Press Release

Private eye: selected highlights from our Private Sales

Hongmiao Shi gets the specialists’ perspectives on a quartet of precious artworks and objects available for immediate purchase

• 1
• Frans Francken II’s colourful fantasy of ‘peace and plenty’Arcadia: A Pastoral Landscape with Shepherds and Shepherdesses Picnicking, 1626-32
  
  

Frans Francken II (1581-1642), Arcadia: A Pastoral Landscape with Shepherds and Shepherdesses Picnicking, c. 1626-32. Oil on panel. 28⅝ x 41⅛ in (72.7 x 104 cm). Price on request. Offered for private sale at Christie’s. View Old Masters currently offered for private sale at Christie’s

‘It is impossible not to like this colourful fantasy of carefree shepherds and shepherdesses eating, drinking and dancing in a wooded glade,’ says Paul Raison, Head of Old Masters Private Sales in London, of Arcadia by 17th-century Flemish painter Frans Francken II.

The fantasy of Arcadia, a rural paradise uncorrupted by civilisation, originated from Ancient Greece and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Against a backdrop of decades of war, Dutch artists, poets and playwrights found solace in recreating this ‘lost’ golden age.

‘The yearning for peace and plenty is almost as relevant today as it was then,’ Raison adds. ‘I think this joyous and uplifting scene is perfect for our time.’

• 2
• The proposal ring of choice for Napoleon and John F. KennedyToi et moi diamond ring

Toi et moi diamond ring. 4.20 ct Fancy Vivid Yellow colour VVS2 clarity heart-shaped diamond and 4.01 ct G colour VS2 clarity heart-shaped diamond on a gold band. Price on request. Offered for private sale at Christie’s. View jewellery currently offered for private sale at Christie’s

With two gems set on the same band, the ‘toi et moi’ ring — meaning ‘you and me’ in French — is symbolic of a couple’sunion.‘For the true romantic, these rings capture the essence and spirit of love,’ says Mei Y. Giam, Head of Private Sales in the Jewellery department in London.

Toi et moi rings have played a part in some of history’s most passionate romances —both Napoleon Bonaparte and John F. Kennedy proposed with one.

‘The heart-shaped diamond is one of the most difficult cuts to make,’ Giam explains. ‘Along with sparkle and brilliance, they display a dazzling internal purity that seems to come from the very heart of the diamond. A single true heart is rare. To have its equal — as a pair — is extraordinarily special.’

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• A French cabinet inspired by the Far EastA Louis XIV black and gilt japanned cabinet-on-stand, c. 1680

A Louis XIV black and gilt japanned cabinet-on-stand, c. 1680. Price on request. View decorative arts and antiquities currently offered for private sale at Christie’s

With its lacquer-style varnish and mother-of-pearl inlays, this precious 17th-century cabinet would have been owned by an educated and wealthy French collector, states Amjad Rauf, a European Furniture specialist in London.

There had been demand in Europe for Oriental-inspired objects since the late 16th century thanks to increased trade between the West and the Far East. European imitations of lacquer, known as ‘japanning’, were developed to meet the demands of a fashion-conscious elite.

This japanned cabinet-on-stand features decorative motifs inspired by the Oriental fable The Prince and the Bird. ‘What makes it even more special is that it’s still in excellent condition,’ adds Rauf.

• 4
• The many faces of Nathaniel Mary QuinnMa, 2016

Nathaniel Mary Quinn (b. 1977), Ma, 2016. Charcoal, gouache, soft pastel, oil pastel and oil paint on Coventry vellum paper. 12 x 12 in (30.5 x 30.5 cm). Price on request. Offered for private sale at Christie’s. View post-war and contemporary artworks currently offered for private sale at Christie’s

Ma exemplifies Nathaniel Mary Quinn’s jagged and discontinuous style of portraiture, combining the faces of family, friends and neighbours with features taken from magazines and online images. Executed in 2016, Ma  is one of few fragmented portraits by Quinn to depict a figure with blonde hair. 

According to Celine Cunha, a Post-War and Contemporary Art Specialist in New York, the work’s title may reference Quinn’s mother Mary. In a 2014 interview, Quinn said, ‘In some way, I am always painting and drawing my mother, especially being that I lost her when I was 15 years old’. The artist added ‘Mary’ to his name after her death in remembrance.