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    Figure 1: Combat d'un ours contre des chiens. Embroidery, private collection. Animal fights for sport have an ugly history that extends back to antiquity. The pastime reached its peak in the 16th century and is documented in numerous artworks such as a 16th century embroidery panel of a bear fighting dogs at the court of Henry II of France (in a private collection) (figure 1), and a pietre dure tabletop depicting  fight between exotic and domestic animals circa 1720, in the Carlton Hobbs collection (figure 2).   Carlton Hobbs LLC. It’s a very sad fact that, even by the 21st century, we’ve hardly progressed and that this barbaric type of dog fighting persists despite the fact that it is one of the more serious forms of animal abuse and considered a felony in all 50 states. And it’s not just the people who operate these animal fights that are doing the wrong thing. Participation in any form–including spectating– is an egregious act. Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York City, thinks so too. It was announced on August 4, 2011, that legislation to increase penalties for spectators to these events was signed into law and will become effective in just 30 days. That means it is now a crime to attend a dog fight! “Until now, a person knowingly attending an animal fight was charged only with a violation, punishable by up to a $500 fine. The new law makes it a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine. Repeat offenders face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.” (NYDailyNews.com) And without spectators, there is no sport. We think this is a great step in the continuing fight to protect animals in this country and around the globe, and hope that other states will take up the torch and pass similar laws very soon.  

Carlton Hobbs, LLC is once again looking forward to exhibiting at the Masterpiece Fair in London, which opens at the Royal Hospital Chelsea next week, and we are very excited this year to be showing a group of works created abroad for the English and Continental markets. A careful blend of tradition and exoticism in these pieces is expressed in the combination of European forms with construction techniques unique to their native regions, namely the British colonies of East Asia and South America.

An extremely rare set of twelve George II carved walnut dining chairs, circa 1740, likely represents the largest extant group of chairs ordered in the Treaty port of Canton (present day Guangzhou) in the first half of the 18th century. While the design of the set represents the earliest model in the development of Chinese export chairs, taking the basic Queen Anne form of a shaped backsplat and cabriole legs, the construction of the chairs is distinctly Chinese with the carved motifs of an exotic character. The style of carving is closely related to an export cabinet in the Cophenhagen Museum of Art and Design, documented along with a set of twelve chairs in the “English fashion,” making it tempting to hypothesize that these chairs formed part of the same commission.

To the south, Chinese craftsmen created European-influenced furniture of great originality in the Straits Settlements, established by the British East India Company in the Malaccan Straits circa 1826. A rare carved teakwood breakfront on view with Carlton Hobbs represents the variety of Straits Chinese furniture modeled on, or related to, English designs dating from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Although these pieces were clearly Anglicized, their Chinese origins are recognizable by the type of wood used, construction methods and Eastern decorative motifs, which include carved openwork of Asian inspired foliate designs and vases. Although wealthy Chinese patrons generally did not have a taste for European-inspired pieces, the Straits Chinese were an exception, becoming “enthusiastic customers” of the Anglicized furniture.

Along with furniture forms, colonial artists also emulated the European style of portraiture, but often with strong references to their own traditions an subjects. An extremely rare painting of a black artist completing a portrait of a white female aristocrat represents this fusion of metropole and indigenous concepts. The painting, possibly executed in Brazil, speaks to position and integration of slaves in 18th century society. Here, the artist is dressed in an antiquated, fanciful costume and wears an earring, silver collar and arm cuff, denoting his servants/slave status. Usually, black male figures appear in portraits of this period in attendance to their masters, serving as status symbols, however, in the case of this painting, the relationship is indicated in a unique and far less subservient manner. The origin of the painting is as yet uncertain, however, strong clues exist as witnessed in the urban landscape seen through the window in the painting. The tiled roofs of this lively and distinctive reddish-pink color are specific to Portugal and colonial Brazil, which was under Portuguese rule until 1822. The slave population in Brazil was the largest in the world, and spanned four centuries, however slaves in this country experienced a less severe lifestyle than those in other parts of the world. Carlton Hobbs’ New York office will be open as usual from for the duration of the Fair, +1 212 423 9000. Additionally, Carlton and Stefanie can be reached directly at +1 347-603-3441 or at +1 646-710-0777, or by emailing Stefanie at stefanie@carltonhobbs.com. Carlton Hobbs’ London showroom is located at 16 Bloomfield Terrace, off Pimlico Road and can be viewed any time by appointment.

GUERIDON SET WITH MEDALS BY BERTRAND ANDRIEU. French, Circa 1805. Carlton Hobbs LLC.

This highly unusual and beautifully crafted table is set with medals by the celebrated French medallist, engraver and illustrator, Bertrand Andrieu (1761-1822). The medals, which are mounted to the center of the concave panels of its base, are double-sized examples of a medal issued in 1801 that served as a prize medal for the Exhibition of French Industrial Products held in Paris in 1801-2. The medal was later published in 1836 in Tresor de Numismatique: medailles de la Revolution francaise.1 They depict portrait busts of Minerva (Athena, in the Greek Pantheon), the virgin Roman goddess of war, civilization, crafts, poetry and wisdom. Her portrait in these medals is very similar to her portrayal on ancient coins, particularly those minted in wealthy cities like Syracuse, Sicily (figure 1). Figure 1: An ancient coin depicts the head of Athena. Syracuse, Sicily; 317-289 BC.

In mythology, Minerva is the daughter of Jupiter (Zeus) and was born by springing forth from his head, fully armed.2 In these medals she is portrayed wearing a helmet that is decorated with a winged lion and enwreathed with laurel. A similar helmet is illustrated in Percier and Fontaine’s Recueil de Décorations Intérieures, 1802 in an allegory of Sculpture (Pl. 5) (figure 2). Figure 2: A similar helmet illustrated in Percier and Fontaine’s "Recueil de Décorations Intérieures," 1802.

The present table appears to derive its inspiration from an ancient Roman altar. The octagonal top, with a pierced bronze gallery centered by a star on each of the eight sides, rests above a four-sided concave paneled base, one side of which is a door that opens to a cabinet within the base. The bronze feet are modeled in the form of winged lion monopodiae and are unusual in that the balls on which the monopodiae are raised are ingeniously designed, each integrating a castor without disturbing the perfect sphere of the brass ball. A marble altar that may have inspired this table, although more ornately decorated, is illustrated by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcophagi…, 1778 (figure 3). It is interesting to note that the altar, too, has concave sides, and is supported by winged leonine beasts at the canted corners, which are headed by zoomorphic masks. Figure 2: An ancient marble altar illustrated by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in "Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcophagi…," 1778.

The table is identifiably French in its construction. The lowest plateau of the base is beautifully built in a manner resembling parquet floor panels, while a similar technique is used to support the original octagonal marble top. The distinctive geometry of the gilt-brass gallery is strongly reminiscent of a balustrade illustrated in Percier and Fontaine’s Recueil de Decorations Interieures in a design for a room executed for the Château de Malmaison (Pl. 66). Detail of the medal. Andrieu was trained in Bordeaux and travelled to Paris in 1786 where he entered the workshop of Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux. He pioneered the technique employed on the present medals of single sided lead impressions colored to resemble bronze, and first used it on his celebrated medal representing the Fall of the Bastille in 1789. In 1790 he produced a medal depicting the Arrival of Louis XVI in Paris, however it is around 1800, after the turmoil of the revolutionary period, that Andrieu’s career began to flower. During the Napoleonic era he received numerous commissions from Vivant Denon, such as those for medals commemorating the Battle of Austerlitz, the Battle of Jena, the Marriage of Jérôme Bonaparte and the Marriage of Napoleon and Maria Louisa.3 This table is one of approximately forty pieces to be included in the upcoming exhibition, “Inspired by Antiquity: Classical Influences on 18th and 19th Century Furniture and Works of Art“ to be held at the Carlton Hobbs gallery from January 20th – February 14th. Footnote: 1. Tresor de Numismatique: medailles del la Revolution francaise, Paris, 1836, pl LXXXVI, no.4. 2. Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. London: J. Murray, 1974. Print. 209. 3. Macmillan Dictionary of Art.

AARP Magazine has featured our friend Margaret Cosgrove and her story in a recent article. Margaret is truly one of a kind, and in 2008 we held an exhibition of her paintings here at our New York gallery. Many of those works, pictured below, are now for sale with all proceeds going directly to the artist herself. Please do not hesitate to leave a comment with any inquiries! “All Through the Night”

“Betrayal”

“Forclosure”

“I Don’t Know”

“Invitation to the Dance”

“Landscape”

“You Will Not Fall”

“Too Much”

“Doxology”

“Midsummer Night”

This painting of unusually large scale (at just over 14 feet long) depicts the entrance front of the great house of Denham Place, Buckinghamshire and has been attributed to the artist Peter Hartover. The painting, which can be dated on the grounds of stylistic comparison with other of Hartover’s works to around 1675, records the appearance of Denham Place after the addition of a vast façade by Sir William Bowyer (1612-79) in the 1650s and before its rebuilding by Sir Roger Hill from 1688.

Oil painting depicting the front facade of Denham Place, Buckinghamshire attributed to Peter Hartover. Carlton Hobbs LLC.

The painting has been attributed to the artist Peter Hartover by John Harris in his seminal study The Artist and the Country House. The style and arrangement of the figures in the foreground are comparable to the group of Sir John and Lady Swinburne receiving guests at the gates of Capheaton in Northumberland as depicted in a painting known to be by Hartover and dated 1674. Hartover is known to have been the partner of one Robert Crossby ‘of London’, but a series of views signed by him or identifiably in his style, reveal that he later spent some time working in the north east of England.

The Artist and the Country House by John Harris, pl. XIV.

Sir William Bowyer’s alterations transformed Denham into the largest of all known ‘artisan mannerist’ houses and, as the painting records, provided a statement of considerable and unusual grandeur. The brick façade was organised around the motif of repeating columns, each with a prominent stone capital, which took the form of a giant order to the wings, whilst the whole was surmounted by a handsome parapet supporting twenty-four busts. These were later transferred to the house and gardens of Sir Roger Hill’s building, which can be seen below in a painting circa 1705, possibly by John Drapientier. These magnificent pictures represent an examples of the form of the house painting, which was at this date still in the early stages of its development. At around this time families began to commission such paintings either from pride in their possessions, as a depiction of major architectural alterations or as a record of an old family home before its replacement by a newer building. A photograph taken June 29, 1925 depicts Denham Place as it stood in the 20th century, the house appearing in form much as it did in the Drapientier painting.

© English Heritage.NMR

Giuseppe Maggiolini (1738-1814) is one of the most renowned Italian cabinetmakers of the 18th and early 19th century. Particularly famed is his work in marquetry, on commodes, chests, writing desks and tables. Neoclassical in design, his pieces employ a variety of richly-colored woods, geometric shapes, and intricate patterns. He was born in Parabiago, near Milan, in Lombardy, Italy and worked as a carpenter for the Cistercian monastery of Sant’Ambrogio della Vittoria in Parabiago before opening his own workshop. His first major commission was the Villa Litta for marchese Pompeo Litta. This led to other important assignments, particularly from the Archiduke Ferdinand of Austria, to whom he became cabinetmaker; from Stanislav II Poniatowsk, king of Poland; and later from the Bonaparte family. His designs were often based on the drawings of Levati and painter Andrea Appiani, and included classical motifs such as “trophies of musical instruments, cornucopia-like scrolls of acanthus leaves, ruffled ribbons, tendrils of ivy and bunches of flowers, as well as more strictly antique architectural ornaments…”1 Figure 2

Figure 1

The corner panels running from the top of the present commodes to the legs are decorated with stylized Roman lamps, which recur on the corners of a number of Maggiolini pieces (figure 1). In this case, the Roman lamps are topped with pinecones, imitating the form of thyrsusi. The thyrsus, a symbol representing hospitality in Italy, is another motif present in Maggiolini’s oeuvre. It appears in a drawing of 1801 from Maggiolini’s workshop that was used on the side panels of a secretary, details of which can be seen in figure 2.    

Figure 3

Figure 4 The present pair of commodes is of unusually grand proportions, and is inlaid with a profusion of sophisticated detail.  There is scrolling, floral decoration on their drawers and sides, woods of contrasting colors highlight the geometric elements surrounding centered keyholes, and an octagon containing an acanthine whorl occupies the center of each side. A collection of drawings by Maggiolini from the CivicaRaccolta delle Stampe, Milan, depicts several variations on the motif (figure 3).  A related design of similar acanthine decoration found within overlapping geometric shapes can be seen on a pair of tables by Maggiolini, circa 1780 and probably intended for the Palazzo Reale in Milan (figure 4). These commodes formed part of the collection of the American Bradford de Wolf, great-nephew of Samuel Colt, inventor of the Colt 45 revolver, who is believed to have purchased them in Rome around 1890. Amid a failing Italian economy, Prince Paolo Borghese attempted to distribute his family’s holdings among his siblings, and to illegally sell to foreign buyers, as no other Italians had the funds. “The eagerness of Prince Borghese to dispose of the masterpieces in his collection was, of course, tantalizing to Americans who had the wealth to go after such treasures.”2 Ultimately, the Villa Borghese was assumed by the state in 1890 and portions of the collection sold, and it was at this sale Mr. de Wolf is believed to have acquired the commodes. Footnotes: 1. Fleming, John and Hugh Honour. The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1977. 2. Craven, Wayne. Stanford White: Decorator in Opulence and Dealer in Antiquities. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) is perhaps the most distinguished English potter, whose work spread throughout Europe and to the United States and Canada. Wedgwood was the youngest son in a family of potters of Burslem, Staffordshire. By 1749 he completed his apprenticeship with the family pottery works and went on to form partnerships with John Harrison and Thomas Alders at Cliff Bank, Stoke, between 1752 to 1754, and with Thomas Whieldon, another notable Staffordshire potter, from 1754-1759. In 1759, Wedgwood terminated this partnership in order to found his own pottery works, making this year the 250th anniversary of the celebrated factory! The wares, which were considered to be on par with porcelain for a time, consisted significantly of dinner and tea ware, coffee ware, and decorative objects such as vases and large decorative plaques. Production grew to include smaller plaques, called ‘buttons,’ which were incorporated into buckles, jewelry and decorative boxes. Wedgwood developed a number of stoneware bodies including Jasper, Black Basalt, and Rosso Antico. He was greatly influenced by Robert Adam and the Etruscan style, going so far as to name his factory “Erturia,” and began interpreting those designs into pottery, at first directly using red figures in relief on black basalt background to simulate Etruscan vases. Bodies of Rosso Antico (antique red) could be further enhanced by the addition of black bas-relief decoration in the neoclassical style, as seen in this five-light silvered bronze and Wedgwood porcelain mounted chandelier, circa 1880. In the late 1700s, Wedgwood’s pottery was adapted for the purpose of creating interesting furnishings; he produced a number of urns and vases with clock faces, and “Wedgwood jasper decorations were used on some clocks in other media during the late eighteenth century.”1 An unusual mahogany, steel and Wedgwood mounted mantel clock combines the decorative talents Wedgwood with what is most likely the work of Birmingham manufacturer and industrialist Matthew Boulton. Boulton was both friend and business rival of Josiah Wedgwood and he framed Wedgwood cameos in steel for sword-hilts, buckles, and jewelry at his Soho factory. Dr. Anthony North, former Assistant Curator for the Metalwork, Silver and Jewellery Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, has said of the present clock that “the mounts are clearly Wedgwood and Boulton…A compelling factor in attributing the actual clock to Soho is the Neoclassical form and the curious steel feet, which…are obviously Soho work.”2 The neoclassic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries bore patrons of the arts with a taste dictated by antiquity, and the mounts of the present clock, its shape and finial, uphold this neoclassical ideal. To celebrate this quarter-millennium of Wedgwood pottery, exhibitions are being held worldwide. We’re particularly excited to be receiving the catalog for the exhibiton at the Royal Ontario Museum, “Wedgwood: Artistry and Innovation.” Their collection includes” pieces of ‘Queen’s Ware’ from the table of Catherine the Great, copies of the famed ‘Portland Vase,’ a black basalt relief that weighs over 800 pounds, as well as exquisite cameo medallions and jewellery.”3 Footnotes: 1. Kelly, Alison. Decorative Wedgwood in Architecture and Furniture. London: Country Life Ltd., 1965. 111. 2. Dr. Anthony North, former Assistant Curator for the Metalwork, Silver and Jewellery Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Letter to Carlton Hobbs Ltd. 25 March 2002. London. 3. http://www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/special/wedgwood.php

We can’t wait for the new Sherlock Holmes movie to be released!

The film looks to promise the same action, adventure, and intrigue found in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved tales, which total four novels and fifty-six short stories! The books are particularly special to us at Carlton Hobbs, and here are a couple of reasons why: Carleton Hobbs as Sherlock Holmes

One of the most notable portrayals of the fictional detective was on an English radio production that began in 1952. The actor, and one of radio programming’s first great stars, was none other than….Carleton Hobbs. Hobbs (1898-1978), known to his friends as “Hobbo,” played Sherlock Holmes on the radio for 17 years, where he “[exemplifyed] that ‘less is more’: he could communicate a thinking, feeling presence with very few words, and was famed for his use of silence.”1 Our own Carlton was named after this very actor, as his mother, Kitty, was a fan of the program, completely mesmerized by the star’s voice.

Scene from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." Another thing that makes these stories particularly interesting are the regular allusions to elements of spiritualism, a belief system based on the science, philosophy and religion of continuous life stemming from communication with spirits.2 After the deaths of several family members, including his wife and son, Sir Conan Doyle fell into a depression which he overcame by investigating the phenomena; he then converted and is considered one of the founders of Modern Spiritualism. Among the tenets of the religion is the belief in the Golden Rule (”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”), cause and effect, and the laws of attraction. All things attract to themselves according to their quality of emotion, negativity, and love3 and thoughts or actions attract like events and cause things into being. Sherlock Holmes displays a number of spiritualist principles in his thinking. For example, in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” when a villain is bitten by a poisonous snake, Holmes explains: “Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.”4 Not such a bad principle to live by, if we do say so ourselves. We’ll be sure to let you know our thoughts on the film, as well as list a few of our favorite Sherlock Holmes stories, and hope you share your opinions with us too!

Footnotes: 1. “Who Was Carleton Hobbs?”, bbc.co.uk 2. Vogt, Drew. Life Affirming Principles: An Introduction to Modern Spiritualism. http://www.ourcreation.org, 2008. 3. Ibid. 4. Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes, the Complete Novels and Stories. New York: Bantam, 1986. 421.

Deriving from the French word jardin, meaning garden, the jardinière is a stand or container for flower pots, used to decoratively and discreetly incorporate plants into an interior. Jardinières were first used in 18th century France. The idea spread to England soon after 1750 and then to the Americas in the 19th century. Designed to fit harmoniously into their respective interiors, jardinières were constructed in all shapes and sizes, and made from a variety of materials including wood, marble, ceramic and metal. To protect the piece, liners of copper, zinc, or lead were often fitted within. Figure 1 In figure 1, a mid-19th century watercolor in the V&A, of German or Austrian origin, depicts a traditional Biedermeier interior. Two jardinières bring plant-life into the room, complementing the light colors and floral wallcoverings. In addition to serving as room decoration, jardinières encouraged botanical studies, a common pastime in the sitting rooms of bourgeois and upperclass women. Furthermore, they gave Europeans the ability to enjoy exotic flowers, which they would not otherwise have been able to sustain in such a varied climate.

Figure 2 Jardinières were “an essential part of the love of flowers to be found in the 18th century, especially in France, and some of the finest small ones were made of Sevres porcelain.”1 On a larger scale, other types of ceramic were used such as Delft and Faïence earthenware. Faïence is the traditional name in English for the tin-glazed pottery that originated in Faenza, Italy. It spread north throughout the rest of Europe with manufacturing centers in France, Germany, and Belgium. In Belgium the largest production of Faïence occurred at Tournai and Brussels starting in the 17th century. Figure 2 depicts one of a pair of very large and rare faïence jardinières almost certainly made in Brussels circa 1740, decorated with female masks and rich floral swags.

  Figure 3 Figure 3 illustrates a pair of jardinières, possibly Italian, circa 1815. Executed in Carrara marble, they are decorated with gilt-bronze mounts depicting classical figures. A frieze of opposing sphinxes and stylized floral designs further enhances the late neoclassical motif, as do the gilt clawed feet on which they stand.

    Figure 5

Figure 4 Finally, the pair of George III two-tiered jardinières in figure 4 are of painted wood and date from the last quarter of the 18th century.  18th-century jardinières would often succumb to water damage over time, and the present delicately decorated examples are rare survivals of this neoclassical type of furniture from the latter part of the century. “Adam, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton gave fresh impetus to the vogue for painted furniture”2 and the finely painted designs on furniture often corresponded directly with the architectural features within a room. They are shown in use in figure 5 in our booth at the 2009 Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair.

  Footnotes: 1. Savage, George. Dictionary of Antiques. New York: Praeger, 1970. 2. Eberlein, Harold Donaldson and Abbot McClure. The Practical Book of Period Furniture. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1914. 318.

We recently read a post on the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s blog about the depiction of fruit in painting. This inspired us to consider all of the pieces of furniture in our building that incorporate fruits and vegetables. In anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, we’ve selected three delectable pieces from the Carlton Hobbs collection that feature these motifs to whet your decorative arts appetites! A highly inventive boxwood library table combines profusely carved fruits and vegetation with four full-length figures forming the legs. They represent Prometheus chained at the wrists, Cinyras, the father of Adonis, who split open a myrrh tree from which emerged his new born son, and Mercury, who is depicted here as a beardless youth carrying a purse, his badge as one of the Roman gods of commerce.  Hercules, one of Brustolon’s favorite characters is also shown, bearing a club and a lion’s skin. It is a pleasing design feature that one side of the carved frieze is subtly arched to accommodate the sitter, while the foliate carved decoration on side facing the room is allowed greater profusion. The vegetation incorporated into the frieze includes sunflowers, symbols of devotion; grapes, which represent autumn and harvest, or the blood of Christ in Christian tradition; and bursting pomegranates, symbols of fertility and abundance. An exceptional mirror from the State Bedroom at Temple Newsam house in Yorkshire has your 9 daily servings of fruit and veg right in it’s boldly carved frame!  The mirror, which combines both baroque and Palladian styles, is surmounted by a large three-feathered plume resting on crossed cornucopiae overflowing with a garland of fruit and foliage, which form the frame, and terminating in a winged putto mask. Among the carved goodies are wheat, peapods, figs pomegranates and pine cones, all of which symbolize fertility, birth or immortality. In accordance with Christian tradition, wheat and grapes depicted together represent the Eucharist, and the pomegranate, particularly one bursting open (as is the case in the present mirror), represents the resurrection of Christ. A pair of wall brackets take the form of cornucopia, or horns of plenty, symbolizing bountifulness and issuing the fruits of the earth. Most commonly associated with the American holiday of Thanksgiving, the origin of the cornucopia actually stems from Greek mythology. It is supposed to have belonged to Amalthea, protector of the infant Zeus, who is sometimes represented as a she-goat that suckled the infant-god, and at other times a goat-tending nymph who brought him up. In one version of the story, Amalthea presents Zeus with her horn, filled with fruits and flowers. In a second version, it is Zeus who breaks off the horn of a goat and presents it to Amalthea, promising an abundance her desires. Because of this symbolism, the present pair of wall brackets would have signified the plenitude and generosity to be found in the owner’s home, and may have appropriately been hung in a dining room or banquet hall. We’d love to hear about interesting antique objects you’ve seen in museums that incorporate fruits and veggies and from the Carlton Hobbs team, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Figure 1 André-Charles Boulle (11 November 1642 – 28 February 1732) was a French cabinetmaker and Ébéniste du Roi for Louis XIV (figure 1). He was born in Paris and was elected to the Académie St. Luc as such, though he also considered himself to be “an architect, mosaicist, engraver, and bronze-worker.”1 In 1672 he became cabinetmaker to the king, on the recommendation of  Louis’ minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert.  He worked continuously for the royal family in addition to taking on private important commissions. Figure 2 Boulle was the preeminent artist in marquetry, perfecting the type of marquetry executed in tortoiseshell and brass, to which his name is lent. Boulle marquetry can be done in two ways; sheets of brass and tortoiseshell are glued together and then cut in a particular design. When the layers are cut to produce a shell ground with inlaid brass it is considered ‘first-part’ or premiere-partie. If the brass ground is inlaid with shell, it is then considered ‘counter-part’ or contre-partie. Ebony veneer was typically used for those areas not decorated with boulle marquetry.  In figure 2, a cabinet in the Louvre illustrates the use of the two techniques within the same piece. Figure 3 The fashion for Boulle furniture was revived during the late Louis XVI period, with cabinetmakers such as Étienne Levasseur and Philippe Claude Montigny among the chief exponents, and again by King George IV in the early 19th century. A cabinet in the Carlton Hobbs collecton is a superb example of the early 19th century taste in England for French-inspired furniture of the ancien régime. There were a number of firms in London that specialized in French-inspired furniture, such as Robert Hume, Louis Le Gaigneur and Thomas Parker. In all periods of its construction, whether in 17th century France or 19th century England, furniture in boulle marquetry has always been highly esteemed and furnished, almost exclusively, the interiors of the nobility and social elite.

Footnote: 1. Fleming, John, and Hugh Honour. The Pinguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. London: Allen Lane, 1977. 107.

Figure 1 John Blades was a leading glassmaker of the early nineteenth century. He was active from 1783, when he opened his shop at 5 Ludgate Hill, London, until his death in 1829. His business was far-reaching, with connections in both the Middle East and India, and eventually a division, Blades and Matthews, was established in Calcutta. Figure 2 Known as the “great glass man of Ludgate-hill,”1 Blades specialized in chandeliers and candelabra of superior quality. His clientele included the Second Earl Grosvenor and the Draper’s Company, a prestigious livery company in London, and in 1789 he was appointed Cut Glass Manufacturer to his Majesty, George III. He retained the services of architect and designer J.B. Papworth to design both his showroom and products, which was unusual in his field for the time. Papworth is credited with introducing the oblong, rule-cut drops that are so distinctive of Blades’ work and are found in a pair of candelabra in the Carlton Hobbs collection (figure 1). A print from Akerman’s Depository of the Arts depicts the Ludgate Hill showroom filled to capacity, and includes a candelabrum comparable to the present pair (figure 2). Upon Blades’ death, the business was continued by Francis Jones and his sons, though Blades’ name and reputation were not forgotten. Jones’ trade card advertises himself as the “successor to the late John Blades, Cut Glass Manufacturer to his Majesty and the Honble East India Company” as well as promoting the company’s services as “By appointment to her royal highness the Duchess of Kent” and “By royal firmaun to his Majesty the Shah of Persia.” Figure 3 Figure 4 The candelabra combine Blades’ characteristic design elements to produce an exquisite example of a lighting style popularized during the Regency period in England. They are probably the largest of this type, standing at 2 1/2 feet tall. A closely related, but smaller, pair of candelabra attributed to Blades is illustrated in Lighting in the Domestic Interior (figure 2),2 and a design for a similar pair, made for the King of Persia, can be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Additionally, two similar pairs of English candelabra, published in Nineteenth Century Lighting, utilize the same gilt-bronze zoomorphic feet and drops comprised of vertically stacked glass balls atop faceted pendants (figure 3),3 which can also almost certainly be attributed to Blades. Footnotes: 1. Urban, Sylvanus. The Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Chronicle. Vol. XCIX. J.B. Nichols and Son, 1829. 2. Bourne, Jonathan and Vanessa Brett. Lighting in the Domestic Interior: Renaissance to Art Nouveau. New York: Philip Wilson, Ltd., 1991. 170. 3. Bacot, H. Parrot. Nineteenth Century Lighting: Candle-Powered Devices: 1783-1883. Grand Rapids: Schiffer, Ltd., 1987. 131.

Figure 1- Pair of Blue John Chimney Ornaments. Figure 2- Treak Cliff and cavern First discovered over two thousand years ago by the Romans, Blue John is an unusual mineral from the area around Mam Tor mountain at Treak Cliff near Castleton in Derbyshire, England (figure 2). This is the only known location where Blue John can be found, though other types of fluorspars are mined throughout the world. The name “Blue John” is believed to derive from the French bleu jaune,1 meaning “blue-yellow,” and it is characterized by bands of blue/purple and yellow/white colored veins. It is a difficult material to work with, as the stone is soft, brittle, and can be altered in coloration by excessive heating.2 Because of its rarity, the material is no longer used on a grand scale. Presently, only approximately one quarter of a ton is excavated each year and is used primarily for jewelry and small objects. Figure 3- Blue John and ormolu mounted Sphinx vase by Boulton, c. 1770. Figure 4- The Music Room at Kedleston Hall Blue John was first used by the ancient Romans and then again beginning around 1760. In late 18th century England, local industry centered around the production of decorative objects in Blue John such as vases, obelisks, and mantel garnitures. These were sometimes embellished with gilt-bronze mounts (figure 3). One of the most proficient users of the stone was Matthew Boulton. He worked extensively in Derbyshire marbles and fluorspars to produce a variety of decorative objects like urns, cassolettes, and perfume burners. Boulton’s technical virtuosity is seen in both the sculpting and application of gilt-bronze mounts to the delicate stone. Blue John was used to furnish the finest British houses, notably Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and Kedleston Hall, where it was first employed by Robert Adam. A chimneypiece designed by Adam and made by Joseph Hall or Derby was installed in the Kedleston Music Room in 1761 (figure 4). It is the earliest recoded use of Blue John in the applied arts. In the Carlton Hobbs collection, a pair of blue john decorations are distinguished by their large scale and fine regular veining (figure 1). They were almost certainly employed as ornaments for the shelf of a fine neoclassical chimney piece.

Halloween originated with the Celts some 2,000 years ago as a celebration of their new year on November 1st. On the night of October 31st ,  they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed the ghosts of the dead returned to the land of the living. One of the quintessential symbols of the holiday is the skeleton and this Halloween, we’ve pulled four skeletons out of the Carlton Hobbs closet: Figure 1 Two genres in art are specifically devoted to reminding us of our own mortality and the transience of earthly possessions and vices. “Memento Mori,” from the Latin “Remember you will die,” is a genre found in painting and sculpture, particularly funeral art and architecture. The most popular symbols found in these works are skeletons or skulls. Extinguished candles, urns of flowers and timepieces such as clocks and hourglasses are also present as reminders of our fleeting existence in this world. A gouache depicted in figure 1 shows an artist in his studio. On the canvas before him is painted an urn of flowers and fruits, characteristic symbols of memento mori painting. A further symbol of death, the owl, is perched on the easel. An actual urn with flowers sits on the table above a second canvas of the same subject. Behind the easel stands a skeleton donning a laurel wreath, suggesting to the viewer that our victories in life are transient as we will all someday die. Figure 2 A second closely related type of symbolic still life painting is the “Vanitas,” Latin for “vanity.” Vanitas paintings contain the same symbols of mortality, but may also include symbols of vanity (such as mirrors and musical instruments), expressing the emptiness and worthless nature of worldly goods.  Belgian painter Antoine Wiertz features the themes of death and mortality prominently in his painting and sculpture, including one of his most famous works, the painting “Two Young Girls” or “The Beautiful Rosine” (1847), seen in figure 2.  In this work, a beautiful young nude stands face to face with a hanging skeleton. Its skull is labeled “La Belle Rosine.” Although there is no physical mirror present, the young woman is essentially staring at her future self and eventual passing; it is a confrontation between beauty and death. While the original completed work hangs in the Wiertz Museum in Brussels, the present painting is almost certainly the artist’s prototype. Figure 3

In figure 3 we see an oil painting of a very interesting figure where the contrast between death and life could not be more explicit. The woman depicted is, in fact, split in half. On the right she is painted in the flesh, while on the left she is transformed into a rotting corpse, with worms and snakes wriggling about her bones. Behind the skeleton on the wall hangs a painting of wilting flowers in a vase, while on the right a billowing curtain and pilaster provide the backdrop for the sentient half of the woman. Lastly, we have a reverse glass painting entitled “Life and Death Contested, or, An Essay on Woman” (figure 4). Once again, this picture is shows a woman halved: on the left, she is painted in elaborate aristocratic costume surrounded by her earthly pleasures, such as books and playing cards. On the right we see only her skeleton, with a skull and bones at the foot of an obelisk. The obelisk is covered in proverbs, bible verses and sermon excerpts decrying worldly pursuits and reminding us, and women in particular, that they should be wary of their  mortal pursuits and striving toward heavenly salvation. Check back for a future blog on this painting, when we explore more of the symbolism in depth!

From the Carlton Hobbs Team have a Happy Halloween!

We’re pleased and excited to announce that Carlton Hobbs and Jean- Luc Baroni, one of the leading international fine art specialists, are teaming up for an exhibition of Master Works of Art and Furniture entitled “IN THE GRAND MANNER,” which will run from January 22 to February 2, 2010 at the Carlton Hobbs Gallery, 60 East 93rd Street, in New York. Baroni will present approximately thirty-five rare and highly important old master paintings and drawings, from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, some on view for the first time in the United States. “We are delighted to welcome Jean-Luc Baroni to our gallery and can hardly wait to see the superb pieces he has selected to exhibit here during Old Master Week in New York” said Carlton Hobbs. “This is the first time we have lent a large part of our gallery to a dealer from a different discipline, but believe that we will provide the perfect setting for Mr. Baroni’s stunning collection. We will carefully select pieces from our own inventory to complement the old master works.” Amongst these will be an extraordinary and, according to Lucy Wood, “pioneering” early neoclassical giltwood armchair attributed to Ince & Mayhew, presumably from a group at Bramshill Park; a highly important overmantel mirror with the frame attributed to Thomas and René Pelletier; and a pair of giltwood console tables almost certainly commissioned for Schloss Seehof. “I am privileged to have the opportunity to show my works of art in a gallery of such stature and prominence,” said Baroni, whose gallery is based in London. Baroni plans to show works by Parmigianino, Zuccaro, Beccafumi, Ricci, Maratta, Delacroix, Piazzetta, Gandolfi, Boldini, Salviati, among others. One of these masterpieces is the Portrait of a Lady as ‘Flora’ by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Venice 1696 – 1770 Madrid) Oil on canvas, 88 x 70 cm. This superb painting by the leading Italian artist of his generation, was recently discovered in the attic of the French Chateau, where it rested, forgotten for over 200 years. This stunning picture is on par with two other celebrated pictures dating from around 1762, just before the artist departure to Spain: Portrait of a Young Lady with a Parrot in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and the Portrait of a Lady with a Mandolin in the Detroit Institute of Art. The three pictures are believed to belong with a series of mezze figure di donne (half-length female figures) which were commissioned by the Empress Elizabeth of Russia. Another work is Salmacis and Hermaphroditus by Ludovico Carracci (Bologna 1555-1619) Oil on canvas, 114 x 151 cm. This magnificent painting, whose provenance goes back to 1632, was discovered in 2006 by Aidan Weston Lewis at Knole in Kent, where it had been in store, unrecognized, since 1674. One of the most poetic achievements of the Bolognese Master, this painting illustrates a scene from the story of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, a tale narrated in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. The artist has chosen to depict the moment in which the nymph falls in love at the sight of Hermaphroditus and prepares to dive into the waters to seduce him. Also on show will be a most intriguing ink drawing by Giovanni-Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino (Cento 1591 – Bologna 1666) A Group of Spectators, probably at a Bullfight, peeping through a fence. This unique drawing with its surprising subject could well represent spectators catching a glimpse at a bullfight. It is stylistically datable to the 1630s, when bullfighting was still widely spread in Italy too. In fact, this cruel spectacle has a roman origin, and it is thought that the Romans actually introduced it into Spain. In 1567, Pope Pius V issued a Papal bull which forbade the fight of bulls, and which eventually brought about prohibitions against bullfighting throughout Italy. It was not until the 19th century, however, that bullfighting disappeared altogether in Italy. Jean-Luc Baroni belongs to the third generation of a family of connoisseur art dealers. The family business first opened in Paris in 1919, and moved to Florence in 1967. In 1982, Mr. Baroni went into a 20 year long partnership with the eminent British firm Colnaghi. He now works with his daughter, Novella Baroni, from his gallery in St. James’s, London. Mr. Baroni has long been established as a specialist in fine paintings and drawings by Old and Modern Masters. The gallery holds regular exhibitions, produces substantial catalogues that are fully researched and illustrated and participates in a number of International Art Fairs including Maastrict and events such as the Master Drawings Week in London and in New York, and the Salon du Dessin in Paris. Amongst the many museums and private collections which have acquired paintings and drawings from Jean-Luc Baroni Ltd. are The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York; The National Gallery of Art, Washington; The Saint Louis Art Museum; The Los Angeles County Museum; The British Museum, London; The National Gallery of Art, London; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; The Pinacoteca Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino; The Musée des Beauts Arts, Lille; The Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Interior designer Jamie Drake has said “The first thing I’d buy for a glamorous room is a mirrored piece of furniture.” Mirrors engraved with scenes from the hunt were first known to be used within furniture in the drawer fronts of 17th century South German table cabinets. They were incorporated as part of the exploration and display of precious materials within decorative arts objects and have since been applied to many types of furniture in varying degrees throughout history, including chairs, bookcases and commodes. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 1 depicts an English bookcase, circa 1760, formerly in the Carlton Hobbs collection, whose doors are set with sixty Chinese mirror paintings, an unprecedented design element. The specifically-constructed glass sections were sent all the way to China from England to be hand painted before being inserted into their intended spaces. A pair of Italian chinoiserie armchairs circa 1810, also previously part of the Carlton Hobbs collection, have backs which enclose geometric patterns set with eight shaped panels of reverse painted glass (figure 2). Figure 3 A more unusual item to be applied with mirror glass is an Indian howdah circa 1840, currently on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum (figure 3). A howdah is a carriage-like compartment strapped to the back of an elephant and was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries as a firing platform in hunting, or as a mode of transportation to carry the wealthy during British Colonial rule. (You can read more about this in our July 23rd blog, “Howdah You Hunt a Tiger?”) One should imagine the glint of a jungle procession in a mirrored carriage such as this, with the sun reflecting a maharajah’s presence at all angles! Moving a century forward, an engraved glass mounted center table currently in the Carlton Hobbs inventory (figure 4, detail), circa 1925, anticipates the trend for glass and mirrored furniture that would develop later on in the Art Deco period. In this example the piece is entirely veneered with mirror glass, adding lightness and allowing the piece to integrate easily with its surrounding color scheme. Like other pieces of the period, by such designers as Jules Leleu, the table takes inspiration from 18th and 19th century French design, in this case the work of Joseph Canabas, and brings it up to date with alterations of form and materials used. This evolved into more streamlined mirrored pieces, like this Dressing Table in the V&A designed by Robert Block circa 1935 (figure 5). Mirrored furniture can play tricks on the eye by enhancing the sense of light and space within a room or act as a sleek and modern foil to pieces of antique furniture, adding sparkle and glamour to any interior scheme.

Figure 4 Detail of top. Figure 5

A unique workbox in the form of a Peacock. Carlton Hobbs LLC. Things are not always what they seem, and nothing could be truer than when looking at this early 19th century sewing box in the elaborate form of a peacock. Standing at just over 5 1/2 feet tall, the piece initially looks like an intricately carved and inlaid wooden sculpture of a peacock standing on a hexagonal base. But on further inspection one finds that the peacock’s neck and head drop forward to reveal a workbox with two drawers containing silver gilt sewing tools. The tail can also be removed to reveal a pincushion. Another drawer is concealed at the top of the hexagonal base which contains spools of thread. A door in the base opens to reveal a plain interior with a further drawer at the bottom. The workbox, opened. The peacock has been used in art to depict numerous attributes. Because the peacock annually replaces its plumage, it is seen as a symbol of renewal. The ancients believed that its flesh did not decay, making it also a symbol of immortality. Peacocks are associated with Juno, goddess of the stars and sky, because of the blue and golden colors of its feathers. She is said to have bestowed on it “100 eyes.” Finally, the peacock featured in early Christianity to symbolize resurrection, but evolved to represent pride and vanity. According to the German scholar Frank Moeller, this workbox is a unique creation from one of the leading early 19th century Berlin workshops, with several factors conspiring toward this conclusion. The use of highly distinctive ‘pyramid’ mahogany, that is, mahogany whose grain structure is highly decorative and whose layerd make-up culminates in a point, thus giving the name ‘pyramid,’ is a strong keynote of high-quality furniture in Berlin from 1815-1835. Vorzimmer von König, Schloss Pfaueninsel. The carving to the workbox is remarkable and here Moeller has pointed to the workshop of Johann Christian Sewening, whose pieces contain many of the same characteristics found in the workbox including the carved molding; the use of Pyramid mahogany, complimented by the unusual use of green stained holly; and the design of the gilded metal parts of the neccessaire of the workbox, which combines both neoclassical and Rococo features. Sewening was cabinetmaker to the court and a project as ambitious as this workbox would have been extremely costly, which makes it very likely to have been a royal commission. We hypothesized that, because of the craftsmanship and subject matter, it was possible that the workbox was made for the Schloss at Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island). The island, situated in the Havel River, was purchased in 1793 by King Friedrich Wilhelm II and a castle was built in the form of a mock-medieval palace as a retreat for the King and his mistress, Countess Wilhelmine von Lichtenau. The island served as a zoological park and menagerie that included the peacocks from which the island takes its name.  Allusions to the birds can be found throughout the Schloss, including a large peacock applied to the wall in the Vorzimmer von König (King’s anteroom) [figure 1]. Charlotte of Prussia (who became Empress Alexandra Fedorovna) However, it was brought to our attention by Dr. Samuel Wittwer (director of the Palaces and Collections for the Foundation for Prussian Palaces and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg) that the Schloss had fallen out of use by this time. He suggested instead, that while the peacock was most probably made in Berlin, it belonged to a Russian palace due to its uncharscteristicly exotic character (whereas Berlin pieces tended to be strongly architectural). There is a compelling connection between the Russian and Prussian courts in the marriage of Emperor Nicholas I to Princess Charlotte of Prussia, and we are currently exploring this alternative. As she is depeicted in figure 2, the apparel of the princess shows her predeliction for the exotic.

There’s the latest addition to the Carlton Hobbs team–a recently rescued chicken! Over the weekend, while driving past Pelham Bay Park, our managing director spotted an injured cormorant. She calmed the sea bird down with gentle whistling, while awaiting the rescue team from the Parks Department.  Who would have expected the whistling would also have tempted a small chicken to come out of the woodwork? While the rangers were unsuccessful at rescuing the cormorant, they did capture the chicken, assuring us that it could be adopted. To our horror, however, the chicken was taken to a NYC kill shelter, who refused to let it go! But higher levels at the ACC were kind and helpful – after a couple of tense days and help from our bird-minded friends, the chicken was released to us. Candis-Marie, as she is now called, is being checked out by Rita McMahon of the Wild Bird Fund, who has already selected a sanctuary upstate for the bird. In the meantime, the rescue efforts for the cormorant continue, with goggles, gloves, nets and kayaks at the ready! We’d be grateful to hear from anyone who could help with the rescue of this bird. Keep your fingers crossed.

Don’t know the difference between a bergère and a fauteuil? Can’t remember what a particular style is called? Want to know more about the origins of Egyptomania? Let us know! Each month we’re going to devote a few blog posts to answering your decorative arts questions and writing about topics recommended by our readers. You can send your questions and blog suggestions to: blog@carltonhobbs.net We look forward to hearing from you!