This section will be available this Autumn.
Mearini Fine Art
Capital with column from a Ciborio or Pergula Rome, late 8th-early 9th century White marble H 41 x Ø 20 cm Provenance: formerly in the collection of Elda Francia Gasparrini in Rome Literature: U. Broccoli, Marmi tardo antichi di una collezione privata a Roma, LV 1979, pp. 183-199, ill. p. 193 fig. 10
Objects With Narratives
ben storms
Ben Storms (Ghent, 1983) Crushed room divider, 2024 H 195 x W 160 x D 45 cm Stainless steel, gold leaf Provenance: the artist's studio The purpose of this volume is deliberately ambiguous. The object is primarily sculptural, a monumental entity that redefines a space. Yet in doing so, it also reveals its potential function. In the way that the work structures a space, it turns out to be a divider that demarcates and defines compartments or areas. The starting point for this room divider and sculpture is essentially a provisional form. A composition of several sheets of metal welded together with air in between - think of Ben’s In Hale series, but in a different sense. The actual form is then created by subjecting this makeshift composition to external forces, crushing the surfaces until the volume finds its current state.
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.
Douwes Fine Art b.v.
emanuel de witte
Emanuel de Witte (The Netherlands, Alkmaar circa 1616-1691/2 Amsterdam) Interior of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, the transept seen from the South Oil on canvas 64 x 71.5 cm Signed 'E. De. Witte' (c.r.) Provenance: Abraham Dijkman, Amsterdam; his deceased sale, Amsterdam, de Bosch/ Yver, 17-18 July 1794, lot 47; sale, London, Foster, 25 March 1931 (as 'unknown'); acquired at the above sale by Asscher & Welker, London; with D. Katz, Dieren; Dr. A. Welker, London, 1935; with J.D. Klaasen Jr., Rotterdam; P.M. Kerdel, Scheveningen, 1963; with Hans Cramer, The Hague by 1990; acquired by a Dutch Foundation, in 1998 Literature: Noach, 'Het Material tot de Geschiedenis der Oude kerk te Amsterdam', Amsterdam 1937, p. 81; E. Trautscholdt, in U. Thieme and F. Becker, 'Algemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler' Vol. 36, Leipzig, 1947, p. 125; I. Manke, 'Emanuel de Witte', Amsterdam, 1963, p. 92, n° 62 with ill. fig. 31; F. Duparc et al., 'Masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age', exhibition catalogue, Atlanta, 1985, p. 132-3, n° 60 with ill.; H.R. Leppien, 'In Blickfeld: Holländische Kirchenbilder', exhibition catalogue, Hamburg, 1995, pp. 56-7, 66-8, n° 20 Exhibitions: Rotterdam, Museum Boymans Van Beuningen, 'Vermeer, oorsprong en invloed Fabritius, de Hooch, de Witte, 9 July-9 October 1935, n° 116; Rotterdam, Museum Boymans Van Beuningen, Tentoonstelling van schilderijen, beeldhouwwerken en teekeningen uit particuliere verzamelingen in Nederland: onder auspiciën van de 'Stichting Museum Boymans' , December 1939-January 1940, n° 59; Atlanta, High Museum of Art, Masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, 24 September-10 November 1985, n° 60, p. 132-3; Hamburg, Kunsthalle, In Blickfeld: Holländische Kirchenbilder, 1995/96, n° 20
Van Herck-Eykelberg
René Magritte (Lessiness 1898-1967 Brussels) Untitled (1945 - 1946) Coloured crayons on paper 23.2 cm x 30.3 cm Signed lower left With certificate from the comité Magritte Literature: Whitfield, S., René Magritte. Newly discovered works. Catalogue Raisonné VI. Menil Foundation, Houston, Mercatorfonds, Brussel, Magritte Foundation, Brussel. Cat. VI.76. Ill. p. 105, 158; Torczyner, H., René Magritte. Tekens en beelden. Amsterdam, Meulenhoff/Landshoff, 1988, ill. p. 108 Exhibition: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1970
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
De Wit Fine Tapestries
After David Teniers II The Fish Quay–Return of Fishermen Brussels, 1725-1750 Wool and silk 264 x 390 cm Celebrated for their lively depictions of rural life, sets of tapestries inspired by the famous peasant scenes of David Teniers II (1610–1690) formed some of the most popular tapestry series in late 17th- and early 18th-centuries. Their extraordinary appeal is reflected in the sheer number of workshops that produced them. In Brussels alone, seven ateliers wove this distinctly Flemish genre, while so-called Teniers tapestries were also produced in other European centres such as Amsterdam, Aubusson, Beauvais, Lille, London, Madrid, and Oudenaarde. Owing to this widespread production and the enduring commercial success of the genre, attributing individual designs can often be challenging. The present example, however, belongs to a distinguished series that laid the foundation for the genre and was designed by David Teniers II himself. Description The tapestry depicts a bustling quay where fishermen unload and sort their catch. On the left, a boat carrying five men arrives, still hauling in its nets, while one fisherman on the bow hands a line to a man standing at the end of the quay. In the foreground, a fisherman empties a barrel of fish and shellfish, while three men nearby appear to be negotiating. Further along the quay, another sorts his catch, two men converse, and a man leans casually on a donkey. Behind them, a figure with his back turned adds a touch of unvarnished realism. In the background, a bay stretches out, framed by a wooded coast to the left and a fortified structure to the right, complete with patrolling figures and a tall, three-tiered tower. Through the central passageway, two additional boats are visible. One hauling in its nets, the other lowering its mast. Attribution The Fish Quay was executed in the Brussels workshop of Hieronymus Le Clerc (1643-1722) or that of his associate Gaspar van der Borcht (1675-1742). Several editions of the scene are known, some bearing the signature of one of these associated tapissiers: Le Clerc or Van der Borcht’s Latinized form, A Castro. A now-lost edition formerly in Dresden bore Van der Borcht’s signature along with an extensive inscription identifying David Teniers II – the court painter to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (1614-1662) and Don John Joseph of Austria (1629-1679), governors of the Southern Netherlands from 1648 to 1656 and 1656 to 1658 respectively – as the designer. Teniers is also cited as the designer in a 1701 archival document recording that Le Clerc and Van der Borcht sold a six-part edition of the series, including a tapestry described as “un port de mer, où l’on pesche le poisson” (a seaport, where fish are caught). Dating the collaborative production of this particular example is difficult. The earliest known editions of the series were likely produced in the 1680s, with production continuing until Le Clerc’s death in 1722. The Fish Quay lacks the usual outer border, suggesting it was intended for mounting on wainscoting.
Finch & Co
Ivory crucifix figure of Christ South Netherlandish, circa 1690-1700 Rosewood cross, carved ivory, silver halo, giltwood Small chips to fabric of hanging Perizonium, old smooth creamy patina H 109 x W 41.5 x D 22 cm (cross) H 40 x W 24 x D 6 cm (Christ) Belgium CITES: 2025/BE00989/CE Provenance: Finch and Co, circa 2005; English private collection; Irish collection Comparative reference: a similar example in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum inv. n° A.73-1920 A finely carved ivory figure of Christ mounted on a rosewood cross, adorned with a silver halo and a sacred motto. The cross is embellished with giltwood details and set on its original scallop-shaped rosewood base. At Christ’s feet rests an ivory skull and crossbones, symbolising Golgotha. His legs remain uncrossed, with hands and feet affixed by iron nails. In this image of the Passion, Christ is shown alive, his eyes open looking upwards to his right, his teeth visible with his mouth open in his call to God. Imagery based on the Passion of Christ became increasingly popular from the 13th century. The mix of emotions which well up in the devout upon looking at such a human image, a blend of guilt and gratitude, sorrow and sympathy, is a very powerful combination. The Carthusian monk, Ludolph of Saxony (died 1378) expressed this attraction, without seeking to explain it, in his ‘Life of Christ’: ‘I know not for sure…. how it is that you are sweeter in the heart of one who loves you in the form of flesh than as the word…. It is sweeter to view you as dying before the Jews on the tree, than as holding sway over the angels in Heaven, to see you as a man bearing every aspect of human nature to the end, than as God manifesting divine nature, to see you as the dying Redeemer than as the invisible Creator.’
Galerie BG Arts
jean dunand
Jean Dunand (Lancy 1877-1942 Paris) Cobra vase, circa 1913 Patinated and hammered copper, patinated bronze, wrought iron and lacquered wood base H 28.5 cm Signed Provenance: property of Bernard Laurent, France Literature: Art et Décoration, July 1914-December 1919, p. 121
Galerie Raf Van Severen
anne-pierre de kat
Anne-Pierre De Kat (The Netherlands, Delft 1881-1968 La Frette-sur-Seine, France) Femme à la cigarette, 1921 Oil on canvas 102 x 80 cm Signed bottom left Provenance: private collection, Knokke-Heist Literature: Paul Caso, Anne-Pierre De Kat, Une vive intelligence visuelle, Les Editeurs d'Art Associés Exhibition: Guillaume Campo, Meir 47-55 Antwerpen, Exposition n° 121 (label at the back)
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels
joris van de moortel
Joris Van de Moortel (Ghent, 1983) Music enjoys direct access to the soul, has an immediate echo of response since we have music within ourselves, 2025 Oil on linen and artist’s steel frame (3 panels) 200 x 220 cm Provenance: the artist's studio, Belgium Exhibition: Joris Van de Moortel, Le poids du ciel illumine la terre, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris, France, 2025
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Galerie Capazza
georges jeanclos
Georges Jeanclos (Paris, 1933-1997) Kamakura, 1991 Terracotta H 30 x W 45 x D 40 cm Provenance: the artist's studio Exhibition: Georges Jeanclos, Élévation, Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, 25 November 2023-4 March 2024 The Kamakura series was inspired by Georges Jeanclos' trip to Japan, which took him to the country's ancient medieval capital, home to the oldest Japanese Zen gardens. Jeanclos was deeply moved by the beauty and serenity that emanated from these meditative and contemplative landscapes. Upon his return to Paris, these characters were born, sculptures of resilience, ‘monks in meditation, spectators of their inner gardens’ (Tzvetan Todorov). Georges Jeanclos (1933–1997) was one of the great French sculptors of the 20th century. His work was inspired by the traumatic events of the Second World War. To escape the roundups threatening Jews in France, his family had to hide in the woods; he himself, aged around ten, learned to live with the danger of death. In the aftermath of the Liberation, he saw the bodies of former collaborators hanging from lampposts; shortly afterwards, he discovered the skeletal beings who had survived the camps. Decades later, Jeanclos would respond to this formative experience: not by withdrawing into his own experiences, but by opening himself up to the universal, listening to all suffering, past and present; not by depicting horror, but by finding within himself the strength to create beauty. Jeanclos transforms the earth he works with into thin sheets, which he uses to form figures with similar faces, both children and adults, men and women. They are sleepers lying under a sheet of earth; beings enclosed in urns stamped with Hebrew letters taken from prayers for the dead; figures loaded onto boats bound for the other world; kamakuras, meditating monks. Later, he would add Pietàs, Adam and Eve in love, couples brushing against or embracing each other. Jeanclos' images reveal both the insignificance of our person and the indomitable strength of our love; by their mere existence, they help us to live. Tzvetan Todorov
De Wit Fine Tapestries
victor vasarely
Victor Vasarely (Hungary 1906-1997 Paris) WA-4, circa 1970 Wool 156 x 156 cm Signed lower right corner Aubusson, atelier Pinton (Monogram lower left corner) Edition 1/6 The WA-4 tapestry consists of a large square divided into four squares, on top of which a fifth square is placed, itself divided into four squares. The inside of each of these squares is filled with rhombuses whose colour change from dark blue to purple and then to light beige. These rhombi are arranged on backgrounds of varying colours, ranging from charcoal grey to purple and pink, then from aqua green to pale pink and dark green. The different colour areas are clearly distinct from one another when viewed up close on the tapestry's very fine fabric. But when you step back and view the tapestry from a distance, the planes and shapes seem to interact with each other, and the colours appear to move. The optical effects are particularly striking here. Our gaze is captured by the illusion of movement created by the brain. Vasarely experimented with this fascinating relationship between vision and perception in his paintings, which he then transposed into various media, including glass, ceramics, metal, goldsmithing and tapestry. Vasarely relied on science, because he believed it was the only common language available to humanity. He developed a pictorial system based on the logic of algorithms and binary codes, a square background, coloured and filled with simple geometric shapes. A champion of geometric abstraction, he is best known as the inventor of op-kinetic art (the adjective kinetic derives from the Greek word κίνησις (kinesis), meaning “movement”). Op art or optical art was revealed to the general public by the sensational exhibition ‘Le Mouvement’ (1955), which Vasarely initiated at the Denise René gallery in Paris. In this exhibition he brought together younger artists such as Bury, Jacobsen, Soto and Tinguely alongside the leading figures of Marcel Duchamp and Alexander Calder. Alongside his work as a painter, Vasarely devoted a significant portion of his activity to transposing his art into other media. He promoted the reproduction of his works as tapestries, as he saw this as an opportunity for recreation, in contrast to the concept of a unique work. He envisioned a concept of art for all, based on a new aesthetic, leading to ‘the polychrome city of happiness’. He thought of his tapestries as prototypes, hand-woven in limited numbers and displayed in the comfortable homes of art lovers. He painted around a hundred tapestry cartoons, woven in various workshops. Furthermore, he played a pioneering role by inviting other artists to try their hand at this art form, including Léger, Jean Arp, Agam, Atlan, Dewasne and Josef Albers. This textile experimentation was the result of Vasarely's encounter with François Tabard, an Aubusson tapestry entrepreneur, and Denise René, an avant-garde gallery owner. According to the artist, kinetic art, often described as cold, is compatible with tapestry insofar as it results from a "technique that allows for flat areas to retain warmth. There is none of the monotony of flat areas applied with a brush to a surface." With Tabard, Vasarely developed a systematic method of creating cartoons, allowing infinite chromatic combinations to be obtained. Denise René was the publisher of these tapestries (1952-1970). From 1966 onwards, the national tapestry manufacturers of the Gobelins and Beauvais wove Vasarely's designs. Shortly afterwards, another industrialist from Aubusson, Olivier Pinton, began weaving Vasarely's designs. More than thirty cartoons were finely woven, including WA-4, created around 1970.
Epoque Fine Jewels
rené lalique
René Lalique (Ay 1860-1945 Paris) Art Nouveau thistle necklace Paris, circa 1905 Gold, diamond, enamel and glass Signed: Lalique The piece is housed in its original case, marked ‘Lalique, Place Vendôme 24, Paris’ Provenance: private collection, France An impressive Art Nouveau gold, diamond, enamel and glass thistle flower necklace by René Lalique, consisting of six pentagonal plaques made from moulded amber-coloured glass, each adorned with two intertwined thistle flowers facing outward, topped by three yellow enamel rods. Flanking the plaques are long curved thorns, set with diamonds and accented with yellow and brown enamel. Between the thorns are small thistle flower motifs in moulded orange glass, enhanced with diamonds. This exceptional Art Nouveau choker necklace by René Lalique (circa 1905, Paris) exemplifies his revolutionary use of glass in fine jewelry. The piece features six molded amber glass plaques decorated with intertwined thistle flowers, enhanced by diamonds and yellow and brown enamel on gold. The thistle flower motif, emblem of Lorraine and the Dukes of Lorraine, symbolizes courage and protection, reflecting the regional heritage of Nancy, where the original owner was a notable social figure likely to have commissioned it directly from Lalique. Created during the period when Lalique moved his shop to 24 Place Vendôme, the necklace illustrates his transition from Art Nouveau to early Art Deco, blending naturalistic design with modern aesthetics. Its autumnal hues, sunlit enamel details, and radiant diamonds evoke both poetic beauty and symbolic depth. Lalique drew inspiration from wild flora rather than cultivated blooms, favoring authenticity and imperfection as expressions of nature’s truth. This necklace, long preserved in a French private collection and once known only through drawings (including one published by Sigrid Barten), is a rare surviving example of Lalique’s innovation. It demonstrates his mastery in merging craftsmanship, symbolism, and modernity, affirming his reputation as the “inventor of modern jewelry.”
Laurent Schaubroeck
George Nakashima (USA, Washington 1905-1990 Pennsylvenia) Cushion chair with arms, 1960s Black American cherry, upholstery 77.5 x 74.3 x 86.4 cm Produced by George Nakashima Studio Includes a digital copy of the order card Provenance: Craighead family Produced by the Nakashima Studio in the 1960s, this lounge chair exemplifies George Nakashima’s refined craftsmanship and harmony between form and material. Its spindled back recalls Windsor traditions, while the tapered legs and clean geometry express his modern sensibility. Upholstered in white linen, the chair combines warmth and elegance, standing as a rare and timeless piece from one of the most influential American designers of the 20th century.
Vagabond Antiques
Monumental carved marble Sundial Portugal, Oporto region, mid-18th century H 357 x W 130 x D 62 cm Portugal has a rich tradition of country houses and manors indigenously known as solares or quintas. Some were modelled on the great 18th century gardens of Le Notre and other landscape architects in France. Under King João, himself a great patron of the arts, began the great 18th century period of Portuguese baroque. The previous austere architectural style, albeit heavily influenced by Renaissance Italy, was replaced with exuberance. With great profits from its colonies and especially gold and precious stones from Minas Gerais and the Sertão of São Paulo in Brazil, it was the golden era of Portuguese architecture and ornament. From it there emerged a new artistic language. Named the Joanine, in honour of the King, it was an architectural style that transformed quintas not only in Portugal but also in the nation’s Atlantic provinces and overseas colonies. This spectacular sundial, monumental in scale, incorporates many architectural elements synonymous with the baroque architecture of the mid-18th century. It was a highly creative Italian who created a form of this style of architecture perfectly suited to Northern Portugal. Born in 1691 and trained in Sienna, Nicolau Nasoni arrived in Oporto in 1725. Having established his reputation by modernising the city’s cathedral, he was commissioned by Jeronimo de Tavora e Noronha to build the Church of Clerigos, one of Oporto’s great 18th century churches. Commissions for other churches and quintas followed, the most famous of which being the grand solar de Mateus, known all over the world for the rose wine that bears its name. The architectural composition of this sundial probably owes more to the façade of the Cas dos Porto Carreiro. Similar works was commissioned by Antonio de Vasconcelos Carvalho e Menezes, a wealthy Portuguese noble who made part of his wealth in Brazil, it was constructed by a Spanish architect but heavily influenced by Nasoni’s work. The volute scrolls and the foliate elements as well as the stylised lambrequins all echo Nasoni’s designs for the gilt woodwork of Oporto churches.
WHITFORD
bram bogart
Bram Bogart (Delft 1921-2012 Sint-Truiden) Le chapeau de Rubens, 1983 Mixed media on canvas 200 x 220 cm Signed and dated on verso Certificate of authenticity by Bram Bogart Jr, n° 20 Provenance: corporate collection, UK Literature: Bram Bogart, Schilderijen 1950-1983. exh. cat., Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam and Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Ghent, 1984, ill. p. 2 and p. 36; Legrand, Francine-Claire; Bram Bogart, Tielt, 1988, ill. p. 97; Paquet, Marcel, Bram Bogart, Turin, 1990, ill. p. 241; Hermans, Nicole, Bram Bogart in Amerika, Beelding, maandblad voor Kunsten, p. 16; Bogart, Bram, Hoet, Jan, Lemesre, Marion, Paquet, Marcel and Gilbert Perlein, Bram Bogart, Fête de la matière, exh. cat., Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles, Brussels and Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain de Nice, 1999, ill. p. 43 Exhibitions: 1984, Bram Bogart: Schilderijen 1950-1983, Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam and Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Gent, cat. n° 67; 1999, Bram Bogart, Fête de la matière, Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles, Brussels and Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain de Nice
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff
Regency period frame France, 18th century Carved oak, gilded with gold leaf 112.5 x 146 cm (sight size) Provenance: Montanari collection Sand-textured background decorated with acanthus scrolls, small flowers, drops, shells, and padded cartouches. Openwork acanthus leaves overflowing with playful movement in the corners.
