Shopping of Buccellati jewelry @ M.S.RAU Antiques

"Buccellati" Diamond Necklace

"Buccellati" Diamond Necklace D=2.75cts app 18K YG (60 x 45mm) - Price: $89,000

"Buccellati" Emerald & Diamond Bracelet

"Buccellati" Emerald & Diamond Bracelet E=4.00cts app + D=3.50cts app Silver & YG (7.5" x 29mm) - Price: $80,000

"Buccellati" Diamond Butterfly Brooch

"Buccellati" Diamond Butterfly Brooch D=2.00cts app 18K (55 x 65mm)  - Price: $43,000

"Buccellati" Diamond Cuff Bracelet

"Buccellati" Diamond Cuff Bracelet D=1.00cts app 18K (65 x 19mm)  - Price: $36,000

"Buccellati" Diamond Band

"Buccellati" Diamond Band D=0.45cts 18K (size 6.25, 8mm) - Price: $11,040

M.S. RAU ANTIQUES 630 Royal Street LA 70130 New Orleans - USA - Tel : +1 800 544 9440 - Email address : info@rauantiques.com - Website : http://www.rauantiques.com

Robert Mapplethorpe @ Alison Jacques Gallery in october

Robert Mapplethorpe, Hand In Fire, 1985. © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission

LONDON.- Alison Jacques Gallery will present a new interpretation of the work of acclaimed and controversial American artist Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989). Bringing together a range of works in a variety of media, including rarely seen collages as well as photography, the exhibition focuses on the hitherto neglected roles of religious themes and imagery that informed much of Mapplethorpe’s practice throughout his career. Since Mapplethorpe's tragically early death from complications arising from AIDS in 1989, the artist has been the subject of numerous exhibitions in museums worldwide and is now considered one of the most important photographers of the twentieth century. This new exhibition offers a timely reappraisal of the diversity of Mapplethorpe’s work, and the significance of the sacred and profane in his art.

Alison Jacques has represented the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe in the UK since 1999; for this exhibition she has assembled a number of important works which reveal the significance of religion, of Catholicism and Satanism and the extremes of these opposites, in Mapplethorpe’s life and work. For the first time in a European gallery, 5 major early works will be exhibited, a series of collages from 1968-69 when the artist was living with the poet and rock singer Patti Smith at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Drawing on the Catholic culture of his upbringing, Mapplethorpe was inspired to make shrine-like works out of a broad range of materials, from men’s underwear to prayer cards.

Later in his career Mapplethorpe became more renowned for his photography, yet the themes of Heaven and Hell, the sacred and profane, still filtered through in to his practice and are very much in evidence throughout the corpus of his work. The photographs in the exhibition bear witness to the recurrent impact of Catholicism on Mapplethorpe’s craft, such as the use of the Crucifix as a compositional device in the photographs, a framing motif or as an actual sculpture. Mapplethorpe’s influences were not, however, limited to Christian imagery; darker religious motifs, such as images of Pentograms, references to witchcraft and shocking depictions of sexuality also feature in his work, and left Mapplethorpe mired in controversy in both life and death. Iconoclastic and aesthetically exhilarating, allusions to the sacred such as halos in portraits, the use of traditional iconographic symbols such as lilies, representations of a crown of thorns, and depictions of Patti Smith as the Madonna and Lisa Lyon as an angel, contrast powerfully with the devil imagery, of serpents and of smoke. Mapplethorpe himself in one of his most famous self-portraits assumed the aspect of Satan, complete with devil’s horns.

In 1986, a newly translated version of French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s 1873 extended poem “A Season in Hell” was published with photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe. The book exemplified intriguing connections and parallels between the unorthodox and prematurely brief lives of Rimbaud and Mapplethorpe. They shared an often defiant and libertine excess in their personal lives, born partly of their queer sexualities and partly of innately rebellious spirits. This resistance to, and fascination with, the norms and strictures of bourgeois culture, also led to both exploring through art the darker side of humanity’s private life, in all its emotional, physical and sexual complexity. To mark Rimbaud’s October birthday and the 20th Anniversary of Mapplethorpe’s death, Patti Smith, a passionate devotee of both artists, will perform especially dedicated music and poetry at the opening of the exhibition in London. In 2010, Patti Smith will publish her memoir about Mapplethorpe, a diary of their love and friendship called “Just Kids.”

Ming Dynasty, Hong WuTong Bao

Ming Dynasty, Hong WuTong Bao 1-cash

Cast under rule of 1st emperor Tai Zu during Hong Wu period (AD 1368-98) of Ming Dynasty (AD1368 - 1644). One dot TONG variety. 23mm / 2.91g. Price 3 USD @ dong_hua_zhai   

Yuan Dynasty, Zhi Da Tong

Yuan Dynasty, Zhi Da Tong Bao 1-cash small issue.

Issued under rule of emperor  Wu Zong of Yuan Dynasty AD1271-1368. 22.3mm, 3.04g. Price 9 USD @ dong_hua_zhai 

References: Fisher's Ding 1723, Schjoth 1098 or Hartill's 19.39

Nicolai Abildgaard at the National Gallery of Denmark

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), The Wounded Philoctetes, 1775. Oil on canvas, 123 x 175.5 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

COPENHAGEN.- Armed with gods, mythological creatures, coarse satire and a modern social outlook, he made his art a mouthpiece for reform in a time of unrest under absolute monarchy, social injustice and stifled freedom of expression. Despite his international orientation and multifaceted, powerful life's work, Abildgaard has long stood in the shadow of his student C.W Eckersberg and the more popular and mild-mannered Golden Age painters who followed. With a solid 150 works, this exhibition at the National Gallery of Denmark, marking the 200th anniversary of Abildgaard’s death is the first major presentation of Abildgaard in Denmark since 1916. On exhibition 29 August through 3 January, 2010.

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Adrastus Slaying Himself at the Tomb of Atys, 1774-75. Oil on canvas, 48 x 57.4 cm. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum © SMK Foto

Court Painter and Revolutionary
While C.W. Eckersberg usually assumes the title of the father of Danish painting, Nicolai Abildgaard must be recognised as its undisputed forefather. Not only did he serve as Eckersberg’s notoriously well-read and merciless professor at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, where he also taught other gifted pupils such as Bertel Thorvaldsen, Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. With his international perspective, Abildgaard was also one of the first Danish artists to draw inspiration from the rest of Europe, which made a considerable imprint on his art and his political persuasion alike.

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), The Archangel Michael and Satan Disputing about the Body of Moses, C. 1782. Oil on canvas, 49.7 x 61.7 cm. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum © SMK Foto

A figure ahead of his time, Abildgaard epitomised the romantic image of the artist as uncompromising loner walking his own path. Absorbed by the new and the dangerous emanating from Paris before and after 1789, Abildgaard early on became an artist of revolution and forward movement. His relationship to the Royal Court was, for the same reasons, one of tension. Nonetheless, he dutifully served for a number of years as court painter, including with his decoration of banquet hall in Christiansborg Palace – a feat of pomp and splendour that largely went up in flames in the fire that ravaged the royal palace in 1794. But even in this decoration, of which the exhibition shows the surviving works and preliminary sketches, Abildgaard demonstrated a subtle but critical rethinking of society's established power structure. And any infringement upon his artistic integrity would not be taken lightly. “I am not a pencil,” was his remark to the court, when Abildgaard apparently felt himself to be too subject to orders regarding one of his many commissions. His social critique became all the more pronounced in a series of graphic works that Abildgaard produced under a pseudonym together with the engraver C.F. Clemens. The exhibition presents numerous examples of these satirical releases from the series Copenhagen Scene, in which Abildgaard, with a distinct flair for low comedy, exposed the regime and the privileged of society.

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Standing nude, Rome, 1772-77. Oil on canvas. 68.1 x 51.7 cm. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum © SMK Foto

Revolution Embodied – Classicism with an Edge
The exhibition at the National gallery of Denamrk manages to encapsulate both the breadth and the highlights of Abildgaard’s work. With an emphasis on painting, the exhibition also incorporates drawings, graphics, and examples of his furniture production in one collective presentation for the first time. A recurring motif through the exhibition is Abildgaard’s relationship to tradition and his constant attempt to break free of it in order to create a distinct artistic identity. His work is rooted in neoclassicism, and Abildgaard himself was exceptionally well-versed in the literary classics, which exerted a high degree of influence on his motifs. But in stride with the dawning trends abroad, Abildgaard's art also turned into an ongoing polemic against the neoclassical ideals emphasising the beautiful and harmonious in the image. In composition, colour, and choice of motif, Abildgaard’s works are far from harmony and quiet dignity. Here one finds instead unrest, spectacle, pain and other intense emotions. The human body, in particular – which is the leitmotif throughout his entire work – became Abildgaard’s preferred form for the expression of the grotesque, the violent, and the terrifying. As with his assiduous use of mythological and historical scenes, Abildgaard used the body as a symbol for notions such as power, pain, injustice and upheaval. This move also revealed an ambition to activate the viewer and insist on emotive response, opinion, and awareness of the surrounding society.

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Klismos chair, C. 1790. Beech, gilt with canework seat, 76.5 x 58 x 69 cm. The Danish Museum of Art & Design © SMK Foto

With 150 works, this exhibition embraces Abildgaard’s life work from his early years through to his late productions. The exhibition is as such a retrospective, but avoids typical chronological layout. The many works are instead presented in thematic clusters that illustrate Abildgaard’s principle themes.

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Richard III Awakening from his Nightmare, 1787. Oil on canvas, 38 x 29 cm. Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Richard III Before the Battle of Bosworth. From Shakespeare’s Richard III, 1780-89. Oil on canvas, 39.5 x 61 cm. Randers Kunstmuseum © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Culmin’s Ghost Appearing Before His Mother, C. 1794. Oil on canvas, 63 x 78 cm. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Pamphilus and his servant Davus. From Terence´s Andria, 1802. Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 128.5 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Simo and his former slave Sosia. From Terence´s Andria, 1803. Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 142 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), The Slave Davus and the Maid Mysis. From Terence's Andria, 1804. Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 142 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Nightmare, C. 1800. Oil on canvas, 35.3 x 41.7 cm. Vestsjællands Kunstmuseum, Sorø © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809, Ossian, C. 1780-82. Oil on canvas, 42 x 35.5 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Jupiter Weighing the Fate of Man, 1793. Oil on canvas, 129.5 x 108 cm. Ribe Kunstmuseum © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), The Temple of Fortune, 1785. Oil on screen with tin plate, compounded of square pieces; semi-circular top with painted Medusa’s head, 181 x 150 x 17 cm. The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Palace © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Catherine the Great Departing this Earth, 1796-97. Pencil, pen, grey ink, brush, and grey washing in multiple hues. 221 x 221 mm . Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

Nicolai Abildgaard (1743 - 1809), Caracalla Sacrificing the Dagger He used to Slay His Brother on the Altar of Serapis, 1743-1809. Pencil, pen, and brown and black ink, 238 x 219 mm. Statens Museum for Kunst © SMK Foto

Highlights of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Including Property From the Arthur M. Sackler Collections @ Christi'es

This September, Christie’s is pleased to offer over 350 lots of fine Chinese porcelain, jade, furniture and works of art from diverse collections. Following on the heels of the record setting March sales in New York, Christie’s once again looks forward to a highly successful sale of exceptional Chinese works of art. Highlights of this sale.

An important and rare imperial Guangzhou tribute embellished ivory and tortoiseshell fan. Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Made of very thin, finely woven ivory caning mounted in a tortoiseshell frame, with a central bamboo strip on each side secured at the top by a ruyi-shaped gilt-metal mount inlaid with kingfisher feather, the bamboo strip on the front embellished with mother-of-pearl, amber, gilt-metal and painted ivory appliques secured on the reverse by small feather-embellished florets above a mother-of-pearl plaque, the front applied at the bottom with delicately painted ivory appliques depicting a grouping of a pine tree, lingzhi, aster, lotus and orchids below two grey bats and a crane in flight above, the painted enamel handle decorated in blue grisaille with composite foliate scroll between ivory mounts, the mount at the end pierced for a silk tassel. 19 5/8 in. (30 cm.) long - Est. $80,000 - $120,000

Provenance: Old Mid-Atlantic private collection.

Notes: This exceptional fan belongs to an elite group of luxury wares produced in the 18th century in Guangzhou, as tribute for the Court. Like the present example, they typically feature bird and flower scenes rendered in delicate ivory appliques superimposed on intricately woven ivory caning, all mounted in a tortoiseshell frame and attached to a painted enamel handle. Several comparable fans are in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and are illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji; Zhumu yajiaoqi, vol. 11, Shanghai, 1996, p. 95, no. 113. (Fig. 1); The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carvings, Beijing, 2002, pp. 181-2, nos. 140-1; Gugong zhenbao, Beijing, 2004, p. 159; and Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987, p. 71, no. 7. See, also, the fan of similar type included in the exhibition Chinese Ivories from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 28 July - 14 October 1990, p. 351, no. 184.

A rare pair of hardstone and glass-inlaid gilt-bronze phoenix-form candle holders. Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Finely cast as two phoenixes standing side by side on a rockwork base from which sprouts lingzhi fungus, the two birds facing in opposite directions with heads turned backwards facing the candle holder cast as a gnarled stem bearing further stems of lingzhi which rises from their joined, hollow bodies engraved with fine feather markings, inlaid all over with various hardstones. 7¾ in. (19.7 cm.) high (2).  Est. $60,000 - $80,000

Provenance: Christie's, New York, 27 November 1991, lot 59.

Notes: A related candle holder with two birds surrounding a hollow trunk in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated by P. Rawson and L. Legaza, Tao, la Philosophie Chinoise de Temps et du Changement, Paris, 1973, p. 101, fig. 17. See, also, the similar example sold in our Paris rooms, 21 November 2008, lot 161.
Also related are hardstone-embellished gilt-bronze censers of qilin form and Qianlong date, such as the example illustrated in A Special Exhibition of Incense Burners and Perfumers Throughout the Dynasties, Taipei, 1994, no. 119, as well as the example sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29 November 2005, lot 1584.

A rare large zitan floor mirror. 18^th-19th century

With beaded, rounded rectangular zitan frame enclosing the glass panel and set into the solid zitan base carved on both sides with horizontal panels of confronted archaistic kui dragons repeated on the shaped aprons, flanked by tall spandrels carved in similar fashion and set into shoe feet carved with further archaistic scroll. 65 in. (165.1 cm.) high, 32½ in. (82.6 cm.) wide, 21½ in. (54.6 cm.) deep. Est. $100,000 - $150,000

Provenance: Acquired by the grandfather of the present owners, Whampoa, Guangdong, circa 1890-1920s, thence by descent within the family.

Notes: Standing mirrors of this size appear to be quite rare, although smaller examples are known. It is also a possibility that the current frame once held an embellished or enameled panel. See, for example, the slightly smaller (141 cm.) mid-Qing zitan floor screen with ivory inlays of the thirteen foreign firms in Guangzhou, illustrated in Witness to the Qing Empire: Cultural Relics From the Palace Museum, vol. III, Macau, 2007, p. 345, no. 94. See another larger (218 cm.) 18th century floor screen inset with an enameled panel depicting European ladies, illustrated by X. Yang and C. Zhu in Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors From China's Imperial Palace, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, 2000, p. 63.

It is interesting to note that this particular style of archaistic carving on the aprons, horizontal panel and spandrels appears frequently on mid and late Qing dynasty furniture, and seems to be derived from an early Qing form. Compare the similar carving on the rails of a zitan luohan chuang in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Ming Qing Guting Jiaju Da Guan, vol. I, Beijing, 2006, p. 73, where it is dated to the Qing dynasty. See ibid., vol. II, p. 431, pl. 463, for a detail of an early Qing table spandrel showing a similar, though less formalized archaistic carving of a dragon.

A rare and important imperially inscribed guan-type faceted vase, fanghu. Late Ming/early Qing dynasty, 17th-early 18th century

Of compact pear form and rectangular section, with a pair of faceted lug handles, covered inside and out with a glaze of pale bluish-grey color thinning on the edges to mushroom color and ending at the edge of the brown-dressed foot, in imitation of Song dynasty Guan wares, the base similarly glazed and inscribed with an 'Ode to the small Guan-type hu' composed by the Qianlong emperor, and dated Qianlong yushi yiwei, 'Spring of the yiwei year of the reign of Qianlong', corresponding to 1775. 4½ in. (11.5 cm.) high. Est. $200,000 - $300,000

Provenance: Mrs. Alfred Clark; Sotheby's, London, 25 March 1975, lot 110.
Eskenazi, London.
Earl and Irene Morse Collection, New York.

Exhibited: Arts de la Chine Anciennes, Musée de L'Orangerie des Tuilleries, Paris, 1937, no. 496.
Ju and Kuan Wares - Imperial Wares of the Sung Dynasty, Related Wares and Derivatives of Later Date, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 12 November - 13 December 1952, no. 73.

Notes: The inscription on the current vase may be translated as follows:

'After Chaiyao, Guanyao is the finest and highest quality ware - exceptionally rare and difficult to fire
When you touch its surface, the lustrous glaze is so fine and delicate, and its size is well suited to the scholar's desk
It is easier to carry this vase when both handles are tied with a string, and contemplating this vase will bring relaxation
Ceramics of square shape are much more difficult to produce than those of rounded section, and taking the time to appreciate this vase will bring calm'.

This beautifully made, small, square-section vase with twin lugs (fanghu), reflects the interest in archaism that flourished in the Ming dynasty and was taken up with enthusiasm by the Qing emperors. Indeed, this vase has two aspects to its archaism. On the one hand its form is based upon a metal vessel of the Bronze Age, while its glaze imitates the Guan wares made for the Southern Song court. Interestingly, the fanghu form was also copied in ceramics during the Song dynasty, and Southern Song Guan ware examples have been preserved in both of the major Chinese palace collections. An example from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 33 - Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 6-7, no. 3.

The Beijing palace collection also contains some 18th century ceramic fanghu vessels with glazes imitating Song dynasty wares. A vase bearing a Qianlong mark with a glaze which copies Northern Song Ru ware is illustrated ibid., vol. 37, Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 238, no. 216, while a Yongzheng vase with imitation Guan ware glaze, which is nearer in proportions to the current vessel, is illustrated in the same volume, p. 227, no. 205. A small vase of very similar proportions to the current vessel, and also bearing a Guan-type glaze is in the collection of the Harvard Art Museum, to which it was donated in 1946. Unlike the current vase, the Harvard vase has a molded design under the glaze on the lower neck and shoulder, but like the current vase, it bears a Qianlong inscription incised into the glaze on its base. The date of the Harvard inscription is 1783, while that on the current vase is 1775.

This vase was included in the exhibition Arts de la Chine Ancienne, Musée de l'Orangerie des Tuileries, Paris, 1937, in case V of the Ceramics Room as exhibit 496. A photograph taken at the time of the exhibition shows the vase on the upper shelf of a case mainly occupied by pieces from the famous collection of Sir Percival David.

A rare and finely painted underglaze copper-red and blue 'mallet' vase, yaoling zun. Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722)

The high-shouldered body tapering towards the foot and finely painted in soft copper red with four circular medallions in the form of archaistic mirrors positioned above a band of upright blades rising from a herringbone band divided and outlined by fine lines in pale underglaze blue, the tall, slightly waisted neck rising from a bow-string band at its base. 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm.) high - Est. $600,000 - $800,000

Provenance: Christie's, London, 8 April 1981, lot 33.
Private American collection.

Literature: A. de Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, Oxford, 1984, p. 207, no. 5.

Notes:

An Elegant Underglaze Copper-Red and Blue Mallet-form Vase

Rosemary Scott, International Academic Director, Asian Art

Vases of this rare form appear decorated both in underglaze cobalt blue and also, like the current example, in underglaze copper red with underglaze-blue lines encircling the base. Both types have underglaze-blue six-character Kangxi marks. An underglaze-blue example in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 36 - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 15, no. 11. An underglaze copper-red-decorated yaoling zun in the collection of the Tianjin Museum is illustrated in Porcelains from the Tianjin Municipal Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 130. Another copper-red example, similar to the current vase, but with less well-controlled copper red, is in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 10-11, no. 7. A similar copper-red example in the Baur Collection is illustrated by J. Ayers in The Baur Collection, vol. 4, Geneva, 1974, no. A 528. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has two Kangxi vases of this form, one decorated in underglaze blue, and one, like the current example, in underglaze copper red. The latter appears slightly smaller and more delicately potted than the former. See Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol.11, Tokyo/New York/San Francisco, 1982, no. 119. Further copper-red examples include one from the Collection of Frederick J. and Antoinette H. Van Slyke, sold at Sotheby's, New York, 31 May 1989, lot 197, and two from the J.M. Hu Collection, sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 29 October 2000, lot 14, and 23 October 2005, lot 351.

The elegant form of these vases, with their long, slender, slightly waisted necks rising from pronounced shoulders, is particularly associated with the Kangxi reign. In Chinese the name often given to this form is yaoling zun, or 'hand bell vase'. The reference is to bronze bells, which formed part of the repertoire of Chinese instruments used in formal secular and religious music, although pottery bells of similar, if less refined form, were made in China as early as the Neolithic period. A greater number of ceramic bells were made during the Warring States period, and the body of the current porcelain bell is close in form to some of the large, handsome, glazed stoneware bells made in Zhejiang province, such as the example in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco illustrated by He Li, Chinese Ceramics, London, 1996, p. 68, no. 41.

However, in English the form is usually called mallet-form, in reference to earlier ceramic vases which took their shapes from mallets or paper-beaters. Song dynasty vases of this type, known as zhichui ping (paper-beater vase), which were particularly admired, were those of Ding ware (see Song Ceramics - Objects of Admiration, Percival David Foundation, London, 2003, pp. 20-21, no. 1) and Ru ware (see Porcelain of the National Palace Museum - Ju Ware of the Sung Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1961, pp. 30-31, pls. 3a & 3b; and pp. 32-33, pls. 4a & 4b).

However, the sides of the Kangxi porcelain form are slightly concave, in contrast to the convex sides of the Song wares, which are closer in shape to the wooden paper-beaters. In fact, the Kangxi vases are also more attenuated, and the yaoling zun seems to have been a new addition to the Qing dynasty porcelain repertoire in the Kangxi reign and was rarely seen thereafter. It has been noted by the British scholar John Ayers, in discussion of a similar vase decorated in underglaze cobalt blue, that the form of these yaoling zun resembles in form the white Lamaist pagodas of Mongolia and Tibet. See J. Ayers, Chinese Porcelain: The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, part II, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1978, p. 76, no. 49. The vase is particularly close in form to that of the White Dagoba of the Lamaist temple in Beihai Park in Beijing, which was originally built in 1651 under the Shunzhi Emperor, but following its destruction in an earthquake in 1679, was re-built by the Kangxi Emperor in 1680.

It is not surprising to find that forms influenced by Lamaism or Tibetan Buddhism should be found amongst the porcelains of the Kangxi period. In his youth the Kangxi emperor was much influenced by his grandmother the Grand Dowager Empress Xiaozhuang, who was both a Mongol and a Lamaist Buddhist. Kangxi also compared himself, somewhat disingenuously, with a reincarnation of Kublai Khan in his relationship with his Tibetan Buddhist preceptor, Phagspa. During Kangxi's reign ten Chinese Buddhist monasteries were converted into Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The Kangxi emperor built the Bishu shanzhuang at Chengde which was used as a retreat from the summer heat of Beijing and for hunting, but also to provide a more relaxed atmosphere in which to meet Mongol and Tibetan chieftains. In the area of Chengde Kangxi also built monasteries, and the great monastery at Dolonar was built near Beijing, which became designated as the center for Buddhism for South Mongolia. Interestingly, some of the policies adopted by Kangxi were known as 'respecting the Dalai Lama in order to pacify Mongolia'.

The underglaze copper-red decoration on the current vase is of a deep raspberry red and has spread slightly into the surrounding glaze, only in a very controlled way that adds richness to the overall design. It is interesting to note some of the special features of the underglaze decoration. On the one hand John Ayers has suggested that "the rosette motif has the flavour of Tibetan Buddhism", Ayers, ibid., p. 76. These rosettes can also loosely be linked to the whorls seen on bronze vessels, but the rising leaves or blades around the base of the vase indicate an even stronger link to ancient bronze vessels. Thus the vase provides an interesting decorative mix, reflecting dual influences - ancient bronze and Lamaism.

A very rare and unusually large famille verte charger. Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722)

With shallow rounded sides rising to a slightly everted rim, the interior finely painted with a scene of court ladies practicing the 'Four Scholarly Pursuits' in garden pavilions, including playing weiqi, playing the qin, painting and calligraphy, while two ladies converse at a bridge where fish and water weeds can be seen in the rushing water below, all in a rich famille verte palette with gilt highlights. 20 7/8 in. (53 cm.) diam., box - Est. $200,000 - $300,000

Provenance: From the Louis Van der Heyden A. Hauzeur Collection, no. 63.
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 23 May 1978, lot 160.

