Years 1540-1569
See also : Ancient Germany Italian painting 1280-1700 Ancient England British Royals Christianity Madonna and Child Maps 16th century books Ancient science Astronomy Chinese porcelain Ming porcelain Later Ming
1540 Visit to an Old Canon
2016 SOLD for £ 1.8M including premium
The intense curiosity of the fifteenth century, facilitated by the printed books, generated the modern science. The most advanced universities teach mathematics beside philosophy, theology, law and medicine. Disseminated from Bologna to Vienna or Krakow, humanists exchange new theories together.
Georg Joachim Rheticus was fond of astronomy, perhaps as a result of the appearance of the comet of 1531. He enrolled at the University of Wittenberg led by Melanchthon, the theoretician of Lutheranism.
As early as 1536, Rheticus was appointed professor of mathematics. Barely released from astrology, astronomy was at that time a branch of mathematics. The learned calculations made by Regiomontanus in the previous century had fruitfully revived the speculation about the true movements of the planets.
Two years later, Melanchthon allows Rheticus to suspend his teaching for a tour of Europe where he will visit the humanists. He hears of an old canon who spent his lifetime improving his astronomical calculations at such a point to solve the old issue of the motion of Earth, discussed since antiquity.
Rheticus so becomes the assistant to Copernicus in Frauenburg (Frombork). For nearly thirty years, the canon had refined the text of his demonstration of the heliocentric system, sometimes sending manuscripts to the very few scholars able to understand it. He does not think to edit because of an obvious difficulty to print his figures.
Rheticus supports Copernicus with enthusiasm. The younger scientist prepares a comprehensible summary with the agreement of the master. Printed in Gdansk in 1540, that 'De libris revolutionum ... narratio prima' is the first report ever published on heliocentrism. The theory is clearly and fully attributed to Copernicus without indicating the name of his efficient collaborator.
This first edition is extremely rare. A copy is estimated £ 1.2M for sale by Christie's in London on July 13, lot 87.
Georg Joachim Rheticus was fond of astronomy, perhaps as a result of the appearance of the comet of 1531. He enrolled at the University of Wittenberg led by Melanchthon, the theoretician of Lutheranism.
As early as 1536, Rheticus was appointed professor of mathematics. Barely released from astrology, astronomy was at that time a branch of mathematics. The learned calculations made by Regiomontanus in the previous century had fruitfully revived the speculation about the true movements of the planets.
Two years later, Melanchthon allows Rheticus to suspend his teaching for a tour of Europe where he will visit the humanists. He hears of an old canon who spent his lifetime improving his astronomical calculations at such a point to solve the old issue of the motion of Earth, discussed since antiquity.
Rheticus so becomes the assistant to Copernicus in Frauenburg (Frombork). For nearly thirty years, the canon had refined the text of his demonstration of the heliocentric system, sometimes sending manuscripts to the very few scholars able to understand it. He does not think to edit because of an obvious difficulty to print his figures.
Rheticus supports Copernicus with enthusiasm. The younger scientist prepares a comprehensible summary with the agreement of the master. Printed in Gdansk in 1540, that 'De libris revolutionum ... narratio prima' is the first report ever published on heliocentrism. The theory is clearly and fully attributed to Copernicus without indicating the name of his efficient collaborator.
This first edition is extremely rare. A copy is estimated £ 1.2M for sale by Christie's in London on July 13, lot 87.
13 juillet Vente des livres scientifiques de la bibliothèque Beltrame Consultez le catalogue https://t.co/akp7LGW1ji pic.twitter.com/CtcSeM2uMW
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) July 1, 2016
1542-1543 Good and Evil in Brescia
2012 SOLD 4.6 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
At the time of Titian, Brescia depended on the republic of Venice. The master painter working in the city was called Girolamo di Romano, named after the village where his family originated. His artist name was Il Romanino.
On June 6 in New York, Christie's sells a Cross Bearer by Romanino, oil on canvas 81 x 72 cm, estimated $ 2.5 M.
This episode of the Passion of Christ promotes the stoicism of the Christians against humiliation, symbolized by the cross, the crown of thorns, the shoulder that is laid bare in the effort. In his satin dress, the humiliated Christ is still the Lord illuminated by light.
Evil is very close but in the shadows, with the Baroque head of a terrible mustachioed soldier who puts all his energy trying to capture the attention of Christ. Unsuccessfully, of course.
Romanino's work is varied and not well documented, so it is difficult to date. Expert opinions on the realization of this painting converge however to 1542 or 1543.
Good and Evil will end up to dispute for that painting. In 1941, during the occupation of Paris by the Germans, it was included in a forced sale, and it took 70 years for returning it to the heirs of the robbed collector.
POST SALE COMMENT
Christie's had considered that the quality of the artwork was more important than the identification of its author, a relatively unknown provincial painter. They were right. The result: $ 4.6 million including premium.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's :
At the time of Titian, Brescia depended on the republic of Venice. The master painter working in the city was called Girolamo di Romano, named after the village where his family originated. His artist name was Il Romanino.
On June 6 in New York, Christie's sells a Cross Bearer by Romanino, oil on canvas 81 x 72 cm, estimated $ 2.5 M.
This episode of the Passion of Christ promotes the stoicism of the Christians against humiliation, symbolized by the cross, the crown of thorns, the shoulder that is laid bare in the effort. In his satin dress, the humiliated Christ is still the Lord illuminated by light.
Evil is very close but in the shadows, with the Baroque head of a terrible mustachioed soldier who puts all his energy trying to capture the attention of Christ. Unsuccessfully, of course.
Romanino's work is varied and not well documented, so it is difficult to date. Expert opinions on the realization of this painting converge however to 1542 or 1543.
Good and Evil will end up to dispute for that painting. In 1941, during the occupation of Paris by the Germans, it was included in a forced sale, and it took 70 years for returning it to the heirs of the robbed collector.
POST SALE COMMENT
Christie's had considered that the quality of the artwork was more important than the identification of its author, a relatively unknown provincial painter. They were right. The result: $ 4.6 million including premium.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's :
1545 The Painter and the Burger
2010 SOLD 5.6 M£ including premium
Christie's presents for sale on July 6 in London a beautiful German portrait of the sixteenth century, in good condition, estimated £ 5 million.
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.
POST SALE COMMENT
This portrait of a civilian is altogether rare, large size and of high quality. It is not easy to find an auction history for this pupil of Dürer. The market understood: £ 5.6 million including premium.
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.
POST SALE COMMENT
This portrait of a civilian is altogether rare, large size and of high quality. It is not easy to find an auction history for this pupil of Dürer. The market understood: £ 5.6 million including premium.
1546 The Agnese Atlas
2012 SOLD for $ 2.77M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
The cartographer Battista Agnese produces in Venice handwritten maps to constitute composite atlases, the contents of which vary for different clients.
Although his nautical maps fully use the classic portolan representation, his customers seem to have mostly been sovereign princes and great prelates. For example, he assembled circa 1542 on commission from the Emperor Charles V an atlas for the use of Prince Philip, later Philip II.
Agnese takes great care to integrate the most recent discoveries. When Ulloa observed in 1540 that Baja California was a peninsula and not an island, Agnese immediately applied this information while also including the new place names defined by the explorer. The maps are illuminated with full-cheeked figures of the winds at the four cardinal points and at four or six intermediate points.
On April 10, 2012, Christie's sold an Agnese atlas for $ 2.77M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 800K, lot 159.
This collection, in a binding from the early 18th century, has the very rare characteristic of being considered complete. It consists of 15 bifolium vellum plates 18 x 25 cm with blank reverse, including twelve two-page maps.
The first ten maps are portolans from the three oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian) and the seas, not to forget the Black Sea. The next one is a world map in oval projection which includes the parallels and meridians and the line of Magellan's circumnavigation. The last map displays the North Atlantic in globular projection.
The atlas is not dated but is dedicated to Adolf von Schaumburg during the very short period when he was administrator of the archdiocese of Cologne, in 1546. He was appointed in January 1547 archbishop elector of that city.
Although his nautical maps fully use the classic portolan representation, his customers seem to have mostly been sovereign princes and great prelates. For example, he assembled circa 1542 on commission from the Emperor Charles V an atlas for the use of Prince Philip, later Philip II.
Agnese takes great care to integrate the most recent discoveries. When Ulloa observed in 1540 that Baja California was a peninsula and not an island, Agnese immediately applied this information while also including the new place names defined by the explorer. The maps are illuminated with full-cheeked figures of the winds at the four cardinal points and at four or six intermediate points.
On April 10, 2012, Christie's sold an Agnese atlas for $ 2.77M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 800K, lot 159.
This collection, in a binding from the early 18th century, has the very rare characteristic of being considered complete. It consists of 15 bifolium vellum plates 18 x 25 cm with blank reverse, including twelve two-page maps.
The first ten maps are portolans from the three oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian) and the seas, not to forget the Black Sea. The next one is a world map in oval projection which includes the parallels and meridians and the line of Magellan's circumnavigation. The last map displays the North Atlantic in globular projection.
The atlas is not dated but is dedicated to Adolf von Schaumburg during the very short period when he was administrator of the archdiocese of Cologne, in 1546. He was appointed in January 1547 archbishop elector of that city.
Jiajing - The Carps of the Heavenly Pond
2017 SOLD for HK$ 214M including premium
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 Taoism. Becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 1522, Jiajing reigned for 45 years. Large pieces are made under his rule, using the bright color palette identified as wucai. Wucai literally means five enamels, five having here a meaning of plurality adjusted to the five elements
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.
A 46 cm high 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. 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.
Pieces which are still with their original cover are very rare in private hands. This one was sold for HK $ 44M including premium by Sotheby's on October 29, 2000, a very high price at that time for a Chinese porcelain. It will be sold by Christie's in Hong Kong on November 27, lot 8006. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
The progress of Jingdezhen porcelain is restarting with the Jiajing emperor, an art lover and an adept of Taoism. Becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 1522, Jiajing reigned for 45 years. Large pieces are made under his rule, using the bright color palette identified as wucai. Wucai literally means five enamels, five having here a meaning of plurality adjusted to the five elements
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.
A 46 cm high 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. 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.
Pieces which are still with their original cover are very rare in private hands. This one was sold for HK $ 44M including premium by Sotheby's on October 29, 2000, a very high price at that time for a Chinese porcelain. It will be sold by Christie's in Hong Kong on November 27, lot 8006. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
1555-1560 Venus and Adonis by Titian and workshop
1991 SOLD for £ 7.5M (worth US $ 13.6M) by Christie's
The story of Venus and Adonis was included in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Titian made of it a very dynamic composition improved by his own fancy. A seated Venus viewed from back side in full nudity is catching her lover to prevent him to go hunting. The impassive young man will not accept. Cupid sleeps and the dogs strain at their leashes.
The twisted body of the goddess is inspired from an antique relief, providing a great sense of energy and movement.
The theme was successful and a lot of replicas were made. The version kept at the Prado is inscribed 1554. No other known version is dated. An oil on canvas 160 x 200 cm 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 not illustrated online.
This painting 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. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The twisted body of the goddess is inspired from an antique relief, providing a great sense of energy and movement.
The theme was successful and a lot of replicas were made. The version kept at the Prado is inscribed 1554. No other known version is dated. An oil on canvas 160 x 200 cm 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 not illustrated online.
This painting 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. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1560 Quiet Mysticism of Titian
2011 SOLD 16.9 M$ including premium
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, is estimated $ 15M, for sale at Sotheby's in New York on January 27. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
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.
POST SALE COMMENT
As expected, this beautiful Titian dominated the week of ancient art sales in New York. Sold $ 16.9 million including premium, it does not, however, exceed its estimate.
I invite you to play the video shared on the web by Sotheby's. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
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, is estimated $ 15M, for sale at Sotheby's in New York on January 27. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
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.
POST SALE COMMENT
As expected, this beautiful Titian dominated the week of ancient art sales in New York. Sold $ 16.9 million including premium, it does not, however, exceed its estimate.
I invite you to play the video shared on the web by Sotheby's. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1562-1563 An Artist's Studio in the Village
2014 SOLD 8.9 M$ including premium
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, is estimated $ 8M for sale on January 29 in New York at Christie's. 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 succeeded them, using their images as trademarks for their workshops during several decades.
POST SALE COMMENT
Great result for this rare artwork from an outstanding master : $ 8.9M including premium, in line with the estimate.
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, is estimated $ 8M for sale on January 29 in New York at Christie's. 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 succeeded them, using their images as trademarks for their workshops during several decades.
POST SALE COMMENT
Great result for this rare artwork from an outstanding master : $ 8.9M including premium, in line with the estimate.
1562-1567 Two volumes from the Yongle Dadian
2020 SOLD for € 8.1M including premium by Beaussant Lefèvre
narrated post sale in 2020
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 including premium by Beaussant Lefèvre at Drouot 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 including premium by Beaussant Lefèvre at Drouot 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
1564 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by Steven van der Meulen
2007 SOLD for £ 2.6M including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
Magdalene by Titian
2008 SOLD for $ 4.5M including premium by Sotheby's
narrated in 2021
Titian painted his first Penitent Magdalene in the early 1530s on a commission from the Duke of Urbino. The theme is exemplary : a young woman who suddenly and definitively passes from vice to virtue through Christian enlightenment.
Magdalene is a robust woman, who instinctively hides her nudity by wrapping her hair around her neck. The first picture is sensual, as if the artist wanted her change of life to cause pity.
Titian will rework this theme regularly, making small improvements in the symbols and in the surrounding landscape.
An oil on panel 110 x 78 cm appears as a synthesis of these variants, with all the pictorial qualities of the later phase of the artist's career. It may be later than the 1565 version kept at the Hermitage Museum.
The gestures have not changed but the saint has dressed : the nudity of her breasts no longer tickles the old artist. The half-open mouth more explicitly marks an ecstasy, reinforced by the dripping tears. The landscape has become very dark but the light in the sky is mystical. The wood is rarely used by Titian in that period. It is perhaps a reminiscence of the technique of his original Urbino Magdalene, thirty years earlier.
This painting was sold for $ 4.5M including premium by Sotheby's on January 25, 2008, lot 117.
Magdalene is a robust woman, who instinctively hides her nudity by wrapping her hair around her neck. The first picture is sensual, as if the artist wanted her change of life to cause pity.
Titian will rework this theme regularly, making small improvements in the symbols and in the surrounding landscape.
An oil on panel 110 x 78 cm appears as a synthesis of these variants, with all the pictorial qualities of the later phase of the artist's career. It may be later than the 1565 version kept at the Hermitage Museum.
The gestures have not changed but the saint has dressed : the nudity of her breasts no longer tickles the old artist. The half-open mouth more explicitly marks an ecstasy, reinforced by the dripping tears. The landscape has become very dark but the light in the sky is mystical. The wood is rarely used by Titian in that period. It is perhaps a reminiscence of the technique of his original Urbino Magdalene, thirty years earlier.
This painting was sold for $ 4.5M including premium by Sotheby's on January 25, 2008, lot 117.
