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This recent acquisition was causing some excitement and intrigue, when the label on verso suggested it might be by the C18th artist Johann Zoffany, famed for these two pictures:

The Tribuna of the Uffizi

The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle

Charles Towneley in his Sculpture Gallery - 1782

Reaseach from Sotheby's has suggested it is attributed to Lemuel Francis Abbott (1760-1803), who died at the young age of 40, of insanity, and who was treated by the same physician who treated mad King George, (the Third), Dr Thomas Munro. Lemuel Abbott is himself more famous for the portrait of Lord Nelson, (below) hanging in the Terracotta Room of 10 Downing Street.

 

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

My portrait is of Sir James Allen, a merchant in the city of London, and is late C18th.

I was much taken with the detail in the portrait, including these:

For anyone familiar with the BBC programme House of Cards, starring the late Ian Richardson, there is a remarkable resemblance between the two gentlemen.

Sir James Allen

Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart, House of Cards.

This trail of research has been a rather interesting one, and luckily finding the provenance has not resulted in the line that Francis Urquhart was renowned for saying in the TV drama:

'You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment'. Not Zoffany, but Abbott. I'm very amused about that. The Z to A of painters, if you will.

A slice of Danish

Hello Magazine has shown these pictures of the newly refurbished quarters in Amelienborg Palace in Copenhagen, for Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary. Whilst the first image comes as no surprise, and one can glory in the beauty of the C18th interiors, subsequent images are unexpected, to put it kindly. Whilst I am very much in favour of mixing very modern within neoclassical interiors, with different styles of furniture within that, (so that one removes the museum quality that pervades say Buckingham Palace), these wall effects are just plain ghastly. The third image appears to have a sink and counter at the lower level, which would be fine, but the mural is just bizarre, and why compound the horror by gilding the panelling and the freize?

Friends with benefits

Sitting Room

Sitting Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Entrance Foyer

Garden

These images are of the beautifully renovated "Black & White" (1920s) house of my friend, the interior designer Michael Fiebrich, in Singapore. The house is written up in March 2010's edition of Architectural Digest, the one with Jennifer Anniston on the cover, (to use a Friends' descriptor).

I'm plotting our visit, to take up his very kind offer to stay, and to soak up the luxuriance that clearly awaits.

Natural inspiration

The master bedroom balcony's only (currently) flowering orchid is the inspiration for the Jim Thompson chenille that I intend to use to reupholster the nearby two wing chairs and their footstools, which have become worn from them being in constant use. Unfortunately their removal for the process will require some other armchairs to be placed there temporarily.

This will be the sixth time these chairs have been recovered, (over the last 13 years). There is a slight hesitancy to proceed as it might finally be time to think of something more akin to a chaise longue, as discussed here previously. (Why are these called chaise lounge in America?)

Here's looking at me, kid

Lee Blair, self portrait.

Leon Gordon, (Russian-American, 1889-1943), Elegant Man in Mirror, c.1930s

These two pictures are rather compelling. The first is by Californian artist Lee Blair, and went for sale at auction yesterday at John Moran Auctioneers, CA. Blair was born in Los Angeles, and worked as a painter, designer and cartoonist, in motion pictures as an art director and production designer, including for Walt Disney and Film Graphics, Inc.  The estimate for this self portrait was USD2-4,000.

The second, by Leon Gordon, is for sale on 20 February, and appears to be attracting a lot of interest, judging by the number of bids. Gordon was born in Russia, lived in Paris and New York and died in Florida. Whilst known for his portraiture, his work was also used for advertising, particularly men's clothing, and it is possible that this image was for that purpose too. The estimate for this is USD1-2,000, but I suspect will go for a lot more.

St Valentine's Day massacre

My reluctance to fork out for the inflated prices of roses resulted in an unexpected but more intimate gift of flowers from the balcony - the bougainvillea above, and the orchids below.

Their production resulted from some agressive pruning of the bougainvillea bushes, but also of the miniature bamboo outside the kitchen window.

The bamboo pots form my version of a window box.

Guns and roses

Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the year of the tiger. Kung Hei Fat Choy! My choice of image is an unusual one therefore, as this tiger (Nagasaki Style Tiger, 1775-1800) is by the Japanese artist Jakurin Yamamoto (1721-1801).

New Year's dragon dance- downtown Chinatown, signed lower right: Jake Lee, watercolor on paper under glass Estimated Price: $3,000 - $5,000,  41'' x 31''. John Moran Auctioneers, Pasadena CA, 16 February 2010.

Today is of course also St Valentine's Day. We have an odd juxtaposition of the rat-a-tat-tat of fire crackers mixed with the beauty and tranquility of the celebrated day of love. My weekly purchase of roses was suspended, as I objected to paying the 70% premium that the flower seller was asking. Retailers and those in the hospitality industry are particularly miffed that both events occur on the same day, thus reducing their potential for inflating prices across the board. Just desserts for the curse of materialism.

Regal recess

A signed print of Pietro Annigoni's sketch for his 1954-55 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II anchors a tablescape in a recess in the hallway. The table is George III, and the silver dishes displayed on a perspex stand hold commemorative crowns, issued by the Royal Mint. The filligree silver dish is German.

Love LV

Louis Vuitton jewelry box in the form of a miniature steamer trunk with brass mounts, brass studded wood trim, padded velvet interior, serial #842779. 4.5"h.x11"w.x5.5"d.

For sale at auction by Wiederseim Associates, Inc., Chester Springs PA.

Estimate USD2,500.

For those precious baubles that you just have to take with you on your travels.

Deco delights

These images are of the beautiful Daimaru department store in Osaka, from Goto N.

The store was designed by the American architect W R Vories.

One of those days

Not unusually for a Monday, I suppose, it's turned out to be one of those days. You address a problem, however mundane, so that you have all your ducks lined up in a row, but then things don't going according to plan, and it's two steps forward, and one step back.  These two pictures both from Boris Wilnitsky Fine Arts, Vienna, seem strangely relevant to the day's proceedings.

Top: Hotel, by Fritzi Loew, (1892-1975), charcoal and white gouache on paper 

Bottom: Philosopher, After Rembrandt, 1824, black and grey wash on cardboard.

Don't lose sight...

...of lucite, aka acrylic or perspex. This lucite and glass table which is showcased in this London flat is French 1930s. The base is mirrored in the glass chandelier. I am very keen to work with perspex, particularly when paired with other materials, such as lacquer. It also makes a very elegant device for presentation of objet d'arts.

It's also interesting to note how the fabric on the fauteuils is different on the back panels, although both clearly with love in mind.

Images from House & Garden. Photographs: Paul Massey.

Memory lane

This postcard of Queen's Road in Hong Kong (c. 1951) pre-dates my childhood life there, which began in 1966-7, at the time of the Cultural Revolution in China. But this and the one below are reminiscent of areas of the colony that were familiar to me, but which began to change rapidly in the 1970s, and has never really stopped, making it a first world and international city of extraordinary energy and wealth.

Edward Seago

The British artist Edward Seago painted many scenes of Hong Kong, including this of Queen's Road (West), and a number of panoramic scenes of the famed Hong Kong harbour, which are held in a private collection in Hong Kong, and are truly breathtaking, and evocative of the time. The postcard below (of Queen's Road Central, c. 1955), is extraordinary because of the lack of people, in a city now bursting at the seams, but it was pre Cultural Revolution and therefore prior to the major influx of refugees from the Mainland.

Seago was a friend of Queen Elizabeth, and painted this below, (a canal in Chioggia), as a gift for her. As a result of this royal provenance, these pictures are extremely expensive.

This below, although not in the Royal Collection, is of Windsor Castle c.1955.

The emperor has no clothes

Pink and Orange Painting by Joseph Marioni, Oil on Canvas, Joseph Marioni (American, b. 1943), ca 1970s, signed on verso bottom stretcher frame; 68.5 x 47.75 in. Painting is divided into vertical geometric shapes stretching from top to bottom in bands of slightly variegated color ranging from orange to pink.

Estimate $15,000 - $20,000. Starting Bid $15000.

Red Painting by Joseph Marioni, Oil on Canvas, Joseph Marioni (American, b. 1943), ca 1970s, unsigned; 85.25 x 37.25 in. A Cincinnati native, Joseph Marioni has been a force in monochromatic paintings since the 1970s. Purchased directly from the artist, this painting is a fine example of typical Marioni work with the raised vertical drips and visible texture of the paint. The single hue color of the painting belies the intricate process employed; it is actually made up of many slight tonal variations in order to create a more vibrant and true color.Estimate $10,000 - $15,000.

Starting Bid $10000.

Yellow Painting by Joseph Marioni, Oil on Canvas, Joseph Marioni (American, b. 1943), ca 1970s, signed on verso of stretcher frame; 54.5 x 84.5 in. This collection of Marioni paintings are examples of early monochromatic works with this specific painting featuring two slightly different variations of yellow.

Estimate $10,000 - $15,000. Starting Bid $10000.

I know where I'd rather spend USD20,000.