An Egyptian granite head of a priest, Late Period, late 26th Dynasty, circa 610-525 B.C.

July 2, 2017, 2:55 am

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Lot 58. An Egyptian granite head of a priest, Late Period, late 26th Dynasty, circa 610-525 B.C. Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 (€68,000 - 91,000). Photo: Bonhams

His head characteristically shaven, with elongated eyes beneath gently curving brows, the upper lids indicated, the slightly smiling mouth with soft, rounded lips, the philtrum defined above, the curvature of the top of the head and temples, and the fleshy underside of the chin, naturalistically and subtly carved, 16cm high

Provenance: with Nicolas Koutoulakis, Paris, 1950s.
Private collection, Paris, acquired from Nicolas Koutoulakis prior to 1958.
Anonymous sale; Tajan, Drouot Paris, 13 November 2001, lot 85.
Private collection, Europe, acquired at the above sale.

Exhibited: Amsterdam, Allard Pierson Museum, 17 November 2006 – 25 March 2007.

Published: C. Andrews and J. van Dijk (eds), Objects for Eternity, Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection, Mainz, 2006, no. 3.55.

Note: The 26th Dynasty, or the so-called Saite Period (named as the capital was at this time in the city of Sais in the Nile Delta), was a time of great prosperity, stability and, consequently, artistic endeavour. The style of the period is characterised by reverence for the traditional canons of proportion, and an emerging desire for realism, resulting in sculpture which is full of character.

The present lot belongs to a well-known category of sculptures, often referred to as the "egg-head" type; they depict priests of religious cults, instantly recognisable by their shaven heads. The stone used here was clearly carefully selected, and the sculptor made sensitive use of the pink, speckled part of the material, incorporating it into the back of the head, leaving the face uncompromised by the change in colour. For another Late Period granite male head, predominately black in colour with pink aspects, see Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, no. 69.51. See also R. Fazzini, Images for Eternity, Egyptian Art from Berkeley and Brooklyn, New York, 1975, cat. 104a, p. 121, for a priest head with very similar treatment of the eyes, brows and upper lids.

Bonhams. ANTIQUITIES, 6 Jul 2017, 10:30 BST, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

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A Roman marble male portrait bust, Reign of Caracalla, circa 211-217 A.D.

July 2, 2017, 3:02 am

≫ Next: A Roman marble head of Apollo, Antonine Period, circa 100-150 A.D.

≪ Previous: An Egyptian granite head of a priest, Late Period, late 26th Dynasty, circa 610-525 B.C.

Lot 146. A Roman marble male portrait bust, Reign of Caracalla, circa 211-217 A.D. Estimate £50,000 - 80,000 (€57,000 - 91,000). Photo: Bonhams

Depicted life-sized, the head turned slightly to the right, the face framed with short curly hair and beard with a neat bushy moustache, the eyebrows engraved above upward-gazing articulated eyes, 36cm high

Provenance: Dr William Redel (1917-2012) collection, USA, acquired prior to 1967; and thence by descent to the present owner.

Note: The strong countenance and short, curly, clumpy hair is reminiscent of certain portrait types of Septimius Severus, and of the portraiture of his son and heir, Caracalla. This change in hairstyles from the Antonine period has been attributed to Septimius's and Caracalla's North African heritage, and the former's military background. The Roman elite would often fashion private, personal portraits after the prevailing style of the reigning dynasties, and the present lot displays a deliberate imitation of the hair, beard and moustache sported by the ruling family of the early 3rd century A.D. The rendering of the hair and beard, which lacks the schematic drill work typical of portraits from the time of Septimius Severus, points to an execution date during the reign of Caracalla. For a portrait of Caracalla with similar treatment of the hair and beard, see K. Fittschen and P. Zanker, Katalog der Römischen Porträts in den Capitolinischen Museen und der anderen kommunalen Sammlungen der Stadt Rom I: Kaiser- und Prinzenbildnissem, Mainz, 1985, pls. 110-114, app. 71-77.

However, unlike portraits of the notorious Caracalla, who murdered his younger brother Geta to secure sole supremacy, and whose likenesses are marked by their scowling expression and an accentuated, aggressive twist of the head, this portrait exudes a calm, confident demeanour. For two portraits which exhibit similar benign countenances, see K. Rhomiopoulou, ΕΛΛΗΝΟΡΩΜΑΪ́ΚΑ ΓΛΥΠΤΑ, ΤΟΥ ΕΘΝΙΚΟΥ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΜΟΥΣΕΙΟΥ [= Greco-Roman Sculpture of the National Archaeological Museum], Athens, 1997, p.109, cat.111 and p.111, cat.114. Both of these portraits were found in Greece, and the present lot is carved from a fine-grained, Greek marble, perhaps suggesting a similar Greek provenance. The present lot exemplifies the desire of the Roman elite to both align themselves with the ruling classes by close imitation of their public image, yet retain an individualistic character within their portraiture.

