The secrets of French glass making finally revealed
A practical guide exposes deception and falsification
 
Tiny Esveld, an antique dealer, has written a practical guide book titled Glass made Transparent produced by the great French glass artists Gallé, Daum and Schneider. The main objective of the book is to give a professional insight into the technique and production of these beautiful and exceptional pieces in order to protect lovers, connoisseurs and collectors from making mistakes. The world of glass is unfortunately full of deceptions.  The pitfalls accompanying a purchase can be plentiful but however fraudulent or deceitful Esveld exposes all in Glass made Transparent, the first revealing publication of its kind. The book is a beautifully designed guidebook richly illustrated  with excellent practical guidelines. French glass no longer maintains any secrets. Glass made Transparent is published in the English language with a resume in French, Dutch and Spanish and is also available as an e-book publication.
 

Glass Made Transparent guides the reader in eight chapters through the world of the great French glass artists Gallé, Daum and Schneider of the period 1890 – 1930. Esveld not only describes the beauty and artistry of their glass art but also reveals the technical side of their creations in great detail. This book helps to detect a genuine from a falsification, a flawless piece from a damaged one and it trains the eye for any cut glass or combinations of pieces put together, also called a marriage. It educates the reader to develop a feeling for the perfect style and shape, to learn to look sharply at the decoration, colour, finish and signature of its maker. It also points out all the applied tricks of the trade of the past and present day in order to deceive the unsuspecting buyer. Only the flawless pieces remain expensive and maintain their value. All the others bought at one’s own risk, either at auctions or on e-bay are always paid over the top.
 
Tiny Esveld is an antique dealer-glass expert and the owner of her gallery Tiny Esveld in Rijkevorsel, Belgium. The gallery is specialized in French art nouveau and art deco glass and furniture, such as Gallé, of the early twentieth century. She has written and published Glass made Transparent in the hope that the lively trade in old and new falsifications or of totally
incomplete pieces which are sold as perfect examples will somehow decline.
To the lover and collector however she wishes foremost to indicate  in an instructive and practical guidebook what to look for when purchasing a piece of French glass by Daum, Galle or Schneider.
 
Title: Glass made Transparent - A practical guide to French art glass by Gallé, Daum and Schneider
Author: Tiny Esveld
Publisher: Tiny Esveld
Pages : 176
Illustrations : 500
 
Order book >>

Times Square to Art Square (TS2AS) is a complex project with one simple goal: turn all billboards on Times Square into art. Initiator and founder of Times Square To Art Square Foundation, Justus Bruns, has a vision. He wants to replace the overload of loud advertising billboards with art, in other words create a gigantic outdoor gallery space.

Their objective is “to increase the availability of the billboards on Times Square in New York as an exhibition space for artists, as well as supporting likewise initiatives all around the globe”, with the hope that the art exhibition will inspire, entertain or at least evoke some unexpected thoughts amongst the viewers.


A noble initiative altogether that not only relies on financial donations, which will be reserved for realising the goals. As they state on their website : A Chinese Wall – in our donation process – is placed between the Art-project and the administrative support donations. That implies that no money that is donated for the sake of the Art-project will be used for administrative purposes. No matter what.

The Times Square To Art Square Foundation also placed relies on whether Tomes Square billboards owners would be prepared to donate exposure time on their Times Square billboards.

All in all Justus Bruns and his foundation deserve all the support they can get, be it moral, financial or by donating some time on billboards.

More information >>

One of the most popular articles on Kunstpedia is without doubt Medallic History of Religious and Racial Intolerance : Medals as instruments for promoting bigotry by Benjamin Weiss.



A group of medals from the Collection of Benjamin Weiss has been put on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The display consists of 16th and 17th century medals from Italy, France, Germany and The Netherlands.  The medals may be found in the Gallery of Early European Art. 

The display is a  part of Ben's larger collection of Historical and Commemorative Medals, which can be viewed at www.historicalartmedals.com

The number of Gallé, Daum and Schneider  fakes and forgeries circulating the market is overwhelming. Shady antique dealers and auction houses with little to no expertise in this field manage to seduce unknowing buyers in purchasing these counterfeits, again, again and again. A chipped Schneider vase is made ‘perfect’ by grinding away a few millimeters of the surface, a broken Gallé lamp shade is substituted with another and a glass box original with a lid, which is broken or missing, is sold as a small vase.

Without doubt these fakes, forgeries and damaged pieces are sold by dealers and auction houses with the best intentions, but without enough knowledge. The number of scruples traders however that do sell these falsifications willingly, are more than can be counted on ten hands.

This is the reason that Mrs. Tiny Esveld, an acclaimed specialist in French cameo glass, wrote the article ‘Right or Wrong - Lessons in Art Nouveau and Art Deco Glass’ for Kunstpedia in 2008.

The reactions and feedback on the article have been so overwhelming that Tiny Esveld decided to write a book on the pitfalls one may encounter. With over 20 years of hands-on experience and a well documented personal archive, she set herself to write a practical guide for both the seasoned as well as the novice collector. The result Glass made Transparent - A practical guide to French art glass by Gallé, Daum and Schneider  will appear in September of this year.

Read more >>

This year Master Drawings London celebrates its 10th anniversary. The inspiration of Crispian Riley-Smith, the event proved an immediate success when first launched in 2001. Many of the galleries taking place this year have participated each year since its inception. Master Drawings London is a collaborative event in which London’s leading drawings specialists join together to mount a series of exhibitions in St. James’s, Mayfair and Bloomsbury. Its success spawned a sister event, Master Drawings New York, which takes place in January each year. Master Drawings London takes place during the first week of July to attract museum interest and international collectors and to coincide with the drawings sales held by the major auction houses. Master Drawings London takes place from 3 – 9 July 2010.

Part of the attraction of Master Drawings is the wide range and quality of drawings exhibited at the event. This year is no exception.



Agnew’s is planning to show a pen and brown ink and brown wash over black chalk drawing by Filippo Napoletano (1587-1629) entitled The Launch of a Galleon, which is believed to be dated between 1617-1620. Katrin Bellinger at Colnaghi is exhibiting drawings by Farinati (1524-1606), Fragonard (1723-1806) and Tiepolo (1727-1804) as well as a signed and dated drawing by Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574) entitled Susanna Led away to her Death; Daniel Denounces the Elders , which was formerly in the collection of the Dukes of Devonsire for more than three centuries before being sold in 1984. Thomas Williams Fine Art is exhibiting a pen and brown ink drawing, Study of a Man in Profile Holding a Book by Guercino (1591-1666) that belongs to a special class of independent study, which was created as exemplars for pupils to copy.

Didier Aaron is making a special exhibition of around twenty watercolour designs for wall decorations by François-Joseph Bélanger (1744-1818), the eighteenth-century French neoclassical architect and designer of gardens and interiors. The watercolours in this exhibition date to around 1785-9 and offer an unexpected view of the rich Parisan interiors which existed behind the comparatively sober façades of the Louise XVI and early Empire periods. Also making a special feature within the context of their exhibition is Theobald Jennings who is showing a group of important Kirschner drawings.

19th and 20th-century European drawings are shown by a number of galleries including Stoppenbach & Delestre who amongst other things will show Le Jongleur c. 1935, gouache by André Derain (1880-1954). This drawing formerly belonged to Ambroise Vollard, who gave the drawing to his chauffeur Marcel Z. Méraud. Vollard’s inscription to his driver reads ‘Pour Marcel qui conduit si bein and qui est si précautionneux des objects d’art. Vollard [To Marcel who drives so well and is so careful with works of art]. The tragic irony is that Vollard was killed in a car accident in 1939 with his driver Marcel at the wheel.

Russian work from the late 19th century and early 20th century will be shown by Sphinx Fine Art, who will show a watercolour over pencil on paper drawing with gouache and gold paint by Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) which is a Stage Design for ‘The Firebird’, Act II, signed an inscribed ‘Oiseau de Feu, décors II tableau/ N. Goncharova’ . The gallery will also show work by Alexei Harlamoff (1840-1922), Ilya Repin (1844-1930), and Maria Marevna (1892-1984).

There will be a rich array of English drawings available to tempt collectors including a newly discovered group of watercolours and drawings by the Norwich School artist, John Sell Cotman (1782-1842), which is being shown by W. S Fine Art/Andrew Wyld.Lowell Libson is exhibiting, amongst other things, a pencil with pen drawing by John Constable R.A. (1776-1837), Studies of a Peacock while a very rare watercolour by L S Lowry, entitled A Group of Five Figures, signed and dated 1952 is being shown by Stephen Ongpin Fine Art.

Master Drawings London 2010
Saturday 3 July - Friday 9 July 2010
www.masterdrawingsinlondon.co.uk

Door Peter Houtepen

Matthieu van Oosterhout, in 1990 betrokken bij de Stichting Vincent van Gogh Etten-Leur, is er zeker van: Vincent van Gogh heeft tijdens zijn verblijf van acht maanden in Etten-Leur, in 1881, de Moeierboom op de Markt getekend. Maar in het onlangs verschenen boek over de Zundertse kunstenaar van de hand van Rebecca Nelemans en Ron Dirven, ‘De Zaaier, het begin van een carrière’, wordt dit in twijfel getrokken.

De bewuste tekening zou niet van de Moeierboom zijn, maar van een appelboomgaard in Zweelo (provincie Drenthe). Van Gogh zou die hier in november 1883 aan het papier hebben toevertrouwd.


Kaal
“Vincent is op 2 november van dat jaar inderdaad in Zweelo geweest”, aldus Matthieu van Oosterhout. “De boom die hij getekend heeft staat volop in het blad. Maar in november zijn de bomen kaal. Wat verder opvalt is dat de boom ondersteund wordt door vier rechtopstaande staken waarop horizontale dragers rusten.” Dit en de parasolvorm (dakvorm) bestempelt de boom voor hem onmiskenbaar tot een geleide linde, die altijd als een herinneringsboom geplant werd op een plein of markt. “Hij is uit het jaar 1675. Er is derhalve geen sprake van een boomgaard.”


Papiersoort
Vanaf het terras van restaurant De Zwaan op de Markt in Etten-Leur is de (Moeier)boom op precies dezelfde manier te zien zoals Vincent hem zag. “Vergelijk de tekening met een oude ansichtkaart uit 1910 van hetzelfde zicht op de Markt en de gelijkenis is volmaakt.” Dat er in Zweelo een gelijkaardige situatie zou zijn, is, aldus Van Oosterhout, ongeloofwaardig.

Volgens Matthieu beweren de makers van het boek dat het wel om de boomgaard in Zweelo gaat vanwege het feit dat de tekening is gemaakt op een papiersoort die Vincent in Drenthe heeft gekocht. Maar de erevoorzitter van de Stichting Vincent van Gogh Etten-Leur bestrijdt dat. “Vincent gebruikte voor zijn serieuze tekeningen Ingres papier. Dat kreeg hij van zijn broer Theo uit Parijs.” Op pagina 391 van het boek ‘Vincent van Gogh, de brieven, deel 3’ is namelijk te lezen: ‘In het drentse Hoogeveen kan ik niets krijgen van tekengerij. Ik moet bestellen in Den Haag’. En inderdaad bekomt hij vanuit Den Haag van de firma Fumée zijn benodigdheden na vooruitbetaling.

Juiste opvatting
Matthieu van Oosterhout betreurt dan ook de storende passage in het volgens hem verder uitstekende boek ‘De Zaaier, het begin van een carrière’. “Overigens is in het pas verschenen boek ‘Bijzondere bomen in Nederland’, een standaardwerk, de juiste opvatting wél weergegeven.”

With just a few more days to go before the London Map Fair opens her doors for all those maps buffs and like minded. The map fair may be considered as one of the highlights of the year for collectors and aficionados of historical maps and prints.

With map dealers from all over the world, a fine selection of both rare as well as more common but ecstatically attractive early maps will be presented, ranging from maps of the world to city plans and views.

London based dealer Altea Gallery has an uncommon and very rare map of Bohemia depicted as a stylised rose. This truly beautiful composition has Prague located at the centre of the rose and Vienna, the main seat of the Hapsburg Dynasty, shown at the root.

Considering the location of the map fair, Garwood & Voigt will have on show a very large pre-fire panorama of London as seen from Bankside after Wenceslaus Hollar, measuring 46 x 231 cm. The lithograph, dated 1832, was printed on four sheets and has a magnificent look to it, if only because of the size.




