A pear-shaped perfect D color, Type IIA Flawless clarity diamond weighing 101.73 carats. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2013

GENEVA (AFP).- Prestigious jeweller Harry Winston, which was acquired earlier this year by Swatch Group, bought a new colourless, flawless 101.73-carat diamond for a record $26.7 million at an auction in Geneva on Wednesday, auction house Christie's said.

Christie's representative Raul Kadakia told reporters after the sale that Harry Winston was the buyer of the diamond that Wednesday evening smashed the previous auction-price record for a diamond in its category by more than $10 million.

"Twenty-three million (Swiss) francs! Your last chance! Twenty-three million, sold!" shouted Francois Curiel, the head of Christie's jewellery division shouted, referring to the $23.5 million price before tax and commission, and clinching the deal in front of some 150 people gathered for the auction at a luxury Geneva hotel.

As the first ever buyer of the new diamond, Harry Winston had the priviledge of naming it and had decided to call it "Harry Legacy," Kadakia said, pointing out that this was the diamond dealer's first major purchase since it was snapped up by the world's leading watchmaker for $1.0 billion in March.

Switzerland's Swatch Group, most known for its brightly coloured plastic watches, has been eagerly expanding its luxury offerings, and Wednesday's sparkling purchase should perhaps especially tickle the group's chairwoman Nayla Hayek, who was named chief executive of Harry Winston earlier this month.

"Diamonds are still a girl's best friend," she said following the January announcement that Swatch would buy the company, referring to the famous Marilyn Monroe song that mentions Harry Winston, from the 1953 musical film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".

The American Institute of Gemology has handed the Harry Legacy the top colourless grade "D" and the best clarity grade, "flawless", which is characterised by its "absolute symmetry", according to Christies.

The diamond, sold at the auction by a diamond merchant, was 236 carats in the rough when it was extracted from the Jwaneng mine in Botswana, before it was meticulously sculpted for 21 months, Christie's said. Wednesday's sale marked the highest price ever paid for a flawless colourless diamond at auction, although Christie's had hoped the new diamond -- the largest of its kind to ever go under the hammer -- would rake in $30 million.

The previous auction-price record-holder in the category was the 84.37-carat Chloe round diamond, snapped up at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva in 2007 by Guess Jeans founder Georges Marciano for $16.2 million.

In the "colourless, flawless" category, the reigning world champion in terms of size is meanwhile the Cullinan Diamond, a gem weighing 530.2 carats that is part of the British crown jewels.

Last November, Christie's sold the 76-carat Archduke Joseph Diamond, in the initially flawless category a notch below flawless, on auction in Geneva for $21.5 million.

And in May 2011, a heart-shaped 56-carat diamond was auctioned off for $10.9 million.

The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, which is in the same D-colour category but weighs in at only 33.19 carats, was meanwhile sold for $8.8 million on auction in New York in December 2011.

While Swatch's low-end plastic watches are perhaps its most recognisable, the Swiss company operates in every price range, from the Flik Flak kid's watches to prestigious timepieces under for instance the Breguet brand which can cost more than one million Swiss francs a piece.

Swatch's acquisition of Harry Winston -- one of the world's most prestigious diamond dealers -- comes after it ended a partnership with luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co in September 2011. By: Nina Larson © 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse 

A pear-shaped perfect D color, Type IIA Flawless clarity diamond weighing 101.73 carats is on display after Christie's sales. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI.

Security personel guards a pear-shaped perfect D color, Type IIA Flawless clarity diamond weighing 101.73 carats sold for a record 18.1million euros ($23.5 million) at a Christie's auction on May 15, 2013 in Geneva. The price, which does not include tax or commission, is the highest ever paid for a flawless colourless diamond, according to the auction house. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI.

Sculptural Armchair by Jacques Jarrige on view at Sebastian + Barquet gallery. Photo: Karin Kohlberg.

A Pair of Sculptural Armchairs by Jacques Jarrige in Wood and Hand stitched thick Natural Leather. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

NEW YORK, NY.- Curators and gallerists Valerie Goodman and Helena Barquet present Affinities, an exhibition that opened May 14 and runs through May 22, 2013 corresponding to Frieze, Design Week and ICFF. The Affinities exhibit brings together the furniture of French designer Jacques Jarrige with signature pieces by Gio Ponti, Charlotte Perriand, Jean Royere, George Nakashima, Donald Judd and Johnny Swing — all of whom have served as touchstones for the Paris-based artist and furniture maker. 

Each Jarrige piece that curator Valerie Goodman has selected for this show connects in one way or other with the illustrious design objects by these modern masters Jarrige himself has chosen from the Sebastian + Barquet gallery collection. These are the ancestors and soul mates of Jarrige's own creations. 

