Inside TEFAF 2026: Colnaghi's highlights

It is well known that each year Maastricht becomes a gathering point for the international art world. Yet the city’s association with exchange and movement long predates the modern fair. Situated on the river Meuse at a crossroads between the Low Countries, the German lands and France, Maastricht developed from the Middle Ages onward as an important centre of trade and circulation. Merchants, travellers and objects passed through its markets and along its river routes, linking the city to a wider European network of commerce and cultural contact. In a different form, the annual meeting of collectors, scholars and dealers at TEFAF continues this long history. For Colnaghi, the fair offers an opportunity to present works shaped by distinct artistic traditions and historical circumstances, bringing together objects whose origins span several centuries and geographies. The presentation ranges from a nineteenth-century Fang reliquary head from Gabon, created within the ritual context o