Lot 2075. Xu Beihong (1895-1953), Horse, 1942. Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, inscribed and signed by the artist, dated renwu (1942), dedicated to Fengzi, with two artist's seals reading Xu and Beihong zhi hua. 27 5/8 x 20in (70.3 x 50.6cm). Rstimate USD 80,000 ~ 120,000. Sold for US$ 87,500 (€81,003). Photo: Bonhams.

Note: Xu Beihong has dedicated the painting to Lü Fengzi (1886-1959) (呂鳳子), his teacher and fellow artist. In addition to being in Shanghai together in the early years of the Republican period, the two were together again in Nanjing at National Central University.

Lot 2125. A cloisonnéZun-Form vase, 18th century. Estimate USD 30,000 ~ 40,000. Sold for US$ 35,000 (€32,401). Photo: Bonhams.

The sloping sides rise to an angular shoulder below a short, flaring, trumpet neck, the main register of the vase decorated with phoenixes set against a background of peony blossoms and foliage, the shoulder and neck adorned with multi-colored archaistic scrollwork. 12 3/4in (32.4cm) high

Note: A very closely related vase, with nearly identical shape and a similar combination or archaistic and naturalistic motifs, is illustrated by Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz in Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pg.228. A similar and larger vase, covered entirely in archaistic patterns and described as being of Imperial provenance, was sold by Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, sale 23440, lot 58. All three vases are united by a high quality of execution, similar archaistic motifs, and a peculiar feature of the decoration in which gilt wire, in addition to outlining the cloisons, also extends into the enameled cloisons in the shape of small, delicate curls to produce a particularly rich contrast against the colored enamel.

Lot 3262. A group of six Sakya Lamdre Lineage Masters, Tibet, circa 15th century. Estimate USD 200,000 ~ 300,000. Sold for US$ 727,500 (€673,486). Photo: Bonhams.

Each sealed with gilded baseplates and inscribed with identifying monikers; comprised, from left to right, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, Shangton Chobar, Seton Kunrig, Dragpugpa Sonampel, Pelden Tsultrim, and Buddhashri. 5 1/4 in. (13.5 cm) high, the largest
Himalayan Art Resources item nos.2120-5

Note: Purchased on different occasions, the assembly of these six Sakya masters from the same original set is one of the great accomplishments of the Portrait of the Masters collection. 

Their every aspect points to the set having been a high and valuable commission around the 15th century – from the charisma bestowed onto the idiosyncratic poses and features of each figure, the rich gilding, convincing folds, and finely chased patterns throughout their garments, to the sumptuous, plump lotus petals cast in the round, and their gilded base plates.

As with thangkas, many Tibetan sculptures originate from dispersed sets, which this group makes clear. It depicts masters of the lamdre tradition, the core teaching of the Sakya order, which houses the potential to achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime. Most likely starting with Vajradhara, and Vajra Nairatmya, and then the tradition's first mortal master Virupa, the set enunciates the teaching's chain of transmission as it was passed down to successive lineage holders.

While it is not possible to know exactly how large the set would have been, we can approximate about twenty or thirty by comparing the amount of masters that line the borders of various lamdre lineage paintings, of which the most famous is a set from Ngor monastery dated c.1600 (HAR set no.385). It is reasonable to assume that this sculptural set would have been commissioned by a major Sakya monastery, such as Ngor, Sakya, or Shalu.

Each with an identifying inscription on the reverse, the assemblage consists of Seton Kunrig (1025-1122), Shangton Chobar (1053-1135, see lot 3256), Sachen Kunga Nyinpo (1034-1102, see lot 3259), Drugpugpa Sonampel (c.1277-1350, see lot 3261), Pelden Tsultrim (1333-89), and Buddhashri (1339-1419). 

In addition, two other portraits from the set, one of Damarupa (c.9th century) and the other of Chogyal Phagpa Lodro Gyaltsen (1235-80), are held in the Museum der Kulturen, Basel, published in von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 2008, p.456-7, nos.126F-G.

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.230-3, 242-3, 250-1, & 254-7, nos.56-7, 62, 66 & 68-9.

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, pp.190-1, 194-5, 200 & 202-3, nos.144, 150, 152, 162 & 165-6.

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3236. A gilt copper alloy figure of Jigten Sumgon Rinchen Pel, Tibet, 13th century. Estimate USD 250,000 ~ 350,000. Sold for US$ 463,500 (€429,087). Photo: Bonhams.

9 1/8 in. (23.3 cm) high

Himalayan Art Resources item no.2270 

Note: The casting is flawless. Simple, yet elegant and powerful, a young man, with his head held high, surveys his immediate environs. He was given the name Jigten Sumgon Rinchen Pel (1143-1217), 'Precious One, The Protector of the Three Worlds', and his Drigung Kagyu order dominated the political landscape of Tibet in the late 12th and 13th centuries, enjoying great wealth and patronage.

