A dynamic and quality Biaf

The BIAF-Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato in Florence at Palazzo Corsini, which took place from 28 September to 6 October, was full of high-level proposals, with a very active buying public. With the return of historical giants like Agnews, Colnaghi, Dickinson, Nicholas Hall, Rob Smeets, or trendy ones like Galleria Continua, Richard Saltoun and Sperone & Westwater. Among the 'habitués' are founders or descendants of galleries with foreign branches, between generational changes or transfers of ownership: Altomani, Benappi, Maurizio Canesso, Enrico Frascione, DYS Lampronti, Robilant-Voena, Tornabuoni Art. Reinforcing the presences on the prestigious stage are Burzio, Lullo Pampoulides, Flavio Gianassi, Ceci Antichità, Reve Art. 80 galleries, 14 at the debut, an offer up to the contemporary of Anish Kapoor, to Deco design and beyond (Roberta and enough). "In a complicated and slowing market BIAF represents a summit together with TEFAF. Two exhibitions that can and should be complementary," is the summary of Paul Smeets. In Florence, despite Italic structural limitations in trade volumes and regulatory constraints, tenacious collecting has arrived. With the decline in ultra-contemporary art auction exploits and Russia and China in retreat, the dealers were good and passionate, prepared "to the limit of their hopes" and rewarded "beyond expectations" testifies Giacometti, who sold above and below €100,000: Antonio Mancini, Anton Pitloo, but also the seventeenth-century works of Carlo Solimena.

On offer are museum 'Madonnas' by Agnolo Allori or Bronzino (1525-6) from Maurizio Canesso (€2.5m, notification included) and by Tiziano from Carlo Orsi. Also by Orsi 'Susanna and the Old Men' by Franz Floris (1548.4/450 thousand). And the 'Virgin' by Goswijn van der Weyden (Romigioli) or 'St. Jerome' by Ambrosius Benson (€150,000, Caretto-Occhinegro). 'Magdalene' by Louis Finson changed hands for €200,000 at Baratti. Masterpieces from Jakob Philipp Hackert to Bernardo Bellotto at DYS44-Lampronti with asking prices, which sold two Michele Marieschi 'Venices' for six figures. Almost one million for Altomani's Reni. Among the portraits noted were "Antonio Medici" by Alessandro Allori (Dickinson), "L'ecclesiastico" by Giacomo Ceruti (Longari, €150,000) and "Giovane donna" by Umberto Boccioni (€500,000) from AL FineArt who sold "Caccia" (1863) by Nicola Palizzi for €200,000. The extraordinary 'Card Players' by Giacomo Ceruti brought the BIAF prize to Matteo Salamon. Splendid Napoleonic portraits withJ.Baptiste Gauffier (Orsi) and the 'Achille Fontanelli' (Robilant-Voena). This was followed by 'Anna Belimbau' by Vittorio Corcos (SocietàBelleArti).

For the 20th century, we note Afro (1967, from Maurizio Nobile, €600,000) and "Cariatide" of 1925 by Attilio Selva (from Berardi, €110,000), a very modern nude for the fountain in Rome-Piazza Quiriti, a scandal among the well-minded. Also sensual are Giovanni Lanfranco's 'Venus' on show at Scuderie del Quirinale (from Fondantico, €600,000), Michele Desubleo's 'Jacob' (sold by Cantore, over €200,000), sculptures by Lorenzo Bartolini (Carlo Virgilio) and Ambrogio Borghi (Bacarelli). Modern and antique works by Lampertico sold for €200,000 and Galileo Chini by Reve Art for €100,000. Sales also on Arnaldo Pomodoro, Alighiero Boetti and Giuseppe Capogrossi at Tornabuoni Art. Successes for Manzù, Mirko Basaldella and Antonietta Raphael at Copetti.

Among the prized items were GianLorenzo Bernini's 'Heads' from Gianassi, which sold the roundels by Bicci di Lorenzo for €180,000, Giovanna Garzoni's 'Still Life' from Colnaghi and a luminous Ushak carpet from Mirco Cattai. Among the porcelain classics by Gio Ponti (from Antichità Giglio and Pernici). Negotiations in progress for Agnews, Gianassi and Galleria Farsetti on de Chirico and Savinio millionaires, from Società Belle Arti per l'Ottocento and on design from Roberta e basta.

The urgency to intervene on VAT remains. Carlo Orsi recalls: "on the taxation of works... we lose a lot of competitiveness compared to, for example, the French who tax works of art at 5%, we tax them at 22%! There is a chain of quality trades behind it, on which we cede primacy to the French, Dutch and British.