Lot 7. Hubert Robert (Paris 1733-1808) and another hand, A Mountainous landscape with ramparts and buildings of an Italian village, oil on canvas, 767⁄8 x 471⁄8 in. (195.2 x 119.6 cm). Estimate : GBP 30,000 - GBP 50,000 (EUR 34,149 - EUR 56,915). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

LONDON.- Christie’s announces Out of Office: Art that Transports, a themed sale encompassing 46 lots ranging from £1,000 to £30,000 across a selection of paintings dating from the 16th Century through to the 20th Century. In a time before mass public transport, when the world moved at a slower pace and personal horizons were necessarily closer to home, art was a means for people to explore the vastness of the world from their own homes without ever leaving. Out of Office: Art that Transports allows us, in our newly restricted world, to continue the voyages of artists.

Christie’s invites you to take a journey which transports you from England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Greece, India, Lebanon, Hawaii and the Arctic Circle amongst other destinations depicted. Experience an ever changing landscape and global destinations via the eyes of the artists including William John Huggins, Pietro Cappelli, Giacomo Van Lint, Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida and William Hodges.

The auction incorporates Dutch landscapes from the Golden Age of the Republic, Italian city views, watercolors and drawings of the rolling bucolic British countryside, sun-drenched images of the Near East and sea-voyages to the Arctic, as well as taking some more fanciful journeys with capriccios and mythological woodlands. The sale stands as testament to the continued power of art as the ultimate escape, as well as the close connection by artists to the world around them and the importance of close observation of our own and foreign cultures, landscapes and moments.

Olivia Ghosh, Specialist and Head of Sale, comments: ‘Whilst sitting at my kitchen table, I am very much both out of the office physically and very much in it mentally. Adapting to working from home I’ve greatly enjoyed examining each of the paintings and drawings in this sale, constantly aware of how lucky I am to be connecting with art every day and these recent visual explorations have enabled me to transport myself to far flung destinations – Madeira with William Hodges – as well as nearer to home – Devon with John Middleton, at a time when the physical world is closed to us. Art has an important part to play in our well-being and has the ability via visual stimulus, to decrease stress and anxiety, taking us to another place or time.

Olivia continues, “These works will take you round the world and back in time. It shows a great variety of nature, culture and terrain that has existed through the centuries. One of art’s magical properties is escapism – away from the sofa to the shores of Hawaii or the deserts of the Levant”.

Out of Office: Art that Transports is now open for browsing and bidding online until 1 June.

Lot 7. Hubert Robert (Paris 1733-1808) and another hand, A Mountainous landscape with ramparts and buildings of an Italian village, oil on canvas, 767⁄8 x 471⁄8 in. (195.2 x 119.6 cm). Estimate : GBP 30,000 - GBP 50,000 (EUR 34,149 - EUR 56,915). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

Provenance: Private collection, Brazil.
Private collection, USA, from whom acquired by the present owner in 2006.

Note: This painting is to be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné on Hubert Robert, currently in preparation by Joseph Baillio and the Wildenstein Institute, who confirm the attribution and date the picture to circa 1800. It has been suggested that the landscape is by another hand, possibly that of Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes, although there is no documentary evidence of collaboration. The figures and cattle are by Robert.

Lot 37. Poul August Plum (Copenhagen 1815-1876 Fredensborg), Hawaiian women in a canoe selling fruit to the crew of the Galathea, signed with initials 'A.P.' (lower right), signed and inscribed 'Poul Aug. Plum Galatea' (on the stretcher), oil on canvas,28 x 38 in. (71.1 x 96.5 cm). Estimate : GBP 30,000 - GBP 40,000 (EUR 34,149 - EUR 45,532). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

Note: Poul August Plum was the official artist on the first Galathea voyage, a Danish political, commercial and scientific expedition which circumnavigated the globe between 1845 and 1847. Recognised at the time in his native Copenhagen for genre scenes, Plum was tasked with visually documenting the landscapes and, to a greater extent, peoples the Galathea encountered on her voyage.

The three-masted ship and its crew of 231, including five scientists and two artists, under the captaincy of Steen Andersen Bille, sailed from Copenhagen on 24 June 1845. She made her first landfall at Madeira in July before proceeding south to round the Cape and sail on to India. Here, Bille had been instructed to witness the transfer of the Danish colonies of Tranquebar (Tharangambadi, Tamil Nadu) on the Coromandel coast, and Serampore in West Bengal to the British East India Company. Early 1846 was spent across the Bay of Bengal in the Nicobar Islands (administered by the Danes from Tranquebar) which, by royal decree, they planned to re-colonise following their abandonment due to outbreaks of malaria. The Galathea sailed on to southeast Asia, mooring at Penang, Singapore, Batavia (Jakarta), and Manila before turning northwards and running along the Chinese coast. She visited Hong Kong, Macau, Canton, Amoy and Shanghai, and crossed the Pacific to Hawaii in August-September 1846. Fine drawings and watercolours by Plum, many dated, now in the collection of the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Helsingør, chart their progress.

After a gruelling two-month crossing of the Japan Sea, during which many of the crew developed scurvy, the Galathea dropped anchor off Honolulu, Hawaii at 9 o'clock on the morning of Monday, 5 October 1846. She was the first Danish man-of-war to visit the islands. Tasked to set up a favoured trading nation agreement with Hawaii, Bille signed a treaty of peace and trading cooperation between the nations of Hawaii and Denmark on 19 October 1846. The Galathea remained at Hawaii until she finally weighed anchor on 16 November 1846. During the stay, Plum compiled hundreds of portraits of the native Hawaiians. Notable sitters were King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama (portraits now in the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu), the latter, according to Cornelius Schmidt (a crew member of the Galathea), ‘liked the portrait of her that an artist of the Galathea had painted so much that she embraced him.’ (J. Jensen, 'A Danish Sailor’s View of Hawaii in 1846', The Hawaiian Journal of History, vol. 30, 1996, p.112).

The present picture is a rare finished painting worked up from his drawings and sketches. Although there are no direct studies for this picture at Helsingør, there are two extant smaller oil sketches (art market). Three young Hawaiian women have come out in a Hawaiian outrigger canoe to meet the Galathea and sell fruits to the crew. The women, clad in 'silk and satin' are not in native costume, although their faces are prettily framed with native maile vine leaves and ferns that feature in many of Plum's portraits taken at Honolulu (and later at Tahiti and Bora Bora).

The Galathea sailed on from Hawaii south to Tahiti, and then east to the South American Pacific coast, running along the ports of Lima, Callao and Valparaiso. She rounded Cape Horn, and visited Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and finally Bahia before returning to Copenhagen in August 1847.

The death of King Christian VIII and the wars with Germany which followed the Galathea's return to Copenhagen meant that the results and accounts of the voyage remained unpublished. Plum, assisted by sketch artist Christian Thornam, produced a large number of drawings, in variously worked stages, during the voyage, which provided an important visual record of the circumnavigation. A handful of Plum's drawings were lithographed for Steen Bille's account of the voyage Beretningen om Corvetten Galathea's Reise omkringjorden 1845, 46, 47, 3 vol., Copenhagen, 1849-51 (and for the second and German abridged editions). His original drawings and artwork remained otherwise long forgotten and unpublished, until a collection was acquired by the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Helsingor, and a selection of the Hawaiian sheets from the museum included by David W. Forbes in his Encounters with Paradise Views of Hawaii and its People 1778-1941 (Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, 1992).

We are grateful to Line Hallbjørnsson at the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Helsingør, for granting access to the Plum drawings in the museum's collection.

Lot 33. Théodore Géricault (Rouen 1791-1824 Paris), Study of a panther skin, oil on panel, 187⁄8 x 227⁄8 in. (48 x 58 cm.), inscribed `164’ (upper left), and marked on the verso with the wax seal of the Harcourt collection. Estimate : GBP 25,000 - GBP 35,000 (EUR 28,457.50 - EUR 39,840.50). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

Provenance: Comte Jean d’Harcourt (1885-1980), Paris.
Alain Delon (b. 1935), Paris; his sale, Palais Galliera, Paris, 26 November 1971, lot 15.
Claude Aubry, Paris.
Caraman-Chimay collection, Paris.
Anonymous sale; Tajan, Paris, 18 December 2002, lot 58, where acquired by the present owner.

