December January 2022 issue of Antique Collecting magazine

E S S E N T I A L G I F T G U I D E C H R I S T I N A T R E VA N I O N

ELIZABETHAN PORTRAITS

ANTIQUE

COLLECTING

DEC/ JAN 2022

Plus:

XMAS SPOTLIGHT

WHISKY ROCKS WE RAISE A GLASS

Seasons Seasons Meetings

DEMAND FOR SIGNET RINGS IS BOOMING

ANTIQUE COLLECTING

The best country houses to get you in the festive mood

LENNOX CATO: DREAMIING OF A SILVER CHRISTMAS

VOL 56 N0. 7 DEC/JAN 2022

9

King Charle s!

Mr H

a returns nson magazin to the e “Woolwo with a rth special s”

ARTISTS KNOWN FOR THEIR SNOW SCENES

CELEBRATING AN

Iconic Christmas

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO RUSSIAN ICONS, FROM HOW TO DECIPHER THEM TO RECOGNISING THE LEADING SCHOOLS

ALSO INSIDE Two pages of quizzes

• Fairs in 2022 • Collectable board games

Art from antiquity to the 21st century

A SELECTION OF GOLD BOXES FROM AN AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTION

AUCTION Two Private Collections of European Ceramics, Gold Boxes and Silver London, 16 December 2021

VIEWING 10–15 December 2021 8 King Street London SW1Y 6QT

CONTACT Isabelle Cartier-Stone icartier-stone@christies.com +44 (0) 7884 382708

Auction | Private Sales | christies.com/classicweek Other fees apply in addition to the hammer price. See Section D of our Conditions of Sale at the back of the Auction Catalogue

FIRST WORD

Welcome

To misquote a well-known phrase: what a difference a year makes. I spent last Christmas Eve evening with my husband on a chilly church bench with a bottle of wine – the location just about allowing us to hear the strains of music and laughter from a nearby (illegal) party. After 10 months of non-socialising, it felt like a rave. This year, “fully boosted”, we are digging out our best spangly wear to head to a festive ball, complete with real band, sit-down meal and 100 guests.

We wait to see what history will make of those astonishing months we all lived through. It already seems many of the much-vaunted predictions (new work/life balance! No more offices!) are falling away as we return to our pre-pandemic life. One thing that does stay in the muscle memory, however, is how to party and I wish you and yours all the best this Christmas In our small way, we hope to bring some cheer with this bumper issue. Nothing gets the diehard collector into the Christmas mood quite like a visit to stately home, bedecked with traditional decorations along with the cinnamon scent of mulled wine. This year, unlike last, we can get out and about so, on page 42, we bring you six of the best locations.

If you are still stuck for a Christmas gift, Lennox Cato has some cracking ideas on page 40, and we have another gift guide on page 48, as well as a number of great ideas with our book offers on page 34. On page 60, our resident jewellery and watch experts let you know which gift they would most like to wake up to on the big day.

On page 26, Paul Fraser reveals why the family board game you may be playing this Christmas could well be worth a tidy sum; on page 28, Mark Littler shines a light on why whisky should be your next collecting obsession and, on page 56, we discover the centuries-old rings that are taking UK salesrooms by storm. Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the issue.

IN THIS ISSUE

LIZ BAILEY

puts the jewellery of Elsa Peretti in the spotlight, p 52

ANNABEL ZARANDI writes in praise of signet rings, p 56

GUY SCHOOLING

Georgina

applauds the 19th-century artist Sarah Biffin, p 62

Georgina Wroe, Editor

PS If you would like to take advantage of our Christmas subscription offer, sharing your love of antiques with a friend or loved one, then you have until December 8 to get your order in. The same applies to our book offers, if you want to receive them in time for December 25.

He’s back!

CHARLES HANSON

KEEP IN TOUCH

Write to us at Antique Collecting, Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4SD, or email magazine@accartbooks. com. Visit the website at www.antique-collecting.co.uk and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AntiqueMag

Antique Collecting subscription

on his love of Woolworths, p 65

We love

This 19th-century holly brooch with rosecut diamonds and pearl berries, which has an estimate of £3,000-£5,000 at Roseberys’ sale on November 30

The Team

Editor: Georgina Wroe, georgina. wroe@accartbooks.com Online Editor: Richard Ginger, richard.ginger@accartbooks.com Design: Philp Design, james@philpdesign.co.uk Advertising: Charlotte Kettell 01394 389969, charlotte.kettell @accartbooks.com Subscriptions: Jo Lord 01394 389950, jo.lord@accartbooks.com

£38 for 10 issues annually, no refund is available.

ISSN: 0003-584X

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 3

We are delighted to announce our next specialist auction of The Collector: to include Period Oak, Folk Art & related objects 27 January 2022 starting at 10am We continue to invite consignments to future specialist auctions

01449 673088 enquiries@bm-auctions.co.uk www.bishopandmillerauctions.co.uk

Contents VOL 57 NO 6 DEC/JAN 2021/22

6

THIS MONTH

REGULARS 3 Editor’s Welcome: Georgina Wroe introduces this month’s bumper double issue 6 Antique News: Looking ahead to some of the exhibitions and events taking place in 2022

72 Puzzle Pages: Get the little grey cells going with our special antique-themed quiz and crossword

12 Around the Houses: A round-up of some of the more exciting sales from across the UK and beyond

74 Fairs News: Discover the unmissable events taking place near you in upcoming months

16 Waxing Lyrical: David Harvey gets to grips with a 19th-century chart table which could be the work of renowned furniture maker Gillows of Lancaster

75 Fairs Calendar: The latest events around the UK

26 Cool and Collectable: Paul Fraser reveals the most collectable board games from Cluedo to HeroQuest ELIZABETHAN PORTRAITS

ANTIQUE

COLLECTING

DEC/ JAN 2022

Plus:

XMAS SPOTLIGHT

WHISKY ROCKS WE RAISE A GLASS

Seasonss Season Meetings

DEMAND FOR SIGNET DOOMS IS BOOMING

ANTIQUE COLLECTING

The best country houses to get you in the festive mood

LENNOX CATO: DREAMIING OF A SILVER CHRISTMAS

VOL 56 N0. 7 DEC/JAN 2022

9

70

King Charles !

Mr Hans on returns magazine to the with a “Woolwort hs” special

ARTISTS KNOWN FOR THEIR SNOW SCENES

CELEBRATING AN

Iconic Christmas

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO RUSSIAN ICONS, FROM HOW TO DECIPHER THEM TO RECOGNISING THE LEADING SCHOOLS

ALSO INSIDE Two pages of quizzes

• Fairs in 2022 • Collectable board games

COVER

GAP Interiors/Clive Nichols, Chateau de Chenonceau, Loire Valley, France

FOLLOW US

12

32 Christmas Subscription Offer: Sign a pal up for a copy of the magazine and you, or your friend, receives a free book 34 Book Offers: Discover which titles are on offer this month at a knock down price from our sister publisher ACC Art Books 40 Without Reserve: Never mind regifting, Lennox Cato repurposes antiques to make them highly desirable gifts

28

48 Christmas Gift Guide: Get inspired with our selection of top antique presents

@AntiqueMag

51 In the Loupe: Nine pages of jewellery and watch news and features, including the designs of Elsa Peretti and the joy of signet rings

56

61 Your Letters: This month’s trawl includes a plea for information about a lost sporting trophy

60

70 Top of the Lots: Elizabethan portraits and an unusual rotating shelf appear in UK salerooms this winter

10 Obituary: In memory of the magazine’s former editor John Andrews

25 Lots of Love: Catch up on all the latest from the world of auctioneer Christina Trevanion

E S S E N T I A L G I F T G U I D E C H R I S T I N A T R E VA N I O N

65 An Auctioneer’s Lot: Charles Hanson returns to the magazine with his memories of a Woolworths Christmas

62 Saleroom Spotlight: The collection of a well-known Wisbech dealer going under the hammer in December

77 Auction Calendar: Never miss another sale with our up-to-date listings from the UK’s salerooms 82 Marc My Words: Marc Allum looks back on the year and reminds us there is much to look forward to in 2022

FEATURES 18 Iconic Statements: With two important Russian icons going under the hammer his month, we shine a light on the stunning artform 28 Spirit of Christmas: With huge returns on whisky should we all be raising a glass? asks Mark Littler 34 The Big Freeze: Many artists enjoyed painting snow. Martin Heaps puts the best in the spotlight 42 Season’s Meetings: Get out and about this Christmas with our guide to the most festive country houses 52 Above all Elsa: Liz Bailey puts the jewellery of the Italian designer Elsa Peretti in the spotlight 56 Seal of Approval: Signet rings are taking UK salesrooms by storm, discover the most sought-after styles 60 Dear Santa: Every wondered what the experts want for Christmas? All is revealed in our feature 66 Season’s Best: A selection of Christmas cards designed by some of the 20th-century’s best-known artists

TO SUBSCRIBE PLEASE CALL OUR SUBSCRIPTION HOTLINE ON 01394 389957 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 5

NEWS All the latest

ROYAL PERFORMANCE

WHAT’S GOING ON IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY

ANTIQUE

news

After last year’s events were put on hold, this Christmas promises much for the collector to see and do Hoo’s who Photographs of the excavation of the Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk taken by two school mistresses in 1939 have gone online for the first time.

Close friends Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff were amateur photographers with an interest in archaeology when they visited the dig on the eve of WWII and went on to create an extraordinary photographic record of one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.

Below Mercie Lack’s photograph of Basil Brown (top left),

Lieutenant Commander Hutchison (bottom left) and Barbara Wagstaff (bottom right) at work, © Trustees of the British Museum, digital image © National Trust

Above A Christmas tree in St George’s hall at Windsor Castle in 2020 Above right The royal sisters before their 1943 performance of Aladdin at Windsor Castle alongside Hubert Tannar, the Royal School’s headmaster who wrote and directed the pantomimes.

Royal Collection Trust/ All Rights Reserved Right The outfit worn

by Princess Margaret to play Princess Roxana as worn in the photograph above.

Royal Collection Trust / All Rights Reserved

Costumes worn by Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in wartime pantomimes go on display this festive season, alongside Christmas displays at Windsor Castle.

Until January 31, visitors to the Berkshire castle will be able to see six surviving costumes worn by the teenage sisters in pantomimes put on in the Waterloo Chamber where the shows were originally performed 80 years ago.

During WWII the princesses spent much of their time in Windsor away from the bombing in London. They staged Christmas pantomimes to raise money for the Royal Household Wool Fund, which supplied materials to make comforters for soldiers fighting overseas.

In the title role of Aladdin, Princess Elizabeth wore a gold brocade and turquoise jacket with turquoise dungarees and matching hat, while Margaret donned a red silk dress and matching jacket to play Princess Roxana.

Visitors to the castle will also be greeted by a 20ft Christmas tree in St George’s Hall, taken from Windsor Great Park.

Tickets and tours can be booked at www.rct.uk.

Levens above 14th-century Levens Hall, which boasts the world’s oldest topiary garden, is opening for the first time this month with twilight candlelit tours.

Traditionally closed over winter, the Elizabethan property near Kendal in Cumbria, is renowned for its fine oak panelling and ornate plasterwork, as well as its furniture, clocks, paintings and links to the Stuart Court and the Duke of Wellington.

The hall will be open from December 16-20, for more details go to www.levenshall.co.uk Right Drawing room at

Levens Hall and Gardens, Cumbria, UK

6 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

1

Grecian learns

London’s Science Museum is hosting a free exhibition exploring how the Ancient Greeks questioned and debated the natural world.

Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom, on until June 5, reveals how Ancient Greek philosophers considered art, science and religion to be inseparable. Hoping to explain the world around them, they turned to the gods and Muses for intellectual inspiration.

Medical tools also on display reveal how physicians such as Hippocrates studied the human body, while the mathematics of music – as conceptualised

by Pythagoras – is explored through recordings of the aulos and interactive displays.

Left Gold headdress (c.

350-100BC) with the image of Athena, © Benaki Museum, Athens Right Foundling boy’s waistcoat, © Coram, in the care of the Foundling Museum Below left Fish plate, c.

370-300B, depicting marine diversity, © Kunstsammlungen Antike der Ruhr-Universität Bochum Below right Autobiography

of George King, © Coram, in the care of the Foundling Museum

3

2

Fight club

Using first-hand information from the autobiography of an 18th-century workingclass boy, a new exhibition explores the origins of the Foundling Hospital and its contribution to the British military.

George King’s (1787-1857) account of The Battle of Trafalgar is at the heart of Fighting Talk: One Man’s Journey from Abandonment to Trafalgar, on at London’s Foundling Museum until February 27.

King, who was child number 18,053 at the Foundling Hospital, was press-ganged into the Royal Navy and went on to serve at the famous battle on October 21, 1805.

to see in

DEC & JAN Left Medical instruments, c. 250-750BC, including probes and spatulas, scalpels, surgical needles and forceps, © Benaki Museum, Athens Right William Stuart, The

Battle of Trafalgar, c.1848, © Coram, in the care of the Foundling Museum

3

Period pieces

25 famous Tudor portraits go on show at an exhibition at a Bath gallery in January, including those of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Holburne Museum is staging The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics from January 28 to May 8, showing some of the most famous images of British painting, including the ‘Darnley’ and ‘Armada’ portraits of Elizabeth I. It also includes portraits of many of the most significant figures alongside the throne, including Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas More, William Cecil and Thomas Cromwell.

B A Queen Elizabeth I by

unknown English artist, c.

1588, © National Portrait Gallery, London

B Hans Holbein the

Younger (1497/8 – 1543) Henry VIII, c. 1537, © Victoria Art Gallery, Bath and North East Somerset Council

A C

C Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester by unknown Anglo-Netherlandish artist, c. 1575, © National Portrait Gallery, London

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 7

NEWS All the latest Potter’s feel

Starring role The world’s oldest map of the stars goes on display for the first time next year.

At 3,600 years old, the Bronze Age Nebra Sky Disc is the oldest surviving representation of the cosmos including the moon, sun and the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters.

The 31cm (12in) bronze disc will go on show at the British Museum in the exhibition The World of Stonehenge from February 17 to July 17.

Discovered in 1999 near the East German town of Nebra, its trip to London will mark the fourth country to which the disc has travelled.

The V&A and National Trust are teaming up in 2022 to reveal the life story of Beatrix Potter, from her childhood in South Kensington to her accidental venture into writing before her later move to the Lake District.

Opening on February 12, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, will include letters written by the author as well as family photographs, early sketchbooks, manuscripts and scientific drawings.

Annemarie Bilclough, curator of illustration at the V&A, said: “Visitors will discover how Potter’s talent at making her characters real emerged

Making a splash The Georgian city of Bath has been named one of the “great spa towns” of Europe, alongside 10 other historic locations.

The other destinations include Baden bei Wien in Austria; Spa in Belgium; France’s Vichy, and Baden-Baden, Bad Ems and Bad Kissingen all in Germany. Also on the list is the Italian town of Montecatini Terme.

Below Bath has been dubbed one of Europe’s best

spa towns

Above The Bronze Age map is the oldest surviving representation of the cosmos

30 seconds with...

Steven Stockton, Suffolk auctioneer Bishop & Miller’s new paintings specialist Your most memorable sale?

The first that springs to mind is a monumental work by the Yorkshire artist Bertram Priestman (1868-1951).

Depicting an extensive sunlit river landscape, the painting was so filled with life and vibrancy that it immediately caught my eye, though I couldn’t exactly miss it – at more than 5ft by 6ft it took up almost the entire wall of the vendor’s small Leeds suburban bungalow.

I remember it because of the true beauty it exuded, the £20,000 it achieved under the hammer and the fact it took almost a day of head scratching to remove from the tiny room.

8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

from a long-standing curiosity for the small details of nature, which could have led her down a different career path.” Potter’s career as an author began almost accidentally, developing from the stories included in her picture letters to family friends.

Above Soft toy, mohair, felt and glass, Jemima Puddle Duck, made

by J K Farnell & Co Ltd, England, c. 1925, courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Above right Beatrix Potter, aged 15, with her dog, Spot, by Rupert Potter, c.1880–1881, © V&A

Peake performance A Hampshire antiques dealer is hoping to reignite interest in the forgotten 19th-centry wood carver, James Peake known as the “the modern Grinling Gibbons”.

Charles Wallrock of Wick Antiques in Lymington, bought a long-lost piece by Peake, who died in 1918, at a UK saleroom before selling it at a London fair for £38,500. He said: “Peake’s name is not well known but his carving ability means he should be recognised as one of the greats.”

Above James Peake’s work deserves to be better known

Your favourite artist (who we have heard of)?

Not being traitorous towards Suffolk, but John Sell Cotman (1782-1842), who was the cornerstone of the Norwich School. As a lover of landscapes, his innovative style and use of colour still take my breath away, hugely influential too, he was probably 50 years ahead of the game.

Your favourite artist (who we haven’t heard of)?

Sarah Gillett (b.1975), a London-based artist who produces fascinating works and installations influenced by the curious and unusual, including a penchant for meteorites.

Do you collect, if so, what?

I have an ever-increasing array of 17thcentury maps, 18th-century satirical prints, 19th-century marine paintings and 20thcentury industrial views. I can’t resist a particularly bad portrait, too.

Have you an ideal Suffolk find?

Obviously, I would never say no to a Gainsborough or Constable, but I would be particularly delighted with a Sir Cedric Morris (1889-1982) floral work. I have always admired his style and flair, I also love the tales of his life and think the notorious rivalry between him and Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959) would make an excellent and highly-entertaining British film.

A view of Gorleston beach by Campbell Archibald Mellon (1878-1955) would also bring joy to my eyes.

What are you most looking forward to about moving to East Anglia?

After 10 years away I am looking forward to rediscovering and immersing myself in the unique culture and atmosphere of the region, hopefully unearthing some artistic gems, both new and old, along the way.

Bishop & Miller’s next antiques auction, including paintings is on December 8 in Stowmarket

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

A West Sussex college has unveiled its conservation programme for 2022 with a course on preserving recycled plastic taking centre stage.

Yvonne Shashoua, research professor of environmental archaeology and materials science at the National Museum of Denmark will be running the course on the conservation of plastic from March 21-24 at West Dean College near Chichester.

Ear today This month sees a guided tour around the London terrace lived in by the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (18531890) from 1873-1874.

The December 11 tour of the Grade-II listed property at 87 Hackford Road in Brixton reveals artefacts uncovered during the house’s recent renovation, providing a glimpse into the stories hidden within its walls.

Van Gogh lodged in the capital

while working as an art dealer for the Goupil gallery in Covent Garden.

The house was then owned by Ursula Loyer, who ran a small school, helped by her 19-year-old daughter, Eugenie.

Intriguing evidence from Van Gogh family correspondence suggests that the young Dutchman fell in love with one of the Loyer women, most likely the daughter.

For further information on the tours email info@vangoghhouse.co.uk Above 87 Hackford Road, far right, as it is today Left The artist’s sketch of his London lodgings in 1873

Above Non oil-based plastic is now entering

collections

Spoilt for choice A Leeds dealer has launched a range of antiques for less than £1,000 to make them more accessible to a broader public.

Chairman of Windsor House Antiques, D. Kevin Smith, said: “Many people love antiques’ history and uniqueness but feel unable to shop within the antiques market due to cost.” The new “choice” collection is a curated selection of affordable items outside its main collection, while the higherend “reserved collection” includes pieces by makers such as Thomas Chippendale and Gillows of Lancaster. To see all its stock go to www.windsorhouseantiques.co.uk Below Great choice: a pair of late 19th-century

children’s clogs, possibly Dutch, priced £125 from Windsor House Antiques

Bottom Part of the “choice” range, an unusual

pair of mid 19th-century Staffordshire reclining figures, priced £265

KNIGHT RIDER Following a four-year conservation programme, a 550-year-old tapestry of a medieval knight in armour has returned to a Somerset stately home.

The 15th-century tapestry, the oldest owned by the National Trust, is back on display at Montacute House after 1,300 hours of cleaning and conservation to bring out its colours.

Although large, the tapestry is known to have been just one piece of a set more than 300 square metres.

The Trust’s Sonja Rogers, said: “We would love to think that more of it may have survived somewhere, although if they don’t contain clues such as the coat of arms, the link may have been lost to history.”

Right Montacute House knight tapestry returns,

© National Trust, James Dobson

Dales-room record A Yorkshire auction house is at the heart of a new show starring 10 well-known would-be collectors, including Craig Revel Horwood and Catherine Tyldesley.

The first series of The Yorkshire Auction House, featuring Angus Ashworth of Ryedale Auctioneers in Kirkbymoorside, was such a hit it has sparked two new series, as well as its first celebrity edition.

The first series saw participants make more than £100,000 at auction with everything from Beatrix Potter figurines to a Bechstein piano.

Producers are looking for items to go under the hammer for the new series. If you have a collection, or want to downsize, email takepart@yorkshireauctionhouse.tv Right Angus Ashworth of Ryedale Auctioneers in

Kirkbymoorside hosts the new show

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 9

IN REMEMBRANCE

JOHN ANDREWS (1936-2021)

It is with great sadness that we report the death of John Andrews on October 30, 2021. John was one of the founders of the Antique Collectors’ Club and later editor of this magazine.

Along with the publisher, Diana Steel, and her husband, John, John Andrews was part of the trio of antiques enthusiasts and friends who launched the club in 1966 after placing an advertisement in the Exchange & Mart.

After only four initial replies, the idea quickly took hold and the business soon expanded to publish a number of books, becoming essential reference works for both the trade and collectors.

In 1968, John became the ACC’s first author. He recalled the book’s genesis: “During the hurly-burly of the usual

evening exchanges, I suggested what was needed was a book like Stanley Gibbons’ stamp catalogue, in which the values of furniture would be set against illustrations and sketched out using a biro.” The result was the influential Price Guide to Antique Furniture.

For the next 50 years he continued in the role of author, contributor and magazine editor, carving out a wellrespected niche in the world of fine art and antiques.

Born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, John was educated at Sale High School in Manchester and The British Schools of Montevideo (1946– 1950), before returning to England as a boarder at Bedford Modern School (1950–1955), and at St. John’s College,

bada.org/friends

Exclusive access to Britain’s leading dealers, fairs and private collections.

10 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Cambridge, where he read Engineering.

Under the pseudonym John Malcolm he brought his considerable knowledge of art to bear with a series of 15 novels centred on a fictitious art dealer, Tim Simpson, as he negotiated the murky world of high-finance and art fraud.

In 1994, for three years John served as the Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association. He was also Chairman of the Trustees of Rye Art Gallery from 19952004, and a great friend to artists in the Rye and Hastings area, including RAs such as Mick Rooney and Fred Cuming in his social circle.

Current editor Georgina Wroe writes: “I was lucky enough to work under John’s guidance for several years. His knowledge of fine art and antiques was encyclopaedic and he was generous in sharing it, gently pointing out my many mistakes with humour and generosity.”

Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2004 John bore its indignities with great fortitude. His death was primarily due to cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Geraldine, a picture restorer who he married in 1961, and one son, Sam.

THE

DECORATIVE ANTIQUES & TEXTILES FAIR

Book tickets at decorativefair.com @decorativefair

Winter 2022 Tuesday 25 to Sunday 30 January Battersea Park, London Antiques and 20th century design for interior decoration

DF_Antique Collecting WIN 22 286h x 216w.indd 1

17/11/2021 11:21

AUCTION Sales round up CHORLEYS, PRINKNASH ABBEY PARK

The scarab beetle bangle flew past its estimate in Leyburn

AROUND the HOUSES From Jack Ruby’s mugshots to a record-breaking ‘Mouseman’ table, salerooms have delivered some remarkable recent results

A Winchcombe Pottery slipware mug by the British studio potter Michael Cardew (19011983) more than doubled its low estimate when it sold for £550 at the Gloucestershire auctioneer’s recent sale.

