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Caretto & Occhinegro
Jan Provoost (Mons 1465-1529 Bruges) Crucifixion with a view of the city of Bruges, circa 1512-1515 Oil on panel 31.5 x 25 cm Expertise by Peter van den Brink Active primarily in Bruges between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Provoost centered his art on a formidable capacity for aesthetic synthesis, marked by highly intellectual nuances and an unmistakable solemn style capable of blending diverse influences, from Van Eyck to Antonello da Messina. A shining example of this is this small Calvary, where three modernly minimalist figures are arranged with skillful geometry against a meticulously detailed view of the city of Bruges stretching out behind them. While Provoost explored this subject in other versions, always incorporating detailed cities in the background, none features such a precise and topographical view of Bruges. Indeed, one can readily recognize the belfry of the Church of Our Lady, the now-lost architectural structure of the Jerusalem Chapel of Bruges (still intact at the time), and the tower of the city's town hall.
Galeria Jordi Pascual
Fernand Léger (Argentan 1881-1955 Gif-sur-Yvette) Paysage animé, 1937 Oil on canvas 92.1 x 60 cm Provenance: Galerie Simon, Paris; Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris; Kunsthalle Bern; Marlborough Gallery, London; Saidenberg Gallery, New York; Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, New York; Nierendorf Gallery, New York; Samuel Berger, New York; private collection Literature: Cooper, Douglas, Fernand Léger et le nouvel espace, Lund Humphries / Éditions des Trois Collines, 1949, p. 130; Bauquier, Georges, Fernand Léger: Catalogue raisonné 1932-1937, 1996, pp. 238-39, fig. 938 Exhibitions: San Francisco Museum of Art, Art of Our Time, 1935-1945, 1945, cat. p. 33, fig. 39; Marlborough Gallery, London, Selected European Masters of the 19th and 20th Centuries, 1973, cat. pp. 78-79, fig. 39; Stad Mechelen, Cultureel Centrum, Belgium, Fernand Léger, 1979, fig. 60; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Caracas, Fernand Léger, 1982, cat. p. 74, fig. 46; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, Fernand Léger: The Later Years, 1987-1988, cat. p. 19, fig. 21; Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart. Fernand Léger: Zeichnungen, Bilder, Zyklen, 1930-1955, 1988, cat. p. 190, fig. 21; Michelle Rosenfeld Gallery, Léger: America’s Culture, 1998, cat. fig. 18; Fundació Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, 2002, cat. p. 129; Marlborough Fine Art, London, Jacques Lipchitz and the School of Paris, 2023
Costermans
Louis XV writing table Paris, Louis XV period, circa 1750 Ormolu-mounted tulipwood, satinwood, amaranth, and red leather H 66 x W 55 x D 37 cm Stamped I·P·LATZ Jean-Pierre Latz (Cologne 1686-1754 Paris) was titled as favoured craftsman to the king This small folding table stands at the very top of the social hierarchy of objects: beneath its top, a sliding shelf reveals a writing desk upholstered in red leather, whilst a side drawer conceals an inkwell. This transformation mechanism is remarkably discreet, requiring the cabinetmaker to collaborate with a mechanic and a locksmith. On the top, a lyre adorned with a ribbon – a rare motif on small pieces of furniture from this period – reflects the era’s taste for the arts. It is reminiscent of the writing table commissioned for the Marquise de Pompadour, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This table is the work of Jean-Pierre Latz, who came to Paris from Cologne in 1719 and became the King’s favoured cabinetmaker. Inventive and daring, he cast and chiselled his own bronze fittings in defiance of the regulations, and counted Frederick II of Prussia, Augustus III of Poland and the eldest daughter of Louis XV amongst his clients. Furniture bearing his signature is rare.
