Lot 216. A large archaistic 'ru'-type vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795); height 13 3/4 in., 35 cm. Estimate 60,000—80,000 USD. Sold 74,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of flattened pear shape molded with raised strapwork panels, the tall waisted neck set with a pair of stylized fish handles, all supported on a spreading foot and covered overall with a bluish-gray glaze.  

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 12th July 2006, lot 132.

Note: A similar ru-type vase also with a Qianlong reign mark and of the period is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 873; three further examples were sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th November 1979, lot 290; 29th October 2001, lot 576; and the third piece, 20th April 2006, lot 1624. Compare also a larger Qianlong vase of this form but covered with a teadust glaze, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 247.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York.

Goblet made of rhinoceros horn, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), before 1590, 6.0 x 6.0 x 12.2 cm, Green Vault, IV 320 © Dresden State Art Collections.

Cabinet piece with the portrait cameo of a Roman emperor, Johann Melchior Dinglinger (1664-1731), Jeweler & Balthasar Permoser (1651-1732), sculptor, Dresden, before 1722; Cameo: Roman, probably 41 AD. Onyx cameo, ivory, cameo, gold, precious stones, pearls, gold plated silver, agate, jasper, enamel. H 44.0 cm; Onyx cameo: H 13.0 cm, W 10.0 cm. Green Vault, V 1.© Dresden State Art Collections.

Family Tree Christi, so-called "Adder Tree", Germany (probably Nuremberg), around 1500. Silver, partly gilded, shark teeth, 19.5 x 10.2 x 10.3 cm, 364 g. Green Vault, IV 108.© Dresden State Art Collections.

Glass mug with enamel painting (heron hunting), Glass and stained glass: Syria, around 1300. Colorless glass, enamel, silver, gilded. H 34.9 cm; Dm lid 13.2 cm; Dm foot 13.5 cm. Green Vault, IV 192. © Dresden State Art Collections.

Glass mug with enamel painting (polo player on horseback), Glass and stained glass: Syria, around 1300. Colorless glass, enamel, silver, gilded. Height 19.9 cm; Diameter of vessel rim 11.2 cm; Dm foot 10.2 cm. Green Vault, IV 193.© Dresden State Art Collections.

Almost throughout the Middle Ages, the southern Mediterranean region dominated by Islam was culturally far superior to the West. This is also evidenced by this masterpiece with enamel painting, created in the heyday of the Syrian glass industry around 1300. The cylindrical drinking cup shape with auslandendem edge and fused ring base is typical of the Islamic Middle Ages. Such glass cups adorned with colorful enamel paintings were not created for the rich courtyards of the luxury cities of Samara, Baghdad and Cairo alone; the fragile treasures also came to Europe as "souvenirs" of crusaders and high-ranking pilgrims or were virtually imported via Venice. This path could also have led to Europe for this glass mug, who received his present North European version with ornate silver rings and lids only in the 15th or early 16th century. The far older glass body conveys in its figurative jewelry the aristocratic feeling of life of the rulers of the Orient. On the wall three riders gallop between golden, ornamental-looking inscription friezes. They play the chivalrous Persian polo. In the long sleeve-necked down to his knees, wide trousers and a large turban, the colorfully dressed polo players ride on white, yellow and red horses. An Arabic inscription enclosing this image strip praises the glory of a sultan named unnamed at the top in old Naskhi script and at the bottom with the same text in italics.

Drinking horn (griffin claw), probably Prague, around 1400. Silver, gold plated, horn, enamel. H 34.2 cm, L 48.5 cm; Cover: Dm 12.3 cm. Green Vault, IV 333. © Dresden State Art Collections.

Lot 260. A fine and large pale celadon jade vase and cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); height 11 in., 27.9 cm. Estimate 250,000 — 300,000 USD. Lot sold 926,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of rectangular section, the body of slightly tapered form rising from a low splayed foot, the sides finely carved in low-relief with a central hibiscus flower within intricately formed leafy panels below a pair of shuang xi('double happiness') characters on the waisted neck set with a pair of elaborately carved dragon-mask handles suspending loose rings, the domed cover similarly decorated with a finely carved leafy design below a pointed knob finial, the stone translucent and of even white tone with a tinge of pale celadon (2).

