September issue of Antique Collecting

O LY M P I C C Y C L I N G E P H E M E R A F A I R S T H I S M O N T H T W O P A G E S O F P U Z Z L E S

ANTIQUE

COLLECTING

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SEPTEMBER 2021

Inside:

Northern Artists

ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Discover the names inspiring a dedicated band of collectors

EXPERT FOCUS ON THE MAGICAL RETURNS FROM HARRY POTTER MEMORABILIA SNIFFING OUT A BARGAIN SCENT BOTTLES UNDER THE HAMMER REFLECTED GLORY LENNOX CATO ON MIRRORS FOR EVERY INTERIOR

VOL 56 N0. 4 SEPTEMBER 2021

Only Fools and Horses 40 years of British sit-com collectables

GLASS ACT! 100 YEARS OF THE ICONIC ITALIAN MAKER VENINI

ALSO INSIDE The Bloomsbury Group

INSIDER REPORT

POST-WAR BRITISH SILVER

Why contemporary UK makers are even better than their Georgian predecessors

• Must-see exhibitions • Best columnists

AUTUMN SEASON SEPTEMBER Fine Interiors

Furniture | Paintings | Works of Art | Silver

Jewellery OCTOBER Modern & Contemporary Art Design Art Deco | Arts & Crafts | Modern Design

Jewellery | Designer Handbags & Accessories

Stansted Mountfitchet | Essex | CM24 8GE auctions@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778 42 St Andrew Street | Hertford | SG14 8GE hertford@sworder.co.uk | 01992 583508 15 Cecil Court | London | WC2N 4EZ london@sworder.co.uk | 0203 971 2500 Ferdinand Preiss (1882-1943) Flame Dancer, £8,000-12,000

www.sworder.co.uk

FIRST WORD

Welcome

According to a recent report in The Guardian, about a third of people in the UK collect something. At the heart of every one of them, it suggests, is an unloved child seeking comfort in accumulating belongings. Another theory (more existential) has it that a collection is a representation of our identity able to live on – unlike us – after we’re gone.

Evolutionary theorists even have the hypothesis that a collection is a way to attract a potential mate by signalling an ability to accumulate resources. Bearing in mind my hotch-potch collections have brought me perilously close to the divorce courts, I highly doubt it.

How about collecting simply because we like nice things, or appreciate the craftsmanship behind them? And there are plenty of nice things in this month’s magazine, ranging from exquisite Venini glass on page 20, to ornate Chippendale mirrors on page 36.

Another reason to collect, according to specialists, is the desire to “buy into” the ethos of a designer or artistic movement, whether it be arts and crafts, or art deco.

This might be the reason why, over the course of the last 100 years, collectors have been so attracted to the work of the Bloomsbury Group, famously described by Dorothy Parker as men and women who, “lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles.” On page 14 we go behind the scenes of Charleston Farmhouse, the group’s rural Sussex retreat to see what made them tick and why their work remains so sought after.

Elsewhere in the magazine Martin Heaps shines a light on Northern art which is fast inspiring a whole new group of dedicated collectors, while on page 56 there’s a chance to sniff out a bargain when a single owner collection of scent bottles goes under the hammer.

Of course, there’s one very clear reason for collecting – plain and simple nostalgia. On page 30, 40 years from the first episode of Only Fools and Horses, Paul Fraser considers the memorabilia of sit-coms. Whatever and whyever you collect, I hope you enjoy the issue.

IN THIS ISSUE

JANE OAKLEY

on the market for work by the Bloomsbury Group, page 14

HOLLY JOHNSON

shines a light on 100 years of the Italian glassmaker Venini, page 20

MARTIN HEAPS

on the increasingly popular collecting field of Northern art, page 32

Georgina

Georgina Wroe, Editor

We love

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

This folk art oak money box from the mid-19th century, which has an estimate of £200-£300 at Woolley & Wallis’s sale on September 22

JOHN ANDREW

reveals why post-war British silver rivals that of Georgian makers, page 40

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

Copyright: Bettmann Collection via Getty Images

Forthcoming auction

JEWELLERY, WATCHES & OBJECTS OF VERTU Tuesday 14 September at 1pm PUBLIC VIEWING Wednesday 8 September 10am-4.30pm Thursday 9 September 10am-7pm Friday 10 September 10am-4.30pm Sunday 12 September 11am-3pm Monday 13 September 10am-4.30pm Morning of Sale 10am-12 noon All enquiries 020 7016 1700 or jewellery@dnw.co.uk

Formerly from the Collection of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon An Art Deco cultured pearl and diamond bracelet, circa 1925 to be included in the sale.

Estimate: £30,000-£40,000

Dix Noonan Webb London Specialist Auctioneers

16 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ

www.dnw.co.uk

THIS MONTH

Contents VOL 56 NO 4 SEPTEMBER 2021

32

REGULARS 3

Editor’s Hello: Georgina Wroe introduces this month’s issue which, among other things, celebrates post-war British silver

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Antique News: A dive into all the events taking place this September, including three mustsee exhibitions

10 Around the Houses: A round-up of recent sales from the UK’s auction houses, including a world record for a painting by the Welsh artist Sir Kyffin Williams 19 Lots of Love: Christina Trevanion meets the daughter of the hugely talented wildlife artist Mouse MacPherson O LY M P I C C Y C L I N G E P H E M E R A F A I R S T H I S M O N T H T W O P A G E S O F P U Z Z L E S

ANTIQUE

COLLECTING

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24 Waxing Lyrical: Evolving from the Pembroke, David Harvey goes in praise of the Regency sofa table

SEPTEMBER 2021

Inside:

EXPERT FOCUS ON THE MAGICAL RETURNS FROM HARRY POTTER MEMORABILIA

Northern Artists

SNIFFING OUT A BARGAIN SCENT BOTTLES UNDER THE HAMMER

ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Discover the names inspiring a dedicated band of collectors

REFLECTED GLORY LENNOX CATO ON MIRRORS FOR EVERY INTERIOR

VOL 56 N0. 4 SEPTEMBER 2021

30 Cool and Collectable: 40 years on from the first episode of Only Fools and Horses, Paul Fraser looks at sit-com memorabilia

Only Fools and Horses 40 years of British sit-com collectables

INSIDER REPORT

POST-WAR BRITISH SILVER

GLASS ACT! 100 YEARS

Why contemporary UK makers are even better than their Georgian predecessors

OF THE ICONIC ITALIAN MAKER VENINI

ALSO INSIDE The Bloomsbury Group

• Must-see exhibitions • Best columnists

COVER

Alessandro Mendini (b 1931) Arcimboldo, Venini, sold for €10,400, courtesy of Piasa, France © Andrea Vianello, see page 20

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36 Without Reserve: From Chippendale to sunburst, Lennox Cato explains why every interior needs a mirror

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FOLLOW US @AntiqueMag

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38 Your Letters: This month’s mailbag includes a plea for information on a Far Eastern game and memories of a favourite childhood book 46 Book Offers: Save a third of the price on the latest titles from our sister publisher ACC Art Books 52 Top of the Lots: A lifetime of cycling ephemera and Princess Margaret’s diamond and pearl bracelet are on offer this month 54 Puzzle Pages: Test your antiques knowledge with our headscratching quiz and crossword

56 Saleroom Spotlight: A single owner collection of scent bottles goes under the hammer this month in North Yorkshire 58 Fair News: Discover the finest fairs taking place this month 59 Fairs Calendar: Keep up to date with events near you with our essential guide 61 Auction Calendar: The latest sale dates from the UK’s leading auction houses in September

66 Marc My Words: Antiques Roadshow’s Marc Allum considers how a museum may not be the best place for your beloved collection

FEATURES 14 Escape to the Country: A behind- the scenes look at Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, the rural retreat of the Bloomsbury Group artists Vanessa Bell and her lover Duncan Grant 20 Forging Ahead: Dealer Holly Johnson celebrates a century of the influential 20th-century Italian glassmakers, Venini 26 Bath’s Rooms: A new immersive exhibition in the Georgian city is a must for fans of the period 32 Northern Lights: Martin Heaps reveals why northern artists are attracting a new generation of collectors 40 Polished Performance: Post-war British silversmiths are as good, if not better, than their Georgian predecessors, writes collector and expert John Andrew 48 Harry’s Game: Memorabilia from the Harry Potter franchise is notching up a magical amount at auction, says Ivan Macquisten

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

NEWS All the latest

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SEPTEMBER

ANTIQUE

news

The stage is set this autumn for some of the most exciting events of the year

STYLE STATEMENTS From men’s fashion to Beatrix Potter, the V&A has unveiled next year’s exhibition programme.

Fourth men

Samson Kambalu, Antelope, 2021, will take up residency overlooking Trafalgar Square

A statue of the Malawian Baptist preacher John Chilembwe (18711915), who led the 1915 uprising against colonial rule in then Nyasaland, is the next resident of Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.

Antelope, the work of Malawi born, Oxford-based artist Samson Kambalu (b.1975), restages a 1914 photograph of Chilembwe and the European missionary John Chorley as a sculpture.

Chilembwe is portrayed wearing a hat in defiance of the colonial rule forbidding Africans wearing hats before white people.

Three of the four plinths in the square have permanent statues, with one reserved for guest sculptures.

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Above Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, Gucci 2019 men’s tailoring campaign, courtesy of Gucci Right Watercolour from

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter, 1908, courtesy of National Trust and Frederick Warne & Co. © National Trust

Opening in February, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature celebrates the life and work of one of the 20th-century’s best-loved children’s authors using original watercolours, drawings and manuscripts, as well as personal artefacts and Potter’s letters.

While in March, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear will be the first major V&A exhibition to celebrate men’s appearance – from classical sculptures and Renaissance paintings to 20th-century photographs.

Later shows will explore African fashion and popular contemporary South Korean culture.

Extra yard Three sketchbooks by the self-taught artist and mariner Alfred Wallis (1855-1942), made in the last year of his life in a St Ives workhouse due to illness and poverty, have been acquired by a Cambridge gallery.

Kettle’s Yard, founded by Jim Ede, one of Wallis’s principal patrons, bought the sketchbooks after they were on display at its recent exhibition, Alfred Wallis Rediscovered.

Wallis, who started painting in his 70s after the death of his wife, was sent to the Madron Public Assistance Institution in 1871, where his already failing health continued to decline. As well as familiar sketches based on his time at sea, the books contain religious subjects, which perhaps point to the artist’s awareness of his own mortality in the final year of his life.

Right The

sketchbooks have been acquired by Kettle’s Yard

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Express herself

Woodcut prints by the American abstract expressionist, Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) are in the spotlight at an exhibition continuing at a London gallery this month.

Never seen in the UK, work ranging from her first woodcut in 1973, to her last work published in 2009 all challenge traditional notions of woodcut printmaking.

Helen Frankenthaler Imagining Landscapes continues at Gagosian until September 18.

Left Helen Frankenthaler (19282011) Essence Mulberry, 1977, © 2021 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / ARS, NY and DACS, London Right Sophie TaeuberArp, Embroidery. c. 1920. Private collection Below left Helen Frankenthaler (19282011) Madame Butterfly, 2000 © 2021 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / ARS, NY and DACS, London

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to see in

SEPTEMBER Far right Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Coloured Gradation, 1939, Kunstmuseum Bern

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Leading light

Compositions, textiles and marionettes by the Swiss avant-garde artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943) continue on show this month at London’s Tate Modern.

Bringing together more than 200 objects from collections across Europe and America, the exhibition, ending on October 17, shows how Taeuber-Arp blazed a path for abstraction.

After studying fine and applied arts in Munich, she began her career in Zurich, which was an international hub for the avant garde during WWI. Taeuber-Arp was active within Zurich dada, with her turnedwood Dada Heads among the most iconic artworks of the era.

Right Sophie Taeuber-Arp,

Composition of Circles and Overlapping Angles, 1930, the Museum of Modern Art, New York © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Left Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) Tales of Genji V, 1998, © 2021

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Carving out

The life and work of Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) is celebrated at a Warwickshire manor this month – part of a year-long series of events to commemorate the tercentenary of the renowned British woodcarver, often called the ‘Michelangelo of Wood.’

Centuries in the Making, from September 25 to January 30, 2022, at Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park, explores the genius and legacy of the legendary sculptor and craftsman, who died on August 3, 1721.

It is an ideal opportunity to view Gibbons’ work, usually only seen in situ in Britain’s royal palaces, including Windsor Castle; its most important churches (including St Paul’s Cathedral), and stately homes.

Below Limewood carvings

by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), courtesy of Abingdon Town Hall Museum

Above Carvings at St Paul’s Cathedral, one of Gibbons’ most illustrious commissions © St Paul’s Cathedral

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 7

NEWS All the latest Karate King

Cold front A £1m grant has been awarded to the National Museums Scotland to examine Scotland’s role in the Cold War. Starting next month, the three-year project, Materialising the Cold War, will culminate in a major exhibition on the country’s role in the rivaly between the West and the Soviet Union. In addition to weapons technology, the project will examine peace and protest material, civil defence collections, as well as exploring the material legacies of the relationship between society, technology and the military.

A book annotated by Elvis Presley and given to his karate teacher and bodyguard, Ed Parker, has gone on sale at Peter Harrington Rare Books for £19,500. The singer started the martial art in the army with his interest becoming all consuming on his return to America.

The same dealer has an original poster for Winston Churchill’s 1959 campaign to retain his Woodford constituency seat for sale at £1,000.

Worth a book The English language bulletin from the Rijksmuseum, featuring the latest art history research, is now available online for free.

The Amsterdam museum is home to 800 years of Dutch history, with its journal now open access. For details go to www.openjournals.nl Below The library of the Rijksmuseum now offers

greater access for students of fine art

Above One of the pamphlets issued by the Home Office, May 1980 © National Museums Scotland

30 seconds with...

Marc Knighton, Norfolk-based Keys Auctioneers new head of pictures How did you start in the business?

My great aunt and her husband were dealers in Edinburgh at a shop called Fife’s Antiques. I was always fascinated by their collection, which included paintings, furniture and scientific instruments.

I found myself drawn to pictures and specific artists within their collection, such as the Scottish landscape, portrait and marine painter, Robert McGregor (1847– 1922), and the Worcester-born Scottish artist, James Stuart Park (1862-1933) who studied at Glasgow School of Arts.

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Churchill’s fame at the time was such that no more was needed than his blue silhouette and trademark cigar.

The wartime PM won the seat with 71.24 per cent of the vote. It was the final election he contested, nearly six decades after his first election as MP for Oldham in 1900.

Left The electioneering poster needed nothing more than the candidate’s silhouette Right The book is annotated

by Elvis Presley

Slowly does it Nearly 30 years after they were stolen from Kingston Lacy in Dorset, four historic bronze tortoises have been recovered and returned home, thanks to an entry spotted in an auction catalogue.

The bronzes, which went missing in 1992, were commissioned in 1853 by the 19th-century collector William John Bankes (1786–1855) who even sent his own tortoise to Paris to act as the sculptor’s model.

They were returned after Tim Knox, former head curator at the National Trust, saw them listed for sale.

About Kingston Lacy curator Elena Greer with one of the

tortoises, courtesy of National Trust Images, James Dobson

What has been your most exciting find?

A wonderful portrait by the British artist, John Opie (1761-1807), that had been considered a lost work for some time. It is a charming oil on canvas of a young girl, seated, in a landscape, holding roses.

Favourite artist (we have heard of)?

Gilbert Prousch (born September 17, 1943, in San Martin de Tor, Italy) and George Passmore (born January 8, 1942, in Plymouth) better known as Gilbert & George.

Their art confronts many of the fundamental issues of human existence.

Favourite artist (we haven’t heard of)?

Hasan Abdalla (b. 1955). Forced to flee his home in Damascus, Syria in 2011, he now lives and paints in London.

He is inspired by the artists he met in the city of Al Hasakah in the north-eastern Kurdish region of Syria and his evocative abstract expressionist works often reflect

the joy and sorrow of Syrian country life. I enjoy following his progress as his creative journey continues.

What do you collect?

Prints by the printmaker and painter, Stanley Anderson (1884-1966). His detailed engravings of traditional British crafts over a 20-year period are exceptional.

What would be your best ‘Norfolk’ find?

A lost painting or sketchbook from any of the Norfolk school, perhaps Sir John Alfred Arnesby Brown (1866-1955) best known for his impressionistic pastoral landscapes, often featuring cattle.

Or, better yet, something by Edward Seago (1910-1974), one of England’s greatest landscape painters and pioneer of the British Impressionist movement

Keys Auctioneer’s next picture sale is September 17.

RACING AHEAD

OH BOY

A century after it was last seen in the UK, The Blue Boy, one of Thomas Gainsborough’s (1727-1788) best known works, is to go on show in London.

On January 25, 1921, the American rail and property businessman Henry E. Huntington bought the famous 1770 portrait. Its farewell tour, before it left for the States a year later, attracted 90,000 visitors to the National Gallery. The painting, thought to be of Jonathan Buttall, the son of a wealthy merchant, has been on show at the Huntington Library, Art Museum in California for the last century. It returns to the National Gallery on January 22 next year.

A Surrey auction house, known for its film and memorabilia sales, is launching its first standalone car auction this month.

At the sale on September 5, Woking-based Ewbank’s Auctions will put cars ranging from a Ford Capri to a rare Bentley under the hammer.

And, for those not in the market for a vintage motor, the sale will also feature a range of collectables, automobilia, and transport-related toys and models, including London Underground station signs.

The star lot, destined to draw attention from petrolheads around the world, is a Peterson 6.5-litre

WRITTEN WARNING Three auctions have been put on hold while an appeal attempts to raise money to save a “lost library” of British literature, including poems by Emily Brontë, works by Robert Burns and Jane Austen first editions.

Top The Blue Boy at the National Gallery, 1922 ©

courtesy of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California

Above Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), The Blue Boy, 1770, © courtesy of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California

Right A delftware

tulip charger on sale from John Howard

Above A Peterson 6.5-litre supercharged Bentley road racer has a pre-sale guide price of £600,000-£620,000 at this month’s sale

Sotheby’s halted three planned sales at which Brontë’s poems were expected to fetch between £800,000 and £1.2m, and where a first edition of Wuthering Heights had pre-sale expectations of £200,000 to £300,000.

The delay has allowed institutions including the Brontë Parsonage, British Library and Friends of the National Libraries (FNL) to raise the £15m needed to stop the works being bought by a private collector.

When the sale of the Honresfield Library was announced the Brontë Society said the “rightful home” for the manuscripts was the museum in the sisters’ former home in Haworth, West Yorkshire.

Left Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë, autographed manuscript, one of the works whose sale was put on hold

Farewell to fairs After 45 years on the fair circuit the wellknown British pottery specialist, John Howard, has decided to take his business online, while maintaining his Oxfordshire showroom.

He said: “The past year has given me time to reassess my business operation and I have decided I will no longer exhibit at fairs. Buyers can still be assured of a warm welcome at the showroom in Woodstock.”

John and Linda founded Howard’s of Aberystwyth in 1976.

He continued: “The internet has become a significant aspect of my dealership and the loyalty seen through the website has been encouraging.”

For more details go to www. antiquepottery. co.uk

supercharged Bentley road racer on a 1952 chassis, which was rebuilt to order in 2014, and estimated to fetch up to £620,000.

A sought-after D-reg 1986 Ford Capri with 93,000 miles on the clock is expected to make between £15,000 and £20,000.

Daughter merest A painting by the French impressionist, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), of his friend’s 23-year-old daughter starts a three-stop tour this month.

Gallery Oldham in Greater Manchester is the first venue for the work, Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study – part of a National Gallery’s Masterpiece tour. It is followed by The Riverside in Glan-yr-afon and Merseyside’s Kirkby Gallery.

While the title suggests the young woman is the portrait’s subject, on closer inspection the painting appears to be all about her father, Henri – a patron of French artists at the time.

Aged 23 and married when the portrait was painted, Degas omits Hélène’s wedding ring, emphasising her status as a daughter rather than as a wife.

Right Edgar Degas (1834-1917) Hélène Rouart in her

Father’s Study © The National Gallery, London

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 9

AUCTION Round up

AROUND the HOUSES This month’s round up includes the war medals of Group Captain Peter Townsend and the wedding ring of doomed poet and author Sylvia Plath

CHEFFINS, CAMBRIDGE

TENNANTS, LEYBURN A colourful patchwork suit worn by the largerthan-life comedian Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown, with a pre-sale estimate of £400-£600, sold for £400 at the North Yorkshire auctioneer’s July 30 sale.

Middlesbroughborn Brown, was known for his bawdy and often offensive comedy and his clown-like stage costume consisting of a bright patchwork suit and slippers topped with a leather flying cap and goggles.

At a previous sale, an oil on canvas by the Croatian artist Nikola Mašic (1852-1902), with an estimate of £1,200-£1,800, sparked a bidding war before finally selling for £9,500.

Characteristic of Mašic’s work, Goat Herders at Rest Before a Rustic Cottage depicted a scene of idyllic rural life. Mašic studied painting in Vienna, Munich and Paris, and was a professor of drawing in Zagreb from 1884 until his death.

The patchwork suit was as colourful as the comedian’s repartee

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ANTIQUE COLLECTING

The mahogany sideboard table sold for £12,000

A mahogany sideboard table, in the manner of Thomas Hope (1769–1831), from c. 1810, fetched £12,000 at the East Anglian auctioneer’s recent sale, against an estimate of £7,000-£10,000.

Supported by four lion monopodia with an elaborate brass gallery, the table was, at one time, part of the furnishings of Balls Park in Hertfordshire.

Dutch-born Hope was influential as a designer and collector whose work helped define the Regency style.

His extensive Grand Tour travels in Europe, Turkey and Egypt inspired his interest in antiquities as a source of designs for Regency interiors, furniture and metalwork.

The giant chess set was created to celebrate the Millenium

The rural idyll was typical of the Croatian artist’s work

EWBANK’S, WOKING A single edition giant chess set by the English studio potter John Maltby (1936-2020) sold for £9,0000 at the Surrey auction house’s recent sale, against an estimate of £4,000-£4,500.

Created for the Millennium celebrations at the New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham, each figure has a distinctive, heart-shaped face and bears a shield. They are also individually impressed with a JM seal to the base. At 61 x 61cm, the board itself is of considerable size and set with ceramic tiles.

Maltby, who died in December at the age of 85, was greatly inspired by the renowned potter Bernard Leach, working as an apprentice to Leach’s son, David.

In 1964, he set up his own studio in Crediton, Devon, establishing a global reputation. His work can be found in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, among others.

The Odundo pots, with combined low pre-sale estimate of £8,000, made a total of £143,750

DAWSON’S, MAIDENHEAD A rare 1972 Rolex GMT Master ‘Pepsi’ more than doubled its low estimate to sell for £16,500 at the Berkshire auction house’s recent sale.

The “Pepsi” Its adventurous owner, Rolex is highly who wore the watch on sought after by travels around the world watch – surviving a time in a war zone and mugging, aficianados decided it was time for a new home.

“Pepsi” became the watch’s nickname due to its bright red-and-blue bezel’s resemblance to the logo of the American soft drinks company.

Che Guevara was reportedly wearing a Rolex ‘Pepsi’ 1675 when he was captured and executed in Bolivia in 1967.

LAWRENCES, CREWKERNE

WILSON55, NANTWICH An 18th-century Flemish collector’s cabinet sold for more than five times its low estimate of £5,000, when it realised £26,840 at the Cheshire auctioneer’s recent sale.

The ebonised and tortoiseshell veneered piece came from the contents of Norton Priory, Warrington – demolished in the late 1920s, – and included card labels with the name Sir Richard Brooke written in pencil. In 1920 the house contents were sold at auction and the cabinet descended down the same farming family for the last century.

On four cabriole legs with animal paw feet, the piece opens to reveal an interior, veneered in floral scagliola, with 10 drawers.

Two pots by one of the world’s most renowned ceramicists, the Kenyan-born potter Magdalene Odundo sold for a total of £143,750 at the Somerset auctioneer’s recent sale.

Part of a private collection from a local couple, the first was a large, coil-built terracotta vessel, with an oval-shaped neck. Inspired by an exaggerated African angular coiffeur, with a globular body and 34cms high, the pot, which had an estimate of £5,000-£7,000, sold for £117,500, while the second vessel – expected to make £3,000-£5,000 – made £16,250.

ROGER JONES, CARDIFF The collector’s cabinet came from Norton Priory, Warrington

BISHOP AND MILLER, STOWMARKET A hand-printed board of the 18th-century Indian version of snakes and ladders smashed its estimate of £300-£500 to sell for £5,600 at the Suffolk auctioneer’s inaugural explorer sale.

Originating in the the western state of Maharashtra, the aim of the game gyanbazi is to achieve supreme Brahman status while avoiding being sent to hell.

The Indian board game, dated to c.1800, snaked past its low estimate

A oil on canvas by Sir Kyffin Williams (1918-2006) broke the Welsh auction house’s own previous world record when it sold for £62,000.

Titled Ynys Mon and depicting the village of Rhoscolyn in Anglesey with a farmer, dog and chapel, the painting had a low pre-sale estimate of £50,000.

The previous record for a painting by the Welsh artist, set by the auction house, was £60,000.

According to Welsh fine art auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones it had the ‘holy trinity’ of chapel, farmer and village. It was The paintbought by private collector from the ing broke the south of England with strong local auction house’s connections to the village featured. previous record for a work by Kyffin Williams

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 11

AUCTION Round up DIX NOONAN WEBB, LONDON

SOTHEBY’S, LONDON

Plath’s Tarot cards sold for 25 times their estimate

Recipes annotated

by Sylvia Plath and her rolling pin sold for more than four times their low estimate at the auctioneer’s recent sale of personal possessions of the poet.

The 33 cards, typed by Sylvia Plath and her mother, Aurelia, included family favourites such as “Grammy’s Fish The rolling Chowder” and “Ted’s mother’s Scots pin and family Porridge Oats Biscuits,” referring favourite recipes to the poet Ted Hughes who Plath sold for married, aged 25, in 1956. Expected £27,720 to make £800-£1,200, they sold for £27,720.

In the same sale a deck of Plath’s Tarot cards, given to the poet by Hughes on her 24th birthday, estimated at £4,000-£6,000, made £151,200. Occult lore went on to influence Plath’s work, including her 1960 poem The Hanging Man. The couple’s gold wedding rings, estimated at £6,000£8,000 sold for £27,720. The collection was consigned for sale by the couple’s daughter, Freida.

The couple’s wedding rings were one of the lots in the £780,000 sale

SWORDERS, STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET An unassuming playbill bought in an Epping charity shop for £5 sold for £4,750 at the Essex auctioneer’s recent sale after it was found to be a rare theatrical advertisement printed on the H.M.S Resolute during its Arctic expedition in the 1850s.

The silk advert, which had pre-sale expectations of £800-£1,200, advertised two performances The playbill by the ‘Royal Arctic Theatre’, attacted significant interest from namely The Taming the Shrew and The Two the UK and America Bonnycastles.

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ANTIQUE COLLECTING

A group of 11 medals awarded to Group Captain Peter Townsend (1914-1995), Princess Margaret’s great love, sold to a private collector for £260,000 at the Mayfair auction house’s recent sale, DNW’s medal specialist, Mark Quayle, said: “This iconic group of The medals medals was a reflection of a glittering service celebrated Group Captain Peter career as a Battle of Britain fighter ace.

Townsend’s His story, combined military record with a tale of royal love and heartbreak, provided the ultimate human interest.” Townsend, the first pilot to bring down an enemy The dashing aircraft on English war hero stole soil, later commanded Princess and took part in 300 Margaret’s operational sorties. heart

KINGHAMS, MORETONIN-MARSH

The overlooked work of St Gregory came from a routine valuation in a Leamington Spa home

A car mascot by the legendary French jeweller turned glassmaker René Lalique sold for £135,000 at the Gloucestershire auctioneer’s recent sale.

Estimated at £80,000-£120,000, the car mascot in the shape of a fox attracted global interest before going to a UK-based bidder.

Lalique produced 29 mascots in the ’20s and ‘30s in shapes including fish, horses, wild boar, birds and dragonfly, with the rarer fox being the most sought after.

At a previous auction a small oil painting, which experts spotted as being a 17th-century work from the Flemish The fox car mascot by school, sold for £12,600.

Lalique attracts most attention from collectors

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   



 

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COLLECTING GUIDES Bloomsbury Group artwork Before long all three were regular visitors, along along with the couple’s two young children (Julian and Quentin) as well as the daughter Angelica which Bell and Grant had together.

This unconventional and creative coterie quickly welcomed other leading lights of the Bloomsbury Group to the new home for extended periods, with visitors including the art historian and critic, Roger Fry; influential economist, John Maynard Keynes and the writer and critic, Lytton Strachey (Grant’s former lover).

The writer and political theorist, Leonard Woolf; Thoby Stephens (Vanessa and Virginia’s brother) and Russian ballerina, Lydia Lopokova (Keynes’ wife) also stayed at the farmhouse.

Bell enthused about her new home in a letter to Fry. She wrote: “The pond is most beautiful with a willow at one side & a stone – or flint – wall edging it all round the garden part, & a little lawn sloping down to it, with formal bushes on it. Then there’s a small orchard & the walled garden…& another lawn or bit of field railed in beyond.

LOVE LIFE

Escape to the

COUNTRY

A new exhibition opening this month shines a light on the Bloomsbury Group’s rural retreat, Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, and the incredible work it inspired

W

ith its bucolic setting in the rolling heart of the South Downs, where tumbledown barns sit amid the colour of a fecund English garden, it’s easy to see why Charleston Farmhouse was a rural haven for the Bloomsbury Group in the early 20th century.

A new exhibition at Philip Mould Gallery in London’s St James’s showcases 32 artworks by the influential group, revealing how much of an inspiration the farmhouse was for more than half a century – even evoking comparison with Monet’s home in Giverny.

It was Leonard and Virginia Woolf who first discovered the property which, on the downs by Firle Beacon, was close to their own Sussex house.

She introduced it to her artist sister, Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), her husband Clive Bell (1881-1964) and her lover, the artist Duncan Grant (1885-1978) with Bell signing the lease in 1916.

14 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above The gardens at Charleston inspired the artistic residents. Photo Penelope Fewster Right Vanessa Bell

((1879-1961) Interior with the Artist’s Daughter c.1935-6

Away from the confines of the capital, this artistic diaspora quickly turned the somewhat stolid and square farmhouse into a hub of creativity and a setting for alternative ways of living. As famously noted by the American satirist Dorothy Parker: “They lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles.”

Bell’s painting, The Pond, 1916, was, according to Grant, her first painting produced at Charleston and featured one of the main reasons she decided to move to the farmhouse. Grant’s own work The Hammock, Charleston (c. 1921-1922) shows Bell, her three young children and their tutor lounging on a summer’s day.

Two other notable family portraits feature Grant’s 1930 portrait of Julian Bell, his lover’s son who died seven years later in the Spanish Civil War aged just 29.

The second is Vanessa Bell’s own work of her 18-yearold daughter Angelica in a book-filled interior. The tender moment pre-dates Angelica’s discovery she was, in fact, Grant’s not Clive Bell’s daughter, a revelation which caused a rift in the family.

DOMESTIC INSPIRATION Both Bell and Grant took inspiration from everything from food preparation in the kitchen, to portraits of the household cat, Opussyquinusque.

Even the oak-panelled walls and furniture of the building became playful canvasses for expression, resulting in a carnival of beautifully-patterned surfaces, murals and motifs throughout the house.

Fabrics and ceramics designed by Bell for the Omega Workshops, principally started by Roger Fry in July 1913, adorned the interiors.

Above Duncan Grant’s studio at Charleston.

Photo Lee Robbins Right Duncan Grant

(1885-1978) The Hammock, Charleston c. 1921-1922

WORLD AT WAR However, in 1916, war was raging in Europe and any idyll was shattered by the call-up for men under 40 to enlist. It was a political climate entirely at odds with the group’s anti-war and pacifistic stance – many were conscientious objectors – and in order to avoid the draft, Bell secured work on a local farm for both her

‘The boundless limits of Charleston quickly turned the somewhat stolid and square farmhouse into a hub of unfettered creativity and setting for alternative ways of living’

husband and Grant. As a reserved occupation, it avoided the chance of enlistment or possible imprisonment.

Charleston continued to provide the perfect surroundings to redefine the era’s artistic boundaries while exploring the European modernist movement.

Bell and Grant embraced elements of the contemporary avant garde including cubism and abstract art, producing work that reduced form into geometric shapes, often outlined with black lines.

Landscapes became more brutalist and sharply angular, with bold colours.

As the century progressed with travel restricted, amid two world wars, Charleston’s inhabitants and visitors turned to local scenes, such as Bell’s The Barn at Charleston, Winter (c.1940-1941) and Grant’s The Pond in Winter at Charleston (c. 1943).

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 15

COLLECTING GUIDES Bloomsbury Group artwork

When not painting family, friends or the surrounding countryside, Bell and Grant would turn to capturing the flowers that grew around them, alongside other curiosities within the house.

Bell’s Apples and Vinegar Bottle (1937) is one such example and includes a colourful ceramic bottle purchased by her on a summer trip to Italy. While the bottle will be displayed alongside the painting throughout this month’s exhibition, it usually still resides at Charleston.

Bell continued to live part of each year at the property, now run by the Charleston Trust, until her death in 1961, while Grant stayed on for longer, until the house became too large for him.

Charleston, The Bloomsbury Muse, is on at Philip Mould Gallery, 18-19 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5LU, from September 14 to November 10. For more details go to www.philipmould.com

Above left Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) The Barn at Charleston, c. 1940 Above The dining room at Charleston. Photo Lee Robbins Right Duncan Grant’s

bedroom at Charleston.

Photo Penelope Fewster

Below right Clive Bell’s

bedroom at Charleston.

Photo Lee Robbins

Below left Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) The Pond, Charleston c. 1916 © Estate of Vanessa Bell.

All rights reserved, DACS 2021

‘Dorothy Parker wrote: “They lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles”’ 16 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Q&A

Jane Oakley, head of paintings at Sworders, reveals the current market for works by the Bloomsbury Group

Q A

What is the current market for the Bloomsbury Group?

While prices for many 20th-century artists, particularly those from the post-war era, have increased dramatically in the last 10-20 years, there has long been a market for works by the Bloomsbury Group of artists, writers and designers, which I would regard as being long established.

QA

What is their unique appeal?

They have been much studied, admired, and mythologised for their philosophy and lifestyle. The folklore that has grown around them adds to their desirability as collectors buy into that magic.

Q A

How sought after are works by Bell and Grant?

In the visual arts, the two biggest names are Vanessa Bell and her some time partner, Duncan Grant. Bell’s works have performed strongly at auction as far back as the 1990s (The Model sold for £95,000 against an estimate of £50,000-£70,000 at Sotheby’s in 1997).

But that auction record was more than doubled when Autumn Bouquet sold this year at Christie’s for £256,250. The pre-sale estimate was a mere £25,000-£35,000, suggesting it was a big surprise on the day.

QA

What is driving demand?

Interest is stoked by recent exhibitions, including that of Philip Mould, which may have contributed to the price, adding market confidence.

Strong bidding between the trade and private collectors can drive up prices dramatically. All at once, a market that was previously viewed as safe and consistent becomes more desirable – perhaps indicating the direction of travel for future sales.

QA

Who is more well known?

Duncan Grant was more prolific, partly due to his long life (he died in 1978 at the age of 93). His works come up regularly at auction – a search on Artprice brings up more than 1,600 listings to Vanessa’s Bell’s 360.

Grant’s works on paper can sell for under £5,000, right up to his auction record of £170,000 achieved in 2016 for a nude study of his friend, the mountaineer George Mallory (1885–1978). A talented artist, Grant’s work embraces a wide variety of styles and mediums.

Q A

What other members should we know about?

The artist and critic Roger Fry (1866-1934) was central to the ethos of the movement and more widely, in the promotion of modern art in the Edwardian period.

While his works generally don’t make the same figures as Bell and Grant, a record price was recorded last year for a portrait of EM Forster, another writer associated with the group.

The price of £325,000 far outstripped any previous record for the artist which previously stood at £56,500 for a portrait of Vanessa Bell in 2021.

Above Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) floral painting, sold for £10,500 in 2013, image courtesy of Sworders

QA

Are more affordable works available?

The Bloomsbury Group’s resolution to promote design and the decorative arts alongside fine art, resulted in an explosion of activity initially through the Omega Workshop. Painted furniture, tiles, ceramics, fabric designs were produced in a wonderfully collaborative way.

Their highly-decorative pieces, along with books and prints offer a huge variety for the collector starting at relatively modest sums. This allows every enthusiast the opportunity to a own piece of the Bloomsbury legend, regardless of budget.

Below left Vanessa Bell design for furnishing material, pen and ink and watercolour, sold for £1,200 in 2019, image courtesy of Sworders Below right Duncan Grant (1885-1979) A Still Life

of Irises in a Vase and a Book on a Table, sold for £7,100 in 2017, image courtesy of Sworders

Duncan Grant: solo exhibition

More than 30 paintings by Duncan Grant (1885-1978), some of which have never been seen in public before, will go on display at the Charleston Farmhouse from September 18. The display, marking the first solo show of Grant’s work since his death, recreates an exhibition a century ago at London’s Paterson-Carfax Gallery.

Then, the 31-work exhibition secured Grant’s reputation as one of the most important artists of the day and leading member of the British avant garde. It included landscapes, still-lives and portraits, created over the previous four years, as well as some of his most recognisable works, including Venus and Adonis (1919) and Juggler and Tight Rope Walker (1918-1919). Find out more at www.charleston.org.uk Duncan Grant (1885-1978) Venus and Adonis, c.1919, oil on canvas. Tate Collection, © Estate of Duncan Grant

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 17

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In association with

THE ROBIN SIMPSON COLLECTION OF COMMEMORATIVES 8th September 2021

CONTACT Clare Durham | +44 (0)1722 424507 | cd@woolleyandwallis.co.uk

w w w.wo o lleyan dwal l i s. co. u k A collection of botanical watercolours sold for £15,000

TREVANION Fine Art & Antique Auction

Wednesday 22nd September 2021

trevanion.com

18 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

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

Lots of Love Christina finds a kindred spirit in a wildlife artist whose life was cut tragically short by a terrorist’s bomb

Summer Exhibition. An avid reader, tireless letter writer and fastidious diary keeper, her writing style matched her personality: hectic, busy and sprinkled with amusing sketches. Her signature, whether on paintings, letters or even her cheque book was always a little mouse.

Above right Mouse Macpherson’s watercolour of a lobster with her trademark signature bottom right Left Christina and Deirdre ‘Mouse’ Macpherson’s daughter, Louie Below right Mouse

Macpherson at work

A

s a country girl I have a huge fondness for wildlife art, and my walls at home are covered in depictions of country landscapes and the animals that inhabit it. So it was a joy for me to meet Louie Warburton-Lee, the daughter of the extraordinarily gifted artist, Deirdre ‘Mouse’ Macpherson (1941-1986). The chance purchase of a greetings card with one of Mouse’s wonderful illustrations on it, lead to a wonderful conversation with Louie about her talented mum’s life and work, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to learn more about an artist who I have long admired.

FAMILY TRAGEDY In May 1986, tragedy struck when Mouse, her husband, Tim, and their youngest daughter, Iona, were killed by a terrorist bomb in Sri Lanka. Mouse was just 45 when she died, leaving behind her two daughters, Louie and Kate, who now feel is the right time to open their mother’s sketch books once again and share them with a wider audience.

As Louie said: “Because her art was so utterly who she was, it has taken us quite a while to come to the decision to release mum’s work, as you can imagine, it has been quite an emotional process to go through.”

It was an absolute joy for me to spend a happy hour flicking through Mouse’s original sketch books.

Although she typically painted on commission or sold her works through regular exhibitions, most of the works now released by Louie and Kate are from her encyclopaedic sketchbooks and they remain a tribute to the remarkable and intuitive artist that she was.

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. To find out more about Mouse Macpherson’s work go to www.wildlifebymouse.com

BEATRIX POTTER Mouse grew up on her parent’s farm in Suffolk where she developed her life-long fascination with wildlife.

She both collected and drew the plants, animals and insects that she found around her on a daily basis, like something straight out of a Beatrix Potter book. Louie said: “Over the years, she would bring home waifs and strays, her pets and patients included: a hare, red squirrel, a chameleon, weasels, owls, kestrels, a peacock (that mainly lived in the house), plus all the normal pets such as cats, dogs and ponies. As such, she built up an innate knowledge of the animals around her.”

Mouse struggled with dyslexia and left school at 15 to attend art classes with Cavendish Morton, an influential local artist who taught her the skills of drawing and painting.

In 1957, she had an oil painting selected to hang in the Royal Academy at the tender age of just 16, making her the youngest artist since Turner to exhibit at the

‘Over the years, she would bring home waifs and strays, including a hare, red squirrel, a chameleon, weasels, owls, kestrels and a peacock (that mainly lived in the house)’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING

19

COLLECTING GUIDES A century of Venini glass Europe was bowing to the influence of art nouveau. But change was afoot and, in 1921, with the vision of one man, glassmaking was about to undertake a sea change thanks to one of the greatest names in modern Italian glass – Paolo Venini (1895-1959).

HEART OF GLASS Venini was born in Cusano, Italy, on January 12, 1895, to a middle-class Lombard family. As a young man he studied law in Milan. During WWI he was stationed near Venice where he became fascinated with the glass mosaics and stained glass of St Mark’s cathedral.

After the war, Venini began a law practice but soon came under the influence of Venetian art and antiquities dealer Giacomo Cappellin (1887-1968) who convinced the young lawyer to join him as a business partner.

Together in 1921 they formed a new Murano glass enterprise with dreams of producing something very different from what had been produced previously.

It was an ambitious project which the Venetian artist Vittorio Zecchin (1878-1947) immediately decided to join, in the role of artistic director.

FORGING FORWARD

Alessandro Mendini (19312019) Arcimboldo, 2015, sold for €10,400 in 2017, image courtesy of Piasa

Forging Ahead

This year marks 100 years of the celebrated Murano glassmaker, Venini. Holly Johnson considers the artists whose work was at the heart of Italian glass

G

lassmaking has been at centre of the Venetian island of Murano for centuries, with its unparalled quality of craftsmanship making it sought after across Europe and beyond. But, despite the island makers’ supremacy, by the end of the 19th century, in terms of creativity, they were looking like a spent force. While Murano’s makers still looked to the past for inspiration, the rest of

20 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Right Carlo Scarpa

(1906-1978). A Neri e Rossi vase, sold for €241,000, against an estimate of €30,000€40,000, in 2012. Image courtesy of Christie’s

The company was built along traditional lines but sought to embracing the avant garde. In the same year, Zecchin created the famous vase Veronese, which was to become the symbol of the company.

In 1925, following a dispute with Zecchin, Cappellin and Venini split their business in two. Venini’s business took the name Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Venini & C., along with a new, visionary art director, Napoleone Martinuzzi (1892-1977). Venini soon became synonymous with bold, coloured art glass and lighting at the cutting edge of contemporary aesthetics. Within years he was the most important glasswork on the island of Murano.

From 1927 to 1932, he explored a series of new, techniques, including pasta vitrea (opaque glass), vetro incamiciato (layered glass), and vetro pulegoso (bubble glass) kickstarting experimental forms. Venini’s reputation for innovation grew through exhibitions at national fairs, including the Venice Biennale, Monza, and eventually the Triennale di Milano.

Left The architect and glass designer, Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) Right Angelo Barovier

(act. 1470-1480) Barovier drinking glass, c. 1470

Below right Charles

Frederick Ulrich (1858– 1908) Glass Blowers of Murano, 1886

ARCHITECT GLASSMAKERS In 1932, Martinuzzi decided to dedicate himself to sculpture, and Venini’s artistic directorship went to architects Tomaso Buzzi (1900-1981) and Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978), then in his mid-twenties. As art director Scarpa soon began combining old techniques with new adventurous colours.

Born in Venice, Scarpa studied architecture at the Accademia di Belle Arti graduating in 1926. His exploration of the medium of glass began while he worked at MVM Cappellin glassworks between 1926 and 1931. However, it was Scarpa’s next post at Venini where he redefined the parameters of glassblowing in terms of aesthetics and technical innovation.

Scarpa was considered the “Frank Lloyd Wright of glass” as, like the Amercian architect – and later Gio Ponti – they were all architects who shared an enduring love of glass.

Below left Tobia Scarpa (b.1935) Occhi vase, Venini, c. 1965, sold for $7,500, against an estimate of $3,000– $5,000, image courtesy of Rago/Wright

Island life Centuries before Venini set up in Murano, glass making was in full swing on the famous Venetian island. While glassmaking had flourished in the city from the earliest times, it was in 1291 when craftsmen were instructed to relocate to Murano to avoid the risk of fire.

After Islamic glassmaking started to decline – especially when Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453 – Eastern glassworkers flocked to Venice introducing new processes of enamelling and gilding.

Some of the decorations revived motifs from the Renaissance iconography such as Angelo Barovier’s (d. 1480) famous blue drinking cup.

But from the beginning of the 18th century Murano makers faced fierce competition from Bohemian glass, produced in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The fall of the Republic of Venice, in 1797, added to their woes.

One strategy was to revive ancient techniques, adapting them to the fashion of the times – a tradition maintained by the makers at Venini who went on to reinvent them while maintaining traditional skills.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

‘Bianconi was also responsible for the famous Venini Fazzoletto (handkerchief) vase, which became the symbol of the company in the post-war years. His design aimed to capture the flow of a tossed handkerchief suspended in mid air’

For the next 15 years Carlo Scarpa worked closely with Venini master glassblowers creating a number of innovative new styles. One of the first he pioneered was bollicine, named after the tiny bubbles of air suspended in the glass.

Two years later, he developed the mezza filigrana style, creating very thin glassware decorated by internal swirling lines. His and Venini’s collaboration was put on display at important international showcases such as the Milan Triennale and Venice Biennale in Italy during the 1930s and 1940s.

After Scarpa left Venini in the 1940s to devote himself to architecture, his son, Tobia (b. 1935), joined the firm and went on to create his most well-known Occhi vases, resembling nets of single colours enclosing clear glass windows or ‘eyes’.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 21

COLLECTING GUIDES A century of Venini glass Left Fulvio Bianconi (1915-1996), Fazzoletto (handkerchief) vase, Venini,1949 Right Fulvio Bianconi

(1915-1996), Scozzese vase, Venini, 1954-1957, sold for $262,500, against an estimate of $150,000–$200,000 in June this year. Image courtesy of Rago/Wright

FULVIO BIANCONI (1915-1996) When Fulvio Bianconi met Venini in the spring of 1946, he was already a well-known graphic designer, illustrator and caricaturist.

Born in Padua in 1915, Bianconi moved with his family to Venice at the age of seven where his natural talent for drawing allowed him to study at the Carmini School of Art, and later at the Accademia di Belle Arti.

A year later, in 1947, Bianconi brought the humour

Record price for Venini

In 1960, after winning a Fulbright Travel Grant, the young American artist Thomas Stearns (1936-2006) left Cranbrook Academy to start a two-year tenure at Venini. However his ambitious plans for elaborate asymmetrical forms was not matched by his knowledge of Italian of which he was completely ignorant.

His controversial designs also drew criticism from Venini’s master blower, Arturo Biasutto, and when Stearns won an award at the 1962 Venice Bienniale, it was rescinded when judges discovered Stearns was an American.

Because his designs were too difficult to put into mass production, they became limited-edition art objects, much sought after by collectors. His 1962 sculpture La Sentinella di Venezia (The Sentinel of Venice) set a world record when it sold for $737,000 at Wrights auction house in Chicago in 2018.

A Stearns’ piece also held the previous auction record for Venini glass when two pieces realised $612,000 at Sotheby’s in 2016.

22 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Below left Thomas Stearns (1936–2006), La Sentinella di Venezia, Venini, 1962.

Image courtesy of Rago/ Wright Below Gio Ponti (1891-

1979) A set of 12 Canne glasses, Venini, 1955, sold for $32,500 against an estimate of $3,000–$5,000 in 2019.

Image courtesy of Rago/ Wright

and originality of his illustrations to his glasswork, producing, among other designs, Pezzati, (patchworks) – made up of bold, horizontal stripes woven together out of strips of coloured glass. He later introduced a Scozzese series, Italian for Scottish, which was based on tartan.

Bianconi was also responsible for the famous Venini Fazzoletto (handkerchief) vase, which became the symbol of the company in the post-war years.

The design aimed to capture the flow of a tossed handkerchief suspended in mid air.

A square of patterned glass was heated and draped over a post and allowed to fold naturally and cool in the shape of a bowl or vase that looked just like a coloured silk handkerchief.

Many pieces from these series would be included in the Italy at Work exhibition, which travelled the United States for three years (1951-1953) and exposed millions of Americans to Italian design. By the time the show ended, the name Venini was synonymous with Murano glass, and Bianconi was heralded as a new force in creative glass design worldwide.

GIO PONTI (1891-1979) After Paolo Venini’s death in 1959, his son-in-law, Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, took the company in a new direction. Responding to the tone of the times, Santillana began to invite artists from around the world to create a forward-looking design ethos.

During the 1930s, Gio Ponti conceived some of the most emblematic buildings in Milan that reflect the new architectural trends of the period, but his spell at Venini

Left Gio Ponti (18911979). Bottle with stopper, c. 1949 Right Silvano Signoretto

(b. 1948). A black and gold leaf Pettoni vase, 2016, priced £2,200 at Holly Johnson Antiques.

Signoretto started training at a glass studio at the age of eight with the master glass blower Alfredo Barbini

Below Alessandro

Mendini (1931-2019).

Arado vase, Venini, 1988, sold for £783 in March this year, image courtesy of Bonhams

Below right Silvano

brought out the painter in him.

As a glassmaker his designs ranged from bottles wrapped in frilly spirals – suggesting the hemline of a skirt – to conservative pieces with a colourful twist, such as a bulbous-bottomed bottle whose colour graduates from red to green.

Signoretto (b. 1948).

An orange glass vase with clear bubbles 2016, priced £1,850 at Holly Johnson Antiques.

Before starting his own glassware studio in 1999, Signoretto worked at Venini

ITALIAN POLYMATH Another 20th-century Italian polymath who made a name for himself at Venini was the architect, designer and poet, Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019).

His postmodern approach was characterised by combining elements from various cultures and eras and mixing them with a certain level of kitsch.

He said: “At Venini I did some very interesting things, many of which used their signature techniques and colours. Over the years, little by little I designed vases, lamps, light sculptures, very large vessels, figures, horses and totems.”

In 2002, he created a large red face wearing golden earrings by Cartier inspired by the sculptures of Easter Island. In the 1980s, along with Ettore Sottsass and Andrea Branzi, he became known as one of the important designers behind “nuovo design” or “neomodernism”.

Cheshire-based interior designer and antiques dealer, Holly Johnson, has a range of Murano glass including pieces by Venini-trained Pino and Silvano Signoretto, for more details go to www.hollyjohnson.co.uk

‘Stearns’ controversial designs also drew criticism from Venini’s master blower, Arturo Biasutto, and when he won an award at the 1962 Venice Bienniale, it was rescinded when judges discovered Stearns was an American’

Collecting Venini glass

Art dealer Dan Ripley reveals what the wouldbe collector needs to know about collecting Venini glass Beware of ‘Venini’ glass that has been doctored to look old. Glass can be scratched, buffed, ground and dirtied to appear aged.

Deep scratches or cracks can reduce the value substantially (unlike furniture). Glass colours do not fade, however, so a keen eye for colour can sometimes be illuminating. Notice that Venini’s new pezzati have darker green patches than the originals.

Phony labels can also be affixed and inscribed signatures and dates The double-edged sword of the incredible number of books compiled in the last decade to document the work of Fulvio Bianconi, Carlo Scarpa and others has been to provide all the data needed to create the best fakes and forgeries of their work.

Be aware that Venini glass from the 1950s is typically identified by a three-line acid stamp ‘venini murano ITALIA’.

However, take for example the ubiquitous Handerchief (fazzoletto) vase, which is almost always acid stamped. The problem is, in some cases, the design only allows a small area for the stamp, so not all vases have the complete signature.

On the smaller vases the stamp would not fit into the pontil area, so it is only by tilting the vase towards the light that it becomes evident. But since only Venini used the acid-stamped signature, just seeing part of it is enough to authenticate the vase as Venini. Also, genuine handkerchief vases have a highly-polished pontil (the mark left when the ‘punte rod’ was broken off a work of blown glass) – if it is not polished then it’s not Venini. Be aware of Chinese fakes which are incredibly heavy and lack the clarity and finesse of the real thing.

Dan Ripley is a third generation Indianapolis art dealer who regularly holds glass sales at www. antiquehelper.com

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 23

EXPERT COMMENT David Harvey

Waxing lyrical Evolving from the Pembroke, sofa tables were all the rage in Regency interiors. David Harvey considers what they were and what you look for

W

hile the first sofa tables date from the end of the 18th century, it was Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) who first wrote about them in his The Cabinet Dictionary published in 1803. They are a variant of the Pembroke table, which he described as “a name given to a kind of breakfast table from the name of the lady who first gave orders for one of them.” But there is a difference: a Pembroke table has drop leaves on its longer sides, whereas a sofa table has the leaves on the shorter sides.

SHERATON’S DESCRIPTION Later in his dictionary, Sheraton describes a sofa table as: “Those used before a sofa and are generally made between 5 and 6 feet long and from 22

24 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above Unlike a Pembroke, the sofa table has the leaves on the shorter sides Right A sofa table on

plate 74 of Thomas Sheraton’s The Cabinet Dictionary

(inches) to 2 feet broad; the frame is divided into two drawers as shewn in plate 74 where is also the design of a sofa that a stranger may more clearly see the use of such tables. The ladies chiefly occupy them to draw, write or read upon.”

Whereas Sheraton has the sofa table in front of the sofa, a century later it had become the habit to place the table behind the sofa.

This could be the result of a change in our way of living since the Georgian period – while the fireplace may still be a room’s focal point, it may no longer be the only source of heat and light in a room.

It is also interesting to see, in the version above, two frieze drawers. These are presumably false drawers as any lady seated on the sofa would want to be able to access the ‘real’ drawers on her side of the table.

Left The ring turnings on the central stretcher date it to c.1800 Right The triple line

inlay on the top of the table

Below right Importantly,

the inlay matches that on the table legs

DATED TO 1800 The ring turnings on the central stretcher are typical of the late 18th and early years of the 19th century, helping us to date the table to close to 1800.

We see this on different pieces where a central column supports a top – as on a tripod table, or work table. This is reinforced by sabred legs joining the uprights without any hint of a ‘knee’.

By the middle of the Regency period, sabred legs on tables had developed a roll which sat on top of the joint, which was often carved with foliage.

CONSISTENCY Another of the table’s nice touches is the singleminded approach of the brass fittings on the drawer pulls which have lion’s masks on them.

This motif is echoed on the feet and casters, which are in the form of lion’s paws.

Another indication of the age is the graduation of colour as you look down a piece. I would expect the burr yew wood used on the top to have

Below left The sabred leg joins the upright without a hint of a ‘knee’

Expert tip

Left The leonine theme extends to the feet Below The brass drawer

pulls show a lion’s face

Below left Imperceptible joints can be seen on the table top’s burr yew wood

When I consider a piece of antique furniture I am looking for consistency.

Do the bandings match all parts? Are the veneers consistent all the way through?

Has one person, or company, been responsible for the production of the piece? There are numerous ways to check this out.

Compare the similarity of the triple line inlay around the top of the table to the same inlay on the legs of the piece. faded slightly, compared to that of the frieze and bases.

Yew is an incredibly slow-growing tree, most often found in church yards and cemeteries, so to find the quantity of burr yew used on this table is rare indeed.

When this was made all timbers would have been cut by hand. I would not expect the top veneer to be from one section and, if you look very closely at the table, you should be able to make out the almost imperceptible joints.

Every time I look at this wonderful sofa table my heart sings with the enjoyment a piece of this calibre and originality can bring.

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

‘When I consider a piece of antique furniture I am looking for consistency. Do the bandings match all parts? Are the veneers consistent all the way through? Has one person, or company been responsible for the production of the piece?’

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 25

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Georgian Bath

Bath’s Rooms

A new exhibition putting Georgian life in the spotlight at Bath’s historic Royal Terrace is proving to be an invaluable aid to the collector

F

rom Jane Austen to Bridgerton, it seems we can’t get enough of the Georgians. An exhibition in Bath this month in one of the city’s best-known terraces – No.1 Royal Crescent – is shining a light on how a Georgian townhouse was both staffed and lived in. And, for collectors with a penchant for the era, its secrets serve up a wealth of understanding.

Built between 1767 and 1774, at the height of Georgian fashion, No 1. provided lodgings for Regency high society which was then dubbed ‘the ton’, meaning good manners, ‘le bon ton’.

The fictitious family at the heart of the immersive exhibition had arrived in Bath for the season. Father of three, Thomas, is the head of the household alongside

26 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above The withdrawing room, © No.1 Royal Crescent, the Bath Preservation Trust Right No.1 Royal

Crescent, © David Bickerstaff

his wife, Amelia, two daughters, Charlotte and Alice, and wayward eldest son, Richard (who has a fondness for Bath’s more scurrilous opportunities).

Curator, Dr Amy Frost, said: “Through the family and their servants, visitors will be able to understand what life was like for a range of people and ages, what they did and what shaped their lives.”

18TH-CENTURY BATH From 1714-1830, Bath was the place to be for outof-London social activity. Royalty, the aristocracy and commoners flocked to bathe in the spa waters. The population multiplied from 2,000 to 30,000 in just 100 years and, by 1801, Bath had become the eighth largest city in England. Dr Frost continued: “Most people in Bath from the upper levels of society did not actually

GEORGIAN SYMMETRY

live in the city until the later 18th/early 19th century; rather it was still a city that you came to for the season, although by the late 18th century that season was almost six months of the year.”

The period at the heart of the exhibition coincided with a boom in consumerism when shopping had become an important cultural activity. With improvements in transport and manufacturing technology, opportunities for buying and selling became faster and more efficient than ever. With window shopping and actual shopping a cultural activity in its own right, many exclusive retailers opened in elegant spa towns such as Bath and Harrogate, including milliners, haberdashers, goldsmiths and furniture makers.

Prosperity and expansion in manufacturing industries such as pottery and metalwares increased consumer choice dramatically. Consumers came to demand an array of new household goods and furnishings: metal knives and forks, for example, as well as rugs, carpets, mirrors, cooking ranges, pots, pans, watches and clocks.

Dr Frost said: “It was fashionable to employ someone to fit out your house or be your agent in acquiring furniture. This could be purchase or rental, but often a mix of both.” Upholsterers (sometimes also got called upholders) often did more than soft furnishings, working with local cabinetmakers.”

Above The harpsicord dates to 1770, photo Casper Farrell

At No. 1 the Royal Terrace, like other properties of the era, symmetry, space and light were key concepts.

Rooms were generously sized, with entertaining and family rooms on the first floor above the noise at street level, although usually at the front of the house. A smaller family parlour was located at the back of the first floor, with bedrooms on the second floor and servants housed in smaller rooms at the top of the house – evident by the smaller windows.

Dr Frost said: “Handprinted wallpaper was fashionable, particularly by the end of the 18th century, and very expensive to purchase. It was however cheaper than fabric wall hangings, which was a luxurious way of covering a wall and had derived from the wealthy having historically had tapestries hanging in rooms.”

At No. 1, rooms had candle sticks on every surface, and spaces such as the withdrawing room having girondoles on the walls, as well as a central chandelier if the homeowner could afford one, along with the candles required to light it.

Right A clock in the

drawing room shows the importance of symmetry, © David Bickerstaff

Below right Below stairs

at No.1 Royal Crescent, photo Casper Farrell

GEORGIAN INTERIORS For the first time with the dawn of the Georgian era, it is possible to talk about ‘taste’ in homes other than those owned by the aristocracy. Then, as now, middle classes visited neighbouring country houses to pick up on the latest fashions.

With cabinetmakers Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton issuing catalogues to advertise the

‘At No. 1, rooms had candle sticks on every surface, and spaces such as the withdrawing room having girondoles on the walls, as well as a central chandelier if the homeowner could afford one, along with the candles required to light it’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 27

THE EXPERT COLLECTOR Georgian Bath Dr Frost said: “The lady of the house had control of the tea caddy, but the housekeeper would also have held a key in order to keep it filled, as well as controlling the stock of tea that would be kept in a locked cupboard in the housekeeper’s room.”

The age also saw the advent of the three-tier standalone dumb waiter, used as a serving table in the absence of a servant who might overhear the more salacious gossip and could, in turn, use it for blackmailing the host.

latest styles, the concept of ‘design’ became universal.

Chippendale in particular catered for the swelling demand for functional yet stylish furniture. He accepted commissions to provide entire interiors ‘in the Chippendale style,’ including his signature camelback sofa, ribbonback chairs, with shell and acanthus decoration featuring heavily. He was also known for bold brass hardware, fretwork moulding and cabriole legs with ball and claw feet.

While walnut had been the timber of choice up to the Georgian period, it soon gave way to mahogany for a number of reasons: in 1720 France banned the export of walnut, on which the UK had been heavily dependent and, in 1721, the prime minister Sir Robert Walpole lifted the tax on mahogany.

The wood was durable and tough, and with a very fine grain that resisted scratches and bumps it offered an indispensable resource to the cabinetmakers of the 18th century. Mahogany blended seamlessly with ornament and lent itself well to the elegance that defined this period of furniture design.

GEORGIAN DINING Unlike today, at No. 1, in common with other Georgian homes, eating could take place anywhere in the house.

Dr Frost said: “A family might have taken breakfast together, but it is likely ladies would take breakfast in their rooms having risen quite late due to coming home late at night the evening before.”

Lunch tended to be taken as a brief meal, either at home or in town, with men lunching at a coffee house, while dinner was the most extensive meal, but taken between 4 and 5pm to allow the family to attend a ball or concert.

Edmund Rack, who moved to Bath from rural Essex in 1775 described his day-to-day life in a journal.

THE AGE OF ENTERTAINING With the emphasis on showcasing one’s material wealth, Georgians became known for their lavish entertaining. Dr Frost said: “There was a fashion for paying a call on an acquaintance on a day when you knew they were ’at home’ to callers. This was generally in the afternoon and a polite call would not last longer than about 15 minutes.”

Tea was drunk in vast quantities, with servants constantly refreshing the hot water and teapot. At No. 1, visits would have taken place in the withdrawing room or parlour depending on the status of the visitor and their relationship to the people they were visiting.

Only the rich and wealthy could afford to buy tea and, as a prized possession, homeowners would commission an expert craftsman to create them a beautiful and ornate caddy to protect it. Chippendale and Hepplewhite were two of the most renowned tea caddy designers and makers at the time.

Caddies were built to match the rest of the room’s décor and made from wood, metal, tortoiseshell, pewter, brass, or copper. The most popular materials were mahogany and rosewood. The majority were box-shaped and decorated with intricate motifs and delicately inlaid, and had ivory, ebony, or silver knobs.

Above right The table in the withdrawing Room, © No.1 Royal Crescent, photo Casper Farrell Right The Pump Room

was the place to be seen in late 18th-century Bath

Left Chippendale’s six designs for tea caddies, plate no.159 in The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director, 1762

‘Lunch tended to be taken as a brief meal, either at home or in town, with men lunching at a coffee house. Dinner was the most extensive meal but taken at 4 or 5pm to allow the family to attend a ball or concert’ 28 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Left A card table at No.1 Royal Crescent, © No.1 Royal Crescent, the Bath Preservation Trust photo Casper Farrell Right Taking tea was a

vital part of Georgian life, © No.1 Royal Crescent, the Bath Preservation Trust Below right James

Gillray (1757-1815) Lady Godina’s Rout, 1796, depicting Lady Georgiana Gordon (1781–1853) playing the card game PopeJoan. The artist satirises the fashion for vertical feathers or plumes in women’s headdresses

Dec 27, 1779 Pump Room throngd – near 20 lords & dukes, & Count Manteufel from Saxony. Rec[eive]d a packet from Molly Knowles with some excellent matter to cure the spleen.

Had a card from T.Curtis Esq to dine with him at 4 o’clock – dind at home first by way of security – at 2 waited on Lord Petre...

At 4 went to Curtis’ house in Belmont Row; found there his son from Oxford, & 3 very agreeable Ladys from Gloucestershire.

An elegant dinner of 2 courses, 4 dishes in a course – & a pretty desert with cold fruits. After dinner, the ladies retiring…Returnd home at nine.

Jan 8, 1780 Company grow still more numerous. There is scarce a lodging in the Upper Town to be had.

Last night, besides the dress ball at Gydes Rooms, there was a ball & supper at York House at which more than 400 attended. The tickets were 3 guineas, each ticket admitting a gentleman and a lady. A ball was likewise held at the Town Hall at which upwards of 300 attended.

Lord Molesworth just come in with 3 carriages & abt 20 servants, himself & lady in a very high phaeton & 6 horses, harness plated with silver, & 3 blacks with French horns.

THE ROUT Balls finished promptly at 11pm in Bath but many fashionable residents went on to hold an ‘after’ party to which select guests would have been invited.

This could take the form of a rout – a type of card party – or it could include a private performance by a singer or musician who had been performing that evening. Drink and food may have been offered (a “Rout-cake” is mentioned in Jane Austen’s Emma).

In Georgian times, gambling was endemic among the upper classes who had money coupled with time on their hands. Faro was a popular choice where players bet on cards that were turned up from a spring-loaded

Tea tables

The tea table was popular from the late 17th century, as having a fine piece of furniture to serve tea on was very important. They ranged from small rectangular versions to the round tilt-top design with a moulded dish top. The most common was the side table, with a swivel top, similar to the antique card table but on castors to be put in the corner of a room when not in use. When in use they would open up to double the size with two thick, figured leaves making a larger serving space, either using a swivel mechanism or by using a gate leg support.

device called a faro box.

For the highest society, baccarat was the game of choice with the Prince of Wales being a fan, with his own set of engraved counters.

Dr Frost said: “Card tables were brought out from the edge of the room and opened up. There would also have been Pembroke tables for the laying out of tea services and serving tea.”

When not in use, the flap was closed, so that the table could be pushed against the wall. Semicircular card tables, decorated with marquetry or cross-banding, also came into favour with the top opening to provide a circular playing area. Several mechanisms were designed to support the card table flap.

The immersive exhibition at No.1 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LR, continues until January 2, 2022. For more details go to www.no1royalcrescent.org ANTIQUE COLLECTING 29

MEMORABILIA Sitcom collectables not saved for posterity, and instead were returned to the BBC’s costume department for use in other programmes. As such, few props have survived.

Yet two ‘Basil’ rodents do exist. They were brought to a 2017 Antiques Roadshow event by the wife of the puppet maker who crafted them. One was the ‘Basil’ who appeared in the biscuits tin (complete with moving head), the other the version who scuttled across the dining room floor. Valued at the time at £2,000-£3,000 each, I feel they are worth significantly more, such is the paucity of Fawlty Towers props, and the iconic nature of this episode and the series in general.

“Everyone – of a certain age in particular – will remember Basil, and because the programme will go on and on, these things have value,” said Antiques Roadshow specialist Judith Miller. “They are so important in the history of comedy.”

John Cleese did own a prop rodent (or was it a Siberian hamster?) but has since lost it.

Cool & Collectable 40 years since the first episode of Only Fools and Horses, Paul Fraser reveals the sitcom memorabilia to watch out for

F

our decades on from Del Boy and Rodney hitting our screens is all the excuse I need to discuss memorabilia connected with the bestloved British sitcoms.

Now, British sitcom memorabilia follows a similar pattern to artefacts from big screen movies. It tends to be iconic pieces from the classic programmes of yesteryear that attract the biggest money, with prices more modest for items from the last 20 years.

Let’s begin with the programme routinely voted the best British sitcom of all.

FAWLTY TOWERS

What’s your favourite Fawlty Towers episode?

The Germans? The Hotel Inspectors? Basil the Rat? I’m probably in the latter camp, but to be quite honest it’s usually whichever episode I’ve watched most recently. The 12 episodes provided several iconic props: such as the hotel sign rearranged for every episode, the Moose with the broken antler, and even Basil’s brown suit.

However (and this is a theme familiar to collectors of TV and film history), many of the pieces were

30 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III sold for £36,000 in March, image courtesy of Silverstone Auctions Right Trigger’s medal for “road sweeping services” achieved £4,900 in 2019, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions Below right The legendary cheque for £6.2m making the brothers overnight millionaires sold for £9,100, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES

Del Boy’s three-wheeler is among the most iconic cars in TV and film.

The bright yellow Reliant Regal, with its leopard print interior, was something of its own character.

Several were produced for filming, and they’re hugely popular at auction.

Most recently an example used in the trailer for the 2001 Christmas Special, If they could only see us now, filmed in Monaco, sold for £41,625 in 2017. Another of the vehicles sold in 2007 for £44,227.

And by the way, not one of Trigger’s 17 broom heads and 14 handles has ever appeared for auction, although his medal for “road sweeping services” achieved £4,900 in 2019.

Army, Fawlty Towers or Last of the Summer Wine.

You’ll likely need to find a similar amount to own a signed photo from Rising Damp or Porridge. While Rising Damp lacks the huge fanbase of some, the early death, aged just 31, of leading actor Richard Beckinsale makes his signature hard to come by.

Left The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies sold for £4,000, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions Right Ricky Gervais made David Brent a household name, image Shutterstock Below right The clapperboard proved a fan favourite

‘ALLO ‘ALLO!

Of all the recurring plot themes in ‘Allo ‘Allo!, none engenders as much mirth as the painting of The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies.

The Germans spend much of the nine series attempting to hunt down the painting.

Many copies of the fictional Van Klomp artwork were created for the programme, yet only one featured from first series to last.

Indeed, it featured in the show’s last episode, A Winkle in Time, in which the painting is discovered in a statue’s arm outside Rene’s café.

It even shows evidence of a repair, as one of the boobies was removed in a previous episode.

Immediately post-filming, the painting was gifted to Shaun Moore, who had worked on the programme.

He auctioned it for charity in 2007 for £4,000. It sold again, for £15,000, in 2018. The buyer was a British expat who lived near to the French village of Nouvion where the series was set (although all the scenes were filmed in Norfolk).

Lower right A tie worn

by David Brent in The Office, along with some Wernham Hoggheaded paper, image courtesy of Gorringes Bottom right The yellow and red Fiat Cinquecento sold for £15,000 earlier this year, image courtesy of East Bristol Auctions

MODERN CLASSICS

Memorabilia values are relatively low for British comedies of this millennium, offering investment options for the brave.

A tie worn by David Brent in The Office, along with some Wernham Hoggheaded paper, auctioned for a combined £360 in 2017.

The yellow and red Fiat Cinquecento that featured in hit sitcom The Inbetweeners auctioned for a relatively modest £15,000 (when compared with an Only Fools and Horses three-wheeler) earlier this year.

Exceptions to the rule are pieces from Gavin and Stacey. The sitcom has a legion of followers, who have already proved themselves willing to pay significant sums for the show’s memorabilia.

A clapperboard used in filming the 2019 Christmas special, signed by all the cast, subsequently auctioned for £8,000.

18m viewers watched the episode, the highest audience figure for a comedy since Only Fools and Horses in 2002.

AUTOGRAPHS

A more affordable option for collectors are autographs and signed displays.

Expect to pay £300-£400 for a good-looking castsigned display for classic programmes such as Dad’s

‘Exceptions to the rule are pieces from Gavin and Stacey. The sitcom has a legion of followers, who have already proved themselves willing to pay significant sums for the show’s memorabilia’

Paul Fraser is the founder of Bristol-based Paul Fraser Collectibles, for more details go to www. paulfrasercollectibles.com ANTIQUE COLLECTING 31

COLLECTING GUIDES Northern art strokes of his brush or pen, finding his inspiration in the landscape of North Wales and Lancashire, and in the streets of Manchester and Salford.

EXPRESSIONIST INFLUENCE

Northern lights With a growing number of dedicated collectors, Northern art is in the spotlight. Cheshire specialist dealer and collector Martin Heaps reveals the names making waves

N

orthern art embraces the work of a multitude of 20th-century (and contemporary) artists who not only lived and worked in the North, but most importantly, took the landscape and culture of the region as their primary source of inspiration. From factories and coal mines, to rows of terraced houses, Northern artists brilliantly portrayed everyday life and elevated it into an artform.

OLD GUARD You cannot speak of the genre without mentioning LS Lowry (1887-1976), as he is, without a doubt, the most famous of the bunch. Lowry developed a distinctive style of painting and is best known for his urban landscapes with human figures, often referred to as ‘matchstick men’.

He had an extraordinary ability to record seemingly mundane moments with his distinctive short-hand technique, describing a whole way of life with just a few

32 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above William Turner (1920-2013) Reopening of The Palace Theatre, 1981 Right Brian Shields

(Braaq) (1951-1997) Fairground sold for £11,500 at the Leyburn auction house Tennants in March 2019, image courtesy of Tennants

William Ralph Turner (1920-2013) was the last of the great northern industrial painters who belonged to the Northern School of Artists influenced by LS Lowry.

In the ‘50s and ‘60s he was a regular visitor to the exhibitions held at the Crane Kalman Gallery in Manchester, where he was influenced by the works of the German Expressionists and the French Fauves, including Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958) and Georges Rouaul (1871-1958).

After being inspired by their work, he applied their colours and techniques to the industrial landscapes of the northwest of England.

Turner painted the North West and surrounding areas for about 60 years, often from memories and images obtained while indulging another of his passions – long-distance cycling. He was able to tell incredible stories through his art and his paintings are vibrant and vigorous, with a strong use of colour which lightens his often industrial subject matter.

BRAAQ TO THE FUTURE Another pioneer of the northern art scene was Brian Shields (1951–1997) who is best known for painting industrial scenes of northern Britain. The unusual name of ‘Braaq’ is a misspelling of the famous French artist Braque which, on account of his artistic talent as a boy, was his nickname at school.

Braaq was born in Liverpool and was the fourth child in a family of 12, all of whom followed the arts. He launched into his professional career at the age of 23 following worldwide coverage of his anonymous murals.

Having not been encouraged to become an artist, Shields became a trainee chef working at a drab hotel.

Looking to brighten up the hotel, Shields painted a mural, signing it Braaq to hide his identity. The identity of the mystery painter remained unknown for five weeks until Braaq was unmasked by a local journalist.

After that he was highly praised for his work following his first exhibition, and his paintings have since been shown worldwide in galleries from Canada to Holland, as well as London’s Royal Academy.

Left Theodore Major (1908-1999) Gathering at Wigan, image courtesy of Collect Art Right Norman Cornish

(1919-2014) St Charles’ Church, Tudhoe, oil on board, signed and dated ‘84, image courtesy of Anderson and Garland

Below right Edgar

Rowley Smart (18871934) Summer Sunshine Giverny, image courtesy of Collect Art

MAJOR TALENT Wigan-born Theodore Major (1908-1999) is currently one of the most popular northern artists with his paintings in high demand. A new biography soon to be published by Michael Howard dubs Major, “Britain’s last forgotten 20th-century master”.

The book will be sure to reignite interest in the artist who is slowly being discovered and admired for his vibrant flower pieces and powerful industrial scenes.

Poppies, an oil-on-board by Major sold for £7,100 at the Suffolk auction house Lacy Scott and Knight, while a similar work sold for £13,186 at Glasgow’s Great Western Auctions in September 2020. A decade earlier his work was achieving a third of that sum.

Major was a fervent Lancastrian who was against materialism, the commercial gallery system and the sale of his pictures to rich collectors.

His family has retained a good amount of his work which he painted for ordinary people, not money. He painted in a wide range of styles which he said was “to disturb and extend consciousness in the mind of the viewer.”

He was also president of the Wigan Art Club, which he founded in 1952. Major exhibited with the best, including LS Lowry at galleries including Tib Lane, Manchester, and Mercury Gallery in London. In 1948, his painting Kippers was included in the summer exhibition of the Redfern Gallery in London alongside works by Picasso and Henry Moore.

PITMAN PAINTERS

The Northern artists are not to be confused with the ‘Pitman’ painters, who were a group of miners turned artists whose work chronicled life in Ashington, Northumberland. The group was founded in the early 1930s as a Workers’ Educational Association class giving mining families access to the arts.

One of the well-known pitman painters is Norman Cornish (1919-2014) who spent 33 years as a miner before turning to art. He was fascinated by the everyday, painting vivid views of ordinary life combining unpretentious realism with nostalgia.

1907, at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

He was a member of the Sandon Society, Liverpool, 1907, and founder of the Society of Modern Painters, Manchester, 1912.

His painting career was interrupted in 1914 by WWI where he served in France but was released from service due to tuberculosis, which continued to dog him for the rest of his life.

After his military service, Smart lived and studied with landscape and portrait painter, Augustus John (1878-1961) at his studio in Dorset. His work appears in a number of galleries, ranging from Manchester City Art Gallery to the Tate.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION Edgar Rowley Smart (1887-1934) is one of Manchester’s most notable impressionists and an artist to really take note of. Born 26 January, 1887, in Cheetham Hill, Smart studied at Manchester School of Art from 1901-1903, and in Liverpool from 1903-1906 under the etcher FV Burridge and then from 1906 to

‘William Turner painted the North West and surrounding areas for some 60 years, often from memories and images obtained while indulging another of his passions – long-distance cycling’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 33

COLLECTING GUIDES Northern art Left Harry Rutherford (1903-1985) Rural Scene of Mottram Village, oil on board, image courtesy of Collect Art

UNDER-THE-RADAR

UNSUNG HERO

One of the most under-the-radar names of the northern artists is Geoffrey Key (b. 1941). His acclaimed career as an artist spans five decades thus far, and he has just recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

His work is meeting growing acclaim, with his painting, Summer Meeting, selling for £9,516, at Wilson55’s auction in February 2021.

In 1958, Key attended the Regional College of Art where he studied under distinguished painters, draughtsmen and sculptors, most notably Harry Rutherford. He built on his early talent to achieve an international status and reputation for his individual and diligent expression of form, light and colour.

Key’s work features in private, public and corporate collections worldwide; in recent times one-man shows have taken place across the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA. His work has also been the subject of a number of published books and articles.

Harry Rutherford (1903-1985) has often been identified as one of the unsung heroes of the Lowry generation.

In 1925, he was the first and youngest pupil to enrol in Walter Sickert’s new school of art in Manchester.

Sickert had, in turn, trained under Edgar Degas.

Rutherford’s association with Sickert was lifelong, with Sickert calling him his “ intellectual heir and successor”.

Lancashire hot shot

Helen Bradley (1900-1979) was born in a small village called Lees near Oldham in Lancashire. As a youngster she trained in jewellery and embroidery at the local school of art, but did not start to paint until the age of 65 as a means of telling her small granddaughter what life was like when she was a small girl.

Bradley’s paintings tend to feature the same recognisable characters, with her early works typically depicting Helen herself along with George, her younger brother, their mother, her three maiden aunts, the eligible bachelor, Mr Taylor, the bank manager and their family friend, Miss Carter – who always wore pink.

Many unusual interests are woven into her work, including a love of the Dutch masters and Chinese works of art, both reflected in her trademark recollection of atmospheres and events.

The last three years has seen a surge in demand for paintings by Helen Bradley with a world record price of £144,000 being achieved at auction in 2010.

Right Geoffrey Key (b.

1941) Path between Trees, signed, oil on canvas, has an estimate of £4,000-£6,000 at Wilson55’s Northern art sale on September 23

Left Helen Bradley (1900-1979) Blackpool Beach, sold for £144,000 image courtesy of Bonhams

34 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Rutherford was born in Denton in 1903, his father, William, was a gifted amateur artist who, with a group of friends, formed the Hyde Art Group. When he left school at 14, Rutherford was, unsurprisingly, encouraged to pursue art by his father.

He became the first visual artist to work in television presenting the BBC’s Cabaret Cartoons, where he drew variety artists as they performed.

While there are echoes of Lowry’s figurative depictions in Rutherford’s work, the influence of Sickert is also evident. In the late 1950s Rutherford was the resident of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts and in his later years, taught at the Regional College of Art in Manchester, where his pupils included Geoffrey Key.

Above left Geoffrey Key (b. 1941) Summer Meeting, sold for £9,516 in February 2021, image courtesy of Wilson55

SELF TAUGHT Alan Lowndes (1921-1978), is another under-the-radar, brilliant Northern artist. He was born in Stockport, the fifth child of a railway clerk. After leaving school at 14 he became a decorator’s apprentice.

In WWII he served in the Middle East, Italy and Austria. After the war he studied painting at night school, but otherwise, remained self-taught. He rose to prominence in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, at the time when northern writers such as Stan Barstow, John Braine and Alan Sillitoe were coming to the fore. Any would-be collector of his work is advised to take a look at John Willett’s book Alan Lowndes: Paintings 1948-1972.

Martin Heaps is the founder and owner of Collect Art a gallery based in Lymm, Cheshire, which specialises in northern art and has a number of works by the artists mentioned. For more details go to www.collectart.co.uk

Above Peter Stanaway (b. 1943), Hartford Mill, Oldham, signed, oil on canvas, has an estimate of £500-£700 at Wilson55’s Northern art sale on September 23 Above right Trevor Grimshaw (1947-2001), Northern townscape, signed, has an estimate of £1,000-£1,500 at the same sale Below left Alan Lowndes (1921-1978), Tight Rope Walker, image courtesy of Collect Art

Collecting Northern art We asked Stephen Sparron, Northern art specialist at the Nantwich auction house Wilson55, for his collecting tips

Northern art is a fascinating and fast-evolving area for collectors. Tracing its origins back to its founding father and major influence, LS Lowry – the first Northern artist to achieve commercial success during his lifetime – he paved the way for many others.

As well as the artists mentioned, other notables include Lowry’s tutor the French impressionist Pierre Adolphe Valette (1876-1942) who also depicted urban landscapes of the North, the Potteries artist Arthur Berry (1925-1994) and Trevor Grimshaw (1947-2001) whose monochrome work reflected industrial gloom.

These artists and their works continue to go from strength to strength in the saleroom and will always form the basis of a Northern art collection.

New generation

But there is a new generation of artists emerging. While paying homage to earlier masters, they are adding their own distinct imagery and interpretations and, in so doing, attracting a new generation of collectors.

Just as the previous generation of collectors remembered the smoky, urban cityscapes as a part of their upbringing, newer artists are painting townscapes of demolition and regeneration, as well as celebrating the beauty of the moorlands and coastline.

Previous pastiche imitations of Lowry’s northern scenes are now giving way to the new and evolving landscapes and views of the North.

Collectors have favourite artists, or even works from certain areas or periods. For example, some buyers prefer the early work of Geoffrey Key (b. 1941) with its muted palette, while others opt for later rural landscapes or still lives, or even his depiction of horses.

Northern art continues to go from strength to strength in the saleroom and, with its diversity of imagery, the collector is sure to find something which appeals to every taste.

Wilson55 holds four specialist Northern art sales a year, the next of which is on September 23, for more details go to www.wilson55.com ANTIQUE COLLECTING 35

EXPERT COMMENT Lennox Cato

LENNOX CATO

Without RESERVE Lennox Cato reflects on the joy of an antique mirror no matter what your interior

THOMAS CHIPPENDALE

E

very home needs a mirror of some description, whether it is to make a space look larger, to see your own reflection, or purely for decorative reasons.

Most dealers will tell you mirrors are the most difficult thing to sell because there are so many questions. Is the frame made of plaster or carved wood? Is the mirror plate original? Then comes the buyer. What style would suit the interior? Will it be within budget? If only it were bigger or smaller, or this way or that… the list is endless. So, when I buy a mirror, it is because I like it and it works for me.

Mirrors go back centuries. The ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks all manufactured mirrors from polished copper and bronze. Glass mirrors were first produced during the third century AD, and subsequently common in Asia, Germany and France.

During the Renaissance mirrors were made by coating glass with a tin and mercury amalgam. Venice was the production centre and it was only the rich who could afford such luxurious items in their homes.

36 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

The silvered-glass mirror was developed in 1835 by a German chemist, Justus von Liebig, a process that enabled mirrors to be manufactured at scale.

Above The yellow drawing room at Harewood House, where two Chippendale mirrors dominate the room, image courtesy of Harewood House Trust, Michael Beckwith Right A George II

giltwood mirror, courtesy of Lennox Cato

The legendary cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale (1718– 1779) was responsible for a number of gloriously-carved and ornate giltwood mirrors, incorporating motifs such as Ho Ho birds, scrolling floral decoration and fine detailed Chinoiserie characters.

The 18th century saw the importance of an ornate mirror to illuminate a grand interior and create a wonderful focal point to the room. Most were in the Rococo style, which followed the heavier baroque style from the early part of the 18th century.

As well as Chippendale, other famous makers and designers of mirrors for high society included the English wood carver and furniture maker Thomas Johnson (1714–1778); cabinetmaker John Linnell (1729–1796); James Moore (1670-1726); the architect William Kent (1685–1748) and John Gumley (16721729) who was a leading supplier of mirrors and pier glasses in the early 18th century, furnishing a number of royal palaces.

Left A pair of 18th-century Chippendale period mirrors with a pair of Ho Ho birds facing each other, courtesy of Lennox Cato Right Early 19th-century

SHINING A LIGHT While we might not all aspire to the grandeur of Harewood House – Chippendale’s largest commission – we can continue the ethos regardless of how grand or modest our own interiors.

As mirrors have been around for so long there are a multitude of designs for you to choose from. Before embarking on buying an antique mirror, I would strongly suggest you purchase some good reference books. This would be a great investment, saving you time, effort, and energy, as well as an introduction to the different designs available.

When buying a decorative framed mirror choose wood, rather than plaster. While it may be more expensive initially, in the long term, if any of the carving drops off, it is much easier to repair than a plaster frame. The environment may also cause plaster frames to crack and fall out. The missing pieces will make the frame around the mirror plate look sad with dark lines. Not only that, when you have the mirror repaired it could set you back more than it cost in the first place.

Irish George III Waterford wall mirror.

The giltwood frame is carved with a gadrooned edge and beading detail, housing alternating faceted blue and white glass studs, c.

1800. Image courtesy of 1st Dibbs

Below Convex mirrors

with gilded frames have always been popular, image courtesy of S & S Timms Antiques Ltd

Irish mirrors

I have always liked the simple Irish mirrors with different coloured glass studs surrounding a slender frame. Dating from the late 18th century, the more common versions have alternate dark blue and opaque studs with gilt decoration.

The rarer ones have coloured glass, red, green and, the rarest of all, amethyst. Some even have little sections of eglomise within the borders and look absolutely stunning.

Below right A sunburst

mirror will enhance any modern interior

CONTEMPORARY LOOK If it is a more contemporary look you are after, a large pier mirror leaning against the wall in an unrestored condition looks impressive – and also looks great in a photo shoot. Or, how about the ever popular mid-century sunburst mirrors, which truly do add a ray of sunshine to a room?

In the hallway or entrance, try a classic rectangular-framed mirror which could be gilded in the George II or George III design.

Or another choice would be an interesting, oval-shaped design.

I believe a mirror in the hallway or entrance tells you a lot about the house owner. I often find the more interesting the mirror, the more interesting the owner.

A period house deserves a period mirror above the fire surround. When I see a modern mirror in pride of place, it looks wrong and, to my mind, never sits comfortably on the eye.

