John Constable, Blick von East Bergholt auf Dedham Vale, um 1815, Öl auf Leinwand, 45,6 x 55,1 cm, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen München, Neue Pinakothek © bpk | Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen

DRESDEN.- For the conception and preparation of this exhibition Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bischoff, Director of the Galerie Neue Meister, enlisted the support of a renowned co-curator: Luc Tuymans (*1958), one of the most influential contemporary painters. This Belgian artist not only stands out on account of his impartial way of viewing art; for a number of years now he has also taken on the role of curator. John Constable (1776–1837), Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) and Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) were vital in shaping modern art at the threshold of the 18th to the 19th century and they had a formative influence on the age of Romanticism in Europe. Their outstanding paintings continue to serve as sources of inspiration and visual instruction for the generations of artists that have followed in their wake. 

In this special exhibition, Luc Tuymans and Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bischoff trace the influence of these four exceptional artists by presenting paintings by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Adolph Menzel (1815-1905), Édouard Manet (1832-1883), Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and Gerhard Richter (* 1932) alongside masterpieces of the Romantic period. Works by 16 artists are presented in sometimes surprising combinations, thus enabling historical references and contexts spanning some 200 years of art history to be explored from new perspectives. 

The idea at the core of the exhibition is to present the museum as both an artistic workshop and a source of inspiration. The curators demonstrate that art does not come into being solely as the result of a creative act in the artist’s studio, but can often be traced back to the artist’s direct engagement with freely chosen models from art history. 

Works on loan from international institutions including the Prado (Madrid), the Louvre (Paris), the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen in Munich, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, and from private collections, will be shown alongside works from the holdings of the Galerie Neue Meister. 

Eugène Delacroix, Verwundeter Räuber (Brigand blessé) - A Mortally Wounded Brigand (Brigand blessé), um 1825, Öl auf Leinwand, 32,7 x 40,8 cm, Kunstmuseum Basel

Caspar David Friedrich, Zwei Männer in Betrachtung des Mondes, um 1819/20, Öl auf Leinwand, 35 x 44,5 cm, Galerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlun-gen Dresden © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Foto, Jürgen Karpinski

Francisco de Goya, Kleine Riesen (Las gigantillas) - Little Giants (Las gigantillas), 1805, Öl auf Leinwand,137x104 cm, Museo Nacional del Prado © Museo Nacional del Prado – Madrid (Spain)

Max Liebermann, Der Chirurg Ferdinand Sauerbruch, The surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch, 1932 Öl auf Leinwand, oil on canvas, 117,2 x 89,4 cm Leihgabe Hamburger Kunsthalle © bpk | Hamburger Kunsthalle, Foto Elke Walford

Max Ernst, Die schwankende Frau, 1923, Öl auf Leinwand, 130,7 x 97,5 cm, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf © VG BILD-KUNST, Bonn 2013, Foto Walter Klein, Düsseldorf

Jeff Wall, Young Man Wet with Rain, 2011 Silbergelatineabzug, silver gelatine print, 284,16 × 158,75 x 6,35 cm © Courtesy of the artist and Galleria Lorcan O’Neill, Rom

David Claerbout, The Quiet Shore, 2011 (Still), Einkanal-Videoprojektion, s/w, ohne Ton, 36 Min. 32 Sek., Loop, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris © VG BILD-KUNST, Bonn 2013

Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (722-3), 1990, Öl auf Leinwand, 200 x 180 cm, Schenkung des Künstlers, Galerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden © Gerhard Richter 2013

Luc Tuymans, Der Architekt, 1997/98, Öl auf Leinwand, 113 x 144,5 cm, Galerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Leihgabe der Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst in Dresden e.V., Foto Elke Estel, Hans-Peter Klut

Mark Rothko, Blue and Gray, 1962, Öl auf Leinwand, 193 x 175 cm, Anfam 723, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Sammlung Ernst und Hildy Beyeler, Foto: Robert Bayer, Basel © Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko/ VG-BILDKUNST, Bonn 2013

Caspar David Friedrich, Das Große Gehege bei Dresden, 1831/32, Öl auf Leinwand, 73,5 x 102,5 cm, Galerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Foto, Jürgen Karpinski

Giotto di Bondone, Italian, about 1266 - 1337, The Peruzzi Altarpiece, Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 105.7 x 250.2 cm, The North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

TORONTO.- Presenting rare Florentine masterpieces that have never before been shown in Canada, Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art opened at the Art Gallery of Ontario this weekend. 

Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art is a large-scale exhibition that brings together an unrivalled collection of more than 90 paintings, manuscripts, sculptures and stained glass from the 14th century, many of which have never travelled before. 

“I am proud the Ontario government continues its support for the AGO by assisting them in bringing exciting exhibitions like this one to the people of Ontario,” said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Exhibitions like Revealing the Early Renaissance remind us of a historical period that has influenced the world we live in today, and it also enhances Ontario’s reputation as a world-class tourism and culture destination.” 

“The exhibition space is set up to tell an intriguing story as you walk through it,” said Sasha Suda, the AGO’s assistant curator of European art. “Bringing these works together offers an unprecedented opportunity to learn about the practices of artists at this crucial time in history, and uncover new information that has lain dormant for centuries.” 

Subdivided into various themes, Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art explores how the city’s burgeoning economy of the time fostered a unique demand for artworks both religious and civic, as well as the collaborative nature of artistic production, a closer look at the workshops of artists, the stories behind the works and their subjects and insight into conservation research. Visitors can interact with the exhibition at numerous hands-on stations, offering the opportunity to explore inside the Renaissance artist’s studio, discover the pigments and tools used, hear music from a book whose pages have been reunited for the first time in over a century, view footage of Florence and see aspects of the works through the microscopes of conservators. 

Curated by Christine Sciacca, assistant curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum, together with coordinating curator Sasha Suda, assistant curator of European art at the AGO, Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art will bring to life recent discoveries about artistic techniques and studio practice in Florence between 1300 and 1350. 

"The exhibition features artists who were masters in both panel painting and manuscript illumination in the vibrant cultural climate of 14th-century Florence," explained Sciacca. "With new findings about artistic techniques and artists' workshops based on conservation research and scientific analysis, we are able to present a rich, nuanced picture of the beauty and creativity of artistic production in Florence." 

According to Suda, “this exhibition will make it clear that the diverse artistic practices of Giotto and his contemporaries paved the way for generations of Italian Renaissance masters to come.” 

The exhibition is the first of its kind in Canada, as many of the treasured works have never travelled before and likely will not again for generations to come. Notable works include: 

• Giotto di Bondone, Pentecost, Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 43 cm x 31.7 cm (The National Gallery, London)

• Bernardo Daddi, The Virgin Mary with Saints Thomas Aquinas and Paul, Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 120.7 cm x 55.9 cm (Getty)

• Pacino di Bonaguida, Polyptych: The Crucifixion, Saint Nicholas, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Florentius, and Saint Luke, 182 cm x 249 cm (Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence)

• Pacino di Bonaguida, Carmina regia: The Appeal of Prato to Robert of Anjou, 47.7 cm x 34.2 cm (The British Library, London) • Master of the Dominican Effigies, Specchio Umano, 38.5 cm x 27.2 cm (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence) 

Bernardo Daddi (Italian, about 1330), The Virgin Mary with Saints Thomas Aquinas and Paul. Tempera and gold leaf on panel. Framed (with original engaged frame): 47 1/2 x 22 in. 93.PB.16. J. Paul Getty Museum.

Pacino di Bonaguida (Italian, about 1340s), The Appeal of Prato to Robert of Anjou. Art Gallery of Ontario/British Museum.

Pacino di Bonaguida (Italian, about 1340s), The Chiarito Tabernacle. Gilded gesso and tempera on panel, 38 1/4 x 11 5/16 in. 85.PB.311. J. Paul Getty Museum.

Bernardo Daddi (Italian (Florentine), about 1280 – 1348), A Crowned Virgin Martyr. Tempera and gold leaf on panel. The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

Pacino di Bonaguida, Laudario of the Compagnia di Sant'Agnese, Saint Agnes Enthroned, 1320s. tempera and gold on parchment. Height: 420 mm (16.54 in). Width: 299 mm (11.77 in). Bristish Library.

