Fine Art News Autumn 2017
Inside News and views from the Fine Art department
Picture the scene... Passion for Portraits Diamonds aren’t always forever Why sell with Halls 2017 Auction highlights The Magic of Colour Question Time with Caroline Dennard
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Turning new leaves As we head into the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’, Halls Fine Art can look back on a very busy year with exciting results and dispersals of major collections, in particular the Maurice Wright collection of Caughley. The catalogue for that sale has now become something of a collector’s item in its own right! Asian Art has performed significantly well this year with a cinnabar lacquer brush pot realising £155,000 and in July a Chinese blue and white bottle vase with extensive damage but also a Yongzheng reign mark to the base outperforming expectations with an estimate busting £150,000. This autumn we have a great deal to look forward to with the dispersal of the late Richard Allen’s miniatures collection, three more collections of Caughley, several coin collections, a scientific instruments collection and some very interesting and valuable Chinese ceramics in our Asian Art auction in November.
FREE VALUATIONS Visit us on a Monday (excluding Bank Holidays) between 10am 1pm for free auction estimates and advice. If you have a large collection, we could arrange a home visit from one of our specialists or email us images to fineart@hallsgb.com
DATES FOR DIARY 2017 - 2018
Our valuers have never been busier with valuation days held everywhere from Tenby in South Wales to Southport in Lancashire and new events in London, Cheshire, Gwynedd, Powys, Pembrokeshire, Manchester, Anglesey and the North West. If you have not already been to the saleroom, come and visit, enjoy all the fun of the auction room and the delicious menu at the café. Watch our calendar of events closely on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and if you do not have time to visit, you may find us on your doorstep very soon on a valuation day!
22nd November Country House Auction 31st January
Toys, Books and Militaria
28th February
Spring Fine Art
21st March
Pictures, Silver and Jewellery
25th April
Asian Art
23rd May
Summer Fine Art
Jeremy Lamond - Fine Art Director
20th June
Pictures, Silver and Jewellery
E: jeremy@hallsgb.com
*Plus our monthly Collective auctions
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01743 450700
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Autumn 2017
Passion for Portraits Where once traditional oil portraits from the 18th ,19th and 20th centuries were the preserve of a privileged few, as they were passed down through families, in today’s market they are appealing to a wider audience with no immediate familial connection.
Picture the scene..... Halls Battlefield on a busy Monday valuation day. As the coins and medals specialist I eagerly await the arrival of the various boxes full of antiques and usually don’t have to wait long before the first consignment arrives. Peoples' reasons for bringing in their items of course vary. Some are downsizing, while others are clearing out a relative’s house but one opinion most hold is that ‘no one wants to collect anymore’. Contrary to popular opinion coins and medal collecting is very much alive and indeed kicking. Due to the nature of my specialism, I often have to spend hours meticulously going though collections, for instance; checking dates on each coin and studying the naming on the edge of a medal, it’s a great thrill as you never know what you’re going to find! Take, for example, a carrier bag full of British copper 17th and 18th tokens which a client found in the garage of a recently deceased relative. Copper tokens were issued in the 1660’s and in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by tradesmen and shopkeepers to spend with them due to the great shortages of copper coinage throughout these periods. It took a full day to go through these tokens, all individually wrapped in tissue but my patience was rewarded
when I found a 17th century example issued by a famous clockmaker; Joseph Knibb, which was made in Oxford circa 1670. We went onto to offer this token into one of our specialist auctions with a presale estimate of £800-1200, it then sold for £1000. The ‘carrier bag’ collection went onto realise a total of over £3000, much to the delight of the vendor! In addition to our weekly in house valuation days we also host numerous valuation events throughout England and Wales. During our latest visit to the beach town of Tenby we consigned an amazing collection of War medals ranging from a Battle of Waterloo 1815 medal to a Korean War medal of 1953, all of which will be offered into our October fine auction. In the 1970’s a Waterloo medal could be purchased for £30-40 but now they realise between £2000-3000, perhaps reflecting the strength of today’s market. This follows from the success of our first visit to Tenby where we discovered a medal group which went onto to sell for £10000. So, whether you bring your box of coins to our offices, or journey to one of our valuation events with your bag of medals I look forward to delving in and discovering the history and value that lies within.
The reasons for this increase in interest can be attributed to changing modes of interior design and a growing fascination with our collective past. Interior trends have moved towards a darker palette reminiscent of the eras in which many of the works were painted and as a result once again the paintings look more at home than in the ‘Swedish’ style interiors of recent times. Secondly and more importantly there has been a general upswing in interest in antique paintings with an interesting provenance or historical gravitas. This increased interest in the story behind a portrait was demonstrated in our Fine picture sale in March where a painting by an unknown artist of an Auxiliary Firewoman made £1,700. The painting was workmanlike but the story behind the portrait the ultimate war time tale of ‘derring-do’. The sitter Gillian Kluane Tanner was one of the first female recipients of the George medal during the blitz. Such a story quite rightly adds value to the painting which far outstrips any broader decorative appeal to buyers. We have another fascinating collection of portraits coming up in our autumn fine art sale where again I have had the pleasure of researching both the sitters and artists thereby hopefully increasing their appeal to a broad market. So if you feel you have an interesting portrait which you might wish to sell, or are looking to invest in this fascinating area of art, please do not hesitate to contact me and I would be delighted to advise accordingly!