Convex mirrors with gilded frames have always been popular. They were originally designed in the Regency period and often top and tailed with an eagle and scrolling foliage as a support. Candle arms were added so the convex mirror plate could reflect the light around the room. All of these designs were made in varying sizes depending on your status.

But fashions come and go, and such mirrors were frequently amended to the fashion of the day, often by having the embellishments, such as eagles and candle arms, removed. Whatever mirror you decide on, choose well and you will never regret it.

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

‘I believe a mirror in the hallway or entrance tells you a lot about the house owner. I often find the more interesting the mirror, the more interesting the person’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 37

LETTERS Have your say

Your Letters

This month’s haul includes a plea to help identify an intriguing game and memories of rabbit stew

I look forward each month to receiving my copy of Antique Collecting magazine and have subscribed for at least 35 years.

I have inherited from my parents a mysterious old game that has been in storage for many years, but no-one seems to know what it is or where it came from.

It consists of a wooden box (perhaps teak) with eight compartments housing some 50 engraved, mother-of-pearl counters made up variously of large and small circular and oblong shapes, along with seven fish counters measuring 5½cm in length.

The decorations inside the box indicate that it could have come from India or somewhere in the Far East. Perhaps one of your readers might be able to shed some light on it?

Geraldine Hultkrantz, Lidingö, Sweden, 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

Left Is the game Far Eastern in origin?

Many thanks for the article on majolica in last month’s magazine (Flights of Fancy, August issue).

I well remember a tureen in the shape of a rabbit that my grandmother used to serve rabbit stew in.

I must admit I found the ceramic representation of the animal we were eating about as tasteless as the stew, but your insights into the makers and designers of the style really made me appreciate it all the more – although I am now a vegetarian.

Frank Beaumont, by email

Above right Animal

tureens were a staple of the majolica repertoire

Right Gareth Floyd’s

(b.1937) Illustrations for Stig of the Dump went under the hammer at Ewbank’s Below left Two of the

seven mother-of-pearl counters, in the shape of fish

Interesting to hear in the recent magazine (Editor’s Welcome, August issue) of the resurgence of antique shops. We have two new ones that have opened in my home town since the start of the year.

Even better, is a dedicated retailer devoted to vinyl records. Long may it continue.

M. Frank-Roberts, by email

Be part of the conversation on Twitter and Instagram @antiquemag 38 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Star letter

What a trip down memory lane your feature on Stig of the Dump was (Top of the Lots, August issue).

As a boy I read and re-read Clive King’s famous book. How I loved Barney and Stig and the adventures they had. I don’t ever remember it being on Jackanory, but I do remember the wonderful illustrations in the book and wishing I, too, could take part in the capers they showed.

J. Johnson, Edinburgh, by email

Answers to the quiz on page 54

Q1 (a) Short musical fiddle. Q2 (b) A 19th-century firearm barrel. Q3 (d) Lion. Q4 All of them. Q5 (c) actually early 1840s. Q6 (a) An angel. Q7 (b) The word comes from the Hindi word paanch meaning five. Q8 (c) Timepieces. Q9 (a) Fabulous heraldic beasts. Q10. (a), (d), (e) and (h). Horses were ‘noble’ but too rounded (cows were more angular). If cows were drawn, they should be in a group of three.

Sheep were fine as long as very woolly. Grey rocks were better than red at setting off green foliage.

Luminal writer = William Turner (c) Chap’s tie = pastiche (b) To a brute = tabouret (d) Beryl whirls art = Strawberry Hill (a)

Private Collection of Transport Signs and Ephemera and Part II of Westminster Council London Street Signs

Two week timed auction starting 10th September - 24th September Enquiries telephone Catherine Southon or Simon Spier Tel: 020 8468 1010 Email: info@catherinesouthon.co.uk

GILDINGS AU C T I O N E E R S - E S T 1 9 8 0

A PRIVATE COLLECTION OF SCALE MODEL RAILWAY Wednesday 14th September

Catalogue online: Wednesday 1st September Register your interest now at: gildings.co.uk This single owner’s lifetime collection of O gauge and OO gauge model railways features over 800 items, including locomotives, passenger coaches, wagons, rolling stock and trackside accessories.

There are many impressive O gauge locomotives including BassettLowke, ACE Trains, Vintage Trains, Hornby, Darstaed, Trix and many others, ranging from pre-war examples to modern trains.

Gildings Auctioneers The Mill, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough LE16 7DE Telephone : 01858 410414 | Email: sales@gildings.co.uk | www.gildings.co.uk

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 39

COLLECTING GUIDES Post-war British silver

Polished Performance Not since Georgian times has Britain been home to the silversmithing tradition it has today. On the eve of a new exhibition, John Andrew reveals the stars of post-war design

I

t may be our best-kept secret. Since WWII British smiths have been creating silver objects at the highest level, combining exceptional craftsmanship with an extraordinary standard of design. In some ways it is no surprise. From the medieval period through to rococo and neoclassicism, the history of silver production in England is a long and rich one, with its hallmarking system the oldest form of consumer protection in the world.

However, a new generation of designers came to prominence in the post-war era to effectively reinvent the output of silver in response to changing markets.

These craftsmen and women made a profound and lasting impact on the direction of modern silver and

40 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above Stuart Devlin (1931-2018), handraised punch bowl and goblets with handforged ladle, 1973 Right Michael Bolton

(1938-2005), a silver gilt casket set with cabochon amethysts

ushered in a new ‘golden age’ for British silver.

Many collectors still ignore this recent work but, with a growing market and new admirers, the best work from the 1960s and 1970s is becoming more popular, as is the work of contemporary makers.

Such is the reputation of the country for silver design that it is now attracting overseas students to study here, while established silversmiths from the Far East, Continental Europe, Scandinavia and elsewhere have settled in the UK to practise their craft. This month’s Goldsmiths’ Fair, featuring 136, silver and goldsmiths will give collectors the opportunity to meet the men and women behind this staggering revolution and directly purchase pieces from the makers destined to be the antiques of the future.

Left Stuart Devlin (1931-2018), in the second half of the 1960s Devlin used filigree for the sleeves and globes of his candlesticks and candelabra. By the early 1970s, a less labour intensive method of making the cylindrical shades had been devised: a solid silver sleeve was formed and the 'filigree' effect made by piercing with an acetylene torch.

London, 1968 Right Stuart Devlin

(1931-2018), a hand raised decanter with its neck and stopper encased in a silver gilt honeycomb embellishment. London, 1976

Below Poster for Devlin’s one-man show at the Thibaut Gallery, New York, 1962 showing the sculpture, Matrix Below right Gerald

POST-WAR ORIGINS To understand the origins of this tsunami of talent, we have to go back to WWII, and even further.

Before hostilities ceased, the government realised it would need exports to generate cash to pay off the nation's debts. While British craftsmanship and materials were fine, design was lacking. There was a need for consumer durables that were both modern and aesthetically pleasing for overseas buyers. The Council of Industrial Design (CoID) was formed for this purpose. The Royal College of Art (RCA) was also recognised as another vehicle to help achieve the government's goal by producing industrial designers.

In the first half of the 1950s, the school was blessed in having three talented silversmiths as students: David Mellor (1930-2009), Robert Welch (1929-2000) and Gerald Benney (1930-2008).

All three went on to design and make silver professionally, though not necessarily for the entire period of their career. Each also became an industrial designer and all three saw the businesses that they established being continued by a son.

Benney (1930-2008), a condiment set in the Scandinavian style, commissioned by Arthur Liberty, when it was delivered to the store the buyer refused the order, meaning only a few sets were made, London, 1958/9

‘Many collectors still ignore this recent work, but with a growing market and new admirers, the best work from the 1960s and 1970s is becoming more popular, as indeed is the work of contemporary makers’

Stuart Devlin

In 1965, Mellor, Welch and Benney were joined by the Australian designer, Stuart Devlin, when he decided to open a workshop in the capital.

Devlin had trained as an art teacher in his native Australia before studying gold and silversmithing in Melbourne and later at London's Royal College of Art. He followed this by spending two years at Colombia University where he developed a career as a sculptor. Back home, as agreed, he returned to his role as an educationalist, while designing the coins for the Australian decimal coinage.

At the age of 32, during a visit to London to supervise the cutting of the dies for the new coins, the seeds were sown for establishing himself as a silversmith in the capital.

His exploration of sculpture in America gave him the skills of working with molten metal, allowing him to adapt and refine techniques to produce a wide variety of textures on the surface of silver as well as making filigree forms. The result was silver, the likes of which had never been seen before.

SILVER STARS The RCA's triumvirate graduated in 1954-1955. Mellor was immediately appointed design consultant to Walker & Hall of Sheffield and his Pride range began to be produced. He established his own studio-workshop nearby and over a long career designed everything from silver to traffic lights. After he became a cutlery manufacturer as well as a designer, he became known as the “Cutlery King”.

Benney established his studio and workshop in central London. In addition to his silversmithing business, he was initially involved in designing a range of products from clocks to prams. By the late 1950s Benney's commercial work was losing its Scandinavian influence. Another step change occurred in 1961 when ANTIQUE COLLECTING 41

COLLECTING GUIDES Post-war British silver texturing became a feature of his work. It was quite accidental. While hand-raising the bowl of a goblet he inadvertently used a hammer with a damaged head.

After half a dozen blows, what should have been a smooth surface had a bark-effect pattern imposed on the silver.

Robert Welch was the last to graduate in 1955.

He became a design consultant to the stainless steel manufacturers Old Hall and established a design studio and silver workshop at Chipping Camden.

Although Welch has long been associated with cutlery, the repertoire of his designs ranged from clocks to lighting, glassware to kitchen tools. Welch continued designing silver until the end of the 20th century. Robert Welch Designs Limited continues to sell small pieces of silver.

Collecting post-war silver John Andrew explains the extraordinary rise in value of post-war silver.

The market for silver is nothing like it was. In days of old the well-heeled had dining tables that groaned under the weight of silver with an army of servants to polish it. The aspiring middle classes had objects plated with a very thin layer of silver as opposed to solid pieces (EPNS – electroplated nickel silver), but nevertheless employed people to keep it sparkling.

I am a baby boomer, born in 1951. There was no christening silver for me, just an EPNS serviette ring from my godmother. These were the years of postwar austerity, when my parents celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 1967, all they wanted was stainless steel – far easier to look after in an age when full-time domestic help was no longer the norm.

INTO THE ‘70S A number of expert silversmiths continued to expand and refine the craft in the 1970s, creating world-beating designs. One such was the self-taught Hammersmithborn Michael Bolton (1938-2005) who was among the top dozen or so designer craftsmen working in silver in the years from 1970.

His wasn’t an easy start. Unable to find a place at art college, he embarked on a career in commerce, first as a clerk in a shipping company and then with American Express, which offered him a £350 “golden handshake” in 1968. He took it and set up a pottery studio at his home at Biggin Hill.

Between 1975 and 1981 Bolton exhibited at the Goldsmith's Company Loot exhibitions. In the catalogue of the 1996 Contemporary Silver Tableware exhibition he said his work was:

Fall and rise

3

The late 1960s saw a boom in antique silver – a standard Georgian coffee pot would sell for £2,000, equivalent to £35,000 today. However, in 2021 the same pot would knock down for about £1,000-£1,500.

On the other hand, in July a three-piece coffee set dated 1976 by Gerald Benney (1930-2008) weighing 53.0oz, sold at Woolley & Wallis for £8,000 hammer.

In January 2003, I bought a 1986 Benney five-piece coffee set (with sugar spoon and tray) weighing 81oz for an all-in price of £2,746.51. At the time of purchase pure silver bullion was just over £3 per troy ounce – at the end of July 2021, it was just over £18.

While pieces by the better-known makers, such as Benney and Devlin have leapt, work by lesser-known but notable names can still be had for a song.

Contemporary silver is offered at auction by the smiths themselves; would-be collectors can research what is on offer on the website of Contemporary British Silversmiths, which also has an online shop (www.contemporarybritishsilversmiths.org).

The UK has a raft of talent resulting in a wide range of hand-crafted contemporary silver. In addition to buying what will become antiques of the future, it is fascinating to talk to smiths about their work, as well as handling contemporary items of beauty. This month's Goldsmith's Fair provides the ideal platform.

This wonderful craft will only survive if there are buyers to support it.

Right Gerald Benney

(1930-2008) Skyscraper timepiece commissioned by WH Smith to mark 100 years of association with the Hornby family

‘Such is the reputation of the country for silver design that it is now attracting overseas students to study here, while established silversmiths from the Far East, Continental Europe, Scandinavia and elsewhere have settled in the UK to practise their craft’ 42 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Left Malcolm Appleby (b. 1946), an engraved, hinged allusion box, devised by Appleby while at the RCA in the 1960s. Edinburgh 2016 Right Work by the

London-based silversmith Jessica Jue goes on show this month

Below right John

Andrew’s book is the standard volume for students of post-war silver

“...inspired by the magic and aura of Celtic, Roman and Anglo-Saxon metalwork, the romanticism of the King Arthur legends, and the ethics and ideology of the late 19th and early 20th-century British arts and crafts movement.”

MALCOLM APPLEBY (B. 1946) Born in Kent, Appleby trained at the Central School of Art before moving on to the Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design and the RCA before setting up a workshop in Grandtully, Perthshire, in 1970. Since then Appleby has spent the majority of his working life in Scotland taking inspiration from nature.

Over his career, Appleby developed new techniques for engraving with some of his early work including the engraving the gold coronet made for the Prince of Wales’ investiture (designed by the goldsmith and artist Louis Osman) in 1969. With work on show at 10 Downing Street as well as a number of major museums, Appleby is considered to be among the finest craftsmen working today. He was awarded the MBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for his engraving skills.

Bottom right Gerald Benny (1930-2018), a three-piece coffee set sold for £8,000 at Woolly and Wallis's silver sale on July 14, against an estimate of £3,000-£5,000, image courtesy of Woolly and Wallis Bottom left Michael

Bolton (1938-2005).

Bird Bowl. Diameter 18.5cm. Apparently unmarked, c. 1985

DISCOVER MORE

More than 130 of the best contemporary silversmiths will showcase their work at this month’s Goldsmiths' Fair.

The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths has supported gold and silversmiths for almost 700 years from its gilded headquarters in the City of London. Taking place in the Goldsmiths’ Hall, the event is curated by a panel of experts who handpick the finest established, and emerging, designer-makers working currently working in the UK. Designers, at the event from September 28-October 19, include London-based silversmith and jeweller Jessica Jue whose designs are influenced by her Chinese heritage and Austrian upbringin and Kyosun Jung, responsible for a range of contemporary silverware, jewellery and art medals.

Also on show will be the work of the Jerusalemborn enameller, jeweller and silversmith Tamar de Vries Winter who fuses her own photographic images on to her metalwork. For more details go to www. goldsmithsfair.co.uk.

John Andrew and Derek Styles’ book Designer British Silver, is available from ACC Art Books, priced £75, to order a copy go to www.accartbooks.com.

GRAHAM STEWART (1955-2020) The Scottish-born designer, gold and silversmith Graham Stewart, who died in 2020, ran a workshop and gallery in Dunblane from 1978.

While specialising in fine hand-cut engraving, the silver he produced used traditional techniques such as raising, spinning, cold forging, planishing and chasing.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 43

COLLECTING GUIDES Post-war British silver

Why I Collect John Andrew is the owner of the 900-piece Pearson Silver Collection, arguably the greatest collection of post-war silver in private hands. Ahead of an exhibition next month, he explains his enduring love of silver It all started in the late 1950s, when I was seven my father was given an Irish half crown as change. The second I saw it I remember thinking how beautiful it was and asked if I could have it. From that moment I became an avid coin collector.

In the 1960s, I took on a Saturday job but I knew my earnings wouldn’t be enough to meet my collecting aspirations, so I decided to become a freelance journalist writing about coins.

I thought if I sat writing, or leafing through books, my parents would just think I was being studious. It started with a column on coins at my local newspaper and later a coin magazine.

Coin collector

But, in order to buy my first piece of silver in 1971, just before going to university, I sold my coin collection. Soon I was combining a career in banking with writing – the coin columns were by then syndicated to five countries over four continents.

In the early 1980s, I met the silver and goldsmith Stuart Devlin (1931-2018) who, in 1966, designed Australia’s decimal coinage.

In 1984, while viewing a silver auction in London in search of Georgian snuffboxes, I had my ‘road to Damascus’ experience when I came across the exceptional workmanship of a hand-raised goblet by Devlin on the secondary market.

It was my first purchase, quickly followed by other works by Devlin and his contemporary Gerald Benney (1930-2008).

New direction

Committed to this new collecting direction, aged 50, I decided to sell my other collections, including Fabergé from Imperial Russia, to finance the acquisition of silver pieces by post-war and 21st-century UK makers.

At the time there was little interest in the field and, with only a few available catalogues and the odd book on the subject, I contacted silversmiths directly to

44 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

learn more.

When my book Designer British Silver (with Derek Styles) was published in 2015 it immediately became the standard reference work on the subject and has done much to shed light on a raft of talented makers whose surnames don’t yet resonate beyond the collecting cognoscenti.

I continue to add to my collection across all post-1945 periods, both at auction and through direct purchase from contemporary

Above & right Theresa Nguyen, The Meadow, commissioned by the Pearson Silver Foundation, inspired by the maker's walks with her greatgrandmother by the River Severn in the 1960s.

On show next month at Sworders' London gallery Below James Dougall,

Balloon centrepiece in silver and stainless steel, with three silver balloons (one gilded, another patinated). On show next month at Sworders' London gallery

silversmiths who I also commission.

Over the years I have befriended many of the artists and designers whose work I collect and, through the collection’s sister organisation, The Pearson Silver Foundation, hope to encourage and promote talented young silversmiths. One such is Theresa Nguyen whose work The Meadow centrepiece by will be on view next month at Sworders’ London gallery.

Pieces from the world-renowned Pearson Silver Collection will be on show at Sworders’ London gallery in Cecil Court, Covent Garden from October 4-15 (including Saturday October 9). For more details go to www.pearsonsilvercollection.com

FURNITURE, PAINTINGS & WORKS OF ART

AUCTION LIVE ONLINE WEDNESDAY 01 & THURSDAY 02 SEPTEMBER AT 10AM VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT IN EDINBURGH POLYCHROME STUCCO FIGURE GROUP OF THE MADONNA AND CHILD FROM THE WORKSHOP OF ANTONIO ROSSELLINO CIRCA 1450 | 58cm high Provenance: Property from a Scottish Country House

Estimate £10,000-15,000 + fees

LONDON 0207 930 9115 | EDINBURGH 0131 557 8844 | GLASGOW 0141 333 1992 | Catalogue & free online bidding at www.lyonandturnbull.com

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46 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

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BY JEAN-LOUIS REMILLEUX ISBN 9781788841399 RRP £40.00 OFFER PRICE £26.00

A photographic exploration of a Baroque masterpiece, now returned to its former glory. The stunning restoration of the beautiful Di Lorenzo del Castelluccio palace in Sicily.

Wonderfully evocative and full of beautiful imagery. A treat for lovers of Lampedusa’s The Leopard.

PHOTOGRAPHERS ON THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

BY CHARLES MORIARTY ISBN 9781788840880 RRP £19.95 OFFER PRICE £12.97

20 visionary photographers share insights into their artistry and techniques. Featured photographers include Steve McCurry, Terry O’Neill, Ed Caraeff, Douglas Kirkland, Tim Flach, Eva Sereny and many more.

111 DARK PLACES IN ENGLAND THAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

BY PHILIP R. STONE ISBN 9783740809003 RRP £12.99 OFFER PRICE £8.44

Moments of death and mortality are remembered at dark tourism sites, where complex issues of politics, history and ethics are exposed. This first-ever travel guide to dark tourism in England offers a thoughtprovoking compendium of difficult heritage.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 47

COLLECTING GUIDE Harry Potter memorabilia Licensing rights also extend to activities – undoubtedly the best ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood (I’ve been on it) is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which takes a journey through the fictitious classrooms before soaring over Hogwarts Castle on a digital broomstick.

WORLDWIDE FRANCHISE

HARRY’S GAME

20 years on from the release of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone memorabilia connected to the boy wizard is fetching magical prices, writes Ivan Macquisten

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s generations Y and Z grow up, one phenomenon is certain – Harry Potter collectables, now big, are only set to get bigger as the nostalgia among Millennials kicks in. Rare first editions tend to grab most of the headlines, but thanks to the equally phenomenal film franchise, posters, costumes, props, games and other promotional material provide a rich seam to mine for fans and investors alike.

FILM RIGHTS Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first film in the eight-movie series, was released on November 14, 2001, catapulting a 12-year-old Daniel Ratcliffe into superstardom as the pre-teen icon of countless millions (even billions), accompanied by Rupert Grint (then 13) and Emma Watson (then 11).

Released in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the commercial potential of JK Rowling’s wizard world was already well established, but would go on to generate billions of dollars as it was repurposed to cash in on everything from toys to rucksacks, keyrings to candles and now even face masks.

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Above A replica of Hogwarts Castle which encloses the ride Hogwarts Express at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando Below right Harry Potter

main cast-signed 8 x 10in promo photo sold for $1,000 in April 2020. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions HA.com

A quick check on eBay lists nearly 67,000 derivative Harry Potter Hogwarts products for sale – the Lego sets alone are a rich source of income. In 2016, the entire Harry Potter franchise was estimated at $25bn, just under a third of that coming from box office receipts.

While commercial returns are one thing, when it comes to collecting, what true fans look for – beyond rare and signed editions of the books – are exactly the same thing collectors in any field of rock, pop or entertainment memorabilia want. Namely, autographs, and signed photographs, posters and programmes.

As well as costumes and production artwork, there is material from film premieres, or film sets and, of course, top props like a pair of Harry Potter spectacles or wands used on screen. All need to provide a provenance showing the original ownership, outside the production, was sanctioned by the rights holders. This ensures that title has passed properly.

TOP SEVEN The most sought after is something ultra-rare and as close to the star actors as possible – it’s really the same idea as medieval pilgrims looking for saints’ relics.

Recent sales show that prices for the rarest items can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, but so much material exists that even those on modest budgets will be able to afford something.

In January 2020, the online auction platform Barnebys featured the seven most expensive Harry Potter collectors’ items, which ranged from Harry Potter’s acceptance letter for Hogwarts (£7,000, sold by the Prop Store in 2016); to a pair of screen-worn Harry Potter spectacles featured in the first film ($20,000, sold

by California’s Julien’s Auction in 2015); ending with one of seven manuscript copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the Potter spin-off, individually handwritten and illustrated by the author (which sold for £368,750 at Sotheby’s in 2016).

CHAIR WOMAN

BUDGET OPTIONS For those who simply want the Harry Potter look, there is a wealth of clothing, scarves and other items in the Gryffindor colours. Despite the mass-produced nature of many of these pieces, ultimately, they are bound to increase in value to a degree as the years go by and surviving examples in good condition dwindle.

Significantly, some really good items are still accessible for prices ranging from just a few hundred pounds to the low thousands.

In 2019, Heritage Auctions sold a Dobby replica display figure from The Chamber of Secrets for $900 (around £675), while a signed 8 x 10in promotional photo of the three main stars, but not in costume, took $1,000 (then about £820) at the same auction house in April 2020.

A year later, a sale at the Surrey auctioneers Ewbank’s Auctions provided a snapshot of the broad range of prices that can be achieved. An uncorrected publisher’s proof copy of the first novel from 1997 took £21,000, against an estimate of £2,000-£4,000, while a production worker’s copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, signed by all the stars, sold for £1,400 against an estimate of £700-£1,000.

The same sale yielded £600 for a dinner menu and wristband celebrating the 2002 premiere of The Chamber of Secrets. Adding to its value were the signatures of the stars (minus Emma Watson) and those of Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart), Oliver Phelps (George Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) and others.

The estimate was £300-£500.

‘In 2002, JK Rowling’s chair sold for $21,000, selling again in 2009 on eBay for a still modest $29,000. But it hit the big time in 2016, when Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles marked up a sale price of $394,000 (then £280,000)’

Did you know?

It took 10 years, two screenwriters, four directors, four composers, 208 actors, and an army of crew members to complete the Harry Potter series.

Together, the films have won three BAFTAs and been nominated for 25 BAFTAs, five Grammys, and 12 Academy Awards.

Above left A signed onesheet IMAX 3D release poster for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix sold for $2,125 in 2013. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions HA.com Above Cliff Wright (British, b.1963) original ink and watercolour cover art for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, sold for $13,750 in April 2015. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions HA.com

Arguably the best oneoff sale is that of the wooden chair JK Rowling sat on to write her first two Harry Potter novels, starting in 1995.

The author had handpainted the chair for a charity sale at Christie’s in 2002 in aid of the NSPCC, saying that her “nostalgic side is quite sad to see it go, but my back isn’t”.

At that point it sold for $21,000, selling again via eBay in 2009 for a still modest $29,000. But it hit the big time in 2016, when Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles marked up a sale price of $394,000 (then £280,000).

Other recent Heritage Auction sales have included some of the most sought-after props and artwork from the film franchise, with prices soaring into the high tens of thousands of dollars for wands and the low to middle tens of thousands of dollars for other props.

HARRY POTTER’S DOUBLE Direct from the set of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but still relatively inexpensive, at the same sale was a collection of more than 40 call sheets and an HP3 visitor pass, consigned by Daniel Radcliffe’s double who worked on all of the films; pitched at £80-£120, the lot sold for £170, well within most fans’ budgets.

How rare does a prop have to be to attract value?

In June 2021, Prop Store offered a replica of a ‘golden snitch’ (a brass and gold-plated ball used in a game of Quidditch) as an executive gift, to promote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. They were presented to Warner Brothers executives and VIPs and around 50 were thought to have been made. The estimate was $2,000-$3,000 and the hammer price was $7,000.

Above right The chair on which JK Rowling sat to write her first two books, sold for $394,000 in 2016.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions HA.com Right Presentation gold

snitch, limited edition of around 50 as gifts, sold for $7,000 in 2021.

Image courtesy of Prop Store

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COLLECTING GUIDE Harry Potter memorabilia Left A selection of Harry Potter trading cards offered as part of Ewbank’s inaugural dedicated auction.

Image courtesy of Ewbank’s Auctions

Collecting Harry Potter Alastair McCrea, partner at Ewbank’s Auctions, assesses the market for the famous franchise

What do people collect?

There are so many options, but of course budget will determine what people can afford. Some people will collects books, while others may focus on a particular character like Harry or Hermione. Others will just want anything directly connected to the film franchise, preferably something produced in low quantities.

How do prices vary?

The most important distinction to make is between items directly linked to the film productions and massproduced objects inspired by the franchise. The good news for fans is that even pieces directly related to the film productions, such as promotional photos or posters, or ephemera linked to premieres, or even production-linked paperwork such as call sheets remain affordable, with prices starting at under £100.

What about the books?

Harry Potter trading cards

Ahead of an inaugural sale of Harry Potter trading cards, Roy Raftery, one of the UK’s specialists, considers the boom in the niche area In the 1990s, trading cards, once associated purely with sports, became a distinct category of collectable card games, with subjects including Pokémon, cartoons, comic book characters and films – such as Harry Potter.

Until recently, eBay was the main selling platform for such cards but auctions are beginning to get a look-in.

Ewbank’s inaugural trading cards sale includes a series of Harry Potter collecting cards from an extensive singleowner collection of Pokémon, Magic The Gathering and other franchises.

Most are in mint, or close to mint, condition, with many still sealed after being put in storage by the consignor who acquired them as an employee of producers Wizards of the Coast in the late 1990s.

The Harry Potter trading card game was discontinued in 2003, but a number of expensive cards are still in circulation. The best way to describe them is a ‘ghost foil’, as they look nothing like any other Harry Potter card. The front is totally white/silvery shiny and features one of the main characters. They are highly collectable. Harry Potter base set boxes (the first ever set) sell for more than £350 if sealed.

Ewbank’s Auctions recently launched a series of trading cards auctions with the first on August 25, including a number of Harry Potter cards, for more details go to www.ewbankauctions.co.uk

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Below right A signed

menu to celebrate the premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at The Savoy, November 3, 2002, with a ticket and wristband from Radcliffe’s double, sold for £600, double its low estimate. Image courtesy of Ewbank’s Auctions

This is arguably the most active area for serious collectors of Harry Potter, and certainly offers the most opportunities if you have the money. Because the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was not an immediate hit, it meant that the first UK issue, released in June 1997, was quite limited, with only 500 hardcover versions being produced. If you have one of those and it is in good condition, you are very lucky indeed. In July this year, one copy sold for £80,000 at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

also collectable if they are a first edition (prices go up to £3,600). However, second printings can be picked up for three figures.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK’s signature (by book four, she was signing fewer copies) turns any first edition Goblet of Fire into a book with a four-figure price-tag. Look out for the limited editions with original watercolour illustrations by Giles Greenfield (Bloomsbury’s UK edition) and Mary GrandPré (Scholastic’s super rare US edition of only 25 copies). If either illustrator has signed a copy, then prices are again in four-figures.

Many buyers are also looking for books accompanied by items such as entrance wristbands or golden tickets from events where JK Rowling conducted a signing. After the Goblet of Fire, these events became increasingly scarce.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

POTTER BOOKS: A GUIDE

Harry Potter books remain the most collectable of the entire franchise, but how to know if your dog-eared copy is worth pennies, or a small fortune?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Hardcover, first edition, first printings of this 1997 book have become the ‘holy grail’ for Potter collectors. If you find one in the attic, then you’ve hit the jackpot. Only 500 were published and 300 went to libraries. The main characteristics of a 1997 first edition, first printing are a print line that reads “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” and the crediting of “Joanne Rowling” not JK. A first edition copy signed by JK Rowling set a European record when it sold for £125,000 at Lyon and Turnbull last year.

Paperback first editions of the Philosopher’s Stone are also quite scarce and attract four-figure price-tags – sometimes five figures if in excellent condition.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Published in 1998, prices for hardcover, first edition, first printings go up to £6,500. In 1998, JK Rowling was still a jobbing author rather than a worldwide superstar richer than the queen, so there are a reasonable number of signed first editions available from her book tour signings.

Deluxe editions can be priced in four figures if signed.

Scholastic’s American first editions are generally priced in three figures but look out for signed copies.

Above A slip cased set of Harry Potter books, image courtesy of Hansons Below right JK Rowling,

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, first edition, first issue (one of only 500), London: Bloomsbury, 1997, hardback, sold for £80,000 on July 28, image courtesy of Tennants

Below far right JK

Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, first edition, first issue, London: Bloomsbury, 1998, hardback, sold for £3,500. Image courtesy of Hansons

Look out for first edition copies signed by JK Rowling at the midnight launch event in Edinburgh on 2003 which achieve four figures. Jason Cockroft illustrated the UK edition while Mary GrandPré illustrated the US version, and while their signatures enhance a book value such copies can be found for as little as £145.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Published in July 2005 to widespread Pottermania, JK’s days of book tours were long gone, so very few signed copies are on the market. A handful are available for prices up to £3,600. Copies signed by illustrator Mary GrandPré can be found for £180 or less. Deluxe first edition, first printings can also be picked up cheaply.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Millions and millions of copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have been published. JK Rowling launched the book at London’s Natural History Museum in 2007. She signed copies of the book that night for 1,700 people who won exclusive tickets to the event. Those 1,700 copies have considerable value now. Prices for signed copies usually start at around £720.

Taken from A Guide to Collecting Harry Potter Books by Abe Books, www.abebooks.co.uk

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The initial hardcover print run was stopped mid-printing after it was discovered that ‘Joanne Rowling’ rather than ‘JK Rowling’ had been printed on the copyright page. Joanne versions are available for prices starting at around £1,080 and go up to £8,650 for signed pristine copies.

First edition first printings have the number line “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” and a block of misaligned text on page seven.

Opinions about the number of copies printed before the errors were spotted vary greatly. However, it seems only a small number came off the press, which greatly enhances its value. The 1999 deluxe editions, with green cloth, are ANTIQUE COLLECTING 51

ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Lots in September

TOP of the LOTS

This month’s preview includes books signed by Florence Nightingale and a hat owned by Sir Alf Ramsey which was given to his decorator

An art deco pearl and diamond bracelet worn by Princess Margaret for her 19th birthday photograph taken by Cecil Beaton in 1949, has an estimate of £30,000-£40,000 at Dix Noonan Webb’s sale on September 14.

In his diary Beaton recalled the princess: “Had been up till 5.30 the night before (she likes the peace and anonymity of the 400 nightclub) and towards the end of the two-hour sitting, started to wilt and became very tired.” She was also late for the start of the shoot having returned from a cricket match at Lords.

He wrote: “But she is such a quick dresser that a few moments after her return she appeared changed into the new evening dress Hartnell had supplied her that morning.”

Above Princess Margaret wore the bracelet for her 19th birthday shoot Above right Princess Margaret, © Bettmann Collection via Getty Images

A Regency woolwork picture of a recumbent lion has an estimate of £500-£800 at Woolly and Wallis’s sale on September 22.

The picture is from the Sir Michael Codron collection of lionalia, including animals made from ceramic, woolwork, brass and treen.

Codron (b. 1930) is one of the leading producers of post-war British theatre and currently runs the West End’s Aldwych Theatre.

Above The woolwork is from a renowned collection of lionalia

A pair of 18ct gold and diamond floral earrings by popular 20thcentury jeweller Cropp & Farr has an estimate of £350-450 at Wilson 55’s sale on September 16.

Founded in 1917, the London based jewellers created brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces, cufflinks and bracelets, each bearing the firms’ maker’s mark ‘C&F’, sometimes within a rectangular surround and frequently accompanied with hallmarks.

Above The woolwork is from a renowned collection of lionalia

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Six books signed by Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) have an estimate of £3,000£5,000 at Sworders’ timed online sale from September 17 to 26.

The famous nurse gave the books, on geology, history and botany, to WJP Burton the principal of Lea Board School in Holloway, Derbyshire, which was sited in the Nightingale’s former family home.

In an 1893 copy of Macmillan’s Geology Nightingale congratulates Mr Burton on the good he is doing. The collection was consigned for sale at the Essex auctioneers by Burton’s grandchildren.

Above The books were signed in pencil by the famous nurse

An international football cap awarded to Sir Alf Ramsey after a 2-2 draw against Yugoslavia in 1950 has an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 at Lacy Scott & Knight’s sale on September 10. Lady Ramsey gave the hat to the current vendor while he was working as a painter and decorator at her home in Ipswich.

A letter from Lady Ramsey confirming the gift is part of the lot.

Above The tasselled blue velvet hat has an estimate of £2,000-£3,000

Memorabilia from the golden age of cycling amassed

by Cycle Weekly journalist David Taylor (1937-2020) goes under the hammer in Kent this month.

From descriptions of the earliest bicycles, to the autographs of post-war cycling champions, the collection, on sale at Catherine Southon Auctioneers, is a tour de force of sporting history. It also boasts cycling-related postcards, sketches, ceramics and a vintage display case.

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As well as two annotated programmes for the 1924 Paris Olympics, the collection includes two menu cards from a dinner to honour the members of the British cycling team at the 1948 London Olympics.

The menus are signed by most of the members of both track and road team with autographs including those of silver medallists, including the three times British track champion, Alan Bannister.

Further cycling programmes date from the Olympic and Empire games, including Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936.

Early days

The collection also charts the remarkable early history of the bicycle and the men and women who championed it. One of the earliest pieces is an 1896 programme for the second six-day ladies bicycle race at the Royal Aquarium, London.

Among the trade catalogues are two 1839 newspaper cuttings describing the ‘pedestrian accelerator’ popularised in England in 1818-1819, and the once popular, though almost forgotten, ‘Aellopodes’ invented by Thomas Revis in the early 1840s. Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812-1878) the Scottish blacksmith credited as the inventor of the bicycle is represented in the collection by an order of service at a 1946 memorial.

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The sale, along with a large collection of railway signs, takes place at Catherine Sounton Auctioneer’s saleroom in Farleigh on September 15 with viewing two days prior, www.catherinesouthon.co.uk 1 A vintage Raleigh wooden display cabinet, 66cm long and 36cm wide, has an estimate of £80-£120 2 A race number signed by cyclists Graeme Obree (b.1965) and Spencer Robert Wingrave (b.1969), pasted on to a scorecard for the 1994 British Cycling Federation National Madison Championship, has an estimate of £50-£80 3 Programmes from a number of cycling events, have an estimate of £50-£80 4 A vintage Hind Cycles enamel sign, 76cm long and 46cm wide, has an estimate of £70-£90 5 A collection of rare late 19th and early 20th-century cycling trade catalogues, advertisements, newspaper cuttings and brochures, has an estimate of £80-£120 6 A collection of rare and interesting 20th-century cycling ephemera relating primarily to the Olympic Games, has an estimate of £150-£200 7 The card is signed by most of the members of the track and road team, including silver medallists Alan Bannister, Ernie Clements, Gordon Thomas and Ian Scott 8 A collection of 19th and 20th-century track cycling programmes, has an estimate of £80-£120

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ANTIQUE COLLECTING 53

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Puzzle TIME Pit your antiques knowledge against that of our quiz master supremo 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 September 10 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

Q9 The Mantygre, Musimon and Opinicus are (a) heraldic beasts, (b) Victorian parlour card-games, (c) a three-part Georgian cruet set, (d) collectable 1970/ ‘80s superhero models.

SEPTEMBER QUIZ Q1 A sarinda is (a) a musical fiddle, (b) a Viking ‘bed’ warmer, (c) an Eastern veil, (d) a large Byronic headdress.

Q2 ‘Darling pepperbox’ was (a) a Georgian name for a spice container, (b) a 19th-century firearm barrel, (c) an alms coffer, (d) an impressionist artist’s paint sprayer.

Above An 18th-century punch bowl. But where does the word ‘punch’ originate?

Finally, here are four anagrams. Luminal writer, Chap’s tie, To a brute, Beryl whirls art.

They can be arranged into: (a) Britain’s finest example of gothic revival architecture and interiors (two words). (b) an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period (c) the name (two words) used by an 18th/19thcentury English Romantic and landscape painter, (d) a low seat or stool, from 17th-century France, introduced to England in the early 18th century.

Q3 The character Captain Condor first appeared in which comic (a) The Eagle, (b) Swift, (c) Topper, (d) Lion?

Q4 Which (if any) is the meaning of ‘ark’? (a) a Medieval bread-bin, (b) a pig shelter, (c) a 1920s American term for a low bar-room and its furniture, (d) an 18th-century rowing boat.

Q5 When were glass paperweights first made? (a) early 18th century (b) late 18th century, (c) early 19th century, (d) late 19th century.

Q6 Phoebe Traquair (1852-1936), a leading light in Edinburgh’s arts and crafts movement, used which characteristic motif? (a) angel, (b) thistle, (c) gothic letter, (d) tartan drape.

Q7 The word ‘punch’, introduced to Britain from India in the 1600s, means what? (a) ‘imbibed’ for refreshment, (b) ‘five’ for the original number of ingredients, (c) ‘depressed’ or ‘moody’, (d) ‘convivial’.

Q8 The Stackfreed, Comtoise and Waterbury are all terms associated with (a) early tractors, (b) hand-held gardening tools, (c) timepieces, (d) watermarks used by artisan paper manufacturers?

54 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Q10 In his touring books of Britain, which of the following did William Gilpin (1724-1804) say painters should avoid? (a) distant, rounded hills, (b) jagged rocks, (c) a lake, (d) shorn sheep, (e) horses, (f) cows (g) ruinous buildings, (h) red-hued rocks.

Anagram The gothic creation

and anagram of ‘Beryl whirls art’

SOLUTION TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD:

The letters in the highlighted squares made the word Faience The winners, who will each receive a copy of the book, are Bob Kinders, W. Yorkshire; Mr D Botherly, Doncaster; Eric James, by email

For the answers turn to page 38.

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Rocks of ? by the Scottish Colourist Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935)

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P eriod in British history (strictly 1811-20), but usually includes late 18th and early 19th c., that saw a blossoming of furniture, silverware, etc. (7) 7 Gemstones (pl.) usually milky white with a fine play of colour. (5) 8 A person skilled in some handicraft. (7) 10 High temperature, hence ‘____ working’ is the process of deforming some materials into desired shapes. (3) 11 Spherical object representing the earth or heavens. (5) 13 ____ Hanson (b. 1981). American artist of ‘Open-Impressionism’.

(Mentioned in the May 2019 issue of this magazine.) (4) 15 Abbreviation of ‘going over the chief points again’. And possible ‘putting a lid back on’. (5) 17 _____ Degas (1834-1917). French painter and sculptor. (5) 21 ‘____-and-comfort’. 18th and 19th-century leg rest. (4) 22 In general, a fastening, but especially the single-faced pieces of metal attached to medals indicating service in a particular campaign. (5) 24 Another name used (not strictly correctly) for 22-Across (3) ecorated or embellished (NO DREAD anag.) (7) 25 D 26 Private bed-sitting room for the owner and family in the Medieval house. (5) 27 Subjected (past tense) an object to a process for preservation, for example. (7)

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A famous example of which artistic genre?

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1 T he ______. A now lost 1937 mural (only known in photographs) by the Spanish artist Joan Miró (1893-1983). (6) 2 Medieval style revived enthusiastically by the Victorians. (6) 3 A set of objects/furniture that fit within one another. (4) 4 Chinese period (1403-24, named after the Emperor) in the Ming dynasty. One of those considered the height of classical blue-and-white ceramics. (6) 5 Circular glory of light around the head of a holy person. (4) 6 Edmund Marion ____ (1867-1941). American artist known for his depictions of factory work and the Gibson Girl. (4) 9 Small island off the west coast of Scotland known for its abbey, and the title Rocks of _____ by the Scottish colourist Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935). (4) 12 Feathered fashion accessories (pl.) that have come into fashion, and gone, during many periods (Victorian, Edwardian, glam rock, etc). (4) 14 A former Spanish coin. (4) 16 A movement flourishing from the late 1950s to the early 1970s preferring commercial techniques over the painterly. Andy Warhol is associated with it. (3, 3) 18 Not cheap…my darling. (4) 19 Precious stone, generally red in colour. (6) 20 Description of furniture legs (or, indeed, any surface) of vertically, parallel rounded convex decoration. (6) 22 Artefacts formed in a mould. (4) 23 William _____ (1842-1929). English potter (he established the Bretby Art Pottery with Henry Tooth) noted for his use of coloured glazes. (4) 24 Material first used by Thomas Frye of Bow in 1749 apparently to reduce kiln-wastage. The process was then adopted by other factories. (4) Finally: rearrange the letters in the highlighted squares to form the name of a method of printing from a design drawn on the surface of stone.

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 55

ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Scent bottles HEAVEN SCENT In Georgian Britain a scent bottle would have been a vital companion to every well-heeled lady. By the mid-18th century, global trade, the rise of a middle class and the Industrial Revolution meant perfume bottles were no longer the sole preserve of the fabulously wealthy.

England, in particular, became known for producing unique glass perfume bottles, often coloured iridescent green or ruby red, decorated with gilding and enamelling.

While some bottles reflected natural themes, others were animal shaped, while examples were produced to commemorate royal anniversaries such as Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1887.

Some bottles hinged in the middle, and opened to reveal a vinaigrette on one side and a recess with a glasscovered photograph on the other.

Generally, the customer purchased an empty scent bottle and had it filled by a chemist or perfumier. Some bottles were kept in small leather boxes known as ‘caves’, from the French cave à odeurs or perfume cellar, where the fragrances were sold. Cases became an important means of transport and were often more expensive than the bottles they contained.

SALEROOM SPOTLIGHT

A collection of 18th to 20th-century scent bottles goes under the hammer in North Yorkshire this month and, with estimates starting at just £80, there are plenty of bargains to be sniffed out

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eautiful, functional and with a very personal insight into social mores of the past, scent bottles make a wonderful collection. What better way to ‘touch’ history than via an elegant lady’s most prized possession.

On September 18 some 50 bottles will be offered for sale at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn, among them royal souvenirs, a fish-shaped design and even one made from an otter’s paw.

A spokeswoman said: “The collection was amassed by a collector from the south of England with a passion for small and decorative objects. Having enjoyed them over the years the decision was made to offer them for sale in order to concentrate on other collecting areas.”

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THE COLLECTION Bottles in the sale, which date as far back as the last quarter of the 18th century, were made from glass, silver, ceramic, enamel and even a taxidermy paw.

Perhaps the most eye-catching is a Victorian silvermounted glass bottle in the shape of a fish with scales and gills delineated in fine gold lines. Marked for the Birmingham silversmiths Horton & Allday and dated 1884, it has an estimate of £300-£500.

Another highlight includes a pottery model c. 1800, decorated in the Iznik style, from the Hungarian Zsolnay Porcelain Factory, one of the country’s most renowned makers of porcelain. Established by Miklós Zsolnay (1800–1880), a number of bottles were designed by Armin Klein, one of the factory’s most talented artists.

Above A Victorian silver-

mounted glass scent bottle in the shape of a fish, with silver mounts

by Horton & Allday, Birmingham, 1884, with detachable silver tail, 15cm long. Estimated at £300-£500 at this month’s sale

3

4

1 A Royal Worcester porcelain scent bottle to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. With the bust of Queen Victoria, the reverse is inscribed India, Australia and Canada, with the gilt-plate screw cap in the shape of a crown. Hallmarked for Sampson Mordan (1770-1843), London, 1886, 8.7cm high.

Estimated at £400-£600 2 A pottery scent bottle from the Zsolnay Porcelain Factory, c. 1880, decorated in the Iznik style with a peacock on one side and foliage on the other. Estimated at £80-£120 3 A George III or George IV silver-mounted scent bottle with a sulphide bust probably of Frederick, Duke of York, wearing a military uniform. Probably by the glassmaker Apsley Pellatt (1763-1826), London, c. 1820, 8.3cm high. Estimated at £250-£350 4 A French silver-gilt and enamel scent bottle last half of 19th century, with coloured enamel foliage, flowers and strapwork, with hinged cover, 9.5cm high. Estimated at £120-£180

56 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

5

‘While some bottles reflected natural themes, others were animal shaped, while others were produced to commemorate royal anniversaries such as Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1887’ 5 A Victorian gilt-

6

7

metal-mounted scent bottle cum vinaigrette, designed by Akerman, Worrall and Phillips, London, 1872. It opens to reveal a vinaigrette, photograph frame and pin cushion. Estimated at £400-£600

6 A pear-shaped George

III scent bottle, south Staffordshire, c. 1770, with the owner’s name ‘Eliz Reed’. Estimated at £100-£150 7 A Victorian silver-

8

mounted otter paw scent bottle, London, 1893. Retailed by Rowland Ward and Co., Piccadilly. Estimated at £100-£150 8 A Wedgwood gold-

mounted Jasperware scent bottle, c. 1780, with a portrait bust of William, Prince of Orange and Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia.

Estimated at £400-£600 in this month’s sale

AUCTION fact file HISTORIC INTEREST One of the bottles with the greatest historic interest, with an estimate of £250-£350, features a portrait bust, probably Frederick, Duke of York in military uniform.

The duke was the second son of George III, and sent to the army at an early age before embarking on a stellar career. He achieved high command at the age of 30 and later served as Commander-in-Chief during the Napoleonic Wars.

Another lot sure to spark the interest of collectors of curious items is a Victorian silver-mounted otter paw scent bottle, dating to the heyday of British taxidermy.

The paw, which has a maker’s mark dating it to 1892, is being sold with three other scent bottles and has an estimate of £100-£150.

WHAT: A private collection of scent bottles, part of the jewellery, watches and silver sale When: September 18 Where: Tennants Auctioneers, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG Viewing: September 14-15, 10am-4pm, September 16-17, 10am-5pm and the morning of the sale from 8am and online at www.tennants.co.uk

IN MY OPINION...

We asked Jeffery Lassaline, Tennants’ silver and objects of vertu specialist, for his sale highlights Where will the interest come from?

A wide range of collectors, both of scent bottles and of objects of vertu in general. When we have sold scent bottles in the past they really have been purchased by clients far and wide, though we also have a very dedicated group of collectors local to us.

Is there an outstanding lot?

Among the early examples is an English opaque glass example made in south Staffordshire, c. 1770, which compares to other examples, including one in the Corning Museum of Glass.

How is the market for scent bottles?

The diversity of forms and materials mean they tend to appeal to a wide range of collectors. For example, a glass scent bottle by the well-known glassmaker Thomas Webb (1804-1869) would appeal to someone interested in scent bottles as well as general glass collectors and buyers for whom the Victorian era has an appeal. Scent bottles also have the benefit of being small and easily displayed items which attracts interest from many collector.

Have you got a personal favourite piece?

If forced, I might lean towards cut-glass examples in the form of crowns, made by the Regency glassmaker John Blades (1751-1829) whose clients included the Prince Regent. A lavish chandelier by Blades to commemorate the coronation of George IV in July 1821 can be seen in Spencer House, London.

The pair is interesting academically as the attribution is based on a print of Blades’ Ludgate Hill showroom depicting several examples in situ, with two under glass domes, showing how precious they were to the manufacturer.

Below A pair of George

IV, or later, cut-glass scent bottles, by the Regency London glassmaker John Blades (1751-1829), The pair has an estimate of £60-£80 in this month’s sale

Above John Blades (1751-1829) trade card reminding customers of the glassmaker’s royal connections (not in sale)

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 57

FAIRS in September

FAIR

The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair

news

From Scotland to the King’s Road, there are a number of cracking events for collectors to get stuck into this month Chelsea Antiques Fair Aiming to recreate the glamour of the King’s Road of the 1960s, the Chelsea Antiques Fair celebrates 70 years this month.

Now owned and run by the online antiques platform, 2Covet, the six-day event is set to attract dealers from across the country. Fair organiser, Sophie Wood, said: “It’s very exciting to take the fair forward and we promise visitors there will be a superb display of exhibits on offer.” New fair owners Charles Wallrock, from Wick Antiques, and Steve Sly, a specialist in Meiji period Japanese works of art, will both be taking part in the event from September 21-26 at Chelsea Old Town Hall.

Northern Antiques Fair Relocating from Harrogate to Leyburn in North Yorkshire, and celebrating 50 years since its inception, the Northern Antiques Fair kicks off on September 30.

The new venue is The Garden Rooms at the auction house Tennants – one of the largest multipurpose venues in the north of England.

More than 40 of the UK’s top dealers will take part in the four-day event, with many having held back items especially for the fair.

Pieces with local provenance are predicted highlights, including a naïve oil painting of a prize shorthorn cow by William Henry Davis (1783-1909), 1852, on sale from Blackbrook Gallery for £6,950.

A bumper edition of the popular fair is promised when more than 150 exhibitors return to a pavilion in Battersea Park from September 28 to October 3. The event regularly welcomes wellheeled buyers including Rita Konig, Alex Polizzi and Nicky Haslam.

A spokeswoman said: “We have seen an explosion of interest in antiques and vintage 20th-century designs as we look for comfort in our homes, with decoration to be treasured.”

Above left A room set from exhibitor Seventeen Twenty One at a recent fair

Below The Garden Rooms at Tennants

Auctioneers in Leyburn

Above Fair organiser Sophie Wood from 2Covet

Right A large Meiji period

(1868 -1912), Satsuma pottery sake ewer, on offer from Skipton-based dealer Philip Carrol Antiques

Tribal Art London

Previously held at the Mall Galleries, Tribal Art London goes online this month, allowing visitors from around the world to meet exhibitors, listen to lectures, and buy museumquality tribal objects. The virtual event runs from September 22-25 at www.tribalartlondon.com.

A Naga prestige from north eastern India on offer from Bryan Reeves

58 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Above Local interest: WH Davis’ painting of a shorthorn cow near Darlington

LAPADA PAVILION With the prestigious LAPADA Arts and Antiques Fair taking a break from its traditional location at London’s Berkeley Square, dealers are taking part in a number of one-off events, including one in Scotland this month.

Following a successful pop-up at the Game Fair Ragley Hall in Warwickshire in July, the dealers’ association will repeat the experience at the Scottish Game Fair, at Scone Palace, Perthshire from September 24-26.

Organiser, Gillian Pinkham, said: “With 300 exclusive traders exhibiting at the event, business will be brisk, and with the gap year forced last year, demand and anticipation is high.”

Scone Palace in Perthshire is the backdrop for this month’s LAPADA pop-up event

FAIRS Calendar Because this list is compiled in advance, alterations or cancellations to the fairs listed can occur and it is not possible to notify readers of the changes.

We strongly advise anyone wishing to attend a fair especially if they have to travel any distance, to telephone the organiser to confirm the details given.

LONDON: Inc. Greater London Adams Antiques Fairs 020 7254 4054 www.adamsantiquesfairs.com Adams Antiques Fair, The Royal Horticultural Halls, Elverton Street, SW1P 2QW, 5 Sept.

Coin and Medal Fairs Ltd. 01694 731781 www.coinfairs.co.uk London Coin Fair, Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, Coram Street, WC1N 1HT, 4 Sept Etc Fairs 01707 872 140 www.bloomsburybookfair.com Bloomsbury Book Fair, Coram Street London WC1N 1HT, 12 Sept.

Bloomsbury Ephemera, Royal National Hotel, 38-51 Bedford Way, WC1H ODG, 26 Sept 2 Covet 07388 612438 www.chelseaantiquesfair.co.uk Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London SW3 5EE, 21-26 Sept Harvey (Mgt Services) Ltd www.decorativefair.com 020 7616 9327 The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, Evolution London, Battersea Park, London, SW11 4NJ, 28 Sept -30 Oct Sunbury Antiques 01932 230946 www.sunburyantiques.com Sunbury Antiques Market, Kempton Park Race Course, Staines Road East, Sunbury-onThames, Middlesex TW16 5AQ, 14, 28 Sept SW19 Antiques 01932 230946 www.sw19antiques.com Wimbledon Homes & Antiques Fair, Prince George’s Playing Fields, Raynes Park, London, SW20 8TE, Sept 3

SOUTH EAST AND EAST ANGLIA: including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex.

Arun Fairs 01903 734112 www.arunfairs.com Antiques Fair, Woodland Centre, Rustington, Sussex, BN16 3HB, 5 Sept B2B Events 01636 676531 www.b2bevents.info Detling Antiques, Vintage and Collectors’ Fair, Kent County Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3JF, 11-12 Sept.

Black Dog Events 01986 948546 www.ablackdogevent.com Grande Brocante, Glemham Hall, Little Glemham, Suffolk, IP13 0BT 5 Sept Continuity Fairs 01584 873634 www.continuityfairs.co.uk Epsom Racecourse Antiques and Collectibles Fair, Epsom Racecourse, Epsom Downs, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5LQ 21 Sept Dovehouse Fine Antiques Fairs 07952 689717 www.dovehousefineantiques.com Dorking Decorative Vintage Brocante, Dorking High Street, Surrey, RH4 1UX, 12 Sept Dorking Halls Antiques & Decorative Arts Fair, Reigate Rd, Dorking RH4 1SG, 19 Sept IACF 01636 702326 www.iacf.co.uk Ardingley International Antiques & Collectors Market, South of England Showground, Ardingly, Nr Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6TL, 7-8 Sept

Marcel Fairs 07887 648255 www.marcelfairs.co.uk Antique and Collectors Fair, Sarratt Village Hall, The Green, Hertforddhire, WD3 6AS, 12 Sept Antique & Vintage Fair, Biggleswade, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH, 19 Sept

IACF 01636 702326, www.iacf.co.uk Runway Monday at Newark Antiques and Collectors’ Fair, Runway Newark, Newark, Notts., NG24 2NY, 27 Sept

Melford Antiques Fair 07837 497617 www.melfordantiquesfair.co.uk Long Melford Antiques and Vintage Fair, Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk, CO10 9DX, 25-26 Sept

B2B Events 07774 147197 or 07771 725302 www.b2bevents.info Malvern Flea and Collectors’ Fair, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs., WR13 6NW, 19 Sept.

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

AFC Fairs 07887 753956 www.antiquefairscornwall.co.uk Royal Cornwall Showground, Antiques Fair, Millennium House, Princess Road, Pensilva, Liskeard Cornwall, PL14 5NF, 26 Sept IACF 01636 702326 www.iacf.co.uk Shepton Mallet Antiques and Collectors’ Fair, Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN, 17-19 Sept.

EAST MIDLANDS including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Sheffield.

Guildhall Antique Fairs 07583410862 www.guildhallantiquefairs.co.uk Antiques Fair, Hodson Hall, 3 Burton Walks, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 2DU, 26 Sept

WEST MIDLANDS including Birmingham, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire,.

NORTH including Cheshire, Co Durham, Cumbria, Humberside, Lancashire, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne and wear Yorkshire.

Arthur Swallow Fairs 01298 27493 www.asfairs.com The Decorative Home and Salvage Show, Ripley Castle, Harrogate, N. Yorks, HG3 3AY, 10-12 Sept Galloway Antiques Fairs 01423 522122 www.gallowayfairs.co.uk Antiques and Fine Art Fair, Helmsley, N. Yorkshire, YO62 5EB, 24- 26 Sept Antiques and Fine Art Fair, Arley Hall, Nr Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 6NA, 10-10 Sept Halycon Fairs 0780 354467 www.halyconfairs.co.uk Buxton Antiques and Collectors Fair, The Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6BE, Sep 11, 12 WALES Continuity Fairs 01584 873634 www.continuityfairs.co.uk The International Antiques Fair of Wales, Royal Welsh Showground Llanelwedd, Builth Wells LD2 3SY, 4-5 Sept ANTIQUE COLLECTING 59

Celebrate The 70th Anniversary Year Of

21st - 26th of September 2021 invitation only collectors preview on the 20th Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, SW3 5EE SIGN UP FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS

www.chelseaantiquesfair.co.uk OFFICIAL FAIR PARTNERS:

For the full list of exhibitors visit: www.chelseaantiquesfair.co.uk

ESSEX CLOCK AND WATCH FAIR

Malvern Flea & Collectors Market

Antique and Modern Clocks, Watches, Tools and Books Collectors, Horologists, Makers and Repairers.

Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW.

Holiday Monday

30th Aug

Entrance: 7.30am-3.30pm - £5

Detling Antiques, Vintage & Collectors Market The Kent County Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent. ME14 3JF.

11th - 12th September Sat: Early Entry: 8.30am - £6 Sat: Entry: 10am-4.30pm - £5 Sun: 10.30am - 3.30pm - £4 Please check www.b2bevents.info in case these dates have changed or been cancelled

Tel: 01636 676531 • www.b2bevents.info 60 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

SUNDAY 10th OCTOBER 2021 9.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.

Marks Tey Parish Hall Old London Road Marks Tey, Colchester CO6 1EJ

   

Easy access – Just off the A12 at junction 25 Free Parking Refreshments from 9.15 Admission 9.00 – 12.00. £3.00 12.00 – 14.00. £2.50

Contact : David Barrowclough (info for sellers and buyers) E-mail: clockB@btinternet.com Telephone: 07851 870185 Managed by the British Horological Institute (Ipswich and District Branch) Subject to any prevailing Covid restrictions.

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 Early Vernacular Furniture & Textiles from The Collection of Lady Hamlyn, Sept 21 London Jewels, Sept 22 19th-Century and British Impressionist Art, Sept 22 Blazing a Trail Modern British Women, Sept 29 Fine and Rare WInes, Sept 30 Bonhams Knightsbridge, SW7 020 7393 3900 www.bonhams.com Watches and Wristwatches, Sept 7 Knightsbridge Jewels, Sept 8 Travel and Exploration, Sept 14 Fine Books and Manuscripts, Sept 15 Intruments of Science and Technology, Sept 15 Chiswick Auctions 1 Colville Rd, Chiswick, W3 8BL 020 8992 4442 www.chiswickauctions.co.uk None listed for September Christie’s King St., London, SW1 020 7839 9060 www.christies.com Picasso Ceramics (Online), Sept 10-22 Banksy: I can’t believe you morons buy this sh*t, (Online) Sept 9-23 Prints & Multiple (Online) Sept 16-28 Dix Noonan Webb 16 Bolton St, Piccadilly, W1J 8BQ 020 7016 1700. www.dnw.co.uk Jewellery, Watches & Objects of Vertu, Sept 14 Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria, Sept 15 British Tokens, Tickets & Passes, Forum Auctions 220 Queenstown Road, London SW8 4LP, 020 7871 2640 www.forumauctions.co.uk Books & Works on Paper (Online) Sept 23 Prints & Editions, Sept 29 Fine Books, Manuscripts & Works on Paper, Sept 30

Lyon & Turnbull 22 Connaught Street, London, W2 2AF 0207 930 9115 www.lyonandturnbull.com None listed for London, see other listings in Edinburgh Olympia Auction 25 Blythe Road, London, W14 OPD, 020 7806 5541 www.olympiaauctions.com None listed in September Morton & Eden Nash House St. George Street London W1S 2FQ , 020 7493 5344 www.mortonandeden.com None listed for September Phillips 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX,, 020 7318 4010 www.phillips.com None listed for September Roseberys Knights Hill, SE27 020 8761 2522 www.roseberys.co.uk Jewellery and Watches, Sept 7 Sotheby’s New Bond St., W1 020 7293 5000 www.sothebys.com Vine | Featuring Exclusive Releases from Weingut Eva Fricke (Online), ends Sept 10 Made in Britain (Online), Sept 7-15 Fine Watches (Online), Sept 2-16 Fine Jewellery (Online), Sept 2-17 Escape Artists – The NonConformists (Online), Sept 15-21 SOUTH EAST AND EAST ANGLIA: Inc. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex Beeston Auctions Unit 12, Paynes Business Park, Dereham Road, Beeston, Norfolk, PE32 2NQ, 01328 598080 www.beestonauctions.co.uk Militaria, Sept 8 Antiques and Collectables, Sept 9 Bishop and Miller 19 Charles Industrial Estate, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5AH, 01449 673088 www.bishopandmiller auctions.co.uk

Collectable Trading Cards (Online), ends Sept 19 The Gentleman’s Library, Sept 23 Fine Early Porcelain and Glass (Online), ends Sept 24 The Gentleman’s Library, Sept 23 Folk Art and Period Oak, Sept 24 Bellmans Newpound, Wisborough Green, West Sussex, RH14 0AZ 01403 700858 www.bellmans.co.uk Interiors, Including European Ceramics, Silver and Jewellery, Sept 7 The Friday 500, Sept 10 Burstow & Hewett The Auction Gallery, Lower Lake, Battle, East Sussex,TN33 0AT 01424 772 374 www.burstowandhewett.co.uk Antiques, Sept 22 Fine Art, Sept 23 The Canterbury Auction Galleries 40 Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8AN, 01227 763337 www.canterburyauctiongalleries. com, None listed for September Catherine Southon Auctioneers Farleigh Court Golf Club Old Farleigh Road Selsdon Surrey CR6 9PE, 0208 468 1010 www.catherinesouthon.co.uk Antiques and Collectables, Sept 15 Cheffins Clifton House, Clifton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7EA 01223 213343, www.cheffins.co.uk Interiors, Sept 7 The Fine Sale, Sept 29-30 Durrants Auctions The Old School House, Peddars Lane, Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 9UE, 01502 713490 www.durrantsauctions.com General Antiques, Sept 3 Silver and Jewellery, Sept 10 Mid 20th Century Design and Vintage, Sept 17 Watches and Clocks, Sept 24 Ewbank’s London Rd, Send, Woking, Surrey, 01483 223 101

www.ewbankauctions.co.uk The Transport Sale and Automobilia, Sept 5 Cars and Motorbikes, Sept 5 Jewellery, Watches and Coins, Sept 15 Silver and Fine Art, Sep 16 Antiques, Clocks & Antique Furniture, Sept 17 Vintage Posters (Timed), Sept 26 Excalibur Auctions Limited Unit 16 Abbots Business Park Primrose Hill Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, WD4 8FR 020 3633 0913 wwwexcaliburauctions.com Toys and Model Railways, Sept 11 John Nicholson’s Longfield, Midhurst Road Fernhurst, Haslemere Surrey, GU27 3HA 01428 653727 www.johnnicholsons.com Oriental and Islamic Auction, Sept 1 Fine Antiques, Sept 2 General, Sept 11 Lacy Scott & Knight 10 Risbygate St, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3AA, 01284 748 623 www.lskauctioncentre.co.uk Home and Interiors, Sept 4, 25 20th Century Art and Design, Sept 10 Music, Film, Sport and Memorabilia, Sept 10 Fine Art and Antiques, Sept 11 Lockdales 52 Barrack Square, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk IP5 3RF, 01473 627110 www.lockdales.com Fine Sale, Sept 1-2 Coins, Medals and Militaria, Sept 25-26 Mander Auctioneers The Auction Centre, Assington Road, Newton, Sudbury,Suffolk CO10 0QX, 01787 211847 www.manderauctions.co.uk Fine Art, Antiques and Interiors, Sept 11 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 61

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.

