CERAMICS
1425-1450 Terracotta from the Florentine Renaissance
2021 SOLD for $ 580K including premium by Sotheby's
On January 29, 2021, Sotheby's sold a polychrome terracotta of the Madonna and Child in the style of the Florentine Renaissance for $ 580K including premium, lot 111.
Ghiberti was applying a new style for the decoration of the doors of the Baptistery which had been entrusted to him by the competition of 1401. He knew how to reconcile form and action in the bronze panels whose thickness was necessarily limited. He had many assistants and pupils who will have a major role in the development of the perspective theories.
The original models of the figures were designed as early as 1405 by Ghiberti or by Brunelleschi. They have been replicated by molding in fired clay and in stucco. Finishing included coloring, gilding and reworks by hand.
The emotional attitudes of both Madonna and Child escape the late Gothic. The Virgin is pretty and quiet. The Child, often authoritarian, is caught between his need to be protected in his mother's arm and his desire to discover the world, like all children.
The terracotta sold by Sotheby's is a high-relief 73 cm high and 18 cm deep with a superb and rare conservation of the polychromy. The catalog suggests a make around 1425 to 1450 by Ghiberti and his workshop. Its prototype in terracotta carved in the clay without mold was recently discovered in the episcopal palace of Fiesole.
Ghiberti was applying a new style for the decoration of the doors of the Baptistery which had been entrusted to him by the competition of 1401. He knew how to reconcile form and action in the bronze panels whose thickness was necessarily limited. He had many assistants and pupils who will have a major role in the development of the perspective theories.
The original models of the figures were designed as early as 1405 by Ghiberti or by Brunelleschi. They have been replicated by molding in fired clay and in stucco. Finishing included coloring, gilding and reworks by hand.
The emotional attitudes of both Madonna and Child escape the late Gothic. The Virgin is pretty and quiet. The Child, often authoritarian, is caught between his need to be protected in his mother's arm and his desire to discover the world, like all children.
The terracotta sold by Sotheby's is a high-relief 73 cm high and 18 cm deep with a superb and rare conservation of the polychromy. The catalog suggests a make around 1425 to 1450 by Ghiberti and his workshop. Its prototype in terracotta carved in the clay without mold was recently discovered in the episcopal palace of Fiesole.
1487-1494 The Laureate of the Lost Villa
2017 SOLD for $ 900K including premium
The Florentine sculptor Luca della Robbia who died in 1482 had developed a glazed ceramic technique that could replace marble for the decoration of palazzi. The activity of his workshop became prosperous with his nephew and successor Andrea, a prolific supplier to the Tuscan churches.
The art of Andrea is very recognizable with most often a realistic white figure in high relief centered over a flat sky blue background in a tondo. The figure of a laureate identifiable with two lateral ribbons perfectly matches that description. It is estimated over $ 200K for sale by Christie's in New York on April 28, lot 9.
This bust 41 cm in diameter is inspired from the antiques with its curly hair, its beard, its proud attitude and its reddish-brown upper toga. It is mounted in a frame also in terracotta 62 cm in diameter adorned with fruits, vegetables and pine cones and attributed to the Della Robbia workshops. The antiquity of both elements is confirmed by a thermoluminescence test.
The theme of the laureate is rare and correlates this work with the project of the Poggio Reale villa for which a Neapolitan archive indicates that the Della Robbias provided four crates of glazed heads in circular frames.
Alfonso of Aragon duke of Calabria, heir to the kingdom of Naples, is unpopular because he loves too much pleasure and luxury. With the help of Lorenzo de' Medici who delegated his best architect to him, he starts in 1487 on a knoll near Naples the Poggio Reale villa destined to be for his own use the symbol of paradise on earth.
Events are rushing. The weak Alfonso now King of Naples since January 1494 is an easy prey for the French King Charles VIII heir to the fallen competing dynasty of Anjou. In autumn of the same year the French troops destroy the still unfinished Poggio Reale. Nothing remains of the villa except the memory of its extreme luxury and of its gardens which will inspire the French Renaissance.
The laureate surfaced at Christie's in 1902. Is it the ultimate witness of Poggio Reale or an additional copy that had not been delivered (and had been later framed in the studio) ? It does not matter : it is altogether a remarkable example of the work of Andrea della Robbia, one of the most original artists of the Italian Renaissance, and a sensational direct or indirect witness of the lost villa.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
The art of Andrea is very recognizable with most often a realistic white figure in high relief centered over a flat sky blue background in a tondo. The figure of a laureate identifiable with two lateral ribbons perfectly matches that description. It is estimated over $ 200K for sale by Christie's in New York on April 28, lot 9.
This bust 41 cm in diameter is inspired from the antiques with its curly hair, its beard, its proud attitude and its reddish-brown upper toga. It is mounted in a frame also in terracotta 62 cm in diameter adorned with fruits, vegetables and pine cones and attributed to the Della Robbia workshops. The antiquity of both elements is confirmed by a thermoluminescence test.
The theme of the laureate is rare and correlates this work with the project of the Poggio Reale villa for which a Neapolitan archive indicates that the Della Robbias provided four crates of glazed heads in circular frames.
Alfonso of Aragon duke of Calabria, heir to the kingdom of Naples, is unpopular because he loves too much pleasure and luxury. With the help of Lorenzo de' Medici who delegated his best architect to him, he starts in 1487 on a knoll near Naples the Poggio Reale villa destined to be for his own use the symbol of paradise on earth.
Events are rushing. The weak Alfonso now King of Naples since January 1494 is an easy prey for the French King Charles VIII heir to the fallen competing dynasty of Anjou. In autumn of the same year the French troops destroy the still unfinished Poggio Reale. Nothing remains of the villa except the memory of its extreme luxury and of its gardens which will inspire the French Renaissance.
The laureate surfaced at Christie's in 1902. Is it the ultimate witness of Poggio Reale or an additional copy that had not been delivered (and had been later framed in the studio) ? It does not matter : it is altogether a remarkable example of the work of Andrea della Robbia, one of the most original artists of the Italian Renaissance, and a sensational direct or indirect witness of the lost villa.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
Long-lost treasure by Andrea della Robbia sells well above estimate for $895,500 #ClassicWeek https://t.co/bmMZ3kmNDw pic.twitter.com/R9du8ArLji
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) April 28, 2017
1528-1532 The Stories told in Urbino
2012 SOLD 460 K£ including premium
Nicola da Urbino was one of the masters of Italian maiolica, especially of istoriato dishes where the whole format of the piece is used to illustrate a story related to religion, mythology or ancient Rome.
On December 17, 2009, Christie's sold for € 1.2M a tondino 27 cm in diameter made around 1525 in the workshop of Nicola da Urbino, lot 50. This unexpected result rewarded the very likely belonging of this armoried maiolica to the service of Isabella d'Este.
On July 5 in London, Christie's sells a plate 26 cm in diameter inscribed by Nicola da Urbino ca 1530-1533. This piece with the coat of arms of the Marquesses of Montferrat is a joint tribute to architecture and sculpture personified by the ancient Vitruvius and the modern Michael interpreted as Michelangelo. It is estimated £ 200K.
On the same day in the same venue, Christie's devotes a separate catalog to a collection of 41 lots of maiolica. The top lots are istoriato pieces.
A charger 39 cm in diameter, made ca 1528-1532 probably in Urbino, is estimated £ 300K. It is finely illustrated with the scene of the birth of St John the Baptist in a sumptuous Renaissance surrounding. Here is the link to the catalog.
This sale also includes a dish 27 cm in diameter, estimated £ 250K, on the theme of the martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul, made around 1530 by another outstanding master of this technique in Urbino, Francesco Xanto Avelli. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Buyers have followed the prioritization of works announced by the estimates.
The highest price, £ 460K, applied to the large dish or charger of the birth of St John the Baptist. In maiolica as in early painting, experts are endeavouring to compare the works of unknown artists. This one is attributed to the "Painter of the Apollo Basin".
St Peter and St Paul was sold £ 240K, and Vitruvius and Michael £ 230K.
These prices include premium.
On December 17, 2009, Christie's sold for € 1.2M a tondino 27 cm in diameter made around 1525 in the workshop of Nicola da Urbino, lot 50. This unexpected result rewarded the very likely belonging of this armoried maiolica to the service of Isabella d'Este.
