Lot 14. Paire de rince-pinceaux en porcelaine céladon de type Ru, dynastie Qing, XVIIIe siècle; 28,3 cm, 11 1/4  in. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 EUR. Lot sold 20,000 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

chacun en forme de pêche aux bords irréguliers et incurvés naissant d’une branche à laquelle est accrochée une autre pêche et trois feuilles reposant sur le bord, deux chauve-souris posées sur le rebord, recouvert d’une épaisse glacure gris-bleu, bases portant des marques de pernettes (2).

A PAIR OF RU-TYPE PEACH-SHAPED WASHERS, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY 

Provenance: Adela Ocampo de Heimendal (1845-1931), Paris and Buenos Aires.
Madeleine Ocampo de Casares-Lumb, Buenos Aires.
Alberto Casares Ocampo (1928-1998), Buenos Aires.
Thence in the family by descent.

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie, Paris, 11 juin 2019 

Lot 12. A fine carved Longquan celadon dish, Ming dynasty, 15th century; Diam. 17,6 cm, 6 7/8  cm. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 EUR. Lot sold 16,250 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

Coupelle en grès céladon Longquan, Dynastie Ming, XVe siècle, les côtés évasés et arrondis reposant sur un court pied circulaire, les bords évasés, le médaillon central décoré en relief d’un rameau feuillagé de lotus stylisé, entouré sur les deux faces d'une frise de lotus sur le pourtour, surmontée d’une petite frise de rinceaux stylisés, couvert d’une belle glaçure vert-olive, le pied comportant un anneau non émaillé.

Provenance: Adela Ocampo de Heimendal (1845-1931), Paris and Buenos Aires.
Madeleine Ocampo de Casares-Lumb, Buenos Aires.
Alberto Casares Ocampo (1928-1998), Buenos Aires.
Thence in the family by descent.

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie, Paris, 11 juin 2019

Lot 74. A Longquan celadon stool, Ming dynasty (1368-1644); 39,1 cm, 15 3/8  in. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 EUR. Lot sold 12,250 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

Tabouret de jardin en grès céladon Longquan, Dynastie Ming (1368-1644), en forme de tonneau, les côtés légèrement incurvés ornés d'une frise foisonnante moulée en léger relief et incisée, de rinceaux de lotus feuillagés entre deux frises horizontales de cabochons en relief, le dessus à décor l'un large motif floral feuillagé.

Lot 70. A Henan black-glazed russet-painted vase, yuhuchun ping, Song dynasty (960-1279); 27,8 cm, 11 in. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 EUR. Lot sold 5,750 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

Vase en grès émaillé, yuhuchun ping, Dynastie Song (960-1279), la panse piriforme sous un long col trompette aux bords évasés, la panse peinte de couleur rouille de fleurs dans des rinceaux feuillagés, le dessous non émaillé, sur une riche glaçure noire brillante. 

Lot 72. A small Longquan celadon 'twin fish' dish, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 14,1 cm, 5 1/2  in. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 EUR. Lot sold 4,375 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

Petite coupe en grès céladon Longquan, Dynastie des Song du Sud (1127-1279), le centre décoré de deux carpes nageant dos à dos en relief, le revers à décor de pétales stylisés, entièrement couverte d'une belle et épaisse glaçure céladon.

Lot 71. Two cream-glazed pillows, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 26,2 and 30,5 cm, 10 1/4 and 12 in. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 EUR. Lot sold 3,750 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

Deux repose-têtes en grès à glaçure crème, Dynastie des Song du Nord (960-1127), l’un à la partie supérieure arrondie à décor incisé floral, supportée par deux bustes de femmes ailées ; le second en grès cizhou dont la partie supérieure ruyiforme incurvée et creuse à décor incisé de nuages sur fond densément peigné, reposant sur une base pentagonale, les deux recouverts d’une glaçure crème (2).

Provenance: Adela Ocampo de Heimendal (1845-1931), Paris and Buenos Aires.
Madeleine Ocampo de Casares-Lumb, Buenos Aires.
Alberto Casares Ocampo (1928-1998), Buenos Aires.
Thence in the family by descent.

