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Van Pruissen Asian Art
tokuda yasokichi iii
Tokuda Yasokichi III alias Kutani Masahiko (Japan, 1933-2009) Porcelain vase Japan, late 20th century H 29.5 cm Signed ‘Kutani Masahiko’ on the base Literature: Yosai - Tokuda Yasokichi Sakuhinshu (The works of Tokuda Yasokichi), Kodansha 1995, Japan This elegant Kutani porcelain vase by Tokuda Yasokichi III - designated a Living National Treasure in 1997 - exemplifies his groundbreaking approach to traditional ceramic art. The slender, tapering body is enveloped in a rich aubergine glaze, punctuated by a single iridescent blue stripe flowing vertically from the mouth to the base. This striking effect was created using Yasokichi’s innovative saiyū (polychrome overglaze) technique, which brought new luminosity and abstraction to Kutani ware. Born Masahiko, Yasokichi III redefined the possibilities of Kutani ceramics, elevating them into a modern art form. Today, his works are held in leading international museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.
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Claes Gallery
Dan 'deangle' Mask Ivory Coast, Dan people Presumed early 20th century Wood and pigment H 25 cm Provenance: Hubert Goldet (1945–2000), Paris, until 1972; Lucien Van de Velde (1933-), Antwerp, from 1972 to 1975; René (1901-1998) & Odette (1925–2012) Delenne, Brussels Literature: Arts d’Afrique Noire 34, 1988, p. 49; Utotombo, Kunst uit Zwart-Afrika in Belgisch privé-bezit, de Heusch, Brussels, 1988, p. 148, fig. 59; A ‘Harley Mask’ at the Cleveland Museum of Art: More on Masks among the Mano and Dan Peoples, Petridis, African Arts, Vol. 45, n° 1, 2012, p. 31, fig. 8; Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, Neyt, Fonds Mercator, Brussels, 2014, p. 44-45, fig. 18 (indication: H. 26 cm); The Language of Beauty in African Art, Petridis, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2022, p. 207, fig. 164 Exhibitions: Utotombo. Kunst uit Zwart-Afrika in Belgisch privé-bezit, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 25 March-5 June 1988; The Language of Beauty in African Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 20 January 2022-27 March 2023 Originating from the northwest of Côte d’Ivoire, near the borders of Liberia and Guinea, the Dan are an agricultural people who primarily cultivate rice and cassava. Their way of life, complemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering, is rooted in a patrilineal society without a central authority, structured around clans led by chiefs chosen for their prestige, bravery, or agricultural success. Relations between clans, often marked by rivalries, gave rise to a rigorous social organization: young warriors ensured the group’s defense, while chiefs reinforced their influence through feasts and gifts. Local power rested on a balance between the chief, the council of elders, and the male associations, which upheld discipline, guided the initiation of young men, and preserved community cohesion. The Dan distinguish between two worlds: that of the village - a humanized and social space - and that of the forest, the realm of spirits and natural forces. It is within this duality that their art takes root, renowned for its independence and for the diversity of its styles from one village to another. In their pursuit of formal perfection, Dan artists express through their works an ideal of beauty that is both spiritual and harmonious. A symbol of this aesthetic quest, the Dan 'deangle' mask is characterized by its regular oval shape, polished surface, narrow eyes, short nose, and full, slightly parted lips. The raised scarifications emphasize the geometry and graphic strength of the composition. Of an elegance imbued with softness and femininity, it embodies the Dan ideal of beauty. Used within the Leopard secret society (go), associated with the pacifying spirit zlan, this mask served as an intermediary between young initiates and the village community. First exhibited and published for the general public in 1988, this exceptional work was most recently presented (in 2022) at the Chicago Museum. The mask’s deep gaze, highlighted by a fine band across the eyes, captures the viewer’s attention. Its patina, with warm brown reflections, and its concave form lend it a presence that is both powerful and serene.
