Balthasar Van Der Ast (Middelburg 1593/94 - 1657 Delft), Still life of tulips, roses, an iris and lily of the valley in an ornate glass jug on a stone ledge with a lizard and a shell. Photo Sotheby's

signed lower right: Bvander. Ast.; oil on oak panel; 38.5 by 25.8 cm.; 15 1/8 by 10 1/8 in. Estimate 200,000-300,000 GBP. Lot sold 362,500 GBP

PROVENANCE: Mrs A.R. Sinclaire, London;
By whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 25 April 1956, lot 155, for £1,400 to Edward Speelman;
With William Hallsborough Gallery, London;
Sidney J. van den Bergh, Wassenaar, 1957;
With Kunsthandel Peter de Boer, Amsterdam, 1958;
Donner collection, England;
With Kunsthandel Peter de Boer, 1989;
From whom acquired by the parents of the present owners.

LITTERATURE: L.J. Bol, The Bosschaert Dynasty,  Leigh-on-Sea 1960, p. 72, no. 19.

NOTE: While many of Van der Ast’s flower pieces are lavishly composed with a wide assortment of blooms, here he has pared down his composition to a simpler but more elegant form.  Four large blooms dominate: two tulips, a yellow iris and a pink rose, with lily-of-the valley, forget-me-nots and rose buds as a supporting cast.  His choice of an elegant, restrained composition allows Van der Ast to focus our attention on the beauty of the individual flowers.  The clear glass jug allows us to see the stems of the flowers, and as Laurens Bol noted, the S shape of the lizard which turns to look upwards repeats the serpentine form of the ornamented handle of the jug.

Jacob Van Hulsdonck (Antwerp 1582 – 1647), Still life of tulips, carnations, a rose and other flowers in a glass beaker resting on a wooden ledge. Photo Sotheby's

oil on oak panel, prepared reverse; 40 by 28 cm.; 15 3/4 by 11 in. Estimate 150,000-250,000 GBP. Lot sold 182,500 GBP.

PROVENANCE: J.E.H. Ball;
By whom anonymously sold (`The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Sotheby's, 30 June 1971, lot 101, as Anthony Claesz. I, for £12,500 to Richard Green;
With J.O. Leegenhoek, Paris, 1971 (as Jan van Kessel);
Acquired by the late father of the present owner, probably from the above.

LITTERATURE: E. Greindl, Les Peintres Flamands de Nature Morte au XVIIe Siècle, Brussels 1983, pp. 42, 364, cat. no. 42, reproduced in colour plate 23;
M.-L. Hairs, The Flemish Flower Painters in the XVIIth Century, Brussels 1985, p. 482.

NOTE: Pure flower still lifes by Hulsdonck are very rare, and only a handful are signed. They are evenly divided between copper and panel supports. None of his paintings of any subject are dated, so it is difficult to suggest a chronology for his work; even panel-makers' marks are of little help in dating them since he liked to use panels prepared with gesso on the reverse, which makes the wood more stable and less susceptible to warping.

Hulsdonck seems to have spent some time early in his life in Middelburg, where he may have enountered the early work of Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder. In Antwerp, where he is believed to have settled in 1608, he was inevitably influenced by Jan Brueghel the Elder, but his work has a greater formal elegance and refined simplicity than Brueghel's generally much more elaborate flower-pieces, and this may well be due to Bosschaert's formative influence. In a few cases his flower pieces consist solely of carnations, but more usually, as here, he favours a mixture of a restricted number of blooms with tulips predominating. Most of them are set against a dark background, and he favoured simple clear glass beakers with prunts in the lower register only, so that the stems of each flower can be followed through to the base.  

These characteristics can be seen in another unsigned flower piece by Hulsdonck on a copper support of similar size to the present panel in a German private collection.1  The present picture is more sparsely composed, with a similar number of larger blooms but fewer interspersing smaller flowers, but in style and handling they are comparable.

