Antique Collecting April 2025

APRIL 2025

SILVER LININGS

Discovering the stunning metalwork of Archibald Knox

Inside:

SKY’S THE LIMIT UNSEEN NASA PHOTOS UP FOR SALE IN PARIS MEDICINE WOMAN CATHERINE SOUTHON ON A COLLECTION OF APOTHECARY BOTTLES

upServing a treat David Harvey lifts the lid on a magni sideboardRegencycent

‘A rare medieval ring, which sold for £8,000 is part of a new boom in metal detecting’

ERIC KNOWLES

THE MANE ATTRACTION

COLLECTING BOARD GAMES FROM THE WORLD OF HORSE RACING

Cartier Laid Bare

Welcome

Many years ago as a cub reporter on the East London Advertiser in the early ‘80s, two things were likely to put the newsroom in a frenzy. One was a letter from the incarcerated reader Reggie Kray and the second was the arrival of a fax. How thrilled we were to gather round the magical machine, watching a printed sheet chug from its mechanical depths.

Mention this to anyone under the age of 40 and they would think you had taken leave of your senses. But those were the days of typewriters, carbon copies and landline phones. But our amazement was not so very di erent from the Victorians when they marvelled at the introduction of the Penny Post and the daily –or in some cases several – postal deliveries a day. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, as the French say. eirs was the golden age of letter writing which spawned a boom in the most beautiful desk accessories. is month the Wiltshire auctioneer Woolley & Wallis stages the second part of a 300-lot sale devoted to the genre. Have a look on page 26. Will there ever be a similar yearning for the fax machine? I highly doubt it, but you never know.

On the subject of nostalgia, on page 28, we go behind the scenes of a new exhibition at the Newmarket Museum of Horseracing the theme of which is parlour and board games devoted to the sport of kings. It stems from the sizeable collection of 84-year-old Lexa Dudley. Rather than the games themselves, it is the era they conjure up that Lexa finds so exciting – theEdwardian front rooms they were played in, or the smoke-filled clubs packed with glamorous young things. Desk accessories, or board games, it seems all us collectors are moved by the magic of reconnecting with the past. ere may be more than just nostalgia that inspires the collector of the (not inexpensive) work of Cartier. To celebrate this month’s unveiling of the rst exhibition of the work of the iconic French jeweller in 30 years at the V&A, on page 38 we delve into the history of the Parisian brand, highlighting some of itsmost sought-after collections from Tutti Frutti to Juste Un Clou, with collecting guides to both the maison’s jewellery and watches.

On page 18 we shine a lighton the work of the incredible designer Archibald Knox, whose Celtic ranges made for Liberty & Co. in the rst decade of the 20th century will be known to most. But there was more to the retiring Manxman than his metalwork, as we discover. On page 47 Eric Knowles praises the dedication of the country’s metal detectorists, while Catherine Southon takes thetemperature on the market for apothecary bottles on page 66. Enjoy the issue.

MARIE-CLAIRE THIJSEN

Behind the scenes with the modern Middle Eastern art expert, page 8

RUPERT SLINGSBY

Reveals his highlights from a special sale of Edwardian and Victorian desk accessories, page 26

DUNCAN

Georgina Wroe, Editor

KEEP IN TOUCH

Write to us at Antique Collecting, Riverside House, Dock Lane, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1PE, or email magazine@accartbooks.com. Visit the website at www.antique-collecting. co.uk and follow us on X and Instagram @AntiqueMag

ONLY £38 for 10 issues

is pair of George III mahogany armchairs which has an estimate of £2,000-£4,000 at Dreweatts’ sale of the collection of the late antique dealer Philip Astley-Jones on April 9. We love!

The jewellery specialist shines a light on the iconic French maker Cartier, page 38

CATHERINE SOUTHON

Swoons when a collection of apothecary bottles makes an appearance, page 66

THE TEAM

Editor: Georgina Wroe, georgina. wroe@accartbooks.com

Online Editor: Richard Ginger, richard.ginger@accartbooks.com

Design: Philp Design, philpdesign.co.uk

Advertising and subscriptions: 01394 389969, magazine@ accartbooks.com

SARAH

Preview of Roseberys’ forthcoming auction calendar

Prints, Design & Modern British Art

Tuesday 29 April

Modern British & 20th Century Art

Tuesday 3 June

Antiquities, Islamic & Indian Arts

Friday 2 May

Design Wednesday 4 June

Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art

Tuesday 13 & Wednesday 14 May

Arts of India Tuesday 10 June

REGULARS

3 Editor’s Welcome: Georgina Wroe introduces the April issue which celebrates two groundbreaking exhibitions taking place this month

6 Antiques News: A whistlestop tour of all the latest goings on, including a number of don’t-miss events to make a note of in your diary

10 Your Letters: is month’s correspondence includes memories of a favourite children’s cartoon from the 1970s, and praise for ceramics collecting

12 Around the Houses: An African tribal mask sells for more than 70 times its estimate in Wiltshire, while a doublesided painting by Cedric Morris fetches £125,000 in Cambridge

16 Waxing Lyrical: Fine English furniture specialist David Harvey serves up another treat in the shape of a magni cent Regency sideboard which would have graced the most elegant dining room

26 Saleroom Spotlight: Behind the scenes at the sale of a number of Edwardian and Victorian desk accessories from the golden age of writing

Book O ers: Stuck for a good read to immerse yourself in this Easter? Choose from six of the best from our sister publisher ACC Art Books and save a third on the RRP into the bargain

In the Knowles: As a medieval ring found y field sells for £ ,000 in Derbyshire, Eric Knowles praises the work of the metal detectorists

48 Puzzle Pages: Forget all your woes and embroil yourself in a head-scratching quiz and crossword from our resident puzzle editor Peter Wade-Wright

56 Top of the Lots: is month’s preview of lots appearing on the rostrum include a collection of vintage NASA photos going up for sale in Paris, and a rare Chinese vase o ered in East Anglia

58 Fair News: Make the most of the fairs taking place in your region and beyond this Easter. Our guide includes events in Hampshire, Su olk and the Cotswolds

59 Fairs Calendar: Our easy-to-read guide will keep you up to date with all the events set to be staged in April

60 Subscriptions O er: Our new deal includes 15 issues of the magazine for the price of 10, and you, or a friend, receives a free book worth £35

61 Auction Calendar: Discover the sales taking place around the country with our up-to-date listings guide

66 e Final Word: Standing in for Marc Allum, the TV expert and auctioneer Catherine Southon is in aswoon when a collection of apothecary bottles appear in her saleroom

FEATURES

18 inking Out of the Knox: On the eve of a new exhibition on the Victorian designer Archibald Knox on the Isle of Man, Antique Collecting celebrates the work of the retiring Manxman, who was responsible for much of Liberty & Co.’s famous Cymric and Tudric ranges

28 Turf’s Up: Board games and parlour entertainment based on the sport of kings are in the spotlight at the National Museum of Horseracing. To mark the occasion we consider the more collectable versions, from earliest French designs

38 King of Jewellers: With the unveiling of the rst exhibition on the famous French jeweller Cartier in 30 years at the V&A, our experts reveal their collecting tips to the iconic brand’s jewellery and watches from the Tank to Tutti Frutti

50 Women’s World: National Trust properties house some of the UK’s greatest treasures, none more so than those by a number of unsung women makers. Antique Collecting lifts the lid on seven of them and explores their often uncredited work

WHAT’S ON IN APRIL

A NTIQUE news

From a celebration of modern book binding in Hampshire to a novelty teapot celebrating Jane Austen, the world of antiques and ne art continues to enchant in April

FACE MASQUE

A portrait celebrating the 18th-century fashion for masquerades has been acquired by a London gallery. The oil on canvas, by Joseph Highmore (1692–1780), has gone on show at Philip Mould & Co. in Pall Mall. Likely painted in the 1740s, it captures the taste for masquerades – high society balls where goers wore bewitching masks and costumes.

Highmore trained as a lawyer, before shifting to painting, gaining recognition for his refined and detailed portraiture. He was recently the subject of an exhibition at the Foundling Museum.

Mice house

A doll’s house which inspired the stories of children’s author Beatrix Potter (18661943) has gone back on display after 300 hours of conservation work.

Some 73 miniature items were repaired and cleaned by teams of conservators at the National Trust, ahead of the house becoming the centrepiece of a new exhibition at Hill Top, the author’s farm near Hawkshead, Cumbria on until November.

e house’s tiny furniture was given to Potter by her publisher Norman Warne to help inspire her book e Tale Of Two Bad Mice in which Hunca Munca and Tom umb attempt to steal some of the miniature food - only to discover it is glued to the plate.

Warne later proposed to the author, who accepted, but the would-be bridegroom died in 1905 before they could marry. Potter bought the doll’s house many decades later in the 1930s.

Hats off

A Winchester arts venue has announced plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen.

The Arc is launching the exhibition Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels in July, exploring the real-life women on whom many of Austen’s characters are based, including Susannah Sackree who was nursemaid to the author’s brother, and Mary Martin who was an innkeeper who later ran a draper’s shop and library.

Above Beatrix Potter’s doll’s house is going back on show after conservation work © National Trust, Annapurna Mellor

Top right Artwork from Potter’s e Tale of Two Bad Mice © National Trust Images, Jaron James

Above right 20th-century Romanian man’s hat with a semi-circular spray of peacock feathers ©20052012 e Regents of the University of California, Davis campus. All Rights Reserved

Left Joseph Highmore (1692-1780) portrait of a gentleman in masquerade costume, 1740s

SENSE AND SENSIBILI-TEA

Celebrations of Austen’s birth continue in East Anglia with a pottery company having created a specially themed teapot. Carters of Suffolk has designed the piece made up of some of the Hampshire-born author’s most celebrated works.

The firm has been designing teapots for more than 40 years using a manufacturing process that has changed little since the early 18th century, with each teapot taking up to a week to produce.

Most are hand painted and created in limited editions.

Right e new Jane Austen teapot is by Carters of Su olk priced £109

1Rings a Bell

ere’s a chance to see the works of the modernist pioneer Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) at Charleston — the East Sussex home she shared with fellow artist Duncan Grant and his lover, David Garnett.

Bell was closely associated with the Bloomsbury Group, an in uential collective of artists, writers, and intellectuals, including her sister, Virginia Woolf. Charleston became a centre for creativity, where Bell, Grant and other artists decorated the interiors with murals, hand-painted furniture, and textiles, transforming the space into a living work of art.

Bell was co-director and lead designer at the Omega Workshops, producing textile designs, painted furniture and interiors.

Vanessa Bell

A World of Form and Colour is on at Charleston from March 26 to September 21.

3 Binding light

e life and work of the internationally renowned bookbinder Roger Powell OBE (1896-1990) is celebrated at a new exhibition at Peters eld Museum and Art Gallery in Hampshire.

With a selection of 24 rarely seen ne bindings by Powell – as well as his tutors Douglas Cockerell (1870-1945) and William Matthews (1898-1977) – the exhibition spotlights the tradition and innovation of a skill dating back thousands of years.

Powell also taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal College of Art, with his knowledge of his craft making editions bound by him highly sought after today. Bound Together: Modern British Bookbinding runs until May 3.

Far left Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) Street Corner Conversation, c. 1913, private collection. Photograph © Colin Mills

Left Vanessa Bell (18791961) David Garnett, oil and gouache on cardboard, 1915 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Right Jan Steen (1626-1679) e Egg Dance, 1674 © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House

2

3

to see in April

Left Vanessa Bell (18791961) e Co ee Pot, c. 1917, private collection © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2024;

Right Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684) e Musical Party, c.1675 © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House

Far right Nicholas Maes (1634–1693) e Eavesdropper, 1655-1659, Nicholas Maes © English Heritage, the Wellington Collection, Apsley House

Below right Twenty Duets, bound by Stuart Brockman, printed by Paul L. Kershaw for Duet Books, Oxford 2021

Bottom right Hymns Ancient and Modern, published 1950, bound by Roger Powell and Peter Waters at Frox eld, Hampshire c.1955-1960, private collector

Right Roger Powell in his workshop at the Slade, c.1970s, photographer Don Eades, courtesy of Peters eld Museum and Art Gallery

Wellington loot

Apsley House, the London townhouse of the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) this month puts on showthemilitary leader’s discerning collection of Dutch paintings.

Shortly after his famous victory at the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington bought 21 Dutch works to add to his collection ofOld Masters. They were principallygenre scenes – depictions of ordinary life – including masterpieces such as e Eavesdropper Nicholas Maes (1634-1693) and e Musical Party by Peter de Hooch (1629-1684).

In the 19th century the faithful realism of Dutch paintings and their ability to render textures, light, and detail was celebrated asa pinnacle of artistic achievement. e ington’s utch Master ieces runs from April 2 to December 25.

Girl power

A rare, uncorrected proof of Matilda by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, has come to market.

The proof, dated 1988, and published by Jonathan Cape, has gone on sale from Bristol-based Iconic Antiques priced £1,350.

The book soon became one of the author’s classics with 17 million sales worldwide.

The story features the gifted but unloved Matilda Wormwood, and her time at a school run by the tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull.

Such proofs are rare owing to their small print run. Typically, Jonathan Cape only produced between 500600 uncorrected proof copies.

ANIMAL MAGIC

One of the last collections of Fabergé animals in private hands is going on display in London this month ahead of its sale in Geneva in May.

Some 30 lots of miniature beasts from Castle Howard, one of Britain’s greatest country houses, will go on show at Sotheby’s from April 25-29.

Each had been carefully stored in a leather case in the private reaches of the estate, only taken out once or twice a year to decorate the dining table for a large dinner party.

e pieces range from a tiny vole carved in smoky quartz to an obsidian rhinoceros, each epitomising Fabergé’s unmatched craftsmanship and creativity. Part of the proceeds from the auction will contribute to the restoration of the Tapestry Drawing Room which has remained a shell since it was gutted by a devastating re in 1940.

Exceedingly good

A South American box found at the East Sussex home of Rudyard Kipling, has been revealed as a very rare 300-year-old example of a near extinct craft. Untouched for more than a century at the writer’s 17th-century home, Bateman’s at Burwash, it is an example of the ancient technique of barniz de Pasto, often miscatalogued as ‘lacquer work’. In it thin layers of coloured resin extracted from the seeds of a local shrub are used for decoration.

Kipling was born in India in 1865 and travelled widely all his life, including trips to Hong Kong and Japan, as well as South Africa and the US, often bringing back objects to add to the collection at Bateman’s.

30 seconds with..

Marie-Claire Thijsen, Christie’s head of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art

Tell us about how you started in the business?

I began as an intern at Christie’s London 10 years ago. After stints in the post-war and contemporary art team, as well as working on evening, day and online auctions, I took up my current role in 2023.

I have always been passionate about discovering and promoting emerging and overlooked artists, with a particular interest in artists from the Middle East and North Africa.

Above Estimates on the Fabergé animals range from £20,000-£70,000

Why is Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art such an exciting category for collectors?

The region has an incredibly rich artistic heritage, from Casablanca to Cairo and Beirut to Baghdad.

Over the two last decades the Gulf in particular has been undergoing a cultural revival and has established itself as a major cultural hub for the international art world.

There are new museums set to open in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh as well as prestigious biennales and art fairs, all of which is making for a very vibrant and growing gallery scene. The art market in the Gulf is thriving.

What are some of the names for collectors to look out for?

In our next auction we have great female representation spanning the entire region from North Africa to the Levant and the Gulf to Iran.

One of my highlights is a porcelain dove sculpture entitled Suspended Together by Saudi artist Manal Al Dowayan. It is an edition from a larger installation of 200 doves she presented at the Venice Biennale in 2011 questioning the position of women in Saudi society.

Christie’s modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art sale is online from April 24 to May 8.

Above An uncorrected proof of Matilda by Roald Dahl has come to light in Bristol

Right A conservator inspecting the barniz de Pasto casket © National Trust Images, James Dobson

On the grid

ere’s a chance this month for car enthusiasts and collectors to meet some of the best contemporary automotive artists at an exhibition at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon in Warwickshire.

Opening on April 4, it will feature paintings and sculptural pieces from artists including John Ketchell, Keith Woodcock, Emma Capener, Jonny Ambrose, Oliver Ray and Steve Goodwin. ere will be live art sessions taking place where the artists will be depicting pieces in the museum for visitors to see. Each artist works in a variety of media, including acrylics, oil, watercolour, pen and pastels.

HIGHS AND LOEWES

Te Loewe Foundation has announced the shortlist for its 2025 craft prize, selecting 30 artists from 18 countries after more than 4,600 worldwide submissions.

Philip Eglin is one of two UK artists to make the final, with his large ceramic jar inspired by 15th-century Italian Maiolica pharmacy jars and galvanised watering cans.

Many of the artists employ contemporary twists on ancient craft techniques. e winner will be announced on May 29 ahead of an exhibition of the nalists’ work at the yssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid from May 30 to June 29.

Read Baron

A secret cache of 229 letters and papers penned by some of the greatest gures of the last 500 years has gone on show at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire.

e remarkable nd came about in 2024 following a routine cataloguing project at the Renaissance-style château. e letters, from an archive compiled by Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934), range from missives from Elizabeth I to Mozart, as well as an example of Lord Nelson’s writing with his surviving left hand.

correspondence.

Signi cant

Signatures: Autograph letters from the Waddesdon Archive, ison from March 26 to November 2.

e baron was a tireless collector but how he acquired some of the letters is shrouded in mystery, perhaps from a specialist dealer, although others were part of his family’s

Above

MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION

The National Gallery has chosen four UK venues to take part in this year’s Masterpiece Tour, giving the nation a chance to see a famous work by Monet.

Palace aide

Visitors to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire can now use an app to guide them on personally-tailored tours.

Called ‘Archie’, after Archie Illingworth the palace’s chief guide from 1950 to 1972, the app includes details on how the library became a hospital in WWII as well as how the grounds were used to test Spitfires.

The palace’s, David Green, said: “The traditional audio guide gave visitors a description of what they saw before their eyes, with that description being the same for everyone. With ‘Archie’ every visitor can enjoy a unique experience.”

The Sainsbury Centre in Norwich; the South Shields Museum and Art Gallery; Blackpool’s Grundy Art Gallery and the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull will all show the Impressionist’s The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil which has only left the gallery once in the last 20 years.

The scheme offers four UK museums and galleries outside of London the opportunity to display three major works for three years.

Previously the tour had seen a Constable visit Jarrow in 2023 and a work by Turner go to the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle in 2024.

Above Claude Monet (1840-1926) e Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil, 1872, oil on canvas © e National Gallery, London

Above Queen Elizabeth I to King Henri IV of France, undated (c.1589-1598) © e Waddesdon Archive at Windmill Hill

right Nicholas Hilliard (15 7-1619) Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) image Waddesdon © Hamilton Kerr Institute

Above e British Motor Museum’s Stephen Laing (left) and Historic Car Art owner Rupert Whyte at last year’s event

Above Blenheim Palace has launched ‘Archie’ a new interactive guide

Above Rosso, a ceramic jar by Philip Eglin has made the shortlist for the 2025 Loewe Foundation craft prize

Your Let ters

is month’s mailbag includes praise for the unlikely bedfellows Captain Pugwash and Christopher Dresser

What a joyous trip down memory lane you gave us last month in pursuit of that rascally pirate Captain Pugwash (Booty Call, March issue). When I look at the ludicrously realistic cartoons my grandchildren delight in, it is amazing to think how trans xed we were at what was little more than hand-jiggled carboard cut-outs. Back in the day, like The Magic Roundabout and Hector’s House, children’s cartoons were broadcast just before the news, soeveryone got to see them. Today they only appear on children’s channels unseen by all but the children, their parents and grandparents. What a shame. Birdy MacDonald, by email

I amwriting as a newly inspired collector of porcelain,eager to share my excitement with fellow enthusiasts. What began as a casual visit to a local antiques fair has quickly turned into a passionate (and slightly obsessive) pursuit of delicate treasures from the past. Like many beginners, I initially gravitated towards the well-known names Meissen, Royal Worcester, and Sevres — butI’ve since discovered the thrill of uncovering lesser-known makers, regional factories, and charming, unmarked pieces with stories still waiting to be told. ank you for providingsuch an engaging magazine.

Jackie Preston, by email

Our star letter receives a copy of British Designer Silver by John Andrew and Derek Styles worth £75. Write to us at Antique Collecting magazine, Riverside House, Dock Lane, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1PE or email magazine@ accartbooks.com

Left John Ryan (19212009). Captain Pugwash, original gouache drawing,1979, image courtesy of Chiswick Auctions

Top right Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) teapot made for James Dixon & Sons, c. 1879, image courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Below left Porcelain in all types is a great basis for a collection, image Shutterstock

I was stunned to read about the designs of the incredible polymath, Christopher Dresser, in last month’s magazine (Best Dresser, March issue). While most Victorian decorative art was overblown, elaborate and historicallyinspired, he came up with designs which still look modern today. To contemporary audiences his work must have looked like something from outer space. I wonder which designers working today have the same reach. I would love to hear readers’ thoughts. Anon, by email

The answers to the quiz on page 48. Q1 (b). The name of the first bubble-gum madein 1906. Early versionswere brittle and not a success. It was improved andsuccessfully marketed, in 1928. Q2 (c). Competitive Parisian tailors did not welcome his invention which they believed wouldcost jobs. Q3 (a). The word comes from serin the French for canary. Q4 (d). Although a spathomele and curette could be used for mixing and spreading medicines (and pigments by artists), the vectis was used by Romans as a lever tomove bones, during obstetric procedures. Q5. First-class was purple; second-class (enclosed), yellow;second-class (open-sided), green and third-class, blue. Q6 (a) They were later taken over by Airfix. Q7 (c). Compilation of legislation by bishops. Q8(d). The flowers were blue when it was warm and dry, and pink when it was wet. Q9 (c). Q10 (a) Harbonite, supposedly found in Africa, was ‘invented’ in a Tarzan story. (b) Artificial stone made by Pulham terracotta (c. 1806-1945) used for grottos and watercourses. (c) Adamantium is from Marvel comics. (d) Bureaucratium (for all readers schooled in science) has a negative half-life so becomes more massive, dense and impenetrable over time.

Aghast hieratic is an anagram of the writer Agatha Christie; Bristly jeep can be rearranged to make the name JB Priestly; Escort serf is an anagram of CS Forester and Feminal gin can be rearranged to make the author’s name Ian Fleming.

TheHowellCollection ofLowestoftPottery

Wednesday23April2025

11amatourStowmarket,SuffolkSaleroom

JoinusatourStowmarketsaleroomforthisauctionofanimportant collectionofLowestoftporcelainamassedbyTony&JanetteHowell.

Seeourwebsiteforthefullauctiondetails.

A ROUND the HOUSES

A decanter from an 18th-century drinking club and a ceremonial mask from eastern Gabon are among the lots making waves

Che ns, Cambridge

A painting of owers in a landscape by Cedric Morris (1889-1982), expected to sell for £30,000-£50,000 fetched £125,000 at the Cambridge auction house.

The doublesided painting sold for £125,000 demonstrating the ongoing boom in Morris’ work

It was given by Morris to Bettina ShawLawrence (1921-2018), one of his students at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing and had been kept in her family ever since. On the reverse is another picture: a view of a keeper’s cottage, possibly in Wales. Shaw-Lawrence was a well-known artist in her own right and in an on-o relationship with Lucian Freud, a fellow student at the painting school at Benton End in Hadleigh, Su olk. Interest in Morris’ work has soared since the sale of three of his paintings as part of David Bowie’s estate in 2016. is was backed up by exhibitions at Philip Mould Gallery, the Firstsite Gallery, and Benton End House and Gardens.

The painting’s reverse depicts a keeper’s cottage, possibly in Wales

A ceremonial mask from the Kwele people of eastern Gabon sold for £85,000 –70 times its estimate

Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury

A tribal mask from central Africa sold for £85,000, 70 times its estimate of £300-£500 at the Wiltshire auction house’s recent sale.

‘sleeper’, which went to a French dealer, was catalogued as being from the Lega people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but was more likely a ceremonial mask from the Kwele tribal group of nearby eastern Gabon.

e Kwele is a relatively small ethnic group living in the dense forests, with a strong tradition of mask-making, with designs renowned for their smooth, serene expressions.

eir masks are considered some of the most elegant and minimalistic examples of African mask art, and they have long captivated collectors, with older Kwele masks (pre-1940s) achieving huge sums at auction.

e Canterbury Auction Galleries

A pair of 19th-century stoneware bottles shattered its estimate of £150-£250 to fetch £2,700 at the Kent auctioneer’s recent sale. e reason could be their provenance, one shoe polish bottle, stamped “T Warren’s Liquid Blacking”, was well known as being the workplace of Charles Dickens, who famously worked there as a child after his father was sent to a debtors’ prison at the Marshalsea. e traumatic time the author spent in the rat-infested factory is described in ctional form in David Copper eld where the young hero is sent to work in Murdstone and Grinby’s warehouse, which

was closely based on Warren’s.

The earthenware bottles came from the factory Charles Dickens worked at as a child

The 20.5cm carafe is engraved The Kit Kat Club at the Fountain Tavern on the Strand

Halls, Shrewsbury

An onion-shaped decanter from the KitKat Club – an early 18th-century drinking club, whose members included Sir Robert Walpole, William Congreve and John Locke, sold for £1,650, beating its guide price of £300£400 at the Shropshire auctioneers.

Active roughly between 1696 and 1720, the club was closely associated with the Whig Party, which supported constitutional monarchy, Protestant succession, and a range of more progressive political ideas.

e club was said to be named after Christopher (Kit) Cat, a pastry cook who ran a tavern in Shire Lane, o Fleet Street, where the club rst gathered. His famous mutton pies, called “Kit-Cats,” became part of the club’s identity.

Olympia Auctions, London

A Victorian Vesta case which doubles as a photograph holder, estimated to sell for £80£120, sold for £550 at the London auctioneer’s recent sale. e front and side panels open to show a gilt picture frame able to house an image of the owner’s beloved.

First invented by the English chemist John Walker in 1826,friction matches– known by the brand name Vesta – could ignite accidentallywhen carried loosely so the Vesta case quickly became an everyday essential. They soon became a must-have accessory for the well-heeled Victorian gentlemen.

The inventive Victorian Vesta case, dated 1871, also includes a photo holder

Roseberys, south London

The cup and saucer by Ben Nicholson for Foley China sold for 10 times its estimate

A cup and saucer by the British Modernist painter Ben Nicholson (1894-1982) sold for more than 10 times its low estimate of £200 at the London auction house’s recent sale, fetching £2,900. Nicholson was one of a number of progressive artists - including Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth and Graham Sutherland – to take Modern Art for the exhibition at Harrods in 1934. e governmentbacked initiative hoped to boost the UK’s failing ceramics industry.

A number of silver napkin holders by the well-known designer more than doubled their estimates

Leyburn

A Cymric vase by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co. sold for £6,000

A number of pieces for Liberty & Co., by the Manx designer Archibald Knox (18641933) were among the highlights of the North Yorkshire auction house’s recent sale. Seven silver napkin holders by the maker allsold for beyond their estimates with this example (above), hallmarked Birmingham, 1903, selling for £420, beating its sale guide of £250-£350.

A Cymric arts and crafts silver and enamel vase, hallmarked Birmingham, 1901, with the retailer’s mark L & Co. sold for a mid-estimate £6,000. ey all came from t he from the Lion Collection, carefully curated by John L. Davis, all of which were researched and published by the owner For more on Archibald Knox turn to our feature on page 18

Sworders, Stansted Mount tchet

A Chanel No 5 perfume bottle fetched £13,000 at the Essex auction house, beating its pre-sale guide of £3,000-£5,000. e iconic scent was created in 1920 by the French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. e rare bottle was pre-1924 and considered the ‘holy grail’ because it was made in such small numbers before the design was modi ed in 1924 to a chunkier model. e bottle was a wedding gift from the vendor’s grandfather to his wife who wore it on her wedding day in 1942. Coco Chanel had an a nity with the number ve. When Beaux presented her with sample scents, she chose the fth saying “I present my dress collections on the fth of May, the fth month of the year and so we will let this sample number ve keep the name it has already, it will bring good luck”.

for £13,000

The rare Chanel No 5 perfume bottle beat its estimate to sell

£5,600 at the Bedfordshire auctioneers, ying past the estimate of £400-£600.

Each watercolour-on-ivory painting was housed in a yellow metal frame measuring just under 1in (2cm) in diameter, with the group contained in a tortoiseshell box.

Lovers’ eyes certainly became à la mode from around 1790 - some of the rst were painted by the miniaturists Richard Cosway and George Englehart. ey remained fashionable until the early 1830s.

Not all were love tokens; some were commissioned as gifts to be shared among families. Often worn as bracelets, brooches, pendants or rings, they acted as very personal forget-me-nots.

Swan Fine Art Auctions, Twickenham

A painting of an Australian railway station sold for more than 13 times its low estimate when it hammered at £67,000 at the southwest London auctioneers.

It was by London-born Tom Roberts (1856-1931) who moved to Australia in 1881, after studying at the Royal Academy Schools and Academie Julian in Paris under JeanLéon Gérôme.

In uenced by the Impressionist movement, he frequently painted en plein air and became leader of the group of painters who would be known as the Heidelberg Group.

Roberts returned to London in 1903 and forged a career primarily as a portrait painter, before another return to Australia in 1923.

Tom Roberts (1856-1931) was a well-known artist in his adopted home of Australia

Richard Winterton Auctioneers, Lich eld

Four albums of rare photographs depicting life and death in Shanghai from the early 1900s sold for a total of £5,300 at the Sta ordshire auction house.

e collection of around 600 images were taken by Birmingham postie Albert Aiers who quit his job to join Shanghai Municipal Police aged 18 in 1902. Aiers spent close to 40 years battling opium gangs, robbers and violent civil unrest as well as witnessing the SinoJapanese Hostilities of 1937, before retiring as assistant commissioner in 1939.

Subjects included captured prisoners, as well as “sing-song girls” – high class prostitutes whose musical skills and witty conversation di erentiated then from lower-class sex workers who were often called “ ower girls” or “tea-house girls.”

A portrait of a group of seven Shanghai “singsong” girls also featured in one of the albums

The album of 600 photographs included this prisoner with a cangue used for public shaming

Hansons, Penshurst

An etching by the “father of British pop art”, Richard Hamilton (1922-2011), was the top seller at the Kent auction house’s recent sale when it sold for £12,500, more than six times its low estimate of £2,000.

It came from the private collection of modern British art from a local estate, amassed over more than 40 years and featuring works by some of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century.

Hamilton’s 1956 collage, Just what is it that makes today’s homes so di erent, so appealing? is an iconic collage lled with American consumer symbols, such as vacuum cleaners and canned ham, and is often considered the rst work of pop art.

Hamilton was also a huge Beatles fan and designed the cover for e White Album (1968), which was radically minimalist compared to the psychedelic covers of the era.

The set of eight miniatures caught the eye of bidders in Bedfordshire

Richard Hamilton (19222011) Reaper. The etching on aquatint was the top seller at Hansons’ Kent saleroom

Quirky architectural features. Regency columns, corbels, marble and stone pieces, over door pediments, folding/rolling multi part Georgian room dividing doors. Victorian canopy shower bath. Decorated toilets etc Unitas, Simplicitas, Deluge etc. Decorated basins x 3. Edwin and Walter Martin for Martin Brothers, a large Aquatic stoneware vase, 1898 – sold for £44,200

Sash windows x 4 identical. Georgian reclaimed. Approx 58” high x 36” wide.

VALUATIONS & ADVICE SPECIALISTS IN SINGLE-OWNER COLLECTIONS NATIONWIDE VALUATIONS & ADVICE

Jewellery | Watches | Silver | Ceramics | Glass | Decorative Arts Paintings | Furniture | Clocks | Design | Books | Designer Goods 10-12 Cotswold Business Village, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0JQ 01608 695695 enquiries@kinghamsauctioneers.com www.kinghamsauctioneers.com

Signed and unusual furniture. Georgian, Regency, William IV. Sofa / Pembroke / side tables, library furniture / bookcases. Also Victorian campaign chests, armchairs etc. Ross of Dublin, Morgan & Sanders, Williams & Gibton, James Winter, Hill & Millard

J Alderman. Daws and George Minter reclining chairs. Shoolbred/ Hamptons / Cornelius

Marble fire surrounds. Georgian / Regency/ William IV. Bullseyes etc.

skull. Hippopotamus skull. Stuffed crocodile / alligator.

Waxing lyrical

English antique furniture specialist David Harvey serves up another magni cent design from makers Gillows in the shape of a Regency sideboard

Ihave been collecting pieces

stamped by the renowned furniture maker Gillows for years. As regular readers are aware, there is a very de nite quality associated with its name and I cannot recall ever having been disappointed with pieces from its workshops.

Not only that, one of the joys for the collectors is that Gillows maintained detailed Estimate Sketch Books (from 1784 to 1905) which are kept at the City of Westminster Archives, with detailed illustrations and descriptions of custom-made furniture. is record not only helped standardise its designs but also provides modern historians with a valuable insight into the furnituremaking process of the time. What a joy!

Gillows had a strong in uence on the development of Regency and Victorian furniture styles. As can be seen on this ne Regency sideboard, Gillows combined classical in uences with the fashionable designs of the day, resulting in pieces that were both stylish and functional.

Regency piece

ere are so many nice touches on this piece, including the brass splash rail with urn nials which is identical to the sideboard at Broughton Hall in North Yorkshire made by Gillows for its then owner Stephen Tempest (c.1759–1824). Tempest commissioned several pieces from Gillows including a set of chairs from its Oxford Street shop in

1803, and in the same year a pair of rosewood sofa tables as illustrated in Susan E. Stuart’s Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730–1840, highlighting their signi cance and design.

Splash rail

e splash rail on this piece is designed to have a curtain hung from it to stop any splashes of fat or food in general from staining the silk wall hangings when a joint is being carved and food served. Another explanation suggests it also prevented damage to the wall from the hinged tops to cutlery or knife boxes.

Brass was chosen because it was highly resistant to tarnishing from food or liquids, relatively easy to polish, and it complemented the mahogany, rosewood, or oak nishes typically used in 19th-century sideboards.

As with many embellishments essential for the wellto-do Regency home, the splash rail was also a subtle indicator of wealth and re nement.

e polished brass gleaming in the candlelight or gaslight, would have enhanced the beauty of the furniture and the dining room itself. Sideboards like this one were made not only to satisfy the demands of the customer but to impress visitors.

One example of just how important they were can be seen in the dining room furniture supplied by Gillows for Lord Bolton at Hackwood Park in 1813. Among the many items supplied by Gillows are “24 Handsome Dining Chairs” and “A Sett of Dining Tables to accommodate 30 persons” as well as a sideboard described as a “Capital Social Table”.

e Regency sideboard dated 1800 is a magni cent example of Gillows’ craftsmanship

Right Brass moulding on three sides of the sideboard echo the brightness of the polished splash rail

In the detail

Another interesting feature can be seen on the brass moulding around three sides of the sideboard under the drawers (below), which tied the brass above the board to the body of the piece.

e ebony banding around the top is echoed not only on the outside reeds of the reeded panels but also by the ebony cockbeading around the drawers.

Both have recesses for napery beneath the central main drawer, the one as a separate drawer and this piece with a tambour slide to access it.

‘While one might hesitate to serve one’s Sunday lunch from such a gorgeous piece, it is wonderful to imagine the dining experience over the years it has been privy to’

e sideboard top (above) is also exactly what I expect to see from Gillows who were able to import the nest timbers from the West Indies and South America.

e use of highly- gured timbers is often referred to in the Gillows work books as birchin and, paradoxically, has nothing to do with birch wood or trees.

Similar design

It is interesting to see how many of the design motifs featured on this piece occur on another sideboard I handled recently (below). is example is possibly about 10 years later in date but the reeded legs and columns strike a note on both pieces. e legs on each are reeded and tapered, terminating in inverted tulip feet, and about as much a Gillows signature piece as one could ever hope to see.

Another little extra is the row of boxwood inlaid acorns united by hoops on the front of the napery drawer.

While one might hesitate to serve one’s Sunday lunch from either piece, it is wonderful to imagine the lavish dinner parties over the years they have been privy to.

Left Gillows’ use of highly- gured timbers produced a rich e ect

Right e sideboard clearly shows the Gillows stamp on its centre drawer

Below left e sideboard is similar to this later design, also by Gillows

Gillows: a brief guide

Gillows of London and Lancaster was one of the most influential and highly-regarded furnituremaking firms of the 18th and 19th centuries, established around 1730 by Robert Gillow (1704–1772) in Lancaster.

Initially, the company produced furniture primarily for local gentry and for export to Britain’s colonial markets, especially the West Indies, where there was high demand for luxury furniture. The firm quickly developed a reputation for producing high-quality furniture that combined superior craftsmanship with elegant design. Gillows’ furniture graced the homes of the wealthy elite, stately homes, and grand houses across Britain and beyond.

Founding and development

In the 1750s, Robert’s son, Richard Gillow (1733–1811), joined the business and helped expand the company’s reach and influence. Richard was instrumental in establishing the company’s London branch in the 1760s, allowing Gillows to cater directly to the wealthy clientele of the capital. Under Richard’s direction, the company developed its distinctive style, emphasising fine craftsmanship, practical design and the use of high-quality woods.

One of the firm’s most significant contributions to furniture design was the development of the “Gillows’ Table,” a versatile piece that could serve as a writing table, worktable, or dressing table. Another influential piece was the “Davenport desk,” a compact writing desk designed for use in small rooms.

Several notable craftsmen worked for Gillows over the years including names such as William Fell, George Webster, and Edmund Sharpe, often associated with Gillows’ finest work.

Gillows was also one of the first firms to introduce mass-production without compromising on quality. By the mid-19th century, it had merged with Waring & Gillow, which continued producing high-quality furniture well into the 20th century.

David Harvey is the owner of Witney-based WR Harvey & Co. (Antiques) Ltd. For more details go to the website www.wrharvey.com

‘Far from a household name, either now or in his lifetime, Knox was one of the most influential figures in the British art nouveau and arts and crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century’

KNOX OUT of the BOX

An new exhibition of work by Archibald Knox is set to put the underappreciated polymath – responsible for some of Liberty’s best-known

designs – on the map forever

Archibald Knox (1864-1933) has been described as one of the most under-appreciated of any British artist/designer. ere are a number of reasons why. He was a deeply religious and reserved man, never happier than when walking the windblown cli s around his home on the Isle of Man, rather than ponti cating in the fashionable London salons.

But, far from a household name, either now or in his lifetime, he was one of the most in uential gures in the British art nouveau and arts and crafts movements of the late 19th and early 20th century. rough a partnership with Liberty & Co., Knox’s work – including the retailer’s popular Cymric range in sliver and its Tudric designs in pewter – achieved widespread acclaim, helping establish Liberty’s avant-garde reputation. But pieces were unstamped by their designers, meaning Knox remained largely unrecognised in his lifetime.

is month sees the largest ever exhibition of his work on display at the Manx Museum featuring more than 200 pieces from collections across the British Isles. Curator Katie King called it: “the world’s largest-ever showcase of Archibald Knox’s work”, including unique pieces, many of which have never been seen in public.

Opposite page Archibald Knox (1864-1933) silver chalice or covered cup, 1900, private collector. All images, unless otherwise stated, courtesy of courtesy of Manx National Heritage (MNH) and on show at this month’s exhibition

Above right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Old St Matthew’s Church, Douglas, 1884-1933

Above far right Archibald Knox (18641933) A Spring Landscape, 1900-1933

Above Archibald Knox in his studio, image courtesy of Manx National Heritage (MNH)

Below left Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Cymric silver dish for Liberty & Co., hallmarked for Birmingham, 1904 and impressed with the name of Knox’s home town of Sulby, St Stephen’s Church, Sulby

Below right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Greeba Mountain: Sunlight and Rain Storm, c.1900-1903

Knox’s art

Despite his exquisite metalwork, above all Knox considered himself an artist and teacher, inspired by a deep love of the Isle of Man.

Every Sunday, after church, Knox would visit the island’s windswept and treeless interior, or perch above its rocky bays, often waiting for hours for the right alignment of light and weather to best catch the effect rapidly in watercolour.

He painted avidly throughout his life (his work for Liberty only accounting for some nine years), generally Manx landscapes, more rarely seascapes and boatyards.

While living in Sulby (from 1902-1905) Knox wrote: “The places painted are within short walks from my home, passed often; one day something never seen before; some new appearance of colour and the bends of the sky. It may not be seen again; shortly it will fade and disappear, and in an hour forgotten. Such sights as they, as men over unimaginable centuries have looked at and learned their land is beautiful.”

Sold for £10

Known for his watercolours, Knox also produced a limited number of oil paintings. While his watercolours are distinct for their sense of light, his oils are darker and more sombre in tone. Due to their prolific nature, Knox’s art is not uncommon. Prices vary from low thousands to over £10,000 depending on condition and subject. His paintings are rarely signed (he didn’t intend them to be sold) so signed paintings are and more expensive.

Provenance is important. Collectors should look for de-accession labels from The Manx Museum. The museum inherited so many of Knox’s paintings it sold off a large number in the 1970s for, reputedly, as little as £10.

COLLECTING GUIDE Archibald

Island life

e Knox family moved from Kilbirnie in Scotland in 1856, partly for family reasons – Archibald’s aunty Margaret married a local sherman – and partly economic, Archibald’s father William, a cabinetmaker, saw the employment opportunities the island o ered.

William Knox worked as a sail maker before setting up a marine repair service in Douglas, employing three of his eldest sons. But Archibald, the fth son, preferred to draw and paint and sketch the nearby harbour and quayside. Possibly unappreciated at home, at school his talent did not go unnoticed. In 1880, encouraged by his headmaster Canon John Quine, 16-year-old Knox enrolled at the newly-opened Douglas School of Art.

e school followed the same curriculum as the more famous Glasgow School of Art that was at the heart of the modern movement. By 1882 Knox had been appointed a pupil-teacher in exchange for free tuition. Here, as a young man, Knox became acquainted with Douglas’s artistic circle, guided by Quine who was an enthusiastic antiquarian and amateur archaeologist.

Celtic crosses

Mentor and mentee explored various sites across the island, including the ancient carved Celtic and Norse stone crosses which were to form such an important part in his work. Since the 6th century, crosses have been used on the island as memorials and gravestones. Knox and Quine would have been familiar with many of the stones, usually to be found in

local churchyards. Knox soon

Kirk

Right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Leaves and Buds textile design, created during his time with e Silver Studio and sold by Liberty & Co.

Below Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Cymric silver inkwell for Liberty & Co., 1900, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection, on show at this month’s exhibition

become a great collector of geological specimens, an interest which would later account for the use of semiprecious stones in later metalwork designs.

Alongside his growing fascination with the island’s history he met the Kent-born architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott (1865-1945), who had settled on the island. Experience of architectural plans would increase Knox’s knowledge of design drawing, seen in his later work.

Silver Studio

In 1897 at the age of 33, Knox left the island, taking up a teaching post at Redhill School of Art in Surrey, where fellow-Manxman Alfred James Collister was the principal. It was around this time – while continuing as a teacher – Knox began his foray into design. His rst work was for the Silver Studio – a successful commercial design studio started by Arthur Silver in 1880 which specialised in textiles and wallpaper, and was a supplier to Liberty & Co.

How Knox came to be hired by the Silver Studio is unclear. Collister, who was well connected with the London art scene, may have put in a word for Knox. And, either prior to joining, or soon after, the Manxman formed a close relationship with the Silver Studio’s then senior manager, Harry Napper.

Liberty & Co.

At the turn of the 19th century, Liberty & Co. was looking for leading designers to join its studio system, which was responsible for producing furniture, textiles and metalwork, putting the retailer at the cutting edge of modern design. Founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty, the Regent Street retailer began as an “Oriental warehouse”, selling imported fabrics and ornaments from Japan and the Middle East. But it was not enough for Liberty who said: “I was determined not to follow existing fashions, but to create new ones.”

By championing upcoming artisans Liberty & Co. swiftly became one of the most fashionable places to shop in London and the “Liberty look” was all the rage.

In a short space of time, the designs became commercially popular and won critical acclaim in Europe (although Liberty was swiftly to disown the European art nouveau style, which its products had done much to inspire).

‘The bulk of Knox’s designs were not attributed to him and marked only as Liberty&Co. as Arthur Lasenby Liberty attempted to build the London retailer’s brand’

him

Above

Maughold church, Ramsey, Isle of Man, image Shutterstock

Left Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Cymric silver and enamelled vase Liberty & Co., 1900, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection, on show at this month’s exhibition

Right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Cymric silver mantel clock for Liberty & Co. in 1901 with the enamel dial featuring the motto TIME ENOUGH

Below right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) oak clock case made at Sunnyside Workshops. e front is inscribed Time Enough with the upper surface reading Designed by Archibald Knox. Sulby I.O.M. A.D. 1904.

Move into silverware

After textiles and furniture, the next artistic project for Liberty & Co was silver, an area already much rejuvenated by the work of the Guild of Handicrafts led by Charles Robert Ashbee. However, the handmade ethic of the guild became the reason for its economic downfall as Liberty & Co. looked for a more commercially-friendly mode ofproduction able to produce sizeable numbers.

Liberty also sought a new style of design – a British take on the prevalent European art nouveau, which still had a nod to the medieval-inspired work of William Morris and the arts and crafts movement. The years 1898-1899 saw the birth of Liberty’s range of silverware knownas Cymric (Koom-ric) which was to form the cornerstone of its silverware.

Arthur Liberty appointed the Welshman John Llewellyn to the board of directors in1898 who was much taken by the designs submitted by Knox (who, in turn, wasgratified that the new range was to havea Celtic ring to them). Soon the Manxman’s designs became the artistic lynchpin of the new silver as he turned out silver cups, clocks, vases, boxes, tankards, jugs, tea and coffee services, spoons and belt buckles. The finest were embellished withblue and green enamel, turquoise and lapis lazuli.

“Liberty also sought a new style of design – a British take on the prevalent European art nouveau, with a nod to William Morris’

KNOX ON WOOD

Knox also produced furniture at the Sunnyside Workshops in Douglas, which he co-founded in 1899 with his friend and patron, Wilson James Ashburner. The arts and craft-style workshop sought, in part, to emulate the late William Morris, by employing skilled artisans, and its work went on show at the Isle of Man’s Fine Art & Industrial Guild Exhibition in 1905, where the Isle of Man Examiner praised a Knox-designed hat stand and hall seat for its originality and perfect proportions.

But the business struggled to attract commercial interest, and it closed when Knox returned to teaching in Surrey, much to his dismay.

Knox-designed furniture is now exceptionally rare and sought after by collectors.

COLLECTING GUIDE Archibald Knox

Return to the island

Despite the growing number of commissions, in 1900 Knox returned to the Isle of Man, settling in a house in Sulby but still designing for Liberty. e years from 1900 to 1904, were arguably his most proli c with the island undoubtedly providing his greatest inspiration. Knox named many of his designs after its places and landmarks. e entrelac and interlacing lines of Celtic patterning were inspired by motifs found on many of its monuments, ruins and domestic architecture.

At the same time the simplicity of Knox’s decoration re ected his con dent mastery of the form. He also adapted the foliate patterning and stems and plants of European art nouveau, in a typically spare and re ned way.

Tudric ware

In 1902, Liberty & Co. decided to introduce a more a ordable range of Cymric in pewter (an alloy of tin, antimony, and copper), known as Tudric ware.

e range included jugs, decanters, clocks, belt buckles, jewellery, clasps, cigarette cases, inkwells, napkin

ngs and brooches. e new form allowed Knox to xperiment by producing shapes suited to machine roduction. From the Tudric range his mantel clocks are onsidered some of his greatest works. Knox produced four very large (c 40 cmhigh) mantel clocks (commonly ow called his“great” clocks) taking inspiration from the ancient standing stones found onthe Isle of Man. ree of these will be displayed in this month’s exhibition

Knox’s jewellery

In 1903, Liberty & Co entered Knox’s jewellery for the Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Knox’s striking designs were characterised by swirling Celtic lines embellished with lapis lazuli, blister pearls, blue and green enamel, turquoise andsemi-precious stones.

A condition of entry to the exhibition was that the artist had to be named (the same rule applied for pieces featured in The Studio magazine) and so it was for his jewellery, rather than his metalwork that Knox became nown to a contemporary audience.

Knox’s designs for Liberty & Co. wereattributed to the retailer rather than the designer as Arthur Lasenby Liberty attempted to build his powerhouse brand.

Dr Stephen A. Martin, president of the Archibald Knox Forum, estimates between 1898 and1912, Knox produced approximately 5,000 different designs for the company with his range including carpetsand even ceramic garden ware.

e highly e cient production and marketing machinery of Liberty & Co ensured Knox’s designs were produced in enough volume to leave a sizeable body of work in the UK and become known throughout Europe.

Above Archibald Knox (1864-1933) and James Powell of Whitefriars, Cymric silver and green glass claret jug, Titus Omega

Right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) gold and green and red enamel necklace, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection

Return to Surrey

Despite his growing commercial success, in 1905 Knox returned to the Redhill School of Art in Kingston, where, by then, Collister was head of ne arts. Ever a teacher, he even taught evening classes in art in Wimbledon. But all was not well. Examiners complained Knox’s teaching methods were too modern and a Board of Education inspectors’ report, described them as “unacceptable”, which led him to resign in 1912.

His regular commissions for Liberty also dried up (although his nal commission for Liberty came in 1917 – a memorial for the grave of Arthur Lazenby Liberty).

Knox returned to the island for a few days, before heading o on an unsuccessful search for employment in America and he returned to teaching on the Isle of Man in 1913.

Knox Guild of Design and Crafts

But his dismissal had one unexpectedly bene cial result. Outraged students Denise and Winifred Tuck eld joined forces to found the Knox Guild of Design and Crafts which ran successfully, with Knox’s approval, until 1939. Denise and her husband, Richard Wren, championed Knox’s work until their deaths.

In the 1960s, Shirley Bury, a curator at the V&A, intrigued by the excellence of the Cymric range began to investigate its history. She travelled to interview surviving employees of the WH Haseler works in Birmingham (which produced most of the Cymric and the entire Tudric range) and also Rex Silver (Arthur’s son) at e Silver Studio. e invaluable information she obtained was published in two articles in 1963 and 1975 the year of Liberty’s centenary, marked with an exhibition at the V&A. Dr Stephen A. Martin, president of the Archibald Knox Forum, also took up the cause publishing a the seminal book on Knox in 2001. Exhibitions around the world, including Japan in 1983, further spread Knox’s name with examples now in many museums well beyond his beloved Isle of Man.

Knox: Order & Beauty runs from April 5, 2025 to March 1, 2026 at the Manx Museum, Douglas on the Isle of Man. It will feature more than 200 pieces from collections across the British Isles, including the V&A, e Peartree Collection, Titus Omega, Manx National Heritage and major private collectors. In partnership with the Archibald Knox Forum and Manx National Heritage there are a number of exhibitions, talks and workshops, as well as a self-guided Knox trail, which takes in 27 places of Knox interest on the Isle of Man. For more detail on all events go to www.manxnationalheritage.im

Above right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) A line from e Deer’s Cry e fth verse invokes various aspects of God –his wisdom, his eye, his ear, his hand

Above Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Cymric silver and yellow green biscuit box, hallmarked Birmingham, 1900, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection, on show at this month’s exhibition

Below left Archibald Knox (1864-1933) Cymric silver vase, model 2025, for Liberty & Co., 1904, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection, on show at this month’s exhibition

Later years

The war years 1914-1918 saw Knox, then in his 50s, serving as a mail censor at the internment camp at Knockaloe, where some 30,000 Austrians, Germans and Turks were kept. It was here he worked on an illuminated manuscript, The Deer’s Cry (Faed Fiada), a traditional prayer written in 433AD and attributed to St. Patrick. The work highlights both his deep Christian faith and lifelong fascination with early Celtic art. Left unfinished at the time of his death, the pages were entrusted to his friend and former student, Winifred Tuckfield, in 1957, before being donated to the Manx Museum where they were bound and can be seen at this month’s exhibition.

died suddenly on February 22, 1933, with a commemorative plaque on the gable of the next-door building describing him as “Designer,Artist, Teacher”. A eulogy as understated as the man himself’ days,

‘Knox

Ministry of the Beautiful

In 1920, Knox returned to the Isle of Man, taking up a position at Douglas High School.

After its division into two separate single-sex schools, he taught art part-time at Douglas High School for Girls and then at the island’s Ramsey Grammar School.

In the 1920s he left the Isle of Man to visit Ravenna in Italy to study the city’s 5th and 6th-century early Christian mosaics.

Six years later, then aged 62, there was a one-man exhibition of 80 of his paintings at London’s Whitechapel Gallery which subsequently transferred to Ottawa.

Knox died suddenly on February 22, 1933, with a commemorative plaque on the gable of the next-door building describing him as “Designer, Artist, Teacher”. The epitaph on his grave reads “Archibald Knox. Artist. A humble servant of God in the ministry of the beautiful”, while his Times obituary called him: “An artist of poetical sensibilities, who had a very healthy influence upon the decorative art of his time.” A eulogy as understated as the man himself.

Collecting KNOX

Specialist and Knox devotee Anthony Bernbaum reveals why every collector should own one of the Manxman’s designs

There are many designers and architects who have made their mark on 20th-century design but very few are household names. Of those that started the modern movement and in uenced design from the very beginning of the 20th century there are perhaps fewer than 10 internationally recognised names. Of the two most celebrated you would perhaps choose Charles Rennie Mackintosh from Great Britain and Frank Lloyd Wright from America. In Knox we have a man who enjoyed none of this recognition. He was largely unknown in his time, his designs all being attributed to Liberty & Co., or on occasion Rex Silver, the head of the design studio who supplied Liberty with much of its metalwork designs.

Local hero

e name Archibald Knox means di erent things to di erent people. For some, especially those who have links to, or a love of, the Isle of Man, Knox is the local hero. He is the man “who could paint the wind” and captured the essence of his surroundings with his subtle impressionistic water colours and illuminated drawings. For others, who love all things Celtic, Knox is the man who helped re-introduce Celtic design motifs to mainstream design at the end of the 19th century. For many, including me, Knox resonates as one of the modernist designers, ranking alongside Christopher Dresser, CR Mackintosh and Charles Ashbee.

Above Archibald Knox (1864-1933) an early Cymric silver bowl, 1903. Called the Ostia, it was Exhibit 1 in the rst Liberty Cymric catalogue published in May 1899, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection

Below right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) biscuit box with enamels from the Tudric range, 1902, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection

If Dresser had a brilliant eye for geometric modernism, and Ashbee could give an everyday piece of silver soul, it was Knox who could bring together beauty and modernity. It was Knox himself who had the design and teaching mantra, “aim at order, hope for beauty”.

Cymric silver

is is perhaps what Knox is best known for and there are several important points to consider as a potential collector. Knox only designed, never made, silver for Liberty & Co. and, with a very few exceptions, none of his pieces, or designs, are signed by him. Liberty also adapted Knox’s motifs, meaning the entirety of the piece is not by Knox. In general, pieces which are clearly and wholly by Knox are more expensive, and within that category, those that are most radical and modernist are the most expensive.

So you might be able to start collecting Knox silver for a few hundred pounds an item – perhaps a simple napkin ring decorated with one of Knox’s enamelled Celtic motifs. For £1,000 you might similarly nd a bowl or small box with a Knox motif. From several thousand and up you are probably able to acquire pieces that are entirely designed by Knox – a small vase, or good inkwell. Above £10,000 you are into some of his great pieces of the kind that appear in museums. To date, the highest price at auction paid for a Knox silver piece is around £100,000.

Tudric pewter

is is very similar an area to silver, but prices tend to be lower. From its origins in 1902 the pewter range was developed by Liberty to be a more a ordable route to acquire Liberty’s metalwork designs.

For under £1,000 you can get some great Knox designs in pewter. Whether to polish pewter or not is entirely personal. When sold it was shiny like silver but some collectors like a more antique patina. Just remember, that to properly polish pewter requires skilled machine polishing and it is easy to remove de nition on what is a relatively soft metal.

‘If Dresser had a brilliant eye for geometric modernism, and Ashbee could give an everyday piece of silver soul, it was Knox who could bring together beauty and modernity. It was Knox who had the mantra, “aim at order, hope for beauty”’

Knox clocks

Whether in silver or pewter I would identify Knox’s clocks as a singular area of collecting. Some of Knox’s greatest designs were clocks, and he designed about 40 in total, ignoring Liberty’s variation of enamel, and size. Silver clocks outrank pewter in rarity and price, but rarity and modernity of design really de nes price, which can range from a few thousand for a smaller pewter clock to over £50,000 for a grand silver one. Look out for dials that capture a Latin phrase which are especially desirable, (for example “Festine Lente”, “more haste less speed”. Note that the carriage clock movements that Liberty used were often of modest quality and so I would not recommend buying a clock for its time keeping, unless you enjoy frequent and expensive trips to a clock repairer.

Jewellery

Knox is one of the very few designers whose jewellery designs, generally, are more a ordable than his silver work. Quite why that is I am never sure, as without doubt much of Knox’s jewellery designs are breath-taking and wearable. His designs in silver, typically with enamel, range in value from £500-£1,500. Some of his designs were produced relatively cheaply in 9 carat gold and fetch £2,000-£5,000. In my view, these are a bargain, as they are often wonderful designs. Finally, his most ornate necklaces and pendants were made in 18 carat gold, to a very high standard. Expensive in their day, they are rare and can easily cost in excess of £10,000.

Rare sundial

For the true Knox connoisseur, there is a wide range which he turned his hand to and, typically, these items are much rarer.

Above Archibald Knox (1864-1933) small Cymric silver Olaf clock, 1903. is is one of Knox’s earliest clocks and the only one to appear in the 1900 illustrated Cymric catalogue. e Latin lettering “Festina Lente” translates as “more haste, less speed”, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection

Knox’s first commercial designs were textiles for The Silver Studio in around 1897, which occasionally appear for sale as wallpaper designs. Knox’s furniture designs, often for himself, are rarer. I recently sold a sundial pointer he designed and cast in 1905. Prices in this category vary hugely but anything substantial and unequivocally by Knox from the Isle of Man itself will typically sell for many thousands.

Above right Archibald Knox (1864-1933) and others, a bronze sundial pointer, or gnomon, came from Knox’s Sunnyside studio, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection

Left Archibald Knox (1864-1933) opal and gold and pearl necklace, image courtesy of e Peartree Collection

Look out for

Knox su ers more than most from misattribution. While he was the main designer for Liberty’s Cymric and Tudric range, he was by no means the only designer. ere is an increasing trend to attribute everything in these ranges to Knox.

In general, if an item does not have Knox’s classic Celtic entrelac, or re ect his breath-taking modernism, be very sceptical – although it might still be by him, especially if an early design.

e other area to be careful of is enamels – this is of course a wider issue than for Knox. Beware “soft” (otherwise called cold) enamel restoration or outright augmentation. ere is nothing wrong with restoration (augmentation is another matter) with soft enamels, but you should know what you are buying. A good UV torch will normally reveal all. Also look out for enamel onto pewter. You cannot enamel directly onto pewter, it has too low a melting point, so Liberty inserted enamelled copper roundels.

Anthony Bernbaum established e Peartree Collection in 2015, specialising in arts and crafts and art nouveau silver and 20th-century decorative arts designers from 1890 to 1914, including Archibald Knox. He will present a lecture on Knox on the Isle of Man on April 5 with Dr Stephen Martin as part of this month’s exhibition. For more details go to www.thepeartreecollection.com

ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Postage and desk accessories

letter could be sent anywhere in the UK for a at rate of one penny. Before this postage was expensive, and recipients (not senders) often had to pay to receive letters. Iconic red post boxes were introduced in the 1850s, further embedding the postal system into everyday life. By the Edwardian era the system was even more e cient, with multiple postal deliveries a day being the norm, especially in urban areas — meaning a person could send an invitation in the morning and receive a reply by afternoon.

SAL EROOM SPOTLIGHT

A 300-lot sale of desk accessories dating from the golden age of writing goes under the hammer in a two-day sale in Wiltshire this month

In these days of texting and WhatsApp, putting pen to paper as a means of written communication – save for a note to the milkman, or occasional thank you letter – is as rare as a postal delivery before 3pm.

Hardly surprising then that there is a growing nostalgia for those days when personal communication was made either face to face or by letter. is month, Woolley & Wallis in Wiltshire sees the second part of a 300-lot collection of Victorian and Edwardian desk accessories go under the hammer. Part one of the sale, which included a silver ‘port’ and ‘starboard’ ship lantern inkwell and stamp boxes in the form of coal scuttles, fetched £55,550 earlier this year.

Most items date from the golden age of letter writing, from the mid 19th century, when both higher rates of literacy and the new rail network made letters an essential part of life. e British postal system underwent a radical transformation during Queen Victoria’s reign, most famously with the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840. For the rst time, a

Above right An Edwardian novelty silver inkwell and stamp box by Walker & Hall, Birmingham, 1906. It has an estimate of £200-£300

Above A pair of silver letter scales, by George Betjemann & Sons, London 1915, retailed by Asprey, with rectangular platforms on a scale frame and ve silverplated weights. It has an estimate of £150-£200

Below right A silver calendar desk tidy, by Grey & Co, London 1909, with a semicircular calendar, stamp compartment, inkwell and pen rest. It has an estimate of £200-£300 at this month’s sale

Bewildering designs

e sheer volume of correspondence made having an organised and attractive writing space a sign of re nement and modernity.

In wealthier Victorian and Edwardian households, letter-writing wasn’t just a communication necessity — it was a social ritual. Beautiful or personalised desk accessories showed o one’s taste, wealth and education. Even among the middle-class homes writing desks and the accessories became the norm.

Manufacturers and designers seized on this, creating desk sets that were often gift items (especially for women, who were expected to handle much of a household’s correspondence). What started as utilitarian objects (inkwells and blotters) evolved into mini works of art, re ecting their owners’ personal style, status, and even their sense of humour.

Some had one simple compartment while more elaborate models had drawers and shelves or formed part of desk sets. Smaller stamp cases were made to be carried, often with rings attached so that they could be suspended from a watch chain or necklace, ready for emergencies.

As time went on, stamp boxes and cases were produced in a bewilderingly large number of designs, coinciding with a drop in silver prices from 1874 and 1894.

Booming market

By 1905, the Edwardian silver market was booming and silver stamp cases were being made in Britain and the USA, as well as Germany and Denmark.

People wanted personal luxuries — silver items they could carry (Vesta cases, cigarette cases) or display on dressing tables and desks. Many of the designs were made in Birmingham, which was a powerhouse for silver and metalwork production at the turn of 20th century, thanks to its strong industrial base and skilled workforce. Several prominent silver makers operated in the city, many of whom specialised in

smaller items like trinkets, desk accessories, and novelty silverware.

One such was A&J Zimmerman Ltd, whose work appears in this month’s sale, a maker active from 1879 to the 1920s, which specialised in small, silver goods and boxes including Vesta cases, desk items, card cases and trinkets. Elsewhere, Henry Matthews, also featured in the sale, produced vanity items and dressing table sets, as well as desk accessories, cigarette and Vesta cases.

