Tuesday, January 17, 2012
We recently acquired a magnificent and unusual object — an 18th century sleigh carved in the form of a dragon!
Carlton Hobbs LLC
In 17th and 18th century Europe, these fabulous vehicles were used in parades and races. They were a great source of fun at the French court—Marie Antoinette commissioned several for her sleighing parties— and were driven on the grounds, and even the frozen Grand Canal, of Versailles. A number of these are now preserved in the Musee des Carrosses (Coach Museum) of Versailles and the Musée National de la Voiture et du Tourisme (Museum of Car and Tourism) in Compiègne. Read more... (244 words, 4 images, estimated 59 secs reading time)
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Tagged 17th century, 18th century, dragon, Marie Antoinette, Marie Leszczyńska, Rose Cumming, sled, sledge, sleigh, Stanislas Leszczyńska, traîneau
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
This exceptionally fine and monumental glass vase was created by W. Hoffmann of Prague and exhibited at the 1862 Paris International Exhibition. It is a 19th-century variation on the “Alhambra Vases” of the 14th and 15th centuries. These Hispano-Moreque wares derived from ancient amphoras and were made, for purely decorative purposes, to stand in niches probably at the Alhambra in Grenada, to which they owe their name. The original vases, only eight of which survive intact, are impressive by decoration and size (the largest being over 5 feet in height) with a swelling body and large, flat wing-like handles. Read more... (124 words, 2 images, estimated 30 secs reading time)
Carlton Hobbs LLC
This boiserie is a rare and unusual survival of an eighteenth century panelled room from a Swiss castle. The room is comprised of a series of trompe l’oeil painted panels, each depicting a figure within an architectural niche. The various figures, rendered in grisaille, include allegories of the four seasons and justice as well as exotic figures such as the native archer illustrated in the following photographs.
Carlton Hobbs LLC
Read more... (273 words, 5 images, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)
- A French serre papiers, circa 1810. Carlton Hobbs LLC
The letterbox, or serre-papiers (“filing cabinet” or, from the old French, “to store” or “to gather”), was devised to sit on great writing tables to house important papers. Like the knife boxes and cellarettes of a dining room, letterboxes were designed as independent, moveable pieces of furniture for the study, and they, likewise, evolved to take on more imaginative forms. Read more... (317 words, 4 images, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A VERY RARE AND MASSIVE PAIR OF FAÏENCE JARDINIERES ATTRIBUTED TO PHILIPPE MOMBAERS OR JACQUES ARTOISENET. Brussels, third quarter of the 18th century. Carlton Hobbs LLC.
Faïence is the French translation of Faenza, the Italian town where the tin-glazed earthenware, commonly called maiolica, was largely developed. From the 16th century, these earthenware makers emigrated to France and Belgium, where new production centers were established and flourished. The first known sample of maiolica appeared in Antwerp as early as 1510, however, it was in the 18th century that production reached its pinnacle. Read more... (512 words, 3 images, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)
