Art stories to feed the mind and soul How Susan and John Gutfreund created ‘the most beautifully opulent home in Manhattan’ From the archives: the ex-PoW who bought a Leica and shot Picasso with his first roll of film ‘ A portrait of Voltaire’s publisher by Jean-Etienne Liotard — kept by his descendants for 250 years ‘Salvaging American history’ — the passion that inspired the Siegmund collection of folk art How Clementine Hunter’s art won her admirers ranging from Joan Rivers to Oprah Winfrey ‘People trust our eye’: the family firm that has supplied museums and royal collectors for 75 years More stories Editor’s picks This 18th-century Venetian painting shows a scene from the city’s carnival games, in which the black-capped Nicolotti competed with the red-capped Castellani to perform feats of strength. Here the Nicolotti form a towering human pyramid, with the winged figure of Fame crowning the man at the top Estimate: $10,000-15,000 26 January, New York A model of versatility, this Regency mahogany table is on castors so that it can be wheeled out when needed. It has a backgammon board inside, and its top panel, inlaid with a chess board, can be flipped over for use as a writing desk when the games are finished Estimate: £5,000-8,000 19 January, London Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) spent many an hour in the menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, sketching the daily life of its exotic inhabitants. This meditative study of a seated leopard is similar to others by the artist in the Louvre and the Petit Palais Estimate: $3,000-5,000 14-28 January, Online Elaborately styled as a book, with ridged spine, painted page edges and moulded clasps, this delftware object is thought to have been used as a hand-warmer. An opening in the top allowed it to be filled with hot water, so it could be carried around to keep chills at bay Estimate: $7,000-10,000 21 January, New York © Christie’s 2021 | Web version | Privacy policy | Unsubscribe from Online Magazine John and Susan Gutfreund attend the Citizens Committee for New York Gala at the Waldorf Hotel, New York, February 1988. Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images // Pablo Picasso photographed with La Chèvre (The Goat), 1950. Photo: © John Stewart. Artwork: © Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2021 // Clementine Hunter on the front porch of her home at Melrose, Louisiana, circa 1975. Photograph by Thomas Whitehead // Harry, Bernard, Carole and Guy Apter in the 1980s. Courtesy of Apter-Fredericks
