Cryptocephalus octopunctatus

Cryptocephalus laetus

Cryptocephalus fulvus

Cryptocephalus octacosmus

Cryptocephalus nitidulus

Cryptocephalus gamma

Cryptocephalus luteosignatus

Cryptocephalus apicalis

Cryptocephalus bilineatus

Cryptocephalus decemmaculatus, with dark forms

Cryptocephalus androgyne

Cryptocephalus bipunctatus

Cryptocephalus sericeus, different habitus

Cryptocephalus sericeus

“Dancing Bird with Jade Feathers” jadeite necklace was made by Zhaoyi Cuiwu. Photo courtesy of Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

The necklace’s evocative name comes from an impressionistic resemblance to a bird rather than a literal representation. The pendant portion of the necklace suggests the slender neck of a bird, and the portion above the flower clip suggests its wings. The green jadeite cabochons symbolize glistening bird feathers. The piece epitomizes a key difference between Chinese and Western jewelry design, in that the Chinese tend to focus on the symbolic, rather than naturalistic, representation of natural subjects. The necklace won the Media Attention Award in the China Jewelry Design and Manufacturing Contest. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Jadeite Cabochon Jewelry. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd

Green jadeite has always been favored in the industry and also among consumers. This suite features top-quality jadeite cabochons with top color, texture, and transparency, mounted in karat gold with diamond accent stones. This suite is perfect for special occasions and goes well with evening dresses. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Green  Jadeite Pendant. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

The supreme quality of this green jadeite cameo is reflected in the simple patterns on its surface. As a rule, carvers apply a minimum amount of carving on top-quality jadeite rough. The great transparency and the nice color both guarantee demand for this pendant. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Colorless Cabochon Jadeite and Diamond Ring. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA, courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

The ring is the most popular jewelry item, but it is also the hardest to design. This style appeals to successful businessmen. It is very rare to see jadeite jewelry with animal-themed designs like this leopard ring. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Colorless Cabochon Jadeite and Diamond Ring. Photo by Eric Welch/GIA, courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Small colorless cabochons were cleverly used as birds’ eggs on this ring. Gold of different colors represents the natural colors of the bird nest and tree branch. The special finishing gives the whole piece a very distinctive look. This ring is designed to appeal to a new mom. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Colorless Transparent Jadeite Bracelets. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

These elegant bracelets made the best use of colorless transparent jadeite, diamonds, and colored stones. They nicely fit the curve of a lady’s wrist to impart a silky feeling to the wearer. Colors were creatively mixed to harmonize with each other. This is a great combination of oriental material and western design and manufacturing. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Colorless and Green Jadeite Necklace. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

At one time, the combination of colorless and green jadeite was not very common. Zhaoyi led the fashion trend of combining them in jewelry. The combination offers both tradition and a fresh look. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Imperial Jadeite Pendant.  Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Imperial jadeite can stand by itself in a piece of jewelry and still be pursued by collectors. Zhaoyi’s designers added some design elements with accent diamonds to give it a more westernized look to attract more young consumers.

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Colorless Jadeite Guanyin Pendant.  Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Colorless transparent jadeite was not very popular before Zhaoyi’s promotion of it. Today, the price of this type of material has increased exponentially. Colorless jadeite gives this Guanyin pendant an extremely peaceful look that goes along with its overall theme. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Colorless Transparent Jadeite, Sapphire and Ruby Pendant.  Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Colorless transparent jadeite is easily complemented by colored stones. In this pendant, sapphires and rubies with saturated color contrast dramatically with the center cabochon. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Diamond and Colorless Transparent Jadeite Necklace. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Diamonds and colorless transparent jadeite represent western and oriental cultures. When designers put them together, they balance each other in luster, texture, and transparency. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Heart-shaped Cabochon Jadeite Pendant. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Heart-shaped cabochons are not very common. The specially manufactured cabochon symbolizes pure love and the ruby accent stones represent love’s passion. Again, this is a combination of western and oriental themes. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Lavender Jadeite Ring. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Lavender jadeite is very popular today. Lavender jadeite is close in value to imperial jadeite of equivalent quality. In nature, it is even rarer than green jadeite. This lavender jadeite cabochon has very saturated color and perfect transparency plus extremely fine texture. Jewelry like this piece can be very rare and expensive. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Yellowish Jadeite Ring. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

In Chinese, jadeite is called “Fui Cui.” “Fui” refers to the yellowish and brownish varieties while “cui” refers to the green color. It is very rare to find “Fui” with extremely fine texture. This cabochon’s color is top quality. 

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Diamond, Pearl and Black Jadeite Jewelry. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Zhaoyi Cuiwu, Black Jadeite Pendant and Ring. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

The pendant at left features top-quality dark jadeite. The color is extremely evenly distributed. This set is favored among successful businessmen. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

“Jade that She Wants” is one of two Zhaoyi high-end custom jewelry lines designed by Grace Lee. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

These jewelry pieces feature large, top-quality, colorless transparent jadeite cabochons and complementary colored stones. 

The star of Zhaoyi is the company’s symbol. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

This piece features a center stone that weighs 9499 carats. Top-quality lavender jadeite of this size is extremely rare. Ten matching rings were also made. The suite looks like a blossoming peony surrounded by ten small flowers. 

Grace Lee, the chief designer of Zhaoyi Cuiwu, was once a broadcaster. Photo courtesy Zhaoyi Xintiandi Co. Ltd.

Her design innovations resulted in jewelry pieces featuring colorless transparent jadeite. 

Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Portrait d’homme en chasseur, 1725, Huile sur toile, Collection « Rue Galliera », Est : 200 000 - 300 000 € / 223 000 – 334 000 $

PARIS– La prestigieuse vente de Tableaux et Dessins Anciens et du XIXe siècle du 2e semestre aura lieu pendant la 5e édition du Salon Paris Tableau (13-16 novembre 2015), le 13 novembre chez Artcurial. Elle sera dominée par deux collections privées. La première "Rue Galliera" comprend un important ensemble de tableaux français du XVIIIe siècle ainsi qu’un ensemble de pièces de mobiliers de la même époque (dispersées elles le 25 novembre 2015); la seconde célèbre la peinture du Siècle d'or hollandais. Des expositions dans les bureaux européens d’Artcurial à Bruxelles, Vienne, et Munich précèderont la présentation à Paris.

«Après le très beau succès international de la Collection Louis Grandchamp des Raux, dispersée par Artcurial, en collaboration avec Sotheby’s, en mars dernier, nous sommes heureux de pouvoir réunir pour cette seconde vacation de prestige deux collections privées remarquables : « Rue Galliera » autours de la peinture française du XVIIIe siècle et « Un regard sur l’âge d’or hollandais ». Elles affirment une fois de plus l’importance mondiale de Paris pour le marché des Tableaux et Dessins Anciens. » se félicite Matthieu Fournier, directeur associé d’Artcurial et commissaire-priseur de la vente.

COLLECTION « RUE GALLIERA » : LE GRAND GOUT FRANÇAIS

Peintre officiel des chasses de Louis XV, Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) sera particulièrement à l’honneur avec deux toiles  importantes, signées et datées :

Un majestueux Portrait d’homme en chasseur daté de 1725 (est. 200 000 - 300 000 € / 223 000 - 334 000 $) témoigne de l’apprentissage du peintre chez l’un des plus grands portraitistes parisiens du début du XVIIIe siècle, Nicolas de Largillière.
L'influence du maître est manifeste dans la représentation du modèle en extérieur, dans un paysage aux couleurs automnales sous un ciel obscurci, et dans la grande attention portée au traitement des riches étoffes du vêtement.

Plus traditionnelle dans la peinture d’Oudry, la Chienne blanche à l'arrêt devant un lièvre et un col-vert illustre ce qui a fait la réputation de ce peintre animalier : son sens aigu de l’observation (est.200 000 - 300 000 € / 223 000 - 334 000 $).
C‘est un véritable portrait de chien qui s’offre à nous, comme pris sur le vif alors qu’il s’approche d’un trophée de chasse. Il y a une grande précision dans le rendu des fourrures et dans la brillance des plumes.

Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Chienne blanche à l'arrêt devant un lièvre et un col-vert, 1742, Huile sur toile, Collection « Rue Galliera », Est : 200 000 - 300 000 € / 223 000 – 334 000 $.

Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809) est aujourd’hui considéré comme le premier des peintres néoclassiques français et compta Jacques-Louis David parmi ses élèves. Réalisé pendant ses années de formation à Rome, Sarah présentant Agar à Abraham illustre son goût déjà affirmé pour un certain réalisme notamment dans le traitement des visages et des expressions (est.150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 - 223 000 $). Daté de 1749, notre tableau est une oeuvre d’avant-garde qui annonce de façon étonnante et particulièrement précoce le courant néoclassique. La virtuosité de l'artiste s'exprime dans le rendu des étoffes et des carnations, très aboutis et dans la grande subtilité du choix des coloris. Tiré de l’Ancien Testament, le sujet est une évocation de la confrontation entre vieillesse et jeunesse.

Joseph Marie Vien, Sarah présentant Agar à Abraham, Huile sur toile, Collection « Rue Galliera », Est : 150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 – 223 000 $.

Le brio de Joseph Vernet (1714-1789) lui valut, dès les années 1750, la charge de Peintre de marines de Sa Majesté le roi Louis XV, ainsi que la commande de la représentation des Ports de France. Datée de 1787, La tempête illustre l’aisance à laquelle il est parvenu dans le rendu des flots tumultueux, des ciels orageux et des navires soulevés par la houle qui firent son succès dans toute l’Europe des Lumières (est.150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 - 223 000 $).

Joseph Vernet, La tempête, 1787, Huile sur toile, Collection « Rue Galliera, Est : 150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 – 223 000 $.

UN REGARD SUR L’AGE D’OR HOLLANDAIS : UNE COLLECTION PARTICULIERE

La peinture hollandaise sera particulièrement à l’honneur à l’occasion de cette vacation grâce à un exceptionnel ensemble de tableaux provenant d’une collection particulière française, constituée après la seconde guerre mondiale. Acquises avec passion sur trois générations, ces oeuvres témoignent d’un goût très sûr pour les différents genres pratiqués par les peintres du Siècle d’or hollandais : portrait, scène de genre et tout particulièrement nature morte.

Du peintre anversois Jacob van Hulsdonck (1582 - 1647) cette composition de Pêches, prunes et raisins dans une coupe en porcelaine bleue de Chine illustre à la perfection sa très grande maîtrise de la nature morte. Ce chef d'oeuvre d'équilibre et d'harmonie est dans un état de conservation exceptionnel (est. 250 000 - 350 000 € / 279 000 - 390 000 $). Jacob van Hulsdonck exerça une influence durable sur la peinture française du XVIIe siècle, notamment sur Louyse Moillon, Jacques Linard ou encore Pierre Dupuis.