Literature: Sotheby's, Hong Kong: Twenty Years 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 164, no. 199.

Notes: This unusually large famille verte charger is beautifully decorated in overglaze enamels and gold with a design of elegant ladies engaged in the four 'scholarly pursuits' of painting and calligraphy, playing the qin, and playing Chinese chess (weiqi). The two ladies playing chess, in particular, wear beautiful robes, which are decorated with finely-painted roundels - in gold on the outer blue robe and in black on the outer pale green robe. Even the details of the servants' dress are well painted.

The palette of this charger is distinctive, with minimal use of yellow or iron red, and greater use of various greens and cobalt blue enamel. As the blue enamel had only recently been developed when this charger was painted, it may be that the color-scheme was devised especially to draw attention to the new color. Previously, underglaze blue had been used with the famille verte enamel palette because of the difficulty of producing a good blue enamel using Chinese cobalt, which contains manganese. However, it had been found that the main famille verte palette was greatly enhanced by being painted onto a more opaque white glaze, through which the underglaze blue could not properly be seen. This was the spur to the development of the successful blue enamel seen on this charger.

The composition of the charger is also interesting. The interior is visually divided by a shallow terrace, onto which two of the pavilions open. Two ladies are seated in a smaller pavilion to the left, while four female figures can be seen around a table on the ground floor of the two-storey building on the right. The two most elegantly attired ladies are seated playing chess, watched by two standing figures, one of whom holds a fan decorated with bamboo. Seen through a moon-shaped opening on the right is a lady who stands deep in thought in front of a hanging scroll. She has a brush in her hand, and is about to paint or write on the scroll. At the window in the upper storey a lady sits playing the qin. Another lady, apparently coming to join the groups, has stopped on a bridge in order to talk to a servant carrying a basket.

The four 'scholarly pursuits' in which these ladies are engaged are usually associated with men, but they could also represent the pastimes of an accomplished lady. For example, elegant court ladies are shown 'Playing Chess in the Pavilion of Leisure' on an album leaf representing the third month from a collection of twelve album leaves showing the activities of court ladies in each month of the year by the court artist Chen Mei (c. 1694-1745), which is illustrated in The Golden Exile - Pictorial Expressions of the School of Western Missionaries' Artworks of the Qing Dynasty Court, Macao Museum of Art, 2002, p. 121, no. 45. These depictions so pleased the Qianlong emperor that in 1741 he had them copied in ivory by the famous carver Chen Zuzhang and added inscriptions of his own.

Christi'es. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Including Property From the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. 15 September 2009. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. Image Christie's Ltd 2009 www.christies.com

Michel Comte @ the Museum of Design in Zurich

Michel Comte, Helena Christensen, Vogue Italia 1993 © Michel Comte

ZURICH.- Michel Comte is among the most sought-after contemporary photographers. Working together with actors and models, musicians and artists of world renown, Comte − who was born in Zurich in 1954 − has created major icons of portrait and fashion photography. After being discovered by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, Comte’s career enjoyed a meteoric rise. For more than 30 years now, this autodidact has accepted commissions from labels like Ungaro, Dolce & Gabbana, and Nespresso. On exhibition 30 August through 3 January, 2010.

This first large-scale exhibition illuminates Comte’s oeuvre as a whole, its themes ranging from the glamorous world of superstars and advertising to reportage from the world’s most impoverished regions. Despite its range, Comte’s work is consistently committed to an overarching aesthetic. In addition to featuring his photographs themselves, this retrospective sheds light on the production process of an image world that increasingly dominates our everyday lives.

Michel Comte was born in Zurich in 1954. He trained as an art restorer and then taught himself photography. In 1979, he received his first advertising commission from Karl Lagerfeld for the fashion label Chloé and moved to Paris.

In 1981 he moved to New York and later to Los Angeles for his work on American Vogue. He describes his restless life with the words: 'I have always lived on the edge'. As soon as he notices that his life is lacking risk, he moves on and focuses on something new. Perhaps it is in his genes. After all, he is the grandson of aviator Alfred Comte.

Within the space of a few years, Comte went from being an unknown photographer to being the most wanted man in the business and had established himself as one of the world's busiest fashion and magazine photographers. He has worked for Vanity Fair and Vogue, and shot portraits of celebrities from the world of art, music, and entertainment including Julian Schnabel, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Mike Tyson, Carla Bruni, and Michael Schumacher, creating icons of portrait photography in the process.

But in addition to portrait and fashion photography, Comte is increasingly branching out into journalistic and documentary photography. He has worked for the Red Cross and for his own Water Foundation and has travelled through war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, or the Sudan. He is currently working on a film about the atrocities committed during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The NRW-Forum retrospective will also include these kinds of photographs, thereby showcasing both facets of Michael Comte's talent.

Carla Bruni, Vogue Italie, 1996 © Michel Comte

Veruschka, 1990 © Michel Comte

Helena Christensen III, "Safe Sex Campaign", 1993 © Michel Comte

Jeff Koons, L'Uomo Vogue, 1992 © Michel Comte

Catherine Deneuve, Pomellato, 1996 © Michel Comte

Jeremy Irons, Interview, 1990 © Michel Comte

Iggy Pop,  L'Uomo Vogue, 1997 © Michel Comte

Iman,  Harper's Bazaar américain, 1992 © Michel Comte

"Beauty & the Beast", L'Uomo Vogue, 1996 © Michel Comte

Darryl Hannah, L'Uomo Vogue, 1996 © Michel Comte

Charlotte Rampling, Vogue italien, 1992 © Michel Comte

Penelope Cruz, Première Magazine, 2001© Michel Comte 

Yves Saint Laurent, W Magazine, 1992 © Michel Comte

Portrait de Michel Comte © Michel Comte

Eastern Han Dynasty. WuZhu,

Eastern Han Dynasty. WuZhu,

4 Dot above Rev.Oblique line - Price 35 USD @ lindascoin

Western Han snake eye BanLiang

Western Han snake eye BanLiang

Price 45 USD @ lindascoin

'All the World’s a Stage: Celebrating Performance in the Visual Arts' @ the Dallas Museum of Art

DALLAS, TX.- All the World’s a Stage: Celebrating Performance in the Visual Arts, the Dallas Museum of Art exhibition opening on August 30, 2009, will showcase a fresh look at the Museum’s collections in an interactive installation to commemorate the opening of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts and the completion of the Dallas Arts District. Nearly 125 works spanning 2,600 years of human creativity, including paintings, sculptures, photography, and objects from around the world, will illustrate how dance, music, and theater performance is an essential human instinct.

All the World’s a Stage, on view through February 28, 2010, will use the breadth of the Museum’s collections to depict how performance, in all its varied forms, has been created, transformed, and documented by visual artists, working in concert with dancers, musicians, and actors to both shape and record their efforts.

Encompassing all time periods and cultures, and a broad range of media, the exhibition features such masterpieces as Pietro Paolini’s Bacchic Concert, Jean-Antoine-Théodore Giroust’s Oedipus at Colonus, Pablo Picasso’s The Guitarist, Romare Bearden’s Soul Three, and a group of Edward Degas’s pastels of ballet dancers, as well as masterworks from the Museum’s distinguished collections from Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Organized across time and culture, thematic groupings of artworks in the exhibition include why we perform, how we perform, who is a performer, where performances take place, and what makes a performance.

Of special note, All the World’s a Stage: Celebrating Performance in the Visual Arts has been organized collaboratively by all of the DMA’s curators, and the exhibition design will include a presentation space within the galleries that will host a variety of performers at special times throughout the exhibition

The discovery of the 35,000 year-old flute demonstrates the earliest known flowering of music-making. An amazing example of the enduring human impulse to perform, the DMA will further illustrate the power of performance and its connection to the visual arts in the forthcoming exhibition, All the World’s a Stage.

All the world’s a stage at the Dallas Museum of Art! Enjoy an evening of concerts, flamenco dancing, performances in the galleries, family experiences, and more. Stay late for a screening of the original movie Fame, open mic, and a performance by The Shapes featuring the Lolli Dollies.

(Illustration: The bone flute, found at Hohle Fels Cave in southwestern Germany, is at least 35,000 years old.. H. Jensen/University of Tübingen Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company)