Lot 351. A Colombian hexagonal-shaped tabular carved emerald of 80.24 carats, mid to late 17th century. Estimate USD 200,000 - USD 300,000. Price realised USD 447,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Lot 241. An enamelled and gem set paan box, Hyderabad, Deccan, 1750-80; 6 3/8 ins. (16.2 cm.) across. Estimate USD 250,000 - USD 350,000. Price realised USD 435,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Lot 333. An antique ruby, diamond and enamel bracelet, mid to late 18th century. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 435,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Lot 237.A gem set rock-crystal flask, North India or Deccan, 1740-1780; 7 5/8 ins. (19.2 cm.) high; 4 3/8 ins. (11.3 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 500,000. Price realised USD 387,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Lot 210. A gold gem set and enamelled flywhisk handle, India, possibly Delhi, circa 1680-1720; 8 5/8 ins. (22 cm.) long. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 500,000. Price realised USD 375,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Starfish brooch. Designed by: Juliette Moutard (French). For: René Boivin (French, founded in 1890). Fabricated by: Charles Profilet (French). Worn by: Claudette Colbert (American (born in France), 1903 – 1996), French, 1937. 18‑karat gold, ruby, amethyst. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

BOSTON, MASS.- The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has acquired an iconic piece of jewelry: a gold, ruby and amethyst starfish brooch made in 1937 by the Parisian house René Boivin and once owned by the Hollywood star Claudette Colbert. Designed in 1935 by Juliette Moutard, the ornament is lifelike in both scale and movement, with each of its five arms fully articulated to mimic the crawling movement of a real starfish. The brooch’s extraordinary design, craftsmanship and history make it a significant addition to the MFA’s growing collection of 20th-century jewelry. 

The brooch was produced at René Boivin under Jeanne Boivin, who took over her husband’s namesake company following his death in 1917, making her the first woman to ever direct a French jewelry house. Madame René Boivin—as she insisted on being known professionally—worked with Moutard and her predecessor Suzanne Belperron to codify a bold, avant-garde look in jewelry. The starfish brooch has been described as the firm’s most famous jewel, and the piece acquired by the MFA was the first of four known ruby-and-amethyst versions produced under Boivin and Moutard’s direction. Today, the object remains stored in its original brown suede box. 

Claudette Colbert purchased the brooch from Boivin in 1937, two years after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in It Happened One Night. She was Hollywood’s highest-paid actress at the time, and her sartorial choices—including pinning the distinctive starfish brooch to the shoulder of a coat or the collar of a dress—were closely followed in both film and fashion publications.

Unknown, Double Portrait of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592–1666) and Empress Mumtaz (1593–1631), India, late 19th century, late Mughal Period (1526–1857) or British Raj Period (1858–1947). Colors and gold on ivory (painting) gold, wood, brass (frame). Newark Museum Bequest of J. Ackerman Coles.

TULSA, OKLA.- Bringing together both historic and contemporary objects from the deep collection of the Newark Museum—Philbrook Museum of Art’s summer 2019 exhibition showcases the history and breadth of Islamic art. 

Featuring more than 150 works from over 1200 years, Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam through Time & Place reflects aspects of the faith, culture, and everyday lives of Muslims across the world and throughout the ages. This exhibition was organized by the Newark Museum and opened Sunday, June 23, 2019. 

The exhibition features works in a wide range of media, including textiles, clothing, furniture, metalwork, paintings, photographs, and calligraphy. 

Unknown, Khavar Shah Celebrates the Reunion of Mihr and Mah Folio from a dispersed Romance of Mihr, India, 1719, Muhammad Shah Reign (1719–48), late Mughal Period (1526–1857). Paper, gold, colors. Newark Museum Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne.

Objects in the exhibition reveal both mastery and depth of materials and also the integration of faith into everyday life. For example, elaborate jewelry and portraits on ivory show how artists incorporated symbols of faith into adornment for the body. Ceramics from China and Iran as well as vibrant textiles from Africa underscore the importance of trade and the history of Islam across the world. 

“Philbrook is proud to present the largest show of Islamic art ever shown in Oklahoma,” said Philbrook Director Scott Stulen. “In these divisive times, when our differences often dominate the headlines, this exhibition makes clear that we have far more in common, while providing an invaluable opportunity to bring the community together and create lasting connections.” 

Unknown, Portrait of a Beauty, India, late 19th century, late Mughal Period (1526–1857) or British Raj Period (1858–1947). Colors and gold on ivory (painting), ebony, copper, glass (frame). Newark Museum Gift of Dr. J. Ackerman Coles.

The first section of Wondrous Worlds introduces the Five Pillars of Islam—Declaration of Faith, Daily Prayers, Charity, Fasting for Ramadan, and the Hajj Pilgrimage—to provide context and a distinctive view into the function and cultural histories of the objects on display. 

“In Wondrous Worlds, we glimpse artistry from places as diverse as Morocco, Turkey, India, China, Burkina Faso, and the United States–locations tied together by the Islamic faith,” said Philbrook Curator Susan Green. “The mastery and exquisite craftsmanship of the objects draws us in, and through these objects, we can discover stories of faith, use, and culture that can help us understand our world today.” 

Throughout the run of the exhibition, Philbrook will present a wide variety of programming, partnering with the local community groups for talks, tours, lectures, and more

Unknown, Layla with Female Attendants in a Walled Garden Folio from a dispersed Layla and Majnun, India, Deccan, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Colors and gold on paper. Newark Museum Gift of Sally Sample Aall.

Unknown, Portrait of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1618–1707), India, late 17th or early 18th century, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Paper, gold, colors. Newark Museum Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne.

Unknown, Reading the Miracle of Splitting of the Moon (Shaq-ul-Qamar), Deccan, India, ca. 1780, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Paper, gold, colors. Newark Museum Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne.

Unknown artist from India. Illustrated portions of the Khamsa Nizami: Iskandar Nama and Makhzan al-Asrar written in Farsi language with Nasta’liq script, 1526–1857. Leather, ink, colors, and gold, 14 ½ x 9 ¼ x 1 ¾”. Newark Museum, Gift of the Society for Foreign Mission Welfare, 1955, 55.270.

Unknown, Inscribed Islamic Prayer Board (Lawh) with Cypress, Fish, Jewels and Lotus Motifs, Algeria, early 20th century. Wood, paint. Newark Museum Gift of John Cotton Dana.

Unknown, Portfolio with Eight-Pointed Star and Geometric Motifs, Algeria, before 1928. Leather, gold. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Inscribed in Thuluth Script, Hand of Fatima Charm with Six-Pointed Star, Algeria/Morocco, before 1928. Brass. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Qu’ran Container with Geometric Designs, Egypt, before 1929. Brass. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Inscribed Eating Knife and Sheath with Calligraphy and Foliate Motifs. Turkey, Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Steel, gold. Newark Museum Bequest of Ambrose E. Vanderpoel.

Unknown, Kris Nagasasra (Nine-Curve) Dagger with Foliate Hilt Boat-Shaped Scabbard Mouth, Repoussé Tree of Life Foliate Scabbard, Java, Indonesia, 19th century. Steel, brass, meteoric iron, wood. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Pen Case and Inkwell with Foliate Motifs, Malaysia or Indonesia, 19th century. Incised brass. Newark Museum Gift of Alice Roff Estey.

