Maki-e Japanese Edo Period incense box. Manatee Galleries image.
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The Petri collection includes fine sculpture; artwork and Gustavian pieces; a collection of Frechen stoneware jugs, Bartmann Krug, Germany, 16th century; along with an important 18th century Gustavian commode from the Georg Haupt workshop. Manatee Galleries will also offer the rest of the G.V. Burdin collection of important Chinese porcelain, which comes from Elisabeth Dufeu, sister of Mrs. Ingrid Petri, from the south of France.
Manatee Galleries has the distinction of offering selected pieces of museum-quality, fine and decorative art from the collection of world travelers and multigenerational collectors, Ambassador Ragnar Petri and Mrs. Ingrid Burdin Petri. Many of these pieces to be auctioned at Manatee Galleries’ Nov. 10 auction have never before come to the auction block.
“Ambassador Ragnar Petri served as Swedish ambassador and consulate to many nations, including Japan, Ecuador, Germany, Spain, Zaire and Colombia,” said Adrienne Falconer, president of Manatee Galleries. “Ingrid Petri was born into a family of collectors. Her father was Gylfe Burdin, a prosperous Stockholm businessman and art aficionado, who acquired only the finest antique Asian porcelain, which Ingrid eventually inherited.” In 2001, after a lifetime of traveling, the Petris moved to Sarasota, Fla., where they built a home worthy of housing this exceptional private collection.
Some of the fine art highlights in this auction hail from their collection including a 16th century Flemish ink wash allegorical scene by Karel I van Mander (1548-1606). His style of drawing, which utilized strong lines and lengthened proportions, became instrumental in developing the Dutch Mannerism style. This is likely due to his travel in the late 16th century to Rome, where he absorbed the Classical Renaissance and later Mannerist styles. In addition to his artistic prowess, Van Mander was a prolific author; his most notable work being, Het Schilderboeck, a 15th century history of Flemish and Netherlandish painters. This is the largest Van Mander that we have ever come across, said Falconer.
Another Flemish delight on offer is an ink and wash maquette drawing by Jan Jozef I Horemans (1682-1759). This scene depicts a family celebrating the birth of twins. In this scene the happy father pours wine for the women who attend the babies and new mother. This piece is a maquette for an existing oil on canvas painting by Horemans, which was offered for auction in Amsterdam in 2011. It is remarkable that both the maquette and oil have survived over hundreds of years.
Bidders can also expect a fabulous 17th century Old Masters Dutch oil on wood panel female portrait by Jan Anthonisz van Ravesteyn (1570-1657). Van Ravesteyn was one of the finest portraitists of the regent and aristocratic classes of the Netherlands in the early 17th century. This piece hails to the golden age of Dutch portrait painting and depicts a woman of the upper class wearing an austere gray on black patterned dress covered with a translucent gauzy mantle held by a black rosette. This piece is signed and dated 1650 on the face and verso.
The Petri family also owned a number of pieces by leading Swedish artists, which will be offered for auction. Three of these are original etchings by Swedish artist, Anders Leonard Zorn (1860–1920). These are classic works by the artist, which had been received as wedding gifts by the Petris in 1956. Sappo is a classic example of the artist’s ability to modulate light through his etching technique. The trio, Sappo, Gulli II and The New Maid, show Zorn’s ability to depict young women in the in the flower of youth and innocence through the fine lines of etching.
The Petris did not confine their collection to paintings. Several sculptures will also be on offer one of which is by Swedish artist Christian Berg (1893-1976). Dekorativ Skulptur I is an elegant, gravity defying, polished bronze sculpture, which renders the human form into cubist proportions infused with movement. This piece is mounted to a solid marble plinth. This is one of the larger Bergs. The sculpture is signed and dated 1929 by the artist.
Swedish items also included are from the sculptor Carl Milles (1875-1955). Milles trained in Auguste Rodin’s studio and later became the sculptor-in-residence at Cranbrook Academy of Art at Blomfield Hills, Mich. He is known for large fountains which adorn public spaces throughout the world as well as more intimately sized compositions. Manatee Galleries is privileged to offer a rare exceptional sterling silver variation of his bronze sculpture Girl with Bucket. This outstanding piece bears Swedish sterling silver hallmarks and was cast at the foundry of Herman Bergman. The auctioneers has been unable to find any recording of any other silver pieces by this artist.
Not to be outdone by the Swedish and Flemish pieces being offered is an original drawing by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. This double-sided graphite on paper drawing resided in the family collection of Paul Schrieber, grandfather of Jacques Dufeu. It depicts a ballerina on horseback as well as a circus ringmaster, and has documentation stating its authenticity.
