The Easel

25th August 2026

Fang sculpture stands taller than ever

Emma Crichton-Miller | Apollo | 20th August 2026

At first glance, this is a straightforward report on the market for African sculptures and masks. The huge prices indicate the immense aesthetic appeal of what one writer calls “masterpieces of premodern global art”. From there it gets complicated. Recent scholarship suggests Picasso, on first seeing these works in 1907, engaged in direct copying rather than painterly interpretation. And, as to how such objects can be shown in western museums, (assuming bulletproof provenance) that is still a matter of considerable debate,

The Grand Egyptian Museum

Geoffrey Lenox-Smith | The Past | 20th August 2026

Although the museum officially opened last November, its crowning glory – the full contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb – is only now on display. Included are his personal possessions such as a carved calcite boat intended as a dining table centrepiece, and six chariots. A ceremonial chair made of ebony would have needed “a pile of cushions”. His spectacular funerary mask contains 10kg of gold and inlays of glass, obsidian and lapis lazuli. “I spent three full days in the GEM and look forward to returning”.

18th August 2026

An Andrea della Robbia Masterpiece Is on View at The Met for the First Time in 70 Years

Rena Gross | Galerie | 14th August 2026

Andrea della Robbia trained as a goldsmith before developing a method of glazing terracotta sculptures and devotional bas reliefs. Not only was his glazing more durable than a painted surface, but colours like “della Robbia blue” gave sculptures “a lifelike presence and an ethereal force”. Even though their work became popular throughout Europe, the della Robbia’s kept their techniques a secret, so much so that when the family died out several generations later, those secrets died with them. A video (3 min) is here.

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