David & Webb 18K gold dial and bracelet with 17 jewels. Signed by Webb. From Stephan Lee Gallery.

The Manhattan Art & Antiques Center is delighted to welcome Alpha & Omega, a new gallery specializing in watches, paintings, Chinese porcelains and fine jewelry such as the stunning David & Webb gold dial and bracelet with a blue concealed watch face above. This beauty has a 14K gold watch back, is 9 inches in length and movement “Montres Teriam.” See more brilliant pieces from Alpha & Omega below. Alpha & Omega can be contacted here regarding any of these items.

Art Deco "Lozana" lady"s wind-up watch with accent diamonds.

Victorian bangle with 14K gold and silver cupids on either side of a 4CT antique cushion cut Peridot surrounded by rosecut diamonds, USA.

Exquisite 44-ctw diamond and platinum necklace, made in the 1930s.

Castle in the Clouds, currently undergoing restoration for the Castle Preservation Society, Jane Nylander as adviser.

Nine leaders of the industry, including Glen Adamson, Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Jane Nylander, preservationist and adviser to the Castle Preservation Society discuss the changing fine arts and antiques market, and the new opportunities the internet age has provided. Read the article at The Magazine Antiques.

Items on display in "Dibbles and Daisy Grubbers" at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum. Photo credit: Richard Warren

On loan at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in the Bronx starting July 1, will be more than 100 pieces of landscape architect Mark K. Morrison’s exhaustive collection of garden tools. Learn more about the show “Dibbles and Daisy Grubbers: The Art of the Garden Tool in this New York Times article by Eve M. Kahn.

Tiffany & Co. sterling silver water pitcher with maker"s mark "T", American, 1891-1902. Alter Silver Gallery

From the 13th century Middle English word “picher,” meaning earthen jug, the combination of elegance and utility exemplified in water pitchers has held the fascination of antique collectors for centuries. Premiere silver designers, Tiffany & Co. has long provided some of the most exemplary specimens of the art form. Alter Silver Gallery Corp can be contacted here regarding any of the water pitchers seen here.

Water pitcher and underplate by Tiffany & Co., in the "Wave" pattern, makers mark "T", American, circa 1891-1902. Alter Silver Gallery

Silver water pitcher by Tiffany & Co. in the Chrysanthemum pattern, makers mark of "M", circa 1869-1891. Alter Silver Gallery

An 1870s writing desk by Willie Howard, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Source: The New York Times

Freed slave Willie Howard only has two known works, two 1870s desks covered in strange applique, including snakes and kitchen appliances. In a strange coincidence, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts each bought one of these pieces in a January antiques fair. Little is known of Willie Howard’s life except he worked as a slave on the Kirkwood Plantation near Jackson, Alabama. Experts posit his work is an expression of post-war trauma finding voice in new-found creative freedom. Read more about this here.

Paul McCartney Plays Piano. Source: ringofstarrs.com

Legendary rock and roller, Paul McCartney has helped to commission Steinway & Sons in Astoria, Queens to help restore a Steinway grand piano played by Detroit musical greats, including Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder (NYTimes.com). Too fragile to play when the former Beatle came across it at the Motown Historical Museum, the piano will finally be playable after the painstaking restoration process is complete in the next few weeks.

Four-piece set, high 20-22 kt, heavy hammered gold, circa 2000. Fully signed. From Clifford Baron Gallery

The four-piece set above, created in high 20-22 kt, heavy hammered gold, circa 2000, is the work of Ilias Lalaounis, Greece’s foremost jewelry and object designer. The piece is featured in Lalaounis’ official jewelry book, Metamorphoses, which expounds on his belief that every piece of jewelry has a story to tell. The set comes with an appraisal written by Lalaounis dated Nov 8, 2003. Clifford Baron can be reached here about this piece.

A picture of Anna Wolfley, potential ancestor of President Obama’s mother. Courtesy of Ian Brabner. Source: The New York Times

Reported in The New York Times, Ian Brabner, an Delaware dealer is bringing a photo album that he says has potential presidential connections to the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, opening this Thursday at the Armory Show. The album contains 35 pictures, some of which are labeled, including the above picture of Anna Wolfley, the president’s great-great-great aunt on his mother’s side. The album is currently priced at $45,000.

Pair of polychromed Meissen porcelain figures of Malabars, German, circa 1820. Height: 14 1/2" From Alexander's Antiques Gallery

The first European hard-paste porcelain, Meissen porcelain was developed in 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death in the same year, Johann Friedrich Bottger took over his work and brought porcelain to the market. In 1710, the production of porcelain at Meissen in Eastern Germany, near Dresden soon attracted artists and buyers alike and became one of the most famous porcelain manufacturers in the world, and is still in business today. Contact Alexander’s Antiques here about any of the items shown here.

Pair of important Meissen cache pots, German, circa 1730-35. Height: 4.5" From Alexander's Antiques Gallery

Pair of Meissen potpourri vases and covers decorated with applied polychromed flowers, German, circa 1860. Height: 13" From Alexander's Antiques Gallery

Andrew Freeman Home front facade. Source: bronxbohemian.wordpress.com

No Longer Empty, a public arts organization devoted to bringing contemporary art to a wider audience through site-specific public exhibitions within local communities, presents “This Side of Paradise” at the historic Andrew Freeman Home in the Bronx. The quixotic Home, bequeathed by millionaire Andrew Freeman, was originally built as a haven for the wealthy who had lost their fortunes. The Home provided not only food and shelter but also the trappings of an elevated lifestyle, including a grand ballroom, billiard room, white glove dinner service, and a social committee to arrange amusements (nolongerempty.org).

“This Side of Paradise,” which references F. Scott Fitzgerald’s eponymous tale of the New York elite, connects the Andrew Freeman Home’s past to the urban realities of the Bronx today. The artwork will reference memory, storytelling and the concept of “being poor in style” (nolongerempty.org). The opening reception for the exhibition is Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at the Andrew Freeman Home. A Speakeasy After Party follows at 8:30PM. You can support No Longer Empty by purchasing tickets for the opening reception here. Exhibition admission is free. The Home is located at 1125 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY.