Lot 395. Grand vase en porcelaine émaillée céladon, tianqiuping, Chine, dynastie Qing, XIXe siècle. Estimate €10,000 - €15,000 ($11,344 - $17,015). Price Realized €12,500 ($14,106). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The globular body is finely moulded with a leafy lotus scroll below a band of stylized ruyi clouds enclosing flowers, and the neck is decorated with plantain leaves. It is entirely covered in an even pale green glaze. 22 ¾ in. (58 cm.) high.

A large moulded celadon-glazed 'lotus' vase, tianqiuping, China, Qing dynasty, 19th century

Christie's. ART D'ASIE, 21 - 22 June 2016, Paris

Lot 387. Rare et important vase en porcelaine de type guan monté. Porcelaine: Chine, dynastie Qing, marque à six caractères en cachet en bleu sous couverte et époque Yongzheng (1723-1735). Estimate €40,000 - €60,000 ($45,375 - $68,062). Price Realized €42,300 ($47,734). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The sturdily-potted hexagonal vessel rises from a short, gently splayed foot and is surmounted by a flaring neck, and it is entirely applied with an unctuous pale celadon glaze. The neck and base are applied with ormolu mounts in the Louis XV style, dated to circa 1880; base drilled. 20 7/8 in. (53 cm.) high, excluding ormolu stand.

A rare and large ormolu-mounted guan-type hexagonal vase. Porcelain: China, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng six character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1723-1735)

Provenance: With C.T. Loo, Paris, by repute.

Notes: The application of Song-type celadon glazes to porcelain, such as the present lot, was another aspect of archaism seen at the court of the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors. Song dynasty glazes that were particularly revered by the Ming and Qing emperors included Northern Song Ru ware and Southern Song Guan ware and Ge ware. Compare to a large Yongzheng hexagonal celadon guan-type glazed vase in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 226, pl. 204.

Christie's. ART D'ASIE, 21 - 22 June 2016, Paris

Racket tailed Treepie, Thailand.

Dollar roller, Wong Jay Coraciidae. A bird native of Thailand.

Blossom-headed Parakeet, Thailand.

Northern Lapwing, Thailand.

Black-collared Starling, Thailand.

Pied Imperial Pigeon, Thailand.

Green Cochoa, Thailand.

Fire-tufted Barbet, Wong Barbet Megalaimidae, Thailand

Eurasian Jay, Thailand.

Grey-chinned Minivet, Thailand.

EDINBURGH.- Scottish National Gallery is the UK’s exclusive host of the first major international exhibition of the work of pioneering French landscape painter Charles-François Daubigny and his influence on the Impressionists. 

This summer the National Galleries of Scotland stages the first ever large-scale exhibition to examine the important relationship between the hugely successful landscape painter Charles-François Daubigny (1817-78) and the Impressionists, including two of the most celebrated and popular of all European artists, Claude Monet (1840–1926) and Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90). 

Inspiring Impressionism: Daubigny, Monet, Van Gogh is one of the highlights of the Galleries’ summer exhibition programme. 

The exhibition brings together 95 works from across the world in an unprecedented collaboration between the Scottish National Gallery, the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, USA and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The Scottish National Gallery exclusively hosts the UK’s only showing of this exceptional display. 

Inspiring Impressionism features major paintings by all three artists, on loan from many of the greatest art collections in the world, including the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and many other American museums; from London the British Museum, the National Gallery and Tate; and the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. 

Re-evaluating the origins of the Impressionist movement, the exhibition not only demonstrates the profound influence Daubigny had upon the Impressionists, but also examines their reciprocal impact on his later style, with the full range of his output represented, from his finished ‘official’ paintings to his smaller oil sketches painted directly from nature. 

A series of fascinating and often surprising juxtapositions have been put together for the very first time, offering visitors the unprecedented chance to compare the show’s three featured artists’ varied treatments of a selection of motifs which held a common attraction for them – orchards, sunsets, poppy fields and river scenes. 

Other significant comparisons have been made with important works by Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) and Alfred Sisley (1839-1899). 

Charles François Daubigny, Fields in the Month of June (1874). Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, gift of Louis V. Keeler, Class of 1911, and Mrs Keeler. 

Daubigny was a prolific and successful artist who played a leading role in making landscape a major subject for painting in France in the nineteenth century. He also anticipated and influenced many of the practices associated with Impressionism through unusual and innovative compositions, his radically ‘unfinished’ style and the practice of regularly painting out-of-doors. In 1865, almost a decade before the 1874 group exhibition that first elicited the label ‘Impressionism’, Daubigny was referred to as the “leader” of the “school of the impression”. 

Charles François Daubigny, Sunset Near Villerville. © The Mesdag Collection, The Hague.

He pioneered many techniques considered unusual at the time, such as painting from the middle rather than the banks of a river. In order to achieve this he had a studio boat specially constructed in 1857 and would make annual voyages in it down the great rivers of France such as the Oise, the Marne and the Seine. From the early 1870s onward Monet would follow suit and in turn depicted the Seine in many unforgettable canvases painted from his own studio boat in emulation of Daubigny. Daubigny made great use of ‘double-square’ canvases (double the width of their height) and Van Gogh would replicate this practice in his last series of paintings at Auvers-sur-Oise.

Claude Monet, Sunset on the River Seine at Lavacourt, Winter Effect (1880). © Petit Palais, Musee des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris

Daubigny’s influence on the young Monet is readily evident in the latter’s large and early painting, shown at the official Paris Salon in 1865, Pointe de la Hève at Low Tide, a major loan to our exhibition from the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. This shows the younger artist responding to Daubigny’s Cliffs near Villerville, another of our star exhibits, which also depicts the Normandy coast and had been shown at the Salon the previous year (1864). Both paintings are dramatic landscapes with brooding storm clouds and a sea turned to a milky jade by breaking sunlight. In both pictures formal composition is combined with fresh observation of nature. They demonstrate a similarity of intention between the two artists at this stage and this artistic dialogue would continue in the following decades. 

Claude Monet, The Seine at Lavacourt (1880). © Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund

Daubigny was influential in other ways, for he was an important supporter of the young Impressionists and in 1871 he introduced Monet and Pissarro to Paul Durand-Ruel, who went on to become the leading dealer in Impressionism and a key source of financial support.

Vincent Van Gogh, Daubignyʼs Garden (1890). Collection Rudolf Staechelin.

Van Gogh, who was half a generation younger than most of the Impressionists, revered Daubigny, considering him one of “the great forerunners” of modern landscape whose paintings were sincere expressions of nature, imbued with emotion. In the last two months of his life (he shot himself in 1890), Van Gogh moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, where Daubigny, who died in 1878, had settled. 

Van Gogh was granted permission by Daubigny’s widow to paint the Daubigny family home and garden and many of the works he painted there can be considered as a direct homage to his distinguished predecessor, for example his Poppy Field, Auvers-sur-Oise (1890). The brooding and dramatic depictions of cornfields, a reflection of the profound sadness and anxiety Van Gogh was experiencing at this time, drew their ultimate inspiration from the rural scenes that Daubigny had painted many years earlier, testament yet again to his enduring influence.

Vincent Van Gogh, Farms Near Auvers (1890). Tate, London, bequeathed by C. Frank Stoop.

Michael Clarke, Director of the Scottish National Gallery, said:“This is a ground-breaking exhibition. If you want to understand how Impressionism came about you have to look at Daubigny. In his own time he was recognised, together with his close friend Camille Corot, as one of the great landscape painters. This show rescues him from long and unjustified neglect and reveals for the first time the inspiration and support he provided to the young Impressionists and to the ultimately tragic figure of Vincent van Gogh.” 

George Reid, EY’s Head of Financial Services, Scotland: “At EY we are delighted to support the National Galleries of Scotland host this unique collection of masterpieces in Edinburgh from such influential artists. Daubigny, Monet and Van Gogh were legacy builders and we are proud to sponsor this celebration and appreciation of their work. Inspiring Impressionism is a fantastic example of international collaboration and draws parallels with our commitment to building a better working world. We understand the important role that a thriving artistic and cultural environment plays in creating a healthy community and a strong economy. This exhibition is set to delight gallery visitors from around the world.”

Lot 8048. A fine archaistic very pale greenish-white jade vase, Qianlong period (1735-1795). Estimate US$ 80,000 - 120,000 (€72,000 - 110,000). Photo Bonhams.

Exceptionally carved from a single piece of very pale greenish-white stone, the flattened body swelling elegantly before narrowing to rest on a small stepped foot, the smooth sides minimally embellished with a band of shallow-carved taotie masks above the foot and another band of confronted chilong around the neck, flanked by a pair of chilong handles suspending loose rings, the lip and foot incised with a key fret band; carved wood stand and cover. 7 7/8in (19.8cm) high

Provenance: By repute, acquired in New York in the 1940s

Notes: The present lot is an exceptional example of the quality, tradition and innovation characteristic of Qianlong period jade workmanship. It is striking for the elegant balance achieved between the broadly swelling body and the narrow stepped foot. This playful yet sophisticated approach to proportion illustrates the craftsman's ability to respond to the natural qualities of each individual raw stone, and to create a unique form within the prevailing tradition of archaism.

While the proportions of the present lot are exceptionally rare and pleasing, the contrast between the restrained, smoothly polished body and the delicate low relief archaistic decorative bands is typical of Qianlong period design. The refined carving allows the purity and translucence of the natural stone to be appreciated fully, so taking full advantage of the highest quality stones from Khotan that became available following the subjugation of Xinjiang. The use of motifs such as the taotie mask, derived from archaic bronzes, embodies the preoccupation of the Qianlong Emperor himself to restore China's greatness through studying the strict moral principles of ancient times.  

For related examples of fine archaistic jade vases, see a square form vase carved with taotie masks from the Qing Court Collection illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Hong Kong, 2006, no. 146, and a vase and cover from the Joanna Lau Sullivan Collection sold in our New York rooms, sale 23337, 14 March 2016, lot 8064.

Lot 8040. A large white and russet jade recumbent phoenix, 18th century. Estimate US$ 20,000 - 30,000 (€18,000 - 27,000). Photo Bonhams.

Exceptionally finely carved from an even white stone highlighted with attractive russet inclusions, the bird depicted crouching with its legs tucked neatly underneath the body, the proudly crested head turned to look backwards over the elaborately feathered body and wings, the long tail heavily plumaged with thick, curling feathers, all polished to a soft gleam. 6in (15cm) long

Lot 8037. A white jade marriage bowl, 18th-19th Century. Estimate US$ 20,000 - 30,000 (€18,000 - 27,000). Photo Bonhams.

Of compressed globular form, carved with carp swimming amid swirling waves across the floor of the well and with millet stalks surrounding the low exterior walls, reticulated plaques of flower and leaf scrolls topping the opposing loop handles suspending loose rings; the celadon-tinged matrix displaying icy white inclusions, some natural fissure line and faint russet staining; with elaborately carved wood stand. 9in (23cm) wide

Provenance: Christies New York sale, 27 November 1991, lot 187
Bonhams, San Francisco, sale 17541, 15 December 2009, lot 8089

Exhibited: Chinese Beauty & Elegance: Collecting and Connoisseurship in Scholarly Taste, Las Vegas Art Museum, 29 July to 23 September 2006

Lot 8043. A white jade plaque with plum blossom branch, Qing dynasty. Estimate US$ 20,000 - 30,000 (€18,000 - 27,000). Photo Bonhams.

The fine white stone crisply carved on one side with an intricately twisting prunus branch reaching from the stylized cloud scrolls at the base to cover the top with a profusion of blossoms, the reverse with six seal script characters reading zhi qi bai, shou qi hei. 2 7/8in (7.3cm) high

Lot 8051. A pair of Green Jade ruyi scepters, Late Qing-Republic period. Estimate US$ 20,000 - 30,000 (€18,000 - 27,000). Photo Bonhams.

Each carved as a mirror image of the other with images of the Eight Immortals in landscape setting: the scepter head showing Lan Caihe holding a basket, Zhang Guolao holding bamboo percussion instruments, and Han Zhongli holding a palm leaf fan and Lou Dongbin with a fly whisk standing at the top of a stairwell; the center reserve displaying Cao Guojiu holding jade clappers, Han Xiangzi with a flute and Li Tieguai leaning on his metal crutch; the base depicting He Xiangu holding a lotus; the reverse of the scepter head and curving handle recessed and the surfaces polished to a soft luster. 17 1/4in (44cm) long

Lot 8055. A fine white jade 'shuangxi' tray, 18th century. Estimate US$ 15,000 - 25,000 (€14,000 - 23,000). Photo Bonhams.

