W I T NE Y A NT I QUE S Witney Antiques specialises in British domestic embroidered needlework from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, costume accessories and samplers. We also hold a stock of fine antique furniture 1640 –1820.
Rebecca Scott 100 Corn Street Witney Oxfordshire ox28 6 bu 01993 703902 specialist@witneyantiques.com
How / Why did you become an Antique Dealer? – I grew up in the antique world, with both my parents running the business together, so it surrounded me my whole life. My mother had a small collection of needlework samplers and I always wanted to travel back in time and meet the girls who worked them.
What would you do if you weren’t an antiques dealer? – If I was not a dealer I would probably do something with horses or food. In my dreams I would have been an international show jumper. I am an avid fan of equestrian sport and have a number of show jumping horses which compete, so at least I get the pleasure of being involved in the sport, even if it is only from the ground. Book you are currently reading? – The Sale of the Late King’s Goods, by Jerry Brotton. I love to read anything historical, especially about the seventeenth century.
www.witneyantiques.com
Did you study to become an antiques dealer? – I was always interested in the art and antiques world and studied for a BA Hons in History of Design and the Visual Arts. My earliest memory of the business was being at the Oxford Antiques fair when I was about six or seven and buying a silver teaspoon with my pocket money. My parents used to take me out of school for two weeks in March every year to go and stay in London when they were doing the old Chelsea Antiques Fair. I still have the first invoice I ever wrote out for a long case clock, complete with spelling mistakes. What would you suggest to someone wanting to start collecting antiques? – My advice for a young collector would be to read everything you can around the chosen subject, visit museums and find a dealer you can trust. Very importantly, you have to buy what you like!
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English Sampler by Emma Fowler, aged 9 years c. 1828 46 x 57 cm £ 3,000