Exhibited: Museo Nacional de Arte Oriental,  Buenos Aires, Inauguracion, 1966, nos. 44 and 45 (according to labels)

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie, Paris, 11 juin 2019

Lot 73. A Longquan celadon baluster vase and cover, early Ming dynasty (1368-1644); 33,8 cm, 13 1/4  in. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 EUR. Lot sold 3,500 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

Potiche couverte en grès Longquan, Début de la Dynastie Ming (1368-1644), de forme balustre, la panse incisée de rinceaux de lotus feuillagés surmontant une frise de pétales de lotus rayonnant autour du pied, le couvercle surmonté d'une prise en forme d'animal fabuleux, accidents, socle (3) 

Provenance: Ancienne collection artistocratique française.

Lot 107. Chawan [bol à thé] en grès clair, Japon, époque Edo, XVIIIe-XIXe siècle, fours de Raku; 10 cm, 3 7/8  in. Estimate 800 — 1,200 EUR. Lot sold 2,625 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme ensu nari, déformé, recouvert d'une glacure saumon tâchée de verdâtre, légèrement craquelé, cachet Raku à la base. 

Provenance: Collection André Schoeller (1877-1956), Paris.
Ader, Paris, 14th, 15th and 16th May 1956, lot 472.
Thence in the family by descent.

Lot 105. Chawan [bol à thé] en grès émaillé, Japon, Epoque Edo, XIXe siècle; 10 cm, 3 7/8  in. Estimate 600 — 800 EUR. Lot sold 2,000 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme cylindrique, en grès couvert d'un émail aubergine foncé, décoré de branchages fleuris en réserve d'émaux blancs. 

Provenance: Collection André Schoeller (1877-1956), Paris.
Ader, Paris, 14th, 15th and 16th May 1956, lot 492.
Thence in the family by descent.

Lot 104. Chawan [bol à thé] en grès émaillé, Japon, époque Edo, XIXE siècle; 11,9 cm, 4 5/8  in. Estimate 800 — 1,200 EUR. Lot sold 1,250 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme arrondie, haut et évasé, en grès émaillé d'un émail beige rosé, décoré en émaux corail et vert d'une langouste et d'algues. 

Lot 106. Chawan [bol à thé] en grès émaillé Japon, période Edo, XIXe siècle; 12,7 cm, 5 in. Estimate 600 — 800 EUR. Lot sold 1,250 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme hémisphérique, en grès couvert d'un émail pelliculaire blanc, décoré en émaux polychromes sertis d'or de rosaces fleuries, signature apocryphe de Kenzan. 

Beauty and the Beast, 1904, John Dickson Batten, British, 1860–1932, tempera on canvas, 30 1/2 × 26 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by the John Feeney Bequest Fund, 1936P322, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts.

SEATTLE, WA.- The Seattle Art Museum presents Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts & Crafts Movement (June 13–September 8, 2019), exploring how three generations of rebellious British artists, designers, and makers responded to a time of great social upheaval and an increasingly industrial world. Organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Birmingham Museums Trust, the exhibition features 150 works from the collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art—many of which have never been shown outside of the United Kingdom—including paintings, drawings, books, sculptures, textiles, stained glass, and other decorative arts. They reveal a passionate artistic and social vision that revolutionized the visual arts in Britain. 

Victorian Radicals features work by notable Pre-Raphaelite and Arts & Crafts artists including Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, William Morris, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Playing out against the backdrop of late 19th-century England, these influential movements were concerned with the relationship between art and nature, questions of class and gender, the value of the handmade versus machine production, and the search for beauty in an age of industry—all relevant issues in our current era of anxiety amid rapidly evolving technologies. 

Monstrance, ca. 1863, John Francis Bentley, British, 1839–1902, gilded copper and enamel, with glass and precious and semiprecious stones, 26 1/2 × 8 5/8 × 8 5/8 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by Mrs. Anne Hull Grundy, 1981M524, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

“This exhibition is perfect for Seattle right now,” says Chiyo Ishikawa, SAM’s Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art and Curator of European Painting and Sculpture. “These artists wanted art to infuse every aspect of life, believing it could be a force for social good. Somewhat paradoxically, they looked back to England’s medieval past for inspiration, revering nature, authenticity, and the handmade—and in doing so, they brought up questions about the purpose of art in society that future generations would continue to grapple with.” 

Victorian Radicals is presented chronologically, tracing a 60-year period across the turn of the 19th century. 