On July 5 in London, Christie's sells a plate 26 cm in diameter inscribed by Nicola da Urbino ca 1530-1533. This piece with the coat of arms of the Marquesses of Montferrat is a joint tribute to architecture and sculpture personified by the ancient Vitruvius and the modern Michael interpreted as Michelangelo. It is estimated £ 200K.
On the same day in the same venue, Christie's devotes a separate catalog to a collection of 41 lots of maiolica. The top lots are istoriato pieces.
A charger 39 cm in diameter, made ca 1528-1532 probably in Urbino, is estimated £ 300K. It is finely illustrated with the scene of the birth of St John the Baptist in a sumptuous Renaissance surrounding. Here is the link to the catalog.
This sale also includes a dish 27 cm in diameter, estimated £ 250K, on the theme of the martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul, made around 1530 by another outstanding master of this technique in Urbino, Francesco Xanto Avelli. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Buyers have followed the prioritization of works announced by the estimates.
The highest price, £ 460K, applied to the large dish or charger of the birth of St John the Baptist. In maiolica as in early painting, experts are endeavouring to compare the works of unknown artists. This one is attributed to the "Painter of the Apollo Basin".
St Peter and St Paul was sold £ 240K, and Vitruvius and Michael £ 230K.
These prices include premium.
ca 1550 Saint-Porchaire Wares
2009 SOLD 267 K€ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Saint-Porchaire is a small town in Poitou, which seems to have forgotten its greatest glory. That center which pioneered the French faience is not mentioned as such in the French Wikipedia.
During the end of the reign of François I and the reign of Henri II (1547-1559), white earthenware was manufactured in Saint-Porchaire as luxury parts for the aristocracy. According to Wikipedia (English!) only sixty pieces have survived. Saint-Porchaire is contemporary, and perhaps earlier, of the Florentine factory of the Medici. Admired by Charles Estienne as early as 1552, these productions have undoubtedly influenced Bernard Palissy.
All those I saw are of very nice aesthetic quality. Of course, the salt box 14 cm high for sale by SGL Enchères on May 17 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye is no exception to this rule.
It is hexagonal, with a collar equipped with two handles. The base is decorated with two rows of three-dimensional masks, including lions. The panels are decorated with fine arabesques on an ochre background. They are pierced, showing a group of three cherubs on the inside of the object.
For information, the estimate indicated in the catalog is only 40 K €.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price obtained is excellent, and confirms the importance and rarity of this beautiful piece: 220 K € before fees, 267 K € premium included.
Saint-Porchaire is a small town in Poitou, which seems to have forgotten its greatest glory. That center which pioneered the French faience is not mentioned as such in the French Wikipedia.
During the end of the reign of François I and the reign of Henri II (1547-1559), white earthenware was manufactured in Saint-Porchaire as luxury parts for the aristocracy. According to Wikipedia (English!) only sixty pieces have survived. Saint-Porchaire is contemporary, and perhaps earlier, of the Florentine factory of the Medici. Admired by Charles Estienne as early as 1552, these productions have undoubtedly influenced Bernard Palissy.
All those I saw are of very nice aesthetic quality. Of course, the salt box 14 cm high for sale by SGL Enchères on May 17 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye is no exception to this rule.
It is hexagonal, with a collar equipped with two handles. The base is decorated with two rows of three-dimensional masks, including lions. The panels are decorated with fine arabesques on an ochre background. They are pierced, showing a group of three cherubs on the inside of the object.
For information, the estimate indicated in the catalog is only 40 K €.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price obtained is excellent, and confirms the importance and rarity of this beautiful piece: 220 K € before fees, 267 K € premium included.
1638 Dishes in English Delft
2011 SOLD 220 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The wording English delft applies to the English tin-glazed pottery by reference to the famous porcelain of the Dutch city which was using similar techniques. In England, the best period of these wares spans two and a half centuries from 1550.
The main centers were London, Bristol and Liverpool. In this nomenclature, Southwark is included in London as asuburb, also best known as the place where the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare was built.
On June 10, 2010, Christie's sold in London for £ 115K including premium a spectacular polychrome dish in Southwark, dated 1637, 38 cm in diameter, on the theme of St George slaying the dragon.
On January 24, Christie's offers a new sale from the same collection, now in New York. The star lot is almost contemporary of the above. This wedding dish in Southwark, dated 1638, 42 cm in diameter, is decorated in the center by a curious scene of the Adoration inspired by a woodcut, and on the border by a frieze of mythical animals.
This exquisite polychrome piece (blue, green, yellow, ochre, brown) is estimated $ 120K.
POST SALE COMMENT
This piece outstanding in its class has been sold $ 220K including premium.
The wording English delft applies to the English tin-glazed pottery by reference to the famous porcelain of the Dutch city which was using similar techniques. In England, the best period of these wares spans two and a half centuries from 1550.
The main centers were London, Bristol and Liverpool. In this nomenclature, Southwark is included in London as asuburb, also best known as the place where the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare was built.
On June 10, 2010, Christie's sold in London for £ 115K including premium a spectacular polychrome dish in Southwark, dated 1637, 38 cm in diameter, on the theme of St George slaying the dragon.
On January 24, Christie's offers a new sale from the same collection, now in New York. The star lot is almost contemporary of the above. This wedding dish in Southwark, dated 1638, 42 cm in diameter, is decorated in the center by a curious scene of the Adoration inspired by a woodcut, and on the border by a frieze of mythical animals.
This exquisite polychrome piece (blue, green, yellow, ochre, brown) is estimated $ 120K.
POST SALE COMMENT
This piece outstanding in its class has been sold $ 220K including premium.
1650 A Marriage Dish in English Delft
2008 SOLD 45 K£ before fees
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
A beautiful English dish invites us to remember the time of Cromwell revolution and of the civil wars that have bloodied that country. It is dated around 1650, ie just after the execution of Charles I.
Bonhams, in its press release, tells us that expensive items were poorly regarded by the Puritans who had taken power. This large luxurious dish of 39 cm in diameter made for a marriage is a rare exception that could only be the work of a royalist workshop. Of complex shape, it is moulded. The domed center displays the coats of arms of two families. On the border, dark blue landscapes are filling eight convex panels separated by feather like patterns.
It belongs to the style of Delft ceramics, while being English. The expert attributes it to the Pickleherring factory at Southwark, which was to reach success after the royalist restoration of 1660.
It is Lot 14 of the sale 15958 in London on December 10. It is estimated £ 40 K.
POST SALE COMMENT
This dish deserved the honors of its press release from Bonhams. It was sold £ 45 K before fees.
A beautiful English dish invites us to remember the time of Cromwell revolution and of the civil wars that have bloodied that country. It is dated around 1650, ie just after the execution of Charles I.
Bonhams, in its press release, tells us that expensive items were poorly regarded by the Puritans who had taken power. This large luxurious dish of 39 cm in diameter made for a marriage is a rare exception that could only be the work of a royalist workshop. Of complex shape, it is moulded. The domed center displays the coats of arms of two families. On the border, dark blue landscapes are filling eight convex panels separated by feather like patterns.
It belongs to the style of Delft ceramics, while being English. The expert attributes it to the Pickleherring factory at Southwark, which was to reach success after the royalist restoration of 1660.
It is Lot 14 of the sale 15958 in London on December 10. It is estimated £ 40 K.
POST SALE COMMENT
This dish deserved the honors of its press release from Bonhams. It was sold £ 45 K before fees.
1690 The First Soft Paste Porcelains of Rouen
2008 SOLD 120 K€ including premium
PRE SALE COMMENT
We are around 1690. The porcelain of China fascinates Europeans and generates the experiments of the manufacturers. Almost a century after the achievements of Medici workshops, soft paste techniques are to be reinvented. Delft and Rouen centres are pioneers in this research, and at such an early date Meissen and St. Cloud are still far from being started.
In Rouen, it was a faience maker named Louis Poterat who managed to develop this technique, on which he worked alone and unaided, and Sotheby's explains that his knowledge died with him in 1696.
A soft porcelain pot from his workshop got the top place (first lot, numbered 501) at the sale of 69 lots that Sotheby's Paris devote entirely to Rouen ceramics before 1740, on June 18.
It is monochrome blue on a white background, in imitation of Chinese porcelains. It is a cylinder 10 cm in height and 9.5 cm in diameter, without a cover. The decor is fine and pleasant, the drawing is not too heavy.
