Lot 330. An antique diamond and multi-gem sarpech, 19th century. Estimate USD 80,000 - USD 120,000. Price realised USD 125,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

The turban ornament set with variously-shaped table-cut diamonds, rectangular and pear-shaped spinels, rectangular-cut emeralds, spinel and emerald beads, blue and green enamel, pearls, foil, gold on a lac core, 6 ½ ins., 19th century.

Provenance: Sirdar Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala (1883–1970).  

Note: Sirdar Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala (1883-1970) was the cousin of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. There are many portraits of the Maharaja wearing the present sarpech.

Lot 331. An antique ruby, diamond and pearl sarpatti, 19th century. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 125,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

Exhibited: The Miho Museum, Koka 2016, p. 62, no. 34
Grand Palais, Grand Palais, Paris 2017, pp. 228-29, no. 170
The Doge’s Palace, Venice 2017, p. 243, no. 165
The Palace Museum, Beijing 2018, p. 262, no. 169
de Young Legion of Honor, San Francisco 2018, p. 179, no. 97.

Lot 56. An Art Deco ruby, emerald and diamond jigha. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 118,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

Exhibited: Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2015, p. 145, no. 88
The Miho Museum, Koka 2016, p. 131, no. 97
Grand Palais, Paris 2017, p. 281, no. 210
The Doge’s Palace, Venice 2017, p. 295, no. 204
The Palace Museum, Beijing 2018, p. 311, no. 208.

Note: The open gold setting of this turban ornament is indicative of strong European influence during the early 20th century. This jigha is based on traditional elements of Indian jewelry, however, the larger carved rubies and old-cut diamond surrounds are highly European.

Bartolomeo della Gatta (1448-1502), Saint Roch, 15th century, Museo Horne, Florence. Detail after restoration.

FLORENCE.- Bartolomeo della Gatta’s 15th-century panel painting of Saint Roch has been returned to the Museo Horne in Florence following a multifaceted restoration process. The restoration by Valeria Cocchetti and Daniele Ciappi, under the supervision of the Soprintendenza di Firenze, was made possible thanks to donations by Donna Curry, Mary Mochary, and Donato Massaro through the Friends of Florence Foundation. 
 
“Once again, Friends of Florence has stepped up on behalf of our institution,” said Elisabetta Nardinocchi, director of the Museo Horne. “This time, the Foundation financed a restoration that was particularly complex because of the painting’s history and condition. Professor Antonio Paolucci, president of the Fondazione Horne, and I are deeply grateful. When our founder, Herbert Horne, purchased the work in 1909, he was fully aware of the many problems that time had inflicted on it, yet still considered it one of Bartolomeo della Gatta’s best paintings. We know he would have appreciated this effort that recovered the vibrancy of this beautiful portrait.” 

“Working with the Horne to preserve its masterpieces is always a wonderful experience,” added Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence. “After the restoration of the Museum’s album of drawings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and other projects, the Saint Roch undertaking engaged us once again on behalf of the Fondazione Horne, an institution that is particularly dear to us because of our shared affinities to preserve Italian Renaissance treasures. I thank Elisabetta Nardinocchi for having involved us in the project; Valeria Cocchetti, her staff, and assistants who did the meticulous work, and our donors, because none of this would have been possible without their generosity.” 

The painting 
Before the restoration, the painting had been thought to be one the artist and historian Giorgio Vasari (1511‒1574) described positively in his “Life of Don Bartolomeo della Gatta, Abbot of S. Clemente” as having been painted in 1485‒86 for the Servite church of San Pier Piccolo in Arezzo. But there was no definitive proof it was the one Vasari noted. Bartolomeo (1445-1502) had returned to Arezzo shortly before then, enriched by the experience of working in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. 

