AMSTERDAM.-pAn Amsterdam is living up to its name as the foremost art and antiques exhibition in the Low Countries. The very best of old and modern art, antique and contemporary silver and glass, furniture and ceramics, jewellery, photography, archaeology and Oriental art are all shown here. While variety is a watchword, quality and expertise are paramount. pAn Amsterdam has eleven new exhibitors, among them Epoque Fine Jewels from Courtrai, Anat Isman-Fänder, silver specialist from Hamburg, and two photographic galleries. The hunt for unusual items still goes on. From 20 to 27 November they will be presenting all their trophies in the Parkhal at RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam. This is a foretaste.

Jan Six - Anticipating Rembrandt Year in 2006 pAn Amsterdam has organized a unique Rembrandt presentation. At its centre is Rembrandt’s 1647 etching of his friend Jan Six, a prominent Amsterdammer and burgomaster of the city. All the preparatory drawings and the different states of this etching will be brought together for the first time. Two of the impressions, two drawings and the plate come from the Six Collection and are only lent out on rare occasions. The other two etchings come from the Rijksmuseum; the small drawing from the Amsterdam Historical Museum. Geert Mak has written an impression of Rembrandt’s famous portrait of Six for the pAn catalogue as well as a small booklet that will be available free to visitors to the fair.

What’s on offer at pAn Amsterdam? - J. van Kollenburg (Oirschot) is showing one of the most beautiful pieces of furniture by the well-known master cabinetmaker Matthijs Horrix (1735-1809) of The Hague. It is a Louis XVI commode—an impressive 140 cm wide and 85 cm high—veneered with different kinds of wood. On the front, a classical vase with flowers and birds, flanked by—uniquely for Horrix—Apollo and Diana. The commode comes from a French owner, is new to the market and is in perfect condition, which is exceptional for furniture. Art dealer Pieter Overduin (Giessenburg) recently laid hands on a rare large seascape by Hermanus Koekkoek (1815-1883), of the best marine painters of the 19th century. The quay and the jetty are alive with figures. A large sailing ship lies in the harbour, in the foreground is a ferryboat full of people. Galerie Jörg Hasenbach (Antwerp) are bringing Mister Hollyhock (fig.) by the American abstract expressionist Jim Dine. A colourful canvas from 2003, which with its powerful, mainly red, yellow and green strokes creates an optical illusion, of which Goethe said, ‘Optical illusion is optical truth.’

Curious chamber pot - Limburg Antiquairs (The Hague) are bringing a colossal Delft chamber pot 40 cm high and 50 cm in diameter, decorated with a border of flowers and a bear hunt. A true curiosity. Rob Kattenburg (Bergen) has a masterpiece by Hendrick Vroom (1566-1640), Strandtafereel met gezicht op Scheveningen (Beach Scene with a View of Scheveningen) (fig.), with fishermen who are hawking their catch. Refinement and elegance characterize the sculpture of an oriental dancer by Affortunato Gory, a Florentine sculptor who worked from 1900 to 1925. The figure is to be found at Weyermars Antiquairs (De Wijk).

New exhibitors - The Madelon Eekels (Blaricum) collection has an eye-catching canvas, Vlinder (Butterfly) by Jan van Heel (1898-1990). He painted a clown and a butterfly in earth tones against a white background. Epoque Fine Jewels (Courtrai) are bringing an earring in the shape of a thorny bunch of blackberries (fig.) by René Lalique (1860-1945), made in Paris around 1900. The fruits are of light blue pâte de verre and the openwork leaves are in transparent blue plique à jour. For the first time the exhibition welcomes a German exhibitor: Anat Isman-Fänder from Hamburg. She will be showing 20th-century silver, including work by Damián Garrido, who combines smooth shapes with geometric and wavy lines to create a highly personal style.

Silver from The Hague - Following on from the Gold and Silver from The Hague exhibition in the Hague Municipal Museum, two antique dealers are bringing a special presentation of 17th- and 18th-century silver from The Hague. A. Aardewerk (The Hague) has an inkstand (fig.) made by Gregorius van der Toorn in 1751, and a pair of travelling candleholders by Isaac Samuel Busard from 1753. John Endlich (Haarlem) is showing a terrine from 1773 by Engelbart Joosten and an asparagus grater used by the city fathers in the town hall and engraved with the coat of arms of the city.

Japanese Export Lacquer book presentation - On Monday 21 November the first copy of Japanese Export Lacquer 1580-1850 will be presented to the Japanese ambassador to the Netherlands at the stand of Vanderven & Vanderven Oriental Art (’s-Hertogenbosch). The book was written by Oliver Impey and Christiaan Jörg. Christiaan Jörg will make the presentation and afterwards sign the book.