Lot 13. Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), Crocifissione, signé et daté‘l. fontana 57’ (en bas à droite), céramique émaillée, 42.5 x 36 x 10 cm. (16 ¾ x 14 1/8 x 4 in.). Réalisé en 1957. Estimate €80,000 – €120,000 ($90,823 - $136,234). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Provenance: Collection privée (acquis directement auprès de l'artiste)
Vente anonyme, Sotheby’s Milan, 21 novembre 2006, lot 276
Galerie Karsten Grève, Paris
Acquis auprès de celle-ci en 2007

Notes: Cette oeuvre est enregistrée dans les archives de la Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milan, sous le No. 1900/156.

"Je suis sculpteur et non pas céramiste. Je n’ai jamais utilisé de tour de potier, ni peint de vase […] Mes formes plastiques, des premiers essais aux derniers modèles, ne sont pas dissociées de la couleur. Couleur et forme sont indissolubles, tous deux nés d’une nécessité identique. Le polychrome s’inscrit dans le temps et à l’apogée d’illustres cultures : égyptienne, grecque, étrusque, assyrienne, depuis l’art pariétal jusqu’aux sculptures de la Renaissance." 

“I am a sculptor and not a ceramist. I have never turned a potter’s wheel nor have I painted a vase […] My sculptural form from the first to the last models in never dissociated from the color […] Colour and form are indissoluble, conceived from an identical necessity. The polychrome had its time with illustrious precedents: Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Assyrian, from the cave drawings to Renaissance sculpture”. 

Lucio Fontana.

Christie's. ZEINEB ET JEAN-PIERRE MARCIE-RIVIÈRE : GRANDS COLLECTIONNEURS ET MÉCÈNES, 8 - 9 June 2016, Paris

Lot 194b. A brown-glazed bulb bowl on three feet, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century. Estimate: 2,500 EUR - 3,000 EUR. Photo Kunsthaus Lempertz

A brown-glazed bulb bowl on three feet, decorated in slip to the exterior with the "Three Friends of Winter" (suihan sanyou) bamboo, prunus and pine. Apocryphal Chenghua six-character mark. 16th/17th century. Diameter 16.7 cm

Provenance: Private collection, Southern Germany
Dr Karl Scheid collection
Ludwig Bock collection, sold at Lempertz, Cologne, 10.3.1972, lot 304
Lempertz, Cologne, 7.12.2013, lot 459
Private collection, Rhineland

Lot 80. Chat en bronze, Art Égyptien, Basse Époque-Époque Ptolémaïque, circa 664-30 avant J.-C. Estimation €80,000 – €120,000 ($90,823 - $136,234). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Assis, la queue enroulée autour du côté droit, les oreilles dressées, le regard droit, les yeux autrefois incrustés. Hauteur: 33,5 cm.

Provenance: Collection André et Zeineb Levy-Despas; puis par descendance. 

AN EGYPTIAN BRONZE SEATED CAT, LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 664-30 B.C.

Notes: Les chats ont été des animaux privilégiés dans l'Egypte ancienne dès le Moyen Empire, et devinrent des compagnons domestiques. Comme on le voit sur les peintures et les reliefs des tombes du Nouvel Empire, ils sont parfois assis sous la chaise de leur maître ou sur des embarcations au bord des marais, servant vraisemblablement à chasser oiseaux pour leurs maîtres. Le chat est l'animal sacré de la déesse Bastet, dont le centre principal de culte était à Bubastis dans le Delta oriental. Des chats momifiés lui étaient consacrés et enterrés dans l’enceinte de ses temples, souvent enfermés dans des conteneurs en bois ou en bronze. Les exemples de bronze varient en taille et en qualité, mais ne reflètent que rarement la majesté et la dignité de l'espèce, comme le présent exemple.

Christie's. ZEINEB ET JEAN-PIERRE MARCIE-RIVIÈRE : GRANDS COLLECTIONNEURS ET MÉCÈNES, 8 - 9 June 2016, Paris

Lot 107. A silver bow, Late Tang dynasty. Estimate: 4,000 EUR - 4,500 EUR. Photo Kunsthaus Lempertz

A silver bowl chased and engraved with birds alternating with fabulous beasts amidst scrolling vines bearing grapes and leaves on a minutely ring-punched ground, at the base a stylised flower on a ring-punched ground in a double circle. Weight 104 g. Late Tang dynasty. Height 6 cm; diameter 13 cm

Provenance: Professor Dr Margrit Lisner collection, Freiburg, acquired in 1984 from Anne Roselt, Cologne

Literature: Compare a similar bowl formerly in the Ostasiatischen Kunstsammlung in Berlin, published in: Ausstellung chinesischer Kunst, Berlin 1929, cat. no. 435 and A. Graf Strachwitz, Chinesisches T'ang-Silber und ost-westliche Kulturbeziehungen, in: Ostasiatische Zeitschrift, N.F., Vol. 15/16, no. 1/2 (1939/1940), plate 4, fig. 2. Also compare a similar bowl published. in: Bo Gyllensvärd, T'ang Gold and Silver, in: Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antquities, no. 29 (1957), plate 24 c. Another bowl of this type is said to be in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Lot 72. Tête de Vénus en marbre, Art Romain, circa Ier-IIème siècle après J.C. Estimation €80,000 – €120,000 ($90,823 - $136,234). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

La tête tournée vers la droite, les yeux aux paupières épaisses, le nez droit, la bouche entre-ouverte, son regard porté vers la droite, les cheveux ondulés, chaque mèche finement sculptées, séparés par une raie médiane et retenus par un diadème, tirés vers l'arrière et attachés en un chignon à présent manquant. Hauteur : 23,3 cm

Provenance: Collection André et Zeineb Levy-Despas, acquis avant Septembre 1986; puis par descendance.

A ROMAN MARBLE HEAD OF VENUS, CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

Christie's. ZEINEB ET JEAN-PIERRE MARCIE-RIVIÈRE : GRANDS COLLECTIONNEURS ET MÉCÈNES, 8 - 9 June 2016, Paris

Lot 404. A large marble head of Buddha Shakyamuni, Ming period or later. Estimate: 4,000 EUR - 5,000 EUR. Photo Kunsthaus Lempertz

The oval face with full cheeks, heavy eyelids, flat nose and a full-lipped mouth, large haircurls cover the head and ushnisha. Mounted ona perspex base. Height 38 cm

Provenance: Private collection Frankfurt, acquired from Georg L. Hartl, Munich, 13.10.1997

Lot 15. Cy Twombly, (1928-2011), Untitled, signé, daté et situé'Cy Twombly Roma July 70' (au dos), huile, mine de plomb et crayon gras sur papier, 70 x 87.5 cm. (27 ½ x 34 ½ in.). Réaliséà Rome en juillet 1970. Estimation €80,000 – €120,000 ($90,823 - $136,234). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Provenance: Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Leo Castelli Gallery, New York
Anina Nosei-Weber, New York
Collection privée
Vente anonyme, Sotheby’s Londres, 30 juin 1994, lot 249
Marco Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles
C & M Arts Gallery, New York
Acquis auprès de celle-ci en 1997 

Literature: N. Del Roscio, Cy Twombly Drawings, catalogue raisonné, 1970-1971, Vol. 5, Munich, 2015, No. 122 (illustré en couleurs p. 107).

Exhibited: Dallas, The University Gallery, Meadows School of Arts, Southern Methodist University, Cy Twombly. Paintings and Drawings, janvier-février 1980, No. 20 (illustré au catalogue d'exposition).
Los Angeles, Marco Leavin Gallery, 25 years: an exhibition of selected works, septembre-octobre 1995.

'UNTITLED'; SIGNED, DATED AND LOCATED ON THE REVERSE; OIL, GRAPHITE AND OILSTICK ON PAPER.

Notes: D’une écriture à la fois nerveuse, ferme et bouillonnante, le dessin Sans titre (1970) semble allier la rapidité et l’assurance d’exécution. Twombly disperse sur la feuille des pictogrammes, des chiffres et des lettres : tels les prémices d’une écriture prenant naissance dans ce vaste répertoire de signes, à la limite de l’indéchiffrable. Le présent dessin a été réalisé seulement un an après le fameux cycle de Bolcena, caractérisé par la combinaison d’écriture fragmentée, de grilles et d’éléments géométriques, et en emprunte ce sentiment du calcul poétique de l'espace. En même temps, Twombly semble dépasser ici cette esthétique rationnelle pour revenir à une expression plus libre, anticipant l’atmosphère aérienne des all-over de Nini’s Paintings de 1971. Les transparences bleutées du pastel se juxtaposent à une surface saturée de graffitis et de chiffres, donnant ainsi une intense profondeur à l’œuvre. On pourrait y voir l’harmonie mélancolique d'un paysage de bord de mer, cher à Twombly, qui s'intéressait toujours à l'eau en tant que lieu où se fixent la trace du geste, la poésie du temps qui passe.

Cy Twombly, (1928-2011), Nini’s Painting, 1971. Kunstmuseum Basel. © CY TWOMBLY FOUNDATION / PHOTO MARTIN P. BÜHLER.

En parfait exégète de l’œuvre de Twombly, Roland Barthes s’interrogeait : «Comment nommer ce qu'il fait ? Des mots surgissent spontanément ("dessin", "graphisme", "griffonnage", "gauche", "enfantin"). Et tout de suite une gêne de langage survient : ces mots, en même temps (ce qui est bien étrange), ne sont ni faux ni satisfaisants : car d'une part, l'œuvre de TW coïncide bien avec son apparence, et il faut oser dire qu'elle est plate ; mais d'autre part — c'est là l'énigme — cette apparence ne coïncide pas bien avec le langage que tant de simplicité et d'innocence devraient susciter en nous qui la regardons… » (‘Non multa sed multum’, in Cy Twombly. Catalogue raisonné des œuvres sur papier,vol. VI, Milan, 1979). 

Tout en se situant dans la veine de l’expressionnisme américain, Cy Twombly aborde cette question d’une manière radicalement renouvelée, originale, pour ne pas dire opposée. Par son affinité avec la culture européenne, il privilégie, contrairement à d'autres artistes américains de sa génération, une continuité entre passé et présent. Ainsi, à partir de 1957, séduit par la poésie et l’histoire des paysages romains, Cy Twombly s’installe à Rome, où a été créé entre autres le présent dessin. A la recherche d’un temps perdu, son œuvre, d’une élégance extrême, convoque le Parnasse et les poètes épris d’esthétique, tout en gardant un œil sur l'évolution de l'art de son époque. Par son langage visuel épuré, le travail de Twombly peut être lié au mouvement minimaliste qui se propage dans les années 1960, tandis que l’utilisation de chiffres et de séquences de nombres témoigne de son intérêt pour l’art conceptuel. En ce sens, Sans titre (1970) fournit une preuve impressionnante de la façon dont Twombly a trouvé sa propre manière de réagir aux bouleversements de l'art occidental et de procéder à leur analyse critique à travers son œuvre. 

Cy Twombly à Rome, 1961. © LEEMAGE / LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS / CY TWOMBLY FOUNDATION.

In an array of inscriptions that are simultaneously energetic, firm and effervescent, the drawing Untitled (1970) seems to combine rapidity and a sure execution. Twombly scatters pictograms, numbers and letters over the paper, like the beginnings of writing starting to form in this vast repertory of almost indecipherable signs. This drawing came only a year after the famous Bolcena cycle, characterised by its combination of fragmented writing, grids and geometric elements, and has the same feeling of the poetic calculation of space. At the same time, Twombly seems to move beyond rational aesthetics, returning to a freer expression that anticipates the airy atmosphere of the all-overs in the 1971Nini’s Paintings. The bluish transparencies of the pastel are juxtaposed with a surface saturated with graffiti and numbers, giving intense depth to the work. We might see in it the melancholic harmony of the seaside landscapes beloved by Twombly, who was always interested in water as a place to contain traces of gestures and the poetry of passing time. 

As a skilled exegete of Twombly's work, Roland Barthes wondered: "What can we call what he does? Words come spontaneously to mind (‘drawing’, ‘graphics’, ‘scribbling’, ‘gauche’, ‘childlike’) – and then a problem of language arises: these words are simultaneously (which is very strange) neither false nor satisfying. Because on the one hand, the work of TW tallies well with its appearance, and we can say that it is flat; but on the other hand – and therein lies the mystery – this appearance does not tally with the language that so much simplicity and innocence should arouse in us when we look at it…" (‘Non multa sed multum’, in Cy Twombly. Catalogue raisonné des œuvres sur papier, vol. VI,Milan, 1979). 

