France

Fine Arts Paris is the young November arrival on the fairs scene in the French capital. Launched last year, it celebrates its second staging in a new venue with a much enlarged exhibitor list.

Tribal art is very much a strength of the Paris art market, with sales taking place throughout the year.

This little oil on canvas showing a seated lion watching the setting sun from the top of a rocky plateau is evocatively titled Les Deux Majestés and is a work by the 19th century Orientalist Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904).

Fourteen unpublished paintings by Maurice Utrillo, the artist renowned for quintessential Paris street scenes, will be coming up for sale on November 23.

A newly discovered work by the 17th century French artist Jacques Stella (1576-1657) found by Xavier de la Perraudière of auction house Ivoire Angers in a local property is to be offered for sale on December 5.

The multi-talented Deco designer and artist Jean Dunand (1877-1942) is one of the names celebrated in Christie’s selected design sale in Paris on November 14 with around 20 pieces in different media.

This small-scale, 17th-18th century, Italian vanitas of a skull carved from Cararra marble measures 7½ x 9½in (19 x 24cm).

An ensemble of fans both Oriental and Occidental is the subject of the dedicated sale organised by Coutau-Bégarie that takes place at Drouot on November 19. Examples date from the 17th century through to the early years of the 20th.

A sale of contents of four homes belonging to the late Pierre Bergé is to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s Paris rooms in association with auction house Pierre Bergé & Associes.

A classic Art Nouveau display cabinet by Emile Gallé is part of a collection of furniture by Gallé and Majorelle assembled over half a century ago to be offered for sale by Ivoire Reims on November 18.

Science fiction is the theme for the 110-dealer BiblioMania in Paris’ 17th arrondissement, held at the Espace Champerret from Wednesday to Sunday, October 17-21.

In the UK Huntley and Palmers and McVitie’s might be the brand names to trip off the tongue at the mention of the word biscuit. In France it is LU that first comes to mind.

The only known item of silverware to have survived from a lavish diplomatic gift presented to Louis XIV by the King of Siam has been acquired by the Palace of Versailles via a private treaty sale through auction firm Beaussant Lefèvre.

A large panel painting by the Flemish artist Frans Francken II (1581-1642) is to appear at Ivoire Troyes’ Auction in France on September 29.