Paire de boutons de manchettes en ivoire sculpté figurant des têtes de bouddhas.
Paire de boutons de manchettes en ivoire sculpté figurant des têtes de bouddhas. photo courtesy Artcurial
Dans leur écrin - Estimation : 500 / 700 €
Artcurial - Briest-Poulain-F.Tajan - Paris. Vente du Mercredi 31 mars 2010. Hôtel Dassault - 7 Rond Point des Champs-Elysées - 75008 - Paris. Pour toute information complémentaire, veuillez contacter Julie Valade au +33 1 42 99 16 41
Albrecht Dürer, woodcuts & engravings @ Christie's
Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and the Devil (B. 98; M., Holl. 74; S.M.S. 69), engraving, 1513. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a fine and early Meder a/b impression, printing with great contrast and clarity, trimmed to the platemark, with thread margins in places, occasionally very narrowly remargined and with tiny touches of pen and ink at the extreme sheet edge, remains of old paper tape along the sheet edges verso, a tiny thin spot below, otherwise in excellent condition - P., S. 247 x 190 mm. Est. £100,000 - £150,000. Sold £241,250
Provenance: R. H. Saklikower (not in Lugt); Karl & Faber, Munich, 2 May 1960, lot 87 (DM 14.000).
Notes: With the completion of the Life of the Virgin and the publication of the four woodcut books in 1511, Dürer had changed the medium and transformed the woodcut from a means of illustration to an art form. In the following year, his attention turned once more to engraving, determined to take this technique also to its limits. He began on a small format by completing his series of the Engraved Passion with a few densely worked plates, characterised by intense chiaroscuro effects and a tonal quality never attempted before in an engraving. In 1513 then, he launched into the creation of his most ambitious works in any medium, the three 'Meisterstiche': Knight, Death and the Devil, Saint Jerome in his Study (see the following lot), and Melencolia I.
Whether these three engravings were initially conceived as a series remains unclear, yet they are united by a similar format, a similar date of execution (1513 and 1514) and the concentration on a single figure in a symbolically charged environment. As an overarching theme, the three figures embody three alternative modes of a virtuous life: that of the knight, the scholar and the artist.
Dürer himself referred to Knight, Death and the Devil, as it is known today, simply as 'the rider', thereby leaving room for much speculation, with the interpretations of the figure of the knight ranging from emperor to pope to heretic and robber baron. There can be little doubt, however, that his knight is a a heroic figure, who fears neither death nor the devil. Today it is the generally accepted view that he represents the ideal of the Christian Knight or 'miles christianus', a concept which stems from the Epistles of Paul, but was revived in Dürer's times by Erasmus of Rotterdam in 1503.
In fine and early impressions, such as the present one, it becomes clear that, as much as a depiction of a spiritual concept, Knight, Death and the Devil is also a formal endeavour. In this print, Dürer developed a whole new vocabulary of graphic means, and with a staggering variety of different lines described the glistening hair of horse, the shaggy fur of the dog, the shining armour, the dull rocks, the spiky bushes, the distant landscape, and most subtle effects of the cold light of winter on a multitude of surfaces and textures. He tried - and arguably succeeded - to depict with mere black lines on paper what had previously only been attempted with the brush and oil paint.
The full extent of Dürer's ambition becomes apparent when one considers the direct precusors to Dürer's rider: Donatello's Gattamelata in Padua and Verrocchio's Colleoni in Venice, the two great equestrian statues of the 15th century, both of which Dürer had seen on his journeys to Italy. With this engraving, he was not just competing with painting, but with sculpture - and with two of the most revered artists of the Italian renaissance.
It is the complexity and intellectual depth of the subject, the unrivalled technical mastery with which Dürer executed it, and the sheer ambition and confidence that drove him, which make Death, Knight and the Devil one of the most impressive and desirable works in the print medium.
