German, two ivory turned cup, 17th century; a jasper goblet, 18th century and four agate bowls, Italian 18th-19th century

Turned cup. German, 17th century

ivory. 23.5cm., 9¼in. Estimate 25,000—35,000 GBP. Sold 79,250 GBP

Turned cup. German, 17th century

ivory. 25cm., 9 3/4 in. Estimate 20,000—30,000 GBP. Sold 49,250 GBP

NOTE: These two intricately turned ivory cups are an excellent example of a noble tradition in European art. The turner's lathe captured the imagination of the aristocracy from the late Renaissance through to the 18th century. The remarkable manipulations of the ivory represented man's conquest over nature. The more complicated the turned ivory object was, the greater the fascination became for both sculptor and collector. In the 17th century the turning of such ivories became a favourite pastime of princes, who would employ master turners as their teachers. By the 18th century the popularity of the craft had spread and many of Europe's aristocrats were using newly published manuals (such as the ones by Plumer from 1701 and Bergeron's from 1796) for instruction and inspiration. Many of these rulers worked under the guidance of highly specialised craftsmen, who were responsible for some of the most elaborate masterpieces in turned ivory.

RELATED LITERATURE: O. Beigbeder, Ivory, London, 1965, p. 110; H. Bredekamp, La nostalgie de l'antique. Statues, machines et cabinets de curiosités, Paris, 1996; Magie de l'orfèvrerie. Faste et élégance, Antwerpen, 2004; Moritz der Gelehrte, Kassel, 1998; G. Laue, Gedrehte kostbarkeiten, Munich, 2004; K. Maurice, Der Drechselnde Souveran, Zurich, 1985; E. Tartaglia, Les ivoires tournés. MS Université Paris I, Paris, 2005

Goblet. German, 16th century

jasper, with gilt bronze mounts. 14cm., 5½in. Estimate 20,000—30,000 GBP. Sold 22,500 GBP

Four oval bowls. Italian, 18th-19th century

agate. high: 3.5 to 4.5cm., 1 3/8 to 1¾in.; wide: 9.5 to 12.5cm., 3¾ to 5in. Estimate 3,000—5,000 GBP. Sold 3,750 GBP 

RELATED LITERATURE: D. Alcouffe, Les Gemmes de la Couronne, Paris, 2001, p. 464, no. 234

Sotheby's. Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art. 09 Jul 09. London  www.sothebys.com

Van Cleef & Arpels. Diamants, rubis et or jaune chez Tajan Monaco

Van Cleef & Arpels. Important bracelet  en platine articulé de cinq rangées de diamants ronds et navettes souplement articulés.

Signé et numéroté.  Dans son écrin.  POIDS DES DIAMANTS DU BRACELET : 60 cts environ. Long. 20 cm. Poids : 87,7 g - Estimation : € 100,000-120,000

Van Cleef & Arpels. Beau collier en platine et or gris à transformation en deux rangées de diamants ronds

Centré au décolleté d'un motif de feuillage en diamants navettes. Signé et numéroté. POIDS DES DIAMANTS DU COLLIER : 40 cts environ. Long. 42 cm. Poids : 66,5 g. Dans son écrin. S'y adjoint un ensemble de cinq perles de culture des Mers du Sud pouvant s'accrocher en pampilles. Dim. des perles : 16,3 x 14,1 mm - Estimation : € 60,000-80,000

Van Cleef & Arpels Paire de clips d'oreilles en platine et or gris à transformation sertis de diamants ronds et navettes.

Signés, numérotés. La bélière est pavée de diamants. Dans un écrin Van Cleef & Arpels. Poids : 21,2 g. On peut y adjoindre sur chacun, une perle des Mers du Sud. Dim. des perles : 14,9 mm - Estimation : € 25,000-35,000

Ces deux lots sont vendus avec les perles.

Van Cleef & Arpels  Demi-parure en or jaune comprenant un collier souple de trois rangs de diamants ronds alternés de deux rangées de rubis calibrés.

Signé, numéroté. Poids : 97,5 g. Une paire de clips d'oreilles assortis. Signés et numérotés. Poids : 21,1 g. Dans un étui de peau Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimation : € 50,000-70,000

Van Cleef & Arpels  Parure comprenant un collier de grands anneaux plats d'or jaune en légère chute pavés de diamants.

Signé et numéroté. Long. 44 cm. Poids : 126,1 g. Dans son écrin. Un bracelet assorti. Signé et numéroté. Long. 20 cm. Poids : 66,8 g. Une paire de créoles plates assorties. Peuvent se porter en clips (créoles détachables) signées et numérotées. Poids : 28,8 g. Dans un étui de daim. Estimation : € 50,000-65,000

Tajan. BIJOUX, 28 juil. 2009 17:00, Monaco www.tajan.com

Sotheby's London to Offer The Extensive Archive of Sir Harford Jones, The First British Envoy to Baghdad

Sir Harford Jones (right) in the court of Fat’h Ali, the Shah of Persia, in 1809 by Robert Smirke, RA. Reproduced at the kind permission of trustees of the descendants of Sir Harford Jones Brydges, Bt.

LONDON.- Sotheby's London announced that it will offer for sale as part of its English Literature, History, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations on Tuesday 14th July the remarkable collection of some 3,100 items that document Sir Harford Jones’s time between 1783 and 1811 as agent of the East India Company in Basra then in Baghdad, then his embassy to the Persian court in Tehran. The array of first-hand accounts included in the archive provide an intricately detailed insight into the customs, trade, diplomacy and military upheavals in the Middle East during this period. Estimated at £150,000-200,000*, the archive uncovers the significance in both British and Middle Eastern history of a man considered to have been “underrated at the time and subsequently” (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).

Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s Specialist in the Books and Manuscripts Department, comments: “Nothing comparable has appeared at auction in modern times - there are few archives that detail the British presence in the Middle East at this significant time in history – and Jones’s continuous immersion in Middle Eastern life is revealed in the frequent references to the language and customs, particularly of Persia and Saudi Arabia. This remarkable archive is not just concerned with British diplomacy but also paints a vivid picture of events and life in the Middle East at this time.”

Persia
In 1807 Harford Jones was appointed envoy-extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the court of Fat’h Ali, the Shah of Persia. This appointment was made in the light of growing French influence in Tehran, as Jones explained in a position paper: “…Let England once settle a Peace between Persia and Russia, let her Envoy conduct himself with common prudence and the downfall of the French interest at Tehran must follow of course…”. At this time, the British were concerned that Persians would align themselves with the French, namely Napoleon Bonaparte, rather than the British, and it was Jones who signed a treaty with Persia to secure their support – an agreement from the Shah to prevent any attempted incursion into India via Persia - in return for a pledge that included arms required in the Persian war with Russia of the time. The British were, at this time, extremely concerned about the French threat to their rule in India via the Red Sea or Persian Gulf.

Following the agreement of a preliminary Anglo-Persian treaty, the Shah sent an envoy to England for the first time. Mirza Abdul Hassan’s visited London and was accompanied by Jones’s secretary, James Morier, who wrote more than thirty letters to Jones providing a highly detailed account of this mission and the envoy’s reception England: “… he was received at Plymouth with a guard of honour, salutes were fired…”

In relation to Persian domestic affairs, Jones and the British took a keen interest in the Shah’s heir apparent, the reform-minded crown prince Abbas Mirza. Harford Jones wrote to Robert Dundas, President of the Board of Control for India, on Persia under the Qajar dynasty: “...a Taste and spirit of Improvement seem to possess both the King & the Prince Royal particularly the latter, it is not easy to ascertain the point at which our commercial advantages will stop. If I do not much deceive myself the present Dynasy of the Khajars is likely to be as stable as that of the Suffis and if Abbas Meerza comes to the Throne and his Life is spared to carry into Execution all the vast designs he has for the improvement of the country it will probably be more so...” (26 March 1810)

Turkey
Sir Harford Jones was in regular correspondence with the British diplomatic mission at the Ottoman court. A richly detailed series of letters by Robert Adair, British Ambassador to the Sublime Porte until 1810, and thereafter by his replacement Stratford Canning, partially in cipher, provides news from Istanbul including the peace treaty between Britain and the Sublime Porte (1809), the actions of the Persian diplomats in Istanbul and Persian politics: “… the whole proceedings of [the Shah’s] Government towards you, are false and deceitful from the beginning to the end..."

