"Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World" @ the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Francisco de Zurbarán (Fuente de Cantos, 1598–1664, Madrid), Agnus Dei, ca. 1636–40, oil on canvas, 14 x 20 1/2 in. (36.6 x 52.1 cm) San Diego Museum of Art, Gift of Anne R. and Amy Putnam

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (AP).- El Greco's vision of the veil of Veronica hangs near a golden crown with 447 emeralds. Just a few steps away, a recumbent sculpture of the crucified Jesus Christ rests before its return to a Spanish hermitage in time for Holy Week.

"Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World" at the Indianapolis Museum of Art is drawing visitors from around the world for an unprecedented exhibition of 71 pieces from 45 lenders — many of them private — in Spain, Mexico, Peru and other countries. Madrid's Prado has loaned five works alone.

The free exhibition, which continues through Jan. 3, has thrilled experts and other visitors alike. Harvard Art Museum curator and cultural historian Ivan Gaskell said it inspired him intellectually like no other exhibition he has seen this year.

"I was moved by the totality of the exhibition, by the selection," Gaskell said.

First conceived more than a decade ago and more than three years in development, the exhibit won't travel beyond Indianapolis. Many pieces must return home to convents and parishes in time for Lenten observances that begin Feb. 17.

Others rarely go on public display at all. A private collector loaned the golden Crown of the Andes, originally cast three to four centuries ago to adorn a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Colombian cathedral. It's reputed to be the oldest and largest collection of emeralds in the world.

"The owners of the objects want them back," exhibition curator Ronda Kasl said.

"Sacred Spain" reunites Juan de Valdes Leal's twin paintings "Allegory of Vanity" and "Allegory of Salvation," which had been separated since they were sold at auction in 1938. They're the first works the visitor encounters as Kasl introduces the exhibition with a gallery called "In Defense of Images."

The Roman Catholic Church's 18-year Council of Trent ending in 1563 answered charges of idolatry in artwork by upholding the ability of paintings, sculptures and other works to inspire devotion and to stir the faithful.

"It's not enough for art to be beautiful. It also has to be useful, devotional," Kasl said.

In the case of the twin "Allegory" paintings, Kasl said, "what he was trying to do was to contrast the eternal and the temporal. It talks about the potential for human action, for good or for bad."

Just as Roman Catholics and members of some other Christian denominations believe in Christ's presence in the Eucharist, church doctrine also taught that Jesus, Mary and other saints were present in the relics of their lives and some works of art.

A gallery called "True Likeness" examines such works, like a set of side-by-side paintings in trompe l'oeil — a technique intended to create the illusion of three dimensions. El Greco's circa-1590 rendering of Veronica's veil, which tradition holds was stained with the image of Christ's face while he bore his cross toward Calvary, is paired with a work by Spanish-born Dominican friar Lopez de Herrera in Mexico in 1624. The latter shows braids of thorns piercing Christ's skull and drops of blood dotting his face.

Duke University religion professor David Morgan, author of "Visual Piety" and other books on religious visual culture, said the devout treat such works as the real presence of Christ, not merely artwork.

"It's something more. It's an image of Jesus come to life," Morgan said in a public conversation about the exhibition with Harvard's Gaskell.

The life-size, realistic wooden sculpture, Dead Christ, attributed to Juan Sanchez Barba, has never before gone on display outside the Spanish town of Navalcarnero, where it has been part of Good Friday processions since 1652. Gaskell says he has seen similar works inspire people to touch them, or make the sign of the cross and quietly pray.

"It can prompt a devotional response in some viewers," Gaskell said, likening it to the kissing of icons or the veneration of cross on Good Friday.

A docent told him she was giving a tour to a class of Catholic high school students who appeared so visibly moved by some of the works in "Sacred Spain" that she felt she should stop talking so not to disturb them.

Dead Christ is part of a gallery with blood-red walls called "Moving Images" that also includes several paintings inspired by the Passion that are life-sized, which was important, Kasl said.

"People are meant to interact with them as if they're real beings," she said. "Viewers were meant to identify with them."

Morgan said certain objects, such as Christian orthodox icons, never lose their sacred status. They bring new ways of knowing their subjects to some viewers.

"It somehow participates in the reality of the thing it depicts," Morgan said. "Looking is more than looking: It's an act of love.

The exhibition displays works from one region next to items from another. In some cases, the work was created in Europe and sent to grow the church in the New World. In other cases, Latin American art traveled to Spain.

"The traffic was going both ways," Kasl said.

The museum likely will exceed the 50,000 visitors it projected "Sacred Spain" would receive. More than 30,000 had attended through Nov. 22, with busy holiday traffic through the end of the year remaining.

The exhibition is presented free of charge through a $1 million grant from the Indianapolis-based Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. By: Ken Kusmer, Associated Press Writer. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Francisco de Zurbarán (Fuente de Cantos, 1598–1664, Madrid), Saint Peter Nolasco Recovering the Image of the Virgin of El Puig, 1630, oil on canvas, 65 1/16 x 82 3/16 in. (165.3 x 208.8 cm) The Cincinnati Art Museum. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft and Mr. Stevenson Scott in memory of Charles Frederick Fowles

Alonso Cano (Granada, 1601–1667, Granada), The Miracle of Saint Dominic in Soriano, ca. 1652–67, oil on canvas, 41 1/8 x 61 3/4 in. (104.5 x 157 cm) Instituto Gómez-Moreno, Fundación Rodríguez=Acosta, Granada

Diego Velázquez (Seville, 1599–1660, Madrid) Madre Jerónima de la Fuente, 1620, oil on canvas, 63 x 42 3/8 in. (160 x 107.5 cm) Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Juan Correa (Mexico, ca. 1646–1716, Mexico) The Woman of the Apocalypse, ca. 1689, oil on canvas, 92 1/4 x 48 7/8 in. (234 x 124 cm) Acervo del Museo Nacional del Virreinato, Tepotzotlán / INAH

Juan Correa (Mexico, ca. 1646–1716, Mexico), St. Luke Painting Our Lady of the Snows, ca. 1680–90, oil on canvas over wood, 79 1/2 x 44 1/8 in. (202 x 112 cm) Acervo de la Pinacoteca anexa al Templo de San Felipe Neri, La Profesa, Mexico City

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Seville, 1618–1682, Seville), The Vision of Saint Rose of Lima, ca. 1670, oil on canvas, 57 1/8 x 37 3/8 in. (145 x 95 cm) Fundación Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Seville, 1618–1682, Seville), Fray Julián of Alcalá’s Vision of the Ascension of the Soul of King Phillip II of Spain, 1645–46, oil on canvas, 66 7/8 x 73 5/8 in. (170 x 187 cm) Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA, 1968.19

Basilio de Salazar (active Mexico, ca. 1624–1645) Franciscan Exaltation of the Immaculate Conception, 1637, oil on canvas, 47 1/4 x 39 3/4 in.(120 x 101 cm) Museo Regional de Querétaro / INAH

Cristóbal de Villalpando (Mexico City, ca. 1649–1714) Virgen de la Soledad, ca. 1690, oil on canvas, 94 1/8 x 64 in. (239 x 165 cm) San Pedro Museo de Arte, Puebla, Gobierno del Estado de Puebla/Secretaria de Cultura

Cristóbal de Villalpando (Mexico City, ca. 1649–1714, Mexico City), Saint Teresa Receiving a Collar and a Veil from the Virgin and Saint Joseph, ca.1680–90, oil and canvas, 80 3/4 x 52 3/4 in. (205 x 134 cm) Acervo de la Pinacoteca anexa al Templo de San Felipe Neri, La Profesa, Mexico City

Juan de Valdés Leal (Seville, 1622–1690, Seville) Allegory of Vanity, 1660, oil on canvas, 51 3/8 x 39 1/16 in. (130.4 x 99.3 cm) Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 1939.270

Juan Sánchez Barba (Madrid, 1602–1673, Madrid) Dead Christ (Cristo yacente), 1652, polychromed wood, 68 7/8 x 28 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (175 x 73 x 40 cm) Church of la Asunción de Nuestra Señora, Hermitage of la Veracruz, Navalcarnero (Madrid)

Pedro Roldán (Seville, 1624–1699, Seville) Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos, ca. 1665, polychromed wood, silver, 19 5/8 x 11 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. (50 x 30 x 31 cm) Monastery of Santa Clara, Clarisas Franciscanas, Montilla (Córdoba)

Pedro Roldán (Seville, 1624–1699, Seville) Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos, ca. 1665, polychromed wood, silver, 19 5/8 x 11 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. (50 x 30 x 31 cm) Monastery of Santa Clara, Clarisas Franciscanas, Montilla (Córdoba)

Sebastián López de Arteaga (Seville, 1610–1652, Mexico City), Christ on the Cross, 1643, oil on canvas, 107 1/2 x 71 1/4 in. (273.2 x 180.8 cm) Acervo del Museo de la Basílica de Guadalupe, Mexico City

Unknown artist (Mexican, end of 17th century) Virgin of Guadalupe, ca. 1700, oil on canvas, 82 7/8 x 53 1/4 in. (210.5 x 135.3 cm) Indianapolis Museum of Art, Maisie Eden Power Endowment Fund

Unknown artist, Popayán, 17th–18th centuries, Crown of the Andes, ca. 1600–1700, gold, cast, repoussé, and chased, with emeralds, height: 13 1/2 in. (34.5 cm), diameter: 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm), Private collection

An important and very rare early Ming underglaze-blue pear-shaped bottle vase, yuhuchunping. Yongle period (1403-1425)

An important and very rare early Ming underglaze-blue pear-shaped bottle vase, yuhuchunping. Yongle period (1403-1425). Image 2009 Christie's Ltd

The rounded body finely painted with bold strokes to depict a continuous scroll of four large lotus blooms borne on an undulating vine growing leaves to the sides, above cresting waves around the base, below borders enclosing detached sprigs of peony, rose, lotus and camellia, overlapping stiff plantain leaves and leafy meander on the waisted neck below the everted rim, each band bordered by thin double lines, the cobalt of deep purplish-blue tone with saturated 'heaped and piled' spots of intense colour, 11 in. (28 cm.) high, boxes. Est. HK$8,000,000 - HK$12,000,000 ($1,037,002 - $1,555,502) - Price Realized HK$11,860,000 ($1,537,615)

明永樂 青花纏枝蓮紋玉壺春瓶
蘇玫瑰 - 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監

形態優雅的明永樂玉壺春瓶是承元朝之遺風演變出來的傑作，洪武年間在器形上稍作改變，至永樂已創出了本朝經典的造型。永樂的紋飾疏朗秀麗、筆意自然。

傳世品中永樂玉壺春瓶不為多見，比執壺更珍罕。臺北故宮博物院藏一件與本器相同的玉壺春瓶，見1963年香港出版《故宮藏瓷‧明青花瓷一》44-45頁。（圖一）。

此兩件精美的玉壺春瓶有三個共同的特點：

其一，腹下近足處繪波浪紋，有別於一般的蓮瓣紋。

其二，器頸中層繪一周蕉葉紋，上飾卷草紋。這是很少見的裝飾手法，一般蕉葉紋都飾口沿下，見故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集《青花釉裏紅‧上》圖版33，卷草紋在蕉葉紋之下。另有兩件永樂玉壺春瓶器頸中層繪蕉葉紋，下飾靈芝紋，器腹飾野菊和蝴蝶，上有如意紋和牡丹紋。它們分別藏臺北故國立宮博物院和英國大衛德基金會。有趣的是，有兩件永樂玉壺春瓶在器頸中層繪花葉紋和蓮瓣紋。一件藏伊朗阿爾德比爾神廟；另一件來自Oppenheimer 收藏，現藏大英博物館。此兩件永樂玉壺春瓶上的花葉紋和蓮瓣紋不算蕉葉紋，花葉較短，畫意較簡單；花葉紋上均飾纏蓮紋，非如本拍品和臺北故宮所藏的一樣飾卷草紋。

其三，本拍品和臺北故宮所藏的永樂玉壺春瓶器肩飾對稱折枝花紋，與其它所見的永樂玉壺春瓶有所不同。雖然折枝花果紋多見於永樂的青花瓷器上，但未見於玉壺春瓶上。上海博物館藏一件飾折枝花果紋的永樂玉壺春瓶，其口沿下同樣飾有與本拍品和臺北故宮所藏的永樂玉壺春瓶一樣的卷草紋。

臺北國立故宮院另有一件永樂玉壺春瓶，見劉良佑著1991年臺北出版《中國歷代陶瓷鑑賞‧4‧明官窰》55頁左面圖版，與伊朗阿爾德比爾神廟藏的一件一樣腹下近足處繪蓮瓣文一周，腹部繪豐滿得纏枝花卉紋，肩飾卷草紋，肩上層飾回紋，口沿下飾如意雲頭紋。

景德鎮御窰廠遺址出土了兩件青花玉壺春瓶，見鴻禧美術館出版《景德鎮出土明初官窯瓷器》圖版60、61。如本拍品和臺北故宮所藏的永樂玉壺春瓶，腹部繪纏枝花卉紋為主紋飾，一繪蓮紋，一繪秋葵紋。其中繪纏枝蓮紋的比本拍品稍小，但花卉的畫法甚為相似。而繪秋葵紋的玉壺春瓶器頸中層的蕉葉紋比較短小。

本拍品和臺北故宮所藏的永樂玉壺春瓶可算是在同期燒製的玉壺春瓶中之上乘作品。其釉色明亮艷麗，筆意自然流暢，翻卷的枝葉優雅而充滿動感，肩上的折枝花卉紋和留白處恰如其分。為難得的精品。


明永樂 青花纏枝蓮紋玉壺春瓶

瓶撇口，細頸，垂腹，圈足。通體繪五組青花紋飾，以雙線相隔。頸飾卷草紋和蕉葉紋；肩飾折枝牡丹、月季、山茶和蓮花；腹繪四朵纏枝蓮花，枝葉相纏；近足處繪浪濤紋。

此器造型秀麗俊俏，發色鮮明，釉色瑩潤。永樂青花有「諸料悉精，青花最貴」之說法，在紋飾和造型上都出現了新的風格，逐漸擺脫了元朝的遺風。青料採用進口的「蘇麻離青」，發色清翠濃艷，背花紋飾泛出點點銀黑色結晶斑，與前朝所用之國產青料形成了強烈的對比。此器與明洪武青花纏枝牡丹紋玉壺春瓶為明早期兩朝青花瓷器的典型，傳世品中只有一件相同的例子現藏臺北國立故宮博物院，甚具收藏價值。

此器為著名收藏家仇焱之舊藏，並著錄於1950年香港出版，仇焱之主編之《抗希齋珍藏有明全代景德名瓷影譜‧下》，1995年亮相於香港佳士得拍賣。

An important and rare blue and white yuhuchunping

Rosemary Scott, International Academic Driector, Asian Art

The elegant form of this Yongle pear-shaped vase is one that came to prominence in the Yuan dynasty, underwent some proportional changes in the first Ming dynasty reign of the Hongwu emperor, and then in the Yongle reign developed its classic shape. In addition to subtle alterations in form, the Yongle yuhuchunping also benefited from a greater range of decorative motifs, a reduction in the number of decorative bands, and a greater flexibility as to the width of those bands and their relationship to each other.

