Lot 3. Diego Giacometti (1902-1985), Table, vers 1978. Estimate EUR 150,000 - EUR 200,000 (USD 159,003 - USD 212,003). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Bronze patiné et ardoise / patinated bronze and slate. H 54,5 x L 61 x P 38,5 cm / 21 ½ x 24 x 15 1/8 in

Provenance: Collection Hubert de Givenchy, commandée à l'artiste vers 1978.

Table au bord de la piscine du Jonchet © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Christie's. Les Giacometti d'Hubert de Givenchy, 6 March 2017, Paris

Pillow in the form of a tortoise, Vietnam, Trần or Later Lê dynasty, late 14th-15th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with iron pigment under translucent (underfired) glaze, iron oxide wash on base. H x W x D: 9.8 x 12.1 x 16.7 cm (3 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 6 9/16 in). Gift of Dean Frasché, Freer Gallery of Art, F1985.37a-b © 2017 Smithsonian Institution

This pillow was excavated from the site of an abandoned Buddhist monastery in Bangkok.

Ewer, Vietnam, Trần dynasty, 14th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with celadon glaze. H x W x D: 17.9 x 17.1 x 17.1 cm (7 1/16 x 6 3/4 x 6 3/4 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1992.31 © 2017 Smithsonian Institution

Dish with fluted rim, Vietnam, Trần or Later Lê dynasty, 14th-15th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with ivory glaze; iron wash on base. H x W x D: 3.8 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm (1 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1994.13 © 2017 Smithsonian Institution 

Head of Bodhisattva, Ghandara, 2nd–3rd century A.D. Schist, H: 31.1 cm © Phoenix Ancient Art

Seated Figure of Bodhisattva Maitreya, Swat Valley, North-West Pakistan, ca. 7th century A.D. Bronze, silver inlays. Height: 17.6 cm © Phoenix Ancient Art

Head of Bodhisattva, Gandhara, 2nd – 3rd century A.D. Schist. Height: 24 cm © Phoenix Ancient Art

Phoenix Ancient Art (New York, NY), The Diffusion of Buddha in Antiquity, 9-18 march 2017 at 47 East 66th Street, Ground Floor, New York 10065. T (212) 288 7518 - info@phoenixancientart.com - phoenixancientart.com

John Thomson, Island Pagoda. Carbon print from Foochow and the River Min (1873) © 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop

John Thomsom, Yuen-Fu Monastery Cave, Fuzhou, c.1873. Carbon print. 12 x 8 in (30.3 x 23 cm) © 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop

Felice Beato, The Great Imperial Palace Yuen Min Yuen before the burning, Peking, Oct. 18, 1860. Albumen silver print © 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop

Thomas Child, No. 206, Fountain Gate, 1870s. Albumen silver print © 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop

19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop (Brooklyn, NY), Masterpieces of Early Chinese Photography, 7-20 march 2017 at P R P H Books
, 26 East 64th Street, 3rd Floor, New York 10065
 (exhibition only – not for sale). T (410) 602 3002 - M (443) 591 1380 - china@19thshop.com - 19thshop.com

The wedding portrait of Zeng Jifen and Nie ji Gui, who were only recently identified. The bride is the daughter of Marquis Zeng Guofan, a high-ranking Chinese official during the Qing dynasty.© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

In May of 1870, Thomas Child was hired by the Imperial Maritime Customs Service to be a gas engineer in Peking (Beijing). The 29-year-old Englishman left behind his wife and three children to become one of roughly 100 foreigners living in the late Qing dynasty's capital, taking his camera along with him. Over the course of the next 20 years, he took some 200 photographs, capturing the earliest comprehensive catalog of the customs, architecture, and people during China's last dynasty. 