Not all connections are obvious at first sight. The towering Secretaire that the Milanese designer Gio Ponti built in 1930 from walnut, satinwood and bronze looks dark and severe compared to Jarrige's fine-boned, delicate, almost fragile Mobile — yet each perform a balancing act: the former by virtue of its exaggerated verticality, the latter as an actual kinetic feat. 

Hanging Mobile Sculpture by Jacques Jarrige. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Alternately, Ponti's 1964 skai, walnut and brass chairs developed for Rome's Hotel Parco dei Principe employ a vocabulary of agile open forms that characterizes Jarrige's own design language. Charlotte Perriand's Les Arcs Dining table from 1968 feels very close to Jacques Jarrige's aesthetic, with its daring asymmetrical simplicity, and standing on steely, abstracted claw feet — Jarrige, too, combines radical clarity with occasional zoomorphic elements.

Leda. Sculpted Floor Lamp signed Jacques Jarrige. Dark brown patina with wood veins showing. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Jean Royere's aristocratically formal Five Light Sconce may appear reserved beside the undulating tendrils of the chandelier which Jarrige cut from a single sheet of brass— yet both forms are based on plants. Nature is, of course, present in its most uncompromised essence in the works of George Nakashima, an artist Jarrige has long admired for the tension between the raw and the refined - a goal he himself pursues. And while Johnny Swing's Murmuration chaise made from thousands of nickels shines coldly, its curvaceous contour does not only evoke Henry Moore (whose sculptures provided Jarrige with his first electrifying art experience). Murmuration also bears a clear resemblance to Jarrige's organically shaped Toro table. 

Fiori Chandelier. Hand Hammered Fiori by Jacques Jarrige. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Toro table. Biomorphic coffee table by Jacques Jarrige, sculpted in MDF. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Osselet Stools by Jacques Jarrige. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Donald Judd's boxy armchair might seem to have little in common with the tremulous lines of Jarrige's Meander series that was partly inspired by his long-term work with psychiatric patients. In this most recent endeavor Jarrige has elevated their amateur awkwardness into a tender, deliberate imperfection that prizes hand over machine without sacrificing an overall elegance. But Jarrige shares Judd’s preference for plywood, and embraces his philosophy: if the nature of furniture is seriously considered, Judd has said, "The art will occur, even art close to art itself." 

Meanders Screen. Sculpture/room divider in hand painted Black Lacquer by Jacques Jarrige. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Meandering Cabinet. Cabinet with Sculpted doors by Jacques Jarrige. Photo courtesy Valerie Goodman Gallery

Venus, Flora, Mars and Cupid (Allegory) (Detail) Paris Bordone. Oil on canvas, 108x129 cm, Italy, 1550s.© The State Hermitage Museum

HOUGHTON HALL (Norfolk)– On attribue à Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) la création de la fonction moderne de Premier ministre. Leader des whigs, animateur de la politique anglaise jusqu’à la malheureuse guerre avec l’Espagne dite de l’oreille de Jenkins, il amassa une considérable fortune et une non moins célèbre collection de tableaux. Son fils, l’écrivain Horace Walpole, la maintint, mais son petit-fils la dilapida. Les plus belles pièces furent achetées par Catherine la Grande, dans une série de ventes demeurées célèbres, et installées à l’Ermitage. Plus de deux siècles après l’hémorragie, une soixantaine de tableaux, de Van Dyck à Rembrandt, sont réinstallés comme il l’étaient à la fin du XVIIIe siècle dans le château de Houghton Hall, dans le Norfolk, toujours habité par un descendant de Robert Walpole, le marquis de Cholmondeley. 

Houghton Revisited – Masterpieces from the Hermitage à Houghton Hall, du 17 mai au 29 septembre 2013.

Daedalus and Icarus (Detail) Charles Lebrun. Oil on canvas, 190x124 cm, France, Circa 1645/46. © The State Hermitage Museum.

HOUGHTON HALL (Norfolk) – The magnificent art collection of Great Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, sold to Catherine the Great to adorn the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, will be reassembled in its spectacular original setting of Houghton Hall for the first time in over 200 years.

Houghton Revisited runs from 17 May-29 September 2013 and is a unique opportunity to view one of the most famous art collections of eighteenth-century Europe. The display will include paintings from the English, French, Italian, Flemish and Spanish schools, with masterpieces by Van Dyck, Poussin, Albani, Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez and Murillo..

Houghton Hall, now the family seat of Sir Robert Walpole’s direct descendant, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, is considered one of the country’s finest Palladian houses.

The Hall was designed to house Walpole’s prized collection of Old Master paintings, and the magnificent interiors and furnishings designed by William Kent are also still intact. The paintings in the Houghton Revisited exhibition will be hung in their original positions in the State Rooms, bringing them back to the splendour of more than two centuries ago.

As well as hosting the Houghton Revisited exhibition in 2013, Houghton’s unique history and interior, the award-winning five acre garden, the contemporary sculpture park, playground and restaurant, offer something of interest to everyone, and make for a great day out for all the family.

