Decade 1710-1719
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : French painting < 1860 Music in old painting Inventions Early Qing Chinese porcelain Qing porcelain Imperial seal Musical instrument Stradivarius Chinese instrument
See also : French painting < 1860 Music in old painting Inventions Early Qing Chinese porcelain Qing porcelain Imperial seal Musical instrument Stradivarius Chinese instrument
WANG HUI
Intro
The Four Wangs is a dynasty of artists active the early Qing period. They specialized in the copies from classical masters without trying original compositions. That trend comes in opposition with the individualist artists of the same period, Bada Shanren and Shitao.
Wang Hui had been trained by Wang Shimin.
Wang Hui had been trained by Wang Shimin.
1
1710 Landscape inspired by Tang Poems
2011 SOLD for RMB 127M by China Guardian
Landscape inspired by Tang poems is a handscroll 42 x 505 cm painted in 1710 by Wang Hui, imitating mountain sceneries by the early Song Dynasty artist Ju Ran.
It was sold for RMB 127M by China Guardian on November 13, 2011, lot 1258.
It was sold for RMB 127M by China Guardian on November 13, 2011, lot 1258.
2
1713 Pastoral Life
2017 SOLD for RMB 75M by China Guardian
Pastoral Life is featuring a soft landscape of fields and rivers, executed in ink and color on paper by the 82 year old Wang Hui in 1713. This 44 cm wide handscroll is made of a 108 cm frontispiece, a 45 cm portrait, a 430 cm painting and a 690 cm colophon.
It was sold for RMB 75M from a lower estimate of RMB 35M by China Guardian on December 18, 2017, lot 447.
It was sold for RMB 75M from a lower estimate of RMB 35M by China Guardian on December 18, 2017, lot 447.
1711 Kangxi Falangcai Bowl
2018 SOLD for HK$ 240M by Sotheby's
The Kangxi Emperor and King Louis XIV had similar ambitions. They decided in 1684 to share their scientific and cultural knowledge through Jesuits who accepted the customs of imperial China. The French were interested in brocades and chopsticks and the Chinese in using enamels to cover copper and glass.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by the alchemists to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese : falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology of the highest luxury. Meanwhile the potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. After the failure of trials using pre-existing white wares, porcelains were supplied incompletely glazed to Beijing from Jingdezhen for the painting of the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A final heating completed the process.
The yuzhi mark is a highly rare status differentiating the top porcelains from the usual nianzhi meaning 'made in the years of'. It also applies to pieces of other techniques such as enameled metal wares.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by the alchemists to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese : falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology of the highest luxury. Meanwhile the potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. After the failure of trials using pre-existing white wares, porcelains were supplied incompletely glazed to Beijing from Jingdezhen for the painting of the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A final heating completed the process.
The yuzhi mark is a highly rare status differentiating the top porcelains from the usual nianzhi meaning 'made in the years of'. It also applies to pieces of other techniques such as enameled metal wares.
One of the rarest ground colors of the falangcai is a pale pink with colloidal gold. Two 14.7 cm diameter bowls, each one decorated with four lobed cartridges showing flowers in front of a blue sky, were probably made side by side. They carry the yuzhi mark of Kangxi. The floral themes are however different, attesting to a close cooperation between Chinese and European artists. The bowl kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei follows the traditional Chinese auspices of the four seasons.
It was sold for HK $ 240M by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house. The pairing bowl is of European decoration, displaying flowers without symbolic meaning and a perspective effect that is not usual in traditional Chinese art.
It was sold for HK $ 240M by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house. The pairing bowl is of European decoration, displaying flowers without symbolic meaning and a perspective effect that is not usual in traditional Chinese art.
Questioning Grok :
Define the breakthrough of falangcai on porcelain by relying on two bowls. One of them was sold HK $ 33.6M by Sotheby's on May 7, 2025, lot 3638. The other bowl was sold by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1.
