Lot 1. A German baroque vermeil tankard, Augsburg, c. 1696-98. Estimate €7000. Photo Nagel

Augsburg hallmark, silver proof, maker's mark of Paul Solanier. At the front a later engraved monogram "BB". C. 567g. Minor wear. H. 16 cm

Provenance: From a Franconian collection. 

Literature: Seling, Augsburger Goldschmiede, vol. III, no. 155/156, 1669. Form and decoration equal to another lid-blower Paul Solaniers, depicted in Seling, vol. II, no. 430.

Nagel. Sale 744, 22^nd February 2017

Lot 2. A rare Baroque Chestcross, probably Spain, late 17th century. Estimate €8000. Photo Nagel

14ct yellow gold and gilt silver, set with 6 rectangular cut emeralds, 6 carré cut amethysts and 32 rose-cut diamonds. C. 59,8g.

Provenance: Private property, Switzerland. Collection of Alferd Rütschi, Zurich (1868-1929), Collection of Jürg Stuker, Bern/Gerzensee (1914-1988). Personal gift of Jürg Stuker to the present owner.

Rütschi's large and important collection of valuable silver- and goldsmith creations was exposed already during his lifetime in Zurich.

Lit.ref. Otto v. Falke, Alte Goldschmiedewerke im Zürcher Kunsthaus, Zürich 1928 - The cross at hand is described under catalogue no. 797. Smaller parts of Rütschi' collection were auctioned at Galerie Fischer/Lucerne in 1931. In 1954 Jürg Stuker presented in his own auction gallery in Berne the Rütschi collection. Lit.ref. Sammlung A. Rütschi aus dem Kunsthaus Zürich (Landolt-Haus), Galerie Jürg Stuker, Bern. Auction catalogue, 26./27. November 1954, Lot 346, Taf. 20.

Nagel. Sale 744, 22^nd February 2017

Lot 8. A big French Chinoiserie pattern octogonal shaped faience tray (table tray), Rouen, 1st half of 18th century. Estimate €4000. Photo Nagel

Painted "à grand feu" with music making Chinese people in a traditional painted East Asian landscape with architecture, floral and insect pattern on the rim. Some scratches and minor chips or hairline cracks. Old inventory labels at the bottom.

Provenance: From a Badois private collection. Formerly Collection Tumin, Paris, sold Drouot, sale 11. June 1936, Lot 47.

Exposed in 1932 "Rétrospective de la Faience francaise", Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

Nagel. Sale 744, 22^nd February 2017

Lot 79. A pair of Cartier sapphire and diamond ear clips, Paris, 1930s. Estimate €6000. Photo Nagel

Platinum. Set with two cabouchon cut sapphires (c. 5/5,6 ct.) and 60 diamonds (tog.c. 3,2 ct.). French standard mark, signed "Monture Cartier" and unreadale numerals. L. 2,5 cm

Provenance: Bavarian private collection, acquired at Ledebur Antiques, Munich in 1990, DM 36.800.-

Nagel. Sale 744, 22^nd February 2017

Lot 80. An Art-Déco Cartier brooch, London, c. 1925-30. Estimate €1500. Photo Nagel

18ct. white gold. Set with emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. Signed "Cartier London". L. 3,4 cm

Provenance: German private property, acquired at Ledebur Antiques, Munich in 1979.

Nagel. Sale 744, 22^nd February 2017

Lot 122. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina. Estimation : 1 300 000 € / 1 600 000 €. Photos: Copyright Cymon Taylor 

Titre de circulation italien - Châssis n° 2139 GT - Moteur n° 1893GT - Carrosserie Pinin Farina n° 29793 

- Restauration de très haut niveau chez Bacchelli e Villa 
- Rare teinte "Grigio Fumo" d'origine 
- Modèle rare et extrêmement séduisant 
- Méticuleusement entretenu 
- Provenant d'une importante collection milanaise  

Chez Ferrari, la famille des "250" occupe une place à part, car elle a très largement contribuéà faire du constructeur ce qu'il est aujourd'hui, réussissant à le faire passer du statut de marque confidentielle produisant des automobiles sur commande, à celui de constructeur de voitures de sport fabriquées en série. Cette gamme s'appuie sur un moteur conçu par Gioacchino Colombo, un V12 de 3 litres puissant, souple et adaptable aussi bien à un usage touristique qu'à la compétition. La première 250 est dévoilée en 1952 sous une forme plutôt sportive, bientôt suivie des 250 Ellena et 250 GT Europa. Confortables et bien équipés pour les voyages, capables d'atteindre 240 km/h grâce à leurs 240 ch, ces modèles séduisent une clientèle plus large. Ce développement se confirme avec l'arrivée en 1957 du cabriolet 250 GT PF, les deux dernières lettres correspondant à Pinin Farina (encore écrit en deux mots), à qui est confié le dessin et la fabrication de la carrosserie. C'est ce même Pinin Farina qui assure aussi la réalisation du coupé 250 GT PF présenté en 1958 et qui va faire définitivement passer Ferrari du stade artisanal à celui de la fabrication en série. Au Salon de Paris 1959, Ferrari présente le cabriolet 250 GT deuxième série, qui adopte sa forme définitive. A l'attrait de sa mécanique d'exception, cette voiture ajoute le plaisir de la conduite décontractée, capote baissé. Ce cabriolet fait partie des modèles les plus "glamour" des années 1960, voire de l'histoire de l'automobile. Dans le domaine sportif, le succès des 250 va culminer avec les 250 GT Tour de France, puis la célébrissime 250 GTO suivie de la 250 LM, cette dernière préparant les générations suivantes avec sa configuration à moteur central. Basées autour du même moteur, ces voitures vont participer à bâtir la réputation inégalée de Ferrari. 

D'après les informations dont nous disposons et qui ont été fournies par Marcel Massini, spécialiste de la marque, cette voiture a été livrée neuve en septembre 1960 à M. Alberto di Tanna, à Rome. Elle était équipée d'un châssis type 508 F, d'un moteur type 128 F et ses teintes d'origine étaient "Grigio Fumo MM 16672", avec une sellerie "Nero VM 8500". Il s'agit du 93e exemplaire de 200 voitures produites de ce modèle.  

Par la suite, ce beau cabriolet a été exporté aux États-Unis, et a été acheté en février 1978 à un certain Michael Kraushaar, de Grand Rapid (Michigan), par M. Aldo Macioce, de Brighton (Massachussetts). La voiture était alors de teinte rouge, et le dossier comporte une copie du titre de circulation de cette époque.  

L'actuel propriétaire, qui recherchait depuis longtemps un cabriolet de ce type, en a fait l'acquisition en mars 1990 auprès de M. Macioce et l'a fait revenir en Italie. Très exigeant sur la qualité, ce collectionneur italien va attendre plusieurs années avant de se lancer dans la restauration de son automobile. Il commence par chercher un moteur V12 en bon état, qu'il finira par trouver sous la forme de celui qui équipe aujourd'hui la voiture, n°1893GT. Enfin, au début des années 2000, il la confie aux meilleurs artisans pour une remise en état complète. Carrozzeria Auto Sport plus connu sous le nom de Bacchelli e Villa, un des ateliers italiens les plus réputés en la matière, est chargé de la carrosserie, qui retrouve son élégante teinte "Grigio Fumo". Les cuirs sont achetés directement auprès des établissements Connolly et la sellerie est entièrement refaite dans une attrayante couleur beige clair. De son côté, le moteur est complètement restauré par le mécanicien du propriétaire, employéà plein temps pour entretenir la collection. Le résultat est superbe à tous points de vue, rien n'ayant été laissé au hasard. La carrosserie est impeccable et présente des ajustements de panneaux sans défaut et, à l'intérieur, le tableau de bord en partie sur tôle peinte présente de magnifiques instruments dont les entourages brillent comme au premier jour. La voiture est accompagnée d'une trousse à outils comportant un marteau spécial en cuivre pour le démontage des papillons de roues à rayons.  

Depuis 2008, date à laquelle ces travaux ont été achevés, cette voiture n'a été utilisée qu'avec parcimonie, pour des balades aux beaux jours sur les rives du lac de Côme. Elle apportera à son prochain propriétaire le plaisir inégalé d'un V12 de grande classe associéà une carrosserie décapotable d'une rare élégance. Une combinaison rare, dont il faut savoir profiter. 

Italian title - Chassis n° 2139 GT - Engine n° 1893GT - Pinin Farina body n° 29793 

- High standard of restoration by Bacchelli e Villa 
- Unusual original colour "Grigio Fumo" 
- Rare and highly attractive model 
- Meticulously maintained 
- Coming from an important Milanese collection 

The " 250 " family occupies a special place at Ferrari, having played an important role in making the constructor what it is today, turning the business from a small-scale marque building cars to order into a manufacturer of sports car produced in series. The 250 range was based on a powerful 3-litre V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo, adaptable enough to use on the road or the track. The first 250 was unveiled in 1952, in a rather sporty guise, and was soon followed by the 250 Ellena and the 250 GT Europa. Comfortable and well equipped for long journeys, its 240 bhp capable of 240 km/h, these models appealed to a wide clientele. This development was confirmed, in 1958, by the arrival of the 250 GT PF coupé, the last two letters corresponding to Pinin Farina, (still written as two separate words), who designed and built the body. Pinin Farina was also responsible for the creation of the 250 GT PF coupé presented in 1958 which saw Ferrari pass once and for all from the status of an artisan to that of a car manufacturer. At the 1959 Paris Motor Show, Ferrari presented the cabriolet 250 GT Series II in what would be its definitive form. The appeal of its sophisticated engineering was enhanced by the relaxed pleasure of driving with the hood down. The cabriolet was one of the most glamorous models of the 1960s - if not in the history of the automobile. In the sporting domaine, the success story of the 250 would culminate with the 250 GT Tour de France, the celebrated 250 GTO and the 250 LM, the latter paving the way for the future generation with its mid-engined set-up. Based on the same engine, these cars helped to establish the unrivalled reputation of Ferrari. 

According to information provided by marque specialist Marcel Massini, this car was delivered new in September 1960 to Alberto di Tanna, in Rome. It was equipped with a type 508 F chassis, a type 128 F engine, and was liveried in "Grigio Fumo MM 16672", with "Nero VM 8500" upholstery. It was the 93rd of 200 examples of this model produced. 
This stunning cabriolet was subsequently exported to the US and sold in February 1978 by a certain Michael Kraushaar, of Grand Rapid, Michigan, to Aldo Macioce, of Brighton, Massachussetts. The car was then red, and the file has a copy of the registration document from this period. 
The current owner, who had been looking for this type of cabriolet for a long time, bought it from Macioce in March 1990 and brought it back to Italy. Very particular about quality, it was several years before our Italian collector was ready to carry out a full restoration of the car. He began by searching for a V12 engine in good condition, eventually finding n°1893GT, which remains in the car today. Finally at the start of the 2000s, he took it to the best craftsmen to be comprehensively restored. The renowned Carrozzeria Auto Sport, better known as Bacchelli e Villa, were put in charge of the body, which was returned to its elegant shade of "Grigio Fumo". The leather was bought directly from Connolly and the upholstery re-done in an attractive light beige colour. The owner's mechanic, employed full-time to look after his collection, rebuilt the engine. With nothing left to chance, the final result is superb. The coachwork is immaculate and all panels line up perfectly. Inside, the part-painted metal dashboard displays an array of magnificent instruments with chrome that shines like new. The car has a toolkit that includes the special copper hammer for the spinners on the wire wheels. 
Since 2008, when the work was completed, the car has only been used occasionally, for trips along the banks of Lake Como on sunny days. It will provide its new owner with the unbeatable thrill of a high class V12 engine in a convertible car of great beauty. A rare combination providing an opportunity not to be missed. 

