In 1784, Duncan Phyfe arrived in New York a struggling immigrant apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. By the early 1800s, he had built for himself such a demand that he was known as the “United States Rage.” Between 1805 and 1847, Phyfe was the dominant furniture maker of the elite moneyed class of New York, Philadelphia, […]
Born in Beppu, 1941, a time and place where bamboo craftsmen, including the artist’s father, were working towards the highest level of bamboo mastery, Yufu Masataka was early poised to become a basketry artisan of the loftiest order. From his early youth, Mastaka studied in his father’s workshop, adopting from him the striking yatara style, […]
Playing House, which opened Friday 24, at the Brooklyn Museum adds new perspective to an old and much-loved exhibit. The exhibition is the first in a series of installations aimed at garnering new interest in the museum’s period rooms. Meticulously detailed and carefully built, the historic rooms at the Brooklyn Museum, favorites with Museum-goers, have […]
Currently on view at Forbes Galleries, “International Art Jewelry 1895-1925” is an expansive look at the emergence of art jewelry in the late 19th century. A time of radical innovation, the end of the Victorian age found artists the world over eager to spearhead a new design aesthetic. Jewelry makers, like other artists, found themselves […]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is proud to introduce its new exhibition, The Game of Kings: Medieval Ivory Chessmen from the Isle of Lewis. In 1831, a hoard of luxury items, including more than 70 chess pieces carved of walrus ivory and dating as early as the 12th century, was unearthed on the Isle of […]
Judith Leiber Lizar Karung handbag, 1990s, Treasures & Pleasures Gallery Judith Leiber, the name in handbags of elegant luxury, started her remarkable career as the first woman to join the Hungarian Handbag Guild during World War II. Of Jewish descent, she escaped the Holocaust and eventually immigrated to the United States in 1947 where she […]
In the long and vibrant history of Islamic art, the Samanid Dynasty (AD 819-999) though short-lived was one of the most significant. The first native Persian empire to arise after the Muslim Arab conquest, the Samanid Dynasty represented a renaissance of early Iranian culture, not the least of which is its contribution to pottery making. […]
Antique Week in New York City has drawn to a close but as every antiques dealer knows, the biggest and most important antique show in the world is held this week, February 2-6, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida. The Original Miami Beach Antiques Show boasts a fascinating selection of over 800 established dealers […]
The earliest example of Japanese woodblock printing dates to the 8th century when Empress Koken commissioned one million small wooden pagodas with Buddhist text to be made and distributed freely among believers in temples all over the country. It wasn’t until the late 16th century that the first secular woodblock prints started to appear, and […]
The most prestigious antiques event of year, the 58th annual Winter Antiques Show is exhibiting at the Park Avenue Armory through January 29th. As all avid art and antiques collectors, curators, dealers and general lovers know, the show is a cornucopia of riches. All that is unusual, beautiful, and interesting will be on view for […]