds, the rubies, pink sapphires and diamonds together weighing approximately 127.40, 5.95 and 1.40 carats respectively, completed by a stylised brilliant-cut diamond-set ring, the diamonds together weighing approximately 7.30 carats, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Ring size: 6¼ (2) 

Cabochon measuring approximately 20.39 x 18.18 x 7.12mm. 

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory report numbered KJ92627, dated 29 March 2016, stating that the jadeite is natural, known in the trade as 'A Jade'.

INVISIBLE SETTING
An invisible setting holds the gemstones closely together in a solid row without prongs. When the technique first came to light, it dazzled the beholder. Jacques-Albert Algier, a Parisian jeweller, developed the method in 1929. Even decades later, there are only a handful of master jewellers that are skilled and perfected in this arduous technique. This explains why the invisible setting still remains as subtle and mysterious as ever.

The first working procedure is design. The lapidary has to make precise calculations of the gemstones’ number and sizes so that he could proceed to cast a mold tailored to the jewellery. In the second stage, the mounting is created. Composed of tiny squares fashioned from gold or platinum, the mounting consists of squares each measuring less than 2mm in width, demanding uncompromising precision. Stone cutting is carried out during the third stage. Based on the data from his earlier calculations, the lapidary is required to select gemstones of the highest quality to work on. Grooves are cut into the pavilions, each of which is then subject to 90 minutes of polishing. During the process, considerable wastage is incurred. The fourth stage of work is setting, where the gemstones are slid onto the rails of squares and snap into place until the entire mounting is set with gems and no rails are visible.

Invisible setting is a highly complex challenge, requiring fine craftsmanship and great precision. The process is time-consuming which may take months or even a year to complete the work. Equally stringent demands are placed on the inherent quality of the stones. Let alone the colour and clarity, the stones must be hard enough to withstand the process. Otherwise, breakages are likely to occur. Hence, only precious gemstones like rubies and sapphires can meet the criteria required for invisible setting. Either the craftsmanship or stone quality falls short of the high standards stipulated, the jewellery could end up failing to maintain an orderly fit and look lacklustre.

This season, Tiancheng International is delighted to offer a jadeite cabochon, ruby and diamond “Orchid” brooch which can be  converted to ring fitting. The invisible setting applied in this creation is the latest technique which is tailored for the challenging curvilinear jewellery. The petals are composed of gemstones of graduated colour. This requires a long span of time to sort and match the colour of the stones, increasing the complexity to fashion the jewellery. Considering the high level of difficulty, it took one and a half years for completion, making this bewitching brooch an exclusive beauty that demonstrates unparalleled craftsmanship. 

Tiancheng International. HONG KONG SPRING AUCTION, Jewellery and Jadeite. 12 Jun · 1 pm 

Lot 274. Very fine icy jadeite 'Laughing Buddha' and diamond pendant. Estimate：HK$ 4,500,000 - 6,500,000 (US$ 577,000 - 833,300). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

The jadeite of very fine translucency and soft green colour, suffused with intense emerald green streaks, carved as a 'laughing Buddha', surmounted by a brilliant-cut diamond-set hoop, completed by an adjustable black cord decorated with circular-cut rubies together weighing approximately 1.90 carats and brilliant-cut diamond-set rondelles, mounted in 18 karat white and blackened gold.

Laughing Buddha measuring approximately 51.81 x 51.13 x 14.06mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory report numbered KJ92561, dated 21 March 2016, stating that the jadeite is natural, known in the trade as 'A Jade'.

 PARIS.- On June 21st, Artcurial will hold its first sale of the year entirely dedicated to Asian Art. This event is eagerly awaited by international collectors and will have two distinct sections: one focussing on Chinese Art including a private Parisian collection of 20 white porcelain pieces from the 17th to the 19th century and a small sitting Buddha statue (estimation: 8 000 – 12 000 € / 8 800 – 13 200 $); the other focussing on Japanese art will be headed by a group of ivory sculptures showing two doves feeding their chicks. 

