Click on pictures to enlarge.

A first article to introduce 3 following ones, on Art, or rather on Arts and a mythical place of the Belgian capital, the Sablon district.
An editorial line to represent 3 major groups of the Art market in the Sablon, painting and sculpture, artifacts and ancient civilizations, antiques.


Today we are talking about and highlighting Patrick and Ondine Mestdagh and their work as treasure seekers, experts in intuition, it is by this intuition and by love that they have been traveling the world for a very long time in search of objects, stories as well, but above all, of the heart's desire and rarity, even of unique pieces coming from distant civilizations and always non-European.


Patrick and Ondine's gallery started its history in a very small space in the Sablon, in 1991, couple in life, couple in work, we have the pleasure and the honor to count them both among our Insiders and interviewed them in 2021 about their job and their vision of luxury in Brussels.
Watch the film of their interview at the end of the article.
In this interview, they explain their way of proceeding and in particular of choosing an object to acquire according to a very first thing, its beauty and its capacity to sublimate a space, by its presence and the power of its history.



It is art for sure, the objects that take their place in their gallery in the Sablon generally find buyers and feed the speculation that is one of the engines of the art market.
It is also and above all precious and unique decoration, Patrick and Ondine have this gift of falling in love with objects that impose their aesthetic beauty, they know their customers well and often buy thinking of one or the other, sometimes seeing the place that such or such object could take in their interiors.
From Asia, Africa, Oceania or North America, the treasures found by Patrick or Ondine are sent all over the world and continue their story, highlighted in sublime interior decorations.
We asked them to send us 4 photos, 4 objects, 4 continents, 4 fabulous stories that bear witness to mythical lands and lost civilizations.
A bowl, a dagger, a club and a body ornament.

Indian dagger of the Khandjarli type, the ivory handle decorated with gold capitals set with a cabochon ruby, India, probably Vizianagram or Orissa, 18th-19th century Size: 37.5 cm Provenance: Robert Hales, London

An ironwood war club called Bulibuli, made of ironwood. Fiji Islands, 18th century Dimensions : 118 cm or 46 1/2in Provenance : Lady Victoria de Rotschild

A Lobi hunter's pendant in ivory. Republic of Ivory Coast, 19th century Dimension : 23 cm Provenance : Former collection Bertrand Goy

Condiment or fat bowl, British Columbia, Canada, early 20th century Dimensions: 18 cm, or 7 1/16 in Provenance: Sam and Lilette Szafran Collection

Watch here Patrick & Ondine Mestdagh interview: