Carlton Hobbs

Carlton Hobbs switches to Dish Soap Bars

2011-09-01T12:23:00.001-07:00

In our continued search for ways to reduce our impact on the enironment, Stefanie recalled that during her time in Russia,she obseved people hand-washing their dishes using bars of dish soap, rather than liquid soap from plasic containers. Such had soap bars for dish-washing seem to be genrally unavailable even in health food stores.

However, a quick internet search yielded results: on etsy.com, Garden of Saint Francis, a natural goods vendor, was found to be selling homemade dish soaps composed of lye and coconut or palm kernel oil: http://tinyurl.com/3to7q3n

We have now acquired these and have begun using new bars of dishwashing soap that are proving to be both effective for cleaning and for environmental conservation. Just one bar of dishwashing soap is projected to last about as long as a 25 ounce bottle of dishwashing detergent, totally eliminating the need for any kind of plastic packaging.8 bars of soap can be purchased for $23, less than $3 per bar. Comparatively, even the cheapest online price for Seventh Generation plant-derived dish soap is nearly $4, a savings of a whole dollar. Even better than the price, soap bars save us from using the plastic containers holding the 25 oz dishwashing liquid. The Clean Air Council's data shows that in 2008 only 13.3% of plastic bottles were recycled (Waste and Recycling Facts, Clean Air Council, accessed 9/1/2011: http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.) In 2005, a UN publication on the environment estimated that more than a staggering 13,000 pieces of plastic are littering every square kilometer of ocean on our planet (Jeftic, L. "Marine Litter." UN Environmental Program, 2005: http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/default.asp.) Imagine how that could be impacted by using 0 plastic containers of dishwashing liquid per year (if you average a new dishwashing liquid package every 3 weeks, that's more than 17 plastic dish liquid containers per year saved from becoming a part of the plastic pollution problem.)

Check out our use of the new soap bars in our dishwashing videos below.

P9011604.AVI Watch on Posterous

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London Lodge Decoration

2011-09-01T10:44:00.003-07:00

We have recently redecorated our gallery at 16 Bloomfield Terrace in London.

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Carlton Hobbs' White Roof

2011-09-01T10:44:00.001-07:00

Summer has officially arrived, and we here at Carlton Hobbs are celebrating by painting a heat reflective white roof coating onto the roof of our gallery space at 60 East 93rd Street.

Why white? An informative article in the New York Times about the White Roof Movement drew our attention to the benefits of having a "cool" roof. The article details a family's amazement when their home's interior temperature dropped from 115 degrees to 80 degrees farenheit inside after treating their roof with a white covering. If energy bill savings aren't enough of a deterrent, the article goes on to state, then think about global warming: in the interest of slowing its effects, even Nobel Prize Winner and current Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a bid on television to convince audiences to "make it [roofs] white." An asphalt roof in New York City, it is revealed, can reach a staggering 180 degrees farenheit! At Carlton Hobbs, we hope that by investing in a white, energy efficient rooftop, we can do our part to make our urban environment a little cooler and to do our part to consume less energy. Lots of time and energy went into the selection of covering and painting the layers on our first rooftop, pictured below, and we will spend the next few weeks covering the remaining roof spaces.

With something as simple as just repainting a roof, we hope that we can become part of a growing commitment of people to energy conservation and heat reduction in New York City, and the world.

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Preschool of America's Class Visit to Carlton Hobbs

2011-07-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

Today, Carlton Hobbs hosted a group of preschoolers who came to visit our rescued dogs. The children got to meet Tallulah, Carolina, Tillie, and our newly rescued mixed breed, Ellie. They were reminded to treat animals kindly.

The class really enjoyed meeting our dogs, and we think the dogs enjoyed having them, too--especially Carolina!

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Carlton Hobbs' White Roof

2011-07-12T12:48:00.001-07:00

Summer has officially arrived, and we here at Carlton Hobbs are celebrating
by painting a heat reflective white roof coating onto the roof of our
gallery space at 60 East 93rd Street.

Why white? An informative article in the New York Times about the White Roof
Movement drew our attention to the benefits of having a "cool" roof. The
article details a family's amazement when their home's interior temperature
dropped from 115 degrees to 80 degrees farenheit inside after treating their
roof with a white covering. If energy bill savings aren't enough of a
deterrent, the article goes on to state, then think about global warming: in
the interest of slowing its effects, even Nobel Prize Winner and current
Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a bid on television to convince audiences
to "make it [roofs] white." An asphalt roof in New York City, it is
revealed, can reach a staggering 180 degrees farenheit! At Carlton Hobbs, we
hope that by investing in a white, energy efficient rooftop, we can do our
part to make our urban environment a little cooler and to do our part to
consume less energy. Lots of time and energy went into the selection of
covering and painting the layers on our first rooftop, pictured below, and
we will spend the next few weeks covering the remaining roof spaces.

With something as simple as just repainting a roof, we hope that we can
become part of a growing commitment of people to energy conservation and
heat reduction in New York City, and the world.

white roof.jpeg
70K View Download

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Serving up a Tile Painting, Rare

2011-05-05T14:19:00.001-07:00

The production of painted tiles in Valencia has continued in one form or another since the Middle Ages. The first known Valencian factory devoted solely to tilemaking opened in 1568. Full polychrome designs introduced by Castille artisans had revolutionized the Spanish tilemaking industry and inspired new subject matter and more elaborate compositions. Increased demand led several Valencian craftsmen to open tile factories, which at first were small, cramped workshops with a single kiln and a limited yield. However, by the middle of the eighteenth-century, at the height of the Spanish Rococo period, the city’s tile factories had become the foremost in Spain, and were receiving commissions ranging from kitchen panels in the homes of the wealthy nobility to interior decorations in the Royal Palace in Madrid.

By the mid-1700s, the most important tile factory in Valencia was that of Vicente Navarro, located on Calle de la Corona. Navarro is named in a mural in the convent of Santo Domingo de Orihuela in the town of Vernos that depicts the history of the tile industry in the 1700s. In one scene, which shows bundles of merchandise marked with their makers’ names, one bundle reads: “Luís Domingo drew it… Vicente Navarro made it”. Luís Domingo was one of the painters of the Academia, and his name being here linked with Navarro’s indicates that Navarro may have had collaborated with some of the most highly respected Baroque artists.

One of the best-preserved examples of Navarro’s style of Rococo kitchen tile paintings can be found in the Casa del Marqués de Benicarló, in Benicarló, Spain. The exterior walls of the house, built in 1776 for the rich merchant Joaquín Miquel, were once covered with Rococo frescoes; and elaborately designed tile paintings were installed throughout the building. The richest tile paintings were saved for the more private areas of the house, and the grand kitchen became home to the most impressive of all.

You can read more about this tile picture on our blog:

http://www.carltonhobbs.net/art/serving-up-a-tile-painting-rare/2010/02/17/

TilePicturefinal.mov Watch on Posterous

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A Forest of Ships: An Evening with Cybele Gontar

2011-04-01T06:45:00.001-07:00

On the evening of Thursday, March 24, Cybele Gontar gave a lecture in our second floor gallery explaining the origins of Creole and Acadian furniture in Louisiana. Beginning with a history of the migration of settlers from the French provinces of Canada, France, and the West Indies, she traced the evolution of stylistic markers associated with these regional furniture traditions. Pointing to specific themes and embellishments, she noted the influence of engravings on the decorative traditions in cabinetry in the Creole/Acadian style, as can be seen in this side-by-side comparison of a silver engraver's portrayal of a heron and an inlaid Louisiana armoire detail of a heron among the reeds.

Ms. Gontar also commented on various articles of furniture, such as armoires and campeche chairs, whose origins stem from the fusion of these styles and the styles of Anglo-American settlers. Of particular importance from the late 18th century forward were furniture importation and the population migration from the West Indies. Resulting from unstable social conditions, especially in Jamaica, many settlers with a French/Creole background migrated to New Orleans during the 17th and 18th centuries. Among these settlers was Jean Rousseau, a capable ébéniste (cabinetmaker) and a defining figure of New Orleans cabintery and of the Creole/Acadian tradition.

