A pear-shaped diamond single-stone ring
A diamond single-stone ring. photo courtesy Bonham's
The claw-set pear-shaped diamond, weighing 5.00 carats, to a plain hoop, ring size D.. Estimate: £80,000 - 100,000 - Unsold
Footnote: Accompanied by a copy of a GIA certificate stating that the diamond is D colour, VS2 clarity. Certificate number 8342229, dated 5th April 1993.
Bonham's. Fine Jewellery, 22 Sep 2010. New Bond Street www.bonhams.com
An archaic bronze ritual wine vessel (Zun). Late Shang Dynasty-Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 11th century BC.
An archaic bronze ritual wine vessel (Zun). Late Shang Dynasty-Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 11th century BC. photo courtesy Sotheby"s
of tall circular form with a wide trumpet mouth and raised splayed foot, the long flared neck plain, the central bulb cast in low relief with a frieze of confronting dragons, divided and interspersed with notched vertical flanges, between narrow bands of circles, the lower bulb cast with a similar design frieze, the bronze a warm golden-brown patina with patches of green malachite and red cuprite encrustation, the inside of the foot cast with a long inscription; height 11 7/8 in., 30.1 cmheight 11 7/8 in., 30.1 cm. Estimate 80,000—100,000 USD. Lot Sold 146,500 USD
PROVENANCE: Collection of C. L. Rothenstein, Bradford (according to label) who in 1914 changed his name to Charles L. Rutherston.
Bluett & Sons, London (according to label).
EXHIBITED: International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935-6, cat. no. 182.
LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art 1935-6, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, p. 14, no. 182 and International Exhibition of Chinese Art 1935-6: Illustrated Supplement to the Catalogue, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, p. 16, fig. 182.
NOTE: Charles Lambert Rutherston (1866-1927) was the brother of Sir William Rothenstein, Principal of the Royal College of Art, connoisseur, collector and one of the first patrons of Henry Moore, who upon visiting Rutherston in 1923 noted that he had one of the most important collections of Chinese art in Britain.
Sotheby's. Fine Ceramics and works of Art. 15 Sept 2010. New York www.sothebys.com
A magnificent Asscher-cut diamond single-stone ring, circa 1940L
A magnificent diamond single-stone ring, circa 1940L. photo courtesy Bonham's
The Asscher-cut diamond, weighing 6.82 carats, between stepped baguette-cut diamond shoulders, ring size I, cased by Saqui & Lawrence Ltd. Sold for £322,400
Footnote: Accompanied by a GIA certificate stating that the diamond is D colour, VVS2 clarity, potentially flawless. Certificate number 110202035801, dated 14 June 2010.
Also accompanied by a GIA certificate stating that the diamond is type IIA. Certificate number 2125219268, dated 10 June 2010.
Bonham's. Fine Jewellery, 22 Sep 2010. New Bond Street www.bonhams.com
A fine white jade rhyton. Qing dynasty, 18th century.
A fine white jade rhyton. Qing dynasty, 18th century. photo courtesy Sotheby"s
of characteristic trumpet form and oval section rising from three short feet, finely carved to the flattened sides with four archaistic zoomorph bearing phoenix heads, with a sinuous chilong climbing up one side peering over the mouthrim, the opposite side carved in high-relief with a chilong head, its flaring openwork wings and scrolls flattening to low-relief from the beast's head to the vessel's side, interwoven with a pair of keyfret bands, the pale stone with white inclusions; width 4 in., 10.2 cm. Estimate 60,000—80,000 USD. Lot Sold 92,500 USD
PROVENANCE: Sotheby's New York, 18th September 2007, lot 190.
Louis Joseph, London, 1963.
NOTE: Rhytons, or vessels in the shape of a horn, were popular from the Song to the Qing dynasties. The carved archaistic scrollwork rendered in low-relief, as seen on this present example, is a feature often found on vessels of this type and evoked the sensibilities of earlier 'antique' styles.