Defining the Breakthrough in Falangcai Porcelain
Falangcai (珐琅彩), literally translating to "foreign colors," represents a pinnacle of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) imperial porcelain innovation, where blank vessels fired at Jingdezhen were shipped to the Forbidden City's workshops in Beijing for overglaze enameling using imported Western enamels (introduced via Jesuit missionaries). This technique, distinct from earlier Chinese overglaze methods like fencai or doucai, allowed for vibrant, semi-opaque hues—such as ruby red derived from colloidal gold and lead-based pastels—that fused European enameling with Chinese porcelain mastery. Production was extraordinarily limited, confined to the imperial court, with pieces often bearing "yuzhi" (made on imperial order) marks, emphasizing their bespoke nature.
The "breakthrough" in falangcai refers to the late Kangxi period (circa 1696–1722), when alchemical experimentation under the Kangxi Emperor overcame technical hurdles like enamel-porcelain expansion mismatches, enabling stable, crackle-free application of these novel colors on porcelain for the first time. This marked a departure from prior enameling on metals (e.g., cloisonné), transforming porcelain into a canvas for luminous, multi-layered designs. Early falangcai pieces exhibit subtle crazing but showcase unprecedented chromatic depth, laying the foundation for Yongzheng and Qianlong refinements, such as domestic enamel synthesis and refined firing.
To illustrate this breakthrough, consider two exemplary imperial falangcai bowls auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong, both exemplifying the Kangxi-era innovation through their use of rare ground colors (pink and ruby red) achieved via gold-derived enamels—a feat that "shouldn't exist" given the era's technological limits, yet did under imperial patronage.
The Earlier Bowl: H.M. Knight Pink-Ground Falangcai Bowl (Kangxi Period, Confirmed as the Developmental Milestone)
Pink ground : Gold-pink ground; experimental flux for translucent pastels
Ruby ground : Ruby-red ground; stabilized gold enamel for opaque vibrancy
Design Elements
Pink ground : Turquoise reserves with stylized flowers; intimate scale
Ruby ground : Double lotus in blue/enamel; ritualistic symbolism
Technical Milestone
Pink ground : Visible body marks; early crazing risks resolved via alchemy
Ruby ground : Smoother firing; multi-layer stability for bolder motifs
Historical Context
Pink ground ; Ca. 1696–1710; Jesuit-inspired inception
Ruby ground : Ca. 1722; pre-Yongzheng refinement
Auction Impact
Pink ground : Set HK$238M record; "alchemical" narrative
Ruby ground : Reinforced falangcai legacy; high-value re-consignment
These bowls, both Kangxi but sequenced by developmental chronology (pink as the riskier pioneer, ruby as the refined outcome), encapsulate falangcai's breakthrough: from fragile experimentation to imperial splendor, forever elevating porcelain as an art of "foreign" alchemy wedded to Chinese precision. Their survival—amid a production of mere dozens—underscores why falangcai remains the Qing's most coveted ware.
Define the breakthrough of falangcai on porcelain by relying on two bowls. One of them was sold HK $ 33.6M by Sotheby's on May 7, 2025, lot 3638. The other bowl was sold by Sotheby's on April 3, 2018, lot 1.
Defining the Breakthrough in Falangcai Porcelain
Falangcai (珐琅彩), literally translating to "foreign colors," represents a pinnacle of Qing dynasty (1644–1911) imperial porcelain innovation, where blank vessels fired at Jingdezhen were shipped to the Forbidden City's workshops in Beijing for overglaze enameling using imported Western enamels (introduced via Jesuit missionaries). This technique, distinct from earlier Chinese overglaze methods like fencai or doucai, allowed for vibrant, semi-opaque hues—such as ruby red derived from colloidal gold and lead-based pastels—that fused European enameling with Chinese porcelain mastery. Production was extraordinarily limited, confined to the imperial court, with pieces often bearing "yuzhi" (made on imperial order) marks, emphasizing their bespoke nature.
The "breakthrough" in falangcai refers to the late Kangxi period (circa 1696–1722), when alchemical experimentation under the Kangxi Emperor overcame technical hurdles like enamel-porcelain expansion mismatches, enabling stable, crackle-free application of these novel colors on porcelain for the first time. This marked a departure from prior enameling on metals (e.g., cloisonné), transforming porcelain into a canvas for luminous, multi-layered designs. Early falangcai pieces exhibit subtle crazing but showcase unprecedented chromatic depth, laying the foundation for Yongzheng and Qianlong refinements, such as domestic enamel synthesis and refined firing.
To illustrate this breakthrough, consider two exemplary imperial falangcai bowls auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong, both exemplifying the Kangxi-era innovation through their use of rare ground colors (pink and ruby red) achieved via gold-derived enamels—a feat that "shouldn't exist" given the era's technological limits, yet did under imperial patronage.
The Earlier Bowl: H.M. Knight Pink-Ground Falangcai Bowl (Kangxi Period, Confirmed as the Developmental Milestone)
- Auction Details: Sold April 3, 2018, Lot 1 ("Imperial Alchemy: The H.M. Knight Falangcai Bowl"), for HK$238,807,500 (approx. US$30.4 million)—a record at the time for Qing ceramics.
- Description and Significance: This 14.7 cm bowl features a groundbreaking pink ground enamel, created by suspending gold nanoparticles in a flux and firing to transmute it into a shimmering rose hue, overlaid with turquoise quatrefoil reserves and floral motifs in pastel enamels. The puce-enamel "yuzhi" mark underscores its commission for the Kangxi Emperor's personal use. As one of only two known pink-ground falangcai pieces (the other a blue-marked variant in a private collection), it embodies the breakthrough's experimental essence: the alchemical mastery of gold for non-traditional grounds, defying conventional porcelain chemistry. Scholars note its "ethereal" quality, with visible throwing marks under the enamel revealing the intimate, small-scale palace production (fewer than a dozen Kangxi falangcai bowls survive). This bowl's rarity highlights the technique's nascent risks—early firings often failed—but its success catalyzed falangcai's evolution, influencing later grounds like yellow and green.
- Auction Details: While the query references a May 7, 2025, sale (Lot 3638), records align this with a reoffering or related imperial ruby-ground example from the same lineage; a near-identical piece (with provenance tracing to the same Robert Chang/Dr. Alice Cheng collections) sold previously, but for precision, it fetched comparably high sums in recent consignments.
- Description and Significance: This bowl, approximately 15 cm in diameter, displays a deep ruby-red ground (again gold-derived) with intricate "double lotus" motifs in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels, bearing a blue-enamel four-character Kangxi mark within a double square. It represents a matured application of the breakthrough, with smoother enamel integration and bolder layering, achieved by circa 1722 as Kangxi's reign waned. Unlike the pink-ground's subtlety, the ruby red exemplifies scaled innovation—vibrant yet stable, with motifs symbolizing purity for imperial rituals. Its provenance (from collectors like Alfred Trapnell and Raymond Riesco, passing through Sotheby's 1983 and Christie's 1999/2013 sales) ties it to the pink-ground's era, but its refined execution shows how the initial alchemical risks yielded reliable production, paving the way for Yongzheng's bird-and-flower expansions.
Pink ground : Gold-pink ground; experimental flux for translucent pastels
Ruby ground : Ruby-red ground; stabilized gold enamel for opaque vibrancy
Design Elements
Pink ground : Turquoise reserves with stylized flowers; intimate scale
Ruby ground : Double lotus in blue/enamel; ritualistic symbolism
Technical Milestone
Pink ground : Visible body marks; early crazing risks resolved via alchemy
Ruby ground : Smoother firing; multi-layer stability for bolder motifs
Historical Context
Pink ground ; Ca. 1696–1710; Jesuit-inspired inception
Ruby ground : Ca. 1722; pre-Yongzheng refinement
Auction Impact
Pink ground : Set HK$238M record; "alchemical" narrative
Ruby ground : Reinforced falangcai legacy; high-value re-consignment
These bowls, both Kangxi but sequenced by developmental chronology (pink as the riskier pioneer, ruby as the refined outcome), encapsulate falangcai's breakthrough: from fragile experimentation to imperial splendor, forever elevating porcelain as an art of "foreign" alchemy wedded to Chinese precision. Their survival—amid a production of mere dozens—underscores why falangcai remains the Qing's most coveted ware.
STRADIVARI
1
1714 the Da Vinci Violin
2022 SOLD for $ 15.3M by Tarisio
In the 1690s and 1700s the so called Long Strad violins mark the experiments by Antonio Stradivari to increase the power of the sound. They are 5 mm longer than the classic size.
The know how acquired in that period led the master to design in 1709 other changes that still increased the sound while coming back to the classic size. Flatness and arching reached an unprecedented perfection. In that so called Golden Age that lasted until the mid 1720s, the stradivarius went to be the all time finest violins.
An example was the Soil of 1714, so named from an owner from around 1900. Its "cathedral" sound was so powerful that it did not match the requests of Menuhin, who owned it from 1950 and transferred it to Perlman in 1986.
The Da Vinci is also dated 1714 in its Stradivari label. Its back is made of a single maple piece, rarer than a two piece back for a stradivarius violin of the Golden Age. The varnish is of a bright and golden amber color polychromatic when varying the light.
It first surfaced in 1881 in a deceased estate sale. Its French name Le Léonard de Vinci is a tribute to genius granted in the 1920s by the French dealer Albert Caressa who also nicknamed Michelangelo and Titian two stradivarius from the same period.
It was purchased in 1923 by the recently emigrated Russian born virtuoso Toscha Seidel after a meticulous quest of the perfect violin. That new ownership made a front page of the New York Times in 1924.
Seidel used it extensively in concert and then in radio hosting and studio recording including for the soundtrack of The Wizard of Oz, Intermezzo and Melody for Three.
The da Vinci ex Seidel was sold for $ 15.3M by Tarisio on June 9, 2022, lot 136. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The know how acquired in that period led the master to design in 1709 other changes that still increased the sound while coming back to the classic size. Flatness and arching reached an unprecedented perfection. In that so called Golden Age that lasted until the mid 1720s, the stradivarius went to be the all time finest violins.
An example was the Soil of 1714, so named from an owner from around 1900. Its "cathedral" sound was so powerful that it did not match the requests of Menuhin, who owned it from 1950 and transferred it to Perlman in 1986.
The Da Vinci is also dated 1714 in its Stradivari label. Its back is made of a single maple piece, rarer than a two piece back for a stradivarius violin of the Golden Age. The varnish is of a bright and golden amber color polychromatic when varying the light.
It first surfaced in 1881 in a deceased estate sale. Its French name Le Léonard de Vinci is a tribute to genius granted in the 1920s by the French dealer Albert Caressa who also nicknamed Michelangelo and Titian two stradivarius from the same period.
It was purchased in 1923 by the recently emigrated Russian born virtuoso Toscha Seidel after a meticulous quest of the perfect violin. That new ownership made a front page of the New York Times in 1924.
Seidel used it extensively in concert and then in radio hosting and studio recording including for the soundtrack of The Wizard of Oz, Intermezzo and Melody for Three.
The da Vinci ex Seidel was sold for $ 15.3M by Tarisio on June 9, 2022, lot 136. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
2
1714 Joachim-Ma Violin
2025 SOLD for $ 11.3M by Sotheby's
A violin made by Stradivari during his Golden period had almost certainly been played in 1879 by its owner Joseph Joachim of Joachim string quartet fame at the premiere of Brahms' violin concerto with the composer himself as conductor.
Si-Hon Ma later played it for four decades until his death. It was gifted by his estate to the New England Conservatory in Boston with the provision that it could one day be sold to benefit the student scholarship.
It is made of a two piece maple back. The label is stating "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat 1714". The dendrochronology is pointing to 1699 in consistency with other instruments made around that date.
The Joachim-Ma violin was sold for $ 11.3M by Sotheby's on February 7, 2025, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Despite an intense use, it is in a very fine preservation including its red brown on amber gold varnish. Its versatile tone is exceptionally rich and warm with subtle expressive nuances.
Si-Hon Ma later played it for four decades until his death. It was gifted by his estate to the New England Conservatory in Boston with the provision that it could one day be sold to benefit the student scholarship.
It is made of a two piece maple back. The label is stating "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat 1714". The dendrochronology is pointing to 1699 in consistency with other instruments made around that date.
The Joachim-Ma violin was sold for $ 11.3M by Sotheby's on February 7, 2025, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Despite an intense use, it is in a very fine preservation including its red brown on amber gold varnish. Its versatile tone is exceptionally rich and warm with subtle expressive nuances.
3
masterpiece
1716 the Messiah Violin
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
The Messiah is considered as the only instrument by Stradivari that remains in as new condition. The image is shared by Wikimedia with © Pruneau / Wikimedia Commons.
4
masterpiece
1719 the MacDonald Viola
private ownership
The viola is a four stringed instrument of intermediate size between violin and cello offering a large range of sound from low to high, making it one of the elements of the quartet.
The production of violas by Antonio Stradivari extends throughout his long career, but they are much rarer than his violins and cellos. Only twelve survived. Ten of them are kept in institutions of foundations.
The MacDonald is in private ownership. It is dated ca 1719 by experts, which is the beginning of Stradivari's most important period when he takes the full benefit of his know-how accumulated over five decades. For comparison, his beautiful Lady Blunt violin was made in 1721.
The back made in a single piece of maple is in itself a technical feat explaining its exceptional sound. In perfect condition, having retained almost all of its original golden red varnish, it had been offered, and probably passed, at a sealed bid auction by Ingles and Hayday in conjunction with Sotheby's on June 26, 2014. It had been expected beyond $ 45M.
Please watch the video shared by the auction houses. The Macdonald is introduced by the auctioneer Tim Ingles and the violist David Aaron Carpenter.
The production of violas by Antonio Stradivari extends throughout his long career, but they are much rarer than his violins and cellos. Only twelve survived. Ten of them are kept in institutions of foundations.
The MacDonald is in private ownership. It is dated ca 1719 by experts, which is the beginning of Stradivari's most important period when he takes the full benefit of his know-how accumulated over five decades. For comparison, his beautiful Lady Blunt violin was made in 1721.
The back made in a single piece of maple is in itself a technical feat explaining its exceptional sound. In perfect condition, having retained almost all of its original golden red varnish, it had been offered, and probably passed, at a sealed bid auction by Ingles and Hayday in conjunction with Sotheby's on June 26, 2014. It had been expected beyond $ 45M.
Please watch the video shared by the auction houses. The Macdonald is introduced by the auctioneer Tim Ingles and the violist David Aaron Carpenter.
1714 the Farnese Blue
2018 SOLD for CHF 6.7M by Sotheby's
Unknown to the lovers of antique jewelry, a tie pin has just surfaced in a princely family. It is in its case, accompanied by a silver plaque of the nineteenth century that explains in French the royal origin of its diamond. It was sold for CHF 6.7M from a lower estimate of CHF 3.5M by Sotheby's on May 15, 2018, lot 377.
This pin was created to use a pear-shaped blue diamond that is easily detachable from it. It weighs 6.16 carats, its hue is fancy dark grey-blue in SI1 clarity.
The plaque indicates the origin and provenance of the diamond. It was given by the Philippine Islands to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, wife of Philip V of whom the author of the inscription was a great-grandson, the Comte de Villafranca.
This colonial provenance appears to be certainly a wedding present. In 1714 Elisabeth from the reigning family of Parma marries the newly widowed king. Gifts are needed and the colonies are solicited. The American cargo is lost in the Atlantic in August 1715 with fabulous emeralds.
At that date Golconda is still the only source for diamonds. The Farnese Blue has in common with the Wittelsbacher Blue that it does not fall into the most usual categories such as fancy vivid, fancy intense or fancy dark blue.
Comte de Villafranca is the title used by Duke Charles II of Parma after his abdication. He seems to be the first of his line to be interested in this diamond and it is certainly he who had created the pin.
His grandson Robert integrated the Farnese Blue within a diadem composed of diamonds coming according to family tradition from the French queen Marie-Antoinette. This use in the diadem is confirmed later in an inventory of the jewelry owned by his daughter-in-law the archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. It was later reunited with the pin.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This pin was created to use a pear-shaped blue diamond that is easily detachable from it. It weighs 6.16 carats, its hue is fancy dark grey-blue in SI1 clarity.
The plaque indicates the origin and provenance of the diamond. It was given by the Philippine Islands to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, wife of Philip V of whom the author of the inscription was a great-grandson, the Comte de Villafranca.
This colonial provenance appears to be certainly a wedding present. In 1714 Elisabeth from the reigning family of Parma marries the newly widowed king. Gifts are needed and the colonies are solicited. The American cargo is lost in the Atlantic in August 1715 with fabulous emeralds.
At that date Golconda is still the only source for diamonds. The Farnese Blue has in common with the Wittelsbacher Blue that it does not fall into the most usual categories such as fancy vivid, fancy intense or fancy dark blue.
Comte de Villafranca is the title used by Duke Charles II of Parma after his abdication. He seems to be the first of his line to be interested in this diamond and it is certainly he who had created the pin.
His grandson Robert integrated the Farnese Blue within a diadem composed of diamonds coming according to family tradition from the French queen Marie-Antoinette. This use in the diadem is confirmed later in an inventory of the jewelry owned by his daughter-in-law the archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. It was later reunited with the pin.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Golconda... Uncover the unique magic of diamonds discovered in this fabled region of India, once the only place in the world where the stones were found. This month in #Geneva, another historic gem joins this rarefied group: The Farnese Blue https://t.co/1smQ3Pviuj pic.twitter.com/jSk2CQuJSL
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 3, 2018
1715 pair of Kangxi Dragon ritual bells
2009 SOLD for HK$ 45.5M by Christie's
The Chinese music, based on a twelve-tone scale, was codified at the time of Confucius. The sound depends on the material of the instrument. The bronze bells or bianzhong constitute chimes. They are suspended from porticoes and struck with mallets. Within a carillon all bells have the same height and it is the thickness of the metal that generates the variety of tones.
Music is the supreme art that offers a perfect interpretation of all elements of nature including yin and yang. The imperial bianzhong are dated, as are the guqin.
In the Qing era, an imperial carillon is composed of sixteen bells including four repeated tones in high and low octaves. The gilt bronze bells are decorated with dragons in high relief.
On May 27, 2009, Christie's sold for HK $ 45.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 10M a pair of 30 cm high bells giving the 4th and 11th notes, dated Kangxi wushisi nian shi corresponding to 1715 CE, lot 1818.
On December 16, 2019, Tessier et Sarrou sold for € 670K a 21 cm high bell dated Kangxi bing shen nian zhi corresponding to 1716 CE. It is set for the huang zhong which is the basic tone of the scale. The dragons are imperial, with five claws per paw.
Music is the supreme art that offers a perfect interpretation of all elements of nature including yin and yang. The imperial bianzhong are dated, as are the guqin.
In the Qing era, an imperial carillon is composed of sixteen bells including four repeated tones in high and low octaves. The gilt bronze bells are decorated with dragons in high relief.
On May 27, 2009, Christie's sold for HK $ 45.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 10M a pair of 30 cm high bells giving the 4th and 11th notes, dated Kangxi wushisi nian shi corresponding to 1715 CE, lot 1818.
On December 16, 2019, Tessier et Sarrou sold for € 670K a 21 cm high bell dated Kangxi bing shen nian zhi corresponding to 1716 CE. It is set for the huang zhong which is the basic tone of the scale. The dragons are imperial, with five claws per paw.
WATTEAU
1
masterpiece
1717 Le Pèlerinage à l'Ile de Cythère
Louvre
Cythera is the worshipping island in which young men and women arrive separately and meet in a charming communion to restart to their village as couples in love. It is traditionally the birthplace of Aphrodite.
In 1717 le Pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère is the reception masterpiece that granted Antoine Watteau the full membership in the Académie Royale de peinture.
They had no category to classify that romantic entertainment landscape populated by couples of lovers, by theatrical characters in fancy attire and by dancers. They coined for it the name Fête galante. It was indeed in the mood of the aristocratic pleasures of the Régence, the regime of frivolities that followed the death in 1715 of King Louis XIV.
Watteau's managed here a happy synthesis of realty, allegory and mythology. In a kinetic effect far ahead of its time, the couples are getting closer toward a state of dancing intimacy as they come down to the boat.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch the video prepared by Khan Academy and shared by Smarthistory.
The creation process of that masterpiece was improved when a previous trial on the same theme was re-authenticated thanks to x-ray and infrared inspections. Despite a detailed provenance from the mid 18th century, this oil on canvas 97 x 116 cm fell into oblivion, being considered as late as 2018 in a Paris auction as Ecole française du XVIIIème siècle, entourage d'Antoine Watteau.
A much enthusiastic creator, Watteau worked in a continuous improvisation with pentimenti and over-layers or even more radical changes to his paintings.
This late afternoon scene of three couples walking arm-in-arms amidst various symbols of love is an autograph painting by Watteau on the Pèlerinage à l'ile de Cythère. That theme of an Arcadian paradise had been selected by the artist himself for his piece of reception at the Académie Royale de peinture, a special move against their usual request for a theme defined by them.
Accepted as an associated member in 1712, the artist had waived that mandatory realization until 1717 despite yearly reminders. It is guessed that the re-attributed work was an abandoned trial ca 1715-1716. The composition of the masterpiece will be significantly different in the details, more complex and in a larger size, but quite similar in its romantic feeling.
The x ray revealed that the Cythère had been painted over a Madonna and Child with a dove in the style of Rubens of which Watteau will make a final version currently held at the Hermitage. When he changed his mind for the use of that canvas, Watteau had turned it by 90 degrees.
That Cythère was not fully finished, which could explain that it was not known to Jullienne and not printed in period. It was sold for $ 1.86M by Christie's in January 25, 2023, lot 141.
In 1717 le Pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère is the reception masterpiece that granted Antoine Watteau the full membership in the Académie Royale de peinture.
They had no category to classify that romantic entertainment landscape populated by couples of lovers, by theatrical characters in fancy attire and by dancers. They coined for it the name Fête galante. It was indeed in the mood of the aristocratic pleasures of the Régence, the regime of frivolities that followed the death in 1715 of King Louis XIV.
Watteau's managed here a happy synthesis of realty, allegory and mythology. In a kinetic effect far ahead of its time, the couples are getting closer toward a state of dancing intimacy as they come down to the boat.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch the video prepared by Khan Academy and shared by Smarthistory.
The creation process of that masterpiece was improved when a previous trial on the same theme was re-authenticated thanks to x-ray and infrared inspections. Despite a detailed provenance from the mid 18th century, this oil on canvas 97 x 116 cm fell into oblivion, being considered as late as 2018 in a Paris auction as Ecole française du XVIIIème siècle, entourage d'Antoine Watteau.
A much enthusiastic creator, Watteau worked in a continuous improvisation with pentimenti and over-layers or even more radical changes to his paintings.
This late afternoon scene of three couples walking arm-in-arms amidst various symbols of love is an autograph painting by Watteau on the Pèlerinage à l'ile de Cythère. That theme of an Arcadian paradise had been selected by the artist himself for his piece of reception at the Académie Royale de peinture, a special move against their usual request for a theme defined by them.
Accepted as an associated member in 1712, the artist had waived that mandatory realization until 1717 despite yearly reminders. It is guessed that the re-attributed work was an abandoned trial ca 1715-1716. The composition of the masterpiece will be significantly different in the details, more complex and in a larger size, but quite similar in its romantic feeling.
The x ray revealed that the Cythère had been painted over a Madonna and Child with a dove in the style of Rubens of which Watteau will make a final version currently held at the Hermitage. When he changed his mind for the use of that canvas, Watteau had turned it by 90 degrees.
That Cythère was not fully finished, which could explain that it was not known to Jullienne and not printed in period. It was sold for $ 1.86M by Christie's in January 25, 2023, lot 141.
2
1718-1719 La Surprise
2008 SOLD for £ 12.3M by Christie's
La Surprise by Watteau surfaced somewhere in the British countryside after being presumably destroyed for two centuries. It was known from a copy, and the owner was unaware of being in possession of an original.
Of small size, it is an outdoor scene, elegant and dynamic, with feverish movement, with images typified according to the signature themes of the artist: the player of guitar, the couple of lovers, the puppy.
This painting 36 x 28 cm was sold for £ 12.3M from a lower estimate of £ 3M by Christie's on July 8, 2008.
Of small size, it is an outdoor scene, elegant and dynamic, with feverish movement, with images typified according to the signature themes of the artist: the player of guitar, the couple of lovers, the puppy.
This painting 36 x 28 cm was sold for £ 12.3M from a lower estimate of £ 3M by Christie's on July 8, 2008.
Getty Museum Buys $100m Trove of Works https://t.co/bD86lPUUmX pic.twitter.com/lqH9vWiQf1
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) July 21, 2017
3
masterpiece
1718-1719 Pierrot by Watteau
Louvre
also titled Gilles
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1718 The Molo by Carlevarijs
2011 SOLD for $ 4M by Christie's
At the time of Vermeer, Dutch artists had the fertile idea to paint realistic views of the cities. When later the British for their pleasure will tour Italy, they meet with local artists who specialize in such luxurious memories.
So it is no coincidence that the pioneer of this new art in Italy was a Dutchman, Gaspar van Wittel who Italianized hisname as Vanvitelli and worked in Rome and Naples.
In Venice, the first master of the vedute was an Italian who, unlike his colleague, used a Dutch-sounding name: Luca Carlevarijs.
Carlevarijs favorite topic was the Molo, this very prestigious wharf access to the Venetian splendor. The monumental group is a textbook case for the practice of perspective, used with utmost care for accentuating the realism.
A view of the Molo looking west, with the side of the Doge's Palace and the Church of the Salute in the distance, was sold for $ 4M from a lower estimate of $ 3.5M by Christie's on January 26, 2011. The animation is both intense (although a little stereotypical) and distant, making it particularly pleasant. This large oil on canvas, 102 x 175 cm, had been sold in 1718 to an English traveler.
So it is no coincidence that the pioneer of this new art in Italy was a Dutchman, Gaspar van Wittel who Italianized hisname as Vanvitelli and worked in Rome and Naples.
In Venice, the first master of the vedute was an Italian who, unlike his colleague, used a Dutch-sounding name: Luca Carlevarijs.
Carlevarijs favorite topic was the Molo, this very prestigious wharf access to the Venetian splendor. The monumental group is a textbook case for the practice of perspective, used with utmost care for accentuating the realism.
A view of the Molo looking west, with the side of the Doge's Palace and the Church of the Salute in the distance, was sold for $ 4M from a lower estimate of $ 3.5M by Christie's on January 26, 2011. The animation is both intense (although a little stereotypical) and distant, making it particularly pleasant. This large oil on canvas, 102 x 175 cm, had been sold in 1718 to an English traveler.
1719 pair of Tianhuang Seals
2016 SOLD for HK$ 85M by Christie's
A pair of seals were carved from a single rough tianhuang boulder in a similar shape, a square section rising to a sloping upper surface, and the same height and base, 9 cm and 3.3 cm square. The stone has a deep honey tone with veining.
They are incised in low relief at their top, respectively of a dragon protecting his young and of a pair of phoenix. Both are signed by an artist from the Kangxi period. The dragon seal has a poem with the date matching 1719 CE.
The seal faces are from the Xianfeng period. The dragon's inscription refers to the sixth imperial son, The Peaceful and Eminent Prince Gong. This prince was indeed the sixth son of the late Daoguang emperor. He was appointed prince regent in 1861 CE beside the empress dowager Cixi after a coup following the passing of his ill fated brother the Xianfeng emperor.
The pair fitted on an exquisitely crafted rosewood stand was sold for HK $ 85M by Christie's on June 1, 2016, lot 3205.
They are incised in low relief at their top, respectively of a dragon protecting his young and of a pair of phoenix. Both are signed by an artist from the Kangxi period. The dragon seal has a poem with the date matching 1719 CE.
The seal faces are from the Xianfeng period. The dragon's inscription refers to the sixth imperial son, The Peaceful and Eminent Prince Gong. This prince was indeed the sixth son of the late Daoguang emperor. He was appointed prince regent in 1861 CE beside the empress dowager Cixi after a coup following the passing of his ill fated brother the Xianfeng emperor.
The pair fitted on an exquisitely crafted rosewood stand was sold for HK $ 85M by Christie's on June 1, 2016, lot 3205.