Pacino di Bonaguida, The Virgin and Child. Tempera, gold leaf, and ink on parchment on panel, 79.1 x 52.5cm. Yale University Art Gallery.

Master of the Misericordia, Painting: Saint Eloy in His Goldsmith's Workshop, Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 59 x 62.5 x 9.5 cm. Museo del Prado. 

Ceramic dish with blue underglaze decoration. Iran, 2nd half of 15th cent. Inv. no. 73/1998. The David Collection

The decoration on this Persian dish copies a contemporary Chinese pattern. The largest flowers look like peonies when seen from above, but the smaller ones resemble lotuses when seen from the side. It can, however, be difficult to tell these flowers apart, even on their Chinese models.

Bottle, fritware, painted in underglaze cobalt blue with scholar on a horse, Iran, 1640-1665. Height: 35.3 cm, Diameter: 16.9 cm. Victoria & Albert museum. © V&A Images

Bottle with a straight and plain top. The neck has a trellis design at the top and as it moves down to the main body of the bottle there is a lotus decoration with leaves. Two separate scenes are depicted on the body of the bottle. One showing a pagoda and some huts set against some mountains - this image is reflected. The second scene showing a rider on horseback. The rider has a distinct fringe and one bare leg showing; the rider is carrying a staff or long cane of sorts in his left hand.

By the 1620s, Iranian potters were producing convincing copies of the Chinese porcelain imports flooding into Iran since the 1580s. The challenge was to produce well-painted Kraak-style designs on thinly walled vessels. By the 1650s, Safavid potters freely painted their own designs on domestic shapes.

Dish, fritware, painted in underglaze cobalt blue with s scholar in a landscape, Iran, 1600-1640. Victoria & Albert museum © V&A Images

Large dish, fritware, painted with an imitation-Chinese composition including a seated figure in underglaze cobalt blue.

Flask, fritware, of flattened circular form, raised on a tall round footring, the neck is missing, as are the handles indicated by the base of one lug and an unglazed patch on the upper shoulder,underglaze-painted in blue, the circular panels depicting a single bird perched on a flower spray, one of three each with blossoms resembling stylized lotus flowers, within a border of nasta'liq script with poetic inscription incorporating a dated 930 AH/1523-4 AD. The panel on each side is decorated with three ogee-shaped medallions with cloud collar bands below a circle of petals at the handle base. There is a wax seal inside the base and no mark. Height: 24.6 cm, Width: 23.8 x 16.5 cm. Victoria & Albert museum © V&A Images

Two stanzas of a poem in Persian run round the border of the flask, one on each side:

The wine does not reach the spout of the flask 
The pain in the precarious dwelling [of our lives] does not decrease. 
The flask becomes the dwelling of blood when your ruby lips are not within me. 
When I uncork the mouth of the blood red [wine] people thirst for my blood. 
May the end of the reveler be auspicious. Finished [in] 930.

O Lord, make my soul [go] dumb before you, 
Of my being let neither my name nor my features reach you. 
At the end of time let me not be for a [single] second with you, 
In short may the world be without you. 
A reveler in this ancient tavern says: 
May the end of all revelers be auspicious! 
Written in the months of the year 930.

There is a long tradition of pottery production in Nishapur. During the Safavid period, the artistic and merchant community must have supported the local industry, as Nishapur was not directly associated with the court, who were the usual patrons. Although destroyed by earthquakes and Mongols, a pottery industry was re-established by 1430, following the Diaspora of potters from Samarqand in 1411. This flask, dated 930 AH / 1523-4 AD, was produced in the decades before Iran was flooded with mass-produced Chinese export porcelain in the Jiajing and later Wanli periods, around 1550-1625.

The shape is ultimately based on metal pilgrim flasks, such as the large Syrian brass canteen, dating to the mid-13th century, in the collection of the Freer Gallery, Washington. The form was designed to be carried by travellers or slung from horse trappings by straps attached to handles, now missing, along with the neck. In ceramics, pilgrim flasks, presumably ornamental, appear in early 15th century Chinese porcelain in the Yongle and Xuande periods, possibly made as diplomatic gifts. 