Cardew was successful in revitalising the British slipware The mug was given to tradition, infusing it with the vendor’s a 20th-century twist. grandfather by the The 12cm high mug is incised Fill me potter himself full of liquor sweet for that is good when friends do meet. Cardew trained with Bernard Leach in St Ives and, in 1926, re-established the old pottery at Winchcombe, Gloucestershire to pursue his passion for earthenware.

The portrait sold for multiple times its estimate in the Etwall saleroom

TENNANTS, LEYBURN An archaeological revival style scarab bangle expected to make £4,000-£6,000 sold for £18,000 at the North Yorkshire auctioneer’s sale on November 13.

Meanwhile, at a previous sale, a house record was set for a table by the North Yorkshire maker Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson (1876-1955), when a 1950s 10ft-refectory table, made for the local John Smith Brewery boardroom in Tadcaster, sold for £15,000.

The table, which had been expected to make £4,000-£6,000, was part of a number of ‘Mouseman’ lots, including a selection from Marco Pierre White’s Rudloe Arms Hotel in Wiltshire.

The ‘Mouseman’ table set a new auction house record for the well-known designer

12

ANTIQUE COLLECTING

HANSONS, ETWALL A portrait of a young girl achieved more than eight times its estimate of £80 when it sold to the grandson of the artist at the Derbyshire auctioneer’s November 2 sale.

The 20th-century oil on canvas of a solemn little girl in a blue and white dress, which was signed by the artist John Archibald Alexander Berrie (1887-1962), sold for £580.

Berrie was born in Manchester and studied at Bootle Art School, Liverpool. Though portraits were his signature works, he also painted landscapes, flowers and animals.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson, said: “Berrie’s paintings have realised prices ranging from under £100 to many thousands of pounds.

There is a gentleness and sincerity to his paintings which make them compelling, of which this oil is a particularly nice example.”

The artist chose a countryside rather than seaside view of the county

SOTHEBY’S, LONDON A picture of a giant squirrel was the top seller at the London auctioneer’s first dedicated sale of Company School Paintings – works commissioned by East India Company officials in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa Indica) in an Almond Tree, by Shaykh Zayn al-Din, and dated 1778, was commissioned by Sir Elijah and Lady Impey who created a menagerie of animals in their garden in Calcutta before hiring talented local artists to paint them.

The painting sold for £620,000, three times its low estimate of £200,000

CHISWICK AUCTIONS A papier-mâché scribe’s pencase showcasing the skills of Persian lacquer masters smashed its pre-sale estimate of £300 to make £11,875 at the London auctioneers.

It was made to contain reed pens, an inkwell, liqah (a cotton wool substance used to absorb excess ink), a penknife, a qat’zan (a flat resting The Persian board made of horn), a whetstone, a pencase would have been tucked small spoon, and a pair of scissors – all into the shawls essential accessories. around a scribe’s The 22.5cm case is decorated with waist mythical kings of Iran, Persian poets, scholars, philosophers, and a burqa-clad woman on horseback being reunited with her lover.

HALLS, SHREWSBURY A buccolic 1940s railway poster advertising Cornwall for Southern Railways sold for £1,600 at the Shropshire auction house – eight times its low estimate of £200.

It was illustrated by the artist Adrian Allinson (1890-1959) as a joint poster for the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the Southern Railway (SR) to promote rail travel to Cornwall.

Allinson was the son of Thomas Allinson the dietetic reformer, advocate of wholemeal bread and founder of the well-known bakers.

At another sale, a walnutveneered reproduction Described as a “good William and Mary style reproduction” the longcase clock, with clock was in the barley-twist supports, style of a 1700 expected to make £400longcase £600, sold for £2,600.

OLYMPIA AUCTIONS, LONDON A curtain designed for the RMS Queen Mary by the Bloomsbury artist Duncan Grant, estimated to make £200-£300 sold for £8,125 at the London auctioneers.

Cunard White Star Ltd. invited artists to submit designs for the flagship luxury The liner in 1935 for its weekly crossings controversial design was at between Southampton and New York. the centre of Grant’s designs were accepted “the Cunard with the proviso he affair” reduced the size of his female figures.

But, once installed, Cunard’s Chairman Sir Percy Bates rejected them as ill-suited to rooms designed to attract royalty, film stars, and rich business magnates.

The brightlycoloured fan was one of the top sellers at the Cotswolds saleroom’s sale The distinct still life set a record for the Scottish colourist William Telfer (1907-1993)

KINGHAMS, MORETON-IN-MARSH

The Cotswolds auction house set a world record for the Scottish colourist William Telfer (1907-1993) when his still life of flowers and fruit, estimated at £400-£600, sold for £4,400.

Known for his richly applied paint, the work reflects the influence of Telfer’s contemporaries, including the well-known colourist Samuel Peploe.

At another sale, a large 19th-century tortoiseshell Chinese fan sold for just above its guide price when it fetched £1,600.

The guards of the Qing dynasty accessory are decorated with carved bats or butterflies, both auspicious symbols in Chinese culture, alongside brightly depicted scenes.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 13

AUCTION Sales round up

The mugshots came from James Cron, who worked at the Dallas Police Department from 1958 to 1964

The R&R AUCTIONS, scorebook BOSTON, US established Lee Lee Harvey Oswald’s Harvey Oswald as a 1956 32-page US well above-averMarine Corps rifle age shot score book, rating him as “a sharpshooter,” sold for $75,000 at the Massachusetts auction house’s recent sale.

For years many claimed Oswald was a lousy shot and could not have killed Kennedy.

But the book’s scores revealed him as an “above-expert” level marksman in three of five tests shows – suggesting he was capable of assassinating President Kennedy either alone, or – if chosen by conspirators – as a ‘patsy’. On one test, from 500 yards away, Oswald scored 46 out of a possible 50: again shooting above an expert level.

At the same sale the 1963 original mug shots of Jack Ruby on his arrest by Dallas Police for Oswald’s murder sold for $11,344.

EWBANK’S, WOKING An uncorrected proof of the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which mistakenly referred to the famous author as J.A Rowling sold for £22,000 at the Surrey auctioneer’s sale on November 18.

Estimated to make £8,000-£10,000, the book, first published in 1997, is in original white-andyellow wrappers, and one of approximately The signed 200 copies produced. Ewbank’s specialist script came from Alastair McCrea said: “The timing of the Duncan Halls, a collector of film sale, just ahead of celebrations for the 20th and TV anniversary of the memorabilia launch of the first film, saw bids from Potter fans all over the world.”

At the same sale a final script from the 2003 Christmas film classic Love Actually, signed by 24 of the cast, including Bill Nighy, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Keira Knightly, as well as the director Richard Curtis, sold for £1,000, six times its low estimate of £150.

14

ANTIQUE COLLECTING

ROSEBERYS, LONDON Proving the evergreen popularity of the Manx designer Archibald Knox (1864-1933), a silver vase with turquoise cabochons made for Liberty & Co., sold for £6,875 at the south London auctioneer’s recent sale.

Entered into the market with an estimate of £1,500-£2,500, the 19.8cm high piece included the mark of Liberty & Co., as well as Birmingham hallmarks for 1905.

Archibald Knox began his association with the London retailer Liberty in 1898, coinciding with its launch of the “Cymric” line, which was marketed as being useful, modest, and elegant.

Archibald Knox’s designs for Liberty & Co. remain greatly sought after

SWORDERS, STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET A Kangxi period (1662-1722) blue and white brush pot was the top seller at the Essex auctioneer’s recent Asian Art sale, selling for 50 times its upper estimate of £3,000 to reach £150,000.

The Kangxi period blue and The 14.5cm high cylindrical white brush pot was pot depicted the text of the Shengzhu de the Asian art sale’s Xianchen Song (Ode to the Finding of top seller Virtuous Officials by the Divine Ruler) in kaishu script. The text was written by the Western Han poet Wang Bao (90-51 BC) for the Xuan Emperor (91-48 BC), in praise of the Emperor’s appointment and attainment of able ministers.

The pot had a seal mark reading Xi Chao Chuan Gu (Transmitting Antiquity from the Court of Kangxi) on the base enclosing a six-character Kangxi mark in underglaze blue.

DAWSONS, MAIDENHEAD A poster to promote a Rolling Stones gig in Windsor in the 1960s, sold for £30,000 at the Berkshire auction house’s recent sale, smashing its guide price of £800£1,200. The poster, designed by Bob McGrath, refers to the Ricky Tick club night at the Thames Hotel, Windsor.

Founded by Jon Mansfield and promoter Phillip Haywood, the iconic club moved around Maidenhead, Reading and High Wycombe, with locations including the Thames Hotel. The Stones first played the venue in 1962 before going on to appear there 40 times over the next two years.

The poster, which advertised the Rolling Stones at a local club night, sold for £30,000

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EXPERT COMMENT David Harvey

Waxing lyrical David Harvey turns detective to investigate the truth behind a chart table. Could it be the work of one of the best British furniture makers of the 19th century?

W

hen I first saw this mahogany table it was described to me as a “chart table” by the previous owner, which immediately intrigued me. The first thing that took my attention was the very strong “Gillows” feel as it has the same leg as is illustrated in Susan Stuart’s two-volume work: Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840, 2008, (published by Antique Collectors’ Club) and, in particular, to plate 242 showing a dining table dating from 1825.

Gillows, founded by Robert Gillow (1704-72) in Lancaster about 1727, was renowned for making some of the finest mahogany furniture in England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Based originally in Lancashire, Robert’s younger son, also named Robert, (1745-1795) established a branch of the business in Oxford Street, quickly established a thriving business.

During the 19th century, Gillows became the leading manufacturers of furniture for the rising middle and upper class market due to the quality of the materials used and craftsmanship in manufacture.

16 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

The next characteristic that drew me to the table was the excellent quality of timbers used, which are both dense and highly figured. We see this time and again with pieces from this most illustrious of Lancaster makers.

It is not just the tops which show excellent markings but the legs and drawer fronts as well.

My scepticism of it being a chart table was furthered by the fact any maker would surely have designed it with at least a hinged top with an easel support and ledge to stop plans and charts sliding off.

Above Is this a chart table, or something far more ingenious?

Right The front of the

table has a full-depth central drawer

The reverse of the table has three dummy drawers, while the front has a full-depth central drawer flanked by dummy drawers to both sides.

TRUE NATURE At this point in my investigation I could feel hand scoops under the top of the table, while further

examination revealed the true nature of our table. It is, in fact, an ingenious draw leaf table with the scoops placed in such a way one person can pull the leaves out to secure them in position.

Once extended it becomes clear just how much the centre panel has faded compared to the luxuriant darker hue of the two leaves.

The polish on the centre panel has perished, soon to be brought back to life with some TLC from my conservation department.

GILLOWS’ INGENUITY It will not surprise readers familiar with Gillows’ work that a great amount of ingenuity and creativity has been used in the creation of this table in making it a very useful multipurpose example.

One of the problems solved by the design is how to make the centre panel drop into place once the two extensions have been drawn out from under.

This is achieved by large metal pins under the centre panel which fit into locators in the frame.

The design effectively gives the table a “floating” centre, rather than being fixed to the frame.

ORIGINAL METALWORK Once in position we can clearly see where the pins would be inserted into the locators.

It would be interesting to know whether the metalwork used in this table was specifically made for this example and, if so, was it made in-house or by a local metal worker. Or was it an “off-the shelf” catalogue item from one of the Birmingham foundries used by Gillows to supply metalware and cabinet fittings?

So now we come to the operating part of the table and the question: why did it only have the one drawer?

The table was constructed for ease of use rather than storage and the additional drawer space is taken up housing the slides and bearers from the draw leaves – all of which are hidden behind the dummy drawers.

It is an ingenious solution for someone who wanted an extending table without hinged leaves like a Pembroke table or needing alternative storage space for the leaves as in most extending dining tables from this period.

Another typical Gillows’ feature is the outstanding rectangular corner blocks to the frieze, each of which is accentuated by the applied mouldings.

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

Above The central panel has faded Above right Happy

Christmas from all in Witney Left Pins are inserted into the locators Below right An open and

shut case for Gillows

Christmas mystery

I am tempted to say call this is an open and shut case but the question still arises as to for whom it might have been made?

We know it was constructed during the second quarter of the 19th century and the quality and inventiveness shows it would have been an expensive piece.

Research could reveal more and possibly even let us know who the customer was. It is not stamped ‘Gillows Lancaster’ but then so much of their work was unsigned.

As I write this article, I am eagerly awaiting the table’s arrival in time to serve Christmas lunch from it.

Talking of which from a shop decked out with all the festive trimmings I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

‘My scepticism of it being a chart table was furthered by the fact any maker would surely have designed it with at least a hinged top with an easel support and ledge to stop plans and charts sliding off’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 17

COLLECTING GUIDES Russian icons

ICONIC Features

Russian icons owned by one of the art’s most famous collectors go under the hammer this month. Antique Collecting shines a light on the magnificent art form which is fast gaining ground in the West

18 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Opposite page A monumental icon of the Mother of Smolensk, c.

1700, Russia, tempera on wooden panel, has an estimate of £8,000£12,000 at this month’s sale at the Essex-based auction house Sworders on December 1 Left An icon of the Birth of the Mother of God, late 14th/ early 15th century, Russia, tempera on panel, radio carbondated to between 13861431, private collection.

It has an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 at the same sale Below right An icon

F

or the collector there is much to admire in a Russian icon. Aside from their undoubted aesthetic quality, for centuries they were venerated by generations of Russian Orthodox believers as a window to heaven. They are at the heart of the Russian soul, surviving despite the Communist government’s closure of monasteries and demolition of churches when, as symbols of orthodoxy, they were confiscated and destroyed.

Those that escaped were appropriated by the state, with some sold to rich western industrialists for hard currency. Today, many of them are making their way back to Mother Russia as part of the post-Communist growth in orthodoxy. To own one is to share in one of modern history’s greatest stories and even be a part of a nation’s destiny. In addition to which, for the knowledge-seeking collector, deciphering an icon can take years of understanding and connoisseurship.

COMING INTO FOCUS As early as the end of the 19th century, Russian icons were being collected, catalogued and exhibited. The reign of Nicholas II saw a flowering of Orthodox piety, reflected in a boom in church building and canonisations, and a corresponding increase in both the production and the collecting of icons. Collectors included Pavel Tretyakov, whose collection and name were given to Moscow’s biggest museum of Russian painting and icons where some of the best examples of the art can still be seen today.

of the Mother of God of Tenderness, 14th-century, Russia, tempera on wood, radio carbon-dated to 1302-1367, private collection. It has an estimate of £15,000£20,000 at the same sale

ICONS’ HISTORY

The Russian word ikona derives its name from the Greek elkon, meaning image. Russian icon paintings, as we know them today, first appeared in 12th-century Novgorod. In the middle of the 17th century the Orthodox Church split into two major divisions – the conservative Old Believers, who kept the traditional forms and rituals; and the State Church, more open to change and westernisation. The latter’s icon tradition used elements from Western art, including increasing realism, and traditional tempera abandoned in favour of oil paints.

Church and home Icons were hung not only in the church but in every Eastern Orthodox home, regardless of wealth or standing. The role of the icon was manifold, and was used alternately as a means of communion with the divine, a witness before which one swore oaths, as well as a talisman to be carried into battle.

Russian icons were intended as a window to guide the faithful into the spiritual realm, and were traditionally hung in one corner of a house. The krasny ugol, the “red” or “beautiful” corner typically faced east, towards the rising sun, as it was believed this would be the direction Christ would return to Earth.

Saintly connections Orthodox icons were traditionally unsigned. They were generally made only by the extremely devout, and would have to be blessed before leaving the artist’s studio. The brushes and tools used to construct them would also have been blessed, which is why many icons were made by monks. The icon was believed to have been written in joint action with the Holy Spirit and, as such, was a mutual effort, and not the creation of one iconographer – hence the lack of signature. Veneration offered to a painted saint on an icon was believed to pass directly to the saint in heaven.

‘Icons were hung not only in the church but in every Eastern Orthodox home, regardless of wealth or standing. The role of the icon was manifold, and was used alternately as a means of communion with the divine, a witness before which one swore oaths, as well as a talisman to be carried into battle’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 19

COLLECTING GUIDES Russian icons In 1903, to commemorate the tercentenary of the dynasty of the Romanovs, a special exhibition of ancient Russian art was held in Moscow. For the first time icons were shown, together with an assortment of ecclesiastical and decorative objects. Until this time, icons, with their smoke dimmed images and darkened varnish, were seen as somewhat unimpressive pieces as centuries of dirt and repainting obscured their vibrant colors. The cleaning of the holy images did not begin in earnest until about 1910, leading up to the 1913 Romanov exhibition.

In 1913, the early collector Ilya Ostroukhov wrote: The icon takes us into an absolutely special world, one which has nothing in common with the world of painting—into the world beyond, a world created by faith and filled with representations of the spirit, not of the flesh… And right now our own—specifically our own—ancient Russian icon, so joyously close and comprehensible to Russian people of old, is revealed to an astonished world, as an art of the highest achievements of the human spirit, the equal to which must be sought only in the art of ancient Egypt.

But icons time in the sun was not to last.

WHAT DO HAND EXPRESSIONS MEAN IN AN ICON?

There are several hand and body positions that indicate meaning in an icon.

One of the most commonly used hand gestures depicted in Eastern Orthodox icons is a so-called “blessing hand.” The index finger is held straight and then other finger curved as a letter C with the ring and little finger forming the letter X representing the letters IC XC or the Greek word for Jesus Christ.

Hands that are raised, forcibly in confident affirmation is a gesture of power. A single finger is a gesture of power as well.

Hands held on the face are typically a symbol of grief.

Hands that are in prayer recall that the first Christians were Jews who prayed with hands lifted up and spread out towards heaven. In icons, where space is often limited, an abbreviated version of this gesture is bringing both hands together in front of the chest.

Someone teaching has the index finger touching the thumb, a gesture used when people are making a point.

Hands are veiled within an icon when a person is given something that is sacred.

•

• • • • •

20 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Top left An icon of The

Nativity, 17th century, Greece, tempera and gold on wood, set with a Venetian coat of arms to the bottom, private collection. It has an estimate of £10,000£15,000 at this month’s sale

Top right A pair of icons, 1700, Greece, The Doubting of Thomas and the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, the pair has an estimate of £4,000-£6,000 at the same sale Above left The fingers represent the letters C and X

After the 1917 revolution church icons were confiscated by the government, and either destroyed at public rallies or stored away in museums closed to the public.

In the newly-atheist state many icons not stored were sold to western collectors in sales organised by the state department Antikvariat, formed by Lenin in 1921, to generate much-needed revenue in a time of widespread famine.

In her 2009 paper Russian Icons and American Money, 1928-1938, Wendy Salmon writes: A detailed census has yet to be made of the many Russian icons acquired by American citizens in the first two decades of Soviet rule. The bulk of such an inventory would comprise street markets and provincial cities, bought at state-run stores, or from emigres antique dealers in the European capitals. Varying widely in age, quality, and condition, they were part of the detritus left by the Bolshevik revolution, dislodged from their natural habitat in churches, monasteries, institutions and private homes, and transposed to a land where their original liturgical or devotional function had little relevance.

Despite this wholesale fire sale by the Russian state a small number of church icons were saved and hidden by faithful Russians.

OKLAD, OR A METAL COVERING

WESTERN COLLECTORS From the start Antikvariat had intended to sell off quality collections to western clients eager to invest in medieval Russian painting. But the marketing strategy failed to gain ground until 1935, when George R. Hann, founder of the Pittsburgh Aviation Corporation, acquired about 100 icons (two of which go under the hammer this month at Sworders) and installed them at Treetops, his Sewickley Valley estate in Pennsylvania.

Hann had never visited the Soviet Union and the source of his interest in icons remains a mystery.

Andrei Avinov, cataloguer of Hann’s collection, wrote in The Carnegie Magazine in 1944: It is a comforting thought that these precious objects of Holy Russia are now safe and secure, preserved in the deserving hands of their present owner. Mr Hann is to be congratulated upon conceiving a beautiful idea and bringing his endeavour into realization with a rare singleness of purpose.

At the time Hann started collecting the cultural revolution was at its peak, with the 1929 demolition of Moscow’s Chudov Monastery and its churches, as well as the Iverskaia Shrine and Red Square’s Kazan Cathedral and the Simonov Monastery a year later.

Above A large icon of St Daniel, 17th century, Russia, tempera on wood, private collection.

It has an estimate of £7,000-£9,000 at the same sale Above right Oklads represented great devotion to the saint featured Below left An icon of St. Francis of Assisi, 16th century, Veneto-Cretan School, tempera and gold on wooden panel, bearing an impressed crown cypher to the reverse. From the Iconastas Gallery, it has an estimate £20,000-£30,000 at the same sale

Oklads not only enhance an icon, but also protect the surface of the paint.

For those who were wealthy enough to afford silver or gold, an oklad was a way to demonstrate devotion to a particular saint or icon.

Oklads were cut to fit, decorated by tooling or punching and then pinned with tiny nails onto the woodwork. This practice of preparing the oklad dates back to the 12th century, but did not become widespread until the 16th century and, then, mainly in Russia.

In addition, especially in Russia, silver halos and collars could be fixed onto the painted figures of saints.

Gemstones, glass, or beads can also be added to the oklads. Those who could not afford the metal coverings used a textile covering that could either be decorated with beads and gem stones, or embroidered so it matched the icon.

In 1929, the Historical Museum’s Department of Religious Life closed and icons started to spill onto the open market. Hann selected pieces from hand-coloured photos sent from Moscow through an intermediary.

Hann’s collection, which included icons from the late 15th, 16th, and early 17th centuries with the earliest being dated to the 14th century, was dispersed at auction at Christie’s New York on April 17, 1980, a year after his death. It was considered one of the largest and most important of Russian icons in private hands outside Russia.

MAKING AN ICON

Traditional Russian icons were painted on a prepared wooden panel. A cloth was fixed to the face of the panel, before layers of a primer made of glue and powdered chalk or alabaster were applied over it. When dry, a design was incised into the surface and painting began using the incised outline as a guide.

Tempera paints, powered colours mixed with egg yolk and a small amount of rye beer, were applied in gradations of shade, with dark colours added first and lighter colours applied over them, resulting in a slightly three-dimensional effect.

The finished icon was varnished with a boiled linseed oil mixture that brightened and protected the colours.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 21

COLLECTING GUIDES Russian icons HOW TO DECIPHER ICON

Sworders 107-lot Russian sale on December 1 includes two icons from the collection of George R. Hann, one of which was among 13 pieces from the personal collection of the late Chris MartinZakheim, owner of the Iconastas gallery in London.

Viewing is by appointment only at the auctioneer’s London gallery at 15 Cecil Court. For more details go to www.sworder.co.uk. Thanks to the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts and www.russianicon.com for help with this article.

There is not a brushstroke on an icon that is not embued with religious significance, hence icons have a special language that the collector is advised to study.

The two key images portrayed are Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Images with Christ enthroned in the centre with Mary on the left and John the Forerunner (the Baptist) on the right are usually called a Deisis, meaning “Beseeching” in Greek. The Dormition of the Mother of God is a special feast day in the Orthodox calendar, celebrated on August 15, marking the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos (“Mother of God”, literally translated as God-bearer), and her ascent into heaven.

SCHOOLS OF ICON PAINTING THE PALEKH SCHOOL

One of the most famous Russian icon schools which emerged in the late 17th century. The style reflects the naturalistic tendencies of European art, as well as the traditional features of Russian icon painting.

Among the main distinctive features of the school are its intricate monumental composition and highly detailed landscapes, clothing, and ornaments.

The figures of the saints in the hagiographic icons have elongated proportions. Palekh icons are also recognisable for their layered colours, reddish-golden tones, and luminous faces of the saints.

