This Qianlong period plate decorated in blue with a European palace or grand country house is estimated at £150-250 at Tennants.
Battie collection for sale in Leyburn
Tennants is to conduct a single-owner sale of ceramics and collector’s curiosities titled David Battie: A Study Collection. The July 15 sale will comprise over 180 lots of academic interest from the Antiques Roadshow specialist’s extensive collection, typically offered at affordable sums.
Battie joined Sotheby’s in 1965 and worked in the Ceramics and Oriental art departments before being made a director in 1976. He was a regular face on the Antiques Roadshow for many years and appeared on the show from the first episode, which was aired in 1977.
Tissot’s portrait of bankrupt dealer
The UK government has placed a temporary export bar on Jacques Joseph Tissot’s portrait of the Victorian art dealer Algernon Moses Marsden. Although never displayed in Tissot’s lifetime, the painting has become an icon of the Aesthetic movement as it shows the sitter in a luxurious interior (actually the artist’s studio) surrounded by a tiger skin and elaborate furniture.
James Tissot’s 1877 portrait of Algernon Marsden has been temporarily blocked from export.
It is hoped a UK buyer can be found to pay £2.4m and keep it in the country. The export reviewing committee made its recommendation on the grounds of Tissot’s impact on British art, as well as the culture of art dealers at this time. Marsden was an influential figure in the Victorian art world but later became known for his appearances in bankruptcy courts.
The decision on the export licence application is deferred until September 16.
Moretti completes Duke Street gallery
Moretti Fine Art is to open an enlarged gallery in the heart of St James after a complete renovation of its 12-13 Duke Street premises.
The site, which dates back to 1674, underwent a near-complete reconstruction, in which only the front façade and rear masonry were preserved.
Fabrizio Moretti in his new gallery in St James’s.
Moretti, who launched in London in 2005 after founding his business Galleria Moretti in Italy in 1999, purchased the buildings in 2011 and will open with an exhibition of Italian Old Master paintings and sculptures from the 14th-17th centuries.
The building has housed art dealers since 1910. Former tenants (including dealers Johnny Van Haef ten, Tomasso Brothers, Derek Johns and Harry Fane) moved out when leases came to an end in 2017.
Givenchy sales post £83m total
The auctions of the collection of the late fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy (1927- 2018) from his two homes took a grand hammer total of €96.9m (£83.1m) at Christie’s Paris.
Across live auctions and online-only sales ending on June 23, 98% of lots sold and 85% of lots sold above their high estimate. Bidders were from 48 countries and buyers from 34. A full auction report will appear in a future issue.
Music to the ears of art week lovers
As part of the July 3-8 London Art Week (LAW), a programme of music recitals has been announced.
The event this year is themed around Music & Dance and London Art Week has partnered with the arts hub Cromwell Place and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
A series of chamber concerts surrounded by works of art begins on July 3 at Cromwell Place with three further performances on July 6 in LAW galleries across Mayfair and St James’s. The concerts are paired with tours of the LAW exhibitions for an “immersive experience uniting music and art”. Tickets must be booked via the LAW website.
Christie’s second carbon footprint
Christie’s has published its latest Environmental Impact Report detailing its initiatives to cut emissions and improve its business.
The second report (its first launched in March 2021) reiterates its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 50%, divert 90% of its waste from landfill and provide all clients with packaging and printed products that are fully recyclable.
Its projects include work with The Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) and an initiative to trial moving art works by sea rather than air (ATG No 2539).
Most read
The most viewed stories for week 16-22 June on antiquestradegazette.com
1 Picasso drawing discovered in a cupboard
2 A rare war-time Rolex and a pointillist picture in our pick of five auction highlights
3 First part of the Givenchy sale at Christie’s Paris an ‘historic night for decorative arts’
4 Obituary: Philip Hewat-Jaboor (1953- 2022)
5 A 19th century sculpture and Fidel Castro’s cigar box are among six lots to watch
In Numbers
$103.5m
The price (equivalent to £84m) paid for the Nobel peace prize medal sold by Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov at Heritage Auctions – a record for numismatics. The money from the sale will go to refugees from the war in Ukraine.