Proserpine, 1881–82, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, British, 1828–1882, oil on canvas, 31 × 15 3/8 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by the Trustees of the Public Picture Gallery Fund, 1927P7, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

The First Industrial Nation 
In the late 1840s, London’s Royal Academy of Arts dominated artistic practice with a focus on the classical European tradition of painting and sculpture. Artists such as Sir Edwin Landseer, Charles Eastlake, and William Etty were admired by Queen Victoria for their large, dramatic paintings inspired by Renaissance artists. The exhibition opens with an introduction to this tradition that the Pre-Raphaelites would come to reject: a hierarchal reliance on the grand style of history painting. Also at this time, new technologies—including electroplating and the introduction of steam power—were rapidly increasing the speed and output of manufacturing, and the mass-produced objects made, particularly from the hub of Birmingham, were highly ornate.

Two Gentlemen of Verona (Valentine Rescuing Sylvia from Proteus), 1851, William Holman Hunt, British, 1827–1910, oil on canvas, 38 3/4 × 52 1/2 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Purchased, 1887P953, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

The Pre-Raphaelite Avant-Garde 
Led by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded in 1848 with the intent of returning modern art to the simplicity, clarity, and honesty of European painting before the time of Raphael (1483–1520). Drawing inspiration from literature, the Bible, and modern life, these artists insisted on depicting only “what they could see,” with an ethos that revered nature and the immediacy of vivid colors and human emotion. There was also a social interest in the value of labor and the inequities furthered by rapid industrialization. 

A highlight of this section is Hunt’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Valentine Rescuing Sylvia From Proteus (1851), which goes directly to nature to depict a scene from Shakespeare. The artist engaged friends as models and took advantage of new chemical pigments to produce strikingly vivid jewel tones that at the time were seen as garishly bright. Also, John Everett Millais’ The Blind Girl (1854-56) reveals the Pre-Raphaelites’ interest in the primacy of the senses, depicting vision, sound, smell, and touch in a tender scene of modern life. Decorative objects such as handmade silver and gilded vessels crafted in refined, Gothic Revival styles reflect a similar interest in honesty and simplicity. 

Musica, ca. 1895–97, Kate Elizabeth Bunce, British, 1856–1927, oil on canvas, 30 × 20 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by Sir John Holder, 1897P17, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

Secular Ministry 
A second wave of Pre-Raphaelites emerged after 1857, brought together around the charismatic figure of poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This group was even more inspired by the culture and religion of the Middle Ages, especially the rich colors, importance of narrative, and idealistic approach to beauty. This section also features the Kelmscott Chaucer, elaborately illustrated by Edward Burne-Jones and produced by William Morris, as well as several examples of Morris’s textiles, which remain a major influence in the design world. 

Artists such as Frederick Sandys and Edward Burne-Jones explored feminine archetypes—both positive and negative—in their work. Rossetti’s Beata Beatrix (begun 1877) imagines the death of Beatrice, the beloved of the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri, as a visionary trance; it was also a tribute to artist and muse Elizabeth Siddall, who died of a laudanum overdose in 1862. Also in this section are Burne-Jones’ four Pygmalion paintings depicting Ovid’s myth about a sculptor’s love for his creation. 

Pretty Baa-Lambs, 1851–59, Ford Madox Brown, British, 1821–1893, oil on wood, 24 × 30 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Purchased, 1956P9, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

Utopias for a New Century 
As the new century approached, new art schools throughout England’s industrial cities emphasized the practical teaching of crafts, alongside organizations inspired by medieval craft guilds. Birmingham became the center of the burgeoning Arts & Crafts Movement, which held that art could directly improve people’s lives and was influenced by socialist utopian ideals. In this arena, women played a key role, becoming leading makers and teachers in these new art centers. 

On view in this section are notable examples of Arts & Crafts decorative objects, including George James Frampton’s “Christabel necklace” (1893-94), featuring the sculptor’s pioneering work in enamel; numerous examples of Martin Brothers Pottery, which embraced a free and humorous style of decoration; and an embroidered textile by Birmingham Municipal School of Art teacher Mary Jane Newill, which will be presented as intended on a bed. 

The paintings on view in this section echo the Pre-Raphaelite interest in precise lines and brilliant color, revealed in works by Maxwell Armfield, Joseph Edward Southall, and Arthur Joseph Gaskin. Kate Elizabeth Bunce’s Musica (ca. 1895-97) depicts a female figure playing a lute against a detailed background of flowers and decorative objects, reminiscent of those produced by the Birmingham School.

Saint Mark, 1883 (designed 1874), Edward Burne-Jones, British, 1833–1898, stained, painted, and leaded glass, 58 × 25 1/4 × 1 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Bequeathed by J R Holliday, 1927M1016,© Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

Chatterton (The Death of Chatterton), Henry Wallis, British, 1830– 1916, ca. 1855–56, oil on mahogany, 6 3/4 × 10 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by William Kenrick, 1918P43, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts.

Morgan le Fay, 1864, Frederick Sandys, British, 1829–1904, oil on wood, 24 3/4 × 17 1/2 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by the Trustees of the Feeney Charitable Trust, 1925P104, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

The Christabel Necklace, 1893-94, George James Frampton, British, 1860–1928, silver gilt, champlevé enamel, pearls, and opals, 23 7/8 x 3 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by Mrs. Anne Hull Grundy, 1983M3, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts.

"Peacock and Dragon", 1878, William Morris, British, 1834–1896, wool, hand-loom jacquard-woven, Queens Square or Merton Abbey, 67 3/4 × 54 3/4 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by the Friends of Birmingham Museums Trust, 1941M419, © Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts.

Court dress (bodice and skirt), 1893 (fabric designed 1879), Sarah Fullerton Monteith Young, British, (active 1890), Silk, hand-loom jacquard-woven, with machine lace, gold braid, and velvet ribbon (machine- and handstitched), 58 × 22 1/2 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Presented by Mrs. J. Stewart, 1948M36.1,© Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts.

Wall tile, ca. 1880–90, William Frend De Morgan, British, 1839–1917, dust-pressed earthenware painted in underglaze colors on a white slip, 8 1/8 × 8 in., Lent by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council, Purchased from the Alan Green Collection and presented by the Friends of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery with assistance of the MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1981M118,© Birmingham Museums Trust, Courtesy American Federation of Arts. 

Lot 23. Masque, Baulé, Côte d'Ivoire; haut. 22,5 cm ; 8 7/8 in. Estimate Upon Request. Photo Sotheby's.

Provenance: Collection Marceau Rivière, Paris, acquis ca. 1972.

Exhibited: Thouars, Bibliothèque municipale de Thouars, Exposition d’Art Africain, 13 - 16 avril 1979
Paris, Ecole Supérieure Internationale d'Art et de Gestion, Art Africain, 23 avril - 3 mai 1991
La Flèche, Château de Carmes, Arts premiers de Côte d'Ivoire, 11 janvier - 3 mars 1997 / Nogent-le-Rotrou, Musée municipal du Château
Saint-Jean, 8 mars - 28 avril 1997
New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, Baule: African Art, Western Eye, 30 août 1997 - 4 janvier 1998 / Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, 14 février - 10 mai 1998 / New York, Museum for African Art, 11 septembre 1998 - 3 janvier 1999 / Washington, Smithsonian, 7 février 1999 - 9 mai 1999
Paris, Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, Baoulé. Collection de Marceau Rivière, 14 juin - 27 juillet 2002
Le Mans, Carré Plantagenêt, musée d'archéologie et d'histoire, Masques d'Afrique, 12 mai - 29 août 2010.

Literature: Valbert, "L’avenir des danses traditionnelles", Arts d'Afrique Noire, Printemps 1979, n° 29, p. 10
Rivière, Exposition d’Art Africain, 1979, n° 13
Rivière et Lehuard, Art Africain, 1991, n° 12
Vogel, Baule: African Art, Western Eyes / L'Art baoulé, du visible et de l'invisible, 1997, p. 161
Boyer, Girard et Rivière, Arts premiers de Côte d'Ivoire, 1997, p. 84-85 et 131, n° 76
Ratton, Hourdé et Vogel, Baoulé. Collection de Marceau Rivière, 2002, p. 43-44
Arts d’Afrique Noire, Eté 2002, n° 122, p. 36-37
Boyer, Baule, 2008, p. 94 et 149, n° 11
Joubert et Rivière, Masques d'Afrique, 2010, p. 30 et 90, n° 23.

Le masque-lune, qui n’apparaît qu’occasionnellement lors des fêtes, est rarissime dans les collections ; il est ainsi d’autant plus surprenant[1]. Alors qu’on croit souvent que l’art des Baule est limitéà des masques animaliers ou faciaux, cette figure circulaire témoigne de la fascination que la concision et la pureté exercent sur ce peuple trop souvent caractérisé par des créations dites emblématiques, comme les « portraits » (car un autre masque-disque, plus géométrique, doté d’une autre fonction (le kplekplé), survient aussi au cours d’une cérémonie distincte).

Lors de fêtes de réjouissances (les bla able, « danses de femmes » car elles étaient admises) ou pour des funérailles de femmes (sɛ bo able), l’anglo ba se manifestait en préambule, avant les masques animaliers qui étaient suivis, pour clore cette représentation hiérarchisée et graduée, du masque-portrait. Ces célébrations, distinctes des danses sacrées des hommes (interdites aux femmes), portaient différents noms selon les régions : ajusu de Bouakéà Bocanda, gbagba dans les environs de Yamoussoukro, ajemele dans la région de Béoumi, etc[2]. En inaugurant la séquence, le masque-lune anglo ba (avec, à l’occasion, un autre masque, le wia, « soleil ») instaurait une jonction entre les présences de la nature et l’ordre de la société. Remarque cruciale : il ne relevait en aucun cas - comme on l’a parfois dit - d’un culte de divinités astrales ; il était juste ce que les Baule appellent un signe, un pictogramme, une image ; et il ne s’agissait, pour le danseur, que d’effectuer une ouverture, au sens opératique, pour introduire les autres masques. Mais comme les sculpteurs baule tendent à humaniser toute forme visible, ils se plurent à inscrire un visage au cœur du cercle céleste. Par la délicate fusion, sur la même œuvre, de la lune et de traits humains, l’artiste, par cette représentation idéalisée, vise à réunir l’infiniment lointain et la proximité absolue.

Bien que le visage conserve quelques marques de l’organisation des masques faciaux (comme le kpwan), il diffère de la manière baule plus familière par son extrême stylisation. Affranchi de toute sujétion à la réalité, le sculpteur a éliminé les composantes adventices pour ne conserver du visage que quelques traits majeurs, devenus formes géométriques ciselées en bas-relief. En s’organisant comme un dessin d’une grande pureté de lignes, la figure se transmue en calligraphie. Des accords plastiques s’inscrivent au centre de l’œuvre, en écho au disque qui définit la forme générale : doubles courbes des arcades sourcilières et des yeux mi-clos; demi-sphères tronquées des paupières supérieures baissées, en légère protubérance dans les cavités oculaires. En contraste avec ces croissants, quelques lignes horizontales et verticales s’entrecroisent, esquissant une forme de T au centre de l’arrondi du visage : le trait rectiligne de l’arête nasale s’élargit délicatement en triangle, alors que les deux fines incisions oculaires horizontales, où filtrait la lumière, permettaient au porteur d’entrevoir (mais il était aussi guidé par ses akotos, « assistants »). Les lèvres projetées en avant semblent suggérer que le personnage est en train de siffler -d’après quelques sculpteurs interrogés, c’est du reste le cas : il siffloterait pour marquer son insouciance, puisqu’il s’agit d’un masque de divertissement. Une scarification, entre les deux yeux, sous le haut front qui reçoit la lumière, agrémente ce visage bombé, étonnamment lisse, brillant - car lentement poli, lustré avec les feuilles abrasives d’un ficus (le Ficus exasperata Vahi). La frise dentelée qui entourait le masque, véritable tour de force sculptural, avait pour dessein, en l’encadrant, de le magnifier. Trop fragile, elle n’a pas résisté, ce qui explique sans doute que l’objet a été retiré des célébrations et vendu. Subsistent quelques triangles ajourés qui surmontent, comme pour la mettre en valeur, la coiffure finement tressée, constituée d’incisions juxtaposées, et qui ceint la partie supérieure du disque, d’une oreille à l’autre.

Contrairement à l’image établie de créations baule qui seraient uniformes, ce masque dont la patine sombre, laquée, atteste un usage répété, confirme bien au contraire qu’il est riche de ressources plastiques inattendues. La tentation géométrique est adoucie par le rendu sensible du visage et, grâce à ses courbes, contre-courbes et arrondis délicieusement sensuels, il porte l’art de la sobriété, de l’épure, de l’ellipse à son sommet.

Anglo ba, Baule "moon mask". By Alain-Michel Boyer

A Baule moon mask, which only occasionally appears during celebrations, is extremely rare in collections [3]. While it is often thought that the art of the Baule is confined to animal or facial masks, this circular abstract form reveals the fascination that concision and purity exert on this people, too often defined through so-called emblematic creations, such as "portraits".

