Maastricht Marvels

Hello from Holland where the 28th edition of The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) has kicked off in splendid style.  Just when you think it can't get any better, the organizers and exhibitors of this preeminent art and antiques fair produce an event that is beyond even the highest expectations.  This year, nearly 300 exhibitors from around the world presented an exceptional selection of rare, fine and extraordinary items ranging from icons to ivory to illustrated books from antiquity to modern times.  It was my great pleasure and privilege to spend two days exploring the treasures of TEFAF.

One of the greatest joys of a fair of this scope is the opportunity to see fabulous examples of works in fields that one would not ordinarily seek out.  For example, I know next to nothing about Asian art, yet I am enthralled with the marvelous objects so beautifully displayed on the stands of the specialists in Oriental art.  Like this group of three Samurai hats, one in iron, one in lacquer and one in mother-of-pearl, all from the Edo Period and displayed atop a wheeled ledger cabinet from the late 19th century at the booth of London dealer Ben Janssens.

Or this two foot high "Sacred Mountain" made of enamel on biscuit porcelain during the Kangxi Period (1662-1722) in China, one of three superb examples on the stand of Vanderven Oriental Art, The Netherlands.  In Chinese culture, mountains represent the mythical land of immortals and here we have small figures and animals on a spiraling path past trees, rocks, pagodas and other buildings.

The pagoda theme is echoed in this superb epergne crafted by noted silversmith Thomas Pitts, London in 1762...

And again with these terra cotta figures representing two Malabars (people of South India or Nepal) made in the mid 18th century in Germany...

There was gorgeous jewelry, like this emerald, ruby and diamond fan-shaped brooch made in France circa 1835...

And fabulous pocket watches like this double dial automaton watch of gold and enamel made in Switzerland in 1800 to honor Napoleon Bonaparte as General of the Italian Army.  This remarkable work depicts a hunter mounted on a horse and holding a falcon.  The horse's head moves up and down as it drinks from a fountain while the sails of the windmill in the background turn and the stream of water flows from the fountain.

Some stands were almost stage settings like this elegant French dining room...

Or the simpler but equally elegant Art Deco dining room..

Or the total surprise of an authentic American Shaker house created by Galerie Downtown, Paris, in collaboration with the Shaker Museum in Mount Lebanon, New York.  Some of the pieces were museum loans, but many were for sale including the super-long three pedestal communal table seen here...

Paintings were well represented with portraits like this pair by Renaissance master Frans Pourbus the Younger of Willem Van Vyve and his wife Marie de Huelstre painted in 1591...

Or the late 18th century genre scene "La Lettre" by Jean-Simon Fournier...

Finally, I will close with two small but amusing items that capture the spirit of discovery so special to TEFAF.  I found this funny little Delft porcelain of a child in a high chair on the stand of the venerable Amsterdam porcelain dealer Aronson Antiquairs...

And this table croquet set, made in England circa 1900, was featured at Mallet, London.

Trust me when I tell you that I had a hard time choosing this small selection from the many photos I took over two days at the fair!  I must also say that for the first time ever I felt as though I could have spent another day to really see every wonderful thing on view.  But it was time to go to Paris where there are many more wonderful things to see and I will be checking in again with more art adventures very soon!