IMPORTANCE OF COLOUR The use of colour is key, with white symbolising purity and chastity, green representing the eternal life, and red signifying power and authority. The golden background symbolises the divine light of the spiritual world as well as featuring on the clothing of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, and the saints.

A circle, as the most harmonious and perfect form, is another way to designate the heavens, in contrast to a square that symbolises the Earth. Icons often depict the drawn circular aureoles of the saints.

Three stars on the shoulders and forehead represent God’s mother. The stars represent her eternal purity: before, during, and forever after Mary’s pregnancy she remained a virgin. A casket and a spoon with medicines and a spoon are the attributes of St. Panteleimon The Healer, while martyrs who died for the faith are depicted with a cross in their hands.

One of the most revered saints – the Matrona of Moscow, who lived in the first half of the 20th century – is most often portrayed with her eyelids closed over empty eye sockets.

A miniature model of a temple or a monastery on the palm refers to one of the Russian Orthodox Church’s most revered saints – Sergius of Radonezh.

MOSCOW SCHOOL

Above A large hagiographical Icon of St. Barbara, early 18th century, Russia, tempera on wood. From the Iconastas Gallery, it has an estimate of £7,000£10,000 at this month’s sale Above right Andrei Rublev’s famous icon, The Holy Trinity or The Hospitality of Abraham Left A festival icon,

19th century, Russia, The Resurrection and Descent, tempura on wood, has an estimate of £3,000-£5,000 at this month’s sale

22 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Very few examples of this iconographic school have survived, but those icons that still exist testify to the strong influence of the artistic traditions of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality.

The main characteristics of the Moscow school are meditative and fluid images. The palette predominantly consists of light shades of blue, green, and gold. A striking example would be works by Andrei Rublev who was born in the 1360s, and died between 1427 and 1430, namely his famous icon of The Holy Trinity (above).

PSKOV SCHOOL The heyday of the Pskov iconography school came at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th centuries. Pskov retained the Novgorod artistic traditions, yet with the passage of time, it acquired its independent features. An interesting example of Pskov iconography is the interpretation of the “Descent into Hell” icon.

NOVGOROD SCHOOL Novgorod religious art is quite diverse. Some icons reflect local painting principles, while others tend more towards modern Byzantine traditions. Overall, the Novgorod school can be characterized by austere images, simplified contours, and large details.

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1. Late Victorian all diamond set hairpiece (approximate diamond weight 20ct) Sold for £17,400 to a West Country Buyer 2. 1920’s Solitaire Diamond (approximately 6ct) and Ruby Ring Sold to a Private Buyer for £30,000 3. 1970’s Rolex “Submariner” Chronometer (Model No. 1680/0) Sold for £14,000 to a Private Buyer 4. Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844-1926) – Oil painting – “Spring Blossom”, board 16ins x 26ins. Sold to an Austrian Collector for £35,000

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PREVIOUSLY SOLD A large Chinese blue and white figure Guanyin - £8,000 (+bp)

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A large Meissen porcelain nodding pagoda figure - £3,200 (+bp) Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe OBE RA (19011979) Lochinver Gulls - £6,000 (+bp)

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•WANTED•

VINTAGE WRISTWATCHES Omega Seamasters and pre-1980s Omegas in general.

IWC and Jaeger LeCoultres, all styles. Looking for Reversos. American market filled and 14k pieces possibly, at the right price.

Breitling Top Times, Datoras and 806 Navitimers.

Our January Fine &inAntique Auction Pre-1960s Rolex models, with Art a focus pre-war tanks, tonneaus etc.

Gold or silver/steel. Also World War I Rolex 13 lignes etc. Princes. will be held on

Wednesday 12th January 2022 Public Viewing: Monday 10th January & Tuesday 11th January 9.30am - 5pm Longines, Tudors and Zeniths, pre-1970. Even basic steel models in nice condition.

All the quirky oddities like Harwoods, Autorists, Wig Wag, Rolls etc, and World War I hunter and semi-hunter wristwatches.

Early, pre-war ladies’ watches also wanted by Rolex, Jaeger LeCoultre etc. Prefer 1920s/30s deco styles, but early doughnuts also considered.

PM Antiqu are a mod antiques r Specialisin of collecto contempo and memo decorative and autom

Yorkshire based, but often in London and can easily collect nationwide.

vintagejewellery@yahoo.co.uk or tel 07958 333442 trevanion.com

24 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

PMAnti

EXPERT OPINION Christina Trevanion C H R I S T I N A T R E VA N I O N

Lots of Love

Long consigned to the attics of country houses mysterious dummy boards are reclaiming their place in fashionable society.

Christina Trevanion welcomes their return

Left Animals also captured makers’ imaginations Above right Dummy

W

hile rummaging around a house in Hampshire recently, unearthing long forgotten treasures, I had the distinct feeling of being watched. I am used to being observed while I work, the deeply suspicious eyes of family portraits glaring down at me and tracking my progress do not faze me, but this was different.

And then I saw them, two rather lovely dummy boards, coyly yet inquisitively observing my progress around their home. There is something rather beautifully mysterious about dummy boards, I don’t come across them as often as I would like to in the saleroom, and yet whenever they appear, they are always sought after.

The first time I saw these curious works of art was at Chirk Castle in Wrexham when, as a child, I visited it with my mother and saw the two small children which stand in the Long Gallery there. At almost life size, I was only just taller than them and there was something intriguing to me about these children, standing forever frozen in time in an almost ghostly manner.

PLAYFUL NOVELTIES Dummy boards are found in stately homes up and down the land – flat, oil-painted figures on wooden boards, often featuring children, soldiers, servants, animals and even ships are found sitting quietly beside a fireplace or piece of furniture. Importantly, they are not to be confused with chimney boards, which were smaller in stature and designed to decorate an empty hearth or deter a draught, normally designed as baskets or vases of flora and fauna.

boards’ subjects ranged from children to chambermaids

Below The dummy

board goes under the hammer in Shropshire on January 12

These playful novelties first became fashionable in Holland in the 17th century when the craze for trompe l’oeil was at its most gripping. The fascination between reality and illusion was a source of high amusement for the aristocracy and soon dummy boards could be found lurking in the entrance halls and upon the stairs of the finest houses in the land.

While their purpose is not entirely clear, they have been nicknamed ‘silent companions’ – although to me they are less “Miss Havisham” and more practical. It has also been suggested their careful placing around the home could have been intended to surprise unwanted visitors or even deter burglars. By the flicker of candlelight they certainly are very convincing. They may have had more practical purposes, with indications they were used as doorstops or even as targets for firing practice We will never know exactly what they were for, but for me that is entirely part of their appeal. Whatever their role, frozen in time as they were, they do give an insight into the fashions of the day.

RELEASED FROM CAPTIVITY According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, up until the late 18th century these painted wooden figures were made by professional sign writers who also produced street signs. However, at the beginning of the 19th century mass production greatly reduced their quality and inevitably the dummy board fell out of favour; their novelty had worn off, their wit replaced by the next passing fashion.

Dummy boards in the auction room vary in price according to rarity, quality and age, but what does not deviate is their popularity. In the 19th century, consigned to the attics of country houses, gathering dust and cobwebs down the generations, they have been liberated and are now, once again, reclaiming their places in the entrance halls and grand rooms of homes across the country.

Christina Trevanion is managing director and founder of Shropshire’s Trevanion Auctioneers & Valuers as well as a regular face on a number of antiques programmes.

‘It has also been suggested their careful placing around the home could have been intended to surprise unwanted visitors or even deter burglars. By the flicker of candlelight they are very convincing’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING

25

MEMORABILIA Board games WHAT’S IT WORTH?

‘Completeness’ is one of the key drivers of value.

Fireball Island sold for £10 when released in 1986 but you’ll pay £350 for a complete set today.

That’s because the fireballs were actually marbles and easily lost. To this day, people are finding fireballs under floorboards and wardrobes.

In addition to which, condition is another vital clue relating to value. Prior to the ‘90s, few people collected board games, meaning the chances of finding ones in unplayed condition are rare.

Those still in perfect shape command a premium.

For example, unopened copies of HeroQuest from its original release in 1989 will set you back around £250.

Original examples in merely average condition? They can be found for just £50.

Cool & Collectable Playing a board game this Christmas? You may have your hands on a hidden gem, writes memorabilia expert Paul Fraser

W

hich era of board games is enjoying the biggest surge in demand right now?

Well done if you said the 1980s and 1990s. Games such as HeroQuest, Fireball Island and Blade Runner are soaring in popularity. Why? The conditions are perfect: The children of the ‘80s and ‘90s are now wageearning adults, giving them the disposable income to spend on luxuries such as vintage board games.

They’re also getting nostalgic for their childhood (it takes roughly 20 years for nostalgia to kick in for most people). Which means they’re buying up the games they had first time around, or wish they’d had.

Many of these ‘80s and ‘90s kids now have families of their own, and want to share the games they loved with their children.

This surge in demand means values are rising. This applies particularly for games from the ‘90s where you also have the scarcity factor (board game production declined massively with the mainstream arrival of video games in that decade).

• • •

26 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above Thousands of us will be sitting down to a board game this Christmas. Image Shutterstock Above top right Games like HeroQuest are becoming popular among those who played them in the ‘80s and ‘90s Above middle right Completeness is one of the key indicators of value Above right The game Fireball Island is still popular today

WHICH ARE THE MOST POPULAR?

Let’s move on to the world’s most popular board game ever: Monopoly.

Keep an eye out for good condition WWII or earlier versions (it was only created in 1935). They’re worth around £100, if still in very good condition.

In terms of investment potential, it is best to stay clear of post-war limited editions, which despite their name, were produced in sufficiently large numbers to ensure that supply comfortably outstrips demand on the secondary market.

There are exceptions. Some limited editions can be collectable, so long as they are truly rare.

The 1980 Snoopy version, for example, is worth around £300.

Also look out for The Landlord’s Game, which was a forerunner to Monopoly. Games which predate Monopoly can sell for substantially more than their more famous younger brother. The Landlord’s Game, first made in 1903 as a tool to understanding taxes, can surpass £50,000.

ANTIQUE GAMES

In these days of all-action video games, late 19th and early 20th-century sets, often hand made on cloth, have huge appeal with collectors.

That’s thanks in part to their beautiful simplicity, and the care taken with their design.

They all have wonderfully evocative names too, such as The Fish Pond Game, Where’s Johnny, or The Game of the Goose. These should hold their value well over the long term, regardless of the game’s title.

Speaking generally, expect to pay at least £100 for an antique board game in good condition.

THE FIRST US BOARD GAME

Above The Landlord’s Game was first issued in 1903 as a tool to understanding taxes, image courtesy of landlords-game.com

Those with deep pockets may seek out one of only four known examples of the first US board game: The Traveller’s Tour Through the United States. Dating to 1822, a map depicts the Eastern seaboard (the West remained unexplored at the time) with the towns and cities replaced by a number. As dice were associated with gambling at the time, players rolled a “teetotum”, which took them around the board where they had to guess the town’s name and population. Expect to pay £7,000-plus should one of the four ever appear for sale again.

Above right The Merry Milkman dates from the 1950s Right The Traveller’s Tour Through the United States dates to 1822 Left The Game of the Goose is a soughtafter popular game, image courtesy of Pickering & Chatto, Antiquarian Booksellers Below right Look out for original versions of Cluedo, complete with Mrs White, real rope and metal candlesticks

POST-WWII GAMES

CLUEDO – “I ACCUSE, DR ORCHID..”?

Lastly, a word on Cluedo (because it was one of my favourite games growing up). Mrs White always seemed to have an unnerving glint in her eye – as though she’d been at the master’s sherry. They’ve done away with her now (replaced by Dr Orchid no less). Today, original 1940s/1950s versions, complete with Mrs White, real rope, metal candlesticks, and that faintly musty country-house smell go for £50-plus. In my book, they’re worth every penny.

For post-second world war games pricing becomes trickier, with collectors forced to study the market carefully to spot the trends with particular games.

Post-war examples that routinely sell for £100-plus at auction include Merry Milkman from the 1950s, Creature from the Black Lagoon from the early 1960s and Horror House from the 1980s.

‘Prior to the ‘90s, few people collected boardgames, meaning the chances of finding ones in unplayed condition are rare. Those still in perfect shape command a premium’

Paul Fraser is the founder of Paul Fraser Collectibles, for more details go to www. paulfrasercollectibles.com ANTIQUE COLLECTING 27

COLLECTING GUIDES Whisky Scotch whisky from a drink to a status symbol.

Since 2018, the market for whisky bottles has continued to expand as more and more investors and collectors begin to educate themselves in the mysterious ways of the single malt market.

OLD V MODERN A novice whisky investor or collector may start out with the impression that old and rare bottles and modern bottles will perform in similar manners. However, the reality is quite the opposite. Many people who begin to invest in whisky do so without an understanding of how different kinds of bottles behave on the secondary market. Old and rare bottles of whisky have, historically, seen a more stable growth in value than modern bottlings. There are a number of reasons for this.

Rather than explaining all of them one-by-one it may be more prudent to look at a real-world example. As such, let’s take a closer look at the Macallan Private Eye and the Macallan Folio 1.

SATIRICAL LOOK

Spirit of Christmas With the price of some whisky bottles outstripping art, jewellery and even gold, is it time to say cheers to Scotch? Specialist Mark Littler outlines the potential hiccoughs

U

p until a few years ago, single malt whisky was simply considered a drink. However, in recent years, single malt Scotch whisky has become increasingly popular as a luxury asset and alternative investment. In 2018, bottles appeared on the Knight Frank Index for the first time.

The index is an annual report detailing the performance of collectable luxury assets such as classic cars and wine.

In 2018, whisky bottles vastly outperformed traditional luxury assets, including art, jewellery, and gold. This huge growth in value in comparison to more traditional luxury assets marks the transformation of single malt

28 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above The Macallan Private Eye was released in 1996 to mark the 35th-anniversary of the satirical magazine, all images unless stated courtesy of Mark Littler Ltd Right The Bowmore Final Edition

The Macallan Private Eye is a classic NAS (no-agestatement) bottling of Macallan. It was released in 1996 to mark the 35th anniversary of the politicalsatire magazine, Private Eye. Only 5,000 bottles were released with a price tag of £36 plus £6.95 for postage.

In comparison to today’s prices this may seem like a very small price tag. However, in 1996, single malt whisky had yet to hit its stride, and so nearly £43 for a bottle of whisky was quite a high price.

Left A trio of Macallan 1937 bottles first bottled in the mid 1970s by Gordon & Macphail Right The Macallan Folio 1 Below right The Macallan 1937 37 Year Old

Mighty Macallan The Macallan Folio 1 is the first bottling in the Macallan archival series released in 2015. The series was created to pay homage to Macallan’s early marketing campaigns from the 1970s until the 1990s designed by Nick Salaman and David Holmes. The Macallan archival series, when complete, will consist of 24 bottles. To date, six bottles have been released.

The whisky in the Macallan Folio 1 is NAS and non-vintage. There are no official release numbers for any of the releases in the archival series.

However, the number of bottlings seen at auction so far would seem to suggest that there is a large number of them on the secondary market. The bottle was released with a price tag of £199. The current auction record for a Macallan Folio 1 is £10,000.

The Macallan Private Eye contains whisky from at least one cask with a 1964 vintage – the same year that Private Eye was founded. The label of the Macallan Private Eye was famously designed by Ralph Steadman, a British illustrator well-known for his political satire illustrations. The iconic screen-printed label is in classic satirical style with Steadman gesturing to the lack of age statement, joking that the whisky “could be 196 years old”. The current auction record for a Macallan Private Eye is £8,700 for a Macallan Private Eye Gold Capsule.

WHICH IS BEST? On the surface, the Macallan Folio 1 might seem like the better investment; the record £10,000 result is more than 50 times higher than the release price of £199. However, relying solely on data is not good practice in the world of whisky investment. The Macallan Private Eye was released 19 years before the Macallan Folio 1 and, as such, has many more years of data to back up its value and growth. Since 2004, the value of the Macallan Private Eye has grown on average 24 per cent every year. This slow and steady rise in value indicates that the Macallan Private Eye is arguably a more sustainable long-term investment than the Macallan Folio 1.

‘Since 2018, the market for whisky bottles has continued to expand as more and more investors and collectors begin to educate themselves in the mysterious ways of the single malt market’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 29

COLLECTING GUIDES Whisky

Luxury asset

RED FLAG Conversely, the Macallan Folio 1 saw astonishing growth within a six-year time frame. For the first couple of years after release, growth was steady.

However, as time went on (and more Folios were released) prices began to rise in a somewhat nonsensical manner. In early 2021, a Macallan Folio 1 sold at Scotch Whisky Auctions, achieving the £10,000 mentioned. While many novice collectors would look at this data and see a bottle sure to rise in value, seasoned whisky collectors and investors would see this as a red flag. Rapidly increasing prices such as this often indicate volatility and the formation of a market bubble. The problem with market bubbles is that, eventually, they will burst.

Above Whisky is attracting huge prices on the secondary market, image courtesy of Sotheby’s Right A taste of luxury:

007’s Aston Martin DB5 is celebrated in whisky, image courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The extent to which single malt Scotch whisky has become widely regarded as a luxury asset, not necessarily determined by quality, is indisputable today. Collaborations such as that between Black Bowmore and Aston Martin for the James Bond influenced and rebottled Black Bowmore DB5 demonstrates how luxury brands are happy to partner with a Scottish whisky distillery.

Moreover, the original bottlings from which these limited-edition, rebottled counterparts are created can be greatly undervalued in comparison.

This is an important aspect of the market to note if you would like to invest in rare whisky bottles.

It is as important to consider such factors as the distillery or series from which the bottle hails just as well as the vintage statement, age statement, and quality.

As the data pertaining to bottles such as Macallan Private Eye has shown, whisky bottle investment can be incredibly lucrative and rewarding. However, as with any investment, caution is advised. It is better to educate yourself about the market beforehand than make purchases you may later regret.

The whisky market can seem rather formidable on the surface, and this hesitation leads many to follow the crowd and flip modern bottles for a quick profit. However, if you are looking for a long-term investment then you must understand the intricacies of the market and not be tempted to rely solely on bottles that display unusually swift growth.

SCOTCH MISSED In the time since the £10,000 result was recorded, the value of the Macallan Folio 1 has fallen somewhat, with many not meeting their reserves (often set at around £8,000). This indicates that market confidence in the Macallan Folio series is beginning to falter.

The Macallan Folio 1 is not scarce, nor does it have a vintage statement, nor an age statement (the whisky in the bottles could be three years old), so it is arguable that the bottle’s days are numbered.

The Macallan Folio 1 seems to inhabit a different section of the market than the Macallan Private Eye. Collectors of the Macallan Folio bottles are, more often than not, novices who do not yet understand the value of history and scarcity within the world of whisky bottle investment.

BUYER BEWARE The lesson here is crucial: rely not only on data, but also on market context. Interrogate the data – why is the bottle behaving in a certain way? What is driving the growth? These are important questions to ask yourself prior to purchase if you hope to achieve a decent return on investment.

Whisky is an alternative investment in more ways than one. It differs from other alcoholic investments, such as wine, in that quality, seemingly, has no impact on the value of any given bottle. Many whisky drinkers

30 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

assert whisky is for drinking, not for collecting or investing. However, while this may true for low-value bottles, there is no denying that a market has developed around old and rare bottles that is driven not by the quality of the whisky, but by marketing and branding.

Mark Littler is an independent antiques consultant and whisky broker. To learn more go to www. marklittler.com where you can also download his 82-page Whisky Bottle Investment Guide, for free, the most comprehensive resource currently available for those who wish to begin investing in rare whisky. More advice is available from his YouTube channel.

Bottling It In the quixotic world of whisky investing, several examples serve to drive home the importance of branding

THE SPRINGBANK 1919 50 YEAR OLD

Left The Springbank 1919 50 Year Old with its gothic ‘S’ Below left Bottles of Macallan 1937 37 Year Old

This whisky was laid down to mature 102 years ago and left to mature for five decades before being bottled in 1970.

The whisky was first bottled in a pear-shaped bottle featuring Springbank’s distinctive gothic ‘S’ on the label. In the early 1970s the whisky was rebottled into a tall, glass bottle with a new label complete with a wooden presentation box. The record price at auction for this bottle is £226,200. The record price for the pear-shaped bottle at auction is £20,000.

As such, there is a £200,000 disparity between the original bottling and the rebottling. It is important to note that the whisky did not change, it was simply rebottled and rebranded and is now worth 10 times more than its predecessor.

Belolw right The Black Bowmore 1964 Final Edition

THE BLACK BOWMORE 1964 FINAL EDITION The Final Edition (or third edition, as there are now six releases in the Black Bowmore series) was released in 1995 containing 1964 vintage, 31 year old whisky. The bottle (and the other bottles in the series) have steadily grown in value over the past 26 years and currently averages around £8,000 at auction.

In 2021, Bowmore released the Black Bowmore 1964 DB5 in collaboration with Aston Martin. The collaboration was created to celebrate the Aston Martin DB5’s cultural impact since its first appearance on screen in the 1964 James Bond movie, Goldfinger. 1964 was also an important year in Bowmore’s history, as this is the year that a new boiler was installed at the distillery, signalling the start of a new era of distilling.

25 bottles were released with a price tag of £50,000.

The record auction price for this bottle at the time of writing is £81,000. An important aspect of this release to note is that the DB5 bottling contains the same whisky as the Black Bowmore Final Edition. The rebottling is worth over 10 times more at auction than the original bottling, despite containing the same spirit.

‘When investing in whisky bottles it is as important to consider the distillery or series from which the bottle hails as well as the vintage statement, age statement, and quality’

THE MACALLAN 1937 37 YEAR OLD First bottled in the mid 1970s

by Gordon & Macphail, this bottling of Macallan sells at auction for, on average, £3,000. The same whisky was later rebottled as part of the Macallan Fine & Rare Series, complete with a new label and a wooden presentation box.

The record price for this bottle at auction is £34,813.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 31

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ANTIQUE COLLECTING 35

THE EXPERT COLLECTING Winter landscapes

THE BIG FREEZE

From Pieter Bruegel the Elder to the 21st century, artists have been drawn to the magical properties of snow. Martin Heaps considers some of the best

W

inter landscapes date back to the late 1500s and the long cold periods from the mid-16th century, a period known as the “Little Ice Age”, with 1564–1565 cited as the coldest winter of the century.

Artists such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525– 1569) celebrated frozen rivers, snowy scenes and icy villages of the Netherlands within a number of works including Winter Landscape with Skaters and Bird Trap (1565) The Census at Bethlehem (1566) and Hunters in the Snow (1565) presenting a bird’s eye view of a world locked in winter that is nevertheless teeming with life.

36 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above Peter Brook (1927-2009) An Old Fashioned Christmas Even, c. 1971, image courtesy of www.hollyjohnson antiques.co.uk

Technically more difficult to paint than summer scenes, painting snow presents many challenges including the intense light reflected by the icy cystals.

Romanticism was responsible for the surge in landscape painting, with many artists choosing winter as the season that best reflected the melancholy and romantic rupture of the time. The 19th-century German landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) often depicted winter, using the freezing landscapes to echo the drama of human emotions, rather than a realistic depiction of weather.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION Of the Impressionists, three painters in particular were drawn to paint “effets de neige”: Claude Monet (18401926), Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) and Camille Pissarro (1830-1903). All shared a fascination with snow leading them to seek out freezing landscapes.

Monet created more than 140 winter paintings, with haystacks covered with snow being one of the most repeated images. He was drawn not only to the light of the scene but the transitory nature of snow and its effect of the landscape.

In more modern times, winter landscapes have continued to capture artists’ imaginations, none more so than Modern British Artists whose work continues to delight collectors today.

PETER BROOK One such artist is Peter Brook (1927-2009). Born and brought up in West Yorkshire, Brook’s intimate knowledge of the Yorkshire Pennines, with its everchanging landscape, moors and mills, led him to be called the ‘Pennine landscape painter’. He became a full-time artist in his 40s and, in 1962, was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. Agnews, the major London art dealers, began to represent Peter in the late 1960s with its first two shows resulting in the sale of more than 100 paintings being sold.

Brook’s most collectable paintings have a caption on them in red and include his famously loyal dog, that would accompany the artist as he searched the countryside for new scenes to depict.

From a collecting point of view, my recommendation is to search out Peter Brook’s snow scenes that feature the painter and his dog, with his signature in red displayed. An example is the picture, below, which sees the duo trudging up a snowy hillock towards a detached house under a reddy-orange sky.

Right William Ralph

Turner (1920-2013) Castleton, 1987, www. collectart.co.uk

Below Peter Brook

(1927-2009) De-Restriction with a short cut, England, c.1970, image courtesy of www. hollyjohnsonantiques. co.uk

Below right Brian ‘Braaq’

Shields (1951-1997) In the Snow, which was recently sold by Collect Art

‘Among Braaq’s body of work are a number of wonderful wintry landscapes, which, snow adorned and bursting with detail, are increasingly sought after’

to make Lowry look too old and not sell the painting during Lowry’s lifetime. However, sadly, Lowry never got to see the painting before he died.

BRIAN SHIELDS (BRAAQ) Shields (1951-1997) was a Liverpool-born artist best known for painting industrial scenes of northern Britain.

Never encouraged to become an artist, Brian became a trainee chef working at a drab hotel in which, hoping to brighten up the surroundings, Shields painted a mural, signing it ‘Braaq’ to hide his identity.

He was unveiled as the artist by a journalist, going on to become a professional artist and holding his first solo exhibition in 1974. He continued to paint until his untimely death from a brain haemorrhage in 1997.

Among his body of work are a number of wonderful wintry landscapes, which, snow adorned and bursting with detail, are increasingly sought after.

After his much-loved sister died, Sheilds always added her name Ann after his signature. One of the curiosities of his work is that he often appears as a cameo role, painting himself as a boy in a black-andwhite striped top. Spotting him is a bit like an artistic version of “Where’s Wally?”

WILLIAM TURNER Another highly popular landscape painter is William Ralph Turner (1920-2013), the last of the great Northern industrial painters who belonged to the school of artists influenced by LS Lowry. The scope of his work was immense: as well as winter scenes he captured northern life from grimy streets with children playing in them, to pub interiors and cinemas. His early, more abstract, work up to the 1990s is especially collectable.

Turner was credited with being able to paint scenes from memories dating back up to 50 years. He is the only person to have painted LS Lowry in the flesh, and supposedly Turner had to agree to two conditions – not

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 37

THE EXPERT COLLECTING Winter landscapes

IAN GRANT Another artist known for his snowscapes is the Scottishborn Ian Grant (1904-1993). Grant studied at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art before going on to help shape the Northern School.

He is a well-respected artist who demonstrates super usage of painting and colour, with wintry scenes one of his great strengths. In 1989, he was included in The Last Romantics at Barbican Art Gallery.

Manchester City Art Gallery holds his work, which was exhibited at solo shows at Salford Art Gallery.

Above Ian Grant (19041993) Snow Scene, Red Lane, Disley, image courtesy of www. collectart.co.uk Below left Geoffrey Key (b.1941) Snow Patterns, image courtesy of www. collectart.co.uk

GEOFFREY KEY Geoffrey Key was born in Rusholme, Manchester, in 1941. His mother, Marion, worked as an illustrator and encouraged him to draw from an early age.

Key is currently creating waves in the art retail and auction world. His interest in seasonality and changing landscape was seen early in his career when he chose to paint and draw a specific area of the Derbyshire landscape for a year. The place was the Whiteley Nab hill, south of Glossop which Key depicted in hundreds of images throughout the seasons.

While Key is well known to collectors and the auction world, on a wider level, less is known about him and his work. But this is changing. With increasing favour from art critics and reviewers the selling price of his works is escalating.

While Key moved from landscapes to painting monumental horses and then clowns, we recently acquired, a beautifully bold winter landscape titled Snow Patterns (left).

Key’s landscapes showcase vibrant colour, restrained by his confident handling of line and form.

Key’s interest in seasonality and changing landscape was seen early in his career when he chose to paint and draw a specific area of the Derbyshire landscape for a year 38 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Left Theodore Major (1908 –1999) Houses in the Snow, Wigan image courtesy of www. collectart.co.uk

3 Winter landscapes 1. Although Gauguin is best-known for his Postimpressionist works experimenting with colour in his Tahiti series, below we see one of the paintings where the Impressionist influence is still evident.

The snow scene could not be further removed from the bright sunshine of Tahiti where the artist lived after leaving France.

Right Paul Gauguin

(1848–1903) Garden under Snow, oil on canvas

Below right Wassily

THEODORE MAJOR Known by the accolade the “Undiscovered Impressionist” Theodore Major (1908-1999) was born into comparative poverty in Wigan, Lancashire, of parents who both worked in a cotton mill.

Throughout his career Major fought against materialism and the commercial gallery system which saw his pictures sold only to rich collectors.

Consequently he retained 3,000 of his pictures which he said were painted for ordinary people, not money.

Art critic John Berger called Major’s pictures “among the best English paintings of our time.” He wrote how Major painted in a range of styles “to disturb and extend consciousness in the mind of the viewer”.

Among other subjects, Major is known for his gritty portrayal of working-class scenes, across the seasons.

We are currently showing Houses in the Snow, Wigan (above), which is attracting interest as an industrial alternative to a traditional winter landscape.

Kandinsky (1866–1944) Winter in Schwabing, 1902, oil on canvas

1

Below Claude Monet

(1840–1926) The Magpie, c. 1868 and 1869, oil on canvas

2. Credited for painting the first abstract work, Kandinsky changed his style over the years, from figural painting to pure abstraction. With his home in Murnau, a village in the Bavarian Alps, snow was often depicted by the Russian artist.

During this period, he turned away from a direct depiction of nature in favour of a more abstract approach. In Winter in Schwabing (below) his focus is still set on the real world, but the colour choices foretell his move towards greater abstraction.

Martin Heaps is the owner of the Cheshire-based gallery Collect Art which stocks work by many of the artists mentioned. For more details go to www.collectart.co.uk

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3 3. The most prolific of the Impressionists, Monet often worked on a series of paintings, each one portraying one object, or scene, in a different light or time of year.

The Magpie (above) as created during the winter of 1868-1869 near the commune of Étretat in Normandy. During this period, Monet fully demonstrated his need to capture sensations by rendering “the effect” of fleeting states of nature.

In doing so Monet presents a frail magpie perched on a gate in the snow, like a note on a staff of music.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 39

EXPERT COMMENT Lennox Cato 21st-century living – I find a small Georgian or Edwardian silver salver makes a perfect coaster for a wine bottle on the dining room table, preventing those staining drips of red wine.

For this purpose I recommend the smaller, 6in-diameter variety, raised on small feet, although salvers of different sizes have an array of uses. Other sizes work well on a bedside table as a watch holder or for a glass of water.

Georgian versions may be pricey, but early 20th-century examples by such retailers as Mappin & Webb or Asprey, are more modestly priced.

Salvers normally have a pie-crust edge, known as a Bath border, although higher-quality examples may incorporate shells on the edge, a level of extra detailing which will command a slightly higher price.

Whichever period or style you choose, make sure the hallmarks are clear and avoid salvers with rubbed marks or marks which you are unable to read.

Georgian examples should not be re-engraved.

Look out for the most sought-after assay offices such as York, Chester, Exeter and Newcastle, all of which are highly collectable and fast becoming rarer on the open market.

SILVER CANDLESTICKS

LENNOX CATO

Without RESERVE With their low carbon footprint and unique qualities, antiques make ideal Christmas gifts.

Lennox Cato reveals why he is dreaming of a silver Christmas

T

here is something very rewarding about searching for that completely unique antique gift. The recipient knows it was carefully chosen just for them and not the result of a quick visit to a department store, or trawl through a website.

Of all the treasures on offer silver makes an excellent and practical gift.

SILVER SALVERS Us men are notoriously difficult to buy for, but something that always seems popular are small, circular, solid silver salvers.

They were originally used for presenting a letter or card by a servant, but they can be adapted to

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Above A highly important pair of candlesticks, silver, George II, London, 1742, maker’s mark of Nicholas Sprimont.

Height 11in, image courtesy of Koopman Fine Art Right Silver salvers make

great coasters, image courtesy of Lennox Cato Antiques

Pairs of cast silver candlesticks are a must for the serious silver collector today. Some names of wellknown candlestick-makers are the 18th-century silversmiths Ebenezer Coker, John Cafe, Matthew Boulton and, of course, Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751) possibly the century’s greatest silversmith.

While a pair of cast candlesticks by these fine makers may be beyond the budgets of most, try buying single examples.

Of course single candlesticks will never command the value of a pair but a collection of six or eight single sticks acquired over the years will bring much pleasure, whether bought as a gift, or for yourself.

Don’t be in a hurry, think about buying one each Christmas. A slow approach is always best allowing you to gain more knowledge along the way.

As with all silver, stick to the rules: make sure the condition is good with no repairs; pieces must be cast, and not loaded. Again, make sure there are strong, clear makers hallmarks. Coats of arms and crests are a bonus and add another layer of provenance.

You will find bases of different designs. Some are square or circular, and some petal-shaped bases with shell decoration. A collection of candlesticks of different heights and shaped-bases look great sparkling on a festive sideboard or table.

If you do decide on an item of silver it’s a nice idea to include a pocket book on silver hallmarks and highlight the page and date of the gift, so the person knows exactly when it was made.

Whatever gift you decide on, enjoy the moment and let your imagination run wild. In the meantime, I wish you happy gift hunting and a very merry Christmas.

Lennox Cato is a specialist on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and owns Lennox Cato Antiques, for more details go to www.lennoxcato.com

‘Whichever period or style you choose, make sure the hallmarks are clear and avoid salvers with rubbed marks or marks which you are unable to read. Georgian examples should not be re-engraved. Look out for the most sought-after assay offices such as York, Chester, Exeter and Newcastle, all of which are highly collectable and fast becoming rarer on the open market’

Above The Duke of Montrose’s salvers, silver, George II, London, 1736, makers mark of Paul de Lamerie including the coat-of-arms of James Graham 1st Duke of Montrose. Diameter of the largest salver is 8½in, the smaller salvers 6in, image courtesy of Koopman Fine Art Above right A pair of rococo candlesticks, silver, London, 1744, maker’s mark of Peter Archambo, height 10.2in, image courtesy of Koopman Fine Art Right A helmet-shaped

cream jug on three feet, mid 18th century

Cream jugs

A three-legged George II or III cream jug can make an excellent water jug for whisky. Look for a baluster-shaped bulbous body raised on three small cabriole legs ending on pad feet or a trefoil foot. Again, detailing is very important, some will have fine, raised moulding around the belly of the creamer. The shaped handle may be more elaborate and, again, it is these small details that add to the value and make the article more desirable. Condition is also paramount.

Make sure the three feet are flat on the ground, it doesn’t wobble and the legs are not twisted. Repaired pieces are totally unacceptable - even as a gift!

A silver cigar box could be repurposed as a container from anything from gold tees to business cards, image courtesy Lennox Cato Antiques

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 41

HISTORIC HOUSES To visit this Christmas

Seasons Meetings

The country’s grand houses are perfect places to soak up some seasonal sights while spotting stunning antiques and art

CHATSWORTH, Derbyshire

Home to 16 generations of the Cavendish family, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is an Elizabethan architectural masterpiece set within countless acres of landscaped grounds matched only in beauty by its interiors and artworks.

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Above The painted hall at Chatsworth built by the 1st Duke of Devonshire between 1689 and 1694. Image courtesy Chatsworth House Trust Above left The festive splendour of the great dining room at Chatsworth House.

Image: Chatsworth House Trust

The house holds an impressive collection of art spanning 4,000 years, dating back into antiquity with Roman and Egyptian sculpture, before moving through the centuries with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Reynolds and Veronese, all jostling for position alongside more modern works by the likes of Lucian Freud, Edmund de Waal and David Nash.

Visitors can wander through 25 rooms that are open to the public, ranging from the splendour of the painted hall built by the 1st Duke, the state drawing room intended to host royalty, to the soaring space of the oak stairs/Leicester landing, and the great dining room.

Housed within is one of the UK’s largest and most significant collections, the Devonshire Collections.

Collectors will want to look out for the George II giltwood armchairs c.1730 by William Kent (16851748), the Roentgen desk by David Roentgen c.17801785, a Delft flower vase c.1690, a Sevres gilt-bronze mounted violet glaze porcelain garniture c.1768, and an Edmund de Waal installation of numerous, various-sized porcelain vessels.

Elsewhere, examples of Old Master Drawings comprise works such as Leda and the Swan by Leonardo da Vinci c.1505, Seated Woman Reading with Child by Raphael (1483-1520), Landscape with Riderless Horse Pursued by a Serpent by Titian c.1565, and A Peasant Girl Churning Butter by Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).

Chatsworth’s sculpture collection also boasts some impressive examples, including a Roman statuary group of a mother and daughter, a late 17th-century/ early 18th-century carved limewood cravat attributed to Grinling Gibbons, and War Horse, a bronze by Dame

Left Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, home to the Cavendish family since 1549. Image courtesy Chatsworth House Trust Right The entrance to Eltham Palace celebrates the art deco style. ©English Heritage

Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993), c. 1991.

Over the festive season the property is celebrating 20 years of Christmas at Chatsworth, with displays inspired by the past two decades of decorations, including seasonal music in the chapel and its collection of gems and minerals creating a colourful display. www.chatsworth.org

ELTHAM PALACE, Greenwich The former medieval palace and Tudor royal residence in south-east London was transformed by wealthy philanthropist Stephen Courtauld, from the celebrated textile family, and his wife, Virginia, during the 1930s, with the help of Italian interior designer, the Marchese Peter Malacrida.

Today, this mix of historical features continues to intrigue visitors who can revel in the eccentricity of spaces such as the map room, where the couple planned their global adventures; to the circular entrance hall, which mixes art deco elements and Swedish design; and the panelled dining room with its geometric and stylised shapes. A popular destination is Virgina Courtauld’s bathroom where the original interiors boast walls lined with onyx and gold mosaic tiles over the bath niche.

The couple’s enthusiasm for art deco furniture, art and items is exemplified in pieces such as the original, bespoke dining table and chairs created to harmonise with the stylised dining room. Made in 1935, the original pink leather upholstery was chosen to complement

Below left Eltham Palace is a former medieval palace and Tudor royal residence, © English Heritage Below right The regency room at Dennis Severs House recreates the Georgian era, image: Lucinda Douglas-Menzies Below Eltham Palace’s great hall will be illuminated for the festive season, © English Heritage Bolttom right Dennis Severs House transports visitors through Georgian and Victorian history, image: Lucinda DouglasMenzies

women’s dresses of the time.

Other key objects include the 1930s leather map depicting Eltham Palace and local area made by the artist Margarita Classen-Smith, a portrait bust of Virginia Courtauld

by Filippo Lovatelli from 1923, and a late 17th-century Chinese Coromandel lacquer screen of 12 folding sections.

A few more steps and visitors can travel back in time to experience stunning medieval architecture of the great hall where the hammer-beam roof was built for Edward IV more than 500 years earlier. The king welcomed 2,000 people to feast in Christmas 1482, his last visit to the palace before his death.

This Christmas, Eltham Palace offers the chance to warm up with a glass of mulled wine and toasted marshmallows before exploring the illumination and sound show outside the great hall. www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ eltham-palace-and-gardens

DENNIS SEVERS HOUSE, London

When American ex-pat Dennis Severs bought a derelict Spitalfields house at 18 Folgate Street in 1979 he set about creating “a fabulous time-machine” housing the fictional 18th-century Jervis family of Huguenots.

Built in 1724, visitors are transported back to the Georgian and later era in an immersive atmosphere created by a lovingly researched and recreated series of room sets lit by candlelight.

Dennis Severs set about creating “a fabulous time-machine” housing the fictional 18th-century Jervis family of Huguenots ANTIQUE COLLECTING 43

HISTORIC HOUSES To visit this Christmas Each of the 10 rooms offers different periods of history, and are presented as if the imaginary occupants have recently departed. Indeed, such was their apparent hurry that visitors can spot accidentally overturned tea cups and smashed wine glasses, all cleverly staged.

The house’s interiors range from the splendour of the bedchamber and the drawing room, adorned with sumptuous silk textiles, painted panels, silverware, marble and porcelain, to the destitution of the 19th century when impoverished families shared one room surrounded by Dickensian East End slums.

For many, Christmas is the perfect time of year to visit to fully savour the experience, akin to walking through a three-dimensional still-life painting.

Bookings are now being taken until January 9 for a memorable trip that’s Christmas to the core. www.dennissevershouse.co.uk

Below right Lyme Park offers something for all ages this Christmas, image © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra Below The crimson dining room at Castle Howard is the perfect setting for Christmas, image: Wikimedia Commons

Gainsborough and, later, William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones.

Castle Howard will continue its creative tradition with the event Christmas in Narnia, which runs until January 2. The visual spectacular will encompass theatrical set pieces, lighting and sound installation, all giving a seasonal flavour of CS Lewis’s famous children’s classic. www.castlehoward.co.uk

CASTLE HOWARD, York

Festive visitors to Castle Howard will be confronted by the impressive sight of a 25-foot Christmas tree covered with more than 3,000 baubles – a fitting welcome to this 18th-century property.

The construction of Castle Howard took more than 100 years, spanning the lifetimes of three earls, and resulting in an architectural style that melded the flamboyance of baroque design with the more restrained Palladian.

A devasting fire swept through the building in November 1940, which eventually saw the restoration of the dome in 1960-1962 and the reconstruction of the garden hall in 1981, in conjunction with its starring role in TV’s Brideshead Revisited.

Today, the house is home to an internationally important collection of art displayed in state rooms, ranging from Old Masters to the works of English artists such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas

LYME PARK, Cheshire From the well-preserved drawing room of the Elizabethan era and the knight’s bedroom, where family tradition has it Mary Queen of Scots slept, to the library, subject of a 21st-century restoration, Lyme Park recounts six centuries of history.

Within the diminutive stag parlour, discover the four 19th-century chairs that bear the monogram ‘CR’, said to be the fabric from the cloak of King Charles I as he ascended the scaffold for his execution in 1649. In the long gallery, another Elizabeth survivor, the space has been variously used for exercise, a billiards room and a family theatre.

The house is also home to the National Trust’s finest antique clock collection, many from the 17th-century Golden Age of English Clockmaking, including the Fromanteel clock, c.1658, Britain’s oldest surviving pendulum clock. Other examples are made by such celebrated makers as Thomas Tompion, George Graham and Henry Young.

Elsewhere, The Sarum Missal, the body of the Mass printed by William Caxton in Paris in 1487, which belonged to the Leigh family for more than five

44 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

WIMPOLE ESTATE, Cambridgeshire

centuries before its sale to the National Trust in 2008, is recognised as one of the Trust’s most important treasures.

For Christmas, the property will display a selection of rooms that have been transformed in seasonal splendour where visitors can explore traditions and treasures of past festive years. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lyme

Above The south front of Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire, ©National Trust Images/ Andrew Butler Left The knight’s bedroom at Lyme Park, Cheshire, ©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

The numerous owners of Wimpole have all left their architectural mark on the Cambridgeshire estate throughout its 300 years of history. Sir Thomas Chicheley designed the original building between 1640 and 1670, James Gibb extended it in 1713-21, and, in the mid-18th century, Philip York, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, commissioned Henry Flitcroft to reface the central block and undertake internal alterations. Later still, Sir John Soane designed the yellow drawing room, at the behest of the 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, alongside the Soane bath house with its sunken baths inspired by those in Roman Pompeii.

It’s no surprise, then, that Wimpole has treasures galore to explore and enjoy. Most of these were collected

by Captain George and Mrs Elsie Bambridge who bought the property in 1938 and spent the next four decades furnishing the house. They sought out pieces that had either once been at Wimpole or were strongly associated with it or its previous owners. Highlights include the gilded, curved sofas in the yellow drawing room, 18th and 19th-century French porcelain figures in the drawing rooms, and collections of carriage prints.

Other key features include the entrance, the oldest part of the property, which displays decorative floor tiles spelling out the Latin world ‘Salve’ or ‘welcome’; the library and book with its collection of 10,000 books; and a late 18th-century trompe l’oeil side table top by LouisLéopold Boilly featuring inlaid images of discarded items such as playing cards, coins and a quill pen.

Over Christmas, festive attractions include a winter walk in the extensive gardens and parkland, performances by local choirs in the stables, laser light shows, and a tour of the house. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate ANTIQUE COLLECTING 45

HISTORIC HOUSES To visit this Christmas and extensive in Europe. They encompasses such treasures as ornate and veneered furniture by the 17th and 18th-century French cabinet maker Andre-Charles Boulle, Meissen and Sevres porcelain, carved stonework courtesy of Grinling Gibbons and stunning ceilings by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Artworks include George Stubbs’ The Tiger, presented to the 4th Duke of Malborough in 1762 by Lord Clive, the Governor of Bengal, through to Cecil Beaton’s pastel portrait of Gladys Deacon, part of a series for Vogue magazine.

Outside, the rolling parkland and gardens were designed by a rollcall of esteemed landscape designers including Henry Wise, Capability Brown and, later, Achille Duchêne.

Throughout the festive season Blenheim is a riot of light and laser displays, Christmas markets, and a reimagining of the story of The Nutcracker throughout the Palace rooms. www.blenheimpalace.com

WINDSOR CASTLE, Berkshire

Above Blenheim becomes a winter wonderland at Christmas, image: @ blenheim Left The green room at Blenheim Palace features family portraits of the Dukes of Marlborough, image: @blenheim Below The drawing room at Windsor Castle, image: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021

BLENHEIM PALACE, Oxfordshire An internationally-recognised masterpiece of Baroque architecture, the 18th-century Blenheim Palace is home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. With over 300 years of history, the property offers a variety of tours that provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the people who have inhabited Blenheim, ranging from the ‘Upstairs Tour’ where visitors can see the Marlborough family’s sumptuous private apartments, to the ‘Downstairs Tour’ taking in the servants’ quarters, and The Churchill Exhibition, which relates the adventurous life of the wartime Prime Minister.

In the gilded splendour of the state rooms, highlights include the celebrated Marlborough Tapestries (the ‘Victories Series’) within the green writing room and the first, second and third state rooms. The magnificent long library boasts over 10,000 books, including many over centuries old. Elsewhere, the Palace’s collections of portraits, furniture, sculpture and tapestries are recognised as some of the most important

46 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

With over 1,000 years of royal history to explore, Windsor Castle has a wealth of treasures on offer this Christmas. The historic route through the state apartments takes in some of the finest works of art from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Holbein, Van Dyck and Rubens. Built by Charles II to rival the splendour of Louis XIV’s Versailles in France, highlights include painted ceilings by Antonio Verrio and wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons. A special display at Windsor brings together costumes worn by Her Majesty The Queen and Princess Margaret during wartime pantomimes, including a gold brocade and turquoise jacket, dungarees and hat worn by Princess Elizabeth to play ‘Aladdin’ in 1943. Elsewhere, a magnificent 20-foot Christmas tree in St George’s hall, taken from Windsor Great Park, will be dressed in hundreds of iridescent glass and mirrored ornaments, alongside another in the crimson drawing room. https://www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle

FINE INTERIORS Tuesday 14 & Wednesday 15 December Furniture | Works of Art | Pictures | Silver Two cameo glass vases by Thomas Webb and Sons from The Peter and Pat Crofts Collection

fineinteriors@sworder.co.uk 01279 817778 www.sworder.co.uk

d

d Bring the snow inside with the painting Hiver – La Gare de Sceaux by Jacques MartinFerrières (1893-1972), oil on panel, signed and dated 1917, on sale from Trinity House Paintings priced £25,000.

