Mirror decorated with phoenixes and flowers, Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), first half of the 12th century. Bronze. Diam. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm), Rogers Fund, 1922, 22.141.1© 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mirror decorated with phoenixes and flowers, Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392), first half of the 12th century
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Mirror decorated with figures in a landscape, Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
Mirror decorated with figures in a landscape, Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). Bronze. Diam. 7 in. (17.8 cm), Fletcher Fund, 1925, 25.219.4© 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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A blue and white ‘Dragon and Tiger’ jar, Shunzhi period, circa 1650-1660
Lot 3551. A blue and white ‘Dragon and Tiger’ jar, Shunzhi period, circa 1650-1660. Estimate $7,000 – $9,000. Price Realized $11,250. Photo Christie’s Image Ltd 2015
The jar is of compressed ovoid form with short neck and is decorated on one side with an animated tiger crouching on a flat rock. The reverse is decorated with a bold five-clawed dragon pursuing a flaming pearl, amidst vaporous clouds and waves The jar is mounted with a pair of metal bail handles. 7 ¼ in. (18.2 cm.) high, wood cover
Provenance: Spink & Son, Ltd., London, 1984.
Collection of Julia and John Curtis.
Notes: The combination of the long-tailed tiger and the scaly dragon emerging from clouds appears to have been a popular theme on a variety of porcelain shapes produced during the Transitional period. For an ovoid jar and cover with a dragon and similar tiger to the present example, see S. Marchant & Son, Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White – Wan Li to K’ang Hsi, 1980, no. 50. The two animals also appear, together with the kylin and phoenix, on a vase in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, illustrated by Michael Butler, Julia B. Curtis and Stephen Little in Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from an Unknown Reign, 1644-1661, Alexandria, VA, 2002, p. 99, no.7. Also see lot 3546 in this catalogue for a wucai beaker vase decorated with this theme and a discussion of its Daoist undertones.
CHRISTIE’S. AN ERA OF INSPIRATION: 17TH-CENTURY CHINESE PORCELAINS FROM THE COLLECTION OF JULIA AND JOHN CURTIS, 16 March 2015,New York, Rockefeller Plaza
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A blue and white deep dish, Early Kangxi period, circa 1665
Lot 3583. A blue and white deep dish, Early Kangxi period, circa 1665. Estimate $8,000 – $10,000. Price Realized $15,000. Photo Christie’s Image Ltd 2015
The well-potted dish is decorated in the interior with a scene of two ducks in a lotus pond with mountains in the distance. The base bears an apocryphal Chenghua mark encircled by the unglazed channeled foot. 11 in. (28 cm.) diam.
Provenance: Joseph M. Morpurgo, Amsterdam, 1984.
Collection of Julia and John Curtis.
Notes: The unglazed channeled foot on the present lot, as well as on lots 3580, 3581, 3589, and 3591 in this catalogue, appears to have been used by the potters at Jingdezhen for a short period of time around 1670, and disappears in the second half of the Kangxi period.
CHRISTIE’S. AN ERA OF INSPIRATION: 17TH-CENTURY CHINESE PORCELAINS FROM THE COLLECTION OF JULIA AND JOHN CURTIS, 16 March 2015,New York, Rockefeller Plaza
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A blue and white brush pot, Kangxi period (1662-1722)
Lot 3582. A blue and white brush pot, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate $8,000 – $12,000. Photo Christie’s Image Ltd 2015
The heavily potted, waisted brushpot is decorated with a continuous river landscape with jutting mountain formations and with a lone fisherman in a boat. The base is inscribed with an apocryphal Chenghua mark. 5 ¼ in. (13.3 cm) high
Provenance: Bluett & Sons, Ltd., London, 1983.
Collection of Julia and John Curtis.
CHRISTIE’S. AN ERA OF INSPIRATION: 17TH-CENTURY CHINESE PORCELAINS FROM THE COLLECTION OF JULIA AND JOHN CURTIS, 16 March 2015,New York, Rockefeller Plaza
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Francisco de Zurbarán, The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Lot 30. Francisco de Zurbarán (Fuente de Cantos, Bajadoz, 1598 – Madrid, 1664), The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, oil on canvas, 47 5/8 by 40 1/2 in.; 121 by 102.7 cm. Estimate 1,500,000 — 2,000,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.
