Years 1500-1519
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Top 10 Ancient painting Italy Flemish art Ancient drawing Autograph Manuscript Illuminated Christian manuscript Sciences Ancient science The Man Christianity Madonna and Child
See also : Top 10 Ancient painting Italy Flemish art Ancient drawing Autograph Manuscript Illuminated Christian manuscript Sciences Ancient science The Man Christianity Madonna and Child
1495-1505 Adoration of the Magi by Mantegna
1985 SOLD for £ 8M by Christie's
Andrea Mantegna was a great inventor of images. Painted at the start of his career in the mid 1450s, the Presentation, tempera on canvas 77 x 94 cm, is a close-up portrait of several half-length figures surrounding Christ. The compressed but extremely readable composition may have been inspired by Roman bas-reliefs. Such works were undoubtedly intended for private devotion.
On April 18, 1985, Christie's sold for £ 8M worth at the time $ 10.5M a similarly composed Adoration of the Magi. This distemper on linen 49 x 66 cm is a technique used by the artist at the end of his career and can be dated 1495-1505. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The three kings bring gifts to the Child, whom his mother lifts in her arms so that he can see better. Joseph assists. The three saints each have a halo made of a thin golden circle in the Byzantine style. The kings are lavishly dressed, possibly under Venetian influence. The gifts are cosmopolitan : a Chinese porcelain cup filled with gold, a Turkish censer, a covered agate cup.
On April 18, 1985, Christie's sold for £ 8M worth at the time $ 10.5M a similarly composed Adoration of the Magi. This distemper on linen 49 x 66 cm is a technique used by the artist at the end of his career and can be dated 1495-1505. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The three kings bring gifts to the Child, whom his mother lifts in her arms so that he can see better. Joseph assists. The three saints each have a halo made of a thin golden circle in the Byzantine style. The kings are lavishly dressed, possibly under Venetian influence. The gifts are cosmopolitan : a Chinese porcelain cup filled with gold, a Turkish censer, a covered agate cup.
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1500 Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci
2017 SOLD for $ 450M by Christie's
The Salvator Mundi painted by Leonardo was known in workshop's copies but the original was considered lost. The meticulous inspection made by the experts with modern techniques has just brought one of these paintings to the rank of original with undeniable arguments.
The picture shows Christ holding the orb of the world in his left hand and blessing with the raised fingers of his right hand. The mystical message without the divine attribute of the halo competes with the holy shrouds recognized as authentic at his time while adding attitude and gesture. The orb that prophesies the rescue of the world is a reflective crystal ball through which the viewer perceives the palm of the hand.
This painting had belonged to King Charles I of England. It was probably hanging in the private apartments of Queen Henriette who was born in the French royal family. Its previous whereabouts are unknown. A possible hypothesis is a French royal order during the Italian wars. King Louis XII was so impressed by the Last Supper that he wanted to take the wall to France.
The analyzes provided a lot of information on the realization and history of this painting. The perfection of the expression is concentrated in the lips and the gaze, anticipating the Mona Lisa. The mouth was drawn by the technique of pierced drawing used by other great masters of that time including Raphael and Andrea del Sarto. One of the eyes was softened by a spread of color pushed by the wrist of the artist.
Leonardo cared little for the supporting materials. The conservation woes of the Last Supper are famous. The original panel of Salvator Mundi was early split because of a knot in the wood. The accident caused awkward repainting on the face. Anonymous owners then extended these repaints to the point that only peripheral regions including the hands were still visible in their original quality.
All of that has been conscientiously repaired. Fortunately the sfumato remained in very good condition under the disagreeable layers that were removed. This signature Leonardo technique makes it possible to compare the Salvator Mundi with the Mona Lisa which is the culmination of his art. The perfectionist preparation of his paintings could last several years. A date around 1500 is plausible for the Salvator Mundi.
Christ the savior of the world by Leonardo, oil on panel 66 x 46 cm, was sold for $ 450M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 9 B. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The picture shows Christ holding the orb of the world in his left hand and blessing with the raised fingers of his right hand. The mystical message without the divine attribute of the halo competes with the holy shrouds recognized as authentic at his time while adding attitude and gesture. The orb that prophesies the rescue of the world is a reflective crystal ball through which the viewer perceives the palm of the hand.