Still searching for the ideal gift?

Problem solved with this silver magnifying glass, made by William Martin, retailed by Asprey, Bond Street, London and hallmarked London 1929.

On sale from Lennox Cato Antiques for £1,850.

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d The ideal romantic gift: a large emerald cut diamond ring, with two baguette cut diamonds on each side, in a rub over setting. It has an estimate of £23,000-£30,000 in Ewbank’s sale on December 1.

GIF T GUIDE Indulge someone you love this Christmas with these great gift ideas

The perfect stocking filler in the shape of a 50ml miniature limited-edition bottling of Macallan for the magazine Private Eye’s 35th anniversary.

It has an estimate of £200-£300 at Gildings’ online auction ending on December 12.

Shine a light on that special person with this rare pair of René Lalique “Grand Dépôt” glass and silvered metal table lamps, designed c. 1928, frosted and polished, wheel engraved marks R Lalique, France, has an estimate of £25,000£35,000 at Kinghams’ sale on December 9.

48 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

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d Add glamour to a Christmas outfit with this enamel and pearl, 9ct yellow gold locket, c. 1890, on sale from the Tyne and Wear silver specialist AC Silver, priced £1,695.

Add some flavour to the kitchen with this small brass flour dredger, c. 1740, with a perfectlyfitting domed top. On sale from Prichard Antiques in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, priced £125.

Nothing says Christmas like the colour green and, when it comes to jewellery, nothing holds its value like an emerald. This bangle features a trio of princess-cut diamonds, alternating with trios of square-cut emeralds, find similar pieces at www.barnebys.co.uk

Delight the artist in your life with this design for a Christmas card by Quentin Blake (b.1932). Pen, ink, watercolour on paper, signed, the card has an estimate of £800-£1,200 at Christie’s online sale from November 30-December 14.

For the perfect host or hostess, how about this Coalport art deco cased coffee set with silver teaspoons, which has an estimate of £180-£220 at Halls’ sale on December 8.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 49

AUCTION | 25 & 26 JANUARY FINE ART & AN TIQUES

PRINKNASH ABBEY PARK | GLOUCESTERSHIRE GL4 8EU 01452 344499 | enquiries@chorleys.com | www.chorleys.com

J E W E L L E RY | WATC H E S | M A K E RS | D E S I G N S | C O L L E C T I N G

IN THE

Loupe

This month Elsa Peretti’s jewellery designs made for Tiffany & Co. are in the spotlight as we profile signet rings through the ages and experts reveal what they’d most like to receive under the tree

Left Elsa Peretti’s open heart necklace, image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 51

IN THE

Loupe

In the

LOUPE

Above all ELSA

Pieces by the Italian model turned jewellery designer Elsa Peretti, who died last year, have never been more popular, writes Liz Bailey

E

lsa Peretti is one of the 20th-century’s greatest and most prolific jewellery designers. Joining Tiffany & Co. in 1974, she was responsible for some of the company’s most iconic and wearable designs.

Free from the privations of the post-war decades, the ‘70s were an exciting time for jewellery designers whose innovative ideas were met by an eager new audience with money in their pockets.

Elsa Peretti’s designs for Tiffany turned the concept of expensive jewellery on its head; she brought back an acceptance of silver jewellery, out of fashion since the ‘30s.

Although she died in March 2020 her lasting legacy of exceptional jewellery design continues, and prices for her timeless pieces, combining movement and minimalism, have soared at auction.

52 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above Elsa Peretti bone cuffs in 18ct rose gold and sterling silver, courtesy of Tiffany & Co. Right Elsa Peretti in

her studio

EARLY DAYS After completing an interior design degree in Rome at the Volbicela School in 1966, Peretti left her native Italy in the same year to move to Barcelona, which was the cultural hub of Europe at the time.

It was in Spain, while working as a fashion model, that she met a number of 20th-century greats who were to populate her life, including Salvador Dalí, for whom she modelled at his home in Port Lligat.

Keen to grasp all the decade had to offer, she soon moved to the States taking up residence at a hotel on the Upper West Side. Although she apparently did not enjoy modelling, she found success in the mid-late ‘60s walking the cat walk for designers including Charles James and Issey Miyake.

The designs of Elsa Peretti THE NEW YORK CROWD Her modelling career led Peretti to influential American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, mononymously known as Halston, who was then a rising figure in fashion, moving from millinery to creating his own line of garments.

The duo became part of a chic Manhattan crowd frequently seen at the legendary Studio 54 in the company of Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, and Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo. It was at this time that she met the great fashion photographer Hiro (Yasuhiro Wakabayashi), with whom she was to collaborate throughout her career as a jewellery designer. Initially, Peretti designed jewellery for Halston’s own line, starting her life-long focus on silver pieces.

Right Elsa Peretti

Mesh bra, yellow gold, image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Far right Elsa Peretti Mesh scarf earrings in sterling silver with diamonds, image courtesy of Tiffany & Co. Below Elsa Peretti

Alphabet pendant in 18k rose gold, image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

THE MESH COLLECTION

MOVE TO TIFFANY’S It was Halston who introduced her to Walter Hoving of Tiffany’s in 1974 and, from then on, she designed exclusively for Tiffany & Co. Harry Platt, former president of Tiffany & Co., said: “We were looking for somebody who could capture the mood of young women as well as older women ... someone who could make jewellery that women could wear with jeans and sweaters as well as with their ball gowns.”

‘Peretti introduced silver jewellery to Tiffany’s jewellery line. It was a brave move, prestigious jewellery houses had not used silver since the 1930s and it was a gamble for everyone concerned’

Below left Elsa Peretti High Tide earrings in 18ct gold, image courtesy of Tiffany & Co. Below Elsa Peretti

cabochon rings in black jade, turquoise, green, nephrite, yellow gold, sterling silver, image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

The Mesh collection was inspired by craftsmen in Jaipur.

It was to play a major role in Peretti’s popularity as she moved into the 1980s. The idea of gold being fluid and spun into fabric-like creations captivated Elsa who was told it couldn’t be done. She contacted Whiting & Davis, a Massachusetts company which had been making mesh evening bags since 1876, to see if it was indeed possible, even – legend has it – adapting an old machine from an 80-year-old former employee. The sample mesh was made into earrings, and the rest is history. The Mesh collection has remained exclusive to Peretti and Tiffany, and taken many forms, from scarf necklaces, to halter tops, and even bras.

Peretti took a gamble when she introduced silver jewellery to Tiffany’s jewellery line. It was a brave move from the young designer as prestigious jewellery houses had not used silver since the 1930s. By adopting it, Tiffany’s intention was to create a range of affordable luxury, which even a secretary could acquire.

It was also the beginning of branding as we know it today, which saw women buying into a universe, instantly making them part of a special club. Peretti soon gained popularity for her “simple, sensual, sculptural shapes”, and, by 1979, she was Tiffany’s lead jewellery designer.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 53

IN THE

Loupe

BONE CUFF Peretti’s bone collections are among her most popular at auction. Her fascination with bones began with her childhood visits to the Capuchin church of Santa Maria dell Concezione in Rome, and witnessing the crypt containing the bones of over 4,000 friars placed in decorative arrangements.

Peretti would bring back fragments of bone, and her mother would scold her for it. It was her fascination with the organic form of bones that led to her world famous bone cuffs and candlesticks.

OPEN HEART Peretti cited the British sculptor Henry Moore as her inspiration for her renowned ‘Open Heart’ collection. In 1990, Elsa Peretti said: “I really think that the idea for the best-selling item of my collection sprang from a void in a Moore sculpture, a big one. No-one else saw a heart

Above left An Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. silver cuff bangle, of asymmetric form with raised border, signed Elsa Peretti, stamped Tiffany & Co., sold for £439 at Wilson 55’s sale in September Above Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. an Open Heart ring signed Tiffany & Co. and Peretti, it has an estimate of £90-£140 at Wilson 55’s sale on December 2 Above right Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. an Open Heart pendant, signed Elsa Peretti and Tiffany & Co. It has an estimate of £100-£150 at the same sale

Right Zodiac

Above Open Heart bracelet by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., the openwork heart links with trace link chain spacers, signed Elsa Peretti and Tiffany & Co. has an estimate of £120-£180 at Wilson 55’s December sale

54 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

necklace by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., the oval shape pendant depicting Cancer, suspended from a trace link chain, signed Elsa Peretti and Tiffany & Co. has an estimate of £90-£140 at Wilson 55’s December sale

there. Just me. The shape was there, in metal. What I couldn’t work out was how to hang it from the chain.

Mr. Kalich, then head of Tiffany jewellery, suggested with his strong German accent: 'Why don’t we put it through'. I was so overjoyed that I gave my first model to his fiancée.”

The streamlined heart collection is hugely wearable and, having featured in countless variations over the years, is arguably Peretti’s most popular collection.

BOTTLE PENDANT Before Tiffany’s, Peretti’s first jewellery design originated in Portofino, Italy, in the 1960s, which she designed for her friend, the fashion designer Giorgio di Sant’Angelo. She said: “Portofino in the sixties was magic. All the women were stunning figures in shockingly beautiful Pucci silks, each with a gardenia in her hand.” Peretti found a vase in a bric-a-brac shop, which she used as the basis for her first ‘bottle’ design.

After making sketches she hammered it out of silver back in Spain under the eye of a silversmith, creating a miniature silver flask that could be worn with a leather thong.

Her bottles and flasks went on to be made in many different materials, including rose quartz and jade.

Once employed by Tiffany’s, Peretti evolved the design into a more angular shape, later claiming her first bottle pendant, crafted with the help of Spanish craftsmen was her favourite.

DIAMONDS BY THE YARD As well as her silver designs, Peretti was commissioned by Tiffany’s to create wearable diamond jewellery for women on a budget. Her solution was the ‘Diamonds By The Yard’ collection, initially stationing 12 small diamonds set in gold bezels at uneven lengths on a 36-in chain.

Upon seeing the long chains with uniform diamonds set at regular intervals, her old friend Halston

The designs of Elsa Peretti

ingeniously gave them the name ‘Diamonds by the Yard’ – a moniker which stuck. Peretti varied the style by adding different sizes of diamonds and lengths of chain, and the collection remains one of Tiffany’s most popular to this day.

Liz Bailey MA FGA DGA CPAA, is Wilson 55’s head of jewellery and watches. The Nantwich-based auction house’s jewellery sale on December 2 features many pieces by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., for more details go to www.wilson55.com

Above left Starfish

necklace by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., suspended from a trace link chain, signed Peretti and Tiffany & Co. It has an estimate of £100-£150 at Wilson 55’s December 2 sale

Above Infinity Cross pendant by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., the openwork cross pendant suspended from a trace link chain, signed Peretti and Tiffany & Co. It has an estimate of £100-£150 at the same sale Left Elsa Peretti, Diamonds by the Yard drop earrings in 18k rose gold with diamonds, courtesy of Tiffany & Co. Below Elsa Peretti

Amapola brooch, red silk, yellow gold, courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Elsa Peretti Doughnut bangles, lacquer, courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Japanese influence Peretti’s passion for Japan and all things Japanese, began with a visit to the country in 1969.

She said: “The impact I felt on my first trip to Japan was the speed and technology of a train from Tokyo to Kyoto and the exquisite craftsmanship of the things I saw. Entering Tiffany in 1974, I became free to convert that feeling into reality. With Yasuyoshi Morimoto’s help and patience, like a capricious child I managed to persuade the best craftsmen to manufacture some of my forms. Behind them lie centuries of culture and a long process of loving production.”

Her contacts with Japanese craftsmen were made through her friends Yasuyoshi Morimoto and David Kidd, and her first lacquer collaborator was Shimofuri-san of Kyoto. In recent years the pieces have been made by a cottage industry of workers in Wajima, working for Tiffany’s agent, Sofue, always striving to achieve improved quality and durability.

Pieces are made from a Japanese hardwood called katsura, which is lacquered according to traditional Japanese techniques using the sap of the urushi tree.

Different woods are chosen depending on the shape of the piece, with the main requirement being a dense wood that is light in weight and resistant to warping. Red lacquer is applied over black, which, over time, wears away to reveal the colour beneath, creating a greatly-prized aged appearance.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 55

IN THE

Loupe The first ring, set with a foiled glass intaglio, came from the collection of a medieval Earl of Buchan and might have been worn by his Countess, Mary Stewart in the 1430s. The second (left) had a pink tourmaline stone engraved with Royal Arms and a motto, possibly for Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1436-1464). Lawrences’ specialist, Alex Butcher, said: “Jewellery has such intimate and personal associations. Rings with a distinguished history and clear aristocratic connections carry an association that few other items could ever hope to match.

With treasures such as this, one is truly in touch with history.”

LONG HISTORY

Seal of Approval Demand for signet rings is soaring in the saleroom. With many having a traceable link to noble families from centuries ago they are an enchanting piece of wearable history

W

hen a trio of signet rings sold for multiple times its estimate in a regional auction house, you know it’s time for collectors to sit up and take note. The sale, at Somerset auctioneers Lawrences, saw a gold signet ring with a sardonyx stone engraved with a coat of arms make £1,250 (against an estimate of £150£250), while two other signet rings smashed their presale estimate of £300 to both take £11,250.

56 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above A gold signet ring with a pink tourmaline stone, was engraved with Royal Arms and a motto, possibly for Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (14361464), image courtesy of Lawrences in Crewkerne Right A late

19th-century gold signet ring, the marquise-shaped seal engraved with a crest and motto ‘VICIMUS’, the reverse engraved ‘W.W.W. / to / E.J.M’ and ‘Nov. 22. 1890’. It sold for £806 this June, image courtesy of Dix Noonan Webb

For centuries the signet ring has been an essential accessory to the well-heeled male. Known as the ‘gentleman’s ring’, it was traditionally seen as a symbol of family heritage with many bearing the family crest or coat of arms engraved in reverse so that it could be pressed into soft clay or wax and used as a seal on a document – indeed the name comes from the Latin signum meaning ‘sign’.

Curator and jewellery expert, Rachel Church, said: “Signet rings are probably one of the earliest forms of rings and have proved to be long lasting. Even in an age of email and text, where no letter will ever require sealing wax, they continue to be stylish jewels – a way to showcase your good taste and identity on your finger. Signet rings could be decorated with initials, skulls, coats of arms, devices and even a portrait of your pet dog - there is no limit to the possibilities of design.” These days signet rings are increasingly sought after by young collectors – both male and female. Gary Mayoh from

Signet rings Left A mid Victorian 15ct gold and bloodstone inset signet ring, 1865, with maker’s mark ‘JP’, sold for £446 in 2020, image courtesy of Dix Noonan Webb Below right A signet ring

remains the essential accessory for the man about town

Bottom right An engraved gold cushion-set signet ring, image courtesy of Hancocks, London

Where to wear?

Traditionally, the signet ring was worn on the small ‘pinkie’ finger of the non-dominant hand. For example, a right-handed person would wear the signet ring on their left pinkie finger. This was so the ring could fulfil its primary purpose efficiently, which was to emboss or seal a document. In the UK, this is still considered to be traditionally correct.

However, the position is not echoed everywhere. Swiss men wear signet rings on the right finger of the right hand.

In France, signet rings are worn on the right digit of the left hand, while in America, they are commonly worn on the middle finger. The modern trend in the UK is to wear a signet ring on the same finger as the wedding ring.

London-based signet ring maker Rebus, said: “They are really fashionable among students who are coming up with their own designs which we engrave. They might well pass the ring on to future generations – creating antiques of the future.”

WAX STAMPS The earliest rings were used as seals. In ancient Mesopotamia, engraved cylindrical seals made of stone were used to create impressions in clay. Signet rings have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs where they took the form of rock crystal, amethyst, steatite or gold.

The designs were conservative and simple, with one of the most famous examples coming from the tomb of Huy, Viceroy of Nubia under Tutankhamun (c. 13371327 BC).

In 600 BC, signets with metal bezels of bronze, silver, and gold appear in Greece, often engraved with natural imagery and miniatures of Greek sculpture and art. Throughout the Roman period, the signet ring moved from iron to gold and silver as the wealth of the empire increased. The signet ring also became larger and set with more gemstones.

While Emperor Augustus ordered a ring with his own portrait on it, the scope of the signet ring branched out to depict favourite sports, stories or loved ones. Some even portrayed nude women or pornographic scenes as erotic reminders of the wearer’s mistress.

FIRST BRITISH RINGS Possibly the earliest surviving seal ring from England is a late 7th or early 8th-century ring, now in Norwich Castle Museum. The ring is inscribed with the woman’s name ‘Balde hildis’ which may refer to Bathild (or Balthild) who was sold as a slave but went on to marry the Frankish King Clovis II. While it is not known for certain if she was the Bathild to whom the ring refers, it does suggest the ring may have been worn by a woman.

During the middle ages, with the invention of sealing wax, signet rings transitioned from having a raised carving, to intaglio, which meant their design was sunken. This would leave an impression in the wax more effectively. Almost every person of nobility wore a signet ring engraved with their family’s crest or coat of arms. Over time, sealing in wax gradually became less elitist and by the middle of the 13th century, freemen adopted the practice.

‘Almost every person of nobility wore a signet ring engraved with their family’s crest or coat of arms. Over time, sealing in wax gradually became less elitist and by the middle of the 13th century, freemen adopted the practice’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 57

IN THE

Loupe Who wears them?

Prince Charles wears one adorned with the fleur-de-lis alongside his wedding ring. The actor Steve McQueen was rarely seen without a gold square signet on his ring finger.

The wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill also wore a signet ring with his family crest on his third finger.

Henrietta Queen of France, who died in 1669, wore a diamond signet ring with the coat of arms of her husband King Charles I. The Pope has worn a signet ring called the Ring of The Fisherman or the ‘Piscatory Ring’ since 1265, with an engraving which represents Saint Peter.

When a Pope dies, his signet ring is ceremonially destroyed by hammering it into two lines in the shape of the cross.

Carole and Pippa Middleton wear signet rings engraved with the Middleton family coat of arms awarded after the Cambridges’ wedding. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is also rarely seen without a gold signet ring.

The majority of rings dating from these periods were destroyed when the owner died to prevent any possibility of forged documents appearing after a nobleman’s death.

Having a ring during this period marked you as a member of the highest class but as time went on the fashion percolated into the bourgeoisie. In the absence of a coat of arms, the middle classes used a signet ring to denote sophistication.

NEW TWISTS The Georgians added a clever twist to the signet ring.

At the ring base was a hidden hinged key that could be opened out to unlock a box containing jewellery, valuables or documents.

In the 19th century, the fascination for classicism grew into nostalgia for the renaissance and medieval

TYPES OF SIGNET RING Oxford Oval - perhaps the most popular and traditional shape for signet rings.

Round - thought to be more contemporary than the traditional oval.

Marquise – an elegant and unusual diamond shape.

Cushion – a soft, square-shaped ring, a favourite during the Victorian era.

58 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above A selection of signet rings, image courtesy of Hancocks, London Right Prince Charles

wears a signet ring on his little finger

Below left Signet rings come in a number of styles Below right Signet

ring, c. 1353–1323 BC, New Kingdom, Amarna period with two cartouches topped by ostrich plumes.

The presence of Bes, a minor god associated with women in labour, suggesting the ring belonged to a queen, image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

periods. Along with the Romantic movements in art and literature, Romanticism abounded in jewellery.

Meanwhile, the signet ring continued in its use as a wax seal. John Everett Millais, famous for his painting of Shakespeare’s Ophelia, solidified his friendship with William Holman Hunt by marking a signet ring.

Signet rings

What to LOOK FOR

S

We asked Annabel Zarandi, Fellows Auctioneer’s jewellery and watch specialist for the most sought-after designs

emi-precious gemstones, such as bloodstone or sardonyx, are often used in signet rings but for real desirability we need to look to the pieces which contain precious stones such as sapphire or amethyst. These rings are difficult to carve, as the engraver had to work with the gemstones’ internal chemical structure, which is why they are so desirable and rarer to come across.

While we have seen many different styles of signet rings at auction, it is always the more unusual and quirky items that really stand out. For example, a traditional oval signet ring with a very non-traditional engraving stood out a couple of years ago. The piece, with a brilliant-cut diamond, was gifted in the ‘80s by the fast-food chain McDonald’s to an employee in recognition of service.

Signet rings are reasonably easy to acquire at auction or from a jeweller. However, if you are looking for an antique piece, the likelihood of finding a blank ring is low. Modern signet rings are a great option if you are looking to get a personalised ring. The jewellers Rebus offers engraving services and will help create a design, or a contemporary jeweller such as Castro Smith would be a great option for a more unique signet ring.

Annabel Zarandi BA, GA is a jewellery and watch specialist based in Fellows’ London office.

Above right Michael Estorick’s carnelian signet ring with a Roman carving and 13th-century inscription, unearthed in 1760, image courtesy of Christie’s Below left Antique signet rings often crop up at auction

My signet ring

Collector and author Michael Estorick on his signet ring with a Roman-engraved stone and a 13th-century inscription, unearthed in the north of England in 1760 “I love signet rings. I’m interested in all forms of mark-making — calligraphy, drawing, writing fiction. I think life is all about making your mark.

“I bought this ring around the time I started collecting. It was 1977, and I had just been given an advance on a book, so I went off and spent all of it on this one object. Soon after, someone found a reference to the ring in the journal of the Society of Antiquaries. It seems to have been dug up in Yorkshire, England, in 1760. I imagine it fell off someone’s finger, or was perhaps deliberately buried.

“The stone is a carnelian, and the carving is firstcentury Roman. The intaglio may seem tiny, but it is not small by the standards of Roman engraving. The figure with the horse is probably Castor.”

Returning crusader

“A crusader may have brought the stone back to England from the East. In the 13th century, it was set in the ring — perhaps in York, where there were many jewellers — and the ring was given an inscription in Lombardic lettering, which was the fashion at the time.

The Latin wording says something about ‘our horse’, although I have never translated it. I wear the ring sometimes — I do see the pointlessness of keeping things in boxes.

“When they were used for putting a seal on a document, signet rings were usually worn on the thumb. As they migrated down the hand, they became more decorative. On the Continent, people tend to wear such rings on the middle or fourth finger; in this country, they are worn on the little finger.

“I always bid more than I want to spend, because auction rooms bring on bouts of what I call Nuremberg fever — the arm goes up. In the early days of collecting, I thought things like this would be snapped up: when you become keen on something, you imagine that everyone else is, too.

“You need at least three collectors to make a market, so there have been times when rings were relatively cheap, and others when they have been in great demand. I once bought a ring that was the second lot after lunch. I was incredibly pleased to get it while some people were still making their way back to their seats.”

Michael Estorick is the chairman of the Eric and Salome Estorick Foundation, which runs The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in North London.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 59

CHRISTMAS WITH THE EXPERTS Ideal gifts

We asked jewellery and watch experts for the piece they would most like to discover under the tree this year Frances Noble, head of jewellery with the London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb. I would love to wake up to a piece with timeless style, beauty and history, such as the stunning art deco diamond and cultured pearl bracelet, c.

1925, cased by Cartier and once owned by Her Royal Highness, the Princess Margaret. It was the bracelet she wore in the photograph Cecil Beaton took of her on her 19th birthday in 1949. Dressed in an embroidered gown

by Sir Norman Hartnell, the princess wore the bracelet on her left wrist.

It is the prettiest piece, with twin rows of deliciously smooth Mikimoto pearls centred with a delicate line of diamonds to a classic deco clasp.

