PARIS.- – La vente de la collection d’Eleanor Post Close (1909-2006) et de son fils, Antal Post de Bekessy (1943-2015) s’est conclue ce soir sur un montant total de 7 139 047 € (8 466 553 $), bien au-dessus des estimations (estimation: 3,9 – 5,9 millions €). Au cours des deux derniers jours, plus de 1000 collectionneurs, marchands, et institutions du monde entier ont participéà cette vente exceptionnelle qui rendait hommage à l’œil et au goût exquis de cette dynastie de collectionneurs. 94 % des lots ont trouvé preneur et 60 % d’entre eux ont atteint des prix supérieurs aux estimations hautes.

Durant les quatre jours précédant la vente, 1 500 personnes ont visité l’exposition, toute autant fascinées par le formidable destin de cette dynastie américaine que par l’ampleur et l’extraordinaire qualité de cette collection. Témoin de la passion de la famille pour l’histoire et le style français, cet ensemble de 700 lots était mené par du mobilier et de la peinture du XVIIIème siècle, des arts décoratifs, ainsi que des œuvres impressionnistes, modernes et contemporaines.

S’exprimant à l’issue de la vente, Pierre Mothes, Vice-président de Sotheby’s France a déclaré : «Les prix obtenus au cours des deux derniers jours célèbrent le goût exquis d’Eleanor Post Close et de Antal Post de Bekessy. Ils sont aussi un vibrant hommage au dévouement et à la passion avec lesquels ces collectionneurs d’exception ont poursuivi l’œuvre de leur mère et grand-mère, l’extraordinaire Marjorie Merriweather Post.”

PARIS.- – The sale of the collection of Eleanor Post Close (1909-2006) and her son Antal Post de Bekessy (1943-2015) concluded tonight with an outstanding total of €7,139,047 ($8,466,553), well above pre-sale expectations (est. €3.9 – 5.9 million). Over the course of two days, over 1,000 collectors, dealers and art institutions from across the globe participated in a sale which reflected the great eye and exquisite taste of this dynasty of collectors. Together, the participants drove the percentage of lots sold to 94%, with 60 % of them achieving prices well in excess of their pre-sale estimates. 

Prior to the sale, 1,500 people had visited the four-day exhibition, captivated both by the story of this formidable American dynasty and the breath and quality of the collection. The 700 lots were highlighted by an impressive ensemble of 18th century furniture and paintings, decorative arts as well as modern, impressionist and contemporary works, each piece shedding light on the family’s passion for French history and aesthetics. 

Pierre Mothes, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby’s France said:“The results achieved over the last two days are a brilliant tribute to Eleanor Post Close and Antal Post de Bekessy’s exquisite taste, and to the dedication and passion with which they continued the collection of their mother and grandmother, the extraordinary Marjorie Merriweather Post.” 

Parmi les lots phares vendus hier et aujourd’hui figuraient:

Among highlights were: 

Deux reliefs en terre cuite datant d’environ 1773, signés Claude Michel dit Clodion et ayant appartenu à la prestigieuse collection du Prince de Conti. Le premier, La Marchande d’amour, a été adjugé 447 000 € (530 120 $), une enchère record pour un relief de Clodion et le deuxième prix le plus élevé atteint pour une œuvre de l’artiste (estimation: 100 000 - 150 000 €). Le deuxième relief, intitulé Le Sacrifice à l’amour, s’est, quant à lui, vendu 243 000 € (288 186 $), également bien au-delà des estimations (€80 000 - 120 000).

Two terracota reliefs, circa 1773 by Claude Michel dit Clodion originally in the prestigious collection of the Prince de Conti. The first, The Merchant of Love, soared to €447,000 ($530,120) – an auction record for a relief by the French sculptor and the second highest price for the artist at auction (est. €100,000-150,000). The second, The Sacrifice of love, achieved €243,000 ($288,186), again well above the high estimate (est. €80,000-120,000). 

Lot 293. Claude Michel dit Clodion (Nancy 1738 - 1814 Paris), La Marchande d’amour, vers 1773, relief en terre cuite; dans un encadrement en marbre bleu Turquin, à décor en bronze doré; signé CLODION ; au dos une étiquette "Clodion 1779. 8 avril. Vente du Prince de Conti Marchande d'Amours 6 figures H. 8 pouces L. 9 pouces 200 livres"; 21 x 26,5 cm, (cadre) 37 x 37 cm; 8 1/5 by 10 2/5 in. ; (frame) 14 3/5 by 14 3/5 in. Estimation 100,000 — 150,000 €. Lot Vendu 447,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lot 294. Claude Michel dit Clodion (Nancy 1738 - 1814 Paris), Le Sacrifice à l’amour, vers 1773, relief en terre cuite; dans un encadrement en marbre bleu Turquin à décor en bronze doré, 23 x 26 cm, (cadre) 37,5 x 37,5 cm; 9 by 10 1/5 in., (frame) 14 4/5 by 14 4/5 in. Estimation 80,000 — 120,000 €. Lot Vendu 243,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Un portrait de Jacques-François de Chastenet, Marquis de Puysegur (1656-1743) par l’un des artistes les plus prisés de son temps, Nicolas de Largillierre a atteint 345 000 € (409 153 $), cinq fois les estimations (60 000 - 80 000 €).