The former false attribution to Van Kessel is understandable, since Hulsdonck's was to some extent a forerunner of Van Kessel. In his choice of fewer, larger flowers and clarity of depiction he was also in part a precursor of Daniel Seghers. Edith Greindl, writing in 1983 (see Literature) was the first to recognise Jacob van Hulsdonck as the author of the present work.

1.  Se K. Ertz, in K. Ertz & W. Seipel (ed.), Das Flämische Stilleben 1550-1680, Lingen 2002, pp. 302-03, cat. no. 103, reproduced.

Sotheby's. Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale. London | 03 juil. 2013, 07:00 PM - www.sothebys.com

Jan Brueghel the Elder (Brussels 1568 - 1625 Antwerp), Still life with irises, tulips, roses, narcissi and fritillary in a ceramic vase. Photo Sotheby's

oil on panel; 66 by 49 cm.; 26 by 19 1/4 in. Estimate 600,000-800,000 GBP. Lot sold 722,500 GBP

PROVENANCE: Miss Emily Charlotte Mansel Talbot of Margham (d. 1918);
By inheritance via her niece until anonymously sold ('The Property of a Gentleman of Title'), London, Sotheby's, 6 December 1989, lot 20, for £550,000 (as Jan Brueghel the Younger).

NOTE: This magnificent bouquet of large blue and yellow irises, an array of tulips, roses, narcissi and other wild flowers, is an autograph version of one of Jan Brueghel the Elder’s best-known compositions.  Executed by Brueghel in 1607-8 concurrent with, or shortly after, the small version in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (51 by 40 cm.), it is one of Brueghel’s earliest works and thus constitutes a highly important addition to his oeuvre.1 The composition is typical of the years 1605-10 when Brueghel painted a small number of similarly composed bouquets emanating from ceramic vases. All of these are characterized by the exposed ground layer in between the blooms that we see in the present work, as well as by an exceptionally high level of execution in the blooms themselves. Most, too, were ‘finished’ by a talented assistant and in this painting it is possible that the loose flowers and stalks lying on the ledge are such an example.

Dendrochronological analysis has been carried out on the panel support which consists of two oak planks, one cut from an Eastern Baltic oak felled circa 1596, the other from a western European oak felled sometime after 1578. The dating is calculated by establishing the precise date of the most recent heartwood ring before adding the minimum number of sapwood rings agreed upon by dendrochronologists (it is the same for both Baltic and Dutch oak), currently eight. So the Eastern Baltic plank, being the most recent, allows us to interpret aterminus post quem for the painting: its most recent heartwood ring dates to 1588, to which we must add the minimum  number of sapwood rings, leaving us with an earliest possible felling date of 1596. Allowing for shipment and seasoning, as well as the possibility of a greater number of sapwood rings than the minimum eight, this fully supports the dating of the painting to circa 1607-8. 

The painting was inspected in the original in December 2012 by Drs. Fred G. Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorisches Documentatie, The Hague. Drs. Meijer considers this a fully autograph painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder. 

Critics and collectors alike admired Jan Brueghel's flower pieces from their very inception, and their popularity has never waned. In analyzing his works, art historians have classified Brueghel's flower paintings on the basis of the containers the flowers are in, the size and number of flowers, the construction of the arrangement, etc. However, what is most striking in the end is the artist's extraordinary inventiveness and skill. Although Brueghel sought the very rarest flowers, he uses certain common blooms - tulips, irises and roses - to anchor his bouquets. This probably reflects his patrons' wishes and the popularity of these flowers, as well as compositional considerations. However, despite the repetition of motifs, each work has a remarkable freshness and vitality of its own. 