The bronze is closely related to two important 13th-century sculptures that confirm its identity. First is a heavily published example of Rinchen Pel held in the Musée Guimet, the subject of a broad consensus since Stoddard's recent research, which contends that it was made in the early 13th century, situating it either within or shortly after the subject's lifetime (see Czaja & Proser (eds), Golden Vision of Densatil, New York, 2014, pp.68-9, no.1). The second is held in the Potala Palace, published initially by von Schroeder as 14th century, but then later by Jackson as 13th. It bears an almost identical likeness to the present lot (Jackson, Painting Traditions of the Drigung Kagyu School, New York, 2015, p.89, fig.5.12).

A third bronze of Rinchen Pel in the Collection Yang Zi is particularly useful for narrowing the present bronze's date of production (Huang, Xizang Dansatisi Lishi Yanjiu, Beijing, 2016, pp.60-1). It differs from the present lot in having a more quintessentially 14th-century Densatil style lotus base, indicating that the bronze at hand was probably made elsewhere. The most obvious place suitable for a commission of this magnitude would have been Drigung monastery itself, which was sacked by the Sakya in 1290, suggesting an end cap for the date of this bronze within the 13th century.

Immaculate and magisterial, the bronze bespeaks an order at the height of its power. As the followers of Pagmodrupa (1110-70) organized themselves into offshoots after his cremation, Rinchen Pel and his Drigung order, founded in 1179, emerged as the more aggressive and dominant. There is even a record of him taking possession of the reliquary of Pagmodrupa's heart from Densatil monastery in 1208, until enough pressure mounted for him to return it. Indeed, between the time that the Drigung established relations with the Mongols in 1222, to their loss of Yuan patronage under Kubilai Khan c.1260, the order enjoyed vast political power and wealth, representing a broad sweep of kingdoms in Central and Western Tibet to the Ilkhanate (Stoddard, "'Bri Gung, Sa Skya and Mongol Patronage", in Dating Tibetan Art, Wiesbaden, 2003, p.66).

Stoddard argues that images such as the present lot might be copies of a principal cult image of Rinchen Pel, created within his lifetime at Drigung monastery by a Chinese artist. Called the 'Lord of the Golden Temple', it was said to be no different from the master himself. Stoddard asserts that Rinchen Pel's chief disciple also commissioned many other sculptures of the master by this Chinese artist. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing discussion as to why bronzes like the Guimet, Potala, and present example are often called 'Mongol images' (hor sku) by Drigung lamas. While Stoddard infers this is because they were commissioned by Mongol rulers, Jackson contends that it is simply due to their production in a period of Mongol rule (op. cit. p.38). Credible sources also inform us that from 1198, Rinchen Pel employed the skills of Newari casters for at least a decade to create the prototype of the Densatil stupas at Drigung Monastery (Czaja & Proser, p.184).

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.192-3, no.46.

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.223, no.200.

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3248. A large gilt copper alloy figure of the Fourth Druk Desi of Bhutan, Tenzin Rabgye, Bhutan, late 17th-18th century. Estimate USD 150,000 ~ 200,000. Sold for US$ 391,500 (€362,432). Photo: Bonhams.

On a later brass base. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm) high

Himalayan Art Resources item no.2272 

Note: The Drukpa Kagyu is the only order to wear this tall fan-shaped hat with a high peak that can be seen above its rim. Comparing the portrait to inscribed paintings of the Drukpa lineage, this figure's facial hair, hand gestures, and the absence of attributes flowering at his sides, singles him out as Tenzin Rabgye (1638-98), the fourth leader of the order after it established the sovereign nation of Bhutan. Compare with thangkas of him within the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR item nos.244 & 791) as well as murals in Bhutan (HAR item nos.82131 & 82072)

Among the Portraits of the Masters collection this appears to be one of the truest portraits observed from real life. It would suggest a date for the bronze not too far from its subject's lifetime, ending in 1698. He gazes with a magisterial countenance – stoic, steadfast, immovable. His hands progress the Dharma over Bhutan, reflecting a lifetime of building consensus among the kingdom's various ruling factions. The beautifully incised patterns with his hat and robe are large, precise, and broadly spaced, showing a restraint largely inconsistent with Tibetan styles of the period.

In the mid 17th-century, a schism occurred within the Drukpa Kagyu over rival claims for the legitimacy of its next incarnate leader. After his opposition secured the support of the King of Tsang and the Karma Kagyu, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594-1651) migrated south. And while the Fifth Dalai Lama endeavored to unify Tibet, he sought to found a new sovereign state, the kingdom of Bhutan. There he established a dual system of government, with the Je Khenpo as the hierarch of religious affairs and the Druk Desi as the hierarch of administrative affairs.