Galerie Flak
U’u Club Marquesas Islands, Polynesia, 18th or 19th century Carved wood and fibers H 138.5 cm Provenance: David Petty collection, London; Pierre-Richard Royer collection, Paris; Alexandre Bernand collection, Paris; private collection, acquired from the above in September 2016 Exhibition: TEFAF 2024, Maastricht, Serge Schoffel, catalogue T3, p. 28
Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter
Adolf Loos (Brünn 1870-1933 Kalksburg) Lady's Writing Desk, around 1903/04 Softwood, oil varnish, brass fittings, writing inlay with new leather H 106 (with top) x H 80 (without top) x W 113 x D 67.5 cm Manufactured by Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna Company stamp on the underside: Friedrich Otto Schmidt / Wien / 1 Singerstrasse 16 / Schmidt Miksa / Budapest / 5. Lipotkorut 4 Provenance: Private collection, Vienna Literature: Burkhardt Rukschcio/Roland Schachel, Adolf Loos. Leben und Werk, 1982, Salzburg/Vienna, ill. p. 115, n° 117 cf. Exhibition catalogue ‘Adolf Loos. Private Spaces’, Barcelona Design Museum, 2017, ill. p. 134 Exhibitions: Paris, ‘Adolf Loos – Exposition Du Cinquantenaire’, 1983; Karlsruhe, ‘Gründerzeit, Adolf Loos: Jahrhundertwende: Rückblick und Ausblick im Spiegel der Wiener Architektur’, 1987 Questions of furnishing remained an important subject for the architect Adolf Loos (1870–1933) throughout his entire creative output. The World’s Fair held in Chicago in 1893 was the reason for a trip to the USA, which resulted in a three-year stay. The engagement with modern lifestyle and Anglo-Saxon interior design culture were formative experiences for the aspiring architect. Today, Loos is widely seen as one of the most avant-garde architects of his generation and his work is presented in national and international collections, from the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Of this particular writing desk only two pieces are known to exist. It perfectly exemplifies Loos’ strict no-ornament policy, always putting functionality before aesthetic, and his high standards concerning materials and craftmanship. To ensure the latter he would often employ the traditional Viennese furnishings company Friedrich Otto Schmidt and its master carpenters as manufacturers for his interior designs. This model was shown in three separate museum exhibitions, in Paris 1983, Karlsruhe 1987 and Barcelona 2017.
Galerie Perrin
Odilon Redon (Bordeaux 1840-1916 Paris) Femme de profil, circa 1901-1905 Oil on paper mounted on panel 52 x 49.7 cm (unframed) 71 x 68 cm (framed) Signed lower right 'Odilon Redon' This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné currently in preparation by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute Provenance: collection Roger Imbert
Grusenmeyer-Woliner
Power figure (Nkisi) Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kongo, Mayombe region, late 19th century Wood, seeds, beads, metal, glass, and plant fibers (raffia) H 24.5 cm H 29.5 cm (including base) Provenance: Mathias Komor Gallery, New York, USA, 1960s; Elliot Picket (by 1974); Aaron and Joyce Furman, New-York, USA; Daniel Hourdé, Paris; Galerie Alain de Monbrison, Paris Publication: Picket, Elliot, 'L’art Africain congloméré', Arts d’Afrique noire, n° 10, Summer 1974, n° 19, p. 33
LUDORFF
Serge Poliakoff (Moscow 1900-1969 Paris) Composition abstraite, circa 1956 Oil on canvas 130 x 89 cm Signed lower left The authenticity of this work is confirmed by Alexis Poliakoff and is registered in the Archives Serge Poliakoff, Paris, under n° 95604 Provenance: Etta & Otto Stangl collection, Munich (1971); on permanent loan to Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung, Munich (1971-2001); Stangl collection estate, Munich (2001-2003); Sotheby's, London (auction 6 Februrary 2003, lot 21); Galerie Bernard Cats, Brussels; Willy d'Huysser Gallery, Brussels (2003); private collection Belgium; Frans Jacob Fine Art, Amsterdam; Galerie Interart, Geneva (2016); Galerie Pascal Lansberg, Paris (2024); private collection Hesse Literature: Alexis Poliakoff, 'Serge Poliakoff-Catalogue Raisonné', vol. II, 1955-1958, Paris 2010, n° 56-63; Connaissance des Arts (Hg.), 