Above right Sam would like to wake up to this 18th-century, gold signet ring, dated 1785 Below left Dig deep: the bracelet sold for £396,800 this year Below right Liz wants a

Georges L’Enfant Zodiac pendant made for Cartier in the 1970s

Below Pontus would love

to give an iconic Tank watch also by Cartier

Pontus Silfverstolpe is the co-founder of the Barnebys, the world’s largest online auction search engine. With the idea that is it is always better to give than to receive this is the gift I would like to give this Christmas. It’s a Cartier lady’s 18K gold quartz Tank rectangular wristwatch and, dating from 1990, is a modern classic. With its typical burgundy alligator leather strap, it’s also appropriate for nearly all occasions and seasons. Find more wristwatches and timepieces in all styles at Barnebys.co.uk

‘I would love to receive a piece of 1960s-1970s gold jewellery that is unique, sculptural and can be worn every day. These wonderful, tactile, bold and chunky pieces are so wearable and suit modern fashions’ 60 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Samuel Mee from the Antique Ring Boutique. I would describe this 18th-century, gold signet ring as handsome. What I love most about it is its generous scale and the way it symbolises the period in history so elegantly, when a document would be sealed by cinnabar-red wax.

The impressive central plaque bears the initial of the original owner with an elaborate letter ‘M’ framed by incised beaded edging. It is a great statement piece, the colour of the high carat gold is alluring to the eye, it begs to be worn on the trigger finger, as it may have been 200 years ago over a heavy, stitched, black leather glove.

Liz Bailey head of jewellery at Wilson 55. I would love to receive a piece of 1960s-1970s gold jewellery that is unique, sculptural and can be worn every day. These wonderful, tactile, bold and chunky pieces are so wearable and I just love how they suit modern fashions beautifully. Ideally, I would love a necklace to elevate any outfit I am wearing, so I would have to go for a Georges L’Enfant for Cartier Zodiac pendant. This amazing collaboration was created in the 1970s, and features oversized oval shape pendants so that I can wear my star sign as a medallion. At £15,000 it would be a very special gift.

LETTERS Have your say

Your Letters This month’s postbag includes musings on the nature of collecting and a plea for information on a missing sporting trophy

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge recently put on display trophies from the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race. To accompany the exhibition, there is a very interesting online story on the history of the trophies and the race. In 1977, the race’s first trophy was commissioned by the betting group Ladbrokes.

The Ladbroke Trophy continued to be awarded until 1987, with Oxford winning it every year except for 1986, when Cambridge won by seven lengths. In 1987, the Ladbroke Trophy was decommissoned after Beefeater Gin took over race sponsorship.

However, it seems the whereabouts of the Ladbroke’s Trophy is unknown. If anyone has any information or, indeed, knows anything of the designer of the iconic portrait of the exhausted rower on the front of it, I am sure the Fitzwilliam Museum would be very interested to hear.

Richard Close, by email

Our star letter

receives a copy of Bulgari Treasures of Rome by Vincent Meylan worth £55.

Write to us at Antique Collecting, Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4SD or email magazine@ accartbooks.com

Above right The pursuit

of knowledge should be at the heart of every collection

Right Trunk call: the elephant had special appeal Below left The 2019

Cambridge rowing team

Star letter

Why collect? That question has often been asked.

Georgina Wroe provided an admirable summary of the many reasons (Editor’s Welcome, September issue) including “simply because we like nice things”.

I prefer a more pragmatic reason and that is collecting for education and research. The most valued outcome being the sharing of that knowledge by way of displays, talks and publishing. In brief, to add something new to the body of knowledge.

Proof of that are the many well-informed articles in Antique Collecting.

Ian Spellerberg, by email The November magazine made my day. What a lovely issue of Antique Collecting. I was entranced by the article on Fabergé creatures (Animal Magic, November issue) with the little elephant standing on its trunk making me laugh out loud. My elephants are mostly bronze or netsukes. I also have an affinity for rabbits, most of which are probably Chinese, including an entire ivory boar’s tusk carved with gambolling rabbits.

Many thanks for another wonderful issue.

Barry Anderson, Las Vegas, by email

Answers to the quiz on page 72

Q1 (c) Nelson. Q2 (a) A pole carrying a cannon-igniting match. Q3 (b) Al Capone. Q4 (b) Although some commentators put it closer to 1730, 1720 is close enough. Q5 c) A slice of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding cake. Q6 a) £5. Q7 (b) Russian and (d) Scandinavian. Q8 (c) Jenny Haniver. Q9 (d) Love is in the Bin. Q10 (c) Proust. (a) Paschal Bowlegs = Peachblow glass (a vitreous material) (b) Feral Hating = Farthingale (a women’s underskirt) (c) Pup Waterer = Tupperware (plastic containers) (d) Collie Hug = Guilloche (neo-classical French ornamentation)

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 61

ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER December assistance, Biffin’s fame and talent soon spread. In fact, she became so well known Charles Dickens mentioned her in his novels Nicholas Nickleby and Martin Chuzzlewit.

Her story in some ways reflected Crofts’ own. A day before his 21st birthday on March 25, 1945, having joined the Fleet Air Arm while training in America, the engine of his Corsair F4U burst into flames during take-off. Both legs were amputated and he spent three and a half years recovering in hospital.

Later, under the guidance of the Stamford dealer Major Bernard Edinburgh, Croft became an antiques dealer and by 1958 was elected a member of the British Antique Dealers Association. Despite his disability, he was a keen sailor, owning an 88-year-old clinker-built Norfolk beach boat.

Right A self-portrait

by Sarah Biffin, courtesy of the Wellcome Collection

TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY

SALEROOM SPOTLIGHT

The collection of a Cambridgeshire antiques dealer who lost both legs in a flying accident in WWII goes under the hammer in December

T

here is one picture in the collection of the late Peter Crofts (1924-2001), himself a double amputee following a flying accident, which had a particular resonance with him. It was a watercolour by the early 19th-century Somerset artist Sarah Biffin (1784-1850) who, having been born without limbs, fought and succeeded to overcome a lifetime of prejudice.

Suffering from the congenital deformity phocomelia, Biffin taught herself to write, paint and hold scissors using her mouth. From the age of about 13, she earned £5 a year touring the country as part of Emmanuel Dukes’ travelling show during which time she was, in 1818, introduced to William, 16th Earl of Morton, who was so impressed with her skills he became her patron.

Overcoming the prejudices of the age, which treated disability with superstition and with little medical

62 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above right The rummer has an estimate of £400£600 in this month’s sale Right & below The feathers are inscribed Drawn by Miss Biffin, 6th August 1812. The reverse features a 1830 newspaper article

It is no surprise that one of the 100 lots in the former Wisbech dealer’s collection, going under the hammer at Sworders’ sale on December 14-15, is a 10 x 12cm a watercolour study of feathers by Biffin, inscribed Drawn by Miss Biffin, 6th August 1812.

It is being sold with a Georgian handbill advertising her as an attraction at a local racing meet, where she would be selling “likenesses painted on ivory for three guineas”. The advert reads: This Young Lady was born deficient of Arms and Legs, she is of a comely appearance, Twenty-eight years of age and is only Thirty-seven Inches High.

In 2019, a self-portrait miniature by Biffin smashed its pre-sale estimate of £1,200-£800 when it sold for £137,500 at Sotheby’s. The price achieved recognising the talent of a person with disabilities who was far more talented than many of her contemporaries, who, on the whole, would have been men.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

IN MY OPINION...

The sale includes a number of items of Wisbech interest. A rare George III enamel nutmeg grater, painted with flowers and inscribed A Trifle from Wisbech, has a pre-sale guide of £200£300, while a rare, late 18th-century oil on board painting depicting a view of the church of St Peter and St Paul, Wisbech, is expected to make £500£800.

The painting, which highlights the the church tower’s clock movement, includes figures on a road identified as Church Terrace with The Duke’s Head pub (today the Duke’s Steakhouse) just visible on the far right.

We asked Sworders’ director Guy Schooling for his sale highlights What makes the collection so special?

The size and quality, especially the emphasis on East Anglia and the Fens. The collection includes a large quantity of fine, early 19th-century drinking glasses, many with lemon squeezer bases, walking sticks, including a fine example, possibly belonging to the Emperor Napoleon; furniture; silver; jewellery; decorative items and books.

Does Sarah Biffin’s work deserve to be better known?

RUMMER SHOW Glass from Crofts’ collection includes a rummer relating to the Enclosure Acts, the series of laws which enclosed open fields and common land across the country.

The large drinking glass (left) is engraved with details of a hearing held in Norwich on August 7, 1817, relating to the Smallburgh Inclosure Act, in which a “Mr Robert Joy” won a case against the “defendants who wish’d to deprive him”. A rare survivor of the era, it is estimated to make £400-£600 in the December sale.

AUCTION fact file WHAT: The Peter Crofts collection, part of the two-day fine interiors sale When: December 14-15 Where: Sworders, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE Viewing: and online at www.sworder.co.uk

Definitely. There is growing interest in her work in contrast to that during her lifetime, when she was exhibited as a freak. There is increasing interest in female artists, quite rightly, and she is among the most extraordinary of them all. Two similar works sold in new York recently for approximately £17,000 and £21,000, while other works have previously sold for below £1,000. Watch this space.

Have you got a favourite piece from the Croft collection?

Aside for the watercolour by Sarah Biffin, I like one of the more affordable pieces, namely a delightful imperial harp shell box, probably 18th century, mounted with silver and gold, which is expected to fetch £200-£400 (below). I also like a 19th-century French silver and mother-of-pearl box, carved with Biblical scenes, including the Three Kings, Rebecca at the Well and Sampson and Delilah.

Any local favourites?

With an estimate of £200-£300, the George III enamel nutmeg grater inscribed A Trifle From Wisbech ’, with a jewelled border and pink ground, is a delight and would make a great Christmas gift.

Where are you expecting interest to come?

East Anglia, America and the rest of the world.

Top The handbill

‘Born with the congenital deformity phocomelia, Biffin taught herself to write, paint and hold scissors using her mouth.

From the age of about 13, she earned £5 a year touring the country as part of Emmanuel Dukes’ travelling show’

advertises Miss Biffin as a great genius and an admirer of the fine Arts Above Antiques dealer Peter Crofts became a double amputee aged 20 Above left A George III nutmeg grater inscribed A Trifle from Wisbech is expected to make £200-£300 Right An imperial harp

shell box has an estimate of £200-£300

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 63

Auction Calendar 2022 We are now welcoming consignments for our 2022 auctions

Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers

Contact clientservices@roseberys.co.uk with the details and images of your object to receive a complimentary valuation from one of our specialists

Traditional & Modern Home 27 January | 5 May | 23 June 18 August | 29 September 8 December

Modern & Contemporary British & Irish Art 15 February | 24 May | 12 October

Modern & Contemporary Prints & Multiples 8 March | 5 July | 30 November

Jewellery & Watches 15 March | 15 June | 13 September 29 November

Old Master & 19th Century Pictures 22 March |19 July | 16 November

Fine & Decorative 23 March | 20 July | 17 November

Islamic & Indian Arts 1 April | 14 June | 25 October

Design: Decorative Arts 1860 to the Present Day 26 April | 11 October

Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art 17 & 18 May | 8 & 9 November

Impressionist, Modern, & Contemporary Art 7 June | 1 November

www.roseberys.co.uk Email clientservices@roseberys.co.uk for more information 70/76 Knights Hill, London SE27 0JD | +44 (0) 20 8761 2522

EXPERT COMMENT Charles Hanson

An Auctioneer’s Lot Back in the magazine by popular demand, Charles Hanson is yearning for a bygone Christmas when Woolworths ruled the high street

Left Woolworths’ glass tree ornaments, all images courtesy of Hansons Right The small

Christmas tree was bought at Woolworths in 1937

Below right Benevolence

Decoration Lamps

When I picked up those baubles and lights, I had a sudden glimpse of one family’s Christmas decades ago. And I knew those decorations had been treasured. These items would have been carefully packed away year after year. People had less back then and they took care of things.

The decorations came from what I can only describe as a house trapped in time. Nothing had been thrown away for decades and when I see treasures like this, I’m glad. As well as unleashing nostalgia they often leave their family with a welcome windfall. The Mickey Mouse lights alone could sell for around £130 at auction. Collectors adore the nostalgia of Christmas.

ARTIFICIAL TREE

W

oolworths fell into administration in 2008 with all 800 of the retailer’s stores closing the following January. But its impact lives on. Every Christmas, without fail, vintage festive wares sold by Woolies are rediscovered up and down the country.

They turn up in homes and garages, squirrelled away in cupboards, tucked away in boxes where they were left ready for the next Christmas extravaganza. If there’s one thing people rarely throw away its festive decorations. We tend to add to them as each year rolls by. Each new item enhances the festive display when we decorate our homes.

TRAPPED IN TIME Nevertheless, I was still surprised to uncover a collection of 1950s-’70s festive decorations from Woolworths in a Derbyshire home just a few weeks ago.

A colourful array of glass Christmas tree ornaments and Mazda Mickey Mouse lights turned up – still in their original boxes.

Woolworths opened its first UK branch in Liverpool in 1909 and by the 1930s was selling the UK’s first massproduced Christmas trees.

These modest affairs are 69cm (27in) high and have a few sparse branches, berries, candle holders and a wooden base. In 1930, the British-based Addis Housewares Company created the first artificial Christmas tree made from brush bristles. The company used machinery utilised to manufacture toilet brushes.

Hansons has sold three 1930s era Woolworths Christmas trees in recent years with a guide price of £100-£150, although we did sell one to the American Christmas Tree Association for £420. Not bad considering they cost 6p at Woolworths back in 1937.

The waste-not, want-not generation can teach us about valuing the simple things. After the last couple of years, I know most of us will simply be grateful to be with our families on December 25. Happy Christmas!

Charles Hanson is the owner of Derby-based auctioneers Hansons and a well-known TV personality on a number of antiques programmes.

Hansons’ next sale is Christmas toys on December 2.

‘In 1930, the British-based Addis Housewares Company created the first artificial Christmas tree made from brush bristles. The company used machinery utilised to manufacture toilet brushes’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 65

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Christmas cards HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Originally Christmas cards were printed in small numbers, as they were expensive and out of reach for most Britons. But the 1840s saw the festive spirit burn bright in the UK: Prince Albert decorated the first Christmas tree and Charles Dickens published his Christmas classic A Christmas Carol. By 1877, 4.5m Christmas cards were posted, aided in no small part by the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840.

By the 1870s, the Christmas trend was firmly established, and advances in printing and publishing technology meant that firms such as the lithographers ‘Prang and Meyer’ could begin mass-producing affordable Christmas cards for everyone.

Season’s BEST

Christmas cards have been a festive favourite since they became popular in the 19th century. A new exhibition celebrates the handmade messages sent from some of the 20th-century’s bestknown artists

L

ong before Hallmark became a global leader and Moon Pig was a still a piglet, Christmas cards became synonymous with Christmas.

The very first recorded Christmas card was sent in 1611 by Michael Maier (a German physician, to King James I of England). The elaborate greeting read: A greeting on the birthday of the Sacred King, to the most worshipful and energetic lord and most eminent James, King of Great Britain and Ireland, and Defender of the true faith, with a gesture of joyful celebration of the Birthday of the Lord, in most joy and fortune, we enter into the new auspicious year 1612.

66 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above left Peter Green (b. 1933). Christmas card, 2006, on loan from a private collection, © Peter Green Above right Bruce McLean (b.1944).

Christmas card, reading Seasons greetings from all at Momart, 1984, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester © Bruce McLean. All Rights Reserved, DACS/ Artimage 2021

Below Edward Bawden, Christmas card, Pallant

House Gallery, Chichester (on loan from a private collection), © The Estate of Edward Bawden

Cole's Christmas card

WHIMSICAL THEMES Early British card designs rarely showed winter or religious themes preferring instead whimsical motifs such as flowers or fairies and humorous or sentimental illustrations of children or animals. Scenes of middle-class jubilation remained popular.

Fast forward to the 20th century when more stylised, less overt designs became popular. The abstract artist Ben Nicholson’s (1894-1982) 1939 Christmas card shows what looks like a horse in front of a modern building with a two-funnelled ship in the background.

In more traditional vein, the painter Barnett Freedman’s (1901-1958) card depicts children singing and playing instruments, an open book in a precariously stacked pile has the words Christmas 1953.

Not all were as personal. Since 1984, the art transporter and storage company Momart has annually commissioned a well-known artist to design a Christmas card for clients. Previous contributors have included Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Sarah Lucas, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst and Gary Hume’s Fuzzy Snowman.

‘Whimsical themes such as flowers or fairies became popular, alongside humorous or sentimental illustrations of children or animals. Scenes of middle-class jubilation – drinking, dancing and celebrating – remained popular even into the 20th century’

Above left Ben Nicholson, Christmas card, 1939, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, © Angela Verren Taunt. All rights reserved, DACS 2021 Top Barnett Freedman,

Christmas card, 1953, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (on loan from a Private Collection), © Estate of Barnett Freedman

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, a prominent civil servant and first director of the V&A, came up with a time-saving solution to his unanswered mail – an elaborately illustrated card, designed by his good friend John Callcott Horsley.

The entire Cole family features in the design sitting around a table drinking wine. Either side of them are illustrated acts of giving and charity. A banner with the now staple greeting of A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You hangs in the foreground.

The message – that this is a season for giving – is driven home by side panels showing a beggar receiving an alms tray and a mother protecting her baby wrapped in a shawl.

The card is more about charity and celebration with no religious overtones that we see today.

1,000 copies were printed and sold for one shilling per card – a high price at the time. In spite of its originality, the card was not a success and the next card designed for Christmas would not appear for another five years.

Above The world’s first printed Christmas card, produced for Sir Henry Cole, courtesy of the Brick Row Book Shop, San Diego, California

Above Gary Hume, Fuzzy Snowman , 2000, Pallant House Gallery, (Presented by Momart in 2005), © Gary Hume Above right Artist unknown, Christmas card to the architect Colin St John Wilson, Pallant House Gallery, © Estate of the Artist Right Ben Nicholson,

Christmas card sent to E.Q. and Kit Nicholson, 1936, Pallant House Gallery, (on loan from a private collection, 2013), © Angela Verren Taunt. All rights reserved, DACS 2021

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 67

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Christmas cards

ENID MARX The British painter and designer Enid Marx (19021998) spent her career producing designs for commercial projects, ranging from London Transport to the Utility Furniture Design Advisory Panel during WWII. Her successful designs were applied to objects and things used in daily life, such as postage stamps.

She also took refuge in personal projects demonstrating her interest in the directness of folk art and craft traditions, including Christmas cards. The hobby may have been to diffuse the rebel in her. Marx found art school (where she found herself alongside the likes of Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Barnett Freedman) a difficult experience; her ‘modernism’ out of sympathy with the Royal College of Art’s prevailing ethos. The simplicity and intimacy of a Christmas card saw her send many to family and friends.

68 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Left Enid Marx, Christmas card, 1956, Pallant House Gallery Library and Archive Collection (Breuning-Eve Gift of Enid Marx Prints), © Estate of the Artist Top right Albert Irvin, Christmas card, 1997, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (The Muriel Wilson Bequest 2019), © Estate of Albert Irvin.

All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage 2021 Right Enid Marx,

Christmas card, 1952, Pallant House Gallery Library and Archive Collection (BreuningEve Gift of Enid Marx Prints), © Estate of the Artist

Christmas Greetings by Modern British Artists is on at the Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1TJ until January 6, for more details go to www.pallant.org.uk

Jewellery, Watches & Coins: 1st December Cars, Motorbikes, Scooters & Automobilia: 1st December Silver & Fine Art: 2nd December Antiques, Clocks, Books & Furniture: 3 December Paul Birkbeck - Jackanory Illustrator: 14 December Antique & Collectors’ inc. Silver & Jewellery: 15 December Academy Billiard Co - Antique Snooker Tables: 15 December Vintage Posters: 16 December Fine Wines & Spirits: 17 December

ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Lots in December and January

TOP of the LOTS

From Elizabethan portraits to a gold bird brooch there is much on offer for collectors this winter A cache of paintings, drawings and prints by the little-known Derbyshire miner-cum-artist, George Bissill (1896-1973), goes under the hammer at Mallams’ modern art sale on December 8-9.

After being gassed in the trenches in WWI, Bissill became a London pavement artist who was ‘spotted’ by the curators of the Redfern Gallery in Bond Street who organised a series of exhibitions.

The vendor is the daughter of a Nottingham teacher to whom Bissill left the contents of the artist’s home and studio in Ashmansworth, Hampshire almost 40 years ago.

Above George Bissill (1896-1973) Mining Sketch II has an estimate of £300-£500 in the December sale

A signature from the Hungarian-born American escape artist Harry Houdini when he performed in Huddersfield Hippodrome in 1911 has an estimate of £600-£900 at Tennants Auctioneer’s sale on December 15.

Written in an autograph book, it reads Safe Bind Safe Find does not apply to the undersigned Harry Handcuff Houdini, Huddersfield April 6th 1911 my 37th Birthday.

Houdini (1874-1926) travelled to London in 1900. Following a demonstration of his escape from handcuffs in front of the police at Scotland Yard, he was booked to perform at the Alhambra Theatre for six months. He went on to appear in theatres all over Britain.

A striking circular shelf designed by the Tel Aviv-born British architect Ron Arad (b. 1951) has an estimate of £8,000-£12,000 at Chiswick Auction’s sale on December 8.

Known as the R.T.W, or Reinventing the Wheel, the shelves remain horizontal even when the wheel is turned. Although intended for mass-production, the design was eventually only produced in a small quantity, thought to number around 25.

Above Arad was awarded the Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) in 2002

A gold, swallow brooch, with an emerald head, ruby eye and pearl-set body, is set to fly at Ewbank’s threeday luxury sale on December 1-3, where it has an estimate of £200£300.

Also in the sale is a pair of Cartier 18ct gold bi-coloured cufflinks in their original box which has been valued between £200 and £400.

Below The vendor is the grandson of the former stage manager of the

Huddersfield Hippodrome

Did you know?

Born Erik Weitz in Budapest, Houdini took his name from the French magician Jean-Eugene RobertHoudin.

70 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above The 18ct brooch is on sale at Ewbank’s Surrey saleroom this month Below Gifts are the name of the game at the three-day sale

An important private collection of Elizabethan portraits goes under the hammer at Chorley’s sale in Gloucestershire in January, including a work thought to be by the unknown artist The Master of the Countess of Warwick.

The 16th-century portrait of a young noblewoman wearing a jewelled bodice has been attributed to the artist due to several trademark features including elegant hands, costume and the sitter turning to the right.

Black and white were the queen’s colours and were symbolic of constancy and purity. Black was also the most expensive dye and it thus features prominently in portraits which were intended to display a sitter’s wealth and fine taste.

Although the identity of The Master of the Countess of Warwick – to whom some 50 works have been attributed – remains unknown, he was evidently considered worthy of patronage within the upper tiers of English society.

The name comes from Sir Roy Strong’s 1969 book English Icon: Elizabethan and Jacobean Portraiture, where the author identifies eight comparable portraits to a portrait of Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick painted in 1569.

1

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Ruff justice

From the same period, a portrait of a nobleman dated 1566 has an estimate of £10,000-£15,000. In it a bearded sitter wears a jewel in his cap and rows of thick gold chains. As Willett and Phillis Cunnington note in their Handbook of English Costume in the Sixteenth Century (1954), collars reached maximum heights in England in the 1560s. And, while standard elements of 1560s menswear were constant across Europe (shirt, doublet, jerkin and cloak) differences came in accessories such as hat and chains.

A more austere pair of portraits, from the same collection, date to the 17th century and show Henry Ashhurst (d. 1645) and his wife Cassandra.

The family was made up of prominent Lancashire Parliamentarians and the portraits, dated 1634, have a pre-sale guide of £4,000-£6,000.

From the other side of the 17th-century political divide is an oval portrait of Charles I painted in enamels on copper. A copy of an original by van Dyck, it has an estimate of £2,000-£3,000.

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5

The portraits are part of Chorley’s Auctioneer’s twoday fine art and antiques auction on January 25-26, for more details go to www.chorleys.com 1 A portrait of a young noblewoman dated to the 1560s,

has an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 at Chorleys’ sale on January 25-26 2/3 Portraits, dated 1634, of the London merchant Henry Ashhurst (d. 1645) and his wife Cassandra, have an estimate of £4,000-£6,000 in the same sale 4 A portrait of a nobleman is dated 1566 and has an estimate of £10,000-£15,000 in the same sale 5 A portrait of Charles I painted in enamels on copper, a copy of an original by van Dyck, has an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 in the same sale

‘Although the identity of The Master of the Countess of Warwick – to whom some 50 works have been attributed – remains unknown, he was evidently considered worthy of patronage within the upper tiers of English society’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 71

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Puzzle TIME

Step away from the mince pies and give your brain a work out with two festivethemed pages of quizzing from Peter Wade-Wright

Send your answers to Crossword, Antique Collecting magazine, Sandy Lane, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4SD, UK. Photocopies are also acceptable, or email your answer to: magazine@ accartbooks.com. The first three opened by January 5 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

DEC & JAN QUIZ

Q9 The Banksy painting Girl With Balloon that shredded itself after being sold has been re-titled as (a) The Evil Shredder, (b) Buyer Beware…Again. (c) Ticker-tape Hell, (d) Love is in the Bin

Here are five pairs of questions. The first in each case refers to something that has happened in the world of antiques and collectables over the last year.

Q1 Who once owned a famous sword that was offered for sale for £50,000? (a) Wellington, (b) Montgomery, (c) Nelson, (d) Hornblower Q2 An edged weapon called a linstock was (a) a pole carrying a cannon-igniting match, (b) a back-scratcher, (c) an surgeon’s scalpel, (d) a Quartermaster Sergeant’s tally stick

Q10 Who said: “Less disappointing than life, great works of art do not begin by giving us all their best.”? (a) Goethe, (b) Cervantes, (c) Proust, (d) Warhol

Q3 Which gangster’s gun sold for more than $1m this year?

Q3 A gun went on sale in California this year.

Which gangster had owned it? (a) Bugsy Malone, (b) Al Capone, (c) ‘Baby-face’ Berretta, (d) ‘Tippy-toes’ Torino Q4 Which of the following dates is the best date for when the Brown Bess musket was adopted by the British Army? (a) 1700, (b) 1720, (c) 1740, (d) 1760 Q5 A royal megafan paid almost £2,000 for what? (a) A jester’s outfit worn by Prince Philip, (b) Prince Harry’s shaving-brush, (c) a slice of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding cake, (d) Princess Margaret’s cigarette-holder Q6 In 1839 a limited number of Una and the Lion gold coins were struck depicting a 20-year-old Queen Victoria. What was their worth? (a) £5, (b) £10, (c) £20, (d) £50 Q7 Model ships made by prisoners of war have been much in the news this year. But who made model hemmemas? (a) The Spanish, (b) Russians, (c) Turkish, (d) Scandinavians Q8 Sailors often produced chimera or fabulous animals by careful sewing of real ones, what were they called? (a) Mary Nemes, (b) Fancy Miss, (c) Jenny Haniver, (d) Dainty Fille

72 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Finally, here are four anagrams: Collie hug, Paschal Bowlegs, Pup Waterer, Feral Hating, which can be rearranged to form: (a) Vitreous material with a colour resembling a Chinese porcelain glaze shading from cream to blue-white to pink(ish). (9, 5) (b) Spanish women’s fashion that appeared in England, c. 1545, of an underskirt of wood, whalebone, etc. (c) Plastic containers that sold at parties from 1946. (d) Neo-classical French ornamentation based on interlocking circles.

Q6 How much was the

worth of an 1839 Una and the Lion coin?

For the answers turn to page 61 1

SOLUTION TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD:

Finally, the letters in the highlighted squares could be rearranged to form the word zoetrope.

The winners, who will each receive a copy of the book, are: Steve Parlanti, by email; George Wing, by email and Suzie Watts, Tring, Herts

2

3

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6

C H I M E R A T P 7 8 E N N L E I C A 9 10 L A L I Q U E B E D A 12

D A O 17 16 N A 20 R 21 B A 23 O K Z

U 13 I P Y 15 A R D E 18 C R E R I M I 22 G B E D A P I O 24 R C I T A

11

B E N 14 U T T O N T 19 K I T Y O R O O M T A R O E N

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ACROSS CLUE

7 8 10

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9

The name of 2021’s most viewed painting online

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22 23 24

23

Across

5 _ ___ Smith. The supposed inventor of the Christmas cracker. (3) 7 The _______ portrait. Famous double portrait by Jan van Eyck and most viewed painting online in 2020. (9) 8 A series of years. (3) 10 Area of a church, often between altar and nave, for singers. (5) 11 Card, originating in Italy, with an allegorical picture on it. (5) 13 Scroll-like decorative border or an oval enclosure of royal ancient-Egyptian names. (9) 18 La _____. Fastest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus…and a skin infection. (PAINT anag.) (5) 21 Useful and decorative objects associated with Argand, Carcel, Daum etc. (pl.) (5) 22 Umberto ____ (1932-2016). Italian medievalist and writer. (3) ) 23 Saintly woman considered possibly the most devoted follower of Christ and abundantly depicted in art. (9) (Also ______ Odundo, pioneer female ceramicist) 24 Basic part of the body used in ballet’s Sur les Pointes. (sing.) (3)

5

ACROSS CLUE

Who invented the Christmas cracker?

ACROSS CLUE One of the most depicted women in Western art

Down

1 M any facetted physical action overseen by the Muse Terpsichore. (5) 2 Long-haired animal, and the yarn or fabric made from its fur. (6) 3 A deep purplish-red colour and a red wine originally from Bordeaux. Jugs for it are very collectable. (6) 4 Italian car manufactory founded on July 11, 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli. (4) 5 A layer (of several) of a cake stand, for example. (4) 6 Egyptian goddess who personified truth, law, morality and justice. (4) 9 The Eternal City. (4) 12 Joan of ____. French heroine and Saint. Also a type of 21-Across. (3) 13 Elegant style or skill. (4) 14 The first of the 12 Terrestrial Branches of the Chinese calendar, and the symbol of decay and the passage of time in Renaissance allegory. (3) 15 Philip _____. German founder of the Mettoy Co. Ltd toy vehicle manufacturer. (6) 16 Traditional enamelled drinking glasses (mid-16th c. onwards) from Germany and Bohemia. (6) 17 Sherree Valentine Daines’ cricketing series. (5) 18 Raw animal hide (such as sought in 20-down?) (4) 19 Ancient Egyptian territorial division…and a city in Alaska. Also Il ____ della rosa was the Italian name of the first novel by 22-across. (4) 20 Greek mythological ship in which Jason and his companions sailed in order to find the Golden Fleece. (4)

Finally: rearrange the letters in the highlighted squares to form the name of the movement founded in 1915 as a revolt against a perceived smugness by Western artists.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 73

FAIRS coming up

Belgian fun

FAIR

news

From London Art Week in December, to a cultural extravaganza in the Belgian capital, there is much to delight collectors this winter

With the ending of travel restrictions, the BRAFA Art Fair returns to the Belgian capital of Brussels in January to celebrate its 67th edition.

Taking place in person from January 23-30 at the city’s Tour & Taxis, 134 galleries from 14 countries will participate, with London exhibitors including Osborne Samuel, Whitford Fine Art, Stern Pissarro, and Galerie Boulakia. The scope of pieces on offer varies from antiquities to modern and contemporary art.

Above Tour & Taxis in Brussels is the location for the eight-day event

Park run The winter edition of the ever-popular Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair takes place in a speciallybuilt pavilion in Battersea Park in January, with the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair (LARTA) in its mezzanine. From January 25-30, interior designers, collectors and connoisseurs flock to SW11 to banish the post-Christmas blues by indulging their passions for antiques, design and art for decoration. More than 150 exhibitors take part in the event, with 18 rug specialists showcasing mid-century designs to Persian carpets.

Above Visitors to a previous Decoratve Fair Below Rug specialist Emily’s House is one of almost 200 retailers

making their way to Battersea Park

Angels of Islington

London Art Fair returns to the Business Design Centre in Islington in January welcoming more than 100 galleries from around the world, featuring works by Henry Moore, David Hockney, Bridget Riley and Paula Rego.

The event, from January 19-23, sees Cambridge-based New Hall Art Collection as its museum partner, hosting an exhibition on women artists ranging from Tracey Emin to Paula Rego, who will present a recently commissioned work. The fair will also host Photo50 – an annual showcase of contemporary photography.

Left London Art Fair 2020, image credit Mark Cocksedge

LAW COMMISSIONS London Art Week (LAW) takes to the streets of the capital in December with 40 in-gallery and auction house exhibitions featuring works of art from ancient to modern.

The seven-day celebration, from December 3-10, includes a programme of live and online talks, tours, as well as online editorials and videos.

New exhibitors include Koopman Rare Art, which will be showcasing Regency silver, while the gallery Piano Nobile has an exhibition on the influential British artist Walter Sickert (1860-1942). For details on all events go to www.londonartweek.co.uk Right Walter Sickert (1860-1942), Portrait of

Mrs Barrett, 1906, on display at Piano Nobile

74 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) Cloaked Couple V, bronze, 51cm, 1977, on offer from Osborne Samuel Gallery at January’s BRAFA

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.

Adams Antiques Fairs 0207 254 4054 www.adamsantiquesfairs.com Adams Antiques Fair, Lindley Hall, 80 Vincent Square, Westminster, SW1P 2PE, 5 Dec, 23 Jan Etc Fairs 01707 872 140 www.etcfairs.com Bloomsbury Book Fair, Booker & Turner Suite at Holiday Inn, Coram Street, London, WC1N 1HT, 12 Dec, 16 Jan Bloomsbury Ephemera Fair, Royal National Hotel, 38-51 Bedford Way, WC1H 0DG, 30 Jan Harvey (Management Services) Ltd 020 7616 9327 www.decorativefair.com The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ, 25-30 Jan LARTA 07976 826218 www.larta.net The Mezzanine, The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ 25-30 Jan London Art Fair 0844 848 0136 www.londonartfair.co.uk London Art Fair (Modern British and Contemporary Art), Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, N1 0QH, 19-23 Jan. Sunbury Antiques 01932 230946 www.sunburyantiques.com Sunbury Antiques Market, Kempton Park Race Course, Staines Road East, Sunbury-onThames, Middlesex TW16 5AQ, 14 Dec, 11, 25 Jan The Ephemera Society 01923 829079 www.ephemera-society.org.uk Ephemera Fair, Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury, Coram Street, WC1N 1HT, 5 Dec

SOUTH EAST AND EAST ANGLIA: including Beds, Cambs, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex Arun Fairs 07563 589725 www.antiques-atlas.com Emsworth Antiques and Collectors Fair, North Street, Emsworth, PO10 7DD, 12 Dec, 9 Jan Rustington Antiques & Collectibles Fair, The Woodland Centre, Woodlands Avenue, Rustington, West Sussex, BN16 3HB, 5 Dec, 2 Jan B2B Events 01636 676531 www.b2bevents.info Detling Antiques, Vintage and Collectors’ Fair, Kent County Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3JF, 22-23 Jan

Above Gladstone Gallery, BRAFA 2020 © Emmanuel Crooÿ

Dovehouse Fine Antiques Fair www.dovehousefine antiquesfairs.com 07952689717 Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, 23 Jan, Haddon Events www.haddonevents.co.uk 07519276507 Antique Fair, Orsett Hall Hotel, Prince Charles Avenue, Orsett, Essex, RM16 3HS, 30 Jan IACF 01636 702326 www.iacf.co.uk Antiques and Collectors Fair, Ardingly, Nr. Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6TL, 18-19 Jan Love Fairs 01293 690777 www.lovefairs.com Lingfield Antiques, Collectables and Vintage Market, Lingfield Park Racecourse, Racecourse Road, Lingfield, Surrey, RH7 6PQ, 30 Jan Sunbury Antiques 01932 230946 www.sunburyantiques.com Antiques Market, Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher, KT20 9AJ, 7 Dec Marcel Fairs 07887648255 www.marcelfairs.co.uk Antique & Collectors Fair – Berkhamsted Sports Centre, Lagley

Rutland The

ARMS

LONDON: Inc. Greater London

ANTIQUES

Centre

The Square Bakewell Derbyshire DE45 1BT

Over 45 dealers on 2 floors presenting Quality Antique Oak & ADVERTISE TODAY PLEASE Mahogany Furniture, Clocks, Silver, OSP, Arts and Crafts,CALL Porcelain, Pottery, Fine Art Paintings, Bronze Sculpture, Jewellery, Bijouterie, Glass, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Vintage Luggage and Clothing, Oriental Items, Treen, Exquisite Lighting, Books and other Collectables. Incorporating Gallery Café VISIT NOW FOR A WONDERFUL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10-5, Sundays 11-4.

Tel: 01629 810468 www.therutlandarmsantiquescentre.co.uk

CHARLOTTE KETTELL ON 01394 389969 or email: Charlotte.Kettell@accartbooks.com

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 75

63

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.

Meadow, Douglas Gardens, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 3QQ, 30, Jan Antique & Collectors Fair – Sarratt Village Hall, The Green, WD3 6AS, 12 Dec, 9 Jan Antique & Vintage Fair – Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH, 19 Dec, 16 Jan Melford Antiques Fair 07837 497617 www.melfordantiquesfair.co.uk Long Melford Antiques & Vintage Fair, The Old School, Hall Street, Long Melford, CO10 9DX, 29-30 Jan SOUTH WEST: including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire

AFC Fairs 07887 753956 www.antiquefairscornwall.co.uk Pensilva Antique & Collectors Fair, Millennium House, Princess Road, Pensilva, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 5NF, 30 Jan Benson Antiques & Collectors Fair 01235 815633, Benson Parish Hall, Sunnyside, Benson, Nr Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 6LZ, 19 Dec

EAST MIDLANDS including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland Arthur Swallow Fairs 01298 27493 www.asfairs.com Lincolnshire Antiques and Home Show, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln, LN2 2NA, 1 Dec Vintage Flea Market, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln, LN2 2NA, 16 Jan

Malvern Flea & Collectors Fair

Guildhall Antiques Fairs 07583 410862 www.guildhallantiquefairs.co.uk Whitwick, Coalville, L67 5EU, 5 Dec Hood Park Leisure Centre, Ashbyde-la-Zouch, LE65 1HU, 1, 16 Jan IACF 01636 702326 www.iacf.co.uk Newark International Antiques & Collectors Fair, Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NY, 2-3 Dec

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

Continuity Fairs 01584 873634 www.continuityfairs.co.uk The Bingley Hall Antique Home & Vintage Fair, Blingley Hall, Stafford Showground, Stafford, ST18 0BD, 11-12 Dec NORTH i ncluding Cheshire, Cumbria, Humberside, Lancashire, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire Cooper Antiques Fairs 01278 784912 www.cooperevents.com The Pavilions of Harrogate Antiques and Fine Art Fair, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, N. Yorks., HG2 8QZ, 28 Jan

B2B Events 07774 147197 or 07771 725302 www.b2bevents.info Malvern Flea and Collectors’ Fair, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs., WR13 6NW, 16 Jan

Galloway Antiques Fairs 01423 522122 www.gallowayfairs.co.uk Antiques and Fine Art Fair, The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, N. Yorkshire, HG1 2HU, 7-9 Jan

Coin and Medal Fairs Ltd. 01694 731781 www.coinfairs.co.uk The Midland Coin Fair, National Motorcycle Museum, Bickenhill, Birmingham, B92 0EJ, 12 Dec, 9 Jan

Halycon Fairs 01584 873634 www.continuityfairs.co.uk Buxton Antiques Fair, The Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6BE, 4-5 Dec, 29-30 Jan

Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW.

2022 Dates: Sunday 16th January, Sunday 13th February, Easter Monday 18th April, Sunday 29th May, Sunday 26th June, Sunday 24th July, Holiday Monday 29th August, Sunday 18th September, Sunday 9th October, Sunday 4th December Entrance: 7.30am - 3.30pm - £5

Malvern Antiques & Collectors Fair 2022:

Sunday 27th March Sunday 6th November

The Severn Hall, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs, WR13 6NW.

Antiques, Art Deco, collectables & much more Early Entrance: 8.30am - £4 • Entrance: 10am-4pm - £3

Edinburgh Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Fair Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, EH28 8NB.

2022: Sat 19th - Sun 20th February, Sat 14th - Sun 15th May, Sat 3rd - Sun 4th September, Sat 19th - Sun 20th November

(subject to Scottish Government guidelines)

Entrance: Sat: Early 8.15am - £6 Sat: Entry 10am-4.30pm - £5 Sun: 10am-3.30pm - £4 Royal Highland Centre £5 vehicle car parking charge.

Detling Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Fair

Kent County Showground, Detling, ME14 3JF.

2022: Sat 22nd - Sun 23rd Jan, Sat 23rd - Sun 24th April, Sat 18th - Sun 19th June, Sat 10th - Sun 11th September, Sat 26th - Sun 27th November

Entrance: Saturday: Early: 8.30am - £6 Saturday: 10am-4.30pm - £5 Sunday: 10am-3.30pm - £4

Please check www.b2bevents.info in case these dates have changed or been cancelled.

Tel: 01636 676531 • www.b2bevents.info 76 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

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 Bonhams New Bond St., W1 020 7447 7447 www.bonhams.com Encore! Modern Art on Stage, Nov 29-Dec 1 The Russian Sale, Dec 1 Contemporary Art, Dec 1 London Jewels, Dec 2 The Bond Street Sale, Important Collectors’ Motor Cars, Dec 5 Antiquities, Dec 7 Old Master Paintings, Dec 8 Fine and Rare Wines, Dec 9 500 Years of European Ceramics, Dec 9 Fine Clocks and Watches, Dec 15 Prints and Multiples, Dec 15 Bonhams Knightsbridge, SW7 020 7393 3900 www.bonhams.com Holiday Gifts (Online) Dec 1-10 Fine Glass and British Ceramics, Dec 1 Fine Books and Manuscripts, Dec 1 20th Century Decorative Arts aand Design, Dec 7 Knightsbridge Jewels, Dec 8 Prints and Multiples, Dec 9 Collections, Dec 15 Chiswick Auctions 1 Colville Rd, Chiswick, W3 8BL, 020 8992 4442 www.chiswickauctions.co.uk 19th & 20th Century Fine Photographs, Dec 1 Wine & Spirits, Dec 3 Interiors, Homes & Antiques, Dec 8 Christie’s King St., London, SW1 020 7839 9060 www.christies.com Finest and Rarest Wines and Spirits, Dec 2-3 Old Masters Evening Sale, Dec 7 Old Master Paintings (Online) ends, Dec 8 Old Masters Prints, Dec 9 Quentin Blake: New Drawings 2021, ends Dec 14 Valuable Books and Manuscripts, Dec 15 Dix Noonan Webb 16 Bolton St, Piccadilly, W1J 8BQ, 020 7016 1700. www.dnw.co.uk. Coins & Historical Medals and Antiquities, Dec 1-2 Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, Dec 8, Jan 26

Forum Auctions 220 Queenstown Road, London SW8 4LP, 020 7871 2640 www.forumauctions.co.uk Modern Literature (Online) Dec 2 Best of British (Prints and Multiples, Dec 8 Books and Works on Paper (Online) Dec 16 Prints and Editions, Jan 26 Hansons Auctioneers The Normansfield Theatre, 2A Langdon Park, Teddington TW11 9PS, 0207 018 9300 www.hansonsauctioneers.com The Christmas Fine Art & Interiors Auction. Dec 11 Olympia Auction 25 Blythe Road, London, W14 OPD, 020 7806 5541 www.olympiaauctions.com Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria Catalogue Cover Antique Arms, Dec 8 Phillips 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX,, 020 7318 4010 www.phillips.com New Now, Dec 9 Roseberys Knights Hill, SE27 020 8761 2522 www.roseberys.co.uk Impressionist and Modern Art, Dec 1 Post-War and Contemporary Art, Dec 1 Traditional and Modern Home, Dec 9 Sotheby’s New Bond St., W1 020 7293 5000 www.sothebys.com The Distillers: One of One (Online), ends Dec 3 Old Master Sculpture and Early Jewels (Online), Dec 1-7 Treasures, Dec 7 Old Masters Evening Sale, Dec 8 Old Masters (Online), Dec 3-9 Fine Japanese Prints (Online), Dec 6-14 European and British Art (Online) Dec 9-14 19th & 20th Century Sculpture (Online), Dec 9-15

The Rafael Valls Sale, Part II, (Online) Dec 10-16 Chinese Art (Online), Dec 5-16 SOUTH EAST AND EAST ANGLIA: Inc. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex Bishop and Miller 19 Charles Industrial Estate, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5AH, 01449 673088 www.bishopandmiller auctions.co.uk Selected Wristwatches, Dec 2 Christmas Auction, Jewels and The Cellar, Dec 3 Music and Memorabilia, Dec 9 Dr Atomicas Journey into Cool, Dec 10 Bellmans Newpound, Wisborough Green, West Sussex, RH14 0AZ 01403 700858 www.bellmans.co.uk Wine and Spirits, Dec 6 Printed Books, Manuscripts and Maps, Dec 9 Interiors (Online), Jan 18-20 The Friday 500, Jan 21 Burstow & Hewett The Auction Gallery, Lower Lake, Battle, East Sussex,TN33 0AT, 01424 772 374 www.burstowandhewett.co.uk Collectables Pictures and Furniture, Dec 1-2 Antiques, Clocks, Watches, Jewellery and Silver, Dec 15-16 The Canterbury Auction Galleries 40 Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8AN, 01227 763337 canterburyauctiongalleries.com None listed for December and January Catherine Southon Auctioneers Farleigh Court Golf Club, Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon Surrey CR6 9PE, 0208 468 1010 www.catherinesouthon.co.uk None listed for December or January Cheffins Clifton House, Clifton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7EA

01223 213343, www.cheffins.co.uk Clarets and Carats, Dec 1 Jewellery, Silver and Watches, Dec 2 The Fine Art Sale, Dec 8-9 Durrants Auctions The Old School House, Peddars Lane, Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 9UE, 01502 713490 www.durrantsauctions.com General Antiques with Silver and Jewellery, Dec 3 Militaria, Air Guns and Firearms, Dec 10 Ewbank’s London Rd, Send, Woking, Surrey, 01483 223 101 www.ewbankauctions.co.uk Cars, Motorbikes and Scootersr, Dec 1 Jewellery, Watches and Coins, Dec 1 Silver and Fine Art, Dec 2 Antiques, Clocks and Furniture, Dec 3 The Paul Birkbeck Collection.

Works by the renowned illustrator for BBC programmes inc.

Jackanory, Dec 14 Antique & Collector’s inc. Silver & Jewellery, Dec 15 Vintage Posters (Timed), Jan 2 Excalibur Auctions Limited Unit 16 Abbots Business Park Primrose Hill Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, WD4 8FR 020 3633 0913 wwwexcaliburauctions.com Marvel, DC & Independent Comic Books, Dec 4 Toys & Model Railways Collectors Sale, Jan 29 Gorringes, 15 North Street Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2PE 01273 472503 www.gorringes.co.uk Winter Fine Art, Dec 7 John Nicholson’s Longfield, Midhurst Road, Fernhurst, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 3HA, 01428 653727 www.johnnicholsons.com General Auction, Dec 4 Islamic and Oriental, Dec 15 Fine Antiques, Dec 16 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 77

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.