Shabdrung lacked an heir and instead groomed Tenzin Rabgye for office, who was the son of Shabdrung's first wife who had since been betrothed to a ruling family in Western Bhutan in political alliance. Tenzin Rabgye was taught by the First, Second, and Third Druk Desis before being enthroned in 1680. He proved a most proficient ruler, who continued to implement Shabdrung's vision of a unified nation, cultivating diplomacy and patronage amongst the religious traditions within Bhutan, and a distinctive national identity.

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.198-9, no.49.

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.182, no.132.

Provenance: Christie's, New York, 3 October 1990, lot 164.

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3243. A gilt copper alloy figure of the Fifth Karmapa, Deshin Shekpa, Tibet, 15th-16th century. Estimate USD 150,000 ~ 200,000. Sold for US$ 343,500 (€317,996). Photo: Bonhams.

Inscription translated, 'I prostrate at the feet of Lord Deshin Shekpa'. 7 1/8 in. (18 cm) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2265

Note: The 14th century witnessed the fall of the Yuan (1271-1368) and the rise of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Seeing the spiritual and political merits of forming alliances with Tibetan Buddhist leaders, the early Ming Yongle emperor (r.1402-24) wished to reinstate the 'priest-patron' relationship that Kubilai Khan (r.1260-94) had formerly introduced. He thus dispatched numerous envoys to the eminent hierarchs of various orders. None were particularly eager to answer his call. Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) was too frail, and the Kagyu dispatched the neophyte (and replaceable) Fifth Karmapa Deshin Shekpa (1384-1415) to test the waters with China's new emperor, who had emerged victorious after a contentious struggle for the throne.

From the Yongle emperor, Deshin Shekpa received a glorious bejeweled black crown said to be inspired by the emperor's perception of a black hat that always rests upon a Karmapa's head, but that few are spiritually adept enough to see. Legend has it that this mythical hat, made of 100,000 strands of dakini hair, was conferred on the First Karmapa, Dusum Kyenpa (1110-93) by the mahasiddha Saraha (c.8th century) in a vision. The tangible crown gifted to Deshin Shekpa naturally became an important relic for the Karmapas, only unveiled during special ritual observances. Upon his return to Tibet, Deshin Shekpa settled in the old palace of the Yarlung kings in Lhasa, around which the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lamas was later built. He died at 32.

This distinctive and superior portrait depicts the young Karmapa, thickly cast and richly gilded, forwarding the Dharma on an elaborately conceived animal skin and cloud-patterned cushion.

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.166-9, no.31.
David P. Jackson, Patron and Painter: Situ Panchen and the Revival of the Encampment Style, New York, 2009, p.68, fig.3.56 (misattributed to the Nyingjei Lam Collection).

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.177, no.125.

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3273. A silver inlaid copper alloy figure of Sanggye Pel Tsang, Central Tibet, 15th century. Estimate USD 100,000 ~ 150,000. Sold for US$ 319,500 (€295,778). Photo: Bonhams.

Inscription translated, 'Homage to the omniscient Sang gye Pel, lord of the entire Doctrine. Good Fortune!'. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2328

Note: The bronze is one of the finest known portraits in the Tsang style of Central Tibet, which favors non-gilt, brassy sculptures with incised patterning. A masterwork, every inch of his patchwork robe is beautifully chased with floral sprays. A finer detail distinguishing the piece's quality is the minute notched fringes, conveying a thickness to the cloth. This combines with painstaking stippling to clarify the patterns and distinguish sections of the garment. The overall effect makes the complex ensemble effortlessly readable at a glance. Contrast, for instance, with a closely related bronze of approaching quality sold at Sotheby's, New York, 24 March 2011, lot 67. Furthermore, there is a sense that the artist has reveled in the interplay of folds and exposed undersides as the robe's tension slackens and drapes around the body.

The student of the second abbot of Ngor Monastery, Sanggye Pel (1412-85) went on to found Dreyel Kyetsel Monastery, and teach some of Ngor's most famous masters, including its sixth and eighth abbots, Gorampa Sonam Sengge (1429-89) and Muchen Sanggye Rinchen (1450-1524).

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.260-3, no.72.
Matthew Akester, Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo's Guide to Central Tibet, Chicago, 2016, p. 527 

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.197, no.155.

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3244. A silver inlaid copper alloy figure of Tsangnyon Heruka Tsang, Central Tibet, 16th century. Estimate USD 100,000 ~ 150,000. Sold for US$ 319,500 (€295,778). Photo: Bonhams.

Inscription translated, 'Homage to the scholar-yogin, the mad man of Tsang, Sang gye Gyaltsen'. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no.10874

Note: It is difficult to imagine a portrait bronze with more eccentricity and charisma. "The Madman of Tsang", Tsangnyon Heruka (1452-1507) appears to draw a disapproving frown, but more likely he is inhaling deeply through his nostrils to heat his naked body through breath alone. His rotund belly confirms he is a master of the Kundalini yoga practice (tummo).

While ordained, Tsangnyon Heruka's teachers were Rechungpa (1084-1161) and Gampopa (lot 3225), the primary pupils of Milarepa (lot 3219). But inspired by his grand-master, and Kagyu's early Indian mahasiddhas, Tsangnyon Heruka turned his back on monasticism to pursue the tantric life. His biographies have him inhabiting burial grounds, wearing and even eating what he finds there. Here, the bronze is deliberately cast in two alloys, affording the figure a richer and darker copper content to convey the tint of his body covered with ashes from charnel remains. Nevertheless, like the peripatetic Milarepa before him, he attracted numerous disciples as he wandered between cemeteries, caves, and hermitages.

In 1504, Tsangnyon Heruka accepted the invitation of the King Ratnamalla (1482-1520) to restore the famed Svayambhu Stupa in his capital, Kathmandu. Completed in less than three months, the project won him the acclaim of many who were initially put off by the master's unusual behavior. Shortly afterward he received the high praise of The Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso (1454-1506) and the King of Central Tibet, Donyo Dorje (1463-1512).

Tsangnyon Heruka is also one of Tibet's most celebrated authors. He is among the first to have his works printed with woodblocks, funding and developing the technology which would have a profound effect on Tibetan culture. His most famous writings are the biographies of Milarepa and Marpa (lot 3218), but he also produced a number of instructional texts, particularly for the Rechung Kagyu and Drukpa Kagyu transmissions. He cultivated a legacy of writing and printing wherein his pupils added the standard biographies of Tilopa, Naropa (lot 3217) and Rechungpa.

The bronze has the typical brassy lotus base of the ateliers of Tsang in Central Tibet, where Tsangong Heruka was born and active.

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.154-5, no.25.
Matthew Akester, Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo's Guide to Central Tibet, Chicago, 2016, p. 423. 

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.179, no.127.

Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, 20 March 1997, lot 112

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3268. A gilt copper alloy figure of Vanaratna, Tibet, circa 1468. Estimate USD 120,000 ~ 160,000. Sold for US$ 295,500 (€273,560). century. Photo: Bonhams.

Inscription translated, 'One is freed of all prejudice if reality dawns, and so the master known to be free of prejudice should be resorted to with devotion. As a memorial to the mahapandita and a meditation object for Lochen, this was commissioned by the great attendant Dripa Gelong and made by the artist Rokpa Tsapa Namka Gyaltzen. Virtue!'. 8 7/8 in. (22.7 cm) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2293

Note: While his historic identity remains veiled at present, the inscription provides a rare instance of a Tibetan bronze naming its creator, Rokpa Tsapa Namka Gyaltzen.

No reference is made to its charismatic subject, but it can be inferred rather easily. From its immediate likeness to a 15th-century portrait thangka of Vanaratna (1384-1468) within the Kronos Collection, we can confidently assert the subjects are one and the same (see Jackson, Mirror of the Buddha, New York, 2011, pp.96-7). Furthermore, its donor is also listed in the inscription, Timkhang Lotsawa Sonam Gyatso (1424-82), who was Vanaratna's disciple and translator.

Hailing from present-day Bengal, Vanaratna was one of the last Indian pandits to visit Tibet and teach to broad audiences. He was twice invited by the prince of Gyantse to teach the Kalachakra tantra, of which he was a master, and his portrait was placed in the topmost chapel of the great Kumbum stupa at Gyantse, Central Tibet. He also received patronage from other provinces in Tibet, and traveled throughout Bhutan and Nepal.

Crucially, as Dinwiddie points out, Vanaratna's existence proves the survival of Buddhist communities in the 15th-century India, despite their decimation by Muslim invaders at the turn of the 13th century (Portraits of the Masters, p.341).

As suggested by the inscription, this piece was not part of a set, but intended as a singular memorial bronze, like the Konchog Yogten within the Portraits of the Masters Collection (lot 3270). Seeming appropriate for personal worship, with his right hand downturned, the master makes the gesture of awakening to enlightenment. Meanwhile his handsome face, enhanced by pigments, has an alert, transfixed, but also attentive expression.

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.340-1, no.99.
David P. Jackson, Mirror of the Buddha, New York, 2011, pp.96-7, figs.3.21A&B.

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.208, no.176.

Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, 16/17 September 1998, lot 133

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 3290. A gilt copper alloy figure of the second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso Pelzangpo, Tibet, late 16th-17th century. Estimate USD 100,000 ~ 150,000. Sold for US$ 199,500 (€184,688). Photo: Bonhams.