Christie's. ZEINEB ET JEAN-PIERRE MARCIE-RIVIÈRE : GRANDS COLLECTIONNEURS ET MÉCÈNES, 8 - 9 June 2016, Paris

Lot 88. A sandstone figure of a standing Buddha, Northern Qi dynasty (550–577). Estimate: 30,000 EUR - 40,000 EUR. Photo Kunsthaus Lempertz

A sandstone figure of a standing Buddha, the garment falling in elegant pleats. Traces of red colours at the the arms and inside the pleats. Northern Qi dynasty. Mounted on a black metal stand. Height 59 cm

Provenance: Private collection, France, acquired in Hong Kong in the 1980s
Acquired by the present owner in London in 2010

Kunsthaus Lempertz. Asian Art. Jun 10, 2016 10:00 CEST - Jun 11, 2016 10:00 CEST

Lot 672. A Longquan celadon 'lingzhi'-handled mallet vase, 14th century. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 HKD. Lot sold 162,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of mallet-form flanked by lingzhi-shaped handles joined by a raised rib, applied overall with an even sage-green glaze, saved for the knife-pared foot left unglazed and burnt orange in the firing; 17.5 cm, 6 7/8 in.

Notes: Vases of this elegant mallet shape are seldom found with ruyi-shaped handles and raised ribs, although a similar vase was sold in these rooms, 14th May 1983, lot 452; and another was sold in our London rooms, 9th June 1987, lot 182. 

Mallet vases of this type are more commonly known with fish dragon or phoenix handles, such as a group recovered from a ship wrecked off the Korean coast of Sinan in or shortly after 1323 AD, and included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul 1977, cat. nos. 4-7. 

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

Lot 673. A Longquan celadon tripod incense burner, Song-Ming dynasty. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 HKD. Lot sold 375,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

well potted, of globular form surmounted by an everted rim, applied overall with a sage-green glaze suffused with a matrix of fine crackles, the bottom of the feet left unglazed revealing a fine greyish ware; width 13 cm, 5 1/8 in. 

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

Lot 9. A Greek Marble Head of a Goddess, circa mid-2nd Century B.C. Estimate 600,000 — 900,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

from a monumental figure, turned to her left, her oval face with strong chin, full parted lips, straight nose, and deep-set eyes beneath the broad brow, her wavy hair parted in the center, swept back and up in thick tresses from the temples and ears, and surmounted by a fragmentary fillet; no restorations. Total height 38 cm. 15 in.; height of face 22 cm. 8 5/8 in.

Provenance: Henri Philippe Pharaon (alt. sp. Pharaoun), Beirut (1901-1993), acquired prior to 1972
Sleiman Aboutaam, Beirut, acquired from the above
Phoenix Ancient Art, Geneva
acquired from the above by the present owner in 2006

Literature: Evamaria Schmidt, "Ein weiblicher Kopf in Beyrouth," in Festschrift Luitpold Dussler, Munich, 1972, pp. 31ff., figs. 1ff.
Mary-Anne Zagdoun, "Bulletin archéologique. La sculpture, la ronde-bosse hellénistique (1960-1987)," Revue des études grecques, vol. 104, 1991, p. 156, no. 117
Sotheby’s, New York, December 7th, 2001, no. 67, illus.

Note: This impressive head is an original sculpture of the Hellenistic period. An apt comparison is the head of the so-called Juno Cesi, an over-lifesize female draped statue in Rome (B. Andreae, Skulptur des Hellenismus, 2001, p. 174f., pl. 164f.), which is similar with regard to the turn of the head, the rendering of the hair, and the facial features. This statue is related to the "Baroque" style of Pergamon and dated in the mid 2nd Century B.C. Given the similarities to the Juno Cesi, it is likely that the present head belonged to a draped statue and represented a matronly goddess such as Hera or Demeter.

