A very rare iron-red-decorated sgraffiato 'dragon' cup and saucer, Qianlong marks and period (1736-1795)

September 24, 2017, 11:03 am

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Lot 1218. A very rare iron-red-decorated sgraffiato 'dragon' cup and saucer, Qianlong six-character marks in iron red within double squares and of the period (1736-1795), 4 ¾ in. (12 cm.) diam. the saucer; 2 3/5 in. (6 cm.) diam. the cup. Estimate USD 80,000 - USD 120,000. Price realised USD 100,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The cup is decorated with two iron-red five-clawed dragons above foaming waves on a white-enameled sgraffiato ground incised with waves. The saucer has a shou medallion within a raised rim in the center, encircled by two five-clawed dragons on a white-enameled sgraffiato ground and there are two further dragons on the underside, two cloth boxes.

Note: A similar iron-red and sgraffiato 'dragon' cup and saucer is illustrated in Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1994, pp. 276-77, no. 9, and another cup, lacking a saucer, also in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Gutao Ciziliao Xuancui, Beijing, 2005, p. 255, no. 225.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 14 - 15 September 2017, New York

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Exquisite Pair of Fancy Pink Diamond and Diamond Pendent Earrings

September 24, 2017, 11:22 am

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Lot 1852. Exquisite Pair of 5.21 and 5.01 carats Fancy Pink Diamond and Diamond Pendent Earrings. Estimate 30,000,000 — 40,000,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each set with a pear-shaped fancy pink diamond weighing 5.21 and 5.01 carats respectively, to the brilliant-cut diamond top each weighing 1.01 carats, mounted in platinum, post and sprung locked fittings.

Accompanied by two GIA reports numbered 5141763232 and 1146987781, dated 12 April 2017 and 10 October 2016 respectively, stating that the 5.21 and 5.01 carat diamonds are natural, both Fancy Pink Colour, Internally Flawless and VS1 Clarity respectively; further accompanied by two GIA reports numbered 2185482351 and 6252331288, dated 8 June 2017 and 17 May 2017 respectively, stating that both 1.01 carat diamonds are D Colour, Internally Flawless, with Excellent Cut, Polish and Symmetry.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite, Hong Kong, 03 oct. 2017, 01:30 PM

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Important Pair of Unmounted Diamonds

September 24, 2017, 11:29 am

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Lot 1863. Important Pair of Unmounted 12.36 and 12.00 carats Type IIa Diamonds. Estimate 19,000,000 — 25,000,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

The two pear-shaped diamonds weighing 12.36 and 12.00 carats respectively.

Accompanied by two GIA reports numbered 5171492749 and 2185466725, dated 13 March 2017 and 5 July 2017 respectively, stating that the 12.36 and 12.00 carat diamonds are both D Colour, Flawless and Internally Flawless respectively, with Excellent Polish and Symmetry; further accompanied by two diamond type classification reports stating that both diamonds are determined to be Type IIa diamonds. Type IIa diamonds are the most chemically pure type of diamonds and often have exceptional optical transparency.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite, Hong Kong, 03 oct. 2017, 01:30 PM

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Année France-Colombie 2017. Deux chefs-d'oeuvre de l'art baroque de Bogotá au Louvre

September 24, 2017, 2:02 pm

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Dans le cadre de l’Année France-Colombie 2017, le musée du Louvre met à l’honneur le patrimoine colombien en présentant dans la grande salle des peintures espagnoles, deux oeuvres majeures de l’art néo-grenadin (c’est-à-dire de la Vice-Royauté de Nouvelle Grenade, au XVIII^e siècle) : l’ostensoir de l’église de San Ignacio de Bogotá, surnommé« La Lechuga », joyau d’orfèvrerie d’un raffinement extrême et la statue de sainte Barbe, sculpture en bois de plus de deux mètres de haut, profondément influencée par l’école de Séville et référence de tous les artistes colombiens jusqu’à nos jours.

« La Lechuga »
En 1700, pour leur église San Ignacio à Santa Fe de Bogotá, les Jésuites commandent un ostensoir à José de Galaz. Il lui faudra sept ans et l’aide de deux assistants pour créer ce chef-d’oeuvre d’art liturgique, haut de 80 centimètres et constitué de près de 5 kilos d’or et de plus de 1 700 pierres précieuses (un saphir, 13 rubis, 28 diamants, 62 perles, une topaze, 168 améthystes non taillées et 4 taillées, 1 485 émeraudes). Cette richesse répond à la tradition artistique de l’orfèvrerie religieuse, qui voulait que l’exposition de l’hostie se fasse de la manière la plus somptueuse et splendide possible. Cet ostensoir n’est pas seulement remarquable par l’utilisation de l’or et des pierres précieuses, il l’est aussi par la façon dont ces matériaux sont combinés pour créer un objet qui est simultanément puissant, complexe et d’une grande finesse. Les émeraudes qui couvrent toute l’oeuvre la colorent d’un vert intense, qui est à l’origine de son surnom de « La Lechuga », qui signifie « La Laitue ». Enfin, le motif contribue à la beauté de l’ensemble : si la partie supérieure, encerclant la lunule où se trouvait l’hostie, évoque classiquement le soleil, plutôt que de reposer sur un élément architectural, elle est ici portée par un ange, qui est en soi un exemple remarquable de sculpture.

