Francis Bacon, Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969. © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. / ARS, New York / Christie's Images Limited 2013.

PORTLAND, ORE.- The Portland Art Museum continues the Masterworks / Portland series with the presentation of Three Studies of Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon, opening December 21. 

“For some time Chief Curator Bruce Guenther and I have been looking for a modern or contemporary work to present in this ongoing series that brings singular masterpieces to Portland,” explained Museum Director Brian Ferriso. “ “When the collector agreed to our request to exhibit the triptych, we knew that it would be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our visitors to see this seminal work.” 

Among the most significant figurative painters of the 20th century, Bacon (British, 1909-1992) gave form to the emotional and psychological landscape of the modern era. Both acclaimed and reviled during his lifetime, the Dublin-born Bacon touched the raw nerve of the post-war era in his art-historically referenced paintings and existentially wrought portraits. 

Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) is considered to be among his finest portraits for its aesthetic resolution and insightful rendering of fellow artist Lucian Freud, the grandson of Sigmund Freud. 

Bacon and Freud were close friends and regular companions in post-war London. Their friends hip provided an aesthetic sounding board for their exploration of figural expressionism—painting each other on numerous occasions for more than 50 years. Bacon completed more than a dozen different portraits of Freud. Three Studies of Lucian Freud is considered an emotional and painterly summation of their friendship. 

Bacon’s monumental triptych positions the subject inside a crystalline frame that defines an emotional as well as architectural space. Each panel shows a different viewpoint—left, front, and right. 

“Bacon captures the spirit of Freud, rendering him as a tightly coiled mass of energy, ready to spring from the caned bentwood chair positioned in front of a brass bed,” said Chief Curator Bruce Guenther. “The expressive, volatile brushwork that delineates Freud’s hands and face acts as a brilliant foil to the smooth rendering of the highly abstracted objects and space.” 

First shown in Italy and subsequently in Bacon’s retrospective at the Grand Palais, Paris, in 1971-72, the triptych was separated and sold into three different private collections. It disappeared from view for more than 15 years before being reunited by an Italian collector in the 1990s. With this exhibition, this magnificent work comes into public view for a limited time before returning to a private collection. 

The Masterworks / Portland series brings internationally significant works to Portland and provides an opportunity study a single object and artist in depth. Masterpieces featured in the past include Raphael’s La Velata, Titian’s La Bella, and Thomas Moran’s Shoshone Falls on the Snake River. 

The exhibition is organized by the Portland Art Museum and curated by Bruce Guenther, chief curator and The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. This special installation is made possible in part through the support of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. 

 Francis Bacon, Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969 (detail).© The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. / ARS, New York / Christie's Images Limited 2013.

Francis Bacon, Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969 (detail). © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. / ARS, New York / Christie's Images Limited 2013.

The 10th century sandstone statue "Duryodhana bondissant." AFP PHOTO / Manhattan US Attorney's Office.

PHNOM PENH (AFP).- Cambodia announced Monday that leading auction house Sotheby's will return a 10th century Khmer statue worth up to $3 million said to have been looted during its civil war.

The statue of a warrior will be returned to the kingdom within 90 days under an agreement signed last week by Sotheby's, its Belgian client and US authorities, said Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.

The deal ends a long legal battle in the US where Sotheby's is headquartered, Sok An told a press conference.

"The statue that was looted from Cambodia 41 years ago will be returned to the country," he said.

"The soul of our ancestors who built the statue will be satisfied," he said, adding that Cambodia will organise a ceremony to welcome home the statue.

The row began in early 2011 shortly before a planned auction in March that year, when Cambodia's government sent a letter through UNESCO claiming ownership of the work.

Sotheby's stopped the sale.

Cambodia claims the sandstone statue, known as the Duryodhana, was looted in the 1970s from a temple in Koh Ker, 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of the famed Angkor Wat complex.

US authorities filed a civil complaint in April last year against Sotheby's, blocking the sale of the item.

The statue's origin is not under dispute. It is one of a pair -- the other one is also in the United States, at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California.