Note: Largely considered to be a preparatory study for the saddle-cloth of the famous painting l’Officier de Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde impériale, chargeant, the present lot is one of eleven surviving study sketches for the acclaimed work which Gericault debuted at the Paris Salon in 1812.

 Théodore Géricault (Rouen 1791-1824 Paris), Officier de chasseurs à cheval de la garde impériale chargeant, 1812, huile sur toile, 349 x 266 cm, INV 4885, Musée du Louvre.

Professor Lorenz Eitner, in a letter dated 8 April 2002, writes how he considers the present work to be a painting of high quality, by the young Géricault, and goes on describing it as being `of characteristically bold execution and of great interest as an example of his working method at that time’.

Eitner concurs with Philippe Grunchec who agreed with the attribution to the artist (cfr. Grunchec, 1991), while Germain Bazin (cfr. Bazin, 1996) rejected the work together with the Study of Lions, after Rubens (Study after Rubens’ Daniel in the Lions’ Den, cfr. Grunchec, 1991, 38b) that originally formed the back of the present panel.

Grunchec mentions how the paint treatment resembles that in Coq et poules (Grunchec, 1991, no. 82) and how the structure of the painting and the pale blue background give a poetic character to this study.

Eitner considers the present work an important document of Géricault’s development of the Officier de Chasseurs à cheval and concludes describing the present lot as `a painting of striking painterly execution’.

Lot 4. Pietro Cappelli (d. Naples 1724/1734), Capriccio with figures on the shore, oil on canvas, 401⁄8 x 501⁄2 in. (101.7 x 128.3 cm.) Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (EUR 17,074.50 - EUR 22,766).© Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

Note: Little is known about the artist, who lived in Naples and died young. Trained in the studio of Francesco Solimena, Cappelli is believed to have painted predominently architectural scenes and was a fierce rival of Leonardo Coccorante.

Lot 105. 1931 PACKARD 840 Custom Eight Convertible. Estimate: €200,000 - €250,000. © Osenat 

Lot 119. 1958 BENTLEY S1 Convertible Conversion. Estimate: €100,000 - €120,000. © Osenat 

Lot 119. 1965 PORSCHE 911 2,0 "SWB". Estimate: €90,000 - €120,000. © Osenat 

Lot 122. 1958 MERCEDES-BENZ 190 SL. Estimate: €80,000 - €100,000. © Osenat

Numéro de série 1210407501011
Bel état de restauration
Carte grise française de collection.

Présentée en 1954 à New York, la Mercedes-Benz 190 SL est conçue pour être une petite 300 SL. Dérivée du mythique modèle à l’étoile, ce petit Roadster est conçu en collaboration avec Max Hoffman, l’importateur Mercedes-Benz aux États-Unis. La 190 SL est équipée d’un moteur 4 cylindres en ligne, de 1897 cm3 développant 105 chevaux grâce à deux carburateurs. Le moteur est coupléà une boîte manuelle à 4 vitesses. Le châssis repose sur une suspension avant indépendante et des demi-axes oscillants arrière avec ressorts hélicoïdaux et 4 freins à tambours à commande hydraulique. Elle est l’œuvre des designers maison Karl Wilfert et Walter Hackert, qui reçoivent le mandat de créer une automobile ressemblant à la 300SL mais plus petite de 30 cm. Dérivée du châssis plate-forme de la modeste berline 180, qui est raccourci de 25 cm. La carrosserie est en acier mais les quatre ouvrants (portières, coffre arrière et capot moteur) sont en aluminium. La 190 SL terminera sa carrière avec une production totale de 25881 unités. Pour remplacer la 300 SL «papillon», le salon de Genève 1957 sera la rampe de lancement de la grande sœur de la 190 SL: le roadster 300 SL. Ce dernier ressemble beaucoup au cabriolet 190 mais les dimensions ne sont pas les mêmes. Ces deux cabriolets seront remplacés en 1963 par une nouveauté qui se positionnera dans une gamme intermédiaire, la 230 SL «pagode» . 

Cette Mercedes-Benz 190 SL aurait été livrée neuve en France en 1958. Nous remontons ensuite à 1996 quand elle changea de propriétaire. Elle changea à nouveau de mains en 2004, puis en 2006, lorsqu’elle fut acquise par son propriétaire actuel. La voiture a alors été restaurée intégralement il y a plus de dix ans. La carrosserie fut en grande partie mise à nue avec découpe et remplacement de toutes les parties rouillées, une belle peinture métallisée, légérement bleutée fut appliquée pour parfaire l’ensemble. L’habitacle fut restauré en cuir bleu foncé et moquette de très bonne facture. La capote neuve et son couvre capote s’accordent à l’habitacle. Le moteur 1,9L fut refait intégralement par un atelier de rectification puis fut équipé de carburateurs Weber, il n’a parcouru que 3 700 kilomètres depuis. Outre son très bon état visuel, nous avons pu constater un bon fonctionnement de la voiture lors d’un essai routier. Le moteur démarre et tourne bien, sa boîte de vitesse ne présente pas de défaut à l’usage. La voiture sera vendue avec une expertise à hauteur de 130 000 € datée de 2016, ainsi que son double des clefs et un dossier photos détaillant la restauration. C’est ainsi un bel exemplaire de la célèbre Mercedes-Benz 190 SL que nous présentons, restauré avec goût et rigueur.

Osenat Maison de vente aux enchères. Automobiles de collection, 27 may 2020

Lot 123. 1960 LANCIA Flaminia GT Touring Convertible. Estimate: €80,000 - €100,000. © Osenat

Numéro de série 82404176
Même propriétaire depuis 1982
Rare version carrossée par Touring Superleggera
Important dossier de factures – restaurée de 2005 à 2019
Moteur V6 2,8 3C refait intégralement chez Tissier
Carte grise française.

Lancée en 1957, la Lancia Flaminia allait représenter le haut de gamme de la firme à la lance. Avec ses caractéristiques techniques particulièrement modernes, elle visait une clientèle très aisée, c’est pourquoi elle sera déclinée en coupé et cabriolet, carrossée par les plus grands d’alors à l’instar de Touring Superleggera ou bien Zagato. Innovante, elle adoptait une suspension avant à ressorts hélicoïdaux, barre stabilisatrice et parallélogrammes transversaux, ainsi qu’une suspention arrière à essieu De Dion, joint à l’ensemble boîte pont et tambours de freins accolés au différentiel. La Lancia Flaminia Gran Turismo carrossée par Touring Superleggera est présentée au Salon de Turin 1958, elle reprend la base technique de la berline mais s’habille d’une carrosserie en aluminium posée sur un châssis tubulaire. C’est en 1960 qu’est dévoilée la version cabriolet, reprenant les traits du coupé, mais dont la suppression du toit renforce la finesse. Le moteur est le V6 à 60° 2,5L en 1962 pour atteindre 2 775 cm3 . 