This painting had belonged to King Charles I of England. It was probably hanging in the private apartments of Queen Henriette who was born in the French royal family. Its previous whereabouts are unknown. A possible hypothesis is a French royal order during the Italian wars. King Louis XII was so impressed by the Last Supper that he wanted to take the wall to France.
The analyzes provided a lot of information on the realization and history of this painting. The perfection of the expression is concentrated in the lips and the gaze, anticipating the Mona Lisa. The mouth was drawn by the technique of pierced drawing used by other great masters of that time including Raphael and Andrea del Sarto. One of the eyes was softened by a spread of color pushed by the wrist of the artist.
Leonardo cared little for the supporting materials. The conservation woes of the Last Supper are famous. The original panel of Salvator Mundi was early split because of a knot in the wood. The accident caused awkward repainting on the face. Anonymous owners then extended these repaints to the point that only peripheral regions including the hands were still visible in their original quality.
All of that has been conscientiously repaired. Fortunately the sfumato remained in very good condition under the disagreeable layers that were removed. This signature Leonardo technique makes it possible to compare the Salvator Mundi with the Mona Lisa which is the culmination of his art. The perfectionist preparation of his paintings could last several years. A date around 1500 is plausible for the Salvator Mundi.
Christ the savior of the world by Leonardo, oil on panel 66 x 46 cm, was sold for $ 450M by Christie's on November 15, 2017, lot 9 B. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
masterpiece
> 1503 La Gioconda by Leonardo da Vinci
Louvre
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
masterpiece
1501-1504 David by Michelangelo
Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution Jörg Bittner Unna, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
1500-1510 The Man of Sorrows by Botticelli
2022 SOLD for $ 45M by Sotheby's
After the fall of the Medici, the Dominican friar Savonarola established a de facto religious dictature in Florence. The required purge from sins and vanities included bonfires of luxury objects including clothings and secular paintings.
Botticelli's art changed. The time of his signature theme of the Virgin of Tenderness was over. He possibly was not reluctant with the new trend. After the fall of the dictatorship in 1498, Botticelli's studio was sometimes used by his brother for secret meetings of Savonarola's sympathizers.
A mid length life size figure of Christ is typical of that new mood. Botticelli painted it in tempera and oil by canceling a Virgin of Tenderness on a panel 69 x 51 cm.
The main theme is a Man of Sorrows. The iconography of this specific piece goes far beyond up to a global representation of the Passion including Redemption and Resurrection.
The image is blending the human and the divine. The full frontal face has an expression of suffering temperated with a desire to confront and convince. The gaze goes straight to the viewer, just like Leonardo's Salvator Mundi and Dürer's self portrait made at that same period otherwise marked by the fear of a mid-millennium apocalypse.
The divine is represented by the bleeding wounds of the thorns and by the stigmata of the Crucifixion in the hands. The unprecedented move of this unique picture is the replacement of the halo by a circle of angels in grisaille that reluctantly display the instruments of his torture such as the ladder, the scourge and the lance.
There is no similar example known in Christian iconography. We will never know whether the master executed it for his own salvation or for proposing a new theme which still had no follow when he died in 1510.
The painting surfaced in the mid 19th century in a family of famous English actors and was authenticated as an autograph work by Botticelli when it was sold at Sotheby's in 1963. Further studies are now confirming that prestigious attribution. It was sold for $ 45M on January 27, 2022 by Sotheby's, lot 14. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Botticelli's art changed. The time of his signature theme of the Virgin of Tenderness was over. He possibly was not reluctant with the new trend. After the fall of the dictatorship in 1498, Botticelli's studio was sometimes used by his brother for secret meetings of Savonarola's sympathizers.
A mid length life size figure of Christ is typical of that new mood. Botticelli painted it in tempera and oil by canceling a Virgin of Tenderness on a panel 69 x 51 cm.
The main theme is a Man of Sorrows. The iconography of this specific piece goes far beyond up to a global representation of the Passion including Redemption and Resurrection.
The image is blending the human and the divine. The full frontal face has an expression of suffering temperated with a desire to confront and convince. The gaze goes straight to the viewer, just like Leonardo's Salvator Mundi and Dürer's self portrait made at that same period otherwise marked by the fear of a mid-millennium apocalypse.
The divine is represented by the bleeding wounds of the thorns and by the stigmata of the Crucifixion in the hands. The unprecedented move of this unique picture is the replacement of the halo by a circle of angels in grisaille that reluctantly display the instruments of his torture such as the ladder, the scourge and the lance.
There is no similar example known in Christian iconography. We will never know whether the master executed it for his own salvation or for proposing a new theme which still had no follow when he died in 1510.
The painting surfaced in the mid 19th century in a family of famous English actors and was authenticated as an autograph work by Botticelli when it was sold at Sotheby's in 1963. Further studies are now confirming that prestigious attribution. It was sold for $ 45M on January 27, 2022 by Sotheby's, lot 14. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
#AuctionUpdate: Following an almost 7-minute bidding battle, Sandro Botticelli’s 'The Man of Sorrows' sells to applause for $45.4 million. #SothebysMasters pic.twitter.com/AySDEGZCci
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) January 27, 2022
masterpiece
1502 Feldhase by Dürer
Albertina Wien
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1505 The Rothschild Prayerbook
2014 SOLD for $ 13.6M by Christie's
The printed book cannot claim to achieve the beauty of illuminated manuscripts. Under the Habsburgs, the best Flemish painters illustrate books of great luxury. They have not revealed all their secrets : the artists did not sign and the sponsors are not identified.
One of these masterpieces is known as the Rothschild Prayerbook. It was sold by Christie's for £ 8.6M on July 8, 1999 and for $ 13.6M on January 29, 2014. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
It is a book of hours for the use of Rome (meaning that it is based on Roman liturgy), made around 1505 in Ghent or Bruges. In a small format 23 x 16 cm, this book with 252 leaves in luxurious vellum includes 67 large illustrations.
From an iconographic point of view, it is a fabulous collection of religious and liturgical scenes, showing in very fresh colors the life and customs of its time. Decorative borders offer an extended variety of topics.
The styles of these images clearly show that several workshops have co-operated, and comparison with other manuscripts and paintings can identify that it was made by the most renowned artists of their time. Their co-operation in such collective artworks was an extraordinary and unique business of which no direct witnessing has surfaced.
The main illustrators of the Rothschild Prayerbook were Gerard Horenbout who worked at Ghent and Alexander Bening, a member of the guilds of Bruges and Ghent. Simon Bening, son of Alexander, to whom a few images are attributed, will be the last great Flemish illuminator. The style of Gerard David, the leading painter in Bruges at that time, is recognized on several images.
One of these masterpieces is known as the Rothschild Prayerbook. It was sold by Christie's for £ 8.6M on July 8, 1999 and for $ 13.6M on January 29, 2014. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
It is a book of hours for the use of Rome (meaning that it is based on Roman liturgy), made around 1505 in Ghent or Bruges. In a small format 23 x 16 cm, this book with 252 leaves in luxurious vellum includes 67 large illustrations.
From an iconographic point of view, it is a fabulous collection of religious and liturgical scenes, showing in very fresh colors the life and customs of its time. Decorative borders offer an extended variety of topics.
The styles of these images clearly show that several workshops have co-operated, and comparison with other manuscripts and paintings can identify that it was made by the most renowned artists of their time. Their co-operation in such collective artworks was an extraordinary and unique business of which no direct witnessing has surfaced.
The main illustrators of the Rothschild Prayerbook were Gerard Horenbout who worked at Ghent and Alexander Bening, a member of the guilds of Bruges and Ghent. Simon Bening, son of Alexander, to whom a few images are attributed, will be the last great Flemish illuminator. The style of Gerard David, the leading painter in Bruges at that time, is recognized on several images.
A very #MerryChristmas to all. Here’s a stunning #nativity scene from the #RothschildPrayerbook! pic.twitter.com/RIVYbiXLjC
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) December 25, 2015
masterpiece
40 BCE, discovered 1506
Laocoon
Vatican
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution Vatican Museums, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
TITIAN
1
for reference
1508-1510 Lochis Madonna by Titian
Accademia Carrara, Bergamo
A highly eclectic artist, Giorgione had a lasting influence in the Venetian school of painting. In his idyllic or pastoral scenes, he used nature as a setting that framed the narration. He used brilliant pigments that were imported by the city for the textiles and glass industries, and was influential in the latest style of his master Giovanni Bellini.