No comprehensive fine art collection would be complete without original hand-signed Salvador Dali (1904-1989) lithographs. The pair being offered were purchased in Stockholm at the time of their release in 1966 by Mrs. Petri. The Red Shoes and The Ugly Duckling hail from Dali’s “The Hans Christian Anderson Tales” series. The Red Shoes is the épreuve d’artiste of this lithograph.
This auction provides an exciting opportunity to bid on early 1800s, neoclassical, Gustavian furniture. An exceptional example hails from the Royal Palace of Stockholm. This chair has descended from the King of Sweden, Karl XIV Johan, who reigned between 1818 and 1844. This Empire-style chair is attributed to Ephraim Ståhl and the design exhibits a markedly Egyptian flair with carved Pharaoh’s heads at the arms and deep sabre legs. In the Grand Guest Apartments of Stockholm Palace an almost exact match to this chair can be found in a fine suite of gilded chairs.
Another excellent example of Gustavian furniture is the important 18th century inlaid commode from the Georg Haupt workshop. This commode is typical of the cabinet maker Nils Petter Stenstrom who was a pupil of Georg Haupt and went on to make masterpieces in Gustavian furniture. This piece has a marble top, double locks and has been inlaid with a child’s bust in the center of inlaid ribbon work and uniform beaded inlay throughout.
As stated earlier, Mrs. Elisabeth Dufeu , the daughter of Gylfe Burdin and sister of Mrs. Ingrid Petri, has consigned her fabulous collection of Chinese porcelain to be auctioned on Nov. 10. This fine porcelain collection was up until recently, housed in Euzet les Bains in the south of France. Included is a pair of Chinese 18/19th century Famille Verte Gu vases with fabulous form and painting; double blue underglaze mark. Also presented is a magnificent rare formed Chinese Kangxi period (1662-1722) Famille Verte teapot with a fine and scarce painted scene and form, along with many other wonderful pieces of Chinese porcelain. Also being auctioned from the Burdin estate is an important 17th century Shunzhi transitional period (1644-1661) blue and white gu-shape Chilong dragon vase. The upper body is painted with a fabulous dragon with a center band that separates the top and bottom. It is painted with leaves and fruit, while the lower body retains stiff leaves.
One of the highlights of the Asian pieces is a museum-quality rare scene signed Japanese Maki-e incense container (kogo) with two lacquer on wood with gold and silver maki-e decoration interior boxes residing in another fitted hardwood box. This is in perfect condition. From Japan, Edo period, circa 1810, the container was purchased in Japan in 1969 by Mrs. Petri’s father. This comes with a certificate. The virtuosity of the lacquer artist is displayed in the number of maki-e (sprinkled design) techniques that have been used to decorate these small containers. The vine leaves, some of the snowflakes, and the rafts are in slight relief (takamaki-e); the raised lines of the grasses over the snow-flakes, raised veining of the leaves, and the undulating waves illustrate the tsukegaki technique, while accents of carefully placed small squares of gold leaf (okibir-ame) are visible on some of the leaves and on the dark snowflake near the center, which is colored with a mixture of silver and charcoal dust (gin kuro). The background of the outer box is nashiji (pear-skin ground), with the densely sprinkled gold flecks suspended in translucent amber-colored lacquer.
Another exceptional piece is the rare Chinese Famille Rose Mandarin punchbowl with the finest painting the auction house has seen. The 21-inch bowl is decorated and gilded with shaped panels surrounded by gold dragons enclosing alternating scenes of officials and ladies at leisure and birds among flowers, all reserved on a gilt ground with further scrolling foliage. A Chinese Famille Verte porcelain circular dish, Kangxi period, 14 inches in diameter, is another superb piece.
Featured as well is a set of four antique Chinese scrolls, 19th century but very possibly 18th century. They are ink and color on paper-backed silk weave, a pair of phoenix beneath a tree, peonies growing around the base, a retinue of birds in the branches and on the ground and remounted with brocade fabric. Manatee Galleries will also have in addition to many more Famille Verte Kangxi period pieces and Chinese works of art, a nice selection of ivory, jade and Chinese paintings and an extensive array of Tibetan Chinese bronze. This 500-lot auction represents a rare opportunity to acquire museum-quality pieces that have been held in private hands for generations.
For details call the gallery at 941-722-4800.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Maki-e Japanese Edo Period incense box. Manatee Galleries image. Karl van Mander allegory painting. Manatee Galleries image. Kangxi Period, 1662-1722, large charger. Manatee Galleries image. Group of Gustavian furnishings from the Petri collection. Manatee Galleries image. Collection of Chinese porcelain that will be sold Nov. 10 at Manatee Galleries. Manatee Galleries image.
