Yves Saint Laurent Pierre Bergé - Christie's

176
Venetian Enamels
The group of Venetian enamels in the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé
collection is one of the most comprehensive in existence in private hands.
While each piece is ultimately European in taste there is no question that they
are heavily influenced by the cultural ties existing between Venice and the East.
As a result of these ties, Islamic decorative motifs became prevalent in every
aspect of Venetian art during the Renaissance as can be clearly seen in the
group offered here. Eastern motifs such as the elaborate gilded foliate-scrolls
were not only inherently beautiful but also more exotic and fantastical than
the standard forms in Venetian art. It has been suggested that the crossfertilisation
of these cultural forms was due to the fact that the Venetians did
not have a significant ‘antique’ heritage. They therefore sought inspiration from
the cultural legacy of the Muslim world to which they were so widely exposed.
A parcel-gilt polychrome circular enamel ewer basin, Venetian, circa 1500,19 1 ⁄2 in. (49 cm.) diam.
Estimate: 3180,000–220,000