An example of a jade rhyton with meticulously carved archaistic motifs in imitation of a bronze vessel is illustrated in The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jade of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1986, pl. 34. Another with a simpler scrollwork band, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 136.
Sotheby's. Fine Ceramics and works of Art. 15 Sept 2010. New York www.sothebys.com
Life cast bronze human skull, 19th century
Life cast bronze human skull,
Dark brown patina, with a separately cast jaw bone. L: 8 in. Estimate $1,000-1,500
Freeman's. Fine Continental Furniture & Decorative Arts. 7 october 2010. www.freemansauction.com
Argenterie au chiffre d'Elizabeth Auguste, Electrice de Bavière et du Palatinat de l'ancienne collection de Mme Antenor Patiño
Deux paires de plats et cloches en argent, l'une ovale et l'autre rectangulaire, au chiffre d'Elisabeth Auguste, Electrice de Bavière et du Palatinat, Strasbourg, 1767-1769. photo courtesy Sotheby's
la paire ovale : un plat par Jacques-Henri Alberti, 1768, l'autre plat et les deux cloches par Jean-Louis III Imlin, 1767; la paire rectangulaire: les deux plats par Jean-Louis III Imlin, 1768 et les cloches par Jacques-Henri Alberti, 1769
les plats à marlis bordés d'une frise de lauriers et cartouches, les cloches ornées d'un médaillon gravé des initiales AE surmontées d'une couronne d'Electeur, trois prises en forme de chou-fleur, une en forme d'artichaut (restaurations)
Long. des plus grands plats 38,3cm ; 6.768 gr. ; larger dishes: 15 in long. Estimate 25,000—35,000 EUR. Lot Sold 58,350 EUR
Elisabeth Auguste, petite-fille de l'Electeur du Palatinat, Charles-Philippe, nait en 1721. Elle épouse son cousin Charles-Théodore en 1742. Celui-ci lui offre en 1767 le château de son enfance Oggersheim dans l' inventaire duquel est mentionné en 1769 un "service de table tout neuf, marqué du chiffre de notre Sérénissime Souveraine". Ce service comportait au moins deux pots à oille et trente et une cloches et fut réalisé en moins de deux ans.
PROVENANCE: Elisabeth Auguste, Electrice de Bavière et du Palatinat (1723-1794)
- sa nièce Marie-Anne de Birkenfeld et des Deux Ponts, duchesse de Bavière (1753-1824)
- son fils Pie Auguste, duc de Bavière (1786-1837)
- son fils, Maximilien-Joseph, duc de Bavière (1808-1888)
- sa fille Marie-Gabrielle, princesse de Bavière, épouse du prince Ruprecht de Bavière (1878-1912)
Après la première guerre mondiale, ce service est vendu par le prince Ruprecht et est acquis par le marchand parisien Jacques Helft.
EXHIBITED: Certaines pièces de ce service ont figuré dans l'exposition "Orfèvrerie Civile de Province" au musée des arts décoratifs de Paris en 1936.
NOTE: Certaines pièces de ce service ont figuré dans la vente Patino, Sotheby's New York, 1er novembre 1997, n° 128, d'autres dans la vente Sotheby's Genève, 13 mai 1991, n° 103, d'autres encore dans la vente Christie's Paris, 24 juin 2009, n° 35 et 36, et, pour les pièces les plus importantes, dans la vente Sotheby's New York, 18 octobre 2001, n° 111.
Paire de présentoirs ronds en argent au chiffre d'Elizabeth Auguste, Electrice de Bavière et du Palatinat, par Jean-Louis III Imlin, Strasbourg, 1768. photo courtesy Sotheby's
les bords ornés d'une frise de lauriers et cartouches, ornés au centre d'un médaillon gravé des initiales AE surmontées d'une couronne d'Electeur (usures); diam. 28 cm ; 1.735 gr. Estimate 8,000—12,000 EUR. Lot Sold 24,750 EUR
Sotheby's. Mobilier, Orfèvrerie et Tableaux Anciens provenant de l'ancienne collection de Madame Antenor Patiño. 22 Sep 10. Paris www.sothebys.com
A carved aquamarine snuff bottle, 1750-1795. Possibly Imperial, attributed to the Palace workshops, Beijing
A carved aquamarine snuff bottle, 1750-1795. Possibly Imperial, attributed to the Palace workshops, Beijing. photo courtesy Sotheby's .
of slender tapering rectangular form, with shoulders sloping to a waisted neck, and supported on a concave oval foot, finely carved in low relief with archaistic motifs of confronting qilong, a taotie mask at the center of each face, the striated crystal of an even sky-blue color; height 2 3/4 in., 6.9 cm. Estimate 25,000—35,000 USD. Lot Sold 59,375 USD
PROVENANCE: Phillips London, 8th June 1994, lot 405.
NOTE: The present bottle, with its elegant shape and sophisticated carving, is characteristic of 18th century Imperial style. While the 19th century experienced a surge in demand for semi-precious stones such as aquamarine, a small group was made in the late 18th century, as evidenced by the 1799 inventory of Heshen, the prime minister to the Qianlong emperor, who collected over 1,400 hardstone snuff bottles, of which 300 were said to be gem-stone examples.
A similarly tall and slender bottle, carved with Shoulao, is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles: The White Wings Collection, Hong Kong, 1997, pl. 134, p. 194. Another bottle, carved with naturalistic depictions of dragon and phoenix among peonies, was sold in these rooms, 25th October 1997, lot 106 and is currently in The Crane Collection.
Sotheby's. The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, 14 Sep 10, New York www.sothebys.com
"David Webb" & "Webb" jewelry recent acquisitions @ M.S. RAU ANTIQUES
"Webb" Enamel & Diamond Bracelet. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
D=3.00cts app 18K & Plat (70 x 17mm) - Price: $44,000
"David Webb" Enamel & Diamond Earrings. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
D=3.50cts app 18K & Plat (26 x 23mm) - Price: $30,000
"David Webb" Enamel & Diamond Bracelet. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
D=1.75cts 18K & Plat (61 x 3.5mm) - Price: $30,000
"Webb" Emerald Cabochon Bracelet photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
E=12.00cts app 18K (66 x 13mm) - Price: $24,000
"David Webb" Gold Dome Earrings. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
18K YG (24 x 24mm) - Price: $9,000
"David Webb" Carved Crystal Earrings. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
18K YG (65 x 27mm) - Price: $25,000
"Webb" Carved Crystal Bracelet. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
18K (71 x 15mm) - Price: $19,000
"Webb" Turquoise Bangle Bracelet. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
18K (63 x 10mm) - Price: $15,000
"Webb" Amethyst Cabochon Earrings. photo courtesy M.S.Rau Antiques
18K YG (21 x 18mm) - Price: $7,600
M.S. RAU ANTIQUES. www.rauantiques.com
'Bronzino. Pittore e poeta alla corte dei Medici' @ Palazzo Strozzi
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo with her son Giovanni , c. 1545, oil on panel, 115 x 96 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Inv. 1890 n. 748
FLORENCE.- Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino (1503-1572), was one of the greatest artists in the history of Italian painting. Court artist to Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519-1574), his work embodied the sophistication of the Mannerist style. Bronzino. Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici, on view at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence from 24 September 2010 to 23 January 2011, will be the very first exhibition devoted to his painted work. Bronzino conveyed the elegance of the Medici court in his work with “naturalness” and, at the same time, austere beauty.
Florence is the perfect setting for a monographic exhibition on Bronzino. The son of a butcher, not only was he born and died here, the city houses some of his greatest masterpieces, particularly in the Uffizi but also in other museums and churches. This landmark exhibition, with loans from the world’s most important museums, presents presents 63 works attributed to Bronzino, and 10 to Bronzino and his workshop, along with others by his master Pontormo, with whom he had close ties throughout his life. Bronzino’s paintings, with their sculptural definition, will be shown alongside sculptures by such 16th century masters as Benvenuto Cellini, Tribolo, Baccio Bandinelli and Pierino da Vinci, who were his friends and with whom he exchanged sonnets. The exhibition concludes with a number of works by Alessandro Allori, his favourite pupil.
Most of these jewel-like masterpieces have never been shown together. Alongside the paintings from the Uffizi, the exhibition will include such works as The Adoration of the Shepherds and the Allegory of Venus, Cupid and Jealousy from the Szépmvészeti Múzeum in Budapest, the Venus, Cupid and Satyr from the Galleria di Palazzo Colonna in Rome, the Portrait of a Young Man with a Book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Holy Family with St Anne and St John in the versions in the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, together with panel paintings from the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, and from the National Gallery of Art, in Washington.
The exhibition will show three hitherto ‘missing’ works by Bronzino, two of which, while recorded and mentioned by Giorgio Vasari, were thought to have been lost: the Crucified Christ which he painted for Bartolomeo Panciatichi, and the St Cosmas, the right-hand panel accompanying the Besançon altarpiece when it originally graced Eleonora da Toledo’s chapel in Palazzo Vecchio. Their rediscovery sheds new light on Bronzino’s work and on his ties with the heretical religious mood that permeated the Medici court before 1550. The third previously unknown picture is Christ Carrying the Cross ascribed to his later years.
The exhibition, which has taken over four years to prepare, is curated by Carlo Falciani and Antonio Natali, the foremost experts on Cinquecento painting who have also contributed to the scholarly catalogue. The exhibition, in conjunction with Drawings of Bronzino at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (20 January to 18 April 2010), will play a central role in fostering a new interpretation of this important artist. For those who enjoyed the New York show, this Florence exhibition is a must-see.
24 settembre 2010-23 gennaio 2011. Palazzo Strozzi www.palazzostrozzi.org
APPRENTICESHIP WITH PONTORMO AND EARLY CAREER
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Holy Family with St Elizabeth and St John, 1527-1528. Oil on panel, 101,3 x 78,7 cm. Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, Samuel H. Kress Collection 1939.1.387
Pontormo (Jacopo Carrucci) (Pontorme, Empoli 1494 - Florence 1557 ), St John the Evangelist, 1525-1528. Oil on panel, 76 cmFlorence, Chiesa di Santa Felicita, Cappella Capponi
Pontormo (Jacopo Carrucci) o Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo) (Pontorme, Empoli 1494-Firenze 1557/Monticelli, Firenze 1503-Firenze 1572 - ), San Marco, 1525-1528. Oil on panel, 76,5 cm. Firenze, Chiesa di Santa Felicita, Cappella Capponi
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), St Luke, 1525-1528. Oil on panel, 77,2 cm. Florence, Chiesa di Santa Felicita, Cappella Capponi
Pontormo (Jacopo Carrucci) (Pontorme, Empoli 1494 - Florence 1557 ), Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand, 1529-1530. Oil on panel, 65 x 73 cm. Florence, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, inv. 1912, n. 182
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand, 1529-1530. Oil on panel, 64x43 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, inv. 1890 n. 1525
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Guidubaldo II della Rovere, 1531-1532. Oil on panel, 114 x 86 cm. Florence, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, inv. 1912 n. 149
BRONZINO AND FLORENCE: THE MEDICI
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), St John the Baptist, c.1543-1545. Oil on panel, 146,1x52 cm. Los Angeles, CA, The J. Paul Getty Museum, 73.PB.70
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Giovanni, son of Cosimo I de Medici, 1544-5. Oil on panel, 58 x 45,4 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Inv. 1890 n. 1475
BRONZINO AND FLORENCE: THE PANCIATICHI
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Lucrezia Panciatichi, 1540. Oil on panel. 101 x 82,8 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Inv. 1890 n. 736
gnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Bartolomeo Panciatichi, c. 1540. Oil on panel, 104 x 85 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Inv. 1890 n. 741
Agnolo di Cosimo detto Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Holy Family with St John (Panciatichi Madonna), c. 1540. Oil on panel, 116,5 x 89,5 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Inv. 1890 n. 8377