Lot 8039. A rare gray-green jade bell, 17th-18th century. Estimate US$ 12,000 - 18,000 (€11,000 - 16,000). Photo Bonhams.

The bell very thinly hollowed from grayish stone with scattered natural inclusions, the high straight sides carved with a band of stylized animal heads and scrolls at the bottom edge, below bands of archaistic raised bosses beneath a row of rope-edged medallions containing three whorls, all surmounted by a separately carved reticulated handle of stylized chilong heads and key frets; the wood frame for suspension with a shaped amethyst finial. The jade 5 1/2in (14cm) high

Notes: Jade bells such as the present lot are unusual: although carved jade can give a pleasing musical note when struck, and was frequently used for prestigious ritual musical chimes, it is rarer to find examples of bells carved in jade. It seems likely that such pieces were used more for decorative purposes, reflecting the Qing dynasty revival of interest in archaic traditions and the moral strength derived from them. 

With its rows of bosses and dragon handles, the form of the present lot is based on that of Zhou dynasty ritual bronze bells. Compare a related but smaller jade bell dated to the 17th/18th century sold at Christie's, New York, sale 3767, 17-18 September 2015, lot 2383, and another example dated to the Qianlong period sold at Christie's, Paris, sale 4024, 9 June 2015, lot 48.

Lot 8038. A pale greenish-white jade double gourd pendant, 18th century. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€9,000 - 14,000). Photo Bonhams.

Thinly sectioned and carved on both sides in subtle relief with a raised edge and a leaf-scroll pattern framing the characters da ji (Great Good Fortune), the suspension drill hole at the top now covered by a modern yellow metal suspension mount. 2 5/8in (6.8cm) length of jade plaque; 3 3/8in (8.5cm) length including metal mount

Lot 8044. A very pale green jade rectangular plaque, 18th-19th century, the inscription later. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€9,000 - 14,000). Photo Bonhams.

The slender plaque of pale and even stone delicately carved in shallow relief with a distinctive gnarled and spiky prunus branch issuing buds and five-petaled blossoms, all finished with a softly gleaming polish, the reverse with an incised inscription and seal embellished with traces of gilt reading Luofu xianpin. 6 1/2in x 4 3/8in (16.5cm x 11.2cm)

Note: The inscribed four-line poem can be translated as:
Spring has come to Luofu
On subtle sweet scents from these refined (plum trees)
Carrying a celestial elegance
Distilled over the course of many lifetimes.

Lot 8054. A pale green jade carving of a mountain, 18th-19th century. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€9,000 - 14,000). Photo Bonhams.

 Finely carved as a miniature mountain scene of a scholar and his boy attendant with a peach traversing a bridge spanning a rushing stream towards a remote pavilion, all amid pine and wutong, the reverse with deep rocky hollows and a crane in flight. 3 1/2in (9cm) wide

Lot 8045. A white jade flattened vase and cover, 19th century. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€9,000 - 14,000). Photo Bonhams.

Finely hollowed from even white stone, the very slender almost circular body raised on a flaring foot and delicately carved with a pair of animal heads at the shoulders and a further pair at the lower edges beside low relief carving of dragon heads and square scrolls, the long straight neck edged with chilong heads and reticulated square scrolls and the cover similarly carved; fixed wood stand. 5 3/8in (13.7cm) high

Lot 8063. A green and lavender jadeite vase and cover, Republic period. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€9,000 - 14,000). Photo Bonhams.

The pale stone with bright apple green and soft lavender inclusions, deeply hollowed as a baluster vase on a spreading foot, the body carved in shallow relief with two fierce chilong each with long sinuous tails and issuing scrolling foliate tendrils, both in pursuit of a single flaming pearl, the straight neck flanked by two mythical beast heads suspending loose ring handles, the cover with a horned and roaring lion forming the finial. 8 3/8in (21.3cm) high

Bonhams. CHINESE, INDIAN, HIMALAYAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART AND PAINTINGS, 2016-06-28, 12:00 PDT, SAN FRANCISCO

Gino Severini, Le marchand d'oublies, 1909, Collezione privata [Mart].

ROVERETO .- After its great success in Madrid, Painters of light. From Divisionism to Futurism comes to the Mart Museum in Rovereto, from June 25 to October 9, 2016. 

The exhibition, which includes masterpieces from the collections of the Mart and prestigious public and private loans, illustrates the origins and development of Divisionism, which played a key role in the Italian artistic renewal between the end of the 19th and early 20th century, eventually being incorporated in the avant-garde Futurist movement. 

Carlo Carrà, Ci che mi ha detto il tram, 1911 [Mart].

Divisionism established itself in 1891 at the Triennale di Brera, with the first "public" showing of a group of young painters—Segantini, Pellizza da Volpedo, Morbelli and Longoni—supported by Vittore Grubicy de Dragon. Basing themselves on a visual revolution arising from scientific discoveries concerning the composition of colours and focusing on the expressive power of light, they also changed the subjects painted, tending toward a modernity in the themes depicted: these ranged from social content in an Italy only recently united and still seeking its own cultural identity, to more lyrical subjects linked in some way to the international trend of Symbolism.  

Lot 8184. A large scholar's rock. Estimate US$ 3,500 - 4,500 (€3,200 - 4,100). Photo Bonhams.

The dark stone whorled in a slightly off kilter vortex of columnar shape, raised atop a footed stand. 30in (76cm) height exclusive of wood stand

Lot 8185. A large scholar's rock. Estimate US$ 3,500 - 4,500 (€3,200 - 4,100). Photo Bonhams.

Of smoothed whitish stone with soft grey inclusions, the rounded surface with deep circular hollows and a central void, wood stand. 17 3/4in (45cm) wide

Lot 8197. A large scholar's rock. Estimate US$ 3,500 - 4,500 (€3,200 - 4,100). Photo Bonhams.

The dark stone weathered into a gnarled circular arch perhaps vaguely reminiscent of a Buddhist mandorla, raised upon a footed stand. 30in (76cm) height exclusive of wood stand

Lot 8199. A large scholar's rock. Estimate US$ 4,000 - 6,000 (€3,600 - 5,400). Photo Bonhams.

