March 17, 2013

It's TEFAF Time Again!


It may have snowed in Paris and across northern Europe but the tulips were in full bloom at the opening of The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht last Thursday!  The intrepid souls who braved the elements and travel delays were rewarded with another outstanding selection of the finest in art, antiques and antiquities that the world has to offer.  This year marked the 26th anniversary of the fair and it gets bigger and better every time.  Indeed, in 2013 TEFAF is presenting 266 dealers from 20 countries offering an unparalleled breadth and quality of exquisite items all thoroughly vetted and all for sale.

It is a feast for the eyes!  After a lot of practice I have almost stopped staring with my mouth open at the extraordinary booth displays created like mini stage sets to showcase the treasures within.  I find myself fascinated by things that I didn't even know existed and wishing I had a million Euro to spend on whatever caught my eye - and a castle to put my prizes in!

Just for fun, here is my 2013 fantasy TEFAF shopping list!  Starting fairly modestly with a gold automaton "ostrich" clock made in Germany circa 1580 and on the stand of Dutch watch and clock specialists Mentink & Roest...


Or the 19th century wooden display case of wax fruit and grape specimens made by Francesco Valletti and on view with Piva & Co., Milan...


This group of four Guanyin songzi ("Guanyin Delivering a Baby") dates from the Kangxi period (1662-1722) in China.  Very similar to our Western imagery of the Madonna and Child, each of these ladies has a tall hair do and stands on a lotus-shaped pedestal with a baby held in her right arm.  The child extends its left palm indicating the prayer has been received and the ingot held in the right hand implies the promise of fortune.  Simple yet very impressive, these porcelain statues were offered by Vanderven Oriental Art of The Netherlands...


An absolutely gorgeous example of Pre-Raphealite art could be found with the venerable London art dealers Agnew's.  "The Madness of Sir Tristram", 1862, is a work on paper by one of the Movement's most influential members, Sir Edward Burne Jones and is a paradigm of Aesthetic beauty and symbolism...


Another favorite painting but of an earlier era was this oil of a Catholic church interior by Dutch Renaissance painter Emanuel De Witte (1617-1691).  Massive in scale and impressive in its detail, it was a large format version of a type of painting that I have always admired and was hanging on the stand of the New York old master dealer Otto Naumann...


A delicately carved and colored sculpture of a beautiful young woman was actually a chandelier ornament made in Southern Germany in the early 16th century and was being shown by Sam Fogg, London...


Last but far from least on my list would have to be this marvelous model of the Dutch 36-gun merchant frigate "Mercurious" built in 1747 by Paulus van Zwijndregt at the admiraty of Maase dockyard in Rotterdam.  While the actual ship took five to eight months to build, the ship model required over three years to complete and is accurate in every detail.  This marvel of miniature craftsmanship could be seen at Dutch marine art specialist Rob Kattenburg's stand...


I really could go on and on.  There was the ivory lobster with articulated joints, the Louis XIV daybed with the sumptuous upholstery, the ladies pocket watch embellished with tiny seed pearls, the set of 19th century astronomical slides and the Delft polychromed butter dishes with stags as covers, but I will stop.  Next year's TEFAF will be here before we know it and with it another chance to discover new marvels.  I can hardly wait!

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