Cette Lancia Flaminia GT Touring Cabriolet fut immatriculée neuve en France, le 3 novembre 1960. Elle est ensuite immatriculée 43 LG 06, dans les Alpes Maritimes en 1963. En 1970, nous savons qu’elle appartenait à une certaine Andrée Sarnier, professeur de Yoga au Cannet. C’est durant cette période, en 1971, que le moteur 2,5 est échangé pour un 2,8 L à trois carburateurs (3C). En 1975, elle cède la Lancia à Monsieur Daniel Rapin, qui l’immatricule à Sceaux, sous le numéro 8920 JU 70. Elle fut ensuite acquise par son propriétaire actuel en 1982, alors qu’elle était immobilisée depuis 1977 au vu de la vignette accolée au pare-brise. La Lancia fut alors remise en route puis fut remisée dans un garage dans les Vosges. L’ensemble des fluides avait été purgé, les chemises huilées et les pièces chromées déposées pour conservation. Ce n’est qu’en 2005 que le fils du propriétaire le motive à remettre cette voiture sur ses roues et sur la route ! La voiture est ainsi rappatriée en Seine-et-Marne, débute alors un long travail de restauration. L’ensemble de la Flaminia fut démonté, le châssis fut décapé et traité. Les berceau, roues, ont été sablés, traités et repeints. Le châssis et les planchers ont été décapés, traités et repeints. La mécanique fut refaite intégralement, entre 2008 et 2009, par le spécialiste en moteurs sportifs italiens : Gilbert Tissier. Les culasses ont été refaites à neuf, avec passage au sans-plomb. Le vilebrequin a été refait à neuf avec rectification des manetons, remplacement de l’ensemble des coussinets et joints spi. Les segments furent changés tout comme l’ensemble des joints moteur. Une peinture époxy spéciale moteur fut appliquée à l’intérieur du bloc et du carter puis tous les silent-blocs et supports moteur furent changés. Les carburateurs furent nettoyés et révisés avec joints et pointeaux neufs. L’allumage fut révisé, l’embrayage refait à neuf, tout comme la dynamo, le démarreur, ainsi que le radiateur. La boîte de vitesses fut vérifiée et tous ses joints et roulements furent remplacés. Le pont arrière fut vérifié, nettoyé et ses cardans remplacés. Les échappements ont été rénovés avec des pièces d’origine ou neuves. L’intégralité du système de freinage a été refait à neuf. Le circuit électrique fut vérifié et fiabilisé. L’ensemble des silent-blocs sous châssis fut remplacéà neuf. La carrosserie reçut une peinture dans le bleu sombre d’origine en 2010. La sellerie fut refaite à neuf par l’Espace Sellerie 3000 en 2017 et la capote neuve installée en 2019. Aujourd’hui, la voiture est dans un très bel état général. Un essai routier a pu confirmer la qualité des travaux réalisés sur la partie mécanique et trains roulants, le moteur produit un son des plus agréables. Cette Lancia est un modèle rare, signée d’un grand carrossier. Elle est particulièrement agréable à conduire, et sera vendue avec un épais dossier de factures et photos de la restauration, quelques pièces, ainsi que divers documents tels des factures d’époque, des revues et autres RTA ou manuels d’ateliers.

Lot 124. 1967 FIAT Dino Spider 2000. Estimate: €80,000 - €120,000. © Osenat

Numéro de série 135AS0000842
Rare exemplaire livré neuf en France
Dessin par Pininfarina - Moteur par Ferrari
Carte grise française.

La Fiat Dino Spider est née de la collaboration entre le géant Fiat et Ferrari. Le constructeur turinois était décidéà monter en gamme alors que la firme de Maranello devait produire 500 véhicules motorisés par le V6 2l Dino pour pouvoir l’homologuer en catégorie Formule 2. Ce 2.0l V6 « Dino » doit son nom à Alfredo, le fils disparu trop tôt du Commandatore qui avait participéà son développement. Ce bloc de 2.0l entièrement en aluminium et 4 arbres à cames en tête développe 160 ch expriméà l’italienne : de manière non linéaire et dans une sonorité digne des productions Ferrari. La ligne du spider est signée Pininfarina alors que celle du coupé est l’œuvre de Bertone.

Osenat Maison de vente aux enchères. Automobiles de collection, 27 may 2020

Lot 3777. A white jade recumbent ram, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 8.3 cm., 3 1/4  in. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKD. Lot sold 600,000 HKD  (68,974 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

worked in the form of a recumbent ram with the legs tucked under his body, his eyes downcast and mouth closed, the long ridged horns carved in openwork and extending along each side of the torso, its hair subtly picked out along the furled ears, curvaceous spine and pendant tail, the stone of an even white colour faintly mottled with darker inclusions, wood stand. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015

Lot 3693. A rare white jade bowl, Incised mark and period of Jiaqing (1796-1820); 12.1 cm., 4 3/4  in.. Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 HKD. Lot sold 500,000 HKD  (57,478 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

carved with rounded sides supported on a short straight foot, the translucent stone of a white colour suffused with milky-white streaks, the recessed base incised with a four-character seal mark . 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015

Lot 3771. A yellow jade carving of a mythical beast, Ming dynasty; 7 cm., 2 3/4  in. Estimate 300,000 — 400,000 HKD. Lot sold 375,000 HKD  (43,108 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

the pebble worked as a crouching animal with bushy eyebrows and a notched spine ending in a tail swept up against hindquarters incised with archaised tufts of hair, the yellow stone suffused with russet veins and brown skin on the underside. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015

Lot 3700. A small imperial celadon jade 'chilong' waterpot, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 7.8 cm., 3 1/8  in. Estimate 250,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot sold 325,000 HKD  (37,361 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

of beehive shape with gently incurving sides, carved to the exterior with the slender bodies of two chilong encircling a raised lip, each detailed with a split horn, hairs subtly picked out and a raised spine terminating in a bifurcated tail, carved below in low relief with two scenes of chrysanthemum and bamboo shoots sprouting from rocks, the translucent stone of a warm celadon colour. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015

Lot 3637. An inscribed zitan reticulated cylindrical perfumier, Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century; 21.6 cm, 8 1/2  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot sold 275,000 HKD  (31,613 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

of cylindrical form, the hardwood deftly carved and pierced with two chilong, one ascending and the other descending with clawed arms outstretched, facing each other with their hair swept over serpentine bodies and writhing amidst swirling lingzhi stems, all between two borders of angular scrolls and set on a stand inscribed horizontally in clerical script with eight characters reading yi hong xiang nuan, huakai jian fo ('With a pond filled with fragrance and warmth, Buddha will appear when the flowers bloom'), the base incised with a square seal reading Kezhai ('Studio of Reverence'), the seal of Wu Dacheng. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015

Lot 3776. A white jade recumbent ram, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 7.9 cm., 3 1/8  in. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKD. Lot sold 275,000 HKD  (31,613 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

worked in the round as a ram resting upon its tucked-in hindlegs and kneeling forelegs, its head depicted turned backwards with its beard touching its robust back, its beard and tail detailed with fine incisions, the stone of an even white colour, wood stand. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015

Lot 193. A rare blue and white 'dragon' garden seat, Second half 16th century; 35.6cm (14in) high. Estimate £30,000-50,000. Sold for £37,500 (€ 41,966). Photo Bonhams.

Of barrel shape applied with a pair of lion-mask handles, vividly painted to each side with a five-clawed winged dragon striding amongst scrolling clouds in pursuit of the flaming pearl above foaming waves and bordered by applied bosses, all beneath a band of ruyi-shaped cartouches containing horses galloping across flaming scrolls, the panel top decorated with four crouching Buddhist lions on scrolling ribbons issuing precious objects.

Provenance: a distinguished European private collection.

Note: Compare with a similar Wanli period blue and white porcelain stool, decorated with dragons and cloud patterns from Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p.71, no.56. For a related Jiajing period drum stool, but decorated with cranes, see Enlightening Elegance: Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, The Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong, 2012, pp.152-3.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, 14 May 2015

Lot 281. A blue and white porcelain-inlaid hardwood eight-leaf screen, 19th century. Each leaf 37.5cm (14 3/4in) wide x 176.2cm (69 3/8in) high. Estimate £15,000-20,000. Sold for £47,500 (€ 53,156). Photo Bonhams.

Each leaf inlaid with five variously-shaped blue and white porcelain panels, each panel painted with mountain and riverscape scenes contain small figures variously fishing, conversing, traversing narrow bridges, farming with water buffalo and carrying bundles, the landscapes set with pagodas and dwellings amid trees including wutong, willow and pine, all framed by wood carved in openwork with foliate scrolls bearing double gourds.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, 14 May 2015

Lot 265.  A cinnabar lacquer 'dragon' cabinet, 18th century; 16.8cm (22 1/8in x 14 3/4in x 6 5/8in). Estimate £10,000-15,000. Sold for £31,250 (€ 34,744). Photo: Bonhams.

The rectangular cabinet set with two pairs of hinged doors bordered with key-fret bands, each delicately carved with a ferocious five-clawed dragon detailed with horns, a curly mane and scales, coiling and striding in pursuit of the flaming pearl on a dense ground of crashing and foaming waves, all above a long drawer with four carp leaping from waves, the top, sides and the reverse covered with a floral diaper ground. 

