WINNER of the Country Life-LAPADA Object of the Year, announced last week at the London International Fine Art Fair at Olympia, was the so-called Hausburg cabinet belonging to Kensington Church Street dealers Butchoff Antiques.
The remarkable ebony and miniature representation of Rheims Cathedral took its maker Friedrich Ludwig Hausburg (1817-1886) 17 years to make between 1840 and 1857. Measuring 18 x 15in (45 x 38cm), its full glory is only revealed upon the opening of doors to reveal panels and drawer facias elaborately inlaid with brass, tulipwood, abalone and mother of pearl, with British landmarks.
Ian Butchoff describes it as “without doubt the most exceptional piece of Victorian furniture we have been lucky enough to own in 46 years of business.” It was purchased at auction in Sheffield in March 2009.
Second place went to a c.1700 Granada polychrome figure of a woman praying, belonging to London dealer Peter Petrou and third was a group of six 1940 Buccheri vases made by Carlo Alberto Rossi to designs by Gio Ponti, from the stock of London 20th century design specialists De Parma.
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