Party Time
Special Edition January 2024
Cover Image: detail of a disc pendant. Presented by David Serra on p. 76
Special Edition January 2024
This catalogue brings together a joyful collection of artworks that capture the spirit of festivities, joyous gatherings, and the lively essence of celebration. Join us on a visual journey through different cultures and eras, where each piece tells a unique story of revelry. From dancing and food to jewels and dresses, our curated selection reflects the universal theme of 'Party Time.' Let you inspire and transport yourself to the heart of celebrations. Enjoy the festivities and celebrate life through the lens of these carefully chosen works of art. Wishing joy and prosperity to all our readers as we embark on the journey of a new year! May the coming days be filled with laughter, love, and the fulfillment of your deepest aspirations. Happy New Year!
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"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life" ABBA
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01 MALAGAN DANCE ORNAMENT Vatlam hornbill figure, mouth ornament for Malagan dances New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea Early 20th century Wood, pigments, shell and beads Length: 18.5 cm Provenance: Rois & Vaupres sale (experts Anthony Meyer & Laurent Dodier) Descours collection, Paris Price on request
Object Presented by: Julien Flak M.: +33 6 84 52 81 36 E.: contact@galerieflak.com W.: www.galerieflak.com
vetted by:
This bird figure (hornbill) is a dance ornament that was held between the teeth by a dancer or sometimes placed in the mouth of a Tatanua mask during the ritual ceremonies. As stated by the Brooklyn Museum, “birds are the most common motif for malagan dance ornaments, but many other types of creatures, either real or imaginary, are known. Though only the carver and dancer usually know the symbolism of these creatures, the bird generally represents the spirit world. The small, flat bit behind the bird on this mouth ornament was held between the dancer's teeth as he performed in imitation of bird movements.”
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02 Young Dayak girl performing the hornbill dance Ernst Agerbeek (1903-1945), signed lower right Dayak Borneo Circa 1927 Watercolour, pastels and gold on paper 57 cm (h) x 43 cm (w) Price on request
Object Presented by: Zebregs&Röell +31 6 207 43671 dickie@zebregsroell.com www.zebregsroell.com
vetted by:
In 1927 Ernst Agerbeek joined an expedition of the Geographical Society of the Dutch East Indies to Borneo, Kalimantan, where he saw this dance and probably made this painting. The Dayak people are renowned for their singing and dancing, and their most famous dance is the hornbil dance where the dancer is adorned with hornbill feathers. In their animist religion, the hornbill is associated with the spirit world. Only little is known about the half-Dutch/halfIndonesian painter Ernst Agerbeek, regarded as one of the more important painters in the former Dutch East Indies. The artist is best known for his genre paintings of the Chinese population in Indonesia or the Peranakan community. The only information on the artist is based on his oeuvre and primary sources such as birth registration and immigration. Agerbeek was born in the Netherlands and was trained as an artist in Brussels. In the early 1920s, he went to Indonesia, where he became a drawing teacher in a secondary school and a member of the Vereeniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars in Batavia. During the Japanese occupation during World War II, Agerbeek escaped imprisonment in a Japanese concentration camp for he was half Indonesian. However, in 1945, disaster struck. At 42, Agerbeek was executed by the Japanese after the accusation of being part of the resistance. So far, only about twenty Indonesian paintings by his hand are known.
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03 Nyamwezi/Sukuma figure Standing figure Nyamwezi/Sukuma Tanzania 1990's Height: 61 cm Provenance Private collection, NYC George Edel, USA Price:
SOLD
Object Presented by: Mark Eglinton M.: +1 646-675-7150 E.: markeglinton@icloud.com IG: @markeglintontribalart
vetted by:
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I will return with good rains and dance as a Katsina in the plaza with my ancestors.
KACHINA DOLL
Don C. Talayesva, “Sun Chief, the autobiography of a Hopi Indian”, Yale University Press, 1942
Konin Katsina - Havasupai Kachina doll Arizona, USA Circa 1920s-1930s Carved wood (cottonwood) and pigments Height: 20 cm Provenance: Albert T. Miller, 49 Steps Gallery, Los Angeles Barry Walsh, Massachusetts Private collection, Massachusetts Galerie Flak, Paris Private collection, France Price
SOLD
Object Presented by: Julien Flak M.: +33 6 84 52 81 36 E.: contact@galerieflak.com W.: www.galerieflak.com
vetted by:
Kachina dolls (or katsinam) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, kachinas constituted a pedagogical tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based. The Kachina spirit here depicts the Havasupai neighbors who live near the Hopi in the Grand Canyon area. The ceremonial dances and songs of Konin Katsina are prayers for moisture and rain. This sculpture will be part of our thematic exhibition of kachina dolls (katsinam) at BRAFA, 28 January – 4 February 2024, Brussels Expo stand 92.
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05 Himalayan Spirits Tsherin Sherpa 2022 Gold leaf, acrylic, and ink on cotton Limited Edition Print, Framed 125 cm x 200 cm Price on request
ARTWORK Presented by: H. Edward Gallery T.: +1 (646) 753-2819 E.: hedwardgallery@gmail.com W.: www.hedwardgallery.com
vetted by:
Tsherin Sherpa’s Himalayan Spirits is a powerful composition where traditional aesthetics intersect with contemporary style. Eleven spirits, as referenced in the painting’s title, dominate the foreground of the artwork, each confidently posed and adorned with the artist’s signature warped coloring in the body. The figures make several references to traditional symbolism found in thangka paintings, such as elements of the crowns on the spirits’ heads or the clouds adorning their bodies. While honoring the artist’s traditional artistic background, these motifs are reimagined in an alternative manner. The warped colors enveloping the spirits’ bodies showcase Tsherin’s artistic and personal exploration of diverse cultures and aesthetics. The background consists of numerous small vignettes showing a cast of figures depicting everyday modern life, anchoring the work in the present. Scenes such as a man on the phone, a photographer capturing a moment, or a family enjoying time together serve as reminders to embrace the ordinary. Tsherin Sherpa’s artwork reflects his diverse background by repurposing figures and seamlessly merging traditional and contemporary art. This amalgamation mirrors his experiences in Nepal as well as his time in the West, illustrating the artist’s personal growth and openness to change over time. It is a work which embraces the convergence of cultures, growth, and everything from celebrations to the mundane.
