8 octobre 2009

A superb and rare large blue and white 'dragon' moonflask. Seal mark and period of Qianlong the well potted body of flattened globular form, superbly painted on each side in vivid tones of cobalt-blue with simulated 'heaping and piling' with a medallion enclosing a ferocious full-faced dragon, the scaly five-clawed beast framed by flaring horns and flowing mane, leaping amidst swirling vaporous clouds and flames, the medallion reserved on a ground of scrollwork issuing three large lotus blooms extending up each... [Lire la suite]

A Safavid silk, wool and metal thread prayer rug is displayed at Sotheby's auction rooms in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) LONDON.- A stunning Safavid rug from late 16th or early 17th century Persia sold for £2,729,250 ($4.34M US) this afternoon at Sotheby’s in London . The rug was purchased by an anonymous buyer after a prolonged contest in which at least five bidders vied for the piece. The price of the silk and metal-thread prayer rug was over 20 times the pre-sale estimate of £80,000 - £120,000. The inscriptions on... [Lire la suite]

Red-and-blue laced gold-lacquered Honkozane Nimai Do Gusoku armor Edo Period (17th century) Estimate: $250,000-300,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd. 2009 NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s New York is pleased to announce a dedicated sale of Arts of the Samurai on October 23, which exemplifies the outstanding craftsmanship and visual splendor of the Samurai culture. The collection includes over 80 lots comprising of armor, helmets, and most importantly, swords dating from the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries. The Samurai have a major... [Lire la suite]

Irving Penn, New York, 1951. Horst/Staley-Wise Gallery NEW YORK, NY (AP).- Irving Penn, whose photographs revealed a taste for stark simplicity whether he was shooting celebrity portraits, fashion, still life or remote places of the world, died Wednesday at his Manhattan home. He was 92. The death was announced by his photo assistant, Roger Krueger. Penn, who constantly explored the photographic medium and its boundaries, typically preferred to isolate his subjects — from fashion models to Aborigine tribesmen — from their... [Lire la suite]

Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606–1669, Self-Portrait with Saskia, 1636. Etching, State I, plate: 4-1/8 x 3-11/16 in. (10.5 x 9.4 cm);sheet: 4-1/4 x 3-3/4 in. (10.8 x 9.5 cm) Norton Simon Art Foundation, M.1977.32.027.G PASADENA, CA.- The Norton Simon Museum presents The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt, an exhibition of 15 etchings by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669). Rembrandt’s prominence as a painter of portraits, particularly those of the merchants and burghers of Amsterdam, is well known. But the... [Lire la suite]

Charles Fouqueray - Après Dong-Hoi vers Quang Tri, la lagune. Aquarelle monogrammée en haut à droite, datée «9.3.21», reproduite p. 74. 11,8 x 19,2 cm - Estimation : 500/600 € Henry Vollet - Coucher de soleil sur le Tonkin Huile sur panneau signé en bas à gauche. 51 x 43 cm - Estimation : 2 000 € Gaston  Roullet - Vue de Tourane, Indochine Aquarelle signée en bas à droite et annotée en bas à gauche. 17 x 25 cm - Estimation : 600/800 € Camille Adolphe Laurens - La danse du paon, Tonkin. ... [Lire la suite]