Bonhams. ANTIQUITIES, 6 Jul 2017, 10:30 BST, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

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A Roman marble head of Apollo, Antonine Period, circa 100-150 A.D.

July 2, 2017, 3:09 am

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Lot 135. A Roman marble head of Apollo, Antonine Period, circa 100-150 A.D. Estimate £50,000 - 70,000 (€57,000 - 80,000). Photo: Bonhams

The youthful god with his head turned slightly to his right, wearing a laurel wreath in his thick, luxuriously wavy hair, curls escaping onto his forehead, his locks drawn up into a top-knot, and bound behind in a low chignon, with tendrils falling onto his neck, his oval face with large almond-shaped eyes with thick upper lids, deeply drilled at the inner canthi, the closed mouth slightly smiling, 32cm high

Provenance: Private collection, Germany, since 1964.

Note: The luscious curls of the present lot is typically early Antonine, with deeply-drilled, bountiful locks piled high upon the head. Sculpture during the Antonine periods is characterized by an increased emphasis in drill work focused on producing full, plastically-rendered curls, which were contrasted with the smoothly polished face of the subject.

For an Apollo with a similarly fleshy face, quiet countenance and high laurel wreath, see Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek, Copenhagen, inv. no. 1612. The present lot probably represents Apollo Kitharoidos, i.e. Apollo holding the kithara, a depiction which emphasises his role as god of music.

Bonhams. ANTIQUITIES, 6 Jul 2017, 10:30 BST, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

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Symbolic & Chase at Masterpiece London 2017

July 2, 2017, 6:36 am

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Of stylised African inspiration, the central vertical band radiating from each side two rows of graduated circular-cut citrines within collet settings, circa 1940, partial maker's mark for Société Groène Darde.

The annular case, centring on an ivory plaque inlaid with a water dragon scene composed of red and black lacquer with gold detail, emerging from waves composed or mother-of-pearl, within a border of turquoise accented with clusters of ruby cabochons, the surrounding case applied with black enamel, opening to reveal a mirror and powder compartment, circa 1925, signed Cartier London, New York, Paris and numbered 0370, French assay mark for gold. Plaque attributed to Vladimir Makowsky.

Designed as a series of graduated scroll motifs accented with brilliant-cut diamonds, the cuff embellished with two tapering rows of calibré-cut sapphires, French assay marks for 18ct gold and platinum, signed Boucheron Paris, circa 1937.

Designed as a stylised bunch of grapes, the leaf surmount in yellow gold with brilliant-cut diamond detail, suspending an articulated series of collet-set facetted amethysts, circa 1937, French assay marks for gold and partial maker's mark for Leroy Chevrier Huot. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Francoise Cailles. 11cm long.

The annular gold box, applied with black enamel to the base, embellished with cut-out geometric motifs to the contour and undulating black enamel lines lid, centring on a marquetry plaque composed of partially-stained mother-of-pearl scene depicting a stylised Chinese dragon rising from frothing waves, scene signed Markovsky, circa 1929, signed Cartier Paris Londres New York, French assay marks for 18ct gold. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Cartier GE2001-375

Designed as a slimline amphora, its hollowed lapis lazuli body carved with handles depicting two gargoyles, its lid, base, and sides embellished with blue, white, and black enamel detail, measurements approximately 120mm x 51mm x 32mm, circa May 1929, signed Boucheron Paris, maker's mark and French assay mark for gold.

Symbolic & Chase. 30 Old Bond Street, London, W1S 4QQ, United Kingdom. T +44 (0)20 7499 9902 - E-mail enquiries@s-c.com - Website http://s-c.com

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Jan Brueghel I, Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground

July 2, 2017, 7:40 am

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Lot 42. Jan Brueghel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp), Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground, signed and dated 'BRVEGHEL 1616 FECIT' (lower left), oil on copper, 10 x 14 ¾ in. (25.5 x 37.5 cm.). Estimate GBP 5,500,000 - GBP 8,000,000 (USD 7,001,500 - USD 10,184,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Provenance: Johann Wilhelm, Kurfurst von der Pfalz (1658-1716), at one of his two Gemaldekabinetten in Dusseldorf, and by inheritance to his brother,
Karl III Philipp, Kurfurst von der Pfalz (1661-1742), at Dusseldorf and Mannheim, where recorded in an inventory of 1730, and again in 1731, and by inheritance to his nephew,
Karl Theodor von Pfalz-Sulzbach (1724-1799) Kurfurst von der Pfalz, from 1743 and Kurfurst von Bayern from 1777, Mannheim and Munich, and by inheritance to,
Maximilian IV Joseph, Herzog von Zweibrucken, Elector of the Palatine and Bavaria, later King of Bavaria (1756-1825), and by descent in the Bavarian Royal Collections at Schleissheim and Munich until 1923, when sold by exchange to the following,
with Julius Bohler, Munich, by whom sold in August 1923 to,
Hans Mettler (1876-1945), Sankt Gallen, Switzerland; his sale (†), Christie’s, London, 29 June, 1979, lot 12.
with David Koetser, Zurich, from whom acquired by the following by 1980,
Anonymous sale [The Property of a Private Collector]; Sotheby’s, London, 9 July 2008, lot 19 (£3,513,250), when acquired by the present owner.