Another maker, John Grinsell & Sons, gained a reputation for well-made and durable, smaller pieces with a touch of elegance with desk accessories among its range.

Among the London makers in the sale, William Comyns & Sons is one of the better known, responsible for its ornate, highly decorative silverware with a air for heavily chased and repoussé decoration. Comyns was one of the “go-to” silversmiths for London retailers like Harrods and Asprey, which sold their silverware to elite customers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its designs embraced both Victorian ornamentation, with heavily engraved and orid decoration, as well as more restrained Edwardian styles, with cleaner lines and less embellishment.

AUCTION fact file

WHAT: Part II of a private collection of stamp boxes, postage and desk accessories, part of the silver and objects of vertu sale. Where: Woolley & Wallis, Old Sarum Galleries, Castle Gate Business Park, Old Sarum, Salisbury, SP4 6QX

When: April 30 to May 1

Viewing: At Old Sarum Galleries, on April 26, 10-1pm; April 28-29, 10-4pm; and on the days of the sale 9-9.45am and online at www. woolleyandwallis.co.uk

Top left A matched pair of novelty silver stamp boxes, by A & J Zimmerman, Birmingham, 1909 and 1911, modelled as lowboys. It has an estimate of £200-£300

Above left An Edwardian novelty silver sedan chair by William Comyns & Sons, London, 1903, modelled as a sedan chair with a hinged top. It has an estimate of £150-£200

Below left An Edwardian silver travelling desk set, by William Hornby, London, 1905, with two stamp compartments, three others and a striker, with a recess for a taperstick. It has an estimate of £300-£400

Left An early-20th century walnut country house letter box, unmarked, hexagonal form, painted with the royal coat of arms and ‘royal mail’, the pull-o cover with a letter slot and built-in lock. It has an estimate of £500-£800

‘Even among the middle-class homes writing desks and the accessories became the norm. Manufacturers and designers seized on this, creating desk sets that were often gift items (especially for women, who were expected to handle much of a household’s correspondence)’

IN MY OPINION...

We asked Rupert Slingsby head of silver at Woolley & Wallis for his sale highlights

How important is the collection?

The importance of the collection is its size in numbers and breadth of examples. Although the majority are silver, there are also silverplated, brass, enamel, ceramic, Tunbridge ware, Tartan ware and wooden examples. The majority were made in the UK, but several come from America and France.

Were there any surprises or particualar highlights from Part I?

Two highlights of the first part of the collection was a pair of George IV scales, by John Reily, London, 1824. Expected to make £300-£500 it sold to an overseas collector for a hammer price of £2,800. The second highlight was an Edwardian Royal presentation silver combination magnifier, seal and propelling pencil, made by Mordan and Co. in London, 1903. It was later inscribed ‘F.W. Barry from Queen Mary’. The pre-auction estimate was £400-600, and it sold to a different overseas collector for £2,500.

Where are you expecting the interest to come from?

As with Part I in February, we expect the interest to come from stamp box and postagerelated collectors from around the world. The novelty examples will attract general collectors of silver who look for something unusual or quirky. We also had a good interest from the UK silver trade, and I am sure that that interest will be there for this part of the sale.

Have you got a favourite piece?

One of the highlights from the second part of the sale is an Edwardian silver travelling desk set, by William Hornby, London, 1905. It is beautifully designed, and the hinged sides shut into a perfect rectangle. The quality of workmanship in its manufacture is very typical of the work of William Hornby. As well as a taperstick holder there are two compartments for stamps, two compartments possibly for sealing wax, and a Vesta holder and striking pad. Making it a very functional item.

Any pieces for the new collector?

Because of the large range of items, the collection will appeal to both seasoned collectors and new buyers. There is a good price range, with items starting at £150, so the new buyer can get started on a collection.

Turf’s Up

One of largest collections of horseracing games goes on show at a Newmarket museum this month. Antique Collecting gets the starter’s orders

This month, more than 50 rare and antique board games, each of which uniquely brings the racecourse to the tabletop, go on show in Su olk. ey come from the 300-game collection of Lexa Dudley, thought to be the largest display of horseracing-themed board games ever to go on public display. ey neatly re ect not only the societal obsession with the ‘sport of kings’ but shine a light on a range of games’ technological advances, from the crank handles of the1880s, to the strategic betting and race simulation of more recent times.

Racecourse to parlour

Victorian Britain was noted for the rise of the middle class, increased literacy, and the concept of family leisure time

Above Victory Parade, all images unless otherwise stated courtesy of the collector Lexa Dudle and National Horse Racing Museum (NHRM) and can be seen at this month’s exhibition

which, inevitably, led to a surge inthe popularity of board games. Many focused on moral lessons, imperial themes, and educational values. is was the era of Snakes and Ladders, adapted from theIndian game Moksha Patam, where the ladders represented virtues (charity and humility) and snakes represented the vices of lust and anger. But others were more lighthearted in theme, coinciding with an era when horseracing was sparking a growing cultural enthusiasm, particularly in Britain, the United States, and France.

Thrill of the turf

Board games offered away to engage with horseracing without actual betting (gambling was seen as the scourge of Victorian society) – making them socially acceptable family entertainment.

Tabletop games were particularly suited to the Victorian parlour, the epicentre of any fashionable home. But, while some were marketed as family fun, other games were very much “adult only” , soon becoming popular in clubs and hotels, with one even designed for play on ocean cruisers.

As printing and game production improved in the late 19th century, games became cheaper and more widely available. ey were often s old in department stores and

catalogues, making them accessible to the growing middle class.

Today they present an attractive and a ordable collecting option.

Luke Honey, who specialises in antique games, said: “20th-century board games are very a ordable and can be sourced online. It’s the earlier games from the 18th and 19th centuries, often sold by antiquarian book dealers, which tend to be more valuable. A 19th-century Jeu de Course in good condition sold at Bonhams for £1,900 in 2022. And yes, even modern board games are currently enjoying a hipster revival, in reaction to the digital age.”

Minoru: Horse and game

Top right Minoru is a British horse racing game manufactured by Jaques and Son between 1900-1910

Above Jeu de Course, 1900, an early mechanical French race game

Right Minoru was clearly marketed as a game for adults

Left Ascot e New Racing Game by Jaques and Son, c. 1910

Below right Edward VII (far right) with his horse Minoru ridden by jockey Herbert Jones, and Richard Marsh (horse trainer) and Lord Marcus Beresford (equerry), 1911, image public domain

‘By the early 1900s, horseracing games had become common household entertainment with some evolving into more complex betting mechanics and gambling simulations. One such was Minoru named after Edward VII’s 1909 Derby-winning racehorse’

By the early 1900s, horseracing games had become common household games with some evolving into more complex betting mechanics and gambling simulations. One such was Minoru, named after Edward VII’s 1909 Derbywinning Irish thoroughbred racehorse. Marketed as a grown-up gambling game, rather than a toy, the game was a development of Jacques’s Ascot (1891). It soon took off in homes, hotels, and clubs between the world wars.

Played on a printed canvas, it involved six die-cast metal horses painted in different colours to designate racing teams. Play progressed by dealing playing cards to determine which horse moved forward.

Edward VII, who had twice won the Derby while the Prince of Wales (with Persimmon in 1896 and Diamond Jubilee in 1900) became the first reigning British monarch to win the Derby.

The jockey, Herbert Jones, is possibly now more widely known for riding George V’s horse Anmer which was involved in a fatal collision with Suffragette Emily Davison at the 1913 Derby.

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Horseracing games

Early games

One of the rst, e Race Game, dated from the 1860s and was attributed to J Jaques & Son (a maker best known for introducing Happy Families in 1851).

Housed in a mahogany box with the words e Game of the Race on the label, the horses were given a livery identical to those of Ascot. It comprised of a large wooden box with eight horses attached with wires. A hand

Celebrity endorsement

In America, celebrity involvement encouraged new players into the genre. In 1947, The Crosby Derby!, made in 1947 by H. Fishlove & Co., was endorsed by the famous singer Bing Crosby. The crooner loved horses and bought his first racehorse in 1935. The board game features the top racehorses of the era, and the box cover pictures Bing Crosby and a photo of horses racing, while the contents include the game board, odds chart, a deck of 70 playing cards, toy money, tickets, and five miniature racehorses.

In the UK, some 50 years later, Andrew Lloyd Webber, got in on the act. In 1993, And they’re off was designed by a syndicate, including the composer. Players back horses at a series of race meetings to try and win the most money. Movement cards are turned over one at a time and

Above left Grand Prix Merry Go Round is an early 1900s French parlour game, courtesy of Lexa Dudley, National Horse Racing Museum (NHRM)

Above Horses and jockeys on the merry-go -round, courtesy of Lexa Dudley, National Horse Racing Museum (NHRM)

Right e cover art for the game Manifesto was by the the equestrian artist George Derville Rowlandson (1861-1928), courtesy of Lexa Dudley, National Horse Racing Museum (NHRM)

Below right Interior of the Manifesto box, Lexa Dudley, National Horse Racing Museum (NHRM)

Left Bing Crosby was an avid horserace enthusiast, image Shutterstock

crank on the side of the box connects to the horses by a variety of turning gears, which result in a di erent horse winning the race. Players bet on which horse will win. It was rst produced in the second half of the 19th century and sold so well it remained in production for many years.

Like most popular games it was made in many formats, from a simple, sycamore box with four to six horses, to a large, mahogany box upgraded with a clockwork motor

Jeu de Course (previous page) is another early mechanical French race game. Cast metal horses travel around a circular track with a mechanism activated by a lever. Money went into the central goblet, the lever was activated, making the horse run about the track. e horse closes to the white horse took all the money. e Grand Prix Merry Go Round (left) features eight die-cut cardboard racehorses and jockeys attached to a central metal rod. When tipped over, the horses begin spinning down the rod, with the rst or last one to reach the feather nish line declared the winner.

Aintree winner

e board game Manifesto (below) was games maker Jaques’ follow-up to its successful 1910 o ering Minoru Luke Honey continued: “ e earlier Edwardian games were aimed at grown-ups, as sophisticated after-dinner parlour games.

Like Minoru it was named after another famous horse, in this case running in the Aintree Grand National a record eight times between 1895 and 1904, nishing third three times and winning twice.

‘Tabletop games were particularly suited to the Victorian parlour, but while some marketed to the entire family, others were very much adult only, and some made their way into clubs and hotels with one even designed for playing on ocean cruisers’

While Minoru focused on betting the odds on horses that had di erent lengths to run and equal chances of advancing, Manifesto claims on its box that “players win on their judgement”.

Eight horses battled a straight 20-space track with players choosing one of three cards for each horse rated ‘careful’, ‘risky’, or ‘reckless’. e odds are set in a way that the average outcome of each card is identical, so players’ judgment is key. e new game’s evident sophistication was even re ected in the branding, with the cover being the work of the equestrian artist George Derville Rowlandson (1861-1928).

Above right Mare and foal at the National Stud, image Discover Newmarket

Above e New Game of e Race

Below e game Deck Derby dates to the 1920s with a contemporary art deco feel

Bottom Magnetic horses move around a course in the game designed to be played on luxurious ocean-going liners

84-year-old Lexa Dudley started collecting horseracing games 30 years ago, since then amassing a collection of 300. Her obsession began in 1995 when she and her husband moved to Newmarket – sparking an interest in all things equine. As well as caring for two rescue horses she became interested in board games – enthralled by the people who played them, from velvet-jacketed men in smoking rooms, to American GIs taking pocket-sized games to war. Over the years the collection grew, with Lexa trawling online auction sites as well as getting to know antique specialists.

She said: “In the ‘90s, rare games were much easier to come by, and a small community of collectors grew by word-of-mouth. Whether from Britain or America, we all knew of one another, keeping in touch through text and email. It was a community with a shared passion, and we would exchange notes, spot emerging games and buy and sell items within our circle.”

While the collection is impressive and rare, it is not out of bounds to her eight grandchildren, each of whom regularly choose a game to play, with Steeplechase being a particular favourite.

While greatly admired by friends and relatives, it was a racehorse trainer and friend who persuaded her to put the games on display for a new generation to admire.

Below One of the mechanical games at the centre of Lexa’s collection

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Horseracing games

‘DeckDerby was advertised “as played on ocean liners” and included beautifully lithographed tin horses on an oval race track’

DeckDerby

In the 1920s, with artistic sensibilities the

In the1920s, with artistic sensibilities leaning towards the art deco, makers followed suit, embracing both the craze for horseracing and the sophistication ofluxury sea travel. Hence Deck Derby was advertised “as played on ocean liners” and included beautifully lithographed tin horses racing on an oval race track, with pressed tin fences and an illustration of elegant travellers at sea.

e game is simple with magnetic horses moving around the course, their progress dependent on the player’s score of the dice.

The horse racing board game continued after the war, into the 1950s and beyond, with increasing sophistication including betting odds, and strategy elements rather than just dice-based movement.

Above left jockeys vying for the winning post

Right Six boxed horses in various liveries waiting to take part in a board game

Above e Pixie Derby was marketed at the whole family

Above right A collection of later board games on show at this month’s exhibition

Exhibition curator, Tabatha Watson, said: “Better-known games include Escalado, Giddy-Up, Foto-Finish, Vibra Horse Race, Also Ran, Alternado and Steeplechase. ey range in age from the late 1920s to the 1960s. Escalado continued to be produced into the early 2000s.”

In 1987, the party game Black Beauty Downs hit the shelves with the proviso no one could visit the loo until the “pee break” card was drawn. e sport of kings had met the 80s drinking culture.

Horseplay is on at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket from April 4 to the end of the year. For more details go to www.nhrm.co.uk. For details of Luke Honey’s games go to www.lukehoney.co.uk

Horseracing’s rise

1780 by the 12th Earl of Derby, would become the most prestigious. These races not only attracted the elite but also began to draw wider public interest. The General Stud Book, first published in 1791, provided the foundation for modern horse breeding by documenting pedigrees — a practice essential to the sport’s integrity.

The Victorian ‘golden age’

Horseracing, often described as the “sport of kings,” holds a distinguished place in British culture. In 1622, the first recorded race took place on the heath at Newmarket with the horses’ owners Lord Salisbury and George Villiers, Marquess of Buckingham battling for a £100 prize (approximately £13,000 today).

George II and George IV were particularly passionate about racing, helping to establish the sport’s royal connotations.

One of the most significant developments of the Georgian era was the founding of The Jockey Club in 1750. Meeting at the Star and Garter pub in Pall Mall, London, it soon took up residence at Newmarket, which quickly became the headquarters of British racing.

The period also witnessed the creation of many classic races. The St. Leger Stakes was first run in 1776 at Doncaster, making it the oldest of Britain’s five classic races. The Epsom Derby, established in

Above James Pollard (1792–1867)

The Victorian era is often regarded as the heyday of horseracing in Britain. The Industrial Revolution played a critical role in its popularity as railways spread across the country, access to racecourses became easier for the masses. The era also saw an explosion in the popularity of newspapers, which extensively covered racing events, results, and betting tips, further embedding the sport in everyday life. Paintings by artists such as George Stubbs immortalised the beauty and power of thoroughbreds.

Importantly, horseracing played a role in shaping British social dynamics. While it remained a sport associated with the upper classes, race days became occasions when different strata of society mingled. Working-class spectators often attended alongside aristocrats, making racing one of the few truly cross-class entertainments of the time.

While Queen Victoria was not a fan, her son the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII was passionate about the sport. Technological advancements such as photography improved race coverage, while the introduction of the starting gate in 1906 standardised race beginnings. The Edwardian period also saw the popularity of classic races like the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Epsom Oaks, drawing large crowds.

Top right Dating to 1900, Apple Horse Race Roulette is a Japanese horse racing game that takes place inside a painted apple

Ascot Heath Race for His Majesty’s Gold Plate, 1826, aquatint, image public domain

20th Century Modern Art & Design

20th Century Modern Art & Design

Discover Furniture, Collectables, Ceramics, Glassware, Art, Antiques and more in our themed and continuous online sales. Browse and bid online at auctionet.com

Discover Furniture, Collectables, Ceramics, Glassware, Art, Antiques and more in our themed and continuous online sales. Browse and bid online at auctionet.com

NICHOLAS HELY-HUTCHINSON (B.1955) A SUMMER LUNCHEON Oil on canvas, 119 x 155cm. Estimate: £1,500

HOLLYWOOD: CONFIDENTIAL

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SPACE MISSION PATCHES - A COLLECTION USED BY NASA

BY BILL SCHWARTZ

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Embark on another cosmic adventure and discover the striking artistry of NASA’s mission patches and logos. This beautifully illustrated book offers a visual tour of NASA’s heritage symbolism from the early Mercury missions of the 1960s to the rovers, orbital telescopes and brandnew lunar capsules of the 2020s.

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LIVES OF CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH

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GOETHE, CARL GUSTAV CARUS, CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH ET AL

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‘In the early days Cartier stocked a wide assortment of luxury goods including porcelain, silverware, bronze busts and medallions as well as jewellery and watches. Like many other Parisian jewellers, Cartier was a retailer rather than designer or manufacturer of jewellery’

JEWELLER of KINGS

e rst exhibition in 30 years dedicated to the legendary French maker Cartier opens at the V&A this month. But how did the familyrun atelier become one of the most important jewellers in the world? Article by Lang Antiques

Known as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers”, the illustrious rm of Cartier has been at the forefront of some of the most important jewellery design trends of the 20th century. Ranging from the opulence of la belle époque, the geometry, and exoticism of the art deco movement to the development of the classic wristwatch and ornate clocks, Cartier has created some of the most iconic pieces in the history of jewellery. It has exerted an enduring in uence on design and craftsmanship and has become one of the most widely recognised symbols of luxury and elegance in the world.

Maison origins

Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier (1819-1904). is was during the period between the abdication of King Louis Philippe and the establishment of the Second Empire when the 19th-century Parisian jewellery market was already dominated by established maisons, and gaining recognition among a uent clients was di cult. e situation wasn’t helped by the political instability following the 1848 revolution when the demand for luxury businesses like Cartier was lower.

But Cartier withstood these early uctuating fortunes of the luxury goods market and began to thrive. By 1856 they had secured the patronage of Princess Mathilde, second cousin of Napoleon III and, shortly thereafter, the Empress Eugénie. e nancial rewards and the prestige

accrued as a result of becoming a purveyor to the imperial household allowed the young rm to move to a larger and more desirable site on the Boulevard des Italiens in 1859.

Luxury goods

Opposite page Patiala necklace, Cartier Paris, 1928 (restored 1999–2002), commissioned by Bhupinder Singh, Maharajah of Patiala. Diamonds, yellow and white zirconia, topaz, synthetic rubies, smoky quartz, citrine set in platinum. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier © Cartier

Above right Manchester tiara, Harnichard for Cartier Paris, 1903. Commission for Consuelo, Dowager Duchess of Manchester. Diamonds, gold and silver; the C-scroll at each end set with glass paste. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Below left Cartier Paris in 1847, image courtesy of Archives © Cartier

Below right Stomacher brooch, Cartier Paris, special order, 1913. Carved crystal, diamonds and platinum. Marian Gérard, Cartier Collection © Cartier

While Cartier soon established a name for the neness of its execution, designs ostensibly re ected the prevailing tastes of the era by retailing mainly gothic and Renaissance revival-style jewellery. It was only in 1899, with its move to rue de la Paix, that the real era of modern Cartier began. e location was at the epicentre of the French luxury trade. Since 1874, Cartier had been under the leadership of Louis-François’s son, Alfred (1841-1925), and he was joined at the new location by his 21-year-old son, Louis (1875-1942). In addition to housing many of the most famous jewellery rms of the day, the famed street was also the address for the great fashion houses, most particularly the distinguished rm of Worth. Soon the rue de la Paix became the preeminent shopping address in the world. Paris was considered the reigning centre of fashion and luxury, drawing an elite clientele from all parts of the globe.

Belle époque

e move to the rue de la Paix coincided with a period of extraordinary economic growth and a uence in France and around the world. Cartier was also growing and expanding and had started to shift their emphasis from retailing to design and manufacturing.

Although it produced a small number of pieces in the art nouveau style, Cartier paid scant attention to the movement. It made its distinguishing mark in pioneering the use of platinum in creating the delicate and graceful ‘garland’ style that came to be associated with the belle époque. e discovery of the great diamond deposits in South Africa in the late 1860s sparked extravagant diamond jewellery. e technical advances in the manufacturing of platinum enabled designs of great intricacy, strength and exibility such as found in the spectacular résille designs of Cartier.

e garland style, which took its inspiration from the sumptuous setting and pomp of Louis XIV’s court at Versailles, incorporated bows, owers, laurel wreaths, vases and garland motifs. 18th-century pattern books were used extensively as inspiration and Louis Cartier also encouraged his designers to keep note of the interesting and ornate architectural details that were to be found throughout the buildings of Paris.

Cartier excelled in adorning both royalty and the very well-o with ornate stomachers (a decorative piece covering the bodice of a dress from the breast to the waist) epaulettes, corsage ornaments, dog collars, lavalieres and tiaras that the elegant fashions of the day demanded.

International expansion.