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06 Ndudama Painted panel Maprik (Abelam) area, P.N.G., Melanesia Early to mid 20th century Sago bark, wood, cane and natural pigments 150 cm x 73 cm Provenance: Peter Hallinan, Queensland (Inv. H503) Price on request
Object Presented by: Anthony JP Meyer M.: + 33 (0) 6 80 10 80 22 E.: ajpmeyer@gmail.com W.: www.meyeroceanic.art
vetted by:
A fine and early painting on bark representing an ancestral spirit figure or ndudama. These painted panels cover the Inside and the façade of the great Spirit House or korambo (haus tambaran in Pidgin) that has place of pride in the village. The ndudama, the human figures on the façade painting (fig. 22g), address a maira which for the Abelam is of primary significance: that of decorated men. The figures actually depict nare, ritual dancers common to all initiation ceremonies (pl. 84, 86). In reality, and depending on context, nare wear either plaited, round noute headdresses or triangular, painted wagnen head pieces, which is why they are shown on the painting wearing both adornments. Like the nggwalnggwal, the ndudama are also endowed with female pubic triangles – for certain dances women wear this motif also as a facial pattern. The equal
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rendering in imagery of secret figures and ritual dancers which have, through seclusion and adornment, themselves become otherworldly entities, indicates that, in initiations, the Abelam do not distinguish between the two spheres, that is, human representatives and beings from the world beyond. Unlike in the case of the nare, where the body proportions are more or less realistic, the nggwalnggwal are shown with disproportionately large faces (fig. 22h) that dwarf the other body parts. They are still recognizably humanlike beings, but at the same time the figuration expresses their transcendent nature. The motives are surrounded by string bag patterns that are typical for this initiation grade and which also distinguish the stringbags that men who have passed this grade are entitled to wear. From: Hauser-Schäublin, Brigitta: CEREMONIAL HOUSES OF THE ABELAM PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Architecture And Ritual – A Passage To The Ancestors. Crawford House Publishing, Adelaide, 2016
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07 Ritual «Daba» Bambara Mali Wood, metal Height: 73 cm Provenance: French colonial collection Price: 2.200 euros
Object Presented by: Renaud Vanuxem M.: +33 6 07 11 50 60 E.: rvanuxem@yahoo.fr W.: www.renaudvanuxem.com
vetted by:
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"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon, during a lull in the entertainment, the garden was deserted except for Gatsby, who sat in the shadow of his enormous house, and stared blankly into the gloom." F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
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08 COME MIDNIGHT Sibusiso Ngwazi 2022 Mixed media on canvas 180 cm x 162 cm Price on request
ARTWORK Presented by: Duende Art Projects T.:+32 485 98 20 36 E.: bruno@duendeartprojects.com W.: www.duendeartprojects.com
vetted by:
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09 Charm with Blue Bead Ainu Sakhalin Island, Siberia 19th - Early 20th Century Trade wool, cotton, glass bead 17,8 cm x 17,8 cm x 3,8 cm Price on request
Object Presented by: Thomas Murray M.: + 1 415.378.0716 E.: thomas@tmurrayarts.com W.: www.tmurrayarts.com
vetted by:
Charms of this type were known to be full of magic and able to ward off malevolent spirits; they are exceptionally rare in Western collections. The large blue glass bead was a Russian trade item of very high value in Ainu society. Similar beads were treasured by the indigenous peoples of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest Coast. The red wool trade cloth was equally exotic, brought in from Europe and traded for furs and fish. This talismanic object came from the Siberian Island of Sakhalin, across Russia to Finland, from whence I acquired it.
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10 INITIATION POST Anonymous Metoko artist D.R. of the Congo Mid 20th century Wood, pigments Length: 170 cm Price on request Provenance: Patric Claes, Brussels, Belgium Valentin Clavairolles, Brussels, Belgium Duende Art Projects, Antwerp, Belgium, 2023
ARTWORK Presented by: Duende Art Projects T.:+32 485 98 20 36 E.: bruno@duendeartprojects.com W.: www.duendeartprojects.com
vetted by:
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11 KACHINA DOLL Payik'ala Katsina – Rain God Messenger Kachina doll Hopi Arizona, USA Circa 1900-1910 Carved wood (cottonwood), natural pigments, feathers Height: 33 cm Provenance: George Shaw, Aspen Private collection, USA Galerie Flak, Paris François Meyer, Switzerland Price
SOLD
Object Presented by: Julien Flak M.: +33 6 84 52 81 36 E.: contact@galerieflak.com W.: www.galerieflak.com
vetted by:
This carved figure is an exceedingly rare, early example of a Three-Horned Kachina doll. The mask adorned with three horns gives this kachina its name (Payik'ala – or Pahi-ala – the Three-Horned-Kachina). This kachina spirit of Zuni origin often appears at Hopi during ceremonial dances on the First Mesa. The Three-Horned Kachina serves as a messenger for the rain gods. He is believed to wield the power to call forth lightning, thunder and heavy rains through its chants. This sculpture will be part of our thematic exhibition of kachina dolls (katsinam) at BRAFA, 28 January – 4 February 2024, Brussels Expo stand 92.
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12 IBEJI Figure Yoruba Nigeria 20th century Wood with a very beautiful patina of use. Height: 25 cm Provenance: Jean Baptiste Bacquart, Paris No. 15039 Price: 880 euros
Object Presented by: Laurent Dodier M.: + 33 6 08 22 68 15 E.: laurentdodier@wanadoo.fr W.: www.laurentdodier.com
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Male statuette, the body is realistic. The hands are placed on the upper thighs. She wears a pearl necklace, bracelet and belt. The Ibeji statuettes represent twins, considered among the Yorubas to be endowed with supernatural powers beneficial to their family. When one of the twins dies, a statuette representing him is made; the Ibeji figurine is the receptacle of the soul of the deceased twin and he is given the same care as his living brother: fed, washed, and coated with cam powder which leaves a thick red ocher patina. In the same way, when both twins die, it is necessary to make two statuettes so that their spirits can bring blessings and prosperity to their family. The Ibeji are always represented as adults and there are many variations depending on the region and the production workshop.
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"Shine bright like a diamond Shining bright like a diamond We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky" Rihanna, Diamonds
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13 A Chinese openwork ivory fan with Argus pheasant feathers Canton, China Mid 19th century Height: 30 cm Price on request
Object Presented by: Zebregs&Röell +31 6 207 43671 dickie@zebregsroell.com www.zebregsroell.com
vetted by:
Chinese fans became popular in Europe at the beginning of the 18th century. However, the vogue for them reached a peak in the 19th century and they were made in all sorts of fine materials such as tortoiseshell, filigree, lacquer and paper. The fans were intricately carved and open-worked with designs and motifs such as figures, pagodas, and townscapes that catered to the demand of 'orientalism'. They often came in fitted black and gold lacquer cases. The fan presented is particularly rare because it is the only one documented where rare Argus pheasant feathers were used.
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14 Ceremonial Crown with Leaf-shaped Hair Ornaments Sasak Late 19th/early 20th century West Lombok, Lesser Sunda Islands Gold, red trade cloth, copper alloy backing Height: 5 cm Width: 14,5 cm Diameter: 17 cm Hair ornaments length: 12 cm Price: 12.000 euros
This set, consisting of a golden crown and pair of hair ornaments, was used on ceremonial occasions by the native Sasak people of West Lombok, the island just east of Bali. It may also have been part of a dance costume. The crown and hair ornaments are based on HinduBuddhist precedents that trace their origins back to ancient Java. The island itself was under the rule of the late Majapahit Empire of Bali and finally Balinese monarchs. Descended from the royal house of Karangasem in East Bali their palaces were located in Cakranegara and Mataram. The Balinese ruled large areas of Lombok as feudal overlords and with similar languages and roots, the Sasak borrowed from Balinese culture while investing it with their own aesthetic and local sentiments. The results included a Sasak form of wayang kulit shadow puppetry, masked dance theater and weaving in the areas under direct Balinese rule. There was also a significant amount of intermarriage. In the 17th century, the Sasak, who had practiced
Object Presented by: Sue Ollemans M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356 E.: sue@ollemans.com W: www.ollemans.com
vetted by:
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a form of animism and ancestor worship, were introduced to Islam by traders from Makassar, Sulawesi resulting in significant conversion. During this time a syncretic new belief system rose up as well on the island. Known as Wetu Telu or the ‘Three Times’, it combined elements of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Wetu Telu refers to its practitioners praying three times a day, differing from orthodox Islam (Waktu Lima), with its obligatory prayers five times a day. Adherents of Wetu Telu too only practice three of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are Shahada (Declaration of Faith), Salah (Prayer), and Sawm (Fasting). Wetu Telu also incorporates some native beliefs of ancestral worship and animism. While pockets of believers still exist, the religion was viciously oppressed during the Suharto regime as being a heretical form of Islam. The crown, originally part of a larger headdress with cloth, consists of a 5 cm high band, joined at the back, that can be placed upon the head just above the forehead. The band consists of a reinforcing plate made of a copper alloy base metal covered with red trade cloth, upon which
is affixed a thin plate of pure gold perforated with decorative floral motifs. The top rim consists of a row of spade shapes. In addition, pieces of gold have been cut out in the shapes of leaves and petals to create a boisterous but delicate bouquet of flowers around the entire crown. The hair ornaments, which would have been fixed to the headdress above the ears, consist of a roundel with flowers in the center and long slender leaves, likewise decorated with an a worked gold plate with a floral meander. This particular style of gold work is typical of the royal courts of Lombok (both Sasak and Balinese) and Karangasem, East Bali. The crowns were usually worn by young princes and princesses or dancers representing either sacred beings, for example dedari angels (apsara), or revered royal personages. The crown was sourced just outside of Mataram in a village that was once a great center of the Wetu Telu sect. It is an extremely rare example of the lost arts of a now vanished people.