Jacob van Hulsdonck (1582 - 1647), Pêches, prunes et raisins dans une coupe en porcelaine bleue de Chine, Huile sur panneau de chêne parqueté, Collection « Un Regard sur l’Age d’Or Hollandais », Est. 250 000 - 350 000 € / 279 000 – 390 000 $.

Corbeille de raisins rouges, blancs et noirs, est une composition d'une grande finesse, tout à fait caractéristique du travail d'Isaac Soreau (1604 - 1644), qui fit carrière à Hanau, près de Francfort. Sa recherche de la perfection du détail révèle tout l’attrait du peintre pour la tradition flamande initiée par Jacob van Hulsdonck, son maître et sa première source d’inspiration. Sa
maîtrise du sujet, épaulée par une technique sans égale, en fait l’un des peintres de natures mortes les plus délicats (est. 100 000 - 150 000 € / 111 000 - 167 000 $).

Isaac Soreau (1604 - 1644), Corbeille de raisins rouges, blancs et noirs, Panneau de chêne parqueté, 46 x 56 cm, Collection « Un Regard sur l’Age d’Or Hollandais », Est. 100 000 - 150 000 € / 111 000 - 167 000 $.

Cette collection comprend encore des oeuvres de Adriaen van Ostade et de nombreuses natures mortes de l’Âge d’or hollandais.

A DIVERS AMATEURS

Tableaux anciens
Les amateurs de peinture française ne seront pas en reste et le XVIIe siècle sera également mis à l’honneur avec notamment une rare esquisse de Pierre Mignard (1612-1695) représentant La famille de Darius aux pieds d'Alexandre, préparatoire à un tableau de grand format commandé par Louvois et aujourd’hui conservé au musée de l’Ermitage de Saint Pétersbourg. Le sujet - la famille du roi de Perse Darius vient implorer la clémence d’Alexandre après la défaite - est emblématique de la peinture française du règne de Louis XIV et fut peint par Mignard en réponse au célèbre tableau du même sujet peint par Charles Le Brun et conservéà Versailles. Cette esquisse figure dans l’inventaire après décès du peintre et fut offerte par lui à Madame de La Reynie, épouse du célèbre lieutenant général de police de Paris qui "nettoya" la cour des Miracles. Cette toile provient de la collection d’un historien de l’art autrichien (est.60 000 - 80 000 € / 67 000 - 89 000 $).

Pierre Mignard, La famille de Darius aux pieds d'Alexandre, Huile sur toile, Est. 60 000 - 80 000 € / 67 000 – 89 000 $.

Après les grands succès obtenus par les natures mortes de Louyse Moillon (1610-1696) lors de la vente de la collection Louis Grandchamp des Raux en mars 2015, (1 M€ pour les Pêches sur un plat d’étain et 783 000 € pour la Nature morte aux bigarades), la vente propose l’une des rares compositions  de  l'artiste joignant des figures aux représentations de fruits. La marchande de fruits est estimée plus raisonnablement 150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 - 223 000 $.

Louyse Moillon, La marchande de fruits, Huile sur panneau, Est. 150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 – 223 000 $.

Tableaux du XIXe siècle
Notons la redécouverte de la Reddition du fort d'Aboukir d'Hippolyte Bellangé (1800-1866), exposé au Salon de 1824 et illustrant un épisode de la campagne d’Egypte, en 1799. Il s'agit de la reddition des Turcs, rescapés de la bataille d’Aboukir, remportée par l’armée de Bonaparte et qui s’étaient réfugiés dans le fort. Ce tableau de grandes dimensions constitue un important témoignage de l’art de ce peintre de batailles, élève du baron Gros (est.30 000 - 50 000 € / 33 000 - 55 000 $).

Ayant participé au Salon de 1882, Un deuil de Daniel Ridgway Knight (1839-1924) illustre le parcours et le talent d’un peintre
américain venu découvrir Paris, y travailler et fréquenter ses artistes. Il se présente dans un bel état de conservation, avec son cadre d’origine (est. 30 000 - 40 000 € / 33 000 - 44 000 $).

Daniel Ridgway Knight, Un deuil, Huile sur toile, Est. 30 000 - 40 000 € / 33 000 – 44 000 $.

Terminons avec un petit chef d'oeuvre inédit de Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875), Le réveil, estimé 50 000 - 70 000 € / 55 000 - 78 000 $. Cet instantané traduit la douceur du réveil d'une jeune femme au teint rose, que l'on pourrait rapprocher d'une photo, alors que la photographie est en plein essor dans les années 1840.

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Le réveil, Huile sur toile, Est. 50 000 - 70 000 € / 55 000 – 78 000 $.

PARIS.- This year’s second prestigious sale of Old Master and 19th Century Paintings and Drawings will take place during the 5th session of the Salon Paris Tableau (13-16 November 2015), on 13 November at Artcurial. It will be dominated by two private collections. The first, "Rue Galliera", includes an important group of 18th century French paintings and some pieces of furniture from the same period (to be auctioned on 25 November 2015) ; the second will honour the painting of the Dutch Golden Age. Viewings in Artcurial’s European offices in Brussels, Vienna and Munich will take place prior to the presentation in Paris. 

«After the wonderful international success of the Louis Grandchamp des Raux collection, sold by Artcurial in collaboration with Sotheby’s, last March, we are delighted to be able to combine two distinguished private collections for this second prestigious auction: « Rue Galliera » embracing 18th century French painting and « A look at the Dutch Golden Age ». Once again they affirm the global importance of Paris in the market of Old Master Paintings and Drawings.» said Matthieu Fournier, Artcurial’s Associate Director and auctioneer. 

COLLECTION « RUE GALLIERA » : FINE FRENCH TASTE 
Official painter of the hunts of Louis XV, Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) will, in particular, be celebrated with two important paintings, both signed and dated : A magnificent Portrait d’homme en chasseur dated 1725 (est. 200 000 - 300 000 € / 223 000 - 334 000 $) is testimony to the painter’s apprenticeship under one of the greatest Parisian portrait painters of the early 18th century, Nicolas de Largillière. The master’s influence is evident in the representation of the subject in open air, in a colourful autumnal landscape under a darkening sky, and the great attention paid to the rich fabric of his clothing. 

More typical of Oudry’s painting, the Chienne blanche à l'arrêt devant un lièvre et un col-vert is indicative of what gave him his reputation as a wildlife artist : his keen sense of observation (est. 200 000 - 300 000 € / 223 000 - 334 000 $). He gives us a very lifelike portrait of a dog approaching a hunting trophy. There is a great deal of precision in the portrayal of fur and the sheen of feathers. 

Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809) is today considered the best of the French neoclassical painters and included Jacques-Louis David among his pupils. Painted during his formative years in Rome, Sarah présentant Agar à Abraham illustrates his already established taste for a certain realism, particularly in his treatment of faces and expressions (est.150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 - 223 000 $). Dated 1749, the painting is very much an avant-garde piece of work heralding, in spectacular fashion, the neoclassical movement. The artist’s virtuosity is expressed in his very accomplished portrayal of fabrics and complexions and in his subtle choice of colours. Taken from the Old Testament, the subject is an evocation of the confrontation between age and youth. 

The brilliance of Joseph Vernet (1714-1789) earned him, from the 1750s onwards, the role of Maritime Artist for His Majesty King Louis XV, as well as chief artist chosen to represent the Ports de France. Dated 1787, La tempête reveals the ease with which he managed to depict tumultuous waves, stormy skies and ships tossed about by the swell, leading to his success throughout Europe during the Enlightenment. (est. 150 000 - 200 000 € / 167 000 - 223 000 $). 

A LOOK AT THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE : A SPECIAL COLLECTION 
Dutch painting will be especially honoured on the occasion of this auction thanks to an exceptional group of paintings from a distinguished French collection, put together after the Second World War. Acquired with passion over three generations, these works reflect a very definite taste for the different genres practised by the painters of the Dutch golden Age : portrait, genre scenes and especially still life. 

The centrepiece of this collection is a striking Portrait de femme âgée en buste, an early work from the Young Dutch painter Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693), who was one of Rembrandt’s leading pupils. This oak panel, presented in a remarkable state of preservation, comes from the prestigious Schloss sale of 1951 and is a vibrant testimony to the influence of the master on his student, whose first years were the most remarkable of his career. Estimated at 500 000 - 700 000 € / 557 000 - 780 000 $, this powerful and fascinating work will capture the attention of discerning enthusiasts with its subject’s compelling gaze. 

From Jacob van Hulsdonck (1582 - 1647), painter from Antwerp, this composition of Pêches, prunes et raisins dans une coupe en porcelaine bleue de Chine is a perfect example of his expertise at painting still life. This masterpiece of balance and harmony is in an exceptional state of preservation (est. 250 000 - 350 000 € / 279 000 - 390 000 $). Jacob van Hulsdonck had a lasting influence on seventeenth century French painting, particularly on Louyse Moillon, Jacques Linard and Pierre Dupuis. 

Corbeille de raisins rouges, blancs et noirs, is a composition of great finesse, completely characteristic of the work of Isaac Soreau (1604 - 1644), who made his career in Hanau, near Frankfurt. His search for perfection in detail reveals the painter’s attraction to the Flemish tradition started by Jacob van Hulsdonck, his master and initial source of inspiration. His mastery of the subject, supported by his unrivalled technique, made him one of the finest painters of still life (est. 100 000 - 150 000 € / 111 000 - 167 000 $). 

This collection also includes works by Adriaen van Ostade and many still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. 

VARIOUS 
Old Master Paintings 
Art lovers with a particular interest in French painting won’t be disappointed ; the seventeenth century will be honoured with a rare sketch from Pierre Mignard (1612-1695) representing La famille de Darius aux pieds d'Alexandre, preparatory to a large painting commissioned by Louvois and today held in the Hermatage musem in Saint Petersbourg. The subject – the family of the Persian King Darius, come to implore the mercy of Alexander following defeat – is typical of French painting from the reign of Louis XIV and was painted by Mignard in response to the famous painting on the same subject by Charles Le Brun, currently held at Versailles. This sketch featured in the inventory following the death of the painter and was offered by him to Madame de La Reynie, wife of the famous Paris Lieutenant General of Police who "cleaned up" the Cour des Miracles. This painting comes from the collection of an Austrian art historian (est.60 000 - 80 000 € / 67 000 - 89 000 $). 

Following the great success of still life paintings by Louyse Moillon (1610-1696) during the sale of the Louis Grandchamp des Raux collection in March 2015, (1 M€ for Pêches sur un plat d’étain and 783 000 € for Nature morte aux bigarades), this sale offers one of the artist’s rare compositions in which she combines figures with representations of fruit, La marchande de fruits is estimated at the more reasonable price of 150 000 -200 000 € / 167 000 - 223 000 $. 

Paintings of the 19th century Of particular note is the rediscovery of the Reddition du fort d'Aboukir by Hippolyte Bellangé (1800-1866), exhibited in the Salon of 1824 and illustrating an episode of the Egyptian campaign in 1799. It tells of the surrender of the Turks who had taken refuge in the fort, survivors of the battle of Aboukir, won by Bonaparte’s army. This very large painting is an important testimony to the art of this painter of battles, pupil of Baron Gros (est.30 000 - 50 000 € / 33 000 - 55 000 $). 

Having participated in the Salon of 1882, Un deuil by Daniel Ridgway Knight (1839-1924) illustrates the progress and the talent of an American painter who came to discover Paris, to work and to become acquainted with its artists. It comes in a good state of preservation, in its original frame (est. 30 000 - 40 000 € / 33 000 - 44 000 $). 

To complete the sale there is a small original masterpiece by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875), Le réveil, estimated at 50 000 - 70 000 € / 55 000 - 78 000 $. This snapshot reflects the gentle awakening of a young fair-skinned woman that one could almost mistake for a photograph, at a time when photography was just beginning during the 1840s.

A monumental portrait of King Jamshid (detail), signed by Mihr ‘Ali, Persia, Qajar, dated 1218 AH/1803 AD. Oil on canvas, mounted on a stretcher, annotated 'Jamshid' in Persian at middle left in nasta'liq script, signed at lower edge 'raqm-i kamtarin Mihr 'Ali, 1218', framed; 302 by 145cm. Est. £250,000-350,000. Photo Sotheby's

LONDON - As part of London’s annual Indian and Islamic Week, which runs from 2 to 7 October, Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World auction will offer an exquisite array of almost 230 treasures. Bringing together manuscripts, paintings and works of art created under Islamic patronage over eleven centuries, the objects will be on show at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries from 2 to 6 October followed by the auction on 7 October 2015.

Highlights include a rediscovered monumental early 19th-century Persian portrait of King Jamshid, the original plans and drawings of the first Saudi extension to The Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Medina, two rare Ottoman tombak sections of armour and a monumental Mamluk Qur’an dating to fourteenth-century Egypt. 

A monumental portrait of King Jamshid, signed by Mihr ‘Ali, Persia, Qajar, dated 1218 AH/1803 AD. Oil on canvas, mounted on a stretcher, annotated 'Jamshid' in Persian at middle left in nasta'liq script, signed at lower edge 'raqm-i kamtarin Mihr 'Ali, 1218', framed; 302 by 145cm. Estimate £250,000-350,000. Photo Sotheby's

This magnificent and highly important portrait of the celebrated mythical Persian King is to be offered on the market for the first time – an exciting rediscovery from a set of royal paintings made for the Imarat-i-Sadri Palace in Isfahan, thought to have been lost until 1985. Of monumental size, this work is an archetypal example of the extensive canon of life-size portraits executed by the famed court painter, Mihr ‘Ali, whose works were commissioned by the ruling monarch Fath ‘Ali Shah. The beautifully executed portrait of this renowned character of Persian folklore and tradition encapsulates courtly splendour of the reign of the Qajar dynasty, during which Persian arts were given a platform to flourish.

Fahmy Moemen Bey. The complete extant archive of original architectural plans and drawings for the first Saudi extension to The Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Medina, 1951-55, together with the architect’s personal collection of photographs documenting the building project, visits by royalty, heads of state and other distinguished visitors. 52 architectural pen and ink drawings, plans and sketches, 14 signed by the architect, 43 on waxed linen and 9 on tracing paper, together with 2 printed scale maps of Medina and Mecca, and 215 vintage photographs, various sizes. The drawings range in size from 35 by 60cm. to 106 by 240cm. Estimate £500,000 — 700,000. Photo Sotheby's

An important and unique architectural archive of drawings and photographs of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, will be offered for the first time, with an estimate of £500,000-700,000. These designs, dating from 1951-55, built on the very origins of Islamic architecture, namely the construction of the first mosque on the site in Medina by The Prophet Muhammad in 622 AD, and were the first major Saudi development to the Prophet’s Mosque. Fahmy Moemen Bey, the chief architect for the project, was selected by King Abdul-Aziz, after a commission for plans to be submitted. Today, his designs are part of the urban fabric of cities in Saudi Arabia, Syria and in his birthplace of Cairo.

A leaf from Emperor Akbar's royal copy of the Jami al-Tawarikh of Rashid al-Din Fazlullah Hamadani (d.1318 AD): Burghul Nuyan killed on the battlefield, attributed to Basawan and Bhim Gujarati, India, Mughal, circa 1596; gouache heightened with gold on paper, gold and coloured ruled borders, the reverse with 25 lines of nasta'liqscript in black and red, mounted on an album page with buff borders, nasta'liq inscriptions along the lower edge with artists' attributions and the number '22' in Arabic numerals, owner's stamp to lower margin of reverse; painting: 33.2 by 19.3cm; leaf: 36 by 25cm. Estimate £60,000 — 80,000. Photo Sotheby's.

The Jami al-Tawarikh or 'History of the World' was originally compiled by Rashid al-Din in 1310 AD and was divided into four sections – the first of which provides a description of the Mongol and Turkish tribes focusing on Genghis Khan and his ancestors and successors (known as the ‘Cingiznameh’). This leaf, from Emperor Akbar’s imperial Mughal manuscript of circa 1596, demonstrates the important court artist Basawan's aptitude for portraiture, his rendering of all the faces are sensitively observed showing his awareness and understanding of European art. Basawan was a master at creating spatial depth and movement and his compositions were both dramatic and perfectly balanced. In this lot, a dramatic battle scene is unfolding, a mass of bodies tumbling diagonally across the picture plane. 

The painting is in superb condition, and comes from the collection of Joel Spitz (d.1963), Glencoe, Illinois, and has not been seen on the market since the 1940s. 

Property from the Collection of Theron J. Damon

Two lots from the collection of Theron J. Damon (d.1973), who specialised in matters of the Near East and travelled extensively in Turkey, formed part of the first exhibition dedicated to Turkish history, held at the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, in 1954.

The highlight of these works is an Ottoman talismanic shirt from 1583 (est. £60,000-80,000). Intended for an official of high rank, this striking talismanic shirt is of the highest quality, its original bold colours and bright gold highlight its strong geometric design centred on quotations from the Qur’an, prayers and invocations, offering the promise of protection to its wearer.

An Ottoman talismanic shirt (tilsimli gomlek), Turkey, dated 991 AH/1583 AD; the cotton shirt covered with extracts from the Qur'an, prayers and talismanic numbers written in a variety of scripts and colours, arranged in medallions, squares, panels and cartouches of various shapes and sizes above a band with gilt scrolling foliate design, old Worcester Art Museum label to hem: 11154.3 and tag at sleeve: 40.1349; 87 by 113cm. Estimate £60,000 — 80,000. Photo Sotheby's.

A rare Ottoman tombak breast plate (krug), Turkey, 16th-17th century, comprising a central round shield embossed with a series of narrow ribs radiating from a central boss, with punched decorative motifs around edge, the three outer protective plates held together with chain mail between, each with punched foliate arabesque motifs, Eirene mark bottom right, fitted on a modern bespoke stand, 44 by 40cm. Estimate £180,000 — 220,000. Photo Sotheby's.

This exceptionally rare tombak breast-plate (krug) is testament to the grandeur, wealth and glory of the Ottoman imperial army - whose visual splendour would have equalled if not surpassed its physical might. Composed primarily of copper alloy, a metal too soft to have been of serious use in battle, this piece most likely belonged to a member of the ceremonial janissary guard of the vizier or even the Sultan himself.

Iznik Pottery

A rare Iznik 'Damascus' style pottery dish, Turkey, circa 1540 (est. £70,000-100,000) leads a selection of extraordinary Iznik pottery – one of the wonders of enabled by the courtly patronage emanating from Istanbul during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Traditionally referred to as ‘Damascus Style’, this dish belongs to a small group of similar ceramics featuring a palette of sage or olive green, cobalt blue, and pastel pink colours with black outlines with a dominant floral design – the rarest and finest made group of Iznik design.

A rare Iznik 'Damascus' style pottery dish, Turkey, circa 1540; of rounded form with flattened, everted rim, painted in cobalt blue, sage green and light manganese purple outlined in black with a design with a large carnation, rosette stems, and hyacinths issuing from a leafy tuft, the rim with groups of buds alternating with one cintamani motif, the underside with three-budded motif between triple spots; 32cm. Estimate £180,000 — 220,000. Photo Sotheby's.

An elegant Safavid brass astrolabe, signed by the celebrated craftsman Muhammad Khalil Ibn Hasan 'Ali, and decorated by Muhammad Mahdi al-Yazdi, Persia, Isfahan, dated 1085 AH/1674-75 AD; cast brass, hammered and engraved with elaborately designed cusped throne, containing six plates and a finely designed foliate rete, small bird-head terminal holding the pin with the large alidade in place, two hooks at top with suspension cord; 18 by 14.5cm. Estimate £150,000-250,000. Photo Sotheby's.

A magnificent Ottoman tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl box, Turkey, circa 1640; of octagonal form on arched feet with fitted, gabled lid, decorated with tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl sections organised in a cintamani design with ivory borders; 30.5 by 18.5cm. Estimate £70,000 — 100,000. Photo Sotheby's.

Ishida Yūtei (石田幽汀; 1721–1786), Flock of Cranes, second half of the 18th century. Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. 

MINNEAPOLIS, MN.- Highlights from the magnificent collection of Japanese and Korean art assembled by Mary Griggs Burke and formally gifted to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts goes on view September 27, 2015, through May 8, 2016, in the exhibition “Gifts of Japanese and Korean Art from the Mary Griggs Burke Collection.” This special exhibition will be shown in 16 newly installed galleries devoted to Japanese art and Korean art. At 11,000 square feet, the Japanese galleries are some of the most expansive of any museum in North America and tangibly demonstrate the museum’s commitment to the arts of East Asia. 

