A parcel-gilt bronze seated figure of Guanyin, Late Ming dynasty, 17th century

August 16, 2019, 12:36 pm

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Lot 171. A parcel-gilt bronze seated figure of Guanyin, Late Ming dynasty, 17th century; 16 1/8 in. (41 cm.) high overall. Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 8,000. Price realised GBP 6,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010

Modelled in dhyanasana, with hands in abhayamudra, wearing flowing robes adorned with floral scroll borders, an elaborate necklace over the plain chest, earrings and a tall pierced tiara with scrolling leaves, with a serene expression and long knotted hair falling over both shoulders, on a separate lotus petal stand.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 11 May 2010

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A bronze figure of Weituo Pusa, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century

August 16, 2019, 12:41 pm

≫ Next: A large bronze seated figure of Sakyamuni , Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century

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Lot 173. A bronze figure of Weituo Pusa, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century; 24 in. (61 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 8,000. Price realised GBP 10,625. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010

Cast with the figure holding his left hand before his chest and holding a scroll in his right, wearing ornate layered armour bound with cords and with monster-mask epaulettes at the shoulders, with a celestial scarf billowing above the shoulders and trailing down the sides, his leather helmet with a cloud-like ornament in front, the face well cast with crisp features.

Note: Characteristically depicted with the face of a child to represent his purity, Weituo Pusa is one of the thirty-two generals under the four Guardian Kings deemed to protect and maintain the Buddhist dharma.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 11 May 2010

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A large bronze seated figure of Sakyamuni , Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century

August 16, 2019, 12:48 pm

≫ Next: A pair of unusual bronze figural pricket candlesticks, 17th century

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Lot 174. A large bronze seated figure of Sakyamuni , Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century; 38½ in. (98 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 80,000 - GBP 120,000. Price realised GBP 169,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 11 May 2010

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A pair of unusual bronze figural pricket candlesticks, 17th century

August 16, 2019, 1:01 pm

≫ Next: A silvery bronze mirror, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220)

≪ Previous: A large bronze seated figure of Sakyamuni , Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century

Lot 175. A pair of unusual bronze figural pricket candlesticks, 17th century; 12¼ in. (31 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 10,000 - GBP 15,000. Price realised GBP 20,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010

Each cast as a kneeling foreigner with curly hair and scowling expression, wearing a shawl, a sash tied around his bare torso, elaborate inset necklace, a skirt and stiff apron tied around the hips, with one hand on the knee and the other raised to support the drip pan, connected to a smaller drip-pan with a cylindrical shaft detailed with a coiled dragon, all on an openwork hexagonal base, with a brownish-olive patina.

A very similar single candlestick with a foreigner was sold in our New York Rooms, 19 March 2008, lot 333.

An unusual bronze figural pricket candlestick, Late Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century; 10¾ in. (27.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 10,000 at Christie's New York, 19 March 2008, lot 333. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Hollow cast as a kneeling foreigner with curly hair and scowling expression, wearing a shawl, a sash tied around his bare torso and a skirt and stiff apron tied around the hips, with right hand on his hip and left hand raised to support the barbed drip pan, all on an hexagonal base, with brownish-olive patina overall.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 11 May 2010

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A silvery bronze mirror, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220)

August 16, 2019, 2:13 pm

≫ Next: An unusual bronze square mirror, Tang dynasty, 8th-9th century

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Lot 500. A silvery bronze mirror, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220); 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. Price realised USD 5,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The central knop surrounded by four petals alternating with four characters, within narrow hatchured and plain borders and a border of eight continuous arcs decorated with alternating symbols, the outer field with a band of whorls between hatchured borders, all below the wide inclined outer rim, with silvery patina and green encrustation, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Acquired in the 1980s.

Note: Two similar mirrors of larger size (27.5 and 25.4 cm.) in the Donald H. Graham Jr. Collection are illustrated by Toru Nakano, Bronze Mirrors from Ancient China, Hong Kong, 1994, pp. 154-57, nos. 48 and 49, where the characters surrounding the knop may be translated, "[If you own this mirror], you and your family will prosper forever". The author relates the whorl motifs to whorl-ground patterns on earlier Warring States and Western Han dynasty mirrors, and notes that these types of mirrors are "the last group to follow the old mirror-making traditions which had existed since the Warring States period".

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 19 March 2008

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An unusual bronze square mirror, Tang dynasty, 8th-9th century

August 16, 2019, 2:18 pm

≫ Next: Over 60 internationally known dealers to participate in this year's Parcours des Mondes

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Lot 502. An unusual bronze square mirror, Tang dynasty, 8th-9th century; 5 7/8 in. (14.8 cm.) square. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 6,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

One side cast with two confronted lions wildly leaping on either side of the central knop on a ground of tiny bosses within a raised outer border, the reverse plain, the silvery surface with areas of satiny black patina and green encrustation.

Provenance: Acquired at auction, London, 1980.

Note: Compare the mirror of this square shape with similar lion decoration, but with indented corners and a ring-matte ground, dated 8th-early 9th century, illustrated by Ju-hsi Chou, Circles of Reflection; The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000, p. 79, no. 74.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 19 March 2008

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Over 60 internationally known dealers to participate in this year's Parcours des Mondes

August 17, 2019, 5:08 am

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Lucas Ratton, Exposition "Baoulé", Côte d'Ivoire. © Vincent Girier Dufournier

PARIS.- The Parcours des Mondes will be celebrating its 18th anniversary from September 10th through 15th this year.

It is the world’s largest show of tribal, Asian and archaeological art, and over sixty dealers will gather in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood in Paris to participate in it.

The unique multiple-venue fair has become a central event in the launching of the post-summer season, and a not-to-be-missed opportunity for collectors and aficionados to visit all these acclaimed galleries by attending it.

German, American, English, Australian, Belgian, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and Swiss dealers, along with dealers from all over France, will join forces with their Parisian peers that have a permanent gallery presence in the area.

The historical Beaux-Arts neighborhood is in the very heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and becomes a veritable open-air museum for the duration of the fair, at which everyone from experienced collectors and professionals to the merely curious can discover exceptional artworks from all five continents.

This year, the organizers are reaffirming their commitment to open the event to new horizons more than ever by admitting six new participants in the field of archaeology that will exhibit alongside their colleagues with specialties in the arts of Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas.

Renowned Greek collector of Kyveli Alexiou has been selected to be the Honorary President of this year’s Parcours des Mondes.

Sculpture Royale

Galerie Martin Doustar. Sculpture Royale, Bamileke, Grasslands, Cameroun, XIXème siècle, Bois, H. : 108 cm. © Frédéric Dehaen

Provenance: Ex collection Allan Stone, New York ; Sotheby's New York, 15 novembre 2013 lot 89.

Statue de Ptah-Sokar-Osiris

Alexander Ancient Art. Statue de Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, Égypte, Basse époque, XXVe à XXXe dynastie, IVe au VIIe siècle av. J.-C., Bois, stuc, peinture, H. : 75 cm. © photo and object: Alexander Ancient Art.

Provenance: Collection privée suisse A.T., ca. 1950-1980. Exporté d’Égypte avec un permis du conservateur du Musée Égyptien agissant pour le Ministère de la Culture d’Égypte.

Réceptacle renard anthropomorphe

Alexander Ancient Art. Réceptacle renard anthropomorphe, Pérou, Moche, Moche III-IV, vers 300 – 600 ap. J.-C., Terre cuite, H. : 43 cm. © photo and object: Alexander Ancient Art.

Provenance: Collection privée française ; Christie’s, Paris, vente du 10 décembre 2003, lot 412 ; précédemment dans une collection privée allemande depuis au moins le milieu des années 1970.

Test TL

Buste de la déesse Isis

ARTEAS Ltd. Buste de la déesse Isis, Égypte, Epoque Saïte, 664-525 av JC, Calcaire dur. H. : 8,4cm. © Maxime Champion.

Provenance: Ancienne collection anglaise depuis les années 60, acquis dans les années 40 du grand père du propriétaire.

Publication: Publié dans « Idoles », Abbaye de Cluny, 30 mai au 29 juillet 2019.

Exposition: "Idoles", Abbaye de Cluny, 30 mai au 29 juillet 2019.

Elle porte une fine perruque tripartite surmontée par une frise d'uraeus. Ses traits sont fins et ses yeux en amande étaient autrefois incrustés. Elle porte un collier et tient son sein pour allaiter l'enfant Horus (manquant).

Masque Dan

Jean-Baptiste Bacquart. Masque Dan,Côte d’Ivoire/Liberia, 19 eme siècle, Bois, fibres organiques, fer, aluminium, cuir, H. : 26 cm. © Galerie JB Bacquart

Provenance: Collection Jack Cardiff, Sotheby’s, Londres, 13 juillet 1971, n° 259, Collection Hubert Goldet, Paris, Ricqlès (de), Maison de la Chimie, Paris, Collection Hubert Goldet, 30 juin 2001, n° 218,Private Collection, acquired during the sale Sotheby’s Paris, 14 December 2011, lot 18.

