8.10.10

SOTHEBY'S SELLS QING DYNASTY VASE FOR £20


A CHINESE QING DYNASTY VASE SOLD FOR £20. MILLION IN A SOTHEBY'S SALE IN HONG KONG ON THURSDAY, A WORLD RECORD AT AUCTION FOR ANY CHINESE PORCELAIN. 'THIS IS DEFINITELY A MILESTONE', NICOLAS CHOW, THE DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF SOTHEBY'S ASIA TOLD REUTERS. 'CHINESE WORKS OF ART TOOK THEIR PLACE ON THE WORLD AUCTION STAGE TODAY.' WHILE SEGMENTS OF THE CHINESE ART MARKET COOLED SUBSTANTIALLY DURING THE FINANCIAL CRISIS, ESPECIALLY ONCE THE MUCH SOUGHT AFTER CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART, OLDER PAINTINGS AND IMPERIAL ANTIQUES CONTINUED TO GENERATE SOLID DEMANDS AND PRICES, THOUGH FEWER QUALITY WORKS SURFACED AS SELLERS STAYED AWAY ON STILL FRAGILE SENTIMENT. IN SOTHEBY'S CURRENT AUTUMN SALES, HOWEVER, A SELECTION OF RARE WORKS FROM FOUR MAJOR PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AND A FLOOD OF FREE-SPENDING CHINESE MILLIONAIRES, CONTRIBUTED TO WHAT MANY CALLED ONE OF THE BEST SALES OF CHINESE CERAMICS IN RECENT YEARS. IN A PACKED AUCTION HALL FILLED WITH APPLAUDING MAINLAND CHINESE BUYERS, A BIDDING WAR SAW THE RARE QING VASE FINALLY GO TO ALICE CHENG, A HONG KONG COLLECTOR AND SISTER OF RENOWNED OCTOGENARIAN CHINESE ART COLLECTOR AND DEALER ROBERT CHANG. 'I'M VERY HAPPY', SAID CHENG. 'AS LONG AS YOU LIKE SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT'S EXPENSIVE IT'S WORTH IT', SHE TOLD REPORTERS. THE PRICE WAS MORE THAN THE ABOUT £17 MILLION PAID FOR A 14th CENTURY BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN JAR SOLD BY CHRISTIE'S IN 2005, THOUGH LESS THAN A CALLIGRAPHY SCROLL BY SONG DYNASTY HUANG TINGJAIN THAT SOLD FOR AROUND £37 MILLION AT A JUNE BEIJING AUCTION BY CHINESE AUCTIONEERS BEIJING POLY. THE GLOBULAR YELLOW-GROUND QING VASE, DECORATED WITH FLOWERS AND GOLDEN EMBLEMS FOR LONGEVITY, IS AN EXEMPLAR OF THE SO-CALLED 'FAMILLE ROSE' FAMILY OF QING VASES THAT HAVE BEEN AMONG THE MOST HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER WORKS AMONG THE WEALTH CHINESE IN RECENT YEARS. FIRED IN THE 18th CENTURY DURING THE QIANLONG PERIOD OF THE QING DYNASTY, THE GOURD-SHAPED VASE HAS AN IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE AND PUT UP FOR SALE BY LONGTIME COLLECTOR JT TAI.

BONHANS SELLS GEM-ENCRUSTED GOLD FINIAL £434,400


A SECOND GEM-ENCRUSTED GOLD FINIAL FROM THE OCTAGONAL GOLDEN THRONE OF TIPU SULTAN, THE TIGER OF MYSORE, WAS SOLD AT BONHAMS NEW BOND STREET RECENTLY IN THE INDIAN AND ISLAMIC SALE FOR £434,400. THIS IS THE SECOND SUCH FINIAL TO PASS THROUGH BONHAMS IN THE PAST 18 MONTHS. TE FIRST FINIAL SOLD FOR £389,600 ON 2.APRIL 2009. BOTH WERE AT BONHAMS RECENTLY, REUNITING TWO PARTS OF THE FABLED THRONE AFTER 200 YEARS, AND OFFERING TIPU SCHOLARS AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY TO APPRECIATE THE WORKMANSHIP OF THE HISTORIC OBJECTS. THE FINIALS WARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS EVER TO APPEAR AT AUCTION. THE ONE THAT SOLD RECENTLY WAS IN THE POSSESSION OF THE SAME SCOTTISH FAMILY FOR THE PAST 200 YEARS COMING DOWN TO THE PRESENT OWNER BY DIRECT DESCENT. THE FIRST FINIAL SOLD AT BONHAMS HAD LAIN IN AN ENGLISH CASTLE, FOR AT LEST 100 YEARS AND THEN PUT IN A BANK VAULT, UNKNOWN TO TIPU ENTHUSIASTS AND SCHOLARS. IT WAS DISCOVERED BY BONHAMS ISLAMIC DEPARTMENT ON A ROUTINE VALUATION. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS FROM TIPU SULTAN'S PALACE WERE RESERVED FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY, THE FAMOUS GOLDEN THRONE WAS BROKEN UP SO THAT THE ELEMENTS COULD BE SHARED. MUCH TO THE DISAPPROVAL OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, LORD WELLESLEY (LATER THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON). THE THRONE WAS BROKEN UP SO QUICKLY FOLLOWING THE FALL OF SERINGAPATAM THAT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE FATE OF THE REMAINING THRONE RELICS; HOWEVER, A LARGE GOLD TIGER HEAD FROM THE FRONT OF THE THRONE PLATFORM NOW RESIDES AT WINDSOR CASTLE ALONG WITH A JEWELED BIRD WHICH WAS PRESENTED TO QUEEN CHARLOTTE THE WIFE OF GEORGE III. ANOTHER SURVIVING FINIAL CAN BE FOUND AT POWIS CASTLE, ACQUIRED BY THE SECOND LADY CLIVE IN INDIA.

STRANGE PHENOMENON AT THE LIVERPOOL'S WALKER ART GALLERY


A 350 YEAR OLD PAINTING OF THE BABY JESUS IS AT THE CENTER OF A BIZARRE OPTICAL ILLUSION AT THE LIVERPOOL'S WALKER ART GALLERY. SURPRISED VISITORS SAY THEY HAVE SEEN THE REFLECTION OF A HAND POINTING DIRECTLY AT THE MESSIAH IN MATTIA PRETI'S 1660 WORK 'THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPARD'S'. THE PAINTING DEPICTS ONLOOKERS SURROUNDING THE HOLY CHILD. THE STRANGE PHENOMENON OCCURRED WHEN THE JOHN MOORES PAINTING PRIZE EXHIBITION OPENED LAST MONTH. ONE OF THE WORKS, 'THERE YOU ARE!' BY CORNELIA BALTES, FEATURES A LARGE HAND PAINTED ONTO THE WALLS OF THE WALKER. 'BY SOME COMPLETE FLUKE THIS PAINTED HAND SEEMS TO HAVE REFLECTED THROUGH GLASS DOORS AND ONTO THE PRETI PAINTING, EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GALLERY', REYAHN KING, DIRECTOR OF ART GALLERIES, SAID. 'THIS IS AN UNCANNY THING TO HAVE HAPPENED. WE HAVE A PAINTING IN THE JOHN MOORES EXHIBITION WHICH IS NOW REFLECTING ONTO ANOTHER WALL IN A SEPARATE GALLERY. IT'S COMPLETELY ACCIDENTAL AND A BIZARRE COINCIDENCE THAT THE HAND SEEMS TO POINT AT THE BABY JESUS. WE'VE HAD LOTS OF VISITORS TO THE JOHN MOORES SHOW WHO HAVE COMMENTED ON THIS. EVERYONE IS QUITE MYSTIFIED.' IN ANOTHER COINCIDENCE, THE WINNING PAINTING IN THIS YEAR'S JOHN MOORES PAINTING PRIZE IS CALLED 'SPECTRUM JESUS' BY KEITH COVENTRY. DEPICTING THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST, 'SPECTRUM JESUS' IS A BLUE MONOCHROMATIC IMAGE, PART OF A SERIES RENDERED IN THE PALETTE AND STYLE OF THE GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST EMIL NOLDE. THE WINNING WORK WAS QUICKLY LABELED 'BLUE JESUS' BY SECTIONS OF THE MEDIA. 'SPECTRUM JESUS' HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR THE WALKER ART GALLERY'S PERMANENT COLLECTIONS. THE PAINTING WILL NOW JOIN THE GALLERY'S IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF BRITISH PAINTING.

SOTHEBY'S TO SELL JERRY HALL COLLECTION


MODEL JERRY HALL WILL AUCTION SOME OF HER ART COLLECTION NEXT WEEK, INCLUDING A FAMOUS PORTRAIT BY LUCIAN FREUD THAT SHOWS HER NUDE WHEN SHE WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT. THE AUCTION WILL ALSO INCLUDE WORKS BY ANDY WARHOL, DAMIAN HIRST, DAVID BAILEY AND OTHER PROMINENT ARTISTS COLLECTED BY HALL, EX-WIFE OF ROLLING STONES FRONTMAN MICK JAGGER. THE WORKS WILL BE SOLD 15-16.OCTOBER AS PART OF A LARGER CONTEMPORARY ART SALE, SOTHEBY'S SPOKESMAN SIMON WARREN SAID. SOTHEBY'S SPECIALIST OLIVER BARKER SAID THE LUCIAN FREUD PORTRAIT CALLED 'EIGHT MONTHS GONE' IS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE AUCTION AND IS EXPECTED TO FETCH MORE THAN $460,000. 'IT'S A WONDERFUL PAINTING', HE SAID. 'IT WAS EXHIBITED SHORTLY AFTER IT WAS DONE AT THE TATE GALLERY. HE'S ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN MATERNITY. IT'S A VERY TENDER, LOVING PAINTING.' HE SAID HALL WAS WILLING TO SELL PART OF HER COLLECTION BECAUSE SHE HAS ENTERED A NEW PHASE IN HER LIFE. 'SHE'S TURNING A NEW LEAF', HE SAID. 'SHE'S NOT AFRAID OF CHANGE, SHE'S HAPPY TO LET THEM LEAVE AND HAVE OTHER ART LOVERS ENJOY THEM.' HALL SAID THE UNUSUALLY INTIMATE PAINTING CAME ABOUT AFTER SHE AND FREUD WERE SEATED AT A DINNER TOGETHER WHEN SHE WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT WITH HER SON GABRIEL. THE ARTIST ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD POSE FOR HIM AND SAID THEY HAD TO BEGIN IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE SHE WAS SO CLOSE TO GIVING BIRTH. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES TWO OTHER WORKS BY FREUD, OFTEN ACCLAIMED AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST LIVING PAINTERS. HALL HAS WORKED IN THE THEATER SINCE HER SEPARATION FROM JAGGER IN 1999.

CHRISTIE'S SELLS CROSBY-GARRETT HELMET FOR £2,281,250


THE CROSBY GARRETT HELMET SOLD RECENTLY AT THE AUCTION OF ANTIQUITIES AT CHRISTIE'S SOUTH KENSINGTON FOR A STAGGERING £2,281,250. THE HISTORIC ARTIFACT WAS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR £200,000 TO £300,000. AN EXCEPTIONAL SURVIVAL FROM ROMAN BRITAIN, THE HELMET WAS DISCOVERED BY A METAL DETECTORIST IN CUMBRIA IN MAY 2010 AND DATES FROM THE LATE 1st-2nd CENTURY AD. IT WAS BOUGHT BY AN ANONYMOUS TELEPHONE BIDDER. GEOGIANA AITKEM, HEAD OF ANTIQUITIES AT CHRISTIE'S, LONDON, SAID: 'WHEN THE HELMET WAS FIRST BROUGHT TO CHRISTIE'S AND I SAW IT FIRST HAND, I COULD SCARCELY BELIEVE MY EYES. THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONAL OBJECT, AN EXTRAORDINARY AND HAUNTING FACE FROM THE PAST, AND IT HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION AND THE ENTHUSIASM OF EVERYONE WHO HAS COME TO CHRISTIE'S TO ADMIRE IT OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS. THE UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF THE HELMET SAW IT DRAW INTEREST FROM A DIVERSE GROUP OF BIDDERS OT TODAY'S AUCTION, COLLECTORS OF ANTIQUITIES COMPETED WITH THOSE WHO HAVE MORE OFTEN BOUGHT IN OTHER FIELDS; 3 BY TELEPHONE, 2 IN THE ROOM AND ONE VIA THE INTERNET FROM CALIFORNIA. IT WAS SOLD FOR £2.3 MILLION TO AN ANONYMOUS CLIENT BIDDING BY PHONE.' WITH ITS ENIGMATIC FEATURES, THE CROSBY-GARRETT HELMET IS AN EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLE OF ROMAN METALWORK AT ITS ZENITH. IT IS ONE OF ONLY THREE ROMAN CAVALRY PARADE HELMETS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED IN BRITAIN COMPLETE WITH FACE-MASKS, THE OTHERS BEING THE RIBCHESTER HELMET FOUND IN 1796 AND NOW IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM AND THE NEWSTEAD HELMET, IN THE MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES, EDINBURGH, FOUND CIRCA 1905. THE CROSBY-GARRETT HELMET SETS ITSELF APART BY VIRTUE OF ITS BEAUTY, WORKMANSHIP AND COMPLETENESS, PARTICULARLY THE FACE-MASK, WHICH WAS FOUND VIRTUALLY INTACT. IN ADDITION, THE REMARKABLE PHRYGIAN-STYLE PEAK SURMOUNTED BY ITS ELABORATE BRONZE GRIFFIN CREST APPEARS UNPRECEDENTED.

DAMAGED ARTWORK WILL NOT BE RE-DISPLAYED


A PIECE OF ARTWORK DENOUNCED AS OBSCENE BY CHURCH MEMBERS AND ALLEGEDLY RIPPED UP BY A MONTANA WOMAN USING A CROWBAR WON'T BE RETURNED TO DISPLAY BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS, CITY OFFICIALS SAID THURSDAY. 'THE INCIDENT YESTERDAY WAS VERY TROUBLING AND ALSO VERY IMPACTFUL ON THE CITY STAFF, VOLUNTEER AND THE PUBLIC AT THE VENUE', SAID ROD WENSING, ACTING CITY MANAGER. KATHLEEN FOLDEN OF KALISPELL, MONT, WAS ARRESTED WEDNESDAY ON A CHARGE OF CRIMINAL MISCHIEF. WITNESSES TOLD POLICE THAT SHE USED A CROWBAR TO SMASH GLASS SHIELDING THE PRINT AT THE LOVELAND MUSEUM GALLERY AND THEN TORE PART OF IT UP. FOLDEN A TRUCK DRIVER, TOLD POLICE THAT SHE DROVE FROM MONTANA AND BOUGHT A CROWBAR IN LOVELAND BEFORE GOING TO THE MUSEUM TO DESTROY THE ARTWORK, ACCORDING TO AN ARREST AFFIDAVIT OBTAINED BY THE COLORADOAN IN FORT COLLINS. POLICE SAID THE DAMAGED PART INCLUDES WHAT CRITICS SAY WAS A DEPICTION OF JESUS CHRIST ENGAGED IN A SEX ACT. MUSEUM VISITOR MARK MICHAELS TOLD THE LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD THAT FOLDEN SCREAMED 'HOW CAN YOU DESECRATE MY LORD?' DURING THE INCIDENT. THE ARTIST, STANFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR ENRIQUE CHAGOYA, TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ON THURSDAY THAT THE WORK HAS BEEN MISCHARACTERIZED. HE SAID WHILE THE PART IN QUESTION IS SUGGESTIVE, IT'S NOT GRAPHIC. THE PANEL INCLUDES FIGURES CUT OUT FROM A COMIC BOOK, A HEAD RESEMBLING CHRIST AND A SKELETON WITH A POPE'S HAT. 'THIS IS NOT CHRIST. IT'S A COLLAGE', CHAGOYA SAID. 'WHAT I'M TRYING TO EXPRESS IS THE CORRUPTION OF THE SPIRITUAL BY THE CHURCH.' THE PRINT WAS TAKEN BY POLICE AS EVIDENCE. FOLDEN WAS RELEASES ON A $350 CASH BOND DURING A COURT APPEARANCE THURSDAY. ANOTHER HEARING IS SET FOR 15.OCTOBER. THE WORK THAT WAS DAMAGED, 'THE MISADVENTURES OF THE ROMANTIC CANNIBALS', IS A 12 PANEL LITHOGRAPH THAT INCLUDES COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS, MEXICAN PORNOGRAPHY, MAYAN SYMBOLS AND ETHNIC STEREOTYPES. IT IS PART OF AN 82 PRINT EXHIBITION BY 10 ARTISTS THAT HAVE WORKED WITH COLORADO PRINTER BUD SHARK THAT OPENED IN MID-SEPTEMBER. MEMBERS OF A LOCAL CHURCH HAVE BEEN AMONG THOSE PEACEFULLY PROTESTING OUTSIDE THE CITY-OWNED MUSEUM FOR MOST OF THE WEEK. A CITY COUNCILMAN AND SOME RESIDENTS HAD DEMANDED THAT CHAGOYA'S WORK BE REMOVED, BUT THE COUNCIL DECIDED TUESDAY TO LEAVE IT ON DISPLAY. SOME OF THE OUTSPOKEN CRITICS HAVE CONDEMNED THE ATTACK ON THE ARTWORK. THE MUSEUM HAS SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN VISITORS SINCE THE CONTROVERSY STARTED, SAID A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE MUSEUM. VISITORS INCLUDED SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS OF THE PIECE. 'IN MY OPINION, IT'S RATHER SAD TAKING AWAY PEOPLE'S FREEDOM TO SEE ART', THE SPOKESMAN ADDED. CHAGOYA SAID HE WAS SAD AND DISAPPOINTED THAT THE WORK, ONE OF 30 LIMITED PRINTS, WON'T BE ON DISPLAY AGAIN IN LOVELAND. 'IT WILL BE A LOSS FOR EVERYBODY, NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR EVERYBODY THAT BELIEVES IN THE FIRST AMENDMENT', CHAGOYA SAID. 'SUPPRESSION OF ART AND IDEAS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS IN TOTALITARIAN REGIMES, NOT THIS COUNTRY', HE ADDED.

7.10.10

PAUL STOLPER GALLERY PRESENTS 'TEH SOULS' BY DAMIEN HIRST


PAUL STOLPER AND OTHER CRITERIA PRESENT THE LAUNCH OF 'THE SOULS' BY DAMIEN HIRST. FOR THIS LANDMARK PROJECT, HIRST HAS INTENSIFIED HIS CAREER-LONG FASCINATION WITH BEAUTY, FRAGILITY AND SYMBOLISM OF BUTTERFLIES TO CREATE A SPECTACULAR AND MULTI-ALLUSIVE EVOCATION OF MORALITY. MORE THAN THAT OF ANY CONTEMPORARY ARTIST, AND IN A MODERN LINEAGE THAT INCLUDES THE WORKS OF ANDY WARHOL AND FRANCIS BACON, THE ART OF DAMIEN HIRST CONFRONTS THE BALANCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, VANITY AND TRANSIENCE, VALUE AND WORTH, FAITH AND EXISTENTIAL ALIENATION WITHIN A VISCERAL AND TERRIFYING IMMEDIACY. HIRST'S CHOICES OF MEDIA, HIS INNOVATIONS WITHIN THEM AND THE SHEER SCALE ON WHICH HE WORKS, ARE INTEGRAL TO THE PHILOSOPHICAL DEPTH AND EMPATHETIC CHARGES OF HIS ART; AND TO THIS END, HIRST HAS ALWAYS PIONEERED IN HIS WORK THE USES, AESTHETICS AND ALLEGORICAL MEANINGS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AS WELL AS REFINING A HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED ENGAGEMENT WITH CRAFT AND TECHNIQUE. TO REALIZE 'THE SOULS', HIRST HAS FILLED THE PAUL STOLPER GALLERY WITH 120 FRAMED, FOIL BLOCK BUTTERFLY PRINTS. IN TOTAL 'THE SOULS' IS MADE UP OF 4 BUTTERFLIES, IN 80 DIFFERENT COLOURWAYS, EACH ONE IN AN EDITION OF 15. VIBRANT WITH HUE, THE FINISHED EFFECT OF EACH PRINT IS THAT OF A RESONANT TENSION BETWEEN THE STILLNESS OF DEATH AND THE TREMBLING, IRIDESCENT LIFE THAT THE INDIVIDUAL BUTTERFLIES CONVEY. 'THE SOULS' IS THEREFORE QUINTESSENTIALLY HIRSTIAN, COMBING THE IMPACT OF VISUAL SPECTACLE WITH POWERFULLY ELOQUENT CONFLUENCE OF MEDIUM AND VISUAL LANGUAGE. HIRST'S FASCINATION WITH BUTTERFLIES DERIVES IN LARGE PART FROM THE WAY IN WHICH THESE BEAUTIFUL INSECTS EMBODY BOTH THE BEAUTY AND THE IMPERMANENCE OF LIFE, BECOMING SYMBOLS OF FAITH AND MORALITY. OF 'THE SOULS' HE HAS SAID: 'I LOVE BUTTERFLIES BECAUSE WHEN THEY ARE DEAD THEY LOOK ALIVE. THE FOIL BLOCK MAKES THE BUTTERFLIES HAVE A FEEL SIMILAR TO THE ACTUAL BUTTERFLIES IN THE WAY THAT THEY REFLECT THE LIGHT. AFTER 'THE DEAD' I HAD TO DO THE BUTTERFLIES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.'

TEH LUXURY COLLECTION LAUNCHES TRAVEL GUIDES


LUXURY HOTEL CHAIN THE LUXURY COLLECTION HAS LAUNCHED ITS OWN SERIES OF TRAVEL GUIDES, BECOMING THE LATEST BRAND TO LAUNCH A GUIDE FOR WELL-HEELED TRAVELERS. THE LUXURY COLLECTION WILL PUBLISH SIX TRAVEL GUIDES TO COVER ITALY, ARGENTINA, INDIA, SPAIN, GREECE AND THE UNITED STATES IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPECIALTY PUBLISHER ASSOULINE. THE GUIDES FEATURE PERSONAL COMMENTARY FROM STAR CHEFS IN EACH REGION (INCLUDING MARIO BATALI FOR ITALY, FRANCIS MALLMAN FOR ARGENTINA, JOSE ANDRES FOR SPAIN AND CHARLIE PALMER FOR THE USA). THE LUXURY GUIDES WILL ALSO FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY FROM ANDREA FAZZARI, WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO VANITY FAIR AND GQ MAGAZINES. THE SET OF SIX WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ROOMS AT THE LUXURY COLLECTION PROPERTIES, IN ASSOULINE BOUTIQUES IN LS VEGAS, LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK, AND ONLINE AND IN OTHER STORES FOR $140. LUXURY TRAVEL GUIDES HAVE PROVED A POPULAR COUNTERPART TO BUDGET TRAVEL PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS ROUGH GUIDES, WITH A VARIETY OF NAMES COMPETING IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET.

BOUCHERON JWLRYMACHINE TIMEPIECE




LUXURY JEWELRY MAKER BOUCHERON HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING NEW MASTERPIECE TO MARK OFF ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO YEARS OF HIGH END JEWELRY MAKING. THE JWLRYMACHINE IS BASED ON BOUTIQUE WATCH MAKER MB&F's HOROLOGICAL MACHINE NUMBER 3 WHICH FEATURES A KINETICALLY ENERGETIC ENGINE ON TOP OF IT, BOUCHERON HAS ADDED DIAMONDS AND SAPPHIRES TO MAKE THE COLLECTION EVEN MORE OUTSTANDING AND A TRUE MASTERPIECE. THE WATCH FEATURES LARGE GLOWING SPHERES OF AN OWL's EYES SET OVER A TWIN CONE WITH SUBLIME FRESH CUT STONES ON EACH SIDE, CAST IN FIVE PRECISE SEPARATE SEGMENTS. THE BODY IS MADE OF EIGHTEEN CARAT WHITE OR ROSE GOLD TO MATCH THE BODY AND STRAP OF THE JWLRYMACHINE.

6.10.10

CHANEL WINTER 2010.11 WINDOW DISPLAY


THE UNIQUELY DESIGNED NEW WINDOW DISPLAYS AT CHANEL ON RUE CAMBON IN PARIS WERE RECENTLY UNVEILED. THE STUNNING DISPLAY DESIGN FOLLOWS THE POLAR THEME OF THEIR WINTER 2010.11 READY TO WEAR SHOW.


GREY GOOSE VODKA BY CHOPARD


GREY GOOSE VODKA BY CHOPARD. THE FAMOUS PREMIUM FRENCH VODKA GREY GOOSE IS STUNNINGLY ADORNED WITH A SPLENDID CAGE INTERLACED WITH SILVER THREADS, CARRIED BY ELEGANT GRAY GEESE, MADE BY LUXURY JEWELER CHOPARD. CONFIDENTIAL, EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION OF ONLY 10 CREATIONS, THE SPECIAL EDITION MAGNUM GREY GOOSE VODKA BY CHOPARD WILL BE AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM COLETTE. THE LIMITED EDITION BOTTLE HAS BEEN CREATED SPECIALLY KEEPING IN MIND THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON. THE EXQUISITE BOTTLE WITH A GLITTERING GLOBE ATOP WHICH SITS A GOOSE, NOW COMES ENCLOSED IN A BEAUTIFUL SILVER CAGE. IF YOU WISH TO TAKE HOME ONE OF ONLY 10, THIS SILVER CAGE WITH A SPARKLING GREY GOOSE VODKA BOTTLE INSIDE, THE COST IS ONLY $818.
a sparkling Grey Goose Vodka bottle inside, the cost is only €600 ($818).

5.10.10

HISTORIC HASTING PIER DESTROYED BY FIRE


A LANDMARK PIER IN SOUTHEASTERN ENGLAND THAT ONCE HOSTED A ROLLING STONES CONCERT WAS VIRTUALLY DESTROYED IN A FIRE TUESDAY, PROBABLY MARKING AN END TO LOCAL HOPES OF PRESERVING THE 19th CENTURY STRUCTURE. TWO TEENAGERS WERE ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF ARSON, POLICE SAID. THE DILAPIDATED HASTINGS PIER, WHICH JUTS OUT INTO THE ENGLISH CHANNEL AND IS A RELIC OF GENTLER TIMES WHEN MASS TOURISM MEANT A TRIP TO THE SEASHORE, HAD BEEN CLOSED SINCE 2006. ABOUT FIVE DOZEN FIREFIGHTERS WERE AT THE SCENE AT THE PEAK OF THE BLAZE, AUTHORITIES SAID. 'ABOUT 95 PERCENT OF THE STRUCTURE HAS BEEN DESTROYED', REGIONAL FIRE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SIMON ROSE SAID. THERE WAS SOME HOPE, HOWEVER, THAT THE CAST IRON PILINGS HAD SURVIVED AND MIGHT SUPPORT REBUILDING. IN ITS HEYDAY, TOURISTS SWARMED THE VICTORIAN PIER, ATTRACTED BY THE HEALTHFUL SEA AIR AND ENTERTAINMENT. A SHOOTING GALLERY, SLOT MACHINES AND A BOWLING ALLEY WERE ADDED IN THE EARLY 1960s, THE ROLLING STONES, THE WHO AND JIMI HENDRIX PLAYED CONCERTS ON THE PIER. THE LOCAL COUNCIL IN HASTINGS, ENCOURAGED BY A REPORT THAT THE PIER COULD BE STABILIZED, HAD BEEN WORKING ON PLANS FOR A COMPULSORY PURCHASE. 'IT WAS THE HEART OF THE TOWN', RESIDENT TIM HALL SAID. 'I'VE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE AND USED TO GO ON THE PENNY SLOT MACHINES ON THERE WHEN I WAS A KID. I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT REOPENING.' HASTINGS PIER WAS ONE OF 14 SEASIDE ATTRACTIONS DESIGNED BY EUGENIUS BIRCH. HIS FIRST WAS IN MARGATE IN 1853, AND LAST IN PLYMOUTH IN 1884. SEVEN, INCLUDING HASTINGS, HAD SURVIVED. HASTINGS 'HAS BEEN NO. 1 IN OUR LIST OF TOP 10 THREATENED PIERS FOR SOME TIME', SAID ANTHONY WILLS OF THE NATION PIERS SOCIETY. 'THE LOSS OF ANY BIRCH PIER IS SIGNIFICANT', WILLS SAID. 'HE IS LIKE THE GUSTAV EIFFEL OF PIERS.'

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL RARE LIFE-SIZE SCULPTURE BY HENRI MATISSE


A LIFE-SIZE BRONZE STATUE BY HENRI MATISSE, WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SOLD AT AUCTION, IS EXPECTED TO BE THE STAR OF THE AUTUMN ART SALES AND COULD FETCH UP TO $35 MILLION, ART EXPERTS SAID. MATISSE'S 'BACK IV (NUDE DOS, 4EME ETAT)', CIRCA 1930 IS BEING SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S ON 3.NOVEMBER BY A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR, WHOM THE AUCTION HOUSE HAS DECLINED TO NAME. BUT CHRISTIE'S SAID THE OWNER RECOGNIZES THE TREMENDOUS MARKET OPPORTUNITY FOR MODERN SCULPTURE AT THIS TIME. 'CONCEIVED ON AN EPIC SCALE, BACK VI IS A POWERFULLY REDUCTIVE EXPRESSION OF THE HUMAN FORM THAT STANDS AS A MILESTONE IN THE EVOLUTION OF MODERNIST STYLE', SAID CONOR JORDAN, THE HEAD OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERNIST ART FOR CHRISTIE'S AMERICAS. ANOTHER LIFE-SIZE SCULPTURE, ALBERTO GIACOMETTI'S 'WALKING MAN I', BRIEFLY BECAME THE MOST EXPENSIVE WORK EVER AUCTIONED IN FEBRUARY WHEN IT SOLD FOR MORE THAN $104 MILLION. ANOTHER GIACOMETTI AND A SCULPTURE BY MODIGLIANI EACH SOLD FOR MORE THAN $50 MILLION THIS YEAR. CHRISTIE'S IS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE THE MATISSE SALE PUBLICLY THIS WEEK. THE MATISSE WORK IS THE LAST OF A SERIES OF FOUR SCULPTURES THAT JORDAN DESCRIBED AS MATISSE'S MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT, WHICH THE ARTIST WORKED ON FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. TWELVE BRONZES WERE PRODUCED OF EACH IN THE SERIES. APART FROM ITS RARITY, INTENSE INTEREST IN THE SALE IS EXPECTED FOLLOWING THE ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE TO THE 'MATISSE: RADICAL INVENTION' EXHIBIT AT THE, MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA) WHICH IS ENDING SOON. ALL FOUR OF ITS 'BACK' SCULPTURES WERE MOVED FROM MOMAs SCULPTURE GARDEN TO ITS GALLERIES, WHERE THEY ARE AMONG THE SHOW'S FOCAL POINTS. IN MAY CHRISTIE'S SOLD THE MOST EXPENSIVE WORK EVER AUCTIONED, PABLO PICASSO'S 'NUDE, GREEN LEAVES AND BUST' WHICH FETCHED A STAGGERING $106.5 MILLION, JUST DAYS AFTER A LANDMARK PICASSO EXHIBITION OPENED AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. AMONG THE 12 'BACK IV' WORKS PRODUCED, ALL BUT TWO ARE IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS INCLUDING MOMA, LONDON'S TATE MODERN AND THE POMPIDOU CENTER IN PARIS.

BAROLO WINE MUSEUM ENCOURAGES VISITORS TO HAVE FUN


WHEN YOU WALK UP THE STAIRS OF THE IMPOSING MEDIEVAL CASTLE WHICH NOW HOUSES A NEW WINE MUSEUM IN THE PICTURESQUE ITALIAN TOWN OF BAROLO, YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF MONOTONOUS LECTURES ON THE HISTORY OF WINEMAKING. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN, ITS CREATOR SAYS. 'WINE HAS A QUALITY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, IT HAS A CONVIVIAL DIMENSION', SAID FRANCOIS CONFINO, THE SWISS-BORN MUSEUM AND EXHIBITION DESIGNER. 'THE FACT OF GETTING A LITTLE TIPSY PROVOKES SOMETHING IN THE MIND THAT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL WELL TOGETHER AND I HOPE THIS IS TRANSLATED HERE SOMEHOW', HE TOLD REUTERS AT THE MUSEUM OPENING. VISITORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY WITH MANY OF THE EXHIBITS: PEDDLE A MERRY-GO-ROUND WHICH REPRESENTS CHANGING SEASONS OR SET INTO MOTION OLD-STYLE 'TEATRINI', MOBILE DOLL THEATERS WHERE SCENES RELATED TO WINE ARE ENACTED. MUSIC ACCOMPANIES VISITORS AS THEY WALK THROUGH 25 ROOMS OF THE MUSEUM, FROM ANTONIO VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS TO MODERN SONGS CELEBRATING WINE TO WHICH A SPECIAL ROOM IS DEDICATED. IN ANOTHER ROOM, WITH LEATHER CLUB CHAIRS, VELVET CURTAINS AND MOVIE POSTERS ON THE WALLS, CLIPS ARE RUNNING OF FILMS INSPIRED BY WINE, SUCH AS 'SIDEWAYS' AND 'A GOOD YEAR'. THE FULL-BODY BAROLO RED WINE HAS BEEN PRAISED AS 'THE WINE OF KINGS AND THE KING OF WINES' SINCE THE MID-19th CENTURY WHEN PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES WERE IMPROVED TO CREATE THE MODERN WINE, WHICH HAS AN INTENSE COMPLEX BOUQUET WITH CLEAR NOTES OF VIOLET AND VANILLA. BUT THE MUSEUM IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF PIEDMONT IS NOT FOCUSED ON THE HISTORY AND DETAILS OF MAKING BAROLO. THERE IS LITTLE FACTUAL INFORMATION HERE AND VISITORS LOOKING TO GET AN IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF WINEMAKING ARE LIKELY TO BE DISAPPOINTED. 'HERE THE IDEA IS TO GET VISITORS INVOLVED, NOT TO INFORM THEM', SAID FEDERICO SCARZELLO WHO OVERSEAS THE MUSEUM AT BAROLO'S TOWN HALL. 'MAYBE IT IS NOT EVEN A MUSEUM. IT IS RATHER AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY TO CONVEY A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TO WINE...IT IS THE FIRST STEP IN GETTING TO KNOW WINE WHICH THEN NEEDS TO BE TAKEN FORWARD', HE TOLD REUTERS. VISITORS STILL CAN LEARN AT THE MUSEUM IF THEY SQUEEZE BEHIND SMALL CENTURY-OLD WOODEN DESKS IN A CLASSROOM AND LISTEN TO THEIR VIRTUAL CLASSMATES TELL HOW THEIR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS MAKE BAROLO. DOWN IN TEH BASEMENT THERE IS A WINE SHOP WHICH DISPLAYS ROWS OF OLD DUSTY BOTTLES AND WHERE VISITORS CAN FINALLY TASTE BAROLO'S WARM AND CARESSING FLAVORS AND BUY SOME OF TE GARNET RED WINE.

