Coronelli's Celestial Maps

 Vincenzo Coronelli, a Franciscan monk born in 1650, is synonymous with 17^th century cartography. He was a renowned theologian, geographer, cartogropher, and cosmographer throughout his life and still today. Over his lifetime, Coronelli contributed 140 separate works of cartography and cosmography. Coronelli completed his first map at the age of sixteen. In 1678, Coronelli was commissioned to construct a set of terrestrial and celestial globes for the Duke of Parma. The Duke was so pleased with his five feet wide globes that he appointed Coronelli as his theologian. Three years later he was commissioned to create a set of globes for King Louis XIV. These are some of his most impressive works. The massive globes weighed about 2 tons each and represented the most up-to-date French knowledge of exploration based on accounts from Rene-Robert Cavelier and Sieur de La Salle. His reputation continued to grow over the years and in 1699, he was appointed Father General of the Franciscan Order. In 1705 he returned to his hometown of Venice where he published Atlante Veneto and founded the first geographical society called Accedemia Cosmografica degli Argonauti.

This map displays the most complete knowledge of the celestial world in the late 17th century.This hand-colored copper engraving was completed in Venice circa 1690.It represents the major celestial and astrological theories circulating at the end of the century. Taking center stage is a large celestial planisphere displaying the rotations of the planets and signs of the zodiac calendar. This is surrounded by five illustrated wind heads and five planetary diagrams. This composition is bordered by 28 smaller diagrams including solar and lunar eclipses, terrestrial maps, and astrological maps.If you would like to learn more about this piece, please contact Arader Galleries.

Basso-Relivo Techniques in the 18th Century

Reliefs employ a sculptural technique to make an image appear as if it were raised above the background. In other words, the image is relieved from the medium. Basso-relievo is a technique invented and popularized by an 18th century Irish artist named Samuel Dixon. A copper plate was used to emboss particular areas of the paper which was then painted over with watercolors and gouache. The end result lends a 3-dimensional effect to the subject and embellishes specific elements. Around 1748, the artist published his first collection of twelve paintings featuring the basso-relievo technique. His paintings featured mostly flowers and exotic birds though his works were not based on personal research but rather sketches from George Edwards' Natural History of Uncommon Birds, published in 1743. Dixon went on to complete three sets of twelve paintings featuring the basso-relievo technique.

An English artist by the name of Isaac Spackman was inspired by Dixon's work and published his own set of basso-relievo paintings in the late 18th century. Spackman followed Dixon's technique extremely closely and drew his inspiration from Edwards' Natural History of Uncommon Birds.

William Hayes followed the method put forth by Dixon but used his own personal sketches to create his basso-relievo paintings. He drew from his two published books; A Natural History of British Birds and Rare and Curious Birds in the Menagerie at Osterly Park, Middlesex. Hayes' paintings not only featured the puffed paper effect but glass eyes as well. The combination of the two give his paintings a strong 3-dimensional look.

Each of these artists produced very few basso-relievo works making these pieces extremely unusual and treasured. All of the paintings are in their original frames. The glass eyes used in Hayes' pieces are also original making these pieces extra special. If you have any other inquiries about these 18th century paintings, please contact Arader Galleries.

Early 19th Century Sofas in the UK and the US

In 1811, King George the III of England was deemed unfit to rule and was replaced by his son who became the Prince Regent. Upon George III’s death in 1820, the Prince Regent was coronated as King George IV. The period directly preceding and following the Prince regent's rule has been dubbed the Regency Period. The Regency Period marked the peak of neoclassical design in home décor. Antique furniture from Greece, Rome, and Egypt were used as inspiration and very closely imitated. Ornate carvings, intricate gilding, and flora and fauna design elements were very popular. Anything reminiscent of the idealized Classical period was coveted.

This particular sofa features sleek and slender qualities while clearly displaying a taste for Neoclassical design. The feet splay outwards elegantly and the legs feature spiral fluting, picked out in water-gilding on an ebonized ground. The flowerhead design on the seat apron is also executed through gilding, a prominent motif of the Regency period.

The United States was undergoing its own fascination with the great ancient empires during this time as well. Early 19th century American furniture design was heavily influenced by the resurgence of opulent tastes in Europe. This mahogany couch exhibits characteristic splayed legs and lion paw feet.The mahogany is detailed with intricate fern carvings and cornucopiae design heavily influenced by Grecian models. This couch was recently reupholstered with a fabric that would have been very common in American homes.

Reliving the luxurious lifestyles of long-gone ancient civilizations led to changes in lifestyle, aesthetic preferences, and home decor in societies superseding country, culture, and continent.Here at Arader Galleries, these two couches are exemplary of the taste level in both England and the US throughout the Regency Period. Along with these two pieces, Arader is home to many extraordinary pieces of antique furniture. To learn more about the home decor pieces we have, please contact Arader Galleries.

Guernsey's Auction, September 8, 2012

The recent Roger Tory Peterson and John James Audubon auction, as featured in the NY Times, conducted by Guernsey’s at Arader Galleries on Madison Ave., in New York this last Saturday, was an unmitigated success, and surely heralds a welcome return to a lively auction scene not often seen since the end of 2008.

Old friends and new packed the second floor at the Arader Galleries flagship store, which saw furious bidding for more than 400 lots of original gouache, watercolour and pencil drawings of birds that illustrate Peterson’s iconic Field Guides. With more than 90% sold by lot, Peterson’s place as the best known and best loved illustrator of birds in modern times is secured. “It is impossible to overestimate the role that Roger Tory Peterson played in 20th-century wildlife art and photography. Like the legendary John James Audubon before him, Peterson’s pioneering approach to the art of nature changed how everyday Americans interacted with the world around them, in particular with birds. The detailed paintings Peterson produced depicted birds in a realistic and easily recognisable way and in their natural habitat. That art, translated into his Field Guides to Birds, made modern bird-watching easily do-able by a regular person...” (Guernsey’s sale catalogue).

Audubon’s magnificent hand-coloured aquatints from the double elephant folio edition of  “The Birds of America” (1827-1838), the single most important work on North American ornithology, were more than 80% sold by lot. Many, many lots by both artists achieved well over their high estimates; but by far and away the star of the auction was plate 431, Audubon’s life-size, vibrantly coloured American Flamingo at more than $125,000 inclusive. Other notable prices were achieved for Audubon’s Common American Swann at $97,600, and his Trumpeter Swann at $76,250.

Arader Galleries retains a comprehensive gallery of works of art by both Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson, and we welcome all visitors at our galleries in New York, Philadelphia, Houston and San Francisco, or to our website www.aradersf.com.

The End of the Edo Period: Growing Curiosity in Japan

For roughly 250 years Japan was subject to one ruling family. The Tokugawa family was known for imposing rigid social orders and strict isolationism from foreign contact and trade. The little contact they had with Europeans from 1603-1868 came from Dejima, a small man-made island in Nagasaki's harbor. This island was home to the Dutch East India Company. Any other Europeans that docked in a Japanese port during the Edo period would be put to death without a trial. The complete isolationism nurtured a boom in Japanese culture. Art, entertainment, and fashion became points of interest among urban populations. Around the early 1800's European intrusions were on the rise. To understand these new "barbarians", Rangaku (Dutch studies) became important to the Japanese in understanding and defeating the foreign enemies. Growing interest in the west only increased after a peasant uprising in 1830 forced the Japanese to acknowledge the growing issues within their country. As more citizens looked to the West for answers, Japanese officials tightened their anti-foreigner policy once again. This only caused more unrest amongst the people and invited in more westerners trying to establish trade relations.

This map completed in 1850 is a prime example of the increasing interest the Japanese were developing in the West. This world map displays a fusion of the artistic culture that had blossomed in the Edo period and the desire to understand how the rest of the world functioned and interacted with each other. Instead of focusing solely on Japan's towns and provinces, the mapmaker indicates the value of trading internationally while stylistically holding on to Japanese traditions. Many maps made in this era disregard geographical accuracy, believing that this was inevitable. In comparison to European made maps from nearly a century prior, the level of accuracy is years advanced.

 Japan began reluctantly opening its borders to American traders. This hurt Japan's economy but opened up the country to Western culture. By 1859, western texts and literature were being translated by the government and western military schools led by the Dutch were allowed. Japan ushered in a new era in 1868 when the final Tokugawa resigned and all Japanese borders were opened. Maps from this point on take on a very distinctly European look and cartographers begin paying close attention to the accuracy of their pieces.

This map from 1850 is a rare piece representing a time in which Japan was on the brink of a major cultural change. It retains the Edo period's style and execution while acknowledging Japan's place in the booming world trade markets.

In addition to this historical map, Arader Galleries also offers a selection of Japanese works from this era on a variety of subjects including: whaling, botanicals, livestock, and commerce. For more information, please contact Arader Galleries.

Arader Galleries Presents: The Plant Hunters

Friends of Arader Galleries,

Arader Galleries is proud to present a fantastic botanical exhibition in partnership with Lotusland of Santa Barbara titled: The Plant Hunters: Botanical Illustration from the 16th through 19th Centuries. This exquisite exhibit presents an overview of the history of botanical prints starting with Fuchs’s early 16th century herbals through the explosion of plant material finding its way to Europe from all over the world through trade and exploration during the 17th through mid-19th centuries. Magnificent botanical prints resulted from this newly discovered plant material. The exhibit will focus on plants that can be found at Lotusland or grow well in the Santa Barbara area. The exhibit is in cooperation with Arader Galleries, www.aradersf.com. All of the prints are for sale with of portion of proceeds going to Lotusland.

To learn more about Lotusland, please visit their website 

http://www.lotusland.org/

Artists include:
Dr. Robert John Thornton
Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Basil Besler
Leonhart Fuchs
Giovanni Battista Ferrari
Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Draakestein
Maria Sybilla Merian
Mark Catesby
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
Georg Dionysius Ehert
and more!

Besler's 'Hortus Eystettensis'

Basil Besler (1591-1629) was an apothecary and botanist from Nuremberg, who managed the gardens of Prince-Bishop Johann Conrad von Gemmingen (approx. 1561-1612) in Eichstatt, Bavaria. The Prince-Bishop’s remarkable garden was one of the most extensive in Europe, containing a huge variety of European shrubs and flowering plants as well as exotic specimens from Asia and the Americas. Besler was commissioned by the Prince-Bishop to compile a codex of the plans in his garden. This encyclopedic resource became the basis for the Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstätt) which took sixteen years to complete (the Biship died shortly before  printing) and was published in 1613 by Basil Besler and Ludwig Jungermann. The work contains 1086 illustrations of plants from 367 copperplate engravings, most of which were depicted in their natural size. The copperplates were engraved by a group of skilled German draughtsmen and artists including Wolfgang Kilian, Dominicus Custos, and Levin and Friedrich van Hulsen and according to the oversight and drawings by Basilius Besler. The accompanying descriptive text was written primarily by botanist Ludwig Jungermann (1572–1653).

Published one hundred and fifty years before Linnaeus created his thorough system of classification, Besler’s great florilegium represents an impressive early attempt to classify plants for the benefit of botanists, doctors, and apothecaries. Each plant is given a distinct and often descriptive Latin title, and related species are grouped together on the same plate, or over a series of plates. Almost all specimens are shown complete and accurately colored, including delineations of their root systems. While Besler’s work is obviously motivated by a scientific impulse to document and describe a remarkable collection of species, the beautiful presentation and dramatic stylization of the illustrations also convey a sense of the visual grandeur of the Bishop’s great garden. Each specimen is placed on the page with an artist’s understanding of formal and spatial relations. Most notably, the stylized depiction of foliage and root systems betrays a lively baroque sensibility, as the plants seem to dance across the page.

Basil Besler’s great botanical work is a landmark of botanical documentation and pre-Linnaean classification, as well as one of the most splendidly stylized and aesthetically powerful botanical works ever produced.

The work was published twice more in Nuremberg in 1640 and 1713, using the same plates, plates which were destroyed by the Royal Mint of Munich in 1817.

Sadly, the original Eichstatt gardens were sacked by invading Swedish troops under Herzog Bernhard von Weimar in 1633-4; however reconstructed gardens were opened to the public in 1998.

French botanist Charles Plumier honored Besler posthumously by naming a climbing bush Beseleria.

These illustrations of various flowers are among the most dramatic and desirable of Besler’s illustrations. Each is in excellent condition, and would represent wonderful additions to any collection of European botanical art. Please contact Arader Galleries for further information.