octobre 2019

"At the school of couturiers", drawing by Elie Top, 2019 . © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.  PARIS.- Christie’s presents two auctions, The Exceptional Sale on the 27 November and The Collector – Le Goût français on the 28 November, both dedicated to classical and decorative arts. They will include a many works coming from prestigious provenances and collections, from different periods highlighted by the creator Elie Top.“I owe a lot to fashion. Because without Chanel, I wouldn’t have known anything about Verdura,... [Lire la suite]

Lot 290.  A carved lacquer 'peony' incense box and cover, Early Ming Dynasty; 5.4cm (2 1/4in). Estimate £ 6,000 - 8,000 (€ 7,000 - 9,300). Photo Bonhams. The cover with a central majestic blossoming peony surrounded by trailing foliage and smaller buds, the deeply carved design revealing the bright orange ground underneath, the box carved en-suite, Japanese box and silk pouch.         Note: Lacquer boxes of this small delicate size were generally used for keeping rouge... [Lire la suite]

Lot 168. A Dingyao carved lobed 'lotus' dish, Song-Jin Dynasty (960-1234); 20.2cm (8in) diam. Estimate £ 6,000 - 8,000 (€ 7,000 - 9,300). Photo Bonhams. The shallow bowl thinly potted with a hexalobed rim, the interior finely carved on the sides and across the well with exquisite curling lotus blossoms on winding foliate stems, all covered with a rich creamy glaze, fitted box. Note: Compare with a mallow-petal plate with similarly carved floral design in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The... [Lire la suite]

PARIS - The Splendors auction, hosted in Paris on 30 October, realised strong results for exceptional pieces such as a Songye figure from Democratic Republic of Congo which sold for €2,290,000 against a presale estimate of €700,000-1,000,000. Other highlights included a  Ligbi mask from Ivory Coast from the former collection of the Barbier Muller museum, which realised €1,234,000, doubling its presale estimate and establishing a world auction record for a Ligbi work of art; and... [Lire la suite]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- James Tissot (1836–1902) was one of the most celebrated French artists during the 19th century, yet he is less known than many of his contemporaries today. Presenting new scholarship on the artist’s oeuvre, technique, and remarkable life, James Tissot: Fashion & Faith provides a critical reassessment of Tissot through a 21st-century lens. The exhibition, co-organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, includes approximately 60 paintings in... [Lire la suite]

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s New York announces the December 11 auction of Magnificent Jewels and the concurrent Jewels Online auction from December 2 to 12/13, which together present over 1,000 lots. The live ­auction will offer over 450 lots featuring a notable selection of colored diamonds, colorless diamonds, and gemstones, alongside important signed pieces by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, Bulgari, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels. Leading the auction are two lots offered from The... [Lire la suite]

Lot 3102. An exceedingly rare Qingbai seated figure of a bodhisattva, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); 12 1/2 in. (32 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 6,000,000 - HKD 8,000,000. Price realised HKD 6,040,000 (USD 782,520). © Christie's Image Ltd 2014.  The figure is modelled with the upper body gently leaning forward, seated with legs crossed and arms folded under a voluminous robe. The garment is worn in folds falling loosely across the broad shoulders, exposing a bare torso embellished with... [Lire la suite]

Lot 3235. A rare blue and white dragon bowl, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368); 7 7/8 in. (20 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 700,000 - HKD 900,000. Price realised HKD 875,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2014.  The bowl is painted on the interior with a single three-clawed dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl within a double-line medallion, below a band of classic scrolls within double-line borders below the interior mouth rim. The exterior is similarly decorated with a band of scrolling lotus blooms on an... [Lire la suite]

Lot 3393. A carved cinnabar lacquer box and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 8 5/8 in. (22.1 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000. Price realised HKD 100,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2014.  Of circular form, the cover is carved in relief through the layers of lacquer with fruiting lychee branches among other fruits, all reserved against a ground of diaper pattern. The box is similarly decorated around the side with the interiors and base in black lacquer, Japanese wood box. ... [Lire la suite]

Lot 3390. A carved cinnabar lacquer 'Swallow and Apricot' box and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000. Price realised HKD 225,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2014.  The rectangular cover is carved with a swallow perched on a flowering apricot branch amidst apricot blossoms, the sides of the cover and box carved with further apricot flowers and leaves, all against a diamond-diaper ground enclosing florettes. The base is incised with a... [Lire la suite]