While relatively few Yongle pear-shaped vases have survived - apparently fewer than pear-shaped ewers - an identical vase to the current example is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum, Blue-and-white Ware of the Ming Dynasty - Book I, Hong Kong, 1963, pp. 44-5, pls. 2 and 2a-b) [Fig. 1]. Three features on these two vases are particularly distinctive. Firstly, around the base of the body is a vividly painted band of turbulent waves, rather than the lotus petal band seen on most other examples. Secondly, they have a band of plantain leaves around the middle of the neck, above which is a band of knobbed classic scrolls. This is unusual, since plantain leaves are generally placed just below the rim, as on the pear-shaped vase decorated in its major band with plants and rocks, from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 35, no. 33), on which the position of the plantain leaves and the knobbed classic scroll are reversed, with the latter appearing below the plantain leaves.

Nevertheless, two more Yongle pear-shaped vases have the feature of a band of plantain leaves around the middle of the neck, in their case below a band of lingzhi fungus. These vases from the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Catalogue of A Special Exhibition of Early Ming Period Porcelain, Taipei, 1982, p. 47, no. 14) and the collection of the Percival David Foundation (illustrated by R. Scott in Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration - Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 38, no. 25), have daylilies and butterflies in their major decorative band, above which is a band of small ruyi, above which is a peony scroll.

Interestingly, two further Yongle yuhuchunping have leaf or elongated petal bands in the middle of the neck. These are a vase in the collection of the Ardebil Shrine in Iran (illustrated by John Pope in Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, London, reprinted 1981 edition, pl. 53, no. 29.447), and a vase from the Oppenheimer collection, now in the British Museum, London (illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 107, no. 3:17). The leaf/petal bands on the Ardebil and British Museum vases are not strictly plantain leaves, but are shorter and much simplified by comparison. On these two vases the band above the plantain is filled by a lotus scroll, rather than the knobbed classic scroll on the current vase and its companion in the National Palace Museum. The third distinctive feature of the two latter vases is that they have well-proportioned single flower sprays in the extended band on their shoulders, in contrast to the various scrolls seen on the majority of other Yongle vases of this form. Although single flower sprays and fruiting sprays were among the most attractive of the decorative devices of Yongle blue and white porcelain, they are rare on pear-shaped vases. However both single flower sprays and fruiting sprays can be seen on a Yongle pear-shaped vase in the Shanghai Museum (illustrated by Wang Qing-zheng in Underglaze Blue and Red, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 63, no. 49). Interestingly the Shanghai vase shares with the current vase, and the similar example in the National Palace Museum, a knobbed classic scroll under the rim.

A second Yongle pear-shaped vase in the National Palace Museum (illustrated by Liu Liang-yu in A Survey of Chinese Ceramics 4 Ming Official Wares, Taipei, 1991, p. 55, left-hand image) is identical to a further vase from the Ardebil Shrine in Iran (illustrated by John Pope in Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, op. cit., pl. 53, no. 29.448). These two vases have a petal band around the base of the body, a large-scale mixed floral scroll as the main band, a large, heavily drawn, knobbed scroll on the shoulder, above which is a band of squared spirals, topped by an inverted cloud collar band.

Two blue and white pear-shaped vases excavated from the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen have been published by the Chang Foundation in Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1996, pp. 182-5, nos. 60 and 61. Like the current vase, and the similar vase in the National Palace Museum, the two excavated vases have floral scrolls as their major decorative band. One has a band of scrolling hibiscus (no. 61) while the other has a band of scrolling lotus (no. 60). The scrolling lotuses on the excavated vase are smaller than those on the current vase, but the flower heads have been similarly painted. Interestingly, the vase with hibiscus has a much-reduced plantain band in the middle of the neck, below a narrow floral scroll.
It may be argued that the decorative scheme of the current vase, and the one in the National Palace Museum, is the most elegant of the schemes seen on Yongle yuhuchunping. The richly painted blossoms of the lotus scrolls are complemented by the delicate and widely-spaced leafy stems, while the single floral sprays on the shoulder allow a perfect amount of the fine white body to be seen. This elegant scheme is perfectly matched by the brilliance of the cobalt blue used on this vase, which is of the highest quality, and the painting of all the bands, which is accomplished with consummate skill.

Provenance: Edward T. Chow
Previously sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 May 1995, lot 642

Literature: H. Ling and E. T. Chow, The Complete Collection of Ming Dynasty Kingtehchen Porcelain from The Hall of Disciplined Learning - Collection of E. T. Chow, vol. II, 1950, no. 16

Exhibited: Chang Foundation, Taipei, Chinese Art from the Ching Wan Society Collections, 1998, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 9

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 1 December 2009. Hong Kong www.christies.com

Cartier : quatre broches "tortue" @ Tajan & deux autres @ Pierre Bergé & associés

CARTIER. Broche "tortue". Vers 1950.

la carapace en fils d'or jaune, bordée de diamants, la tête et le corps en or jaune ciselé et les yeux ponctués de petits cabochons de saphirs. Signée, numérotée. Poids : 11,9 g - Estimation : € 4,000-4,500

CARTIER. Broche "tortue"

la carapace en chloromelanite piquée de diamants, le corps en or jaune ciselé et les yeux sertis de petits cabochons de rubis. Signée. Poids : 22,5 g - Estimation : € 3,800-4,000

CARTIER. Broche "tortue"

la carapace en lapis-lazuli piquée de pointes d'or, le corps en or jaune ciselé et les yeux sertis de diamants. Signée, numérotée. Poids : 21,6 g - Estimation : € 3,400-3,600

CARTIER. Broche "tortue"

la carapace en agate blanche piquée de pointes d'or, le corps en or jaune ciselé et les yeux sertis de diamants. Signée. Poids : 20,8 g - Estimation : € 3,200-3,400

TAJAN. BIJOUX ET MONTRES. 06 déc. 2009 15:00, Espace Tajan www.tajan.com

et pour rappel, deux autres "tortues" chez Pierre Bergé & Associés, le même jour à Bruxelles

CARTIER. Années 1950. Rare brooche en forme de tortue.

La carapace est formée de disques de corail piqués de cabochons d'émeraudes. Monture en or ciselé, deux cabochons de saphirs pour les yeux. Travail français. Signature, poinçon de Maître et numéro. Dimensions : 4 x 2 cm. Estimation : 4 000 - 6 000 €

CARTIER. Années 1960. Rare bague en forme de tortue

formée d'un cabochon d'hématite dans une monture cage en or. Le corps est formé de serpents lovés en or ciselé. Deux émeraudes pour les yeux. Signée et numérotée. Tdd : 55. Estimation : 3 000 - 5 000 €

Pierre Bergé & associés. Bijoux des XIXème et XXème siècles – Precious design. Lundi 14 décembre à 17h00. Salle des Beaux Arts - Bruxelles. EMail : contact@pba-auctions.com - Tél. : +33 (0)1 49 49 90 00 - Tél. : +32 (2) 504 80 00

'Dutch Painters' @ the Prado

Judith delivering the Head of Holofernes, Salomon de Bray. Oil on panel, 89 x 71 cm. 1636. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado

MADRID.- Through the generosity of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, from 3 December the Prado will be displaying a masterpiece by the Dutch painter Frans Hals, Company of Captain Reijnier Reael and Lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz Blaeuw (1633-1637), which was completed by his fellow-countryman Pieter Codde. This magnificent work by one of the most important Dutch painters of the 17th century is to be seen at the Museum as part of its “Invited Work” programme. In 1885 Van Gogh said of it: “Just to see that painting would make the journey to Amsterdam worthwhile”. The canvas will be shown in conjunction with the exhibition Dutch Painters at the Prado and will create a fascinating conclusion to this exhibition of Dutch paintings from the Museum’s own collection. The publication of the first catalogue raisonné of the collection, written by Teresa Posada Kubissa, Curator of the Department of Flemish and Northern Schools (up to 1700), encouraged the organisation of this exhibition. For the first time, the exhibition brings together 56 of the most important paintings from this little-known aspect of the Museum’s collections. While for historical reasons some of the greatest names of Dutch art are not represented in the Prado, many of the most celebrated and highly esteemed painters of the day are to be found.

The exhibition and catalogue raisonné
The research and study involved in preparing the present exhibition and the new catalogue have allowed for a reassessment of a number of works previously considered to be Dutch to be reassigned to the Flemish school, thus clarifying and refining the Museum’s Dutch collection. With the publication of this catalogue, the Prado continues its series of publications launched with the catalogue raisonné of its El Greco holdings. These publications are intended to offer in-depth information on the works in the Museum’s collection. As a result of years of preparatory study and research into the style, technique and documentation of the Dutch paintings, and the restoration of a large number of them, the new catalogue now includes 100 works attributed to 17th-century Dutch painters and excludes 26 traditionally attributed to that school. In addition, it proposes 19 new attributions.

The carefully selected group of works in the exhibition includes the only work by Rembrandt in the Prado’s collection and the only one in a Spanish public collection universally accepted by experts. The painting’s subject is now identified as Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes following detailed research undertaken for the catalogue. This new iconographic reading of Rembrandt’s famous painting replaces the previous one of Artemisia about to drink the ashes of her husband Mausolus. Rembrandt’s masterpiece is shown in the exhibition alongside Salomon de Bray’s Judith presenting the Head of Holofernes, as well as other outstanding works of the Dutch school such as The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Matthias Stom, Jupiter and the other Gods urge Apollo to take up the Reins of Day’s Chariot by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem, and Setting out with the Herd by Jan Both.

In addition, the exhibition includes works in all the genres characteristic of Dutch painting: marine views including Naval Combat by Hendrik Cornelisz. Vroom, and Beach with Fishermen by Adam Willaerts; winter landscapes such as The Port of Amsterdam in winter by Hendrik Jacobsz. Dubbels; genre scenes such as Rustic Concert with Flute and Violin by Adriaen van Ostade, and Disembarkation of a Retinue in a River Port by Hendrik van Minderhout; still lifes including Dead Cockerel by Gabriel Metsu, and Still Life with silver Goblet and Watch by Willem Claesz. Heda; and portraits such as Portrait of a Lady from the Beijeren van Schagen Family by Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt. The exhibition also includes a sizeable group of large-format Italianate landscapes by Herman van Swanevelt and Jan Both, commissioned in Rome on the order of Philip IV to decorate the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid.

Emblem of Death, Pieter Steenwijck. Oil on panel, 36 x 46 cm. 1635-1640. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado

Frans Hals and Pieter Codde, The Company of Captain Reijnier Reael and Lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz Blaeuw, 1633-37. Oil on canvas, 209 x 429 cm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, on loan from the City of Amsterdam

Johanna Martens, Paulus Moreelse. Oil on canvas, 122,7 x 96,5 cm

Winter Landscape with Skaters, Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot, Oil on canvas, 75 x 111 cm. 1629. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado

Dead Cock, Gabriël Metsu. Oil on panel, 57 x 40 cm. ca. 1659-1660

Portrait of a Lady from the van Beijeren van Schagen Family (Theodora van Duvenvoord?), Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt. Oil on panel, 63 x 51 cm. 1620. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado

CORPUS CHRISTI : Pendentif tête de mort, pendentif "crucifix" & Chaîne "couronne d'épines"

CORPUS CHRISTI. Pendentif tête de mort en or jaune.

Signé. Poids : 36,3 g (14 k) - Estimation : € 500-700

CORPUS CHRISTI. Important pendentif "crucifix"

la croix en os d'argent, surmontée d'une tête de mort et entourée d'une fine chaîne d'argent et de feuillage d'argent doré. Accompagné d'une chaîne forçat plat en argent. Poids : 202,6 g - Estimation : € 500-700

CORPUS CHRISTI, Chaîne "couronne d'épines"

en argent. Poids : 268,4 g - Estimation : € 350-450

TAJAN. BIJOUX ET MONTRES. 06 déc. 2009 15:00, Espace Tajan www.tajan.com

Thierry Gougenot, originaire de la ville de Lyon,est le créateur de la marque de bijoux Corpus Christi,qui allient les symboles mortuaires de la religion catholique et leur délicate beauté.

Mélangeant ces objets forts, à caractéres nécessairement morbides, à des éléments plus doux et moins connotés. Il réussit à faire une collection  de bijoux non stéréotypée, légére, loin des clichés du bijou gothique type, souvent lourd, et utilisant encore et toujours les mêmes visuels.

Défiant l'ostentatoire pour révéler discrétement la personne qui porte ces créations,ses bijoux peuvent tour à tour, évanescents et presque invisibles ou au contraire trés présents , massifs, constituant  un accessoire à part entiére. Utilisant des matiéres luxueuses comme l'argent, l'or, les pierres précieuses ou encore le corail ou la nacre.

Thierry Gougenot ciséle le tout avec un savoir faire étonnant.Ses objets fétiches: Le crâne, l'épée,l e reliquaire, la croix,l e sacré coeur, et tout ce qui touche à l'univers de la représentation sacrée baroque.

"Lorsque j'étais enfant , nous avions une maison dans Les Pyrénées. Il y avait  une grande église baroque dans laquelle régnait toujours une obscurité étonnante. Il suffisait de mettre une piéce dans une machine pour que tout s'allume et que l'autel se révéle. Je trouvais ça magnifique J'ai  toujours ça magnifique. J'ai toujours aimé l'art sacré , et c'est quelque chose dans lequel je me suis retrouvé par la suite une fois sorti du giron familial, en étudiant l'histoire de l'art .L'art sacré y est omniprésent, l'art catholique étant prédominant dans le cadre de notre Histoire à nous."

Corpus Christi:9 bis,rue du Moulin Joly 75011 Paris.

Arts d’Asie/Asian Art @ Sotheby's Paris

Flasque en porcelaine bleu blanc, bianhu. Chine, Dynastie Ming, Epoque Yongle (1403-1424) Est. 200 000-300 000 €. Photo Sotheby's

L’année 2009 se terminera pour Sotheby’s France le 18 décembre avec la vente d’Arts d’Asie. 378 lots comprenant de la céramique et des objets d’art chinois ainsi que de l’art du Japon et d’Asie du Sud-est.

The year 2009 ends at Sotheby’s France with a sale of Asian Art on December 18. The 378 lots range from Chinese ceramics and works of art to works of art from Japan and South-East Asia.

En art chinois, après le record obtenu en juin 2009 par Sotheby’s à Paris à 1.632.750 € pour une rare flasque en porcelaine bleu et blanc, Dynastie Ming, époque Yongle (1403-1424), une nouvelle fois, Sotheby’s proposera une très rare flasque de la dynastie Ming à décor bleu blanc provenant d'une collection particulière de l'est de la France. Elle date du règne de l'empereur Yongle (1403-1424) (lot 65, estimation : 200,000-300,000 €).

After the record €1,632,750 obtained by Sotheby’s Paris in June 2009 for a rare blue-and-white Yongle porcelain flask (1403-24), Sotheby’s again anticipate fierce competition for a very rare blue-and-white porcelain bianhu moonflask from the same period, featuring a central ying-yang medallion, from a French private collection (lot 65, estimate €200,000-300,000).

Parmi les céramiques, la vente comprend plusieurs réalisations virtuoses de la dynastie Qing au XVIIIe siècle. Citons un très beau vase à décor de lotus sur fond bleu marqué du règne de Qianlong (lot 81, estimation : 70,000-90,000 €), appartenant au même règne un porte chapeau à décor Doucai acquis par le fondateur du musée Guimet et conservé dans la famille depuis cette date (lot 173, estimation : 8,000-12,000 €). On peut citer également une rare paire de bols à décor de rinceaux de lotus sur un fond corail (lot 46, estimation : 20,000-30,000 €).

Provenant d’une collection française, une exceptionnelle paire de vases de présentation dit « solder vases »" en porcelaine famille rose du règne de l'empereur Qianlong (1736-1795) à décor de phénix et pivoines, (lot 118, estimation : 100,000-150,000 €).

Paire de bols à fond corail. Chine, Dynastie Qing, Epoque Qianlong. Est. 20 000-30 000 €. Photo Sotheby's

Other Chinese ceramics include several virtuoso pieces from the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-95), such as a splendid famille rose vase with lotus decoration on a blue ground, with the Qianlong mark (lot 81, est. €70,000-90,000); a fine pair of bowls with lotus and foliage decoration on a coral ground (lot 46, est. €20,000-30,000); or a Doucai porcelain hat-stand acquired by Emile Guimet (1836-1918), the founder of France's national Museum of Asian Art, and consigned by his descendants (lot 173, est. €8,000-12,000); The export ceramic section features a large pair of famille rose "soldier" vases with phoenix and peony decoration (lot 118, est. €100,000-150,000).

Paire de grands vases couverts dit « soldier vases » en porcelaine de la famille rose. Chine, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1736-1795). Est. 100,000-150,000 €. Photo Sotheby's

En objets d’art, les pièces les plus attendues seront les objets de lettrés du règne de Qianlong (1736-1795) dont une coupe lingzhi en jade blanc avec socle en ivoire teinté (lot 36, estimation : 30,000-40,000 €), une très fine boite en placage de bambou ciselé sur une base de kesi (lot 42, estimation : 20.000-30.000 €) ou encore un rocher sculpté en lapis-lazuli et inscrit d'un poème (lot 206, estimation : 40.000-60.000 €).

Highlights amongst the works of art include literati items, also from the reign of Qianlong, notably a white jade lingzhi cup with a stained ivory stand (lot 36, est. €30,000-40,000); a sumptuously carved bamboo veneer box on a kesi stand (lot 42, est. €20,000-30,000); and an inscribed lapis lazuli boulder on an ivory stand (lot 206, est. €40,000-60,000).

Très populaires également de beaux exemplaires de coupes libatoires en corne de rhinocéros. Certaines sont sculptées d’un décor rare comme celle couverte d’arbres fruitiers, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1736-1795) (lot 201, estimation : 80,000-120,000 €) et ou celle provenant d'une collection d'Amérique du sud, dynastie Qing, époque Kangxi (1662-1722) (lot 198, estimation : 40,000-60,000 €).

There should also be keen interest in several Qing Dynasty rhino-horn libation cups. One, from the Qianlong period (1736-95), is carved with fruit trees (lot 201, est. €80,000-120,000); consigned by a South American collector ,another from the Kangxi period (1662-1722), similar to a cup in the Chester Bealty Libray in Dublin, is carved with pine-trees and figures crossing tumultuous water on a boat (lot 198, est. €40,000-60,000).

Il faut également mentionner une collection particulière de meubles en Huanghuali des dynasties Ming et Qing, acquis auprès de la compagnie de la Chine et des Indes entre les années 1960 et 1980 (lots 115 à 117, estimation de 10,000 à 40,000 €).

Paire de fauteuils, Nanguanmao Yi, en Huanghuali. Chine, Dynastie Ming (XVII°). Est.25 000- 30 000€. Photo Sotheby's

A private French collection of Ming and Qing huanghuali furniture, acquired in Paris from the Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes between 1960 and 1980, features three pairs of armchairs, stools and centre-tables (lots 115-117, individual estimates €10,000-40,000).

Provenant d’une collection particulière de laques, plusieurs pièces de type Guri raviront les amateurs : un rare plat de la dynastie Yuan (1268-1360) (lot 155 estimation : 20,000-30,000 €), ou encore une très belle boite à décor de pivoine des débuts de la dynastie Ming au XVème siècle (lot 152, estimation : 15,000-20,000 €).

Boite couverte en famille roserouge à décor de pivoine. dynastie Ming (XVème siècle). Est.15 000- 20 000€. Photo Sotheby's

A private collection of lacquers sure to enchant connoisseurs includes a dish from the Yuan Dynasty (1268-1360) in red guri lacquer (lot 155, est. €20,000-30,000); and a magnificent 15th century red and yellow lacquer "peony" box from the early Ming Dynasty (lot 152, est. €15,000-20,000).

Pour l'art du bouddha, un magnifique Shakyamuni en bronze doré du règne de l'empereur Yongle considéré comme la meilleure période de production pour ce type de figure (lot 250, estimation : 150,000-200,000 €).

Among a choice array of Buddhist art, the sale's stand-out lot is a magnificent 14th century gilt-bronze Bhaishajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) from the late Yuan or early Ming Dynasty in the 14th century, and bearing a Yongle mark(lot 250, est. €150,000-200,000).

In the South East Asian art section, an imperial presentation ivory inkstone and stand, Annam, dated 1845 (lot 301, est.€18,000-22,000), and a pair of imperial gold foil pages with inscribed calligraphy of the Le Dynasty in the 17th century (lot 302, est.€80,000-120,000).

La section dédiée aux arts du Japon comprend une collection privée d'estampes dans un remarquable état de conservation, acquise par un amateur proche des Goncourt au début du XXème siècle et conservée dans la famille depuis cette date (lots 333 à 367, estimation de 1,000 à 8,000 €). Citons également un rarissime exemplaire de l'édition aizuri-e (monochrome bleu) du mont Fuji par Katsushika Hokusai appartenant à une collection privée (lot 362, estimation : 30,000-40,000 €). Autre bel ensemble, une collection de peintures et paravents japonais constituée à Kyoto par un collectionneur français (lots 368 à 378, estimation de 3,000 à 20,000 €).

AndiHiroshige, Vue de village de Sekiya et du rivage de suijin depuis Masaki, Oban tate-e. Est. 2 000- 3 000€. Photo Sotheby's

The section devoted to the arts of Japan includes a private collection of prints, in a remarkable state of conservation, acquired by a French connoisseur close to the Goncourt brothers at the start of the 20th century, and consigned by his descendants (lots 333-367, individual estimates €1,000-8,000). Another extremely rare print is an aizuri-e (blue monochrome) variant of Hokusai's Gaifu Kaisei (Red Fuji), from another private collection (lot 362, est. €30,000-40,000). And a fine ensemble of Japanese scroll paintings and screens, assembled by a Kyoto-based French collector, comes with individual estimates of €3,000-20,000 (lots 368-378).

Exposition/Viewing
Lundi 14 décembre 10h – 18h / Monday 14 December 10am–6pm
Mardi 15 décembre 10h – 18h /Tuesday 15 December 10am–6pm
Mercredi 16 décembre 10h – 18h / Wednesday 16 December 10am–6pm
Jeudi 17 décembre 10h – 18h / Thursday 17 December 10am–6pm

Une sculpture et deux bagues de Jean Vendome @ Tajan

Jean Vendome, Sculpture. Vers 1970.

en bronze doré, socle en trois ressauts maintenant en transparence une importante sciure de tourmaline, le socle agrémenté d'un quartz rose cristallisé. Signée. Dim. : 34 x 22 cm - Estimation : € 8,000-10,000

Jean Vendôme, Grande bague en or jaune, corbeille carrée d'onyx, sertie d'une pièce chinoise ancienne en bronze.

Poinçon de maître. Poids : 27,1 g - Estimation : € 3,500-4,000

Jean Vendôme, Bague en or jaune sertie d'un cristal de quartz fantôme double pointe à inclusions paysagées.

Poinçon de maître. Poids: 21,6 g (égrisures, choc) - Estimation : € 3,000-3,500

TAJAN. BIJOUX ET MONTRES. 06 déc. 2009 15:00, Espace Tajan www.tajan.com

Drape: Classical Mode to Contemporary Dress" @ the National Gallery of Victoria

Comme des Garcons, Tokyo (fashion house) est. 1969. Rei Kawakubo (designer) born Japan 1942. 'Dress, 1997'. Spring-summer cotton, polyester, nylon tulle, 122.0 cm (center back length) 47.4 cm (waist, flat). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Presented through the NGV Foundation by Takamasa Takahashi, 2005.

MELBOURNE.- Opening in December, the National Gallery of Victoria will present a spectacular collection of works in Drape: Classical Mode to Contemporary Dress.

The exhibition will feature over 30 works primarily drawn from the NGV’s holdings of fashion and textiles, as well as key loans. Sculpture, paintings, decorative arts and photography, from antiquity to the present day will also be on display.

Drape will showcase elegant gowns from the 19th century to more contemporary works including designs by Dolce & Gabbana and Comme des Garçons among others.

Paola Di Trocchio, Assistant Curator, International Fashion and Textiles, NGV said that bodies have been adorned in draped cloth since classical times.

“After animal skins, draped woven cloth was the first means of clothing, and in Ancient Greece, was worn in countless configurations to indicate class, gender and social positioning.

“Over time, the wearing of loose cloth has become associated with elegance, timelessness, comfort, wealth, prestige, divinity and barbarism,” said Ms Di Trocchio.

Drape will explore the practice of arranging cloth on the body in two dominant modes, clinging drape and elevated drape.

Clinging drape relies on direct contact between the body and the cloth, as in classical sculpture, while elevated drape shows fabric theatrically sculptured away from the body, similar to the gathering of cloth over crinolines and bustles.

Frances Lindsay, Deputy Director, NGV said: “The draped form has been a constant feature throughout the history of art. This exhibition will delight visitors with the myriad of ways in which artists and designers have produced timeless works with this fashion feature.”

This exhibition will include antiquities from classical Greece and Rome displaying the complex art of wrapping and cinching. These works will be shown alongside more contemporary pieces by designers such as Rei Kawakubo, Vivienne Westwood, Gianni Versace, Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Hussein Chalayan whose creations reference the history of drape.

Drape: Classical Mode to Contemporary Dress will be on display in the Myer Fashion & Textiles Gallery at NGV International, St Kilda Road from 2 December 2009 to 27 June 2010.

CHRISTIAN DIOR, Paris (fashion house) est. 1946. Marc BOHAN (designer) born France 1926. Evening outfit: Tunic and trousers with cummerbund 1977 autumn-winter (back view) viscose jersey (a) 70.0 cm (centre front), 36.0 cm (waist, flat) (tunic); (b) 103.0 cm (outer leg); 34.0 cm (waist, flat) (trousers); (c) 25.0 x 41.0 cm (cummerbund) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased, 2008

PACO RABANNE, Paris (fashion house) est. 1966. Paco RABANNE (designer) born Spain 1934, emigrated to France 1939. Evening dress (c. 1973) aluminium, silk, 149.0 cm (centre back length); 32.7 cm (waist, flat). Purchased, 1994. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne