Depictions of Spring in Painting

The Spring landscape has always been an inspiration for artists throughout history, from Renoir through to Monet and Van Gogh. This particular time of year has informed some incredibly famous pieces of art, still being a widely referenced subject matter in the modern world. The vibrancy of colours and ever changing light during this season are characteristics often focused on within painting and since it's a time where the land is changing and developing, allows for a huge variety of interpretations by artists.

It’s quite clear that nature continues to be a huge source of inspiration and so with this in mind, along with the recent emergence of sunshine, we thought we would look for some of our own Spring inspired artwork here at Alfies.

Oil on board Impressionist style painting, late 20th Century. Signed Bere. Offered by John Cserny Fine Arts

Oil on board, 1960s. Signed Alan Hudson. Offered by i Fine & Contemporary Art

Old Haycock vegetable garden, oil on canvas, 1950s. Signed Christopher Sanders. Offered by Robert McKoy Fine Arts

English watercolour painting, early 20th Century. Signed E. Mould. Offered by John Cserny Fine Arts

Oil on canvas, 1950s. Signed D. Bereny. Offered by John Cserny Fine Arts

Garden Flowers, oil on board, 1970s. Signed India Duncan. Offered by i Fine & Contemporary Arts

Spring is in the Air

Spring is the period of time between the vernal equinox, which falls around 21 March each year, and the summer solstice, which takes place every year on 21 June. The beauty of spring make us feel joyful and as the season sets in, the trees put forth new leaves, seeds sprout, flowers bloom and there is a sense of renewal and new life all around. 

At Alfies there's no shortage of Spring inspired items. Take a look at our delightful selection.

Victorian botanical print, Narcissus, available from i Fine & Contemporary Art

Left: Murano glass rabbit; Right: Small glass rabbit c1960s. Available from i Fine & Contemporary Art

1950s silver bunny small pendant charm, available from Good Time Antiques

Chinese vase with garden scene, c1880, available from Diplomat Treasures International

Bonsai - Privet, with 1920s Chinese ornaments, 7 pieces, available from Hongman Yang

Handpainted floral gilt mirror, available from June Victor at Alfies

Original Art Deco wall plaque by Burleigh pottery, available from Beth

Hermès Wanderland Exhibition

The Hermès Wanderland exhibition at  the Saatchi Gallery pays tribute to the Parisian concept of Flânerie, which is chosen as luxury brand Hermès’ 2015 annual theme. Artistic Director Pierre-Alexis Dumas describes it as "that wonderfully liberating art of urban wandering, that is second nature to Hermès, one could even say our most profound nature".

The exhibition is a treasure-trove of objects gathered from the Hermès archive, the museum collection of Emile Hermès at 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris and Hermès’ contemporary collections. They include classic items such as a bike, a travel writing case and a watch.

Hermés  Wanderland exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, London

The collection spans over eleven rooms, with set designer Hubert le Gall inviting us to a fantasy world where Paris is the ultimate protagonist. “Wanderland” also includes installations by various artists to collaborate in the project, the curators wanted to intrigue visitors, urging each of them to “open their eyes, free their minds and be enveloped by the color, sounds and images that surround them”.

The exhibition will run at the Saatchi Gallery until 2 May 2015, then it will travel to Paris in mid-September.

If you can't make it to the exhibition, do not fret. Alfies is another wonderland full of unique treasures. We found some luxury items that wouldn't look out of place in the Hermès archive!

1920s Bracelet Watch  9ct Gold, mechanical winder, 15 jewels; offered by Moe Heidarieh

A 1950s scarf ‘Pennies from Heaven’ by Marcel Vertes; offered by Tin Tin Collectables

Pair of early 20c ladies leather riding boots with original wooden trees; offered by Tin Tin Collectables Luggage

Vintage blue flower brooch, glass and gold plated; offered by April Antiques

1940s crocodile handbag with bakelite clasp; offered by Tony Durante

 

Unusual and collectable 9ct gold Art Deco pencil with intricate detailing and citrine stone end cap; offered by Sheila Cameron

Animalistic!

Oh, we love a bit of animal action here at Alfies, and we do mean this most innocently!
Recent trips to the beautiful and impressively well kept London Zoo, as well to the adorable and equally impressive Horniman Museum inspired me to look for animal (and generally nature) related items here at Alfies. I found some lovely pieces, and the following items are a rather small selection, so do come by to find more yourself!

White glazed equestrian horse with rider, offered by Gloria Sinclair

'Watercolour of Monkey', ca. 1900, offered by Barry Landsman

Pair of French 1940s wrought iron stools, offered by Louise Verber Antiques

Silver gilt snake necklace with heart pendant and garnet eyes, offered by Gareth Brooks

The first very exciting and highly recommended adventure we undertook is London Zoo Lates - throughout summer the zoo stays open until 10pm on Fridays and is jam packed with cool stuff to do. So not only do you get to see all the beautiful animals, you can also have a (pre-ordered) picnic, a little boogie at the silent disco, enjoy some cabaret, listen to talks about specific animals often during feeding time, enjoy a Pimm's/champagne/Mojito or two, and generally just have a grand night out!


We went last week and although the weather was not great, we still had an awesome time. To be honest, I was almost glad it rained as it provided me with a perfect excuse to put on my new wellies and raincoat! We found the atmosphere was very relaxed and the zoo keepers were really approachable and understanding when I couldn't drag myself away from the large rainforest area upon closing time.


The crowd - quite a pleasant mix of old and young-ish (no kids around which is a rare thing for zoo visits) - all seemingly enjoyed themselves, and it was quite entertaining to listen to some of the visitors' amazed (and perhaps slightly drunk) comments about the animals!


Admittedly, the zoo is simply too large to see everything in one evening, and with all the above entertainment options it is hard to follow the well designed maps to find your favourite creatures without being tempted away by the prospect of some cold beverages. But given that the majority of the animals do go to sleep at 9pm, there is still enough time to take advantage of the bar menu after 9pm!
It is definitely well worth a visit and makes a highly enjoyable change to the usual Friday night down the pub.



Another inspirational trip took me to the fantastic Horniman Museum in Forest Hill - I am so in love with it!


Being a busy tea trader travelling the world, Fredrick John Horniman began collecting curios and artefacts from far away countries to bring them back to London as he wanted to share all the interesting things the world had to offer with the people of London who might have not been able to travel as much or at all. In the end he gave his collections as a gift to the Londoners and the museum was born! Many items have been added to the collections over the years so do go there to check them out. The Horniman has various collections on display: an array of astounding musical instruments, a massive selection of beautiful taxidermy animals, African artefacts and the mesmerising aquarium in the lovely building's basement. A current exhibition features items of Balinese culture, and the lovely grand gardens are the icing on the cake!