Note: Compare with a cinnabar lacquer cabinet of similar form and design but larger in size, illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, p.160, pl.173.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, 14 May 2015

Lot 267.  A large wood figure of Guanyin, Qing Dynasty; 97cm (38 1/8in) high. Estimate £4,000-6,000. Sold for £31,250 (€ 34,744). Photo: Bonhams.

Carved with naturalistic facial features gazing serenely downwards beneath a high chignon encircled by a crown, a sash looped across the palm of the right hand, the relaxed body enveloped in flowing drapery, seated at ease with the left arm gently resting on a raised knee, the body leaning on a rocky support. 

The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a radiocarbon dating measurement test, RCD Radiocarbon Dating, sample no.RCD-8300, which states 95% interval for AD 1670 to AD 1944.

Note: The figure of Guanyin, known as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, was the most popular and influential of the four Bodhisattvas. During the Tang and Song dynasties Buddhist sculptures of Guanyin became large in size and more feminine in appearance, such as the pose of the present lot, known as Guanyin gazing at the moon reflected in the water; see A.F.Howard, Li Song, Wu Hung and Yang Hong, Chinese Sculpture, New Haven, 2006, pp.383 and 385.

However, though inspired by earlier models produced from the Song dynasty onwards, the more elaborate form as on the present lot is indicative of a later date within the Qing dynasty.

Compare a related lacquered wood figure of Guanyin, 18th century, which was recently sold in our New York Rooms, 16 March 2015, lot 8064.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, 14 May 2015 

LONDON.- The National Gallery today announced the acquisition of three significant works: Jean-Etienne Liotard’s The Lavergne Family Breakfast (1754); Thomas Gainsborough’s Portrait of Margaret Gainsborough holding a Theorbo (about 1777) and Sir Thomas Lawrence’s Portrait of the Hon. Peniston Lamb (about 1790). They will each have a dedicated artwork page on the National Gallery’s website which will go live from today.

All have been received by the nation from the estate of George Pinto under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. An art lover and collector, George Pinto (1929–2018) was a patron of the National Gallery and a trustee of the Wallace Collection. He kept a select collection of paintings he had inherited at his homes in Kent and Knightsbridge and particularly admired the work of Liotard. His colleagues at the merchant bank Kleinwort Benson, where he was a director for many years, described him as bright and wonderfully eccentric. He sadly died in a car accident at the age of 89. The National Gallery is grateful to Christie's for their support in ensuring these works join the collection.

The Lavergne Family Breakfast, which has been on loan to the Gallery since October 2018, is the second work by Jean-Etienne Liotard (1727–1788) to enter the National Gallery’s collection and is his largest and most ambitious pastel. The work has long been regarded as his masterpiece. Liotard was one of the most important pastellists of the 18th century, his works were both highly sought after and highly priced. In mid-18th-century London, a pastel head by Liotard commanded a higher fee than a full-length portrait in oil by the young Joshua Reynolds, later first President of the Royal Academy.

The Lavergne Family Breakfast depicts a luminous early morning scene with an elegantly dressed woman and her daughter, paper curlers still in her hair, enjoying coffee and chocolate which were exclusive, luxurious beverages at the time. Liotard, in a highly unusual move, deftly builds up layers of thick wet pastel to create the illusion of reflections on the silver coffee pot and Chinese porcelain. Although The Lavergne Family Breakfast is not strictly a portrait, its sitters have long been associated with the Lavergne family, relatives of Liotard’s who lived in Lyon and it is likely that the sitters were Liotard’s niece and her own niece. The pastel was bought in 1755 by Viscount Duncannon, Liotard’s most important patron, and has remained in Britain ever since.

Jean-Etienne Liotard, 'The Lavergne Family Breakfast', 1754. Pastel on paper stuck down on canvas, 80 × 106 cm. Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by HM Government from the estate of George Pinto and allocated to the National Gallery, 2019. © The National Gallery, London.

The second acquisition is Thomas Gainsborough’s (1727–1788) Portrait of Margaret Gainsborough holding a Theorbo (about 1777), a remarkable example of Gainsborough’s late portraiture. This new acquisition builds on the Gallery’s exceptional group of family portraits by one of the greatest of British painters. It joins the artist’s earliest known self-portrait in oil, Portrait of the Artist with his Wife and Daughter (about 1748), and two extremely engaging portraits of Gainsborough’s daughters Margaret and Mary as children, in the Gallery’s collection. Both unfinished, they are acknowledged to be among Gainsborough’s masterpieces, for their sensitive and spontaneous characterisation and experimental freedom of brushwork. They were made for his own satisfaction. He made two other portraits of Margaret as an adult, both in the manner of society portraits, but this is a much more intimate work. The new acquisition has only recently been known to the public following its first showing at the 2019 exhibition Gainsborough's Family Album at the National Portrait Gallery. In its vigour and bravura manner, as well as its intimacy, it demonstrates a forward looking, almost modern, aspect to Gainsborough’s late portraiture. The artist and his family were keen amateur musicians and the sisters also studied drawing and painting.

Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830) is generally regarded as one of the finest European portraitists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and the informal and arresting Portrait of the Hon. Peniston Lamb shows off his skill at the start of his career. Peniston Lamb was the Member of Parliament for Newport from 1793 to 1796 and the Member for Hertfordshire from 1802 until his death from tuberculosis in January 1805. The acquisition of this painting is an important addition to the number of early works by Lawrence already in the collection, above all his full-length portrait of Queen Charlotte. Significantly a work already in the National Gallery’s permanent collection, George Stubbs’s The Milbanke and Melbourne Families (about 1769), was made to commemorate the marriage of Peniston’s parents and it is likely his mother was pregnant with him when she sat for it.

Lawrence’s paintings in the collection demonstrate his confident and expressive handling of paint and why he was sought after as a society portraitist. In its directness of glance and characterisation, as well as the elevated level of its painting technique, the portrait of Peniston Lamb has much in common with the modernity of European portraiture of the period, particularly in France and in Spain, by artists such as Jacques-Louis David and Francisco de Goya.

These three intimate portraits all engage viewers in different ways. In Liotard’s The Lavergne Family Breakfast, although mother and daughter are absorbed in the scene they face outwards, drawing us into their luminous space. Gainsborough’s intimate Portrait of Margaret Gainsborough holding a Theorbo provides access to a private performance behind closed doors. In Lawrence’s Portrait of the Hon. Peniston Lamb, the figure has his head angled as though he is turning to look at us, his left eye placed at the exact mid-point of the canvas. These remarkable works are valuable additions to the National Gallery collection and provide a window into the lives of three renowned eighteenth-century artists.

National Gallery Director, Dr Gabriele Finaldi, said: “George Pinto had a passion for 18th-century painting and was a good friend of the National Gallery. It is a great pleasure to welcome these works and particularly the rare and beautiful Liotard pastel into the national collection. We are grateful to George’s family, the executors of the Pinto Estate, as well as to the UK Government, The Arts Council and the Acceptance in Lieu panel, thanks to which so many superb pictures have come to the National Gallery over the years.”

Chair of the Acceptance in Lieu Panel, The Arts Council, Edward Harley OBE, said: “I am delighted to announce that three pictures from the collection of the late George Pinto have been acquired through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme and allocated to the National Gallery. The superlative quality of each of these pictures by Liotard, Gainsborough, and Lawrence is a testament to the true connoisseurship of their previous owner and also show that Acceptance in Lieu is a means for museums and galleries to acquire the very best art.”

Culture Minister, Caroline Dinenage, said: "The Acceptance in Lieu Scheme shares the generous gifts of art lovers with the British public. Thanks to the scheme, these three outstanding works will join the National Gallery's collection for future generations to enjoy. I am pleased that the works will be online from today, giving people the opportunity to enjoy them from their own homes."

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), A unique and substantial gong pendant, 1960s. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

LONDON.- Christie’s presents an online selling exhibition of jewellery, miniature artistic expressions by leading 20th century artists. Art to Wear is a partnership with Didier Ltd, a London-based gallery that specialises in twentieth-century artist-designed jewellery. Producing pieces to adorn the body of the wearer, artists including Salvador Dalí, Claude Lalanne, Georges Braque, and Alexander Calder found the medium provided a means to free their imagination, crafting portable artworks that are as functional as they are expressive. The exhibition will explore the creative process with photographs, sketches and texts giving viewers insight into this unique aspect of the artist’s oeuvre. The 17 objects presented transcend eras and channel art, innovation and technique to create luxurious and bespoke expressions suitable for daily wear. The exhibition will underline the cultural and art historical contexts within which these objects were brought into existence. Works from the exhibition are available for immediate purchase with a price range of £20,000-150,000.

Arman’s playful necklace encapsulates the sense of abandon that artists embraced when crafting wearable sculptures. The 19 small gold paint tubes form a classic V-shape around the neck. Harry Bertoia’s hand-hammered gong pendant echoes the principal exploration of sound that his work is renowned for, whilst simultaneously celebrating a form that appears ancient, and timeless. Bertoia first started making and indeed teaching jewellery while he was head of the metalwork department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art during the Second World War. As metal supplies dwindled during the war, Bertoia started to work out his ideas on a smaller scale, his jewels becoming maquettes with which to organise and develop his ideas. Claude Lalanne’s work has a sinuous, organic form, incorporating flora and fauna in a manner that is reminiscent of Art Nouveau, with a delicate infusion of surrealism and fantasy. The exhibition will include an 18ct gold front fastening necklace that is formed from articulated hydrangea flower petals arranged in a graduated manner.

Arman (1928-2005), A necklace, 1991. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

18ct gold, clasp with double safety clip, cast as cascading paint tubes suspended from triple-link chain, produced by Argeco, Nice, number 8 from the edition of 8 plus 4 artist's proofs, 38 cm. long (14.17/16 in.), pendant 5 x 10.5 cm. (2 x 4 1/8 in.), stamped with signature on the reverse Arman, 8/8 and with Nice hallmark, the clasp further stamped with Nice eagle's head hallmark.

Literature: J.L. Billant, Rare Collection of Artist’s Jewels by Argeco, Arman 1928-2005, Nice, another example illustrated pp. 37, 43, 46.

Note: This necklace design is recorded in the Arman Studio Archives, New York, under number APA 7041.91,002.

Arman (1928-2005), A cased set of eight pendants, 1995-2000. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

18ct gold, three with enamel decorations, the square pendant with acrylic inset, together with original case marked with artist’s facsimile signature, produced by Pierre Hugo for Galerie Stéphane Klein, each pendant from their respective limited editions.

The set comprising:
A ‘Pinceaux’ 18ct gold pendant with two suspension loops, decorated with 17 wet paint brushes and their brush strokes, number 19 from the edition of 25, inscribed 3012 1809/A, 19/25, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 6.1 high x 5.7 cm. wide (2 3/8 x 2 ¼ in.)

A ‘Tubes’ 18ct gold pendant with two suspension loops, squashed screw-topped paint-tubes arranged in two rows of eleven, number 19 from the edition of 25, inscribed 3013, 1810/A, 19/25, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 7.6 high x 5.5 cm. wide (3 x 2 3/16 in.)

A ‘Long Term Parking’ 18ct gold pendant, a miniature of the artist’s sculpture depicting nine rows of cars set in concrete, retractable suspension loop, number 19 from the edition of 50, inscribed 2958 1812/A, 19/50, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 5.7 x 1.8 cm. square (2 ¼ x 0.9/24 in.)

A ‘Violons’ 18ct gold pendant with three sliced violins joined by violin bows, arranged in a triangle, with a single loop, number 19 from the edition of 25, inscribed 3015 1811, 19/25, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 5.6 cm. square (2.6/16 in. )

A ‘Dollar’ 18ct gold pendant with a 1895 Double Eagle Liberty Head US 20$ coin sliced into five parts and set in acrylic within a gold frame, number 19 from the edition of 50, inscribed 19/50, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 5.6 high x 5.1 cm. wide (2.6/16 x 2 in.)

A ‘Long Term Parking’ 18ct gold pendant, a miniature of the artist’s sculpture depicting nine rows of cars set in concrete, further decorated with black, red, blue and green enamel, retractable suspension loop, number 19 from the edition of 50, inscribed 3011 1812/B, 19/50, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 5.7 x 1.8 cm. square (2 ¼ x 0.9/24 in.)

A ‘Pinceaux’ 18ct gold pendant with two suspension loops depicting 17 wet paint brushes and their brush strokes highlighted in dark and light blue enamel, number 19 from the edition of 25, inscribed 1809 3002, 19/25, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 6.1 high x 5.7 cm. wide (2 3/8 x 2 ¼ in.)

A ‘Tubes’ 18ct gold pendant with two suspension loops, squashed screw-topped paint-tubes arranged in two rows of eleven, the paint in shades of red enamel, number 19 from the edition of 25, inscribed 3014 1810/B, 19/25, signed Arman in the cast and stamped with Pierre Hugo's Société les Cyprès d'or and French eagle's head hallmarks, 7.6 high x 5.5 cm. wide (3 x 2 3/16 in.)

Provenance: Jan & Monique des Bouvrie.

Literature: C. Siaud, P. Hugo, Bijoux d'artistes, Hommage à François Hugo, Aix-en-Provence, 2001, another set illustrated pp. 210-15;
M.S. Newby Haspeslagh, Art to Wear, Jewellery by Post-War Painters and Sculptors, Didier Ltd., London, 2012, this set illustrated pp. 10-11, no. 6.

Note: The present cased and complete set of eight different pendants must be considered scarce, as many examples of the designs would have been retailed individually.

In order to cultivate maximum exposure for his creations, Arman collaborated with numerous specialised jewellers to include Argeco, Artcurial, Arthus-Bertrand, Filippini, F. & F. Gennari, and Pierre Hugo. Pierre Hugo had assisted his celebrated goldsmith father François Hugo since the late 1960s with the production of jewellery and sculptures in precious materials by, among others, Andre Derain Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso and Dorothea Tanning. Arman was the first artist that Pierre Hugo began working with after his father’s death, inaugurating a new chapter in the production of artists’ jewellery in Aix-en-Provence.

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), A unique and substantial gong pendant, 1960s. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

hand-hammered white metal, stylised lower female torso decorated with a cylindrical coral bead attached by a gold rivet, together with a certificate by Val Bertoia, dated 28 October, 2014, pendant 12 cm. square (4 ¾ in.)

Provenance: Clarence Haack, Ventura, CA, USA.

Literature: M. S. Newby Haspeslagh, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors @50: 1967-2017, exh. cat., Didier Ltd., London, 2017, illustrated p. 26, no. 10.

Exhibited: 'Bent, Cast and Forged, The Jewelry of Harry Bertoia', Museum of Art and Design, New York, 3 May – 25 September 2016.

Note: Harry Bertoia first started making and indeed teaching jewellery while he was head of the metalwork department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art during the Second World War. As metal supplies dwindled during the war, Bertoia started to work out his ideas on a smaller scale, his jewels becoming maquettes with which to organise and develop his ideas. Like Calder, he set himself severe working limitations by only using cold connections, which meant he refused to use solder, preferring instead to use rivets, like the gold rod that holds the coral bead in place on this pendant. Of large and impressive scale, the pendant features a gently hammered surface, with finer hammering towards the edges, that appears inspired by prehistoric flint tools and arrowheads. To achieve this personality the silver was repeatedly hand-beaten heavily, reheated, and hand-beaten again to compress the crystalline structure and make for a very hard metal that vibrates and resonates when tapped. This process takes great skill and assuredness — too much beating and the silver becomes brittle. Reheat it too much it can melt or the surface become crizzled. Afterwards, this piece was given a deliberate dark patination through a process of chemical oxidisation. The pendant therefore incorporates sonic as well as sculptural properties, confirming the importance of Bertoia’s handcrafted jewellery alongside the vast portfolio of metal sculptures executed during his lifetime, from ‘Sonambient’ to ‘Bush’ forms, all meticulously executed to perfection.

