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Sotheby's announces highlights from the Old Masters Evening Sale

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LONDON.- Sotheby’s London Old Masters Evening sale on 6 December 2017 covers 400 years of art history, from the visually arresting gold-grounds of the Early Italian Renaissance to one of the last and most important candlelight pictures by Joseph Wright of Derby left in private hands. Highlights also include a luminous 18th-century view of Venice by Bellotto, two recently rediscovered landscapes by Constable, as well as a formidable gallery of portraits covering 300 years, from Cranach and Titian to Van Dyck. 


Alex Bell, Worldwide Co-Chairman of Sotheby’s Old Master Paintings Department: “Strong imagery, luminous works and great names have long been driving the Old Masters market but in the last couple of years, we have witnessed a surge of interest in Early Renaissance and high Renaissance paintings among international collectors. With their simple and striking imagery, these works often find their way in very eclectic collections. We are therefore delighted that nearly half of the works in the sale consist of Renaissance pictures. We are also privileged to present rare works by three of the greatest and most influential British artists of the 18th century whose work transcends national boundaries and speaks to a wider global sensibility: Constable, Wright of Derby and Stubbs.” 

GREAT BRITISH PAINTERS 
Among the highlights in the sale are two recently rediscovered landscapes by John Constable (1776 – 1837). The first, Dedham Vale with the River Stour in Flood is one of the most exciting and important additions to the artist’s oeuvre to have emerged in the last 50 years. Painted between 1814 and 1817, the work belongs to a small group of Constable’s early Suffolk paintings remaining in private hands and will be offered with an estimate of £2-3 million (lot 40). 

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Lot 40. John Constable, R.A. (1776 – 1837), Dedham Vale with the River Stour in Flood from the grounds of Old Hall, East Bergholt, oil on canvas, 51 x 91.5 cm.; 20 1/8  x 36 in. Estimate 2,000,000 — 3,000,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

The second work by Constable is the first sketch for one of the artist’s most celebrated paintings, The Opening of Waterloo Bridge, today in the collection of Tate Britain. Previously thought lost, the work, dating from circa 1819–20, depicts a rare view of London by the artist and presages Monet’s famous series of views of Waterloo Bridge created almost a century later (lot 51, est. £1-1.5 million). 

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 Lot 51. John Constable, R.A. (1776 – 1837), The Opening of Waterloo Bridgeseen from Whitehall Stairs, London, 18 june 1817oil on canvas, 51 x 91.5 cm.; 20 1/8  x 36 inEstimate 1,000,000 — 1,500,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Testament to the genius of Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), An Academy by Lamplight is one of the artist’s most important candlelight pictures, and one of his last major works remaining in private hands. Painted in 1769, the work is a supreme example of Wright’s dramatic rendering of light and shade and his association with the Enlightenment movement. It comes to the market with an estimate of £2.5-3.5 million, the highest estimate for a work by Joseph Wright of Derby ever at auction. 

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 Lot 11. Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), An Academy by Lamplight, oil on canvas, 127 x 101.5 cm.; 50 x 40 in. Estimate 1,000,000 — 1,500,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Important works by George Stubbs (1724 – 1806), the greatest animal painter of the 18th century, rarely appear on the market. Painted in 1789, Two bay hunters in a paddock was commissioned by the Irish peer, Arthur Annesley, 8th Viscount Valentia and is typical of Stubbs’ preferred setting for his portraits of horses in the latter part of his career, often depicting two horses communing face to face (lot 47, est. £1.5-2 million).   

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 Lot 47. George Stubbs (1724 – 1806), Two bay hunters in a paddock, signed and dated, lower right: Geo: Stubbs pinxit / 1789, oil on panel, 90 x 137 cm.; 35 1/2  x 54 in. Estimate 1,500,000 — 2,000,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

ITALIAN VIEWS 
Highly sought after, Italian views feature strongly in the sale, with two 18th-century Landscapes depicting the Villa Aldobrandini at Frascati and the Villa Farnese at Caprarola by Vanvitelli, the inventor of the Veduta, (lot 24, est. £700,000-1 million) and a luminous morning view of The Grand Canal, looking north from near the Rialto Bridge, recognised only recently as a work by Bernardo Bellotto. The work is likely to date to about 1738, early in the artist’s career when his works were often mistaken for those of his illustrious uncle Canaletto. In some respects this painting may be seen as an instance of Bellotto surpassing his celebrated master (lot 25, est. £2-3 million). 
 

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 Lot 24. Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli (1652/3 - 1736), Two landscapes with the Villa Aldobrandini at Frascati and the Villa Farnese at Caprarola, the former signed and inscribed on the packmules lower left: GASP/VAN/WITTEL and BELV/D. FRAS; a pair, both oil on canvas, each: 49.5 x 98.5 cm.; 19 1/2  x 38 3/4  in. Estimate 700,000 — 1,000,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

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Lot 25. Bernardo Bellotto (1722 - 1780), Venice, a view of the Grand Canal looking north from near the Rialto bridge, with the Fabbriche Nuove on the left, oil on canvas, 61 x 92.5 cm.; 24 x 36 3/8  in. Estimate 700,000 — 1,000,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

EARLY RENAISSANCE AND RENAISSANCE PAINTING IN EUROPE 
The sale also includes a rich offering of European Renaissance paintings, mainly Italian, German and Flemish, covering three centuries. 

Following the records set for Italian gold-grounds last December, the sale presents a fine selection of early Renaissance paintings, including 14th and 15th-century Tuscan and Venetian works, as well as an exceptionally rare example of mid-14th century Catalan painting (lot 27). Leading this group are a magnificent depiction the “Madonna of Mercy” (Madonna della Misericordia) by The Master of 1336 painted in Pistoia around 1340-1350 (lot 26, est. £400,000-600,000) and a superb Nativity scene painted around 1435–40, almost certainly in Vienna, by The Master of The Saint Lambrecht Votive Altarpiece. With its precious and visually arresting gold-ground, this panel is an outstanding example of the full flowering of the International Gothic style in Austria in the 15th century (lot 29, est. £300,000-400,000). 
 

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Lot 26. The Master of 1336 (formerly known as the Master of Popiglio), active in Pistoia during the first half of 14th century, The Madonna della Misericordia, tempera and gold on panel, 92.5 x 46 cm.; 36 3/8  x 18 1/8  in. Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

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Lot 29. The Master of The Saint Lambrecht Votive Altarpiece (c. 1410-1440), Recto: The Nativity; Verso: Christ on the Mount of Olives, oil and gold on panel, 82 x 66.7 cm.; 32 ¼ x 26 ¼ in. Estimate 300,000 — 400,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Renaissance painting and sculpture are also at the core of a single-owner sale “A Venetian Legacy: An Italian Private Collection” to be offered in London on 5 December. Further highlights include Italian furniture and 18th century Venetian paintings, such as The Fortune Teller by Pietro Longhi and A Mediterranean Port View by Luca Carlevarijs. 

FLEMISH PAINTING: In Rubens’ Garden 
Among the fantastic selection of Flemish paintings is a fascinating work by David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690), one of the most prolific Flemish painters of the 17th century. Painted in 1651, An elegant company before a pavilion in an ornamental garden contains a reference to almost all the greatest painters of the Golden Age of Flemish painting. It depicts a garden party in the parterre behind Rubens’ house (now the Rubenhuis), with the garden pavilion designed by Rubens himself as a backdrop. The work also features a self-portrait of Teniers and his wife Anna, daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder, granddaughter of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and niece of Pieter Brueghel the Younger. The painting has had a distinguished history and a continuous provenance since 1731, 80 years after it was painted (lot 43, est. £800,000-1,200,000).
 

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Lot 43. David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690), An elegant company before a pavilion in an ornamental garden, signed and dated lower left: DAVID · TENIERS · FEC · 1651, oil on copper, 70 x 87.6 cm.; 27 1/2  x 34 1/2  in. Estimate 800,000 — 1,200,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

300 YEARS OF PORTRAITURE 
The sale is also distinguished by a fascinating gallery of portraits featuring some of the most influential painters in the history of Western Art. Covering 300 years of portraiture, from the late 15th century to the 18th century, the selection is highlighted by a remarkable group of female portraits and two likenesses of high-ranking commanders by two master portraitists who came to dominate the genre throughout Europe: the Venetian Renaissance master Titian and the flamboyant Baroque painter, Anthony van Dyck. 

Portraits of High-ranking Commanders 
Late portraits by Titian (1485/90(?)-1576) are very rare and this impressive Portrait of a Venetian Admiral, possibly Francesco Duodo was executed during the Italian master’s final decade. Largely ignored in the literature due to its inaccessibility, this portrait can be traced back to the 1620s when Van Dyck recorded it in his Italian sketchbook (lot 18, est. £1-1.5 million). 
 

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Lot 18. Tiziano Vecellio, called Titian (1485/90 (?) - 1576), Portrait of a Venetian admiral, possibly Francesco Duodo, oil on canvas, 87.2 x 77 cm.; 34 3/8  x 30 1/4  in. Estimate 1,000,000 — 1,500,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck himself is represented in the sale by a portrait of another high-ranking commander, George, Baron Goring (1608–1657), one of the most prominent and talented of Charles I's cavalry commanders (lot 39, est. £150,000-200,000). 

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Lot 39. Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599 - 1641), Portait of  George, Baron Goring (1608–1657), inscribed, centre left: LORD GORING, oil on canvas. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Portraits of Female Sitters 
The selection of female portraits is led by a portrait by Van Dyck depicting Anne Sophia, Countess of Carnarvon, daughter of one of the painter’s most important early patrons, and painted circa 1636, at the height of the baroque painter’s career (lot 8, est. £400,000-600,000). 
 

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Lot 8. Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599 - 1641), Portait of Anne Sophia, Countess of Carnarvon (d. 1695), inscribed on a label, verso:  ...Anne Sophia, daughter of Philip: Earl of Pem- broke and Montgomery and wife of Robert Dormer, first Earl of Carnarvon, killed at the battle of Newbury 20 Sept. 1643. By Vandyke., oil on canvas. Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

Another highlight of this section is one of Lucas Cranach The Elder’s finest versions of Lucretia - a favourite subject of the artist - painted circa 1525 (lot 6, est. £400,000-600,000).  

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Lot 6. Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472 - 1553), Lucretia, signed lower right with the artist's device of a winged serpent, oil on marouflaged limewood panel, oval, reduced from a rectangular panel, 35.9 x 27.1 cm.; 14 1/8  x 10 5/8  in. painted surface: 34.5 x 25.4 cm.; 13 5/8  x 10 in. Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Stretching back to the turn of the 15th to the 16th century are a Portrait of a lady attributed to the German painter Bernhard Strigel, a work of exceptional quality and in remarkable condition (lot 5, est. £150,000-200,000) and The Magdalene by The Master of the female half-lengths, who ran one of the most prolific workshops of the northern Renaissance (lot 7, est. £80,000-120,000). 

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Lot 5. Attributed to Bernhard Strigel (1460 – 1528), Portrait of a lady, bust-length, in a gold embroidered black dress and a white headdress, holding a sprig of nightshades and forget-me-nots, oil on panel, 37.2 x 26.7 cm.; 14 5/8  x 10 1/2  in. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

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Lot 7. The Master of the Female Half-lengths (active in Antwerpt  during the first half of 16th century), The Magdalene, half-length, holding a jar of unguent, oil on panel, 62 x 47.2 cm.; 24 1/2  x 18 5/8  in. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

The sale also features two 17th-centruy Italian portraits: a ravishing depiction of Arachne painted by Bernardo Strozzi circa 1628–33 (lot 21, est. £200,000-300,000) and a poetic representation of a three-quarter turned young shepherdess playing the flute attributed to the great Bolognese painter Giuseppe Maria Crespi (lot 9, est. £60,000-80,000). 

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Lot 21. Bernardo Strozzi (1581 - 1644), Arachne, oil on cedar panel, 57 x 45 cm.; 22 1/2  x 17 3/8  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

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 Lot 9. Attributed to Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665 - 1747), shepherdess playing the flute, oil on canvas, possibly reduced, 95 x 77 cm.; 37 3/8  x 30 1/4  in. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 


The Thornton 'Poppy' bowls. A fine and extremely rare pair of famille rose ‘poppy’ bowls, Yongzheng marks and period

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The Thornton 'Poppy' bowls

The Thornton 'Poppy' bowls

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Lot 2806. The Thornton 'Poppy' bowls. A fine and extremely rare pair of famille rose poppy’ bowls, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double squares and of the period (1723-1735); 5 ¼ in. (13.4 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 15,000,000 - HKD 20,000,000Price realised HKD 26,500,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Each bowl is exquisitely enamelled on the exterior with poppies in different stages of bloom, with three shaded in pink and white with finely incised petals, and one in iron red, each borne on slender stems with naturalistically detailed bristles and leaves shaded in tones of bluish-green and yellowish-green. The design continues over the rim to the interior with a further three blooms.

ProvenanceFrank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, 1960s, no. C 3814

ExhibitedSan Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

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A PAIR OF EXQUISITE AND VERY RARE YONGZHENG ‘POPPY’ BOWLS
Rosemary Scott, Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art

It is extremely rare to find imperial Yongzheng bowls of this size decorated with poppies. Even more rare and impressive is the fact that the decoration begins at the foot, continues up the exterior sides, and then extends over the rim to the interior of the vessels. This design concept was known as guozhihua - flowering branch passing over [the rim]. It was a technique which required great skill when depicting tree branches, but which required an even more skilful artist when depicting the slender, slightly angular stems of poppies. This decorative device was also sometimes known as guoqiangzhi (branch passing over the wall), which suggests the sound of the phrase changzhi, which in turn implies long peace under good government. This would provide a compliment to the reigning emperor and a wish for his longevity. On the current bowls this challenging composition has been beautifully conceived and brilliantly executed. 

This particular type of decorative scheme, in which a flowering branch or stem was shown continuing from the exterior of a dish or bowl into the interior, first seems to have appeared on Chinese ceramics in the latter years of the Ming dynasty – in the second quarter of the seventeenth century. A blue and white ko-sometsuke bowl with grape vines depicted extending over the rim was published by R. Fujioka and G. Hasebe in Sekai Toji Zenshu, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, p. 275, pl. 268. This ko-sometsuke bowl was intended for the Japanese market and the use of the guozhihua design may reflect similar approaches to decoration seen on Japanese wares of the 17th century.

 

It was not until the Qing dynasty that this style of decoration seems to have gained popularity in China, and specifically appears to have won imperial favour. One of the earliest Qing dynasty examples of guozhihua can be seen in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The Museum has a rare white porcelain bowl, which was formerly in the collection of Paul and Helen Bernat. The bowl, which has been dated to the late seventeenth century, bears the name of the legendary potter, Hao Shijiu and is illustrated by Wu Tung in Earth Transformed - Chinese Ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, 2001, p. 149. This Boston bowl, which probably dates to the early Kangxi reign, has a subtle white slip design of prunus blossom running up the outside walls and into the interior of the vessel. Guozhihua decoration is, however, generally associated with especially fine famille rose porcelains of the Yongzheng reign, and is usually seen on ‘peach’ dishes, and occasionally ‘peach’ bowls, made for imperial birthdays. It is extremely rare to find this style of decoration with other motifs. Given the difficulty of such decoration it is not surprising that pieces decorated in this way are very closely associated with the emperor, or that the guozhihua essentially disappears after the end of the Yongzheng reign. 

Such a decorative device, which involves taking the floral branch(es) or stem(s) from the junction of the wall of the vessel with the foot ring, up the exterior of a vessel, and into the interior, requires consummate skill on the part of the ceramic artist if it is to appear natural, as on the current bowls, rather than contrived. Because of the complexities of the scheme, guozhihua was more often used on dishes, where the more open surfaces made the task of painting it a little easier. Bowls, like the current examples, would have rendered the task more difficult because of the restricted working space, and thus required an artist of exceptional talent. 

It is notable that extant smaller Yongzheng bowls decorated with poppies do not have this guozhihua decoration, but instead have scattered petals, nuts and fruit on their interiors. Indeed, two significantly smaller Yongzheng bowls with this type of poppy decoration on the exterior, but with scattered seeds, fruit and petals on the interior, are in the collection of Sir Percival David Foundation, London. While the current bowls have a diameter of 13.4 cm., the David Collection bowls have diameters of 9.1 and 9.3 cm. The latter bowls appear in Illustrated Catalogue of Qing Enamelled Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, Revised Edition, London, 1991, pp. 25 and 41, nos. PDF 821 and 878, with a black and white illustration of PDF 821. PDF 878 is illustrated in colour by Rosemary Scott in Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London and Singapore, 1992, p. 138, no. 157. PDF 821, which has gently flaring sides and a barely everted rim, has a six-character Yongzheng mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, while PDF 878, which has more typically rounded sides, has a six-character Yongzheng mark in underglaze blue within a single circle. A bowl from the Robert Chang collection, of similar size, shape and design to the second David Collection bowl was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong 31 October, 2000, lot 808, and again by Christie’s Hong Kong 27 May 2008, lot 1526 (fig. 1). An identical pair of small bowls was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong 3 November 1998, lot 961. 

A fine and rare famille rose ‘poppy’ bowl, Yongzheng mark and period

fig. 1 A fine and rare famille rose ‘poppy’ bowl, Yongzheng mark and period, from the Robert Chang Collection. Sold for HK$5,367,500 ($691,060) at Christie’s Hong Kong, Elegance and Artistry: Treasures from a Private Collection, 27 May 2008, lot 1526. © Christie's Images Ltd 2008

The only larger Yongzheng poppy bowl, comparable to the current bowls, which appears to have been published, is in the collection of the British Museum, London (fig. 2). This bowl was donated to the British Museum in 1927 by the Oscar Charles Raphael (1874 – 1941). The diameter of the Raphael bowl is 13.5 cm. It is significant that, like the current bowls, the Raphael bowl has a six-character Yongzheng mark in underglaze blue within a double square on its base. This unusual feature is found on one other group of imperial Yongzheng famille rose porcelains. The finest and most delicate of the Yongzheng peach dishes with guozhihua decoration also usually bear Yongzheng six-character marks within a double square. It seems probable that this was a deliberate reference to the highly esteemed imperial doucai wares of the Chenghua reign, which at the height of their production, in the latter part of the reign, bore six-character reign marks within double squares – similar in style to those on the current bowls and the British Museum bowl.

A bowl with red and white poppies, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735)

fig. 2 A bowl with red and white poppies, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Donated by Oscar Charles Raphael, 1927,1216.1 © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Both the current bowls are decorated with a naturalistic combination of red, pink and white, pink-tipped, poppies with leaves and buds. The extraordinary delicacy and detailed nature of the painting of these flowers is shown with especial clarity in the way that the stems and the pendant buds have been covered in tiny hairs. The petals of the red poppies provide examples of the finest painting in ironred overglaze enamel seen on any imperial famille rose porcelains. The enamel itself has been meticulously prepared, and the painter has applied it in such a way as to achieve delicately shaded colour and the impression of paper-thin petals translucent in the sunlight. The pink and white, pink-tipped, flowers display different, but equally skilled use of finely prepared enamels. On these the ceramic decorator has made full use of the famille rose palette to achieve great subtlety in colour and texture. Layering and mixing of pink, white, yellow and pale green enamels creates both naturalism of colour and a sense of the volume of the curling petals. The painter has not only painted the thread-like veins on some petals in a slightly darker pink enamel, but has also finely incised some of the petal veins, for an even more delicate appearance and texture. The decorator has used the incised veins particularly effective on the white, pink-tipped poppies. The refined Yongzheng palette has also been used to its full potential on the leaves, where shades of green blend from one tone to another, while the tips of the leaves sometimes shade to either a bluer tone or to a delicate yellow. The blossoms themselves were clearly painted by an artist who was either very familiar with these flowers, or was working with the actual flowers in front of him. Each detail is naturalistically shown – from the stamens and carpels in the centre of each blossom, to the typical slight angularity of the stems and the distinctive way in which poppy buds open. 

