Lot 297. A 'Dehua' figure of Guanyin and child, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate 1,000 — 2,000 USD.Photo: Sotheby's

the bodhisattva seated on a rockwork throne cradling a child, flanked by further attributes, a vase and book, the base with two attentive acolytes centered by a writhing dragon - Height 8 3/8  in., 21.3 cm.

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 298. A 'Dehua' figure of a seated Buddha, Qing dynasty, 19th century. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD.Photo: Sotheby's

depicted seated in dhyanasana on a foliate-incised double-lotus base, wearing a draped robe falling loosely over a belted dhoti, the hair in tight, pointed whorls over the domed ushnisha, the face with a serene, meditatve expression and downcast gaze, covered overall in a milky white glaze - Height 13 1/2  in., 34.3 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Provenance: John Sparks, London.
Collection of P.J. Donnelly (d. 1978).

Note: Compare a similar figure without a base in the Percival David Foundation, London, and illustrated in P.J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine, London, 1969, pl. 78B.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 254. A diamond bangle bracelet, by Jean Schlumberger. Estimate: $30,000–50,000. Price Realised  USD 161,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Set at the top with variously-sized circular-cut diamonds, extending five en tremblant circular-cut diamond flower blossoms, to the platinum and circular-cut diamond hinged bangle bracelet, circa 1940, 2 1/4 ins. diameter, in a Schlumberger black suede fitted case. Signed Schlumberger for Jean Schlumberger

Note: This exceptional bangle is a rare and early example of Jean Schlumberger jewelry. It is a unique jewel, most likely dating to the years between Schlumberger’s early work as a fashion jewelry designer for Elsa Schiaparelli and his established career as a Senior Vice President of Tiffany & Co., where he created one-of-a-kind jewels for the fashionable elite in Europe and the United States.  While the all-white diamond and platinum palette sets this bracelet apart from the colorful jewelry he typically designed, his use of movement and organic asymmetry captures both his unique perception and love for nature, making this bracelet an unmistakable Schlumberger creation.

Christie's. Magnificent Jewels & the Jubilee Ruby, 20 April 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

Lot 243. A diamond flower necklace, by Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate: $40,000–60,000. Price Realised  USD 143,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

The three graduated detachable clip brooches, designed as circular and baguette-cut diamond flowers, extended from a circular-cut diamond line necklace, 14 3/4 ins. (necklace), 2 ins. (largest brooch), mounted in platinum - Each clip brooch signed Van Cleef & Arpels, N.Y. nos. 8175, 6352 and 6352A; necklace signed V.C.&A., N.Y., no. 9431

Christie's. Magnificent Jewels & the Jubilee Ruby, 20 April 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

Lot 214. A diamond brooch, by Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate: $20,000–30,000. Price Realised  USD 93,750. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Designed as a stylized flower head, the dome-shaped pistil set with circular-cut diamonds, the flexibly mounted petals with baguette and circular-cut diamond terminals, circa 1950, 2 3/4 ins., mounted in platinum - Signed Van Cleef & Arpels, no. 18310

Previously sold at Christie's New York, 20 October 1978, Lot 78

Christie's. Magnificent Jewels & the Jubilee Ruby, 20 April 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

Abel Grimmer, (ca. 1570 Antwerp 1620), Five Allegories of the months of February, March, April, October and December . Oil on panel. Diameter of each 25 cm. Estimate CHF 500 000 / 700 000. Photo Koller.

ZURICH.- Museum-quality artworks will come to auction during the September sales at Koller Zurich. A rare Renaissance panel depicting Venus and Cupid by Paolo Schiavo was formerly in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and later was shown in the exhibition “Art and Love in Renaissance Italy” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Two still lifes by Georg Flegel and Isaac Soreau were also part of a major exhibition, “Die Magie der Dinge” (The Magic of Things) in Basel and Frankfurt in 2008-2009, and several faïence pieces to be offered have been featured in museum exhibitions in Cologne and Düsseldorf. One of the highlights of the furniture auction is an upright piano made for Baron James de Rothschild. 

Old Master Paintings 
Rare Dutch still lifes and allegories, and an important work from the Italian Renaissance 
Suites of allegorical paintings representing the months of the year by Antwerp master Abel Grimmer (ca. 1570 – ca. 1620) are seldom seen on the market. Only three complete series of the twelve months by Grimmer are known to exist, and the set of five to be offered by Koller – comprising February, March, April, October and December – would form a nearly complete suite if combined with one recently sold on the French market (only November would be missing). Conserved in the same family for over 300 years, the five works will be offered on 23 September with a combined estimate of CHF 500 000 – 700 000 (lots 3033A – 3033E). 

Lot 3033A. Abel Grimmer, (ca. 1570 Antwerp 1620), Allegory of February. Oil on wood. Diameter 25 cm. Inscribed lower center, signed and dated: MARC 1.1. ABEL GRIMMER FECIT 1609 and inscribed: ABEL GRIMMER 1609 and with a red wax seal. Estimate CHF 90 000/140 000 (€ 83,330 / 129,630). Photo Koller

Provenance: - Collection family Drouhot, Villersexel, probably first half of 17th century 
- Through inheritance, collection Claude Drouhot (1907-2006) 
- European private collection 

Notes: This over several generations in a French family-owned and recently rediscovered five months depictions of Abel Grimmer ( lots 3033A, 3033B, 3033C, 3033D and 3033E), belong to a 1609 dated group of twelve months, which were like our recently auctioned on the art market six from the same collection and with the same old framing. These are the months of January, May, June, July and August are, so only the month of November of this series is still missing today. 

A total of only three complete series of the twelve months of Abel Grimmer are known. A 1592 episode painted rectangular format, which is now in the church Notre-Dame de Montfaucon and also performed 1592 Tondo group from the former collection Castle (scattered today) and finally one from the art trade in 1599 known dated series. Even in the latter case, the paintings are with the Bible verse that illustrates the kind of scene, referred to (see Bertier de Sauvigny, Reine de Jacob et Abel Grimmer, Brussels 1991, pp 190-197). It follows the artist the tradition of the medieval calendar, which sat for every season and every month the activities of farmers with their parables from the Bible in connection. Here Abel Grimmer grabbed partly due to bites by Adriaen Collaert (1560-1618) after compositions by Hans Bols (1534-1593). 

As a son of the famous landscape painter Jacob Grimmer (see also item 3024) learned Abel Grimmer the Malerhandwerk in his father's workshop , The artist, who was also an architect, it developed his own style of painting, which is on the one hand characterized by a simplification of lines, pure compositions and very clear contours and on the other hand has a particularly fine color and finesse in the reproduction of materiality, which in the We offer you high-quality and extremely rare five Montas representations particularly well expressed.

Lot 3033B. Abel Grimmer, (ca. 1570 Antwerp 1620), Allegory of March. Oil on wood. Diameter 25 cm. Lower center called: MATT. 21 and inscribed: MARS Abel Grimmer. 1609 and with a red wax seal. Estimate CHF 90 000/140 000 (€ 83,330 / 129,630). Photo Koller

Lot 3033C. Abel Grimmer, (ca. 1570 Antwerp 1620), Allegory of April. Oil on wood. Diameter 25 cm. Bottom right referred: LUC. 8 and inscribed: AVRIL ABEL GRIMMER. 1609 and with a red wax seal. Estimate CHF 90 000/140 000 (€ 83,330 / 129,630). Photo Koller

Lot 3033D. Abel Grimmer, (ca. 1570 Antwerp 1620), Allegory of October. Oil on wood. Diameter 25 cm. Lower center called: MATT.21 and inscribed verso: OCTOBRE Abel Grimmer. 1609 and with a red wax seal. Estimate CHF 90 000/140 000 (€ 83,330 / 129,630). Photo Koller

Lot 3033D. Abel Grimmer, (ca. 1570 Antwerp 1620), Allegory of December. Oil on wood. Diameter 25 cm. referred Bottom left: LUC. 2. and signed lower right and dated: ABEL GRIMMER FECIT 1609 and inscribed verso: DÉCEMBRE ABEL GRIMMER.1609 and with a red wax seal and the label probably the framer "Bonvoisin, Maître Peintre Doreur & Marchand de Tableaux. Place du Vieux Louvre". Estimate CHF 90 000/140 000 (€ 83,330 / 129,630). Photo Koller

A still life by Dutch artist Pieter Claesz. (Berchem/Antwerp 1597–1661 Haarlem) features not only food and drink but smoking paraphernalia, an element introduced by the artist to Dutch still life painting in the 1620s. This beautiful work painted in monochrome tonalities was chosen by Dr. Martina Brunner-Bulst as the frontispiece to her catalogue raisonné on Claesz, thus underlining the importance of this painting within the artist’s oeuvre (lot 3046, CHF 500 000 – 700 000). 

Lot 3046. Pieter Claesz. (Berchem/Antwerp 1597–1661 Haarlem), Still life with smoker’s requisites, a large pewter flagon, a stoneware pitcher on its side, a beer glass and a herring, 1627. Oil on panel. Monogrammed and dated lower left: PC A 1627; 50.2 x 74.6 cm. Estimate CHF 500 000 / 700 000 (€ 462 960 / 648 150). Photo Koller.

Provenance: - E. Slatter Gallery, London, 1943.
- Otto Wertheimer collection, Paris, 1952.
- Mitchell Gallery, London 1957.
- Private collection, London.
- Galerie Weil, 1960.
- Private collection, Switzerland.
- Kunsthandel Böhler, Munich, 1966.
- Kunsthandel Scheidwimmer, Munich, 1973.
- Private collection, Paris, 1990.
- Auction Christie's, London, 23 April 1993, lot 182.
- J. M. B. Guttmann Gallery, Los Angeles, 1994.
- European private collection.

