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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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“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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