Severely damaged by troops quartered in the building in 1859, the painting remained in the monastery until the next year. Hastily repaired and placed on the market, it was purchased by Herbert Horne in 1909 in despite the flaws. The painting underwent conservation in 1928 and 1963. However, the extensive repainting and inappropriate work on the wooden support led several scholars to reject the theory that it was the painting Vasari mentioned. Now, thanks to the careful reconstruction of documentary evidence, the acquisition of a series of historic photographs of the previous restorations, and because the work is again legible, scholars are confident that it is indeed the painting Vasari had admired. 

The restoration 
Saint Roch by Bartolomeo della Gatta is a gabled panel painting depicting the almost life-sized saint in the foreground. Over the centuries, the painting had suffered damages due to historical events and intrinsic problems related to the artist’s technique leaving it in a precarious condition. Shifting of the wooden support caused the surface to flake. 

Previous attempts intended to address the deterioration by repainting the lacunae and fastening a rigid metal crosspiece to the back. That intervention caused further damage by blocking the natural expansion and contraction of the wood and compressing the original paint on the surface. By the time the painting reached the current conservation team, there was widespread flaking across the paint surface and further losses of color. 

Restoration began last year with removing the metal crosspiece and adding a system of three crosspieces with resilient joints that can withstand and support the natural shifts in the wood. This also brought the panel back to its correct and natural curvature. Conservators were then able to proceed with securing the paint surface. For cleaning, minimum intervention was applied because the damages suffered by the original paint were such that there was no guarantee of a perfect retrieval of the image. The goal of surface cleaning was to improve the entire image. The lacunae were filled and the areas that had been repainted in the past and altered over the years were color-balanced to match the level of legibility that had been achieved. 
 
While some restorations focus on revealing or detecting “hidden” aspects of the artwork, this project was aimed at achieving the best outcomes possible so the painting may be studied and appreciated further.

Bartolomeo della Gatta (1448-1502), Saint Roch, 15th century, Museo Horne, Florence. Before the restoration.

Bartolomeo della Gatta (1448-1502), Saint Roch, 15th century, Museo Horne, Florence. After the restoration.

Lot 171. A blue-glazed bottle vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 16 1/4 in., 41.3 cm. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Lot sold 8,750 USD. © Sotheby's.

heavily potted, the body of pear-shaped form rising from a short foot to a cylindrical neck, covered on the exterior with a dark blue glaze thinning toward the rim, six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. Richard and Mrs. Mary Eckhardt acquired in Japan between 1947-1952 and thence by descent.

Lot 185. A 'Qingbai' group of Liu Hai and his toad, Yuan-early Ming dynasty. Height 6 3/4  in., 17.1 cm. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Lot sold 12,500 USD. © Sotheby's.

the immortal modeled seated on a rocky outcrop, holding a lingzhi sprig in the left hand, the other hand holding aloft a coin to lure the open-mouthed toad who emerges from foaming waves to the right, the base pierced at the back for the insertion of incense, wood stand (2).

Provenance: Acquired by a U.S. Civil Affairs Officer in Asia between 1945-1946 and thence by descent.

Lot 187. A 'Dehua' figure of Guanyin, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century. Height 11 3/4  in., 29.8 cm. Estimate 14,000 — 18,000 USD. Lot sold 17,500 USD. © Sotheby's.

modeled seated on rockwork, wearing long-sleeved robes falling in graceful folds open at the chest revealing a lotus pendant necklace, both hands resting on the right knee with an alms bowl in one hand, the face with downcast eyes and benign expression, framed by two knotted tresses on the shoulders.

Lot 190. Two 'Dehua' trees, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Height 14 1/4  in., 36 cm. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Lot sold 7,500 USD. © Sotheby's.

comprising two prunus trees each similarly and finely modeled in full bloom, with magpies perched in the branches, the trunks naturalistically rendered and all supported by the gnarled roots extended at the base (2).

Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis R. Andrews, 'Tulip Hill' Anne Arundel County, Maryland and thence by descent.

Literature: Antiques Magazine, 'Living with Antiques, Tulip Hill, the Maryland Home of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis R. Andrews', October 1969, p. 561.

