Woolley & Wallis, Mayfair Office, Second Floor, 17 Clifford Street, London, W1S 3RQ
Woolley & Wallis – In Mayfair
The noted Salisbury firm of auctioneers are opening an office in Mayfair to deal with enquiries from international and London-based clients. They will have special viewings and exhibitions, including one for this year’s Asian Art in London.
Please note it is open by appointment only for which you need to contact the relevant department.
I thought I would share this press release with you:
MEET THE CRAFTSMEN WHO RESTORED SPENCER HOUSE
27 St James’s Place, London SW1
Sunday 16th October 2016, 10.30am-5.30pm
This special Craftsmen Day gives visitors an opportunity to meet conservators, decorators and designers employed during one of the most remarkable restoration projects of the last century.
On site to explain and demonstrate the techniques and materials will be:
Sunday 16th Oct, 10.30am-5.30pm (last entry 4.30pm)
Advance booking recommended, online at www.spencerhouse.co.uk or 020 7067 1958
Adults £14, concessions £12
I always find books that tell the story of a house fascinating and such is certainly the case with this appealing book which relates the story of the house that Chanel had built for herself and which she furnished with some help from Bendor Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster. It provides a real glimpse into Chanel’s taste and way of life.
In 1953 she sold the Villa La Pausa to Wendy and Emery Reves and included many of the Villa’s furnishings and books and so these were combined with the wide-ranging art collection of the Reves which has an emphasis on Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. One figure which crosses into both halves of the story is Sir Winston Churchill who knew the Duke and had met Coco Chanel but was also a regular guest of the Reves at La Pausa and indeed there are four works by him as well as other souvenirs.
Even if you cannot get to Dallas to see this collection I heartily recommend this elegant tome that tells the story so well and so enticingly.
Masterpiece London 2016, The Bull Ring Gate Entrance, South Grounds, The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, 30thJune – 6th July 2016
Nazy Vassegh, CEO of Masterpiece with J.F. Courville, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the RBC Wealth Management
2015
Courtesy Masterpiece London
Now in its 7th edition one can easily understand why Masterpiece has become a magnet for collectors and museum curators from around the world. There is a great emphasis on quality and connoisseurship and the pieces on show reflect more than five thousand years of art history – and yes they are for sale.
Vetting during Masterpiece London 2015
Courtesy Masterpiece London
Masterpiece’s chief executive Nazy Vassegh says: ‘I am delighted to announce so many exciting additions to this year’s fair. Masterpiece 2016 will have unrivalled depth and quality, and I am pleased that Masterpiece continues to strengthen every edition. We are looking forward to another great year.’
It truly is a must visit fair and allow yourself plenty of time because there are so many exciting things to see and tempt. Like me you may well want visit more than once.
Vetting during Masterpiece London 2015
Courtesy Masterpiece London
Over the coming days I will post varied selections of what is on show.
London Art Week, Mayfair and St James’s, London, 1st – 8th July 2016
MAURIZIO NOBILE
Jacopo Amigoni (1682-1752)
Jupiter and Callisto
This is a really special gallery-led festival of art dating from antiquity to the 20th century. There is a combination of nearly fifty dealers and three major auction houses who are bringing a tempting mix of subjects ranging from Greek coins, arms and armour, stained glass, sculpture and fine art in all its disciplines.
Specialist exhibitions include:
Vanitas / Memento Mori and The Crucifixion by Paolo Uccello at Agnew’s
Art & Adornment: Treasures of Combat at Ariadne Galleries
Early European Sculpture at Arcadia Cerri Fine Art
ARCADIA CERRI
Exhibition: Early European Sculpture
Head of a man frowning
Champagne, Reims
Second third 13th century
fossiliferous limestone
13 x 13 x 13 cm
Inter-War Paris: Works on Paper at Aktis Gallery
AKTIS GALLERY
Exhibition: Inter-War Paris: Works on Paper
Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968)
Tulips, 1920
Watercolour and ink on paper
Signed and dated lower left
Countersigned in Japanese lower left
European Master Drawings (1545-2015) at Didier Aaron Ltd.
Deities & Daily Life at Charles Ede
Gilded Light; 16th-century stained glass roundels from the collection of Sir Thomas Neave and other private collections at Sam Fogg
SAM FOGG
Exhibition: Gilded Light: 16th Century Stained Glass Roundels from the collection of Sir Thomas Neave and other private collections
Circle of Lambert Van Noort (c.1520-1571)
Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a tree that must be felled
Flint Marble Bronze from the Mediterranean and Beyond at Oliver Forge & Brendan Lynch Ltd.
Dutch Flower Pieces 1607-1814 and Aspects of British Impressionism at Richard Green Fine Paintings
RICHARD GREEN GALLERY
Exhibition: Aspects of British Impressionism
Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959)
September Afternoon
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left: AJ. Munnings
17th Century Still Life and Song Yu at Johnny Van Haeften Ltd.
