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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Above is an Aesthetic Movement Sterling silver tea and coffee service with applied accents from Bigelow & Kennard. Found in 1830 by John Bigelow, Bigelow & Kennard was among the leading silver merchants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As many antiques enthusiasts know, the Aesthetic Movement (18775-1885) was an American and British […]
The Independent Art Spaces Symposium on Saturday, March 31, 2012 celebrates and introduces the launch of the Art Spaces Directory, which is published in conjunction with the 2012 New Museum Triennial: “The Ungovernables.” The Art Spaces Directory is an international guide to the sites where contemporary art and artists are welcomed and nurtured. With a […]
The Whitney Biennial 2012, the sixty-seven in a series of Annuals and Biennials since 1932, looks at the state of contemporary American art. Some of the year’s best are below.