Cartier marked the beginning of the 20th century by opening branches in London and New York, where its wealthiest and most dedicated clientele resided.

e 1902 coronation of Edward VII occasioned a large number of commissions from England’s leading families. Records indicate that Cartier produced 27 tiaras alone for the coronation and the event was instrumental in convincing the rm to seek a permanent presence in London. Indeed, by 1904, it had achieved its rst of 15 royal warrants being appointed o cial purveyors to the court of Edward VII. e London branch came to thrive under the tutelage of Alfred’s youngest son, Jacques Cartier (1884-1941), establishing London-based design and manufacturing workshops.

Above Tiara, Cartier London, 1937. Aquamarine, diamonds and platinum. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier © Cartier

Right Burmese jade necklace, that belonged to American heiress Barbara Hutton. Cartier Paris, 1934, jade, rubies, diamonds, platinum and gold. Image courtesy of Cartier

Below Scroll tiara, Cartier Paris, commissioned for the Countess of Essex in 1902. Diamonds, silver and gold. Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier © Cartier

Move to New York

Opening a Cartier store in New York was a natural progression as many of America’s wealthiest families and business magnates had been travel ing to Paris for some time to purchase their jewels from Cartier. By 1906 Alfred had largely retired and Louis and hisbrother Pierre (18781964) operated the Cartier business jointly.

One of their rst decisions was to establish a New York presence and workshop in 1909 underthe skilled direction of Pierre. Indicative of his business skills, Pierre famously secured Cartier’s present location, an elegant Beaux-Arts mansion at 653 Fifth Avenue, from industrialist Morton F. Plant in 1917.

e building changed hands in exchange for $100 and a double strand of natural pearls, admired by Plant’s wife and valued at $1m, the asking price for the mansion.

‘The 1902 coronation of Edward VII occasioned a large number of commissions from England’s leading families. Records indicate that Cartier produced 27 tiaras alone for the coronation and the event was instrumental in convincing the firm to seek a permanent presence in London’

Russian branch

Louis Cartier also temporarily established a branch of the rm in St Petersburg in 1908. He ambitiously attempted to capture the Russian market by introducing the latest in Paris jewellery fashions and by directly taking on the famed rm of Fabergé by creating the beloved hard stone sculptures and enamel objects for which the rm was so well renowned.

By all accounts, before the Bolshevik revolution necessitated its closing, Cartier had made signi cant inroads into the Russian market: creating two ornamental eggs (one a gift from the city of Paris to Tsar Nicholas

securing the patronage of the Grand Duchess Vladimir) and creating an unusual rock crystal and diamond wedding tiara for the immeasurably wealthy Princess Irina Youssoupo . e extensive travelling that the brothers undertook furthered their international renown and enriched their design aesthetic. eir travels throughout India, Russia the Persian Gulf, Siam, and China brought them both exceptional gems and numerous clients in royal courts and high society throughout the world. It also brought inspiration to their jewellery designs, helping to establish the rm as one of the foremost exponents of art deco design.

Art deco in uence

e year 1910 was a turning point in the design history and in uence of Cartier. Inspiration was to be found everywhere: exotic lands, the new modernist movement of Cubist painters such as Picasso and Braque and the bold colours and techniques of artists such as Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Cezanne as well as the strong aesthetic impact of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Cartier’s art deco pieces are characterised by vivid colours such as coral, jade, and lapis and contrasting opaque and translucent materials such as onyx and diamonds. ese unusual combinations created bold and surprising colour combinations, imbuing the geometric lines of the art deco movement with a decidedly exotic in uence from Egyptology, the Far East, India and Persia. While this pioneering style was being produced well before the outbreak of WWI, the movement was not formally recognized until the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes which spawned the term art deco. Cartier’s brilliant display at the exposition was notable not only for its sumptuous jewels but also for the fact the rm was the only jeweller, of approximately 400, to exhibit with the fashion houses in the Pavillon de l’Elegance rather than with the jewellers in the Grand Palais. is choice further underscored Louis’ rm belief in the unity of the decorative arts.

TUTTI FRUTTI

Above Orchid brooch (originally a head ornament), Cartier Paris, 1925 (altered 1927). Onyx, diamonds, enamel and platinum. Marian Gérard, Cartier Collection © Cartier

Above right Mountbatten bandeau in Tutti Frutti style, for Cartier London, 1928. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and platinum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Below left Late art deco brooch. Cartier London, commissioned by Cartier London salesman Ernest Schwaiger for his wife, the actress Adele Dixon, 1940. Diamonds and platinum © Victoria and Albert

Below right Scarab brooch, Cartier London, 1925. Blue-glazed Egyptian faience with rubies, emeralds, citrine, diamonds, onyx, platinum and gold. Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier © Cartier

It wasn’t until the 1970s that Cartier’s signature jewellery gained the name “Tutti Frutti” – before then they were referred to as “pierres de couleur” or “Hindou jewels”. Their origins date to 1911, when Jacques Cartier set sail on his first voyage to India. His trip coincided with the two-weeklong spectacle known as the Delhi Durbar, which celebrated the coronation of George V as Emperor of India. The purpose of the trip was two-fold: attracting new clients from the country’s jewel-obsessed elite, and exploring the local gemstones and traditional techniques.

Back home Cartier was abandoning the delicate swags and festoons of earlier decades to introduce bold colour and motifs from ancient cultures. Tutti Frutti embraced brightly-coloured, rubies, sapphires and emeralds set in attractive floral designs.

From the first piece produced in 1923, the design has retained its popularity. An art deco Tutti Frutti bracelet dated to 1928 sold for a record-setting price of $1,887,232 in 2011.

Egyptian motifs

e in uence of ancient Egypt had been a factor in the world of art and design since the 18th century. e opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 furthered this interest, as did the 1911 Franco–Egyptian Exhibition at the Louvre.

Cartier’s early Egyptian-inspired pieces used scarab motifs, lotus blooms and other recognisable symbols wrought in lapis, turquoise and garnet, highlighted by pearls and diamonds.

Pieces in the early 1900s include stylised motifs worked in platinum with diamonds and onyx and punctuated with designs made of calibré-cut emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter in 1922, the interest in the Egyptian style greatly intensi ed.

Perhaps inspired by Louis Cartier’s longstanding personal interest and collection, Cartier began designing unique and imaginative pieces around ancient Egyptian faience beads.

COLLECTING GUIDE

The

The Cartier London boutique on Bond Street, a location renowned for its avant-garde and boundary-pushing designs. Jean-Jacques Cartier, who led the London branch, fostered an environment of creative autonomy that resulted in some of the maison’s most extraordinary pieces. Despite its striking resemblance to the melted timepieces in Salvador Dalí’s Persistence of Memory the connection to the surrealist masterpiece. Rather, in 1967, JeanJacques Cartier saw an opportunity to produce something bold and entirely new embodying the creative spirit of the Swinging Sixties. It was created with Rupert Emmerson, one of the main designers who helped bring Cartier London to the forefront of design. The original Crash was exceptional, not just for its shape, but also its size, which at 3mm long and 25mm wide was larger than its French siblings.

Above Cartier limitededition Paris Crash, 1991, image Shutterstock

Above right ‘Model A’ Mystery clock, made by Coüet for Cartier Paris, 1914. Rock crystal, agate, diamond, sapphire, enamel, gold, platinum with eightday movement. Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier © Cartier

Jeanne Toussaint

e panther rst appeared in Cartier designs in 1914, with a diamond and onyx watch designed by Charles Jacqueau – the rst piece to feature the peau de panthère style.

In 1933, Cartier’s creative director Jeanne Toussaint (1887-1978) made the motif famous. Toussaint was nicknamed “La Panthère” for her bold and sophisticated style and, with Peter Lemarchand (1906-1970) a graduate of l’École Boulle who joined Cartier in 1927, produced the most well-known and important of the panther pieces ever produced. It was a fully articulated bracelet with diamonds and calibré-cut black onyx created for the Duchess of Windsor in 1952. e piece was auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2010 for a breathtaking $7m, making it the most expensive bracelet ever sold at auction.

Mystery clocks

Following the move to the rue de la Paix, Louis Cartier had ambitious plans to expand Cartier’s o erings, focusing on table clocks, greater in-house production and promoting the further development of the wristwatch.

e table clocks of the early 1900s were designed to re ect the same garland-style, 18th-century décor aesthetic used to inspire their jewellery, incorporating wreath, vase and garland motifs. e materials used were marble, hardstone, and porcelain with enamelled and jewelled cases. e most innovative and spectacular of the Cartier table clocks, however, are the ‘mystery clocks’, which made their debut in 1913.

around a transparent face, typically made of rock crystal, with no visible connection to a movement. Each hand is in fact xed onto a separate crystal disc set with a sawtoothed metal rim that is driven by gears disguised within the frame of the case. Each part of the clock is completely hand-made and production of a completed clock, even into the 1980s, was a painstaking and laborious process requiring three to 12 months to complete. e rst mystery clock created, called the ’Model A’, with a vertical frame and heavy stone base, was sold to J.P. Morgan.

Subsequent models incorporated many di erent shapes and motifs often with Oriental themes including the famous Portico models, designed as freestanding Oriental porticos featuring dragons or Buddhas.

Cartier watches

Above Panther skin wristwatch. Cartier Paris, 1914. Onyx, diamonds, pink gold, platinum and black moiré strap. Nils Herrmann, Collection Cartier © Cartier

While women were wearing jewelled wristwatches, the pocket watch was still favoured by men up until the rst decade of the 1900s. at was to change with the debut of two now-iconic Cartier wristwatches: the Santos and the Tank. e Santos was created in 1904 for the famed Brazilian aviator, Alberto Santos Dumont. A friend of Louis Cartier, he had di culty using a pocket watch to gauge his performance time while in ight. Strapping on a wristwatch proved eminently practical and the Santos Dumont wristwatch o cially went on sale to the public in 1911. e Cartier Tank, whose clean lines are reputed to have been inspired by the silhouettes of American tanks in Europe during WWI, was designed by Louis Cartier in 1917 and went on sale two years later.

e talent behind these iconic timepieces was a young watchmaker, Maurice Couet (1885-1963) who set

Right Crash wristwatch, made by Wright & Davies for Cartier London, 1967. Sapphire, gold, blued steel and leather strap. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier © Cartier

e Tank was the result of another Cartier talent Edmond Jaeger (1850-1922), who learned his trade working for several well-respected companies. By 1905 he had his own company and, in 1907, signed a 15-year contract with Cartier giving it exclusive rights to his products.

e European Watch and Clock Company was founded in 1919 as a joint venture between Cartier and Jaeger and supplied nearly all of the watch movements for Cartier Paris. Cartier also worked with such well-known watch and clock rms as Vacheron Constantin, Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet.

Cartier is on at the V&A, London, from April 12 to November 16. San Francisco-based Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry o ers one of the world’s largest collections of vintage jewelry, including pieces by Cartier. For more details, and the original source citations for this article (from its Antique Jewelry University) go to www.langantiques.com

Right Cartier Tank Solo. It has “Cartier” written in small text in the 10 o’clock marker, image Shutterstock

COLLECTING CARTIER WATCHES

We asked Charles Tearle, head of watches at Lyon & Turnbull, what to look for when buying a vintage Cartier

What are the watches to look out for?

The Cartier Tank remains the most iconic and sought after. Created in several versions by Cartier Paris, London and later as Swiss production, it is easily recognisable, yet variations mean it’s also a conversation piece. For the cost conscious, Must De Cartier examples in vermeil (gold-plated silver) are very affordable.

Watches made in the 1970s and ‘80s remain extremely undervalued. While not quite as desirable as the classics, they were generally made in low numbers and we are waiting for demand to increase. We are also seeing certain, so called “neo-vintage” Cartier from the ‘90s becoming collectable. As new lines are added, and others discontinued or limitededitions are made, modern examples will become increasingly collectable.

What are the collectors biggest mistakes?

Always do your research and ensure you are buying from a reliable source. Fakes can be hard to spot, as recently as this week, I found a 1950s ladies bracelet watch in a vintage jewellery store being confidently sold as a Cartier, upon inspection, it was a Jaeger LeCoultre with a reprinted dial to say Cartier. But over 30 years of experience handling vintage examples means I look for certain ‘tells’, including the way it is made, the dial, and the stamps.

What have been your greatest Cartier finds?

incredible Rodin sculpture, they bought a yellow gold Cartier Tank Cintrée on a bracelet. Launched in 1921, the Cintrée (from the French for “curved”) took the idea of the originally square-shaped Tank and adopted it for the curvature of the wrist.

With no occasion to wear it, the owner kept it in its unopened box for 50 years. It remains possibly the best condition watch from the era I’ve come across. Originally estimated at $25,000$35,000, it sold for more than $100,000.

Below right A unique Patek Philippe ref.2419 retailed by Cartier, sold at auction in 2011 for more than $700,000

In New York I came across another incredible watch with a Cartier connection. It was a Patek Philippe minute repeating wristwatch, with an oversized case, winding crown, repeater slide and seconds dial. Bought in 1950, it was unlike anything I had seen before.

It turned out to have been commissioned after a special exhibition of Patek Philippe hosted by Cartier New York in 1949. The watch, a ref.2419 retailed by Cartier, sold at auction in 2011 for over $700,000.

When living in San Francisco I was asked to value a watch collection for a widow who had visited Paris with her husband in the post war. As well as buying an

‘Watches made in the 1970s and ‘80s remain extremely undervalued. While not quite as desirable as the classics, they were generally made in low numbers and we are waiting for demand to increase. We are also seeing certain, so called “neo-vintage” Cartier from the ‘90s becoming collectable.’

commercial success of the modern brand is down to the mass production of ranges like the Love’ or the d’Amour collection. I would always suggest buying vintage as the scarcity aspect will help to bolster price increases as the years go by. Vintage pieces also give you the chance to own something which could potentially be unique, a one-off creation just for you to treasure.

Q Are there any of the latter that look set to become collectors’ items?

COLLECTING CARTIER JEWELLERY

Q&A

On the eve of an important sale, jewellery expert Sarah Duncan on everything the Cartier collector needs to know

Q every collector should know?

A

A Cartier does introduce collections and then taper them out when not proving commercially successful enough. I always like the Cactus de Cartier range, it launched in summer 2016 but is now almost completely gone from Cartier’s retail off erings. I’d be curious to see how it performs on the secondary market in years to come. So far I’ve not seen that many come up, a sign that people are hanging onto them.

The list is endless.,Everything from Cartier’s belle époque garland style, leading to the art deco clean lines and simplified forms, to the later named Tutti Frutti collections and then into the bold post war Panthère works of art. While the works currently most commercially representative of Cartier, such as the Love and Juste un Clou collections, don’t represent the early heritage of the brand while it was at its artistic peak, they are widely sought after by a different collectors’ market.

Q What are the key differences between vintage Cartier pieces and modern ones?

A

The output of Cartier can roughly be divided into two categories: the period when the family owned the firm, and then the post 1960-1970s period where each branch was individually sold off and ultimately found its way into the centralised control of a conglomerate. That is not to say one period has a lesser value, but the time when Cartier was family controlled saw a greater emphasis on design, innovation and individuality. Therefore, pieces were more unique. However, by far the great

diamond

c. 1950, discovered in a supermarket bag, which went on to sell for £100,000

Right A very rare Cartier rock crystal, silver, coral, black and red lacquer Mystery barometer, it has an estimate of £25,000£35,000 at this month’s sale

tassel bracelet,

AQAre there any undervalued pieces collectors should be aware of?

We’re starting to see more and more information emerging on individual makers who worked for Cartier, predominately in the first half of the 20th century. I’d love to think that in coming years, these individuals’ work will become more appreciated and sought after in their own right. The work of Georg Lenfant is arguably the best known, his distinctive style has become highly sought after and celebrated for its creativity and distinctive aesthetic.

QWhat are collectors biggest mistakes?

Always pay attention to condition. More and more people are buying things unseen from online platforms. All jewellery and watches will have some degree of surface wear which is fine, but alterations and severe damage can devalue something irreversibly. When buying, always try to inspect an item yourself but if you can’t ask for lots of additional images and clarifications on condition. A reputable seller will be happy to provide these and walk you through an item in detail. If you’re serious about building a collection professional jewellery advisors can help make informed decisions.

QHow can you spot a fake – are there any simple tips when it comes to marks?

A Sadly no. Concernedly, the fakes have become so sophisticated that Cartier themselves are taking a step back from authentication. There is very little standardisation in the style and consistency of signatures and marks over the decades. I’m lucky enough to have handled thousands of Cartier items in my career and can weigh up a myriad of factors all at once when examining an item. Everything from its weight to its smell. Sometimes a “bad” signature is actually a sign of authenticity!

AQWhat have been your greatest Cartier finds to date?

I once had a client bring in a collection of jewellery in a supermarket bag that had been stashed on top of her wardrobe for years. Inside was a Cartier art deco coral, onyx and pearl tassel pendant (left) in its original Cartier presentation box. The condition was stunning, which for these is really important as the cotton threads do tend to disintegrate over time. The pendant went on to sell for nearly £100,000 in the auction room.

Last summer at Lyon & Turnbull I met the most unassuming client who showed me a picture of a stunning mid-century gold and diamond bracelet.

Her grandfather had been the president of a Caribbean nation, and her

grandmother had worn the bracelet on a state visit to Washington to meet President Eisenhower. It ultimately blasted past its pre-sale estimate of £12,000-15,000, selling for £62,700.

AQAre you expecting the exhibition to spark an upturn in Cartier collecting?

Indeed, in fact that’s why we timed this oneoff auction to coincide with the exhibition. The V&A will be showcasing some of the most spectacular examples, mainly from Cartier’s own archives. However, the wonderful thing about Cartier is the sheer volume of output means that there is the opportunity for people to acquire their own “museum treasure”.

Sarah Duncan is the head of jewellery at Edinburgh auction house Lyon & Turnbull’s London branch. On April 29, to coincide with the V&A exhibition, it will hold a dedicated auction Cartier Curated, including jewellery, rare watches, clocks, handbags and objects de vertu. Viewing (on April 23, 26 and 28) is at 22 Connaught St, London W2 2AF

‘I once had a client bring in a collection of jewellery in a

Q&A

‘The list of sought-after Cartier pieces is endless. Everything from its belle époque garland style, leading to the art deco clean lines and simplified forms, to the later named Tutti Frutti collections and then into the bold post war Panthère works of art ’

Above A Cartier ruby and diamond mid-20th century brooch, it has an estimate of £5,000£7,000 at this month’s Lyon & Turnbull sale

In the KNOWLES

of 15th-century iconographic jewellery, most likely from the reign of Edward IV, around 1480.

Medieval-era iconographic rings often had a speci c shape, usually with two parallel at sides reaching to a central point. ey were often engraved with images of saints and enhanced with oral or geometric motifs.

High status

ploughed eld, often in the most awful weather.

Now it seems the hobby, perhaps due to the hit BBC programme Detectorists, is back in fashion. e Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) which monitors “ nds” recently reported the number of treasures recorded in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was 74,506 in 2023, a sharp increase on 2022’s gures of 53,490.

Some detectorists will tell you that the holy grail of metal detecting is a hoard of Roman coins or Anglo-Saxon jewellery. Others will point out – borrowing a line from the Detectorists – that actually the holy grail of metal detecting is the actual Holy Grail.

While not quite that, there were some signi cant discoveries – including the Chew Valley Hoard, the highest valued treasure found on record, and a silver penny of East Anglian king Guthrum of East Anglia (the rst silver coin minted by a Viking ruler in Britain) which was declared treasure in September 2024.

Once in a lifetime nd

A remarkable piece of Hampshire’s history also hit the headlines, in the shape of a rare gold ring, described as “a once in a lifetime nd” dating back over 600 years. It was unearthed in Itchen Valley, by detectorist Barry Hutchinson during an outing with his local group, Wessex Metal Detecting.

As with many metal detecting nds, the value isn’t just in the item itself but in the connection it provides to the past—a tangible link to history that had been hidden for over six centuries. e ring turned out to be a rare example

Left e medieval ring was found by Barry Hutchinson in Hampshire and went on to sell for £8,000 in Derbyshire, image courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers

Below right e BBC programme Detectorists starring Mackenzie Crook may have sparked a boom in the hobby, image courtesy of BBC Images

e craftsmanship in this ring is intricate, indicative that it may have been worn by royalty, nobility or high-ranking clergymen. e ring featured a double-faceted bezel with a central ridge that extends into the loop. On either side of the bezel were detailed panels depicting saints—St Catherine, holding a wheel and sword, and St George, mounted on horseback, slaying a dragon.

As one of the virgin martyrs Catherine held a special signi cance for young, unmarried girls, and she was also the patron of scholars, wheelwrights and various other groups. A princess from Alexandria, Catherine was condemned to die on spiked wheels by the Roman emperor Maxentius because of her Christian faith. In answer to her prayers, God destroyed the wheel and she was willingly decapitated. She is often shown with a wheel and sword (the former being the inspiration for the Catherine Wheel rework).

Inside the bezel, an inscription in black lettering reads “nul si bien” (none so good), the phrase, in Latin, again signifying the high status of its original owner.

e ring sold at Hansons Auctioneers for £8,000 – not a bad result for its nder Barry, who was just about to pack up for the day when he came across the wonderful piece. e winning bid came from a specialist medieval and Renaissance manuscript illumination gallery in Chicago. It would be nice to think that it might, one day, return to the county of its “birth”, perhaps to a local museum, where it can deepen knowledge of the region and its history.

As well as being a well-known face on a number of TV programmes on antiques and collectables, Eric Knowles is a consultant at Hansons Auctioneers. For more information, you can visit their website www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

‘As with many metal detecting finds, the value isn’t just in the item itself but in the connection it provides to the past’

Puzzle TIME

Go head to head with the nest brain in the vintage puzzling world by taking on our resident quiz editor Peter Wade-Wright

APRIL QUIZ

Q1 Collectors of packaging may own a treasured ‘Blibber-Blubber’ sample. What is it? (a) cooking fat, (b) chewable sweet, (c) lamp oil, (d) unre ned soap for clothes washing

Q2 e rst successful sewing machine was invented by a Frenchman in 1830 and used to sew army uniforms. But the maker was almost killed for his invention. How, and why? (a) a foreign government assassin red at him and missed, (b) a needle broke and severed an artery in his neck, (c) French ‘Luddites’ burnt down his factory, (d) a gas-driven version exploded, severing his arm.

Q3 A serinette is what? (a) a device to teach canaries to sing, (b) a scent-impregnated napkin, (c) a small meat-searing device, (d) a small ‘by airmail’ sticker placed next to a stamp on a letter.

Q4 A collection of what would not be complete without a spathomele, curette and vectis? (a) kitchenalia, (b) artists’ paraphernalia, (c) philatelic aids, (d) medical instruments.

Q5 Match the the following colours to the ‘class’ of carriage used in the early days of railway travel (a) blue, (b) yellow, (c) green, (d) purple. First class, second class (enclosed carriage), second class (opensided), third class.

Q6 In the 1950s the Rosebud rm produced what? (a) plastic models, (b) children’s sledges, (c) arti cial owers, (d) drawing pins.

Q7 What is a capitulary? (a) a white ag, (b) a salute used by Vatican Swiss guards, (c) published diocesan guidance, (d) royal medieval tax-returns

Q8 Victorian arti cial owers were often soaked in cobalt chloride solution. Why? (a) they would last longer in inclement weather, (b) they were said to be more ‘acceptable’ to angelic guides, (c) it sti ened the material, (d) they could change colour depending on the weather.

Send your answers to Crossword, Antique Collecting magazine, Riverside House, Dock Lane, Melton Woodbridge, Su olk, IP12 1PE. Photocopies are also acceptable, or email your answers to magazine@ accartbooks.com. e rst three opened by April 20 will win a copy of Jackson’s Hallmarks, Pocket Edition: English, Scottish, Irish Silver & Gold Marks From 1300 to the Present Day, worth £6.95.

SOLUTION TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD:

The letters in the highlighted squares, using a K in the centre square, could be rearranged, to make the word strapwork

The winners, who will each receive a copy of the book are Alan Radford, Nottingham by email; Vanessa Smith, by email and Chris Jones, Norfolk, by email.

Q9 Collectors of TV memorabilia may well remember the famous BBC April fool in 1957 reporting on a spaghetti harvest. In which country was it being held? (a) Italy, (b) Spain, (c) Switzerland, (d) France.

Q10 What are, and where would you nd the following substances? (a) Harbenite, (b) Pulhamite, (c) Adamantium, (d) Bureaucratium?

Finally here are four anagrams Aghast hieratic, Bristly jeep, Escort serf, and Feminal gin.

Rearrange them, in order, to make the names of the following four English novelists.(a) One of the most successful detective novelists (1890 -1976) and the author of e Mysterious A air at Styles (1920). (6, 8) (b) A Yorkshire-born journalist, critic and novelist (1894-1984) who penned e Good Companions (1929). (1. 1. 9) (c) Author (1899-1966) principally remembered for the Hornblower novels and e African Queen (1935). (1. 1. 8) (d) Journalist and thriller writer (19081964) and author of Casino Royale (1953) (3, 7).

For the answers turn to page 10

Q3 Which class of railway compartment had a purple livery?

Q3 Do they think spaghetti grows on trees? Image Robert Couse-Baker

Anagram (a) Who is this well-known author?

Across

1 Battledore collectable said to resemble a hawk’s lure. (11)

6 English pottery brand since 1770 at which transfer printing was brought to an art. (5)

7 Any object, system or tradition enduring from a time gone by. (5)

8 Part of the anatomy in which you say you just know by feel that something is right/genuine/worth the money. (3)

9 Ancient Greek philosopher who witnessed the death of Socrates. (5)

10 Fastening devices (pl.) on doors, lids etc. (5)

11 Obligation to pay money…and other things. (3)

12 Edged weapon longer than a dagger. (5)

13 Child carer…”Gawd bless yer Mary Poppins.” (5)

14 Body of rule regulating behaviour, convention etc. (3)

15 Alongside English, the official language of India. (5)

16 Of hearing, not speaking. (5)

17 _______ by…appointed to act for, speak for, bid for… another. (11)

Down

2 George ________ (1727?-1786). English furniture maker and author of The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterers’ Guide. (11)

3 British BBC sitcom (1975-1978) starring Richard Briers about a midlife couple trying to be self-sufficient. (3, 4, 4)

4 Glazed, or unglazed, pottery produced almost everywhere and only bettered in the 17th century. (11)

5 Thomas ________ (1718 -1779). Another English furniture maker and author of The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director.

(11)

Finally, rearrange the letters in the yellow highlighted squares to form the name given to a hinged opening-cover used in attics, theatres…gallows. (8) …and rearrange the letters in the blue highlighted squares to form the name of the flat-topped shop/bar fitments…or game scorers/ markers. (pl.) (8)

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Unsung women

Women’s WORLD

From unknown amateurs to lauded professionals, a new book highlights six centuries of women’s art, with numerous pieces on show in National Trust buildings. Antique Collecting celebrates seven of the lesser-known makers

Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608), embroidery maker

Visitors to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire can marvel at examples of some of the most fascinating, and rarest, textiles of the late 16th century. ey were produced during the life of Elizabeth (Bess) Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (1527-1608) who not only gave over entire rooms at Hardwick for professional embroiderers, but was also a skilled maker herself, with some of the most characterful pieces the product of her own needle.

Textiles held a particular place in elite households during this period. e extraordinary cost of the materials – silks, gold threads, continental velvets – and the skilled labour needed to produce them meant they were the epitome of luxury.

Bess took an active interest in the design, development and production of the tapestries. Embroidery featuring ower or plant stems (called ‘plant slips’, as ‘slipping’

Opposite page Silver gilt cup and cover by Rebecca Emes (d.1829/30) and Edward Barnard (d.1855), 1811–1812, Osterley Park and House, London. National Trust Images/ John Hammond

Left Elizabeth Hardwick, later Talbot (‘Bess of Hardwick’), Countess of Shrewsbury, by a follower of Hans Eworth (c.1525–after 1578), c.1560–1569, oil on panel, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. National Trust Images

Right Group of needlework octagons, ve with the initials ‘ES’ for Elizabeth Shrewsbury, c.1570. e linen canvas is worked with silk and wool in cross and tent stitches, 35.5cm (width, each octagon), Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. National Trust Images/John Hammond

was the practice of pulling up single stems with roots to propagate new plants) becoming increasingly fashionable.

e collections at Hardwick include a group of octagonal plant-slip panels, most bearing the prominent initials of their maker – ES for Elizabeth Shrewsbury.

It is possible they were originally incorporated into ve wall hangings described in a 1601 inventory of the property. e embroideries show stylised trees, owers and plants, from leaf to root, accompanied by an occasional hen, snail or butter y. Most are copied from illustrations in botanist Pietro Andrea Mattioli’s 1558

Commentary on Dioscorides. e examples above include stinking iris, gourd and laurel.

Around the edge of each octagon is a Latin motto, taken from sources including Erasmus’s Adages (1500).

Bess worked on the embroideries with Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) while the latter was incarcerated and in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury.

‘Bess worked on the embroideries with Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) while the latter was incarcerated and in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury ’

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Unsung women

Suzanne

de Court (active 1575–1625),

enamellist

French-born Suzanne de Court, whose work can be seen in Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, produced enamel works of exceptional quality.

‘Unlike the many anonymous women who were involved in goldsmithing, Louisa Courtauld’s prominent role as a wealthy businesswoman means her contribution to the trade is more easily recognised today’

Unusually, she signed her work – the only woman enameller known to do so. She is responsible for a lustrous enamelled plaque of e Annunciation made around 1600 in her home town of Limoges in south-west France, which was at the time a major centre for enamel production for courtly clients. At the time, de Court, was one of only two known female enamel painters in Limoges.

Although little is known of her life, she came from a dynasty of enamel painters and it is thought that she probably ran the de Court workshop.

e intense, almost shimmering colour she achieved is a result of the painted enamel technique, in which ground glass is mixed with metal oxides, laid over copper and silver foils, and red, creating a luminous e ect. De Court’s workshop also made more functional objects decorated in enamel, such as mirror backs and serving dishes.

e presence of one of her plaques at Waddesdon is thanks to another woman, Alice de Rothschild (1847–1922), who inherited the estate from her brother Ferdinand in 1898 and assembled a collection of Renaissance works of art for the Smoking Room in the Bachelors’ Wing. She was a passionate, independently minded and discerning collector, and bought other pieces by de Court, as well as inheriting them from Ferdinand.

In 1917, a plaque was bought for £2,000 (the equivalent of around £120,000 today) with another also acquired from the same set.

‘Suzanne

de Court produced enamel works of exceptional quality, and her distinctive figurative style is instantly recognisable. Unusually, she also often signed her work – the only woman enameller to do so’

Suzanne de Court (active 1575–1625)

Juno and the Furies, c.1600, copper, enamel, gold, velvet and wood, Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, Waddesdon Image Library Mike Fear

Below Louisa Courtauld (1729-1807) and George Cowles, a set of four candlesticks with the armorial crest of Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 1771–1772, London, sterling silver, Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. National Trust Images/Leah Band

contribution

Louisa Courtauld (1729–1807) renowned goldsmith

On show at Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire is work by the 18th-century female goldsmith Louisa Courtauld (1729-1807). Louisa Perina Ogier came to England as a baby after her father, a silk weaver, moved as a refugee to Spital elds, the area of London most closely associated with the production of sumptuous silk cloth. At the time London was home to many Huguenot (French Protestant) craftspeople, who had ed to London from France to escape religious persecution.

It was her marriage to Samuel Courtauld (1720–1765), a second-generation goldsmith, that established Louisa’s connection to the business. Courtauld was in her midthirties when, following the death of her husband, she took control of the family rm, as such widows often did.

Unlike the many anonymous women who were involved in goldsmithing as workers or suppliers, Courtauld’s prominent role as a wealthy businesswoman means that her contribution to the trade is more easily recognised today. During her early years in business she had pieces marked with her own initials ‘LC’ in a lozengeshaped punch, indicating her status as a widow. She later registered a mark with her business partner, George Cowles (d.1811), and another with her son Samuel (1752–1821). Her clients included Sir Nathaniel Curzon of Kedleston (1726–1804), who ordered a remarkable set of condiment vases, a set of tea canisters with a sugar vase, and an argyll (gravy warmer) all in the fashionable neoclassical style. When Curzon settled his account in 1777 it amounted to £142 3s 6d (over £12,000 today).

Left Rebecca Emes (d.1829-1830) and Edward Barnard (d.1855), silver gilt and glass centrepiece, 1818–1819, Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire. National Trust Images/Leah Band

Below right Anna Atkins (1799-1871) Hedysarum specimens, 1854, cyanotype, Lacock Abbey and Fox Talbot Museum, Wiltshire. National Trust Images/Leah Band

Rebecca Emes (d.1829-1830), silversmith

Rebecca Emes was a partner in one of the largest manufacturing silversmiths of its day – Emes and Barnard, whose London workshop created pieces for its own aristocratic customers and supplied major retailers, including the prestigious royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.

Emes took over the business following the death of her husband with her rst mark registered in 1808, jointly with William Emes, her husband’s executor. A few months later she registered her rst mark with her partner, Edward Barnard (d.1855), previously her husband’s foreman. Together, they developed a highly successful business, supplying silver across Britain and overseas, including to the US and India. e range included tea and co ee sets for the fashionable table, as well as cruets, tureens and toast racks; and more personal practical items, such as inkstands and chamber candlesticks. is towering centrepiece which can be seen at Anglesey Abbey (above) would have been a magni cent conversation piece at dessert, as well as providing light for those gathered around the table.

‘Rebecca Emes was a partner in one of the largest manufacturing silversmiths of its day –Emes and Barnard’

Anna Atkins (1799–1871), botanist and publisher

Anna Atkins (1799-1871) is recognised today as the rst person to publish a book illustrated with photographs – an achievement made possible by her pioneering application of the cyanotype process. Atkins combined scienti c knowledge and artistic talent throughout her life and work, encouraged by her father, the chemist, mineralogist and natural scientist John George Children (1777–1852). Her contribution of 256 original drawings to illustrate his published translation of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s Genera of Shells (1822–1824) serves as an early example. She joined the Botanical Society of London in 1839 and was exposed to the groundbreaking inventions of Sir John Herschel (1792–1871) and William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877) of Lacock Abbey. She was quick to adopt Herschel’s cyanotype process (announced in 1842) to make remarkable botanical photographs.

Brushing writing paper with a solution of iron salts to make it light sensitive, Atkins would lay a specimen and handwritten label directly on top, place them securely under glass in the sun for several minutes and nally wash in water. Her absorbing, delicate and camera-less studies of nature were rendered in negative form – shades of white against the alluring Prussian blues that permeate the paper. Atkins gave the rst part of her privately published book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions to the Royal Society in 1843. Hundreds more prints followed in instalments over the following decade. She later made this Hedysarum genus print (below), for her friend Anne Dixon.

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Unsung

Emmeline Cust (1867–1955), sculptor

Born Emmeline Welby-Gregory, ‘Nina’ Cust was a writer, editor, translator, poet and sculptor. She was descended from a line of intellectual women –her mother, Victoria, published extensively on the philosophy of language, while her grandmother, also called Emmeline, was a famous travel writer and poet.

‘Amateur (non-professional) sculpture was practised by women in Cust’s social circle ’

Cust is now recognised as one of the great creative women of Belton House, Lincolnshire. But this was not always the case. e troubled circumstances of her marriage to Belton’s heir, Harry Cust (1861-1917), once dominated her narrative – an example of how women’s histories can become skewed or diminished.

Some, but probably not all, of Cust’s sculpture is known today. Signed portrait busts in plaster, marble and metal exist at Belton, with its church housing a monumental marble e gy of Harry – staggering in its scale and emotional weight.

Cust was herself the subject of portraits by the arts and crafts enamellist Alexander Fisher and by the symbolist painters George Frederic Watts and John Collier. Contemporary accounts speak of her artistic interests and aesthetic sensibility. She was twice depicted by the sculptor Sir Alfred Gilbert, his portrait of her exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1900.

Amateur (non-professional) sculpture was practised by women in her social circle. Associated with an elite cultural group known as the ‘Souls’, it may have been through the in uence of fellow Soul and artist Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland (1856–1937), that she took up sculpture. Sir Alfred Gilbert, who was supported by Manners, may also have given her sculpture lessons.

Cust continued to sculpt well into the 20th century, exhibiting a bust of her niece Joan at the Royal Academy in 1906.

Margaret Hardman (1909-1970), photographer

e photographic accomplishments of Margaret Hardman (née Mills) are increasingly appreciated, as are her energy and acumen in running a busy photographic business –the Burrell and Hardman studio in Liverpool.

Her ambitions in the eld of photography started at school, where she was recommended to the photographer Edward Chambré Hardman (1898-1988), becoming his studio assistant in 1926. She quickly bolstered her technical and creative skills before moving to Paisley, Scotland, in 1929 to join John Douglas Ritchie’s photographic studio, where a portrait of her standing next to a large plate camera (below) was taken.

Above Emmeline ‘Nina’ Welby-Gregory (Mrs Henry CockayneCust) (1867–1955), self portrait, c.1894–1900, plaster, Belton House, Lincolnshire. National Trust Images/Dan Wray

Right Portrait of Margaret Mills (later Hardman) by the Ritchie studio, c.1929, gelatin silver print, e Hardmans’ House, Liverpool. National Trust Images/Edward Chambré Hardman Collection

Her employee reference from Chambré described her in glowing terms as “energetic, most intelligent and versatile” and remarked that “we are very sorry to lose her.” Her relationship with Chambré blossomed despite the distance; united in their mutual passion for photography, they married in 1932. As the vivacious driving force behind their studio’s operations, Margaret attentively engaged their clients and mainly

female sta . One former employee later likened her to “a amenco dancer … her temperament as ery and amboyant.” Her astute, perfectionist eye pored over each stage of production, from the darkroom to retouching, and was directed with equal rigour at her own photography.

Hardman’s

impressive photographs of rural and urban landscapes, in which she often focused on light and shadow, were cited by her husband, Chambré, as highly in uential on his own pursuit of the genre.

He frequently acknowledged his wife’s quiet observations, such as the shadow spilling over a doorstep (above) of which he wrote: “Observed and photographed by my late wife in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. She also made the print. e image was taken using a Rollei ex camera.” She also submitted several of her prints to competitions and exhibited in the UK and USA.

Above left Margaret Hardman (1909-1970) Georgian handrail, c.1930s, gelatin silver print, e Hardmans’ House, Liverpool. National Trust Images/ Edward Chambré Hardman Collection

Above Equipment and print in the mounting room at e Hardmans’ House, National Trust Images Arnhel de Serra

Women Artists & Designers at the National Trust is written by the conservation charity’s senior national curator Dr Rachel Conroy and includes an introduction by the comedian, broadcaster and campaigner Sandi Toksvig. It is available in store at National Trust shops or online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk where you can also nd details of the properties mentioned.

‘The photographic accomplishments of Margaret Hardman (née Mills) are increasingly appreciated, as are her energy and acumen in running a busy photographic business, the Burrell and Hardman studio in Liverpool’

e studio showing equipment at e Hardmans’ House, National Trust Images, Arnhel de Serra

ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Lots in April

TOP of the LOTS

e collection of a modern antiquarian appears on the rostrum in London, while a rare Chinese vase depicting the Eight Immortals is set to soar in Su olk

A 19th-century Chinese famille rose vase, featuring the Eight Daoist Immortals has an estimate of £3,000£5,000 at the Suffolk auction house Lacy Scott & Knight’s Asian art sale on April 9.

A rare 1971 watch by Tudor – dubbed Rolex’s “unloved sister” has an estimate of £20,000£30,000 at Anderson & Garland’s sale in Newcastle upon Tyne on April 2.

The Monte Carlo chronograph features an ultra-rare black or tropical-brown ‘home plate’ dial, so named due to the unique shape of its luminous hour markers, resembling a baseball field’s home plate. Tudor was founded by Hans Wilsdorf, the visionary behind Rolex, with the ambition to produce more affordable high-quality timepieces. Today, Tudor’s vintage chronographs are sought after by collectors.’

The only photograph of Neil Armstrong on the Moon, taken by Buzz Aldrin, on the Apollo 11 mission has an estimate of €18,000-€25,000 (£15,300-£21,250) at Bonhams’ online sale from April 14-28.

The image, showing the astronaut standing beside the Lunar Module Eagle, only emerged 17 years after the famous landing, with NASA initially claiming no such photograph existed.

The photo is one of 450 vintage NASA photographs from the collection of Victor Martin-Malburet. At the same sale (at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris) a portrait of Buzz Aldrin with the photographer, LM Eagle and Earth reflected in his gold-plated sun visor, known as the “visor shot”, has an estimate of €5,000-€7,000 (£4,200-£6,000).

Left e only photograph of Neil Armstrong on the Moon, it has an estimate of €18,000-€25,000

Below e picture of Buzz Aldrin, known as the “visor shot”, featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1969

Dating from the Qing dynasty’s Daoguang period (1821-1850), the quality of the brushstrokes is similar to pieces found on Imperial-commissioned work.

Imperial-commissioned work.

Daoism was a core belief in China, with the Eight Xian (immortals) representing mythological figures, each of whom was able to aid mortals. He Xiangu is the only female immortal, often shown holding a lotus flower.

From the Ming dynasty onwards, the Eight Immortals became widely represented in both elite and vernacular material culture across bronze, jade, painting, textile, and porcelain.

Above right e vase’s classical “hu-form” shape, is known as “Pi Pa Zun” in Chinese and highly sought after

Above Among the Eight Immortals depicted is Li Tieguai (far left) on a crutch holding a medicine-dispensing gourd

The contents of a “man-cave” are set to make £5,000-£7,000 at Charterhouse’s auction of automobilia, enamel signs and pub memorabilia in Sherborne on April 2.

Auctioneer Richard Bromell, said: “Collected over many years, the owner who lived on the Somerset/Dorset border, sadly passed away and the family called us in to give them help and advice.”

The collection includes an eclectic mix of vintage enamel signs, shop advertising displays, car mascots, automobilia, Guinness and pub memorabilia.

Above right e man cave’s contents could notch up a creditable £7,000

Tudor watches are increasingly capturing collectors’ interest

To misquote Shakespeare: “Some are born collectors, some achieve collections, and others have collections thrust upon them”. In the case of Graham Slater (1927-2024), whose rich and varied collection goes under the hammer at Bonhams this month, his was very much the former category.

He began collecting aged five, when his father, an underwriter at Lloyds, gave him some foreign stamps. By the age of seven, he had discovered Matchbox toys, before moving on to scour post-Blitz market stalls, for prints by his favourite artist – the 17th-century Bohemian graphic artist Wencelas Hollar (1607-1677), and early English books.

Collecting followed him wherever he went, even a sojourn in Malta, to improve his asthma, was enough to spark an interest in archaeology, geology and fossils.

His devoted wife Rosemary shared his varied fascinations, including his love of mudlarking – exploring the banks of the Thames for fragments washed up by each new tide. The pair focused on 17th and 18th-century English domestic artefacts, including decorative works of art, drinking glasses, vernacular woodwork and furniture, as well early coins.

As Philippa Stockley wrote in Bonhams Magazine: “If something had been grasped by food-greased fingers or beringed scented ones; eaten, drunk, or poured from; held or pinned on as a proud memento; contemplated in church, or otherwise served in daily life from the middle-ages to the late 18th century, it had a chance in finding a home with him.” Soon his Cambridge home was crammed with the results of his acquisitive foraging, with 700 objects in a family house-cum-museum.

English delftware

But it was English delftware that most appealed to Slater. One of the sale highlights is a large Fécondité dish, showing a nude woman reclining on pillows with children. The style, intended to promote fertility, is thought to have been copied from a French, lead-glazed, earthenware dish, originating from Bernard Palissy (1509-1590). When the style arrived on British shores in the 1650s, the Pickleherring Pottery in Southwark started to produce them.

Like most of his collection, Slater took great pride in researching the charger’s history and probable maker. As a leading authority in English delft, he identified the maker’s mark of WP as being that of William Price, or William Pocock. Bonhams’ Charlie Thomas, said: “Graham was a collector in the old-fashioned sense of the word, a real scholar who surrounded himself with objects and then learnt everything there was about the objects he collected.”

Even in his 90s, Graham still enjoyed the thrill of the chase, attributing delft and early stoneware vessels. But his love of antiques wasn’t limited to pieces from 100 years ago. His collection included some of the greats of 20th-century Modern British printers including Patrick Heron, Graham Sutherland, Ben Nicholson, John Piper and Edward Bawden.

Part I of the sale is a live auction at Bonhams New Bond Street on April 15, with Part II being online, ending on April 16. Proceeds of the sale of the English Delftware will go to the Art Fund the national charity for UK museums, galleries and historic houses.

1 A London delftware Fécondité dish by the potter WP, 1657-1659. It has an estimate of £30,000-£50,000 at this month’s sale 2 Book of Hours, Use of Rome, full-page illuminated woodcuts heightened in gold. It has an estimate of £5,000£8,000 3 An English delftware charger, blue dash rim, c. 1714. It has an estimate of £7,000-£10,000 4 Patrick Heron (1920-1999), FEBRUARY 8 1984. It has an estimate: £10,000-£15,000 5 An English medieval anthropomorphic jug, 13th century. It has an estimate of £8,000-£12,000 6 Elizabeth I 1558-1603 coin, sixth issue (1583-1600). It has an estimate of £8,000-£10,000

OUT AND ABOUT in April

FAIR NEWS

We

showcase various events taking place across the

UK, including a fair set to attract visitors to a seaside Su olk town

School days

Set in the Orangery of Westonbirt School near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds Antiques, Decorative and Art Fair returns this month, boasting some of the best dealers from the area and beyond.

With more than 45 exhibitors taking part at the event from April 11-13, pieces range in price from £20 to more than £10,000 across a wide variety of genres. The Victorian mansion of Westonbirt House was built between 1863 and 1870 for wealthy businessman Robert Holford. Designed by architect Lewis Vulliamy, the house is renowned for its opulent Italianate architecture and beautifully landscaped gardens. In the 20th century, the house was repurposed as a school for girls. Westonbirt House is the majestic backdrop for this month’s event

Sea your there

Nicknamed Chelsea-on-Sea, the Suffolk town of Southwold is set to attract antique aficionados far and wide this Easter weekend.

More than 40 dealers from across the country are set to take part in the Southwold Easter Antiques Fair from April 18-20.

Run by Lomax Fairs, in the main hall of St. Felix School on the town’s approach, it is the organisers first fair of the year.

Lomax Fairs was acquired by local antique dealer Anthony Keer at the end of 2022 and is now run as a family business with his wife Jenni and four adult sons.

Anthony said: “The Southwold fairs attract a wide variety of visitors, many from surrounding towns and villages, but also a large number of Londoners, many of whom are either second homeowners in the area or are staying at the popular holiday cottages along the Suffolk coast.”

Admission is £4 for adults with children under 16 free. There is ample free parking and well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

e charming seaside town of Southwold

Attic sale

Festival goers

Local dealers Petersfield Bookshop and English silver specialist Trevor Towner join exhibitors from around the country at the Petersfield Antiques Fair from April 25-27. 36 dealers of traditional antiques and fine art are set to take part, all offering high-quality items, each of which has been vetted for quality.

Now run by organiser Ben Cooper, who this year took over from Caroline Penman, he said: “The fair has a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere which makes for an enjoyable fair for everyone.”

The biggest event of the year on the Grandma’s Attic Fairs’ calendar takes place this month in Hampshire.

More than 1,800 visitors are expected at its Eastleigh fair on April 21 along with 300 exhibitors already booked to take part.

Organiser Chris Brown, said: “This is the biggest event we have and the largest antique and collectors fair in the county.”

Situated on the south coast between Winchester and Southampton, the fair takes place indoors at Places Leisure, Fleming Park.

Originally established in 1985, Grandma’s Attic Fairs is now run by Bournemouth-based antiques dealer Chris Brown and his partner Geoff Fagan.

e Hampshire event is one of Grandma’s Attic’s biggest

e Peters eld event attracts both local and national dealers

FAIRS Calendar

Because this list is compiled in advance, alterations or cancellations to the fairs listed can occur and it is not possible to notify readers of the changes. We strongly advise anyone wishing to attend a fair especially if they have to travel any distance, to telephone the organiser to confirm the details given.

LONDON:

Inc. Greater London

Adams Antiques Fairs 020 7254 4054

www.adamsantiquesfairs.com

Adams Antiques Fair, The Royal Holticultural Halls, Elverton Street, SW1P 2QW, Apr 13

Etc Fairs 01707 872140

www.bloomsburybookfair.com

Bloomsbury Book Fair, Turner, Suite at Holiday Inn, Coram Street, London, WC1N 1HT, Apr 13

Sundbury Antiques 01932 230946

www.sundburyantiques.com

Kempton Antiques Market, Kempton Park Race Course, Staines Road East, Sunbury-OnThames, Middlesex, T W16 5AQ, Apr 8, 29

SOUTH EAST & EAST ANGLIA: including Beds, Cambs, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex.

A Blackdog Event Ltd

www.ablackdogevent.com

Spring Antiques Fair, Events Marquee, Dunston Hall, NR14 8PQ, Apr 13

CL Fairs

07501 782821

Norfolk’s Collectors Fair

At The Parish Hall Parish Hall, Church Street, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9HH, Apr 5

Grandmas Attic

www.grandmasatticfairs.co.uk

Antique and Collectors Fair, Woking Leisure Centre, Kingfield Road, Woking, GU22 9BA, Apr 6

The Westgate Leisure Centre, Via Ravenna, Chichester, PO19 1RJ, Apr 13

IACF

01636 702326

www.iacf.co.uk

Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair, South of England

Showground, South of England Showground, Ardingly, Nr Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6TL, Apr 22-23

Marcel Fairs 07887 648255

www.marcelfairs.co.uk

Marcel’s Antique and Vintage Fair, Sarratt Village Hall, The Green, WD3 6AS, Apr 13

The Weatherley Centre, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH, Apr 20

Sundbury Antiques

01932 230946

www.sundburyantiques.com

Sandown Antiques Home and Interiors Fair, Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher, KT10 9AJ, Apr 13

SOUTH WEST

including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire.

Cameo Fairs

07790 126967

www.cameofairs.co.uk

Corfe Castle Antiques, Vintage & Decorative Fair, East Street, Corfe Castle, Dorset, BH20 5EE, Apr 6

Lyndhurst Antiques Fair, Central Car Park, High Street, Lyndhurst, SO43 7NY, Apr 27

Grandmas Attic

www.grandmasatticfairs.co.uk

Antique and Collectors Fair, Allendale Centre, Hanham Road, Wimbourne, Dorset, BH21 1AS, Apr 21

Places Leisure, Fleming Park, Passfield Av, Eastleigh, Hants, SO50 9NL, Apr 21

Hidden Treasures

07394 704272

Drayton Antique & Collectors Fair, Drayton Village Hall Lockwood, Drayton, Oxon, OX14 4LG, Apr 6

Major Antiques Fair

07870432805

Stockbridge Antiques Fair,

Stockbridge Town Hall, High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire, SO20 6HE, Apr 5

Sga Fairs

07759 380299

Browsers Antique & Collectors Fair, Hartley Wintney Victoria Halls, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire RG27 8RQ , Apr 13, 27

Pangbourne Village Hall

Pangbourne, Berkshire, RG8 7AN, Apr 26

EAST MIDLANDS

including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland.

Arthur Swallow Fairs

01298 274493, asfairs.com

Antiques and Home Show, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln, LN2 2NA, Apr 2

IACF

01636 702326

www.iacf.co.uk

Newark International Antiques & Collectors Fair, Newark Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NY, Apr 3-4

Runway Monday at Newark Antiques & Collectors Fair, Apr 28

Stags Head Events

07583 410862

www.stagsheadevents.co.uk

Lamport Hall, Lamport, Northampton, NN6 9EZ, Apr 20-21

Bank Holiday Antiques and Collectors Fair, Hood Park Leisure Centre, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 1HU, Apr 21

WEST MIDLANDS

including Birmingham, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire

B2B Fairs

07774 147197

www.b2bevents.info

Malvern Flea and Collectors Fair, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW, Apr 21

Coin and Medal Fair Ltd 01694 731781

www.coinfairs.co.uk

Midland Coin Fair, National Motorcycle , Museum, Bickenhill, B92 0EJ, Apr 13

IACF

01636 702326

www.iacf.co.uk

Stoneleigh - Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Fair, NAEC, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, Warwickshire

CV8 2LH, Apr 18-19

NORTH

including Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire.

Arthur Swallow Fairs

01298 274493 asfairs.com

Antiques and Salvage Market, Cheshire Showground, WA16 0HJ, Apr 26

Freckleton Antique, Vintage & Collectors Fair 07935 966 574

Freckleton Memorial Village Hall, 17 School Lane, Freckleton, PR4 1PJ, Apr 21

Jaguar Fairs 01332 830444

www.jaguarfairs.com

Derby Conference Centre, On the A6, London Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 8UX, Apr 12-13

V&A Fairs 01244 659887 www.vandafairs.com

Nantwich Civic Hall Antique and Collectors Fair, Civic Hall Nantwich, Beam Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG, Apr 24

WALES

RJG Events 0798 9955541

Beaumaris Antique and Collectors Fair, Beaumaris Leisure Centre, Rating Row, Beaumaris, Isle of Anglesey, LL58 8AL, Apr 20

SCOTLAND

JAC Fairs 07960 198409, Ayr Antique, Vintage & Collectors Fair, Citadel Leisure Centre, South Harbour Street, Ayr, KA7 1JB, Apr 26

Glasgow Antique, Vintage & Collectors Fair, Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow, G52 1HH, Apr 13

AUCTION Calendar

Because this list is compiled in advance, alterations or cancellations to the auctions listed can occur and it is not possible to notify readers of the changes. We strongly advise anyone wishing to attend an auction especially if they have to travel any distance, to telephone the organiser to confirm the details given

LONDON:

Inc. Greater London

Adam Partridge

The London Saleroom, The Auction Room, Station Parade, Ickenham Road, West Ruislip, HA4 7DL, 01895 621991 www.adampartridge.co.uk

Antiques and Fine Art, Apr 15-16

Apollo Art Auctions

63-63 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8SW 07424 994167

www.apolloauctions.com

The Prince Collection - Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities, Apr 26

Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities, Apr 27, Islamic Art Auction, Apr 28

Bonhams

101 New Bond St, London W1S 1SR, 020 7447 7447 www.bonhams.com

20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale, Apr 2

Impressionistic and Modern Art, Apr 3

Post-War and Contemporary, Apr 3

Fine and Rare Wines (Online), ends Apr 8

British. Cool. (Online) Apr 7-16

Bonhams

Montpelier St, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 1HH, 020 7393 3900 www.bonhams.com

Weekly Watches(Online), ends Apr 2

Home and Interiors (Online) Apr 4-15

Jewels (Online), Apr 22-30

The Marine Sale Apr 30

Chiswick Auctions

Barley Mow Centre, Chiswick, London, W4 4PH, 020 8992 4442 www.chiswickauctions.co.uk

Islamic and Indian Art, Apr 2

MESAA - Middle East, South Asia and Africa, Apr 2 Design, Apr 9

Old Master and 19th-Century Art, Apr 23

The Art of Nature, Apr 29

Chiswick Auctions

1Roslin Square, Roslin Road, London, W3 8DH 020 8992 4442

www.chiswickauctions.co.uk

Interiors, Homes and Antiques (Timed Online), Apr 14-24

Christie’s

8 King St, St. James’s, SW1Y 6QT, 020 7839 9060 www.christies.com

Contemporary Edition: London (Online), ends Apr 1 Collections (Online), ends Apr 9

Elmwood’s 101 Talbot Road London, W11 2AT, 0207 096 8933 www.elmwoods.co.uk

April Designer Handbags and Accessories, Apr 24

Forum Auctions

220 Queenstown Road, London, SW8 4LP, 020 7871 2640 www.forumauctions.co.uk

Books and Works on Paper (Online), Apr 10, 24

Hansons

6 Parkley’s Parade, Upper Ham Road, Richmond, TW10 5LF 0207 018 9300

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Asian Art, Wine and Whisky, Apr 29

Lyon & Turnbull

22 Connaught Street W2 2AF, 0207 930 9115

www.lyonandturnbull.com

London Jewellery (Online) viewing at Connaught Street, Apr 9

Cartier Curated (Online) viewing at Connaught Street, Apr 29

Travel and Vintage Posters (Online), viewing at Mall Galleries, London, Apr 30

Noonans

16 Bolton St, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ, 020 7016 1700

www.noonans.co.uk

Coins and Historic Medals, Apr 8 Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, Apr 9

Phillips

30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX, 020 7318 4010 www.phillips.com

New Now: Modern and Contemporary Art, Apr 10 Design, Apr 30

Olympia Auctions

25 Blythe Road, London W14 0PD, 020 7806 5541 www.olympiaauctions.com

None Listed in April

Roseberys

Knights Hill, Norwood, London, SE27 0JD, 020 8761 2522 www.roseberys.co.uk

Prints and Multiples, Apr 9

Prints, Design and Modern British Art, Apr 29

Sloane Street Auctions 158-164 Fulham Road, SW10 9PR, 020 3915 8340 www.sloanestreetauctions.com

None Listed in April

Sotheby’s

New Bond St., London W1A 2AA, 020 7293 5000 www.sothebys.com

Old Master and 19th-Century Paintings (Online), Apr 2-9

Classic Design: Furniture, Clocks, Silver and Ceramics, Apr 1-10 Finest and Rarest Wines (Online) Apr 10-24

SOUTH EAST AND EAST

ANGLIA: Inc. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex

Bishop and Miller Unit 12 Manor Farm, Glandford, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7JP 01263 687342

bishopandmillerauctions.co.uk

Modern Paintings and Sculpture, Apr 16

Bishop and Miller

19 Charles Industrial Estate, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5AH, 01449 673088

The Howell Collection of Lowestoft Pottery, Apr 23 Militaria and Medals, Apr 30

Bellmans

Newpound, Wisborough Green, West Sussex, RH14 0AZ, 01403 700858

www.bellmans.co.uk

Wines and Spirits (Timed) ends Apr 13

Burstow & Hewett

The Auction Gallery, Lower Lake, Battle, East Sussex,TN33 0AT, 01424 772 374

www.burstowandhewett.co.uk

Homes and Interiors, Apr 2-3

Fine Antiques, Asian Art, Furniture, Objet d’Art, etc Apr 24

Fine Antiques, Asian Art, Furniture, Objet d’Art, etc Apr 24

Fine Art and Sculpture, Apr 24

Luxury Watches, Jewellery and Silver, Apr 25

Catherine Southon

Auctioneers Kingsley House, 5 High Street, Chislehurst, BR7 5AB Kent, 020 8396 6970

www.catherinesouthon.co.uk

None listed in April

Henry Adams Auctioneers

Baffins Hall, Baffins Lane, Chichester, PO19 1UA 01243 532223

www.henryadamsfineart.co.uk

A Two Day Art and Antiques Auction to include Silver and Jewellery, Apr 24-25

The Canterbury Auction Galleries 40 Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8AN, 01227 763337

canterburyauctiongalleries.com

Fine Art and Antiques, Apr 11-12

Cheffins Clifton House, Clifton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7EA 01223 213343, www.cheffins.co.uk

The Library Sale, Apr 10

The Interiors Sale, Apr 17

Ewbank’s

London Rd, Send, Woking, Surrey, 01483 223 101 www.ewbankauctions.co.uk

Classic and Modern Cars and Automobilia, Apr 4

Trading Cards and Retro Video Games Collectables, Apr 10

Trading Cards and Retro Video

AUCTION Calendar

Because this list is compiled in advance, alterations or cancellations to the auctions listed can occur and it is not possible to notify readers of the changes. We strongly advise anyone wishing to attend an auction especially if they have to travel any distance, to telephone the organiser to confirm the details given.

Games Collectables Premier, Apr 11

Pre-Loved. Vintage and Antique

inc. Jewellery, Apr 11-17

Vinyl Records Pt 1, Apr 23

Vinyl Records Pt 2, Apr 24

Vintage Posters, Apr 25

Comics Collection Pt 1, Apr 29

Comics Collection Pt 2, Apr 30

Gorringes

15 North Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2PE, 01273 472503

www.gorringes.co.uk

House and Gardens, Apr 07, 28

Militaria and Medals, Apr 14

Asian Ceramics and Works of Art, Apr 29

Hansons

The Old Post Office Leicester Square Penshurst Tonbridge TN11 8BJ, 01892 642146, www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Penshurst April Silver, Jewellery, Watches and Fine Art Auction, Apr 29

Hanson Ross Unit 1, The Power House, Lumen Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 7AG, 01763 430 042

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Fine Art, Apr 4

John Nicholson’s

Longfield, Midhurst Road, Fernhurst, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 3HA, 01428 653727

www.johnnicholsons.com

Paintings, Apr 16

Oriental Sale, Apr 23

Antiques, Apr 24

Lacy Scott & Knight

10 Risbygate St, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3AA, 01284 748 623

www.lskauctioncentre.co.uk

Homes and Interiors, Apr 5, 26

Asian Art and Antiques, Apr 9

Lockdales Auctioneers

52 Barrack Square, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3RF 01473 627110

www.lockdales.com

Medals, Militaria and Weapons, Apr 1-2

Paper Collectables, Apr 8-9

Parker Fine Art Auctions

Hawthorn House, East Street, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7SX, 01252 203020

www.parkerfineartauctions.com

Fine Paintings and Frames Auction, Apr 10

Reeman Dansie

8 Wyncolls Road, Severalls

Business Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9HU, 01206 754754

www.reemandansie.com

Homes and Interiors, Apr 1-2

Star Wars Toys, etc, Apr 2

Classic Cars, Vehicles ad Automobilia, Apr 12

East Anglian Antiques and Fine Art, Apr 29-30

Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers

Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE, 01279 817778

www.sworder.co.uk

Homes and Interiors, Apr 8, 29

Modern and Contemporary Art, Apr 15

Jewellery, Apr 23

Books, Manuscripts and Maps (Online), Apr 17-27

Design, Apr 30

The Rostrum Auctions, Hansons

Norfolk, The Old Bakery, Groveland, Thorpe Market Rd, Roughton, NR11 8TB, 01263 840 021

www.therostrumauctions.co.uk

None listed in April

Timeline Auctions

The Court House, 363 Main Road, Harwich Essex, CO12 4DN, 01277 815121

www.timelineauctions.co.uk

None listed in April

Toovey’s Antique & Fine Art

Auctioneers Spring Gardens, Washington, West Sussex, RH20 3BS, 01903 891955 www.tooveys.com

Coins, Banknotes and Medallions, Apr 1

Antiquarian and Collectors’ Books, Apr 2

Asian and Islamic Ceramics and Works of Art, Apr 10

Die-cast Model Vehicles and

Accessories, Model Trains and Railways, Tinplate and Mechanical Toys and Models, Dolls, Dolls’ Houses and Accessories, Miscellaneous Toys and Games Silver and Plate, Jewellery, Apr 16

Furniture, Arts and Crafts Furniture, Arts and Crafts

Metalwork and Applied Art, Collectors’ Items, Works of Art and Light Fittings, Needleworks, Textiles and Clothing, Rugs and Carpets, Apr 17

T.W. Gaze

Diss Auction Rooms, Roydon Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4LN, 01379 650306.

www.twgaze.com

Blyth Barn Furniture Auction, Apr 1, 8, 22, 29

Antiques and Interiors, Apr 11, 17, 25

Sound & Vision, Apr 15 Militaria, Apr 16

W&H Peacock Auctioneers

Eastcotts Park, Wallis Way Bedford, Bedfordshire MK42 0PE, 01234 266 366 www.peacockauction.co.uk

Antique Furniture and Collectors Items, Apr 4

Wine and Spirits, Apr 11

W&H Peacock Auctioneers

24 Newnham Street, Bedford Bedfordshire, MK40 3JR 01234 269082

www.peacockauction.co.uk

None listed in April

SOUTH WEST: Inc. Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire

Adam Partridge

The Antique Village, Station Rd, Hele, Exeter, Devon, EX5 4PW 01392 719826

www.adampartridge.co.uk

Antiques and Collectors’ Items with Paintings, Sculptures & Books, Apr 7

Auctioneum

Broadlands Fruit Farm, Box Road, Bathford, Bath

BA1 7LR, 01225 251303

www.auctioneum.co.uk

None listed in April

Auctioneum Bristol

1 Hanham Business Park, Memorial Road, Hanham Bristol, BS15 3JE, 0117 967 1000 www.auctioneum.co.uk

‘May the Fourth’ Star Wars, (Timed Online), Apr 18-May 4

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood

St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter EX4 1DU, O1392 41310 www.bhandl.co.uk

The Spring Auction, Apr 15-16

British Bespoke Auctions

The Old Boys School, Gretton Rd, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

GL54 5EE, 01242 603005 www.bespokeauctions.co.uk

None listed in April

Chilcotts The Dolphin Saleroom, High Street, Honiton, Devon, EX14 1HT, 01404 47783 www.chilcottsauctions.co.uk

Fine Art, including Ceramics, Pictures and Works of Art; Good Antiques and 20th Century Design, Apr 12

Chorley’s

Prinknash Abbey Park, Near Cranham, Gloucestershire, GL4 8EU, 01452 344499 www.chorleys.com

Fine Paintings and Sculpture Art and Antiques, Apr 29-30

Dawsons

Unit 8 Cordwallis Business Park, Clivemont Rd, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 4BU, 01628 944100

www.dawsonsauctions.co.uk

Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Apr 17

Interiors, Art and Antiques, Apr 24

Dominic Winter Auctions

Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 5UQ, 01285 860006 www.dominicwinter.co.uk

Printed Books, Maps and Documents, Apr 9

Dreweatts

Donnington Priory

Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2JE 01635 553 553

www.dreweatts.com

Art and Interiors (Live Online), Apr 6

Modern Design and Decorative Art (Live Online), Apr 16

Fine Wine, Champagne, Vintage Port and Spirits (Live Online), Apr 29

Jewellery (Timed Online), Apr 28 to May 15

Duke’s Brewery Square, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1GA, 0105 265080

www.dukes-auctions.com

The Spring Auction, Apr 16

Art and Design Post 1880, Apr 17

Gardiner Houlgate

9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9SW, 01225 812912

www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk

Antiques and Vintage, Apr 24

Paintings and Prints, Apr 24

Hansons Auctioneers

Trinity House, The Harbour Saleroom, The Quay, Penzance TR18 4BN, 01736 339350

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

None listed in April

Hansons Auctioneers

49 Parsons Street, Banbury, Oxford, OX16 5NB, 01295 817777

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Fine Art and Antiques, Apr 16

Harper Field Auctioneers

The Stroud Auction Saleroom Ebley Road, Stonehouse, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL10 2LN 01453 873800

www.harperfield.co.uk

April Auction To Include Toys, Live Steam and Model Engineering, Musical Instruments, Vinyl Records, Pictures and Paintings, Books, Ephemera, Stamps, Classic Cars and Motorcycles and Motoring and Transport, Apr 9-10

Kinghams

10-12 Cotswold Business Village, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucester, GL56 0JQ, 01608 695695

www.kinghamsauctioneers.com

Cotswold Interiors & Collectables, Apr 10

Jewellery, Watches and Designer Goods, Apr 30 - May 1

Lawrences Auctioneers Ltd

The Linen Yard, South St, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8AB, 01460 703041

www.lawrences.co.uk

20th-Century Modern Art and Design, Apr 11

Lay’s Auctioneers Alverton Road, Penzance, Cornwall. TR18 4RE. 01736 361414

www.davidlay.co.uk

All Things Music (Timed), ends Apr 13

Lay’s Auctions

Lay’s Auctioneers, Church Row, Lanner, Redruth, Cornwall, TR16 6ET, 01736 361414

www.davidlay.co.uk

None listed in April

Mallams Oxford

Bocardo House, St Michael’s St, Oxford, OX1 2EB, 01865 241358

www.mallams.co.uk

Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Apr 9-10

Mallams Cheltenham

26 Grosvenor St, Cheltenham. Gloucestershire, GL52 2SG 01242 235 712

www.mallams.co.uk

None listed in April

Mallams Abingdon

Dunmore Court, Wootten Road, Abingdon, OX13 6BH, 01235 462840

www.mallams.co.uk

None listed in April

Moore Allen & Innocent

Burford Road Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5RH, 01285 646050

www.mooreallen.co.uk

Timed Vintage and Antique Furniture, Apr 18-27

Vintage and Antique Furniture Auction, Apr 16 - 17

Philip Serrell

Barnards Green Rd, Malvern, Worcestershire. WR14 3LW, 01684 892314 www.serrell.com

An Eclectic Mix of Antique, Vintage, Household Furniture and Effects, Apr 11

Special Auction Services

Plenty Close, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5RL 01635 580 595

www.specialauctionservices. The Collector’s Auction –Featuring Oriental and Religious, Apr 1

Watch and Clocks, Apr 8

Popular Dolls and Teddy Bears, Apr 15

Popular Toys and Trains, Apr 29

The Cotswold Auction Company

Chapel Walk Saleroom, Cheltenham, Gloucesterhire, GL50 3DS, 01242 256363 www.cotswoldauction.co.uk

Silver, Jewellery, Watches, Asian, Whisky, Antiques and Interiors, Apr 8-9

Wessex Auction Rooms

Westbrook Far, Draycot Cerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 5LH, 01249 720888 www.wessexauctionrooms.co.uk Antiques, Collectables and Furniture, Apr 12, 26

Vinyl Records and Music Memorabilia, Apr 16-17

Woolley & Wallis

51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SU, 01722 424500 www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk

Furniture, Works of Art and Clocks, Apr 9-10

Fine Jewellery, Apr 15-16

British and Continental Ceramics and Glass, Apr 29

Silver and Objects of Vertu (Day One), Apr 30

EAST MIDLANDS: Inc. Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield

Bamfords

The Derby Auction House, 46 Nottingham Road, Spondon, Derby DE21 7NL 01332 210 000

www.bamfords-auctions.co.uk Antiques, Interiors, Estates and Collectables Auction, Apr 2, 30

Decorative Arts, Apr 3 Antiques, Interiors, Estates and Collectables, Mar 5, 19

Bamfords

The Bakewell Auction House, Peak Shopping Village Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, Derbyshire,

DE4 2JE, 01629 730 920

www.bamfords-auctions.co.uk

The Bakewell Country Home Interiors & Collectors Auction including Furniture, Ceramics, Textiles, Jewellery, Contemporary Design etc Apr 9, 23

Gildings Auctioneers

The Mill, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7DE. 01858 410414

www.gildings.co.uk

Antiques & Collectors, Apr 15, 29

Golding Young & Mawer

The Bourne Auction Rooms, Spalding Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9LE 01778 422686

www.goldingyoung.com

Bourne Toy, Transport & Automobilia Sale, Apr 2

Bourne Collective Sale, Apr 16-17

Golding Young & Mawer

The Grantham Auction Rooms, Old Wharf Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 7AA, 01476 565118

www.goldingyoung.com

Grantham Collective Sale, Apr 9-10

Golding Young & Mawer

The Lincoln Auction Rooms, Thos Mawer House, Station Road North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 3QY, 01522 524984

www.goldingyoung.com

Lincoln Collective Sale, Apr 23-24

Hansons

Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS 01283 733988

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Wine, Whisky and Spirits, Apr 1

Three-Day Antiques and Collectors, Apr 17-23

Diecast Model Railway & Collectable Toy Auction, Apr 24

Hansons

The Auction Rooms, 17 Northgate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1EX, 01636 605905

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Newark Furniture and House Clearance, Apr 12, 26

Newark Lost Property, Apr 19

Irita Marriott Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd, William’s Yard, Derby Road, Melbourne, Derbyshire, DE73 8JR

AUCTION Calendar

Because this list is compiled in advance, alterations or cancellations to the auctions listed can occur and it is not possible to notify readers of the changes. We strongly advise anyone wishing to attend an auction especially if they have to travel any distance, to telephone the organiser to confirm the details given.

01332414848

iritamarriottauctioneers.co.uk

Antiques and Collectors, Apr 9-10

WEST MIDLANDS: Inc.

Birmingham, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire

Cuttlestones Ltd

Pinfold Lane, Penkridge Staffordshire ST19 5AP, 01785 714905 www.cuttlestones.co.uk

Antique and Home, Apr 10, 24

Fellows Augusta House, 19 Augusta Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6JA , 0121 212 2131 www.fellows.co.uk

Pawnbrokers Jewellery and Watches, Apr 2 16 Gemstones, Apr 24

Fieldings

Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1JN 01384 444140

www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk

Antiques and Interiors, Apr 10

Everyday Antiques (Timed), Apr 16-23

Jewellery, Silver and Watches, Apr 11

Vinyl Records , Music and Entertainment Memorabilia, Cameras, Comics and Posters, Apr 24

Halls

Bowen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DR, 01743 450700

www.hallsgb.com/fine-art.com

Books, Coins and Stamps Auction, Apr 9

Sporting and Wildlife, Apr 10

The Spring Edit, Apr 4-22

Hansons Auctioneers

Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST18 0XN, 01889 882397

www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

Jewellery, Antiques, Toys and Textiles Auction, Apr 28

Potteries Auctions

Unit 4A, Aspect Court, Silverdale Enterprise Park, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 6SS

01782 638100

www.potteriesauctions.com

20th Century Ceramics, Collectables and Furniture, Apr 11

Timed Sale, Apr 30

Potteries Auctions

The Cobridge Saleroom, 271 Waterloo Road, Cobridge, Stokeon-Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 3HR 01782 212489

www.potteriesauctions.com

20th Century Ceramics, Collectables and Furniture, Apr 4, 25

Rare Book Auctions, 3 Wade Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire,WS13 6HL, 01543 765 230

www.rarebookauctions.co.uk

The Library Auction (Timed) ends Apr 9

Richard Winterton

Lichfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8NF, 01543 251081

www.richardwinterton.co.uk

Antique and Home, Apr 7, 14, 28

Richard Winterton

Tamworth Auction Rooms, 34 -35 Church Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7BX, 01827 217746

www.richardwinterton.co.uk

Toys, Trains, Stamps & Militaria, Apr 30

Trevanion

The Joyce Building, Station Rd, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1RD, 01948 800 202 www.trevanion.com

The April Auction, Apr 30

NORTH: Inc. Cheshire, Co. Durham, Cumbria, Humberside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Sheffield, Yorkshire

Adam Partridge Auctioneers

Withyfold Drive, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2BD 01625 431 788

www.adampartridge.co.uk

Jewellery, Silver, Watches, Coins & Boutique with Antiques and

Collectables, Apr 9-11

David Gilbert – The Studio Collection of Art and Sculpture, Apr 25

Adam Partridge Auctioneers

The Liverpool Saleroom, 18 Jordan Street, Liverpool, L1 OBP, 01625 431 788 www.adampartridge.co.uk

None listed in April

Anderson and Garland Crispin Court, Newbiggin Lane, Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 1BF, 0191 430 3000 www.andersonandgarland.com

Fine Silver, Apr 1

Fine Watches, Apr 2

Fine Jewellery, Apr 2

Spring Country House and Fine Interiors, Apr 3-4

Home and Interiors, Apr 8

British Toy Auctions

9 Berkeley Court Manor Park, Runcorn Cheshire, WA7 1TQ 01928 579032

www.britishtoyauctions.co.uk

Vintage Diecast and Tin-plate

Toys, Model Railways and more, Apr 7, 14, 28

Capes Dunn

The Auction Galleries, 40 Station Road, Heaton Mersey, Cheshire, SK4 3QT. 0161 432 1911 www.capesdunn.com

Antique Furniture, Apr 1

David Duggleby Auctioneers

The Gallery Saleroom, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 1XN, 01723 507 111 www.davidduggleby.com

Musical Instruments, Apr 3

Fossils, Entomology and Taxidermy, Apr 3

Coins and Banknotes, Apr 10

The Stamp Sale, Apr 10 Wine, Whisky and Advertising, Apr 25

Furniture, Rugs and Interiors, Apr 23

Jewellery and Watches, Apr 24

Affordable Art, Apr 24

Antiques and Decorative Objects, Art 25

Affordable Antiques and Collectors, Apr 25

Duggleby Stephenson

The Saleroom, York Auction Centre, Murton, York, YO19 5GF,01904 393 300 www.dugglebystephenson.com

Fine Persian Rugs and Carpets, Apr 11

Furniture, Rugs and Interiors, Apr 23

Elstob Ripon Business Park, Charter Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 1AJ, 01677 333003 www.elstob.co.uk

None listed in April

Ryedale Auctioneers

Cooks Yard, New Rd, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, YO62 6DZ, 01751 431 544

www.ryedaleauctioneers.com

Antiques, Interiors and Collectables, Apr 3-5

Coins, Stamps, Postcards, Books, Music and Sports Memorabilia, Apr 11

Art Sale, Apr 24

Sheffield Auction Gallery

Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB, 0114 281 6161 www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com

Specialist Collectable Toys, Apr 10

Football Programmes and Sporting Memorabilia, Apr 24

Tennants Auctioneers

The Auction Centre, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG, 01969 623780

Toys and Models, Sporting and Fishing, Apr 2

Antiques and Interiors, to include a Section of Silver, Apr 4

Books, Maps and Manuscripts, Apr 9

Natural History and Taxidermy, Apr 16

Fine Wine and Whisky, Apr 23

Antiques and Interiors, Apr 25

Thomson Roddick Callan

The Auction Centre, Marconi Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 7NA, 01228 535 288 www.thomsonroddick.com

Interior Sale, Apr 7

Antiquarian and Collectable

Books, Prints and Related Items, Apr 10

Carlisle Collectors’ Music and Vinyl Records to include Militaria, Vintage Toys, Model Railways, Gold Coins and World Currency, and Music Memorabilia, Apr 14

WALES

Anthemion Auctions,

15 Norwich Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AB, 029 2047 2444

www.anthemionauction.com

Malvern Flea & Collectors Fair

General Sale, Apr 2

Wilson55

Victoria Gallery, Market St, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5DG, 01270 623 878

www.wilson55.com

Fine and Classic, Apr 3

Jones & Llewelyn

Hundreds of indoor and outdoor stalls offering everything from furniture through to toys. A fair not to be missed!

Northern Art, Apr 24

SCOTLAND

Bonhams 22 Queen St, Edinburgh, EH2 1JX, 0131 225 2266

Unit B, Beechwood Trading Estate, Carmarthenshire, SA19 7HR, www.jonesandllewelyn.com

General Sale, Apr 5, 19

Rogers Jones & Co

Sunday 23rd July

33 Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, North Wales, LL29 7RU, 01492 532176

www.rogersjones.co.uk

www.bonhams.com

Holiday Monday 28th Aug

None listed in April

Lyon & Turnbull

33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3RR, 0131 557 8844

Furniture and Interiors, Apr 8, 29

Jewellery, Collectables and Fine Art, Apr 15

Entrance

7.30am-3.30pm - £5

Rogers Jones & Co

Three Counties Showground, Worcs. WR13 6NW.

www.lyonandturnbull.com

Contemporary Art, Apr 2 Design Since 1860, Apr 16-17

McTears Auctioneers

17 Llandough Trading Estate, Penarth, Cardiff, CF11 8RR, 02920 708125

www.rogersjones.co.uk

The Welsh Sale, Apr 13

Please check www.b2bevents.info in case dates have changed or been cancelled Tel: 01636 676531 www.b2bevents.info

British and European Fine Art, Apr 25

& OBJETS D’ART

26 Market St, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX7 6AA

IRELAND

60 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

31 Meiklewood Road, Glasgow, G51 4GB, 0141 810 2880

www.mctears.co.uk

Antiques and Interiors, Apr 3, 17

Coins and Banknotes, Apr 16

Jewellery, Apr 16

Watches, Apr 16

Whisky, Apr 23

The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction, Apr 24

Thomson Roddick Callan

The Auction Centre, Irongray Road Industrial Estate, Dumfries, DG2 0JE, 01387 721 635

www.thompsonroddick.com

None listed in April

Thomson Roddick Callan

The Auction Centre, 118 Carnethie Street, Edinburgh, EH24 9AL, 0131 440 2448

www.thompsonroddick.com

Home Furnishings and Interiors, Apr 3

Thomson Roddick Callan

The Auction Centre, 22 Smith Street, Ayr, KA7 1TF, 01292 267681

www.thomsonroddick.com

None listed in April

Adam’s 26, Stephens Green, Dublin 2, D02 X665, Ireland, 00 353 1 6760261

www.adams.ie

Mid-Century Modern, Apr 8

The Library Collection, Apr 29

Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers

The Old Cinema, Chatsworth Street, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, R95 XV05

00 353 (0)56 4441229

www.fonsiemealy.ie

Rare Book and Collectors Sale, Apr 30

O’Reillys

126 Francis Street

The Liberties Dublin 8, D08 E0C3 00 353 (0)1 453 0311 www.oreillysfineart.com

None listed in April

Whyte’s

38 Molesworth St. Dublin D02

KF80 Ireland 00 353- (0)1-676 2888

www.whytes.ie

Eclectic Sale Apr 6

ILOTS to TALK ABOUT

A collection of glass apothecary bottles is set to get pulses racing in the saleroom, writes Catherine Southon

have always loved glass apothecary bottles. Lined up on a shelf they combine decorative appeal with a certain laboratory chic and always act as a talking point. e social historian in me also enjoys learning about how they evolved over the years, re ecting both advances in medicine and technology.

For centuries, before modern medicine and when doctors as we know them did not exist, such vessels were used by chemists, apothecaries and pharmacists to store and preserve raw and compounded drugs in liquid and dry forms. Healing then was a homemade a air with most homes owning a handwritten book of medical remedies passed down the generations.

English Deltware examples are among the most collectable. ese ceramic jars were often beautifully painted and decorated with blue oral designs and/or geometric patterns often with yellow hues. eir gruesome contents somewhat at odds with their decorative appeal. I remember coming across one jar used to store dried fox lungs.

Glass bottles

Early 18th and 19th-century handblown glass bottles, typically containing oils, tinctures, and syrups, were beautifully decorated with baroque and rococo motifs of shields, ribbons, festoons and birds. Not considered to have a great monetary value and, combined with their fragility, means they are now very rare.

Towards the latter part of the 19th century, bottles became more simpli ed. e inscriptions were in Latin which the pharmacists and chemists would have learnt in their training. Unreadable to most of the public, the jars appeared to house mysterious contents for which the seller could charge a premium price.

Alongside clear glass vessels came ribbed green poison bottles. e grooves reminded anyone unable to read the label that the contents were dangerous and

Above right A pair of late 19th-century apothecary ceramic jars, it has an estimate of £200-£300

Below left A set of six early 20th-century blue opaline glass apothecary bottles with gilt, shieldform labels. Four have labels for Campion & Co. Chemists London SE 16. e set sold for £450 in 2023

Below right Two green poison bottles and one blue glass apothecary bottle, the trio has an estimate of £50-£80

to be avoided. Before the ribbed bottles, some poison bottles had bells round them to distinguish them. e mid 19th-century Bristol blue bottles often contained liquids like syrups that needed to be kept away from sunlight to stop the contents from crystalizing.

e labels

Calligraphers were employed to create attractive labels edged in gold leaf turning bottles into miniature works of art. Written on gilded paper, words were hand painted in black lettering with varnish applied over the top to prevent staining and damage. By the early 20th century, a technique abbreviated to LUG (label under glass) was the most common method used. is was the era of the Industrial Revolution, with new methods on mass production. Companies such as the York Glass Company made larger volumes to satisfy the growing number of pharmacies. Glass bottles prevailed until after WWII when plastic bottles made their stylish predecessors redundant. While the e cacy of the medicine might have improved, it was to the detriment of good design.

e apothecary bottles are set to go under the hammer at Catherine Southon’s auction house in June. For more visit www.catherinesouthon.co.uk. Marc Allum is away.

‘Alongside

clear glass vessels came ribbed green poison bottles. The grooves reminded anyone unable to read the label that the contents were dangerous and to be avoided. Before the ribbed bottles, some poison bottles had bells round them to distinguish them by touch’

Thursday 10th April

Thursday 8th May

Montague Dawson ‘The Barque Constellation, Monsoon Weather’