A great deal has been written about the place of the flower piece in northern art, and it will undoubtedly continue to be a much debated subject. In 1999 Alan Chong and Wouter Kloek convincingly argued that flower pieces should not be seen as allegories of transience filled with hidden meanings but as depictions of the natural world.2 They were not, however, simple copies from nature, but selected and composed by the artist himself. In a letter of August 1606 to Cardinal Federico Borromeo, Brueghel writes of the Large Bouquet in Milan (with which incidentally the present work shares a number of blooms):3

...[in] the painting of the flowers all made from life in this picture, I have invested all my skill. I do not believe that so many rare and different flowers have ever been painted before, nor finished with such diligence: it will be a fine sight in the winter. Some of the colors are very close to the real thing.4

His emphasis is on his own skill, the rarity and abundance of the works and realistic nature of the painting. As Chong points out, this joy in his ability to copy nature reflects a contemporary view of nature and art that may ultimately derive from Erasmus:

Moreover, we are twice pleased when we see a painted flower competing with a living one. In one we admire the artifice of nature, in the other the genius of the painter, in each the goodness of God.5

This outlook formed the basis of Kunst- und Wunderkammern, those collections of rare and wonderful objects, both natural and man-made, which were so popular in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In their richness and multiplicity, they reflected the glory of God whether in the natural world or through the intermediary of his servant - man. Brueghel's Still life with irises, tulips, roses, narcissi and fritillary in a ceramic vase was a testament to the wonders of nature and Brueghel's astonishing skill, and a reflection of the divine presence in the earthly sphere.   

1. See K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere, vol. III, Lingen 2008-10, pp. 913-19, cat. no. 432, reproduced. An inferior version of the present work, which in a larger part was painted by Brueghel’s studio and which is in a far poorer state of preservation, was formerly in the Art Institute of Chicago until sold London, Sotheby’s, 4 July 2012, lot 14
2. A. Chong and W. Kloek,  Still-life Paintings from the Netherlands 1550-1720, Zwolle 1999.  See particularly Chong's essay, 'Contained Under the Name of Still Life:  The Associations of Still-Life Painting,' pp. 11-37
3. Ertz, op. Cit., pp. 909-913, cat. no. 431, reproduced
4. B. Wieseman in A. Chong and W. Kloek, op. cit., p. 110
5. A. Chong in A. Chong and W. Kloek, op. cit., p. 26.

Sotheby's. Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale. London | 03 juil. 2013, 07:00 PM - www.sothebys.com

Isaak Soreau (Frankfurt-Am-Main 1604 - in or after 1645), Still life of fruit in a basket on a ledge. Photo Sotheby's

oil on oak panel, prepared reverse; 57 by 79.5 cm.; 22 1/2 by 31 1/4 in. Estimate 100,000-150,000 GBP. Lot sold 110,500 GBP

PROVENANCE: With J.O. Leegenhoeck, Paris, 1972;
Acquired by the late father of the present owner, probably from the above.

LITTERATURE: E. Greindl, Les Peintres Flamands de Nature Morte au XVIIe Siècle, Brussels 1983, p. 383, cat. no. 22, reproduced, p. 310, fig. 226;
G. Bott, Die Stillebenmaler Soreau, Binoit, Codino und Marrell in Hanau und Frankfurt 1600-1650, Hanau 2001, p. 189, cat. no. WV.UIS.c, reproduced.

NOTE: Very few works by Soreau are signed. Gerhard Bott lists five, of which three are signed in full and two signed with initials, and he identified three dated pictures, two from 1638 and one from 1645.1 He was the son of Daniel Soreau, a wool merchant from Antwerp who emigrated to Frankfurt and later Hanau, and who is recorded by Sandrart as having taken up painting, although no work survives of him. Isaak's twin brother Peter Soreau was also a still life painter, but his few known works are more properly regarded as of the Hanau School, being influenced by Georg Flegel.

Isaak's entire secure oeuvre is close in style to Jacob van Hulsdonck, and although there is no documentary record of him there, he must have spent some time in Antwerp, probably in the studio of Jacob van Hulsdonck. Many of these works, including this one are composed of motifs found in Hulsdonck's work. One of his still lifes is known to have been painted on a panel with an Antwerp mark, and many of them, including this one, are on characteristically thin Flemish panels with prepared reverses to ward off warping.