Lot 8. A Greek Marble Head of a Youth, Attic, circa 340-330 B.C. Estimate 600,000 — 900,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

turned slightly to his right, his expressive face with full parted lips and deep-set eyes beneath the prominent brow, the thick mass of curly hair freely worked; no restorations. Height 26 cm. 10 1/4 in.

Provenance: European private collection, 1960s (based on custom-made Belgian black marble base and aging painted restoration on lower lip as seen in 1983 auction catalogue profile photograph)
Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, Auktion 63, Kunstwerke der Antike, June 29, 1983, no. 93, illus., consigned by "J.G.," acquired by "Zimmermann", as per auctioneer's catalogue)
Robin Symes, Ltd., London
acquired from the above in 1986

Literature: Giorgos Despinis, "Note su alcuni naiskoi funerari da Merenda," in Gabrielli Capecchi, ed., In Memoria Enrico Paribeni, vol. 1, Rome, 1998, p. 146, pl. 35, 3-4 (1983 Basel auction catalogue photographs).

Note: The present head was originally part of an attic funerary monument of the late 4th Century B.C.; cf. the head of the youth from the so-called Ilissos-stele: C. Clairmont, Classical Attic Tombstones, vol. 2, 1993, pp. 821ff., no. 2.950. Particularly close in style appears to be a bearded head from an attic funerary monument in the Winnipeg Art Gallery: L. Stirling, Antike Kunst, vol. 44, 2001, pp. 13ff., pl. 7f.

Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, Auktion 63, Kunstwerke der Antike, June 29, 1983, no. 93.

Sotheby's. Ancient Marbles: Classical Sculpture and Works of Art, London, 13 Jun 2016, 02:00 PM

Lot 56. A Marble Head of a Woman, Queen, or Goddess, Egypt, Late Hellenistic, circa 1st Century B.C. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

from a monumental figure, turned to her right, with long neck, idealized oval face with bow-shaped lips, and slightly upturned nose merging into finely arched brows, her wavy hair parted in the center and surmounted by a diadem, the back carved flat, with two dowel holes, and a channel for a marble clamp at neck-level; no restorations. Total height 48.3 cm. 19 in.; height of face 19 cm. 7 1/2 in.

Provenance: Laura Williamina Hohenlohe-Langenburg-Gleichen, Countess von Gleichen, born Seymour (1833-1912), England, acquired in Egypt
American private collection, after 1912
Jonas Senter (1917-2001), New York, acquired at auction in the 1970s
the Estate of Jonas Senter (Sotheby’s, New York, December 9th, 2003, no. 11, illus.)
acquired by the present owner at the above sale

Literature: André Boulanger, "Tête féminine provenant d’Égypte," Revue archéologique, vol. 19, 1912, pp. 110ff., figs. 1-3 (photos sent to the author by Salomon Reinach)
Georg Lippold, ed., Photographische Einzelaufnahmen antiker Skulpturen, nos. 5047–5048, illus.

Note: The flat back suggests that the head was carved for insertion into a veiled statue, as exemplified in an over-lifesize honorific statue from Magnesia ad Maeandrum (D. Pinkwart, Antike Plastik, vol. 12, 1973, p. 149f., no. 1, pls. 49ff.); the face and neck were carved separately and inserted into a statue with the mantle draped as a veil over the head. The present head also shows stylistic similarities to the head of this statue (dedicated circa 62 B.C.), and may therefore be dated in the same period. It could have been a highly idealized portrait; cf. a head of similar size and technique from Kalydon, interpreted as the head of a honorific statue: P. Bol, Antike Plastik, vol. 19, 1988, p. 42, pl. 33.

Pre-1912 photograph of the present lot.

Head of the Statue from Magnesia (Pinkwart, op. cit., fig. 1) © DAI Istanbul (W. Schiele 1968).

Sotheby's. Ancient Marbles: Classical Sculpture and Works of Art, London, 13 Jun 2016, 02:00 PM

Lot 86. An Attic Red-figured Kalpis, attributed to the Niobid Painter, circa 460 B.C. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

painted with a domestic musical contest between three women, one raised on a two-stepped podium (bema) in the center, seated on a klismos, her head turned to her right, playing the barbiton, and wearing a chiton and himation raised as a veil over the back of her head, a lyra hanging above her, another woman standing to left and unrolling a scroll removed from the open box before her, and wearing a girdled peplos and head scarf identifying her as unmarried, and a third woman, probably the next competitor, standing to right, wearing an ungirdled peplos and her hair loose, holding a lyra in her right hand and cradled in her left arm a box perhaps containing the score or text of her song, a door, pillar, and beam in the handle zone at left indicating the venue as the courtyard of an Athenian house, a bag for dice or toys (phormiskos) hanging behind. Height 28.8 cm. 11 3/8 in.; width across handles 28.6 cm. 11 1/4 in.

Provenance: Herbert Cahn, Münzen u. Medaillen, Basel, acquired in 1975 or earlier
the Greek shipping magnate and art collector George Embiricos (1920-2011), Lausanne, acquired from the above (Christie's, London, A Private collection of important Greek Vases, April 28th, 1993, no. 23, illus.)
acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Literature: DOCUMENTED
three prints by Dieter Widmer, once photographer to Herbert Cahn, Basel, each marked 1975 on the reverse

PUBLISHED
Claude Bérard, et al., La Cité des images. Religion et Société en Grèce Antique, Lausanne, 1984, p. 86, fig. 124
Claude Bérard et al., Die Bilderwelt der Griechen, Schlüssel zu einer "fremden" Kultur, Mainz, 1985, p. 129, fig. 124
Claude Bérard et al., A City of Images, Princeton, 1989, p. 174, fig. 124
Mathias Prange, Der Niobidenmaler und seine Werkstatt. Untersuchungen zu einer Vasenwerkstatt fruhklassischer Zeit, Frankfurt, 1989, p. 201, no. N101, pl. 8
Edith Specht, Schön zu sein und gut zu sein. Mädchenbildung und Frauensozialisation im antiken Griechenland, Frauenforschung 9, Vienna, 1989, p. 123, fig. 17
Imago Musicae, International Yearbook of Musical Iconography, vol. 8, 1991, p. 77, fig. 5, pl. 8.101
Bulletin of the Walters Art Gallery, vols. 52/53, 1994/95, p. 115, figs. 3f.
Ellen D. Reeder, et al., Pandora, Women in Classical Greece, Baltimore, 1995, p. 209f., no. 45
John H. Oakley, et al., Athenian Potters and Painters, The Conference Proceedings, Oxford, 1997, p. 291, fig. 9
A. Vazaki, Mousike Gyne: die musisch-literarische Erziehung und Bildung von Frauen im Athen der klassischen Zeit, Möhnesee, 2003, p. 243, fig. 29, no. 67 D
Stefan Schmidt, Rhetorische Bilder auf attischen Vasen. Visuelle Kommunikation im 5. Jahrhundert v. Chr., Berlin, 2005, p. 259, fig. 12 pp. 63ff., 137, fig. 9
Sheramy D. Bundrick, Music and Image in Classical Athens, Cambridge, 2005, p. 93, fig. 57
Mouseion, vol. 49, 2005, p. 93, fig. 57
Dimitrios Yatromanolakis, Sappho in the Making. The Early Reception, Cambridge and London, 2007, p. 145, fig. 20
Ulrike Theisen, Parthenos, Nymphe, Gyne. Weibliche Trachtikonographie als Bedeutungstrager im 5. Jahrhundert v. Chr. in Griechenland, Göttingen, 2009, pp. 63ff., 137, fig. 9
Beazley Archive Pottery Database, no. 11020

Note: Euripides notes the musical talent of women in the Athenian elite of the 5th Century B.C.: " We too possess a Muse, who consorts with us to bring us wisdom: not with all of us, for it is some small clan, one woman among many, that you will find with a share in the Muse" (Medea, v. 1085‒89). The iconography of the present vase also evokes the circle of the poetess Sappho, who flourished about 200 years earlier and whose songs were known in Athens in the 5th Century B.C. She was named the Tenth Muse by Plato.

The barbiton played by the seated woman was an instrument used to accompany sung erotic poetry. Ancient Greek literary sources  – written by men – remain silent concerning the education of Athenian women, making the present vase and other related ones all the more important as visual sources pointing to the musical talents of elite Athenian women, who may have been taught music by theirs mothers or by female teachers. There is no other Attic vase showing a female musician on abema.

Sotheby's. Ancient Marbles: Classical Sculpture and Works of Art, London, 13 Jun 2016, 02:00 PM

Lot 84. An Attic Black-figured Neck Amphora, attributed to the Circle of the Leagros Group, circa 500 B.C. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

with triple handles, painted on one side with Apollo Kitharodos between two women or muses, one holding a flower to her nose, and on the other with a warrior facing left in full armor and flanked by two archers, his shield emblazoned with an panther head, rays above the foot beneath a frieze of linked lotus buds, tongues on the shoulder, linked palmettes on each side of the neck, a sigma-shaped graffito under the foot. Height 36.7 cm. 14 1/2 in.

Provenance: Léo and Eugenie Errera (1858-1905 and 1866-1934, respectively)
by descent to their children and heirs: Alfred Errera, Marchessa Louise Massoni, née Errera, and Ida Stadler, née Errera, 1934
Anne Glorie, née Stadler, Brussels, received in 1963 upon division of the collection
by descent to the present owner

Exhibited: Musées royaux d’art et d’histoire, Brussels, 1935-1963, together with 131 Greek vases, mostly South Italian

Literature: DOCUMENTED
Typewritten letter dated April 10th, 1964, signed by all three heirs to Léo and Eugénie Errera, agreeing to offer three vases for sale to the Museum (not including the present one) and to leave the others on loan
Typewritten Museum receipt dated March 20th, 1963, attesting to the release of 43 vases to the heirs of Eugénie Errera (35 of the vases are referred to based on their photographic inventory numbers); the receipt is accompanied by a summary list of 35 "vases grecques et italiques appartenant à Madame Glorie", each with its photographic inventory number and dimensions, as well as of a handful of minor items, presumably the ones referred to as not photographed in the receipt. Based on the dimensions the present item is likely to be no. 86 on this list, subject to visual confirmation in the photographic archives of the Musées royaux d’art et d’histoire in Brussels.

Note: On the history of the Errera Collection of Greek vases in relation to the Musées royaux d’art et d’histoire in Brussels see N. Massar and I. Rosatti, Bulletin des Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, vol. 84, 2013, pp. 57ff. Anne Stadler gave the patera to the Museum in 2014.

Lot 87. An Apulian Red-figured Pelike, attributed to the Iliupersis Painter, circa 375-350 B.C. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

painted in front with a youth offering a fillet to a seated woman playing the harp, a hydria at her feet, the couple flanked by a woman holding a patera and another a palm branch, the register above with Eros offering a duck to a seated woman holding a fan and wreath, and on the reverse with a woman holding a fillet and crowning a seated youth holding a patera and two spears, a woman observing the scene, Eros flying and juggling above, finely painted elaborate linked palmettes in each handle zone. Height 41.9 cm. 16 1/2 in.

Provenance: European private collection, early 20th Century or earlier (based on patina)
Ernest Ohly (1948-2000), Berkeley Galleries, London, acquired prior to the gallery's closing in 1977

Literature: Arthur D. Trendall and Alexander Cambitoglou, First supplement to The Red-figured Vases of Apulia, London, 1983, Chapter 8, no. 22.

Lot 7. An Etruscan Gold Wreath, circa late 4th-early 3rd Century B.C. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

composed of a broad band with rounded ends, the central boss flanked on each side by four overlapping rows of laurel leaves, additional leaves above and below, each leaf bisected by three raised lines, the ends of the wreath each embossed with a large palmette. Length 34 cm. 13 3/8 in.

Provenance: Münzen und Medaillen, Basel, Kunstwerke der Antike, November 29th, 1958, no. 159, illus.
Swiss Private Collection, acquired at the above sale
by descent to the present owner

Lot 91. A Roman Gold Ring with Nicolo Intaglio, circa 3rd Century A.D. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

solid-cast, the broad angular hoop deeply carved with inverted volutes at the sides and on top of the shoulders, the oval bezel set with a beveled nicolo intaglio engraved with a sea horse swimming to left. Total length 3 cm.; inside width 1.8 cm.; inside height 1.5 cm.