Provenance: A Midwest Institution.
R. Norris Shreve Collection.
Sotheby's New York, 31st May and 1st June 1994, lot 52.

Note: The floral elements on this vase evoke the elaborate and complex designs found on Indian Mughal jades which were popular at the Qing court particularly during the reign of the Qianlong emperor when they first reached the court as items of trade or tribute. Revered by the emperor for their color, extreme thinness and designs, many jade pieces of this period embrace design elements associated with Mughal jades, such as the hibiscus flower and the wispy tendrils of the surrounding foliate frame on this vase, and combine them with Chinese elements such as the shuang xi characters. Compare a vase of similar color, shape and design sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th October 2001, lot 712.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York.

Lot 251. An important pale celadon jade brushpot, bitong, Qing dynasty, 18th century; height 6 3/4 in., 17.1 cm diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm. Est. 300,000—400,000 USD. Lot sold 662,500 USD to an Asian Private. Photo: Sotheby's.

of cylindrical shape and resting on five delicate bracket feet, the body subtly and skillfully carved around the exterior with an immortal in a windswept stance accompanied by three attendants, the group crossing a river and traversing craggy mountain paths, the immortal carrying a large peach while the attendants hold a lingzhisprig, a narcissus, and a stalk of bamboo, their presence a modest part of the large and imposing landscape, accentuated with a pavilion in the distance and two large pine trees, the other side of the exterior imitating the high walls of a mountain enshrouded by mist, the stone of translucent and very even pale celadon tone, polished to a soft glow, carved silver-inlaid wood stand, the base of the brushpot and the stand both bearing the number 3267 in red ink  (2).

Provenance: Collection of Heber R. Bishop (b. 1840 - d. 1902).
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Note: This superbly carved pale celadon jade brushpot epitomizes the best in 18th century Chinese jade carving, skillfully using the stone's translucency and even pale celadon-white color to depict an immortal and his attendants in a luminous landscape setting. Jade brushpots of this color and size are extremely rare due to the limited availability of the material. The quality of the stone as well as the carving may suggest that the piece was carved within the Imperial workshops in Beijing during the Qianlong period. By combining meticulously detailed elements, such as the pine trees, with the smooth and sparsely carved rocky mountains, the flawless beauty and luminosity of the light celadon-colored stone are accentuated.

A number of brushpots of pale celadon or white jade, similarly carved with figures holding auspicious objects wandering in landscape settings, are known from important museums and private collections; compare, for example, a smaller white jade brushpot in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 167; a slightly larger brushpot, from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1518; and a third example, carved from a slightly mottled celadon stone, previously from the collection of T.B. Kitson, sold in our London rooms, 30th May 1961, lot 447, and again at Christie's New York, 17th September 2008, lot 329. Compare also a white jade brushpot, but without feet, in the National Palace Museum, Taibei, included in the exhibition The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, cat. no. 60.

The present brushpot was acquired by Heber R. Bishop (1840-1902), a well-known banker, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who formed one of the most important early collections of Chinese jades in the second half of the 19th century. While the majority of his collection was bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1902, this brushpot remained in the family and was handed down from one generation to the next to the present owner. It will be offered at auction for the first time since it was acquired by Heber R. Bishop in the 19th century and is one of the few jade pieces from this important collection ever to be sold. 

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York.

Lot 242. A well-carved white jade vase and cover, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century; height 8 in., 20.3 cm. Est. 80,000 — 100,000 USD. Lot sold 80,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of slender baluster shape rising from a tall, slightly everted foot decorated with four flanges, the body finely carved in low-relief with large pendent lappets each enclosing a stylized taotie mask, the shoulder and neck decorated with a band of taotie masks between S-shaped curls and set with a pair of phoenix-head handles each suspending a loose ring, the cover decorated with four rams in low relief below a hollow floret knop, a Qianlong four-character seal-script mark carved on the exterior of the foot rim, the stone an even whitish tone, the cover possibly associated (2).

