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Phil Matier has confirmed in print today what had heretofore been unpleasant rumblings, that San Franciso’s magnificent Asian Art Museum is in deep financial trouble, in default with its major lender, and consulting with a bankruptcy lawyer. That it is unable to renew its operating line of credit, collateralized, it appears, with at least a portion of its permanent collections, the world faces not only the loss of a fine museum, but the prospective disbursal of extraordinary artwork to pay creditors.

That any public institution is having difficulty keeping its doors open, times being the way they are, is not a surprise, but that as valuable an institution as the Asian Art Museum is facing closure is never the less astonishing. Sadly ironic, too, given how hot and high profile particularly Chinese artwork is in collector’s circles. Last week, a Chinese collector paid nearly $70,000,000 for a particular small vase at a suburban auction house in west London.  This sale is not a one-off, with each passing week, it seems, logging record-setting prices.

Clearly, the self-interest of the collector trumps any notion of the greater good- the auction commission on just this one item would probably have totaled nearly $7,000,000- in itself a sizeable donation the Asian Art Museum would doubtless be ecstatic to receive. It would be a further and yet more cruel irony, however, should the museum be otherwise forced to capitalize on the hot market in Asian art by having to sell, as a stop gap, any part of its priceless collections.

Keith and I are diligent readers of shelter publications. Scotch that- we are diligent browsers, as we get so many complimentary subscriptions, we’d have a fulltime job reading them. So scan them we do, and that’s not such a bad thing, as a brief and rapid look better serves to make us aware of contemporary trends in a way that a narrow focus might not.

Lately what we find is a whole lot of what we used to see almost exclusively in World of Interiors –  otherwise ordinary spaces, filled with found objects artfully deployed. We used to refer to this- and yes, disparagingly- as garage sale chic. With my own objective to try to generate interest in better quality period material, and I’ll admit it, engender a sale and thus earn my daily crust, what were so often found items given pride of place seemed inimical to what we were trying to accomplish, and certainly at odds with our stock in trade.

After years of contemplative reflection, it’s finally occurred to me, though, that connoisseurship starts at a variety of different places. As I think about it, I’m not aware that anyone has, at least lately, found God amongst the Adamesque splendour of Osterley Park, but a fair number of people trudge with an almost religious fervor to the Alemany swap meet in San Francisco- and trudge home again possessed of something purchased solely because of its aesthetic appeal. Valuable? Possibly not much inherently, but if one makes an acquisition that has particular personal resonance, who’s to say what constitutes value?

Moreover, all of us who are inveterate collectors started somewhere. My own initial collecting passion, between the ages of 8 and 10, was for- wait for it- antique bottles. Mind you, some of them were exquisite- extraordinary colors, mainly the result of the interaction between sun and trace minerals in the glass. Now, though, I don’t have a one nor have I for, well, several decades. But enjoy them I did, and that’s the ultimate point, isn’t it? Well, perhaps not the ultimate, as enjoyment waxes and wanes, waning usually when replaced with another collecting if not passion than at least enthusiasm. But it is that sort of engagement that will ultimately yield a degree of connoisseurship. And who am I to say that a vintage electric toaster from the 1930’s has any less appeal or design integrity than a Linnell chair from the 1780’s.

With the holidays fast approaching, we still have an excellent selection of dining tables, sideboards and dining room chairs.  Take a look at our selection below and simply click on any image to be taken to the item’s detail page, where you will find high resolution images.

Any of our pieces can easily be shipped, both locally and across the country, within a matter of days to ensure every family member will have a place to sit and eat during the holiday celebrations.

Don’t forget to browse the rest of our website, www.chappellmccullar.com, to see all of our current inventory.  Of course, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

It hadn’t occurred to me when we renewed our gallery lease, but a newly found perk was that we’re 100 feet from the start of the Giants’ World Series victory parade.

Fresh from watching it, I have to say it was about as much fun, condensed into forty minutes, as watching all the post season play. Phrases like ‘once in a lifetime’ and ‘ecstatic’ are hardly clichéd when applied to the crowd reaction to the Giants. My hands are so swollen from clapping, I’m barely able to write this blog entry. But, what the hell…

Enjoy this album, straight from the camera of my nephew and gallery assistant Jack Tremper. Aubrey Huff may have to explain what he was doing with that red thong, but there’s no mistaking Andre Torres’ look of sincere gratitude and appreciation- what a gentleman. Our gratitude to you, too, San Francisco Giants. And to Bruce Bochy, Peter Magowan, Bill Neukom, and Brian Sabean. And next year? I’ve already started to make hash marks on the wall behind me, counting the days until the start of the season.

Click through to our Facebook page to see an album of photos from the parade.

Word’s gone around that Christie’s owner and luxury goods magnate François Pinault will soon shed his interest in the venerable English firm, with the buyer Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani of the Qatari royal family. During his 12 year tenure as owner, M. Pinault has seen some profound ups and downs in the fortunes of the salesroom- mostly downs. The price fixing scandal with Sotheby’s, the experience of huge losses the result of unsold lots the salesroom had guaranteed, and, of course, the downturn in the luxury goods market the last couple of years has doubtless made ownership of Christie’s an expensive proposition.

While not everyone purchases art and antiques from Christie’s at the highest levels, one can’t be either a dealer or a collector or an interior designer without knowledge that, in the last few years, Christie’s has sought to be in effect a retail vendor, as well, through its frequent ‘Interiors’ sales conducted in New York and South Kensington, London. While the material on offer may be less vaunted, the cost to catalog and market even second and third rank material is not. Although Christie’s, and Sotheby’s, too, have sought to cut costs by pruning staff numbers almost in half- and raising buyer’s premiums to upwards of 30% of the hammer price- they nevertheless continue to operate a high overhead, sporadically profitable and sometimes highly unprofitable business in some of the costliest commercial neighborhoods in the world.

It’s interesting, the Sultan of Qatar had commented last week to the Financial Times that Christie’s would be a good adjunct to his own passion for art collecting. That was at least partly M. Pinault’s motivation, as well. Clearly, business sense- or necessity- is now overruling passion. Even for billionaires, there must eventually be a payday.