Experts agree both statues are prime examples of the best of Khmer art -- the pair are locked in battle, and depict motion, which is unique among statues from the period -- and that they were looted in the 1970s.

The decision follows the return in June of two other Khmer 10th century statues known as the "Kneeling Attendants" which Cambodia says were looted in the 1970s from the Koh Ker temple site.

They were on show for 20 years at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the time the country was in the midst of a civil war and looting was rampant. Sok An also urged people who are keeping other illegal ancient artworks to consider returning them to Cambodia. © 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse 

Bag, Mosul, northern Iraq, 1300-1330. Brass, inlaid with gold and silver. Height: 15.2 cm; width: 22 cm; depth: 13.5 cm © The Courtauld Gallery, London

This exhibition explores one of the most rare and beautiful objects in the collection of The Courtauld Gallery: a brass bag inlaid with gold and silver, made in Northern Iraq around 1300. Decorated with a courtly scene showing a couple surrounded by their retinue of courtiers as well as musicians, hunters and revellers, it ranks as one of the finest pieces of Islamic inlaid metalwork in existence. A rhyming inscription, composed specifically for the bag, and intricate geometric patterns complete the decoration of this splendid luxury item. No other object of this kind survives. The exhibition will explore the origins, function and imagery of this masterpiece, as well as the cultural context in which it was made.

Despite its rarity and exquisite craftsmanship, this superb object remains little known or understood. Acquired by the Victorian collector Thomas Gambier Parry in 1858 and bequeathed to The Courtauld by his grandson in 1966, this object was for many years thought to be a wallet or document carrier, or even a saddlebag. The exhibition proposes that it is in fact a handbag or, more properly, a shoulder bag, made in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq around 1300-30. Its owner is likely to have been a high-ranking woman at the court of the Il-Khanids, the dynasty established in the region by the grandson of Chinggis Khan (known in the west as Genghis Khan). Through some forty works on loan from international collections, the exhibition will explore the origins, function and imagery of this masterpiece, as well as the cultural context in which it was made.

THE BAG
The bag is likely to have been conceived as an inlaid metalwork version of a luxury textile or leather bag. The 14th century illustrations of the Il-Khanid court, pasted into an album in the late 18th century by a German bibliophile, Heinrich Friedrich von Diez, depict such shoulder bags worn by the page of the Khatun, the wife of the ruling Khan. Three of these folios will be on display. The exquisite crafting of the Courtauld bag resembles goldsmiths’ work, and it is possible that similar bags were produced in gold and even encrusted with jewels. A bejewelled container of the same shape is held by one of the attendants to the Chinese princess Humayun, as she sits in a garden alongside her beloved Persian prince Humay, in a manuscript of poems by Khwaju Kirmani. Transcribed in Baghdad in 1396, this is one of the most beautifully illustrated manuscripts in the British Library. 

Bag, Mosul, Northern Iraq (detail). Detail of lid showing court scene with a couple and their retinue © The Courtauld Gallery, London

Bag, Mosul, Northern Iraq (detail). Detail of a roundel with a musician. © The Courtauld Gallery, London

THE COURT SCENE
The inlaid decoration of the lid is the bag’s most spectacular feature. Framed by a specially composed rhyming inscription, bestowing praise and good wishes on the owner of the bag, is an Il-Khanid court scene in miniature. Seated at the centre is a richly dressed couple surrounded by a retinue of attendants in Mongol costume and feathered hats who offer them food and drink and carry paraphernalia of a princely life: parasol, falcon, lute. Beside the woman stands her page holding a mirror and wearing, suspended across his chest, her bag. Conviviality was at the heart of Mongol culture and this scene recalls the festivities which took place after a day at the hunt. Images of a noblewoman seated alongside her spouse in court scenes in manuscripts and, as here, on metalwork, reflect the high status of women within Mongol society. The scene follows the rectangular format of illustrations in manuscripts of the period. This extraordinary image must have been designed especially for the bag by someone well acquainted with the customs and costumes of the Il-Khanid court, perhaps a painter of illustrated manuscripts like the small Shahnama on loan from the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. 

Humay and Humayun in the garden. From the Khamsa of Kwaju Kirmani. Baghdad, dated Jumada I 798 (March 1396). Height: 32 cm; width: 24 cm (closed) © The British Library Board, BL Add.18113, f.40v

A highlight of the exhibition will be a life-size display recreating this lavish court scene and featuring objects similar to those depicted: crescent-shaped gold earrings like those worn by the lady, a Chinese mirror similar to the one held by the page, a Syrian glass bottle as depicted on the table. 

Pair of Earrings, Iran or Iraq, 11-14th century. Gold sheet, wire and granulation; 3.2 cm and 3.4 cm; weight: 16.9 and 17.9 g. Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art© Nour Foundation. Courtesy of the Khalili Family Trust

Bottle, Mamluk Egypt or Syria, c. 1330. Glass, blown, enamelled and gilded. Height: 27.5 cm; diameter: 17.5 cm © The Trustees of the British Museum

TRADING CULTURES
In the early 13th century, the Mongol leader Chinggis Khan initiated a wave of invasions across Asia. In 1256 his grandson Hülegü established a subsidiary dynasty, the Il-Khanids, to rule the south-western territories of the Mongols. The Il-Khanids continued Mongol expansion into Anatolia and Iraq: in 1258 they captured Baghdad, the seat of the Caliphate, and in 1262, the city of Mosul. The Italian merchant Marco Polo, who travelled from the Mediterranean to China in the late 13th century, left an eloquent description of his journey and some of the Mongol courts and personages he encountered.

The Il-Khanids were enthusiastic patrons of art and architecture and their cosmopolitan court, which was peripatetic in nature, was furnished with luxury objects from around the world: porcelains and lacquer from China, silverwares and silks from Central Asia, enamelled glass from Syria. 

Mosul was the great trading city of northern Iraq. It was ethnically and culturally diverse with Arabs, Iranians, Kurds, Turks, Christians, Jews and Muslims, all represented in the city, where various luxuries, including silks and muslins, and inlaid brass, were manufactured. 

The encouragement and patronage of art in Mosul under the Il-Khanids will be splendidly illustrated by two sections of a celebrated copy of the Qur’an made for the ruler Öljeitü in 1310, as well as a spherical incense burner created for Öljeitü’s son and successor, Abu Sa'id, on loan from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence.

A lady walking with two pages, from the Diez Albums. Iran, possibly Tabriz, 14th century. Ink on paper. Height: 9.5 cm; width: 14.4 cm. Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, Diez A fol. 72, S. 11

Enthronement scene (detail), from the Diez Albums. Iran, possibly Tabriz, early 14th century. Ink, colours and gold on paper. Height: 19.2 cm; width: 26.1 cm. Berlin Staatsbibliothek, Diez A fol. 71, S. 48

CRAFTING LUXURY: MOSUL AND METALWORK
An important section of the exhibition will examine the inlaid metalwork tradition of Mosul during the 13th and early 14th centuries. The Andalusian traveller Ibn Sa'id, who visited Mosul in 1250, wrote: ‘There are many crafts in the city, especially inlaid brass vessels which are exported to rulers’. The Mongol conquest of the city may have caused temporary mayhem, even for craftsmen, but it also introduced a rich new source of patronage: the Il-Khanid court.

Blacas Ewer. Mosul, Rajab 629 AH/April 1232 AD. Brass, raised, engraved and inlaid with silver and copper. Height: 30 cm; width: 20 cm © The Trustees of the British Museum

Spherical incense burner. Probably Mosul, 1319-1335. With an inscription to the Il-Khanid Sultan Abu Sacid. Brass, raised, engraved and inlaid with gold, silver and black material. Diameter: 17 cm. Soprintendenza Speciale Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze - Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence

The Courtauld bag is richly ornamented with roundels featuring musicians, hunters and revellers, over a geometric fretwork pattern characteristic of the inlaid brass vessels for which the city of Mosul was famous, such as the Blacas Ewer from the British Museum, dated 1232. The bag and other closely related objects in the exhibition, such as a recently conserved penbox from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, demonstrate that the technical and stylistic traditions of Mosul metalwork not only survived the Mongol conquest but flourished well into the Il-Khanid period.

