Rie’s Bowl Sells for 10 Times its Estimate in Breathtaking Bidding War!

In a riveting event at the Ceramic Masterpieces sale in Paris on Tuesday, December 6, 2023, a Footed bowl by Lucie Rie (1902-1995) stole the spotlight, executed circa 1980 with inlaid pink radiating lines, turquoise, and manganese bands. The intense bidding war that ensued saw the bowl fetching an astonishing €406,800, nearly 10 times its initial estimate of €40,000-60,000, setting a new world auction record for the renowned artist.

Another standout piece of the auction was a tall white Cycladic form circa 1968 by Hans Coper (1920-1995), which surpassed expectations by selling for €165,500, doubling its high estimate. The entire 15-lot French private collection raked in a total of €884,994.

Claire Gallois, Bonhams’ Director of 20th Century Design in Paris, expressed her enthusiasm about the event, stating, “Lucie Rie is one of the greatest names in 20th-century British ceramics. This rare bowl was a true masterpiece, and I am not surprised there was such keen bidding in the room, on the phones, and online, with the exciting outcome of a new world auction record for a work by Lucie Rie.”

Gallois continued to highlight the success of the auction, noting that the four vases and vessels by Lucie Rie all surpassed their estimates, emphasizing the persistent strong demand for her work globally. Additionally, Gallois noted the privilege of presenting five exceptional pieces by Hans Coper, which captivated collectors worldwide.

Among the collection’s other highlights were a ‘Thistle’ form circa 1969 by Hans Coper, fetching €108,350 against an estimate of €30,000-50,000, and a 2006 pale and speckled collar vessel by Jennifer Lee (born 1956), which sold for €28,160, surpassing its estimate of €10,000-15,000.

It’s worth noting that Bonhams already holds the world auction record for a work by Hans Coper, achieved with a tall bottle vase with a disc that sold in London on October 4, 2022, for £655,500.

Looking ahead, works by Hans Coper, Lucie Rie, and Jennifer Lee will be featured in the Modern Decorative Art + Design auction on December 12 at Bonhams New York, promising another exciting chapter in the world of ceramic art.

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and collectables, collectors’ cars and a luxury division, which includes jewellery, designer fashion, watches, wine, and whisky. In 2021 and 2022, Bonhams made a number of important acquisitions which form the wider Bonhams network. These include: Bukowskis, Bruun Rasmussen, Bonhams Skinner and Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr.

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High-End Ceramics: Timeless Masterpieces by Hans Coper, Lucie Rie, and Jennifer Lee from an Exquisite Private French Collection at Bonhams

The post Lucie Rie’s Ceramic Bowl Shatters Records, Sells for €406,800 at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr Auction in Paris appeared first on World Art News.

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The National Gallery does justice to Pesellino

From 7 December 2023 to 10 March 2024, the National Gallery in London presents the first ever exhibition dedicated to the Renaissance painter Francesco Pesellino (about1422–1457)

Source: The National Gallery · Image: Francesco Pesellino, Fra Filippo Lippi and workshop, ‘Saints Mamas and James’, 1455–60 Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III

Active in Florence in the mid-15th century, Pesellino achieved a notable career but his early death at thirty-five and the difficulty of attribution have made him one of the greatest Renaissance painters that few people have heard of. This exhibition seeks to remedy that by presenting a monographic view of Pesellino’s achievements through his works in the National Gallery Collection and a number of key loans.

Born Francesco di Stefano in around 1422, he was known as Pesellino, a diminutive of Pesello, the grandfather who raised him and likely introduced him to painting. Pesellino’s skills however far outstripped his grandfather, and it is likely that he gained experience with other masters given his ability across media. Pesellino is noted in early biographies for his particular talent in the painting of ‘cose picole’ sic (small things), as well as his propensity for collaboration and his commissions by Florence’s ruling Medici family. These three concepts will form the key themes of the exhibition and in establishing Pesellino’s reputation as a skilful and sought after Renaissance painter.

The National Gallery is uniquely placed to introduce Pesellino’s work to a broader audience, given the presence in its collection of two of his undisputed masterpieces; two cassone panels with Stories of David, about 1445-55, and the Pistoia Trinity Altarpiece, 1455–60. The two cassone panels, ‘Stories of David’, form the centrepiece of the exhibition. Probably dating from the last years of his career, they demonstrate the depth and breadth of Pesellino’s talents as a painter of complex narratives, ceremonial splendour and detail on a very small scale. Following recent conservation treatment, these panels will be redisplayed to help visitors engage with this complex and intricate work.

‘The Pistoia Trinity Altarpiece’ is one of the only two large-scale altarpieces Pesellino is known to have produced. Left unfinished at his death and completed by his onetime collaborator, Filippo Lippi, this is the earliest ‘pala’ (an altarpiece with a single main panel) in the National Gallery. As one of the few nearly complete altarpieces in the collection, the work reveals much about Pesellino’s posthumous reputation, as well as the history of acquiring art in the UK.

The exhibition will be accompanied by the first fully illustrated catalogue dedicated to the artist to be published in English. This will also be the first biography of the artist to be published in a century.

The National Gallery does justice to Pesellino

From 7 December 2023 to 10 March 2024, the National Gallery in London presents the first ever exhibition dedicated to the Renaissance painter Francesco Pesellino (about1422–1457)

Source: The National Gallery · Image: Francesco Pesellino, Fra Filippo Lippi and workshop, ‘Saints Mamas and James’, 1455–60 Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III

Active in Florence in the mid-15th century, Pesellino achieved a notable career but his early death at thirty-five and the difficulty of attribution have made him one of the greatest Renaissance painters that few people have heard of. This exhibition seeks to remedy that by presenting a monographic view of Pesellino’s achievements through his works in the National Gallery Collection and a number of key loans.

Born Francesco di Stefano in around 1422, he was known as Pesellino, a diminutive of Pesello, the grandfather who raised him and likely introduced him to painting. Pesellino’s skills however far outstripped his grandfather, and it is likely that he gained experience with other masters given his ability across media. Pesellino is noted in early biographies for his particular talent in the painting of ‘cose picole’ sic (small things), as well as his propensity for collaboration and his commissions by Florence’s ruling Medici family. These three concepts will form the key themes of the exhibition and in establishing Pesellino’s reputation as a skilful and sought after Renaissance painter.

The National Gallery is uniquely placed to introduce Pesellino’s work to a broader audience, given the presence in its collection of two of his undisputed masterpieces; two cassone panels with Stories of David, about 1445-55, and the Pistoia Trinity Altarpiece, 1455–60. The two cassone panels, ‘Stories of David’, form the centrepiece of the exhibition. Probably dating from the last years of his career, they demonstrate the depth and breadth of Pesellino’s talents as a painter of complex narratives, ceremonial splendour and detail on a very small scale. Following recent conservation treatment, these panels will be redisplayed to help visitors engage with this complex and intricate work.

‘The Pistoia Trinity Altarpiece’ is one of the only two large-scale altarpieces Pesellino is known to have produced. Left unfinished at his death and completed by his onetime collaborator, Filippo Lippi, this is the earliest ‘pala’ (an altarpiece with a single main panel) in the National Gallery. As one of the few nearly complete altarpieces in the collection, the work reveals much about Pesellino’s posthumous reputation, as well as the history of acquiring art in the UK.

The exhibition will be accompanied by the first fully illustrated catalogue dedicated to the artist to be published in English. This will also be the first biography of the artist to be published in a century.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts cooperated in an investigation that determined each of the 44 objects had been stolen, looted or trafficked