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Timed to coincide with Asian Art in London, 3rd to 12th November 2011, map dealer Daniel Crouch Rare Books will be exhibiting work by Ferdinand Verbiest completed at the Chinese Court during the start of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), as well as antique Chinese porcelain, presented by Woolley & Wallis Auctioneers.

Timed to coincide with Asian Art in London, 3rd to 12th November 2011, map dealer Daniel Crouch Rare Books will be exhibiting work by Ferdinand Verbiest completed at the Chinese Court during the start of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), as well as antique Chinese porcelain, presented by Woolley & Wallis Auctioneers.

Almost a year to the day after setting up on his own, antiquarian book and maps dealer Daniel Crouch opens a gallery in the heart of London’s St James’s. After a number of years working for the London books specialist Bernard Shapero, 37 year-old Daniel made his debut as an independent dealer last September in New York at the Haughtons’ International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show.

We are used to European, especially English dealers at American fairs and last year the Dallas International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show had its fair share. Some return for this year’s Dallas show, which The Palm Beach Show Group mount from November 2 to 6. But last week they announced four TEFAF Maastricht exhibitors have just joined the Lone Star fixture: Antiquariaat Forum BV, Daniel Crouch Rare Books, Dr Joern Guenther and Inlibris.

‘Here be treasure!’

Short of finding where ‘x’ marks the spot, Daniel Crouch, 37, thinks he has found a path to undiscovered treasures in the market for rare maps and atlases.

The London market enters its ‘masters’ phase in earnest this week with a series of dealer-led events that herald the main Old Master auctions next week. On Thursday, ‘Masterpiece’, a fair for 150 dealers in disciplines from Old Masters and antiquities to classic cars and modern art, opens in the grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital. On Friday, ‘Master Paintings Week’, an initiative by 23 central London dealers, specialising predominantly in Old Master paintings begins, as does ‘Master Drawings’, a forum for dealers in Old Master and modern drawings.

An exquisite 17th Century antique map of the Champagne region by William Blaeu could be yours to admire as you enjoy 2 Jeroboams of Champagne de Bruyne Cuvée Absolue Brut NV. Generously donated by Daniel Crouch Rare Books and Roland de Bruyne.

Outside of the Gauguin prints, the highlight of the Sotheby’s prints auction was the set of woodcut star charts by Albert Durer (1471-1528) previewed in ATG no. 1981. Offered together they sold at £300,000, against a £120,000-180,000 estimate, to dealer Daniel Crouch.

What a year this has been for antiquarian books and maps specialist Daniel Crouch. Just last September he made his debut as an independent dealer at the Haughtons’ New York fair, but I was really surprised to see him sharing a stand with Antiquariaat FORUM, the Dutch book and print dealers, in the TEFAF Paper section at Maastricht.

De Barbari’s Map of Venice Sold for Seven Figure Sum.

A Paul Gauguin print sells for $924,466 setting a new auction record for the artist. The print, called ‘Crouching Tahitian Woman Seen From The Back’, went for four times the pre-sale estimate.

A new generation of specialist art dealers is making its mark, capitalising on lower rents and gaps in the market. Clive Aslet meets the rising stars.