Lot 93. Jan Baptist Weenix (Amsterdam 1621-circa 1660 Deutecum), A Mediterranean harbour scene with figures gathered, signed 'Gio b***/ Weenix' (on architecture, centre left), oil on canvas, 66.2 x 91.6cm (26 1/16 x 36 1/16in). Estimate £15,000 - 20,000 (€17,000 - 23,000). Sold for £62,500 (€70,567) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: John Campbell, 2nd Marquis of Breadalbane KT, PC, FRS (1796 - 1862)
Lady Mary Campbell (1795 - 1862) 
Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos GCSI, PC, DL (1823 - 1889)
The Right Honourable Mary Elizabeth Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 11th Lady Kinloss, CI (1852 - 1944)
Lt.-Col. The Honourable Thomas George Breadalbane Morgan-Grenville (1891 - 1965), and thence by descent to the present owner.

Note: The present painting is known to have belonged to the 2nd Marquis of Breadalbane. It is possible, therefore, that his father, John Campbell, 1st Marquis of Breadalbane, inherited the present painting from his grandfather, James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale via his mother, Lady Elizabeth Maitland, when it might have hung at Thirlestane Castle, Lauder. The 2nd Marquis is known to have embellished Langton Castle in Berwickshire (later rebuilt to a design by David Bryce in 1886 as Langton House and finally demolished in 1950) with chattels from his other family property, Taymouth Castle, Perth and Kinross. The 2nd Marquis married Eliza Baillie from Mellerstain House, Gordon, suggesting a possible alternative provenance. 

Bonhams. OLD MASTER PAINTINGS, 6 Dec 2017, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Lot 48. Aert van der Neer (Amsterdam 1603-1677), An evening landscape with fishermen in the foreground, figures resting beside a bridge, a village with a church spire and windmills to the left, a country tavern to the right and vessels on an estuary beyond, signed with monogram 'AV DN' (lower right, both in ligature), oil on canvas, 42.5 x 58cm (16 3/4 x 22 13/16in). Estimate £50,000 - 70,000 (€57,000 - 80,000). Sold for £56,250 (€63,510) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: Sale, J. Viet, Amsterdam, 12 October 1774, lot 352 (sold for fl. 121) 
With Leonard Koetser, London (Eventide Landscape, 1958 catalogue, no. 6, dimensions incorrectly given as 42.5 x 50 cm.), where purchased by the present owner's parents.

Exhibited: Possibly, Arnhem, Gemeentemuseum, 1958, no. 19, ill. (see Schulz, op. cit. p. 381)
Possibly, Warsaw, Warsaw Muzeum Narodowe, 1958, no. 66/67 (cat. no. 66 (see Schulz, op. cit. p. 381)

Literature: C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, London, 1918, vol. VII, no. 322, p. 436 
W. Schulz, Aert van der Neer, Doornspijk, 2002, no. 990, p. 381 (whereabouts unknown)

Note: Hofstede de Groot describes the landscape by Aert van der Neer, sold in 1774 in Amsterdam as follows: 'Moonlit landscape with a river animated by various boats. In the foreground is a pool, where two fishermen are employed with a net. To the left a church with a tower and on the water some farmhouses. The ascending moon is to the right behind a house. - Faithful in light and in colouring. On canvas, 42.5 x 58 cm.' Because Schulz had not seen it and the 1958 catalogue gives the incorrect dimensions (42.5 x 65 cm.), he listed the Leonard Koetser picture as 'Attribution plausible' and 'possibly the copy sold in Amsterdam, 12 October 1774, lot 352'. In fact, both the description and dimensions match Hofstede de Groot's no. 322 exactly. Schulz compared the composition to a version of the subject that was sold in Cologne, 3 June 1959, lot 111; and to works exhibited in Arnhem in 1958 (no. 19, fig. 34) and at Warsaw, 1958 (no. 66.). Copies of the present composition are known: in Brugge Stadhuis (B 138869); and sale, Amsterdam (Brandt), 28 June 1973, lot 33, ill. The latter was attributed to Anthony van Borssom, a suggestion that was rejected by both Fredo Bachmann and Wolfgang Schulz. 

As a painter of twilight, moonlit and winter landscapes, Aert van der Neer was one of the most important landscapists of his age, celebrated for his subtle portrayal of atmosphere. His early landscapes were influenced by the Camphuysen brothers, Raphael and Jochem Govertsz., the former probably being his master. He married their sister, Lysbeth in 1629. This influence is evident in the design of the present work which is framed by a church spire and two windmills on the left and an inn on the right while receding to a distant estuary beyond. A very similar composition, for example, with the church, the windmill and a boat in the foreground, a winter landscape on panel, 26.4 x 40.5 cm., is in the National Gallery, London. It was through these two brother artists and those of the Frankenthal school, such as Gillis d'Hondecoeter and Alexander Keirincx, that van der Neer inherited the compositional influence of the Flemish landscape tradition. Van der Neer's particular achievement, however, was that he augmented the established laws of perspective through his representation of light, often enhanced by cloud patterns and by the descent of dusk, through the use of subtle tonal changes, creating a sense of space and atmosphere. This could not be more evident than in the present poetic landscape. 

The artist paid special attention to certain laws of nature, not only in the carefully considered detail in the sky, where imposing cloud formations are depicted with meteorological awareness, but most of all in his treatment of the reflection and diffusion of light with nuances of colour over a relatively monochrome landscape. The sunlight breaking through the clouds to the right of the present composition gives a clear, warm glow to the figures and other details it touches; while the artist's skill in conveying translucence allows those more distant details, lacking in the sun's light, to appear in the darkness through a variety of warm browns and steel greys. 

Although he worked all his life in Amsterdam, his choice of subject matter reveals his love of the canals and woods around Haarlem and Leiden, and for the reaches of the Meuse and Rhine. Aert van der Neer's ultimate story is that of the classic impoverished artist, unappreciated in his own lifetime. In 1662, when he was documented as having been the keeper of a tavern with his son, Johannes, he was declared bankrupt and when his paintings were appraised they were considered to be of small value. It is a testament to his dedication as an artist, however, that van der Neer continued to paint while in a state of extreme poverty on the Kerkestraat in Amsterdam until his death. 

We are grateful to Dr. Ellis Dullaert for her assistance in confirming the cataloguing of this lot. 

Bonhams. OLD MASTER PAINTINGS, 6 Dec 2017, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Sceau cubique bleu et blanc, règne de Kangxi (1662-1722), porcelaine à décor bleu et blanc. Hauteur : 6 cm. Largeur : 6 cm. Paris, musée Guimet - musée national des Arts asiatiques, MG16960. Photo (C) RMN-Grand Palais (MNAAG, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier

Sceau impérial cubique à décor de dragons à cinq griffes poursuivant la perle enflammée parmi les flammes, règne de Kangxi (1662-1722), porcelaine à décor bleu et blanc. Hauteur : 6 cm. Largeur : 6 cm. Ancienne collection Ernest Grandidier. Paris, musée Guimet - musée national des Arts asiatiques, G5609. Photo (C) RMN-Grand Palais (MNAAG, Paris) / Mathieu Ravaux

The former wing inside with the representation of the crucified Schächers after completion of the restoration. “Master of Flémalle”, Thief on the left of Christ / John the Baptist, c. 1430. Mix media on wood, 134,2 x 92,5 cm, Frankfurt am Main, Städel Museum. Foto: Städel Museum

FRANKFURT.- The Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung is presenting a special exhibition revolving around a work of key significance to the history of European art: the so-called Crucified Thief by the “Master of Flémalle”, one of the most enigmatic figures of Early Netherlandish painting. 

Comprehensive examination and restoration of the fragment got underway at the Städel Museum in October 2014. Painted on both sides, it is the only surviving section of a large-scale triptych of the Deposition that was among the most prominent and influential works of Netherlandish painting at the beginning of the fifteenth century. 

Now that the conservation and restoration measures have reached completion, the precious work literally shines with new splendour. The exhibition sheds light on the procedure and spectacular outcome of the technological examination and the restoration. It also features thirteen selected comparanda in the mediums of sculpture, panel painting, drawing and book illumination, serving to contextualize the fragment in a wide variety of ways. 

“With New Splendour. The Restored Crucified Thief by the Master of Flémalle in Context” is the first presentation ever to bring works together that, as early copies, testify to the fame of the original altarpiece while at the same time providing the basis for reconstructing that nonextant overall ensemble. The selection includes such outstanding loans as a painted copy from the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, one drawing each from the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge (Mass., USA) and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (UK), and the Book of Hours of Katharina van Lochorst from the Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte in Münster. The fragment is moreover being shown in conjunction with Netherlandish and German sculptures of the period in question, which is splendidly represented at the Liebieghaus by the so-called Rimini Altarpiece and Hans Multscher’s Holy Trinity. The two last-named works are currently undergoing comprehensive restoration measures themselves, and the exhibition provides suspenseful insights into those projects. One prominent result of the restoration of the Crucified Thief is the recovery of its fascinating illusion of three-dimensionality, a characteristic of the painting of the “Master of Flémalle” that stands out all the more saliently in the show through its dialogical juxtaposition with masterworks of Netherlandish and German sculpture. An entirely new experience of the sophisticated manner in which the “Flémaller” played with contemporary visual expectations, but also of the competition between painting and sculpture in the early fifteenth century, awaits the visitor. 

Master of Catherine of Cleves: Descent from the Book of the Cloister by Katharina van Lochhorst, c. 1450 (detail of fol. 106v). LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur (Westfälisches Landesmuseum), Münster. Foto: LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur (Westfälisches Landesmuseum), Münster /Sabine Ahlbrand.-Dornseif

"Master of the Rimini altar" and workshop, Group with a Thief from a Crucifixion,  c. 1430. Alabaster, minimum remains of original paint, 46,5 x 38 x 14,5 cm. Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung , Frankfut am Main. Foto: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung

"Master of the Rimini altar" and workshop, A group of a crucifixion, around 1430. Alabaster, minimum remains of original paint, 46,5 × 38 × 14,5 cm. Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung , Frankfut am Main. Foto: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung.

"Master of the Rimini altar" workshop, Thief to the right of Christ, around 1430. Alabaster, ca. 35 x 20 cm. Private collection. Foto: private.

Hans Multscher (c. 1400-1467), Trinity with angels, around 1430. Alabaster, supplemented during Baroque, original polychromy, retouched, 28,5 x 16,3 x 10,2 cm. Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt am Main. Foto: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung

The exhibition “With New Splendour. The Restored Crucified Thief by the Master of Flémalle in Context” is being carried out jointly by the Städel Museum and the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung and supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain. The conservation and restoration of the Crucified Thief was supported through a grant from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project. 

“The ongoing study, conservation and restoration of the holdings are among the museum’s traditional core responsibilities, and thus also among its most distinguished. As the exhibition so impressively demonstrates, both the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung and the Städel Museum dedicate themselves to these responsibilities with as much a sense of duty as of passion. What is more, we attach very special importance to making our scientific findings – in the areas of art history as well as the technological investigation of paintings – accessible to a broad public”, emphasizes Dr Philipp Demandt, the director of the Liebieghaus and the Städel Museum. 

“The Crucified Thief by the ‘Master of Flémalle’ holds a prominent position in Early Netherlandish painting. The chequered history of the original work from altarpiece to fragment, from sacred object to panel painting, and the countless measures it has been subjected to over the course of nearly six hundred years led to our wish to carry out a fundamental evaluation. Thanks to the latest restoration, the painting’s specific forcefulness, which results from the subtle manner in which the artist juggled with visual expectations and pictorial realities, now comes into its own in a very striking way”, observes Prof Dr Jochen Sander, the curator of the exhibition and head of the collection of German, Dutch and Flemish painting before 1800 at the Städel Museum. 

“The conservation and restoration work concentrated primarily on the press brocade that constitutes the background of the Crucified Thief. The fragment is one of the earliest surviving examples of this technique of imitating precious gold brocade fabrics, and in its execution one of the most exceptional. Owing to a great loss of material as well as later revisions, the finely detailed ornamental relief structure was no longer legible. The chief focus of the restoration measures was therefore on removing later measures that interfered with a clear reading, and on harmoniously replacing the missing parts. Through the removal of coatings with the help of laser, it was possible to make the press brocade perceivable once again in its material design as a gold surface”, explains conservator Annegret Volk, who under the supervision of Stephan Knobloch, the head of painting restoration at the Städel Museum, was charged with the scientific research and the realization of the restoration concept for the Crucified Thief. 

The Crucified Thief by the “Master of Flémalle” 
The Crucified Thief once formed the upper half of the right wing of a monumental altarpiece presumably executed for a Bruges church or chapel around 1430 and meanwhile completely lost except for this fragment. In its open state it showed the Deposition of Christ between the two thieves who had been executed with him. In its closed state, it displayed the simulated sculptures of St John the Baptist and another figure, probably Christ. Like the altarpiece to which the Städel Museum’s “Flémalle panels” belonged (the works from which the master’s name of convenience derives), which has likewise survived only in fragments, the Deposition triptych was executed around 1430. In the Netherlandish art of the fifteenth century there are numerous indications that the “Flémaller’s” Deposition caused quite a sensation among his contemporaries. 

The “Master of Flémalle” is one of the most enigmatic artists of Early Netherlandish painting. Contrary to what the name of convenience suggests, what lies concealed behind this name is not a clearly definable individual but an entire group of painters. The artist Robert Campin of Tournai had brought them together in his workshop between 1426/27 and 1432 for the execution of several major altarpieces. One of them was Rogier van der Weyden. In 2008, in cooperation with the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Städel Museum devoted the first comprehensive exhibition ever to the “Master of Flémalle” and Rogier van der Weyden. That show moreover investigated the unresolved questions of art history with regard to ‘ars nova’, the revolutionary new painting style that emerged in the Burgundian Netherlands and, with its realistic representation of reality down to the smallest detail, marked the commencement of modern art at the beginning of the fifteenth century. 

Master of the Bruges Ursulalegende (circle), Descent from the Cross, a copy of the Descent from the Cross of the "Master of Flémalle", last third 15th century. Oak wood mixing technique, 59.9 × 26.5 cm (left wing), 59.0 × 60.2 cm (center panel), 59.6 × 26.3 cm, (right wing), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Foto: © National Museums, Liverpool

Master of the Bruges Ursulalegende (circle), Depiction of the Deposition of the Cross, copy of the Deposition of the Deposition of the "Master of Flémalle", last third of the 15th century (left wing). Mixed technique on oak wood, 59.9 × 26.5 cm (left wing), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Foto: © National Museums, Liverpool

Master of the Bruges Ursulalegende (circle), Depiction of the Deposition of the Cross, copy of the Deposition of the Deposition of the "Master of Flémalle", last third of the 15th century (middle panel). Mixed media on oak, 59,0 × 60,2 cm (middle panel), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Foto: © National Museums, Liverpool

 Master of the Bruges Ursulalegende (circle), Depiction of the Deposition of the Cross, copy of the Deposition of the Deposition of the "Master of Flémalle", last third of the 15th century (right wing). Mixed technique on oak wood, 59.6 × 26.3 cm, (right wing), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Foto: © National Museums, Liverpool

Dutch Master, Descent from the Cross, tracing of the middle panel of the Deposition of the Depiction of the Cross by the "Master of Flémalle", last third of the 15th century. brush drawing in ink, bodycolour and red chalk on dark-grey prepared ground (washed paper), , 26,7 x 25,7 cm, The Syndics of the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (UK). Foto: © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Restoration 
A thorough technological investigation, an ethical discussion of the restoration concept, and an assessment of the risks posed by the various measures preceded the comprehensive restoration of the Crucified Thief. Immediately after the severely damaged altarpiece fragment was purchased in 1840, it was subjected to several restoration measures that strongly dominated its appearance until very recently. Supplements to the background that deviated in structure and colour from the gold press brocade of the original were especially disturbing, as were the coatings that had been applied. What is more, a vertical crack in the panel had been stabilized with a strip of wood on the outside of the wing. To that end, it had been necessary to plane off the painting (at the time overpainted in black) in the area of the crack. The aim of the restoration was to enable the viewer to experience the work in all its facets once again. On the one hand, the aesthetic focus was to be shifted away from the infelicitous past restoration measures to the original painting’s exceptional quality. On the other hand, the press brocade was to be made perceivable again in its elaborate, relief-like design and as a gold surface. Both aspects contribute to allowing viewers to rediscover the special qualities in the design of the Crucified Thief, the manner in which the artist(s) played with the material limitations, the various pictorial levels and the wealth of detail. A further very important goal was to ensure the continued legibility of the work’s fragmentary character – after all, it is not a panel painting in the modern sense, but part of a larger overall ensemble of a late medieval altarpiece. This aspect will be vividly brought to bear in the show with the aid of a new presentation concept, the omission of a frame, the installation in a display case to allow viewing from all sides, and the exposure of a corner of an angel’s robe fluttering over from the central panel – a detail that had been gilded over when the original altarpiece was destroyed.

The former wing inside with the representation of the Schächers before the restoration. “Master of Flémalle”, Thief on the left of Christ / John the Baptist, c. 1430. Mix media on wood, 134,2 x 92,5 cm, Frankfurt am Main, Städel Museum. Foto: Städel Museum

The detail of the two soldiers in pre-, intermediate- and final state shows an example of the change of the painting during the restoration. "Master of Flémalle", Thief on the left of Christ / John the Baptist, around 1430. Mixed technique on oak wood, 134.2 x 92.5 cm, Frankfurt am Main, Städel Museum. Foto: Städel Museum

Detail of a complete press brocade sheet after the reconstruction and gilding of the original sample. Foto: Städel Museum

The former wing outside just before completion of the restoration. Foto: Städel Museum

The former wing outside with the depiction of John the Baptist at the beginning of the project. Foto: Städel Museum.

View over the shoulder during the restoration of the Schachen fragment. Foto: Städel Museum.

View into the working room during the varnish removal from the press brocade using a Nd: YAG laser. Foto: Städel Museum.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Self Portrait at the Age of 34, 1640. Oil on canvas, 102 x 80 cm © The National Gallery, London.

