NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s announces that Property from the Collection of Stanford Z. Rothschild, Jr. will be offered across a series of sales in November and December, including the Impressionist and Modern Art, American Art and Old Masters sales. Stanford Z. Rothschild, Jr. was an investor, philanthropist and collector who helped champion civic leadership in his Maryland community. Enthralled with artists and the creative process, Stan assembled a striking collection of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by artists whose work was both intellectually rigorous and historically provocative. He was especially drawn to El Greco, Claude Monet, Robert Delaunay, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Russian artists of the twentieth century. In his lifetime, Stan amassed one of the largest, privately owned collections of Russian avant-garde art in the United States. Certain works in the collection are being sold by the Rothschild Art Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Stanford Z. Rothschild, Jr. Overall, the collection includes 51 works and is expected to exceed $30 million. 

Conor Jordan, Deputy Chairman Impressionist and Modern Art, comments: “Stanford Rothschild, Jr.’s forty-year journey in art collecting was distinguished by an ambitious range and a keen sense of quality. Few collections range from the 17th to the 20th century; fewer still are as rich in prime examples from the artists represented. Whether it is the expressive force of El Greco’s ‘Saint Francis and Brother Leo in Meditation,’ or the scintillating atmosphere that marks the two fine Monets of the Normandy coast and Venice, Stan’s attention to the compelling experience a great work of art should offer is present everywhere.” 

Highlights from the collection in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on November 13 include two outstanding works by Claude Monet, Le Rio de la Salute ($7,000,000-10,000,000) painted in 1908; La Pointe du Petit Ailly ($6,000,000-8,000,000) painted in 1897; and a vibrant depiction of the Eiffel tower by Robert Delaunay, La Tour Eiffel ($2,500,000-3,500,000). Additional collection highlights include El Greco’s Saint Francis and Brother Leo in Meditation (£5,000,000-7,000,000) up for auction in the Old Masters Evening Sale on December 7 in London, and Georgia O’Keeffe’s Apples—No. I ($300,000-500,000) offered in the American Art sale on November 21 in New York.

Claude Monet (1840-1926), Le Rio de la Salute, painted in 1908. 32 x 25½ in (81.3 x 64.9 cm). Estimate: $7,000,000-10,000,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Claude Monet (1840-1926), La Pointe du Petit Ailly, painted in 1897. 28⅞ x 36½ in (73.5 x 92.7 cm). Estimate: $6,000,000-8,000,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Robert Delaunay (1885-1941), La Tour Eiffel, painted in paris, 1928. 31⅞ x 25⅝ in (81.2 x 65.1 cm). Estimate: $2,500,000-3,500,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 7. A moulded Yaozhou bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279). 4 7/8 in. (12.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,933 - USD 6,555). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is decorated to the interior with a central floral roundel, surrounded by a densely scrolling floral design. The exterior is decorated with carved ribs. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London

Lot 2. A rare sancai-glazed phoenix-head ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907). 12 ¾ in. (32.4 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000 (USD 19,665 - USD 26,220). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The pear-shaped body is moulded on one side with an archer on horseback in the 'Parthian Shot' position with his body facing backwards as he takes aim with his bow over the haunches of his horse, and on the reverse with a phoenix, both surrounded by ornate flowers. The neck is surmounted by a phoenix head with a pearl in its beak below the oval opening in the top of the head. It is covered overall with a mix of amber, green and cream glaze, stopping at the foot. 

Provenance: Acquired in the UK before 1997. 
The dating of the current lot is consistent with the results of Oxford Authentication Thermoluminescence test no. C117e81.  

Note: The 'Parthian Shot' motif, seen on one side of the current ewer was commonly used in the arts of the Tang dynasty, representing a mounted huntsmen portrayed with both arms holding his bow and arrow, shooting backwards over the rear of his horse. Originally, the motif was thought to represent Scythian nomads but later became attributed to the Parthian, as the clothes that the figure wore in Greek examples matched Parthian nomadic dress as described in Greek and Roman texts (for a more in-depth discussion of the term 'Parthian Shot', see M. Rostovtzeff, “The Parthian Shot,” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 47, no. 2 (April-June 1943): pp. 174-187). An early example of its representation can be seen on an Achaemenid cylinder seal, dating to the 5th century BC, in the collection of the British Museum (Museum no. 89816). 

In a Chinese art context, the motif is perhaps most frequently associated with Tang dynasty silver stems cups, delicately incised with scenes of animals and hunting and is thought to have been inspired by Sassanian metalwares, which came into China through merchants and diplomats from Central Asia. Despite this, it appears to have been in use in China since as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and can be seen on the top section of the well-known funeral banner, dated circa 168 BC, excavated from tomb number 1 at Mawangdui, as well as on the ceiling painting of cave 249 at Dunhuang, dated to the Six Dynasties period (220-589). The current ewer is therefore a prime example of the inspiration of Middle Eastern and Western visual imagery and motifs on the arts of the Tang dynasty and eludes to a period of China's history that was exceptionally diverse and open to the outside world. 

Two highly-comparable sancai-glazed phoenix-head ewers have been sold in the past year at Christie's. See an example with rare cobalt blue pigment in the glaze, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3306. The second example was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3110.

A rare sancai and blue-glazed phoenix-head ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907).  13 in. (33 cm.) high. Sold for 2,460,000 HKD (318,638 USD) at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3306. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Cf. my post: A rare sancai and blue-glazed phoenix-head ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907)

A rare sancai-glazed phoenix-head ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907), 13 in. (33 cm.) high. Sold for 687,500 HKD at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3110. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

 Cf. my post: A rare sancai-glazed phoenix-head ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907)

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London

Lot 134. A Yaozhou celadon-glazed carved 'Lotus petal' bowl, Northern Song dynasty, 10th-11th century. 5 3/8 in. (13.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 8,000 (USD 7,866 - USD 10,488). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The exterior of the bowl is carved with two registers of upright lotus petals. The bowl is covered overall with a fine bubble-suffused olive-green glaze that pools in places highlighting the decoration.

Provenance: Christie's New York, 20 September 2005, lot 207.
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London 

Lot 86. A limestone head of Buddha, Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). Estimate 18,000 — 25,000 USD. Lot sold 33,600 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the serene face with delicately carved features of slender almond-shaped eyes, above a sharp nose rising to arched brows, and a crisply carved bud mouth, framed by long pendent earlobes and hair carved in even rows of studs below the ushnisha the smooth stone of grey color, (stand); 7 1/2 in., 19 cm

Note: With its fine features this head is closely related to sculptures recovered from a hoard at the Longxing Temple in Qingzhou, Shandong province, where Buddha heads in many different variations were found; compare, for example, the Northern Qi heads illustrated in Qingzhou Longxingsi fojiao zaoxiang yishu, Ji'nan, 1999, pls.118-121; and others included in the exhibition Masterpieces of Buddhist Statuary from Qingzhou City, The National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, catalogue pp.120 and 121.

Lot 87. A rare sandstone head of a Buddha, Northern Wei dynasty (386-534). Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 USD. Lot sold 78,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the elongated face with eyes downcast, the curve of the lids defined by crescent-shape lines, below gracefully arched brows, the long nose with slightly flared nostrils and the corners of the mouth lifted in a beatific expression, the hair swept up behind the pendulous ears into a simple domed ushnisha, the grainy stone of mottled grey color, (stand); 16 in., 40.6 cm

Provenance: From a private New York Estate.

Note: The carving style of this head is characteristic of the style of the Yungang caves near Datong in Shanxi province, which were largely constructed between AD 398 and 494, when Pingcheng, modern Datong, was capital of the Northern Wei period. Several Buddha figures with similar features can be seen in niches of Cave 5 and in a frieze above the main figures of Cave 7 at Yungang, see Zhongguo shiku: Yungang shiku, Beijing, 1998, pls.41 and 45, 144 and 145, where the delicate incised lines defining the eyes can be seen, for example, on figures of Cave 6 and 8, ibid., pls.125, 177 and 178. Compare a sandstone head of a Buddha from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art with similar features but a slightly different treatment of the eyes in Handbook of the Collection, 1993, p. 303 and another sandstone head with a broader face and rounded ushnisha sold in our London rooms, July 11, 1978, lot 35. A complete standing figure with a similar head, in the Musée Guimet, Paris, is published in Chinese Art in Overseas Collections: Buddhist Sculpture, vol.II, Taipei, 1990, pl.9. 

Head of a Buddha, ca. 490 C.E. Coarse sandstone, 15 x 7 x 8 in. (38.1 x 17.78 x 20.32 cm). Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 31-83 © Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. 

