Break away

- an autumnal break, and hoping to catch the change in colours, the Indian summer, and to enjoy the culture shock. With any luck the time away will afford a noticeable, (and welcome) difference in the renovation project here in Bangkok upon our return.

Given the aspirations of Scotland's current leadership, any inference you might take to the break up of the United Kingdom, is purely intentional.

Don't spare the horses

Alfred de Dreux (1810-1860) White horse galloping with two dogs. 1857.Oil on canvas. 

This rather splendid picture was sold on Friday by Koller Auctions, Zurich for CHF110,000. (USD121k). It is somewhat reminiscent of the work of George Stubbs, but with a slightly more friendly price tag.

Several seconds, and two firsts

John Hoppner RA (British 1758-1810), oil on canvas, 30" X 25", Portrait of Emilia Charlotte Lennox, second daughter of Lord George Lennox. Half figure portrait, wearing bluish green dress with black lace shawl.

One of the joys of the upcoming visit to Scotland will be to see this newly acquired portrait by John Hoppner, whose self portrait in the National Portrait Gallery is herebelow:

Emilia's father, Lord George Lennox was the second son of the 2nd Duke of Richmond, and thus a descendant of King Charles the Second. Charles, (who was himself the second son of King Charles I), had no legimiate heirs, but plenty of illegimate ones. Diana, Princess of Wales was descended from two of them - the dukes of Grafton and Richmond, and therefore Prince William, (Duke of Cambridge), will become the first monarch in the present reigning family to be a descendant of the House of Stuart. It is perhaps fitting that the picture will in future reside in Scotland.

However, for me, this Hoppner is my first.

Sugar and spice, and all things nice

Our friends must have thought we clearly looked as though we were in need of food parcels last week. We had lunch with a Thai friend, who has opened a Thai snacks shop called Sri, (a play on the name of the goddess Lakshmi, and pronounced confusingly as "see"). The patrons of these intricate and time consuming delicacies include royalty in their number; we were given a selection of produce, and I can attest to their tastiness. 

Subsequently another friend returned from a trip to his native Corsica and brought back with him a multitude of edible delights, including a jar of home made fig jam, which we have applied liberally to a number of foods, (the pâté he brought too), but also to our French toast on Sunday morning. If you've never had fig jam I can highly recommend it, but whether it will be as good as this version, I do not know. I shall try and see if I can find a jar when I'm on my upcoming travels. I suspect the ingredients will not be so heavily populated with plump figs.

Off colour

oil/canvas board, impressionist landscape with side-wheeler on a river, signed l/l "M. WANKER" (partial signature loss), 18" x 24"; Estimate USD400-600. For sale at auction from Matthew's Galleries, OR. 

I'm not sure whether Maud Wanker's name is worse than the intials (J.E.R.) of a friend of mine, called King. It's almost worth buying the picture for the name of the artist. Understandable why there is a partial signature loss perhaps.

Perfectly paired

Pair Vintage buttoned red leather- upholstered Chesterfields, early 20th century, each upholstered in fine patinated brick-red leather, turned wooden feet, 29 x 75 x 36 in

 

Fine Pair Dutch Baroque Style Carved and Gilt Wood Mirrors, Continental, late 19th century, each finely carved fruit wood with burnished and stippled gilding with red bole, exotic birds and dragons in relief, each set with six candle shelves, 22 x 62 x 23 in.

 

Pair Empire Style Gilt Bronze Sconces, French, third quarter 19th century; finely cast, 13 in., mounted to 31-3/4 in. obelisk-form mahogany mounts

  

Pair of French cast iron and marble urns, 12''h.

It is quite often strange that pairs of items come up for auction in the same sale. Apart from the marble urns from Rachel Davis Fine Arts, in Cleveland, OH, the other items are offered for sale by Brunk Auctions at Asheville, NC. As a devotee of neoclassical and symmetry, I could happily use all of these items in any decorative scheme. Perhaps I just need a pair of properties to do that.

Hallelujah

A contemporary from school sent this video to my brother and me, with the annotation "we didn't have this much fun at school". The chapel at school used to look like this:

but after a substantial bequest by a former pupil, it was transformed into this:

and the interior into this.

The condition of the bequest was that the chapel needed to be used four times a week. Accordingly we had two choral practices and two services per week. It was a timetable universally unloved, and indeed something that might have been more fun, if we were allowed to perform as those in the monks' habits on the YouTube clip. However, it has left me a wonderful appreciation of choral music, particularly the work of Handel's Messiah. Hallelujah!

Non U

Attributed to Chow Kwa (Chinese, active 1850-1885), The Low House, Shanghai, circa 1865-1870, watercolor on paper laid on card, 10-3/4 x 15-1/4 in.; Provenance: William Blydenburgh, New York; Private Collection, Little River, South Carolina. Titled verso as "The Blydenburgh House at Shanghai" and illustrated by Carl Crossman, Literature: Illustrated in Carl Crossman, [The Decorative Arts of the China Trade,] (Suffolk, UK: Antique Collectors' Club, 1991), p. 198, ill. plate 98. The house was rented by the merchant William J. Blydenburgh of New York City, 1864-1876.

This rather classically designed building is charming. I was recently re-watching Empire of the Sun, which takes place in Shanghai at the beginning of the Japanese invasion, and the story begins at a British residence not unlike this one. (I confess that I really only watched the very beginning of it, as it became rather tedious.)

The name of this China Trade watercolour was rather interesting for me, as there is a hotel in Hong Kong called The Upper House, owned and operated by the Swire Group.  The name plays on that given to the House of Lords in Britain, and the fact that the hotel is situated in the top section of one of the properties owned by the company. I can certainly recommend the bar, and the rooms look spectacular, although I have not had the need for one.

Reflecting black

Kaga ginjyo (pure rice sake).

Japan has not had a very good year, thanks to natural disasters, the tsunami in March, and now the deadly typhoon Talas. The stoicism of its people is remarkable.

And you are?

Luigi Lucioni (American 1900-1988). Portrait of a Young Man holding a Red Book. 24 x 22 inches. Estimated at USD7-10k. Unsold.

This was one of a number of Lucionis that were for sale at auction in the same sale held by Northeast Auctions, NH, which included a slew of China Trade pictures, about which I wrote previously. Perhaps because there were quite a few listed, the interest, (judging by the prices) seemed lukewarm.

Luigi Lucioni (American 1900-1988). Design for Color, 20 x 27 inches. Sold for USD18,000 (with an estimate of USD25-40k).

The young man with his red book has a pleasant demeanour, but it was not sufficiently interesting for me to warrant owning the picture.

"And you are?" must rank as one of the most offensive ways of asking the question "may I know your name?" Eddie and Patsy in AbFab were asked this when when being looked up and down by an assistant in a judgemental way and witheringly responded: "You'd better drop the attitude; you're just a shop clerk." Or, as my rather fiery Greek friend said when confronted with a similar situation in London, "Listen, I'm on this side of the counter, and you're on that side. Are we clear? You serve me." 

We all have days when we do not wish to be trifled with. (Apparently.)