Lot 735. An imperial yellow-glazed dish, Zhengde six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1506-1521), 7 in. (17.8 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is raised on a low tapering foot ring and has rounded sides flaring to an everted rim, and covered inside and out with a glaze of rich egg-yolk yellow.

Provenance: Bluett & Sons, London, 1950s.
Private collection, Europe.

Note: Monochrome yellow glazes were typically used to decorate dishes and bowls in the late 15th-16th centuries, such as the present dish. Although they are believed to have been manufactured for the sole use of the Imperial court, it appears that some also found their way abroad, probably as diplomatic gifts. John Alexander Pope mentions that there are sixteen monochrome yellow-glazed wares amongst the Chinese porcelains dedicated to the Ardebil Shrine by Shah Abbas in 1611. These sixteen pieces date to the Hongzhi, Zhengde, Jiajing and Wanli periods. See J. A. Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, 1956, p. 151. 

Lot 736. A blue and white cushion-form box and cover, Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1573-1619), 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm.) wide. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 40,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The box and cover are of square form with canted corners. The cover is decorated with a five-clawed dragon holding a flaming pearl above its head amidst clouds and flames, and within a border of two striding dragons separated by foaming waves and rocks above a band of key fret at the rim. The box is decorated en suite with two dragons beneath a key-fret band below the rim.

Provenance: Private collection, Sweden, before 1948.

Note: A similar Wanli-marked box and cover is illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2015, pp. 323-24, no. 11:129, where the author notes that such boxes were probably used as a container for a gift of sweetmeats.

Quatrefoil porcelain box and cover with underglaze blue decoration, Ming dynasty, Wanli mark and period (1573-1619). Length: 15.5 cm, Width: 13.5 cm, Height: 7 cm. Bequeathed by Henry J Oppenheim, 1947,0712.221.a-b © The Trustees of the British Museum

Lot 737. A rare blue and white faceted 'dragon' jar, Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double square and of the period (1573-1619), 7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 50,000 - USD 80,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The jar is decorated on each side in vibrant blue with a five-clawed scaly dragon above a pair of phoenixes and a crane in flight, all amidst flowers and precious objects. The shoulder is decorated with pendent leaves and the neck with scrolls beneath double lines at the lipped rim.

Provenance: Private collection, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Note: It is rare to find a jar of this type from the Wanli period, and the inclusion of the pairs of phoenixes below each dragon is extremely unusual. Only one other example appears to have been published: see Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. 1, 1976, p. 321, no. 959.

A related faceted jar, Jiajing mark and period, decorated with a dragon on each side surrounded by flowers, but without the phoenixes, and retaining a faceted cover, is illustrated by Sir H. Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1954, no. 50. Two further jars with pairs of dragons on each side include one illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 35 - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 102, no. 95, and the example illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no. 703. Another Jiajing-marked faceted jar decorated with vases of flowers is illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, Japan, 1976, vol. 14, p. 197, no. 189.

Christie's. Marchant: Nine Decades in Chinese Art, 14 September 2017, New York 

1940's carved ruby and diamond bangle. © Anthea A G Antiques Ltd

 1920's diamond arrow jabot pin. © Anthea A G Antiques Ltd 

20 carat cabochon emerald 1930's ring set in platinum and diamond, French. © Anthea A G Antiques Ltd

18 carat long chain all hand made and with an industrial edge. © Anthea A G Antiques Ltd 

Van Cleef and Arpels large 1960-70s sunburst pendant dress clip. Signed Van Cleef, Paris, French marked and in 18 carat gold. © Anthea A G Antiques Ltd

Contact: Anthea Gesua. T: +44 (0) 207 493 7564 - M: +44 (0) 7725 767 006 & +44 (0) 7956 287 678 - E: anthea.ag.antiques@gmail.com - W: lapada.org/dealers/anthea-ag-antiques-ltd