Derek Ainsworth - Medals and Coins
James Forster - Pictures
E: fineart@hallsgb.com
E: jamesf@hallsgb.com
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Diamonds aren’t always forever...
As a qualified gemmologist and head of the Jewellery and Silver department, I often wonder whether owners are getting full value and enjoyment from family silver and jewellery; some of which is locked away, never to see day light. There are many examples where fabulous jewellery remains locked away because it is deemed too expensive to wear, has sentimental value or isn’t considered to be fashionable. Hefty insurance premiums are eating into the investment value of rarely worn jewellery placing owners in a predicament. Owners
often think they are sitting on an investment with jewellery that is kept locked away, but insurance premiums have a nasty habit of eating away at the potential gains. We increasingly find jewellery and silver is sold and the money is used to buy something more wearable or which will bring more personal enjoyment. Lately there is a definite swing towards jewellery set with quality, naturally coloured stones and I expect this trend to continue. Sapphires, emeralds and rubies are increasing in value because buyers are looking for something a bit different.
Hefty insurance premiums are eating into the investment value
seeing a growing interest in 1970s jewellery, especially form designer, such as, Andrew Grima who often worked with semi-precious stones and produced pieces with a bark or abstract finish.
Collectors are becoming more aware that good quality stones of natural colour, which have not been heattreated, are few and far between and they can command the same price per carat as diamonds.”
For example, cocktail type rings from the 1920s and ‘30s with bold coloured stones are back in vogue. And I am also Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley - Jewellery and Silver FGA DGA E: maryanne@hallsgb.com
Selling with Halls means: •
A dedicated professional Fine Art team
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Auctions online reaching a global audience
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Specialist market knowledge ensuring solid results
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Competitive and transparent fees
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Purpose built salerooms
A Chinese export ‘Hongs of Canton’ punchbowl Sold £27,000
A Chinese blue and white bottle vase, tianqiuping, Yongzheng seal mark Sold £150,000
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2017 AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
An Arts and Crafts box and cover, Liberty and Co and attributed to Archibald Knox Sold £10,500
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Autumn 2017
The Magic of Colour
of pieces were, however, retained by his eldest son, Pong TakSan who, in turn, gave some to his sister, our vendor’s late wife. An identical bowl to the present lot, but with an earlier Colour is deeply significant to Chinese culture and perhaps Jiaqing reign mark, can be found in the National Palace none more so than yellow. The reason for this is that Museum, Beijing. Estimated at £20,000-30,000 it will be one before the amalgamation of all the various provinces of the star lots in our 22 November Country House auction. within China, power was held in the state occupying an area around a bend in the Yellow River in the centre of the country, to which all other states submitted. It is from this that the term ‘Middle Kingdom’ is derived, and thus the colour yellow represents China itself. The similarity between the term for emperor ‘Huangti’ and that of yellow ‘Huangse’ as spoken, formed an association between the two so that the colour came to represent the emperor. In Chinese porcelain and other works, the colour yellow was, therefore, reserved for imperial objects. This beautiful lotus-moulded bowl is suffused with a rich lemon yellow ground and bears a seal mark for the emperor Daoguang (1821-1850). It originates from the collection of Pong Wing-Shiu, a prominent educator in Hong Kong and connoisseur of Chinese porcelain. In 1974 Alexander Clement - Asian Art he sold most of his collection to raise funds for the Tung E: alexander@hallsgb.com Wah institute to provide care for the elderly. A selection
QUESTION TIME - As postcard specialist Caroline Dennard is busy putting lots Popular postcard beauty, American actress and singer, Edna May Pettie (1878 –1948)
Tell us about this fantastic postcard collection? This is a broad archive of postcards, all consigned from private hands which have been cherished by the family of the original collectors. The many albums represent what was, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the mainstay method of communication between friends and family. The cards range from humorous cartoons, to topographical, and even real photographic, including famous accidents. Even the albums are works of art in themselves, demonstrating Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. What are the highlights of the collection? The cards which appeal most
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to collectors are ones depicting a snapshot of the past. From early motoring history, to changing urban landscapes and even shots of people going about their daily lives, all hold interest. Included are a large number of early 20th century theatre related cards, documenting a bygone era of glamour, many show the celebrities of the day dressed in their luxurious costumes or in their roles as actors and actresses. Many of these are signed, adding further to the excitement surrounding the collection. Do you, as a specialist, have a personal favourite? The early portrait postcard of Winston Churchill, as a young man, for Churchill collectors simply the date of the photograph holds enough interest alone, possibly being the earliest known portrait of Churchill to feature on a postcard. Even more interestingly, however, this card is signed by the man himself. Fervour and intrigue around Churchill remains at an all-time high, and such a
rare combination of factors means that we are guiding this postcard at a conservative £400-£600. To whom do you think the collection wil appeal? The beauty of postcards as an ‘affordable work of art’ means that it is possible to collect a great many number of topics in this format. What is the collection worth as a whole? The collection is worth over £2,000. Generally each album is sold individually. Some benefit from an overall theme by the original collector.
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together for the auction on 22nd November, we ask her about the interesting collection
This publication is intended as a general guide, and although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, liability cannot be accepted for any errors of fact or opinion.
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A signed postcard of Winston Churchill
Caroline Dennard - Ceramics E: carolined@hallsgb.com
01743 450700