Pot, Iran, 13th century. Earthenware, perforated, transparent turquoise glaze. Height: 25 cm. Museum of Islamic Art, inv. no. I. 4/77© Photo: Museum of Islamic Art of the Berlin State Museums - Prussian Cultural Heritage. Photographer: Johannes Kramer
Fragment (vessel ceramic), Iran, 13th-14th century. Quartz frit, model decorated, transparent turquoise glaze. Length: 8,5 cm. Width: 8,3 cm. Museum of Islamic Art, inv. no. I. 5657© Photo: Museum of Islamic Art of the Berlin State Museums - Prussian Cultural Heritage. Photographer: Johannes Kramer
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), In my Studio, 1883. Collection of Ann and Gordon Getty.
LONDON.- Alma-Tadema: At Home in Antiquity, the first major exhibition in London since 1913 to be devoted to one of the most popular artists of the Victorian era, is now open at Leighton House Museum. With over 130 works, Leighton House Museum is the only UK venue for the exhibition, following an exceptionally successful tour to the Museum of Friesland, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands (the artist’s home town) and the Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.
Alma-Tadema: At Home in Antiquity explores all phases of the artist’s career with a particular focus on his fascination with the representation of domestic life in classical antiquity and how this interest was expressed in the two remarkable studio-houses he created in London with his wife Laura and his two daughters. Laura frequently posed at home for her husband’s paintings and was also a gifted and successful artist in her own right. The exhibition includes over a dozen pictures by Laura and AlmaTadema’s daughter Anna, highlighting the close connections between their domestic and creative lives.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), Coign of Vantage, 1895. Collection of Ann and Gordon Getty.
With this emphasis on the importance of the home and studio as a creative inspiration, the exhibition finds a perfect setting at Leighton House Museum built by Alma-Tadema’s friend and contemporary Frederic Leighton. With its extensive use of marble, gilding and mosaics, Leighton’s house contains the same palette of materials so expertly painted in many of Alma-Tadema’s pictures and allows an understanding of why Leighton, Alma-Tadema and other artists of their generation invested so much in the creation of a ‘private palace of art’.
Daniel Robbins, Senior Curator at Leighton House Museum says: ‘This is the largest exhibition that we have ever put on. It is only appropriate that the works of Alma-Tadema, his wife and daughter are regrouped and shown in surroundings that would have been familiar to all the family members. Leighton’s home and their life in London provides a missing piece of the puzzle in understanding the work of this great Victorian artist.’
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) The Kiss, 1891 Private Collection, Courtesy of Martin Beisly.
Born Lourens Tadema in the north of the Netherlands in 1836, the artist trained in Belgium before settling in London in 1870. Alma-Tadema rose to enjoy great popular and critical acclaim and the rewards of a highly lucrative career, famed for his engaging depictions of classical antiquity and his great technical accomplishment in the skilled rendering of surfaces and materials.
Alma-Tadema: At Home in Antiquity take visitors on a journey through the interiors of Leighton House Museum, each one presenting a different aspect of Alma-Tadema’s life and work in succession. Starting in the Drawing Room, Alma-Tadema’s earliest works are displayed, including an assured self-portrait painted at the age of 16 and early historical subjects of the 1850s. A visit to Pompeii on his honeymoon in 1863 proved transformative, inspiring Alma-Tadema to depict carefully researched scenes of Roman life, often with a focus on the minutiae of day-to-day activity. The Dining Room and Silk Room follow his career through the 1860s and 1870s as his trademark paintings of life in antiquity began to emerge and his London career started to flourish. The Alma-Tademas’ first London house close to the Regent’s Canal will be explored in Leighton’s Bedroom and the second, larger house in Grove End Road in Leighton’s Studio. Presented here through photographs, personal artefacts, drawings and paintings, the interiors of the houses became inspirational settings for Alma-Tadema’s work. Also included are a selection of the panels painted by Alma-Tadema’s artist friends and contemporaries, including Leighton, which adorned the interiors of his house and which have been reunited for the exhibition. The Studio also houses the portrait of Leopold Löwenstam, a friend and colleague of the artist, rediscovered on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow in 2016 publicly displayed for the first time since its discovery.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, A Pyrrhic Dance, 1869 Guidhall Art Gallery, City of London.
The Winter Studio houses an audio-visual presentation exploring connections between AlmaTadema’s pictures and cinematic representations of ancient Greece and Rome. Particularly evident in the first decades of cinema in both Europe and Hollywood his influence has continued and is acknowledged by the makers of more recent films including Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000).
The exhibition culminates in the Perrin Gallery where the major works of Alma-Tadema’s late career are displayed, reuniting, amongst other paintings, The Finding of Moses (1904; Private Collection), the sumptuous presentation of the biblical tale which achieved the highest price for a Victorian painting when it was sold in 2010, with one of Alma-Tadema’s last major works, the renowned The Roses of Heliogabalus (1888; Private Collection). Both works were originally commissioned by Sir John Aird and are reunited for the first time in this exhibition.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), The Finding of Moses, 1904. Private Collection.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), The Roses of Heliogabalus, 1888. Perez Simon Collection.
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), Portrait of Leopold Lowenstam, The Etcher, 1883, Private Collection, England.
Self-Portrait of Lourens Alma Tadema, 1852 Fries Museum, Collection Royal Frisian Society.
Lot 5016. An Iranian fritware albarello, Late 12th - 13th century. H 29 cm. Estimated price €800 - €1.000. Result: €806. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze with fine craquelure. Fluted body with slanting shoulders, wide neck and flared lip on a separate foot. Restored, traces of sintering and lustre.
Literature: Cf. Watson, Ceramics from Islamic lands, London-Kuwait 2004, p. 305, cat. L. 2; p. 335, cat. N. 2.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5017. A small Iranian fritware jug, 2nd half 12th - early 13th century. H 14.5 cm. Estimated price €400 - €600. Result: €434. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze. A pear-form vessel with a flared neck. With incised palmette and braided decor to the upper section. Short handle with thumb-rest. Restored over breakages, parts of the rim replaced.
Literature: Cf. cat.: Islamische Keramik, Düsseldorf 1973, no. 208; cf. also: Watson, Ceramics from Islamic lands, London-Kuwait 2004, p. 323, cat. L. 25.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5018. A four-handled Iranian fritware jar, 13th - 14th century. H 26 cm. Estimated price €1.000 - €1.500. Result: €2.480. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze with craquelure and iridescence. A thick-walled, bulbous vessel with fluted decor, four handles with thumb-rests, and a bulging rim. Restored over breakages.
Literature: Cf. cat. Islamische Keramik, Düsseldorf 1973, no. 199.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5020. A small Iranian fritware ewer, 12th - 13th century. H 11.5 cm. Estimated price €300 - €400. Result: €372. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze. Pear-form vessel with a small moulded band to the neck, pinched spout, short handle, and footring. With an older inventory label. Restored over breakages, additions.
Literature: Cf. Watson, Ceramics from Islamic lands, London-Kuwait 2004, p. 323, cat. L. 25.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5021. A small Iranian fritware ewer, Late 12th - early 13th century. H 13 cm. Estimated price €300 - €400. Result: €298. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze. The body of bulbous, facetted form on a small footring. With a long, narrow spout; short neck with cup-mouth and slightly flared rim; rudimentary thumb-rest to the top of the handle. Restored over breakages.
Literature: CWatson, Ceramics from Islamic lands, London-Kuwait 2004, p. 316, cat. L. 13.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5022. A narrow-necked Iranian fritware flask, 12th century. H 31 cm. Estimated price €1.500 - €2.000. Result: €2.976. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze with fine craquelure. A modelled gourd-form bottle with a flared cup-mouth on a high footring. Relief inscription with blessings to the shoulder: "baraka [...] sa'ada wa-salama [...]" = "blessing [...] luck and salvation [...]". Restored over breakages, with additions.
Literature: Cf. Morgan, in: Grube et alii, Cobalt and Lustre: the First Centuries of Islamic Pottery, London 1994, p. 171, no. 161-162.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5023. An animal-headed fritware ewer, Iranian world, 12th - 13th century. H 25 cm. Estimated price €400 - €600. Result: €397. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze with fine craquelure. Modelled and subsequently constructed vessel comprising a long neck with a (possibly not original) horned animal-head spout of bovine appearance and a handle with thumb-rest. The shoulders decorated with two striding felines and courtly scenes in medallions. The handle and neck presumably a subsequent addition. Restored.
Literature: Cf. Grube, Islamic Pottery of the Eighth to the Fifteenth Century in the Keir Collection, London 1976, p. 171, no. 120. A similar long-necked flask in the Museum für Islamische Kunst Berlin, inv. no. I. 59/62.
Pot, Iran, 12th - 13th century. Quartz frit, transparent blue glaze. Height: 13.5 cm. Museum of Islamic Art, inv. no. I. 59/62. © Photo: Museum of Islamic Art of the Berlin State Museums - Prussian Cultural Heritage Photographer: Johannes Kramer
Eine aus Metallarbeiten und unglasierten Modelwaren des Iranisch-Ostiranischen Raums aus dem 9./10. Jh.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5026. A large Iranian fritware bowl, 12th - 13th century. H ca. 14, diameter 21.5 cm. Estimated price €400 - €600. Result: €1.116. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze with dense craquelure. A deep, rounded bowl on a high footring. The exterior divided by ridges of braided ornament into five panels with incised decor. Restored over breakages, traces of sintering.
Literature: Cf. Grube, Islamic Pottery of the Eighth to the Fifteenth Century in the Keir Collection, London 1976, p. 165, no. 112.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5027. An octagonal Iranian fritware bowl, 12th century. Diameter 18.1 cm. Estimated price €400 - €600. Result: €397. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze with craquelure. A moulded vessel decorated with five panels showing two facing horsemen holding a ring alternating with sphinges. Restored and glued over breakages, a small breakage to the rim due to a weak older restoration.
Literature: A similar example is kept in the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, inv. no. I. 1600.
Bowl, Iran, 13th century. Quartz frit, model decorated with transparent cobalt blue glaze. Height: 14.6 cm. Museum of Islamic Art, inv. no. I. 1600. © Photo: Museum of Islamic Art of the Berlin State Museums - Prussian Cultural Heritage Photographer: Johannes Kramer
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 5032. An Iranian Lajvardina fritware tile with a hunting scene, 2nd half 13th century. H 19.4, W 19 cm. Estimated price €3.000 - €4.000. Result: €3.224. Courtesy Lempertz.
Cobalt blue glaze, red and white overglaze decor, traces of gilding. Modelled tile with relief decor depicting a horseman amid foliate ornaments and birds in flight, presumably part of a fries. Restored and glued over breakages, the surface partially matte and with sintering.
Provenance: Formerly the Kelekian Collection.
Literature: Cf. Porter, Islamic tiles, London 1995, p. 40 f., no. 29.
Lempertz. Asian Art II China, Tibetan/Nepalese Art, 18.06.2017, 10:30, Brussels
Lot 144. Bague en platine et or jaune, sertie d'un rare rubis birman de taille coussin pesant 3,46 cts épaulé de deux diamants taillés en poire. Estimation : 400 000 € / 450 000 €. Courtesy Hotel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo
Dimensions de la pierre : 11,06 x 8,60 x 4,03 mm. TDD : 51, US : 5 3/4 (modifiable). Poids : 4,2 g (18K - 750/1000 et platine - 950/1000).
