Lot 2858. A magnificent and extremely rare polychrome wood figure of Water Moon Guanyin, Liao-Jin dynasty (907-1234); 26 in. (66 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 15,000,000 - HKD 20,000,000. Price realised HKD 30,100,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The bodhisattva is shown seated in rajalilasana, the ‘posture of royal ease’, wearing a shawl draped over the shoulders and lopped over the arms, and a scarf tied around the torso, the dhoti tied above the waist falling in graceful folds around the legs, the face is well carved with a gentle expression below the hair gathered into a chignon behind the diadem.

Provenance: Collection of Martin Erdmann (1865-1937), New York
Sold at Christie’s London, 17-18 November 1937, lot 143
Collection of F. Brodie Lodge (1880-1967), Northamptonshire
Sold at Sotheby’s London, 7 June 1988, lot 48
Eskenazi Ltd., London, 1991.

Literature: Eskenazi Ltd., London, Ancient Chinese Sculpture from the Alsdorf collection and others, London, June 1990, cover, fig. 23, and fig. 1-13
Jin Shen, Fojiao diaosu mingpin tulu; waiguo bowuguan cangpin, Zhongguo bowuguan cangpin, Zhong wai shoucangjia cangpin [Pictorial Index of renowned Buddhist sculptures: treasures preserved in overseas museums, Chinese museums, and by Chinese and overseas collectors],Beijing, 1995, fig. 377
Petra Rosch, Chinese Wood Sculptures of the 11th to 13th centuries: Images of Water-moon Guanyin in Northern Chinese Temples and Western Collections, Stuttgart, 2007, p. 244 and p. 320, fig. XXIV
A Dealer’s Hand: The Chinese Art World Through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, p. 229, pl. 134.

PROPERTY FROM A EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION. WOODEN FIGURE OF THE BODHISATTVA WATER MOON GUANYIN, LIAO - JIN DYNASTY, 12TH CENTURY
Rose Kerr
Museum Expert Advisor, Hong Kong
Former Keeper of the Far Eastern Department, Victoria & Albert Museum

This attractive, contemplative sculpture is a religious image, depicting a Buddhist deity know as a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas were originally ordinary people, who through long meditation, prayer and a cycle of rebirths, had reached the ultimate goal of nirvana, i.e. liberation from all mental cares, and rebirth into a state of the highest happiness. But Bodhisattvas choose to turn away from that transcendental bliss, in order to return to the world to help other suffering human beings. For that reason, they hold a special place in the hearts of Buddhist worshippers. 

The particular Bodhisattva is known in India as Avalokitesvara, the “Lord who looks down”, and he embodies compassion. In China he is called Guanyin, which means “comprehending the cries [of the world]”. In this figure, the cast of face with inward-turning gaze emphasises the Bodhisattva’s powers as a comforter, while the naturalistic modelling of body and dress stress nearness and accessibility. The figure is seated in a relaxed way, leaning on one arm with one leg drawn up, a posture of Royal Ease that has been identified with Water Moon Guanyin, a name taken from a Buddhist text called the Flower Garland Sutra. Flower Garland Sutra was an influential text that illuminated a cosmos of infinite, interlocking realms, existing in a state of mutual balance, without contradiction or conflict. A peaceful teaching, it argued that there is no cause and effect in the world, rather a state of mutual interfusion and complete equality.

The figure depicted is a male deity, for his bare torso is clearly visible beneath his robes. During the succeeding Ming dynasty the portrayal of Guanyin changed to that of a female divinity, because Guanyin’s merciful nature was compatible with womanly qualities, in particular the power to grant sons. 

Guanyin is dressed in a form of clothing that is essentially Indian, a legacy of the religion’s transmission from India during the long-ago Han dynasty. Chinese apparel would never reveal so much of the naked body. Round his waist Guanyin wears a skirt or dhoti, consisting of a piece of material tied around the waist with a sash and extending to cover most of the legs. The Brahmanic cord is tied around his body and scarves are draped round his shoulders and across his torso, their ends moving gently in a divine wind. His hair is tied on top of his head in an elaborate chignon, with long trailing tendrils of hair, and he wears earrings in his pendant ear lobes. Round his head is a delicate crown, with a space in the middle that may originally have borne a small, seated image of the Buddha Amitabha, as was common. An elaborate necklace with dangling pendant hangs across his chest, while his arms are adorned with bangles and armlets. In the centre of his forehead is a depression that originally held a jewel, representing the third eye of divine perception. Luxurious dress and jewellery indicate that Bodhisattvas are noble figures, their attire based on the garb of Indian princes. This contrasts with the humble costume of the Buddha himself. 

Wooden statues with painted surfaces were made in large numbers for Buddhist temples in north China during the 10th-13th centuries. They originally sat in a temple hall, along with other Buddhist figures of veneration. Many northern temples were as extensive as palaces, and contained a series of courtyards in which stood magnificent buildings devoted to worship, teaching and monks’ living quarters. Water Moon Guanyins with attendants were often placed back-to-back with the main Buddha image in an image hall, facing the rear, that lead into a further courtyard. Thus they protected the sanctified domain against evil spirits.

Conservation work on this sculpture reveals that the deity was probably originally designed to have a lifelike appearance.1 The figure was subsequently redecorated at least twice over the centuries. It was probably in the Ming dynasty that the appearance of the statue was completely changed to resemble gilt bronze, by applying raised patterns to the clothing and gilding the entire surface of the figure. In the late nineteenth or early twentieth century the surface of the statue was covered with thin paper that obscured details of the fine carving beneath, and was painted in rather garish colours. These several phases of redecoration were necessary because the sculpture was situated in a draughty, unheated hall, and suffered depredation from the elements. Refurbishment was carried out as an act of devotion that attracted merit by worshippers, who often paid for the work to be carried out.

Research and conservation projects on Guanyin figures in the Victoria and Albert Museum (fig. 1) and the Rijksmuseum have (fig. 2) revealed details of how the sculptures were constructed and decorated.2 These programmes provide useful points of comparison. The figure in the Victoria and Albert Museum was made of blocks of wood, jointed together. The wood came from a Paulownia species, the “Foxglove Tree”. It is likely that the Bodhisattava under discussion here was constructed in a similar manner, with his head, feet and hands being inserted into the torso. His right hand and right foot contain replacement pieces of wood. 

fig. 1. A polychrome wood figure of Water Moon Guanyin, c. 1200. Purchased with Art Fund support, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee. Photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

fig. 2. A polychrome wood figure of Water Moon Guanyin, c. 1100-1200. Artwork © On loan from the Asian Art Society in The Netherlands.

The V&A figure was then covered with a gesso ground of kaolin clay bound with an animal glue; a similar colourless gesso layer was discovered on the Christie’s Bodhisattva. The surfaces were painted with several layers of pigments, their hues obtained from vegetable dyes like indigo, and mineral pigments. Expressive features were added, such as the delicate hairs of beard and moustache that were revealed when the mouth area of the Christie’s image was cleaned. The original, naturalistic painting of the figures appears to have changed completely during Ming dynasty restorations, when the images were made to look like gilt-bronze. Lastly, they suffered from crude paper-overlay repairs in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. 

One significant feature of decoration on all three Guanyin figures (Christie’s, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Rijksmuseum) was the embellishment of the original robes with designs of cut gold (fig. 3a & b). Investigation revealed the presence of this delicate patterning in protected areas, such as the back of folds in garments. Gold-foil was applied on Buddhist sculptures and paintings in order to give them a precious appearance, and its origins go back at least to the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577), as examples from excavations at Qingzhou in Shandong province have shown.3

fig. 3a. Traces of original cut gold on the face of the current wood Guanyin.

fig. 3b. Traces of original cut gold on the face of the current wood Guanyin.

Gold itself was not seen as mere decoration, but as a gift to Buddha. Thus the decoration of Buddhist works of art with gold and silver was a way of expressing one’s piety and devotion. Gold-foil applications on sculptures imitated gold-thread embroidery, or designs rendered in gold-foil imprints on textiles. They most likely copied not only Chinese textiles, but also those influenced by Central Asian and Indian clothing.

The application of gold-foil was a difficult process. First three layers of thin gold-foil leaves were joined together through heating, thereby creating a thicker and less easily-tearable sheet. Next, a sharp bamboo knife cut threads of gold-foil up to 3mm in width, that were applied to the painted surface, or to the gesso ground, using glue or lacquer. Geometrical patterns were built up using the gold threads, to mimic those of figured silk.4 The traces of deep red decoration with fine gold lines were found on a small area at the back, right-hand side of the Christie’s figure. 

This figure was published by Petra Rosch in her book on images of Water-Moon Guanyin.5 She describes and researches images still in situ in China, and also many that were removed from temples during the 1920s and 1930s, and sent to the West. This sculpture is first mentioned in a Christie, Manson and Woods auction catalogue of 1937, when it was sold in London. The Guanyin then came into the collection of F. Brodie Lodge (1880-1967), Northamptonshire, and was later sold at a Sotheby’s sale in London in 1988. He then later made his next appearance in a 1990 catalogue of the distinguished London art dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi.6

This Water Moon Guanyin has thus travelled a long path. He was originally carved and painted for a temple in north China, at a time when the region was under the control of rulers from the north, first the Liao ( 907-1125), and then the Jin (1115-1234). Both were originally nomadic tribesmen, descended from the great tribes of Huns in the northern steppelands. Both empires became devoutly Buddhist, constructing temples and monasteries. The most important Buddhist sect of the Liao empire was the Huayan Sect, whose foundation derived from the Flower Garland Sutra. The centre of the Huayuan school of Buddhism was Shanxi province, the area where many wooden sculptures were made. 