Exhibited: - London, E. Slatter Gallery, 1943, Flower and Still-Life Paintings by Dutch and Flemish Masters of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century.
- Paris, Galerie A. Weil, April/May 1960, La nature morte et son inspiration, no. 12 with ill.
- Paris, Institut Néerlandais, 1965, Le décor de la vie privée en Hollande au XVIIe siècle, no. 13.
with ill.
- Munich, Kunsthandel Böhler, June 1966, no. 4 with ill.

Literature: - Exh. Cat. Le décor de la vie privée en Hollande au XVIIe siècle, Institut Néerlandais, Paris 1965, p. 25, no. 13, pl. 4.
- Brunner-Bulst, Martina: Pieter Claesz. Der Hauptmeister des Haarlemer Stillebens im 17. Jahrhundert. Kritischer Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen 2004, no. 29, p. 220, with ill. and on frontispiece.

Notes: Haarlem was among the most important art centres in Holland during the early 17th century. Many artists emigrated from Flanders to the Netherlands at this time, whether because of their Protestant beliefs or due to the poor economic climate there, attracted by the commercial prosperity and growing affluence of the Dutch, particularly in Haarlem. Along with textile manufacturers, breweries were especially successful, and beer was the most common drink, since drinking water was often contaminated at this time. The favourable economic conditions stimulated the rise of a prosperous middle class in Haarlem, ultimately creating a significant consumer base for the arts.

Into this society Pieter Claesz. settled in 1620-22. Born in Berchem near Antwerp in 1597, Claesz. was almost certainly trained as an artist within the circles of the Antwerp still life painters Osias Beert (ca. 1580-1623) and Clara Peeters (active 1607-1621 or later), and the influence of their work is evident in his early paintings. Once in Haarlem, his work began to show the influence of the older generation of still life painters there, such as Floris van Dijck (1575-1651), Nicolaes Gillis (ca. 1575/80 – after 1632) and Floris van Schooten (ca. 1580-1656).

Banketje still lifes, which typically depict a meal amidst an arrangement of tableware, were a speciality of Netherlandish painting during the Golden Age, particularly in Haarlem, and were in great demand during the 17th century. The large museum-quality work offered here, which has not been available for public viewing for quite some time, belongs to this category. It is also of the toebackje, or smoking requisites variant, and this paraphernalia is depicted alongside a large pewter flagon on a plate, a knopped beer glass, a sliced herring, bread and a knife, all arranged on a table. Particularly interesting is the monochrome tonality of this work, composed primarily of brown and grey tones and uniquely articulated through dramatically staged light. This reduced palette is a particular characteristic of Claesz.’s Haarlem still lifes. The depiction of the smoker’s requisites is considered to be an artistic invention of Claesz.’s, as these motifs first appeared in his work as early as 1622 (Brunner-Bulst, ibid., no. 4, pp. 207-208).

The combination of smoking requisites with the eating utensils of a banketjes still life, as in the present work, appears in two other smaller-format works by Claesz. from 1627: one is presently in San Diego’s Timken Art Gallery (36.2 x 57.5 cm, oil on panel, ibid. no. 28), and the other (the composition of which also includes onions) is in a private collection (ibid., no. 30, 37.5 x 47.5 cm, oil on panel).

Dr. Martina Brunner-Bulst, who has examined the present work in the original, selected it to illustrate the frontispiece of her catalogue raisonné on Pieter Claesz., thus eloquently expressing the importance of this work within the artist’s oeuvre.

Among the series of striking works from the Italian Renaissance to be offered by artists such as Tommaso di Credi, Giuliano di Amadeo, and Andrea Manzini (known as Andrea di Giusto), one rare and beautiful panel is particularly outstanding: a reclining Venus with Cupid in a landscape by Paolo Schiavo. Formerly in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, it was later included in the exhibition “Art and Love in Renaissance Italy” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Dating from the beginning of the Italian Renaissance, circa 1440-45, its original function was as an interior panel of a marriage coffer, or cassone, made to hold a bride’s trousseau, of which relatively few survive today (CHF 250 000 – 350 000). 

Lot 3013. Paolo di Stefano Badaloni known as Paolo Schiavo ((Florence 1397 - 1478 Pisa), Venus and Cupid, circa 1440 - 45. Tempera on panel, 50.8 x 170 cm. Estimate CHF 250 000 / 350 000 (€ 231 480 / 324 070). Photo Koller.

Provenance: - Collection of L. Grassi, Florence, circa 1971.
- J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1972-1992, Inv. No. 72.PB.9 (label verso).
- Christie's, New York, 21.5.1992.
- Museo Privato Bellini, Florencez (label verso “Mr. Luigi Bellini”).
- European private collection.

Exhibited: - Art and Love in Renaissance Italy, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 11.11.2008-16.2.2009, Nor. 58b (label verso).
- Doni d'amore. Donne e rituali nel Rinascimento, Pinacoteca cantonale Giovanni Züst, Rancate (Mendrisio), 12.10.2014-11.1.2015, No. 31.

Literature: - Callmann, Ellen: Un Apollonio di Giovanni per cassone nuziale, in: Burlington Magazine, Nr. 888, Vol. CXLX, March 1977, p. 178.
- Boskovits, Miklos: Ancora su Paolo Schiavo. Una scheda biografica, in: Arte Cristiana, 1995, No. 770, pp. 332-340.
- Bayer, Andre / Cartwright, Sarah: Art and Love in Renaissance Italy, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2009, No. 58b, pp. 134-136.
- Lurati, Patricia: Doni d'amore. Donne e rituali nel Rinascimento, Pinacoteca cantonale Giovanni Züst, Rancate (Mendrisio), 12.10.2014-11.1.2015, No. 31, pp. 100-101.

The Schmitz-Eichhoff Collection 
Important old masters and wonderful trompe l'oeil ceramics 
Koller auctions will offer the collection of Marie Teres Schmitz-Eichhoff on 19 and 23 September. The Cologne collector’s sharp and discerning eye was eclectic, but the core of her collection consisted of old master paintings and drawings, and Baroque trompe l’oeil faience. 

Several important old master paintings from the Schmitz-Eichhoff collection have figured in notable exhibitions, including works by Georg Flegel (Olmütz 1566–1638 Frankfurt) and Isaac Soreau (ca. 1604 Hanau 1645). These characteristic paintings were included in the exhibition “Die Magie der Dinge” (The Magic of Things) in Basel and Frankfurt in 2008-2009. Georg Flegel is one of the most important German still life painters from the first half of the 17th century, and his work is distinguished by a wide variety of details and motifs rendered with painterly precision. The fine-quality, colourful still life of strawberries, walnuts, bread, butter and wine to be offered on 23 September will be offered with an estimate of CHF 150 000 – 250 000 (lot 3023). The composition of another still life with fruits and vegetables by Hanau artist Isaac Soreau is marked by a systematic overlapping and staggering of the individual elements, providing the viewer with a unique chromatic experience (lot 3019, CHF 150,000 – 250,000). 

Lot 3023. Georg Flegel (Olmütz 1563 - 1638 Frankfurt a. M.), Still life with strawberries, walnuts, bread, butter and wine. Oil on panel, 22.8 x 37.6 cm. Estimate CHF 150 000 / 250 000 (€ 138 890 / 231 480). Photo Koller.

 Expertise: - Fred G. Meijer, 7.1.1999 (copy available).
- Sam Segal, 19.3.1999 (copy available).
- Dr. Anna-Dore Ketelsen-Volkhardt, 28.7.2001.

Provenance: - Kunsthaus P. Gölitz, Augsburg, December 1990.
- Christie's, London, 24.4.1998, Lot 56.
- Newhouse Gallery, New York / Amell Gallery, London, exhibited at TEFAF, Maastricht, March 1999.
- Galerie Neuse, Bremen, 1999.
- Schmitz-Eichhoff collection, Cologne.

Exhibited: "Die Magie der Dinge, Stilllebenmalerei 1500-1800", Städel-Museum, Frankfurt, 20.3.-17.8.2008 and Kunstmuseum Basel, 5.9.2008-4.1.2009, No. 36 (label verso).

Literature: - Ketelsen-Volkhardt, Anne-Dore: Georg Flegel, 1566-1638, München/Berlin 2003, Cat. No. 23, fig. 73, pp. 206-207.
- Exh. Cat. "Die Magie der Dinge, Stilllebenmalerei 1500-1800", Städel-Museum, Frankfurt, 20.3.-17.8.2008 and Kunstmuseum Basel, 5.9.2008–4.1.2009, No. 36, pp. 128-129.

Lot 3019. Isaac Soreau ((1604 Hanau am Main circa 1645), Still life with fruits and vegetables in a basket. Oil on panel, 40.5 x 51.4 cm. Estimate CHF 150 000 / 250 000 (€ 138 890 / 231 480). Photo Koller.

Provenance: - Sotheby’s, London, 8.7.1992, Lot 15 (as Jakob van Hulsdonck, with an additional attribution to Isaac Soreau by Fred G. Meijer).
- Galerie Edel, Maastricht, TEFAF 1993.
- Galerie Virginie Pitchal, Paris, 1998.
- Schmitz-Eichhoff collection, Cologne.

Exhibited: - Kulturstiftung Ruhr-Essen, Das Flämische Stillleben 1550 –1680, 2002, No. 84a.
- Die Magie der Dinge, Stilllebenmalerei 1500-1800, Städel-Museum, Frankfurt, 20 3.–17.8.2008 and Kunstmuseum Basel, 5.9.2008–4.1.2009, No. 30.