The dark stone intricately weathered in tall curving columnar shape to form a vaguely tree-like appearance, raised atop a footed stand. 26in (66cm) height exclusive of stand

Bonhams. CHINESE, INDIAN, HIMALAYAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART AND PAINTINGS, 2016-06-28, 12:00 PDT, SAN FRANCISCO

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Breda (?), c. 1525 - 1569 Brussels), Wooded Landscape with a Distant View toward the Sea, 1554. Brown ink, brown wash and white opaque watercolor over black chalk on blue antique laid paper, 26 x 34.4 cm (10 1/4 x 13 9/16 in.). The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999.132. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

The Harvard Art Museums hold one of the most comprehensive U.S. collections of Netherlandish, Dutch, and Flemish drawings from the 15th to 18th century. This exhibition will present about 40 of those drawings, covering five salient themes in the art history of the Netherlands during the 16th and 17th centuries. Works by the period’s outstanding draftsmen will be on view, including Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Lambert Doomer, Jacques de Gheyn II, Hendrick Goltzius, Jan van Goyen, Maarten van Heemskerck, Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Paul Rubens, and Cornelis Vroom. The first section, comprised of drawings from the 1500s, highlights the stylistic innovations precipitated by contact with Italian Renaissance models. A second group evokes the imagery propagated by a resurgent Catholic church in the southern Netherlands after the division of the Low Countries into an independent and officially Protestant North (the Dutch Republic) and a Catholic South ruled by regents of the Spanish monarchy. A third group shows the range of subjects and techniques explored in the drawings of Rembrandt and the adaptation of his draftsmanship by some of his pupils and close followers. The emergence of landscape as an autonomous artistic genre is the focus of the fourth section, which includes works by 16th-century precursors of the naturalistic landscape and illustrates several of the types of views depicted by Dutch 17th-century masters. Dutch draftsmen of the 17th century also helped turn portraits and scenes from everyday life into autonomous artistic genres of remarkable variety and sophistication. Drawings in the final section range from poignant studies taken from life to complete compositions rife with humor and layers of meaning that would have delighted and challenged viewers of the period.

This exhibition corresponds to the publication of Drawings from the Age of Bruegel, Rubens, and Rembrandt, which catalogues 100 of the most significant 16th- to 18th-century works from the Netherlandish, Dutch, and Flemish schools in the museums’ collections. The catalogue presents the results of extensive research conducted by William W. Robinson, curator emeritus of drawings; Susan Anderson, curatorial research associate for Dutch and Flemish drawings; and Penley Knipe, the Philip and Lynn Straus Conservator of Works of Art on Paper in the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies. It focuses on the media, supports, techniques, attribution, function, provenance, and iconographic interpretation of these works.

Jacques de Gheyn II (Antwerp, 1565 - 1629 The Hague), Crossbowman Assisted by a Milkmaid, c. 1600-1610. Brown ink, gray and brown wash over black and red chalk on off-white antique laid paper, 39 x 32.5 cm (15 3/8 x 12 13/16 in.); mount: 43.7 x 37.8 cm (17 3/16 x 14 7/8 in.); framed: 73 x 61 cm (28 3/4 x 24 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Meta and Paul J. Sachs, 1953.86. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

The Harvard Art Museums’ collection of drawings from the Low Countries has grown in recent decades, thanks to the generosity of donors such as Melvin R. Seiden (Harvard College ’52; Harvard Law ’55) and, especially, Maida and George Abrams (Harvard College ’54; Harvard Law ’57), whose 1999 gift of 110 works transformed the collection into one of the most comprehensive in any U.S. museum.

Curated by William W. Robinson, the Maida and George Abrams Curator of Drawings, emeritus, at the Harvard Art Museums.

May 21, 2016–August 14, 2016. Harvard Art Museums

Jacques de Gheyn II (Antwerp, 1565 - 1629 The Hague), A Roma Woman with a Child, c. 1604. Brown ink and black chalk on light tan antique laid paper, 16.2 x 13.1 cm (6 3/8 x 5 3/16 in.). The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Promised Gift, 25.1998.10. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. 

Hendrick Goltzius, (Mühlbracht 1558 - 1617 Haarlem, Netherlands), Portrait of a Man, 1591. Black, red, and ocher chalk, and gray wash, some incised lines, silhouetted, on cream antique laid paper, framing line in black ink, 36.3 x 27.2 cm (14 5/16 x 10 11/16 in.). The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999.141. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Jan van Goyen, Dutch (Leiden 1596 - 1656 The Hague), On the Seashore, 1652. Black chalk and gray wash on cream antique laid paper, framing line in black chalk, 14.3 x 21.7 cm (5 5/8 x 8 9/16 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Meta and Paul J. Sachs, 1965.204. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Maarten van Heemskerck, Netherlandish (1498 - 1574), Giving Drink to the Thirsty, 1552. Brown ink over touches of black chalk and incidental white opaque watercolor, incised, on cream antique laid paper, framing line in brown ink over black chalk, actual: 25.6 x 20 cm (10 1/16 x 7 7/8 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Purchase through the generosity of an Anonymous Donor, 1994.155. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Dutch (Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam),  A Standing Old Man, c. 1638. Brown ink on antique laid paper probably toned with light brown wash, framing line in brown ink, 18 x 10.2 cm (7 1/16 x 4 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Meta and Paul J. Sachs, 1965.213. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Dutch (Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam),  Zacharias (?) and the Angel, c. 1635.  Brown ink on off-white antique laid paper, two framing lines in brown ink, 10.9 x 11.5 cm (4 5/16 x 4 1/2 in.). The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; 1999.163. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Dutch (Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam),  A Farm on the Amsteldijk (?), c. 1650-1652.  Brown ink, brown wash and white opaque watercolor on cream antique laid paper, 10.9 x 22.1 cm (4 5/16 x 8 11/16 in.). The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gift of George Abrams in memory of Maida Abrams; 2004.181. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Dutch (Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam),  Landscape with a Farmstead ("Winter Landscape"), c. 1650.  Brown ink, pale brown wash, and incidental marks in black chalk on cream antique laid paper, prepared with light rose-brown wash, mounted overall, framing line in brown ink, 6.7 x 16 cm (2 5/8 x 6 5/16 in.); framed: 26.7 x 38.1 cm (10 1/2 x 15 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Charles A. Loeser, 1932.368. © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish (Siegen 1577 - 1640 Antwerp), Studies for Apostles; verso: Study of Drapery, c. c. 1611. Black chalk on gray antique laid paper; verso: black chalk, 35.2 x 25.9 cm (13 7/8 x 10 3/16 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of The Honorable and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss, 1936.123 © President and Fellows of Harvard College 

Lot 376. Deux rares et importants vases rituels en bronze, gu, Chine, fin de la dynastie Shang, XIIIème-XIème siècle av.JC. Estimation €60,000 - €80,000 ($68,062 - $90,749). Prix réalisé€199,500 ($58,567). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Each of slender form, the trumpet-shaped neck is finely cast with four blades of cicada type above a narrow band of four angular snakes with hooked tails. The center section is decorated with two taotie masks divided and separated by narrow flanges, the flared foot with a narrow band of birds above two larger taotie masks, each cast inside the foot with the same inscription. The bronze has a mottled grey and milky green patina and areas of green malachite encrustation. 11 in. (28 cm.) high, wood stands.

Provenance: Property of a French private collection, acquired prior to 1984, and thence by descent.

Two rare and important bronze  ritual wine vessels, gu, China, Shang dynasty, 13th-11th Century BC.

Notes: The graph on the interior of both foot shows a human figure in profile, with prominent foot and hand reaching towards an implement, possibly a baton. The figure in profile may represent fu (father), and the implement he reaches for may identify his family name. 

These pairs of finely cast gu are associated with the angular and precise style from the latter part of Anyang period, which all exhibit the same distinctive structure and the same decorative sequence of motifs.

A bronze gu with very similar cast decoration, but incorporating inverted taotie masks set within the blades on the neck, are illustrated by R.W. Bagley in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1987, pp. 255, nos. 38. Compare to another similar pair of bronze gu from the Arthur M Sackler Collections, sold at Christie's New York, 14 September 2009, lot 5.

Lot 374. Grand vase rituel en bronze, jia, Chine, fin de la dynastie Shang, XIIIème-XIème siècle av.JC. Estimation €20,000 - €30,000 ($22,687 - $34,031). Prix réalisé€51,900 ($58,567). Photo Christie's Image ltd 2016.

Raised on three blade-form supports, the body is cast with two bands of taotie masks, each composed of three masks positioned between the supports and with rounded eyes and slender dividing flange, with a simple strap handle surmounted by a mythical animal's head and a pair of rectangular posts with large conical caps cast with comma motifs; restorations. 12 ¾ in. (32.5 cm.) high

A large bronze tripod wine vessel, jia, China, Shang dynasty, 13th-11th Century BC.

Provenance: Property of a French private collection, acquired prior to 1989, and thence by descent.

Notes: A jia of larger size (45 cm. high) with similar decoration dated to the 13th-12th century BC is illustrated by R.W. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington, DC and Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1987, pp. 164-5, no. 7.

Lot 372. Petite cloche rituelle en bronze, nao, Chine, fin de la dynastie Shang, XIIème-XIème siècle av.JC. Estimation €10,000 - €15,000 ($11,344 - $17,015). Prix réalisé€12,500 ($14,106). Photo Christie's Image ltd 2016.

Both side are cast in high relief with a taotie mask, and the hollow, tapering shank opens into the base of the bell. 6 ¼ in. (16 cm.) high, wood stand

A small ritual bronze bell, nao, China, Late Shang Dynasty, 12th-11th Century BC.

Notes: The musical instrument nao first appeared in China in the late Shang period and continued to be made into the early Zhou dynasty. They were made in sets of five or three, and were probably held upright in stands so that they could be struck from the exterior. Most of them have been excavated in the south of Henan, south of Shandong and Shaanxi provinces. A set of five was found in Fu Hao's tomb in Anyang, and is illustrated in Yinxu Fu Hao mu, Beijing, 1980, pl. LXII (1). A comparable example was sold in Christie's New York, 20-21 March 2014, lot 2010.

Lot 375. Rare bol couvert rituel en bronze, gui, Chine, début de la dynastie des Zhou occidentaux, XIème-Xème siècle av.JC. Estimation €10,000 - €15,000 ($11,344 - $17,015). Prix réalisé€12,500 ($14,106). Photo Christie's Image ltd 2016.

Raised on a flared pedestal foot, the globular body is surmounted by a pair of C-scroll handles issuing from a bovine mask and terminating in a hooked pendent tab. The neck is cast in low relief with a band of taotie masks separated by a mythical animal's head, and a similar band is repeated on the doomed cover and the foot. The interior of the vessel and the cover are cast with a three-character archaic inscription reading: zuo zun yi (‘made this precious vessel'), and the base is incised with archaic patterns; small restoration. 
7 7/8 in. (20 cm.) high, wood stand

A rare bronze ritual food vessel and cover, gui, China, Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 11th-10th century BC.

Provenance: Property of a French private collection, acquired prior to 1989, and thence by descent.

Notes: A gui with similar decoration on the shoulder and foot, is illustrated in Catalogue to the Special Exhibition of Grain Vessels of the Shang and Chou Dynasties, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1985, pp. 254-255, pl. 42. Also compare to a very similar bronze gui and cover, dated early Western Zhou dynasty, sold in Christie's New York, 22-23 March 2012, lot 1520.

Lot 370. Deux petits vases rituels en bronze, hu, Chine, Epoque des Royaumes Combattants, IVème-IIIème siècle av.JC. Estimation €12,000 - €18,000 ($13,612 - $20,419). Prix réalisé€15,000 ($16,927). Photo Christie's Image ltd 2016. 

Both pear-shaped vases are flat-cast with bands of scroll-filled, triangular pattern set within narrow scroll borders which are repeated on the neck. At the base there is a band of upright triangular blades filled with scrolls. There is a pair of mask handles suspending loose rings on the shoulders. 11 ¾ in. (30 cm.) high

Two small bronze  ritual wine vessels, hu, China, Warring States period, 4th-3rd century BC

Provenance: With La Maison Han-Martine Nathan, Paris, 4 December 1997.
Property of a French Private collector.

