Lot 8. Vase de forme balustre et octogonale en porcelaine décorée en bleu sous couverte, Chine, Période Transition, XVIIe siècle. Estimation: 4 000 € - 6 000 €. Photo Ader

d’une scène des Trois Royaumes, dignitaire recevant un messager près de rochers et sous un saule pleureur. La partie inférieure ornée d’une frise de pétales, l’épaulement orné d’une frise de lingzhi et lotus. Au revers, un cachet de cire orné d’armoiries. (Fêlures et égrenures). Hauteur : 30 cm 

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

Lot 265. Important Pair of 17.87 and 15.24 carats Burmese Cushion-Shaped Sapphire and 2.51 and 2.50 carats Old Mine-cut Diamond Pendent Earrings. Estimate：HK$ 9,500,000 - 12,000,000 (US$ 1,220,000 - 1,540,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

Each suspending a cushion-shaped sapphire weighing 17.87 and 15.24 carats respectively, surmounted by an old mine-cut diamond weighing 2.51 and 2.50 carats respectively, mounted in platinum and 18 karat white gold. 

Gübelin reports numbered 16010081 and 16010082, dated 21 January 2016, stating that the 15.24 and 17.87 carat sapphires are natural, Blue colour, of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating; both along with information sheets, stating that 'The demand for natural, unheated sapphires keeps growing while the supply of such gems remains limited, making large, natural sapphires of gem-quality from all major sources (such as Kashmir, Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Tanzania) difficult to find.'; and gemmological profiles, stating that 'With a final weight of 17.87 / 15.24 ct, the sapphire presented here is an extremely large specimen...Large, unheated specimens of sapphire displaying a saturated, equally distributed blue colour, such as shown in this 17.87 / 15.24 ct sapphire, are considered rare...The colour of the present gem is very pleasant, characterised by an intense, saturated and homogeneous blue colour, free of any overtone...The 17.87 / 15.24 ct sapphire described...is of very high visual quality. Only a small share of the sapphires coming out of a mine is of this level of quality, and hence considered rare.';

SSEF report and Premium Book numbered 83537, dated 12 January 2016, stating that the 17.876 and 15.249 carat sapphires are natural, Blue colour of strong saturation, of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating; along with comments, stating that 'The colour of the17.876 carat sapphire may also be called 'Royal Blue' based on SSEF reference standards.'; along with an appendix, stating that 'The pair of natural sapphires described...possesses extraordinary characteristics and merits special mention and appreciation. The described sapphires...have been carefully selected and precisely cut to form a highly matching pair in size and quality. Both sapphire exhibit an attractive and saturated blue colour combined with a fine purity. Their colour is further pronounced by its well-proportioned cutting style, resulting in vivid blue hues due to multiple internal reflections...The small inclusions found by microscopic examination are consistent with those found in sapphires from Burma (Myanmar). Their saturated blue colour - for sapphire A (the 17.876 ct) peotically also described as 'Royal Blue' - is due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in these gemstones, typical and characteristic for the finest sapphires from Mogok, Burma. In addition to these quality, these sapphires have been spared exposure to heat treatment and their clarity and colour are thus all natural. Assembling a pair of natural sapphires from Burma of this size and quality is very rare and exceptional.'; 

GIA reports numbered 5131938969 and 2135557049, dated 11 October and 7 July 2011, stating that the 2.51 and 2.50 carat diamonds are G colour, VS1 and VVS2 clarity respectively. 

Lot 245. 34.53 carats Burmese Oval Sapphire and Diamond Ring. Estimate：HK$ 5,800,000 - 6,800,000 (US$ 745,000 - 872,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

Centring on an oval sapphire weighing 34.53 carats, framed by twelve oval diamonds together weighing 6.96 carats, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Ring size: 6

Accompanied by SSEF report numbered 84782, dated 9 March 2016, stating that the 34.53 carat sapphire is natural, Blue colour of medium strong saturation, of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating; along with an appendix, stating that 'The natural sapphire described...possesses extraordinary characteristics and merits special mention and appreciation...It exhibits an important size and weight of 34.53 ct combined with a beautifully saturated blue colour and a fine purity. The small inclusions found by microscopic examination and the analysed properties are consistent with those found in sapphires from the classical mines in Burma (Myanmar). Its attractive blue colour is due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in the gemstone, typical and characteristic for the finest sapphires of Mogok, Burma...A natural sapphire from Burma of this size and quality can be considered very rare and exceptional.'

GRS report numbered GRS2013-071405, dated 10 July 2013, stating that the 34.53 carat sapphire is natural, Blue colour, of Burmese origin, with no indication of thermal treatment; 

12 GIA reports stating that the 6.96 carat diamonds ranging from 0.66 to 0.51 carat are D colour, Internally Flawless to VVS1 clarity, four diamonds with Excellent Polish and Symmetry, eight diamonds with Excellent Polish. 

BURMESE SAPPHIRE
Sapphires symbolise loyalty, love and good fortune. Therefore, they are also called the Gem of Heaven and Gem of Kings. As early as the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek periods, they were used for decorating mosques, churches, temples and for religious tributes. The gemstones were also embroidered in the crowns of the British Kings and Russian Tsars and their ceremonial robes. 

Originating in different countries including Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka and China, sapphires vary in colour. With the exception of those from Kashmir, Burmese sapphires are of the highest quality as they derive their colour from titanium contents, exhibiting the most beautiful blues in the gem kingdom.

In recent years, sapphires’ mining outputs are significantly reduced. Untreated sapphires of vivid and sparkling blue colour are very rare. Excessive mining in the past has made natural sapphires that weigh over ten carats extremely rare. In this auction, Tiancheng will present several sapphire treasures, including a 34.53-carat natural unheated Burmese (Mogok) sapphire ring (Lot 245), a 13.85-carat natural unheated Burmese bracelet (Lot 264) and a pair of 17.87 and 15.24-carat natural unheated Burmese sapphire earrings (Lot 265). These three lots possess vivid blue colour, superb clarity and purity each and are undoubtedly highly sought after pieces by collectors. 

Lot 232. Vase Zun en bronze à patine brune verdâtre, Chine, époque Zhou (1028 - 256 av. JC). Estimation: 4 000 € - 6 000 €. Photo Ader

à décor de masques de taotie en relief sur la panse. (Retaurations et manque). Hauteur : 25,3 cm

Lot 149. Encre polychrome sur soie, Jeune femme se reposant sur un lit, devant une fenêtre, Chine, Fin XVIIIe siècle. Estimation: 2 500 € - 3 000 €. Photo Ader

(Restaurations). Dimensions : 96 x 47 cm. Encadrée sous verre.

Lot 1. Vase de forme 'meiping', Cizhou, Chine, Époque Ming (1368 - 1644). Estimation: 1 200 € - 1 500 €. Photo Ader

en grès émaillé beige craquelé et décoré en brun de réserves ornées de phénix, tortue et immortel, le col et l’épaulement ornés de frise de spirales. Hauteur : 34 cm. 

Lot 227. Important pair of 5.06 and 4.01 carats Burma, Mogok "Pigeon's Blood" ruby and diamond pendent earrings. Estimate HK$6,500,000 - 9,000,000 (US$833,300 - 1,150,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

Each centring on an oval ruby weighing 5.06 and 4.01 carats respectively, surrounded by oval and brilliant-cut diamonds extending to the surmount, the diamonds altogether weighing approximately 8.95 carats, mounted in platinum and 18 karat yellow gold. 

Accompanied by Gübelin report numbered 16021052/1 and 2, dated 26 February 2016, stating that the 9.07 carat rubies are natural, Red colour, of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating; along with an information sheet, stating that 'Within Burma (Myanmar), the most famed region is the Mogok Valley, or Mogok Stone Tract...Mogok-type rubies typically possess a red body colour and red UV-fluorescence. In addition, they may contain tiny amounts of light-scattering rutile silk and a swirl-like growth pattern. It is this combination of features which gives these rubies their characteristic appearance.'; and an appendix, stating that 'The two natural rubies...possesses a combination of exceptional characteristics such as high transparency and saturated red colour. In addition, these remarkable gemstones have been spared of thermal treatment. A pair of natural, non-enhanced rubies from Burma (Myanmar), endowed with such intrinsic qualities is rare.'; 

Lot 220. 10.65 carats Mogok, Burmese cabochon star ruby and diamond ring. Estimate HK$480,000 - 680,000 (US$61,500 - 87,200). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

Centring on a cabochon star ruby weighing 10.65 carats, decorated with brilliant-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 1.50 carats, mounted in 18 karat white and yellow gold. Ring size: 6 

Accompanied by Lotus premium report numbered 4831-0198, dated 7 January 2016, stating that the 10.65 carat star ruby is natural, Red colour, of vivid to intense saturation and medium-deep tone, of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating or treatment; along with a comment on colour type stating that 'the highly saturated crimson colour of this gem earns it the LOTUS "Pigeon's Blood" distinction'; and a note stating that 'this gem displays a six-rayed star. Star gems are increasingly rare in today's market.';  

Lot 641. Two small 'Yaozhou' celadon-glazed bowls, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 HKD. Lot sold 25,000 HKD (2,888 EUR).  Photo: Sotheby's.

each of conical form resting on a slightly tapered foot, one with a more flared mouthrim, thinly covered with a greyish-green glaze; 9.9 and 10 cm, 3 7/8  in. 

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 02 Jun 2016

Lot 737. A large 'Yaozhou' celadon-glazed bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 HKD. Unsold.  Photo: Sotheby's.

deftly potted with steep sides supported on short footring, applied with an olive-green glaze; 20 cm, 7 7/8  in. 

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 02 Jun 2016

Lot 738. A 'Yaozhou' celadon-glazed bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 HKD. Lot sold 43,750 HKD (5,054 EUR).  Photo: Sotheby's.

of conical form supported on a short foot, applied overall with a lustrous glaze of an olive-green tone; 13.4 cm, 5 1/4 in. 

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 02 Jun 2016

Lot 642. A celadon-glazed bowl and a 'Yaozhou' persimmon-glazed jar, Song dynasty (960-1279). Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 HKD. Unsold.  Photo: Sotheby's.

the bowl deeply potted with a flaring rim, applied all over in an olive-coloured glaze pooling to a deeper tone in the recesses of the carved concentric borders around the exterior of the rim, the jar covered overall save the countersunk base in a persimmon-coloured glaze; 18.3 and 6.9 cm, 7 1/4  and 2 3/4 in. 

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 02 Jun 2016

Lot 75. 46.65 carats 'Royal Peacock Blue' Sri Lankan cushion-shaped sapphire and diamond ring. Estimate HK$2,800,000 - 3,800,000 (US$360,000 - 487,000)& Lot 76. 25.11 carats, VS1 clarity Fancy Deep Brownish Yellow cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond and diamond ring. Estimate HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000 (US$320,000 - 450,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

Lot 75. 46.65 carats 'Royal Peacock Blue' Sri Lankan cushion-shaped sapphire and diamond ring. Estimate HK$2,800,000 - 3,800,000 (US$360,000 - 487,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International.

Centring on a cushion-shaped sapphire weighing 46.65 carats, to a stylised basket embellished with pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 2.70 carats, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Ring size: 6 

Accompanied by SSEF report numbered 84404, stating that the 46.65 carat sapphire is natural, Blue colour of medium strong saturation, of Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) origin, with indications of heating; 

Lot 76. 25.11 carats, VS1 clarity Fancy Deep Brownish Yellow cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond and diamond ring. Estimate HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000 (US$320,000 - 450,000). Courtesy Tiancheng International. 

Centring on a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut brown diamond weighing 25.11 carats, to a stylised basket set with brilliant-cut diamonds extending to the split shoulders, the diamonds together weighing approximately 1.40 carats, mounted in 18 karat yellow gold. Ring size: 5½ 

Lot 27. A rare Imperial Ming-style blue and white 'peach' pilgrim flask, bianhu, Daoguang seal mark and of the period (1821-1850). Sold for HK$ 687,500 (€79,311). Photo: Bonhams.

Of flattened form rising from a splayed rectangular foot, moulded on each side with a raised peach-shaped cartouche in relief, painted with two bats in flight encircling peaches issuing from a gnarled leafy branch, the body further surrounded by meandering lotus scrolls and two bands of lingzhi running along the sides, the narrow neck flanked by a pair of ruyi-form handles, with further lotus scrolls and a trefoil band below the everted rim, the base with a six-character zhuanshu mark. 24cm (9 1/2in) high

Notes: The present moonflask is a direct continuation of similar vases made during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods. However, it would appear that a much larger number was produced during the prosperous Qianlong reign, with far fewer examples made in later reigns, making the present lot particularly rare. However, a similar blue and white moonflask, Daoguang seal mark and period, from the Simon Kwan collection was exhibited in the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, illustrated in S.Kwan,Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Kwan Collection, the Art Museum, Hong Kong, 1983, p.42, no.6. Compare also a rare Jiaqing period example in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in China's Jingdezhen Porcelain Through the Ages: Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 1998, pp.253-254, nos.1 and 2. 

This pilgrim flask belongs to a group of about thirty Imperial porcelains designed by the Imperial Household Department which are referred to as dayun porcelain in the Imperial archive of the Qing dynasty and were sent to the Imperial court in the autumn and winter seasons. These designs continued to be made until the twenty-fifth year of the Daoguang period, corresponding to 1845-6, although the quantity was strictly controlled by the Imperial Household Department. See Wang Guangyao, Official Designs and Imperial Porcelain: The Palace Museum's Collection of Official Porcelain Designs and Porcelains from Imperial Kilns of the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2007, pp.15-16. 

The form of the present pilgrim flask was inspired by early 15th century prototypes of the Yongle period. These in turn derive their form from the Islamic metal flasks. The subtle and variated blue and white palette imitates the early Ming dynasty imported cobalt blue, with high iron content, resulting in dark blue spots on the surface, also known as the 'heaped and piled' effect.  

The design of peaches and bats, with its highly auspicious connotations, appears to have originated in the Kangxi reign, as exemplified in a Beijing enamel censer, Kangxi yuzhi mark and period, which was offered at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2007, lot 1539, and grew in popularity during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, when it was represented in diverse mediums. The bat, fu (蝠) and peach shoutao (壽桃) form the pun fushou shuangquan or 'may you have both blessings and longevity', which makes this piece particularly suited to be presented as a gift on the occasion of an Imperial birthday. 

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 10:30 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 28. A very rare carved biscuit porcelain brushpot, bitong, Daoguang seal mark and of the period (1821-1850). Estimate HK$ 400,000 - 600,000 (€46,000 - 69,000). Unsold. Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: S.Marchant & Son, London, circa 1960
Sydney L. Moss private collection

Notes: The inscription reads:

時在仲夏寫於昌江珠山客次書為叱石成羊圖

which may be translated as:
'written in mid-summer while being a guest at Zhushan in Changjiang, inscribed for the painting entitled 'Chi shi cheng yang tu' (Turning the Stones into Goats by Shouting)'

The scene on the brushpot refers to a Daoist legend recorded in the Shenxian zhuan (神仙傳) or Biography of Immortals, by Ge Hong (284-363), which tells of a young shepherd called Huang Chuping from Danxi, Jinhua, who disappeared whilst herding his sheep. His elder brother Huang Chuqi searched all over for him, to no avail, until forty years later he heard from a Daoist priest about a shepherd on Jinhua Mountain who was indeed his long-lost brother. When the two brothers met again, Chuping explained that he had followed an Immortal and had become an Immortal himself. Chuqi then asked about his flock, and Chuping said that they were in front of the cave. Chuping looked but saw only white rocks, until he happened to shout, at which the rocks suddenly became sheep. Chuqi realised that his brother was indeed an Immortal, and the phrase chi shi cheng yang (turning stones into goats by shouting) came to be used to describe miraculous events.  

In its carving style and subject matter, the brushpot is closely related to a group of carved porcelain brushpots attributed to the master craftsman Chen Guozhi, who worked at Jingdezhen during the early 19th century. Both in their style and attribution, the works of Chen Guozhi and other masters such as Wang Bingrong, represent a blurring of the distinctions between artist and craftsman, and the signatures found on a number of such pieces serve to claim a position for the potter closer to that of a recognisable artist rather than as an anonymous craftsman. Indeed it is perhaps possible to discern the hand of Chen Guozhi in the inscription on the present lot. The writing style is very similar to that on a snuff bottle in the James and Julie Li Collection, which also records the artist sojourning at Zhushan. See H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J&J Collection, New York, 1993, pl.251.  

It is extremely unusual to find a brushpot such as the present lot with an Imperial reign seal. One example with a brownish-yellow glaze, Daoguang seal mark and of the period, from the Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, is illustrated by T.Miller and H.Hui, Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries, Hong Kong, 2006, no.6; see also no.46 for a yellow-glazed example currently in the Anthony K.W. Cheung collection; and a four-character Daoguang mark can be found on a related brownish-yellow-glazed brushpot imitating bamboo, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Monochrome Porcelain, Shanghai, 1999, no.49. See also a brownish-yellow brushpot, from the Baur Collection dated to 1848, illustrated by Miller and Hui, ibid., no.3., which shows a similarly exuberant yet detailed treatment of the incised mountains.  

For two other examples from the Daoguang period, combining the Chen Guozhi signature and the Daoguang reign period, see a turquoise-glazed brushpot with the seal mark Da Qing Daoguang Chen Guozhi zhi in the Baur Collection, and another brownish-yellow brushpot in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, with a kaishu markDaoguang dingwei qiu jiuyue Shenbao shu Chen Guozhi zuo, dated to 1847, illustrated by Miller and Hui, ibid., nos.17 and 2. 

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 10:30 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, 1629. Oil on panel. Private collection. © Private Collection, Photography courtesy of The National Gallery, London, 2016.

NEW YORK, NY.- Completed when he was just twenty-three years old, Rembrandt’s Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver has long been recognized as the artist’s first mature work, his first masterpiece. The painting demonstrates many of the characteristics that would come to define Rembrandt’s style: dramatic lighting, a rhythmic harmony of composition, and his exceptional ability to convey the emotional drama of a scene. Long held in a British private collection, the painting is being shown in the United States for the first time at the Morgan beginning June 3 in a new exhibition titled Rembrandt’s First Masterpiece. 

Adding to the importance of the presentation, Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver is one of very few Rembrandt works for which several preparatory drawings survive. The exhibition reunites the painting and the drawings for the first time since their creation, offering visitors an unprecedented opportunity to take a glimpse over Rembrandt’s shoulder as he worked on this composition. 

Among the first to recognize the greatness of Rembrandt’s Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver was the famous Dutch diplomat, poet, musician, and art connoisseur Constantijn Huygens. The manuscript of Huygens’s autobiography which contains his lyrical account of the painting has been lent by the Royal Library in The Hague and included in the exhibition. 

Also on view are a number of early self-portraits that show the young Rembrandt at the time he painted the panel, and some two dozen etchings and drawings of scenes from the life of Christ that illustrate the development of the artist’s narrative style. Many of the items on view are from the Morgan’s own collection of Rembrandt prints and drawings, and the exhibition also features loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the British Museum, London; the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and the Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin. 

“Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver is an extraordinary painting that shows Rembrandt at an early age tackling one of the most powerful episodes in the Bible,” said Colin B. Bailey, director of the Morgan Library & Museum. “He, like many of his contemporaries, aspired to be a painter of history and looked for inspiration to well-known religious subjects, as well as mythology and Greek and Roman history. The exhibition presents visitors with the opportunity to discover a rarely seen masterpiece and to explore the creative process by which the young artist gave visual form to the dramatic encounter.”  

THE EXHIBITION 
I. Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, 1629 
Although the Judas scene is one of the more memorably emotional episodes from the narrative of Christ’s life, it was a relatively rare subject for painters when Rembrandt undertook it in 1629. The theatrical staging, bold lighting, and a fascination with exotic costumes seen in the painting are all characteristic of his work. Above all, however, Rembrandt concentrated on the depiction of human emotion, and the central focus of the scene remains the contrast between the haughty priests of the temple and the kneeling Judas, writhing in agony in the foreground. 

The artist labored over the preparatory drawings and the composition. Five studies for the painting document Rembrandt’s pattern of invention as he devised the scene. Close study of the painting surface and x-ray photographs also reveal that he continued to make changes as he worked. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, 1629. Oil on panel. Private collection. © Private Collection, Photography courtesy of The National Gallery, London, 2016.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver (recto), ca. 1629, Pen and brown ink and gray wash over black chalk. Private collection.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Study of a Seated Figure (recto), ca. 1629, Red chalk. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

I. Self-Portraits 
During his long career, Rembrandt painted, drew, and etched more self-portraits than almost any other artist. In the years around the time he painted Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, the young artist used his face to reproduce different expressions and emotions. This intense study of his own features proved an invaluable source for his work. As Rembrandt’s student Samuel van Hoogstraten would go on to advise artists in 1678: “[B]enefit can be gained from the depiction of your own passions, especially in front of a mirror, where you are simultaneously the creator and the spectator.” Rembrandt also made self-portraits as a means of presenting himself to the outside world. This is especially the case with his prints, which he could distribute in greater numbers than paintings or drawings. The ambitious, up-and-coming artist was conscious of his image, as the group of etchings from this period shows. 

In a self-portrait dated ca. 1628-9, Rembrandt has a neutral, if slightly stern, expression. The artist executed the face, hair, and the contours of the clothing with pen and ink. With a brush he then generously applied gray wash to define the clothing and add volume to the already thick curls. This combination of brown ink and gray wash is unusual for Rembrandt, but also appears in another self-portrait, and in one of the Judas drawings. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Self- Portrait, ca. 1629, Pen and brown ink and gray wash. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. 

Self-Portrait in a Cap, Wide-Eyed and Open-Mouthed features the artist with his head towards us in a state of utter bewilderment. One of the most iconic of all his self-portrait prints, this work ingeniously demonstrates the impression of sudden surprise by depicting his face close-up, by cutting the image at the top, and by placing us at a slightly lower angle, looking up. The poignant highlights in his eyes increase the immediacy of the work. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Self- Portrait in a Cap, Wide-Eyed and Open- Mouthed, 1630, Etching and drypoint, state II (of II). The Morgan Library & Museum.

III. Rembrandt and the Gospel 
The life of Christ remained a subject of perpetual fascination to Rembrandt, and from his earliest etching to his later works, the artist returned to episodes from the gospel narratives. In some cases, he devised wholly new versions of subjects undertaken years earlier; in other cases, he would work and rework a subject on a single copper plate, producing the radically revised etching states for which he is famous. Perhaps unexpectedly, however, Rembrandt did not approach the episode of Judas returning the silver again. 

A selection of Rembrandt’s gospel scenes is included in the exhibition, allowing a look at the ways in which Rembrandt’s narrative style evolved over the course of his career. The Circumcision on view in the exhibition, is considered to be the artist’s first etching, made while he was working in Leiden alongside Jan Lievens, who had already experimented with printmaking. Its awkward execution, unconvincing spatial setting, and the figures’ lack of volume suggest an artist struggling to master a new technique. He would soon adopt a freer, more drawing-like style for his etchings as he developed a more individualized manner. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), The Circumcision, ca. 1625, Etching, state I (of III), Etching. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Surprisingly, Rembrandt never created a painting or print of the Last Supper. However, a series of drawings on view in the exhibition shows the artist’s engagement with Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the subject. Rembrandt never traveled to Italy or saw the original, but instead studied several prints after Leonardo’s work. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) after Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), The Last Supper, ca. 1634–5, Red chalk. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) after Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), The Last Supper, ca. 1634–35, Red chalk heightened with opaque watercolor. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

V. Rembrandt’s Repertoire 
The painting’s Judas figure has been singled out for special praise by writers, and it would initially seem that the pose was created in response specifically to the gospel text describing Judas’s despair. Yet, Rembrandt adapted the same figure for very different means in other works. 

In his earliest depiction in print of St. Jerome, Rembrandt employed a variant of the kneeling, praying figure. The humble, devotional pose adapted well to a characterization of the learned hermit holy man.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), St. Jerome Kneeling: Large Plate, ca. 1628, Etching, retouched in pen and dark gray ink, only state. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Similarly, Rembrandt reused the early adaptations of the Judas figure in his etching of Saints Peter and Paul healing the Cripple. In all these compositions, however, it was the expressive potential of the figures that was the key. One of Rembrandt’s pupils, Jan van Vliet, would later remove the kneeling man from all narrative context, and produce the print commonly known as A Man Grieving, a study of pure human emotion.  

V. Praise by Constantijn Huygens 
Around 1629, the remarkable Dutch diplomat and art connoisseur Constantijn Huygens saw the Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver in Rembrandt’s workshop. He was so impressed that he wrote a lyrical account of this painting in his autobiography: “The gesture of that one despairing Judas (not to mention all the other impressive figures in the painting), that one maddened Judas, screaming, begging for forgiveness, but devoid of hope, all traces of hope erased from his face; his gaze wild, his hair torn out by the roots, his garments rent, his arms contorted, his hands clenched until they bleed; a blind impulse has brought him to his knees, his whole body writhing in pitiful hideousness. […] Even as I write these words I am struck with amazement. All honor to thee, Rembrandt!” The Morgan is delighted that the manuscript of Huygens’s autobiography will be lent to the exhibition by the Royal Library in The Hague, where it will be displayed near the painting it so arrestingly describes.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Christ Crucified Between the Two Thieves: “The Three Crosses,” 1653, Drypoint, state I (of V). The Morgan Library & Museum. Photography by Graham S. Haber.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Three Studies for a Descent from the Cross, ca. 1654. Pen and brown ink. Thaw Collection, The Morgan Library & Museum. Photography by Steven H. Crossot.

"Poetic Reflections, Ishiguro Munemaro and Tanaka Sajirō" at Joan B. Mirviss, LTD - June 2 – July 8, 2016

NEW YORK, NY.- The clay artworks of Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968) and Tanaka Sajirō (b. 1937) are diverse in their scope, yet ultimately unified by a sense of tranquility. Although these two artists are from different generations and never collaborated, the opportunity to exhibit their ceramics side-by-side provides an intriguing look into the mutual sources of inspiration that fed the two minds of equally talented men. Tanaka looks to Ishiguro as an artistic and scholarly model, patterning his lifestyle in accordance. Like Ishiguro, Tanaka established his studio in the mountains, a landscape conducive to his art, practicing Buddhism and composing Chinese poems. Together, these interests influenced lyrical ceramic forms that echo artworks of the past. 

In celebration of this connection, Joan B. Mirviss, LTD and Shibuya Kurodatoen Co., LTD in Tokyo present Poetic Reflections: Ishiguro Munemaro and Tanaka Sajirō, an exhibition in which Tanaka pays homage to Ishiguro by carrying the torch of a shared aesthetic vision. Kuroda Kōji of Kurodatoen remarks: 

“Ishiguro and Tanaka did not settle for one design even after perfecting it. They continually pursued new techniques by changing materials and firing methods. In reverence to Ishiguro’s masterful oeuvre, Tanaka has carefully selected and created works for this exhibition.” 

ISHIGURO MUNEMARO (1893-1968): Born in Toyama Prefecture, Ishiguro’s fascination with ceramics was first kindled in 1916 by his study of the Chinese language and arts. Just a few years later, Ishiguro encountered a yōhen tenmoku teabowl at the Tokyo Art Dealers’ Club that captivated him so much that he decided to become a ceramic artist. He opened his own kiln and studio in the mountains of Yase where he then lived as a hermit, dedicated to his art and studies. Ever the free spirit, Ishiguro developed an unrivaled variety of glazes including, but not limited to, kuro-raku, sançai, tenmoku, aka-e (red-painted ware), oribe and many variations of Karatsu. 

Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968), Black raku straight-sided teabowl, ca. 1967. Glazed stoneware, 3 x 4 1/2 x 4 5/8 in. Inv# 9661. Price on request.

In part, Ishiguro’s stylistic breadth mirrors a change in the perception of ceramics as a fine art, which occurred in the 20th century. Consequently, he asserted an unprecedented amount of self-expression within the classical ceramic styles he so admired. In this exhibition, Ishiguro’s sense of whimsy is also highly evident from the uncommonly used chōku-gaki (chalk-like-glaze drawing) to the incised depiction of a suiko (water sprite) to his signature lattice iron-oxide brushwork. Ishiguro’s artworks are not just a reflection of his career, but also of his life: serene, cerebral and undaunted.  

Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968), Vessel with irregular woven bamboo patterning in iron oxide over green ash glaze,ca. 1967. Glazed stoneware, 6 3/8 x 5 7/8 in. Inv# 9666. Price on request.

In 1955 Ishiguro was one of the first of five ceramists to earn the prestigious designation of Living National Treasure for his iron-glazes and also received medals from both the government and emperor. This year, there is a major retrospective of his work travelling to various Japanese museums. Ishiguro’s work resides permanently in important collections including the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum; Musée National de Ceramique, Sèvres, France; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; National Museums of Modern Art, Kyoto and Tokyo. 

Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968), Shallow teabowl decorated with three branches in iron glaze, mid 1960s. Glazed stoneware, 2 1/8 x 7 in. Inv# 9657. Price on request.

TANAKA SAJIRŌ (b. 1937): An unlikely ceramist, Kyūshū-born Tanaka Sajirō was a speedboat racer for many years in his youth. When he decided to exchange his fast-paced lifestyle for more intellectual pursuits, he immediately felt drawn to the local Kyūshū tradition of Karatsu, a ceramic style derived from ancient Korean wares. A major turning point was his encounter with the renowned Katō Tōkurō (1898-1985), whose profound understanding of ceramics deeply inspired Tanaka to create works reminiscent of antique ceramics but with a vivaciousness all their own. 

Tanaka Sajirō (b. 1937), Black teabowl with slightly tapered mouth and white splash patterning, 2010. Glazed stoneware, 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. Inv# 9683. $ 8,250.

Tanaka believes in a hands-on process, whether finding and digging his own clay from the local Yamase hillsides, crafting his own tools, or building his own kiln in Ulsan, South Korea. By using Yamase clay, his works have a soft, delicate feel and light color that gives them a femininity in contrast to the bold, rough clay used in typical Karatsu. This clay brings out the best features in his glazing and produces an interesting, wrinkled texture to the feet of his teaware. This exhibition reveals the balance that exists between his careful, controlled process and the impulses of his acute aesthetic sensibility. In this way, he not only creates Karatsu ware, but also ventures into uncharted territory.  

Tanaka Sajirō (b. 1937), Cane of an Itinerant Monk; Black-glazed, straight-sided teabowl with irregular mouth, 2014. Glazed stoneware, 3 1/2 x 5 x 5 3/8 in. Inv# 9685. $ 9,800.

The work of Tanaka Sajirō has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions at Kurodatoen, Shibuya; Mitsukoshi Art Galleries in Tokyo, Shinjuku, Chiba, Fukuoka, and Kurashiki. Most recently his work has been the focus of an exhibit at Mitsukoshi Art Gallery, Nihonbashi, Tokyo titled “Fighting with Fire."

Tanaka Sajirō (b. 1937), Shinsha (copper red-glazed) teabowl with beige rim, 2016. Glazed stoneware, 3 x 5 1/4 x 5 in. Inv# 9673. $ 8,450.

PARIS.- Christie’s will offer the Collection Zeineb et Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière, un couple de grands amateurs et mécènes, on 8 and 9 June 2016. This unique sale, gathering major modern and contemporary artworks, antiquities and decorative arts is among the most prestigious private collections of art and design organised by Christie’s in France. This sale, comprising 370 lots, estimated in the region of €18 million, will pay tribute to the discerning eye of Zeineb and Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière, a couple well known for their hospitality and generosity. 

François de Ricqlès, President of Christie’s France: “This collection is a testament to the passionate connoisseurship of Monsieur and Madame Marcie-Rivière, who were often ahead of their time in their selection of a very subtle mix of styles and periods, with works of art from renowned artists. It is a collection of high quality which cannot be compared to any other. 

Zeineb and Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière were inspired by the tradition of the most prestigious 20th century French connoisseurs, who looked to the 1920s decoration of the Viscount and Viscountess de Noailles’s private mansion decorated by Jean-Michel Frank. Zeineb and Jean-Pierre’s exquisite taste, combined with the talent and expertise of Renzo Mongiardino and Alberto Pinto, resulted in a collection which provides an exceptional opportunity for those wishing to acquire some of the most magnificent works of art offered in Paris since the Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Bergé or Hélène Rochas collections.” 

 Zeineb et Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière

A magnificent setting housed the collection 
When Zeineb Levy-Despas settled on the first floor of a private mansion located on rue de Varenne in Paris, she entrusted Renzo Mongiardino with the decoration of her apartment. This became a magnificent place to house the Nabis paintings which she acquired with her first husband André Lévy-Despas. After his death in 1974, Zeineb continued to take pleasure from art, music and literature. In 1990, she met Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière who went on to become the Vice President of the National Modern Art Museum Friends from 1997 to 2013. They married in 1992, going on to establish together a remarkable Post-War and Contemporary art collection. In 1991 Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière moved in to the second floor of the private mansion situated on 60 rue de Varenne which went on to be decorated by Alberto Pinto in a very sober and elegant style.  

The Collection 
Zeineb and Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière acquired signed artworks by many leading 20th century artists including Francis Bacon, Nicolas de Staël, Jean Dubuffet, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra, Brice Marden, Julio González, Max Ernst, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, among others. 

The top lot of the sale is the final painting of the Men in Blue series by Francis Bacon painted between March and June 1954. Men in Blue continues the theme already explored by the artist in the iconic series of ‘Popes (Study for a Portrait I-VIII)’, completed the previous year. Paul Nyzam, Contemporary art specialist: “Immersed in a deep sea of midnight blue, the slender figure of a man is seen cast into the shadows, isolated, trapped in the dark. The twilight tones of the painting are only relieved by the striking pink and alabaster white of the man's grimacing face above his starched white collar. The expression of Bacon's genius lies precisely in this face, whose features have been meticulously distorted with an impulsive sweep of the brush. In this final incarnation of ‘Man in Blue VII’ Bacon achieves what mattered most for him in his work – creating a pictorial sensation that "acts directly on the nervous system””. This major artwork, which was hung in the entrance of Monsieur Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière’s apartment, is estimated to achieve between €5-8 million.  

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue VII, huile sur toile, 152.7 x 116.5 cm. (60 1/8 x 46 in.). Peint en 1954. Estimation €5,000,000 – €8,000,000 ($5,620,663 - $8,993,061). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Provenance: Hanover Gallery, Londres
Charles Williams, Londres
Redfern Gallery, Londres
Marlborough Fine Art Ltd, Londres
The Marchioness of Hartington
Waddington Galleries, Londres
Ivor Braka Ltd, Londres
Collection privée, Europe
Vente anonyme, Christie's Londres, 6 février 2002, lot 13
Acquis lors de cette vente.

Literature: J. Rothenstein, R. Alley, Francis Bacon, London, 1964, No. 87, p. 88 (illustré p. 193).

Exhibited: Venise, XXVII Biennale di Venezia, The British Pavilion: Exhibition of Works by Nicholson, Bacon, Freud, juin–octobre 1954, No. 58a.
Londres, Redfern Gallery, Summer Exhibition 1961, juin-août 1961, No. 9.
Lisbonne, Fundaçao Caluste Gulbenkian, Arte Britanica no Século XX, février-mars 1962, No. 52 (illustré au catalogue d'exposition).
Edimbourg, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Francis Bacon: Portraits and Heads, juin-septembre 2005, No. 14 (illustré en couleurs au catalogue d'exposition p. 44).

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue VII, détail, huile sur toile, 152.7 x 116.5 cm. (60 1/8 x 46 in.). Peint en 1954. Estimation €5,000,000 – €8,000,000 ($5,620,663 - $8,993,061). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Notes: Cette œuvre sera incluse dans le catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de Francis Bacon, actuellement en préparation par Martin Harrison, sous le No 54-11.

"Dans cet univers claustrophobe encadré de rideaux, surgissent devant nous des êtres dont la présence sombre, ambiguë, inattendue, s’empare de l’espace qu’ils occupent, réduisant ces êtres de chair à leur propre ombre. Aussi effrayantes qu’elles sont attirantes, ce sont des créatures faisant face à leur propre destin."

"In these claustrophobic curtained settings, there loom up before us beings whose shadowy, ambiguous, unexpected presence takes command of any setting they survey, making real beings seem like shadows. They are as appalling as they are compelling, for these are creatures faced with their tragic destiny."

D. Sylvester, cité in The British Pavilion: Exhibition of Works by Nicholson, Bacon, Freud, Venice XXVII Biennale, Venise, 1954 

Dernière œuvre de la série de sept Man in Blue, que Bacon réalise en 1954, Man in Blue VII est un portrait existentialiste de l’Europe d'après-guerre. Plongée dans une mer profonde de bleu nuit, la mince figure d'un homme se voit jetée dans les ténèbres, isolée, prise au piège dans l'obscurité. Le crépuscule de la peinture n’est brisé que par le rose saillant et le blanc albâtre du visage grimaçant de l'homme au col blanc amidonné. L’expression du génie de Bacon réside précisément dans ce visage, dont les traits ont été minutieusement distordus avec un balayage impulsif du pinceau. Dans cette dernière incarnation de Man in Blue, Bacon atteint ce qui lui importait le plus dans son travail - créer une matière picturale qui « touche directement le système nerveux ». 

Bacon réalise cette série entre mars et juin 1954 alors qu’il loge à l’Imperial Hotel de Henley-on-Thames. Dans les années 1950, l’artiste réside en effet souvent dans cette ville des environs de Londres afin d'être proche de son amant Peter Lacy, qui y possède une maison. À certains moments, leur relation tumultueuse était si violente que Bacon doit fuir et trouver refuge à l’Imperial Hotel. C’est ici qu’il rencontre certains de ces hommes d'affaires bien apprêtés, anonymes et de passage, avec lesquels il entretient des relations illicites, qui finalement donneront naissance à la sérieMan in Blue. Comme l'artiste le confie alors dans une lettre à David Sylvester: « Je suis excité par la nouvelle série que je fais – elle parlera de rêves et de la vie dans les chambres d'hôtel » (F. Bacon, cité in ‘On the Margins of the Impossible’, Francis Bacon, catalogue d’exposition, Tate, Londres, 2008). 

Montrant un Bacon à son plus haut niveau d’expression, exprimant toute l’angoisse et la fragilité de la vie dans sa peinture, la série des Man in Blue s’avère charnière dans l’œuvre du peintre britannique. Trois œuvres de la série sont aujourd’hui conservées dans des collections muséales: Man in Blue I au Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen de Rotterdam; Man in Blue IV au Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig de Vienne et Man in Blue V au Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen de Dusseldorf.  

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue I, 1954. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. © MUSEUM BOIJMANS VAN BEUNINGEN, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS / THE BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue II, 1954. Collection privée. © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue III, 1954. Collection privée. © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue IV, 1954. Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienne. © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992), Man in Blue V, 1954. Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen, Dusseldorf © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Francis Bacon (1909-1992), Man in Blue VI, 1954. Collection privée. © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Réalisées à l’origine pour l’exposition personnelle de Bacon à la Hanover Gallery de Londres en juin-juillet 1954, six tableaux de la série (Man in Blue I-VI) y ont été dévoilés au public pour la première fois. Quant à la présente toile,Man in Blue VII, elle est la seule de la série à avoir fait partie de l’exposition de Bacon au Pavillon de la Grande-Bretagne de la Biennale de Venise de 1954. Cette exposition, essentielle pour l’artiste, devenue en réalité une mini-rétrospective de son œuvre des dix années passées, comprenait plusieurs peintures qui ont contribuéà définir Bacon en tant qu'artiste. Être reconnu par une institution telle que la Biennale de Venise s’est avéré décisif pour Bacon qui, à l’époque, n’avait pas encore eu d’exposition dans un musée, et a joué ainsi un rôle déterminant dans la renommée internationale du peintre. Comme écrivait David Sylvester au sujet de la réception critique de cette exposition de Bacon: « L’œuvre de Bacon, vision épouvante de l’homme actuel, constitue sans doute la seule révélation véritable de toute la Biennale » (cité in ‘The British Pavilion: Exhibition of Works by Nicholson, Bacon, Freud’, Venice XXVII Biennale, Venise, 1954). 

Man in Blue poursuit le thème que l'artiste explore déjà dans la série désormais emblématique des Popes (Study for a Portrait I-VIII) réalisée l'année précédente. Ainsi au début des années 1950, Bacon commence à abandonner la manière expressionniste et les images zoomorphes, mi-oniriques, mi-horrifiantes, qui caractérisaient la décennie précédente. La forme humaine devient désormais son sujet principal. Sa palette s’assombrie et des arrière-plans bleu nuit et noir viennent dominer son travail. Les réinterprétations du célèbre Portrait du pape Innocent X de Velázquez marquent en ce sens un tournant dans l’œuvre de Bacon qui se livre désormais à une exploration de l'humanité torturée d’une façon plus intime. 

Francis Bacon (1909-1992), Study for a Portrait VII, 1953. Museum of Modern Art, New York. © MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK, USA / DON DE MR. & MRS. WILLIAM A. M. BURDEN / THE BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

De la même manière qu’il avait présenté ces dignitaires de l’Eglise, isolés dans une cage noyée dans une mer de bleu mystérieux, Bacon s’empare ici des symboles du capitalisme d'après-guerre en plein essor, en leur infligeant un traitement similaire. Les robes dorées des Papes font place aux chemises blanches de ces businessmen, mais, dans les deux séries, les vêtements n’arrivent pas à cacher l'expression d’un visage en souffrance, qui aspire à se libérer.  

Dans les Man in Blue, le cube en verre de la série des Papes se transforme en un cadre architectural, fait de bandes verticales soigneusement alignées, qui pourraient être celles d’un bar d’hôtel. Le schéma et la configuration de l'espace clos sont identiques dans chacun des sept tableaux, où la figure centrale se trouve piégée, enfermée derrière le comptoir empêchant sa fuite. Tout comme les huit papes alternent entre arrogance, malveillance et désespoir, l'humeur de l'homme en costume bleu évolue au long de la série, passant de la confiance au calme, de l’indifférence à la distraction, jusqu’au désespoir, rappelant ainsi Three Studies for the Human Head (1953), le premier triptyque jamais réalisé par Bacon.  

Alors que la pose du personnage de Man in Blue VII ressemble à celle de Man in Blue II, son corps semble être absorbé dans l’arrière-plan tandis que son visage paraît saillir davantage, ses traits être plus distordus que dans les autres tableaux de la série. Le sourire crispé qui émerge déjà dans Man in Blue VI se transforme ici en un cri silencieux,accentuant la blancheur des dents de cette bouche ouverte aux lèvres charnues. Bacon expliquait lui-même son obsession pour la bouche, un motif récurrent dans ces œuvres, en ces termes : «J’ai toujours été très ému par les mouvements de la bouche et par la forme de la bouche et des dents… J’aime, pourrait-on dire, l’aspect luisant et la couleur qui émanent de la bouche et j’ai toujours espéré, en un sens, être capable de peindre la bouche comme Monet peignait un coucher de soleil » (D. Sylvester in ‘Un Parcours’, Francis Bacon, catalogue d’exposition, Paris, Centre Pompidou, 1996). Dans sa représentation de la bouche Bacon, s’inspire avant tout de deux images de femmes hurlantes : celle de la nurse dans le Cuirassé Potemkine d’Eisenstein et celle de la mère au premier plan du Massacre des Innocents de Nicolas Poussin, dont le mouvement de la tête n’est pas sans rappeler celui de Man in Blue VII. Pour Bacon cette toile de Poussin montrait «probablement le meilleur cri en peinture ».  

Dans Man in Blue VII, la matière picturale elle-même se met au service du tragique, suggérant par ses nuances la brisure d’un homme. Vers 1950, Bacon modifie sa manière de peindre : s’il utilisait jusqu’alors le revers de toiles, il élabore désormais une nouvelle technique de création des fonds par application de fines couches d’huile et de térébenthine. La matière peinte devenant ainsi plus transparente et fluide, le coup de pinceau de Bacon ressort d’une manière plus vigoureuse et dramatique, presque phosphorescente. Selon David Sylvester, la série des Man in Bluerévèle une étape supplémentaire dans l’évolution de ce style: « En 1954, le bleu devient plus sombre, plus velouté, plus nocturne; les empâtements plus épais…; l'énergie du modèle plus concentrée, plus explicite » (D. Sylvester, Looking back at Francis Bacon, Londres, 2000).  

Dans Man in Blue VII, la matière picturale elle-même se met au service du tragique, suggérant par ses nuances la brisure d’un homme. Vers 1950, Bacon modifie sa manière de peindre : s’il utilisait jusqu’alors le revers de toiles, il élabore désormais une nouvelle technique de création des fonds par application de fines couches d’huile et de térébenthine. La matière peinte devenant ainsi plus transparente et fluide, le coup de pinceau de Bacon ressort d’une manière plus vigoureuse et dramatique, presque phosphorescente. Selon David Sylvester, la série des Man in Bluerévèle une étape supplémentaire dans l’évolution de ce style: « En 1954, le bleu devient plus sombre, plus velouté, plus nocturne; les empâtements plus épais…; l'énergie du modèle plus concentrée, plus explicite » (D. Sylvester, Looking back at Francis Bacon, Londres, 2000).  

Man in Blue VII est une incarnation de l'angoisse moderne cachée sous le masque de la domination et de la respectabilité, évocateur de l'esprit d’une époque où l’existentialisme connaît son apogée. En 1946 L’Existentialisme est un Humanisme connaît ainsi un succès retentissant en Europe, Jean-Paul Sartre y décrivant l'état d'angoisse et de désespoir qui envahit l’homme lorsqu’il accepte la responsabilité de son propre destin. C’est ce vertige qu’exprime Man in Blue VII, visage d’un capitalisme confrontéà son propre destin, incapable de la moindre rédemption. 

Francis Bacon dans son atelier, Overstrand Mansions, Battersea, 1957. © THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

Peter Lacy photographié par John Deakin, vers 1959. E ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON, 2016

The final work in the series of seven Man in Blue paintings, which Bacon painted in 1954, Man in Blue VII is an existentialist portrait of post-war Europe. Immersed in a deep sea of midnight blue, the slender figure of a man is seen cast into the shadows, isolated, trapped in the dark. The twilight tones of the painting are only relieved by the striking pink and alabaster white of the man's grimacing face above his starched white collar. The expression of Bacon's genius lies precisely in this face, whose features have been meticulously distorted with an impulsive sweep of the brush. In this final incarnation of Man in Blue, Bacon achieves what mattered most for him in his work – creating a pictorial sensation that "acts directly on the nervous system". 

Bacon produced this series between March and June 1954, when he was staying at the Imperial Hotel in Henley-on-Thames. During the fifties, the artist often stayed in this town not far from London to be close to his lover Peter Lacy, who owned a house there. At certain times, their tumultuous relationship was so violent that Bacon had to take refuge in the Imperial Hotel. Here he met some of these affected, anonymous businessmen passing through, with whom he had illicit relations, and who inspired the Man in Blue series. As the artist wrote in a letter to David Sylvester: "I am excited by the new series I am doing – it is about dreams and life in hotel bedrooms" (Francis Bacon, quoted in ‘On the Margins of the Impossible’, Francis Bacon, exhibition catalogue, Tate, London, 2008). 

Showing Bacon at the very peak of his expressive powers, conveying all the pain and fragility of life in his painting, the Man in Blue series was a turning point in the British painter's work. Three works in this series are now in museum collections: Man in Blue I in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam; Man in Blue IV in the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig in Vienna, and Man in Blue V in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen in Dusseldorf. 

Originally executed in the build up to Bacon's solo exhibition at the Hanover Gallery in London in June-July of 1954, six paintings from the series Man in Blue were shown there in public for the first time. Meanwhile the painting here, Man in Blue VII, is the only one in the series to have featured in Bacon's celebrated exhibition at the British Pavilion during the 1954 Venice Biennial. This exhibition, crucial for the artist, amounted to a mini-retrospective of his work of the previous ten years, and included many of the paintings that would come to define Bacon as an artist. Being recognised by an institution like the Venice Biennial was decisive for Bacon (who at the time had not yet had an exhibition in a museum), and played a vital role in establishing his international reputation. As David Sylvester wrote about the critical reception of this exhibition: "Bacon's work, a horrifying vision of mankind today, is probably the only genuine revelation of this entire Biennial" (quoted in ‘The British Pavilion: Exhibition of Works by Nicholson, Bacon, Freud’, Venice XXVII Biennale, Venice, 1954). 

Man in Blue works continue the theme already explored by the artist in the iconic series of Popes (Study for a Portrait I-VIII), completed the previous year. In the early fifties, Bacon began to abandon the expressionist manner and half-dreamlike, half-horrifying zoomorphic images of the previous decade. The human form now became his main subject. His palette became darker, and his work was dominated by deep blue and black backgrounds. In this sense, the reinterpretations of Velázquez's famous Portrait of Pope Innocent X marked a turning point in the work of Bacon, who now gave himself over to exploring tormented humanity more intimately. 

In the same way as he had presented these dignitaries of the Church, isolated in a cage in a sea of mysterious blue, here Bacon lays hold of these symbols of booming post-war capitalism and subjects them to a similar treatment. The golden robes are replaced by starched white shirts, but in both series the clothes cannot hide the expression of the suffering face that yearns to get free. 

In the Man in Blue paintings, the glass cube in the Popes series becomes an architectural framework made of carefully aligned vertical lines, which could be those of a hotel bar. The outline and configuration of the enclosed space are identical in each of the seven paintings, where the central figure seems to be trapped, contained behind the counter that prevents him from escaping. Just as the eight popes oscillate between arrogance, malevolence and despair, the mood of the blue-suited man changes throughout this series, moving from confidence, calm, indifference and dreaminess to despair, echoing the Three Studies for the Human Head (1953), the first triptych ever produced by Bacon. 

Although the pose of the figure in Man in Blue VII is similar to the one in Man in Blue II, his body seems to be absorbed into the background, while his face seems to stand out even more, and his features seem more distorted than in the other paintings in the series. Here the tense smile already seen in Man in Blue VI turns into a silent scream,accentuating the whiteness of the teeth in this open mouth with its fleshy lips. Bacon himself described his obsession with the mouth, a recurring motif in these works, as follows: "I've always been very moved by the movements of the mouth and the shape of the mouth and the teeth.… I like, you may say, the glitter and colour that comes from the mouth, and I've always hoped in a sense to be able to paint the mouth like Monet painted a sunset." (D. Sylvester in ‘Un Parcours’, Francis Bacon, exhibition catalogue, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 1996). In his representation of the mouth, Bacon was chiefly inspired by two images of screaming women: that of the nurse in Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin and that of the mother in the foreground of the Massacre des Innocents by Nicolas Poussin, whose head movement is reminiscent of that of Man in Blue VII. For Bacon, this painting by Poussin showed "probably the best human cry in painting." 

In Man in Blue VII, the pictorial material itself invokes the tragic, suggesting a man's brokenness through its nuances. In around 1950, Bacon changed his way of painting. Up till then he had used the unprimed reverse side of canvases; he now devised a new technique of creating backgrounds by applying layers of oil and turpentine. The substance of the paint thus became more transparent and fluid, and Bacon's brushstrokes stand out in a more vigorous, dramatic, almost phosphorescent way. According to David Sylvester, the Man in Blue series reveals a further stage in the development of this style: "In 1954 the blue became darker, more velvety, more nocturnal; the handling coarser and less vibrant; the model's energy, more projected, less internal "(D. Sylvester, Looking back at Francis Bacon, London, 2000). 

Bacon tended to use photographs of people in his close circle as subjects for his paintings, preferring to work from pictures rather than a model. As he said, "What I want to do is to distort the thing beyond the appearance, but in the distortion to bring it back to a recording of appearance." The Man in Blue series was one of the very few Bacon painted from life. The artist described how, apart from the presence of a model, painting a stranger went against his desire to capture all the sensations arising from intimate knowledge of the person he was painting. From this point of view, the man of the Imperial Hotel was extremely problematic, so the features of his lover Peter Lacy seem to emerge behind the archetypical figure of the businessman in a white collar, as Michael Peppiatt suggests. 

Man in Blue VII is an embodiment of contemporary angst behind a mask of domination and respectability, evoking the spirit of a time when existentialism was at its height. In 1946 L’Existentialisme est un Humanisme was a resounding success in Europe. In it, Jean-Paul Sartre describes the state of anguish and despair that fills a man when he accepts the responsibility of his own destiny. This is the dizzying truth expressed in Man in Blue VII: the face of a capitalism confronted with its own fate, incapable of the slightest redemption.

A welded iron by Julio González (estimate: €1-1.5 million) stood on the fireplace of Jean-Pierre Marcie-Rivière’s living-room. This Forme rigide, conceived in 1937, is a dramatic and powerfully expressive sculpture that, in the simplicity and geometric angularity of its forms, at first seems to suggest a link to the aesthetics of constructivism. Of the ideals of constructivism, however, González was somewhat critical, writing: "One will not make great art in making perfect circles and squares with the aid of a compass and ruler... The truly novel works... are, quite simply, those which are directly inspired by nature, and executed with love and sincerity." (Julio González cited in, J. Withers, Julio González: Sculpture in Iron, New York 1978, p. 76).   

Lot 14. Julio González (1876-1942), Forme rigide, fer forgé et soudé sur une base en pierre. Hauteur: 73,8 cm. avec la base (Height: 29 in. including base). Hauteur: 67 cm. sans la base (Height: 26 3/8.in. excluding base). Exécuté vers 1937; cette œuvre est unique. Estimate €1,000,000 – €1,500,000 ($1,116,279 - $1,674,419). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Other major artists from the 20th century include: Pablo Picasso, Diego Giacometti, Max Ernst, Brice Marden, Robert Motherwell, Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, Cy Twombly, Anselm Kiefer and Jean Dubuffet. From the latter, five emblematic artworks from the 1950’s, will be offered for auction such as Barbe des songes fumeux (estimate: €300,000-500,000) or Trois personnages de peu de présence (estimate: €350,000-550,000).

Lot 5. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), Barbe des songes fumeux, signé et daté‘J. Dubuffet 59’ (en bas à droite); titré et daté'Barbe des songes fumeux août 59' (au dos), assemblage d’empreintes et encre de Chine sur papier, 67 x 50.5 cm. (26 3/8 x 19 7/8 in.). Réalisé en août 1959. Estimate €300,000 – €500,000 ($334,884 - $558,140). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Lot 18. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), Trois personnages de peu de présence, signé et daté'J. Dubuffet 57' (en bas à droite); signé, titré et daté'Trois personnages de peu de présence J. Dubuffet octobre 1957' (au dos), huile et assemblages sur papier marouflé sur toile, 124.5 x 102 cm. (49 x 40 1/8 in.). Réalisé le 16 octobre 1957. Estimate €350,000 – €550,000 ($390,698 - $613,954). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

François de Ricqlès: “A monumental work on paper by Richard Serra takes our breath away”. Out of round II presents a huge, round, deep-black form absorbing the light. Paul Nyzam adds: “The monumentality of the work creates a sense of vertigo in whoever looks at it. The footprints on the tar-like surface further disorient viewers, who suddenly seem to see on the wall what they usually see at their feet. Here, just as with his sculptures, Serra achieves his intention: inciting the viewer to experience weight and gravity. This work is estimated to realise between €600,000 and 900,000.  

Lot 11. Richard Serra (Né en 1939), Out-of-Round II, pain d'huile sur papier Hiromi, 170 x 171.5 cm. (67 x 67 ¾ in.). Réalisé en 1999. Estimate €600,000 – €900,000 ($669,767 - $1,004,651). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

A beautiful oil and charcoal work on paper by Willem de Kooning completes this section (estimate: €500,000-700,000). Created in 1962, it featured in the major exhibition La sculpture des peintres, organised at the Maeght Foundation by Jean-Louis Prat in 1997.  

Lot 17. Willem de Kooning (1904-1997), Sans titre (Figure of a Woman), signé'de Kooning' (en bas à droite), huile et fusain sur vélin, 120 x 91 cm. (47 1/8 x 35 7/8 in.). Réalisé vers 1967. Estimate €300,000 – €500,000 ($334,884 - $558,140). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Exemplary works by François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne welcomed visitors from the moment they arrived at the entrance of Zeineb Marcie-Rivière’s apartment, where a beautiful blue stone rhinoceros of 80 cm, which is thought to be unique, stood (estimate: €120,000-180,000). In the living room were a delightful couple of Colombes de Zayneb, dating from 1999, in plaster and golden bronze (estimate: €20,000-30,000). In the dining room, hung the elegant branches of a splendid chandelier, realised in 1996 by Claude Lalanne (Structure végétale) (estimate: €250,000-350,000). Comprising 24 lamps, this poetic masterpiece is offered alongside a set of four wall lamps by Lalanne which date to the same year, each comprising three lamps and all monogrammed CL (estimate:€100,000-150,000).  