Provenance: Most probably listed in a post-mortem inventory of the artist's belongings, dated 3 September 1664;
Most probably listed in a post-mortem valuation of the artist's belongings dated 11 August 1665;
Private collection, Southern France, by the 1950s;
Private collection, Paris;
From whom acquired by the present owner around thirty years ago.
Exhibited: Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), 29 January - 25 May 2014, no. 49;
Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Zurbarán, A New Perspective, 9 June - 13 September 2015, no. 63;
Düsseldorf, Museum Kunstpalast, Zurbarán, 10 October 2015 - 31 January 2016, no. 78.
Literature: O. Delenda, "Los Desposorios Místicos de Santa Catalina de Alejandría, Reaparición de un Lienzo de Temática inédita en la Obra de Zurbarán," in Archivo Español de Arte, vol. LXXXIV, no. 336, October-December 2011, pp. 379-394, reproduced;
O. Delenda, in Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), exhibition catalogue, Brussels 2014, pp. 190-191, cat. no. 49, reproduced;
O. Delenda, in Zurbarán, A New Perspective, exhibition catalogue, Madrid 2015, pp. 186-187, cat. no. 63, reproduced;
O. Delenda, in Zurbarán, exhibition catalogue, Düsseldorf 2015, p. 226, reproduced p. 227 and pp. 230-231 (detail);
I. Cano, "Los silencios del maestro," in Ars Magazine, no. 27, July-September 2015, p. 36, reproduced p. 35.
Note: This beautiful depiction of The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria has been dated by Odile Delenda to circa 1660-62, during the final phase of the artist’s career from 1658 until his death in 1664, when he resided in Madrid. The only known treatment of this subject by Zurbarán, it is a particularly fine example of his late Madrilenian style and reveals the artist’s response to the great Italian paintings he encountered in the collection of his patron Philip IV.
Zurbarán’s relocation from Seville to Madrid in 1658 is well documented and we know that he arrived in the city in late May of that year. This was his second sojourn there, preceded some 25 years earlier by a visit in 1634-35 when he played an important role in the decoration of the Salón de Reinos at the Buen Retiro, with a team of leading Spanish painters under the supervision of Philip IV’s favorite, the Conde-Duque de Olivares. The impetus for his second visit is not known, but seems certainly connected to his long friendship with the court painter Diego Velázquez. On 23 December 1658, Zurbarán testified favorably on behalf of Velázquez in the preliminary inquiry concerning his admission and knighthood in the Order of Santiago. By June of 1659 Zurbarán appears to have settled in Madrid permanently, and he and his wife are recorded as residing at calle de las Carretas, parish of Santa Cruz.1
As the only known work of this subject by Zurbarán, it is probably identifiable with the one listed in a post-mortem inventory of the artist’s belongings drawn up on 3 September 1664 by Don Roque Antonio de Palacio, clerk of the court, on behalf of the artist’s widow Doña Leonor de Tordera. Among the paintings remaining in the artist’s studio was: Otra nra Señora y el niño y Santa Catalino con marco (Another Our Lady with Child Jesus and Saint Catherine with frame).2 A second likely reference to the painting occurs in a valuation carried out by Don Luis Jimeno (recorded as a maître peintre) of the late artist’s works, drawn up on 11 August 1665 at the behest of his widow: Vn lienço de bara y quartta de Nuestra Señora y Santta Catalina con moldura en cien RS…V100 (A canvas "de bara y quartta" (an old measure approximately 1.2 m.) representing Our Lady with Saint Catherine with moulding some 100 by 100).3 If this is, indeed, the painting that remained in Zurbarán’s studio, it was probably not a commissioned work, but a painting of a popular and appealing subject that the artist had produced for direct sale.4
Of the some 35 surviving works from Zurbarán’s late Madrid period, over half are of Marian themes, and most are painted on a scale that indicates their function as private devotional images. As visible in the present Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine, the artist’s style is now characterized by a move away from the intense, dramatic lighting of his earlier work towards a softer and more diffused light. The stiffer, more geometric forms of his earlier figures and draperies have given way to a more naturalistic treatment. The Virgin and Saint Catherine are both portrayed as classically beautiful young women. According to legend, Catherine was of noble birth and Zurbarán has depicted her richly robed and wearing a sumptuous brown, brocaded cape. At lower left is her attribute, the broken spiked wheel. Before Saint Catherine's martyrdom, the Emperor Maxentius ordered her to be tortured with an instrument made up of four wheels studded with iron spikes. However, a thunderbolt from heaven destroyed it before she was harmed. The account of her “mystic marriage” is the most often depicted episode from her life. Following her conversion to Christianity she had a vision of the Virgin holding the Christ Child who reached out and placed a ring on her finger, thereby symbolizing her spiritual betrothal to God.
