'The Beating Heart'. A 75 carat Heart Shape Diamond. © Samer Halimeh.

This 75 carat heart shaped cut diamond is extremely rare due to its unique depth perspective. A master craftsman specializing in heart shape diamond cutting was brought to create a specific technique to achieve such perfect shape proportions.

The uniqueness of this stone is that Mr. Halimeh himself will review the requests that are sent for this stone and will select only the buyer that passes the "purity of hearts intent".

'Panther Eye'. A 52 carat Pear Shape Diamond. © Samer Halimeh.

This stone has a perfect pear shape symmetry. The beautiful and unique elongated geometry of this stone benefits the wearer’s fingers making them appear longer and slimmer. This stone has a uniform, symmetrical curves with no straight edges that make it extremely desired amongst collectors.

This stone was commissioned by a Russian oligarch who is known to be passionate about wild cats and has been participating in numerous international associations to save the natural habitat of wild animals around the world. He desired a stone that would represent the enigmatic eye of a wild cat, hence the large pear shape of this gem.

This stone is fully certified and accredited both by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the House of Samer Halimeh.

'The Corner Stone'. A 54 Carat Asscher Cut Diamond. © Samer Halimeh.

This flawless stone carries a near perfect depth symmetry and is sought after by many collectors and industry specialists alike. Such a large asscher cut is not only rare but also historic.

The Corner Stone once belonged to a famed Hollywood actress in the 70's. After her marriage was in jeopardy she decided to sell the stone to a friend who later in confidence handed the stone over to a diamond dealer. It was long thought to be gone or sold out of the country, but Mr. Halimeh insisted that it needs to be found and purchased for his collection.

This stone is fully certified and accredited both by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the House of Samer Halimeh

Lot 20. A fine and rare blue and white lobed ‘fruit and flower’ bowl, Mark and period of Xuande (1426-1435); 22.5 cm, 8 7/8  in. Estimate 4,800,000 — 5,800,000 HKD (541,880 - 654,772 EUR). Sold 11,480,000 HKD (1,480,002 USD). Photo Sotheby's. 

of conical form, the flaring sides rising from a gently pointed base to a six-lobed rim, all supported on a neat, slightly tapered foot, the interior centred with a medallion containing a flowering and fruiting peach branch, surrounded by three sprigs of lotus flowers alternating with sprays of tree peony, chrysanthemum, and herbaceous peony, all beneath a row of small floral sprigs at the rim, the exterior painted with six fruit sprays comprising peach, cherry, loquat, pomegranate, grape, and lychee, alternating with six small floral sprays below including camellia, chrysanthemum, lotus, rose, and peony, the foot further encircled with a classic scroll, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of H.R.N. Norton (d. 1961-62). 
Sotheby's London, 5th November 1963, lot 166 (£2000). 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1963 (£2000).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1963 (£2000).

Note: Conical bowls of this fruit-and-flower design can be counted among the most successful blue-and-white bowl patterns of the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and belong to the classic repertoire of the Xuande (1426-35) imperial kilns. They reflect the newly awoken interest of the Chinese court in fine blue-and-white porcelains. Whereas Yongle (1403-24) blue-and-white is still characterised by many large items created for export, in the Xuande reign the products of the imperial workshops were geared for the imperial house both in size and in taste, exquisitely finished and inscribed with the imperial reign mark.

The conical shape of this bowl with its six delicate rim lobes evokes memories of Song dynasty (960-1279) monochrome white prototypes, as made by the Jingdezhen kilns before they had become imperial manufactories. The diverse fruit and flower sprays were in the Yongle reign often used on other shapes. The present design appears to be specific to the Xuande period, although one apparently unmarked bowl of this design was included in the exhibition Mingdai chunian ciqi tezhan mulu/Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Early Ming Period Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, cat. no. 20.

A bowl of this design in the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the Qing court collection, is illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2002, vol. 2, pl. 146, where it is stated that this design was frequently copied in the Kangxi (1662-1722) and Yongzheng (1723-35) periods, and where a Xuande-marked copy attributed to the Kangxi reign is illustrated, pl. 179; two such bowls in the National Palace Museum were included in the Museum’s exhibitions Ming Xuande ciqi tezhan mulu/Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Hsuan-te Period Porcelain, Taipei, 1980, no.36, and Mingdai Xuande guanyao jinghua tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, no. 62.

A bowl reputedly from the Summer Palace, Beijing, and later the collections of K.L. Dawes, J.F. Woodthorpe and Frederick M. Mayer, was sold in our London rooms, 20th May 1949, lot 84, and 6th April 1954, lot 90, and at Christie’s London, 25th June 1974, lot 90; a second bowl from the Woodthorpe collection, sold in our London rooms 5th June 1956, lot 112, was included in the Venice exhibition 1954 together with a bowl from the collection of Sir Harry and Lady Garner, sold in our London rooms, 21st November 1961, lot 36, see Mostra d’Arte Cinese/Exhibition of Chinese Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. nos. 642 and 643; another sold in our London rooms, 24th March 1964, lot 98 and now in the collection of Asia House, New York, is illustrated in Denise Patry Leidy, Treasures of Asian Art: The Asia Society’s Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York, 1994, pl. 176; one from the collection of Major L.F. Hay was sold in our London rooms, 16th June 1939, lot 92; one from the R.H.R. Palmer collection and later the Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 17th January 1989, lot 567, and 3rd November 1996, lot 546; a bowl from the collections of President Herbert Hoover, Mr. and Mrs. Allan Hoover, and Ira and Nancy Koger was sold in our New York rooms, 27th November 1990, lot 6; one from the Su Lin An collection, was sold in these rooms, 31st October 1995, lot 315; and a bowl from the Manno Museum, Osaka, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31st May 2010, lot 1856.

A rare early Ming blue and white hexafoil bowl, Xuande six-character mark within double-circles and of the period (1426-1435), 8 7/8 in. (22.6 cm.) diam. Sold for HKD 9,020,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong,  31st May 2010, lot 1856. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Cf. my post: A rare early Ming blue and white hexafoil bowl, Xuande six-character mark within double-circles and of the period (1426-1435)

European Painting 1850–1900 Gallery, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997, Robert Polidori, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist in conjunction with The Lapis Press. © Robert Polidori

LOS ANGELES, CA.- In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Getty Center, the J. Paul Getty Museum opens an exhibition of 20 works by renowned photographer Robert Polidori (Canadian-French-American, born 1951). Robert Polidori: 20 Photographs of the Getty Museum, 1997 is the first public exhibition of photographs showing the first installation of the Getty Center in the month leading up to its opening in December 1997. 

“As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Getty Center this December, this exhibition provides an opportunity to reflect upon the creation of this remarkable complex of buildings and the evolution of the Getty Center’s programs. Polidori’s artfully composed images are not only an important historical record, but also a revealing insight into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the preparation and installation of our exhibitions and displays,” says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. 

Neoclassical Sculpture Gallery, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997, Robert Polidori, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist in conjunction with The Lapis Press. © Robert Polidori

Highly regarded for his depictions of human habitats and cultural museology, Polidori produced these intimate and unstaged views of the Getty Center in fall 1997 while on assignment for The New Yorker. Initially limited to surveying the exterior grounds because of restricted access, he lobbied successfully for permission to photograph the Center’s indoor spaces as well. Polidori ultimately produced about 60 exposures of the gardens, entrance hall, galleries, and various spaces across the site. Working in what he called an “old analogical way” with a large-format camera and Kodak Vericolor film, Polidori created this group of photographs at a moment when digital photography was gaining momentum, embraced by amateur and professional photographers alike. 

Furniture Gallery, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997, Robert Polidori, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist in conjunction with The Lapis Press. © Robert Polidori

This exhibition features a selection of photographs Polidori made of interior spaces within the Getty Museum, work he generated while in the midst of a multi-year project to document period rooms undergoing restoration at the Palace of Versailles. Many of the images reveal the process of installing objects from J. Paul Getty’s painting, sculpture, and decorative arts collections in the new galleries, some of which remain on display today. A book titled Synchrony and Diachrony, published by Steidl and featuring texts by Polidori, David Dorenbaum (psychoanalyst and assistant professor at the University of Toronto), and Amanda Maddox (associate curator, Department of Photographs, J. Paul Getty Museum), will be released on the occasion of the exhibition. 

Rococo Paneled Room, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997, Robert Polidori, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist in conjunction with The Lapis Press. © Robert Polidori

"The labors made semi-evident in these photographs—showing brief glimpses of seemingly chaotic states, slowly evolving towards a structured order, resembling tableaus and portraying scenes seen as occurring behind a curtain—were attempts on my part to bring some phenomenological trace, as well as psychological depth, to a subject matter that essentially is usually invisible: the portraiture of the curatorial act,” says Robert Polidori.

December 12, 2017–May 6, 2018, GETTY CENTER

Italian Painting 1300–1500 Gallery, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997, Robert Polidori, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist in conjunction with The Lapis Press. © Robert Polidori

Entrance Hall, J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997, Robert Polidori, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist in conjunction with The Lapis Press. © Robert Polidori

Lot 329. A famille-verte brushpot, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 13.5 cm, 5 3/8  in. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKD. Lot sold 250,000 HKD (26,870 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

of cylindrical form, the exterior painted with two rectangular panels, one enclosing two ladies looking at roosters fighting in a garden landscape, the other with a riverside landscape, wood stand.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999), and thence by descent in the family.

Lot 332. A ruby-ground famille-rose bowl, Early 20th century; 14.8 cm, 5 7/8  in. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 HKD. Lot sold 125,000 HKD (26,870 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

painted in brilliant enamels around the exterior with colourful clusters of floral sprays including peony, hibiscus, exotic lily, chrysanthemum, camellia and aster, all reserved on a rich ruby-red ground, the interior and base left white, inscribed with an apocryphal Yongzheng mark to the base.

Provenance: Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999), and thence by descent in the family.

Lot 2811. A very rare green-enamelled moulded and incised cupstand, Kangxi six-character mark and of the period (1662-1722); 5 1/4 in. (13.1 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 150,000 - HKD 200,000. Price realised HKD 275,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Of shallow quatrefoil form, the interior incised with a frieze of featherychilong, encircling the small central circular raised ring, covered on the interior, exterior and underside base with a translucent green enamel

Provenance: Previously sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16 November 1988, lot 335
Greenwald Collection, no. 41 

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, Catalogue, no. 41 

Note: A similar cupstand of this very rare pattern dated to the Kangxi period, from the Percival David Foundation, now in the British Museum, is illustrated, Catalogue, section 6, pl. XI, B513. 

Cup stand with dragons, Qing dynasty, Kangxi mark and period, AD 1662–1722. Porcelain, incised, with underglaze cobalt-blue mark and green glaze, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. 13 cm. Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF B513 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum.

Christie's. For Imperial Appreciation: Fine Chinese Ceramics from the Greenwald Collection, 1 December 2010, Hong Kong

Lot 2812. A fine and rare famille verte small 'Birthday' saucer, Kangxi six-character mark within double-circles and of the period (1662-1722); 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 1,000,000 - HKD 1,500,000. Price realised HKD 4,460,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

The saucer is finely and delicately potted with low rounded sides, the interior with a large peach, delicately shaded with green and iron-red enamels and further embellished with a stylised Shou character, the fruit growing on a short stem and detailed with leaves in two tones of green enamels, the glaze has a soft blue tinge on the base and stops at the foot, box.

Provenance: The Robert Chang Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 2 November 1999, lot 514
Greenwald Collection, no. 86 

Exhibited: Christie's London, An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, 2-14 June, 1993, Catalogue, no. 33. 

Note: A pair of dishes of this small size and pattern is included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Qing Enamelled Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, Section 2, Revised Edition, 1991, p. 19, nos. 800 and 801, and is catalogued as being part of the 'Birthday Service' made for the celebration of the 60th birthday anniversary of the Emperor Kangxi in 1713. 

Pair of dishes with peaches, Qing dynasty, Kangxi mark and period, about AD 1713. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue mark, translucent overglaze colours and gilding, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province; 6,8 diam. Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF 800-PDF 801 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum.