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15 Dumachi Rajasthan, India 19th century Cloth, leather, silver and thousands of gilded pins. 40 cm x 10 cm (each panel) Price: 1.450 euros
Object Presented by: Adam Prout T.: + 44 7725 689 801 E.: adam@adamprout.com W.: www.adamprout.com
vetted by:
A fine elephant tail ornament known as a dumachi. This would have been used to adorn the tail of a royal elephant on special occasions such as important weddings or religious festivals.
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16 Pangalapang necklace Ifugao Northern Philippines 19th/early 20th century Rattan, mother of pearl shell 25,4 cm x 22,9 cm x 0,95 cm Price: 3.500 USD
Object Presented by: Thomas Murray M.: + 1 415.378.0716 E.: thomas@tmurrayarts.com W.: www.tmurrayarts.com
vetted by:
This is the most spectacular necklace of its type I have encountered. It was worn by both men and women of the Ifugao tribe, an early Austronesian culture, as markers of high status especially during ceremonial occasions.
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17 Sèn’zè central disc pendant Disc pendant Baule Ivory Coast Early 20th century Gold (14K) Diam.: 7,5 cm Weight 38,6 gr Provenance: G.F. Scanzi (1936-2017), Italy Publication and exhibitions: West African Gold Ornaments. Galeria David Serra-Fine Tribal Art. Barcelona, June 2021, p. 51. Price:
SOLD
Object Presented by: David Serra T.: +34 (0) 667525597 E.: galeria@davidserra.es W.: www.davidserra.es
vetted by:
According to some artisans, the art of goldsmithing in Ivory Coast was introduced by Akan immigrants from Ghana. Traditionalists hold that this occurred around the 18th century. This is an open question, but it cannot be denied that some gold works from Ghana and Ivory Coast are very similar. Although many peoples of the Ivory Coast have developed their own, original and very creative styles that we can observe in their various artistic representations. Works like the one in question are owned by kings, chiefs or noble families as part of their heritage, and they are worn during ceremonies and festivals as a sign of beauty, power and wealth. Frequently some beads were used as pendants attached to the hair as a headdress, they decorated the velvets of crowns and caps, and some adorned the sabers of kings and dignitaries. Sometimes the ornaments show a stylized fusion of animals, plants, figures, human faces tending towards abstraction, and others have more realistic styles. These were used and still are used displayed by the different clans of the community during various annual celebrations of the Akan people.
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One of these celebrations called “The Feast of the Generations” or “The Great Gold Festival” takes place in the villages of Adioukrous villages in the Grands-Ponts region -, southeast of Ivory Coast. Where the ancestors of all clans in the community are honored, dignitaries and their families decorate themselves and their homes to display their gold jewelery and appliques. Gold plays an important symbolic role in the villages Akan from Ivory Coast and Ghana as it is considered a sacred material that is worshiped. The very nature of the material, found on earth in its original state, favors the belief among the Akan that gold has its own eternal life.
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18 Senufo bracelet Dance bracelet Senufo Ivory coast Iron Diam.: 9 cm Price:
SOLD
Object Presented by: Renaud Vanuxem M.: +33 6 07 11 50 60 E.: rvanuxem@yahoo.fr W.: www.renaudvanuxem.com
vetted by:
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19 Maharana Ari Singh Riding in a Procession to Jagan Nath Mewar, India Samvat 1822 (1765 CE) Gouache heightened with gold on paper Image: 26 cm x 22,2 cm Provenance: The Pal Family Christie’s New York, 20 March 2008, lot 246 Price on request
Object Presented by: Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
vetted by:
Maharana Ari Singh of Udaipur (r. 1761-1773) sits astride a gray-blue stallion with a redtinged eye in a highly-trained formal walk, caparisoned with streamers on his mane and lavish gold ornaments. Numerous attendants and noblemen walk briskly beside him holding pennants, spears, shouldered swords, chowries, a parasol and a royal standard emblazoned with a gold sun-disk. The Maharana’s crowded entourage gives royally wide berth to the king and his stallion. A respectful noble (perhaps a member of the royal Sisodia household) turns to face the Rana, saluting and touching his forehead. This is a commemorative portrait of Maharana Ari Singh, painted at a provincial thikana of Udaipur in the kingdom of Mewar during the third quarter of the eighteenth century. The surrounding figures in the painting are crowded together with their generic faces, skinny arms and puppet-like poses demonstrating charmingly naive, provincial qualities. The composition is executed in bright colors, quite distinct from the royal ateliers.
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20 Kaparamip Robe Ainu Hokkaido, Japan Late 19th-early 20th century Cotton; appliqué, embroidery 129,5 cm x 117 cm Price on request
Object Presented by: Thomas Murray M.: + 1 415.378.0716 E.: thomas@tmurrayarts.com W.: www.tmurrayarts.com
vetted by:
An exceptionally rare and beautiful white on indigo robe, with a compelling pattern rooted in Northern Asiatic Shamanism. Ainu textiles of this quality, age and rarity almost never come on the market. This has been true for more than half a century. The Kaparamip robe is an aesthetically compelling example of a classic garment type. It features graphic patterns deeply rooted in Northern Asiatic shamanism and the ten-thousand-yearold Jomon Culture of the islands of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, the Kurils and the Siberian mainland around the mouth of the Amur River. These motifs are visionary, and share affinities with ancient Chinese, Mongol, Eskimo and Pacific Northwest Coast design pools. Early Ainu robes were made from elm bark, fish and animal skins. Cotton was grown in the southern island of Kyushu since the 16th century but was very rare until the end of the 19th century, when seagoing trading vessels began to bring cotton a variety of colors to the ports of Hokkaido, which is when this all-cotton Kaparamip dates to. What is especially interesting is that at the same time the Ainu were facing cultural suppression and forced assimilation, the arrival of trade cloth encouraged a period of efflorescence, with large scale bold patterns layered over the entire robe, as in the case of the Thompson Kaparamip, producing a very satisfying visual effect. All Ainu motifs were not only eye pleasing patterns, but apotropaic talismans to ward off malevolent ghosts and evil spirits.
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"Oh, yes, it's Ladies' Night And the feeling's right Oh, yes, it's Ladies' Night Oh, what a night" Kool & The Gang, Ladies' Night
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21 A two-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with court ladies at various pursuits and a sudare (bamboo blind) Japan Edo period 17th century 156 cm (h) x 132 cm (w) Price: 12.500 euros
Object Presented by: Gregg Baker Asian Art M: +32 (0) 468 00 56 85 E: info@japanesescreens.com W: www.japanesescreens.com
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Four ladies are seated together admiring a makimono (hand scroll), with two further makimono on the floor beside them. A young girl prepares the ink, and two brushes are laid out on a brush stand ready for use. A fifth lady tends to a bird in its cage and a second caged bird is displayed on a stand in the background. The back of a folding screen can be seen in the lower left of the painting, although its subject remains mysterious. A partly-unfurled sudare (bamboo blind) hangs across the top of the painting, giving the impression that the viewer is peeking into this intimate scene.
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22 A two-fold silk on paper screen painted in ink and colour with a Geisha at twilight Seal: Takaaki Japan Taishō period Early 20th century 171 cm (h) x 188 cm (w) Price: 14.000 euros
Object Presented by: Gregg Baker Asian Art M: +32 (0) 468 00 56 85 E: info@japanesescreens.com W: www.japanesescreens.com
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A two-fold silk on paper screen painted in ink and colour with a Geisha at twilight. The scene shows her tuning her shamisen on the balustraded veranda of a tea house before the evening’s entertainment begins. The Bijin (beauty) is formally dressed in a plaid kimono with a cherry blossom patterned obi, her hair adorned with numerous combs and ornaments. To her left are a lantern, lacquered shodana (display cabinet), sakazuki (sake cup), sake pot and a celadon bowl. For a similar example of a painting of a Geisha, see: Drama and Desire; Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690-1850, p. 163, pl. 44.
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"At the council there was strife. For nine days long they gathered, and on the tenth with sacrifice they went to Olympus. All the gods were there except for Thetis, the silver-footed queen of the sea, who wept for her son, the swift runner, Achilles." Homer, The Iliad
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23 A Leaf from the Madhavanala Kamakandla Lucknow, North India Circa 1750 Gouache and gold on paper 31 cm x 18,5 cm Provenance: Christie’s London, 4 October 2012, Lot 177 Price on request
Object Presented by: Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
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The Madhavanala Kamakandla story is of a Brahmin boy name Madhavnala in the service of King Govindachandra of Pushpavati. A handsome, musically and artistically gifted young man, Madhavanala was envied by the King’s courtiers and they persuaded the King to banish him. Through a series of events, Madhavanala is again banished, but not before falling in love with Kamakandla. After being separated for some time Madhavanala learns that Kamakandla has passed, and upon hearing the news he himself dies of grief. As it turns out Kamakandla is in fact still alive and upon hearing of her paramours demise she instantly dies of grief. A remarkably similar work in the Royal Collection trust (RCIN 1005068.e) is attributed to the artist Nidha Mal (1735-1775).
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24 Citipati container Bhutan or Tibet 19th century Silver alloy Height: 19,5 cm Provenance: Koller 2017, lot 145. Exhibition: The Perfect Match - Boxes Exhibition, 2018 May 26-29 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Price: 6.000 euros
Object Presented by: Hollywood Galleries T.: +852 2559 8688 +852 2541 6338 E.: hollywoodgalleries@gmail.com W: www.hollywood-galleries.com
vetted by:
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25 Stupas Shrine Tibet 17-18th century Wood, clay and paint 35 cm x 28,5 cm x 4 cm Provenance: Christie's New York 21 September 2005, lot 187 Price: 8.500 euros
Object Presented by: Hollywood Galleries T.: +852 2559 8688 +852 2541 6338 E.: hollywoodgalleries@gmail.com W: www.hollywood-galleries.com
vetted by:
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"Sippin' bourbon like it's herbal Glasses full of Caymus Hand on the steering wheel, cruisin' Damn, he's so luxurious" Lady Gaga, Jewels N' Drugs
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26 LE CHOIX D’AVENIR Thierry Oussou 2017 Mixed media on canvas 200 cm x 210 cm Price on request Provenance: Tiwani Contemporary, London, UK, 2017 Private Collection, Brussels, 2017-2023 Exhibition: 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair Somerset House, London, 5-8 October 2017
ARTWORK Presented by: Duende Art Projects T.:+32 485 98 20 36 E.: bruno@duendeartprojects.com W.: www.duendeartprojects.com
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27 Epaepa (or pioro) Pipe bowl Marquesas Islands, Polynesia 18th to 19th century Sperm whale tooth (Physeter catodon) with a very nice patina of age and use with wear, accidents and small lacunae Height: 8 cm Provenance: Pierre and Claude Vérité, Paris (before 1951) and bears the inventory numbers 457 and OC (which probably stands for “Océanie”). Christie's Paris - Collection Vérité - Arts of Africa, Oceania and North America: Lot 165, 21 Nov. 2017. German Private Collection Exhibitions : Galerie La Gentilhommière, Paris : Arts de l’Océanie, 17 janvier 1951, n° 122. Galerie Leleu, Paris: Magie du décor dans le Pacifique, du 8 au 30 juin 1955, n° 65. Publications : Arts de l’Océanie, Paris, 1951, p. 16, no. 122 (not ill.) Magie du décor dans le Pacifique, collection P.S. Vérité, Paris, 1955, no. 65 (not ill.) Price on request
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Object Presented by: Anthony JP Meyer M.: + 33 (0) 6 80 10 80 22 E.: ajpmeyer@gmail.com W.: www.meyeroceanic.art
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A very important pipe adorned with a set of 7 tiki : 4 complete tiki, 2 tiki torsos and a very large tiki face; all carved in high relief and arranged in such a way as to be present and visible from all sides. Carved from a sperm whale's tooth of good dimensions, it is an object of great value and prestige intended for the use of an important man. There are remnants of white metal nails on the upper edge of the stove which suggests that there may have been a European silver insert (?) at one point in time. The bowl shows obvious traces of long and intense use. Tobacco arrived with the first European visitors at the end of the sixteenth century with the discovery of the Marquesas Islands by Álvaro de Mendaña y Neira in 1595, then with the passage of Captain Cook's expedition in 1774 it was an uninterrupted succession of whalers, missionaries and soldiers until the claiming of the archipelago by France in 1842.
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28 Inebriated ascetics Rajasthan, India Circa 1750–1760 Opaque watercolor on paper Image: 21,9 cm x 14,6 cm Folio: 25,1 cm x 17,5 cm Price on request
Object Presented by: Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
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Caricatures of inebriated ascetics showing the effects of opium and bhang were a popular theme in Indian painting from the 17th through the 19th centuries. These substances were used by holy men to aid them in achieving a state of spiritual ecstasy, especially in the festivals and rituals associated with Shiva. Although such illustrations were also produced by Mughal and Pahari schools, the Rajput representations tend towards ridicule, a feature that can also be seen in Rajasthani caricatures of firangis (foreigners). The present painting illustrates a chandukhana, which roughly translates to ‘opium den.’ At the top of the scene two men beneath a tent are preparing bhang, a drink made with marijuana, with a couple of onlookers eager to fill their bowls. Below them a group of men revel in their intoxicated states, some crouching with their eyes closed, others smoking opium from their nargilas. A number of them are depicted shirtless, exaggerating their scrawny and bony appearances. The ascetics are arranged in rough rows against a plain brown background (almost as if a series of figure studies), a compositional model that appears in other paintings of this theme. The resulting lack of perspective informs the Rajput origins of the painting. For another 18th-century depiction of this subject from Rajasthan, see the San Diego Museum of Art (acc. 1990.722). Note the similar style of composition as well as the individualized rendering of each figure. References: Crill, R., Marwar Painting: A History of the Jodhpur Style, India Book House, 1999. Welch, S.C. & Masteller, K., From the Mind, Heart, and Hand: Persian, Turkish, and Indian Drawings from the Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Yale University Press, 2004.
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29 Punuk spinning top Disc Punuk Bering Strait, Alaska 400 to 1000 AD Mineralized walrus tusk (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) with a superb patina of age and use 7,8 cm x 6,5 cm x 4,5 cm Provenance: Paul Steinhacker Price on request
Object Presented by: Anthony JP Meyer M.: + 33 (0) 6 80 10 80 22 E.: ajpmeyer@gmail.com W.: www.meyeroceanic.art
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A large, heavy and very fine spinning top carved as a thick bi-conical disc decorated on one side with a powerful incised motif of radiant lines in a double circle. The point of the spinning top is missing but the spinning handle is still present on the reverse. Spinning tops were used in the later Thulé cultures as a gambling game when living in the hunting camps far away from the permanent settlements. See: Not Working Alone – Games People Play by Dr David Riches in New Scientist, 26 july 1979
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"Without music, life would be a mistake." Friedrich Nietzsche
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30 Chinese painting China Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) 17th century or earlier Ink painting on silk. Seals: four, in red Height: 28 cm Width: 31,5 cm Provenance: Private collection, Canberra Price on request
Object Presented by: Alan Kennedy M: +1 646 753-4938 E: kennedyalan@hotmail.com W: www.alankennedyasianart.com
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In the foreground of the painting, at the lower right, there is a group of musicians in Mongol dress playing various instruments. At the center is a Chinese princess, who can be identified by her phoenix crown, and she is accompanied by four female attendants. Following them to the left are men in Mongol dress, including two who are holding furled banners, and another on horseback. In the background at the center is a Mongol ruler with a moustache, who wears a dragon robe, and is surrounded by various attendants, one of whom carries his sword, and some others holding furled banners. Various decorated yurts, the largest of which has fiveclawed dragon motifs, are a prominent part of the background imagery. This painting was possibly one of a set of album leaves related to a well-known theme in Chinese painting, the kidnapping of a highborn young Chinese woman, Lady Wenji, by a Mongol tribe. She gave birth to two sons with the Mongol chieftain, was later ransomed by her family, and then allowed to return home, but without her sons. A famous poem was written on the theme, entitled “Eighteen Songs on a Nomad Flute,” and the first painted representation of these events are thought to date to the beginning of the Southern Song dynasty (1127 – 1279).
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31 Rainbow Skirt Dance Jingdezhen November 1899 Stopper: Famillé rose enamels on porcelain, painted with a formalized floral design with a gilt finial; contemporaneous. Produced under the patronage of Shuyun Height: 7,83 cm Mouth/lip: 0,92 cm /2,08 cm Provenance: Galerie Betrand Delavergne, August 2011 Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd. Publication: Hugh Moss and Stuart Sargent, The Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection of Snuff bottles. Part Two. Non-Imperial Influence over the Snuff Bottle Arts Price on request
ARTWORK Presented by: Pavilion, London T.: +44 (0) 7523 018239 E.: info@paviliongallery.com W.: www.paviliongallery.com
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Famillé rose enamels on colourless glaze on white porcelain; with a flat lip and foot and convex foot rim; painted on one main side with a scene depicting Tang emperor Xuanzong’s 玄 宗visit to the Moon Palace, where he enjoys the Rainbow Skirt song and dance as he and the wizard who brought him there stand at the beginning of a bridge in a rocky landscape across which, surrounded by formalized clouds, can be seen his former consort Yang Taizhen楊太真, with a feather-fan bearer and two musicians behind her. The reverse side is inscribed in black running script with a poem, followed by the date, Shi jihai zhi dongyue時己亥之冬月 (‘Dated the Eleventh Month of the year jihai’), the place of painting, Yu Changpu Zhushan shi 於昌浦珠山室 (‘At a chamber at Zhushan in Changpu’), an indication of the inspirational source, Fang Baiyun waishi huafa 仿白雲外史 畫法 (‘In emulation of the painting method of Baiyun waishi’), and a dedication, Zanting renxiong jingzeng di Shuyun jingzeng贊廷 仁兄大人雅賞弟曙雲敬贈 (‘For the elegant appreciation of kind elder brother Zanting, respectfully presented by younger brother Shuyun’), followed by one seal of the artist, 云 yun (‘cloud’, abbreviated variant of 雲) The poem reads: 記得霓裳譜，分明在大羅。卻來同日詠，相約 眾仙歌。 I recall that that the score to ‘Rainbow Skirts’ Is surely kept at Daluo Heaven. I’ve come to sing it on the same day, With all the immortals as arranged.
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It is not clear who the speaker of this poem is, but the situation is clearly the reunion of the Tang emperor Xuanzong and Yang the Treasured Consort (often left untranslated as ‘Yang Guifei’), whose Daoist name was Yang Taizhen, in heaven after Yang’s death. The story was familiar to everyone, but one version of it that many people in the Qing would have known is exemplified in the late-seventeenthcentury play Changsheng dian 長生殿 (‘The Palace of Everlasting Life’), which Stephen Owen has translated and summarized (Owen 1996, 973 – 1102). One speech by the goddess Chang E 常娥 sets the stage: ‘I am Chang E, the Lady of the Moon. Here in the moon, we used to have a suite of Heaven’s music called ‘Rainbow Skirts’. Long ago Yang Tai-zhen, the Prized Consort of the Tang Emperor, heard it in her dream, then wrote down a score that appeared in the world of mortal men. It turned out that her version of the melody was even better than the one here in Heaven. Recently, Lady Yang has been confirmed among the ranks of the immortals. I had someone go to Peng-lai to find a copy of her score and worked it into the ‘Heaven’s Balance’ suite, planning to have it performed this evening. Heaven’s Daughter unexpectedly took pity on their deep love and wanted their destiny together to continue. She has asked me to lend my lunar precincts as a place where the two might meet. And now Yang Tai-zhen has sent the wizard Yang Tong-you to bring the Tang Emperor tonight. This is a story that will last forever’. (Owen 1996, 1093).
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32 Damaru Tibet Late 19th century Wood, leather, cotton 20 cm x 10,5 cm Provenance: Private American collection Price: 4.500 euros
Object Presented by: Hollywood Galleries T.: +852 2559 8688 +852 2541 6338 E.: hollywoodgalleries@gmail.com W: www.hollywood-galleries.com
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33 Boy Band Celebration Imperial 1750-1820 Stopper: cinnabar lacquer on bronze with integral finial and collar Height: 6,25 cm Provenance: Mrs. Kneller, Warwickshire Bonham’s, Edinburgh, 18 November 2015, lot 196 Robert Hall, January 2016 Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd. Price on request
ARTWORK Presented by: Pavilion, London T.: +44 (0) 7523 018239 E.: info@paviliongallery.com W.: www.paviliongallery.com
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Cinnabar lacquer on bronze with a flat lip and flat foot depicting a continuous landscape scene with rock formations, a pine, and a maple or wutong tree rising from a flat ground plane beside a river with a far bank beneath formalized clouds. Carved with ten children, five on each main side, one a musical group with one on drums, one on a gong, one on a long trumpet, another with cymbals, the last with either a drumstick or castanets, hand drum, the other with one boy lighting a firework on the ground. All beneath a shoulder band of continuous leiwen (‘thunder pattern’).
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34 Slit Drum D.R. of the Congo 19th century Wood 45 cm x 20 cm Price: 1.700 euros
The British Museum has one described as Teke? and another Batanga. The Teke example is from the Wellcome collection and the other came from Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks. A note attached to his reads “Mr Lovibond brought a much larger drum of this kind from Batanga, West Africa, which he offered to sell to Mr Franks in 1872. It was 2ft 9ins long, 17 ins high and 13 1/2 ins long. Mr L. said it is named ‘druma’, is used by the chiefs, and he believed is made in the interior by one of the bush tribes, perhaps by the Usheba.” A later suggestion added to the slip is Tanda, Ubangi River, Congo. This drum would probably have been used at celebrations, ceremonies and religious occasions.
Object Presented by: Adam Prout T.: + 44 7725 689 801 E.: adam@adamprout.com W.: www.adamprout.com
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"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf
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35 Haida bowl Ceremonial bowl Haida British Columbia Late 19th century Polychrome Wood Height: 36 cm Provenance: Jeffrey Myers, New York Acquired in Sotheby’s NYC Price on request
Object Presented by: David Serra T.: +34 (0) 667525597 E.: galeria@davidserra.es W.: www.davidserra.es
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36 Juruna pottery rattle and bowl Pottery rattle and bowl Juruna Para, Northern Brazil Mid to early 20th century Pottery and natural pigments, small losses and repairs 18 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and 15 cm x 7 cm x 10 cm Provenance: John Adrian Cowell (1934-2011): he was a film maker and is know for his documentaries on the deforestation of the Amazon and the heroin trade out of the Shan states of Burma. He had a life long interest in Brazil. Romy Rey Price: 1.200 euros for the two items
Object Presented by: Adam Prout T.: + 44 7725 689 801 E.: adam@adamprout.com W.: www.adamprout.com
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The rattle which is in the form of an armadillo has stones sealed inside body and was probably used during yage ceremonies. To Quote Peter.G.Roe in “Arts of the amazon” while describing a relatable pot “The postfire painted dots that form the meandering design on this jar may refer to glowing forms that dance on the periphery of vision following ingestion of ayahuasca or yage (hallucinogenic drinks).
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"One love, one heart Let's join together and a-feel alright" Bob Marley and the Wailers, One love
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37 A ceramic te-aburi (hand warmer) with a reticulated silver cover Aoki Mokubei (1767-1833). Signed: Bunsei Kanoetora* shugetsu Rōbei zō. (Made by Rōbei during an autumn month in the year 1830 of the Bunsei period) Seals: Right, upper: undeciphered. Left, lower: Mokubei stamped upside down Japan Edo period (1830) 19th century 30,5 cm (h) x 35,5 cm (Diam.) Awasebako (fitted box) inscribed: Lid: Te-aburi (hand warmer) Label on box lid: Mokubei zo. Jyūroku rakan bori tsubo. Ryōro. Yonju yon go (Made by Mokubei. A hand warmer carved with the design of The Sixteen Rakan Number 44) Lid interior: Jyūroku rakan te-aburi. Genjū Kyokuken Zuidai, kiyo Aoki Mokubei jisaku Jokoan jūbutsu (Sixteen Rakan hand warmer. This piece, made by Aoki Mokubei, was donated to the Jokoin Temple. Written by the current abbot Kyokuken Zuidai Price: 16.000 euros
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The body is decorated with seventeen Rakan (saintly ascetics) incised and painted in coloured enamels. All are seated wearing loosely fitting robes, a halo surrounds each of their shaved heads and some hold alms bowls whilst a few rest on straw mats. Aoki Mokubei (1767-1833). Gō (art names): Hyakuroku Sanjin, Kokikan, Kukurin, Mokubei, Rōbei, Teiunrō. A nanga (literati painting) painter, potter, calligrapher and scholar, he is also considered the reviver of Kyoto ceramics. Born in Kyoto, the son of a restaurant owner, he studied pottery under Okuda Eisen (17531811) and was influenced by the Chinese paintings of the Ming and Ch’ing dynasties as well as by Ike no Taiga (1723–1776). After reading Tōsetsu (Ceramics Explained), a Chinese treatise of 6 chapters on the history of Chinese ceramics written in 1774 by Chu Yen, he decided to specialise in this art form gaining great recognition and fame during his own lifetime. In 1801, he worked for the Lord of Kii as a potter and then in 1807 joined the service of the Lord of Kaga, where he opened the Kasugayama kiln. In 1806 Mokubei visited the Kutani kilns spurring the potters on to do better work. In 1808, he was called into the service of Prince Shoren’in no Miya who sponsored the founding of a kiln in Awata, Kyoto where he began to work as an imperial ceramic master. His ceramics are rich in elements associated with the literati, China, and the sencha tea Object Presented by: Gregg Baker Asian Art M: +32 (0) 468 00 56 85 E: info@japanesescreens.com W: www.japanesescreens.com
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ceremony leading him to produce numerous teapots, freely potted stoneware tea bowls and hearths. Mokubei mastered both Chinese and Japanese ceramic techniques such as iroe (polychrome over glaze enamels), sancai (Chinese three-colour ware), sometsuke (underglaze blue), seiji (celadon), K’ang-hsi famille noire and the so called kōchi ware (polychrome). He also made Korean and Japanese style pieces which were popular among matcha devotees. The sheer range of Mokubei’s work attracted many clients and influential patrons even though he was known for his low rate of production. It is said that clients and dealers paid large sums for his work and yet often had to wait years for their order to be completed. Rakan are Buddhist disciples who having conquered all passions are liberated from the burden of rebirth.They are said to have originally numbered twelve hundred but in various types of Japanese artistic representations a smaller group of sixteen rakan is the focus. Following Chinese tradition each member of this group is individually named and associated with a particular attribute such as a fly whisk, a gong, a scroll, a palm-leaf book or a dragon. Rakan are usually depicted with shaved heads, long earlobes and unadorned draped robes leaving one shoulder bare. Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Kyoto National Museum of Art, Kyoto; Freer and Sackler, the Smithsonian’s Museum of Modern Art, Washington D.C.; Tokyo National Museum of Art, Tokyo; The Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford; Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Accompanying paper notes: Envelope: Mokubei tesube kanteisho zaichu (Authentication of the work by Mokubei enclosed) Inner envelope slip: Yonjyū yongo, Miyagawa o hansho tomoni nitsu, kanteisho, copy (A copy of the two-sheet authentication number 44, written by Miyagawa Kōsai potter). The original authentication is also included. Accompanying note 1st page: Akashi. Ichi Rakuyaki tetsubachigata teaburi. Migi, Mokubei o ga jyūrokurakan chokokuni saishiki wo kuwae, yoni marenaru toki seisaku. Shoshin machigainakiya. Meiji yojyūyo nen ***gatsu. Toshi Miyagawa Kōsai. (Authentication. One Rakuyaki style hand warmer in the shape of an iron bowl. Made by the old man Mokubei with a Sixteen Rakan carved design and painted in colour. This is a rare piece of pottery and undoubtedly an authentic work by Mokubei. Date: Meiji 41 (1908), Potter Miyagawa Kōsai) Seals: Right, upper: Part of the seal Jussui Goseki; a seal used by the Miyagawa Kōsai kiln Left, lower seal: Miyagawa Zen’ō 2nd page: Mokubei o saku. Rakan ga tetsubachi-gata te-aburi. Kore Raku-yaki to shite o ga ginou wo yo ni shimesaru mono nari toho no giichi to shite nasazarunaki o wa kotsudatsu share tenpu no saino wo Rakuyaki no togi ni oyo shitarumono. O no tagi kyotan
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no hoka nashi. Keishiki yoku totonoi juurokurakan no gaho keimyi ni shite in ari, shikashite takumini shikisai wo hodokoshi-taraba giryo mata fujo Rakuyaki no oyobasaru tokoro nari. Kore Bunsei Kanoe-tora to areba Bunsei no matsunen Tenpo to kaigen arishi toshi nari. O bannen no saku nari. Hako ni Jokoin jubutsu to ari. Kore o ga Joko-in no tame ni tsukuri taruya mata yojinga Joko-in e zorashiki no meihin nari. Joko-in wa Kennin-zenji tattoo matsuji nari. Dated: Meiji 41st year. Miyagawa Kosaij jutsu, with seal Miyagawa Kosai. Arisawa Chuhei ki with seal Chuhei (Made by the old man Mokubei, a hand warmer in the shape of an iron bowl with the design of Sixteen Rakan. This is Raku ware made by Mokubei to demonstrate his exceptional pottery skills. He has achieved the utmost technical supremacy and his character, wit and ingenuity are exceptional, applying his pottery skills in this example of Raku ware. His tremendously versatile technical skill is really astounding; the shape of this work is extremely fine, and the drawing and colouring of the Sixteen Rakan is light and elegant. This work dates from the year of Kanoe tora, which is the last year of the Bunsei era and the first year of the Tempo era. Therefore, the work dates from later in his working life. The hakogaki inscription says it is a treasure at the Jokoin Temple, which might mean that either Mokubei made this work for the Temple or it was donated by the artist to the Temple. Such a fine work. The Jokoin Temple is one of the subtemples attached to the Ken’nin-ji Zen Temple (Kyoto). Inscribed by: Miyagawa Kōsai. Seals:
Left, lower: Miyagawa Kōsai (1845-1922) and Arisawa Chūhei (dates unknown).
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38 ANCESTORS GROUP Figures Dogon Mali Mid 18th century Wood with brown patina Height: 29 cm, 28 cm and 27 cm Provenance: Duperier Gallery, rue des Beaux Arts, 1982 Former private collection, Paris Exhibition: Daoulas: “the Dogon worlds” Daoulas abbey, April/October 2002 Rennes: “Collectors of souls” Museum of Fine Arts. dec. 2006 / March 2007 Publication: “the Dogon worlds” Daoulas Abbey, May 2002, page 163 Price: 5.500 euros
Object Presented by: Laurent Dodier M.: + 33 6 08 22 68 15 E.: laurentdodier@wanadoo.fr W.: www.laurentdodier.com
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Group of three ancestors united on the same base. The three figures have their hands placed on their lower stomach; the feet are missing.
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39 SNUFF BOTTLE China Bottle: 1750-1860, painting: 1929 Inside painted crystal Height: 7,3 cm Provenance: Private Chicago IL. collection Price on request
A smoky crystal snuff bottle, of rectangular form with a cylindrical neck and a neatly carved oval footrim, the narrow sides carved with mock mask and ring handles, painted on the inside using ink and watercolors, one side with a scene of a lady inside a pavilion surrounded by her attendants, the exterior with rockwork and bamboo, the reverse with an elderly couple and their attendants outside the pavilion in a bamboo garden with a tall pine growing nearby, signed Ye Zhongsan and dated. “Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree and, about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.” – Matsuo Basho
Object Presented by: Clare Chu Asian Art LLC M:+ 1.310.980.4084 E: clarechuasianart@gmail.com
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40 Architectural fragment Rajasthan, Northern India 11th-12th century Sandstone Height: 51 cm Lenght: 85 cm Provenance: Jean and Marcel Nies, 1981 Galerie de Ruimte Private collection, the Netherlands Price on request
This arch belonged to the prabhatorana of a stele representing the god Vishnu. Remarkable for its architectural effect, the arch is composed of three chambers modelled on the structure of temples. Within each of them is a form of the god Vishnu, holding his attributes. Protector of the universe, he wears the royal tiara (kirīta). He holds the mace (gadā) in his and the wheel (cakra). He is also holding a conch shell, another classic attribute of divinity. Beside them stand Devatās, whose lack of attributes makes it impossible to formally identify them as his wives, Lakṣmī, goddess of good fortune, and Sarasvatī, goddess of knowledge, wisdom and the arts. Hidden behind the colonnades, they would therefore appear to be secondary female deities, with a purely decorative role, as was customary during the medieval period. The structures are linked by various representations of Vishnu, surmounted by a frieze of worshippers. A large ribbed fruit (āmalaka) crowns the edifice. On the right is a fragment of a makara protome, a mythical animal that is half crocodile and half elephant. This chimera, a symbol of the sky, guarantees abundant rainfall. It traditionally appears at the top of many sculptures. This detail suggests that the fragment is part of a larger whole.
Object Presented by: Christophe Hioco T: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com
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The overall effect is one of exceptional finesse, with a multiplicity of details and a particular lightness due to the openings that bear witness to the sculptor’s skill. Balanced and harmonious, this work is a superb example of medieval sculpture.
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"Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light but making the darkness conscious." Carl Jung
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41 Amida Nyorai Japan Muromachi period (1336-1573) Gilded lacquered wood Height: 58 cm Provenance: Private collection Price on request
Object Presented by: Christophe Hioco T: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com
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Amida, the Japanese name for the Western Buddha Amitābha, is worshipped fervently in the Far East. His devotees hope to be reborn for a final reincarnation in his Pure Land of Sukhāvati, where all can attain liberation from the causal cycle. The pious deity, coming from the western mountains, accompanied by two spiritual beings promised to Enlightenment (bosatsubu, bodhisattva), Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Seishi (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) appears to the dying during his last breath. Amida, alone or with his assistants, thus appears in a number of small wooden reliquaries, objects of private devotion. Here Amida is standing, dressed like an Indian monk, and using both his raised right hand and his lowered left hand to make the gesture of ‘argumentation’ (vitarkamudrā). This representation should be compared with the usual gestures of Buddhas in the Far East, that of absence of fear (abhayamudrā) and that of giving (varadamudrā). The massive destruction caused by the numerous civil conflicts during the Muromachi (1335-1573) and Momoyama (1573-1603) periods did not encourage patrons to repair and complete the sculpted ensembles in an innovative style, but rather to perpetuate the refined art of the late Heian period (7941185), during the rule of the Fujiwara prime ministers. This aesthetic, which had become “classical”, would serve as a cyclical reference for practitioners over the next seven centuries. Sculptors retained the extreme elongation of the body, the fluidity of the drapery, and the circular faces with their restrained expressions but youthful, benevolent features. Here, the Buddha is set in an openwork mandorla, standing on a base adorned with lotuses and finely sculpted details. His eyes, known as gyokugan, are encrusted with crystals. The crystals adorning the urna and usnisa are also present. The sculpture is extremely refined and in a superb state of preservation.
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42 Buddha head Gandhara region 2nd-3rd century Schist Height: 13,5 cm Provenance: Galerie Moreau-Gobard, 1989 Price on request
Object Presented by: Christophe Hioco T: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com
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This Buddha figure has a face characteristic of the codes of Gandhāra “Greco-Buddhist” art, emanating a feeling of plenitude and piety. His half-closed eyelids are a sign of deep meditation. The mouth, small and fleshy, almost sensual, is characteristic of the Gandharian naturalist style. A perfect illustration of Gandhāra art at its apogee, this head is an example of the IndoHellenistic artistic crossbreeding that was fully expressed under the royal patronage of the Kuṣās or Yuezhi rulers (1st c BC-AD 240). Alongside the ancient aniconic representations, this Buddha figure deploys an iconography whose codes it permanently fixes.
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43 Seated Buddha with the myrobalan fruit Burma Nyaung Yan period 18th century Chocolate patina Height: 38 cm Price on request
This Buddha with sublime finesse and elegance is seated in dhyanasana, his left hand in meditation mudra, resting in his lap, holding a bowl filled with medicinal nectar and fruit. His right hand rests on his knee, palm facing outwards, in the blessing mudra. The bitter and medicinal fruit of the myrobalan plant is held between the thumb and the forefinger. This is a representation of the Medicine Buddha. The eyes are half-closed and the eyebrows are prominent. Buddha wears a very elaborate monk’s robe, with royal or princely allures, with additional flaps and folds.
Object Presented by: Farah Massart M.:+32 495 289 100 E.: art@famarte.be W: www.famarte.com
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44 Ndoma mask Mask Baule Ivory Coast Early 20th century Wood and fibers Height: 21 cm Provenance: Private collection, United Kingdom Acquired by descendance Price:
SOLD
Object Presented by: David Serra T.: +34 (0) 667525597 E.: galeria@davidserra.es W.: www.davidserra.es
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45 Mundugomor hook Hook Mundugomor Sepik River, Papua New Guinea Early 20th century Wood, traces of pigments, erosion of time Height: 82 cm Provenance: Acquired in the 1960s near the Marienberg mission, New Guinea. French private collection. Publication: “Soul Collectors” Dec 6 2006 – March 4, 2007. Rennes Museum of Fine Arts. Page 81 Price: 10.000 euros
Object Presented by: Laurent Dodier M.: + 33 6 08 22 68 15 E.: laurentdodier@wanadoo.fr W: www.laurentdodier.com
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Important hanging hook representing a male ancestor. The head is decorated with a short beak brought above the mouth, it is topped by a four-legged animal.
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“Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.” Oscar Wilde
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46 A pigmented wood Tlingit potlatch carving of a wolf chasing two bear cubs up a tree Tlingit Alaska Second half 19th century Height: 34,5 cm Provenance: Rick Ege, Saint Louis The Flury collection, Seattle The Mackley collection, Hershey Price on request
Depicting a dynamic scene of a wolf chasing two bear cubs as they scramble up a tree for safety. It is made of pigmented wood with red, blue, white and black colours. The Tlingit people divide themselves into two distinct moieties, the Raven (Yéil) and the Eagle/Wolf (Ch'aak'/Ghooch). These moieties are based on family lines with specific rules not to marry someone from the opposite moiety. A ritual ceremony in these societies is the potlatch. The word potlatch means ‘to give’. Potlatches mark important occasions involving gift-giving, feasting and cultural performances. The ceremony is mostly characterized by families handing out gifts to each other. However, unlike in European society where receiving many gifts shows one’s popularity, the one giving away the most valuable and multitudinous gift gains the most respect in Tlingit society. A potlach gift like the one presented here took a lot of effort and time to carve. Source: Sergei Kan. ‘The 19th-century Tlingit Potlach: A New Perspective’ in: American Ethnologist, Vol. 13, No. 2, 1986, p. 191-212
Object Presented by: Zebregs&Röell +31 6 207 43671 dickie@zebregsroell.com www.zebregsroell.com
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47 Pende mask Mask Eastern Pende D.R. of the Congo Circa 1940 Wood, pigments Height: 32 cm Provenance: Cobb collection, Seattle, USA Price: 1.200 euros (wih custom stand)
Object Presented by: Laurent Granier M.: +33 (0)6 42791313 E: granierancient@gmail.com W.: www.granierancient.com
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48 SNUFF BOTTLE China 1750-1860 Moss agate Height: 5,5 cm Provenance: VWS collection, France Price on request
A moss agate snuff bottle, very well hollowed, of flattened rounded form, a cylindrical neck and an oval foot, the stone with vibrant brown, green, red and white inclusions, carved in relief on one main side with a pine tree growing from rockwork beside lingzhi and grasses; the reverse uncarved. ""As sunbeams stream through liberal space And nothing jostle or displace, So waved the pine-tree through my thought And fanned the dreams it never brought."" – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Object Presented by: Clare Chu Asian Art LLC M:+ 1.310.980.4084 E: clarechuasianart@gmail.com
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49 Suruku mask Mask Bambara Mali Wood, cauris, trade beads Height: 55 cm Provenance: Colonial collection, Bordeaux Price: 4.200 euros
Object Presented by: Renaud Vanuxem M.: +33 6 07 11 50 60 E.: rvanuxem@yahoo.fr W.: www.renaudvanuxem.com
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"Because I'm happy Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof Because I'm happy Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth Because I'm happy Clap along if you know what happiness is to you Because I'm happy Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do" Pharrell Williams, Happy
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50 Group of Playing Boys Japan 18th -19th century Ink and colour on silk, mounted as a scroll 27,5 x 32 cm Price on request
Object Presented by: Rasti Fine Art Ltd. M.:+852 2415 1888 E.: gallery@rastifineart.com W: www.rastifineart.com
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51 Ladies and Children in an Interior China 18th century Ink and colour on silk, mounted as a scroll, signed 158 cm x 80 cm Price on request
Object Presented by: Rasti Fine Art Ltd. M.:+852 2415 1888 E.: gallery@rastifineart.com W: www.rastifineart.com
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52 SNUFF BOTTLE China 1750-1860 Agate Height: 6 cm Provenance: VWS collection, France Price on request
An agate snuff bottle, very well hollowed, of squared form with rounded shoulders, a cylindrical neck and a neatly carved oval footrim, the honey-brown stone carved in relief on one main side using the ochre inclusions with a cricket perched atop its open cage, its lid abandoned to one side; the reverse uncarved. “There’s something about a warm summer night where all the boundaries of the world seem to fall to the softness of moonlight and crickets.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough
Object Presented by: Clare Chu Asian Art LLC M:+ 1.310.980.4084 E: clarechuasianart@gmail.com
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53 The Knickknack Peddler After Su Hanchen (1094-1172) China 15th century Ink and colour on silk, mounted as a scroll, with an inscription reading 'chen Su Hanchen' 161,9 cm x 85,72 cm Provenance: Private American collection Price on request
Object Presented by: Rasti Fine Art Ltd. M.:+852 2415 1888 E.: gallery@rastifineart.com W: www.rastifineart.com
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