'Connaissance des Arts', n° 609, October 2003, p. 137; Marchiori, Giuseppe (Hg.), 'Serge Poliakoff. témoignages et textes critiques, Les Presses de la Connaissance', Paris, 1976, p. 62 Exhibitions: 'Documenta III', 27 June-5 October 1964, Kassel; 'Serge Poliakoff-Rétrospective', traveling exhibition: Kestner-Gesellschaft, Städtische Kunsthalle Bremen, Museum am Ostwall, Overbeck-Gesellschaft, Haus der Städtische Kunstsammlungen Bonn, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Städtisches Museum Trier, 1963-1964; Kunstverein für das Rheinland, 'Serge Poliakoff', 14 November-14 December 1958, Düsseldorf; Kunstverein Hamburg, 'Serge Poliakoff', 12 April-18 May 1958, Hamburg; Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, 'Serge Poliakoff', 9 August-20 September 1957, Munich
Van Herck-Eykelberg
Paul Delvaux (Antheit 1897-1994 Veurne) Hôtel de Ville, 1953 Watercolour and pen and ink on paper mounted on board 69.5 x 50.5 cm Signed and dated 'P. Delvaux 4.53' Provenance: Albert and Georges Niels, Brussels; Galerie Isy Brachot, Brussels; private collection, Belgium Literature: Jean Stengers, Bruxelles: Croissance d'une capitale, Anvers, 1979, ill. in colour on the cover Exhibitions: Brussels, Le Cercle Royal Gaulois, Bruxelles vu par les artistes, 1959, n° 46, listed (titled L'Hôtel de Ville); Brussels, Galerie Isy Brachot and Paris, Galerie Isy Brachot, Paul Delvaux: dessins, aquarelles et encres de Chine, 1987-88, n° 48, ill. in colour (titled L'Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles)
Stern Pissarro Gallery
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Limoges 1841-1919 Cagnes-sur-Mer) Coco mangeant sa soupe, 1905 Oil on canvas 46.3 x 37.9 cm Signed lower right 'Renoir' Provenance: Ambroise Vollard, Paris; private collection, Zurich, circa 1930; Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, March 1942 (on loan from a private collection); Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, 1943-1949; Van Diemen-Lilienfeld Galleries, New York, 1953; Chapin and Mary Alexander Riley, Malibu/Worcester, acquired in 1953; Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts (inventory n° 1991.238) (one third gifted in 1992 and a second third gifted in 1997) Literature: Principales acquisitions des musées en 1992, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1993, p. 65; Guy-Patrice Dauberville and Michel Dauberville, Renoir: Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. IV, 1903-1910, n° 3415, p. 435 Exhibitions: Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Vincent van Gogh en zijn Tijdgenooten, 1930, n° 269; San Diego, Fine Arts Gallery, 1942; Los Angeles, Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Renoir (1841-1919), 1943, n° 5; Los Angeles, Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, A Superb Exhibition: Modern French Masters, 1949, p. 5 (travelled to New York, Barbizon Plaza Hotel); Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Renoir: Intimidad, 18 October 2016-22 January 2017, p. 149 (travelled to Bilbao, Museo de Gellas Artes de Bilbao, 7 February-15 May 2017)
Galerie Jean-François Cazeau
Yayoi Kusama (Matsumoto 1929-2026 Tokyo) Uchu/Universe, 1994 Acrylic on canvas 91 x 73 cm Signed, titled and dated in Japanese on the reverse 'Yayoi Kusama 1994' This work is registered in the Archives of Yayoi Kusama Studio as n° 1518 Provenance: Ota Fine Art, Tokyo; private collection Sotheby’s London, 2022, lot 318; acquired by the current owner at Sotheby’s London; private collection, France
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Karel Appel (Amsterdam 1921-2006 Zurich) People, Birds and Sun, 1951 Gouache and pastel on paper, mounted on canvas 65 x 100 cm Signed and dated lower right Provenance: the estate of the artist; Galerie Max Hetzler, London Exhibition: Karel Appel-Cobra/Non Cobra, Galerie Max Hetzler, London, January-February 2024 This work by Karel Appel embodies the playful, instinctive visual language that makes his finest Cobra-period pieces so instantly recognizable. As the original version of the painting held in the Tate Gallery’s collection, this piece offers a glimpse into the evolution