Guest-curated by Rachel Ward, formerly of the British Museum, this focused exhibition will provide a fascinating framework for the appreciation and understanding of this magnificent work of art.

Juz’ (section) from a Qur’an. Written for the Il-Khanid sultan Öljeitü, Mosul, 1310. Ink, colour and gold on paper (brown leather binding). Height: 72 cm; width: 50 cm © The British Library Board, Or. 4945 Vol.25 1b and 2a

LOTUS CITRINE by Ole Lynggaard, Copenhagen

La collection Lotus symbolise le luxe bohème et s'inspire des fleurs de lotus ; des feuilles d'or 18 carats viennent ainsi envelopper de magnifiques pierres précieuses de couleurs vives et taillées en cabochon. 

OLE LYNGGAARD COPENHAGEN ajoute désormais une nouvelle couleur à la collection : la citrine jaune rayonnante. 
La citrine est l'une des rares pierres précieuses jaunes dans le monde de la joaillerie. Elle tire son nom du latin  « citrina » qui signifie « jaune ». 

Sa couleur chaleureuse très prisée semble avoir capturé les dernières heures de l'été et ensoleillera les grises journées d'automne. 

La citrine qui respire la gaieté et fleure bon le soleil se retrouve dans les bagues de la gamme Lotus, dans les boucles d'oreilles et pendentifs assortis ainsi que dans la collection Dew Drop.

Vase en porcelaine à glaçure vert-turquoise Chine, XVIIIème siècle. Photo Leclere

La panse de forme ovoïde, surmontée d’un long col tubulaire, incisée d’un décor de chimères ; col réduit et remplacé par une bordure de métal, petits éclats sur la panse. H. : 44 cm. Estimation : 1 500 / 2 000 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Statuette de moine en alliage de bronze laqué or, Vietnam, XVIII–XIXème siècle. Photo Leclere

Représenté debout sur une double base lotiforme, deux doigts de la main gauche pointés vers le ciel et deux de la droite vers la terre ; éclats à la dorure. H. : 50 cm. Estimation : 1 500 / 2 000 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Statuette de Guanyin en porcelaine blanc de chine, Chine, Dynastie Qing (1644-1911). Photo Leclere

Représentée debout sur une base sculptée de flots, vêtue d’une longue robe aux plis tombants, les mains jointes dans ses manches, parée d’un collier et d’un diadème, les yeux mi-clos, le visage serein recouvert d’un voile, marque en cachet au dos, socle en bois sculpté d’un décor de flots en relief ; petit manque à la base, craquelures de cuisson. H. : 47 cm. (hors socle). Estimation : 1 500 / 2 000 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Recipient à aliments couvert en bronze, Dou Chine, Fin des Royaumes Combattants - début de la Dynastie Han, IIIème siècle av. J-C. Photo Leclere

En forme de sphère aplatie reposant sur un petit pied évasé, le pourtour décoré de motifs archaïques, deux petites anses circulaires de part et d’autre de la panse, le couvercle agrémenté de trois prises en forme d’anneau, médaillon à décor incisé sur la base ; oxydation verte, rouge et bleue. H. : 11 cm. D. : 25 cm. (avec anses). Estimation : 1 500 / 2 000 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Coupe à pied en porcelaine monochrome noir Chine, XVIII-XIXème siècle. Photo Leclere

La partie supérieure en forme de bol reposant sur un long pied évasé, recouvert d’une belle glaçure noire, marque apocryphe Xuande à la base. H. : 9 cm. Estimation : 1 000 / 1 500 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Vase en bronze, Zhi, Chine, Dynastie Ming, XVème - XVIIème siècle. Photo Leclere

Dans le style des bronzes archaïques de l’époque Zhou, le pied, la panse et la base du col décorés d’une frise d’oiseaux stylisés sur fond de grecques, inscription à l’intérieur du vase ; accident et restauration à la bordure. H. : 16,5 cm. Estimation : 800 / 1 000 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Petite verseuse en jade, Chine, fin du XVIIIème – début du XIXème siècle. Photo Leclere