In Baule culture, during feasts of celebration (the bla able, "women's dances" because they were admitted to them) or for women’s funerals (sɛ bo able), the anglo ba featured in the preamble, before the animal masks, which in turn were followed, at the close of this hierarchical and graduated representation, by the portrait-mask. These celebrations, separate from the men’s sacred dances, bore various names depending on the region: ajusu from Bouake to Bocanda, gbagba in the vicinity of Yamoussoukro, ajemele in the region of Beoumi, etc[4]. As an opening to the sequence, the anglo ba moon mask (occasionally joined by another mask, the wia, "sun") created a link between the presence of nature and the order of society. A crucial note, it did not in any way - as has sometimes been said - relate to a cult of astral deities; the mask was just what the Baule call a nzɔliɛ, a sign, a pictogram, an image; and it merely allowed the dancer to perform an overture, in the operatic sense, to introduce the other masks. Baule sculptors tend to humanize all visible forms, and they delight in putting a face at the heart of the celestial circle. Through the delicate fusion, within the same form, of the moon and human facial features, the artist, aims to unite the infinitely distant with absolute proximity in a idealized form.

Although the face still bears certain marks of a facial mask organisation (such as the kpwan) it differs from the Baule technique more familiar to us in its extreme stylisation. Breaking free from any subjection to reality, the sculptor has done away with any adventitious components and retained only certain major features of the face turning them into geometric forms sculpted as bas-reliefs. As it unfolds like a sketch with great purity of outline, the figure transmutes into calligraphy. Aesthetic harmonies take centre stage echoing the disc that delineates the overall form: double curves of the eyebrows and half-closed eyes; truncated half-spheres of the lowered upper eyelids protruding slightly in the ocular cavities. In contrast to these crescent shapes, a few horizontal and vertical lines interweave, forming a T-shape in the centre of the rounded face: the straight line of the nasal bridge fans out delicately into a triangle, while the two fine horizontal eye incisions, that light filtered through, allowed the wearer to glimpse the outside world (although he would also have been guided by his akoto,“assistants”). The puckered lips seem to suggest that the figure is whistling - according to some sculptors who were questioned on the matter, this is indeed the case: he whistles to show his insouciance, since it is a mask for entertainment. A scarification pattern, between the eyes, underneath the high forehead that attracts the light, adorns this curved, surprisingly smooth, gleaming face - due to its slow polishing and glossing with the abrasive leaves of a ficus (Ficus exasperata Vahi). The openwork band surrounding the mask, a genuine sculptural tour de force, was designed to frame and magnify it. Too frail, it broke off, which probably explains why the object was removed from celebrations and sold. Only a few open triangles remain atop the finely woven coiffure - made up of juxtaposed incisions and surrounding the upper part of the disc, from one ear to the other - as if to enhance it.

As opposed to the established image of Baule creations that are often thought to be uniform, this mask with its dark, lacquered patina attesting to its repeated use, confirms that Baule art is full of unexpected aesthetic resources. The geometrical temptation is softened by the sensitive modelling of the face and, with its deliciously sensual curves, counter-curves and rounded outlines, it carries the art of sobriety, purity, and ellipsis to its apex.

[1] Toutefois, un autre masque anglo ba, recouvert d’une plaque de laiton, a été vendu en 2010. Voir : Alain-Michel Boyer : « The Baule Anglo ba mask from the Kahane collection/Le masque baoulé Anglo ba de la collection Kahane », dans : Six Masterpieces of African Art from the Kahane Collection/Six chefs-d’œuvre d’art africain de la collection Kahane, Paris, 1 Décembre 2010, pp. 18-21.

[2] Sur les cérémonies ajusu, ajemele, gbagba et les autres dénominations, voir : Alain-Michel Boyer : Baule, Milan, 5Continents, 2008, pp. 66-74.

[3] However, another anglo ba mask, with a brass plate upper layer, was sold in 2010. See: Alain-Michel Boyer: « The Baule Anglo ba mask from the Kahane collection/Le masque baoulé Anglo ba de la collection Kahane », in : Six Masterpieces of African Art from the Kahane Collection/Six chefs-d’œuvre d’art africain de la collection Kahane, Paris, 1 December 2010, pp.18-21.

[4] Regarding ajusu, ajemele, gbagba ceremonies and other denominations, see: Alain-Michel Boyer: Baule, Milan, 5 Continents, 2008, pp. 66-74.