Lot 191. A 'Dehua' figure of seated Guanyin, Qing dynasty, 17th century. Height 8 3/4  in., 22.2 cm.  Estimate 15,000 — 25,000 USD. Lot sold 125,000 USD. © Sotheby's.

seated in dhyanasana, the bodhisattva dressed in long flowing robes, falling open at the chest, both hands hidden in the voluminous folds, the face wearing a serene expression with eyes cast downwards, the elaborate chignon covered by a gently cascading cowl, with impressed kiln mark Mei Xinrong Ji, fitted wood stand (2).

Provenance: Acquired by American missionaries in China in the early 20th century and thence by descent.

Note: Mei Xinrong refers to a specific potter, a merchant or perhaps a company known to have worked in Dehua during the second half of the 17th century. The mark is associated with similarly styled seated Guanyin, hands hidden within elegantly draped robes and with finely and thoughtfully rendered facial features. A closely related example is illustrated by P.J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine, New York, 1969, no. 155a.

Lot 186. An enamel and gilt-decorated porcelain figure of Weituo, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. Height 14 1/4  in., 36.2 cm.  Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Lot sold 18,750 USD. © Sotheby's.

the guardian of the Buddhist faith portrayed standing with a removable left hand, the right hand holding a removable dragon-entwined sword, a five-leafed diadem fronting a double top-knot, clad in armor with a scarf tied round the neck and fluttering ribbon draped across the shoulder, the face, hands and armor details highlighted in gilt, the remainder painted in robin's egg, brown and blue enamels, wood stand (2).

Lot 198. A celadon-glazed white-slip-decorated 'Bat' vase, yuhuchunping, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 13 in., 33 cm. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Lot sold 53,125 USD. © Sotheby's.

the pear-shaped body rising to a waisted neck with a broad flared mouth, supported on a slightly splayed foot, decorated in a white slip with incised details of bats and clouds, reserved on a celadon ground, seal mark in underglaze blue.

Lot 203. A rare celadon-glazed iron-red and gilt-embellished double-gourd shaped ink palette, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Length 4 1/8  in., 10.5 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 118,750 USD. © Sotheby's.

delicately made in the shape of a double-gourd attached to a leafy vine bearing a smaller gourd, molded with an iron-red bat at the center, the veins, tendrils and details on the bat highlighted in gilding, covered overall in a lustrous blue-green glaze, the base with seven tiny spur marks and four-character seal mark in underglaze blue, wood stand (2).

Provenance: J.T. Tai & Co., Inc., New York, 1969.
Collection of Eugene D. Buchanan, acquired by current owners circa 1977.

Receipt from J. T. Tai

Note: Double-gourd-shaped palettes are comparatively rare. More often seen are those of leaf shape such as the Qianlong mark and period celadon-glazed leaf-shaped ink palette sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th November 2012, lot 2307. Compare also a Qianlong yellow-glazed and gilt leaf-form palette in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Wen fang qing gong. Zhongguo wenfang sibao quanji, vol. 4, Beijing, 2008, pl. 191, and another in the Shanghai Museum Collection, ibid, pl. 190. 

The double-gourd represents longevity as dried, hollowed gourds were believed to be used by immortals to store their pills of immortality.  The name of the double-gourd in Chinese, hulu, also serves as a pun for 'blessings and emoluments', while the red bat, hong fu, represents a wave of blessings.  In addition, the large and small double gourds attached to the vine forms the rebus guadie mianmian, which carries the wish that one will have many descendants.

Lot 206. A rare flambé-glazed vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 11 7/8  in., 30.1 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 137,000 USD. © Sotheby's.

rising from a slightly splayed foot to a high-shouldered body below a short, waisted neck, covered overall in a rich purplish-red glaze with lavender streaks thinning to mushroom around the mouth, the base covered in a mottled mushroom-brown wash over the incised seal mark.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, 1980s, and thence by descent.