A diamond, platinum and 18K gold ring set with an exceptional cushion shaped ruby weighing 3,46 cts
La pierre accompagnée d'un certificat S.S.E.F. attestant : origine Birmanie, couleur naturelle sans modification thermique.
Importants Bijoux chez Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 98000 Monaco, le 16 Juillet 2017 à 14h30
Lot 81. Bague en or jaune, centrée d'un rubis ovale pesant 11 cts environ dans un entourage de diamants ronds, l'épaulement agrémenté de diamants de taille navette. Estimation : 350 000 € / 450 000 €. Courtesy Hotel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo
Dimensions de la pierre : 17,65 x 13,05 x 3,65 mm environ. TDD : 54, US : 6 3/4 (modifiable). Poids : 16,5 g (18K - 750/1000).
A diamond and 18K gold ring set with an oval shaped ruby from Mogok (Burma) weighing approximately 11 cts.
La pierre accompagnée d'un certificat Gübelin attestant : origine Birmanie (Mogok), couleur naturelle sans modification thermique.
Importants Bijoux chez Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 98000 Monaco, le 16 Juillet 2017 à 14h30
Lot 140. Spectaculaire collier draperie en platine et or jaune. Il est composé de deux, puis trois rangs de rubis ovales en chute ponctués d'agrafes serties de diamants ronds et baguette. Estimation : 250 000 € / 350 000 €. Courtesy Hotel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo
Exécution très souple. Poids total estimé des rubis : 100 carats environ. Fermoir invisible numéroté 502. Tour de cou : 42 cm environ. Poids : 113 g (18K - 750/1000 et platine - 950/1000)
A diamond, platinum and 18K gold necklace set with oval shaped rubies weighing approximately 100 cts.
Onze rubis sont accompagnés d'un certificat Gübelin attestant : origine Birmanie, deux sans modification thermique.
Importants Bijoux chez Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 98000 Monaco, le 16 Juillet 2017 à 14h30
Lot 94. Adler. Bague Fleur en double jonc ouvert d'or gris, le cœur ornée d'un beau rubis de taille coussin pesant 4,60 cts, les pétales pavés de rubis et de diamants, l'épaulement pavé de diamants. Estimation : 130 000 € / 150 000 €. Courtesy Hotel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo
Signée. TDD : 56, US : 7 3/4 (modifiable). Dimensions de la pierre : 10,92 x 9,72 x 4,52 mm. Poids : 24,5 g (18K - 750/1000).
A diamond, 'Pigeon blood' Burma ruby and 18K gold ring by Adler set with a cushion shaped ruby weighing 4,60 cts.
La pierre accompagnée d'un certificat S.S.E.F. attestant : origine Birmanie, couleur naturelle "sang de pigeon" sans modification thermique.
Importants Bijoux chez Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 98000 Monaco, le 16 Juillet 2017 à 14h30
Lot 535. A monochrome red-glazed porcelain yuhuchunping, China, underglaze blue Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). H. 30,3 cm. Estimate €3000/5000. Lot sold €5 500. Courtesy Nagel.
Crack from mouth to stand
Property from an old Dutch private collection, assembled in the 1960s and 70s
Nagel. Fine Asian Art - Salzburg, 16./17.06.2017
Lot 565. A small chilong vase, China, underglaze blue four-character Yongzheng mark, 18th-19th century. H. 13,5 cm. Estimate €1500/2500. Lot sold €1 500. Courtesy Nagel.
Minor wear
Property from a German private collection, acquired before 1990
Nagel. Fine Asian Art - Salzburg, 16./17.06.2017
Lot 571. A Ge-glazed cong-shaped porcelain vase, China, 18th-19th century. H. 13,8 cm. Estimate €800/1200. Lot sold €1 800. Courtesy Nagel.
Chip to stand
Property from an old German private collection, assembled between 1950 and 2000
Nagel. Fine Asian Art - Salzburg, 16./17.06.2017