Reggie Out & About: The Charles Plante Exhibit and Sale at Mallett New York

Last evening Boy and I attended an opening reception at Mallett, Inc., in New York for an exhibition and sale of neoclassical period drawings and watercolors assembled by Charles Plante Fine Arts of London.  For those of my readers who may not be familiar with Mallett, it is a London-based dealer of very fine English antiques and decorative arts of the 18th century and Regency periods.  Founded in 1865 and with showrooms in London and NewYork, Mallett is one of the oldest and most illustrious of such dealers and is patronized by wealthy collectors, royals, and museums.  It doesn't get any richer, exquisite, or more fabulous than Mallett.

The front of the invitation to the Charles Plante Fine Arts
exhibit at Mallett New York

Charles Plante is a London-based specialist dealer in European and American watercolors and drawings of architecture, gardens, interiors, and design of the neoclassical period, circa 1760-1840.  He has brought several hundred of his works to Mallett's gallery in New York, where they are displayed beautifully throughout the gallery's first-floor rooms, hung salon style.

Mr. Plante standing amongst his delightful
framed pictures on exhibit at Mallett New York
Photograph by Boy Fenwick

Mr. Plante specializes in dealing in diminutively scaled works featuring a wide variety of subjects, and his pictures are beautifully framed using period or period-reproduction frames as well as period-appropriate, beautifully done French and eglomise matting.

As readers of this blog well know, Reggie has a weakness for little things, and so he was delighted to find himself at Mr. Plante's opening reception at Mallett.  While there I had the chance to meet and speak with Mr. Plante and learned that he is an American by birth, educated both here and in England, and has made his home and career in England since 1988.  He is passionate about his profession and the works he deals in and was quite jolly and pleasant when we spoke with him.

The interior of the Charles Plante Fine Arts gallery in London
Image courtesy of same

Works on display at the Plante exhibit at Mallett are priced very attractively, starting as low as $875 for a tiny picture and ranging up to $32,000 for the generously scaled watercolor featured on the exhibit's invitation, shown at the top of this post.  Most of what is on display at the show is very reasonably priced (as these things go) in the $1,000-$3,000 range.  Tempting, indeed!

The invitation resting on the base of a
marble and gilt bronze candlestick
at Mallett New York
Photograph by Boy Fenwick

Reggie recommends that you, Dear Reader, consider visiting Mallett during the show of Charles Plante's pictures, which runs through March 31st.  He is confident that you will be enchanted by it, as he was.  Be forewarned, however: given how charming and attractively priced Mr. Plante's pictures are, you may well feel compelled to buy something if you go, as Reggie was sorely tempted to last evening.

But you'd better get there soon, as the exhibit will likely sell out quickly.

Charles Plante Fine Arts at
Mallett, Inc.
929 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10021
(212) 249-8783
www.mallettantiques.com

Please note: Reggie has received nothing in return for writing this review (except several glasses of champagne and a nibble or two at the reception), nor does he expect to.  He is writing it solely for the edification and pleasure of his readers.