NEWS All the latest
GOING BUST A newly-discovered bust by the Dutch sculptor Niclaus Gerhaert von Leyden (1430-1473) has gone on display at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.
The reliquary bust of the martyr St Agnes had previously thought to have been lost, as only 20 of Gerhaert’s works are believed to have survived in the art world.
The discovery was made as part of a National Trust four-year cataloguing project to fully record and research all 6,000 sculptures and statues in its UK-wide collection. The bust is now being re-displayed in the dining room of the country house built on the remains of a priory.
Above A curator faces the rare sculpture by Niclaus Gerhaert von Leyden © National Trust, photo Rah Petherbridge
Below A rare sculpture discovered at Anglesey Abbey © National Trust, photo Rah Petherbridge
Dress for success A kimono owned by Freddie Mercury is on public show for the first time after it joined the V&A’s fashion exhibition.
Worn by the Queen singer at home, the kimono had been in a private collection before becoming part of the museum’s Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk which opened on February 29 and was reviewed in last month’s magazine.
February 29 and was reviewed in last month’s magazine.
Mercury was famous for his flamboyant stage performances and wore boldly-patterned kimono on stage in the 1970s.
The design and materials used in the vintage kimono suggest it was acquired by the musician in Japan. Queen first toured the island in 1975 when Mercury developed a passion for the culture and began to buy Japanese art and antiquities. The V&A has been collecting Far Eastern art and design since it was founded in 1852, including textiles and dress.
Above Freddie Mercury’s kimono © V&A
Pot man A rare stoneware storage jar made by the enslaved African American potter and poet David Drake (c. 1801–1870s) has gone on show.
Made at the Stony Bluff Manufactory pottery site in Old Edgefield District, South Carolina, in 1858, the alkalineglazed vessel is signed, dated, and inscribed when you fill this Jar with pork or beef / Scot will be there; to get a peace, - / Dave.
The jar is on show in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American wing.
Above David Drake (c. 1801–1870s), Stony Bluff Manufactory (Edgefield District, South Carolina) storage jar, 1858, © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Quick fire questions with... DAVID ELSTOB FROM NORTH YORKSHIRE AUCTIONEERS ELSTOB & ELSTOB What were some of your stand out sales from your year at Bedale Hall? A pair of Italian giltwood altar candlesticks and an impressive pair of 19th-century Italian carved wooden figures of Blackamoors from the estate of Keith Schellenberg. former captain of the Olympic British Bobsleigh Team and Yorkshire Rugby team. What would be your ideal North Yorkshire find? Linthorpe Pottery by Christopher Dresser or a lovely piece of early furniture by the Yorkshire carver Robert
‘Mouseman’ Thompson (1876-1955) . Do you collect? If so, what? Cufflinks. My favourite pair is a simple gold and enamel design from the 1920s. They are not the most valuable pair I own, but are very important to me as they were bought by my wife Beth as a 30th birthday present. What are the biggest problems auctioneers face? The ever-increasing volume of legislation. A decade ago, our terms and conditions was one catalogue page. Now, it runs to three or four with everything from the endangered species laws of CITIES to AML (anti-money laundering) and Artist’s Resale Rights. After a year at Bedale Hall, Elstob & Elstob has relocated to Ripon Business Park, for more details go to www.elstobandelstob.com
Royal seat There’s a chance for Asian art enthusiasts to see a Ming dynasty (1368–1644) porcelain garden seat made for the court of the Wanli Emperor (r.1573–1620) this month.
The seat, one of the largest porcelains in the celebrated Sir Percival David Collection held at the British Museum, can be seen at the Great North Museum Hancock, Newcastle from April 25 to July 19.
The ‘David’ Collection, one of the foremost assemblages of Chinese ceramics in the world, comprises some 1,700 objects, primarily ceramics dating from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
it was created by the businessman and philanthropist, Sir Percival David (1892–1964) whose passion for China inspired him to learn Chinese well enough to translate 14th-century art texts. After Newcastle, the seat continues its UK tour at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter from July 25.
Did you know? The use of dragons is significant in China where they are used as an auspicious motif and as a shorthand symbol for the Emperor himself.
Above Side view of the stool, porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration, Ming dynasty AD 1573–1620
Left The top of the stool, Ming dynasty AD 1573–1620
8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
