SAM FOGG
15d Clifford Street, London W1S 4JZ
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7534 2100 Fax: +44 (0)20 7534 2122
SAM FOGG
exhibiting at
Masterpiece London, 2015
Stand A36
Sam Fogg, one of the world’s leading dealers in medieval art, will exhibit at
Masterpiece London, 2015 from 25 June – 1 July. This is the fourth time Fogg will
exhibit at Masterpiece, a fair of impressive elegance and quality showcasing the very
best in art, antiques and contemporary design. Sam Fogg’s exhibition will encompass
most areas of his diverse expertise, and he will bring a typically rich array of European
sculpture, paintings, manuscripts and works of art from the sixth to the sixteenth
centuries.
Among the fine medieval sculptures on show will be a French limestone Head of the
Virgin dating to the late 13th century. Though fragmentary, the high quality of the
carving is self-evident and the sculpture retains all of its original beauty, particularly in
the figure’s delicately delineated brows and subtle smile. Carved in the Île-de-France
region, it is close in style and execution to pre-eminent examples of Gothic sculpture
from the 2nd half of the thirteenth century and was the work of a craftsman following
the sculptural commissions at the Royal Abbey of Saint Denis. (Fig. 1)
A superbly preserved Portrait Bust of a Young Man is a testament to the high quality
sculpture of the Renaissance that Fogg has dealt in with a selective and focused eye for
over a decade now. Impressive for its naturalism, this forceful portrait was likely made
for a wealthy Florentine merchant during the second decade of the sixteenth century,
and continues a tradition made famous by artists such as Mino da Fiesole and Pietro
Torrigiano. (Fig. 3)
Since his groundbreaking 2011 exhibition and publication Late Medieval Panel
Paintings, which proved Fogg’s capacity for in-depth technical and art-historical
research, panel paintings have become a significant part of his focus on the arts of the
Middle Ages. A Netherlandish painting depicting the Virgin and Child with Angels
by a Brabantine artist influenced by the intimate half-length portraiture of the Brussels
School around 1500 will be one of the highlights of his painting display at Masterpiece.
It is replete with Marian and Christological allegory that simultaneously evoke the
Virgin’s purity and Christ’s impending death for the salvation of mankind. The high
quality of the painting and its state of preservation will appeal to any collector with an
interest in the painted arts. (Fig. 5)
Fine Medieval metalwork and small-scale works of art will also feature prominently in
Fogg’s stand this year. Examples range from delicate fifteenth-century circular mother
of pearl plaques incised with scenes of the Annunciation, to Romanesque crucifixes,
enameled croziers, and a twelfth-century gilded Corpus of Christ whose quality and
craftsmanship surpasses that of the vast majority of the surviving group. Formerly a
highlight in the collection of the Florentine collector Carlo de Carlo (1931-1999), it is a
rare and valuable find still in public circulation. (Fig. 4)
Also of great importance is an Eagle-headed Buckle dating to the sixth century, which
will be among a small number of remarkable treasures that bookend the later objects in
Fogg’s display. Made of silver-gilt with shaped garnets inset into its profusely
-2-
decorated surface, it would have been worn as a status symbol by a lady of high social
standing, and like a number of similar examples, would have been buried along with
earrings and other jewelry in the tomb of the deceased. Even so, it survives in almost
unrivalled condition, with much of its original gilding still clearly visible. (Fig. 6)
Notes for editors
Sam Fogg is a specialist in the art of the European Middle Ages with departments also
focusing on Islamic and Indian art. The company was founded thirty years ago and is
now based in a two-storied gallery on Clifford Street, off Bond Street in London.
Since its establishment, the gallery has presented numerous high-profile and innovative
exhibitions and publications, breaking new ground in the fields of medieval sculpture,
stained glass, works of art, illuminated manuscripts, Ethiopian and Armenian Art,
Islamic manuscripts and calligraphy, and Indian paintings. Clients include many of the
world's major institutions as well as private collectors. Masterpiece is the second of
three fairs Sam Fogg will exhibit at this year, the first being The European Fine Art
Fair in Maastricht, which took place in March, and the third will be Frieze Masters in
October.
_______________________________
Event:
Dates and opening hours:
Venue:
Websites:
Masterpiece, London 2015
25 June to 1 July, 11am - 9pm; except Saturday 27 and
Sunday 28 June, 11am - 7pm; and Tuesday 30 June,
11am - 6pm
Preview; 27 June, 11am - 10pm
Stand A36, Masterpiece Fair, South Grounds, The Royal
Hospital Chelsea, London, SW3
www.samfogg.com; www.masterpiecefair.com
For further information and photographic material, please contact:
Matthew Reeves, [email protected]
SAM FOGG
15d Clifford Street, London W1S 4JZ
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7534 2100 Fax: +44 (0)20 7534 2122
at
SAM FOGG
Masterpiece London 2015
Stand A36
1.
The Head of the Virgin
France, Île-de-France (?)
Last quarter 13th century
2.
A Schöne Madonna
Austria, perhaps Judenburg
c. 1410-1420
3.
Bust of a Young Man
Italy, Florence
c. 1500 - 1520
29 x 23 x 18 cm
88 x 34 cm
59 x 53 x 22 cm
4.
A gilt-bronze corpus
Meuse valley
Late 12th century
5.
The Virgin and Child with Angels
Southern Netherlands, Brabant
c. 1500
6.
An Ostrogothic eagle-headed buckle
South Russia or Crimea
6th century
58 x 55 x 3.9 cm
47 x 32.3 cm
16.5 x 6.6 x 1.5 cm
Event:
Masterpiece, London 2015
Dates and opening hours:
25−26 June 11.00−21.00
27−28 June 11.00−19.00
29 June 11.00−21.00
30 June 11.00−18.00
1 July 11.00−21.00
Venue:
South Grounds, The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, SW3
Websites:
www.samfogg.com www.masterpiecefair.com
For further information and photographic material, please contact Matthew Reeves: [email protected]