Rare commode en cabinet en bois noirci, vernis Martin et laques de la Chine noir et or. Estampillée Dubois. Epoque Transition Louis XV-Louis XVI. Photo Europ Auction

à décor de paysages, oiseaux et batailles. Elle ouvre à deux tiroirs en façade séparés par des traverses et un troisième simulé formant abattant découvrant six tiroirs plaqués de laque entourant un castin et repose sur d'élégants pieds cambrés terminés par des sabots. Les montants à pans coupés ornés de chutes feuillagées et fleuries. Dessus de marbre brèche. Estampillée I. DUBOIS, René Dubois (1737-1799), reçu maître en 1755. H 99, L 100, P 54 cm - Estimation : 90 000 / 100 000 €

Provenance : Ce meuble a appartenu à André de Seignard de la Fressange reçu en héritage de son arrière grand-mère, famille de Bonneval, née Lazard apparentée aux David Weil. 

Cette commode provient du château de Bonneval en Haute Vienne, puis a été transférée au château des Bergeries à Draveil dans l'Essonne.

René Dubois, fils cadet de Jacques Dubois, travaille avec lui, rue de Charenton. Bien qu'ayant obtenu la maîtrise dès l'âge de dix-huit ans en qualité de fils de maître, il continue d'utiliser l'estampille paternelle. Il jouit, comme son père, d'une réputation élogieuse et les Tablettes de Renommée le citent en 1772, comme l'un des premiers ébénistes de la capitale. L'Almanach général des marchands de 1779, le désigne comme ébéniste de la reine. Il fournit, en effet, la cour et notamment Marie-Antoinette, ainsi que le prince de Soubise.
René Dubois, reprend la direction de l'atelier de son père à la mort de celui-ci en 1763 tout en travaillant sous la responsabilité de sa mère. En 1772, celle-ci abandonne à son fils la direction complète de l'atelier et lui vend le stock pour la somme de 25 002 livres. L'inventaire établit à ce moment-là décrit un atelier très prospère et montre que René Dubois continue la production de meubles en laque de Chine ou du Japon, dont son père s'était fait une spécialité.
Les oeuvres de René Dubois sont, aujourd'hui, conservées à Waddesdon Manor, à la Wallace collection de Londres, au Metropolitan Museum à New York ou encore au Cleveland Museum.

Europ Auction. Vendredi 22 mars 2013. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 1 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris. http://www.europauction.com/

Cabinet en bois noirci et décor en Arte Povera. Époque Louis XV. Photo Europ Auction

figurant sur le coffre des putti, fleurs, guirlandes de fleurs, oiseaux, vases garnis de fleurs et papillons encadrant un médaillon décoré d'une vue architecturée antiquisante avec des personnages. Il ouvre en partie haute par un abattant et une porte en façade découvrant un miroir, une tablette écritoire, quatre petits tiroirs dont un est garni d'un écritoire et différents flacons. L'ensemble est décoré en Arte Povera à fond blanc représentant des guirlandes de fleurs, têtes de chinois et scènes mythologiques. Il ouvre en partie basse par un petit tiroir et repose sur des pieds galbés terminés par des sabots en bronze doré. H 110, L 77, P 40 cm - Estimation : 60 000 / 80 000 €

Il est reproduit dans l'ouvrage de Pierre Janneau, « Les petits meubles », p.29, planche XIII.

La technique de l'Arte Povera fut développée en Italie du Nord, particulièrement à Venise,au cours du XVIII° siècle pour rivaliser à moindre coût avec les laques orientales et le vernis Martin français. Elle consistait à confectionner des décors à partir de gravures découpéeset assemblées afin de constituer des scènes pastorales, des paysages, des compositions florales...Le tout était ensuite souligné, coloré et collé sur des objets ou des pièces de mobilier préalablement peints. Une fois, cette première étape terminée, l'artisan apposait une vingtaine de couches de vernis au tampon afin d'unifier et de protéger le meuble et son décor.

