Aspen Antiques and Fine Arts Fair 2010
The Aspen show features some of worlds premier dealers of fine art, antiques, jewelry, silver, and collectibles.
Each year the show offers a diverse collection of world-class exhibits and 2010 may be our best year to date. We have expanded
the variety of dealers to include exhibits of contemporrary art, designer jewelry, and decorative glass.
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Highlighting Some Of The 2010 Exhibits
Exhibitor MS RAU
New Orleans LA |
Vincent van Gogh
Town View of the Hague with the Nieuwe Kerk
Watercolor, gouache, pen and ink on paper
Circa 1882 - 9 7/8" high x 14 1/8" wide
Vincent van Gogh is one of the world's most iconic artists, and his commanding and sometimes
disturbing canvases speak of a troubled, yet immense genius. At the time he completed this
striking landscape, entitled Town View of the Hague with the Nieuwe Kerk, van Gogh had just
experienced his first taste of commercial success, thanks in part to his uncle, art dealer
Cornelius Marinus van Gogh. Between March and April of 1882, van Gogh had been commissioned
by his uncle to draw a 12-part series of compositions with city views of the Hague as the focus.
Around the same period, van Gogh began to learn the art of watercolor from his cousin,
Anton Mauve, a highly accomplished watercolorist. His new-found interest in the medium is
seen in this particular landscape of the Hague. The overcast sky and ominous rooftops,
with chimneys bellowing black smoke in the distance, seem to mirror the state of the
downtrodden man in the center of the composition, a common figure present in many of
van Gogh's works during this time. Through his use of arrangement, color and perspective,
this landscape emanates deep emotion, reflecting the genius that is van Gogh.
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Exhibitor MS RAU
New Orleans LA |
Norman Rockwell - 1894-1978
"Little Girl with Lipstick"
Signed "Norman Rockwell Oil on canvas
Little Girl with Lipstick was featured on the cover of American Magazine, February, 1922, and was one of only seven he completed for
the publication. The painting is included in Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Volume 1, by Laurie Norton Moffatt, no. C12, page 8, illustrated.
A precious little girl plays dress-up in this nostalgic and exceptionally executed painting by Norman Rockwell,
one of America's most beloved and admired artists. With pinky finger extended and a confident gaze into her mirror,
this eager girl is in training to become a proper young lady. As evidenced in this important work, Rockwell emphasized
the standards of the middle-class, providing a fascinating window into American ideology of the 20th century.
Norman Rockwell led a very long and incredibly successful career as an artist. His first commission was painted when
he was only 16 and his irresistible paintings of American life made him the American illustrator of the 20th century.
Rockwell said himself, "Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed
to others who might not have noticed." Painting poignant pictures that graced the covers of Literary Digest,
The Saturday Evening Post, American, Life, Country Gentleman, and Look magazines, Rockwell's distinguished
career earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, the highest honor bestowed upon an American civilian.
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Tiffany & Co.
Antique silver, gold, ruby, sapphire, diamond and pearl bangle bracelet by Tiffany & Co.
The continuous triple row hinged bangle is set with 61 old-mine cut diamonds with an approximate
total weight of 12.75 carats. Each row centering a stylized floret. The first floret is set with
one cushion-shaped ruby with an approximate total weight of .75 carat. The second floret is set
with one pearl 6 mm in diameter. The third floret is set with one cushion-shaped sapphire with
an approximate total weight of 1.25 carats. The center florets are encircled by 10 old-mine
cut diamonds each. Provenance: Estate of Eleanor S. Rawson.
Circa 1880.
Signed, Tiffany & Co.
Exhibitor Macklowe Gallery
New York, NY
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Exhibitor MS RAU
New Orleans LA |
John William Godward, R.B.A. - 1861-1922
Memories
Signed "J.W. Godward" and dated 1910 (lower left) and inscribed
Oil on canvas
Canvas: 48 1/8" high x 28 3/4" wide
Frame: 58" high x 39" wide
This painting is included in the catalogue raisonné John William Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism, by Vern G. Swanson, p. 226, no. 10.
A most extraordinary work by John William Godward, widely considered to be one of the most important and
influential classical painters of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Entitled Memories, this work provides an intimate portrait of
Godward's subject, a young woman lost in a reverie of things past. Painted in 1910, Memories embodies Godward's lifelong preoccupation with
depicting beautiful young women in classical-inspired dress. His subjects were actually painted nude first, then clothing would be applied on top and then gently scraped, giving Godward's maidens their signature gossamer, flowing robes. The dramatic palette, luxurious fabrics and classical vision are all characteristic of this remarkable artist. Godward's work is most celebrated for its implicit sensuality and masterful, naturalistic detail. His stunning canvases have enjoyed a resurgence in the past few years and he is now among the most celebrated and in-demand English artists on the market today.
Along with his contemporary and mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward set the tone for the Victorian Neoclassicist movement. He built an illustrious career upon creating images of idealized feminine beauty, infused with a Greco-Roman inspired style. Though greatly influenced by Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. His fame rose dramatically in the first few years of the 20th century due to the burgeoning strength of the British Empire. His popularity was due in large part to the Victorian society's preoccupation with ancient Rome. To many of the newly affluent, Roman society was, as Iain Gale writes, “a flawless mirror of their own immaculate world." Godward's work, with his dark haired beauties idling in diaphanous gowns, was a direct reflection of this pervasive view.
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Exhibitor Macklowe Gallery
New York, NY |
Tiffany Studios New York "Pond Lily" glass and bronze table lamp, circa 1900. Also known as the Flowering Lotus and the Descending Lotus,
it appears in the 1906 Catalog as the "Pond Lily", model number 344. The base and shade were conceived as a suite and only sold together.
This lamp was part of Tiffany's early production and was thus discontinued before 1910.
Eight examples of this exciting and rare lamp are known to exist, this is the most significant Tiffany lamp to come on the market within the last twenty years.
A version of this model appears in the collections of the following museums:
The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
The Louis C. Tiffany Garden Museum, Matsue, Japan
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Long Island City, NY
Shade: Signed "Tiffany Studios New York 344-3". A dash (-) number designates a special order shade this indicates that in
most cases it is one of special color and usually very desirable. The eight lily shades are signed.
Signed "Tiffany Studios New York 944".
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Exhibitor MS RAU
New Orleans LA |
3.62-Carat Golconda Diamond Ring
Known as the "Ultimate Diamond," this enchanting pear-cut stone represents the incredibly small number of Golconda diamonds that
have ever been on the market. Spectacular fire and rarity characterize this 3.62-carat Golconda diamond. It is graded by the Gemological Institute
of America (GIA) as being internally flawless, D-color, and type IIa, meaning there is no trace of nitrogen (the element that gives diamonds
a hint of yellow), a key characteristic of all Golcondas. This makes the Golconda whiter than diamonds from any other mine in the world.
This remarkable stone is accented by two pear-shaped diamonds, weighing 1.55 total carats, and graded D-color, VS1 clarity. Set in platinum.
Golconda diamonds are the whitest and purist of all, possessing levels of luminosity and transparency unrivaled by any other
gemstone. The term denotes that the stone is a period diamond, meaning that it hails directly from the ancient city in Eastern
India where the diamond trade flourished from the 9th to the 18th century due to the extraordinary quality of the gems unearthed
from its mines. Universally accepted as the preeminent diamonds in the world, Golcondas are extremely scarce and the most coveted of
all diamonds. In fact, the Hope Diamond, the Agra Diamond, the Darya-i-Nur in Iran and the Koh-i-Noor (part of the British Crown Jewels) are all Golconda diamonds.
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Exhibitor MS RAU
New Orleans LA |
Duke of Cumberland Silver Gilt Wine Coasters
Bearing the coat of arms of King Ernest Augustus I, the Duke of Cumberland, this exceptional and rare pair of silver gilt wine coasters were
crafted by esteemed silversmith John & Thomas Gutmore are simply extraordinary. Silver linked to Cumberland, the uncle of Queen
Victoria who became the King of Hanover, are, without exception, items of the highest caliber, and these coasters are no different.
The pierced galleries of fruit-laden grape vines attest to the Gutmores' training under silversmiths Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith,
while the intricately carved coat of arms at the center, a seamless combination of the English and Hanoverian arms, indicate a
deft and highly skilled hand. Items of matchless quality, royal provenance and incredible rarity, these coasters are among the finest on the market.
Hallmarked London, 1828
2 1/4" high x 5 3/4" diameter
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Exhibitor MS RAU
New Orleans LA |
London Bridge Cutlery Set
The stuff of nursery rhymes, this handsome and rare English set of 24 knives was crafted of oak timber taken from the first
stone version of the famed London Bridge. Crafted by Weiss of London, the knives are beautifully decorated with repousse caps,
adorned with the City of London crest, and shields bearing an engraved armorial and the inscription ?London 1176.? This date
commemorates the beginning of construction of the stone bridge and the end of the fully wooden bridges.
Circa 1825
Stamped "Weiss London" on blades
There have actually been several bridges known as London Bridge to cross the Thames River since the
Roman occupation of the area, nearly 2,000 years ago. The Romans built the first, probably a military
pontoon bridge, of wood on the present site around 50 AD. The bridge was built and rebuilt a number of
times. In 1014 it was pulled down by the Norwegian prince Olaf, in an effort to aid Anglo-Saxon King Aethelred in
dividing the defending forces of the Danes, who held the walled City of London plus Southwark, and regained London
for the king. This episode has been thought to have inspired the well-known nursery rhyme. The fabled bridge continues
to have a colorful history today. The stone bridge built in 1176 lasted until 1825, when work began on a new stone bridge
that opened in 1831. It is from the wood of this bridge that these excellent knives are made. This second bridge was sold
in 1968 to Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil for US $2,460,000, taken apart and reassembled stone by stone over Lake Havasu in Arizona.
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