Literature: - Bott, Gerhard: Die Stilllebenmaler Soreau, Binoit, Codino and Marrell in Hanau und Frankfurt 1600-1650, Hanau 2001, Cat. No. IS.48, with ill. p. 110, No. 91.
- Exh. Cat. Kulturstiftung Ruhr-Essen, Das Flämische Stillleben 1550 –1680, 2002, p. 84, Cat. No. 84a, p. 84.
- Exh. Cat. Die Magie der Dinge, Stilllebenmalerei 1500-1800, Städel-Museum, Frankfurt, 20 3.–17.8.2008 and Kunstmuseum Basel, 5.9.2008–4.1.2009, Cat. No. 30, p. 112.

Our thanks to Dr. Fred G. Meijer of RKD, The Hague, who has confirmed the authenticity of the work having examined it in the original.

Among the old master drawings in the collection are a series of watercolours depicting tulips from the early 17th century. These exquisite works became important during the Tulip Mania speculation bubble in Holland, which saw prices for single tulip bulbs sharply rise to the point where they sometimes cost as much as an Amsterdam town house (see full article here). Precise documentation of what buyers were purchasing became essential, giving rise to watercolours such as these – the ancestors of modern day gardening catalogues (lots 3426–27 and 3435–39). 

The most original and playful element of the Schmitz-Eichhof collection is certainly the group of approximately 250 faience trompe-l’oeil wares and animal figures from the 18th century. The catalogue contains one whimsical surprise after another: cabbage-form tureens, covered dishes in the shape of bundles of asparagus, and plates with eggs, beans and nuts. Many of these items were the subject of an exhibition in 1999 in the Museum of Decorative Arts (MAK) in Cologne, and again at the Hetjens Museum in Düsseldorf in 2006.  

The Baroque period was a time of opulent feasts, as the European upper classes attempted to outdo one another in everything regarding fashion, including extravagant table settings. Trompe-l’oeil ceramics were among the highlights of such table settings, and dinner guests greatly enjoyed seeing platters decorated with faux vegetables and fruit, casseroles in the form of cabbage heads, and animal-shaped bowls for pastries and ragouts. Among the highlights of the collection are a mid-18th century French trompe-l’oeil platter with eggs (lot 1751, CHF 4 000 – 6 000); a pair of mid-18th century Delft blackberry jam terrines (lot 1729, CHF 3 000 – 5 000) and a large mid-18th century cabbage-shaped terrine, Brussels, Philippe Mombaers (lot 1742, CHF 6 000 – 8 000).  

Lot 1751. Trompe-l’oeil plate with eggs, Northern France, mid-18th century. Estimate CHF 4 000 / 6 000 (€ 3 700 / 5 560). Photo Koller.

Faience with applied eggs, painted yellow. No mark. D 22.5 cm. 

Provenance: - Schmitz-Eichhoff Collection, Cologne.

Literature: Köllmann/Reineking/Schmitz-Eichhoff, Sammlung Europäischer Fayencen des 17. bis 19. Jahrhunderts, Cologne 1991, No. 201.

Exhibitions: - Cologne, Museum für Angewandte Kunst, 1999, figure on page 17.
- Expo 2000, “foodpavillion, pavilion projects: egg dream museum”, figure 1, food culture
- Düsseldorf, Hetjens-Museum 2006.
- Wallraf-Richartz-Museum Fondation Corboud Köln, „Tierschau“ 2007, Exhibition catalogue, illustration on page 98.

Lot 1729. Pair of Delft blackberry jam terrines, Delft, mid-18th century. Estimate CHF 3 000 / 5 000 (€ 3 700 / 5 560). Photo Koller. 

Faience, colorfully painted. Both lids designed as blackberries. Marks 1 and 2 in blue on the inside of the cover and the dish. H 12 cm. Restored. (4) 

Provenance: - Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, October 1977.
- Schmitz-Eichhoff Collection, Cologne.

Literature: Köllmann/Reineking/Schmitz-Eichhoff, Sammlung Europäischer Fayencen des 17. bis 19. Jahrhunderts, Cologne 1991, No. 53.

Exhibitions: - Museum für Angewandte Kunst (MAK) Köln, „Fayence aus Europa, Kölner Sammler stellen aus“, 9 May - 11 July 1999.
- Hetjens-Museum Düsseldorf, “Imitationen, Irritationen, Illusionen”, Keramik als Augentäuscher, 22 September - 30 December 2006.

Lot 1742. Large cabbage-shaped terrine, Brussels, Philippe Mombaers, 18th century. Estimate CHF 6 000 / 8 000 (€ 5 560 / 7 410). Photo Koller.

Faience, colorfully painted in turquoise, green and manganese. No mark. D 34 cm. Slightly restored. 

Provenance: - Schmitz-Eichhoff Collection, Cologne.

Exhibition: Museum für Angewandte Kunst (MAK) Köln, "Fayence aus Europa, Kölner Sammler stellen aus", 9 May - 11 July 1999.

Furniture, Carpets & Sculpture 
A piano for Baron James de Rothschild 
The furniture auction on 22 September features an upright piano “aux sphinges ailées” created by a trio of the finest master craftsmen of the 19th century (lot 1293, CHF 150 000 – 250 000). Commissioned in 1836 by Baron James de Rothschild for his luxurious townhouse on the Rue Laffitte in Paris, the mechanism was created by royal piano maker and composer Ignace Pleyel (Ruppersthal 1757-1831 Paris), the case finished in brass “Boulle” marquetery on ebony by the cabinetmaker to the royal family, Alexandre Bellangé (1799 Paris 1863), and the ormolu mounts in the form of winged sphinxes were crafted by master bronze maker Jean Jacques Feuchère (1807 Paris 1852). 

Lot 1293. Pianino with  “Boulle” marquetery “aux sphinges ailées”, Louis Philippe, signed IGNACE PLEYEL & COMP. MEDAILLE D'OR 1827 & 1834, FACTEURS DU ROI, PARIS - INCRUSTATIONS DE A BELLANGE EBENISTE EN CURIOSITES 33 RZE DES MARAIS F.ST MARTIN, the instrument from the MAISON IGNACE PLEYEL (1807-1866), the marquetry by A.L. BELLANGE (Aléxandre Louis Bellangé, 1794 Paris 1863), the bronzes by J.J. FEUCHERE (Jean Jacques Feuchère, 1807 Paris 1852), numbered 4798 and bearing the signature of a "tableur" NOEL, Paris, ca. 1835. Estimate CHF 150 000 / 250 000 (€ 138 890 / 231 480). Photo Koller.

Mahogany in veneer on rosewood, exquisitely inlaid with brass fillets, leaves, rosettes, fillets, geometric motifs, and decorative frieze. Exquisite fine tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl keys. Exquisite matte and polished gilt bronze mounts and applications designed as sphinxes, leaves, chimaera, palmettes, meander band and decorative frieze. The mechanical part has been restored, can be played. The sounding board is in excellent condition. 126x64x110 cm. 

Provenance: - It is highly likely that this item was produced for Baron James de Rothschild (Frankfurt 1792-1868 Paris) for his townhouse, 19 Rue Laffitte, Paris.
- from a European private collection.

Among other highlights in the furniture auction are a pair of Louis XV trumeau mirrors after a model by Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt (1719 Berlin 1785), who completed commissions for Frederick the Great of Prussia (lot 1050, CHF 80 000 – 120 000), an important gilt-bronze-mounted Empire/Biedermeier armoire after models by Josef Danhauser (1780 Vienna 1829) which was formerly in the palace of the Archduke Albrecht, today’s Albertina Museum (lot 1273, CHF 15 000 – 25 000), and a stunning pair of Russian Directoire gilt bronze and cobalt glass wall appliques (lot 1191, CHF 40 000 – 60 000), identical to those that adorn Vladimir Putin’s office in the Kremlin. 

Lot 1050. Pair of small trumeau mirrors, Louis XV, probably after designs by J.M. HOPPENHAUPT (Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt, 1719 Berlin 1785), Potsdam, ca. 1745/50. Estimate CHF 80 000 / 120 000 (€ 74 070 / 111 110). Photo Koller.

Pierced wood, exquisitely carved with cartouches, flowers, leaves and decorative frieze, and gilt. H 216 cm. W 97 cm. 

Provenance: - Château de Vincy, Suisse romande.
- Auction Koller Zurich, 22 March 2007 (Lot No. 1157).
- from a private collection, Berlin.

Lot 1273. Important armoire with dancing muses, Empire-Biedermeier, after designs by J. DANHAUSER (Josef Danhauser 1780 Vienna 1829), Vienna ca. 1810-20. Estimate CHF 80 000 / 120 000 (€ 74 070 / 111 110). Photo Koller.

Ebonized pearwood. Front with 1 large door. Exquisite matte and polished gilt bronze mounts and applications designed as dancing muses, Bacchus busts, palmettes and decorative frieze. 155x55x268 cm. 

Provenance: - Palais Archduke Albrecht, Vienna (presently Albertina).
- from a private collection, Switzerland.

Lot 1191. Pair of gilt bronze and cobalt glass wall appliques, Directory, Russia ca. 1800. Estimate CHF 40 000 / 60 000 (€ 37 040 / 55 560). Photo Koller.

Cobalt-blue glass, matte and polished gilt bronze and brass, and glass and crystal hangings, in part cut. H 87 cm. 

Provenance: - from a private collection, Monaco.

The identical model is in the office rooms of V. Putin in the Kremlin.

Books & Autographs, Old Master & 19th Century Prints & Dawings 
Tiepolo, Dada & Erotica 
Two works by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727 Venice 1804) are featured in the Drawings auction on 23 September: an oil sketch depicting the Rest on the Flight into Egypt (lot 3425, CHF 20 000 – 30 000), and a brown ink drawing of a standing figure in Oriental dress (lot 3452. CHF 6 000 – 9 000). Both works are remarkable for their powerful spontaneity. The oil study may have been made either as a model for Tiepolo’s workshop or for direct sale, as there was already a market for such studies in Tiepolo’s lifetime. A very similar study is in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zurich. 

Lot 3425. Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727 Venice 1804), Rest on the Flight into Egypt, circa 1745/50. Oil on paper, laid on canvas, 39 x 30 cm. In a frame of the 18th century. Estimate CHF 20 000 / 30 000 (€ 37 040 / 55 560). Photo Koller.

Based on first-hand inspection of the original, Prof. Bernard Aikema has attributed the present work as an early work by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. The impressive quality of this oil study has hitherto been considered to be a work by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. We thank Prof. Aikema for his academic guidance and support.

Provenance: - Heim Gallery, London.
- Abell Collection, New York.
- Jan Mitchel Collection, New York.
- Galerie Bader, Lucerne.

Literature: - B. Nicolson, Review of Faces and Figures of the Baroque. A magnificent Tiepolo grisaille study for a altar-piece, for S. Massimo, Padua;
In: The Burlington Magazine. Januar 1972, p.40 ill. 25.

A very similar oil study is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.

Lot 3452. Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1727 Venice 1804), Standing Oriental man, wrapped in a cloak. Brush and brown ink. Signed lower left: Dom. Tiepolo. 25.5 x 15.7 cm. Framed. Estimate CHF 6 000 / 9 000 (€ 5 560 / 8 330). Photo Koller.

Provenance: - F. Spingell Collection, Prague and London, Lugt 1049a.
- Carl Winter Collection, acquired from Julius Böhler, Munich (according to label verso).
- Schmitz-Eichhoff Collection, Cologne.

The Books & Autographs auction on 24 September contains two important zoological works: “Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis” by François Levaillant (lot 361, CHF 70 000 – 90 000), and a four-volume ornithological work by Johann Michael Seligmann, “Verzameling van uitlandsche en zeldzaame Vogelen” (lot 362, CHF 25 000 – 40 000).  

Lot 361. François Levaillant, “Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des Rollier, suivie de celle of toucans et des barbus". 2 vols. (Pleated which 2.) With 114 copper plates of Perré u. Bouquet of Jacques Barraband, printed in colors "à la poupée" and manually by Langlois u. Rousset completed, Paris, Denne et Perlé, [1801] 1806. Estimate CHF 70 000 / 90 000 (€ 64,810 / 83,330). Photo Koller.

Imperial Folio. [2] ll., 153 S., [1] Bl .; [2] ll., 133 S., [3] ll. Half-morocco bindings d. Z. with gilt. Spine title u. Band number (kl. Imperfections in terms, something rubbed u. Beschabt, small scratches on lids). 

Nissen IVB 559 - 304 Anchor - Room 393 - Ronsil 298 - Wood, S. 434 ( "magnificent work") - Fine Bird Books, p 118. - First edition. - Imposing ornithological masterpiece about birds of paradise, scooters, toucans and barbets which originally appeared in 19 deliveries in the years 1801 and 1806th François Levaillant (1753-1824) was born in Paramaribo, capital of Suriname, as son of the French consul. After studies in France and Germany, he was sent in 1781 by Jacob Temminck, the treasurer of the Dutch East India Company, in the Cape Colony to gather there, especially birds. He undertook Locally to 1784 three expeditions, one of which he brought about 2000 Vögelbälge among others. These served Jacques Barraband (1768-1809), "considered among the best bird artists of the time [Whose] work for Le Vaillant what the climax of his career" (C. Jackson, "Dictionary of Bird Artists of the World", Woodbridge : 1999, p.148), as the basis of his work for the present magnificent work. "In his youth as cartons painted for the Gobelins factory his father; later he also produced porcelain painting for Sèvres and for Factories Dihl and Guerhard and painted still lifes, primarily with flowers, fruits and poultry in 1804 he painted from designs by Percier a. "cabinet portatif" for Joseph Bonaparte. " (AKL VII, 1993, 142 s). These illustrations are well sometimes its most beautiful together with the illustrations for his major work on the Histoire naturelle des Insectes of La Treille, 1801-05. The color effect of his gouaches was maintained even in the medium of the graphic by the elaborate and careful Durckvorgang complementary Coloration by Langlois. - Luxury pressure in Imperial Folio format on fine wove paper. Uncut. - At the end of Volume 2 the errata sheet included in duplicate. - Somewhat foxed (mostly in the margins) full page browned, thunderstorms text leaves little margin tear in white margins at Issue 11. Overall nice specimen with very strong and fresh flavor. 

2 volumes. Half-titles, Introducion, 114 engraved plates after Jacques Barraband, printed in colors and finished by hand by Langlois and Rousset. - Occasional foxing (mostly in the margins), someText leaves browned, small tear to carnet 11 - Contemporary red morocco, spines applies with title and volume number (a little rubbed, scratchings to the covers).

The 100th anniversary of Dada is being celebrated this year, and Koller is offering one of the most important publications of the movement, “Die Kathedrale” from 1920, with eight original lithographs by Kurt Schwitters, considered to be among his finest (lot 218, CHF 8 000 – 12 000).  

Lot 218. Dada. Kurt Schwitters, The Cathedral. With 8 (incl. Cover) original lithographs. Hannover, P. Steegemann, [1920]. Estimate CHF  8 000/12 000 (€ 7,410 / 11,110). Photo Koller.

22.5 x 14.5 cm. [8] ll. Illustrated original brochure "For sanitary reasons taped caution. Anti-dada" with the printed white fastener strips As well as the back: ". We reject broken specimens KS Merz 1920" (open and recto with small split.). 

The Silbergäule 41/42 - Schmalenbach / Bolliger VII, 251 - Motherwell / Karpel 371 - The Artist and the Book 278 - 182 Sale - Meyer 85 - Raabe / H.-B. 163. - One of the most important publications of the Dada movement, in this case with the very rare, perfectly preserved closure.Schwitters had fixed this after his rejection and the scandal at the First International Dada Fair in June 1920 in Berlin on the staple currently being printed. - "The Cathedral graphics are doubtless the finest, most original works produced by Schwitters at this time, And They deserve a place of honor in the history of modern graphics." (Schmalenbach). - Very good copy.

The books auction at Koller will also feature approximately thirty works of erotica from an important Swiss private collection, including ten volumes of works by the Marquis de Sade, formerly in the Michel Simon collection (lot 191, CHF 40 000 – 60 000).

Lot 191. [Donatien Alphonse François de Sade], La nouvelle Justine, ou les Malheurs de la Vertu. Ouvrage orné d'un Frontispice et de quarante Sujets gravés avec soin. [Bde. I-IV] UND: Suivi de l'histoire de Juliette, sa soeur [Bde. V-X]. 10 Bde. Mit gest. Frontispiz u. 99 (st. 100) Kupfertafeln. O.O. ("En Hollande"), 1797 (=Paris, um 1835). Estimate CHF  40 000 / 60 000 (€ 37 040 / 55 560). Photo Koller.

Beautiful blue morocco volumes (around 1860) with gilt. Spine title u. Band number, indoor, floor and Aussenkantenverg. and blindtooled. Cover in floral ornaments, gilt edges (slightly rubbed and slightly worn; Vol. 2 slightly more.).

Cohen/ R. 920-921 - Cioranescu 58094 - Pia Enfer 731 (als Originalausgabe) u. 732 (als Ausgabe von 1835; irrig 372 S. für Band VIII) - Gay-L. II, 735. - Sander 1770: "L'édit. qui est à préférer comme Ire et qui passe pour avoir été imprimée par Didot, se reonnait à la justification de Justine qui est plus petite que celle de Juliette, aux caractères de Justine, plus nets, et au texte, plus correct" - vgl. Ract-M., 'L'édition originale de la Nouvelle Justine et Juliette" in Bulletin du Bibliophile, S. 139-158 - Vicaire VII, 4 u. Quérard VIII, 303 (kennen nur die Octav-Ausgaben Paris 1884 u. Paris, Olivier, 1835 in 2 Bdn.). - Spätere Ausgabe (EA Paris, 1791). - "Juliette, faisant suite et servant de conclusion à la Nouvelle Justine, dont les aventures forment 4 volumes, le tome premier de Juliette, dont l'histoire en contient 6, a été cotté tome 5, et ainsi de suite jusqu'au 10 inclusivement. Les deux Ouvrages, quoique se liant ensemble, se vendent séparément. Les quatre premiers volumes contiennent un frontispice et 40 gravures. Les six derniers 60 gravures." ("Avis", Bd. V). - "Cet ouvrage, où les moeurs, les lois, la nature, la religion, l'humanité, sont outragée ou violées de la manière la plus infâme, où les crimes les plus monstrueux sont érigé en préceptes, et mis en action, eut un prodigieux débit. Il a été réimprimé plus d'une fois clandestinement depuis le commencement de ce siècle" (Q. VIII, 303). - "On n'est point criminel pour faire la peinture Des bizarres pencahns qu'inspire la nature" (Bd. V, Titelbl.). 

Sade's work "Justine", which he wrote in 1787 while in detention in the Bastille, was his first published book was originally published in 1791 in Paris at Girouard. Six years later, he published a new, revised edition, under the title "La nouvelle Justine", this was later supplemented by a new extension under the title "L'Histoire de Juliette, sa soeur". Because of the obscene pornographic images the work in 1798 was suppressed and Sade 1801 imprisoned (see. G. Lely, the Marquis de Sade, 1961, Chapter 16). According to A. Bonneau, a 1796 edition of Juliette exists, but no copy is known and its precedence is doubted (Appolinaire, et al. L'Enfer de la Bibliotheque Nationale, p.250 ). Cohen-de Ricci and Cioranescu distinguish between two issues, both of which were published in 1797. The first was the better due to the correct text.The two plants (La nouvelle Justine and Juliette) were both also available separately. In numerous later editions of the publisher's imprint "En Hollande 1797" was left, as is the case in our sample. - The boards well after Claude Bornet (1733-1804). - Only occasionally (and only in the edges) feebly foxing, Vol X from p 330 with kl.. Wet stain in margin, overall very clean copy. Vol. I, p 209/210 u. Vol. X p 350/351 with kl.Randausriss (I with minimal text loss). The panels verso hs. with spring num. -

Provenance: Collection Michel Simon - Bibliothèque Nordmann with bookplate. - Christie's 5445, No. 373. -. Swiss private possession.

Korea, unknown artist, Five Buddhas, 1725, ink and mineral pigments on hemp, Songgwangsa Temple; conserved by Robert and Sandra Mattielli.

PORTLAND, ORE.- The Portland Art Museum announces an exhibition, symposium, and repatriation of a sacred Korean icon. Five Buddhas: A Korean Icon’s Journey through Time tells the story of a stolen painting—its discovery, restoration, travel to Oregon, and return to the Korean people. 

Oregonian Robert Mattielli lived in Seoul for three decades, during which time he often visited the cluster of antique shops in Mary’s Alley (Anguk-dong). He purchased a tattered and folded Five Buddhas painting in the early 1970s, a time when many temples were refurbishing their worship halls, and Buddhist paintings often appeared on the market. The painting was conserved by a well-known Korean restorer and framed as it is seen today. When Mattielli and his wife, Sandra, moved back to Oregon in 1985, the Five Buddhas traveled with them. 

In 2014, the Mattiellis approached the Museum about donating the Five Buddhas—just in time for the painting to be examined by a team of visiting scholars from the Korean National Research Institute for Cultural Heritage (NRICH). Several months later, NRICH reported their discovery that the Five Buddhas painting, dating to 1725, was originally part of a suite of paintings that adorned a small chapel at Songgwangsa, a famous Son (Japanese, Zen) monastery located in the mountains in the southwestern part of Korea. The painting disappeared sometime in the early 1970s. When informed of news, the Mattiellis immediately offered to repatriate the painting to Korea. 

Recognizing the unique opportunity to display the painting and educate visitors about issues surrounding ownership and repatriation of stolen and sacred works of art, the Museum offered to present Five Buddhas as a special exhibition and to present a corresponding symposium that will take place on December 3, 2016. Dr. Robert Buswell, who is widely recognized as the premier scholar of Korean Buddhism of his generation, will speak on “Songgwangsa and its Significance in the Korean Buddhist Tradition.” Professor Buswell spent five years meditating at Songgwangsa before beginning his academic career, and his first book examined Zen practice at the monastery. Today he holds the Irving and Jean Stone Endowed Chair in Humanities at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he is also distinguished professor of Buddhist Studies and director of the Center for Buddhist Studies. Professor Maya Stiller of the University of Kansas will focus on the ritual context of the Five Buddhas in her talk on “Repentance for the Living and the Dead: The Avataṃsaka Compound at Songgwangsa.” 

“The Portland Art Museum is honored to help facilitate the return of this important work of art to Korea,” remarked Brian Ferriso, Portland Art Museum Executive Director. “We are grateful for the guidance and support we have received from the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration for helping us mount an important exhibition about Five Buddhas. Special recognition must also be given to and Sandra and Robert Mattiellis for their ongoing generosity. Their gifts to the Museum will continue to benefit our community for generations as they help us present the beautiful art of Korea.” 

The Museum is grateful for the Korean Cultural Heritage Association for sponsoring this project, and to the Mildred Schnitzer Memorial Lecture Fund for co-sponsoring the symposium.

Spodumene, Mawi, Afghanistan, crystal (8.5 cm) and cut stone (317.96 cts). Image courtesy of Tom Spann. 

NEWARK, DE.- The University Museums of the University of Delaware displays gemstones from the collection of Herb and Monika Obodda August 31-December 9, 2016 in the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall. 

This semester the University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum features gemstones used in jewelry, prized for their durability as well as their beauty. Minerals have long been fashioned into gemstones, both as amulets to ward off evil and as adornments. Lapis lazuli was mined in Afghanistan over 6000 years ago, the earliest emerald mines operated in Egypt 3000 years ago, and diamonds were known in India more than 2000 years ago. Today, the nineteenth-century idea that diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald are the "precious" stones no longer stands. The specimens on display in this exhibition illustrate a breadth of color and beauty beyond the familiar four. 

The Museum also continues its ongoing display of mineral specimens from the Irénée du Pont Collection – the foundation of the University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum – along with hardstone carvings of animals. 

Mineralogical Museum Curator Dr. Sharon Fitzgerald will give a Curator’s Talk titled “Gemstones: Aquamarine to Zircon” on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at the Mineralogical Museum. Refreshments at 5 p.m., followed by a 5:30 p.m. talk.

Robert Polidori, Dharavi #1, Mumbai, 2008. ​Archival UV cured ink on linen canvas.

NEW YORK, NY.- Paul Kasmin Gallery announces its inaugural exhibition of acclaimed photographer Robert Polidori, on view from September 8 to October 15, 2016 at 515 W. 27th Street. 

This exhibition will be the first U.S. show to feature Polidori’s “dendritic cities” images, a body of work begun in 2007. He appropriates the term “dendritic” from the branching extensions of a cell structure and uses it to describe the auto-constructed cities (as opposed to pre-planned urban developments) that have appeared as a result of industrialism in cities around the world, including Amman, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro. The exhibition will feature three monumental photographs taken in India, including an expansive mural of a street in Mumbai known locally as “60 Feet Road.” 

Long sensitive to the shared terrain between photography and cartography, Polidori has stepped outside of the traditional photographic “frame” of an image, and instead has adopted an approach where the framing is based upon the subject of the image. As Polidori describes it, “its execution came to demand labors more in line with mapping strategies than traditional photographic compositional framing.” 

Rather than isolating one particular section or façade of the narrow street, Polidori set out to photograph the entire length of the 60 Feet Road within one long continuous printed photograph. Like a tracking shot within a film, Polidori has compiled 22 separate photographs into one. The sequence of 8x10 color sheet film has been scanned and computer-stitched into a continuous déroulement, like an Asian scroll. Spanning a length of forty feet, viewers can fix their attention on minute details that would otherwise go unnoticed. In “Amrut Nagar,” comprising four separate panels, Polidori photographs a complete 180° view of a populated mountainside from one single vantage point. 

Also on show is a selection of photographs from Polidori’s 2010 project in Lebanon, “Hotel Petra.” The photographs explore the interior of a once grand and luxurious hotel in downtown Beirut that was severely damaged during the civil war of the 1980s and left abandoned for 20 years. In contrast to the teeming metropolises in the “dendritic cities,” the photographs of Hotel Petra reveal a building quietly succumbing to natural forms of decay and abandonment: countless layers of paint have flaked and faded away, resulting in a multilayered palette of color and design. This site gives a voice to Polidori’s thesis on modern painting, inasmuch as the compositions of gradually evolving and decaying paint closely resemble the intentional concerns of many modern and contemporary painters; only in this case the genesis of the phenomena was neither fixed nor intentional, but rather the unintentional summation of subsequent labors of various painters and workmen acting and modifying their surfaces at different times over decades, and as such, can be seen as “natural” or “unconscious” collective super-ego documents. This slow deterioration bears witness to the history as “seen” and “lived” by the walls themselves. Polidori captures the poetic quality of the ruin, and in the photographic stillness, the rooms are portrayed as metaphors and vessels for memory. 

Coinciding with the exhibition, Steidl will be releasing two new publications: Hotel Petra and 60 Feet Road (Bhatiya Nagar Facades), which focuses entirely on the single photograph of the city block. Texts by the photographer are included in both books. 

Robert Polidori (b. 1951) has published over fifteen monographs, most recently Chronophagia and the two volume Rio. These publications follow the three volume Parcours Muséologique Revisité, an extensive compilation of the thirty years he has spent photographing the Château de Versailles. He has received the World Press Award (1998) and the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography (1999, 2000). Over the course of his career, he has had several major solo exhibitions, notably a mid-career retrospective at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, “Fotografias” at the Instituto Moreira Salles in Rio de Janeiro, and “After the Flood” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2006, which presented his photographs of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. His work is held in numerous collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. He lives and works in Ojai, California.

Robert Polidori, Hotel Petra Wall Detail #1, Beirut, Lebanon, 2010. Epson archival inkjet print mounted to dibond.

Maiko Takeda (Japanese, born 1986) . “Atmospheric Reentry”, Headpiece and Bolero, 2013. Headpiece: Hand–cut transparent blue–ombré acetate fringe, hand–woven with machine–cut clear acrylic squares, hand–assembled with silver metal jump rings; bolero: hand–cut transparent green, blue, and purple–ombré acetate fringe, hand–woven with machine–cut clear acrylic squares, hand–assembled with silver metal jump rings. Photo © Nicholas Alan Cope.