This unique pendant is one of a group of unique Bertoia jewels from the collection of Clarence Walter Haack (1915-2010), whose company the International Metals Corporation and Halaco Engineering of Ventura, California, provided Bertoia with the metal alloys his employed in his sculptures. Bertoia would often travel to California to meet with Haack, where they would discuss business and seemingly jewellery too, as a drawing for a silver necklace with a gong central pendant appears in on the back of one of the company’s ledgers (M.S. Newby Haspeslagh, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors @50: 1967-2017, Didier Ltd, London, 2017, pp. 24, 27, no. 11).

Claude Lalanne (1925-2019), A ‘Hortensia’ necklace, circa 1990. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

18ct gold, front fastening, formed from articulated hydrangea flower petals arranged in a graduated manner, together with original case marked Arcurial, edited by Artcurial, Paris, number 13 from the gold edition of 30, 38 cm. long (14.15/16 in.), stamped on back of clasp with two French eagle's head hallmarks, 750, and stamped on the hook ARTCURIAL, 13/30, PT maker's mark, C. LALANNE and with French eagle's head hallmark.

Literature: M. Chapsal, Claude Lalanne, Bijoux, Sacs-Bijoux et La Montre-Oignon, Paris, 1996, another example illustrated p. 35.

Note: The jewellery created by Claude Lalanne, inspired by nature with a surreal twist, is among the best-known and most desired 20th Century jewellery by artists. Her contribution to jewellery design has been long celebrated and admired by collectors since before the artist’s collaboration with the visionary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who did not hesitate to ask Ms Lalanne to design a series of jewellery designs to appear alongside his models for the 1969 season. The collection, which is today considered a pivoting and iconic moment in fashion history, featured bronze bust-shaped belts, breast plates, finger jewellery, earrings and others. The artist used flowers, buds, petals, leaves, twigs and tendrils retrieved from her own gardens as inspiration for her forms in galvanised in copper, combining the single elements to either create unique works or casts for multiples executed using precious materials. According to a price list from December 1992 the Hortensia necklace cost 54,000 FFr, while the silver or vermeil examples (from the single edition of 100 pieces) cost 9,200 and 10,200 FFr respectively, while the bronze edition of 250 examples were 7,800 FFr. 

Surrealism and Fashion proved immediate companions, and this was especially true of Surrealist jewellery. Salvador Dalí’s lobster telephone became one of the most iconic pieces of surrealist design and this is continued in the pair of earrings fashioned in the form of melting telephone receivers. Constructed from fine bone-like gold, they are decorated with rubies and diamonds, and were produced to order around 1949. Hans / Jean Arp’s surreal sterling silver necklace conjures the image of a broken bottle-head which is set with polished cabochon carnelian and chrysoprase eyes. Two flat moustache-shaped link to either side of the long rounded oval links.

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989),  ‘Persistence of Sound’, an important pair of Surrealist earrings, designed 1949. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

18ct gold, shaped in the form of melting telephone receivers, with clip and post fittings, at the top a facetted domed ruby with a double band of five and four small diamonds, above a kinetic paisley-shaped cabochon ruby drop, at the bottom a single band of four diamond diamonds, a cabochon emerald and a kinetic paisley-shaped cabochon emerald drop, produced by Alemany & Ertman Inc., New York, together with original fitted burgundy leather box, the interior lid lined in cream silk with purple velvet mount, 4.7 high x 1.6 cm. wide (1 7/8 x 0 5/8 in.), each with cast signature Dalí, each finding stamped 18K.

Literature: L. Livingston, Dalí, A Study of his Art-in-Jewels, The Collection of the Owen Cheatham Collection, New York, 1959, pp. 34-5, no. XII for the original pair from 1949;
S. Dalí, M. Auger and O. Tusquets, Dalí Jewels – Joyas, The Collection of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, Salvador Dalí Foundation, Figueres, 2001, for the original pair from 1949 pp. 13, 58-61;
D. Venet, From Picasso to Jeff Koons, The Artist as Jeweler, exh. cat., the Bass Museum of Art and the Museum of Arts and Design, Miami and New York, 2011, pp. 78-79 for the pair from the collection of Audrey Friedman;
M. S. Newby Haspeslagh, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors @50: 1967-2017, exh. cat., Didier Ltd., London, 2017, this pair illustrated p. 44, no. 33;
D. Venet, Bijoux d'Artistes de Calder à Koons, La Collection Idéale de Diane Venet, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paoris, 2018, this pair illustrated pp. 66-7, no. 58;
P. Stroppiana, Scultura Aurea, Gioielli d'Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento, exh. cat., Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, 2019, this pair illustrated p. 83;
K. Wouters, J. Verlinden and K. Hendrix, Wonderkamer II: Wouters & Hendrix, exh. cat., DIVA, Antwerp, 2019, this pair illustrated pp. 38, 42, no. 67.

Exhibited: ‘From Picasso to Jeff Koons, The Artist as Jeweler’, the Bass Museum of Art, Miami, 15 March – 21 July 2011 and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, 20 September – January 8, 2012;
‘Bijoux d'Artistes de Calder à Koons’, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 7 March – 9 September 2018;
‘Scultura Aurea, Gioielli d'Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento’, Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, 31 May – 8 September 2019;
‘Wonderkamer II: Wouters & Hendrix’, DIVA, Antwerp, 13 September 2019 – 16 February 2020.

Note: “The ear is a symbol of harmony and unity: the telephone design a reminder of the speed of modern communications - the hope and danger of instantaneous exchange of thought”.
Salvador Dalí
(L. Livingston ed. 1959, p. 34)

Salvador Dalí’s first jewellery designs appeared in Vogue in March 1937, with a further four (from the total of six) unique designs, executed for the Duke Fulco di Verdura, following in Vogue July 1941, in an article entitled ‘Dali’s Dream of Jewels’. These unique examples were subsequently exhibited November 1941 – January 1942 at the Salvador Dalí exhibition at MoMA, before travelling onwards to eight other US cities. By 1943 these items had entered private collections and were not exhibited again. When Dalí and his wife Gala came to New York for their annual visit they resided in style in the St Regis Hotel, which is how they met the Argentinian-born society jeweller Carlos Alemany, who had a small shop in the foyer’s mezzanine. Alemany had previously purchased one of Dalí’s early paintings, and in 1949 he approached the artist to design some jewellery.

The initial group of five jewellery designs commissioned by Alemany, at the cost of $5000, included the design for these ‘Persistance of Sound’ earrings. The commission needs to be contextualised in the light of the 1942 MoMA exhibition, and within the immediate post-war environment of New York, with many of Europe’s avant-garde artists, designers, musicians and architects having emigrated from Europe since the late 1930s. Therefore, this was a richly cultural, and indeed financially wealthy environment – suitably positioned to embrace Dalí’s luxurious designs that incorporated precious metals and valuable gemstones – and when Surrealism and Biomorphic Modernism remained the dominant artistic movements, before the iconoclasm of Abstract Expressionism that was to soon follow. In order to finance the project Alemany partnered with Eric Ertman, a Finnish shipping magnate, and together they had the designs copyrighted between 1949 and 1954 — the first jewellery designs ever to be so in the United States. These jewels were just the beginnings of a collaboration between Alemany & Ertman and the artist that endured throughout the 1950s and that eventually produced in the region of 50 jewellery designs. Some were unique and others were made to order.

Dalí’s interest in fashion and ornamentation had been cultivated during the 1930s, encouraged by, amongst others, Elsa Schiaparelli  - for whose Place Vendome boutique he delivered one of his famous ‘Lip’ sofas, and with whom he collaborated on numerous garments and textiles, including the celebrated ‘Torn’ dress of 1937, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. By 1944, Dalí’s own designs for ‘dream vs, reality’ dresses had been published in US Vogue, illustrating that his interests in costume and jewellery designs were parallel, and by turn an essential means of expression adjacent to painting. The imagery of this rare cased pair of earrings, the title of which references one of Dalí’s most celebrated paintings, ‘The Persistence of Memory’ (1931), are quintessentially, essentially Dalí-esque – the notion that a telephone receiver should be miniaturised, partially ‘melted’, and reimagined as earrings is no less mischievous than his concept for the Lobster Telephones created for Edward James at Monkton, Sussex, in 1936-37. 

Another pair of ‘Persistence of Sound’ earrings, originally acquired from Alemany in 1953, is today in the collection of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation in Figueres, Spain.

Literature: G. Bott, International Ausstellung Schmuck, Jewellery, Bijoux, exh. cat., Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt, 1964, another example illustrated, no. 6;
Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1967, another example illustrated, no. 4;
M.S. Newby Haspeslagh, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors @50: 1967-2017, Didier Ltd., London, 2017, this example illustrated pp. 22-23, no. 5.

Note: German-French artist and poet Jean (Hans) Arp was a prominent abstract artist and known today as one of the founders of Dadaism. Born in Strasburg, where it attended the Ecole des Arts et Métiers, Arp later moved to Weimar and finally to Paris where he studied at the Académie Julian. Here, Arp became involved with the Dada movement and the circle of artist frequenting the Cabaret Voltaire. A practiced artist in collages and sculpture, Arp became interested in jewellery design only in his mature years, the pieces created easily recognisable as part of his oeuvre of biomorphic forms with soft contours. This necklace and its companion brooch called “Profil” were designed in 1960 by Arp to help his fellow Dada artist Marcel Janco raise funds for an artistic community that he had set up in a deserted Palestinian Arab village at Ein Hod, in the foothills of Mt Carmel in Israel. The jewels themselves were made by Johanaan Peter in an edition of 100 for both. The first gold jewellery Arp designed were half a dozen decoupage pendants made in editions of six by François Hugo in Aix-en-Provence and exhibited after he died at Le Point Cardinal, Paris, in 1967, alongside other jewellery and sculptures in precious metals designed by Andre Derain, Max Ernst, Picasso and Dorothea Tanning.

French post-war jewellery is encapsulated by three very different personalities - Georges Braque’s textured gold chain confers an ancient, Giacometti-esque authority, the pendant cartouche with red-enamelled detail, perhaps a phoenix, suggestive of post-war reconstruction. Georges Braque devoted the last two years of his life to designing jewellery when he took a fancy to creating a cameo ring for his wife on the occasion of her 80th birthday. By contrast, César’s life-sized matchstick pendant is pure Pop Art, a disposable wooden stick, of no intrinsic value, now made precious in gold. Niki de St Phalle’s The Key is an 18ct gold key with polychrome enamel dots on one side, and black enamel on the other, with the words “the key” written using diamonds. To be worn on a string around the neck, The Key fuses Pop Art with the bold energy of 1980s design.

Georges Braque (1882-1963), A ‘Procris’ pendant and ‘Minos’ chain, 1963. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

18ct textured gold pendant with red enamel details depicting a standing bird, 18ct gold chain of 23 textured links with rings at both ends, produced by Heger de Löwenfeld, the pendant number 24 and the chain number 15 from the respective partially executed editions of 75, pendant 3.7 high x 5.2 cm. wide (1 ½ x 2 1/16 in.),chain 69 cm. long (27 1/8 in.), reverse of pendant inscribed BIOUX DE BRAQUE, PROCRIS, R24/75, LP3037, HEGER DE LOEWENFELD and stamped French eagle's head hallmark, OR 750, one chain link inscribed BIJOUX DE BRAQUE, MINOS, R15/75, LP2648, another stamped OR 750 and with two French eagle's head hallmarks.

Literature: R. de Cuttoli, H. de Löwenfeld, Métamorphoses de Braque, Gouaches, bijoux, livres d'art, lithographies, Paris, 1989, another example illustrated pp. 50, 52;
M. S. Newby Haspeslagh, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors @50: 1967-2017, exh. cat., Didier Ltd., London, 2017, this example illustrated pp. 30-31, no. 15;
P. Stroppiana, Scultura Aurea, Gioielli d'Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento, exh. cat., Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, 2019, this example illustrated p. 55.

Exhibited: ‘Scultura Aurea, Gioielli d'Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento’, Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, 31 May-8 September 2019.

Note: Georges Braque, pioneer of Cubism and one of the century’s most celebrated artists, chose to dedicate the last years of his life to designing jewellery. His initiation into this medium was pioneered by his design for a cameo ring for his wife’s birthday, which featured the head of Hécate, a miniature version of his painting “Tête Grecque” of around 1957. He was subsequently introduced to the lapidary and jeweller Héger de Löwenfeld and together they entered such a close relationship that Braque referred Löwenfeld as “the extension of my hands”.

The Classical personality of this important and highly personal design, with strong reference to allegory and the Antique, reveals parallels to the sinuous bronze lamps, tables and chairs created around the same period by Diego Giacometti, or the films of Jean Cocteau, most specifically Orphée (1950), or the literature of the post-war Existentialists, all of which have intellectual origins that trace direct lineage to the Parisian Surrealists of the early 1930s.

According to the Greek myth, Procris was tested for her fidelity by her husband Cephalus who tempted her with jewels. At first she resisted but later succumbed, at which point Cephalus revealed himself and banished her. Annotations on the original gouaches for the pendant and the chain show that they were intended to be worn together, while the letter R engraved in front of the edition number refers to the colour of the enamel, in this case red or rather rouge. Other colours were available: V for vert, B for bleu, Bl for blanc and RR for rouge rose.

In all, Braque designed over 100 items of gold jewellery for Löwenfeld to create, and yet what is today largely forgotten is that these works were exhibited to great acclaim at 34 locations round the world between 1963 and 1971, and visited by just under a million people. Furthermore, by way of recognition Heger de Löwenfeld was made baron by the French government.

Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), A rare ‘Personnage aux bras levés’ brooch, cast after 1962. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

silver-gilt brooch cast with the figure of a man with typical elongated limbs in sunken relief, cast by Pierre Monsel, 4 cm. diameter (1 9/16 in.), stamped on the edge with French boar's head hallmark and Pierre Monsel maker's mark PM either side of a chalice.

Literature: G. Wood, Surreal Things, exh. cat., Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2007, this lot illustrated p. 133;
D. Venet, Bijoux d'Artistes de Calder à Koons, La Collection Idéale de Diane Venet, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2018, this lot illustrated p. 89, no. 85.

Exhibited: ‘Surreal Things’, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 29 March – 22 July 2007 then travelled to; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 29 September 2007 – 13 January 2008 and Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 3 March – 7 September 2008;
‘Bijoux d'Artistes de Calder à Koons’, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 7 March – 9 September 2018;
‘Jewellery - material craft art’, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Zurich, 19 May 2017 – 22 October 2017.

SOTO : This lot is registered in the Fondation Alberto and Annette Giacometti online Database as no. 1241.

In his biography of Alberto Giacometti, Yves Bonnefoy notes how in 1929 Giacometti took over the decoration of the Parisian boutique of Italian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli, as well as making jewellery and other elements to be integrated in the pieces the designer was making for the Élite Parisienne. This collaboration with Schiaparelli took place before the one of Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau, but whilst Dalí was later feted for his work, Giacometti’s was “considered to be a kind of moral decay” (“Alberto Giacometti. A Biography of His Work”, Paris 2001, p. 553). At a financially challenging time in the artist’s career, the opportunity presented means of earning money. The figure modelled on this silver-gilt brooch presents all the common traits typical of Giacometti’s work. Other examples of such forms by Giacometti can be found today on a perfectly conserved wool jacket made by Elsa Schiaparelli, previously in the collection of Marlène Dietrich, now in the collection of the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum für Film und Fernsehen, Berlin (inv. no. 70624); on this period couture piece, three bronze buttons prominently dominate the front of the jacket, each depicting figures in similar positions.
Giacometti also created similar medallion-shaped forms in occasion of another collaboration, this time with interior decorator Jean-Michel Frank, for which the artist created standard lamps, candle holders and other elements to complement Frank’s own designs. In this instance, Giacometti’s bronze medallions were used as complements to architectural features, such as mantelpieces, in interiors of traditional and neo-classical inspiration. Although not celebrated at the time, the work of artist was in its aestheticism ahead of his time but fully accepted and sought after by creative minds with a certain artistic sensitivity for its versatile nature.