Although only three works by Soreau are dated, some idea of chronology can be reached. Both works dated 1638 are very close to Hulsdonck in style and composition, while the still life of fruit from 1645 is much less Flemish and has more in common with the Hanau School, and the few works of his brother Peter.

1.  One reads 16.8, the third digit being illegible, but it is close in style to the other work from that year, and it is reasonable to assume that the missing digit is a 3. See Bott, under Literature, pp. 172, 187, 188, cat. nos. WV.IS.1, WV.IS.46, WV.IS.49, all reproduced.

Sotheby's. Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale. London | 03 juil. 2013, 07:00 PM - www.sothebys.com

Catherine II. Photo courtesy Boule

Un pendentif en or et platine de forme rectangulaire, ornée en son centre d’une plaque d’onyx sur laquelle est fixé le portrait de Catherine II, entourée de petits diamants de taille ancienne. Au dos le chiffre de Catherine II en or. La bélière articulée en forme de couronne. Haut : 6 cm, larg : 3,50 cm. Poids brut : 19,60 g - Estimation : 3 000 / 5 000 €

Boule. Samedi 13 juillet 2013. Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d'Hiver - Square Beaumarchais - Monte-Carlo. Tel: 01 40 22 60 04

Une broche en or et argent. Travail probablement arlésien, début XIXe. Photo courtesy Boule

ornée en son centre d’un pavage de diamants de taille ancienne, entouré de motifs en forme de volute et de fleurs stylisées. Poids : 7,10 g. Poids des diamants : environ 5 carats. Estimation : 3 000 / 4 000 €

Boule. Samedi 13 juillet 2013. Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d'Hiver - Square Beaumarchais - Monte-Carlo. Tel: 01 40 22 60 04

A pair of blue lacquered earthenware vases, in the manner of Martin Schell, possibly German, early 19th century. Photo Sotheby's

each of baluster form with a flared neck, the body painted with Chinese figures in a landscape amidst reserves of chrysanthemums, dragons and Chinese motifs, the rear with an exotic bird, the whole decorated in parcel-gilt, coral and silver on a royal blue ground, each 88cm. high; 2ft. 10½in. Estimate 25,000-35,000 GBP

Comparative Literature:
H. Huth, Lacquer of the West, Germany, 1971, figs. 182, 183, 185, 191.
M.Kopplin & G. Haase, Catalogue of the Exhibition, Sachlinbisch Lacquirte Sachen, Lackunst in Dresden unter dem Starken, at the Museum fur Lackkunst, 15th November 1998 - 18th April 1999, p. 4, fig.3,p.17, fig.8.

The form and lacquer decoration of these vases suggests that they were made in the manner of one of the pre-eminent Dresden lacquer-masters in the early 18th century Martin Schnell, who was hired by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony as 'court-lacquermaster'. It is interesting to note that between 1712 and 1716, he was employed by the Meissen porcelain factory to lacquer and decorate their wares with chinoiseries on red and blue ground. It is worthwhile comparing the chinoiserie decoration and the faces of the figures on these vases to those upon the side of the lacquer cabinet on stand by Martin Schnell, now in the Kunstgewerbe Museum in Hamburg.

Sotheby's. Arts of Europe. London | 10 Jul 2013, 02:00 PM www.sothebys.com

A Dutch mother-of-pearl inlaid parcel-gilt and japanned cabinet on stand, circa 1700. Photo Sotheby's

the overhanging cornice above a cushion moulded frieze decorated with chinoserie figure in landscapes with birds above a pair of cupboard doors, the right door depicting pagodas and figures, the left door a junk, the mother-of-pearl simulating gilt-metal clasps and hinges opening to reveal two shelves and two drawers, the drawers and inside of the doors decorated with birds, trees and pagodas, the sides similary decorated with birds and a hound amongst foliage, the rectangular stand with two freize drawers; 187cm high, 152cm wide, 57cm deep; 6ft. 1¾in., 4ft. 11¾in., 1ft. 10½in. Estimate 50,000-70,000 GBP

Comparative Literature:
Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, 1986, no. 4, p. 258, fig.1. inv. Nr. 1985.25.
Reinier Baarsen, Nederlaandse Meubelen 1600-1800, Amsterdam, 1993, p. 64-65, no. 29.

NOTE: There is a cabinet in the Rijksmuseum stated to be North Netherlandisch of almost identical form with very similar decoration of a sailing vessel on the left door and pagodas on the right door, (sold Sotheby’s, Monaco 23rdand 24th June 1985, lot 720), which subsequently entered the collection of the Museum, reproduced here in fig. 1.This and the offered cabinet are extremely close in terms of decoration with another cabinet which was sold Christie’s, London, 6th July 2006, lot 81, described as probably Paris.The latter cabinet  is similarly decorated on the central door with a sailing boat although of different form with ten mother-of-pearl inlaid drawers flanking the door. All these cabinets probably originated from the same workshop.  The decoration with the mother-of-pearl inlay is in imitation of the highly regarded Japanese lacquer such as the typical nambamwork. The delightful detail on this cabinet is the mother-of-pearl inlay imitating gilt-brass mounts normally found upon Japanese lacquer cabinets. Apparently in the Musée de la Musique in Paris there is a French late  17th century harpsichord which is in its original japanned case and it is felt that it is by the same hand as the cabinet sold at auction at Christie's, hence the French attribution for their cabinet.

Sotheby's. Arts of Europe. London | 10 Jul 2013, 02:00 PM www.sothebys.com

Une élégante boîte octogonale en or jaune. Travail indien. Photo courtesy Boule

appliquée d'émail polychrome sur toutes ses faces, couvercle orné de diamants taille rose. Poids : 40 g - Estimation : 2 000 / 2 500 €

Boule. Samedi 13 juillet 2013. Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d'Hiver - Square Beaumarchais - Monte-Carlo. Tel: 01 40 22 60 04

Un pendentif en or jaune, serti de rubis et de diamants, au centre sur une pampille articulée est disposée une perle fine. Photo courtesy Boule

Réparations et quelques manques de pierres. Dans son écrin en maroquin vert. Poids : 16,20 g - Estimation : 1 000 / 1 500 €

Boule. Samedi 13 juillet 2013. Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d'Hiver - Square Beaumarchais - Monte-Carlo. Tel: 01 40 22 60 04

A pair of Swedish oval gilded lead girandole mirrors, early 18th century, attributed to Burchardt Precht. Photo Sotheby's

the oval bevelled plates within a bevelled blue glass border, surmounted by a coronet and scrolling foliage, with a mask head below and a later candle-arm, each 71.5cm. high, 44.5cm. wide; 2ft. 4¼in., 1ft. 5½in. Estimate 20,000-40,000 GBP

NOTE: Burchard Precht of Bremen ( 1651-1738) was a sculptor and cabinet-maker who was educated in Hamburg by his brother Christian Precht (1666-1774), set up his workshop in Sweden where he had arrived as early as 1674 in order to participate in the work being undertaken at Drottningholm Castle and in 1682, he was named carver to the court.. At Drottingholm palace he created the Royal Bedchamber where a pair of mirrors by him closely resemble the present pair of mirrors, (illus.Hakan Groth, Barock och Rokoko i Sverige, p.24).  He produced not only mirror frames but also church furniture. His youngest son Christian ( b.1706) would become one of Sweden`s leading silversmiths; the elder son, Gustav(b.1698)  followed more closely his father`s career and also produced mirror frames. It can be difficult to distinguish the work of the father and the son who created mirror frames in much the same manner and style.

In 1687-88 he travelled to Rome and Paris with the court architect Nicodemus Tessin, which strongly influenced his work.