Lot 88. A magnificent and monumental stone head of Buddha, Tang dynasty (618-907). Estimate 350,000 — 450,000 USD. Lot sold 352,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the plump face finely carved with almost perfectly symmetrical features imparting the buff sandstone with a serene vitality, the eyebrows rising across the broad brow in smooth curves issuing from the low bridge of the nose above globular nostrils, the deeply-set large eyes half-closed under heavy lids sweeping in bowstring curves, the full cheeks drawn into the delicately shaped mouth above the rounded double-chin, flanked with backswept ears ending in fragmentary pendulous lobes, all beneath a tier of overlapping folds of hair combed in rising and falling waves around a flattened hemispherical bun, each set with tight whorls representing the ushnisha; 42 1/8 in., 107 cm.

Provenance: From an Important Asian Collection
Sotheby's London, June 19, 1999, lot 738.

Note: This head, with its perfectly even, idealised features, is remarkable not only for its size, but also for its exquisite manner of carving and represents a prime example of the mature style of the High Tang. Comparable sculptures are hard to find, particularly of this size, since it would most likely have been a monumental figure when intact, and therefore presumably from an important complex. Compare a massive crowned figure of Vairocana from the Leigutai Caves at Longmen, Henan province, exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, China. Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750AD, 2004, cat.no.192, which, at 2.40 meters, is perhaps half the size the present lot would originally have been. The long elongated eyes on the Longmen figure and the present head are both characteristic of the High Tang style circa 700AD, although the fine-grained reddish sandstone on the present head indicates a different regional site.

Lot 90. A limestone head of a bodhisattva, Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). Estimate 18,000 — 25,000 USD. Lot sold 18,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the serene face with narrow almond eyes between a thin arched brow and tight bud lips, framed by a crown set with three roundels, the center small jeweled roundel with flowing ribbons curling above the forehead, the other two set on the side of the head, just above the ears, each with a double ring of beading and small indentations possibly for inlaid stones, with traces of gilt remaining, the back of the head cut with a small slot, (stand); 7 1/2 in., 19 cm.

Note: Bodhisattva figures with such elaborate crowns are known from a hoard at the Longxing Temple site of Qingzhou in Shandong province; compare, for example, a Northern Qi standing figure with a related, but more complete crown, included in the exhibition Masterpieces of Buddhist Statuary from Qingzhou City, The National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, 1999, catalogue p.134; or a seated figure in the Poly Art Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Baoli cangzhen: Shike fojiao zaoxiang jingpin xuan, Guangzhou, 2000, pp.154-8.

Lot 95. An important and rare carved limestone head of Buddha, Tang Dynasty, 7th-8th Century, Longmen Caves. Estimate 80,000 — 100,000 USD. Lot sold 102,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

carved from a grey limestone in full rounded volumes, the oval face with slender almond shaped eyes with heavy eyelids below tapered arching eyebrows issuing from the broad nose, with a small bud mouth of full lips with lightly incised trim above a broad double chin with a thick round neck, all below the hair and domed ushnisha indicated in rounded lobes radiating from a pyramid of whorls, the surface covering the entire head deeply carved with rhythmic waves, all beneath a whitish pigment ground, (stand); 16 1/2 in., 42 cm.

Provenance: Alexander Bing Collection, New York City, (c.1920 -30s)
By descent to the present owner

Note: This head with its broad face and beautifully stylized curly hair displays the style characteristic of the Longmen caves outside Luoyang in Henan province. A similar head from Longmen, in a Japanese private collection, was included in the exhibition Chinese Buddhist Stone Sculpture: Veneration of the Sublime, Osaka Municipal Art Museum, 1995, cat.no.55; it is illustrated again in Longmen liusan diaoxiang ji, Shanghai, 1993, pl.60, together with another related head in the Tokyo National Museum, ibid., pl.65.

Compare also the head sold in these rooms, 22nd September 2004, The Arts of the Buddha, lot 24 and illustrated as frontispiece.

Lot 14. A large blue and white 'peony' dish, Ming dynasty, 15th century. 9 ½. in. (49.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000 (USD 19,665 - USD 26,220). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The interior centre is decorated with four large peony blooms and leafy sprays with a band of continuous scrolling foliate peony blooms to the rim.

Provenance: Important European Private Collection.

Note: A similar decorated dish can be found in the Topkapi Saray Museum, illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, vol. II, 1986, no. 598; another in the Archaeological Museum of Iran, Teheran, recorded by A. Pope, Chinese Porcelain from the Ardebil Shrine, 1956, pl. 32, no. 29.68 ; another from the collection of Gustaf VI Adolf, H.M. The King of Sweden, was included in the exhibition of Ming Blue and White, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, 1964, no.23, p.39 and is also illustrated by Bo Gyllensvärd in The World's Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, Sweden, Vol.8, no.214; another dish of this exact same pattern is illustrated by Regina Krahl in Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Volume II, p. 47, no.660.

Lot 300. A fahua'Scholar and pine' vase, meiping, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). 11 ¾ in. (29.8 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 10,000 - GBP 15,000 (USD 13,110 - USD 19,665). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is decorated with a continuous garden scene of a scholar in front of a pavilion and his attendant carrying a guqin. The scene is enclosed by a lappet band to the foot rim and a band of ruyi with lotus flowers around the shoulder. The interior of the mouth is covered in a translucent green glaze. 

Note: A similar meiping vase was excavated in 1980 in Jiangxi province, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji, Gongyi meishu bian 3, taoci, xia, (Shanghai, 1988), p. 12, no. 150.
Another meiping with lotus decoration was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3186. 

A fahua ‘lotus pond’ meiping, Ming dynasty, late 15th-early 16th century. 11 in. (28 cm.) high. Sold for 437,500 HKD at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3186. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Cf. my post: A fahua ‘lotus pond’ meiping, Ming dynasty, late 15th-early 16th century

Lot 301. A fahua openwork 'Scholar and pine' vase, meiping, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). 13 1/8. in. (33.3 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,244 - USD 7,866). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

This reticulated vase is decorated with a scholar and attendant in a garden with a pavilion and pine trees, below a large band of peonies to the shoulder and a pedal lappet band to the foot. The body is covered in a pale turquoise colour with dark bluish-purple highlights and unglazed sections revealing the underneath clay.  

Note: Compare a similar reticulated fahua meiping vase in the British Museum, illustrated in J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pp. 413-4, no. 13:9. 

Porcelain meiping carved in openwork and enamelled in the 'fahua' palette, Ming dynasty, circa 1488-1522. Height: 34.5 cm. Diameter: 6.8 in. Donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, Franks.193. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

A fahua meiping vase with peacock motif was sold in Christie's New York, 17 September 2008, lot 247.

A fahua pierced meiping, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm.) high. Sold for 10,000 USD Christie's New York, 17 September 2008, lot 247. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

 Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London

Lot 302. A fahua aubergine-ground vase, meiping, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). 12 1/8. in. (31 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000 (USD 19,665 - USD 26,220). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

This vase is decorated with a scholar in front of a pavilion, his attendant carrying a guqin, a further scholar stands by a pine and palm tree. The shoulder is decorated with a cloud and lotus collar and the foot is encircled by a lappet band. The body is covered in an aubergine-brown glaze highlighted in green.  

Note: Scenes of scholars beneath pine trees can be found on various purplish-blue ground fahua vases, but it would appear it is more unusual to find this decoration on an aubergine-glazed piece. A small meiping vase with similar background can be found in British Museum, illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 13:7. Compare also the glaze to a fahua jar offered in Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2005, lot 1430.

Stoneware meiping with 'fahua'-type decoration, Ming dynasty, circa 1522-1600. Height: 23 cm. Donated by F C Williams, 1925,0409.1 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London

René Lalique (Ay 1860-1945 Paris). Necklace, Paris, circa 1899-1900. Gold, enamel and pearl. © Wartsky

Giacinto Melillo (1846-1915). Bracelet, Naples, circa 1899. Gold. © Wartsky

 Van Cleef and Arpels. Art Deco brooch, Paris, circa 1928. Platinum, diamond and feather. © Wartsky

Carl Fabergé (St Petersburg 1846-1920 Pully). Négligée necklace, St Petersburg, circa 1900. Aquamarine and diamond. © Wartsky

Van Cleef and Arpels. Yellow diamond ring. © Wartsky

Cartier. Bracelet, Paris, circa 1930. Black lacquer and diamond. © Wartsky

Cartier. Bracelet in the Indian taste, London, circa 1939. Pearl and diamond. © Wartsky

Wartsky at TEFAF New York Fall 2017, Stangd 31. Primary Address: 14 Grafton Street, London, W1S 4DE, United Kingdom. T  +442074931141 - wartski@wartski.com - www.wartski.com

Nicolas Mignard (1606–1668), Avignon, 1658, Portrait of Scipion du Roure, aged 30 (1628 – 1696). Oil on canvas, 67 cm (26 ¼ in.) high, 53 cm (20 ¾ in.) wide. Signed and dated “N. MIGNARD PINXIT / AVENIONE 1658” on the back of the original canvas. Provenance: Scipion du Roure (1628-1696), Mas de Tressauses, Camargue, France thence by descent through the du Roure family, Marseille, France, until 2017. © Tomasso Brothers

NEW YORK, NY.- A rare survivor of the acclaimed ancien régime portraits executed by French master Nicolas Mignard (1606-1668), the majority of which are now lost, is to be unveiled by Tomasso Brothers Fine Art at the preview tomorrow, 27 October 2017, of TEFAF New York Fall 2017. 

The previously unseen portrait, with a continuous line of provenance, depicts Scipion du Roure (1628-1696) of Nîmes, aged 30. It is signed on the reverse of the original canvas N. MIGNARD PINXIT / AVENIONE 1658. Many of Mignard’s portraits of the aristocracy went missing during the French Revolution, and are known today only through engravings. 

Scipion du Roure, an officer of the Auvergne regiment, returned from military campaigning to his family seat in the South of France and married in 1650. Nicolas Mignard had settled in Avignon in 1637 after studying in Fontainebleau, and then Rome, where he admired the frescoes of Annibale Carracci and the luminous palette of Francesco Albani. In Avignon, Mignard was highly regarded for religious commissions, mythological paintings, and most famously for portraits. The artist’s famous depiction of Molière as Caesar, circa 1650, is now in Paris at the Musée Carnavalet. 

Dino Tomasso, partner, Tomasso Brothers Fine Art, commenting on the work, says: “Mignard has perfectly captured the vivid presence of a man fully confident of his status: as a successful military campaigner and a scion of a well-established landowning family. The portrait is characterised by an intensity of expression, the fine, clear definition of facial features and fabrics, and the vivid, saturated palette typical of Mignard. It is a magnificent and captivating work, and has remained, remarkably, in the du Roure family for 369 years.” 

Shortly after he painted Scipion du Roure, Mignard was summoned by Cardinal Mazarin to Paris. In 1661 he painted portraits of the young King Louis XIV and his Queen Maria Theresa, of which the contemporary historian André Félibien wrote: “Their Majesties were so satisfied, that the King ordered him to make several copies and to send them to all foreign courts. Most of the lords also wished to have the copies of them, and desired to be painted by Nicolas Mignard”. 

Raffaello Tomasso, partner, Tomasso Brothers Fine Art, explains that “Mignard’s images of the “lords” of the ancien régime were lost during the French Revolution, with only a handful known today thanks to engravings. This makes the present signed and dated portrait, which has survived in an excellent state of conservation and with an uninterrupted line of provenance, a rare and highly important testimony of the work of one the masters of French seventeenth century painting.” 

Recognised as leading dealers in the field of European sculpture, Tomasso Brothers Fine Art also specialises in Old Master paintings and objets d’art. At TEFAF New York Fall 2017 the gallery will display a number of magnificent paintings, including works by Il Guercino (1591-1666) and Pietro Fabris (active Naples 1756-1792), alongside important and collectable sculptures in bronze and marble dating from classical antiquity to the early 19th century. 

Tomasso Brothers Fine Art is exhibiting at Stand 8 on the upper level of The Park Avenue Armory, in what was originally Company G Room, designed in the 1880s by leading NY architects Pottier & Stymus. With elevated ceilings decorated in a Renaissance Revival manner, this is a distinctive period setting for the gallery’s presentation of fine and Old Master works.

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Cento 1591-1666 Bologna), Saint Jerome in Prayer, circa 1650. Oil on canvas, 119.5 x 99.5 cm (47.3 x 39.5 in.) © Tomasso Brothers.

Standing out against a turbulent sky and a rocky landscape, Saint Jerome is portrayed half length, in the act of adoring a crucifix. His crimson-coloured cloak has slipped to the side, revealing a muscular torso, seemingly untouched by old age. Behind the saint sit an inkwell with a feather, propped on a shelf-like rock, and a book, presumably Jerome’s translation of the Bible (the so-called Vulgate), which he has temporarily interrupted to dedicate himself to prayer.

This painting, distinguished by a very high level of quality, was certainly executed by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri and can be dated on stylistic grounds to the end of the 1640s or the early 1650s, when the master from Cento was working in an increasingly elegant manner and with a lighter palette, influenced by the example of Guido Reni and Domenichino. In its refined choice of colours and sharp execution, our canvas is closely related to Guercino’s Lot and his Daughters, executed in 1650 for Girolamo Panessi (Gemäldegalerie, Dresden), or to his Vocation of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga painted in 1650–51 for the Theatine order at Guastalla (now Metropolitan Museum, New York). Both are also characterized, notwithstanding their differing original locations, by closely comparable lighting (see L. Salerno, I dipinti del Guercino, Rome, 1988, nos. 275 and 276 respectively).

These considerations indicate that, despite the recurrence of the present subject in Guercino’s Libro dei Conti, our painting is to be identified either with the “Saint Jerome half-length” for which the artist received payment from Girolamo Panessi 27 October 1648 or with one of the two “half-length figures”, including a Saint Jerome, for which the Count of Novellara paid Guercino, through Giovanni Battista Tartaglioni, on 29 November 1652 (see Il libro dei conti del Guercino, 1629–1666, ed. B. Ghelfi, Bologna, 1997, p. 140, no. 397, and p. 159, no. 462, respectively). Both works are yet to be identified with known paintings by the master and their descriptions closely match the present canvas.

The present composition was previously known through a version owned by the Museo di Capodimonte, currently in the Palazzo Reale in Naples, which can be attributed to Guercino’s workshop. Photographic comparison alone can reveal the superiority of the present canvas, which, also thanks to its excellent state of conservation, clearly displays the pictorial quality that the great master from Cento had developed in the course of his maturity. Treating a subject that he had already painted in his youth drove Guercino to seek new compositional solutions, which can be particularly appreciated in the emotional élan that pervades the image and in the vivid highlights that animate the palette. 

The rediscovery of this painting constitutes an important addition to the established catalogue of works by Guercino, whose supreme mastery of expression is the cause of endless wonder.

Professor Daniele Benati, Bologna, 18 November 2016

Provenance: Probably commissioned by Girolamo Panessi, Genoa, 1648
or Camillo II or Alfonso II Gonzaga, Counts of Novellara, 1652; private collection, Italy.

Nicholas Stone (Attributed to) (1586-Exeter-1647), A set of four English alabaster swans,  Second quarter of the 17th century. Alabaster. Height 56.5 cm (22.25 in.) Width 66.7 cm (26.25 in.) Depth 39.5 cm (15.5 in.). © Tomasso Brothers.

These four swans represent an exceptional survival of secular genre sculpture from the 17th century, a period when an indigenous English school of sculpture was virtually non-existent. A tradition of alabaster carving of international stature had been well established in England since the Middle Ages, thanks to large quarries in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, but the upheavals of the Reformation and dynastic conflicts in the mid-16th century effectively eradicated major ecclesiastic and courtly patronage of the arts for several generations, and until the 18th century English sculpture was "very largely a question of tombs and monuments" (Whinney, p.26). During the Jacobean and Carolean periods most English sculpture was therefore produced by stonemasons rather than trained artists, and patrons with higher pretensions for their commissions would normally turn to foreign artists, such as the French expatriate Hubert Le Sueur (circa 1580-1658) who became official court sculptor to Charles I. 

The one notable exception to this penury of native-born talent was Nicholas Stone, born in Exeter and apprenticed at a young age to Isaac James, a Dutch-born stonemason in Southwark. In 1606 he travelled to Amsterdam to work for the Dutch sculptor Hendrik de Keyser (1567-1621), where he spent seven years, marrying de Keyser’s daughter and probably building the portico of the Westerkerk in Amsterdam. Upon his return to London, he established a thriving workshop in Covent Garden providing funerary monuments. He soon became associated with the rising young court architect Inigo Jones, with whom he would collaborate on numerous royal commissions throughout his career, including Banqueting House, Somerset House, the Queen’s House Greenwich and Windsor, where Stone was named "master mason and architect" in 1626, before becoming Master Mason to Charles I in 1632. Stone also participated in many prestigious non-royal architectural projects including York House Water Gate in London and the monumental gates to the Botanical Gardens and the south porch of St Mary’s, both in Oxford. At the same time Stone remained a prolific supplier of funeral sculpture to both London and country parish churches, including Westminster Abbey.

It has been suggested that these swans may have formed part of a tomb monument, possibly atop a canopy or at the four corners of a pedestal. This appears unlikely, however, as the use of heraldic animals on such a large scale and quantity is unprecedented in English funerary sculpture; at most, heraldic beasts appear as part of a crest that figures prominently but not predominantly in the overall composition, and the size of monument required to accommodate these four swans would have been prohibitive in all but the grandest of chapels. If the swans were conceived as a heraldic element, it is more plausible they would have been used in a secular setting, like the 16th-century large polychrome wood Dacre Beasts (Victoria & Albert Museum, London), or the pair of large stone leopards possibly made for Henry VIII’s palace in Dartford (exhibited Treasures of the Royal Courts. Tudors, Stuarts and The Russian Tsars, Victoria & Albert Museum, London 2013, no.56). One earlier parallel to these swans does survive, the large alabaster pelican feeding her young at Lumley Castle, County Durham (ill. Henderson, p.190, fig.218, and below) now mounted on a square fountain pedestal but depicted atop a round marble basin in a watercolour that appears in Folio 29 of the inventory of the celebrated Elizabethan collection of Sir John Lumley (1533-1609), whose coat of arms incorporated the mother pelican.

The swans have no signs of former fixation holes suggesting they were attached to an architectural canopy. Moreover, they show signs of oxidization to a degree consistent with having been in partially-sheltered outdoor environment, making it highly probable they served a more bucolic function, as part of a fountain, garden or - most likely of all - a grotto. The latter option is further supported by the swan’s provenance from a scion of the Herbert family who resided in the village of their principal seat: Wilton House.

Upon acceding to the title in 1630, Philip Herbert, Fourth Earl of Pembroke set about updating the Tudor house built by his grandfather the First Earl in the 1550s, adding the celebrated South Front in the new Palladian style designed by Inigo Jones and his assistant Issac de Caus (1590-1648), a French Huguenot architect and landscape designer, who worked at Somerset House and was along with his brother Salomon responsible for introducing the latest technological innovations in garden hydraulics into England. Isaac published a most significant treatise on the subject of the hydraulic movement of sculptures, Nouvelle invention de level l’eau plus hault que sa source avec quelques machines mouvantes par le moyen de l’eau, et un discours de la conduite d’icelle (London,1644) although a significant part of the book was a reworking of Salomon’s own treatise, Les Raisons des forces mouvantes published in 1615

During the 1630s, de Caus also re-designed the gardens at Wilton, which the diarist John Evelyn would describe as "esteem’d the noblest in all England," with innovative French parterres and a complex system of fountains and waterworks that culminated in a celebrated grotto, one of the first of its kind in Britain, with spouting marine creatures, a table with hidden jets to shower unsuspecting visitors, and hydraulics that simulated "the singing and chirping of Birdes." The gardens attained such notoriety that the writer John Aubrey remarked, "Charles I did love Wilton above all places, and came thither every summer."

It was natural that de Caus turned to Nicholas Stone in this endeavour, as Stone had already worked on the grotto at Banqueting House designed by Inigo Jones and fountains for the gardens at Somerset House, as well as outdoor sculpture for private clients like Sir William Paston at Oxnead, Norfolk. Moreover, it has recently emerged that Stone executed the sculpture for the grotto designed by de Caus for the Earl of Bedford at Woburn Abbey at the same period. Thus as Stone’s nephew Charles Stoakes wrote in Stone’s Note-book and Account Book, his uncle "designed & built many curious works for the Earle of Pembrock at his Hons. House att Wilton, near Salisbury & well paide." The Wilton garden design proved hugely influential and was disseminated through Isaac de Caus’ volume of engravings Hortus Penbrochianus: le Jardin de Vuilton, published by Thomas Rowlett circa 1645. Unfortunately this publication does not provide a comprehensive visual record of the original layout of all the statuary, and the garden itself was significantly altered in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly during the tenure of the 9th ‘Architect Earl’ Henry Herbert (1693-1749), who designed the Palladian Bridge in the park. In the absence of surviving documentation it is impossible to draw up a definitive inventory of the garden sculpture; nevertheless, the Herbert family provenance of the swans, and the virtuosity of the subject and their execution, strongly militates in favour of their attribution to Nicholas Stone at Wilton and their forming part of the statuary in the celebrated grotto. 

Provenance: Probably the Earls of Pembroke, Wilton House; by descent to Lady Juliet Duff (1881-1965), niece of the 13th and 14th Earls.

Literature: D. Duggan, ‘Isaac de Caus, Nicholas Stone and the Woburn Abbey grotto,’ Apollo, August 2003; M. Evans, ed. The Lumely Inventory and Pedigree (London 2010); P. Henderson, The Tudor House and Garden (London 2005); W. L. Spiers, 'The Note-book and Account Book of Nicholas Stone', in A. J. Finberg ed., The Walpole Society, 1918-1919, VII (Oxford 1919, reprinted 1969); M. Whinney, Sculpture in Britain 1530-1830 (London 1964, rev.J. Physick 1988).

Lot 81. A fine green-enamelled 'Dragon' dish, Zhengde six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1506-1521). 9 in. (22.8 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 50,000 - GBP 70,000 (USD 66,250 - USD 92,750) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

This dish is finely potted with shallow, rounded sides supported on a slightly tapering foot. The interior is decorated with a five-clawed dragon striding amongst fire scrolls and clouds highlighted in green enamel, its scaly head, body and limbs incised, all encircled within a green border repeated at the rim. The reverse is similarly decorated with a pair of green dragons racing through a sea of incised waves. 

Provenance: With Marchant, London, Chinese Ceramics Tang to Qing, May 2014, no. 13.
Private English Collection.

The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Literature: This dish is illustrated in an article on glaze bubbles and dating of porcelain by Stephen C Wallace and Geraldine Kenney-Wallace in Physics World, 2016, volume 29, pp.34-38.

Lot 82. A fine green-enamelled 'Dragon' dish, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1821-1850). 7 in. (17.8 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 8,000 (USD 6,625 - USD 10,600) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is decorated to the interior with a central five-clawed dragon amongst fire scrolls in pursuit of a flaming pearl, enclosed within an underglaze blue and green enamelled border, repeated at the rim. The reverse is similarly decorated with two dragons, their scales and facial features finely detailed in black, enclosed within green and underglaze blue borders. 

Provenance: With Marchant & Son Ltd., London, 29th September 2004.
The collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FIstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Note: This dish is illustrated in an article on glaze bubbles and dating of porcelain by Stephen C Wallace and Geraldine Kenney-Wallace in Physics World, 2016, volume 29, pp.34-38.

Lot 83. A fine green-glazed 'Dragon' dish, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1821-1850). 7 in. (17.8 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish has shallow rounded sides and is decorated with a central five-clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl amongst fire scrolls. The exterior is similarly decorated with two dragons in pursuit of the flaming pearl.

Provenance: With Antik West, No. 4334, Goteborg, Sweden.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Note: This dish is illustrated in an article on glaze bubbles and dating of porcelain by Stephen C Wallace and Geraldine Kenney-Wallace in Physics World, 2016, volume 29, pp.34-38.

Lot 84. A blue-ground yellow-enamelled 'Dragon' dish, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). 7 in. (17.8 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 40,000 - GBP 60,000 (USD 53,000 - USD 79,500) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is decorated to the interior with a five-clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl, leaping amongst ruyi-head clouds and flames. The shallow, rounded sides rise to a slightly everted rim and are painted with two similar dragons in pursuit. Two further dragons are decorated to the exterior, above a petal-lappet band enclosing the base.

Provenance: From the collection of James and Phyllis Rosati, acquired between 1947 and 1949, when Mr. Rosati was stationed in Japan.
With Marchant, London, Imperial Chinese Porcelain, Ceramics and Works of Art, 2013, no. 32
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Note: This design and colour combination appears to be based on porcelains from the Kangxi period, such as the dish illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. I, Tokyo, 1976, no. 1047, p. 349. A similar dish is illustrated by Shincho Kogei No Bi, New York, 1995, pl. 126, p. 45 or by Qian Weipeng in Tian Wu Guan Cang Ci, Shanghai, 2011, vol 1, pp. 198/9. 
Another Qianlong mark-and-period dish with similar design was sold at Christie's New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1600.

A yellow-glazed blue-ground 'Dragon' dish, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). 9 7/8 in. (25 cm.) diam. Sold for 35,000 USD at Christie's New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1600. © Christie's Images Ltd 2016

Lot 85. A blue and white 'Bird and flowers' Kraak porcelain bowl, Wanli period (1573-1619). 5 ¾ in. (14.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 1,500 - GBP 2,500 (USD 1,988 - USD 3,312). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is decorated to the exterior with panels enclosing birds, bamboo and chrysanthemums. The centre of the interior is painted with a bird on a rock, framed by six flower panels to the upright sides, each divided by bands of dots.

Provenance: With Geoffrey Waters, London.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Lot 86. A pair of blue and white 'Dragon and Carp' dishes and a 'Lotus' dish, Kangxi period (1662-1722), the 'Lotus' dish Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1821-1850). The largest, 6 3/8. in. (16.2 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 2,000 - GBP 3,000 (USD 2,650 - USD 3,975). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The pair of dishes is decorated with a four-clawed dragon and a carp emerging from rolling waves. The interior and exterior rims are decorated with a band of radiating petals, some containing flaming pearls and others carp and flowers. Each base has an apocryphal Chenghua mark. The third dish is decorated to the interior and exterior with lotus heads on a ground of stylised foliate scrolls. 

Provenance: The 'lotus' dish: Christie's London, 15th July 2005, lot 85.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Lot 87. A blue and white bowl, Kangxi period (1662-1722). 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 7,000 (USD 6,625 - USD 9,275). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is decorated to the exterior with three four-clawed dragons chasing flaming pearls above waves. The interior is decorated with a carp leaping from crested waves to the centre. The base has a two-character seal mark within a double ring.

Provenance: Acquired from Geoffrey Waters, London.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Lot 88. A blue and white bombé-form 'Monk and Tiger' censer, Transitional period, mid 17th century. 8 ½ in. (21.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The compressed censer is decorated with a continuous scene of a tiger beside four monks, grouped in pairs, followed by two further monks holding a book and a fly whisk. 

Provenance: With Geoffrey Waters, London, 24 October 2003.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Lot 89. A large blue and white 'Dragon and Crane' dish, Early Kangxi period, circa 1670. 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The well-potted dish is decorated to the centre with a crane in flight above a pavilion and another crane standing on a rock emerging from crested waves. The interior and exterior of the rim are decorated with four-clawed dragons in pursuit of the flaming pearl. The base has an unglazed channeled foot rim with an apocryphal six-character Chenghua mark. 

Provenance: With Geoffrey Waters, London, 29th November 2002.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Note: The unglazed channeled foot on the present lot appears to have been used by the potters at Jingdezhen for a short period of time around 1670, and disappears in the second half of the Kangxi period.

Lot 90. A blue and white 'Hundred Birds' bowl, Kangxi period (1662-1722). 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 10,000 - GBP 15,000 (USD 13,250 - USD 19,875). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is finely decorated to the exterior with a continuous scene of a phoenix standing on rocks beneath the moon, amongst flying cranes and accomplished by numerous other birds, surrounded by trees and flowers. The centre of the interior is painted with a circular medallion depicting a three-legged toad on a cliff edge, below a band of flowers to the mouth rim. The base has an apocryphal six-character Jiajing mark.

Provenance: The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Lot 91. A blue and white and copper-red 'Bird and Peony' plate, Kangxi period (1662-1722). 10 ¾ in. (27 cm. ) diam. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The plate is finely decorated to the interior with a bird sitting on rocks under a flowering peony branch. The underside of the rim is decorated with three bamboo sprays in underglaze blue. The base has an apocryphal Chenghua mark. 

Provenance: With Marchant & Son Ltd., London, 25th February 2005.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP.

Note: This dish is illustrated in an article on glaze bubbles and dating of porcelain by Stephen C Wallace and Geraldine Kenney-Wallace in Physics World, 2016, volume 29, pp. 34-38. 

Lot 92. A collection of ten Chinese export Imari porcelains, 18th century. The largest, 14 ½ in. (37 cm.) diam., wood cover. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The group comprises: a large octagonal plate with various flowers; a 'peonies and qilin' ginger jar; a potiche and cover with flower decoration; a 'fan and scroll' bowl; a large circular 'peony' plate; a 'bamboo and peony' plate and a set of four 'peony and scroll' plates.

Provenance: With Geoffrey Waters, London, acquired between 1 December 1995 and 7 November 2001.
The ginger jar: Christie's South Kensington, 19 June 2003, lot 495.
The Collection of Professor Stephen Charles Wallace, FInstP, and Dr. Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, RSC, FInstP. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London

Lot 27. Paul Cézanne, Nature morte. Painted circa 1890. Oil on canvas, 11 1/8 by 15 7/8 in. 28.3 by 40.5 cm. Estimate 7,000,000 — 10,000,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s will present Property from the Collection of Barbara and Martin Zweig as a highlight of their Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 14 November in New York. Led by Paul Cézanne’s vibrant still life Nature morte (estimate $7/10 million), the collection features exceptional examples by many of the greatest French artists working at the turn of the 20th century – from high Impressionist pictures by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Gustave Caillebotte, to the post-Impressionist modernity of Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Manet. With the majority of the collection assembled by Mr. and Mrs. Zweig in the 1990s, the collection offers works that are both exquisite and fresh to the market. 

The Evening Sale will offer ten works from the collection in total, together expected to achieve in excess of $25 million. The group will be on view in Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale exhibition, open to the public beginning 3 November in New York. 

Jeremiah Evarts, Head of Evening Sales for Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department in New York, commented: “It is a privilege to be offering this superb selection of works from Barbara and Martin Zweig’s exquisite collection this November. Further to the collection’s illustrious characteristics, the outstanding provenance of many of the paintings on offer is quite remarkable: Degas’s Avant la course was once in the collection of Mr. John Hay Whitney, while Leo Stein, the brother of famed author Gertrude Stein, was among one of the first owners of Renoir’s Baigneuse (assise). We look forward to offering these exceptional pieces in our Evening Sale this fall.” 

Collection Highlights 
Paul Cézanne, Nature morte. Painted circa 1890. Estimate $7/10 million 

The most fully-worked still life by the artist to appear at auction since Sotheby’s 2013 sale of the Lewyt Collection, Nature morte encapsulates Cézanne’s artistic achievement, and displays the brilliance and economy which characterize his best work. The strikingly modern composition foregrounds his unrivaled facility with the medium and his ability to imbue a still life with all of the subtlety and emotional potency of portraiture. 

Cézanne’s still lifes have long been recognized among his greatest achievements − the works which demonstrate most vividly the innovations that led to the stylistic developments of early 20th-century art, and breathed new life into the tradition of still life painting. His mature still lifes in particular are considered the harbingers of Modernism, and provided a profound inspiration for the Cubist compositions of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque nearly 15 years later. The genre allowed him the greatest time in which to capture his subject, since in the studio environment he could create and control the composition, arranging the elements in ways that provided an infinite variety of formal challenges to be solved on the canvas. 

Lot 34. Gustave Caillebotte, La Place Saint-Georges. Painted in 1880. Signed G. Caillebotte (lower right). Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 by 36 1/4 in., 73 by 92 cm. Estimate 4,000,000-6,000,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

A Trio of Early Paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir 
The collection’s three early canvases by Renoir are led by Baigneuse (assise), painted circa 1882, (estimate $2/3 million) − an exceptional example of the artist’s key subject of the female nude, rendered at the pinnacle of his achievements in this avant-garde style. The development of Renoir's style in depicting nudes draws from both his early experience as an Impressionist painter, and the influence of Renaissance masters in the early 1880s.  

Lot 33. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Baigneuse (assise). Painted circa 1882. Signed Renoir. (lower left). Oil on canvas, 21 5/8 by 16 1/2 in., 55 by 41.9 cm. Estimate 2,000,000 — 3,000,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Mademoiselle Henriot ou Jeune fille au ruban bleu (estimate $2/3 million) is an engaging portrait of Renoir's favorite model in the mid-1870s, Marie-Henriette Grossin, known by her stage name, Madame Henriot. Renoir’s portraits of her at the beginning of her career emphasize Henriot’s innocence, depicted in the precise paint applications on her eyes and brows, while still preserving Renoir's characteristic light and ethereal handling of the medium. Executed in 1883, La danse à la campagne (estimate $800,000/1.2 million) is a meticulous work on paper depicting a dancing couple – Renoir’s close friend, Paul Lhote, and the artist’s mistress who would later become his wife, Aline Charigot – which directly relates to a painting bearing the same name, now in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Renoir’s routine artistic process at this time did not call for sketches and studies, though La Danse à la campagne was an exception. Several studies exist in wash and watercolor, in pencil and chalk, as well as one dazzlingly emotive oil sketch. 

Lot 29. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Mademoiselle Henriot ou Jeune fille au ruban bleu. Painted circa 1876. Signed Renoir. (lower left). Oil on canvas, 16 1/2 by 13 in., 41.9 by 33 cm. Estimate 2,000,000 — 3,000,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Lot 30. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), La danse à la campagne. Executed in 1883. Signed Renoir (lower left). Pen and ink and crayon on paper. Sheet: 19 3/8 by 12 1/8 in.; 49.2 by 30.7 cm. Image: 16 1/8 by 9 3/8 in.; 40.9 by 23.8 cm. Estimate 800,000 — 1,200,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

Edgar Degas’s Rare Bathers and Jockeys 
Executed in 1903, Après le bain (estimate $5/7 million) is a striking example of Degas’s fascination with the female nude. The remarkable range of rich, vibrant tones coupled with the beautifully-balanced proportions of the woman’s body rank the present work among the most accomplished examples of the artist’s celebrated bathers series and one of his finest pastels. 

Lot 35. Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917), Après le bain. Executed circa 1903. Stamped Degas (lower left). Pastel and chalk on paper laid down on board, 33 7/8 by 29 1/4 in., 86 by 74.2 cm. Estimate 5,000,000 — 7,000,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

 Degas’s exploration of the world of the racetrack and steeplechase, brilliantly depicted in Avant la course (estimate $3/5 million), developed in tandem with his survey of other aspects of the modern world, notably the world of the dance. In his depictions of equestrian subjects, similar to those of the ballet and opera, Degas moved away from the precise delineation of complex arrangements of figures in space in the first half of his career to a much broader, more atmospheric approach in the latter half.

Lot 31. Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917), Avant la course. Painted circa 1882-88. Signed Degas (lower left). Oil on paper laid down on board in a cradled panel, 11 5/8 by 18 1/4 in., 29.5 by 46.5 cm. Estimate 3,000,000 — 5,000,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

A figure of an equestrian drummer, China, Tang Dynasty, 8th century. Amber-glazed. Height 38 cm (15 in.) © Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art

Modelled seated on a horse, the musician sitting upright with his hands raised, wearing a round-neck robe, trousers, boots and a long cloth cap. The horse is standing foursquare on a rectangular slab, and moulded with harness, saddle and a drum on its left neck. The fi gure glazed overall with an amber glaze graduating to pale beige on the extremities. The head, saddle and the base are unglazed.

Provenance: The Sze Yuan Tang collection.

A figure of a female attendant, China, Tang Dynasty, 618-906. Sancai-glazed. Height 41 cm (16.1 in.) © Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art

The modelled figure is standing with legs slightly apart and her hands clasped in front. The lady is shown with a full, rounded face; her hair fashioned into a double-chignon and wearing a high-waisted open-neck dress with a green bodice and straw-glazed sash wrapped around her shoulders, above an amber-coloured skirt resting on her cloud-shaped shoes.

Provenance: The Sze Yuan Tang Collection.

Model of a buffalo, China, Tang Dynasty, 8th century. Glazed in blue with straw-glazed highlights, the base glazed in blue and amber, modelled recumbent on a oblong base with its right foreleg outstretched, 12 x 18.5 cm (4.7 x 7.3 in.) © Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art

Domestic animals were popular subjects in the Tang tombs, and are amongst some of the most charming and playful examples of sancai-pottery. The current buffalo is unusual in that it is depicted recumbent, while most of the buffalo we see are depicted standing. However, a seated mythical beast in the Tenri Sankokan Museum Collection in Nara, Japan, has very similar modelling, with its left front leg tucked underneath, and right foreleg outstretched. 

Provenance: The Sze Yuan Tang Collection.

 A 'lion' pillow, China, Tang Dynasty, 8th century. Sancai-glazed. Width 14.5 cm © Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art 

Provenance: The Sze Yuan Tang Collection.

Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art is a leading art advisory company specialising in Chinese works of art. Established in 1996, we have assisted clients from all around the world in forming some of the finest private collections of Chinese art. Furthermore, we are proud to have either purchased works of art on their behalf, or sold pieces to various art institutions around the world, including but not limited to: - The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) - The Museum of Fine Art (Boston) - The Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, MA) - Asian Civilisations Museum (Singapore) - Poly Art Museum (PR China)

Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art at TEFAF New York Fall 2017, Stangd 35. Primary Address: 1 Princes Place, Duke Street, St. James's, London, SW1Y 6DE, United Kingdom. T  +442079300888 - M   +447717825828 - mark@littletonandhennessy.com - www.littletonandhennessy.com

LONDON.- Three self-portraits by Paul Cézanne, painted in 1885 and 1886, including a complementary pair showing Cézanne in a bowler hat, have gone on public display for the first time in the United Kingdom in a major new exhibition, Cézanne Portraits, on view at the National Portrait Gallery, London. The exhibition brings together for the first time over fifty of Cézanne’s portraits from collections across the world. 

The first of the three self-portraits, painted around 1885, was, together with Cézanne’s earliest self-portrait, the only painted self-portrait to be based upon a photograph. The two portraits with a bowler hat show the artist in a familiar pose, looking back over his shoulder, his right eye engaging with the viewer. The shape of the hat reflects Cézanne’s pleasure in modelling simple, solid geometric forms. The works are the only painted self-portraits to show Cézanne wearing a bowler hat, although it would become his favourite headgear in his later years. 

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Madame Cézanne in a Red Armchair, c.1877, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Bequest of Robert Treat Paine, 2nd. Photo © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Also displayed for the first time in the United Kingdom are two portraits of Cézanne’s wife, Hortense Fiquet – Madame Cézanne Sewing (1877), on loan from the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm and Madame Cézanne (1886–7), on loan from the Detroit Institute of Arts; a portrait of Cézanne’s close friend Antoine-Fortuné Marion, who became Director of the Museum of Natural History in Marseille and went on painting expeditions with Cézanne in Provence; and one of a series of portraits of Cezanne’s maternal uncle, Dominique Aubert who, dressed in differing costumes, sat for nine or ten portraits by his nephew over the winter of 1866–7. In addition to the portraits previously unseen in the United Kingdom, the exhibition also includes a number of works that were last exhibited in this country in the 1920s and 1930s. 

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) painted almost 200 portraits during his career, including twenty-six of himself and twenty-nine of his wife, Hortense Fiquet. Cézanne Portraits explores the special pictorial and thematic characteristics of Cézanne’s portraiture, including his creation of complementary pairs and multiple versions of the same subject. The chronological development of Cézanne’s portraiture is considered, with an examination of the changes that occurred with respect to his style and method, and his understanding of resemblance and identity. The exhibition also discusses the extent to which particular sitters inflected the characteristics and development of his practise. 

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Child in a Straw Hat, 1896, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. George Gard De Sylva Collection (M. 48.4)

Works included in the exhibition range from Cezanne’s remarkable portraits of his Uncle Dominique, dating from the 1860s, through to his final portraits of Vallier, who helped Cézanne in his garden and studio at Les Lauves, Aix-en-Provence, made shortly before the artist’s death in 1906. The paintings are drawn from museums and private collections in Brazil, Denmark, France, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Cézanne is widely considered one of the most influential artists of the nineteenth century. Generally categorised as a Post-Impressionist, his unique method of building form with colour, and his analytical approach to nature influenced the art of Cubists, Fauvists and successive generations of avant-garde artists. Both Matisse and Picasso called Cézanne ‘the father of us all’. 

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Uncle Dominique in Profile, 1866-7, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wolfe Fund, 1951 acquired from The Museum of Modern Art, Lillie P. Bliss Collection (53.140.1).

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London, says: ‘We are delighted to have brought together an unprecedented number of Cezanne’s portraits for the first time in order to reveal arguably the most personal, and therefore most human, aspect of his art. While Cézanne may have learnt a great deal from the Impressionists, his aim was quite different, his vision unique, informed by a desire to see through appearances to the underlying structure of things by means of mass, line and shimmering colour. Nowhere was this more evident than in his portraits. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.’ 

John Elderfield, Chief Curator Emeritus of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and Curator of Cézanne Portraits says: ‘Cézanne’s portraits not only invite us into the world he knew; they also allow us to contemplate the continuing inventiveness of the artist at work. Unlike most of his avant-garde peers, Cézanne never received a portrait commission, and many of his painted likenesses of friends and family members offer little information in the way of his sitters’ individual personas, stature, or psychology. More than his landscapes and still lifes, Cézanne’s portraits serve as markers or milestones in his long and prolific career, allowing us to ponder the key developments in his painting process and of his understanding of what portraiture can achieve.’ 

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Boy in a Red Waistcoat, 1888-90, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honour of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Cézanne Portraits is curated by John Elderfield, Chief Curator Emeritus of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where he has organised numerous exhibitions, including major retrospectives devoted to Willem de Kooning, Henri Matisse and Kurt Schwitters; with Mary Morton, Curator and Head of the Department of French Paintings, National Gallery of Art and Xavier Rey, Director of the Museums of Marseille and former Director of Collections, Musée d’Orsay. 

The exhibition is organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London, Etablissement public des musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C . The exhibition was open at the Musée d’Orsay from 13 June 2017 to 24 September 2017, moving to the National Portrait Gallery from 26 October 2017 to 11 February 2018, and the National Gallery of Art from 25 March to 1 July 2018.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Man with Pipe, 1891-6, The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Paul Alexis Reading a Manuscript to Emile Zola, 1869-70, Congresso Nacional, 1952. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Cézanne’s Father, Reading L’Evénement, 1866, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Collection of Mr and Mrs Paul Mellon.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Madame Cezanne in a Red Dress, 1888–90, Art Institute of Chicago; Wilson L. Mead Fund.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Uncle Dominique in Smock and Blue Cap, 1866–7, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wolfe Fund, 1951; acquired from Museum of Modern Art, Lillie P. Bliss Collection.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Portrait of Mrs Cézanne, Oil on canvas, Paris, Musée d'Orsay © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski 

Francis Nelson Golding, architectural, planning and conservation consultant: born Macclesfield 28 January 1944; Honorary Fellow, RIBA 2000; civil partner 2006 Dr Satish Padiyar; died London 7 November 2013.

Francis Golding assembled this collection over the last forty years buying from reputable London dealers such as Bluett & Sons, John Sparks, and Spink & Son, and international auction houses including Sotheby's, Bonham's, and Christie’s. It comprises works that span over two thousand years of Chinese art and includes exquisite Song dynasty ceramics, Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain, archaic, Ming and Qing dynasty jade carvings, beautifully-worked kesi textiles, and works of art including cloisonné enamel and lacquer ware. 

Francis developed a deep affinity with Chinese art after being introduced to the beauty of Tang and Song dynasty ceramics in Singapore in the 1970s by the Chinese curator and scholar William Willetts, author of the influential two-volume Chinese Art, 1958. To Francis, the joy of collecting Chinese art went beyond the thrill of acquisition and appreciation of beauty. In his words: “These objects represent to me freedom and life, not deadening possessions”. They were placed artfully in his London Georgian townhouse, where he lived with his partner, art historian Dr Satish Padiyar.  

He was widely considered to be one of the country’s leading architectural, planning and conservation consultants. As such, he greatly influenced the contemporary architectural landscape of London.  

His clients included world renowned architect Richard Rogers, with whom he advised on The Leadenhall Building in the City of London known as “The Cheese Grater”; and Rafael Viñoly, whose distinctive building nicknamed “The Walkie-Talkie” towers above London’s surrounding historic financial district at 20 Fenchurch Street. The soaring public sky terrace there, “The Francis Golding Terrace”, was named after him as a mark of respect for a man whose passion for London’s architecture and urban landscape improved the quality of the many developments on which he advised. 

Francis Golding also advised the celebrated architect Norman Foster, with whom he worked on London’s iconic building the “Gherkin”. He once famously suggested Norman Foster reconsider one of his designs with the pithy critique, “Norman, you wouldn’t want to put one of your worst next to one of Wren’s best would you?”

Lot 317. A large phosphatic-glazed stoneware jar, Tang dynasty (618-907 ad). 15 ¾ in. (40 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000 (USD 26,220 - USD 39,330). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The jar has four lug handles and is covered in a lustrous dark brown glaze decorated with milky blue phosphatic splashes, the glaze falling short of the base in an uneven line to reveal the buff-coloured body.

Provenance: Private French Collection, amassed prior to 1980.
Christie's Paris, 22 November 2006, lot 240.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

 Lot 318. A dark brown-glazed vase, yuhuchunping, Jin-Yuan dynasty(1115-1368). 11 in. (28 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

This vase is of an elegant pear shape with a slender neck rising to an everted mouth rim and supported on a short spreading foot. The exterior is covered in a rich, dark brown glaze with two large stylised flowers.

Provenance: With Bluett and Sons Ltd., London.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 319. A Jun-type bowl. 6 7/8. in. (17.8 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 1,500 - GBP 3,000 (USD 1,988 - USD 3,975). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is decorated to both the interior and exterior with pale blue and lavender tone glaze, suffused with a dense network of crackles, fading to brownish-beige at the small foot ring. 

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 320. A Longquan celadon-glazed shallow bowl, an incised celadon-glazed 'lotus' bowl, and a carved celadon-glazed box and cover, the Longquan bowl Song dynasty (960-1279), the incised 'lotus' bowl Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the box and cover Qing dynasty (1644-1912). The largest 9 ½ in. (24 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The group comprises: a Longquan celadon-glazed bowl of shallow form with a band of moulded lappets to the exterior, the glaze a bluish-green tone; a bowl incised to the exterior with three large lotus heads on leafy stems; and a circular box and cover carved with a lotus bloom on leafy scrolling foliage.

Provenance: The incised 'lotus' bowl: With Bluett & Sons, London.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 321. A bronze two-handled censer, 17th century. 7 7/8. in. (20 cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 600 - GBP 1,000 (USD 795 - USD 1,325). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bulbous body of this censer is cast to the shoulders with two lion-head handles. The base is with an apocryphal sixteen-character Xuande workshop mark. 

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 322. A rare small Ding moulded 'Phoenix' dish, Jin dynasty (1115-1234). 5 ¾ in. (14.7 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 8,000 - GBP 12,000 (USD 10,600 - USD 15,900). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is decorated with a ribbed design of chrysanthemum petals encircling a central medallion finely moulded with a pair of phoenix in flight amongst large lotus flowers and lotus leaves. The rim is applied with a metal band. 

Provenance: The Alfred Clark Collection (1873-1950), no.576.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 323. Three Ming lacquer stem cups, Ming dynasty, 15th-16th century. The tallest 3 3/8 in. (8.7 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The group comprises: two cinnabar lacquer stem cups carved with two birds amongst lychee hanging on leafy stems, all on a diaper pattern ground and below a band of key fret to the rim, the stems decorated withlingzhi sprigs, the interiors and bases are lined with metal; and a tixilacquer stem cup deeply carved to the exterior through alternating layers of black and red lacquer with a repeating design of ruyi-head scrolls, the interior and base lined with metal.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).
The two cinnabar lacquer cups:
With Bluett & Sons, London.
With Linart Ltd, London, 17 July 1995, no. 205.
The tixi lacquer stem cup: With Michael J.A.Wilcox, London, 19 March 2003.

Lot 324. A bronze chariot fitting, Han dynasty (206 BC -220 AD). 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The chariot fitting is of tubular form and closed at one end with circular apertures to each side. There is a rectangular aperture on the shaft through which slides a detachable fitting terminating in a tiger head, the beast's striped markings, barred teeth and facial features are finely detailed. The narrow tapered end of the shaft is cast with a band of lappets. The bronze has malachite green encrustations.

Provenance: Acquired in the UK prior to 2000.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 325. A pair of cloisonné candlesticks, Qianlong period (1736-1795). 11 in. (28 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 10,000 (USD 7,950 - USD 13,250). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Each candlestick is densely decorated to the bell-form base, drip plate and stem with elaborate flower scrolls interspersed with ruyi head borders, all reserved on a turquoise ground. The gilt bronze edge of the drip pan is decorated with chased squared scrolls and the waist is decorated with a lappet band. 

Provenance: With John Sparks Ltd., London, 29 January 1990. 
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 326. A blue and white 'Nine peaches' dish, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). 0 5/8 in. (27 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 8,000 - GBP 12,000 (USD 10,600 - USD 15,900). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is painted to the centre with nine peaches borne on a gnarled, leafy branch. The exterior is painted with a continuous leafy meander of morning glory within double line borders. 

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Note: Dishes of this size and pattern, also with Qianlong seal marks, are more usually seen with a yellow enamelled ground, such as the example in the Percival David Foundation illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, no. 247. See, also, the dish sold in these rooms, 11 May 2015, lot 16. 

A similar blue and white dish, without the yellow enamel, is illustrated by J. Ayers, Chinese Ceramics: The Koger Collection, London, 1985, no. 96. An almost identical Ming-style blue and white ‘peach’ dish offered at Christie’s New York, 26 March 2010, lot. 1373.

Lot 327. A blue and white 'Dragon' dish, 18th century. 8 1/8 in. (20.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 1,500 - GBP 2,000 (USD 1,988 - USD 2,650). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The interior is decorated in the centre with a five-clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl amidst clouds and flames. The exterior is decorated with three similar dragons in pursuit. The base is inscribed with an apocryphal six-character Zhengde mark.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 328. A rare large blue and white 'Dragon' basin, Ming dynasty, 16th century. 18 in. (45.8 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 10,000 (USD 7,950 - USD 13,250). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The basin is of a shallow compressed form with a lipped rim and supported by a short foot. It is decorated around the exterior with two large writhing dragons chasing a flaming pearl amongst clouds, all between cloud scrolls to the mouth rim and a classic scroll above the foot.

Provenance: Christie's London, 15 June 1998, lot 96. 
With Linart Ltd., London, 20 June 1998. 
From the Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 329. Two celadon jade bi-discs, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The larger 5 ¾ in. (14.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The group comprises two bi-discs of plain form, one is of a pale celadon tone with creamy flecks and russet inclusions, the other is of a darker celadon tone with creamy flecks, russet inclusions and areas of calcification.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 330. A celadon jade disc ans a yellow jade scoop, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) or possibly earlier. The largest, 4 1/8 in. (10.4 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 2,000 - GBP 3,000 (USD 2,650 - USD 3,975). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The disc is of rounded square form with a central circular aperture and two smaller holes to one side. The stone is of a pale celadon tone with two areas of lighter and brown inclusions. The scoop is of elongated rectangular shape with rounded ends. The stone is of an attractive light yellow tone with some paler inclusions.

Provenance: The scoop: Michael J. A. Wilcox, London, 4 March 2004.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 331. Two pale celadon jade 'Chilong' and 'Dragon' pendants, the 'Chilong' pendant, 17th-18th century, the 'Dragon' pendant, 18th century. The largest 2 ½ in (6.3 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The shield-form pendant is carved and pierced with archaistic scrolls and surmounted by a clambering chilong, the stone of a pale even tone with some pale russet inclusions; and the axe-form pendant is carved in shallow relief to each side with a stylised dragon and a phoenix, the stone of a pale even tone with a russet inclusions.

Provenance: The 'dragon' pendant: with Michael J. A. Wilcox, London, 29 October 2004.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 332. A pale celadon and russet jade 'Aubergine' pendant, and a mottled grey jade 'Cicada' pendant, the aubergine pendant 17th-18th century, the cicada 17th century. The larger 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The aubergine-form pendant is incised to one side with a scroll motif, the stone of a pale celadon tone with areas of russet skin and russet striations; and the mottled pale and dark grey cicada-form pendant, carved and pierced with two small apertures, the stone with creamy white, dark grey and russet inclusions.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 333. Two pale celadon and russet jade mythical beasts, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century and 18th century. The larger, 2 5/8 (6.8 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The first is a recumbent beast carved with its head turned to one side and bifurcated tail flicked over its haunches. Its legs are tucked beneath its body and with its prominent backbone and facial features finely detailed. The stone is of a creamy celadon tone with russet inclusions. The second beast has a long neck and is carved with its head turned to one side. The well pronounced spine leads to a bushy tail which is swept beside one of the large paws. The stone is of an even pale tone. 

Provenance: The first, with John Sparks Ltd, London, 8 January 1990.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 334. A celadon and russet jade model of a hound, 17th century. 4 3/8 in. (11.2 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 2,000 - GBP 3,000 (USD 2,650 - USD 3,975). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The recumbent dog is carved with all four paws facing forwards, its tail swept over its hind legs to the right side, and a rope around the neck. The stone is of a pale tone with the russet skin highlighting the ribs to one side. 

Provenance: With Linart Ltd., London, 20 June 1998.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 335. A finely carved celadon and russet jade 'Chilong' washer and a pale celadon and russet jade archaistic two-handled cup, 17th-18th century. The larger, 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 7,000 - GBP 9,000 (USD 9,275 - USD 11,925). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

 The quatrefoil washer is intricately carved with two chilong dragons on the sides, supported on four short feet. The stone is of a pale celadon tone with russet streaks. The cup is of shallow form, carved to the exterior with a band of raised nodes, interrupted by two mythical beast-head handles to the sides. The stone is of a slightly mottled pale celadon tone, with some minor streaked russet inclusions.

Provenance: The cup: Barnet Cemmell Collection. 
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 336. A pale celadon and russet jade pouring vessel, yi, and a celadon and russet jade quatrefoil-form tray, 17th-19th century. The larger, 9¼ in. (23.6 cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vessel is delicately incised to the exterior with a band of stylised scroll motifs and the handle is decorated with an archaistic taotie. The stone is of a pale celadon tone with subtle russet streaked inclusions throughout. The tray is of plain form with an everted quatrefoil rim and is pierced with three small holes to the centre. The stone is of a lightly mottled celadon tone with areas of enhanced russet skin.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 337. Three jade archer's rings and a collection of six jade and jadeite carvings,Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and later. Estimate GBP 2,000 - GBP 4,000 (USD 2,650 - USD 5,300). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The group comprises: three jade archer's rings, one of plain form carved with an arched slightly concave central section, one carved with an archaistic dragon scroll and a third carved with a band of shou character roundels on an archaistic ground; a mottled creamy celadon jade rabbit, the stone with areas of calcification; a white and russet jade pebble of irregular form; a mottled grey jade carved cylindrical bead; a celadon jade recumbent scholar; a spinach-green jade heart-form pendant; and a jadeite bird pendant.

Provenance: One ring with Linart Ltd., 17 March 1995. Another ring with Linart Ltd., 19 October 1994.

Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 338. An archaic mottled black and brown jade pommel, Warring States (475-221 BC). 1 5/8 in (4.2 cm) diam. Estimate GBP 1,500 - GBP 2,500 (USD 1,988 - USD 3,312). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The pommel has a raised central section carved with an archaistic scroll and the underside has two small apertures. The stone is of a mottled black, pale grey and brown tone with red flecked inclusions and veins.

Provenance: With Linart Ltd., London, 16 December 1997.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013)

Lot 339. A carved Cizhou vase, meiping, Song dynasty (960-1279). 13 in. (33 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 8,000 (USD 6,625 - USD 10,600). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is carved through the dark brown glaze to the pale buff body with a broad band enclosing a leafy foliate scroll below a narrower band of stylised petals and a band of overlapping petals to the base.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013)

Lot 340. A jade cong, sword pommel and mythical beast carving, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The tallest 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000 (USD 3,975 - USD 6,625). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The group comprises: a miniature pale celadon and russet jade congcarved with archaistic scrolls; a mottled pale and dark grey celadon jade sword pommel, carved with two concave bands encircling two small apertures; and a black jade single-horned mythical beast.

Provenance: The cong: With Michael Oriental Art Ltd., 21 April 2001.
The Pratt Collection of Seattle, Washington, USA.
The sword pommel: With Linart Ltd., London, 16 December 1997.
Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 341. A blue-ground kesi 'Dragon' circular panel section, 17th century. 16 in. (40.5 cm.) diam., mounted, framed, and glazed. Estimate GBP 1,500 - GBP 3,000 (USD 1,988 - USD 3,975). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The panel is woven with a gilt four-clawed dragon weaving in and out of tumultuous waves chasing the flaming pearl, all amongst precious objects. 

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 342. A shaped kesi dragon fragment, 19th century. 12 in. (30.5 cm.) wide, mounted. Estimate GBP 1,000 - GBP 1,500 (USD 1,325 - USD 1,988). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dark blue kesi ground is woven in gold threads and shades of blue, green and ochre with a five-clawed dragon leaping amongst fire scrolls in pursuit of the flaming pearl above waves and mountains on a ground scattered with auspicious objects.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 343. A large apricot-ground kesi 'dragon' panel, 17th century. Estimate GBP 10,000 - GBP 15,000 (USD 13,250 - USD 19,875). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The panel is boldly woven in peacock feather filaments, gilt and colourful threads with a front-facing four-clawed dragon coiled around a flaming pearl, amongst ruyi-shaped cloud scrolls above rocks and tumultuous waves and precious objects. The panel, 27 ¾ in. high x 38 in. wide (70.5 x 96.5 cm.), mounted in a perspex frame.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Note: A similar 'dragon' panel with a gilt ground was sold at Christie's South Kensington, 11 November 2015, lot 610, and a further kesi dragon panel as a table frontal from the Collection of Jean-Pierre Dubosc (1903-1988), was sold at Christie's Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 18.

Lot 344. Akesi 'dragon' panel, 17th century. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The panel is woven with a fierce gilt five-clawed dragon clasping the flaming pearl amongst scrolling clouds above precious objects in tumultuous waves. The details of the panel are finely delineated by the use of contrasting coloured sections. 15 1/8 in. long x 7 ¾ in. wide (38.5 x 19.7 cm.), mounted in a perspex frame.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Lot 345. A yellow-ground embroidered cushion cover section, late 18th century. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,300 - USD 7,950). © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The shaped cushion cover is embroidered with a central flower surrounded by ruyi-heads and densely scrolling lotus and the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang. The gilt couched border is surrounded by scattered bats holding chimes, beribboned ruyi-sceptres, and further scrolling lotus. The section 28 3/8 in. long x 30.¼ in. wide (72 cm. x 77 cm.), mounted in a perspex frame.

Provenance: Collection of Francis Golding (1944-2013).

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London