Gallery Review Europe Blog European Fine art Old Masters, New Groove: All Of The Highlights From The European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht
European Fine art

Old Masters, New Groove: All Of The Highlights From The European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht


Opening in Maastricht today, The European Fine Art Fair will bring 7,000 years’ worth of art to the picturesque student city. Although TEFAF has been around for decades – the first edition took place in 1988 – this year’s event feels particularly buzzy, with a new generation of collectors flocking to Holland to see works by the Old Masters (inspired, no doubt, by the blockbuster Vermeer exhibition at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum in 2023) and other treasures that predate the 20th century.

A Minaudière by Van Cleef amp Arpels part of the brands Heritage collection is on display at Tefaf.

A Minaudière by Van Cleef & Arpels, part of the brand’s Heritage collection, is on display at Tefaf.

Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels

Helping to nurture their growing interest? TEFAF’s Emerging Collectors Scheme, which has seen Venetian heritage director Toto Bergamo Rossi curate a selection of works priced at less than €20,000, or approximately £17,000, each. The initiative, TEFAF’s head of fairs Will Korner says, is “designed to attract and engage prospective collectors, guiding them towards connoisseurship”. Below, Vogue breaks down its highlights from the 2024 fair.


“Portrait of Antonietta Gonzalez” by Lavinia Fontana (1590)

Courtesy of Rob Smeets Gallery

Renaissance mistresses

If you missed the National Gallery’s exhibition devoted to Artemisia Gentileschi in 2020, make a beeline for the Renaissance artist’s “The Penitent Magdalene” (1620-1640) at Robilant + Voena. Meanwhile, Rob Smeets is offering the chance to study Lavinia Fontana’s masterwork, “Portrait of Antonietta Gonzalez”, a depiction of a real-life girl who suffered from hypertrichosis in 16th-century France and became the subject of legends and lore as a result.

Loren Nicole’s dazzling “Viking Longship” opens out into 30 pieces of jewellery.

Courtesy of Simon Teakle

A gilded Viking longship

Simon Teakle presents contemporary California jeweller Loren Nicole’s “Viking Longship”, which miraculously breaks down into 30 pieces of jewellery. “No one else in the world today is creating works of such extraordinary complexity,” Teakle tells Vogue. Van Cleef & Arpels, on the other hand, is showcasing recovered pieces from its exquisite Heritage collection, including one of its fabled Minaudières: a clutch designed by Charles Arpels in the ’30s for the uber-wealthy Florence Gould. “It is extremely rare to be able to find such pieces complete and in good condition for our Heritage collection,” explains Nicolas Luschinger, president of Asia-Pacific for the house.

This incredible vase dates back to 530BC.

Courtesy of Charles Ede

Tableware with a tale to tell

Dating to 530BC and credited to Antimenes, this vase depicting Hercules battling the Nemean lion is a highlight of Charles Ede’s offering at the fair – retailing for €190,000, or approximately £163,000. Given that even fragments of ancient pottery are selling for thousands of pounds these days, that’s something of a bargain.

A 19th-century intaglio by A Lalondre.

Bernhard Rampf

Gems fit for an emperor

The art of the cameo was mastered by ancient Greek and Roman artisans before being elevated to new heights during the Renaissance, when influential figures had their portraits carved in miniature pendants. Napoleon Bonaparte followed suit in the 19th-century, founding a dedicated carving school in Paris. Le Petit Caporal would find much to his liking at this year’s TEFAF: Galerie Chenel is offering a sardonyx cameo dating back to 37-41 AD set in Georgian gold, while Munich-based jeweller Hemmerle is offering a 19th-century intaglio carved in carnelian by the artist A Lalondre.

A bronze miniature of “Le Penseur”.

Courtesy of Bowman Sculpture

“The Thinker” made miniature

The imposing figure of Auguste Rodin’s “Le Penseur” is, rightly, one of the most celebrated artworks in history – attracting countless visitors to the Musée Rodin in Paris over the years. At TEFAF 2024, Bowman Sculpture is offering one of eight miniature bronze casts made by the artist during his lifetime, which stands at just 37cm tall.



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