Chine, XVIIe siecle

étiquettes 126 et 358

Probablement acquis à la vente Cottreau, Paris, 28 avril 1910, (adjugé 4,015 FF)

The ivory has mellowed to a rich honey colour . Overall condition good with some fine vertical hairline fissures visible on the bottom and top edge. Remains of red wax seal on bottom right corner where old collectors label would have been attached.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Les premiers missionnaires Jésuites arrivèrent en Chine en 1552, moins de vingt ans après la fondation de la Compagnie de Jésus. Avant 1601, la confrérie installée à Pékin (l'actuelle Beijing) fut présentée à l'Empereur Wan Li (1573-1619). Les Jésuites durant ces années entretinrent avec les Chinois des relations plus culturelles que religieuses. La tête et la barbe rasées, vêtu d'habits chinois, ils adoptèrent très vite le mode de vie et les coutumes des habitants. Les ivoires d'iconographie chrétienne réalisés par les Chinois pour les Jésuites au XVIIème siècle témoignent de cet échange culturel et artistique. Des artistes locaux, habiles graveurs, qui sculptaient des défenses d'éléphants d'Asie s'inspirèrent de modèles gravés européens, apportés par les missionnaires. La bordure moulurée de l'ivoire de la collection Dormeuil est caractéristique des ivoires de ces ateliers chinois et peut être comparée, par exemple, à la plaque de la Crucifixion illustrée par Navarro de Pintado (no. 85).

REFERENCES BIBLOGRAPHIQUES
B. Sanchez Navarro de Pintado, Marfiles Cristianos del Oriente en Mexico, Mexico, 1986, pp. 83-84, no. 85.

CHINESE-JESUIT, 17TH CENTURY
AN IVORY RELIEF WITH THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS

The first Jesuit missionaries arrived in China in 1552, less than 20 years after the foundation of the Society of Jesus. By 1601 the society had reached Beijing and been presented to the emperor Wan Li (1573-1619). The Jesuit approach to China in these years was remarkable because it attempted a cultural exchange rather than an outright colonisation. Jesuit priests shaved their heads and beards and adopted Chinese dress and customs. Seventeenth Century Chinese-Jesuit ivories are testimony to the kind of cultural exchange which the Jesuits were trying to promote. Using the tusks of the Asian elephant and the established skills of local ivory carvers, the Jesuits introduced Christian themes into works of art, often copied from prints of European prototypes which the missionaries had carried with them into China. The distinctive border on the present ivory with its three bands is typical of Chinese-Jesuit plaques, and can be compared, for example, to the Crucifixion relief illustrated by Navarro de Pintado (no. 85).