César Baldaccini (1921-1998), A unique ‘Compression’ pendant, 1970s. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

comprising elements in 18ct yellow and rose gold, with a suspension hole for a cord to pass through, 5.7 x 0.4 x 0.3 cm (2 ¼ x 0.5/24 x 0 1/8 in.),engraved César in the middle of one side and stamped with three hallmarks for foreign gold, mixed 18ct gold, and Pascale Morabito maker's mark below: ET in a square, MD in rectangle, and BM separated by a pair of callipers.

Note: A fervent supporter of the Nouveaux realistes movement, French sculptor César approach to art involved, from his early years as a sculptor, the use of discarded elements of metal to create complex forms. Of great importance to the artist’s artistic development were his iconic ‘Compressions’ works, starting from 1960, the subject of which were motorbikes, automobile bodies and, discarded metal compressed using a hydraulic crushing machine. A decade later he started applying the same creative process to miniature compression pendants or ‘microsculptures’ using pieces of scrap gold and silver, often still set with diamonds and other gemstones. These elements were crushed together in such a way that all the pieces were internally locked together without any soldering necessary to maintain them in place. Each jewel was made unique, often born out of recycled or up-cycled jewellery, medals and watch fragments, made in collaboration with Gérard Blandin and Pascal Morabito in Nice. Pascal Morabito first worked with César in occasion of his first exhibition of gold compressions, which took place at the Place Vendôme, Paris, in 1970. The exhibition, entitled "Pas de quartier pour Cartier" included examples of ‘compressions’ of three crushed Cartier jewels: a Tank watch, a triple ring, and a marine chain.

Niki de St Phalle (1930-2002), A ‘The Key’ pendant, 1991. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

Artists from the Americas pioneered innovative expressions within jewellery design. Alexander Calder’s brooches were often made as gifts for friends, as in the unique silver initials showcased in Art to Wear, which were made for Kurt Valentin to give as a gift. Taking its appearance as if from a fibula on a Roman cloak, the single stream of silver ribbon was hand hammered to form two mirrored ‘R’s that appear archaic, almost primitive. Venezuelan Jesús Rafael Soto saw how Calder had integrated time and movement in sculpture and wanted to attempt the same in painting. He began creating pieces based on repetitions, rotations, serializations and progressions, which would become the foundation on which his future work would stand. The pair of large rhodium-treated silver and silver-gilt earrings see him explore three dimensional objects, becoming kinetic sculptures in their own right. Louise Nevelson’s unique rectangular pendant looks like an extension of her oeuvre painted in her typical matt black – a condensed, sculptural façade ready-to-wear.

Alexander Calder (1898-1976), A large and unique brooch, circa 1948. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

hand-hammered from a single piece of white metal wire and with a steel prong fastening, 5.2 high x 12 cm. wide (2 1/16 x 4 ¾ in.).

Literature: M. S. Newby Haspeslagh, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors @50: 1967-2017, exh. cat., Didier Ltd., London, 2017, this lot illustrated no. 29.

Note: Simplicity of equipment and an adventurous spirit in attacking the unfamiliar or unknown are more apt to result in a primitive, rather than decorative, art. And somehow the primitive is usually much stronger than that in which technique and flourish abound.
Alexander Calder, 1943

The present brooch, of impressive large scale, was made by Calder around 1948 for Curt Valentin, the German-born New York gallerist, reputedly as a gift for the latter’s love interest. Of characteristic personalised form, this example benefits from symmetrical, mirror-backed ‘R’ initials yielded from a continuous ribbon of hand-hammered silver wire, anchored by a wrought steel pin. The scale is reassuring, suggestive of the functionality of Roman fibula or Antique cloak-clasps, and confirms the earnestness of Calder’s craft.

As a child, Calder improvised jewellery for his sister’s dolls from wire found discarded in the street, and later as a young artist living in New York in 1926, with neither clock nor wristwatch, fashioned a working, rooster-shaped sundial, again from scraps of wire. Whilst Calder’s later mobiles and sculptures rightly anchor public spaces or museum halls internationally, it is through the artisanal crafted artefacts, structures, domestic paraphernalia and personalised jewellery that the artist most reveals his poetry.

Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005), ‘Penetrabile’, a pair of large earrings, 1967. Estimate on request. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020

rhodium-treated white-metal and part-gilded earrings, with clip fittings and loops designed to hang over the ears to afford extra support and stability; each earring with a long and shallow moveable horizontal rectangular box from the inside of which are suspended three rows of 23 thin kinetic rods, decorated with silver-gilt to the top half of one and the bottom half of the other, produced by GEM Montebello, Milan, from a first edition of 200 pairs (model JS/1), of which only 35 were executed, together with a certificate of authenticity from Giancarlo Montebello, overall 13.3 cm. (5 ¼ in.), pendant 6.9 cm. square (2 11/16 in.), stamped on the back of the earring, GEM, X, 800

Literature: L. Yarlow, Jewelry as Sculpture as Jewelry, exh. cat., Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, 1973, another pair illustrated no. 124
Bijoux d'artistes, Artists' Jewellery, exh. cat., Galerie Sven, Paris, 1975, another pair illustrated, p. 13, no. 21;
D. Küppers, Künstlerschmuck, Objets d'art, Von Picasso bis Warhol, Künstlerschmuck der Avantgarde, exh. cat., Museum fu¨r Angewandte Kunst and Stiftung Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Cologne and Duisburg, 2009, another pair illustrated p. 152;
D. Venet, From Picasso to Jeff Koons, The Artist as Jeweler, exh. cat., the Bass Museum of Art and the Museum of Arts and Design, Miami and New York, 2011, another pair illustrated p. 220;
D. Venet, Bijoux d'Artistes de Calder à Koons, La Collection Idéale de Diane Venet, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2018, another pair illustrated pp. 180-81, no. 188;
M. S. Newby Haspeslagh, From the Surreal to the Kinetic, Jewellery by Latin and South American Artists, exh. cat., Didier Ltd., London, 2018, this pair illustrated pp. 72-73, no. 67 and front cover;
P. Stroppiana, Scultura Aurea, Gioielli d'Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento, exh. cat., Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, 2019, this example illustrated p. 167;
K. Wouters, J. Verlinden and K. Hendrix, Wonderkamer II: Wouters & Hendrix, exh. cat., DIVA, Antwerp, 2019, this pair illustrated p. 94, no. 136.

Exhibited: ‘Scultura Aurea, Gioielli d'Artista per un nuovo Rinascimento’, Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, 31 May – 8 September 2019;
‘Wonderkamer II: Wouters & Hendrix’, DIVA, Antwerp, 13 September 2019 – 16 February 2020.

Note: Jesus Rafael Soto was one of the most important exponents of optical and kinetic art. Between 1942 and 1947 he studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in Caracas alongside Carlos Cruz-Diez, and later directed the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Maracaibo from 1947 to 1950. Similarly to many other South American artists, Soto later moved to Paris where he held his first show in 1956. In 1966, in occasion of the XXXIII Venice Biennale, Soto presented in the Venezuelan pavilion the first of his iconic Penetrabile installations, consisting in a curtain of fine oscillating wire rods suspended in the through which people could walk. Within a couple of years Soto developed the design of the Penetrabile earrings together with the Milanese artistic jeweller GianCarlo Montebello which, similarly to his large-scale installations, featured a multitude of kinetic rods free to move and swish with the movement of the wearer. Between 1967 and 1968 Soto collaborated with Montebello to create a total of four jewellery designs as part of the project. In those years GEM Montebello was collaborating with over fifty internationally recognised artists to produce a new generation of radical, experimental models, integral to the body of work of each respective artist. To guarantee availability to the audience, GEM Montebello intended to issue a large number for each design however only the production of a few of these editions were completed. Following a robbery in 1978, GianCarlo Montebello decided to discontinue the production of jewellery by artists and shift the focus of the firm towards different objectives.

Art to Wear encourages viewers to explore a piece of jewellery not just as an expression of its materiality but as an extension of an artist’s oeuvre, a site of experimentation and artistic freedom.