Note: A very similar hu, is illustrated by J. So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1995, p. 284, no. 51, dated late Warring States period, 3rd century BC.

Lot 371. Epée en bronze, Chine, Epoque des Royaumes Combattants-Dynastie Han (475 av. JC.-220 ap.JC). Estimation €12,000 - €18,000 ($13,612 - $20,419). Prix réalisé€15,000 ($16,927). Photo Christie's Image ltd 2016.

The elongated blade has bevelled edges and a distinct median ridge, and both sides are incised with two bands ofleiwen motifs. The hilt has two circular flanges and a circular dished pommel. 23 in. (58.5 cm.) long

A bronze sword, China, Warring States period-Han dynasty (475 BC-AD 220)

Lot 369. Grand vase rituel en bronze, hu, Chine, Dynastie des Han Occidentaux (206 AV.JC.-8 AP.JC). Estimation €8,000 - €12,000 ($9,075 - $13,612). Prix réalisé€13,750 ($15,516). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

Raised on a pedestal foot, the pear-shaped body is encircled by three slightly concave bands and with a pair of masks suspending loose rings on the shoulder. 18 1/8 in. (46 cm.) high

A large bronze ritual wine vessel, hu, China, Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 8)

Provenance: With Michael Goedhuis, London, 20 June 1992.

Property of a French Private Collection.

Christie's. ART D'ASIE, 21 - 22 June 2016, Paris

Lot 35. Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), Concetto spaziale, Attese, signed, titled and inscribed Ho un ‘plurimo’ nel ‘buco’ on the reverse, waterpaint on canvas, 55 by 46 cm. 21 5/8 by 18 1/8 in. Executed in 1968. Estimation 1,300,000 — 1,800,000 GBP (1,646,450 - 2,279,700 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: Pisano, Milan

Silvana Buffolano, Santa Maria Capua Vetere

Private Collection, Italy 

Galleria Mazzoleni, Turin

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2005

Bibliography: Enrico Crispolti, Fontana: Catalogo Generale, Vol. II, Milan 1986, p. 700, no. 68 T 129, illustrated (colour incorrectly described)

Enrico Crispolti, Lucio Fontana, Catalogo Ragionato di Sculture, Dipinti, Ambientazioni, Vol. II, Milan 2006, p. 891, no. 68 T 129, illustrated (colour incorrectly described)

Lucio Fontana, 1960. Image: © Photo Scala, Florence/bpk, Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, Berlin. Artwork: © Lucio Fontana/SIAE/DACS, London 2016

Notes: Two unwavering incisions cut into a bold red canvas mark the present work as among Lucio Fontana’s most powerful, energetic, and dramatic iterations of the Concetto Spaziale, Attese. Translated from Italian, they are called 'Spatial Concepts, Expectations', but are more famously known as the tagli or ‘Cuts’.

For Fontana, 1968 marked a decade since his initial conceptualisation and experimentation for the tagli series, and two years after his International Grand Prize for Painting at the XXXIII Venice Biennale where he exhibited an installation of pure whitetagli. As a result, the present work clearly expresses Fontana’s artistic philosophy in the most powerful way. Through the radical action of cutting, Fontana physically, visually, and conceptually breaks with five-hundred years of tradition in Western art history (Erika Billeter, ‘Lucio Fontana: Between Traditional and Avant-Garde,’ in: Exh. Cat., New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Lucio Fontana 1899-1968: A Retrospective, 1977, p. 13). Rather than represent space in an illusionistic way on a flat picture plane, he cuts through the canvas to create a literal three-dimensional opening. What emerges from the destruction of the surface is a new innovative way to paint that re-conceptualises space in art. 

Just as Fontana was pushing the boundaries of painting’s relationship to material space, scientific advances were venturing into the cosmos. Throughout his lifetime, Fontana witnessed an escalation in scientific discoveries that lead up to the heated Space Race, starting with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in 1916, the splitting of the atom by Ernest Rutherford in 1919, Georges Lemaître’s Big Bang Theory in 1931, Robert Oppenheimer’s theorising on black holes, the launch of Sputnik by the USSR in 1957, and finally man’s first journey into space with Yuri Gagarin in 1961. Deeply influenced by these developments, Fontana’s tagli provided a way for him to work through his own ideas concerning the relationship between cosmic and material space. Just as Gagarin broke through the limits of the Earth’s atmosphere to reveal the universe beyond, Fontana sliced through the canvas only to reveal enveloping darkness. In so doing, his transformative leap from a two to three-dimensional painting of space similarly invokes the discoveries of the scientific community, and their quest to understand the relationship between space and the fourth dimension, time.  Herein, the telleta, which are black strips of gauze added to the backside of the canvas, are just as significant as the cuts themselves: they come to represent the blackness of outer space, an unexplored territory and the infinite dark unknown.

In the vastness of the universe, it is mind-boggling to conceive that we are made up of the same material – the basic atoms, molecules, and elements – of the stars and planets in the universe. The present work captures this awe-inspiring sense of looking outwards, beyond the atmosphere, but also looking inwards, beneath our own skin. The sharp cuts made into the red flesh of the canvas evoke a wound that has deeply saturated the surrounding area with blood. There is an underlying violence, then, to the present work that contemporaneously resonates with Christ’s wounds on the cross. 

On the other hand, the present work is also very much in dialogue with the canonical Abstract Expressionist works that were produced in the contemporaneous post-war years. The act of cutting indexically captures gesture, similar to Jackson Pollock’s action paintings (drip paintings); the long vertical cuts formally resemble Barnett Newman’s iconic ‘zip’ in works such as Onement I (1948); and the juxtaposition of bright red with dark black recalls Mark Rothko’s resonating colour field paintings. Thus, while looking forward with hope to the future space age, Fontana’s work is also rooted in the past by maintaining a dialogue with the icons and paintings that came before in art history.

Overall, Concetto Spaziale, Attese’s incredibly striking composition succeeds in keeping a series of conceptual tensions in parallel – as formally echoed by the two, nearly identical, crisp cuts running down this seductive red canvas. Simultaneously looking forwards and backwards in time, the present work also provokes us to look outwards, towards the stars, and inwards, within ourselves.

Sotheby's. Contemporary Art Evening Auction, Londres, 28 juin 2016, 07:00 PM

Lot 9342. A group of three large underglaze blue and enameled dishes, Vietnam, late 15th-early 16th century. Estimate US$ 1,000 - 1,500 (€910 - 1,400). Photo Bonhams.

Painted in a combination of underglaze blue and traces of overglaze enamels with a bird on a flowering branch on two dishes, two birds on a fruiting branch across the third, cloud patterns filling the interior walls, traces of a lotus petal band encircling the exterior walls and brown wash applied across the recessed bases (extensive degrading to glaze and enamels moderate to extensive staining). 13 7/8, 13 5/8 and 13 1/2in (35.3, 35 and 34.3cm) diameters

Provenance: Butterfields, San Francisco, sale 7178O, 3 December 2000, lot 6354 (one dish illustrated)

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 3. Yves Klein (1928 - 1962), Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 217), stamped with the artist's monogram on the reverse, dry pigment and synthetic resin on canvas laid down on panel, 78.1 by 56.2 cm. 30 3/4 by 22 1/8 in. Executed in 1957. Estimation 1,500,000 — 2,000,000 GBP (1,899,750 - 2,533,000 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

This work is registered in the Yves Klein Archives under number IKB 217.  

Provenance: Galleria Apollinaire, Milan

Gallery Yves Arman, New York

Marie-Christophe de Menil, New York

Jan Eric Löwenadler, Stockholm

Private Collection, South Korea 

Christie’s, London, 13 February 2013, Lot 38

Acquired from the above by the late owner 

Exhibition: Milan, Galleria Apollinaire, Yves Klein: Proposte monocrome, epoca Blu, January 1957

New York, Salander O'Reilly Gallery, Barnard Collects, The Educated Eye, September - October 1989, n.p., no. 20, illustrated in colour

Luxembourg, Musée national d'histoire et d'art, L'École de Paris? 1945-1964, December 1998 - February 1999, p. 255, illustrated in colour.

Invitation card of the exhibition Yves Klein: Proposte monocrome, epoca Blu at Galerie Apollinaire, Milan,  2 - 12 January 1957© Photo all rights reserved. All artwork: © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / DACS, London, 2016

View of the exhibition Yves Klein: Proposte monocrome, epoca Blu at Galerie Apollinaire, Milan, 2 - 12 January 1957 © Photo all rights reserved. All artwork: © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / DACS, London, 2016

Yves Klein, Adriano Parisot, Ada Parisot, Pierre Restany, Lutka Pink at the exhibition Yves Klein: Proposte monocrome, epoca Blu at Galerie Apollinaire, Milan, 2 - 12 January 1957 © Photo all rights reserved. All artwork: © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / DACS, London, 2016

Yves Klein in front of his monochromes, Galleria Apollinaire, January 1957. Image: © Photo all rights reserved. Artwork: © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / DACS, London, 2016

Notes: “In January 1957 at the Apollinaire Gallery in Milan, a show devoted to what I dared to call my Blue Period... This show included [eleven paintings] in ultramarine blue, all of them rigorously identical in tone, value, proportion, and size. The passionate controversies that arose from these and the deep emotions that they provoked among persons of good will, who were prepared to suspend the sclerosis of old conceptions and set rules, testify to the importance of the event.” -Yves Klein, Overcoming the Problematics of Art: The Writings of Yves Klein, Paris 2007, p. 18. 

Comprising one of only eleven blue monochromes exhibited in the legendary Proposte monocrome, epoca Blu at Galleria Apollinaire in 1957, Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 217) is an extraordinarily rare work from Yves Klein’s groundbreaking series of incandescent blue monochrome paintings. As part of the historic Apollinaire show, this painting embodies the very inauguration of Klein’s mythic 'Blue Period'; indeed, contained within the velvety layers of iridescent pigment is the very matter that forever changed the trajectory of Western art history. Thus, this blue Monochome not only encapsulates a work of sublime beauty and dazzling brilliance, it embodies the very cornerstone upon which Klein’s entire praxis was founded. Moreover, the work was previously held in the collection of Marie-Christophe de Menil, daughter to John and Dominique. The de Menil family were Klein’s most passionate advocates and patrons in the years following his premature death, and played a significant role in the instigation of his first US retrospective in 1982. That they appear within the storied history of this picture only endorses its immense gravitas and historical significance.

Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 217) emblematises the beginning of Yves Klein’s career in earnest. For years he had been experimenting with the notion of the monochrome, engaging in countless conceptual and physical investigations and coming up with multiple iterations of its form. However, on the 2nd January 1957, at the Galleria Apollinaire in Milan, these experiments came to a head and Klein’s paradigm-shifting ‘Blue Period’ was initiated in a lightning-bolt exhibition that not only shattered all previous conceptions about the artist, but also laid the foundations for the entirety of his career to come. Curated by Pierre Restany, the founder of the Nouveau-Réalisme group, the exhibition featured eleven paintings of identical size, each doused in radiant ultramarine pigment and each installed at varying heights 20 cm away from the wall; the effect enhanced the works’ mesmeric qualities, making them appear as if hovering in mid-air. In contrast to the history of traditional paintings – windows through which a viewer might peer into a fictitious world – these works demanded consideration as autonomous objects in their own right according to their own aesthetic merits.

In the Apollinaire exhibition the core group of eleven works, including the present panel, appeared ostensibly the same; each work measured 78 by 56 cm and each possessed a similar surface texture. However, Klein understood each one to have an individual nuance or sensibility that made it utterly unique: “a pictorial quality… perceptible by something other than its respective material and physical appearance” (Yves Klein, ‘Lecture at the Sorbonne’ (1959) in: Klaus Ottmann, trans., Overcoming the Problematics of Art: The Writings of Yves Klein, New York 2007, p. 72). Indeed, there were several features of the Apollinaire exhibition that foreshadowed Klein’s future reputation as an art-world provocateur – that conquistador of the Void who jumped off a suburban house for his famous Leap into the Void, and who sold immaterial works for kilograms of gold only to demand that the collectors immediately burn the receipt. For example, while each work was presented in the same manner, with the same dimensions, and the same texture, Klein placed eleven different prices on them. This audacious ploy compelled viewers to examine the works more closely, in bewilderment at what they might be missing, and left critics wondering whether the artist was advancing the limits of the avant-garde, or undermining it entirely.

Powerful and immutable, Klein’s Monochromes are the ultimate exposition of his oeuvre; they have served as creative stimulus to countless artists and, even today, their brilliant presence, rippling with miniature waves of beguiling blue, cannot be denied. The works of the 1957 show at the Galleria Apollinaire exerted an immediate effect on the artists who saw it. Lucio Fontana bought one, and subsequently moved his own work further and deeper into monochromy, even creating his celebrated tagli paintings in comparable ultramarine on occasion. Piero Manzoni was even more deeply affected. From this point onwards, he totally rejected his previously held semi-figurative style and began to make his Achromes – now a fêted series in their own right. Manzoni’s oeuvre became a sort of inversion of Klein’s; where Klein worked in ultramarine pigment, Manzoni worked in white Kaolin; where Klein championed colour, Manzoni celebrated achromocity. The Italian spent the subsequent years of his career providing counterpoint and contrast for his French contemporary; so much of his career, which is now celebrated in countless institutions around the world, stemmed from this exhibition.

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1958-59. Private Collection. Artwork: © DACS 2016

Lot 9345. A fine and rare Longquan celadon vase with molded decoration, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Estimate US$ 2,000 - 3,000 (€1,800 - 2,700). Photo Bonhams.

Provenance: purchased, 1953, in Tokyo, Japan

Property from the Meeker Collection

Notes: For a Longquan vase of slightly larger size but similar decoration, see He Li, Chinese Ceramics: a New Comprehensive Survey from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1996, no. 362, pp.176-177 and p. 203, (17 5/8in, 44.8cm high, as 14th-15th century). For an example of smaller size but similar shape and decoration (25cm high), excavated from a Yuan period shipwreck off the Korean coast of Todokdo, Sinan-gun, see Shin'an kaitei hikiage bunbutsu (The Sunken Treasures off the Sinan Coast,), 1983, cat. no. 5, p. 58. Incomplete examples can be seen in Regina Krahl,Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul , 1986: vol. I, cat. nos. 205 (TKS15/213 and TKS15/9755), pp .288-289 (as early/mid-14th century). See also a complete example of large size from the City Art Museum of St. Louis, with four flowering branches on the neck and similar decoration on the body, included in Sherman Lee and Wai-kam Ho, Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), 1968, cat. no. 63 (28 1/2in, 72.4cm high)

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9346. A Longquan celadon dish, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Estimate US$ 2,000 - 3,000 (€1,800 - 2,700). Photo Bonhams.

Thickly molded with a barbed rim and conforming shallow well loosely incised with a leaf scroll design and a floral roundel stamped at the center, the exterior walls incised in a lotus and leaf scroll pattern, the olive green glaze applied everywhere except the cinnamon-burn firing ring on the recessed base (extensive wear to glaze). 9 1/2in (24.5cm) diameter 

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9347. A Longquan celadon deep dish, 14th century. Estimate US$ 2,000 - 3,000 (€1,800 - 2,700). Photo Bonhams.

Thickly molded with a raised outer edge to the rim flange, interior walls incised and combed with a foliage scroll pattern, the floor of the well stamped with a tiny character shan (mountain) visible within a faint lotus pod and water weed roundel, the exterior without decoration, the pale olive-green glaze covering all surfaces except the cinnamon-burnt firing ring on the shallow recessed base. 13 3/4in (35cm) diameter 

Provenance: a Private Collection, Hawaii

Notes: For Longquan dishes of similar shape and foliage scrolls incised to the well, see Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul , 1986: vol. I, nos.132-134, p. 271 as early to mid-14th century (32 to 41.5cm diameters).

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9348. A Longquan celadon censer with carved lotus decoration, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Estimate US$ 1,200 - 1,800 (€1,100 - 1,600). Photo Bonhams.

Thickly potted with a flared rim, short waist and compressed globular body raised on three conical legs, the walls carved with freely drawn leaf scrolls and combed accents beneath a craze-filled sea-green glaze covering most surfaces except the floor of the well and the base centered with a circular projecting flange (crack through base). 13in (33cm) diameter

Property from the Estate of Joanna Lau Sullivan

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9349. A Longquan trumpet-neck vase with incised decoration, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Estimate US$ 3,000 - 5,000 (€2,700 - 4,500). Photo Bonhams.

Its thickly potted walls incised with freely drawn peony branches around the flaring neck and body of inverted pear form, dissolved cloud scrolls along the shoulder and dissolved vertical leaves or petals around the flared foot, the translucent sea-green glaze extensively crazed and covering all surfaces except the cinnamon- burnt foot pad (chip to rim, rough foot). 17 7/8in (45.3cm) high 

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9350. Two celadon glazed dishes with carved lotus decoration, Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Estimate US$ 1,000 - 1,500 (€900 - 1,400). Photo Bonhams.

The larger thickly molded with a foliate rim surrounding a shallow well carved with squared dragon scrolls encircling an open lotus flower, all beneath a glaze that continues on the exterior walls, the foot pad and recessed base covered with iron brown wash; the smaller dish carved as an open lotus flower with conforming lobed rim, the glaze covering all surfaces except the iron-washed foot pad, the recessed base bearing a four-character Chenghua markin underglaze blue standard script. 8 5/8 and 6 7/8in (22 and 17.5cm) diameters 

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9352. A pair of celadon glazed planters Qianlong marks, late Qing-Republic period. Estimate US$ 2,000 - 3,000 (€1,800 - 2,700). Photo Bonhams.

Each thickly molded in the silhouette of a butterfly with a flat rim and two raised horizontal ribs extending around the low upright walls, the gray-green glaze covering all surfaces except the short feet, the remains of spur marks visible on the flat base bearing the six-character mark in underglaze blue seal script. 9 3/4in (24.8cm) wide 

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO

Lot 9365. Two Dehua porcelain libation cups, Qing dynasty. Estimate US$ 1,000 - 1,500 (€900 - 1,400). Photo Bonhams.

Each in the shape of a rhinoceros horn: the larger with a deer, crane and applied flowering branch on one side, a dragon, tiger and applied pine branch on the other, all in high relief (chip); the second with similar decoration but flatter raised relief. 4 and 3 7/8in (10.2 and 9.8cm) long

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS, 2016-06-29 10:00 PDT - SAN FRANCISCO