UK base dealer Clive A. Burden will present the first truly modern map of the British Isles published by Martin Waldseemuller in 1513. Waldseemuller was the author of the wall map of 1507 which named America for the first time and was sold to the Library of Congress for US$10 million in 2001. Clive Burden’s map is more friendly priced.

Are the maps above just outside of your financial league ? No worries, as the fair has many more affordable finds starting at just £10. If only just to orientate yourself, the fair is worth a visit. Besides the dealers themselves, representatives of IMCoS will be more than happy to assist you in your journey of discovery .

London Map Fair 2010
Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore
London SW7 (Entrance Exhibition Road)

Sat June 5 12.00-19.00
Sun June 6 10.00-17.00

This year BRUNEAF celebrates its 20th catalogue and the 50 years of independence of the Republic of Congo.  The Brussels Non European Art Fair has become one of the leading events displaying non-European art, covering fields as diverse as African, Oceania, Indonesian, pre-Columbian, Asiatic and Australian Aboriginal art.


Sculptures, masks, fetishes, weaponry, jewellery, coins, fabrics, traditional objects executed by ethnic groups according to their own particular customs and worked in wood, metal, gold, silver, bronze, ivory or terra cotta - the objects on exhibit are ritual or domestic artefacts, combining shape with ornamental design.

The BRUNEAF was established by 5 merchant friends on Friday the 13th 1983. Ever since the fair for ethnographical art has proven to be an event with appealing ingredients such as a typical warm-hearted Belgium hospitality and broad mixture of exhibiters. The great success of the event is particularly notable due to the attraction of non-member dealers and scruples dealers, who open-up a temporary shop during the event.

BRUNEAF
9-13 june 2010
www.bruneaf.com

The London Map Fair is worldwide the largest annual fair specialised in antique map, town plans and topographical prints. Besides a vast collection of old and rare maps and prints, the exhibitors will be offering their finest atlases, travel books, globes and related ephemera.


Both the novice as well as the seasoned aficionado will without doubt be accommodated seeing that items are priced between £10 and £100,000. The more than friendly price range is not the only attraction ! Opposed to many general and specialised fairs, The London Map Fair does not charge any entrance fee for visitors.

The fair will be held at the Royal Geographical Society and explorer and broadcaster Nick Crane, writer and presenter of BBC 2’s Coast and Great British Journeys series and biographer of Gerard Mercator, will hold a lecture on this great Flemish cartographer. Here to, the lecture can be attended against no costs.

All in all The London Map Fair is most defiantly worth a visit and a challenge to seek that one map of your home town or country of which you have so many fond memories.


London Map Fair 2010

Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore
London SW7 (Entrance Exhibition Road)

Sat June 5 12.00-19.00
Sun June 6 10.00-17.00

An outstanding exhibition is currently taking place at The British Library, London. Following the success of his earlier exhibition  “London: a life in maps” three years ago, Peter Barber, Head of Map Collections at the BL, has now staged another even more impressive event which opened on April 30th and will continue until September 19. Entry is free. “Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art” showcases the Library’s unique collection of large-scale display maps, many of which have never been exhibited before, and demonstrates why maps are far more than geography.


The maps included date from the 1400s to the present day, including the largest atlas in the World, the Klencke Atlas of about 1600, and what may be the smallest atlas in the World from Queen Anne’s dolls’ house at Windsor Castle. Peter Barber and the Curator of Maps, Tom Harper, went through 26,000 of the 4 ½ million maps belonging to the library to select the 100 items which are on display. They have recreated the settings in which the maps would have been seen originally – from the palace to the schoolroom, and the exhibition reveals how maps express an enormous variety of differing world views, using size and beauty to convey messages of status and power. A handful of the maps have been loaned from other museums around the world including a marble fragment of the Forma Urbis Romae dating to 200 AD.

Amongst the items is a manuscript map on vellum showing a chart of the Mediterranean Sea dated 1570 by Diogo Homem, the Psalter world map made in c.1265, one of the famous Sheldon map tapestries which takes up an entire wall, and on to a Fred Rose Comic Map of the Political Situation in 1880, which was published during the election campaign of 1880, and a modern inkjet print by Stephen Walter called The Island which was drawn only two years ago.

This exhibition is a must for all lovers of maps both early and modern. It is truly a force majeur.

Valerie Newby
Editor of the IMCoS Journal.