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Bernie Wrightson: a group of books, catalogues, trading cards and a fan club folder with Signed print - includes - More Than Just Dead Space: The Official Bernie Wrightson Fan Club folder, 1999, contains a Signed print, 8 ¾ x 11 inches, a membership card, a computer disc of related computer wallpapers, an illustrated card, and two newsletters, vols. 1&2, issue one; WOLLSTONECRAFT (Mary) and Bernie Wrightson. Bernie Wrightsons Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus, an illustrated edition of Mary Shelleys 1818 novel, Introduction by Stephen King, with full-page illustrations by Bernie Wrightson, dust-jacket unclipped, published Miller, 1994; WRIGHTSON (Bernie). Back For More, Archival Press Inc,. 1978; The Art of Wrightson, vol. 1, a pop-up portfolio, sealed as issued, Sideshow Inc., 1996; Bernie Wrightson Master of the Macabre Trading Cards, nos. 1-89, the first trading card collection of Wrightsons best Frankenstein pieces and new pieces created for this series, within FPG Cards illustrated ring binder file, 1993; Bernie Wrightsons Series II: More Macabre Trading Cards, five telephone cards, 0188/5000 series, and Trading Cards nos. 1-89, all within FPG Cards illustrated ring binder folder, 1994; with four soft cover related catalogues and books. (11)

Batman, Superman, and other Superheroes: a group of fourteen first edition hardback and soft cover books, two of which are Signed includes, SIMPSON (Don). Megaton Man, volume 1, Limited edition, numbered 58 of 250 copies, Signed on an illustrated bookplate tipped-in, black and white comic-strip illustrations, pictorial boards, published Wisconsin: Kitchen Sink Press, 1990; 2000AD Annual for the year 1983, Signed on front pastedown by Brian Bolland, and further Signed on first illustrated page by Robin Smith and one other, published by IPC, 1982; SIEGEL (Jerry) and Joe Schuster. Superman: The Sunday Classics 1939-1943, within slipcase, first printing, published New York: DC/Kitchen Sink Press, 1998; KANE (Bob). Batman The Dailies, three volumes, first printings, includes, 1943-1944, 1944-1945 and 1945-1946, pictorial soft covers, published New York: DC/Kitchen Sink Press, 1990-1991; SIMON (Joe) and Jack Kirby. Captain America: The Classic Years, two volumes, within slipcase, volume 1, Nos. 1-5, volume 2, published New York: Marvel, 1990; together with, BYRNE (John) and Dick Giordano. The Man of Steel: Special Raffle edition, mini-series compilation, issues 1-6, issued as part of a mail-in competition to 1,000 lucky fans with loosely inserted accompanied letter from DC. (1987); The Return of Superman, DC., 1993; Super Duper Supermen: A Dennis Gifford Collection, 1992; Superheroes: A Modern Mythology, 1992; Superman Collectables: A Pictorial Price Guide, 1996; and Sothebys New York Auction Catalogue for Comic Books and Comic Art, Sale 6588, June 18, 1994. 4to, 8vo. (14) Condition Report: overall good condition with strong signatures.

Star Wars: Doctor Who: and related science-fiction hardback and paperback books - a group of twenty-two mostly first editions, includes, Graven Images: The Best Horror, Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Film Art from the Collection of Ronald V. Borst, multi-Signed on title-page by editors, Ronald Borst, Keith Burns, and Leith Adams, and further signed by contributors, Robert Bloch, Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury,Introduction by Stephen King and personal reminiscences by Forrest J. Ackerman, Clive Barker, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Peter Straub, dust-jacket unclipped, published New York: Grove Press, 1992; SKAL (David J.). Screams of Reason: Mad Science and Modern Culture, dust-jacket unclipped, published New York: W.W. Norton, 1998; KNOLL (John). Creating the World of Star Wars: 365 Days, includes bonus CD with exclusive photos, and mini-videos, pictorial boards, published New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995; HOWE (David J.). Doctor Who: Timeframe: The Illustrated History, 1994; Doctor Who: The Eighties, 1997; HAINING (Peter). Doctor Who: 25 Glorious Years, 1988; together with, The Trigan Empire, 1978; Tasfic in Retrospect, stapled paper covers, Fan Variety Enterprises Publication, nd; The Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Handbook, 1982; Mars Attack: The Art of the Movie, 1996; Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future in The Man from Nowhere, 1980; 21st Century Foss, 1980; Star Wars Trilogy Edition: Tazo Collectors Force Pack (incomplete) Walkers, 1996; Alien Creatures, 1978; Keep Watching the Skies: America Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, (two vols. bound as one); and Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes; two paperback editions, both published North Carolina: Mc.F. Classics, 1997-2001, with others related, 4to, 8vo. (22) Condition Report: overall good condition, with strong signatures within Graven Images: The Best Horror, Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Film Art from the Collection of Ronald V. Borst,

Miscellaneous Books, including: Lawrence (T. E.), Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Jonathan Cape, 1935, first edition published for general circulation; Andres (Glenn M., John M. Hunisak and A. Richard Turner), The Art of Florence, Artabras, 1994, 2 volumes in slipcase; Churchill (Winston S.), The Second World War, Cassell & Co., 1948-54, 6 volumes; a quantity of books published by Heron Books; Vintage Modern Classics; Bibliothèque de la Pléiade editions; Paterson's Practical Statutes; 44 Folio Society volumes, including The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 2009; others on art, literature, etc. (qty: 16 boxes)

"Mosca Erótica 5 Mouche Érotique" (Erotic Fly)Mixed media on paper. Signed and dated in 1967 in Cadaqués. On the back, signed again, dated 1967 in Cadaqués, and titled "Mosca Erótica 5 Mouche Érotique". On the back, there are two labels from art gallery exhibitions in Barcelona in 1987 and 1994.44 x 61 cm.Joan Ponç was a renowned Catalan painter who stands out as one of the artists that is most representative of the early postwar avant-garde movements. His creations are characterised by a visually impactful style, featuring a highly distinctive creative imagination. He played a key role in fostering initiatives like the embryonic magazine "Algol" in 1946. Ponç was also one of the founders, alongside Brossa and Tàpies, among others, of the Dau al Set group, which grew up around a magazine of the same name of which he was the director. He was on friendly terms with Dalí and Miró.After his first solo exhibition at the Arte de Bilbao Hall in 1946, he showcased his work in numerous European galleries. He exhibited at Staempfli in New York (1966) and the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo, Brazil, where he resided from 1953 to 1962, having fled the Franco dictatorship.The MACBA, which holds numerous paintings, drawings, engravings, and other graphic materials by the master in its collection, notes in its artist profile that "his painting constitutes a fascinating universe populated by unique beings, ranging from grotesque and diabolical to tortured and premonitory, enabling him to explore the darkest realms of the human psyche."For further information, narrated in the first person and with a touch of irony, we recommend reading Joan Ponç's autobiography, available for download on the official website of the Associació Joan Ponç.Reference bibliography:- Associació Joan Ponç. (s.f.). “Autobiografia”. https://joanponc.cat/autobiografia/- MACBA. (s.f.). “Joan Ponç”. https://www.macba.cat/es/arte-artistas/artistas/a-z/ponc-joan

Gwen Raverat (1885-1957), wood engraving on paper, Sheep by a River (1919), 6.4cm x 10.2cm, from the Modern Woodcutters suite. Printed from the blocks by Walter Bradley at the Morland Press and published by Herbert Furst at the Little Art Rooms, London in October 1920

δ Lucian Freud (1922-2011)Still Life With PlantPen and ink on paper, circa 1940-1949, sheet 247 x 180mm (9 5/8 x 7 1/8in)Provenance:James Kirkman, Lucian Freud's agent;Where acquired by the present owner;Raymond Hall, friend and model of Lucian Freud;Returned to the present owner, having been torn up by the artistLot Essay:The current owner initially came into possession of Still Life With Plant through his relationship with the modern art dealer, James Kirkman, for whom he did framing work. Forty or so years ago, Kirkman - who was Freud's agent at the time and worked closely with Frank Auerbach - sold the current owner the pen and ink drawing depicting a potted plant for a paltry £90.A few years down the line, in an attempt to scrabble together some funds for a holiday, the owner removed Still Life With Plant from the sketchbook and sold it to Raymond Hall. Also known as Raymond Jones, the buyer was one of Freud's close friends and favoured models, who sat for masterpieces such as Naked Man with Rat (1977-8, Art Gallery of Western Australia).However, upon his return from his holiday, our vendor arrived home to find a letter from Raymond explaining how he had shown the sketch to a horrified Freud, who had promptly shredded the work on the spot. Apologetically enclosed in the letter were the individual fragments of the sketch. Now back in his possession, the owner had the work restored, but the scars still reveal the work's fascinating history.δ This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.

* JOYCE W CAIRNS PPRSA DEd (hc) HRA (2018-2022) HRHA HRWA HRBA RSW MA (RCA) (SCOTTISH b. 1947), FITTIE SHEDDIES gouache on paper, signed, titled labels versomounted, framed and under glass image size 29cm x 35cm, overall size 55cm x 59cm Handwritten artist's label versoLabel verso: The Rendezvous Gallery, Aberdeen.Note: In 2018 Joyce W Cairns was elected the first woman President of The Royal Scottish Academy in its 192 year history. Given the extraordinary talent of many Scottish women artists both past and present, this honour reflects the high esteem of the Royal Academicians who elected her and her status as one of the most important and respected artists of her time. Note 2: Joyce W Cairns was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She studied painting at Grays School of Art, Aberdeen from 1966 -71 and The Royal College of Art, London 1971 -74. She was awarded a Fellowship at Gloucester College of Art and Design 1974-75 returning to London where she did the Art Teacher’s Certificate Course at Goldsmiths College, University of London 1975-76. In 1976 she returned to Aberdeen where she taught Drawing and Painting at Grays School of Art until 2004 when she took early retirement to complete the vast body of work which culminated in ‘War Tourist’. It was exhibited for 3 months in 2006 at Aberdeen Art Gallery, attracting nearly 30,000 visitors. Her work is mainly autobiographical based on past memories intertwined with present experiences, woven around the backcloth of the once fishing village of Footdee at the mouth of Aberdeen harbour where she has lived for the past 33 years. ‘War Tourist’ was based on her Father’s war backed up by extensive research following in his footsteps through Europe and Tunisia. She now paints in Dundee working in a house and garden overlooking the Tay which will add a further dimension to her work but still retains a residence in Footdee. Cairns has won many awards and is featured in many publications and in the wider media. Cairns’ work has been exhibited in serious group exhibitions since 1970, as well as having numerous celebrated solo exhibitions in Scotland, London and Canada. Her work is held in numerous public collections including Aberdeen Art Gallery, The Scottish Arts Council, BBC Television, Edinburgh City Arts Centre, Fife Regional Council, Fleming’s Bank, Glasgow City Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art, Grampian Television, Graves Art Gallery & Museum, Sheffield, Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, Lanarkshire County Council, Manchester City Art Gallery, McMaster Museum, Hamilton, Ontario, Mobil, Perth City Art Gallery & Museum, Shell UK, Tidaholm Government Office, Sweden, The Contemporary Arts Society, The Royal Scottish Academy, University of Aberdeen, University of Strathclyde, Unilever, Aberdeen Asset Management, The National Museums of Scotland, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Asset Management,Asia, Singapore, The British Museum, The Victor Murphy Trust, Pier Arts Centre, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, The Maritime Museum, Irvin, New Hall Art Collection, Cambridge, The National Galleries of Scotland. Further biographical information at: www.joycecairns.co.uk

* ANDREW HAY (SCOTTISH b. 1944), PADDY'S MARKET oil on board, signedframedimage size 112cm x 160cm, overall size 135cm x  180cmComment: A rare auction appearance for a major painting by Andrew Hay and unquestionably the largest and most impressive example to be offered at auction, anywhere.Note: Having started to paint at the age of 39, within a year the People's Palace Museum, Glasgow had purchased ten paintings and had given Hay his first solo exhibition. Since then his works have been included in numerous public and private collections. His work deals with both narrative and nature, sometimes subverting one or the other in order to advance his artistic practise. His insistence on invention, freedom and risk affirms continuity in his aesthetic spirit. He uses a network of codes, symbols and expressive techniques which play off his collective memory and familiarity of everyday objects and culture from his childhood and juxtaposes them with present day reality. In so doing he embodies them with a new philosophical discourse. Andrew’s work now features in many significant public and private collections and is in the permanent collections of Glasgow's Kelvingrove, Gallery of Modern Art and The People's Palace.

* SHEILA MACMILLAN DA PAI (SCOTTISH 1928 - 2018) RONDA, SPAIN oil on board, signed and dated 2001, titled verso but obscured by the backboardframed and under glassimage size 49cm x 49cm, overall size 66cm x 66cmNote: Sheila Macnab Macmillan was born in Glasgow in 1928. She attained a degree in Geography at Glasgow University and went on to train as a teacher. However, she had always painted and her talent was strongly encouraged by her uncle the distinguished Iain Macnab RE ROI (1890 - 1967) who persuaded Sheila to come to London and train under him. Iain Macnab had been Principal at Heatherley's Art School (1925 - 1940) and then went on to be founding Principal of the hugely influential Grosvenor School of Modern Art. Sheila's London influences and Glasgow School foundations evolved into a distinctive and individual style. She usually worked "en plein air" and her work is semi-abstract. She focused mainly on landscape where her training as a geographer, allowed her to use her understanding of land formation, the delicate balance of the seasons and the interaction between Man and the environment. Her uncle's concept of "rhythm" is evident in Sheila's work and remained a constant throughout her career. She painted in Scotland, Spain. France and Italy and exhibited widely, especially in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Newcastle. Her work appeared frequently at the Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute, Paisley Art Institute annual exhibitions and at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (London). She won numerous awards and prizes over a long and distinguished career. In recent times we have offered a growing number of Sheila Macmillan's paintings with several achieving more than £1000. The current leading price is £1700 (hammer) for "Ronda, Spain", a 45 x 48cm oil on board (lot 510A, The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction 24th October 2021).