José de Galaz, Ostensoir de l'église de San Ignacio de Bogota, dit "La Lechuga. © Imagen cortesía de la Unidad de Artes y Otras Colecciones del Banco de la República / Oscar Monsalve Pino

Statue de sainte Barbe
Sommet de l’art colonial néo-grenadin par la volupté de ses formes, l’élégance de sa posture et sa délicate exécution, cette oeuvre de Pedro Laboria est d’une importance exceptionnelle, tant son influence, en l’absence de statuaire grecque, fut grande sur les artistes, qui en tirèrent une leçon de virtuosité. Aujourd’hui encore sa très forte corporalité, sa gravité et sa grande cruauté restent une source latente d’inspiration pour les artistes contemporains. Objet d’une dévotion fervente, sainte Barbe est représentée dans une posture d’élévation spirituelle au moment de son martyre. La figure du bourreau a été exclue du groupe sculpté et seule demeure la lame plantée dans le sein de la sainte. Celle-ci est vêtue aux couleurs de la couronne espagnole, ce qui avait pour but de souligner et de renforcer la noblesse de la figure.

Pedro Laboria, Sainte Barbe, 1740, bois sculpté, polychrome et travaillé selon la technique de l’estofado. Archidiocèse de Bogotá© Arquidiócesis de Bogotá

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Exhibition at the British Museum reveals the history of the Scythians

September 25, 2017, 1:59 am

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A gold plaque depicting a Scythian rider with a spear in his right hand; Gold; Second half of the fourth century BC; Kul’ Oba. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

LONDON.- At the British Museum this autumn, discover an ancient culture that was buried in the Siberian permafrost for thousands of years. The BP exhibition Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia reveals the history of these powerful nomadic tribes who thrived in a vast landscape stretching from southern Russia to China and the northern Black Sea.

The Scythians were exceptional horsemen and warriors, and feared adversaries and neighbours of the ancient Greeks, Assyrians and Persians between 900 and 200 BC. This exhibition tells their story through exciting archaeological discoveries and perfectly preserved objects frozen in time.

Scythians with horses under a tree. Gold belt plaque. Siberia, 4th–3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

This is the first major exhibition to explore the Scythians in the UK in 40 years. Many of the objects on display date back over 2,500 years. They are exceptionally well preserved as they come from burial mounds in the high Altai mountains of southern Siberia, where the frozen ground prevented them from deteriorating.

Over 200 outstanding objects reveal all aspects of Scythian life, including a major loan in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, and other generous loans from the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ashmolean Museum and the Royal Collection. Some are star pieces which are displayed in the permanent galleries and Treasury of the State Hermitage Museum and others have never been loaned to the UK before.

False beard. Mound 2, Pazyryk, Altai mountains, southern Siberia, late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Objects preserved by the permafrost include multi-coloured textiles, fur-lined garments and accessories, unique horse headgear and tattooed human remains. Tattooing was common among the Scythians and incredible examples were preserved in the frozen tombs. This art shows natural and mythical animals with heavily contorted bodies, often in close combat, and we have examples of exceptionally well-preserved early tattooed remains on loan from the State Hermitage Museum.

Life in the Siberian landscape was tough and there was heavy competition for survival. The Scythians developed a fearsome set of weapons: pointed battle-axes and short swords for close combat and powerful bows for long-distance archery. Painted wooden shields, armour and a helmet have survived from the ancient tombs. The Scythians were skilled horsemen and they took their beloved horses with them to the grave so that they could carry on in the afterlife. Favourite horses were specially adorned for this and wore elaborate costumes, with masks, saddle pendants and covers for the mane and tail, which were intended to transform them into mythical beasts.

Man’s headgear and illustration showing how it may have been worn. Burial mound 2, Pazyryk, Altai mountains, southern Siberia. Late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin. Reconstruction drawing by E V Stepanova.

This exhibition explores who the Scythians were, how they appeared, what they wore, who they traded with and what they ate and drank. Perfectly preserved seeds have been found in some tombs and were part of a Scythian ritual involving the deliberate inhalation of the smoke from charred hemp. The fifth century BC Greek historian Herodotus described how Scythians ‘howled with pleasure’ when they inhaled the smoke and how it was employed in cleansing rituals and for pain relief. A reconstruction in the exhibition shows an ancient brazier together with the hemp seeds and the felt hood which was put over the top like a miniature tent.

There are stunning pieces of gold jewellery, gold applique to adorn clothes, wooden drinking bowls, and a highly decorated leather bag even containing remarkably well-preserved lumps of cheese that are over 2,000 years old. There was a two-way influence between the culture of the Scythians and their settled ‘civilised’ neighbours. Many objects in this exhibition show evidence of cultural interaction, from Scythian wine-drinking learnt from the ancient Greeks and Persians, through ancient Greek craftsmen who depicted archers in Scythian dress, and the gold objects in the Achaemenid Oxus Treasure in the British Museum’s collection that are influenced by Scythian art.

