4 janvier 2017

Fan case with peony, pine and mallow, 1875-1925. Silk and metal thread embroidery on silk, glass beads; length: 18 1/4 in, 46.35 cm; width: 2 3/4 in, 6.98 cm. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of James P. Grant & Betty Grant Austin, 1977.356 © Denver Art Museum Embroidered in Chinese characters on the case is an evocative saying: "The hermit lies in the mountain filled with clouds/drinking in the bright moon and pure breeze." The verse begins on the yellow side above a crane and pine tree symbolizing... [Lire la suite]

Wedding headdress, 19th century. Silk, kingfisher feathers, copper alloy, turquoise, glass and ceramic; height: 7 in, 17.78 cm; overall height: 8.5 in, 21.59 cm; diameter: 6.5 in, 16.51 cm.Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of Mrs. J. Churchill Owen, 1973.23 © Denver Art Museum Using bright blue kingfisher feathers for ornamentation has a long history in China. At first these costly products were only for the elite, but by the 1800s it was common for a bride to wear a headdress fashioned with kingfisher... [Lire la suite]

Probably workshop of Giacomo Mancini, "El Frate" (Italian, active ca. 1540–60), Pharmacy jar (albarello), 1573, Deruta. Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware). Overall (confirmed): 13 3/16 × 8 13/16 × 8 13/16 in. (33.5 × 22.4 × 22.4 cm). Gift of W. B. Osgood Field, 1902, 02.5.12 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Storage vessels were among the most frequently produced maiolica wares in late medieval and Renaissance Italy. Made in fairly standard shapes, they were designed to fit with dozens of others on a shelf, often... [Lire la suite]

Dish with profile of a woman with Petrarchan verse, ca. 1510–30, Deruta. Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware), lustered. Overall (confirmed): 3 1/2 × 15 7/8 in. (8.9 × 40.3 cm). Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1894, 94.4.320 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The Umbrian town of Deruta was an important center of maiolica production and was particularly famous for its display plates—especially those bearing images of lovely women. Here, confident lines describe a graceful feminine profile. Dishes such as this example... [Lire la suite]

Lot 394. An Indian ruby and diamond-set Hawking Ring. Sold for £7,200 (€8,476). Photo Bonhams.  in the style of the Mughal/ Deccani 17th Century, the ring set with rubies, surmounted by a bird, its plumage set with diamonds and rubies, its ruby beak holding on to a pearl pendant, its breast engraved with repeat motif pattern and a band of pseudo inscription - the bird 6.5 cm. long Note: This ring can be compared with a drawing by William Burgess of a hawking ring reputed to have once belonged to Tipu Sultan,... [Lire la suite]

  Jar with tiger decoration, Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), 19th century. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt blue design. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm); Diam. of base: 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm). National Museum of Korea, L.2016.43.10a, b. Photograph courtesy the National Museum of Korea Tigers appear frequently in nineteenth-century Korean art, including ceramics, lacquer, and painting. Although symbolic of strength and fierceness, the animal is often rendered with a humorous, expressive face, as on this blue-and-white jar. Here, a... [Lire la suite]

  Jar with grape decoration, Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), 18th century.Porcelain with underglaze copper-red design. H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); Diam. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm), National Museum of Korea, L.2016.43.9a, b. Photograph courtesy the National Museum of Korea. The deep red of the grapes and leaves on this rotund jar results from oxidized copper, which was difficult to manipulate. In Joseon Korea, the limited production of porcelain with underglaze copper-red decoration was concentrated in the eighteenth century. ... [Lire la suite]

Bowl with openwork dragons chasing flaming pearl, 18th century, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Hetian nephrite. H. 3 1/2 in x W. 7 3/8 in x D. 6 1/2 in, H. 8.9 cm x W. 18.7 cm x D. 16.5 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60J456 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture The outside walls of this small, shallow gray bowl are carved with high-relief waves from which three dragons emerge to peer over the rim and chase a flaming pearl. The thickness of the vessel walls, the dragon... [Lire la suite]

Man grooming a horse, 1700s, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Nephrite. H. 3 3/4 in x W. 6 1/4 in x D. 3 1/2 in, H. 9.5 cm x W. 15.9 cm x D. 8.9 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60J388 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture A cheerful man is grooming his horse, while his right hand holds the halter. The horse stands with its head turned toward the groom; its long neck and short stocky legs identify it as a Mongolian horse. The groom wears a short vest; his hat that harks back to... [Lire la suite]

Wen Zhengming (Chinese, 1470 - 1559), Discourse in Green Shade, 1470-1559, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Hanging scroll. Ink on paper. H. 40 1/8 in x W. 11 1/4 in, H. 101.9 cm x W. 28.6 cm (image); H. 104 3/4 in x W. 24 1/2 in, H. 266.1 cm x W. 62.2 cm (overall). Museum purchase, B68D9 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture This painting presents a scene of quiet, scholarly life spent in harmony with nature. Wen Zhengming used dry brushwork and ink with little tonal... [Lire la suite]