Among the world’s oldest jewelry type, pins and brooches date at least as far back as the Bronze Age. Along with the Ancient Greeks, Romans wore a pin called the spina, which was a thorn or thorn-like brooch used to hold up garments. Throughout the centuries, many cultures contributed to the aesthetic evolution of pins […]
Reported in the June issue of National Geographic, 1,200 year old paintings that redefine our understanding of Mayan culture have been discovered in the ancient city of Xultún. At just 6 square miles, the small city in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle was not expected to yield any artwork at all but to the […]
The striking fully-manned, full sail ship above recalling Shakespeare’s famous verse on the pleasure of seeing sails “grow big bellied in the wanton wind” is more than an elaborate metalwork. This ornate vessel, known as a nef, actually served the utilitarian purpose of housing spices, cutlery, napkins and even wine at elaborate dinners in the […]
On January 1, 2013, the lifetime gift tax exemption is scheduled to drop from $5 million to $1 million leaving both collectors and appraisers scrabbling to figure out how to pass on as much tax-free wealth to heirs as possible within a quickly shrinking window. Learn how you can most effectively gift a collection in […]
International art world heavyweights, the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA), the Society of London Art Dealers (Slad) and the UK dealer Richard Nagy have banded together to lobby against potential U.S. legislation that could limit the application of the laches doctrine. The laches doctrine is a defense commonly employed in title disputes over art works. […]
The year-long probation of popular Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei ended yesterday, June 21, 2012 following his release from detention overseen by the Beijing police last June. The artist is allowed to leave the capital but not the country pending further police investigations. Many fans believe Ai Weiwei was in truth imprisoned for his staunch […]
The Manhattan Art & Antiques Center is proud to welcome new gallery Antique Reflections, specializing in vintage jewelry and watches. See more antique pieces from this gallery below. You can reach this gallery for more information on these items here.
It is said that in 1930, Charles Arpels of Van Cleef & Arpels saw society lady Frances Gould, wife of wealthy philanthropist Frank Jay Gould, had hastily thrown her accessories into a tin cigarette case so she could join him for a meeting…and the minaudière was born. Arpels named the revolutionary accessory for his wife; minaudière […]
The earliest monument in the Roman Forum and a crucial example of a pre-existing pagan building being converted into a Christian sanctuary, Santa Maria Antiqua provides a singular visual map of the shift from Antiquity to the nascent Christian era. Founded in the mid-fifth century, abandoned and effectively sealed off by the ninth, the church’s […]
The rich tradition of bohemian glass-making dates back to the 16th century in the regions in and around Bohemia, the present-day Czech Republic (CollectorsWeekly.com). Due to its costliness, bohemian glass was once reserved only for loyalty. Yet it was the introduction of “marbled” glass techniques in the 19th century that paved the way for the […]