Ms. Gontar's lecture was informative and engaging. Afterward, a book signing was held for the new publication 'Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture 1735-1835. Hors d'oeurves evoking the flavor of New Orleans were passed as people enjoyed perusing the books and discussing the evening's lecture.

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'Furnishing Louisiana': Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835: A Lecture by Cybele Gontar

2011-03-18T14:21:00.001-07:00

Carlton Hobbs is hosting the New York launch of 'FURNISHING LOUISIANA': Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835 at their New York gallery at 60 East 93rd Street, New York.

The opening night reception, on March 24th, will be preceded by a lecture on the subject of the book by co-author Cybèle Gontar, current Ph.D. Candidate in 18th and 19th century American Art at CUNY's Graduate Center.

Described by The Historic New Orleans Collection as its latest and most ambitious publication, this magisterial study evokes an era before mass production and ease of transport began to homogenize furniture design across America. From the early 18th through the mid-19th centuries, distinctive cabinetmaking traditions developed along the Mississippi River through a melding of French, Anglo-American, Caribbean, French-Canadian, and African influences. Furnishing Louisiana stands as tribute to the region's cultural diversity and remarkable artistry.

Featuring more than 1,200 full-color illustrations, Furnishing Louisiana presents a comprehensive catalogue of furniture forms produced in the upper and lower Mississippi River valley. The book also offers contextual essays on cabinetmakers, hardware, woods, inlay, the import trade at the Port of New Orleans, and the interior of the early Louisiana home.

Cybèle T. Gontar is a Ph.D. Candidate in 18th and 19th century American Art at CUNY's Graduate Center. Gontar holds an M.A. from Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in History of European Decorative Arts. From 1999-2007, she maintained the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts database through TMS. In 2002, she worked as a researcher for James Madison's Montpelier. She has written extensively for The Magazine Antiques, Antiques & Fine Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Currently she teaches Modern European and American art at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.

Furnishing Louisiana is available for purchase at The Shop at The Collection, www.hnoc.org or (504) 598-7147; at independent booksellers nationwide; and through major online retailers. Retail price is $95 plus tax.

For further information regarding this event, please call 212-432-9000.

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Untitled

2011-03-11T12:49:00.001-08:00

Carlton Hobbs was delighted to host an event held for private clients of Gurr Johns Fine Art Advisory and Valuation Firm last night. In anticipation of the event, we installed some prints of works handled by Gurr Johns on behalf of their clients. These include Le Moteur (The Engine) by Fernand Leger, Figures in a Landscape by Roy Lichtenstein, Reverie by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and The Virgin and Child with Grapes by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Here you can view their placement in our galleries. It was most interesting to experiment with the juxtaposition of 18th century furniture and 20th century paintings.

http://www.gurrjohns.com/aboutus

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A La Française

2011-03-03T07:13:00.001-08:00

For over 30 years The Sylvan Winds has earned both critical and audience acclaim for its spirited performances and innovative programming as one of New York's most versatile chamber music ensembles.

The group has performed at numerous prestigious music halls and festivals, including the Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Town Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and Symphony Space, and the Governor's Arts Awards. They have also performed at the White Mountains, Cape Cod and Caramoor International Music Festivals, have toured major university and chamber music series nationally including Amherst College, the Chicago Chamber Music Society, Rutgers University's Summerfest, and the University of the Pacific, as well as performing in Korea, including the Sejong Cultural Center.

Tonight they open their Spring 2011 Season at Carlton Hobbs with a concert entitled A La Française, featuring pieces by Rameau, Kriens, Chrétien, Cowell, Dvorak. The concert will also feature selections from Grétry's opéra-comique Zemire et Azor, which, interestingly is also the subject of five extremely rare faux tapestry panels in our collection, circa 1775.

A favorite of Marie-Antoinette, Zémire et Azor was first performed at Fontainebleau in November of 1771 and was dedicated to Madame du Barry. It would later be performed for the emperor Napoleon. The story was an adaptation set in Persia of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's tale 'La Belle et Bete' ('Beauty and the Beast') first published in 1756. The costume and décor illustrated in the panels follow the much imitated, extravagant A La Turc style promoted by Marie-Antoinette, which represented the height of fashion and opulence. It seems extremely likely that the five panels were conceived as preliminary designs or maquettes for tapestries, probably for one of the great French factories such as Aubusson or Beauvais.

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The Sailor's Valentine

2011-02-14T08:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Before there was Hallmark, you might have received a "sailor's valentine" from your darling 19th-century seafarer across the ocean.

Traditional sailor's valentines are keepsakes typically made of octagonal boxes, usually constructed of mahogany or cedrella (Spanish cedar), hinged together in pairs which open to reveal elaborate mosaics made of colorful shells covered by glass. T

he patterns often featured a heart or compass rose design, and included a sentimental message such as "Remember Me" or "Home Again."

The romantic myth behind these tokens of affection is that sailors constructed the "valentines" for their sweethearts to pass idle hours at sea. This may be a possibility for their origin, however, the vast majority were actually produced as part of the souvenir trade on Barbados and other Caribbean islands, mainly between 1830 and 1890. Barbados was a port of call for American and English ships, and the sailors would purchase the valentines as tokens of love to bring back to their wives, mothers, and sisters. According to Sailors' Valentines, by John Fondas, the primary source for these souvenirs was the New Curiosity Shop, located in McGregor Street, Bridgetown, Barbados, owned by the English brothers B.H. and George Belgrave.

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Massive mirror on the wall...how'd you get hung up there in the first place?

2011-02-07T11:45:00.001-08:00

This impressive baroque mirror, of carved and painted wood, is done in the manner of

the celebrated sculptor Filippo Parodi (1620-1702).

While it may look like a little reflective cloud, don't let the image fool you-- this massive mirror measures a whopping 8 1/2 feet wide by 9 feel tall (and a foot in depth)!

Here are some photos taken during the installation of the mirror in our gallery. We needed ladders, a crane, and lots of manpower.

And here is a look at the finished product:

At over 500 pounds, the mirror is hung (over an equally monumental desk) with a little help from some wooden supports.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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"One Small Step for Man"

2010-06-17T08:08:00.001-07:00

A friend of ours recently brought to our attention an amazing exhibition that was held last Spring and Summer at the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne entitled Der Mond. Over 130 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs were exhibited, spanning 500 years of human personification of the moon through art and science.

It is particularly interesting to us because our own painting of the moon (Mond, by Julius Grimm) was created by a scientific photographer that, after having produced countless lunar maps, decided to paint this extraordinary natural satellite with a blend of art and science.

The exhibition features a second painting of the moon by Grimm, a copy twice the size of our original, executed 11 years later and now hanging in Tübingen University Museum.

We think it can be best summed up by Apollo 13 star, Tom Hanks, who subsequently wrote/directed/produced/narrated the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon,: "That going to the moon was not just a technological endeavor but an artistic one, like Michaelangelo's frescoes on the Sistine chapel ceiling."

(Photos: Mond, Julius Grimm, Carlton Hobbs LLC; Apollo 11 Moonwalk; The Sheepfold, Moonlight, Jean-Francois Millet)

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James has us all wondering-- What will he wear at Masterpiece London?

2010-05-17T09:06:00.001-07:00

Our glamorous friend, James Andrew, visited our gallery last week with equally hot photographer, Lars Stephan.

James is currently featuring a "What is James Wearing in Paris" section on his blog (www.whatisjameswearing.com), but interrupted the series to spend some time on our grand staircase. The extravagant escalier

get us all in the mood for the upcoming Masterpiece Fair in London, which James will be visiting and where we will be exhibiting from June 22nd through the 29th. It promises to become one of the best antiques and fine art fairs in the world and you can read more about our plans for the fair here!

Lars Stephan's images have been featured in numerous international magazines and his first solo exhibition was held last summer at Envoy Enterprises here in New York. You can view his portfolio on his website, www.larsstephan.com.

Thanks to both of them for stopping by, and we hope many of you are able to hop the pond and enjoy this inaugural antiques show!

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On The Street Where We Live

2010-04-08T08:24:00.001-07:00

Preserving the past is something that is extremely important to us. Luckily, we happen to be located in Carnegie Hill, an area of Manhattan that is teeming with beautifully and historically preserved architecture. The land that used to be home to the Wechquaesgek Indians are now dotted with rowhouses in styles ranging from Neo-Grec to Renaissance Revival.
Our next door neighbors are in the process of renovating their building, and we couldn't be more excited that they are petitioning to have the Landmarks Preservation Commission approve a restoration which falls in line with the caliber of other façades on the block .
One of our absolute favorite structures are the two joined clapboard houses located on East 92nd Street. According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, these were thought to be built around 1859 and 1860.

There are two other wooden houses still erect in Carnegie Hill believed to be constructed around 1852 and 1866. Together, these four homes comprise the oldest buildings in the neighborhood.
Our own building was used for many different purposes in it's lifetime. The design of the mansion was executed by John Russell Pope for Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt in 1930. The building went on to become the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations in 1957, and then the Lycée Française de New York in 1978. The mansion has been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1982.

Soon after our building was completed, two more impressive houses were built on the same block. Across the street there stands a Georgian townhouse built for George F. Baker Sr., president of First National Bank. Commissioned by his son, George Jr., the house was designed by architects Delano & Aldrich. The firm had previously completed the younger Baker's mansion (on the corner of Park Avenue and 93rd) in the same style and in the neighboring lot.
The second house was built for William Goadby Loew, who married the elder Baker’s daughter, Florence. Loew commissioned his English Regency-style house to be built next door to our Vanderbilt mansion. It was designed by A. Stewart Walker in 1931 and was the last of the luxury townhouses.

With all the history present on our street already, we look forward to seeing our neighbors beautiful façade added to the list!

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Greening Our Spring Cleaning!

2010-03-17T11:48:00.001-07:00

Now that spring has sprung, why not try a new approach to your spring cleaning? Instead of grabbing the Windex and 409 to take care of dull winter dirt, purge your house of all those toxic chemicals and clean with products that help you as much as the environment!

We use all-natural, organic cleaners in the office; they are so much more gentle on the earth and work just as well! (Not to mention, they limit your exposure to awful toxins.) Some of our favorite products in the office are:

Seventh Generation Products

Based out of Vermont, this company is dedicated to being "socially responsible." The company takes its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."

The company also donates 10% of profits to non-profit community, environmental, health and responsible business organizations

ECOVER

This company was just nominated for the European Business Award for the Environment! This company also offers a variety of cleaning products that are super green. Even the company's main building has an entirely grass covered roof!

GET SERIOUS

An environmentally friendly stain, oder, and pheromone extractor for pets! We like this product because it's non-toxic and enzyme free, and we don't want to expose our dogs to chemicals either!

We try to stay away from commercial cleaners that have harsh chemicals in them like, bleach, chlorine, formaldehyde, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid. In the past 40 years, at least 70,000 new chemicals have been released into the environment through new consumer and industrial products and food. According to the American Poison Control Center, more than 120,000 children were unintentionally exposed to harmful chemicals from cleaners. Asthma, eczema, and other allergic reactions can be triggered by irritating household cleaners.

The warning labels on cleaning products aren't just chosen by chance. These words are required by law to be on the bottles according to how harmful the toxins within are.

CAUTION means...

An ounce to a pint may be fatal or harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.

WARNING means...

A teaspoon to an ounce may be fatal or harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.

DANGER means...

A taste to a teaspoon is fatal if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.

Mike Watson, Ph.D, a toxicologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says that household cleaners labeled as disinfectants must be registered pesticides with the EPA. Do you really want to spray pesticides in your home when other, less toxic products can do the trick? For many everyday tasks, there are readily available natural products that can serve the same purpose, may be less harmful, and may even cost less. For example, mixing one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in one quart of water makes an excellent glass cleaner!

Whichever method you choose, remember to

(photos: www.ic.nc.gov; http://www.greenphoenixproperty.com/)

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With Spring Around the Corner, Carlton Hobbs LLC Gets Energized!

2010-02-25T13:21:00.001-08:00

Here's a look at some recent internet developments for Carlton Hobbs LLC, and how you can be a part of our online community:

We've updated our blog with fresh, fun posts as well as a slightly new look, and we're ready to hear from you! Don’t know the difference between a bergère and a fauteuil? Can’t remember what a particular style is called? Want to know more about the origins of Egyptomania? Let us know! We are happy to answer your decorative arts questions and write about the topics you recommend. You can send your questions and blog suggestions to: blog@carltonhobbs.net

Carlton Hobbs LLC is going green! We've started a new green initiative in the office to increase awareness and reduce our impact on all things environmental. You can follow us on Twitter for tips and tidbits (we also use the #GoingGreen tag) or visit our new Tumblr site specifically for our greenery. We've got a lot of ideas, including setting up our new compost bin as soon as all of this NYC snow disappears! In the meantime, Dana and Jess are bringing their coffee and lunch to work in reusable containers, and Mike is doing his part at home by using gDiapers for his little one.

Lastly, we're always looking to add to our Twitpic page with items for our "Art in the Everyday" series. If you notice a doorway, contemporary object, or even a vegetable that resembles a piece of furniture or art, take a snap and let us know -- your "everyday art" could be featured on our Twitter feed!

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Running for a Breath of Fresh Air!

2010-02-19T07:39:00.001-08:00

On March 21st, Dana will be running in the NYC Half-Marathon in support of the Fresh Air Fund!

As a member of The Fresh Air Fund’s half marathon team, she is training on behalf of New York City children who visit Fresh Air host families and camps during the summer. Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million low-income New York City children. Many Fresh Air children have never run barefoot in the grass, watched stars at night or gone swimming in a lake. One child explains, “You get to see all the stuff you can’t see in the city, like fireflies!”

Dana was lucky enough to spend her childhood summers in the great outdoors and wants to bring the same experience to Fresh Air children who rely on generous individuals to make summer fun!

By participating in this year’s NYC Half-Marathon she'll help thousands of children enjoy simple summertime pleasures…and train for the NYC Marathon in November at the same time!

You can check out her "fund-racing" page here: http://freshair.kintera.org/danadonadio and thanks for taking a look!

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Blockbuster Reincarnations of the Country House

2010-02-18T07:48:00.001-08:00

What do Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, Wrotham Park, in Middlesex, and Syon House in London all have in common?

Besides their majestic beauty, individual sections of these estates were compiled to create the fictional Gosford Park in the award winning film of the same name.

The English countryside has always been a popular hunting ground for historically accurate movie locations. Some of the more popular films being Pride and Prejudice (Basildon Park), The Remains of the Day (Dyrham Park), and The Hound of the Baskervilles (Knightshayes Court).

Belton House, featured in a number of BBC period miniseries and Castle Howard, most recently filmed for Brideshead Revisited, are a few other country houses that have benefited from disguising themselves as movie sets. Some mansions have experienced increases in visitor attendance up to 120%! The Historic Houses Association celebrates these giants and encourages film crew invasions. www.hha.org.uk

Large country estates were most popular in the 18^th and 19^th century. Used as a weekend or seasonal escapes for magistrates, aristocrats and sometimes clergy, the country house was an entire world of it’s own. Some estates employed literally hundreds of people. But while the striking country homes that decorate the landscape are no longer recreational get-aways for England’s Ruling class, they still create entirely new worlds through the magic of movies.

Be sure to check our upcoming blogs for another look at the use of British country houses, as well as American buildings, in film and TV--and don't forget to let us know which famous buildings you recognize from your favorite period movies!

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Goodbye Sweet Jasper

2010-01-26T22:25:00.001-08:00

We are very sad that we had to let go of Jasper last Sunday, our sweet little man, our first rescued dog from Battersea Dog Home in London, who was with us for exactly 10 years and died aged around 17 years of age.

Among many other things, we remember him for spontaneously herding a group of baby ducklings and their mother for one mile to safety, while fending off air attacks from crows, for being a fantastic swimmer and even diving under water to fish out something very unpleasant, for playing frisbee at lunchtime with our incredibly handsome South African employees and then walking over to pee on the leg of a smitten young girl, who distracted them from their game. He was loyal, extremely gentle and beautiful and knew straight away that Tillie was best used as a cushion. We will always miss him.

Image showing Jasper with Tillie last year.

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Time and Truth at Carlton Hobbs

2010-01-26T01:13:00.001-08:00

Amongst Jean-Luc Baroni's beautiful works on show at the Carlton Hobbs antiques gallery is this pen and ink drawing by G. B. Tiepolo.

Three further studies of of the figures of Time and Truth are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a fourth at the Pierpoint Morgan Library. The menacing angle of the scythe held by Time may be an expression of the transience of beauty.

Time and Truth
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Venice 1696 - 1770 Madrid
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk.
222 by 211 mm (8 3/4 by 8 1/3 in.)

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Jean-Luc Baroni's Il Guercino at Carlton Hobbs Antiques

2010-01-23T18:05:00.001-08:00

We are thrilled Jean-Luc Baroni brought over to Carlton Hobbs gallery this

most intriguing ink drawing by Giovanni-Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino (Cento 1591 – Bologna 1666) A Group of Spectators, probably at a Bullfight, peeping through a fence. This unique drawing with its surprising subject could well represent spectators catching a glimpse at a bullfight. It is stylistically datable to the 1630s, when bullfighting was still widely spread in Italy. In fact, this cruel spectacle has a roman origin, and it is thought that the Romans actually introduced it into Spain. In 1567, Pope Pius V issued a Papal bull which forbade the fight of bulls, and which eventually brought about prohibitions against bullfighting throughout Italy. It was not until the 19th century, however, that bullfighting disappeared altogether in Italy.

Spectators Hiding behind a Barricade

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino

Cento 1591 - 1666 Bologna

Pen and brown ink and wash, within brown ink framing lines. The verso inscribed with a long letter and a sum. Also bear inscription by another hand: Guerchino.

171 by 247 mm (6 3/49 by 9 3/4 in.)

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Jean-Luc Baroni's Il Guercino at Carlton Hobbs

2010-01-23T18:00:00.001-08:00

We are thrilled Jean-Luc Baroni brought over to Carlton Hobbs gallery this most intriguing ink drawing by Giovanni-Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino (Cento 1591 – Bologna 1666) A Group of Spectators, probably at a Bullfight, peeping through a fence. This unique drawing with its surprising subject could well represent spectators catching a glimpse at a bullfight. It is stylistically datable to the 1630s, when bullfighting was still widely spread in Italy. In fact, this cruel spectacle has a roman origin, and it is thought that the Romans actually introduced it into Spain. In 1567, Pope Pius V issued a Papal bull which forbade the fight of bulls, and which eventually brought about prohibitions against bullfighting throughout Italy. It was not until the 19th century, however, that bullfighting disappeared altogether in Italy.

Spectators Hiding behind a Barricade

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Il Guercino

Cento 1591 - 1666 Bologna

Pen and brown ink and wash, within brown ink framing lines. The verso inscribed with a long letter and a sum. Also bear inscription by another hand: Guerchino.

171 by 247 mm (6 3/49 by 9 3/4 in.)

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January is 'Adopt a Rescued Bird' Month!

2010-01-20T11:49:00.001-08:00

In 2002 the ASPCA declared that January should be a month devoted to finding homes for rescued birds.

As some of you know, our menagerie includes four albino ringneck doves rescued in Queens, NY and another dove we took on for a deceased neighbor. These lucky birds are headed to a new home in bucolic Vermont at the end of the week.

For a time, our gallery was also the happy home to a chicken which we found in Pelham Bay Park and adopted. Unfortunately, before it moved from our backyard to a new home, the chicken met its end at the beak of a descendant of New York City's infamous hawk, Pale Male.

If you are interested in adopting a domestic, rescued bird there are plenty of bird sanctuaries and rescue centers across the country where you can find a feathered friend not only this month, but year-round. And if feathered pets aren't your favorite, remember that there are also hundreds of dogs and cats waiting for loving homes too!

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Modern Day Flintstones?

2010-01-15T11:32:00.001-08:00

At Carlton Hobbs we're always interested in people like us, who are intrigued and fascinated by the past. In this case, the fascination goes a little farther back than usual.

A recent article in the NY Times (The New Age Caveman and the City) discusses a trendy throwback diet. Faddy diets are always popular in New York, but the new Paleo diet is something different entirely. Like a sort of super Atkins det, it consists of eating large quantities of red meat, sometimes raw, and lot very much else.

Devotees of this regime refer to themselves as "cavemen", and frequently go long periods without eating to replicate the long gaps between meals our hunter-gather ancestors would have experienced.

Dissappointingly, Paleo followers don't sharpen spears to hunt down wooly mammoths like proper cavemen but buy it from butchers instead, although actual hunter-gathering would actually be illegal within Central Park. (An assault on a mere squirrel results in a $1,000 fine!). Although given Manhattan real estate prices living in a cave might be an economically wise option.

Life tens of thousands of years ago was probably nasty, brutish and short. The nearest modern Paleos get to being chased by a sabre toothed tiger is to frequently donate blood, this is in order to simulate the frequent injuries their prehistoric role models are believed to have sustained. Although a tiny minority in New York, paleos should be popular with the City's butchers, if not the greengrocers.

(Photo courtesy of NY Times.com)

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Modern Day Flintstones?

2010-01-14T10:49:00.001-08:00

At Carlton Hobbs we're always interested in people like us, who are intrigued and fascinated by the past. In this case, the fascination goes a little farther back than usual.

Faddy diets are always popular in New York, but the new Paleo diet is something different entirely. Like a sort of super Atkins det, it consists of eating large quantities of red meat, sometimes raw, and not very much else.

Devotees of this regime refer to themselves as "cavemen", and frequently go long periods without eating to replicate the long gaps between meals our hunter-gather ancestors would have experienced.

Dissappointingly, Paleo followers don't sharpen spears to hunt down wooly mammoths like proper cavemen but buy it from butchers instead, although actual hunter-gathering wouldn't be very practical in New York (not to mention illegal), unless you are Pale Male the 5th Avenue hawk. Although, given Manhattan real estate prices, living in a cave might be an economically wise option.

Life tens of thousands of years ago was probably nasty, brutish and short. The nearest modern Paleos get to being chased by a sabre toothed tiger is to repeatly donate blood; blood which must be very protein rich indeed. Although a tiny minority in New York the Paleos should be popular with the City's butchers, if not the greengrocers.

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Mahogany Turtle Stone

2010-01-08T06:51:00.001-08:00

The striking tabletop of the present piece is constructed from a section of a septarian nodule, a type of concretion, created when pores in a mass of sedimentary rock are filled in with jelly-like mineral deposits before hardening in a spherical or ovoid form. The nuclei of these concretions are often fossils dating from the Cretaceous period (50-70 million years ago). Septeria is the name given to the angular internal cavities, deriving from the Latin septum, meaning "partition".

The concretions are often reddish or golden in color, and because of the radiating design made by the internal cracks, are colloquially referred to as "turtle stones". Septarian nodules have been found to be as large as 9 feet in diameter, as in the case of the Moeraki Boulders of New Zealand. Smaller examples were found in the Oxford and Kimmeridge Clays along the Wessex Coast of England. It is likely that the present tabletop was made using a septarian nodule from this area.

While the "turtle stone" top is certainly the focus of the table, reminding one of radical modern art, the base is splendid in its own right. Derived from designs for early Roman bronze candelabra, this masculine and powerful design is a particularly suitable vehicle to display the superb example of a Cretaceous period specimen.

A related table was sold by Christie's London 15 September 2005. It has a similar septarian nodule top and its classical base shares the same fluting found on the present table stem.

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Mahogany Turtle Stone

2010-01-07T09:49:00.001-08:00

A related table was sold be Christie's London 15 September 2005. It has a similar septarian nodule top and its classical base shares the same fluting found on the present table stem.

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One Fish, Two Fish

2009-12-30T07:22:00.001-08:00

This table belongs to the tradition of furniture constructed to feature earlier elements made of important stone specimens. However, the present table is unusual among examples of this practice, in looking farther back than most by marrying a 19th-century base with a top made from a fragment of an ancient Roman floor mosaic. Mosaic as a decorative art has its roots in 5th-century BC Greece, where it first appears in the form of pebbled pavement. By the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, the form of mosaic using purpose-made marble or limestone tesserae (small, cubic tiles) was developed, and spread throughout the Roman Empire in the following centuries. “The majority of mosaics are found in domestic contexts, and belong to the realm of the private and quotidian...they can be seen as reflections and conveyors of the social preoccupations and interests of their owners.” Like all subsequent eras in history, Roman art followed a social hierarchy: the more elite a Roman household was, the more elaborate and personalized their mosaic decor would be.

One particularly notable ancient Roman dwelling is the Casa Rural das Ruínas (the Country House of the Ruins) a farm and villa at Milreu, Portugal (ancient Lusitania). It was built and expanded between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. The ruins feature “an excellent water supply network, heated rooms and thermal springs and baths...where it is still possible to see brightly colored tile decorations of marine life. The fish were depicted here as being exaggeratedly fat, with the deliberate aim of creating the optical illusion of their real dimension and movement when seen through the water.”

The fish mosaics in the Milreu frigidarium and nymphaeum (water sanctuary) are closely related in design to the present tabletop. In both cases a very similar species of fish is represented, sharing analogous features such as the shape of fins, stripe along the back of the fish, a red gill, and down-turned mouth. A further similitude is the use of distinctive geometric shapes and patterns in both the present top and the Milreu ruins. These include depictions of mollusk-like creatures, and one particular shape, yet to be identified, which is comprised of a series of stacked lines terminating in a forked tail, possibly representing water movement or jellyfish.

The bold and powerful table base is a particularly suitable vehicle to support the ancient top, as it is of the X-form shape much favored by the Romans and Greeks for use in seating as well as tables.

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'Tis The Season

2009-12-24T10:22:00.001-08:00

Even as we get ready to celebrate the holiday, there's always a few minutes to check out some of our favorite blogs. Habitually Chic gets right in the holiday spirit, illustrating some really fabulous trees from top publications/designers. Check them out here ("O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree") and from the Carlton Hobbs Team have a happy holiday!

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NATIONAL ANTIQUES WEEK GOING FORWARD

2009-12-24T04:12:00.001-08:00

We just came across this interesting update on the UK's first National Antiques Week, which commenced in 2009.

http://www.antiquesnews.co.uk writes:

NATIONAL ANTIQUES WEEK GOING FORWARD

Following a very successful first year for the week long event, the date for future National Antiques Week events going forward will be fixed for the first Monday of December, so 2010 will be Monday 6 to Sunday 12 December inclusive.

One of the many positives to come out of this first event was the forming of the group consisting of Sarah Percy Davis, Chief Executive of LAPADA, Mark Bridge, editor of the Antiques Trade Gazette, Natasha Goodfellow, deputy editor of BBC Homes & Antiques magazine, Nigel Worboys of www.antiquesaregreen.org and Iain Brunt of www.antiques.co.uk who together with Gail McLeod editor of Antiquesnews will meet three times a year to discuss not only National Antiques Week but other projects and events of interest with the aim of collaborating, using their combined media might and influence for the benefit of the trade. The committee will increase in scope in 2010 when Clive Stewart-Lockhart, chairman of SOFAA (Society of Fine Art Auctioneers) will join the team.

We will be sure to follow this new initiative and do all we can in support.

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From Reefs to Decorative Arts

2009-12-23T15:00:00.001-08:00

According to the Ancient Greeks, after Perseus cut off Medusa’s head, he wished to cleanse himself of the act by bathing in the sea. He placed the head on a bed of seaweed, which upon contact was petrified and turned red. Thus is the myth of the origin of coral described.

Coral has been widely integrated into decorative objects since Antiquity, with rose-colored coral being the most highly prized. The red skeletons of these marine organisms were viewed as having protective and medicinal qualities, and were incorporated into amulets, jewelry and textiles. The Romans believed it could detect poisons and diagnose illnesses by changing color, and used it as a talisman for their children. Necklaces of coral were worn by adults and children into the 19th century as a means of protection against the evil eye, natural disasters and other dangers, and was believed to lose its hue as the wearers welfare declined. Coral was also thought to have to ability of detecting poison in food and was therefore used in the handles of cutlery. For this same reason, credenzas were also often mounted with a branch of coral.

In the Renaissance, the Italian towns of Genoa and Trapani became the largest coral production centers and helped to popularize the material through carving. In the 17th century, coral was adopted as a prized material for inlay in jewelry and ecclesiastical and household objects. In a Jacques Linard still life circa 1640, he places a vibrant red coral specimen in the center of the canvas.

Coral continued to be used into the early 20th century. A photo below shows the cutting and polishing of coral in a Trapani workshop circa 1906. It also figured predominantly as a gemstone in jewelry and other objet d’art, particularly during the Art Deco period. A pair of mirrors, circa 1940s, features coral as its main decorative element. Furniture designers in the 1930s and 40s were using materials that were more plain and natural than the previous Art Nouveau movement, but that were nevertheless luxurious, such as rare inlaid woods, straw marquetry, and shagreen. In the present mirrors, small fragments of coral cover the frames and surround meandering bead and glass designs. They serve as fine examples of how a raw materials were used to create new and unusual designs that still maintained an element of restraint and tradition.

In the the Carlton Hobbs collection we have a George IV ebonized center table circa 1825, inlaid with specimen hardstone and marble insets. Interestingly, eight of these circular insets are made of are made up of coral fragments and are placed prominantly around the center. They are the only composite materials amongst the hardstones and their inclusion on the table confirms the percieved position of coral as a precious gem.

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Foray into 1st Dibs

2009-12-22T10:23:00.001-08:00

We are about to have our first 1stdibs photo shoot today and thought we should share some information, new to us, which we found about this great resource:

About 1stdibs.com:
1stdibs.com founded in 2001 is the world’s leading on-line resource for antiques, 20th century design, fine and estate jewelry, and vintage couture and designer fashion, representing over 700 dealers in 21 of the largest U.S. markets plus Paris, London, Toronto and Montreal, and has over a half billion dollars of inventory flowing through its system each year. All items can be searched by location and purchased directly from the dealer. As stated on HarvardBusiness.org, “1stdibs has now become the leading source to search for antiques and mid-modern furniture outpacing both traditional auction houses, Sotheby’s and Christies, and offering a higher quality experience than e-bay.”

And here is Inspirational Article on How 1stDibs came about:
http://www.1stdibs.com/articles/dibs_on_that/dibs_march_08/index.php

Check back to see our completed online storefront!

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The World In Vogue Book Party at Carlton Hobbs

2009-12-21T06:43:00.001-08:00

We would like to thank Stephanie LaCava for her kind words in her write up of the Hamish Bowles book launch, hosted by Carlton Hobbs last Thursday, December 17th.

"How fitting that a 1930s mansion built in the Neoclassical French style by Virginia “Birdie” Graham Fair Vanderbilt would be the setting for last night’s celebration of The World in Vogue: People, Parties, Places (Knopf). Designed by John Russell Pope, the five-story space has undergone many incarnations—onetime resident Thelma Chrysler Foy held countless parties there—before becoming the antiques gallery of Carlton Hobbs, the host of the festivities. Shirin von Wulffen and Frédéric Fekkai were among the guests who entered through the eleven-foot solid-oak doors to pass by a blow-up of a Cecil Beaton photo of the late Eugenie Niarchos leading the way to the room where Hamish Bowles and Alexandra Kotur were signing books atop an early-nineteenth-century boulle marquetry table. It was difficult to figure out where to rest your eye: Deeda Blair descending the grand staircase? Marisa Berenson alongside daughter Starlite Randall? Susan Fales-Hill with an armful of golden snake bracelets? Throughout the party, you could spot ladies whom you would also find within the volume’s pages (for example, Berenson and Eliza Reed Bolen), all adding to the enchanted evening."

—Stephanie LaCava

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People, Parties, Places

2009-12-18T09:41:00.001-08:00

Last night we had the pleasure of hosting the New York book launch of Hamish Bowles and Alexandra Kotur's new publication, The World In Vogue: People, Parties, Places, where around 200 people filled the gallery over the course of the evening to mix, mingle and be merry. The book comprises almost 400 pages of glamorous photographs and anecdotes; the photographers and contributers have certainly compiled a feast for the eyes!
We were thrilled that so many people, including New York's leading interior designers, editors and a number of the glamorous subjects of The World in Vogue, braved the chilly New York night to stop by !

(Photo courtesy of newyorksocialdiary.com)

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1st Dibs and LA Antiques Show

2009-12-16T13:16:00.001-08:00

We are looking forward to two new items added to our list of things to do:

We signed up for 1st Dibs at last and, having heard so many god things about it, we don't understand what took us so long! Photography is already arranged and we can't wait to learn how the system works. http://www.1stdibs.com/index.php .

We also just committed to exhibit at the LA Antiques Show April 22 - 26 2010. http://www.psartsantiques.com/exhibitors.html We think we will be focusing on some special 20th century pieces from our collection. Hope to see you there - Should be fun!

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Exotic Hunt in Verre Églomisé

2009-12-15T11:43:00.001-08:00

This unusual mirror in the Carlton Hobbs collection once hung in The Star Inn, a Victorian public house located at 2 Quarry Street, Guildford, Surrey. According to Matthew Alexander, former curator of the Guildford Museum: “[The mirror hung] on the south wall of the Court Room at The Star, above the fireplace. The Court Room is a large function room at the rear of the premises, built in the 1840s. It took its name as the meeting room of the ‘Guildford Castle Court’ of the Ancient Order of Foresters, founded there in 1858 (the treasurer was the pub’s landlord, Jesse Boxall)…the name has led many in later years to speculate that it was used for a legal court – it never was.” The Pilgrim Morris Men of Guildford were kind enough to dig around their archives for us, and found a photo of one of their members standing in front of the mirror when it stood in The Star Inn.

The mirror is decorated using a technique called verre églomisé, also called ‘reverse glass painting’ or ‘back painting.’ Glass is ornamented on its underside, either by painting or gilding, and then covered by another layer of glass, varnish, or mirror plate. The technique dates to ancient Roman times, but was made popular in England through trade with the China in the 18th century. Until the technique of glass-making was improved in the East, plain glass needed to be sent from England to China and then exported back once decorated. The present mirror, however, is an interesting and later exercise in the technique completed entirely by English hands.

The scene depicted on the mirror involves an elephant driven by a mahout and carrying a Western hunter, presumably through the jungles of India, in the howdah on its back. A howdah is a carriage-like compartment strapped to the back of an elephant and was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries as a firing platform in hunting, or as a mode of transportation to carry the wealthy during British Colonial rule (Below, a photograph circa 1911 shows King George V riding in a howdah on a hunting excursion in Nepal). The hunter here is aiming his rifle at a leopard that has attacked and is clinging to the rear of the elephant. Several publications of the period illustrate similar scenarios as that depicted on the present mirror, and express the danger of tigers and other prey attacking hunting parties. These British hunting expeditions in colonial India were a spectacle in Victorian and early Edwardian England England, contemporaneous both with the painting of the mirror and the outfitting of The Star.

Thankfully, humane organizations, such as PETA, are working hard to outlaw many of the similarly cruel “sports” that are still carried on today.

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Howdah you hunt a tiger?

2009-12-15T09:32:00.001-08:00

Thankfully, humane organizations, such as PETA, are working hard to outlaw many of the similarly cruel “sports” that are still carried on today.

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Just Horsing Around!

2009-12-14T08:39:00.001-08:00

Have we got something for the world of wonders and the cabinets of curiosities! Standing at approximately six feet tall, this life-sized anatomical model of a horse by Dr. Louis Auzuox is a marvel in papier-mâché.

Auzoux was the most celebrated anatomical model maker of the nineteenth century. While studying medicine, he became interested in models as a readily accessible and economical way to observe anatomy. By 1822 he had perfected a paper paste that was flexible enough to mold into shape but which hardened into a solid, light, unbreakable material. The papier mâché allowed a high degree of detail and careful labeling, and had the advantage, unlike wax models, of being able to be taken apart and reassembled.

Auzoux’s most frequent subject was the human body, but more unusual are Auzoux’s models of animals. Several texts refer to ‘a six-foot horse’, and Auzoux is known to have exhibited a model of a horse in the Académie de Médicine, Paris in 1844. Veterinary schools used Auzoux's models in their lecture, as seen in the photo below, circa 1900. The present piece is one of only three large papier maché horses known to exist.

Auzoux’s models were in great demand throughout the nineteenth century. Expansion of the universities across Europe and America, coupled with laws prohibiting grave-robbing in the US, England and Russia, meant that tutors became increasingly reliant on accurate and durable models. As such, these models provided an invaluable aid to the advancement of medical science, although sadly very few of them are known to have survived.

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Twitter #antiquegeek

2009-12-14T07:23:00.001-08:00

This is just a small note to let antique enthusiasts know about Carlton Hobbs' Twitter presence.

Our Tweets focus on events in the art and antique industries, news about interior designers and trends and interesting museum blogs and websites we come across in our research. There are also some updates about exhibitions in the works at Carlton Hobbs and new acquisitions.

Lastly, we began, about three months ago, to publish a visual glossary of antiques related terminology, which, we hope, will be of interest to our readers. This can be found under the hashtag #antiquegeek. http://bit.ly/5tKa9z

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Versatile Crypton Fabric

2009-12-10T11:22:00.001-08:00

Crypton Super Fabrics are high-tech textiles, admired for their ability to resist stains, moisture, odors, and bacteria while still being comfortable to the touch. And in the latest posting on the Life on Crytpon weblog, [ http://www.lifeoncrypton.com/blog/?cat=1 ] high-tech meets high-style as our own neoclassical stool is pictured sporting a cushion covered in "Lipstick" red Crypton Suede.
The kid-proof Crypton cushion ensures that Alan Crockett, our youngest in-house decorative-arts connoiseur, has no barriers impeding his enjoyment of this fine antique specimen. And, like Carlton Hobbs LLC, the Michigan-based, family-friendly fabric firm appreciates mixed-breed dogs as well as playful children.
Crypton's founders, Randy and Craig Rubin, report to a spirited terrier mix named Molly B. Just like our own beloved team of Carlton Hobbs canines - Jasper, Charlie, and Tillie - Molly B. is a fixture in the office every day. Her job is somewhat more demanding, however; while our K9 crew tends to (ahem) lie down on the job, Molly gets busy road-testing the Crypton dog beds!

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Masterpiece London.

2009-12-08T11:21:00.001-08:00

We at Carlton Hobbs are very exciting to be participating in the inaugural Masterpiece London Fair to be held on the site of the old Chelsea Barracks, Chelsea Bridge Road SW1, from the 24th to the 29th June 2010.

Exhibitors a the fair will cover a large number of different fields, from fine and decorative arts to contemporary design, vintage cars and other premium collectors’ items, Masterpiece London brings together the ‘best of the best’ from the four corners of the globe to create a magnificent showcase of the finest things in life, on a scale not seen in the capital since the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Among those confirmed to participate in 2010 are the eminent international names of A La Vieille Russie, MacConnal-Mason, Marchant, SJ Phillips, Peter Finer and the Tomasso Brothers. They will be joining the established names of the founders Mallett, Ronald Phillips, Apter-Fredericks and Asprey.

We believe that Masterpiece will become one of the world's pre-eminent fine art fairs and we're looking forward to being a part of such a project.

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People, Parties, Places.

2009-12-07T11:32:00.001-08:00

In December Carlton Hobbs will host the launch of Hamish Bowles and Alexandra Kotur's new book, "The World in Vogue: People, Parties, Places".

This one-of-a-kind book of 300 photographs of some of the most celebrated actors, artists, models, First Ladies, and social figures draws on stories that have appeared in the pages of Vogue over the past four decades, as well as photographs from those stories that have never been published. These trendsetters and newsmakers are captured by such famous photographers as Cecil Beaton, Jonathan Becker, Eric Boman, Horst P. Horst, Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, François Halard, Helmut Newton, Stephen Meisel, Snowdon, Toni Frissell, Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, and Annie Leibovitz. Not only did these photographers take dazzling portraits—in studios or on location—that caught these iconic figures in classic, playful, or dramatic moments but they also documented their parties, weddings, houses, and gardens. Writers like Hamish Bowles, Paul Rudnick, Truman Capote, Francis Wyndham, Jeffrey Steingarten, Joan Juliet Buck, William Norwich, Gloria Steinem, Georgina Howell, Vicki Woods, Marina Rust, Michael Specter, and Jonathan Van Meter tell you the stories behind these figures and events.

Our galleries will provide the perfect backdrop for what is sure to be a very elegant event.

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People, Parties, Places.

2009-12-04T13:37:00.001-08:00

Download now or preview on posterous

WIV email Invite.pdf (225 KB)

On the 17th of December Carlton Hobbs will host the launch of Hamish Bowles and Alexandra Kotur's new book, "The World in Vogue: People, Parties, Places".

Our galleries will provide the perfect backdrop for what is sure to be a very elegant event.

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Old Master Drawings at The Frick.

2009-12-04T12:09:00.001-08:00

With an eye towards our "In the Grand Manner" exhibition next year in partnership with the old master dealer Jean-Luc Baroni, I went to the Frick Collection last night for a talk on "From Watteau to Degas", their show of drawings from the Frits Lugt collection in Paris.

Included are drawings and watercolors by well-known masters of the French School such as Watteau, Boucher, Fragonard, David, Ingres, and Degas, as well as by important figures who are less familiar to the general public. This is the first time that a group of French master drawings from the collection has traveled to New York.

Shown here are two highlights from the show, Standing woman Seen From Behind by Francois Boucher and Studies of Seven Heads by Watteau.

These works looked fantastic in the Frick and it wetted the appetite for how such drawings and paintings will look when complimented with selected pieces of furniture from the Carlton Hobbs collection for "In The Grand Manner".

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PETA Party.

2009-12-03T13:01:00.001-08:00

Last night was the PETA fundraiser in our galleries which we at Carlton Hobbs have spent a long time preparing for.

The whole evening was a great success, with over 100 people tucking into vegan canapés kindly provided by the Candle Cafe. After some brief speeches from PETA activists highlighting their important work in a number of fields the very enthusiastic crowd pledged more than double PETA's fund-raising target for animal welfare, a fantastic figure.

The funds will go towards a selection of PETA's diverse activities, including neutering and spaying, recruiting newyoung members and purchasing warm, weatherproof shelters for dogs kept chained up in yards.

Congratulations to everyone involved in such a worthwhile event.

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What Is James Wearing?

2009-12-01T15:02:00.001-08:00

As mentioned in the post on our most visited blogs last week, www.whatisjameswearing.com is one of the best. Described by 'Elle' magazine as "possibly our favourite blog of all time" James covers a diverse range of topics, from design and interiors to cars and fashion. Imbued with it's writer's unique style, it is certainly one of the most colourful blogs out there.

Now Carlton Hobbs has been honoured with a visit from James and our very own post on the site.

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Napoleon's Table.

2009-12-01T12:54:00.001-08:00

This magnificent rosewood and giltbronze table, which reaches 22 feet in length when fully extended with all ten leaves, has one of the most interesting histories of any of the pieces here at Carlton Hobbs.

It was on it's finely veneered Brazilian rosewood surface that Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the King of Prussia and the King of Saxony signed the treaty of Tilsit on a raft on the river Nieman on 8th July 1807. A diplomatic triumph for Napoleon, the treaty destroyed at the stroke of a pen the European coalition that England had worked so tirelessly to build (and finance) against Napoleon and threatened to bankrupt his most tenacious adversary by expanding the 'continental system' that forbad his allies to trade with Great Britain.

The size and quality of the table is testament to the opulence of Napoleon's travelling entourage and given that it had to be transported from Paris across Europe to Lithuania and back again, it must surely constitute one of the grandest pieces of campaign furniture in history.

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A Robert Salmon Seascape.

2009-11-30T09:06:00.001-08:00

Although concentrating on furniture we have a have a few paintings here at Carlton Hobbs, amongst which is this attractive seascape by Robert Salmon (1775-1848).

The painting shows 3 views - bow, beam and stern, of the 'Alfred', a merchant ship possibly built in South Shields, England in 1801. It maybe supposed to represent the ship tacking towards a harbour on the coast behind. Painted in 1804, it is an unusually large and impressive work from this early stage of Salmon's career and a reminder of the great days of sail that would be in eclipse by the 2nd half of the nineteenth century as steam power gradually took over.

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PETA Fundraiser, December 2nd.

2009-11-25T09:47:00.001-08:00

Click here to download:

Tilly. (125 KB)

As keen animal lovers we at Carlton Hobbs are very excited to be hosting a fund-raising event for PETA in our galleries on the second of December.

The dogs and doves (our chicken was sadly killed last week by 'Pale Male', the well-known New York hawk) who share our office would no doubt agree that PETA is a charity well worth supporting. Here is a picture of Tilly who, being easily excitable, will no doubt take a keen interest in the preparations for this event.

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Carlton Hobbs Side Tables at The Palm Beach Fine Art Fair.

2009-11-25T08:15:00.001-08:00

Amongst the pieces on the Carlton Hobbs LLC booth at the Palm beach Fine Art and Antiques Fair in February will be a pair of giltwood neoclassical side tables attributed to J.C. Lillie with specimen marble tops, possibly by Giuseppe Canart. Both the tables and the tops date from the last quarter of the Eighteenth century.

Lillie (1760-1827), the most prominent furniture designer in Denmark during the late 18th and early 19th century, was appointed to the newly-created post of Architect and Designer to the Danish Court in November 1790. The tops of the pair seem likely to be the work of Giuseppe Canart (d. 1791), a Roman craftsman whose commissions were predominantly in Naples.

The tops incorporate sections of specimen marble, primarily of volcanic stones, inside a complex interlaced framework of interlocking rings.

Many of Lillie's pieces were executed for the Danish Royal court. Given the precious nature of the tops and his impressive record of patrons it sees likely that these tables formed part of a Royal or aristocratic commission.

The English style is very pronounced in Lillie's work, alluding to the furniture designs of Hepplewhite and Sheraton although, like most of his contemporaries, Lillie was mainly indebted to the greatest talent in England at the time, Robert Adam.