Albrecht Dürer, Saint Jerome in his Study (B. 60; M., Holl. 59; S.M.S. 70), engraving, 1514. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a fine, warm and atmospheric Meder a/b impression, the dark vertical bands evident in the upper part of the subject, trimmed to the subject, very narrowly remargined, with touches of pen and ink in places at the extreme sheet edge, two short un-inked hairlines, one just below the bench, the other in the arch to the right of the window, a tiny surface abrasion just below the central window arch, an unobtrusive horizontal crease on the reverse probably inherent in the paper (not visible recto), remains of old paper tape along the sheet edges verso, with a few small thin spots at the lower edge, generally in very good condition - P., S. 243 x 186 mm. Est. £70,000 - £100,000. Sold £79,250
Notes: Saint Jerome was one of the fathers of the Church and author of the Vulgate - the early 5th century version of the Bible in Latin. By Dürer's time he had, as a scholar and Latinist, become an iconic figure for the humanists. Here he is immediately identifiable by his attributes - the cardinal's hat and the lion - as he sits writing at his desk in a small chamber. It is a friendly room where one might feel welcome, were it not for the lion and a sleeping dog guarding the entrance, and the wooden bench turned away from us as if to shield the saint from any intrusion.
Dated 1514, Saint Jerome in his Study was engraved one year after Knight, Death and the Devil (see previous lot), and like the earlier print, it is full of reminders of death: the human skull on the window ledge, the crucifix on the desk, the candle and the hour glass, and the fly whisk can be read as a reference to the devil. Yet while the knight is physically confronted with death and the devil, Saint Jerome comtemplates them in the quiet and warmth of his study.
It is the bright sunlight (still out-shone by the saint's halo) falling through the windows and filling the room with warmth, described by Dürer with dazzling virtuosity, which is the formal theme of this print, and which make it one of the most charming and best-loved of all of Dürer's engravings.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), Adam and Eve (B., Meder, Holl. 1; Schoch, Mende and Scherbaum 39), engraving, 1514. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
with part of a Small Jug watermark (M. 158, dated circa 1525), Meder III, the watermark suggesting a printing date between Meder a and b, brownish and warm, printing clearly and with good contrasts, the finest shading mainly on Eve beginning to wear, trimmed to or just inside the borderline, in excellent condition - S. 249 x 189 mm. Est. £30,000 - £50,000
Albrecht Dürer, The Four Horsemen, from: The Apocalypse (B. 64; M., Holl. 167; S.M.S. 115), woodcut, circa 1497-98. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a very good though slightly uneven impression, printing particularly well at the upper right, slightly dry towards the centre and lower left, from the Latin text edition of 1511, with thread margins or trimmed to the borderline, with a short tear and small paper loss at the lower right corner, another small loss at the right edge (just touching the horse's head), a worm-hole at the lower left sheet edge, all with old inked-in repairs, some short tears and nicks at the sheet edges, the title inscribed in pen and ink verso in an old French hand - B., S. 395 x 280 mm. Est. £25,000 - £35,000
Albrecht Dürer, The Dream of the Doctor (B. 76; M., Holl. 70; S.M.S. 18), engraving, circa 1498. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a Meder d/e impression, slightly smudged at upper right, trimmed to or just inside the borderline, a tiny repair in the cloth above the woman's left thigh, a small made-up area at the lower edge to the right of the monogram, traces of old adhesive on the reverse where previously mounted - S. 185 x 117 mm. Est. £7,000 - £10,000. Sold £15,000
Albrecht Dürer, Pilate washing his Hands, from: The Engraved Passion (B., M., Holl. 11; S.M.S. 53), engraving, 1512. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a good Meder b impression, trimmed on the platemark, some very minor staining at the upper right sheet corner where laid onto an album sheet, very minor foxing mostly visible verso; with Christ before Caiaphas (B., M., Holl. 6; S.M.S. 48) from the same series, engraving, 1512, without watermark, a good Meder b impression, trimmed on the platemark, with thread margins in places, in good condition; and Saints Peter and John at the Gate of the Temple (B., M., Holl. 18; S.M.S. 60) from the same series, engraving, 1513, without watermark, Meder b, trimmed to or on the platemark, two soft, unobtrusive horizontal creases, otherwise in good condition; all laid onto album sheets at the upper corners - P., S. 117 x 74 mm. (and similar) (3). Est. £6,000 - £8,000. Sold £6,875
Albrecht Dürer, Christ Carrying the Cross, from: The Engraved Passion (B., M., Holl. 12; S.M.S. 54), engraving, 1512. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a good Meder b impression, trimmed to the subject, several foxmarks mainly visible in the light areas, otherwise in good condition; with Christ crowned with Thorns (B., M., Holl. 9; S.M.S. 51) from the same series, engraving, 1512, without watermark, a good Meder b impression, trimmed on the platemark, an abrasion along the upper right sheet edge just touching the subject, otherwise in good condition; and The Flagellation (B., M., Holl., 8; S.M.S. 50) from the same series, engraving, 1512, without watermark, a good Meder c/d impression, trimmed to or on the platemark, a small backed area at the lower sheet edges, generally in good condition; all laid onto album sheets at upper corners - P., S. 117 x 74 mm. (and similar) (3). Est. £6,000 - £8,000. Sold £8,125
Albrecht Dürer, The Opening of the Fifth and Sixth Seal, from: The Apocalypse (B. 65; M., Holl. 168; S.M.S. 116), woodcut, circa 1497/98. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
watermark Tower with Crown and Flower (M. 259), a very good impression from the Latin text edition of 1511, trimmed to or just outside the borderline, fractionally into the borderline at lower left, in very good condition - S. 390 x 281 mm. Est. £6,000 - £8,000. Sold £9,375
Albrecht Dürer, The Four Avenging Angels, from: The Apocalypse (B. 69; M., Holl. 171; S.M.S. 119), woodcut, circa 1496/98. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a very good impression from the Latin text edition of 1511, trimmed on the borderline, circa 25 mm. of the left borderline filled in with pen and brown ink where printed thinly, a small skilfully backed area at the left sheet edge, one or two pinpoint foxmarks, paper tape along the right and left sheet edges verso, remains of cloth and paper hinges in places verso, generally in very good condition - S. 391 x 280 mm. Est. £6,000 - £8,000. Sold £9,375
Albrecht Dürer, Christ on the Cross, from: The Engraved Passion (B., M., Holl. 13; S.M.S. 55), engraving, 1511. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, Meder d/e, trimmed to or just outside the subject, stained and foxed, some minor creases, thinly backed; with Christ before Pilate (B., M., Holl. 7; S.M.S. 49) from the same series, engraving, 1512, without watermark, Meder c, trimmed to or just outside the platemark, foxed, a 2 mm. tear at the right sheet edge, the outer corner tips made up, the sheet thinly backed; and Ecce Homo (B., M., Holl. 10; S.M.S. 52) from the same series, engraving, 1512, without watermark, a good impression, trimmed to or just inside the subject, a repaired paper loss in the blank sky above, foxing, the sheet partially backed; all laid onto album sheets at upper sheet corners - P., S. 118 x 75 mm. (and similar) (3). Est. £6,000 - £8,000. Sold £5,250
Albrecht Dürer, The Harrowing of Hell, from: The Engraved Passion (B., M. Holl. 16; S.M.S. 58), engraving, 1512. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a good Meder a impression, trimmed on or just inside the platemark, the tip of the lower left corner creased and a little frayed, generally in good condition; with The Resurrection (B., M., Holl. 17; S.M.S. 59) from the same series, engraving, 1512, watermark fragment High Crown, a very good Meder c impression, trimmed to the subject, an unobtrusive, vertical repaired paper split on Christ's chest, a small repaired paper loss in the tree at the right sheet edge, a 3 mm. tear at the right sheet edge, the tip of the lower right sheet corner made up, a horizontal and vertical central crease, flattened and mostly visible verso; and Christ on the Mount of Olives (B., M., Holl. 4; S.M.S. 46) from the same series, engraving, 1508, without watermark, a good Meder d impression, trimmed on or just outside the platemark, a small, backed repair on Saint Peter's chest, a 2 mm. repaired tear through his lower legs, some staining mainly in the lower part of the sheet; all laid onto album sheets at the upper corners - P., S. 115 x 74 mm. (and similar) (3). Est. £4,000 - £6,000. Sold £5,250
Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin and Child seated by a Tree (B. 35; M., Holl. 34; S.M.S. 67), engraving, 1513. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a good Meder b/c impression, trimmed to the platemark above, with thread margins elsewhere, the upper right corner creased and with a small made-up loss at the outer tip, where the sheet is stuck to an album sheet, some very minor foxing mainly visible verso, otherwise in good condition - P., S. 118 x 76 mm. Est. £4,000 - £6,000. Sold £6,875
