Paris, France -- From 14 September to 26 October 2010, the Ratton-Ladrière gallery will be unveiling some thirty sculptures from the 15th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Some of them depict historical scenes, such as the Death of Cleopatra, while others show religious scenes, such as the Beheading of Saint Paul, while others still are based on mythology, such as the Lady with the unicorn or the Faun with Kid.

Located on quai Voltaire, the Ratton-Ladrière gallery has been one of the must-see antiquity galleries of the "Carré Rive Gauche" for some thirty years. Having been established on the Right Bank (14 rue Marignan, Paris 8th district) for several decades by Charles Ratton and Guy Ladrière, the Ratton-Ladrière gallery is now known internationally for its sculptures and art objects, but also its paintings and drawings, which primarily cover the Renaissance and Baroque periods. See the full release .....

Vienna, Austria -- As of September, Dorotheum offers a completely new category: antique Oriental carpets, textiles, and tapestries. Such auctions will take place once or twice a year, the first one on September 14th, 2010.

"Vienna, as a 'gateway to the East" is ideally situated. Austria and the neighbouring countries still harbour many interesting, privately owned carpets that need to be discovered and traded." in the words of Wolfgang Matschek, the resident Dorotheum carpet expert. As old and antique carpets and fabrics regularly achieve high sales prices Dorotheum now offers a marketplace for such prime items.

For this first carpet auction, Wolfgang Matschek - who joined Dorotheum in 2010 after acquiring extensive professional experience with Adil Besim, Udo Langauer, Oritop, and elsewhere - has assembled approximately 200 high quality carpets and textiles.

The primary focus of the first carpet auction rests on an exceptional private collection of Caucasus carpets. These items come up for auction unpublished, unrestored, and unworn by market exposure: geometrical carpets, distinguished by their original, archaic, and highly colourful character. They include a large Talish from the Southeastern Caucasus Region, measuring ca. 2m x 1m, a very rare, early carpet with a red backing from the first half of the 19th century (€ 9.000 - 12.000). One of the auction's most important pieces is a ca 2m x 1,5m village carpet (Karatchoph) from the Southwest Caucasus. Estimated at 15.000 to 20.000 Euro, this carpet is in excellent condition and dates to the middle of the 19th century.

For further information, please follow this link .....

New York, NY -- Fourteen members of the Asian Art Dealers New York (AADNY) will present an exciting Fall schedule of exhibitions, focusing on a wide range of subject matter, throughout the month of September. The specialists in Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian works of art include: Art of the Past, Leiko Coyle, Arnold Lieberman, Kapoor Galleries, Theresa McCullough, Nancy Wiener, and Doris Wiener. Chinese art, ancient through contemporary, will be shown at the Ralph M. Chait Galleries, China 2000 Fine Art, Kaikodo and M D Flacks, with Joan B. Mirviss, Scholten Japanese Art, and the Kang Collection Korean Art, representing Japanese and Korean art, ancient through contemporary, respectively.

CHINESE ART, ANCIENT THROUGH CONTEMPORARY
At the Ralph M. Chait Galleries, 724 Fifth Avenue, An Autumn Feast of Color:
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art will showcase an array of polychrome decorated porcelains and works of art of superb quality from a private collection. One of the highlights is a very rare pair of 18th century painted ivory, jade and hardstone appliqué figures of a court lady and gentleman. www.rmchait.com

Literati Musing: Inscriptions on Chinese Paintings and Scholar Objects, will be held at China 2000 Fine Art, 434A East 75th Street. Like the contemporary Twitter, ancient inscriptions on Chinese art were the momentary (and now art historically monumental) thoughts about society, relationships, politics, and aesthetics of the literati. Karen and Leon Wender gathered together objects for the scholar’s desk and Chinese paintings that bear inscriptions by eminent scholars and calligraphers of Chinese history. The scholar’s words, literally etched in stone or wood or written with indelible ink on paper, provide clues to where they were at particular times in their lives and offer their knowledge about the object or the painting upon which they inscribe their thoughts. Among the exhibition’s highlights is an Important Scholar Rock Anhui Inkstone with calligraphy by Ding Jing, dated 1750 and a Ming dynasty poem carved onto on a soapstone seal-paste box by Deng Shiru, a very important calligrapher and seal carver from the 18th century. www.China2000Fineart.com