A photograph showing the section of the Great Wall that includes the Nankou pass leading to Mongolia© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery

A photograph of a traditional bridal sedan chair, which would carry a bride to her wedding. The journey in the chair is meant to represent the bride’s transition from one family to another. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery

A view of Spirit Way at the Imperial Tombs outside Peking. The avenue was lined with 24 stone animal figures, 12 standing and 12 recumbent, symbolizing the road leading to heaven. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

Left: A view of the Fragrant Hills Pagoda, which was part of the Grand Zongjing Monastery. The pagoda is embellished with glazed tiles of yellow, green, purple, and blue. Right: The 12th century pagoda of Tianning Temple, standing a few miles from the west gate of the city. It is one of the oldest buildings in the capital. Like many other Liao dynasty pagodas, the structure is solid. A sealed underground chamber holds Buddhist relics, statues, and sutras placed when the pagoda was built. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of Jade Belt Bridge, which still stands on the grounds of the Summer Palace on the western shore of Kunming Lake. The arched bridge, a traditional Chinese design, permitted passage of the Emperor’s dragon boat.© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

An image of a "lama," or Tibetan Buddhist monk, and his pupil. Both subjects hold prayer beads and bundles of "sutras," or scripture, in their laps. On the table behind them are bronze sculptures and sacred Tibetan ritual objects, including a skull cup with a bronze Buddha and a statue of Manjusri. This is one of the earliest photographic portraits of a religious figure in Peking. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of the Grand Canal, the most important canal in Peking. Throughout the Qing dynasty the waterway was crucial for the transport of grain and other commodities to Peking, connecting northern and southern China. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of a bronze instrument at The Imperial Astronomical Observatory. The location is a pretelescopic research center built during the Ming dynasty and expanded during the Qing dynasty. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of the terrain 19th-century travelers faced when journeying to the Great Wall of China. During his travels, Child traversed this region with his fragile photographic equipment and glass plate negatives.© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of a street in Peking.© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of the Forbidden City from across an imperial moat. This photograph shows 15th and 16th-century Chinese fortification systems which do not exist today. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

The front view of Wan Shou Shan, or Longevity Hill, on the grounds of the Summer Palace.© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of 19th-century travelers and their camels on the Silk Road in China. The Bactrian camels, distinguished by their double humps, were used to "carry coal and lime into the City from the Western Hills, and merchandise between Peking and Mongolia," according to Child.© Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

A view of the memorial arch at the entrance to the Ming Tombs outside of Peking. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery. 

A view of a street scene in front of an ornate wooden tobacco shop in the quarter of Peking known as the Chinese City. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery. 

A view of the Seventeen Arch Bridge, the largest bridge of any imperial garden, on the grounds of the Summer Palace. This photograph of the bridge includes the Bronze Ox overlooking Kunming Lake. Cast in 1755, the Bronze Ox was positioned on the lake in hope of preventing floods, as the ox is said to possess special power over water. Inscribed on the back of the ox in seal characters—the most ancient form of Chinese script—is the famous ode "Inscription on the Golden Ox" by the Emperor Qianlong. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery. 

A view of the Zongli Yamen, the Qing government’s Foreign Office. Established by Prince Gong in 1861, it served as a bureaucratic agency dealing with the requests of foreign ministers to China from Peking’s diplomatic quarter. © Thomas Child / Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection / Courtesy of the Sidney Mishkin Gallery.

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion, ca. 1620. Red, yellow, and black chalk, brush and red ink, and gouache on paper, 12 1/2 x 19 1/16 in. (31.8 x 48.4 cm), The Clark, 1955.992. © 2017 The Clark Art Institute

WILLIAMSTOWN , Ma - Looking North and South: European Prints and Drawings, 1500–1650, on view at the Clark Art Institute March 5–May 29, 2017, explores the character of artistic exchange among artists working in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as seen in prints, drawings, and rare books from the Clark’s permanent collection. Northern artists, predominantly those in the Netherlands and Germany, traveled increasingly to southern Europe—particularly Italy—during this time, responding to Italian art and antique statuary. The circulation of artistic ideas, practices, and traditions resulted in a dialogue of inspiration and innovation across the continent.

Looking North and South examines how artists responded to the work of their contemporaries in different regions of early modern Europe, revealing varying modes of artistic production and the important role of works on paper in shaping the exchange of ideas. Thirty-four works from the Clark’s permanent collection and from the Clark’s Julius S. Held Rare Book Collection are presented in the exhibition, including works by Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528); Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–69); Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640); Guercino (Italian, 1591–1666); and Giorgio Vasari (Italian, 1511–1574).

“The Clark’s collection of Old Master prints and drawings is extraordinary in its breadth, depth, and quality,” said Olivier Meslay, Felda and Dena Hardymon Director of the Clark. “It is remarkable to be able to present an exhibition of this size and quality with works entirely from our permanent collection.”

Looking North and South considers approaches to drawing practices and education, depictions of the body and narrative subjects, and the dynamics of printmaking and artistic collaboration. Prints moved easily across large geographical distances, passing between artists and collectors and making ideas and artistic forms available to wide audiences. Drawings—from the highly finished to the loosely executed—offer insight into artists’ working processes and creativity.

“In highlighting the complexity of artistic exchange across Europe in this period, the exhibition encourages viewers to think broadly about artists and their work in more connected ways,” said exhibition curator Lara Yeager-Crasselt. “By raising questions about process and material, the exhibition encourages close looking in a particular way. Seeing some of these works side-by-side allows the viewer to think about what northern and southern artists were interested in depicting, how they were making these works, and how they were responding to each other—or in some cases not responding at all.”

Drawing the body is a fundamental aspect of artistic learning and has served as one the first steps in an artist’s education since the Renaissance. Artists in the Netherlands and Italy approached the depiction of the body in different ways because of their respective traditions or training, yet their artistic challenges in representing the body—whether from life or from antique sculpture—and handling light and shadow were similar. In Andrea del Sarto’s (Italian, 1486–1530) chalk drawing Study of Drapery (1510–13), the artist created an exquisite preparatory work, likely rendered from a studio model, that addresses the interplay of light and shadow as it falls over the folds of cloth. In contrast, Head of a Woman (c. 1495–1497) by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (Italian, c. 1467–1516) is a precise and delicate example of a finished, possibly independent drawing that follows the tradition of Leonardo da Vinci in using sfumato (gradual shading) in the depiction of the human form.

Andrea del Sarto (Italian, 1486–1530), Study of Drapery, 1510–1513. Chalk on paper, 10 1/4 x 13 7/16 in. (26.1 x 34.1 cm), The Clark, 1955.998. © 2017 The Clark Art Institute

Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (Italian, c. 1467–1516), Head of a Woman, early 1490s etalpoint heightened with white on gray prepared paper, 5 7/8 x 4 7/8 in. (15 x 12.4 cm), The Clark, 1955.1470. © 2017 The Clark Art Institute 

Albrecht Dürer’s representations of the human body were admired throughout Northern Europe. In his engraving Adam and Eve (1504), Dürer applied a system of proportions to achieve what he considered an idealized human form. Based on his study of the ancient Roman theorist Vitruvius, as well as antique statuary he encountered in Italy, Dürer developed a set of ideal measurements that would later appear in Four Books on Human Proportion (1528).

Conversely, Jacopo Palma il Giovane’s (Italian, c. 1548–1648) Ten Head Studies (1636) utilizes the drawing method of deconstructing the human form, which he helped popularize in Venice. The figures, seen from various perspectives and representative of different ages and types, are interspersed with depictions of eyes, noses, and ears. Although the origins of this print are unknown, it relates to images found in drawing books, which formalized a method of progressive learning around the human form. This approach quickly spread to Northern Europe, where drawing books were used by art students and amateurs alike.

Jacopo Palma il Giovane (Italian, c. 1548–1648) Ten Head Studies, 1636. Etching on paper, 5 13/16 x 8 1/8 in. (14.8 x 20.6 cm), The Clark, 1987.49. © 2017 The Clark Art Institute 

Similarly, Abraham Bloemaert (Dutch, 1566–1651) intended the Tekenboek (c. 1650)—one of the few Dutch drawing books produced in the seventeenth century—to serve as a teaching tool for young art students and amateur artists. The drawing manual, published by the artist’s son Frederick Bloemaert (Dutch, 1616–1690) shortly after his father’s death, included prints of figures, anatomical studies, animals, and various narrative compositions. Images of bodily fragments such as heads and hands served as models for students to copy. Through these teaching manuals, students could learn how to study the body in isolated segments, independent of a teacher.

Looking North and South also examines the varied approaches to and functions of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century narrative drawings and prints by northern and southern European artists. Highly detailed Italian drawings such as Vasari’s The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (c. 1556–57) are preparatory works conceived for paintings. Several seventeenth-century Dutch drawings, like Rembrandt’s Nathan Admonishing David (c. 1652–53), show the power of storytelling through a seemingly rapid manner of execution.

Giorgio Vasari (Italia, 1511-1574), The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, c. 1556–57. Ink and wash on paper, 8 7/16 x 6 15/16 in. (21.5 x 17.6 cm), The Clark, 2003.9.4. © 2017 The Clark Art Institute

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Nathan Admonishing David, c. 1652–53. Pen and brown ink on paper, 4 15/16 x 5 7/8 in. (12.6 x 14.9 cm), The Clark, 2003.9.29. © 2017 The Clark Art Institute

The exhibition also considers the role of printmaking in the widespread dissemination of these images across Europe. Prints contributed significantly to the spread of artistic ideas as well as to linking artists, printmakers, publishers, and collectors in new ways. Issues related to artists’ ownership of the images, both adversarial and collaborative, are explored through considering works by Dürer and Rubens and replicas of their originals made by printmakers Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470–before1534), Boetius Adams Bolswert (Flemish, 1590–1633), and Schelte Bolswert (Flemish, 1581–1659).

Pablo Picasso, Autoportrait, 1901. Huile sur toile 81 x 60 cm | © Picasso Estate

DOHA.- Qatar Museums in collaboration with the Musée National Picasso and the Fondation Giacometti, present the first exhibition dedicated to the work of two of the most important artists of the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti, at the Fire Station Artist in Residence in Doha, Qatar. The exhibition, which is the first to show these artists in the Middle East, runs from 22 February – 21 May 2017. 

This major exhibition, curated by Catherine Grenier, Director of the Fondation Giacometti, with Associate Curators, Serena Bucalo-Mussely and Virginie Perdrisot, brings together more than 80 works by these two artists drawn from the collections of the Musée National Picasso and the Fondation Giacometti in Paris, as well as exceptional loans from French and other international collections, covering paintings, sculptures and drawings. 

Alberto Giacometti, Autoportrait, vers 1923. Huile sur toile 55 x 32 cm | © Giacometti Estate

The exhibition reflects two years of research undertaken by the Fondation Giacometti and the Musée National Picasso, which reveals for the first time the hitherto unknown relationship between these two artists, who, despite an age gap of twenty years, shared many moments, both personal and professional. 

The exhibition is organised in six sections, evoking different aspects of each artist’s production, including the development of their work as young artists through to their modernist creations, showing the correspondences between their works, the influence of the surrealist movement, and the return to realism during the post-war period.  

Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Dora Maar, Paris, 1937. Oil on canvas, 55 × 45.5 cm, Musée National Picasso-Paris, Dation Pablo Picasso, 1979. MP158 | © Picasso Estate

The exhibition includes key works by each artist, such as: Self Portrait (1901), Woman Throwing a Stone (1931) and The She Goat (1950) by Picasso and Flower in Danger (1932), Tall Woman (1960), and Walking Man (1960) by Giacometti, presented alongside rare and fragile casts, newly discovered drawings and photographic archives as well as some replicas of Giacometti’s works for visually impaired visitors. 

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of lectures and an extensive education programme, as well as a self-guided handbook for visitors. 

A richly illustrated catalogue, published as a co-edition with Flammarion, accompanies the exhibition, featuring new essays by art historians and the curators of the exhibition.

Alberto Giacometti, Seated Woman, 1956. Bronze, 51.3 × 15.6 × 23.9 cm, Fondation Giacometti, Paris | © Giacometti Estate

Pablo Picasso, The Bathers, 1956. Musée national Picasso-Paris | © Picasso Estate

Samurai armor bearing the crest of the Inaba family. Signed by Myochin Munesada and dated 1757 © Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art

Okina Sōmen, A full face russet iron samurai armor’s mask formed and decorated to resemble the face of an old man, Edo period, 18th century © Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art

Yutō, A large turned and assembled wood negoro ewer for hot water, Momoyama period, 16th century. Height: 36.8 cm © Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art

Mino Ware, Oribe Style. A green glazed stoneware Oribe footed square serving dish decorated with iron wash grape leaves and geometric patterns. Momoyama to Edo period, early 17th century, 20 x 18 cm © Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art

Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art (Milan, Italy), Japanese Art and Antiques, 9-18 march 2017 at Adam Williams & Moretti Gallery, 24 East 80th Street, New York 10075. T (212) 249 4987 - M +39 348 4123 426 - info@giuseppepiva.com - giuseppepiva.com

A Jianyao “hare’s-fur” teabowl, Early Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), 12th-13th century. Diameter: 4 3/8 inches (11.2 cm) © Priestley & Ferraro

A Junyao "bubble" bowl. China, Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Glazed stoneware. Diameter: 3 1/4 inches (8.2 cm) © Priestley & Ferraro

A Yaozhou carved peony-pattern bowl, China, Song dynasty (960-1279). Diameter: 7 3/4 in (19.8 cm) © Priestley & Ferraro

A Korean celadon bamboo-bundle shaped ewer and cover, Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), 12th century. Height (including cover) 8 ¾ inches (22.2 cm) © Priestley & Ferraro 

Priestley & Ferraro (London, UK), Chinese & Korean Ceramics & Works of Art, 9-18 march 2017 at Apartment 8B, 3 East 66th Street, New York 10065 - M +44 780 250 2937 -info@priestleyandferraro.com -priestleyandferraro.com

Monumental tombak ewer and basin, Ottoman Empire, Turkey, first half of the 19th century. Gilded copper (tombak) © Alexis Renard

Importantcalligraphic Iznik tile, Turkey, Iznik, second half of 16th century, Ottoman Empire. Stonepaste with underglaze painted decoration. 26.5 x 27.5 cm © Alexis Renard

Portrait of Ranbir Singh, India, probably Lahore, mid-19th century. Ink, pigments and gold on paper. 12 x 8.7 inches (30.5 x 22 cm) © Alexis Renard

Portrait of an elephant calf, India, Rajasthan, Mewar, late 18th century. Pigments, gold and silver on paper. 23.1 x 26.7 cm © Alexis Renard

Alexis Renard (Paris, France), March 2017 Exhibition, 9-18 march 2017 at Tambaran Gallery, 5 East 82nd Street, Lower Level, New York 10028. M +33 6 80 37 74 00 - courrier@alexisrenard.com - alexisrenard.com

Lot 4. Diego Giacometti (1902-1985), Paire d’Arbres de vie ou Arbres à l’oiseau et à l'escargot, vers 1968. Estimate EUR 300,000 - EUR 500,000 (USD 318,005 - USD 530,008). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Bronze patiné / patinated bronze. H 82 x L 68 x P 18 cm (chacun) / 32 ¼ x 26 ¾ x 7 1/8 in (each)

Provenance: Collection Hubert de Givenchy, commandés à l'artiste vers 1968.

Diego Giacometti, Hubert de Givenchy et Bunny Mellon : une histoire d'amitié

Mrs Paul Mellon et Hubert de Givenchy, 1986 © Droits réservés

C’est à travers Hubert de Givenchy que Mrs Paul Mellon découvre le travail de Diego Giacometti. Et quoi de plus naturel que deux personnalités aux affinités si proches tombent amoureuses du même artiste. 

Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, héritière de la fortune américaine de la marque Listerine et des rasoirs Gillette, forme avec son époux le philanthrope Paul Mellon, fils du fondateur de la Bank of New York Mellon, un couple passionné d'art, grands mécènes et collectionneurs. Bunny est également une paysagiste de renom, ayant notamment réalisé le Rose Garden et le Jacqueline Kennedy Garden de la Maison Blanche à Washington en 1961. Plus tard elle dessinera aussi les somptueux jardins du manoir du Jonchet pour Monsieur de Givenchy.  

Leurs chemins se croisent pour la première fois en 1968 : Cristóbal Balenciaga vient d’annoncer sa retraite et présente Mrs Paul Mellon, l’une de ses plus fidèles clientes, à Monsieur de Givenchy, dans son atelier de l’avenue George V. 

«Certainement jamais Madame Mellon ne me demandera de l’habiller» croit-il alors. Mais Madame Mellon tombe sous le charme des dessins de sa nouvelle collection et ne tardera pas à se fournir exclusivement chez Givenchy. 

Cette rencontre marque le départ d’une grande complicité entre les Mellon, Hubert de Givenchy et Philippe Venet, cimentée par leur passion commune pour les arts et l'histoire du goût. Le couturier installera même une chambre pour Madame Mellon dans son manoir du Jonchet, afin de l’accueillir à l'occasion de ses nombreux voyages en France, pays qu’elle affectionne tout particulièrement.  

Ainsi Bunny Mellon rencontre Diego Giacometti. Elle succombe immédiatement au charme de l'artiste, à la poésie de ses créations si personnelles et devient à son tour l’une de ses plus fidèles clientes et amies. De nombreuses commandes illustrent les liens qui unirent ces trois créateurs, chacun artiste à sa manière. 

Bunny Mellon à Oak Springs, Virginie, 1965. © Horst / Vogue © Condé Nast

It was through Hubert de Givenchy that Mrs Mellon discovered the work of Diego Giacometti. What could be more natural than that two people with such similar affinities should fall in love with the same artist? 

Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon, heir to the American Listerine brand and Gillette razor fortunes, with her husband, the philanthropist Paul Mellon, son of the founder of the Bank of New York Mellon, were a couple passionate about the arts, great benefactors and collectors. Bunny was also a renowned garden designer, having designed and planted the Rose Garden and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden of the White House in Washington in 1961. She would later design the splendid gardens of the Manoir du Jonchet for Monsieur de Givenchy. 

Their paths crossed for the first time in 1968: Cristóbal Balenciaga had just announced his retirement and presented Mrs Mellon, one of his most loyal clients, to Monsieur de Givenchy, at his studio in Avenue George V. 

“Mrs Mellon will certainly never ask me to dress her” he thought at the time. But Mrs Mellon succumbed to the charm of the designs for his new collection and it was not long before she purchased exclusively from Givenchy.  

This meeting would mark the beginning of a strong bond between the Mellons, Hubert de Givenchy and Philippe Venet, cemented by their shared passion for the arts and love of good taste. The couturier went so far as to provide a bedroom for Mme Mellon in his manoir du Jonchet where she could stay during her many visits to France, a country particularly close to her heart.  

Thus Bunny Mellon soon met Diego Giacometti. She immediately succumbed to the poetry of his work and became in turn one of his most loyal customers and friends. Numerous commissions attest to the link that united these three creators, each one artist in his own way.

Literature: Pour nos exemplaires : F. Francisci, Diego Giacometti, catalogue de l’oeuvre, éditions Eolia, Paris, 1986, vol. I, p. 4-5 et p. 51 
D. Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Hermann, Paris, 2005, p. 128

Paire d'Arbres de vie dans l'entrée sous voûte du manoir du Jonchet. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Note: Cette paire d’Arbres de vie est la toute première commande issue de la grande amitié qui va lier durant prés de vingt ans Hubert de Givenchy, Bunny Mellon et Diego Giacometti. Elle a été réalisée pour le jardin potager dessine par Bunny Mellon pour la première maison de campagne d’Hubert de Givenchy a Loges-en-Josas, dans les Yvelines, ou chaque arbre était présente sur un socle d’un mètre cinquante de haut, de part et d’autre de l'entrée.

This pair of Trees of Life was the very first commission that came out of the great friendship that bound Hubert de Givenchy, Bunny Mellon and Diego Giacometti for almost twenty years. It was made for the kitchen garden designed by Bunny Mellon for Hubert de Givenchy’s first country house at Loges-en-Josas, in the Yvelines, where each tree was displayed on a plinth one and half metres high, on either side of the entrance.

Christie's. Les Giacometti d'Hubert de Givenchy, 6 March 2017, Paris

Lot 5. Diego Giacometti (1902-1985), Mill Reef, seconde version, 1973. Estimate EUR 60,000 - EUR 80,000 (USD 63,601 - USD 84,801). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Bronze patiné / patinated bronze. H 11,5 x L 13 x P 7,5 cm / 4 ½ x 5 1/8 x 3 in. Signé Diego et titré MILL REEF 3 octobre 1971 dans un cartouche sur la terrasse

Provenance: Collection Hubert de Givenchy, commandéà l'artiste en 1973.

Literature: Pour notre exemplaire : D. Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Hermann, Paris, 2005, p. 122-123

Note: Paul et Bunny Mellon sont les propriétaires d'un cheval exceptionnel, Mill Reef (1968-1986), qui a gagné douze des quatorze courses auxquelles il a participé et fini second dans les deux autres. En 1971, il remporte le Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe et est élu Cheval Européen de l'année. Il sera l’un des purs sangs les plus prestigieux de son époque. 

Paul et Rachel Mellon avec leur cheval Mill Reef à Rokeby Farm, Virginie, 1971 © Sipa

"Pour eux, j'avais demandéà Diego de faire une sculpture de leur cheval Mill Riff, afin de la leur offrir si celui-ci gagnait le prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Il est sorti vainqueur en 1971." se souvient Hubert de Givenchy, Le Figaro janvier 2017.

Bunny Mellon conservera cette effigie tout au long de sa vie, placée sur la cheminée du salon de sa propriétéà Upperville, en Virginie. En 1973, Diego crée une seconde version de Mill Reef, avec la queue moins pointue et une terrasse légèrement plus épaisse, celle que nous présentons ici, que Monsieur de Givenchy commandera en souvenir de ce merveilleux cheval.

Diego Giacometti (1902-1985),  MillReef, première version, 1971 © Hermann

Christie's. Les Giacometti d'Hubert de Givenchy, 6 March 2017, Paris

Lot 5. Diego Giacometti (1902-1985), Grande table console aux cerfs, vers 1968. Estimate EUR 400,000 - EUR 600,000 (USD 424,007 - USD 636,010). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Bronze patiné et chêne / patinated bronze and oak. H 85 x L 230 x P 70 cm / 33 ½ x 90 ½ x 27 ½ in

Provenance: Collection Hubert de Givenchy, commandée à l'artiste vers 1968.

Note: Cette table, probablement pièce unique, est le tout premier meuble que Monsieur de Givenchy commande à Diego Giacometti, pour sa maison à Loges-en-Josas. Le motif décoratif sera le cerf, emblème de Saint Hubert. Diego utilise alors des brindilles pour façonner les bois. C'est la première fois qu'il représente ce motif.

Détail de la grande table console aux cerfs dans la salle de projection du Jonchet © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Christie's. Les Giacometti d'Hubert de Givenchy, 6 March 2017, Paris

Dish, Vietnam, Trần or Later Lê dynasty, 14th-15th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with white slip and iron pigment under clear glaze; iron wash on the base. H x W x D: 3.8 x 12.1 x 21.1 cm (1 1/2 x 4 3/4 x 8 5/16 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1994.10 © 2017 Smithsonian Institution

Saucer, Vietnam, Trần or Later Lê dynasty, late 14th-early 15th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with iron decoration under ivory glaze; iron wash on base. H x W x D: 3 x 12.1 x 12.1 cm (1 3/16 x 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1994.11 © 2017 Smithsonian Institution

Dish with foliate rim, Vietnam, Trần or Later Lê dynasty, second half 14th-early 15th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with white slip and iron pigment under transparent glaze; iron wash on base. H x W x D: 2.9 x 14.3 x 14.3 cm (1 1/8 x 5 5/8 x 5 5/8 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1994.12 © 2017 Smithsonian Institution

Dish, Vietnam, Trần dynasty, 14th century, Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with iron pigment inder transparent, green-toned glaze; iron wash on foot. H x W x D: 5.6 x 27.3 x 27.3 cm (2 3/16 x 10 3/4 x 10 3/4 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1994.15 © 2017 Smithsonian 

Bowl with design of floral spray, Vietnam, Trần dynasty, 14th century,  Hải Dương province, Red River Delta kilns. Stoneware with iron decoration under transparent glaze; iron wash on base. H x W x D: 8.6 x 16.9 x 16.9 cm (3 3/8 x 6 5/8 x 6 5/8 in). Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1994.8 © 2017 Smithsonian