Inscription (on book held in hand) translated: 'Here lie the Father and Son teachings of the Kadam'. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm) high
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2280

Note: There can be no mistaking his likeness to the stout, broad featured, smiling figure within the Museum Rietberg, identified by inscription as the Second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso Pelzangpo (1475–1542). Moreover, while the Rietberg example unusually depicts him holding a vase, the Narthang woodblocks, which inspired generations of painted copies, depict the Second Dalai Lama holding a book instead (cf. HAR set no.965).

Almost as wide as he is tall, the Dalai Lama is cast with an extraordinary sense of volume and presence. His joyful expression draws the eye, and is flanked by a pair of big earlobes often considered auspicious in Chinese culture. He holds the teachings of the ancient Kadam order, which the Gelug claimed to revitalize as they sought to trace their teaching lineages back to an Indian root in the Kadam's founder, Atisha (982-1054).

The office of the Dalai Lama was formally established in 1578, which suggests a date no earlier for the bronze and the Ngok Loden Sherab from the same atelier (lot 89). Another from the same workshop is published in von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pp.448-9, no.122G. 

Published: Portraits of the Masters, pp.308-9, no.84.

Published & Exhibited: Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.215, no.186.

Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, 26 March 1998, lot 144.

Bonhams. PORTRAITS OF THE MASTERS, 108 Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineages, 14 Mar 2017, New York

Lot 706. A white-glazed incised vase, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Lot sold 12,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.  

of ovoid shape rising to a lipped rim, the body engraved with a continuous foliate meander of lotus flowers borne on undulating leafy stems, set between bands of ruyi and keyfret around the shoulder and upright lappets encircling the base, all under a white glaze of faint bluish tint. Height 7 5/8  in., 19.3 cm

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26th November 1981, lot 667.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art New York, 15 Mar 2017

Lot 704. A celadon-glazed double gourd vase, Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795). Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 25,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.  

elegantly potted with a globular lower bulb supporting a slightly smaller upper bulb with a narrow mouth, covered overall in a lustrous pale sea-green glaze, save for an unglazed foot ring encircling the recessed base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue, the mouth with metal mount. Height 12 1/4  in., 31.1 cm

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art New York, 15 Mar 2017

Lacloche Frères (Spanish, founded in 1875 (also working in Paris)), Japanesque brooch, French, about 1925. Platinum, gold, enamel, diamond, ruby, and onyx. Height x width x depth: 3.6 x 5.2 x 0.6 cm (1 7/16 x 2 1/16 x 1/4 in.). William Francis Warden Fund, 2009.2533 © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The brooch is designed as a pave-set, diamond rectangular plaque with onyx branches and buff-top ruby blossoms with a black enamel border. The diamonds are old, European cuts (est. carats 11.25) and the horizontal pin is removable. The brooch has its original Lacloche box. There is also a card printed “Marlborough House S.W.1 and a handwritten note “For Angela from Mary R, 1952.” The date suggests that it was a wedding gift from Queen Mary to Angela Lascelles on her marriage to Hon. Gerald Lascelles, second son of Princess Mary and a grandson of George V. 

Signed: The brooch has a fitted, pink leather case signed Lacloche Freres, no. 66252. 

Markings: Lacloche Freres (in block letters along back right side). French assay marks for platinum (dog's head) and gold (eagle's head) on lower right gallery and armature. Engraved C6252 (or CG252) and scratch marks 23355/?symbols (?cost code) on underside.

Provenance: 1952, gift of Queen Mary of England (1867-1953), wife of H.M. George V (1865-1936), to Hon. Mrs. Angela Lascelles (1919-2007) on the occassion of her wedding to Hon. Gerald Lascelles, a first cousin of the Queen; 2007, sold at auction by Christie's London (12 December 2007) to Hancocks & Co. Ltd. (London jewelry dealer); purchased from Hancocks & Co. Ltd. by MFA (Accession date: June 17, 2009)

Lot 75. An exquisite diamond, ruby and onyx brooch, by Lacloche. Estimate GBP 10,000 - GBP 15,000 (USD 20,420 - USD 30,630). Price realised GBP 24,500 (USD 50,029) © Christie’s Images Limited 2007.

Designed as a pavé-set diamond rectangular plaque with buff-top ruby flowers to the onyx branches and black enamel border,circa 1925, 5.2 x 3.6 cm, with French assay marks for platinum and gold, in fitted pink leather case. Signed Lacloche Frères, No. 66252

Note: The case with card printed Marlborough House S.W.1. and handwritten note For Angela from Mary R, 1952.
Mary R was Queen Mary (1867-1953), wife of H.M. George V (1865-1936).