Albrecht Dürer, The Betrayal of Christ, from: The Engraved Passion (B., M. Holl. 5; S.M.S. 47), engraving, 1508. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, Meder f, trimmed to or just inside the platemark, generally in good condition; with The Man of Sorrows standing by the Column (B., M., Holl. 3; S.M.S. 45) from the same series, engraving, 1509, without watermark, Meder c/d, a slipped impression, with thread margins, small paper loss at the lower left margin just touching the platemark; The Deposition (B., M., Holl. 15; S.M.S. 57) from the same series, engraving, 1512, without watermark, Meder e, with thread margins, trimmed to the platemark at lower left; and Heinrich Aldegrever after Georg Pencz, The Four Evangelists (B., Holl. 57-60), the complete set of four engravings, 1539, without watermarks, good impressions, trimmed to the subjects, some very minor foxing mainly at the sheet edges, otherwise in good condition; all prints laid onto album sheets at the upper corners - P., S. 118 x 75 mm. (and similar) (Dürer) - S. 121 x 78 mm. (Aldegrever) (7). Est. £4,000 - £6,000. Sold £4,500
Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin with the Swaddled Child (B. 38; M., Holl. 40; S.M.S. 91), engraving, 1520. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
watermark Small High Crown with pendant City Gate (cf. M. 45, dated circa 1550), a good, warm but slightly later impression, between Meder b and c, trimmed on or just inside the platemark, fractionally into the subject above, with thread margins in places, in very good condition - S. 141 x 96 mm. Est. £3,000 - £5,000. Sold £8,125
Albrecht Dürer, The Last Supper, from: The Large Passion (B. 5; M., Holl. 114; S.M.S. 155), woodcut, 1510,. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010
without watermark, a very good impression from the Latin text edition of 1511, trimmed to or on the borderline, some minor foxing, mainly toward the sheet edges, paper hinges in places at the sheet edges verso where previously laid down, otherwise in very good condition - S. 397 x 285 mm. Est. £3,000 - £4,000. Sold £3,250
Christie's. Old Master, Modern & Contemporary Prints. 31 March 2010. London, King Street www.christies.com
"Vertical Thoughts: Morton Feldman and the Visual Arts" @ the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Mark Rothko, "The Green Stripe", 1955. Oil on canvas, 170.2 x 141.7 cm, The Ménil Collection, Houston . ©1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko ARS, NY and DACS, London, 2010
DUBLIN.- An exhibition featuring works by many of America’s and Europe’s most celebrated 20th-century artists opens to the public at the Irish Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday 31 March 2010. "Vertical Thoughts: Morton Feldman and the Visual Arts" focuses on the work of the influential American composer Morton Feldman and the many leading visual artists with whom he was closely associated, including Philip Guston, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. The exhibition, the first of its kind in Europe, marks a decisive period in the coming together of two apparently distinct art forms, reflecting IMMA’s own multi-disciplinary approach to its programme.
Writing in the exhibition catalogue, South African composer Kevin Volans describes Morton Feldman as having “only one subject of conversation: music/art”, and Feldman himself stated that he learned more from painters than he learned from composers. These twin passions came together with his involvement with the New York School of artists, poets and musicians, which was active in the 1950s and ‘60s and was linked, especially, with the emergence of abstract expressionism and so-called action art. In 1967 Feldman curated an exhibition entitled Six Painters in Houston, Texas, which presented the work of Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
"Vertical Thoughts" takes the 1967 exhibition as its starting point and includes a number of works, such as Mark Rothko’s "The Green Stripe", 1955, shown in the Houston exhibition. It also illustrates how these works, which are defined by their abstract qualities, inspired Feldman’s equally abstract compositions, which had little connection to traditional compositional systems and which experimented with established musical notation. The exhibition goes further than Six Painters, however, by showing other examples by the six artists’ paintings, which display similar qualities, and works by other artists who were equally influential in Feldman’s work, including Francesco Clemente, Barnett Newman, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, R. B. Kitaj, Sonja Sekula, Alex Katz and Cy Twombly. The composer’s direct relationship with the artists and their work can be seen in compositions such as For Philip Guston, 1984, one of his most ambitious works lasting four and a half hours, and Rothko Chapel, 1971, commissioned on the death of Mark Rothko and performed in a chapel which housed his paintings.
