TEFAF Maastricht 2023: The Quiet Persistence of Mastery

Founded by the European Fine Art Foundation in 1988, TEFAF Maastricht has long established itself not merely as a fair, but as a sanctuary for the historical. In an art world where the contemporary often clamors for attention through sheer volume, this gathering remains a steadfast guardian of the quiet, the intricate, and the enduring.

Running from March 11–19, 2023, the fair gathers 270 prestigious dealers from over 20 countries. What distinguishes TEFAF is its curatorial resistance: while other exhibitions increasingly yield floor space to the modern, here, over half the estate is dedicated to Old Master paintings, antiques, and classical works. It is a place where the timeline of human creativity is not linear, but cyclical, inviting a dialogue between the tactile history of objects and the modern gaze.

The Poetics of Portraiture and Form

The representation of the human figure, whether in oil or stone, offers a direct confrontation with the past. It is in the gaze of a subject or the curve of a sculpted shoulder that history becomes tangible.

Presented by Colnaghi, the Portrait of a Young Noblewoman by Alonso Sánchez Coello (16th century) captures the rigid yet arresting elegance of the Spanish court. Coello, a painter for the Portuguese and Spanish royal families, understood the language of power disguised as adornment. The subject is encased in an ornate black dress, her neck framed by a high lace ruff—a style emblematic of the era. Yet, beneath the stiff collar and the rouge on her cheeks, there is a living presence. The work echoes the solemnity found in Coello’s portraits of Anna of Austria or Isabel de Valois, currently residing in Vienna and Madrid respectively.

Portrait of a young noblewoman by Alonso Sánchez Coello

In a shift from the painted surface to the sculpted form, the marble bust of Caroline Campbell, Lady Ailesbury (1798) by Anne Seymour Damer stands as a testament to neoclassical restraint. Presented by Lowell Libson & Jonny Yarker, this bust is not an anonymous study but an intimate portrayal of the artist’s mother. Damer, whose work was noted by Horace Walpole in 1789, imbues the cold marble with a familial warmth. It is a rare artifact—one of only a dozen known marble works by the artist—originally engraved by John Jones and later replicated for Lady Ailesbury’s tomb.

Marble bust of Caroline Campbell by Anne Seymour Damer

Transitioning from the secular to the sacred, the Lucca Madonna and Child (1510–1515) brings the emotional resonance of the Florentine Renaissance to the fore. Attributed to Baccio da Montelupo and presented by Blumka, this terracotta statue exerts a quiet power. Da Montelupo, who moved within the same Medici circles as the Della Robbia family, utilizes the earthy warmth of baked clay to convey divine grace. Unlike the distant nobility of Coello’s portrait, this piece invites a devotional intimacy, typical of works commissioned by Florentine patrons of the era.

Terracotta statue of Lucca Madonna and Child

Caravans and Deities

The fair also traces the intricate arteries of trade and faith that connected the East to the West, revealing how art traveled along the Silk Road and through the mountain passes of the Himalayas.

A vivid artifact of this exchange is the Camel with Foreign Rider (Tang Dynasty, 618–906 AD), presented by Vanderven Oriental Art. This painted pottery figure captures the kinetic energy of the Silk Road. Known as “ships of the desert,” these camels were imports from Turkestan and Mongolia, vital for the caravans reaching Xian. The sculpture is frozen in a moment of reaction—the camel’s neck turned, mouth agape, communicating a raw, bestial vitality that contrasts with the composed rider settled between its humps.

Tang Dynasty pottery Camel with Foreign Rider

Moving from the trade routes to the monasteries, the Manjusri sculpture (Circa 1300) presented by Nies Oriental Art exemplifies the spiritual sophistication of the Kathmandu Valley. Created during the early Malla period, this figure is wrought from gilded copper alloy and inlaid with semi-precious stones. The craftsmanship points to the famed Newari casting workshops, renowned for producing some of Asia’s finest bronzes. The presence of blue pigment and rich gilding suggests a high-level Tibetan commission, embedding the object with layers of devotion and geography.

Gilded copper Manjusri sculpture from Nepal

The Theatre of Time and Space

In the realm of decorative arts, objects often transcend their utility to become microcosms of the world, whether through mechanical ingenuity or surface ornamentation.

The Automaton Renaissance Türmchenuhr (Circa 1585), presented by Mentink & Roest, is a machine of power and performance. Crafted from gilt brass and silver, this table clock does more than tell time; it enacts a hierarchy. It is the only known Türmchenuhr to feature an automaton of Emperor Charles V and the Electors. As the hour strikes, a circular platform rotates, dignitaries paying court to the sitting emperor, while a gold rooster atop the structure animates at the quarter strike—a mechanical theatre of 16th-century politics.

Renaissance automaton table clock

While the clock mechanizes time, the Louis XV Commode (Circa 1733-1735) by Antoine Robert Gaudreaus spatializes luxury. Presented by Christophe de Quenetain, this “vernis a palmes riches” piece is a rare survivor, with its only counterpart residing in the Munich Residence Museum. It represents a cultural synthesis, where the French court’s demand for opulence met the aesthetic of the East. The lacquer work features painted Oriental scenes framed by Parisian bronze trim. Once held by the Prince de Ligne at the Castle of Beloeil, its 2022 restoration has returned it to a state of museum-grade brilliance.

Louis XV Commode by Antoine Robert Gaudreaus

On a more intimate scale, the plaque by Dirck van Rijswijck (Circa 1665) offers a glimpse into the Dutch obsession with the natural world. Presented by Endlich Antiquairs, this piece utilizes a slate (touchstone) background to dramatic effect. Van Rijswijck, a master of inlay, used mother-of-pearl, marble, and colored bone to construct a vivid tableau of tropical flora and exotic animals surrounding a bowl of fruit. The dark slate amplifies the iridescence of the shell, creating a permanent, shimmering still life.

Inlaid plaque by Dirck van Rijswijck

Ephemeral Sketches and Enduring Gems

The creative process often moves from the pliable to the permanent, from the preparatory clay to the finished stone, or from the raw gem to the royal jewel.

The terracotta reliefs of Leda and the Swan and The Bath of Venus (Circa 1780–1782) by Clodion offer a rare look at the artist’s hand before the finality of stone. Presented by Daniel Katz Gallery, these preparatory models were sketches for reliefs commissioned by Baron de Besenval. The final works were destined for Besenval’s famous salle de bains and are now housed in the Louvre. These surviving terracottas, however, retain the immediacy and tactile energy of Clodion’s initial vision, capturing the fluidity of the mythical scenes.

Terracotta reliefs by Clodion

In the world of high jewelry, provenance often shines as brightly as the stones themselves. The Fabergé Chrysoprase Brooch, presented by Wartski, carries the weight of three European ruling families. Crafted by the Holmström family, Fabergé’s chief jewelers, the piece centers on an apple-green oval chrysoprase within an open diamond-set frame. Its lineage traces back to Queen Olga of Greece, the great-grandmother of King Charles III, linking the object to the twilight of the Russian imperial court and the broader European aristocracy.

Fabergé Chrysoprase and Diamond Brooch

Finally, bridging the gap between the antique and the vintage, the Heritage Necklace and Clip Pendant (1970/1971) by Van Cleef & Arpels showcases the bold aesthetic of the late 20th century. Presented by the jeweler itself, this transformable piece is a study in texture and color. Carved emeralds from Colombia and Russia mingle with Burmese sapphires and diamonds, all set in yellow gold. Preserved in the collection of an American investment banking family until now, it represents a more recent, yet no less significant, chapter in the history of adornment.

Van Cleef & Arpels Heritage Necklace and Pendant