Larger dishes of this pattern are more common, cf. the dish (28.6 cm. diam.) in the Percival David Foundation, British Museum, illustrated by M. Beurdeley and G. Raindre, Qing Porcelain: Famille Verte, Famille Rose, Thames and Hudson, 1987, p. 53, no. 57. See also a dish (28.6 cm.) of similar design in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated by He Li, Chinese Ceramics, 1996, p. 304, no. 652; and another (28.8 cm.) with the gilt characters Wanshou in the Palace Museum, Beijing included in Kangxi Yongzheng Qianlong, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 70, no. 53. 

Serving dish with peaches, Qing dynasty, Kangxi mark and period, about AD 1713. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue mark, translucent overglaze colours and gilding, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province; 28,6 cm diam. Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF 818 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum.

Large plate with peach and the characters for "Ten Thousand Longevities", one of a pair, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with overglaze polychrome decoration (fencai). H. 2 1/2 in x Diam. 11 1/4 in, H. 6.3 cm x Diam. 28.6 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P2041. © 2017 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

Plate with peach and the characters for "Ten Thousand Longevities", Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with overglaze polychrome decoration (fencai). H. 2 in x Diam. 11 1/4 in, H. 5.1 cm x Diam. 28.6 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P8. © 2017 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

Lot 2813. An extremely rare pair of polychrome enamelled ruby-back winecups, Kangxi six-character marks within double-circles and of the period (1662-1722); 3 3/4 in. (9.8 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 4,000,000 - HKD 6,000,000. Price realised HKD 9,260,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010 

Each of the delicately potted bowls with very slightly rounded, almost straight sides rising from a short circular angled footrim, the plain interior of one bowl enamelled in soft pastel tones with white melon and lotus seeds, green beans and golden kumquat, the other similarly decorated with melon seeds, beans and red bayberries, the exterior of each covered in a vibrant deep pink enamel of 'orange peel' texture, box. 

Provenance: Previously sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16 November 1988, lot 366
Greenwald Collection, no. 67.  

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, Catalogue, no. 67 .  

Note: Kangxi-marked ruby-back winecups with enamelled 'fruit and seeds' on the interior are very rare. Including the present cups, there are a total of four pairs recorded at auction. The three other pairs include those from the T.Y. Chao Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18 November 1986; the Helen and Paul Bernat Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15 November 1988, lot 49 and sold again at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2007, lot 1759; and the pair, probably from the Ton-Yin Collection of 1930, sold at Sotheby's New York, 1 June 1994, lot 390. This group of winecups were probably made during the last years of the Kangxi period, and a pair bearing Yongzheng marks is known and was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29 November 1976, lot 614.

An extremely rare pair of polychrome enamelled ruby-back winecups, Kangxi six-character marks within double-circles and of the period (1662-1722) from the Helen and Paul Bernat Collection; 3¼ in. (8.3 cm.) diam. Sold for HKD 7,047,500 at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2007, lot 1759. © Christie's Images Ltd 2007

This exquisite pair of cups are not only the product of exceptionally fine craftsmanship, but are also some of the earliest porcelains to benefit from a remarkable technological advance, achieved at the behest of the Kangxi Emperor (AD 1662-1722). At the very end of the Kangxi reign, about 1720, the imperial ateliers working on glass and enamels succeeded in creating a new enamel that was to revolutionise the palette of colours used on fine Chinese porcelains, and was to give its name to the European term for that palette, 'rose pink'. The beauty of the Chinese rose pink, and the effectiveness of its even application can be seen very clearly on the pair of cups in the current sale, on which the pink has not only been used in the depiction of some of the fruit on the interior, but also to create the so-called 'ruby-back' on the exterior.

Lot 2814. A very rare black-ground green-glazed lobed brushwasher, Kangxi six-character mark and possibly of the period (1662-1722); 5 1/2in. (14cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 500,000 - HKD 800,000. Price realised HKD 2,060,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010 

The interior of the decafoil dish painted with a boatman in a river landscape with dwellings on the side of a wooded and rocky bank and with craggy mountains in the distance, below panels depicting a butterfly, a crab, a praying mantis, a cricket, and a shrimp alternating with floral panels, the base countersunk and with a broad unglazed foot, box. 

Provenance: J.M. Hu collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 1995, lot 721
Greenwald Collection, no. 66.  

Literature: Gerald M. Greenwald, The Greenwald Collection, Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics, 1996, Catalogue, no. 66
Christie's 20 Years in Hong Kong 1986-2006, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Highlights, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 187.  

Note: No other brushwasher of this decoration appears to have been published.

Kangxi-marked washers of this form are recorded, cf. a celadon-glazed washer sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 20 March 1990, lot 735; and a famille verte decorated washer reserved on a celadon ground included in The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics IV, Qing Dynasty, pl. 108.

Lot 2815. A fine carved celadon-glazed waterpot, Kangxi six-character mark and of the period (1662-1722); 3 in. (7.5 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 2,000,000 - HKD 3,000,000. Price realised HKD 4,220,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010 

The gently incurving sides finely carved to depict billowing clouds ofruyi-form rising from the base in trailing formations, covered both to the exterior and interior with a pale celadon glaze of lustrous tone, the countersunk base covered with a transparent glaze, box. 

Provenance: Previously sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20 May 1981, lot 814
An Important Private Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 17 May 1988, lot 65
The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong
Jinguangtang Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 November 1996, lot 565
Greenwald Collection, no. 89 .  

Literature: The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 124
The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics, vol. IV, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 2
Greenwald Collection, no. 89.  

Note: A number of these celadon-glazed waterpots in collections are known, the example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated by W.B. Honey, Guide to the Later Chinese Porcelain, Oxford, 1927; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated by S. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, fig. 245; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in The Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain, no. 58; in the Nanjing Museum, included in the exhibition, Qing Imperial Porcelain, Catalogue, no. 58; and from the collection of K.S. Lo included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition, An Anthology of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 1980, Catalogue no. 122 and 123. Another from the collection of Stephen Junkunc III, sold at Christie's New York, 21 September 1995, lot 238.

Celadon beehive-shaped waterpot, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722). Porcelain, incised and glazed. Height: 7.3 cm. Given by Mr W.G. Gulland, 154-1905 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 

Lot 25. An extraordinary finely carved rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th-18th century. H 11,5 - B 15 - D 10,5 cm - Weight: 467g. Courtesy Carlo Bonte

the flaring sides finely carved in partial openwork with scholars strolling underneath trees in a rocky landscape and a fishing boat by the shore, a large rock to the inside upon which grows a pine tree, the flat base carved with stylised waves.

Art Asiatique chez Salle des Ventes Carlo Bonte, 20 8000 Brugge (Belgique), le 12 Décembre 2017 à 10h00

Lot 3. Vase de forme "hu" en terre cuite émaillée verte, Chine, Epoque Han (206 av. JC - 220 ap. JC); H. 45 cm. Estimation : 2 500 € / 3 000 €. 

Deux anses en forme de têtes de chimlères. (Petits éclats).

Test de thermoluminescence Re.S.Artes - R248830A-4 confirmant la datation 

Provenance : Collection privée Maître C. Mines, acheté par le père de l'actuel propriétaire dans les années 1970-1980

Arts d'Asie chez AuctionArt - Rémy Le Fur & Associés,75009 Paris, le 12 Décembre 2017 à 11h et 14h

Paire de vases de forme hu, Chine, Epoque Han (206 av. JC - 220 ap. JC); H. 49 cm. Estimation : 4 000 € / 6 000 €. 

en terre cuite décorée en engobe rouge, noir et blanc de motifs géométriques et de spirales. Deux anses en forme de têtes de chimères. (Restaurations).

Test de thermoluminescence Oxford - C117F37 confirmant la datation.  

Provenance : Collection privée Maître C. Mines, acheté par le père de l'actuel propriétaire dans les années 1970-1980

Arts d'Asie chez AuctionArt - Rémy Le Fur & Associés,75009 Paris, le 12 Décembre 2017 à 11h et 14h

Lot 297. A Chinese Blanc-de-Chine figure of Guanyin, Ming Dynasty, 17th century. Height: 23 cm. Estimate 6 500 € / 10 000 €. Courtesy Veritas Art Auctioneers.