Lacloche was especially known for their exquisite snuff boxes, vanity cases, lipstick holders and powder compacts as well as brooches and bracelets often strongly influenced by the Japanese Style using jade, mother-of-pearl, enamel, lacquer, coral and enamel. This brooch is a fine example of their intricate floral designs. 

Christie's. Jewellery, 12 December 2007, London, King Street

Lot 195. An Art Deco gem and diamond bracelet, by Lacloche Frères. Estimate GBP 25,000 - GBP 45,000 (USD 30,975 - USD 55,755). Price realised GBP 37,500 (USD 46,800) © Christie’s Images Limited 2016.

The articulated strap designed as a series of brilliant and single-cut diamond scroll motifs, accented by buff top onyx detail, interspersed by diamond and channel-set emerald linear borders, to a concealed clasp, circa 1920, 18.1cm, French assay marks for platinum and gold. Signed Lacloche Paris. 

Christie's. Important Jewels, 30 November 2016, London, King Street

Lot 98. An Art Deco diamond bracelet, by Lacloche Frères. Estimate USD 25,000 - USD 35,000. Price realised USD 31,250 © Christie’s Images Limited 2016.

Designed as an openwork single and old mine-cut diamond openwork band of geometric design, bordered by old mine-cut diamonds, mounted in platinum and 18k white gold, circa 1930, with French assay mark; and an extension, designed as a green velvet band, bracelet 7 1/8 ins., extension 6 5/8 ins., may be worn as a choker necklace, 13 3/4 ins. Signed Lacloches Frères; extension not original 

Christie's. Important Jewels, 16 June 2015, New York, Rockefeller Center

Lot 646. A rare inscribed 'ding' four-legged censer, Yuan dynasty, dated zhiyuan 22nd year, corresponding to 1285. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 125,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of square section, the gently bilobed sides of the vessel rising to a short recessed waist and upright galleried rim with indented corners, all supported on four cabriole legs in the shape of four-clawed feet issuing from monster-masks, the lobes carved with a slightly recessed taotie mask centered on the vessel's corners and patterned with granulation, the neck incised with classic scroll, the outer face of the rim incised with the characters xiang hua gong yang (presenting incense and flowers) amid cloud scrolls, the white body covered in a clear glaze pooling to an ivory tint in the recesses, the underside of the body incised with the characters Zhiyuan er shi er nian san yue ri zao (made in the third month of the twenty-second year of Zhiyuan). Height 4 1/2  in., 11.4 cm

Provenance: English Private Collection.
Sotheby's London, 10th June 1997, lot 15. 
Collection of Bernadette and William M. B. Berger, Denver, Colorado, acquired in 1997.

Note: No other Dingyao incense burner of related form or design appears to have been published. Any dated Ding wares are extremely rare, as are Ding wares dateable to the Yuan dynasty in general.

To judge from the inscription xiang hua gong yang, a phrase borrowed from the Diamond Sutra, the piece was probably commissioned together with a pair of flower vases to be donated to a Buddhist temple to commemorate a special occasion.

Tong Yihua lists another white incense burner with animal-mask design in the Zhongguo lidai taoci kuanshi huiji, Hong Kong, 1984, p. 54, with the same inscription but dated to the thirty-second year of Khubilai Khan's zhiyuan reign period (equivalent to 1295), which in fact was the first year of his grandson's reign, a year after his death, as well as a white flower vase dated equivalent to 1282.

Another Ding piece dated to the Yuan dynasty is a very large vase with fixed ring handles from the Eumorfopoulos collection, now in the British Museum, illustrated in Hobson, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection Catalogue of Chinese, Corean and Persian Pottery and Porcelain, vol. 3, 1926, pl. XXVII, no. C132, which is dated by an ink inscription in accordance with 1350.

In the Yuan dynasty, ceramic altar vessels of bronze form were made by various kilns, particularly those at Longquan and Jingdezhen, yet it is rare to find a Ding piece so closely imitating a contemporary metal incense burner. This censer shares its square quatrefoil lobed form with a bronze censer of the same period, perhaps also with related archaistic decoration (degraded), recovered from a ship wrecked off the coast of Korea around 1323, and included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off the Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, cat. no. 270.

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a thermoluminescence test, Oxford sample no. B66j10.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art New York, 15 Mar 2017

Lot 645. A 'Ge'-type stand, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Lot sold 15,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

of circular form with a slightly convex surface and raised foliate rim over three lobed feet, covered overall in a cream-colored glaze with a fine network of black and russet crackle, the underside with five spur marks. Diameter 5 1/2  in., 14 cm

Provenance: Imperial Oriental Art, New York, 1995 (according to label).

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art New York, 15 Mar 2017

Lot 626. A painted 'Cizhou' truncated jar, Northern Song-Jin dynasty. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Lot sold 18,750 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

the bulging rounded sides rising from a recessed base to a short waisted neck with an everted rim, freely painted in black and russet on a white slip to the body with three stylized floral sprays, below abstract scrolling motifs around the shoulder and a broad band with incised radiating wavy lines encircling below the neck, covered overall with a clear glaze, the base left unglazed revealing the gray stoneware body. Height 8 3/8  in., 21.2 cm.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art New York, 15 Mar 2017

Alighiero Boetti, Mappa, 1989-94, embroidery on canvas, 100x231,49 in. Courtesy Tornabuoni Art

VENEZIA - From 12 May to 12 July 2017, the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, will host a highly original, wide-ranging journey of discovery into the work of Alighiero Boetti, a leading 20th-century Italian artist, at a time when his art is enjoying great popularity. Curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, the Director of the Institute of Art History at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, with the collaboration of the Alighiero Boetti Archive, Alighiero Boetti: Minimum/Maximum shows the results of an unprecedented selection and comparison: the exhibition will explore the contrast between the smallest and largest formats of all the most representative series of works by the Turin artist, thus focusing on one of the themes that best illustrate Boetti’s creative procedures. The exhibition has been organized by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in collaboration with Tornabuoni Art. 

“The exhibition enables viewers to explore a non-anthological and highly unpredictable itinerary of relations, unique in its kind, created by bringing together Boetti’s large-sized works from public and private collections”, explains Luca Massimo Barbero. “It is the result of a coherent project specially conceived for Venice at a time of great international acclaim for one of the most important exponents of Italian art.”

Alighiero Boetti, Mettere al Mondo il Mondo, 1975, pen on paper mounted on canvas, 62,99x136,61 in. Courtesy Tornabuoni Art

Divided into sections with a total of over twenty works, the exhibition includes Boetti’s most significant series (Embroideries, Maps, Everything and Biro), and some lesser known works such as Coloured Tokens, The Natural History of Multiplication and Covers. There are also some previously never publicly shown works, such as the coloured tokens of Summer 70 (1970) – loaned directly by the artist’s family – and Titles (1978), one of the largest formats in the monochrome Embroideries. In the exhibition there will also be one of the largest works from Mimetic (1967), a very early Boetti series, on loan from the Fondazione Prada.

The format is a crucial theme in understanding how Boetti conceived and produced his works. It is directly connected to the concept of time as, for example, in the first work on the exhibition itinerary,Summer 70, a roll of paper twenty metres long, on which Boetti stuck thousands of self-adhering tokens.

Alighiero Boetti, Tutto, 1992-94, embroidery on canvas, 100 ⅜ x 234 ¼ in, detail. Courtesy Tornabuoni Art

This work is unique in terms of its size and for having introduced in such a striking way the theme of the timerequired to contemplate a work of art. Meaningful in a complementary way, the minimum-format works represent the other extreme in the dialectical opposition in Boetti’s creativity. 

The exhibition unfolds as a precise comparison between small and large formats (minimum and maximum), with works such as The Natural History of Multiplication, Bringing the World into the World and Alternating from One to a Hundred and Vice Versa. Viewers can thus explore in a single setting works from very different periods up to the large triptych Aeroplanes (1989), on loan from the prestigious Fondation Carmignac, Paris.

Alighiero Boetti, Aerei, 1989, ink and watercolour on photographic paper mounted on canvas, 59 x 118 ⅛ in (three elements, each 59 x 39 ⅜ in). Detail. Courtesy Fondation Carmignac, Paris.

In an area between the first and second rooms, a documentary will be shown: Nothing to See, Nothing to Hide made in 1978 by Emidio Greco at the time of the Boetti retrospective at the Kunsthalle, Basel. The film intersperses sequences from the Swiss exhibition with visits to the artist’s Roman studio and some significant direct comments from Boetti.

The itinerary continues with the celebrated Maps and Everything, “a miscellany of Boetti’s themes and images” – explains Barbero – introducing the important topic of the deferred realisation of a work of art, through travel and nomadism, in turn interrelated with the theme of time. This element emerges powerfully in the Embroideries, which having been begun by assistants in Rome, were sent to Kabul and then to Peshawar, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In the Pakistan city embroiderers from Afghan refugee families made the works by juxtaposing colours of their own choice but following the rules of the game dictated by Boetti. The works eventually returned to Rome, where the artist saw the final result for the first time.