Parker Fine Art Auctions Hawthorn House, East Street, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7SX 01252 20 30 20 www.parkerfineartauctions.com None listed for September Reeman Dansie No. 8 Wyncolls Rd Severalls Business Park, Colchester, CO4 9HU 01206 754754 www.reemandansie.com September Fine Art, Featuring East Anglian Art and Artists, Sept Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8GE 01279 817778, www.sworder.co.uk Homes and Interiors, (Live Online), Sept 7 Homes and Interiors (Including Gardens) (Live Online), Sept 11 Two-Day Fine Interiors (Live Online), Sept 14-15 Jewellery (Live Online) Sept 29 T.W. Gaze Diss Auction Rooms, Roydon Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4LN, Norfolk 01379 650306. www.twgaze.com Agricultural Salvage and Statuary, Sept 2 Antiques and Interiors, Sept 3, 10, 17, 24 Blyth Barn Furniture Auction, Sept 7, 14, 21, 28 The Gallery Sale, Sept 9 Antiques and Interiors, Sept 17, 24 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 Antiques, General, Pictures and Collectables, Sept 30 Barbara Kirk Auctions The Harbour Saleroom, Trinity House, The Quay, Penzance

62 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Cornwall, TR18 4BN 01736 361342 www.barbarakirkauctions.co.uk Antiques, Collectors Items and Art, Sept date tbc

Sept 8 Open Studio: Bruce Tippett (19332017) (Timed Online), Sept 16 The David Winston Piano Collection, Sept 23

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, EX4 1DU O1392 41310. www.bhandl.co.uk Antiques and Interiors, Sept 11

Duke’s Brewery Square, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1GA 01305 265080 www.dukes-auctions.com Gold Watches, Jewellery and Pocket Watches, Sept 23

British Bespoke Auctions The Old Boys School, Gretton Rd, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, GL54 5EE, 01242 603005 www.bespokeauctions.co.uk Antiques, Collectables and Automobilia, Sept 29 Chorley’s Prinknash Abbey Park, Gloucestershire, GL4 8EU 01452 344499 www.chorleys.com Fine Art and Antiques, Sporting Art. Sept 21 David Lay Auctions Penzance Auction House, Alverton, Penzance, Cornwall, 01736 361414 www.davidlay.co.uk Antiques and Selected Items, Sept 2-3 Dawsons Kings Grove Estate, Maidenhead, Berkshire | SL6 4DP 01628 944100 www.dawsonsauctions.co.uk Jewellery, Silver and Watches, Sept 23 Fine Art, Antiques, Asian Art, Sept 30 Dominic Winter Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 5UQ, 01285 860006 www.dominicwinter.co.uk Printed Books, Maps & Documents, 20th Century Photography, Sept 8-9 Dreweatts Donnington Priory Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE 01635 553 553 www.dreweatts.com Fine Furniture, Sculpture, Carpets, Ceramics and Works of Art,

East Bristol Auctions Unit 1, Hanham Business Park, Memorial Road, Hanham, BS15 3JE 0117 967 1000 www.eastbristol.co.uk Antiques and Collectables (Three-Day Sale), Sept 1-3 Military, History and Transportation, Sept 17 20th-Century Design, Sept 24 Gardiner Houlgate 9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9SW 01225 812912 www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk The Guitar Sale, Sept 8 Entertainement, Memorabilia, Guitar Amps and Effects, Sept 9 Musical Instruments, Sept 10 Jewellery, Sept 22 Antique, Silver and Works of Art, Sept 23 Paintings, Sept 23 Fine Contents of a Georgian House, Sept 24 Hannam’s Auctioneers 4 The High Street, Alton, Hampshire, UK, GU34 1BU, 01420 511788 www.hannamsauctioneers.com None listed for September Hansons Auctioneers 49 Parsons Street, Banbury, Oxford, OX16 5NB 01295 817777 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk Banbury Antiques and Collectors, Sept 4 Kinghams 10-12 Cotswold Business Village, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucester, GL56 0JQ, 01608 695695 www.kinghamsauctioneers.com Jewellery and Watches, Sept 24

Lawrences Auctioneers Ltd. Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8AB, 01460 703041 www.lawrences.co.uk Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography, Sept 23 Mallams Oxford Bocardo House, St Michael’s St, Oxford.

01865 241358 www.mallams.co.uk The Oxford Library Sale, Sept 22 Mallams Cheltenham, 26 Grosvenor St, Cheltenham.

Gloucestershire, 01242 235 712 www.mallams.co.uk Country House Sale, Sept 16 Mallams Abingdon Dunmore Court, Wootten Road, Abingdon, OX13 6BH, 01235 462840 www.mallams.co.uk The Home Sale, Sept 6 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, Sept 15 Vintage and Antique Furniture with Home Interiors (Timed), Sept 22 Philip Serrell Barnards Green Rd, Malvern, Worcs.

WR14 3LW, 01684 892314 www.serrell.com Interiors, Sept 2 Fine Art and Antiques, Sept 23 Stroud Auctions Bath Rd Trading Estate, Bath Rd, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 3QF 01453 873 800 www.stroudauctions.co.uk Jewellery, Silver, Watches, Clocks, Coins, Bijouterie, Asian and Tribal Art and Designer Goods and Textiles, Sept 8-10 Special Auction Services Plenty Close, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5RL 01635 580 595

wwwspecialauctionservices.com Antiques and Collectables, Sept 7, 30 Photographica, Sept 9 Cornscrews and Wine, Sept 14 Jewellery, Silver, Watches and Coins, Sept 16 Music and Entertainment, Sept 21 Woolley & Wallis, 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SU, 01722 424500 www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk The Robin Simpson Collection of Commemorative Ceramics, Sept 8 Furniture, Works of Art and Clocks, Sept 22 EAST MIDLANDS: Inc. Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield Batemans Ryhall Rd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XF 01780 766 466 www.batemans.com Fine Art, Antiques and Specialist Collectors, Sept 11 Gildings Auctioneers The Mill, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7DE 01858 410414, www.gildings.co.uk A Private Collection of Scale Model Railway, Sept 14 Golding Young & Mawer The Bourne Auction Rooms, Spalding Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9LE 01778 422686 www.goldingyoung.com Bourne Collective, Sept 1-2 Bourne Toy, Transport and Automobilia Sale, Sept 22 Bourne General, Sept 23 Golding Young & Mawer The Grantham Auction Rooms, Old Wharf Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 7AA01476 565118 www.goldingyoung.com Grantham Collective, Sept 8-9 Golding Young & Mawer The Lincoln Auction Rooms, Thos Mawer House, Station Road North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 3QY 01522 524984 www.goldingyoung.com Lincoln Collective, Sept 15-16

Hansons Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS 01283 733988 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk The Country House Toy Nostalgia Auction, Sept 11 Antiques and Collectors Auction, Sept 16-21 The Derbyshire Autumn Fine Art Auction, Sept 23 Medals, Militaria and Firearms, Sept 24 The General Toy Auction, Sept 30 Fine Art & Interiors: Including The Kate Bliss Silver, Jewellery & Watch Auction, Sept 25 Mellors & Kirk The Auction House, Gregory Street, Nottingham NG7 2NL, 0115 979 0000 www.mellorsandkirk.com Antiques and Collectors, Sept 7-10 WEST MIDLANDS: Inc. Birmingham, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Bigwood Auctioneers StratfordUpon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7AW01789 269415 www.bigwoodauctioneers.com Home Furnishings and Collectables, Sept 10 Antiques and Collectables to Include Traditional Sports and Pastimes, Sept 24 Cuttlestones Ltd Wolverhampton Auction Rooms, No 1 Clarence Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 4JL, 01902 421985 www.cuttlestones.co.uk Specialist Collectors, Sept 10 Cuttlestones Ltd Pinfold Lane Penkridge Staffordshire ST19 5AP, 01785 714905 www.cuttlestones.co.uk Autumn Antique, Sept 2 Antiques and Interiors, Sept 15, 29 Fellows Augusta House, 19 Augusta Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6JA 0121 212 2131. www.fellows.co.uk The Designer Collection (Timed), Sept 6 Pawnbrokers Jewellery and Watches, Sept 9, 23 Jewellery (Timed Online), Sept 16 Watches and Watch Accessories, Sept 20 Fine Jewellery, Sept 30

Fieldings Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1JN 01384 444140 www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk The September Sale, Including Back to the Future, Sept 16-17 Halls Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DR 01743 450700 www.hallsgb.com/fine-art Antiques and Interiors, Sept 1 The Autumn Auction, Sept 15 Hansons Auctioneers Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST18 0XN, 0208 9797954 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk Classic Car Auciton, Sept 1 Curated and Connoisseur Ceramics and Glass, Sept 8 Autumn Country House Fine Art to Include Country Pursuits, Sept 9-13 The Bishton Hall Single Owner Paintings Auction, Sept 9 The Hogwarts Auction, Sept 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, Collectors’ Items, Household Items, Antiques and Quality Furniture, Sept 10-11 Trevanion The Joyce Building, Station Rd, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1RD, 01928 800 202 www.trevanion.com Fine Art and Antiques, Sept 22 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 Sporting & Militaria with Furniture & Interiors, Sept 16-17 Adam Partridge The Liverpool Saleroom, 18 Jordan Street, Liverpool, L1 OBP, 01625 431 788 www.adampartridge.co.uk Toys with Antiques and Collectors’ Items, Sept 1

Anderson and Garland Crispin Court, Newbiggin Lane, Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 1BF, 0191 432 1911 www.andersonandgarland.com Fine Watches Auction, Sept 7 Fine Silver and Jewellery Auction, Sept 7 September Country House & Fine Interiors Auction, Sept 7-9 The Collectors’ Auction, Sept 30 Capes Dunn The Auction Galleries, 40 Station Road, Heaton Mersey, SK4 3QT, 0161 273 1911 www.capesdunn.com Interiors, Vintage & Modern Furniture, Sept 6, 20 Jewellery, Silver, Watches and Gold Coins, Sept 7 Antique Furniture, Clocks, Eastern Carpets and Traditional Paintings, Sept 21 David Duggleby Auctioneers The Gallery Saleroom, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 1XN, 01723 507 111 www.davidduggleby.com Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Coins, Sept 2, 30 Decorative Antiques and Collectors, Sept 3 Affordable Art, Sept 4 The Furnishings Sale, Furniture and Interiors, Sept 4 The Autumn Art Sale, Sept 17 The Country House Sale, Sept 18 Toys. Diecast Model Cars, Dolls and Vintage Teddy Bears, Sept 24 Duggleby Stephenson of York The Saleroom, York Auction Centre, Murton, York YO19 5GF 01904 393 300 www.dugglebystephenson.com Coins, Stamps and Banknotes, Sept 8 Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Sept 9 Antiques, Fine Art and Collectors, Sept 9 Furniture, Clocks and Interiors, Sept 10 Elstob & Elstob Ripon Business Park, Charter Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1AJ, 01677 333003 www.elstobandelstob.co.uk Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Sept 18 Maxwells of Wilmslow The Auction Rooms, Levens Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 5DL, 0161 439 5182 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 63

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.

www.maxwells-auctioneers.com Monthly Antiques and Collective, Sept 15 Mitchells Antiques and Fine Art 47 Station Road, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9PZ. 01900 827 800 www.mitchellsantiques.co.uk Antiques and Fine Art, Sept 8-10 General Sale, Sept 23 House and Garden Sale, Sept 30 Sheffield Auction Gallery Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB, 0114 281 6161 www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com Football Programmes & Sporting Memorabilia, Sept 2 Antiques and Collectables, Sept 3, 17 Silver, Jewellery & Watches, Sept 16 Specialist Collectable Toys, Sept 30 Tennants Auctioneers Leyburn, North Yorkshire. 01969 623780 www.tennants.co.uk Militaria and Ethnographica, Sept 8 Antiques and Interiors, Sept 10, 24 Two-Day Country House Sale, Sept 17-18 Whisky and Wine, Sept 17 Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Sept 18 Scientific and Musical Instruments, Cameras and Tools, Sept 29 Vectis Auctions Ltd Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton on Tees, TS17 9JZ, www.vectis.co.uk 01642 750616 Diecast, Sept 15-16 General Toys, Sept 21 Specialist Diecast Collection, Sept 22 TV and Film-Related Sale, Sept 23 Model Trains, Sept 24 Matchbox, Sept 29-30 Wilkinson’s Auctioneers The Old Salesroom, 28 Netherhall Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN1 2PW, 01302 814 884 wilkinsons-auctioneers.co.uk Decorative and Fine Furniture Sale, Sept 26

64 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

Wilson55 Victoria Gallery, Market St, Nantwich, Cheshire.

01270 623 878. www.wilson55.com Jewellery and Watches (Timed), Sept 2-16 Arms, Medals and Firearms, Sept 9 Fine Jewellery and Watches, Sept 16 Northern Art (Live Online), Sept 23 Fine Wines and Spirits (Timed), Sept 10-26 SCOTLAND Bonhams Queen St, Edinburgh.

0131 225 2266, www.bonhams.com The Andrew Crawforth Collection of Early Metalware and Works of Art, Sept 13 Whisky, Sept 21 Great Western Auctions 1291 Dumbarton Road Whiteinch, Glasgow G14 9UY, 0141 954 1500, greatwesternauctions.com Furniture and Interiors, Sept 8 Two-Day Antiques and Collectables, Sept 8-9, 22-23

and Glass Auction, Sept 23 The Works of Art, Medals, Militaria and Furniture Auction, Sept 23 The Asian Works of Art Auction, Sept 24 The Scottish Pictures Auction, Sept 24 WALES Anthemion Auctions, 15 Norwich Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AB. 029 2047 2444 www.anthemionauction.com General Sale, Sept 1

Rogers Jones 17 Llandough Trading Estate, Penarth, Cardiff, CF11 8RR 02920 708125 www.rogersjones.co.uk Interiors, Sept 17 Rogers Jones Colwyn Bay Saleroom, 33 Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 7RU 01492 532176 www.rogersjones.co.uk Vintage and Interiors, Sept 7, 21 IRELAND

Jones & Llewelyn Unit B, Beechwood Trading Estate, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, SA19 7HR 01558 823 430 www.jonesandllewelyn.com General Antiques, Sept 4. 18

Adam’s 26 St Stephens Green Dublin, D02 X66, 00 353-1-6760261 www.adams.ie Fine Jewellery and Watches, Sept 14, Asian Art, Sept 24 Important Irish Art, Sept 24

Lyon & Turnbull Broughton Pl., Edinburgh.

0131 557 8844 www.lyonandturnbull.com Five Centuries: Furniture, Paintings & Works of Art, Sept 1 Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Sept 14 Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps and Photographs, Sept 22 McTears Auctioneers 31 Meiklewood Road, Glasgow, G51 4GB, 0141 810 2880 www.mctears.co.uk The Coins and Banknotes Auction, Sept 2 The Antiques and Interiors Auction, Sept 3, 17 The Jewellery Auction, Sept 5, 24 The Watches Auction, Sept 5 The Rare and Fine Whisky Auction, Sept 10 The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction, Sept 12 The Silver Auction, Sept 23 The British & Continental Ceramics

FINE JEWELLERY, WATCHES & SILVER 23rd September at 9:30am Viewing by appointment 20th – 22nd September 0207 431 9445 info@DawsonsAuctions.co.uk www.DawsonsAuctions.co.uk

ANTIQUES CENTRES

LENNOX CATO ANTIQUES & WORKS OF ART EST: 1978

•WANTED• ~ WANTED ~

for epic East Yorkshire Georgian townhouse restoration.

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 horseIVexercise chair (pictured) Signed and unusual furniture. Georgian, Regency, William . Sofa / Pembroke / side tables, library furniture / bookcases. Also Victorian campaign chests, armchairs etc.

Ross of Dublin, Morgan & Sanders, Williams & Gibton, James Winter, Hill & Millard Unusual to William IV architectural features andGeorgian many others. eg doors, door frames, over door pediments. 18th century

J Alderman. Daws and George Minterspindles recliningand chairs.

Shoolbred/ Hamptons staircase handrail needed.

Anything/ Cornelius Georgian Smith Victorian with armchairs. or Regency lots of character considered.

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

Exceptional Georgian / Regency fire grates

Rectangular Georgian fanlight.

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

Four identical reclaimed Georgian wooden sash windows Wide reclaimed floorboards.

Approx 100 m2. with boxes, 60 highwall x 37orwide.

Early decorative oil / gas / electric light fiapprox ttings. Ceiling, table.

Early gasoliers. Colza lamps. Gimble lamp.

1 The Square, Church Street, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5BD 01732 865 988 cato@lennoxcato.com

www.lennoxcato.com

surrounds fromskull.

1750Hippopotamus to 1850ish. White or coloured.

Roland Ward, VanMarble Ingen fire taxidermy.

Human skull.

Stuffed crocodile / alligator.

Bullseyes, William IV styles etc. Brass Regency reeded fire insert and Victorian griffin grate (pictured)

Quirky architectural features. Regency columns, corbels, marble and stone pieces, over door pediments, folding/rolling multi part Georgian room dividing doors.

Human skull, stuffed crocodile/ alligator.

Victorian canopy shower bath. Decorated toilets etc Unitas, Simplicitas, Deluge etc.

Grand tour souvenirs.

Decorated basins x 3.

vintagejewellery@yahoo.co.uk ororteltel07958 vintagejewellery@yahoo.co.uk 07958333442 333442

•WANTED• •WANTED•

VINTAGE WRISTWATCHES WRISTWATCHES VINTAGE

Rutland The

Longines, Tudors and Zeniths, pre-1970. Even basic steel models in nice condition.

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 All the quirky oddities like Harwoods, Autorists,wristwatches.

Wig Wag, Rolls etc, and World War I semi-hunter Early, pre-war ladies’ hunter watchesand also wanted by wristwatches.

Rolex, Jaeger LeCoultre etc. Prefer 1920s/30s styles, early by doughnuts also considered.

Early, pre-war ladies’ deco watches alsobut wanted 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.

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

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

ARMS

Omega Seamasters and pre-1980s Omegas in general.

Omega Seamasters and pre-1980s Omegas in general.

IWC and Jaeger LeCoultres, all styles. Looking for Reversos. American market filled IWC and Jaeger LeCoultres, styles.

Lookingatfor American market filled and 14kall pieces possibly, theReversos. right price. and 14k pieces possibly, at the right price.

Breitling Top Times, Datoras and 806 Navitimers.

Breitling Top Times, Datoras and 806 Navitimers.

Pre-1960s Rolex models, with a focus in pre-war tanks, tonneaus etc.

Pre-1960s Rolex models, a focus pre-war tanks, etc. tonneaus etc.

Gold or silver/steel.

Alsowith World War in I Rolex 13 lignes Princes.

Gold or silver/steel. Also World War I Rolex 13 lignes etc. Princes.

PM Antiques & Collectables We Buy & Sell are a modern and innovative pm-antiques.co.uk antiques retailer based in Surrey.

Specialising in a wide array Contact us: of collector’s items, including phil@pm-antiques.co.uk contemporary art, entertainment 01932 640113 and memorabilia, vintage toys, decorative ceramics, watches Over 45 dealers on 2 floors presenting Quality Antique Oak & and automobilia.

ANTIQUES

Centre

ADVERTISE TODAY PLEASE The Square Bakewell Derbyshire DE45CALL 1BT CHARLOTTE KETTELL ON 01394 389969 or email: Charlotte.Kettell@accartbooks.com

Mahogany Furniture, Clocks, Silver, OSP, Arts and Crafts, 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 PMAntiques2015 PM_Antiques VISIT NOW FOR A WONDERFUL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10-5, Sundays 11-4.

Tel: 01629 810468 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 65 www.therutlandarmsantiquescentre.co.uk ANTIQUE COLLECTING 65

LAST WORD Marc Allum

says, “I would like to donate this to a museum”, I often have to spell out the reality of that selfless notion.

LOCAL INTEREST

Marc My Words If you are thinking of leaving your treasured collection to a museum, watch out – it could get less of an airing than you think, warns Marc Allum

I

am frequently moved by the kindness and generosity people show in the selfless act of donating valuable artefacts and cherished possessions to organisations and institutions.

Often it is done in the hope that they might give other people enjoyment or benefit. Sometimes, as history has often shown, it is done as a way of gaining some form of immortality – although, be careful.

Despite the covenants you might include on your charitable donation, the museum may still decide to sell it to build an extension.

There might be a reason, of course. For example the item might have been acquired long ago and in a rather dubious way which no longer complies with modern morals.

JUDGEMENT CALL As a valuer and someone who frequently comes across people who want to do the philanthropic thing, I can be conflicted.

66 ANTIQUE COLLECTING

It’s often difficult, when wearing both a business hat – and being an empathetic character – to balance the two and do what is right.

It’s common knowledge that most museums display only a fraction of their collections, which means that the unseen part of the iceberg is stored in vast depositories and rarely sees the light of day.

Having visited many museum stores I am often reminded of that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark where the neverending rows and stacks of crates disappear into the distance.

So, when I find myself in a situation where the owner of an object instinctively

Don’t for a minute think I would ever divert an object from becoming part of a museum collection because my business instincts override it.

It’s just one often knows full well a museum just won’t want it, can’t display it and already probably has several of them.

People may misunderstand what museums are looking for, or why. Putting aside our biggest institutions, there are plenty of private and local authority museums that welcome contributions.

These might be highly-specialised collections, such as one of agricultural implements, or objects of local importance, including, say, a sign from an old building that is being demolished.

Certainly, in my town, I have diverted items to the local museum, including the entire finds from the archaeological excavations in my garden. However, such large amounts of material can also be burdensome to small institutions.

TAX BRACKET Perhaps more dramatically rewarding, but equally frustrating, is the discovery of an object of such importance that it changes the nature of an estate, pushing the beneficiaries into an uncharted world and a different tax bracket.

The result in this case is that a remarkable discovery can sometimes end up being offset against tax and given to a major museum.

The rewards of this (for someone like me) can be scant but, as with all things in our business, a touch of pragmatism always helps. As ever, giving good, impartial, advice is always the best course of action.

Marc Allum is an author, lecturer and specialist on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. For more details go to www.marcallum.co.uk Above left The Natural History Museum houses many more treasures than it displays, image shutterstock

‘It’s common knowledge that most museums display only a fraction of their collections, which means that the unseen part of the iceberg is stored in vast depositories and rarely sees the light of day’

Cars & Motorbikes: 5 September Automobilia & The Transport Sale: 5 September Jewellery, Watches & Coins: 15 September Silver & Fine Art: 16 September Antiques, Clocks & Furniture: 17 September Country House Sale: 8 October

Period Oak and Folk Art Auction Thursday 14 October 2021 Viewing: Tuesday 12 October and Wednesday 13 October 2021 between 9.30am and 4.30pm (no appointment necessary)

www.bishopandmillerauctions.co.uk 19 Charles Industrial Estate, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5AH enquiries@bm-auctions.co.uk 01449 673088