Delenda suggests that Zurbarán’s composition may have been influenced by certain engravings of the subject by the Wierix family (figs. 1 and 2).5 While retaining the position of the central figures, Zurbarán has excluded the celestial figures and any background elements. Interestingly, traces of a small crown can be seen on Catherine’s head as well as traces of a putto’s head in the upper background indicating that the artist may have originally considered including more elements in the overall design. Ultimately, Zurbarán pared down the composition giving it more visual clarity and power, and allowing the viewer to focus on the tender interaction between Catherine and the Christ Child.
Antonius II Wierex, The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, engraving, before 1604.
Antonius III Wierix, The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, in Vita S./ Catharinae virginis et martyris, suite of 20 engravings, Amberes, before 1624.
1. See M.L. Caturla and O. Delenda, Francisco de Zurbáran, Paris 1994, p. 320, Document nos. 183 and 185.
2. Ibid., p. 324, Document no. 203. The original inventory is in the Archivo Histórico de Protocolos, Madrid, Protocolo 10592, folios 451-2.
3. Ibid., p. 324, Document no. 205. The original inventory is in the Archivo Histórico de Protocolos, Madrid, Protocolo 10592, folios 453-5.
4. See O. Delenda, under Literature, 2011, p. 383.
5. Ibid., p. 384.
Sotheby's. Master Paintings & Sculpture Evening Sale, New York, 25 Jan 2017, 06:00 PM
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Dish, Vietnam, 14th century-15th century
Dish, flattened rim, low foot, underglaze iron chrysanthemum motif, scrolling at rim; Vietnam, 14th century-15th century; stoneware, clear/green glaze, 3.8 × 17.8 cm diameter. Presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria by Michael Abbott, Founder Benefactor, 1984 ; AS81-1984 © National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Bowl, Tonkin, Vietnam, 14th century-15th century
Bowl, sloping rim, raised foot, underglaze iron chrysanthemum in scroll circle motif; Tonkin, Vietnam, 14th century-15th century; stoneware, clear glaze, 7.3 × 16.0 cm diameter. Presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria by Michael Abbott, Founder Benefactor, 1984 ; AS77-1984 © National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Bowl, Tonkin, Vietnam, 14th century-15th century
Bowl, sloping rim, raised foot, underglaze iron chrysanthemum in scroll circle motif; Tonkin, Vietnam, 14th century-15th century; stoneware, clear glaze, 5.7 × 15.4 cm diameter. Presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria by Michael Abbott, Founder Benefactor, 1984; AS78-1984 © National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Pocket in the form of a fish, Qing dynasty, late 1800s
Pocket in the form of a fish, Qing dynasty, late 1800s. Appliqué and silk embroidery on silk, painted shading, length: 23 in, 58.42 cm; width: 3.5 in, 8.89 cm; depth: 1/4 in, 0.63 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin, 1977.417© Denver Art Museum
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Gourd-shaped pocket, Qing dynasty, late 1800s
Gourd-shaped pocket, Qing dynasty, late 1800s. Silk embroidery on silk;overall length: 21 in, 53.34 cm; length: 4 7/8 in, 12.38 cm; width: 3 1/4 in, 8.25 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin, 1977.409 © Denver Art Museum
The four yellow ruyi motifs mean "may your wishes come true in the four directions."