Lot 85. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008), 'Rhinocéros de marbre', pièce unique, le modèle créé en 1990, celui-ci réalisé entre 2001 et 2004. En pierre bleue du Hainault (petit éclat). Hauteur : 35,5 cm. (14 in.) ; Longueur : 80 cm. (31 ½ in.) ; Largeur : 20 cm. (7 7/8 in.). Estimate €120,000 – €180,000 ($133,953 - $200,930). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Lot 174. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008), 'Colombes de Zeineb', pièce unique, 1999. En résine et bronze patiné ; les têtes orientables. Chacune : Hauteur : 18,5 cm. (7 ¼ in.) ; Longueur : 22 cm. (8 5/8 in.) ; Largeur : 8,5 cm. (3 3/8 in.). Chacune monogrammée FxL et datée 1999 au revers de la queue. Estimate €20,000 – €30,000 ($22,326 - $33,488). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Lot 175. Claude Lalanne (Née en 1925), Lustre 'Structure végétale', pièce unique, 1996. À vingt-quatre lumières, en bronze doré et cuivre galvanique. Hauteur : 150 cm. (59 in.) ; Diamètre : 135 cm. (53 1/8 in.). Monogrammé CL, signé LALANNE, numéroté 1/1 et daté 1996 sur une branche. Estimate €250,000 – €350,000 ($279,070 - $390,698). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Lot 176. Claude Lalanne (Née en 1925), Suite de quatre appliques, le modèle créé en 1992, celles ci réalisées en 1996. À trois lumières, en bronze doré et cuivre galvanique. Chacune : Hauteur : 60 cm. (23 5/8 in.) ; Largeur : 35 cm. (13 ¾ in.). Chacune monogrammée CL, signée LALANNE et numérotée respectivement 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 et 4/4 ; les deux premières datées 96 à la partie inférieure d'une branche. Estimate €100,000 – €150,000 ($111,628 - $167,442). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Antiquities 
A beautiful section of Antiquities featuring objects from the Middle-East, Egypt, Greece and Rome include monumental pieces, marble fragments, divinities and pharaohs’ heads, all carefully chosen by Zeineb and André Lévy Despas. A magnificent Dancing Faun, dated from the first two centuries A.D and positioned majestically in the entrance, is a leading highlight (estimate: €200,000300,000). Acquired in 1975 at the Galerie Simone de Monbrison by Zeineb, this faun belonged to the Duke of Westminster, Robert Grovesnor, having been discovered in 1777 in Rome. It came as a complete statue, as one can see in a painting by Charles Robert Leslie (17941859) executed in 1831, which presents Robert Grovesnor surrounded by 11 of his family members. Now free of all appendix added during the 18th century in Rome in order to be sold to British connoisseurs, the torso is today recognisable only by the tail located in his back. No other Roman version of this statue is known to exist.  

Lot 73.  Torse de faune dansant en marbre, Art Romain, circa 1er siècle avant J.C. Hauteur: 84 cm. Estimate €200,000 – €300,000 ($223,256 - $334,884). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Charles Robert Leslie (1794-1859) - The Grosvenor Family - huile sur toile / Collection Privée / ©Bridgeman Images

Esteemed Egyptian pieces include a superb Pharaoh’s head representing Hatshepsut or Thutmose III in granite, dating from the 18th dynasty (circa 15501292 before J.-C) estimated €200,000-300,000. A rare goose made of bronze and stucco wood from the late period of ancient Egypt is estimated between €50,000 and 70,000.  

Lot 79. Tête de pharaon en granit, Art Égyptien, Nouvel Empire, Fin de la première moitié de la XVIIIème dynastie, circa 1427-1400 avant J.-C. Hauteur: 14,5 cm. Estimate €200,000 – €300,000 ($223,256 - $334,884). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Lot 78. Oie en bois et bronze, Art Égyptien, Basse Epoque-Epoque ptolémaïque, circa 664-30 avant J.-C. Hauteur: 14,5 cm. Estimate €50,000 – €70,000 ($55,814 - $78,140). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Furniture 
The Marcie-Rivière Collection also offers an important array of classical furniture. The atmosphere of this very Parisian interior is punctuated by some neoclassical pieces from Russia and Austria, such as a Viennese commode from the mid-19th century (estimate: €3,000-5,000) and an elegant armchair from the same period from Russia (estimate: €2,000-3,000). A further highlight is the beautiful pair of Louis XVI marquises stamped by Georges Jacob (estimate: €50,000-70,000).  

Lot 94. Paire de marquises à la reine d’époque Louis XVI , Estampille de Georges Jacob, dernier quart du XVIIIème siècle. Hauteur: 93 cm. (36 ¾ in.) ; Largeur: 83 cm. (32 ¾ in.). Estimate €50,000 – €70,000 ($55,814 - $78,140). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

En bois mouluré, sculpté et doré, le dossier et la ceinture à décor de bouquets de feuillages retenus, les accotoirs reposant sur des consoles décorées de perles et terminées par des enroulements d'acanthe, les pieds cannelés, fuselés et rudentés et ornés de muguet, chaque siège estampillé sous la traverse arrière G.IACOB, chaque fauteuil avec une étiquette en papier inscrite Pour le Salon de / Monsieur Perrier, garniture de soierie polychrome à motif de trophées, carquois et guirlandes de fleurs
Hauteur: 93 cm. (36 ¾ in.) ; Largeur: 83 cm. (32 ¾ in.)
Georges Jacob, reçu maître en 1765

The marquises stood in the main living room where the most important Nabis paintings, recently donated to the Musée d’Orsay, were hung, alongside a Louis XVI commode stamped by Poix which dates from the 1780’s, coming from the Château de Mentmore, formerly the property of the Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild (estimate: €50,000-80,000). Standing on this mahogany commode was a charming pair of Regency porcelain vases in bronze, gilded and adorned with birds and foliage (estimate: €12,000-18,000). In the second living room, enlightened by a sumptuous white porcelain chandelier from Berlin (estimate: €60,00080,000), was a two seated sofa drawn by Renzo Mongiardino (estimate: €4,000-6,000).

Lot 95. Ex-collection Baron Mayer Amshel de Rothschild. Commode d'époque Louis XVI, Estampille de Poix, vers 1795. Estimate €50,000 – €80,000 ($55,814 - $89,302). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

En acajou et placage d'acajou moucheté, ornementation de bronze ciselé et doré en partie associée, le dessus de marbre blanc veiné gris en partie ceint d'une galerie ajourée doublée de festons et de draperies, les montants à colonnes engagées cannelées en marbre blanc, la façade à décor d'une frise à motif de thyrses de Bacchus, de sarments de vigne et de palmiers stylisés, ouvrant à trois tiroirs dont deux sans traverse, les pieds fuselés, estampillée deux fois POIX en haut du montant arrière-gauche et sur le montant droit du tiroir supérieur, avec une étiquette en papier portant le numéro manuscrit '54' au dos, les colonnes de marbre marquées MERCIER / Ainé, les poignées marquées BY ; le côté gauche légèrement insolé, petites fentes au plateau. 
Hauteur: 92 cm. (36 ¼ in.) ; Largeur: 130 cm. (51 ¼ in.) ; Profondeur: 64 cm. (25 ¼ in.)
Poix, fabricant et marchand de meubles établi et répertorié en 1797.

Anklet, Vietnam (North, Highlands), Bronze and Iron Age period, Dongson culture, 500 B.C.–A.D. 300. Bronze. H. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm); W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm). Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998, (2001.433.381). The Metropolitan Museum of Art © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Large Situla, Vietnam, Bronze and Iron Age period, Dongson culture, 500 B.C.–A.D. 300. Bronze. H. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm); Diam. of rim: 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm); Diam. of base: 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm). Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998, (2001.433.372). The Metropolitan Museum of Art © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.