Memento Mori en ivoire représentant le Christ Enfant. France ou Flandres, XVIIe siècle
Memento Mori en ivoire représentant le Christ Enfant. France ou Flandres, XVIIe siècle. photo courtesy Sotheby's
sous un dais en bois ; avec une étiquette du XIXe siècle inscrite à l'encre L'Insouciance par François Flamand et un texte manuscrit à l'encre collé en-dessous du socle. haut. ivoire 10,5 cm ; haut. dais 15,5 cm - Est. 3.000—5,000 EUR Sold 4,375 EUR
LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: G. Laue, Memento Mori, Kunstkammer Georg Laue, Munich, 2002, n°78
NOTE: Les attributs comme le crâne ou l'arbre de la Connaissance symbolisent Adam, préfigurant le Christ.
Sotheby's. Important French Furniture and Sculpture. 10 Nov 09 Paris www.sothebys.com
Sabre indochinois, Fin XIXe siècle.
Sabre indochinois, Fin XIXe siècle.
la garde en ivoire à tête de chimère en bronze doré, le fourreau en bois naturel incrusté de nacre à décor de végétaux. Long. : 83 cm - Estimation : 150 / 200 €
Delorme - Collin du Bocage - Paris. Vente du Lundi 16 novembre 2009. Tableaux Anciens et Modernes, Objets d'Art, Tapis, Asie, Jouets. Peintures & Arts Graphiques. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 5 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris. Monsieur René MILLET, Expert. Pour tout renseignement,veuillez contacter la maison de ventes au 01 58 18 39 05.
Three Yongzheng & Jiajing yellow-glazed porcelains sold @ Bonhams
A very rare yellow-glazed bowl and cover, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period © 2002-2009 Bonhams 1793 Ltd
Finely and crisply incised around the exterior of the deep U-shaped body under the flaring rim with a wide band of two five-clawed dragons amidst fire and cloud scrolls in pursuit of flaming pearls, all above two relief-moulded ribs and an incised band of stylised foaming waves and rocks above the short straight foot, the domed cover similarly decorated and surmounted by a crisply-moulded reticulated seated phoenix finial, the exterior all covered with an even pale egg-yolk-yellow glaze, the interior and base glazed white with pairs of underglaze-blue lines at each rim, box. 17.5cm (6⅞in) diam. (3). Sold for £67,200
Provenance: William B.Gruber, sold at Christie's New York, 6 May 1980, lot 211
Anthony du Boulay no.P207, sold in these Rooms 10 November 2003, lot 87
Exhibited: Oriental Ceramic Society, Golden Jubilee Exhibition, 1971, Catalogue no.244, pl.168
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Iron in the Fire, 1988
The London Asian Art Fair, Porcelain for Emperors, June 2003, Catalogue no.38
For a Yongzheng mark and period covered bowl of exactly the same shape, but with doucai decoration, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours,, Hong Kong, 1999, no.222.
A yellow-glazed saucer dish. Encircled Jiajing six-character mark and of the period © 2002-2009 Bonhams 1793 Ltd
The exterior and interior all under a rich egg-yolk-yellow glaze, the base reserved white around the underglaze-blue mark. 17.5cm (7in) diam. Sold for £15,600
A yellow-enamelled bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period © 2002-2009 Bonhams 1793 Ltd
The short foot ring rising to rounded sides and a flared rim, the exterior painted in a deep yellow enamel stopping neatly above the foot ring, the interior and base under a clear glaze. 6.4cm (2½in) high. Sold for £3,600
Provenance: an English private collection
Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, 5 Nov 2009. New Bond Street www.bonhams.com
Felice Ficherelli (San Gimignano 1605 - Florence 1660) Salomé et la tête de Saint Jean Baptiste
Felice Ficherelli (San Gimignano 1605 - Florence 1660) Salomé et la tête de Saint Jean Baptiste
Toile. 71 x 57 cm - Estimation : 12 000 / 15 000 €
Delorme - Collin du Bocage - Paris. Vente du Lundi 16 novembre 2009. Tableaux Anciens et Modernes, Objets d’Art, Tapis, Asie, Jouets. Peintures & Arts Graphiques. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 5 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris. Monsieur René MILLET, Expert. Pour tout renseignement,veuillez contacter la maison de ventes au 01 58 18 39 05.
Felice Ficherelli dit Felice Riposo (né le 30 août 1605 à San Gimignano en Toscane, mort à Florence le 5 mars 1660,, est un peintre italien baroque du XVIIe siècle.
Les premiers travaux de Ficherelli ont été des toiles commandées par le Conte Bardi qui le persuade d'aller à Florence et à d'étudier avec Jacopo da Empoli dont il fut l'élève ensuite, et dont l'influence se retrouve dans ses œuvres les plus réussies.
À Florence de 1655 à 1667, il travaille avec Antonio Franchi et Baldassare Franceschini.
Son surnom de Felice Riposo (« Heureux je repose ») découle de son peu d'entrain au travail.
L'origine de la copie de Saint Praxidis qui semble être signé par Johannes Vermeer, datée 1655 et attribuée à Ficherelli est très controversée. (wiki)
An unusual pair of Beijing ruby-red glass pricket candlesticks, Qing Dynasty
An unusual pair of Beijing ruby-red glass pricket candlesticks, Qing Dynasty © 2002-2009 Bonhams 1793 Ltd
The rich dark-tinted glass of even tone, the sticks formed as a wide drip pan standing on a high-domed base and set with a metal spike at the top. 41.5cm (16¼in) high. (2). Sold for £4,800
Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, 5 Nov 2009. New Bond Street www.bonhams.com
'Cartier Treasures - King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings' @ Palace Museum, Pékin
Cartier, Panther Clip Brooch. From 1949. Sold to the Duchess of Windsor
Last days to see this exhibition in Beijing !
Beijing's Palace Museum and Cartier present Cartier Treasures: King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings, an exhibition of Cartier masterpieces in the former Imperial Palace's Exhibition Hall of the Meridian Gate.
More than 350 items, including Cartier Collection archives dating from the founding of Cartier through the 1970s, will be displayed. Partly dedicated to royal jewels, which earned Cartier its reputation as the “Jeweler of Kings and King of Jewelers,” the exhibition will be illustrated by historical documents relating to European royal courts.
Established a quarter of a century ago, the Cartier Collection today comprises more than 1,360 historic pieces that mirror the evolution of Cartier and which have been repurchased over the years by the maker from private owners or at public auction. Inventoried using original archive documents, the items in the Cartier Collection include sumptuous jewelry, precious watches and other exceptional timepieces, such as the maison’s famous mystery clocks. Exquisite articles such as ladies’ vanity cases, decorative boxes, cigarette cases and writing instruments round out the collection.
Some of the items selected highlight the Chinese influence on Cartier's creations: lacquer work inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ancient carved and engraved pieces of jade, and divinities and fantastic animals created by the jeweler’s hand. Such creations bear witness to the bonds that have united Cartier with the Far East since the beginning of the 20th century. The distinctive creativity, style and expertise of the jeweller are illustrated by a selection of drawings and archive documents, together with a set of rarely displayed plaster casts from the Cartier archives.
Cartier, Crocodile necklace
Scroll Tiara, Cartier Paris, 1910
Platinum. One cushion-shaped diamond., round old-cut diamonds, millegrain setting. Height at centre 5,5 cm.
Sold to Elizabeth, Queen of the Belgians (1875-1965). she married Prince Albert st who became King in 1909 and died in 1934.
Cartier, Scroll Tiara. From 1902 and still in its original form.
Tiara, Cartier Paris, special order 1907.
Platinum, Round old-cut diamonds, natural pearls, millegrain setting. 13.40 x 3.40 cm.
According to the archives, this tiara was originally a comb of diamond olives leavec and pearls for the back of the head, which could also be worn as a bandeau. Made for the wedding of Marie Bonaparte to Prince George of Greece ans Denmark in 1907, it was later transforn into a tiara.
Cartier, tiara
Cartier, Emerald and diamonds necklace
Cartier, Clock from 1927
Cartier, Art Deco Bracelet. Made in 1930 and sold to Gloria Swanson
Cartier, Two Fern Spray Brocches. Made in 1903.
The use of platinum brings out the sparkle of the round-cut diamonds, allowing the pieces to move and be separated for use as a tiara, a necklace or corsage ornament.
Panther-pattern Watch-brooch, Cartier Paris, 1915
Platinum. Three pear-shaped diamonds, old-cut diamonds, onyx spots and slider. Double black cord
Rectangular LeCoultre caliber 111 movement with cut corners, fausses Côtes de Genève decoration, silver-plated, 8 adjustments, 19 jewels, Swiss lever escapement, bimetallic balance, flat balance spring.
Cartier, Brooch pendant. From 1922
Chimera Mystery Clock by Cartier New York, ca. 1926. Courtesy of Cartier.
Gold, platinum, Citrine (dial), Agate (Chimera), nephrite (waves);, Onyx, Coral, Rose-cut diamonds, Pearls, Emerald cabochons, Red and black enamel
Transmission axle masked by a carved coral-coloured piece beneath the chimeras. Hand-setting and winding mechanism underneath the base.
Rectangular 8-day movement, gold-plated, 15 jewels, bimetallic balance, Breguet balance spring. Transmission axle masked a carved piece of coral beneath the chimeras. Hand-setting and winding mechanism underneath the base.
The agate chimera, of Chinese origin, dates from the 19th century. This mystery clock was the 6th in a series of 12 that featured animals or figurines, made between 1922 and 1931, partly inspired by Louis XV and Louis XVI clocks in which the movement was set on the back of an animal. Today they are considered, with the Portique Mystery clocks, the most valuable of all collectors’ items with the Cartier signature.
Bracelet rigide Chimères, Cartier Paris, 1928.
Bracelet composé d'or, platine, diamants de forme coussin, poire, taille 8/8 et baguette, deux émeraudes boules côtelées, une émeraude gravée, émeraudes suiffées et cabochons d'émeraude, deux saphirs gravés en forme de feuille, cabochons de saphir et saphirs suiffés, corail sculpté et émail vert, bleu et noir.
Les yeux sont représentés par deux diamants coussins inversés. Le bracelet s'ouvre en faisant pivoter l'une des deux têtes de dragon. Ce bijou résulte d'un métissage de traditions indienne et chinoise. Décliné en différentes matières, le bracelet Chimères est devenu un grand classique de la maison.
Provenance: Ganna Walska
Flacon à extrait, Cartier Paris, 1925.
Flacon en jade gravé, composé d'or, de cabochons de saphirs et d'émail bleu et noir.
Le flacon a été réalisé à partir d'une tabatière chinoise ancienne.
Poudrier Phoenix avec tube à rouge, Cartier Paris, 1925.
Poudrier composé d'or et de platine, sertis de cabochons d'émeraude, d'ivoire, de nacre, de diamants taille rose, et d'émail rouge et noir.
La plaque de nacre est une création de Vladimir Makowski.
Nécessaire vase chinois, Cartier Paris, 1927.
Composé d'or et de platine, sertis d'émeraudes gravées, de ccabochons d'émeraude, de cabochons de saphir, de diamants taille 8/8 et rose, d'onyx, de corail et d'émail couleur ivoire, rouge, noir, vert et jaune.
Sculpture de Bouddha, Cartier Paris, 1928.
Composé d'or, platine et argent, sertis de quartz rose gravé, de cabochons de saphir et de rubis, de diamants taille rose, de perles, de néphrite, de lapis-lazuli (socle).
La tête, la langue et les mains de la sculpture sont articulées.
Pendule Carpes à aiguille rétrograde, Cartier Paris, 1925.
Composée de platine et d'or, sertis de jade gris (carpes), d'obsidienne (socle), de cristal de roche, de nacre, de perles, de corail, de cabochons d'émeraude, de diamants taille rose, de laque mauve et d'émail noir, bleu et rouge.
Mouvement rectangulaire 8 jours, à aiguille des heures rétrograde, doré, porte-échappement, balancier bimétallique, spiral plat. L'aiguille des heures ne pouvant effectuer un tour complet, elle se déplace de VI à VI avant d'être renvoyée à son point de départ par un système à ressort, d'où son appellation d'aiguille rétrograde.
Nécessaire jour, (allant de paire avec un nécessaire nuit), Cartier Paris, 1927.
Composé d'or et de platine, sertis de cabochons de saphir et de rubis, de diamants taille baguette et rose, de nacre, de cornaline, de pierres dures, de néphrite et d'émail noir.
Grande pendule mystérieuse Portique. Cartier Paris, 1923.
Composée de platine et d'or, sertis de cristal de roche, de diamants taille rose, de cabochons de corail, d'onyx et d'émail noir.
Mouvement carré 8 jours, double barillet, doré, 13 rubis, échappement à ancre, balancier bimétallique, spiral Breguet. Axe de transmission masqué par le cabochon de corail sur la barre de cristal de roche. Statuette Billiken amovible permettant l'accès au mouvement. Mise à l'heure et remontage par clé. Cette pendule est la première d'une série de six, en forme de porte de temple shintoïste, toutes différentes, réalisée par Cartier entre 1923 et 1925.
Grande pendule Ecran. Cartier, 1926.
Composé de platine et d'or, sertis d'onyx (socle et demi anneaux), de jade blanc gravé (cadran), de nacre, de corail, de diamants taille rose et d'émail noir et rouge.
Le cadran gravé d'une scène chinoise devant et d'un paysage au dos. Mouvement rectangulaire 8 jours, doré, échappement à ancre, balancier bimétallique, spiral Breguet. Axe de transmission masqué par le dragon ainsi que par le motif sphérique en corail sculpté situé sous l'écran. Mise à l'heure en tournant les aiguilles à la main, remontage par clé au dos du socle.
Un modèle similaire est conservé au Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris.
Cartier Treasures : Cartier Treasures - King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings. Du 5 septembre au 22 novembre 2009, Palace Museum, Pékin. www.cartier.com
Cartier Treasures: King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings is on display at the Palace Museum in Beijing September 5th through November 22nd, 2009. www.cartier.com
Allan Grant: Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly backstage at the 28th Annual Academy Awards, Hollywood, California, 1956
Allan Grant (American, 1909-2008), Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly backstage at the 28th Annual Academy Awards, Hollywood, California, 1956
Gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches, 50.8 x 40.64 cm. Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso. Printed later. Estimate: from $7,000 to $8,000
Notes: A fine large print of an exceptional dual portrait in profile of two of Hollywood's loveliest stars by the late, great Life photographer Allan Grant.
Allan Grant (1919-2008) was a Life magazine photographer. He was the last photographer to photographer Marilyn Monroe before she died on August 5, 1962, and he was the first photographer to photograph Marina Oswald after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Neither Grace Kelly nor Audrey Hepburn were nominees at the 28th Academy Awards. That year, Anna Magnani won the best actress award for her role in The Rose Tattoo, and Jo Van Fleet won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in East of Eden. Grace Kelly had won the best actress Oscar the previous year for her role in The Country Girl, and the year before that (1954) Audrey Hepburn had won the Oscar for best actress in Roman Holiday.
Artnet. Thursday, November 19, 2009, 1:14 PM EST www.artnet.com/AUCTIONS
'Velázquez Rediscovered' @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599-1660), "Portrait of a Man". Oil on canvas. 27 x 21-3/4 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 49.7.42
NEW YORK, NY.- Velázquez Rediscovered, a special exhibition opening November 17 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will feature a newly identified painting by Velázquez, "Portrait of a Man", formerly ascribed by the Museum to the workshop of Velázquez and recently reattributed to the master himself following its cleaning and restoration. It will be shown alongside other works from the Museum's superior collection of works by the great Spanish painter.
In summer 2009, the arresting "Portrait of a Man" was taken off the walls of the gallery where it had been on view for many years and brought to the conservation studio for examination. Long obfuscated by thick, discolored layers of varnish and an old restoration that attempted to make it look more finished than the artist intended, the picture has emerged from its cleaning as an autograph work by the master: an informal portrait done from life, with parts left only summarily described, showing the hallmarks of Velázquez's sure touch of the brush. The painting is now confidently reattributed to Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599– 1660).
"This reattribution to Velázquez of a work that has been in the Metropolitan Museum's collection for decades is the result of the fine collaborative work of two of the Museum's renowned experts: Keith Christiansen, John Pope-Hennessy Chairman of European Paintings, and Michael Gallagher, the Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of Paintings Conservation," stated Thomas P. Campbell, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "It highlights the depth of the Museum's collection as well as the acumen of its superb curatorial and conservation staff."
The painting's fascinating history is notable for the changes in attribution and identification, providing a case study in the ways critical opinion can alter over time. The picture entered the collection in 1949 as part of the bequest of Jules Bache, who headed one of the most successful brokerage firms in the country before the Second World War, and who was an art collector of great distinction as well as one of the major benefactors of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Acquired sometime before 1811 by Johann Ludwig Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn (the illegitimate son of George II of Great Britain) and later in the collection of George V, King of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Cumberland (1857–d. 1878), the picture was acquired by Bache from the famous dealer Joseph Duveen in 1926. At the time, it was considered by a leading specialist as a self-portrait of Velázquez, and as such it entered the Museum. However, more recent scholarship has had a less favorable view of the picture. In the standard 1963 monograph on the artist by José López-Rey, it is described as a "school piece rather close to Velázquez's manner." In 1979, the Museum demoted the attribution to the workshop of Velázquez. What was not realized was the degree to which heavy retouching and a thick, discolored varnish obfuscated the qualities of the picture.
Jonathan Brown, author of the authoritative monograph in English on the artist and a professor at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, concurs that the work is indeed by the artist – most likely an informal, rapidly painted study, with the head more highly finished than the costume and background, which is a thinly painted gray over a warm pinkish-buff ground.
Many questions remain, the most intriguing of which is the identity of the sitter who gazes at the viewer with such intensity. As has long been recognized, the same person appears at the far right of Velázquez's masterpiece, "The Surrender of Breda" (Museo del Prado, Madrid), painted in 1634-35 to commemorate the Spanish victory over the Dutch. The placement of the figure—as an observer rather than a direct participant in the action, and the way he looks out at the viewer—has led some scholars to identify it as a self-portrait. The matter remains highly speculative. There is the question of his resemblance (or lack thereof) to bona-fide portraits of Velázquez and the fact that he is attired like other members of the Spanish contingent. Other depictions of Velázquez —most famously his inclusion of himself in his most celebrated masterpiece, "Las Meninas"— are all much later in date (Velázquez was 57 when he painted La Meninas). Thus the Museum has retained the title "Portrait of a Man".
Velázquez Rediscovered, a small, focused exhibition, will feature other Velázquez paintings from the Metropolitan Museum's collection such as "Don Gaspar de Guzmán" (1587-1645), "Count Duke of Olivares" (1638), "The Supper at Emmaus" (ca. 1622-23), "María Teresa" (1638-1683), "Infanta of Spain" (ca. 1651), and the celebrated "Juan de Pareja" (ca. 1610-1670). Other works on view will include "María Teresa" (1638-1683) by Velázquez's gifted pupil and son-in-law, Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (1612- 1667).
Velázquez Rediscovered is organized by Keith Christiansen, John Pope-Hennessy Chairman of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660), Don Gaspar de Guzmán (1587–1645), Count-Duke of Olivares, ca. 1635. Oil on canvas, 50 1/4 x 41 in. (127.6 x 104.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1952. 52.125
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660), The Supper at Emmaus, 1622–23. Oil on canvas, 48 1/2 x 52 1/4 in. (123.2 x 132.7 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913, 14.40.631
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660), María Teresa (1638–1683), Infanta of Spain, 1651–54. Oil on canvas. Overall 13 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. (34.3 x 40 cm); original painted surface 12 7/8 x 15 1/8 in. (32.7 x 38.4 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jules Bache Collection, 1949. 49.7.43
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660), Juan de Pareja (born about 1610, died 1670), 1650. Oil on canvas, 32 x 27 1/2 in. (81.3 x 69.9 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Fletcher and Rogers Funds, and Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876–1967), by exchange, supplemented by gifts from friends of the Museum, 1971. 1971.86
Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (Spanish, born about 1612, died 1667), María Teresa (1638–1683), Infanta of Spain, 1644–45. Oil on canvas, 58 1/4 x 40 1/2 in. (148 x 102.9 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1943. 43.101
