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Galeria Bessa Pereira
Carlo Hauner (Brescia 1927-1996 Salina) & Martin Eisler (Vienna 1913-1977 São Paulo) Coffee table, 1960s Jacarandá wood and glass H 46 cm - Ø 89 cm Origin: Brasil Provenance: private collection, Rio de Janeiro; Galeria Bessa Pereira collection, 2025 Literature: Vicente, A., & Vasconcellos, M. (Comps.), Móvel moderno brasileiro (1st edition), São Paulo: Olhares, 2017, p. 231
Thomas Deprez Fine Arts
george minne
George Minne (Ghent 1866-1941 Sint-Martens-Latem) Baigneuse I, 1899 Boxwood (composite) H 40 cm Signed on the base: ‘G. MINNE’ Provenance: private collection by family descent, Belgium Exhibitions: La Libre Esthétique, Brussels, 1902, cat. 139, as: ‘Figure de femme. boxwood.' Related literature: Arthur Roesler, George Minne, in: Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, 1910, 14th year, IV, 2, ill. article frontispiece, p. 240 (cf. Waerndorfer marble); Léo Van Puyvelde, George Minne, Brussels : Edition 'Cahiers de Belgique', 1930, cat. n° 31, p. 78, ill. pl. 31 (bronze); Robert Hoozee et al., George Minne en de kunst rond 1900, Gent: Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 1982, cf. cat. 95 & 96 (bronze and alabaster). Related exhibitions: Berliner Secession V, Berlin, 1902, cat. 319, as: ‘Badende’ (plaster); Wiener Secession XIV, Vienna, 1902, as: ‘Badendes Mädchen’ (plaster); Tento. Jozef Israëls & George Minne, Rotterdam, 1903, as: ‘Badende vrouw’ (marble); Berliner Secession XI, Berlin, 1906, cat. 332, as: ‘Junge Frau’ (plaster); Mücsarnok, Teli, Nemzetkozi Kiallitas, Budapest, 1908-09, cat. 285 (marble); Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte, Venice, 1909, cat. 3, as: ‘Bagnante’ (marble); Sonderbund westdeutscher K., Dusseldorf, 1910, cat. 237, as: ‘Die Badende’ (marble); Leipziger Jahresaustellung, Leipzig, 1912, cat. 895c, as: ’Baigneuse’ (bronze); Sonderbund internationale Kunstaustellung Köln, 1912, cat. 611, as: ‘Badende’ (marble). Related works: It has been said that George Minne, with the present sculpture, directly influenced Gustav KLIMT (1862-1918) for the painting 'Wasserschlangen I' (1904/07), cf. Hoozee. Its appeal, however, has never faded, as can be seen in several variations on the pose which have been an integral part of the famous Belgian contemporary choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s so-called 'Attitudes'. Note on versions: Van Puyvelde mentions editions in marble, wood and bronze. In addition, several fine plaster casts with family provenances can be identified, amongst others at the MSK Gent and at the Museum Gevaert-Minne. Among the early collectors of bronze versions we find Hélène Kröller-Müller and Karl Ernst Osthaus, partly due to the fact that Minne’s ‘Baigneuse I’ has been a favourite for the inclusion in decorative settings designed by Henry Van de Velde (1863-1959). Versions in marble are held at the Royal Museums of Art & History and at the Belvedere in Vienna. We have been unable to find records of any other versions of Minne’s ‘Baigneuse I’ in wood. Executed in a fine composite of boxwood, it is likely a unique piece in the material and can therefore be identified as entry n° 139 at La Libre Esthétique in 1902; where both a bronze version and a version in boxwood of Minne's 'Baigneuse' were exhibited under the title 'Figure de femme'. Interestingly, the 1902 exhibition of La Libre Esthétique in Brussels also marked the model's public debut, ranking the present version as one of the earliest in existance and one of the first two shown publicly.
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.
Galerie Bernard De Leye
Enamel basin 'Adam and Eve Mourning the Death of Abel' L 47.5x W 38.7 cm Provenance: sale Tajan 17 juin 1977, n° 127; former collection of Henry Kravis, New York; gallery 'à la Façon de Venise', Paris; former private collection, Switzerland Most Limoges enamel pieces were created over a very short period, between 1540 and 1580, marking the peak of Limoges enameling art. They reflect the French Renaissance and the Fontainebleau School. These secular objects were cherished by court dignitaries and the wealthy bourgeoisie. Too precious and fragile to be used, they adorned the sideboards of reception rooms or the cabinets’ display shelves. Comparative pieces: Musée du Louvre, Paris, eight plates from 1540/1560 by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel; Victoria & Albert Museum, London, a closed cup and two plates, circa 1560 by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel; British Museum, London, three plates, circa 1570 by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel; State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersbourg, five plates, mid-16th century by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel
Art et Patrimoine - Laurence Lenne
Reliquary 'in the form of a sarcophagus with a hinged roof' Limoges, mid-13th century Gilt copper plates, champlevé enamels H 11.8 x W 27.5 x D 9.5 cm Literature: Inventaire général des monuments et des richesses artistiques de la France. Emaux limousins du Moyen Age. Correze/Creuse/Haute-Vienne, under the direction of Paul-Édouard Robinne, Éditions de l’Inventaire, Images du Patrimoine, 1995; Emaux de Limoges XIIè-XIXè siècle, under the direction of Jacques Toussaint, Museum of Ancient Arts of Namur, 1996; Valérie & Thomas Becket, De l'influence des princes Plantagenêt dans l'Oeuvre de Limoges, Municipal Museum of the Bishop’s Palace-Museum of Enamel, Limoges, 1999 A reliquary, without a wooden core, taking the shape of a sarcophagus with a hinged roof. It is made of gilt copper plates and decorated with champlevé enamels depicting sixteen half-length angels emerging from clouds against a white enamel background. The decoration consists of two superimposed registers of three engraved gilt angels set within round medallions. The medallions stand out against a blue enamel ground adorned with gilded Gothic foliage and interlace patterns. This reliquary belongs to a series of standardised reliquaries known from the Limousin region, all dating from the 13th century. Its dimensions make it one of the largest examples of this 'sarcophagus with movable roof' type. It is closely related to the exceptional large reliquary of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, classified as part of the Treasure of the French Historic Monuments.
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.
Galerie des Modernes
mark tobey
Mark Tobey (USA, Centerville, Wisconsin, 1890-1976 Basel, Switzerland) Untitled (Abstract composition) or 'Tout le Monde', 1956 Tempera on paper 20.2 x 24.9 cm Signed and dated lower right 'Tobey 56' The Mark Tobey Project LLC, under the identification n° MT (456-05-15-25). Authentication letter signed by Achim Moeller for Moeller Fine Art Projects dated May 15th, 2025 Provenance: private collection, Belgium Exhibitions: Exhibited at Kunsthalle Basel under n° 0131 (label on back of montage annotated: ‘Tout le monde’)
Giammarco Cappuzzo Fine Art
Giovanni Giacomo Sementi (Bologna 1584-1636 Rome) The Triumph of David, circa 1630 Oil on canvas 137 x 159 cm Provenance: private collection, Italy Literature: M. Francucci, Giovanni Giacomo Sementi, Un dipinto di soggetto insolito, in Arte Cristiana, n° 869, 2012, pp. 143-148; M. Pulini, Rimini per Simone Cantarini, opere da raccolte private, Rimini 2012, pp. 20-21, fig. 20; A. Pellicciari, I'Eredita’ di Guido Reni, in la pittura in Emilia e in Romagna. The Seventeenth Century, edited by Andrea Emiliani, Milano, 1992; G. Puglia, Il Bastaro, fig. 36, pag. 79; M. Francucci, il naturalismo classicizzato nella Roma di Urbano VIII, LibroCo Italy, Florence, 2013; Ariccia, Gian Giacomo Sementi, Quaderni del Barocco, 2021, p. 8 fig. 14
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 Flak
Yup'ik shaman mask Coastal Yup’ik - Eskimo, St Michael or Yukon river Delta, Alaska, 19th century Carved wood, pigments H 19.5 cm Provenance: Karin & Leo (1937-1987) Van Oosterom collection, The Hague, acquired in 1980 Yup’ik shamanic masks (from the Indigenous culture of the Arctic region of Alaska) bear witness to a spirituality and artistic power of remarkable depth. Exceptionally rare today - as most were destroyed or discarded after their ceremonial use - these works are imbued with mystery and poetry. Their evocative force and symbolism of metamorphosis deeply inspired Surrealist masters such as Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington, who discovered in them a new visual language of the unconscious. This striking mask represents a tunghak spirit - a powerful celestial being linked to the moon, the sun, and the balance between humans and nature.
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.”
Virginie Devillez Fine Art
gustave de smet
Gustave De Smet (Ghent 1877-1943 Sint-Martens-Latem) Nu couché, 1928 Pencil, pastel and oil on paper 35 x 43 cm Signed lower right 'Gust. De Smet' Provenance: Walter Schwarzenberg, Brussels (Georges Giroux sale, Brussels, 1-2 February 1932, lot 43); Tony Herbert, Kortrijk; private collection, Belgium (by descent to the present owner) Literature: Piet Boyens, Gust. De Smet. Chronicle et Analysis of the Work, Antwerp, Fonds Mercator, 1989, CR 744 (p. 386); The Tony Herbert Collection, Deurle, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, 2011, p. 39 (ill.) Exhibitions: Brussels, Galerie Le Centaure, Gust. De Smet, 1928, cat. n° 69; Brussels, Galerie George Giroux, Gust. De Smet, 1929, cat. n° 160; Luxembourg, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire; Tony Herbert Collection, 1963-1964, cat. n° 38
Galerie la Ménagerie
edouard-marcel sandoz
Edouard-Marcel Sandoz (Basel 1881-1971 Lausanne) Duckling, circa 1925 Brown-green patinated bronze Bears the inscription of the foundry Susse Frères Paris H 9.5 x W 9 x D 6 cm Signed 'Ed M Sandoz' on the base Literature: Model with the reference 862 from the catalogue raisonné of the artist, Félix Marcilhac, Sandoz, sculpteur figuriste et animalier, Les éditions de l'amateur, 1993
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
Gallery de Potter d’Indoye
Pair of oil lamps Ormoulu and patinated bronze Embossed gilt bronze and patinated bronze, representing the allegory of Philosophy and Study, each seated on an antique oil lamp, with an edge in gadroon motif, on a square footed base France, Consulat period, circa 1800 H 31 x W 36 cm Based on a model by Louis-Simon Boizot Comparative literature: H. Ottomeyer et P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 294, fig. 4.17.1. I, p. 294, fig. 4.17.1. This pair of oil lamps is clearly designed in a neoclassical style, and, more specifically, in the 'Etruscan' style which came into vogue in the 1780s. This style draws its inspiration from antique forms rediscovered in archaeological digs, in particular those at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and manifested in the decorative arts by simple lines and ornamentation inspired by Antiquity. The allegorical figures of Philosophy and Study, which decorate these lamps, are taken from models created by Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1809), then sculptor for the King. Boizot designed them for the first time in 1780 for a lamp in the antique style. He sold the model to the Sèvres factory, which then reproduced it in biscuit porcelain until 1786. These two figures were also used in the famous clock model, 'To Study and to Philosophy', created based on a drawing by François Rémond for the decorative arts merchant Dominique Daguerre. It is important to note that Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843), a reputed bronze worker, collaborated with Boizot in Sèvres beginning in 1783, the date when he succeeded Jean-Claude Thomas Duplessis (1730-1783) as the official bronze worker for the factory. The involvement of Thomire in the production of bronzes of this type is widely acknowledged. Comparable oil lamps include: - a pair kept at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (inv. 88.SB.113.1 et 88.SB.113.2), attributed to Thomire; - another from the former collection of Sir Robert Abdy, sold at Christie's London on June 9th, 1994, lot 65,; - a pair offered for sale at Christie's London on December 13th, 2001, lot 430. - finally, a pair presented in the Madame Simone Steinitz collection at Christie's in Paris on June 19th, 2025, Paris lot 126. A drawing attributed to Thomire, kept at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, depicts a very similar lamp placed to the right of a fireplace (cf. J. Bourne et V. Brett, L’art du luminaire, Paris, 1992, p. 156, fig. 530). In addition, two sketches found in an album of drawings analysed by P. Rosenberg and B. Peronnet (Revue de l’Art, n° 142, 2003-2004) bear witness to the distribution and success of these models. They perfectly illustrate the taste for Antiquity, which dominated French decorative arts in the late eighteenth century.
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.
Costermans
Slant-front desk in European red and gilt lacquer, veneered with kingwood and marquetry of satinwood, stained maple and ebonised wood, enriched with finely chased and gilt bronze mounts, Louis XV period Stamped DELORME, the fall-front decorated with a stag-hunting scene. Provenance: L. Morton, Partridge Fine Arts – Recent Acquisitions, London, 1997, pp. 92–97, n° 38 (ill); T. Wolvesperges, Le meuble français en laque au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1999, p. 119, n° 71 (ill.)