"Vertical Thoughts" features artworks from Feldman’s former collection, as well as from several of the world’s leading galleries, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The National Gallery, Washington; The Tate Gallery, London; The Ménil Collection, Houston, and IVAM, Valencia. It also presents music scores, record covers, photographs and documents. A number of Oriental rugs, formally owned by Feldman, which function in a similarly inspirational way to the Abstract Expressionist paintings, are also being shown. The scope of the exhibition is extended further by the showing of films on de Kooning and Pollock, which had scores composed by Feldman. There will also be an accompanying music programme at IMMA, including performances of Rothko’s Chapel, Triadic Memories and The King of Denmark.
Born in New York City in 1926, Morton Feldman was a child prodigy who began composing at the age of nine. In the 1940s he fell under the influence of the early avant-garde composers, going on to become a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers, which also included John Cage and Christian Wolff. From the 1950s Feldman began to write pieces which bore no relationship to traditional compositional systems and which experimented with musical notation. Feldman found inspiration for these works in the paintings of the Abstract Expressionists and wrote a number of pieces in honour of artists who had become his close friends.
Francesco Clemente, "Portrait of Morton Feldman", 1982-87. Watercolour on paper, 36.2 x 50.8 cm. Collection of Alba and Francesco Clemente, ©Francesco Clemente Studio
Philip Guston, Painting, 1954, oil on canvas, 160.6 x 152.7 cm, The Museum of Modern Art New York, Philip Johnson Fund, 1956, DIGITAL IMAGE ©2009
Collectors enthuse over drawings offered by Katrin Bellinger at Colnaghi at Le Salon du dessin, Paris
Simone Cantarini (1612-1648), Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto Paying Homage to the Borghese Coat of Arms, Red chalk, 295 x 430 mm. Sold to a US collector (asking price € 85,000)
Katrin Bellinger was delighted with the number of important works on paper sold at Le Salon du dessin in Paris, from 23 to 29 March 2010. A red chalk drawing of Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto Paying Homage to the Borghese Coat of Arms, masterfully executed with the fluidity and facility so typical of Simone Cantarini (1612-1648), who trained in Guido Reni’s workshop at Bologna, was sold to a US collector (asking price € 85,000).
Another American private collector acquired a pen and ink drawing of Christ Nailed to the Cross, c. 1755/60, one of fourteen Stations of the Cross by Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner (1702-1761) (asking price €18,000). Baumgartner’s composition is infused with dramatic intensity and vitality, emphasizing the horror of the scene. Another violent end is depicted by Paolo Farinati (1524-1606) in The Death of Saint Sebastian. The unfortunate saint, having survived being shot with arrows, is shown being beaten to death by five men. This pen and ink drawing sold to a French collector (asking price € 95,000).
Among other works sold was a pen and brown ink and wash drawing of two warriors by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino (1591-1666), which has a distinguished provenance going back to the sale of the collection of Baron Dominique Vivant-Denon in Paris on 1 May 1826 (asking price € 95,000). Guercino is regarded as one of the most significant Italian artists of the Baroque period and is renowned for his fluent draughtsmanship and inventive approach to subject matter. A more peaceful scene of A Shepherd Resting, with Cattle and a Sheep by Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem (1620-1683) sold to a French collector (asking price € 18,000). Berchem was among the most versatile artists of the Golden Age and is especially admired for such Italianate landscapes.
Katrin Bellinger, celebrating 25 years as a respected dealer in this field, said that she was encouraged to see so many private collectors at this year’s fair, and reported an increase in sales over the last two years, indicating confidence in the market.
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino (1591-1666), Two Warriors, Pen and brown ink and wash, 203 x 133 mm