Reposant sur un petit pied, un anneau formant l’anse, à décor de fleurs de lotus sur la panse, une frise de motifs géométriques sur la bordure. H. : 3,5 cm. ; L : 8 cm. Estimation : 800 / 1 000 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Petite verseuse en jade, Chine, dynastie Qing, XIXème siècle. Photo Leclere

Reposant sur un petit pied, la panse à décor en relief d’une frise de clous, un dragon stylisé formant l’anse. Le revers laissant apparaître les veines de la pierre de couleur rouille. 10,5 x 4,5 cm. Estimation : 600 / 800 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

Miroir en métal incrusté de jade et pierres dures, Chine, Epoque Guangxu (1875-1908). Photo Leclere

De forme circulaire, le manche formé d’une fibule en jade à décor de chilong, un grand médaillon en jade sur le revers sculpté d’une grenade et son feuillage, entouré de cabochons en pierre dure et emblèmes, deux chauves-souris à la base de la poignée. L. : 22 cm. Estimation : 600 / 800 €

Leclere. Jeudi 19 décembre 2013. 5 rue Vincent Courdouan - 13006 Marseille. Tel: +33 (0)4 91 50 00 00.

A fine and rare diamond-set engraved and enameled gold singing bird snuff box with musical movement and watch. Sold $233,000. Photo: Bonhams. 

NEW YORK, NY.- A fine and rare enameled gold snuff box once owned by Turkish Sultan Abdul Aziz (1830-1876) surpassed its pre-sale estimate to sell for $233,000 at Bonhams Fine Watches, Wristwatches & Clocks sale on December 12. Encrusted with diamonds and inscribed with the monogram of the Sultan's son, Prince Shehzade Mahmud Celaddin Efendi, the opulent box created by Jean-Georges Reymond in the early 19th century featured a musical movement in the shape of a bird attributed to les frères Rochat, and retailed by Piguet & Capt. The base of the lavish box contained a clock, encircled with pearls, and was likely a gift to the Sultan to celebrate his son's birth. 

A fine and rare diamond-set engraved and enameled gold singing bird snuff box with musical movement and watch. Photo: Bonhams.

The box with the lozenge maker's mark of Jean-Georges Réymond, Geneva 1798 - 1815, and the mark of les frères Rochat, the movement stamped with serial number 7, circa 1804, and later embellished
Rectangular with rounded corners, guilloché panels on the base and sides with engraved and enameled borders, the top panel now set with four old mine cut diamonds and numerous round diamonds forming scrolls enclosing the oval lid now enhanced with calligraphic Arabic script monogram, all within a further row of round diamonds framing the panel, the front panel with split pearl bezel enclosing a white enamel watch dial with center seconds and opening to reveal arbors for winding, setting and regulation of the watch and for winding the music and bird, each labeled with a pictorial engraving designating the function, hinged key compartment to the side.

The gilt three part mechanism comprising: the automaton with chain fusee, cylindrical bellows and stack of eight cams controlling the motion and song of the brightly feathered bird who appears, sings and flaps his wings before retreating back into the box; the music with pinned barrel playing on stack of seven steel plates, each with three tuned teeth; and the watch movement with cylinder escapement and plain gilt balance, gold buttons on the front and back panels activate the singing bird and musical mechanisms; the box is accompanied by two gold engraved keys for operating and setting the complications. width 9.3cm, depth 6.2cm. Sold for US$ 233,000 (€169,134)

Provenance: The lid bears the monogram of the 19th century Ottoman Prince Shehzade Mahmud Celaleddin Efendi (1862 - 1888) son of the Turkish Sultan Abdul Aziz (1830 - 1876) who presumably had the box embellished for his son. 

The diamonds were added during the mid 19th century, however the box and automaton date from the beginning of the century. 

The lozenge maker's mark was used by Georges Rémond during the French occupation of Switzerland, 1798 - 1815. 

