OPEN HOUSE AT RAGO ON DECEMBER 3 FEATURES PANEL PRESENTATION, “JAPONISME”

Lambertville, NJ:  Rago Arts and Auction Center hosts an open house on Tuesday, December 3 at 6 p.m., featuring a panel presentation, “Japonisme, The Opening of Japan in 1854 and Its Influence on Western Art and Design”.  Featuring Rago specialists and staff, the presentation takes place during the preview week for the Rago Great Estates, Jewelry, Silver, Coins and Currency Auctions to be held on December 6, 7 and 8.

When Commodore Perry convinced the Japanese to open ports to the west in 1854, traders started carrying back objects and works of art. Europeans and Americans were amazed and delighted by what they saw. Western painters, jewelers, silversmiths, designers of textiles, furniture and gardens began making work influenced by the Japanese aesthetic and techniques. The name that was given to such works by the French is Japonisme.

Join Carol Cruickshanks, Executive Director of New Hope Arts and Rago specialists Suzanne Perrault, Sebastian Clarke and Sarah Churgin for a talk on Japonisme in jewelry, silver, art and furnishings, where you will be introduced to a few of the significant objects set to sell in the December 6-8 Great Estate auction.

The auction house opens on Tuesday, December 3 at noon. A reception begins at 5 pm. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m.  Please R.S.V.P. to raac@ragoarts.com or 609-397-9374 ext. 119.  If you are unable to R.S.V.P. in advance, please join us. All are welcome.

TO THE EDITOR:  High resolution images available on request.

About Rago Arts and Auction Center: Rago is a leading U.S. auction house with $28 million in sales in 2012. We serve thousands of sellers and buyers internationally with a singular blend of global reach and personal service. Rago holds auctions of 20th/21st c. design, fine art, decorative arts, furnishings, jewelry, militaria, coins and currency, Asian, historic ephemera, and ethnographic property.  A world-class venue through which to buy and sell, it offers valuations for personal property (from a single piece to collections and estates), appraisals, estate services, exhibitions and lectures in house and online. Rago is based in New Jersey, midway between Philadelphia and New York City.

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