A Ceramic Feast

Selling Exhibition: Private Collections and Noteworthy Acquisitions, Stockspring Antiques, 114 Kensington Church St, London W8, 16th – 21st November 2015

A Pair of Vauxhall Vases decorated by James Giles c. 1764-68

A Pair of Vauxhall Vases decorated by James Giles
c. 1764-68

One can understand why collectors eagerly await this annual selling exhibition of English, Continental and Oriental porcelain for there is always much to tempt them. This year delivers some great pieces of which I show a few.

A Mennecy Owl c. 1750-55

A Mennecy Owl
c. 1750-55

The opening words of the catalogue’s foreword offer a useful reminder as to why some of us collect: Collecting ceramics gives us intriguing windows into the past with each piece resonating with the life, times, hopes and aspirations of its original owner.

A Lefebvre Paris Portrait Plaque of Princess Charlotte c. 1818

A Lefebvre Paris Portrait Plaque of Princess Charlotte
c. 1818

 

A Chinese Ko-sometsuke Dish for the Japanese Market Tianqui, c. 1621-7

A Chinese Ko-sometsuke Dish for the Japanese Market
Tianqui, c. 1621-7

 

A Liverpool Delftware Charger after a Chinese Kangxi design c. 1760

A Liverpool Delftware Charger after a Chinese Kangxi design
c. 1760

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Derby Figure of Andromache Weeping over the Ashes of Hector c. 1780-85

A Derby Figure of Andromache Weeping over the Ashes of Hector
c. 1780-85

http://www.antique-porcelain.co.uk

An Interior by Victoria Press

Cheyne Walk – An Interior by Victoria Press, Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1, 18th November 2015

The Painted Staircase, attributed to Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734) CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015

The Painted Staircase, attributed to Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734)
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

Next week’s sale at Christie’s takes us into the private world of Victoria Press (1927-2015).  Her former Georgian house dates from 1717 and has a staircase painted by Thornhill and Devoto.  It was a place she made uniquely her own with a very personal collection of furniture, paintings and porcelain.  Her training and work in the fashion industry of the late 40s and early 50s gave her a great eye for detail, scale, pattern and balance and as these pictures show she applied it with great aplomb to her own home.

The Entrance Hall CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015

The Entrance Hall
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

Her interest in art, architecture and interiors when combined with her membership of both The Georgian Group and The Furniture History Society led her to make many interesting purchases particularly from notable English country house collections.  In her quest to create a perfect environment furniture was moved from to room or new additions purchased but without fuss or pretence right up to the end of her life.  It was a private world that she gladly shared with friends and one can totally understand why they fell under the spell she so deftly cast in this beautiful house. Estimates range from £500 to £250,000.

The Drawing Room CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015

The Drawing Room
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

 

Viewing:

Saturday 14 November 12.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Sunday 15 November 12.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Monday 16 November 9.00 am – 4.30 pm

Tuesday 17 November 9.00 am – 8.00 pm

The Morning Room CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015

The Morning Room
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

 

The Exterior, Cheyne Walk CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015

The Exterior, Cheyne Walk
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

 

The Dining Room CREDIT: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2015

The Dining Room
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015

http://www.christies.com

Metalpoint Drawing

Drawing in silver and gold: Leonardo to Jasper Johns, Room 90, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1, until 6th December 2015

Albrecht Dürer, Dog resting, c. 1520, silverpoint over charcoal? on pale pink prepared paper, 128 x 180mm. © The Trustees of the British Museum

Albrecht Dürer,
Dog resting, c. 1520,
silverpoint over charcoal? on pale pink prepared paper, 128 x 180mm.
© The Trustees of the British Museum

This exhibition is a joint venture with the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and it looks at the technique of metalpoint drawing across the centuries and features around one hundred works drawn from collections around the world.

Susan Schwalb, Strata no. 407, 2005, silverpoint, 229 x 227mm. © Reproduced by permission of the artist

Susan Schwalb,
Strata no. 407, 2005,
silverpoint, 229 x 227mm.
© Reproduced by permission of the artist

The technique requires a metal stylus, often of silver, which was then used to draw on a roughened preparation.  The artist had to have a very clear idea of the image they wanted as it is difficult to rub out a line once drawn.  The skill and attention needed was worth it as the drawings in this exhibition eloquently show.

Leonardo da Vinci, Bust of a warrior, c. 1475, silverpoint, on cream prepared paper, 287 x 211mm. © The Trustees of the British Museum

Leonardo da Vinci,
Bust of a warrior, c. 1475,
silverpoint, on cream prepared paper, 287 x 211mm.
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Used in Italy in the 1400s but replaced by the growing popularity of chalk as a medium in the mid-16th century, it remained popular in Northern Europe until the 17th century.  It was then discarded as a technique until the revival of interest in the Renaissance in the 19th century and as this exhibition illustrates it is still used today.

 

http://www.britishmuseum.org

LONDON – ASIAN ART WEEK 2

Xu Jianguo (b. 1951) “Morning Waves on the Thames ” 2011 Round-fan shaped painting Ink on silk 38.5 x 37.8 cm. (15 1/8 x 14 7/8 in.) Inscription: “The morning waves of the Thames, painted in 2011. Jian Guo." Artist’s seal: Xu

Xu Jianguo (b. 1951)
“Morning Waves on the Thames ” 2011
Round-fan shaped painting
Ink on silk
38.5 x 37.8 cm. (15 1/8 x 14 7/8 in.)
Inscription: “The morning waves of the Thames, painted in 2011. Jian Guo.”
Artist’s seal: Xu

I thought would share this rare view of London from the Kaikodo exhibition – The Silent Season: Images of Winter in Chinese & Japanese Paintings – which is part of Asian Art in London and can be seen at Deborah Gage Ltd, 38 Old Bond Street, London W1, until 13th November 2015.

 

http://www.kaikodo.com

Watch Fair

Salon QP – Fine Watch Exhibition, Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York Square, London SW1, 12th – 14th November 2015

Georg Jensen, KOPPEL Date, 32mm (ladies)

Georg Jensen, KOPPEL Date, 32mm (ladies)

Some eighty exhibitors are taking part in this special watch fair that brings the very best of watch design to London, including fair newcomers the leading designers Jaime Hayon and Marc Newson.

NOMOS Workshops

NOMOS Workshops

Among special exhibitions are Inside a Second which as the name suggest is devoted to historic chronographs and Gems of Time: The Art of Colour which is a celebration of the long-held idea of watches as jewellery with pieces by Harry Winston, Bulgari, Piaget and Jaeger-le-Coultre.

Bremont Jaguar MKII

Bremont Jaguar MKII

SalonQP.com

The Wallace Collection on Canvas

Alan Kingsbury RWA ‘The Charms of Life’, Panter & Hall, 11-12 Pall Mall, London SW1, 11th – 27th November 2015

Alan Kingsbury RWA The Charms of Life oil on canvas 60 x 40 ins (152 x 102 cms) Photography by Simon Cook

Alan Kingsbury RWA
The Charms of Life
oil on canvas
60 x 40 ins (152 x 102 cms)
Photography by Simon Cook

The viewers and the lucky purchasers of these works can have no doubt that Alan Kingsbury has a warm affection for the treasures of art which make up the stunning Wallace Collection here in London.

Alan Kingsbury RWA Sevres through Red and Gold oil on canvas 54 x 50 ins (137 x 127 cms Photography by Simon Cook

Alan Kingsbury RWA
Sevres through Red and Gold
oil on canvas
54 x 50 ins (137 x 127 cms
Photography by Simon Cook

Kingsbury has been a fan of the Collection since he was a student and he has most evocatively translated his admiration for the rooms, furniture, porcelain, bronzes and paintings into these large-scale works.  They capture a spirit of intimacy which reminds us that indeed Hertford House was a family home, albeit enriched with great treasures.

Alan Kingsbury RWA Mercury oil on canvas 70 x 50 ins (178 x 127 cms) Photography by Simon Cook

Alan Kingsbury RWA
Mercury
oil on canvas
70 x 50 ins (178 x 127 cms)
Photography by Simon Cook

While in many ways to me this is a perfect show, for I too love the Wallace Collection, I shall leave the last word to Matthew Hall: ‘For me, Alan is undoubtedly one of the greatest figurative paintings of his generation.  In an age when the London commercial art scene is annually suffocated by the numbing homogeneity of the latest Florentine graduates, Alan’s paintings and talent scream integrity and substance.’

Alan Kingsbury RWA New Age oil on canvas 50 x 60 ins (127 x 152 cms) Photography by Simon Cook

Alan Kingsbury RWA
New Age
oil on canvas
50 x 60 ins (127 x 152 cms)
Photography by Simon Cook

 

Alan Kingsbury RWA Cornucopia oil on canvas 52 x 50 ins (132 x 127 cms Photography by Simon Cook

Alan Kingsbury RWA
Cornucopia
oil on canvas
52 x 50 ins (132 x 127 cms
Photography by Simon Cook

 

Alan Kingsbury RWA Constellation II oil on canvas 50 x 40 ins (127 x 102 cms)

Alan Kingsbury RWA
Constellation II
oil on canvas
50 x 40 ins (127 x 102 cms)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Kingsbury RWA Room in Pink and Gold oil on canvas 70 x 50 ins (178 x 127 cms) Photography by Simon Cook

Alan Kingsbury RWA
Room in Pink and Gold
oil on canvas
70 x 50 ins (178 x 127 cms)
Photography by Simon Cook

 

 

http://www.panterandhall.com

Auerbach – Tate Britain and Marlborough Fine Art

Frank Auerbach, Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1, until 13th March 2016 

Frank Auerbach (b 1931) Mornington Crescent 1965 Painting Oil paint on board 1016 x 1270 mm Private collection, courtesy of Eykyn Maclean, LP © Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

Frank Auerbach (b 1931)
Mornington Crescent 1965
Painting
Oil paint on board
1016 x 1270 mm
Private collection, courtesy of Eykyn Maclean, LP
© Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

The Berlin-born, artist Frank Auerbach can certainly not be accused of taking it easy in this his 85th year as he paints three hundred and sixty five days a year. He is an assiduous painter returning to his canvas time and time again to scrape away and restart the work whether landscape or portrait until the image he seeks falls into place. The works are a highly individual complex of texture, depth and a sense of space.

Frank Auerbach (b 1931) E.O.W. half-length Nude 1958 Oil paint on board 762 x 508 mm Private collection, courtesy of Eykyn Maclean, LP © Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

Frank Auerbach (b 1931)
E.O.W. half-length Nude 1958
Oil paint on board
762 x 508 mm
Private collection, courtesy of Eykyn Maclean, LP
© Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

The seventy paintings and drawings on view have been mainly garnered from private collections and provide an overview of his work from the 1950s to the present day. On the wall of the first gallery he says: ‘My hope is that items might not be considered too relatively – that is, not over-chronologically, stylistically or by subject or context – but that each be considered as an absolute which works (or does not work) by itself.’

Hampstead Road, Summer Haze 2010 Oil paint on canvas 1222 x 1222 mm Private collection © Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

Hampstead Road, Summer Haze
2010
Oil paint on canvas
1222 x 1222 mm
Private collection
© Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

The best I can add to that is please go and decide for yourself as I don’t think you will regret the experience.

 

http://www.tate.org.uk

 

 

 

It would be wrong of me to write about Auerbach without drawing your attention to

 

Frank Auerbach, Marlborough Fine Art, 6 Albemarle Street London W1, until 21st November 2015

Self-Portrait 2015 Graphite and pastel on paper 57.8 x 76.5 cm © Frank Auerbach and courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

Self-Portrait
2015
Graphite and pastel on paper
57.8 x 76.5 cm
© Frank Auerbach and courtesy Marlborough Fine Art

Like the Tate Britain exhibition this surveys his career to date and among the twenty-five works on show are some that have never been exhibited before.  There is also a new self-portrait by the artist which is shown here.

 

http://www.marlboroughfineart.com

 

A Visual Feast of Books and Food

Paul BeliveauFor the Love of Books, Plus One Gallery, 89 – 91 Pimlico Road, London SW1, until 28th November 2015

Paul Beliveau "Vanitas 15.08.19: English Musicians" Acrylic on canvas 91 x 91 cm Copyright of Plus One Gallery

Paul Beliveau
“Vanitas 15.08.19: English Musicians”
Acrylic on canvas
91 x 91 cm
Copyright of Plus One Gallery

This Canadian-based artist brings us into a world of oversized books, some real and some imaginary.  It is both a celebration and examination of culture with the books being divided by themes such as music, art and history.  I am envious of the tidy way in which he displays these tomes that reflect times present and past.

Paul Beliveau "Vanitas 11.07.12: Holbein - Grace" Acrylic on canvas 91 x 91 cm Copyright of Plus One Gallery

Paul Beliveau
“Vanitas 11.07.12: Holbein – Grace”
Acrylic on canvas
91 x 91 cm
Copyright of Plus One Gallery

http://www.plusonegallery.com

 

A Seasonal Feast by Mimi Roberts & Alice-Andrea Ewing, Potterton Books London, 93 Lower Sloane Street, London SW1, until 30th November 2015

photo 1

This is certainly an appetising show for the senses combining Mimi’s still life’s of fruit, fish and vegetables inspired by the 16th and 17th century artists of Holland, Italy and Spain with the bronze sculptures of Alice-Andrea’s ‘Organic Series’. The latter, cast directly from the natural, features chillies, aubergines, apples, walnuts and figs as the subject matter.

photo 4

http://www.pottertonbookslondon.com

Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga Requests The Pleasure of Your Company

GOYA: THE PORTRAITS, The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2, until 10thJanuary 2016

One of the pictures in this show is well-known to me through my interest in interior decoration.  It is the famous portrait of Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga, who in this exhibition is reunited with Goya’s portraits of his father and mother and sister.

Francisco de Goya Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga 1788 Oil on canvas 127 x 101.6 cm Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.41) © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Francisco de Goya
Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga
1788
Oil on canvas
127 x 101.6 cm
Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.41)
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The portrait was bought from the famed art dealer Joseph Duveen by the American banker Jules S Bache in 1926 and it is believed that his daughter Kathryn was the driving force behind this purchase.  The latter was better known as Kitty Miller, wife of the renowned theatre producer Gilbert Miller, and she employed the noted designer Billy Baldwin to decorate their homes in New York, London and Mallorca.

It is her New York home that is the focus of this story for when Bache donated his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1949 there was a specific condition and that was that the picture could hang in Kitty’s drawing room for half the year.  In his book Billy Baldwin Remembers Baldwin recalls that when the painting was first hung in the drawing room the Millers sent out cocktail party invitations to New York society to come and meet Don Manuel Osorio de Zuñiga. So each year it hung there to Kitty’s great delight until her death in 1979, although in Legendary Decorators of the 20th Century, the famous interior decorator Mark Hampton says that “As she grew older, it became annually more difficult for the Met to get the painting back”.

Well, one can totally understand why she had such affection for this painting and now it is our turn to go and meet him.  While there are no cocktails being served there is the delicious treat of seeing more than sixty of Goya’s remarkable portraits.  It is such a good show you will most likely want to visit more than once – just like visiting the Miller’s!

 

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

 

ASIAN ART IN LONDON 2015

Asian Art in London, 5th – 14th November 2015

A pair of imperial, yellow silk monumental hangings, decorated with phoenix as symbols of the empress. The hangings, each composed of eight panels, form a mirror-image pair and are woven with nine phoenix in gold thread amongst five coloured clouds and above rocks and waves. Chinese, Qianlong period, 1736-1795 Height: 3.45 m (11 ft. 4 inches) Width of each hanging: 5.68 m (18 ft. 8 inches) Provenance: Private European family since c. 1912 Jacqueline Simcox Ltd www.jacquelinesimcox.com

A pair of imperial, yellow silk monumental hangings, decorated with phoenix as symbols of the empress. The hangings, each composed of eight panels, form a mirror-image pair and are woven with nine phoenix in gold thread amongst five coloured clouds and above rocks and waves.
Chinese, Qianlong period, 1736-1795
Height: 3.45 m (11 ft. 4 inches)
Width of each hanging: 5.68 m (18 ft. 8 inches)
Provenance:
Private European family since c. 1912
Jacqueline Simcox Ltd
http://www.jacquelinesimcox.com

This really is a special time in London for it sees sixty international dealers, major auction houses and museums and most importantly collectors from around the world come together for a celebration of Asian Art in all its varieties.

The companion piece Jacqueline Simcox Ltd www.jacquelinesimcox.com

The companion piece
Jacqueline Simcox Ltd
http://www.jacquelinesimcox.com

There are selling exhibitions, lectures and auctions across London and I include some of them here for your interest.

Jiang Shan Chun | China’s History Teller Peace Series - Portrait of Two Families II oil on canvas 207 x 135 cm Original Photograph (right) Albemarle Gallery www.albemarlegallery.com

Jiang Shan Chun | China’s History Teller
Peace Series – Portrait of Two Families II oil on canvas 207 x 135 cm
Original Photograph (right)
Albemarle Gallery
http://www.albemarlegallery.com

 

Tureen, Cover and Stand Qianlong period circa 1740 Scandinavian Market Length of Stand: 17 inches; 43cm Height of Tureen & Cover: 15 inches 38cm Cohen & Cohen www.cohenandcohen.co.uk

Tureen, Cover and Stand
Qianlong period circa 1740
Scandinavian Market
Length of Stand: 17 inches; 43cm
Height of Tureen & Cover: 15 inches 38cm
Cohen & Cohen
http://www.cohenandcohen.co.uk

 

Sotheby's Classical Chinese Furniture from a European Private Collection London | 11 Nov 2015 LOT 12 A HUANGHUALI SQUARE GAMES TABLE, QIZHUO QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY ESTIMATE 30,000-50,000 GBP www.sothebys.com

Sotheby’s
Classical Chinese Furniture from a European Private Collection
London | 11 Nov 2015
LOT 12
A HUANGHUALI SQUARE GAMES TABLE, QIZHUO
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
ESTIMATE 30,000-50,000 GBP
http://www.sothebys.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pair ofwhite jade cups with their original stands in the form of lotus petals, dating from the 18th Century Marchant www.marchantiques.com

A pair of white jade cups with their original stands in the form of lotus petals, dating from the 18th Century
Marchant
http://www.marchantiques.com

 

FALCON GEM-SET PENDANT India (Deccan), 17th century Height: 7.8 cm. Width: 5.9 cm. Depth: 2.2 cm Simon Ray, Indian and Islamic Works of Art www.simonray.com

FALCON GEM-SET PENDANT
India (Deccan), 17th century
Height: 7.8 cm. Width: 5.9 cm. Depth: 2.2 cm
Simon Ray, Indian and Islamic Works of Art
http://www.simonray.com

 

Liu Jianhua Trace 2 Copyright Liu Jianhua Courtesy Pace London. www.pacegallery.com

Liu Jianhua
Trace 2
Copyright Liu Jianhua Courtesy Pace London.
http://www.pacegallery.com

 

Ma Desheng Untitled 1986 Ink on Chinese paper 69 x 92 cm (17 x 36 ¼ in) Image courtesy the artist and Rossi & Rossi Rossi & Rossi www.rossirossi.com

Ma Desheng
Untitled
1986
Ink on Chinese paper
69 x 92 cm (17 x 36 ¼ in)
Image courtesy the artist and Rossi & Rossi
Rossi & Rossi
http://www.rossirossi.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreweatts Chinese Ceramics and Asian Works of Art Sale, Monday 16th November 2015 A fine Chinese soapstone group from Qing Dynasty presumably depicting a scene from the Han dynasty. Estimated at £10,000-15,000

Dreweatts
Chinese Ceramics and Asian Works of Art Sale, Monday 16th November 2015
A fine Chinese soapstone group from Qing Dynasty presumably depicting a scene from the Han dynasty. Estimated at £10,000-15,000

 

A Selection of Pieces From The Nicolas Thompson Collection For Sale Online. R & G McPHERSON ANTIQUES www.orientalceramics.com

A Selection of Pieces From The Nicolas Thompson Collection For Sale Online.
R & G McPHERSON ANTIQUES
http://www.orientalceramics.com

 

ORPIMENT 雄黄 by ANDO Saeko (b.1968) Coloured lacquers, seashell, egg-shell and metal inlays on a wooden panel 45 x 90 cm Sealed Simon Pilling www.simonpilling.co.uk

ORPIMENT 雄黄
by ANDO Saeko (b.1968)
Coloured lacquers, seashell, egg-shell and metal inlays on a wooden panel
45 x 90 cm
Sealed
Simon Pilling
http://www.simonpilling.co.uk

 

25 Blythe Road: LIVE SALE: Arthur Millner - ISLAMIC, INDIAN, HIMALAYAN and SOUTH-EAST ASIAN ART ,11th November 2015 Lot 320 - A MANUSCRIPT BOX (SADAIK) Burma (Myanmar), early 20th century 25 x 61 x 22.5cm Estimate: £200-£300 www.25blytheroad.com

25 Blythe Road:
LIVE SALE: Arthur Millner – ISLAMIC, INDIAN, HIMALAYAN and SOUTH-EAST ASIAN ART ,11th November 2015
Lot 320 – A MANUSCRIPT BOX (SADAIK)
Burma (Myanmar), early 20th century
25 x 61 x 22.5cm
Estimate: £200-£300
http://www.25blytheroad.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Falling Blossoms 2015. Oil on Panel. 75 x 40 cm (29.5 x 16 in) Shine Artists www.shineartists.com

Falling Blossoms
2015. Oil on Panel. 75 x 40 cm (29.5 x 16 in)
Shine Artists
http://www.shineartists.com

 

 

http://www.asianartinlondon.com