A Riot of Color
This little painting is quite special. The mother, in a black dress with fancy lace collar and cap, is seated. One arm and the curve of her body envelop a small, intelligent-looking child at the bottom of the frame. The…
Pick of the Week
Little Wonder
In 1840 an English folk hero was born. Little Wonder, a rank outsider of diminutive, nearly pony-like proportions, was entered in Britain’s most prestigious flat race, The Epsom Derby. Ridden by a little-known jockey named Macdonald, Little Wonder worked his…
Sporting Immortality
Émile Lepron achieved sporting immortality. Champion of France in the single scull 1890, 1892, and 1893, Champion of the Seine in 1889 and 1892, and Champion of the Marne from 1888 to 1894; Lepron could rest on his oars, his…
“I heard a roar, like thunder…”
On December 21st, 1792 in the Bay of Bengal, a small party fatefully disembarked the ship Shah Ardaseer to hunt deer on Saugor Island, resulting in an event that would resonate for decades to follow. In the words of party…
Complicit In His Curse
The Midas Head was created in 1989 by Dame Elisabeth Frink (British 1930-1993) as an emblem for the BBC program The Midas Touch, directed by her stepson, Mick Csaky, and presented by Anthony Sampson. With influences from the classical (see…
Miniature Masterpieces of Modern Art
On October 28th, Pook & Pook is excited to offer at auction two brooches created by one of the greatest artistic pioneers of the 20th century, Georges Braque (French, 1882–1963). Perhaps most famous for revolutionizing painting by founding, together with…
A Boy and His……Cat?
Malvina Hoffman (New York, 1885-1966) was taught by Auguste Rodin from 1910 until 1917, learning to sculpt in a realistic style. Moving back to New York after Rodin’s death, she rented a mews apartment in a little cul-de-sac called Sniffen…
The Significant Form of Elie Nadelman
Elie Nadelman (New York/France, Poland, 1882-1946) is known for abstract, elegant, stylized sculptures, and for his original, modern aesthetic. Nadelman’s style evolved throughout his career as he sought new ways to achieve perfection. He explored influences from long ago and…
Lots at Sea
The September 15th Decorative Arts sale features a number of objects with a nautical theme. Lot 2544 is an ingenious shipboard light fixture: a scarce wrought iron gimbal-mounted ship’s fat lamp, mid 19th c., with three inner gimbaled hoops. In…
National Treasure
What drew me to this pick of the week was the amazing patriotic gessoed frame. Lot 2368 in our July 28th sale, the frame is loaded with stars, shields, crossed cannons, and topped with a spread wing eagle crest. It…
Pook & Pook, Inc., Cornering the Curve Market
Over two hundred years ago, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, an artisan known as The Compass Artist produced colorful, intricately decorated furniture and objects in a distinctive style. Research has revealed the pieces were owned by German Protestants of a variety…