Harford Jones kept abreast of events in Istanbul, including everyday events and disasters such as a great fire in the city. Isaac Morier, merchant, on a fire in Constantinople wrote to him: “A dreadfull fire broke out at 8 o’Clock Saturday morning in the street leading to the Great Burying ground, which being favoured by a strong wind, reduced to ashes all that part of Pera to the houses of Chirico and Tranton, which being of stone, stopt it in that direction, but it extended & destroyed all that part behind our palace, which altho’ insulated, was with great difficulty saved [...] The Rapidity of the fire, and want of water, was such as to baffle all efforts to stop it, notwithstanding the presence of the Grand Signor himself, attended by his Ministers...” (23 April 1810)

Saudi Arabia
In 1803 the Hejaz, including the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, was conquered by the Wahhabis led by the House of Saud. The British resident at Bushehr, J.H. Lovett, wrote to Jones of the “general alarm excited by the Wahabee’s motions”, and explained that “A large fleet of transport Dows [...] containing some thousand men was lately assembled at Behryn [i.e. Bahrain]; which you know has joined the reformers. Bussora was the supposed object but measures of precaution were deemed necessary at Bushire. We have since heard that he has attacked Jaifa.” (13 April 1803) Soon afterwards the success of the Saudis was reported to Jones by John Barker: “As to the affairs of the Wahabi, it is confidently reported here, but I have not been ascertain on what authority, that Siood [i.e. Saud] has taken Gidda [Jeddah] and Medina without resistance: and that the sheriff of Mecca, who had fled to Gidda, on being followed by the Wahabi, escaped by Sea to what they call the ‘Islands of the Blacks’.” (Aleppo, 12 July 1803)

Line Vautrin, un poudrier, une broche et un pendentf chez Artcurial Monte Carlo

Line Vautrin, Poudrier en talossel rouge

(accident au miroir). Signé. Estimation 1 500 - 2 000 €

Commentaire:  Un autre poudrier en talossel noir incrusté de miroirs multicolores est visible sur le site de Line Vautrin www.line-vautrin.fr

photo JC Marlaud sur le site de Line Vautrin

Line Vautrin, Broche "Petit Poucet" en bronze doré.

Signé. Estimation 400 - 600 €

Line Vautrin pour Yves Saint Laurent. Pendentif en bronze doré.

Signé. Estimation 200 - 220 €

Commentaire : un pendentfi "Saint Laurent sur le grill" semblable se trouve  sur le site  www.line-vautrin.fr). Il semblerait que la mention "pour Yves Saint Laurent" sur la description d'Artcurial résulte d'une incompréhension de l'expert.

photo JCM sur le site de Line Vautrin

ARTCURIAL. Hôtel Hermitage, Monte-Carlo. 27 juil. 2009 15:00. Me François Tajan. www.artcurial.com

Christie's Auction of Old Masters and 19th Century Art Realises $32.8 Million

Fra Bartolommeo (Florence 1472-1517), The Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist, oil on panel,58½ x 47⅞ in. Estimate: £2-3 million. Sold: £2,169,250

LONDON.- Christie’s inaugural Old Masters and 19th Century Art Evening Sale realised £20,284,400 / $32,840,444 / €23,550,188, and was 76% sold by lot and 91% sold by value. Offering important paintings, drawings and watercolours representing nearly 700 years of European history, the sale took place in a packed saleroom and saw 4 works sell for over £1 million.

The top lots were The Madonna and Child in a landscape with Saint Elizabeth and the infant Saint John the Baptist by Fra Bartolommeo (1472-1517) and a masterpiece Venetian view by Michele Marieschi (1710-1743), both of which realised £2,169,250 / $3,512,016 / €2,518,499.

Richard Knight, International co-Head of Old Masters and 19th century Art at Christie’s and Paul Raison, Director and Head of Old Masters and 19th Century Art at Christie’s, London: “We saw a deep pool of both new and established international collectors participating in this evening’s auction, and we are pleased to have produced strong results throughout. We are continuing to see a very strong demand for classical paintings, drawings and watercolours and this evening we saw a noticeable increase in new clients and cross-over buying as we presented the first Old Masters and 19th Century Art evening sale. The exhibition leading up to the auction was as busy as we have seen for some years, and we were pleased to welcome both new and established private collectors from Europe, South America and the United States, many of whom had travelled to London for Master Paintings Week.”

Highlights of the sale:

- The Madonna and Child in a landscape with Saint Elizabeth and the infant Saint John the Baptist, a signed and dated picture by the Florentine Renaissance master Fra Bartolommeo (1472-1517) realised £2,169,250 / $3,512,016 / €2,518,499, a world record price for the artist at auction. It was offered from the distinguished collection of Brenda, Lady Cook having once formed a part of the renowned Cook Collection at Doughty House, Richmond.

- A masterpiece by Michele Marieschi (1710-1743) which was commissioned by Field Marshal Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg (1661-1747) one of the great patrons of the 18th century, and which hung in the entrance hall of his home in Venice, realised £2,169,250 / $3,512,016 / €2,518,499.

Michele Giovanni Marieschi (Venice 1710-1743), The Courtyard of the Doge's Palace, Venice, with the Giant's Staircase, Saint Mark's Basilica beyond, oil on canvas, 46 5/8 x 71 1/8 in. (118.5 x 180.7 cm.) Estimate: £2-3 million. Sold: £2,169,250.

- Saint John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness by Pieter Brueghel II (1564/5-1637/8) was offered at auction for the first time in 70 years from the collection of Baron Coppée and sold for £1,497,250 / $2,424,048 / €1,738,307.

Pieter Brueghel II (Brussels 1564/5-1637/8 Antwerp) The Preaching of Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, oil on panel, 40 x 65¾ in. (102 x 167 cm.) Estimate £1-1,500,000. Sold: £1,497,250.

- An exquisite still life by Willem Claesz. Heda (1594-1680) realised £1,385,250 / $2,242,720 / €1,608,275 against a pre-sale estimate of £300,000 to £500,000, setting a world record price for the artist at auction.

Willem Claesz. Heda (Haarlem 1594-1680) A blackberry pie, an upturned nautilus cup, a salt-cellar, a façon- de-Venise flute of wine, a silver ewer, an upturned roemer, hazelnuts, a silver knife and a knife-case, on a partly-draped table with pewter plates, oil on panel, 28 x 36 in. (71.1 x 91.4 cm.)  Estimate £3-500,000. Sold: £1,385,250.

- Portrait of Mrs. Oliver St. John, later Lady Poulett by Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), an impressive full length portrait by the great Flemish master, sold for £881,250 / $1,426,744 / €1,023,131. The picture was formerly in the collection of the 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674), the historian, statesman and collector whose daughter married the future King James II of England, King James VII of Scotland. It had been unseen in public since 1929.

Sir Anthony van Dyck (Antwerp 1599-1641 London) Portrait of Mrs. Oliver St. John, later Lady Poulett, oil on canvas? 88¼ x 52¼ in. (224.2 x 132.7 cm.)  Estimate £800,000-1,200,000 . Sold: £881,250 .

Further highlights included an intimate drawing by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) of Joseph Marcotte, the son of his close friend and patron Charles Marcotte, which was offered at auction for the first time having passed by family descent, and which sold for £313,250 / $507,152 / €363,683; ‘Off Yarmouth’: A Steamship off the Coast in Rough Weather, a dynamic watercolour by J.M.W. Turner, R.A. (1775-1851), which realised £301,250 / $487,724 / €349,751; A cornfield with windmill and spire seen under a crescent moon by Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) which sold for £121,250 / $196,304 / €140,771; and the impressive Portrait of a lady with a fan by Franz-Xavier Winterhalter (1805-1873), one of the most celebrated portraitists of the 19th century, which realised £229,250 / $371,156 / €266,159.

Gilles Desrozier @ Nouveaux Regards, Festival Voies Off, Arles

© Gilles Desrozier :: Série Les Vanités

Gilles Desrozier vit et travaille à Vitry sur Seine :: France. gilfoto@free.fr

Jean-Claude Moschetti @ Festival Voies Off, Arles

© Jean-Claude Moschetti :: Série Le voyage du grand éléphant

Jean-Claude Moschetti vit et travaille à Bain de Bretagne :: France. www.galeriedegbomey.com - jcmoschetti@hotmail.com

Sotheby's Evening Sales of Old Master Paintings Totals $60 Million

Pieter Brueghel the Younger, A Flemish Village in Winter with the Massacre of the Innocents, oil on oak panel, 122 by 170 cm. Estimate: 2,500,000—3,500,000. Sold for £4,633,250. Photo: Sotheby's

