BEIJING.- Building on the two highly successful selling exhibitions of Western fine and decorative arts held by Sotheby’s in Asia in 2012 and 2013, and concurrent with the expanding interest demonstrated by Asian collectors in this category, Sotheby’s announces its third annual Age Of Elegance – European Paintings, Furniture and Sculpture in Beijing and Hong Kong this autumn. This unique selling exhibition, boasting an exceptional selection of predominantly 18th and 19th century European paintings, furniture and sculpture, takes place on 7 and 8 September in the Grand Ballroom of the Kerry Hotel in Beijing, and at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3 to 7 October, during Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn 2014 Sale Series.

The 65 items in the exhibition have been selected to represent the pinnacle of European accomplishments in the fine and decorative arts from the rococo to the early 20th century. The star of the show is the magnificent Grand Bureau by François Linke, priced at HK$46.8 million / US$6 million; for all the other pieces, prices range from HK$234,000 to $1.56 million / US$30,000 to US$200,000. These works, by some of the finest French craftsmen and artists of the period, together replicate the ‘Age of Elegance’, a time when luxury and splendour were barometers of taste and wealth.

Commenting on the selling exhibition, Patti Wong, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, said: ‘This autumn, Sotheby’s is thrilled to bring to Asia the third edition of the Age of Elegance series. The immense success of the series has demonstrated the burgeoning demand amongst sophisticated Asian collectors — within Greater China, in particular — for exceptional 19th century European furniture and decorative arts in recent years. Having identified and responded to this collecting interest early on, Sotheby’s continues to bring meticulously curated selling exhibitions, sourced from the best and rarest collections from all over the world, to this dynamic market. Held first in Beijing and then in Hong Kong, alongside our Autumn Sales programme, Age of Elegance in its third edition will offer a unique opportunity for both existing and new clients to view and acquire 19th century masterworks when they visit our exhibitions. We look forward to sharing our passion and expertise in this field with collectors as we continue to grow this market in Asia.’

FURNITURE: LE GRAND BUREAU BY FRANÇOIS LINKE
Le Grand Bureau An important sculptural gilt bronze mounted kingwood, satiné and fruitwood marquetry writing desk and accompanying chair, Paris, circa 1895 Exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle 1900 Designed and made by François Linke and Léon Messagé
Le Grand Bureau is an extraordinary work of art which is arguably the apotheosis of 19th century furniture. Undoubtedly one of François Linke’s most important creations, it was shown to great acclaim at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. The audacity of its design, and the technical brilliance of its execution by the best craftsmen, renders this desk one of the most significant pieces of furniture ever produced in the belle époque period. Le Grand Bureau stands at the centre of a tradition of extraordinary luxury and though it pays homage to the reign of King Louis XV, it is unmistakably an object of its time. The iconography of the desk symbolises the power and the confidence of human achievement, and as such reflects the ethos of the 1900 exhibition, which looked forward to a new age. The central bronze panel to the back of the desk is a beautifully cast and finished relief representing Agriculture and Commerce. The female figure seated to the left represents Abundance, and the figures to each side are representative of Science and the Arts. The youthful figures capping each leg are emblems of Vigilance and Discretion.

Together with Léon Messagé, Linke developed a new style for the 1900 exhibition that fused the fluidity of the 18th century rococo style with the lively flowing lines of the contemporary and progressive art nouveau. The most notable and revolutionary aspect of Linke’s desk is its monumental sculptural quality, and it was Messagé, a gifted sculptor, who brought this quality to Linke’s furniture. Linke produced this expensive and exquisitely crafted piece of furniture without any commission, hoping that it would appeal to an international clientele and the new emerging rich. His gamble paid off and with his reputation firmly established. Linke remained active until the 1930s at his pre-eminent furniture house based in Paris. Le Grand Bureau remains the pinnacle of both men’s achievements.

Xavier Jover, Head of Sotheby’s 19th Century Furniture Department in New York, commented: ‘Of all the 19th century furniture masterpieces I have encountered in my career at Sotheby’s, Le Grand Bureau is indisputably the most impressive. It is a privilege to present this masterwork of cabinetry and design to an Asian audience. Though the piece celebrates France’s productivity and its people in the 19th century, the allegories that it represents interestingly relate to the Golden Age of China, particularly China’s renowned commercial trade and empire of exploration abroad. With numerous sculptural iconographies symbolising the power and confidence of human achievement, in agriculture and commerce – eloquently condensed in the image of a galleon sailing into the new horizon of a setting sun – Le Grand Bureau appeals to entrepreneurs and collectors with a desire for museum- quality pieces available at the top-end of the market.’

PAINTING: GASTON LA TOUCHE’S FÊTE GALANTE
Gaston La Touche (French, 1854 – 1913) Fête galante Oil on canvas, painted in 1899
Fête galante by French artist Gaston La Touche, painted in 1899, is typical of the works he produced in the 1890s. La Touche has created an Elysian world set in a mystical outdoor space adorned with nymphs and a fountain. This charming element of fantasy, very distinctive of the artist’s style, harks back to the fête champêtre paintings of the eighteenth-century painters Watteau, Fragonard, and Lancret, whose playful gaiety found resonance in belle époque France and whose subjects found expression in the music of Claude Debussy. With Fête galante, La Touche updates their sentiment of sociability and brings it to the environs of Paris. The ‘S.C.’ in the signature on the canvas indicates that it was painted in Saint-Cloud, near Paris; the area’s gardens were the inspiration for a number of works by La Touche.

SCULPTURE: AFFORTUNATO GORI’S ECHO
Affortunato Gori (Italian, active early 20th century) Echo White marble with a green marble column
Affortunato Gori’s marble carving of the nymph Echo is a beautiful example of the artist’s love of sculpting the female form. The soft feminine curves and the fabric clinging to the nymph’s figure are exquisitely carved. The whimsical pose and mythological subject matter were prevalent features in 19th century figurative sculpture. As the myth is told, Echo had her voice taken from her by Zeus’s jealous wife Hera, and as a punishment she was only able to repeat the words of others. This resulted in her greatest desire, the handsome Narcissus, rejecting her. Heartbroken from a love she never knew, the beautiful Echo is said to roam and forever haunt the earth with her reverberating voice, a tale wonderfully captured in this elegant sculpture.

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• Henry Dasson (French, 1825-1896), A Fine Louis XV Style Gilt And Patinated Bronze 'Éléphant' Mantle Clock Paris, dated 1888

• Paul Sormani (French, 1817-1887), A Pair Of Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Kingwood, Satiné And Satinwood Commodes Paris, last quarter 19th century, after the model by Charles Topino

• Federico Del Campo (Peruvian, 1837-1923), La Chiesa Gesuati From The Canale Della Giudecca, Venice Oil on canvas 1887

• Pierre-Jacques Bethon (French, d. 1773, Venus Victorious Oil on canvas

• Walter Winans (American, 1852-1920), The Mermaid Silvered and gilt bronze, and ivory, on a veined light green marble base 1905

• Paul-Jean-Baptiste Gasq (French, 1860-1944), The Kiss White marble, on a veined pink marble base