Sotheby's wants 100 K €. In my opinion, this price will be achieved.
A Parisian highlight of the fourth quarter of 2007, well presented during the Temps forts exhibition of Drouot in November, was another production of Louis Poterat. A little smaller (9 cm) but covered and fitted with a handle, this pot, also monochrome but with a more dense blue, was sold 170 K € before fees by Ferri on December 12.
POST SALE COMMENT
This lot was sold 120 K€ including premium, in compliance with its estimate.
We are around 1690. The porcelain of China fascinates Europeans and generates the experiments of the manufacturers. Almost a century after the achievements of Medici workshops, soft paste techniques are to be reinvented. Delft and Rouen centres are pioneers in this research, and at such an early date Meissen and St. Cloud are still far from being started.
In Rouen, it was a faience maker named Louis Poterat who managed to develop this technique, on which he worked alone and unaided, and Sotheby's explains that his knowledge died with him in 1696.
A soft porcelain pot from his workshop got the top place (first lot, numbered 501) at the sale of 69 lots that Sotheby's Paris devote entirely to Rouen ceramics before 1740, on June 18.
It is monochrome blue on a white background, in imitation of Chinese porcelains. It is a cylinder 10 cm in height and 9.5 cm in diameter, without a cover. The decor is fine and pleasant, the drawing is not too heavy.
Sotheby's wants 100 K €. In my opinion, this price will be achieved.
A Parisian highlight of the fourth quarter of 2007, well presented during the Temps forts exhibition of Drouot in November, was another production of Louis Poterat. A little smaller (9 cm) but covered and fitted with a handle, this pot, also monochrome but with a more dense blue, was sold 170 K € before fees by Ferri on December 12.
POST SALE COMMENT
This lot was sold 120 K€ including premium, in compliance with its estimate.
1713 THE TEA OF THE ELECTRESS
2010 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
There were still some alchemists in Germany in the early eighteenth century. A team studying the transformation of materials investigated formulas to imitate the extraordinary Chinese porcelains, and managed to achieve a white hard paste circa 1708. Thus began the Saxon china.
In 1709, the Elector of Saxony authorizes the establishment of the Meissen factory, near Dresden, which was to become famous. Production starts the following year and the first painted pieces are made in 1713.
On November 24 in London, Bonhams auctions the third part of a very important collection devoted entirely to the Meissen porcelain. It contains the top lot of the whole collection, a teapot with the arms of Sophia of Hanover, estimated £ 200K.
The coat of arms is much too large by modern aesthetic criteria, as shown in the illustration of the press release shared by AuctionPublicity. But this teapot gets its prestige from its first owner. Sophia died in 1714, and her service became the oldest datable porcelain from Meissen. Besides the teapot, only one other piece survived, a beaker with its saucer which is in the British Museum.
The British are also sensitive to the political history of this widow of an Elector of Hanover. Sophia had been promoted to heir apparent to the throne of England by an act of Parliament, as next Protestant kin of Queen Anne.The eldest son of Sophia was to create the British dynasty of Hanover under the reign name of George I.
There were still some alchemists in Germany in the early eighteenth century. A team studying the transformation of materials investigated formulas to imitate the extraordinary Chinese porcelains, and managed to achieve a white hard paste circa 1708. Thus began the Saxon china.
In 1709, the Elector of Saxony authorizes the establishment of the Meissen factory, near Dresden, which was to become famous. Production starts the following year and the first painted pieces are made in 1713.
On November 24 in London, Bonhams auctions the third part of a very important collection devoted entirely to the Meissen porcelain. It contains the top lot of the whole collection, a teapot with the arms of Sophia of Hanover, estimated £ 200K.
The coat of arms is much too large by modern aesthetic criteria, as shown in the illustration of the press release shared by AuctionPublicity. But this teapot gets its prestige from its first owner. Sophia died in 1714, and her service became the oldest datable porcelain from Meissen. Besides the teapot, only one other piece survived, a beaker with its saucer which is in the British Museum.
The British are also sensitive to the political history of this widow of an Elector of Hanover. Sophia had been promoted to heir apparent to the throne of England by an act of Parliament, as next Protestant kin of Queen Anne.The eldest son of Sophia was to create the British dynasty of Hanover under the reign name of George I.
1735 WHEN CHANTILLY IMITATED ARITA
2009 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The beginning of the eighteenth century lived an intense mutual curiosity between Western Europe, particularly France and Holland, and the Far East: China and Japan. The world of art keeps many witnesses of such exchanges.
One of the vectors of this cultural trade is porcelain. In Japan, the main production center was the region of Arita, whose style is known as Imari, the name of the export harbour of these goods.
On February 20 in Paris (Drouot), Chayette et Cheval sell a rooster in Chantilly porcelain. 33 cm high, polychrome, it has the fine and slender look of the most beautiful bird statues of Arita. Not listed in the production of Chantilly, it is a witness of the trials that this factory made circa 1735 to match the technique of Arita potters. It was indeed at Chantilly that the oldest French porcelains had been produced.
This beautiful and expressive beast of remarkable realism expects 120 K €.
The beginning of the eighteenth century lived an intense mutual curiosity between Western Europe, particularly France and Holland, and the Far East: China and Japan. The world of art keeps many witnesses of such exchanges.
One of the vectors of this cultural trade is porcelain. In Japan, the main production center was the region of Arita, whose style is known as Imari, the name of the export harbour of these goods.
On February 20 in Paris (Drouot), Chayette et Cheval sell a rooster in Chantilly porcelain. 33 cm high, polychrome, it has the fine and slender look of the most beautiful bird statues of Arita. Not listed in the production of Chantilly, it is a witness of the trials that this factory made circa 1735 to match the technique of Arita potters. It was indeed at Chantilly that the oldest French porcelains had been produced.
This beautiful and expressive beast of remarkable realism expects 120 K €.
1749-1750 THE WHITE CHILD
2012 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
In the mid-eighteenth century, the wonder of the age is the white porcelain. Developed at Meissen, it reached France in Chantilly, then England in Chelsea and Italy at Doccia.
Ceramics, even in China, serve mostly for dishes and pottery. In Europe, it becomes a new branch of sculpture, competing with marble and bronze. The glaze of the porcelain provides a unique quality to the touch.
On April 18 in London, Bonhams sells a figure of high importance for the understanding and appreciation of theChelsea porcelain. It is made of a very pure white, which makes it dating from 1749 or 1750. The previous productions still had some creamy shade.
18 cm high, it shows a particularly pleasant theme: the head of a laughing child. This motif is known for sculptures in other materials, and they are tempted to see it as a portrait of the daughter of Roubillac, a Huguenot artist who collaborated with Sprimont, the creator and owner of the Chelsea factory.
The only other laughing child in Chelsea porcelain, kept at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, was colored in enamel at an unidentified date prior to its discovery in 1938. The piece for sale, discovered in 2011, is the only one that kept its perfect immaculate white.
We cannot predict the price of such a unique artwork. The Bonhams press release indicates that the highest price at auction for a porcelain of Chelsea is £ 223K, recorded in London in 2003.
Here is the link to the catalogue.
In the mid-eighteenth century, the wonder of the age is the white porcelain. Developed at Meissen, it reached France in Chantilly, then England in Chelsea and Italy at Doccia.
Ceramics, even in China, serve mostly for dishes and pottery. In Europe, it becomes a new branch of sculpture, competing with marble and bronze. The glaze of the porcelain provides a unique quality to the touch.
On April 18 in London, Bonhams sells a figure of high importance for the understanding and appreciation of theChelsea porcelain. It is made of a very pure white, which makes it dating from 1749 or 1750. The previous productions still had some creamy shade.
18 cm high, it shows a particularly pleasant theme: the head of a laughing child. This motif is known for sculptures in other materials, and they are tempted to see it as a portrait of the daughter of Roubillac, a Huguenot artist who collaborated with Sprimont, the creator and owner of the Chelsea factory.
The only other laughing child in Chelsea porcelain, kept at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, was colored in enamel at an unidentified date prior to its discovery in 1938. The piece for sale, discovered in 2011, is the only one that kept its perfect immaculate white.
We cannot predict the price of such a unique artwork. The Bonhams press release indicates that the highest price at auction for a porcelain of Chelsea is £ 223K, recorded in London in 2003.
Here is the link to the catalogue.
1753-1755 Hercules in Florence
2011 SOLD 660 K£ including premium
Meissen had started the fashion of porcelain statuettes. Doccia will link this technique with the major art of ancient and modern sculpture.
In 1737, the Florentine aristocrat Carlo Ginori had indeed established a factory in his home, the villa Doccia. Copies of masterpieces of ancient sculpture were created from casts taken from smaller versions in marble or bronze.
These large porcelain pieces are technical feats. In addition, they have certainly served as efficiently as bronzes to republish the best of ancient art.
82 cm high and made in Doccia circa 1753-1755, a Farnese Hercules in porcelain is for sale on December 7 in London by Bonhams. Estimated £ 300K, it is illustrated in the press release shared by Artdaily.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was too low for a piece of such a rarity. It was sold £ 550K before fees, 660K including premium.
In 1737, the Florentine aristocrat Carlo Ginori had indeed established a factory in his home, the villa Doccia. Copies of masterpieces of ancient sculpture were created from casts taken from smaller versions in marble or bronze.
These large porcelain pieces are technical feats. In addition, they have certainly served as efficiently as bronzes to republish the best of ancient art.
82 cm high and made in Doccia circa 1753-1755, a Farnese Hercules in porcelain is for sale on December 7 in London by Bonhams. Estimated £ 300K, it is illustrated in the press release shared by Artdaily.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was too low for a piece of such a rarity. It was sold £ 550K before fees, 660K including premium.
THE IMPERIAL PORCELAINS OF MONSIEUR POPOFF
2009 SOLD 157 K£ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Alexandre Popoff had a shop of Russian antiques in Paris, and was interested in all aspects of Russian art. His collection of porcelain from the Imperial Manufactory of St. Petersburg was exceptional and will serve as a reference for many years after their sale to be held in London at Christie's on October 12.
Porcelain is a sensual art. Popoff's expertise was such that, being blind shortly before his death in 1964, he was reputed to identify by touch the pieces of his collection.
Among the ten lots of porcelains of St. Petersburg whose estimate is close to or exceeds £ 100 K, the press release highlights a piece of which no other copy is listed.
It is a covered bulbish cup and its saucer, with the arms of Catherine the Great. This set commemorative of her accession dates from the early time of this reign which began in 1762. The cover of the cup is surmounted by a two headed eagle with several other Imperial attributes
Christie's has always managed to attract Russian buyers in their London sales and the choice of this venue makes sense. The lot discussed above is estimated £ 150 K, but we can easily imagine that the hammer will go much higher.
POST SALE COMMENT
As promised, here is the price for a unique piece of the Imperial factory of St. Petersburg: 157 K £ including premium, just below the estimate.
Another covered cup and saucer from the same factory got the same price. From the period of Paul I, it had a rich decoration.
Alexandre Popoff had a shop of Russian antiques in Paris, and was interested in all aspects of Russian art. His collection of porcelain from the Imperial Manufactory of St. Petersburg was exceptional and will serve as a reference for many years after their sale to be held in London at Christie's on October 12.
Porcelain is a sensual art. Popoff's expertise was such that, being blind shortly before his death in 1964, he was reputed to identify by touch the pieces of his collection.
Among the ten lots of porcelains of St. Petersburg whose estimate is close to or exceeds £ 100 K, the press release highlights a piece of which no other copy is listed.
It is a covered bulbish cup and its saucer, with the arms of Catherine the Great. This set commemorative of her accession dates from the early time of this reign which began in 1762. The cover of the cup is surmounted by a two headed eagle with several other Imperial attributes
Christie's has always managed to attract Russian buyers in their London sales and the choice of this venue makes sense. The lot discussed above is estimated £ 150 K, but we can easily imagine that the hammer will go much higher.
POST SALE COMMENT
As promised, here is the price for a unique piece of the Imperial factory of St. Petersburg: 157 K £ including premium, just below the estimate.
Another covered cup and saucer from the same factory got the same price. From the period of Paul I, it had a rich decoration.
1785 Sèvres Porcelain and Gilt bronze Candelabra
2008 SOLD 1.4 M€ including premium
For luxuous pieces of French furniture and furnishings of eighteenth century, Sotheby's Paris brings great decorative care to their exhibitions before sales, and their room in the Galerie Charpentier is then transformed into the interior of a palace.
The sale of October 2 will be entirely devoted to a collection.
Lot 48, a pair of candelabra, is typical of top French taste of the reign of Louis XVI and its royal origin confirms it as one of the highlights of the sale.
The main ornament of each piece is a draped caryatide figure in biscuit de Sèvres according to a model of Louis Simon Boizot, head of the sculpture workshop of the factory. It is mounted on a cylindrical base also in Sèvres, and supports five gilded bronze arm lights decorated with arabesques. The mount could be attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, who was the titular bronzier of Sèvres. The total height is 128 cm.
This pair was probably the one offered by Louis XVI in 1785 to his cousin Princess of Asturias, and was later transferred from the royal family of Spain to the very prestigious collection of Mentmore Towers.
It is estimated 800 K €.
The sale of October 2 will be entirely devoted to a collection.
Lot 48, a pair of candelabra, is typical of top French taste of the reign of Louis XVI and its royal origin confirms it as one of the highlights of the sale.
The main ornament of each piece is a draped caryatide figure in biscuit de Sèvres according to a model of Louis Simon Boizot, head of the sculpture workshop of the factory. It is mounted on a cylindrical base also in Sèvres, and supports five gilded bronze arm lights decorated with arabesques. The mount could be attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, who was the titular bronzier of Sèvres. The total height is 128 cm.
This pair was probably the one offered by Louis XVI in 1785 to his cousin Princess of Asturias, and was later transferred from the royal family of Spain to the very prestigious collection of Mentmore Towers.
It is estimated 800 K €.
1785 DOWN BY THE LOIRE RIVER
2008 SOLD 17.5 K€ BEFORE FEES
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The sale of a homogeneous collection is a good opportunity to compare objects between them and try to identify on which characteristics some of them are more expensive than others.
The sale devoted to the faïences de Nevers on the subject of Loire river boats, organized by Néret-Minet et Tessier at Drouot on June 13 is a good example. Some items were presented at the Drouot Temps Forts (Highlights) exhibition which recently closed its doors (and there, more generally speaking, let us be frank, I was not excited).
It is one of the most popular and most interesting features of French ceramics from the late eighteenth century. The main character of this imagery is the bridge of Nevers, whose arches are easily recognisable from a dish to another. I do not know what became the bridge afterwards. If there is a Nivernais or Nivernophile who reads this article, it is nice to let us know.
The imagery of the bridge and boats is often accompanied by an image of saint and a short text identifying the person for whom the ceramics was completed and the date of manufacture.
Lot 122, estimated 12 K €, is a bowl in faïence de Nevers of 1785, 35 cm in diameter, showing a series of boats. It is the top estimate of the sale. The bridge is not shown. Its composition leaves a void at its centre, for this reason it is not my favorite. Its uniqueness is that the boats met in a scene of boat guiding. This makes it a rarity.
At 32 cm in diameter, we find several lots of classical composition for this theme, colorful and well balanced. It is difficult to choose between these similar parts, and indeed their estimates are very close to each other (between 5 and 6 K €). Distributed throughout the sale to maintain the momentum, these lots are numbered 121, 165, 168, 193. We'll see if the tiny differences in the condition announced in the catalogue have an impact on the choice of buyers.
The figure of a saint installed at the centre of Lot 151, estimated 6 K €, can attract fans.
One might think that rare figures generate easily the best price, so I will not be surprised if outsiders make nice overvalues. In such sales, the best connoisseur is the buyer.
POST SALE COMMENT
All lots that I spotted were sold. The best prices are:
at 17.5 K € on lot 122, which had been announced as having the most original topic;
and 11 and 10.2 K €, on two pieces for which the catalogue announced small defects.
The others come as expected: between 5.2 and 6.2 K €.
The interest that connoisseurs have brought to the topics thus prevailed over the perfection of the condition (and perhaps also over the aesthetic effect). It demonstrates the cultural characteristics of such a collection. It's very good.
Prices do not include fees.
The sale of a homogeneous collection is a good opportunity to compare objects between them and try to identify on which characteristics some of them are more expensive than others.
The sale devoted to the faïences de Nevers on the subject of Loire river boats, organized by Néret-Minet et Tessier at Drouot on June 13 is a good example. Some items were presented at the Drouot Temps Forts (Highlights) exhibition which recently closed its doors (and there, more generally speaking, let us be frank, I was not excited).
It is one of the most popular and most interesting features of French ceramics from the late eighteenth century. The main character of this imagery is the bridge of Nevers, whose arches are easily recognisable from a dish to another. I do not know what became the bridge afterwards. If there is a Nivernais or Nivernophile who reads this article, it is nice to let us know.
The imagery of the bridge and boats is often accompanied by an image of saint and a short text identifying the person for whom the ceramics was completed and the date of manufacture.
Lot 122, estimated 12 K €, is a bowl in faïence de Nevers of 1785, 35 cm in diameter, showing a series of boats. It is the top estimate of the sale. The bridge is not shown. Its composition leaves a void at its centre, for this reason it is not my favorite. Its uniqueness is that the boats met in a scene of boat guiding. This makes it a rarity.
At 32 cm in diameter, we find several lots of classical composition for this theme, colorful and well balanced. It is difficult to choose between these similar parts, and indeed their estimates are very close to each other (between 5 and 6 K €). Distributed throughout the sale to maintain the momentum, these lots are numbered 121, 165, 168, 193. We'll see if the tiny differences in the condition announced in the catalogue have an impact on the choice of buyers.
The figure of a saint installed at the centre of Lot 151, estimated 6 K €, can attract fans.
One might think that rare figures generate easily the best price, so I will not be surprised if outsiders make nice overvalues. In such sales, the best connoisseur is the buyer.
POST SALE COMMENT
All lots that I spotted were sold. The best prices are:
at 17.5 K € on lot 122, which had been announced as having the most original topic;
and 11 and 10.2 K €, on two pieces for which the catalogue announced small defects.
The others come as expected: between 5.2 and 6.2 K €.
The interest that connoisseurs have brought to the topics thus prevailed over the perfection of the condition (and perhaps also over the aesthetic effect). It demonstrates the cultural characteristics of such a collection. It's very good.
Prices do not include fees.
1787 Milk Art in Sèvres
2011 SOLD 1.1 M€ including premium
Marie-Antoinette considered that the top chic was to dress up as a farm working woman in the Hameau de la Reine, which was built for her in the park of Versailles. She was milking cows or ewes royally pampered for her use. This caprice was echoed in the productions of porcelain from the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres.
King Louis XVI lamented his wife's disdain for the château of Rambouillet. He tried to install a dairy such as in Versailles and commissioned a Sèvres service. From 1787, the factory completed 65 pieces of hard porcelain for this set. The Revolution interrupted the work, obviously, and the existing pieces were scattered.
A milk jug 25 cm high is presented for sale in Paris on February 11 by Aguttes. Designed by Jean-Jacques Lagrenée, it is a large ewer in neo-Etruscan style. A revolving scene shows two young people in antique dress, between two strips of stylized palms and floral motifs. The boy gives drink to a goat, another goat accepts vine leaves offered by the girl. The solid handle is a goat protome whose horns join the top of the pot.
This piece is not a royal memory, since it was not used. Under these conditions, the estimate of € 200K may seem ambitious.
POST SALE COMMENT
My article was too cautious. This piece was much more exceptional than I had imagined. It was sold € 1.1 million including premium. This result was published on the blog of the auctioneer, also indicating that it could be classified (French) Trésor National in the coming days.
King Louis XVI lamented his wife's disdain for the château of Rambouillet. He tried to install a dairy such as in Versailles and commissioned a Sèvres service. From 1787, the factory completed 65 pieces of hard porcelain for this set. The Revolution interrupted the work, obviously, and the existing pieces were scattered.
A milk jug 25 cm high is presented for sale in Paris on February 11 by Aguttes. Designed by Jean-Jacques Lagrenée, it is a large ewer in neo-Etruscan style. A revolving scene shows two young people in antique dress, between two strips of stylized palms and floral motifs. The boy gives drink to a goat, another goat accepts vine leaves offered by the girl. The solid handle is a goat protome whose horns join the top of the pot.
This piece is not a royal memory, since it was not used. Under these conditions, the estimate of € 200K may seem ambitious.
POST SALE COMMENT
My article was too cautious. This piece was much more exceptional than I had imagined. It was sold € 1.1 million including premium. This result was published on the blog of the auctioneer, also indicating that it could be classified (French) Trésor National in the coming days.
1811 Imperial Sèvres
2011 SOLD 980 K€ including premium
The Manufacture de porcelaines de Sèvres (Sèvres porcelain factory) had been royal and subsequently imperial. Specializing in hard paste porcelain, it was directed by Alexandre Brongniart, a chemist and mineralogist who was developing new techniques of polychrome painting.
Napoléon, always concerned with luxury and always ready to promote his family has commissioned in 1811 a pair of vases to be presented to his younger brother Jérôme, King of Westphalia.
Of "Medicis" shape, 66 cm high, they are decorated with gentle scenes located in the vicinity of Sèvres. On one of them, the emperor and his young wife Marie-Louise go by carriage in front of the castle of Saint-Cloud. On the other, he is riding with some courtiers in hunting dress in the hills over the Seine valley. Both paintings are signed by Jean-François Robert.
This exceptional pair of imperial vases is estimated € 500K, for sale in Paris on October 26 by Sotheby's in collaboration with Piasa. Here is the link to the catalog page.
POST SALE COMMENT
The Imperial origin helped this beautiful pair of vases to achieve a remarkable price: € 980K including premium.
Napoléon, always concerned with luxury and always ready to promote his family has commissioned in 1811 a pair of vases to be presented to his younger brother Jérôme, King of Westphalia.
Of "Medicis" shape, 66 cm high, they are decorated with gentle scenes located in the vicinity of Sèvres. On one of them, the emperor and his young wife Marie-Louise go by carriage in front of the castle of Saint-Cloud. On the other, he is riding with some courtiers in hunting dress in the hills over the Seine valley. Both paintings are signed by Jean-François Robert.
This exceptional pair of imperial vases is estimated € 500K, for sale in Paris on October 26 by Sotheby's in collaboration with Piasa. Here is the link to the catalog page.
POST SALE COMMENT
The Imperial origin helped this beautiful pair of vases to achieve a remarkable price: € 980K including premium.
1816 THE DEJEUNER FROM SEVRES
2010 SOLD 121 K£ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The abundant production of the Sèvres factory is usually easy to recognize. The use of the kaolin deposits from the region of Limoges had allowed the introduction of hard porcelain in France. It is finely painted, and the authors of the models and images are often identified.
The themes in fashion do not change as fast as the political regimes. After Waterloo, the Greco-Roman inspiration so great during the Empire was finding new customers.
On June 10 in London, Christie's sells the wedding gift presented by Louis XVIII to the wife of his nephew. It is a dejeuner, meaning the service of pots and cups needed for breakfast. Its record in December 1816 in the archives of Sèvres has been preserved and provides evidence that it remained complete.
It includes, presented on a tray : a teapot, a sugar bowl, a milk jug and four cups, with their associated covers and saucers. The tray, 52 x 43 cm, is illustrated by a copy of the most prestigious Roman cameo of the Royal library, on the subject of the apotheosis of Augustus. The other pieces are illustrated with various portraits in imitation of antique cameos.
The set is estimated £ 100K.
POST SALE COMMENT
This interesting set was sold at the expected price: 121 K £ including premium.
The abundant production of the Sèvres factory is usually easy to recognize. The use of the kaolin deposits from the region of Limoges had allowed the introduction of hard porcelain in France. It is finely painted, and the authors of the models and images are often identified.
The themes in fashion do not change as fast as the political regimes. After Waterloo, the Greco-Roman inspiration so great during the Empire was finding new customers.
On June 10 in London, Christie's sells the wedding gift presented by Louis XVIII to the wife of his nephew. It is a dejeuner, meaning the service of pots and cups needed for breakfast. Its record in December 1816 in the archives of Sèvres has been preserved and provides evidence that it remained complete.
It includes, presented on a tray : a teapot, a sugar bowl, a milk jug and four cups, with their associated covers and saucers. The tray, 52 x 43 cm, is illustrated by a copy of the most prestigious Roman cameo of the Royal library, on the subject of the apotheosis of Augustus. The other pieces are illustrated with various portraits in imitation of antique cameos.
The set is estimated £ 100K.
POST SALE COMMENT
This interesting set was sold at the expected price: 121 K £ including premium.
1825 Transition in St. Petersburg
2018 unsold
Art lover, Tsar Alexander I is sorry for the decay of the imperial porcelain factory of St. Petersburg, one of the oldest in Europe, created by the Empress Elizabeth in 1744.
His very effective head of cabinet the Count Guryev is commissioned for restoring to this production a prestige worthy of the emperor. He hires skilled technicians and artists from Berlin and Sèvres. Painter on porcelain in Sèvres from 1802 to 1813, Swebach is in Saint Petersburg from 1815 to 1817.
The activity of the factory during the reign of Alexander is dominated by the plates decorated in a neoclassical style. The collections of its museum include a small gilt porcelain vase 57 cm high painted in enamel by Swebach with a hunting scene copying an oil picture from the imperial collection. This piece already has the shape with ovoid body and two added handles and the type of decoration that will make the greatest fame of the monumental presentation porcelains during the next reign.
The technological development of this production line is attributable to the reign of Alexander. When he dies in autumn 1825 the factory realizes a vase to pay tribute to him, with his profile on one side and the word Russia inside a globe on the other side. This 2 m high piece of porcelain was an unprecedented technical feat throughout Europe.
On June 5 in London, Sotheby's sells a pair of vases 1.37 m high with handles, lot 414 estimated £ 1M. Each vase is decorated with a landscape signed by a painter of the factory, respectively Kornilov and Stoletov, and dated 1825.
The original pictures in the style of Karl von Kügelgen have not been identified. 1825 is certainly the date of the porcelain painting. They do not carry an imperial monogram and must be positioned at the end of the reign of Alexander. The access to power by Nicholas I was close to trigger a civil war and an operation of prestige for this new Tsar appears indeed as unthinkable at that date.
His very effective head of cabinet the Count Guryev is commissioned for restoring to this production a prestige worthy of the emperor. He hires skilled technicians and artists from Berlin and Sèvres. Painter on porcelain in Sèvres from 1802 to 1813, Swebach is in Saint Petersburg from 1815 to 1817.
The activity of the factory during the reign of Alexander is dominated by the plates decorated in a neoclassical style. The collections of its museum include a small gilt porcelain vase 57 cm high painted in enamel by Swebach with a hunting scene copying an oil picture from the imperial collection. This piece already has the shape with ovoid body and two added handles and the type of decoration that will make the greatest fame of the monumental presentation porcelains during the next reign.
The technological development of this production line is attributable to the reign of Alexander. When he dies in autumn 1825 the factory realizes a vase to pay tribute to him, with his profile on one side and the word Russia inside a globe on the other side. This 2 m high piece of porcelain was an unprecedented technical feat throughout Europe.
On June 5 in London, Sotheby's sells a pair of vases 1.37 m high with handles, lot 414 estimated £ 1M. Each vase is decorated with a landscape signed by a painter of the factory, respectively Kornilov and Stoletov, and dated 1825.
The original pictures in the style of Karl von Kügelgen have not been identified. 1825 is certainly the date of the porcelain painting. They do not carry an imperial monogram and must be positioned at the end of the reign of Alexander. The access to power by Nicholas I was close to trigger a civil war and an operation of prestige for this new Tsar appears indeed as unthinkable at that date.
1835-1836 WOUWERMAN AND KORNILOV
2011 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Following the example of Sèvres, the Imperial Porcelain Factory of St. Petersburg produced during the reign ofNicholas I painted vases whose quality would match the painting on canvas.
Executed two centuries earlier, the picturesque scenes of country life by Philips Wouwerman, well represented in the collection of Catherine II, served as models. The copies on vases made by Kornilov were to become the bestclaim to fame of Wouwerman on the art market.
On June 10, 2009, Sotheby's sold £ 2.6 million including premium a pair of vases 1.50 m high executed in 1848.
Another pair of two-handled vases is for sale by Christie's in London on November 28. Also painted by Kornilov copying Wouwerman, they are earlier, 1835 and 1836, and almost as high, 1.37 m. In compliance with the traditions at the court of the Tsars, they were used as presentation gifts to the Austrian ambassador.
This lot is estimated (ambitiously) £ 1.7 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
Unsold. Too expensive, as I said.
However, in the same sale, another pair of Imperial vases was sold £ 1.05 million including premium over its estimate of £ 500K.
Following the example of Sèvres, the Imperial Porcelain Factory of St. Petersburg produced during the reign ofNicholas I painted vases whose quality would match the painting on canvas.
Executed two centuries earlier, the picturesque scenes of country life by Philips Wouwerman, well represented in the collection of Catherine II, served as models. The copies on vases made by Kornilov were to become the bestclaim to fame of Wouwerman on the art market.
On June 10, 2009, Sotheby's sold £ 2.6 million including premium a pair of vases 1.50 m high executed in 1848.
Another pair of two-handled vases is for sale by Christie's in London on November 28. Also painted by Kornilov copying Wouwerman, they are earlier, 1835 and 1836, and almost as high, 1.37 m. In compliance with the traditions at the court of the Tsars, they were used as presentation gifts to the Austrian ambassador.
This lot is estimated (ambitiously) £ 1.7 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
Unsold. Too expensive, as I said.
However, in the same sale, another pair of Imperial vases was sold £ 1.05 million including premium over its estimate of £ 500K.
1836 THE IMPERIAL PORCELAINS OF NICHOLAS I
2011 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Nicholas I sponsored the porcelains. During his reign, the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory of St Petersburg was at its height.
At that time, the colors were well controlled. The artists of the factory decorated the pieces by hand by carefullycopying paintings of imperial themes. The results were presented to the Tsar himself.
The technical feats were encouraged. I have discussed previously in this group a pair of vases 1.50 m high, dated 1848, sold £ 2.6 million including premium by Sotheby's on 10 June 2009. They were illustrated with bucolic scenes copied from paintings of the imperial collection.
Another pair of gilt porcelain vases, dated 1836, 92 cm high, spindle-shaped with luxurious handles, should also please the market. Each piece includes an oval reserve with an imperial bust-length portrait, from paintings by Franz Krüger: Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna on one of them and her father the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III on the other.
This lot is estimated $ 1.5 million in the sale of the Safra collection, organized by Sotheby's in New York from October 18 to 21. The catalog is shared by the auction house.
Nicholas I sponsored the porcelains. During his reign, the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory of St Petersburg was at its height.
At that time, the colors were well controlled. The artists of the factory decorated the pieces by hand by carefullycopying paintings of imperial themes. The results were presented to the Tsar himself.
The technical feats were encouraged. I have discussed previously in this group a pair of vases 1.50 m high, dated 1848, sold £ 2.6 million including premium by Sotheby's on 10 June 2009. They were illustrated with bucolic scenes copied from paintings of the imperial collection.
Another pair of gilt porcelain vases, dated 1836, 92 cm high, spindle-shaped with luxurious handles, should also please the market. Each piece includes an oval reserve with an imperial bust-length portrait, from paintings by Franz Krüger: Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna on one of them and her father the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III on the other.
This lot is estimated $ 1.5 million in the sale of the Safra collection, organized by Sotheby's in New York from October 18 to 21. The catalog is shared by the auction house.
A SCOTTISH PIG
2008 SOLD 5.8 K£ BEFORE FEES
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Press releases are made to be copied. So I cannot resist the pleasure to forward this one, found at Bonhams. No additional comment needed. Enjoy !
"Forty years after a large 19th century ‘Wemyss Ware’ pig was bought at auction for £2.10 – Bonhams expects to sell it for £3,000-5,000. The rare and now valuable piece of pottery will be sold at Bonhams annual Scottish Sale on28 August 2008 at 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh – the company’s new auction rooms.
"The vendor of the Wemyss pig, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalls: “When I first got married, 40 years ago, my late husband sent me to buy a bed at an auction. We had £70 to furnish our whole house, but I couldn’t resist this pig, so I bought it for £2.10. When I got home my husbands response was: ‘Well, we’re going to get a good night’s sleep on that!’”
"The 45cm-long pig is believed to be unique because of its Apple style pattern. Bonhams’ Edinburgh-based European Ceramics and Glass specialist, Ian Glennie, explains: “The Apples decoration is known to have been produced on small pigs, but not on the large ones.”
"Wemyss Ware is probably the most attractive and sought-after Scottish pottery. It was first produced in Fife in 1882 and was named after the Wemyss family of the local Wemyss castle. Nineteenth century Fife made pigs come in three varieties: small (sometimes with money bank slots or nozzle in the snout for use as a spirit flask), small sleeping and large – also known as ‘Nursery pigs’ as they were often used as toys or door-stoppers.
"The vendor may yet get her good night’s sleep if all goes well on 28 August 2008."
POST SALE COMMENT
This result will appeal to both fans of curiosity and to humorists: 5.8 K£ excluding costs for this single large pig with apples.
Press releases are made to be copied. So I cannot resist the pleasure to forward this one, found at Bonhams. No additional comment needed. Enjoy !
"Forty years after a large 19th century ‘Wemyss Ware’ pig was bought at auction for £2.10 – Bonhams expects to sell it for £3,000-5,000. The rare and now valuable piece of pottery will be sold at Bonhams annual Scottish Sale on28 August 2008 at 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh – the company’s new auction rooms.
"The vendor of the Wemyss pig, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalls: “When I first got married, 40 years ago, my late husband sent me to buy a bed at an auction. We had £70 to furnish our whole house, but I couldn’t resist this pig, so I bought it for £2.10. When I got home my husbands response was: ‘Well, we’re going to get a good night’s sleep on that!’”
"The 45cm-long pig is believed to be unique because of its Apple style pattern. Bonhams’ Edinburgh-based European Ceramics and Glass specialist, Ian Glennie, explains: “The Apples decoration is known to have been produced on small pigs, but not on the large ones.”
"Wemyss Ware is probably the most attractive and sought-after Scottish pottery. It was first produced in Fife in 1882 and was named after the Wemyss family of the local Wemyss castle. Nineteenth century Fife made pigs come in three varieties: small (sometimes with money bank slots or nozzle in the snout for use as a spirit flask), small sleeping and large – also known as ‘Nursery pigs’ as they were often used as toys or door-stoppers.
"The vendor may yet get her good night’s sleep if all goes well on 28 August 2008."
POST SALE COMMENT
This result will appeal to both fans of curiosity and to humorists: 5.8 K£ excluding costs for this single large pig with apples.
1887 NEOGOTHIC BIRDS
2010 SOLD 23.7 K$ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
People loved the grotesque in the late nineteenth century. Today too, since we rediscovered the stoneware birds ofMartin brothers.
They were four brothers, who managed from 1873 to 1915 a large pottery workshop in Southall, Middlesex. On the sidelines of a classic business, they made for many years some stoneware tobacco jars taking the form of grotesque animals whose head is the cover.
Their birds have an austere and serious look, reinforced by their very long beaks and strange eyes. Who were they? They have in fact no more zoological meaning than the fantasies of Viollet le Duc or Carriès. They are made to display fun.
In Boston on October 24, 2009, two of them aroused a big surprise at Skinner, which is nevertheless a well experienced auction house. They were sold 83 K $ including premium for the first one (1889, 26 cm high) and 59 K $ including premium for its fellow (1888). They had been estimated $ 12 K each.
On January 9, the same auction house is trying its luck again, with a specimen of 20 cm, dated 1887. The success being a key for expertise, they give it now the best place in their press release and allocate an estimate of $ 20K.
Here is the catalog page with a photo of the object, shared by Skinner and by LiveAuctioneers.
POST SALE COMMENT
This time, the auction house was right on target: this strange bird has just been sold at its low estimate, $ 20 K (23.7 K $ including premium).
In October, the most expensive was also the weirdest. Moreover, it had benefited from its belonging to a great collection that Skinner dispersed on that day. As I often say, a result is not a rate.
People loved the grotesque in the late nineteenth century. Today too, since we rediscovered the stoneware birds ofMartin brothers.
They were four brothers, who managed from 1873 to 1915 a large pottery workshop in Southall, Middlesex. On the sidelines of a classic business, they made for many years some stoneware tobacco jars taking the form of grotesque animals whose head is the cover.
Their birds have an austere and serious look, reinforced by their very long beaks and strange eyes. Who were they? They have in fact no more zoological meaning than the fantasies of Viollet le Duc or Carriès. They are made to display fun.
In Boston on October 24, 2009, two of them aroused a big surprise at Skinner, which is nevertheless a well experienced auction house. They were sold 83 K $ including premium for the first one (1889, 26 cm high) and 59 K $ including premium for its fellow (1888). They had been estimated $ 12 K each.
On January 9, the same auction house is trying its luck again, with a specimen of 20 cm, dated 1887. The success being a key for expertise, they give it now the best place in their press release and allocate an estimate of $ 20K.
Here is the catalog page with a photo of the object, shared by Skinner and by LiveAuctioneers.
POST SALE COMMENT
This time, the auction house was right on target: this strange bird has just been sold at its low estimate, $ 20 K (23.7 K $ including premium).
In October, the most expensive was also the weirdest. Moreover, it had benefited from its belonging to a great collection that Skinner dispersed on that day. As I often say, a result is not a rate.
1910 A POTTER IN UTOPIA
2014 SOLD 570 K$ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
EG Lewis was a US utopian who had acquired wealth by publishing magazines for women. He created University City on the site of the 1904 exhibition of St. Louis with the intention to promote popular arts.
In 1910, kilns are installed in University City. Born into a family of English potters, FH Rhead, emigrated to the United States in 1902, is invited to teach pottery.
On April 29 in Pasadena, John Moran sells a tall baluster vase with flared neck made in 1910 in University City by FH Rhead and his wife Agnes. This piece of ceramic 45 cm high is decorated in colored enamels with a peacock in branches. It also bears the mark of the American Women's League, a short-lived organization also created by Lewis to support his utopian visions.
This vase is estimated over $ 70K and illustrated in the release shared by Antique Trader.
1910 was a great year of creativity for Rhead. On October 27, 2012, Rago had sold for $ 640K including premium a panel composed of four tiles 53 cm each, also decorated with a peacock.
The adventure of the University City art community was terminated in the following year by a bankruptcy but did not end the American career of Rhead. Executed in California around 1915, a vase decorated with stylized trees at sunset was sold for $ 520K including premium by David Rago on 10 March 2006 (the 2007 year reported by Wikipedia is an error).
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, $ 475K before fees, is consistent with the best results recorded for this artist.
EG Lewis was a US utopian who had acquired wealth by publishing magazines for women. He created University City on the site of the 1904 exhibition of St. Louis with the intention to promote popular arts.
In 1910, kilns are installed in University City. Born into a family of English potters, FH Rhead, emigrated to the United States in 1902, is invited to teach pottery.
On April 29 in Pasadena, John Moran sells a tall baluster vase with flared neck made in 1910 in University City by FH Rhead and his wife Agnes. This piece of ceramic 45 cm high is decorated in colored enamels with a peacock in branches. It also bears the mark of the American Women's League, a short-lived organization also created by Lewis to support his utopian visions.
This vase is estimated over $ 70K and illustrated in the release shared by Antique Trader.
1910 was a great year of creativity for Rhead. On October 27, 2012, Rago had sold for $ 640K including premium a panel composed of four tiles 53 cm each, also decorated with a peacock.
The adventure of the University City art community was terminated in the following year by a bankruptcy but did not end the American career of Rhead. Executed in California around 1915, a vase decorated with stylized trees at sunset was sold for $ 520K including premium by David Rago on 10 March 2006 (the 2007 year reported by Wikipedia is an error).
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, $ 475K before fees, is consistent with the best results recorded for this artist.
1924 CHARLES CATTEAU FOR BOCH KERAMIS
2009 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Charles Catteau was one of the best potters of the Art Déco period. He did all his work in the service of the Manufacture Boch Frères Keramis in La Louvière, Belgium. His vast output includes no less than 550 shapes and 2300 decorations.
At auction, collections of works by Catteau are attracting an increasing attention. In one of my first blog previews, I pointed out a set of 800 pieces submitted by Massol in Paris on 21 and 22 February 2008. The highest price, 30 K € excluding fees, had been brought on sandstone vases decorated with animals.
The sale of Pierre Bergé et Associés in Brussels will last two days, June 6 and 7, and includes 555 ceramics of Catteau. The provenance is exceptional, as this collection was assembled by the President of the Fondation Charles Catteau during the ten years he has devoted to preparing the catalogue raisonné of the artist.
The masterpiece of the sale, estimated 140 K €, is a large vase 49 cm high in three colors, probably unique, decorated with a continuous circular frieze of six birds of prey in flight. The body half hidden by the strong beaked head is extended to the top of the vase by very long linear wings , and down by the claws and the tail. The vase is ovoid with a small neck.
This vase was made in 1924, a key period of the work of Catteau, who received a gold medal at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et industriels modernes in Paris in 1925.
Charles Catteau was one of the best potters of the Art Déco period. He did all his work in the service of the Manufacture Boch Frères Keramis in La Louvière, Belgium. His vast output includes no less than 550 shapes and 2300 decorations.
At auction, collections of works by Catteau are attracting an increasing attention. In one of my first blog previews, I pointed out a set of 800 pieces submitted by Massol in Paris on 21 and 22 February 2008. The highest price, 30 K € excluding fees, had been brought on sandstone vases decorated with animals.
The sale of Pierre Bergé et Associés in Brussels will last two days, June 6 and 7, and includes 555 ceramics of Catteau. The provenance is exceptional, as this collection was assembled by the President of the Fondation Charles Catteau during the ten years he has devoted to preparing the catalogue raisonné of the artist.
The masterpiece of the sale, estimated 140 K €, is a large vase 49 cm high in three colors, probably unique, decorated with a continuous circular frieze of six birds of prey in flight. The body half hidden by the strong beaked head is extended to the top of the vase by very long linear wings , and down by the claws and the tail. The vase is ovoid with a small neck.
This vase was made in 1924, a key period of the work of Catteau, who received a gold medal at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et industriels modernes in Paris in 1925.
1954 women around a vase
2018 sold for £ 490k including premium
A Grand Vase by Picasso was sold for $ 445K including premium by Sotheby's on April 27, 2017, lot 4. It is now estimated £ 350K for sale by Christie's in London on February 28, lot 504. The discussion below is based on my previous article with additional information on the specific position of this piece in the series.
Picasso newly installed in Vallauris is initiated to the art of terracotta by his neighbors Suzanne and Georges Ramié who will edit his important work as a ceramist under the brand of their workshop Madoura or Madoura Plein Feu.
From 1947 to 1949 Pablo explores his new artistic language by decorating with engobe, enamel or paint the chargers and pitchers shaped by the craftsmen. The culmination of this phase is the design of three Grands Vases in 1950, later edited in 25 copies each plus a few prototypes and artist's proofs.
The three vases have the same globular form surmounted by a wide open truncated cone, meeting the desire of the artist to support the shape of the human body, wide at the shoulders and round at the buttocks. Picasso rediscovers or imitates the parietal art that used the form of the rock wall to create the figuration, and the Chinese art where a narration is obtained by unfolding the scroll.
The first two prototypes have the same height, 64 cm, and are dated from the same month, May 1950. Their themes are complementary: Grand vase aux femmes voilées and Grand vase aux femmes nues. The veiled woman is funny : she is seen full front and dressed on one side, from the back and full nude on the opposite side, and partially naked on the intercalary images.
The third and last design with that shape of vase, dated from the following month, is slightly higher : 70 cm. This Grand vase aux danseurs displays naked male fauns.
The prototype of the Femmes voilées was sold for £ 980K including premium by Christie's on June 19, 2013. The serial number 2 that is now coming for sale is the first in the series of 25 edited in 1954 and so appears as a prototype for the final colors. It is 66 cm high.
A copy of the Femmes voilées that had been kept in the Madoura collection was sold for £ 740K including premium on June 25, 2012 by Christie's.
A Grand vase aux femmes nues from the Attenborough collection was sold for £ 730K including premium by Sotheby's on November 22, 2016. A Grand vase aux danseurs was sold for £ 510K including premium by Christie's on February 5, 2014.
Picasso newly installed in Vallauris is initiated to the art of terracotta by his neighbors Suzanne and Georges Ramié who will edit his important work as a ceramist under the brand of their workshop Madoura or Madoura Plein Feu.
From 1947 to 1949 Pablo explores his new artistic language by decorating with engobe, enamel or paint the chargers and pitchers shaped by the craftsmen. The culmination of this phase is the design of three Grands Vases in 1950, later edited in 25 copies each plus a few prototypes and artist's proofs.
The three vases have the same globular form surmounted by a wide open truncated cone, meeting the desire of the artist to support the shape of the human body, wide at the shoulders and round at the buttocks. Picasso rediscovers or imitates the parietal art that used the form of the rock wall to create the figuration, and the Chinese art where a narration is obtained by unfolding the scroll.
The first two prototypes have the same height, 64 cm, and are dated from the same month, May 1950. Their themes are complementary: Grand vase aux femmes voilées and Grand vase aux femmes nues. The veiled woman is funny : she is seen full front and dressed on one side, from the back and full nude on the opposite side, and partially naked on the intercalary images.
The third and last design with that shape of vase, dated from the following month, is slightly higher : 70 cm. This Grand vase aux danseurs displays naked male fauns.
The prototype of the Femmes voilées was sold for £ 980K including premium by Christie's on June 19, 2013. The serial number 2 that is now coming for sale is the first in the series of 25 edited in 1954 and so appears as a prototype for the final colors. It is 66 cm high.
A copy of the Femmes voilées that had been kept in the Madoura collection was sold for £ 740K including premium on June 25, 2012 by Christie's.
A Grand vase aux femmes nues from the Attenborough collection was sold for £ 730K including premium by Sotheby's on November 22, 2016. A Grand vase aux danseurs was sold for £ 510K including premium by Christie's on February 5, 2014.
1957 big birds in Vallauris
2014 unsold
Visiting the exhibition of local ceramic workshops at Vallauris in 1946, Picasso was keenly excited by the freedom of shapes and colors. He saw new developments for his own art. His cooperation with the Madoura workshop of Suzanne and Georges Ramié lasted 25 years and produced 4000 originals including 633 models edited between 25 and 500 copies each.
Pablo is not a worker but an artist. He enjoys ruffling the productions underway to increase the zoomorphic effects and painting over previously completed pieces. His technical liberty generates defects that do not disturb him.
The Picasso-Madoura cooperation is altogether artistic, popular, prolific, playful and lasting. This new desire to mold the raw material is also the source of his gold and silver wares, this time with François Hugo.
Oval vases with cornet neck are spectacular. Made in 1950, the prototype of the Grand vase aux femmes voilées, 64 cm high, was sold for £ 980K including premium at Christie's on 19 June 2013. It was edited in 25 copies. One of them was sold for £ 735K including premium at Christie's on June 25, 2012.
The Gros Oiseau designed in 1951 is an ovoid vase with flared neck and foot, well suited to show Pablo's owl whose wings are the handles. The body is decorated with a face. A hors série copy au visage noir was sold for £ 315K including premium by Christie's on February 5, 2014.
On October 23 in Paris, Christie's sells a vase of the same shape created by Picasso in 1957, 52 cm high, where the head of a faun supersedes the black face. Pablo enjoyed this unique piece that he kept for his personal use and it was not edited. This vase is estimated € 350K, lot 18.
Pablo is not a worker but an artist. He enjoys ruffling the productions underway to increase the zoomorphic effects and painting over previously completed pieces. His technical liberty generates defects that do not disturb him.
The Picasso-Madoura cooperation is altogether artistic, popular, prolific, playful and lasting. This new desire to mold the raw material is also the source of his gold and silver wares, this time with François Hugo.
Oval vases with cornet neck are spectacular. Made in 1950, the prototype of the Grand vase aux femmes voilées, 64 cm high, was sold for £ 980K including premium at Christie's on 19 June 2013. It was edited in 25 copies. One of them was sold for £ 735K including premium at Christie's on June 25, 2012.
The Gros Oiseau designed in 1951 is an ovoid vase with flared neck and foot, well suited to show Pablo's owl whose wings are the handles. The body is decorated with a face. A hors série copy au visage noir was sold for £ 315K including premium by Christie's on February 5, 2014.
On October 23 in Paris, Christie's sells a vase of the same shape created by Picasso in 1957, 52 cm high, where the head of a faun supersedes the black face. Pablo enjoyed this unique piece that he kept for his personal use and it was not edited. This vase is estimated € 350K, lot 18.