Years 1000 to 1300
See also : China Song Chinese porcelain Song to Yuan porcelain Chinese art Chinese calligraphy Ancient sculpture Chinese dragon Bird Buddhism India Early Buddhist sculpture Christianity
1070-1100 Willows and Geese by Zhao Lingrang
2017 SOLD for $ 27M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
Zhao Lingrang, a brother of the fifth Song emperor, painted scrolls and fans. He is a typical example of the prince-artist of the ancient Chinese dynasties.
He was active between 1070 and 1100 CE, which is a period of high refinement. He takes that opportunity to have an indolent life. He loves music, women, furs and horses. An art critic of his time, close to Su Shi, criticizes him for his immaturity.
Zhao does not travel : maybe his high rank does not allow it. He paints in a cool gentleness hazy ponds with ducks and geese, probably taking his inspiration from Tang artists.
A 33 x 93 cm handscroll in ink and color on silk showing willows and geese was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on March 15, 2017, lot 511 in the auction from the Fujita Museum Collection.
This work is not signed. The attribution to Zhao Lingrang is authenticated by a set of thirteen colophons from the period of transition between Southern Song and Yuan. It also bears 27 collectors' seals including six from the Qianlong emperor and one from the Jiaqing emperor. It is listed in the Shiqu Baoji which is the catalogue of the Qing imperial collection.
He was active between 1070 and 1100 CE, which is a period of high refinement. He takes that opportunity to have an indolent life. He loves music, women, furs and horses. An art critic of his time, close to Su Shi, criticizes him for his immaturity.
Zhao does not travel : maybe his high rank does not allow it. He paints in a cool gentleness hazy ponds with ducks and geese, probably taking his inspiration from Tang artists.
A 33 x 93 cm handscroll in ink and color on silk showing willows and geese was sold for $ 27M including premium by Christie's on March 15, 2017, lot 511 in the auction from the Fujita Museum Collection.
This work is not signed. The attribution to Zhao Lingrang is authenticated by a set of thirteen colophons from the period of transition between Southern Song and Yuan. It also bears 27 collectors' seals including six from the Qianlong emperor and one from the Jiaqing emperor. It is listed in the Shiqu Baoji which is the catalogue of the Qing imperial collection.
1080 Letter to a Friend by Zeng Gong
2016 SOLD for RMB 207M by China Guardian
narrated in 2021
Zeng Gong lived at the height of the Song dynasty. He had received the jinshi, the highest degree of the imperial exams, and had a parallel literary and military career, as it was often the case. He was a historian, geographer, poet and essayist. Without being a professional calligrapher, he was a collector of ancient calligraphy and inscribed tablets.
An autograph letter has survived. 124 characters in regular kaishu script are distributed in thirteen columns in a perfect parallelism and spacing on a 29 x 38 cm sheet. It is precisely dated, corresponding to September 27, 1080 CE. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
In this document titled Jushi Tie (letter on some happenings), Zeng writes to a friend whom he had not seen for three years. He expresses his doubts about his ability to hold a post at the court. This question was on the spot since he will be summoned a month later in the capital Kaifeng to be awarded a promotion by the Shenzong emperor, with the mission of a study on the history of the Five Dynasties.
Jushi Tie was sold for RMB 109M including premium by Poly on November 22, 2009, lot 5126, and for RMB 207M including premium by China Guardian on May 15, 2016, lot 1424.
An autograph letter has survived. 124 characters in regular kaishu script are distributed in thirteen columns in a perfect parallelism and spacing on a 29 x 38 cm sheet. It is precisely dated, corresponding to September 27, 1080 CE. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
In this document titled Jushi Tie (letter on some happenings), Zeng writes to a friend whom he had not seen for three years. He expresses his doubts about his ability to hold a post at the court. This question was on the spot since he will be summoned a month later in the capital Kaifeng to be awarded a promotion by the Shenzong emperor, with the mission of a study on the history of the Five Dynasties.
Jushi Tie was sold for RMB 109M including premium by Poly on November 22, 2009, lot 5126, and for RMB 207M including premium by China Guardian on May 15, 2016, lot 1424.
Northern Song - The Tree of the Calligrapher
2018 SOLD for HK$ 460M including premium
Under the Song, the literati are philosophers and humanists who sometimes have the audacity to oppose imperial politics. Their supreme mode of expression is calligraphy, which conveys to their readers the firmness and rhythm of their thought.
In 1071 CE, Su Shi had been expelled from the capital, starting at the age of 34 a second career as a provincial servant with increasingly mediocre missions despite his immense talent. He died in 1101. His younger friend Mi Fu escaped political persecution by his reputation for eccentricity. They were the two best calligraphers in their lifetime.
A nine-character autograph message on a 28 x 9.5 cm sheet sent by Su Shi to the governor of a locality that he was leaving was sold for $ 8.2M including premium by Sotheby's on September 19, 2013.
Graphic art is exceptional in their works. The movement of the artist's hand is the same as for calligraphy. The rare drawings by Su Shi translate emotions too deep to be expressed in words. Mi Fu will only paint in the last years of his life, mostly after Su Shi's death.
On November 26 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells as lot 8008 a 26 x 50 cm ink on paper painted by Su Shi. This piece is extended by many colophons including an appreciation calligraphed by Mi Fu, and includes many seals. Please watch two videos shared by the auction house.
The image consists of two elements that join together : a leafless tree twisted into several undulations and a bulky rock. The dryness of the tree expresses the desolation of the artist in his exile while at the opposite edge on the left flank of the rock the sparse bamboos bring the hope of a new vitality.
In 1071 CE, Su Shi had been expelled from the capital, starting at the age of 34 a second career as a provincial servant with increasingly mediocre missions despite his immense talent. He died in 1101. His younger friend Mi Fu escaped political persecution by his reputation for eccentricity. They were the two best calligraphers in their lifetime.
A nine-character autograph message on a 28 x 9.5 cm sheet sent by Su Shi to the governor of a locality that he was leaving was sold for $ 8.2M including premium by Sotheby's on September 19, 2013.
Graphic art is exceptional in their works. The movement of the artist's hand is the same as for calligraphy. The rare drawings by Su Shi translate emotions too deep to be expressed in words. Mi Fu will only paint in the last years of his life, mostly after Su Shi's death.
On November 26 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells as lot 8008 a 26 x 50 cm ink on paper painted by Su Shi. This piece is extended by many colophons including an appreciation calligraphed by Mi Fu, and includes many seals. Please watch two videos shared by the auction house.
The image consists of two elements that join together : a leafless tree twisted into several undulations and a bulky rock. The dryness of the tree expresses the desolation of the artist in his exile while at the opposite edge on the left flank of the rock the sparse bamboos bring the hope of a new vitality.
Christie’s Announces 1000-year-old $50m Su Shi Scroll https://t.co/eVdovdYFyr pic.twitter.com/XpeTTOdBby
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) August 30, 2018
1095 Ancient Chinese Calligraphy
2010 SOLD 436 M RMB yuan including premium
The East Asian calligraphy can be interpreted as a means of linking poetry to graphic art. In fact, it is a form of art by itself, although not available and rarely commented on the Western market. Come directly to Beijing.
Exactly one year ago, Poly sold a fine collection of Qing calligraphy made in very large letters by the emperors themselves in order to spread moral slogans. Such imperial calligraphy is a very ancient tradition as some writings by the second Tang emperor are known.
A scroll of paper from Song period is for sale at Beijing by Poly International Auction on June 3. 37 cm high with a length exceeding 8 meters, it is completely covered with characters drawn in ink by Huang Tingjian, one of the most famous master calligraphers of his time. It is a fine example of his art consisting of semi-cursive letters in an energetic and accentuated style. Depending on location, this text includes from 4 to 15 characters within the height.
This artwork seems being very well maintained despite its age: Huang died 905 years ago. The online catalog does not provide information on the contents of the text. Unlike most lots of this important sale, the estimate is not published.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is a triumph for culture. It was registered in China on a Chinese piece, by a Chinese auction house: 390 million RMB hammer price, RMB 436 million including premium. The buyer has paid the equivalent of U.S. $ 63.8 million.
After this success, I found some additional information on the lot itself.
Completed around 1095 of our calendar, it contains 600 characters of which some examples are presented in the article shared by China Daily. Titled Di Zhu Ming, it is a copy of a Tang poem.
It was originally a little over 8 meters long, and was enlarged to 15 meters by comments. It includes a small portrait of the calligrapher artist.
Exactly one year ago, Poly sold a fine collection of Qing calligraphy made in very large letters by the emperors themselves in order to spread moral slogans. Such imperial calligraphy is a very ancient tradition as some writings by the second Tang emperor are known.
