Years 1540-1569
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Ancient Germany Cranach Christianity Madonna and Child Ming Chinese porcelain Ming porcelain
See also : Ancient Germany Cranach Christianity Madonna and Child Ming Chinese porcelain Ming porcelain
1540-1545 Fontis Nympha by Cranach
2022 SOLD for £ 9.4M by Christie's
The Nymph of the spring by Cranach is both a proverb and an excuse for displaying a recumbent female nude. Twelve examples are known with variants in the position of the woman and in the landscape behind her. The elongated body is typical of the cannon of cute beauty practiced by the master.
The proverb is a poem previously used by Dürer in a more extended version. It reads in a cartouche : FONTIS NYMPHA SACRI SOMNVM NE RVMPE QVIESCO (do not break the serenity of the Nymph of the Sacred Spring in her sleep).
It is indeed not an erotic invite but a Lutheran warning against the vanity of pleasure. A close inspection shows that the lower body is not nude but covered by a scarcely visible veil. A pair of pecking partridges, a quiver of arrows and the rich necklace are the threats of the sexual temptation.
On June 7, 2022, Christie's sold a Nymph for £ 9.4M from a lower estimate of £ 6M, lot 6. This oil on panel 82 x 120 cm in beautiful preservation is announced as the largest example known. It is dated 1540-1545 in consistence with the monogram of the winged serpent used from 1537.
It had resurfaced in 1990 and a provenance tentatively including the emperor Rudolf II and queen Christina of Sweden has been proposed.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The proverb is a poem previously used by Dürer in a more extended version. It reads in a cartouche : FONTIS NYMPHA SACRI SOMNVM NE RVMPE QVIESCO (do not break the serenity of the Nymph of the Sacred Spring in her sleep).
It is indeed not an erotic invite but a Lutheran warning against the vanity of pleasure. A close inspection shows that the lower body is not nude but covered by a scarcely visible veil. A pair of pecking partridges, a quiver of arrows and the rich necklace are the threats of the sexual temptation.
On June 7, 2022, Christie's sold a Nymph for £ 9.4M from a lower estimate of £ 6M, lot 6. This oil on panel 82 x 120 cm in beautiful preservation is announced as the largest example known. It is dated 1540-1545 in consistence with the monogram of the winged serpent used from 1537.
It had resurfaced in 1990 and a provenance tentatively including the emperor Rudolf II and queen Christina of Sweden has been proposed.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1545 Baldinger by Pencz
2010 SOLD for £ 5.6M by Christie's
A beautiful German portrait of the sixteenth century, in good condition, was sold for £ 5.6M by Christie's on July 6, 2010.
The artist, Georg Pencz, was known at Nuremberg as the best pupil of Dürer. At that time the German art was imbued with the Italian influence. Pencz is also (and mostly) famous as a printmaker. The painting is signed with his monogram.
The model, Sigismund Baldinger, is a typical member of the commercial bourgeoisie. Based in Nuremberg where he joined the council, he worked for a merchant family of Augsburg.
In 1545, Baldinger was 35 years old. He is a bearded man with short hair, well dressed, very modern-looking. Solid and confident, he gazes with authority and courtesy. If he believes that this artwork forwards the image of his glory to his descendants, he is right. He will be knighted soon after and this oil on panel, 135 x 118 cm, will remain in his family for nearly four centuries.
The artist, Georg Pencz, was known at Nuremberg as the best pupil of Dürer. At that time the German art was imbued with the Italian influence. Pencz is also (and mostly) famous as a printmaker. The painting is signed with his monogram.
The model, Sigismund Baldinger, is a typical member of the commercial bourgeoisie. Based in Nuremberg where he joined the council, he worked for a merchant family of Augsburg.
In 1545, Baldinger was 35 years old. He is a bearded man with short hair, well dressed, very modern-looking. Solid and confident, he gazes with authority and courtesy. If he believes that this artwork forwards the image of his glory to his descendants, he is right. He will be knighted soon after and this oil on panel, 135 x 118 cm, will remain in his family for nearly four centuries.
1559-1566 Jiajing Fish Jar
Intro
The palace bowls of the Chenghua emperor were fabulous by the quality of the porcelain and their early application of polychromy but the pieces were small and the drawings were naive. A period of inactivity begins because of court protests against the onerous taste of the leading concubine for such a luxury.
The progress of Jingdezhen porcelain is restarting with the Jiajing emperor, an art lover and an adept of Daoism. Becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 1522 CE, Jiajing retreated from politics in 1542 and reigned for 24 further years, obsessed by the search for immortality.
Large pieces are made under his rule, using the bright color palette identified as wucai. Wucai means five enamels, five having here a meaning of plurality adjusted to the five elements.
The porcelain was first painted with the classical underglaze blue. The other colors were added over the glaze. Experts believe that three firings have been necessary. The fish jars display a golden orange of the carps specially developed under Jiajing, applying an iron red over an already fired yellow enamel. This onerous technique was not maintained afterwards.
This emperor liked to state that he was the fisherman of the heavenly pond. The pattern with fish swimming amidst aquatic plants enables a pleasing interweaving of the drawings on the walls of the jars and Jiajing himself promotes this theme by massive commissions. The details of the themes are related to homophonic rebuses bringing to the emperor the auspices that he so much enjoyed.
No record was found of imperial orders for Jiajing polychrome porcelains, leading to a terminus post quem ca 1559. All the fish jars share the same basic design.
The progress of Jingdezhen porcelain is restarting with the Jiajing emperor, an art lover and an adept of Daoism. Becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 1522 CE, Jiajing retreated from politics in 1542 and reigned for 24 further years, obsessed by the search for immortality.
Large pieces are made under his rule, using the bright color palette identified as wucai. Wucai means five enamels, five having here a meaning of plurality adjusted to the five elements.
The porcelain was first painted with the classical underglaze blue. The other colors were added over the glaze. Experts believe that three firings have been necessary. The fish jars display a golden orange of the carps specially developed under Jiajing, applying an iron red over an already fired yellow enamel. This onerous technique was not maintained afterwards.
This emperor liked to state that he was the fisherman of the heavenly pond. The pattern with fish swimming amidst aquatic plants enables a pleasing interweaving of the drawings on the walls of the jars and Jiajing himself promotes this theme by massive commissions. The details of the themes are related to homophonic rebuses bringing to the emperor the auspices that he so much enjoyed.
No record was found of imperial orders for Jiajing polychrome porcelains, leading to a terminus post quem ca 1559. All the fish jars share the same basic design.
1
with cover
2017 SOLD for HK$ 214M by Christie's
A 46 cm high wucai guan shaped jar with its cover is one of the biggest pieces of that type. It is animated by carps of two different sizes. The suspension of the fish in water allows various attitudes.
Pieces which are still with their original cover are very rare in private hands. This one was sold for HK $ 44M by Sotheby's on October 29, 2000, and for HK $ 214M by Christie's on November 27, 2017, lot 8006. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
Pieces which are still with their original cover are very rare in private hands. This one was sold for HK $ 44M by Sotheby's on October 29, 2000, and for HK $ 214M by Christie's on November 27, 2017, lot 8006. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
2
pair with covers
2024 SOLD for £ 9.6M by Sotheby's
In the same technique and size as the example above, a pair of Jiajing fish jars with their original covers was sold for £ 9.6M from a lower estimate of £ 600K by Sotheby's on November 6, 2024, lot 32. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. This pair has been treasured in the same German family for about a century<.
Another pair with covers, somewhat damaged, is kept at the Musée Guimet.
Another pair with covers, somewhat damaged, is kept at the Musée Guimet.
A pair of exceptionally rare, 16th-century Ming dynasty Chinese wucai “fish jars,” originally commissioned by the Jiajing Emperor, sold at auction for £9.6M at #SothebysLondon – over 9X their high estimate. https://t.co/2DXWp5d4uf
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 26, 2024
TITIAN
1
for reference
1553 Danaë
Duke of Wellington collection
Titian was commissioned for a series of mythological paintings, known in period as poesie, for the use of Philip of Habsburg who became King consort of England in 1554 and King Felipe II of Spain in 1555. He delivered six large size painting from 1553 to 1562.
The first one was a Danaë, closely inspired from an original version made by the master in 1544-1546, from which the artist has replaced cupid by an aged maid and removed a piece of cloth on the right upper thigh of the nymph.
It is now agreed that the Danaë poesia is not the Prado version but the Wellington example. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The first one was a Danaë, closely inspired from an original version made by the master in 1544-1546, from which the artist has replaced cupid by an aged maid and removed a piece of cloth on the right upper thigh of the nymph.
It is now agreed that the Danaë poesia is not the Prado version but the Wellington example. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
masterpiece
1554 Venus and Adonis
Prado
The second poesia is a Venus and Adonis painted by Titian in 1554. Titian explained in a letter to prince Philip that the two paintings would offer contrasting front and rear views of a nude Venus, thus allowing painting to compete with sculpture
It is considered by most experts that the Philip II painting is the 186 x 207 cm example kept at the Prado.
As for the Danaë, the artist was inspired by an earlier version. He added the raised head of a third dog, displayed a Cupid sleeping instead of watchful and changed the attitude of the loving Adonis from embracing the goddess to holding a spear for his hunt.
The love story of the goddess Venus and the handsome mortal Adonis was narrated in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Titian made of it a very dynamic expression of desire and death. A seated Venus viewed from back side in full nudity is catching her lover to prevent him to go hunting. The unwavering young man will not accept despite his loving gaze. The dogs strain at their leashes in impatience. Ovid had not considered that poignant moment.
This composition evokes also the very end of the story with Venus arriving in her chariot in the sky too late to save the dying hunter. These two stages are processed in very different styles, sharp and brightly colored for the parting of the lovers and the start to the hunt, and ethereal in the sky.
The twisted body of the goddess is inspired from an antique relief, providing a great sense of energy and movement. This piece appeared in due course to observers in period as the most erotic of the poesie series.
It is considered by most experts that the Philip II painting is the 186 x 207 cm example kept at the Prado.
As for the Danaë, the artist was inspired by an earlier version. He added the raised head of a third dog, displayed a Cupid sleeping instead of watchful and changed the attitude of the loving Adonis from embracing the goddess to holding a spear for his hunt.
The love story of the goddess Venus and the handsome mortal Adonis was narrated in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Titian made of it a very dynamic expression of desire and death. A seated Venus viewed from back side in full nudity is catching her lover to prevent him to go hunting. The unwavering young man will not accept despite his loving gaze. The dogs strain at their leashes in impatience. Ovid had not considered that poignant moment.
This composition evokes also the very end of the story with Venus arriving in her chariot in the sky too late to save the dying hunter. These two stages are processed in very different styles, sharp and brightly colored for the parting of the lovers and the start to the hunt, and ethereal in the sky.
The twisted body of the goddess is inspired from an antique relief, providing a great sense of energy and movement. This piece appeared in due course to observers in period as the most erotic of the poesie series.
3
1555-1557
2022 SOLD for £ 11.2M by Sotheby's
The Venus and Adonis stirred the interest of the Spanish court. Titian prepared several replicas, some of them autograph.
One of the replicas, oil on canvas 177 x 200 cm, has the additional refinement in the background of the presence of the killing wild boar. It makes this version the only one to provide a more complete narration of the story. Another difference is a drapery added over Adonis's shoulder. Near Cupid a pair of doves repeat the parting scene. A 1559 engraving reformated upright is consistent with these details.
This painting have significant similarities in its preparation with the Queen Christina example sold for £ 7.5M by Christie's on December 13, 1991, lot 85, and both have certainly been prepared in parallel around 1555-1557.
Identifying a provenance is difficult because early owners enjoyed to hang several examples on their walls. A nephew of Pope Innocent XI had twelve examples. This replica is supposed to come from the Austrian general Eugene of Savoy and later from Benjamin West, the history painter of King George III.
Attributed to Titian and workshop but considered as autograph after a recent inspection, it was sold for £ 11.2M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Sotheby's on December 7, 2022, lot 6. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
One of the replicas, oil on canvas 177 x 200 cm, has the additional refinement in the background of the presence of the killing wild boar. It makes this version the only one to provide a more complete narration of the story. Another difference is a drapery added over Adonis's shoulder. Near Cupid a pair of doves repeat the parting scene. A 1559 engraving reformated upright is consistent with these details.
This painting have significant similarities in its preparation with the Queen Christina example sold for £ 7.5M by Christie's on December 13, 1991, lot 85, and both have certainly been prepared in parallel around 1555-1557.
Identifying a provenance is difficult because early owners enjoyed to hang several examples on their walls. A nephew of Pope Innocent XI had twelve examples. This replica is supposed to come from the Austrian general Eugene of Savoy and later from Benjamin West, the history painter of King George III.
Attributed to Titian and workshop but considered as autograph after a recent inspection, it was sold for £ 11.2M from a lower estimate of £ 8M by Sotheby's on December 7, 2022, lot 6. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
4
1555-1560
1991 SOLD for £ 7.5M by Christie's
Another oil on canvas 160 x 200 cm of Venus and Adonis attributed to Titian and workshop was sold for £ 7.5M, worth at that time US $ 13.6M, by Christie's on December 13, 1991, lot 85. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This painting have significant similarities in its preparation with the Prince Eugene example, and both have certainly been prepared in parallel. They both have the drapery over Adonis's shoulder.
It later had a royal provenance including Queen Christina of Sweden and the ducs d'Orléans. It is dated about 1555-1560 by the J. Paul Getty Museum which acquired it in 1992 and considers it as autograph.
This example does not have the boar nor the parting scene of the doves.
This painting have significant similarities in its preparation with the Prince Eugene example, and both have certainly been prepared in parallel. They both have the drapery over Adonis's shoulder.
It later had a royal provenance including Queen Christina of Sweden and the ducs d'Orléans. It is dated about 1555-1560 by the J. Paul Getty Museum which acquired it in 1992 and considers it as autograph.
This example does not have the boar nor the parting scene of the doves.
5
1560 Sacra Conversazione
2011 SOLD for $ 17M by Sotheby's
In the later Renaissance, it is difficult to imagine a more complete painter than Titian. His great mythological or religious scenes offer the full range of psychological expression from violence to peace.
At the end of his life, his creativity is much alive, but he has nothing more to prove to increase his fame. Painter of sensuality and characters, he became the painter of the passions.
Circa 1560, he painted A Sacra Conversazione, also known as the Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine. We really catch the intelligence being transferred between the Child Jesus, held by his mother, and Catherine of Alexandria. The Child is active and friendly, Catherine is serious and focused, the Madonna encourages the movement of Jesus. St Luke, standing, is carefully watching.
This large painting on canvas 128 x 170 cm was sold for $ 17M by Sotheby's on January 27, 2011. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
There is no doubt about the importance of this work. Already in the 1620s, it had the honor to draw the attention of Van Dyck, who made a sketch of it in a notebook now preserved at the British Museum.
At the end of his life, his creativity is much alive, but he has nothing more to prove to increase his fame. Painter of sensuality and characters, he became the painter of the passions.
Circa 1560, he painted A Sacra Conversazione, also known as the Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine. We really catch the intelligence being transferred between the Child Jesus, held by his mother, and Catherine of Alexandria. The Child is active and friendly, Catherine is serious and focused, the Madonna encourages the movement of Jesus. St Luke, standing, is carefully watching.
This large painting on canvas 128 x 170 cm was sold for $ 17M by Sotheby's on January 27, 2011. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
There is no doubt about the importance of this work. Already in the 1620s, it had the honor to draw the attention of Van Dyck, who made a sketch of it in a notebook now preserved at the British Museum.
1553 Calligraphy of Poems by Wen Zhengming
2019 SOLD for HK$ 83M by Christie's
Ming calligraphers managed some revival of classicism while maintaining their own individualism.
A poet and artist, Wen Zhengming gradually specialized also in calligraphy, writing epitaphs and copying poems.
Gentle and steady without momentum, Wen was using various styles including regular, cursive and running styles and followed the Jin and Tang masters. He did not retire. In the 38th year of the Jiajing reign matching 1559 CE, before he finished writing, he put down his pen, sat down and died. He was 88 years old.
A handscroll of Poems in large running script in ink on paper 46 cm x 9 m dated 1553 CE was sold for HK $ 83M from a lower estimate of HK $ 5M by Christie's on May 27, 2019, lot 923.
A poet and artist, Wen Zhengming gradually specialized also in calligraphy, writing epitaphs and copying poems.
Gentle and steady without momentum, Wen was using various styles including regular, cursive and running styles and followed the Jin and Tang masters. He did not retire. In the 38th year of the Jiajing reign matching 1559 CE, before he finished writing, he put down his pen, sat down and died. He was 88 years old.
A handscroll of Poems in large running script in ink on paper 46 cm x 9 m dated 1553 CE was sold for HK $ 83M from a lower estimate of HK $ 5M by Christie's on May 27, 2019, lot 923.
BRUEGEL
1
masterpiece
1559 Combat between Carnival and Lent
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
Working in Antwerp and afterwards in Brussels, Pieter Bruegel lived in troubled times. His specialty of painting proverbs and morals might at any time offend the Catholic Spain which was then the colonial power, or the Dutch Protestants beginning to engage in their very long war of independence.
Pieter Bruegel chose the theme of peasant life. Their occupations are indeed symbols more or less easy to decode of the struggle between vices and virtues.
The difficulty in deciphering his message, which is explained by the political context, allows the modern viewer to focus his admiration on the anecdote. Bruegel's characters enchant us by their picturesque features and by the exceptional reference to the lifestyle of another time.
Pieter Bruegel painted the original version of the Combat Between Carnival and Lent in 1559. This work, currently preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, is teeming with life and colorful, in the best manner of an artist who was the best picture maker of popular scenes of all time. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Carnival is perched on a barrel and encouraged by his followers who leave the tavern. Lent is an unpleasant nun whose friends leave the church. On the Flemish village square, away from the main story, a crowd of people is busy with everyday occupations.
Pieter Bruegel chose the theme of peasant life. Their occupations are indeed symbols more or less easy to decode of the struggle between vices and virtues.
The difficulty in deciphering his message, which is explained by the political context, allows the modern viewer to focus his admiration on the anecdote. Bruegel's characters enchant us by their picturesque features and by the exceptional reference to the lifestyle of another time.
Pieter Bruegel painted the original version of the Combat Between Carnival and Lent in 1559. This work, currently preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, is teeming with life and colorful, in the best manner of an artist who was the best picture maker of popular scenes of all time. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Carnival is perched on a barrel and encouraged by his followers who leave the tavern. Lent is an unpleasant nun whose friends leave the church. On the Flemish village square, away from the main story, a crowd of people is busy with everyday occupations.
2
masterpiece
1565 Massacre of the Innocents
Royal Museums of Belgium
Painted ca 1565 by Pieter Bruegel, the Massacre of the Innocents is a response to the outbreak of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish rule. The artist staged the event in a Dutch village under a heavy snow that provides a high contrast with the ongoing drama. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Conceived in smaller size in parallel with the Massacre, the Bird Trap allegory is its moralizing counterpart in the same village and same snow, with peaceful ice skaters replacing the Spanish soldiers and German mercenaries. The Bird Trap title cannot be understood without referring to the Massacre : Take care, a quiet scenery may hide a trap to the innocents.
Conceived in smaller size in parallel with the Massacre, the Bird Trap allegory is its moralizing counterpart in the same village and same snow, with peaceful ice skaters replacing the Spanish soldiers and German mercenaries. The Bird Trap title cannot be understood without referring to the Massacre : Take care, a quiet scenery may hide a trap to the innocents.
3
masterpiece
1566 The Wedding Dance
Detroit Institute of Arts
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1562-1563 Adoration of the Shepherds by Bassano
2014 SOLD for $ 8.9M by Christie's
Born in Vicenza, Francesco da Ponte was trained in Venice where he perhaps met Bellini. He soon opened his artist's studio in the village of Bassano, 65 km away from Venice, where he observed the peasants.
His son Jacopo, known as Jacopo Bassano, succeeded him. Making frequent visits to Venice, he assimilated the mannerist expression of emotions while maintaining a realistic observation of peasants, animals and landscapes.
Christian scenes painted by Jacopo are lively and sensitive representations of life in his village. The Adoration of the Shepherds is a perfect theme for this peasant painter.
A large oil on canvas, 72 x 112 cm, in excellent condition, was sold for $ 8.9M by Christie's in January 29, 2014. It was painted in 1562 or 1563. On the same date in Venice, Veronese painted the Wedding at Cana. The outstanding place offered by Veronese to Jacopo in his monumental painting demonstrates that the art of the villager was well received in the city of the Doges.
Jacopo is contemporary of another peasant painter whom he probably could not know: Pieter Bruegel. Bassano and Bruegel have another common history: their sons s
His son Jacopo, known as Jacopo Bassano, succeeded him. Making frequent visits to Venice, he assimilated the mannerist expression of emotions while maintaining a realistic observation of peasants, animals and landscapes.
Christian scenes painted by Jacopo are lively and sensitive representations of life in his village. The Adoration of the Shepherds is a perfect theme for this peasant painter.
A large oil on canvas, 72 x 112 cm, in excellent condition, was sold for $ 8.9M by Christie's in January 29, 2014. It was painted in 1562 or 1563. On the same date in Venice, Veronese painted the Wedding at Cana. The outstanding place offered by Veronese to Jacopo in his monumental painting demonstrates that the art of the villager was well received in the city of the Doges.
Jacopo is contemporary of another peasant painter whom he probably could not know: Pieter Bruegel. Bassano and Bruegel have another common history: their sons s
1562-1567 Yongle Dadian
2020 SOLD for € 8.1M by Beaussant Lefèvre
The Yongle emperor of the Ming was extremely active from his raise to power, particularly in matters of diplomacy and religion. In 1404 CE he commissioned the compilation of all knowledge. More than 2,000 scholars travel the whole China to find the sources.
The job is completed in just five years. The set includes nearly 23,000 scrolls placed in 11,000 volumes, occupying approximately 30 cubic meters. The number of Chinese characters is estimated at 370 million, corresponding to approximately 250 million words in Latin script. Satisfied with his participation to preserve culture, the emperor attributes to this compilation his own reign name : the Great Canon of Yongle, or Yongle Dadian.
The Yongle Dadian is too huge to consider an edition. In 1557, this still unique set barely escapes a fire that destroys three palaces in the Forbidden City. The Jiajing emperor, aware of the risk of losing this invaluable cultural treasure, orders to take a copy, in the form of 50 x 30 cm albums matching the original volumes and chapters. This work is carried out from 1562 to 1567 CE.
No one will ever hear of the original scrolls again. The copy existed until the Opium Wars. It suffered fires and depredations, and only 400 albums survive, which are 3.5% of the original set.
A lot made of two volumes was sold for € 8.1M by Beaussant Lefèvre on July 7, 2020. The respective themes are the geography of the lakes of China and a description of funeral rites. Wear, stains and accidents were announced in the catalog.
The job is completed in just five years. The set includes nearly 23,000 scrolls placed in 11,000 volumes, occupying approximately 30 cubic meters. The number of Chinese characters is estimated at 370 million, corresponding to approximately 250 million words in Latin script. Satisfied with his participation to preserve culture, the emperor attributes to this compilation his own reign name : the Great Canon of Yongle, or Yongle Dadian.
The Yongle Dadian is too huge to consider an edition. In 1557, this still unique set barely escapes a fire that destroys three palaces in the Forbidden City. The Jiajing emperor, aware of the risk of losing this invaluable cultural treasure, orders to take a copy, in the form of 50 x 30 cm albums matching the original volumes and chapters. This work is carried out from 1562 to 1567 CE.
No one will ever hear of the original scrolls again. The copy existed until the Opium Wars. It suffered fires and depredations, and only 400 albums survive, which are 3.5% of the original set.
A lot made of two volumes was sold for € 8.1M by Beaussant Lefèvre on July 7, 2020. The respective themes are the geography of the lakes of China and a description of funeral rites. Wear, stains and accidents were announced in the catalog.
8 128 000€ frais compris pour les deux rares albums Yongle Dadian dédié à la géographie des lacs de la Chine et aux rites funéraires. @Drouot pic.twitter.com/yjyUvWWXlf
— BEAUSSANT LEFEVRE (@BeaussantL) July 7, 2020
masterpiece
1563 Nozze di Cana by Veronese
Louvre
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
masterpiece
1563 Mercurio volante by Giambologna
Museo del Bargello, Florence
The Flemish born Jean de Boulogne had his name Italianized to Giovanni da Bologna shortened to Giambologna when he worked as a court sculptor for the Medici in Florence.
Giambologna brings a kinetic dimension to the Mannerist sculpture. The momentum of the composition is directed upwards. The spectator takes pleasure in rotating around the statue to admire from varied angles the lightness of the movement.
Designed in 1563, his Mercury is one of the best known and most often copied artworks in the history of sculpture.
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Rufus46, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Giambologna brings a kinetic dimension to the Mannerist sculpture. The momentum of the composition is directed upwards. The spectator takes pleasure in rotating around the statue to admire from varied angles the lightness of the movement.
Designed in 1563, his Mercury is one of the best known and most often copied artworks in the history of sculpture.
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Rufus46, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