Literature: Detail des Peintures du Cabinet Electoral de Dusseldorf, undated, Wolfenbuttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, no. 2.
Inventarium über die in Ihrer Churfürstl. Dhltg. beijden Cabineten zu Düsseldorf beffundene rahre gemähl, ..., welche von Gülich und Bergischen Hoff Camer Rathen Karsch ..., Mss. 1730, Karlsruhe, Generallandesarchiv, no. 2, as ‘Ein bauern Tantz von F. Brugel’.
Cabinets de Son altesse Serenissime Electorale du château de Mannheim, l’an 1731, Paris, 1731, MS 409, Bibliotheque d’Art et d’Archeologie, where reproduced in the lower left corner of the drawing of the fourth wall.
J. van Gool, De Nieuwe Schouburg der Nederlandsche Kunstschilders en Schilderessen, The Hague 1750-51, II, p. 559.
Detail des Peintures des deux Cabinets Electoraux à Mannheim, undated Mss., Munich, Geheimes Hausarchiv, inv. no. 882 v.g., no. 194.
C. von Mannlich, Beschreibung der Königlich-Baierischen Gemälde-Sammlungen. Enthaltend die Gemälde zu Schleisheim und Lustheim, Munich, 1810, III, p. 180, no. 2224, where recorded at Schleissheim as a pair with no. 2225, as ‘Johann Brueghel. Zwey Landschaften mit Figuren, Wagen und landlichen Gebauden. Auf dem ersten Bilde die See mit Fischerbooten, ein Fischmarkt und tanzende Bauern und Bauerinnen. ... Auf Kupfer. – H. 9,6. Br. I, I’.
G. von Dillis, Verzeichnis der Gemaelde in der königlichen Pinakothek zu München, Munich, 1838, p. 564, no. 205.
Katalog der Gemälde-Sammlung der Kgl. Älteren Pinakothek in München. Mit einer historischen Einleitung von Dr. Franz von Reber, Munich, 1884, and revised ed., 1886, p. 143; 7th ed., 1898, p. 158; 8th ed. 1901, p. 158; and 1908 ed., p. 150, no. 696, as 'Volksbelustigung vor einer kleinen an einem Fluss liegenden Stadt’.
A. von Wurzbach, Niederländisches Künstler-Lexikon, Vienna and Leipzig, 1906, I, p. 205.
Y. Thiery, Le Paysage Flamand au XVIIe siècle, Brussels, 1953, p. 176.
P. Bottger, Die Alte Pinakothek in München. Mit einem Anhang: Abdruck des frühesten Gemäldeverzeichnisses der Pinakothek aus dem Jahre 1838 von Georg von Dillis. Nach den heutigen Inventarnummern identifiziert von Gisela Scheffler, Munich, 1972, no. 205.
K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere, Cologne, 1979, pp. 52, 55, 78, 169, 222, 446 and 608, no. 305, figs. 27 and 538.
K. Ertz, in P. Roberts-Jones (ed.), Bruegel. Une dynastie de peintres, exhibition catalogue, Brussels, 1980, p. 196, no. 130, illustrated.
E. Korthals-Altes, ‘The collections of the Palatine Electors: new information, documents and drawings’, The Burlington Magazine, CXLV, March 2003, pp. 212-3, no. 2.
M. Klinge, in M. Klinge & D. Ludke (eds.), David Teniers der Jüngere 1610-1690, exhibition catalogue, Karlsruhe, 2005, p. 33, fig. 5.
K. Ertz and C. Nitze-Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere (1568-1625): Kritischer Katalog der Gemälde: Landschaftem mit profanen Themen, Lingen, 2008, I, pp. 284-7, no. 132, illustrated.
R. Baumstark (ed.), Kurfürst Johann Wilhelms Bilder: Sammler und Mäzen, Munich, 2009, I, p. 238, fig. 25.

Exhibited: Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen,1838-1923, on loan.
Brussels, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Bruegel. Une dynastie de peintres, 18 September-18 November 1980, no. 130.
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Breughel-Brueghel, 7 December 1997-14 April 1998, no. 63.
Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Breughel-Brueghel, 2 May-26 July 1998, no. 59.

Note: This exceptional picture, formerly in an important Bavarian royal collection, is among the finest works by Jan Brueghel the Elder remaining in private hands. Executed with characteristic precision, it is signed and dated 1616, and includes a self-portrait of the artist and his family.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Brueghel repeatedly turned his attention to images of a riverside village beside a harbour in which the composition is organised around a road that recedes diagonally into the background. Among the first examples of this type is the River Landscape with Moorings of 1604 (fig. 1; Toledo, The Toledo Museum of Art). As is typical of many of his earliest works, the Toledo painting contains comparatively fewer figures. In paintings such as the Fish Market on the Banks of a River of 1605 (fig. 2; Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek), Brueghel began to experiment with a larger and more diverse group of figures packed densely into the painting’s foreground. The present picture is the last and arguably the most sophisticated of the series. Its copper support lends it a jewel-like quality, while the precise, smooth manner of paint evinces Brueghel’s contemporary nickname Fluweleen Brueghel (Velvet Brueghel). Of particular note is the clever manner in which Brueghel has arranged the foreground figures into two groups, flanking a row of dancers as a means of reinforcing the diagonal thrust of the composition.

Included in the group at right is a portrait of Brueghel himself, dressed in black and seen in conversation with another man, his wife and children nearby (see detail overleaf). Brueghel and his family were painted, circa 1613-15, by the artist’s great friend and collaborator, Rubens, in a picture now in the Courtauld Gallery, London (fig. 3). This picture is one of only three – and the only one in private hands – in which the artist has included his own portrait within the landscape; as such, it must have been particularly prized by contemporary collectors. The composition’s success is indeed indicated by the existence of a reduced copy, also on copper, bearing a spurious signature and date (Turin, Galleria Sabauda).

Lot 42. Jan Brueghel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp), Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground. Detail: The fishermen and, left, Jan Brueghel the Elder with his family © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Peter Paul Rubens(1577-1640), Family of Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1613 – 1615 © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London

The work is first documented in the collection of the Palatine Elector Johann Wilhelm (1658-1716; fig. 4), where it was displayed in the Electoral Gallery at the Castle in Düsseldorf. It does not appear in Gerhard Karsch’s printed gallery catalogue, which omitted some two hundred cabinet pictures kept in two private cabinets as well as thirtyfour works installed in the bedroom (G. Karsch, Ausführliche und gründliche Specification derer vortrefflichen und unschätzbaren Gemählden, welche in der Galerie der Churfürstl. Residentz zu Düsseldorff in grosser Menge anzutreffen seynd, Düsseldorf, 1716?). The painting is first documented as no. 2 in an undated catalogue entitled Detail des Peintures du Cabinet Electoral de Dusseldorf (Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek). It next appears in an inventory of 1730, the year that Wilhelm’s brother and successor Elector Karl III Phillipp (1661- 1742) transferred a part of the collection to his new capital, Mannheim. An anonymous drawing of the Cabinets in the Mannheim Palace (fig. 5), made the following year indicates that the painting was one of six similarly sized works by the artist that were installed in two groups of three around a larger work by Peter Paul Rubens and Brueghel along the bottom row of one of the gallery’s walls (E. Korthals-Altes, ‘The collections of the Palatine Electors: new information, documents and drawings’, The Burlington Magazine, CXLV, 1200, March 2003, p. 209, fig. 98). The picture then passed to Karl III Phillipp’s nephew, Karl Theodor von Pfalz-Sulzbach (1724-1799), whose entire collection was brought to Munich in 1798-99. The copper is described as hanging at the palace at Schleissheim in an 1810 inventory compiled by the gallery’s director Christian von Mannlich. After 1836 it was moved to the newly built Alte Pinakothek, where it was included in an 1838 catalogue compiled by the artist and curator Johann Georg von Dillis. It remained there until at least 1908, at which point it is unclear whether it was transferred to one of the Filialgalerien or stored in the vaults, as it is not listed in the 1912 inventory. In 1923, the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen sold the painting by exchange to the Munich art dealer Julius Böhler (1860-1934), one of a series of such sales organised by the institution in the 1920s and 1930s.

Hans Mettler (1876-1945) was a Swiss textile trader. In 1900 he joined the family firm Mettler & Co. (established in 1745), eventually working his way up to Senior Partner. Between 1915 and 1929 Mettler assembled a valuable collection of twenty-six Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including such seminal works as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s La grande loge, Henri Matisse’s Coucous sur le tapis bleu et rose (subsequently in the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé), and Vincent van Gogh’s Allée des Alyscamps (sold Sotheby’s, New York, 5 May 2015, lot 18). These works and the present picture, perhaps Mettler’s only major Old Master purchase, were sold in these Rooms in two sales held in June and July 1979.