Lot 103. Jarre en porcelaine à glaçure céladon et décor de branchages fleuris incisé, dynastie Ming (1368-1644). Hauteur : 23 cm Diamètre : 12 cm à la base, 10 cm au col. Estimation : 1 000 € - 1 500 €. Adjugé 1 200 €. Courtesy Asium

 A good celadon glaze incised baluster jar, Ming dynasty.

Asium. ARTS de la CHINE - ARTS du JAPON, Paris, Le 13 juin 2019. Monsieur Jean Gauchet, Expert.

Lot 111. Plat en céramique à couverte céladon, dynastie Ming (1368-1644). Hauteur : 5 cm Diamètre : 33 cm. Estimation : 1 200 € - 1 500 €. Adjugé 1 200 €. Courtesy Asium

Un décor de fleurs et rinceaux incisé en bordure, la partie centrale agrémentée d'une fleur de pivoine. 

A large celadon glazed porcelain dish with incised floral design, Ming dynasty.

Asium. ARTS de la CHINE - ARTS du JAPON, Paris, Le 13 juin 2019. Monsieur Jean Gauchet, Expert.

Lot 112. Deux plats en céramique à glaçure céladon, dynastie Ming (1368-1644). Estimation : 1 000 € - 1 500 €. Adjugé 1 900 €. Courtesy Asium

Les rebords godronnés. Petit plat : Hauteur : 7 cm ; Diamètre : 27 cm. Grand plat : Hauteur : 6,8 cm ; Diamètre : 28,5 cm. 

Two celadon glaze dishes, Ming dynasty.

Asium. ARTS de la CHINE - ARTS du JAPON, Paris, Le 13 juin 2019. Monsieur Jean Gauchet, Expert.

BIRMINGHAM.- During the 17th century, Cassiano dal Pozzo and his younger brother, Carlo Antonio, embarked upon an epic attempt to document and record the major fields of knowledge of their day. 

They assembled a 'Paper Museum’ consisting of over 10,000 watercolours, drawings and prints illustrating subjects as diverse as antiquities, architecture, zoology, botany and geology, social customs and ceremonies, costumes, portraits, topography and military maps. Their collection represents one of the most significant attempts before the age of photography to embrace human knowledge in visual form - in many respects, the brothers were proto Instagrammers, creating a visual record of the material world around them. 

Imaginary Reconstruction of an Ancient Amphitheatre, Attributed to Bernardo Capitelli (1590-1639) Rome, about 1625. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

Most of the dal Pozzo collection was acquired by George III in 1762, and is still part of the Royal Collection today. This exhibition – the first in more than 20 years dedicated to Cassiano’s remarkable contribution to art and science – comes out of the second year of a collaboration between the Barber and Royal Collection Trust. The show is curated by University of Birmingham MA Art History and Curating Students, and includes more than 40 objects, including 17 ‘Paper Museum’ works lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection, some of which have never been publicly displayed before.

Born in Turin in 1588, Cassiano studied at the University of Pisa. In 1612 he moved to Rome, eventually taking up a senior administrative position in the household of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, Pope Urban VIII’s nephew. It was from this influential position that Cassiano became a prominent figure in Rome’s intellectual and religious life. He was a key patron to artists such as Poussin, Artemisia Gentileschi and Bernini, and a friend of the astronomer Galileo. Cassiano dal Pozzo crossed the boundaries of artistic, scientific and political disciplines to create his unique visual encyclopaedia, which he began to assemble from around 1620. 

Fingered Lemon (Citrus limon). Vincenzo Leonardi, Rome, about 1640. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

Not only did Cassiano and his brother commission hundreds of drawings of antiquities and curiosities of every description, they also maintained collections of live birds and animals in their palazzo. While they hadn’t actually seen live specimens of all the animals that were drawn for the Paper Museum - such as the Maned Three-Toed Sloth (c1626, unidentified artist) in the exhibition – these and other drawings of flora and fauna – such as African Civet (c.1630) and European Pelican (1635), both by Vincenzo Leonardi - reveal their infinite curiosity with life on earth. 