Europ Auction. Vendredi 22 mars 2013. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 1 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris. http://www.europauction.com/

A white-glazed 'anhua' wine cup, Kangxi mark and period - Sotheby's

the steep sides rising to a gently everted rim, delicately incised with an anhuadesign of two dragons in pursuit of a flaming pearl amongst stylized flames, covered overall in an even white glaze, six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle. Diameter 2 1/2  in., 6.35 cm. Estimation: 4,000 - 6,000 USD. Lot. Vendu 21,250 USD

PROVENANCE: A gift to the current owner from Robert West, New York. Mr. West bequeathed the major part of his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1950s.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 www.sothebys.com

An incised celadon-glazed brushpot (bitong). Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period - Sotheby's

of cylindrical form, the exterior well-carved with a continuous foliate scroll of four large peony blooms borne on leafy stems, covered overall in a vitreous pale green-blue glaze, the interior white, resting on a flat partially unglazed base with a recessed center. Diameter 7 in., 17.8 cm. Estimation: 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot. Vendu 34,375 USD

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 www.sothebys.com

A pair of celadon-glazed famille-rose enameled leaf-shaped palettes, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period - Sotheby's

each delicately made in the shape of a leaf with smaller leaf forming a well to the side, detailed with incised veins, one painted with a butterfly, silkworm and fly, the other with a spider, beetle and caterpillar, each base with ten tiny spur marks (2). Lengths 4 1/2  in., 11.5 cm. Estimation: 6,000 - 8,000 USD. Lot. Vendu 46,875 USD

PROVENANCE: J.T. Tai & Co., Inc. New York, 1969.

Collection of Eugene D. Buchanan, acquired by current owners circa 1977.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 www.sothebys.com

Opal, diamond and pink sapphire necklace. Photo Sotheby's

Of floral motif design, suspending on an articulated flower set with a jelly opal weighing approximately 9.20 carats, surrounded by circular-cut pink sapphires together weighing approximately 1.30 carats, to petals set with brilliant-cut diamonds, highlighted by a flower bud set with three fire opals together weighing approximately 1.40 carats, the necklace decorated with brilliant-cut diamonds of brown hue, supporting numerous oscillating pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds, the diamonds together weighing approximately 12.05 carats, mounted in 18 karat blackened gold, length approximately 380mm. Estimate: 100,000 - 140,000 HKD

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Hong Kong | 08 Apr 2013 - www.sothebys.com

Fire opal and diamond pendant, circa 1910 - photo Sotheby's

Claw-set with two fire opals connected by a lotus flower motif millegrain-set with cushion-shaped diamonds, mounted in gold. Estimate: 6,000 - 7,500 CH. LOT SOLD. 8,750 CH

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels. Geneva | 15 Nov 2011 -  www.sothebys.com

Petit cabinet. Portugal, XVIIème siècle. Photo Aguttes

Ame de résineux, placage de noyer, d'ébène, d'écaille de tortue et filets de laiton doré, bois doré et miroir. H : 59,5 cm - L : 106,5 cm - P : 34cm. Boules postérieures, manque quelques entrées de serrures et restaurations d'entretiens. 

La très forte influence de l'Espagne sur le Portugal s'est renforcée à la fin du seizième siècle avec l'unification de la péninsule ibérique sous l'autorité des Habsbourg.
Ce charmant cabinet portugais montre l'influence de l'Espagne dans les arts décoratifs.
Monté sur de petits pieds miches, il conserve les poignées latérales des barguenos mobiles.
Sa façade en rappelle l'agencement intérieur : le vantail central est construit comme une entrée de palais, avec soubassement, colonnes et balustrade, autour d'une abside centrale qui abrite la statuette de Minerve. De part et d'autre s ‘étagent quatre registres correspondant chacun à un tiroir, tous munis d'une entrée de serrure.

Le riche foisonnement d'un décor graphique et coloré repose sur le contraste des matières et l'association ordonnée des cadres d ‘ébène, des fonds d'écaille rouge et des reliefs dorés.
Les surfaces d'ébène sont parcourues d'un filet de laiton qui ondule entre les points dorés d'un semis de perles.
Les entrées dorées de fausses serrures trompent l'œil en multipliant le nombre des tiroirs.

Un angelot gracieux et un bouquet sur fond d'étoffe encadrent la statuette de la déesse de la guerre.
Casquée, vêtue de la cuirasse, armée de la lance et du bouclier, elle adopte la posture dynamique, le mouvement de torsion et la silhouette étirée propres au baroque.
Sujet mythologique à la gloire des armes et des combats victorieux, il indique le caractère civil et aristocratique du meuble.

Le logement central le confirme, espace théâtral d'une grande pureté de matières et de lignes.
Autour d'un sol à damiers, se construit un espace en miroirs et dorures.
Les colonnes soutiennent des arcs en plein cintre délimitant des miroirs qui les réfléchissent.
Espace sans fin où s'enchainent voûtes et colonnes, où la lumière dorée le dispute à l'ombre, où s'ouvre un monde propice à l'imagination.
Le cabinet, meuble des objets précieux, est lui même devenu bijou et s'enveloppe de mystère.

Aguttes. Mardi 19 mars 2013. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 9 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris

Petit cabinet de voyage. Allemagne, XVIIèmesiècle. Photo Aguttes

Bois de hêtre, de frêne et loupe. H : 55.5 cm - l : 79.5 cm - P : 38 cm. Accidents et manques, légères restaurations au plaquage. Estimation : 3 000 / 4 000 €

Aguttes. Mardi 19 mars 2013. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 9 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris

A molded 'Longquan' celadon vase, Yuan dynasty - Sotheby's 

of baluster form, surmounted by a tall neck with trumpet mouth, the ovoid body crisply molded with a wide frieze of blossoms borne on undulating scrolling vines above a band of upright leaves, the neck with conforming motifs beneath a series of concentric rings encircling the mouth, all under a rich celadon-green glaze. Height 17 5/16  in., 44 cm. Estimation: 40,000 - 50,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Sing's Antique Gallery, Hong Kong.

NOTE: Longquan wares with molded and applied decoration first appeared in the late Song dynasty and were produced in large quantities during the Yuan. They were assembled in sections and instead of having a base, their bottom section was closed with an inverted saucer-shaped piece of clay. Compare a similarly shaped yen yen vase from the Percival David Foundation, and now in the British Museum, London, inscribed with the date corresponding to 1327, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Yuan Porcelain and Stoneware, London, 1974, pl. 58.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 www.sothebys.com

A rare underglaze-red vase (yuhuchunping), Yuan dynasty - Sotheby's

of classic pear shape, the well-potted sides painted and resist-decorated with two detached chrysanthemum blossoms borne on long leafy stems, below a border of stiff upright lappets enclosed between wide bands, the red on the leaves, centers of the flowers, parts of the lappets and shoulder band fired to a pinkish red, other areas fired to a grayish brown, applied overall with a pale green-gray glaze. Height 9 1/8  in., 23 cm. Estimation: 18,000 - 22,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth.
Sotheby's New York, 30th March 2006, lot 62.

NOTE: It is very rare to find vases similarly painted and also resist-decorated with floral scrolls in underglaze copper-red, although a related vase is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 11, Shanghai, 2000, no. 234. 
A number of yuhuchunping painted in underglaze copper-red with chrysanthemum scrolls around the sides are known, such as the vase of similar size in the British Museum with chrysanthemum sprays and 'penciled' petals and leaves painted in solid red, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, Tokyo, 1981, Vol. 5, col.pl.74; the vase painted in a heavier brush with chrysanthemums and double lines on the pointed panels around the neck, in the Museum Pusat, Jakarta, illustrated op.cit., Vol. 3, Tokyo, 1982, col.pl. 79; and the vase with penciled chrysanthemums illustrated in Keitokuchin Jiki, p. 34 (right), excavated in Leping County, Jiangxi province, and now in the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 www.sothebys.com

Giuseppe Giorgetti , Martyrdom of St Sebastian (détail), 1671. Basilica di San Sebastiano ad Catacumbas, Via Appia Antica, Rome.