Utagawa Toyohiro (Japanese, 1773–1828), Summer Party on the Bank of the Kamo River, around 1800. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

The Burke bequest to the MIA comprises nearly 700 objects, from prehistoric to contemporary times, adding depth to the museum’s existing collection of Japanese and Korean art. The exhibition will include various media spanning the prehistoric era to the late 1800s, with paintings from the Edo period (17th–19th centuries) at the core of the 175 objects featured in the exhibition.

Kichizan Minchō (吉山明兆; 1352–1431), Monju Bosatsu (文殊菩薩), Muromachi period, 15th century. Hanging scroll; ink and gold on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Ogata Kenzan (尾形乾山; 1663–1743), "Plum Trees; Hollyhocks", Edo period. Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on gilded paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

“Burst Bag” freshwater jar (mizusashi, 水指), Momoyama period, 16th–17th century, Iga (伊賀) ware; stoneware with natural ash glaze. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Nagasawa Rosetsu (長沢蘆雪; 1754–1799), Chinese Children at Play, Edo period. Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and gold on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Maebyeong (梅瓶) with flying cranes and clouds, Goryeo dynasty, 12th century. Stoneware with inlaid design under celadon glaze. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

In recognition of Mrs. Burke’s generosity, Andreas Marks, PhD, was named the Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art. The gift joins the museum’s existing Japanese art collection that now rises to nearly 8,000objects, making it one of the most significant encyclopedic collections of Japanese art in the nation. In addition, a new curator has joined Marks in working with the Japanese collection. Aaron M. Rio, who recently completed his doctorate at Columbia University, will become the Mellon Assistant Curator of Japanese and Korean Art.  

Portrait of a Lady, Edo period, early 17th century. Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

The exhibition will open to the public on September 27. At the same time, the museum will unveil “Seven Masters: 20th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection,” featuring gifts to the museum from the late Frederick B. Wells III. On Sunday, September 27, Matthew Welch will deliver a lecture about the Burke collection and Andreas Marks will speak about prints in the Wells collection. 

Hon’ami Kōetsu (本阿弥光悦; 1558–1637), Tawaraya Sōtatsu (俵屋宗達; d. ca. 1640), Poem from Kokin wakashū (古今和歌集), Momoyama period, early 17th century. Album leaf, mounted as hanging scroll; ink and gold on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Background 
In March 2015 it was announced that the Japanese art collection of Mary Griggs Burke, long considered the finest private collection of its kind outside of Japan, was bequeathed to the MIA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Mrs. Burke, who was born in 1916 in St. Paul, and raised there, maintained a lifelong association with the city and its cultural institutions. Her maternal grandfather, Crawford Livingston, and paternal grandfather, Colonel Chauncey Griggs, were two St. Paul civic leaders who made fortunes in lumber, railroads, and utilities. The young Mary Griggs grew up in an Italianate mansion in St. Paul that was awash in 18th-century French objects as well as some Japanese pieces that her mother had acquired. Mrs. Burke’s mother, Mary Livingston Griggs, visited Japan on a world tour in 1902. The trip inspired Mrs. Burke, who visited Japan for the first time in 1954 and made more than 30 subsequent trips in her lifetime.

Sesson Shūkei (雪村周継; ca. 1504–ca. 1589), Landscape with Pavilion, Muromachi period. Hanging scroll; ink and light color on silk. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Lady from “Kawachigoe” (河内越), episode 23 of Ise monogatari (伊勢物語), Edo period, second half of 17th century. Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Stem table (takatsuki, 高坏), Muromachi period, 1482. Red and black lacquer with gold leaf. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Kosode with plum trees and Chinese poem by Zhang Xiaobiao (章孝標, fl. ca. 830), Edo period, second half of 17th century. Silk, embroidery, and tie-dyeing. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. 

Geiai (芸愛; fl. ca. 1489), Sparrows among Millet and Asters, Muromachi period. Hanging scroll; ink on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. 

Hidemori (also known as Shūsei [秀盛]; fl. first half of 15th century), Early Spring Landscape, Muromachi period. Hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. 

Writing box (suzuribako, 硯箱) with Nanban (南蛮) figures, Edo period, ca. 1633. Black lacquer with gold and silver maki-e, polychrome lacquer, and gold and silver foil inlay. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. 

Jar, Yayoi period, 3rd century A.D.. Earthenware. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

The Thirty-sixth Stage, from Zenzai Dōji’s Fifty-five Pilgrimages (華厳五十五所絵巻), also known as Zenzai Dōji emaki (善財童子絵巻), Kamakura period, early 14th century. Handscroll fragment, mounted as hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation. 

Fujiwara Teika (藤原定家), from Ikkasen isshubon (一歌仙一首本), Kamakura period, early 14th century. Handscroll fragment, mounted as hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. . Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Sakai Hōitsu (酒井抱一; 1761–1828), Lilies and Hydrangeas; Hollyhocks, Edo period, 1801. Two-panel folding screen; ink, color, and gold on silk. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Yosa Buson (与謝蕪村; 1716–1783), Two Birds on Willow and Peach Trees, Edo period, 1774. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Kaihō Yūshō (海北友松; 1533–1615), River and Sky in Evening Snow, from Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers (瀟湘八景 江天暮雪), Momoyama period, ca. 1602–3. Panel of a folding screen, mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and gold on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Suzuki Mutsumi (鈴木睦美; 1941–2009),Suzuki Misako (鈴木美佐子; b. 1945), Tea caddy (natsume, 棗) with autumn fire, Shōwa era, 20th century. Black and red lacquer with gold maki-e. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

One Hundred Children at Play, Joseon dynasty, late 19th century. Ten-panel screen; ink and color on paper. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Pair of rank badges (hyungbae, 胸背) with double cranes, Joseon dynasty, 19th century. Silk thread embroidery on silk. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Maebyeong (梅瓶) with peonies, Goryeo dynasty, 11th–12th century. Stoneware with iron-brown design under celadon glaze. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

 Maebyeong (梅瓶), Goryeo dynasty, 13th century. Stoneware with incidental ash glaze. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.

Fine Pair of Jadeite 'Peapod' and Diamond Pendent Earrings. Estimate 8,000,000 — 11,000,000 HKD (937,577 - 1,289,169 EUR). Photo Sotheby's. 

Each suspending a translucent jadeite of emerald green colour, carved as a peapod, to a surmount set with a jadeite cabochon of matching colour and translucency, embellished by circular-cut diamonds altogether weighing approximately 1.00 carat, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Peapods approximately 34.12 x 14.12 x 5.97mm and 33.92 x 13.98 x 6.08mm respectively; cabochons approximately 14.57 x 10.71 x 4.18mm and 14.19 x 10.20 x 4.57mm respectively.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 90747 (1-2) and KJ 90748 (1-2), dated 17 July 2015, stating that the jadeites are natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

Fine Translucent Emerald Green Jadeite Bangle. Estimate 6,800,000 — 8,000,000 HKD (796,941 - 937,577 EUR). Photo Sotheby's

The circular jadeite bangle of translucent emerald green, suffused with patches of intense emerald green colour throughout. Inner diameter and thickness approximately 57.33 x 9.78mm.

Acompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 90488, dated 18 June 2015, stating that the jadeite is natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

Fine Translucency Emerald Green Jadeite 'Guan Yin' and Diamond Pendant. Estimate 5,600,000 — 7,500,000 HKD (656,304 - 878,979 EUR). Photo Sotheby's

The jadeite of emerald green colour and fine translucency carved as a Guan Yin, decorated by marquise-shaped diamonds, to a surmount set with an oval diamond framed by circular-cut diamonds, the diamonds together weighing approximately 7.60 carats, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Guan Yin approximately 45.76 x 27.81 x 6.32mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 91067, dated 18 August 2015, stating that the jadeite is natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

Fine Pair of Highly Translucent Emerald Green Jadeite and Diamond Earclips. Estimate 5,500,000 — 6,500,000 HKD (644,584 - 761,781 EUR). Photo Sotheby's. 

Each set with an oval jadeite cabochon of highly translucent emerald green colour, decorated by a brilliant-cut diamond weighing 1.05 carats and 1.00 carat respectively, mounted in 18 karat white gold. Cabochons approximately 16.36 x 15.17 x 7.30 and 16.35 x 15.29 x 6.93mm respectively.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 90497 and KJ 90498, dated 18 June 2015, stating that the jadeites are natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

Translucent Emerald Green Jadeite Bead and Jadeite Necklace. Estimate 5,000,000 — 6,000,000 HKD (585,986 - 703,183 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

The double-strand necklace composed of one hundred and twenty graduated jadeite beads of translucent emerald green colour, completed by a clasp set with a marquise-shaped jadeite cabochon of matching colour and translucency, mounted in 18 karat white gold, length approximately 400mm. Jadeite beads approximately 10.60 to 3.81mm; cabochon approximately 12.76 x 5.55 x 2.83mm.

Accompanied by Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory certificate numbered KJ 90726(1-5), dated 23 July 2015, stating that the jadeites are natural, known in the trade as "A Jade".

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

A superb copper-red 'fruit'meiping, Seal mark and period of Qianlong. Estimate 10,000,000 — 15,000,000 HKD (1,167,192 - 1,750,787 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

elegantly modelled after an early Ming dynasty prototype, superbly potted with rounded shoulders rising at a gently flaring angle from the base and sweeping to a short waisted neck with a slightly everted mouth, the exterior deftly painted with a wide frieze of five sprays arranged in an alternating double register, the upper register showing detached peach, pomegranate and finger citrus, the lower register with lychee and loquat, the leafy branches further issuing small blossoms and buds, the shoulders draped by a band of pendent lotus lappets enclosing elaborately picked out trefoils, below the waisted neck collared by interlocking ruyi heads with stylised leafy florets, the foot further bordered by a band of upright overlapping plantain leaves, all painted in soft washes of copper red of a rosy-pink tone with occasional speckles of apple green, accented by simulated 'heaping and piling' effect, the recessed base centred with an underglaze-blue six-character seal mark; 29.7 cm., 11 3/4  in.

Provenance: Collection of Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977).
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 23rd May 1978, lot 107.

Exhibition: Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, on loan.
Chinese and Japanese Ceramics from the Collection of Sir Harry and Lady Garner, Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1973, no. 52, pl. XXI.

Bibliography: Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain. The Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1912), London, 1951, pl. XXII, fig. 2.

Notes: The Qianlong Emperor commissioned the production of many meiping vases, in various sizes and with various kinds of glazes and decorations but, as discussed above, the present piece appears to be unique. It also has an illustrious provenance, from the collection of Sir Harry Garner, KBE, CB, Litt.D (1891-1977), who was a distinguished mathematician, and a famous scholar and collector, and once President of the Oriental Ceramic Society (1967-70). He authored several standard reference works on Chinese art, for example, on blue-and-white porcelain, lacquer ware and cloisonné enamels, and donated much of his vast collection of Chinese ceramics and other works of art to the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

In the Palace Museum, Beijing, there is a Qianlong-marked meiping with broad shoulder and closely related design in underglaze red from the Qing court collection, but with only three fruits, peach, pomegranate and finger citron; see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 173 (fig. 1).

