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‘One of the high peaks in human experience’ — royal treasures from ancient Persia To the scholar Arthur Upham Pope, these gold reliefs were among the world’s greatest artworks	‘Collecting Jean Royère has become a cultural phenomenon’ A rare mid-century collection from a New York pied-a-terre reveals the French designer's timeless appeal
5 minutes with… Elisa and Felix – Napoleon’s most powerful sister and her princely husband Specialist William Russell Jr rediscovers the forgotten power couple thanks to two captivating busts by Lorenzo Bartolini	‘One of the most extraordinary bronzes I’ve ever handled’ — the Luboshez gong Specialist Margaret Gristina on a lavishly decorated Shang-dynasty wine vessel in the form of a tiger and an owl
‘It’s so rare to find a double-sided drawing from this period — with two artists’ work on it’ How did Renaissance artists Taddeo Zuccaro and Bartolomeo Passarotti come to make two drawings on either side of the same sheet?	5 minutes with... The Call of the Sun by Nicholas Roerich The artist, archaeologist and mystic painted this vision of primeval revelry six years after designing the costumes for Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, The Rite of Spring
A Ming-dynasty carpet owned by Louis Comfort Tiffany and A. Jerrold Perenchio Christie’s consultant Elisabeth Parker reveals why this extraordinary Ming carpet is one of the best examples ever seen at auction	Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo’s ‘Punchinello’ drawings Three more intriguing ink drawings from the artist’s ‘last and greatest work’, illustrating the life of the hook-nosed clown, come to auction in London
The wines of Henri Jayer: the ‘godfather’ of Burgundy As a rare six-magnum case of 1er Cru Cros Parantoux comes to auction on 28 July, Tim Triptree celebrates the legendary vintner who produced it	Emerging Man by Gordon Parks — a pioneer of African American photography and cinema The backstory to a photograph from a essay for LIFE, taken by the magazine’s first black staff photographer and writer
A brilliant fragment of an important ‘Vase’ carpet from the reign of Shah Abbas the Great Louise Broadhurst, Head of Oriental Rugs and Carpets, explains how a once-mighty carpet has come to be dispersed across the globe	From the walls of Brooke Astor’s apartment: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s Three studies of a donkey These 18th-century studies recur in Tiepolo works held in museums around the world, and were cherished by the animal-loving New York socialite
Three portraits by the artist who taught Louis XIII to draw Specialist Hélène Rihal tells the story of three previously unpublished Simon Vouet portraits made in the early 17th century	Discovery: An unpublished Lowry painting with links to a Nobel Prize Nick Orchard, Head of Modern British & Irish Art, discusses the fascinating provenance of this unusual industrial landscape
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, the legendary film director and the outsider artist Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, on the gift from Steven Spielberg of this record-breaking work by Bill Traylor	5 minutes with... Ernest Hemingway’s pocket watch The story of the writer’s long association with the Ritz in Paris, and the watch he was given by the hotel’s owner, which sold for $43,750
5 minutes with... Auguste Rodin’s The Age of Bronze Tudor Davies, Head of Impressionist & Modern Art, reveals why Rodin’s Salon ‘scandal’ marked a turning point in the artist’s career	5 minutes with... The Ireland Shakespeare forgeries Specialist Sophie Hopkins recounts the colourful story of an 18th-century literary scandal, and an unusual lot that sold for £11,000 in London
5 minutes with... A rare medieval Limoges crucifix Early European Sculpture specialist Milo Dickinson explains where and when this colourful cross was made, and why it sold for £162,500	5 minutes with... Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Sunflowers’ jacket This homage to Van Gogh — created for the great couturier’s Spring-Summer 1988 collection — sold for €382,000 in Paris
5 minutes with... The Simple Things by Takashi Murakami and Pharrell Williams ‘Nothing like this by Murakami has come to market before,’ says specialist Asia Chiao. The Simple Things is offered in Hong Kong	5 minutes with… A rare portrait of Mozart, aged 13 One of only five portraits made from life of the composer, this painting is tangible evidence of the child prodigy’s bewitching genius and early fame