Lot 141. Dame Lucie Rie (1902-1995), Large 'Knitted' Bowl, impressed with Artist's seal, stoneware with an inlaid manganese and grey glaze, height: 12cm.; 5in. diameter: 31.5cm.; 12½in. Executed circa 1980. Estimate £15,000 - £25,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: Acquired directly from the Artist by the present owner, 12th August 1981

Roman Bronze Lion with Eyes Inlaid in Silver, 1st century B.C.E.-1st century C.E. Bronze and silver, W. 14.2 cm. © Miho Museum

This bronze figure has a wildly disheveled mane and its legs arranged in a very life-like manner, creating a powerful, extremely realistic image of a lion. Here the lion is shown crouching low, as it targets its prey, emitting a low growl, walking slowly with head turned slightly to the right. The fangs and eyes created with silver inlay add a bit of low piercing light to his face. The Fuller collection of the Seattle Art Museum has a similar image of a lion, and the Seattle figure also has inlaid silver fangs. The Romans enjoyed watching scenes of battles, and lions often appeared in the colosseums in these battles. Hence these lions would have been an everyday sight to the Romans of the day.

Late Classical-Early Hellenistic Greek Bronze Herakles Atop a Circular Base, 4th-3rd century B.C.E. Bronze with glass inlay, H. 20 cm.© Miho Museum

This small statue shows Hercules with a lion-head skin draped from his head and the forepaws of the lion tied across his chest. The end of this lion skin drapes across his left arm and his right hand holds a club. These are typical attributes for Hercules, but here the gently detailed depiction of the fur, the balanced musculature without excess, the glass eyes, and the minutely expressed hair and finger tips all give a verisimilitude to this small figure. The detailed quality and its superb formal expression give this 20 cm tall figure the appeal of a much larger image. This figure has "the extreme delicacy of execution even in the smallest details" described by Pliny, which can be found in the works of Lysippus, sculptor to Alexander the Great. Hercules was born the son of Zeus and the queen of Tiryns, and was the greatest hero in Greek mythology. The jealousy of Zeus's wife Hera prevented him from becoming a great king and after overcoming a number of tests, he then vanquished the race of giants and saved the gods. This small figure shows Hercules as a young man, but it could also be seen as an image of the young king Alexander dressed in the guise of the most popular hero.

Hellenistic Life-size Bronze Head of a Man, 3rd-2nd century B.C.E. Bronze, H. 33.5 cm. © Miho Museum

The Hellenistic period saw the expansion of the Greek cultural realm to Africa and Asia, and during this period there was an interest in portrait sculpture of the great figures and kings of the past. The people of this day were interested in the expression of the refinement and virtues of these individuals. This life-size male head has traces which indicate the attachment of a crown or head decoration, and thus we can consider it part of a sculpture depicting a king. The figure's detailed hair sculpting and its relaxed face all conjure the image of a refined, thoughtful philosopher-king from Asia Minor.

Lot 1. A fine yellow-ground green-enameled 'dragon' bowl, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722), Diameter 4 1/8  in., 10.4cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

delicately potted with deep rounded sides rising to a flared rim, the exterior incised with two striding five-clawed dragons in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', all above a border of ruyi-heads circling the foot, the rim bordered with a classic scroll band, the interior centered with a medallion enclosing a shou character, the designs all picked out in green against a bright yellow ground, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle 

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 21st June 2002, lot 219. 

Lot 2. A wucai'dragon and pheonix' bowl, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Diameter 6 1/8 in., 15.5 cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior vividly decorated with a green and a red dragon striding in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', separated by a pair of descending phoenix, all below a band of the 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' and ruyi motifs at the rim, the interior with a medallion enclosing a five-clawed dragon reaching for a 'flaming pearl', the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue. 

Provenance: Christie's London, 13th November 2001, lot 125. 

Lot 3. A fine wucai'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722). Diameter 5 1/4  in., 13.2 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior vividly decorated with a green and a red dragon striding in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', separated by a pair of descending phoenix, all below a band of the 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' and ruyi motifs at the rim, the interior with a medallion enclosing a red five-clawed dragon grasping for a 'flaming pearl', the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle . 