BRONZINO AND THE ARTS
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Lorenzo Lenzi, 1527. Oil on panel, 90x71 cm. Milan, Civiche Raccolte Artistiche - Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco, inv. n. P 547
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Allegorical Portrait of Dante, 1532. Oil on canvas, 140x136 cm. Florence, private collection
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Holy Family with St Anne and St John, c. 1542-50, oil on panel, 133 x 101 cm. Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département de Peintures. Don du comte Albert de Vandeul, 1902., R.F. 1348
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Venus, Cupid and Satyr, 1553-1554. Oil on panel, 135x231 cm. Rome, Galleria Colonna, Inv. Salviati 1756, n. 66
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Venus, Cupid and Satyr, 1553-1554. Oil on panel, 135x231 cm. Rome, Galleria Colonna, Inv. Salviati 1756, n. 66
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Laura Battiferri, c. 1555-60. Oil on panel, 83 x 60 cm. Florence, Palazzo Vecchio, Collezione Loeser
THE PORTRAITS
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of a Women (Matteo Sofferoni's Daughter?), c.1530-1532. Oil on panel, 76,6x66,2x1,3 cm. London, Lent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, RCIN 405754
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of a Lady with a Small Dog, c. 1532-3, oil on panel, 89,8 x 70,5 cm. Frankfurt, Städel Museum, 1136
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of a Young Man with a Lute, 1530-2. Oil on panel, 94 x 79 cm. Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Inv. 1890 n. 1575
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Andrea Doria as Neptune, 1540-50. Oil on canvas, 115 x 53 cm. Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of a Man (Pierantonio Bandini?), c. 1550-5. OIl on panel, 106,7 x 82,5 cm. Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Purchased 1930, 3717
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Portrait of Stefano IV Colonna, 1546. Oil on panel, 125 x 95 cm. Rome, Galleria Nazionale, 1434
RELIGIOUS WORKS
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), St Sebastian, c. 1525-8. Oil on panel, , 7 x 76,5 cm. Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, 64 (1985.2)
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Holy Family with St Anne and St John. Oil on panel, 124,5x99,5 cm. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie, inv. n. 183
Agnolo di Cosimo named Bronzino (Monticelli, Florence 1503 - Florence 1572 ), Holy Family with St Anne and St John,1550-1560. Olio su tavola, 133x101 cm.Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Peintures, Don du comte Alfred de Vandeul, 1902, RF 1348
BRONZINO AND ALLORI.TOWARDS THE NEW CENTURY
Agnolo di Cosimo detto Bronzino e Alessandro Allori (Bronzino (Monticelli,Florence 1503) Allori (Florence 1535) - Bronzino (Florence 1572) Allori (Florence 1607) ), Holy Family with St John, c.1555-1559. Tempera on panel, 117 x 99 cm. Moscow, State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. Inv.2699
Diaporama culturel du jour
FLORENCE.- A man eyes a painting from the sixteenth century painter, Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino displayed during the exhibition 'Bronzino. Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici' at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, 22 September 2010. The exhibition running from 23 September 2010 until 23 January 2011 brings together a wide variety of Bronzinos masterpieces, some of them displayed together for the first time, in addition to a selection of drawings originating from the greatest museums in the world. EPA/CARLO FERRARO
FLORENCE.- A woman reads the catalogue of the exhibition 'Bronzino. Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici' as she look at the art works displayed at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, 22 September 2010. The exhibition running from 23 September 2010 until 23 January 2011 brings together a wide variety of Bronzinos masterpieces, some of them displayed together for the first time, in addition to a selection of drawings originating from the greatest museums in the world. EPA/CARLO FERRARO