Unknown, Inscribed Astrolabe Adorned with Symbols of the Zodiac, Angels Elevating a Crown and Horse Head, Egypt, 1863. Brass. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Ewer in the Shape of a Mythic Goose and Makara with Floral Motifs, India, 17th –18th century, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Brass. Newark Museum Gift of Dr. David R. Nalin.

Unknown, Bidriware Lidded Ewer and Betel Set with Floral Motifs. India, late Mughal Period (1526—1857). Bidri (silver inlaid into a copper-zinc alloy). Newark Museum. Gift of Dr. Nathaniel Knight, 2013, 2013.17.1A,B-17A,B. Acquired by his Medical Missionary Great Grandfather Dr. Herbert Wilcox Knight in India between 1916 and 1926.

Unknown, Inscribed Coffeepot and Cups, Algeria, before 1928. Brass, copper, silver. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Rosewater Sprinkler with Foliate Motifs, Malaysia, 19th century. Silver. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Comb with Eight-Pointed Star, Floral and Knot Designs, Morocco, before 1930. Silver. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, A Single Earring with Floral Motifs (double sided image), Iran, Qajar Period (1789–1925). Iron, gold. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Jhumar Hair Ornament with Hand of Fatima, Crescent, Eight-Pointed Stars, Peacock and Floral Motifs, India, Jaipur 18th century, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Basra pearls, emeralds, spinels, diamonds, enamel, gold. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Molded Kalian Hookah Base with Arabesque and Floral Motifs, Iran, early 17th century, Safavid Period (1501–1722). White clay body with green glaze, metal. Newark Museum Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne.

Unknown, Bookstand (Rehal) with Geometric Motif, Turkey, before 1920, Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Wood, bone, mother-of-pearl, metal wire. Newark Museum Gift of Dr. J. Ackerman Coles.

Sondouq Bridal Chest with Architectural and Floral Motifs. Morocco, 20th century. Wood, colors; H: 27 inches, W: 55 inches, D: 16 1/2 inches. Newark Museum. Purchase, 1978, 78.15.

Unknown, Man’s Sawari Coat with Boteh and Woven Floral Motifs, India, Kashmir, late 18th or early 19th century, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Tapestry-woven silk, metal-wrapped threads. Newark Museum Gift of Mrs. August Gilbert Buse.

Unknown, Man’s Kaftan with Woven Boteh and Floral Motifs. Iran, Nasir Al-Din Shah Reign (1848–96), Qajar Period (1789–1925). Jacquard-woven wool, silk brocade with silver-wrapped threads, gold braiding, velvet and silk lining. Newark Museum. J. Ackerman Coles Collection Museum Purchase, 1928, 28.106.

Unknown, Horse Cape with Embroidered and Ikat Dyed Floral Motifs, Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, late 19th or early 20th century. Silk, velvet, metallic thread, metal sequins. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Knotted Prayer Rug with Mihrab, Hanging Oil Lamp, Floral and Geometric Motifs, Egypt, 1600–25, Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Wool, silk. Newark Museum Gift of Mary Vanderpool Pennington.

Unknown, Pendak Skirt with Woman and Sheep and Floral Motifs, Java, Indonesia, before 1923, Netherlands East Indies Period (1800–1942). Cotton, resist-wax print (batik). Newark Museum Gift of Dr. H. H. Rusby.

Burkina Faso, Portrait of Alhaji Shehu Muhammad Kangiwa with Olive Leaf Wreaths, late 20th century. Factory printed cotton. Newark Museum Gift of Jo M. Sullivan.

Burkina Faso, Textile of Crescent Moon and Stars, late 20th century. Factory printed cotton. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Textile of Agadez Mosque and Tuareg Figure, Niger, 1982. Factory printed cotton. Newark Museum Gift of Amy Albertson Greene.

Unknown, Khayamiya Panel with Calligraphic, Geometric and Architectural Motifs, Cairo, Egypt, before 1929. Cotton appliqué. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Molded Luster Tile with Sentence Fragment in Raised Calligraphy, Floral and Geometric Motifs, Kashan, Iran, first half of the 13th century. Molded fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Molded Eight-Pointed Star Tile with Wild Ass (Onager) Leaping a Fishpond Surrounded by Calligraphic and Floral Motifs, Iran, late 13th century – early 14th century. Molded fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Wall Border Tile with Green Saz Leaves, Turquoise Palmette Section with Red-and-White Carnation and White-and Red Daffodil, Iznik, Turkey, late 16th or early 17th century, Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Wall Tile with Turquoise Saz Leaf, Blue Hyacinth and Sections of Red and Blue Palmettes, Iznik, Turkey, late 16th or early 17th century, Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Molded Luster Tile with Raised Braided Border and Cowherd Witnessing a Lion Attack a Calf against a Floral Background, Iran, first half of the 13th century. Molded fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Gift of Mary Vanderpool Pennington.

Unknown, Luster Lobed, Molded Rim Bottle with Figural, Geometric, Calligraphic and Floral Motifs, Kashan, Iran, 13th century, late Abbasid Period (750–1258). White paste clay body with white, blue, and luster glazes. Newark Museum Bequest of Adelaide Kauffmann.

LEFT: Unknown, Narrow-Neck Jug with Calligraphic and Geometric Motifs, Rayy or Kashan, Iran, 12th century. White paste body with black slip and turquoise glaze. Newark Museum Bequest of Adelaide Kauffmann. 
RIGHT: Unknown, Footed Bowl with Incised Geometric Motif, Rayy, Iran, 12th – 13th century. White paste body with black slip and turquoise glaze. Newark Museum Gift of Susan Dwight Bliss.

Unknown, Jobbana Covered Jar with Interlocking Ring Motifs, Morocco, late 18th – early 20th century. Earthenware with white, blue, yellow and turquoise glazes. Newark Museum Purchase, The Member’s Fund.

Unknown, Ceiling Ornament with Foliate Motifs, Kutahya, Turkey, 17th century Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Gift of Mary Vanderpool Pennington.

Unknown, Bowl with Eight-Pointed Star, Floral and Geometric Motifs, Morocco, late 18th century – early 19th century. Earthenware with aqua, blue, and yellow glazes. Newark Museum Purchase, Eva Walker Kahn Bequest Fund.

Unknown, Three Varieties of Twelve Birds, Four Long-horned Ibex, and Four Mythical Quadrupeds with Floral and Calligraphic Motifs on a Bowl, Nishapur, Iran, 9th–10th century. Buff clay body with dark brown slip and yellow, green and clear glazes. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Bowl with Geometric and Foliate Motifs and Three-Color Glazes, Eastern Iran, 9th–10th century, Abbasid Period (750–1258). Incised design in red clay body with white slip, and green, yellow, purple-brown and clear glazes. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Red Carnations, Blue Tulips, Red Hyacinth and Blue Saz Leaf on a Dish with an “S”- Pattern and Double-Scrolled Rim, Turkey, 18th century, Ottoman Period (1299–1922). Fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Purchase.

Unknown, Luster Hispano-Moresque Dish with Bird and Foliate Motifs, Spain, possibly Valencia, 1550–1650. Earthenware with luster glaze. Newark Museum Purchase.

Vase with Lotus Motifs and Silver Tiffany Mount. China, Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) (ceramic); Newark, New Jersey, early 20th century (silver mount). Porcelain with under-glaze cobalt blue, silver. Newark Museum. Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne, 1941, 41.1793.

Unknown, Ewer Imitating a Middle Eastern Metal Form with Lotus Motifs and Silver Tiffany Lid. China, Qing Dynasty (1644—1911) (ceramic); Newark, New Jersey, early 20th century (silver mount). Porcelain with under-glaze cobalt blue, silver. Newark Museum. Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne, 1941, 41.1882.

Lalla Essaydi (b. 1956, Morocco; active in the United States and Morocco). Harem #1, 2009. Chromogenic print mounted to aluminum, 40 x 30”. Newark Museum, Purchase 2011 Alberto Burri Memorial Fund established by Stanley J. Seeger, 2011.7.1A-C.

LONDON.- This summer, fine art auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull bring together the work of the first British female artists for an exhibition in London. “Bright Souls”: The Forgotten Story of Britain’s First Female Artists, featuring works kindly loaned from both museums and private collections, shows how the 17th Century artists Joan Carlile, Mary Beale and Anne Killigrew managed to achieve success in an age when women had few career options, and even fewer rights. 

The exhibition, the first ever devoted to Britain’s pioneering female artists, is being held at Lyon & Turnbull’s London gallery, and includes self-portraits of all three artists. The exhibition has been curated by the art historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor. 

Mary Beale (British 1633-1699), Self-Portrait holding a Palette, c.1670. Oil on canvas, 45.7 x 38.1 cm, Kindly lent by the West Suffolk Heritage Service, Moyses Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds, accession no.1993.35.

Previously, the stories of Carlile, Beale and Killigrew have faded from view in British art history, not least because many of their works were later attributed to male artists such as Sir Peter Lely. But all three artists were well known to contemporaries: Carlile as the first professional female British artist; Beale as the most successful; and Killigrew, dying of smallpox at the age of just 25, as the most tragic. 

Killigrew’s death prompted the then Poet Laureate John Dryden to hope that her legacy would nevertheless live on, writing, "Still with a greater blaze she shone, And her bright soul broke out on ev'ry side.” Bright Souls now not only reveals new light on the careers of Carlile, Beale and Killigrew, but also unveils a number of hitherto lost works. 

Anne Killigrew (British 1660-1685): Self-Portrait, oil on canvas ,The Berkeley Will Trust, Berkeley Castle. 

Dr Bendor Grosvenor said: “It’s such a shame these artists have been largely ignored by art history, not least because they were so good. For too long, our view of British art in the 17th Century has been dominated by male artists - it’s time to change that misconception.” 

Rohan McCulloch, Head of British & European Art at Lyon & Turnbull London, said: “We are delighted to be putting on such an important exhibition with Dr Grosvenor and hope to welcome many new and existing clients to our gallery to see these fantastic works, shown together for the first time."

Joan Carlile (British 1600-1679), The Carlile Family with Sir Justinian Isham in Richmond Park, ‘The Stag Hunt’, 1650s. Oil on canvas, 61 x 74 cm. Kindly lent by the Lamport Hall Trustees, accession no.95.

Lot 139. A diamond set and enamelled gold covered bowl and stand, Hyderabad, India, 1790-1810. Bowl and cover 5 ¼ ins. (13.3 cm.) high; 3 ½ ins. (9 cm.) diam.; stand 8 ¼ ins. (21 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 500,000. Price realised USD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Lot 220. A drop-shaped Colombian emerald bead of 50.41 carats, 20.48 x 15.58 x 23.15 mm, mid-17th century. Estimate USD 150,000 - USD 250,000. Price realised USD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

AGL, 2019, report no. 1100310: 50.41 carats, Colombia, minor clarity enhancement, traditional type.

Lot 266. Enamelled gold fittings from a staff or rod, North India, circa 1650. Upper section 3 ¼ ins. (8.3 cm.) long; lower section 1 ¾ ins. (4.5 cm.) long. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 500,000. Price realised USD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Tip in the shape of a parrot head, decorated in green, red, white, yellow and black enamels, with modern rock-crystal mount.

Exhibited: The Miho Museum, Koka 2016, p.84, no.54
Grand Palais, Paris 2017, p.151, no.113
The Doge’s Palace, Venice 2017, p.181, no.119
The Palace Museum, Beijing 2018, p.207, no.123
de Young Legion of Honor, San Francisco 2018, p. 101, no. 41.

Staffs of this kind were often carried by senior officials at the Mughal court. Royal paintings such as folio 43b in the Windsor Padshahnamadated to circa 1635 includes a similar example (Beach, Koch and Thackston, 1997, no. 5, pp. 28-29). The delicate floral motifs in basse-taille enamelling are representative of both the architectural decorations and illustrated borders with similar patterns dating from the first half of the seventeenth century. 

Parrots hold a strong symbolic presence in both Persian and Mughal arts. By the 16th century, they were already, from centuries earlier, associated with Indo-Persian storytelling and literary eloquence. They were a symbol that would have been recognised by any cultured person in Mughal India, the Deccan Sultanates and Safavid Iran. The Tutinama (Tales of the Parrot) which is a 14th century Persian series of stories was an extremely popular text in the Mughal court. A lavish illustrated copy including 250 illustrations was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar at the end of the 16th century. 

The central section is set with a modern rock crystal mount. 

Christie's. Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence, New York, 19 June 2019

Lot 339. A gold-mounted agate cameo of Jahangir, cameo, France or Italy 1610-1630, mount, France 1630-1640; 2 ins. (5.1 cm.) long. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 500,000. Price realised USD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Set in a gold pendant mount, the reverse engraved with flowers.

Exhibited: The Miho Museum, Koka 2016, p.73, no.44
Grand Palais, Paris 2017, p.30, no.3
The Doge’s Palace, Venice 2017, p.94, no.48
The Palace Museum, Beijing 2018, p.110, no.49
de Young Legion of Honor, San Francisco 2018, p. 66, no. 14

Note: This rare, carved agate depiction of Jahangir finds comparison with a small group of Mughal cameos all bearing an image of Shah Jahan, produced by European or Indian lapidaries working at the Mughal court. These include a sardonyx cameo of Shah Jahan by a European craftsman at the Mughal court, circa 1630-40, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, inv. IS.14-1974. A sardonyx cameo with enamelled gold mount, attributed to Kan Atamm (‘the Supreme Engraver’), circa 1630-40, illustrating the famous incident of a young Shah Jahan as Prince Khurram slaying a lion, is now in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, inv. Camee.366 (Paris, 2017, p.29). An agate cameo portrait with a ruby surround is in the Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (inv.no. LNS 43 J; Keene and Kaoukji, 2001, no.9.11, p.114). Another sardonyx cameo, quite similar to the example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, sold at Bonhams, London, 1 May 2003, lot 380. 

Amina Okada suggests that the ‘relatively dry and angular’ treatment of Jahangir’s face indicates that this is the work of a European lapidary probably working in France or Italy. It is quite likely that the cameo was carved after an engraving or portrait of the Mughal emperor (Paris, 2017, p.30).  

For a gold-mounted agate bazuband in the sale, see lot 288.

LONDON.- This summer, Sotheby’s will present a roll-call of the greatest names in Western art history at its flagship Old Masters Evening Sale on 3 July. With an overall estimate of £4665.9m/ $59.5-83.7m, the sale next week is one of the strongest sales ever staged in this category, both in value as well as in the quality of works on offer. From some of the finest works by the three key British landscape painters remaining in private hands, to masterpieces and newly discovered works by Renaissance and Baroque masters, the sale features works by the biggest household names spanning six centuries. 

Great British Landscapes 

Lot 22. Thomas Gainsborough, R.A. (Sudbury 1727 - 1788 London), Going to Market, Early Morning, oil on canvas, 121.8 x 147.2 cm.; 48 x 58 in. Estimate: £7,000,000 — 9,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Going to Market, Early Morning is unquestionably one of Gainsborough’s finest masterpieces remaining in private hands, and one of the finest eighteenth century British landscapes by any artist ever to likely come to market. 

Painted in 1773 it is one of an important group of three major landscapes Gainsborough painted at this period that deals with the subject of travellers going to or returning from market. The subject and composition of the picture demonstrates Gainsborough’s natural affinity with, and sympathy for the rural poor and includes one of his favourite themes – rustic lovers in an idealised rural setting. 

Beautifully evoking the early morning journey to market of rural folk as they rise out of the still misty valley into the watery sunlight, this painting acclaimed by scholars and widely praised is one of the artist’s most ravishing landscapes.

Lot 23. John Constable, R.A. (East Bergholt, 1776 - 1837 Hampstead), Study for 'The White Horse',oil on canvas, 61 x 50 cm.; 24 x 19 3/4  in. Estimate: £2,000,000 — 3,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

A rare and important compositional study for one of the most celebrated paintings of the English Romantic Movement - The White Horse, which now resides at The Frick, New York. 

The painting that launched John Constable’s career, The White Horse was the first of Constable’s great ‘Six-Footers’ which cemented the artist’s contemporary fame and which defined his art for generations. Created in 1819, the painting was immediately a critical success and led to the artist being voted an Associate of the Royal Academy the same year. Unlike most of Constable’s major landscapes, for which he produced numerous sketches and went through several drafts before settling upon the final composition, only a small number of preparatory works relating to The White Horse are known. 

Possibly painted en plein air the oil sketch shows Constable responding directly to the landscape, capturing the atmosphere of the River Stour, as well as the topographical detail. 

Lot 11. J.M.W. Turner, R.A. (London 1775 - 1851), Landscape with Walton Bridges, oil on canvas, 87.5 x 118 cm; 34 ½ x 46 ½ . Estimate: £4,000,000 — 6,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

One of a small group of ten or so proto-impressionist late pictures by the artist left in private hands, Landscape with Walton Bridges comes to the market for the first time in over 35 years. The central motif - Walton Bridges - is one that the artist had treated twice before in oils, in 1806 and 1807. Clearly a subject with significant meaning to him, in this work he sets the bridge in an idealised, Italianate landscape of his own imagining. 

Essentially explorations of the effects of light, Turner created the late works for himself, rather than for exhibition or for sale, retaining them for the development of his art. With their bold application of colour, their treatment of light and their deconstruction of form, these late works revolutionised the way the painted image was perceived and are considered to be the artist’s supreme achievement, and the pictures upon which his artistic significance ultimately rest.

**Old Master & British Works on Paper Sale** 

Lot 417. J.M.W. Turner, R.A. (London 1775 - 1851), Sun-rise. Whiting Fishing at Margate, 1822. Watercolour over pencil, heightened with bodycolour, scratching out and stopping out; signed and dated lower left: J.M.W. Turner 1822,426 by 648 mm. Estimate: £800,000 – 1.200,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

A celebrated picture which sees the artist working at the height of his powers and on a grand scale, Sun-rise. Whiting Fishing at Margate is one the greatest and most beautiful Turner watercolours to remain in private hands. 

Positioning himself off the Kentish coast at Margate, a town he had first visited as a small boy and which he regularly returned to throughout his life, Turner looks east in this painting, directly into a mesmeric sunrise, whose magical light gives warmth to everything it touches, before exploding into a myriad of colours on the glass-like surface of the sea. On the left, far in the distance, a guardship announces the dawn by firing its morning gun, while in the foreground, fishermen have already struck lucky and are excitedly hauling in a plentiful catch. Through the cluster of small vessels, the town itself can be made out. 

Great Baroque Pictures 

Jusepe de Ribera, called lo Spagnoletto (Játiva, Valencia 1591 - 1652 Naples), Girl with a Tambourine, signed and dated centre right: Jusepe de Ribera/ español F. 1637, oil on canvas, in a Spanish 18th-century frame, 59.5 x 45.5 cm.; 23 3/8  x 17 1/2  in Estimate: £5,000,000 — 7,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's

One of Ribera’s most celebrated paintings, this arresting depiction of a girl singing a tune while tapping a tambourine embodies his extraordinary powers of expressive characterisation. Probably one of five works originally depicting the five senses, Girl with a tambourine encapsulates Ribera’s inimitable contribution to the imagery of music-making by merging allegory and genre, as well as portraiture, into one remarkable image. Dated to 1637, this painting also features the artist’s characteristic loyalty to his Spanish roots, signed ‘Ribera español’ 

Lot 17. Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen 1577 - 1640 Antwerpt), Head of a Young Warrior, oil on oak panel, 50.8 x 41.5 cm.; 20 x 16 3/8  in. Estimate: £2,500,000 — 3,500,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Painted in the early 1610s, Head of a Young Warrior shows Rubens in complete control of his medium, his brush, and his subject. The characteristically vivacious and energetic study was most likely kept in the artist’s studio as a prop throughout his life for use in larger compositions, including his painting of Saint Ambrosius of Milan barring Emperor Theodosius from entering the Cathedral in Milan, painted circa 1615-1617, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. 

Lot 8. Johann Liss (Oldenburg circa 1595/1600 - 1631 Verona), The Temptation of Saint Mary Magdalene, oil on canvas, 98.8 x 125.8 cm.; 38 7/8  x 49 1/2  in. Estimate: £4,000,000 — 6,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

One of the finest examples of the artist’s work to remain in private hands, this captivating depiction of the Magdalene choosing Salvation over Temptation marks Liss as one of the most fascinating painters of the entire 17th century. The painting sees the artist add a personal twist to the traditional iconography of the penitent Magdalene, portraying her turning away from worldly temptation towards an angel in a design that recalls traditional Netherlandish renderings of the Choice between Vice and Virtue. 

Lot 14. Joachim Antonisz Wtewael (Utrecht 1566 - 1638), Diana and Actaeon, signed and dated lower right: Joachim./ wten.wael fecit/ 1608, oil on copper, 15.9 x 21.3 cm.; 6 1/4  x 8 3/8  in. Estimate: £4,000,000 — 6,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's

Joachim Antonisz Wtewael was the supreme exponent of the last great phase of mannerist painting in northern Europe and the most important in the Netherlands of mythological cabinet pieces painted on copper. 