5 minutes with… A magnificent falangcai bowl This rare Qing-dynasty bowl is a sublime example of ‘the creative collaboration between the East and the West’. It sold for HK$87,200,000	5 minutes with... Sanyu’s Five Nudes Specialist Eric Chang on why this work, which sold for a record HK$303,985,000 in Hong Kong, ‘marks a true peak of his career’
5 minutes with… A Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 in pink gold Why this Patek Philippe sold for HK$70,175,000 — just short of US$9 million — to become the most expensive wristwatch ever auctioned in Asia	5 minutes with... Umberto Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space Specialist Max Carter discusses a career-defining Futurist work, made just two years before the artist’s tragic death, which sold for a record $16.1 million
5 minutes with... A magnificent Chinese gilt-bronze bell This rare Qianlong-period bell was owned by one of the greatest collectors of the 20th century — William Randolph Hearst. Specialist Marco Almeida tells its story	5 minutes with… A mysterious silver skull pomander with possible royal provenance Why the experts are still baffled by art dealer Oliver Hoare‘s 17th-century pomander with possible royal provenance
5 minutes with… Henry Graves Jr.’s gold Patek Philippe minute repeating wristwatch This rare minute repeater was the first Patek Philippe wristwatch ever owned by the 20th century’s most celebrated watch collector. It sold for CHF 4,575,000	5 minutes with... Miles Davis’s ‘Moon and Stars’ trumpet Contemporary jazz star Keyon Harrold describes his thrill at playing the jazz legend’s blue ‘Moon and Stars’ horn
5 minutes with... A signed first edition of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray What can we learn from Oscar Wilde’s note to the poet Pierre Louÿs inside this first edition of his only novel?	5 minutes with... A Sbarro ‘Ferrari’-style toy car This Sbarro ‘Ferrari’-style car coming to Christie’s is not only exceptionally rare, it also has royal provenance
5 minutes with... A Nepalese bronze figure of Buddha Ratnasambhava Specialist Jacqueline Dennis Subhash explains how and why this sculpture was made, and recalls her visits to the bronze workshops of the Kathmandu Valley	5 minutes with... A 3,300-year-old head of Tutankhamen A sculpture of the god Amen adorned with the naturalistic features of Egypt’s most famous pharoah, offered in London on 4 July
5 minutes with... A Romano-British licking dog statue Antiquities specialist Claudio Corsi tells the story of an ancient bronze discovered by two metal detectorists in England in 2017	5 minutes with... The first books to prove that man is not at the centre of the universe A celestial map, published in 1572 by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, and groundbreaking works by Copernicus and Galileo
5 minutes with… Sketches of Greece by Edward Lear The author of The Owl and the Pussycat was also a tireless chronicler of life around the Mediterranean. A selection of sketches made in Greece is offered on 2 July	5 minutes with... Femme et Minotaure by Pablo Picasso An intensely autobiographical work that was made at a tumultuous period in the artist’s life — offered on 18 June
5 minutes with... Two royal writing desks Specialist Paul Gallois on two wildly different yet equally beautiful 18th-century desks — one made in France, the other in Germany, both offered in London	5 minutes with... A rock-crystal deer owned by Coco Chanel A Qing-dynasty rock-crystal deer that adorned the fashion icon’s coffee table in her apartment at the Ritz
5 minutes with... A pair of Chinese export candlesticks from the court of Philip V Fashioned in China and paid for with silver from the Americas, these candlesticks represent the Spanish Empire at its height	5 minutes with... Stanley Spencer’s Lilac and Clematis at Englefield The final work in a series of paintings of a Georgian house in Cookham, commissioned by the man who later helped to found the Stanley Spencer Gallery
5 minutes with... A case of 1985 Armand Rousseau, Chambertin Clos de Bèze Wine specialist Charles Foley tells the colourful story of a wine steeped in Burgundian tradition, ahead of a rare case being offered in London in June	5 minutes with... A finely carved white jade figure of Guanyin Christie’s specialist Kate Hunt explains why this delicate figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin is such an exciting prospect for collectors of Chinese jade