MEXICO CITY.- Helen Escobedo was one of the first artists of her generation to embrace site specificity both in her permanent as well as ephemeral works, she was also a precursor in the field of non permanent installations made from fortuitously available natural and industrial materials in México. Helen Escobedo passed away in Mexico City on September 16, 2010. In this image: Coatl by Helen Escobedo, 2008. Photo: Gloria Zelaya. MEXICO CITY.- Helen Escobedo, an international artist whose career spanned over fifty years, died in Mexico City. In this image: Mexican artist Helen Escobedo, winner of the 2009 National Arts Prize, poses next to one of her works called Desastre del 2010 shown at the National School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving La Esmeralda during the exhibition Escuchen el Silencio (Hear the silence), in Mexico City, Mexico, on 06 May 2010. EPA/SASHENKA GUTIERREZ. FRANKFURT.- A woman looks at drawings from Argentinean comics at the Museum for Communication in Frankfurt, Germany, 23 September 2010. At the Frankfurt book exhibition, Argentinean comics from different decades will be exhibited. Under the title Nos toco hacer reir - We want to make you laugh the museum exhibits historical and contemporary comic strips from 23 September until 01 October 2010. EPA/MARTINOVERSOHL. BAGHDAD.- Stolen artifacts that have been retrieved from the United states to the Iraqi National Museum are displayed at the national museum in Baghdad, Iraq, 23 September 2010. The recovered artifacts were stolen during the fall of Saddam Husseins regime. EPA/ALI ABBAS. MADRID.- Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Vice Minister of Culture of Egypt, Zahi Hawass, gives a speech during the opening of exhibition Un viaje secreto Egipto enigmático (A secret journey enigmatic Egypt) at Egyptian Institute of Islamic Studies in Madrid, Spain 23 September 2010. Hawass is giving a conference on his experiences at Palacio de Congresos in Madrid, Spain on 24 September 2010. EPA/MONDELO. RIODEVA.- A Spanish paleontologist of the Teruel-Dinopolis Paleontology Group working near the recently discovered biggest femur of a dinosaur in Europe, in Riodeva, Spain, on 23 September 2010. According to reports of the research center in Teruel, the bone has a length of 1.92 metres. EPA/GOVERNMENT OF ARAGON.
CUENCA.- Scientists (L-R) Fernando Escaso, Francisco Ortega and Jose Luis Sanz examine the skeleton of a newly discovered dinosaur called Concavenator Corcovatus at the Museum of Sciences in Cuenca. Spanish scientists found an almost intact fossil of a new dinosaur from 125 million years ago and with a strange hump on its back, in the Las Hoyas formation in central Spain, media reported. REUTERS/UNED.
SANTA FE.- A Vincent van Gogh sketch is seen. When word spread in the New Mexico art community that a drawing by Vincent van Gogh valued at more than a million dollars had been stolen from a Santa Fe, N.M., home in 2009, it didnt take long for someone to spot it for sale in a consignment shop. But police say the man who authorities believe stole the sketch of van Goghs famous The Night Cafe painting and then sold it for a mere $250 had fled. Last month, authorities say he turned up in Vermont where hes charged with burglarizing two condominiums in the ski resort town of Stowe, credit card fraud and occupying an abandoned camp in Underhill. (AP Photo/Santa Fe Police Departmen.
SANTA FE.- A Vincent van Gogh sketch is seen. When word spread in the New Mexico art community that a drawing by Vincent van Gogh valued at more than a million dollars had been stolen from a Santa Fe, N.M., home in 2009, it didnt take long for someone to spot it for sale in a consignment shop. But police say the man who authorities believe stole the sketch of van Goghs famous The Night Cafe painting and then sold it for a mere $250 had fled. Last month, authorities say he turned up in Vermont where hes charged with burglarizing two condominiums in the ski resort town of Stowe, credit card fraud and occupying an abandoned camp in Underhill. (AP Photo/Santa Fe Police Departmen.
MADRID.- The Wine of Saint Martins Day, a previously unknown work by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, is seen during a media exhibition at the Prado museum in Madrid September 23, 2010. The painting has been attributed to Bruegel, who with this painting has only 41 known works, by the Prado museum after several months of study and the restoration of the painting. REUTERS/Andrea Comas.