The intimate scale of this panel, combined with the meticulous detail and smooth finish afforded by the copper’s surface, mark it as a work intended for personal enjoyment by the spectator, who can appreciate the excitement of the extraordinary myth in tandem with the erotic elegance of its forms. 

Lot 15. Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Brussels 1564 - 1637/8 Antwerpt), Winter Landscape with a bird trap, signed and indistinctly dated lower right: P.BREVGHEL 1622, oil on oak panel, the reverse incised with the panel maker's mark of a clover leaf for Michiel Claessens, the year stamp A for 1621–22, and branded with the coat-of-arms of the city of Antwerp, 38.6 x 56 cm.; 15 1/4  x 22 in. Estimate: £1.500,000 – 2,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

One of the best loved of all the Brueghel compositions and, in its beautiful evocation of a winter’s day, one of the most enduring images in Western Art. This particular version of the Bird Trap is one of only a small handful that is both signed and dated by Pieter Brueghel the Younger himself, as well as being one of a few to include the figures of the holy family on the far bank.

18th Century Masterpieces

Lot 10. Francesco Guardi (Venice 1712 - 1793), The Grand Canal, Venice, with San Simeon Piccolo, signed centre left: Franco./ Guardi, oil on canvas, 65.3 x 79.5 cm.; 25 3/4  by 31 3/8  in. Estimate: £1,000,000 – 1.500,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Only very recently brought to light for the first time, this beautiful depiction of the Grand Canal is a mature work by Francesco Guardi, most probably painted in the 1770s. The far north-western stretch of the Grand Canal, dominated by the neoclassical church of San Simeone Piccolo and its great dome, though not the most famous of Venetian views, was often chosen by Guardi as a subject for his paintings. This canvas is one of a small group of closely related vedute, probably also painted in the same decade and taken from the same viewpoint; it is moreover the only signed example known, and certainly the finest to remain in private hands. 

Its subtle colour harmonies of creams, pinks, blues and greys, and its wonderful capture of the atmospheric qualities of Venetian light attest to Guardi’s mastery of his subject, but equally noteworthy are his closely observed details of everyday life upon the canal. 

Lot 33. Jean-Etienne Liotard (Geneva 1702 - 1789), A Woman in Turkish costume in a Hamam instructing a servant, pastel on paper, laid down on canvas, 703 x 563 mm. Estimate: £2,000,000 – 3,000,000.  Courtesy Sotheby's.

This exceptional pastel is one of the most famous images created by Liotard, whose endeavours in exotic subjects such as this would have excited the senses of the 18th century viewer, providing a window into a different world. Though his ties with his native Switzerland never wavered, there was perhaps no other 18th-century artist who was more truly cosmopolitan, with Liotard working in almost all the main cultural centres of Europe over a career that spanned six decades. 

His works in his preferred medium of pastel are often of startling technical and compositional originality. This portrait encapsulates all of the technical brilliance and timeless mystery that underpin Liotard’s genius and enduring appeal

Medieval and Renaissance 

Lot 4. Sandro Botticelli and Studio (Florence 1445 - 1510), Madonna and Child, seated before a classical window, oil on panel, 76.9 x 49.1 cm.; 30 1/4  x 19 3/8  in. Estimate: £1,500,000 – 2,000,000. Courtesy Sotheby's

Painted in the c. 1485, or soon after, this well preserved Madonna and child follows the design of the central section of Botticelli’s famous altarpiece for the Bardi chapel in the church of Santo Spirito, Florence and since 1829 in the Gemaldegalerie, Berlin. Whether by Botticelli in its entirety, as believed by Prof. Laurence Kanter, or by Botticelli with some assistance from his workshop, the head and hand of the Madonna are of particular note and it seems very likely that the same cartoon, to map out the composition, was used for both this and the Bardi altarpiece.

Lot 1. Third Master of Anagni, mid-1230s (Active second quater 31th century), The Madonna and Child, two angels in the spandrels above, tempera on panel, gold ground, with four inset cabochon rock crystals, 58 x 46.5 cm; 22 7/8  x 18 1/4  in. Estimate: £200,000 – 300,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Probably created in the mid-1230s, this is one the earliest paintings to be offered in an Old Masters sale at Sotheby’s. Executed in a deft graphic style, this remarkable early work depicts the Virgin with the Christ Child with an inset arch. Acquired for the illustrious Stoclet collection in Brussels in the early 20th century, this work has not been offered for sale for nearly a century.

Lot 14. A very rare Meissen Augustus Rex vase, circa 1725; 36.5cm high, AR monogram in underglaze-blue. Estimate £ 30,000 - 50,000  (€ 34,000 - 56,000). © Bonhams

The knopped, beaker shape with a flared rim and footrim, painted in underglaze-blue with two flower vases on the upper register, two sprays of leafy flowering branches on the knop, and two covered vessels decorated with flowers and flanked by leafy, flowering branches on the bottom section (restored).

Lot 16. A very rare Meissen silver-gilt-mounted tankard, circa 1723-24; 18.8cm high. Estimate £ 30,000 - 50,000  (€ 34,000 - 56,000). © Bonhams

Finely painted, probably by J.G. Höroldt, with a chinoiserie scene after Martin Engelbrecht depicting a potentate seated on a throne beneath drapery and flanked by guards, below him three seated figures on each side of a table, a formal garden and pagodas in the distance, within a shield-shaped cartouche of an underglaze-blue line embellished with gilt scrollwork enclosing Böttger lustre and edged with iron-red scrollwork, the reverse with four birds and insects in flight and a sprig of indianische Blumen on the handle, the mounts probably Augsburg, circa 1725, the cover with a quatrelobe relief panel depicting a Turk seated in front of a camel, holding a sword and a spear, enclosed by strap- and scrollwork, the shoulder with a band of similar scroll- and strapwork enclosing four small circular relief medallions depicting classical busts in profile, the thumbpiece with two lion's head terminals, (restuck section at rear).

Provenance: Anon. sale, Law Fine Art, Hungerford, Berkshire, 25 September 2001, lot 197

Note: Two other early Meissen tankards attributed to J.G. Höroldt and painted with a similar scene after a print by Martin Engelbrecht of around 1720, titled 'Nobilissimus Dominus Kiakouli in Villa sua/Der Hoch Edle Herr Kiakouli in seinem Lust Hause' from the series "Sinesische Trachten und Gebräuche nach jetziger beliebten Art zum ausschneiden dienlich" are recorded. The tankard now in the Stout Collection, Memphis, and formerly in the collections of Margarethe and Franz Oppenheimer, Dr. Fritz Mannheimer and Ralph Wark, follows Engelbrecht's print most closely. Another tankard, formerly in the Dr. Marcel Nyffeler Collection and now in the Carabelli Collection, is closer in composition to the present lot, with the six seated figures at a lower table below the seated potentate (U. Pietsch, Frühes Meißener Porzellan Sammlung Carabelli (2000). no. 55). The related drawing of the scene is on pl. 12 of the Schulz Codex.