Stéphane Renard Fine Art
jean-auguste-dominique ingres
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (Montauban 1780-1867 Paris) Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, circa 1814 Graphite and stump on paper 28.2 x 22.7 cm Authenticity confirmed by Mr. Sylvain Bédard after a direct examination Provenance: collection of Jules Cambon (Paris 1845-1935 Vevey) This vigorous graphite and stump drawing testifies to Ingres' interest in medals. Inspired by Pisanello's medal of Sigismund Malatesta, the great condottiere of Rimini, it bears witness to both Ingres' meticulous observation and his capacity for stylization, instilling in this drawing certain characteristic traits that we find in other works by the artist. This drawing may be part of the artist's research during the preparation of Paolo and Francesca, which depicts a scene from the Malatesta court, a painting whose first version was delivered to the Queen of Naples in 1814.
Galerie de la Béraudière
jean fautrier
Jean Fautrier (Paris 1898-1964 Châtenay-Malabry) Les feuilles vertes, 1934 Oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm Signed lower left 'Fautrier' Provenance: Jean Paulhan collection, France; Dominique Aury collection, France; private collection, France (by descent); Tajan, Paris, November 23rd, 2022, lot 44; private collection, Belgium Literature: Marie-José Lefort, Catalogue Raisonné de l'oeuvre peint de Jean Fautrier, Norma éditions, 2023, p. 293, n° 478 (ill.); Palma Bucarelli, Jean Fautrier, Pittura e materia, édition Il Saggiatore, Milan, 1960, ill. n° 107 p. 306 Exhibitions: 1974, Paris, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Jean Paulhan à travers ses peintres, cat. n° 563, p. 218
Van Pruissen Asian Art
yoshitsugu
Hattori Taira Yoshitsugu Yagami School Tsuba with 'Thousand Monkeys' Carved iron Japan, late 18th century Ø 7.1 cm Signed 'Yoshitsugu' An iron tsuba intricately carved in openwork (nikubori ji-sukashi) with a lively multitude of monkeys, including the famous Three Wise Monkeys. Their eyes and the rim are accented in gold using nunome-zōgan. The maker, Hattori Taira Yoshitsugu, was a pupil of Yagami school founder Noda Mitsuhiro and teacher of Onitake Toshiyoshi. The Yagami school, active in Nagasaki in the late 18th century, is renowned for its 'Thousand Monkeys' motif, as also seen in a comparable example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. n° 91.1.751).
Florian Kolhammer
joseph maria olbrich
Joseph Maria Olbrich (Czech Republic 1867-1908 Germany) & Josef Hoffmann (Czech Republic 1870-1956 Austria) Secessionist side table, circa 1900 Solid maple, inlaid ebony and white metal H 70 x W 56 x D 56 cm Provenance: private collection, Austria Literature: Josef Maria Olbrich, Ideen von Olbrich, 2nd edition, Leipzig 1904, p. 67; Association of Austrian Visual Artists (ed.), Ver Sacrum.Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs (Hrsg.), Ver Sacrum. Mittheilungen der Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs, 1900, 1st issue, pp. 4, 9 & 15 Exhibition: displayed at the fifth exhibition of the Vienna Secession 1899 This elegant Secessionist side table was created around 1900 through the collaboration of two influential artists of Viennese Modernism: Joseph Maria Olbrich and Josef Hoffmann. The design of the table's body by Olbrich was first published in 1899 in 'Ideen von Olbrich'. The characteristic ornament was originally designed by Hoffmann as a decorative frieze for the fifth Secession Exhibition and documented in the magazine 'Ver Sacrum' (1900). It is highly probable that this furniture piece was specially created for this exhibition. Particularly noteworthy are the original design drawing by Olbrich and the ornament by Hoffmann. The exceptional quality and characteristic fittings strongly suggest production by the renowned Viennese art furniture workshop Portois & Fix, famous for numerous designs associated with the Vienna Secession, predominantly by Hoffmann.
De Jonckheere
lucas van valckenborch
Lucas van Valckenborch (Leuven 1535/6-1597 Frankfurt am Main) The Kermesse of St. George, 1595 Oil on panel 22.5 x 38.5 cm Signed and dated 1595 LVV on the fountain Provenance: collection of Charles Theodore of Bavaria (1724-1799), Elector of the Palatinate and Bavaria, Munich, inv. n° 138 (according to a label in brown ink on the back dating from 1799, n° 138); collection of Maximilian de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1835-1852) (fragmentary label); Almas Gallery, Munich, 1941; private collection, South Germany Literature: Pantheon, September 1941, supplement V, repr.; Bernt, Walter, Die niederländischen Maler des 17. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1948, n° 865 (1960 edition, n° 1216, repr.); Wied, Alexander, Lucas und Marten van Valckenborch. Das Gesamtwerk mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Freren, Luca Verlag, 1990, pp. 176-77, n° 81, repr. Lucas van Valckenborch was undoubtedly introduced to painting by his father Laureys van Valckenborch, before being accepted as a master of the Mechelen painters' guild in 1564. Following the religious persecution inflicted by the Duke of Alba's troops on supporters of the Reformation, he fled the city in 1567 to take refuge in Liège, then in Aachen from 1570 to 1573, where he was reunited with his brother Marten and Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527-1609). He settled temporarily in Antwerp from 1575 to 1577. He was then employed in Brussels by Matthias, the then Governor-General of the Netherlands. In 1581, he accompanied the latter to Austria, staying in Vienna and Prague, as well as in Linz and Nuremberg. As of 1593, he shared his workshop in Frankfurt am Main with his brother Marten; he was granted citizenship on 10 January, 1594, encouraged by Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553-1595). He worked actively in the family workshop until his death in 1597. Considered one of the greatest landscape painters of the 16th century, Lucas van Valckenborch's concept of landscape was derived from Joachim Patinir and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His very detailed portrayals of the seasons, village kermesses, romantic scenes and townscapes, stand out owing to the meticulous care employed in their execution and the precise structure of the planes leading to the horizon. His panoramic landscapes are a careful observation of the Meuse valley; his anecdotal scenes are painted with the delicacy of a miniaturist, while his landscapes are presented with topographical accuracy. At the end of his life, his deep landscapes with their luminous, refined nuances, bear witness to a creative approach that sought to go beyond the Bruegelian concept, which was never surpassed by his contemporaries.
Carlucci Gallery
Roman Cabinat, circa 1780 Ebony veneered, marble and various polychrome stones H 208 x W 105 x D 62 cm Provenance: private collection Cabinet veneered in ebony, marble, and polychrome stones, with an architectural design. The upper section features a tympanum surmounted by Hercules holding the globe in flowering alabaster. A pierced balustrade is crowned with figures of a winged lion bearing a heraldic shield. The façade is articulated with a central door and two lateral doors, each concealing interior disappearing drawers. Materials include jasper, lapis lazuli, breccia, alabaster, and antique green marble.
Stéphane Renard Fine Art
Workshop of Benedetto da Maiano (Maiano 1442-1497 Florence) Bas-relief of the Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist as a child Polychrome and gilded stucco in its original carved and gilded wooden frame H 76 x W 64 x D 13 cm (framed) Provenance: Coat of arms with the alliance arms of two Florentine families: the Compagni (on the left) and the Tornaquinci (on the right) We can estimate that around thirty copies of this bas-relief were probably made, half of which are in public collections (including the Bode Museum in Berlin (Germany – Inv. 1581), the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (United Kingdom – two copies), the Bargello and Stefano Bardini Museums in Florence (Italy), and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg (Russia) but this one is the only one bearing the coat of arms of its commissioners.
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
emile gilioli
Emile Gilioli (Paris, 1911-1977) Obélisque, circa 1960 Marble sculpture H 88 x W 25.5 x D 24 cm Signed 'Gilioli' Unique piece Provenance: the artist's studio Literature: Pierre Descarges, La logique de Gilioli, XXe siècle, Juin 1970, n° 34, p. 70; Ionel Jianou, Hélène Lasalle, Gilioli, Paris, 1971
HELENE BAILLY MARCILHAC
raoul dufy
Raoul Dufy (Le Havre 1877-1953 Forcalquier) Le Pêcheur, 1907 Oil on canvas 46 x 55 cm Dedicated and signed lower right, to André Robert, Raoul Dufy Certificate of authenticity issued by Madame Fanny Guillon-Laffaille, dated December 17th, 2003 Provenance: private collection Literature: M. Laffaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint, vol. I, Geneva, 1972, ill. n° 152, p. 136
Dei Bardi Art
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) Inspired by the Ancient Roman Type III bust of the Emperor Northern Italy, late 16th century Marble H 22.5 x W 16 x D 11 cm H 35 cm (with red marble base) Provenance: private collection, South of France Carved in Northern Italy in the late 16th century, this refined marble head portrays Marcus Aurelius, revered as the emblematic 'philosopher emperor'. Deliberately modeled on the ancient Roman Type III portrait created at the outset of his reign (161–180 AD), it reflects the Renaissance passion for reviving imperial imagery. Its intimate scale points to a cultivated humanist milieu - likely a private studiolo or collector’s cabinet. Responding to antiquarian collecting and humanist scholarship, the sculptor reinterprets the imperial model as an exemplum virtutis for early modern audiences. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, scholars and collectors, deeply engaged with ancient texts and material remains, regarded imperial portraiture as a privileged vehicle of moral exemplarity and aesthetic perfection.
Maurice Verbaet Gallery
paul van hoeydonck
Paul Van Hoeydonck (Antwerp 1925-2025 Wijnegem) Untitled, 1958 Oil on unalit 80 x 80 cm Provenance: Maurice Verbaet collection, Belgium Literature: Jan Ceuleers, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Antwerpen, Pandora Publishers, 2011, p. 160 & p. 287 Exhibition: KMSKA, Antwerp, Belgium, Fallen Astronaut. Hommage aan Paul Van Hoeydonck, 12 September 2025-12 October 2025
Galerie Boulakia
Joan Miró (Barcelona 1893-1983 Palma) Des figures devant la lune, 1942 Pastel, gouache, wash, brush, ink, and pencil on paper 64.5 x 48.5 cm Signed 'Joan Miró' (lower right) Dated 'X Barcelone, 18-12-1942' and titled on reverse Certificate of authenticity from ADOM dated 13 July 2018 Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York; Galleria Narciso, Turin Exhibitions: Traveling exhibition Japan, 1984, reproduced cat. n° 17; Ferrara, Palais des Diamants, Joan Miró, 1985, n° 81; Cherasco, Palazzo Salmatoris, Chagall, Miró, Magritte : La Poesia del Sogno, September-December 2005; Paris, Exhibition Jean Louis Prat-Galerie Lelong, Grand Palais, September-October 2018; Mons, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mons, Belgium, Exposition Joan Miro : L’essence des choses passées et présentes, October 2022-January 2023, repr. in cat. Literature: Jacques Dupin, Ariane Lelong-Mainaud, Joan Miro : catalogue raisonné, Volume II, 1931-1941, Editions Maeght-Lelong, Paris, 2000; Joan Miró exhibition catalogue, L'essence des choses passées et présentes, Editions BAM, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mons, Belgium, 2022
N. Vrouyr
Kinheim rug Dutch rug produced in the workshops of Kinheim (Beverwijk), circa 1930, after 1926 Handknotted wool 530 x 405 cm Signed at the back 'KON. KINHEIM BEVERWYK' Provenance: Beverwijk, Holland Kinheim rugs, Beverwijk workshops, Holland (1910-1973) According to the trade register, Hendrik Godefridus Polvliet founded the carpet workshop “Kinheim” on September 1, 1910, at Zeestraat 104 in Beverwijk. The company was originally located on Vondellaan in Beverwijk, which at the time was called Spargielaan. His wife, Mrs. C.M. Polvliet–Van Hoogstraaten (1883–1966), had already started the handwoven carpet workshop “Kinheim” there in 1909. At first, carpets were woven by hand on a small scale. The couple became interested in carpet weaving during a stay in Morocco, where they lived for some time due to Mr. Polvliet’s health problems. Because of recurring asthma attacks, he had been advised to stay for extended periods in warm, dry climates. During this time, Mrs. Polvliet taught herself knotting and weaving techniques and drew many patterns. Initially, the carpets were sold to family and friends. Orders soon began to pour in, and thanks to Mrs. Polvliet–Van Hoogstraaten’s skill, the business grew rapidly. After just a year, in 1911, it moved to Zeestraat and employed about twelve girls. A major commission for 15 carpets for the Peace Palace in 1913 required a larger workshop. The couple had a 144-meter-long wooden workshop built behind their house at Zeestraat 104. This made it possible to weave large hand-knotted carpets behind the residence. Within ten years, the company was well known throughout the Netherlands for its quality and artistic originality. Their own designs, inspired by Oriental motifs, quickly found their way into ships, palaces, city halls, and council chambers. On May 19, 1926, the company was granted the title “Royal.” The founder did not live to see this honor, as he had died on June 17, 1923. His widow, Cornelia Maartina Polvliet–Van Hoogstraaten, continued the business under the new name “Royal Handwoven Carpet Workshop Kinheim.” In addition to private commissions, the company produced many carpets for Dutch passenger ships, such as the Johan de Witt (designed by Lion Cachet), the Nieuw Amsterdam, and many others. Municipal and provincial governments also commissioned important works. For instance, Kinheim carpets can be found in the council chamber of Amsterdam and in the council houses of Den Bosch, De Bilt, Enschede, Uithoorn, and Beverwijk, as well as in the provincial government buildings of Maastricht and Haarlem. In the latter, stair runners designed by Jo de Jong are among the works. Carpets were also supplied to offices such as those of the Netherlands Trading Society and the Shipping House. Highlights for the workshop included commissions from the Royal House. Kinheim made a dining room carpet for Soestdijk Palace designed by Mrs. Brom-Fischer and carpeting for the royal yacht Piet Hein. Notably, the Sultan of Deli (in 1938) and the Shah of Persia also placed orders with Kinheim. After an initial period of prosperity, the workshop suffered a setback due to World War I, but it flourished again in the 1920s. At that time, the many commissions provided employment for around 60 women and girls. During the economic crisis of the 1930s, the company survived by focusing on simpler techniques, producing the cheaper “konkit carpet,” woven with coarse knots and undyed materials. During World War II, the business, which had in 1941 passed into the hands of Mr. Keizer from Hilversum, came to a standstill. Work resumed after 1945 under the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Mastenbroek. Many large commissions were once again completed for government buildings, ships, and businesses. The company then employed between 30 and 40 women on average, sometimes as many as 60. Later, changes in taste and economic conditions, particularly the decline in orders from shipping companies, caused a sharp drop in demand for hand-knotted carpets made with special patterns. These and even plain rugs were increasingly replaced by much cheaper, machine-made carpets. Kinheim completed its final commission in early 1973, and in April of that year, the Beverwijk workshop closed. Well-known designers who worked for Kinheim included Jac. van den Bosch, C.A. Lion Cachet, Theo Nieuwenhuis, and Dirk Verstraten. Kinheim was the only company in the Netherlands where carpets were knotted following the classical Oriental method. Each carpet required a vast number of working hours. The size of the carpet determined how many girls worked on it: a narrow runner or cushion cover was made by one girl, but a large carpet could involve 8 to 10 workers. The women ranged in age from 15 to 60. A carpet with 40 knots per square centimeter and a size of 2 by 3 meters contained about two and a half million knots. A skilled knotter made 5,000 to 8,000 knots a day, meaning that such a carpet required around 350 working days. The early carpets of the Kinheim Carpet Workshop (before 1926) were marked on the back with the words “Kinheim” and “Beverwijk,” along with an image of a swastika. After the company received the “Royal” title in 1926, the swastika mark was replaced by a crown or the abbreviation ‘KON.’.
Pelgrims de Bigard
pieter brueghel the younger
Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Brussels 1564-1638 Antwerp) A village scene with a horse-drawn cart and a goose keeper Oil on panel 25 x 31 cm Signed lower left 'P. BREUGHEL' Provenance: collection Kaufmann, before 1934; Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1934; collection Van Hees, The Netherlands, until 1969; private collection, The Netherlands Literature: P. de Boer, De Helsche en de Fluweelen Brueghel en hun invloed op de kunst in de Nederlanden, exhibition catalogue, Amsterdam 1934, ill. p. 9, p. 32, n° 32; Pantheon, Monatsschrift für Freunde und Sammler der Kunst, München, 1934, XIII, ill. p. 141; P. de Boer, Catalogus van oude schilderijen, exhibition catalogue, Amsterdam, 1940, ill. n° 8; Singer Museum, Modernen van toen 1570-1630, Vlaamse schilderkunst en haar invloed, exhibition catalogue, Laren 1963, n° 53; Georges Marlier, Pierre Brueghel le Jeune, 1969, pp. 417-418, ill. n° 263; Klaus Ertz, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere (1564-1637/38), die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen 2000, Vol. II, p. 821, ill. n° 667, p. 824, inv. n° E116 Exhibitions: Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer, De Helsche en de Fluweelen Brueghel en hun invloed op de kunst in de Nederlanden, 10 February-26 March 1934, n° 32; Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer, November-21 December 1940, n° 8; Laren (N.H.), Singer Museum, Modernen van toen 1570-1630, Vlaamse schilderkunst en haar invloed, 15 June-1 September 1963, n° 53
Van Pruissen Asian Art
nagai ikka
Nagai Ikka (Japan, 1869–1940) Pair of six-panel folding screens with crows, 1930s Ink on paper H 137 x W 268 cm (each) Signed in the bottom corner Provenance: private collection, Japan Nagai Ikka (also known by the art names Zuiunan and Hanpo) was born in 1869 in Suibara, Niigata Prefecture, during the early Meiji period. He trained under leading masters of the Maruyama and Shijō schools, including Suzuki Shōnen, Nakano Kimei, and Hirafuku Hoan, and later absorbed stylistic influences from Kawanabe Kyōsai. This grounding in careful observation and naturalistic rendering provided the foundation for a personal style that balanced precision with expressive freedom. He began painting crow paintings after helping Ernest Francisco Fenollosa create 'One Hundred Crows', a painting he had commissioned from Kyosai. The late Meiji and Taishō periods were marked by profound change in Japanese art, as artists navigated between traditional aesthetics and the growing influence of Western naturalism. Ikka embraced this dialogue, drawing on classical ink painting techniques whilst expanding his horizons abroad. From 1903 to 1908, he lived in the United States, exhibiting at international events such as the Portland Expo, where he won a silver medal, and later at the Italian Expo. His crow paintings, admired both in Japan and overseas, earned him the affectionate nickname 'Doctor of Crows' from statesman Ōkuma Shigenobu. The crow (karasu) has a long symbolic tradition in Japanese culture, appearing in classical poetry, Buddhist imagery, and Shintō cosmology, most famously as Yatagarasu, the mythical three-legged crow. Ikka revitalised this motif, transforming it from a minor decorative element into the central subject of bold, dynamic compositions. This pair of six-panel folding screens demonstrates his command of movement and atmosphere. Painted in ink with sparing touches of colour, the crows appear in varied postures—perched, in flight, or interacting—creating a rhythm that guides the viewer’s eye across the expansive surface. Bold, calligraphic brushstrokes define wings and feathers, while softer washes evoke wind, mist, and shifting light. The result is a scene that is both naturalistic and poetic, combining the restraint of traditional ink painting with a striking modern vitality. Ikka’s crows are not static symbols but living presences, conveying alertness, intelligence, and social energy. His lifelong study of corvid behavior, informed by travels across Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and the United States, gave his work an observational depth rare among his contemporaries. At the same time, his art reflects a broader ambition: to elevate the ordinary into the emblematic, merging natural accuracy with expressive force. Today, Ikka’s crow paintings are prized by collectors and studied as important examples of Meiji-period nihonga, where fidelity to nature combines with enduring Japanese aesthetic ideals. These folding screens stand as a testament to his originality and his ability to transform a humble subject into a powerful symbol of vitality and freedom.
Laurent Schaubroeck
Sergio Rodrigues (Rio de Janeiro, 1927-2014) Mucki bench, 1960s Jacaranda, Brazilian rosewood H 29 x W 300 x D 80 cm Produced by Oca Provenance: private home, Brazil First conceived in 1958 and produced by Oca, the Mucki bench is among Sergio Rodrigues’ most versatile and emblematic designs. Its low, rectangular structure with latitudinal slats and rhythmically placed wooden buttons reflects the refined balance between simplicity and sophistication that characterises Rodrigues’ work. This exceptional example, measuring three metres in length and an unusual 80 cm in depth, was made to measure in the 1960s - an extremely rare proportion that highlights the adaptability of Rodrigues’ design to specific commissions. Crafted in solid rosewood, the bench showcases the rich tonal variations and expressive veins of the wood, underscoring its sculptural quality. A remarkable and rare original, it remains in excellent vintage condition, bearing witness to the enduring relevance of Rodrigues’ vision.