LONDON.- Tonight in London before a lively saleroom, Sotheby’s sales of Old Master Paintings and Renaissance & Baroque Masterworks from the Collection of Barbara Piasecka Johnson brought a combined total of £36,022,625/ $57,917,177/ €41,645,761, a strong figure comfortably within the pre-sale expectations for the evening of £29,222,500-42,470.000. The Old Master Paintings Evening Sale made an individual total of £26,134,050/ $42,018,326/ €30,213,578, within the pre-sale estimate of £24,010,000-34,760,000, and achieved solid sell-through rates of 69% by lot and 82% by value. The single-owner sale of property from the collection of Barbara Piasecka Johnson - the renowned art connoisseur, humanitarian and philanthropist and the wife of the late J. Seward Johnson Sr, one of the co-founders of the Johnson & Johnson medical and pharmaceutical firm – far exceeded expectations, realising £9,888,575/ $15,898,851/ €11,432,183 above its estimate of £5,212,500-7,710,000, and was 79% sold by lot and 95% sold by value. This single-owner sale continues tomorrow with a further 140 lots being offered in the dedicated Barbara Piasecka Johnson Day sale (est: £461,370-688,270).

Alexander Bell, Co-Chairman of Old Master Paintings, Sotheby’s Worldwide, commented after the sale: “Tonight’s results demonstrate yet again the consistent underlying strength of the Old Master Paintings market. We were pleased to offer in addition to the impressive group of paintings, sculpture and works of art from the collection of Barbara Piasecka Johnson, a selection in which most of the major schools in the field of Old Master paintings were well-represented and the pre-sale exhibition had a real buzz and air of excitement. This area has a long-established and stable collecting base, which was very much in evidence tonight and collectors responded with particular enthusiasm to the unique spiritual aesthetic of the Johnson collection. Ribera’s Prometheus – the top-selling lot of the Johnson collection – was greatly admired and we’re thrilled to have set a new auction record for the artist.”

The top prices of the Old Master Paintings Evening Sale were:


Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s finest version of The Massacre of the Innocents (lot 13) - the renowned composition devised by his father - came to the market this evening in fine original condition. It saw competition from four bidders and became the top-selling lot of the evening when it sold to an anonymous collector for £4,633,250/ $7,449,339/ €5,456,501, well in excess of the estimate of £2.5-3.5 million. This represents the second-highest price ever achieved for a work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger at auction.

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, Equestrian Portrait of Don Manuel Godoy, Duke of Alcudia, oil on canvas, 55.2 by 44.5 cm. Estimate 2,500,000—3,500,000. Sold for £2,617,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes’s important equestrian portrait of Don Manuel Godoy, Duke of Alcudia (lot 47), sold for £2,617,250/ $4,208,015/ €3,025,803, against an estimate of £2.5-3.5 million. The portrait - with its magical Goya atmosphere and signature Goya sky - ranks among the most important paintings by the Spanish artist ever to come to auction and the price it achieved tonight represents one of the highest prices ever established for a work by him at auction.

Sir Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of Endymion Porter (1587-1649), oil on canvas, 114.5 by 94 cm. Estimate 1,000,000—1,500,000. Sold for  £2,057,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Sir Anthony van Dyck was represented in the sale by a three-quarter-length portrait of Endymion Porter, the diplomat, connoisseur and courtier to Charles I who was a close friend and confidante of van Dyck. The portrait (lot 11) attracted competition from three telephone bidders and eventually sold for £2,057,250/ $3,307,647/ €2,378,387, handsomely above the pre-sale estimate of £1-1.5 million. Never offered at auction before, the painting had descended through the same family collection since 1798. It was included in the Van Dyck and Britain exhibition at Tate Britain earlier this year.

George Stubbs, A.R.A., Portrait of Baron de Robeck Riding a bay hunter, oil on canvas, 101.5 by 127 cm. Estimate 2,000,000—3,000,000. Sold for  £881,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Paintings by British masters also performed well tonight. A Portrait of Baron de Robeck Riding A Bay Hunter by George Stubbs (lot 44) fetched just over £2 million/ $3.3 million/ €2.4 million while J.M.W. Turner’s Virginia Water (lot 48), which had descended through the same family collection since 1913 and had never appeared at auction before, made £881,250, comfortably in excess of its pre-sale expectations of £500,000-700,000.

Francesco Guardi, Venice, the ridotto at Palazzo Dandolo, with masked figures dancing and conversing, oil on canvas, 84.8 by 107 cm. Estimate 800,000—1,200,000. Sold for  £1,833,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Francesco Guardi’s dazzling interior made £1,833,250/ $2,947,499/ €2,119,421, against an estimate of £800,000-1,200,000. Although best known for his landscapes, Guardi was a skilled narrative painter, as is shown in his A Ridotto with Masked Figures Dancing and Conversing (lot 37).

Luca di Tommé, San Bernardo degli Uberti; Spandrels: The Prophets Hosea and Jeremiah, tempera on panel, gold ground. overall: 101.5 by 49.5 cm. Estimate 400,000—600,000. Sold for  £937,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Furthermore, three panels by Luca di Tommè dating from circa 1350 (lots 20, 21 and 22) all achieved prices in excess of their estimates and also the previous auction record for the artist. With a combined estimate of £1,200,000-1,800,000 (each estimated at £400,000-600,000), the group achieved a combined total of £2,699,750. Lot 21 – the panel depicting Saint Bernardo degli Uberti – established the highest prices of the group, setting the new record for the artist when it sold for £937,250.

The single-owner sale of ‘Renaissance & Baroque Masterworks from the Collection of Barbara Piasecka Johnson’

The spectacular single-owner sale brought to the market a wealth of paintings, sculpture, furniture and objects d’art, all of which was a tribute to Mrs Piasecka Johnson’s knowledge and judgment as a collector and art lover. Old Master Paintings formed the core of the sale and these spanned a period of some 200 years, from the late Gothic period to the High Baroque. The selection was particularly rich in Italian Renaissance and early Baroque works but also features examples from the Spanish, French and Netherlandish schools.

Jusepe de Ribera, called Lo Spagnoletto, Prometheus, oil on canvas, est: £800,000-1.2 million, sold for: £3,849,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Star lots tonight:

Jusepe de Ribera, called Lo Spagnoletto’s dramatic Prometheus became the top selling lot of the collection. The subject of a lengthy bidding battle between at least seven potential buyers, it soared above expectations to sell for £3,849,250/ $6,188,824/ €4,450,118 – more than three times the pre-sale high estimate (est: £800,000-1,200,000) - and establishing a new auction record for a work by Ribera by a significant margin. The painting (lot 28), a masterpiece of High Baroque art, represents one of the most important rediscoveries and additions to Ribera’s work in recent years and is also of significance given that it is arguably his first rendering of a mythological subject as well as a prime example of his terribilità.

Attributed to Francesco Primaticcio, Portrait of a nobleman, presumed to be Jean de Dinteville, as St George, oil on canvas, 163.8 by 119.4 cm. Estimate 200,000—300,000,  sold for:  £769,250. Photo: Sotheby's

A full length portrait of a nobleman, presumed to be Jean de Dinteville in the guise of St George before a slain dragon and long attributed to Francesco Primaticcio, was also strongly competed for by at least four bidders. Estimated at £200,000-300,000, the large-scale portrait (lot 16) - a masterpiece of 16th century portraiture - eventually sold to a collector for £769,250/ $1,236,800/ €889,330, more than double its estimate.

Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560), Italian, Florence, mid-16th century, Colossal Bust of an Ancient Hero, white marble, 58.5cm. Estimate 500,000—800,000, sold for:  £657,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Old Master Sculpture also performed well and a spectacular white marble bust of an ancient hero by Baccio Bandinelli, dating from the mid-16th century, sold for £657,250/ $1,056,727/ €759,847, within the pre-sale expectations of £500,000-800,000. The colossal piece (lot 12) ranks among the most important Florentine sculptures of the Cinquecento to be offered on the market in recent years and the price realised set a new auction record for the sculptor.

A near pair of Italian lapis lazuli and pietre dure-mounted pewter inlaid ebony cabinets, Roman, second half 17th century. Estimate 120,000—180,000, sold for:  £211,250. Photo: Sotheby's

Among the notable furniture highlights was a near pair of Roman lapis lazuli and pietre dure mounted pewter inlaid ebony cabinets (lot 17), dating from the second half of the 17th century, which sold for £211,250/ $349,295/ €251,163, above the estimate of £120,000-180,000.

New auction records were also set for Pietro di Domenico da Montepulciano (lot 2), Gherardo di Giovanni (di Miniato) del Fora (lot 6).

Pietro di Domenico da Montepulciano, Madonna of Humility, tempera on panel, gold ground, 60.8 by 50 cm. Estimate 40,000—60,000, sold for:  £211,250 . Photo: Sotheby's

Gherardo di Giovanni (di Miniato) del Fora, The Madonna and Child with an attendant angel, tempera on panel, diameter: 61.5 cm. Estimate 30,000—40,000, sold for:  £67,250 . Photo: Sotheby's

Mohamed Camara, "Chambres maliennes" @ Annecy. Chambre claire

Mohamed Camara, Certains matins, je commence ma journée à la fenêtre, 2004. Tirages jet d'encre, 37,3 x 28 cm. © Mohamed Camar

Mohamed Camara est né au Mali en 1985, il est représenté par la Galerie Pierre Brullé à Paris. Comme le raconte Véronique Bouruet (Mohamed Camara), le jour où il se voit confier un appareil photo numérique pour la première fois par un écrivain de passage à Bamako (Antonin Potoski), il n’a pas 18 ans et une seule passion, le foot.

« Devant les problèmes qu’il rencontre à vouloir faire des photos dans les rues de Bamako, Camara décide de rester chez lui et pointe son viseur vers la lumière, vers le seuil de sa porte ou vers les fenêtres.

Sans rien connaître de la longue généalogie de peintres, photographes et artistes qui de Bellini à Matisse, de Rodtchenko à Sudek ou Moholy-Nagy, se penchèrent par la fenêtre, il pointe son viseur vers la lumière, vers le seuil de sa porte. Un rideau, un voile qui bat au vent. La lumière, intense, filtre de l’extérieur. Une chaleur étouffante cloue les gens et les objets sur place. Un souffle d’air soulève le tissu. On aperçoit un chien qui passe. Des jambes d’enfant qui courent. Une main qui salue. Les minutes ou les heures s’écoulent, équivalentes.

Le temps n’a pas d’importance. Le soleil aveuglant de l’Afrique. Le velouté mat de la terre rouge dont sont pétries les maisons, les rues, la ville. Un monde où chacun appartient à une communauté, une famille, un quartier. Où l’on se salue. Où la parole n’est pas un vain mot. Où il y a du rire et de l’humour. Avec un regard de poète, Mohammed collectionne ces petits instants depuis sa chambre ou celles de proches, famille, amis. Rapidement il passe à la « mise en scène », arrangeant un tissu, disposant un objet. Ainsi naissent les Chambres maliennes. »

Cette exposition a lieu dans les quartiers d'été de La Chambre claire: 625, Route des Curtils 74230 Dingy St Clair. galerie@chambreclaire.com - http://www.chambreclaire.fr/

"Le Corbusier – Art et architecture" @ Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin

Poster of the exhibition “Le Corbusier: Art and Architecture” Design: Steenbrink Vormgeving, Berlin

Le Corbusier (1887–1965) est considéré comme l’un des plus grands architectes du 20e siècle. Son œuvre continue aujourd’hui encore à exercer une influence considérable sur l’architecture et l’urbanisme. L’exposition proposera d’une part une perspective explicitement contemporaine sur Le Corbusier en incluant les recherches les plus récentes faites à son sujet, afin de tenter de rendre compte à sa juste mesure du discours ininterrompu sur Le Corbusier. Elle souhaite, d’autre part, être lue comme une introduction à l’œuvre de l’architecte – en particulier par les jeunes générations pour lesquelles Le Corbusier relève déjà de l’histoire du 20e siècle.

Structurée en trois chapitres relativement indépendants, Contexts, Privacy and Publicity et Built Art, l’exposition s’emparera de thèmes majeurs du travail de Le Corbusier : sa fascination pour la grande ville moderne, son intérêt pour l’espace méditerranéen et l’Orient, son appétence pour les formes organiques dans les années trente, mais aussi sa curiosité pour les nouvelles technologies et les nouveaux médias. Ce n’est qu’en conjuguant ces aspects et d’autres encore qu’il est possible de comprendre réellement son œuvre dans sa globalité, qui s’exprima par une interaction toujours plus intense entre architecture, urbanisme, peinture, design, cinéma et autres disciplines. Le cœur de l’exposition sera constitué d’une sélection d’objets provenant de la fondation Le Corbusier à Paris.

On pourra y admirer entre autres des tableaux originaux, des sculptures, de nombreux meubles d’origine, des dessins et plans originaux, des premières éditions d’ouvrages de Le Corbusier ainsi que de multiples petites pièces issues de la collection privée de l’architecte qui l’ont inspiré, lui ont servi de modèle ou de support de démonstration. Comprendre totalement Le Corbusier suppose de prendre en compte l’influence qu’il a exercée sur ses contemporains ou que maints contemporains ont exercé sur lui. La manifestation présente donc également de nombreuses pièces de contemporains avec lesquels il était en étroite relation, dont des meubles originaux créés par Charlotte Perriand et Jean Prouvé, ainsi que des tableaux de Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger, Georges Braque ou encore d’André Bauchant. Cette diversité de supports d’exposition les plus variés permettra de mettre en lumière les modèles historiques de Le Corbusier et de révéler simultanément les contextes technique, formel et philosophique de ses œuvres.

L’exposition est conçue par le Vitra Design Museum.

A woman observes a work of art made by Le Corbusier (1887-1965), at the retrospective exhibition that is on view through October 5 in Berlin. Photo: EFE/Rainer Jensen

BERLIN.- Berlin’s Martin-Gropius-Bau is presenting the first comprehensive exhibition since 1987 of the wide-ranging work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965). The architect’s links to Germany and Berlin will also be stressed. There will be a total of about 380 exhibits to be seen in the Martin-Gropius-Bau.

“Le Corbusier – Art and Architecture” provides a chronological survey of his 60 year oeuvre. At the same time, by virtue of being divided into three relatively autonomous areas – “Contexts”, “Privacy and Publicity” and “Built Art” – it highlights leading themes that are important to an understanding of Le Corbusier’s work. These include his interest in the Mediterranean and the Near East, his pursuit of organic forms in the 1930s, and his fascination with new technologies and media. The juxtaposition of these aspects illustrates Le Corbusier’s central concept of a “synthesis of the arts”, which manifests itself in the interplay of architecture, urban planning, painting, design, film, and other disciplines.

Taking account of the latest research and critical scholarship, the exhibition takes an explicitly contemporary look at Le Corbusier, while also serving as an introduction to the work of the architect.

The core of the exhibition is made up of a large number of exhibits from the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris, including original paintings, sculptures, numerous original pieces of furniture, original drawings and plans, first editions of Le Corbusier’s books plus numerous small objects from the architect’s private collection, which he used for purposes of inspiration, orientation and demonstration. Le Corbusier’s most important structures are illustrated using both original and new, specially constructed architectural models, while a number of installations based on historical interiors bring his spatial concepts to life.

Among the most impressive exhibits are the giant mural from Le Corbusier’s Paris office in the Rue de Sèvres (1948) and a walk-in model of the Philips Pavilion (1958), which shows how close this project was to today’s computer-generated architecture. The film material shot by Le Corbusier himself in Arcachon and Rio de Janeiro and the reconstruction of the historical model of the “Plan Voisin” (1925), his radically utopian master plan for Paris, are among the major features of the show.

Le Corbusier’s practice of always working closely with his contemporary artists is shown by such exhibits as original pieces of furniture by Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé and paintings by Fernand Léger and André Bauchant.

Le Corbusier and Berlin
For its Berlin presentation “Le Corbusier – Art and Architecture” will be supplemented to include such exhibits as original plans, sketches, books and films concerning Le Corbusier’s relationship with Germany, especially Berlin.

This connection is shown in three stages: First there is Le Corbusier’s long stay in Germany in 1910/11. In 1910 Le Corbusier received a grant to study the German arts and crafts movement known as the Werkbund. From April 1910 to April 1911 he stayed almost uninterruptedly in Germany, working for six months with Peter Behrens and meeting many leading representatives of the Werkbund. The second phase covers Le Corbusier’s dealings with the Bauhaus and Werkbund movements in the 1920s and his participation in the great Bauhaus exhibition of 1923 in Weimar. In 1927 Le Corbusier built his first two buildings in Germany for the Werkbund exhibition at the Weissenhof estate in Stuttgart. Finally the exhibition shows Le Corbusier’s work in Berlin after the war, such as his Unité d’Habitation (dwelling unit) built near Berlin’s Olympia Stadium in connection with the 1957 International Construction Exhibition in Berlin and his contribution to the Capital Competition for International Ideas in 1957/58.

Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp, 1950-55 © FLC / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2009