Brafa Art Fair apre le danze delle fiere dell’arte del 2017. A Bruxelles si inaugura la stagione delle mostre-mercato con una della più antiche manifestazioni antiquarie d’Europa.

Head of Buddha
Terracotta
Greco-buddhist art from Gandhara
Afghanistan/Pakistan
3rd-4th century
22 x 14 x 15.5 cm
La 62^ edizione apre al pubblico dal 21 al 29 gennaio. Nel 2016 i visitatori erano stati oltre 58.000 e l’archeologia e l’arte del Novecento erano state in testa alle vendite. Protagionisti per il 2017 i capolavori della storia del design italiano con 11 gallerie internazionali (su 132 espositori) che presentano opere firmate dai grandi nomi del Novecento.

Important sofa
Terence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings (London 1905–1976), architect and furniture designer for Widdicomb Furniture Company in 1950
Walnut, naugahyde with cotton webbing
H 80 x W 235 x D 85 cm
Part of a set including benches and chairs available in a variety of fabrics
Literature : ‘Modern Americana’, Ed. Rizzoli
Ma accanto al design, come da tradizione, non mancheranno l’archeologia, i gioielli, dipinti, sculture e fumetti, un ventaglio di opere che ripercorrono oltre quattro millenni di storia dell’arte, con un orizzonte geografico che abbraccia tutti i continenti. L’arte africana è storicamente una delle specializzazioni più attese della manifestazione e quest’anno sarà accompagnata da quella tribale e precolombiana, sempre più affermate.

Still life with guitar, pile of plates, an open book, pipes, bottles and glasses, 1961
Le Corbusier, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris (1887-1965)
Collage, gouache and ink on paper
74 x 81 cm
Monogrammed and dated lower right
Certificate of authenticity issued by Mr Éric Mouchet
Provenance: private collection, Paris

German wager cup depicting St Margaret of Antioch
Silver-gilt
Nuremberg, 1629
Silversmith: Georg Koler
H 14 cm

Two young leopards one behind the other
Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris), known primarily for his sculptures of wildlife subjects
Bronze with dark patina and brown undertones
Lost wax bronze by A.A. Hébrard (stamp from the foundry: A.A. Hébrard, cire perdue)
Signed on the base: R. BUGATTI
H 37,5 cm
Provenance: private collection
Literature: Véronique Fromanger, ‘Rembrandt Bugatti sculpteur. Répertoire Monographique’, Les éditions de l’Amateur, Paris, 2009, p 330, ill. nr 300

Art Nouveau ‘chaîne de corsage’
Georges Fouquet (1862-1957), jeweller & Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), graphic artist
Composed of eleven unique sections set with various gemstones including rubies, sapphires and emeralds, baroque natural pearls and diamonds, with a geometric motif between each decorated with plique-à-jour enamel
Terminating in two pendants of foliate design highlighted with plique-à-jour, translucent enamel and baroque natural pearls, mounted in 18 ct gold
Length: circa 130.5 cm
With maker’s marks of Georges Fouquet and numbered
Paris, circa 1900
Le gallerie italiane presenti sono tre: tornano nella capitale belga con nuove proposte Chiale Fine Arts, Il Quadrifoglio e Robertaebasta. A queste si aggiunge la galleria Burzio con sede a Londra gestita da Luca Burzio e sua moglie Laura e che si occupa di arti decorative. Non mancano l’arte moderna e contemporanea e i fumetti.

Two wings of a shrine retable
Telling stories of Mary and Saint Catherine (recto);Saint Peter (?) and Saint Paul (verso)
Coat of arms of the kingdom of Castile and Léon (side widths)
Painted and gilded softwoods on poplar panels. Castile, circa 1320-40
Exterior doors: H 139 x W 29 x D 5.7 cm
Interior doors: H 136 x W 34 x D 5.7 cm
Total size: H 139 x W 126 x D 5.7 cm
The marked sense of line is characteristic of early 14th century Castilian culture. The painted squares of the Castle and Lion which alternate along the edges of the panels are particularly emblematic of the time, symbols of the kingdoms of Castille and Leon, sovereign states united under one crown in 1230 by Ferdinando III
Provenance: Rockefeller collection; George Lurcy collection; private collection

‘La Fede e la Luce’ (Faith and Light), 1934
Arturo Martini (Treviso 1889-1947 Milan)
Bronze
H 72.5 x W 71 x D 66 cm
Provenance: collection of Emilio Zanzi’s heirs, Milan
Literature: N. String-C. Gianferrari-G.Vianello, ‘Arturo Martini, catalogo ragionato della scultura’, Ed. Neri Pozza, Vicenza, 1988, p. 251, n° 375

High relief with a rabbit
Mario Restelli
White marble
Milan, 20th century
33.5 x 33.5 cm
Signed: ‘Restelli’
Brafa Art Fair
21-29 gennaio 2017
Foire des Antiquaires de Belgique asbl
Tour & Taxis
Avenue du Port 86 C Box 2 A
1000 Brussels – Belgium
t. +32 (0)2 513 48 31 f. +32 (0)2 502 06 86
www.brafa.art