of a composition in which the imagination is given free rein. A child, a bird, a sun, and fantastical creatures appear alongside and intertwined with one another, without ever conforming to a traditional representation of reality. The figures are childlike and direct. Large eyes, erratic contours, and bold, spontaneous lines lend them an expressive presence. Appel does not paint what he sees, but rather he paints what he imagines and senses. The exuberant colors - yellow, red, green, blue, and black - collide, overlap, and amplify one another. The yellow plane infuses the composition with light and energy, while the dark lines provide structure to the various figures. This combination of childlike spontaneity and controlled painterly craft lies at the heart of Appel’s Cobra aesthetic.
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris) Small Elephant at Rest (1912), circa 1923 Bronze with a nuanced brown patina H 20.3 x W 20.5 x D 12.5 cm Signed ‘R. Bugatti’ Cast by Hébrard, numbered ‘11’, bears the mark ‘CIRE PERDUE A.A. HEBRARD’ Only twenty examples have been recorded to date. Certificate of authenticity by Véronique Fromanger Provenance: Cahier Hébrard inv. n° 3717, formerly in the collection of the Countess de V, Toulouse, acquired in 1923 or 1924; private collection, Marseille Literature: Véronique Fromanger, 'Rembrandt Bugatti, Sculptor: A Monographic Catalogue: A Meteoric Career', Paris, Les éditions de l’Amateur, 2016, model listed under n° 300, p. 364
Galerie Raf Van Severen
Jean Brusselmans (Brussels 1884-1953 Dilbeek) Decor for Erwartung, 1936 Mixed media on paper 60 x 90 cm Label at the back; Erwartung; Decor pour 'Erwartung', d’Arnold Schoenberg, 1936; Décor pour le 4e acte Literature: Paul Haesaerts, Jean Brusselmans, 1939, p. 67; Robert L. Delevoy, Jean Brusselmans: CR établi par Mme G. Brys-Schatan, 1972, 421.IV
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
Raymond de Meester (Mechelen 1904-1995 Brussels) Yawning Leopard, circa 1928-1929 Bronze with a nuanced brown patina H 45.2 x W 41.6 x D 15.5 cm Signed ‘Rd de Meester de B’, titled ‘Yawning Leopard’ and dated ‘1928–29’ Batardy cast, edition of 3, numbered I/III, bearing the stamp ‘BATARDY CIRE PERDUE BRUXELLES’, and the inscriptions ‘Épreuve d’Artiste’ and ‘cire perdue’ Literature: Léonard Dieleman, Raymond de Meester de Betzenbroeck, Animal Sculptor, Gallery Dieleman, Brussels 1989, repr. n° 5; Xavier de Ghellinck Vaernewyck, ‘de Meester de Betzenbroeck’, Nouvelle Biographie Nationale, Part 6, Royal Academy of Belgium, Brussels, 2001, pp. 133–135
Verdini Antiques
Enrico Podio (Active 1840-1890 between Rome and Venice) Micromosaic centre table, 1873 Polychrome micromosaic, patinated, cast and chased bronze H 100 x Ø 125 cm Signed and dated 'Enrico Podio fecit' and 'Venezia 1873' This exceptional table is one of the most ambitious expressions of nineteenth-century Venetian micromosaic. Its distinction lies in the rare combination of monumental scale, extraordinary technical refinement, documented authorship and a fully integrated sculptural bronze base. Micromosaic is more often associated with small cabinet objects. Here, Enrico Podio expands the technique to a table, transforming a traditionally intimate art into a commanding architectural statement. The head of Medusa is modelled through minute glass tesserae with subtle changes of flesh tone, shadow, hair and serpent scales. The optical blending approaches the effects of painting while remaining unmistakably mosaic. The inscriptions 'ENRICO PODIO FECIT' and 'VENEZIA 1873' give the work unusual documentary precision, securely identifying the maker, place and date and anchoring the table within the mature Venetian revival of mosaic art. The patinated, cast and chased bronze pedestal is conceived as an integral part of the design. Its classical heads, masks, architectural members and zoomorphic details create a powerful counterpoint to the brilliant colour of the micromosaic top. The synthesis of rarity, scale, technical mastery, documented authorship and visual impact places this table among the most impressive examples of nineteenth-century Italian decorative arts.
