Christie's

A beautiful "orphanage of things"

When you learn that Peter Hone has spent his career as a museum guard, antiques dealer and expert plaster caster, his world, as illustrated above, begins to make sense.

Peter Hone's home in Notting Hill is an absolute treasure chest of stone urns, neoclassical marble busts, Roman and Greek statuettes and 19th-century antiquities. It is a romantic feast for the eyes and soul. Commanding the center of his main living space is a cabana-striped circular table, one you might find in a parlor in Palm Beach or Cannes, breathing life into a room full of elegant objects.  These objects he refers to as an "orphanage of things" transcribed in a piece written by Christie's in October 2016. This collection - the orphanage - is rather fitting, as Peter was once an orphan himself. As the Christie's piece notes, Peter is drawn to pieces with unusual stories, nurturing those that have been "left to stew" from a distant past. Dare I say, but in my ways, I identify with Peter's need to nurture and collect.

The Peter Hone Collection was offered as part of the Interiors sale on 26 October at Christie’s South Kensington. Browse all lots from the sale here and be certain to read the magnificent piece by Christie's here

A Very, Merry, Warhol Christmas

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.10.21 PMAndy Warhol's Christmas Tree, drawn in 1954. Estimated USD 6,000 - 8,000. More here.

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.14.13 PMChristmas Invitation Design. 1956. Estimated USD 7,000 - 10,000. More here.

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.16.07 PMMy personal favorite that lends to my affinity with cherubs.... A Warhol Christmas Cherub. Estimated USD 3,000 - 5,000. More here. 

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.18.23 PMFifteen Christmas Fairies. (I wish I had fifteen Christmas Fairies!) Estimated USD 8,000 - 12,000. More here. 

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.20.19 PMPine Sprig. Estimated USD 4,000 - 6,000. More here. 

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.22.33 PMAnother personal favorite: "Holly Man" circa 1956. Ink on paper. Estimated USD 7,000 - 10,000. More here. 

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 9.25.25 PMA Christmas Topiary. How could I resist! Estimated USD 3,000 - 5,000. More here. 

Now until December 12th, you can bid on a wide range of pieces from pop icon Andy Warhol online with Christie's Auction House. Visit here to see the entire collection accompanied by the respective details of each lot item.

Helmut Newton: Photographs for Playboy

Picture 6I often get high-fives from my male friends when I post content such as the above and a few eyebrow raises from my family. I truly think the female figure can be an alluring art form and Helmut Newton makes my case. Although some of his photography can be particularly explicit and warrant the said eyebrow raises, I love studying the the many ways he captures the predominately unclothed female form. The above photograph is one of many that is open for bidding this morning via Christie's Auction House (online auction only). Titled 'Playboy', the photograph was taken in Los Angeles in 1986 and part of a series of pictorials Helmut Newton took for Playboy. It is estimated this lot item will sell for between $15,000 and $25,000. See the entire collection here. Disclaimer: You might want to view from your "home" computer...