Provenance: Estate of Pauline E. Woolworth.
Sotheby's New York, 28th November 1994, lot 27.

Note: The mark on this vase uses stylized seal-script characters and can be found on a number of jades of archaistic form or design in known collections. Compare, for example, a small white jade dragon and ring pendant bearing this mark in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum, published in James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, pl. 68; an identical mark is incised on the base of an archaistic yellow jade vase in the Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware, vol. III, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 66. 

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York.

Lot 250. A pale celadon jade carving of a crab, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century; length 4 in., 10.2 cm. Est. 50,000 — 70,000 USD. Lot sold 62,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

finely carved in the round as a crab from a pale celadon stone utilizing the russet inclusions to enhance the carving, realistically rendered with eight limbs and two large pinchers, wreathed by long slender bending stems bearing a bloom, pod and pad of lotus and an ear of millet, wood stand (2).

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow.

Note: The carving forms a wish for harmony, 'hexie', formed by the rebus of the crab, xie, stalks of millet, he or sui, lotus leaf,heye. It also can mean "May you have a harmonious marriage year after year," (suisui hexie). The piece was intended as a wedding gift. 

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York.

Lot 214. A blue and white 'sanduo' vase, meiping, Qing dynasty, early 18th century; height 13 3/8 in., 34 cm. Est. 40,000 — 60,000 USD. Lot sold 60,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

superbly potted, of broad shouldered form with a waisted neck and lipped rim, gently tapering down to the slightly splayed foot, boldly painted in underglaze-blue with the 'Three Abundances' (sanduo), the peach, pomegranate and longan spray borne on undulating leafy stems, framed by friezes of plantain leaves above and below, the neck with a band of floral spray above a keyfret border.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27th April 2003, lot 215. 

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York. 

Lot 205. A small 'famille-rose''poppy' bowl, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735); diameter 3 1/2 in., 9 cm. Est. 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Lot sold 52,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of finely potted rounded form, the exterior finely painted with three poppy blooms, one striated pink, one shaded white and one in iron-red, all borne upon slender hairy stems with leaves in shaded tones of bluish-green and yellowish-green, the interior with three fallen blossoms in pink and white, old restoration.

Note: A bowl painted with the same design of poppy branches is illustrated in the Percival David Foundation Catalogue, section 2, no. 878, but with a lychee and fruit seeds replacing the florets in the interior; compare a bowl of the same type sold in our London rooms, 12th June 1990, lot 322. 

Cup with fencai poppies, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng marks and period, AD1723–35, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue and opaque overglaze enamels. Height: 4 cm; Diameter: 9,3 cm. On loan from Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF 878. © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York. 

Lot 273. An incised celadon-glazed dish, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735); diameter 8 1/4 in., 21 cm. Est. 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Lot sold 37,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the shallow sides rising to the white-glazed rim, the interior well finely incised with two large stylized bats with foliated wings and tails encircling a shou medallion, surrounded by a double-line border, the cavetto with five formal cloud scrolls, a band of flying bats and ruyi-head clouds on the reverse, applied overall with an even celadon glaze, the underside glazed white with the six-character reign mark in a double-circle.

Provenance: Edward T. Chow Collection (until 1980).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th November 1980, lot 97.

Note: This dish is unusual for its design and no other example appears to have been published. Compare a pair of slightly smaller dishes, similarly incised in the interior with five cloud scrolls on the well, but with the central shou character encircled by five bats flying amidst crashing waves, and a further five bats flying above frothy waves encircling the foot on the exterior, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 532. See also a celadon-glazed dish decorated with a central shou character surrounded by crested waves, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th November 1996, lot 846.

The combination of bats and shou medallion symbolize the wish for blessings and longevity, while the clouds provide an additional wish for good fortune.

Lot 220. A doucai''wufu' saucer dish, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735); diameter 6 1/8 in., 15.4cm. Est. 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Lot sold 32,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with shallow rounded sides, the center decorated with the wufu in iron-red, hovering about the branches of a fruiting peach tree growing from a blue cliff, above crested waves enameled in bright green, the underside with bats in pairs between fruit sprays enameled in yellow, green and aubergine, each reserved with a shou medallion.

Provenance: Collection of Gertrude Morgenroth. 
Thence by descent to the present owner..

Note: A pair of saucer dishes of identical size and design and also with a Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period from the E.T. Chow Collection was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th May 1981, lot 557.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York. 

Lot 202. A large celadon-glazed bowl, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735); diameter 10 1/4 in., 26 cm. Est. 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Lot sold 18,750 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the broad rounded sides supported on a straight foot, covered overall in a pale sea-green glaze of even color, the interior and underside of base glazed white, inscribed in underglaze-blue with a six-character mark within double-circles on the base.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23rd October 2005, lot 518.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York. 

Lot 278. A copper-red -glazed bowl, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735); diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm. Est. 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Lot sold 7,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

well-potted with rounded flared sides, applied with a strawberry-red glaze pooling to a deeper color towards the foot, the interior and base glazed white, the base inscribed with a six-character mark in underglaze blue.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York. 

Rueland Frueauf the Elder, Portrait of the painter Jobst Seyfrid, around 1495© Belvedere, Vienna

VIENNA.- This exhibition at the Upper Belvedere focuses on the works of the Late Gothic painter Rueland Frueauf the Elder and his workshop. It has been organized to display the panels from Frueauf’s Salzburg altarpiece following the painstaking conservation work undertaken by the Belvedere. These works are at the heart of the exhibition about the generation of artists preceding Albrecht Dürer, who are so rarely placed in the spotlight. 

Rueland Frueauf the Elder was probably born around 1440/50. He first lived and worked in Salzburg and later on, from the 1480s, in Passau, where he completed the painting of the town hall, taking over from the official city painter. Frueauf the Elder, who died in Passau in 1507, can be regarded as one of the greatest Late Gothic painters in the German-speaking area. 

Rueland Frueauf the Younger, Boar Hunt, around 1505© Klosterneuburg, Monastery Museum

At the heart of the exhibition are eight altarpiece panels by the artist. These scenes from the Passion and the Life of the Virgin were painted in 1490/91, presumably for St. Peter’s Church in Salzburg, and they are the starting point for questions of attribution concerning the many works associated with the Frueauf circle. A further masterpiece by the artist in the Belvedere’s collection is the portrait of a man, whom recent discoveries in the archives have identified as the Passau-based painter Jobst Seyfrid. “For this exhibition, we were able to bring together more works by the Frueauf group than have ever before been shown at one place. This opens up new perspectives on these extremely valuable paintings that have long preoccupied art history scholars and interested museum visitors,” said Björn Blauensteiner, the curator of the exhibition. 

Rueland Frueauf the Elder, Carrying of the Cross, around 1490-91. Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Vienna

Besides the oeuvre of Frueauf the Elder, the exhibition also presents a selection of works by artists from his circle. These include several examples by the Master of Großgmain that are striking for their exquisite painting technique. Thanks to generous loans from Klosterneuburg Monastery art collections, all of the known works by Frueauf’s son, Rueland Frueauf the Younger, are also on display, including the famous Legend of Saint Leopold. This first juxtaposition of the younger Frueauf’s oeuvre with his father’s work means that both painters can be compared in detail and promises plenty of food for thought concerning questions surrounding the Frueauf circle. “The combination of works by the Frueauf father and son offers Klosterneuburg Monastery the unique opportunity to re-evaluate major works from its own picture gallery and see them in a fresh light. I am delighted about this temporary ‘family reunion’ after over 500 years,” said Wolfgang Christian Huber, custodian of the art collections at Klosterneuburg Monastery. 

Rueland Frueauf the Elder, Crucifixion, around 1490-91. Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Vienna

The Salzburg altarpiece panels showing scenes from the Passion and the Life of the Virgin are in the Belvedere’s collection and have been painstakingly conserved in recent years. What was different about this project was that it was partially carried out as a public restoration at the Upper Belvedere and was thus made accessible to visitors. One particular challenge for the conservators was that the panels, originally painted on both sides, had been separated in the 1920s and 1930s. For a long time, this was common practice in order to be able to present both sides of the panels at the same time. However, the paintings were left very fragile as a result. A major aim of this conservation project was therefore to improve the stability of the paintings and secure the layers of paint. A further objective was to respectfully draw out the beauty of Rueland Frueauf the Elder’s unique art. Stella Rollig, CEO of the Belvedere, said: “The altarpiece panels by Rueland Frueauf the Elder are an example of the outstanding achievements of the Belvedere’s Conservation Department. The exhibition is the output of years of meticulous work – almost detective work – that has safeguarded the future existence of these masterpieces from the Late Gothic period.” 

Rueland Frueauf the Elder, Flagellation of Christ, around 1490-91. © Belvedere, Vienna

In addition to the eight paintings from the Salzburg altarpiece, many other works from the Frueauf group were examined in preparation for the exhibition. The underdrawings hidden beneath layers of paint were brought to light using infrared reflectography, revealing original ideas that had actually been abandoned centuries ago. These paintings were also examined using X-rays and pigment analysis, ultraviolet light, raking light, and also under the microscope. The results are presented in the exhibition and published in the accompanying catalogue, the first monograph about Rueland Frueauf the Elder for over seventy years.  

Master of Großgmain, Saint Augustine, around 1498© Belvedere, Vienna

The exhibition is curated by Björn Blauensteiner and has been organized in collaboration with Klosterneuburg Monastery. Exhibitions in the series Masterpieces in Focus are made possible by the generous support of the Dorotheum. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue.

November 23, 2017 to March 11, 2018

Exhibition view "Rueland Frueauf the Elder and his Circle". Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Wien.

Exhibition view "Rueland Frueauf the Elder and his Circle". Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Wien.

Exhibition view "Rueland Frueauf the Elder and his Circle". Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Wien.

Exhibition view "Rueland Frueauf the Elder and his Circle". Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Wien.

Exhibition view "Rueland Frueauf the Elder and his Circle". Photo: Johannes Stoll © Belvedere, Wien.

Lot 205. A 'Longquan' celadon-glazed tripod censer, Song dynasty (960-1279); 13.2cm., 5 1/4 in. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 GBP. Lot sold 30,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

the compressed globular body rising from three short tapering legs to a short straight neck and broad everted rim, each leg with a narrow flange running up to a band at the shoulder, covered overall with a soft blue-green glaze.

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

Lot 65. A  ‘Longquan’ celadon ‘Lotus’ bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 17.4cm., 6 7/8 in. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 16,250 GBP. Photo: Sotheby’s

the deep rounded sides rising from a short tapering foot , carved around the exterior with overlapping lotus leaves and covered ovarall with a soft even bluish-green glaze.

Provenance: Collection of Francisco Capelo.

Literature: Francisco Capelo et. al., Forms of Pleasure. Chinese Ceramics from Burial to Daily Life, London, 2009, pl. 64.

Note: A slightly larger bowl of this type is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. one, London, 1994, pl. 539, where the author notes that lotus bowls were made during the Song and Yuan dynasties, however, the early examples such as the present bowl, are more carefully potted, carved, glazed and fired (see p. 290). The carving of the lotus petal is especially deep and crisp with later examples treating the design as a simple raised rib as if adding a quick finishing touch to the exterior.

Compare another related bowl of slightly smaller dimensions sold in these rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 178; one from the collection of George Debatz and exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, sold at Christie’s New York, 30thNovember 1983, lot 337; and a third example from the Eugene Bernat collection, sold in our New York rooms, 7th November 1980, lot 145. See also a smaller bowl published in Celadon from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, pl. 133; and one included in Longquan qingci, Beijing, 1966, pl. 28.