Willem Claesz Heda’s A vanitas still life with a broken roamer, an upturned tazza and a peeled lemon, on a ledge (1646) was offered by Dickinson.
At this year’s TEFAF Maastricht it was not just members of the art market that were reunited but the objects themselves. Two pairs with significant links were found during the event held from March 11-19.
The first was a still-life painting by Willem Claesz Heda (c.1596-1680) and the silver drinking dish it depicts.
Heda’s A vanitas still-life with a broken roamer, an upturned tazza and a peeled lemon on a ledge (1646) was offered by Dickinson of London.
The tazza in question appeared on the stand of Dutch firm Endlich Antiquairs.
Known as the Heda Tazza, the dish is familiar from other pictures by the Dutch artist now in major collections such as the Rijksmuseum and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
The Heda Tazza (1618) sold from Endlich Antiquairs.
It was made in Amsterdam in 1618 and bears an unidentified clover maker’s mark. During the fair it sold to a US public collection.
The dealers’ stands were on nearly opposite ends of the fair, and it is often difficult for traders to stroll the length of the event, particularly in the early days.
However, Paul van den Biesen, head of collecting, collectors and museums at TEFAF, made the connection after noticing first the picture at Dickinson and then the tazza itself.
Panini pair
The Consecration of Giovanni Carlo Molinari as titular Archbishop of Damascus by Benedict XIV by Giovanni Paolo Panini appeared on the stand of Brun Fine Art.
Also reunited at the fair were a 1754 oil on canvas by Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765), The Consecration of Giovanni Carlo Molinari, and the preparatory study for the work.
Brun Fine Art brought the finished work, which depicts the appointment of Molinari as titular archbishop of Damascus by Pope Benedict XIV.
The picture is thought to have been in a single collection at the Casa Molinari on Lake Como, until it emerged at a Christie’s auction in 2008.
Dealer Marco Brun quickly made the link when he saw the study on the stand of Galerie Eric Coatalem of Paris.
Detail of the central scene of the Panini at Galerie Eric Coatalem.
Brun told ATG that he noticed the other picture when he went around the fair on the first day, and that the pairing offered an opportunity for a museum or collector.
He added: “I didn’t know before that there was a boceto [sketch] of this work. It is very interesting for the history of Panini.”
The Italian artist and architect is remembered particularly for his views of Rome and picture gallery paintings, and he was represented by other stands at the fair including Robilant + Voena.
