When Marc and Heather finally managed to visit an old friend last year (between lockdowns!) – a retired Art and Antiques dealer in Paris – they did not expect to come across a collection of Belgian artworks they had never seen before in their years of travelling around Europe. They certainly did not expect to […]
Tag: Art
Paul Daxhelet
The Line of Beauty
Jean, Pablo, Amedeo & Keith. Few things are more expressive than the simple line. A sweep or curve, an outline, a bold shape, these are the elements of visual language we all understand. In his Analysis of Beauty (1753) William Hogarth proposed a theory of aesthetics in which the term Line of Beauty was used […]
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie furniture seems to be having a resurgence of late and it isn’t hard to see why. Beautiful detailed lacquer work sits well in almost all houses, be they in the manner of Billy Baldwin with clean lines, classic furniture and a mix of styles, an all out Chinoiserie explosion, or indeed just a one […]
Plaster Busts Galore
The day that I walked in to Guinevere to find Dean’s dark and mysterious room of plaster breasts, legs, bums and tums, I was instantly mesmerised. The limbs are spread throughout the room, clutching banisters and breasts, kicking balls (metaphorically) and tiptoeing down stairs, they filled my face with a smile from ear to ear. […]
Dean’s Renaissance Inspiration
I saw an old lady standing at a bus stop the other day. She was wearing a shabby purple coat, the sort that old ladies wear, with a bright pea green sweater and deep pink trousers. I doubt she had very much money or that life had been very kind to her. She looked fabulous. […]
Easter Island Heads
Easter Island, the remote Polynesian island located in the South Pacific, has always been steeped in mystery. The island of ‘Rapa Nui’ or ‘Easter Island’ as it is more commonly known earned its nickname thanks to Dutch explorers landing there on Easter Day in 1722. This island’s most impressive claim to fame is an array […]
Japanese Screens
Coromandel Screen We have always loved the versatility of Japanese screens. Despite their age, they manage to look timeless, chic and almost modern when placed in a variety of different interiors, even the most contemporary. The unsung hero of the art world. They can be used as both a full impact piece of art, or […]
Christies Late – ‘Incredible Inventions and Curious Collections’
Last week, Anna and I went to Christie’s to see ‘Incredible Inventions and Curious Collections’. On the first Tuesday of every month, Christies has a late night opening with art and wine, who could resist?! This was ashamedly my first time visiting Christies, and so when Anna suggested it, I had no option but to […]
Paula Swinnen; Twisted Branches and Sneaking Snails
One of the best things about working at Guinevere is the fact that we are constantly surrounded by a large selection of ever-changing eclectic and beautiful objects –predominantly antique but also some contemporary pieces. Some of my favourite items in the showroom are by the contemporary artist Paula Swinnen, whose work is inspired by natural […]
The House of Bianchini Férier
We recently came across a collection of Bianchini Férier designs in black, blue and autumnal watercolours. The designer's notes scrawled around the edges, a couple even had stamps charting their progress through different stages of approval, in the hopes that they might become one of the signature fabrics produced by Bianchini Férier. Not knowing much […]