* SHEILA MACMILLAN DA PAI (SCOTTISH 1928 - 2018) BRORA oil on boardframed and under glassimage size 28cm x 38cm, overall size 46cm x 56cmNote: Sheila Macnab Macmillan was born in Glasgow in 1928. She attained a degree in Geography at Glasgow University and went on to train as a teacher. However, she had always painted and her talent was strongly encouraged by her uncle the distinguished Iain Macnab RE ROI (1890 - 1967) who persuaded Sheila to come to London and train under him. Iain Macnab had been Principal at Heatherley's Art School (1925 - 1940) and then went on to be founding Principal of the hugely influential Grosvenor School of Modern Art. Sheila's London influences and Glasgow School foundations evolved into a distinctive and individual style. She usually worked "en plein air" and her work is semi-abstract. She focused mainly on landscape where her training as a geographer, allowed her to use her understanding of land formation, the delicate balance of the seasons and the interaction between Man and the environment. Her uncle's concept of "rhythm" is evident in Sheila's work and remained a constant throughout her career. She painted in Scotland, Spain. France and Italy and exhibited widely, especially in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Newcastle. Her work appeared frequently at the Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute, Paisley Art Institute annual exhibitions and at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (London). She won numerous awards and prizes over a long and distinguished career. In recent times we have offered a growing number of Sheila Macmillan's paintings with several achieving more than £1000. The current leading price is £1700 (hammer) for "Ronda, Spain", a 45 x 48cm oil on board (lot 510A, The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction 24th October 2021).The condition is good overall, with no visible or known issues.

* COLIN FRASER (SCOTTISH b. 1956), BREAKING WAVES egg tempera on panel, signed, titled and dated 2000 label versoframed and under glassimage size 78cm x 108cm, overall size 107cm x 137cm Label verso: The Gatehouse Gallery, GlasgowComment: An outstanding and very large work by Colin Fraser and probably the largest example to be offered at auction.Note 1: By repute, the lady is the artist's wife. Colin Fraser's work rarely appears at auction but in 2021 Bonhams, London sold "Warm Light" (61 x 65cm egg tempera) by Fraser for £3000 (hammer) - lot 153, Modern British & Irish Art 28th April 2021 and in The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction of 10th November 2022 lot 61 "Early Morning Light" (a 67 x 46cm egg tempera) by Colin Fraser sold for £2200 (hammer).Note 2: Colin Fraser was born in Glasgow in 1956. He studied art in Brighton while in his twenties before moving to Lund in southern Sweden, where he lives with his wife and children. He exhibits regularly at the Royal Academy Summer Show, Catto Gallery and Petley Fine Art in London, Mira Godard Gallery in Canada as well as at galleries in New York and Glasgow. His work is held in numerous private and corporate collections throughout North America, the UK, Europe and Asia. Ever since his first exhibition in Brighton in 1978, Colin Fraser has worked almost exclusively in egg tempera, which has the benefit of being very long lasting, with examples over two thousand years old still in existence, and was the most widely used painting medium until the sixteenth century, when it was superseded by oils. However, it is also extraordinarily time-consuming. The painted surface must be built up layer by translucent layer, with the paint drying instantaneously and not amenable to manipulation afterwards, unlike oil paints. Although a notoriously difficult medium, it has become a firm favourite of Fraser’s, who says that the “restrictions have been paramount in helping me be more direct in my approach to the work, with the instant drying and transparency of the paint actively contributing to a higher level of spontaneity of execution”. Colin Fraser is particularly drawn to its vitality which reminds him “of the dynamism of the sun – never static, always changing”. “Observed light is usually what attracts me into the process of painting,” he says. “The surface of a work painted in tempera simply has a unique glow which cannot be imitated in other mediums”. Constructing each painting is an arduous process, each beginning with an idea or a chance observation followed by weeks of experimentation with arrangements and preparatory drawings. Many of his scenes are staged with strategic placement of chairs, diaphanous textiles and trays of fruit. He believes that the painter “chooses the content and the arrangement, and then it becomes a question of striving to achieve a particular mood”. The prestigious Catto Gallery (London) has staged highly succesful solo shows for Colin Fraser in 2015, 2017, 2019 & 2022.

4 Modern Age signed comics:Spawn 1 (1992) 1st Appearance and issues of Spawn, signed by creator Todd Mcfarlane in Red Pen against cape. Story, art and cover by Todd Mcfarlane. FN Condition / 6.0 Grade. The Infinity Gauntlet 1 (1992). Signed by legendary comic creator George Perez in gold Ink. NM- Condition / 9.2 Grade.Star Wars: Episode 1: Anakin Skywalker 1 (1999). Signed by Steve Crespo with Dynamic Forces COA.NM+ Condition / 9.6 Grade.Star Wars: Episode 1: Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 (1999). Signed by Howard M. Shum with Dynamic Forces COA. NM+ Condition / 9.6 Grade.Condition Report: Spawn 1 (1992) : FN Condition / 6.0 Grade. The Infinity Gauntlet 1 (1992) : NM- Condition / 9.2 Grade.Star Wars: Episode 1: Anakin Skywalker 1 (1999) : NM+ Condition / 9.6 Grade.Star Wars: Episode 1: Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 (1999) : NM+ Condition / 9.6 Grade.

Marvel Comics: New Mutants No. 98 (1991) The 1st Appearance of Deadpool.1st appearance of Deadpool, Gideon, and Domino (Impersonated by Copycat). Cover pencils, story and art by legendary creator Rob Liefeld.VF-/NM Condition (9.0). A beautiful copy of this always sought-after 1st appearance of one of Marvels biggest characters in a genuine modern Key issue. (1)Condition Report: VF-/NM Condition (9.0).

Silver, Bronze and Modern Comics. Assorted Silver, Bronze and Modern age comics. Featuring Marvel, DC and independent comics (194 items):The Silver Surfer,The Incredible Hulk,Fantastic Four, Batman,Aliens,Predator,The Crow,Star Wars,Airboy,The Terminator and more. Additional 11 Mixed Graphic NovelsHighlights include:FANTASTIC FOUR 50 (1966) 3rd Appearance of the Silver Surfer. Pence Copy. Condition: 1.5One of the most sought after Silver Surfer covers of all time. Heavy Wear. Tape on spine.RUST Special Limited Edition 1 (1992) 1st Appearance of Spawn! (last page ad) Condition: 8.0X-men 59 (1969) Pence copy. Condition: 5.0. 1st Appearance of Dr. Lykos (Sauron)Thor 180 (1970) Cents copy. Condition 7.5 Neal Adams Art.60's Silver Surfer Issues (Written by Stan Lee. Art by John Buscema)

Gloucestershire & Herefordshire.- Rushout (John, 2nd Baron Northwick) [Sale Catalogue] Catalogue of the late Lord Northwick's Extensive and Magnificent Collection of Ancient and Modern Pictures...at Thirlestane House, Cheltenham, tinted lithographed frontispiece (lightly foxed), some prices in pencil manuscript by Rev.H.Cottingham of Hathersage Vicarage, Sheffield with ink notes of his purchases and 3pp. A.L.s. to him from the art dealer P.D.Colnaghi loosely inserted, engraved bookplate of William Wynne Jeudwine, original cloth, rebacked preserving original spine, Phillips, 1859 § Moffatt (Rev. J.M.) The History of the Town of Malmesbury, only edition, list of subscribers, 3 engraved plates and plan, folding letterpress table, contemporary half calf, Tetbury, 1805 § Storer (J. & H.S.) Delineations of Gloucestershire, engraved additional vignette title and plates, ink inscription of Maria & Emma Codrington to head of title and their bookplate, some spotting, original cloth, uncut, recased, spine faded, [1825] § Britton (John) Graphic Illustrations...of Toddington...the seat of Lord Sudeley, tinted lithographed frontispiece, plates, original cloth, faded, 1840 § Robinson (Rev. Charles J.) A History of the Mansions and Manors of Herefordshire, lithographed title and plates, tables, Francis Capper Brooke of Ufford's copy with printed note on subscription and 2 A.Ls.s. to him from the author tipped in at beginning, bookplate of John Harris, later half red morocco, spine gilt, t.e.g., others uncut, London & Hereford, 1873 § Kingsley (Nicholas) & Michael Hill. The Country Houses of Gloucestershire, 3 vol., illustrations, original cloth with dust-jackets, Cheltenham & Chichester, 1989-2001, all but the last a little rubbed; and 8 others on Gloucestershire & Herefordshire, 4to & 8vo (16)⁂ Lord Northwick (1770-1859) was one of the greatest collectors of the first half of the nineteenth century. He acquired so many paintings he had to buy a second mansion, Thirlestane House in Cheltenham, to display them and when he died intestate in 1859 the contents were sold over 22 days.

[Martyn (Thomas)] The English Connoisseur: containing an Account of whatever is curious in Painting, Sculpture, &c. in the Palaces and Seats of the Nobility...of England..., 2 vol., first edition, one or two small marginal stains, modern half calf over marbled boards, spines gilt with red labels, uncut, L.Davis & C.Reymers, 1766 § Waagen (Dr.Gustav F.) Treasures of Art in Great Britain, 3 vol. (without the supplement), contemporary tan calf gilt, spines gilt with red & green roan labels, very slightly rubbed at edges, a handsome set, 1854-57; and 2 others, 8vo et infra (7)⁂ The first item is "the first general review in book form of collections of pictures in England" (Frank Herrmann. The English as Collectors, p.422) although much of the material was taken from earlier publications. The work covers Blenheim, Chatsworth, Devonshire House, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, Stowe, Wilton and Windsor amongst others.The second is a pioneering and invaluable record of the wealth and provenance of art treasures in public and private collections in England in the early nineteenth century. Waagen (1794-1868) was the Director of the Berlin Royal Museum and a respected art historian and connoisseur. "Dr Waagen's encyclopaedic survey of art in England is the most important single work available to us in the history of collecting". (Herrmann, p.425).

A 'FOUR AUSPICIOUS BEASTS' (SI XIANG) BRONZE BRAZIER, HAN DYNASTY, CHINA, 206 BC-220 AD 西元前206至西元220年青銅火盆The upper section is finely cast in openwork relief and depicts the animal-spirits of the four cardinal directions, also called the 'four auspicious beasts': the Azure Dragon of the East (qinglong), the White Tiger of the West (bai hu), the Vermilion Bird of the South (zhuque), and the Tortoise entwined with a snake symbolizing the Dark Warrior of the North (xuanwu).An earcup would be placed atop this brazier, its oval form fitting perfectly on top of the four protrusions on the brazier's rim. The main rectangular section is stepped and raised on four crouching humanoid supports, each neatly modeled, and has an openwork grate to the base. A flattened handle at one end curves up to a leaf-shaped terminal.Provenance: An old private collection in the United Kingdom. Christie's London, 6 July 1983, lot 108, sold for GBP 8,100 or approx. EUR 43,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Michael Michaels, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. Christie's London, 7 November 2017, lot 170. A private collection in the United Kingdom, acquired from the above. A copy of the 1983 Christie's catalog entry for the present lot with a handwritten note from Michael Michaels, confirming the purchase price listed above, accompanies this lot. Michael Michaels (1907-1986) was born in Magdeburg, Germany, fleeing to the United Kingdom in 1933 when the Nazis came to power in Germany. As a young refugee, Michaels worked at a raincoat factory until founding his own tent and camping equipment company in London with his wife Charlotte. With the success of his company, Michaels began to pursue his passion in antiquities, traveling the globe and visiting museums and archeological sites. During his time in London, Michaels spent countless hours in the British Museum, learning from Jessica Rawson and growing his understanding of the history and technology behind different material cultures. He assembled a very large and important collection of Chinese bronzes during his lifetime. Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age, with old wear and expected casting irregularities. Signs of weathering and erosion with minor losses, cracks and dents. The rich, naturally grown patina has fine malachite and azurite encrustations overall.Weight: 725 g Dimensions: Length 24.2 cm At the heart of Chinese mythology are the four spiritual creatures, or four celestial emblems, Si Xiang, each of them being most closely associated with a cardinal direction and a color, but also additionally representing other aspects, including a season of the year, an emotion, a virtue, and one of the five Chinese elements. Each has been given its own individual traits, origin story and its reason for being. Depictions of mythological creatures clearly ancestral to the modern set have been found throughout China. Currently, the oldest known depiction was discovered in 1987 in a tomb in Xishuipo, Henan, which has been dated to approximately 5300 BC. In the tomb, labeled M45, mosaics made of clam shells and bones forming images closely resembling the Azure Dragon and White Tiger, respectively, were found.Literature comparison:Compare a closely related bronze brazier with the corresponding earcup, 24 cm long, dated to the Han dynasty, in the Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 1930.362.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie's New York, 14 September 2012, lot 1252 Price: USD 11,875 or approx. EUR 14,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A small bronze openwork brazier, Eastern Han dynasty Expert remark: Note the closely related form and decoration. Note the size (23 cm). 西元前206至西元220年青銅火盆上半部鏤空浮雕描繪了東方青龍、西方白虎、南方朱雀和北方玄武四大瑞獸。一側有執柄。蹲伏的人形四足，且底部有一個鏤空格柵。 來源：英國舊私人收藏；倫敦佳士得，1983 年 7 月 6 日，拍品 108，售價 8,100 英鎊或約 43,500 歐元（根據撰寫本文時的通貨膨脹情況進行換算和調整）。Michael Michaels，購於上述拍賣；倫敦佳士得，2017 年 11 月 7 日，拍品 170；英國私人收藏，購自上述拍賣。隨附1983 年佳士得目錄副本，以及Michael Michaels 的手寫註釋，確認了上面列出的購買價格。Michael Michaels（1907-1986）出生於德國馬格德堡，1933 年納粹在德國掌權後逃亡到英國。作為一名年輕的難民，Michaels在一家雨衣工廠工作，直到與妻子Charlotte在倫敦創立了自己的帳篷和露營設備公司。隨著公司的成功，Michaels開始收藏古董、環遊世界並參觀博物館和考古遺址。在倫敦期間，Michaels在大英博物館度過了無數個小時，向Jessica Rawson學習，加深了對不同物質文化背後的歷史和技術的理解。 他一生收藏了大量重要的中國青銅器。 品相：狀況極佳，有磨損和鑄造不規則。風化和侵蝕的跡象，有輕微的缺損、裂縫和凹痕，自然包漿，帶藍綠色結殼。 重量：725 克 尺寸：長24.2 厘米 文獻比較： 比較一件非常相近的漢代青銅火盆和耳杯，長24 釐米，收藏於芝加哥藝術博物館，館藏編號1930.362。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：紐約佳士得，2012年9月14日，lot 1252 價格：USD 11,875（相當於今日EUR 14,500） 描述：東漢青銅四神紋爐 專家評論：請注意非常相近外形和裝飾。請注意尺寸 (23 釐米)。

A GILT BRONZE 'BEAR' WEIGHT, HAN DYNASTY, EX ADOLPHE STOCLET COLLECTION 漢代銅鎏金熊鎮，前ADOLPHE STOCLET收藏Published: A. Koop, Early Chinese Bronzes, London, 1924, page 70, pl. 92.Georges A. Salles and Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Adolphe Stoclet Collection, Part I, Brussels, 1956, pages 372-373. China, 206 BC-220 AD. Powerfully cast as a coiled front-facing bear with a menacing expression, its mouth wide open baring its sharp teeth, the round ears pricked up, the fur neatly incised and claws well detailed. The round weight with a small loop to the interior.Provenance: From the collection of Adolphe Stoclet, and thence by descent in the Stoclet family. Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949) was a Belgian engineer, financier, and noted collector. He was born into a family of Belgian bankers and became a director of the Societe Generale de Belgique after his father's death. He married Suzanne Stevens (1874-1960), the daughter of the art critic, historian, collector, and dealer Arthur Stevens (1825-1909) and niece of the painter Alfred Stevens (1823-1906). The Stoclets were connected with avant-garde art circles in Paris and Vienna, where they met Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956), who designed the Stoclet's famous Palais in Brussels. Gustav Klimt (1862-1916) painted the murals in its dining room. The Palais Stoclet, today a UNESCO World Heritage site, was the lavish setting to one of the most important eclectic art collections of all times, which included Egyptian and Chinese sculpture, medieval Italian painting and metalwork, enamels and relics, as well as Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art.Condition: Magnificent condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, minor nicks and scratches, rubbing to gilt. The lead or cement core to the interior has been removed. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina overall and scattered soil, malachite and cuprite encrustations.Weight: 70.5 gDimensions: Diameter 5.5 cm Expert's note: The present lot once had a lead or cement core, enabling its usage as a weight. A small loop to the interior, designed to secure this core, is still in place. The removal of the core may indicate usage as an ornament at some point in its very long history.Weights crafted from precious materials such as bronze and jade, often gilded or inlaid with gold, silver or gemstones, were produced in sets of four and served a practical function of anchoring down woven mats for seating. Mats and corner-weights were believed to have been used at banquets, even those laid out in tombs. Inlaid animal-form weights were discovered in the tomb of Dou Wan, consort of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan (d. 113 BC), alongside food and wine vessels.The bear has been a popular totemic emblem in China since ancient times. China's foundation myths hold that the legendary Yellow Emperor, or Huang Di, early on lived with his tribe in the northwest, presumably in modern Shanxi Province, but then later migrated to Zhuolu, in present-day Hebei Province, where he became a farmer and tamed six different types of ferocious beasts, including the bear, or xiong, with which the Yellow Emperor ever since has been linked. According to legend, Gun — said to have been the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor and the father of Yu the Great, or Da Yu — stole a special soil with which he planned to build dikes in an attempt to control the Yellow River's constantly recurring and very devastating floods. He failed in his mission, however, and, as punishment for his theft, was killed by Zhurong, the God of Fire. Gun's corpse turned into a yellow bear, or huangxiong, and jumped into a pool. A while later, a golden bear, alternatively said to be a golden dragon, emerged from the corpse's stomach and ascended into heaven, where the Yellow Emperor instructed it to complete his father's work in taming the Yellow River's waters. That bear turned out to be Da Yu, who — according to popular belief — heroically controlled the floods and became the mythological forefather of China's Xia dynasty. Therefore, the bear has been prominently associated with legendary rulers and Chinese national foundation myths since the earliest times.Bears are native to China, their presence there known since antiquity. They were kept in Han imperial zoos and parks, where the emperor and his entourage enjoyed watching them in performance or in combat with other animals. On the other hand, they were perceived as enlightened creatures and it was believed that they resided in spiritual mountains and possessed the ability to intermediate between heaven and earth. Bears have also been linked with military prowess, shamanism, and immortality. As a corollary, it might be noted that the words for 'bear' and 'virility' are exact homonyms, pronounced xiong. According to the 'Rites of Zhou', Zhou Li, edited during the Han dynasty, bears were employed in exorcism rituals, their skin worn over the head of the performer who, holding a lance and a shield, led the officials to perform the Seasonal Exorcism by searching through houses and driving away pestilences. See J. Lagerway, Early Chinese Religion. Part One. Shang through Han (1250 BC-220 AD), Boston, 2008, page 287. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's New York, 24 September 2020, lot 888 Price: USD 32,500 or approx. EUR 35,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A gilt-bronze circular mat weight, Han dynasty Expert remark: Compare the related circular form and manner of casting and gilding. Note the size (8.6 cm). 漢代銅鎏金熊鎮，前ADOLPHE STOCLET收藏中國，西元前 206 年至西元 220 年。 正面熊身盤成一圈，表情凶狠，齜牙咧嘴，圓耳豎起，細節生動。圓形鎮，內部有一個小環。出版：A. Koop，《Early Chinese Bronzes》，倫敦，1924年，第 70頁，圖 92。 Georges A. Salles和Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt，《Adolphe Stoclet Collection》，上冊，布魯塞爾，1956年，第372-373頁。 來源：Adolphe Stoclet 收藏，是 Stoclet 家族的後裔。Adolphe Stoclet (1871-1949 年）是一位比利時工程師、金融家和著名收藏家。他出生於比利時銀行家家庭，父親去世後成為比利時興業銀行董事。他與Suzanne Stevens (1874-1960）結婚，她是藝術評論家、歷史學家、收藏家，也是商人Arthur Stevens（1825-1909）的女兒以及畫家Alfred Stevens（1823-1906）的侄女。Stoclet夫婦與巴黎和維也納的前衛藝術圈有聯繫，在那裡他們遇到了Josef Hoffmann（1870-1956），後者設計了布魯塞爾著名的Stoclet宮。其餐廳的壁畫由Gustav Klimt（1862-1916）繪製。Palais Stoclet 如今已被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產，其奢華的環境是有史以來最重要的藝術收藏之一，其中包括埃及和中國雕塑、中世紀意大利繪畫和金屬製品、琺瑯和文物，拜占庭和羅馬時期的藝術品以及前哥倫佈時期的藝術。 品相：磨損，輕微刻痕和劃痕，鎏金有磨損。內部的鉛或水泥芯已被移除。表面自然包漿，並散佈著土壤、紅藍色結殼。 重量：70.5 克 尺寸：直徑 5.5 厘米 此類銅鎮用於壓住用於座椅或棋盤遊戲六博的編織墊的角部。在中山靖王劉勝（西元前 113 年）的王后窦绾的墓中，還發現了動物形鎮，以及食物和酒水器皿。它們通常被製成動物形狀，盤繞成圓形，或者製成人物形狀，甚至山形。 一般為銅鎮，鎏金，嵌寳或錯金銀，銅鎮體現了其所有者的崇高社會地位。 熊在漢代是祥瑞威武之獸。熊與漢代的思想觀念、熊圖騰信仰等密不可分。 從民俗文化意義上講，它們皆具有驅邪避惡、保護墓主人靈魂不受侵擾、肉體不受侵害的作用，最終目的是説明墓主人升入仙界。 拍賣比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：紐約佳士得，2020年9月24日，lot 888 價格：USD 32,500（相當今日EUR 35,000） 描述：漢鎏金銅虎形席鎮 專家註釋：比較相近的圓形的外形、鑄造風格和鎏金。請注意 尺寸 (8.6 厘米)。

A BLACK SCHIST STELE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, PALA PERIODNortheastern India, Bihar, 10th century. Well carved seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base, supported on a stepped pedestal adorned with numerous smaller figures, the palm of the hand and soles of the feet with neatly incised circles. Buddha's face with a benign expression and almond shaped eyes, the hair in tight curls surmounted by an ushnisha, wearing a sanghati draped over one shoulder, flanked by two pillars surmounted by stupas centering a nimbus with a stylized foliate border.Provenance: The personal collection of Arturo Schwarz, Milan, late 1990s. Leonardo Vigorelli, Bergamo, acquired from the above. Arturo Schwarz (1924-2021) was an Italian scholar, art historian, poet, writer, lecturer, art consultant and curator of international exhibitions. He lived in Milan, where he amassed a large collection of Dada and Surrealist art, including many works by personal friends such as Marcel Duchamp, Andre Breton, Man Ray, and Jean Arp. In 1975, Schwarz started working as curator and author, writing extensive publications on the work of Marcel Duchamp, as well as books and numerous essays on the Kabbalah, Tantrism, alchemy, prehistoric and tribal art, and Asian art and philosophy. His 1977 book on Man Ray's works and life was the first to reveal Ray's real name. Leonardo Vigorelli is a retired Italian art dealer and noted collector, specializing in African and ancient Hindu-Buddhist art. After studying anthropology and decades of travel as well as extensive field research in India, the Himalayan region, Southeast Asia, and Africa, he founded the Dalton Somare art gallery in Milan, Italy, which today is being run by his two sons. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, some losses, nicks and surface scratches, structural cracks. The finely polished surface with a solid, naturally grown patina and an unctuous feel overall. Dimensions: Height 61.2 cm (excl. base) and 64.2 cm (incl. base)Mounted to a modern metal base. (2)Literature comparison:Compare a related stone figure of Buddha, 10th century, Bihar, in the collection of the British Museum, museum number 1942,0415.1.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie's New York, 13 September 2011, lot 268Price: USD 86,500 or approx. EUR 111,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A black stone stele of seated Buddha, Northeastern India, Pala period, circa 10th century Expert remark: Note the related size (63.5 cm)Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Bonhams New York, 20 March 2018, lot 3224Price: USD 250,000 or approx. EUR 290,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A blackstone stele of crowned Buddha, Bihar, Pala period, 10th centuryExpert remark: Note the size (45 cm)Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's Paris, 22 June 2016, lot 11Price: EUR 71,100 or approx. EUR 83,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A rare sedimentary stone stele of Shakyamuni Buddha, Northeast India, Pala Period, 10th centuryExpert remark: Note the size (31 cm)

A BASALT RELIEF DEPICTING GANESHA AND THE NINE PLANETS (NAVAGRAHA), 10TH-11TH CENTURYNorthern India, c. 950-1000 AD. Finely carved in high relief with ten figures standing on a ledge carved with their respective mounts, depicting (from left to right) Ganesha, Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu (ascending node of the Moon), and Ketu (ascending node of the Sun). Each figure except the large Rahu wears a thin dhoti tied with a belt and a tall kiritamakuta, and each is backed by a halo.Provenance: From a noted private collection in Germany. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, soil encrustations, obvious losses, nicks, scratches. The stone with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.Weight: 14.4 kg Dimensions: Length 56.5 cm The Navagraha continue to be worshipped in modern times and are given special enclaves within Hindu temples. They also appear on the door lintels of many temples in northern India as a means of protecting the shrine and its visitors from maleficent portents and beings.The role and importance of the Navagraha developed over time with various influences. Deifying planetary bodies and their astrological significance occurred as early as the Vedic period and was recorded in the Vedas. The earliest work of astrology recorded in India is the Vedanga Jyotisha which began to be compiled in the 14th century BCE. It was possibly based on works from the Indus Valley Civilization as well as various foreign influences. Babylonian astrology was the first astrology and calendar to develop and was adopted by multiple civilizations including India.Literature comparison:Compare the closely related Navagraha relief from Bihar in the same style, dated ca. 950-1000 AD, in the San Diego Museum of Art, accession number 2007.173. Compare a closely related sandstone frieze depicting the nine celestial bodies, 158.6 cm long, dated to the 8th century, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1971.61.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's New York, 20 September 2021, lot 366 Price: USD 20,160 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A black stone stele of Navagraha, the planetary deities, India, Pala period, 11th-12th century Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and manner of carving. Note the size (65 cm).

A BACTRIAN LIMESTONE COLUMN IDOL, LATE 3RD TO EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM BCPublished: Massimo Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilization of Central Asia, page 49, fig. 45.Oxus Civilization. The column of waisted form flaring towards the ends, the top and base with a crescent-shaped central groove. The stone of light brown hue with deep red veins.Provenance: Axel Vervoordt Art & Antiques, Antwerp, Belgium. Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from above in 2004. A copy of the original invoice addressed to Mr Paolo Bertuzzi, dated 30 June 2004, and stating a purchase price of EUR 4,800 or approx. EUR 7,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Axel Vervoordt (born 1947) is a Belgian antiques and art dealer, collector, and interior designer. He founded his company in Antwerp in 1969, and in 1998, he and his family acquired an industrial site which they turned into a small green town that offers spaces for art and exhibits works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Otto Boll, and Tatsuo Miyajima. Vervoordt further designed several spaces for, among others, Robert de Niro, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother's business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.Condition: Good condition commensurate with age showing expected old wear and traces of use, obvious losses, chips, and natural fissures.Weight: 9,304 gDimensions: Height 29 cmThe Oxus Civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), recently dated to c. 2250-1700 BC, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia, previously dated to c. 2400-1900 BC, by Sandro Salvatori, in its urban phase or integration era. Though it may be called the “Oxus civilization”, apparently centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in Bactria, most of the BMAC's urban sites are actually located in Margiana (modern Turkmenistan) on the Murghab river delta and the Kopet Dagh mountain range. There are a few later sites in northern Bactria (c. 1950-1450 BC), the territory of southern Uzbekistan, but they are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site, known as Dashli, lies in southern Bactria, the territory of northern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them. BMAC sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi when he was excavating in northern Afghanistan between 1969 and 1979. Sarianidi's excavations revealed numerous monumental structures in many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates. Reports on the BMAC were mostly confined to Soviet journals. A journalist from The New York Times wrote in 2001 that during the years of the Soviet Union, the findings were largely unknown to the West until Sarianidi's work began to be translated in the 1990s.Several stone objects of this shape have been excavated at sites of the Oxus Civilization. However, it is still unknown what purpose they once fulfilled. It is suggested that these miniature columns at some point entered the rituals of the Oxus funerary practices, having previously performed a practical function that involved strong laces running around and causing intensive wear to the grooves. The present object belongs to a group of shorter, heavily polished columns with one central groove along the top and bottom.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's London, 12 May 2004, lot 187Price: EUR 8,963 or approx. EUR 14,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian marble column idol, 2nd millennium BCExpert remark: Compare the related form and color of the stone. Note the size (29.5 cm).Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's London, 12 May 2004, lot 186Price: EUR 6,573 or approx. EUR 10,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian alabaster column idol, 2nd millennium BCExpert remark: Compare the related form and color of the stone. Note the size (36 cm).

A BACTRIAN STONE COLUMN IDOL, LATE 3RD TO EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM BCPublished: Massimo Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilization of Central Asia, page 48, fig. 44.Oxus Civilization. The column of cylindrical form flaring to the foot, the top and base with a deep central groove which runs down the sides of the body. The stone of a red and orange hue with yellow and reddish-yellow bands.Provenance: Axel Vervoordt Art & Antiques, Antwerp, Belgium. Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from above in 2005. A copy of the original invoice addressed to Mr Paolo Bertuzzi, dated 28 February 2005, and stating a purchase price of EUR 5,200 or approx. EUR 7,900 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Axel Vervoordt (born 1947) is a Belgian antiques and art dealer, collector, and interior designer. He founded his company in Antwerp in 1969, and in 1998, he and his family acquired an industrial site which they turned into a small green town that offers spaces for art and exhibits works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Otto Boll, and Tatsuo Miyajima. Vervoordt further designed several spaces for, among others, Robert de Niro, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother's business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.Condition: Good condition commensurate with age showing expected old wear and traces of use, obvious losses, chips, and natural fissures.Weight: 14.4 kgDimensions: Height 28.2 cmThe Oxus Civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), recently dated to c. 2250-1700 BC, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia, previously dated to c. 2400-1900 BC, by Sandro Salvatori, in its urban phase or integration era. Though it may be called the “Oxus civilization”, apparently centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in Bactria, most of the BMAC's urban sites are actually located in Margiana (modern Turkmenistan) on the Murghab river delta and the Kopet Dagh mountain range. There are a few later sites in northern Bactria (c. 1950-1450 BC), the territory of southern Uzbekistan, but they are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site, known as Dashli, lies in southern Bactria, the territory of northern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them. BMAC sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi when he was excavating in northern Afghanistan between 1969 and 1979. Sarianidi's excavations revealed numerous monumental structures in many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates. Reports on the BMAC were mostly confined to Soviet journals. A journalist from The New York Times wrote in 2001 that during the years of the Soviet Union, the findings were largely unknown to the West until Sarianidi's work began to be translated in the 1990s.Several stone objects of this shape have been excavated at sites of the Oxus Civilization. However, it is still unknown what purpose they once fulfilled. It is suggested that these miniature columns at some point entered the rituals of the Oxus funerary practices, having previously performed a practical function that involved strong laces running around and causing intensive wear to the grooves. The present object belongs to a group of shorter, heavily polished columns with one central groove along the top and bottom.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's London, 12 May 2004, lot 183Price: EUR 7,170 or approx. EUR 11,200 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian marble column idol, 2nd millennium BCExpert remark: Compare the related form and color of the stone. Note groves to the side and the size (29.5 cm).

A BACTRIAN MARBLE COLUMN IDOL, LATE 3RD TO EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM BCPublished: Massimo Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilization of Central Asia, page 50, fig. 46.Oxus Civilization. The column of waisted form flaring towards the ends, the top and base with a crescent-shaped central groove. The stone of dark brown marble with white veins, and stress lines filled with calcite.Provenance: Axel Vervoordt Art & Antiques, Antwerp, Belgium. Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from above in 2003. A copy of the original invoice addressed to Mr Paolo Bertuzzi, dated 28 February 2003, and stating a purchase price of EUR 4,100 or approx. EUR 6,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Axel Vervoordt (born 1947) is a Belgian antiques and art dealer, collector, and interior designer. He founded his company in Antwerp in 1969, and in 1998, he and his family acquired an industrial site which they turned into a small green town that offers spaces for art and exhibits works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Otto Boll, and Tatsuo Miyajima. Vervoordt further designed several spaces for, among others, Robert de Niro, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother's business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.Condition: Very good condition commensurate with age showing expected old wear and traces of use, some obvious losses, chips, and natural fissures.Weight: 5,320 gDimensions: Height 25.5 cmThe Oxus Civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), recently dated to c. 2250-1700 BC, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia, previously dated to c. 2400-1900 BC, by Sandro Salvatori, in its urban phase or integration era. Though it may be called the “Oxus civilization”, apparently centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in Bactria, most of the BMAC's urban sites are actually located in Margiana (modern Turkmenistan) on the Murghab river delta and the Kopet Dagh mountain range. There are a few later sites in northern Bactria (c. 1950-1450 BC), the territory of southern Uzbekistan, but they are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site, known as Dashli, lies in southern Bactria, the territory of northern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them. BMAC sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi when he was excavating in northern Afghanistan between 1969 and 1979. Sarianidi's excavations revealed numerous monumental structures in many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates. Reports on the BMAC were mostly confined to Soviet journals. A journalist from The New York Times wrote in 2001 that during the years of the Soviet Union, the findings were largely unknown to the West until Sarianidi's work began to be translated in the 1990s.Several stone objects of this shape have been excavated at sites of the Oxus Civilization. However, it is still unknown what purpose they once fulfilled. It is suggested that these miniature columns at some point entered the rituals of the Oxus funerary practices, having previously performed a practical function that involved strong laces running around and causing intensive wear to the grooves. The present object belongs to a group of shorter, heavily polished columns with one central groove along the top and bottom.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby's New York, 22 October 2003, lot 464Price: USD 6,600 or approx. EUR 9,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian marble ritual object, 3rd millennium BCExpert remark: Compare the closely related form and color of the stone. Note the larger size (38.1 cm).

A BACTRIAN STONE RITUAL OBJECT, LATE 3rd TO EARLY 2nd MILLENNIUM BCPublished: Massimo Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilization of Central, page 75, fig. 61.Oxus Civilization. The staff of cylindrical form, bulging at the center and tapering to the ends. The dark heavy stone with orange-russet inclusions on one side.Provenance: Axel Vervoordt Art & Antiques, Antwerp, Belgium. Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from above in 2003. A copy of the original invoice addressed to Mr Paolo Bertuzzi, dated 30 July 2003, and stating a purchase price of EUR 7,500 or approx. EUR 12,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Axel Vervoordt (born 1947) is a Belgian antiques and art dealer, collector, and interior designer. He founded his company in Antwerp in 1969, and in 1998, he and his family acquired an industrial site which they turned into a small green town that offers spaces for art and exhibits works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Otto Boll, and Tatsuo Miyajima. Vervoordt further designed several spaces for, among others, Robert de Niro, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother's business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.Condition: Good condition commensurate with age showing expected old wear and traces of use, obvious losses, some chips, and natural fissures.Weight: 9.1 kgDimensions: Height 80 cmThe Oxus Civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), recently dated to c. 2250-1700 BC, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia, previously dated to c. 2400-1900 BC, by Sandro Salvatori, in its urban phase or integration era. Though it may be called the “Oxus civilization”, apparently centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in Bactria, most of the BMAC's urban sites are actually located in Margiana (modern Turkmenistan) on the Murghab river delta and the Kopet Dagh mountain range. There are a few later sites in northern Bactria (c. 1950-1450 BC), the territory of southern Uzbekistan, but they are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site, known as Dashli, lies in southern Bactria, the territory of northern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them. BMAC sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi when he was excavating in northern Afghanistan between 1969 and 1979. Sarianidi's excavations revealed numerous monumental structures in many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates. Reports on the BMAC were mostly confined to Soviet journals. A journalist from The New York Times wrote in 2001 that during the years of the Soviet Union, the findings were largely unknown to the West until Sarianidi's work began to be translated in the 1990s.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's London, 15 April 2015, lot 62Price: GBP 23,750 or approx. EUR 40,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian green stone ritual object, c. 2300-1700 B.C.Expert remark: Compare the related form and color of the stone. Note the size (83 cm).Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's London, 25 October 2007, lot 104Price: GBP 8,125 or approx. EUR 17,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian gray stone 'idol', late 3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Expert remark: Compare the related form and color of the stone. Note the size (94 cm).

A BACTRIAN DARK GREY STONE OXSCHIST RITUAL OBJECT, LATE 3rd TO EARLY 2nd MILLENNIUM BCPublished: Massimo Vidale, Treasures from the Oxus: The Art and Civilization of Central, page 75, fig. 61.Oxus Civilization. The stone of a greenish-black color, the staff of long cylindrical form tapering on one side.Provenance: Axel Vervoordt Art & Antiques, Antwerp, Belgium. Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from above in 2003. A copy of the original invoice addressed to Mr Paolo Bertuzzi, dated 30 July 2003, and stating a purchase price of EUR 6,800 or approx. EUR 11,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Axel Vervoordt (born 1947) is a Belgian antiques and art dealer, collector, and interior designer. He founded his company in Antwerp in 1969, and in 1998, he and his family acquired an industrial site which they turned into a small green town that offers spaces for art and exhibits works by renowned artists such as Anish Kapoor, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Otto Boll, and Tatsuo Miyajima. Vervoordt further designed several spaces for, among others, Robert de Niro, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother's business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.Condition: Good condition commensurate with age showing expected old wear and traces of use, obvious losses, some chips, few encrustations, and natural fissures.Dimensions: Height 110 cmThe Oxus Civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), recently dated to c. 2250-1700 BC, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia, previously dated to c. 2400-1900 BC, by Sandro Salvatori, in its urban phase or integration era. Though it may be called the “Oxus civilization”, apparently centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River) in Bactria, most of the BMAC's urban sites are actually located in Margiana (modern Turkmenistan) on the Murghab river delta and the Kopet Dagh mountain range. There are a few later sites in northern Bactria (c. 1950-1450 BC), the territory of southern Uzbekistan, but they are mostly graveyards belonging to the BMAC-related Sapalli culture. A single BMAC site, known as Dashli, lies in southern Bactria, the territory of northern Afghanistan. Sites found further east, in southwestern Tajikistan, though contemporary with the main BMAC sites in Margiana, are only graveyards, with no urban developments associated with them. BMAC sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi when he was excavating in northern Afghanistan between 1969 and 1979. Sarianidi's excavations revealed numerous monumental structures in many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates. Reports on the BMAC were mostly confined to Soviet journals. A journalist from The New York Times wrote in 2001 that during the years of the Soviet Union, the findings were largely unknown to the West until Sarianidi's work began to be translated in the 1990s.The precise use of these objects found in graves at Gonur in Margiana, in the cenotaphs of Sibri near Mehrgarh (Pakistan) and at Tepe Hissar and Shahdad in eastern Iran, is still unknown: they must have been used for some specific task, because their functional end, as a rule is worn, and finally deposed in the graves after the funeral.Literature comparison:Compare a related ritual object with cylindrical shaft tapering then flaring towards the flat ends illustrated in M.-H. Pottier, Materiel Funeraire de la Bactriane Meridionale de l'Age du Bronze, Paris, 1984, pp. 16, pl. V, fig. 7, no. 31.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's London, 2 July 2018, lot 40Price: GBP 15,000 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Bactrian stone idol, circa 3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Expert remark: Compare the related form and note the larger size (138 cm).

A LURISTAN BRONZE 'RAM' WHETSTONE FINIAL, CIRCA 1000-650 BCFinely cast in the form of a recumbent ram, the tubular base is hollowed with two apertures on either side for mounting. The ram naturalistically rendered with a long neck and two large horns which curl around its protruding ears.Provenance: Galerie Persepolis, Brussels, exhibited from 28 October to 13 November 1971. Collection Monsieur H., Brussels, acquired from the above. Collection Madame D.T., acquired from the above.Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, with wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, and nicks. The sharpening stone lost.Weight: 93 g (excl. stand) and 164.2 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 7.4 cm (excl. stand) and 12.2 cm (incl. stand)With a modern metal stand. (2)Luristan bronzes are small cast and decorated objects from the Early Iron Age (first millennium BC) which have been found in large numbers in Lorestan province and Kermanshah in western Iran. They include a great number of ornaments, tools, weapons, horse fittings, and a smaller number of vessels including situlae and are characterized by a wide range of idiosyncratic forms and a highly stylized conception of human and animal representation. Those from recorded excavations were generally found in burials. The ethnicity of the people who created them remains unclear, though they may well have been Iranian, possibly related to the modern Lur people who have given their name to the area. Luristan bronze objects came to the notice of the world art market from the late 1920s onwards. They were excavated in considerable quantities by local people and are found today in many of the world's most important museums.Museum comparison:Compare a closely related Luristan wet stone with a bronze ram finial, dated 1000-800 BC, in the Louvre Museum, accession number AO 20866. Compare a related Luristan wet stone with a bronze ibex finial, dated 1000-800 BC, in the Louvre Museum, accession number AO 20864.

A MONUMENTAL SCHIST FIGURE OF THE GODDESS HARITI, ANCIENT REGION OF GANDHARA 犍陀羅片岩浮雕鬼子母與般闍迦像Kushan empire, 2nd-3rd century AD. Wearing a long kaftan, trousers, and a heavily pleated shawl, Hariti's jewelry is comprised of anklets, rows of bracelets, earrings hanging from her elongated lobes, and necklaces with a large central torque decorated with rosettes. She wears a circular crown topped with a square structure carved with lotus-petal panels in relief above a foliate fillet on top of her finely incised waving hair, and in her two arms she holds four plump nude children, two beneath each breast with one breast covered and the other exposed.Provenance: Sotheby's London, 17 October, 1996, sale LN6645, lot 111. Kenneth P. Jackson, United Kingdom, acquired from at the above sale for a hammer price of GBP 50,000, equivalent to a purchase price of GBP 56,500 or EUR 163,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Condition: Condition commensurate with age and presenting remarkably well overall. Expected old wear, weathering and erosion as a result of extensive exposure to the elements across a time period of almost two millennia. Obvious losses, structural cracks, some of which show old fills, remnants of soil encrustations from burial.Weight: >250 kg Dimensions: Height 171 cm (excl. base) and 186 cm (incl. base) With a modern metal base. (2)This figure of Hariti, the Buddhist mother goddess, illustrates the unique amalgamation of cross-cultural influences present in ancient Gandhara. It also bears a distinct and early Hellenistic element almost never found in other sculptures from this period and region.Other figures of Hariti from the High Gandhara period are dressed in heavy robes in the classical manner, like the statue of the seated Hariti in the British Museum, registration number 1886,0611.1 (fig. 1). However, the present lot depicts Hariti in a kaftan, trousers, and a shawl, a concise style of clothing that exemplifies the Scythian influence on the Gandhara people during their rule of the neighboring region of eastern Iran in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The Scythian style of clothing is known in detail from depictions along the palace walls of Apadana (fig. 2) from the Achaemenid period as well as from terracotta figures from the 2nd century AD.Even more remarkable is the flagrant early Hellenistic influence clearly visible in Hariti's headdress. The unusual yet characteristic iconography of it links Hariti directly to the Greek goddess Tyche, daughter of Zeus, and suggests she was a rare example of religious syncretism as a direct result of the Hellenistic period in the far east. The headdress of the present Hariti exemplifies this fact unlike most other depictions of the goddess.Tyche, the goddess of fate, became a prominent figure in the Greek pantheon under Alexander the Great. It was during Alexander's rule that Tyche came to embody the whims of fate. Her importance within the Greek pantheon is clear and can be seen in sculptures like the colossal head of Tyche next to Zeus and Apollo in Nemrut Dagi (fig. 3).Tyche's mural crown (fig. 4) identifies her as the protectorate of cities and links the founding of Sparta to the goddess's headdress according to S.B. Matheson (see The Goddess Tyche, Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin, 1994). Her iconography changed very little over the centuries during early Roman rule and even later depictions of the goddess in Constantinople's Hippodrome (fig. 5). The crown of the present Hariti with its two rows resembling lotus petals, is carved upright and straight, much like the walls of Tyche's fortress headdress. While much of it is worn away, Hariti's crown is topped by square carvings that closely resemble the crenelated battlement of Tyche's headdress.Historians have documented various examples of syncretism between Hellenistic cultures in the Far-East and Buddhism from the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD. This sculpture of Hariti, however, offers an even more unique example of not only cultural syncretism, but also religious syncretism as well. The story of Hariti itself involves the conversion of the goddess to Buddhism. One version of Hariti's story follows that Hariti had no children. Desperate to have children of her own, the goddess stole children from the locals and raised them as her own. The Buddha, aware of the suffering mothers of the lost children, took back one of the children from Hariti in secret. Amid her grief over the lost child, the Buddha came to her and taught the goddess empathy, showing her the sorrow of mothers from whom she took the children. Hariti subsequently converts to Buddhism, but her foreign origin and nature remains documented by the syncretism seen in the present sculpture.Literature comparison:Compare a related Gandharan relief of the goddess Hariti seated and holding a child, 61 cm high, dated 101-300 AD, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 2016.58. Compare a related figure of Hariti with children, 132 cm high, dated to the 2nd century AD, in the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, accession number 1625. Compare a related large schist figure of Hariti with children from the Swat Valley in Gandhara, 125 cm high, dated 2nd-4th century, published by M Akira in Gandharan Art and Bamiyan Site, Tokyo, 2006, pp.114, nr. 86.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams London, 22 October 2019, lot 144 Price: GBP 187,562 or approx. EUR 282,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A schist figure of Hariti, circa 2nd century Expert remark: Note the similar rosettes which appear on the face and headdress of this figure of Hariti and appear on the torque of the present lot. Note the size (95 cm). 犍陀羅片岩浮雕鬼子母與般闍迦像貴霜帝國，西元二至三世紀。鬼子母身著長袍、褲子和披著披肩；佩戴手鐲、耳環，飾有玫瑰花項鍊與叫連，她還戴著一頂圓形葉狀王冠，刻有蓮瓣，波浪捲髮。她雙手抱著四個孩童，胸前還有四個孩子。 來源：倫敦蘇富比1996 年10 月17 日，拍賣LN6645，拍品111；英國Kenneth P. Jackson在上述拍賣中以50,000 英鎊的落槌價購得，相當於購買價56,500 英鎊或163,000 歐元（換算後的價格，在撰寫本文時已根據通貨膨脹進行了調整）。 品相：狀況良好。有磨損、風化和侵蝕，明顯的缺損、結構裂縫，其中一些有填充物、埋藏時土壤結殼的殘留物。 重量：250 公斤 尺寸：高 171 厘米 (不含底座) 與 186 厘米 (含底座) 現代金屬支架. (2)文獻比較: 比較一件相近的西元101-300年犍陀羅鬼子母與般闍迦浮雕像，高61 厘米，收藏於芝加哥藝術博物館，館藏編號2016.58。比較一件相近的二世紀鬼子母與般闍迦像，132 厘米 高，收藏於昌迪加爾政府博物館和美術館，館藏編號1625。比較一件相近的二至四世紀犍陀羅斯瓦特谷鬼子母與般闍迦像，高125 厘米，出版於Akira，《Gandharan Art and Bamiyan Site》，東京，2006年，頁114，編號86。 拍賣比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：倫敦邦翰斯，2019年10月22日，lot 144 價格：GBP 187,562（相當今日EUR 282,000） 描述：約二世紀片岩浮雕鬼子母與般闍迦像 專家註釋：請注意類似的玫瑰花結出現在鬼子母的臉部和頭飾上。請注意 尺寸 (95 厘米)。

A RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF MAITREYA, PRE-KHMER PERIODThailand or Western Cambodia, 7th-9th century. The Future Buddha standing on a flat base in a slight tribhanga. The slender body clothed only in a short sarong tied simply with a cord, his serene face with almond-shaped eyes and full lips flanked by elongated earlobes, the hair arranged in a jatamukuta with finely incised, towering locks centered by a small stupa.Provenance: From the private collection of Darwin Freeman, collected between the 1968-1971, and thence by descent within the same family. Born 1946 in Idaho, USA, Darwin Freeman was a member of the armed forces and later became an avid collector. He met his wife in the mid-1960s, and the pair later relocated to her hometown of Innsbruck, Austria. In 1967, Freeman was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Germany and Thailand. While he was stationed at the Embassy in Bangkok, between 1969 and 1971, he actively began engaging in the exploration and collection of ancient bronzes and other works of art. Upon completing his duty, Freeman arranged for his collection to be shipped to Austria, where it remained in storage until this day.Condition: Good condition with some wear and casting flaws, minor losses, one arm with two small fatigue cracks, the attributes held in his hands lost. The bronze with a rich, mottled, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite encrustations.Weight: 1295.8 g (excl. stand) and 2839.7 g (incl. stand)Dimensions: Height 36 cm (excl. stand) and 43.2 cm (incl. stand)With a modern stand. (2)Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, dated to the 8th-9th century, 38.1 cm tall, in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, accession number 54.2963. Compare a closely related bronze figure of Avaolkiteshvara, dated to the second half of the 7th-8th century, 34.9 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1987.145. Compare a related four armed Maitreya, much larger in size (122.5 cm), dated to the late 8th century, in the Kimbell Art Museum, accession number AP 1965.01.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby's New York, 19 September 2008, lot 291Price: USD 92,500 or approx. EUR 123,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Maitreya, Eastern Thailand, Buriram Province, Prakhon ChaiExpert remark: Compare the closely related casting and the similar arrangement of hair, short saronh, and pendulous earlobes. Note the size (32.4 cm). Note that this lot is now in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S2015.24.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely relatedAuction: Lempertz Cologne, 9 December 2016, lot 633Price: EUR 74,400 or approx. EUR 92,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A fine and rare Buriram bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara. Thailand, Khorat plateau. Early 8th centuryExpert remark: Compare the closely related casting and the similar arrangement of hair, short saronh, and pendulous earlobes. Note the size (53.5 cm).

A BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA, MON DVARAVATI PERIODThailand, 8th-9th century. Finely cast standing with his left hand raised in abhaya mudra and his right lowered in varada mudra, draped in a loose-fitting dhoti and sanghati. His serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, elegantly arched joined brows, full lips, and a broad nose, flanked by pendulous earlobes, his hair in tight curls over a high ushnisha.Provenance: From a noted private collector in Paris, France. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, casting flaws, some losses, signs of weathering and erosion, minor nicks and scratches. Weight: 2,025.3 g (excl. stand), 2,467 gDimensions: Height 31.5 cm (excl. stand), 32 cm (incl. stand)With a modern stand. (2)The Mon polity of Dvaravati was one of the earliest and most important societies in mainland Southeast Asia. Based around the Chao Phraya and Mae Klang river basins of central Thailand, Dvaravati was known from early Chinese textual sources, as well as being mentioned in a single local inscription that dates to roughly 550-650 AD. Due to the large numbers of Buddhist sculptures associated with the culture, it is most likely that the rulers were patrons of the Buddhist faith. The images of Buddha were influenced by contemporary Indian sculptural works, including the Gupta style based around the site of Sarnath. The facial features of the Mon Dvaravati Buddhist images, however, display arched, joined eyebrows which are unlike those found in India, and are therefore characteristic of Mon Dvaravati. Compared to earlier and later Thai kingdoms, Dvaravati was geographically and economically isolated, which contributed to the distinct qualities of its sculpture. Their style was bold, self-assured, recognizable, and highly influential on subsequent Thai sculpture and artistic production throughout Southeast Asia.Within the context of the dominant Theravada school of Buddhism, which emphasized the singularity of the Buddha Shakyamuni, bronze sculptures from this area also demonstrate a remarkably cohesive design. As unifying features, the Buddha is clad in the humble dress of a religious renunciant, with the thin garment clinging closely to the body to reveal his delicate proportions and graceful contours that lie beneath. His face is characterized by high cheekbones, full lips, prominent eyes, and - as stated - the curved brows that form the characteristic V-shape at the bridge of the nose.As expressed by Jean Boisselier, "The school of Dvaravati may stand alongside the great Buddhist artistic traditions of India, so enduring were its innovations and so persuasive its influence on most of the art of Southeast Asia" (J. Boisselier, The Heritage of Thai Sculpture, 1975, page 73). Bronze sculptures of this type and large size are exceedingly rare.Further emphasizing the presence of Buddha in the world of the devotee, the figure is depicted as if in motion, with the hems of the robe gently swaying to the sides. This stance, which also draws upon the classic tribhanga posture of Indian sculpture, presages the famous “Walking Buddhas” of Thailand that would grow prominent many centuries later. The bronze caster has masterfully captured the youthful appearance of Buddha that gives the spiritual themes imported from India their highly unique and refined local expressivity.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's New York, 17 March 2015, lot 29Price: USD 269,000 or approx. EUR 318,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A bronze figure of Buddha, Thailand, 8th centuryExpert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of casting with similar pose, facial features, expression, and robe. Note the size (36.1 cm).

A RARE BRONZE FIGURE OF UMA, ANGKOR WAT STYLE, KHMER EMPIRE, 12TH CENTURYExpert's note: The finely cast details of the face, clothing and jewelry are all indicative of the Angkor period. Uma was a favored goddess in Khmer Angkor, and while sandstone representations of the goddess abound, bronze devotional figures of Uma are considerably rarer.Well cast standing upon a simple square plinth with her hands extended. Her pleated sampot is suspended from a charm-embellished belt and a central sash that tapers off in a distinct fishtail shape. She is ornamented in fine jewelry, including a collar necklace, bracelets, armbands, earrings, and an ornate diadem.Provenance: The personal collection of Robert Rousset, acquired in the 1950s-1970s. Thence by descent to Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021). The underside with an old label, 'C. 1085'. Robert Rousset (1901-1982) was a former French radio officer in the merchant navy, who became one of the most prominent pioneers of the Chinese art market in Paris. As a child, his father, an insurance agent, would take him to Hôtel Drouot where he started to buy at a very young age. His true passion for Asian art started in the 1920s, when he was sent on a mission to Beijing after the decline of the Qing empire, along with Osvald Siren, the famous Swedish Asian art historian and connoisseur. He then became one of the main contributors of Chinese antiques for the Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, founded in Paris in the early 20th century by the Blazy brothers. After the 1929 stock market crash, he had the opportunity to acquire the company. With his sister Suzanne in charge of the porcelain, they developed the business and became one of the most important dealers in France, selling pieces to the greatest museums, including the Musee Guimet and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A French "certificat d'exportation d'un bien culturel" (export license), issued 12/12/2022, number 237595, is accompanying this lot. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, nicks, scratches, dents, a crack to the lower sampot, signs of weathering and erosion, and encrustations. No hidden damages. Magnificent malachite green patina, naturally grown overall.Weight: 547 g (incl. base) Dimensions: Height 17.8 cm (excl. base) and 20.5 cm (incl. base)Mounted on an associated modern base. (2) Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie's New York, 23 July 2020, lot 36 Price: USD 8,125 or approx. EUR 8,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare bronze figure of Uma, Khmer, Angkor period, Angkor Way [sic] style, 12th century Expert remark: Note the near-identical size (18.5 cm)

A LARGE AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT WHITE MARBLE TORSO OF BUDDHA, NOTHERN QI DYNASTY 北齊大型漢白玉立佛殘件China, 6th century. Depicting a standing Buddha, dressed in loose robes draped over both shoulders and elegantly falling in stepped folds flaring at the hems in stylized pleats, the robe open at the chest to reveal the tied underskirt. The overall simple and naturalistic style clearly dates it to the later sixth century. Clinging tightly, the diaphanous drapery reveals the elegant body's form, characteristically indicated by incised lines and relief ridges.Provenance: Old Italian private collection, acquired 1971 from Wing Tat Hong Gallery, Hong Kong. Collection of Leonardo Vigorelli, Bergamo, acquired from the above. Leonardo Vigorelli is a retired Italian art dealer and noted collector, specializing in African and ancient Hindu-Buddhist art. After studying anthropology and decades of travel as well as extensive field research in India, the Himalayan region, Southeast Asia, and Africa, he founded the Dalton Somare art gallery in Milan, Italy, which today is being run by his two sons. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, losses, nicks and surface scratches, minor cracks. Remnants of ancient pigment. Displaying supremely. Dimensions: Height 92 cm (excl. base) and 101.5 cm (incl. base)Mounted to a modern metal base. (2)Expert's note: This magnificent sculpture embodies a profound spirituality achieved through the remarkable plasticity of drapery and form. The figure represents a standing Buddha and the monk's robes, which he wears, are arrayed to cover both shoulders. The size, sensitivity of carving, crisp treatment of the gracefully draped folds, both those falling in parallel curved lines down the front of the subtly indicated body and those of the hem, closely relate this figure to other imposing white marble statues of a similar date.Only occasionally encountered among Chinese Buddhist sculptures, white marble first rose to popularity during the Northern Qi period, when sculptors occasionally carved Buddhist images in beautiful white marble from Dingzhou, in southwest Hebei province. Although a quarry site can never be taken as the probable site at which a particular image was sculpted, the use of white marble nevertheless suggests that this extraordinary sculpture might have been carved in the vicinity of Dingzhou, likely in Hebei or Shanxi province.Faint traces of polychromy, evident on the shoulders, suggest that the sculpture was once entirely painted, as were virtually all early Indian and Chinese Buddhist sculptures in wood and stone. The brilliant pigments of the sculptures and wall paintings at Dunhuang, in Gansu province, suggest that the original colors of this Buddha would have been stunning.If the missing right arm was raised in the abhayamudra, then the left might have shown a variation of the varadamudra, the gift-giving gesture, also associated with preaching. Moreover, if the right arm displayed the abhayamudra then the present sculpture likely represented either the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni or Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light, in a preaching mode. Because the sculpture lacks an identifying inscription, not to mention its right arm and any distinguishing iconographic attributes, the exact identity of this Buddha likely will remain an enigma.Literature comparison:Compare a related figure of Amitabha Buddha in the Royal Ontario Museum, illustrated in Homage to Heaven, Homage to Earth, 1992, p. 163, pl. 92. Compare a related figure illustrated in Chinese Marble Sculptures of the Transition Period, B.M.F.E.A., no. 12, Stockholm, 1940, pl. II (b). Compare a related sculpture in the Eskenazi exhibition Sculpture and ornament in early Chinese art, London, 11 June to 13 July 1996, no. 31.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's London, 12 May 2004, lot 203Price: EUR 101,575 or approx. EUR 143,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A Chinese stone torso of Buddha, Northern Qi dynasty Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose and manner of carving with similar diagonal pleats. Note the size (148 cm).北齊大型漢白玉立佛殘件中國，六世紀。立佛左右臂貼身，從肘部起殘缺，低開領的通肩袈裟，袈裟顯得輕薄而貼身，順著身體結構起伏，雙腿輪廓隱約可見。 來源：義大利私人舊藏，1971年購於香港Wing Tat Hong 藝廊；貝加莫Leonardo Vigorelli收藏，購於上述收藏。Leonardo Vigorelli Leonardo Vigorelli是一位退休的義大利藝術品經銷商和著名收藏家，專門研究非洲和古代印度教佛教藝術。在學習人類學和數十年的旅行以及在印度、喜馬拉雅地區、東南亞和非洲的廣泛實地研究之後，他在義大利米蘭創立了 Dalton Somare 藝術畫廊，如今由他的兩個兒子經營。品相：狀況良好，與年齡相稱。大面積磨損、風化和侵蝕跡象、結殼、缺損、刻痕和表面劃痕、輕微裂縫。顏料殘餘。 尺寸：高92 厘米 (不含底座)，總101.5 厘米 現代金屬底座。 低開領的通肩袈裟，此尊像背面袈裟表面以彩繪方式，繪出袈裟的框格裝飾，表現福田相。遒勁流暢的陰刻衣紋，這種「薄衣貼體」的造像風格，是北齊時期造像的一大特色。造像肩上明顯的多色痕跡表明該雕塑曾經完全上色，幾乎所有早期的印度和中國佛教木石造像都是如此。甘肅敦煌的雕塑和壁畫色彩絢麗。漢白玉在中國佛教雕塑中并不常見，在北齊時期開始流行，當時河北省西南部定州的偶爾使用漢白玉製作佛像。漢白玉造像可能是在定州附近雕刻的，可能在河北或山西省。 文獻比較： 比較一件相近阿彌陀佛像，收藏於Royal Ontario博物館，見《Homage to Heaven，Homage to Earth》，1992年，頁163，編號92。比較一件相近的雕像《Chinese Marble Sculptures of the Transition Period》，B.M.F.E.A.，編號12，斯德哥爾摩，1940年，編號II (b)。比較一件相近雕像，展覽於Eskenazi，《Sculpture and ornament in early Chinese art》，倫敦，1996年6月11日至7月13日，編號31。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2004年5月12日，lot 203 價格：EUR 101,575（相當於今日EUR 143,500） 描述：北齊立佛石雕殘件 專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢、衣袍的類似於對角線的摺痕。請注意尺寸(148 厘米)。

A LARGE WOOD FIGURE OF SONGZI GUANYIN AND CHILD, CHINA, EARLY MING DYNASTY, 14TH-15TH CENTURY 明初十四至十五世紀大型送子觀音木像Boldly carved as Guanyin with hair piled up into a high topknot beneath her flowing cowl, holding a child seated in her lap, both wearing voluminous robes with deeply carved folds, their faces with wide heavy-lidded eyes, broad noses, and full lips. The soft wood of an attractive grain with a rich, naturally grown patina overall.Provenance: From an old private collection on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, and Bridgehampton, NY, acquired before 1979, and thence by descent in the family. A copy of a signed insurance declaration, on the letterhead of the Chubb Group, dated 25 August 1978, describing the present lot as an 'Unusual Large Wooden Figure of Kuan Yin', accompanies this lot. Condition: Extensive wear, weathering and erosion, worming, losses, chips, and natural imperfections including age cracks. The condition of this statue is commensurate with age and contributes to its unique beauty. The aged wood has seen extensive weathering, which displays exceptionally well.Weight: 13.8 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 92.5 cm (excl. stand) and 95.2 cm (incl. stand)With a fitted wood stand. (2) The Songzi representation of Guanyin, or the 'Bringer of Sons,' is identifiable by the boy seated on her knee. Male children were extremely important to Confucian family structure. They ensured not only the continuity of family and clan, but that there would be uninterrupted generations to carry on the rituals of ancestral worship. The Child-Giving Guanyin was prayed to by worshipers for healthy children and intelligent male heirs. Extant depictions of Songzi Guanyin from the later Ming dynasty are known in various materials, including bronze, wood, stone, and ivory, but such an early example must be considered extremely rare.Quoted from 'Compassion, Mercy, and Love: Guanyin and the Virgin Mary - How two independent cultures - feudal Europe and imperial China - depicted divine figures with incredible visual similarities.' By Kevin D. Pham, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 7, 2021:'During the Middle Ages - a period of over one thousand years - people of various cultures across the world practiced independent religious faiths, ranging from western feudal Europe to imperial China, while also maintaining cross-cultural exchange. Surprisingly, certain works of art in both western Christian and eastern Buddhist cultures seem to share visual similarities. Both contexts produced images of divine figures that represent concepts like compassion, mercy, and love: the Virgin Mary in medieval Europe, and Guanyin in imperial China.''These examples pose interesting questions about how pre-modern artists visualized different aspects of divinity in their respective cultural contexts. The Christian and Buddhist devout understood the Virgin Mary and Guanyin, respectively, in similar manners and archetypes of imagery, despite the fact that they did not directly influence one another until later periods of Imperialism and Colonialism in Asia. Centuries of shifts in these representations illustrate how people across the world have envisioned human compassion and mortal emotions.' (article continued below)'The Virgin Mary', Jesus Christ's mother, was a popular focus of personal devotion in western Christianity. She was often depicted with her infant child, emphasizing her role as a holy maternal figure and mediator between humanity and the divine. Through this easily understood archetype, she became a popular intercessor for devout Christians across Medieval Europe, where various types of 'Virgin and Child' works of art proliferated.Guanyin is the Chinese translation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who chose to stay on earth as accessible examples for Buddhist faithful to follow. Originally depicted as a male or gender-neutral entity able to take on thirty-three manifestations, Avalokiteshvara is a compassionate savior who hears the woes of humankind, regardless of age, gender, or social class. However, in imperial China, Guanyin became increasingly cemented as a female figure. Similar to the Virgin Mary, Guanyin became a popular intercessor for humanity to understand divine salvation.Enthroned Virgin and Child (1150-1200), currently on display at The Met Cloisters, is a counterpart to a sculpture from about 1175 to 1200 included in the exhibition Crossroads: Power and Piety. In both sculptures, mother and child are rendered in a stiff and rigid form that typifies the theological concept Sedes Sapientiae or “Throne of Wisdom.” The infant Jesus, depicted as a diminutive mature figure rather than a child, represents divine wisdom and is seated upon the Virgin, who acts as his throne. Both the Virgin and Child's emotionless expressions, coupled with the strongly linear symmetry, suggest the timeless permanence of divine authority in the Christian context.The eleventh-century Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Water Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin), currently on display in the Met Gallery 208, depicts Avalokiteshvara in a relaxed, leisurely pose, with one knee raised and the other crossed in front. This posture represents the “Water Moon” manifestation of the bodhisattva in his personal paradise. Avalokiteshvara is adorned within an ornate crown and necklace. Relaxed but strong and formative, Avalokiteshvara beckons the audience forward, ready to hear the cries of the world.Both of these sculptures would have been placed in public churches or temples. The Virgin and Child also might have been carried in religious processions outside the architectural setting of the church, while Avalokiteshvara would likely have been shown at a monastery altar. Despite their different poses, both figures convey a divinity distinctly removed from the real experiences of mortal humans.'Expert's note: This lot offers an astounding example of the symmetry between two separate worlds - Imperial China and medieval Europe, Western Christianity and Eastern Buddhism - with similar archetypes of imagery illustrating compassion and emotion. Compare the famous wood sculpture of the Enthroned Virgin and Child from the Cloisters Collection, 102.9 cm high, dated ca. 1130-1140, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 47.101.15. Compare also two wood sculptures from 13th century France depicting the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, 68.6 cm and 79.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession numbers 67.153 and 16.32.194a, b. 明初大型送子觀音木像觀音，髮髻高束，膝上抱著一個孩子；兩人都穿著寬大的衣袍，衣紋流暢；眼睛微閉，表情安詳。柔軟的木材，紋理迷人，整體具有自然包漿。 來源：來自紐約曼哈頓上東區和紐約州布里奇漢普頓的私人舊收藏，於 1979 年之前購得，在同一家族保存。該拍品隨附一份帶有Chubb Group安達集團出具的的保險聲明副本，日期為 1978 年 8 月 25 日，將本拍品描述為“不尋常的大型木觀音像”。 品相：大面積磨損、風化和侵蝕、蠕蟲、損失、碎裂和自然缺陷，包括老化裂紋。重量：13.8 公斤 (含底座) 尺寸：高 92.5 厘米 (不含底座) 與95.2 厘米 含底座) 木底座 (2)

A BRONZE 'TIGER' HALBERD BLADE, ZHONGHU GE, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, WARRING STATES PERIOD 東周戰國虎紋中胡銅戈Published: Religion and Ritual in Chinese Art, Michael B. Weisbrod, Inc., New York, USA, 8 December 1987, no. 12, page 40.China, 480-220 BC. Finely worked with an elongated triangular blade (yuan) flaring gently into the flat blade guard. Cast in relief with the profile of the ferocious feline with a gaping mouth, baring fangs, and an extended long curling tongue, all in high relief. The ears and forelimbs bent with the body incised on the shank. The end of the yuan pierced with two rectangular chuan (apertures), the tang (nei) with a circular chuan. A rectangular tang with foliate incisions projects from the guard ending in a double curve 'E'-shaped edge.Provenance: Michael B. Weisbrod, New York, USA. The private collection of an American north-east collector, acquired from the above, c. 1987-1988. Michael B. Weisbrod is a noted scholar of Chinese art, who has published extensively on the subject over a time span of more than 50 years. In 1972, Michael joined his father Dr. Gerald Weisbrod's Asian art gallery in Toronto, Canada. The father-and-son team opened their New York location on Madison Avenue in 1977, and during the next 45 years the gallery held a significant number of exhibitions, selling to museums and private collectors across the globe, eventually adding further locations in Shanghai and Hong Kong.Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, weathering and erosion, nicks and cracks, shallow surface scratches, possibly minor old fills. Fine, solid patina with distinct malachite and cuprite encrustations. Presenting remarkably well overall.Weight: 396.4 g (excl. stand)Dimensions: Length 27.4 cm With a modern stand. (2)The ge dagger-axe was found in burials from the early Shang through the Warring States period. It came to be a ritual object and a part of the requisite ceremonial paraphernalia of a courtier. According to James Menzies, by the early Western Zhou, “its inclusion in the attire of nobles and officials at all formal functions may be presumed”; and in addition to other Shang and Western Zhou rituals, it may have been used in ceremonial war dance, celebrating the Zhou conquest of the Shang (Menzies, the Shang Ko, pp. 314-316). The ge was also frequently pictured on bronze vessels possibly as a clan emblem.Although the tiger appears on blades of the late Shang and early Western Zhou periods, the feline and the shape of the tang on the present lot indicate a product of a different culture. Manufacture of ge with triangular blades discontinued in the Central Plains area of China by the middle Western Zhou period. The type seems to have persisted in the kingdoms of Ba and Shu in modern Sichuan province through the Warring States period. Many of these excavated ge from this area have E-shaped tang which did not appear among the Shang or Western Zhou blades. Tigers are frequently seen as motifs on the various types of ge and other weapons of the Ba-Shu area. This may be related to the legend that when Lin Jun, first ancestor of the Ba tribe, died, his soul was transformed into a white tiger.Literature comparison:Compare profile tigers similar to this lot which are reproduced in Tong Enzheng's “Investigations of the bronze ge from Southwest China” (Kaogu Xuebao 1979, no. 4, pp. 442, fig. 1:6, pp. 447, fig. 3; see also Wenwu 1976 no. 3, p. 41 fig.2 and pl. I, no. 6; Wenwu 1976 no. 7, p. 82-85; Kaogu 1986 no. 11, pp. 986, fig. 6). Compare with a Zhonghu Ge with tiger pattern, China, unearthed at Dubaishu, Pixian County, Chengdu City, Warring States period, 475 - 221 BC, bronze Sichuan Provincial Museum Chengdu, China, accession number DSC04243. 東周戰國虎紋中胡銅戈中國，公元前480-220 年。戈，流行於商代至漢代的一種格鬥兵器，最早出現於先秦時期。因作戰需要和使用方式不同，便分為長、中、短戈三種。此戈長援中胡，長方形內，近欄處有三穿。援後部至內兩面飾半浮雕虎頭，張口吐舌，口中一穿；援的末端穿有兩個長方形的穿，內有一個圓形的穿。 帶有葉狀切口的矩形柄腳從防護裝置中伸出，末端為雙曲線“E”形邊緣。出版：Michael B. Weisbrod, Inc.，《Religion and Ritual in Chinese Art》，紐約，1987年12月8日，編號12，第 40頁。 來源：美國紐約Michael B. Weisbrod收藏；美國東北私人收藏，1987-1988年購於上述收藏。Michael B. Weisbrod是一位著名的中國藝術學者，在 過去五十多年的時間裡就該主題發表了大量著作。1972年，Michael加入了他父親Gerald Weisbrod博士在加拿大多倫多的亞洲藝廊。 這對父子團隊於1977 年在麥迪遜大道開設了他們的紐約分店，在接下來的四十五年裡，藝廊舉辦了大量展覽，向全球各地的博物館和私人收藏家出售作品，最終在上海和香港開設了分店。 品相：狀況非常好，大面積磨損、風化和侵蝕、刻痕和裂縫、表面淺劃痕，可能有輕微的小修。細膩、堅實的包漿，帶有明顯的紅綠色結殼。 重量：396.4 克 (不含底座) 尺寸：長27.4 厘米 現代支架。 (2) 從商初到戰國時期的墓葬中都發現了戈，它是朝臣必備的禮儀用具的一部分。根據James Menzies的說法，到了西周早期，“可以推測，它已經出現在貴族和官員在所有正式場合的服裝制式中”； 除了商朝和西周之外，它還被用於儀式性的戰舞，慶祝週征服商朝（Menzies，《the Shang Ko》，第 314-316 頁）。青銅器上也經常出現戈的圖案，可能是作為氏族的徽章。此類虎紋戈似乎在戰國時期一直存在於現代四川省的巴蜀王國中。該地區出土的許多戈刀都具有商或西周刀中所沒有的“E”形刀柄。巴蜀地區的各種戈具和其他武器上都以老虎為圖案。這或許與巴族始祖林俊死後靈魂化為白虎的傳說有關。文獻比較： 比較一件相似的，同恩正《西南青銅考》（《考古學報》1979，第4期，第442頁，圖1：6，第447頁，圖3。見《文武》1976年第3期，頁41，圖2和第6期，圖一）。 比較一件戰國時期西元前475 - 221年虎紋虎戈，出土成都市郫縣杜拜樹，四川省博物館，館藏編號DSC04243。

Magic interest: various titles: EDWARD BAGSHAWE: MORE MAGICAL MYSTERIES, London, EDW Bagshawe, 1925; EDWARD BAGSHAWE: EXCLUSIVE PROBLEMS IN MAGIC, London, J Offin, 1924, First edition; GUY K AUSTIN: PRACTICAL MAGIC WITH POPULAR PATTER, London, Will Goldston, Second edition; SIXTY SLEIGHTS AND TRICKS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, London, George Johnson, 1925, First edition; JOHN BOOTH: MARVELS OF MYSTERY, Philadelphia, Kanter, 1946, Third printing; EDWARD BAGSHAWE: TWENTY MAGICAL NOVELTIES, London, EDW Bagshawe, First edition; JOHN F MENDOZA: CLOSE-UP PRESENTATION, The Presto Place, 1979, First edition; ORVILLE MEYER: MAGIC IN THE MODERN MANNER, Oakland, Lloyd E Jones, 1949, First edition; DOUGLAS CRAGGS (Ed): MASTERPIECES OF MAGIC, London, Arcas; HUGH MILLER (Ed): THE ART OF EDDIE JOSEPH, London, Harry Stanley (10)

A Border Fine Art Gallery of Modern Art sculpture 'Repose' , together with a Lladro vase and three figures  Condition Report:Available upon request

A modern Art Nouveau style amber cabochon ring, marked '925', size L.

Kenner Star Wars vintage loose 3 3/4" figures x6 and Hasbro Star Wars modern figures and others, vintage figures includes Gamorrean Guard (complete), Chief Chirpa (complete), Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sand People (Missing cloak), Bib Fortuna (Missing staff and belt), Emperor's Royal Guard (Missing Force Pike), all generally Good to Good Plus; Hasbro The Force Awakens 12" Kylo Ren figure, Rey (Jakku) 3 3/4" figure, both within Excellent sealed packaging, Episode I colouring poster art tube, unused. Also includes loose Action Force Red Shadow 3 3/4" action figure, complete, Good to Good Plus. 

Kenner Star Wars modern vehicle, creature packs and playsets x 6 includes Endor Attack x2, The Art of Star Wars Cloud Car, Snowspeeder, Power of the Force Ronto and Jawa, Dewback and Sandtrooper, all generally Fair to Good, within Poor (badly water damaged) packaging. (6) 

Modern Art Grand lidded Piranesi Vase with Pegasus, Flying Horse after Giovanni Battista Piranesi  Signed indistinct the Artwork features a classic Pirsanesi Image as an ebossed stencil on a laminated two tone gloss panel 90 x 130cm

R V Astley Berlin Console Introduce An Element Of Style And Sophistication To Your Home With The RV Astley Berlin Console Table. This Art Deco Style Console Table Is A Luxurious And Unique Addition To Your Interior Decor. Crafted From High-Quality Wood And Glass, The Table Boasts A Stunning Black Finish That Will Complement Virtually Any Colour Palette. The Sleek Glass Top Adds A Modern Touch To Any Home, While The Spacious Design Offers Plenty Of Room To Display Your Favourite Decorative Items Or Use As A Functional Workspace. Measuring At 76 Cm High, 140 Cm Long, And 40 Cm Wide, This Console Table From The Renowned Brand RV Astley Is Both Practical And Stylish. This Console Table Is A Testament To The Brand's Commitment To High Quality And Design, Making It An Ideal Piece For Any Room In The House.

Schneider (Pierre). Matisse, 1st English edition, Thames & Hudson, 1984, numerous colour and monochrome plates and illustrations, original maroon cloth gilt in dustwrapper, large thick 4to, with letter from the author to Lawrence Gowing dated Paris December 4th 1984 thanking him for his review of the book, together with:Coen (Esther). Umberto Boccioni, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988, colour and monochrome illustrations, presentation inscription to Lawrence Gowing from Sabine Reward to front endpaper, original blue cloth in dustwrapper, 4to, plus others on 20th-century art and artists including John Eldeefield, Henri Matisse, A Retrospective, Museum of Modern Art, 1992, Robert Rosenblum, Cubism and 20th-century Art, Abrams, 1966, Georges Duthuit, The Fauvist Painters (Documents of Modern Art series), 1950, Alberto Giacometti, Museum of Modern Art, 1965, Christopher Green, Leger and the Avant-Garde, 1976, Paul Klee, Pedagogical Sketchbook, 1st edition, Faber & Faber, circa 1952, Jack Flam, Matisse The Man and His Art, 1869-1918, Cornell University Press, 1986, etc., mostly origin cloth, many in dustwrappers, some paperbound editions, 4to/8voQTY: (6 shelves)

Beuys (Joseph). The Secret Block for a Secret Person in Ireland, Oxford: Museum of Modern Art, 1974, numerous monochrome illustrations, original printed wrappers, with artist's presentation inscription to foot of the foreword 'to Lawrence Gowing, Joseph Beuys', with a sketch of a hat above, 4to, together with Murken (Axel Hinrich). Joseph Beuys und die Medizin, 1st edition, Munster: F. Coppenrath Verlag, 1979, colour and monochrome illustrations, original brown felt binding, with printed circular title labels mounted to upper cover, the spine title printed on a separate strip of brown felt (a little wear), small square 8to, plus other Beuys publications, including Appeal by Joseph Beuys, translated by R. C. Hay and B. Cleer, Free International University, 1979, P. S., Primary Sources on the International Performing Arts, number 1, June-July 1979, Some Artists, for example, Joseph Beuys, multiples, drawing, videotapes, May 15-June15, University of California, Riverside, [1975], stapled as issued, some toning and a little wear to spine, Joseph Beuys, Zeichnungen Tekeningen Drawings, 1979-80, Caroline Tistall, Jospeh Beuys, London: Thames & Hudson, 1979, Joseph Beuys, Coyote, Munich: Schirmer-Mosel, 1980, Anthony d'Offay, Joseph Beuys, Words that can Hear, 1981, and several related photocopied textsQTY: (9)

Audsley (George Ashdown & Audsley, Maurice Ashdown). The Practical Decorator and Ornamentist, Glasgow: Published for Subscribers only, by Blackie & Son, Ltd., [1892], half-title, two diagram plates and 100 fine chromolithograph plates printed by Firmin-Didot of Paris, some heightened with gold, occasional light spotting, all edges gilt, contemporary black half morocco, worn, folio, together with:Solon (Marc Louis). The Ancient Art Stoneware of the Low Countries and Germany; or Gre?s de Flandres & Steinzeug: its principal varieties and the places where it was manufactured during the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, 2 volumes in one, London: Printed for the Author at the Chiswick Press, 1892, 25 sepia etched plates on india paper, monochrome illustrations to text, some marginal browning, edges untrimmed, modern half calf, folio (limited signed edition 16/270 printed on Dutch handmade paper),Anderson (William). The Pictorial Arts of Japan..., London: London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1886, title in red and black (with repaired closed tear), 80 chromolithograph and monochrome plates, monochrome illustrations, some toning and spotting, front blank inscribed 'Margaret Anderson from her husband', all edges gilt, near contemporary black half morocco retaining original pictorial cloth sides, rebacked, extremities rubbed, folioQTY: (3)

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. Renaissance jewels, gold boxes and objets de vertu, by Anna Somers Cocks and Charles Truman, 1984, European silver, by Hanneklore Müller, 1986, Nineteenth-century American painting, by Barbara Novak, 1986, Medieval sculpture and works of art, by Paul Williamson, 1987, Seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish painting, by Ivan Gaskell, 1989, Early Netherlandish painting, by Colin Eisler, 1989, Early Italian painting 1290-1470, by Miklós Boskovits, 1990, Early German painting 1350-1550, Isolade Lübbeke, 1991, Renaissance and later sculpture, by Anthony Radcliffe et al, 1992, Twentieth-century German Painting, by Peter Vergo, 1992, Twentieth-century Russian and East European painting, by John E. Bowlt & Nicoletta Misler, 1993, The European Avant-gardes, by Christopher Green, 1995, Carpets and Textiles, by Friedrich Spuhler, 1998Seventeenth and eighteenth century Italian painting, by Roberto Contini, 2002, 14 volumes in total, all 1st editions, all original cloth in dust jackets, some covers lightly rubbed to head & foot, large 4to, together with other modern antiques & art reference, mostly original cloth in dust jackets, some 'as new' in original plastic wrap, G/VG, 8vo/4toQTY: (3 shelves)

Charles I. Reliquiae Sacrae Carolinae. Or the Works of that Great Monarch and Glorious Martyr King Charls the I. Collected together, and Digested in Order, According to their Severall Subjects, Civil and Sacred, 2 parts in one, The Hague: Printed by Samuell Browne, 1651, engraved portrait frontispiece, double-page engraved portrait of Charles I at prayer (lined to verso and closed tear to fold), light dust-soiling, toning and spotting, armorial bookplate of Edward Francis Witts to upper pastedown,19th-century blind panelled and decorated calf, spine torn and some wear, 8vo, together with:New Testament [French]. Le Nouveau Testament de Nostre Seigneur Jesus Christ, Traduit en François Selon l'edition Vulgate, avec les différences du Grec. 2 parts in one, new edition, A Mons: Gaspard Migeot [Amsterdam: Daniel Elsevier], 1672, general title in red and black and with woodcut device, 2nd part with separate title 'Les Epistres de S. Paul. Les Epistres Canoniques. L'Apocalypse', light damp-staining and dust-soiling, modern calf, 8vo (Willems 1480, The On account of the hostility of the Jesuits in Paris, this Jansenist Bible could not be printed in France and the various editions with the Mons imprint are usually attributed to the press of Daniel Elzevier at Amsterdam),Hall (Joseph). The Old Religion: A Treatise Wherein is laid down The true state of the difference betwixt the Reformed and Roman Church..., for a Preservation against Popish Insinuations, London: Printed by M. F. and are to be sold by William Freeman, 1686, some damp-staining, front endpaper with early manuscript ownership of Kitty and Agnes Travell, Frances Travell, and F. E. Witts, contemporary mottled calf, joints rubbed, 12mo, plus other 17th-early 19th-century antiquarian including Peacham (Henry). The Compleat Gentleman. Fashioning him absolut [sic], in the most necessary and commendable Qualities concerning Minde or Body, that may be required in a Noble Gentleman. Whereunto is annexed a description of the order of a Maine Battaile or Pitched Field, eight severall wayes: with the Art of Limming and other Additions newly Enlarged, London: Francis Constable, 1634, additional engraved title, lacking three leaves of text (N3, N4 & O1), leaves N1 & N2 detached, damp-staining throughout, contemporary calf, 4toQTY: (8)

* Piper (John, 1903-1992). Two Autograph Letters Signed, 'John Piper', Fawley Bottom Farmhouse, nr Henley-on-Thames, 9 November 1940 & Pentre, Bethesda, Bangor, 17 January 1946, both to William [Scudamore Mitchell], the first beginning, 'John brought your letter with him this week which we found v enjoyable, if much of the life it described sounded otherwise. I send a photo [not present here], of water-colour of Hamsey Ch[urch], in case it amuses you. "Plain Oak Seats: Art, but decent" I see I have noted in my sketchbook - but "I took the liberty of expunging them from the drawing" as Sidney Pitcher F.R.P.S. of Gloucester once said to me about the fir-trees at the Rollright Stones - introducing a singularly bare-looking photo... ', recounting how he visited Hamsey at the beginning of the war and saying that William is doing 'invaluable work on our hatchment heritage' and hoping Sir Harry and Sir Charles will remember him when they get into parliament, 'as advisors on Historical Monument Preservation to the New Era Government' , a little spotting and some creasing and one short tear to right margin, 2 pp., 8vo, the second letter beginning, 'It was an enormous pleasure - series of pleasures - to see you posted in the Times alive and well, as we did, then to hear you were home from John, now to hear from you in person. Your letter is fascinating and it will be even more fascinating when we meet again... ', saying that 'For our own part we have had fun and hell during the war but nearly all fun, and we have taken the first opportunity of escaping from our beam ends at Fawley Bottom to come to the frozen mountains of Cambria where we have taken this house (no modern conveniences whatever: hip bath in front of kitchen fire, the size of an occasional table) in order - ostensibly - for me to paint frozen mountains. It is far too cold of course to do that... ', telling William to take time to look at some churches before he goes to Austria and telling him not to go abroad for too long, 'The country needs you', a couple of minor spots, 3 pp. on 2 sheets of letterhead, 8voQTY: (2)NOTE:William Scudamore Mitchell (1912-1987), advertising manager at Shell prior to the Second World War. Mitchell worked with John Betjeman and John Piper on the Shell Guides series, and was himself the author of East Sussex, A Shell Guide (Faber & Faber, 1978). During the war, Mitchell was sent to Singapore where he was interned by the Japanese, as a prisoner-of-war on the Burma Railway. His account of the experience was published in 1996 as The Setting Sun, An Account of Life in Captivity under the Japanese. Mitchell later worked as advertising manager for the Egg Marketing Board until his retirement. He stayed at Fawley Bottom with John and Myfanwy Piper on numerous occasions, and owned several works by Piper.

Grohmann (Will). Paul Klee, 1st English edition, London: Lund Humphries, 1954, colour and monochrome plates, original black cloth in dustwrapper, a little rubbed, together with:Wingler (Hans Maria). Oskar Kokoschka, The Work of the Painter, Gallerie Welz/Faber & Faber, 1958, tipped-in colour plates, monochrome illustrations, original cream cloth in dustwrapper, rubbed and a little frayed to edges, plusSeuphor (Michel). Piet Mondrian, Life and Work, 1st English edition, New York: Harry N. Abrams, circa 1960, tipped-in colour plates, monochrome plates and illustrations, original red cloth in dustwrapper, and other monographs on 20th century artists, including Bryan Robertson, Jackson Pollock, 1st English edition, Thames & Hudson, 1960, Reinhold Hohl, Giacometti, Sculpture Painting Drawing, 1st English edition, Thames & Hudson, 1972, H. H. Arnason, Robert Motherwell, 1st edition, New York, Harry N. Abhams, 1977, Lawrence Rubin, Frank Stella, Paintings 1958 to 1965, A Catalogue Raisonné, 1st edition, New York, 1986, Yves Klein 1928-1962, A Retrospective, 1982 (inscribed to Lawrence Gowing by Nan Rosenthal), Hans Hess, Lyonel Feininger, 1st English edition, Thames & Hudson, 1961, Michel Seuphor, Abstract Painting in Flanders, 2nd edition, 1974, Thomas B. Hess, Barnett Newman, Museum of Modern Art, 1971, Frank Stella, Working Space, The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures 1983-84, Harvard University Press, 1986, Art Since 1950, American and International, Seattle World's Fair, 1962 exhibition catalogue, and a proof edition in printed wrappers of Frank Stella's Working Space, all 4toQTY: (14)

Cooper (Douglas). Picasso Theatre, 1st English edition, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1968, tipped-in colour plates, monochrome illustrations, origianl pictorial cloth in glassine dustwrapper, torn and restrengthened with clear adhesive tape to edges, thicj square 4to, together withRamié (Suzanne and Georges). Céramiques de Picasso, Geneva: Albert Skira, 1948, tipped-in colour plates, original colour lithograph wrappers (designed by Picasso, with thin glassine overwrapper, torn along spine, folio, plus others on Picasso and modern art, including John Elderfield, Kurt Schwitters, 1985, Albert E. Elsen, The Sculpture of Henri Matisse, Abrams, 1972, Arne Eggum, Edvard Munch, Paintings, Sketches and Studies, 1st English editon, Thames 7 Hudson, 1984, Alexander Romm, Henri Matisse, translated by Chen. I-Wan, Ogiz-Izogiz, 1937, etc., all 20th-century publications, many original cloth in dustwrappers, some paper-bound editions, 4to/8voQTY: (6 shelves)

Eden (William). Principles of Penal Law, 2nd edition, London: B. White and T. Cadell, 1771, half-title, brown morocco, green morocco title label to spine, extremities worn, joints cracked, corners worn and showing, 8vo, together with More (Hannah). Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education…, 4th edition, 2 volumes, London: T. Cadell Jun and W. Davies, 1799, half-title, contemporary owner's signature to front free endpapers, contemporary calf, gilt decorated spine, maroon morocco labels (partially lacking volume number label to volume 1 & lacking title label to volume 2), joints splitting, corners worn, 8vo, and Harris (James). Three Treaties, The First Concerning Art, The Second Concerning Music, The Third Concerning Happiness, 2nd edition, London: John Nourse and Paul Vaillant, 1765, verso of title and also front free endpaper with contemporary gift inscription from the author to Wadham College, Oxford, contemporary marbled calf, gilt decorated spines lacking labels, joints split, worn, 8vo, and Harris (James). Hermes or a Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Universal Grammer…, 2nd edition, London: John Nourse and Paul Vaillant, 1765, engraved frontispiece, verso of title and verso of front free endpaper with contemporary gift inscription from the author to Wadham College, Oxford, contemporary marbled calf, gilt decorated spine lacking labels, joints split, worn, 8vo, plus Maury, (Abbe & Lake, John Neal, translator). The Principles of Eloquence Adapted to the Pulpit and the Bar, London: T. Cadell 1793, modern half calf gilt, 8vo QTY: (6)

De Nobleville (Arnault). Aedologie ou traite du rossignol franc, ou chanteur, 1st edition, Paris: Chez Debure l'ainé, Quai des Augustins, à l'Image S. Paul, 1751, 2 folding engraved plates including frontispiece, contemporary mottled, gilt decorated spine with maroon morocco title label, spine torn at head with slight loss, small 8vo, together with:Abercrombie (John). The British Fruit-Gardener; And the Art of Pruning: Comprising the Most Approved Methods of Planting and Raising every Useful Fruit-Tree and Fruit-Bearing-Shrub, whether for Walls, Espaliers, Standards, Half-Standards, or Dwarfs..., 1st edition, London: Lockyer Davis, 1779, title also written in manuscript to lower margin, contemporary calf, joints split and leather at head of spine torn, corners worn and showing, 8vo,Mawe (Thomas). Every Man his own Gardener. Being a new and much more complete Gardener's Kalendar, and General Director, than any one hitherto published, 13th edition, London: J. F. and C. Rivington, T. Longman, B. Law [et al.], 1791, engraved frontispiece, contemporary half calf, extremities rubbed, 12mo,Marshall (William). Planting and Rural Ornament, 2 volumes, 2nd edition, London: G. Nicol, G. G. and J. Robinson and J. Debrett, 1796, contemporary calf, spines lacking labels, upper board of volume 1 detached, worn, 8vo,Macculloch (John). Remarks on the Art of Making Wine, 4th edition, enlarged and improved, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1829, half-title, light damp-staining at foot of initial leaves, original green cloth, 12mo, and The Modern Cookery, written upon the most approved and Economical Principles, and in which every Receipt has stood the Test of Experience, by a Lady, 9th edition, greatly improved and enlarged, Derby: Henry Mozley and Sons, 1846, wood engraved frontispiece, two plates and several illustrations of bills of fare, light toning, original cloth, 12mo, plus four other natural history and botany relatedQTY: (11)

Φ Tony O'Malley (Irish 1913-2003)Beach MusicSigned with initials and dated OM 8/1969 (lower right)Gouache30.3 x 22.7cmProvenance:The Collection of George and Maura McClelland;By whom sold, Whyte's, Dublin, Irish and International Art, 27 February 2017, lot 34Exhibited:Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Selected Works from the McClelland Collection, 2000-2001

Edward Hopper (American, 1882-1967)Night in the Park (Zigrosser 20; Levin 80) Etching, 1921, a fine atmospheric impression, on Umbria paper with partial watermark, signed in pencil, framedPlate 172 x 210mm (6 3/4 x 8 1/4in)Sheet 328 x 395mm (12 7/8 x 15 1/2in)Footnotes:Edward Hopper is admired for his atmospheric and enigmatic depictions of life during the American Depression and particularly well known for his urban scenes of New York. The majority of these scenes depict buildings and streets devoid of people, or perhaps with one solitary figure. In contrast to his contemporaries who were depicting the crowds and bustle of cities, he chose to focus on quiet reflective moments such as a man reading a newspaper in Central Park. There is a stillness and melancholy to the image which conveys a sense of isolation. Hopper infuses it with drama through the play of light and shadow, with the solitary figure highlighted under the street lamp. The diagonal created by the row of benches draws the eye into the picture to the spotlit figure who is turned away from view, emphasizing the sense of alienation which can be experienced in a big city.Having trained as a commercial illustrator and painter, Hopper was meticulous in his execution and he printed the etchings himself to ensure the perfect result was achieved. His technique and choice of subject matter grasped the public's imagination and although the success of his paintings eclipsed that of his printmaking, the etchings are considered as masterpieces of modern American printmaking.As the New Yorker art critic, Peter Schjeldahl, succinctly put it, Hopper 'leaves us alone with our own solitude, taking our breath away and not giving it back...Once you've seen a Hopper, it stays seen, lodged in your mind's eye'For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)Femme au chapeau fleuri (Ramié 521) stamped and numbered Madoura Plein Feu/Empreinte Originale de Picasso/ 97/100 (underneath)partially engraved terracotta plaque with black engobeConceived in 1964 and executed in a numbered edition of 100Overall 330 x 255mm (12 7/8 x 10in)Footnotes:ProvenanceChristie's, Impressionist and Modern Art, London, 10 November 2010, Lot 162 (with their label).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

This elegant evening cape is a fine example of the Art Nouveau style. Crafted from a luxurious blend of silk and wool, the fabric features a fine cream and pink slippersatin adorned with intricate floral and leaf embroidery scrolling. Created under the English couturier, John Redfern.Label 'A Redfern'Fabric composition : wool, silk, and trimLength : 105 cmWidth : 180 cmCondition: There are a few minorly-seen stains and missing threads on the garmentProvenance: Mavrocordato familyOriginating from the esteemed Mavrocordato family, historical rulers (ospodar) in regions forming modern-day Romania, this collection of 15 vintage garments intricately weaves together aristocratic elegance and cultural evolution. Among these treasures are select pieces by the influential British couturier John Redfern, who left an indelible mark on women's wardrobe development. Notably, Redfern adorned crowned heads, with admirers including British Queens Victoria and Alexandra, and Russian empresses Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna. At the close of the nineteenth century, Redfern's groundbreaking Taylor suit marked a pivotal shift in women's fashion, characterized by a jacket-like top, matching skirt, blouse with a high-standing collar, and a woman's tie. This ensemble, worn by the future Queen Alexandra during her travels to Europe with the Prince of Wales, encapsulates the intersection of fashion and royalty. The craftsmanship and overall fabric quality of these garments are not only striking but also contribute to their high historical and collectible importance, making this antique clothing selection truly exceptional.

This art-deco era dress is made of soft silky material. Its pleated, it has an elegant bow decoration on the neck and long sleeves.Fabric composition : silk and crepeLength : 124 cmWaist : 98 cmCondition: Very good condition, except some discoloration on the lining and the bowProvenance: Mavrocordato familyOriginating from the esteemed Mavrocordato family, historical rulers (ospodar) in regions forming modern-day Romania, this collection of 15 vintage garments intricately weaves together aristocratic elegance and cultural evolution. Among these treasures are select pieces by the influential British couturier John Redfern, who left an indelible mark on women's wardrobe development. Notably, Redfern adorned crowned heads, with admirers including British Queens Victoria and Alexandra, and Russian empresses Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna. At the close of the nineteenth century, Redfern's groundbreaking Taylor suit marked a pivotal shift in women's fashion, characterized by a jacket-like top, matching skirt, blouse with a high-standing collar, and a woman's tie. This ensemble, worn by the future Queen Alexandra during her travels to Europe with the Prince of Wales, encapsulates the intersection of fashion and royalty. The craftsmanship and overall fabric quality of these garments are not only striking but also contribute to their high historical and collectible importance, making this antique clothing selection truly exceptional.

This art deco black dress is decorated with a plissé pleat at a neckline and hemline, the dress comes with a floral- patterned satin belt (even though the belt probably originally belongs to a different gown).Length : 132 cmWaist : 86 cmCondition: Some minor imperfections, such as discoloration and small stains on the outer layer of fabricProvenance: Mavrocordato familyOriginating from the esteemed Mavrocordato family, historical rulers (ospodar) in regions forming modern-day Romania, this collection of 15 vintage garments intricately weaves together aristocratic elegance and cultural evolution. Among these treasures are select pieces by the influential British couturier John Redfern, who left an indelible mark on women's wardrobe development. Notably, Redfern adorned crowned heads, with admirers including British Queens Victoria and Alexandra, and Russian empresses Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna. At the close of the nineteenth century, Redfern's groundbreaking Taylor suit marked a pivotal shift in women's fashion, characterized by a jacket-like top, matching skirt, blouse with a high-standing collar, and a woman's tie. This ensemble, worn by the future Queen Alexandra during her travels to Europe with the Prince of Wales, encapsulates the intersection of fashion and royalty. The craftsmanship and overall fabric quality of these garments are not only striking but also contribute to their high historical and collectible importance, making this antique clothing selection truly exceptional.

Square silver cigarette pot with wooden interior with 'Samorodok' decorationsigned 'Cartier Sterling' and 'Alfredo Sciarrotta' H. 7.2 cmGross weight : 163 gAlfredo Sciarrotta designed handmade items of silver for Cartier NY in the 1950s.An Italian-American born in in Rossano, Calabria, Italy, Alfredo Sciarrotta was a silversmith and expert in undersea weapons. He studied mechanical engineering, and in the years leading up to the War II, he worked at a munitions factory. He developed an expertise in the field of undersea weapons and enabled his acquisition as an asset by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1943. His former mentor Carlo Colossi had pioneered the magnetic torpedo exploder for the Germans during the war. To protect the secret hardware for the Allied war effort, Sciarrotta and a team of scientists and engineers were smuggled out of Italy with weapon-related hardware and tools. After the fall of Italy to the allies, Sciarrotta continued to provide valuable insight and intel to the U.S. Navy. As a reward for his service to the United States, the government offered Sciarrotta a permanent position at the Naval Torpedo Station. However, he decided to follow his artistic interests and develop of his craft, creating art objects of copper, brass and eventually sterling silver. His designs became known as “The Wedding Gift of Philadelphia and Newport” and he was often referred to as the «Modern Cellini’. Sciarrotta’s work was commissioned for gifts presented by the City of Newport to visiting dignitaries, including President Eisenhower, the Italian President Giovanni Gronchi, fighter Rocky Marciano,[2] andMayor Delmas of Antibes, France in 1962.

MODERN ART INTERIOR DESIGN LIGHT

A Collection of Books and catalogues relating to the Grosvenor School and CRW Nevinson Three volumes by Claude Flight: The Art and Craft of Lino-cutting and Printing, published 1934 by Batsford; Lino-cuts, revised edition published in 1948 by The Bodley Head; Christmas and Other Feasts and Festivals, published 1936 by George Routledge & Sons Ltd, inscribed by the artist on the inside front cover; Linocuts of the Machine Age: Claude Flight and the Grosvenor School, a Catalogue Raisonné by Stephen Coppel, published 1995 by Scolar Press; Cyril Power Linocuts by Philip Vann, 2008; The Cutting Edge of Modernity, 2002; Rhythms of Modern Life by Clifford Ackley, 2008; Contemporary British Artists: CRW Nevinson, published 1925 by Charles Scribner's Sons; CRW Nevinson The Twentieth Century (12)Footnotes:Also included: two exhibition catalogues: Nash and Nevinson in War and Peace , 31 Oct to 19 Nov 1977 at Leicester Galleries at the Alpine Club Gallery, Claude Flight and His Circle, 19 Nov-6 Dec 1975 at Michael Parkin Fine Art Ltd; plus an invitation to The Movement of Flight, Claude Flight, his circle and his pupils at Parkin Gallery 27 Sep-21 Oct 1978This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com