Rétromobile 2017 by Artcurial Motorcars chez Artcurial,75015 Paris, le 10 Février 2017 à 14h00 

Lot 29. 1936 Delahaye 135 châssis court compétition cabriolet Figoni Falaschi. Estimation : 1 200 000 € / 1 800 000 €. 

Carte grise française - Chassis n° 46837 - Caisse Figoni n° 572 - Moteur n° 46837

- Veritable Châssis court 135 Competition 
- Une des plus belles réalisations de Figoni et Falaschi 
- Historique suivi et connu 
- Un des Chefs d'Œuvre de l'Automobile  

- Cette voiture est un des six coupés réalisés sur châssis court Delahaye Type 135-20cv, par Figoni en 1936. Ces coupés très particuliers seront établis sur des châssis court de 2,70m d'empattement, châssis hors catalogue et réservés, comme les modèles 135 S de course à des clients et pilotes aguerris. Ils seront motorisés soit par le 6 cylindres de 3,2 litres (18cv) alimentés par trois carburateurs répondant à l'appellation spécifique " Coupe des Alpes ", soit par le 6 cylindres de 3.5 litres (20cv) répondant dans ce cas à l'appellation spécifique " Compétition ". Le coupé châssis 46837 date d'avril 1936, d'origine est animé par un moteur de 20cv, il se doit donc de porter l'appellation 135 Compétition. 

Liste des 6 coupés Figoni sur chassis Delahaye 135 de 1936 

1-Caisse 532 
La première voiture construite est celle livrée à Mr Jeancart. Elle porte le numéro de châssis 46576. Son style assez flamboyant est différent de celui de cinq autres coupés construits en 1936. La voiture est immatriculée à Paris vers janvier 1936 sous le numéro 4505 RK 1. Elle participe à des concours d'Elégance sur la Côte d'Azur avant guerre. Elle a survécu et se trouve dans une collection aux USA . 

2-Caisse 533 
Cette seconde voiture est réalisée pour le Dr Robert Firminhac à Paris. Son épouse engage la voiture dans plusieurs concours d'Elégance en 1936. Le numéro de châssis suit immédiatement celui de Jeancart Châssis 46577. Le véhicule est immatriculéà Paris vers janvier 1936 , sous le numéro 5475 RK 1. Cette voiture n'existe plus. 

3-Caisse 572 - La voiture présentée 
Cette voiture est décrite dans le registre Figoni comme : " Faux cabriolet 3 places (2 pl.av et 1 en travers, derrière les dossier) ". Le numéro de châssis n'est pas indiqué mais le véhicule est immatriculéà Paris en février 1936 sous le numéro 3439 RK 3. Grace aux registres de Police nous savons que ce numéro d'immatriculation correspond au châssis 46837. Le client est un certain BIBAL, habitant Paris ou le département de la Seine. La voiture de Bibal est néanmoins la seule indiquée comme " 3 places dont une en travers ". 

4-Caisse 556 
Cette voiture est décrite dans le registre Figoni " Faux-Cabriolet Perrot ". Le numéro de châssis n'est pas indiqué , mais il s'agit de 46839. L'immatriculation est fournie par Figoni, et vérifiée sur les photos : Plaque 7227 RK 4 vers avril 1936.Au nom du pliote Albert Perrot. Elle ne possède pas de toit ouvrant ,et pas de charnières de porte extérieure. 

5-Caisse 571 
Cette voiture est décrite dans le registre Figoni comme " Faux-cabriolet .Caisse rouge. Moulure et roues :blanches .Client Bedel. " Il n'y a pas mention d'un numéro de châssis ni d'une immatriculation. Un certain " Bedel-Paris " a déjà pris livraison chez Figoni, d'un " Cabriolet décapotable sur châssis Delahaye, sorti de carrosserie le 11.12 1935. Ceci semble nous confirmer que Bedel habite bien Paris, et pourrait être un professionnel de l'automobile pour commander deux Delahaye à Figoni en quatre mois. Il existe en 1936 un " Garage L. Bedel ,9 Boulevard Garibaldi. Paris 15em. " et en 1939 : " Bedel Garage, 54 Avenue Bosquet. Paris 7em. " Cette voiture est la dernière de la série des trois coupés Figoni presque identiques, car la suivante 47242 est très differente. 

6-Caisse 609 
Le numéro de châssis 47242 est indiqué dans le registre Figoni. Ni le nom du client ni l'immatriculation, ne sont indiqués. Le véhicule est décrit " Coach 2 portes, peinture gris horizon et bleu torpilleur. " Cette voiture possède un capot avec une seule grande rangée d'ouies et les phares sont intégrés. Sa carrosserie est en tôle, tandis que les caisses de 46837 et 46839 sont en aluminium. Elle se trouve aujourd'hui dans une collection aux USA. 

Les Coupés Delahaye Figoni châssis courts en course 
Trois pilotes Delahaye ont engagés des coupés Figoni châssis court en course. Il est quasi certain que le Coupé de Tremoulet en 1936 soit celui de A.Bith en 1948, c.a.d. 46837, la voiture présentée. Le Coupé de Perrot en 1936, châssis 46839, ressemble fort à celui de Chaboud en 1938-1939. Lorsque 46839 fut retrouvé en épave par Tainguy, les trous sur les arêtes des ailes avant pour les joncs chromés étaient encore visibles, comme sur le coupé de Chaboud au Paris-Nice. Ces détails n'apparaissent pas sur la photo de 46837 à Montlhéry en 1948. Cette dernière ne semble donc pas être le coupé de Chaboud, mais ressemble fort à celui de Tremoulet. Les deux pilotes étaient propriétaires d'un garage à Paris de 1936 à 1938. " Chaboud -Tremoulet.voit.auto.22bis Boulevard Saint Marcel. Paris 5em. " Ce garage est aussi connu sous le nom " Grand Garage d'Austerlitz ". Si le coupé de Tremoulet est bien 46837 livréà Bibal, nous ne savons pas pourquoi Tremoulet ne l'acquiert pas à son nom directement. Peut-être le rachète t-il à Bibal fin mai 1936, car la voiture est réimmatriculée à Paris le 23 mai 1936, alors qu'elle est mise sur la route en février. 

LE COUPE DELAHAYE FIGONI CHASSIS 46837 - Caisse 572 

Il s'agit de la caisse 572 faite pour Bibal, en même temps que la caisse 556 réalisée pour Perrot, les deux numéros de châssis, 46839 et 46837, étant très proches, comme l'étaient 46576 (caisse 532) et 46577 (caisse 533). 

Bibal -Tremoulet 1936 
La seule participation certaine de Tremoulet au volant du coupé est au " Grand Prix International des Indépendants.Coupe d'Automne à Montlhéry ", le 20 septembre 1936. Jean Tremoulet pilote la voiture numéro 28. L'A.G.A.C.I organise cette journée comprennant plusieurs courses réservées aux coureurs indépendants propriétaires de leurs voitures. L'une des trois courses est réservée aux voitures de sport. Les Delahaye 135s de Joseph Paul, de Louis Villeneuve, de Danniell et de Chaboud sont en carrosserie Course Le Mans, celle de Tremoulet est le seul coupé. Le départ est donnéà 13h30 sous la pluie. Joseph Paul mène de bout en bout.Tremoulet abandonne pour une raison inconnue. La seule photo du coupé de Tremoulet en virage sous la pluie, est parue dans la revue de l'A.G.A.C.I en septembre 1936. Ce mauvais cliché ne permet pas de lire une immatriculation. La voiture est presque neuve. Nous distinguons bien la moulure claire sur fond sombre. Le coupé d'André Bith, au départ d'une course sur ce même circuit en 1948, lui ressemble beaucoup. Après sa course de Montlhéry en septembre 1936, Tremoulet ne se montre plus au volant du coupé Delahaye. Le 23 septembre 1938, il aurait pris le départ de la course de cote de Lapize, près de Montlhéry, au volant d'une Delahaye, numéro 123. Cet engagement n'est pas vérifié et il peut s'agir d'une 135S de course. Le coupé 46837 est déjà revendu au Printemps 1938. 

Le Dr Jean-Marie Lefevre et le coupé Delahaye 1938-1946 
Lorsque Roger Tainguy achète 46837, il découvre une plaque de propriétaire gravée au nom de " Dr J-M LEFEVRE Vigne aux Bois (Ardennes)" Fort de cet élement précieux, Roger Tainguy retrouve le fils du médecin ardennais. Dans les archives familiales figure une photo du coupé Delahaye 46837. Le cliché montre le coupé de Tremoulet à Montlhéry en 1936. La plaque d'immatriculation laisse lire 7109 AV 2, numéro issu le 28 avril 1938, au nom de Jean-Marie Lefevre, médecin à Vrigne aux Bois. Dans les souvenirs familiaux, le Dr Lefevre utilisait son coupé Delahaye pour faire ses visites de médecin de campagne, à une vitesse qui permettait de parer aux urgences ! Jean-Marie Lefevre s'installe médecin de campagne à Vrigne aux Bois, et son frère Robert à Monthermé au nord du département. Le premier achète neuve en février une première Delahaye 135 18cv puis en avril 1938 il acquiert le coupé 46837. Son frère, lui, achète un roadster Delahaye 135 châssis court Figoni Géo Ham ! Les deux frères sont amis avec le coureur local, Raymond Sommer et son coéquipier au Mans, Tazio Nuvolari. Le grand jeu consiste entre les pilotes, en une course de ville à ville avec départ place des Vosges à Paris et arrivée place Ducale à Charleville. Autre plaisir automobile prisé par J-M Lefevre : se rendre avec la Delahaye coupé sur le circuit de Monza après une étape à Venise au Danieli. Lorsque survient la guerre, la voiture est cachée chez un paysan dans l'Allier. Elle passera cinq ans dans une grange, sous la paille. A l'été 1945, J-M Lefevre et son fils de six ans,viennent la rechercher. La belle endormie démarre au quart de tour. Ce souvenir incroyable pour un enfant reste marqué dans la mémoire de celui-ci jusqu'à aujourd'hui. Malheureusement après une centaine de kilometres, une pièce d'embrayage casse. Elle est changée par un garagiste local qui, par chance, possède la rechange. La Delahaye est vendue pendant l'hiver 1945-1946. 

Le coupé/cabriolet propriété d'André Bith de 1946 à 1959 
Le 18 avril 1948, André Bith s'aligne au départ d'une course à Montlhéry, au volant du coupé Delahaye 46837. Dans le magazine l'Action automobile et Touristique de Mai 1948, un petit entrefilet présente cette épreuve : " A Montlhéry le 18 avril, s'est déroulée la course nationale Sport, organisée par l'A.C.I.F avec le concours de l'U.S.A, sous le patronage de l'Action Automobile. Indépendamment du succès sportif et populaire qu'obtint cette réunion, il est bon de souligner qu'elle permit à quelques aspirants champions de se manifester et de se mettre en évidence….. " André Bith est parti en tête lors de sa série. Il a l'habitude des départs canon, mais ne finit pas toujours. Il connait bien la piste de Montlhéry car, dès 1936, il mangeait du pneu au volant de son roadster Bugatti Type 44 puis en pilotant son Type 35 de 1925. André Bith est un fou de voitures. Il en possédera plus de 50 de 1928 à 1991. Néà Paris le 21 avril 1910, fils du médecin chef de la préfecture de Police de Paris, et héritier d'une famille qui possède les terrains sur lesquels André Citroen a bâti ses usines, le jeune André a toujours considéré la vie comme tournée exclusivement vers les plaisirs, et celui de l'automobile en particulier. Dans la liste manuscrite de ses automobiles, qu'il a bien voulu préparer à notre intention il y a plusieurs années, figure en bonne place son Coupé Delahaye 46837. La voiture est ainsi décrite : " 1946 Delahaye 135MS Roadster 2 places 20 cv Figoni Falaschi " Lors d'une conversation avec André Bith peu de temps avant son décès, celui-ci nous a confié les précieuses informations suivantes sur son Coupé/Cabriolet Figoni Delahaye : 
"J'eue 3 Delahaye, la première achetée fin 1938 était un cabriolet Chapron 2 places châssis long , un carburateur, noire capote noire. Cette voiture a été prise par les allemands en 1940. Fin 1944, j'achète un cabriolet 4 places Chapron, découvrable en Milord. Elle était de couleur blanche. Elle est revendue vers 1946. Enfin, en 1946, je fais l'acquisition d'un Coupé Delahaye châssis court par Figoni. La voiture était équipée de deux carburateurs. Je lui ai mis un moteur de 3,8 litres, et des amortisseurs De ram pour courir à Montlhéry en 1948. Je l'ai achetée à un gars qui était médecin Place des Invalides et possédait une discothèque. La voiture avait souffert du froid de l'hiver. Il fallut donc changer le moteur. Un moteur compétition à 2 carbus fut installé. Vers mai 1948, ma petite amie de l'époque me réclame un cabriolet pour nos escapades à Deauville. Je porte la voiture chez un carrossier de Levallois, qui la modifie en respectant les lignes directrices arrières de Figoni. A la place de la 3ème place arrière vient se loger la capote, recouvert de son couvre-capote dur. Ce cabriolet fut peint en noir. La voiture était assez haute. Elle marchait bien. Je n'ai pas pu l'utiliser longtemps car des problèmes personnels m'ont fait m'exiler en Amérique du Sud en 1949 " 
Pendant sa période mexicaine, André Bith utilise deux coupés Mercury puis deux Buick. 
Pendant ce temps là, le cabriolet Delahaye 46837 dort sagement dans une des dépendances du château familial de Chaumont dans l'Yonne, ancienne résidence des princes de Condé. Cette immense bâtisse de 60 pièces possède une remise chauffée. La Delahaye va y attendre le retour de son propriétaire fin 1957. Quelque temps plus tard, il se rend au château rechercher la voiture avec son ami Henri Salvador. Ce dernier lui conseille de la revendre. Fin 1959, le véhicule est cédéà un marchand de voitures à la Porte de Paris. Le responsable possède une affaire de voitures Place Champerret, sorte de marché de l'occasion en plein air. Henri Salvador y avait déjà acheté là-bas une Cadillac. L'affaire est conclue pour 30 000 anciens francs. Celui-ci se souvient du nom du propriétaire qui lui a succédé : un certain De Nègre. Il habitait avenue de Wagram, et aurait payé l'auto 150.000 anciens francs. Il aurait mis la voiture chez Chapron pour réaliser une capote. 

Informations extraites du Registre de Police de Paris 1959 

La voiture portait auparavant le numéro 6291 RP, issu dans le département de la Seine en 1946. La voiture est décrite : " Delahaye Type 135M décapotable 3 places 20cv. ". La date de réimmatriculation par André Bith est le 25 novembre 1959. La nouvelle plaque dans la série 75 est le 5874 JJ 75. Elle est postérieure de deux ans à son retour en France. Cette inscription dans le département de la Seine, sous la nouvelle série, est peut-être motivée par une nécessité avant sa revente officielle. En tous cas la revente par Bith au marchand de la Porte Champerret, doit se situer juste après cette date. 
Le 24 février 1960, le véhicule est cédéà Henri de Nègre, 50 Avenue de Wagram, Paris. Ce grand amateur de voitures est né le 23 décembre 1905 à Etrechet, dans l'Indre. Le Baron Henri-Robert de Nègre du Clat est le fils du Baron Charles du Clat. Le jeune Henri-Robert est connu sous le nom de Robert de Nègre. Sa deuxième épouse, décédée en 1997 à l'âge de 92 ans, Mme Françoise de Nègre, a bien voulu nous confier quelques souvenirs sur son mari, et la seule photo connue de 46837 en cabriolet. 
" Il se faisait appeler Robert. Il était veuf de sa première femme, Alice Peronnet. Il habitait un immeuble au 50 Avenue de Wagram qui appartenait à sa belle famille. Cette construction Haussmanienne disposait d'une petite cour intérieure, mais il n'y avait pas de garage pour les Delahaye, qui couchaient dehors. Lorsqu'il se marie en juillet 1966, les voitures ont été vendues. Robert de Nègre était un personnage très drôle, il avait une mémoire fabuleuse, mais ne lisait jamais. Cet être original et intelligent pouvait envouter ou déplaire dès la première rencontre. Il était sportif, passionné d'aviation. La profession orientée vers l'immobilier n'est pas au beau fixe en 1966, le marché est au calme plat. " 
 Cela peut être une raison pour la revente des Delahaye. Robert de Nègre posséda en effet trois Delahaye exceptionnelles : L'ancienne voiture de course de Chaboud, châssis 47192, possédée brièvement en octobre 1958. Le Coupé vert olive métallisé, ex voiture de course châssis 46625, acquis en avril 1958 et revendu en octobre 1966. Et le cabriolet Figoni, ex Coupé châssis 46837, de février 1960 à janvier 1966. Il eut aussi d'autres Delahaye. 
Robert de Nègre va conserver son cabriolet 46837 pendant six ans. La proximité du mariage et la mauvaise conjoncture de l'immobilier, lui font se séparer des deux Delahaye parmi les plus rares : Le cabriolet Figoni 46837 est cédé en janvier 1966 et le coupé Guilloré 46625 en octobre. C'est le 28 janvier 1966 qu'un dénommé Landis, dessinateur, domicilié 14 Avenue de la Rivière au Plessis Trévise, se porte acquéreur de 46837. La voiture conserve sa plaque parisienne de 1959, 5874 JJ 75. 
A la fin des années 1980, Roger Tainguy, grand collectionneur de Delahaye, achète la voiture à Landis. Ce dernier s'était servi de l'auto avant de commencer une restauration qui n'avait pas aboutie. Roger Tainguy confie la restauration totale du véhicule à un jeune carrossier qui débute dans le métier : Jean-Luc Bonnefoy, dont l'atelier se trouve dans le Cher. Interrogé sur les souvenirs relatifs à cette restauration, J-L Bonnefoy précise : " Cette voiture(#46837) et l'autre coupé Delahaye (#46839) amené en 2000 par le même Tainguy, possédaient toutes les deux un tablier en contre plaqué de 19mm d'épaisseur et non en alu. J'avais trouvé cela bizarre. Par la suite, j'ai appris que toutes les Delahaye de course châssis court avait cette spécificité. " Le pare-brise manquant, qui était à l'origine rigide, en provenance du coupé, fut remplacé par une pièce rabattable plus dans l'esprit du cabriolet. 
En 1992, Hervé Ogliastro tombe amoureux de cette sublime Delahaye, fraichement restaurée et en fait l'acquisition auprès de Roger Tainguy. Hervé a régulièrement engagé sa voiture dans de nombreux rallyes, l'a exposée au Centre International de l'Automobile de Pantin, dont il était le créateur et a couru sur la piste de Montlhéry en mars 1994. Depuis, elle est garée dans le garage de la superbe propriété d'Hervé, entretenu par l'excellent Francis Courteix. 

Nous ne mettons pas en vente une voiture mais un Chef d'œuvre Automobile, une de ces pièces d'art qui ont valorisé l'histoire de l'automobile française en portant le souffle de l'Excellence et de la Beauté. 
Pierre-Yves LAUGIER 

French title - Chassis n° 46837 - Figoni body n° 572 - Engine n° 46837 

- Genuine short chassis 135 Competition 
 - One of the finest Figoni et Falaschi creations 
- Known continuous history 
- An Automobile Masterpiece 

This car is one of six coupés produced by Figoni in 1936, on a Delahaye Type 135 (20bhp) short chassis. These very special coupés were built on non-standard 2.7m wheelbase chassis like the competition 135S models, and were intended for private clients and seasoned drivers. They were powered either by the 6-cylinder, 3.2-litre (18bhp) engine with three carburettors in the "Coupe des Alpes" version, or by the 6-cylinder 3.5-litre (20bhp) engine in the "Compétition" version. Chassis 46837, dated April 1936, was originally fitted with the 20bhp engine, hence its 135 Competition title. 

Details of the 6 Figoni coupés on Delahaye 135 chassis dating from 1936 

1-Body 532 
The first car built was delivered to Mr Jeancart. It had chassis number 46576. Its rather flamboyant styling is different to the other five models built in 1936. The car was registered in Paris sometime in January 1936. Before the war, it took part in various concours d'elegances on the Côte d'Azur. The car has survived and belongs to a collection in the US. 

2-Body 533 
The second car was built for Dr Robert Firminhac in Paris. His wife entered the car for several concours d'Elégance events during 1936. The chassis, number 46577, follows on directly from Jeancart's car. It was registered in Paris around January 1936. This car no longer exists. 

3-Body 572 - The car presented for sale 
This Delahaye is described in the Figoni register as : "Three-seater faux cabriolet with 2 front seats and one sideways behind the seat backs". There is no mention of the chassis number but the car was registered in Paris in February 1936 with the number 3439 RK 3. Police records tell us that this registration corresponds to chassis 46837. The client was a certain Bibal, who lived in or around Paris. This car was the only one recorded as having " 3 seats with one across ". 

4-Body 556 
This car is described in the Figoni register as "Faux-Cabriolet Perrot", without mention of its chassis number which was 46839. Figoni registered the car in the name of the driver Albert Perrot in April 1936. It had no opening roof and no exterior door hinges. 

5- Body 571 
In the Figoni register this car is described : "Faux cabriolet. Red body. Moulding and wheels : white. Client Badel". There is no mention of chassis number or registration. A certain "Bedel-Paris" had already taken delivery from Figoni of a " Convertible cabriolet on Delahaye chassis, left workshop 11.12.1935. This shows that Bedel lived in Paris, and the fact that he ordered two Delahayes from Figoni in four months suggests that he may have been a dealer. In 1936 there was a "Garage L. Bedel, 9 Boulevard Garibaldi. Paris 15em." and in 1939 : "Bedel Garage, 54 Avenue Bosquet. Paris 7em."". This car was the last of three almost identical Figoni coupés in this series, as the next one, 47242, was very different. 

6-Body 609 
Chassis number 47242 is recorded in the Figoni register, although neither the name of the client or the registration number appears. The vehicle is described as "2-door sedan in blue and grey". It featured integrated headlights and there was a single row of louvres on the bonnet. The car had a steel body, whereas 46837 and 46839 had aluminium bodies. Today the car belongs to a collection in the US. 

The short chassis Figoni Delahaye Coupés in competition 
The short chassis Figoni coupés were raced by three Delahaye drivers. It is almost certain that Tremoulet's Coupé from 1936 was the car owned by A.Bith in 1948, ie chassis 46837, the car in the sale. Perrot's Coupé from 1936, chassis 46839, closely resembles Chabout's car in 1938-1939. When 46839 was found as a wreck by Tainguy, the holes on the edges of the front wings for chrome bars were still visible, as on Chaboud's coupé in Paris-Nice. These details don't appear on the photo of 46837 at Montlhéry in 1948, suggesting that the car in the sale wasn't Chaboud's coupé, but is more likely to be Tremoulet's. The two drivers owned a garage in Paris between 1936 and 1938 : "Chaboud -Tremoulet.voit.auto.22bis Boulevard Saint Marcel. Paris 5em. " also known by the name " Grand Garage d'Austerlitz". If Tremoulet's coupé is indeed chassis 46837, delivered new to Bibal, it is not clear why it was never inTremoulet's name. It is possible that he bought it from Bibal at the end of May 1936, as the car was re-registered in Paris on 23 May 1936, having been put on the road in February of that year. 

THE DELAHAYE FIGONI COUPE CHASSIS 46837 - Body 572 

The body number 572 was made for Bibal at the same time as body 556 for Perrot, the two chassis 46839 and 46837 being very similar, as was the case with 46576 (body 532) and 46577 (body 533). 

Bibal -Tremoulet 1936 
The only definite participation by Tremoulet at the wheel of this coupé was in the "Grand Prix International des Indépendants.Coupe d'Automne à Montlhéry", on 20 September 1936. Jean Tremoulet raced car number 28. The day, organised by the A.G.A.C.I, included three races reserved for independent owner drivers, with one specifically for sports cars. The Delahaye 135s of Joseph Paul, Louis Villeneuve, Danniell and Chaboud had Le Mans competition bodies, and Tremoulet's was the only coupé. The race started in the rain, and Joseph Paul led from start to finish. Tremoulet retired for an unknown reason. There is just one photo of Tremoulet's coupé taking a corner in the wet, which was published in the A.G.A.C.I magazine in September 1936. The quality of the photo is poor and it is not possible to read the registration. The car was practically new, and it is possible to make out the light moulding on the dark background. André Bith's coupé, shown at the start of a race on the same circuit in 1948 looks remarkably similar. Following his appearance at Montlhéry in September 1936, there are no further records of Tremoulet at the wheel of this car. On 23 September 1938, he may have taken part in the Lapize hillclimb, near Montlhéry, driving a Delahaye, number 123. This has not been verified but it could have been in a competition 135S. Chassis 46837 had already been sold in the spring of 1938. 

Dr Jean-Marie Lefevre and the Delahaye coupé 1938-1946 
When Roger Tainguy bought chassis 46837, he discovered a plaque engraved with the name "Dr J-M LEFEVRE Vigne aux Bois (Ardennes)" in the car. Armed with this precious information, Tainguy tracked down the son of the Doctor, who found a photo in the family archives of chassis 46837, showing the same car that Tremoulet drove at Montlhéry in 1936. The registration plate reads 7109 AV 2, a number issued on 28 April 1938, to Jean-Marie Lefevre, Doctor from Vrigne aux Bois. According to recollections of the family, Dr Lefevre used his Delahaye to do his rounds in the country, at a speed that made it possible to respond to emergencies ! Jean-Marie Lefevre had established himself as a country doctor in the Vrigne aux Bois region, and his brother Robert in Monthermé, in the north of the department. Jean-Marie bought his first new Delahaye 135 18bhp in February, and then in April 1938 acquired this coupé, chassis 46837. His brother, meanwhile, acquired a Géo Ham short chassis Delahaye 135 roadster by Figoni ! The two brothers were friends with a local racing driver, Raymond Sommer and his Le Mans team mate, Tazio Nuvolari. The drivers entertained themselves with a race that started in the Place des Vosges in Paris and finished in the Place Ducale in Charleville. Dr Lefevre also enjoyed driving his Delahaye on the ciruit at Monza after taking part in a stage at Danieli in Venice. Later, during the war, the car was hidden by a farmer in the center of France. It spent five years in a barn, hidden under hay bales. In the summer of 1945, Dr Lefevre and his six-year old son returned to find the coupé. The sleeping beauty started immediately, the memory of this extraordinary event from his childhood staying with the son ever since. Unfortunately, after a hundred of kilometres or so, part of the clutch broke. It was changed by a local mechanic who luckily had the correct spare part. The Delahaye was sold during the winter 1945-1946. 

The coupé/cabriolet owned by André Bith from 1946 to 1959 
On 18 April 1948, André Bith lined up at the start of a race at Montlhéry, at the wheel of his Delahaye coupé, chassis 46837. There was a report on this event in the magazine l'Action automobile et Touristique in May 1948 :"At Montlhéry on 18 April, the national sports race, was held by the A.C.I.F with the support of the USA, under the patronage of the Action Automobile. In addition to the popular sporting success of this gathering, it was good to see that the event allowed some aspiring champions to showcase their talents" André Bith took the lead in his series. He had the habit of starting explosively but didn't always finish. He knew the Montlhéry circuit well, having burnt plenty of rubber there since 1936, first in a Bugatti Type 44 roadster and then in a 1925 Bugatti Type 35. André Bith was mad about cars. Between 1928 and 1991 he owned more than 50. Born in Paris on 21 April 1910, son of the chief physician for the Police Force in Paris, and from a family that owned the land on which André Citroen built his factories, the young André had always considered life to be about having fun, particularly in cars. In a handwritten list of his cars that he was kind enough to prepare for us some years ago, his Delahaye chassis 46837 features prominently. The car was described thus : "1946 Delahaye 135MS Roadster 2 seater 20 bhp Figoni Falaschi". During a conversation with André Bith shortly before his death, he gave us the following valuable information on his Figoni Delahaye Coupé/Cabriolet : 
"I had 3 Delahayes, the first bought at the end of 1938 was a 2-seater long chassis Chapron cabriolet, with a single carburettor, black with black hood. This car was seized by the Germans in 1940. At the end of 1944 I bought a 4-seater cabriolet by Chapron, convertible into a Milord. It was white, and I sold it in 1946. Finally, in 1946, I acquired a short chassis Delahaye coupé by Figoni. The car was equipped with two carburettors. I put a 3.8-litre engine in it, and De ram shock absorbers in order to race at Montlhéry in 1948. I bought it from a guy who was a doctor based in Paris and who owned a discotheque. The car had suffered from the cold and I had to change the engine. A twin-carb racing engine was fitted. Around May 1948, my girlfriend at that time wanted a cabriolet for our trips to Deauville. I took the car to a coachbuilder in Levallois, who modifed it respecting the Figoni design. The hood comes in the place of the 3rd pack seat, covered by its hard tonneau cover. The cabriolet was painted black. It worked well. I wasn't able to use it for long as for personal reasons I had to go to South America in 1949" 
While in Mexico, André Bith had two Mercury coupés and then two Buicks. During this time, the Delahaye 46837 was wisely stored away in one of the outbuildings of the Chaumont family château in Yonne, a former residence of the Princes of Condé. This immense 60-room property had a heated outbuilding. The Delahaye waited there for its owner to come back in late 1957. Later, he returned to the château with his friend Henri Salvador to find the car. Salvador advised him to sell it. At the end of 1959, the car was sold to a dealer in Porte de Paris. The manager ran a business in Place Champerret, a kind of open-air secondhand market. Henri Salvador had bought a Cadillac from there. The deal was done for 30 000 French francs. Bith remembered the name of the owner who succeeded him : a certain M. De Nègre, who lived on Avenue Wagram and would have paid around 150,000 French francs for the car. It is believed he sent the car to Chapron to have a hood made. 

Information taken from the Paris Police Register 1959 
The registration issued in the Seine Department in 1946 was 6291 RP. The car was described : "Delahaye Type 135M convertible 3-seater 20bhp". It was re-registered by André Bith on 25 November 1959, two years after he returned to France. The new plate in the 75 series was 5874 JJ 75. This new registration was perhaps needed before the sale of the car. In any case, it must have been sold by Bith to the dealer from Porte Champerret just after this date. 
It was 24 February 1960 when the vehicle sold to Henri de Nègre, of 50 Avenue de Wagram, Paris. Nègre was born on 23 December 1905 in Etrechet, Indre and was a great car enthusiast. His full title was Baron Henri-Robert de Nègre du Clat and he was the son of Baron Charles du Clat. However the young Henri-Robert was known simply as Robert de Nègre. His second wife, who died in 1997 at the age of 92, Mme Françoise de Nègre, kindly shared some memories of her husband, along with the only known photo of chassis 46837 in cabriolet form. 
"He called himself Robert. He became a widower when his first wife, Alice Peronnet, died. He lived in an apartment at 50 Avenue de Wagram that belonged to his wife's family. This Haussman building had a small interior courtyard, but no garage to park the Delahaye, which had to stay outside. When he got married in 1966 the cars were sold. Robert de Nègre was a very funny man, with a fabulous memory, who never read. This original and intelligent man could enchant or displease at the first encounter. He was sporty and mad about aviation. The real estate profession was not in a good place in 1966, and the market was flat." 
This was perhaps a reason why the Delahayes were sold. Robert de Nègre owned three exceptional Delahayes : the ex-Chaboud competition car, chassis 47192, owned briefly in October 1958. The metallic olive green Coupé, ex-competition chassis 46625, bought in April 1958 and resold in October 1966, and the Figoni cabriolet / ex-Coupé chassis 46837, between February 1960 and January 1966. He also owned other Delahayes. Robert de Nègre kept his cabriolet, chassis 46837, for six years. Impending marriage and the weakness of the real estate market persuaded him to part with two of the rarest Delahayes : the Figoni cabriolet 46837 was sold in January 1966 and the Guilloré coupé 46625 in October of the same year. It was on 28 January 1966 that a M. Landis, a draughtsman, became the new owner of 46837. The car retained its 1959 Parisian registration, 5874 JJ 75. 
Towards the end of the 1980s, Roger Tainguy, an important Delahaye collector, bought the car from Landis, who having used it, had started but not completed a restoration. Tainguy entrusted full restoration of the car to a young coachbuilder who had just started in the profession : Jean-Luc Bonnefoy. Asked about this restoration, Bonnefoy remembers : "This car (#46837) and the other Delahaye coupé (#46839) brought in 2000 by the same Tainguy, both had a bulkhead in 19mm plywood and not aluminium. I found that strange. Subsequently, I learnt that all the short chassis competition Delahayes had this feature." The missing windscreen, originally rigid on the coupé, was replaced by a fold-down one, more in keeping with a cabriolet. 
In 1992, Hervé Ogliastro fell in love with this stunning and newly restored Delahaye, and bought it from Roger Tainguy. Hervé has taken part in numerous rallies in this car, exhibited it at the Centre International de l'Automobile de Pantin that he had founded, and driven it on the track at Montlhéry in March 1994. Since then, it has been parked in the garage of his splendid property, and maintained by the excellent Francis Courteix. 

What is offered for sale here is not simply a car, but an Automotive Masterpiece. It is a work of art highlighting the history of the Automobile in France, that bears the stamp of Excellence and Beauty. 
Pierre-Yves LAUGIER 

Rétromobile 2017 by Artcurial Motorcars chez Artcurial,75015 Paris, le 10 Février 2017 à 14h00 

Alberta Tiburzi in 'envelope' dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Harper's Bazaar, June 1967© Hiro 1967

LONDON.- This May, the V&A will open the first ever UK exhibition exploring the work of Cristóbal Balenciaga and his continuing influence on modern fashion. It will be the first of its kind to look at his unique approach to making and will showcase pieces by his protégés and contemporary designers working in the same innovative way today. The exhibition marks the centenary of the opening of Balenciaga’s first fashion house in San Sebastian and the 80th anniversary of the opening of his famous fashion house in Paris. 

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion will focus on the latter part of Balenciaga’s long career in the 1950s and 1960s, arguably one of his most creative periods. It was during these years that he not only dressed some of the most renowned women of the time, but also introduced revolutionary shapes including the tunic, the sack, ‘baby doll’ and shift dress – all of which remain style staples today. Highlights will include ensembles made by Balenciaga for Hollywood actress Ava Gardner, dresses and hats belonging to socialite and 1960s fashion icon Gloria Guinness, and pieces worn by one of the world’s wealthiest women, Mona von Bismarck, who commissioned everything from ball-gowns to gardening shorts from the couturier.  

Baby doll' cocktail dress, crêpe de chine, lace and satin, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1958© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

On display will be over 100 garments and 20 hats, many of which have never been on public display before. These will be accompanied by archive sketches, patterns, photographs, fabric samples and catwalk footage revealing Balenciaga’s uncompromising creativity. In addition x-rays, animated patterns and short films on couture-making processes will uncover the hidden details that made his work so exceptional. The exhibition will draw mostly on the V&A’s fashion holdings – the largest collection of Balenciaga in the UK. The collection was initiated for the Museum by Cecil Beaton in the 1970s. 

Cassie Davies-Strodder, V&A exhibition curator, said: “Cristóbal Balenciaga was one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. Revered by his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel and Hubert de Givenchy, his exquisite craftsmanship, pioneering use of fabric and innovative cutting set the tone for the modernity of the late 20th century fashion. The exhibition will show his lasting impact on fashion through the work of those who trained with him and through recent garments by designers including Molly Goddard, Demna Gvasalia and J.W. Anderson who reflect the legacy of his vision today.”  

Bolero jacket, EISA, Spain, 1947© Museo Cristóbal Balenciaga

For the first time the V&A has used x-ray technology to take a forensic look at the hidden details inside Cristóbal Balenciaga’s garments. These images, made with x-ray artist Nick Veasey, show structures invisible to the naked eye, including dress weights strategically placed to determine the exact hang of the skirt in one of Balenciaga’s most minimal designs, and boning in dress bodices, dispelling the myth that he did not use such structures. In partnership with the London College of Fashion, pattern cutting students have taken patterns from some of the most iconic Balenciaga garments in the V&A’s collection. These have been digitised and animated to show how these building blocks come together to form the finished piece. In a number of cases, the patterns reveal that the main body of the garment has been crafted from one single piece of fabric, demonstrating Balenciaga’s mastery of materials. Three of these animations will be displayed alongside Balenciaga’s original garments to give a deeper understanding of each.  

Cristóbal Balenciaga at work, Paris, 1968. Photograph Henri Cartier-Bresson© Henri Cartier-Bresson, Magnum Photos

The exhibition will be organised around three main sections: ‘Front of House’, including Balenciaga’s salons, behind the scenes in Balenciaga’s ‘Workrooms’ and the lasting impact of ‘Balenciaga’s Legacy’. The Balenciaga brand still references its founder today, yet his influence spreads far wider. The ‘Legacy’ section will feature the work of over 30 designers of the last 50 years tracing the influence of this most revered figure in fashion right up to the present day. Themes include an exploration of his minimalist aesthetic reflected in the work of his former apprentices André Courrèges and Emanuel Ungaro, and more recently revived by designers such as Phoebe Philo for Celine and in the strong lines of J.W. Anderson. Balenciaga’s perfectionism and attention to detail are reflected in the work of Hubert de Givenchy and Erdem. His pattern cutting and explorations of volume can be seen in the work of Molly Goddard and Demna Gvasalia, while his creative use of new materials is referenced in the work of former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière. 

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion opens on 27 May 2017 and will be accompanied by a new V&A publication and a series of related events, courses and creative workshops. 

Dovima with Sacha, cloche and suit by Balenciaga, Café des Deux Magots, Paris, 1955. Photograph by Richard Avedon© The Richard Avedon Foundation

Elise Daniels with street performers, suit by Balenciaga, Le Marais, Paris, 1948. Photograph by Richard Avedon© The Richard Avedon Foundation

Evening dress, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1962. Photograph by Cecil Beaton, 1971© Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's

Evening dress, silk taffeta, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1955© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Evening dress, wild silk with embroidery by Lesage, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1960-1962© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Evening gown and cape, ziberline, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1967© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Evening mini-dress, metal wire and plastic pailettes, Paco Rabanne, Paris, 1967© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Flamenco-style evening dress, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1961. Photograph by Cecil Beaton, 1971© Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's

'La Tulipe' evening dress, gazar, Balenciaga for EISA, Spain, 1965© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn wearing coat by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1950. Photograph by Irving Penn © Condé Nast, Irving Penn Foundation

Model wearing Balenciaga orange coat as I. Magnin buyers inspect a dinner outfit in the background, Paris, France, 1954© Mark Shaw, mptvimages.com

Oscar de la Renta, Spring Summer 2015 ready-to-wear, look 37© Catwalking

Skirt suit, wool and silk, Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga, Paris, Autumn Winter 2016 ready-to-wear, look 1© Catwalking

Spiral hat, silk, Balenciaga for Eisa, Spain, 1962© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

  Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase Thousand, 2012. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Kukje gallery. Installation view. Constellation Gemini, Korea Artist Prize, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Koreaⓒ National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase Thousand, 2012 (detail)

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2012 TVG 1, 2012. Ceramic shards, aluminum bars, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 157x88x93cm. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Keith Park ⓒYeesookyung

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase, The Other Side of the Moon 2014 TVB 2, 2014. Ceramic shards from North Korea, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 138x143x141cm. Collection of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea ⓒLeeum, Samsung Museum of art, Photographed by Yongkwan Kim

Exhibition history: Beyond and Between, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea, 2014

2014 The Other Side of The Moon 

The Other Side of The Moon is one of the works inside the Translated Vase series. The black-glazed ceramic fragments from Hoiryeong in North Korea were used in this work. These black-glazed ceramics were mainly made in the Northern part of the Korean peninsula during the Japanese occupation period. Dark Side of the Moon is exhibited in the Leeum Museum opposite the Joseon white Moon jar. Nobody really knows what the other side of the Moon is like and this piece is my musing on the unknown reality of North Korea.

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2014 TVW 2 (left), 2014. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 220x110x100cm. Courtesy of the artist and Locks gallery, Philadelphia, USA ⓒSFO Museum, San Francisco, USA

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2014 TVWG 1 (right), 2014. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 92x70x156cm. Courtesy of the artist and Locks gallery, Philadelphia, USA ⓒSFO Museum, San Francisco, USA

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2009 TVW 5, 2009. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 170x80x85cm. Collection of Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, USA. Courtesy of Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, USA ⓒ Museum Schloß Oranienbaum, Dessau, Germany

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase, 2008. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 160x90x90cm. Collection of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea ⓒ Museum Schloß Oranienbaum, Dessau, Germany

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2007 TVW 5, 2007. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 120x210x95cm. Collection of National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea. Photo: Kim Sangtae ⓒYeesookyung 

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2007 TVW 5 (detail), 2007. 

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2009 TVW 1, 2009. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 90x145x135cm. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Keith Park ⓒYeesookyung

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2009 TVW 2, 2009. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf, 60x1105x150cm. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Keith Park ⓒYeesookyung

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2009, 2009. Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf. Dimensions variable. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan ⓒOta Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan

Yee Sookyun, Translated Vase 2009 (detail), 2009.

The Translated Vase series consists of sculptures reconstructed from discarded ceramic fragments. Skillful ceramic masters reproduce traditional Korean ceramics, and the vases with minor defects are destroyed to keep the rarity and value of the surviving masterpieces. I piece these destroyed pots back together in the manner of three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles, covering the cracks in gold. From the moment of destruction, I obtain a chance to intervene and fabricate new narratives with my own translation. 

Refinery Smoke Collection 
July 2008 
Refinery Smoke is based on the astonishing beauty, the ambiguity, and the elusiveness of industrial smoke. Seen from a distance, smoke provides a fascinating and dynamic spectacle: at times it seems to be alive, but it also harbors something sinister and can even be toxic. 

Van Herpen has manifested smoke’s flowing texture in a metal gauze that she had specially woven for the Refinery Smoke collection. This unusual, stiff material consists of innumerable fine, metal threads, appearing soft and light. The dresses started as silver gray but have oxidized overtime to a reddish brown, reflecting the dual nature of industrial smoke. 

Iris van Herpen, "Refinery Smoke", Dress, July 2008, Untreated woven metal gauze and cow leather, Groninger Museum, 2012.0196 Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios 

Radiation Invasion collection 
September 2009 
Iris van Herpen considers the flows of digital information that surround us at every moment and in every place, typically accessed through smartphones and other devices. What would we do with our daily overdose of electromagnetic waves and digital information streams if we could see them with our own eyes? 

In Radiation Invasion, the wearer seems to be surrounded by a complex of wavy rays, flickering patterns, vibrating particles, and reflecting pleats. Here van Herpen imagines how it might look if we could detect and manipulate the radiation that surrounds us. This collection is the start of a theme that pervades her work: the role of technology and its relationship to the body. 

Hybrid Holism collection 
July 2012 
Canadian architect and artist Philip Beesley’s work Hylozoic Ground provided the inspiration for Iris van Herpen’s collection Hybrid Holism. Hylozoism is the ancient belief that all matter is in some sense alive. Beesley’s seemingly living environment breathes, shifts, and moves in response to the people walking through it, touching it, and sensing it. 

Intrigued by the possibility of constructing semi-living systems, van Herpen imagined a new form of fashion where designs can grow, evolve, and even exist independently from us. In a culture where obsolete designs are often discarded, van Herpen proposes that clothes and objects might instead evolve and transform over time. Combining diligent craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, including 3-D printing, van Herpen translated this futuristic vision into a collection that is highly complex and diverse in terms of shape, structure, and material. 

Iris van Herpen, “Hybrid Holism,” Dress, July 2012 3-D-printed UV-curable polymer In collaboration with Julia Koerner and Materialise, High Museum of Art, Supported by the Friends of Iris van Herpen, 2015.170 Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios

Magnetic Motion collection 
September 2014 
Early in 2014, Iris van Herpen and Canadian architect Philip Beesley visited CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) to see the Large Hadron Collider, which has a magnetic field that is 100,000 times more powerful than Earth’s. Van Herpen was fascinated by the interplay of magnetic forces, saying: “I find beauty in the continual shaping of chaos, which clearly embodies the primordial power of nature’s performance.” 

Van Herpen’s layered, three-dimensional structures—which combine innovative techniques like 3-D printing with intricate handwork—explore the dynamic forces of attraction and repulsion. Van Herpen collaborated with Beesley to create luminous, three-dimensional textiles comprising tiny webs of laser-cut acrylic that echo the body’s movements. 

Iris van Herpen, “Magnetic Motion,” Dress, September 2014, 3-D-printed transparent photopolymer and stereolithography resin, High Museum of Art, Purchase with funds from the Decorative Arts Acquisition Trust and through prior acquisitions, 2015.82 Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios

Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion is co-organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and the Groninger Museum, The Netherlands. 

The exhibition was curated by Sarah Schleuning, High Museum of Art, and Mark Wilson and Sue-an van der Zijpp, Groninger Museum. 