5 minutes with... A 19th-century Congolese Kifwebe mask International Head of African & Oceanic Art Susan Kloman has a close encounter with the ‘other-worldliness’ of a mask owned by two leading collectors in the field	5 minutes with... A monumental royal Mamluk Qur’an International Head of Islamic Art William Robinson reveals why royal Mamluk Qur’ans of this size attract so much attention when they come to market
5 minutes with... A Fabergé aquamarine and diamond tiara Angela Berden and Max Fawcett admire a romantic Fabergé tiara, with spectacular royal provenance	5 minutes with... Water Seeds by Carlos Alfonzo The sea would become a recurrent theme for the Cuban artist who was at the forefront of the Miami generation in the 1980s
5 minutes with… A rare rose-gold Rolex ref. 6062 Only around 50 examples of the ref. 6062 in pink gold were ever sold. This example, offered on 13 May, is one of the best	5 minutes with... Two rare ‘Polonaise’ carpets Louise Broadhurst, Head of Oriental Rugs and Carpets, on two carpets that are extraordinary survivors from the golden era of Safavid weaving in Isfahan
5 minutes with... An oil sketch for The Distribution of the Eagle Standards by Jacques-Louis David Old Masters specialist Alan Wintermute explains how X-ray and infrared analysis revealed this to be a preparatory painting for one of the artist’s largest ever works	5 minutes with... A double-sided painting by Constable Old Master paintings specialist Louisa Howard explains what this unusual work tells us about the artist’s restless working methods
5 minutes with… A moai kavakava ancestor figure from Easter Island Oceanic art specialist Bruno Claessens explains the impact made by this wooden figure — brought to Europe from Easter Island in 1868 — on art history	5 minutes with… A pair of Chinese Export reverse mirror paintings Specialist Victoria Tudor explains how these paintings reflect a unique period of cultural exchange between East and West
5 minutes with... An important drawing by Gustav Klimt This study for a gorgon in the Beethoven Frieze in Vienna may look familiar — a sister work has recently been promoting a Klimt exhibition in London	5 minutes with... Shibata Zeshin’s The Narrow Road to Shu Specialist Takaaki Murakami on why this scroll painting made with lacquer — which sold for $275,000 — represents a triumph of innovation
5 minutes with... Niccolò dell’Abate’s drawing, The Conversion of Saul Specialist Furio Rinaldi admires this rediscovered work by the 16th-century Italian artist, which scholars had long presumed lost	5 minutes with... Glass sculptures of jellyfish by Leopold Blaschka Specialist James Hyslop admires a spectacular fusion of art, craftsmanship and science created by a master glassmaker
5 minutes with... The Powel-Griffitts family Queen Anne chair Why John Hays thinks George Washington may have once sat on this recently rediscovered chair, made in Philadelphia circa 1750	5 minutes with… Landscape with a Stream by Edward Hicks American Folk Art specialist Sallie Glover explains why this small landscape painting gives us a rare insight into the life of the artist
5 minutes with… An architectural model of a Roman temple Christie’s UK Chairman Orlando Rock tell us more about this highly detailed souvenir, sculpted from fruitwood and aimed at Grand Tourists	5 minutes with… A 16th-century drawing by Lucas van Leyden Specialist Stijn Alsteens discusses this portrait of a young man — one of only 28 surviving drawings by the artist — which sold for £11,483,750 in London
5 minutes with... An Anglo-Norman bronze crucifix This English figure of Christ — one of only two of its type known to have survived the nine centuries since it was cast — was previously thought to have been French	5 minutes with… A Louis Vuitton aluminium Explorer trunk Our Head of Handbags and Accessories on why this aluminium travel trunk is set to break auction records
5 minutes with... A monumental imperial Russian vase Why would this vase, made in St Petersburg by Russia’s Imperial Porcelain Factory, feature Emperor Franz I of Austria? Specialist Margo Oganesian explains	5 minutes with… A 1926 bottle of The Macallan whisky This exceptional single malt sold for £1.2 million — a world auction record — in London. Specialist Tim Triptree MW explains why
5 minutes with... Emperor Qianlong’s yangcai ‘Jade Spring Hill’ vase Specialist Chi Fan Tsang on an imperial vase that resembles a scroll painting in the way the landscape unfurls	5 minutes with… A gilt-bronze Bodhisattva containing hidden treasures Find out what our specialist discovered inside this rare Xuande-period figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
