A jade collared disc (bi), Shang Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
the central aperture carved with a rounded rim projecting from both sides of the flat disc, the pale green jade with large area of russet brown and black on one side. Diameter 6 1/4 in., 16 cm. Estimation 20,000 — 30,000 USD
Provenance: Acquired in New York, 3rd January 1980.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A jade disc (bi), Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
of circular form with a large central aperture, decorated with interlocking S-scroll patterns against a crisscross ground on both sides, the outer and inner rim carved with a ridged border, the green jade with three areas of calcification. Diameter 4 1/4 in., 11 cm. Estimation 20,000 — 25,000 USD
Provenance: Acquired in Amsterdam, 26th October 1979.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Litterature: Filippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 82.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A jade disc (bi), Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
carved on each side in low relief with a dense pattern of comma-shaped whorls between ridged bands at the rim and center, the dark green jade with extensive areas calcified to creamy-white. Diameter 4 3/8 in., 11.3 cm. Estimation 7,000 — 9,000 USD
Provenance: Christie’s New York, 23rd June 1982, lot 406.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Litterature: Filippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 88.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A jade cong, Western Zhou Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
with plain rectangular sides and cylindrical shaft carved from a mottled dark gray-green and black jade.Height 5 1/2 in., 14 cm. Estimation 65,000 — 85,000 USD
Provenance: Acquired in London, 1980.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Litterature: Filippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 54.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A jade 'Bird' pendant, Shang Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
of crescent shape with a raised central rib, the two edges beveled, carved at one end with a bird head with beak, crest and a circular aperture suggesting the eye, further drilled on both sides with two holes, the stone of green color; together with a jade pendant carved in the form of a stylized bird (2). Length of the longer 3 3/4 in., 8.5 cm. Estimation 7,000 — 9,000 USD
Provenance: Old French collection, first half of the 20th century.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Litterature: Filippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 51 & 68.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
Two jade blade-form pendants, Shang Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
one pendant of crescent shape with beveled edges ending at the tapered tip, one edge of the nei cut with a single short notch, drilled with a circular hole on both the base of the nei and the tip, the calcified stone of a buff color; the other blade-like pendant with beveled edges, drilled with a small hole on the base of the nei (2).Length of longer 3 1/8 in., 8 cm. Estimation 5,000 — 7,000 USD
Provenance: Old French collections, first half of the 20th century.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Litterature: Filippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 46 & 49.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
Two jade blade-form pendants, Shang Dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
one pendant of crescent shape with beveled edges ending at the tapered point, the base of the nei pierced with a small hole, further cut with two deep notches on one side, the jade of white color; the other pendant with three slightly raised ribs on each side, drilled with a small hole on one end, the short edge cut with a single notch, the calcified jade with dark areas (2). Length of longer 4 1/8 in., 10.5 cm. Estimation 5,000 — 7,000 USD
Provenance: Old French collections, first half of the 20th century.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Exposition: Filippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 2000, cat. no. 47 & 52.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
Three jade pendants, Shang to Western Zhou dynasty. Photo Sotheby's.
comprising an elongated fish-shaped pendant, incised on both sides with circular eyes, curved gills, dorsal and fins, pierced behind the forked mouth with a circular hole, the jade of yellowish-green color, Western Zhou dynasty; and two blade-form pendants, each with median ridges and beveled edges, the base of the nei pierced with a circular hole, the green jade with areas of calcification, Shang dynasty (3). Length of longest 2 5/8 in., 6.8 cm. Estimation 8,000 — 10,000 USD
Provenance: Old French collections, first half of the 20th century.
PROPERTY FROM THE SAM AND MYRNA MYERS COLLECTION
Litterature: Filippo Salviati, The Language of Adornment: Chinese Ornaments of Jade, Crystal, Amber and Glass, Paris, 2002, cat. no. 13 & 14.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
Jan Gossaert, Virgin and child. Ca. 1530. Oil on panel. 44,5x34 cm. CHF 1,8/ 2,2 Mio.
ZURICH.- On the occasion of its spring auctions of paintings by Old Masters from 24-29 March 2014, Koller Auctions will be presenting the painting «Virgin and Child» by Jan Gossaert (1478-1532). This painting is one of the last works by the Dutch Renaissance Master that is held in a private collection, and is estimated at CHF 1.8-2.2 million. The Books and Autographs auction on 29 March impresses with significant manuscripts by René Descartes and Robert Walser as well as with Peytier's key work on the Greek Revolution. The highlights of the Old Master Prints and Drawings are works by Jan Brueghel and Albrecht Dürer.
Jan Gossaert, also known as Mabuse after his birthplace Mabeuge (in present-day France), is one of the most important Renaissance painters north of the Alps. His oeuvre comprises ca. 60 paintings, 58 of which are in renowned museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery in London, the Portrait Gallery of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Two privately-owned paintings are on loan to museums, e.g. „Adam and Eve“ (1520) which belongs to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. and is on permanent display at the National Gallery in London. There are only three paintings by Mabuse that are not in museums. The painting „Virgin and Child“ from an English private collection will be offered for sale at Koller Auctions on 28 March 2014.
On loan at important exhibitions
Since the mid-1950s, „Virgin and Child“ has been part of the private collection of Dr. Alfred Hausamann in Zurich and was on loan to the Kunsthaus Zurich from 1960 to 2001. The painting was also displayed in two exhibitions, namely in 1955 in Schaffhausen as part of the exhibition "Meisterwerke flamischer Malerei“ and in 1965 in Rotterdam and Bruges in the exhibition „Jan Gossaert genaamd Mabuse“. On the occasion of the preparations for the catalogue raisonné and the extensive exhibition of the Flemish Master in the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 2010, the original painting was thoroughly examined by the curator Dr. Maryan W. Ainsworth and declared to be a work by the artist himself.
In excellent condition
The panel painted in oil on oakwood was cleaned recently and is in excellent condition. The composition depicts the Mother of God in front of a late-Gothic throne of partially filigree, partially solid stone. The Infant Jesus is seated on green velvet in front of the Virgin Mary. While Mary is looking downwards, the Infant Jesus engages with the viewer by making direct eye contact. In terms of both style and composition, the painting has strong parallels with the depiction of Mary with the Infant Jesus (dated 1531) in the Cleveland Museum, Ohio. On this basis, Dr. Maryan W. Ainsworth suggests that the painting was executed around 1530. Due to the Christ Child‘s „button eyes“, Prof. Dr. Sander, curator of the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, compares the painting to be auctioned with the style of Gossaert‘s „Danae“ (dated 1527) , which is exhibited in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, and therefore considers a slightly earlier date, i.e. around the mid-1520s. Further comparable compositions depicting the „Virgin with Child“ can be found in the National Gallery in London, the Portrait Gallery of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao.
Further highlights of the Old Masters‘ auction
Among the highlights of the Old Masters‘ auction on 24 March 2014 is the painting „A Hermit Praying“ (ca. 1670) by Gerrit Dou. This painting was held in a Swiss private collection for an extensive period of time and the original has only recently been examined by the leading expert Dr. Ronni Baer who declared it to be a work by the Master himself. Up to then, the expert was only familiar with the painting as a black and white photograph. The painting has now been added as an original by Gerrit Dou to the archives in the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) in The Hague. Koller Auctions has estimated the painting at CHF 350 000 / 500 000.
Gerrit Dou, Hermit praying. Ca. 1670. Oil on panel. Signed: GDOV. 34,5x29 cm. CHF 350 000 / 500 000.
A further highlight of the auction comes from the renowned collection Wolfgang Joop and consists of two altar wings (dated ca. 1490) by the Meister der Heiligen Sippe (Master of the Holy Kinship) who was active in Cologne. The altar wings depict The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary with St. Bartholomew and St. Peter looking on. At one time, the wings formed the outer panels of an imposing altarpiece. The remaining panels of this altarpiece are currently all part of public collections. The inner panels depicting the Adoration of the Magi and the Resurrection of Christ are currently in the Indiana University Art Museum in Bloomington, Indiana, and the central panel depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus is in the collection of the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels. Koller estimates the altar wings at CHF 300 000 to 500 000.
Master of the Holy Kinship, ca 1490. Two altar wings: The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary with St. Bartholomew and St. Peter looking on.Oil on oakwood. Each 134 x 94 cm. CHF 300 000 / 500 000
Books and Autographs. Peytier, Descartes and Walser originals
Three top-notch objects will be presented in the auction for Books and Autographs on 29 March. Eugène Peytier is represented with his Album on Liberated Greece and the French Morea expedition, with 63 original watercolors, 6 sepia drawings and 11 pencil drawings. The album documents the Greek Revolution as an all-European event and is considered the key work on Liberated Greece. It is in excellent condition and stems from a Swiss private collection. It is estimated to sell for CHF 300 000 to 400 000. Koller is auctioning a letter dated 27 May 1638 from René Descartes to Martin Marsenne valued between CHF 250 000 to 350 000. The four-page letter is extremely important with respect to the history of science, since it contains Descartes‘ opinion on basic issues with regard to his research. The letter was stolen from the „Institut de France“ by the notorious book thief Guglielmo Libri (1802-1869) and was considered lost for a long time. The third highlight of the Books auction is Robert Walser‘s complete manuscript of his novella „Ophelia“. The 13 pages are being offered for CHF 60 000 to 80 000. Manuscripts by Robert Walser are very rarely available.
René Descartes. Autobiographic letter to Martin Marsenne, 27 May 1638. CHF 250 000 / 350 000.
Robert Walser, "Ophelia". Autobiographic manuscript„ ca. 1924. CHF 60 000 / 80 000.
Old Master Drawings and Prints: Jan Brueghel the Elder and Albrecht Dürer
The Old Master Drawings and Prints auctions are offering a rare double-page with sketches by Jan Brueghel the Elder. The front features covered wagons and human figures, the back depicts a sketch of a row of houses along a town canal. The sketch stems from the Collection of Dr. E. Perman in Stockholm and is dated 1630. Bidding will be opened at CHF 40 000 to 70 000. Another significant lot is Albrecht Dürer‘s woodcut „Rhinoceros“ which stems from a long-time Swiss private collection and is estimated at CHF 8 000 to 12 000. The printing plate originated around 1515, the print itself after 1620.
Jan Brueghel the Elder, Sketches of canvas-covered wagons and figures, ca 1603. Brown brush and pen, 15 x 21,9cm. CHF 40 000 / 70 000.
Albrecht Dürer, Das Rhinoceros, 1515. Brown woodcut, brown wash. After 1620. 21,7 x 30,1cm. CHF 8 000 to 12 000.
A Famille-Verte cylindrical brushpot, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Photo Sotheby's
enameled around the exterior with a scene of a lady in a garden, seated by an altar table with bowls of fruit and books in front of her, waited on by a female attendant, two young boys playing behind her. Height 5 1/4 in., 13.3 cm. Estimation 5,000 — 7,000 USD
Provenance: Cuthbert S. Wilkinson, London.
Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1964.
Ralph Stillman, New York.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A Famille-Verte 'Zhang Xian' brushpot, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Photo Sotheby's
painted with the protector of children with his bow, ready to defend the boys around him from approaching disease, represented by the creature approaching in the clouds. Height 5 1/8 in., 13 cm. Estimation 5,000 — 7,000 USD
Provenance: Cuthbert S. Wilkinson, London.
Sydney L. Moss, London, 1964.
Ralph Stillman, New York.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A Famille-Verte 'Longevity' dish, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Photo Sotheby's
enameled to the interior with a scene of Magu, the Goddess of Longevity, standing beside a spotted deer pulling a cart holding a wine jar with lotus leaf cover, followed by a female attendant carrying a staff suspending a bundle of scrolls and lingzhi tied with ribbons, below iron-red bats in flight, the exterior of the dish decorated with wide bands of stylized shou characters, apocryphal Chenghua mark within a double circle. Diameter 15 3/4 in., 40 cm. Estimation 40,000 — 60,000 USD
Provenance: A New England estate, 1973.
A dish with almost identical size and design is illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 112, no. 102; and another in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai, 1996, pl. 98.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A Famille-Verte cup, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Photo Sotheby's
of deep U-shape, the exterior decorated with a scene from Wang Shifu's Xixiang Ji (Romance of the Western Chamber), depicting the lovers Cui Yingying and Lin Sheng observed by Hong Niang in a terrace garden setting. Height 4 3/8 in., 11 cm. Estimation 5,000 — 7,000 USD
A cup of this form also painted with a figural scene is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 8, Musée Guimet, 1981, no. 139; another of slightly smaller size in the Shanghai Museum is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai, 1998, p. 207, no. 134.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A pair of Famille-Verte square dishes, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Photo Sotheby's
the shallow sides rising to flat rims, all resting on low, wide conforming foot, both painted on the biscuit, one with a butterfly and grasshopper above pierced rockwork, large leaves and flowering plants, the other with seven fish swimming in a lotus pond amongst flowers and leaves, the exteriors with various floral sprays, the bases with four-character marks of Yu Hai Tang zhi, 'made for the Hall of the Jade Sea' in black enamel within a double square (2). Width 5 1/4 in., 13.3 cm; Depth 5 1/4 in., 13.3 cm. Estimation 20,000 — 30,000 USD
Provenance: Collection of S.E. Kennedy (1855-1933), London.
A similar pair of dishes each with insects and rockwork, with different sized marks, is illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Chinese Ceramics vol. 4, Geneva, 1968-1974, no. A549-550 and again in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol. 2, Geneva, 1999, no. 153-154, p. 29.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A yellow-ground green-enameled 'Dragon' foliate dish, Qianlong seal mark and period. Photo Sotheby's
enameled to the interior with a five-clawed front-facing dragon and a 'flaming pearl' within a medallion, surrounded by a further two dragons chasing 'flaming pearls' around the well, all against a yellow ground, the exterior similarly decorated, seal mark in underglaze blue. Diameter 5 1/4 in., 13.3 cm. Estimation 12,000 — 15,000 USD
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A yellow-ground green-enameled 'Dragon' foliate dish, Qianlong seal mark and period. Photo Sotheby's
enameled in the center with a five-clawed front-facing dragon leaping around a 'flaming pearl', below two further dragons at similar pursuit amidst flower sprigs in the well, the exterior with eight detached sprigs, all in green reserved on a yellow ground, seal mark in underglaze blue. Diameter 5 1/4 in., 13.2 cm. Estimation 8,000 — 10,000 USD
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A pair of yellow-ground green-enameled 'Boys' bowls, Yongzheng Marks And Period. Photo Sotheby's
each with deep rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a flared rim, finely incised with eight boys playing various musical instruments within a balustraded garden beneath pine trees, with overlapping lappets at the foot and a border of flower designs at the rim, the design picked out in brilliant apple-green enamel against a yellow ground, six-character marks in underglaze blue within double circles. Diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm. Estimation 250,000 — 350,000 USD
Provenance: Hirano Kotoken, Osaka.
Acquired in Japan, 1990.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5th October 2011, lot 2126.
Exposition: Hirano Kotoken honten shinchiku kinen: Chugoku kotoji ten, Osaka, 1990, cat. no. 61.
The theme of boys performing and playing musical instruments in a garden on ceramics represents a traditional motif developed over a thousand years and was favored on account of its implied wish for the prosperity of male offspring. According to Terese Tse Bartholomew, 'One Hundred children: From Boys to Play to Icons of Good Fortune', Children in Chinese Art, Honolulu, 2002, the height of the development of this motif for porcelain decor occurred during the Jiajing and Wanli periods when there was an increase of the production of wares with this theme. See one in the Baur collection illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 2, no. A166.
A closely related bowl is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994, vol. 2, pl. 895; one is included in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 103; and a pair is published in John Ayers, ibid. vol. 4, 1972, nos. A540 and A541. See also three bowls sold in these rooms, one from the Hall Family Collection, 2nd May 2000, lot 535, another, 9th October 2007, lot 1610, and the third, 8th October 2008, lot 2511.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
A pair of yellow-ground green-enameled 'Dragon' bowls, Yongzheng Marks And Period. Photo Sotheby's
finely potted with wide rounded sides rising from a narrow tapering foot to an everted rim, finely incised and enameled around the exterior with two striding dragons in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', all above a border of crashing waves circling the foot, six-character marks in underglaze blue (2). Diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm. Estimation 30,000 — 50,000 USD
Provenance: Collection of Sir Louis Sterling (1879 - 1958).
Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1964.
Ralph Stillman, New York.
The combination of overglaze yellow and green is based on Ming dynasty prototypes and first occurs in the Yongle period (1403-1424) at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. By the Qing dynasty however, the most esteemed color was the yellow glaze. According to Wang Qingzheng in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, p. xvi, imperial regulations stated that use of wares completely glazed in yellow was restricted to the Emperor, Empress and Great Empress Dowager, and that the combination of yellow with green dragons might have been used by the imperial concubine of the 2nd rank.
A pair of nearly identical bowls with Yongzheng marks was included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition, Splendour of the Qing dynasty, Hong Kong Museum of Art, June 9 - August 2, 1992, p. 283, no. 150.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM - www.sothebys.com
Colored Natural Pearl and Diamond Necklace, Late 19th Century. Photo Sotheby's
The pendant of stylised foliate design, set with baroque natural pearls of various colours and millegrain collet-set with circular-cut and cushion-shaped diamonds, suspended from a similarly-set necklace, length approximately 460mm, two pearls deficient. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 GBP
Accompanied by The Gem & Pearl Laboratory report no. 09212, stating that the four pearls tested were found to be natural, saltwater.
Sotheby's. Fine Jewels. London | 26 Mar 2014, 10:00 AM - www.sothebys.com
Natural Pearl and Diamond Bracelet, 1920s. Photo Sotheby's
Designed as a series of plaques set with natural pearls and circular-cut diamonds, length approximately 170mm. Estimate 25,000 — 35,000 GBP
Accompanied by The Gem & Pearl Laboratory report no. 09332, stating that the nine pearls tested were found to be natural, saltwater.
Sotheby's. Fine Jewels. London | 26 Mar 2014, 10:00 AM - www.sothebys.com