Horses, Rulers, and Victory in the Art of Ancient Greek Coinage at Kallos Gallery
KALLOS GALLERY
Exhibition: Horses, Rulers and Victory in the Art of Ancient Greek Coinage
Gold Drachm of Syracuse (Sicily), c.317-310BC
Minted under Agathocles (317-289BC)
Of Gods and Men at Daniel Katz Gallery
Antonio Joli (1700 – 1777): Views of Italy at Lampronti Gallery
Classicism Reimagined: Master Paintings and Sculpture 1700-1900 at Lullo•Pampoulides
LULLO∙PAMPOULIDES
Exhibition: Classicism Reimagined: Master paintings & sculpture 1700-1900
Camille Claudel (1864 –1943)
Torso of a Crouching Woman,1887
Bronze, 35 cm. high
Material X at M&L Fine Art
Traveller-artists in the Far East: Views in India, China and Indonesia at Martyn Gregory
Bronze Animal Sculptures by Rembrandt Bugatti at The Sladmore Gallery
Drawing Inspiration: Sketches and Sketchbook Pages from the 19th and 20th Century at Stephen Ongpin Fine Art
STEPHEN ONGPIN FINE ART
Exhibition: Drawing Inspiration: Sketches and Sketchbooks from the 19th and 20th Centuries
Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)
A Standing Moroccan Man
Watercolour and pencil
Antique Inspiration at Tomasso Brothers Fine Art
From Wax to Bronze – Themes and Materials in Sculpture at Trinity Fine Art Ltd.
TRINITY FINE ART
Exhibition: From Wax to Bronze – Themes and Materials of Sculpture
Attributed to the Master of the Unruly Children (16th century Florence)
Bacchus
Terracotta
95/8 x 111/4 x 8 ¼ in. (24.5 x28.5 x 21cm)
Object in Focus: An Archaic Greek Bronze Griffin Protome at Rupert Wace Ancient Art
Cornelius Johnson: Painter to King and Country at The Weiss Gallery
THE WEISS GALLERY
Exhibition: Cornelius Johnson
Cornelius Johnson (1593 – 1661)
Sir William Campion of Combwell (1585–1640)
Oil on panel
Indistinctly signed, centre right: ‘C.J….’
OPENING TIMES:
Galleries:
Preview -Thursday: 3pm to 8pm
Friday 1st July – Friday 8th July: 10am to 6pm
Weekends: 12 noon to 5pm
STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE
Henry Moret (1856-1913)
La baie de Lampaul, Île de Ouessant
Oil on canvas
Auction houses:
Friday 1st July – Friday 8th July: 9am to 5pm
Saturday 2nd July: 12 noon to 5pm
Sunday 3rd July: 11 noon to 5pm
Art Antiques London, Albert Memorial West Lawn, Kensington Gardens, London SW7 (opposite the Royal Albert Hall), 24th June – 30th June 2016
View of pavilion
It is hard to believe that this is the seventh edition of the fair founded by Anna and Brian Haughton in 2010. There are some sixty exhibitors drawn from Belgium, France, Israel, The Netherlands, the UK, of course, and the USA.
Interior view 2015
There is a wide array of objects to delight the eye and one can quite easily understand why serious collectors, museums and interior decorators return year after year. One well-loved feature of this fair is the lecture series which includes ‘Face to Face: Dame Rosalind Savill in conversation with Richard, 10th Duke of Buccleuch and 12th Duke of Queensberry’ on 27th June.
VANESSA CLEWES SALMON MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART
Shani Joel, born 1991
Buddha, 2014, mixed media eg ceramic embellished with shells, jewellery, butterflies, fabric etc
60cms h x 50cms w
E & H MANNERS
A Pair of Alcora Faience Plaques, 1752-64
Height: 52.7 cm, Width: 35.2 cm
LONDON GLASSBLOWING
David Reekie,
Marionette V 2013,
52 x 43 x 20 cm,
HALL-BAKKER
A pair of flower vases with silvered metal frames and original liners by the German factory WMF. c 1905.
ILLUSTRATION CUPBOARD
Oakley 1 – A Better Idea, Gouache, Watercolour & black ink on paper
by Graham Oakley
ROELL FINE ART
An important Namban sawasa reliquary crucifix, Japan, late 16th/early 17th century
Alloy of red copper, gold, silver and arsenic with black lacquer and gold
H 19.5 cm, W 14 cm, Thickness 2.6 cm
ALTEA GALLERY
A collapsible globe, John Betts,
Terrestrial globe, printed waxed cotton and metal spindle, c1925,
globe circumference: 1,260mm extended 770 m long including spindle
FAIRHEAD FINE ART LTD
1984 Silver USA Olympics Medal by Salvador Dali
Weight: 1.05 oz – containing 46.65 grams of .999 silver
BABBINGTON FINE ART
Alan Sorrell (1904-1974),
Study for the mural at the Head Office of Bovril, 1961
SAMINA INC
Spittoon, Mughal or Deccan, India, 17th century
LUCAS RARITIES
An enamel, opal, emerald, and ruby serpent pendant by Gustave-Roger Sandoz.
9.5cm X 6.5cm. Circa 1901
LOVE WOOD GALLERY
h.ollary.b.
Dreaming the Future Generations,
Cherrywood, 2.3m x 0.5m
BRIAN HAUGHTON GALLERY
White porcelain cylinders hand thrown by Gunilla Maria Akesson, leading contemporary Swedish ceramic artist. Range in size from 7 ins (18 cm) through to 18 ins.
http://www.artantiqueslondon.com
LECTURE PROGRAMME: http://www.artantiqueslondon.com/lectures
The Huntington (San Marino, California) is a veritable treasure house of European Art and one can easily understand why it is such an important centre of research, education and culture.
The “Blue Boy”, of course, refers to Gainsborough’s celebrated painting which hangs with other great examples of 18th century English portraits and paintings. Add to those an important collections of French 18th century and other decorative arts, sculpture, paintings from other schools and works on paper and you have a fascinating range of objects.
This well-illustrated book provides a perfect introduction to this remarkable place and is a helpful aide memoire of the treasures therein.
Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer, The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1, until 14th February 2016
Jan Steen, ‘A Woman at her Toilet’, 1663
Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
This is a really engaging exhibition that reveals interest in Dutch painting by various monarchs since the reign of Charles I. He was the recipient of a gift of Rembrandt’s painting An Old Woman, called ‘The Artist’s Mother’ in 1629 and also had paintings by Dutch artists in his legendary art collection.
Johannes Vermeer, ‘Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman or ‘The Music Lesson”, 1662-5
Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Vermeer’s ‘The Music Lesson’ was a part of Consul Smith’s collection which George III purchased in 1762. His son George IV was an avid collector of Dutch art and many of the works on show were acquired by him. In some ways he was following in the tradition of some of the 18th century French collectors such as the duc de Choiseul and one can certainly agree that French furniture of that period sits well with 17th century Dutch works. There is also a small display of Sèvres porcelain – another of George IV’s favourites – decorated with scenes taken from Dutch paintings.
Willem van Mieris, ‘The Neglected Lute’, c.1708
Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Some twenty or so works in this exhibition will move to the Dutch Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague this coming autumn because that gallery has loaned Gerrit Dou’s The Young Mother to this show. It is a painting which was given to Charles II in 1660 and when William of Orange became our King in 1688 he inherited this painting with the rest of the British Royal Collection. The picture was sent to decorate Het Loo his new hunting lodge near Apeldoorn in the Netherlands and has remained there ever since.
Ludolf de Jongh, ‘A Formal Garden: Three Ladies Surprised by a Gentleman’, c.1676
Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
There is a sense of fun and humour in many of the paintings which depict scenes from everyday middle class life from the servants’ point of view and it is this element that makes it a suitable bedfellow for the adjoining Rowlandson exhibition.
High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson, The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace until 14th February 2016
Money Lenders, 1784
Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Very little was safe from Rowlandson’s satirical wit as this exhibition shows be it society, fashion, politicians, love or the royal family. The young George IV when Prince of Wales was a particular target because of his extravagance and dubious lifestyle. Despite that it was George who started collecting these prints. They provide a fascinating glimpse into a world that many of us have read about in the works of Jane Austen.
Four-leaf screen, pasted with satirical prints c.1806
Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk
MAX ROLLITT
Max Rollitt could be described as a 3D man for he is a designer, dealer and decorator – and has a sure, deft touch in all three elements of his business. This sensitivity comes from him being both a dealer and a restorer which means he has a deep knowledge of the construction and design of furniture from different periods.
It is, of course, a vital component to him as a decorator because it shows he understands the scale and proportions suitable for the house he is working on. He says ‘My aim is to create joyful homes which are comfortable elegant and interesting and look as though they have evolved over time. Words to describe my style include informed, classical yet informal, eclectic but English.’
Certainly these pictures show his talent and vision. Antiques play an important role in these interiors and as you can see he mainly specialises in 18th and 19th century English antiques which he combines with unusual textiles and a beguiling mixture of “bits and bobs”. Max sums up his passion for antiques saying ‘I live and breathe antiques, I love them. I am always seeking purity and beauty and a little quirk in each piece, so that they are not stale and boring, but rich, well patinated and sometimes amusing.’
As both clients and designers know it is not always possible to find a piece of the right size for an interior and with this in mind Max has designed a bespoke range of chairs, sofas, stools and tables that are made by the best craftsmen he can find and there is great attention to detail too – ‘I have sourced the best craftsman for each part of their production; the frames are constructed by hand, all the castors are sand cast copies of the originals and then I finish everything myself and can match the tone, feel and patina of the originals.’
He certainly has the right approach in all that he sets out to achieve and to my mind does it with a style and sense of wit that will endure and not grow stale.
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
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
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
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 Exterior, Cheyne Walk
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015
The Dining Room
CREDIT: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2015
Tim Forrest's E & A 