Paris - Carrousel du Louvre18 september - 4 october 1998
The 19th Paris Biennial exhibition, due to be held from September 18th until October 4th 1998, promises to be a major event at least as much important as the Maastricht Fair for antique dealers from all over the world. Some 120 professionals from France, Germany, Belgium, China, the United States, Britain, Italie, the Netherlands, Portugal and Monaco will exhibit furniture, Asian and tribal art pieces, antique weapons, silver, tapestries, carpets, coins, medieval sculptures, old master and modern paintings, objects of art, ceramics and porcelains, drawings, jewels and rare books.
Over 100,000 visitors are expected at the Biennial which will take place again in the Carrousel of the Louvre Museum and buyers will have the opportunity of acquiring some of the best art pieces ever to be offered on the market. However, the present edition, despite its marvellous setting, already promises to be inferior in quality to the Maastricht Fair which met considerable success a few weeks ago the reason being that French import taxes, the VAT and other fiscal measures have hampered dealers in their activities in Paris. As a result, many galleries have been facing a long-standing crisis that they have not overcome yet.
Rare marquetry regulator by André-Charles Boulle, 17th Century
Some good pieces of furniture will be exhibited at the Biennial, notably a pair of benches made in Florence during the 16th Century, a gilt wood French console of the 17th Century, a small marquetry commode of the early 18th Century, a Louis XV satin wood commode by Charles Cressent, circa 1748, a lacquered commode decorated with Chinese scenes by François Rübestuck, circa 1765, and a pair of Italian painted wardrobes. Among medieval pieces, Brimo de Laroussilhe from Paris will exhibit a gilt copper figure of a shepherd made in Limoges around 1215, an ivory sculpture representing Saint
Anne and the Virgin from the late 14th Century and a gold and enamel Byzantine ring of around 650 A.D while Jacqueline Boccador, also from Paris, will exhibit a series of stone and wood statues from the 15th and 16th centuries. Among some spectacular pieces will be a Louis XIV cristal chandelier made around 1700 (galerie Perpitch), a Boulle marquetry regulator also from the same period (François Leage) and several 18th Century clocks while the Neuse Galerie from Bremen will offer some great silver objects and sculptures from the 16th Century.
The Biennial will as usual rely on several great paintings to ensure its success notably with a 14th century work on panel by Andrea Bonaiuti (active in Florence circa 1350) showing St John the Baptist and St James and also a wood panel by Agnolo Gaddi, active in Florence from 1369, showing the Virgin and the Christ child (both at Brimo de la Roussilhe).
Among other paintings, a portrait of Frederik the Wise, Elector of Saxony, by Lucas Cranach the Elder (de Jonckheere), a view of a river with peasants and fishermen by Jan Brueghel the Younger (Haboldt), two still lifes by Jan van Kessel (de Jonckheere), others by Abraham Mignon (de Jonckheere) and Justus van Huysum (Gierhards) and among modern paintings, works by Derain, van Dongen, Dufy, Braque, Rudolf Ernst, Bonnard, Soutine, Matisse, Valtat, Luce, Rouault and de Staël.