Maiko Takeda (Japanese, born 1986) . “Atmospheric Reentry” Headpiece and Bolero (detail), 2013 Headpiece: Hand–cut transparent blue–ombré acetate fringe, hand–woven with machine–cut clear acrylic squares, hand–assembled with silver metal jump rings; bolero: hand–cut transparent green, blue, and purple–ombré acetate fringe, hand–woven with machine–cut clear acrylic squares, hand–assembled with silver metal jump rings. Photo © Nicholas Alan Cope. 

#ManusxMachina #CostumeInstitute

PARIS - Parcours des Mondes, le célèbre salon des arts premiers, reconnu comme le plus exigeant dans sa spécialité en termes d’offre et de sélection, a élargi son prisme l’année dernière en proposant un parcours inédit entièrement consacré aux arts d’Asie, initiative confortée pour l’édition 2016. En effet, le salon continue sur sa lancée et maintient cette trajectoire asiatique. Parcours des mondes fera ainsi découvrir aux connaisseurs et néophytes des pièces provenant d’Océanie, d’Afrique et des Amériques, mais aussi de nombreux trésors venus d’Asie et des pièces contemporaines.

PARIS.- Well known for more than a decade as the world’s premier international tribal art fair that maintains the highest standards for the select material offered there, Parcours des Mondes broadened its scope last year to include fine Asian art and will continue to do so this year, when it is open to the public September 6–11, 2016. Once again, Parcours des Mondes will offer collectors and enthusiasts alike the opportunity to experience remarkable treasures of Oceanic, African, and Native American art, as well as both classical and contemporary Asian art creations. 

Si Parcours des mondes ne cesse de se renouveler, il reste ancré dans le quartier historique de Saint Germain-des-Prés. De la rue Guénégaud à la rue des Beaux-Arts, en passant par la rue Visconti, le visiteur découvre un Paris métamorphosé et délicieusement mystérieux, peuplé de sculptures, de statues d’ancêtres et de masques oiseaux. Cette atmosphère exotique si particulière met le quartier en ébullition et fait de Parcours des mondes un rendez-vous incontournable pour les amateurs d’arts.

While Parcours de Mondes is always innovative, it is anchored in Paris’ historic Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. From Rue Guénégaud to Rue des Beaux Arts by way of Rue Visconti, visitors to this art fair will discover a wonderfully stimulating version of the Left Bank, brought to life by sculptures, ancestor figures, and spirit masks. The excitement that results from this exotic atmosphere sets the neighborhood alight and makes Parcours des Mondes a not-to-be-missed event for art lovers. 

DES EXPOSITIONS POINTUES, DES MARCHANDS PASSIONNÉS

Comme chaque année, Parcours des mondes accueille de nombreuses expositions portées par des galeries passionnées venues de France et du monde entier ; l’opportunité pour les visiteurs d’aborder le langage esthétique de peuples lointains avec un œil nouveau. Le public de cette nouvelle édition pourra notamment admirer des icônes Bwiti à la Galerie Bernard Dulon, de beaux fétiches Bakongo chez les Lecomte ou encore entrer dans l’univers de la collection de Monsieur X à la Galerie SL. Yann Ferrandin quant à lui proposera une exposition intitulée « Hair » consacrée à la coiffure et aux parures capillaires des sociétés tribales qui ravira les curieux.

As it does every year, Parcours des Mondes will feature a number of exhibitions produced by art dealers from France and the world over. These provide its visitors an incomparable opportunity to gain new perspectives about the aesthetic expressions of faraway peoples. Among the many special exhibitions planned for 2016 are one focused on African subjects including Bwiti reliquaries at Galerie Benard Dulon and Kongo fetishes at Galerie Lecomte, as well as an exploration of the strange world of "Monsieur X" by Serge Le Guennan. Yann Ferrandin will feature a show titled "Hair", which will be devoted to the coiffures and hair ornaments produced by tribal societies that will certainly be met with interest.  

Torse avec bras mbumba, Tsogho, village de Mougamou, Gabon, XIXe siècle. Bois, métal et pigments. H. : 33 cm. Provenance : collection Max Itzikovitz, Paris ; collection Richard Scheller, Stanford, États-Unis. Publié dans Arts du Gabon, Louis Perrois, 1979, p. 215. Exposé et publié dans La voie des ancêtres, en hommage à Claude Lévi Strauss, Jean-Louis Paudrat, Musée Dapper, Paris, 1986, p. 26 ; Embodiments, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Prestel, 2015, pp. 148-149. © Galerie Bernard Dulon, photos Vincent Girier Dufournier.

Nkisi, Bavili, Bakongo, Congo-Brazzaville ou Cabinda. Fin du XIXe siècle. Bois et clous. H. : 69 cm. Provenance : collection privée française. Publiée dans Bakongo « les fétiches », éditions A. Lecomte, 2016, p. 347. © Galerie Abla et Alain Lecomte, photo DR

Nkisi, Bayombe, Bakongo, Congo-Brazzaville ou R.D. Congo. Fin du XIXe siècle. Bois, miroir, cordelettes et tiges de bambou. H. : 22 cm. Provenance : collection privée française. Publiée dans Bakongo « les fétiches », éditions A. Lecomte, 2016, p. 230. © Galerie Abla et Alain Lecomte, photo Paul Louis

Peigne, Attié, Côte d’Ivoire, XIXe siècle. Ivoire sculptéà patine d’usage jaune-orangé nuancé, 12 x 5 cm. Provenance : collection Roger Bédiat ; collection Alexandre Espenel, Paris. © Yann Ferrandin, photo Hughes Dubois.

Les galeries spécialisées en arts d’Océanie et des Amériques ne seront pas non plus en reste. Un modèle de tipi exceptionnel sera présenté chez Donald Ellis Gallery, et une exposition d’objets d’art provenant de l’île de Niue intitulée « Savage Island – l’art de Niue » sera proposée par Michael Evans Tribal Art, entre autres programmations. La Galerie Flak fera également un focus sur des sculptures et masques chamaniques d’Alaska et de Sibérie.

Galleries specializing in North American and Oceanic art also plan a number of exciting thematic exhibitions. Donald Ellis Gallery’s exhibition will include an exceptional model tepee, and Michael Evans will present an exhibition titled "Savage Island: the Art of Niue". Galerie Flak will focus on shamanic masks and sculptures from Alaska and Siberia.  

Modèle de tipi Cheyenne, Plaines centrales, Amérique du Nord. Vers 1860. Peau de buffle et pigments, 144,5 x 80 cm© Donald Ellis Gallery, photo John Bigelow Taylor.

Écorce battue hiapo, Niue, Polynésie, 1870. Écorce battue peinte à la main, 148 x 160 cm (détail). Provenance : collection Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart, Allemagne ; Loed Van Bussel, Amsterdam, Pays-Bas. © Michael Evans Tribal Art

Il s’agit d’un exemple rare et ancien de tapa ou hiapo de l’île de Niue. Vraisemblablement coupé d’une écorce battue beaucoup plus grande, et sans doute créé pour faire partie d’un échange cérémoniel, ce tapa est peint entièrement à main levée avec des pigments naturels.

Massue ulufuamiti ou uluhelu, Niue, Polynésie. Vers 1820. Bois. L. : 162,5 cm. Provenance : collection Klaus Maaz, Detmold, Allemagne ; Hurst Gallery, Cambridge, États-Unis. Publiée dans Art and Artifacts of Polynesia, Hurst Gallery, Cambridge, 1990, p. 16, fig. 12. © Michael Evans Tribal Art

Il s’agit d’un exemple rare et insolite de la massue uluhelu de Niue. Dans le combat, le guerrier de Niue faisait d’abord tomber son adversaire en lançant des pierres, pour l’achever ensuite avec le côté aiguisé de la longue massue. Vers 1850, la guerre à Niue fut largement abolie par les missionnaires chrétiens, et cette massue date donc vraisemblablement du début du XIXe siècle.

Figure okvik, Old Bering Sea I, île Saint-Laurent, Alaska, Eskimo Archaïque, 200 av. J.-C.-100 apr. J.-C. Ivoire de morse. H. : 13,5 cm. Provenance : collection Avrom Isaacs, Innuit Gallery, Toronto, Canada ; collection Bill and Carol Wolf, états-Unis. © Galerie Flak, photo D. Voirin

Du côté des marchands asiatiques, le programme sera tout aussi foisonnant. Quatre galeries, – Christophe Hioco, Éric Pouillot, Alexis Renard et Kapoor Galleries Inc., – uniront leurs talents rue de Seine afin de proposer une exposition en commun, mettant à l’honneur les arts d’Asie. Au hasard de leur promenade, amateurs et collectionneurs pourront s’émerveiller devant les somptueuses pièces de Max Rutherston Ltd, marchand spécialiste des arts du Japon et de Netsuke. Deux autres galeries spécialisées dans l’art du Japon feront d’ailleurs leur retour en 2016 : Gregg Baker Asian Art et Kitsune Gallery, ce qui confirme la qualité de Parcours des mondes dans cette spécialité. 

Offerings by Asian art dealers will be equally abundant. Four galleries—Christophe Hioco, Eric Pouillot, Alexis Renard, and Kapoor Galleries Inc.—will join forces on Rue de Seine to produce an important exhibition devoted to the arts of Asia. As they stroll through the streets of the fair, collectors and aficionados will want to stop and admire the sumptuous works offered by Max Rutherston Ltd, a dealer specialized in Japanese art and netsuke. Gregg Baker Asian Art and Kitsune Gallery, both specializing in Japanese art, will return to the show again this year. Their continued participation emphasizes Parcours des Mondes’ commitment to promoting the highest level of dealers in this field.  

