A R T D E C O ‘ T U T M A N I A ’ J E W E L L E R Y P O S T E R S S P E C I A L F E M A L E S I LV E R S M I T H S
ANTIQUE
COLLECTING
JUN/JUL 2020
ANTIQUE COLLECTING
MEMORABILIA SPECIAL
VOL 55 N0.2 JUN/JUL 2020
Plus:
BUY THE BOOK:
COLLECTING WORKS BY CHARLES DICKENS
101 ‘MYSTERY’ CLOCKS UNDER THE HAMMER
100 YEARS OF PROHIBITION Discover the era’s best collectables
Italian style
UP STICKS THE BEAUTY OF PRIMITIVE WELSH CHAIRS
A guide to the whimsical delights of Piero Fornasetti
N E W S & C O M M E N T E XC L U S I V E
COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN WHAT THE AUCTION HOUSES ARE DOING TO PROTECT US
ALSO INSIDE Banknotes with Errors • Latest Book Offers • The UK’s Best Columnists
FORTHCOMING AUCTIONS www.sworder.co.uk
Modern British & 20th Century Art
Live online Wednesday 10 June
Modern British & 20th Century Art (pt II) Timed online Friday 29 May - Sunday 14 June
Homes and Interiors
Timed online Friday 5 - Sunday 14 June
Mid Century & Modern Design Live online Tuesday 23 June
Fine Jewellery, Watches and Designer Handbags Live online Tuesday 7 July
Fine Interiors
(British and Continental Furniture, Works of Art and Paintings) Live online Tuesday 21 & Wednesday 22 July
auctions@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778 Bill Culbert (1935-2019) CUBIC PROJECTIONS, 1968 Plastic light ball, £400-600
Stansted Mountfitchet | Essex | CM24 8GE
FIRST WORD
IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Like everyone in these pandemic times I conduct my days to a daily dance of hour-by-hour risk assessments. Dog walking routes depend on a complex equation based on time of day, weather and expected number of day-trippers (I live on the coast). Supermarkets are no longer chosen for choice, or price, but for hand sanitisers and shoppers’ propensity to wear face masks. So when auction houses sta t to reopen in mid-June what will we do? The equation is one of bagging a treasure, versus the likelihood of contracting the virus. I confess I am on the fence, two metres away from my auction-visiting chums some of whom are desperate to get their favourite hobby back on track, while others daren’t risk it. But if not now, when? Auction houses are now adjusting to this new normal, with longer viewing times, viewing by appointment, and plastic screens (see our report on page 13). These will be the auctions of the future and, like it or not, we will have to get used to it. Talking of which, we have done our best to bring you the latest sales calendar but, with the schedule understandably adjusting all the time, it might not be fully up to date. Please visit auctioneers’ websites for the latest information. With no summer antiques fairs we’ve tried to bring a smattering of the season to the magazine. While we might not be able to attend the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, which is postponed until the autumn, you can get a feel of it in the shape of collecting posters for the famous show, see page 46. Pubs may be closed for now but console yourself that you are not living through the prohibition which began 100 years ago and lasted a thirst-defying 13 years. On page 32, Paul Fraser brings us a taste of memorabilia from the era. There seem to be more lockdown book lists knocking about than pictures of sourdough on Twitter. So far I have found no need to abandon my preferred cocktail of Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse for anything more taxing, but many are turning to Charles Dickens and 2020 happens to mark the 150th-anniversary of the great author’s death. Collecting his work is extremely popular, see page 14 for our guide. Enjoy the summer, stay safe and I’ll see you in August.
Georgina
Georgina Wroe, Editor
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
INEZ TOBIN
on art deco ‘Tutmania’, page 28
ASHLEY GRAY
reveals textile’s unsung heroines, page 36
HOLLY JOHNSON on the genius of Piero Fornasetti, page 42
We love This biscuit tin in the shape of a London Transport double decker bus which has an estimate of £150-£200 at Special Auction Services’ sale on June 10.
ADAM PATTINSON
lifts the lid on banknote errors, page 58
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: Jo Lord 01394 389950, jo.lord@accartbooks.com Subscriptions: Sue Slee 01394 389957, sue.slee@accartbooks.com
£38 for 10 issues annually, no refund is available. ISSN: 0003-584X
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 3
Seeking consignments for our Gentleman's Library Auction, which is an auction full of curios and intrigue. Already consigned: Ancient Egyptian alabaster alabastron, late period, circa 664-332 B.C Estimate: ÂŁ1,000 - ÂŁ1,500
19 Charles Industrial Estate, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5AH Tel: 01449 673088 Email: enquiries@bm-auctions.co.uk
www.bishopandmillerauctions.co.uk
CONTENTS
Contents
42
VOL 55 NO 2 JUNE/JULY 2020
6
56 Top of the Lots: More than 100 iconic Cartier mystery clocks are up for sale in July
32 REGULARS
36
A R T D E C O ‘ T U T M A N I A ’ J E W E L L E R Y P O S T E R S S P E C I A L F E M A L E S I LV E R S M I T H S
ANTIQUE
COLLECTING
JUN/JUL 2020
3
Editor’s Hello: Georgina Wroe introduces the summer double issue
6
Antique News: All the latest in the time of Covid-19 from the world of fine art and antiques
10 Around the Houses: While the sales may be online they are still producing some cracking results. We review the best of the bunch
ANTIQUE COLLECTING
MEMORABILIA SPECIAL
VOL 55 N0.2 JUN/JUL 2020
Plus:
BUY THE BOOK:
COLLECTING WORKS BY CHARLES DICKENS
101 ‘MYSTERY’ CLOCKS UNDER THE HAMMER
100 YEARS OF PROHIBITION
13 Market Report: How will the ‘new normal’ affect auctions as we used to know them?
Discovery the era’s best collectables
Italian style
UP STICKS THE BEAUTY OF PRIMITIVE WELSH CHAIRS
A guide to the whimsical delights of Piero Fornasetti
N E W S & C O M M E N T E XC L U S I V E
COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN WHAT THE AUCTION HOUSES ARE DOING TO PROTECT US
ALSO INSIDE Banknotes with Errors • Latest Book Offers • The UK’s Best Columnists
COVER
birdca e on antique bureau © Alun Callender, Narratives
FOLLOW US @AntiqueMag
56
58 Saleroom Spotlight: A single owner collection of banknotes with errors just might spark a new collecting obsession 61 Auction Calendar: With the lockdown starting to lift, auctions are back with a vengeance 66 Marc My Words: BBC Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum suggests best practice hasn’t always been the norm in lockdown
FEATURES 14 What the Dickens! Adam Douglas’ guide to collecting books by Charles Dickens in the year marking the 150th-anniversary of his death 24 Stick With It: Welsh stick chairs have a charm all their own. Tim Bowen shines a light on the primitive designs
28 Torque Like an Egyptian: Close to a century on from ‘Tutmania’, 20 Waxing Lyrical: With some elbow Inez Tobin lifts the lid on art deco grease and persistence, David Harvey Egyptian revivalist jewellery reinvigorates a walnut escritoire 36 Material Girls: Ashley Gray looks 22 Subscription Offer: Save 50 per at the unsung female designers cent on the annual subscription and behind some iconic mid-century receive a free book worth £65 textiles 32 Cool and Collectable: 100 years on from prohibition, Paul Fraser has a thirst for its memorabilia 34 Your Letters: How lockdown has affected readers’ collecting habits 35 Market Report: Veteran auctioneer John Gilding looks back on 40 years at the rostrum
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54 Book Offers: Make the most of the rem ining lockdown by getting stuck into a great book
42 An Auctioneer’s Lot: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang causes a stir when it drives into Charles Hanson’s country house salerooms
42 Wit & Whimsy: The whacky designs of Piero Fornasetti have never been more popular. Holly Johnson reveals everything a collector needs to know 46 Posters of an Exhibition: While the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition is on hold, poster advertisin the event are both decorative and interesting 50 Silver Streak: A new online exhibition puts female 19th-century silversmiths in the spotlight ANTIQUE COLLECTING 5
NEWS All the latest
Plague on your house
The team works on Rembrandt van Rijn’s (1606-1669) The Night Watch, 1642
WHAT’S GOING ON IN JUNE & JULY
ANTIQUE news Despite the lockdown there’s still a lot going on. Keep up to date with all the latest at www.antique-collecting.co.uk
6 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Above A line of patients in Wood Green wait for a smallpox vaccination, 1959 © Henry Grant Collection/ Museum of London Below A 17th-century
pomander in the shape of a watch. Herbs and infusions were thought to ward off infection and carried in times of plague © Museum of London
DUTCH COURAGE Rembrandt’s most famous painting, The Night Watch can now be viewed online in the most incredible detail thanks to the latest cutting-edge technology. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has added it to its website as a 44.8-gigapixel image, allowing visitors to zoom in on individual brushstrokes and even particles of pigment in the 1642 painting. Rijksmuseum’s director, Taco Dibbits, said: “The research team has used the very latest technologies and continually push the boundaries of what was thought possible. The photograph is a crucial source of information for the researchers, and online visitors can use it to admire Rembrandt’s masterpiece in minute detail.” The Rijksmuseum’s imaging team used 528 exposures of the work to create a photograph of The Night Watch. 24 rows of 22 pictures were then stitched together digitally with the aid of neural networks. The final image is made up of 44.8 gigapixels (44,804,687,500 pixels), with the distance between each pixel measuring 20 micrometres (0.02 mm). This enables the scientists to study the painting in detail remotely. The image will also be used to accurately track any future ageing processes taking place in the painting.
Ever thought your lockdown slippers could be museum pieces? The Museum of London is after objects that reflect Londoners’ lives during Covid-19. Senior curator, Beatrice Behlen, said: “We want to collect a range of objects, from clothing to hairclippers, from diaries to memes that reflect the physical and emotional response of Londoners to the disease.“ The museum has collections relating to previous epidemics such as the 1918 flu pandemic. Email enquiry@museumoflondon. org.uk with your ideas.
Bored room Fed up of using your bedroom wall as a backdrop for video conferencing? Now you can impress colleagues with the splendour of a French-style 19th-century mansion. Waddesdon Manor in Aylesbury, built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, is offering free downloads of lavish interiors, amazing artwork and spectacular gardens. The Buckinghamshire château is offering views of its smoking room and the red drawing room as well as its parterre and aviary. To download a backdrop go to waddesdon.org.uk/blog/beautifulbackdrops-for-your-virtual-meetings Above The dining room at Waddesdon Manor is one of the views available to download
Left A reliquary bust of one of Saint Ursula’s 11,000 virgins, Cologne, c. 1350, on sale from Sam Fogg at LAW Right Théodore Géricault (1791-1824) Study of a lion at rest Below left Stoldo Lorenzi (Florence, c. 1534-1583) Mars, 1565-1575, terracotta, on sale from Trinity Fine Art at LAW Below right Aloys Zötl
(Austrian, 1803-1887) Two Amazonian Horned Frogs (Ceratophrys cornuta)
1Maintaining the Law London Art Week (LAW) takes place this summer – albeit online – from July 3-10. LAW Digital will see virtual viewing rooms curated by category allowing artworks from all participants to be seen together. There will also be contributions from major museums, such as the Wallace Collection and The Courtauld, as well as in-depth interviews with dealers, curators and auction house specialists, along with podcasts and videos. Exhibitions will be accompanied by the latest research in the form of online catalogues and essays aimed at fostering connections with dealers, while ‘discover more’ buttons will take viewers to similar works offered by other participants. Go to www.londonartweek.co.uk for more details.
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to see online in
JUNE & JULY
2
Natural phenomenon
Drawn to Nature: Flora and Fauna from the 16th Century to the Present, is the name of the online exhibition at Stephen Ongpin Fine Art from July 3-10. The gallery’s Stephen Ongpin, said: “In these unprecedented times, we have gone back to the roots of drawing and inspiration, selecting natural subjects across 450 years.” The exhibition will be accompanied by a digital catalogue, available to be viewed online and by appointment, at the London gallery. Some 40 works priced between £1,000 and £150,000 will be on sale, go to www. stephenongpin. com
Bottom left Francis
Bedford (1815-1894) Mosque of St Sophia from Hippodrome (Istanbul), all images © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
Below left Francis Bedford (1815-1894) The Prince of Wales and group at the Pyramids, Giza, Egypt
Jacques Barraband Aubusson (1767-1809) A male blue-throated barbet (megalaima Asiatica)
Below Francis Bedford
(1815-1894) Portrait of Abd al-Qadir, Damascus
3
Trip to the Barber
Dreaming of a summer getaway? From June 12, collectors and art lovers can virtually fly to the Middle East and go back in time, courtesy of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts’ first online-only show Sights of Wonder: Photographs from the 1862 Royal Tour. In 1862, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) toured the Middle East as part of his preparations to become monarch, accompanied by one of Victorian Britain’s pre-eminent photographers, Francis Bedford (1815-1894). As well as following the social mores of the cultures, each of his subjects was required to remain completely still for several seconds so as not to appear as a blur. The exhibition starts in Egypt before travelling to the Holy Land, Lebanon, Syria and Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) before ending in Athens. See the exhibition at www.barber.org.uk or on Twitter @BarberInstitute.
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 7
NEWS All the latest
Rainbow nation
National emergency With galleries, theatres, and museums shut, the role played by the National Gallery in WWII is celebrated online. During the conflict the London gallery staged cultural events, including returning pictures stored for safe keeping in a Welsh mine. Artworks were evacuated to secret locations in 1939 to protect them. By May 1940, the entire collection had been transferred to Manod Quarry, a slate mine in the Welsh mountains. The gallery was bombed nine times between October 1940 and April 1941 with a highexplosive bomb destroying the room where a number of Raphaels had been hung before the war. See the ‘wartime’ works and other gallery treasures at www. nationalgallery. org.uk Above Titian (1490-1576)
Noli me Tangere, c. 1514, the first masterpiece to be brought back from Wales Below A telegram advises on
the transport of paintings from Wales to the gallery 1945, © The National Gallery, London
8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Damien Hirst (b. 1965) has created a new rainbow work to show support for the National Health Service in the current Coronavirus crisis. The work, called Butterfly Rainbow, is made up of bands of coloured butterfly wings, one of the artist’s best-known motifs. It can be downloaded from Damien Hirst’s website
Quick fire questions with... SWORDERS’ NEW HEAD OF OLD MASTERS, SARAH FLYNN
How did you start in the business?
In my twenties at Christie’s King Street. I started in the Old Masters department (the best department). After that I spent 12 years as head of paintings at Cheffins in Cambridge.
and displayed in people’s windows to show their appreciation for NHS staff. Damien Hirst said: “I wanted to do something to pay tribute to the wonderful work NHS staff are doing in hospitals around the country. The rainbow is a sign of hope and I think it is brilliant that parents and children are creating their own version and putting them up in the windows of their homes.” A limited edition of the work is also being produced which will be sold with all profits donated to the NHS. Further details will be announced on Damien Hirst’s Instagram @damienhirst. Across the UK, people have been showing their support for frontline NHS staff and other key workers as they deal with the deadly virus with painted rainbows in windows and communal clapping. To download the image go to www.damienhirst.com Above left Damien Hirst’s Butterfly Rainbow pledges his support to the NHS
I also found an etching by Rembrandt (1606-1669) in the ‘chuck-out’ box at an Emmaus store that later sold for £10,000 at auction.
Who do you admire?
The dealers Paul Liss and Sacha Llewellyn for championing the careers of some of the unsung heroes of modern British painting. Also Christopher Vane Percy for his fantastic eye and ability to create magical interiors in both country and town houses.
What do you collect?
What have been your greatest discoveries?
Portraits of the four Ffolliott brothers who were the sons of Sir John Ffolliott of Pirton Court. In 1603, the boys were portrayed together on native English oak panels by a regional English artist. As such they are among the earliest examples of a new type of portrait commissioning in England. I found two in a Suffolk house before the vendor told me his brother had two more. They are all rare, early and wonderful. Dendrochronology tests revealed they were all painted on panels from the same tree. My second best discovery was five drawings by John Constable (1776-1837). One was a pencil drawing of a horse resting by a plough believed to have been drawn while he was on his honeymoon with his wife, Maria. The couple was returning from Dorset having stayed with friends in Binfield, Berkshire.
I love the drawings of Glyn Philpot (1884-1937) and Augustus John (1878-1961); 19th-century equestrian paintings (mainly of black horses such as Cavalry Blacks from the Household Cavalry); as well as paintings of greyhounds, springer spaniels and fairground paintings. I also have some works by the equestrian artist Malcolm Coward (b. 1948) of my own horses and dogs.
After lockdown is lifted what would be your best day out?
The Household Cavalry Museum in Whitehall would be one, as well as a trip to the Higgins Bedford (which unites the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford Museum and Bedford Gallery). During the eight years prior to his death in 1989, Edward Bawden (1903-1989) donated the entire contents of his house and studio to the museum. The bequest included adverts for Fortnum & Mason, Ealing Comedy posters, Wedgwood plates, letters, photographs and examples of his own work. Above left The Constable pencil drawing was made on his honeymoon Above The four Ffolliott brothers, by an unknown artist
Alfred Munnings (1878-1959) A Snowy Road, Woolsthorpe, 1920 © The Estate of Sir Alfred Munnings
BLINDSIDED The V&A Museum has teamed up with an interiors company to introduce a new range of designs by the arts and crafts supremo William Morris (1834-1896). The internet retailer Blinds2go has the green light to recreate Morris’s most iconic patterns, including Strawberry Thief and Willow Bough. The museum’s Amelia Calver, said: “This collection gives the V&A a unique opportunity to highlight its most loved designs to an entirely new audience.” Blinds2go’s marketing director, Alison Gore, said: “We have highlighted some of Morris’s best work that is beautiful, useable and accessible to all.” Top William Morris (1834-1896) roller blind using
Strawberry Thief design
Above The designer William Morris (1834-1896)
Horse play The difficulties of working with animals and the aristocracy are revealed in a new book of letters from the equine artist Sir Alfred Munnings to his second wife, Violet McBride. In Yours with love AJ: Letters from Sir Alfred Munnings to his wife, Violet 1920-1922, one letter details how his client Lady Torrington mistakenly sent her horse and groom to the wrong location. By April 1920, Munnings was an artist of repute following the critical and public success of his wartime
In the detail More than four million objects from the British Museum’s collection have gone online to be enjoyed by armchair collectors. Now called the British Museum Collection Online, the database was unveiled earlier than planned so people in Covid-19 lockdown could enjoy the treasures from their own homes. A major new addition is the ability to see object images up close, using zoom technology from the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF). The launch sees 280,000 new photographs and 85,000
paintings of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and Canadian Forestry Corps, exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1919. His equestrian commissions brought more fame, wealth and ultimately earnt him a knighthood and the presidency of the Royal Academy. The book is available from www.munningsmuseum.org.uk, priced £25. Above Alfred and Violet Munnings © The Estate of Sir Alfred Munnings, 2020
new records published for the very first time, including 73 portraits by Damien Hirst, a previously lost watercolour by Rossetti, and a recently-acquired 3,000-year-old Bronze age pendant. The online collection also sees an expansion of object records written in Chinese, with all 1,700 pieces in the Sir Percival David Collection of Chinese ceramics now with records in both English and Chinese. The collection also includes the Benin Bronze and Rosetta Stone. Far left More than four million
of the museum’s treasures can be viewed using the latest zoom technology
Left The Rosetta tone is one of the objects in the collection
Did you know?
The Rosetta Stone was discovered by French soldiers during their occupation of Egypt in 1799. Weighing nearly a ton and containing three scripts it was written in 197 BCE to affirm the legitimacy of Ptolemy V and, provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics.
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 9
AUCTION Round up
AROUND the HOUSES While auctions may have gone online, the results are as impressive as ever. Antique Collecting tours the salerooms
LYON & TURNBULL, EDINBURGH A Chinese imperial vase found in a Scottish country house topped the Scottish auctioneer’s ‘behind closed doors’ Asian art sale on May 13 when it sold for £45,000 against an estimate of £3,000-£5,000. The 27cm-tall Qianlong (1736-1795) mark and period, painted-enamel lotus vase was one of 14 lots consigned by the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres of Balcarres House in Fife. They were part of the treasures amassed by the 25th Earl (1812-1880) and his son the 26th Earl (1847-1913) many of which are distributed among several British institutions. Scotland’s country houses remain the repository of important Far Eastern works of art, often the product of the nation’s key role in the 18th and 19th-century China trade. A pair of 11cm diameter bowls decorated with the six-character Qianlong marks in underglaze blue sold for £23,750 in the same sale. The technique of applying a brilliant coral-red enamel over white-glazed porcelain was perfected at Jingdezhen during the later Qing period. Despite holes to the neck the imperial vase was the sale’s top seller
The bowls sold for £23,750 at the behind-closeddoors sale
10
ANTIQUE COLLECTING
The guitar had been in private hands since Clapton sold it in 1999
EWBANK’S, WOKING Eric Clapton’s guitar, which had been in a private collection for more than 20 years, sold for £9,000 at the Surrey auctioneer’s recent online sale. The late-1930s Gibson Kalamazoo went into private hands in Christie’s New York in 1999 as part of a collection of 100 guitars Clapton sold to raise money for a drug treatment centre. When it appeared more than 20 years later, with an estimate of £10,000-£15,000, it retained its original case and strap and even a copy of the invoice supplied to the purchaser by Christie’s in 1999. Ewbank’s specialist, Alastair McCrea, said: “After more than 20 years of being hidden away in a private collection, this was a rare opportunity to acquire an amazing instrument owned by a legend of rock music – ranked in the top five greatest guitarists.”
DIX NOONAN WEBB, LONDON A rare 17th-century penny struck in Northern Ireland, expected to The Irish make just £240-£300, penny set a new set a worldwide worldwide auction auction record of record £6,200 at the Mayfair auction house’s live online sale on May 26. At a previous sale a PDSA Dickin medal for gallantry – dubbed the ‘animals’ Victoria Cross’ – fetched £27,280, more than three times its pre-sale estimate. The gong was awarded to the plucky pigeon ‘Duke of Normandy’ – the first bird to arrive home with vital intelligence from behind enemy lines after an epic 26 hour 50 minute flight on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
The medal went to a pigeon called Duke of Normandy after a 26-hour flight
DREWEATTS, NEWBURY An 18cm 17th-century London delft wine bottle sold for £4,800 against an estimate of £1,500-£2,500 at the Berkshire’s auctioneer’s online sale. Inscribed in blue ‘CLARET 1642’, and with a strap handle, it came from the estate of Christopher and Rosemary Warren a large number of whose delft collection appears in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. English tinglazed pottery was called ‘galleyware’ or ‘galliware’ and its makers ‘gallypotters’. It was given the name delftware after the tinglazed pottery from the Netherlands which it often closely copied.
John Ward (b. 1938) studied under Lucie Rie and Hans Coper
The English delftware bottle sold for £4,800 at the online sale
MAAK, LONDON A pot by John Ward (b. 1938) was among the top sellers at the London ceramics specialist’s online sale when it sold for £13,200 in May. Oval Pot with Dipped Rim, c. 2003, which had a presale estimate of £3,000-£4,000, came from the collection of Michael Evans, also known by his Buddhist name Dayabandhu, as reported in last month’s magazine. Ward, now in his eighties, is one of the most distinguished of the modern British potters, having studied under Hans Coper and Lucie Rie at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in the 1960s.
HARTLEY’S AUCTIONS, ILKLEY
The watch is really a Cold War listening device
A 16th-century-style foot armour (right) sold for three times its estimate when it hammered for £1,200 at the West Yorkshire auctioneers, while a suit of 17th century-style cuirassier armour fetched £800. Both suits stood close to 6ft and were mounted on an oak plinth. With shaped, articulated legs, cuirassier armour was used by the cuirassier (cavalry) during the Napoleonic wars.
The suits of armour both exceeded pre-sale expectations
ELSTOB & ELSTOB A watch-cum-listening device from the Cold War made £360 at the North Yorkshire auction house’s recent online May 28 sale, against an estimate of £300-£400. While the wristwatch has dials and a second hand, and even bears the name of the Swiss-German watchmaker Hanhart, it can also be attached to a microphone with a cable running up the wearer’s arm. The back of the case is perforated around the edges to allow the microphone to pick up and record sound using hair-thin magnetic wire. The timepiece is a rare example of espionage equipment from the era of prolonged United States and Soviet Union rivalry that utilised state-of-the-art recording technology developed by Protona, a small German company, in the 1950s.
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 11
AUCTION Round up WILLIAM GEORGE Nine original portraits of Her Majesty the Queen sold to a private collector in the US for £16,500 (against a reserve of £3,000) at the Peterborough-based online auction house. The photos, which sparked interest from around the world, were taken by renowned court photographer Anthony Buckley in 1963 to be used on the Canadian dollar bill. Buckley trained under The portraits sold for more Dorothy Wilding, the photographer who than five times took the photograph of the Queen used on their reserve postage stamps from 1952 to 1967.
SWORDERS, STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET A gown once owned by the woman who hosted the wedding of Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor sold for £360 at the Essex auction house on May 19. The electric blue and gold silk long robe by Balenciaga belonged to Fern Lombard Bedaux (1892-1972), the daughter of a Michigan lawyer who became The label of the second wife of Frenchthe 1965 American millionaire Charles gown reads , Eugène Bedaux (1886-1944). ‘Balenciaga, 10 The couple hosted the Avenue George V, royal wedding at their French Paris’ château on June 3, 1937.
SOTHEBY’S, LONDON One of the oldest bottles of cognac in the world sold for The bottle is one of a surviving £118,000 at the London trio dating back auction house’s online sale to 1762 finishing on May 28. Dated to 1762 and from the Maison Gautier in France, only three bottles are still in existence, each having been held in the same family for generations with their original labels attached. The last and largest of these remaining bottles, known as “grand frère”, or the “big brother”, had an estimate of £80,000-£160,000. The little sister (‘petite soeur’) is housed in the Gautier Museum, while the little brother (‘petit frère’) sold in New York in 2014 for £48,000.
12 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
POTTER & POTTER AUCTIONS, CHICAGO A first edition of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, published in 1953 by Jonathan Cape of London, estimated at $8,000-12,000 (£6,500-£9,800) was the top The braid is seller at the Chicago auction the only known house’s recent sale when it hairpiece of the magician Chung made $22,800 (£18,500). Ling Soo One of 4,728 printed, the copy retained its original first issue dust jacket and was housed in a matching custom cloth The first of Fleming’s books clamshell case, stamped in gilt and with was the sale’s red, heart-shaped Morocco inlays. top seller In a previous sale, the only known yard-long wig, belonging to the American magician William Ellsworth Robinson (1861-1918) who went by the name Chung Ling Soo, sold for $10,200 (£8,300), three times its low estimate. The illusionist is best remembered for his accidental death due to a failed bullet catch trick.
LOCKDALES, MARTLESHAM A set of bagpipes believed to have been recovered from the first day of the Battle Unarmed piper Private of the Somme sold William Scott for £5,560 at the died leading his Suffolk auctioneer’s comrades into online sale, smashing battle its pre-sale estimate of £600-£800. The pipes are thought to have belonged to Private William Alexander Scott from the Northumberland Fusiliers, who died during the epic conflict’s first day on July 1, 1916. The pipes A newspaper cutting with the lot were recovered from the field after described how the young, unarmed the first day of the piper died leading his fellow Battle of the comrades into action. Somme The first day of the Battle of the Somme was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army and one of the most infamous days of WWI. The British forces suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 fatalities.
EXPERT COMMENT Coming out of lockdown their recent online sales “a phenomenon.” He said: “Bidding behaviour has leapt forward years in the wake of the pandemic, and is unaffected by a prohibition on public viewing; which is good for future business and jobs. Sellers can now see how viewing objects via the web, rather than in person, is being seen as commonly accepted practice.” The lasting legacy of having to rely purely on technology will be profound. Guy Schooling from Essex-based auctioneers Sworders, said: “We are looking to embrace change and any opportunities offered in these difficult times. The future is online, this crisis is, I think, accelerating inevitable change.”
A visitor wears a face mask at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, May 19. UK museums may open from July 4
MARKET Report From thermal cameras to masked porters, Georgina Wroe considers collecting in the time of Covid-19
O
n May 29 LAPADA became the latest organiser to cancel its London fair. Due to take place at its plush Mayfair location from September 18 to 23 (two months later than the already-cancelled Masterpiece and Olympia), CEO Freya Simms, said: “With the uncertainty surrounding how live events can operate due to Covid-19, coupled with the strain on our members’ retail businesses we do not feel it is appropriate to progress with plans for the fair this September.” A psychological blow to the dozens of beleaguered dealers and galleries who, having written off the summer, have to look to more of the same in the autumn.
GREEN SHOOTS Luckily, there’s more optimism in other areas of the industry. With outdoor markets given the green light from June 1, some fairs are gearing into business. B2B Fairs is working towards holding its Detling Antiques, Vintage & Collectors air on July 18-19. Director, Helen Yourston, said: “We have had to redraw the floor plans for the buildings taking out pitches so that dealers can social distance between themselves.” Other measures include a one-way system for visitors, contactless payment at the entrance gates, sanitizing stations aroun the grounds and the advice to dealers and visitors to wear facemasks, with staff issued with face shields.
Auction houses, which at the time of writing – were allo ed to open from June 15 (along with antique stores and retail art galleries) were also worki g to make premises Covid- protected. Stephen Whittaker, MD of Birminghambased Fellows Auctioneers, said: “We will have a HikVision thermal camera in reception areas both in Mayfair and Birmingham to test for elevated temperatures, in the event of a positive, we have a handheld thermometer to check the reading. If a visitor/member of staff shows elevated temperatures after these tests we will suggest they speak to NHS 111.” As well as providing masks and gloves, lots will be cleaned with UV light after each customer has viewed them. Charles Hartley from Ilkley-based Hartley’s Auctions, said: “We have doubled the viewing time and we will be implementing one-in-one-out policies in reception, one-way systems around the saleroom, staff PPE, regular surface cleaning and social distancing rules around things such as cabinet viewing.” Sold lots will be collected ‘Screwfix-style’ from the rear of the building, he added.
As well as providing masks and gloves, lots will be cleaned with a UV light after each customer has viewed them’ Home working and staggered working hours will become the norm, along with online valuations and automated booking systems to view lots. Even the nature of the auction themselves may change. Fellows’ Stephen Whittaker, said: “Our online timed format sales have evolved and we will continue to develop these but we hope to hold live sales in the future, though with social distancing for our colleagues and customers, it will need careful management to ensure that everyone is safe.” Chris Ewbank continued: “Talk across the industry is how much a game changer the pandemic has been. “While I wish we had never gone through the pandemic, it has been an object lesson in what can be achieved by the doughty and determined in the most challenging of circumstances. I think that many of us will be looking at how we continue to develop our businesses once the crisis is over.” o latest auction dates, all of which are subject to change o ag Below Masks in salerooms may be the future
LESSONS LEARNT For many auctioneers, the lockdown has focussed practices and, in many cases, increased sales. Chris Ewbank from the Surrey-based auctioneers Ewbank’s, dubbed ANTIQUE COLLECTING 13
m b
COLLECTING GUIDES Charles Dickens Left The red
cover of an Original Autograph Manuscript Leaf of Charles Dickens’ Immortal Pickwick Papers, on sale from Peter Harrington priced £97,500
What the Dickens!
With 2020 marking the 150th-anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens there has never been a better time to collect works by the celebrated author, writes Adam Douglas
T
his year celebrates a milestone in the history of the greatest English novelist of the 19th century and the most quoted writer in English after Shakespeare. The novels of Charles Dickens (1812-1870) are bursting with vivid characters and settings from a great crosssection of contemporary English society, showing his characteristic concern for the poor and downtrodden. He had a flair for combining idiosyncratic figures immediately recognisable from their physical appearance, mannerisms and catchphrases, who nevertheless represent unchanging aspects of human nature. He remains one of the most collectable authors in world literature.
14 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Top The Nonesuch
Dickens. Published in the 20th century, the set contains everything he wrote. Each set comes with one of the original plates used when printing the illustrations for a specific novel. In this set, the plate included was used for the illustration on p. 50 of the first edition of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, on sale from Peter Harrington priced £8,500
Right A page of the actual manuscript of Pickwick Papers, Dickens’s first novel. Only 50 of the original 1,500 pages have survived, and this is one of only five left in private hands. The manuscript includes Dickens’s corrections, on sale from Peter Harrington priced £97,500 Below left Charles
Dickens in the 1860s
THE INIMITABLE BOZ Dickens began his writing career as a parliamentary reporter. He applied those observational skills, together with his irrepressible comic gusto, to descriptions of everyday life in his first book, the two-volume Sketches by Boz (1836) – though the primary selling point was the illustrations of renowned George Cruikshank (17921878). Dickens’s second book was planned as a minor variation on that illustrated format. The publisher commissioned a monthly serial following the comic misadventures of a group of cockney sportsmen, but in the fourth number Dickens launched his fi rst unforgettable character, Sam Weller, and the effect on sales was explosive. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1837) proved to be a publishing sensation. For any book collector, Dickens is dominated by the glorious run of his full-length major novels, from Pickwick Papers on, which were fi rst serialised in monthly parts. These parts issues have traditionally commanded the highest prices. Nine of Dickens’s 15 novels – Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby (1839), Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), Dombey and Son (1848), David Copperfield (1850), Bleak House (1853), Little Dorrit (1857), Our Mutual Friend (1864), and Edwin Drood (1870) – first appeared in this format. The monthly parts had green or blue illustrated paper wrappers, with engraved plates inserted before the text. Inside the wrappers, printed advertisements
Left Three images of David Copperfield, showing the three standard methods of publication: In parts Right A Christmas Carol included illustrations from John Leech
by companies keen to hang on to Dickens’s rising balloon bulked out the text. Much of the pleasure of collecting Dickens in parts is to see him hawking his narrative wares amid the noisy marketplace of Victorian merchants and quacks.
THE NOVELS Once the parts issue neared its end, the publishers put out the complete novel in book form. More than half of Dickens’s major novels were issued in a large single volume, in a size known as demy (rhymes with “defy”)
Below left David Copperfield in cloth Below David Copperfield In publisher’s deluxe binding Below right The
Christmas books as a set
‘A first impression of Great Expectations in fine original cloth is the ultimate dream of most Dickens collectors. The last spectacular example to come to market was the Lawrence Drizen copy, sold at Sotheby’s on September 24, 2019 for £175,000 including buyer’s premium’
The Christmas books Aside from Dickens’s full-length novels, his most famous single work is A Christmas Carol (1843), a popular fable central to the modern notion of Christmas itself; indeed, the name of the central character, Scrooge, has become part of the language. A Christmas Carol was the first in a series of five annual Christmas books, each published in a small octavo format for the Christmas gift market. The book stands out from its successors, as Dickens was still experimenting with the form. The binding is a pleasing salmon-pink cloth, with an attractive gilt wreath on the front cover. Dickens, who financed the publication himself, originally wanted the title page in Christmas colours of red and green and the endpapers to be green. But the printed green proved a muddy disappointment and the hand-applied coating on the endpapers rubbed off too easily. The title page was reset in red and blue and the endpapers changed back to the usual machine-coated yellow endpapers. Copies in both states were issued together on publication day, so a collector can consider either acceptable. But the book was quickly reprinted with minor text changes; only the first impression, with Stave I at the head of the text, in fine condition carries top market value. The other Christmas books were issued in standard red book cloth, avoiding the production complexities and expense that plagued A Christmas Carol. A fine set of the Christmas books in cloth, glinting in cinnamon and scarlet by the winter fireside, is a high spot in any Dickens collection.
octavo—at 8½ by 5½in, a little shorter than a typical modern hardback. These were simple case-bindings of purple or green cloth. As Dickens wrote at exuberant length, the sheer heft of his texts meant that these relatively flimsy cases did not stand up well to repeated readings. The publishers also offered two styles of leather bindings at a higher price. These deluxe bindings are not so well recorded by Dickens’s bibliographers, but they increasingly attract serious collectors. ANTIQUE COLLECTING 15
COLLECTING GUIDES Charles Dickens
Others of his major novels diverged from the usual format. His second was Oliver Twist (1838), illustrated by Cruikshank, which was first serialised in Bentley’s Miscellany, then published in three volumes for the circulating libraries. Dickens often used Oliver Twist for his popular dramatic readings, which taught him the value of concision. When he fell out with Bentley and bought back his copyright, he tightened Oliver for a New Edition (1846), issued in 10 monthly parts, then in a single demy octavo volume. Master Humphrey’s Clock was first issued in weekly rather than monthly parts and contained two
Left A presentation copy of Pictures from Italy first edition, inscribed by the author at the head of the halftitle, “Thomas Beard Esquire, From his old friend Charles Dickens, Devonshire Terrace, Nineteenth May 1846”.
novels within its narrative frame. The two novels, The Old Curiosity Shop (1840) and Barnaby Rudge (1841), were later published as separate books. Both are in imperial octavo, taller than the usual demy octavo. Conversely, Hard Times (1854) first appeared in Dickens’s weekly, Household Words. Shorter than Dickens’s other novels and without illustrations, the book was published in a cheaper small octavo format. Often claimed to be his best-selling novel, A Tale of Two Cities (1859) was first published in weekly instalments in his own periodical, All the Year Round. Dickens also republished the story as monthly parts, but only eight rather than 20. The single demy octavo volume was first issued in red cloth, rather than the usual green. Dickens’s last completed novel was Our Mutual Friend, issued in book-form in two volumes in purple cloth. Exhausted by overwork and illness, Dickens died before he could finish Edwin Drood, which was left incomplete in parts.
Above The inscription is dated the day after publication. Thomas Beard (1807-1891) was almost the oldest of Dickens’s friends and best man at his wedding. It is on sale from Peter Harrington Rare Books priced £85,000 Right Great
Expectations in cloth
Dickens in parts More than half the major novels of Charles Dickens were originally published in monthly parts. Each month, subscribers received a tantalising part of the book, a few chapters in illustrated wrappers, together with a couple of plates. Dickens was not the only novelist who published in this way, but he was the most famous. It was his success with Pickwick Papers that led to most of his novels being published in this format. Most novels were serialised in 20 parts, with the last installment a double number. With the title page, this allowed the book to be bound on completion. The parts issues have complexities itemised in A Bibliography of the Periodical Works of Charles Dickens by Thomas Hatton and Arthur H. Cleaver, published in 1933. Dickens collectors can be bombarded with points from Hatton & Cleaver, causing eyes to glaze over at the profusion of detail. The key is to find sets in parts with clean text, the wrappers intact without restoration to their spines, and the plates – which are liable to oxidisation – in fresh condition.
16 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
THE GREATEST PRIZE Although Dickens had worked successfully with illustrators throughout his career, notably Hablot Knight Browne (“Phiz”), perhaps his greatest novel, Great Expectations (1861), was published with no illustrations. This is the most attractive of his novels in book form. Like Oliver Twist, it was in three volumes to meet the requirements of the circulating libraries, but handsomely dressed in eye-catching, violet, wavygrain cloth, with High Victorian gilt decoration around the spine titles. Expecting enormous demand, five editions (really impressions) were printed before publication. It is reckoned that most of the first impression and more than half of the second—1,400 copies in all—were swallowed up by Mudie’s Select Library and read to death by eager customers. A first impression of Great Expectations in
Left ale of Two Cities (1859) was first published in weekly instalments
ale of Two Cities (1859). It was first issued in red cloth, rather than the usual green Below
A collecting guide Divorce reissues
In 1858, Dickens separated from his wife. The following year he broke with Bradbury and Evans, and returned to his first publishers, Chapman and Hall, who reissued many of his books in cloth. The collector needs to be aware of these ‘divorce’ reissues, which have different blocking and sometimes new engraved title pages with the Chapman and Hall imprint, as these carry lower market value.
Rebindings
When cloth bindings fell apart, many Dickens first editions were rebound and such copies are readily available. From the collector’s point of view, these bindings should be contemporary, that is, as close as possible to the first publication date. Occasionally stab-holes in the gutter – that is, the inner margins of any double-page spread – show that copies have been bound up from the parts.
fine original cloth is the ultimate dream of most Dickens collectors. The last spectacular example to come to market was the Lawrence Drizen copy, sold at Sotheby’s on September 24, 2019 for £175,000 including buyer’s premium.
Fine bindings
Later craft bookbinders like Baytun-Riviere lavished considerable skill on Dickens’s works, putting them into fancy bindings, sometimes with reproductions of his famous florid signature. These have some value in the collectors’ market, though much less than copies in original state.
DICKENS THE SHOWMAN Even before he had perfected the sketch-writer’s art, Dickens dreamed of a career on the stage. Many of his secondary works have some theatrical connection, whether the memoirs of the great clown Joey Grimaldi (1838) he ghost-wrote for Bentley, or his own original melodramas, like The Frozen Deep (1856, publ. 1866), co-written and performed with his friend Wilkie Collins. In later years, he expended a considerable portion of his unrelenting energies on dramatic readings, carefully editing his original texts into readable portions. He had some of these privately printed in limited numbers. Understandably rare, those few copies that have come to market in recent years have fetched high prices, like David Copperfield, A Reading, In Five Chapters (1866), which brought £10,000 inclusive at the Drizen sale in 2019. Dickens’s theatricality found expression in his general self-presentation. For example, the frontispiece of his third novel, Nicholas Nickleby, instead of the usual illustration from the book, displayed a handsome engraved portrait of the newly-rich young author. Below the plate sat a printed facsimile of that famous Dickens signature, festooned with a swag of repeated underlines, the mark of the great showman that he always was. That strutting signature is there even on the briefest of letters he dashed off – and like many Victorian authors, Dickens was a prodigious writer of letters, especially as he insisted on overworking himself with such projects as editing his own weekly
Later editions
Below right Dickens’s
facsimile signature under his portrait in Nicholas Nickleby
Below Letter written
Immediately after his death, Chapman and Hall issued a new series of Dickens’s works, collectively known as the Household Edition, with new, lighter illustrations by Fred Barnard and others. The Dickens copyright kept Chapman and Hall afloat for many years. In 1938-9 the Nonesuch Press issued a splendid limited edition set of Dickens’s works in various coloured cloth, each of the 877 sets accompanied by one of the original plates used in Chapman and Hall’s first printings of each title.
to Thomas Grattan, an Irish novelist, which Dickens wrote when he returned from America in which he moans about the copyright controversies in the US, on sale from Peter Harrinton priced £15,000
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 17
COLLECTING GUIDES Charles Dickens journals, Household Words and All the Year Round. His autographed letters, especially those with significant content related to his major novels, are keenly contested, with prices ranging from a few hundred pounds for everyday notes to tens of thousands for longer letters of major importance.
7
DICKENS PHRASES IN COMMON USE
Devil-may-care: “Not that this would have worried him much, anyway — he was a mighty free and easy, roving, devil-may-care sort of person, was my uncle, gentlemen.” The Pickwick Papers (1837).
INSCRIBED AND PRESENTATION COPIES That signature is seen at its most commercially advantageous on presentation copies, where Dickens personally inscribed one of the dozen or so copies reserved for his own gift. Dickens inscribed most of his books, but only a few of each title and each had personal significance for him. (The practice of authors signing multiple copies at bookshops and other promotional events lay far off in the future.) A few exceptions exist: he was abroad in Genoa when Martin Chuzzlewit was published in book form; even Angela Burdett-Coutts, to whom the book is dedicated in print, had to settle for an unsigned copy on that occasion. Dickens had many of his presentation copies specially bound for him by the inventive London bookbinder John Hayday. The earliest examples of these are truly spectacular: as, for example, the copy of Oliver Twist that Dickens inscribed for his fellow novelist and close friend, William Harrison Ainsworth, which Hayday bound in green pin-grain morocco and decorated in gilt on the covers with lavish arabesque urn designs interlaced with branch, leaf and floral tools. That copy brought $229,000 inclusive at the William E. Self–Kenyon Starling sale, part I, Christie’s New York, April 2, 2008. The expense of such bespoke bindings proved ruinous (and would eventually bankrupt Hayday) and later Hayday bindings for Dickens’s presentation copies are more restrained calf, though still handsome. Occasionally Dickens repurposed one of the publisher’s deluxe bindings for presentation. Whatever the binding, Dickens’s signed presentation inscription, usually meticulously placed and dated, puts any of his major books into the six-figure bracket.
18 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
The creeps: “She was constantly complaining of the cold, and of its occasioning a visitation in her back which she called ‘the creeps’.” David Copperfield (1850). A-buzz: “The court was all astir and a-buzz, when the black sheep — whom many fell away from in dread — pressed him into an obscure corner among the crowd.” A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Above right Dickens’s
phrases have entered global culture and common usage
Below left Presentation
binding by Hayday on Pickwick Papers
Below Presentation
binding by Hayday on Pickwick Papers
Below right Presentation
binding by Hayday on Pickwick Papers
Bottom right Presentation
binding by Hayday on Pickwick Papers with author’s inscription
Rampage: “When I got home at night, and delivered this message for Joe, my sister ‘wenton the Rampage,’ in a more alarming degree than at any previous period.” Great Expectations (1860). Flummox: “And my ‘pinion is, Sammy, that if your governor don’t prove a alleybi, he’ll be what the Italians call reg’larly flummoxed, and that’s all about it.” The Pickwick Papers (1837). Boredom: First appears in Bleak House (1852). Doormat: First appears in Great Expectations (1861).
Adam Douglas is a senior book specialist at the London rare books retailer Peter Harrington, which has a selection of books by Charles Dickens ranging from £200 to £97,500. For more details go to www.peterharrington.co.uk
Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers
Summer Auctions Islamic Arts & Manuscripts Tuesday 16 June
Arts of India
Wednesday 17 June
Jewellery & Watches Tuesday 23 June
Traditional & Modern Home Saturday 27 June
Prints & Multiples Tuesday 7 July
Impressionist & Modern Art Wednesday 15 July
Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art Tuesday 28 July
Urban & Contemporary Art In association with Artsy Friday 14 - Friday 28 August
Modern & Contemporary British Art Tuesday 11 August
Traditional & Modern Home Saturday 22 August
Find out more on : www.roseberys.co.uk
70/76 Knights Hill, London SE27 0JD +44 (0) 20 8761 2522 info@roseberys.co.uk
EXPERT COMMENT David Harvey
W
e are all working in the most extraordinary conditions due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. For many, this means additional hours spent on the internet. For some this will be pursuing research, for others it may be retail therapy and no doubt business people will be using any spare capacity to examine how they do business currently and asking to what degree this will change post-lockdown. Recent weeks will also have given many of us an opportunity to catch up on all manner of odd jobs which we had promised to get around to for ages but had managed to put off. For me, this meant washing down the three doors to my drawing room which had acquired a rich patina due to an open fire. Hot water and sugar soap restored them to a much more acceptable off-white rather than pale brown. My endeavours to overcome a grim task made me think of Stella Gibbons’ great book Cold Comfort Farm in which Aunt Ada Doom repeatedly warned of “something nasty in the woodshed”. It served as a reminder that I, too, had something filthy, but in my case, in the workshop. My conservation unit is currently housing numerous pieces awaiting tender loving care to put them back into the condition that they should be in.
WALNUT WHIPPED One such item is a William and Mary period walnut escritoire. I had always thought it strange that the maker had used wonderfully-figured burr veneers on the interior drawers but the veneers on the front of the piece were disappointing. One of them, which retains its original brass drop handle, shows highly-figured burr walnut veneers.
The William and Mary period walnut escritoire
Waxing lyrical A burr walnut escritoire reveals its hidden beauty to David Harvey during lockdown 20 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Above right The drawer retained its original brass drop handle Right The escritoire
fully closed
But it appears to be light years away from the outside choice of veneers, begging the question why would the cabinetmaker not use the best, most choice veneers for the front of the piece which is the part seen most? The truth is, of course, that the true colour and grain of this example have become hidden by a fog of tar, smoke, tobacco and nearly three and a half centuries of life. On my cleaning crusade I very gently lifted the blackish-brown coating off using soft cloths and a little homemade fluid so as not to damage any of the burr walnut underneath.
‘It begged the question why would the cabinetmaker not use the best, most choice veneers for the front of the piece which is the part seen most?’
COAXED OUT Slowly, over the course of the next two hours and with some gentle coaxing, the soft cloths became filthier and the fall front became cleaner. This is one of the aspects of being an antique dealer that I enjoy most: seeing an item come back to life. I have always said this is an exciting business to be in and this is just one aspect of being a dealer. I was accompanied by classical music and somehow even that felt appropriate to the task. As I went through the careful cleaning process the different layers of grime that came away left slightly different colours on
Above Before and after: David worked on centuries of grime Below The veneer now
reveals a wealth of pictorial fascinations
the timber revealed beneath. Using a small amount of spirit which needs to dry can distort the hue temporarily. As such, the art of taking enough care and knowing when to stop is critical. The application of a high quality wax and burnishing again with a soft cloth just finishes the job to my satisfaction. It isn’t often I get the opportunity to show a ‘before and after’ picture so closely together but I think this speaks for itself. Part of the beauty is that when I now look at the wood I can see all sorts of images in the patterns of the burr walnut, from a bowl of fruit and a face, to a figure and a pomegranate. I had such fun, all for the price of a pint of beer and few hours of my time. W R Harvey & Co (Antiques) Ltd, is located at 86 Corn St, Witney, Oxfordshire. For more details go to www.wrharvey.co
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 21
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22 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
BID ONLINE @
dominicwinter.co.uk
ANTIQUES, MEDALS, ORDERS & DECORATIONS, TEXTILES TO INCLUDE THE JACK WEBB COLLECTION OF ANTIQUES (PART I) 30 July 2020
A George III shagreen etui c.1753 £300-500*
An 18th century French fan commemorating air balloon flights in France, 1783 £200-300*
A 19th century French carved Napoleonic coconut cup £500-800*
A Victorian steel key, one side engraved 'South St Gate' the other 'T Somers Cocks Esq Chapel St £150-200*
A rare walrus ivory gambling ball, late 17th / early 18th century £500-800*
A George III Thames Waterman's Licence Badge £300-500*
A Victorian terracotta bust modelled as Mary Seacole the Jamaican Nurse and Heroine of the Crimean War £700-1000*
A Victorian diorama of "Jacko" the ratter c.1850 £300-500*
Bid live at this sale at: Each lot is subject to a Buyer’s Premium of 20%, except those marked with an asterisk, in which case the Buyer’s Premium is 24%
Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5UQ Tel: 01285 860006 | info@dominicwinter.co.uk | Illustrated catalogue £15.
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COLLECTING GUIDES Vernacular furniture
STICK with IT
Sought after for their sculptural quality, patina and craftsmanship, dealer Tim Bowen reveals why primitive Welsh chairs will always enchant
M
y interest in stick chairs began as a teenager, helping out at a local auction room. I came across what I thought was a broken chair with a few sticks held on with string. I was amazed when the auction began to see the level of interest in it and the price the chair
24 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Above Three 18th-century Welsh ‘comb-back’ stick chairs
achieved. I vowed to learn more. I went on to work at an auction house and then for a specialist antique dealer of country furniture for 15 years during which time I deepened my knowledge of vernacular furniture and folk art, including stick chairs, the popularity of which has never been higher. While these chairs are now regarded as important historical and cultural items and highly prized for their sculptural and aesthetic qualities, we should remember they were made simply to sit on. It is useful to think about this when we get too carried away with analysing them. Sitting in a Welsh stick chair today is a tangible link across the generations to the hands that have grasped the arms. It takes us right back to the maker and his modest intention, to make a comfortable chair for his customer.
‘STICK’ CHAIRS Antique dealers, historians and collectors need names for things. The term ‘stick chair’ refers to the apparent simplicity of their construction and appearance. We don’t know what they would have been called originally. They are sometimes known today by other names, such as the ‘Welsh Windsor’, primitive chairs or hedge chairs. The term ‘Welsh Windsor’ might suggest
they are copies of the English Windsor chair, while the term ‘primitive’ may be associated with poor skill, or an item of an inferior quality or an earlier evolution. We believe these terms fail fully to take into account and appreciate the long tradition of building and making from wood, seen in Wales for hundreds of years. They are not copies of some finer, sophisticated type of chair, but were made by local craftsmen to meet a particular local demand. There are many types of stick chair which were made throughout the British Isles. The term Welsh stick chair helps to differentiate them from their Irish, Manx, Scottish and English cousins. The thing that all these chairs have in common is their method of construction; all the uprights and legs are fixed into the seat and were more often than not held in place with a wedge. This ancient method of construction is known variously as staked, stick or wedged. There is not one particular factor which makes a good stick chair; form, patination and colour all combine to help assess a chair as being either great, or outstanding.
Below right Late 18th/
early 19th-century lobster seat made from ash with an elm seat, with traces of the original painted finish. Swansea Valley, south Wales
Below A small, simple
18th/early 19th-century Welsh stick chair or back stool
Below left A late 18th-century Welsh ‘comb-back’ stick chair made from a mixture of different woods
Lobster pots This elegant stick chair is of a style which has since become known to collectors and dealers as a ‘lobster pot’ design. The lobster-pot style chair is found in other parts of the UK and often found in the West Country. Given the close geography and established trade, there should be no surprise that there are such similarities between West Country and Welsh furniture. Made from ash and elm, the back sticks are held under tension by a deep and generous crest rail. The honey colour perhaps indicates that it has been cleaned at some point but there are still traces of a darker, original finish.
‘They were not copies of some finer, sophisticated type of chair, but were made by local craftsmen to meet a local demand or requirement’
THE MAKERS Without factual records to draw upon, such as invoice books, notebooks, diaries, questions as to who made these chairs will remain unanswered. Some of the chairs show knowledge of the techniques used by conventional furniture makers and turners. There are more primitive examples, now prized for their sculptural appearance, which may have originally been made without much consideration to design, while others show consideration to a particular style or appearance. The wood-working tradition was well established in Wales and included makers of boats, carts, wheelwrights, spinning wheels and, housebuilders – all craftsmen who worked in wood. All of them would have had the necessary knowledge and skill to make a stick chair with every community served by a blacksmith, carpenter and various other craftsmen. ANTIQUE COLLECTING 25
COLLECTING GUIDES Vernacular furniture Left A late 18th-century Welsh ‘comb-back’ stick chair made from a mixture of different woods Below A magnificent
late 18th-century Welsh ‘comb-back’ stick chair made from sycamore and ash with wonderful original finish. Upper Towy Valley, Carmarthenshire
but is rarely found to have been used for the legs or uprights in surviving examples. Other woods, such as fruitwoods, and even imported hardwoods were occasionally used. Pine or deal, being a softwood, would have been less strong and more susceptible to worm and rot, which may explain why it is not often found in existing examples. Many of the chairs would originally have been painted to preserve them and perhaps also to decorate. Some examples which remain today have many layers of paint, varnish and subsequent finishes which make them more desirable to the collector.
AGE AND ORIGIN Providing an exact date and origin to these chairs is notoriously difficult though it is not, in our opinion, the most important consideration. While methods of construction remained unchanged for generations, it should not be assumed that the makers and owners were unaware of changing fashion and design, but that perhaps it was not relevant to the requirements of maker and owner. Larger towns such as Haverfordwest and Carmarthen had well-established furniture makers, where contemporary and fashionable furniture could be acquired. Whereas the furniture of the cabinetmakers can be compared to a recognised lineage, there are few records for vernacular furniture. In Wales, there is very little recorded provenance of stick chairs by their makers or owners. However, in America and other parts of the British
THE DESIGNS There is no template for the Welsh stick chair and there are no two exact same examples. They were often robust, built for strength and longevity and were made to sit on damp flagstone or earth floors. It is likely they were moved about from the light and warmth of the hearth, to outdoors, and near the windows for natural light in an otherwise probably dark cottage interior. While these chairs may initially appear to be of simple construction, closer analysis shows they were often made by skilled craftsmen with a strong understanding of the properties of wood, of how it grew and how best to use it. Surviving examples are predominantly found to have been made from ash, a hardwood which grows prolifically throughout Wales, and regularly found in the uprights, legs and seats of the chairs. Elm was sometimes used for the seat because of its fibrous grain which made it strong and less likely to split or crack than oak. Although oak was used prolifically in the Welsh furniture-making tradition, it is only occasionally found in the stick chair. Sycamore – which was used for turned bowls, cawl spoons and other items made for the dairy and kitchen – was sometimes used in chair-making; mostly for arms,
26 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Isles, there is both pictorial and written evidence of similarly constructed chairs. An oak stool recovered from the Tudor war ship, Mary Rose, which sank in 1545, was made in exactly the same way as stick furniture found throughout Wales and the British Isles, which date from centuries later. The method of fixing two pieces of wood with a split and wedge is timeless. It is important to consider chairs which may have been stripped at some point and may appear to have less age than a chair which retains its original and subsequent finish. While it is undoubtably interesting to know the history and provenance of the chairs, it is unwise to be drawn into being too definitive on their regional attribution. For example, Abercych in the heart of the Cych valley, a centre of woodturning for centuries, is situated in north Pembrokeshire but is also within half a mile of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Would the original owners have defined the chairs as we do today? Tim Bowen and his wife Betsan started an antiques business, based in Carmarthen, in 2003, specialising in Welsh country antiques. The couple’s book The Welsh Stick Chair – A Visual Record from which this extract is taken is published by Pethe Press priced £20. It can bought from www.timbowenantiques.co.uk
Above left An unusually elaborate late 18th-century Welsh ‘comb-back’ stick chair from Carmarthenshire Above A large late 18th-century Welsh ‘comb-back’ stick chair, Pembrokeshire Right A small lowback 18th-century Cardiganshire stick chair with a wonderful, naturally-shaped onepiece arm with a low crest
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 27
COLLECTING GUIDES Egyptian revival jewellery
T
he discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the celebrated archaeological dig of 1922 sparked a public fascination with Ancient Egypt that remains very much alive to this day. The young pharaoh became an instant historic superstar, and the colourful jewellery that adorned the god-like ancient pharaohs soon inspired contemporary designers who sought to incorporate its polychromic style into their 20th-century creations. Today, nearly a century later, neither the Boy King nor the jewellery from the 1920s has lost any of its celebrity sparkle. To mark the centenary of the opening of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, 150 of his funerary artefacts are currently on a world tour. While presently on hold due to the pandemic, the collection is due to continue in London, Boston and Sydney before moving to its final destination at the soon-to-be-completed Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. Interest around the globe in Tutankhamun is undoubtedly high at present as we move towards the climax of the centennial celebrations of one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century but what influence did the tomb’s discovery have at the time on popular culture and design?
TORQUE like an
Egyptian The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb sparked a wave of ‘Tutmania’ across the globe, most notably in the jewellery of the era writes Inez Tobin 28 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
CARTER’S DISCOVERY
Top Stud earrings with
beetle motifs, unknown manufacturer, France, c.1925. Middle row two Egyptian revival-style brooches, unknown manufacturer, Italy, c.1922. Bottom left Egyptian revival-style buckle, unknown manufacturer, Germany, c.1925. Bottom right Egyptian revival-style buckle with two pharaoh heads, unknown manufacturer, Germany, c.1925, all images unless otherwise stated, from Adorning Fashion The History of Costume Jewellery to Modern Times, reproduced by kind permission of the author Deanna Farneti Cera
When The Times announced ‘the remarkable discovery’ of the tomb of King Tutankhamun by the archaeologist Howard Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon, on November 30, 1922, it was the culmination of 16 years spent excavating in Thebes with little success. When Carter eventually opened the tomb’s door it revealed a staggering treasure trove, including more than 2,000 pieces of furniture, clothing, jewellery and other items destined to accompany the Pharaoh to the underworld. Its importance as an archaeological find was huge but the discovery soon became more than an archaeological curiosity when the death of Lord Carnarvon in April 1923 led to speculation that a curse had been placed on the tomb by the ancient Egyptians to ward off tomb-robbers. This myth was perpetuated by the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who stated that ‘a malevolent spirit may have caused Lord Carnarvon’s fatal illness’, and other incidents and deaths of team members effectively fuelled rumours of a curse.
Far left The discovery
of the Boy King’s tomb inspired an outpouring of Egyptomania. Image Shutterstock Left Two-part belt buckle with geometric design and two sphinxes, Turriet & Bardach, Germany, c.1925 Right The Cartier advert
was two years after the discovery Below Egyptian revival
scarab brooch, unknown manufacturer, Egypt, c.1925
‘TUTMANIA’ ‘Tutmania’ soon sprang up sparked by the media frenzy that the discovery had incurred with its influence felt across a variety of art forms and beyond. Advertising campaigns were mounted featuring ancient kings and queens, with Palmolive even claiming to use the same recipes and methods in their cosmetics as the Egyptians had done millennia before. Egyptian-themed inspired novels and films soon appeared, including Richard Goyne’s The Kiss of the Pharaoh: The Love Story of Tut-AnkhAmen published in 1923. In 1929, the US president
Collecting tips Firms such as Cartier led the production of Egyptian jewels during the mid 1920s, with their designers and jewellers incorporating fragile antiquities into contemporary pieces. Egyptian revival designs continued into the mid- to late 1920s. Louis Cartier was an avid collector of Egyptian antiquities, especially glazed faience figures, many of which very likely became the inspiration for his jewellery. A 1923 brooch was one of a group of Egyptian-inspired jewels illustrated in a Cartier advert, in The Illustrated London News, January 26, 1924. Cartier’s collection was limited by the availability of the ancient treasures around which they revolved and are believed to number 150 in total. Inexpensive replicas of ancient jewellery were also produced in silver and enamel, mostly on the continent, particularly in France and Germany. Pharaonic heads were used as motifs in jewellery, often cast in gold or silver and used as terminals for bangles. The three coffins in which the mummified corpse was contained also inspired mass-produced silver and enamel charms and propelling pencils. At auction, Egyptian-inspired pieces from Cartier or Van Cleef et Arpels are hotly contested. A gemset sautoir by the latter jeweller sold for more than 4m Swiss francs (£3.3m) at Christie’s Geneva in November 2018. It had originally appeared at Christie’s in 1998 and achieved 465,500 Swiss francs (£390,000) indicating a huge surge of interest in just two decades. At the more affordable end of the market, winged scarab beetles by a maker such as the Victorian Halifax jeweller Charles Horner (1837–1896) fetch in the range of £100-£200 at auction.
Right A pectoral
discovered in the Boy King’s tomb in 1922
‘Designers were inspired by the colourful jewels of the pharaohs, and the trend towards polychromic jewellery, combining precious and semi-precious stones and brightly-coloured enamels that arose during the mid-1920s, can be directly attributed to the contemporary interest in ancient Egypt’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 29
COLLECTING GUIDES Egyptian revival jewellery Left Snake pin, unknown manufacturer, England, c.1850, semi-precious stones, faceted glass stones Right Egyptian revival-style buckle, unidentified manufacturer, France, c.1925, gilded metal, pâte de verre, enamel. Marks: “A. R.” in a rectangle with a clover Below left Long-term
interest. Giuseppe Angelelli’s (1803-1844) portrait of the 1828– 1829 Franco-Tuscan expedition to Egypt
Below right Pair of
The first revival The discover of Tutankhamun was not the first time the West had been influenced by the ancient Egyptians. The civilisation had been a design inspiration throughout the 19th century, particularly in France, from the time of Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt in 1798. But the real effect was only felt in jewellery in the 1860s, following the discovery of ancient Egyptian ornaments by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. It also became popular in France in 1 69 around the time of the opening of the Suez Canal, by the Empress Eugenie. In Paris, interest in ancient Egypt was revived and intensified by the Franco-Egyptian exhibition at the Louvre in 1911. In England, the Egyptology trend was partly due to the tireless efforts of Miss Amelia Edwards, founder of the Egyptian Exploration Society, who was responsible for bringing a number of antiquities to London, including scarabs and faience. In the UK, the Prince of Wales’ visit to Egypt in 1862 and the British colonisation of the country in the 1880s assured its place as a significant factor in decorative design at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th.
30 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
hinged Egyptian revivalstyle bracelets, unknown manufacturer, France, c.1925 ‘Arlecchini‘ fourpanel screen
Herbert Hoover (1929-33) named his beloved Belgian shepherd, King Tut. The Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, was brought to life in feature films with Theda Bara and Claudette Colbert. The Egyptian influence could be further seen in contemporary fashions. An article that appeared in The Times in February 1923 wrote about the ‘Egyptian fashions’ being exhibited along the rue de la Paix, and Egyptian styles would exert a tremendous influence on fashion for the next decade. Many aspects of the flapper-look were directly inspired by this ancient civilisation, with the heavily-kohled eyes and bandeau head ornaments referencing the Egyptian women depicted in tomb paintings.
JEWELLERY But it is in jewellery of the period that the Egyptian influence can be seen most clearly. Designers were inspired by the colourful jewels of the pharaohs, and the trend towards polychromic jewellery, combining precious and semi-precious stones and brightly-
coloured enamels that arose during the mid-1920s, can be directly attributed to the contemporary interest in ancient Egypt. Unusual combinations of cornelian, lapislazuli and turquoise in jewellery of the 1920s are likely to derive from Egyptian burial jewellery where the individual stones were highly symbolic. Ancient forms, such as pectorals, beaded collars and head ornaments were re-interpreted by early 20th-century jewellers and transformed in glistening arrays of diamonds and platinum. Hieroglyphics and symbols were adapted and whimsically interpreted in eye-catching, theatrical pieces, and geometrical borders were adapted from ancient sources. Amulets were in high demand and could be mounted and worn with the latest fashions, with Cartier notably producing a whole series of jewellery that incorporated ancient fragments into the individual pieces.
SPIRIT OF THE AGE A change in the mood in the post-war years meant that the Egyptian-style of the 1920s was especially attractive. After the Great War, the Western world was searching for a mode of escape, which manifested itself in the luxurious and exuberant art deco style. Sigmund Freud explained the appeal of these Egyptian curiosities in a letter to his colleague Dr Wilhelm Fleiss, stating that ‘these things put me in a good mood and speak to me of distant times and lands’. Improvements in modes of production, new materials such as Bakelite, and the rising popularity of costume jewellery meant that accessories in the Egyptian style could be produced cheaply and were available to a wide market. ‘Tutmania’ perforated all aspects of the decorative arts and the Boy King’s influence could be seen in the most expensive of pieces with exquisitely crafted designs executed in costly materials, as well as the cheapest of trinkets, such as the novelty ‘mummy’ charms and propelling pencils that were widely produced at this time. WWII eventually drew the art deco period to a close and consequently brought an end to the Egyptian influence in design. Minor revivals of Egyptian motifs and forms have subsequently occurred in jewellery, most notably in the wake of Elizabeth Taylor’s portrayal of Cleopatra in 1962. As for Tutankhamun, the Boy King continues to enthral Western audiences almost a century after his tomb was discovered. This continued fascination of ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaoh is likely to influence popular design for many decades to come. Inez Tobin is the jewellery specialist at the North Yorkshire auction house Elstob & Elstob based in Ripon. Its next fine art, antiques and jewellery auction is on August 15, with a specialist jewellery and silver sale on August 20. For details go to www.elstobandelstob.co.uk.
THE SCARAB
Top right Flying bird brooch, unknown manufacturer, Italy, c.1925 Above right Brooch with
spread wings motif, unknown manufacturer, France, c.1925
Right The Eye of Horus
bracelet by Cartier was commissioned by Linda Lee Porter in 1928 (right). The scarab belt buckle brooch, also by Cartier, was commissioned by her in 1926 (left). Photo credit Siegleson, New York
Below right Pectoral with
lapis lazuli scarab found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922
The scarab is less glamorously known as the dung beetle. For the ancient Egyptians, it symbolised creation and was associated with the sun-god, Khepri, who rolled the sun across the sky every evening and emerged anew every morning, just as the dung beetle rolls dung balls from which baby beetles emerge. A scarab was even the central motif of Tutankhamun’s breastplate. Many centuries later the insect featured in a Cartier scarab brooch and belt buckle, commissioned by Linda Lee Porter. The piece is a prime illustration of art deco Egyptian revival jewellery. Cartier even centred an ancient fragment of faience scarab dating from 740-660 BC using baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires.
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 31
MEMORABILIA Prohibition Right Temperance poster c. 1920 issued by the Scientific Temperance Federation, image Wellcome Library, London
Customers at a Philadelphia bar after prohibition’s end, 1933, image Shutterstock
available at well below the £300 mark – although, as with all the items I reference here, you’ll need to frequent US auction houses to find them.
SMASHER’S MAIL
Cool & Collectable
Yearning for the pubs to reopen? It’s a century since the start of America’s prohibition. Paul Fraser reports on why interest in its memorabilia will never run dry
I
t is 100 years ago since prohibition was introduced in America. The anniversary was marked by a dedicated auction in New York which saw many inventive ways to get around the booze ban, including a hipflask disguised as a pair of binoculars, sell for well above their estimates. The alcohol ban had long been the goal for America’s militant religious and temperance groups. But a huge swathe of the population was determined to continue to drink. I’ve long been a fan of the moralising artwork made to raise awareness of the perils of drink. One of the most famous pre-prohibition examples is Nathaniel Currier’s Drunkard’s Progress (1846), which tracks the path of the drinker from enjoying a tipple with friends, to poverty, ostracization and his eventual, inevitable suicide. Original prints are relatively affordable,
32 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Below right The books hide a decanter, image courtesy of Ahlers & Ogletree Below Elliott Ness’s ID card made £5,700, image courtesy of RR Auction
Without the American Temperance Movement (ATM), prohibition would have remained a fringe idea. The ATM emerged from the abolition movement. Many protestants, emboldened by being on the right side of history, turned their attention to ending the scourge of drunkenness. The formidable Mrs Carrie Nation (1846-1911) of Brazoria County, Texas was a pioneer. She used to visit taverns with a hand organ, greeting bartenders with the words “Good morning, destroyer of men’s souls” and launching into a series of caterwauling hymns. In 1900, she began smashing liquor barrels – fir st with rocks and then with hatchets. She was arrested around 30 times. She also printed the Smasher’s Mail newsletter to keep fans up to date with her activities. Bars used to display signs with the words ‘All Nations Welcome Except Carrie ’. There is an incredible line in Carrie Nation merchandise from the early 1900s. In 2019, Roland NY sold a collection of 11 miniature metal hatchets for £200. Carrie produced these to pay her court fees, but soon her opponents started making their own versions. You can pick up original postcards bearing the All Nations Welcome... slogan for less than £100. And in 2009, a complete run of the Smasher’s Mail sold for £650 at Cowan’s Auctions.
‘A police ID card belonging to prohibition agent Elliot Ness, leader of the ‘Untouchables’ – the group tasked with bringing Capone down – sold for £5,700 in 2012’
James Dixon & Sons, c. 1930, a pair of binoculars hiding a double spirit flask sold for £4,320 last month against a low estimate of £650, image courtesy of Sotheby’s New York
police ID card belonging to prohibition agent Elliot Ness, leader of the ‘Untouchables’ - the group tasked with bringing Capone down. The card made £5,700 at RR Auction in 2012. Finally, you may have found yourself wondering how much it would cost to own an original Tommy gun – aka ‘the Chicago Typewriter’. I’ve seen vintage specimens go for as much as £73,000.
DISCRETION ADVISED
Criminalising a major industry overnight caused major problems. The history of this period is incredibly rich. Bootleggers, speakeasys, mobs and molls – it has been revisited over and over in hundreds of movies, books and plays. If you wished to drink in America at this time, you needed to be discreet. An entire industry sprang up offering ingenious methods of keeping your stash of liquor secret. Alex Cooper of Towson, Maryland recently sold a particularly fine leather case containing two large, flat silverplated flasks by Abercrombie and Fitch. To an outsider it looks like an important cache of documents, with its complex locking mechanism hammering the point home. The owner knew different. It achieved £650. Then there’s the decanter hidden within a stack of books sold by Atlanta’s Ahlers & Ogletree for £569 in 2018. What better way to disguise your libation than as a set of improving books? In this case the volume has the suitably religious title Vie de S Therese. Just because alcohol was illegal doesn’t mean it wasn’t being made in vast quantities. Some distillers, like Kentucky Tavern, simply added “for medical use only” to their bottles. One rare example, bottled at the height of prohibition in 1924 and sold with its original box, made £610 at Morphy Auctions in 2018.
BACK TO BOOZE
Above left Issues of the Smasher’s Mail sold for £650, image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions Above Prohibition booze dating from 1924 made £610, image courtesy of Morphy Auctions in 2018
There are some interesting pieces of political memorabilia available from this time, but the best by a country mile has to be Democratic presidential nominee Al Smith’s campaign badge from the 1928 election. Smith’s campaign hinged on ending prohibition. His badge reads: “Vote for Al Smith and make all your wet dreams come true”– an astonishing double entendre that would never in a million years fly today. But five years later, Smith’s dream would be a reality. Only two of these badges are known to exist. One made £5,700 at Heritage Auctions in 2013. Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933, in part to raise tax revenue due to the Great Depression. There were wild parties in the streets. It was, by a long shot, the most enthusiastic reception to the passing of a bill in US history.
Paul Fraser is the founder of Paul Fraser Collectibles, for more details go to www.paulfrasercollectibles.com
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Of course, you can’t talk prohibition without mentioning Al Capone. Raised on the tough streets of Chicago, Capone became the most influential profiteer of the era. His control of the illicit alcohol industry earned him and his gang an estimated $100m annually. That’s around $1.4bn today. Capone is hugely popular with collectors. The record stands at £67,250 – set in 2011 for his personal Colt .38. Another interesting item to have sold recently is a
Al Capone’s Colt .38 sold for £67,250, image courtesy of Christie’s
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 33
LETTERS Have your say
Your Letters
April pp.53-63:Layout 1
17/3/17
14:08
Page 63
Staer r lett
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
We delve into the ‘lockdown’ postbag and find one heartfelt ANTIQUES CENTRES plea to return to normal One of my regular weekly treats is heading off to my local auction house. When we went into lockdown I wondered how I would continue to get my regular fix of antiques and art. How nice it was to receive the magazine. Thanks for bringing a taste of what I am missing. Reggie G. Watson, by email Above right Days out may
be back on the cards. Threave Castle on the River Dee near Castle Douglas in Scotland Left Reggie is missing his weekly auction
Congratulations on the May magazine. The team did a wonderful job under what must be very trying conditions. I’m always happiest if I can find something I didn’t know much about, and you outdid yourself this month. The article on Bernard Leach (Beyond Leach, Antique Collecting, May issue) was interesting. I also liked the piece about British coins. B. Anderson, by email
Like many antiques lovers, I am of a certain age – a little past my three score years and 10 – and exhibit all the trademarks of someone born in the 1940s. As well as collecting, my hobbies include gardening, walking the dog and, rather predictably, days out with my wife. When we retired I took the plunge and joined the National Trust. So imagine my distress when many properties closed due to Covid-19 and we had to content ourselves with staring ruefully at the online. Then consider the joy of discovering I could book a place at a Trust carpark! Better still we have discovered we can now book to visit the gardens of some NT properties. So we are planning a trip to Kingston Lacy mansion in Dorset where we shall enjoy a sociallydistanced picnic. It will be a day out to rival another online triumph – booking a space at our previously-closed municipal tip. D Wells, Bournemouth, by email
Be part of the conversation on Twitter and Instagram @antiquemag
Corrections and Clarifications
34 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Rutland The
ARMS
The portrait of Portrait of a HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales, by Samuel Percy, 1814, in Wax Works, (Antique Collecting May issue), should be attributed to the photographer James Pike © Royal Pavilion & Museum, Brighton & Hove and not, as stated, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Liquid Gold (Antique Collecting December/ January issue) we wrongly inferred the artist Michael Dillon was slow in his commission to decorate a bottle of Macallan whisky, causing the edition to be limited to one. In fact the commission was for only one bottle and not, as stated, an edition of 12. Mr Dillon is a decorative painter and muralist whose clients are invariably impressed with the speed and professionalism with which he works. We apologise for the mistake.
ANTIQUES
EXPERT COMMENT look back
MARKET Report Veteran auctioneer John Gilding, who set up Leicestershire-based auctioneers Gildings in 1980, looks back on collecting over the past four decades
stuff,’ in their homes, even if they did, they wouldn’t have the room. Houses are getting smaller and more expensive, so those looking to buy a home today must be on a very keen budget. Add to that people from the older generation downsizing and there is nowhere to put bulky antique furniture. Nowadays, the market in Victorian landscapes and seascapes is hard work and they need to be very good to achieve a decent price. Having said that, I think seascapes will always have a market here in the landlocked Midlands!
ONLINE REVOLUTION
Toby ugs face an uncertain future, image Shutterstock
T
he auctioneering business has weathered many economic storms over the decades, and of course the global pandemic has made what seemed like fairly grave concerns over Brexit fade into insignificance, although still a significant factor on the horizon. For auctioneers and collectors alike, nothing will ever match the excitement of being in the room on sale day, but the ability to hold live online auctions means that ovid-19 is not the catastrophe for the industry that it would have been a mere 15 years ago. Like other auction houses across the UK, we are reacting to the current situation with emailed condition reports, and virtual phone consultations, while also looking into contact-free delivery options for clients. From a collecting point of view, although people may be feeling more cautious about spending, many now have more time on their hands to pursue their interest even if it’s with a focus on research for now. Also, those who previously haven’t bid online may now be
motivated to do so. Not only that, we will see an influx of consignments from those who have used the lockdown time to have a clear out of collections.
FICKLE FASHION In the collecting business fashion really is the most powerful instrument. It comes and goes - and recently there has been a lot of going. For example, Doulton figures and Toby Jugs which you once had to pay hundreds, are now lumped together in a box in the viewing room. On the flipside 1960s Scandinavian teak furniture which was put in skips in the 1980s and 1990s (or, in my case, used to make rabbit hutches) now sells for more than good-quality Georgian oak. The market for antique furniture can only be described as distressing. Anyone who got attached to the idea of it making money have had to have a rethink. However, the downturn is based on more than just fashion. While it’s true young people don’t necessarily want ‘old, dark
‘In the collecting business fashion really is the most powerful instrument. It comes and goes - and recently there has been a lot of going. For example, Doulton figures and Toby Jugs which you once had to pay hundreds, are now lumped together in a box in the viewing room’
Pre- ovid an auction would attract 100 people in the room, about a dozen on the phone with 60 popping in with a commission bid. Now we routinely have around 500 people registered to bid online. This has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for collectors who are able to request condition reports and bid for items from anywhere in the world. In January we sold an African tribal spear for £18,500 to a Paris-based buyer, against a collector bidding via a WhatsApp call from Thailand.
A NEW APPROACH The internet has sparked a huge shift in how collectors operate. Increasingly, we are seeing people collect in more and more niche areas, particularly in the area of toys and memorabilia, where the following are increasingly popular: 1970s Star Wars figures 1980s and 1990s gaming consoles and computer games Movie posters from famous franchises like James Bond Vinyl, with the most recent trend being in 1990s dance music The market for jewellery is also strong as more and more private buyers become savvy with their spending on big-ticket pieces. In general, there is a swing towards things that people can put in their pockets and take home that day, rather than items that require a van and two people. As more people realise they can buy jewellery cheaper at auction, prices are rising. While it’s impossible to predict what the world of collecting will look like in 2030, I think we can safely say that it will be alive and well, both online and in salesrooms all over the country, just as it always has been.
• • • •
Gildings’ next antiques and collectors sale takes place on June 16 with viewing by appointment only. Its July 14 sale may have public viewing, subject to government guidelines. ANTIQUE COLLECTING 35
COLLECTING GUIDES 20th-century textiles
F
Material Girls
The unsung women behind some ground-breaking 20th-century textile designs are celebrated in a new exhibition. Co-curator Ashley Gray lifts the lid
Above Jacqueline Groag (1903-1986) Dolls, 1953, roller-printed rayon, David Whitehead Ltd. 32 x 61cm Left While the gallery is closed there are plans to bring the exhibition to Bath and London when the lockdown ends
36 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
or a brief, halcyon period between 1950 and 1970, British textile manufacturers led the world in the scale and ambition of their furnishing fabrics by championing modern art. Having been starved of colour and pattern during the war, the hitherto conservative British public proved remarkably receptive to ‘contemporary’ design. This, combined with the booming market for home furnishings, encouraged manufacturers to put more daring designs into production, which explains why the decade of the 1950s was such a dynamic period for British textiles. Women textile designers were at the forefront of these ground-breaking innovations. Ironically it would be these same women who would do the most to democratise modern art by making it, literally, a part of the furniture. Like their 1920s predecessors, the post-war ‘outbreak of talent’ seized the day and made a lasting impact on art history. Without acknowledging the achievements of women textile designers, the story of post-war British art is only partially told. There is an extraordinary resurgence of interest from serious collectors in 20th-century textiles. In November 2019 a large number of rare Porthia Prints table linens by the giants of the St Ives Modernist movement, including Barbara Hepworth and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham sold for £3,250 against a low estimate of £400. In March records for modern textiles were smashed when a 1913 design by Vanessa Bell for Omega Workshops sold for 10 times its estimate, hammering at £8,750.
DRIVING FORCE However, alongside these well-known early 20th-century artists whose textile designs are now being recognised, what of the post-war women whose designs are every bit as powerful, but whose work is less known? When I was researching the exhibition Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers, due to have been shown at Messums Wiltshire but can now be viewed online, I was determined to speak to some of the women whose remarkable textile designs were responsible for driving modernism into the heart of Britain’s homes in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. These included names we might not be familiar with but who were arguably some of the greatest driving forces in changing our view of modern art. Not all the women designers at the heart of the movement wanted to go into textiles. Nicola Wood (b. 1936), who produced designs for Heal’s, Liberty and Biba, had studied at the Royal College of Art (RCA) with Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005) and David Hockney (b.1937) and wanted to be a painter. While Barbara Brown (b.1932) whose abstract geometric designs for Heal Fabrics such as Frequency (1969) and Spiral (1969), pushed Op Art to the limit, dreamt of becoming a sculptor. Wood emigrated to America in 1984 to become a celebrated artist of classic cars with work in museums and collections across the USA. When I caught up with her ahead of the exhibition and asked if she was the same Nicola Wood who had produced designs for Heal Fabrics, she said: “No one has asked me that for 30 years.” It underlined the fact that many of the women designers of these decades are still unknown, yet their influence on design is powerful.
Above Zandra Rhodes (b. 1940) Top Brass, 1963, screen printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 67 x 121cm Below left Barbara
Brown (b. 1932) Spiral, 1969, screen printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 97 x 117.5cm
Below right Shirley
Craven (b. 1934) Kaplan, 1961, hand screen printed cotton, Hull Traders 115 x 120.5cm
OUTBREAK OF TALENT Paul Nash (1889-1946) memorably referred to ‘an outbreak of talent’ at the RCA during the mid 1920s when Eric Ravilious (1903-1942), Edward Bawden (1903-1989), Edward Burra (1905-1976), Barnett Freedman (1901-1958) and Enid Marx (1902-1998) were all students. The same evocative phrase could be applied to the explosion of creativity in British textiles by a host of women designers after WWII, many of whom studied at the RCA. Lucienne Day (1917-2010) was a student from 1937-1940 and embarked on her career as soon as the war was over. Barbara Brown (b.1932) attended from 1953-1956, Althea McNish (b.1933) from 1954-1957, and Shirley Craven (b.1934) and Doreen Dyall (b.1937) from 1955-1958. Following hot on their heels were Fay Hillier (b.1936) from 1956-1959, Nicola Wood from 1957-1960, Janet Taylor (b.1936) from 1958-1961 and Zandra Rhodes (b.1940) from 1961-1964. The latter although known as a fashion designer cut her teeth in textiles. The others all pursued successful careers as freelance textile designers with Heal Fabrics, Hull Traders, Edinburgh Weavers and Liberty.
‘Not all the women designers at the heart of the movement wanted to go into textiles, Nicola Wood, who produced designs for Heal’s, Liberty and Biba, had studied at the Royal College of Art alongside Patrick Caulfield and David Hockney, wanted to be a painter’ ANTIQUE COLLECTING 37
COLLECTING GUIDES 20th-century textiles stereotype. Women were also traditionally regarded as tastemakers in the home. Even at the otherwise liberated Bauhaus during the 1920s, female students were specifically channelled into weaving. Iniquitous though this was, ironically the outcome was incredibly positive for textiles, which were championed by Anni Albers (1899-1994) and Gunta Stölzl (1897-1983) as a vehicle for fine art. When female artists began to make a name for themselves in Britain during the inter-war years, it was often in textiles that they made their mark. Phyllis Barron (1890-1964) and Dorothy Larcher (1884-1952), who spearheaded the flowering of hand block-printed textiles during the 1920s, both originally trained as artists, Barron at the Slade, Larcher at Hornsey School of Art. Their protégé, Enid Marx, who was part of the ‘outbreak of talent’ identified by Paul Nash, adopted the same medium, but also crossed over into industrial textiles through her Modernist upholstery fabrics for London Underground in 1937.
WOMEN’S WORK This remarkable surge of artistic activity prompts the question why so many women were channelled into textiles at this date rather than into fine art? The answer lies in the fact that, during the first half of the 20th century, opportunities for women were extremely limited. Although art teaching was regarded as an acceptable female profession, any woman who aspired to become an independent artist would have faced an uphill battle. As well as educational restrictions and financial constraints, women artists were often discouraged by their own families and encountered prejudice within the male-dominated artistic profession. Although the situation had improved somewhat by the 1930s, female art students were more likely to be steered towards the applied arts, particularly areas deemed to be intrinsically ‘feminine’, such as textiles. The presumption that women had a natural propensity for designing fabrics because of a supposed predisposition towards fashion was a common gender
38 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Above Barbara Brown (b. 1932) Sweetcorn (yellow), 1958, screen printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 45.5 x 66cm. Right Lucienne Day (1917-2010) Calyx (blue) Heal Fabrics 85 x 107cm Below left Barbara
Brown (b. 1932) Recurrence, 1962, screen printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 74 x 111cm
Below left Marian Mahler
(1911-1983) Untitled (Linear Flowers), c. 1953, roller printed rayon, David Whitehead Ltd, 69 x 105cm
LUCIENNE DAY (1917-2010) For Lucienne Day, as for many women designers, the social changes triggered by the war had a liberating effect. As well as creating new professional openings, the war acted as a catalyst for cross-fertilisation between the fine and applied arts. At the Festival of Britain in 1951, Day seized the opportunity to present her ground-breaking screenprinted textile, Calyx (left). Produced at Day’s instigation by Heal Fabrics, Calyx was revolutionary in imagery, colour and style, epitomising the forwardlooking ‘contemporary’ style. Although notionally based on flower forms, the cup-shaped motifs reflected her keen awareness of modern art, particularly the work of Paul Klee (1879-1940), Joan Miró (1893-1983) and Alexander Calder (1898-1976).
MARIAN MAHLER (1911-1983) The same trio of artists – Klee, Miró and Calder – were also inspirational for two leading European émigrés working in Britain during the early post-war period, Marian Mahler (1911-1983) and Jacqueline Groag (1903-1986). Calder’s influence is particularly apparent in their roller-printed fabrics for David Whitehead Ltd from the early 1950s, which contain some very decidedly Calderesque elements. Mahler already had an established career in her native Austria before moving to the UK in 1937. Her familiarity with European modern art is no surprise, given that she had studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna under Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956), co-founder of the Wiener Werkstätte (1903-32), a hothouse for artist-designed textiles.
JACQUELINE GROAG (1903-1986) Groag was a hugely infleuntial post-war designer. Originally Czech she also studied in Vienna at the Kunstgewerbeschule under Hoffmann during the mid 1920s, then subsequently at the Wiener Werkstätte before moving to Paris in 1929, where she worked on dress fabrics for fashion houses such as Chanel. She also produced designs for various French and German textiles firms before, like Mahler, being forced to flee to London in 1939 where she was obliged to make a fresh start with her husband, the architect Jacques Croag (1892-1962). In addition to working with some of the foremost textile manufacturers and retailers of the era in Britain and America, Groag created a large number of textile designs for the ‘Britain Can Make It’ exhibition at The Victoria & Albert Museum in 1946. A friend of Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka (18861980) and a great admirer of Paul Klee, Groag retained a distinctive continental flavour in her vibrant, playful designs for David Whitehead and Cavendish Textiles during the 1950s and 1960s.
Right Barbara Brown (b. 1932) Frequency, 1969, screen-printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 118 x 121cm Below Jacquerline Graog
(1903-1986) Untitled (Traffic Light), 1952, roller-printed rayon, David Whitehead Ltd, 55 x 84cm
for Hull Traders, which were hand screen-printed in vivid colours on cotton cloth, have more in common with the tenets of abstract expressionism than domestic interior design. Fearlessly original, Craven was a free spirit who defied convention, constantly reinventing her aesthetic. While some designs, such as Shape (1963), are composed of flat planes of colour, others, such as Simple Solar (1967), are consciously graphic and frenetic in design. Although nominally intended as furnishing fabrics, Craven’s textiles have the visual immediacy of largescale abstract paintings with their irregular forms and enormous patterns spanning the full width of the cloth.
BARBARA BROWN (B. 1932) Brown studied at Canterbury College of Art and then the RCA. While at the RCA, she sold her first fabric to Heal’s and subsequently designed for them for the next two decades. Like Lucienne Day, she was working for Heal’s ‘without contract on an exclusive basis’. Her pattern Complex won the CoID (Design Centre) Award in 1968 and Spiral and Automation, two printed furnishing fabrics for Heal’s, won two CoID awards in 1970. Her success earned her the title ‘Heal’s Golden
SHIRLEY CRAVEN (B. 1934) Shirley Craven, a key figure in the ‘outbreak of talent’ at the RCA, embodies the wilfully independent character of the post-war generation. Her extraordinary designs ANTIQUE COLLECTING 39
COLLECTING GUIDES 20th-century textiles Girl’. Her strongly geometric designs were synonymous with 1960s Britain.
to commit to the abstract movement. She provided designs for textiles for Edinburgh Weavers and almost disappeared from public view until The Tate Gallery retrospective exhibition of her work in 1983, held the year before she died.
ALTHEA MCNISH (1933-2020) Born in Trinidad, McNish moved to Britain in the 1950s. She attended the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts, Central School of Arts and Crafts and the RCA. She was commissioned by Liberty, Ascher for Dior, Hull Traders and Cavendish Textiles. Her work is represented in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Whitworth Museum, Manchester; the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Cooper-Hewitt (Smithsonian Design Museum), USA. McNish is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Art at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. She was married to the jewellery designer John Weiss from 1933 to 2018.
NICOLA WOOD (B. 1936) Nicola Wood’s extraordinary talent for drawing was spotted by teachers at the age of 10. She attended Southport School of Art and Manchester College of Art where she graduated with first class honours in textile design. She arrived at the RCA in 1957, studying at the same time as Zandra Rhodes, Derick Boshier, Pauline Boty all destined to be icons of the Pop Art movement.
MARY WHITE (B. 1926) Mary White was known for several iconic textile prints of the 1950s. She studied textile design at Thanet School of Art and Crafts and worked with the design studio of David Whitehead. Her textiles were also commissioned for RMS Queen Mary and Heathrow Airport. White drew on the work of William Morris, Above Althea McNish (b. 1933) Rubra, 1961, screen printed cotton, Hull Traders, 72 x 56cm Right Paule Vézelay (1892-1984) Duet, 1955, screen printed plain weave cotton, Heal Fabrics, 64 x 111cm Below left Marion Mahler
(1911-1983) Untitled (Mobiles) c. 1952, roller printed rayon, David Whitehead Ltd, 77 x 108.5cm
Below right Mary White
(b. 1926) Coppice, 1954, roller printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 38 x 68cm
Below Nicola Wood (b.
books of flowers and the countryside where she grew up, to create hundreds of designs. Some of her most famous creations were Coppice, Cottage Garden and Zinnia commissioned for Liberty and Heal Fabrics.
1936) Armada, 1965, screen printed cotton, Heal Fabrics, 78 x 123cm
Patrick Caulfield and David Hockney were also classmates and friends. She produced designs for Heal’s, Liberty and Biba as well as commissions from the German firm Rasch Textil. She emigrated to the USA in 1984 with work in museums and collections across America.
PAULE VÉZELAY (1892-1984) In 1926, the British artist Marjorie Watson-Williams moved to Paris and adopted the name ‘Paule Vézelay’. In France, she lived with the Surrealist artist André Masson and met Kandinsky, Mondrian, Miro, Magnelli and Jean Arp. Her early work was figurative, but apart from her Surrealistinspired works from the early 1930s and her wartime drawings, she became one of the first British artists
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ANTIQUE COLLECTING
A virtual tour of the exhibition Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers (a collaboration between Ashley Gray from Bath-based modern textiles experts Gray M.C.A - www.graymca.com - and Messums Wiltshire) can be viewed at www. messumswiltshire. The exhibition can be seen at Messums Harrogate, 2-6 James Street, from July 10 to August 29 before moving to Bath and London in 2021. An exhibition catalogue will be on sale from mid-June, with contributions from Lesley Jackson and Mary Schoeser.
EXPERT COMMENT Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
An Auctioneer’s Lot
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Charles Hanson is in a spin when our fine four-fendered friend Chitty Chitty Bang Bang goes under the hammer
hat do James Bond and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang have in common? They were both the invention of famous British author, journalist and naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming. It is astonishing to think that one of the most famous children’s stories ever told was created by a man renowned the world over for spy thrillers. But it underlines something true to us all – the joy of childhood is embedded in all of our souls. In April 1961, Fleming had a heart attack during a meeting at The Sunday Times. While convalescing, a friend gave him a copy of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and suggested Fleming pen a bedtime story for the author’s son, Caspar. Fleming did just that and his only children’s novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, was published in October 1964, two months after his death at the age of 56.
Above Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the 2015-2017 musical stage show on display at Bishton Hall. It has an estimate of £6,000£9,000 Above right Grandpa Potts’ shed in the musical stage show has an estimate of £1,000 Below Hansons’ Edward
Rycroft on the Child Catcher’s bike, which has an estimate of £400-£600
GOING POTTY When I heard Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the world-famous flying car, was coming up for auction at Hansons it swept me back to happy childhood days. The film soared to success in 1968 when it was released as a musical adventure fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by
‘Childhood memorabilia is a booming sector in the auction industry. People reach a certain age, usually their fifties or sixties, when they are time and cash-rich and enjoy purchasing reminders of younger days’
Roald Dahl and Hughes. Those who remember and love the film or book, may well be inspired to bid. The power of nostalgia could be a force to be reckoned with. Childhood memorabilia is a booming sector in the auction industry. People reach a certain age, usually their fifties or sixties, when they are time and cash-rich and enjoy purchasing reminders of younger days. The celebrated Chitty we are selling is part of more than 100 props used in the 2015-2017 UK and Ireland touring musical stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang starring Jason Manford and Lee Mead who both played Caractacus Potts in the tour; Martin Kemp who was the Child Catcher; Phill Jupitus and Shaun Williamson, who played Lord Scrumptious and Baron Bomburst; and Michelle Collins and Claire Sweeney who were Baroness Bomburst in different productions. It’s collections like this that make the auction world addictive. Fascinating, quirky and fun, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang auction offers a unique opportunity to buy something truly special.
CHILD CATCHER John Stalker, music and lyrics executive producer of the stage show, tells me there are very few Chitty models anywhere in the world, so this is a wonderful chance to buy a bit of theatre and film history. The car’s price guide is set at £6,000-£9,000 – which would be a steal for any successful bidder, as the car originally cost £175,000 to build – though that includes the lifting apparatus required to make her fly. The props have been in storage in Bedford since the show’s final curtain and, with no plans to remount the tour, the car and props are surplus to requirements. The show’s producers would love them to go to a Chittyloving home. If Chitty’s guide price is a tad too high there are numerous other lots to bid on. For example, you could buy the Child Catcher’s bike (estimate £400-£600) and various inventions from leading character Caractacus Potts. These include an automated breakfast machine, (estimate £500-£1,000), Edison, a remote-controlled family dog (estimate £500-£1,000), and an automatic haircutting bicycle (estimate £200-£300). The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Stage Show Props online auction is due to take place on June 21. View the catalogue at www.hansonslive.co.uk ANTIQUE COLLECTING 41
COLLECTING GUIDES Piero Fornasetti
Wit & Whimsy The eclectic designs of the Italian artist, illustrator and furniture designer Piero Fornasetti (19131988) never go out of fashion, specialist dealer Holly Johnson reveals what would-be collectors need to know
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hile modern-day Fornasetti continues to intrigue, it is the vintage pieces that command the highest prices. At the height of his popularity, in the 1950s and 1960s, his motifs featuring suns and moons, houses of cards, animals, butterflies, hot-air balloons, mythological figures and surrealistic imagery — adorned everything from furniture to umbrella stands. Together they established his reputation as one of the wittiest and most imaginative design talents of the 20th century. From some 11,000 motifs, perhaps the best known are his 500 variations of the enigmatic face of the 19th-century opera singer Lina Cavalieri. Leading international interior designers adore Fornasetti. His designs are classi yet tie different periods of furniture and art. One of his pieces works as well in an ultra-modern home as
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Above Fornasetti’s depictions of the Italian soprano Lina Cavalieri are iconic design motifs, image Shutterstock Above left Piero
Fornasetti working in his atelier in Milan Right Moro chair, first
produced late 1950s. About 50 were made between 1950-60 in editions of about 10 a year
it does in a house full of antiques. Added to which, item will bring a wonderful sense of colour and character to a room. Popular well beyond his Italian atelier, Fornasetti’s designs were sold in department stores around the world, including the American department store Neiman Marcus and Liberty in London.
EARLY LIFE The son of an accountant, Fornasetti was born in Milan, the city in which he spent the rest of his life. He enrolled at Milan’s Brera Academy of Fine Art in 1930, but was expelled after two years for insubordination and failing to follow his tutors’ instructions. Instead, he taught himself lithography and etching. He spent days reading magazines and books on arts and science, and enrolled in night classes at the Scuola Superiore of Arts Applied to Industry at Castello Sforzesco. From the early 1930s, Fornasetti started to study engraving and printing techniques and created the Fornasetti Art Printshop. A group of his handpainted silk scarves, displayed in the 1933 Triennale di Milano, caught the eye of the architect and designer Gio Ponti, who, in the 1940s, became Fornasetti’s
collaborator and long-time patron. At the time, Fornasetti was working with the bestknown artists of the day creating limited-edition, graphic works, from theatre programmes to magazine covers. In 1940, he began to publish his own work in the design and architecture magazine Domus, edited by Ponti. Called up at the outbreak of war, Fornasetti originally managed to remain in Milan by getting the job of decorating the Sant’Ambrogio barracks. Later, in 1943, he took refuge in Switzerland, where he continued his artistic research and produced posters and lithographs for theatrical events and magazines. created oil portraits, watercolours, and drawings in ink, Indian ink and ballpoint pen, as well as creating the sets for Albert Camus’s Caligula directed by Giorgio Strehler.
FAME IN THE 1950S the early 1950s, Ponti and Fornasetti started creat a striking series of desks, bureaux and secretaries that paired Ponti’s signature angular forms with Fornasetti’s decorative motifs. the Architettura trumeau, a wood-andmetal cabinet with lithographic and transfer-printed decoration, which opened to reveal six glass shelves. It was exhibited at the Triennale IX in 1951 n 1998, more than 30 years after its original conception, was sold at Christie’s Thinking Italian Design sale for £212,500 while a new trumeau would cost £40,000. The original was intended a one-off, but due to his love of multiples, Fornasetti decided to make a small series, each one displaying further thematic evolutions and points of view. What makes the item even more joyful is the extended decoration of the interior of the doors and cabinet. Only around 40 were produced up to the 1970s, making early examples highly sought after. went on to work on numerous commissions, the interiors of Casino of San Remo and Casa Lucano, a large apartment in the elegant Fiera district in northwest Milan which
Above left A walnut
dresser by Edward Barnsley, English, c. 1970, displaying a selection of Piero Fornasetti porcelain plates, Italy, c. 19501980. Courtesy of Holly Johnson Antiques © Holly Johnson Antiques Above Piero Fornasetti’s Sole chair is one of his most enduring designs Below right Piero
Fornasetti, metal book ends, Milan, 1960s, stamped underneath, priced £1,080 (left) £980 (right)
Fornasetti’s Sole chair Celestial themes feature heavily in Fornasetti’s work. He used a variety of motifs, but by far the most enduring was a sun (sole). The chair was made in black and white as well as yellow mottled with ochre. About 50 were produced between the 1950s and the 1980s, then a further 100 between the 1990s and 2000. Since then it has been re-issued by Fornasetti’s son, Barnaba. When buying a Fornasetti Sole chair, the age is a critical factor. You could pay about £18,000 for a rare 1950s example and £5,000 for one made in the 1980s. Only an experienced Fornasetti dealer will be able to age the chair properly, as none of his works were marked with a date in his lifetime. After taking on the business in 1988, Piero’s son Barnaba began to put dates on works produced by the atelier. A new sun chair issued by Fornasetti today will cost about £3,500 and will be signed, numbered and dated. Even new pieces are a good investment as the atelier limits how many are made. Lack of supply means the price tends to rise rather than drop.
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 43
COLLECTING GUIDES Piero Fornasetti His muse: Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944)
Left The fin de siècle soprano Lina Cavalieri
In 1952 Fornasetti began work on what would later become his most famous and iconic series: Tema e Variazioni (Theme and Variations) based on the endless depiction of one woman. The timeless face is that of Lina Cavalieri, an opera singer who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and who was renowned at the time as “the most beautiful woman in the world”. She appeared in hundreds of incarnations — as a clock, a wheel of cheese, an Arab woman and wearing mirrored sunglasses reflecting the Paris skyline. Her face adorns hundreds of items of the Fornasetti collection, most famously on ceramic plates. Today there are around 500 variations on the same theme each of which are numbered on the back. Expect to pay in the region of £450 for a ceramic plate from this era.
Right Piero Fornasetti
ceramic plate, expect to pay £350 for a plate from the 1950s Below left Porcelain
plate with transferprinted design, made by Fornasetti, Italy, c. 1980
Below Fornasetti began making screens in the late 1940s. Arlecchini four-panel screen
‘Fornasetti’s work exudes practicality while injecting surrealism. Individual pieces can provide a distinctive focal point in a room for considerably less money’
became famous as a representation of their style. They also designed furniture for the first-class cabins and lounges of transatlantic liners, including in 1952 the Andrea Doria although this project was lost when the luxury ship sank in 1956. In the 1970s, with a group of friends, Fornasettii opened the Galleria dei Bibliofili, where he exhibited both his own work and that of contemporary artists. The move encouraged him to start painting again.
DECLINE IN FAVOUR By the 1980s popularity of Fornasetti’s bold patterns had started to wane and the company was struggling financially. Liliane Fawcett helped revive the brand when she opened her Notting Hill gallery in 1984, named Themes & Variations. In 1987, Fornasetti collaborated with Patrick Mauriés on the first monograph on his work, which included an
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introduction by the Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass (19172007). Fornasetti died in 1988 during a minor operation in hospital. After his death, his son Barnaba (with whom he had worked in the 1980s) carried on the family business, producing limited editions of his father’s design. Barnaba revived some of the most important designs in his own workshop.
Below left Piero
Fornasetti Libri screen, c. 1951, produced by Atelier Fornasetti, lithographically-printed wood
Below Armadio Aperto
screen, lithographic transfer-print on lacquered wood
Affordable style While larger pieces of furniture sell for hundreds of thousands, much of Fornasetti’s work is more affordable, while still combining practicality with surrealism. Individual pieces can provide a focal point in a room within most people’s budget. A wastepaper bin, c. 1960, which is lithographically printed on hand-coloured metal, would be priced at around £1,950, which is the same price as you ould expect to pay for a highly-ornate umbrella stand, which had been handcrafted using the same artistic techniques. As a dog lover, I adore Fornasetti’s tromp l’oeil umbrella stands which I can never resist if approached to buy. In all, he depicted eight dogs, including an Afghan hound and an Alsatian. Each one is a terrific representation of the breed with proportions so good that their lifelike qualities are almost magical. There is also a sense of humour imbued into each of them (the Alsatian sits next to a
THE RANGE Fornasetti’s endless oeuvre comprises of umbrella stands, magazine racks, ice buckets, fruit bowls, jewellery boxes, lamps, lights, coat racks and record players - countless everyday domestic objects which play an aesthetic role. A large Fornasetti piece such as a cabinet or a desk can change the character of an entire room; his smaller works have the aesthetic power of a vase of flowers, providing a bright and alluring decorative note. A vintage Architettura trumeau from the 1940s to 1950s would be worth about £150,000, whereas a new one would be around £40,000. Only around 40 were produced in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, making early examples very highly sought after. The gold on ivory Panoplie cabinet, dating from 1959, was produced in fewer than 15 units between the late 1950s and the early 1960s. It features fruiting festoons and musical trophies while the inside shows a jester holding a mandolin and a flute. Second to the trumeau, Fornasetti’s trademark design would have to be a curved chest of drawers. Its simple square shape is softened by the curve
pair of handcuffs). The poodle, or as it was originally titled, ‘barbone’, dates from the 1950s and was produced in three different colours, including black. Many collectors adore Fornasetti’s early porcelain jars, from the early 1960s. My personal favourite depicts a central oval cartouche inscribed ‘rice’ surrounded by various kitchen utensils and highlighted with gilt. Something this ornate would be valued at around £580, whereas the simple hand-painted jars would be less at the £380-mark. A set of eight Astrolabio plates, c. 1971, which are lithographically printed with gilt decoration, could cost around £3,800 for all eight. They are stunning displayed together and are, to my mind, as impressive as any work of art.
and makes way for the decoration across the entire surface. It was produced throughout the 1950s and 1960s in five different patterns. It has since been re-issued and is deemed to be his most popular piece of furniture. Holly Johnson from Cheshire-based Holly Johnson Antiques has been dealing in works by Piero Fornasetti for the last 20 years. Her Knutsford showroom includes a range of pieces from furniture to plates. For more details go to www.hollyjohnsonantiques.com
Discover more The Oriental hotel in Milan has a dining suite created in tribute to Fornasetti, one of the city’s most famous sons. Named after Fornasetti’s 1951 illustration Duomo Sommerso, which portrays Milan’s cathedral underwater surrounded by fish, the dining room also includes his ceramic plates. On either side of the Duomo Sommerso panel, are vintage decorative plates from Piero’s Cupole d’Italia series of church cupola reproductions. Two corner cupboards are decorated with Fornasetti’s depictions of Lina Cavalieri. Decorative lines on the portraits create an imaginary atlas illustrated with fish, algae and other sea life, adding another marine element to the room’s design.
Above right The 2017
Leopardo commode is priced £17,000
Above The gold on ivory Panoplie trumeau priced at £140,000 Left Piero Fornasetti poodle umbrella stand, c. 1960 Right The Duomo Sommerso dining suite in The Oriental Hotel, Milan
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 45
COLLECTING GUIDES Posters of an Exhibition
POSTERS of an EXHIBITION With this year’s Summer Exhibition on hold for the first time in its 252-year history, why not take a look at collecting posters from the iconic event?
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ntil it was pipped to the post by the Chelsea Flower Show (also cancelled), the opening of the Summer Exhibition marked the start of the ‘season’. The exhibition itself was like a grand party, with artists clamouring for invitations. But in the year of Covid- 9, the 252nd exhibition, due to open in June, has been rescheduled for the autumn. For two months every summer since 1769, fi st in Pall Mall, then in Somerset House, then in Trafalgar Square and since 1869 in Burlington House, the Academy’s rooms have overflowed with paintings, sculptures and architectural drawings. It even survived two world wars although in 1917, a German bomb dropped the roof of Gallery IX. Open to all to submit their work, it is widely regarded as the most democratic art exhibition in the world.
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Above Visitors to a recent Summer Exhibition, image courtesy of Gareth Williams from Redhill, England Right ‘Bubbles’ by Sir John E Millais advertisement for Pears’ soap
And while the grandest reputations have been made on its walls, in a different way one can track other artists’ fortunes through its posters, which have been over the years by everyone from Dame Laura Knight to Sir Peter Blake. With prices starting at £75, they are decorative additions to any collection.
EXHIBITION’S HISTORY Before the mid-18th century, the great art collections were in private houses, seen only by the elite, so a big public show was part of the Academy’s programme
from the start, following the lead of a successful annual exhibition instituted by its forerunner, the Society of Artists. Within three years the annual display had swollen to 250 paintings, chosen by a ‘Committee of Arrangement’, later known as the ‘Hanging Committee’. In the late 19th century, while posters were setting their own agenda in France, with the work of Tolouse Lautrec and other Belle Epoche artists revolutionising design, in Britain their fate was somewhat different. Few regarded them as fine art and when Academician Sir John Millais’ work, A Child’s World, was sold without copyright in 1886 taken up by Pears’ soap its famous ‘Bubbles’ advertisement, it se to prove the point he genre was tainted and posters would never represent a serious art form.
PEAK ATTENDANCE It was about this time that the ummer peak in attendance with 350,000 people visiting the prestigious event. In 1883, when William Powell Frith (1819-1909) painted A Private View at the Royal Academy it portrayed the capital’s glitterati, including Frederic Leighton, the president, the actress Ellen Terry and playwright Oscar Wilde. But from 1910 attendance began to drop ‘Ways and Means’ committee recommended advertising, which was immediately rejected by the Academy’s general assembly. Finances took a further hit in WWI and, when numbers slumped to 160,000, the council approved a £50 advertising spend. While the first posters were nothing more than listings, with the Royal Arms and the show dates, the inter war period was the golden age of poster design many of the best artists of the day, including Frank Brangwyn and Paul Nash, celebrat the genre.
Right Anthony Green
(b.1939) design by Gordon House, printed by Hillingdon Press, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1973, £175
Did you know? Paintings by Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, James Whistler and John Constable RA have all been ‘shown the X-rod’ – an X on a stick that’s held up by the artist Selection Committee, to reject a work from the RA’s Summer Exhibition. The X-rod is still in use today. From 1865, red stars were placed on the frames of any pictures that had been sold in the RA’s annual exhibition; a forerunner of the red dots used at thousands of gallery sales.
Naked truth In 1973, when Associate Academician Anthony Green’s design was given the green light by the council, it ran into trouble with London Underground who feared it was too saucy for commuters. The artist’s response was to overprint a ballgown on the model. He later admitted: “If you came into London on the Overground you would see the nude poster on the station platforms, but if you dived below stairs suddenly she’s got a dress on.” Sadly, from the 2000s onwards, the marketing department muscled in on the poster designs crowbarring them into a larger advertising message. However, while individuality may have lessened the impact is just as strong.
Left William Powell Frith (1819-1909) painted A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1883 Right John Ward (1917-
2007), Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1972, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £150
‘In 1910 a ‘Ways and Means’ committee was set up which recommended a level of advertising which was immediately rejected by the Academy’s general assembly. Finances took a further hit in WWI and, when attendees slumped to 160,000, the council approved a £50 advertising budget’
GOLDEN AGE From the mid-1960s, the Academy decreed that each exhibition should have its own poster specially designed by a Royal Academician. This decision has resulted in a legacy of posters by some of Britain’s most famous artists. In 1966, Edward Bawden agreed to undertake the task before John Bratby stepped in and created arguably the first Summer Exhibition that broke with tradition. ANTIQUE COLLECTING 47
COLLECTING GUIDES Posters of an Exhibition Left Bovril and sherry is the panel’s tipple Bottom left Edward
Ardizzone (1900-1979), Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1969
Beef tea and sherry Royal Academicians are automatically entitled to submit up to six works to the Summer Exhibition the rest work , . Traditionally, submitted on ending In Day in first stage takes place by digital submission – around 20,000 were received in 2018 , taken into the vaults and brought out in May, when the Selection Committee meets, fortified by a brew of beef tea and sherry, to conduct the final hanging Almost all exhibited works are for sale; the Academy receiving 30 per cent of the purchase price. This year’s exhibition themes reflect “identity, immigration, contested borders, ecological threat, climate change and pro-democracy protest.”
Above Sir Peter Blake (b. 1932) design by Gordon House, printed by TPS London, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1975, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £300 Left Paul Hogarth (1917-2001) design by Gordon House, printed by Rapier Press, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1986, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £175
For the first 30 years of the scheme, the posters were a collaboration between the artist and renowned print maker Gordon House (part of the Kelpra Press), which oversaw the layout and printing. Each design was originally printed in double crown format (30 x 20in). Many subsequent designs went
48 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Right Sonia Lawson (b. 1934) design by Philip Miles, printed by the White Dove Press, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1993, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £75
MEAT CLEAVER On 4 May 1914, the suffragette Mary Wood smuggled a meat cleaver into the Summer Exhibition. She used it to slash John Singer Sargent’s portrait of the writer Henry James, breaking through the glass and slashing the canvas three times. Wood stated that she tried to destroy it to “show the public that they have no security for their property nor for their art treasures until women are given political freedom.” However, Wood may also have chosen this portrait, painted by an elder statesman of the artistic elite, to challenge the bastion of conservatism.
Right Newspaper report on the attack on the portrait of Henry James by John Singer Sargent Below right Sir Hugh
Casson (1910-1999), Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1977, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £200
Above Philip Sutton (b. 1928) Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1980, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £150 Right Photo by Kit Cooper, design by Philip Miles, printed by White Dove Press Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1997, on sale from Twentieth Century Posters priced £90
against tradition. As ‘pop’ took hold of London in the 1960s and 1970s, so too did it inspire the Summer Exhibition. Having designed the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band record sleeve for The Beatles in 1967, artist Peter Blake designed the poster for the 1975 Summer Exhibition. 26 years later in 2001 when he was responsible for co-ordinating the show he included works by musicians Paul McCartney and Ronnie Wood, as well as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. This year’s Summer Exhibition, due to have run from June 9 to August 16, has been rescheduled for autumn 2020 For more details go to www. royalacademy.org.uk. Twentieth Century Posters has a number of posters advertising the Summer Exhibition for sale, for more details go to www.twentiethcenturyposters.com
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 49
COLLECTING GUIDES Silver Streak
Silver Streak An online selling exhibition of candlesticks and candelabra is shining a light on the pioneering work of Georgian women silversmiths
I
llumination in Isolation, from London-based antique silver specialists Koopman Rare Art, to mark the current confinement, is a curated collection of antique silver candlesticks and candelabra covering two centuries, with examples dating from 1706 through to the 1930s. Recent study by the American researcher LaJean Chaffin Ph.D has revealed that between 1576 and 1800 there were 168 girls apprenticed through the Goldsmiths’ Company, although the majority were not trained in the gold and silversmithing craft but other occupations. According to the company’s records the last woman to be apprenticed as a jeweller before the 20th century was Elizabeth Relly in 1781, although it is not known whether she continued in the trade.
ELIZA GODFREY Among the fascinating array featured is a fabulous pair of George III candlesticks by London silversmith Elizabeth Godfrey, active 1720-1766 (more commonly known as Eliza), bearing the date mark for 1763. This leads us to consider the historical role of women in the silversmithing trade. Many people might not have heard of the name Eliza Godfrey before, or indeed know that she was one of the few outstanding women who ran a highlyregarded and lucrative silversmithing business in the 18th century. Hence, contrary to what many might believe, silversmithing was never an exclusively male domain.
50 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
There is still, however, so much to learn about the extent of the important role women played in the gold and silversmithing industries prior to the early-mid 20th century. Evidence extant in the records of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths held at Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London, prove that although their exact roles may not be directly recorded, women were closely involved in the craft from as early as the 14th century, if not before.
Above Eliza Godfrey (first mark entered 1731) pair of George III candlesticks, silver, London 1763, from the latter part of Eliza’s career that represent a very interesting and rare example of the French Régence style, that influenced the English decorative arts for a brief period. The pair is on sale for £18,000 from Koopman Rare Art Right Hester Bateman
(1708–1794) tea canister, silver, 1785– 86, image courtesy of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston
Left Eliza Godfrey (first mark entered 1741) cream jug, silver, c. 1745 with a cast in the shape of a snake, image courtesy of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston Right A pair of George II silver-mounted glass oil and vinegar bottles by Anne Tanqueray, London 1727, image courtesy of Bonhams Below right Hester
Bateman (1708–1794), sugar tongs, silver, 1774–76, image courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bottom right Hester
While women may not have been working at the bench themselves, they nonetheless would have provided an important support role, such as being a burnisher or polisher. This would have been very much the case in a family business where several members of the same family would have all worked together.
LOZENGE MARK As a means of supporting its trade, when a London goldsmith died the Goldsmiths’ Company allowed his widow to inherit the business and to register her own maker’s mark, which took the shape of a lozenge. This is precisely how Eliza Godfrey was able to rise to prominence and become regarded as one of the preeminent silversmiths of the finest quality silver in Georgian London. The daughter of the distinguished London silversmith Simon Pantin, Eliza’s exact date of birth is not known, although, she is thought to have been born around 1700. In 1720, Eliza married her father’s apprentice, Abraham Buteux, a practising and apparently relatively successful silversmith, although not much documentary evidence about him exists. Shortly after Buteux’s death some 11 years later in 1731, his widow Eliza took over the workshop and registered her first mark as a largeworker at Goldsmiths’ Hall, stating her address as Norris Street, Haymarket.
PAUL DE LAMERIE With children to support, however, in 1732 Eliza quickly remarried. Her second husband was a jeweller, Benjamin Godfrey and by all accounts the marriage resulted in a successful business partnership. The fact that the illustrious silversmith Paul de Lamerie was a witness to Benjamin Godfrey’s will proves that the couple was highly regarded in the trade. When Eliza was widowed again in 1741 she re-applied to Goldsmiths’ Hall for the registration of her second mark. As previously, her address was given as Norris Street and her trade card describes her as ‘Goldsmith, Silversmith and Jeweller to His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland’.
Bateman (1708–1794), ladle, silver, 1780–81, image courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Anne Tanqueray Arguably one of the most outstanding early women gold and silversmiths, although less known than Eliza Godfrey and Hester Batemen, was Anne Tanqueray (fl. c.1726-d.1733, London). The daughter of the great David Willaume, she married David Tanqueray, an apprentice of her father’s, in 1717, and had continued the business (very much an offshoot of her father’s) after David’s death in c.1725. On widowhood, she took over her husband’s business entering two marks (sterling and new standard) in the register at Goldsmiths’ Hall. Her marks appeared alongside her husband’s original 1713 mark, with his name being struck through and hers written above, as opposed to a new entry, which was custom for a widow. This appears to be the only instance in which this happened. Eliza proved to be very capable and showed considerable financial acumen. For 17 years her workshop produced a considerable output of exceptional silverware in all categories, from teacaddies to wine coolers, flatware, cruets and so on. Many examples are found in museums and private collections the world over.
‘When a London goldsmith died the Goldsmiths’ Company allowed his widow to inherit the business and to register her own maker’s mark, which took the shape of a lozenge’
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 51
COLLECTING GUIDES Silver Streak In a recent article published in the Silver Society’s journal, Silver Studies, the American historian Janine E Skerry PhD, senior curator of metals at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia wrote: “Elizabeth Godfrey was almost certainly a retailing silversmith as there is no documentary evidence that she served an apprenticeship or worked at the bench.” Eliza Godfrey’s style is described as displaying “strong Huguenot characteristics of design and fine execution”. It is for these reasons that silver historian Philippa Glanville describes her as “taking the crown as the outstanding woman silversmith of the 18th century”. Eliza died in 1771 and was buried at the church of St Martin in the Fields after a successful career spanning some 40 years.
Right Hester Bateman (1708–1794) cream jug, silver, image courtesy of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston Below The well-known
stamp of Hester Bateman
Below left Hester
Bateman’s (1708–1794) stamp
HESTER BATEMAN There were other women who took up family businesses once their husbands had died. Of considerable note is the perhaps slightly better known Hester Bateman (c.1708-1794), a direct contemporary of Eliza. Hester was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Nedem. In 1732, she married the goldsmith John Bateman at the Church of St. Botolph’s in Aldergate. John was a gold chain maker and wire drawer (a branch of the silversmiths’ art) who died on November 13, 1760 leaving in his will “unto my loving wife, Hester Bateman all my household goods and implements”. By the mid-1770s, Hester’s work became more widely recognised. She started using modern techniques to create flatware, salvers, sauceboats, tea and coffee pots. Some of her most attractive and sought-after pieces were wine labels/bottle tickets. From 1790 to 1793, her trading name was Hester Bateman & Co., Silversmiths. Her sons succeeded her and subsequent generations of the family continued to supply silverware until the middle of the 19th century. Timo Koopman, from Koopman Rare Art, said: “Hester, like Eliza Godfrey, was a very successful businesswoman who skilfully operated in an extremely cut-throat and competitive market. Fortunately there is a relatively large amount of silver by early women silversmiths on the market and the interest and demand continues to be strong. There are many collectors who actively seek pieces by either Bateman or Godfrey, while others focus on a range of silver by different women silversmiths.”
WATCH OUT FOR Other significant women silversmiths whose work is sought-after include Louisa Courtauld (1729-1807), wife of the goldsmith Samuel Courtauld, whose father, Augustin, studied with Eliza Godfrey’s father, Simon Pantin. Louisa and Samuel produced outstanding silver in the then-popular Rococo style from France. When Samuel died in 1765, again, like Eliza and Hester, Louisa took over the helm and her silversmithing business continued to flourish, even adapting to a more Neoclassic style, until she retired in 1780. Slightly earlier in date is Mary Rood, although very little is known about her. She too registered her maker’s mark in 1721 after the death of her husband James Rood and most of the surviving pieces date from the 1720s. Also of note is Susannah Barker, a smallworker, active in the second half of the 18th century and particularly known for her distinctive silver wine labels. Based in London, Susannah registered a total of three marks, the first in 1778, and then two in quick succession in August 1789. Although there were undoubtedly women working in the gold and silversmithing profession during the 19th century there is little documentary evidence to support this supposition. One example is Rebecca Emes (d.1828) who, after her husband John Emes’ death in 1808 went into partnership with the executor to her husband’s will, John Barnard, operating under the name of Emes and Barnard. Likewise there is Mary Chawner, herself the daughter, sister and wife of silversmiths. Mary registered her mark on the death of her husband in 1834 and ran the company until her son-in-law took control in 1840. Koopman Rare Art’s online catalogue Illumination in Isolation to accompany the online exhibition can be downloaded at www.koopman.art/blog. 10 per cent of sales will go a fund to support staff at the Royal Free Hospital, London in the Covid-19 pandemic. For more details go to www.koopman.art
52 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Antique & Collectors’: 17 June The Tony Parker Collection: 3 July Jewellery & Watches: 22 July Silver & Fine Art: 23 July Antiques. Clocks & Antique Furniture: 24 July
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ANTIQUE COLLECTING 55
ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Lots in June/July
TOP of the LOTS
Some of the lots coming up for sale in June and July, including a collection of 101 Cartier mystery clocks Four costume designs by the Russian avant-garde artist Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) for the opera-ballet Le Coq d’Or, staged by the Ballets Russes in 1914, are on sale at Kerry Taylor Auctions. Le Coq d’Or was the first of several ballets which Goncharova worked on for the Ballets Russes, displaying her brightly-coloured futurist sensibilities, familiarity with European expressionism and sense of humour. While the Bermondsey-based textiles auction house has not confirmed the auction date, the estimates on each design range from £1,000-£1,500 to £5,000-£8,000.
An early oil by the British artist Cedric Morris (1889-1982) has an estimate of £15,000-£20,000 at Sworders’ modern British and 20th-century art live online auction on June 10. Gypsy Queen Caravans in a Sussex Meadow, 1927, is dedicated to the vendor’s mother Phyllis Pitcairn Gage-Brown and was painted before Morris left London to set up the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, first in Dedham and then at Benton End House in Suffolk. Above Morris painted the rural scene while still living in London
Right Goncharova’s paintings sell for millions
A bowl by the Austrian-born British ceramicist Lucie Rie (1902-1995) is one of the pieces of pottery on offer at Maak’s online sale Form Over Function: The Abstract Vessel from June 22-25. Titled Small Yellow Bowl with Squeezed Rim, it has an estimate of £800£1,200 at the studio pottery sale by the ceramics specialist auction house established in 2008 by Marijke Varrall-Jones, former head of contemporary ceramics at Bonhams. Above Pieces by Rie continue to excite collectors
A letter from Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator EH Shepard (1879-1976) to his pal ‘Buffkins’ – the childhood nickname of Dr Harry Stopes-Roe (1924-2014) (son of the birth control pioneer Marie Stopes) – has an estimate of £3,000-£4,000 at Dominic Winters’ sale on June 24. Dated March 23, 1935 and with deliberate misspellings in the style of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, it apologises for Shepard’s absence from his friend’s birthday party. The letter is being sold by the children of Harry Stopes-Roe and his wife Mary, née Wallis (1927-2019) who was the daughter of bouncing bomb inventor Barnes Wallis (1887-1979). Above The RSVP from EH Shepard purports to be from Winnie-the-Pooh
56 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Left The lot comes
from the first sale of the Rothschild collection at Exbury House
A 16th-century Austrian carafe with a provenance to Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918), has an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 at the Salisbury auctioneer Woolley & Wallis’s online English and European ceramics and glass auction on June 17. The ewer is one of 85 lots, including pictures, works of art and furniture, offered in a series of sales in coming months from the Rothschild collection at Exbury House – a seat of the celebrated banking family since 1919.
A collection of 101 Cartier mystery clocks, spanning more than 80 years of clockmaking, are up for sale at Christie’s Geneva in July. Over the course of the 20th century the clocks were owned by the most glittering names of the day from Tsar Nicholas II to Holl wood stars. In 1898, Louis Cartier, grandson of the company’s founder Louis-François, moved to 13 rue de La Paix with his father, Alfred. By then Louis was already a talented jeweller and exploring clock-making traditions. The resulting pendules mystérieuses , or mystery clocks, started life in 1912 when Louis teamed up with his watchmaker Maurice Coüet (1885-1963) to develop a series of playfully puzzling designs. Coüet had studied the designs of the French magician JeanEugène Robert-Houdin (who inspired Ehrich Weiss to adopt the stage name Houdini). The resulting timepiece illusion comes from the fact the hands appear to float in space without any connection to the movement.
2
1
3
Magic mechanism
Each hand is fixed onto a rock crystal disc. These discs have a tooth-edged border and are driven by worm screws fixed at the ends of two lateral axles working at the levels of nine and three o’clock, which are concealed within the frame. The rotation of the axles is activated by the movement hidden in the base. It is therefore not the hands themselves that rotate, but the rock crystal discs that are attached to the hands that move at two different speeds, one for hours and one for the minutes. Coüet’s ‘Model A’ established Cartier’s reputation in the field. Produced from 1913, the first ‘Model A’ was sold to financier J.P Morgan, before WWI suspended production. Other clocks went on to have frames of lapis lazuli, jade, mother-of-pearl, coral, rock crystal, vermeil and obsidian. To dramatise the hands’ floating quality many were made of gold paved with diamonds. The shapes of the faces vary, and include circles, rectangles, ovals and octagons. Several look like lotus flowers with stem-like or urn bases. In 1979, one of the 1925 clocks, in the shape of a Japanese temple (not in the current sale) set a record at auction for an art deco or 20th-century object when it sold for $376,610 in Geneva. The sale on July 1 will be the first major live auction from Christie’s Geneva since the pandemic. For more details or to register to bid go to www.christies.com
4
5
6
1 Art deco clock onyx, enamel and ruby ‘mignonette’ clock, Cartier, c. 1928, estimated at £13,000-£17,000 2 Art deco clock, mother
of pearl, enamel, turquoise, moonstone and diamond desk clock, Cartier, 1926, maker’s mark (Maurice Coüet), no. 1438, has an estimate of £105,000-£155,000 3 Mid 20th-century clock, lapis lazuli panels, agate, rose and circular-cut diamonds, platinum and gold, 1946, has an estimate of £70,000-£105,000 4 Silver and gold prism travel clock, Cartier, 1980s, signed Cartier Paris, no. 215413, estimated at £9,000-£13,000 5 Art deco desk clock, nephrite jade, rock crystal, enamel and diamond, Cartier, 1928, estimated at £67,000-£100,000 6 Art deco desk clock, mother of pearl, rock crystal, coral and diamond, Cartier, 1925, signed Cartier, no. 1867 3355, estimated at £115,000-£155,000 7 Early 20th-century glass, silver and enamel urn clock, Cartier, 1904, has an estimate of £70,000-£105,000 8 Belle Epoque enamel and diamond clock, Cartier, 1908, maker’s mark (Eugène Bako), no. 2554, red Cartier fitted case, estimated at £30,000£46,000
7
8 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 57
ANTIQUES UNDER THE HAMMER Banknotes with errors MISTAKES HAPPEN
SALEROOM SPOTLIGHT From mismatched serial numbers to notes missing the ueen’s face, a single owner collection of banknotes with errors goes under the hammer in an online sale in June
W
ith some of the mistakes described as ‘spectacular’, a collection of 30 Bank of England notes assembled over several decades is up for sale in June. The error notes going under the hammer at Dix Noonan Webb made up the larger part of the collector’s collection and were evidently his passion. The notes, which date from the 1920s to the 1980s, include everything from smudges to the monarch’s face to notes not signed by the chief cashier. The examples all date from before the introduction of polymer, which uses a different and more foolproof process from printing on paper. Furthermore, quality control is now undertaken by scanners and computers, meaning that any mistake is found instantly. As such, not one genuine error has been observed on the new £5, £10 and £20 notes. Below Bank of England, Merlyn V.
Lowther, £5, 1999, mismatched serial numbers EB61 013899 and EB61 013799, uncirculated, estimated at £80-£120
58 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Above left Bank of England, Merlyn V. Lowther, two £20, 1999, both notes are severely miscut making them very rare, estimated at £400-£500 Above Bank of England,
Chris Salmon, two £10, September 12, 2012, both have the last four digits missing from upper left serial number, estimated at £100-£150
Until the recent introduction of polymer, printing technology remained fundamentally the same for well over one hundred years. Rolls of paper were fed over metal rollers with an image engraved into them. The recesses of the metal rollers were filled with ink, which leaves marks on the paper as it is pressed against it. The notes will travel past several of these rolls, each applying different colours, making up the final image. The capacity for things to go wrong during this process is clearly widespread. The ink could run out, or partly run out, the paper could get folded or torn, or inserted upside-down, the ink could be too wet, or too dry, parts of the machine could stop working while the paper carried on through. The list is practically endless even before the addition of serial numbers – an entirely separate mechanical process. Each of these malfunctions leads to a different error, and contributes to the amazing diversity seen in the collection.
GOT AWAY In most cases, the notes were simply missed by the Bank of England quality control and sent to distribution centres and banks. When spotted, the bank tellers kept them (paying face value for the note), or they were put into cash machines and kept by members of the public. Quality control has always been vital, with the vast majority of errors being found and destroyed before seeing the light of day. However, there are several periods in the history of the Bank of England when a greater number of errors were accidentally allowed into circulation. These included times of technological change, or when a lot of cash was needed very quickly.
WHAT’S IT WORTH? Minor errors in the serial number are unlikely to fetch as much as, say, a large extra flap of paper. A key point Below Bank of England,
Graham E. A. Kentfield, £20, September 27, 1993, with a significant cutting error resulting from a fold in the paper during printing, estimated at £200-£260
Far left Bank of England,
Andrew J. Bailey, £20, March 15, 2004, the top print is missing from obverse, graffiti on reverse and no Queen, estimated at £70-£90
Above Bank of England, George M. Gill, £20, June 5, 1991, print is missing and no Queen, estimated at £80-£120 Left Bank of England, David H. F. Somerset, £5, June 1980, missing signatures, (two notes), estimated at £150-£200
AUCTION fact file to remember is that, while a serial number or missing ink error might all look the same – regardless of how many were incorrectly printed – each cutting error is unique because it depends on how the paper was folded, bent or torn. As a result, they are much more sought after and generally described as ‘spectacular’.
WHAT: Banknotes with errors, part of the British, Irish and world banknotes online sale Auctioneers: Dix Noonan Webb, 6 Bolton St, Mayfair, London, W1J 8BQ 020 7016 1700 When: June 24 Preview: Online at www.dnw.co.uk Register to bid: At www.dnw.co.uk
WHY COLLECT?
Top left Bank of
Banknotes with errors are divisive: some collectors love them, while others can’t see the point in collecting them at all. As with any field of collecting, individuals follow their own precise interests. They are a popular field and many collectors will happily buy one or two as curios to go with the rest of their collection. Traditionally, interest has been limited to the UK but the last decade has seen an increasing number of buyers from all over the world, including a number of collectors from Asia who like the more modern, highergrade examples, which has stimulated the market considerably.
Right Bank of
England, John B. Page, £1, 1970, has a blank reverse, estimated at £150-£200
England, John B. Page, £10, 1975, several errors including an extra flap of paper, a miscut and a paper fold error roughly along the top edge, estimated at £240£300
Above left Bank of England, George M. Gill, £20, 1988, with significant extra paper including colour bars, resulting from a double fold in the paper during printing, estimated at £200£260 Left Bank of England, John B. Page, £1, 1970, with significant ink smudge vertically through the Queen’s face, estimated at £80-£120
‘The capacity for things to go wrong during the printing process is widespread. The ink could run out, or partly run out, the paper could get folded or torn, or inserted upsidedown, the ink could be too wet, or too dry, parts of the machine could stop working while the paper carried on through’
IN MY OPINION...
We asked Dix Noonan Webb’s head of the banknote department Andrew Pattison for his sale highlights What are collectors’ holy grails?
This very much depends on the focus of the collector but in general, the earlier the date, the higher the grade, and the more interesting the error, the higher the demand for the item.
Is condition generally important to collectors of this genre?
Condition is vital in banknote collecting, and errors are no exception. A heavily-circulated note will often sell for between half and a tenth of the price of a mint condition example. With error notes, some allowance must be made for the fact that most of those that we see come out of circulation, but anyone lucky enough to get a new one straight from a cash machine or bank teller would likely do very well if they were to sell it.
Should collectors be aware of fakes?
Absolutely. We see a lot of deliberate fakes on modern polymer issues where unscrupulous individuals have simply scraped off elements of the note. This type of error would be impossible on a polymer note due to modern printing methods. For older paper examples we see fake cutting errors where someone has chopped up a sheet of notes. These sheets are often sold as souvenirs at museums, or discarded as waste from factories. These are generally easy for us to spot but will fool the unwary.
Is there a standout note from the bank error collection on offer? This is quite subjective, but for me it has to be the pair of £20 notes, both of which were miscut from the same sheet, and which still fit together quite beautifully. There is something wonderful about being able to fit them back together and see exactly where the machinery went wrong, even decades on. Right Bank of England, Cyril P. Mahon, 10 Shillings, November 22, 1928, both notes have the same serial number, estimated at £150-£200
ANTIQUE COLLECTING 59
PM Antiques & Collectables are a modern and innovative antiques retailer based in Surrey. Specialising in a wide array of collector’s items, including contemporary art, entertainment and memorabilia, vintage toys, decorative ceramics, watches and automobilia.
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Antique Collecting Jun/Jul 1-4 page DNW
Entries invited for our forthcoming auction
Jewellery, Watches, Antiquities and Objects of Vertu to include
Designer Jewels from the 1960s/70s to be held in our Mayfair salerooms on
Tuesday 15th September Closing for entries 31st July Prices achieved at auction in the last few months have proved to be remarkably high, so do take advantage of the current strength of the market. We are happy to arrange client appointments on an individual basis, respecting all required social distancing measures.
Please feel free to contact us Frances Noble or Laura Smith 020 7016 1700 or email jewellery@dnw.co.uk
www.dnw.co.uk
A 1970s diamond and ruby brooch by David Morris to be included in the sale
Dix Noonan Webb 16 Bolton Street Mayfair London W1J 8BQ
60
ANTIQUE COLLECTING
AUCTION Calendar Because this list is compiled in advance, alterations or cancellations to the auctions listed can occur and it is not possible to notify readers of the changes. We strongly advise anyone wishing to attend an auction especially if they have to travel any distance, to telephone the organiser to confirm the details given.
LONDON: Inc. Greater London Bonhams, New Bond St., W1 020 7447 7447 www.bonhams.com Islamic and Indian Art, Jun 11 Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, Jun 11 Fine Watches and Wristwatches, Jun 17 Modern and Contemporary Art, Jun 24 Fine European Ceramics, Jul 1 Modern British and Irish Art, Jul 1 Fine and Rare Wines, Jul 2 Antiquities, Jul 7 Old Master Paintings Part I and Part II, Jul 8 London Jewels, Jul 14 Fine Clocks, Jul 15 Bonhams, Knightsbridge, SW7 020 7393 3900 www.bonhams.com Knightsbridge Jewels, Jun 10 Fine Books, Manuscripts, Atlases and Historical Photographs, Jun 10 Prints and Multiples, Jun 18 Knightsbridge Jewels, Jul 15 Watches and Wristwatches, Jul 21 Asian Art, Jul 28-29 Chiswick Auctions, 1 Colville Rd, Chiswick, W3 8BL 020 8992 4442 www.chiswickauctions.co.uk Interiors, Homes an Antiques, Jun 26 Jewellery, Jun 30 Books and Works on Paper Jul 28 Autographs and Memorabilia, Jul 29 Modern and Post-War British Art, Jul 30 Autographs and Memorabilia, Jul 31 Christie’s, King St., SW1 020 7839 9060 www.christies.com Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds Including Oriental Rugs and Carpets, Jun 9 Handbags and Accessories, Jun 16 Important Jewels, Jun 17 Modern British Art Evening Sale, Jul 1 Modern British Art Day Sale, Jul 2 Old Master and British Drawings, Jul 7
The Exceptional Sale, Jul 7 Old Masters Evening Sale, Jul 7 Antiquities, Jul 8 Old Master Paintings and Sculpture Sale, Jul 8 Old Master Prints, Jul 9 Valuable Books and Manuscripts, Jul 15 British Art: Victorian, PreRaphaelite and British Impressionist Art, Jul 16 European Art: 19th Century and Orientalist Art, Jul 16 Russian Art, Jul 22 An Aristocratic Private Collection, Jul 23 A Distinguished Private Collection, Jul 24 Dix Noonan Webb, 16 Bolton St, Piccadilly, London, W1J 8BQ 020 7016 1700 www.dnw.co.uk Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu, Jun 9 Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, Jun 18, Jul 16 British, Irish and World Banknotes, Jun 24 Coins and Historical Medals, Jul 8 Forum Auctions 220 Queenstown Road, London SW8 4LP 020 7871 2640 www.forumauctions.co.uk Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works of Paper, Jun 9 Books and Works on Paper (Online), Jun 18 Editions and Works on Paper, Jun 25 Select Modern & Contemporary Editions and Works on Paper (Online), Jun 30, Jul 29 Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Papers, Jul 16 Hansons, The Langdon Down Centre, Normansfield, 2A Langdon Park, Teddington,TW11 9PS 0208 9797954 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk Antiques, Collectors and Specialist, Jun 27
Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX, 020 7318 4010 www.phillips.com Design, Jun 11 New Now, Jul 1 Roseberys, 70/76 Knights Hill, London, SE27 OJD 020 8761 2522 www.roseberys.co.uk Islamic Arts, Jun 16 Jewellery & Watches, Jun 23 Traditional and Modern Home, Jun 27 Prints and Multiples, Jul 7 Impressionist & Modern Art, Jul 15 Chinese, Japanese & Southeast Asian Art, Jul 28 Sotheby’s, New Bond St., W1 020 7293 5000 www.sothebys.com Arts of the Islamic World and India including Fine Rugs and Carpets, Jun 10 Important Chinese Art, Jun 10 Impressionist and Modern Art Evening, Jun 23 Impressionist and Modern Art Day, Jun 24 Contemporary Art Day Auction, Jun 26 Modern and Post-War British Art, Jun 30 to Jul 1 Finest and Rarest Wine, Jul 15 The Library of a Greek Bibliophile, Jul 28 Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural History, Jul 28 SOUTH EAST AND EAST ANGLIA: Inc. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex Bishop and Miller, 19 Charles Industrial Estate, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5AH 01449 673088 www.bishopandmiller auctions.co.uk 20th Century Collectable Ceramics, Jun 9 Mr Bishop Pictures, Jun 12 Mr Bishop Collectables, Jun 16 Mr Bishop Jewellery and Silver, Jun 23
Mr Bishop Interiors, Jul 7 Mr Bishop Books, Jul 21 Coins, Stamps, Postcards and Military, Jul 29 Music and Silver, Jul 30 Fine Art and Gentleman’s Library, Jul 31 Canterbury Auction Galleries, 40 Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8AN 01227 763337 www. thecanterburyauctiongalleries.com Cheffins, Clifton House, 1&2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7EA 01223 213 213343 www.cheffins.co.uk The Interiors Sale, Jun 11 Design from a Distance, Jun 12 Jewellery Silver and Watches, Jun 25 Clarke and Simpson Campsea Ashe, Nr. Wickham Market, Suffolk, IP13 0PS 01728 746323 www.clarkeandsimpson.co.uk The Monday Sale, Jun 8, 15, 22, 29, Jul 6, 13, 20, 27 Art Deco, Design and Retro, Jun 13 Antiques and Fine Art, Jul 22 Ewbank’s, London Rd, Send, Woking, Surrey 01483 223 101 www. ewbankauctions.co.uk Gold, Coins (Online), Jun 16 Antiques & Collectors, Jun 17 Magical Mystery Tour, The Tony Parker Collection, Jul 3 Jewellery & Watches, Jul 22 Silver & Fine Art, Jul 23 Antiques, Clocks & Antique Furniture, Jul 24 Coins (Timed Online), Jul 31 Keys, Aylsham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR11 6AJ www.keysauctions.co.uk Two-day Book Sale, Jun 18-19 Fine Sale, Jul 24-26 Lacy Scott & Knight, 10 Risbygate St, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3AA 01284 748 623 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.
www.lskauctioncentre.co.uk Affordable Jewellery & Watches, Jun 9 Coins, Tokens & Banknotes, Jun 17 Home & Interiors, Jun 20, Jul 11 Toys and Models, Jun 27 Medals & Militaria With Country Pursuits, Jul 17
Claydon Auctioneers, The Claydon Saleroom, Calvert Road, Middle Claydon, Buckingham MK18 2EZ. 01296 714434 www.claydonauctioneers.com Two-Day Antiques and Collectables, Jun 29-30 Paintings and Prints, Jul 1
Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex 01279 817778 www.sworder.co.uk Modern British and 20th Century Art, Jun 10 Mode n t sh th Century t t , un d ent and ode n es n, Ju Homes and Interiors (timed online), Jun -15, Fine e elle atches and a s Jul ne nte o s t sh and ont nental nt e o so t and a nt n s
David Lay Auctions Penzance Auction House Alverton, Penzance, Cornwall 01736 361414 www.davidlay.co.uk Cornish Art, Jun 11 A Library of Impotant Books, Jun 30 Fine Art, Jul 16-17
T.W. Gaze, Diss, Norfolk 01379 650306. www.twgaze.com Fine Timepieces & Horology ollectors (timed online), Jun 17 Furniture (timed online), Jun 24 Architectural (timed online), Jul 1 Musical Instruments and Photographica, Jul 8 SOUTH WEST: Inc. Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire Charterhouse Auctioneers The Long Street Salesroom Sherborne, Dorset 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.co.uk Clocks, Coins, Stamps, Militaria and Collectors’ Items, Jun 25-26 Picture, Books and Automobilia, Jul 23-24 Chorley’s, Prinknash Abbey Park, Gloucestershire, GL4 8EU 01452 344499 www.chorleys.com Modern Art and Design, Fine Art and Antiques, Jun 23
62 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Dawson’s Auctioneers 9 Kings Grove, Maidenhead, SL6 4DP www.dawsonsauctions.co.uk None listed at the time of going to press Dominic Winter Auctioneers, Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 5UQ 01285 860006 www.dominicwinter.co.uk Printed Books, Maps & Documents, Modern Literature & First Editions, Children’s Books, Private Press, Jun 24 Travel, Atlases & Maps, Autographs & Documents, Jul 29 Antiques, Medals, Orders & Decorations, Te t les to ncl de the ac e ollect on o nt es, Jul 30 Duke’s, Brewery Square, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1GA 01305 265080 www.dukes-auctions.com Avenue Sales, Jun 23, Jul 14 Summer Fine Art, Jun 25 East Bristol Auctions, Unit 1, Hanham Business Park, Memorial Road, Hanham, BS15 3JE 0117 967 1000 www.eastbristol.co.uk Entertainment, Jun 19 20th-Century Design and Retro, Jun 26 Antiques and Collectables, Jul 2-3 Toy Collectors, Jul 25
Gardiner Houlgate, 9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9SW 01225 812912 www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk Specialist Watches, Jun 24 The Guitar Sale, Jun 25 Entertainment Memorabilia, Guitar Amps and Effects, Jun 25 Musical Instruments, Jun 26 Jewellery, Jul 15 Decorative Arts & 20th Century Design; Modern Art, Jul 16 Antiques, Silver and Works of Art, Jul 16 Paintings and Prints, Jul 16 Vintage and General, Jul 17 Lawrences Auctioneers Ltd. Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 8AB, 01460 703041 www.lawrences.co.uk None listed at the time of going to press Mallams Oxford, Bocardo House, St Michael’s St, Oxford. 01865 241358 www.mallams.co.uk Pictures through the Ages: 17th Century to Modern, Jun 25 Jewellery and Watches, Jul 1 Silver and Objets de Vertu, Jul 2 The Oxford Library Sale and Oriental Rugs and Tribal Art, Jul 22 Mallams Cheltenham, 26 Grosvenor St, Cheltenham. Gloucestershire, 01242 235 712 www.mallams.co.uk Country House Sale, Jul 16 Mallams Abingdon, Dunmore Court, Wootten Road, Abingdon, OX13 6BH 01235 462840 www.mallams.co.uk The Spring Interiors Sale, Jun 29 Philip Serrell, Barnards Green Rd, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 3LW, 01684 892314 www.serrell.com General, Jun 18, Jul 16, Jul 30 Fine and Antiques, Jul 2 Stroud Auctions, Bath Rd Trading Estate, Bath Rd, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 3QF 01453 873 800 www.stroudauctions.co.uk Jewellery, Silver, Watches, Clocks
and Coins, Jun 10-12 Paintings, Pictures, Ephemera, Books, Stamps, Vinyl records an Musical Instruments, Jul 8-9 Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SU 01722 424500 www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk English and European Ceramics and Glass, Jun 25 Fine Chinese Paintings and Works of Art, Jul 1 Japanese Works of Art, Jul 1 Asian Art II, Jul 2 Fine Jewellery, Jul 15 EAST MIDLANDS: Inc. Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield Bamfords, The Derby Auction House, Chequers Road, Off Pentagon Island, Derby, DE21 6EN 01332 210000 www.bamfords-auctions.co.uk Antiques, Interiors, Ceramics and Jewellery, Jun 10, 17, 24 Batemans, Ryhall Rd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XF 01780 766 466 www.batemans.com Fine Art, Antiques and Specialist Collectors, Jun 6, Jul 4 Gildings Auctioneers, The Mill, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7DE 01858 410414 www.gildings.co.uk Antiques and Collectors, Jun 16 WEST MIDLANDS: Inc. Birmingham, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Bigwood Auctioneers, Stratford-Upon-Avon Warwickshire, CV37 7AW 01789 269415 www.bigwoodauctioneers.com n sh n s nte o s nt
e
ollecta les,
Brightwells, Leominster, Herefordshire. 01568 611122 www.brightwells.com Antiques and Collectables including Wine and Spirits, Jun 26 Furnishings, Interiors and Collectables, Jul 10, 17 Cuttlestones Ltd, Penkridge Auction Rooms, Pinfold Lane, Penkridge Staffordshire, ST19 5AP, 01785 714905 www.cuttlestones.co.uk Antique and Interiors, Jun 10, 24, Jul 8, 22 Cuttlestones Ltd, Wolverhampton Auction Rooms, No 1 Clarence Street Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 4JL, 01902 421985 www.cuttlestones.co.uk Antiques and Interiors, Jul 15 Fellows, Augusta House, 19 Augusta Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6JA 0121 212 2131 www.fellows.co.uk Jewellery (timed) Jun 11, Jul 16, Jul 23 Pawnbrokers Jewellery and Watches, Jun 18, Jul 2, Jul 16 Watches (timed), Jun 22 Fine Jewellery, Jul 9, 23 The Gemstone Sale (timed) Jul 17 The Luxury Watch Sale, Jul 20 Online Watches and Watch Accessories (timed) Jul 21 Fieldings, Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1JN 01384 444140 www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk None listed at time of going to press Halls, Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DR 01743 450700 www.hallsgb.com The Summer Auction, Jun 17 Antiques and Interiors, Jul 1 Hansons, Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Stafford, ST18 0XN 0208 9797954 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jun 21 Potteries Auctions, Unit 4A, Aspect Court, Silverdale Enterprise Park, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 6SS
01782 638100 www.potteriesauctions.com 20th Century British Pottery, and Collectors’ Items, Jun 13, Jul 11 Richard Winterton Auctioneers, The Litchfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8NF 01543 251081 www.richardwinterton.co.uk None listed at the time of going to press Trevanion & Dean The Joyce Building, Station Rd, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1RD, 01928 800 202 www.trevanionanddean.com Fine Art and Antiques, Jun 20, Jul 25 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 Asian & Tribal Art with Musical Instruments, Clocks & Barometers, Jul 10 Furniture and Interiors, Jul 24 Adam Partridge The Liverpool Saleroom, 18 Jordan Street, Liverpool, L1 OBP 01625 431 788 www.adampartridge.co.uk None listed at the time of going to press Anderson and Garland Crispin Court, Newbiggin Lane, Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 1BF 0191 430 3000 www.andersonandgarland.com Town and County, Jun 17, Jul 1, Jul 15, Jul 29 Comics and Toys, Jun 18 The Music Auction, Jul 2 Stamps and Coins, Jul 16 Wine and Whisky, Jul 30 Capes Dunn Charles St., Manchester 0161 273 1911 www.capesdunn.com None listed at the time of going to press
Elstob & Elstob, Bedale Hall, North End, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 1AA 01677 333003 www.elstobandelstob.co.uk Fine Art and Antiques, Jun 27 Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire DE65 6LS 01283 733988 www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk Antiques and Collectors, Jun 18-24, Jul 16-20 Silver, Fine Jewellery, Watches and “Made in Derbyshire”, Jul 2 Medals, Militaria and Firearms, Jul 24 Morphets, 6 Albert St, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 1JL 01423 530030 www.morphets.co.uk None listed at the time of going to press Peter Wilson Fine Art Victoria Gallery Market St, Nantwich, Cheshire. 01270 623 878 www.peterwilson.co.uk Fine and Classic Interiors, Jun 11 Fine Jewellery and Watches, Jun 18 Musical Instruments, Jun 25 Sheffield Auction Gallery, Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB. 0114 281 6161 www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com Specialist Collectable Toys, Jun 15 Tennants Auctioneers, Leyburn, North Yorkshire 01969 623780 www.tennants.co.uk Toys, Jun 10 Coins, Jun 17 Natural History, Jun 19 Antiques and Interiors, Jun 26, Jul 24 Jewellery, Watches and Silver, J un 12, Jun 27, Jul 18 Costume, Jul 4 Militaria, Jul 8 Scientific, Jul 10 Vectis Auctions Ltd, Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton on Tees, TS17 9JZ www.vectis.co.uk 01642 750616 TV and Film, Jun 23 Specialist Diecast and Toys,
Jun 24, Jul 17, Jul 30 General Toy, Jun 25, Jul 16 Model Train and Meccano, Jun 26 Matchbox (part one), Jun 29 Matchbox (part two), Jun 30 Doll and Teddy Bears, Jul 14 Model Trains, Jul 24 Military, Civilian Figures, Equipment and Accessories, Jul 31 SCOTLAND Bonhams, Queen St, Edinburgh. 0131 225 2266 www.bonhams.com Edinburgh Jewels, Jun 17 Homes and Interiors, Jul 1 Lyon & Turnbull, Broughton Pl., Edinburgh. 0131 557 8844 www.lyonandturnbull.com Paintings and Works on Paper, Jun 16 Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps and Photographs, Jun 17 Jewellery, Watches and Silver, Jul 14 Scottish Paintings and Sculpture, Jul 15 McTear’s 31 Meiklewood Road Glasgow G51 4GB 0141 810 2880 www.mctears.co.uk Antiques & Interiors, Jun 12, 26, Jul 10, Jul 24 Coins & Banknotes, Jun 25 Jewellery, Jun 28 Watches, Jun 28 Rare Whisky, Jul 3 Scottish Contemporary Art, Jul 5 Silver, Jul 16 Jewellery, Jul 17 Works of Art, Medals, Militaria and Furniture, Jul 17 WALES Anthemion Auctions, 15 Norwich Road, Cardiff, Wales, CF23 9AB 029 2047 2444 www.anthemionauction.com General, Jul 1 Peter Francis Towyside Salerooms, Old Station Rd, Carmarthen, SA31 1JN 01267 233456 www.peterfrancis.co.uk Antiques and Collectables, Jun 10, 24 ANTIQUE COLLECTING 63
FINE JEWELLERY 15TH JULY 2020
ENQUIRIES Charlotte Glyde +44 (0)1722 424586 cg@woolleyandwallis.co.uk
www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk
*Visit woolleyandwallis.co.uk/buying for additional charges on final hammer price
A very fine Art Nouveau enamel butterfly bracelet by Carreras, c.1905. Estimate £50,00070,000*
ANTIQUES CENTRES
DGE
THE THE
EDENBRIDGE EDENBRIDGE
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Cheltenham Antiques Why not not pay pay aa visit visit to Why to the the finest finestquality quality
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antiquecentre centre in in the the South East England… Complement home antique South Eastofofyour England… with a fine crystal glass or you won’t won’t be you be disappointed! disappointed! brass chandelier. Over 300 old chandeliers for sale, many unique. All fully restored and rewired.
Cheltenham Antique Market, 1 The Square, Church Street, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 5BD 1 The Square, Church Street, Edenbridge, Kent, 54 Suffolk Road GL50 2AQ TN8 5BD T: 01732 864163 Tel: 01242 529812 T: 01732 864163 E: info@edenbridgegalleries.com www.antiquecrystalchandeliers.co.uk E: info@edenbridgegalleries.com www.edenbridgegalleries.com www.edenbridgegalleries.com
“The biggest collection of fine and antique jewellery in London” £500 - Cheltenham £50,000 Cheltenham
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Gloucester Antiques Centre 1/4_Layout 1 13/11/2019 12:30 Page 1
THE NEW GLOUCESTER ANTIQUES CENTRE We have found a new home In the heart of the city of Gloucester in a beautiful 16th century building historic Westgate Summer inFine Art & Street
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ARRAY OF AND COLLECTABLES Saturday 18ANTIQUES July We have silver, jewellery, oriental collectibles, Comprising over 800 lots of ceramics, art, glass, toys, postcards, railwayana, furniture, paintings, ceramics, coins and much more. glass, works ofstamps, art, clocks, carpets and more. We are pleased Enjoy browsing on two floors of the to be offering selected contents from the attics original of Stockeld Park, Guild hall, Mercers near(expanding Wetherby. Also, sooninteresting into two floors of the adjacent miscellanea from New Zealand Maverdine Chambers) House, Aberford, near We areLeeds, open 7 days a week home of the Victorian Antiquarian Monday-Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 11-5. Mr William Young Kirk Young. Entries forthcoming sales. ANTIQUES THE invited NEWfor GLOUCESTER
CENTRE LTD, 26 WESTGATE STREET, GLOUCESTER, GL1 2NG
The Auction Centre, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5SG 01969 623780; enquiry@tennants-ltd.co.uk Live bidding at www.tennants.co.uk
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THE THENEW NEWGLOUCESTER GLOUCESTER ANTIQUES CENTRE ANTIQUES CENTRE We have found a new home We have found a new home In the heart of the city of Gloucester In the heart of the city of Gloucester in a beautiful 16th century building in a beautiful 16th century building in historic Westgate Street in historic Westgate Street
COME VISIT AND SEE OUR WONDERFUL COME AND SEE WONDERFUL ARRAY OFVISIT ANTIQUES ANDOUR COLLECTABLES ARRAY OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES We have silver, jewellery, oriental collectibles, We have oriental collectibles, ceramics, art,silver, glass,jewellery, toys, postcards, railwayana, ceramics, art, glass, toys, postcards, stamps, coins and much more. railwayana, stamps, coins and much more. 58 Davies Mayfair, Enjoy browsing Street, on two floors of the Enjoy browsing on two floors of the original Mercers Guild hall, (Opposite Bond Street Tube) original Guild (expanding soon into Mercers two floors of thehall, adjacent (expanding soon intoChambers) two floors London W1K 5LPof the adjacent Maverdine Maverdine Chambers) We are open 7 days a week We- are open days a week Monday-Saturday 10-5, 7and Sunday Monday Friday 10am -11-5. 6pm Monday-Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 11-5.
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THE NEW GLOUCESTER ANTIQUES CENTRE LTD, THE NEW GLOUCESTER ANTIQUES GL1 26 WESTGATE STREET, GLOUCESTER, 2NG LTD, 020 7629 7034 CENTRE 26 WESTGATE STREET, GLOUCESTER, GL1 2NG
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62 62
LAST WORD Marc Allum BY THE BOOK
Marc My Words
A
Lockdown should bring out the best of us rather than the worst says Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum, revealing some recent sharp practices
pologies in advance but I’m going to have a rant. Lockdown has been a big trial for many people. Trying to maintain businesses with a semblance of normality has been very difficult. Not least for auction houses, galleries and dealers who, having seen much of their business disappear and being worried about long-term finances, have had to furlough staff. However, many of us have adapted and we’ve been able to do this because of the internet. If you are an established business then it’s probably not been much of a shift because you will have established a workable online presence. But can you imagine what things would have been like without it?
ROUGH AND TUMBLE As I’ve said in previous articles, I love the thrill of the chase, the physical rough and tumble of the auction, spotting the sleepers and bagging the odd trophy but, of course, all of that has changed. As a result, I’ve been following the auction houses that have increasingly moved their sales online, with no physical viewing. It’s been quite hard to adapt. Firstly, and I’m sorry to have to say it, I’ve seen some seriously strange practices taking place. As an auctioneer of old I have a good idea when something is not quite right
66 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
and my major bug-bear is a lack of transparency while bidding. While it’s not actually ‘wrong’, unless an auctioneer has a succession of commission bids, I can’t understand why some open the bidding at the top estimate, only to laboriously work their way down to actually open with a real bid at a third of that price. It’s just a waste of time. I also have no problem with bidding against a reserve, as long as it is honestly placed or below the bottom estimate. What I would like to see, though, are auctioneers at least inferring I am bidding against the book, rather than pretend that the empty lockdown saleroom has a bank of telephone bidding staff all lined up against the back wall.
It was great fun the other day to run an auctioneer against himself (after he had pretended to receive a counterbid to push the price higher) and then leave him with the lot, only to find out that said lot was on my bill the next day at my last bid. I have the screen shot of the ‘sold’ lot and it’s not my bid. The aftermath of the tongue-tripping telephone conversation with a series of lame ‘computer problem’ excuses was very interesting. But please, don’t get me wrong. I know that the auction world is full of human frailty and potential pitfalls and this entire situation has stretched people’s abilities. But instead of taking advantage in times of crisis, make sure you get your act together to deal with people honestly and transparently. While the great majority of people act with integrity, the fact is, I shall never buy at that particular auction house again. So that’s my rant over. As we move out of lockdown, let’s dust down our slightly neglected premises and support each other in the best way we can. Marc Allum is a specialist on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, dealer and author. For more details go to www.marcallum.co.uk Above left Online bidding might not be as transparent as we’d like Below The lockdown may have sparked some
sharp practices
‘As an auctioneer of old I have a good idea when something is not quite right and my major bug-bear is a lack of transparency while bidding. While it’s not actually ‘wrong’, unless an auctioneer has a succession of commission bids, I can’t understand why some open the bidding at the top estimate, only to laboriously work their way down to actually open with a real bid at a third of that price’
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01/06/2020 12:51:37 PM
1965 Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi Estimate: £15,000 William George & Co
George IV silver candlesticks Estimate: £350–520 Adam’s
Coffee table, Herman Miller Estimate: £760–1,150 Wright
Marble bust Late 19th/early 20th century Estimate: £11,500–15,500 Christie’s
Sear c 2000 h over a uct hous es fr ion om over the w all orld Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger Estimate: £30,000–50,000 Sotheby’s
Pumpkin, Yayoi Kusama (b.1929) Hammer price: £550 Forum Auctions
Hermès bag Kelly Starting price: £7,500 Stockholms Auktionsverk
Your search for art, design, antiques and collectables starts here
May Day V, Andreas Gursky Estimate: £450,000–650,000 Phillips
Mahogany dresser Estimate: £500–660 Uppsala Auktionskammare
Swivel chair by Hans J. Wegner Estimate: £2,460–3,300 Bruun Rasmussen
Style of Serge Mouille, ca. 1950s Estimate: £300–460 Rago Arts
Edwardian Art Noveau frame Estimate: £200–300 Tennants
Emerald cut diamond ring Fixed price: £27,400 Once Upon A Diamond
Without title, Alexander Calder Estimate: £430–600 Artcurial
Edwardian arm chair, ca. 1910 Fixed price: £3,850 Wick Antiques
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