Underglaze-red ‘fruit sprays’ meiping, seal mark and period of Qianlong, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 173.

Compare also two meiping with related sprays of fruits and flowers in underglaze red, one included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics II, Tokyo, 1990, pl. 570, the other sold in these rooms, 21st May 1985, lot 143; as well as a Qianlong-marked meiping with seven fruits in underglaze red but their branches painted in underglaze blue, sold twice in these rooms, 12th May 1983, lot 194, and 2nd November 1998, lot 301 (fig. 2).

Copper-red and underglaze-blue decorated ‘fruit sprays’ meiping, seal mark and period of Qianlong. Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2nd November 1998, lot 301.

For the more usual type of Qianlong meiping with two alternating registers of sprays of three fruiting and three flowering branches painted in underglaze blue, also following the Yongle model, see an example in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 215; and one from the Edward T. Chow collection, sold in these rooms, 19th May 1981, lot 546, illustrated in Michel Beurdeley and Guy Raindre, Qing Porcelain, London, 1987, pl. 153. See also a third vase published in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 63, where Julian Thompson discusses this group of Qing blue and white wares as painted with re-designed Yongle motifs and patterns, particularly in the borders and the simulated 'heaping and piling' of the cobalt blue, which further serves to heighten the three-dimensional quality of the design (p. 30). 

Publications by Sir Harry Garner include Oriental Blue & White, published by Faber and Faber, London in three editions in 1954, 1964 and 1970. Its Chinese version (Shanghai, 1992) was jointly translated by Ye Wencheng, once president of Chinese Society of Ancient Ceramics. For examples of ceramics donated by Sir Harry to the British Museum, see Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pls. 1:19, 12:132. The present meiping was published in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain. The Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1912), London, 1951. Jenyns worked at the British Museum between 1931 and 1967, published extensively on Ming and Qing porcelain, and also made gifts from his own Chinese porcelain collection to the Oriental Antiquities Department of the Museum. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:30 PM

An extremely rare and brilliantly enamelled famille-rose'lingzhi' wall vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong. Estimate 8,000,000 — 12,000,000 HKD (933,753 - 1,400,630 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

superbly and dramatically modelled in the shape of a lingzhi stem, the main branch curving to the right and sweeping up to a flaring mouth, its sides spreading widely with an undulating edge furling beneath corpulent layers of overlapping spores, vividly enamelled with a kaleidoscopic blend of green, blue and pink glazes, the depth skilfully rendered with shadowing in the recessed areas, covered to the underside in a thick pale apple-green moss running down and pooling at the edges around the stem, the base issuing a branch dividing into two gnarled arms each terminating in a smaller lingzhi, one similarly enamelled and the other a natural freshlingzhi colour, the base sprouting three more lingzhi, the stem painted in varying tones of brown in small dynamic brushstrokes and inscribed on the back with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue below two connected apertures, wood stand: 23.5 cm., 9 1/4  in.

Provenance: A private American collection, by repute.

Divine Fungus for Emperor and Buddha
Baoping Li

Lingzhi or ‘divine fungus’ is amongst the most revered and interesting plants in China. Also called ‘Auspicious Plant’ or ‘Immorality Plant’, lingzhi is believed to be a magical substance and Daoist alchemists claimed that by taking lingzhi man could attain immortality and even a dead person could come to life again. Lingzhi has been a popular motif in Chinese art for two thousand years. Many imperial porcelains of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are painted with thelingzhi design, often in a stylised or simplified form. It is extremely rare, however, to find a porcelain lingzhi modelled in its naturalistic form like the present piece, which may be unique as no similar porcelain model of a lingzhi appears to be recorded. This gorgeous and attractive lingzhi may have been used as a wall vase and wall decoration or a free-standing model by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-95), who is famous for his love of outstanding objects that give a brilliant, imposing and opulent look. 

Two court paintings demonstrate how the Qing emperors favoured the lingzhi motif. One is Pines and Fungi Presentation to Yongzheng by the court painter Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) (fig. 1), the other titled Birthday Celebration by Immortals(fig. 2).

Giuseppe Castiglione, Scroll Painting of Pines and Fungi Presentation to Yongzheng (details), colour on silk, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: Collection of Paintings of Guiseppe Castiglione, Tianjin, 1998, pl.3.

Zhang Weibang, Lingzhi, album leaf, colour on silk, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, included in Ding Guanpeng and Chen Mei et al, Immortals Offering Birthday Congratulations, album, 12 leaves, Collection of Long Museum, Shanghai. Courtesy of Long Museum

The present lingzhi was made for the Qianlong Emperor, one of the greatest patrons of the arts in China. Court records demonstrate that the Emperor commissioned porcelain lingzhi to be made, and the difficulties in their successful firing. In the 9th month of the 9th year of the Qianlong period (1744), the Emperor instructed Tang Ying to make three sets of blue and white altar garnitures for a Tibetan Buddhist shrine in the Forbidden City, which consisted of an incense burner, two vases and two candlesticks each, as well as with porcelain lingzhi to be put into the vases as offerings to Buddha. Because of the cold weather, Tang Ying, supervisor of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen and the most innovative and talented spirit of China’s porcelain industry, could not finish the porcelains until the 4th month of the following year, when he fired two types of lingzhi, one in underglaze blue and the other in polychrome overglaze enamels, see Zhang Faying, Tang Ying du tao wendang [Archive on Tang Ying’s supervision of the imperial kilns], Beijing, 2012, pp. 72 and 163. The Qing emperors are well known for their interest in Tibetan Buddhism, and the order of porcelain lingzhi for Buddha, an object closely related to Taoism and folk relief of China, provides an interesting insight into the religious life of the Qing court and the religious interactions and harmony China is well known for. For a picture photographed in 1900 with lingzhi offered in metal vases in front of a Buddha in the Zhongzheng Hall of the Forbidden City, see Shan Jixiang, The Photographic Collection of the Palace Museum Imperial Buildings through Western Camera, Beijing, 2014, p. 211, fig. 4 (fig. 3). 

Lingzhi offered in metal altar vases in Zhongzheng Hall, Forbidden City, photographed in 1900. After: Shan Jixiang, The Photographic Collection of the Palace Museum Imperial Buildings through Western Camera, Beijing, 2014, p. 211.

The appreciation of lingzhi by the Qianlong Emperor may also be demonstrated in a small waterpot of Qianlong mark and period, modelled in the shape of a celadon-glazed lingzhi, with three smaller lingzhi and stems in enamels attached to the side, included in Edward T. Chow and Helen D. Ling, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Pavilion of Ephemeral Attainment, Hong Kong, 1950, vol. IV, pl. 186, and the exhibition catalogue Qing Imperial Monochromes. The Zande Lou Collection, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2005, cat. no. 46 (fig. 4). A Qianlong-marked vase of lingzhi form covered with a Ru-type glaze, the foot dressed in brown, was included in the exhibition Qing Mark and Period Monochrome and Two-Coloured Wares, S. Marchant & Son, London, 1992, cat. no. 34, and cover. 

Celadon-glazed and famille-rose lingzhi-shaped waterpot, seal mark and period of Qianlong, the Zande Lou Collection Courtesy of Zande Lou, After: Qing Imperial Monochromes. The Zande Lou Collection, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2005, cat. no. 46.

Compare also an imperial porcelain model of gnarled branches of lingzhi covered with a guan-type glaze, with a four-character seal-script mark of the Yongzheng period (1723-35), sold twice in our London rooms, 12th December 1972, lot 169, and 29th November 1990, lot 211. For a Qing period vase of lingzhi form made in Guangdong, see Christie's New York, 23rd March 2012, lot 2059.

Examples of imperial porcelains painted with the lingzhi design are numerous; see, for example, a blue and white meipingvase of the Yongle period (1403-24) with a band of lingzhi near the foot and a peach-and-bamboo motif around the body, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the Museum’s latest exhibition and illustrated in Wang Guangyao and Jiang Jianxin eds., Imperial Porcelains from the Reigns of Hongwu and Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2015, cat. no. 105. See also a large blue-and-white dish of Xuande mark and period (1426-35) with lingzhi on the exterior and a peach-and-parrot motif on the interior, illustrated in Wang Guangyao and Jiang Jianxin eds., Imperial Porcelains from the Reign of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2015, cat. no. 15.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:30 PM

BOGH-ART. Waterfall diamond set.

BOGH-ART. Emerald inlaid into mother of pearl bracelet.

BOGH-ART. Natural Ceylan sapphires and diamonds set.

BOGH-ART. Sapphire inalid into opal necklace.

BOGH-ART. Diamond inlaid into opal set.

BOGH-ART. Ruby inlaid into mother of pearl sautoir.

BOGH-ART. Fancy intense orangy pink diamond ring.

BOGH-ART. Pink and white diamonds earrings.

BOGH-ART. Pink diamond inlaid into mother of pearl ring.

BOGH-ART. Pink and white diamond set.

BOGH-ART. Champagne diamonds inlaid into turquoise and paraiba earrings.

BOGH-ART. Five carbon fiber bangles inlaid by diamonds.

BOGH-ART. Fancy intense brownish pink diamond inlaid into opal and natural pearls necklace.

BOGH-ART. Emerald and diamond ring.

BOGH-ART. Burma ruby and diamond ring.

BOGH-ART. Kashmir sapphires and diamonds bracelet.

BOGH-ART. Diamond inalid into smoky quartz.

BOGH-ART. Diamond and titanium fiber ring and earrings.

BOGH-ART. Diamond inlaid into pink mother of pearl.

BOGH-ART. Diamond inlaid into white mother of pearl.

BOGH-ART. Diamond inlaid into amethsyt.

BOGH-ART. Mughal style diamond motifs bangle.

BOGH-ART. Mughal style diamond motifs bangle.

BOGH-ART. Natural button and drop pearls, diamond necklace.

BOGH-ART. Natural Green and white pearls with agreen chameleon diamond earrings.

BOGH-ART. White and grey natural pearls and diamonds earrings.

BOGH-ART. Diamond set.