The section of comparisons ends with the large-scale work entitled Covers (1984), which returns to the idea of the media’s obsessiveness and the formula of the transmitted and reused image, thus introducing the special project curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of the Serpentine Gallery, London,and Agata Boetti, Director of the Archivio Alighiero Boetti. The project further illustrates Boetti’s essentially dialectical approach, in this case in addressing the theme of the photocopy. As the artist himself commented in 1991: "Back in 1969 in Turin, when I used to go to theRank Xerox showroom with coins in my pocket, I got lots of ideas. I used to think that the photocopier was not only an office machine. By the year 2000 we will all have one in our living rooms. Just give me one and I will show you how to put it to creative use. I didn't want to tamper with the mechanism or ink, as some people did from Munari onwards. What I was interested in was the standard application. But, for example, I might have put it outside on my balcony when it began to rain – one drop, ten drops, one thousand drops.”

Alighiero Boetti, Anno 1984, 1984, pencil on paper mounted on canvas, twelve elements, each 39 ⅜ in x59 in). Detail Courtesy Tornabuoni Art

COLOR=REALITY. B+W=ABSTRACTION (except for zebras) explores Boetti’s creative applications by bringing together for the first time a group of works made with the photocopier at various times in his career. According to HansUlrich Obrist, they illustrate Boetti’s passion for communication technologies (such as the Polaroid or the fax machine which, in the 1980s, introduced a combination of mailing and photocopying). The show invites people to imagine the creative uses that Boetti would have found for today’s means of communications and multiplication of images:“By displaying these works on the walls, as we are doing with the 1,665 photocopies at the Fondazione Cini, we will show the public that Boetti was a kind of analogical version of the Internet. He was a search engine and anticipated Google with analogical means.”

Visitors are even invited to use a real photocopier at the centre of the room, but following the rules of a game specially created by the Mexican artist Mario Garcia Torres to pay homage to Boetti.

Alighiero Boetti: Minimum/Maximum curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, and the special project COLOUR = REALITY. B+W = ABSTRACTION (except for the zebras),curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Agata Boetti, have separate catalogues, both published by Forma Edizioni. 

Alighiero Boetti, Manifesto, Galleria Toselli, 1972. Photograph Paolo Mussat Sartor

Emre Yusufi - Hercules Surf © 2017 Emmanuel Fremin Gallery 

NEW YORK - Hercules marks the New York City debut of successful artist, art director, graphic designer, and musician, Emre Yusufi. Combining photographic elements with illustration and digital art, Yusufi mesmerizes audiences with his visually impressive and thematically bold pieces.

By merging elements from assorted time frames, Yusufi highlights the transformation of ideals over time. The Turkish artist’s past works include Return to Innocence, a group of adult portraits altered to feature exaggerated, infant-like facial proportions, and War Animals, which includes daring portrayals of animals as notably historic war participants. His spectacular ability to provoke thought on identity and human nature is apparent in his latest collection of works, Hercules.

Emre Yusufi - Hercules - Butterfly Stroke © 2017 Emmanuel Fremin Gallery 

The series depicts a traditional statue of Hercules executing a multitude of modern human tasks. By juxtaposing the ancient symbolic figure against current day scenarios, the artist brings into question the roles of heroism, masculinity and perceived godliness in today’s society. Its presentation adheres to a masculine declaration of power, utilizing a variation between spectacular and seemingly benign actions that are consistently presented with grandeur. When he is not posing or performing tremendous displays of ability and athleticism, Hercules can be seen intently reading, listening to music, being tattooed, and participating in everyday tasks which empower people through enhancing intellect, mood, and appearance.

Emre Yusufi - Hercules on ride  © 2017 Emmanuel Fremin Gallery 

In his pieces, Yusufi incorporates a concoction of strikingly sharp neutral tones, illuminated by rich infusions of vivid color. The balance and intensity of such hues assist in creating a signature, hyper-realistic quality, despite the subject matter’s fictitious nature. The statue’s grey-scale coloration against a boldly pigmented backdrop further enhances the juxtaposed relationship between subject and environment. Although he lacks human flesh, Hercules is far from inanimate, delivering engaging facial expressions and body language, even interacting with humans. His liveliness and real-world participation connect seemingly unreal, godly qualities back to the image of man. Daring contrasts in subject matter, as well as light distribution, vividly highlight the conceptual and compositional features in this captivating collection of imagery. The perspective generated is exquisitely immersive, varying between a level, drastically head-on interaction with the subject, and a lowered view which forces the viewer to quite literally look up to him. Dramatic movement through smoke, splashing water, and beaming lights further assert the artist’s attention to detail in his immaculate executions.

With its stunning visuals and societal relevance, Hercules immerses the viewer in Yusufi’s striking, yet playful depiction of masculine glory.

Emre Yusufi - Hercules  © 2017 Emmanuel Fremin Gallery 

Emre Yusufi - Hercules  © 2017 Emmanuel Fremin Gallery

Emre Yusufi - Hercules on ride  © 2017 Emmanuel Fremin Gallery