A magnificent portrait of Jacques-François de Chastenet, Marquis of Puysegur (1656-1743) by the court painter Nicolas de Largillierre soared to €345,000 ($409,153), five times above the estimate of €60,000-80,000. 

Lot 609. Nicolas de Largillierre (Paris 1656 - 1746), Portrait présumé de Jacques-François de Chastenet, Marquis de Puysegur (1656-1743). Huile sur toile, 136 x 105,5 cm ; 53 1/2 by 41 1/2 in. Estimation 60,000 — 80,000 €. Lot Vendu 345,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Un tondo attribué au peintre français Carle van Loo, Apollon assis tenant une lyre devant une athénienne et un serpent a fait l’objet de nombreuses enchères, avant d’être adjugé 175 000 € (207 541 $), le triple des estimations (40 000 – 60 000 €).

A tondo attributed to the French genre painter Carle van Loo, Apollo seated holding a lyre in front of an Athenian and a snake sparked a strong bidding battle and eventually sold for €175,000 ($207,541), over three times the pre-sale estimate (est. €40,000-60,000).

Lot 318. Attribuéà Carle van Loo (Nice 1705 - 1765 Paris), Apollon assis tenant une lyre devant une athénienne et un serpent. Huile sur toile circulaire. Diam. 136 cm ; 53 1/2 in. Estimation 40,000 — 60,000 €. Lot Vendu 175,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Eugène Delacroix était un grand peintre animalier et sa fascination pour les bêtes sauvages était magnifiquement représentée dans la vente par une aquarelle, Lion couché dans un paysage, qui a atteint 175 000 € (207 541 $) contre une estimation de 60 000 - 80,000 €.

Eugène Delacroix was a great animal painter and his fascination for wild beasts was reflected in the sale by a superb watercolour depicting a Lying lion in a landscape which achieved €175,000 ($207,541), considerably higher than the pre-sale expectation of €60,000-80,000.  

Lot 452. Ferdinand-Victor-Eugène Delacroix (Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798 - 1863 Paris), Lion couché dans un paysage. Signé en bas à droite Eug. Delacroix ; En bas, ancienne inscription peut-être de la main de l'artiste N57 biseau carré [...] plat 43-33. Aquarelle sur papier, 19,5 x 27 cm ; 7 5/8 by 10 5/8 in. Estimation 40,000 — 60,000 €. Lot Vendu 175,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Ses racines austro-hongroises avaient amené Antal Post de Bekessy à acquérir un certain nombre d’œuvres d’artistes autrichiens, dont l’une des premières compositions de Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller présentant des personnages dans un paysage qui contribuèrent à sa renommée. Peinte en 1830, La récompense du bon élève a trouvé preneur pour 150 000 € (177 892 $) (est. 80 000 – 120 000 €). 

Testament to Antal Post de Bekessy’s Austro-Hungarian roots, the sale included a number of works by Austrian artists, including one of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller's earliest paintings of figures in a landscape, for which he later became so renowned. Painted in 1830, the Diligence Rewarded sold for €150,000 ($177,892) (est. €80,000-120,000).  

Lot 108. Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (Vienne  1793 - 1865 Hinterbrühl, Ecole autrichienne), La récompense du bon élève. Signé et daté en bas à droite Waldmüller 1830 ; Porte au dos une étiquette inscrite de la main de l'artiste 137 Waldmüller, Der belohnte Fleiss, Eigenth. S[einer] [ka]iserl. Hoheit des ...[H]errn Erzh. Franz Karl. Huile sur panneau, 34 x 28,7 cm ; 13 ½ by 11 ¼ in. Estimation 80,000 — 120,000 €. Lot Vendu 150,000 €. Photo: Sotheby's.

Un cadre Art déco en agate, émail, saphir et diamants, signé Cartier a atteint 106 250 € (126 007 $) (estimation : 20 000 – 30 000 €). Ce cadre comprenant une miniature en ivoire représentant Marjorie Merriweather Post, la mère d’Eleanor et grand-mère d’Antal Post de Bekessy qui fut figure tutélaire de cette dynastie.

An Art Deco agate, enamel, sapphire and diamond frame by Cartier with a miniature portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post sold for €106,250 ($126,007) (est. €20,000-30,000).

Lot 500. Cadre Art Déco agate, saphir, émail et diamants, par Cartier, comprenant une miniature en ivoire représentant Marjorie Merriweather Post; 195 x 155 mm ; 475,2 g. Estimation 20,000 — 30,000 €. Lot Vendu 106,250 €. Photo: Sotheby's. 

Chinese porcelain famille verte rouleau vase, Kangxi period, circa 1680; 18 1/8 inches, 46 cm high. Price on request. © Marchant.

with high shoulder, cylindrical ribbed neck and galleried rim, painted on the body in a continuous scene with the Tang Dynasty General Guo Ziyi, celebrating his sixtieth birthday amongst his family, including eleven boys, young men, two young girls and other scholars, dignitaries and attendants with one boy seated at a table in an iron red chair pretending to paint in front of a crested wave screen and four other young men bowing at each other while standing on an elaborate floral rug, all in a curtained open terrace scene with fencing, rockwork, wutong and an iron-red cloud bank, the neck with a flowering peony branch amongst rockwork with large buds and leaves and two birds in flight.  The base glazed white with a double ring in underglaze blue.

Condition: perfect

Provenance: • Formerly in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Collection. John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, into one of the wealthiest American families. His father founded and was president of Standard Oil. While at Brown University he met and later married Abby Aldrich, the daughter of The United States Senator from Rhode Island. Nelson, one of their six children, would later become Vice President of The United States. His passion was for philanthropy. In 1946, he gave eight million US Dollars for the purchase of land for the United Nations Building in New York. Most of his charitable gifts went to general foundations, churches, historic preservation projects, national parks, collages, libraries and museums and he created The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research which today is part of Rockefeller University.

• Formerly in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accessioned in 1960.

•Sold by Christie’s, New York, in their auction of Collection in America: Chinese Ceramics from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15th September 2016, lot no. 877, pp. 104-105.

Note: The scene depicted of the Tang Dynasty General Guo Ziyi’s birthday is considered a Chinese portrayal of grand wealth, rank and longevity. He lived between AD 697-781 and served under four Emperors. He was instrumental in quelling the An Shi Rebellion. Because Guo enjoyed a successful career and long life, and his many sons and sons-in-law were also successful Court Officials, he became the ultimate representative of a blessed man bestowed with longevity, progeny and an honourable career. Other scenes depicting his seventieth and eightieth birthdays are also recorded.

A similar scene is depicted on a large blue and white rouleau vase in The Gu Gong Museum Collection and is illustrated by Chen Run Min in Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi Period and Kangxi Period Underglaze Blue, no. 293, pp. 455-457, in this scene many family members and officials came to offer their congratulations and covered his bed with their sceptres which was also recorded on his sixtieth birthday.

It is rare to find famille verte vases from the Kangxi period with an absence of underglaze blue or blue enamel, the palette clearly being a continuation of Shunzhi wucai, and together with the colour of the enamels indicate early Kangxi production. 

See no. 25 for a vase painted with a scene of Guo Ziyi’s seventieth birthday. 

MARCHANT. Exhibition 'Kangxi Famille Verte'

Chinese porcelain famille verte dish, Early Kangxi period, circa 1680; 15 3/8 inches, 39 cm diameter. Price on request. © Marchant.

with gently flared rim, painted with a bearded figure with bulging eyes wearing cloud scroll robes, being sent away by an official in front of a further standing dignitary on a palace terrace, all amongst fencing with faux marble and two attendants, one holding a large fan, with plantain in the background, the underside with viewing pavilions amongst rockwork. The base with a shell mark within a double ring in underglaze blue. 

Condition: Several small chips and frits restored. 

Provenance: Formerly in the Dr. Günter Schäper Collection. Dr. Günter Schäper (1930-2014), had four great passions: medicine (which he studied at three German universities and in which he had his own practice for 30 years in his home town of Recklinghausen), collecting art, hiking and horticulture. His favourite ceramics were Meissen and Qing dynasty porcelain. His collection was sold to benefit two charities, one for the protection of cultural heritage and the other for the protection of nature and animal welfare.

Note: Another dish of this unusual subject within an elaborate border is in The Victoria and Albert Museum, gift of Sydney Vacher, collection no. 480-1918.

Pair of Chinese famille verte biscuit porcelain large models of seated Buddhist lions on openwork rectangular stands, Early Kangxi period, circa 1680; 14 inches, 35.7 cm high. Price on request. © Marchant.

the male with a reticulated ball of cash-pattern simulating a brocade ball under his front left raised paw, the female with a cub climbing up her front raised right paw, each covered on the body in a translucent pale green glaze with relief hairwork to the mane and spine heightened in dark green and blue enamel, their faces in pale yellow with wang-characters on their foreheads, the upright tails with aubergine glaze, the stands with peony, chrysanthemum, magnolia, camellia, prunus, lotus and pinks on a speckled green ground, each with two butterflies. The flat underside unglazed with muslin effect. 

Condition: Restorations.

Provenance: Formerly in the Elizabeth Gibson Holahan Collection. Elizabeth Holahan (1903-2002) purchased the historic Oliver Culver House (built in 1816), Rochester, New York State, one of the oldest standing homes and where she lived from 1945-2002. She served as president of The Landmark Society of Western New York and later as president of The Rochester Historical Society. Amongst her many accomplishments she directed the restoration of the Patrick Barry Mansion, built in 1857 on Mt. Hope Avenue, considered to be one of the finest Italian style villa residences in America. 

Note: Included by Marchant in their catalogue of Recent Acquisitions, 2006, no. 17, pp/ 34-35.

A similar pair were sold at Christie’s, London, 20th June 1910, lot no. 104, and are illustrated by Gorer in Catalogue of the Collection of Old Chinese Porcelains formed by Richard Bennett, Esq, Thornby Hall, Northampton, no. 332; another pair were bequeathed by Mr. & Mrs. J.C.J. Drucker-Fraser and are illustrated by Christiaan J.A. Jorg in Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, no. 216, p. 192, and are again illustrated by Christiaan J.A. Jorg in Chinese Porcelain and Green Enamels, no. 113, p. 124; a further pair are illustrated by Anthony du Boulay in The Taft Musuem, Cincinnati, Its History and Collections, Vol. II, p. 263.

Chinese famille verte biscuit porcelain ‘piggyback’ group, Early Kangxi period, circa 1680; 8 7/8 inches, 22.6 cm high. Price on request. © Marchant.

modelled as a standing smiling young man wearing long yellow ground floral robes and the official badge of a first-grade civil mandarin beneath three button tied clasps carrying a younger boy on his back who wears an aubergine ground flower head jacket, the base unglazed.

Condition: 2 fingers of right hand of boy restored, top knot repair.

Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Emily Norwood Trevor, New York, thence by decent to her nephew John B. Trevor, Jr., Palm Beach, Florida. Emily Norwood Trevor was the sister-in-law of Grenville Winthrop, the famous art collector whose collection was left to Harvard University in 1943. It is believed by family tradition that this piece was purchased from Duveen Brothers, New York, in the early 20th Century.

Note: Sold by Christie’s, New York, in their auction of Fine Chinese Ceramics, Jades and Works of Art, 19th September 2007, lot no. 359, pp. 346-347.

Included by Marchant in their catalogue of Recent Acquisitions, 2008, no. 56, pp. 122-123. 

A similar piece is illustrated by Anthony du Boulay in The Taft Museum, Cincinanati, It’s History and Collections, Vol. II, pp. 620-621. and was included in their exhibition of Ming to Ch’ing: Imperial Objects and Textiles, Masterpieces of Chinese Furniture, February 12th to June 30th 1975; another formerly in the collection of George Eumorfopoulos was included by William R. Sargent in The Copeland Collection, Chinese and Japanese Ceramic Figures, The Peabody Museum of Salem, no. 47, p. 103; another is illustrated by Frank Partridge and Sons Ltd. in their exhibition of A Collection of Old Chinese Porcelain, Summer 1933, no. 53. 

Chinese famille verte biscuit porcelain water dropper, shuizhu, Early Kangxi period, circa 1680; 5 ¾ inches, 14.6 cm long. Price on request. © Marchant.

of a recumbent piebald horse on a green glazed leaf-form base, with head turned to the side beneath its long flowing segmented mane and forelock falling between the pricked ears, the front legs bent as if about to stand, covered on the body with dark brown enamel patches on a pale cream translucent ground, the back with open oval aperture, the tail and mane heightened in pale aubergine glaze, the bridle and hair to the small pastern heightened in yellow, the base unglazed. 

Condition: Both ear tips and back of bent hoof restored. 

Note: Formerly in the R. Thornton Wilson Collection. Richard Thornton Wilson (1886-1977), was a frequent donor to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He came from a prominent banking family, his father being Marshall Orme Wilson (1860-1926), while his mother was the daughter of William Backhouse Astor and the famous socialite Caroline Schemerhorn Astor. It may be significant that R. Thornton Wilson’s uncle after whom he appears to have been named, was prominent in racing circles. He was a member of the Saratoga Association for the Improvement of Breed Horses, Steward of The Jockey Club, and a Director of the Winchester Racing Association.

Formerly in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accessioned in 1943. 

Note: Sold by Christie’s, New York, in their auction of Collected in America: Chinese Ceramics from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,  15th September 2016, lot no. 899, pp. 124-5; and illustrated twice, in the front of the catalogue by Rosemary Scott in her article Collectors and Philanthropist, Donors of Chinese Ceramics to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 11 and by Rose Kerr in her article Famille Verte Porcelain, p. 27.

Another, of this model with a clear aubergine ground glaze, from the collection of Nellie and Basil Ionides of Buxted Park was included by Marchant in their catalogue of Recent Acquisitions, 2004, no. 6, pp. 10-11 and back cover, also illustrated by Michael Cohen and William Motley in Mandarin and Menagerie Chinese and Japanese Export Ceramic Figures, Vol. 1: The James E. Sowell Collection, 2008, no. 12.8. pp/ 188-189, where the authors note, “This is a very fine example of a rare type that is made in mirror-image pairs. The animal has a dynamism and monumental quality that belies its small size. The pose is said to be inspired by the “Black Jade Piebald Horse”, part of a tribute offering of five-coloured horses from General Wang Maozhong to the Tang Emperor Xuanzong (713-755)”. 

A similar aubergine ground pair purchased by John Sparks Ltd., London at Christie’s on 20th May 1968, lot no. 51, formed part of the Copeland Collection in the Peabody Museum of Salem, Massachusetts and are illustrated by William R. Sargent in The Copeland Collection of Chinese and Japanese Figures, no. 20, pp. 64-65, where the author also illustrates a yellow example formerly in The Mount Trust Collection, no. 19, pp. 62-63.

Two others, one of which is a yellow ground piebald example in an identical pose, purchased by Stephen Winkworth at Sotheby’s, London, 1933, gift of Louise Taft Semple, 22nd June 1950, are illustrated by Anthony du Boulay in The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, Its History and Collections, Vol. II, p. 626, where the author notes, “Water droppers, such as this engaging pair of ponies were used by scholars at their writing desks. After submerging the vessel to fill the hollow bodies, water was poured from the ponies’ mouths, their tails served as handles”. 

A further example with both front knees raised and dappled with brown and yellow glaze on a clear cream ground, bequeathed by The Honourable Lady Ward in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, was included by Sir Harry Garner in The Arts of the Chi-ing Dynasty, 1964, and is illustrated in Transactions of The Oriental Ceramic Society, 1963-64, no. 147, pl. 54. 

MARCHANT. Exhibition 'Kangxi Famille Verte'

Pair of Chinese famille verte biscuit porcelain square trays, Early Kangxi period, circa 1680; 5 ¼ inches, 13.3 cm diameter. Price on request. © Marchant.

each with flat rims, painted with a standing phoenix bird on rockwork amongst peony and magnolia, one with a lingzhi branch the other with an insect in flight, the undersides with four different branches of flowers including prunus and camellia. The bases with four-character marks of Yu hai tang zhi, ‘made for the Hall of the Jade Sea’ in black enamel within a double square.

Provenance: Formerly in a private English collection, Dorset.

Note: Two similar trays painted with insects, rockwork and flowering plants are illustrated by John Ayers in Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Vol. 2, nos. 153, 154, collection no. (A549,550), p. 29; another, is illustrated by Zheng Xinmiao and Li Ji in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Ceramics Volume 24, no. 194, collection no. XIN 100284, p. 286; two further similar dishes one with fish in a lotus pond were included by Marchant in their catalogue of Important Chinese Porcelain from Private Collections, 2012, no. 19, pp. 46-47. 

MARCHANT. Exhibition 'Kangxi Famille Verte'

Chinese famille noire biscuit porcelain hexagonal openwork teapot and cover, Early Kangxi, circa 1680; 5 7/8 inches, 15 cm total height, 6 1/8 inches, 15.5 cm handle to spout. Price on request. © Marchant.

the reticulated body modelled with six panels of the ‘Three Friends of Winter’, sanyou, pine, prunus and bamboo above a moulded band of lotus petals beneath a flower head band in iron-red and gilt on a continuous scrolling green branch at the shoulder, with ruyi-head, hexagonal diaper and cash on the faceted neck, all on a rich black enamel ground between a carp-form handle and dragon-mouth hexagonal spout, the cover reticulated with a branch of flowering prunus, with prunus flower head finial.

Provenance: Formerly in the Gaze Cooper Collection.
Walter Thomas Gaze Cooper (1895-1981) was well-known for his two great passions: music and collecting Chinese, Greek and Egyptian art. The music of Rachmaninov inspired him to learn the piano and prompted his first efforts at composition at the age of fifteen. He went to the Royal Academy of Music and in 1933 founded the Midland Conservatory of Music Orchestra, which in 1942 became the Nottingham Symphony Orchestra. As a pianist, he was known to have a brilliant technique, and as a teacher of unflagging energy, he often taught for ten to twelve hours a day. Amongst his prolific work, he wrote nine symphonies.
In 1951, his collection of oriental antiques was reputed to be one of the most valuable in the United Kingdom and was known for having artefacts that were replicated in the British Museum.

Note: A similar teapot in the British Museum was donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, collection no. 879; another, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, was gifted by Edwin C. Vogel in 1963, collection no. 63.213.18a, b; a further example, is illustrated by Anthony du Boulay in The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, Its History and Collections, no. 1931.5, p. 665, where the author notes, “A similar teapot, formerly at Burghley House (Stamford, Eng.), was included in the Devonshire Schedule, an inventory of the contents of the house, made in 1688-90”.

A further example, with different flower heads on the shoulder, formerly in the Willoughby d’Ernsby Collection, is illustrated by R. L. Hobson in Catalogue of the Leonard Gow Collection of Chinese Porcelain, 1931, no. 359, pl. LIV; a further example with a different border on the shoulder from the C. L. Paget Collection is illustrated by Soame Jenyns in Later Chinese Porcelain, pl. XXVI, where the author notes, “In these pieces, the black pigment was covered with a thin transparent green glaze, which produce an iridescent sheen. Because these pieces were costly to produce, as repeated firings often destroyed them in the kiln, they have commanded prices in the West which no other Chinese porcelain has been able to secure.” 

MARCHANT. Exhibition 'Kangxi Famille Verte'

Pair of Chinese famille verte biscuit porcelain groups of Middle Eastern merchants seated astride standing Buddhist lions, Early Kangxi, circa 1680; 6 7/8 inches, 17.5 cm high. Price on request. © Marchant.

each with open mouth and upright tail, the merchants wearing peeked striped caps with detailed hair-work to their faces, and wearing harlequin style jackets, the yellow-ground lions with moulded trappings, a bell and flames to their bodies all on openwork rectangular shaped stands with chamfered corners, heightened in iron-red and gilt. 

Provenance: The figure facing to the right was formerly in the Samuel Putnam Avery Collection, two inventory marks in black ink 1033 and in iron-red 312. Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) was an engraver, collector and dealer. He was one of the founding trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the museum’s first major group of Chinese ceramics came from his collection. It is recorded that the museum purchased 1,300 ceramics (predominantly Chinese) from his collection in 1879. He travelled extensively in Europe and his travel diaries from 1871 to 1882, describing his visits to galleries, artists’ studios and auctions, are now preserved at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Formerly in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accessioned in 1879. 

Note: Sold by Christie’s, New York, in their auction of Collected in America: Chinese Ceramics from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15th September 2016, lot no. 902, pp. 127.

The figure facing to the left was formerly in the collection of Mr. N. T. Williams, thence by decent. Mr. N. T. Williams was born in Cornwall and served in the Middle East during World War I and then spent the inter-war years in Calcutta and was involved in the mining business. According to family tradition it was during these years in India that he acquired this piece. 

A similar pair are illustrated by R.L. Hobson, C.B. in Catalogue of the Leonard Gow Collection of Chinese Porcelain, 1931, no. 298, colour pl. XXIX; another two, from the Florence J. Gould Collection, were sold by Sotheby’s, Monaco, in their auction of Porcelaine de Chine et Objects d’Art Chinois, 27th June 1984, lot no. 1311. 

A pair of Buddhist lions modelled as joss stick holders with gu form vases on their backs and standing on similar bases, formerly in the C.T. Loo Collection, Paris are illustrated by Michael Beurdeley and Guy Raindre in Qing Porcelain, Famille Verte, Famille Rose, no. 116, p. 83. 

It is possible that this proper pair were fired on the same day and have now been reunited by Marchant after more than 330 years. 

MARCHANT. Exhibition 'Kangxi Famille Verte'

Vajracarya Priest's Crown, ca.13th century, Nepalese. Copper, gold, crystal, turquoise. H. 14 in. (35.6 cm); W. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); D. 9 in. (22.9 cm); Wt. 4 lbs. 0.4 oz. (1825.7 g). Gift of Bashford Dean, 1906; 06.191© 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Provenance: Bashford Dean (acquired in northern India in 1905-06)

References: Dean, Bashford. Notes on Arms and Armor. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1916. pp. 3, 5, fig. 3.

Vajracharya Priest’s Crown, Early Malla period, 13th–early 14th century, Nepal. Gilt-copper alloy inlaid with semiprecious stones, lapis lazuli, and turquoise. H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm). Gift of Barbara and David Kipper, 2016; 2016.408 © 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Elaborate crowns such as this were worn by Vajracarya priests, the highest rank in the Nepalese Buddhist community. The conical crown is unique to Newari Buddhism and embodies a memory of older and now lost Indian Buddhist practices. The term Vajracarya denotes both a caste and a family name, and the designation entitles its holders to perform reserved priestly functions, analogous to the privileges held by Brahmans in Hinduism. This crown is exceptional in its complexity: It is dominated by a series of diadem plaques depicting emanations of the wisdom bodhisattva Manjushri, benign and wrathful. All is surmounted by a five-pronged thunderbolt scepter, or vajra. This unique iconography points to the crown being designed for enacting rites dedicated to invoking Manjushri.

Exhibition History: New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Arts of Nepal and Tibet: Recent Gifts," January 16, 2016–January 15, 2017.

Vajracharya Priest's Crown, ca. 14th century, Nepal. Repoussé gilt copper with semiprecious stones, 11 1/2 × 7 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (29.2 × 19.7 × 22.2 cm). Lent by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund, 84.41 © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Vajracarya Priest's Crown, ca. 15th to 16th century, Nepalese. Copper, gold, turquoise, semi-precious stones, silver foil. H. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm); W. 8 9/16 in. (21.7 cm); D. 9 1/16 in. (23 cm); Wt. 5 lb. 0.7 oz. (2287.8 g). Rogers Fund, 1948, 48.128 © 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Provenance: John K. Scolfield (1915-1996) (until 1948)

Vajracharya Priest’s Crown, dated 1717, Nepal. Gilt copper alloy inlaid with semiprecious stones. H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm); D. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm). Gift of Lynne and Robert Rubin, 1985; 1985.13.2 © 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Elaborate crowns such as this example were worn by the hereditary Vajracarya Buddhist priests of Nepal, who occupy the highest rank in the Nepalese Buddhist community. Vajracarya is both a caste and a family name, and the designation entitles it holders to perform reserved priestly functions, analogous to the privileges held by Brahmans in Hinduism. This crown is dominated by five diadem plaques and surmounted by a half-vajra. The dated inscription records that it was commissioned by two named devotees, to be worn on the occasion of the consecration of newly installed icons of Chakrasamvara and Heruka. The consecrations were performed by srī Bekhāsi deva Vajrācārya of Naka Bahicā of OBāhā, "on Thursday, the 10th of the dark half of Bhādra, during the Pusyā naksatra and the Siddha yoga" (1717). The inscription concludes by listing the punishments incurred by those who covet the crown as well as the merits earned by its donors, extolling: "[May it be] auspicious for all time."

Inscription: Inscription on the back of a Vajarācārya's crown:

Transliteration:
1. samvat 837 bhādrava krsna dasmi-
2. yātithau pusya naksatra siddhi yogya
3. vrhaspativālasare yate dine jhīkhā (sā?)
4. ci kutra virathābhuka siddha guhasi
5. srī 3 cakrasamra srī 3 hyeruka dayakam thā
6. panā yānā thva pratistāsa o bāhā na-
8. si devajuyāta srī ratna mukuta sakalya
9. yānā juro, thvateyā jojamāna, obāhā
10. rakuna cheyā, vi (ci?) tāmuni, sayau torayā pakhā
11. cheyā ratna muni deva, maduri pa (ya?) nāsva (mva) la naniyā nala
12. siha deva, thvate somha samucayana, dohorapā, thva makuta sunāna lobha
13. yātasa pamca mahā pāpa rāka juro. thvatiyā jojamāna yāryathā sāttrapha-
14. ti subha mamgara sarvvadā

Translation: On Thursday, the 10th of the dark half of Bhādra, during the Pusyā naksatra and the Siddha yoga, the ...image(s?) of srī 3 Cakrasamvara (and?) sri 3 Heruka was/were made and consecrated by srī Bekhāsi deva Vajrācārya of Naka Bahicā of OBāhā; (for this consecration) this jewelled crown was made by his clients, Vitāmuni of OBāhā, rakuna che; Ratnamuni deva of Pakhā che (wall house) in Sayau tole; and Nala siha deva of Maduri panāsvala nani; these three he offered it together: Whoever covets this crown, may he incur the results of the five great sins. (As a result of the merit of this act, may the donors obtain...) (May it be) auspicious for all time.

(Trans. by Ian Alsop, Santa Fe, 19 July 1992)

Lot 123. A large Kashan lustre pottery frieze tile, Iran, circa 1300. Estimate 12,000 — 16,000 GBP. Lot sold 41,300 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

of square form moulded in relief with an opacified tin glaze enhanced with copper green and cobalt blue over-decorated in lustre with a monumental inscription in naskh against a ground of leaves and scrolls, raised arabesque border above, a minor band below; 38.5 by 34.5cm.

Inscription : undeciphered

Note: Comparable tilework was made for the shrine at Natanz of which examples can be found in a number of public and private collections, including one in the Victoria and Albert Museum dated Shawwal 707 / March 1308 (Watson 1985, p.139, no.116).

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, including Fine Carpets and Textiles, London, 24 Oct 2007

Lot 124. A large Kashan lustre pottery frieze tile, Iran, circa 1300. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 16,100 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

of square form moulded in relief with an opacified tin glaze enhanced with copper green and cobalt blue over-decorated in lustre with a monumental inscription in naskh against a ground of leaves and scrolls, raised arabesque border above, a minor band below; 36.3 by 33.5cm.

Inscription : Parts of an inscription in Persian: javab amadash - 'The answer came to him'

Note: Comparable tilework was made for the shrine at Natanz of which examples can be found in a number of public and private collections, including one in the Victoria and Albert Museum dated Shawwal 707 / March 1308 (Watson 1985, p.139, no.116).

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, including Fine Carpets and Textiles, London, 24 Oct 2007

Lot 125. A large Kashan lustre pottery frieze tile, Iran, circa 1300. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 16,100 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

of square form moulded in relief with an opacified tin glaze enhanced with copper green and cobalt blue over-decorated in lustre with a monumental inscription in naskh against a ground of leaves and scrolls, raised arabesque border above, a minor band below; 38 by 35cm.

Inscription : Parts of an inscription in Persian: be-goftar-e payghambarat - 'According to the saying of the Prophet'

Note: Comparable tilework was made for the shrine at Natanz of which examples can be found in a number of public and private collections, including one in the Victoria and Albert Museum dated Shawwal 707 / March 1308 (Watson 1985, p.139, no.116).

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, including Fine Carpets and Textiles, London, 24 Oct 2007

Lot 267. Portrait of Sultan Mehmed II, by a Follower of Gentile Bellini, Italy, early 16th century, oil on panel, framed, 21 by 16cm. 36.2 by 31.8cm. framed. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 16,100 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Provenance: With Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd., London, 1931;
Jackson-Higgs collection, New York;
(From which sold?) Sale, New York, American Art Association, December 1932;
William Fox collection;
Arthur Erlanger collection, New York;
With Acquavella, New York;
Baron Waldemar von Zedtwitz collection, New York, 1962.

Exhibited: Venise et l'Orient 828-1797, Institut du monde arabe, Paris, 2006;
Venice and the Islamic World 828-1797, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2007.

Literature: F. Heinemann, Giovanni Bellini e i Belliniani, Vol. III, Supplemento e Ampliamenti, Verlag 1991, p.116, footnote 32, reproduced p. 303, fig. 202 (as 'After Gentile Bellini')
C. Campell and A. Chong, Bellini and the East, London-Boston, 2005, reproduced p.78, fig.29
Venise et l'Orient 828-1797, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2006, cat. no.24
Venice and the Islamic World 828-1797, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2007, reproduced p.109, cat. no.24

Note: Executed in Venice some thirty years after the famous prototype by Gentile Bellini in the National Gallery, London, this is one of the few western images of an eastern potentate done by a European artist.

By the late 1470s relations between the Republic of Venice and its powerful neighbour, the recently-established empire of the Ottoman Turks, had reached a state of relative calm.  The preceding two and a half decades had witnessed a seismic upheaval in the geo-political landscape of the north-eastern Mediterranean; beginning in 1453, when the 21-year-old Ottoman sultan, Mehmed II, marched in triumph through the streets of Constantinople, sending shockwaves through the ancient lands of Eastern Christendom. Throughout the 1460s and 70s, Mehmed continued to extend his empire with territorial gains in Greece, Bosnia and Albania.

By 1479, his power and prestige greatly enhanced, Mehmed was able to effect a peace treaty with the Venetian Republic that ceded further land and strategic fortresses in the Aegean to the Ottomans. We are told that in the course of the negotiations between the Sublime Porte and the Venetian senate, Mehmed expressed a wish for a "good artist" to be sent to Istanbul, and the Doge duly dispatched Gentile Bellini (1429-1507), who at that time was regarded as the leading painter working in Venice.

The Venetian 'embassy' to Istanbul in 1479, which included diplomats as well as painters, resulted in Bellini's celebrated portrait of Mehmed Fatih, dated 25 November 1480, now in the National Gallery, London, as well as a medal, several drawings and studies of figural subjects (and their ravishing costume) observed during the artist's two-year sojourn in the Ottoman capital.

Bellini's "journey to the east", and his measured and sensitive reponse to an unfamiliar  'oriental' culture, finds a counterpart in Mehmed's own fascination with the 'occidental' tradition of figural representation and his concern to express his own place within that tradition as a conqueror, and now ruler, of an empire that spanned both east and west. These preoccupations are evident in Bellini's portrait where imperial symbolism and allegory are manifest: the bust-length pose and triumphal arch harking back to imperial Roman models; the three crowns referencing the three domains of Greece, Trebizond and Asia; and the proud profile alluding to a lineage of great conquerors going back to Iskandar (Alexander). In appropriating the ancient realm of Byzantium, Mehmed consciously viewed himself as the new 'King of Rum [Rome]', heir to Alexander the Great and the Caesars.

A year after Bellini's portrait was painted Mehmed Fatih was dead. His successor, Bayezid II (1481-1512), "was as averse to figural painting as his father was fond" (Venice and the Islamic World, 2007, p.107) and, according to Giovanni Angiolello, the historian, all of Mehmed's paintings including the Bellini portrait were disposed of in the bazaar where they were acquired by Venetian merchants and brought back to Venice (Bellini and the East, 2005, p.95). The present portrait must have been painted soon after as the pose has been updated with a fashionable cross-shoulder glance in the manner of Giorgione and Titian.

Lot 158. A large Ming-style blue and white vase, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Height 18 7/8  in., 48 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 221,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the globular body surmounted by a waisted neck rising to a slightly flared rim, finely painted in varying shades of blue with contrived 'heaping and piling', the body with detached flowering and fruiting sprays, with ruyi-head sprigs at the shoulder and upright lappets at the neck, the splayed foot and rim encircled by a scroll band.

Provenance: Chak's Gallery, Hong Kong.