Jin dynasty rulers built on this religious tradition, adopting Buddhism as the state religion in place of Shamanism. In their turn they built impressive monasteries and nunneries, filled with religious statuary and icons. Buddhist monks had to be examined every three years, and the Buddhist community was organized down to county level. It is evident that China was lavish in its patronage of Buddhism in the 12th century, ensuring a rich legacy of temples, tombs and artefacts - including this lovely wooden statue. 

Lot 2860. A rare gilt-lacquered bronze seated figure of Guanyin, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368); 16 1/2 in. (42 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 700,000 - HKD 1,000,000. Price realised HKD 1,625,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The deity is modelled seated with the left leg pendent and the other in lilasana, the posture of relaxation, with right hand resting on top of the right knee and the left arm is supported by a curved three-legged arm rest that continues around the back. Adorned with elaborate beaded jewellery and a foliate crown accommodating the Amitabha. Wearing gossamer garment fallen in folds around the body and elaborately tied to one side of the torso with a long shawl that wraps around the body and drapes over the arms. The layered dhoti is embellished with further beaded chains. There are traces of gold and red lacquer remaining, stand.

Lot 2901. A rare silvery bronze kundika and cover, Sui-Early Tang dynasty, 7th century; 9 ½ in. (24.2 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000. Price realised HKD 875,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The plain ovoid body raised on a flared shallow foot ring and surmounted by a tall, slender, slightly waisted neck rising to an everted mouth rim, the shoulder applied with an elephant head with raised trunk and open mouth masking a small aperture in the body, the cover cast in relief with a band of petals encircling the base of the nozzle-shaped finial or spout, the pale silvery body with some cloudy patina and ferrous encrustation. 

Lot 2902. A very rare Guan lobed tripod censer, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 4 ½ in. (11.4 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 2,200,000 - HKD 2,800,000. Price realised HKD 4,660,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The bulbous body is potted with three lobes and a raised band on the shoulder, supported on three cabriole feet, rising to a slightly lipped rim, the handles now missing. It is covered overall with a thick, crackled glaze of greyish-green tone, thinning to a purplish colour at the rim. The base with six small spur marks in a circle, the bottom of feet unglazed, revealing the dark grey body, box.

Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Enid Lodge and the late F. Brodie Lodge, Esq 
Sold at Sotheby’s London, 14 March 1972, lot 97
The J.T. Tai Collection
Informing the Eye of the Collector: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co., sold at Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2011, lot 183.

Exhibited: On loan to the Williams Hayes Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts 
Oriental Ceramic Society, Ju and Kuan Wares - Imperial Wares of the Sung Dynasty, Related Wares and Derivatives of Later Date, London, 12th November - 13th December 1952, no. 71.

Note: The unusual form of the present censer, characterised by a bulbous lobed body supported on three short feet, is modelled after the archaic bronze li vessel. The thick, opaque crackled glaze and six small spur marks arranged in a circle on the underside of the current lot are typical of censers made at the Southern Song guan kilns in Hangzhou, such as a tripod censer excavated at the Laohudong guan kiln, potted with a more rounded body but with similar raised bands on the shoulder and six spur marks on the base, illustrated in Hangzhou laohudong yaozhi ciqi jingxuan, Hangzhou, 2002, no. 75. 

Lot 2905. A Ding miniature model of tea brazier and skillet, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 7 1/8 in. (18 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000. Price realised HKD 562,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The tea warmer has a bell-form base surmounted by a pentafoil pan and a cylindrical brazier that supports a shallow wok with a pair of bail handles. The brazier with a shaped aperture is reticulated around the sides with mullions separated by twist-robe appliqué. It is covered overall with a clear glaze of ivory tone.  

Lot 2910. A bronze 'lion' censer and cover, Liao dynasty (907-1125); 14 7/8 in. (38 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 1,200,000 - HKD 1,800,000. Price realised HKD 1,250,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The censer is cast in the form of a lotus bloom raised on beaded stem on five slender foliate cabriole legs. The cover is surmounted by a lion with its jaws agape and seated on its haunches, with its raised right paw placed on a ball.  

Lot 2911. A large bronze 'Shan' mirror, Late Warring States period, 4th-3rd century BC; 9 ½ in. (24.2 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 800,000 - HKD 1,500,000. Price realised HKD 875,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The mirror is crisply cast with a ribbed loop surrounded by a circular border and five feathers enclosed within the five-pointed star created by the connected inner edges of the five shan, ‘mountain’, characters, all reserved on a ground of feather pattern, with thin upward-curved rim. The bronze has a silvery grey patina with some malachite and azurite encrustations, box.

Provenance: Galaxie Art & Gift Company, Hong Kong, 28 November 1993

Lot 2916. A rare Yaozhou carved 'egrets and peony' truncated meiping, Northern Song dynasty (960 – 1127); 5 7/8 in. (14.6 cm) wide. Estimate HKD 500,000 - HKD 700,000. Price realised HKD 2,125,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The broad, high-shouldered body is carved with two egrets on opposite sides, against a background of dense peony scroll, above a band of petal lappets, and below a scalloped border, covered inside and out under an olive-green glaze, with the exception of the base, revealing the russet-grey body.

