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Douwes Fine Art b.v.
rembrandt van rijn
Rembrandt van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam) Self-Portrait in a Cap, Wide-Eyed and Open-Mouthed, 1630 Etching and drypoint on laid paper 5.4 x 4.6 cm Signed in monogram and dated lower centre: RHL 1630 Plate not in existence – with Nowell-Usticke (1967): RRR – a very rare little plate Provenance: private collection, Germany; private collection, The Netherlands Literature: Bartsch 320; Hind 32; The New Hollstein Dutch n° 69: Second state (of II) This is a small masterpiece of Rembrandt's early etchings. The expression of this physiognomic study made by his etching needle could not be more livelike as the facial expression (perhaps "astonishment") is in perfect harmony with the round shape of the face. Rembrandt knows exactly how to hit every tonal gradation with fine, arching strokes. Of all the self-portraits in which Rembrandt depicts emotions, this one is probably the most engaging. He looks startled here, with pursed lips and wide-open eyes. You see him slightly from below, so that he seems to be recoiling. The etching is clearly executed and clever, with the contours of the shoulders and the cap fading into the edges. During his lifetime, Rembrandt's extraordinary skills as a printmaker were the main source of his international fame. Unlike his oil paintings, prints travelled light and were relatively cheap. For this reason, they soon became very popular with collectors not only within but also beyond the borders of the Netherlands. Rembrandt's etchings are remarkable for their high number of self-portraits (over 30 out of about 290). These are particularly collectible, perhaps due to the smaller number of states as well as the artist's compelling and powerful presence. Unlike his stately religious scenes, or regal, posed portraits of others, which exhibit his careful and calculating brilliance as an etcher, Rembrandt's self-portraits reveal him as an artist and a man. In them he assumes the role of the experimenting artist, approaching the most difficult of subjects - himself. These self-portraits are often described as ethereal and wistful for their notable contrasting areas of high and low etched space. A very fine impression of this famous small portrait in the second (final) state, printing clearly, just beginning to show a little wear on the tip of the nose, with narrow margins.
Galerie Bernard De Leye
Stag hanap Germany, Melchior Mair, circa 1582-1583 Augsbourg Hall mark Bears the crest of Hans Moser, lord of Pötzleinsdorf from 1571 to 1583 Provenance: Hans Moser, Pötzleinsdorf (near Vienna), 1582-1583; collection Otto Wessner Saint-Gallen, until 1921; sale 'Galerie Fischer', Lucerne, 1922; private collection Switzerland until 2024 Comparative works: Stag hanap, identical to this model, with hallmark from Vienna, after 1582, goldsmith marked with a hunting horn, Waddesdon Bequest, British Museum inv. WB138; Stag hanap, gilded silver, Augsbourg hallmark, 1576-1586, Melchior Bair, Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff
pierre bonnard
Pierre Bonnard (Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867-1947 Le Cannet) Promenade à Paris, circa 1911 Oil on canvas 40 x 60 cm Estate stamp lower left Provenance: collection of Pierre and Marie-Françoise Vernon Literature: Dauberville Jean et Henry, Bonnard, Vol. IV, Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, 1974, repr. p. 312 under n° 01992 Exhibitions: Pierre Bonnard, A. Tooth & Sons, London, 17 June-12 July 1969, repr. in exh. cat. n° 8; Matisse e Bonnard. Viva la pittura!, Rome, 2006, repr. in exh. cat. (ed. Skira) p. 340 under n° 125; Bonnard, Le Cannet, une évidence, Musée Bonnard, Le Cannet, 2020, repr. in exh. cat. p. 42 The creation of this work by Pierre Bonnard reminds us that the artist was also a photographer, experimenting with daring compositions. Though his painting captures the fleeting moment, it shares little with the tentative realism of early photography. Made entirely of color and sensation, it constructs a fragile world of subtle harmony. Just before embracing the South - before letting the Mediterranean light burst into color across his canvases - Bonnard explored a quieter, more muted sensuality in the early 1910s, while working in a studio in Paris, not far from the avenue depicted here. The “very Japanese Nabi,” as his friends from the group of his youth liked to call him, knew how to let color whisper on the canvas, how to conjure the intimacy of a letter. On one side of the painting, cool tones — blues and violets placed side by side - contrast with the russet hues of this autumnal Parisian avenue, bringing to the foreground, beneath a hat bathed in light like a reinvented halo, the lowered face of a woman reading. Her eyes are hidden, absorbed in the text. Though she has removed her gloves, she surely no longer feels the sharp chill of that November afternoon… Elegant silhouettes glide through the landscape; yet they endure — along with this hat-wearing heroine - on our retinas and in our memories, as companions to a shared intimacy, lasting only the time it takes to read a love letter. Unseen on the art market since the 1960s, this painting has been shown in several museum exhibitions, the most recent in 2020 at the Musée du Cannet, dedicated to the artist.
Repetto Gallery
valerio adami
Valerio Adami (Bologna, 1935) La firma del muro antico, Odisseo (per E. Pound), 1977 Acrylic on canvas 204 x 152 cm Signed, dated and titled on the reverse: Adami 8.8.77 17.11.77 La firma del muro antico. Odisseo (per E. Pound) Label on the reverse by Galerie Rive Gauche Marcel Strouk, Paris Certificate of authenticity by Archivio Valerio Adami n° 878 Provenance: Galerie Maeght, Paris; private collection, France (acquired from the above) Exhibition: Valerio Adami, 7 October-12 November 1978, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Charleroi; Valerio Adami. Ripensando la realtà, Dep Art Gallery, Milan, 6 March-17 May 2025
Pauline's Jewellery Box
Art Deco emerald & diamond necklace, circa 1920-1930 Platinum, emerald and diamond Provenance: France A beautiful Art Deco Colombian emerald & diamond pendant necklace, set with a pear shaped Colombian emerald weighing approximately 13.44 carats surrounded by old mine cut diamonds. Estimated total diamond weight is approximately 3.00 carats. Estimated colour H-I on average. Estimated clarity VS on average. The diamonds are bright & lively. Mounted in platinum.
De Jonckheere
pieter brueghel the younger
Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Brussels 1564-1638 Antwerp) The Payment of the Tithe or the Village Lawyer, 1622 Oil on panel 78.9 x 123.2 cm Signed and dated: P. BREVGHEL, 1622 Provenance: private collection, Belgium; Galerie Legenhoek, Paris, 1991; private collection, France Literature: Ertz, Klaus, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere: Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen, Luca Verlag, Vol. I, 2000, p. 513, cat. E 507, repr.; Curie, Christina, Allart, Dominique, The Brue[H]el Phenomenon, Brussels, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, vol. III, p. 1030-1031 This Payment of the Tithe, or The Village Lawyer, is marked by Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s verve, meticulous execution, and vibrant colours. The satirical subject mocks the profession of the lawyer responsible for collecting the heavy tax that the poorest peasants struggled to pay. The grotesque faces of the petitioners, as well as the lawyer’s prognathous jaw - associating him with the Spanish authorities then in power - fascinate through their caricatural force. This original composition by Pieter Brueghel the Younger stimulated the market of the time, generating strong demand. The success of this still-relevant satire has endured to the present day.
Pron
fausto melotti
Fausto Melotti (Rovereto 1901-1986 Milan) Il meridiano delle campane, 1979 Brass H 97.5 x W 74 x D 38 cm Literature: Milan, Galleria Stendhal, Cascella Consagra Melotti, 1980; Padua, Stevenson Arte Contemporanea, Fausto Melotti. Sculture, tecniche miste e incisioni, 1982; Intra, Galleria Corsini, Fausto Melotti. Sculture e Acquarelli. Un'opera d'arte è un'oasi, 1982; Busto Arsizio, Galleria Il Punto Sette, Fausto Melotti, 1984; Parma, Galleria La Sanseverina, Fausto Melotti, 1986, pp. 29, 47, n° 29, ill. Exhibitions: Gianni Cavazzini, Poetiche sosprese di Fausto Melotti, in Gazzetta di Parma, May 23rd, 1986, ill.; Germano Celant, Melotti, Catalogo generale, Tomo secondo, Sculture 1973-1986 e Bassorilievi, Milan 1996, p. 512, 1979 n° 21, ill.
unforget Decorative Arts
ado chale
Ado Chale (Brussels, 1928-2025) Dining table, circa 1970 Resin top inlaid with carnelian agate stones H 71.5 cm - Ø 173 cm This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Ado Chale This table features a backlit tabletop that enhances its sculptural presence and creates a refined play of light and shadow.
Maisonjaune Studio
ingo maurer
Ingo Maurer (Germany, 1932-2019) Hana Chandelier (Uchiwa collection), 1970s Bamboo, Japanese paper Provenance: Japan The Hana chandelier belongs to Ingo Maurer’s Uchiwa collection, created in the 1970s. Handmade in Japan from bamboo and Japanese paper fans, it radiates lightness and poetry. Its sculptural presence blends tradition with refined modernity. Exceptionally rare today, it stands as one of Maurer’s most iconic creations.
MassModernDesign
jorge zalszupin
Jorge Zalszupin (Warsaw 1922-2020 São Paulo) Guanabara table and Senior chairs, 1960 Rosewood, leather, velvet upholstery H 75 x W 400 x D 130 cm (table) Produced by l'Atelier, Brazil Provenance: private collection, São Paulo Literature: Jorge Zalszupin, Modern Design in Brazil Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos 2014, pp. 142-143
Hoffmans Antiques
A Gustavian console table Stockholm, circa 1790 Gilt wood, Carrara marble H 83.5 x W 110 x D 54 cm This console table belongs to a small yet exclusive group of furniture of the highest class, preserved mainly within the royal collections. The model relates to drawings by Louis Masreliez (Paris 1748-1810 Sweden). The table was likely made by his brother, Jean-Baptiste (Stockholm, 1753-1801), or possibly by Pehr Ljung (Stockholm, 1743-1819). The decoration is masterfully carved in wood with exceptional precision. A vine motif runs along the apron, while the frieze above the front legs is adorned with palmette leaves and volutes. The table rests on six tapering, fluted legs and is crowned with a Carrara marble top.