5 minutes with… A Yongzheng-period moonflask Specialist Marco Almeida examines this large Chinese moonflask and explains why it might have belonged to an Emperor	5 minutes with… A Fang Ngil mask from Gabon Specialist Bruno Claessens explains why this rare mask sold for €2,407,500 in the African and Oceanic Art sale at Christie’s in Paris
5 minutes with... A 3,000-year-old Assyrian relief Retrieved from Nimrud in modern-day Iraq in the mid-19th century, this Assyrian relief sold for $30,968,750 — a world record price	5 minutes with... Autoportrait (Self Portrait) by Jeanne Hébuterne Valerie Hess looks at a rare self-portrait by the artist and muse who sacrificed everything for Modigliani
5 minutes with... Marcel Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise ‘In a way, you’re getting 79 Duchamp works for a fraction of the price of one of his Readymades,’ says specialist Tudor Davies of the artist’s portable retrospective	5 minutes with… An Ear of Mud, An Ear of Paste (1951) by Abdul Hadi El-Gazzar Post-War and Contemporary Art specialist Hala Khayat discusses Abdul Hadi El Gazzar’s 1951 masterwork, which sold in London in October
5 minutes with... The ‘Tipo B’ side chair by Carlo Mollino Specialist Simon Andrews reveals the curious obsessions of the 20th-century Italian designer	5 minutes with... A Seated Youth by Reza ’Abbasi Why this portrait by one of the leading Persian miniaturist painters of the Safavid Empire represents an ageless story of love and longing
5 minutes with... Mexiko by Sigmar Polke A work that according to Francis Outred shows why Sigmar Polke is a giant of post-war art who remains underrated by the market	5 minutes with... Jean Dubuffet’s Personnage des Légendes Specialist Alma Davidsohn illuminates the story behind a picture that symbolises the friendship between Jean Dubuffet and the legendary MoMA curator Peter Selz
5 minutes with… Giacometti’s Figurine de Londres I Modelled by Alberto, cast by Diego and owned by Bruno, this ’intimate and personal’ bronze was a family affair	5 minutes with… Two limestone Tang-dynasty bodhisattvas Chinese Works of Art specialist Olivia Hamilton reckons these two superb sculptures — around 1,300 years old — are among ‘the finest I've seen come up for sale‘
5 minutes with... A 3,000-year-old bronze gui Offered on 13 September, this bronze vessel is one of only 15 four-legged examples known to our specialist, and once belonged to the emperor Qianlong	5 minutes with… A rare Mbembe female drum figure This 300-year-old Mbembe figure is one of fewer than 20 known to exist. Offered in Paris, it is part of ‘a market-making moment’ for Nigerian material at Christie’s
5 minutes with... An Eileen Gray ‘Transat’ chair Why this iconic piece represented a ‘moment of profound transition’ for its creator — and for furniture design itself	5 minutes with... An 18k gold minute repeating Patek Philippe An encounter with a rare 1930 minute repeater, which Rebeca Ross describes as ‘unearthing the Patek Philippe DNA’
5 minutes with... an 18th-century copy of the Ramayana Specialist Rukmani Kumari Rathore on an 18th-century illustrated manuscript of the Hindu epic that was owned by a warrior queen	5 minutes with... A collection of Cartier cufflinks Senior International Jewellery Director and cufflink aficionado David Warren admires 20 exquisite pairs of gem-set cufflinks, offered in London on 13 June
5 minutes with... An early diamond-and-emerald necklace by Tiffany & Co. Jewellery specialist Marie-Cécile Cisamolo on the possible royal connections of this ‘incredibly rare’ late 19th-century piece	5 minutes with... The Temptation of St. Anthony by Dorothea Tanning Vanessa Fusco on a work with an unlikely Hollywood connection by the American Surrealist painter
5 minutes with… The Nitta Maitreya Ruben Lien, Senior Specialist in Chinese Works of Art, admires a gilt-bronze Buddha crafted some 1,400 years ago	5 minutes with... A tianqiuping vase commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor Why this nearly 300-year-old Celestial Sphere vase will set hearts fluttering when it comes to auction on 30 May
5 minutes with... An Emmanuel-Alfred Beurdeley Bureau du Roi This sublime bureau — offered on 20 April in New York — is a 19th-century reproduction of a 1769 piece commissioned by Louis XV	5 minutes with... Rubens’ A Satyr Holding a Basket of Grapes and Quinces with a Nymph From the dirt beneath its fingernails to its wine-flushed cheeks, the vivid details of this half-man half-goat are quintessential Rubens, says specialist John Hawley
5 minutes with… Piero Manzoni’s Achrome, 1958 Post-War and Contemporary Art specialist Renato Pennisi on the iconic 1958 work he had long hoped to find	5 minutes with... An Egyptian sculpture of a sacred bull Antiquities specialist Hannah Fox Solomon explains why this Apis bull is a cause for excitement among collectors and institutions across the globe
5 minutes with… A diamond ring and a pendant brooch by JAR Daphne Lingon toasts the meticulous craftsmanship of Joel Arthur Rosenthal, as illustrated by two sublime pieces offered in our Jewels sale on 17 April in New York	5 minutes with... The Marcus Curtius ewer by Adam van Vianen Harry Williams-Bulkeley, Christie's European Head of Silver, explains what makes this Dutch Golden Age silver ewer so extraordinary
5 minutes with… Vampire II by Edvard Munch Prints and Multiples specialist Charles Scott discusses ‘one of the crowning achievements' of the artist’s graphic output	5 minutes with... A Pala-period sculpture of a warrior goddess Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art specialist Isabel McWilliams on a 'dramatic' 10-11th century stone figure of the Hindu goddess Durga
5 minutes with... King Farouk’s personalised Patek Philippe 1518 This ‘great-great-grandfather’ of Patek Philippe’s perpetual chronograph series — one of only 281 ever crafted — is being offered in Dubai on 23 March	5 minutes with… Ken Price’s Izzy Zoe Klemme, co-head of the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction in London, on the Los Angeles artist’s ceramic sculptures created ‘strictly for pleasure’
5 minutes with... Henri Matisse’s Femme assise à la robe de taffetas Works on Paper specialist Ottavia Marchitelli on a 1938 study that offers a fascinating insight into the artist’s mercurial decision-making process	5 minutes with… Edgar Degas’ Dans les coulisses (In the Wings) Christie’s Global President Jussi Pylkännen is surprised and delighted to see this rare pastel opera scene come to market — on 27 February in London
5 minutes with… Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for a Portrait Francis Outred, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art in London, on a triptych that signalled the end of a long period of mourning for the artist	5 minutes with... Rare Qianlong period ‘tea cultivation’ dishes The story behind an exceedingly rare porcelain grouping, most likely commissioned by a Dutch tea merchant in the mid-18th century
5 minutes with... Aristoloches by Aloïse Corbaz Aloïse Corbaz spent most of her life in an asylum. Specialist Cara Zimmerman explains why this drawing held a special place in the collection of André Breton	5 minutes with… An ancient Egyptian female figure Thanks in part to the dry Egyptian desert, this beautiful wood sculpture has survived for some 4,000 years
5 minutes with... A metallic bronze Birkin 25 Lucile Andreani, Christie’s Handbag specialist, on an extremely rare Hermès Birkin inspired by the house's Paris windows	5 minutes with… A Renaissance ‘imaginary cities’ manuscript The 50 drawings of fantastical cities contained in this album — offered in New York on 5 December — were dedicated in 1595 to the new Doge of Venice
5 minutes with… A Harry Winston wreath necklace Specialist Daphne Lingon explains why this exquisite creation — ‘almost like a piece of fabric’ — represents a revolution in diamond jewellery design	5 minutes with... An onyx polar bear by Fabergé How our specialist tracked down the provenance of this onyx bear, which links British aristocracy to the Vanderbilts
5 minutes with... A William Mathie mirror Peter Horwood, Christie’s Director of English Furniture, on an 18th-century mirror adorned with monkeys and mythical birds that has an exceptional provenance	5 minutes with… Giacometti’s Grande femme II Christie's 20th century art specialist on the ‘shock’ of viewing Giacometti's largest and most magisterial sculpture — which sold for a record €25 million
5 minutes with... An 18th-century clock owned by the sister of Marie-Antoinette Our Decorative Arts specialist explains why he thinks this ‘elegant’ piece was made for a ‘very sophisticated patron’	5 minutes with... A book of poems illustrated by James Ensor An extraordinary collection of 50 sketches made by the Belgian artist in a volume of his friend’s poetry — offered in the Art Moderne sale on 20 October
5 minutes with... A 16th-century Ottoman-style shield Christie’s Islamic art specialist Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam examines a rare 16th-century Venetian shield covered in Ottoman designs	5 minutes with… A 12-panel coromandel lacquer screen A Kangxi-period screen like this has not been seen at Christie’s ‘in many years’ says Michelle Cheng, Asian Art specialist at Christie’s in New York
5 minutes with... An early 19th-century ship’s figurehead John Hays, Deputy Chairman Christie’s Americas, marvels at the incredible journey taken by this carving in pine by William Rush, the ‘Father of American sculpture’	5 minutes with... A Himalayan gilt-bronze Buddha Leiko Coyle explains why this Nepalese sculpture is her ‘dream piece’
5 minutes with... A masterpiece by V. S. Gaitonde Untitled from 1996, offered at Christie’s on 13 September, marks ‘the apogee’ of the great Indian artist’s career	5 minutes with… A Bronze Age ceremonial dirk Antiquities Specialist Claudio Corsi admires this rare, museum-quality weapon, well over 3,000 years old and offered in London on 5 July
5 minutes with… An Attic vase depicting athletes in training Laetitia Delaloye examines an early 6th-century BC vessel attributed to the Carpenter Painter	5 minutes with… An extremely rare Richard Mille prototype Christie’s watch specialist Frederic Watrelot takes a closer look at a timepiece known as the ‘billionaire’s handshake’
The Maria Fitzherbert Jewel: a love token from a future king to his ‘wife of my heart and soul’ This love token is one of a pair probably commissioned by the Prince of Wales for the woman he adored but was forbidden to marry	5 minutes with... Zhang Daqian’s Ancient Temples Amidst Clouds Ben Kong, International Specialist Head of Chinese Paintings, discusses this seminal work by the master of splashed ink
5 minutes with… An Hermès Ghillies Birkin Caitlin Donovan, Handbags specialist at Christie’s in New York, discusses this ‘wearable work of art’	5 minutes with… A Childe Hassam flag painting The first picture from the artist’s iconic flag series was offered in the American Art sale on 23 May
5 minutes with… A revolutionary landscape owned by one of the Monuments Men This small painting by Theodore Rousseau was not only groundbreaking, it also boasts a fascinating provenance	5 minutes with… A Rolex gifted by the Sultan of Oman Specialist Sabine Kegel reveals the fascinating story behind a rare and extraordinary Rolex Daytona, one of fewer than 10 of its kind known to exist
5 minutes with… An Art Deco Cartier brooch owned by a Hollywood film star Jewellery specialist Angela Berden discusses an exceptional ruby-and-diamond brooch by Cartier, previously owned by the actress Emmy Wehlen	5 minutes with… Robert Rauschenberg’s Accident Christie’s Prints specialist Elsie Widing on one of the groundbreaking American artist’s most important lithographs
5 minutes with… Yayoi Kusama’s spot pumpkins Specialist Victoria Gramm on two miniature masterpieces by one of the contemporary art world’s biggest stars	5 minutes with… A Greek bronze Chalcidian helmet Specialist Hannah Solomon discusses an unusually ornate war helmet being offered in the Exceptional Sale on 28 April in New York
5 minutes with… A mysterious Harold Harvey portrait discovered in a charity shop Specialist Sarah Reynolds reveals how a chance encounter in a charity shop could now be about to pay off handsomely	5 minutes with... An early Hockney print that hung in his local chip shop Christie’s Prints specialist James Baskerville explains how a previously unknown impression of Fish and Chip Shop came to be offered in our London saleroom
5 minutes with… A 3,000-year-old bronze ram-form wine vessel Six ritual wine vessels offered in Important Chinese Art from the Fujita Museum sale realise $125.8 million	5 minutes with... A rare Qing Dynasty zitan side table Chinese art specialist Michelle Cheng discusses the ’quiet, subtle grace’ of this superb piece from the Virata Family Collection of Asian Art
5 minutes with… A haunting self-portrait by Richard Dadd Specialist Tom Rooth recounts the troubling story of the 19th-century artist who created his most famous works from an asylum	5 minutes with… A 900-year-old Indian Pala-period statue Specialist Leiko Coyle discusses a black stone figure of Lokanatha (Avalokiteshvara) which sold for a world record-breaking $24,663,500
5 minutes with… Ismail Shammout’s Odyssey of a People Specialist Masa Al-Kutoubi takes a closer look at an epic, six-metre wide painting that depicts the Palestinian struggle	5 minutes with… Elizabeth Peyton’s (Dark) Harry Post-War and Contemporary Art specialist Leonie Grainger discusses an unusual work by the sought-after American portraitist
