World’s Greatest Collection of Snuff Bottles Shows Emperor’s Personal Taste

LONDON.- Bonhams will sell 140 snuff bottles from the unique Bloch Collection in Hong Kong on May 28th. This Collection is the World’s largest and finest in private hands, comprising 1720 exceptional examples of these Chinese ‘miniature masterworks’.
The auction includes an Imperial enamel-on-copper snuff bottle personally commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor for his own use in the Forbidden City in Beijing. This stunning object is estimated to sell for £250,000 and is one of the finest and rarest examples of [...]

Sotheby’s to Auction The Collection of Patricia Kluge at her Virginia Home

NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s announced that it will hold an auction of fine and decorative arts from the contents of Albemarle House, the magnificent home of vintner and philanthropist, Patricia Kluge. The two-day auction, which will take place on June 8 and 9, will be held on the premises, located outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. Albemarle House, a 45-room English country manor, was conceived by Mrs. Kluge and renowned designer David Easton and is regarded as one of the most important [...]

Vauxhall Motors Presents a Groundbreaking Reinterpretation of the Blueprinting Process

LONDON.- London based duo Studio Glithero present a cutting edge collection of ceramics for the Vauxhall Collective. In a contemporary take of the Blueprint, chemically infused ceramic surfaces react to ultraviolet light capturing the ghostly impression of botanical specimens, including those of weeds taken from social housing projects across the UK, bringing the theme of Reinventing British Classics right up to date.
Asked to reflect on the Vauxhall Collective’s theme, the Anglo-Dutch design studio found inspiration from the Victorian period of [...]

Rare Set of Ornate 19th Century Porcelain Plates Bought for Nottingham City Museums

LONDON.- Independent charity The Art Fund announced that Nottingham City Museums and Galleries in Nottinghamshire has bought a rare set of ornate 19th century porcelain plates at auction in New York, which will be displayed across three heritage sites; Newstead Abbey, Wollaton Hall and Nottingham Castle. Acquired with a grant of £2,195 from The Art Fund towards the hammer price of £3,519, the plates will now return to their former home at the Abbey.
The ten plates were painted between 1818 [...]

Timothy Taylor Gallery Presents a New Work by Ron Arad

LONDON.- Timothy Taylor Gallery presents a new work by Ron Arad, created to benefit Barbican Art Gallery in conjunction with their forthcoming major survey: “Ron Arad: Restless”.
In 1986, Ron Arad designed “Well Tempered Chair”, bolting sheets of steel together to form a chair full of tension. Using the archetypal club chair as its model, its design is simple – four pieces of tempered steel form the shape – two for the arms, one for the seat, and one for the [...]

Christie’s to Sell the Charming and Eclectic Hanham Court Collection

SOUTH KENSINGTON.- Christie’s heralds Spring with the sale of Hanham Court – A Pastoral Idyll, a charming and eclectic collection to be held at Christie’s South Kensington on Wednesday, 14 April 2010. Immersed in the world of antiques from a young age, Isabel and Julian Bannerman first met in Edinburgh in 1982 and have been collecting together ever since. The sale will consist of approximately 300 lots with estimates ranging from £300 to £30,000; and is expected to realize in [...]

Rare Tiffany Stained Glass Windows on View for the First Time in Montreal

MONTREAL.- After Paris, where it garnered both public and critical acclaim, the exhibition “Tiffany Glass: A Passion for Colour” will be shown in Montreal from February 12 to May 2, 2010. It is the first exhibition of this magnitude on one of the most famous American designers, Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933), to be presented in Canada. Developed and produced by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, it will highlight Tiffany’s remarkable contribution to the design and technology of glass, which [...]

Christie’s to Sell Exemplary English Walnut, Oak & Yew Furniture

LONDON.- Christie’s announce the sale of stellar English furniture from the John Parry collection on Thursday, March 25. An internationally renowned collector in the field, Parry’s passionate connoisseurship, his eye for detail, rare design and his commitment to quality, is showcased by exemplary walnut, oak and yew furniture dating from the 17th Century to the 18th Century. This group of 120 works is a tour de force, celebrating the warmth and character of the veneers, their beautiful patination and colour, [...]

Claremont Rug Company Exhibits Rare Assemblage of 19th Century Art Rugs

OAKLAND, CA.- Jan David Winitz, founder and president of Claremont Rug Company, today announced an exhibition of rare, 19th century art-level rugs created by tribal weaving groups in the Caucasus Mountain region of Asia.
The collection of 150 rugs will be available for viewing at the Gallery, located at 6087 Claremont Avenue in Oakland, starting Thursday, February 11. A selection of 95 of the rugs can also be accessed in a special section on the Claremont website.
Long-noted for his inventory of [...]

Bidder Confidence Strong with English Decorative Arts and Russian Faberge

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Freeman’s January 26th and 27th English & Continental Furniture, Silver & Decorative Arts sale concluded with exceptional prices achieved for some exceptional items. Most notable was a Charles II Joseph Knibb bracket clock which soared to a final price of $103,000, exceeding its presale estimate of $60,000-80,000. The other highlight of the first day was a fine George II Chinese Chippendale silver table from a private estate, which sold to a bidder on the phone. The hammer came [...]

Nationally Touring Show Explores Japan’s Traditional National Dress from Early to Mid 20th Century

ROCHESTER, NY.- Well into the last century, Japan’s traditional national dress–the kimono–was worn by men, women and children of all social classes. Deceptively simple in concept–a one-piece, front-wrap garment with a straight silhouette–the kimono lent itself to endless variations in color, pattern and design that signaled age, gender, status, occasion, even the change of seasons.
A nationally touring exhibition that opens January 31 at the Memorial Art Gallery showcases nearly 100 extraordinary examples from the famed Montgomery Collection in Lugano, Switzerland. [...]

A Cabinet of Curiosities: Selections from the Peter Tillou Collections at Christie’s

NEW YORK, NY.- Over the course of his 50-year career, antiques dealer Peter Tillou has helped to build some of the finest private collections of art and antiques in the U.S. Admired for his deep passion and relentless pursuit of knowledge about the items he sells, Mr. Tillou is a sought-after expert on an array of collecting categories, from coins and antique guns, to fine art, furniture, and decorative objects. On January 28, Christie’s will offer A Cabinet of Curiosities: [...]

Fine English & Continental Furniture, Silver & Decorative Arts for Sale at Freeman’s

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Freeman’s two-day Fine English & Continental Furniture, Silver and Decorative Arts sale, scheduled for January 26 & 27, includes an impressive selection of property consigned from a number of private estates and collections. The first day is focused primarily on English furniture and decorative arts, followed by sections of English and Continental silver and ending with Asian arts which includes a fine collection of Export wares. Highlights of the day include a 17th century English bracket clock by [...]

Bonhams to Sell 1,000,000 Sampson and Horne Pottery and Furniture Collection

LONDON.- After 40 years of trading at the top end of the business, legendary English antique dealership, Sampson and Horne, are to sell their entire stock, comprising nearly 800 lots, and attracting a pre-sale estimate of £1,000,000, at Bonhams on 28th April 2010.
Widely considered as the leading dealer in British pottery and country furniture, the Mayfair-based company, whose clientele include important private collectors and international museums from the UK and the US, is closing due to the ill health of [...]

Nelson-Atkins Museum Announces Promised Gift of Stellar African Works of Art

KANSAS CITY, MO.- The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art today announced a promised gift of seven extraordinary works of African art from the private collection of longtime Museum patrons Adele and Donald Hall, in honor of the Museum’s 75th Anniversary. The gifts, each a superb example of African art, will greatly elevate and broaden the Museum’s range of holdings in this area. Among the gifts are an intricately carved ivory Salt Cellar from the late 15th to early 16th century and [...]