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Sliding box pocket, Qing dynasty, 1875-1899
Sliding box pocket, Qing dynasty, 1875-1899. Silk and metal thread embroidery on silk; length: 5 5/8 in, 14.29 cm; overall length: 17 in; width: 2 7/8 in, 7.30 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant and Betty Grant Austin, 1977.419 © Denver Art Museum
The two sides of this box have different exquisitely embroidered, highly detailed images. On a lavender-colored background, cranes, a pair of peacocks, and other birds appear amid flowers, a pine tree and a rock. The three rams and red sun on the opposite side represent wishes for a "new start with auspicious possibilities and chances for prosperity."
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Jan Fabre (né en 1958), Beekeeper II, 1998-1999
Jan Fabre (né en 1958), Beekeeper II, 1998-1999, sculpture composée de scarabées et coléoptères collés sur fil de fer, 200 x 84 x 81 cm. Adjugé : 419 510 €. Jeudi 15 décembre, Atelier Richelieu. Pierre Bergé& Associés OVV.
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Lê Phổ (1907-2001), Le Peigne blanc
Lê Phổ (1907-2001), Le Peigne blanc, encre et couleurs sur soie, 33,5 x 24 cm. Adjugé : 229 500 €. Vendredi 16 décembre, salle 4 - Drouot-Richelieu. Aguttes OVV.
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Probablement Maroc, milieu ou fin du Xe siècle de l’Hégire (XVIe siècle). Astrolabe en laiton
Probablement Maroc, milieu ou fin du Xe siècle de l’Hégire (XVIe siècle). Astrolabe en laiton, diam. 19,6 cm. Adjugé : 75 000 €. Mercredi 21 décembre, salle 6 - Drouot-Richelieu. Chayette & Cheval OVV. M. Turner.
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Attribuéà Gil de Siloé (1440-vers 1501), Castille, vers 1500. Sainte Cécile en albâtre sculpté en ronde bosse
Attribuéà Gil de Siloé (1440-vers 1501), Castille, vers 1500. Sainte Cécile en albâtre sculpté en ronde bosse, h. 49 cm. Adjugé : 2 875 000 €. Lundi 12 décembre, salle 2 - Drouot-Richelieu. Daguerre OVV. Mme Fligny.
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François Boucher (1703-1770), Étude de nu, esquisse pour «Sylvie délivrée par Aminte», vers 1755
François Boucher (1703-1770), Étude de nu, esquisse pour «Sylvie délivrée par Aminte», vers 1755, crayon noir et rehauts de craie blanche, 27 x 40,5 cm. Adjugé : 20 000 €. Mercredi 21 décembre, salle 5 - Drouot-Richelieu. Eve OVV. MM. de Bayser.
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Charles Cressent (1685-1768), époque Régence, commode à portes
Charles Cressent (1685-1768), époque Régence, commode à portes de forme galbée en placage de satiné et d’amarante, ornementation de bronzes ciselés et redorés, 91,5 x 148 x 66 cm. Adjugé : 151 620 €. Mercredi 14 décembre, salle 5-6 - Drouot-Richelieu. Pierre Bergé& Associés OVV. Mme de La Chevardière.
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Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530), recto : Étude de tête d’homme; verso : Étude d’œil
Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530), recto : Étude de tête d’homme, pierre noire et sanguine ; verso : Étude d’œil, sanguine, 23 x 18 cm. Annoté au verso à la plume «n° 381» et au crayon «Andrea del Sarto». Adjugé : 3 936 000 €. Pau, samedi 17 décembre. Gestas & Carrère OVV. Cabinet de Bayser.
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Wolfgang Heimbach (vers 1605/1613-1678), Lavandières à Christiania (Copenhague)
Wolfgang Heimbach (vers 1605/1613-1678), Lavandières à Christiania (Copenhague), huile sur toile, 67,5 x 87,5 cm. Adjugé : 75 020 €. Saint-Valery-en Caux, dimanche 1er janvier. Roquigny OVV. Cabinet Turquin.
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