Poppies have numerous names in China, including yumeiren (beautiful woman). One of the traditional names for poppies is jinbeihua -literally ‘brocade quilt flower’, and as such it suggested ‘clothed in brocade’ - a reference to the fact that high officials wore brocade. Poppies were sometimes depicted accompanied by peonies to suggest the wish ‘clothed in brocade and enjoying wealth and honour’. Poppies were also a popular choice among painters on silk and paper in the late 17th and early 18th century. Among the ten album leaves in ink and colour on paper, entitled Flowers and Plants by Yun Shouping (1633-1690), in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and dated to AD 1685, is a leaf depicting red poppies (illustrated by E. S. Rawski and J. Rawson (eds.) in China – The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, p. 330, no. 251). In the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, there are surviving leaves from an album of flower paintings by Zou Yigui (1686-1772). Leaf twelve from this album, which depicts chrysanthemums, bears an inscription which includes the date ‘fourth summer month of the jiayin year of Yongzheng’, equivalent to AD 1734. Leaf eight in this album depicts red, pink, purple and yellow poppies. The album leaf is illustrated in Harmony and Integrity –The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, p. 300, no. II-108. Interestingly, on this album leaf Zou Yigui was at pains to indicate the delicate veins on the petals and the fine hairs on the stems and buds, and was also careful to indicate the slight angularity of some of the stems - features which can also be seen in the painting on the current bowls.  

Poppies were a theme embraced not only by Chinese artists, but also by the European Jesuit artists at the Qing court. The most famous of these, Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining 1688-1766), painted poppies on several occasions. Leaf number five from the album Immortal Blossoms of an Eternal Spring, preserved in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, depicts a red poppy and a purple iris beside a rock. This album leaf is illustrated in Harmony and Integrity –The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, op. cit., p. 324, no.II-118. Another leaf from the album, Immortal Blossoms of an Eternal Spring, depicts red, pink, purple and yellow poppies with ragged petals. In both depictions of poppies Castiglione, like Zou Yigui, emphasized the slight angularity of the poppy stems and the pendant buds. However, while the initial inspiration for the depiction of multicoloured poppies on these extremely rare bowls may have come from paintings on silk or paper, the painting on porcelain was innovative and exquisitely executed. The use of guozhihua on the bowls, with its implicit complement to the emperor, has been accomplished with consummate skill.

 

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

A fine and very rare pair of doucai ‘floral medallion’ washers, Yongzheng marks and of the period (1723-1735)

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A fine and very rare pair of doucai ‘floral medallion’ washers, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double squares and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 2807. A fine and very rare pair of doucai floral medallion’ washers, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double squares and of the period (1723-1735); 6 1/8 in. (15.6 cm.) diamEstimate HKD 1,200,000 - HKD 2,800,000Price realised HKD 9,100,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Each is finely potted with shallow flaring sides and upturned rim, exquisitely painted with a borderless composite floral medallion on the interior with five different flowerheads delicately enamelled in pale pastel colours within finely delineated underglaze-blue outlines, amidst foliage and iron-red buds, the underside with a collar of stylised multi-coloured petal motifs radiating from the foot ring. 

Provenance: Frank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, 1960s

Exhibited: San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

NoteThe present pair of washers appears to be the only marked examples known in this form and decorative design. Compare to a pair of unmarked washers dated to 18th century, sold at Christie’s New York, 27 November 1991, lot 413, which are almost identical in design with the exception of a slightly different depiction of petals on the underside. This unusual form, resembling a cymbal, is more often found in blue and white during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. Compare for example, a Yongzheng-marked blue and white washer painted with a double-vajra, illustrated in Jiangxi cangci quanji – Qingdai, vol. 1, p. 146, and a smaller pair (11.2 cm.) sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3139; and a pair of Qianlong-marked dishes painted with dragons of comparable size from the Greenwald Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 2832.

A fine pair of blue and white footed saucer dishes, marks and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735)

A fine pair of blue and white footed saucer dishes, marks and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 11.2 cm., 4 3/8 in. Sold for 860,000 HKD at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3139. Photo: Sotheby's. 

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A fine pair of blue and white 'dragon' dishes, Qianlong six-character sealmarks and of the period (1736-1795); 6 in. (15.4 cm.) diam. Sold for HKD 2,180,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 2832© Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

A fine and exceptional famille rose 'peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within double square and of the period (1723-1735

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A fine and exceptional famille rose 'peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within double square and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 2808. A fine and exceptional famille rose 'peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within double square and of the period (1723-1735); 8 1/16 in. (20.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 7,000,000 - HKD 9,000,000Price realised HKD 13,900,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is exquisitely enamelled on the exterior with two branches in various shades of sepia growing from above the foot, bearing three ripe peaches shaded from bright pink to green, and flowers in pastel pink, beside two bats in flight. The design continues over the rim onto the interior with three further bats hovering above five peaches amidst blossoms and leaves rendered in two tones of green. 

ProvenanceThe Alfred E. Hippisley Collection (1848-1939)
The Hippisley Collection of Chinese Porcelain; Anderson Galleries, New York, 30-31 January 1925, lot 193 (one of a pair)
Frank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, 1960s

ExhibitedSan Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017
The present dish was originally one of a pair, the companion dish is in the Cleveland Museum of Art, collection number 1930.639.

Dish with Bats and Peaches, 1723-1735, China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Yongzheng mark and reign (1722-1735)

Dish with Bats and Peaches, 1723-1735, China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Yongzheng mark and reign (1722-1735), porcelain with famille rose overglaze enamel decoration, Diameter: 20.6 cm (8 1/16 in.). Worcester R. Warner Collection 1930.639 © Cleveland Museum of Art

NoteThe present dish belongs to a group decorated with a total of eight peaches growing flowering branches and accompanied by five bats, forming the auspicious wufu, from the Yongzheng period. Some of these dishes bear a six-character reign marks within double-squares as in the case of the present examples, on others the marks appear within double-circles.

Peach dishes appear in four differing sizes, the present dish is second largest in size among the group, and similar to the dish in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated by P. Lam in Qing Imperial Porcelain, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995, no. 62 (21 cm.); a dish in the British Museum Collection, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World’s Great Collections, vol. 5, Kodansha series, 1981, no. 226 (20.6 cm.); a dish from the John M. Crawford, Au Bak Ling and Robert Chang collections, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 665 (20.9 cm.); a dish from the Barbara Hutton collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 2915 (21 cm.); and a pair, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3319 (20.7 cm.). 

A famille rose enamelled Fruiting peach branches dish, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Yongzheng mark and reign (1722-1735)

A famille rose enamelled Fruiting peach branches dish, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Yongzheng mark and reign (1722-1735), 8.1 in., 1936,0413.37 © The Trustees of the British Museum.

