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Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue (1931-2013)
January 30, 2013 |
© Lucy Dickens / National Portrait Gallery, London
The noted authority on eighteenth-century French furniture and Sèvres porcelain, Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue, Surveyor Emeritus of the Queen's Works of Art died on January 4, 2013.
The pinnacle of Sir Geoffrey's research and study was the three-volume catalogue, French Porcelain in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, published in 2009. In reviewing it for the Art Newspaper, Aileen Dawson described it as a "sumptuous catalogue which is a pleasure to read and a mine of all sorts of information."
Shortly after Sir Geoffrey's birth in France in 1931, his family moved to England. There he attended Wellington and Trinity College, but after a brief stint as a banker he went to Paris to study at the École du Louvre under Pierre Verlet, the leading authority on royal French furniture and decorative arts.
In 1960 Sir Geoffrey was hired to work at Waddesdon Manor, the Rothschild château in Buckinghamshire, and was ap…» More
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Antiques Week in Philadelphia: 23rd Street Armory Antiques Show
May 9, 2012 |
Barn Star Productions' 23rd Street Armory Antiques Show got off to a brisk start in its original Center City location on Friday, April 27, as dozens of collectors stormed the gates in search of eighteenth through early twentieth century fare.
Organized by Rhinebeck, N.Y. promoter Frank Gaglio, the show is a magnet for Americana buyers, including exhibitors from the nearby Philadelphia Antiques Show, a shuttle stop away at the Convention Center.
"Attendance was on par with last year, which was great considering that we had new dates," said Gaglio. Next year both shows will open on Friday, April 12.
Early Friday morning, Pennsylvania dealers Pat and Rich Garthoeffner sold to a colleague from Texas, Connecticut dealers Kocian DePasqua handed over an early trade sign to prominent collectors from New Jersey, and Main Line dealer Diana Bittel swooped in to claim a weathered wooden sea serpent, probably a ship's relic, from Maine dealers Thomas Jewett and Charles Berdan…» More
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Antiques Week in Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Antiques Show
May 9, 2012 | From its redesigned catalogue to its sleek new stands, the Philadelphia Antiques Show looked younger than its 51 years when it opened on Friday, April 27, for a five-day run.
Organized as a benefit for Penn Medicine, the show is one of the oldest and most traditional in the country with a reputation for top-flight American, English, and Chinese works of art, both fine and decorative.
Not everyone welcomed this year's move from Navy Pier to the Convention Center. But one look at this handsome new installation with its low lighting, sophisticated palette and large, airy stands had even the most jaded show goers convinced.
There was plenty to look at but, really, you had to be there. Not to be missed?
Arader Galleries' stunning, 1754 engraving of the Philadelphia harbor and skyline from the Jersey Shore by George Heap and Nicholas Scull, $585,000. It is one of a handful of known examples of this print;
A spectacular sheet iron and copper Angel Gabriel weathervane, …» More
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TEFAF, The App
March 19, 2012 | The future of the art fair catalogue has arrived... and it is a TEFAF app for a smart phone. At yesterday's by invitation only preview for the European Fine Art Fair in Maasstricht, the most coveted accessory was a smart phone loaded with the new device. Interactive maps help visitors navigate their ways through the vast 265 exhibitor display. It also comes loaded with photographs of objects on offer, video clips, audio files and a curious "Try Out TEFAF" feature that lets you visualize an object in your own environment. The new app can be downloaded for free at www.tefaf.com/mobile.
Point of View |
Seen and Heard at the European Fine Art Fair: TEFAF Day One
March 16, 2012 | "The museum doesn't have a shopping list but I hope our collectors do," said MFA Boston director Malcolm Rogers, who accompanied a group of American collectors through the European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) on its opening day, March 15.
"I could be tempted to collect Old Master pictures instead of contemporary art," Whitney Museum of American Art director Adam D. Weinberg confessed to Boston collectors Ted and Barbara Alfond, part of the MFA delegation to the show, organized annually in Maastricht, The Netherlands. TEFAF was founded as a showcase for Old Masters pictures but has grown to encompass 265 exhibitors in a range of specialities, from antquities to contemporary art.
Wednesday, Netherlands Queen Beatrix made a private tour of the fair, which has pulled out the stops in celebration of its silver jubilee. "Her personal taste runs more to contemporary art but she did admire our Bosschaert the Elder painting of flowers," said the London-based Old Masters dealer Johnny v…» More
Pickle Dish, American China Manufactory (Bonnin and Morris), Philadelphia, 1771-72. Soft-paste porcelain with lead glaze; height 4 3/16, width 4 1/2
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