Archive for
Mary Freer by John Constable, 1809
Pontius Colors
Mrs. Tuder by John Constable, c.1818
Pontius Colors
It has been so long since I have seen the lovely Isabella LaFitte that I can’t remember if she looks more like Mary Freer or Mrs. Tuder. Certainly still like Mary, as it really can’t have been that long. “Where has she gone off to?” I wonder early in the morning while drinking my coffee. “Off with a portrait painter; a sojourn, waiting for beauty to return to art.” I answer to myself.
But what has happened to the portrait painter? What has happened to Allegory with a capital ‘A’ ‘? Suppose for a second, what would you consider the modern equivalent of Napoleon’s bee, Charlemagne being it’s precedent?
I wonder, (speaking generally here, not of Isabella’s) is the portrait painter obsolete with a click of a camera an aptly edited in Photoshop? Is that it, be gone? I must say that there is a specific talent in photography, in the capturing of that there there. And, was very impressed when my photographer friend Roger took my photos and got something by far more me than my own out stretched arm aiming back at myself.
So back to portrait painters… Lucien Freud is all I can think of, and then there were a couple of those Bloomsbury painters but can we call any of them proper portrait painters or should we say painters of portraits?
Here is Constable. Known for his landscapes–portraits quite pleasing– and if you are in London I would see his show at the National Portrait Gallery which runs for several more weeks and let me know what you think.
And please Dearest Anonymous, I love your comments. Who is your favorite portrait painter? You have written so many books, you have composed so many songs, and even painted a few portraits yourself, certainly please–tells us, who is your favorite?
As I’m working on a line of new pillows, I am also doing custom pillows. These are a couple recent: sophisticated Vintage Nigerian textile pillows; and for another client who is a bit more exuberant, pillowcases out of a Dekoplus print from the 70’s.
If I were a collector and had an extra $100,000 I would go for these at Sotheby’s June 12th sale in New York. The exhibition opens on June 6th so check it out if you are able, if not all items can be seen in their E-catalogue. Important 20th Century Design Sale N08564.
LOT 45
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF LUCIA MOREIRA SALLES
PIERO FORNASETTI
1913 – 1988
“MADREPORE” TABLE
lithographic transfer print on lacquered wood and painted metal
29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm) high
ESTIMATE
10,000 – 15,000 USD
PROVENANCE
Galerie du Passage, Paris
LITERATURE
Patrick Mauriès, Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams, London, 1991, p. 264 (for a table designed by
Gio Ponti and decorated by Fornasetti with a similar decorative scheme)
LOT 5
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT NEW YORK CITY COLLECTION
GAETANO PESCE
b.1939
A RARE “GOLGOTHA” CHAIR
fiberglass cloth and polyester resin
39 1/8 in. (99.3 cm) high
ESTIMATE
40,000 – 60,000 USD
Bracciodiferro, a small subsidiary of Cassina, produced six black variants of the “Golgotha” chair
in 1972-1973. The larger production of the model was executed in white. Both versions were
made using a single piece of resin-covered fiberglass fabric, which was contoured to make a
unique continuous chair form