PASADENA, CA.- The Norton Simon Museum presents an installation of Rembrandt’s striking Self-Portrait from 1640, on loan from The National Gallery, London this winter season. Titled Self Portrait at the Age of 34, the painting captures the image of the artist in his middle age: affluent, self-confident and wise. Its installation at the Norton Simon Museum marks the first time the painting has been on view in the U.S. and is part of a loan exchange program between the Norton Simon Museum and the National Gallery that began earlier this year, with the London installation of the Museum’s The Repentant Magdalene, after 1660, by Guido Cagnacci. Self Portrait at the Age of 34 has been installed in the Museum’s 17th-century art galleries, alongside the Simon’s own collection of Rembrandt paintings: Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat from 1633, Portrait of a Boy, ca. 1655–60, and the artist’s Self-Portrait, ca. 1636–38, executed only a few years earlier than the National Gallery’s. The painting is on view from Dec. 8, 2017, through March 5, 2018. 

‘Self Portrait at the Age of 34’ 
The age-old tradition of self-portraiture was enthusiastically embraced by Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Indeed, he was his own favorite model. Astonishingly, he recorded his own image roughly 100 times altogether in his paintings, prints and drawings, posing himself for formal portraits, but also capturing himself grimacing or smiling and even depicting himself as a saint. His youthful self-portraits of the 1620s divulge some mild self-examination, as well as a budding self-awareness as an artist; those produced during the 1630s reveal both a jaunty flamboyance and later a self-confident-but-world-wise painter who becomes more soulful as the decade progresses; and those produced in the last two decades of his life treat age with raw honesty and deep introspection. 

Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 34 captures the ambitious artist at the height of his talents and fame, but also as a man who has endured the highs and lows of life. By 1639, he was living in the luxurious comfort of his new home in the Breestraat in Amsterdam, and was commanding the attention of aristocratic patrons. He had also felt the loss of several family members, including three infant children in the span of five years. He would lose his wife, Saskia, only two years later. In the London painting, Rembrandt’s self-assurance is reinforced by his steady gaze and comfortable pose, with his right arm leaning on the parapet, declaring his possession of not only that ledge, but his rightful place as one of the most sought-after artists of the moment. The pose would be imitated by many of his Dutch students and colleagues, perhaps unaware of the various precedents that had inspired Rembrandt himself. 

Rembrandt’s Inspiration 
The presence of Raphael’s stunning 1515 Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (now at the Louvre) in the April 1639 sale of property owned by the wealthy Flemish merchant Lucas van Uffelen was certainly not the first instance of a work by an Italian master in the Netherlands. Rembrandt himself came to own artworks attributed to Jacopo Bassano, Annibale Carracci, Giorgione, Michelangelo, Palma Vecchio and Raphael. But the Van Uffelen sale is notable as being one of the most well-attended auctions in the first half of the 17th century, drawing locals and foreigners alike to bid exceptionally high prices for the high-quality contents of the auction. We assume that it was on this occasion that Rembrandt made his now-famous sketch of Raphael’s Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione that was on the auction block, annotating his drawing with not only the record price at which the painting was eventually sold (3,500 guilders), but also the enormous sum for the total proceeds of the estate sale (59,456 guilders). By this date, the highest figure paid to Rembrandt for one of his single-figure pictures was about 600 guilders, so witnessing the sale of a 125-year-old painting by one of the most treasured Italian Renaissance artists must have made an impression on the already-successful 33-year-old. His attention to this sale, and the Raphael portrait in it, is one of several instances that show that he was looking back to classical roots and seeking out the successful formulas of his predecessors. 

Raphael, Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (1478–1529), 1515. Oil on canvas, 82 x 67 cm. © Musée du Louvre / Angèle Dequier.

As a native of Holland who never travelled outside his homeland, Rembrandt had nonetheless found a connection with Italian art from the previous century. His simple, quick sketch of Raphael’s Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (now at the Albertina in Vienna) is an important key to understanding the genesis of Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 34, signed and dated 1640. By this time, the artist had gained tremendous fame and had already received the commission to paint the colossal scene of the Night Watch (for which he would be paid 1,600 guilders). His lively sketch of the Castiglione portrait would lead to the creation of an etching in the same year, and ultimately a painting in the next, but rather than repeat the image of Castiglione, the figure morphs into Rembrandt’s own visage — he depicted himself as a distinguished and flourishing artist at the peak of his career, dressed in 16th-century garb. 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam), Drawing after the portrait of Baldassare Castiglione by Raphael, 1639. Pen in brown, white cover color, 16.3 x 20.7 cm© Albertina, Vienna.

The Installation 
During its residency at the Norton Simon Museum, Self Portrait at the Age of 34 is being viewed from the vantage point of Rembrandt’s works executed between 1630 and 1640 from the Simon collection. Hanging alongside earlier and later examples of Rembrandt’s paintings, as well as a number of his students’ works, the breadth of the artist’s painterly technique even within this decade can be examined. 

Such is the case of the Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat from 1633, now thought to depict Pieter Sijen (1592–1652), a wealthy Mennonite merchant. This is a pure portrait, not a tronie (or anonymous figure/type), but one depicting the stark, undecorated rigors of this religious group. The bearded man’s kindly stare and regard for the artist/viewer is consistent with Rembrandt’s other male portraits of the period, most of them directly addressing the viewer and revealing the depth of the sitter’s personality. Compare this with the Simon’s tronie by Jan Lievens, Rembrandt’s studio partner in Leiden: Young Man with Red Beret, ca. 1629–1630, is a character study that is magical and mysterious, underscored by the feather and the exotic, diaphanous shawl draped over his shoulders. But the Lievens is clearly not meant to be a pure portrait and is set apart from the mature, soul-searching meditations that Rembrandt produces in the later 1630s. 

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat, 1633. Oil on panel, 69.9 x 54.6 cm, Norton Simon Art Foundation © Norton Simon Art Foundation.

Jan Lievens (Dutch, 1607-1674), Young Man with Red Beret, ca. 1629–1630. Oil on panel, 69.9 x 53.3 cm, Norton Simon Art Foundation © Norton Simon Art Foundation.

The London Self Portrait at the Age of 34, as well as the Simon’s own Self-Portrait from around 1636–1638, mark the artist’s full development in a personal as well as a professional sense. His growth during the portentous years 1630–1640 can be traced by the new frown line on his brow, his distinguished clothing and the keen, almost melancholic eyes that he himself saw as he gazed into a mirror.

Lot 318. A blue and white ‘Magic Fountain’ ewer, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566); 32cm., 12 5/8 in. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 GBP. Lot sold 47,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

the tall spreading base rising to a flattened pear-shaped body, the tall hexagonal serpentine spout and looping bracket handle applied with a lug, painted with breaking waves around the spreading base and a qilin supporting the basin of a fountain issuing water from phoenix and dragon-head spouts, below plantain leaves around the flaring neck, the spout with auspicious lozenges and flame-scrolls and the handle with floral motifs.

Lot 314. A blue and white ‘Magic Fountain’ ewer, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566); 32.5cm., 12¾in. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 GBP.Lot sold 37,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

the flattened pear-shaped body raised on a spreading base with tall hexagonal serpentine spout and looping bracket handle applied with a lug to attach the cover, painted with breaking waves around the spreading base and a qilin supporting the basin of a fountain issuing water from phoenix and dragon-head spouts, below plantain leaves around the flaring neck, the spout with auspicious lozenges and flame-scrolls and the handle with floral motifs, the base with a mark reading Changsheng bulao (Live forever and never become old).

Lot 28. A large blue and white ‘Dragon’ meiping, Wanli mark and period (1573-1620); 63.8cm., 25 1/8 in. Estimate 70,000 — 90,000 GBP. Lot sold 170,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

sturdily potted with high rounded shoulders rising to a short waisted neck and lipped rim, boldly painted in rich cobalt-blue tones with a ferocious four-clawed dragon grasping a sprig of lingzhi in its mouth, the sinuous scaly body with trailing flame-like extensions, the head detailed with whiskers and a long mane, all between lappet bands around the shoulder and the foot, inscribed with a six-character reign mark.

Note: Boldly painted with a striking image of a dragon wrapped around the body, large meiping vases painted in underglaze blue appear to have been popular with the Wanli emperor. Eight large vases and covers of this form, decorated with dragons amongst flower scrolls, have been recovered from the Dingling tomb of the Wanli Emperor in 1958, one of which is illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan. Taoci juan [Gems of China’s Cultural Relics, Ceramics Section], Hong Kong, 1993, pl. H4.

Compare two closely related vases illustrated in Lu Minghua, Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pls 3-97 and 3-98; a slightly smaller example published in Mayuyama. Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 952; one from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated Porcelains, London, 1976, pl. 669; another vase in the British Museum, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 11:32; and a smaller example sold at Christie’s New York, 26th March 2010, lot 1356. Vases of this form are also known painted with phoenix amongst clouds between similar borders; see a meiping included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Ming Blue and White Porcelain, London, 1946, cat. no. 60, sold in these rooms, 8th July 1958, lot 13; and another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 646.