Porcelain sculpture. Guanyin is represented seated on a rock with intricate coiffure, divided at the centre and falling on the shoulders. Serene face, bearing "urn" mark on the forehead and adorns in the neck, arms and wrists. Right hand layed on the right knee and the left hand on the rock. At her left side a standing child. Mark with two characters at the back (firing defects at the base and small restoration) 

Antiquités et Œuvres d’Art chez Veritas Art Auctioneers, Lisboa, le 12 Décembre 2017 à 21h00

Lot 295. A red glass overlay bottle, Incised Qianlong four-character mark and of the period (1736-95). Height: 27 cm. Estimate 5 000 € / 8 000 €. Courtesy Veritas Art Auctioneers.

Snowflake glass ground with a layer of ruby red glass. Carved decoration depicting floral motifs (restored) 

Provenance: Christie’s, London 2001 - Chinese Ceramics & Export Ceramics & Works of Art (Lot 105)

Antiquités et Œuvres d’Art chez Veritas Art Auctioneers, Lisboa, le 12 Décembre 2017 à 21h00

Lot 197. Importante et très grande sculpture en bois peint figurant un moine portant une robe noire assis et portant un rosaire à la main. H. : 112 cm; l. : 79,5 cm; Prof. : 56 cm. Estimation : 65 000 € / 85 000 €. Courtesy Boisgirard Antonini Paris

A l'origine, le moine était assis sur une chaise et ses chaussures étaient possiblement positionnées devant lui. On voit souvent cette pose sur les peintures de patriarches et de moines de haut-rang. La statue d’un moine dans cette position est plus rare car ceux-ci sont souvent représentés assis les jambes croisées ou debout.

On peut voir un exemplaire d’une telle statue (figurant le moine Fuō Kobushi assis sur une chaise avec des chaussures devant lui) dans le temple Seiunji (préfecture de Yamanashi). Cette statue date de 1353. Une autre statue datant du XIIIème siècle (celle-ci figurant Buttsu Zenji sur une chaise, mais sans les chaussures devant lui) se trouve au Hōkokuji dans la préfecture d’Ehime (Exposition spécialement consacrée à la portraiture bouddhiste au Musée National de Nara en 1981). Comme de coutume, la tête (de taille légèrement supérieure à celle d’une tête humaine) arbore des yeux incrustés et a été sculptée séparément, pour être raccordée plus tard au corps de la statue. Des tests radiocarbone séparés de la tête et du corps de la statue démontrent que le bois du corps est plus ancien que celui de la tête. Il est possible que la tête (figurant un visage sans expression à l'aspect plus sévère et hautain que des statues plus anciennes) soit en fait une tête de remplacement (d’une tête plus ancienne ayant été endommagée) datant du début de la période Edo. Le côté gauche de la bordure de la robe porte des traces de laque dorée et de volutes florales. Quelques restaurations. Y compris le support en bois. 

Important and very large painted wooden sculpture of a monk in a black robe sitting while holding a rosary in his hands. Originally the monk was sitting on a chair with possibly in front of him his shoes. This pose is often seen on paintings of patriarchs and high ranking monks. A statue’s monks sitting on chairs are not very often seen as most statues of monks show them sitting down with crossed legs or standing. 

An example of a statue of a monk sitting on a chair with shoes in front of him is the statue of Fuō Kobushi in Seiunji Temple (Yamanashi Province) dated 1353 and a statue without shoes that of Buttsū Zenji in the Hōkokuji (Ehime Province) dating to the 13th century (Special Exhibition of Buddhist Portraiture, Nara National Museum 1981). As is usual the slightly larger than life head with inlayed eyes is carved separately and inserted in the body. Radiocarbon tests of the body of the statue and of the head show that the wood of the body is older than of the head. Possibly the head with a rather stern and lofty but slightly less expressive face than older statues often show, is an early Edo Period replacement of an earlier head that was damaged. The left hem of the robe shows traces of gold lacquer flower scrolls. Some restaurations. Including wooden stand. 