4.10.10

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM PRESENTS 'KATHERINE HEPBURN: DRESSED FOR STAGE AND SCREEN'


AFTER A SERIES OF SOLD-OUT PRE-OPENING EVENTS, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OPENS ITS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EXHIBITION 'KATHERINE HEPBURN: DRESSED FOR STAGE AND SCREEN', ON 2.OCTOBER. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH CLOSES 4.SEPTEMBER.2011, SHOWCASES THE SCREEN LEGEND'S PERFORMANCE CLOTHES, WHICH INCLUDE STAGE AND FILM COSTUMES SPANNING HEPBURN'S CAREER, AS WELL AS APPAREL SHE WORE FOR PUBLICITY PURPOSES. KATHERINE HEPBURN IS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED AMONG THE GREATEST ACTRESSES OF ALL TIME. SHE WAS NOMINATED BY THE MOTION PICTURE ACADEMY FOR A RECORD 12 TIMES IN THE BEST LEADING ACTRESS CATEGORY AND WON FOUR OSCARS, FOR 'MORNING GLORY', 'GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER', 'THE LION IN WINTER' AND 'ON GOLDEN POND'. THIS RECORD HAS NEVER BEEN EQUALED. THE MUSEUM ACQUIRED HEPBURN'S PERFORMANCE CLOTHES IN 2008 FROM THE STAR'S ESTATE. BEFORE HER DEATH IN 2003, SHE HAD MADE CLEAR HER COLLECTION OF PERFORMANCE CLOTHES SHOULD BE GIVEN TO AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION INSTEAD OF BEING SOLD AT AUCTION. THE KENT STATE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM IS ACCREDITED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS, AND IS KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY FOR ITS COSTUME AND FASHION COLLECTIONS, THE RESULT IS A PERFECT FIT. THOUGH THE COLLECTION'S OWNERSHIP IS INDISPUTABLE, THEY WERE LITERALLY HANGING IN HEPBURN'S CLOSETS, THE MUSEUM HAD TO CORRECTLY IDENTIFY WHICH MOVIE OR PLAY THE GARMENTS CAME FROM SINCE THEY WERE UNTAGGED. MOVIE FRAMES, STAGE STILLS AND PUBLICITY SHOTS OF HEPBURN HAVE HELPED IMMENSELY AND WILL BE DISPLAYED ALONGSIDE THE COSTUMES. AS THE TITLE OF THE EXHIBITION SUGGESTS, THE COSTUMES WILL BE PRESENTED ACCORDING TO THE GENRE, WITH 'SCREEN' INCLUDING FILM AND TELEVISION. A SERIES OF HEPBURN'S ICONIC BEIGE TROUSERS, LINEN VESTS AND TAILORED JACKETS WILL BE PLACED AS GUIDEPOSTS THROUGH THE EXHIBIT. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBIT INCLUDE: STAGE COSTUMES FROM 'THE PHILADELPHIA STORY' AND 'WITHOUT LOVE', AS WELL AS LATER BROADWAY SHOWS 'COCO', 'WEST SIDE WALTZ' AND ' A MATTER OF GRAVITY'; FILM COSTUMES AND PUBLICITY CLOTHES INCLUDE THOSE FROM 'THE LITTLE MINISTER', 'ADAM'S RIB', 'THE IRON PETTICOAT', 'LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT', 'A DELICATE BALANCE', 'GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER', AND 'THE LION IN WINTER'; COSTUMES WORN IN MANY OF HER LATE TELEVISION MOVIES, INCLUDING HER EMMY-NOMINATED PERFORMANCE AS THE TITLE CHARACTER IN 'MRS DELAFIELD WANTS TO MARRY' AS WELL AS HER EMMY-WINNING PERFORMANCE IN 'LOVE AMONG THE RUINS'.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE UNEARTHED A STATUE OF AMENHOTEP III


ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE UNEARTHED THE UPPER PART OF A DOUBLE LIMESTONE STATUE OF A POWERFUL PHARAOH WHO RULED NEARLY 3,400 YEARS AGO, EGYPT'S MINISTRY OF CULTURE SAID. A MINISTRY STATEMENT SAID THE TEAM OF EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED THE 4 FOOT BY 3 FOOT STATUE OF AMENHOTEP III IN KOM EL-HITTAN, THE SITE OF THE PHARAOH'S MORTUARY TEMPLE IN THE SOUTHERN CITY OF LUXOR. THE TEMPLE IS ONE OF THE LARGEST ON THE WEST BANK OF THE NILE IN LUXOR. THAT STATUE PORTRAYS AMENHOTEP III WEARING THE DOUBLE CROWN OF EGYPT, WHICH IS DECORATED WITH URAEUS, AND SEATED ON A THRONE NEXT TO THE THEBAN GOD AMUN. AMENHOTEP III, WHO WAS THE GRANDFATHER OF THE FAMED BOY-PHARAOH TUTANKHAMEN, RULED IN THE 14th CENTURY BC AT THE HEIGHT OF EGYPT'S NEW KINGDOM AND PRESIDED OVER A VAST EMPIRE STRETCHING FROM NUBIA IN THE SOUTH TO SYRIA IN THE NORTH. THE PHARAOH'S TEMPLE WAS LARGELY DESTROYED, POSSIBLY BY FLOODS, AND LITTLE REMAINS OF ITS WALLS. BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UNEARTH A WEALTH OF ARTIFACTS AND STATUARY IN THE BURIED RUINS, INCLUDING TWO STATUES OF AMENHOTEP MADE OF BLACK GRANITE FOUND AT THE SITE IN MARCH 2009.

3.10.10

LACMA PRESENTS 'EYE FOR THE SENSUAL: SELECTION FROM THE RESNICK COLLECTION'


THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) PRESENTS 'EYE FOR THE SENSUAL: SELECTION FROM THE RESNICK COLLECTION', WHICH FEATURES MORE THAN 100 PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES AND DECORATIVE ARTS FROM THE COLLECTION OF LYNDA AND STEWART RESNICK, LONG-TIME PATRONS OF THE MUSEUM. SINCE THE EARLY 1980s, THE RESNICKS HAVE COLLECTED IN MANY AREAS RANGING FROM EUROPEAN TO AMERICAN AND MODERN ART, THE EXHIBITION WILL REFLECT THEIR INTEREST IN EUROPEAN PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND DECORATIVE ARTS FROM THE 16th TO THE EARLY 20th CENTURY. EYE FOR THE SENSUAL IS ONE OF THREE INAUGURAL EXHIBITIONS OF THE RESNICKS' GENEROUS DONATION TO LACMA's ONGOING TRANSFORMATION CAMPAIGN. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 2.OCTOBER THROUGH 2.JANUARY.2011. THE RESNICK COLLECTION IS RICH IN 18th CENTURY FRENCH PAINTINGS, PORTRAITS, LANDSCAPES, STILL LIFES AND MYTHOLOGICAL SCENES ILLUSTRATE THE VARIETY OF SUBJECTS AND STYLES ADOPTED BY PAINTERS OF THAT SCHOOL. FRANCOIS BOUCHER AND HIS PUPIL, JEAN-HONORE FRAGONARD, ARE PARTICULARLY WELL REPRESENTED WITH THREE PAINTINGS EACH. TWO OF THE PAINTINGS BY BOUCHER, BOTH SENSUOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF VENUS, WERE ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED BY THE ARTIST'S GREATEST PATRON, MADAME DE POMPADOUR, FOR ONE OF HER MANY RESIDENCES. THE THIRD WORK, LEDA AND THE SWAN, WAS KNOWN ONLY THROUGH A SECOND VERSION AT THE NATIONALMUSEUM IN STOCKHOLM BEFORE THE RESNICKS ACQUIRED THE ORIGINAL. FRAGONARD'S PAINTINGS DISPLAY THE ARTIST'S VERSATILE TALENT AND REVEAL, IN TURN, A WORKS OF PLAYFUL EROTICISM, DEEP PASSION, AND DOMESTIC INTIMACY. THE 'FEMININE' ASPECT OF THE RESNICK COLLECTION HAS OFTEN BEEN NOTED: ON ONE HAND, MANY OF THE PAINTINGS' SUBJECTS, WHETHER ALLEGORICAL OR MYTHOLOGICAL, GLORIFY THE FEMALE FORM. ON THE OTHER, NUMEROUS FEMALE ARTISTS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE COLLECTION: ANNE VALLAYER-COSTER WITH A STILL LIFE OF FLOWERS; ELISABETH LOUISE VIGEE LEBRUN WHOSE IMPOSING PORTRAIT OF MARIE ANTOINETTE, QUEEN OF FRANCE COMMISSIONED BY THE SITTER, EVOKES THE DOOMED SPLENDOR OF THE LAST DAYS OF THE FRENCH MONARCHY; AND MARGUERITE GERARD, WHO, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF HER BROTHER IN LAW FRAGONARD, ACHIEVED FAME IN THE LATE 18th CENTURY FOR HER PORTRAITS AND GENRE SCENES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.lacma.org

BONHAMS TO SELL HISTORIC "BRIDESHEAD REVISITED" MIRRORS


TWO IMPORTANT GEORGE II CARVED GILTWOOD MIRRORS, PART OF A SET OF FOUR COMMISSIONED FOR CASTLE HOWARD IN YORKSHIRE, THE STATELY HOME FEATURED IN THE 1981 TV SERIES AND THE 2008 FILM ADAPTATION OF EVELYN WAUGH'S NOVEL 'BRIDESHEAD REVISITED', ARE TO BE SOLD AT BONHAMS' FINE ENGLISH FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART SALE ON 3.NOVEMBER. PROBABLY DESIGNED FOR HENRY, 4th EARL OF CARLISLE BY JOHN VARDY AND SHOWING THE INFLUENCE OF HIS COLLEAGUE WILLIAM KENT, THE MIRRORS HAVE ATTRACTED A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £100,000 – 150,000. HAVING PASSED BY DESCENT FROM HENRY, 4th EARL OF CARLISLE THROUGH FOUR GENERATIONS, THE MIRRORS WERE BOUGHT BY A LONDON DEALER, LIONEL HARRIS JUNIOR, IN 1929. THREE YEARS LATER, IN SEPTEMBER 1932, HARRIS WAS CONTACTED BY A LEADING FURNITURE HISTORIAN AND ADVISER R W SYMONDS, WHO HAD BEEN EMPLOYED BY FRANCIS A LAUDER TO FIND A PAIR OF MIRRORS FOR BOWDEN HALL IN DERBYSHIRE. DUE TO THE DEPRESSED ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TIME, SYMONDS, WHO WAS BEHIND SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT 20th CENTURY COLLECTIONS, MANAGED TO NEGOTIATE THE PURCHASE TO TWO OF THE MIRRORS, ALTHOUGH BEING SOLD AS A SET OF FOUR, AT EASE. HARRIS WROTE TO SYMONDS: 'THE FOUR (MIRRORS) COST ME £650. AS I UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENT WOULD REQUIRE A PAIR, I WOULD BE WILING TO SELL ONE OF THE PAIRS FOR £250 CASH. AT THIS PRICE, THEY ARE VERY CHEAP, AS IN 1929 I WAS ASKING £900 FOR THE FOUR, AND IT IS ONLY IN ORDER TO DO SOME BUSINESS THAT I AM WILLING TO CUT THE LOSS.' PRIOR TO BEING ACQUIRED BY LAUDER OF BOWDEN HALL, ONE OF THE MIRRORS WAS EXHIBITED AT THE ART TREASURES EXHIBITION AT CHRISTIE'S ON 2.OCTOBER.1932, HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE BRITISH ANTIQUE DEALERS ASSOCIATION.