5 minutes with… A Tibetan statue — and the human relic believed to be within it Specialist Sandhya Jain Patel introduces a 17th-century devotional object that may contain a human relic	5 minutes with… Rodin’s The Kiss Impressionist & Modern Art specialist Jay Vincze reveals the story behind one of the most famous depictions of love in the history of art
5 minutes with… A drawing with a secret history Specialist Furio Rinaldi explains how he unravelled the true identity of the artist behind a drawing made in 17th-century Rome	5 minutes with… A silver bar from a 17th-century shipwreck When the Atocha sank in a hurricane nearly 400 years ago, hopes of recovering its extraordinary cargo of treasure seemed lost
5 minutes with... A carved-wood headrest by the Master of the Cascade Coiffure Specialist Bruno Claessens introduces a fascinating object carved by one of the most important African artists of the 19th century	5 minutes with… A case of 1947 Cheval Blanc Specialist Chris Munro on a complete case of one of the world’s most coveted vintages, to be offered in our 8 December sale
5 minutes with… A rare Imperial Russian order A closer look at a Star of the Order of St. Catherine, presented to Queen Victoria’s youngest granddaughter in 1908	5 minutes with... The earliest painted representation of the Turin Shroud Specialist Eugenio Donadoni explains how he made a startling discovery among the illuminations in a 16th-century prayerbook
5 minutes with… Fernand Léger’s ceramic reliefs Specialist Fanny Saulay on a group of works by the French artist who wanted to make his work ‘accessible to all’	5 minutes with… A Cartier emerald brooch Specialist Daphne Lingon on the ‘very special moment’ she set eyes on an exceptional piece once owned by a style icon
5 minutes with… A piece of Ottoman armour for a horse Specialist Romain Pingannaud discusses a glorious piece of gilded equine armour from the Ottoman era	5 minutes with… Magritte’s Femme-Bouteille Specialist Jessica Fertig on the wine bottle that became a Surrealist masterpiece
5 minutes with… A unique Patek Philippe diamond watch A closer look at an incredibly rare special commission — with a crystal made from the third-largest known portrait-cut diamond	5 minutes with… A precious survivor from Mughal India Specialist Sara Plumbly examines a rare and bewitching page from a 16th-century, hand-painted copy of the Hamzanama
5 minutes with… A maquette that rethought the female nude Philippe Garner, Deputy Chairman of Photographs, discusses a maquette of Cowboy Kate & Other Stories by Sam Haskins	5 minutes with… A very special bottle of 50-year-old Speyside whisky Wine specialist Noah May discusses The Glenlivet, The Winchester Collection Vintage 1966
5 minutes with… A Russian Princess’s emerald cameo Specialist Max Fawcett reveals the history behind an exquisitely detailed piece, perfectly preserved after more than a century	5 minutes with… Kumi Sugai’s celebration of his Porsche Our specialist on a work by Japanese artist Kumi Sugai, whose love of speed led him to risk his life, and change his art
5 minutes with… An 18th-century Chinese porcelain bowl Specialist Kate Hunt reveals how she uses ultraviolet light to inspect new finds, such as this Chinese porcelain bowl	5 minutes with… A 19th-century Islamic manuscript Romain Pingannaud introduces a beautifully illustrated work whose style crosses dynasties
5 minutes with... An 18th-century astrolabe Specialist James Hyslop on his latest find — an 18th century astrolabe used to track the stars	5 minutes with… A 50-million-year-old fossil Specialist Eryn Brobyn takes a closer look at a large and extremely rare fossilised palm frond excavated from a desert in Wyoming
Thomas Venning: 5 minutes with Einstein’s leather jacket Our specialist discusses a ‘pungent’ leather jacket worn by one of the greatest scientists in history	5 minutes with… Coco Chanel’s chairs Specialist Pauline de Smedt on two Diego Giacometti chairs owned by one of the 20th century’s most iconic designers
5 minutes with: Noah May opens a hitherto sealed case of La Tâche 1978 Our wine specialist shares a once-in-a-career opportunity, to inspect a case of a wine that’s a ‘Holy Grail’ for collectors	5 minutes with… A pair of Republic-period porcelain seals Chinese art specialist Kate Hunt takes a closer look at seals decorated by the renowned painter He Xuren

5 minutes with extraordinary objects and works of art

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From the walls of Brooke Astor’s apartment: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s Three studies of a donkey

These 18th-century studies recur in Tiepolo works held in museums around the world, and were cherished by the animal-loving New York socialite

Three portraits by the artist who taught Louis XIII to draw

Specialist Hélène Rihal tells the story of three previously unpublished Simon Vouet portraits made in the early 17th century

Discovery: An unpublished Lowry painting with links to a Nobel Prize

Nick Orchard, Head of Modern British & Irish Art, discusses the fascinating provenance of this unusual industrial landscape

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, the legendary film director and the outsider artist

Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, on the gift from Steven Spielberg of this record-breaking work by Bill Traylor

5 minutes with... Ernest Hemingway’s pocket watch

The story of the writer’s long association with the Ritz in Paris, and the watch he was given by the hotel’s owner, which sold for $43,750

5 minutes with... Auguste Rodin’s The Age of Bronze

Tudor Davies, Head of Impressionist & Modern Art, reveals why Rodin’s Salon ‘scandal’ marked a turning point in the artist’s career

5 minutes with... The Ireland Shakespeare forgeries

Specialist Sophie Hopkins recounts the colourful story of an 18th-century literary scandal, and an unusual lot that sold for £11,000 in London

5 minutes with... A rare medieval Limoges crucifix

Early European Sculpture specialist Milo Dickinson explains where and when this colourful cross was made, and why it sold for £162,500

5 minutes with... Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Sunflowers’ jacket

This homage to Van Gogh — created for the great couturier’s Spring-Summer 1988 collection — sold for €382,000 in Paris

5 minutes with... The Simple Things by Takashi Murakami and Pharrell Williams

‘Nothing like this by Murakami has come to market before,’ says specialist Asia Chiao. The Simple Things is offered in Hong Kong

5 minutes with… A rare portrait of Mozart, aged 13

One of only five portraits made from life of the composer, this painting is tangible evidence of the child prodigy’s bewitching genius and early fame

5 minutes with… A magnificent falangcai bowl

This rare Qing-dynasty bowl is a sublime example of ‘the creative collaboration between the East and the West’. It sold for HK$87,200,000

5 minutes with... Sanyu’s Five Nudes

Specialist Eric Chang on why this work, which sold for a record HK$303,985,000 in Hong Kong, ‘marks a true peak of his career’

5 minutes with… A Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 in pink gold

Why this Patek Philippe sold for HK$70,175,000 — just short of US$9 million — to become the most expensive wristwatch ever auctioned in Asia

5 minutes with... Umberto Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

Specialist Max Carter discusses a career-defining Futurist work, made just two years before the artist’s tragic death, which sold for a record $16.1 million

5 minutes with... A magnificent Chinese gilt-bronze bell

This rare Qianlong-period bell was owned by one of the greatest collectors of the 20th century — William Randolph Hearst. Specialist Marco Almeida tells its story

5 minutes with… A mysterious silver skull pomander with possible royal provenance

Why the experts are still baffled by art dealer Oliver Hoare‘s 17th-century pomander with possible royal provenance

5 minutes with… Henry Graves Jr.’s gold Patek Philippe minute repeating wristwatch

This rare minute repeater was the first Patek Philippe wristwatch ever owned by the 20th century’s most celebrated watch collector. It sold for CHF 4,575,000

5 minutes with... Miles Davis’s ‘Moon and Stars’ trumpet

Contemporary jazz star Keyon Harrold describes his thrill at playing the jazz legend’s blue ‘Moon and Stars’ horn

5 minutes with... A signed first edition of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

What can we learn from Oscar Wilde’s note to the poet Pierre Louÿs inside this first edition of his only novel?

5 minutes with... A Sbarro ‘Ferrari’-style toy car

This Sbarro ‘Ferrari’-style car coming to Christie’s is not only exceptionally rare, it also has royal provenance

5 minutes with... A Nepalese bronze figure of Buddha Ratnasambhava

Specialist Jacqueline Dennis Subhash explains how and why this sculpture was made, and recalls her visits to the bronze workshops of the Kathmandu Valley

5 minutes with... A 3,300-year-old head of Tutankhamen

A sculpture of the god Amen adorned with the naturalistic features of Egypt’s most famous pharoah, offered in London on 4 July

5 minutes with... A Romano-British licking dog statue

Antiquities specialist Claudio Corsi tells the story of an ancient bronze discovered by two metal detectorists in England in 2017

5 minutes with... The first books to prove that man is not at the centre of the universe

A celestial map, published in 1572 by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, and groundbreaking works by Copernicus and Galileo

5 minutes with… Sketches of Greece by Edward Lear

The author of The Owl and the Pussycat was also a tireless chronicler of life around the Mediterranean. A selection of sketches made in Greece is offered on 2 July

5 minutes with... Femme et Minotaure by Pablo Picasso

An intensely autobiographical work that was made at a tumultuous period in the artist’s life — offered on 18 June

5 minutes with... Two royal writing desks