“I just have a real emotional connection with her – her serenity, it’s in her expression, in those cool curves of the applied strips – and there’s a touch of whimsy in her, too.” James Infante left me in no doubt about his feelings for this Austrian art deco head of a woman, made of brass by Franz Hagenauer, Vienna, 1928, “When you get this emotion mixed with superb craftsmanship, all hand-hammered,” James continued, “you get a piece that makes me feel good just to be around, she makes me peaceful.”

James Infante, 20th Century Decorative Arts, (201) 435-6291, jp5@mindspring.com.