Tête de bodhisattva, Gandhara, Afghanistan-Pakistan, IIIe-IVe siècle. Schiste. H. : 24 cm. Provenance : Christie’s, New York, 22 mars 2000, lot n°2 ; collection privée américaine. © Galerie Christophe Hioco, photo DR.

Dame de cour, dite « Fat Lady »à l’enfant, Dynastie des Tang, Chine, 618-907. Terre cuite à traces de pigments polychromes. H. : 56 cm © Galerie Eric Pouillot, photo Hervé Lewandowski.

Ding. Récipient tripode et son couvercle destinéà la cuisson des aliments. Forte oxydation de cuprite, malachite et azurite. Dynastie des Han Occidentaux, Chine, 206 av. J.-C.-8 apr. J.-C. Bronze. H. : 18 cm ; D. : 22 cm. Provenance : collection privée française. © Galerie Eric Pouillot, photo DR.

Matsya combattant Hayagriva, Inde, Kangra, Vers 1800. Pigments et or sur papier, 14 x 19,2 cm. Provenance : collection Servier, acquis auprès de la Galerie Joseph Soustiel à Paris avant 1983. Le dos de l’ancien cadre porte une étiquette mentionnant l’inscription « Art musulman Joseph Soustiel ». © Alexis Renard, photo Antoine Mercier.

Netsuke, par Nanmusai, Honshu, Japon, XIXe siècle. Bois. H. : 7,1 cm. Provenance : Baron Erwin von Franz, Autriche ; acquis au Japon quand il s’y trouvait comme observateur militaire officiel de la guerre russo-japonaise en 1904 ; léguéà ses filles Marie-Anne et Marie-Louise. © Max Rutherston Ltd

A comparer avec une variante en ivoire dans le legs de Raymond et Frances Bushell au Los Angeles County Museum, illustrée dans le catalogue de H. Goodall et al., p. 419, no 677. La description du catalogue suggère que plusieurs versions auraient été commandées à l'artiste par le célèbre acteur Onoe Kikugorō IV (1808-1860). A paru un ivoire de la collection Carlo Monzino, vendu par Sotheby's Londres, le 21 juin 1995, lot 29 ;, c'est le seul autre exemple connu, et peut-être unique en bois.

Suzuribako, Honshu, Japon, XVIIIe siècle. Laque, avec suzuri en ardoise et mizu-ire en cuivre, 25,2 x 23 x 5,4 cm © Max Rutherston Ltd.

Paravent en papier à deux plis, avec un ryū (dragon) dans les nuages, Japon, époque Meiji, vers 1900. Peint à l’encre sur un arrière-plan doré, 171 x 189 cm © Gregg Baker Asian Art. 

Paire de komainu (chiens gardiens), Japon, époque Muromachi-Momoyama, XVIe-XVIIe siècle. Bois et laque, 45 x 46 cm (chacun) © Gregg Baker Asian Art.

Izumi Sukeyuki (1838-1918), Okimono, ensemble de crapauds, Japon, époque Meiji, 1868-1912. Bois, patine et ambre (kohaku), 11 x 15 x 9 cm © Kitsune Japanese Art, photo Kitsune

L’ensemble représente une famille. La mère, que l’on reconnaît grâce à son enfant sur le dos, est signée du nom d’artiste de l’auteur « Gama Tei », tandis que le crapaud mâle est signé du vrai nom de l’auteur « Sukeyuki ». Les deux sculptures se transportent dans la boîte originale de l’artiste, appelée tomobako.

Hashi Ichi (1817-1882), Netsuke simulant un nœud de bambou, Tokyo, Japon, Milieu ou fin du XIXe siècle. Bois brun clair et noir laqué. H. : 4,5 cm. Provenance : collection Raymond Bushell ; collection Virginia G. Atchley. Publié dans Collectors’ Netsuke, Raymond Bushell, 2003, n° 153 ; The Virginia Atchley Collection of Japanese Miniature Arts, Virginia Atchley and Neil Davey, 2006, n° N261. © Kitsune Japanese Art, photo Kitsune.

Autre retour remarqué cette année, celui du jeune marchand, Charles-Wesley Hourdé, qui, après avoir fait bénéficier une maison de vente de ses connaissances et de son expérience, revient à sa passion première. D’autres galeries d’horizons très divers, comme L’Ibis - galerie spécialisée en archéologie - ou encore l’Aboriginal Signature - qui présente de l’art contemporain aborigène et rejoint ainsi son confrère Arts d’Australie • Stéphane Jacob -, font, quant à elles, leur entrée au Parcours des mondes 2016 et apporteront un souffle nouveau au salon. 

Statue féminine assise, par le maître dit « du nez aquilin », Bambara, région de Ségou, Mali. Fin du XIXe-début du XXe siècle. Bois polychrome. H. : 66 cm. Provenance : Pierre et Claude Vérité, Paris ; vente de la collection Vérité, Enchères Rive Gauche, Paris, 17-18 juin 2006, lot n° 26 ; Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, Paris ; collection privée. Exposée et publiée dans Les Arts Africains, P. Vérité, Cercle Volney, Paris, 1955, n° 47 (listée) ; La Sculpture en Afrique Noire-Principaux centres de style, Maisons des Arts et Loisirs, Sochaux, 1970, fig. 72 ; Sculptures de l’ancien Soudan, Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, 2008, p. 65. © Charles-Wesley Hourdé, photo Vincent Girier Dufournier.

Statuette, Bembé, R.D. Congo, XIXe siècle. Bois. H. : 23,5 cm. Provenance : Robert Lehuard ; Raoul Lehuard, Arnouville ; Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, Paris ; collection privée allemande. Publiée dans Arts d’Afrique Noire, n° 13, 1975, couverture ; « Les figures d’ancêtres chez les Babembé», B. Soderbergh, dans Arts d’Afrique noire, n° 14, 1975, p. 22 ; Art bakongo - Les Centres de style, R. Lehuard, 1989, p. 415 ; Arts d’Afrique Noire, n° 108, 1998, p. 55 ; Statuaire Babembé, R. Lehuard et A. Lecomte, Milan, 2010, p. 89. Exposée et publiée dans La voie des ancêtres, musée Dapper, Paris, 1986-1987, p. 21 ; Bembé, Fétiches médecine de la Vallée du Niari, Collection Robert et Raoul Lehuard, Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, Paris, 1998, p. 48-49. © Charles-Wesley Hourdé, photo Vincent Girier Dufournier.

Pectoral au Vautour, Egypte, Vers 663 av. J.-C. Or cloisonné, 1,5 x 3,9 cm. Provenance : collection européenne des années 1950. Exposéà L’Ibis Gallery Ltd., New York, 1980 ; Galerie Patrick Lancz, Bruxelles, 2015. © Galerie L’Ibis, photo Philippe de Formanoir

Parcours des mondes accueille toujours de nombreuses galeries étrangères ; l’édition 2016 ne fera pas exception et gardera cette ouverture sur le monde si caractéristique du salon. Cette année, Parcours des mondes recevra près de quatre-vingts galeries de renommée internationale, dont douze galeries américaines ou encore seize galeries belges. 

Parcours des Mondes always hosts an array of foreign galleries. 2016 will be no exception, and the show will continue to maintain its distinctly international flavor. Eighty-four galleries of worldwide renown, including twelve from the United States and sixteen from Belgium, will show at this 15th Parcours des Mondes.  

UNE PROGRAMMATION SINGULIÈRE

Pour fêter la 15e édition de Parcours des mondes, un accrochage rétrospectif organisé par Tribal Art magazine se tiendra à l’Espace Tribal. En œuvres et en images, celui-ci reviendra sur les temps forts de l’évolution de ce salon créé en 2001 et rapidement érigé en événement de référence dans le domaine de l’art tribal. Ce sera également l’occasion de rendre hommage à tous ceux qui ont contribué au rayonnement de Parcours des mondes : les marchands, et bien sûr aussi les collectionneurs.

A retrospective exhibition celebrating the 15th anniversary of Parcours des Mondes will be organized by Tribal Art magazine and shown at Espace Tribal. Featuring original artworks and photographs, it will trace the fair’s evolution and history, feature highlights since its inception in 2001, and examine how it quickly became the “central event” in the tribal art field. It is also an opportunity to honor those, both dealers and collectors, who have contributed to the growth and expansion of Parcours des Mondes over the years. 

En toute cohérence, le thème qui sera exploré dans le cadre du Café Tribal – rencontres matinales en présence de divers spécialistes et animées par Elena Martínez-Jacquet, rédactrice en chef de Tribal Art magazine – sera celui de la collection. Centrés sur la figure de collectionneurs incontournables, ces Cafés chercheront à cerner des sensibilités particulières ayant contribuéà construire une histoire de l’art tribal.

Aptly enough, the topic of “collecting” will be the focus of this year’s Café Tribal morning meetings with a variety of specialists, hosted and moderated by Elena Martinez-Jacquet, editor-in-chief of Tribal Art magazine. The focus will be on great collectors, and the discussions will center on understanding the particular sensibilities of those who shaped the history of tribal art in the Western world, elevating it to the fine art form it is understood to be today.

La programmation du salon, fourmillant d’initiatives, et la diversité de celui-ci attirent de nouveaux marchands et collectionneurs d’horizons différents. Ce dynamisme s’étend dans la ville et jusqu’aux institutions culturelles qui proposent chaque année une riche programmation et des événements en lien avec le Parcours.

The fair’s programming and the many and varied events it regularly sponsors attract new dealers and new collectors with wide-ranging interests. This dynamism also has a palpable effect on the city of Paris itself, which offers programs and events of its own in connection with Parcours. This year, one of those events will be a gala evening put on by the Musée Cernuschi as a benefit for the museum’s Society of Friends. 