Les frères Rochat, Ami-Napoléon and Louis, were initially apprenticed to their father, Pierre of Le Brassus. Subsequently they developed their skills in the workshop of the eminent maker of automata, Pierre Jaquet - Droz (1721 - 1790). Shortly after 1800, they established their own workshop in Geneva and were quickly recognized as the preeminent makers of singing bird automata. The Rochat box number "1" is dated 1804. 

The mechanism bears the serial number "7". suggesting it was made shortly thereafter and thus one of their earliest productions. 

Other examples of later Rochat boxes with the same complications display a different layout with a robust musical barrel and striking watch work housed separately, with the music in the main compartment and the watch under the front panel. In this earlier box, the music and watch mechanisms are housed together under the front panel, sharing a rectangular main plate. 

Bonhams gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Brittany Nicole Cox who researched and conserved this singing bird.

Hundreds of bidders representing over 30 countries on five continents participated in the auction, with interest concentrated in the US and Asia. Live bidding via the internet and the telephone were both significant forces in the sale, although the majority of the timepieces went to attendees in the bustling Madison Avenue saleroom. The auction was 80% sold by both lot and value, with total sales in excess of $1.5 million. 

Extraordinary clocks from all eras performed well in the auction. A German oak wall regulator clock from 1917 brought $37,500, while a large French gilt and patinated bronze figural clock from the late 19th century fetched $36,250. Bonhams is the only international auction house to maintain a dedicated Clocks department in New York, and will offer a fine selection of clocks in the Fine Furniture, Silver, Folk & Decorative Arts and Clocks sale on January 23, 2014. 

A fine oak wall regulator with electric remontoire signed Clemens Riefler, Munchen, No. 406, dated 1917, pendulum no. 2047, Type A1. Photo: Bonhams. 

The rectangular case with stained oak front framed with glazed door and sides, supported by a purpose made mahogany wall mounting panel securing the movement and case, signed silvered dial with minute ring enclosing subsidiary seconds and 0 - XII / 12 - 24 hour dial, cut-out for viewing the remontoire, blued steel hands, the substantial movement with screwed pillars mounted on bracket fitted with adjusting and leveling screws, Riefler's patent remontoir, escapement and Invar pendulum numbered 2047 hanging from a crutchless knife-edge suspension and swinging against a silvered calibrated beat scale. 59in (151cm) high. Sold for US$ 37,500 (€27,221)

Wristwatches on offer were also well received, particularly chronographs. Fine examples from Rolex proved popular, such as a 1966 14 karat gold chronograph that sold for $45,000. A 1940's Audemars Piguet 18 karat gold chronograph reached $38,750, while a presentation 18 karat gold chronograph retailed by Tiffany & Co., and dated 1894 sold for $28,750. The auction also saw a remarkable rare and stylish steel Vacheron Constantin "222" bracelet watch fetch $25,000, a record price for the model. 

Rolex. A 14K gold chronograph wristwatch and bracelet with after market dial Cosmograph Ref:6241, Case No.2112933, circa 1966. Photo: Bonhams. 

17-jewel Cal. 722-1 manual winding movement adjusted to three positions, shock resistant suspension to monometallic balance, chronograph activated by two round buttons on case band, replaced and spurious Newman-style dial with applied dot numerals enclosing subsidiary dials for continuous seconds, 30-minute and 12-hour registers, gold hands, tonneau case with tachymeter bezel, screw down back and crown, 14K gold tapered riveted Oyster bracelet, case, movement and bracelet signed; 37mm. Sold for US$ 45,000 (€32,665)

Audemars, Piguet . A rare and very fine 18K gold chronograph wristwatch. No.45598, 1940's. Photo: Bonhams. 

23-jewel fully adjusted manual winding movement, bimetallic balance with overcoiled spring and index regulator, gold train, circular champagne dial with tachymeter scale enclosing applied gold faceted dot numerals and arabic noon, subsidiary 30-minute and 12-hour registers, continuous seconds, gold hands, blued sweep and register hands, brushed and polished snap back case with oval pushers, associated leather strap and 18K gold buckle, case, dial and movement signed; 33mm. Sold for US$ 38,750 (€28,128)

After the Second World War, Audemars Piguet made very few High Grade chronographs. Some of them were sold by famous houses such as Cartier and Bulgari. These chronographs fitted with a caliber 13"VZAH were of exceptional quality and are much praised by collectors.