Albert Boghossian: «C’est un métier magique qui ne s’apprend pas tellement.» Photo François Wavre/Rezo

A fine and magnificent famille-rose'Peach' vase, tianqiuping, Seal mark and period of Qianlong. Estimate 60,000,000 — 80,000,000 HKD (7,003,149 - 9,337,533 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

powerfully constructed with a globular body rising to a tall cylindrical neck flaring slightly at the rim, masterfully painted with an asymmetric design of two peach branches growing halfway around the vase and wrapping around the neck, one gnarled branch depicted with brown bark and pink blossoms, the other with dark grey bark with white blossoms edged in pink, the nine peaches depicted in different stages of ripeness ranging in colour from light yellowish-green to rose-pink deepening to darker pink spots and patches, the green-enamelled leaves shaded in turquoise and a yellowish-green to distinguish their top and underside, the lichen on the bark picked out in white and light turquoise-blue dots, the recessed base inscribed with a six-character seal mark; 54.7 cm., 21 1/2  in.

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-80).
Collection of J.M. Hu (1911-95).
Sotheby's New York, 4th June 1985, lot 55.
Sotheby's London, 14th November 2000, lot 168, sold as "seal mark and period of Qianlong, the enamels possibly later".

Bibliography: Edward T. Chow and Helen D. Ling, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Pavilion of Ephemeral Attainment, Hong Kong, 1950, vol. IV, pl. 215.

Longevity and Eternal Peace: Peaches for two Emperors
Li Baoping

The Yongzheng (1722-35) and Qianlong (1735-96) imperial porcelains with peaches in famille rose undoubtedly rank among the most elegant ceramics ever made in Chinese history. Created at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen at their peak of development and painted with auspicious motifs rooted in China’s antiquity, in a palette inspired by Jesuit technology, they are extremely rare and immensely elegant, representing a zenith of aesthetic and technological achievement of court art in China. 

Peaches are perhaps China’s most auspicious fruit, having a long tradition as omens of longevity and harbingers of happiness, and flowering peach branches are believed to ward off evil. In the Shi Jing [Classic of Poetry], the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, edited by Confucius (551-479 BC), the peach is used as a metaphor for thriving marriage and family. The poet Tao Qian (365-427) tells of a fisherman who, when following the source of a stream in a peach orchard – 'Peach Blossom Spring'– through a crevice in a rock, discovered a paradisiacal world. A peach orchard is also the setting for the oath of brotherhood sworn by the three main protagonists of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of whom, the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) general Guan Yu, was deified and worshipped as Emperor Guan or God of War for near two millennia. The ‘peaches of immortality’, which are said to grow in the garden of Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, flower only once every three thousand years, take three thousand years to bear fruit and another three thousand years to ripen, and are then offered in a banquet to the immortals. Dongfang Shuo, a witty and clever Han dynasty scholar, who became the hero of many legends, is reported to have stolen peaches of immortality and thus to have become immortal. And the same feat is told of the mischievous Monkey King Sun Wukong, hero of the novel Journey to the West, who subsequently was recruited by Guanyin (Bodhisattva of Compassion) to accompany the Tang dynasty (618-907) monk Xuanzang on his trip to India to obtain Buddhist sutras.

The Yongzheng Emperor was clearly attached to these stories, as he had himself painted as the recipient of such good luck in an album leaf that shows him in possession of a peach of immortality, with a monkey hanging from a nearby tree (fig. 1), while in another leaf from the same album he is depicted gazing at a water fall with a red bat (fu, homophonous for happiness) flying overhead. The Yongzheng Emperor was a firm believer in portents of good fortune. Having ascended the throne under somewhat nebulous circumstances, the legality of his succession was persistently questioned, which made him more receptive than any other Qing (1644-1911) emperor for auspicious symbolism. 

A Life Portrait of the Yongzheng Emperor, colour on silk, from an album of 13 leaves, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng period, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Paintings by the Court Artists of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 18.

Peaches had been widely used to decorate imperial porcelain for preceding emperors, as exemplified in Kangxi dishes with a peach in wucai or ‘five-coloured’ palette inscribed in gold wanshou (‘Infinite Longevity’, a phrase reserved for the emperors), see Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 70, pl. 53 (fig. 2). However, the Yongzheng court saw many more peach designs, as the Emperor had peaches represented in all possible media, often in combination with bats. Peaches were so favoured by the Yongzheng Emperor that on some porcelain bowls the fruit was even used to encircle his reign mark, see Porcelain with Painted Enamels of Qing Yongzheng Period (1723-1735), National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013, cat. no. 7.

Peach dish in wucai (five-coloured) palette and inscribed in gold wanshou (Infinite Longevity), mark and period of Kangxi, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 112.

It was only in the Yongzheng period that the porcelain painters could begin painting nature scenes in naturalistic – if idealised– colours. This was made possible by the new famille-rose palette (fencai or ‘powder colours’). It was inspired by enamels introduced to China by Jesuit missionaries who arrived at the imperial court during the late Kangxi period and adapted at Jingdezhen in the years preceding the Yongzheng reign. The soft colouration of fruiting and flowering peach branches made this design ideal to show off the newly developed fencai palette with its pastel shades of pink, yellow and green, as perfectly demonstrated by the peach bowl and the tianqiuping or ‘celestial globe’ vase. 

Another feature favoured by the Yongzheng Emperor and new to his reign period, was the difficult and sophisticated technique of painting branches that flow over the rim of bowls and dishes, an artistic device referred to as changzhi (long branch), a homophone of the phrase ‘Eternal Peace’. Although this design may be ultimately sourced to a Kangxi pattern developed in the imperial enamelling workshops of the Forbidden City, Beijing (fig. 3), it was only in the Yongzheng period that peach branches started to be depicted as flowing over the rim of vessels. A particular request by the Yongzheng Emperor preserved in the records of the Zaobanchu, the workshops of the Imperial Household Department, reflects his interest in the ‘long branch’ design: “19th day, 4th month, Yongzheng 9th year (1731)…His Majesty ordered to take glazed and unglazed porcelain and paint on it the enamelled designs of Eternal Peace…” (Feng Xianming, Annotated Collection of Historical Documents on Ancient Chinese Ceramics, Taipei, 2000, p. 222). 

‘Peach-and-bat’ copper vase in falangcai enamels, mark and period of Kangxi, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-Bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 174.

Porcelain with famille-rose peaches continued to be highly favoured by the Qianlong Emperor. Both the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors had bowls, dishes and tianqiuping made with peaches in famille rose, though the Qianlong Emperor had clearly more tianqiuping vases of massive size made than his father (see lot 3610). This is in tune with this emperor’s love of objects that give a magnificent, imposing and opulent look, which are famous among the Qianlong imperial porcelains. 

Altogether the number of porcelains with famille-rose peaches made for the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors is small. Although the peach design on the present lots represents one of the best-known porcelain patterns of the two reigns, this is due more to its endearing character than a profusion of extant examples. Comparable examples, although frequently illustrated, are surprisingly rare. For example, the famous Yongzheng vase from the collection of the Hon. Ogden R. Reid, sold in these rooms, 7th May 2002, lot 532 and donated in 2004 to the Shanghai Museum by Dr. Alice Cheng, seems to be the only ‘peach’ vase of ‘olive’ form known (fig. 4).

Famille-rose enamelled ‘peach’ vase, mark and period of Yongzheng, formerly collections of the Hon. Ogden R. Reid and Dr. Alice Cheng, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7th May 2002, lot 532, Collection of Shanghai Museum.

Both the peach bowl and the tianqiuping offered here formerly belonged to Edward T. Chow, one of the most influential figures of the 20th century in the field of Chinese art. The Edward T. Chow Collection that was sold in three parts 1980-81 in these rooms and in our London rooms and included Ming and Qing Porcelain and Works of Art as well as Early Chinese Ceramics and Ancient Bronzes, is acclaimed as one of the most important collections of Chinese ceramics ever sold at auction.

Like his father, the Qianlong Emperor clearly favoured the peach design. For the Emperor’s eightieth birthday in 1790, for example, court officials commissioned a peach-shaped box in coral and gold with a longevity character, see China. The Three Emperors, 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005-6, cat. no. 294 (fig. 5). The superb pattern of twin flowering and fruiting trees extending around the sides of this massive vase was one of the best-loved porcelain designs in the Qianlong period. The design of two trees with different blossoms and bark, whose interlaced branches together bear nine fruit – a propitious number – is sophisticated in its concept and reassuring in its eternal message conveying affluence and long life.

Peach-shaped box with longevity character, coral on gold, made in 1790 for the Qianlong Emperor’s eightieth birthday, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing After: China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005-6, cat. no. 294.

Tianqiuping or ‘celestial globe’ vases, named after their resemblance to a planet, were first created in the early Ming dynasty, in the era of the global voyages (1405-33) led by the Muslim Admiral, General Zheng He, with the form perhaps inspired by Islamic copper or glass prototypes of the Middle East; see Ma Wenkuan, ‘A study of Islamic elements in Ming Dynasty Porcelain’, Li Baoping et al, eds., Porcelain and Society, China Archaeology and Art Digest, vol. 3, no. 4, June 2000, p. 12, figs. 13-14. The form became particularly popular during the Qianlong period and was produced in a variety of glazes, decorative techniques and motifs. Tianqiuping with the design of famille-rose peaches like the present vase, however, are extremely rare and only a few examples are known. Compared with related examples, the present piece is unusual in the pale shading from yellow to pink of the peaches, which bear delicate spots, and the sparser distribution of the foliage, which leaves much of the gnarled tree trunk exposed.

Related examples include two vases in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 335, pl. 16, and in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille-rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 86, the latter probably illustrated again in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong Kong, 1993, fig. 443. Others include one in Taipei published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Republic of China: Ch'ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, Tokyo, 1981, pl.27; one preserved in one of the former imperial summer residences in Liaoning, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume, Part I, Shenyang, 2008, p. 177, pl. 11; one in the National Museum of China, Beijing, see Studies on the Collections of the National Museum of China: Porcelain Section, Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2007, pl. 88; and one in the British Museum, London, published in Jessica Rawson, ed., The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, London, 1992, pl. 187.

Another famille-rose 'peach' Qianlong tianqiuping from the Meiyintang collection was sold in these rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 15. See also a Qianlong bottle from the T.Y. Chao collection, sold in these rooms, 18th November 1986, lot 134, illustrated in Sotheby's Hong Kong, Twenty Years: 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 277. The peach-and-bat design was also used for other vessel forms of the Qianlong period, although equally in only small numbers. A bowl of Qianlong mark and period is published, for example, in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain: The Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1912), London, 1951, pl. LVI, fig. 2.

For one of the rare Yongzheng prototypes of tianqiuping, with only eight peaches, see a piece in Geng Baochang, ed.,Porcelains from the Qing Dynasty Imperial Kilns in the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, 2005, vol. 1, part 2, pl. 76, also illustrated in Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille-rose Decoration, op. cit., pl. 45 (fig. 6). Another from the Barbara Hutton collection, painted with nine peaches, was exhibited in The Barbara Hutton Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, 1956-7, catalogue pl. XV, sold in our London rooms, 6th July 1971, lot 259, and later in these rooms, 30th April 1996, lot 498. A smaller Yongzheng vase with six peaches only, is illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, op. cit., p. 210, pl. 39.

Famille-rose ‘eight peach’ tianqiuping, Qing dynasty, seal mark and period of Yongzheng, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille-rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 45.

The peach design was also used on related tianqiuping, see, for example, two vases with underglaze-blue peaches and other fruits, one sold in our New York and London rooms, 15th June 1983, lot 394, and 17th November 1999, lot 783; the other, with a yellow enamel ground, sold in these rooms 8th April 2014, lot 3008. Compare also a Ming dynasty prototype with underglaze-blue floral design, of Xuande mark and period (1426-35), illustrated in Geng Baochang ed., Early Ming Blue and White Porcelain of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2002, vol. 1, cat. no. 78.

The present tianqiuping was once in the collection of J.M. Hu (1911-95) (fig. 7), a great connoisseur-collector and patron of the arts who made a large donation of ceramics to the Shanghai Museum, which today is exhibited there at the Zande Lou Gallery of Ceramics, and published in Wang Qingzheng and George Fan, Selected Ceramics from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Hu, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 1989. An exhibition of part of his ceramic collection was jointly organised in 2005 by the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Shanghai Museum and the Capital Museum in Beijing, seeQing Imperial Monochromes in the Zande Lou Collection, Hong Kong, 2005. Twelve of his Qing imperial monochromes were sold at a theme sale in these rooms, 9th October 2012.

J.M. Hu and the present tianqiuping, early 1980s.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:30 PM

An extremely fine and rare famille-rose'Peach' bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng. Estimate 40,000,000 — 60,000,000 HKD (4,668,766 - 7,003,149 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

exquisitely potted with deep rounded sides resting on a short foot, superbly enamelled in vivid tones of rose-pink, shades of green, yellow, iron-red, brown and black with two varieties of flowering and fruiting peach branches issuing from the foot and extending across the exterior and over the rim onto the interior, one branch with a brownish-black bark and bearing white double blossoms, the other with a brown bark and bearing five-petalled rose-pink blossoms, both with large ripe fruit delicately coloured in shaded tones of yellowish-green to subtle raspberry-pink, depicted in iron-red with two bats on the exterior and three on the interior forming the wufu, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle; 14.3 cm., 5 5/8  in.

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-80).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th November 1980, lot 169.

Bibliography: Cécile and Michel Beurdeley, La Céramique Chinoise, Fribourg, 1974, col. pls. 86-87.
Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 96.

Notes: Yongzheng porcelain bowls with famille-rose peach-and-bat design are extremely rare. The present bowl, with five peaches all rendered on the exterior, appears to be unique, as other examples are designed with six peaches, four on the exterior and two on the interior. Another unusual feature of the present piece is that the fruits do not have the heavy pink outlines seen on other examples, which demonstrates the superb skills of the porcelain painters and the marvellous possibilities of the new famille-rose palette.

Five is a propitious number, and the five red bats painted on the bowl are among the most popular themes in Chinese decorative arts. Red bats provide a rebus or visual pun for vast good fortune, and five bats provide a rebus for wufu, the FiveBlessings of longevity, health, wealth, love of virtue and a good end to life. Bats painted upside down provide a further rebus, since the word for ‘upside down’, dao, is pronounced similarly to the word for ‘arriving’, and thus an upside-down bat signifies 'happiness is arriving'.

Related to the present bowl is a Yongzheng copper cup and saucer enamelled in the imperial Enamelling Workshops of the Forbidden City with similar peach-and-bat designs, and an enamelled copper water pot formed as a peach branch with two fruit and painted with bats, respectively exhibited in Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, cat. no. II-18, and China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005-6, cat. no. 295.

Two court paintings further demonstrate the popularity of the bat motif at the Yongzheng court: a landscape by Chen Mei (c. 1694-1745) with a large number of bats in the sky, inscribed Ten Thousand Blessings (bats) to the Emperor and presented to the Yongzheng Emperor on his birthday in the 4th year of his reign (1726) (fig. 1), ibid., cat. no. 270; and another, by courtartist Jin Jie (fl. 18th century), depicting three elderly men in a landscape with red bats, titled Flying Bats Filling the Sky (i.e. Infinite Blessings), in Harmony and Integrity, op. cit., cat. no. II-112.

Chen Mei (c.1694-1745), Ten Thousand Blessings (bats) to the Emperor, presented to the Yongzheng Emperor on his birthday in 1726, ink and colour on silk, Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing. After: China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 270.

Only a dozen comparable Yongzheng bowls of the peach-and-bat design are recorded. A pair was formerly in Dr. T.T. Tsui’s Jingguantang collection, published in The Tsui Museum of Art. Chinese Ceramics IV: Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 155, and The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 119. The pair, now separated, was composed of a bowl that was sold in these rooms 14th November 1989, lot 315; at Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 1999, lot 539; in our London rooms, 16th May 2007, lot 104; and in these rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 112, together with another similar bowl. The other bowl of the Tsui pair came from the John F. Woodthorpe and C.M. Moncrieff collections and was sold three times in our London rooms, 9th December 1952, lot 140; 6th April 1954, lot 106; and 21st February 1961, lot 171.

A pair formerly in the Eisei Bunko, Tokyo, an art collection with its origins in the Nanboku-cho period (1336-92) formed by the Hosokawa family, one of the top daimyo clans in Japan, is now also separated: one bowl entered the Meiyintang collection and was sold in these rooms on 5th October 2011, lot 16, the other, still in the Eisei Bunko today, is illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 12:, Tokyo, 1956, col. pl. 11. Another pair in the Baur collection, Geneva, is illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection Geneva: Chinese Ceramics, Geneva, 1968-74, vol. 4, nos. A 594 and 595. A pair from the collections of Chen Rentao, Paul and Helen Bernat and T. Endo was sold in these rooms 15th November 1988, lot 44, and 29th April 1997, lot 401, and at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1374, and is illustrated in Sotheby's. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 326. This pair is now also separated and one was included in the Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition: Twelve Chinese Masterworks, Eskenazi, London, 2010, cat. no. 11, while the other is in a private collection in Taiwan. Another pair was sold at Yamanaka & Co., London, 1938, and was included in their catalogue Chinese Ceramic Art, Bronze, Jade etc., no. 116, pl. 12 (illustrating one of the pair). Also known is one bowl from the Avery Brundage collection, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, published in Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2006, p. 204, pl. 7.44.1.

One other related pair of different proportions, from the Allen J. Mercher and John M. Crawford, Jr. collections, was sold at Parke-Bernet New York, 10th October 1957, lot 261, and in these rooms, 24th May 1978, lot 252. The peach-and-bat design was also used for enamelling porcelains at the imperial workshops in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Compare a pair of Yongzheng falangcai porcelain bowls in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, also painted with peach trees and five bats, but in a less pronounced design, exhibited in Painted Enamels of Qing Yongzheng Period (1723-1735), National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013, pl. 82.

Other Yongzheng vessel forms with the peach-and-bat design are also very rare. Compare a Yongzheng covered boxformerly in the Van Slyke and Meiyintang collections, sold in these rooms 8th April 2013, lot 3036, which appears to be the only example recorded (fig. 2). Examples of large dishes include one from the collection of J. Pierpont Morgan, sold in these rooms, 29th April 1997, lot 400, and one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, in China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005-6, cat. no. 181. A group of smaller dishes is discussed in An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, London, 1993, cat. no. 92; see also an example in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 5, New York, 1981, col. pl. 67; and another dish in Denise Patry Leidy, Treasures of Asian Art. The Asia Society’s Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York, 1994, pl. 198. Other examples include a pair of Yongzheng dishes formerly in the collections of Barbara Hutton (1912-1979) and the British Rail Pension Fund, exhibited on loan at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1985-1988, illustrated in Sotheby's Hong Kong Twenty Years, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 202, no. 276, and sold twice in our London rooms, 6th July 1971, lot 265, and 8th July 1974, lot 408, twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th November 1977, lot 160, and 16th May 1989, lot 88, and recently at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th May 2014, lot 3319.

Famille-rose enamelled ‘peach’ box and cover, mark and period of Yongzheng, formerly Frederick and Antoinette H. van Slyke and Meiyintang collections, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8th April 2013, lot 3036.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:30 PM

ONDON.- Ever the great innovator, Rembrandt had a distinctly tactile approach to printmaking. Four landscapes which retain the presence of Rembrandt’s hand on the printing plate, from lusciously inked tree-hollows to expansive, lightly misted skies, will be offered at Sotheby’s in London on 29 September 2015, in the company’s biannual Prints & Multiples sale. From the collection of Bernard Palitz, the distinguished provenances of these enduring records of the Dutch countryside include other notable scholar-collectors who were custodians of the prints before they were acquired by Mr. Palitz, for whom provenance always shared equal weight with quality. 

A keen collector and patron of the arts, Bernard Palitz began collecting in the 1950s, focussing on prints by Rembrandt and Dürer. Mr. Palitz had grown up in a New York City home filled with important German, Flemish and Dutch paintings assembled by his father, Clarence Y. Palitz. In this environment, he acquired a sophisticated eye trained on the highest quality, which he later combined with a meticulous and studious approach to acquiring works. 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 - 1669), Six’s Bridge.The rare etching and drypoint, 1645; sheet: 131 by 226mm 5 1/8 by 8 7/8 in. Estimate: £80,000-120,000 (€114,000-171,000). Photo Sotheby's

A delightful, if apocryphal, anecdote attests to the spontaneous quality of this etching. Rembrandt and Jan Six, his friend and patron, sit down to lunch in the countryside. Six’s servant is dispatched to the village to bring back a forgotten pot of mustard. Rembrandt bet his friend that he can complete an etching – sketched on the copper plate – before the servant returns. Six’s Bridge is purportedly the result of Rembrandt’s successful wager. 