Christie's. Old Masters Evening Sale, 6 July 2017, London, King Street

Lot 42. Jan Brueghel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp), Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground. The plant-life showing Brueghel’s attention to detail © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 42. Jan Brueghel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp), Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground. Detail: Dancing, and a fish-seller at work © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 42. Jan Brueghel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp), Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground. Detail: The beggar holding out his hat and, centre-top, the bagpiper © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 42. Jan Brueghel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp), Figures dancing on the bank of a river with a fish-seller, with a portrait of the artist in the foreground. Detail: The church at the end of the road © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

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A pierced susancai-glazed ‘Floral’ parfumier, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

July 2, 2017, 8:06 am

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Lot 430. A pierced susancai-glazed ‘Floral’ parfumier, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 8.5 cm, 3 1/4 in. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 HKD. Lot sold 93,750 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with a globular body skillfully pierced with four roundels enclosing four floral blooms, between two ‘classic’ scroll bands, the cover similarly decorated with a floral bloom, the design decorated with yellow, green, off-white and aubergine glazes

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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A green-enamelled 'dragon' dish, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850)

July 2, 2017, 8:19 am

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Lot 726. A green-enamelled 'dragon' dish, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850); 18.1 cm, 7 1/8 in. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 HKD. Lot sold 68,750 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the interior with a five-clawed dragon in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl', the exterior similarly decorated with a pair of dragons against a ground of incised waves, the base with a six-character seal mark

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled 'Dragon' bowls, Marks and period of Guangxu (1875-1908)

July 2, 2017, 8:33 am

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Lot 724. A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled 'Dragon' bowls, Marks and period of Guangxu (1875-1908); 10.1 cm, 4 in. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 HKD. Lot sold 81,250 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

incised and enamelled around the exterior with two dragons chasing 'flaming pearls', the interior with a shou character, the base with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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A yellow-ground green and aubergine-enamelled 'Dragon' dish, Qing dynasty

July 2, 2017, 8:56 am

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Lot 723. A yellow-ground green and aubergine-enamelled 'Dragon' dish, Qing dynasty; 26.4 cm, 10 3/8 in. Estimate 10,000 — 50,000 HKD. Lot sold 37,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

incised and enamelled to the interior with two dragons contending a 'flaming pearl', surrounded by flowering branches around the cavetto, the exterior similarly decorated, the base with an apocryphal six-character reign mark in underglaze blue

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled 'Dragon' bowls, Marks and period of Guangxu (1875-1908)

July 2, 2017, 9:14 am

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A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled 'Dragon' bowls, Marks and period of Guangxu (1875-1908)

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Lot 725. A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled 'Dragon' bowls, Marks and period of Guangxu (1875-1908); 10.1 cm, 4 in. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 HKD. Lot sold 23,750 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each incised and enamelled in green on the exterior against a rich yellow ground with two five-clawed dragons striding above waves reaching for a 'flaming pearl', between two incised lines encircling the foot and rim, the interior glazed yellow, the base left white and inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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KUNSTBERATUNG ZÜRICH AG at Masterpiece London 2017

July 2, 2017, 9:48 am

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Kunstberatung Zürich AG 442017T12026

Lucas Cranach The Elder, Portrait of Frederick III the Wise, Elector of Saxony, 1532. Signed with the artist’s device of a dragon with wings folded and dated ‘1532’ (upper left) Oil on panel and printed paper laid down on panel. 20 x 14.6 cm Labeled (printed paper on panel). KUNSTBERATUNG ZÜRICH AG, Stand C18 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

KunstberatungZrichAG2532016T15218

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Archont. Oil on canvas, 54 by 37.5 cm Signed, dated and inscribed in cyrillic on the r everse: “Демон/ 54 х 37,5 1904./ Петров-Водкин”. KUNSTBERATUNG ZÜRICH AG, Stand C18 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

Kunstberatung Zürich AG 442017T114334

Kunstberatung Zürich AG 442017T114723

Augusto Giacometti, Tabernacle, 1923. Monogrammed lower right “AG”. Verso on canvas signed “Augusto Giacometti”, dated “1923” and provided with Parisian customs stamp. On the stretcher, old exhibition label of the Kunsthaus Zurich and other labels with information about artists, works and provenance. KUNSTBERATUNG ZÜRICH AG, Stand C18 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