Lacy Scott & Knight 10 Risbygate St, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3AA, 01284 748 623 www.lskauctioncentre.co.uk Home and Interiors, Dec 4 Medals, Miitaria and Country Pursuits, Dec 10 Wine, Port and Spirits, Dec 10 Fine Art and Antiques, Dec 11 Toys and Models, Dec 17

Antiques, General, Furniture and Collectables, Jan 27

Mander Auctioneers The Auction Centre, Assington Road, Newton, Sudbury,Suffolk CO10 0QX, 01787 211847 www.manderauctions.co.uk Fine Art and Antiques, Dec 4

British Bespoke Auctions The Old Boys School, Gretton Rd, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, GL54 5EE 01242 603005 www.bespokeauctions.co.uk Antiques, Automobilia, Jewellery, Dec 8 Antiques, Jan 27

Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE 01279 817778 www.sworder.co.uk Iconastas: Fine Russian Art & Antiques from the Renowned London Gallery, Dec 1 Jewellery and Gifts (Live Online), Dec 2 Homes and Interiors (Live Online), Dec 7 Fine Interiors (Two-Day Sale) (Live Online) Dec 14-15 T.W. Gaze Diss Auction Rooms, Roydon Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4LN, Norfolk 01379 650306. www.twgaze.com Toys, Dec 2 Antiques and Interiors, Dec 3, 17 Blyth Barn Furniture Auction, Dec 7, 14, 21 Books, Dec 8 The Christmas Sale Part I, Dec 9 The Christmas Sale Part II, Dec 10 SOUTH WEST: Inc. Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire Auction Antiques The Antique Village, The Old Whiteways Cider Factory, Hele, Devon, EX5 4PW O1392 719 826 www.auctionantiques.co.uk Christmas Auction: Silver, Jewellery, Books and Collecables, Dec 7

78 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter EX4 1DU O1392 41310 www.bhandl.co.uk Two-Day Books, Maps and Prints, Dec 7-8 Three-Day Fine Art Sale, Jan 18-20

Chippenham Auction Rooms Unit H, The Old Laundry. Ivy Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire. SN15 1SB 01249 444544 chippenhamauctionrooms.co.uk Antiques and Objets d’Art, Dec 4 Chorley’s Prinknash Abbey Park, Gloucestershire, GL4 8EU 01452 344499 www.chorleys.com Fine Art & Antiques, Including Early Portraits (16th & 17th century), Jan 25-26 David Lay Auctions Penzance Auction House , Alverton, Penzance, Cornwall 01736 361414 www.davidlay.co.uk The Personal Collection of Jonathan Grimble, Dec 7 Antiques and Selected Items, Dec 9-10 Dawsons Kings Grove Estate, Maidenhead, Berkshire | SL6 4DP 01628 944100 www.dawsonsauctions.co.uk Fine Art, Antiques & Jewellery, Dec 16 The Chelsea Mansion Sale, Jan 13 Jewellery, Watches & Silver, Jan 20 Fine Art & Antiques, Jan 27 Dominic Winter Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 5UQ 01285 860006 www.dominicwinter.co.uk

Printed Books, Maps & Documents, Dec 15 Modern First Editions, Children’s & Illustrated Books, Dec 16 Dore & Rees Auction Salerooms, Vicarage Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1PU, 01373 462 257 wwwdoreandrees.com Automobilia, Dec 8 Interiors including Furniture, Pictures, Silver, Jewellery, Rugs, Asian Art, Dec 15 Duke’s Brewery Square, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1GA 01305 265080 www.dukes-auctions.com A Taste of Luxury, Dec 9 East Bristol Auctions Unit 1, Hanham Business Park, Memorial Road, Hanham, BS15 3JE 0117 967 1000 www.eastbristol.co.uk Antique & Vintage Jewellery, Watch, Gold, Silver & Mineral Auction, Dec 1 Gardiner Houlgate 9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9SW 01225 812912 www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk The Guitar Auction, Two-Day Sale Incl. Guitars, Entertainment Memorabilia, Amplification, Effects, Spares and Audio Equipment, Dec 8-9 Musical Instruments, Dec 10 Hansons Auctioneers 49 Parsons Street, Banbury, Oxford, OX16 5NB, 01295 817777 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk Antiques and Collectors, Dec 15 Killens Mendip Auction Rooms, Rookery Farm, Roemead Road, Binegar, Somerset BA3 4UL, 01749 840770 wwwmendipauctionrooms.com Victorian and Later Effects, Dec 7-8 Kinghams 10-12 Cotswold Business Village, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucester,

GL56 0JQ, 01608 695695 www.kinghamsauctioneers.com René Lalique and his Contemporaries, Dec 9 Fine and Decorative Arts, Dec 10-11 Lawrences Auctioneers Ltd. Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8AB, 01460 703041 www.lawrences. co.uk General Sale, Dec 1, 8, 15 Mallams Oxford Bocardo House, St Michael’s St, Oxford. 01865 241358 www.mallams.co.uk Modern Art, Dec 8 Design, Dec 9 Mallams Cheltenham, 26 Grosvenor St, Cheltenham.

Gloucestershire, 01242 235 712 www.mallams.co.uk Country Houes, Jan 12 Mallams Abingdon Dunmore Court, Wootten Road, Abingdon, OX13 6BH 01235 462840 www.mallams.co.uk The Collectors Sale, Dec 13 Homes and Interiors, Jan 17 Moore Allen & Innocent Burford Road Cirencester Gloucestershire GL7 5RH 01285 646050 www.mooreallen.co.uk Two Day Sale of Vintage and Antique Furniture to include Home Interiors, Paintings, Prints, Silver, Jewellery, China, Glass, Rugs and Outdoor Sections, Dec 8-9 Vintage and Antique Furniture with Home Interiors (Timed), Dec 15 Philip Serrell Barnards Green Rd, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 3LW, 01684 892314 www.serrell.com Interiors, Dec 16 Stroud Auctions Bath Rd, Trading Est, Bath Rd, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 3QF 01453 873 800 www.stroudauctions.co.uk Jewellery, Silver, Watches, Clocks, Coins, Bijouterie, Fine Wines and Spirits, Dec 1-2

The Pedestal The Dairy, Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 6HF, United Kingdom. 01491 522733 www.thepedestal.com None listed for December or January Special Auction Services Plenty Close, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5RL 01635 580 595 wwwspecialauctionservices.com Antiques and Collectables, Dec 7, 21 Trains Galore, Dec 14 Music and Entertainment, Jan 11 Jewellery, SIlver, Watches and Coins, Jan 20 Woolley & Wallis, 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SU, 01722 424500 www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk Modern British and 20th-Century Art, Dec 7-8 Medals and Coins, Arms and Armour, Dec 14 African and Oceanic Art and Antiquities, Dec 15 Furniture, Works of Art and Clocks, Jan 12 Silver and Objects of Vertu, Jan 25-26 EAST MIDLANDS: Inc. Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield Bamfords The Derby Auction House, Chequers Road, Derby, DE21 6EN, 01332 210 000 www.bamfords-auctions.co.uk Medals, Militaria and Firearms, Dec 8 Two Day Library and Grand Tour Auction of Curiosities, Dec 9-10 Three Day Fine Art and Antiques, Jan 14-17 Batemans Ryhall Rd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XF 01780 766 466 www.batemans. com Fine Art, Antiques & Specialist Collectors, Dec 11 Gildings Auctioneers The Mill, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7DE 01858 410414, www.gildings.co.uk Private Collection of Whisky Miniatures, Dec 12 Antiques and Collectors, Dec 14

Golding Young & Mawer The Bourne Auction Rooms, Spalding Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9LE 01778 422686 www.goldingyoung.com Bourne Collective, Dec 1-2 Golding Young & Mawer The Grantham Auction Rooms, Old Wharf Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 7AA, 01476 565118 www.goldingyoung.com Grantham Collective, Dec 8-9 Golding Young & MawerThe Lincoln Auction Rooms, Thos Mawer House, Station Road North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 3QY, 01522 524984 www.goldingyoung.com Lincoln Collective, Dec 15-16 Hansons Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS 01283 733988 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk The Decorative Art Auction, Dec 1 The General Toy Auction, Dec 2 The Football and Sporting Auction, Dec 2 The Derbyshire Fine Art Auction, Dec 7 The Historica Two-Day Sale, Dec 9-10 The Medals, Militaria and Firearms Auction, Dec 16 Mellors & Kirk The Auction House, Gregory Street, Nottingham NG7 2NL 0115 979 0000 www.mellorsandkirk.com Fine Art, Antiques and Collectors, dates tbc WEST MIDLANDS: Inc. Birmingham, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire Bigwood Auctioneers StratfordUpon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7AW 01789 269415 www.bigwoodauctioneers.com Christmas Wines and Spirits, Dec 2 Home Furnishings and Collectables, Dec 10 Cuttlestones Ltd Wolverhampton Auction Rooms, No 1 Clarence Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 4JL, 01902 421985 www.cuttlestones.co.uk Antiques and Interiors, Dec 8, 15

Cuttlestones Ltd Pinfold Lane, Penkridge Staffordshire ST19 5AP, 01785 714905 www.cuttlestones.co.uk Two Day Winter Antique Auction to include Attic contents from Chillington Hall, Brewood by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Giffard and the Estate of the late Mr Ray Roberts, Penkridge, Dec 1-2 Fellows Augusta House, 19 Augusta Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6JA 0121 212 2131 www.fellows.co.uk The Designer Collections, Dec 6 Jewellery, Dec 7, 14 Watches and Watch Accessories, Dec 13 Pawnbrokers Jewellery & Watches, Dec 16 Fieldings Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1JN 01384 444140 www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk The Christmas Sale, Dec 9-10 Halls Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DR 01743 450700

www.hallsgb.com/fine-art The Christmas Auction, Dec 8 Antiques, Interiors & Books, Jan 12 Militaria (Timed), Jan 14 Hansons Auctioneers Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST18 0XN, 0208 9797954 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk The Country House Toy Nostalgia Auction: Including Railwayana & Enamel Advertising Signs, Dec 4 The Country House Silver, Jewellery & Watch Auction, Dec 6 The Curated & Connoisseur Ceramics & Glass Auction, Dec 8 The Christmas Library & Harry Potter Auction, Dec 14 Potteries Auctions Unit 4A, Aspect Court, Silverdale Enterprise Park, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 6SS, 01782 638100 www.potteriesauctions.com Two Day Auction of 20th Century British Pottery, Toys, Christmas Stocking Fillers, Collectors Items, Household Items, Antique and Quality Furniture, Dec 10-11

What will you discover?

Pick up unique pieces in our live, online auctions…

• Fully illustrated online catalogues • Online bidding via thesaleroom.com and easyliveauction.com • Collection by appointment or delivery by arrangement

Spring Antique Sale Thursday 10th March

Antiques & Interiors Sales

Wed 12th & 26th January Wed 9th & 23rd February For details of how to bid, visit our website.

Penkridge: 01785 714905 Wolverhampton: 01902 421985

www.cuttlestones.co.uk

Images of lots consigned in Winter Estate & Antiques Auction. Please visit our website for the latest catalogues

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 79

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.

Trevanion The Joyce Building, Station Rd, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1RD, 01928 800 202 www.trevanion.com None listed for December NORTH: Inc. Cheshire, Co. Durham, Cumbria, Humberside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Sheffield, Yorkshire Adam Partridge Withyfold Drive, Macclesfield, Cheshire, 01625 431 788 www.adampartridge.co.uk Two Day Auction of Toys, Wines & Spirits with Furniture & Interiors (Online), Dec 14-15 Adam Partridge The Liverpool Saleroom, 18 Jordan Street, Liverpool, L1 OBP 01625 431 788 www.adampartridge.co.uk Wines & Spirits, Rock & Pop and Toys with Antiques and Collectors’ Items (Online), Dec 1

Elstob & Elstob Ripon Business Park, Charter Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1AJ, 01677 333003 www.elstobandelstob.co.uk Fine Art and Antiques, Dec 11 H&H Auction Rooms The Auction Centre, Rosehill Industrial Estate, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 2RS, 01228406320 www.hhauctionrooms.co.uk Christmas Auction, Dec 7 Maxwells of Wilmslow The Auction Rooms, Levens Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 5DL, 0161 439 5182 www.maxwells-auctioneers.com Monthly Antiques and Collective, Dec 14-15 Mitchells Antiques and Fine Art 47 Station Road, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9PZ 01900 827 800 www.mitchellsantiques.co.uk Antiques and FIne Art, Nov 30Dec 3

Anderson and Garland Crispin Court, Newbiggin Lane, Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 1BF, 0191 432 1911 www.andersonandgarland.com December Fine Art & Interiors Auction omes and Interiors, Nov 30-Dec 2 Homes and Interiors, Dec 14 The Comic Auction, Dec 15-16

Sheffield Auction Gallery Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB, 0114 281 6161 www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com Silver, Jewellery and Watches, Dec 9 Vinyl Records and Music Ephemera, Dec 9 Antiques and Collectables, Dec 10 Gold Coins (Online), Dec 16

Ashley Waller Auctioneers Four Oaks, Lower Withington, Cheshire, SK11 9DU, 01477 571988 www.ashleywaller.co.uk Three Day Auction Of Collectables, Antiques, Furniture, Vintage Items with Wines and Spirits and Collectable Toys, Dec 8-10

Omega Auctions Ltd Sankey Valley Industrial Estate, Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside WA12 8DN, 01925 873040 www. omegaauctions TV, Film, Sports Memorabilia & Comics, Dec 6

Capes Dunn The Auction Galleries, 40 Station Road, Heaton Mersey, SK4 3QT 0161 273 1911 www.capesdunn.com Interiors, Vintage & Modern Furniture, Dec 13 The Christmas Auction, Dec 14

80 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Tennants Auctioneers The Auction Centre, Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG 01969 623780 www.tennants.co.uk Militaria and Ethnographica, Dec 3 Antiques and Interiors to Include Beswick and Border Fine Arts, Dec 4

Natural History and Taxidermy, Dec 8 Toys and Models, Sporting and Fishing, Dec 15 Antiques and Interiors, Dec 17, Jan 8, 28 Fine Wine and Whisky, Dec 17 Country House Sale, Jan 14 Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Jan 15 Vectis Auctions Ltd Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton on Tees, TS17 9JZ www.vectis.co.uk 01642 750616 Doll & Teddy, Dec 1 Specialist Diecast (Single Owner Collection), Dec 2 James Bond Collection & Specialist Diecast Sale, Dec 14 Matchbox, Dec 15 General Toy, Dec 16, Jan 18 Model Train, Dec 17, Jan 21 Specialist Diecast Sale, Jan 11-12 Specialist Diecast Sale (Single owner collection), Tin Plate & Plastic, Jan 19 TV & Film, Jan 26 Wilson55 Victoria Gallery, Market St, Nantwich, Cheshire.

01270 623 878 www.wilson55.com Fine Jewellery & Watches, Dec 2 Northern Art (Live Online), Dec 9 SCOTLAND Bonhams Queen St, Edinburgh.

0131 225 2266 www.bonhams.com Whisky, Dec 7 Lyon & Turnbull Broughton Place, Edinburgh.

0131 557 8844 www.lyonandturnbull.com Jewellery, Watches & Silver, Dec 8 Scottish Paintings & Sculpture Featuring S.J. Peploe at 150, Dec 9 Contemporary & Post-War Art / Prints & Multiples, Jan 19 McTears Auctioneers 31 Meiklewood Road, Glasgow, G51 4GB, 0141 810 2880 www.mctears.co.uk The Rare & Fine Whisky Auction, Dec 3

The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction, Dec 5 The Antiques & Interiors Auction, Dec 10, Jan 7 The Silver Auction, Dec 16 The Jewellery Auction, Dec 17 Thomson Roddick The Auction Centre, 118 Carnethie Street, Rosewell, Edinburgh, EH24 9AL, 0131 440 2448 www.thompsonroddick.com Home Furnishings and Interiors, Dec 9, Jan 6 Silver, Jewellery, Paintings, Oriental, Asian, Porcelain, Furniture and Decorative Arts, Jan 27 Thomson Roddick The Auction Centre, Irongray Road, Dumfries, DG2 0JE 01387 721635 www.thompsonroddick.com Home Furnishings and Interiors, Dec 14 WALES Anthemion Auctions 15 Norwich Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AB, 029 2047 2444 www.anthemionauction.com General Sale with Ceramics, Glass, Paintings, Furniture, Clocks, Works of Art, Books, Sporting Memorabilia, Dec 8, Jan 26 Jones & Llewelyn Unit B, Beechwood Trading Estate, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, SA19 7HR, 01558 823 430 www.jonesandllewelyn.com General Antiques, Dec 11 Rogers Jones & Co 17 Llandough Trading Estate, Penarth, Cardiff, CF11 8RR, 02920 708125 www.rogersjones.co.uk Fine Art and Interiors, Dec 3 IRELAND Adam’s 26 St Stephens Green Dublin, D02 X66, 00 353-1-6760261 www.adams.ie Important Irish Art, Dec 1 Fine Jewellery and Watches, Dec 7

•WANTED•

VINTAGE WRISTWATCHES Omega Seamasters and pre-1980s Omegas in general.

IWC and Jaeger LeCoultres, all styles. Looking for Reversos. American market filled and 14k pieces possibly, at the right price.

Breitling Top Times, Datoras and 806 Navitimers.

Pre-1960s Rolex models, with a focus in pre-war tanks, tonneaus etc.

Gold or silver/steel. Also World War I Rolex 13 lignes etc. Princes.

~ WANTED ~ For East Yorkshire town house renovation.

Labelled/ stamped branded furniture from Georgian to Victorian, eg Thomas Butler, Morgan & Sanders, J Alderman, Ross of Dublin (pictured), Gregory Kane, Wilkinson of Ludgate Hill, Robert James of Bristol, James Winter, W Priest, Samuel Pratt and many others. Tables all types, chairs, bookcases, , Davenport. mirrors etc. Campaign shower.

Georgian chamber horse exercise chair (pictured) Unusual Georgian to William IV architectural features eg doors, door frames, over door pediments. 18th century staircase spindles and handrail needed. Anything Georgian or Regency with lots of character considered.

Rectangular Georgian fanlight.

Longines, Tudors and Zeniths, pre-1970. Even basic steel models in nice condition.

All the quirky oddities like Harwoods, Autorists, Wig Wag, Rolls etc, and World War I hunter and semi-hunter wristwatches.

Early, pre-war ladies’ watches also wanted by Rolex, Jaeger LeCoultre etc. Prefer 1920s/30s deco styles, but early doughnuts also considered.

Yorkshire based, but often in London and can easily collect nationwide.

vintagejewellery@yahoo.co.uk or tel 07958 333442

Four identical reclaimed Georgian wooden sash windows with boxes, approx 60 high x 37 wide.

Marble fire surrounds from 1750 to 1850ish. White or coloured.

Bullseyes, William IV styles etc. Brass Regency reeded fire insert and Victorian griffin grate (pictured) Human skull, stuffed crocodile/ alligator.

Grand tour souvenirs.

vintagejewellery@yahoo.co.uk or tel 07958 333442

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 81

LAST WORD Marc Allum

THINK OF OTHERS

Marc My Words

B

His office party might be a solitary affair but there is still much to cheer this Christmas says BBC Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum

eing self-employed is a bit of an odd one at Christmas. I don’t have any staff, so there’s no need to battle to book a restaurant and splash the cash on a big Xmas thank you for all of the hard-working people who make my business go round. I am the business.

It sounds a bit lonely but, to be honest, it isn’t. One of the joys of working in the antiques trade is that I’ve always found a sense of camaraderie with many of the people I work with throughout the year, which translates into a great deal of festive cheer. In fact, I probably end up at more Christmas shindigs than most. (Although I do repay the hospitality with the odd case of wine, or bottle of port, as grateful acknowledgment of the support I receive from friends and associates.)

COVID SECURE Of course this year has been very different.

We’ve all had to restructure in recent months and reassess the way we work and interact. For most of us technology has been the key to that continued

82 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

ability to carry on, whether it’s my work with Antiques Roadshow – where we’ve continued to make content within the secure parameters of a covid-safe environment – or cataloguing a sale with a mask that makes my glasses steam up, or lecturing for the Arts Society on Zoom. We’ve persevered in a determined way, which has often been far from easy, showing the dogged resilience for which our trade is known.

We’ve also accepted empty salerooms in favour of hundreds of online bidders and also faced the fact 60 lots an hour is now part of the auctioneering landscape. When I was younger I remember the old trade bemoaning the disappearance of cash and the power of the “ring”. It’s like me saying: “I remember when auctioneers did 140 lots an hour!” Things change.

As we go into a new year, naturally the hope is life will become a little easier and businesses will prosper. Dealing with the impact of Brexit and the added layers of complication and expense will, with luck, not dampen any positive prospects in the pipeline. Hopefully, auction houses will continue to plan their 2022 calendars.

Those fairs that have taken a terrible battering throughout the pandemic will also, touch wood, return to venues and find customers still willing to travel to them, even if the weather is bad.

So celebrate this Christmas but don’t overdo it. Take care, and enjoy the season, while remembering those who might have fared less well in 2021.

I might be self-employed but I still have immense gratitude for the continued support from the antiques network and the men and women in it – even if I don’t always throw them a festive bash. Merry Christmas to you all.

Marc Allum is a specialist on Antiques Roadshow as well as an author and lecturer, for more details go to www. marcallum.com Above Marc has no need to throw a festive bash Below Hampers acknowledge support from friends

and family

‘ I might be self-employed but I still have immense gratitude for the continued support network of the trade and the men and women in it – even if I don’t throw them a festive bash’

The thrill of the

auction

Scan this QR code to access the auctions calendar CHINA – Late Ming period (1368-1644), 17th century A brown patina suantouping bronze vase, two forked-tailed chilong with mercury gilding coiled around the neck.

On the reverse of the base, the apocryphal six-character kaishu mark of Xuande 23 cm (9 in) high At auction by Tessier & Sarrou on December 13 on Drouot.com

Digital Auction Platform for Artwork and Collectibles

The Books and Manuscripts Collection of Geneviève and Jean-Paul Kahn | Part IV Pierre Bergé & Associés, Dec. 10

Old Master Paintings & Drawings and Furniture & Works of Art Gros & Delettrez, Dec. 13

Modern and Contemporary Art Bertolami Fine Arts, Dec. 10

Asian Arts Tessier & Sarrou, Dec. 13

African & Oceanic Art Binoche et Giquello, Dec. 17 Naturalia and Curiosity Cabinet Euvrard & Fabre, Dec. 17

Surrealist Collection, Prints and Drawings Arenberg Auctions, Dec. 17 Impressionist and Modern Art Kohn, Dec. 21

Print, David Bailey (born 1939) Hammer Price: £2,200 Chorley’s

A Poole Pottery ‘Dragon’ dish Hammer price: £160 Sworders

Louis Vuitton trunk, Monogram Estimate: £6,803 Bruun Rasmussen

Banksy, “Love is in the air” Estimate: £84,615 - £126,922 Bukowskis

Search o ve 3 ,000 auc r tion houses fr om all over the world 9 bottles 1962 Ch Latour Hammer price: £5,019 Tate Ward

Medals, Victoria, gold 1887 Hammer Price: £14,050 Sworders

Architectural model, Tyl Theatre Hammer price: £50 Dawsons

Your search for art, design, antiques, and collectibles starts here

Josef Lorenzl (Austrian, 1892-1950) Hammer price: £1,800 Halls

17th century portrait Hammer price: £8,000 Dawsons

Desk circa, 1930 Hammer price: £15,000 Lyon & Turnbull

Oil on board, Jack B. Yeats Hammer price: £202,426 de Veres

George III Silver Wine-Coolers Estimate: £10,000 - £15,000 Tennants

Vase, Circa 1910 Hammer price: £1,500 Lyon & Turnbull

Rolex Submariner 18ct Gold Fixed price: £25,950 Parkers Jewellers

Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) Hammer price: £1,875 Lyon & Turnbull

Find the true value of your treasures - only £30 Visit barnebys.co.uk/valuation