Meiping vase with dragon, Ming dynasty, Wanli mark and period, AD 1573–1620, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration. Height: 59,2 cm. On loan of Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF.669 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

Large porcelain meiping vase with underglaze blue decoration, Ming dynasty, Wanli mark and period (1573-1620), Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Height: 52 cm. Diameter: 24 cm. Bequeathed by Brenda Zara Seligman, 1973,0726.372 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

Meiping vases of this type closely follow the Xuande period (1425-1435) prototype; see for example a large vase painted in underglaze blue with a similar four-clawed dragon grasping a sprig of lingzhi, recovered from the Xuande stratum of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, included in the exhibition Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1989, cat. no. 88.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM

Lot 21. A blue and white ‘Dragon’ fish bowl, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566); 74.2cm., 29 ¼in. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 GBP. Lot sold 74,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s.

the deep tapering sides rising to an everted rim, boldly painted to the exterior with two winged dragons striding amongst cloud scrolls chasing flaming pearls above tumultuous waves, the rim inscribed with a horizontal six-character reign mark.

Note: The present fishbowl is remarkable for its lively scene of winged dragons flying above crested waves. Two closely related examples are known; one in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, was included in the Museum’s exhibition Chinese Ceramics, Sydney, 1965, cat. no. 85; and the other was sold in these rooms, 31st May 1989, lot 82. The difficulties encountered by the Jingdezhen potters in manufacturing such large vessels are mentioned in the Jingdezhen Taolu (An Account of Ceramic Production at Jingdezhen) which records that after firing a large number of these vessels  ‘there were also many that had been ruined, crushed flat, spoilt or squashed’ (see The Fame of Flame. Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2009, p. 120).

Fishbowls of this form are more commonly known painted with five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl amongst clouds; see one illustrated in Lu Minghua, Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2007, pl. 3-84; another included in the exhibition Enlightening Elegance. Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming. The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 17; a fishbowl sold in these rooms, 12th November 2003, lot 153; and a fourth example sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 1996, lot 266. Compare also a fishbowl painted with dragons striding amongst scrolling lotuses, from the collections of Douglas Oliver and the Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, sold twice in our New York rooms, 20th March 1976, lot 118, and again, 23rd March 2004, lot 640.

Lot 319. Two blue and white elephant kendi, Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573-1620); 20cm., 7 7/8 in. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 GBP. Lot sold 32,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

each modelled with its head thrust into the air, the tusks forming a double-spout, a tall cylindrical vase on its back forming the handle, its tasselled saddle painted to both sides with a horse. Quantité: 2.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM

Lot 25. A white-glazed jar, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566); 17.2cm., 6 3/8 in. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 GBP. Lot sold 21,250  GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s.

the tapering body rising to a round shoulders and surmounted by a short wide neck, covered overall in a thick opaque-white glaze stopping neatly at the foot revealing the unglazed footring.

Provenance: Sotheby’s Paris, 16th December 2010, lot 45.

Note: A jar of this type, recovered from the Yongle stratum of the waste heaps of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, was included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Yuan Ming guanyao ciqi [Yuan and Ming imperial porcelain unearthed from Jingdezhen], Yan-Huang Art Museum, Beijing, 1999, cat. no. 95. Compare also larger white-glazed jars of this form; one with cover was included in the Chang Foundation exhibition Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 85; two from the Idemitsu Museum of Art, are published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pls 614 and 615; and two jars incised with a design of dragons, were sold in these rooms, the first from the collection of Madame L. Wannieck, 20th June 2001, lot 43; and the second, 13th November 2002, lot 105.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM

Lot 115. A blue and white box and cover, 17th century; 19cm., 7 ½in. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 GBP. Lot sold 18,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s.

of circular form, the domed cover decorated with a central medallion enclosing a swallow perched on an overhanging willow branch by a river landscape with crabapple and rockwork, the side of the cover and box with detached flowering and fruiting sprays including morning glory, crabapple, pomegranate, orchid, peony and loquat. Quantité: 2.

Provenance: An American Private Collection, purchased from Marchant, London in 2005.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM

Lot 108. A blue and white vase, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period (1627-1644); 39cm., 15 3/8 in. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 12,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s.

the slightly tapering cylindrical body rising to a waisted neck flaring at the rim, painted with a scene from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, depicting one of Liu Bei's generals rescuing Liu Bei's son from capture by rival general Cao Cao, all set in a garden landscape with trees, rocks and swirling clouds, the shoulder and the foot incised with a floral and chevron band, the neck decorated with butterflies and bird amongst flowering bushes.

Provenance: Collection of Richard de la Mare (1901-1986).
Sotheby's, Much Hadham Hall: The Contents of the House Sold by Direction of Richard de la Mare, 1st October 1980, lot 265.
Collection of George and Cornelia Wingfield Digby.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM 

Lot 97. A blue and white washer, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566); 16.6cm., 6 ½ in. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Lot sold 10,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

the shallow flaring sides rising from a concave base to a lobed rim, painted to the interior with a pair of phoenix in flight amidst ruyi clouds, all encircled by a band of eight cranes flying amongst ruyi clouds below a double-line border, the exterior similarly decorated with a pair of dragons striding amongst ruyi clouds, inscribed to the base with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM

Lot 95. A Blue and White 'Three Friends of Winter' Jar, Ming Dynasty, circa 1600; 18cm., 7 1/8 in. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP. Lot sold 3,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

the ovoid body divided into eight lobes, rising to a lobed tapering neck, painted with birds in flight amongst a garden landscape with prunus, bamboo, pine and lingzhi, all below keyfret and lappet bands around the neck and shoulder.

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Londres | 05 nov. 2014, 10:00 AM

Lot 514. A silver-mounted blue and white coffee pot and cover, late Ming dynasty; 22.8 cm, 9 in. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 GBP. Lot sold 17,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

the slender ovoid body rising from a short straight foot to a waisted neck and straight rim, applied with an ear-shaped handle opposite a curved spout, painted in bright cobalt blue-tones depicting boys playing a hat game within a fenced garden in a rocky landscape, below a band of lotus scrolls at the neck, the cover with a similar design of lotus, with silver mounts to rims, the handle and the knop to the cover. Quantity: 2.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Chinese Art, London, 10 Nov 2017, 10:00 AM

This photo taken on October 21, 2016 shows the sculptures of the Terracotta Army at the Terracotta Warrior Museum in Xian in north China's Shaanxi province. The first emperor of China, also known as Qin Shihuang, had an executive order of the elixir of life, according to a text on a set of wooden slips discovered through archaeological excavations, local media reported on December 25. AFP.

BEIJING (AFP).- New archeological research has shed fresh light on China's first emperor -- creator of the world-famous terracotta army -- and his quest for eternal life, state media reported. 

A set of wooden slips found in the central province of Hunan contain an executive order from emperor Qin Shihuang for a nationwide search for the elixir of life, along with replies from local governments, according to Xinhua news agency on Sunday. 

It cited Zhang Chunlong, a researcher at the provincial institute of archaeology, as saying the emperor's decree reached even frontier regions and remote villages. 

Qin Shihuang's obsession with eternal life was well-known: he was responsible for the massive underground mausoleum in the northern province of Shaanxi filled with nearly 8,000 terracotta soldiers built to protect him in the afterlife. 

By studying the 36,000 wooden slips -- found in 2002 at the bottom of a well in Hunan -- archaeologists have uncovered not only the imperial order to find an "elixir of life", but also the often embarrassed responses from local authorities who struggled to meet his demands. 

According to Xinhua, a village called "Duxiang" reported to the emperor that it had failed to discover a miraculous potion, but that the search was continuing. 

Another place, "Langya," suggested that "an herb collected from an auspicious local mountain" might do the job. 

The texts were written on a series of wooden slats originally connected to each other by strings. This technique was the most common medium of writing in China before the appearance of paper at the beginning of the first millennium A.D. 

Qin Shihuang's sereach for immortality was doomed to failure: he died in 210 BC after reigning for 11 years. 

The Qin dynasty -- notorious for its book burnings and executions of literati -- laid the foundation for China as a unified nation that has persisted for two millennia. © Agence France-Presse

Lot 298. A Longquan celadon baluster vase, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Height 14 1/2  in., 36.8 cm. Estimate 8,000 — 10,000 USD. Lot sold 10,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's

sturdily potted rising from a stepped foot to a tall waisted neck with a flared rim, the exterior carved with meandering stems bearing peony blossoms above a band of upright leaves, the neck encircled with rows of horizontal ridges, covered overall in a greenish-yellow glaze, the foot rim unglazed, Japanese wood box and cover (3).

Provenance: Old Japanese collection since the 1950s.

Lot 2466. Large and Impressive Rubellite Tourmaline, Nigeria, weighing approximately 85.27 carats and measuring 27.59 x 20.43 x 15.86mm mm. Sold for US$ 37,500 (€31,637) inc. premium. Photo: Bonhams.

Faceted as a cut-cornered emerald-cut with scissors-cut crown facets, this is a world class tourmaline by any measure. Notable for its large size, which still allows it to be mounted as a ring or pendant and its exceptional clarity and deep, pinkish red color. This is a stone worthy of attention by the most serious collector.

Bonhams. LAPIDARY WORKS OF ART, GEMSTONES AND MINERALS, 6 Dec 2017, 10:00 PST - LOS ANGELES