Martin Engelbrecht, 'Nobilissimus Dominus Kiakouli in Villa sua/Der Hoch Edle Herr Kiakouli in seinem Lust Hause' from the series "Sinesische Trachten und Gebräuche nach jetziger beliebten Art zum ausschneiden dienlich", around 1720.

Five other early Meissen tankards with chinoiserie scenes attributed to Höroldt and the cartouche outlined in underglaze-blue were exhibited in the 1996 Dresden exhibition dedicated to Höroldt (U. Pietsch, Johann Gregororius Höroldt 1696-1775 (1996), 104 and 106-109). One of these, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, inv. no. 1934.1352 (Pietsch, no. 108), has closely similar silver mounts, as does the tankard in the Arnhold Collection, New York, published by M. Cassidy-Geiger, The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain 1710-50 (2008), no. 164. The latter is marked with the pinecone mount for Augsburg and an illegible maker's mark.

Lot 11. A very rare Meissen underglaze-blue-decorated large pewter-mounted cylindrical tankard, circa 1720-23; 23cm high including cover. Estimate £ 25,000 - 35,000 (€ 28,000 - 39,000). © Bonhams

Lot 28. A Meissen Augustus Rex flared beaker vase, circa 1725-30;, 38.2cm high, AR monogram in underglaze-blue. Estimate £ 8,000 - 12,000 (€ 8,900 - 13,000). © Bonhams

Lot 30. A very rare Meissen beaker and saucer, circa 1728; the beaker: 7.5cm high, crossed swords marks in underglaze-blue. Estimate £ 8,000 - 12,000  (€ 8,900 - 13,000). © Bonhams

Fresco with an Architectural Landscape (detail), Roman, about 40 BC, plaster and pigment. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 9423. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

LOS ANGELES– The Getty Villa is modeled on the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum, an ancient Roman villa buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Rediscovered in the 1750s and explored further in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Villa dei Papiri has yielded spectacular colored marble and mosaic floors, frescoed walls, a large collection of bronze and marble statuary, and a unique library of more than a thousand papyrus scrolls (from which it gets its name). On view June 26 to October 28, 2019, Buried by Vesuvius: Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri presents many of the most significant artifacts discovered in the 1750s, along with recent finds from the still active archeological site, and explores ongoing efforts to open and read the badly damaged papyri.

“The Villa dei Papiri is one of the most luxurious private residences of the ancient classical world ever discovered and one which had an important role in the early history of archeology. Especially important are its unique collection of ancient bronze statuary and antiquity’s only surviving library of papyrus scrolls, which provide an unprecedented insight into the philosophical interests of its aristocratic Roman occupant – none other than the father-in-law of Julius Caesar,” says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Among the most impressive of these finds is a rare bronze sculpture of a drunken satyr, which, as part of a collaborative conservation project with the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN), is undergoing analysis and conservation treatment in our conservation studios before going on display in the exhibition.” 

Digital reconstruction of the Villa dei Papiri. Museo Archeologico Virtuale di Ercolano. Courtesy of Museo Archeologico Virtuale di Ercolano

Potts adds, “For several decades, we have worked closely with Italian colleagues and institutions in conserving, protecting, researching and celebrating Italy’s extraordinary cultural heritage. We are delighted now to be collaborating with MANN, the Parco Archeologico di Ercolano (PA-Erco), and the Biblioteca Nazionale “Vittorio Emanuele” di Napoli (BNN) in organizing this exhibition. We have had several successful collaborative conservation projects with MANN over the past few years including, most recently, their monumental funerary vessel (krater) from Altamura in 2018, and three of their splendid bronzes: the Ephebe (Youth) in 2009, the Apollo Saettante in 2011, and the over-life-size sculpture of Tiberius in 2013.” 

The Villa dei Papiri was a sumptuous private residence on the Bay of Naples, just outside the Roman town of Herculaneum. Deeply buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, it was rediscovered in 1750 when well-diggers struck a spectacular circular multicolored marble floor that belonged to the luxurious Roman villa (a full-scale replica of this floor decorates the Getty Villa’s Temple of Hercules gallery). Under the sponsorship of King Charles VII, Karl Weber, a Swiss military engineer in the royal guard, was entrusted with excavating the site. Weber directed a crew of conscripts and convicts to dig a series of shafts and tunnels to seek and remove the most impressive finds to augment the collections of the recently established Royal Herculanean Museum. Although his superiors were chiefly interested in recovering artifacts to enhance the royal collections, Weber carefully recorded their findspots and architectural contexts. 

Athena Promachos (First in Battle), Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Marble, H: 200 cm. Found in the tablinum, h on Weber’s plan, October 22 (right arm) and October 29, 1752. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 6007. Photo: Giorgio Albano

Weber’s excavation plan of the Villa dei Papiri, on display in the exhibition, provides detailed evidence for the layout and decoration of the building, including discovery dates and locations of sculptures, frescos, papyri, columns, pools, fountains, gutters, hinges, and other architectural features. In the early 1970s, when J. Paul Getty decided to replicate the Villa dei Papiri for his museum in Malibu, his architects relied on Karl Weber’s eighteenth-century plan, since the original building remained inaccessible underground. They also employed elements from other ancient structures discovered around the Bay of Naples. 

“It is only fitting that the first major exhibition on the Villa dei Papiri takes place at the Getty Villa, which is a recreation of the famous villa in Herculaneum,” says Kenneth Lapatin, curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Recreating the Villa dei Papiri appealed to Mr. Getty because of its association with Julius Caesar through his father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, the villa’s supposed owner. Getty often compared himself to ancient Roman rulers and particularly admired Julius Caesar and the emperor Hadrian, a fellow art collector and villa owner. Although Getty, unlike Hadrian, did not live in his villa, his reconstruction was a key component in his attempts to refashion himself from a Midwestern businessman into a European aristocrat.” 

Tripod Component (detail), Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Ash wood and ivory, H: 15.5-78 cm, W: 3-11 cm, D: 1.5-10.2 cm. Found in the seaside pavilion, 2007. Parco Archeologico di Ercolano, I4; O4; F1; 6-7-14. Image: Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali - Parco Archeologico di Ercolano. All rights reserved. © Archivio dell'arte - Pedicini photographers

One of the most significant finds recovered in the 1750s was a first-century bronze statue of a Drunken Satyr in dynamic motion. The middle-aged figure was praised by the eighteenth-century German scholar J. J. Winckelmann as one of the most beautiful bronze statues to survive from antiquity. The satyr, a mythical follower of the wine god Bacchus, wears a pine wreath with flower clusters and has pointed ears, small horns, wild hair, and wattles. He snaps his right thumb and middle finger in a gesture associated by ancient authors with Bacchic abandon. A replica of the satyr can be found in the Getty Villa’s Outer Peristyle pool. 

The ancient Drunken Satyr, which is usually on view in Naples, arrived to the Getty early in October 2018 for conservation treatment and analysis as part of a collaborative project with MANN. The project aims to identify past interventions—what was done to the statue in both ancient and early modern times to repair it, stabilize it, or change its appearance. There will also be an investigation of any potential instabilities, including metal corrosion and the connection between the statue’s various parts, as well as their connections to its early modern stone base. In collaboration with their colleagues at MANN, Getty conservators will also evaluate possible aesthetic issues, considering how to best display the sculpture to enhance viewers’ appreciation of its artistry. How the statue was originally manufactured will also be explored through techniques such as X-radiography, endoscopy, technical imaging, and non-invasive analytical methods.