LUDORFF
Gerhard Richter (Dresden, 1932) Fuji 839-108, 1996 Oil on alucobond 29 x 37 cm Signed and numbered '839-108' on the reverse Certificate of authenticity issued by Hubertus Butin, Berlin 2010 Provenance: Galerie Hubertus Melsheimer, Cologne (2011); Galerie Ludorff, Dusseldorf (2013); private collection, Hesse (on permanent loan to the Mönchehaus Museum Goslar) Literature: Galerie Ludorff, 'Neuerwerbungen Frühjahr 2024', Dusseldorf 2024, p. 100; Galerie Ludorff, 'Gerhard Richter', Dusseldorf 2013, p. 51; Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (ed.), 'Gerhard Richter mit dem Catalogue Raisonné 1993-2004', Dusseldorf 2005, n° 839-108; Hubertus Butin/Stefan Gronert, 'Gerhard Richter. Editionen 1965-2004. Catalogue Raisonné', Ostfildern-Ruit 2004, n° 89 Exhibitions: Galerie Ludorff, 'Neuerwerbungen Frühjahr 2024', Dusseldorf 2024; Galerie Ludorff, 'Gerhard Richter. Abstrakte Bilder', Dusseldorf 2013 Gerhard Richter has been exploring abstraction in depth since the late 1960s. In the late 1990s, he developed the ‘Fuji’ series. As part of this series, Richter no longer applies paint to canvas, but to Alucobond, an aluminium composite panel. This highly durable panel with a smooth surface allows for the creation of particularly delicate colour structures. Richter applies the three colours that form the basis of the painting - a vibrant red, a rich green and a warm yellow-orange - to the substrate in three horizontal bands. Using a squeegee, a painting tool resembling a narrow plastic strip, the artist applies the white oil paint and draws it across the coloured surface in thin layers from the top to the bottom edge of the picture. The white paint blends with the tones of the background. This technique creates a highly complex, delicate structure on the panel, characterised by great painterly subtlety. Viewed from top to bottom, red, green and white alternate with one another. The orange, also used by Richter, is now only partially visible in the right-hand half of the composition. As the application of paint with a squeegee can only be controlled to a limited extent, the principle of chance comes into play. The title ‘Fuji’ allows for interpretation on two different levels, namely, ‘[…] the conical volcano on the island of Honshu, which, as Japan’s sacred mountain, is the country’s national symbol, and the Japanese film and photography manufacturer of the same name, whose products are also widely available in Germany. As a photographer, Richter sometimes uses Fuji film; furthermore, in 1991 he spent two weeks travelling through Japan, during which he saw the famous mountain. Some of the paintings, with their streaky, at times almost graphic structural elements, do indeed bear a distant resemblance to old-master Japanese or Chinese landscape depictions.' The background to the creation of the ‘Fuji’ paintings lies in the approach made to the artist by Helmut Friedel, director of the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus. Richter’s ‘Atlas’ - a collection of photographs, sketches, documents and reference materials by the artist - was to be acquired for the Lenbachhaus collection. To finance the purchase, Richter agreed to paint a series of oil paintings for the museum. The proceeds from the sale of these ‘Fuji’ paintings played a key role in enabling the museum to acquire the ‘Atlas’ collection of documents. Much like the works in the ‘Green-Blue-Red’ series, the appearance of each individual painting in the ‘Fuji Edition’ varies considerably, as they were painted in portrait rather than landscape format. Furthermore, the varying degrees to which the base colours had dried by the time the white layer was applied result in the colours blending in ever-changing ways. Whilst some ‘Fujis’, with their extremely delicate colour blends, invite the viewer to discover their detailed textures, others, in stark contrast, exude a particularly strong sense of self-assurance. Although the ‘Fujis’ comprise a series of 110 works conceived along the same lines, each one is unique and wonderfully illustrates the principle of Gerhard Richter’s abstract painting, which treads the fine line between conceptual work and the principle of chance.
Axel Vervoordt
William Turnbull (Dundee 1922-2012 London) Young Torso, 1981 Bronze 49 x 28.5 x 3 cm Edition of 6, AP 1/1 Provenance: the estate of the artist Literature: Amanda A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, The Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, 2005, cat. n° 205, ill. p. 154
Laurent Schaubroeck
Paul Evans (USA, Newtown 1931-1987 Nantucket Island) and Phillip Lloyd Powell (USA, Germantown 1919-2008 New Hope) Monumental wall unit, circa 1960 Steel, wood, gold leaf H 282 x W 236 x D 51 cm Unique piece Provenance: Martin Brooks, Doylestown Wall-mounted cabinet by Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell, two key figures in American postwar design. This one of a kind piece combines carved wood, torch-cut and enameled metal, and gold leaf. Features four floating shelves and a two-door lower cabinet with concealed storage. Rare in both scale and collaboration.
Marty de Cambiaire
Denys Calvaert (Antwerp circa 1540-1619 Bologna) Holy Family with Saint Jerome and the Infant John the Baptist Oil on copper 50.4 cm x 39.6 cm Signed and dated CALVA ... T ... / ... CIT / 158 ? ... lower centre Provenance: Von Planta Family, Samedan, acquired in the 1920s according to the family tradition (although it could have been acquired earlier); London, Sotheby’s, 3 December 2014, lot 18; private collection, Brussels
Desmet Fine Art
Pietro Simoni da Barga (Florence, active 1574-1588) (Attributed) A fallen man-A Titan Florence, circa 1570-1590 Bronze, All’Antica patina H 11 x W 20 x D 12 cm Art Loss Register: S00213873 Provenance: probably Cardinal Ferdinando de ’Medici, later Grand Duke Ferdinando I of Tuscany (1549-1609); Hugo Finaly (1844-1915); Madame Jenny Finaly (1850-1938); Villa Landau Finaly, Florence, by 1916; private collection, UK; private collection, The Netherlands Published: G. de Nicola, 'Notes on the Museo Nazionale of Florence-II', in: The Burlington Magazine, (December 1916, Vol. XXIX), pp. 368-69 In the second half of the 16th century, Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici was one of the most renowned collectors in Rome. He created one of the greatest collections of Antiquities for his villa on the Pincian hill in Rome. When certain highly acclaimed sculptures ended up in the papal collection or other important collections which he couldn’t acquire, he contented himself with having copies made. These weren’t full-size copies, but rather fine statuettes on a reduced scale, intended for his studiolo. His passion for antiquity is mirrored in the collection of small bronzes he had. He kept in his service an artist called Pietro da Barga; a sculptor known to us only by the references in cardinal Ferdinando’s inventory. One of the main characteristics of his bronzes is the green all’antica patina he used to resemble the surface of the newly discovered ancient Roman bronze statues. Not only did he make reduced copies of ancient roman sculpture, he also used famed Renaissance models like Giambologna’s Mars or Michelangelo’s standing Christ.
Alexis Lartigue
Victor Vasarely (Pecs 1906-1997 Paris) Untitled, circa 1958, Oil on masonite 120 x 100 cm Signed lower center Provenance: private collection, USA; Christie’s sale, London; Lo Guidice Gallery, Chicago; Sotheby's sale, London; private collection, London; Christie’s sale, London; Galerie Zlotowski, Paris; private collection, Europe; Sotheby's sale, Paris; private collection, Switzerland Exhibition: Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Summer Loans, 1970
Brun Fine Art
James Cox (London 1723-1800 Watford) and Charles Magniac (Bedford 1786-1824 Paris) Coffer, circa 1760 Gilt bronze and glass painted in imitation of agate, pearls and precious stones 15.8 x 24.5 x 19 cm Engraved 'C3' on the inside front edge Expertise by Enrico Colle Literature: E. Colle, Enrico Colle, Brueghel: the Spirit of Collecting. Paintings. Sculptures. Wonders., Milan, 2026, pp. 294-299 Exhibitions: Brun Fine Art and De Jonckheere, Brueghel: the Spirit of Collecting. Paintings. Sculptures. Wonders., Milan, 2026
Franck Anelli Fine Art
Secretary Charles Topino (1742-1803), master in 1773 Transition period Oak, Breccia marble top, bronze and marquetry in rosewood, amaranth, holly, sycamore, lemonwood, stained woods and tobacco wood H 139 x W 92 x D 38 cm Stamped TOPINO and bearing the Jurande hallmark Transition period secretary in wardrobe stamped Charles TOPINO (1742-1803) and Jurande hallmark. Rectangular in shape, the front uprights with cut sides, the front legs arched, the hind legs straight, the oak frame, it opens with a drawer, two leaves and a flap revealing a compartmentalized interior of seven drawers and four compartments. Top of breccia marble from Aleppo. Inlaid decoration in rosewood, amaranth, holly, sycamore, lemon tree, stained wood, tobacco wood, drawing lattices on the uprights and the upper drawer, those of the latter, embellished with flowers, and trompe-l'oeil on the front and on the sides, a decoration of garlands of oval cartouches of stylised acanthus leaves uniting the panels of the toilet seat and the leaves, each also presenting, in the upper part, a leafy garland that can be found on the side panels. The latter are decorated with two gadrooned urns close to the flowered vases of the leaves. The toilet seat has a trompe-l'oeil perspective decoration, an orangery whose open shutters give a glimpse of a wooded landscape in the distance, a perspective accentuated by the checkerboard paving, also present on the leaves. Eight boxes of fruit trees are spread around a table on which are placed two flowered vases and under which is a watering can. The interior reveals six side drawers in three rows, inlaid with a floral vase pattern, as well as a central drawer. Stamped TOPINO and hallmark of Jurande Charles TOPINO received master in 1773 The art of marquetry The bronzes are discreet on our desk and this is intended to give pride of place to marquetry, qualified as wooden painting. If it is possible and tempting - rightly to link a cabinetmaker to his marquetry and this is regularly the case for Topino whose utensil marquetry inspired by the borders of Chinese Coromandel lacquer screens of the time is a characteristic of the artist - it turns out that the models circulated and that inlaid panels could be used by the same circle of cabinetmakers. If the vases, potiches, flowers, utensils reproduced, invented, associated, allow us to recognize Topino's art, it should be noted that the framing motif made up of oval reserves with quartefeuilles and spandrels can be found on secretaries, a chest of drawers and a dressing table stamped Jacques Bircklé. By this same cabinetmaker, a secretary also presents the same vases present on our furniture. Very similar marquetry panels. both in their compositions and in their frames can be found on a chest of drawers attributed to Jacques Bircklé, illustrated in the book by Pierre Kjellberg, who also defines the paving pattern as Bircklé's 'almost exclusiveness'. our secretary thus witnessed the circulation of drawn or engraved models.