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1Rings a Bell There’s a chance to see the works of the modernist pioneer Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) at Charleston — the East Sussex home she shared with fellow artist Duncan Grant and his lover, David Garnett. Bell was closely associated with the Bloomsbury Group, an influential collective of artists, writers, and intellectuals, including her sister, Virginia Woolf. Charleston became a centre for creativity, where Bell, Grant and other artists decorated the interiors with murals, hand-painted furniture, and textiles, transforming the space into a living work of art. Bell was co-director and lead designer at the Omega Workshops, producing textile designs, painted furniture and interiors. Vanessa Bell A World of Form and Colour is on at Charleston from March 26 to September 21. 3Binding light The life and work of the internationally renowned bookbinder Roger Powell OBE (1896-1990) is celebrated at a new exhibition at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery in Hampshire. With a selection of 24 rarely seen fine bindings by Powell – as well as his tutors Douglas Cockerell (1870-1945) and William Matthews (1898-1977) – the exhibition spotlights the tradition and innovation of a skill dating back thousands of years. Powell also taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal College of Art, with his knowledge of his craft making editions bound by him highly sought after today. Bound Together: Modern British Bookbinding runs until May 3. Far left Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) Street Corner Conversation, c. 1913, private collection. Photograph © Colin Mills Left Vanessa Bell (18791961) David Garnett, oil and gouache on cardboard, 1915 © National Portrait Gallery, London Right Jan Steen (1626-1679) The Egg Dance, 1674 © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House April 3 to see in Left Vanessa Bell (18791961) The Coffee Pot, c. 1917, private collection © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2024; Right Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684) The Musical Party, c.1675 © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House Far right Nicholas Maes (1634–1693) Th e Eavesdropper, 1655-1659, Nicholas Maes © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House Below right Twenty Duets, bound by Stuart Brockman, printed by Paul L. Kershaw for Duet Books, Oxford 2021 Bottom right Hymns Ancient and Modern, published 1950, bound by Roger Powell and Peter Waters at Froxfield, Hampshire c.1955-1960, private collector Right Roger Powell in his workshop at the Slade, c.1970s, photographer Don Eades, courtesy of Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery 2 Wellington loot Apsley House, the London townhouse of the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) this month puts on show the military leader’s discerning collection of Dutch paintings. Shortly after his famous victory at the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington bought 21 Dutch works to add to his collection of Old Masters. They were principally genre scenes – depictions of ordinary life – including masterpieces such as Th e Eavesdropper Nicholas Maes (1634-1693) and Th e Musical Party by Peter de Hooch (1629-1684). In the 19th century the faithful realism of Dutch paintings and their ability to render textures, light, and detail was celebrated as a pinnacle of artistic achievement. Wellington’s Dutch Masterpieces runs from April 2 to December 25. ANTIQUE COLLECTING 7 ANTIQU
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NEWS All the latest NEWS All the latest AN On han of i ANIMAL MAGIC One of the last collections of Fabergé animals in private hands is going on display in London this month ahead of its sale in Geneva in May. Ho go o Some 30 lots of miniature beasts from Castle Howard, one of Britain’s greatest country houses, will go on show at Sotheby’s from April 25-29. Girl power A rare, uncorrected proof of Matilda by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, has come to market. The proof, dated 1988, and published by Jonathan Cape, has gone on sale from Bristol-based Iconic Antiques priced £1,350. The book soon became one of the author’s classics with 17 million sales worldwide. The story features the gifted but unloved Matilda Wormwood, and her time at a school run by the tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Such proofs are rare owing to their small print run. Typically, Jonathan Cape only produced between 500600 uncorrected proof copies. the or t Each had been carefully stored in a leather case in the private reaches of the estate, only taken out once or twice a year to decorate the dining table for a large dinner party. The pieces range from a tiny vole carved in smoky quartz to an obsidian rhinoceros, each epitomising Fabergé’s unmatched craftsmanship and creativity. Part of the proceeds from the auction will contribute to the restoration of the Tapestry Drawing Room which has remained a shell since it was gutted by a devastating fire in 1940. Exceedingly good A South American box found at the East Sussex home of Rudyard Kipling, has been revealed as a very rare 300-year-old example of a near extinct craft. Untouched for more than a century at the writer’s 17th-century home, Bateman’s at Burwash, it is an example of the ancient technique of barniz de Pasto, often miscatalogued as ‘lacquer work’. In it thin layers of coloured resin extracted from the seeds of a local shrub are used for decoration. Kipling was born in India in 1865 and travelled widely all his life, including trips to Hong Kong and Japan, as well as South Africa and the US, often bringing back objects to add to the collection at Bateman’s. Above An uncorrected proof of Matilda by Roald Dahl has come to light in Bristol Right A conservator inspecting the barniz de Pasto casket © National Trust Images, James Dobson Above Estimates on the Fabergé animals range from £20,000-£70,000 30 seconds with.. Marie-Claire Thijsen, Christie’s head of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art Tell us about how you started in the business? I began as an intern at Christie’s London 10 years ago. After stints in the post-war and contemporary art team, as well as working on evening, day and online auctions, I took up my current role in 2023. I have always been passionate about discovering and promoting emerging and overlooked artists, with a particular interest in artists from the Middle East and North Africa. Why is Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art such an exciting category for collectors? The region has an incredibly rich artistic heritage, from Casablanca to Cairo and Beirut to Baghdad. Over the two last decades the Gulf in particular has been undergoing a cultural revival and has established itself as a major cultural hub for the international art world. There are new museums set to open in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh as well as prestigious biennales and art fairs, all of which is making for a very vibrant and growing gallery scene. The art market in the Gulf is thriving. What are some of the names for collectors to look out for? In our next auction we have great female representation spanning the entire region from North Africa to the Levant and the Gulf to Iran. One of my highlights is a porcelain dove sculpture entitled Suspended Together by Saudi artist Manal Al Dowayan. It is an edition from a larger installation of 200 doves she presented at the Venice Biennale in 2011 questioning the position of women in Saudi society. Christie’s modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art sale is online from April 24 to May 8. 8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

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1Rings a Bell There’s a chance to see the works of the modernist pioneer Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) at Charleston — the East Sussex home she shared with fellow artist Duncan Grant and his lover, David Garnett.

Bell was closely associated with the Bloomsbury Group, an influential collective of artists, writers, and intellectuals, including her sister, Virginia Woolf. Charleston became a centre for creativity, where Bell, Grant and other artists decorated the interiors with murals, hand-painted furniture, and textiles, transforming the space into a living work of art.

Bell was co-director and lead designer at the Omega Workshops, producing textile designs, painted furniture and interiors.

Vanessa Bell A World of Form and Colour is on at Charleston from March 26 to September 21.

3Binding light The life and work of the internationally renowned bookbinder Roger Powell OBE (1896-1990) is celebrated at a new exhibition at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery in Hampshire.

With a selection of 24 rarely seen fine bindings by Powell – as well as his tutors Douglas Cockerell (1870-1945) and William Matthews (1898-1977) – the exhibition spotlights the tradition and innovation of a skill dating back thousands of years.

Powell also taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal College of Art, with his knowledge of his craft making editions bound by him highly sought after today. Bound Together: Modern British Bookbinding runs until May 3.

Far left Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) Street Corner Conversation, c. 1913, private collection. Photograph © Colin Mills

Left Vanessa Bell (18791961) David Garnett, oil and gouache on cardboard, 1915 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Right Jan Steen (1626-1679) The Egg Dance, 1674 © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House

April 3

to see in

Left Vanessa Bell (18791961) The Coffee Pot, c. 1917, private collection © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2024;

Right Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684) The Musical Party, c.1675 © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House

Far right Nicholas Maes (1634–1693) Th e Eavesdropper, 1655-1659, Nicholas Maes © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House

Below right Twenty Duets, bound by Stuart Brockman, printed by Paul L. Kershaw for Duet Books, Oxford 2021

Bottom right Hymns Ancient and Modern, published 1950, bound by Roger Powell and Peter Waters at Froxfield, Hampshire c.1955-1960, private collector

Right Roger Powell in his workshop at the Slade, c.1970s, photographer Don Eades, courtesy of Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery

2 Wellington loot Apsley House, the London townhouse of the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) this month puts on show the military leader’s discerning collection of Dutch paintings.

Shortly after his famous victory at the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington bought 21 Dutch works to add to his collection of Old Masters. They were principally genre scenes – depictions of ordinary life – including masterpieces such as Th e Eavesdropper Nicholas Maes (1634-1693) and Th e Musical Party by Peter de Hooch (1629-1684).

In the 19th century the faithful realism of Dutch paintings and their ability to render textures, light, and detail was celebrated as a pinnacle of artistic achievement. Wellington’s Dutch Masterpieces runs from April 2 to December 25.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 7 ANTIQU

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