Lot 118. An enamelled and gem set elbow crutch, Mughal India, 1650-1700; 20 7/8 ins. (52.8 cm.) high; 6 1/8 ins. (15.6 cm.) wide; 1 1/8 ins. (2.9 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000. Price realised USD 118,750. Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

Exhibited: Grand Palais, Paris 2017, p.170, no.129
The Doge’s Palace, Venice 2017, p.197, no.132
The Palace Museum, Beijing 2018, p.221, no.136
de Young Legion of Honor, San Francisco 2018, p. 177, no. 78.

Note: The open gold setting of this turban ornament is indicative of strong European influence during the early 20th century. This jigha is based on traditional elements of Indian jewelry, however, the larger carved rubies and old-cut diamond surrounds are highly European.

Lot 155. A rare gem set jade-hilted dagger with scabbard, Mughal India, 17th century;14 ins. (35.7 cm.) long. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 118,750. Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

Note: Due to the fragility of the material, jade daggers with knuckle guards are rare and few survive intact to this day. Michael Spink and Robert Skelton have distinguished two separate groups of jade daggers with knuckle guards. The first one is “quite distinct and earlier in date. These have a bifurcated palmette at the top of the hilt and a rounded moulding in the centre of the grip and can be dated to the Deccan during the 17th century". The second type "has vase-shaped grips, knuckle bows and triple flower buds” (Jaffer, 2013, pp.186-187). Our example is a fine variation of the second group. The vase-shaped grip, knuckle bow and pommel are all features common to the second category, although the shape of the upper section of our hilt is quite unusual. The shape of the hilt is very similar to an example now in the al-Sabah collection (279 INV. LNS 728 HS ab; Curatola et al., 2010, p.299). Both pieces are dated to the second half of the 17th century and are decorated with floral motifs inlaid with gold and set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. The main technical difference between these two daggers is the way the stones are inlaid. While the dagger in the al-Sabah collection presents each stone separately set in the kundan technique, in our case a number of the stones are set directly next to others without the gold borders. A similar technique is found only on a few contemporaneous jade pieces, most of extremely high quality. A pen box now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv.No 02549(IS)) has a floral arrangement very similar to the one on our dagger, with rubies and emeralds composing a floral scroll and some of the gems continuously set. The Victoria and Albert Museum box is dated to the 17th century and a similar date thus seems likely for our dagger. A notable feature of our dagger is that it retains its original sheath, with painted lacquer decoration and original gem set jade locket. The pattern on the lacquer of the sheath clearly recalls the floral decoration on the handle. Sheaths contemporaneous to their arms are quite rare - they are often replaced by velvet ones. Very few examples of original lacquer sheaths survive. One other example is now in the Al-Sabah collection (LNS 1004 M; Stronge, 2010, p.221, pl.183).

Lot 158. A suite of antique pearl, diamond and emerald jewelry, 19th century. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 118,750. Christie's Images Ltd 2019

Lot 373. A gem set dagger (pesh-kabz) with enamelled gold scabbard dagger, India, second half 18th century; sheath probably Hyderabad, Sindh, circa 1800. Scabbard 14 ½ ins. (37 cm.) long.Blade 11 ½ ins. (29.2 cm.) long. Estimate USD 50,000 - USD 70,000. Price realised USD 118,750. Christie's Images Ltd 2019

Lot 379. A Mughal enamelled dagger ( kard ) with velvet covered sheath, probably Jammu and Kashmir, North India, dated AH 1189/1775-76 AD; 13 ¾ ins. (35 cm.) long. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 118,750. Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

Lot 128. An antique carved emerald and pear-shaped rose-cut diamond pendant, mid to late 18th century. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 115,000. Christie's Images Ltd 2019 

Lot 83. A gem set jade-hilted dagger (khanjar) with scabbard, North India, 1740-80; 15 ins. (38 cm.) long; scabbard 11 ins. (28 cm.) long. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 112,500. Christie's Images Ltd 2019