Provenance: English Private Collection. 
Sotheby's London, 14th November 2001, lot 109.

Note: Bowls painted in brilliant wucai enamels with a dragon and phoenix among a leafy scroll were an innovation of the Kangxi period. This auspicious design, which refers to the Emperor and Empress and conveys the wish for a happy marriage, grew in popularity in the succeeding reigns, when large quantities of bowls of this type were produced.

Kangxi mark and period bowls of three different sizes from the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, were included in the exhibition Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 26; a pair in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 153; a single bowl from the collection of C.P. Lin was included in the exhibition Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration, Percival David Foundation, London, 1992, cat. no. 121; and a pair was included in the Hong Kong Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Ch’ing Polychrome Porcelain, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 32.

Salvador Dali, The Tree of Life Necklace, early 1950s. Unique 18ct gold necklace set with 33 brilliant-cut diamonds © Didier Ltd

Georges Braque, Antiborée, 1963. 18ct textured gold brooch decorated with dark blue enamel © Didier Ltd

Pablo Picasso, Visage, 1954-1955. Terracotta oval medallion with a stylised face in low relief © Didier Ltd

David Watkins, Necklace. © Didier Ltd

Contact: Didier & Martine Haspeslagh. T: +44 (0) 207 221 1573 - M: +44 (0) 7973 800 415 - E: info@didierltd.com - W: www.didierltd.com

Lot 4. A fine pair of copper-red glazed dishes, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735). Diameter 7 in., 17.8 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each with shallow rounded sides rising from a gently tapered foot, covered overall with a rich copper-red glaze thinning to white at the rim, the base glazed white with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle (2) 

Provenance: Christie's New York, 18th September 2003, lot 334.

Note: Compare a slightly larger dish of this type sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd - 4th December 2015, lot 524. A similar dish, though slightly smaller, sold in those same rooms, 1st - 2nd June 2015, lot 511. Another of the slightly smaller size sold at Christie's New York, 21st - 29th March 2017, lot 111.

Lot 6. An iron-rust glazed censer, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Diameter 7 5/8  in., 19.4 cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of bombé form rising from a slightly tapered foot to a waisted neck and flared mouth, the exterior applied with a rust-red glaze suffused with iridescent speckles, extending over the rim and stopping unevenly at the neck.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2017, 10:00 AM 

Parthian Silver Gilt Rhyton with a Protome of a Lynx, 1st century B.C.E. Silver gilt, H. 44 cm.© Miho Museum

The lynx's body is decorated with vine and grape motifs, clearly indicating a deep relationship with the rites of Dionysus. And we know that the mystery of Dionysus included ritual vessels featuring this kind of hunting cat, such as a leopard or lynx. Similar examples in the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Sackler Gallery have the same kind of hair depiction on the animals' body, and a spiral motif on their shoulders. The curling hair motif on the lynxes on cat. Nos. 29 and 30 are not the same kind of motif. The lynx violently plunging and capturing the bird in such amazingly life-like form that we can almost feel the bird's surprise. A Greek craftsman with unparalleled skill created this motif which, in fact, originated in west Asia.

Achaemenid Gilded Silver Rhyton with a Stag Protome, 5th-4th century B.C.E. Silver with gold foil inlay, H. 31 cm. © Miho Museum

The tip of this rhyton is shaped like a stag with extended forelegs. The stag's horns are shaped like spread hands, and the body is decorated with spots, indicating that it is a Dama dama deer. The separately formed cup is decorated with hammered designs depicting the stag's extended hind legs and hindquarters, and the artist used the curving shape of the cup to give a feeling of leaping motion to the animal's form. The forequarters and hindquarters are skillfully joined at the middle of the animal's torso, so that the joint cannot be discerned with the naked eye. The spout is place between the animal's forelegs. The cup section is decorated with horizontal grooves, while the mouth rim area is decorated with guilloches, with a pattern of alternating lotus motifs and palmetto motifs. The major motif areas are plated with gold foil, and this shine heightens the decorative affect of the piece.

The expression of the stag's face, the shape of the vessel, and the decoration on the cup are all characteristic of the Achaemenid period. A similar work in the Metropolitan Schimmel Collection is a silver rhyton with ram decoration with the same hammered out hindquarters and plant motifs on the mouth rim area. However the formation of the animal on the Metropolitan work is somewhat more stylized and heavily formed. By comparison, this work emphasizes the elegant and lively beauty of the Achaemenid period arts seen in their amphoras with ram-shaped handles.

Achaemenid Fragmentary Silver Rhyton with a Horse Protome, 5th-early 4th century B.C.E. Silver, H. 27 cm. © Miho Museum

This rhyton originally was made in two basic parts: the horizontally ribbed horn-now missing a section in the middle-with its plain, slightly flaring rim, and the terminal in the form of a horse protome with arched neck and with forelegs tightly folded under. The mane is dressed with a roached (clipped) central crest flanked by a short fringe along either side, and the forelock is tied upright, trimmed in a stiff brush. The treatment of the forelock, as well as the four long locks remaining on either side at the withers, are typical of both ridden and driven horses in the Achaemenid period.1 The roached mane, less common, was known primarily in Achaemenid Anatolia.2 The bridle, with its simple hatched bands, consists of only a single-strap headstall, a noseband, and a throatlatch-the latter fastened on the left side in a knot. Damage in the mouth area obscures the type of bitting, but small silver spikes or posts at the joins of the headstall and the noseband on either side and at the crossings of the headstall and the throatlatch suggest that other harnessing elements were added separately. A matching hatched breast strap encircles the chest, interrupted only by the small tubular spout in the center.

Horses appear frequently in Achaemenid art, primarily in glyptic and in metalwork. The compact form and general style of the Shumei horse, as well as some details of its harnessing and adornment, find close parallels in the stone reliefs from the Apadana at Persepolis, the Achaemenid capital in central Iran.3 These similarities argue for production of the rhyton in a royal atelier as opposed to a provincial workshop. Two excavated silver horse rhyta from Arinberd in Armenia provide provincial variations on the motif.4 Silver rhyta with ribbed horns have been excavated from a tomb in the Crimea dated to the first half of the fifth century B.C.,5 but the nearest counterpart to the Shumei horse rhyton in proportion, construction, and style is a gilt-silver example unfortunately without documented provenance; reputed to have come from eastern Anatolia, this elegant rhyton with a griffin protome is now in the British Museum.6 The Shumei rhyton, perhaps a silver version of the golden vessels used by the Persian Great King, like the British Museum example, may have graced a satrap's court in Anatolia.

TSK

Late Classical Greek Bronze Rhyton with a Stag Protome, Late Classical, ca. 4th century B.C.E., Asia Minor-Black Sea Region. Bronze, H. 37 cm. © Miho Museum

This rhyton is an example of a special type of vessel that was used by the Greeks for religious rituals. The word rhyton derives from the Greek verb "to pour through," which accurately describes what happens when liquid is added to the rhyton's flared mouth, since it immediately passes through the vessel and streams out through the open spout on the other end.

This slender horn tapers from a circular mouth with an everted lip to the exquisitely sculptured rendition of the protome (forepart) of a bounding stag. The rim of the mouth is beaded and the lip is encircled by a band of pierced ovolos. The stag was rendered in the naturalistic style that was prevalent during the Classical period (480-336 B.C.). The animal's head is drawn back on its long neck, its ears perked upright. The eyes, bordered by raised lids and topped by finely incised brows, look to the right. The upper lip of the closed muzzle extends over the lower, from which it is separated by lips with down-turned corners. A fine V is incised above the nostrils. A magnificent rack of antlers rises from a single trunk on top of the stag's head before separating into two branches of thick horns. A short, round spout emerges from the stag's chest, just above its extended front legs, which end in delicate, cloven hooves.