This late 17th century Italian table top in the manner of Cosimo Fanzago comes up at Sotheby’s Stone III sale online in London from January 3-19. It is estimated at £50,000-70,000. Exquisite works of art, objects and pieces furniture made of, or incorporating, marbles, hardstones and micromosaics feature in an auction which explores the incredibly rich use of these materials in European Decorative Arts, with an emphasis on their rarity, colour and craftmanship.
The practice of painting on mirrors developed in China after 1715 when the Jesuit missionary Father Giuseppe Castiglione arrived in Beijing. He found favour with the Emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong and was entrusted with the decoration of the Imperial Garden in Beijing. He learned to paint in oil on glass, a technique that was already practiced in Europe but which was unknown in China in 1715. Chinese artists, already expert in painting and calligraphy, took up the practice, tracing the outlines of their designs on the back of the plate and, using a special steel implement, scraping away the mirror backing to reveal glass that could then be painted. Glass paintings were made almost entirely for export, fuelled by the mania in Europe for all things Chinese.
This c1760 mirror in a beautifully drawn giltwood frame following the designs of London’s pre-eminent cabinet-makers such as John Linnell or Thomas Chippendale represents the ingenuity and collaboration between Chinese and British artists of the mid-18th century. From the collection of Pierre Durand it comes up at Christie’s in New York on January 27 with an estimate of $100,000-$200,000. The late philanthropist and collector co-founded The Chinese Porcelain Company. The sale offers a glimpse into a life well lived with objects and art and features the contents of his New York apartment which artistically combined walls of gallery-hung Old Master Drawings with contemporary glass by Yoichi Ohira, and contrasted Chinese paintings by Liu Dan with fine French and English decorative arts.
This Chinese cinnabar vase is lot 56 at Matthews annual holiday auction online on December 30. It will feature 896 lots of jewellery, silver, art and collectibles. The catalogue is online and the vase is estimated at €50-€80. The sale will be followed on January 2 with a timed online vintage costume and jewellery auction.
This oil on canvas portrait by the Irish artist Charles Jervas comes up at Sotheby’s online Royal and Noble sale in London which ends on January 20 with an estimate of £4,000-6,000. The sitter is said to be Catherine, Lady Paisley, wife of James Hamilton, Lord Paisley. Born in Co. Offaly Jervas succeeded Sir Godfrey Kneller as principal painter in ordinary to King George I in 1723 and was a popular artist often referred to in works by literary figures of the period. His portraits of his friends Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope are in the National Portrait Gallery in London. Bidding for the Royal and Noble sale opens on January 3.
Sales at Christie’s totalled $7.1 billion in 2021, the highest total for five years. The highest value work sold at auction this year, Picasso’s Femme Assise pres d’une fenetre (Marie-Therese), sold at Christie’s in New York last May for $103.4 million. The auction house achieved $150 million for NFT’s and it was a record year for private sales. Results were +54% versus 2020 and +22% versus 2019. Live and online sales accounted for $5.4 billion and private sales came to $1.7 billion.
Guillaume Cerutti, Christie’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased with our 2021 achievements. Beyond our auction and private sales results -which are exceptional, Christie’s has also made a breakthrough in new sales formats and categories, NFTS in particular. They have allowed us to showcase works by new emerging and under-represented artists, and to reach out to a new audience of younger clients. We have also made great progress in other priorities, with important investments in Asia and with our commitments to becoming carbon net zero by 2030, and to building and sustaining a more equitable and diverse profile for our company. Growth, innovation and responsibility remain at the forefront of our objectives for 2022.”
Only 16 complete Ming Dragon Carpets are known to exist. At Christie’s Exceptional Sale in Paris last month one of the sold for €6,881,000 nearly double its low estimate. It depicts two five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl with scrolling clouds above and rolling waves beneath. Like all Ming carpets, this example was once a dark imperial red which has now faded to a golden yellow.
Bought by an American couple on their honeymoon in 1920 the carpet would originally have been placed beneath the emperor’s throne in Beijing’s Forbidden City. ‘It is in amazing condition,’ said Christie’s specialist Louise Broadhurst. ‘It’s rare to find one that hasn’t been cut in some way.’
The collection of multi Grammy award winning Nile Rodgers made $1.6 million at Christie’s in New York last night. The 100% sold auction was to benefit the We Are Family Foundation founded by Rodgers and dedicated to the visions of a global family by creating programs that promote cultural diversity. A rare Porsche 911 Slantnose Targa was the top lot of the sale. It made $200,000. It is one of only nine made. A 1957 Fender Stratocoaster solid body electric guitar with gold plated hardware made $150,000. There was competitive bidding from collectors participating from 16 countries via phone, online and in person.
Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like “Le Freak,” (the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records) and sparked the advent of hip-hop with “Good Times”. Nile transcends all styles of music across every generation with a body of work that’s garnered him inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
It has been a record year at Sotheby’s so far in 2021. Driven by strength and depth of demand and an influx of new collectors the consolidated sales at the company now stand at $7.3 billion. This is the strongest total in Sotheby’s 277 year history.
With more than 20 sales still to go, Sotheby’s standout year to date results includes auctions with a running total of $6 billion and private sales achieving $1.3 billion. As auctions rebounded and clients responded to a seamless digital and physical experience new sale formats and categories attracted a wider audience. A record number of bidders joined in Sotheby’s sales – 44% them new to the auction house. A rise in quality works coming to the market is meeting strong demand from new and established collectors.
The only Darwin Microscope to have ever been offered at auction made £598,500 at Christie’s in London today. This is a record for a 19th century microscope. It came up at a sale of valuable books and manuscripts. The Gould type microscope by Cary was gifted by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) to his son Leonard Darwin (1850-1943) in 1864. It had since passed by descent through the family for nearly 200 years.
Two days of design sales at Christie’s in New York achieved $18,162,375. The iconic ‘Moutons de Laine’ by François-Xavier Lalanne was the top lot of the sale. It made $1,590,000. Works by Alberto Giacometti from the collection of a member of the Matisse family – ‘Lampe Coupe aux deux figures’ and a ‘Grande Feuille’ floor lamp respectively made $930,000 and $1,170,000. Notable results were also realised for iconic designs by the French master Jean Royère, including a beautiful and rare ‘Croisillon’ sofa which sold for $562,500 as well as an exceptional ‘Ours Polaire’ salon suite, a sofa and armchair, which totalled $1,110,000.