Publication: Publié dans Corps sculptés, corps parés, corps masqués, chefs-d’œuvre de Côte d’Ivoire, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 18 octobre - 15 décembre 1989.

Exposition: Corps sculptés, corps parés, corps masqués, chefs-d’œuvre de Côte d’Ivoire, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 18 octobre - 15 décembre 1989.

J.BAGOT Arqueología - Ancient Art. Relief du temple du pharaon Ptolémée XII (père de Cléopâtre VII) en train de vénérer le dieu Thot, Égypte antique, Dynastie lagide, règne de Ptolémée XII, 80 - 51 av. J.-C., Grès, 78 x 52 cm. © Maria Pageo

Provenance: Collection privée suisse. Acquis de la Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, en 1991. Antérieurement dans une collection privée à Zurich.

Une étude sur le style préparée par la Galerie Rhéa et datée du 12 mai 1993 est attachée.

Fétiche

Galerie Alain Bovis. Fétiche Songye, République Démocratique du Congo, Fin du XIXe - début du XXe siècle, Bois, charges, clous de tapissier, corne, fibres végétales, peaux, H. : 31,6 cm. © Vincent Luc - Agence Phar.

Provenance: Emile Deletaille, Bruxelles ; Loed Van Bussel, Amsterdam.

Publication: Publié dans « Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika », Elsy Leuzinger, Kunsthaus Zürich, 1970, n°V25, p. 307.

Exposition: "Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika", Elsy Leuzinger, Kunsthaus Zürich, 1970.

Masque Hashihime

Galerie Alain Bovis. Masque Hashihime, Théâtre Nō, Japon, Période Edo, XVIIIe siècle, Bois de cyprès (hinoki), laiton, polychromie, H. : 20,4 cm. © Vincent Luc - Agence Phar.

Publication: "Masked Warriors", Japan Museum Sieboldhuis, Leiden, 2017, pp. 186-187.

Exposition: "Masked Warriors", Japan Museum Sieboldhuis, Leiden, 2017.

Chris Boylan Oceanic Art. Bouclier, Wahgi Valley, Western Highlands, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Bois, plumes, pigments, 223 x 72 cm. © Photo: Stephen Oxenbury, Sydney

Collecté par John McInnery, années 1960 ; Chris Boylan, Sydney ; John Friede collection, NY.

Chris Boylan Oceanic Art. Masque préhistorique en argile, Fleuve Yuat, Bas Sepik, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, XIXe siècle ou avant, Terre cuite, 13 x 12 x 6 cm. © Photo: Stephen Oxenbury, Sydney.

Masque momie d’une femme

Cahn Contemporary. Masque momie d’une femme, Égypte, Nouvel Empire (XXe dynastie) à la Troisième Période Intermédiaire, vers 1100-1050 av. J.-C., Bois, stuc, polychromie, H. : 27 cm. © Jean-David Cahn.

Provenance: Ex collection Ernest Cramer-Sarasin, Genève/Le Caire ; acquis en février 1888 à Thèbes par l'égyptologue suisse Edouard Naville. Ensuite par descendance, et enfin dans une collection suisse à partir de 2005. Ancienne étiquette au dos : Thèbes Fev. 1888.

Olla monumentale

Cahn Contemporary. Olla monumentale, Période Géométrique, début VIIe siècle av. J.-C., Argile, H. : 47.5 cm. © Jean-David Cahn.

Provenance: Ex Herbert A. Cahn, Bâle, années 1980.

Galerie Olivier Castellano. Masque portrait (ndoma), Côte d'Ivoire, 19eme siecle, Bois, H. : 29 cm. © Hugues Dubois

Provenance: Acquis par un collectionneur français au début des années 1950 à New York.

Galerie Olivier Castellano. Bulul, Ifugao, Philippines, H. : 45 cm. © Olivier Castellano.

Masque de danse Kepong

Kevin Conru. Masque de danse Kepong, Nouvelle Irlande, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Vers 1900. © Hughes Dubois

Provenance: Collection privée allemande.

Masque Koro

Dandrieu - Giovagnoni. Masque Koro, Nigéria, Bois, pigments, fibres végétales, 80 x 34 x 8 cm. © Hughes Dubois.

Provenance: Marisa Capra ; Samir et Mina Borro ; Antoine et Antoinise Ferrari de la Salle.

Publication: E. Cossa and J.L. Paudrat, Passion d’Afrique, l’art africain dans les collections italiennes, Ed. Officina Libraria, Milan, 2009, p. 162.

Torque

Dandrieu - Giovagnoni. Torque, Yoruba, Nigéria, Bronze, 27 x 8 cm. © Hughes Dubois.

Provenance: Christopher Taylor.

Tabouret Tshokwé

Galerie Dartevelle Sprl. Tabouret Tshokwé, Angola, Fin XIXe siècle, Bois. © Philippe de Formanoir – Paso Doble

Provenance: Ex collection du cardinal de Lubumbaschi ; rentré en Europe au début du XXe siècle.

Galerie Dodier. Masque Wanyugo Sénoufo, République de Côte d’Ivoire, Début XXème siècle, Bois à patine brune, H. : 82,5 cm. © Michel Gurfinkel

Provenance: Ancienne collection René Rasmussen

Exposition: « Bestiaire du Monde » Abbaye de Cluny du 24 mai au 24 juin 2018.

Composition animalière qui décrit la tête d’une hyène à mâchoire de crocodile (force du fleuve), encadrée par des défenses de phacochère (force de la brousse), et surmontée de cornes d’antilope (force de la savane). Entre les cornes apparaît une scène courante : un caméléon tenant deux cornes se fait becqueter par un calao. Une restauration indigène est rapportée sur la défense droite du masque. Ces heaumes, particulièrement puissants et agressifs relèvent de la société masculine du « PORO » et leur principale fonction est d’entrer en guerre contre les forces malfaisantes qui menacent le bien être de la société. Ils sont appelés aussi « cracheurs de feu » car les danseurs plaçaient des braises dans leur bouche et soufflaient dessus pour projeter des étincelles.

Collier royal

Jo De Buck Tribal Arts/World Art Auctions. Collier royal Kuba, République Démocratique du Congo, Fin XIXe- début XXe siècle,Dents de grands félins, ongles et perles en verre. © Paul Louis

Provenance : ancienne collection privée belge.

Gobelet pour le vin de palme

Jo De Buck Tribal Arts/World Art Auctions. Gobelet pour le vin de palme Kuba, République Démocratique du Congo, XIXe siècle, Bois, H. : 18 cm. © Paul Louis.

Provenance : Ex collection Marc et Denise Ginzberg, New York.

Masque Okoroshi

Dimondstein Tribal Arts. Masque Okoroshi, Ibo, Nigéria, Bois, pigments, 29 x 15 x 12 cm. © Scott Mc Cue

Provenance: Marc Leo Felix, Bruxelles.

Serrure de porte Dogon

Dimondstein Tribal Arts. Serrure de porte Dogon, Mali, Bois. © Dimondstein Tribal Arts.

Provenance: Mike Glad, Modesto.

Galerie Dodier. Masque Goli Glen, Baoulé, République de Côte d'Ivoire, Début XXème siècle, Bois, polychromie rouge, noire et blanche, H. : 97 cm. © Michel Gurfinkel

Provenance: Ancienne collection privée française.

Grand masque buffle. Une bouche dentelée prolonge une très large arête nasale striée. Le masque est surmonté de deux superbes cornes plates, larges et galbées qui reviennent vers l’avant. Les joues, concaves et ornées de deux yeux en relief sont en creux. Ce masque heaume zoomorphe est la combinaison de l’antilope et du crocodile. Le masque apparaît lors du goli. Il intervient lors des cérémonies funéraires ; son action doit permettre d’instaurer un lien avec les forces surnaturelles. Le goliest une cérémonie qui fait apparaître quatre paires de masques : dansent, en premier deux Kple Kplemasques masculins jeunes, puis viennent les Goli Glen,masques masculins adultes ; ensuite les deux Kran Pre, les masques féminins jeunes, et enfin les deux Kpanles deux masques féminins adultes.

Alain Dufour - Galerie Afrique. Coupe à offrande « Olumeye » Yoruba, Nigéria, Bois, H. : 53 cm, Ex collection A. et R. DUFOUR ; collectée avant 1970. © FD

Alain Dufour - Galerie Afrique. Corne de Divination Iroke Ifa Yoruba, Nigéria, XIXe siècle, Ivoire, H. 33 cm. © FD

Représentation d'une prêtresse agenouillée mains sur le ventre surmontée d'un personnage oiseau servant d'intermédiaire entre les hommes et les dieux celestes.

Galerie Bernard Dulon. Statuette Dogon, Mali, Bois, 26,5 x 8 x12 cm. © Hughes Dubois

Provenance: Ana et Antonio Casanovas ; Sotheby's New York, Mai '17, lot 5 S &M. Stanoff Ben Birillo (NY) J. Friede (NY) J.J. Klejman (NY)
Publication: 1989 Robbins et Nooter : Afr. Art in Am Erica Coll. Pag.61, fig 24 1994 H. Leloup : Dogon Statuary, n° 95 2002 Tribal Art 32 : D. Deroche, pag 60, fig 8 2003 Art Tribal n° 4 2014 ADAM : A.& A. Casanovas, fig 4.

Galerie Bernard Dulon. Piece unique, Jan Calmeyn, 2015, Fonte à la cire perdue, 55 x 47 x 37 cm. © Hughes Dubois.

Galerie Entwistle. Masque Dan Guere gunyegε, Côte d’Ivoire/Libéria, Bois, cheveux, H. : 22,2 cm. © Entwistle

Provenance: Germaine de Brabant, Bruxelles; Patricia Withofs, Londres; Collection privée américaine.

Casse-tête Apa'apai

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Farrow Fine Art Gallery. Casse-tête Apa'apai, Tonga, XVIIIe ou XIXe siècle, Wood, H. : 91 cm. © Farrow Fine Art Gallery.

Provenance: Collection privée anglaise.

Galerie Entwistle. Pendentif Maori hei-tiki, Nouvelle-Zélande, Néphrite, H. : 11,8 cm. © Entwistle

Provenance : Sir Jacob Epstein, Londres [Cat. 565] ; Carlo Monzino, Lugano ; Collection privée, Suisse (par descendance du précédent).

Masque rituel de type Gou, culture Gouro

Yann Ferrandin. Masque rituel de type "Gou", culture Gouro,République de Côte-d'Ivoire, 19e siècle, Bois sculpté; pigments, 40 x 15 x 16 cm. © Hughes Dubois, Paris-Bruxelles

Provenance: Charles Ratton; collection André Lhote; collection particulière; Alain de Monbrison, Paris; Galerie Valluet-Ferrandin, Paris, 2002; collection particulière allemande.

Publication: Arts anciens de Côte-d'Ivoire et régions limitrophes, Valluet-Ferrandin, 2002.

Exposition: Arts anciens de Côte-d'Ivoire et régions limitrophes, Valluet-Ferrandin, nov-dec 2002.

Finch & Co. Figure d’ancêtre cérémonielle kulap, Namatanai, Nouvelle-Irlande, Mélanésie, XIXe siècle, Calcaire, 48,5 x 19 cm. © FinchandCo

Provenance: Acquis à Christies London, Important Tribal Art, Juin 1984, Lot 41 ; Ex collection privée anglaise.

Finch & Co. Statuette féminine chantant,Yupik Eskimo Inuit, Début XIXe siècle, Ivoire de morse,8,5 x 2,8 x 2 cm. © FinchandCo.

Proue de pirogue

Galerie Flak. Proue de pirogue,Nouvelle-Irlande, Archipel Bismarck, Circa 1870, Bois sculpté, pigments, coquillages, H. : 33 cm. © D. Voirin

Provenance: Collecté par le Capitaine Frederick John Mann (HMS Nelson) en 1884 ; Par descendance ; Ex Gallery Stephen Kellner, Sydney ; Ex collection Dr Hugh Gallagher, Sydney, acquis du précédent en 1973 ; Ex collection Christopher & Anna Thorpe, Sydney.

Publication: Gallery Stephen Kellner, 1970, planche 5/448.

Bruce Frank Primitive Art. Amulette, Province du Sepik Oriental ou de Madang, région côtière, estuaire Sepik-Ramu, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée,XIXe - XXe siècle, Bois, fibres, pigments, H. : 28,8 cm. © Oren Eckhaus Photography.

Provenance: Walter Randel, New York ; John et Marcia Friede, New York ; Collection privée belge

Publication: New Guinea Art: Masterpieces of the Jolika Collection, fig. 67 ; Powerful Magic Miniature Sculptures from the Sepik River Region, fig. 1.

Okua mask

Galerie Patrik Fröhlich. Okua mask, Idoma méridional, Région de la moyenne Cross River, Nigéria,Bois, pigments, métal, H. : 23 cm. © Galerie Patrik Fröhlich

Provenance: Collection Maud et René Garcia, Paris.

Publication: Marie-Louise Bastin, Introduction aux Arts D’Afrique Noire, 1984, n° 196, p. 207 ; François Neyt, The Arts of the Benue – to the roots of tradition, 1985, n° III.3, p. 91 (en couleur) et p. 133 (noir et blanc) ; Christiane Falgayrettes-Leveau et al., Masques, Musée Dapper, 1995, p. 92.

Exposition: Musée Dapper, Masques, 26 October 1995 to 30 September 1996.

Ce masque okua bien connu était inclus dans trois importantes publications françaises et de plus exposé au Musée Dapper en 1995 pendant une de leurs expositions devenue mythique qui se focalisait intégralement sur une sélection soigneuse de masques africains. Issu de la région de la moyenne Cross River, ce masque était porté pendant des danses rituelles funéraires. Calme, pensif et d’une présence captivante, c’est une œuvre d’art essentielle qui était parfaitement en mesure d’incarner la gravité de cet événement fondamental.

Bernard de Grunne Tribal Fine Arts. Couple Baoulé assis, Côte d'Ivoire, Bois, H. : 70 cm. © Frédéric Dehaen

Provenance: Ancienne collection Louisa Muller van Isterbeek, Bruxelles, 1970

Publication: Eberhard Fisher et Lorenz Homberger, African Masters. Art from Ivory Coast , Museum Rietberg, 2014, p. 81, illus. 90 -- Maria Baarspul, Maskers en beelden uit Ivoorkust. De Kunstenaars ontdekt , De Niewe Kerke, Amsterdam, 2014, p. 49, cat. 22 -- Bernard de Grunne, Baule. Sedes possessio : seated Baule figures as thrones of the spirits , Bruxelles, 2016, p. 18, cat. 01.

Michael Hamson Oceanic Art. Sculpture d’un esprit ancêtre Sepik ou Ramu, Région côtière, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Milieu ou fin XIXe siècle, Bois, cheveux humains, H. : 38,1 cm. © Aaron Fallon

Provenance: Collecté en 1909 par William Graham Scott, chirurgien à bord du navire britannique Ping Suey.

Statuette de dignitaire

Harmakhis. Statuette de dignitaire, Égypte, Moyen Empire, XIIème dynastie, vers 1842-1795 av. J.-C., Serpentine, H. : 12 cm. © Harmakhis

Provenance: Acquis en Égypte avant 1895 ; Sotheby’s New York, 1989, lot 38.

Publication: Publié dans Fay, B., « L’art égyptien du Moyen Empire » dans Égypte. Afrique & Orient, 30 août 2003, pp. 52-54, fig. 13a-b.

Sarcophage du scribe royal Padihorpakhered (détail)

Harmakhis. Sarcophage du scribe royal Padihorpakhered (détail), Égypte, Epoque tardive, XXXème dynastie, 380-343 av. J.-C., Calcaire dur cristallinn 20 x 27 cm. © Harmakhis

Provenance: Collection privée suisse, acquis dans les années 1960.

Un fragment du même sarcophage, avec incrustations en pâte de verre, est conservé au Musée du Louvre (AF 9897).

Sculpture kanak

Wayne Heathcote. Sculpture kanak, Nouvelle Calédonie, H. : 31 cm. © Wayne Heathcote

Provenance: Collecté par Emile Demaret, Paris - Inspecteur Général des Colonies dans les années 1930 ; Christine Valluet, Paris ; Collection privée Royaume-Uni.

Sculpture janus en fougère arborescente

Wayne Heathcote. Sculpture janus en fougère arborescente,Île de Malekula, Vanuatu, H. : 124,5 cm. © Wayne Heathcote

Galerie Éric Hertault. Figure de reliquaire Kota-Ndassa, Gabon. © Vincent Girier Dufournier

Provenance : Collection Vérité

Galerie Éric Hertault. Masque Yaoure, Côte d’Ivoire, Bois, colorants minéraux et ancienne pâtine d’usage, H. : 29 cm. © Vincent Girier Dufournier

Provenance: Collection privée, Allemagne ; Karl Ferdinand Schaedler, inv. 4100 ; Collection particulière, Paris.

Publication: Publié dans Encyclopédie of African Art and Culture, édition Panterra, Munich, p. 620.

Buddha debout

Christophe Hioco. Buddha debout, Ancienne région du Gandhāra, IIIe siècle, Schiste, H: 67,3 cm. © Studio Sébert.

Provenance: Sotheby’s Londres, 3 Décembre 1956, lot 42 ; Collection Vérité, France, 1956-2009.

Publication: Oriental Art, Summer, 1957, Vol. III, No. 2, p.72.

Adorants śaiva

Christophe Hioco. Adorants śaiva, Madhya ou Uttar Pradesh, Inde centrale, C. VIIIe siècle, période post-Gupta, Grès, H. : 43 cm. © Studio Sébert.

Provenance: Collection privée, Royaume-Uni, depuis les années 1990.

Sculpture d'un calao indien

Jonathan Hope. Sculpture d'un calao indien, Peuple Abelam, aire de Maprik, montagnes du Prince Alexander, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Première moitié du XXe siècle, H. : 64 cm. © Jonathan Hope

Textile malgache ikat en raphia

Jonathan Hope. Textile malgache ikat en raphia, Sakalava people, Madagascar, Fin XIXe siècle, Raffia, teintures naturelles, ikat chaîne, 355 cm x 82cm. © P. J. Gates.

Charles-Wesley Hourdé. Figure de reliquaire Fang, Gabon, H. : 56 cm. © Charles-Wesley Hourdé

Provenance: André Lefèvre, Paris ; Galerie Percier, Paris ; Jacques et Denise Schwob, Bruxelles

Publication: Maesen, A. et Van Geluwe, H., Art d'Afrique dans les collections belges, Tervuren, 1963, p. 125, n° 747 Perrois, L., Statuaire Fan - Gabon, Paris, 1972, p. 74, pl. 10, n° 148

Exposition: Tervuren, Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale, Art d'Afrique dans les collections belges, 29 juin - 30 octobre 1963.

Ouchebti

GALERIE L'IBIS. Ouchebti : statuette représentant une femme (détail), Égypte, Nouvel Empire, fin de la XVIIIème dynastie, 1336-1295 avant J.-C., Bois stuqué et peint, H. : 28,5 cm. © Lucien Viola.

Provenance: Ancienne collection européenne, années 1960.

Exposition: GALERIE L'IBIS, CULTURES, BAAF Brussels 2017.

Masque primitif, Népal

Indian Heritage. Masque primitif, Népal (moyennes montagnes), Vers 1850, Bois, résine végétale, poils, H. 22 cm. © Frédéric Rond

Masque primitif, Népal

Indian Heritage. Masque primitif, Népal, Vers 1800, Bois, pigments, H. : 24.5 cm. © Frédéric Rond

Kapil Jariwala Gallery. Shrinathji Picchhavai Morakuti Krishna dansant avec des paons (détail), Nathdwara, Rajasthan, Inde, Vers 1880, Pigment et argent sur tissu, 171 x 184 cm. © Kapil Jariwala Gallery, photo Mark Colliton.

Provenance: Ex collection privée, Hudson, New York, États Unis.

Les pichhvais Morakuti sont utilisés dans le temple de Nathdwara et ailleurs pendant la saison de la mousson. Morakuti est un petit village de Braj près de Barsana, dans l'actuel Uttar Pradesh, lieu de naissance légendaire de Radha - l’épouse de Krishna. Le pichhvai Morakuti est rempli de paons dansants. Le paon est associéà la saison des pluies car au premier coup de tonnerre, il déploie ses magnifiques plumes de queue pour la danse nuptiale - son cri strident et son bel étalage de plumes attirent la femelle.

Galerie Olivier Larroque. Effigie de reliquaire Kota, Gabon, Fin XIXe / début XXe s., Bois, bronze, H. : 53 cm. © Hughes Dubois

Provenance: Collection L.S. (Munich)
Publication: African Art in Private German Collection, Dr Karl Ferdinand Schädler, 1973, p. 326.

Galerie Olivier Larroque. Poupée de divination Osanyin, Nigéria, Fin XIXe / début XXe s., Bois, coton, cuir, H. : 32 cm. © Hughes Dubois

Provenance: Collection privée (France).

Galerie Abla et Alain Lecomte. Masque Ijebu Yoruba, Nigéria. H. : 56 cm. © Galerie Abla et Alain Lecomte

Provenance: Collection privée. France.

Galerie Abla et Alain Lecomte. Masque ntomo Bambara, Mali, Début XXe siècle. © Galerie Abla et Alain Lecomte

Provenance: Collection privée. France.

Bulul, divinité du riz

Joe Loux. Bulul, divinité du riz, Luzon septentrional, Province Ifugao, Hingyon, Philippines, Début XIXe siècle, Bois, patine rituelle, graines, cheveux, 49 x 16 x 13 cm. © Joe Loux

Bouclier

Joe Loux. Bouclier, Province du Sichuan, sud-ouest de la Chine, XVIIIe siècle, Cuir et laque, 59 cm x 1 cm. © Joe Loux

Porte Batak

Pascassio Manfredi. Porte Batak, Nord de Sumatra, Indonésie, XIXe siècle, Bois. © Galerie Pascassio Manfredi

Provenance: Ancienne collection Dr. Jamaludin Hasibuan, Medan, Sumatra

Publication: Primitive Art of the ancient BATAK in SUMATRA, by Achim Sibeth, Museum für Völkerkunde, Frankfurt am Main, 2000

Coupe cérémonielle 1

Coupe cérémonielle 2

Galerie Franck Marcelin. Coupe cérémonielle, Région côtière ou embouchure du fleuve Ramu. Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée, 19ème siècle, Bois, 18 x 23 x 67.5. © Galerie Franck Marcelin

Provenance: Collection Tod Barlin, Australie ; The Jolika collection, Marcia and John Friede, Rye, New York.

Galerie Meyer Oceanic Art. Ornement pectoral tema ou kapkap, Aire de la baie Graciosa, île Ndende, îles Santa Cruz, Para-Polynésie, Mélanésie, XIXe siècle, Coquillage (Tridacna gigas), corde en fibre naturelle et écaille de tortue imbriquée (Eretmochelys), 15 cm x 0.4 cm. © M. Gurfinckel, Paris c. Galerie Meyer Oceanic Art

Provenance: Collecté in situ par le Reverend Charles Coleridge Harper en 1885.

Cet ornement pectoral était porté uniquement par les hommes des îles Santa Cruz. Il constitue l’élément central et le plus important du costume cérémoniel. Sa taille et sa qualité sont des indices de l’importance sociale et du statut de son propriétaire. La signification de l’iconographie de ces ornements n‘est plus connue, mais selon l’hypothèse la plus probable, il s’agirait de la représentation de la silhouette d’un oiseau frégate avec une lune pleine ou le soleil en arrière-plan. Les triangles disposés en double rangée au-dessus de l’oiseau sont vraisemblablement des représentations stylisées de poissons. Une autre possibilité serait que les deux longues pointes latérales (ce qui semble être l’oiseau frégate) constituent chacune un profil ou une représentation en coupe de la tête d’un chien mythologique dont la patte de devant est montrée comme une moitié de la forme « V » inversée au centre. Il pourrait s’agir d’une référence aux ornements de proue de pirogue nguzunguzu. Il est probable que les tema de plus grande taille soient les plus anciens. En outre, ceux qui ont un diamètre supérieur à 15 centimètre sont extrêmement rares. Ce pectoral fut acquis en 1885 lors de l’expédition de la mission mélanésienne de la goélette Southern Cross, avec le révérend Arthur Brittan, qui visita de nombreuses îles des mers du Sud. Il fut transmis ensuite par descendance. Lors de son arrivée à Santa Cruz où cet objet fut acquis en 1885, Harper nota dans son journal : « les hommes sont tous abondamment parés. Ils portent des ornements pectoraux en coquillage, et leurs brassards sont façonnés de la même matière. » Petit-fils de Henry John Chitty Harper (1804-1893), le prêtre anglican Charles Coleridge Harper (1866-1943), fut membre de la mission mélanésienne et premier archevêque de Christchurch en Nouvelle Zélande.

IIZUKA Rōkansai (1890-1958)

Mingei Japanese Arts. IIZUKA Rōkansai (1890-1958), Kotsurube hanakago (vannerie pour l’ikebana), Japon, 1927-1930, Bambou hōbichiku, 40 x 22 x 22 cm. Photo Michel Gurfinkel © Galerie Mingei - Paris

Provenance: Collection privée, Japon.

Publication: Lines and Shapes, Lines and Spaces, The Bamboowork of Iizuka Rōkansai and Tanabe Chikuunsai, Musée Tomo, Tokyo (Japon), 2018.

Exposition: Musée Tomo, Tokyo (Japan), 2018, 14 April - 16 July, 2018.

Considéré comme le plus grand artiste vannier du XXe siècle, Iizuka Rōkansai est l'artiste majeur présentéà l'exposition Fendre l'Air, L'Art du Bambou au Japon au musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac (2018-2019).

Kokushikijō et Hakoshikijō

Mingei Japanese Arts. Kokushikijō et Hakoshikijō, Paire de masques Nō, Japon, Périodes Momoyama-Edo, XVIe-XVIIe siècle, Bois et laque, H. : 18 cm. Photo Michel Gurfinkel © Galerie Mingei - Paris

Provenance: Collection privée, Italie.