Walpole Immaculate Conception (Detail) Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Oil on canvas. 195x145 cm, Spain. Circa 1680. © The State Hermitage Museum.

Portrait of Pope Clement IX (Detail) Carlo Maratta. Oil on canvas, 123x170 cm, Italy, 1669. © The State Hermitage Museum.

The Prodigal Son (Detail) Salvator Rosa. Oil on canvas, 253.5x201 cm, Italy, First half of the 1650s.© The State Hermitage Museum

Portrait of Sir Thomas Wharton (Detail) Anthony van Dyck. Oil on canvas, 217x128.5 cm, Flanders, 1639. © The State Hermitage Museum.

Bureau plat. Par Jacques Dubois (vers 1693-1763). Reçu Maître Ebéniste en 1742. Paris, époque Louis XV. Photo Kohn

Bâti de chêne et de sapin, bois de rose, bronzes dorés et cuir Marque au « C » couronné (1745-1749). H. 78 cm, L. 145 cm, P. 77 cm. Estimation : 250 000 / 350 000 €

A LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED ROSEWOOD DESK By Jacques DUBOIS (c. 1693-1762)
30.71 in. high, 57.08 in. wide, 30.31 in. deep

Cet élégant bureau plat de forme chantournée en placage de bois de rose ouvre en ceinture par trois tiroirs de longueur agrémentés de poignées de tirages et d'entrées de serrure en bronze ciselé et doré caractéristiques de l'art rocaille.
Le plateau recouvert de cuir est ceint d'une lingotière moulurée.
Le dessin de la ceinture en double accolade, que l'on retrouve sur les côtés, confère à ce meuble toute son élégance, sa légèreté et son originalité.
La grande rareté de ce meuble réside également dans ses arêtes biseautées, d'une réelle complexité de réalisation et qui lui confère toute sa magnificence.
Il repose sur quatre pieds cambrés ponctués de chutes d'angles qui se prolongent jusqu'aux sabots ajourés. Chaque arête du meuble, jusqu'à l'arrière des pieds, est soulignée d'un filet de bronze doré pour en accentuer les courbes. Jacques Dubois eut une prestigieuse carrière d'ébéniste sous le règne de Louis XV, travaillant pour une riche clientèle française et étrangère. Ses contemporains appréciaient tout particulièrement sa production de bureaux plats ou à dessus brisé, agrémentés de laque ou de bois de placage où seuls les fils et le frisage forment le décor. Comme en témoigne notre meuble, Dubois prenait un grand soin dans le choix de ses bronzes, utilisés en abondance et toujours de grande qualité.
Il privilégie alors ceux au rythme syncopé, asymétriques où courbes et contre-courbes se mêlent à la végétation comme on peut le voir sur les poignées et les agrafes entourant les tiroirs.
Cette forme en double accolade et le fort retrait central est également un marqueur de son style et que l'on retrouve fréquemment dans sa production de bureaux comme en témoigne le bureau de l'ancienne collection Bensimon.
Le Rijksmuseum d'Amsterdam conserve un bureau plat, attribuéà Jacques Dubois, non estampillé et daté vers 1745 qui possède les mêmes caractéristiques stylistiques que celui que nous présentons.

Kohn. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. L'Hôtel Le Bristol - Salon Castellane - 112 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75008 Paris. http://www.kohn.fr/

Mercure et la Renommée à cheval sur Pégase. D'après un modèle de Charles Antoine Coysevox (Lyon, 1640-Paris, 1720). Paris, époque Louis XIV, début du XVIIIe siècle. Photo Kohn

Deux groupes en bronze formant pendant. Bronzes à patine brun nuancé Socles: Bâti en chêne, placage d'ébène, jaspe de Sicile et jaune. H. 65 cm, L. 61 cm, P. 30 cm - H. 65 cm, L. 57,5 cm, P. 23 cm. Estimation : 200 000 / 300 000 €

TWO 18TH CENTURY FRENCH PATINATED BRONZES: MERCURE AND RENOMMEE WITH PEGASE. After a model by Antoine COYSEVOX (1640-1720)
25.59 in. high, 24.01 in. wide, 11.81 in. deep 25.59 in. high, 22.64 in. wide, 9.05 in. deep (lacks the caduceus)

Manque le caducée de Mercure Ces deux groupes en bronze formant pendant figurent Mercure et la Renommée, chacun juché en amazone sur Pégase, superbe cheval ailé qui joua un rôle prépondérant dans plusieurs légendes mythologiques.
Ils sont particulièrement fidèles aux sculptures exécutées en marbre de Carrare par Antoine Coysevox à la demande de Jules Hardouin-Mansart en 1698, alors Surintendant des Bâtiments du Roi. Aujourd'hui conservés au Musée du Louvre, les marbres avaient été commandités à l'origine pour former un groupe appelé La Renommée du Roi destinéà orner le bassin de l'Abreuvoir au parc de Marly où il fut installé en 1702.
Cette représentation, totalement inventée par Coysevox, avait pour dessein de célébrer la prospérité du royaume après la signature de la paix de Ryswick en 1697. Renommée et Mercure deviennent ici le symbole de la gloire du Roi, montrant son aspect à la fois guerrier et pacifique ; ses victoires étant illustrées par les trophées d'armes foulés par les sabots de Pégase.
L'allégorie sculptée sur le bouclier représente l'accession du petit-fils de Louis XIV, le Duc d'Anjou, au trône d'Espagne.
Mercure, messager divin et dieu du Commerce, représente dans cette oeuvre la richesse retrouvée grâce à la paix.
La Renommée, quant à elle, symbolise la puissance militaire de Louis XIV en arborant des attributs tels la couronne de lauriers et la trompette annonçant la vérité.
Les trophées d'armes sont également finement incisés de motifs guerriers, notamment la peau du lion d'Hercule auquel Louis XIV aimait s'identifier. Fait particulièrement rare, les deux bronzes que nous présentons sont quasiment identiques au chef-d'oeuvre en marbre de Coysevox.
On y retrouve tous les détails et le souffle qui animent les personnages juchés sur un Pégase fougueux, se cabrant et agitant une longue queue finement ciselée.
Les autres versions connues et réalisées à la même période montrent quelques variantes notamment au niveau des trophées d'armes. Donnée à Coysevox, la première connue est celle offerte par le Baron Le Plat à Auguste le Fort en 1715 et aujourd'hui conservé au Musée de Dresde.
Le Metropolitan Museum possède également ce modèle où le trophée d'armes a entièrement disparu. Afin d'accroître la majesté de ces figures, ces dernières reposent sur un superbe socle rectangulaire en jaspe de Sicile, jaune antique et placage d'ébène.

Kohn. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. L'Hôtel Le Bristol - Salon Castellane - 112 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75008 Paris. http://www.kohn.fr/

Hemmerle Earrings, brass, white gold, jade, and olive brown diamonds. Photo courtesy of Hemmerle

Hemmerle Earrings, silver, white gold, jade and white diamonds. Photo courtesy of Hemmerle

Portrait en buste de Jean de Rotrou.  Par Jean-Jacques Caffieri (1725-1792). Paris, époque Louis XVI, vers 1780-1790. Photo Kohn

Marbre blanc Marque : « Jean de Rotrou néà Dreux en 1609, mort dans la même ville en 1650 » et « fait par JJ. Caffieri en 1783 ». H. 117 cm, L. 74 cm, P. 34 cm. Estimation : 150 000 / 200 000 €

A CARVED WHITE MARBLE BUST OF JEAN DE ROTROU, C.1780-1790 By Jean-Jacques CAFFIERI (1725-1792)
46.06 in. high, 29.13 in. wide, 13.38 in. deep

PROVENANCE Collection de la famille de Lacour Puis Collection Souquais par héritage

«Les statues des hommes illustres peuvent éveiller dans les âmes nobles le désir de les imiter». Cette maxime de Pétrarque illustre quelle fut la démarche de Philibert Orry, Directeur des Bâtiments du Roi entre 1736 et 1745, qui initia dès 1774 la commande auprès des plus brillants artistes des bustes de personnages ayant contribuéà la gloire de la France.

En 1779, le sculpteur Jean-Jacques Caffieri (1725-1792) reçut la commande du buste de Jean de Rotrou (1609-1650) pour le placer en pendant de celui de Pierre Corneille (1606-1684), figurant les célèbres poètes et auteurs de théâtre sous Louis XIII et Louis XIV souvent mis en opposition.
Le premier, à l'esprit baroque et mélodramatique, le second plus sage et posé.
Rotrou n'a pas vingt ans lorsqu'il donne au théâtre sa première pièce, L'Hypocondriaque, tragi-comédie représentée à l'Hôtel de Bourgogne en 1628 et dont s'inspirera Goethe pour son opérette Lila. Nous conservons aujourd'hui le texte de trente-cinq pièces dont vingt-deux furent imprimées, dont Le Véritable Saint-Genest (1646), Venceslas (1647) et Chosroès (1649).
Protégé par Richelieu, Rotrou fit partie de la société des cinq auteurs qui travaillaient sous la direction du cardinal et collabora à la Comédie des Tuileries, jouée en 1635. Rotrou se distingua de ses confrères en ne participant pas à la célèbre querelle du Cid et en ne cachant pas son admiration pour l'auteur. Rotrou resta fidèle aux extravagances littéraires de sa jeunesse, mais son évolution vers le classicisme se remarqua dans ses dernières grandes pièces notamment dans la toute dernière, Chosroês.
Donné en 1783 à la Comédie française, ce modèle de buste réalisé par Caffieri fut tout d'abord exposé au Salon, où il recueillit les meilleures critiques : « Jean de Rotrou est d'un beau style, son caractère est beau, et les draperies jetées avec légèreté». En effet, la très grande qualité d'exécution, l'extraordinaire réalisation de la dentelle ou de l'expression du visage, font de ce buste un chef-d'oeuvre de l'art du portrait.
Jules Guiffrey, historien d'art, dans son ouvrage, Les Caffieri, sculpteurs et fondeurs-ciseleurs, paru en 1877, commente ce buste : « Il est superflu d'insister sur les qualités exceptionnelles qui font peut-être de ce morceau le chef-d'œuvre de l'artiste. Quelle vie, quelle intelligence l'artiste a su imprimer à cette figure distinguée ! De fines moustaches, les cheveux épars, la chemise entrouverte, une collerette de dentelle carrée sur le cou, un noeud de rubans sur l'épaule droite, un manteau à larges plis couvrant à demi tous ces détails, vraie tête de poète et d'inspiré, et en même temps type de cavalier accompli, presque de raffiné, tels sont les traits caractéristiques de ce chef d'oeuvre ».
Connaissant un immense succès, ce buste de Rotrou - toujours conservéà la Comédie française - fut repris au moins une fois par Caffieri.
Celui-ci fut inventorié au Musée des Monuments français d'Alexandre Lenoir dont les collections furent dispersées en 1816.
Aucun autre modèle n'a étéà ce jour identifié, ce qui porte à croire que celui que nous présentons pourrait provenir des collections rassemblées par Alexandre Lenoir.

Kohn. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. L'Hôtel Le Bristol - Salon Castellane - 112 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75008 Paris. http://www.kohn.fr/

Commode en laque de Chine, France, époque Louis XV. Photo Kohn

Bâti de chêne, laque de Chine, bronzes dorés et marbre brèche d'Alep Traces d'estampille. H. 88 cm, L. 97 cm, P. 52,5 cm. Estimation : 120 000 / 150 000 €

A LOUIS XV ORMOLU-MOUNTED CHINESE LACQUER COMMODE 34.64 in. high, 38.19 in. wide, 20.66 in. deep

Restaurations d'usage et d'entretien, réparation au marbre L'élégance des formes et des proportions de cette commode en laque de Chine en font un très bel exemplaire de l'art de l'ébénisterie sous le règne de Louis XV.
Ce meuble ouvre à deux tiroirs de longueur à traverses de soutien dissimulées.
Le décor exécuté en laque de Chine se compose d'une grande variété de scènes animées de couleur or se détachant sur un fond noir.
On y observe notamment, au milieu d'un paysage lacustre, plusieurs personnages s'adonnant à des activités du quotidien telles la pêche, le transport de l'eau, le voyage ou encore la conversation.
Ces figures, d'une grande finesse, sont enserrées dans un large cartouche en bronze ciselé et doré caractéristique de l'art rocaille, fait d'acanthes, d'agrafes et de rinceaux.
Les panneaux latéraux reçoivent également un décor de laque de Chine où se mêlent activités humaines, monde végétal et minéral.
Les montants sont ponctués de chutes d'angle et chaque arête du meuble est bordée d'un filet de bronze doré pour en souligner la sinuosité.
Elle repose sur quatre pieds cambrés terminés par des sabots feuillagés et ajourés.
On retrouve cette beauté des formes et des proportions dans une commode également en laque de Chine conservée à la Wallace Collection. Réalisée par Nicolas-Jean-Marchand vers 1755, et livrée pour Marie Leszczinska à Fontainebleau, elle présente cette même souplesse des galbes et de la structure de notre commode. Si l'ornementation de bronze est quant à elle beaucoup plus riche dans cet exemple, notre ébéniste, tout comme Marchand, a pris soin de souligner de bronze chaque contour.

Kohn. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. L'Hôtel Le Bristol - Salon Castellane - 112 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75008 Paris. http://www.kohn.fr/

Edouard Halouze, Advertisement for Van Cleef & Arpels, 1920. Gazette du bon ton Color lithograph on paper. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Inv.: LDUT 01255, Achat sur les arrérages du legs Dutuit, 2003.

MEMPHIS, TN.- Bijoux parisiens: French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, Paris opened at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens bringing to Memphis iconic and inimitable jewels from the famous French houses of Fannière, Boucheron, Crouzet, Cartier, and others. The exhibition traces the fascinating story of French jewelry design as it evolves from the royal and religious patronage of the seventeenth century to modern day luxury of the mid-twentieth century. The objects in Bijoux parisiens are from the collections of the Petit Palais, Paris, and private lenders in London, Paris, and Memphis. 

Bijoux parisiens features seventy unique works of jewelry and over 200 gouache drawings, oil paintings, fashion prints, and photographs. The exhibition examines the work of such brilliant and inventive designers as Ernest Vever, Eugène Fontenay, Lucien Falize, Réné Lalique, and the remarkable Charles Jacqueau, who defined the Cartier look for more than four decades. 

Bijoux parisiens marks the Dixon’s second collaboration with the Petit Palais in three years. The two museums worked together on the retrospective exhibition Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne in 2011. The exhibition is accompanied by a 248-page, full-color, hardcover catalogue authored by Gilles Chazal and Martine Chazal of the Petit Palais. 

Paris has long been recognized as a center of innovation in the visual arts and fashion. But what may be less understood is the degree to which these independent disciplines respond to the same sets of social and political concerns, influence one another, and are aesthetically interconnected. More than a showcase of beautiful, even dazzling, objects, the exhibition, Bijoux parisiens: French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, Paris, sets out to explore this intriguing French intersection, where history, art, and fashion meet. 

Since the nineteenth century, some of the world’s great jewelry maisons—Boucheron, Cartier, Chaumet, and Van Cleef & Arpels, to name but a few—have called Paris home. The city has inspired one visionary jewelry designer after another, and produced formidable businesses—onetime storefronts that are now international brands of enduring appeal. These artists and entrepreneurs have executed thousands of designs that are wholly unique objects, but also expressions of the age in which they were made. Their work has established the Place Vendôme and the connecting Rue de la Paix in Paris as a worldwide center for jewelry design. 

Bijoux parisiens: French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, Paris tracks France’s continually evolving jewelry aesthetic, from a lavish Baroque sensibility to the Neoclassicism of Napoleon to the sleek designs of the Art Deco period. At once a showcase for the elegance of Paris and a history of French taste, Bijoux parisiens tells the story of dozens of talented artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, working with the most precious materials on earth to create extraordinary works of art. The exhibition draws from the exceptional holdings of fine jewelry, design drawings, paintings, and fashion illustrations at the Petit Palais, Paris, as well as from private collections in Paris, London, and Memphis. 

Paul Vever (1851 – 1915) and Henri Vever (1854 – 1942) for Maison Vever, after design by Eugène Samuel Grasset (1841–1917) Swan and Lily Pin, ca. 1900 .Ivory, gold, and enamel, Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris ; Inv.: OGAL 00494 Don Henri Vever, 1925. © Patrick Pierrain / Petit Palais / Roger-Viollet

Artist Unknown, Portugal Devant de Corsage, ca. 1760. Tourmaline, quartz, and silver. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. Inv.: ODUT 01947. Achat sur les arrérages du legs Dutuit, 2010

Simon Petiteau (1782 – 1860) Bracelet, ca. 1830 Yellow gold, pink gold, green gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearl. Wartski, London

Cartier, Cockade Brooch, 1918. Platinum, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. Collection of the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris

Georges Fouquet, Headband, ca. 1910 Diamonds, aquamarines, enamel, and gold. Collection of the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris

Lot 222. A Rare Pair of Blue and White ‘Bajixiang’ Moonflasks, Qianlong Seal Marks and Period. Estimation: 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 GBP. Lot Vendu 2,378,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

LONDON.- Sotheby’s biannual sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art today brought a total of £13,237,650 / $20,134,466, in excess of the pre-sale estimate of £7,732,500 - 11,386,500 ($11,761,133 - 17,318,867). Headlining the auction was A Rare Pair of Blue and White ‘Bajixiang’ Moonflasks, Qianlong Seal Marks and Period. These two impressive moon flasks, the cover lot of the sale, sold for £2,378,500 ($3,617,698), eclipsing their pre-sale estimate of £1 – 1.5 million. 

Robert Bradlow, Director, Head of Sotheby’s London Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department, said: “We are extremely pleased with the results of today’s auction, which brought a total of £13.2 million. We had carefully curated this sale to offer some of the finest examples of Chinese ceramics and works of art currently available to the market. The collection included marvellous rarities, including a jade sceptre, a‘Phoenix’ vase and a‘famille-verte’ bowl, all with outstanding provenances. Bidding in the packed sale room and over the telephones was very competitive, and we witnessed an extraordinary level of interest from our clients worldwide. We saw activity from across Asia, and the results demonstrate the continuing demand for superior quality and attractively estimated pieces.” 

Imperial Qing Ceramics and Works of Art from a Far Eastern Collection, comprising 19 lots, was 100% sold and achieved a combined total of £2,449,250 ($3,725,309), almost five times above the pre-sale low estimate (£553,000 - 778,000 / $841,113 - 1,183,338). The top lot in this collection was A Fine and Rare Underglaze-Blue Polychrome Enamel ‘Phoenix’ Vase, Fangu, Qianlong Seal Mark and Period, which sold for £602,500 ($916,402) against a pre-sale estimate of £80,000-120,000. Vases of this form and decoration are rare to the market, and this factor contributed to the fierce bidding witnessed in the sale room. 

Lot 176. A Fine and Rare Underglaze-Blue Polychrome Enamel ‘Phoenix’ Vase, Fangu, Qianlong Seal Mark and Period. Estimation: 80,000 - 120,000 GBP. Lot. Vendu 602,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

From the same collection, A Fine and Rare Coral-Ground Famille-Verte Bowl, Kangxi Yuzhi Mark and Period, soared above its pre-sale estimate of £150,000-200,000 to bring £446,500 ($679,126). The bowl belongs to a small but well-known group of vessels that closely follow the design painted in the characteristic wucai palette of the Kangxi period, known in the West as the famille-verte. A Pale Celadon Jade Vase and Cover, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, sold for £386,500 ($587,866), over five times the pre-sale low estimate (£60,000-80,000). 

Lot 167. A Fine and Rare Coral-Ground Famille-Verte Bowl, Kangxi Yuzhi Mark and Period. Estimation: 150,000 - 200,000 GBP. Lot Vendu 446,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

A White and Russet Jade ‘Longevity’ Ruyi sceptre, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period, offered for sale in the morning session, also saw competitive bidding with the final price of £866,500 ($1,317,946) many times in excess of the pre-sale estimate of £100,000-150,000. The sceptre came to the market with a provenance of historical importance: it was gifted to His Highness Maharaja Sir Padma Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal from Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), a military and political figure who was head of the Chinese Nationalist Government from 1928 to 1949, on the occasion when his highness became the Maharaja in 1945. Ruyi sceptres of this magnificent size, 42.5cm in length, are rarely fashioned in jade due to the scarcity of boulders large enough to make objects of such expansive dimensions, and the quality of the jade in the sceptre sold at Sotheby’s today is exceptionally fine. 

Lot 57 Jade 'Longevity' Ruyi Sceptre. Estimation: 100,000 - 150,000 GBP. Lot Vendu 866,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

Further highlights from today’s sale included A Large Carved and Polychrome Wood Figure of Guanyin, Jin/Yuan Dynasty, which made £458,500 ($697,378) against an estimate of £80,000-120,000, and A Black ‘Ding’ Bowl, Song Dynasty, which sold for £194,000 ($295,834) against a pre-sale estimate of £4,000-6,000. 

Lot 89. A Large Carved and Polychrome Wood Figure of Guanyin, Jin/Yuan Dynasty. Estimation: 80,000 - 120,000 GBP. Lot Vendu 458,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

"La Madona Rosa". Lavra Berilo Branco, Sapucaia do Norte, Galiléia, Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 15.5 x 8 inches (39 x 20 cm). Estimate: $200,000 - $350,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

DALLAS, TX.- The famed Rose Quartz La Madona Rosa specimen — a spectacular, wildly artistic piece of natural history, discovered by Brazilian miners in the 1950s and so named for its resemblance to traditional depictions of the Virgin Mary — is expected to bring $200,000+ as part of Heritage Auctions' landmark presentation of The Hoppel Collection, the finest and most comprehensive mineral collection to come to auction in modern times. 

La Madonna Rosa is a specimen comparable to — and thought to be better by many — than the other major example of rose quartz currently known to exist: the "Van Allen Belt" specimen presently residing in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. La Madona Rosa practically towers, at 15-1/2 inches tall, over the 9-inch tall Smithsonian example. 

The collection debuts June 2 in Dallas as part of Heritage's Nature & Science Signature® Auction, featuring nearly 400 lots of fresh to market discoveries, and will continue to be offered across several events over the next two years. 

"This is art of the highest caliber, made by and unseen and spectacular hand," said James Walker, Director of Fine Minerals for Heritage Auctions. "You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate the sublime beauty of all the pieces in this collection; you just have to love exquisite things." 

Considered the most significant private mineral collections ever to be auctioned, the Hoppel Collection's more than 2,000 specimens is a defining moment for the mineral collecting community hobby in two ways. 

"The Hoppel Collection holds items that, simply, are rarely seen outside of museums or institutions," said Walker. "It will also create a body of publicly-available, searchable information on fine, gem-quality minerals. This will move the category away from ambiguous, covert pricing, toward open, market-driven pricing. Collectors will now determine the worth in a transparent auction setting." 

Heritage unveiled The Hoppel Collection at the 2013 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and is currently preparing to exhibit highlights during the first China (Changsha) International Mineral & Gem Show, May 16-20, 2013. The entire collection will be offered at no reserve in a series of Heritage Signature® auctions through this year and well into 2014. 

From the Home Sweet Home Mine in Alma, Colo., comes a gorgeous and textural Rhodochrosite specimen, expected to bring $150,000+. The example is rare for its size, an impressive 11-1/2" long, from a mine closed since 2003. 

Rhodochrosite. Home Sweet Home Mine, Mt. Bross, Alma Dist., Park Co., Colorado, USA. 11.5 x 5 x 2.75 inches (29.2 x 12.7 x 7 cm). Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

Making a rare appearance at auction is a significant and imposing multicolored Tourmaline crystal discovered in Brazil's Sapo Mine, expected to bring $60,000+. A full 16" tall, it's comprised of a multitude of crystals with pink bases and cores, over-coated with transparent blue-green Tourmaline. One of two unusually large tourmaline specimens in the collection, the example is notable for the unusual pastel blue-green coloration at the very tips of the crystals, which appears to be similar to a slight dusting of snow on rooftops. 

Tourmaline. Sapo Mine, Ferruginha, Conselheiro Pena, Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 16 x 7 x 4 inches (40.6 x 17.8 x 10.2 cm). Estimate: $60,000 - $75,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

A rare, crystalized native gold specimen found in Mariposa County, Calif, is expected to bring $30,000+. The dramatic fan of pure gold is prized among collectors and institutions alike, with similar examples from the same mine now housed in Houston's renowned Museum of Nature & Science. 

Crystalized native gold. Colorado Quartz Mine, Mariposa Co., California, USA. 3 x 1.75 x .25 inches (7.6 x 4.4 x .6 cm). Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

The auction also features a rare example of well-formed crystals of Lazurite from Afghanistan, expected to bring $6,000+. Generally found as the basic component of lapis lazuli, used since 3,000 B.C. for jewelry and religious objects, The Hoppel Collection specimen is presented with an unusual and desirable separation of cobalt-colored crystals of lazurite, golden pyrite and white calcite, basically, Lapis Lazuli deconstructed. 

Lazurite. Ladjuar Medam, Sar-e Sang, Koksha Valley, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. 3.25 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches (8.3 x 6.4 x 6.4 cm). Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

A number of rare gemstones and semiprecious gems are in the collection as well, including a large example of a natural Colombian Emerald embedded in its original dark gray Calcite matrix, which is expected to bring $7,500+, and a 237 carat mint green fluorite faceted gem fashioned from material from the Wise Mine of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, which may bring $5,000+. 

Emerald. La Pita Mine, La Pita, Mun. de Maripí, Vasquez-Yacopí Mining District, Boyacá Department, Colombia. 4.13 x 3.5 x 2.88 inches (10.5 x 8.8 x 7.3 cm). Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

Fluorite. William Wise Mine, Westmoreland, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire, USA;  39.8 x 31.4 mm, 237 carats. Estimate: $5,000 - $6,000. Photo Heritage Auctions

Vietnam. Lot de coiffure. Photo SADDE COMMISSAIRES-PRISEURS

épingle de coiffure argent, décor dragons, 4 épingles de coiffure, scarabés montés argent. - ornement de coiffure émail et argent,  sommet d'ombrelle ou de chapeau, argent.

Guilhem Sadde et SADDE COMMISSAIRES-PRISEURS. Samedi 18 mai à 14h30 à Dijon. 13, rue Paul Cabet 21000 Dijon. Tél. : 03 80 68 46 80 - Fax : 03 80 67 81 99 - sadde@sadde.fr

New York City property at the top of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. White and cream dining chairs look rich with a shiny wooden table — not to mention the view. Interior design by Michael Smith and architecture by Oscar Shamamia. Source: Sothebys

A Blanc de Chine porcelain Guanyin, China, Dehua, Qing Dynasty, 19th century.  Photo Cambi Casa d'Aste

h 37cm - Estimation : 3 000 / 3 500 €

Cambi Casa d'Aste. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. Castello Mackenzie - Mura di San Bartolomeo 16. Contact: Emilie Volka 0039 (0) 108395029 -emilie@cambiaste.com

New York City property at the top of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. The guest suite includes a contemporary canopy bed and traditional furnishings — plus some cool, unexpected pops of blue. Interior design by Michael Smith and architecture by Oscar Shamamia. Source: Sothebys

A pair of Blanc de Chine porcelain Guanyin, China, Qing Dynasty, 18th century. Photo Cambi Casa d'Aste

h 64cm. Estimation : 5 000 / 6 000 €

Cambi Casa d'Aste. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. Castello Mackenzie - Mura di San Bartolomeo 16. Contact: Emilie Volka 0039 (0) 108395029 -emilie@cambiaste.com

The second bathroom has incredible views of the city, plus a mix of gray patterns and materials that channel a simple, modern style. Interior design by Michael Smith and architecture by Oscar Shamamia. Source: Sothebys

A Blanc de Chine porcelain Guanyin, China, Dehua, Qing Dynasty, 19th century. Photo Cambi Casa d'Aste

h 40,5cm. Estimation : 2 000 / 2 500 €

Cambi Casa d'Aste. Mercredi 22 mai 2013. Castello Mackenzie - Mura di San Bartolomeo 16. Contact: Emilie Volka 0039 (0) 108395029 -emilie@cambiaste.com