The CMOA presentation of Iris Van Herpen: Transforming Fashion is organized by Rachel Delphia, The Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Curator of Decorative Arts and Design.

Iris van Herpen,"Hybrid Holism," Dress, July 2012. Metallic coated stripes, tulle, cotton. Collection of the designer. Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios

Iris van Herpen, “Hacking Infinity,” Shoes, 2015, In collaboration with Noritaka Tatehana and 3D Systems Laser-cut cow leather, 3-D printed photopolymer, and stereolithography resin, Collection of the designer, Photograph ©NORITAKA TATEHANA

Iris van Herpen,“Capriole," Ensemble, July 2011, In collaboration with Isaïe Bloch and Materialise 3-D-printed polyamide, Groninger Museum, 2012.0209. Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios

Iris van Herpen, "Biopiracy," Dress, March 2014, In collaboration with Julia Koerner and Materialise 3-D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane 92A-1 with silicone coating. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum. Gift of Arizona Costume Institute. Photo by Bart Oomes, No 6 Studios

Prince Charles (known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland) stands at the entrance to the Tapestry Room of Dumfries House, which was preserved for posterity through his efforts.

Designed by the brothers Adam and furnished by cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, Dumfries House is considered the most gloriously intact 18th-century house in Scotland.

The ceiling in the entrance hall features ornate plaster ornamentation; a mahogany-and-brass grand orrey is situated between Doric columns. The floors are stone.

A painting by Jacob de Heusch is displayed in the entrance hall, and the trio of hall chairs is from a set of eight by Alexander Peter. The frieze alternates Order of the Thistle stars with the mythical wyvern, a Crichton family crest

The chinoiserie mirrors in the Blue Drawing Room are by William Mathie, and the gilt-wood pier tables are the work of George Mercer.

Upholstered in a custom-woven silk damask and positioned on a mid-18th-century Axminster carpet, the mahogany chairs and settee in the Blue Drawing Room were supplied by Chippendale in 1759; he also created the rare rosewood breakfront bookcase. The Murano-glass chandelier is original to Dumfries House, and the portraits are on loan from a private collector.

In addition to Chippendale elbow chairs and card tables, the Family Parlor includes a camelback sofa by Peter and a harpsichord by Jacob Kirkman.

Portraits fill the walls of a skylit gallery, which contains cockpen chairs (possibly by Chippendale) as well as Louis XVI–style gilt-wood armchairs by R. Whytock & Co.; traditional rush matting is scattered with small rugs.

Emblems of the harvest are carved into the paneling of the Pink Dining Room; the painting is by Venetian artist Jacopo Bassano, and the curtains are ornamented with antique tassels and trim.

Named for the extensive pewterware collection it once housed, the Pewter Corridor was added to the original structure by architect Robert Weir Schultz in the early 20th century. The space is made up of a series of elaborately painted domed niches, each separated by an archway.

The Tapestry Room, completed in 1908 by Schultz and paneled in bleached American walnut, was designed to house four circa-1700 Gobelins weavings presented by Louis XIV to an ancestor of the seventh Marquess of Bute, former owner of Dumfries House.

Peter armchairs and a 1759 Chippendale library table are among the furnishings placed in Lord Dumfries’s Study; it was originally a dressing room.

A Christopher Moore printed linen, based on an 18th-century document, is used in this south-facing sitting room, which was decorated for the use of the Prince of Wales; the gilt-wood pier glass was made by Mathie in 1759, and the walls are painted with Farrow & Ball’s Vert de Terre.

The oak main staircase connects the principal floor with the bedchamber level.

A team of 20 artisans restored the Chippendale four-post bed in the Family Bedroom; brilliant blue silk damask covers even the canopy’s cresting. Above the fireplace is a gilt-wood overmantel, also by Chippendale; Alexander Peter designed the bedside cupboards as well as the chair and stool, which retain their 18th-century floral tapestry covers.

A gilt-wood four-post bed hung with a Jean Monro chintz from Clarence House dominates a bedroom.

The same Jean Monro chintz is used throughout the room.

Another view of the house’s façade.

The manicured landscaping fronting the house.

The original main approach to Dumfries House brought visitors over the Adam Bridge, which spans the River Lugar.

The River Lugar.

Alexandre Cabanel, Le Paradis Perdu, (Paradise Lost) is now in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay.

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Gallery 19C, a Los Angeles based gallery specializing in 19th Century European Paintings, announced today the sale of LE PARADIS PERDU, (Paradise Lost), by Alexandre Cabanel, to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. 

Eric Weider, founder of Gallery 19C, said, “We are deeply honored that Alexandre Cabanel’s masterpiece is returning to Paris where it will be on public display at the Musée d’Orsay. The great Academic painters like Cabanel deserve renewed attention and reevaluation and there is no better place in the world for this than at the Musée d'Orsay where the paintings of the 19th Century can be seen in full context.” 

Alice Thomine-Berrada, Chief Curator at the Musée d'Orsay, commented, “This painting is unique and is one of Cabanel’s most dynamic compositions. Furthermore, it represents a very rare German State commission of a French painter in the 19th Century - an important statement!” 

Paul Perrin, Curator of Paintings at the Musée d'Orsay, added, “Le Paradis Perdu is a true masterpiece and I am very excited we will present it in our galleries soon. It gives a better idea of Cabanel’s art and I am sure this image will become one the favorite Academic paintings of our visitors.” 

Polly Sartori, Director of Gallery 19C, commented, “We are seeing a resurgence of interest in 19th Century European painting and specifically in the great Academics like Bouguereau, Gérôme, Cabanel, and Baudry. Being a new gallery with the mission to handle the very best examples of 19th Century European paintings, when almost everyone is focusing on Contemporary Art, the Musée d'Orsay's purchase is a positive statement in support of our mission." 

LE PARADIS PERDU (Paradise Lost) 
In 1867, Alexandre Cabanel sent five of his most acclaimed pictures and the massive Le Paradis Perdu (Paradise Lost) to the Exposition Universelle in Paris. This work, a new painting depicting the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, immediately earned Cabanel the highest awards and honors and solidified his place as France’s leading Academic painter of the Second Empire. Its destruction in Münich during World War II might have been one of art history’s greatest losses were it not for the numerous preparatory sketches and detailed versions that Cabanel had made. The present painting, one of Gallery 19C’s masterpieces of the advent of the Belle Epoque, is the closest to the original in size and composition and the only documented répétition of the subject in Cabanel’s expansive oeuvre. 

Intended for King Maximilian II of Bavaria as part of a larger tableau of thirty decorative historical canvases for his Foundation “for the gifted,” or Maximilianeum, Paradis Perdu was to be the artist’s most important and largest commission for an institution outside of France. Cabanel had already, by the 1860s, undertaken many mural schemes, complex iconographic programs, and decorative cycles in public buildings and private residences and his prowess as a religious painter, in the tradition of the great Italian Renaissance masters, had been noted by no less influential a figure than the critic Théophile Gautier. “One can see,” wrote Gautier in 1852, “how he has eaten the bread of angels [Psalm 78: 25] and nourished himself on the marrow of lions,” (Théophile Gautier, “Beaux-Arts, Salon de 1852,” in La Presse littéraire, 16 May 1852). 

The training Cabanel would have received as a young Academic painter was based, above all else, on copying canonical works by Old Master painters from the Renaissance onward and classical sculptors from the ancient world. Upon completion of hundreds of such copies, students at the Ècole were allowed to make studies from life, producing works that, ideally, combined artistic convention with originality and innovation. In Paradis Perdu, many of the compositional details are drawn from these earlier masters, and from Cabanel’s own, historically-inspired paintings, creating a uniquely self-reflexive catalogue of Renaissance and Academic figurative art. (The origins of this work, with its hierarchical arrangement of muscular figures, inspired use of chiaroscuro, and overtly narrative qualities lie with Raphael, Michelangelo, and Milton, whose Paradise Lost should, some critics believed, be read alongside Cabanel’s highly literary canvas.) Even here, however, Cabanel’s originality could not be suppressed: Rather than burdening Eve with the strictures of past religious paintings or rendering her with the dreamlike and idealized qualities of his own, earlier female protagonists, the artist infuses her instead with an element of the odalisque, bringing her effectively down to earth. The incongruity of this maneuver did not seem to trouble nineteenth-century viewers: An oil study for the figure of Eve – one of at least 35 such individual figure studies for this single composition – entered the collection of the fairly conservative Hercules Louis Dousman II of St. Louis, MO in December 1879, and her comportment as a whole had a clear influence on at least one of Cabanel’s illustrious students, Fernand Pelez (1843-1913), whose own Adam et Éve (Moulins, Musée départemental Anne de Beaujeu) was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1876. 

In Cabanel’s version of the provocative subject, Eve lies prostrate under the Tree of Life, shielding her face with her arm and contorting her body in the shameful agony of her expulsion from Eden. Such melodramatic gestures were typical of Cabanel, whose explorations into the expressive potential of body language through nineteenth-century theater and opera may be traced directly from this picture to his most famous work, The Birth of Venus of 1863, an ostensibly vastly different painting in theme and tone. (It is perhaps no coincidence, given this trajectory, that both pictures feature the same languishing model.) Adam slouches by her side, glowering outward, his hunched shoulders and darkened visage indicating his own dejection and contrition. His slightly elevated position and disengagement with Eve's grasping hand suggest the discordance that has grown between them. To the left of this pair, God the Father and a pair of vengeful angels cascade down from the heavens, their energy reflected in the wing-like locks of hair swirling around their heads. The glistening sword of one of the angels, with its undulating blade, underscores the figures’ dynamism; it also echoes the sinuous lines of Eve and her naked body, adding emphasis to her carnal sin. The retreating Satan, seen in the lower left, seems almost an afterthought in Cabanel’s composition; clearly, it is Eve’s story that he feels must be told. 

The multiple studies, sketches, and versions of Paradis Perdu that Cabanel created in his efforts to “master the human figure,” as he wrote to his brother, were considered as valuable as the finished works themselves. In 1867, the same year that Paradis Perdu was completed and exhibited, the esteemed art dealer Knoedler bought reductions of several of Cabanel’s Salon paintings for Israel Corse of New York, for an average of 10,000 francs each. (Cabanel’s main market during his lifetime, but particularly at the height of Pardis Perdu’s fame, consisted of American collectors, including William Astor, Jay Gould, William T. Walters, and William H. Vanderbilt.) Reductions also entered the US collections of Henry Gibson and John Wolfe, who were already the satisfied owners of versions of Cabanel's Birth of Venus, H. W. Derby, Mrs. A. E. Kidd, and J. H. Warrant. (Decades later, the Dahesh and Metropolitan Museums in New York would add Cabanel reductions to their gallery walls.) So popular were these works that contemporaries noted that they were often “purchased before they leave the easel, or, indeed, before they are half finished,” (Lucy Hooper, “Art in Paris,” Art Journal [New York], n.s. 2, no. 3 [1876]: 90). That the Gallery 19C version of Paradis Perdu was not purchased before its paint had dried is evidenced by an 1889 inventory of Cabanel’s possessions at the time of his death (it is listed as no. 29), and by a contemporary photograph of Cabanel in his famed Paris studio. The painting hangs behind the artist’s desk, its prominent location on the wall suggesting the importance it held for Cabanel, and his reluctance to let it go. 

The technical vocabulary surrounding the Gallery 19C version of Paradis Perdu is critical to understanding its importance. Different than a sketch, study, or reduction intended for engraving or immediate purchase, the present work is a later, nearly identical, version of the original painting, magnificent in scale and finish. As Patricia Mainardi has written: “The correct term for an artist's later version of his own theme … was … répétition, the same [value-neutral] word used in performance for a rehearsal. In performance, we never assume that opening night is qualitatively better than later presentations – first performances are, in fact, usually weaker than subsequent ones, which gain in depth from greater experience and familiarity with the material,” (Patricia Mainardi, “The 19th-century art trade: copies, variations, replicas,” The Van Gogh Museum Journal 2000, pp. 63-4.). The present version of Paradis Perdu, then, the only such répétition recorded in the Cabanel literature, may be regarded not merely as an art historically valuable replica of a lost painting, but as a personal challenge by the artist to himself, to offer to the world what he believed to be his best performance yet. 

This catalogue note was written by Emily M. Weeks, Ph.D.

Alexandre Cabanel, Le Paradis Perdu, (Paradise Lost), detail, is now in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay.

Ernesto Pierret (Paris 1824-?), Revivalist intaglio suite. Onyx intaglios and yellow gold, circa 1860s. Courtesy Hancocks.

The suite comprised of a stunning necklace with pendant drops and a tortoiseshell hair comb, both set with circular onyx nicolo intaglios depicting classical figures between bar link spacers with floral centres. The intaglios in the necklace depict a variety of classical figures including Ceres, Flora, Salacia, Minerva, Aphrodite and Bonus Eventus. Ernesto Pierret was born in Paris in 1824 but moved to Rome as a young man where he was trained as a goldsmith, possibly, it has been suggested, in the workshop of Castellani. He established his own shop in 1846 and within just a few years was described by an 1853 guidebook to Rome as being 'now one of the first artists in Rome for Etruscan jewellery'. His work is of very high quality and often features micromosaics, cameos and intaglios all set within wonderful, sometimes highly ornate, goldwork with typical Archaeological and Etruscan revivalist motifs.

Amy Burton Fine Jewellery, Disorient bangle. 123.70 ct Amethyst in 18ct yellow gold, ALB, London assay and makers marks, London 2016. Courtesy Hancocks.

Odilon Redon, La Chute de Phaéton. 

Buccellati one-of-kind yellow gold, white gold and diamonds earrings inspired by Odilon Redon's La Chute de Phaéton. 180.000,00 € © Buccellati 2016

Imagination is stronger than image as Phaëton’s research for assurance from his mother that his father is the sun god. A reminder of the mythical trip of Phaëton on the sun chariot, Buccellati’s wing earrings are unexpectedly “flying” along the ear lobe, with a seductive upward motion and a surprising design. Handcrafted with the tulle technique, the yellow gold surface is covered with feather-like elements set with diamonds, and a very subtle hook protects the earring from falling. 

Claude Monet, Tempête sur les Cotes de Belle-Ile.

Buccellati one-of-kind white gold, diamonds and paraiba tournamine earrings inspired by Claude Monet’s Tempête sur les Cotes de Belle-Ile. 350.000,00 €. © Buccellati 2016

As in Monet’s painting, the light is captured within the honeycomb surface of the white gold pendant earrings and then magnified by the Paraiba tourmalines and diamonds. A complex design which is true to the most traditional and enchanting Buccellati style, evoking the strength of the sea, the beauty of simple color combinations, the perfection of Nature. The typical Buccellati “rigato” engraving and the honeycomb technique enhance a superb design and an admirable inspiration. 

Winslow Homer, Light Blue Sea at Prout’s Neck

Buccellati one-of-kind white gold and diamonds bracelet inspired by Winslow Homer’s Light Blue Sea at Prout’s Neck. 300.000,00 €  © Buccellati 2016 

Inspired by Homer’s painting this white gold bracelet, handcrafted with the Tulle technique, reproduces the sensual movement of the waves, the tumultuous splashes of the white foam upon them and it is entirely set with diamonds.

An expression of strength and passion, both innate in the immensity of the ocean, it conveys the elegance and refinement of Mother Nature. 

Pierre Bonnard, Deux Vases de Fleurs

Buccellati one-of-kind yellow gold, white gold and diamonds pendant inspired by Pierre Bonnard’s Deux Vases de Fleurs  © Buccellati 2016 

Flowers always inspired Buccellati and this brooch/pendant perfectly shows how the House’s techniques perfectly apply to the representation of Nature.

The mimosa branch lazily leaning out from a vase gets new life in the brooch with seven flowers with yellow gold petals set with yellow brilliant-cut diamonds, centering white gold bezels set with a white diamonds.

Mikhail Larionov, The Spider’s Web.

Buccellati one-of-kind yellow gold, white gold and diamonds pendant inspired by Mikhail Larionov’s The Spider’s Web. 95.000,00 €  © Buccellati 2016

Nothing else but the Buccellati's signature honeycomb technique could fit with the interpretation of Larionov’s painting, “The Spider’s Web”: the ring has been masterly handcrafted to reproduce an impenetrable and light web with scalloped borders in white gold. On the top of the tulle mounting, the spider imposes itself with its diamond body and white gold engraved legs.

Andrea della Robbia, Bust of a Young Boy, c. 1475, glazed terracotta, overall: 13 x 11 13/16 x 7 7/8 in. (33 x 30 x 20 cm), pedestal: 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm), Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Firenze. 

WASHINGTON, DC.- More than 500 years after their creation, Della Robbia terracotta sculptures endure as some of the most innovative and expressive examples of art from the Italian Renaissance. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, West Building from February 5 through June 4, 2017, Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence is the first major American exhibition dedicated to works by three generations of the Della Robbia family and their competitors. The exhibition travels to the Gallery, the only other venue, after premiering at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) from August 9 to December 4, 2016. 

Some 40 examples illustrate the range of sculptural types produced by the workshop—Madonna and Child reliefs, architectural decoration, portraits, household statuettes, and large-scale figures in the round. Even today the ceramics retain their signature opaque whites, deep cerulean blues, and lively greens, purples, and yellows, due to the glazing technique invented by sculptor Luca della Robbia (1399/1400–1482). While drawn chiefly from American collections, the exhibition also includes six major loans from Italy, among them Luca's masterpiece, The Visitation (c. 1445). On loan from the church of San Giovanni Fuorcivitas in Pistoia, the work is traveling to the United States for the first time for the exhibition's two venues. 

Luca della Robbia, Madonna and Child, c. 1441-1445, glazed terracotta, framed: 120 x 79.5 x 17 cm (47 1/4 x 31 5/16 x 6 11/16 in.), image: 63 x 50 x 14 cm (24 13/16 x 19 11/16 x 5 1/2 in.), Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Firenze.

"With the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Gallery is proud to present the first exhibition in the United States devoted to the wonderful sculptures of the Della Robbia family, which stand the test of time as powerful examples of Renaissance creativity and refinement," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington. "The sculptures selected also show the perception of American collectors who brought so many superb Della Robbia works to this country. We are grateful to the Altria Group and to the Antinori family for making the exhibition possible, and to Sally Engelhard Pingree and The Charles Engelhard Foundation, the Buffy and William Cafritz Family Foundation, and The Exhibition Circle for their generous support."

"Supporting and celebrating the arts has always been important to our family, and we're honored that the Della Robbia exhibition and the newly renovated Resurrection of Christ lunette featuring one of our ancestors and the family coat of arms will be showcased in the renowned National Gallery of Art," said Alessia Antinori, the 26th generation of the Tuscan winemaking family. 

"Those who come to see Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florencewill be impressed by the dramatic use of bright colors and the sheer size of some of these Renaissance masterpieces," said Ted Baseler, President and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. "We are very pleased to support this incredible exhibition in the nation's capital." 

Giovanni della Robbia, Christ child and Young St John the Baptist, c. 1510, glazed terracotta, overall: 31.5 x 32.5 x 11 cm (12 3/8 x 12 13/16 x 4 5/16 in.), Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Firenze.

Exhibition Highlights 
Born at the cusp of the 15th century to a family active in the textile industry, Luca della Robbia became a successful marble sculptor by the 1430s, famous for his reliefs of music-making children for a choir gallery in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Praised around 1435 by the art theorist Leone Battista Alberti as a leading contemporary Florentine artist alongside Donatello, Ghiberti, Masaccio, and Brunelleschi, Luca went on to secure his rank as one of the most important Florentine artists of the Renaissance by inventing a glazing technique—and with it an entirely new art form. The form uniquely combined durable terracotta (baked clay) with the brilliant colors of painting and the shine of vitreous glaze. With Luca's invention, the Della Robbia workshop flourished and produced sculptures for the secular and sacred, public and private spaces of Florence. Their recognizable ceramics could be found across the city and beyond, in courtyards, churches, hospitals, and the homes of a wide range of patrons, including Piero de' Medici. 

Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence begins by introducing three generations of the Della Robbia family through their works: Luca; his nephew Andrea (1435–1525), who trained with Luca and took over the workshop when Luca's health began to decline; and Andrea's son Giovanni (1469–1529/1530), who learned the technique from his father and carried on the family enterprise. The exhibition also includes sculptures by Giovanni's brothers Luca the Younger (1475–1548) and Girolamo (1488–1566), three of the five sons of Andrea (a father of 12) who carried on the family art form.  

Under Luca's supervision, the workshop developed techniques and practices to help meet high demand. With plaster molds, they could easily replicate their most popular models while also varying the details by hand in the wet clay and, after a first firing, in the glazes. The exhibition features two pairs of reliefs probably made from the same molds, including examples of the most popular subject for domestic settings, the Madonna and Child. Virgin and Child with Lilies (1460/1470) from the MFA and Madonna and Child (c. 1475) from the Gallery's collection show clearly how alterations—the addition of angels, Christ's tighter grip on the lilies, details in higher or lower relief, different styles of painting with glazes in the grass—could individualize serial sculptures. 

Luca della Robbia, Virgin and Child with Lilies, 1400 - 1482, glazed terracotta, overall: 48 x 37 cm (18 7/8 x 14 9/16 in.), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Quincy Adams Shaw through Qunicy Adams Shaw, Jr., and Mrs. Marian Shaw Haughton 

Luca della Robbia, Madonna and Child, c. 1475, glazed terracotta, overall: 48.3 x 38.9 cm (19 x 15 5/16 in.), framed: 102.2 x 62.2 x 13.3 cm (40 1/4 x 24 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.), Widener Collection

Many commissions, such as The Visitation,were designed with a specific setting in mind. The quietly powerful sculptural group, a masterpiece of 15th-century art in any medium, was generously lent by the Church of San Giovanni Fuorcivitas, the Diocese, and the city of Pistoia for its first trip to the United States. The nearly life-size composition depicts the emotional moment from the Gospel of Luke when the pregnant Virgin Mary is welcomed by her elderly cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with St. John the Baptist. Formed fully in the round, the two figures were fired in four individual pieces that fit securely together. Following its time in Washington, the beloved work will return to Pistoia, designated as the Italian Capital of Culture in 2017. 

Luca della Robbia, The Visitation, 1400 - 1482, glazed terracotta, overall: 151 x 148 x 60 cm (59 7/16 x 58 1/4 x 23 5/8 in.), Church of San Giovanni Fuorcivitas, Pistoia. Photograph: Scala/Art Resource, NY.