Tout en conservant sa cohérence, ses qualités d’exigence et d’éclectisme qui ont forgé son identité, Parcours des mondes se développe pour proposer aux visiteurs de s’évader à la rencontre d’un panorama encore plus riche et plus vaste des arts qui fascinent et intriguent. Ces arts, chargés d’émotions, permettent de plonger dans l’imaginaire des peuples, tel le fil rouge que l’on déroule pour descendre dans le puits de l’inconscient collectif et dans le passé.

While maintaining the high standards and eclecticism that forged its identity, Parcours des Mondes continues to develop and evolve in such a way as to be able to offer its visitors the opportunity to discover an ever-broadening scope of fascinating art forms. These spiritually charged works provide a window into the imaginations of other peoples and allow insight into the shared overarching principles that in the past shaped the collective unconscious. 

Les objets rituels portent en eux à la fois le poids et l’évanescence des craintes les plus intimes, à l’origine de la condition humaine. La vie est tantôt donnée, tantôt ravie par la mort et ces deux états se complètent pour former un cycle que l’Homme, à travers l’Art, n’a eu de cesse d’interroger pour comprendre l’insaisissable. L’artefact, en tant que produit de l’Esprit humain, signe l’ambivalence des propositions qui s’offrent à nous : la peur de nous voir réduits à néant et l’espoir de notre permanence, au-delà de la disparition physique. 

Ritual objects carry within them both the weight and the evanescence of man’s most deep-seated fears that are at the root of the human condition. Life is both given and taken away, and man has unceasingly used art to question in his quest to understand this incomprehensible cycle. The artifact, as a product of the human spirit, is a sign of the ambivalence of the realities we face: the fear of seeing ourselves reduced to nothing and the hope we harbor to transcend our physical disappearance. 

Les œuvres montrées par Parcours des mondes témoignent pour beaucoup de questions universelles et atemporelles qui, parce qu’elles resteront éternellement sans réponses, promettent un attrait indéfectible pour les arts premiers et asiatiques.

Many of the tribal and Asian artworks included in Parcours des Mondes represent attempts to answer universal and timeless questions that, precisely because they never will be answered, make them all the more compelling due to their enduring and unchanging nature.

Lot 299. A 'Dehua' winepot, 17th-early 18th century. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

of globular form set to one side with a small, curved spout and raised on three bracket feet, the six faceted sides molded in high relief with shaped oval panels depicting scenes of scholars and attendants in various landscapes, surmounted by an upright handle, the hexagonal cover topped with a crouching lion-form finial (2) - Height 8 1/2  in., 21.6 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Provenance: Collection of P.J. Donnelly (d. 1978).

Exhibited: Courts and Colonies: The William and Mary Style in Holland, England, and America, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, 1988, cat. no. 205.
Blanc de Chine: Divine Images in Porcelain, China Institute Gallery, New York, 2002, cat. no. 20.

Note: A closely related example is illustrated in P.J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine, London, 1969, pl. 60A where the author states that a similar example in the collection of Queen Mary II, now at Hampton Court, was acquired prior to 1694, and that another was formerly in the collection of Augustus the Strong, now in the Dresden Porcelain Collection, no. 1, ibid. p. 121. An example with European gilt metal mounts was sold in these rooms 18th July 1980, lot 399.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 300. A pair of 'Dehua' cockerels, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

modeled in mirror image, each with one leg perched on a rockwork support, together with a 19th / 20th century figure of a cockerel (3) - Height of tallest 10 in., 25.4 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 301. A 'Dehua''European subject', figural group, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

a grimacing lion standing foursquare, supporting two European figures and a pup perched on the back braced by the raised tail, the rectangular rockwork base with two further pups clambering beside a European man presenting a large coin - Height 11 1/2  in., 29.2 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Provenance: Christie's London, 26th July 1976, lot 187.

Exhibited: Blanc de Chine: Divine Images in Porcelain, China Institute Gallery, New York, 2002, cat. no. 60.

Note: For a similar example see P.J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine, London, 1969, pl. 119A, which Donnelly presents as an example similar to a pair in the Van Cortlandt family collection of New York, inventoried in 1774, and possibly brought to the United States in 1638, ibid. p. 193.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 303. A 'Dehua' figure of Damo, Qing dynasty, 19th century. Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

seated with one leg raised, wearing long robes, the voluminous folds falling open revealing a bare chest, a heavy mala draped around the shoulders, the face with characteristic stern gaze beneath prominent bushy brows, covered in a thick glaze with a slight yellow tint, the reverse impressed with a square seal reading boji yuren - Height 9 7/8  in., 25.1 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Exhibited: Oriental Ceramic Society, London (according to label)..

Note: Compare a similar example bearing the same mark sold in these rooms 17th March 2015, lot 254.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

 Lot 304. A 'Dehua' figure of Guandi, 17th-18th century. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

the deity seated on a tiger-skin draped throne, wearing molded armor beneath a long capacious robe covering the hands and secured by an ornamented belt, the face with a stern countenance beneath a close-fitting official's cap - Height 9 3/4  in., 24.8 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Note: Compare a similar figure in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, illustrated in P.J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine, London, 1969, pl. 97A.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 305. A 'Dehua' figure of Guanyin and child, 17th-18th century. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

the seated bodhisattva holding a child, wearing long flowing robes open at the chest revealing a beaded necklace, the hair neatly parted and pulled back above the serene face, and falling in two knotted tresses onto the shoulders, all supported on a pierced rockwork base with a book on a pedestal at the side - Height 12 in., 30.5 cm

From the Collection of Richard Lehman Gray

Note: Compare a similar example in the Hickley Collection, illustrated in Rose Kerr and John Ayers, Blanc de Chine: Porcelain from Dehua, Chicago, 2002, pl. 8; and another illustrated in Robert H. Blumenfield, Blanc de Chine: The Great Porcelain of Dehua, Berkeley, 2002, pl. 65B..

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 263. A pink-ground famille-rose jardinière, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of quadrilobed form raised on four ruyi-form feet, the flaring sides rising to an everted lipped rim, the body brightly enameled with lotus sprays against a puce-pink ground, with a blue-enameled keyfret border at the rim, the interior enameled turquoise, wood stand (2)- Width 7 5/8  in., 19.4 cm

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 265. A rare yellow-ground 'yangcai''lotus' bowl, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's

the deep rounded sides rising from a short slightly tapered foot to an everted rim, brilliantly enameled around the exterior with a continuous lotus scroll with stylized blooms, all reserved on a vibrant lemon-yellow ground, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue Diameter 6 3/4  in., 17.1 cm

Provenance: Acquired in London in the 1960s.
Property of a Lady.
Christie's New York, 19th - 20th September 2013, lot 1392.

Notes: Yangcai painted pieces were among the most prized types of porcelain in the Qing court, as well as being the type most treasured and admired by the Qianlong emperor himself. The special position in his collection is demonstrated by how he had them placed in his largest private quarters, the Qianqinggong (Palace of Heavenly Purity), located in the Inner Court of the Forbidden City. The present bowl is extremely rare for its restrained lotus design and no other closely related example appears to have been published. A similar design, with the same black outlines and simplified lotus flower coupled with leafy scrolls, is found on a pair of yellow-ground dishes, sold at Christie’s London, 21st April 1986, lot 342.

At first glance the bowl appears familiar but upon closer inspection it is apparent that the famille-rose painted leafy lotus motif contrasts considerably from other yellow-ground bowls decorated with scrolling floral motifs. The more common bowl, such as one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 181, is enameled around the exterior with a vibrant frieze of exotic flowers painted in a European-inspired feathery style. Such bowls, further decorated with five iron-red bats in the interior, appear to have been made in large quantities as early as the second year of the Qianlong reign, as noted ibid, p. 205. Further examples of bowls of this Western-style type include a pair, from the Bahr collection, illustrated in Old Chinese Porcelain and Works of Art in China, London, 1911, pl. XCVI (left and right), and later sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 32, from the collection of Paul and Helen Bernat; another in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Hugh Moss, By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, pl. 6; and another, but with a blue enamel four-character reign mark of Qianlong, and of the period, sold twice in these rooms, 7th December 1983, lot 381, and again, 16th/17th September 2014, lot 171.

The yangcai palette owes its existence to the aesthetic taste of the Qianlong emperor, and to the achievement of Tang Ying, the Superintendent of the Imperial Kilns at Jingdezhen. As the meaning of the term yangcai or ‘Western colors’ suggests, its origins may be found in Western painting. The leafy scrolls and use of white display Western shading techniques to bring a greater degree of three-dimensionality to the overall composition. The colors are also noticeably more delicate and lighter in shade than the more conventional palette used at the time. The use of yellow for the ground is probably inspired by Beijing enameled wares first produced by Jesuit missionary artists working in the Qing court under the Kangxi emperor.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM

Lot 267. A gilt-decorated celadon-glazed tripod incense burner, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's

robustly potted with a compressed globular body sweeping up to a waisted neck and a galleried rim, the sides flanked by a pair of pierced, upright curved handles, all supported on three cabriole legs, the body finely gilt with two pairs of confronted dragons contesting a 'flaming pearl', amidst flames and ruyi-form clouds and framed by classic scroll, ruyi-head, keyfret and floret borders, all reserved on a pale celadon-green ground, the rim centered with a rectangular cartouche enclosing the carved six-character seal mark - Width 9 5/8  in., 24.4 cm

Provenance: Fiorentini Collection (according to label).

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM