France

Colonel stationed in Africa then China amassed an impressive collection that sold at auction in France earlier this month

With so much talk of fairs cancelled, auctions postponed and dealer activity constrained, it makes a change to feature the opening of a new gallery.

This 9¼in (23.5cm) diameter Sèvres porcelain plate is painted en grisaille with a portrait of the artist Annibale Carracci within borders of chrome green and gilt laurel and oak leaves, fleur de lys, palmettes and florets.

A sale of design and 20th century decorative arts to be staged by Aguttes on March 30 spans items from the Art Nouveau era through to the latter decades of the 20th century.

No fewer than 248 pieces feature in this grand Paris porcelain table service painted with floral reserves on a green and gilt border and central flowersprays.

A bronze figure of Mars from the studio of Giambologna will be one of the highlights in a sale of furniture, paintings, sculpture and works of art to be held at Drouot by L’Huillier on April 2.

This elaborate still-life featuring a vase containing a rich variety of flowers including roses, peonies and tulips, is a work by Maria van Oosterwyck (1630-93), a 17th century Dutch golden age female artist who specialised in still-life subjects.

A new art and antiques fair is being planned for the end of November to replace the Paris Biennale (Biennale des Antiquaires).

Osenat is holding one of its periodic sales titled L’Empire à Fontainbleau in its Fontainebleau saleroom on March 22.

The work of Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) will feature prominently in the dedicated sale of Old Master and 19th century drawings at Christie’s Paris.

The Madoura pottery founded by Suzanne and Georges Ramié in Vallauris, a village in the south of France renowned for pottery production, was a popular place for many artists in the post-war years. From 1948-55 Pablo Picasso lived in Vallauris and divided his time between painting and creating ceramics at Madoura.

On March 30 Christie’s France is offering a selection of around 70 Modern and Post-war works from an unnamed Parisian collector that have been assembled over four decades.

As the pandemic continues to upend the art market calendar, two heavyweights of the Contemporary art and design fair scene are going digital.

A painting by Pierre Soulages (b.1919) sold at Caen Enchères (20% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in Normandy featured a particularly notable provenance.

This canine portrait 'Minnay' by Edouard Manet (1832-83) will be offered for sale by Drouot Estimations on February 26.

A sale to be held by Jack-Philippe Ruellan in Vannes in Brittany will feature this Olympic torch from the 10th Winter Olympics held in Grenoble in 1968.

On March 23 Christie’s France, in association with booksellers Jacques Quentin (Geneva) and Benoît Forgeot (Paris), will offer the first part of the poetic library of Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller.

January proves to be a busy month in France including 37 sales at the Drouot in a fortnight

The Cluny Museum in Paris, dedicated to works of art from the Middle Ages, pre-empted two items in a Pierre Bergé & Associes sale of Haute Epoque in Paris.