Provenance: Jeremy Caudron, Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, by descent from his maternal grandfather; said to have been in the family for at least five generations

Note: For related rings cf. F. H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Finger Rings, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman, in the Departments of Antiquities, British Museum, 1968 (repr.), pl. XV, nos. 535 and 539, and J. Boardman and D. Scarisbrick, The Ralph Harari Collection of Finger Rings, 1977, nos. 37-39.

Giuseppe Penone at the picture respirare l'ombra (2000). Photo Vincent Mentzel

AMSTERDAM.- A bronze tree carrying a solid block of granite between its branches, a tree trunk with water gushing out of it, and images drawn from the artist’s own forehead are among the enigmatic works of Giuseppe Penone. This summer, the annual sculpture display in the Rijksmuseum’s gardens is dedicated to Italian artist Giuseppe Penone (Garessio, 1947). It is the first time that, in addition to a number of earlier iconic works, new work by the artist is being shown, such as 'Vene di pietra tra i rami' ('Stone veins between branches', 2015). Also a twelve meter wide screen consisting of two back-to-back mounted artworks in the Rijksmuseum’s Atrium is a world premiere: 'Spine d’acacia' ('Acacia Thorns', 2016) and Pelle di grafite-fronte (Graphite Skin, 2016), based on images drawn from the surface of Penone’s own forehead. The exhibition is on view from 10 June to 2 October 2016 in the Rijksmuseum’s gardens. Entrance is free. 

Giuseppe Penone lives and works in Turin, Italy. Although his work is internationally renowned, it has had little exposure in the Netherlands. Penone’s work - both his early performances, his sculptures, drawings and numerous writings - from the beginning of his artistic career (in 1968, as the youngest member of the Arte Povera movement), expresses a deep connection with nature and its inexorable forces. He is particularly fascinated by natural growth and processes of change, which are often obscured by people’s frenzied existence. Trees are the most important and recurring motif in his work, and also play a leading role in the Rijksmuseum exhibition. 

"A garden is alive with light, colours, stones, plants. The presence of people cuts through it, occupying it in a tentative and fleeting way, adding to the life of that place the easy motion of its existence. The most beautiful images in a garden have become those trees, stones and colours". --Giuseppe Penone (1998) 

Of the 25 works, 18 are displayed in the gardens and seven in the Rijksmuseum. The more recent works are on display outside, including the 11 metre high Albero folgorato (Lightning tree, 2012). The sculptures are from the artist himself and from a private collection. 

Albero Folgorato, Giuseppe Penone, 2012. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Albero Folgorato, Giuseppe Penone, 2012. Photo Kelly Schenk.

Funambolo (2012), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp.

Idee di pietra-1532 KG di luce (2010), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Idee di pietra-Olmo (2008), Giuseppe Penone.Particuliere collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Triplice (2011), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Gesto vegetal (1983), Giuseppe Penone. Particuliere collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Respirare l'ombra (2000), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Sentiero 6 (1986), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Tra (2008), Giuseppe Penone. Particuliere collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Le foglie delle radici (2011), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Albero folgorato (2012), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Anatomy (2011), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Vene di pietra, tra i rami (2015), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Indistini confini-Batinus (2012), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Indistini confini-Tilaventum (2012), Giuseppe Penone. Private collection. Photo Olivier Middendorp

Lot 635. A mallow-shaped Guan-type washer, Yuan–Ming dynasty. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 HKD. Lot sold 2,480,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

finely potted with slightly flaring sides divided into eight bracket foliations, resting on a countersunk base of corresponding form, covered thickly overall with a grey glaze suffused with a matrix of golden and dark grey crackles, the base with five spur marks; 12 cm, 4 3/4  in.

Provenance: Collection of Richard Bennett, Thornby Hall, Northamptonshire.
Sydney L. Moss, London.

Notes: Washers of this elegant mallow shape and covered overall with a thick glaze that features an attractive matrix of crackles continue in the tradition established by the celebrated Guan wares of the Song dynasty. Wares of this type were produced at the official (guan) kilns in the Southern Song capital of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, such as at Laohudong, which yielded the finest wares. See a fragment of an eight-lobed Guan brushwasher, unearthed at Laohudong, illustrated in Du Zhengxian (ed.), Hangzhou Laohudong yaozhi ciqi jingxuan, Beijing, 2002, p. 155.

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