American watches in the December 12 sale were much admired, boding well for Bonhams June 12, 2014 single owner sale in New York: Masterpieces of American Watch Making, Rare Watches from a Private Collection. A fine and rare elaborately engraved 18K gold hunter cased watch made by Hamilton more than doubled its estimate to sell for $17,500, while a very rare silver open face watch made in the mid-19th century by Charles Fasoldt of Albany, NY, sold for a stunning $25,000 - more than eight times its pre-sale estimate. 

Manjushri. Tibet, 13th-14th century. Photo courtesy Xanadu Gallery LLC

Silver and copper inlay. Height 10.6 inches (27 cm).

Xanadu Gallery LLC. 'Buddhist & Hindu Sculpture, Japanese Netsuke & Chinese Works of Art'. 5 East 82nd Street. Ground Floor. New York 10028. T/M (415) 307 7292 - mvargas@xanadugallery.us -www.xanadugallery.us. Asia Week New York. A Celebration of Asian Art. MARCH 14–22, 2014.

Attributed to Manaku or Fattu. A Folio from the “Large Bhagavata Purana.” India, Guler, circa 1760-65. Photo courtesy Nancy Wiener Gallery.

Gouache and gold on paper. Painting 9.75 x 13 inches (23.5 x 33.2 cm); Folio 11.6 x 16 inches (29.5 x 40.2 cm).

Nancy Wiener Gallery. The Ansonia, 2109 Broadway, Suite 10-18, New York 10023. T (212) 360 7028 - nancywienergallery@mac.com - www.nancywiener.com. Asia Week New York. A Celebration of Asian Art. MARCH 14–22, 2014.

Head of Avalokiteshvara. India, 11th century, Pala period. Photo courtesy Nancy Wiener Gallery.

Black Stone. 9.5 inches (24 cm).

Nancy Wiener Gallery. The Ansonia, 2109 Broadway, Suite 10-18, New York 10023. T (212) 360 7028 - nancywienergallery@mac.com - www.nancywiener.com. Asia Week New York. A Celebration of Asian Art. MARCH 14–22, 2014.

Portrait of a Sakya Lama (Detail). Tibet, 18th century. Photo courtesy Nancy Wiener Gallery.

Mineral pigment and gold on cloth. 77 x 63 inches (195 x 160 cm)

Nancy Wiener Gallery. The Ansonia, 2109 Broadway, Suite 10-18, New York 10023. T (212) 360 7028 - nancywienergallery@mac.com - www.nancywiener.com. Asia Week New York. A Celebration of Asian Art. MARCH 14–22, 2014.

Châsse-reliquaire, Italie (Trapani?) XIX°. Photo L'ÉTUDE DE PROVENCE

en bois doré et verre, avec du corail rouge et deux sujets cynégétiques à l'intérieur. 20 x 16,5 x 10,5 cm. Petits accidents. Estimation 600 €-800 €

ETUDE DE PROVENCE - Un château vers Uzès. Dimanche 22 décembre à 14h30 à SANILHAC SAGRIES. Tél. : 04 96 11 01 10 - Fax : 04 96 11 01 11 - contact@etudedeprovence.com

MASRIERA. Broche en or émaillé d'Epoque Art nouveau. Photo L'ÉTUDE DE PROVENCE

à décor de jeune femme ornée de diamants taille brillants et roses agrémentée d'émail translucide et émail vert retenant une perle en breloque.Signée au dos. 5,6 cm. Estimation 2 000 €-2 500 €

ETUDE DE PROVENCE - Un château vers Uzès. Dimanche 22 décembre à 14h30 à SANILHAC SAGRIES. Tél. : 04 96 11 01 10 - Fax : 04 96 11 01 11 - contact@etudedeprovence.com