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Jean-Luc Baroni - In The Grand Manner.

2009-11-25T07:42:00.001-08:00

The beginning of 2010 is set to be a very busy period for all of us at Carlton Hobbs, with a number of projects in the first part of the year.

The most exciting of these is "In The Grand Manner", an exhibition of old master paintings and drawings from the renowned London dealer Jean-Luc Barroni that will be shown in the Carlton Hobbs galleries alongside selected pieces from our collection. The show will include works by artists such as Parmigianino, Delacroix and Boldini.

The highlight of the exhibition will be Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's "Portrait of A Lady as Flora". This superb work by the leading Italian artist of his generation was recently discovered in the attic of a French chateau where it had lain forgotten for over 200 years. It is believed to belong to a series of half-length female figures commissioned by Empress Elizabeth of Russia.

Choosing pieces from our inventory to compliment such works is obviously a difficult task. Amongst those pieces on show will be an extraordinary early neoclassical giltwood armchair attributed to Ince & Mayhew, presumably from a group at Bramshill Park; a highly important overmantel mirror with the frame attributed to Thomas and René Pelletier; and a pair of giltwood console tables almost certainly commissioned for Schloss Seehof.

The combination of works of art from differing disciplines will surely make it a fascinating exhibition. It runs from January 22nd to February 2nd 2010.

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Jean-Luc Baroni - In The Grand Manner.

2009-11-25T07:28:00.001-08:00

The beginning of 2010 is set to be a very busy period for all of us at Carlton Hobbs, with a number of projects in the first part of the year.

The combination of works of art from differing disciplines will surely make it a fascinating exhibition. It runs from January 22nd to February 2nd 2010.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Another Blog...

2009-11-23T14:21:00.001-08:00

Everyone in the office also enjoys www.peopleofwalmart.com, an interesting guide to practical, everyday style.

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Our Favourite Blogs.

2009-11-23T14:10:00.001-08:00

We are keen bloggers and blog readers here at Carlton Hobbs. The web is a treasure-trove of witty, informative, opinionated, well-illustrated blogs about furniture, interiors and the decorative arts (www.carltonhobbs.net included!).

One such blog is the Aesthete's lament (www.aestheteslament.blogspot.com) , an erudite series of posts covering decoration, architecture and design history amongst other related topics.

Another favourite is www.oldlongisland.com which celebrates the great houses and estates of Long Island with remarkable archive photographs, and tries to track down what remains after so many have been sadly demolished.

www.whatisjameswearing.com gives the low-down on antiques and decorative arts in and around New York, as well as offering handy fashion tips, it's always a very entertaining read.

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Chinese Painted Wallpapers, Formerly Hung In Colonial Williamsburg.

2009-11-23T08:53:00.001-08:00

One of the most impressive pieces on the Carlton Hobbs booth at the Palm Beach Antiques Fair will be a rare set of Chinese painted wallpapers that formerly hung in Colonial Williamsburg.

Measuring just over 56 feet (17m) long in total the set is a very fine and unusual example of the hand-painted papers made in China exclusively for export to England and America from the late 17th to the 19th Century.

Meticulously painted by hand, each design was unique and therefore an expensive item decorating the houses of the very wealthy. They were rarely pasted directly onto walls, instead they were mounted on silk, canvas or thicker paper. In this way they could easily be moved from room to room.

This particular set was donated to Colonial Williamsburg in 1955 by the estate of Mary Ames Frothingham. They adorned the walls of the Allen-Bryd , or William Byrd III, House (presently the Lightfoot House). Design motifs from this set are still reproduced on china plates for sale at Williamsburg.

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9672 Wallpaper in situ.doc (1433 KB)

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Chinese Painted Wallpapers, Formerly Hung In Colonial Williamsburg.

2009-11-23T08:45:00.001-08:00

One of the most impressive pieces on the Carlton Hobbs booth at the Palm Beach Antiques Fair will be a rare set of Chinese painted wallpapers that formerly hung in Colonial Williamsburg.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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1st UK National Antiques Week.

2009-11-20T08:03:00.001-08:00

Monday 23rd November marks the start of the 1st British National Antiques Week, which has grown out of the success of 2008's National Antiques Day. The theme of the week is 'Antiques are Green', describing the antiques trade as the largest recycling market in the world.

The aim of the week is to encourage new buyers (particularly younger people) into the antiques market for the first time. Dealers are encouraged to hold events, stay open late and generate as much publicity as possible.

The week is co-ordinated by the 'Antiques News' http://www.antiquesnews.co.uk/page_5.php

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The Klismos Chairs.

2009-11-20T06:29:00.001-08:00

At the Palm Beach Fine Arts and Antiques Fair in February Carlton Hobbs will be showing a fine set of four neoclassical giltwood 'Klismos' chairs. Interestingly their design is almost identical to a set in the Villa Borghese which are known to have been carved by Lucia Landucci and represent a rare example of a work by a female artisan from the Eighteenth Century. She was the daughter, or possibly the widow, of Antonio Landucci who was the principle intagliatore (carver) responsible for the refurbishment of the villa.

Their unusual spayed-leg shape is derived from an ancient Greek design based on a throne. Such shapes became popular during the Neoclassical revival in Italy towards the end of the Eighteenth century when furniture design moved towards simpler, less ornamented lines.

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The Linton Park Side Table at Palm Beach.

2009-11-19T09:20:00.001-08:00

One of the highlights on the Carlton Hobbs booth at the Palm Beach International Art and Antiques Fair in February will be an imposing English giltwood and pale green painted side table, from the last quarter of the Eighteenth century.

Although tables of a similar design with six or eight tapered legs are a signature element of Adamesque design what makes this piece so interesting is it's exceptionally large scale and the rarity of the bluish-green coloured base.

The frieze below the top depicts the marriage procession of Cupid and Psyche acted out by Putti and is based on a Sardonyx cameo from the Marlborough collection of gems now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

The Cupid theme is repeated in the shape of the table itself, which mirrors the shape of Cupid's bow. The table can be seen on our website by clicking on the link below.

http://www.carltonhobbs.com/viewDetail.asp?strReference=9386

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International Fine Art Fair.

2009-11-19T06:42:00.001-08:00

The International Fine Art Fair in Palm Beach which runs from the 3rd to the 8th February 2010 is the 'crown jewel' of American art fairs; as usual the list of exhibitors from around the world is stellar, covering paintings, sculpture, Antiques, jewellery and the decorative arts.

One of our highlights that we will be bring to the show at the Carlton Hobbs booth will be a Travertine circular table designed by Henry Moore. The only piece of furniture he ever designed, it was made under his direction at the Henraux Marble works at Querceta, Italy in around 1963 for his house in Forte di Marmi and thence by descent through his family.

See it on the Carlton Hobbs website here...http://bit.ly/49TFIY

We will be posting more of the pieces that we are taking to Palm Beach over the next few days.

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Lignum Vitae: The Wood of Life

2009-11-18T12:44:00.001-08:00

Latin for “wood of life,” lignum vitae is a heartwood obtained chiefly from small, slow-growing trees of the genus Guaiacum found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas. Its name derives from its perceived medicinal uses in the treatment of colds, syphillus, arthritis and gout. In an engraving by Johannes Stradanus circa 1580 entitled “Preparation and Use of Guayaco for Treating Syphilis,” a man can be seen on the bottom right cutting a section of the tree (figure 1). Lignum vitae can also be referred to as palo santo (holy wood) and greenheart, and is considered an ironwood, prized for its strength and density. The wood of the tree is also rich with fats and resin, making it nearly waterproof and ideal for use in the applied arts as it is self-lubricating. Interestingly, magical qualities are attributed to the wood and the wizard Merlin’s staff is said to have been of lignum vitae.

More... Lignum Vitae: The Wood of Life

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