Demetrios Poliorketes, Roman, first century BC–first century AD, marble. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 6149. Photo: Luigi Spina4

Another important discovery was the cache of approximately 1,100 papyrus scrolls recovered from the ancient villa in 1752-54, which constitute the only surviving library from the classical world. Camillo Paderni (about 1715–1781), the first director of the royal museum in Portici, was the first to attempt to open the carbonized scrolls by slicing the scrolls lengthwise, cutting through their charred outer “bark” to expose the writing. The texts were copied for study and eventual publication, and then the papyri were scraped to reveal additional layers. In 1753, Father Antonio Piaggio, a curator of manuscripts at the Vatican, devised a more successful system, inventing and refining a series of unrolling machines, one of which is on view in the exhibition. 

In the late 1900s and early 2000s, advanced imaging technologies enhanced the legibility of the previously opened papyri. Today, they offer the prospect of digital unrolling and decipherment of the hundreds that remain closed. An in-gallery video addressing recent attempts to virtually open and read the scrolls will also be part of the exhibition. In addition, a group of papyrus scrolls on loan from Bibiloteca Nazionale “Vittorio Emanuele” in Naples, which will be on display for the first time in the US, will undergo a major research project at UCLA of imaging and virtual unscrolling prior to being placed in the exhibition. The results of the project will be available later in the summer after the exhibition opens. 

Appias ("Herculaneum Dancer"), Greco-Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Bronze, copper, silver, bone, and stone, H: 179 cm. Attributed to Stephanos. Found in the south colonnade of the rectangular peristyle, XVIII on Weber’s plan, May 24, 1754 Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 5621. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

Most of the texts opened to date are Greek philosophical treatises, particularly by Philodemus of Gadara (about 110–30 BC), a follower of Epicurus. The Athenian philosopher Epicurus (341–270 BC) founded a popular school called the Garden, which recognized pleasure as the greatest good. Images of Greek intellectuals, including busts of Epicurus, and other artifacts, such as a bronze piglet and a portable sundial, recovered from the Villa dei Papiri, further reflects the owner’s interest in Epicurean philosophy and rhetoric. 

The rooms and gardens of the Villa dei Papiri were enlivened by approximately 90 sculptures in bronze and marble depicting mythological figures, athletes, rulers, statesmen, poets, and philosophers. Portraits of eminent figures of the Hellenistic period (323–31 BC) predominate, which reflects the particular interests of the villa’s owners in Hellenistic philosophy and politics. The arrangement of the sculptures also appears to have been programmatic, presenting particular groupings that invited viewers to compare the accomplishments and failings of the subjects as well as the artistic styles of the works. 

Fresco with a Window, Branch, Fillet, and Painted Panel, Roman, 40–30 BC. Plaster and pigment, H: 88.3 cm, W: 191 cm. Found south of the atrium, in room g, 1997. Parco Archeologico di Ercolano. Image: Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali - Parco Archeologico di Ercolano. All rights reserved. © Archivio dell'arte - Pedicini photographers.

For wealthy Romans, otium, or leisure, presented a chance to forget the concerns of urban life, abandon worry about politics or business (negotium). A seaside estate such as the Villa dei Papiri was the perfect place for an escape. Its owners could host elaborate banquets where guests were surrounded by art, sating both their gastronomic and aesthetic appetites. Gardens, baths, and athletic spaces, as well as long walkways for undistracted contemplation, invited visitors to pause and discuss the representations of mythological figures, men of letters, and famous statesmen. The exhibition will include many of these ancient bronze and marble representations, not far from their replicas on display throughout the Getty Villa’s gardens, including two famous figures of bronze runners. 

Exploration of the Villa dei Papiri was abandoned in 1764 and remained entirely buried for more than two centuries until new excavations were undertaken in the 1990s and 2000s. Renewed interested brought to light a portion of the building’s atrium as well as lower levels that were unknown in the eighteenth century. 

Piglet, Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Bronze, H: 40 cm, W: 45.1 cm. D: 26.7 cm (including ancient base). Found at the east corner of the rectangular peristyle, May 17, 1756. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 4893. Photo: Giorgio Albano

Among the new discoveries were rooms with colorful mosaic floors and spectacular frescoed walls and stuccoed ceilings. Finds also included a seaside pavilion and swimming pool, where archaeologists recovered two marble sculptures and luxurious wood and ivory furniture components, on view here for the first time. These recent excavations helped clarify the chronology of the villa, which is now thought to have been built around 40 BC, with the seaside pavilion added around AD 20. Ongoing research continues to advance our understanding of the initial finds from the site. 

Buried by Vesuvius: Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri is curated by Kenneth Lapatin, curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum. The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Parco Archeologico di Ercolano, and Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli “Vittorio Emanuele III”, and with the generous participation of the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York. The exhibition is made possible with major support from Elizabeth and Bruce Dunlevie. It is generously supported by The Spogli Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Villa Council and the Italian Cultural Institute.

Amazon, Roman, first century AD. Marble with pigment, H: 34 cm. Found in the seaside pavilion, April 28, 1997, Parco Archeologico di Ercolano, 4296/80499.  Image: Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali – Parco di Ercolano. All rights reserved.

Runners, Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Bronze, bone, and stone, H: 118 cm. Found at the west end of the rectangular peristyle, A on Weber’s plan, July 6, 1754. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 5626-5627. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

Fresco with Ducks and Deer 18, Roman, about 40 BC. Plaster and pigment, H: 119 cm, W: 105 cm. Found in the atrium, XIII on Weber’s plan, June 16, 1754. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 8759. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

Fresco with a Cupid, Roman, AD 45–79. Plaster and pigment, H: 35 cm, W: 24 cm. Found south of the tablinum, l on Weber’s plan, May 20, 1753. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 9319. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

Prosciutto-shaped sundial (8 BC–79 AD), Rome. Photo: Luigi Spina; Courtesy Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli.

Poet (“Pseudo Seneca”), Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Bronze, bone, and stone, H: 33 cm. Found in the rectangular peristyle, September 27, 1754, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 5616. Photo: Luigi Spina.

Epicurus, Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Bronze, H: 20 cm. Found north of the tablinum, in room 8 on Weber’s plan, November 3, 1753, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 5465. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

Drunken Satyr, Roman, first century BC–first century AD. Bronze, copper, tin, and bone, H: 137 cm, L: 179 cmFound at the west end of the rectangular peristyle, B on Weber’s plan, July 10, 1754. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, 5628. Reproduced by agreement with the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities and Tourism, National Archaeological Museum of Naples - Restoration Office.

Karl Jacob Weber (Swiss, 1712–1764), Excavation Plan of the Villa dei Papiri, 1754–58. Vellum, ink, gouache, and pencil, H: 58.5 cm. W: 123.5 cm. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples. Photo: Giorgio Albano.