» Read More

London, England -- LAPADA The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers is the UK’s largest trade organisation for professional dealers. Its prestigious annual Fair is a showcase for 90 members to display for sale fine, rare and beautiful works of art, furniture, jewellery, pictures, silver and sculpture from the 15th to 21st centuries. This year’s Fair is held from Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th September 2010 in a special marquee in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1.

From an exquisite C15th Flemish manuscript miniature to an exuberant watercolour by C20th Spanish artist Joan Miró, a centre table made for Queen Victoria for Windsor Castle to a recently discovered rare Lalique jewel, there is truly something for everyone at this Fair. Affordable decorative objects can be found alongside important works for the international collector and connoisseur.

All works offered for sale are fully vetted for quality and authenticity by a team of experts and buyers have the additional assurance that all exhibitors abide by the LAPADA Code of Practice. Objects are selected by the exhibitors for their craft in manufacture, rarity, intrinsic beauty and finesse. For both professional and private buyers the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair Berkeley Square is a perfect occasion to inspect, assess, learn about and buy traditional, modern and contemporary works of art. Acquiring a work of art at the LAPADA Fair, whether priced under £100 or over £100,000, is a personal and pleasurable experience.

The majority of exhibitors at the 2009 event have returned, whilst new dealers selected from an extensive waiting list of applicants include: Peter Harrington (rare books), Anthony Woodburn (clocks), Mark J. West (glass), Ted Few (works of art), Epoque Fine Jewels, Farnham Carpets, C.J. Martin (Coins) & Ancient Art Ltd, Lucy Johnson (oak furniture & modern art), Richard Gardner Antiques, The Taylor Gallery (C20th pictures), Paul Nash Fossil Décor, Mary Cooke Antiques (silver), Robert Bowman Gallery (sculpture), Martin du Louvre (modern & contemporary art), Borsdorf (jewellery) and Sue Ollemans (oriental jewellery and works of art). A full list of exhibitors can be found at www.lapadalondon.com.

Amongst works to be offered at the Fair are:

» Read More

Vienna, Austria - On June 25, 2010, the world’s largest gold coin, a 2007 Canadian $ 1,000.000 Maple Leaf is to be auctioned at Vienna’s Dorotheum.

This coin breaks all records: It weighs a staggering 100 kilos and measures 53 cm in diameter. But the most remarkable thing about this impressive coin, which cannot even be lifted by two men, is that it is made exclusively of the purest, finest and most refined gold: 999.99/1000 gold.
The world record-breaking coin, which is also listed in the current edition of the Guinness Book of Records, bears the image of Elisabeth II, the largest official portrait of the Queen in solid gold. The back shows three maple leaves, the national symbol of Canada, where the coin was minted. The face value of $ 1 million is far below the current gold price. The starting price will be based on the daily gold rate.

This gigantic Maple Leaf was on loan to the ‘Münzkabinett’ of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, which houses one of the largest numismatic collections in the world. The impressive coin has now been entrusted to the Dorotheum. The Dorotheum, the leading auction house in central Europe has been holding important coin auctions with historic coins for more than 200 years. Fittingly, the high-carat coin will come under the hammer at a diamond auction.

Follow this link to visit the Dorotheum online ......

London, Englend -- Taking place at the former Chelsea Barracks near Sloane Square, Masterpiece London represents an inter-disciplinary fusion of traditional and modern, old and new, bringing together not only the finest of the fine and decorative arts, but also the best of wines, classic cars, jewellery and contemporary design. At hhe former Chelsea Barracks, June 23 – 29, 2010 For more information follow this link . . .

Paris, France -- From 14 September to 26 October 2010, the Ratton-Ladrière gallery will be unveiling some thirty sculptures from the 15th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Some of them depict historical scenes, such as the Death of Cleopatra, while others show religious scenes, such as the Beheading of Saint Paul, while others still are based on mythology, such as the Lady with the unicorn or the Faun with Kid.

Located on quai Voltaire, the Ratton-Ladrière gallery has been one of the must-see antiquity galleries of the "Carré Rive Gauche" for some thirty years. Having been established on the Right Bank (14 rue Marignan, Paris 8th district) for several decades by Charles Ratton and Guy Ladrière, the Ratton-Ladrière gallery is now known internationally for its sculptures and art objects, but also its paintings and drawings, which primarily cover the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Use this link to read the entire article on Luxury Traveler's Vernissage page . . . .

Basel, Switzerland -- The Didier Aaron gallery, located in Paris, New York and London, specializes in seventeenth- to nineteenth-century furniture, art objects, drawings and paintings. The gallery regularly organizes exhibitions juxtaposing periods, civilisations and styles. In June 2010 the Didier Aaron gallery will participate for the first time in the Basel Design Show, which requested the gallery’s presence in order to put contemporary design and its historical roots in perspective. True to its core values, the gallery will show furniture and art objects reflecting the talent of French designers and makers from the eighteenth century which still carry a strong resonance today.

In a surrounding created by Jacques Grange combining purity and modernity, the Didier Aaron gallery will display eighteenth-century furniture and objects in a novel way, focusing on shapes, decoration, materials and techniques.
At a time when the boundaries between art, architecture and design have become blurred, the Didier Aaron gallery, through its presence in Basel, intends to challenge traditional categorisation and show collectors how to fully incorporate the eighteenth-century into the world of contemporary art and design.

» Read More

Vienna, Austria -- World Record of € 7,02 million for Frans Francken at the Auction of Old Master Paintings. The most expensive Painting sold in Austria to date. The sensational sale took place at the auction of old master paintings on the evening of 21st April at Dorotheum Vienna. Frans Francken's opulent canvas of heaven and hell Man Choosing between Virtue and Vice became a triumphant success when sold at 7.022.300 Euro. This result signifies the highest price ever achieved by an (old master) painting at auction in Austria and a new world record price for this artist. The winner of the dramatic bidding contest was the London Old Master Dealer Johnny Van Haeften.

» Read More

New York, NY -- Eighteenth-century European court society was famous for its lavish banquets featuring elaborate settings and protocols designed to indicate the status of both host and guests. Integral to these events were extravagant dining services of silver and gold, many of which subsequently were melted down to finance the frequent wars of the period. Vienna Circa 1780: An Imperial Silver Service Rediscovered, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from April 13 through November 7, 2010, will present a magnificent and rare surviving Imperial silver service, made about 1779-1782.

The exhibition is made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

In 2002, shortly after the Metropolitan Museum acquired two Viennese silver wine coolers from the Sachsen-Teschen Service, the core of the surviving parts was discovered in a French private collection. This superb ensemble was last displayed at the end of the 19th century and was believed to be lost. Made by Austrian Imperial court goldsmith Ignaz Josef Würth, the so-called Second Sachsen-Teschen Service comprised more than 350 items, including wine coolers, tureens, cloches, sauceboats, candelabra, candlesticks, and serving implements, as well as 24 dozen silver plates and pieces of porcelain-mounted silver and gold cutlery. Representing the splendor of royal dining during the ancien régime, the service was made for Duke Albert Casimir of Sachsen-Teschen (1738-1822) and his consort, Archduchess Marie Christine of Austria (1742-1798), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa. The ensemble will be partially reunited at the Metropolitan Museum and placed in the context of contemporary silver from other European cities. Dates: Runs to November 7, 2010

Vienna Circa 1780 is organized by Wolfram Koeppe, Curator in the Metropolitan Museum's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue Vienna Circa 1780: An Imperial Silver Service Rediscovered by Wolfram Koeppe that will be sold in the Museum's bookshops ($35).

The exhibition and its related programs will be featured on the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org