Wednesday, January 13, 2010
In mid-16th century Renaissance Italy, the production of panels and tabletops using inlays of semiprecious stone began, with materials and geometric designs deriving from classical Roman motifs.
However, the design of this particular tabletop, which is probably Roman circa 1680, represents a complete departure from this tradition in that it is a pure interpretation in mosaic of ancient marble, possibly Egyptian alabaster or giallo antico. We know of no other comparable example and, as such, believe this top to be probably unique. Read more... (212 words, 2 images, estimated 51 secs reading time)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
We can’t wait for the new Sherlock Holmes movie to be released!
The film looks to promise the same action, adventure, and intrigue found in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved tales, which total four novels and fifty-six short stories! The books are particularly special to us at Carlton Hobbs, and here are a couple of reasons why:
Carleton Hobbs as Sherlock Holmes
Read more... (441 words, 3 images, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
We are pleased and excited to announce that Carlton Hobbs and Jean- Luc Baroni, one of the leading international fine art specialists, will be holding an exhibition of Master Works of Art and Furniture entitled “IN THE GRAND MANNER,” which will run from January 22 to February 2, 2010 at the Carlton Hobbs Gallery, 60 East 93rd Street, in New York. Baroni will present approximately thirty-five rare and highly important old master paintings and drawings, from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, some on view for the first time in the United States. Read more... (847 words, 3 images, estimated 3:23 mins reading time)
This is a preview of CARLTON HOBBS AND JEAN-LUC BARONI PRESENT “IN THE GRAND MANNER”
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Read the full post (847 words, 3 images, estimated 3:23 mins reading time)
Monday, September 14, 2009
For the last six months we’ve been pleased to bring you exciting discoveries and information, both scholarly and anecdotal, on items in the Carlton Hobbs LLC collection. We’d now like to introduce to you the owner of these fascinating pieces.
Carlton Hobbs has been acquiring, researching, conserving and selling museum quality objects and works of art for about 35 years. His career has been dedicated to the discovery and exploration of fine and decorative arts objects, with particular interest in their history and with a focus on pieces of exceptional merit, including specially commissioned items with royal or aristocratic provenance and pieces designed by architects. He has worked actively for many years towards furthering the scholarly interaction and exchange of research between public galleries and the decorative arts trade. Read more... (427 words, 2 images, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)
Figure 1: Bust of Antinous. Carlton Hobbs LLC.
Antinous was a Bithynian youth and the favorite of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Little is known about his early years, nor is it certain whether he was born free or a slave. We do know, however, that he was considered to possess extraordinary “beauty of form”1 and, joining the emperor’s entourage, became Hadrian’s beloved companion. Read more... (568 words, 2 images, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)
Doll's house in the collection of Carlton Hobbs LLC.
The manufacture of European dolls’ houses, or “baby houses” as they were first called, began as early as the 16th century, with the first known house being built for Duke Albert V of Bavaria. Germany, Holland, and the Netherlands were the most prevalent producers and collectors and, after the Revolution of 1687, Dutch King William brought the trend to Britain. It was the English dolls’ houses that were, from the beginning, built with genuine façades. This doll’s house in the Carlton Hobbs collection, believed to be from the first half of the 18th century for its construction in oak, was built in the Palladian style using various architectural manuals of the period. Read more... (485 words, 2 images, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)
Neoclassical armchair, probably Russian, circa 1805. Carlton Hobbs LLC.
From the 16th century onward, grottoes were constructed as fanciful retreats from reality. They appeared throughout Europe, from the Buontalenti Grotto at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, to the Grotto of Thetis at Versailles (torn down in 1684), to the Kuskovo Grotto near Moscow. These fantasy structures were “adorned with interesting rock formations, fountains, seashells, and often, matching furniture.”1
Design for the chariot of Thetis by Jean Berain and workshop. (Photo: Snodin and Llewellyn. Baroque. V&A Publsihing, 2009, p155)
Read more... (389 words, 3 images, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)
In her recent book, Penwork: A Decorative Phenomenon, Noël Riley explores the techniques, influences, and social contexts from which the art developed. An invention of the 17th century, penwork, was a technique of painting initially meant to imitate the lacquer of the Far East but which grew to include painted simulation of ivory inlay, scagliola and papier-mâché.1 We were excited to see a photo of one of our cabinets in the Chinoiserie chapter of the book on page 129!
Read more... (314 words, 2 images, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)
Photo credit: St. Petersburg, Gatchina
Photo credit: St. Petersburg, Gatchina
If you remember our blog on June 10, 2008, we wrote about our German Secretaire à Abattant, whose polished mahogany interior is disguised as a ruin by a painted cork façade. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on the piece and were recently informed of another instance where a lavish interior is concealed beneath a rough façade–the Birch House in the park of Gatchina Palace, near St. Petersburg, Russia.
Read more... (342 words, 3 images, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)
- Figure 1
Our recent acquisition of a set of chairs after a model by an Italian female carver, has piqued our interest in the activity of 18th century female artisans in the male-dominated field of furniture making. This particular intagliatore, or carver, was named Lucia Landucci and her set of ten giltwood neoclassical klismos chairs was just one of several important commissions that she executed for the Villa Borghese, Rome (see our blog of June 11, 2009). Read more... (575 words, 4 images, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)