“A very rare porcelain bowl inspired by the blue and white pieces from the early Ming period, comes from a private French collection and is estimated between 10 000€ and 15 000€. A bowl with a similar form was recently sold in Hong Kong. This one has been housed in the same collection since 1924. It is decorated with a petal motif in the lower section and banana leaves in the upper part.” --Isabelle Bresset, Director of Artcurial Asian Art department.

Lot 96. Statuette de Bouddha en porcelaine Blanc de Chine, Chine, dynastie Qing, XVIIe - XVIIIe siècle. Estimation : 8 000 € - 12 000 € (8 800 - 13 200 $). © Artcurial.

Lot 53. Enamel, gem-set and diamond 'Nymph' brooch, Masriera; and pair of peridot and diamond earclips, Tiffany & Co. Estimate K$58,000 - 98,000 (US$7,400 - 12,600). Courtesy Tiancheng International

The brooch designed as a winged nymph, applied with pearlescent and plique-à-jour enamel, anchored by a cultured pearl measuring approximately 6.38 x 8.14mm, accented by cabochon sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds, pendant fitting, signed, accompanied with an original signed box; the earclips each centring on a round peridot weighing approximately 3.85 and 3.60 carats respectively, decorated with brilliant-cut diamonds, mounted in platinum, 18 karat yellow and white gold, signed. (2)

Accompanied by Japanese Central Gem Laboratory report numbered FR13051, stating that the peridot is natural. 

Bagues -Masriera
Bagues-Masriera was founded by Josep Masriera Vidal in 1839 in Barcelona. It is one of the top and longest-standing jewellers in Spain. In the 20th century, its third-generation leader Lluís Masriera took the brand to new heights, integrating the plique-à-jour technique he learnt in Geneva with the Art Nouveau movement that swept across Paris at the time. In 1901, he launched a groundbreaking collection with an unprecedented jewellery style reflecting a pursuit of freedom in composition and layout, along with a reverence for asymmetry. Adept at using soft graceful lines instead of stiff and straight ones, he combined the natural colours of gems with vitreous plique-à-jour enamel to depict the allure of women as well as nature such as flowers and birds. Bagues-Masriera set an iconic style that demonstrates the natural spirit of Art Nouveau.

To be offered in the auction is a vintage Bagues-Masriera brooch, highlighted by a forest nymph flapping her fine enamel wings thereby adding a touch of dynamism to this jewellery work. Bagues-Masriera is one of the few remaining workshops in the world that continues to master the artesian techniques of translucent enameling and fire enameling. Nuanced and mesmerizing, Bagues-Masriera’s work remains a timeless expression of artesian jewellery. 

Lot 51. 259.33 carats Natural Kunzite, Gem-set and Diamond 'Fairyland' Pendent Necklace, Nisan. Estimate K$250,000 - 350,000 (US$32,000 - 45,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International

The garland-style pendent necklace suspending a pear-shaped pink kunzite weighing 259.33 carats, decorated with floral and fauna scrollwork surrounds set with coloured sapphires and tsavorite garnets together weighing approximately 9.70 and 1.85 carats respectively, embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 3.40 carats, to the back highlighted by a cupid motif, mounted in 18 karat white and pink gold, completed by a cord decorated with a gold-plated silver clasp, length approximately 711mm.

Accompanied by C. Dunaigre report numbered CDC1407108, dated 27 July 2014, stating that the 259.33 carat kunzite is natural, Pink colour.

Kunzite
Kunzite belongs to the Spodumene family. Following its discovery in California, USA, in 1902, the stone was named after Tiffany & Co.’s vice president of gemology Dr. George Frederick Kunz, whose contributions to gemology greatly impacted his home country and the world. He encouraged Tiffany & Co. to be the first to use kunzite in the jewellery design, bringing the gemstone into the mainstream.

The gemstone owes its fine lilac colour to traces of manganese it contains. One of kunzite’s most distinctive attributes is its colour can fade with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Another is its strong pleochroic properties, causing the stone to display two different colours in different angles. 

Kunzite’s fancy violet hue is so mesmerising by its dreamy allure. However, strong vivid colour kunzite is extraordinarily rare and the gemstone can split cleanly due to its perfect cleavage and splintery fracture. Therefore, large size kunzite of vivid hue is not commonly seen.

This season, Thai jewellery designer Nisan is once again collaborating with Tiancheng International, after the highly successful and sought-after “God of Success” pendant he created, which was sold for two times its estimate at Autumn Auction 2015. For the upcoming auction, he has fashioned a 259.33-carat kunzite, gem-set and diamond “Fairyland” pendent necklace. The impressive kunzite of saturated rich pink is decorated with floral and fauna scrollwork surrounds set with various gemstones, depicting an enchanting fairyland of elves and flying canaries. 

Tiancheng International. HONG KONG SPRING AUCTION, Jewellery and Jadeite. 12 Jun · 1 pm 

Lot 253. Jadeite and Diamond “Cats” Brooch. Estimate：HK$ 35,000 – 45,000 (US$ 4,500 – 5,800). Courtesy Tiancheng International

Modelled as two cats, the brooch set with four highly translucent jadeite plaques of intense emerald green colour, decorated with brilliant-cut diamonds, mounted in 18 karat white gold.

Jadeite plaques measuring approximately 16.64 x 7.70 x 1.79, 16.22 x 7.20 x 1.89, 9.14 x 5.58 x 1.95 and 8.63 x 5.44 x 1.57mm respectively.

Per Hasselberg (1850-94), bronze bust of Prince Eugen of Sweden and Norway (1865-1947), sculpted in 1889. The prince acquired several works by the artist that are on display in his house Waldemarsudde.

A bust of Prince Eugen of Sweden (1865-1947) flanked by a fine pair of French Empire vases in the entrance hall of the prince's wonderful house Waldemarsudde. 

A corner of the salon in Prince Eugen of Sweden's house Waldemarsudde in Stockholm.

A portrait of Prince Eugen's mother Queen Sophia of Sweden (née princess of Nassau) painted in 1909 by Anders Zorn. 

The coat of arms of Prince Eugen of Sweden as Duke of Närke on a tiled stove in the salon of his house Waldemarsudde in Stockholm.

A fire screen painted with Hydrangeas by Prince Eugen of Sweden in the salon at Waldemarsudde.

A terracotta bust by Giuseppe Ceracchi of Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway (né Jean-Baptist Bernadotte) in the salon at Waldemarsudde. He was the great grandfather of Prince Eugen. 

The Russian chandelier in the salon at Prince Eugen's Waldemarsudde in Stockholm was bought by Prince Carl (later Carl XIII of Sweden) in Prag 1798. It was inherited by Eugen, together with many other things, from Rosersberg Palace after his father Oscar II's death in 1907. 

The round table in the salon at Waldemarsudde was commissioned by Prince Eugen from Carl Malmsten to work with the set of chairs he had inherited from Rosersberg Palace.

The painting by Ernst Josephson (1851-1906) called 'Strömkarlen' (The Nix or the Water Spirit) from 1884 was bought by Prince Eugen who offered it in 1893 to the National Museum in Stockholm. They refused it which angered the prince and he had it mounted into the panelling in the salon and stipulated that it must never leave the house! 

A study to Oscar Björck's monumental portrait of King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway (1829-1907) in coronation robes hangs in the salon of his son Prince Eugen's house. 

The Flower Room at Prince Eugen's house Waldemarsudde in Stockholm. 

The Flower Room at Prince Eugen's house Waldemarsudde in Stockholm. The three painting are by the prince. The celebrated ébénist George Haupt made the Louis XVI console table c. 1780. 

Prince Eugen's library at Waldemarsudde in Stockholm. 

Prince Eugen's library at Waldemarsudde in Stockholm.

A bronze bust on the mantle piece in the library by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) of the author Victor Hugo sculpted in 1897. The prince owned several works by Rodin. 