Museo Archeologico Virtuale di Ercolano. Digital reconstruction of the Villa dei Papiri from the southeast. Courtesy of Museo Archeologico Virtuale di Ercolano  

Found in the seaside pavilion, April 28, 1997

LONDON.- Tonight in London, Sotheby’s evening sale of Contemporary Art totalled £69,143,300/ $87,811,991/ €77,440,496 (est. £58-82.8 million/ $73.5-105 million / €64.7-92.4 million). Led by Francis Bacon’s evocative ‘Self-Portrait’ from 1975, the sale drew bidders from across the globe and was 90% sold by lot, with over 70% of works appearing at auction for the first time. 

Alex Branczik, European Head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s, said: “Tonight was business as usual for Sotheby’s with strong results for great art from great collections. We also saw records for Wols, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Pascale Marthine Tayou, and of course, Albert Oehlen who really had his moment this evening. There’s undoubtedly a real momentum behind the artist, who will star in a major new exhibition at the Serpentine in a few months’ time.” 

TURNING HEADS: PORTRAITS BY ESTABLISHED ARTISTS LEAD THE SALE 
The sale was led by FRANCIS BACON’s evocative Self-Portrait, which realised £16,542,650 / $20,969,463 / €18,461,635 (est. £15-20 million), £98,500 per square inch. Hailing from the very height of the artist’s career, the work, measuring 14 by 12 inches, was created in 1975, the same year as Bacon’s major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is the only small self-portrait to be overlaid with fragments of illegible transfer lettering and comes to auction ahead of Bacon’s major exhibition at the Centre Pompidou this Autumn.

In its auction debut, ALBERT OEHLEN’s gigantean Selbstportrait mit Leeren Händen (Self-Portrait with Empty Hands) from 1998 sold for £5,949,950 / $7,542,157/ €6,640,158 (est. £4-6 million), establishing a new record for the artist. The three highest prices for the artist have all been set since October 2018. The work comes from the prestigious collection of Harald Falckenberg where it has remained since 1999, the year after it was painted. The painting, created in tribute to the artist’s friend and collaborator Martin Kippenberger, comes to auction ahead of Oehlen’s major forthcoming survey at the Serpentine Gallery, which Sotheby’s is proud to be a supporting sponsor. 

Lot 15. Albert Oehlen (B. 1954), Selbstportrait mit Leeren Händen (Self-Portrait with Empty Hands), signed, titled and dated 98 on the reverse, oil and acrylic on canvas, 200 by 144 cm. 78 3/4 by 56 3/4 in. Estimate £4,000,000-6,000000. Lot sold £5,949,950 / $7,542,157/ €6,640,158, a new record for the artist. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Tonight’s sale testifies a real ‘moment’ for the artist. Witnessing competition from 17 pre-registered bidders, the psychedelic Untitled (2005), from an important series of paintings made during the mid-2000s, sold with flying colours for more than double the high estimate: £1,815,000/ $2,300,694 / €2,025,544 (est. £600,000-800,000). 

Lot 12. Albert Oehlen (B. 1954), Untitled, signed and dated 05 on the reverse, oil on canvas, 180.3 by 150.1 cm. 71 by 59 1/8 in. Estimate £600,000 — 800,000. Lot sold £1,815,000/ $2,300,694 / €2,025,544. Courtesy Sotheby's.

A further highlight was JENNY SAVILLE’s towering Shadow Head which sold for £4,184,500 / $5,304,272/ €4,669,911 (est. £3-5 million), the highest price for a work created after the 1990s by the artist. Ranking among the Saville’s top auction prices, the sale follows the record-breaking figure achieved for Propped in October 2018, which set a new benchmark for a work by a living female artist. Executed over a period of six years, Shadow Head was last shown to the public in 2014 as part of the artist’s solo exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in London. 

Lot 8. Jenny Saville (B. 1970), Shadow Head, signed and dated 2007-13 on the reverse, oil on canvas, 269.2 by 219.7 cm. 106 by 86 1/2 in. Estimate £3,000,000-5,000,000. Lot sold £4,184,500 / $5,304,272/ €4,669,911, the highest price for a work created after the 1990s by the artist. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

NEW BENCHMARKS 
With works by WOLS only rarely coming to auction (only 22 recorded paintings ever having appeared before), Vert Strié Noir Rouge was pursued tonight by no fewer than six bidders, among them a Japanese collector who placed the final underbid. After six minutes of heated competition, the painting finally sold to applause for £4,526,200 / $ 5,737,411/ €5,051,249 (est. £400,000-600,000) - over seven times the high estimate. Having remained in the same collection for over 35 years, the work is a large and rare example from the artist’s small corpus of works on canvas – estimated at only 80 paintings, following the artist’s untimely death at the age of 38 from complications of food poisoning. When it last appeared on the market in 1984, the work set a record for the artist at the time.

Five bidders competed for TOYIN OJIH ODUTOLA’s Compound Leaf, pushing the final total to a record-breaking, £471,000/ $597,040 / €525,637 (est. £100,000-150,000) before selling to a Middle Eastern collector. Almost double the previous record set at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction in March, Sotheby’s now holds the top three prices for the artist. Executed in 2017, the year of her first solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Odutola has since been subject to global critical acclaim. 

Lot 7. Toyin Ojih Odutola (B. 1985), Compound Leaf, signed, titled and dated 2017 on the reverse, pastel, charcoal and pencil on paper, sheet: 127.6 by 191.8 cm. 50 1/4 by 75 1/2 in. Estimate £100,000 — 150,000. Lot sold £471,000/ $597,040 / €525,637. Courtesy Sotheby's.

A new auction record was set for PASCALE MARTHINE TAYOU’s eponymous Poupées Pascale, Les Sauveteurs from 2007, which achieved £312,500 / $396,125 / €348,751 (est. £250,000-350,000), in his evening auction debut. The previous record was set in our Modern & Contemporary African Art sale last October. Sotheby’s now holds the top five auction results for the artist. 

Lot 36. Pascale Marthine Tayou (B. 1966), Poupées Pascale, Les Sauveteurs, crystal and mixed media; from left: i. 125 by 50 by 55 cm. 49 1/4 by 19 3/4 by 21 5/8 in. ii. 150 by 75 by 52 cm. 59 by 29 1/2 by 20 1/2 in. iii. 110 by 63 by 68 cm. 43 1/4 by 24 3/4 by 26 3/4 in. iv. 115 by 60 by 56 cm. 45 1/4 by 23 5/8 by 22 in. v. 125 by 77 by 58 cm. 49 1/4 by 30 1/4 by 22 7/8 in. vi. 205 by 130 by 62 cm. 80 3/4 by 51 1/8 by 24 3/8 in. Executed in 2007. Estimate £250,000-350,000. Lot sold £312,500 / $396,125 / €348,751. Courtesy Sotheby's.

In her Sotheby’s evening auction debut, CHARLINE VON HEYL’s starry-eyed Cluster opened the sale and sold for an above estimate, £150,000 / $190,140 / €167,400 (est. £50,000-70,000). The work appeared tonight following von Heyl’s recent retrospective, ‘Snake Eyes’ at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C., which received ‘cosmic’ reviews.