Anatomical Details of the Common or Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata), Vincenzo Leonardi Rome, about 1630-40. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

Head of a European or Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Vincenzo Leonardi (1589/90-1646) Rome, 1635. Watercolour and bodycolour, heightened with gum, over black chalk. Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

The curious eye of Cassiano did not simply seek to chart the natural world; it seemed that anything and everything held wonderment for him and his brother. Their friend Nicolas Poussin is believed to have contributed a drawing of a Samnite Triple-Disc Breastplate (c.1635), while what were thought to be Early Christian Martyr’s Chains - attributed to Leonardi (c.1646) - further reveal dal Pozzo’s desire to create an exhaustive record of the objects around him. Drawings of a Roman banquet, St Peter’s, a boxer’s hands and mosaics are also featured. 

Samnite Triple-Disc Breastplate. Attributed to Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665), Rome, about 1635. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

Early Christian Martyr’s Chains, Vincenzo Leonardi, Rome, about 1646. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

Imaginary Reconstruction of a Roman Public Banquet. Attributed to Bernardino Capitelli, Rome, about 1625. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

Two Views of a Hand wearing a Caestus and holding Weights. Attributed to Vincenzo Leonardi, Rome, about 1644. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

Mosaic Emblema: Marsh Scene with Birds. Unidentified Italian artist, Rome, about 1627. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

One of the key exhibits is a sheet of specimens of Corals, Fossils, semi-precious Stones and Minerals (attributed to Vincenzo Leonardi, c.1630-40), which shows 25 individual geological samples and fossils. Actual examples of 22 of these have been kindly loaned to the Barber Institute’s exhibition by world-leading Lapworth Museum of Geology, also on the University of Birmingham campus, enabling this drawing to be ‘recreated’ using physical samples.  

Lapidary and ‘figured’ Stones, Corals, Fossils, semi-precious Stones and Minerals, Vincenzo Leonardi, Rome, about 1630-40. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

The University’s Cadbury Research Library has also collaborated and loaned three artefacts; a copy of Historiae Animalium (Conradi Gesneri, 1511), the Supplément au livre de l’antiquité expliquée et répresenté en figures (Bernard de Montfaucon, 1757) and Ulisse Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia (1642). Aldrovandi is considered the founder of modern Natural History, but his Monstrorum is an intriguing and curious collection of depictions of mythical beasts - including a cockatrice, harpy and chimera - and human deformities, represented by drawings of conjoined twins, a baby with one arm and a man with a cutaneous horn growing from the top of his head.  

“Cassiano was operating at a fascinating moment,” says Robert Wenley, Barber Deputy Director and Head of Collections and the student’s mentor in the curatorial process, “It is important to remember that he was accumulating the material for the Paper Museum at a time when educated people were moving away from a medieval world-view to a more science-based one, but to promote progressive views at a time of religious orthodoxy was fraught with danger. In an age when excavated fragments of mammoths’ tusks were still interpreted as the bones of giants, the tribulations of Cassiano’s friend Galileo at the hands of the church bear testimony to this. Dal Pozzo had to walk a fine line due to his closeness to the Papal household, while at the same time working at what was then the cutting edge of scientific thought and discovery.”  

He added: “It is very exciting to stage the first exhibition in over twenty years to focus exclusively on Cassiano’s remarkable contribution to art and science. The Paper Museum considers his wide-ranging academic and personal interests in the subjects of natural and antiquarian history. It also investigates his fascination with creating visual‘documents’, which will resonate with today’s media-savvy and connected generation that enjoys documenting almost every fascinating aspect of everyday life and the world that we still feel the urge to go out and explore."

St Peter’s, Rome: Michelangelo’s Project Plan. Unknown Italian artist, circle of Michelangelo (1475-1564), Rome, about 1550. Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

Lot 123. A blue and white decorated porcelain dish, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). H: 3.0 cm - Ø: 17.0 cm. Estimation : 700 € - 800 €. Adjugé 700 €. Courtesy Asium

Plat en porcelaine à décor bleu et blanc central d'un arbre et rocher, dans le style des modèles Chenghua, dynastie Ming. Hauteur : 3 cm. Diamètre : 17 cm.

Lot 107. Chawan [bol à thé] en grès clair, Japon, époque Edo, XVIIIe-XIXe siècle, fours de Raku; 10 cm, 3 7/8  in. Estimate 800 — 1,200 EUR. Lot sold 2,625 EUR. Photo Sotheby's.

de forme ensu nari, déformé, recouvert d'une glacure saumon tâchée de verdâtre, légèrement craquelé, cachet Raku à la base. 

Provenance: Collection André Schoeller (1877-1956), Paris.
Ader, Paris, 14th, 15th and 16th May 1956, lot 472.
Thence in the family by descent.