Made c.1710 for a grandee of the Dutch East India Company, these colossal vessels stand 3ft 8in (1.12m) tall and weigh a whopping 48kg each. Only four other comparable examples are known (the others are in the Dresden Porcelain Collection founded by Augustus the Strong in 1715), with these the only examples on the market in the past 30 years.
They will be offered for sale on October 27-31 by the Dutch dealership Vanderven Oriental Art, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. They have come from a private US collection.
International background
Sited at the Park Avenue Armory within walking distance of some of the city’s super-rich areas, TEFAF New York Fall features around 90 exhibitors offering largely traditional fine and decorative arts from antiquity to the early 20th century.
The event has its own international history: launched in 2016 off the back of the 30-year-old TEFAF Maastricht (held in the Netherlands every March), it followed in the footsteps of the International Show held in New York since the late 1980s. The principle – taking the best of Old World art to the capital of the New World – remains the same.
“There is still a huge hunger for fine European art in the US where the collector and the museum have a unique symbiosis,” says Alexandra Toscano of exhibitor Carlo Orsi – Trinity Fine Art. “Museums are generously funded by patrons and there seems to be a proactive attitude towards philanthropy in the arts.”
For this autumn edition the fair will feature art in the public spaces as well as on dealers’ stands, an innovation TEFAF first made at this year’s spring fair.
Patrick van Maris, CEO of TEFAF, adds: “Never before has the entire venue been used to display works of art. Making use of the historic rooms and public spaces presents a very rare opportunity for both visitors and our exhibitors.”
Among some of the other highlight pieces this year are a 15th century Florentine Bust of a Boy from the circle of Desiderio Da Settignano offered by Benjamin Proust Fine Art; a gothic-style patinated bronze hourglass from Galerie Delalande; and an ancient Egyptian New Kingdom (1550-1295BC) ibex head finial from a cosmetic spoon or cosmetic dish from Gallery Cybele.