A magnificent famille rose 'peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within a double square and of the period (1723-1735)

A magnificent famille rose 'peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within a double square and of the period (1723-1735), from the John M. Crawford, Au Bak Ling and Robert Chang collections; 8 3/16 in. (20.9 cm.) diam. Sold for HKD 9,247,750 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 665© Christie's Image Ltd 2003

An exceptional Imperial Famille Rose 'Peach' dish , Yongzheng six-character mark within double squares and of the period (1723-1735)

An exceptional Imperial Famille Rose 'Peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within double squares and of the period (1723-1735), from the Barbara Hutton collection;  8 1/4 in. (21 cm.) diam. Sold for HK$5,080,000 ($658,076) at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 2915. © Christie's Image Ltd 2014

Cf. my post : An exceptional Imperial Famille Rose 'Peach' dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within double squares and of the period

A magnificent and fine pair of Imperial famille rose peach dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks within double squares and of the period (1723-1735)

A magnificent and fine pair of Imperial famille rose peach dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks within double squares and of the period (1723-1735); 8 1/8 in. (20.7 cm.) diam. Sold for HK$46,040,000 ($5,964,137) at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3319© Christie's Image Ltd 2014

For examples of this pattern in the largest size, see Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kodansha series, 1980, col. pl. 63 (50.5 cm.); and in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decorationthe Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Commercial Press, 1999, p. 66, no. 56. It is interesting to note that the reign marks of the largest dishes (those over 50cm diam.) are written within double-circles, and not rectangles as with the cited smaller examples. 

It is believed by many scholars that this particular design was applied to vessels made for the celebration of imperial birthdays. The composition of eight peaches and five bats is very auspicious. The eight peaches symbolise extended long life through their association Shoulao, the Star God of the Longevity, and also through association with the peaches of longevity grown in the orchard of the Queen Mother of the West. The five red bats provide rebuses both for good fortune and for the Five Blessings of longevity, health, love of virtue and a peaceful death.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

A fine and superbly painted pair of doucai ‘peony’ dishes, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735)

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A fine and superbly painted pair of doucai ‘peony’ dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 2809. A fine and superbly painted pair of doucai peony’ dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735); 8 ¼ in. (21 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 6,000,000 - HKD 8,000,000. Price realised HKD 9,220,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Each is decorated with two branches of tree-peony bearing large yellow and reddish-orange blooms springing from beside a pierced rock, beneath two butterflies in flight. The exterior is decorated with large branches of chrysanthemums and hibiscus, and small sprays of dianthus and aster clustered around two groups of rocks, with two butterflies above, all within double-line borders. 

 

ProvenanceFrank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, 1960s

Exhibited: San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

NoteWhile similar examples have been recorded, it is extremely rare to find dishes in the current pattern with superb quality of enamelling and in a pair. It appears that only one other pair of dishes in this pattern has been recorded, which was sold at China Guardian, 4 November 2005, lot 393. For other single dishes bearing this design, see one included in Chogoku kotoji ten, Exhibition of Old Chinese Porcelain, Hirano Kotoken, Osaka, 1990, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 65; one from the Woodthorpe Collection, included in the O. C. S. Exhibition of Enamelled Polychrome Porcelain of the Manchu Dynasty, London, 1951, is illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 99, and sold at Sotheby’s London, 6 April 1954, lot 105; one from the Aykroyd collection, sold at Sotheby’s London, 17 May 1966, lot 229; and two sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 26 October 1993, lot 154, and 11 April 2008, lot 2970, respectively.

A doucai 'peony and rock' dis, mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735)

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A doucai'peony and rock' dish, mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 21cm., 8 1/4 in. Sold for 847,500 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11 April 2008, lot 2970. Photo: Sotheby's

Compare also with several examples executed entirely in underglaze blue such as the pair included in the exhibition catalogue of Chingtechen Porcelain for the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, 1978, Hong Kong, 1978, no. 86; and sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2244 and to the single dish illustrated by S. Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1971, pl. LXI, figs. 1 and 2.

A fine and rare pair of blue and white 'peony' dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks within double-circles and of the period (1723-1735)

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A fine and rare pair of blue and white 'peony' dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks within double-circles and of the period (1723-1735); 8 1/4 in. (20.9 cm.) diam. Sold for HKD 1,820,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2244 © Christie's Images Ltd 2012

 

The design of the present dish is striking in its combination of the stylised rockwork, skilfully executed in washes of underglaze-blue in the manner of monochrome ink painting, with the bright doucai palette of glossy overglaze enamels. The spaciousness of the composition sets the pure white of the porcelain in brilliant contrast with the painted design. The present example, both in the high quality of its potting and painted decoration, exemplifies the restrained and sophisticated aesthetic of the Yongzheng emperor’s court.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

 

 

A fine and rare doucai ‘Daoist immortals’ dish, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)

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A fine and rare doucai ‘Daoist immortals’ dish, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 2810. A fine and rare doucai‘Daoist immortals’ dish, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735); 8 3/8 in. (21.1 cm.) diamEstimate HKD 1,000,000 - HKD 2,000,000Price realised HKD 3,220,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is decorated with a scene depicting Xi Wangmu, the Daoist Queen Mother of the West and the Three Star Gods borne on iron-red clouds above stylised waves, arriving at the mythical palace of the Isles of the Blessed, the terraced pavilion emerging from multi-coloured clouds and with two cranes in flight to one side, all in a central medallion, within double-line borders repeated at the rim, the underside with bats and clouds in iron red amidst green-enamelled waves outlined in underglaze blue interspersed with two large blue rocks. 

ProvenanceAvery Brundage (by repute)
Moy Ying Ming Gallery, Chicago, acquired in 1969

Exhibited: San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

Note: Compare to other Yongzheng-marked dishes of this unusual pattern in museums and private collections worldwide, including one illustrated in Porcelains from the Tianjin Municipal Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, pls. 159 and 160; one in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by W. B. Honey, Chinese Porcelain, London, 1927, no. 86a; one illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu - 15 Qing, Shogakukan, Tokyo, 1983, p. 174, no. 191; one sold at Sotheby’s New York, 23 September 1997, lot 359; one sold at China Guardian, 15 May 2006, lot 1976; and a pair sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 2034.

A pair of unusual doucai dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735)

A pair of unusual doucai dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735); 8 5/16 in. (21.2 cm.) diam. Sold for USD 37,500 at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 2034© Christie's Images Ltd 2012

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

A green and yellow-enamelled ‘cranes’ bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)

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A green and yellow-enamelled ‘cranes’ bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 2811. A green and yellow-enamelled ‘cranes’ bowl,Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within double circles and of the period (1723-1735); 5 7/8 in. (15 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 500,000 - HKD 700,000Price realised HKD 1,250,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The exterior is finely incised with a frieze of eight cranes in flight, their bodies enamelled in white with details picked out in black, with a red crest on their heads, interspersed by billowing clouds above crested waves and rocks encircling the base, the details highlighted in bright green enamels reserved on a rich yellow ground, extending across to the interior.

ProvenanceFrank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, 1960s

ExhibitedSan Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

NoteCompare with other Yongzheng-marked examples of this pattern and size, one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 96-97, no. 84; another in the Baur collection, published in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol. 2, Geneva, 2000, p. 83, no. 204[A542]; a third in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in A Handbook to the W.G. Gulland Bequest of Chinese Porcelain, London, 1950, no. VI(a); a fourth formerly in the Malcolm MacDonald collection and now in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology, University of Durham, illustrated by Legeza, Catalogue, London, 1972, pl. CXXV, no. 332; and a fifth from the Warre Collection, illustrated by R.L. Hobson, The Later Ceramic Wares of China, London, 1925, pl. LIX, fig. 3. 

Porcelain bowl, green clouds and white cranes painted in coloured enamels on yellow ground, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735)

 Porcelain bowl, green clouds and white cranes painted in coloured enamels on yellow ground, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Height: 6.5 cm, Diameter: 15 cm. Given by Mrs Julia C. Gulland, 611-1907 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Compare also with similar bowls sold at auctions, including a pair from the Hall Family Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 May 2000, lot 546; another, published in Sotheby's Hong Kong Twenty Years 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 370, later sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 15 May 1990, lot 299, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 May 2007, lot 1364; a third pair from the collection of Virginia H. Rogers, was sold at Sotheby’s New York, 17-18 September 2013, lot 346; and a fourth pair at Sotheby’s London, 6 November 2013, lot 76.

A pair of yellow-ground 'cranes' bowls, Yongzheng marks and perod (1723-1735)

A pair of yellow-ground 'cranes' bowls, Yongzheng marks and perod (1723-1735), from the collection of Virginia H. Rogers. Diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm. Sold for 335,000 USD at Sotheby’s New York, 17-18 September 2013, lot 346. Photo: Sotheby's

A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled ‘crane’ bowls, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735)

A pair of yellow-ground green-enamelled ‘crane’ bowls, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735); 15cm., 5 7/8 in. Sold for 98,500 GBP at Sotheby’s London, 6 November 2013, lot 76Photo: Sotheby's

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

A superb 13.61 carats Type IIa oval-shaped brilliant-cut diamond ring

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Lot 187. A superb 13.61 carats Type IIa oval-shaped brilliant-cut diamond ring. Estimate US$ 1,400,000 - 1,800,000 (€1,200,000 - 1,500,000). Photo: Bonhams.

centering an oval-shaped brilliant-cut diamond, weighing 13.61 carats, within a raised basket adorned with round brilliant-cut diamonds, to a split shank with similarly cut diamond accents; mounted in platinum; size 5 3/4

Accompanied by GIA report # 2155517190, dated October 30, 2015, stating the diamond as: D color, Internally Flawless clarity.

Accompanied by GIA type classification letter for GIA grading report # 2155517190, dated October 30, 2015, stating the diamond as: Type IIa.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK


A magnificent 16.53 carats diamond ring, Graff

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Lot 186. A magnificent 16.53 carats square-shaped emerald-cut diamond ring, Graff. Estimate US$ 550,000 - 750,000 (€460,000 - 630,000). Photo: Bonhams.

centering a square-shaped emerald-cut diamond, weighing 16.53 carats, flanked by tapered baguette-cut diamonds; signed Graff; accompanied by a signed box; estimated remaining diamond weight: 1.70 carats; mounted in platinum; size 4 1/2

Accompanied by GIA report # 11390321, dated September 7, 2017, stating the diamond as: H color, VVS2 clarity.

Note: Graff Diamonds was founded in 1960 when Graff was just seventeen years old. Lawrence Graff established his place in jewelry history by dealing in important diamonds, both white and fancy colors. Lawrence Graff is said to have "handled more diamonds of notable rarity and beauty than any other jeweler." The Graff philosophy for every diamond ring relies on stone-led craftsmanship taking into account the rarity and uniqueness of each individual diamond.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

An Art Deco diamond ring, circa 1925

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Lot 23. An Art Deco 4.12 carats diamond ring, circa 1925. Estimate US$ 100,000 - 125,000 (€84,000 - 110,000). Photo: Bonhams.

centering a round brilliant-cut diamond, weighing 4.12 carats, set within an ornate setting, accented by similarly cut diamonds; mounted in platinum; size 5 3/4

Accompanied by GIA report # 2185746489, dated September 19, 2017, stating the diamond as: D color, VVS2 clarity.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

An Art Deco emerald and diamond bracelet, circa 1925

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Lot 26. An Art Deco emerald and diamond bracelet, circa 1925. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€25,000 - 42,000). Photo: Bonhams.

the articulated geometric strap, centrally set with calibré-cut emeralds within a millegrain channel setting, between two rows of square and round brilliant-cut diamonds, centrally accented by square-shaped diamonds;estimated total diamond weight: 12.00 carats; mounted in platinum; length: 6 5/8in.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

A natural pearl and diamond drop pendant

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Lot 34. A natural pearl measuring 14.1mm and diamond drop pendant. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€25,000 - 42,000). Photo: Bonhams.

composed of a single drop pearl, measuring 14.1mm, to a rose-cut diamond surmount; mounted in platinum; length: 1 1/4in.

Accompanied by GIA report # 2183713732, dated September 26, 2017, stating the pearl as: Natural, Saltwater, no indications of treatment.

Accompanied by special letter from GIA, dated September 26, 2017, concerning the 23.30 x 14.12mm Natural, Saltwater Natural Pearl, from report # 2183713732.

Accompanied by SSEF report #96487, dated November 2, 2017, stating the pearl as: Natural, Saltwater. 

Accompanied by an Appendix Letter from SSEF, dated November 2, 2017, stating: "A natural pearl of this size and quality can be considered rare and exception." 

NoteBorn and raised in New York State, Thompson was the daughter of Myron Holley. Holley was elected Governor of New York State in 1855. At that time the family took up residence in Albany and that is where she met her future husband, Frederick Ferris Thompson. The couple married in 1857 in Canadaigua, New York. The Thompsons became generous benefactors to many organizations and established themselves as philanthropists. Mrs. Thompson was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a great benefactor to the Bronx Zoo. After the death of her husband in 1899, she continued to donate generously to civic, religious, health and educational institutions including Williams, Vassar and Teachers Colleges. She established and built the F.F. Thompson Hospital in 1903. 

Mary Clark Thompson also had an interest in preserving the history of Native Americans in the New York area. She had a love of plants and flowers which are reflected in any one of her nine formal gardens at her summer home in Sonnenberg and often opened them for public enjoyment. She died in July 1923 at the age of 87. Today, her summer home, Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park, is preserved and operated as a museum. The Mary Clark Thompson Medal is named in her honor. It has been awarded since 1921 and honors work in geology and paleontology.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

An Exquisite Edwardian diamond bracelet, circa 1910

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Lot 36. An Exquisite Edwardian diamond bracelet, circa 1910. Estimate US$ 50,000 - 70,000 (€42,000 - 59,000). Photo: Bonhams.

of floral motif, centering an octagonal-shaped diamond, weighing approximately 3.75 carats, to a line of pear-shaped diamonds, within a millegrain openwork frame;estimated remaining diamond weight: 18.00 carats; mounted in platinum; length: 7 1/16in.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

A diamond diadem

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Lot 42. A diamond diadem. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€25,000 - 42,000). Photo: Bonhams.

designed with graduating foliate motifs with garland and fan accents, set throughout with old mine, old European, old single and rose-cut diamonds; accompanied by a fitted box; larger old European-cut diamonds weighing an estimated 1.15 and 1.05 carats; estimated total diamond weight: 19.00 carats; mounted in platinum; length: 5 3/4in.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

A fabric and gem-set clutch, Van Cleef and Arpels, circa 1960 & An 18k gold, diamond and gem-set minaudière case, Ventrella

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Lot 45. A fabric and gem-set clutch, Van Cleef and Arpels, circa 1960. Estimate US$ 7,000 - 9,000 (€5,900 - 7,600). Photo: Bonhams.

embroidered with silver-gilt wire, set with cabochons of various gemstones, including quartz, sapphires, citrine and emeralds; signed Van Cleef & Arples, no.16757; length: 7 7/8in.

Note: This lot is being offered by Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County (SOLAC). Since 1929 Goodwill SOLAC's mission has been to transform lives through the power of work. Serving individuals with barriers to employment, as well as businesses, by providing education, training, work experience and job placement services in a culturally diverse and growing community.

Lot 46. An 18k gold, diamond and gem-set minaudière case, Ventrella. Estimate US$ 18,000 - 25,000 (€15,000 - 21,000). Photo: Bonhams.

the rectangular case with a central jeweled bouquet of diamonds, rubies, citrine and sapphires, opening with an ornate clasp of rectangular-shaped citrines and round brilliant-cut diamonds, to reveal a mirror and six compartments; signed Ventrella Roma; accompanied by a signed box; gross weight approximately: 705.20 grams; length: 5 1/2.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK


An 18k gold necklace, Angela Cummings

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Lot 53. An 18k gold necklace, Angela Cummings. Estimate US$ 8,000 - 12,000 (€6,800 - 10,000). Photo: Bonhams.

composed of openwork stylized 'Judas Tree' leaves;signed Cummings; gross weight approximately: 74.70 grams; length: 15 3/8in.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2017, 15:00 EST, NEW YORK

A German parcel-gilt silver model of a nef with enameled figures, Matthaus Bair (Bayr), Augsburg, 1590-1595

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Lot 4. A German parcel-gilt silver model of a nef with enameled figures, Matthaus Bair (Bayr), Augsburg, 1590-1595. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 EUR. Lot sold 218,750 EUR. Photo: Sotheby's

on a circular base decorated with scrolls and beads on matted ground, the stem shaped as Hercules wearing the Nemean lion skin, the hull with masks and sea monsters on a wavy background, with twelve partly enameled sailors, the two sails not gilt. Haut. 42 cm, 1048 g; 16 1/2 in. high, 33 oz 14 dwt.

Related Literature : Helmut Seling, Die Kunst der Augsburger Goldschmiede 1529-1868, Vol. II, Munchen, 1980, Nos. 161 and 162 ; 
Nüremberg Goldschmiedekunst, Vol. 2, Nuremberg, 2007, Nos. 124 and 128, and Vol. 3, No. 880 ; 
Charles Oman, Medieval Silver Nefs, exh. cat. Victoria & Albert museum, London, 1963, pl. XV.

NoteThe creative ability of the Renaissance German goldsmiths reached its peak in the areas of Nuremberg and Augsburg, during the second half of the 16th century. Drinking cups in the form of naves, with figures of sailors in action, are typical examples of such skilfully-made silver pieces commissioned by the European elite. The sails inflated by the wind, the fine network of riggings meticulously depicted and the diversity of the activities related to navigation - including more anecdotal scenes such as the sailors drinking on board of our nave – bring to life these masterpieces, preeminent feature in Renaissance cabinets of curiosities. 

Similar cups, the oldest dating from the last quarter of the sixteenth century, are published by H. Seling (op cit., No. 161 and 162), others are in the collections of the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Kassel and the Schweizerisches Landesmuseum in Zürich (see Nüremberg Goldschmiedekunst, op. cit., Nos. 128 and 124).

The particularly well preserved shimmering of the sailors' clothing enamelled in polychrome is a rare feature that adds to its preciousness. His anthropomorphic stem in the form of Hercules can be found only on a few examples such as the cup of the Kremlin's collections, supported by a naiad (see Nüremberg Goldschmiedekunst, op cit., No. 122), and one formerly in the collection of Carl Mayer de Rothschild (his sale, Paris, 1911, No. 63; fig. 1), its stem being in the form of a satyr. The latter was also attributed by H. Seling to the goldsmith Matthaus Bair (see H. Seling, op.cit., Vol. 3, No. 880)

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An Italian tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and gold piqué dish, Naples, mid-18th century

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Lot 2. An Italian tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and gold piqué dish, Naples, mid-18th century. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 EUR. Lot sold 4,750 EUR. Photo: Sotheby's

of oval scalloped outline, decorated with foliage and shells, with two hunters amongst ruins and a village scene. Long. 19 cm., larg. 15,3 cm. ; Length 7½in., width 6in.

Note: Attributed to the Neapolitan jeweller and silversmith, Laurenzini in the mid-17th century, the procedure of the "piqué" involves softening the tortoiseshell in order to impress the mother-of-pearl or gold design and silver strips and thereby create a pattern without using any glue. 

Four different techniques are described in Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie (1751) : "point d'or", where minute holes are filled with melted gold or silver, "coulé", which is the same technique used for linear engravings, "incrusté" made with mother-of-pearl or gold plaques, "posé", with the technique of combining all three previous methods, employed for the most luxurious pieces.

Sotheby's. Excellence Française, Paris, 28 Nov 2017

A very rare blue and white ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566)

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8101

A very rare blue and white ‘dragon and phoenix’ shallow bowl, Jiajing six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1522-1566)

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Lot 8101. A very rare blue and white ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ shallow bowl, Jiajing six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1522-1566); 5 7/16 in. (13.8 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 500,000 - HKD 800,000Price realised HKD 2,375,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is delicately potted with shallow rounded sides resting on a slightly recessed base. The interior is exquisitely painted with a roundel of a striding five-clawed dragon and phoenix in flight amid leafy lotus and floral scrolls, the exterior is painted in a similar fashion within double-line borders beneath the rounded rim and above the unglazed foot.

