Wall holes

Not Warhols.

The sun has been casting its rays on a pair of C18th overmantel pictures by James Ross that were on a wall in the hall. The effects of sun damage are quite often severe, so in order to minimise that I finally got around to changing where the Ross pictures were hung, and replaced them with a less important fan image, which is large enough to cover a myriad of holes from previous picture groupings. (Those that remained have been filled in, and the wall awaits repainting.)

a fan of the sun

Now of course I had to move four Japanese woodblock prints to accommodate the Ross pictures. These are in the process of being hung where the fan picture used to be. All of these moves has of course necessitated changes in the positioning of the holes and screws for their previous pictures.

Details, details. I don't tend to rearrange pictures on a regular basis, for obvious reasons.

Back to front

An array of Burmese and Thai Buddhas are displayed in the small dining room adjacent to the main dining room in the house in Hong Kong where we stay. The tranquility is emphasised by a variety of pots of Phalaenopsis, which are back-lit by a pair of handstanding Chinamen lamps, (from Shanghai Tang).

All the tea in China

Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, NH held a Marine, China Trade & Sporting Arts auction at the weekend. I only discovered the sale the day before, and unfortunately was too late to bid. China Trade pictures are one of the categories that I collect, and these two (oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches) sold as a pair, and depicting a scene of tea being brought from the fields for sorting and another of negotiations for its sale to a tea merchant, appealed to me greatly. Like much relating to Chinese art at the moment, it is attracting a large premium, and at a starting price of USD25,000 these were no exception. They sold for USD29,500.

There was the usual array of the more traditional scenes, of Hong Kong Island:

of which I thought this was the best. It sold for more than twice its estimate at USD19,470.

Even this rather crude interpretation of the classic image of Hong Kong Island, sold for USD23,600.

Initially I was disappointed that I had missed the boat, (literally in a couple of cases) on the opportunity, but on reflection, the pickings were all a bit rich for me, and fully priced.

Mr Fancy Pants

Suitable for painting the town red. Which is what I did.

Notes from a bombsite

Swimming Pool Clubhouse

Swimming Pool

Lobby

Corridor - almost there

Construction at la residence seems almost painfully slow, some three and a half months after it began. It looks very unlikely to me that it will be completed on schedule, by the end of October. Renovation of the swimming pool has been delayed by the discovery of a leak, which has now been rectified, and an unusually wet rainy season. The lobby has been delayed by the need to decide on buying and installing a new aircon. Happily the bitching about finalising the corridor has resulted in some progress - almost 90% - as above, and so at least getting from the lift to the apartment is now no longer in a dustbowl. On Monday I am finalising the choice for the area rugs for the lobby, which have been designed to our specification and colourway. Thereafter, I will be interested to see a bit more progress before I skip off to Scotland for a break. For part of the time this charming little house (below) will be our appropriate antidote to the noise, and the rest will be spent staying at the schloss, which we shall have to ourselves for a week.

Of course Rome wasn't built in a day, as we all know, and progress does eventually produce results which are not always obvious at this stage of the proceedings.

Needing a fix

Today the repairman from LG will be appearing shortly to fix the flap on the ice-making compartment in the fridge. His visit will be one of a constant stream of tradespeople who cross the threshold to maintain the efficiently functioning place I call home.

Yesterday, as part of their three monthly maintenance, the water filter company came and changed the filters; on their previous visit they had to replace the pump aswell. Last week one of the airconditioners stopped producing cool air; the condenser had burnt out, and had to be replaced. A few weeks earlier the airconditioners had their regular cleaning. A month ago the hinge of one of the sandblasted glass cabinet doors in the kitchen broke,  and temporarily moving one of the other three to even the load, also broke that. Replacement was difficult, as they are German, and not standard. However, a source was found, and a stock for future failures has been acquired, as well as replacing the two offenders.

All fairly mundane stuff. I react quickly to getting things fixed. I am lucky that I can rely on the technicians and maintenance staff at the condo, who are usually available instantly, and will even change a light bulb, (and yes, I've had that done, for the plant uplighters on the balcony, which are particularly fiddly). Happily other service providers are efficient and turn up when they say they are going to do so, (and if I'm not available, someone else is, to let them in and pay them). 

So, I've no complaints on that score, nor indeed about the costs of maintenance - spare parts are high, but labour is cheap, and in the case of the condo staff, free. But as we get older, and the more gadgets we have, managing this process becomes almost a full time job. I am thinking of my ancient father in this particular instance, who appears to have become very acquisitive of new gadgetry recently, (a laptop, in addition to his desktop; a device for recording TV programmes, and various other emergency alarm devices to alert the appropriate authorities should he need medical assistance), in addition to the numerous other machinery we all have.

As one of my female friends said to me, (of herself): "I need a wife". I wonder what will need fixing next. I have a hunch it's the computer, which is be very temperamental. My finger is twitching towards dialling the computer man...

His Royal Highgrove

Time to enjoy one's garden.

Ready for their close-ups

Cocking a snook at the paparazzo, Claridges in London has appointed an artist in residence, David Downtown, who will draw pictures of clients, with their permission. The story is from The Guardian, image of Twiggy from changethethought.com.

Keeping it real

WILLIAM R. DAVIS 

Trompe-l'oeil of three envelopes. Signed lower left "William R. Davis A.S.M.A.". Oil on canvas, 9" x 12". Sold for USD5,000 at Eldred's, East Dennis, MA.

WILLIAM R. DAVIS 

Trompe-l'oeil of stamps. Signed in self-portrait stamp in second row. Also signed verso "William R. Davis A.S.M.A". Oil on canvas, 6" x 8". Sold for USD11,000 at Eldred's, East Dennis, MA

Images from Eldred's

Putting on the glitz

Last week I was besmirching the talents of local furniture designers with their unusual glittery chairs and other case goods. This article from the Daily Mail about the Royal Collection of Fabergé might also fall into the same category, except of course he was a skilled jeweller, and he had royal patronage, particularly from the Russian Imperial Family. Nonetheless, I would venture to say that the pieces Fabergé created were completely extravagant, and other than in a museum collection, not particularly relevant to day-to-day living for lesser mortals, especially given the context of Russia at the beginning of the C20th. This phenomenon is perhaps true of a lot of great art, whose creation is only possible by the patronage of the very rich, whether they were Medicis or (are) Saatchis.

Image from Mieks Fabergé Eggs

1911 15th Anniversary Egg - gift from Tsar Nicholas II to

Tsarina Alexandra