Andrea increased the production of serial sculpture and the shipment of Della Robbia works to clients beyond Florence. He developed Luca's techniques with figures of heightened elegance, giving particular attention to the details of hairstyles and costumes, and carried on with nature study especially in images of children. The resplendent garlands of fruit and flowers surrounding many of the works, introduced by Luca, were enriched and expanded by Andrea, as in the Roundel with Head of a Youth (c. 1470/1480, Detroit Institute of Arts) and Prudence (c. 1475, The Metropolitan Museum of Art). He made effective and expressive use of his uncle's color palette, as in the blue and violet shades that envelop his Mother of Sorrows (c. 1525, Saint Louis Art Museum). Yet in the 1490s, when Andrea became a follower of the reformist preacher Fra Girolamo Savonarola, he explored a new, more austere naturalism in devotional sculpture, with flesh areas of holy figures sometimes left unglazed to suggest their humble origins from earth. 

Andrea della Robbia, Portrait Roundel, 1435 - 1525, glazed terracotta, overall: 55.88 x 55.88 x 16.51 cm (22 x 22 x 6 1/2 in.), Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Henry Ford Hospital personnel in memory of Edsel B. Ford. Photograph: Bridgeman Images.

Andrea della Robbia, Prudence, ca. 1475, glazed terracotta, overall: 164.5 cm (64 3/4 in.), weight: 1223 lb. (554.749 kg). Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Puchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1921 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

Andrea della Robbia, Mother of Sorrows, c. 1525, glazed terracotta, overall: 80.49 x 40.01 x 20.32 cm (31 11/16 x 15 3/4 x 8 in.), Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase.

Giovanni della Robbia, Andrea's son, continued to explore the naturalism pursued by his father. A highlight of the exhibition, Giovanni's monumental Resurrection of Christ (c. 1520/1525, Brooklyn Museum) is installed in the first room, atop the entrance to the West Garden Court to recall its previous home on a garden gate at the Antinori family villa outside Florence. The masterpiece depicts a life-size Antinori patron (probably Niccolò di Tommaso, 1454-1520) in prayer below the blessing right hand of Jesus, with the family coat of arms on the lower corners of the exuberant botanical frame. To prepare for its departure from Brooklyn for the first time since its donation in 1898, the more than 12-foot-wide lunette underwent a year-long conservation treatment supported by the current generation of the Antinori family, who also provided generous support for the exhibition.  

Giovanni della Robbia, Resurrection of Christ, ca. 1520- 1525, glazed terracotta, overall: 156.2 x 349.3 x 29.2 cm (61 1/2 x 137 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.), Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy

Displayed among the Della Robbia works in the fourth and fifth rooms are sculptures by a rival firm—Benedetto Buglioni (1459/1460–1521) and his apprentice and distant relative, Santi Buglioni (1494–1576). The Buglioni workshop capitalized on the popularity of glazed ceramics and attempted, with uneven success, to create sculptures that extended the technique and material to their limits. Santi Buglioni's three five-foot-tall preaching saints—brought together from an American private collection, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Gallerie degli Uffizi—are impressive for their scale and charismatic presence, but proved difficult to fire, as indicated by the large cracks and peculiarities visible in the glazed surfaces. 

Santi Buglioni, San Bernardino da Siena, 1494 - 1576, glazed terracotta, overall: 159.39 x 79.38 x 43.82 cm (62 3/4 x 31 1/4 x 17 1/4 in.), Private collection.

Santi Buglioni, San Giovanni di Capistrano, 1494-1576, glazed terracotta, overall: 159.39 x 79.38 x 43.82 cm (62 3/4 x 31 1/4 x 17 1/4 in.), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Ahmanson Foundation. Image: © 2015 Museum Associates/LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY. 

The Buglioni workshop was the last in Florence to use the Della Robbia technique. By the time of Giovanni's death, his siblings Luca the Younger and Girolamo had left Florence for France to focus on commissions for King Francis I, whose portrait by Girolamo from 1529 (on loan from The Metropolitan Museum of Art) is on view in the exhibition. As the 16th century progressed, marble and bronze became the predominant materials for sculptural innovation, and glazed terracotta fell out of favor. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that study and interest in Della Robbia work was revived—partly through English interest in craft techniques as well as in Renaissance art of the period before Michelangelo and Raphael. Della Robbia style and technique became part of popular culture, with 19th- and 20th-century firms continuing to replicate their models, and holiday decorations featuring garlands of fruit sometimes called "Della Robbia wreaths." 

Girolamo della Robbia, Francois I (1494-1547), King of France, 1529, glazed terracotta, overall: 44.5 cm (17 1/2 in.). Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of George Blumenthal, 1941.

Numerous American collectors, led by discerning Bostonians including Charles C. Perkins, Quincy Adams Shaw, and Isabella Stewart Gardner, brought Della Robbia works back from Italy. These now grace some of the 18 U.S. collections that lent to the show. Pioneering scholarship on the Della Robbia, still fundamental today, was carried out by an American, Allan Marquand (1853–1924), inspired by an Andrea della Robbia altarpiece owned by his father (now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Five works in the exhibition belong to the National Gallery of Art, given by founding donors Andrew W. Mellon and the Widener and Kress families. One from the Kress Collection, Andrea's Adoration of the Child (after 1477), belonged to the celebrated English arts writer John Ruskin in the late 19th century.  

Andrea della Robbia, Madonna and Child with Cherubim, c. 1485, glazed terracotta, diameter: 54.7 cm (21 9/16 in.), framed: 95.25 x 88.27 x 14.61 cm (37 1/2 x 34 3/4 x 5 3/4 in.), Andrew W. Mellon Collection. © 2017 National Gallery of Art 

Luca della Robbia, The Nativity, c. 1460, glazed terracotta, overall: 56.5 x 47.9 cm (22 1/4 x 18 7/8 in.), framed: 106.7 x 68.6 x 12.1 cm (42 x 27 x 4 3/4 in.), Samuel H. Kress Collection. © 2017 National Gallery of Art

Andrea della Robbia, The Adoration of the Child, after 1477, glazed terracotta, overall: 127.8 x 77.4 cm (50 5/16 x 30 1/2 in.), framed: 104.1 x 77.5 x 13.8 cm (41 x 30 1/2 x 5 7/16 in.), Samuel H. Kress Collection © 2017 National Gallery of Art

Giovanni della Robbia, Pietà, c. 1510/1520, glazed terracotta, overall: 72 x 44 x 32.7 cm (28 3/8 x 17 5/16 x 12 7/8 in.), Samuel H. Kress Collection © 2017 National Gallery of Art

Della Robbia Materials and Technique 
It is often assumed that Luca used terracotta because it was inexpensive and easier to work with than marble. His invention, however, had its own qualities not offered by marble: color, of course, but also brilliant luminosity, legibility at a distance, and resistance to inclement weather. The Della Robbias' process, moreover, involved careful and laborious preparation of clay as well as extensive experimentation with the interaction of clay and glaze. Recent technical research by scholars and conservators at the MFA, the Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Walters Art Museum has revealed the sculptor's thorough understanding and manipulation of the materials. 

The raw, calcium-rich clay was gathered from riverbeds, likely at a family-owned property along the Arno River. While Luca would have been familiar with clay as a material for preparatory models for works in bronze and marble, he selected it carefully for sculptures and developed an extensive refinement process to make it suitable for glazing. After an initial firing, the cooled ceramic body would be covered with glazes composed of ground glass and metal oxides with an alkali flux, then fired again to produce a hard, colorful, gleaming surface. The secrets involved the proportions of ingredients and the unique interactive relationship between the particular clay and glazes used. The recipe for the secret Della Robbia glazes included a greater ratio of lead and tin to other ingredients, which enhanced the final opacity and brilliance, particularly of the white figures that stood out against colored grounds. 

Forerunners included not only the Renaissance glazed ceramics known as maiolica, but also the luxury art of enamel work on metal; Luca was reportedly trained as a goldsmith. The inventive glazing technique has kept the colors just as vibrant today.

Luca della Robbia, Madonna and Child, 1400 - 1482, glazed terracotta, overall: 39 3/8 x 20 1/16 x 15 3/4 in. (100 x 51 x 40 cm), Oratory of San Tomasso Aquino, Florence.

Luca della Robbia, Virgin and Child, 1400 - 1482, glazed terracotta, overall: 53.02 x 44.45 x 6.99 cm (20 7/8 x 17 1/2 x 2 3/4 in.), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Quincy Adams Shaw through Qunicy Adams Shaw, Jr., and Mrs. Marian Shaw Haughton.

Luca della Robbia, Virgin and Child in a niche, ca. 1460, glazed terracotta with gilt and painted details, overall: 47.3 x 38.7 x 8.9 cm (18 5/8 x 15 1/4 x 3 1/2 in.), framed: 93.03 82.55 cm (36 5/8 32 1/2 in.), Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Susan Dwight Bliss, 1966.

Luca della Robbia, Madonna and Child, 1400 - 1482, glazed terracotta, overall: 73.66 x 51.12 x 11.43 cm (29 x 20 1/8 x 4 1/2 in.). Lent by the Toledo Museum of Art; Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 1938.123.

Workshop of Andrea della Robbia, Tabernacle, 1470s, glazed terracotta, overall: 78 x 48 cm (30 11/16 x 18 7/8 in.), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.

Andrea della Robbia, Roundel with the Bust of a Saint, 1435 - 1525, glazed terracotta, overall: 91.44 x 91.44 x 16.51 cm (36 x 36 x 6 1/2 in.), The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri (Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust).

Giovanni della Robbia, Judith, 1469 - 1530, glazed terracotta, height: 28 in. (71.12 cm), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge in memory of Delia Spencer Field. 

Giovanni della Robbia, Dovizia, 1469 - 1530, glazed terracotta, overall: 69.22 x 37.47 x 20.96 cm (27 1/4 x 14 3/4 x 8 1/4 in.). Lent by The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The William Hood Dunworthy Fund. 

Andrea della Robbia, Putto (Pair of Cherubs), 1435 - 1525, glazed terracotta, 18 1/8 x 14 7/8 x 2 7/8 inches, Private collection. Photographs: Bruce Schwarz.

Benedetto Buglioni, Saint John the Baptist, 16th century, glazed terracotta, overall: 55.2 x 38.7 x 22.9 cm (21 3/4 x 15 1/4 x 9 in.). Lent by The Metroplitan Museum of Art, The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931. 

Santi Buglioni, Madonna and Child, 1494 - 1576, glazed terracotta, height: 41 9/16 in. (105.57 cm), The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, 27.218.

 Luca della Robbia, Saint (Adoring Angel), 1400 - 1482, glazed terracotta, overall: 59.85 x 44.93 x 23.97 cm (23 9/16 x 17 11/16 x 9 7/16 in.), Private collection. 

Girolamo della Robbia, Bust of a Classical Hero or Emperor, 1488 - 1566, glazed terracotta, overall: 37.5 x 37.5 x 21 cm (14 3/4 x 14 3/4 x 8 1/4 in.), gross weight: 16.2 lb. (7.348 kg), The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2013.3.

Girolamo della Robbia, Bust of a Man, 1488 - 1566, glazed terracotta, overall: 46.36 x 40.01 x 19.69 cm (18 1/4 x 15 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.), The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Luca della Robbia, Coat of Arms of the Franciscan Order, c. 1525, glazed terracotta, diameter: 75.6 cm (29 3/4 in.), depth: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.), North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, Purchased with funds from the North Carolina State Art Society (Robert F. Phifer Bequest).

Santi Buglioni, Roundel of the Coat of Arms of the Antonite Order, c. 1520-1535, glazed terracotta, diameter: 77.5 cm (30 1/2 in.), depth: 8.9 cm (3 1/2 in.), North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, Purchased with funds from the North Carolina State Art Society (Robert F. Phifer Bequest).