Collapsible table. Mound 2, Pazyryk, Altai mountains, southern Siberia, late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

In about the second century BC the Scythians disappeared and were replaced by other nomadic powers. The exhibition concludes with an exploration of what happened afterwards and takes a look at life in southern Siberia in the early centuries AD. These objects are also spectacularly well preserved, but through extreme dryness rather than extreme cold.

Haunting painted clay death masks decorated to resemble the tattooed faces of the deceased are shown alongside beautiful clothing and the reconstructed log-cabin tomb chamber in which they were discovered. The growing application of archaeological science is unlocking clues to the past, and new results from collaborative work by the British Museum and the State Hermitage Museum will be included in the exhibition. This exhibition allows visitors to discover the life and legacy of the Scythians, revealing their history like never before.

Deer-shaped gold plaque. Barrow 1, Kostromskaya, Kuban region. Second half of the 7th century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum, said: ‘It is hugely exciting to be announcing the British Museum’s autumn exhibition on the ancient Scythians and we look forward to sharing their fascinating story with our visitors. We are grateful to BP for their ongoing support without which enlightening exhibitions such as these would simply not be possible. We are delighted to be collaborating with the State Hermitage Museum on such a generous loan of Scythian objects and look forward to welcoming these important loans, and objects from other lenders, to London, to bring the extraordinary history of the Scythians to life'.

14 September 2017 to 14 January 2018.

Horse headgear. Mound 1, Pazyryk, Altai. Late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Woman’s shoe. Leather, textile, tin, pyrite crystals, gold foil, glass beads. Burial mound 2, Pazyryk, Altai mountains, southern Siberia, late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Bag containing cheese. Mound 2, Pazyryk, Altai mountains, southern Siberia, late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Gold plaque with hare hunt. Kul’ Oba, northern Black Sea region, first half of the 4th century BC.© The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Artist's impression of a Scythian and his horse. Reconstruction by D V Pozdnjakov.

Gold sew-on clothing appliqué in the form of two Scythian archers.

Scythian arrow heads. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Artist’s impression of a Scythian on a horse. Reconstruction by D V Pozdnjakov.

Gold plaques showing Scythians drinking. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Fragment of mummified skin showing a Scythian tattoo. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Line drawings of tattoos on a Scythian man.

Gold torc with turquoise inlays. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin.

Artist’s impression of a burial mound. Watercolour illustration, 18th century. Archive of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg.

Wooden coffin. Late 4th–early 3rd century BC. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017. Photo: V Terebenin

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Immersive display of 11 Mark Rothko paintings on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

September 25, 2017, 2:53 am

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Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1955. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

BOSTON, MASS.- In a career that spanned five decades, Mark Rothko (1903–1970) created some of the 20th century’s most evocative and iconic masterpieces. “A painting is not a picture of an experience,” he once remarked; “it is an experience.” This fall, 11 major works by the artist travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, for an immersive exhibition that invites visitors to become enveloped by Rothko’s large-scale paintings and encounter them as he had originally intended—to experience something more intimate and awe-inspiring than simply viewing. Mark Rothko: Reflection, on view from September 24, 2017 through July 1, 2018, is the first focused display of the artist’s works at the MFA, showcasing the full sweep of his career—from early surrealist compositions; to the luminous, colorful canvases of his maturity; to the large, enigmatic “black paintings” made late in his life. Together, they trace the development of Rothko’s singular artistic vision and his quest to create works that produce emotional, even spiritual, responses. Additionally, the exhibition features a juxtaposition of Thru the Window (1938–39), an early Rothko painting on public view in the U.S. for the first time, and Artist in his Studio (about 1628), a masterpiece by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606–1669) from the MFA’s collection—both portraits of artists reflecting on the act of painting. Contrary to notions that Rothko’s works represented a dramatic break from the past, the side-by-side comparison underscores the modern artist’s view of his own paintings as part of a much longer tradition, rooted in his deep appreciation for the Old Masters. Mark Rothko: Reflection is on view in the John F. Cogan, Jr. and Mary L. Cornille Gallery.

“We’re grateful to our colleagues at the National Gallery of Art for their continued partnership, which has resulted in collaborations on many exhibitions over the years and now enables us to offer such a comprehensive presentation of Mark Rothko’s artistic vision,” said Elliot Bostwick Davis, John Moors Cabot Chair, Art of the Americas, who organized the exhibition. “Rothko’s paintings reward slow looking, and we invite MFA visitors to take their time and explore their own ways of experiencing his work.”

Rothko was born in 1903 in the Pale of Settlement, a territory of Russia in which Jews were allowed to reside permanently. By 1913, his family had immigrated to the U.S., settling in Portland, Oregon. After two years of study at Yale University, Rothko moved to New York in 1923 and began attending classes at the Art Students League. He quickly immersed himself in the city’s progressive artistic community, counting as friends and colleagues the painters Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Jackson Pollock and many others.

Rothko’s earliest works included cityscapes, landscapes, nudes and portraits. In Thru the Window (1938–39), he places himself—identified by his high forehead and thick, curly hair—on the threshold of a window facing the viewer, one hand resting on the ledge. He gazes onto an architectural space containing two symbols of his trade: a clothed model to his right and a bright red easel and canvas to his left. The position of the easel and canvas on the right side of the composition, as well as its visual prominence in the painting, recalls Rembrandt’s Artist in his Studio (about 1628). The small masterpiece depicts a painter—perhaps Rembrandt himself—confronting the daunting moment of conception and decision, an experience faced by artists of all generations. Rothko often turned to the Old Masters, particularly Rembrandt, for inspiration, and both artists used subjects of everyday life to evoke larger truths about the human experience. In Thru the Window and Artist in his Studio, a complex spatial strategy evokes the physical and intellectual distance between the artist and the tools of artistic creation.

Against the backdrop of the violence and anxiety of World War II, Rothko turned away from representational subjects in favor of more surreal and symbolic forms. Concerned about rising anti-Semitism, he also altered his name: from Marcus Rothkowitz to Mark Rothko. As the 1940s progressed, he experimented more and more with painting’s formal elements—color, shape, composition and depth—while shifting away from representation. During this time, Rothko came to believe that abstraction would further his aesthetic vision and facilitate the powerful, emotional response he sought. “It was with the utmost reluctance that I found the figure could not serve my purposes,” he later observed. Untitled (1945) is an example from this period, presenting an early, experimental use of horizontal bands of color that would come to define Rothko’s later works.

Between 1947 and 1949, Rothko began suspending colored forms with hazy outlines and dripping edges across his canvases. The exhibition includes No. 9 (1948) and No. 10 (1949), two examples from this small, transitional group of paintings that later became known as Rothko’s “multiforms,” to distinguish them from earlier, surrealist compositions and later, mature works. In the years following World War II, he ceased giving descriptive or narrative titles to his paintings, believing that they hindered the works’ potential transcendent qualities. “Silence is so accurate,” he once commented. Instead, nearly every canvas would be numbered, named after its palette of colors or remain untitled.

Mark Rothko (American (born in Russia), 1903–1970, "Untitled", 1949. Oil and mixed media on canvas *National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc., 1986.43.158 *© 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

By 1950, Rothko’s compositions had settled into a recognizable format: large, rectangular, canvases; solid, applied grounds; and rectangular fields of color, often thinly applied and appearing to float at the painting’s surface. Refining and developing this formula, Rothko created an extensive body of so-called “classic” paintings. The exhibition presents four examples from this phase—Untitled (1949), Untitled (1955), Mulberry and Brown (1958) and No. 1 (1961). While these works may evoke a range of feelings and moods, Rothko rarely explained their meanings—he believed that the canvases, not the artist, should dictate a viewer’s sensory and emotional experience.

In 1964, Rothko completed more than a dozen “black paintings.” At first glance, these austere canvases may appear to be solid black—but with sustained looking, shapes emerge. Rothko created them as he did his classic, colorful canvases: by building up thin layers of paint, creating texture, depth—and even luminosity, despite the dark palette. This group of paintings includes No. 6 (1964), in which a single square floats to the surface, barely distinguishable from the black background. Additional “black paintings” on view in the exhibition include No. 7 (1964) and No. 8 (1964), which was recently conserved by the National Gallery of Art to display the nuances of Rothko’s aesthetic vision and is now seen by the public for the first time since treatment. Together, these works anticipate one of Rothko’s signature achievements—the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, part of the Menil Collection. Conceived from the start as a fully immersive experience of his paintings, plans for the nondenominational chapel consumed Rothko from 1964 to 1967. Eventually, he created 14 darkly painted canvases, which would be installed, surrounding the viewer, to create an enveloping, deeply meditative experience. Rothko did not live to see the chapel finished—physically ill and suffering from depression, the artist committed suicide in 1970.

Installation views.

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Chinese vase sells for 10,000 times estimated price in Geneva

September 25, 2017, 3:11 am

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Lot 567: Important baluster vase, China, beginning 20th century, Qianlong apocryphal mark. Porcelaine à décor de dragons bleus sur fond jaune, H 60 cm. Estimation: 500 CHF - 800 CHF. Sold for 6.08 million Swiss francs ($6.1 million, 5.1 million euros). There was a bidding battle at the auction on Thursday by two people who believed the vase was in fact from the 18th century. © Genève Enchères.

GENEVA (AFP).- A Chinese vase valued between 500 and 800 Swiss francs has sold for a record five million Swiss francs, a Geneva auction house said.

According to the catalogue, the vase, which is 60 centimetres (23 inches) tall and depicts three blue dragons on a yellow background, is from the 20th century but it bears an unverified mark from the 18th century Qianlong era.

There was a bidding battle at the auction on Thursday by two people who believed the vase was in fact from the 18th century.

The auctioneer at the Geneve-Encheres auction house said the age of the vase was difficult to evaluate accurately and that they tended to be conservative in their estimates.

"This is the hammer price so with the commission added it is a total of 6.08 million Swiss francs ($6.1 million, 5.1 million euros)," auctioneer Olivier Fichot told AFP.

The final price was 10,000 times more than the catalogue estimate.

The buyer, an amateur from Asia, was in the room for the auction, while his competitor bid by telephone.

Fichot said that it was the highest bid ever made in Geneva outside of jewellery and watches.

The auction house's previous record was a bronze Buddha statue that sold for 550,000 Swiss francs.

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Spectacular exhibition devoted to the art of the second half of the 16th century opens at Palazzo Strozzi

September 25, 2017, 7:56 am

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FLORENCE.- Palazzo Strozzi is hosting The Cinquecento in Florence, a spectacular exhibition devoted to the art of the second half of the 16th century in the city, bringing together works by such artists as Michelangelo, Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Bronzino, Giorgio Vasari, Santi di Tito and Giambologna.

The final act in a trilogy of exhibitions curated by Carlo Falciani and Antonio Natali which began with Bronzino in 2010 and was followed by Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino in 2014, the exhibition explores an era of outstanding cultural and intellectual talent, the second half of the 16th century in Florence. The exhibition charts the debate between the ‘modern manner’ and the Counter-Reformation, between the sacred and the profane, and highlights an extraordinary age for the history of art in Florence, marked by the Council of Trent and the personality of Francesco I de' Medici, one of the greatest figures in the history of courtly patronage of the arts in Europe.

The exhibition showcases over seventy paintings and sculptures that capture the cultural climate of 16th century Florence. Palazzo Strozzi's exhibition halls play host to a chronological and thematic dialogue, involving both sacred and secular works by such great masters of the age as Michelangelo, Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, but also by painters of the quality of Giorgio Vasari, Jacopo Zucchi, Giovanni Stradano, Girolamo Macchietti, Mirabello Cavalori and Santi di Tito. Sculptors from this era are represented with works by Giambologna, Bartolomeo Ammannati and Vincenzo Danti, to name but a few of those who were involved in projects for the Studiolo and the Tribune, and in the drive to redecorate Florence's churches to reflect the precepts of the Council of Trent. These men were artists capable of playing on several different registers of expression. Revisiting their own training at the hands of the great masters in the early part of the century, they aimed to create works tailored to the needs of a complex, changing world dashing headlong towards the era of Galileo Galilei, open to a new vision of nature and art.

A network of local and international museums and institutions have brought this exhibition together, along with a major restoration campaign devised especially for the occasion. The restauration involved 15 masterpieces; first and foremost, the Capponi Chapel in Santa Felicita, restored in full thanks to the generosity of the Friends of Florence. In addition to the chapel, the campaign also included ten large altarpieces and a sculpture by Michelangelo which had long required a restoration.

THE EXHIBITION
The first two rooms set out to provide visitors with an ideal overview of what was presented in the two earlier exhibitions – though doing so through works that were not displayed in those exhibitions – while simultaneously providing an overview of the arts in Florence up to the first edition of Giorgio Vasari's Lives, published in 1550.

The first room showcases masterpieces of the 1520s created by artists who were the undisputed masters of those working in the second half of the century: men such as Michelangelo with his sculpture of the River God (c. 1524–7) and Andrea del Sarto with his celebrated Pietà with Saints known as the Luco Pietà (1523–4).

Michelangelo Buonarroti (Caprese or Chiusi of Verna 1475-Rome 1564), River God, c. 1526-7, clay, earth, sand, plant and vegetable fibers, and casein model built around an iron wire core. Later interventions: plaster, iron mesh, 65 x 140 x 70 cm, Florence, Drawing Arts Academy (on loan to Casa Buonarroti Museum)

Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo, Florence 1486-1530), Lamentation over the Dead Christ, 1523-4, oil on panel, 238.5 x 198.5 cm, Florence, Galleries of the Uffizi Gallery Palatina, inv. 1912 no. 58.

The second room positions works by Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino and Bronzino in the shape of a spectacular juxtaposition of the Santa Felicita Entombment of Christ (1526–8), the Volterra Deposition from the Cross (1521) and the Besançon Deposition of Christ (c. 1542–5), in addition to major works by Cellini, Salviati and Vasari testifying to the birth, between 1530 and 1550, of the styles that were to be embraced by the artists who worked for Francesco I and Ferdinando I de’ Medici.

Pontormo (Jacopo Carucci, Pontorme, Empoli 1494 -Florence 1557), Deposition, 1525-8, tempera on panel, 313 x 192 cm, Florence, Church of Santa Felicita.

Rosso Fiorentino (Giovan Battista di Jacopo, Florence 1494-Fontainebleau 1540), Deposition from the Cross, 1521, oil on panel, 343 x 204 cm, Volterra, Pinacoteca and Civic Museum.

Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo, Florence 1503-72), Deposition of Christ, c. 1543-5, oil on panel, 268 x 173 cm, Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, inv. D.799. 1:29.

Francesco Salviati (Francesco de 'Rossi, Florence 1510-Rome 1563), Annunciation, c. 1534, oil on panel, 237 x 171.5 cm, Rome, Church of San Francesco and Ripa.

Benvenuto Cellini (Florence 1500-71), Apollo and Hyacinth, c. 1546-71, marble, 191 x 70 x 55 cm, Florence, National Museum of the Bargello, inv. 136 Deposits.

The exhibition proceeds with a section devoted to religious themes and the artists who produced the new altars in Florentine churches in accordance with the dictates of the Counter-Reformation. This is followed by a section on the secular themes so often linked to the figure of Francesco I. Both sections include work by artists including Giorgio Vasari, Mirabello Cavalori, Girolamo Macchietti, Santi di Tito, Jacopo Coppi, Maso da San Friano, Giovanni Battista Naldini and Giambologna. At the heart of the exhibition, bridging the sacred and the secular, two rooms are being devoted to the artists and the genres found in Francesco I's Studiolo, focusing on their work as portrait artists.

The works of sacred art include Vasari's Crucifixion from the church of Santa Maria del Carmine (1561–3), Bronzino's Immaculate Conception, on loan from the church of the Madonna della Pace (1570–2), Santi di Tito's Resurrection, from the basilica of Santa Croce (c. 1574) and Alessandro Allori's Christ and the Adulteress (1577) from the basilica of Santo Spirito. Secular works on display include the six lunettes – brought together here for the very first time – that make up one of the rare secular and allegorical painting cycles produced by some of the painters involved in decorating Francesco I's Studiolo in Palazzo Vecchio. The room also hosts Giambologna's Mercury from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (c. 1564–5) and Mirabello Cavalori's Michelangelo, Soderini and the Sultan from the National Gallery in London (after 1564).

Giorgio Vasari (Arezzo 1511-Florence 1574), Crucifixion, 1560-3, oil on panel, 450 x 248 cm, Florence, Church of Santa Maria del Carmine.

Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo, Florence 1503-72) and workshop, Immaculate Conception, 1570-2, oil on panel, 502 x 291 cm, Florence, Church of Santa Maria Regina della Pace, inv. Deposits no. 1 is a permanent loan to the Gallerie Fiorentine UR 13956.

Santi di Tito (Florence 1536-1603), Resurrection, c. 1574, mixed media on panel, 456 x 292 cm, Florence, Basilica of Santa Croce.

Alessandro Allori (Florence 1535-1607), Christ and the Adulteress, 1577, oil on panel, 380 x 263.5 cm
Florence, Basilica of Santo Spirito.

Peter Candid (Pieter de Witte, Bruges c. 1548-Munich 1628), Lamentation over the Dead Christ, c. 1586, oil on panel, 294 x 177 cm, Volterra, Pinacoteca and Civic Museum, inv. 39.

Giambologna (Douai c. 1529-Florence 1608), Crucifix, 1598, bronze, 171.5 (200 with the arms) × 169 × 55 cm,
Florence, Basilica of Santissima Annunziata.

Alessandro Allori (Florence 1535-1607), Portrait of Francesco I de 'Medici, 1570-1575, oil on canvas, 185 x 98 cm, Antwerp, Museum Mayer van den Bergh, MMB.0199.

Maso da San Friano (Tommaso Manzuoli, Florence 1531-71), Portrait of Sinibaldo Gaddi, After 1564, oil on panel, 116 x 92 cm, Private collection.

Poppi (Francesco Morandini; Poppi c. 1544-Florence 1597), Portrait of Antonio de 'Ricci, c. 1587-90, oil on canvas, 201.2 x 116 cm, Florence, Casa Martelli Museum, inv. 43.

Santi di Tito (Florence 1536-1603), Portrait of Guido Guardi with his Sons, 1564 / 68-1570 / 80, oil on panel, 98.4 x 75 cm, Private collection.

Girolamo Macchietti (Florence 1535-92), Charity of St Nicholas of Bari, c. 1570, oil on panel, 75 x 112 cm, London, The National Gallery, Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the National Gallery, 2007, NG6606.

Giovan Battista Naldini (Fiesole 1535-Florence 1591), Diana and Actaeon, c. 1580-5, oil on copper, 32 x 24 cm,
Vercelli, Fondazione Museo Francesco Borgogna, 1906, XV, 170.

Jacopo Zucchi (Florence 1541-Rome 1596), The Creation, 1585, oil on copper, 49 x 39 cm, Rome, Galleria Borghese, inv. 293.

Santi di Tito (Florence 1536-1603), Toil?, 1582-5, oil on panel, 79 x 100 cm, Private collection.

Peter Candid (Pieter de Witte, Bruges? 1548-Munich 1628), Humility, 1582-5, oil on panel, 83 x 118 cm, Walnutport, PA, St. Paul's United Church of Christ of India, K-1208.

Poppi (Francesco Morandini, Poppi c 1544 or 1540-Florence 1597), Justice / Constans Iustitia, 1582-5, oil on panel, 80 x 99 cm, Private collection.

Giovanni Maria Butteri (Florence c. 1540-1606), Time / Chronos, 1582-5, oil on panel, 81 x 109 cm, Private collection.

Giambologna (Douai c. 1529-Florence 1608), Allegory of Prince Francis I de 'Medici, 1564 (model); c. 1580 (cast), bronze, 30.7 x 45.6 cm, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, KK 5814.

Giambologna (Douai c. 1529-Florence 1608), Rape of a Sabine Woman, c. 1579, bronze, 109 x 45 x 40 cm, Naples, Museum of Capodimonte, inv. AM 10524.

Giambologna (Douai c. 1529-Florence 1608), Mercury, c. 1585, bronze, 73.5 x 21 x 26.5 cm, base h 10.80 cm 16 x 16 diameter, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer KK_5898.

The last two rooms showcase altarpieces and marble sculpture produced at the very end of the 16th century and early 17th century, such as Santi di Tito's Vision of St. Thomas Aquinas from the church of San Marco in Florence (1593), Alessandro Allori's St. Fiacre Healing the Sick from the basilica of Santo Spirito (1596) and Pietro Bernini's high relief depicting St. Martin Dividing His Cloak with a Beggar from the former St. Martin's Charterhouse, now the Museo di San Martino, in Naples (1595–8). Visitors to the Palazzo Strozzi will have no problem in discerning in these works the lofty poetry that was to breathe life into the figurative culture of Florence well beyond the early 16th century, an era traditionally seen as the end of the city's artistic primacy.

Michele of Ridolfo of Ghirlandaio (Michele Tosini, Florence 1503-77), Night, 1555-65, oil on panel, 135 x 196 cm, Rome, Galleria Colonna, inv. Saved 1756, no. 66.

Girolamo Macchietti (Florence 1535-92), Liberality and Wealth / Proserpine, c. 1565, oil on panel, 164 x 142 cm, Venice, Galleria Giorgio Franchetti at Ca 'd'Oro, cat. d.95.

Alessandro Allori (Florence 1535-1607), Venus and Cupid, c. 1575-80, oil on panel, 143 x 226.5 cm,
Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, Musée Fabre, inv. 887.3.1.

Federico Zuccari (Sant'Angelo in Vado 1539-Ancona 1609), Porta Virtutis, after 1581 (1585?), Oil on canvas, 159 x 112 cm, Urbino, National Gallery of the Marche.

Jacopo Zucchi (Florence 1541-Rome 1596), Cupid and Psyche, 1589, oil on canvas, 173 x 130 cm,
Rome, Galleria Borghese, inv. 10.

Bartolomeo Ammannati (Settignano 1511-Florence 1592), Hercules and Antaeus, 1559-60, bronze, 201 x 112 x 65 cm,
Florence, Medici Villa of Petraia.

Giambologna (Douai c. 1529-Florence 1608), Mirage, 1572, marble, 99 x 45 x 68 cm, Private collection. Courtesy of Patricia Wengraf Ltd.

Giambologna (Douai c. 1529-Florence 1608), Venus Anadyomene / Venus Fiorenza, c. 1571-2, bronze, 122 x 45 x 60 cm, Florence, Medici Villa of Petraia.

Santi di Tito (Florence 1536-1603), Vision of St Thomas Aquinas, 1593, oil on panel, 361 x 238 cm, Florence, Church of San Marco.

Gregorio Pagani (Florence 1558-1605), Madonna and Child Enthroned with St Michael Archangel and St Benedict, 1595, oil on panel, 233 x 156 cm, Terranuova Bracciolini, Church of San Michele Arcangelo.

Alessandro Allori (Florence 1535-1607), The Miracles of St Fiacre, c. 1596, oil on canvas, 404.5 x 293.5 cm,
Florence, Basilica of Santo Spirito.

Andrea Boscoli (Florence 1564? -1607), Annunciation, 1600, oil on canvas, 206 x 135 cm, Fabriano, Church of the Monastery of San Luca.

Cigoli (Lodovico Cardi, San Miniato 1559-Rome 1613), Martyrdom of St. James and Josiah, 1605, oil on canvas, 305 x 215 cm, Pegognaga, Church of San Giacomo Maggiore.

Peter Bernini (Sesto Fiorentino 1562-Rome 1629), St Martin Sharing his Cloak with a Beggar, c. 1598, marble, 140 x 102 x 48 cm, Naples, Charterhouse and Museum of St. Martin.

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A rare blue and white stem cup, Kangxi four-character mark in underglaze blue in a line and of the period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 8:49 am

≫ Next: A pair of Ming-style blue and white 'Nine dragons' dishes, 18th century

≪ Previous: Spectacular exhibition devoted to the art of the second half of the 16th century opens at Palazzo Strozzi

Lot 1. A rare blue and white stem cup, Kangxi four-character mark in underglaze blue in a line and of the period (1662-1722), 4 in. (10 cm.) high. Estimate: USD 4,000 - 6,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The deep, bell-shaped cup is raised on a tall, flaring foot and decorated in a penciled style with a spray of camellia opposite a similarly rendered spray of crabapple, all below a dentil band interrupted by a four-character Kangxi mark in a line at the rim and above plantain leaves on the foot.

Provenance: J. M. Hu (1911-1995) Collection.
Wedding gift to H. H. Hu, early 1930s, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A pair of Ming-style blue and white 'Nine dragons' dishes, 18th century

September 25, 2017, 9:00 am

≫ Next: A blue and white dish, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

≪ Previous: A rare blue and white stem cup, Kangxi four-character mark in underglaze blue in a line and of the period (1662-1722)

Lot 2. A pair of Ming-style blue and white 'Nine dragons' dishes, 18th century, 6⅛ in. (15.5 cm.) diam. Estimate: USD 7,000 - 9,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The center of the interior is decorated with a five-clawed dragon leaping against a background of cresting waves, and on the exterior with eight further dragons on a similar ground. An apocryphal Chenghua mark is on the base.

Provenance: J. M. Hu (1911-1995) Collection.
Wedding gift to H. H. Hu, early 1930s, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A blue and white dish, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 9:09 am

≫ Next: A blue and white ovoid vase, Chongzhen-Shunzi period (1628-1661)

≪ Previous: A pair of Ming-style blue and white 'Nine dragons' dishes, 18th century

Lot 3. A blue and white dish, Kangxi period (1662-1722), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diam. Estimate: USD 3,000 - 5,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is decorated on the interior with a lady in a pavilion watching a small boy at play, with a phoenix and a carp in the background. The exterior is decorated with five carp leaping above rolling waves. There is an apocryphal Xuande mark on the base.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A blue and white ovoid vase, Chongzhen-Shunzi period (1628-1661)

September 25, 2017, 9:17 am

≫ Next: A blue and white globular jar, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

≪ Previous: A blue and white dish, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

Lot 4. A blue and white ovoid vase, Chongzhen-Shunzi period (1628-1661), 10⅝ in. (27 cm.) high. Estimate: USD 2,000 - 3,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is decorated with two phoenix in flight amongst insects in a lotus pond.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A blue and white globular jar, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 9:31 am

≫ Next: A pair of doucai 'Lotus Pond' dishes, 18th century

≪ Previous: A blue and white ovoid vase, Chongzhen-Shunzi period (1628-1661)

Lot 5. A blue and white globular jar, Kangxi period (1662-1722), 9¼ in. (23.5 cm.) diam.. Estimate: USD 1,000 - 1,500 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The jar is decorated to the exterior with two panels, one enclosing a seated dear below a crane and pine tree, the other containing two figures in a mountainous landscape. The neck is decorated with a band of auspicious objects.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A pair of doucai 'Lotus Pond' dishes, 18th century

September 25, 2017, 9:39 am

≫ Next: A large famille verte jardinière, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

≪ Previous: A blue and white globular jar, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

Lot 6. A pair of doucai'Lotus Pond' dishes, 18th century, 7½ in. (19 cm.) diam. Estimate: USD 1,500 - 2,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

It is decorated to the interior with a central roundel enclosing a mandarin duck swimming and another one flying across a pond with blossoming lotus flowers, surrounded by a band of lancascript at the rim. The exterior is decorated with a similar continuous scene.

Provenance: From a German family collection, acquired in Munich the 1960s.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A large famille verte jardinière, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 9:49 am

≫ Next: A large famille rose jardinière, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

≪ Previous: A pair of doucai 'Lotus Pond' dishes, 18th century

Lot 7. A large famille verte jardinière, Kangxi period (1662-1722), 12¾ in. (32.5 cm.) high. Estimate: USD 3,000 - 5,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The jardinière is decorated with two egrets wading in a lotus pond amidst tall grasses and large blossoming lotus, below two decorative scrolling borders and a key-fret border.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A large famille rose jardinière, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

September 25, 2017, 10:09 am

≫ Next: A turquoise-glazed vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

≪ Previous: A large famille verte jardinière, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

Lot 8. A large famille rose jardinière, Qianlong period (1736-1795), 4 in. (61 cm.) wide. Estimate: USD 2,000 - 4,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The exterior decorated with peony trees amongst flowers, between floral diaper bands. The sides applied with lion-mask handles and the interior decorated with floral blooms.

Provenance: Acquired in the 1990s from Christie's London, then within the family of the decent.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A turquoise-glazed vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 10:19 am

≫ Next: A mirror-black-glazed brushpot, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

≪ Previous: A large famille rose jardinière, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Lot 10. A turquoise-glazed vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722), 13⅞ in. (34.5 cm.) high. Estimate: USD 2,000 - 3,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is covered in a dark turquoise glaze suffused with a dense network of fine crackles, spilling over to the interior of the neck and stopping at the foot.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A mirror-black-glazed brushpot, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 10:27 am

≫ Next: A turquoise-glazed double gourd vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

≪ Previous: A turquoise-glazed vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

Lot 11. A mirror-black-glazed brushpot, Kangxi period (1662-1722), 7¼ in. (18.4 cm.) diam. Estimate: USD 2,000 - 4,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The cylindrical brush pot is covered on the exterior with a rich, glossy black glaze with traces of gilt decoration. The rim, interior and partial base are glazed white.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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A turquoise-glazed double gourd vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

September 25, 2017, 10:36 am

≫ Next: A flambé-glazed bottle vase, 18th century

≪ Previous: A mirror-black-glazed brushpot, Kangxi period (1662-1722)

Lot 12. A turquoise-glazed double gourd vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722), 15⅞ in. (29.5 cm.) high. Estimate: USD 2,000 - 4,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is covered in a rich turquoise glaze suffused with a dense network of crackles, stopping neatly at the mouth and foot rim.

Provenance: Private English collection, acquired by the vendor's father prior to 1970, then by descent within the family.

Christie's. The Art of China: Online Autumn Sale

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