The influence of English Queen Anne style mirrors is evident in Scandinavian mirrors dating from the early 18th century. The overall shape of Scandinavian mirrors and the use of mirrored borders surrounding the principal plates is evidence of this. The form of the present mirrors also shows the strong influence of Daniel Marot which was also prevalent in England at this time and follows  quite closely a design for a mirror shown in Ernst Wasmuth, Das Ornamentwerk des Daniel Marot, in 264 Lichtdrucken, Berlin, 1892, p.166.

Distinctive of Precht`s work and which can be seen in the present mirrors is the use of gilt lead borders.

For further comparision see William Karlson, Stat och Vardag i Stormakstidens Herremanshem, p.316 which shows a mirror attributed to B. Precht with a similar crown  and other elements to the present examples. Ernst Fischer, Svenska Mobler i Bild, pp. 68-9 illustrates mirrors with similar garlands, crown and palm leaves to the present example. For further comparison see Christie`s London, Dealing in Excellence, A Celebration of Hotspur and Jeremy, 20th November 2008, lot 160 and also Sotheby`s New York, The Collection of Mr and Mrs Stephen C Hilbert, 24th May 2007, lot 94.

Sotheby's. Arts of Europe. London | 10 Jul 2013, 02:00 PM www.sothebys.com

A set of polychrome needlework wool and silk bed valances and headboard, probably French, early 18th century. Photo Sotheby's

each panel worked in polychrome wools and silks in gros point needlework with exuberant flowers on a dark ground, incorporating lobed cartouches enclosing polychrome silk petit point needlework Biblical scenes; comprising of a shaped headboard, centred with lobed cartouche enclosing scene of `The Judgement of Solomon’, (headboard with lower supporting wooden panel: total height including wooden support below: 126cm. at highest, 175cm. at widest; the wooden support alone: approximately. 63cm. high, 155cm. wide; 2ft, 5ft. 1in.), and three side panels `valances', (Two side valances: approximately 56cm. high, 190cm. wide; 1ft. 10in., 6ft. 3in.; Front valance: 56cm. high, 152cm. wide; 1ft. 10in., 5ft.), together with two small carved giltwood corner feet supports (Qty 4). Overall approximately 126cm. at highest, 175cm. at widest, 190cm. deep; 4ft. 1in., 5ft. 9in.,6ft. 3in - Estimate 25,000-35,000 GBP

NOTE: The type of bed more popular than any other in the late 17th century/early 18thcentury, was known throughout Europe as the `French Bed’. The simple framework supported hanging curtains, valances and headcloths, forming a relatively plain form overall. Evolving from the 15th century field bed, it could be easily moved and constructed. The status of the bed was entirely demonstrated through the hangings and degree of trimmings used. The wooden support components would not be visible. The valances added to the grandeur and were often more elaborate than the curtains, and more likely to have survived. In the mid 17th century headcloths were often simple hangings and low headboards were placed in front on them, often comprising of ornamented material pasted to carved wooden backing. It was at the end of the 17th century that needlework canvas work emerged as a form of hangings on furniture and the use of petit point subjects within designs ofgros point continued into the early 18th century. The billowing, curling leaves and scrollwork designs were popular in Europe, and designs were worked in principleateliers, with universal character and hence familiar motifs. The English merchants imported the needlework. In addition an embroidery school was set up at the convents of St. Joseph and another at St. Cyr by Madame de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV, to which she retired after the King’s death in 1715. Quantities of distinctive bizarre chinoiserie panels were produced by those sent to learn the techniques, which included the daughter’s of the aristocracy.  They were used for seat furniture upholstery and designs included figures and animals within the leaves and foliage, rather than within separate cartouches, typical of the bed valances. Wool was used with silk highlights, and in a combination of gros andpetitpoint. The focal figural groups were taken from literary sources using engravings, and were mythological and Biblical subjects.  The present panels combine the literary subjects with the highly decorative effects and interest in botany.

