2020 End of Year Review

End of year review

AUCTION CALENDAR

2021 JAN FEB MAR

13th - Antiques & Interiors

APR

14th - Antiques & Interiors 23rd-9th May- Timed Auction Modern and Contemporary Art

3rd - Antiques, Interiors & Books 3rd - Antiques & Interiors 17th - The Spring Auction

JULY AUG SEPT

7th - Antiques & Interiors

OCT

6th - Antiques, Interiors & Books 22nd-7th Nov - Timed Auction Modern and Contemporary Art

MAY 5th - Antiques & Interiors NOV JUNE 2nd - Antiques, Interiors & Books DEC 16th - The Summer Auction

4

4th - Antiques & Interiors 1st - Antiques & Interiors 15th - The Autumn Auction

3rd - Antiques & Interiors 8th - The Christmas Auction

End of year review As the year we celebrated our 175th anniversary comes to an end, we wanted to take a look back at what we’ve achieved. From trying to keep busy over lockdown, to welcoming back old members of staff whilst saying goodbye to others; it’s been a year like no other. We invite you to take a look at some of our highlights from the year...

Contents 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12

Welcome back...

Safety first Halls in lockdown 2020 highlights The year ahead Contact us

T: 01743 450 700 E: adminfineart@hallsgb.com W: www.hallsgb.com/fine-art Halls Holdings House Bowmen Way, Battlefield, Shrewsbury, SY4 3DR Halls Holdings Limited Company Registration No. 06597073 VAT Registration No. 549 7365 94

55

Welcome back...

We are pleased to announce the return of Alexander Clement to the Fine Art team here in Shrewsbury.

Alexander re-joins us as Senior General Valuer and Asian Art specialist, following the departure of general valuer Joseph Trinder, who left the company at the end of September to pursue a new adventure with his wife in the Czech Republic, we wish them both the best of luck for the future.

On his new role, Alexander said: “I am thrilled to be returning to Halls and the Fine Art team. It’s an exciting time for the auction industry and the opportunity to come back to Halls was too good to miss. I am very much looking forward to getting out into Shropshire and the surrounding counties, meeting people and consigning great antiques for sale.”

To get in touch, please call 01743 450 700 or email alexander@hallsgb.com

6

Safety first

Our auctioneers and specialists are wearing their Halls masks ready to greet our clients, old or new!

Since reopening in July we have put several measures in place such as valuation & viewing appointments & masks worn in all public areas to ensure all our clients and staff feel safe when they visit the Halls Fine Art offices and salerooms in Shrewsbury.

Please call 01743 450 700 or email adminfineart@hallsgb.com if you wish to visit us again whether you are a buyer or a seller.

We hope to see you soon!

7

Halls in lockdown

Just like most people, we had to find ways to keep busy whilst we were furloughed.

Here’s what some of us got up to...

As an illustrator, Gemma (Administration & Design) decided to practice and develop her skills further by learning how to draw digitally using her iPad. You’ll also find some of her illustrations in our printed catalogues. If she wasn’t drawing, she’d spend her time in the kitchen baking delicious treats (we’re hoping to sample them soon).

Gemma & an example of her digital artwork

Caroline & one of her rescue dogs, Gilly

Lockdown in a house of five rescue dogs was never going to be quiet for Caroline (Ceramics & Glass Specialist), but in between the cuddles and sessions of ‘go fetch’, she used her time to reacquaint with her Kindle - being a particular fan of the fantasy and history genres. At the very least, she might be a more useful pub quiz teammate in the future.

Chloe (Administration & Digital Marketing) spent her time furloughed with her children; Eddie (aged 4) and Millie (aged 1), and husband, Rich. They brought colour to their street by chalking on the driveway, creating crafts for inside and outside their house and putting a smile on the faces of those walking past.

8

Chloe & Eddie playing Hopscotch made out of chalk

Abigail (Modern & Contemporary Art Specialist) spent her time with her daughter, Aoife (aged 2) and husband, Thomas. They spent as much time outdoors as possible, it was a great opportunity to explore new places and make the most of their surroundings. Typical adventures included hikes through the hills, den building in the woods and exploring historic ruins and nature reserves.

Abigail exploring historic ruins

Maryanne (Jewellery & Silver Specialist) enjoyed the sunshine whilst it lasted by getting outside and doing some gardening or relaxing with a book. On the rainier days you’d find her getting some DIY done in the house, she had no excuse to put it off any longer!

Maryanne & her garden

Alexander fashioning one of his wife’s handmade masks

Alexander (Asian Art & Senior Valuer) enjoyed the fine weather in his Cheshire garden and took the opportunity to catch up on some reading.

Naturally, he kept a close watch on the art market and what affect the pandemic was having and he wrote a number of blog posts on the changing landscape as it was happening. He was pleased to be able to keep in touch with colleagues via Zoom and Skype, which was a really important lifeline.

9

SOLD £13,500 A single stone diamond ring

SOLD £22,000

Circle of Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), Portrait of Princess Mary

SOLD £3,200

A rare, early motorised bicycle, circa 1902

SOLD £3,600

A rare and early Caughley monogrammed and dated mug

SOLD £9,200

A pair of Coade urns

10

2020

Highlights

SOLD £4,000

A three stone emerald and diamond ring

SOLD £15,000

A 1970 Bentley T Series

SOLD £13,000

Sir Kyffin Williams RA (1918-2006), Clynnog

SOLD £5,300

A Caughley maskhead cabbage-leaf moulded jug

SOLD £8,200

An Omega Speedmaster wristwatch

SOLD £10,500

A Steinway Model M boudoir grand piano

11

The year ahead

Our Specialists give an exciting insight into what we have planned for the year ahead, here’s to 2021!

“It has been a rollercoaster of a year, one might even say biblical, contending with bad floods early in the year and then the ongoing and irrepressible pandemic. Among these hard-felt and life changing events all businesses have had to try and keep their heads above water and make their operations viable.

It is heartening then that after ‘lockdown’ there have been some rays of sunshine, with the contents of a Shropshire house, in some cases literally, yielding some gems, including the 4-carat diamond ring, selling for £13,500, and a pair of restored landscape paintings with pointers, by Daniel Clowes (illustrated below), that achieved £5,500.

Unsurprisingly, online sales have come to the fore and are definitely the auction’s antidote to closure. Abigail’s most recent Modern & Contemporary Timed online affair did very well with two Picasso etchings selling for hammer prices of £7,500 and £4,800.

If our buyers can’t come to us, then we will visit them digitally.

Considering the majority of works offered at Halls are selling online, the timed online sales are gathering momentum and there are already works by John Piper and David Hockney consigned for the next contemporary art sale, the signs are auspicious for 2021.

All in all it has been a year of peaks and troughs, but let us all hope, commercially and domestically, that 2021 is a year of plain sailing.”

- Gerry Berwyn-Jones, Head of Fine Art

12

Silver & Jewellery “Going into 2021 I’ll be looking to curate four exciting jewellery and silver sections, within our seasonal auctions, incorporating modern, designer and period pieces to suit all tastes and occasions. I also hope that the gold and silver market remains as strong as it has been over the past six months and the department continues to achieve brilliant results.” - Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley

Ceramics & Glass “Over the coming year, I plan to continue our strong track record of selling substantial single-owner collections. I also hope to expand on a recent resurgence of market interest for good quality Art Nouveau and Art Deco ceramics by big names such as Della Robbia and Pilkington’s, with the aim of increasing our foothold and my knowledge of the Decorative Arts market” - Caroline Dennard

Paintings & Prints “I will be curating two further Modern & Contemporary Art auctions on top of our Fine Art offerings, building upon the success of 2020 with exciting works by game-changing artists in the art world. We have some exciting single-owner collections and fresh to the market works ready for auction and I am looking to build upon our strong results seen for portraiture and 18th-19th century artworks” - Abigail Molenaar

Asian Art & Furniture “I am hoping to see plenty of exciting Chinese & Japanese objects in the coming year and, perhaps, breaking the Asian department’s record – currently standing at £155,000. Early in the New Year we’ll be featuring the contents of Castell Gyrn in North Wales, a unique opportunity for buyers to acquire bespoke & exclusive luxury furnishings by Clive Christian among other makers.” - Alexander Clement 13

THE SPRING AUCTION 17th March 2021 Entries close 25th January

For a free valuation, contact The Fine Art team on: T: 01743 450 700 E: adminfineart@hallsgb.com

SOLD £3,000 (+bp) Attributed to the Panormo School (Edward Ferdinand Panormo) an English violoncello (cello)

TIMED AUCTION -

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART

23rd April - 9th May 2021 Entries close 12th April

For a free valuation, contact Abigail Molenaar on: T: 01743 450 700 E: abigailm@hallsgb.com

SOLD £4,800 (+bp) Pablo Picasso (Spanish 20th Century, 1881-1973), Femme Torero II

Contact us Halls Holdings House Bowmen Way Battlefield Shrewsbury SY4 3DR T: 01743 450 700 E: adminfineart@hallsgb.com W: www.hallsgb.com/fine-art Opening times: Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm Car Parking Free wifi Disabled Access FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@HALLSFINEART Our Auction House Cafe serves breakfast, lunch and cakes from 9am so you can come and enjoy fresh, local food before or after the auction

TO COMPLY WITH EXISTING AND FORTHCOMING ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING REGULATIONS From now on all vendors and those registering for an auction will now need to provide proof of name and address by providing a government issued form of identification (plastic card element of a driving licence, or passport) and a utility bill COVID-19

16

All auction and valuation processes are subject to government guidelines and regulations. Please contact us for the latest updates

WHY SELL WITH US? Personal service Qualified Specialist knowledge Free valuations and advice Dedicated marketing with a global reach Record prices consistently achieved Easy to use website with live bidding platforms Beautiful colour catalogues RICs accredited and all our clients funds are therefore guaranteed protection All valuations comply with the RICs red-book standard (the industry’s highest benchmark)

"Truly fabulous experience throughout, with a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and friendly approach, especially in these difficult times. Thank you so much!"

- Mr. Russell, Wolverhampton

17