ProvenanceJoe Yuey, San Francisco 
Bluett, London
Sold at Christie’s New York, 17 September 2010, lot 1368

NoteThe current bowl belongs to a group of porcelain made by the imperial kilns during the early Jiajing period that was closely modelled after Chenghua ceramics. The imitation reflected a delicate time in history when the Jiajing Emperor and his court were engaged in a political conflict known as the Great Rites Controversy. The Jiajing Emperor had succeeded his first cousin the Zhengde Emperor after the latter bore no children and his father the Hongzhi Emperor did not leave any surviving children either. According to tradition, the Jiajing Emperor was advised to be posthumously adopted by his late uncle who had been dead for more than two decades, but instead he insisted that his own biological father, the fourth son of the Chenghua Emperor and the younger brother of the Hongzhi Emperor be posthumously declared emperor, thus claiming his legitimacy through his biological father instead of his paternal uncle.

The Emperor’s personal preference may have extended to the production at the imperial kilns, giving rise to porcelains such as the current bowl that closely emulated those of the Chenghua reign, not only for their remarkable quality, but also to assert the Emperor’s legitimacy by making a direct connection with the Chenghua Emperor.

 

Shallow bowls such as the present type were used as altar vessels for Buddhist rituals during the Chenghua period. All the surviving examples from the Chenghua period are painted with floral motifs and appear in three sizes, the smallest measure approx. 10.2 cm. and are painted with pomegranate scroll, the second smallest measure approx. 12 cm. with lotus scroll, and the largest measure approx. 13.7 cm. with floral medallions, see Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 27-29, nos. 25-27 (fig. 1). 

Blue and white 'Floral' shallow bowl, Chenghua period (1465-1487), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Blue and white 'Floral medallions' shallow bowl, Chenghua period (1465-1487), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. 

The Jiajing examples remain true to their Chenghua prototype in terms of potting, glaze, and the painting style, see for example, a Jiajing-marked shallow bowl painted with floral medallions in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in ibid., p. 157, no. 146 (fig. 2), which is hardly distinguishable from its prototype. The Jiajing repertoire expands beyond floral motifs, and in addition to dragon and phoenix seen on the current bowl, there are motifs such as children at play, dragons pursuing flaming pearls, and phoenix among others. For a description of the different motifs on Jiajing shallow bowls housed in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Gugong ciqilu, vol. 2, Ming (2-2), Taipei, 1961, pp. 139-142. It is worthy of note from the 1925 inventory number noted in the catalogue that the ‘dragon and phoenix’ bowls were housed in the Jingyang Palace in the Forbidden City, where a number of Chenghua porcelain including the palace bowls, ‘boys’ bowls were also kept.

Blue and white 'Floral medallions ' shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Blue and white 'Floral medallions ' shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. 

For an almost identical example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Chia-ching Ware Lung-ch’ing Ware Wanli Ware, Taipei, 1978, no. 17 (fig. 3); and an example with dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls, in the same institution, see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Cheng-hua Porcelain Ware, Taipei, 2003, p. 74, no. 48 (fig. 4).

Blue and white 'Dragon and Phoenix' shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Blue and white 'Dragon and Phoenix' shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. 

Blue and white 'Dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls' shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Blue and white 'Dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls' shallow bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566), Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. 

Christie's. Court, Studio, Atelier Chinese Works of Art and Paintings from The Ming Dynasty Evening Sale, 27 November 2017, Hong Kong

An exceedingly rare massive blue and white ‘dragon’ basin, Longqing mark and period (1567-1572)

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An exceedingly rare massive blue and white ‘dragon’ basin, Longqing six-character mark in a line in underglaze blue and of the period (1567-1572)

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Lot 8102. An exceedingly rare massive blue and white ‘dragon’ basin, Longqing six-character mark in a line in underglaze blue and of the period (1567-1572); 27 in. (68.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 1,500,000 - HKD 2,500,000Price realised HKD 1,875,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The basin is boldly painted in vibrant blue around the body with two pairs of five-clawed dragons contesting flaming pearls, amongst cloud scrolls and above breaking waves and rocks, below a band of cash motifs. The top side of the rim is painted with a classic scroll.

ProvenanceCaptain W. R. Clarke, sold at Christie's London, 12 October, 1970, lot 19 
Anthony Derham, London & New York

LiteratureAnthony du Boulay, Christies Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, Oxford, 1984, p. 133, fig. 6.

NoteThis magnificent basin is exceptionally rare. The Longqing Emperor reigned for only a short period between 1567 to 1572, less than six years, and the area around Jingdezhen suffered from both extensive flooding and severe damage by fires during this reign. Not surprisingly, extant imperial Longqing porcelains are extremely scarce. Even the Qing court had relatively few pieces dating to the Longqing reign. The imperial Longqing porcelains are noted for their beautifully rich, jewel-like blue, a feature which is particularly evident on the current basin. Most surviving Longqing porcelains are relatively small in scale and very few other large Longqing-marked basins appear to have been published. Indeed in 1571 the Jingdezhen censor Xu Shi requested the large imperial order that were recently sent to Jingdezhen should be reduced by 80 percent. Specifically, he asked that the large basins should be removed from the order as they were particularly difficult to fire and there was a very high failure rate.

Only three other blue and white Longqing-marked basins of this design appear to have been published, all with varying degrees of restoration. One is in the National Museum of China, illustrated in Studies of the Collections of the National Museum of China-Porcelain-Ming Dynasty, Shanghai, 2007, p. 163, no. 88 (fig. 1); the second is in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no. 713; and the third, with the fifth claw effaced, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 April 1997, lot 674.

A blue and white ‘dragon’ basin, Longqing mark and period (1567-1572), Collection of the National Museum of China

A blue and white ‘dragon’ basin, Longqing mark and period (1567-1572), Collection of the National Museum of China

Despite the brevity of the Longqing reign period the decoration of this very rare large blue and white basin, can be distinguished from similar basins of the preceding Jiajing reign, such as the example gifted by J.M. Hu to the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Mingdai guanyao ciqi, Shanghai, 2007, p. 158, fig. 3-84, and those of the succeeding Wanli reign, such as the example in the Idemitsu Museum of Art, see ibid., no. 714. Because of their scarcity and the beauty of their jewel-like blue, the porcelains of the Longqing reign have always been greatly prized by connoisseurs, the even greater rarity of the current basin makes it undoubtedly so.

Christie's. Court, Studio, Atelier Chinese Works of Art and Paintings from The Ming Dynasty Evening Sale, 27 November 2017, Hong Kong

 

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