Property from the Yangdetang Collection.

Note: The dating of this lot is consistent with the result of a thermoluminescence test, conducted by Oxford Authentication Ltd, sample No. P206g52, 10 January 2007.

Lot 2918. A very rare Longquan Guan-type lobed pear-shaped vase, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 7 1/8 in. (18.2 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 1,500,000 - HKD 3,000,000. Price realised HKD 3,220,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

Lot 2919. A rare Ding black-glazed gilt-decorated vase, yuhuchunping, Late Northern Song dynasty, late 11th-early 12th century; 8 ¼ in. (21.1 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 1,200,000 - HKD 1,800,000. Price realised HKD 1,625,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

Lot 2925. An important and very rare pair of ‘Guan’-inscribed Ding square dishes, Five Dynasties-Early Northern Song dynasty, 10th century;  3 3/4 in. (9.6 cm.) square. Estimate HKD 8,000,000 - HKD 12,000,000. Price realised HKD 9,460,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The flared sides that rise from the flat base to the foliate rim are decorated to the interior cavetto with a raised line of slip separating each petal above the quatrefoil motifs in the bottom of the interior. Each dish is covered overall with a clear glaze except for the unglazed base incised with a guan (official) mark.

Provenance: Chang Wei-Hwa & Co., Taipei, 12 November 1992

Note: Combining rare form, delicate decoration, and most importantly guan (official) marks, this pair of square dishes represents the finest Ding wares produced in the 10th century and appears to be unique. During the late Tang to Five Dynasties period, Ding replaced Xing ware as the producer of the finest white ceramics. It was during this period that Ding wares began receiving the long-lasting patronage from the imperial court. According to the ceramic scholar Quan Kuishan, the character guan on Ding wares refers to the Taiguanshu under the Guanglusi, which was the Ministry of Imperial Household responsible for dietary and beverage supplies at court, see Quan Kuishan, ‘Tang Wudai shiqi dingyao chutan’, Palace Museum Journal, 2008, no. 4, p. 50. Lu Minghua from the Shanghai Museum found in the Quyang xianzhi (Gazette of Quyang County) a record of Feng Ao, one of the donors of a stele erected in the 4th year of Xiande era of the Later Zhou dynasty (AD 957). Among Feng Ao’s various titles, there is one requiring him to supervise the taxations of ceramics. Lu Minghua argued that given the rank of Feng Ao, he was probably also responsible for supervising ceramic production for the court, see Lu Minghua, ‘Identification of Characters “?” (ying) on the Xing Ware and “??” (yiding) on the Ding Ware’, The Bulletin of the Shanghai Museum, vol. 4, 1987, p. 261. As such, it is possible that the guan-marked Ding wares were commissioned by the Taiguanshu and produced under the supervision of court officials.

Lot 2976. A Ding persimmon-glazed moulded bowl, Jin dynasty (960-1234); 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 600,000 - HKD 800,000. Price realised HKD 750,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The bowl is moulded on the interior with two fish swimming amidst waves in the centre below a band of six floral spray panels on the cavetto. It is covered overall with a glaze of ochre-brown colour that stops at the unglazed rim exposing the fine white body.

Note: Compare a brown-glazed Ding bowl with similar moulded design but with a floral roundel in the centre, excavated at Zhelimu Naiman Mengqi in 1975 and now in the Jilin Provincial Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji – 9 – Ding yao, Kyoto, 1981, no. 113 (fig. 1).

fig. 1. A brown-glazed Ding bowl with a floral roundel in the centre, excavated at Zhelimu Naiman Mengqi in 1975, in the Collection of Jilin Provincial Museum.

Lot 2983. A rare Qingbai archaistic tripod censer, Southern Song-Yuan dynasty (1127-1368); 6 11/16 in. (17 cm). Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000. Price realised HKD 500,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

The censer is raised on three ribbed legs surmounted by masks, applied to the body with raised archaistic scrolls reserved on a ground, covered inside and out with a pale aquamarine glaze except for a circular area in the centre of the base, box.

Lot 2984. A pair of Longquan celadon weiqi boxes and covers, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 3 7/8 in. (9.7 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 180,000 - HKD 260,000. Price realised HKD 400,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

Lot 1999. An exceptional jadeite and diamond pendant necklace, by Bulgari. Estimate HKD 5,500,000 - HKD 8,500,000. Price realised HKD 4,900,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2018

Une partie du service à chocolat et à thé offert en 1737 par Auguste III, roi de Pologne et électeur de Saxe, à Marie Leszczynska, Reine de France. Estimation 45 000 - 60 000 €. © Binoche-Giquello/Drouot

PARIS - Mercredi 6 juin, une partie du service à chocolat et à thé offert en 1737 par Auguste III, roi de Pologne et électeur de Saxe, à Marie Leszczynska, Reine de France, sera présentée aux enchères par la maison Binoche et Giquello. Ce service, dont huit autres pièces ont été acquises par le château de Versailles en vente publique en 2017, illustre le goût de l’épouse de Louis XV pour la porcelaine de Meissen et revient sur la sensible diplomatie franco-polonaise de cette période. L’ensemble est estimé entre 45 000 et 60 000 €.

Auguste III offre en 1737 ce superbe service à la fille de son rival, Stanislas Ier, avec qui il se dispute le trône depuis la mort d’Auguste II, en 1733. Ce cadeau diplomatique a pour objectif d’apaiser les tensions demeurées très vives entre la Pologne et la France à l’issue de la guerre de Succession qui a finalement écarté du trône Stanislas 1er, le père de la Reine de France. 

La production de la Manufacture Royale de Meissen est la plus connue des porcelaines de Saxe. Importée de Chine en Occident depuis le XVe siècle, le secret de fabrication de cette céramique fine, blanche et translucide est percé en 1709 par l’alchimiste Johann Friedrich Böttger après la découverte du premier gisement de kaolin, matière première essentielle de la composition de la porcelaine, près de la ville de Meissen. 

Lorsque le service de la reine est exécuté, l’établissement est à son apogée. Il est dirigé par le comte de Brühl, premier ministre de l’électeur de Saxe, et de nombreux cadeaux diplomatiques destinés aux différentes cours d’Europe (Autriche, Danemark, France, Russie, Naples, Venise) y sont réalisés.

Il semble que Marie Leszczynska affectionnait particulière cette  porcelaine. L’inventaire de ses biens, dressé après sa mort, mentionne plusieurs paires de flambeaux, une vingtaine de figures et de groupes sculptés, une quinzaine de vases d’ornement et de pots-pourris. 

Le service offert par Auguste III à la Reine de France comprenait à l’origine 56 pièces rangées dans un coffret en cuir rouge décoré en or ciselé : douze bols à thé et douze tasses à chocolat munis de leur soucoupe, un grand bol à rincer, une chocolatière, un pot à lait, deux théières, un support de théière, une boîte à sucre et une boîte à thé. Abondamment dorées, toutes portent les armes d’alliance de la Reine (armes de France et de Pologne) et sont ornées de décors variés illustrant des scènes militaires et maritimes ou des chinois de fantaisie. Un paysage de bord de mer animé de marins et de marchands parcourt les pourtours des pièces proposées dans cette vente ; un pot à lait, deux tasses et leur soucoupe et une soucoupe isolée.

Manufacture Royale de Meissen. Soucoupe en porcelaine, vers 1737. Estimation : 4 000 - 6 000 € © Binoche-Giquello/Drouot

Manufacture Royale de Meissen. Tasse à chocolat et soucoupe en porcelaine, vers 1737. Estimation : 8 000 - 12 000 € © Binoche-Giquello/Drouot

Manufacture Royale de Meissen. Soucoupe en porcelaine (accompagnée de la tasse à chocolat ci-dessus), vers 1737. Estimation : 8 000 - 12 000 € © Binoche-Giquello/Drouot

PARIS.- On Wednesday 6 June, a part of king of Poland and Elector of Saxony August III’s chocolate set, offered to the Queen of France Maria Leszczynska, will be offered by auction house Binoche et Giquello at Drouot. The Palace of Versailles had acquired eight other pieces from this set at auction in 2017. It illustrates the taste of Louis XV’s wife for Meissen porcelain and recalls the sensitive French-Polish diplomacy from this period. The overall estimate is €45,000-60,000. 

The production of Meissen Porcelain Manufactory is the most famous among porcelain of Saxony. Imported from China in Occident since the 15th century, the fabrication secret of this white, translucent and delicate ceramic is only discovered in 1709 by alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, soon after the discovery of the first kaolin deposit close to the city of Meissen which is the row material of porcelain. 

When the Queen’s set is executed, the establishment is at its climax. It is directed by Count von Brühm, the Elector of Saxony’s prime minister. Numerous diplomatic gifts addressed to European royal courts (of Austria, Denmark, France, Naples, Venice) were executed there. 

It appears that Maria Leszczynska particularly enjoyed this porcelain. Her estate’s inventory listed after her death mentions around 20 figures and sculpted groups and over 15 ornamental vases among other pieces. 

This set offered by August III to the Queen of France originally included 56 pieces kept in a red leather and golden motives box: 12 tea cups, 12 chocolate cups and their saucers, a wide rinsing bowl, a chocolate pot, a milk pot, two teacups, a teacup base, a sugar box and a tea box. All of it carries the Queen’s French and Polish coat of arms. They are abundantly gilded and decorated with military, marine or Chinese-inspired scenes. A seaside landscape with sailors and dealers are drawn all around the pieces featured at auction; a milk pot, two cups and their saucers and a single saucer.

Manufacture Royale de Meissen. Pot à lait couvert de forme balustre en porcelaine, vers 1737. Estimation : 25 000 - 30 000 € © Binoche-Giquello/Drouot

Lot 379. Important diamond necklace, the centre supporting a briolette diamond weighing 20.30 carats, by Cartier. Estimate: £220,000 - £280,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

LONDON.- Swing into the summer season with Sotheby’s: The Fine Jewels and online sales bring together a fabulous array of jewels for every occasion. The sales will offer pieces from across the decades – from antique jewels through 1920s chic to contemporary glamour – including eye-catching accessories for daytime as well as elegant evening jewels. From decorative creations to emblematic pieces by world-famous jewellery icons such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari and JAR, collectors with an eye for stylish design and quality will be spoilt for choice. 

Sotheby’s galleries in London and Geneva will be filled with colour, as their specialists welcome jewellery lovers to try on pieces for themselves, or simply explore the wonderful selection. Jewels are on view to the public, in London, from 1-5 June and in Geneva, from 11 – 13 June. 

FINE JEWELS (London, 6 June) 
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Bulgari feature strongly in the London auction, alongside tiaras, stylish retro jewels from the 1940s and a fine selection of sapphire and emerald jewels. 

The 379-lot auction is led by a magnificent diamond necklace by Cartier, supporting a 20.30-carat briolette diamond (lot 379, est. £220,000 - 280,000 / $315,000 - 401,000) and a sumptuous sapphire and diamond bracelet made by the Parisian jeweller in the 1930s (lot 377, est. £70,000-90,000 / $101,000 - 129,000).  

Lot 379. Important diamond necklace, the centre supporting a briolette diamond weighing 20.30 carats, by Cartier. Estimate: £220,000 - £280,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Cf. my post: Important diamond necklace, Cartier

Lot 377. Sapphire and diamond bracelet, Cartier. Estimate: £70,000 - £90,000. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

Cf. my post: Sapphire and diamond bracelet, Cartier

Launched in the 1970s, Van Cleef & Arpels “Rose de Noël” jewels have been constantly reinvented, and have become emblematic of the Parisian jeweller. The perfect Summer accessory, a mother-of-pearl and diamond demiparure, is composed of a pair of earrings and a brooch (lot 293, est. £26,000 - 35,000 / $37,200 - 50,500). 

Lot 293. Mother-of-pearl and diamond demi-parure, 'Clématis', Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate: £26,000 - 35,000. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

Comprising: a brooch, designed as a flower, the petals set with polished mother-of-pearl, centring on brilliant-cut diamonds; and a pair of ear clips, each signed Van Cleef & Arpels, numbered, French assay and maker's marks.

Tiaras are glittering again, both on the aisle and on the catwalk. With no fewer than four tiaras in the sale, there is something for every look and every special event: a diamond foliate design from the early 20th century (lot 129, est. £4,200 — 7,000 / £6,100-10,000), a late 19th-century piece with palmettes (lot 182, est. £5,000 – 8,500 / $7,200 -12,200), a natural pearl and diamond diadem, late 19th century (lot 38, est. £5,000 -6,000 / $7,200 -8,600) and a tiara from around 1905 with floral and foliate scroll motifs (lot 14, est. £10,000 – 15,000 / $14,400 -21,500). 

Lot 129. Diamond tiara , early 20th century. Estimate: £4,200 — 7,000. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

Of foliate design, set with cushion-shaped, circular-cut and rose diamonds, nine diamonds replaced with diamond simulants, inner circumference approximately 225mm. 

Lot 182. Diamond tiara, late 19th century. Estimate: £5,000 — 8,500. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

Lot 38. Natural pearl and diamond diadem, late 19th century. Estimate: £5,000 — 6,000. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

The front set with graduated natural pearls measuring from approximately 3.9 to 5.5mm, each pearl set on knife-edge linking with rose diamond detail, to a rose diamond line base, fitting detachable, inner circumference approximately 345mm, later fitted case.  

Lot 14. Diamond tiara, circa 1905. Estimate: £10,000 — 15,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

The sale is also distinguished by a selection of jewels with royal provenance. Among three exquisite pieces formerly in the collection of HRH King Farouk of Egypt is a diamond brooch, designed as a bird perched on a coral branch, by Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the king’s favourite jewellers (lot 200, est. £700 – 1,500 / $1,050 – 2,150). The sale also includes a diamond parure, formerly in the collection of HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (lot 208, est. £10,000 – 12,000 / $14,000 – 17,200). 

Lot 200. Formely in the collection of HRH King Farouk of Egypt. Diamond brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate: £700 – 1,500. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Lot 208. Formerly in the collection of HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. Diamond parure. Estimate: £10,000 — 12,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Comprising: a necklace, composed of hexagonal plaques and baton shaped linking, the front pavé-set with brilliant-cut diamonds, length approximately 390mm, four extra links; a bangle, inner circumference approximately 170mm; a ring, size L, sizing band; and a pair of pendent ear clips, screw fittings, fitted case.   

Provenance: Property from the Collection of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Christie's London, 13th June 2006, lot 156.

HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon wearing lot 208, attending a reception to celebrate the 80th birthday of Dame Vera Lynn at the Imperial War Museum, 20th March 1997. Image © Photoshot

Note: Accompanied by a certificate of provenance from Kensington Palace, authenticating the property was formally in the collection of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.

FINE JEWELS (Geneva, 14 June) 
Highlights of Sotheby’s 14 June auction in Geneva will include bold designs for daytime, as well as diamond essentials for the evening. 

Timeless and elegant, this ruby and diamond ring is set with a beautiful stone of Burmese origin, the most highly sought-after source for collectors. The 2.41-carat ruby is flanked by brilliant-cut diamonds (lot 814, est. CHF 71,000 – 91,000 / $71,850 – 92,089).

Lot 814. A 2.41-carat Burmese 'Pigeon Blood' ruby and diamond ring. Estimate: CHF 71,000 – 91,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Set with an oval ruby weighing 2.41 carats, between brilliant-cut diamond shoulders, size 50.

Cartier’s ‘big cats’ deliver instant chic, whether as part of a smaller jewellery collection or a spectacular one. Emblematic of Cartier and evoking the illustrious brand’s history, these wonderful ‘Panthère’ earrings are set with pear-shaped emerald eyes, the cats’ teeth supporting oval onyx hoops (lot 668, est. CHF 12,000 – 18,000 / $12,144 – 18,215). 

Lot 668. Gold and gem set earrings, 'Panthère', Cartier. Estimate: CHF 12,000 – 181,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Lot 533. Pair of gold and cultured pearl ear clips, Chaumet. Estimate: CHF 2,500 — 4,500. Courtesy Sotheby's.

JEWELS ONLINE (5 - 15 June 2018) 
From a chic pair of earrings to a stunning gem set bangle, this online-only sale presents the ideal opportunity to perfect your summer look. 

One of the hallmarks of Paris-based jeweller JAR whose coveted jewels enjoy a cult following is the use of many different metals, both precious and nonprecious, as seen in this pair of ear clips, designed as a blackened aluminium curve (est. £3,000 - 5,000). 

Lot 628. Pair of earclips, JAR. Estimate: £3,000 — 5,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

The bold linearity and dynamic geometry that characterised the art deco style can be found in this magnificent 1920s diamond brooch (est. £1,400 – 1,800). 

Lot 523. Diamond brooch, 1920s. Estimate: £3,000 — 5,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Of geometric openwork design, millegrain set with circular- and single-cut diamonds, length approximately 41mm.

The sale also includes a number of fabulous pieces for the dapper gentleman, including a pair of sapphire cufflinks, Cartier, circa 1929 (est. £3,000 — 5,000) and a pair of lapis lazuli cufflinks, Tiffany & Co., designed as turtles (est. £1,500 – 2,000).

OMAHA, NE.- Treasures of British Art 1400–2000: The Berger Collection presents a rare opportunity to view one of the most important collections of British art in America. The paintings in this exhibition tell the complex history of Great Britain and how matters such as religious conflict, the rise and fall of the monarchy, industrialization, trade expansion, colonialism, and European influences shaped British artistic identity. With such a breadth of historical material and a diverse representation of subject matter, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this remarkable exhibition. 

Treasures of British Art 1400–2000: The Berger Collection is organized by the Denver Art Museum. The exhibition is made possible by the Berger Collection Educational Trust. Treasures of British Art opened to the public at Joslyn Art Museum on Saturday, June 2, and continues through Sunday, September 9. 

The Berger Collection 
Beginning in the mid-1990s, mutual fund financier William M.B. Berger and his wife, Bernadette, set out to assemble a collection of British art that would reflect the historical and cultural significance of Great Britain. In the course of three years, they amassed over 200 works dating from the mid-14th century to the present day, providing a remarkable survey of the development of art in Britain. In 1999, the Bergers created The Berger Collection Educational Trust and placed their vast collection on long-term loan to the Denver Art Museum (DAM), transforming the institution's holdings of European painting. 

In recent months, the Trust has gifted 65 paintings from the collection to DAM. Treasures of British Art showcases 50 masterworks from this unique collection, many of them part of the gift to DAM, charting the course of British painting over six centuries. The diverse selection includes religious works, history paintings, portraiture, landscapes, and sporting scenes by both famous and less well-known artists, including Anthony van Dyck, Thomas Gainsborough, Benjamin West, Angelica Kauffman, John Singer Sargent, and James McNeill Whistler, among others. Selected highlights:  

Landscape 
Already in the eighteenth century, increasing numbers of British artists traveled abroad to explore foreign landscapes and new subject matter. As part of the Grand Tour, Rome was the ultimate destination for artists seeking to experience the riches of antiquity and the Renaissance first hand. Over the course of the 19th century, rising imperialism and exploration resulted in travel to more distant locations such as the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Scottish artist David Roberts toured Spain, Morocco, Egypt, and the Near East, producing extensive topographical views of the locations he visited. He painted this landscape following a visit to Italy in 1853, the final stop on his travels before returning to London that same year. Although many of Roberts’ views are topographically correct, this image of St. Peter’s Basilica, in which much of the bustling city of Rome is omitted, is the result of the artist’s rich imagination.  

