It’s no secret that New York based art dealers Steigrad Fine Arts supply works of rare beauty and quality including paintings, drawings, and sculptures dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. But did you know that Steigrad and his wife and business partner Peggy Stone began dealing in Old Master painting backed by only a thousand dollars and a couple of credit cards? The year was I989 and portraiture (English and Netherlandish) has featured prominently at the gallery ever since..
Fast forward over a quarter of a century and it’s clear to see that their gable paid off! Now established and respected exhibitors at TEFAF Maastricht (the world’s preeminent art and antiques fair) Steigrad and Stone take as much pleasure in placing works in major museums a they do serving the needs of collectors of more modest means. I caught up with Larry in New York recently to talk about his life in pictures, including everything from Billy - Goats to Breughel!.
ANTHONIE PALAMEDESZ (Leith, Scotland 1602 – Amsterdam 1673). A Young Boy with a Billy Goat
Signed A. Palamedes pinxit and dated Ao 1655 Oil on canvas 51 1/2 x 39 2/3 inches (131 x 100 cm.)
Can you describe your profession in just five words?
Search, research, buy, restore, sell!
When, where, and how did your passion for art begin?
My mother and her parents are all from Amsterdam, Holland and my father from Antwerp, Belgium and I grew up surrounded by 17th century Dutch and Flemish pictures.
What is it about portraits that speaks to you specifically?
Good ones show character, personality & history.
How might you describe their enduring appeal?
My heritage.
I love ‘A Young Boy with a Billy Goat’ by Anthonie Palamedesz that is currently in your inventory, what more can you tell me about it>?
Sure, this charming 17th century portrait may depict a wealthy child wearing delicately rendered clothing, but it is also a highly symbolic work. The billy goat which fianks the sitter is actually a warning for the child to have temptation under control!
Nicolaes Maes’s Portrait of a Lady as Diana (previously with Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts)
Is there a work which you found particularly hard to part with?
Nicolaes Maes’s Portrait of a Lady as Diana (above)
How has the nature art dealing changed throughout your career?
The process has become much harder, we used to throw the dog in the station wagon and travel up and down the east coast to small auctions with very little competition, now everyone on the planet is getting digital images and can bid on the phone or on the internet.
Nick Cox and Lawrence Steigrad examine HARMEN LOEDING (Leidencirca 1637 - after 1673)
A Still Life of a Lemon, Prawns, Peaches, Strawberries, Cherries, Wanli Bowl and Roemer on a Draped Table.
oil on panel. 16 1/8 x 12 ¼ inches (41 x 31 cm.)
Francis Cotes. Portrait of a Gentleman Sold to the Rienzi Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Which other dealers impress you the most and why?
Bob Haboldt, my ex-boss and mentor, for countless reasons, above all he is very honest and straightforward in his business dealings and also extremely knowledgable.
If you could ask any artist just one question, what would it be?
I would like to ask Jan Brueghel the Elder, how long it took him to paint one of his staggeringly detailed paintings on copper that includes scores of people?
Jan Brueghel the Elder - Orpheus Sings for Pluto and Proserpina, 1594
To view the Steigrad Fine Arts Inventory you can visit http://www.steigrad.com
Nick Cox / Period Portraits January 2020.