For comparable panels see Sotheby’s, London, 14th June 2000, lot 11, for a set of late 17th century needlework hangings, comprising of six valances and a headboard, of similar technique, with figural scenes which were mythological and included Charity, Fidelity, Peace, Abundance, and the `bizarre’ design incorporated birds and beasts. The top valance (which was three joined panels) was approximately70cm. high; 2ft. 3in. The separate lower valances were shaped across the top and measurements were approximately 75cm. high, 216cm. wide; 2ft. 5in., 7ft. 1in., and the front valance was narrower at 75cm. high, 189cm. wide; 2ft. 5in., 6ft. 2in.

An early 18th century French bed with a similar style of valances, upper and lower, without a headboard, is illustrated in L. Synge, Art of Embroidery, History of style and technique, Antique Collectors Club, Suffolk, 1991, Chp.7, Eighteenth Century, pg.173, fig.153. For further information about similar needlework on seat furniture, see Chp.8, A Note on Furniture, pp.226-247.

For further information see P.Thornton, Seventeenth-Century Interior Decoration in England France and Holland, Yale University Press, 1978.

Sotheby's. Arts of Europe. London | 10 Jul 2013, 02:00 PM www.sothebys.com

Un insigne de templier. Photo courtesy Boule

en or 14 K (585 ‰), rehaussé d’émail de diamants et de grenats, gravé de la devise In hoc signo vinces (Par ce signe, tu vaincras). Haut : 4,50 cm, larg : 2,50 cm - Poids : 16,60 g. Estimation : 1 000 / 1 500 €

Boule. Samedi 13 juillet 2013. Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d'Hiver - Square Beaumarchais - Monte-Carlo. Tel: 01 40 22 60 04

Une broche en or et diamants ornée d’une miniature portrait de femme peinte sur ivoire. Travail XIXe. Photo courtesy Boule

Poids brut : 8,20 g - Estimation : 500 / 700 €

Boule. Samedi 13 juillet 2013. Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d'Hiver - Square Beaumarchais - Monte-Carlo. Tel: 01 40 22 60 04

Georges FOUQUET, Vers 1900. Photo Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo

Exceptionnel pendentif en or jaune mat, figurant un génie acquatique, la chevelure ajourée et ciselée, couronnée d'un aileron d'émail à jour piqué de diamants. Il est casqué de cabochons d'émeraude et de petits diamants taillés en rose et se termine par une algue diamantée, émaillée vert, piquée de diamants sertis clos. Le visage se détache sur une mosaïque d'opales bordée d'émail vert. Signé G FOUQUET, numéroté 3386. Dans son écrin d'origine à la forme en cuir brun gravé d'une couronne de marquis. Poids : 24,6 g. Dimensions : 5,2 x 7,2 cm. Estimation : 80 000 / 120 000 €

A splendid Art Nouveau emerald, diamond, enamel, opal and 18K gold pendant by Georges Fouquet.

A figuréà l'exposition du Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Les Fouquet Bijoutiers et Joailliers à Paris 1860-1960.

Provenance : Ancienne collection particulière, ancienne collection Fouquet.
Dessin conservé dans les archives Fouquet.

Bibliographie : Catalogue de l'exposition du Musée des Arts Décoratifs : Les Fouquet... Editions Flammarion, reproduit P.75.
Buffet-Chalié 1975 reproduit page 159, n°4.

Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo. Mardi 16 juillet 2013. Hôtel des ventes de Monte-Carlo, 10 - 12 Quai Antoine 1er - 98000 Monaco. Tel. 00 377 93 25 88 89

René Lalique, Pendentif en or jaune et bijou de cheveux. Epoque 1900. Photo Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo

ajouré d'un paon en camaïeu d'émail vert, les plumes rehaussées d'émail irridescent turquoise, une plume de la queue sertie d'une opale polie en coeur sur fond d'émail bleu vif. L'oeil serti d'un cabochon de saphir. Il est retenu par sa chaîne en batônnets d'émail vert et perles d'opale. Signé. (deux fines fentes à l'opale). Un système au revers permettait de le porter probablement en bijou de cheveu (manque l'épingle). Dans un écrin à la forme postérieur. Longueur de la chaine : 48 cm environ. Hauteur du pendentif : 5,5 cm environ. Poids : 37,7 g. Estimation : 45 000 / 50 000 €

A 1900 opal, enamel and 18K gold pendant and its chain by René Lalique.

Le paon sujet de prédilection de l'Art Nouveau, symbole de l'immortalité associéà un coeur d'opale représente l'amour éternel.

Bibliographie : Sigrid Barten, René Lalique Schmuck und Objets d'Art, 1890-1910, Passau 1977, P.290.

Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo. Mardi 16 juillet 2013. Hôtel des ventes de Monte-Carlo, 10 - 12 Quai Antoine 1er - 98000 Monaco. Tel. 00 377 93 25 88 89

A pair of Italian chinoiserie lacquered terracotta vases and covers, probably Piedmontese, late 18th-early 19th century. Photo Sotheby's

each of baluster form with domed covers and knop the whole decorated with chinoiseries butterflies and flowers on a cream ground; each 62cm. high; 2ft ½in. Estimate 8,000-12,000 GBP

Sotheby's. Arts of Europe. London | 10 juil. 2013, 02:00 PM - www.sothebys.com

A pair of Italian blue lacquered and parcel-gilt armchairs, Venetian, third quarter 18th century. Photo Sotheby's

each with a padded drop-in back and seat, the underside of one with the printed label "orlando petreni arredamenti artistici, Firenze, Via Ronainelli"; reblocked. Estimate 6,000-8,000 GBP

PROVENANCE: Orlando Petreni, Florence
Sold Christie's, London, 21st June 2000, lot 69.

NOTE: Related armchairs are illustrated by Saul Levy, Lacche Veneziani Settecentesche, Milan, 1967, Vol. I, fig. 19, (Pero Dini collection) and fig. 28 (Tulio Silva collection), and in Clare Santini, Mille Mobile Veneti, Modena, nd. p. 222 fig,. 465 (Giorgio Cosarini collection). 

Sotheby's. Arts of Europe. London | 10 juil. 2013, 02:00 PM - www.sothebys.com

Importante bague en or gris, la corbeille en enroulements pavés de diamants retenant un saphir jaune de taille coussin pesant 75,21 cts. Photo Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo

Dimensions de la pierre : 35,45 x 22,05 x 14,57 mm. Poids : 37,7 g. (petites égrisures). Estimation : 40 000 / 45 000 €

La pierre accompagnée d'un certificat L.F.G. attestant : origine Ceylan, sans modification thermique.

A diamond and 18K gold ring set with a cushion shaped yellow sapphire weighing 75,21 cts.

Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo. Mardi 16 juillet 2013. Hôtel des ventes de Monte-Carlo, 10 - 12 Quai Antoine 1er - 98000 Monaco. Tel. 00 377 93 25 88 89

Ravissante demi-parure à transformations provenant de l’écrin de la comtesse d'A., Epoque XIXe. Photo Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo

en argent sur or jaune, comprenant un diadème articulé ajouré de rinceaux et de fleurs de lys, souligné de diamants et ponctué de diamants plus importants, une paire d'importants clips d'oreilles en grande draperie centrée d'un rameau de feuilles et terminée de pampilles serties de diamants. Anciennement portable en collier. Poids du diadème : 69,7 g. (La raquette des clips postérieure). Poids des clips : 43,6 g. Estimation : 25 000 / 35 000 €

A 19th century diamond, 18K gold and silver demi-parurue comprising a tiara and a pair of ear pendants.

Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo. Mardi 16 juillet 2013. Hôtel des ventes de Monte-Carlo, 10 - 12 Quai Antoine 1er - 98000 Monaco. Tel. 00 377 93 25 88 89