Art du Japon chez Boisgirard Antonini Paris, 75009 Paris, le 13 Décembre 2017 à 14h00

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. Detail of the Domitian dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver, 15 1/2 in. (39.5 cm) diam. Minneapolis Institute of Art, The James Ford Bell Family Foundation Fund, The M. R. Schweitzer Fund, and The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund. Anonymous (Netherlandish?). Detail of the Titus dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver, 14 3/4 in. (37.6 cm) diam. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon.

NEW YORK, NY.- The superb technical virtuosity of Renaissance silversmiths is nowhere more evident than in the magnificent set of 12 silver-gilt standing cups from the 16th century known collectively as the Aldobrandini Tazze. Each of the tazze stands over a foot tall and features a shallow footed dish surmounted by a figure of one of the first 12 Caesars. On the intricately wrought interior of each dish appear four episodes from the life of the corresponding ruler, as recounted by the Roman historian Suetonius. Although the tazze are among the finest and rarest examples of 16th-century European silverwork, little is known about their creation. The questions of when, where, why, for whom, and by whom these splendid luxury objects were made are being addressed in the exhibition The Silver Caesars: A Renaissance Mystery, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The complete set has not been seen together since the mid-19th century, when it was disassembled and dispersed, its constituent parts misidentified and mismatched. In addition, the elements of all 12 tazze are being displayed in their original configuration—a unique opportunity for modern viewers to appreciate one of the most enigmatic monuments of in the work of 16th-century goldsmiths. 

The Silver Caesars highlight the elegance and astonishing erudition of the tazze, presenting them with a small selection of other works in silver and other media, including both ancient and Renaissance coins and medals and Renaissance prints, books, and paintings. The exhibition considers such topics as 19th-century views of the Renaissance and Renaissance views of ancient Rome. Examples of 19th-century works that the tazze inspired have been included. In addition to offering new insights into the tazze and their history, the exhibition explores the set’s famously mysterious reputation— engaging the visitor in tracing clues that may lead to a better understanding of this Renaissance masterpiece. 

Within the exhibition, a digital display featuring high-resolution photography of two tazze enable visitors to explore these works and their fantastic antiquarian imagery in greater depth. An enhanced version of this material, including narration by Mary Beard, Professor of Classics, University of Cambridge, also are available on The Met website. 

The exhibition is organized by Julia Siemon, Assistant Research Curator, Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. At The Met, conservation and scientific analysis were performed, respectively, by Linda Borsch, Conservator, Department of Objects Conservation, and Mark T. Wypyski, Research Scientist, and Federico Carò, Associate Research Scientist, Department of Scientific Research. Exhibition design is by Daniel Kershaw, Exhibition Design Manager; graphics are by Mortimer Lebigre, Graphic Designer, and Amber Newman, Junior Graphic Designer; lighting is by Clint Ross Coller and Richard Lichte, Lighting Design Managers, all of The Met Design Department. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication edited by Julia Siemon, with essays by Ellenor Alcorn, Mary Beard, Michèle Bimbenet-Privat, Linda Borsch, Federico Carò, Wolfram Koeppe, Xavier F. Salomon, Timothy Schroder, Julia Siemon, Stefanie Walker, and Mark T. Wypyski. The book, which is published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, will be available at The Met Store (paperback, $50).

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. The Augustus figure and Domitian dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver. Minneapolis Institute of Art, The James Ford Bell Family Foundation Fund, The M. R. Schweitzer Fund, and The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund.

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. The Vespasian figure from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99 (foot added after the mid-19th century). Gilded silver. Private Collection.

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. The Augustus dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver. Private Collection.

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. Titus’s Roman triumph (detail from the Titus dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze), ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon.

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. Titus visiting Egypt (detail from the Titus dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze), ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon.

Anonymous (Netherlandish?) goldsmith. The Domitian dish from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99. Gilded silver. Minneapolis Institute of Art, The James Ford Bell Family Foundation Fund, The M. R. Schweitzer Fund, and The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund. 

Detail from the Otho tazza from the Aldobrandini Tazze, ca. 1587–99, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.