David Roberts (1796–1864), St. Peter’s, Looking Back on Rome, 1855, oil on canvas, 11 1/2 x 29 1/4 in., Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Fund, 2018.17.

Thomas Gainsborough (English, 1727–1788), A Coastal Landscape, about 1782–84, oil on canvas. The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum, TL-18382

John Constable (England, 1776-1837), Yarmouth Pier, oil on canvas, 11 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches. The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museu,  TL-18482.

Sporting Art 
From the 17th to 19th century, sporting scenes — representations of rural pastimes like hunting, games, and horseraces — were a distinguishing feature of British artistic identity. Horses became enormously popular among aristocratic sportsmen who commissioned portraits of their prized animals. Although largely self-taught, George Stubbs is considered one of Britain’s greatest horse painters for his ability to combine rigorous anatomical accuracy with sensitive observation of his subjects. This painting depicts a majestic bay hunter, an ideal horse for hunting across open country, standing before a gently receding landscape. 

George Stubbs (1724–1806), A Saddled Bay Hunter, 1786, oil on panel, Promised Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Fund, TL-18021.

Sir Alfred J. Munnings (British, 1878–1959), Sir Abe Bailey’s Tiberius, 1935, oil on Masonite board, 16 x 20 in. The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum, TL-17842.

Religion 
When Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England in 1534, religious images that had once been regarded as instruments of devotion became suspect for their potential to be used as idols and were subsequently removed from churches and monasteries. Out of more than 30,000 lost altarpieces, this stunning panel is among the few to have survived the widespread destruction of such imagery during the English Reformation. This painting of Christ’s crucifixion is one of the most important objects in the Berger Collection and is currently the best-preserved religious panel painting of its period in existence. William M.B. Berger considered it the linchpin of his collection and faced fierce competition on the market when he purchased it in 1997. 

British School, The Crucifixion, ca. 1395, tempera and oil with gilded tin relief on oak panel, 39 7/8 x 21 1/2 in., Promised Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Fund, TL-18011.

Portraiture 
When the patronage of religious art decreased dramatically because of the emergence of Protestantism, secular subject matter, including portraiture, increased in popularity among the royal court and aristocracy. Foreign artists with international reputations were most popular for such commissions and consequently immigrated to England to work for the crown, exercising enormous influence on the development of the visual arts in Britain. Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck arrived in London in the early 17th century and is credited with revolutionizing the British portrait tradition. As court painter to Charles I (reigned 1625 to 1649), Van Dyck portrayed his subjects with the elegance and virtuosity of Italian Renaissance painters, providing prestige and distinction to court culture of the period. In this work, the widowed Lady Dacre holds a double-headed rose that signifies both lost and future love in the fading and blooming blossoms. 

Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), Dorothy, Lady Dacre, ca. 1633, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 in., The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum, TL-18887.

Portrait of Henry VIII, about 1513. Oil paint on panel, Promised Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust at the Denver Art Museum, TL-17964.

British artist, Alice Barnham and Her Sons Martin and Steven, 1557, oil on panel, 38¼ x 32 in. The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum, TL-19034.

Sir Thomas Lawrence (England, 1769-1830), Self-Portrait, oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 19 3/4 inches. The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum.

Modern Art 
The social and technological advances of the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as two world wars compelled artists to address the complexities of the modern world, resulting in a profusion of artistic styles and expressive concerns. Influenced by French artistic achievements of the period, specifically the Neo-Impressionist technique known as pointillism, Claude Francis Barry focused on shimmering cityscapes illuminated by fireworks. This painting represents the celebration held in London on July 19, 1919, to commemorate the end of World War I. Employing small dots of color, Barry featured the spectacular fireworks display over the important London landmarks of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Bridge.

Sir Claude Francis Barry (1883–1970), Victory Celebrations, 1919, oil on canvas, 63 x 69 in., The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum, TL-24828; Reproduced by kind permission of Amyl Holdings SA, owners of the worldwide copyright to the works of Sir Claude Francis Barry, Bart. 1883–1970.

Lot 2909. A carved cinnabar lacquer ‘peony’ box and cover, Ming dynasty, early 15th century; 5 13/16 in. (15 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 120,000 - HKD 180,000. Price realised HKD 687,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.

Lot 2934. A fine and rare red-glazed bird feeder, Ming dynasty, 15th century; 1 ¾ in. (4.5 cm.) across. Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000. Price realised HKD 475,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018.