The Dining Room at Waldemarsudde. Prince Eugen preferred smaller intimate dinners, he considered eight to be the ideal number at the table. 

The Swedish Empire chandelier, originally made for the Stockholm Royal Palace, has more than 5,000 cut crystal drops. Prince Eugen inherited it after his father Oscar II's death.

A French Louis XVI console table (one of a pair) bought in Paris by Prince Carl c 1770 for his country seat Rosersberg. The French Empire clock with the figure of Mercury would also have come from the Swedish Royal Collection.

French Empire bronzes in the Dining Room at Waldemarsudde.

(Source Håkan Groth.  London-based antique dealer, writer, photographer and author of Neoclassicism in the North.)

Lot 3236. A rare large underglaze-blue ground green-enamelled 'dragon' dish, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722). Estimate HK$2,000,000 - HK$3,000,000 ($258,674 - $388,011). Price Realized HK$2,440,000 ($315,485). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The thickly potted dish is finely enamelled in green with an ascending and a descending dragon pursuing flaming pearls amidst cloud scrolls against a blue ground, the cavetto and exterior similarly decorated with two striding dragons in pursuit of pearls. The base is covered with a clear glaze. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm.) diam., wood box

Provenance: A Hong Kong private collection, acquired in the 1970s

Notes: A nearly identical identical example is in the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, exhibited in The Wonders of the Potter’s Palette: Qing Ceramics from the Collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2 November 1984-6 January 1985, no. 25 (fig. 1). Another nearly identical example is in the Baur Collection, illustrated in J. Ayers, The Baur Collection, vol. IV, 1974, no. A555. The Baur dish has additional black enamels later applied to obliterate the fifth claw on each of the dragon’s feet.

fig. 1. An underglaze-blue ground green-enamelled 'dragon' dish, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722). Hong Kong Museum of Art Collection

Christie's. THE IMPERIAL SALE / IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, 1 June 2016, Convention Hall

Lot 3327. An imperial famille verte coral-ground 'floral' bowl, Kangxi yuzhi mark in underglaze blue within a double square and of the period (1662-1722). Estimate HK$2,000,000 - HK$3,000,000 ($258,674 - $388,011). Price Realized HK$2,440,000 ($315,485).Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The bowl is richly decorated to the exterior with blue and yellow peony blossoms encircling the foot, below a variety of exotic blooms enamelled in aubergine, blue, yellow, iron-red and two shades of green, all against an even coral-red ground. The interior is covered with a transparent glaze. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) diam., box

Provenance: Sold at Christie's Paris, 7 December 2007, lot 141

Notes: A Kangxi-marked bowl of this design in the Shanghai Museum is illustrated in An exhibition of Chinese ceramics from the Collection of the Shanghai Museum, Tokyo, 1984, p. 124, no. 92, and another from the Charles Russell and Paul Bernat Collections, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, by H. Moss, By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, pp. 81-2, pl. 74. Both show the imperial mark and several views of the flowers. Moss goes on to note that Kangxi bowls of this type bear yuzhi marks written in blue or pink enamel, apparently one of the few instances where the Jingdezhen potters received specific instructions as to the style of the underglaze-blue mark which was to appear on a group of pieces made to imperial order.

Lot 108. Petite coupe libatoire en corne de rhinocéros, Chine, XVIIIe siècle. Estimation: 8 000 € - 10 000 €. Photo Ader

en forme de feuille de lotus, le crapaud à trois pattes poséà l’intérieur, l’anse formé par une tige de lotus sur laquelle sont posées des aigrettes. (Gerce). Hauteur : 4,8 cm - Largeur : 10,6 cm. Poids : 60,64 grammes. Socle en bois.

ADER, Extrême Orient et Art Africain, le 10 Juin 2016 à 14h

Lot 7. Statuette de Guanyin debout sur le lotus en porcelaine blanche, Chine, XVIIe siècle. Estimation: 6 000 € - 8 000 €. Photo Ader

les yeux entre ouverts, les mains jointes. Socle en bois. Hauteur : 41,4 cm