KunstberatungZrichAG2532016T151327

KunstberatungZrichAG3132016T135354

Andy Warhol, Small Electric Chairs, signed, dated 1980, inscribed 14 small colored electric chairs reversal series and with the Andy Warhol Art. Authentication Board stamp and number A117.103 on the overlap, silkscreen ink and polymer paint on canvas, 202.5 by 81.8 cm. KUNSTBERATUNG ZÜRICH AG, Stand C18 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

KUNSTBERATUNG ZÜRICH AG. E-mail info@kunstberatung-zurich.com - Website http://www.kunstberatung-zurich.com

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A doucai 'Peach and Longevity' dish, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850)

July 2, 2017, 10:41 am

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A doucai 'Peach and Longevity' dish, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850)

Lot 714. A doucai'Peach and Longevity' dish, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850); 14.8 cm, 5 7/8 in. Estimate 40,000 -- 60,000 HKD. Lot sold 68,750 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each incised and enamelled in green on the exterior against a rich yellow ground with two five-clawed dragons striding above waves finely decorated to the interior with a fruiting peach tree issuing a rocky outcrop, its curling trunk forming the character shou, the underside with further peach boughs forming longevity characters, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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A pair of doucai 'lotus' jardinières, Qing dynasty

July 2, 2017, 11:03 am

≫ Next: A famille-verte 'Narcissus' month cup, Mark and period of Xuantong (1908-1911)

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A pair of doucai 'Lotus' jardinières, Qing dynasty

Lot 715. A pair of doucai'lotus' jardinières, Qing dynasty; 20.5 cm, 8 1/8 in. Estimate 20,000 -- 30,000 HKD. Lot sold 62,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each stoutly potted with an everted rim and four angled feet, decorated to the exterior with lotus blossoms borne on leafy foliate stems

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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A famille-verte 'Narcissus' month cup, Mark and period of Xuantong (1908-1911)

July 2, 2017, 11:38 am

≫ Next: STEINITZ at Masterpiece London 2017

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A famille-verte 'Narcissus' month cup, Mark and period of Xuantong

Lot 708. A famille-verte 'Narcissus' month cup, Mark and period of Xuantong (1908-1911); 4.7 cm, 1 7/8 in. Estimate 20,000 -- 30,000 HKD. Lot sold 60,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

decorated to the exterior with flowering narcissus shoots centred by garden rocks, the base with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2017

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STEINITZ at Masterpiece London 2017

July 2, 2017, 2:38 pm

≫ Next: A Roman bronze and iron cavalry parade mask, circa 1st century A.D.

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Stein1142017T154244

Monumental Louis XVI five-light sconce, of a suite of four, adorned with a fleur-de-lys, from a set of eight which were placed in 1800-1801 in the dining room of Madame Bonaparte, the future Empress Joséphine, in the Palace of the Tuileries, Paris, circa 1785, most probably executed originally for a royal residence. STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

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A pair of 3-light candelabra with figures of bacchantes and putti after Claude I Ballin (1615-1678) and Nicolas Delaunay (1646-1727), master in 1672 and « directeur de la Monnaie des médailles » in 1696, Paris, Louis XIV period, circa 1700-1710. STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

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Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) Center table with "Dupasquier chimeras" Paris, Directory period, c. 1798-1800. Chased patinated gilt bronze; pink granite. H. 90 cm. (35½ in.); L. 137 cm. (54 in.); D. 77 cm. (30½ in.). STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

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Pair of monumental beaker vases with allied coats of arms of Gilles Le Brun (1667-1745), squire, Sieur de La Franquerie and of Marie Pépin, Demoiselle of Bellisle. STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

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Jacob-Desmalter & Cie (1803-1813), Exceptional gilded wood and bronze console made for the Emperor Napoléon I and delivered in 1808 for his cabinet de travail in the Tuileries palace, Paris, Paris, Empire period, ca. 1808. STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

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Pierre-Philippe Thomire, (1751-1843, Master in 1772), Monumental pair of 12-light torchères from the collection of the Count Nikolaï Nikititch Demidoff (1773-1828), then his son, Anatole Nikolaïevitch Demidoff (1813-1870) at the Palace of San Donato, Florence, Paris, Empire period, circa 1805-1810. STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

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Stein3152016T17268

“Martin-varnish” “Japanese-style” blue-background commode, Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1745-1749. Oak frame, Martin varnish, Japanese style, blue background, gilded bronze, Brèche d’Alep marble. 83 cm (32¾ in) high; 113.5 cm (44¾ in) wide; 62 cm (24½ in) deep. Stamp: I DUBOIS. Hallmark: crowned “C”. STEINITZ, C28 © 2017 MASTERPIECE LONDON LTD

STEINITZ. Mr Steinitz, 6, rue Royale, 75008 Paris, France. T +33 (0)1 56 43 66 70 - steinitz@steinitz.fr - www.steinitz.fr. E-mail steinitz@steinitz.fr - Website http://www.steinitz.fr

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A Roman bronze and iron cavalry parade mask, circa 1st century A.D.

July 3, 2017, 2:27 am

≫ Next: A ceremonial bronze dirk of the 'Plougrescant-Ommerschans' type, Middle Bronze Age, circa 1500-1350 B.C.

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Lot 133. A Roman bronze and iron cavalry parade mask, circa 1st century A.D.; 8 in. (20.5 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 80,000 - GBP 120,000 (USD 101,840 - USD 152,760). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Provenance: with Kojiro Ishiguro (1916-1992), Tokyo, prior to 1966.
with Sakae Art Gallery, Japan, prior to 1981.

Note: The cavalry sports helmet, consisting of two separate pieces – the helmet and a mask, was worn by Roman auxiliary cavalry in equestrian exercises known as hippica gymnasia. Along with these elaborate helmets would be worn a special shield, an embroidered tunic and possibly thigh-guards and greaves, all of which would contribute to the splendour of the display. These exercises most probably accompanied religious festivals celebrated by the Roman army and were also put on for the benefit of visiting officials. Arrian, a provincial governor under Hadrian, and the only surviving source of information about the hippica gymnasia, describes how the horsemen were divided into opposing teams, taking turns to attack and defend, with flourishing displays of skills and horsemanship for the delight of the audience.

Christie's. Antiquities, 5 July 2017, London, King Street

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A ceremonial bronze dirk of the 'Plougrescant-Ommerschans' type, Middle Bronze Age, circa 1500-1350 B.C.

July 3, 2017, 2:35 am

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Lot 144. A ceremonial bronze dirk of the 'Plougrescant-Ommerschans' type, Middle Bronze Age, circa 1500-1350 B.C.; 26 ¾ in. (68.3 cm). high. Estimate GBP 80,000 - GBP 120,000 (USD 101,840 - USD 152,760). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Provenance: Found between 1894-1900 in a heath field between Witharen and Ommerschans, the Netherlands.
Dutch private collection; thence by descent to present owner.

Exhibited: A cast has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands, since 1927.

Published: J. J. Butler & J. A. Bakker, 'A Forgotten Middle Bronze Age Hoard with a Sicilian Razor from Ommerschans (Overijssel)', in Helinium, Revue consacre´e a' l'arche´ologie des Pays-Bas, de la Belgique et du Grand Duche´ de Luxemburg, vol. 1, Wetteren, 1961, pp. 193-208.
J. J. Butler, 'Nederland in de Bronstijd', in Fibulareeks, no. 39, Netherlands, 1969, pp. 115-119.
J. J. Butler & H. Sarfatij, 'Another Bronze Ceremonial Sword by the Plougrescant-Ommerschans Smith', in Berichten Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek, Netherlands, 1970-1, vol. 20-21, pp. 301-309.
D. Fontijn, 'Rethinking Ceremonial Dirks of the Plougrescant-Ommerschans Type', in Patina, Amsterdam, 2001, pp. 263-280.
E. van Ginkel & L. Verhart, Onder Onze Voeten: De Archeologie van Nederland, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 85.

The Ommerschans Hoard

The Ommerschans Hoard was found in a peat deposit in the vicinity of the city of Ommen situated in the Salland region in the Eastern Netherlands. According to different accounts the discovery took place between 1894 and 1900 and until 1927 the finds were kept in the home of the forester of the landowner's estate on which the hoard was unearthed.

In May 1927 Dr Holwerda, Director of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, accompanied the Mayor of Ommen to inspect the find, recording the objects and the circumstances of the discovery. It was then arranged for the hoard to be sent to Leiden on loan and on this occasion a plaster cast of the ceremonial dirk was made (Butler & Bakker 1961, pp.193-195).

The hoard comprises an over-sized ceremonial dirk, which was found deposited over a birch platform, together with a number of smaller bronze and stone objects: a Sicilian razor close to the Pantalica A type, two chisels, a rod, two pins, four fragments of metal, a spiral, a fragment of flint chisel, a fragmentary flint, a flint or stone implement, a stone chisel, a stone tablet and a whetstone. All the contents of the find were then nailed to a wooden board by the forester and are included in the lot, with the exception of the spiral and a stone implement which have now been lost.

The most remarkable piece of the hoard is a bronze ceremonial dirk of exceptional workmanship. The exaggerated size and its thinness, the absence of rivets for fixing to the hilt and the blunt edges have been interpreted as signs of its non-utilitarian nature. In all, only five dirks of the ‘Plougrescant-Ommershans’ type are known. Two were found in France, Plougrescant in Brittany and Beaune in the Burgundy region; one, the Oxborough dirk, was found in Norfolk, England, and sold in these rooms (6 July 1994, lot 363) and is now in the British Museum, inv. no. 1994,1003.1; the remaining two were unearthed in the Netherlands (Ommerschans and Jutphaas) (Fontijn 2001, p. 267-268).

The Oxborough Dirk. Ceremonial bronze dirk, 1500BC-1300BC, Plougrescant-Ommerschans Type (1994,1003.1) © The Trustees of the British Museum

This group of dirks certainly stands out amongst the archaeological record of this period for their rarity, exceptional quality and for the striking similarities between each example despite being spread over a large geographical area.

Another object of great interest within the hoard is the bronze razor, whose shape has been identified as characteristic of the Pantalica A type produced in Bronze Age Sicily. This rare find is a testimony to the wide network of commerce during the Bronze Ages and adds to the importance of this unique ensemble of objects.

Christie's. Antiquities, 5 July 2017, London, King Street

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Turquoise frog, Shang dynasty

July 3, 2017, 2:37 am

≫ Next: Jade deer, Shang dynasty

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Turquoise frog, Shang dynasty. Excavated in Tengzhou, Shangdong province, China.

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Jade deer, Shang dynasty

July 3, 2017, 2:45 am

≫ Next: An Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet, Thebes, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1388–1351 BC

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Jade deer, Shang dynasty. Excavated in Tengzhou, Shandong province, China.

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An Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet, Thebes, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1388–1351 BC

July 3, 2017, 3:10 am

≫ Next: A Roman marble torso of Polykleitos'"Dresden Youth", circa first quarter of the 1st century A.D.

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Lot 6. An Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet, Thebes, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1388–1351 BC. 10½ in (26.5 cm) high. 10 ½ in. (26.5 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 100,000 - GBP 150,000 (USD 127,300 - USD 190,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Provenance: Acquired in Egypt in 1938-39.
Münzen und Medaillen, Basel, Auktion 49, 27 June 1974, lot 31.
Elsa Bloch-Diener collection, Bern, acquired from the above.

Published: Archäologisches Institut der Universität Zürich, Das Tier in der Antike, Zurich, 1974, p. 10, no. 26.
H. Schlögl, Geschenk des Nils. Ägyptische Kunstwerke aus Schweizer Besitz, Basel, 1978, p. 58, no. 181.

Note: Sekhmet was the most important of Egypt’s leonine deities. She was originally a Memphite god who came to be associated with the Theban goddess Mut, consort of Amun. She had two distinct facets to her personality, on the one hand a dangerous and destructive aspect and on the other a protective and healing aspect. Her name means “powerful” or “the female powerful one.” Because Sekhmet was said to breathe fire against her enemies, the hot desert winds were referred to as the “breath of Sekhmet.” She was also directly associated with plagues, and the goddess had the power to ward off pestilence and function as a healing deity, as noted in her epithet, “Sekhmet, mistress of life.” She was typically depicted with a human female body sheathed in a tight-fitting gown and a lion’s head often crowned with a sun disk.

Most surviving large-scale images of Sekhmet were sculpted during the reign of Amenhotep III, who ruled for 38 years from 1391-1353 B.C. More than 600 statues of Sekhmet survive from this period, seated and standing, and it has been suggested that there may have been 730 in all. They were originally set up within Amenhotep III’s Temple of Mut to the south of the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak, as well as in the king’s mortuary temple in western Thebes. Perhaps 365 Sekhmet statues were on the east bank of the Nile and served the daytime while a similar number on the west bank served the night. Her statues required the ritual performance of liturgies twice daily. Each statue weighs nearly one ton, and despite the repetition of the subject, many are of unsurpassed beauty, dignity and technical excellence.

What inspired Amenhotep III to commission such a large number of Sekhmet statues is not known with certainty, but more statues exist for her than of the king and all other deities combined. Much is known about his reign, in part by the chance survival of contemporary documents, including correspondence with neighboring kingdoms. However, for Years 12 to 19, nothing survives, but it is thought that the Sekhmet statues were erected during this period. The reason for the gap is not known but it has been postulated that it was a period of crippling plagues in Egypt. Thus it has been suggested that the Sekhmet statues were erected in the hope of ending the pestilence. Many of the statues are inscribed with the names of towns and villages that seem to have mysteriously vanished from the face of the earth, their names on the goddess’s statues the only records of their existence, and attesting to the destruction wrought on Egypt by plague during this period. For a study of these statues, cf. A. Kozloff (et al.), Egypt's Dazzling Sun, Amenhotep III and His World, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1992, pp. 225-226.

Christie's. Antiquities, 5 July 2017, London, King Street

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