Publication: Le Maschere dell'anima, 30 maschere del teatro giapponese, Renzo Freschi, Milano, 2016.

Galerie Guilem Montagut. Statue d'ancêtre, Mali, XIIIe Siècle - datation par C14 - A.D. 1225 - 1284, Bois, H. : 90 cm. © Frederic Dehaean

Provenance: Collection Guy Porré et Nathalie Chaboche, Bruxelles - Bernard de Grunne, Bruxelles - Charles Ratton, Paris, circa 1965
Publication: J.-L. Paudrat et alii, DOGON, Musée Dapper, Paris, 1994, fig 157.
Exposition: Dogon - Musée Dapper, Paris 1994.

This Figure belongs to a very small group of figures from the djenneke civilization in Mali, dating back to the 13th century. amongst the know objects this figure clearly stands out by its size, perfection of execution, nobility and sheer beauty. We are clearly facing a masterpiece of African art of exceptional quality.

Figure Bambara

Galerie Monbrison. Figure Bambara, Mali, Circa fin XIXème siècle-Début XXème, Bois à patine noire, perles, H. : 50 cm. © Vincent Girier Dufournier

Provenance: Ancienne collection Charles Ratton.

Masque Gouro

Galerie Monbrison. Masque Gouro, Côte d'Ivoire, Circa fin XIXème- début XXème siècle,Bois, H. : 32 cm. © Vincent Girier Dufournier

Provenance: Ancienne collection du Docteur Pache, Marseille.

Thomas Murray. Top of a Shaman's Staff Tungkot Malehat, Karo Batak, Sumatra, XVIIIe - XIXe siècle, Bois, coton, cheveux, plumes, H. : 32,8 cm. © Don Tuttle

Provenance: Collection privée européenne.

Magnifique portrait de l'ancêtre primordial Raja Batak.

Thomas Murray. Primordial Ancestor Figure, Adu Zatua, Nias, XIXe - XXe siècle, Bois, H. : 29,2 cm. © Don Tuttle

Provenance: Pierre et Claude Vérité.

Figure rare issue d'une importante collection.

Masque Funéraire

Alexis Renard. Masque Funéraire, Indonésie, Java, ou Philippines, 800 - 1200, Or,6.5 x 14 cm (maximum). © François Mallet.

Publication: Alexis Renard, Shades, Lines, Colors and Letters, 2019 n° 12.

Krishna et Radha au bord d'une rivière

Alexis Renard. Krishna et Radha au bord d'une rivière, Inde, Pahari, Kangra, circa 1820-1830, Pigments polychromes et or sur papier, Miniature : 22 x 16 cm. © François Mallet

Publication: Alexis Renard, Shades, Lines, Colors and Letters, 2019 n° 38.

Masque Sénoufo Kpélié

Galerie Nicolas Rolland. Masque Sénoufo Kpélié, Côte d'Ivoire, Fin XIXe siècle ou début XXe siècle, Bois, 27 x 12,5 x 7,8 cm. © Vincent Girier-Dufournier.

Provenance: Collection privée française, rapporté vers 1950.

La collection Bordier de Lobi miniatures

Galerie Nicolas Rolland. La collection Bordier de Lobi miniatures, Burkina Faso, Bois, 7,5 cm à 25 cm. © Vincent Girier-Dufournier.

Provenance: Collection Bordier.

Publication: Lobi, Monumentales miniatures, Florence Metgé et Emmanuel Bordier, Editions Toguna, 2015.

Max Rutherston Ltd. Coupe, Chine, Avant 1700, Corne de rhinocéros, 12 x 19.6 cm. © Max Rutherston Ltd.

Max Rutherston Ltd. Ryuzan, Netsuke en forme de masque de Namanari, Japon, Vers 1880, Buis, H. : 4,7 cm. © Max Rutherston Ltd.

Buste d'une statue

5eb113dd66fa8ac51b8c62e328913d23

Serge Schoffel Art Premier. Buste d'une statue Yoruba, Nigéria, 19ème siècle, Bois, H. : 52 cm. © Frédéric Dehaen - Studio Roger Asselberghs

Provenance: Ana et Antonio Casanovas, Madrid.

Publication: Orisha Yoruba, Serge Schoffel, Bruxelles 2019.

Sculpture Ramu

Adrian Schlag Tribal Art Classics. Sculpture Ramu, Sepik, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Bois, H. : 67 cm. © Hughes Dubois

Provenance: Gisela und Heinrich Wellmann, Brême (1923-1978).

David Serra Art Tribal. Masque Baulé, Côte d’Ivoire, Bois, H. : 32 cm. © David Serra Art Tribal.

Provenance: Jacques Kerchache, France.

Publication: Publié dans Arts d’Afrique Noire, n° 3. 1972, France.

Chemise blindée en cotte de mailles

Runjeet Singh Limited. Chemise blindée en cotte de mailles, Kutch, Inde, XIXe siècle, Fer, or, argent, H. : 59 cm. © Runjeet Singh Limited

Carquois du peuple Yi

Runjeet Singh Limited. Carquois du peuple Yi, Chine , XIXe siècle, Bois, coquille, H. : 59 cm. © Runjeet Singh Limited.

Masque portrait, Baule

Dalton Somaré. Masque portrait, Baule, Côte d'Ivoire, Fin XIXe siècle, Bois, fer, pigments, kaolin, H. : 44 cm. © Dalton Somaré

Provenance: Ex collections Ian Lundberg, Malmo ; Galerie B. Dulon, Paris ; collection privée, Paris.

Buste féminin

Dalton Somaré. Buste féminin, Hoysala, Inde, XIIe siècle, Granite, H. : 53 cm. © Dalton Somaré

Provenance: Collection privée, Milan.

Amphore à col à figures noires de la Conservatori Class

Galerie Tarantino. Amphore à col à figures noires de la Conservatori Class, Vers 530-520 av. J.-C., Argile orange et rehauts de peinture rouge et blanche, H. : 25,3 cm. © Galerie Tarantino.

Provenance : Collection M. C., Haut Rhin.

Portrait d’homme de l’époque d’Hadrien

Galerie Tarantino. Portrait d’homme de l’époque d’Hadrien, Art romain, deuxième quart du IIe siècle, Marbre blanc à cristaux moyens. Restaurations et tasselli des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles, H. : 71 cm. © Galerie Tarantino.

Bouclier, Village Jufri

Michel Thieme. Bouclier, Village Jufri, fleuve Undri, Asmat, Papou, Indonésie, Première moitié du XXe siècle, Bois, pigments secs, fibres de feuilles de sagou, H. : 157 cm. © Jan van Esch

Ronald Noorman

Michel Thieme. Ronald Noorman, Sans titre, 2016,Pastel et gouache sur papier, 22 x 15 cm. © Michel Thieme.

Asen

Galerie Vallois. Asen, Bénin, Fin XIXème - début XXème, Fer forgé, 114 x 28 cm. © Frantz Dufour.

Provenance: Ancienne collection A. et R. Dufour

King Houndekpinkou

Galerie Vallois. King Houndekpinkou, La Veuve des Mers - Naufrage au Clair de Lune, 2018, Grès noir de Lanzarote, superposition d'émaux, dorures, 59,5 x 56 cm. © King Houndekpinkou.

↧

Han Dynasty Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver from Dr. Johan Carl Kempe at Christie's NY, 12 September 2019

August 17, 2019, 12:00 pm

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2019_NYR_18338_0506_000(a_rare_gold_plaque_northeast_china_1st_century_bc-3rd_century_ad)

Lot 506. A rare gold plaque, Northeast China, 1st century BC-3rd century AD; 2 7/8 in. (7.4 cm.) wide; weight 41.6 g. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The plaque is shaped as four animal heads, projecting from the corners, with a highly abstract figure in the center, and further decorated with two raised oval bosses and cloisons.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK33.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 31.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 33.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 31.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, pl. 33.

Note: This very rare plaque and a similar gold plaque found in Inner Mongolia and illustrated in a line drawing by Qi Dongfang, Tangdai jin yin qi yan jiu (Research on Tang Gold and Silver), Beijing, 1999, p. 240, fig. 2-81, are similar in concept, albeit more abstract, to one of larger size (4 in. long) of 3rd-4th century date excavated in 1990 at Horqin Zuoyizhong Banner, Jerim League, Inner Mongolia, illustrated by James C. Y. Watt et al., China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004, p. 129, no. 35. That plaque is cast in openwork as a female figure flanked by two animals. Watt links the design of the plaque to an earlier hardstone-inlaid gold pendant of ca. 1st century BC date excavated at Tillya Tepe, northern Afghanistan, illustrated p. 10, fig. 7, which depicts a more readily identifiable design of a clothed female figure with out-stretched arms flanked by two winged, gazelle-like animals with turquoise-inlaid manes.

