Clive Loveless

SUMMER EXHIBITION

June 6-16, 2007 11am-7pm daily Gallery No 5 Blenheim Crescent Notting Hill London W11 2EE

Clive Loveless By appointment only Tel: +44 (0)20 8969 5831 Fax: +44 (0)20 8969 5292 Email: post@cliveloveless.com

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ITEMS OF TOPICAL INTEREST

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MOVING ON News begins at The Textile Museum, where Lee Talbot, formerly of the Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum in Seoul, Korea, has taken the position of Assistant Curator of the Eastern Hemisphere Collections. Still in the US, Betsy Murphy left the carpet department of Christie’s New York at the end of last year to join high-end carpet dealer Jason Nazmiyal at his Madison Avenue gallery. Over in the UK, tribal art dealer Gordon Reece has closed both his London (Clifford Street) and Harrogate galleries, but plans to continue business through the internet or fairs. Also in London, antique textile dealer Joanna Booth’s Kings Road gallery is closing, as is Sotheby’s Olympia (see hali.com). And in Milan the ever busy Alberto Levi has opened a second gallery next to his original via San Maurilio space. Finally we are sad to report the death of Joe Mayorcas (formerly of Jermyn Street, London).

HALI 150 ERRATA In Peter Hoffmeister’s letter on p.21, a error extended the life of the two Ashgabat collection felt asmalyks from 250 to 2,500 years. In Anthony Hazledine’s feature on 19th century Istanbul photographs, the captions for figs.2 and 7 were transposed. Finally, in the Nicholas and Blumenthal Persian weaving article, figs.1, 4 and 10 should have been credited with “Photograph by Baroness Marie-Thérèse Ullens de Schooten, Courtesy of the Fine Arts Library, Harvard College Library.”

CLOTHS IN COLOGNE On 12 May 2007, Kunsthandel Klefisch will hold an auction of Oceanic works of art and Indonesian textiles in Cologne, Germany. Jonathan Hopereports. Much of the material to be offered in Cologne is from the collection of the late Professor G.H.R von Koenigswald, a distinguished palaeontologist and anthropologist who, over the course of a long academic career in Germany, Holland, Indonesia, China and the United States, appears to have collected in a light hearted manner, not overly concerned with age. Among a range of objects of variable desirability are a few real gems, including a finely carved Austral islands paddle, a whale ivory pendant from Polynesia, and a rare head-hunter’s sword from the Paiwon of Taiwan. There will be around eighty textiles in total, from various provenances, including a few highly desirable batiks. The most spectacular of these is this batik kain prada (detail left) – indigo forms on a white ground, embellished with applied gold leaf. Although made in Java and dating from the early 20th century, it would have belonged to a Balinese, to be worn at major temple festivals. Then there is an elegant sarong in the Indische style from the early 20th century, with large bouquets arranged on a white ground, drawn with the skill and flourish associated with the work of Eliza van Zuylen, whose signature can be found in a corner. There is also an example of Sumatran calligraphic batik, and a delightful and finely drawn kerchief, in the Chinese or Peranakan style, with phoenixes, butterflies and floral details. The majority of the cotton ikat textiles and silk brocades in the sale date from the late 19th or early 20th century, and are interesting from the point of view of a study collection, with a few exceptions which are of a more seductive nature such as a beautiful Khmer silk weft ikat pantaloon cloth, and a few other types of esoterica. A selection from the sale will preview in Paris from 26-29 April (Galerie Cedric le Dauphin, 66 Rue de Concorcet), before the main preview and sale at Kunsthandel Klefisch in Cologne (Ubierring 35).

NEW YORK ASIA WEEK March 2007 and Asian art hits New York City once again. Last year the uptown Asia fair at the Park Avenue Armory amended its title to include: “also featuring the arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas”. This year the effect of this change was clearly visible, with visitors in search of Asian gems finding a rather incoherent mix of Modern Art, African and preColumbian artefacts and a handful of Asian masterpieces, including this magnificent 7th/8th century Sogdian silk man’s riding coat on the stand of Ghangkhar Ah-nhey Asia Art from Kathmandu in Nepal. The downtown fair in contrast looked great, attracted crowds, sold well and covered all possible fields in Asian art. Additionally, many big players now exhibit in the Fuller Building on East 57th Street, where there was even more exciting work from the likes of Gisèle Croës from Brussels and Milan’s Carlo Cristi. For an extended review please see www.hali.com

HALI ISSUE 15139