A Must-See Guide To A Crown Jewel Of Global Art Fairs

Marjorie Paget, the Marchioness of Anglesey, turned heads when she donned the Anglesey Tiara to the Coronation of King George VI in 1937. Legendary photographer Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton CBE, renowned for his his cinematic shots of high society, captured the British art writer, illustrator, and member of the peerage, in a nonchalant pose, gazing down to her right. The caption on the photograph for Vogue magazine waggishly described her as “wearing the family diamond negligee.”

The decadent yet versatile Victorian tiara was crafted (circa 1890) from a graduated row of old European and old mine cut diamonds, which detach to form a rivière (increasing in size toward a large central stone) necklace. Scroll and cluster motifs, interspersed with curved tines, culminate with graduated pear-shaped diamond-set motifs.

The exquisite tiara, owned by Henry Cyril Paget, the 5^th Marquess of Anglesey and a dance performer known as “Toppy” who blew his inheritance on an opulent social life, will be a highlight of TEFAF Antiques, the largest section of the TEFAF Maastricht fair including 98 exhibitors. The dazzling diamond fine art piece will be displayed by London-based Hancocks, which has specialized in bespoke vintage and contemporary jewelry since 1849.

In its 32^nd year, the annual art, antiques and design fair in Maastricht, Netherlands, is regarded as one of the world’s leading art fairs. TEFAF (originally The European Fine Art Fair) 2020 will feature 280 exhibitors, including 25 dealers joining this year, drawing some 75,000 collectors to MECC (Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre) from March 7-15.

TEFAF 2020 is split into eight sections (TEFAF Ancient Art, TEFAF Antiques, TEFAF Design, TEFAF La Haute Joaillerie, TEFAF Modern, TEFAF Paintings, TEFAF Paper and TEFAF Tribal), with exhibitors from 12 countries. TEFAF Showcase has included more than 65 emerging galleries from around the world since 2008, with some Showcase exhibitors from last year joining the the eight primary sections this year.

A Showcase 2020 standout is Tribal Marks Series III #52, a charcoal and pastel hyperrealist portrait on paper by Nigerian artists Babajide Olatunji (born 1989) and Niyi Olagunju (born 1981). A trained botanist and self-trained artist, Olatunji incorporates extensive research of art history and production techniques in his highly photorealistic portraits. Olagunju is a sculptor, whose works, coated in metals mined from the region from which they are originally sourced, are usually exhibited alongside preparatory sketches. Olagunju explores the complex relationships born from the exploitation of natural resources in Africa.

Antonis Mor van Dashorst or Sir Anthonis Mor, often referred to by the Spanish form of his name, Antonio Moro, was a Netherlandish portrait painter coveted by the courts of Europe. Born in Utrecht, Netherlands, circa 1519, little is recorded of life and career after 1570. He focused on history paintings of religious and mythological subjects at the end of his career, but never surpassed his earlier success as a portrait painter. He reportedly was painting a Circumcision for Antwerp Cathedral when he died circa 1577.

Wings Of An Altarpiece: Male Donor With Saint Jerome And Female Donor With Saint Clare (Exterior: Vanitas Scenes), an oil on panel diptych by Moro will be on view in TEFAF Paintings, presented by Nicolás Cortés Gallery of Madrid, Spain.

Los Angles-based pop artist and feminist Jann Haworth (born 1942) is a best known as co-creator of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. Her Old Lady II, comprised of fabric, thread, wood, stuffing, leather, and a rocking chair, is sure to draw eyes in TEFAF Modern. London’s The Mayor Gallery, which exhibited Haworth’s work in 2006, is displaying the creepy, yet vibrant, soft sculpture.

Gem enthusiasts are sure to gawk at a one-of-a-kind Burmese sapphire and diamond ring, set in platinum, offered by Bhagat Jewellers of Mumbai, which is making its debut at TEFAF La Haute Joaillerie. The contemporary Indian jeweler prides itself on crafting “outlandish jewelry pieces that preserve eternal grace.”

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