In the second half of the first decade, it is very difficult to distinguish the paintings by Giorgione from those by Tiziano Vecelli whose name will be latinized as Titian. Giorgione died in his mid 30s in a plague in Venice in 1510.
Early connoisseurs commented that Titian's contributions were superior to Giorgione's.The image is shared by Wikimedia.
No artist of that period could ignore the Christian scenes for his business. A panel 39 x 48 cm known as the Madonna Lochis from a previous owner, painted by Titian ca 1508-1510, features a Madonna and Child framed by verdant hills.
In the second half of the first decade, it is very difficult to distinguish the paintings by Giorgione from those by Tiziano Vecelli whose name will be latinized as Titian. Giorgione died in his mid 30s in a plague in Venice in 1510.
Early connoisseurs commented that Titian's contributions were superior to Giorgione's.The image is shared by Wikimedia.
No artist of that period could ignore the Christian scenes for his business. A panel 39 x 48 cm known as the Madonna Lochis from a previous owner, painted by Titian ca 1508-1510, features a Madonna and Child framed by verdant hills.
2
masterpiece
1510 Sleeping Venus by Giorgione, completed by Titian
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
A joint work is Giorgione's Venus sleeping in the nude, completed after his death by Titian and a close forerunner of Titian's Venus of Urbino.The image is shared by Wikimedia.
3
The Rest on the Flight
2024 SOLD for £ 17.6M by Christie's
From the same period an undated Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Titian features a family in an Italian bucolic landscape that has nothing to do with Egypt. The composition is centered on the well-lit young mother in a tender embrace with her naked baby whom she had just unclothed for taking a rest. Joseph is an aging man who listens from the shadow. The title is taken from the Gospel of Matthew.
This oil on canvas laid on panel 46 x 63 cm was highlighted at a choice place near the doorway in a kunstkammer painting of the archduke of Austria in the mid 17th century by Teniers in Brussels. It was sold for £ 17.6M by Christie's on July 2, 2024, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This oil on canvas laid on panel 46 x 63 cm was highlighted at a choice place near the doorway in a kunstkammer painting of the archduke of Austria in the mid 17th century by Teniers in Brussels. It was sold for £ 17.6M by Christie's on July 2, 2024, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1510 The Codex Leicester of Leonardo da Vinci
1994 SOLD for $ 31M by Christie's
From 1475 Leonardo da Vinci recorded everyday all his ideas about the nature of the world in its whole variety, in the form of notes in ancient Italian language illustrated with sketches. In this polygraphic bulimia, he accumulated about 13,000 pages, on double-sided sheets folded in half.
Leonardo is neither a scientist nor an engineer in the modern meaning of these terms. He does not waste his time analyzing the consequences of his theories or conceiving the realization of his inventions. In his swarming of ideas, he could be wonderfully right and naively wrong, and he was certainly unable to distinguish between these two extremes.
For this left-hander, the mirror writing is the way he has found so that his thinking is not slowed down by his hand. The use of numerous abbreviations, which makes these texts extremely difficult to decipher, is consistent with this hypothesis. We will never know how he desired exploiting such a unique mass of informations.
These writings were later assembled into notebooks, identified under the more technical term of codex. The Codex Leicester is the only one remaining in private hands. It was sold by Christie's for $ 5.1M on December 12, 1980 and for $ 31M on November 11, 1994. Between these two sales it was named the Codex Hammer. It was bought by Bill Gates at the last auction. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The Codex Leicester is made up of 18 double sheets of parchment for a total of 72 pages 22 x 30 cm. It brings together his notes written around 1510 on the theme of the water movements. The author imagines that his ideas could be used for the design of bridges.
His observation on the presence of fossils in the mountains brings an explanation far ahead of his time : they were originally in a seabed which was raised by a geophysical phenomenon. This hypothesis is all the more remarkable since the monotheistic religions of his time do not question the creationism.
In the same notebook, he explains the luminosity of the Moon by the reflection of sunlight on its surface entirely covered with water.
Leonardo is neither a scientist nor an engineer in the modern meaning of these terms. He does not waste his time analyzing the consequences of his theories or conceiving the realization of his inventions. In his swarming of ideas, he could be wonderfully right and naively wrong, and he was certainly unable to distinguish between these two extremes.
For this left-hander, the mirror writing is the way he has found so that his thinking is not slowed down by his hand. The use of numerous abbreviations, which makes these texts extremely difficult to decipher, is consistent with this hypothesis. We will never know how he desired exploiting such a unique mass of informations.
These writings were later assembled into notebooks, identified under the more technical term of codex. The Codex Leicester is the only one remaining in private hands. It was sold by Christie's for $ 5.1M on December 12, 1980 and for $ 31M on November 11, 1994. Between these two sales it was named the Codex Hammer. It was bought by Bill Gates at the last auction. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The Codex Leicester is made up of 18 double sheets of parchment for a total of 72 pages 22 x 30 cm. It brings together his notes written around 1510 on the theme of the water movements. The author imagines that his ideas could be used for the design of bridges.
His observation on the presence of fossils in the mountains brings an explanation far ahead of his time : they were originally in a seabed which was raised by a geophysical phenomenon. This hypothesis is all the more remarkable since the monotheistic religions of his time do not question the creationism.
In the same notebook, he explains the luminosity of the Moon by the reflection of sunlight on its surface entirely covered with water.
RAPHAEL
1
1508-1511 Muse
2009 SOLD for £ 29M by Christie's
Works by Raffaello were the subject of preparatory drawings very sharp, detailed and contrasted, at the exact size he wanted for the final paintng.
A black chalk drawing 30.5 x 22.2 cm was sold for £ 29M from a lower estimate of £ 12M by Christie's on December 8, 2009.
This pretty young woman head with flying hair in full frame is a preparation for a character of a Muse. It still have the perforations made by the artist to project the outline through the paper on the frescoes of the Vatican, executed between 1508 and 1511.
A black chalk drawing 30.5 x 22.2 cm was sold for £ 29M from a lower estimate of £ 12M by Christie's on December 8, 2009.
This pretty young woman head with flying hair in full frame is a preparation for a character of a Muse. It still have the perforations made by the artist to project the outline through the paper on the frescoes of the Vatican, executed between 1508 and 1511.
#Raphael was #BornOnThisDay in 1483. In 2009, we offered an auxiliary sketch by #Raphael. The drawing, one of the best of Raphael’s surviving sketches set a #WorldAuctionRecord for a work on paper at £29,161,250 https://t.co/GDloR0vDil pic.twitter.com/pfYMt2hbGe
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) April 6, 2019
2
1518 Lorenzo II de' Medici
2007 SOLD for £ 18.5M by Christie's
Since 1513 the head of the Medici family has become pope under the name of Leo X. Like most popes of this period, he keenly supports his family. After the death of his brother Giuliano in 1516, the hopes of the Medici to preserve the dynasty are transferred to their 24-year-old nephew Lorenzo II. The young prince is named Duke of Urbino, with the constraint of having to take over that duchy from the Della Rovere family.
Lorenzo must therefore be married. The pope promotes a French alliance and the choice falls on Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, a cousin of King François I, in 1517. This marriage was political and the future newlyweds had obviously never met. Portraits will be exchanged during the preparation of this union.
The portrait of Lorenzo was entrusted at the beginning of 1518 to Raphael, a native of Urbino. The matter is urgent. The artist chooses the oil on canvas, which allows a faster execution than the wooden panel. The prince is seen in three quarter length, slightly turned to his right, the gaze directed towards the spectator. He is sumptuously dressed in brocade, velvet and fur. He holds in his hand a gold box supposedly decorated with a miniature portrait of his future wife.
This commission is of great political importance and there is no doubt that this painting is autograph by Raphael. The portrait of Lorenzo reached Paris in March in a convoy of gifts carried by 36 horses. The reciprocal portrait of Madeleine had arrived in Florence in the previous month. The marriage is celebrated on May 2 at the Château d'Amboise.
The original autograph painting, 97 x 78 cm, authenticated by modifications revealed by infrared photography, was sold for £ 18.5M by Christie's on July 5, 2007, lot 91. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The glory of this prince was overrated. He had not won the war against the Della Rovere. He died in 1519 of syphilis, possibly contracted during his wedding trip. Madeleine had died a few days before him, two weeks after the birth of their only daughter who will become the French queen Catherine de Médicis.
Lorenzo must therefore be married. The pope promotes a French alliance and the choice falls on Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, a cousin of King François I, in 1517. This marriage was political and the future newlyweds had obviously never met. Portraits will be exchanged during the preparation of this union.
The portrait of Lorenzo was entrusted at the beginning of 1518 to Raphael, a native of Urbino. The matter is urgent. The artist chooses the oil on canvas, which allows a faster execution than the wooden panel. The prince is seen in three quarter length, slightly turned to his right, the gaze directed towards the spectator. He is sumptuously dressed in brocade, velvet and fur. He holds in his hand a gold box supposedly decorated with a miniature portrait of his future wife.
This commission is of great political importance and there is no doubt that this painting is autograph by Raphael. The portrait of Lorenzo reached Paris in March in a convoy of gifts carried by 36 horses. The reciprocal portrait of Madeleine had arrived in Florence in the previous month. The marriage is celebrated on May 2 at the Château d'Amboise.
The original autograph painting, 97 x 78 cm, authenticated by modifications revealed by infrared photography, was sold for £ 18.5M by Christie's on July 5, 2007, lot 91. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The glory of this prince was overrated. He had not won the war against the Della Rovere. He died in 1519 of syphilis, possibly contracted during his wedding trip. Madeleine had died a few days before him, two weeks after the birth of their only daughter who will become the French queen Catherine de Médicis.
1514 Cristo della Minerva by Michelangelo
2000 SOLD for £ 8.1M by Christie's
The gradual revelation of the antique sculpture arouses the enthusiasm of patrons. Michelangelo becomes the great specialist in the male nude. On this theme, David, completed in 1504 when the artist was not yet 30 years old, was his masterpiece. This monumental statue is also a technical feat, made in a block of marble whose gigantic dimensions had discouraged his predecessors.
From 1505, Michelangelo is in Rome. His patron, with whom relations are often difficult, is Pope Julius II, who is reconstructing Saint Peter's Basilica around the project of his monumental tomb, the execution of which is entrusted to Michelangelo. It was also during this period that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.
Julius II died in 1513. While waiting for instructions from his heirs to continue or not working on the funerary monument, Michelangelo accepted commitments from other clients.
In 1514 he receives an order for a life-size Redeemer Christ for adorning a funeral altar in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. This Christ will be standing, passionately holding the cross in a total nudity which will attest to his purity.
Michelangelo is very enthusiastic, understandably, for this project which is perfectly matching his fervent but somewhat risque conception of Christian piety. According to his usual practice, he begins to prepare drawings of high graphic accuracy to anticipate shapes and lights. Many of these sketches were destroyed by the artist himself because they disclosed too much information about his know-how.
A 24 x 21 cm double-sided preparatory drawing intermingling figures for the Cristo della Minerva has survived. The side commonly considered as the back is certainly the first. It includes a study of legs and feet. On the other side, the body serves as a support for a crosshatched study of the textures of the abdomen. This drawing was sold for £ 8.1M by Christie's on July 4, 2000, lot 83.
Two marble statues of this vigorous Christ were made. The first, autograph, was abandoned after the chiseling of the left cheek revealed a black vein in the marble. The second, damaged by clumsy apprentices, ended up being guaranteed as authentic by Michelangelo, not without reluctance. It was described as mirabilissima by Vasari. At the time of the Counter-Reformation, the Catholics will add the stigmata, as well as a bronze loincloth to hide the sexual organs.
From 1505, Michelangelo is in Rome. His patron, with whom relations are often difficult, is Pope Julius II, who is reconstructing Saint Peter's Basilica around the project of his monumental tomb, the execution of which is entrusted to Michelangelo. It was also during this period that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.
Julius II died in 1513. While waiting for instructions from his heirs to continue or not working on the funerary monument, Michelangelo accepted commitments from other clients.
In 1514 he receives an order for a life-size Redeemer Christ for adorning a funeral altar in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. This Christ will be standing, passionately holding the cross in a total nudity which will attest to his purity.
Michelangelo is very enthusiastic, understandably, for this project which is perfectly matching his fervent but somewhat risque conception of Christian piety. According to his usual practice, he begins to prepare drawings of high graphic accuracy to anticipate shapes and lights. Many of these sketches were destroyed by the artist himself because they disclosed too much information about his know-how.
A 24 x 21 cm double-sided preparatory drawing intermingling figures for the Cristo della Minerva has survived. The side commonly considered as the back is certainly the first. It includes a study of legs and feet. On the other side, the body serves as a support for a crosshatched study of the textures of the abdomen. This drawing was sold for £ 8.1M by Christie's on July 4, 2000, lot 83.
Two marble statues of this vigorous Christ were made. The first, autograph, was abandoned after the chiseling of the left cheek revealed a black vein in the marble. The second, damaged by clumsy apprentices, ended up being guaranteed as authentic by Michelangelo, not without reluctance. It was described as mirabilissima by Vasari. At the time of the Counter-Reformation, the Catholics will add the stigmata, as well as a bronze loincloth to hide the sexual organs.
1515 Moon Spring by Tang Yin
2017 SOLD for RMB 92M by Poly
A native of Suzhou, Tang Yin was early talented for poetry. He also was a self taught painter.
Impeached in the imperial examination after a false accusation of bribing, he gave up an official career, traveled the mountains of Central China and Jiangnan and lived as a professional painter. Falling into debauchery, isolated and self taught, he was to become posthumously a sort of folk hero.
In terms of landscapes, his unrestrained style mingling influences from north and south is in the follow of the Southern Song masters.
Pine Cliff Villa in autumn, color on paper 32 x 124 cm handscroll with a 96 cm colophon, was executed in a very thick ink by Tang Yin in Zhengde Wuchen year matching 1508.
Two dwellings are viewed through the natural canopy of a pine tree. Details include jars, plants and bamboo poles. The scenery is animated by a bearded nobleman and two boys. The work was executed as a commission from the villa owner, nicknamed Songya.
It was sold for RMB 71M by Poly on June 3, 2013, lot 2381.
The Moon Spring scroll is a view in Jiangnan by Tang Yin. It is dated in the Yihai year of Zhengde matching 1515 CE through a poem in the colophon.
It is a scenery of lake, rocks and mountain, with cottages hidden in the bamboos. The bright and clean brush stroke expresses the quietness of the morning mist. The tiny figure of a noble man is looking at the lake.
This 31 cm wide ink on paper handscroll made of a 113 cm painting and a 135 cm postscript was sold for RMB 92M by Poly on December 17, 2017, lot 3539.
Impeached in the imperial examination after a false accusation of bribing, he gave up an official career, traveled the mountains of Central China and Jiangnan and lived as a professional painter. Falling into debauchery, isolated and self taught, he was to become posthumously a sort of folk hero.
In terms of landscapes, his unrestrained style mingling influences from north and south is in the follow of the Southern Song masters.
Pine Cliff Villa in autumn, color on paper 32 x 124 cm handscroll with a 96 cm colophon, was executed in a very thick ink by Tang Yin in Zhengde Wuchen year matching 1508.
Two dwellings are viewed through the natural canopy of a pine tree. Details include jars, plants and bamboo poles. The scenery is animated by a bearded nobleman and two boys. The work was executed as a commission from the villa owner, nicknamed Songya.
It was sold for RMB 71M by Poly on June 3, 2013, lot 2381.
The Moon Spring scroll is a view in Jiangnan by Tang Yin. It is dated in the Yihai year of Zhengde matching 1515 CE through a poem in the colophon.
It is a scenery of lake, rocks and mountain, with cottages hidden in the bamboos. The bright and clean brush stroke expresses the quietness of the morning mist. The tiny figure of a noble man is looking at the lake.
This 31 cm wide ink on paper handscroll made of a 113 cm painting and a 135 cm postscript was sold for RMB 92M by Poly on December 17, 2017, lot 3539.
