Gallo-Roman male portrait head, marble, Roman Empire, Province of Gaul (area of modern France), 1st-3rd century after Chr.
A unique example of provincial stone sculpture from the heyday of the Roman Empire. Executed in white marble, the head depicts an individualized male portrait, a textbook example of the fusion of official Roman realism with local Gallic artistic expression. The face is characterized by a crude, geometric synthesis of form. A long, straight nose connects directly to a well-defined, severe eyebrow arch (the so-called Greco-Roman profile), giving the whole a monumental expression. The large, almond-shaped, convex eyes have no cut eyelids or pupils, which firmly places the object in post-Celtic sculptural traditions and the local votive art. The sculpture directly alludes to austere, hieratic representations of deities and heroes from the Celtic tradition.
The object is set on a contemporary metal arbor and pedestal of gray veined marble.
Dimensions: 15 cm (height) x 6 cm (width) x 8.5 cm (depth); with pedestal: 19 cm (height) x 7 cm (width) x 8.5 cm (depth)
Weight: 1357 g
Galo-rzymska głowa portretowa mężczyzny, marmur, Cesarstwo Rzymskie, Prowincja Galia (teren współczesnej Francji), II-III w. po Chr.
Ganesha, marble, India, 19th century.
Full-plastic sculpture depicting the god Ganesha - one of the most important deities of the Hindu pantheon, removing all obstacles and patronizing new beginnings. The deity is shown in the traditional hieratic seated position of the Lalitasana type (position of royal relaxation), in which the bent, left leg rests flat and the right leg is lowered down, resting with the foot on the ground. This arrangement in Indian iconography symbolizes the perfect balance between the spiritual world and earthly activity. The figure is characterized by a rounded belly signifying prosperity and abundance. The entire composition is set on an integral, massive plinth (base) with an austere rectangular design. The right hand is raised in the symbolic gesture of abhaya mudra (a gesture of care and dispelling of fear). In his left hand resting on his knee, the deity holds the traditional modaka sweet, which is his attribute. This is the deity's favorite sweet and symbolizes the supreme sweetness of spiritual enlightenment, pure wisdom and the inner joy that awaits a person after overcoming all of life's obstacles and one's own ego. Ganesha's head is crowned by a tall mukut-type crown with a radial linear ornament, and the structure is capped by a large nimbus merged with the throne backrest. The sculpture has a damaged nimbus, trunk and part of the face.
Dimensions: 22.5 cm (height) x 15.5 cm (width) x 8 cm (depth)
Weight: 2.9 kg
Ganesha, marble, India, 19th century.
A semi-plastic sculpture depicting Ganesha, a Hindu deity with an elephant's head, a human body and two pairs of hands. According to Hindu mythological accounts, one of his tusks was to be used as a stylus to write down sacred texts or chopped off by Parashurama during a conflict with the deity; this motif is interpreted as a symbol of sacrifice and Ganesha's connection to knowledge and science. However, the sculpture on display also lacks a second tusk, probably due to past damage. The deity's head is crowned with a diadem, and the entire figure is depicted against a smooth, semicircular wall (stele). Ganesha is seated on the pedestal in a cross-legged seated position, with one pair of hands resting on her knees and the other raised to shoulder height. In her raised hands she holds elongated attributes (in traditional iconography these include a noose and an elephant hook). He has a prominent belly, which symbolizes prosperity. At the foot of his seat is placed a small ball, interpreted as the traditional modaka sweet. This is the deity's favorite sweet and symbolizes the supreme sweetness of spiritual enlightenment, pure wisdom and the inner joy that awaits a person after overcoming all of life's obstacles and his own ego. The overall design is characterized by compactness and schematicism of representation - both the silhouette and details have been treated in a simplified manner.
Dimensions: 29 cm (height) x 16.5 cm (width) x 6 cm (depth)
Weight: 5.7 kg
Garment Clasp, Gilt Silver, Poland, 17th Century
An ornate clasp made of gilt silver, composed of two round discs connected by a ring to which chains are attached. Currently, the discs are permanently joined; this may be a period modification. Originally, they may have been separable, with the chains serving a decorative function.
Each disc consists of a smooth base covered with an openwork overlay decorated with rocaille ornament and a border of fine hatch marks. The lower disc has a similar border of hatch marks, and along the outer edge an additional decorative band in the form of concave dots creating a circular ornament. At the center of each disc is a flattened loop; this element serves a structural function, connecting the openwork overlay to the base.
On the reverse of both discs are elements enabling their attachment to clothing. On one side of each disc are catches connected by a common ring, while on the opposite side are individual fastening elements; in one of the discs, a loose ring is preserved alongside them.
The form clearly indicates its function as a fastener for a cloak, caftan, or other type of garment. Clasps of this type are well known from 17th-century iconography and appear in portraits of the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie.
German-Italian Master, Image from the Cross, oil on board, Western Europe, 16th century.
German-Italian master from the 16th century (imitator of Rogier van der Weyden), Picture from the Cross. The foreground depicts Jesus taken down from the cross with his eyes closed and Mary kneeling before him in a dark blue cloak and white headdress. She looks lovingly at her son and embraces Him with her right hand. In the back on the right stands Joseph of Arimathea, supporting the body, and on the left St. John the Evangelist. In the background, the view stretches into the distance, revealing parts of the cross and a ladder. The scene is depicted mainly in primary colors.
Board dimensions: 70 x 53 cm; framed painting, carved frame, gilded 18th century (dimensions with frame: 79.5 x 64 cm).
Painting on display at the auction of paintings by old masters of the Hampel auction house in Munich (Ale Meister, part II, 27.06.2019, lot No. 770).
It is believed that there are many versions of this design, all of which probably derive from a lost prototype from the 1540s by Rogier van der Weyden.
Giacomo Francesco Cipper – “il Todeschini”, Young man eating from a wooden bowl, oil on canvas, Italy, 1st third of the 18th century
The portrait shows a young man hailing from the plebeian strata, framed in half pose, sitting against a neutral dark background. The boy is facing frontally, his cheerful expression emphasized by a wide smile revealing his teeth. In his right hand he holds a large wooden bowl, while in his left hand he holds a spoon with which he scoops up the food. The young man is dressed in a white shirt and a simple chestnut cubicle, as well as a tricorn, which is a distinctive triangular hat, decorated with a feather. In the lower left corner of the painting, a section of the table is visible, on which lies an unleavened loaf of bread.
The color palette is maintained in tones of warm browns, reds and ochres, with clear chiaroscuro contrasts that artfully model the face and hands and bring out the figure from the dark background.
Gillis van Tilborgh (ca. 1625 – ca. 1678) – workshop or circle, Interior of an inn with backgammon players, oil on duplicated canvas, Netherlands, ca. 1650-1670
An outstanding example of 17th-century Dutch genre painting, closely associated with the circle and workshop of Brussels-based master Gillis van Tilborgh. The composition depicts an expressive scene, classic for the period, in the interior of an inn, where a group of villagers are indulging in popular pastimes: playing backgammon, smoking tobacco and drinking liquor.
In the foreground, two men sit at a low table, focusing their attention on a game of backgammon. The man on the left, wearing a yellow caftan and red pants, raises a glass of liquor. His opponent on the right, dressed in a light gray outfit with a white collar, sits thoughtfully with his eyes downcast, holding a white scarf in his hand.
Behind the players sits a man in a red cubicle smoking a long clay pipe (an attribute of vanity pastimes and the theme of vanitas). Next to him, a figure in a brown hat emerges from the depths of the shadows, while to the right a younger man in a red cap focuses his attention on the woman seated in front. Clad in a bright blue dress with a white collar and a white cap, she is a prominent element in the composition. She holds in her hand a clay jug with a tin lid. Her gaze is directed to the side, beyond the area of the main game, which introduces an element of psychological distance into the scene.
Surrounding the figure are everyday objects emphasizing the plebeian character of the place: a wooden barrel (on the left), clay bowls, a white cloth on a wooden stool and heads of cabbage on the right. In the background, on the left, in an open doorway or passageway, the silhouette of another man can be seen observing the gathering.
Dimensions: 57 cm (height) x 75.5 cm (width) ; with frame: 65 cm (height) x 83 cm (width)
Weight: 3.8 kg