2019_NYR_18338_0514_000(two_rare_openwork_gold_beads_eastern_han_dynasty)

Lot 514. Two rare openwork gold beads, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD); ½ and 5/8 in. (1.4 and 1.7 cm.) diam.; weight 10.9 and 15.4 g. Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 7,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

Each spherical bead is elaborately composed of twelve small gold rings joined together with fine bead granulation.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK13.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 37.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 13.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 13.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat no. 13.

Note: These rare gold beads are similar to two from a group of gold floral-form beads, of various shapes, all with granulation, illustrated by Yang Boda, 'Ancient Chinese Cultures of Gold Jewellery and Ornamentation', Arts of Asia, vol. 38, no. 2, March-April 2008, p. 101, pl. 43. See, also, the single bead in the Cheng Xun Tang Collection included in the exhibition Celestial Creations: Art of the Chinese Goldsmith, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 82-83, no. B05. A bead similar to the two present examples is illustrated by Zhixin Jason Sun et al., with a group of other gold beads, in Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2017, pp. 196-97, no. 112a-f, where it is dated ca. 1st century BC-2nd century AD. The author notes that gold beads of this type have been found at numerous ancient sites in southeast Asia and China, suggesting that they were "sought-after trade items on the Central, South, and Southeast Asian and Chinese markets." He goes on to propose that they "were likely made in the ancient city of Taxila" as it was a "pivotal junction between South and Central Asia where a large number of such beads have been recovered."

2019_NYR_18338_0517_000(a_set_of_four_ornamental_gold_fragments_eastern_han-six_dynasties_peri)

Lot 517. A set of four ornamental gold fragments, Eastern Han-Six Dynasties period, 3rd-4th century AD; Each 1 1/8 in. (2.8 cm.) wide; total weight 20 g. Estimate USD 2,000 - USD 3,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

Each fragment is chased with a dragon with large head and coiled tail shown in profile and decorated with granulation, with some raised and openwork areas, wood base with magnifier.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK15.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 35.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 15.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 14.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 15.

2019_NYR_18338_0523_000(a_gold_sheet_belt_plaque_overlay_han_dynasty)

Lot 523. A gold sheet belt plaque overlay, Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); 3 3/8 x 1 ¼ in. (8.5 x 3.3 cm.). Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The thin gold, rectangular sheet is chased overall with a densely arranged pattern of scrolling meander enclosing a dragon, bear and a bird. The edges are highlighted with minute beading, framed.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK14.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 36.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 14.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 10.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 14.
New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no. 7, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

2019_NYR_18338_0524_000(an_openwork_gold_sheet_applique_eastern_han-early_six_dynasties_period)

Lot 524. An openwork gold sheet appliqué, Eastern Han-Early Six Dynasties period, 1st-3rd century AD; 2 ¾ in. (7 cm.) wide. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The very thin gold sheet of rectangular form has a cut-out design of two stags confronted on a central row of three stacked rings, framed.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK31.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 5.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 31.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 29.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 31.

Note: The design of this gold sheet applaqué appears to be based on that of bronze belt plaques, such as the example in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, illustrated by Emma C. Bunker et al., Ancient Bronzes of the Eurasian Steppes, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1997, p. 280, pl. 248, where the central motif is described as a twisted bush-like form. The author also illustrates, fig. 248, a gold plaque of the same design excavated at a Xianbei site in Sandaowan, Chayouhou banner, Inner Mongolia.

A very rare miniature gold bottle, Eastern Han-Jin dynasty, 3rd-4th century AD

2019_NYR_18338_0525_001(a_very_rare_miniature_gold_bottlw_eastern_han-jin_dynasty_3rd-4th_cent)

Lot 525. A very rare miniature gold bottle, Eastern Han-Jin dynasty, 3rd-4th century AD. The bottle, ¾ in. (1.8 cm.) high; weight 9.4 g. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The extremely delicate hu-shaped vase is elaborately applied with patterns of volutes, lozenges and scrolls formed by gold wires and teardrop-shaped cloisons, all edges with granulation, and some inlayed with turquoise-colored glass. The shoulder is set with loop handles attached to a short chain. The base is inscribed with a single character, jiu, possibly a goldsmith's surname.

Provenance: The George Eumorfopoulos (1863-1939) Collection.
Sotheby's London, 5-6 June 1940, lot 503.
Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK16.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 38.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 16.
Zhang Linsheng, ‘Zhongguo gudai di jingjin gongyi’, The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, No. 14, 1984, pl. 54, fig. 9.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 15.
Qi Dongfang, Tangdai jin yin qi yan jiu [Research on Tang gold and silver], Beijing, 1999, p. 217, fig. 2-33.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 16.
New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no. 9, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Note: This superb miniature gold bottle is a fine example of the use of gold granulation, mostly seen on small articles or ornaments of Han and Six Dynasties date. The technique of granulation was developed in the ancient Near East as far back as the 3rd millennium BC, and first appeared in China on gold ornaments associated with the nomads of the northern plains at the end of the 4th century BC. By the Western Han period, 3rd century BC, this technique, in which tiny gold spheres are attached to a gold background by diffusion bonding rather than soldering, had been adopted by Chinese goldsmiths, and continued in popularity into the Six Dynasties period and through the Tang into the early Song periods.

A similar miniature gold hu-form bottle with a link handle, that still retains its cover, is one of three miniature gold ornaments decorated with granulation, and dated to the Han dynasty, in the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, illustrated by R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson, Chinese Art, The Minor Arts, New York, 1963, pp. 32-33, pl. 11. (Fig. 1) Gold granulation can also be seen on several miniature gold ornaments of Han-dynasty date found in high-ranking tombs illustrated by Yang Boda, 'Ancient Chinese Cultures of Gold Jewellery and Ornamentation', Arts of Asia, Vol. 38, No. 2, March-April 2008, pp. 100-102, pls. 39, 40, 42 and 43. Other small gold ornaments with granulation are illustrated in Celestial Creations: Art of the Chinese Goldsmith, The Cheng Xun Tang Collection, vol. I, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007, pls. B06A and B and pl. B11. A pair of similarly decorated gold bottles, attributed to the Eastern Han dynasty, is illustrated by Simon Kwan and Sun Ji, Chinese Gold Ornaments, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 116.

A gold foil-decorated iron mirror, Late Eastern Han-Early Six Dynasties period or later

2019_NYR_18338_0526_004(a_gold_foil-decorated_iron_mirror_late_eastern_han-early_six_dynasties)

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Lot 526. A gold foil-decorated iron mirror, Late Eastern Han-Early Six Dynasties period or later; 7 1/8 in. (18 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The very thin gold sheet adhered to the circular iron mirror has a cut-out design depicting Xiwangmu and Dongwanggong seated on opposite sides, each flanked by attendants and separated by two carriages drawn by five horses, all within two cut-out saw-tooth bands. The details and outlines are finely chased. The central knob is also covered by a thin gold sheet.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK32.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 34.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 32.
Bo Gyllensvärd, ‘A Botanical Excursion in the Kempe Collection', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 37, Stockholm, 1965, pl. 18b.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 30.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 32.
New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no.13, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Note: The present iron mirror has a thin gold sheet overlay with a cut-out design based on the cast design of Eastern Han (AD 25-220) bronze mirrors, represented by two published examples: one excavated from a Han-dynasty tomb at Shaoxing in Zhejiang province and now in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Ancient Bronze Mirrors from the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2005, pp. 190-91, pl. 58; the other illustrated by Lothar von Falkenhausen, The Lloyd Cotsen Study Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors, vol. I, Los Angeles, 2009, pp. 164-65, pls. 68 and 69.

The design on the bronze prototypes and the present gold and iron mirror reflects a Daoist influence found on some mirrors of late Eastern Han date. On each mirror the design is arranged in quadrants defined by four nipples within bead circles. In one quadrant is Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West) seated on a lotus, and in the opposite quadrant sits Dongwanggong (Royal Father) on a mat above lotus, both powerful Daoist deities that represent the western and eastern directions and also yin and yang. They are flanked by attendants. In each of the other two quadrants on the Shanghai mirror is a carriage drawn by five galloping horses, the motif repeated in one quadrant of the Cotsen mirror, while in the opposite quadrant is a row of six horses, four with riders, below a row of five horses. On each of these mirrors the main field of decoration is encircled by decorative, outer bands, which includes an inscription on the Cotsen mirror. Another gold foil-decorated iron mirror with similar cut-out decoration is in the Freer Gallery of Art, reference F1946.7.

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Lot 528. Four small gold ornaments, Eastern Han-Six Dynasties period, 1st-4th century AD; 1 3/8, ¾, 1 ½ and 1 ½ in. (3.3, 1.9, 3.8 and 3.8 cm.) wide. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The group comprises: an ornament decorated as a winged figure riding a dragon, the bodies covered in granulation and the eye of the dragon with a turquoise inlay, on a gilded lacquer backing; an openwork gold plaque similarly decorated with a central figure framed by four directional creatures in a square frame; an openwork gold plaque cut from thin gold sheet decorated with a figure riding on a dragon; and an openwork gold plaque of petal shape with silver and turquoise inlays and decorated with numerous scrolls and volutes depicting a cicada, first with wood base with magnifier, others framed.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK20.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 39.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 20.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 17, 18, 19, 20.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 20.
New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no. 10, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Note: These small gold ornaments represent how varied personal ornamentation was in China in ancient times, whether made to ornament clothing or the hair.

The first ornament is similar to one excavated in 1979 from the tomb of Zhang Zhen, Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and now in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated by James C. Y. Watt et al., China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004, p. 28, no. 10, where it is dated Eastern Jin dynasty (AD 317-420) or earlier. A mirror-image pair, dated 1st century BC-1st century AD is illustrated by Catherine Delacour, De bronze, d'or et d'argent: Arts somptuaires de la Chine, Musée Guimet, 2001, p. 247. These are described as having been flattened on a thin lacquer ground that may have been applied to bronze. Another similar ornament is illustrated in Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry: Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Zurich, 1994, p. 138, no. 115. Also illustrated are two other ornaments similar to the third and fourth described ornaments, p. 139, pls. 116 and 117 (top).

2019_NYR_18338_0531_001(a_parcel-gilt_silver_garment_hook_han_dynasty_or_later)

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Lot 531. A parcel-gilt silver garment hook, Han dynasty or later; 6 5/8 in.(16.8 cm.) long. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

This elegant garment hook is cast with an openwork design of a pair of confronting birds at one end and a dragon at the other connected by interlocking scrolls that form a double-knot in the center.

Provenance: C. T. Loo & Co., New York, before 1941.
Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK82.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 23.

Literature: The Toledo Museum of Art, Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Chinese Jewelry, Toledo, 1941, no. 68.
C. T. Loo & Co., Exhibition of Chinese Arts, New York, 1941, no. 164
Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 82.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 85.

Exhibited: Toledo, Ohio, The Toledo Museum of Art, Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Chinese Jewelry, 9 February-2 March 1941, no. 68.
New York, C. T. Loo & Co., Exhibition of Chinese Arts, 1 November 1941-30 April 1942, no. 164
Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 82.
New York, Asia House, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no. 35, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

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Lot 532. A pair of silver taotie-mask handles, Eastern Han-Six Dynasties period, 3rd-4th century AD. Each 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) wide. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

Each mask is cast as a powerful taotie with thick brows, curved horns, and a pronounced nose above bared teeth from which issues a hook that suspends a loose ring.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK83.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 27.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 83.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection. The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 86.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 83.

Note: These fittings are unusual in that they are made from silver rather than the more usual bronze or gilt bronze.

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Lot 537. A rare and unusual small silver garment hook, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); 1 ½ in. (3.8 cm.) long; weight 20.3 g. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The heavily cast hook is shaped as a horned and winged mythical beast with a fierce expression and sharp-clawed feet shown crouching on the button. The body and back are finely detailed with scales terminating in a long, curved tail ending in a bird's head hook.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK85.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 33.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 85.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 388.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 85.

Note: The same kind of sculptural depiction of an animal can be seen on an equally small gold garment hook from a Western Han tomb, illustrated by Jay Xu ed., Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China's Han Dynasty, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2017, p. 152, no. 66, which depicts a rabbit rather than the more fantastic animal seen on the present garment hook.

Christie's. Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver, New York, 12 September 2019

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A pair of painted grey pottery faceted jars and cover, fanghu, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)

August 17, 2019, 1:38 pm

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Lot 505. A pair of painted grey pottery faceted jars and cover, fanghu, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); 21¾ in. (55.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 6,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Each faceted pear-shaped body painted on two sides with a rampant bird-like dragon, the other two sides with a taotie mask and ring handle, below a band of blades, raised on a tall flared foot, the faceted cover similarly painted.

Provenance: Paris Biennale.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C100w93 is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art, New York, 19 March 2008.

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A large pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC

August 17, 2019, 1:47 pm

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Lot 477. A large pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC; 8¼ in. (21 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 7,000. Price realised USD 20,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Both sides with a plain inner and outer border, with a wide band of faceted comma spirals carved in low relief within an hexagonal criss-cross gridwork set within a striated border, and an outer band carved with outward-facing bovine masks with long, scrolling horns, the pale grey stone with some black and russet markings, fitted cloth box.

Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Mcpherson.

Provenance: Acquired in the early 1970s.

Note: A group of silmilarly carved bi, dated c. 122 BC, were found on the lower part of the jade suit of the King of Nanyue at Xinggang, Guangzhou, Guangdong province. See J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 73, fig. 67, and Gu Fang, The Complete Collection of Unearthed Jades in China, vol. 11, Beijing, 2005, no. 51. Compare two other similar bi illustrated by the Institute of Archaeology, Excavations of the Han Tombs at Mancheng, vol. II, Beijing, 1980, pl. CCX, figs. 1 and 2.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art, New York, 19 March 2008.

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A rare pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC

August 17, 2019, 1:53 pm

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Lot 481. A rare pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC; 5¾ in. (14.5 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 121,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Each side carved in relief with a field of comma spirals set within narrow, raised borders, the translucent stone and of even yellow tone and finely polished, box, stand.

Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Mcpherson

Provenance: Acquired in the 1980s.

Note: A very similarly carved yellow jade bi of smaller size (12 cm. diam.) excavated from the mausoleum of the Prince of Chu at Shizishan, Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, and now in the Nanjing Museum, is illustrated by Gu Fang, The Complete Collection of Unearthed Jades in China, vol. 7, Beijing, p. 104.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art, New York, 19 March 2008.

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A white marble head of Buddha, Northern Qi dynasty (550-577)

August 16, 2019, 10:41 am

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Lot 183. A white marble head of Buddha, Northern Qi dynasty (550-577); 11 in. (28.0 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000. Price realised GBP 43,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

The soft face with a serene expression, carved with downcast eyes, straight nose, and small chin below the well-delineated mouth set in a subtle smile, with elongated, pendulous earlobes, curled hair and usnisa.

Provenance: Purchased in Spain, 4 November 1988.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 11 May 2010

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A parcel-gilt bronze seated figure of Guanyin, Late Ming dynasty, 17th century

August 16, 2019, 12:36 pm

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Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 11 May 2010

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A large pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC

August 17, 2019, 1:47 pm

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2008_NYR_01976_0477_000()

Lot 477. A large pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC; 8¼ in. (21 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 7,000. Price realised USD 20,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Mcpherson.

Provenance: Acquired in the early 1970s.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art, New York, 19 March 2008.

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A rare pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC

August 17, 2019, 1:53 pm

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2008_NYR_01976_0481_000()

Lot 481. A rare pale grey jade disc, bi, Han dynasty, 2nd-1st century BC; 5¾ in. (14.5 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 121,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Each side carved in relief with a field of comma spirals set within narrow, raised borders, the translucent stone and of even yellow tone and finely polished, box, stand.

Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Mcpherson

Provenance: Acquired in the 1980s.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art, New York, 19 March 2008.

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Jan Fabre presents a new and unique monumental work at the Venice Biennale

August 18, 2019, 1:02 am

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Jan Fabre, The Man who Measures the Clouds (Monument to the Measure of the Immeasurable), silicon bronze and gold leaf, ca. 9m high, including plinth, unique piece. Installation view at Garden of Palazzo Balbi Valier, Venice, 2019.© Angelos bvba. Photo Floriana Giacinti.

VENICE.- On the occasion of the 58th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, the great artist Jan Fabre returns to the lagoon with a special project of public art, a unique open-air installation. Installed in the Garden of Palazzo Balbi Valier and visible from the Grand Canal, The Man Who Measures the Clouds (Monument to the Measure of the Immeasurable) appears as a towering golden man rising to a height of nine metres.

The project stems from the collaboration of Angelos (Antwerp, BE), EdM Productions and the Fondation Linda et Guy Pieters (Saint-Tropez, FR) and is curated by Joanna De Vos. It will remain in place until the end of the 2019 Art Biennale, on Sunday 24 November.

It is over the tenth time that Jan Fabre contributes as an active part in the great Venetian jamboree, where he ﬁrst participated in 1984 at the age of twenty-six, as Belgium’s representative in the Giardini. Since then, Fabre has been present both as one of the ofﬁcially selected artists and in relation to collateral events.

The Man Who Measures the Clouds (Monument to the Measure of the Immeasurable) is a new and unique monumental work ﬁnished in gold leaf. It’s especially conceived for Venice, making a deep connection with this city stretching back decades.

Protruding above the arch leading into the Garden of Palazzo Balbi Valier from the Grand Canal, this towering golden man reﬂects not only the drift of the artist and mankind, but also the historic signiﬁcance and values of this mythical ﬂoating city.

The sculpture’s title refers to the story of the legendary Birdman of Alcatraz, Robert Stroud, who at the time of his release from prison had declared that from that moment on he was ‘going to measure the clouds’, and is an invitation for us to reﬂect on the artist’s role in society. The work can be interpreted as a “metaphor for the artist who tries to capture the impossible in his work”, to quote Fabre’s own words, and might take its inspiration from the philosopher Protagoras’ assertion: ‘Man is the measure of all things: of the things that are, that they are, of the things that are not, that they are not.’ For the Greeks, man was the unit of measurement of the mutual relationship between objects and, in the same way, Fabre’s man stands as the measure of all things, in tribute to the grandeur of the human imagination.

From the Greeks until today we love monumentality: the bigger, the more visible and the more powerful. The scale and dimensions of Fabre’s sculpture, together with its open-air installation in Venice, has a profound impact upon its meaning and the way it’s experienced. Does Jan Fabre use the enormous height of this sculpture to make the extent of human endeavour physically visible? Man always wants to measure himself and he loves to excel, it is impossible to overlook these facts in a historical city such as Venice.

We see a man dressed in contemporary clothing standing on a stepladder with his arms stretched out towards the sky, holding in his hands a ruler with which he is trying to measure objects in the sky. The body seems identical to Fabre’s own, but in fact the countenance is modelled after his later brother, Emiel Fabre, who died at a very young age. Jan Fabre and his brother were the spitting images of each other. The longitudinal thrust of the body contrasts with the marked horizontality of the ruler he is holding, producing a climax where a temporary reconciliation takes place between horizontal tension and verticality. The fragile balance of the composition echoes the perfection to which humanity aspires, to the point of making itself the unit of measurement of the whole of creation, of reaching for the sky with its monumental works of art and magniﬁcent buildings that are tangible testimonies to its desire to attain ever greater heights.

VJan Fabre, The Man who Measures the Clouds (Monument to the Measure of the Immeasurable), silicon bronze and gold leaf, ca. 9m high, including plinth, unique piece. Installation view at Garden of Palazzo Balbi Valier, Venice, 2019. © Angelos bvba. Photo Floriana Giacinti.

The silicon bronze sculpture is ﬁnished with a coating of gold leaf, turning it into a sort of contemporary idol/icon. The monumental size and its golden glow restore magniﬁcence to the human enterprise. The use of gold in the setting of Venice also recalls a multitude of connections with the history of the city and the people who lived in it and made it a commercial power for centuries. It was in Venice, in fact, that the ﬁrst gold coin was struck in 1284, the so-called ducat was to remain the benchmark for all the currencies of Europe for 600 years. Today, it is in Venice that the ancient craft of goldbeating has survived, at the only studio in Europe that is still capable of utilizing the original techniques of the 18th century.

So who is this measurer of the unknown dreaming of being able to grasp the size of the unmeasurable? Jan Fabre leaves viewers in doubt, with a ‘creative thought’ that prompts them to lift their eyes and gaze at the vastness of the sky above Venice and of the prospects for humanity itself. Jan Fabre gives us a monument to the measure of the immeasurable. He challenges the spectator to rethink the meaning of scale.

The project is accompanied by a publication with an essay by curator Joanna De Vos, in a limited edition of 300 copies, 200 of them numbered and signed by Jan Fabre and Joanna De Vos; graphic design by Aline Billiet.

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Back on rhinoceros horn objects sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2008

August 18, 2019, 2:01 am

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Lot 316. A rhinoceros horn archaistic libation cup, 17th-18th century; 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm.) long. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 79,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Well carved around the sides with a raised archaistic band of taotie masks separated and divided by notched flanges finely carved with different diaper motifs, above a band of pendent blades and below a band of key fret at the rim which is repeated inside the rim, the openwork handle formed by a large chi dragon with single horn pulling itself up onto the rim while surrounded by five clambering chilong, one climbing up from the interior, of dark reddish-brown color, wood stand.

Property from the Estate of Charles V. Swain.

Lot 317. An unusual small rhinoceros horn oval measuring cup, 18th-19th century; 2 3/16 in. (5.5 cm.) long. Estimate USD 1,500 - USD 1,800. Price realised USD 16,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

With deep sides flaring from the countersunk base which is inscribed with the charactersan (three).

Note: This cup would have been in a graduated set of four cups used to measure liquid medicine.

Lot 318. A rhinoceros horn magnolia-form libation cup, 17th century; 6½ in. (16.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 34,600. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Well carved as an open magnolia blossom carved around the exterior with further blossoms and buds, all borne on a branch that forms the openwork base and the handle at one end, with a single stamen carved in high relief in the center of the interior below the overlapping petals, of deep honey color shading to a darker tone at the base, openwork wood stand.

Property from the Estate of Charles V. Swain.

Lot 319. A rhinoceros horn magnolia-form libation cup, 17th-18th century; 5¾ in. (13.3 cm.) long. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 34,600. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Well carved as a large magnolia blossom borne on a branch that forms the openwork base and rises up the sides bearing further blossoms and buds as well as forming the openwork handle at one end, of deep honey color

Provenance: Hugh Moss Ltd., London.

Lot 320. A pair of large reticulated rhinoceros horn libation cups, 19th century; 26½ in. (67.3 cm.) and 27 in. (68.6 cm) high. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 229,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Each of pale honey color carved in high relief and pierced with a scholar and his attendant standing above a group of deer amidst lingzhi, prunus, grape vine and fruiting pomegranate trees, all bordered by pierced rockwork or branches at the tip and a band of clouds at the rim, wood stands.

Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 13 November 2002, lot 14.

Lot 321. A rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th-18th century; 5 3/16 in. (13.2 cm.) long. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. Price realised USD 27,400. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008

Carved in high relief with two chilong crawling around the sides atop the central taotieband carved in sunken relief below a key- fret border along the rim, two further chilongclinging to the rear of the cup forming the handle, the head of the larger extending over the rim and into the interior.

Lot 322. An unusual small rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th century; 3¾ in. (9.4 cm.) long. Estimate USD 18,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 25,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008

Of conical, flaring form, deeply carved with a bat in flight above two leafy clusters of peach and finger citrons rising from the openwork base.

Lot 323. A rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th century; 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) long. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 10,000. Price realised USD 27,400. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008

The exterior carved in high relief with chrysanthemum and begonia blossoms borne on leafy, trailing stems, the largest leaf curled around the base to form the raised foot, two of the blossoms extending over the lip and into the interior, which has been carved in the form of an open flower.

Lot 324. A small rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th-18th century; 5 3/16 in. (13.2 cm.) long. Estimate USD 12,000 - USD 18,000. Price realised USD 109,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008

Finely carved as a lotus leaf with curled edges, borne on a coiled openwork stem that forms the base and bears a flower on one side, with an insect and two characters, Shang Ming, carved in relief on the exterior and a fish and snail on the interior, of rich honey color shading to a darker tone at the base.

Note: A rhinoceros horn cup bearing a seal mark in relief reading Shang Ming, but carved with taotie masks and and chi dragons, in the collection of Tom Fok, is illustrated by T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 65, no. 18.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics And Works Of Art, New York, 19 March 2008.

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An unusual small molded Dehua water pot, 17th-18th century

August 18, 2019, 2:37 am

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Lot 722. An unusual small molded Dehua water pot, 17th-18th century; 3 7/8 in. (9.9 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 2,000 - USD 4,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The vessel has a compressed globular body applied on the sides with alternating archaistic dragon roundels and scrolls, and is covered overall with an even white glaze of pale ivory tone.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1925.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1925.

Christie's. Chinese Art from The Art Institute of Chicago, New York, 12 September 2019

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A small molded Dehua tripod censer, 17th-18th century

August 18, 2019, 2:47 am

≫ Next: A Dehua reticulated cylindrical brush pot, 17th century

≪ Previous: An unusual small molded Dehua water pot, 17th-18th century

Lot 723. A small molded Dehua tripod censer, 17th-18th century; 4 1/8 in. (10.4 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 2,000 - USD 4,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The compressed globular body is raised on three curved feet and flanked by a pair of scroll-form handles, and the vessel is covered overall with a creamy white glaze.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1925.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1925.

Christie's. Chinese Art from The Art Institute of Chicago, New York, 12 September 2019

↧

A Dehua reticulated cylindrical brush pot, 17th century

August 18, 2019, 2:52 am

≫ Next: Back on Blanc-de-Chine & Dehua, 17th-18th century sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2008

≪ Previous: A small molded Dehua tripod censer, 17th-18th century

Lot 724. A Dehua reticulated cylindrical brush pot, 17th century; 5 1/8 in. (13 cm.) high. Estimate USD 5,000 - USD 7,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The compressed globular body is raised on three curved feet and flanked by a pair of scroll-form handles, and the vessel is covered overall with a creamy white glaze.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1924.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1924.

Christie's. Chinese Art from The Art Institute of Chicago, New York, 12 September 2019

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