A scroll of paper from Song period is for sale at Beijing by Poly International Auction on June 3. 37 cm high with a length exceeding 8 meters, it is completely covered with characters drawn in ink by Huang Tingjian, one of the most famous master calligraphers of his time. It is a fine example of his art consisting of semi-cursive letters in an energetic and accentuated style. Depending on location, this text includes from 4 to 15 characters within the height.
This artwork seems being very well maintained despite its age: Huang died 905 years ago. The online catalog does not provide information on the contents of the text. Unlike most lots of this important sale, the estimate is not published.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is a triumph for culture. It was registered in China on a Chinese piece, by a Chinese auction house: 390 million RMB hammer price, RMB 436 million including premium. The buyer has paid the equivalent of U.S. $ 63.8 million.
After this success, I found some additional information on the lot itself.
Completed around 1095 of our calendar, it contains 600 characters of which some examples are presented in the article shared by China Daily. Titled Di Zhu Ming, it is a copy of a Tang poem.
It was originally a little over 8 meters long, and was enlarged to 15 meters by comments. It includes a small portrait of the calligrapher artist.
Perfection and Diversity of the Ru Ware
2017 SOLD for HK$ 294M including premium
The Ru ware manufactured 900 years ago in present-day Henan province is the most prestigious of all Chinese porcelain for various causes related to the technological development, to the taste of their time and to chance.
By a positioning on tiny studs during cooking without turning the piece upside down, the glaze savings that so displeased at the court of the Northern Song are avoided. The celadon color of which several shades are available equals the refinement of the jade. In the fashion of that time perfect proportions and minimalism are preferred to the complexity of shapes.
Located on what was to become a border zone between north and south, the Ru kilns did not survive the fall of the Northern Song. Their undocumented activity which was perhaps not in the service of the court had only lasted about two decades.
A quarter of a century after the fall of the Northern Song a courtier presents to the Gaozong Emperor of the Southern Song a significant group of Ru ware. The Emperor who was just managing to restore the legendary refinement of his dynasty admires the exceptional quality of these porcelains and especially some pieces whose surface has a texture like ice crackles. This effect modeling the creation of minerals in nature is appreciated as sensational. It was related to the chance of the cooling conditions in the Ru kilns but the Southern Song potters discovered the conditions to be applied to create such a texture at will.
87 pieces of Ru porcelain of the Northern Song are known. Four of them are in private hands.
On April 4, 2012 Sotheby's sold for HK $ 208M including premium over a lower estimate of HK $ 50M a brush washer 13.5 cm in diameter slightly lobed with a smooth texture and a pale color which is close to jade.
On October 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 5 a 13 cm round brush washer. This intense blue-green piece has an exceptionally shiny crackled surface. The press release of August 22 announces that it is expected in excess of HK $ 100M. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
By a positioning on tiny studs during cooking without turning the piece upside down, the glaze savings that so displeased at the court of the Northern Song are avoided. The celadon color of which several shades are available equals the refinement of the jade. In the fashion of that time perfect proportions and minimalism are preferred to the complexity of shapes.
Located on what was to become a border zone between north and south, the Ru kilns did not survive the fall of the Northern Song. Their undocumented activity which was perhaps not in the service of the court had only lasted about two decades.
A quarter of a century after the fall of the Northern Song a courtier presents to the Gaozong Emperor of the Southern Song a significant group of Ru ware. The Emperor who was just managing to restore the legendary refinement of his dynasty admires the exceptional quality of these porcelains and especially some pieces whose surface has a texture like ice crackles. This effect modeling the creation of minerals in nature is appreciated as sensational. It was related to the chance of the cooling conditions in the Ru kilns but the Southern Song potters discovered the conditions to be applied to create such a texture at will.
87 pieces of Ru porcelain of the Northern Song are known. Four of them are in private hands.
On April 4, 2012 Sotheby's sold for HK $ 208M including premium over a lower estimate of HK $ 50M a brush washer 13.5 cm in diameter slightly lobed with a smooth texture and a pale color which is close to jade.
On October 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 5 a 13 cm round brush washer. This intense blue-green piece has an exceptionally shiny crackled surface. The press release of August 22 announces that it is expected in excess of HK $ 100M. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
900-year-old dish to smash US$36 million auction world record for Chinese antiques https://t.co/U56WqVJCQB pic.twitter.com/H7bBHIqiIv
— SCMP News (@SCMPNews) August 24, 2017
The Kilns of the Northern Song
2012 SOLD 208 MHK$ including premium
In the history of mankind, artistic refinement is not a matter of continuous improvement, as one might believe. The chemical secret of the Imperial ceramics of the Northern Song is lost for a long time, and the quality of the smooth and translucent glaze using agate powder will never be equaled.
The best production center was known as the Ru kilns, Ru yao in Chinese. Ru ceramics are very rare because this operation lasted only a few years, 900 years ago during Zhezong and Huizong periods and was stopped by the fall of the dynasty. The site of the Ru yao, lost since the Yuan, was located in 1987 in Henan Province and excavated in 2000.
The classic color of Ru is a very pale blue-green jade imitation. A specimen in very good condition is for sale on April 4 in Hong Kong by Sotheby's. This is a washer of 13.5 cm in diameter that could be used to rinse the brushes after writing. The form is also interesting. The edge is pinched in six locations, simulating the petals of a flower.
This washer was known long before the rediscovery of the site. It is estimated HK $ 60M. It is illustrated on Sotheby's website page announcing the sale.
POST SALE COMMENT
This piece of ceramics had caused great excitement in the weeks preceding the sale. It demonstrates an exceptional technical mastery despite its earliness, probably inimitable since the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.
It was sold HK $ 208 million including premium.
The best production center was known as the Ru kilns, Ru yao in Chinese. Ru ceramics are very rare because this operation lasted only a few years, 900 years ago during Zhezong and Huizong periods and was stopped by the fall of the dynasty. The site of the Ru yao, lost since the Yuan, was located in 1987 in Henan Province and excavated in 2000.
The classic color of Ru is a very pale blue-green jade imitation. A specimen in very good condition is for sale on April 4 in Hong Kong by Sotheby's. This is a washer of 13.5 cm in diameter that could be used to rinse the brushes after writing. The form is also interesting. The edge is pinched in six locations, simulating the petals of a flower.
This washer was known long before the rediscovery of the site. It is estimated HK $ 60M. It is illustrated on Sotheby's website page announcing the sale.
POST SALE COMMENT
This piece of ceramics had caused great excitement in the weeks preceding the sale. It demonstrates an exceptional technical mastery despite its earliness, probably inimitable since the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.
It was sold HK $ 208 million including premium.
The Charming Pala Prince
2017 SOLD for $ 24.7M including premium
The dynasty which reigned through four centuries over Bengal and Bihar is identified as Pala, a suffix meaning "protector" that was added to the personal name of each monarch.
Three religions cohabitated : Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. They shared a same preoccupation of regulating the communication between the divine and the mortal. In Buddhism this function is assured by the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
On March 14 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 233 a statue realized in the later phase of the Pala period around 900 years ago.
The young man sits on a thick lotus, one leg bent and the other hanging. This figure is carved in a black stone similar to a schist which was widely used in the Pala steles and whose hardness enables a great sharpness of sculpture.
He necessarily has all the qualities. The spectacular dynamism of the attitude appeals to dialogue with the faithful. He is a prince elegantly dressed with a profusion of pectoral jewels chiseled in the stone but he also is an ascetic recognizable by his braided hair. His belonging to Buddhism is identified by Amitabha hidden in a fold of the tiara : he is altogether Avalokiteshvara, the all-seeing lord, and Lokanatha, the savior of the world.
The character is life-size in this 148 cm high statue. Such characteristics unusual in Buddhist art suggests that it was the main devotional figure in a temple specially dedicated to Avalokiteshvara.
It was from 1922 an important piece in the collection of Indian art of the Boston Museum before being de-accessionned in 1935 for a trade with another statue of the same culture. The arms and nose were missing. The nose was later rebuilt.
Three religions cohabitated : Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. They shared a same preoccupation of regulating the communication between the divine and the mortal. In Buddhism this function is assured by the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
On March 14 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 233 a statue realized in the later phase of the Pala period around 900 years ago.
The young man sits on a thick lotus, one leg bent and the other hanging. This figure is carved in a black stone similar to a schist which was widely used in the Pala steles and whose hardness enables a great sharpness of sculpture.
He necessarily has all the qualities. The spectacular dynamism of the attitude appeals to dialogue with the faithful. He is a prince elegantly dressed with a profusion of pectoral jewels chiseled in the stone but he also is an ascetic recognizable by his braided hair. His belonging to Buddhism is identified by Amitabha hidden in a fold of the tiara : he is altogether Avalokiteshvara, the all-seeing lord, and Lokanatha, the savior of the world.
The character is life-size in this 148 cm high statue. Such characteristics unusual in Buddhist art suggests that it was the main devotional figure in a temple specially dedicated to Avalokiteshvara.
It was from 1922 an important piece in the collection of Indian art of the Boston Museum before being de-accessionned in 1935 for a trade with another statue of the same culture. The arms and nose were missing. The nose was later rebuilt.
#AsianArtWeek : du 14 au 17 mars @ChristiesInc organise une série de ventes consacrées à l’art d’Asie https://t.co/RTGNrQolil pic.twitter.com/ampK2u6qRS
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) March 13, 2017
Letter to a Friend by Zhu Dunru
2020 SOLD for RMB 150M by China Guardian
A military officer and a poet, Zhu Dunru did not take part in the events of the fall of the Northern Song in 1127 CE but became provincial secretary in Shaoxing for the Southern Song and in 1135 CE followed the training for the jinshi, the highest degree of the imperial examinations. He died in 1159 CE, aged 78.
Zhu Dunru's known literary activity consists only of singing poems, a form that had previously been practiced by Su Shi, the most outstanding Song poet.
An autograph letter by Zhu Dunru was sold for RMB 150M including premium by China Guardian on December 1, 2020, lot 279. The image is shared by China Daily in their review of the top results for Chinese art in 2020 auctions.
This letter to a friend in running and cursive script calligraphy on paper 35 x 46 cm is titled Kui Suo Tie, meaning "It has been a long time since I saw you". By its size and the number of its words spread over twelve columns, it is the most important of the four surviving autograph documents by this poet.
Zhu Dunru's known literary activity consists only of singing poems, a form that had previously been practiced by Su Shi, the most outstanding Song poet.
An autograph letter by Zhu Dunru was sold for RMB 150M including premium by China Guardian on December 1, 2020, lot 279. The image is shared by China Daily in their review of the top results for Chinese art in 2020 auctions.
This letter to a friend in running and cursive script calligraphy on paper 35 x 46 cm is titled Kui Suo Tie, meaning "It has been a long time since I saw you". By its size and the number of its words spread over twelve columns, it is the most important of the four surviving autograph documents by this poet.
1244 Six Sons of the Dragon King
2017 SOLD for $ 49M including premium
The dragons, symbols of the emperor and his family, know how to confront the forces of nature. Their sinuous bodies sail like in weightlessness amidst clouds and waves. The varied expressions of their faces are always vigorous.
The hand scroll is an art much more refined than a mere drawing. The image is read from right to left as it is unfolded, offering the scene of a real action. The paper should also be exquisite in the touch.
Towards the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the artist Chen Rong pushed his ink pictures of dragons to the rank of masterpieces. His scrolls were much admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented on the colophons and stamped his seals.
The drawing of the fabulous beast by Chen Rong is sharp and detailed, in contrast to its wet surrounding realized by an original method of ink spraying. In the Taoist tradition, such a scene is a magical summon to rain.
The Boston Museum retains a scroll starring nine young sons of the Dragon King, 46 cm high for 15 m long, including on the painting two autograph inscriptions that provide an estimate of the date of the artwork at 1244 of our calendar.
On March 15 in New York, Christie's sells a scroll featuring six dragons in a style similar as in the Boston specimen. Signed by one seal of the artist, it is 35 cm high with a length of 4.40 m for the image and 83 cm for the calligraphy. De-accessioned from the Fujita Museum in Osaka, this artwork is estimated $ 1,2M, lot 507. It is handled for our pleasure in the video shared by the auction house.
The hand scroll is an art much more refined than a mere drawing. The image is read from right to left as it is unfolded, offering the scene of a real action. The paper should also be exquisite in the touch.
Towards the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the artist Chen Rong pushed his ink pictures of dragons to the rank of masterpieces. His scrolls were much admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented on the colophons and stamped his seals.
The drawing of the fabulous beast by Chen Rong is sharp and detailed, in contrast to its wet surrounding realized by an original method of ink spraying. In the Taoist tradition, such a scene is a magical summon to rain.
The Boston Museum retains a scroll starring nine young sons of the Dragon King, 46 cm high for 15 m long, including on the painting two autograph inscriptions that provide an estimate of the date of the artwork at 1244 of our calendar.
On March 15 in New York, Christie's sells a scroll featuring six dragons in a style similar as in the Boston specimen. Signed by one seal of the artist, it is 35 cm high with a length of 4.40 m for the image and 83 cm for the calligraphy. De-accessioned from the Fujita Museum in Osaka, this artwork is estimated $ 1,2M, lot 507. It is handled for our pleasure in the video shared by the auction house.
Six Dragons handscroll attributed to Chen Rong, from the Fujita Museum sold for $48,967,500 against high estimate of $1.8m #AsianArtWeek pic.twitter.com/rbMbIyub5P
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 15, 2017
1280 Devotion with Cimabue
2019 SOLD for € 24M including premium
The Christian practice meets considerable transformations at the beginning of the 13th century. To maintain the devotion of the faithful, Dominicans and Franciscans need images. The formalistic figures of the Byzantine icons are not suitable. Gradually, Italian painters will rediscover the naturalism of the antique pictorial art.
In 1272 in Rome, a notarial act mentions as a witness a Florentine painter identified as "Cimabove". It is a nickname, meaning Head of Ox. This allusion to his obstinacy indicates that his maturity was already recognized. In his corpus which was certainly important, only one painting was documented during his lifetime. It was in February 1302, just before his death.
Two elements from a devotional work are formally attributed to Cimabue and dated around 1280 by Wikipedia. They are painted with egg tempera and gold background on a thick poplar board. The analysis of the edges made it possible to position the Madonna and Child as the top left of a panel and the Flagellation as the bottom right.
The Passion of Christ cannot end with the flagellation. Both paintings were part of the left panel of a diptych whose elements were cut long time ago as singles for a mercantile purpose. The whole hypothetical right panel is lost. Diptychs and polyptychs were common practice. Small in size, they were folded to be easily carried from one place of worship to another.
A third opus has just surfaced, on the theme of the Mocking of Christ. This piece of wood 25.8 x 20.3 cm with a pictorial surface of 24.6 x 19.6 cm is the element at the bottom left of the left panel. The edges perfectly match the other two elements, including the tunnels of the woodworms that had been severed during the separation.
This work is a fine example of a composition from the very beginning of the Italian Renaissance. The characters are human and the drapes are flexible. Christ is serene, contrasting with the emotion of the other characters. He is a little taller and his clothes are darker. The perspective is clumsy, with the inversion of a roof : at that time, engineers have not yet developed the relevant geometry.
The crowd is dense on both sides of Christ, with an undeniable although very subtle coordinated movement. The characters on the right, who include the thorn-crown setter, are pushing together while the fellows on the left resist this pressure for maintaining the standing Christ.
There is no auction history for any authentic artwork by Cimabue. The Mocked Christ is estimated between € 4M and 6M for sale on October 27 in Senlis by Actéon, an auction house that operates mainly in Compiègne. Please read the article prepared by the Interenchères bidding platform and watch the video shared by Artcento. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
In 1272 in Rome, a notarial act mentions as a witness a Florentine painter identified as "Cimabove". It is a nickname, meaning Head of Ox. This allusion to his obstinacy indicates that his maturity was already recognized. In his corpus which was certainly important, only one painting was documented during his lifetime. It was in February 1302, just before his death.
Two elements from a devotional work are formally attributed to Cimabue and dated around 1280 by Wikipedia. They are painted with egg tempera and gold background on a thick poplar board. The analysis of the edges made it possible to position the Madonna and Child as the top left of a panel and the Flagellation as the bottom right.
The Passion of Christ cannot end with the flagellation. Both paintings were part of the left panel of a diptych whose elements were cut long time ago as singles for a mercantile purpose. The whole hypothetical right panel is lost. Diptychs and polyptychs were common practice. Small in size, they were folded to be easily carried from one place of worship to another.
A third opus has just surfaced, on the theme of the Mocking of Christ. This piece of wood 25.8 x 20.3 cm with a pictorial surface of 24.6 x 19.6 cm is the element at the bottom left of the left panel. The edges perfectly match the other two elements, including the tunnels of the woodworms that had been severed during the separation.
This work is a fine example of a composition from the very beginning of the Italian Renaissance. The characters are human and the drapes are flexible. Christ is serene, contrasting with the emotion of the other characters. He is a little taller and his clothes are darker. The perspective is clumsy, with the inversion of a roof : at that time, engineers have not yet developed the relevant geometry.
The crowd is dense on both sides of Christ, with an undeniable although very subtle coordinated movement. The characters on the right, who include the thorn-crown setter, are pushing together while the fellows on the left resist this pressure for maintaining the standing Christ.
There is no auction history for any authentic artwork by Cimabue. The Mocked Christ is estimated between € 4M and 6M for sale on October 27 in Senlis by Actéon, an auction house that operates mainly in Compiègne. Please read the article prepared by the Interenchères bidding platform and watch the video shared by Artcento. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