Provenance: Ex coll. J.B. de Graaf (L. 1120); Duke of Buccleuch (L. 402); Dr. Otto Schäfer, his stamp verso (not in Lugt), sold his sale, Sotheby’s New York, 13 May 1993, lot 58, $173,000; acquired from the above by Walter F. Johnson, sold his sale, Christie’s New York, 13 May 1997, lot 60, $145,500; where acquired by the family of the present owner.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 - 1669), Landscape with Three Gables Cottages beside a Road. Etching and drypoint, 1650; sheet: 171 by 211mm 6 7/8 by 8 1/4 in. Estimate: £80,000-120,000 (€114,000-171,000). Photo Sotheby's

A view down a road lined with cottages is a theme which preoccupied Rembrandt from his earliest landscapes. The velvety drypoint technique used by the artist makes visual the sense of a breeze rustling in the trees, and the sharp diagonal perspective pulls the view down the country land. 

Provenance: Ex coll. A. G. Thiermann (L. 2434); a duplicate from the Kupferstichkabinett Der Staatlichen Museen, Berlin (L. 1633 and 2398); A. F. T. Bohnenberger (L. suppl. 68); Dr Otto Schäfer, his stamp verso (not in Lugt); sold his sale, Sotheby's New York, 13 May 1993, lot 62, $134,500; acquired from the above by Walter F. Johnson, sold his sale, Christie's New York, 13 May 1997, lot 65 (catalogued incorrectly), $112,500; where acquired by the family of the present owner  

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 - 1669), Landscape with a Square Tower. Etching and drypoint, 1650; sheet: 93 by 163mm 3 3/4 by 6 1/2 in. Estimate: £35,000-55,000 (€49,900-78,500). Photo Sotheby's

Rembrandt’s Dutch landscapes are a celebration of the everyday, yet with this subject the artist injects the purely Dutch motif with a romantic mood. The imaginary tower of heroic proportions provides an element of this history alongside the ordinary. The effects of light and atmosphere are skilfully conveyed in the sky, which seems to show a heavy, misting rain, an effect produced by Rembrandt’s vertical wiping of the inked plate. 

Provenance: Ex coll. C.F.J. Libert de Beaumont 1784 (L. 1679); a duplicate from the Kupferstichkabinett des Hessischen Landesmuseums (L. 1257e); Dr. Otto Schäfer, his stamp verso; sold his sale, Sotheby’s New York, 13 May 1993, lot 61, $74,000; acquired from the above by Walter F. Johnson, sold his sale, Christie’s New York, 13 May 1997, lot 66, $68,500; where acquired by the family of the present owner

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 - 1669), Clump of Trees with a Vista. Drypoint, 1652; plate: 125 by 213mm 4 7/8 by 8 3/8 in.; sheet: 130 by 219mm 5 1/8 by 8 5/8 in. Estimate: £70,000-100,000 (€100,000-143,000). Photo Sotheby's

Provenance: Ex coll. Leonard Gow; his sale, Christie's London, 31 May 1937, lot 180, £231; to Craddock; with Colnaghi London, their stock no. C.11982 verso; Gordon W. Nowell-Usticke, Christiansted, sold his sale, Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, New York, 31 October-1 November 1967, lot 92, $13,000; to Richard H. Zinser (not in Lugt); Christie's London, 8 December 2009, lot 66, £103,250; where acquired by the family of the present owner

John Constable (1776-1837), The Lock, oil on canvas, 55 x 48 inches, £8-12m. Photo: Sotheby's.

LONDON.- On 9th December this year, Sotheby’s London will offer for sale John Constable's The Lock - one of the small group of monumental landscapes, known as the 'Six Footers', which for many define the pinnacle of the artist's career. Depicting a bucolic scene on the River Stour in the artist’s native Suffolk, and painted in response to the huge critical acclaim that greeted Constable's first treatment of the composition (exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1824), the picture was treasured by the artist – retained by him in his studio till the end of his life, singled out by him for prestigious exhibitions, and chosen as the basis for the engraving that was to make it among the most familiar, and celebrated, images in the canon of British art. Having remained in the same family collection for over 150 years, it now comes to the market for the first time since 1855 with an estimate of £8-12 million. 

Major works by Constable are extremely rare in private hands. Of the other paintings forming part of the famous ‘six-footer series’ – the monumental Stour landscapes which rank among the most celebrated of Constable’s paintings – all but two are currently in public institutions. Indeed this picture is one of only three major paintings by Constable left in a private collection. 

Julian Gascoigne, Sotheby’s Senior British Pictures specialist, said: “This breath-taking painting belongs, together with The Hay Wain, to the small group of pictures that for many define Constable’s career. Constable’s absolute mastery as a landscape painter is everywhere in this picture – in the vigour of the almost impressionistic brushwork, in the drama of the clouds and the changing weather, even in the movement of the grass in the fields and the sparkle of water as it cascades through the lock. It is one of those pictures that captivates, and the more one looks, the more one sees.” 

David Moore-Gywn, British Paintings consultant to Sotheby’s, said: “For many people, Constable captures, like no other artist, the essence and beauty of the English countryside. This is quite simply one of the most loved and celebrated works in the history of British Art and also one of a very small handful of great Constables still in private hands.” 

ILLUSTRIOUS PROVENANCE 
Following Constable’s death in 1837, the picture was offered - alongside other major masterpieces - in a sale of works from the artist’s studio. It sold to Charles Birch, a leading collector of the day, for £131 and ten shillings – the second highest price in the sale, eclipsing other celebrated works such as Salisbury Cathedral (National Gallery, London). 

Some years later, Birch fell on hard times, and in 1855 the painting was offered for sale at auction, alongside other great works from his collection. It sold for £860 –a record price for any work by Constable that remained unchallenged until the Hay Wain was sold in 1866. The painting was bought by William Orme Foster, part of a family of highly successful Worcestershire industrialists, in whose family it has remained ever since. 

Foster owned one of the leading iron foundries of the early industrial revolution - The John Bradley & Co. Ironworks in Stourbridge. In 1828, one of the company’s subsidiaries manufactured ‘The Stourbridge Lion’ - the first steam locomotive to run on a railway in the United States. 

In 1867, William Orme Foster bought Apley Hall, a magnificent secluded mansion on the banks of the river Severn in Shropshire. For the next 100 years, The Lock hung in the smoking room there alongside many other great works Foster had acquired. Sitting in exquisite parkland, the neo-gothic house was reputedly considered as a potential country residence by Queen Victoria before she settled on Sandringham in Norfolk. It is also believed to be the inspiration for PG Wodehouse’s Blanding’s and the setting for some of Jeeves and Wooster’s most celebrated escapades. 

CONSTABLE AND THE LOCK 
Unlike his contemporary J.W.M. Turner, Constable did not achieve great commercial success in his lifetime. Critical acclaim and acceptance by the art establishment came late for him too. He was 54 before he was elected to the Royal Academy in 1829, so when, in 1824, the first version of The Lock was exhibited at the R.A. to huge acclaim, selling within moments to an illustrious and eager collector, it is perhaps not surprising that Constable immediately set about painting another version of the composition that had proved so successful. With The Lock, it seemed, he had found a composition that spoke both to his own, very personal and rigorous standards and that at the same time resonated with a hitherto largely uninterested public. 

When revisiting the composition, however, Constable did not slavishly reproduce his earlier rendering. Instead, he made small but important changes, most notably intensifying the atmosphere. Touches like the inclusion of more dramatic rainclouds than those in the previous version subtly hint to the move towards the more romantic sensibility of Constable’s final years. (The storm clouds brewing in the Lock compare very well with those in renowned Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows of 1831, now in the Tate, London). 

Constable remained deeply attached to this picture throughout his life. Possibly because for him it represented a ‘break-through’ moment, but also, no doubt, because of his deep affection for the landscape it depicts - the local area around East Bergholt which first inspired his imagination and made him a painter. 

His great satisfaction with, and affection for, the painting meant that he chose it both for major exhibitions (in Brussels in 1833 and in Worcester in 1834) and as the basis for the much-loved and widely circulated print by David Lucas. 

“The masterly hand with which nature is here represented in form, colouring and aerial effect, renders this one of his most important works.” --Gustav Waagen, the celebrated German Art Historian, who saw this work in Birch’s collection in 1854.

John Constable (1776-1837), The Lock, c.1824-5, oil on canvas, 55 x 48 inches, £8-12m. Photo: Sotheby's.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 – 1669), Self portrait(?) with plumed cap and lowered sabre. Etching, 1634. Estimate 7,000 — 9,000 GBP. Photo Sotheby's.

a fair impression of the third (final) state, after the plate had been reduced to an oval, the upper half of the oval emphasized with printing ink; sheet: 130 by 108mm 5 1/8 by 4 1/4 in

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 – 1669), Self portrait with Saskia. Etching, 1636. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP. Photo Sotheby's.

the third (final) state, New Hollstein's third state (of four), framed; plate: 104 by 95 mm 4 1/8 by 3 3/4 in.; sheet: 115 by 102 mm 4 1/2 by 4 in.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 – 1669), Self portrait in a velvet cap with plume. Etching, 1638. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Photo Sotheby's.

a very good impression of the only state, New Hollstein's second state (of four), framed; sheet: 135 by 105mm 5 1/4 by 4 1/8 in

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 – 1669), Self portrait drawing at a window, Etching with drypoint and burin, 1648. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 GBP. Photo Sotheby's.

the fourth state (of five), New Hollstein's fourth state (of nine), with touches of burr on the artist's right shoulder, on paper with a partial Strasbourg Lily watermark, framed; plate: 155 by 129mm 6 1/8 by 5 1/8 in; sheet: 157 by 133mm 6 1/4 by 5 1/2 in

Provenance: Ex. coll Pierre Mariette II (L. 1789); Nicholas Mossoloff (L. 1802); with Harlow, McDonald & Co., New York (their stock number 32658 printed on a label on the frame verso)

Sotheby's. Prints and Multiples, Londres,  29 sept. 2015, 02:30 PM

Cryptocephalus primarius

Cryptocephalus calidus

Cryptocephalus nigrocinctus

Cryptocephalus regalis

22.975 ct Columbian Emerald and diamond necklace by Verdura. Estimate : 35 000 € / 45 000 €. Lot sold 85.000 €. Photo Hampel.

Necklace length: ca. 39 cm. Weight: ca. 62 g. Platinum and 18 ct yellow gold. Necklace signed “VERDURA”, pendant signed “B.S.&F”.

Accompanied by a report from SSEF no. 77264 dated October 2014.

Premium, elegant necklace in rope chain look with fine brilliant-cut diamonds and baguette-cut diamonds, altogether ca. 13.5 ct, and a magnificent, older pendant with vividly coloured drop-shaped Columbian emerald cabochon, 22.975 ct, with a surround of exceptionally fine, large old-cut diamonds, altogether ca. 7.8 ct. Centrepiece detachable.  

HAMPEL FINE ART AUCTIONS, MUNICH, ALLEMAGNE. Vente de Luxe, le 25 Septembre 2015