“Every part [is] mathematically related to every other part, and visual complexity accumulates step-by-step.”
At the 2019 Delaware Antiques Show
The Delaware Antiques Show is in full swing at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware, where it runs through Sunday.
Toasting a Master
Whether you know him personally or just by reputation, there’s no question that Jonathan Leo Fairbanks is a lion in the worlds of American decorative arts and craft. Recently, to toast him on his retirement as director of the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts, the museum published American History, Art, and Culture: Writings in Honor of Jonathan Leo Fairbanks.
Canon Fodder at Hirschl & Adler
The rise of the neoclassical style in American decorative arts in the early decades of the nineteenth century coincided with a collective national sigh of relief.
Intelligent design
A look at the evolution of the decorative arts collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, as it provides the loan exhibition for the 2018 edition of the Winter Antiques Show.
Critical thinking/Difficult issues: Bearing the weight
The field of decorative arts reflects the inheritance of patriarchy in ways that are rarely acknowledged.
All About Eats: Art and the American Imagination in Chicago
from The Magazine ANTIQUES, November/December 2013 | Fig. 7. Melons and Morning Glories by Peale, 1813. Inscribed “Raphaelle Peale Painted/Philadelphia Septr. 3d. 1813” at lower right. Oil on canvas, 20 ¾ by 25 ¾ inches. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of Paul Mellon. Not so long ago you could learn how to cook an opossum by consulting The Joy of Cooking. …
Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939
from The Magazine ANTIQUES, March/April 2012 | In 1851 Albert, prince consort of Queen Victoria, and the architect Henry Cole realized their grand vision of an international exhibition where the traditions, aspirations, and accomplishments of many nations were showcased.1 Hardware at the Great Exhibition by Joseph Nash (1809-1878), from Dickenson’s Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851 (London 1852). Color lithograph. Victoria and Albert Museum, …
Failed design at the Bard Graduate Center
Last Friday, a crowd of mostly students and professors gathered at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture to hear a series of talks on design topics ranging from experimental architecture to computer interfaces. Despite the conference title, Failed Design (and subtitle: “What were they thinking?”), most speakers described design stories of some success …
This Week’s Top Lots: April 11 – 17
* The European furniture and decorative arts sale at Skinner in Boston on Saturday included nearly 1000 lots—the top lot was a 16th-century Flemish tapestry that brought $237,000, well above its estimate of $30,000-50,0000. Another remarkable lot was a Russian gold-washed silver and enamel kovsh from the early 20th century that was sold for $78,210 (estimate $7,000-9,000), while a large …