Monday, July 12, 2021

Mario Buatta & An Eye for Color

Mario Buatta - Sotheby's

 I came across these pictures from the Sotheby's auction of the estate of Mario Buatta. Mario was of course a great lover of chinoiserie, but what caught my eye about these are the gorgeous colors. These cabbage boxes are 19th century Thuringian. I wish they had lined up the veins on all of them though - LOL. They did better below.


"Thuringia is actually a region of Germany and not a maker. In this region there were so many porcelain makers by the end of the 18th century that they are now known as Thuringia porcelain. Some of the more important makers were Gotha, Wallendorf, Limbach, Volkstedt, Rauenstein, Kloster Veilsdorf plus many others. Three people have been credited for getting it all started in this region: Georg Heinrich Macheleid, Johann Gotthelf Greiner and Johann Wolfgang Hamann. The Greiner family was no doubt the most influential in making the Thuringia porcelain makers well known today. They had their hands in almost all the factories of this region around that time. Most of the makers are not around anymore today. Wallendorf and Volkstedt being the exceptions. The porcelain of this region, while not necessarily as good in quality as the more well known makers like KPM and Meissen, have a charm missing in some of the bigger makers. Part of the reason being that this porcelain was not made for the kings and high society but for the middle class. This charm is what makes them very collectible. 18th century Thuringia porcelain is very rare now and extremely hard to find. " (via Antique Porcelain and Fine Arts)

Mario Buatta - Sotheby's

Mario Buatta - Sotheby's

I was trying to think of chinoiserie fabrics that capture this wonderful color palette. I adore the vibrancy of saturated pastels. The fabrics of Manuel Canovas come to mind. I think they reflect the beautiful palette of the porcelains.

Manuel Canovas - Pagoda

Ruthie Sommers

Manuel Canovas - Alba

Manuel Canovas - Alba

Manuel Canovas - Beavoir

Manuel Canovas - Beauvoir

This room I posted about last week is a perfect example of how these fabrics really stand out in a space. This is Manuel Canovas Pagoda on the slipper chairs. Gorgeous. These fabrics are quite dramatic and work beautifully with just a pop of them like pillows, a chair, or an ottoman.

Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey - Veranda


10 comments:

  1. Beautiful - but am curious as to what the "Cabbage Boxes" were originally made & used for ??

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    1. I believe they were created as decorative objects.

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  2. The colors are incredible. What a gorgeous way to start my week!

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  3. That was such a great point how high end fabrics can be used for a pop of color - way more cost effective.

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  4. I've perused Mario's wonderful collection of objects online. He really had a thing for lettuce and cabbage porcelains. Your knowledge of Germain porcelain makers is really extensive, Beth. I've never heard of many of these porcelain makers. Do you know of any book(s)or online resources on this subject. I've always loved beautiful things that provided a window into the past and a more gracious era. When I was younger, and had no money, I started collecting antique and vintage china, porcelain and monogrammed linens. This was in the day when people actually gave these things away and you could find them at thrift stores and tag sales for very little. At the time, these were the only beautiful things that were within my reach, and consequently, I've acquired a rather nice collection.

    There is a wonderful blogger, and her name escapes me at the moment, who blogs about antique fabrics. These fabrics are gorgeous and really works of art. I believe she lives somewhere in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, which is where I live. The name of her blog is "Trouvais", French for treasures. (If she is reading this, my apologies for not remembering her name.) She does not post very often, but I think her blog is really exceptional.

    I love the picture of the Manuael Canovas upholstered sofa with the rattan palm tree. I think I stated in one of your previous posts that Manuel Canovas is one of my favorites, and thank you for introducing me to Shazalyn Cavin-Winfrey. I had never heard of her until you mentioned her, and I think she is just fabulous!

    Sorry for going on and on - my enthusiasm just got the better of me!

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    1. Trouvais was Trish Lyon Allen and she stopped blogging years ago. My maiden name is Allen. Check out porcelainbiz.com for more on antique porcelain.

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