Available as Lot 249 in the 500 Ans – Arts Décoratifs Européens, dont une Collection Privée de la Rive Gauche until April 13th Christie’s Paris.

As you all well know, I’m all about Regency period furniture, and I think this table is a very fine example of the style.  Lean, embellished, formal, regal.  It isn’t for everyone, sure, but there’s something quite appealing about the feel of this piece to me.  One of the things I really love about looking at antiques is that I rarely just see the piece itself, I can often picture the entire room around it.  I think that’s actually why I like this table so much – it isn’t really about the table, it’s about the pleasure I get from thinking about the space it fits in and the sort of person it fits with, if that makes sense at all.  Imagining what I could do at this desk, the kinds of things I would read and write, the trips I could plan, the sort of life I would lead if this table were in my house – that’s perhaps the most appealing aspect for me.

Available as until April 1st, Lot 70 in the Fine European Furniture Including Tapestries, Silver, Ceramics and Carpet Auction at Sotheby’s New York office.

George Michel’s works can be found in some of the world’s most famous museums – the Louvre, the Met, the National Gallery, the Hermitage, and many other storied institutions, yet he’s relatively unknown. His landscapes of the French countryside, painted in the late 18th century and early 19th century, particularly the windmills of Montmartre are striking, but what I like best are the dark, stormy tone he captures, rather than sunny fields of peasant workers common of the time. I suppose there is something sad about a picture of a storm, but as long as you don’t hang it over your bed you’ll be fine.

These particular works are coming up for auction March 18th at Sotheby’s in Paris as part of the Collection Violette de Talleyrand, Duchesse de Sagan, Former collection Gaston Palewski, in addition to a handful of others by Michel. A great reason to hop on a plane to the City of Lights, as if one really needed an excuse.

Paysage Au Moulin – Lot 90

George Michel Village Au Pied D’Une Colline Aux Environs des Paris – Lot 92