Magazine
Reviving Arts and Crafts for a New Generation
11 April 2025
Reviving Arts and Crafts for a New Generation
11 April 2025
By Mary Miers, a hugely experienced writer on art and architecture, and a former Fine Arts Editor of Country Life.
It’s difficult to imagine Edward Barnsley in the cosmopolitan milieu of the Treasure House Fair. The Arts-and-Crafts furniture maker would have been astonished to see his workshop’s unpretentious contemporary pieces cutting a dash amidst the stands of Old Masters and antiques, attracting on-the-spot sales in a Chelsea pavilion humming with collectors and connoisseurs. His successor, the designer-craftsman James Ryan, who now runs the company, admits that he was hesitant when he first took the Barnsley Workshop to a London fair (Olympia in 2010). ‘I felt it wasn’t our world. We’re different from the other exhibitors in that we’re both the craftsman and the seller. Yet we did so well at Masterpiece and Treasure House, had such wonderful support from fellow stall-holders and discovered a new audience. It gave us a platform for doing speculative designs. It changed our model.’
James Ryan
Image courtesy of Barnsley Workshop
The success is testament to the continuing relevance—indeed growing appeal—of the Arts-and-Crafts principles that underpin the Barnsley Workshop, which has been making furniture from the same premises near Petersfield for over a century. Since joining as an apprentice in 1992, Ryan has evolved the distinctive Barnsley style, creating furniture that is innovative yet restrained, contemporary in feel yet very much in the English tradition in its respect for material—notably homegrown oak and walnut—and craftsmanship of superb quality. As manager, he’s also overseen a reorganisation of the workshop, with the restoration of its original timber-drying sheds and the construction of a new machine shop—a beautiful, barn-like structure of green oak and clay tiles.
Situated on a beech-hung ridge overlooking the South Downs, the workshop was established in the remote hamlet of Froxfield by the builder/furniture maker Geoffrey Lupton, who bought some land here in 1905 and built a cottage, timber sheds and workshop. In 1919, he took on Edward Barnsley, whose father and uncle, Sidney and Ernest Barnsley, together with Ernest Gimson, had set up in the Cotswolds in the 1890s and become the most influential Arts-and-Crafts furniture designers of their day. A former pupil at Bedales, Edward helped Lupton to build and later fit out the school’s new Gimson-designed library with furniture by his father Sidney. In 1923, he took over the business from Lupton.
Edward Barnsley lived a modest, rustic life here at Froxfield, working hard as a craft furniture maker while his wife Tania kept the books. He had been brought up to appreciate the beauty of handmade things and succumbed only reluctantly to automated tools once electricity and mains water arrived in the 1950s. Having extended the premises to accommodate machinery, he soon realised that, rather than being detrimental to good work, machines banished the drudgery and made the whole process quicker, allowing more time for the specialist detail. Though still rooted in Arts-and-Crafts principles, he began to experiment with laminated construction and exotic hardwoods, and to indulge his interest in 18th-century designers such as Sheraton and Heppelwhite. His furniture became more refined and curvaceous, with bow-fronted chests of drawers and serpentine cabinets with reeded inlay. The Jubilee Cabinet of 1977 encapsulates Barnsley’s later style, a piece that took his craftsmen more than 900 hours to make and can still be admired in the workshop.
By the late 1970s, it was clear that the only way to secure the workshop’s future was to make it an educational trust, and so, in 1980, the Edward Barnsley Trust was formed. After his death in 1987, Barnsley’s architect son Jon, together with his daughter Karin and widow Tania, navigated the business through a tough period, but they remained committed to training young talent, proud to number among former apprentices the great British furniture designer Alan Peters.
Ryan credits the workshop with giving him opportunities he’d never otherwise have had. ‘There are a quite a few places in Britain where you can get a really good training—if you can afford it. After I’d done a City and Guilds furniture making course at Highbury Technical College in Portsmouth, I wanted to study at John Makepeace’s Parnham College and applied for an application form, but they wouldn’t send me one unless I signed a letter confirming that I had £25,000. I was 19.’
By contrast, the Barnsley Workshop, where he trained from 1992-97, paid Ryan to develop his skills—'not a lot, but it meant I could afford to come here. I had no formal design training, but my experience in the workshop, first as an apprentice-employee and then as a craftsman, allowed me to think about design, function and production and I was lucky enough to be in the right place to take over responsibility for design in 2001, when Jon retired.’
James Ryan at work
Image courtesy of Barnsley Workshop
It's the workshop’s dual role that makes it so special. ‘We’re a commercial operation, but we’re also committed to providing opportunities for young people, helping them to maximise their potential,’ Ryan explains. ‘Many have no idea about the work ethic, what joining a team of crafts people involves, so there’s a cultural benefit, too. The cost to us in time and expense is high; if we were solely commercial, we wouldn’t be taking them on to train them the way we do.
The hope is that, after doing the one-year foundation apprenticeship, they’ll want to do a second—and third—year, and that we’ll be able to offer this and then ideally continue to employ them as a craftsperson. We try to mitigate the dropout rate through the selection process by taking on people who have already got experience of furniture making, often a two-year technical qualification from college. Happily, most of the people we’ve trained over the past 45 years are still involved in furniture making in some way. There’s no alchemy here; part of the reason we have such a good outcome is that those we take on have already demonstrated a commitment to making furniture and have the humility to acknowledge that there are still things they can’t do that they want to, and that we can offer them the specialist skills to get there.’
Despite the demise of so many Further Education courses, some good ones in furniture making have survived—Ryan singles out Moulton College in Northampton, the Building Crafts College in Stratford, East London (supported by the Carpenters’ Company) and Rycotewood College in Thame, adding that there’s also been an uptick in private course providers since Covid. But what opportunities are there for graduates from these courses? ‘Things have improved on that front,’ he suggests. ‘With the recent dearth of skilled craftsmen coming from abroad, many firms are now going full circle and reinstating training programmes’.
The Barnsley Workshop—one of the few that has remained committed to offering apprenticeships since it was founded—currently has four apprentices and is keen to attract more women, having only had two so far, plus a female intern this year. They work alongside craftsman Andrew Marsh and craftsman-tutor Stephen Rock, both former apprentices.
Ryan does all the design work, but ‘it’s their hands that are making the pieces,’ he says; ‘that’s the way they learn. I’m there every day working with them, discussing how I want something made, what joints we’re going to use. We work with machines, of course, but everything a machine does, an apprentice also learns to do by hand, so they can produce a fantastic piece in a well-equipped workshop using digital CNC equipment and the same piece in a shed with no automated tools. They’re making high-quality, sellable furniture with the Barnsley stamp while also getting valuable employment experience with all the pressures of clients’ expectations, deadlines and suchlike that come with it. This makes them eminently employable and sought after.’
Refined detail, the use of inlays, chamfers and softly curving planes are the Barnsley hallmarks. ‘Edward was all about trying to make things flow, the silhouette and the shape,’ says Ryan, who acknowledges the influence of his predecessor on his own designs. ‘Curves are my thing; that’s where I’m taking the Barnsley inspiration. If anything, I’m making it more organic,’ he says, referencing his hand-shaped Repose Rocking Chair. ‘One of the things I’m proud of is its texture. It’s made of oak, bleached and limed to give it this lovely white cast, and because we’re working with solid wood, we can get in there with a carving chisel and create this texture. The spontaneity of the hand-carving produces the opposite effect to the highly polished, lacquered veneers so beloved of the super-yacht elite. Pieces like this have their own personality.’
Aspire III Library Steps
Image courtesy of Barnsley Workshop
The success of the first rocking chair at Masterpiece in 2014 identified a need for more pieces that people could buy off-the-peg. This prompted a change of emphasis in the workshop’s output, which, until then, had been largely private commissions. Ryan has now produced six versions of the chair in limited editions. He’s also developed several iterations of his perennially popular library steps, a beautiful sculptural piece resembling a ship’s prow. For the latest version, he collaborated with Bill Amberg and had the steps covered in Tuscan hide as a softer alternative to polished walnut.
The fair also provides a platform for showcasing commissioned pieces, which has demonstrated the versatility of Ryan’s designs. An inlaid oval dining table made from a Sussex walnut tree inspired new clients to commission a smaller version for their flat. The Grace Chair, originally part of a set of dining table and chairs for a private house, has proved revelatory with its deeply curved, leather-upholstered back. ‘Instead of relying on photographs and descriptions, visitors to the fair can sit on it and experience a level of comfort they’d never associate with a wooden chair; we’ve received lots of orders.’
The workshop sources most of its timber from around the UK. Oak is a favourite—two oak trees cut from a mile down the road in 2022 are quietly drying in the shed—together with walnut. The size of a walnut tree is significant as its sapwood often isn’t used and the heartwood is small by comparison. Ryan’s burr oak dining table is a Barnsley Workshop star, its top made from a spectacular single board cut from a tree that provided enough wood to make several versions. A single piece of Scottish walnut provided the material for a desk that incorporates motorised lifting columns so that it can be used standing up or sitting down.
‘The dynamic of the workshop is that we’re reacting to the way people live today,’ Ryan says. Given its success among the crème de la crème of the London art world, he’s justly proud of its reputation as ‘the Saatchi and Saatchi of furniture workshops.’
www.barnsley-furniture.co.uk
enquiries@barnsley-furniture.co.uk
01730 827 233
Next Workshop Open Day – 11 October, 2025
It’s difficult to imagine Edward Barnsley in the cosmopolitan milieu of the Treasure House Fair. The Arts-and-Crafts furniture maker would have been astonished to see his workshop’s unpretentious contemporary pieces cutting a dash amidst the stands of Old Masters and antiques, attracting on-the-spot sales in a Chelsea pavilion humming with collectors and connoisseurs. His successor, the designer-craftsman James Ryan, who now runs the company, admits that he was hesitant when he first took the Barnsley Workshop to a London fair (Olympia in 2010). ‘I felt it wasn’t our world. We’re different from the other exhibitors in that we’re both the craftsman and the seller. Yet we did so well at Masterpiece and Treasure House, had such wonderful support from fellow stall-holders and discovered a new audience. It gave us a platform for doing speculative designs. It changed our model.’
James RyanImage courtesy of Barnsley Workshop
The success is testament to the continuing relevance—indeed growing appeal—of the Arts-and-Crafts principles that underpin the Barnsley Workshop, which has been making furniture from the same premises near Petersfield for over a century. Since joining as an apprentice in 1992, Ryan has evolved the distinctive Barnsley style, creating furniture that is innovative yet restrained, contemporary in feel yet very much in the English tradition in its respect for material—notably homegrown oak and walnut—and craftsmanship of superb quality. As manager, he’s also overseen a reorganisation of the workshop, with the restoration of its original timber-drying sheds and the construction of a new machine shop—a beautiful, barn-like structure of green oak and clay tiles.
Situated on a beech-hung ridge overlooking the South Downs, the workshop was established in the remote hamlet of Froxfield by the builder/furniture maker Geoffrey Lupton, who bought some land here in 1905 and built a cottage, timber sheds and workshop. In 1919, he took on Edward Barnsley, whose father and uncle, Sidney and Ernest Barnsley, together with Ernest Gimson, had set up in the Cotswolds in the 1890s and become the most influential Arts-and-Crafts furniture designers of their day. A former pupil at Bedales, Edward helped Lupton to build and later fit out the school’s new Gimson-designed library with furniture by his father Sidney. In 1923, he took over the business from Lupton.
Edward Barnsley lived a modest, rustic life here at Froxfield, working hard as a craft furniture maker while his wife Tania kept the books. He had been brought up to appreciate the beauty of handmade things and succumbed only reluctantly to automated tools once electricity and mains water arrived in the 1950s. Having extended the premises to accommodate machinery, he soon realised that, rather than being detrimental to good work, machines banished the drudgery and made the whole process quicker, allowing more time for the specialist detail. Though still rooted in Arts-and-Crafts principles, he began to experiment with laminated construction and exotic hardwoods, and to indulge his interest in 18th-century designers such as Sheraton and Heppelwhite. His furniture became more refined and curvaceous, with bow-fronted chests of drawers and serpentine cabinets with reeded inlay. The Jubilee Cabinet of 1977 encapsulates Barnsley’s later style, a piece that took his craftsmen more than 900 hours to make and can still be admired in the workshop.
By the late 1970s, it was clear that the only way to secure the workshop’s future was to make it an educational trust, and so, in 1980, the Edward Barnsley Trust was formed. After his death in 1987, Barnsley’s architect son Jon, together with his daughter Karin and widow Tania, navigated the business through a tough period, but they remained committed to training young talent, proud to number among former apprentices the great British furniture designer Alan Peters.
Ryan credits the workshop with giving him opportunities he’d never otherwise have had. ‘There are a quite a few places in Britain where you can get a really good training—if you can afford it. After I’d done a City and Guilds furniture making course at Highbury Technical College in Portsmouth, I wanted to study at John Makepeace’s Parnham College and applied for an application form, but they wouldn’t send me one unless I signed a letter confirming that I had £25,000. I was 19.’
By contrast, the Barnsley Workshop, where he trained from 1992-97, paid Ryan to develop his skills—'not a lot, but it meant I could afford to come here. I had no formal design training, but my experience in the workshop, first as an apprentice-employee and then as a craftsman, allowed me to think about design, function and production and I was lucky enough to be in the right place to take over responsibility for design in 2001, when Jon retired.’
James Ryan at workImage courtesy of Barnsley Workshop
It's the workshop’s dual role that makes it so special. ‘We’re a commercial operation, but we’re also committed to providing opportunities for young people, helping them to maximise their potential,’ Ryan explains. ‘Many have no idea about the work ethic, what joining a team of crafts people involves, so there’s a cultural benefit, too. The cost to us in time and expense is high; if we were solely commercial, we wouldn’t be taking them on to train them the way we do.
The hope is that, after doing the one-year foundation apprenticeship, they’ll want to do a second—and third—year, and that we’ll be able to offer this and then ideally continue to employ them as a craftsperson. We try to mitigate the dropout rate through the selection process by taking on people who have already got experience of furniture making, often a two-year technical qualification from college. Happily, most of the people we’ve trained over the past 45 years are still involved in furniture making in some way. There’s no alchemy here; part of the reason we have such a good outcome is that those we take on have already demonstrated a commitment to making furniture and have the humility to acknowledge that there are still things they can’t do that they want to, and that we can offer them the specialist skills to get there.’
Despite the demise of so many Further Education courses, some good ones in furniture making have survived—Ryan singles out Moulton College in Northampton, the Building Crafts College in Stratford, East London (supported by the Carpenters’ Company) and Rycotewood College in Thame, adding that there’s also been an uptick in private course providers since Covid. But what opportunities are there for graduates from these courses? ‘Things have improved on that front,’ he suggests. ‘With the recent dearth of skilled craftsmen coming from abroad, many firms are now going full circle and reinstating training programmes’.
The Barnsley Workshop—one of the few that has remained committed to offering apprenticeships since it was founded—currently has four apprentices and is keen to attract more women, having only had two so far, plus a female intern this year. They work alongside craftsman Andrew Marsh and craftsman-tutor Stephen Rock, both former apprentices.
Ryan does all the design work, but ‘it’s their hands that are making the pieces,’ he says; ‘that’s the way they learn. I’m there every day working with them, discussing how I want something made, what joints we’re going to use. We work with machines, of course, but everything a machine does, an apprentice also learns to do by hand, so they can produce a fantastic piece in a well-equipped workshop using digital CNC equipment and the same piece in a shed with no automated tools. They’re making high-quality, sellable furniture with the Barnsley stamp while also getting valuable employment experience with all the pressures of clients’ expectations, deadlines and suchlike that come with it. This makes them eminently employable and sought after.’
Refined detail, the use of inlays, chamfers and softly curving planes are the Barnsley hallmarks. ‘Edward was all about trying to make things flow, the silhouette and the shape,’ says Ryan, who acknowledges the influence of his predecessor on his own designs. ‘Curves are my thing; that’s where I’m taking the Barnsley inspiration. If anything, I’m making it more organic,’ he says, referencing his hand-shaped Repose Rocking Chair. ‘One of the things I’m proud of is its texture. It’s made of oak, bleached and limed to give it this lovely white cast, and because we’re working with solid wood, we can get in there with a carving chisel and create this texture. The spontaneity of the hand-carving produces the opposite effect to the highly polished, lacquered veneers so beloved of the super-yacht elite. Pieces like this have their own personality.’
Aspire III Library StepsImage courtesy of Barnsley Workshop
The success of the first rocking chair at Masterpiece in 2014 identified a need for more pieces that people could buy off-the-peg. This prompted a change of emphasis in the workshop’s output, which, until then, had been largely private commissions. Ryan has now produced six versions of the chair in limited editions. He’s also developed several iterations of his perennially popular library steps, a beautiful sculptural piece resembling a ship’s prow. For the latest version, he collaborated with Bill Amberg and had the steps covered in Tuscan hide as a softer alternative to polished walnut.
The fair also provides a platform for showcasing commissioned pieces, which has demonstrated the versatility of Ryan’s designs. An inlaid oval dining table made from a Sussex walnut tree inspired new clients to commission a smaller version for their flat. The Grace Chair, originally part of a set of dining table and chairs for a private house, has proved revelatory with its deeply curved, leather-upholstered back. ‘Instead of relying on photographs and descriptions, visitors to the fair can sit on it and experience a level of comfort they’d never associate with a wooden chair; we’ve received lots of orders.’
The workshop sources most of its timber from around the UK. Oak is a favourite—two oak trees cut from a mile down the road in 2022 are quietly drying in the shed—together with walnut. The size of a walnut tree is significant as its sapwood often isn’t used and the heartwood is small by comparison. Ryan’s burr oak dining table is a Barnsley Workshop star, its top made from a spectacular single board cut from a tree that provided enough wood to make several versions. A single piece of Scottish walnut provided the material for a desk that incorporates motorised lifting columns so that it can be used standing up or sitting down.
‘The dynamic of the workshop is that we’re reacting to the way people live today,’ Ryan says. Given its success among the crème de la crème of the London art world, he’s justly proud of its reputation as ‘the Saatchi and Saatchi of furniture workshops.’
www.barnsley-furniture.co.uk
enquiries@barnsley-furniture.co.uk
01730 827 233
Next Workshop Open Day – 11 October, 2025
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Pioneering the Vintage Omega Market
March 27, 2025
By Simon de Burton
‘Certified, pre-owned’ has become a familiar phrase in the watch world during the past five or so years.
It refers to the sale of second-hand timepieces by the brands that originally made them, and each ‘CPO’ watch is usually offered with all the benefits associated with buying new – which means it will be in perfect working order, it will be guaranteed authentic and it will carry a warranty of up to two years.
But while most major dial names only recently became involved in the business of re-selling second-hand models, one historic brand has been doing so for the best part of 18 years thanks to its unique arrangement with the highly respected dealer Somlo London – the world’s only official outlet for vintage Omega.
George Somlo established the partnership with Omega in 2008, but his eponymous business can trace its roots back to the early 1970s when he cut his dealer teeth at west London’s celebrated Portobello Road antiques market. “I was born in Hungary but came to Britain with my parents when I was nine years old, in 1956 – the year of the Hungarian uprising. “We were the only survivors of the event from our family, and my parents brought us to London so I could have a better life,” says Somlo.
Photo by Michalina Fransik
Back in Hungary, Somlo’s father had been involved in retail and, once settled into a house in west London’s Ladbroke Grove area, he found work with a fellow Hungarian who ran a business specialising in reproduction jewellery. “My father couldn’t speak a word of English when we arrived , but he managed to sell this man’s jewellery. Eventually he took a stall on the Portobello Road and, from the age of 15, I was running it by myself every other Saturday. “Working in that environment meant you had to become a businessman, because there were so many deals going on – if you bought something at eight o’clock in the morning, it might change hands five or six times by 11!” In those days, says Somlo, there was little to no market for second-hand wrist watches, so he was mainly selling jewellery and the occasional piece of silver.
After school, however, he left the market behind, trained as an accountant and was soon recruited by IBM, then the world leader in computer production. “It was a booming business, but the company announced a relocation to Portsmouth and I didn’t want to leave my parents – so I went back to the markets, working at Portobello again as well as Bermondsey and off Brick Lane,” says Somlo. “I got stuck in and found I was really enjoying it, so I decided to try going out on my own.” The first Somlo outlet opened in 1970 in the basement of Mayfair’s now-defunct Bond Street Antiques Centre, before moving to an upper floor and then expanding into new premises in Piccadilly Arcade where it remained for 23 years. “At the beginning I was selling silver, a bit of jewellery and some antique pocket watches, but I realised that, in order to move up-market and be really successful it was necessary to specialise,” says Somlo. "In those days, no one really had any interest in wrist watches – only a few clever people who could see what was coming in terms of rising values and collectability. But, as the market changed, we evolved and began selling them alongside pocket watches.”
Somlo’s competence in the genre ultimately attracted the attention of Omega, which suggested forming a partnership that would make the business the only outlet in the world officially sanctioned to sell the brand’s vintage creations. “I was very happy with the idea of the association, but we clearly needed a much larger shop so that half could be devoted to Omega and the other half to other brands that we sell, such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Cartier,” explains Somlo. ‘Somlo London’ and ‘Omega Vintage’ took up residence in Burlington Arcade in 2006 and has since become the ‘go to’ outlet among those in search of the best of the best of the brand’s pre-owned pieces. “The business is unique in the world of vintage Omega, because we have a full-time watch maker and restorer on-site who is employed by Omega, and we receive all our parts directly from the manufacturer in Switzerland.” Somlo was undoubtedly instrumental in shining the spotlight on the collectability of Omega’s vintage pieces, the values of which have roughly tripled across the board in the past 20 years.
Photo by Antonio Salgado
But, despite having established a reputation for the quality of its pre-owned wristwatches (Omega and others) Somlo remains a valued hunting ground for pocket watch enthusiasts and keeps a stock of models dating as far back as the 17th century. “There are very few pocket watch specialists left today – and we also go right back to the dawn of the wristwatch in the early 20th century,” says Somlo. When it comes to the most collectable vintage Omegas, however, Somlo senior refers to his son, Daniel, to identify the nuances of specific pieces and to value them accordingly. He, too, considered a different profession – in this case, as an architect – before returning to the family business.
Courtesy of Somlo London
Having studied horology at the University of Birmingham before completing the renowned Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational programme (WoSTEP) in Manchester and then working for two years at an Omega service centre, Daniel is well qualified to buy, sell and advise on watches of all makes and types. Of late, he observes, there has been a shift away from the larger, more statement-making sports watches that became popular during the early 2000s and a return to more classic styles. “The rare, early Speedmaster models from the 1950s and ‘60s remain among the most valuable Omega watches we stock, and they can sell for anything between £60,000 and £90,000,” he says. “But we’re seeing an increasing demand for the brand’s smaller, more classical Constellation and Seamaster models.”
And those who don’t have a five-figure budget to spend on a vintage Omega shouldn’t despair – according to Daniel, one particular model that remains largely under the radar but which is gradually picking-up followers is the unusual Chronostop single-button chronograph. “They start on the low side of £3,000 and can be had in some really attractive variations, from a special driver’s model to others with lovely, coloured dials in blues and greens. They are all manually-wound and use good quality movements. “And,” he adds, “the equivalent modern Omega of this quality would cost more than twice as much….”
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The Power of Pink: Why we can’t shake the eternal allure of pink diamonds
February 13, 2024
With shades from palest petal through to bubble gum, fuchsia and rose, pink diamonds have captivated us for centuries, says Kim Parker.
Kim Parker is a writer, journalist and Executive Fashion and Jewellery Director at Harpers Bazaar.
Ever since diamonds were first discovered in India around the 4th century B.C, their scarcity, sparkle and unparalleled strength (the word ‘diamond’ is derived from the Greek ‘adamas’, meaning ‘indestructible’) has meant they are historically regarded above all other gemstones, the preserve of royalty, nobility and the very powerful.
Colourful or ‘fancy’ diamonds are even rarer than their neutral relatives (only one in 10,000 natural diamonds is graded a fancy stone) making them some of the most precious of all the earth’s resources. And amongst the most exclusive of these are the pinks, which can be up 20 times more expensive than their colourless equivalents.
Haute Joaillerie collection ring by Chopard in 18k white and rose gold set with a pear-shaped, 2.4 carat fancy pink diamond and white diamonds, price on request.
Courtesy of Chopard.com.
“They are a true gemological treasure, accounting for only 0.1% of the 20 million carats of diamonds that are mined each year, and the majority of these are under two carats in size,” says Jean Ghika, global director of jewellery at Bonhams. While pink diamonds can be found in regions of Africa and Russia, the recent closure of one of the most prolific sources of the stones - the Argyle mine in Western Australia, which ceased operations in 2020 - has only exerted further pressure on their supply in recent years.
Unlike other coloured gemstones, the origins of a pink diamond’s romantic colour – long associated with love - also remains shrouded in mystery. “Their hue is not caused by trace elements in their chemical composition but by a miracle of nature, a distortion in their atomic lattice caused by pressure exerted on them during their formation,” Ghika explains, adding that the purer and more intensely saturated the shade, the more valuable the stone. “The most desirable hue is one designated a straight pink. There are a range of secondary hues including purple, orange and brown, however the ideal diamond is one that exhibits only one true colour – pink.”
Small wonder, then, that whenever a remarkable stone weighing more than a few carats goes up for auction it makes international news. Indeed, six of the ten most expensive diamonds ever sold have been pinks, including the 14.93-carat ‘Pink Promise’, the 24.78-carat ‘Graff Pink’, and the 18.96-carat ‘Pink Legacy’, which was acquired by the jewellery house Harry Winston in 2018. Just one year beforehand, the 59-carat, internally flawless ‘Pink Star’ became the most expensive diamond of all time when it achieved US$71.2million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. So intense was the bidding war, it lasted just five minutes and ended with a round of astonished applause.
High jewellery bangle by David Morris in 18k white and rose gold, set with 9.97-carats of pink diamonds and a 6-carat D internally flawless pear shape white diamond, price on request.
Courtesy of Davidmorris.com.
Many other renowned pinks have become cherished parts of royal collections, too valuable to ever be sold. The late Queen Elizabeth II, who had amassed one of the world’s greatest jewellery collections by the time of her death in 2022, owned the Williamson pink diamond pin – a floral piece set with a flawless, 23.6-carat pink stone given to her as a wedding gift by the Canadian geologist, Dr. John Williamson. Meanwhile, the Noor-ol-Ain Tiara, which was commissioned by the last Shah of Iran in 1958 and whose name means “the light of the eye”, features an incredible 60-carat pink diamond in its centre, one of the largest examples ever found.
‘Pink de Boodles’ earrings by Boodles with pink and white diamonds set in platinum and 18k SMO pink gold, £28,900.
Courtesy of Boodles.com.
Today, the rarity and romance of pink diamonds ensures they remain a tempting prospect for any jewellery lover looking to make a statement. According to Jody Wainwright, who sources some of the finest pinks in the business as the director of precious gemstones at Boodles, buyers should seek out jewels that are “nicely proportioned, not asymmetrical or too deeply cut, which can cause the stone to look smaller than it is.” As ever, it’s crucial to thoroughly research the market, seek independent advice and ensure the diamond has the correct grading certificate from a trusted laboratory, such as the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). When it comes to selecting the right shade of pink, Wainwright’s advice is to follow your heart. “What we really love at Boodles is a purple-ish tinge to the pink. More baby pink, or ‘Hubabubba’, as I remember it!’
Ideally, you should choose the stone that causes you to fall-head-over-heels - hopefully you’re going to be together for years to come.
Five pink diamond jewels to invest in right now:
‘Pink de Boodles’ earrings by Boodles with pink and white diamonds set in platinum and 18k SMO pink gold, £28,900. Boodles.com.
Portraits of Nature Butterfly ring by De Beers in white and rose gold, set with fancy pink diamonds, price on request. Debeers.co.uk.
High jewellery bangle by David Morris in 18k white and rose gold, set with 9.97-carats of pink diamonds and a 6-carat D internally flawless pear shape white diamond, price on request, Davidmorris.com.
Haute Joaillerie collection ring by Chopard in 18k white and rose gold set with a pear-shaped, 2.4 carat fancy pink diamond and white diamonds, price on request. Chopard.com.
One-of-a-kind Dragonfly brooch by Hirsh London with pink diamonds set in platinum and 18k rose gold, price on request.
Courtesy of Hirshlondon.com.
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Katherine Purcell Invites Us Inside Wartski
December 14, 2023
A profile of Katherine Purcell, joint managing director of Wartski.
by Mary Miers
I’ve come to St. James’s Street, SW1 to talk to Katherine Purcell about her role as joint managing director of Wartski and what it’s like to be one of the few women prominent in the world of antique jewellery. So it comes as a surprise to find myself standing in a room lined with dove grey velvet holding a strawberry-red coal scuttle. It is, Katherine tells me, one of the two most exquisite examples of Fabergé’s hand-engraved enamel work that she has ever seen. Handing me a loupe, she urges me to turn it in my fingers, to admire the complexity of the gold rococo decoration that appears to bounce through the translucent enamel. The diamond-set bonbonnière measures just 3.1cm and sits on tiny paw feet. ‘It’s the scrollwork cut to different depths that’s achieving the reflections you see when you move it in the light. To think that this extraordinary engraving was done entirely by hand; it’s such a miracle’.
Katherine’s enthusiasm for her subject is radiant, her impulse to share it irrepressible. I’ve come to interview her, but before long she’s whisked me onto the shop floor and is operating the discreet mechanisms that raise the glass fronts of the showcases set into the walls. ‘It’s where the magic begins,’ she enthuses, insisting that I examine some of the finest examples of 19th-century goldsmiths’ craftsmanship as she tells me about their history and techniques. ‘You can see why there was a revolution,’ she says, picking out a parasol handle of reeded gold set with diamonds and cabochon rubies. ‘Fabergé made bell-pushes as well. And look at the lavishness of this hat pin by René Lalique! He’s chosen to use plique-à-jour rather than solid enamel, so you can see through it, and the gold is worked from both sides. But what I love is this little kink in its stem; only Lalique could have mirrored such irregularity found in nature. This is why he’s so unique. And you can see why I fell in love with these,’ she adds, moving to a vitrine of cloisonné enamelled lockets based on Hokasai prints by her heroes Alexis and Lucien Falize.
An enamelled silver bonbonnière in the Japanese taste by Eugène Feuillâtre, exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1902. Feuillâtre ran René Lalique’s enamellling workshop for 8 years before exhibiting under his own name. Learn more at the Wartski website.
Katherine describes as ‘a fluke’ how she ended up at Wartski, the Polish business established by Morris Wartski in Wales in the 1880s that became famous for its association with the work of Carl Fabergé. She accepted the job of secretary and book-keeper reluctantly, having failed to find work with a fine art gallery or museum. ‘Useless at maths, shy and with no gemmological training, [she] looked like a hippy, with beads and long hair,’ but she did have an art-history degree and could speak Italian and fluent French. Before long, she was helping with the first exhibition devoted to Castellani and Giuliano and working evenings for Vivienne Becker, who was organising the world’s first show of Lalique jewellery, which opened at Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1987. ‘I began to realise that jewellery didn’t have to be all about precious stones; it could be to do with artistry, different techniques, design and so on. When I discovered the work of Lalique, a whole new world opened up’. She’d visit the auction rooms at lunchtime and the V&A library on Saturdays and began publishing articles and developing an interest in French 19th-century enamellers. She became an expert on Falize, befriending family descendants and unearthing much unknown material, which culminated in her book Falize; A Dynasty of Jewellers in 1999. Two years later she published her translation of Henri Vever’s magisterial three-volume La Bijouterie Francaise au XIXe Siècle.
Promotion to the shop floor gave her the opportunity to handle objects—‘essential if you’re to write about them in an intelligent way; the more you handle the more experienced you are’. She became a director in 1996 and has organised a number of the firm’s exhibitions, notably ‘Japonisme: From Falize to Fabergé’ (2011). ‘Nobody had focused on Japonisme through the jeweller or goldsmith’s eyes before. This was a really important project for me that took four years to organise and research’. She’s now working on a book on the subject.
Wartski is difficult to pigeonhole, Katherine says, because it’s a commercial shop that promotes independent research. ‘It’s taken me a long time to discover that this is fairly unique. I know of galleries where the owners have insisted on signing pieces written by colleagues and keep all their information to themselves, which actually doesn’t help their business at all.’ It was Kenneth Snowman (1919-2002), son of Wartski’s son-in-law Emanuel Snowman, who changed the direction of the company and instilled its academic reputation. Emanuel had transacted the first purchases of Russian works of art from the Soviet government in the 1920s, including several of the famous Imperial Easter Eggs, and his son turned Fabergé into a specialist subject. Kenneth became custodian of a significant Fabergé archive, mounted the first exhibition devoted to the firm in 1949 and published his first book on Carl Fabergé in 1953. Still owned by the Snowman family, Wartski maintains this intellectual heft and the spirit of generosity that prompted Kenneth to encourage employees to specialise in their particular interests.
A gold and cloisonné enamelled locket in the Japanese taste by Alexis Falize, exhibited at the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs in 1869. It is highly unusual in being decorated on all four faces. See more on the Wartski website.
‘Thanks to [director] Thomas Holman’s knowledge and research, people come here to look at ancient intaglios and 19th-century cameos,’ Katherine says. ‘Kieran McCarthy [her co-managing director] has published widely on the Imperial Russian goldsmiths and added a whole new dimension to Fabergé by researching its London branch. And Giovanni Massa, our latest recruit, is pursuing research on another revivalist jeweller.’
Wartski’s directors make joint decisions about what to buy, thereby avoiding situations where one of them is so focussed on a subject that they launch full tilt into acquiring something completely unsaleable. ‘That said, sometimes you’re so proud to own a piece that’s far removed from everyday appreciation that you buy it anyway and sell it at a fraction above its cost price, because it’s such a fantastic thing to be able to display and talk about. We’re unusual in that respect; some mercenary dealers slap a percentage on everything. Wartski’s approach is different. We only buy pieces that we’re really passionate about and I think that shines through and enhances our reputation. Some say we’re difficult to sell to because they can’t guess what will please us and what won’t. We like disparate and eccentric things. We also believe in some pieces being totally educational, so we have a showcase devoted to curious early pieces and why they were made—not necessarily to adorn, but to protect or contain religious relics.’
Ever proud of its Welsh roots—it remains ‘Wartski of Llandudno’ and still banks there—the firm has been based in London since 1913 and has a broad-ranging and international clientele. Having moved from Grafton Street in 2018, it finds itself at home and busier in St. James’s, where ‘many of our co-exhibitors from fairs like Maastricht are based, along with many of the royal warrant holders.' It took the move to take on board that everything on Bond Street is branded, whereas here there are one-off, specialist businesses with a different type of clientele.
There’s always been this huge appreciation of antique jewellery in London and most of the long-established firms are based here. Even for 19th-century French pieces, there’s now a greater density in London than in Paris, where most of the big firms have closed. Most of the businesses are represented by their owners, and they’re mostly still men, so in that respect, too, I guess Wartski is unusual.
It says a lot that once you arrive here, you stay. This was my first job out of university and I’ve been at Wartski for over 40 years. I’m so fortunate to have been taught to look at things by experts who were willing to share their knowledge and I feel glad that I can continue their example today.’
A Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and Chair of the Society of Jewellery Historians, Katherine is also the only woman on the advisory board of The Treasure House Fair. ‘Wartski sits outside Frieze because it’s not Old Masters or ancient manuscripts, and neither does it quite fit into the niches of PAD or LAPADA. It’s crucial that there should be an event in London representing arts across the board and Treasure House is now the only multi-disciplinary fair of stature’.
Katherine Purcell of Wartski with Harry van der Hoorn, founder of The Treasure House Fair and CEO of Stabilo International.
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November 02, 2023
Drawing on codes from decades past, this year’s most collectible new jewels are all sparkling odes to the deep and destined to make waves, says Kim Parker.
By Kim Parker
Kim Parker is a writer, journalist and Executive Fashion and Jewellery Director at Harpers Bazaar.
As in other visual arts, the sea has been a source of artistic inspiration to jewellers for centuries. From its tidal rhythms and its mysterious depths (replete with fascinating creatures) to its richly poetic and metaphoric powers, the oceanic world has held designers in its thrall ever since fragments of shell and coral were first fashioned into early adornments.
Jean Schlumberger, the iconic French designer who joined Tiffany & Co in 1956 and blazed a trail during his decades-long career at the house, felt such an affinity for the sea (a keen traveller, he had a holiday home in Guadeloupe where he studied local underwater life) that it informed some of his most memorable jewels, including starfish, urchins and anemones set with colourful enamel and gemstones. Even aquatic dangers presented him with creative opportunities. One ingenious brooch, his Jellyfish from 1967, was conceived after a high-profile client, the philanthropist Bunny Mellon, was stung whilst swimming in Antigua.
“In Jean Schlumberger’s imagination and design philosophy, the sea represented an unknown, infinite world. He choreographed unparalleled manifestations of its majesty and mystery,” says Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany’s current Chief Artistic Officer of Jewellery and High Jewellery. Launched this summer, her first Blue Book collection for the house “is a deep dive” into the sinuous marine forms that so appealed to the designer and reimagines many of his favourite motifs for contemporary collectors. His iconic jellyfish has been transformed into a pair of voluptuous sapphire, tanzanite, and moonstone earrings, whilst his familiar bristling anemone has given rise to a new necklace and ring with neon blue cuprian elbaite tourmalines and white diamonds set with their culets facing outwards, to emphasise their spiny texture.
The new Praise To the Sea collection by Japanese pearl experts Mikimoto is also a bejewelled paean to the myriad creatures that populate the deep. For one abstract collar, undulating waves of white cultured pearls have been interspersed with pastel-coloured beryls, tourmalines, sapphires and garnets to recreate the swirling motion of a shoal of fish, with mesmeric results. Other more figurative pieces take their cue from sea creatures themselves, with graceful humpback whales hunting tiny tourmaline and garnet fish across a collar necklace, a sparkling sea horse taking refuge amongst a branch of diamond-encrusted coral on a long pendant, and even a quizzical-looking threadfin butterfly fish, whose graphic white and yellow patterning is echoed with rows of round yellow and white diamonds on a sparkling pin.
Mikimoto "Praise to the Sea" Collection.
Image courtesy of Mikimoto.
At fellow Japanese jeweller Tasaki, the sea isn’t just an eternal source of inspiration, it is the lifeblood that houses and nourishes the oysters that produce the maison’s lustrous Akoya pearls, for which it is renowned. This year, the maison pays tribute with its concise ‘Atelier 6: Nature Spectacle’ collection, with pieces that express aquatic phenomena such as eddying tidal movements, mirage-like reflections and pounding cascades in pearls and rainbow-hued stones. The spectacular Ocean Light necklace, for example, interprets the glistening effect of moonlight on white-capped nocturnal swells as ropes of differently sized Akoya pearls suspended from a collar set with inky South Sea pearls, blue zircons and yellow tourmalines.
There are fabulous waves, too, at the storied Place Vendôme jeweller Boucheron, where its innovative creative director, Claire Choisne, has conjured a whimsical take on Hokusai’s iconic woodblock print, ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, for her latest Carte Blanche high jewellery line. Inspired by the iron-on patches which adorned denim jackets in her youth, Choisne’s novel wave brooch is formed from white gold and aluminium and outlined in dark blue lacquer, lending it a quirky, two-dimensional quality, while snow-set round diamonds add a feeling of movement to the wave’s frothing crest.
Mediterranean Muse Necklace by Bulgari
Image courtesy of Bulgari.
The balmier shores of the Mediterranean were the impetus for Bulgari’s creative director Lucia Silvestri, whose latest designs are a precious nod to the area traversed by the maison’s own ‘modern Aeneas’, founder Sotirio Bulgari, who left his Greek homeland and settled in Rome, where he founded his jewellery house in 1884. “For me, being in the Mediterranean region is an awakening of all the senses,” she says. One of the highlights, the Mediterranean Muse necklace, is an artistic interpretation of the sea itself, and took Bulgari’s master craftspeople 1,600 hours to make. It’s torchon-style body is constructed from rhythmic ripples of platinum and white diamonds, occasionally punctuated with curls of buff-top sapphires. In its centre, an impressive cushion-cut royal blue sapphire weighing 15.13 carats recalls the colour of the water itself, whilst nine diamond fringes, embellished with further polished sapphire beads and contrasted with light blue pear-cut aquamarine drops, glitter like sunlight on a salty spray. At once beautiful and dramatic, seductive and also astounding, it’s a work of art that encapsulates the qualities of the sea that have kept us all captivated for quite so long.
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October 05, 2023
Why the panther reigns supreme at the French jewellery maison
By Kim Parker
Of all the creatures in Cartier’s sparkling bestiary, the panther is irrefutably king. Or perhaps that should be queen because the great cat’s near-mythic status at the house is largely due to one enigmatic and fascinating woman: Jeanne Toussaint.
Toussaint, who worked at Cartier as creative director of jewellery between 1933 and 1970, was nicknamed ‘the panther’ for her fierce determination and is credited with elevating the feline into an iconic design during her tenure. Little is actually known about her past. Born in 1887 to a lace-making family in Belgium, she left home at 13 to seek her fortune in Paris as a model. Years later, as a member of the city’s vibrant pre-war ‘café society’, she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Gabrielle Chanel, Cecil Beaton and Louis Cartier – grandson of Cartier founder Louis-François, and the man who would go on to become her lover.
Keen to make use of Toussaint’s exquisite personal taste at his family firm, Cartier recruited her to oversee accessories – namely women’s handbags – in the early 1920s, before promoting her to the head of his new silver department in 1924, where she also worked on Cartier’s more accessible jewellery collections. Unable to sketch herself, Toussaint nevertheless possessed the exacting eye and natural flair of an artist and was eventually appointed creative director in 1933. One of the first women to occupy such a prominent role within the industry, she oversaw an all-male staff of gem-setters and artisan jewellers at Cartier’s Rue de la Paix studio. It was here that she began working closely with in-house designer, Peter Lemarchand, a frequent visitor to Paris’ Bois de Vincennes Zoo, to craft what would become the brand’s most evocative creature in all its lissom beauty.
Panthère de Cartier ring, white gold, diamond, emerald, onyx
Available at Cartier
Prior to Toussaint’s entrance into the glittering world of Cartier, great cats were already a pervasive presence in early 20th century Western art, thanks to a growing fascination with African and Asian cultures in which the big cats had long been associated with royalty, protection and power. After Tutankhamun’s tomb was uncovered in 1922, for example, Egyptomania gripped the fashionable echelons of society, sparking a vogue for trinkets featuring the panther-headed goddess Bastet and the feline-bodied sphinx. This was also an era when the revered American interior designer Elsie de Wolfe revitalised 18th century footstools by covering them in leopard pelts, and entertainers such as Josephine Baker and Sarah Bernhardt showed off their pet cheetahs – living symbols of their irrepressible joie de vivre.
Panthère de Cartier bracelet in platinum
Available at Cartier
By this time, the panther had already made a tentative appearance at Cartier. In 1914, its coat was the inspiration for an abstract pattern of white diamonds and onyx spots on a dainty bracelet watch. That same year, Louis Cartier commissioned the celebrated illustrator George Barbier to create a display card for a new jewellery collection. The resulting artwork, Dame à la Panthère, depicted an elegant woman in a white gown and ropes of luminous pearls, with a black panther at her feet. The model for this portrait, it is said, was Barbier’s friend, Jeanne Toussaint. Three years later, Louis Cartier gifted his paramour an onyx vanity case with one of its first figurative depictions of a panther pacing between two emerald-studded cypress trees.
In the years that followed, Toussaint and Peter Lemarchand evolved Cartier’s big cat away from stylised depictions like the one on her vanity case and began crafting them in 3D form using gold and precious stones. In 1948, the Duke of Windsor commissioned one such beast as a gift for his Duchess, and Toussaint duly delivered a roaring diamond panther atop a 116-carat emerald cabochon brooch – changing the fortunes of both the emblematic creature and Cartier forever. Indeed, so delighted was the Duchess, then considered one of the most stylish women in the world, that another panther was purchased a year later, this time poised on a 152.35-carat polished sapphire. A pride of chic women duly followed suit and commissioned their own daring panther designs, including the fashionable heiress Daisy Fellowes, the socialite Nina Dyer, who was married to Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, and the renowned Latin-American actress Maria Félix.
'Panthère' Diamond, Sapphire, Emerald and Onyx Ring by Cartier
Available at Sotheby's
Over the decades, Cartier’s panther has padded its way across a range of fine jewels, as well as handbags, sunglasses and, in the mid-1980s, even a floral fragrance. Its latest incarnation is as a precious high jewellery motif in Cartier’s Le Voyage Recommence collection, which launched this summer. Here, a spotted diamond and onyx cat with emerald eyes can be seen crouching on a spectacular necklace, as if keeping watch over a clutch of three spectacular aquamarines weighing a total of 20.33 carats. Ferocious, feminine and every bit as fascinating as when it first appeared at the maison, Cartier’s infamous cat stalks on and will do for many years to come.
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September 07, 2023
Casting a shine on the rare yet prolific women silversmiths
Emma Crichton-Miller
This year, among many other significant objects on their stand at Treasure House Fair, New York silver specialists S.J. Shrubsole had placed a beautiful silver porringer. Dated to 1675, during the reign of Charles II, it has two elegant, serpentine handles and the bottom third of the bowl is chased with lively acanthus leaves.
What makes the piece particularly interesting, however, is that it was made by a woman. Katherine Stevens was the wife of the goldsmith Roger Stevens of Foster Lane, who died very suddenly in 1673. Rather than slip into penury, Katherine took over the business, including the bound apprentice John Duck, who later married her daughter. Whatever the division of labour within this small family business, it is her mark, not that of the today better-known John Duck, that appears on this porringer, which has a degree of accomplishment that suggests it is not the work of her young apprentice.
A Charles II Antique English Silver Porringer, 1675 by Katherine Stevens
Courtesy of S.J. Shrubsole
That women figure importantly in British silversmithing in the eighteenth century has long been well known. In 1935, Sir Ambrose Heal, in his magisterial work The London Goldsmiths, determined that between 1697 and the Victorian era, a total of 63 women silversmiths, each with their own registered mark, worked in London alone. He also revealed that many of these women had definite trade designations in the records: they were not just widows running their late husband’s businesses but hands-on designers and craftsmen. Among the most famous are Louisa Perina Courtauld, Eliza Godfrey and Hester Bateman, but these just mark the peaks of a booming trade that was nation-wide. Another piece shown by Shrubsole was as extraordinarily large silver tray, hand-rolled, from 1729, with the mark of Sarah Parr, widow of Thomas Parr I. Philippa Glanville, formerly chief curator of the metal, silver and jewellery department at the Victoria and Albert Museum and co-author of the 1990 volume ‘Women Silversmiths 1685-1845’ has noted other names elsewhere - for instance, Welthian Goodyear, a Bristol spoonmaker, Ellen Dare of Taunton and Elisabeth Haselwood of Norwich. Furthermore, as Lewis Smith of London dealership Koopman Rare Art suggests, “There must have been other women who never gained a mark - the workshop of a silversmith was not a genteel place and there would have been female workers and family members.”
The collectors’ market is focused inevitably on the finest silver, those pieces which have survived multiple disasters of war and bankruptcy. The greatest boost to British goldsmithing in the early eighteenth century was undoubtedly the arrival of highly skilled Huguenot craftsmen, fleeing religious persecution in France. Elizabeth Godfrey, for instance, born Elizabeth Pantin in 1720, was the daughter of the distinguished Huguenot silversmith Simon Pantin. Her first husband, Abraham Buteux, was also a goldsmith from the French immigrant community. Elizabeth registered her first mark as Elizabeth Buteux in 1731, designed, as was customary, in a lozenge shape, to denote a widow, presumably after her husband died. She carried on her first husband’s silver business until her marriage to another goldsmith, Benjamin Godfrey, in 1732. Elizabeth registered a second mark as Elizabeth Godfrey in 1741, presumably when Benjamin died. The majority of her work is in the flamboyant French rococo style then becoming popular in England amongst the wealthy. Smith says of her, “By comparison with the work of her second husband, Benjamin, Eliza Godfrey’s work has a certain finesse.” The set of three monumental sugar casters by her they currently have “are the best rococo casters we have ever had - the quality of the chasing alone.”
A Monumental Set of Three 18th Century Rococo Casters by Elizabeth Godfrey
Courtesy of Koopman Rare Art
Louisa Courtauld, born in 1729, was also of Huguenot extraction. Her father, Pierre Abraham Ogier, was a silk weaver, who brought his family to London when she was a child. Her husband, Samuel Courtauld, was the son of Augustin Courtauld, a Huguenot metalsmith. A portrait of Louisa Courtauld from the 1770s, grandly posed in silk, testifies to the strength of the Courtauld business, appealing to the highest ranks in society. A year after her husband died, in 1766, Courtauld registered her own mark, continuing to run the business until she created a new joint mark with her son, Samuel Courtauld II, in 1777. Courtauld was not an unusual figure in eighteenth century London. In 2019 an exhibition running through the City of London displayed the business cards of the many women entrepreneurs from the period, beside their original premises. The exhibition’s curator, University of Cambridge historian Dr Amy Louise Erickson, commented: “There was nothing unusual about these businesswomen at the time. They were members of trade families and it was normal for women to be in charge. This history has been completely overlooked.”
A George III Antique English Silver Coffee Pot by Louisa Courtauld, 1764
Courtesy of S.J Shrubsole
Perhaps the most famous example is Hester Bateman. Born to a poor family in 1709, in 1730 she married John Bateman, a goldsmith and chainmaker, before inheriting his business on his death in 1760. After registering her mark in 1761, she built a formidable enterprise, helped by her children and apprentice John Linney. By using cost-efficient manufacturing methods, her workshops were able to turn out thousands of pieces - coffee pots, tea urns, cruets, teapots, salvers, goblets, salts, sugar tongs, and flatware - all of elegant but simple design, appealing to the middle classes.
A Pair of George III Antique English Silver Wine Labels by Hester Bateman, c. 1770
Courtesy of S.J. Shrubsole
According to both Smith and Jim McConnaughy of S.J. Shrubsole, there is a strong interest in female silversmiths, especially in America, where, suggests Smith, they appeal especially to their fellow women entrepreneurs. The price differential between men and women silversmiths is negligible, says Lewis Smith.
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August 31, 2023
Chinese contemporary jewellery artists are becoming key power players in the international collectors’ market. We meet the influential designers combining their heritage with cutting-edge techniques to craft extraordinary haute joaillerie.
Kim Parker
“I feel very lucky to be seen as a kind of ambassador for my culture through my work,” says the jewellery artist Anna Hu, fresh from her latest exhibition at The European Fine Art Foundation in Maastricht. “Each of my pieces has a deep historical thread and much of that is rooted in my Chinese heritage. It’s wonderful to be able to share that with the world.”
Renowned for her use of remarkable gemstones, Hu is just one of a growing number of Chinese jewellery artists that have emerged over the past few years whose work is increasingly finding a global audience – with many of their most dramatic pieces achieving record-breaking prices at auction.
Red Magpie Brooch
Anna Hu
“With a legacy of over 5000 years of Chinese art history and craftsmanship fused with new ideas from the West, these designers create jewellery that is unique and hasn’t been seen before,” says Stewart Young, director of jewellery and head of department at Bonhams Asia, which is auctioning five of Hu’s creations at its Hong Kong Jewels and Jadeite sale on 28 May. “Each designer also brings their own distinctive style embodying new techniques… [creating] one-of-a-kind pieces that are highly collectible.”
So collectible, in fact, that Hu has twice broken the record for a Chinese contemporary jewellery artist at auction. In 2019, her Dunhuang Pipa necklace, which featured an intense yellow diamond weighing over 100 carats, sold for US$5.78 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, beating her own record of US$2.59 million that she set in 2013 with her jade Orpheus Ring, sold by Christie’s Hong Kong. Other pieces are sought after for museum collections, such as a serpentine-like hand ornament crafted in collaboration with the American artist Cindy Sherman, which was inducted into the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris last year.
Orpheus Jade Ring
Anna Hu
Born in Taiwan and now living between New York and Monaco, Hu began her career in jewellery after an injury at the age of 18 scuppered her ambitions to become a cellist. She attributes her success to her resolutely scholarly approach to design. “My role as a creative is to unite the past, present and future, so I’m not interested in typical cultural stereotypes,” says the jeweller, who counts Middle Eastern royalty, Oprah Winfrey and Chinese entrepreneurs amongst her clientele. “I love studying and draw inspiration from a wide range of sources, as well as Chinese philosophy.” Indeed, Hu’s latest collection of just 20 pieces includes a gem-set torque shaped like an elegant lotus stem as an ode to the work of Chinese artist Zhang Daqian (a contemporary of Picasso), and also a bib necklace encrusted with tanzanite, tourmaline and sapphire ‘waterlilies’ as a tribute to Claude Monet.
Monet Water Lily Necklace
Anna Hu
Fellow record-breaking jeweller, Edmond Chin, also considers himself “a researcher at heart”, with a passion for “ancient works of art, architecture, textiles, ceramics and sculpture.” The Singaporean-born, Hong Kong-based designer began collecting antique Southeast Asian jewels as a teenager (amassing an exhibition-worthy assortment by the time he graduated from Oxford University in the UK) and went on to lead the jadeite and jewellery department of Christie’s Hong Kong before founding his own atelier in 2001. Now, as the creative director of Boghossian, Chin is celebrated for the modernity and technicality of his works, which minimise the amount of metal needed to showcase sensational gemstones. A double rivière necklace which sold at Christie’s in 2020, for example, was comprised of 28 cushion and octagonal-cut emeralds alongside 22 large diamonds suspended, as if by magic, from fancy-cut jadeite and diamond links. It realised over HK$54 million, smashing the record for no-oil Columbian emeralds. It’s this “fresh approach”, a willingness to be unconventional to achieve stunning feats of artistry, says Chin, that makes the work of many Chinese jewellers so appealing to sophisticated collectors.
It's a sentiment shared by Anabela Chan, the London-based contemporary jeweller who is pioneering the use of more sustainable materials in her nature-inspired pieces such as the Orchid Poppy earrings, which are crafted from enamelled and anodised aluminium, recycled gold and lab-grown sapphires. “I’m grateful for my Chinese roots, which have given me a huge appreciation of detail and craftsmanship, as well as a bold approach to colour, which means I’m always testing the limits of what’s possible and what can be considered beautiful,” she says, adding that international platforms such as red-carpet events and social media have helped to raise the profile of contemporary Asian jewellers around the world (Chan’s aficionados include Lizzo, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé).
Orchid Poppy Earrings
Anabela Chan
Recycled enamelled and anodised aluminium with 18k yellow gold set with laboratory-grown gemstones including yellow, fuchsia pink sapphires and white diamonds.
Also no stranger to pushing boundaries is Wallace Chan, the Hong Kong-based sculptor and artist who became the first Asian to exhibit at the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires in 2012, TEFAF Maastricht and Masterpiece London in 2016. The artist began working as a gemstone carver in 1973, eventually developing his eponymous ‘Wallace Cut’ to carve designs within gemstones for a complex, three-dimensional effect. More recently, his virtuoso work in titanium and in creating an unbreakable form of porcelain have garnered him wide-reaching acclaim. Launched in 2018, after almost a decade of research, Chan’s porcelain retains the pearlescent sheen of the traditional material but is five times tougher than steel – inspired by the memory of a prized porcelain spoon which he shattered as a child. “My whole life, I have only ever wanted to create things that are meant to stand the test of time,” says Chan, who sculpts the porcelain into curvaceous, organic silhouettes set with iridescent gems, as in his kaleidoscopic Pupa ring. “It’s inevitable that all of us come with our cultural identities, a certain level of which must also be reflected in our works, consciously or unconsciously,” he notes. “But to be an artist of any kind, one must have their own unique visions and skills, and these are not necessarily tied to where one comes from.”
Stilled Life by Wallace Chan
Brooch & Sculpture
Imperial Jadeite, Imperial Jadeite bead, Lavender Jadeite, Jadeite, Ruby, Fancy-Colored Diamond, Fancy Colored Sapphire, Tsavorite Garnet, 18K White Gold and Titanium
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Where the Value of Silver Lies
September 23, 2021
Design, age, and provenance can all have a part to play in the value of antique silver.
Charles Hartley
Charles Hartley is the Director of Hartleys Auctions Ltd. and specialises in arms, militaria, fieldsports and taxidermy.
A Queen Anne silver punch strainer, Henry Tolcher of Plymouth, Exeter, c.1710-5, 16.5cm long.
Image courtesy of Michael Baggott.
As an auctioneer, many summers have passed cruising around the sunny countryside bouncing from valuation to valuation. You never know what you might find and this truly is the best part of my job, from dusty houses filled with ancient oak to sleek modernist interiors accented with Danish teak and impressionist art. Though this presents a patchwork quilt of variety, there is always one constant, my late father’s leather gladstone valuation bag and its contents. Other than the pens and paper, possibly the three most highly used pieces of equipment in this bag of tricks would be my eyeglass, silver scales and my pocket book of hallmarks barely holding onto its cover. But what is the true value to those silvery items hidden amid the bric-a-brac, that have me rifling through sideboards and flipping over salvers?
Easy, you may cry, a quick google and you will see a multitude of websites listing bullion prices changing on a daily basis. Silver is of course often valued by weight and though this is an oversimplification, it does bode true, though typically only with damaged or very dull items. One afternoon working at my desk one of our trusted house clearers appeared at my door with a glint in his eye. He’d been sent to a house that I had not visited, this is not typical as usually I would value the property first, but in this case the items were in such a poor state, that the solicitor had deemed it unfit for sale and in need of a heavy hand. He was 99% right: upholstery was moth eaten, furniture wormed and mold ravaged the paintings. Though what was that brick supporting the rotting settee? It was a 999.9 grade 5000g solid bar of silver from the Argor-Haraeus Mint - which went to auction selling by weight for £3,388.
But please don't think this means it’s time to take grandma’s silver tea set to the nearest “cash for gold” store. Bullion price is only one part of the equation which is used to value an item, as so much more in the nature of the piece could add to this.
The design credentials of silver will always impact the value, be it a Mappin & Webb classic or a Georg Jensen statement of arts & crafts design, such as a 20th century tazza I auctioned in March. Its “melt price” would only add up to £540, but on the day it raised over eight times that, seeing £4,598. This same category could also cover “novelty” silver, where small quirky pieces demand a high value with avid collectors desperate to fill a certain gap in their cabinet - like a rabbit pepperette by Sampson Mordan of London 1899, which I sold in 2019 for almost 23 times the melt price at £700.
Paul Storr (1771 - 1844), a pair of silver-gilt wine coolers & stands, silver-gilt , George III, London, 1809, Maker’s mark of Paul Storr, H: 35.5 cm.
Image courtesy of Koopman Rare Art.
Another major factor is age. “Flog It” star Michael Baggott became enamored with the world of hallmarks. He points out that “hallmarking was brought in to assure that no one sold substandard wares to an unsuspecting medieval public and is possibly the oldest bit of consumer protection. Although only introduced to assure purity, happily these marks can allow anyone to know who submitted an object for assay, where in the country it was marked and most importantly when. This immediately gives so much historical information, making silver collectors amongst the luckiest in the field of collecting”. Proving the point, amongst Michael’s collection is this small West Country orange strainer. Weighing only 2oz 9dwt, the value of the silver would be around £35. However, as a very rare provincial Queen Anne example, by Henry Tolcher of Plymouth (c.1710-15), it is worth roughly a hundred times more at £3,750.
But if you truly want to stretch the value of silver you have to not only look at the age and design of a piece, but its provenance. No better place to represent this is Koopman Rare Art, which is one of the world’s leading dealers specialising in antique silver, gold boxes and objets de vertu. Director Lewis Smith explains that “one of the great points with important silver is that it was often made for important families and individuals. Secondly, it often was designed by the great names to fit into houses that were being built at the height of fashion of the day”. Asking them for examples, Lewis spoiled me for choice, but my favourite amongst their offerings was a pair of Paul Storr wine coolers. The identical model is displayed in the royal collection, the V&A and by strange coincidence The White House, Washington. These were made around the time that the British burnt the building down during the War of 1812 and since their creation have held a long list of aristocratic owners and are valued in the hundreds of thousands.
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March 25, 2021
The world of women’s vintage watches.
Avril Groom
Avril Groom writes on jewellery, watches and fashion for Telegraph Time, Times Luxx, FT How to Spend It magazine, Centurion magazine and Country and Town House magazine, among others.
18-carat gold Omega Constellation watch, mesh bracelet, automatic movement, circa 1980, sold for £3000 at xupes.com
Image courtesy of Xupes.
Staggering auction prices for watches make regular headlines. Out in front is 2020’s £24.2 million for a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime with twenty complications, donated by the brand to a charity auction. Before, the $17.8 million Rolex Daytona exotic dial “Paul Newman” that belonged to the Hollywood icon himself held the crown. These two brands compose all top ten prices, all men’s watches, as are most of the hundred-plus timepieces sold for over $1.5 million.
Buying vintage watches is traditionally a game for the boys - they’re one accessory where men can express individuality and status. But times change. Today’s high-earning women are interested in buying watches and in the art and craft of their movements and dials. With good reason, for women’s vintage watches are great value.
Styles such as Art Deco diamond bracelet watches from establishment brands like Cartier or Van Cleef and Arpels always carry a premium though nothing like the record-breakers. Many women’s vintage models are too small for modern tastes unless you want a delicately worked jewelled evening watch, often a bargain even when sparkling with tiny diamonds right round the case. “Watch sizes today have increased for both sexes”, says Megan Young, head of service at online luxury vintage retailer Xupes and a trained watchmaker. “Women are going for mid-century pieces, for their design and craft and because some were a little bigger than previously. Also the classic men’s watches of that time are relatively small, so they suit women and may not attract the same competition that larger men’s models would.”
18-carat textured gold, manual wind, 1970s bracelet watch by Bueche Girod, sold for just over £2800 at Fellows Auctioneers.
Image courtesy of Fellows Auctioneers.
Millennials love mid-century design, watches included. “The 1960s and 1970s were adventurous, with coloured hardstones and engraved or woven yellow gold and design that seems more individual than much today’”, says Penelope Morris, senior watch specialist at Bonhams. “There is great interest in pieces from Piaget (from about £4000), Chopard (from about £2000) and Cartier.” Designers experimented with brilliant colour, mixing hardstones like turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, tiger eye or opal, with diamonds for sparkle, set against yellow gold which was the favoured precious metal of the day and worked with imaginative finishes - engraved, woven or mesh - that were inherited from the great Italian goldsmiths and adopted enthusiastically by houses like Piaget, one of the first watch marques to have its own goldsmiths’ atelier. All these elements were housed in cases of unconventional, sometimes abstract shape, the whole item including the bracelet designed as a piece of fine jewellery. The uniqueness and sustainability of vintage resonates with today’s mindful customer, says Natasha Davis, Fellows Auctioneers’ watch specialist. “Many 1960s and 1970s watches are boldly designed and beautifully handcrafted, with outstanding goldsmithing that would be very costly now. They are fine jewellery as much as timepieces yet many are modestly priced”.”
Morris agrees that women are now more knowledgeable about techniques and movements and “know the right questions to ask of any retailer to ensure they get value”. Young says some are now competing with men as collectors, buying as much to invest as to enjoy. “Specific brands and models are collectable, and some appeal equally to women”, she says.
18-carat white gold, diamond and lapis lazuli, manual wind bracelet watch, circa 1976, by Patek Philippe. Sold for £36,875 inc. premium at Bonhams in December 2018.
Image courtesy of Bonhams.
18-carat gold plait-effect bracelet watch with Jaeger Lecoultre 101 movement and ruby cabochons, Jaeger for Hermès, sold for £10,000 at xupes.com.
Image courtesy of Xupes.
One is that Rolex Daytona Paul Newman with its bold, monochrome, panda-style dial - or the reverse - which was, says Young, “not a success when it launched because the colours limited its appeal and not many were made but it became a cult once Newman wore it, and its design and moderate size make it attractive to women wanting that cool, sporty, mid-century style with such cultural symbolism”. A female client bought one over twenty years ago for what seemed a fortune but was several times less than the almost £240,000 that it is currently on sale for. Equally unisex is the Cartier Crash, especially those made in London where the design originated in 1967, and would cost from £60,000 to £110,000 depending on condition. Women’s 1940s models with Jaeger Lecoultre’s 101 movement - the world’s smallest mechanical - have been rising rapidly since the brand revived it three years ago.
Other examples are more modest. Elegant, timeless classics like the Cartier Tank (up to £10,000) and the Patek Philippe Calatrava (from £5000) are, says Morris, “good buys, always stylish and well made with stable mechanical movements, reliable if properly maintained.” Some are variable - a 1970s, gold Omega Constellation would be about £3000 while one of the unique, innovative, special project models designed for Omega by jeweller Andrew Grima would be nearer £30,000.
18-carat gold and onyx 1980s Structura skeleton watch with sapphire cabochon, at Vacheron Constantin Les Collectionneurs.
Image courtesy of Vacheron Constantin.
In addition to auction houses and specialist retailers, some brands are taking back ownership. Cartier’s Tradition is a selection of interesting bought-back items renovated and resold by the house through their flagships and private exhibitions. Similarly Vacheron Constantin has Les Collectionneurs - watches from the 1910s to about 1970, aimed at collectors through special events in their stores. Both houses select and authenticate pieces with great care, and restore them using period components where possible. These are top-level, guaranteed-origin items and reliable investments. But if you have modest means, a good eye and a trusted if less exalted source, you could take a chance on a quirky piece that you love. You may not make a fortune but given the story of the Paul Newman Daytona you just might.
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November 12, 2020
The stone or the setting – where does the value of a jewel lie?
Maria Doulton
Maria Doulton is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of The Jewellery Editor.com. She writes about watches and jewellery for both UK and international newspapers and magazines including the Financial Times, Intelligent Life, Telegraph Luxury and Vanity Fair on Jewellery.
Giardinetti brooch with rose diamond-set leaves, with flower heads of 7 emeralds, 1 chrysoberyl, 3 green beryls, 2 spinels, 2 brown diamonds and 10 rubies. The basket is set with a row of rubies and emeralds, interspersed with diamonds is set in silver and gold having French marks on the clasp. Mid-18th century.
Sandra Cronan Ltd - A17
Jewellery is one of the most enduring artefacts man has ever created. Walk around the V&A in London and while the colours of the fabrics, furniture and pottery graciously fade with age, the jewellery gallery burns the brightest. In this gallery, each gem beams out its defiant light showing little regard for the ravages of time. So it is no surprise that the serene and immutable beauty of gemstones has been consistently prized in the raucous, tumultuous story of humanity. But what about the settings, the frills and trimmings that transform a loose stone into an amulet, love-token or talisman?
Settings, and by extension the design of a jewel, are the ever-changing narrative that places a gemstone in a context of time and place. Without a setting, gems are just loose stones, worth but their weight in carats. It is when the rarity of the gemstone is equalled or enhanced by the craft of the goldsmith that jewels became more than a sum of their parts.
Given the importance of settings, how does the overall state of a setting affect the value of antique jewels? Sandra Cronan, one of London’s most respected antique jewellery dealers explains: ‘The best way to understand this question is to look at jewellery from before the 19th century whose value is so totally dependent on the condition of the jewel, and that is principally the setting. Once a jewel has been damaged, it is near impossible to restore and therefore drastically reduces its value.’ Ironically, if an antique jewel has a highly valuable stone, it has to be removed from its setting to ascertain its weight and be analysed by a gemmological laboratory, a process that can affect the overall integrity of the jewel. This would explain why often stones that are removed from damaged antique jewels are recut to more contemporary tastes.
Victorian amethyst and diamond set pendant. The central emerald cut amethyst surrounded by a circle of tapered amethysts interlaced with an elaborate diamond set design. Surmounted by an amethyst and diamond trefoil and culminating with a amethyst drop pendant, mounted in 18ct yellow gold and silver. English, circa 1880.
Sandra Cronan Ltd - A17
Early jewels focussed on the stone with a reverence for its properties of healing, protection and as indicators of status and rank. The Ancient Egyptians exalted the talismanic properties of precious stones by putting them on the body whether directly on the skin to heal different maladies or as amulets set in gold. Gold represented the flesh of the gods and gemstones eternity, a winning combination that has stood the test of time. Since then, the mythical, cultural and religious significance of gemstones have brightened our history books. The Aztecs prized turquoise above all else while the Mughals believed diamonds were a link to the divine powers, the mirror-like effect of the diamonds having a magical effect on whoever saw it as they in turn would have been imbued with its aura. The craft of jewellery making grew up to create frames worthy of these miracles of Nature.
The most valued gemstones have been preserve of royalty. A visit to the Tower of London is a succinct lesson in the power of monarchy told through gems. Awe-inspiring and magnificent, there is no doubt that the Koh I Noor diamonds and the Black Prince’s ruby are still clearly semaphoring their message of empire and dominance. The maharajas flocked to Place Vendôme in the roaring 1920s, trailing trunks full of jewels to be recut and re-set à la mode. Lighter, new-fangled platinum settings and modern diamond shapes made their magnificent jewels shine brighter than ever under electric light as well as signalling the Indian aristocrats’ relevance in an increasingly globalised world.
Rare Leopold Gautrait Art Nouveau Enamel and Gem-set Ring, circa 1900.
A Rakyan Collection - A24
This combination of impressive settings with magnificent gems, the zenith of jewels, makes a very strong statement. So strong that a people’s revolution means dismantling not just the power structure but the very jewels themselves, re-setting the agenda if you like. Case in point, after two bloody uprisings, the 1789 French and the 1917 Russian revolutions the outgoing monarchies’ jewels were broken up or auctioned off to newly minted millionaires in emerging economies such as the United States. The new regimes were keen to keep the universal currency of diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies but erased the story that the elaborate settings told. And so the mounts of tiaras worn at grand balls and ornate corsages, necklaces and rings that smacked of unimaginable wealth were melted into scrap gold, erasing the chronicles of an era.
Then came the Art Nouveau era that challenged the value and significance of settings versus gemstones. Questioning perceptions entirely, master jewellers such as René Lalique presented them in a new light as an art form, their value almost solely in the skill of the jeweller than in the actual worth of the materials. Humble components such as enamel, moonstones and citrines paired with humble themes like wasps, flies or thistles were elevated to the highest levels of beauty through unparalleled craftsmanship, its value surpassing that of its parts.
Pair of early Georgian rose cut diamond stud earrings, of foliate cluster form (originally buttons). Mounted in silver, French or possibly Russian, circa 1760.
Sandra Cronan Ltd - A1
This brief period left its mark with later jewellers drawing the focus to design and settings, as seen in some of the great artist jewellers of the last century from Suzanne Belperron to British ground-breaking jewellers such as Andrew Grima, and designs by Danish house Georg Jensen.
And we are still exploring the fine line between style and substance. This year’s high jewellery collections from the big names of Place Vendôme include daring use of lesser gemstones such as rutilated quartz, lapis lazuli and turquoise in adventurous designs. The most extreme example is the Boucheron’s Contemplations collection. The Goutte du Ciel necklace is made of diamond, rock crystal and Aerogel, NASA’s favourite insulation material and the most clear-cut case to date of a setting being the most valuable element in a jewel. The centuries-long dance of gemstones and settings continues in new and ever surprising choreographies.
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Pioneering the Vintage Omega Market
March 27, 2025
By Simon de Burton
‘Certified, pre-owned’ has become a familiar phrase in the watch world during the past five or so years.
It refers to the sale of second-hand timepieces by the brands that originally made them, and each ‘CPO’ watch is usually offered with all the benefits associated with buying new – which means it will be in perfect working order, it will be guaranteed authentic and it will carry a warranty of up to two years.
But while most major dial names only recently became involved in the business of re-selling second-hand models, one historic brand has been doing so for the best part of 18 years thanks to its unique arrangement with the highly respected dealer Somlo London – the world’s only official outlet for vintage Omega.
George Somlo established the partnership with Omega in 2008, but his eponymous business can trace its roots back to the early 1970s when he cut his dealer teeth at west London’s celebrated Portobello Road antiques market. “I was born in Hungary but came to Britain with my parents when I was nine years old, in 1956 – the year of the Hungarian uprising. “We were the only survivors of the event from our family, and my parents brought us to London so I could have a better life,” says Somlo.
Photo by Michalina Fransik
Back in Hungary, Somlo’s father had been involved in retail and, once settled into a house in west London’s Ladbroke Grove area, he found work with a fellow Hungarian who ran a business specialising in reproduction jewellery. “My father couldn’t speak a word of English when we arrived , but he managed to sell this man’s jewellery. Eventually he took a stall on the Portobello Road and, from the age of 15, I was running it by myself every other Saturday. “Working in that environment meant you had to become a businessman, because there were so many deals going on – if you bought something at eight o’clock in the morning, it might change hands five or six times by 11!” In those days, says Somlo, there was little to no market for second-hand wrist watches, so he was mainly selling jewellery and the occasional piece of silver.
After school, however, he left the market behind, trained as an accountant and was soon recruited by IBM, then the world leader in computer production. “It was a booming business, but the company announced a relocation to Portsmouth and I didn’t want to leave my parents – so I went back to the markets, working at Portobello again as well as Bermondsey and off Brick Lane,” says Somlo. “I got stuck in and found I was really enjoying it, so I decided to try going out on my own.” The first Somlo outlet opened in 1970 in the basement of Mayfair’s now-defunct Bond Street Antiques Centre, before moving to an upper floor and then expanding into new premises in Piccadilly Arcade where it remained for 23 years. “At the beginning I was selling silver, a bit of jewellery and some antique pocket watches, but I realised that, in order to move up-market and be really successful it was necessary to specialise,” says Somlo. "In those days, no one really had any interest in wrist watches – only a few clever people who could see what was coming in terms of rising values and collectability. But, as the market changed, we evolved and began selling them alongside pocket watches.”
Somlo’s competence in the genre ultimately attracted the attention of Omega, which suggested forming a partnership that would make the business the only outlet in the world officially sanctioned to sell the brand’s vintage creations. “I was very happy with the idea of the association, but we clearly needed a much larger shop so that half could be devoted to Omega and the other half to other brands that we sell, such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Cartier,” explains Somlo. ‘Somlo London’ and ‘Omega Vintage’ took up residence in Burlington Arcade in 2006 and has since become the ‘go to’ outlet among those in search of the best of the best of the brand’s pre-owned pieces. “The business is unique in the world of vintage Omega, because we have a full-time watch maker and restorer on-site who is employed by Omega, and we receive all our parts directly from the manufacturer in Switzerland.” Somlo was undoubtedly instrumental in shining the spotlight on the collectability of Omega’s vintage pieces, the values of which have roughly tripled across the board in the past 20 years.
Photo by Antonio Salgado
But, despite having established a reputation for the quality of its pre-owned wristwatches (Omega and others) Somlo remains a valued hunting ground for pocket watch enthusiasts and keeps a stock of models dating as far back as the 17th century. “There are very few pocket watch specialists left today – and we also go right back to the dawn of the wristwatch in the early 20th century,” says Somlo. When it comes to the most collectable vintage Omegas, however, Somlo senior refers to his son, Daniel, to identify the nuances of specific pieces and to value them accordingly. He, too, considered a different profession – in this case, as an architect – before returning to the family business.
Courtesy of Somlo London
Having studied horology at the University of Birmingham before completing the renowned Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational programme (WoSTEP) in Manchester and then working for two years at an Omega service centre, Daniel is well qualified to buy, sell and advise on watches of all makes and types. Of late, he observes, there has been a shift away from the larger, more statement-making sports watches that became popular during the early 2000s and a return to more classic styles. “The rare, early Speedmaster models from the 1950s and ‘60s remain among the most valuable Omega watches we stock, and they can sell for anything between £60,000 and £90,000,” he says. “But we’re seeing an increasing demand for the brand’s smaller, more classical Constellation and Seamaster models.”
And those who don’t have a five-figure budget to spend on a vintage Omega shouldn’t despair – according to Daniel, one particular model that remains largely under the radar but which is gradually picking-up followers is the unusual Chronostop single-button chronograph. “They start on the low side of £3,000 and can be had in some really attractive variations, from a special driver’s model to others with lovely, coloured dials in blues and greens. They are all manually-wound and use good quality movements. “And,” he adds, “the equivalent modern Omega of this quality would cost more than twice as much….”
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February 07, 2025
by Çiğdem Baker
Japan has long captivated the Western imagination with its approach to an exquisite kind of beauty, characterised by its delicacy and restraint. It is embodied in the principle of kanso, a cornerstone of Japanese aesthetics that finds beauty in simplicity and the art of subtraction. This permeates every facet of Japanese culture - from watercolour painting and ceramics to the choreography of their tea ceremonies and culinary presentation and nowhere is it more vividly expressed than in Japanese textiles and garments - particularly the kimono. Its clean, unadorned lines and elegance celebrate the natural qualities of its materials - whether the subtle sheen of silk or the muted tones of hand-dyed fabric, making the garments transcend mere functionality to become wearable art.
The history of the kimono reflects the blending of kanso with global influences. In the 16th century, Portuguese traders introduced silk fabrics that enriched Japanese craftsmanship, followed by the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch introduced a range of new materials that expanded the possibilities of kimono design, including wool, dyes and metallic threads that added subtle brilliance to ceremonial garments.
By the late 19th century, during the Meiji era, Japan began sharing its artistry with the world, most notably at the 1873 international exhibition in Vienna where kimonos as well as prints, lacquerware and ceramics, were introduced to international audiences.
The kimono’s international debut captivated countless artists, from Monet and Van Gogh to Whistler and Klimt, who used it as an excuse for geometric abstract structure in their paintings. In modern times, pop culture icons such as David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Madonna, and Björk have transformed the kimono into a dazzling emblem of style and artistic expression. Freddie Mercury, an avid collector, amassed over 50 exquisite vintage kimonos, including a richly embroidered stage-worn piece that commanded a breathtaking £57,150 at auction. The kimono’s allure transcends the stage and canvas, shaping the costume design of the Star Wars saga and inspiring the avant-garde creations of Alexander McQueen.
For those entranced by the allure of Japanese textiles, the journey into collecting kimonos can be a scholarly journey. A good starting point is the acclaimed book Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, created alongside the V&A’s 2020 exhibition of the same name. This exhibition brilliantly traced the kimono's evolution from traditional attire to a contemporary fashion icon.
For those seeking a deeper dive, the Khalili Collection of Kimono offers an unparalleled exploration. Assembled by British-Iranian scholar, collector, and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili, this extraordinary collection comprises over 450 garments and is widely regarded as one of the most significant in the world. To explore this treasure trove, visit khalilicollections.org.
Kimono for a Young Girl 1912-1926, The Khalili Collection
Image courtesy of The Khalili Collection
How then do you start a collection worth cherishing? Collecting kimonos comes with its challenges; without specialist knowledge, verifying the authenticity and the age of a kimono can be tricky. However, the cost is generally related to the age, material and craftsmanship of the kimono. As a rule of thumb, ceremonial kimonos are more expensive. For instance, museum-quality ceremonial kimonos are upwards of £2,000. For those interested in contemporary versions, the website Gallery Japan is well worth a visit. There you will find many breathtaking kimono designs by contemporary textile artists; many of whom are international exhibited and have won prestigious awards.
Laura Bordignon is a specialist antique dealer in Japanese works of art from the Meiji period 1868-1912. An expert in textiles and embroideries of the era, Laura says: “during the Meiji era the textile firms in Kyoto who previously mainly produced kimono and temples garments, underwent significant changes due to the modernisation policies of the new Meiji government. They started to cater for a Western export market manufacturing extremely fine ornamental textiles art for interiors such as silk embroidery pictures, screens, drapery and wall hangings which were imported through dealers and shops like Libertys in London. Silk pictures were often based on actual paintings but delicately embroidered with fine stitches techniques to create a great visual effect and also using layers and texture to create a sense of depth, which from a distance and to the untrained eye appear like paintings”.
A fine example of this is a Japanese silk panel she is selling made in the Oshi-e technique depicting the Samurai Nitta Yoshisada.
Japanese silk panel made in the Oshi-e technique depicting the Samurai Nitta Yoshisada with his attendant kneeling at his side, late Meiji Period 1868-1912.
W: 58cm (22.8") H: 81cm (31.9”)
Image courtesy of Laura Bordignon
Malcolm Fairley has been specialising in Japanese works of art for over 40 years and he played a critical role in creating the landmark catalogue for the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art, titled Meiji no Takara: Treasures of Imperial Japan.
One of his key pieces is a silk embroidery made by the company Takashimaya and first purchased (by repute) at the 1906 World’s Fair in Milan. Made at the turn of the last century, it is decorated in a rich array of flowers including chrysanthemums, peonies, irises, hydrangea, wisteria, lilies and roses. Takashimaya was a company that commissioned famous Japanese artists to make designs which their company would produce as textiles, ready to market for the export market and a table cover like this, would have been luxurious items even in their day.
It would originally have had tassels or a fringe around the edges and hung over a table so that the floral embroidery would have been visible hanging down the sides. It is highly likely the table would have been used to display a vase and not used every day for eating on and its colours are still unusually vibrant.
Fairley says “we have been collecting textiles for over 30 years, but finding them in really fine condition is increasingly difficult. We do still occasionally find smaller framed embroideries, which are often great examples of their very finest work but comprehensive collections are rare”.
Takashimaya - A fine silk embroidered table cover. 176 x 173 cm, mounted on a wood stretcher late Meiji Period (1868-1912).
Image courtesy of Malcolm Fairley
Detail below:
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Tax Changes: The Budget's Impact on the Art World
January 24, 2025
By Simon de Burton, journalist and contributor to GQ and the Financial Times.
People from all walks of life have expressed dismay at the budget announcement by chancellor Rachel Reeves (or ‘Rachel from accounts’ as she has come to be known following recent revelations about the (in)accuracy of her CV). But art dealers and collectors have largely adopted a ‘laissez faire’ attitude to the changes in inheritance tax, capital gains tax, VAT and employer’s National Insurance contributions - despite the fact that they could have a significant impact on the market.
Starting with the latter first, the 1.2 per cent hike in employer’s NI contributions that takes the figure to 15 per cent of earnings will hit dealers, auction houses, shipping firms, restorers and anyone else in and around the art world who runs a medium to large operation. And the rise is only compounded by the lowering of the so-called ‘secondary threshold’ – ie the point at which NICs become due – from £9,100 to £5,000.
That means even small galleries employing part-time staff could find their overheads increasing quite dramatically or, possibly, having to employ more people, each working fewer hours, in order to circumvent the liability. Some of the biggest budget noise, however, has been around making agricultural properties liable to inheritance tax. Farming is clearly more important to the everyday economy than art buying, which explains why there has been little mention of the fact that many of the exemptions once applied to collections were done away with in the budget.
Stock Photograph
Now, family members inheriting collections valued at more than £325,000 (ie, the price of a relatively modest painting or piece of furniture) will be required to pay 40 per cent of the value beyond that figure in IHT. Liability can still be avoided in some cases if collections or individual objects are loaned or donated to national institutions – but that still depends on whether or not the institutions are interested in having them. Dealers and galleries, meanwhile, can wave goodbye to the five per cent reduced VAT rate payable on some works imported into the UK (especially those from outside the EU). Now, the standard 20 per cent will apply in a move, according to Rachel from Accounts, to ‘simplify the tax code’.
Stock Photograph
While the VAT will be reclaimable, the fact remains that 15 per cent more money needs to be found to buy affected objects in the first place, potentially jeopardising cash flow and facing private clients (who will not be VAT registered) with higher price tags. However, there is some good news: Emerging artists and small, art-based enterprises might be set to benefit from the budget tinkering. It brought in new tax breaks designed to encourage people to invest in ‘cultural assets’ deemed beneficial to the wider public.
That means tax relief of up to 30 per cent on money invested in emerging artists, free exhibitions, community art projects or other public, art-based activities. Benefactors could also qualify for capital gains tax deferrals on artworks acquired for such projects that are subsequently re-sold for profit. So perhaps now is the time to turn the toolshed into a gallery or the garden into a sculpture park.
Because in a world where taxes rise and exemptions vanish, the smartest investment might just be a well-placed gnome with delusions of grandeur.
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January 10, 2025
by Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
Dynasties are ubiquitous—spanning acting, property dealing, and farming. Yet, in the world of art dealing, the continuing intergenerational exchange of ideas and experience stands out as particularly remarkable, given the world's reliance on ever-shifting and unpredictable fashions.
The Green family, renowned London art dealers specialising in works from the 17th to the 21st century, have demonstrated extraordinary resilience across generations.
Their story begins with James Green, whose forbears emigrated from Krakow, Poland, to Britain in the 1870s. In 1936, James opened a gallery in St. James’s, focusing on sporting pictures and representing the highly fashionable artist, Alfred Munnings.
Richard Green, James’ son, joined the family business after leaving school at 15. In 1955, he branched out to establish his own gallery, marking the start of a new chapter for the family legacy. By 1959 he had joined forces with his brother John, and together they expanded into more diverse art genres, collaborating until 1964, when John transitioned into the property industry - although he would later return to the family business in 1993.
Richard and James Green, mid 1950s
Image courtesy of Richard Green Gallery
Richard’s ventures flourished, with his first gallery opening on Dover Street and subsequent expansions into Bond Street. Now at 88, Richard continues to lead the business alongside his son Jonathan Green and his sister Penny Marks, ensuring the family’s enduring presence as some of the most distinguished art connoisseurs in the world.
Jonathan, in his 60s, recalls his grandfather and father with admiration. In the 1950s, he says, ‘It was tough to sell a picture for hundreds of pounds never mind thousands.’ Jonathan has streamlined the two Richard Green properties in Bond Street and this year made the hub of operations the spectacular five-floor building first occupied by 1st Viscount Nelson in 1797. The aim nowadays is to concentrate on quality rather than quantity and their collection includes the best works by the finest artists, the standard for which Richard Green is so well-known. Their current list features works by Pissarro, Boudin, Brueghel the elder, Corot, Lowry and, in a nod to James Green, Alfred Munnings; the gallery is also exhibiting contemporary artists such as sculptor Emily Young. Every decade brings changes in art fashions and markets and the established, well-known, big names are in demand now. The Modern British market is strong, the Dutch and Flemish, more selective. But the Greens remain steadfast in their approach: ‘We are very much classical dealers with tried and trusted artists. We stick to what we know.’
Now almost a century old, the Green empire has seen some changes in the art scene, weathering changing fashions and tumultuous events: 'We’ve had our ups and downs,’ says Jonathan. James Green’s gallery stayed open during the Second World War – when, surprisingly, there ‘was a strong market in Europe’ with a continuing trade of artworks across the continent. Brexit, Jonathan tells me, is another matter altogether and ‘extremely unhelpful.’ ‘Transport and moving goods into Europe has become even more expensive, the rules and regulations more taxing. Because of the new rules, art dealers can no longer leave a painting for consideration with a client who resides in Europe.'
Then there is the internet: ‘the internet has been very helpful,’ he says. ‘It’s brought a wider pool of clients and expectations have changed’ he says, when it comes to transparency. With provenance merely a Google click away, purchasers expect iron-clad assurances of the kind that connoisseurs such as Richard Green is able to provide. Richard himself is still an inspiration: ‘My father is a very modern thinker and an astounding visionary’ says Jonathan. The older Green, he says, ‘broke the mould in the world of art dealing. His attention to detail and unwavering demand for the highest quality and condition had never been a ‘thing’. His approach to client service was second to none and above all his bravery when bidding for the best was unmatched.’
The Green Family
Image courtesy of Richard Green Gallery
But, Jonathan goes on, ‘the world is very different today to when I started. It’s harder to make a margin and more difficult to make a discovery.’ His son Charles is the latest Green to come on board – ‘in charge of social media.’ It is a legacy the youngest Green takes seriously: his father and grandfather, he says, ‘have built a distinguished history of expertise, integrity, and passion for the arts, and it is with great pride that I now step into this legacy, contributing my own vision and energy to a field that has long been our family’s heart and soul.’ And what about all the other many descendants of James Green? Jonathan laughs: ‘ We’ve got to limit it: as with our art we must continue to be selective.’
Cristabel Horswell of the Sladmore Gallery is another third generation in the art business. Now in Jermyn Street, the Sladmore was founded in the 1960s by her grandmother who showed sculpture in her Buckinghamshire house - also a haven for rare and exotic birds. A history of art graduate, Cristabel was not originally planning to join her father Edward Horswell who had himself joined the business in his twenties. But it was the middle of the pandemic when she left university and no other opportunities were available – 'so it was a happy coincidence.' Cristabel found herself collaborating with renowned contemporary sculptors such as Nic Fiddian-Green, represented by the Sladmore Gallery as well as some of the most distinguished animalier sculptors of the past, including the legendary Rembrandt Bugatti. 'It’s been so lovely to have a formal induction into this quality of work,' she says and she works well, she says, with her father. 'Being able to travel together is a real benefit.' Cristabel too finds the older generations don’t get in the way of change. Her father is 'open to lots of new developments,' and while she admits that the online presence is led by the younger team members, she also says 'there’s nothing better than making face to face contact with clients.' And she loves the family continuity: it makes it more than just a job. 'I never met my grandmother and it’s inspirational to think that what was for her a random hobby ended up like this.'
Another firm with its roots based firmly in family ties is Thomas Coulborn & Sons, the fine furniture dealers based in Sutton Coldfield. Jonathan Coulborn, the grandson of the firm’s founders Thomas and Mary, recalls how they purchased Vesey Manor (where the firm remains) in 1942 in order to open an antique shop. It was his father who developed it into a specialised business, focussing on high quality English Georgian and Regency Furniture with a few good examples of French furniture mixed in. Nowadays, Jonathan says, they have continued to expand and explore within this tradition: ‘I particularly enjoy mixing it with items which represent a mixture of design source or tradition; Chinese Export furniture and art, Anglo-Indian items, Spanish Colonial together with material techniques that fascinate me like japanning and pietre dure inlay.’
Thomas Coulborn in the gallery with sons Peter and Paul.
Courtesy of Thomas Coulborn & Sons
The latest Coulborn who has shown an interest in joining the business is Jonathan’s son Noah who made his ‘Antiques World debut’ at Treasure House Fair last year. But there’s no pressure: ‘I think it is very important for my children to feel free to pursue their own interests in their future careers whether that is in the art world or not,’ he says.
The Thomas Coulborn & Sons team, pictured at Treasure House Fair 2024.
From left: Maud Lewis, Jonathan Coulborn and Noah Coulborn.
Photography by Antonio Salgado
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Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury
January 03, 2025
by Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
Crop-haired, coltishly boyish, energetically creative and friend and lover of both men and women, Dora Carrington (she dropped the Dora early on and was known simply as Carrington) was the very embodiment of the Bloomsbury Group spirit and the jazzy bohemianism that flourished in the inter-war years. As is the case with so many of the Bloomsberries, Carrington’s biography tends to overshadow her work and she is often viewed as an artist on the edge of the group rather than in the central space her works deserve.
Her life was free-spirited and buffeted and romantic without a trace of sentimentality and often marked by sadness. And her end was tragic. She ran away from her kindly father and a mother who was an enthusiast for martyrdom and respectability, to study at the Slade, just before the First World War, part of the generation of young artists described by their tutor Henry Tonks as ‘a crisis of brilliance.’ Among her fellow students was Mark Gertler, who became her lover and whose paintings at this period (though darker and stranger than Carrington’s) echo hers.
Dora Carrington, Lytton Strachey Reading, 1916, Oil on panel
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Carrington took her prodigious talent for draughtsmanship, modelling and still life out into the world and was soon swept up in the convention-defying and convivial excitements of life in the Bloomsbury Group. And she might (who knows?) then have moved on to different worlds entirely were it not that, while staying with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant at Asheham in Sussex, she crept upstairs to cut fellow guest Lytton Strachey’s beard off. Legend has it that he opened his eyes and she fell instantly in love. From that moment, Strachey was the lodestone of Carrington’s life. He was gay so their relationship was cosily domestic but non-sexual. She had many lovers and eventually married Ralph Partridge, a writer and sportsman, with whom Lytton was also in love. Their menage a trois (‘a triangular trinity of happiness’), much of it at Ham Spray, their Hampshire house, was a time of great happiness and stability but was shattered when Lytton died in 1932. Unable to continue without him, two weeks later Carrington took her own life. She was only 39.
Dora Carrington, Cat and nude, illustrated letter to Poppet John, 1928.
Courtesy of the Dora Carrington Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
A wonderful new exhibition at the Pallant House gallery in Chichester has put Carrington’s art back into the foreground. And not just her paintings but all the teeming creativity that characterised her whole life: her misspelt letters illustrated with wonderful sketches of life at Ham Spray or cartoonish pictures in the margins; the furniture she painted with brightly theatrical scenes; a fireplace decorated with her painted tiles; a trompe l’oeil bookcase filled with books with funny titles (‘Deception’ by Jane Austen being one). She had a profitable sideline making tinsel pictures (in the tradition of Victorian ‘treacle’ paintings) on glass which she sold in Fortnum & Mason – she would feed her guests sweets and hoard the coloured sweet papers. Very few of these pictures have survived but the show’s curators, Ariane Bankes and Anne Chisholm (editor of Carrington’s letters) have scoured the country and come up with some delightful examples, displaying Carrington’s love for popular and folk art, for pantomime, circus, and Victorian ephemera. One of Carrington’s tinsel pictures sold at Bonhams in 2021 for £57,000. She would have been mightily surprised and, I think, amused to know this.
Dora Carrington, Iris Tree on a Horse, c.1920s, oil, ink, silver foil & mixed media on glass, The Ingram Collection.
Courtesy of The Ingram Collection.
Carrington’s paintings are lovely, compelling, sometimes intimate (her well-known portrait of Strachey, his long-fingered hands holding a book to his nose, is here) and sometimes shadowed by a kind of foreboding – such as ‘Farm at Watendlath’, her oil of a white farmhouse in Cumbria surrounded by hills that bear in oppressively. Like Gertler, she was influenced by pub-signs, with their flat, colourful one-dimensionality and this is apparent in many of her portraits: she liked the solid- planed beauty of her housemaid Annie Stiles and painted her portrait several times. And ‘Mrs Box’ is a portrait of the housekeeper who looked after the Cornish house where the Carrington family went on holiday. Foursquare, her hands on her lap, her old-fashioned bonnet surrounding an impenetrable old face, ‘Mrs Box’ portrait seems a remarkable achievement for a 20-year-old.
Dora Carrington, Mrs Box, 1919, Oil on canvas.
Courtesy of The Higgins Bedford.
Known works by Carrington are few – but many are now integral to the visual chronicles of Bloomsbury. Her painting of Tidmarsh Mill, for example, the first house she lived in with Strachey, with its dark waters and lonely swans. And her portraits of the novelist Julia Strachey, Gerald Brenan and EM Forster – as well as that one of Lytton himself, now in the National Portrait Gallery. It’s difficult to separate Carrington from Bloomsbury but on the evidence of this exhibition, her work can also stand very firmly on its own two feet.
Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury is at Pallant House, Chichester until the 27 April 2025.
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Flaws as Insight: The perfection of imperfection in art
December 13, 2024
by Catherine Milner
Catherine Milner is a journalist, curator and the editor of the Treasure House Fair Magazine.
In the world of art, perfection has often been the benchmark of greatness. Masterpieces, like the Sistine Chapel or Venus de Milo embody a devotion to excellence in their precision and gracefully balanced composition.
Yet equally compelling is everything that is wrong, bad and mad in art, as in life. It is the imperfections in works of art - and arguably in human beings - that often make them more beautiful, challenging the viewer in ways that a polished work, doesn’t. As John Ruskin said: “To banish imperfection is to destroy expression,” and what is art if not a means of communicating feeling?
Key to the beauty of Tracey Emin’s sketches for instance are their unfinished messiness. Phyllida Barlow’s sculptures are so broken they could have been made from the sweepings from a building site yet they hold a powerful sense of terror in their destruction. But it is perhaps in ancient art and antiquities that one most appreciates the glory of the imperfect.
The amputated arms or blunted noses of Greek and Roman marble sculpture are part of what makes them so moving; it is as if they are martyrs to generations of maltreatment yet retained their dignity and become all the more precious for it. What is absent becomes as eloquent as what is present.
A Sculptural Group with Seated Youth (Branchus?) and Boar. Roman, 2nd-early 3rd c. A.D. Marble, H. 73cm
Courtesy of Cahn, image copyright Nick Bürgin.
A fine second or third century CE Roman male torso being sold by Cahn Galerie for instance has neither arms, legs nor head and yet what remains is the essence of the entrapped body; an elegy to man restrained.
Equally arresting is a first century BCE sculpture also being sold by Cahn, whose small pit-shaped mouth eyes and notched mouth is almost cartoonish. Yet its crude execution speaks through the ages in a way no amount of fine carving could improve.
Like wrinkles on the face of an ageing beauty, one of the most concerning aspects of old pictures can be the craquelure of the varnish.
A Celtic Head. Celtic, 2nd-1st cent. B.C. or later. Stone (possibly sandstone), H. 12.2cm
Courtesy of Cahn, image copyright Nick Bürgin.
Yet one of the most beautiful items recently sold by the Rountree Tryon Gallery is a 17th-century Dutch oil painting of Tobago that was the star of its stand at the Treasure House Fair last summer. Its fine craquelure spread across the surface of the painting is a natural byproduct of centuries of exposure to varying temperatures and humidity but rather than attempt an aggressive restoration that might have diminished the painting’s historical authenticity, the gallery chose to stabilise the cracks while leaving them visible.
“From our point of view, the craquelure is part of the appeal,” says Rowland Rhodes, Associate Director of the gallery . “We would always do the bare minimum of restoration because otherwise the painting can start to look very flat.”
Jan Karel Donatus van Beecq (Dutch, 1638-1722), The Battle of Tobago Bay, 3rd March, 1677. Oil on canvas, signed and dated.
Courtesy of Rountree Tryon Galleries.
Equally, a magnificent 16th century portrait of Richard Wingfield by Robert Peake the Elder, currently being sold by Philip Mould, still features all the richness of the sitter’s velvet waistcoat simply because the painting has been left alone.
In some cases, imperfections or irregularities can provide essential insights into the artistic methods or intentions behind a piece. Infrared scans and X-rays of historical paintings, for instance, often reveal earlier iterations or corrections made by the artist. These ghostly underdrawings reveal the artist's struggles and decisions. Even a small crack or area of fading can carry significant meaning, telling of the work’s history and the conditions it has survived.
Robert Peake the Elder by Richard Wingfield (1587), oil on panel.
Courtesy of Phillip Mould & Company.
Many cultures embrace breaks and imperfections in art, finding beauty and meaning in damage.
Consider the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which honours the ruined, transient, and incomplete. Cracked ceramics, weathered surfaces, and the marks of time are valued as reminders to accept flaws and the inevitability of change.
Kintsugi, the art of mending broken ceramics with gold, silver, or platinum, takes this idea one step further by actively celebrating damage. It’s a concept embraced by artists like Bouke de Vries, whose reconstructed ceramic vessels and plates - sold by Adrian Sassoon - transform shattered fragments into ethereal works of beauty. Equally, Laura Bordignon sells Edo-period tea vessels and inkstone boxes, where wear and patina enhance both their historical and aesthetic significance.
Yō (2024) by Koichiro Isezaki
Courtesy of A Lighthouse Called Kanata.
Imperfection also adds character, as seen in works by artists like Koichiro Isezaki, who crafts pots - sold by A Lighthouse Called Kanata - that are skewed, squashed and bloated, yet exude a dynamic wildness.
In a world increasingly driven by digital perfection, the backlash is coming with an increasing value being given to the unique, authentic and human made.
In celebrating imperfection, we celebrate the resilience of art - and of life itself - and it reminds us that beauty lies not in flawlessness, but in the stories those flaws tell.
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October 30, 2024
Unveiling Spooky Masterpieces
By Catherine Milner
Catherine Milner is a journalist, curator, Creative Director of Messums and editor of The Treasure House Fair Magazine.
Halloween’s transformation from a modest American celebration into what has become a major cultural event throughout Europe but particularly in the UK, began with the influence of films like E.T and Hocus Pocus, but now dominates supermarket shelves, motorway service stations - even art galleries.
From a six foot pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama currently outside the Serpentine art gallery in Hyde Park to the exhibition celebrating horror film director Tim Burton at the Design Museum, Halloween is celebrated everywhere. Even the London Wetlands Centre is advertising a Supernatural Tour to its visitors - presumably of frogs and toads.
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin, 2024
Image courtesy of Serpentine Galleries
Halloween has both Christian and pagan roots; its Christian origins link to the feast of All Hallows’ Eve, which is the evening beforeAll Saints’ Day on November 1. Its pagan roots emanate from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Northern Europe, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and the thinning of the boundary between the living and the dead.
Yet contemporary Halloween celebrations are principally focused on devouring sweets or money from long-suffering neighbours if you are a child, and creating horror-themed costumes and party food after a grim day out in Tescos, if you are a parent.
We once held a far deeper, more dignified approach to contemplating death, paired with far richer artistic expressions; most notably in the Vanitas paintings of the 16th century and the Symbolist works of the late 19th century.
Thomas Coulborn is currently selling a pair of German bronze ‘grotesque’ wall light brackets, designed in the 1600’s featuring a fist emerging from the mouth of a man to spookily hold a candle.
Pair of 17th century German Baroque Bronze Wall Lights
Image courtesy of Thomas Coulborn & Sons
Equally, the company recently held a boxwood snuffbox carved into the shape of a skull that reminded its owner of the damage he was doing to himself every time he took a sniff.
18th Century Flemish Memento Mori Carved Boxwood
Image courtesy of Thomas Coulborn & Sons
Philip Mould is currently selling a momento mori by Cedric Morris which, if not Halloween ish exactly, depicts a purple iris and a dead moorhen to form a visual representation of the transition between life and death.
Cedric Morris, Natura Morta ,1947, oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Philip Mould & Company
Wartski is known for exquisite objets and fine jewellery, so Halloween-themed items here include Fabergé-style eggs or small decorative boxes featuring intricate, Gothic motifs like bats, spiderwebs, or ravens in blackened or oxidised metals. Antique jewellery with black diamonds, onyx, or deep red garnets in ornate, antique settings could evoke a subtle Halloween-inspired touch that also reflects current jewellery trends.
Halloween’s grip is not restricted to the West, however. In recent years it has become highly popular in Japan, where it draws upon centuries of haunting imagery.
Laura Bordignon sells netsuke or ojime beads: small, eerie but refined carvings depicting supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, like kitsune (fox spirits) or oni (demons), that would once have been carved into clothes toggles to ward off evil.
Elegant carvings of tengu (a mythological, birdlike spirit) or yokai (spirit creatures) in bronze or ivory, though not strictly Halloween-related, bring a mysterious and supernatural element to any collection.
The Japanese love of mists and ethereal landscapes populated by twisting trees and wraith-like figures of the sort you see in the pictures and ceramics sold by the House of Kanata convey a haunted, otherworldly atmosphere without being overtly frightening.
The interior designer, Rose Uniacke is known for her minimalist yet rich interiors, so Halloween pieces here might include Gothic-revival candelabras with a matte finish or minimalist skull-shaped sculptures in bone or alabaster that could stand alone as sculptural art.
And a spooky mise-en-scene could be created with the help of Adrian Alan who specialises in opulent Gothic candelabras or chandeliers with dripping wax effects as well as mystical Ormulu clocks.
But for those keen to conjure up a merry Halloween, Kate Malone’s stoneware pumpkins sold by Adrian Sassoon, are a tribute to fertility and fecundity rather than the graveyard.
Kate Malone, Crystal-filled Pumpkin, 2023
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon, London. © Photography by Sylvain Deleu.
‘I was encouraged by seeing those brave pumpkins, a symbol also of tenacity and generosity as they bring a harvest to the late time of the year,’ says Malone. ‘It’s extraordinary when you see a field of pumpkins where the leaves have died back and the pumpkins are lying there boldly and brazenly on the earth. You might think the contact with the earth and the weight of the pumpkins would spoil them but their skin is so strong and so compact and practical that they sit there without getting sodden.’
So not in the spirit of Halloween exactly, but perhaps more uplifting and enduring.
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Q&A with Dara Huang: Architect, Designer and Entrepreneur
July 19, 2024
Catherine Milner interviews Dara Huang, architect, interior designer and founder of Design Haus Liberty, and Dara Maison.
How important is telling a story through objects when creating an interior?
For me, creating an interior is crafting a story. Each piece, whether it's a subtle design narrative or a sweeping journey through space and time, contributes to the overall tale of the home. It's about curating an environment that not only looks beautiful but also feels deeply personal and evocative.
Is the idea of home changing?
Absolutely. Home is no longer just a showcase; it's a sanctuary meant to support our lifestyles and foster connections. I believe in creating spaces that seamlessly blend form and function, where every corner invites warmth and joy. It's about making sure that beauty enhances everyday life without compromising on comfort or usability.
Are new kinds of rooms being created in the home – what are they and what do they need to look good?
I've noticed a rising trend towards multi-functional spaces in modern homes. These spaces need to be versatile yet aesthetically pleasing. The key is in selecting furniture and decor that seamlessly adapt to different needs while maintaining a cohesive and inviting atmosphere.
You have a keen interest in nature and like plants in an interior. How have you noticed other people responding to our new 'Green times' in the kinds of look they want? Is there a changing aesthetic?
Adding elements of nature, such as plants, has become increasingly popular. People are drawn to the vitality and serenity that greenery brings into a space. What's exciting is the diversity of plants available—each offering unique shades, textures, and heights that can be tailored to enhance any design aesthetic. It's about creating environments that feel alive and connected to the natural world, enriching the overall ambiance of the home.
How popular is antique art and furniture in the homes you are furnishing, and are there any particular trends you have noticed?
Antique art and furniture continue to hold a special allure, honoring the craftsmanship and history behind each piece. I often integrate these timeless treasures with modern elements to create intriguing juxtapositions that add depth and character to interiors. It's about celebrating the past while embracing contemporary design sensibilities, resulting in spaces that feel both rooted in tradition and refreshingly current.
What has been the most popular item of art or design you have sold at Dara Maison?
One of our standout pieces has been the sage green sofa—it's been incredibly well-received by our clients. People are captivated by its rich texture, inviting dimensions, and the way its color effortlessly complements various interior styles. It's gratifying to see how a single piece of furniture can transform a room, adding personality and charm.
What is the most exciting part of your job?
The most thrilling aspect of my work is the creative journey itself. Every project presents a new canvas to express ideas and turn visions into reality. I live for the opportunity to collaborate with clients and artisans, harnessing their expertise to craft spaces that not only meet practical needs but also inspire and uplift. It's about creating homes that resonate on a deeply personal level, where beauty and functionality converge seamlessly.
Below: Dara Huang
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An interview with Catherine Milner: The Fair Tour Guide
July 12, 2024
If you visited the 2024 iteration of The Treasure House Fair, chances are you came across Catherine Milner. Formerly the Arts Correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph, Catherine took guests on guided tours of the event, where she shared the rich stories behind the exhibits and explored the Fair’s hidden gems - which may otherwise have been missed.
Read on to discover more…
Above: Catherine showing a group of Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioners around the Fair
Catherine was brought up abroad, and after studying Fine Art at Edinburgh University, became the Arts Correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph. After having her children, she left the Sunday Telegraph and began writing for the Financial Times, Guardian and other papers. For the last eight years, Catherine has been the Creative Director of Messums art gallery, curating shows of ceramics, paintings and sculpture.
How did you become involved with The Treasure House Fair, and what did your role entail
during the event?
I was asked by Thomas Woodham-Smith, Director of The Treasure House, to show collectors around the Fair over a series of guided tours.
What were your personal highlights from the Fair?
Hiroshi Senju's Waterfall paintings, presented by Sundaram Tagore Gallery.
And what objects did you feel resonated most with guests during your tours?
Jewellery both antique and modern; Japanese ceramics; Andy Warhol’s drawings, Grayson Perry’s new map.
Why should people attend future editions of The Treasure House Fair?
Because of the beauty, the culture, and the conversation.
If you had to do another job, what would it be?
Painting.
Other than a phone and keys, what's the one item you always have on you?
An intaglio of a running deer.
How do you relax when you're not working?
Walking.
What's your favourite-ever piece of art, either that you own or wished you owned?
A landscape by John Nash.
Below: Catherine in action at the Fair.
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June 24, 2024
By Simon de Burton, journalist and contributor to GQ and the Financial Times.
“A few hours of sleep were sufficient, and then we were ready to begin all over again – and at the moorings, always a Riva ready to welcome us...” So said Gigi Rizzi, the 1960's playboy and one-summer-lover of Brigitte Bardot for whom a Riva speedboat with a hull of richly-varnished mahogany was as much a gentleman's essential as a beautiful blonde, a Ferrari coupe and a waterside home with a well-stocked wardrobe and private jetty.
Riva’s roots go right back to 1842 when a young Pietro Riva began repairing and building yachts at Sarnico on Lake Iseo, northern Italy. But it was his great grandson, the legendary Carlo Riva, who had the vision to create a range of wooden-hulled boats that went on to become the epitome of the jet-set era that Rizzi was a part of. Carlo was inspired by the products of the American Chris-Craft company – for which he was an agent – and used Chris-Craft and Chrysler engines in Rivas before developing the firm’s own ‘Crusader’ power units that prevailed from 1967 to 1996.
The arrival of glass fibre as a boat-building material seemed to sound the death knell for the viability of wooden Rivas and, although Carlo introduced the plastic-hulled Rudy in 1969, the future looked bleak and he sold the business in 1970. A succession of owners followed until Riva was bought and revived by the Ferretti Group in 2000, right on the cusp of a boom in all things ‘vintage’ that was driven by a wealthy, middle-aged demographic who were out to buy the now-classic cars, watches, motorcycles and boats that they could only dream of in their youth.
Under Ferretti’s ownership, the contemporary Riva brand successfully combines the best of modern materials with aesthetic touches from historic models to evoke the style of a classic wooden boat without the drawbacks of the real thing, which can be easily damaged, difficult to repair and demanding to maintain – and, above all, fiendishly tricky to build in the first place. For true aficionados of those elegant craft of the past, however, only wood is any good when it comes to owning a launch with real soul – and that, combined with the world’s ever-increasing number of billionaires, has sent the value of original, all-wooden Rivas rocketing.
In 2012 a 1962 Super Ariston called ‘Dracula III’ that had belonged to the legendary German playboy Gunther Sachs sold for a triple-estimate £385,250 at Sotheby’s. A Tritone, meanwhile – commissioned in 1958 by a Milanese textile tycoon as a gift to Prince Rainier III of Monaco – soared to more than Euros 400,000 10 years ago when it crossed the block at an auction in the principality (helped, no doubt, by the many images showing the Prince and his young wife, Grace Kelly, having fun in the boat ‘in period’). And in 2011, U.S. auction house Mecum set a saleroom record for a classic Riva when it sold an Aquarama for $975,000. Completed in 1996, it was the last new, wooden-hulled Riva to have been sold to the public and was delivered to the founding family of the giant Sony Corporation on December 23, 1998. One of six ‘end of an era’ commemorative editions produced, it had clocked-up fewer than 20 hours of use in 12 years before the original owners consigned it to auction – their most ambitious voyage having been a return trip across Lake Garda for lunch. But anyone with greater maritime ambitions should take a look at the exceptional Riva Aquarama Special that will be available to buy at this year’s Treasure House Fair.
Above: 1986 Riva Aquarama
A 1986 model powered by twin, 350 horsepower Crusader engines, it spent part of its life in Singapore before returning to the Riva shipyard in Sarnico which is now home to Riva Classiche, the specialist service with an international reputation for maintaining, preserving and rebuilding original wooden Rivas. Having been restored to near perfection by the yard, this particular Aquarama has appeared in numerous photo shoots and on hours of video footage as a star exhibit in Riva Classiche’s museum collection.
Now on offer at an asking price of €800,000, it is offered in turnkey condition and ready to go. It really is a case of ‘just add water’…
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June 20, 2024
By Catherine Milner, journalist, curator, Creative Director of Messums and editor of The Treasure House Fair Magazine.
Ancient carved intaglio gemstones are among the most captivating and significant remnants of our past, encapsulating the artistry and cultural nuances of ancient civilisations. Dr. Ittai Gradel, a distinguished Danish academic and antiquities dealer often referred to as the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ of the art world, will share his profound knowledge about these miniature masterpieces at the Treasure House Fair. His talk is scheduled for 11 am on June 27th at stand number 218, hosted by Greens of Cheltenham.
Dr. Gradel's reputation soared after he exposed the thief responsible for stealing thousands of artefacts from the British Museum's Greco-Roman department. This scandal not only highlighted significant security lapses but also reignited interest in ancient gems, which Dr. Gradel believes have been undervalued for centuries. “The British Museum scandal has actually given more focus on these gems than they have had in 200 years,” he says. “The gems had been fatally under-appreciated and unknown.”
His upcoming talk will spotlight several remarkable pieces, including a stunning 1st-century BC amethyst gold ring featuring Apollo with flowing hair and a 1st-century BC Roman sard intaglio of Silenus, the tutor of Dionysus, stooping before a nude boy pouring water to wash his feet. “Silenus was an older version of a satyr and one of the older followers of Dionysus frolicking in the forest,” Gradel explains. “He looks like a human except that he has pointed ears and a horse’s tail.”
Below: Apollo amethyst, 1st century B.C. Roman amethyst intaglio ring of Apollo depicted with long hair.
Another highlight is a Marlborough Gem, a small gold pendant carved in sardonyx depicting a crowned man with an earring. This gem boasts a remarkable provenance, having belonged to Thomas Arundel in the 16th century and passing through 13 owners, the last of whom was Hugh Sassoon.
From 5000 BC to modern times, gemstones have been cherished for their beauty and craftsmanship. In ancient Rome, these intricately carved gems were not just decorative but functional, often used as signet rings by businessmen and political leaders to sign documents with wax impressions. There were no written signatures then, making these gems essential tools of authentication and power.
Below: A Marlborough Gem, late 16th century sardonyx cameo of a man wearing a crown, cloak wearing earring.
The fascination with these gems peaked again during the 18th and 19th centuries, spurred by the Grand Tour and the burgeoning interest in classical art and literature. Today, despite the dominance of modern diamonds – “they just sparkle and are boring” in the view of Dr Gradel – there remains a dedicated niche of collectors who appreciate the historical and aesthetic value of ancient intaglio gemstones.
Dr. Gradel points out that these gems, while requiring some knowledge to fully appreciate, are accessible even to novice collectors. “Many of the ancient gemstones are very beautiful on an immediate level even if you don’t know anything about them. They are at the bottom end of the antiquities market where you can actually acquire them for relatively little money.” A top Roman intaglio ring can be obtained for as little as £1,000 to £2,000, he says, with world-class pieces available for around £3,000 – a fraction of their ancient value.
In mediaeval times, Roman motifs were often reinterpreted with Christian symbolism, showcasing the enduring influence of these ancient artworks. Despite their age, many gems survive intact, though often found in 18th and 19th century settings, which provides reassurance that they were not plundered from ancient tombs.
Dr. Gradel's talk promises to be an enlightening journey through the world of ancient carved gemstones, offering insights not only into their historical significance but also their continued relevance and allure in the modern world. As he laments the decline of archaeology and the scarcity of young scholars in the field, his efforts to highlight and preserve these miniature masterpieces become even more critical.
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I Will Rise: The Rise of the Female Sculptor
June 20, 2024
By Charlotte Metcalf, journalist, author and award-winning documentary film-maker.
The opening of the Hepworth Wakefield Museum in 2011 marked an important moment for British sculpture. Hepworth’s work had long stood alongside Henry Moore’s and there was no doubting her significance as a major artist. Nevertheless, having a museum dedicated to housing Hepworth’s magnificent, monumental work, was testament to her status as one of the most famous female sculptors in the world. Hardly any other women, aside from Louise Bourgeois, have come close to finding this level of recognition.
Sculpture, particularly stone and monumental sculpture, has been a man’s domain for centuries. Hepworth exploded the mould as far back as 1964 when Single Form was unveiled outside the United Nations in New York. Since then, her visibility has inspired aspiring female sculptors everywhere to pick up their tools.
This year’s sculpture walk at the Treasure House Fair is dedicated to highlighting female sculptors’ importance over the last 150 years, despite having been overshadowed by their male counterparts. It’s curated by dealer Willoughby Gerrish, Director and Curator of Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden in Yorkshire and comprises mainly the work of six women: Nicola Anthony, Elisabeth Frink, Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva, Mona Hatoum, Barbara Hepworth and Emily Young.
‘Barbara Hepworth undoubtedly crashed barriers, but it’s wonderful seeing others carrying the baton on,’ says Gerrish. ‘Today Britain is really punching above its weight in terms of being able to boast so many female sculptors producing internationally acclaimed work.’ He references the rise in the number of public sculptures by women, from Tracey Emin’s I Want My Time With You at St Pancras Station and Emily Young’s Five Angel Heads opposite St. Paul’s Cathedral to Maggi Hambling’s A Conversation with Oscar Wilde in Westminster and her controversial Scallop on Aldeburgh beach.
‘People love visiting us at Thirsk and the nearby Yorkshire Sculpture Park, so I know the grounds of The Royal Hospital is the ideal place to exhibit sculpture,’ continues Gerrish. ‘Certainly, most large sculpture is at its best outside, and Henry Moore said, “sculpture is an art of the open air.”’
Visitors will also be able to see Small Sitting Down Horse, Boar and Bird by Elisabeth Frink and Maquette: Theme and Variations, Hollow Oval, Six Forms and Trophy (Flight) by Barbara Hepworth.
Alongside these works by late legendary women, will be the work of contemporary female sculptors. So, Long-Sharp Gallery is showing British-Indian artist Nicola Anthony’s 2023 I Will Rise, a large installation of seven ring sculptures comprising her signature words and borrowed from Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise. Known for her public commissions and large-scale text sculptures, I Will Rise represents a celebration of resilience in the face of hardship, and a fitting testament to the way women artists have persevered over the centuries to gain the visibility they are now enjoying.
British-Palestinian sculptor Mona Hatoum and Emily Young are already being sought out by major collectors, both public and private, and Gerrish is showing Hatoum’s 1996 Divan Bed and two recent heads by Young as well as three recent works by British-Macedonian artist Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva. Hadzi-Vasileva is interested in areas of life people find difficult to confront, from disease and death to religion. Her choice of materials, as is the case with the three works on the walk, mix the ordinary and extraordinary, highlighting natural tree forms with gold leaf. Sometimes described as ‘macabre’ or ‘gloriously grotesque’ her black and gold works exhibited at the fair, Entendre, EnPointe and Luna, have a twisty, sinuous beauty and sense of drama.
‘I’ve been very lucky to work closely with Elpida and Emily Young, whom I’ve known since I was a teenager,’ says Gerrish. ‘If you think of an outstanding craftswoman like Young hacking and carving into stone, it requires such physical strength, it’s no wonder it’s seen as traditionally a male medium. But other female artists are starting to see it’s possible, particularly since The Daily Telegraph rightly recognised Emily as a successor to Hepworth. She was already being hailed as “Britain’s greatest female stone sculptor” but then about five years ago something wonderful happened – the “female” was dropped and she was defined simply as “Britain’s greatest stone sculptor." Not a moment too soon. Women are no longer merely trailblazing and jostling for position amongst the males but out in front. Nicola Anthony’s sculpture speaks for itself – I Rise.
Below: Nicola Anthony, I Will Rise, 2023
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June 13, 2024
A Profile of Malcolm Fairley and Grace Tsumugi
By Emma Crichton-Miller
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.
Grace Tsumugi and Malcolm Fairley are long-time members of St.James’s dealer community. They have carved out a distinctive niche in the finest Japanese applied arts of the late Edo and Meiji periods. Fairley leans towards cloisonné enamels, those richly coloured, highly polished, “Shippo” wares, created by applying fine metal wires to a base material (often copper or bronze) to delineate a design which is then filled with different coloured enamels and fired. Tsumugi’s special focus is lacquer. But between them they also handle the most refined and skilfully accomplished metalwork, porcelain, textiles, paintings and screens of the period.
The two stumbled upon this area by accident. Malcolm Fairley was a furniture specialist at Sotheby’s Belgravia, who looked after all things nineteenth century. One day he walked through a Japanese sale: “The quality of the metal work and the enamels was so exceptional and much better than the European ones I was dealing with, so I moved departments.” By the early 1980s, the sector had taken off and in 1987, Fairley left Sotheby’s to join Barry Davies Oriental Art, one of the world’s leading dealers in Japanese art, who was then riding the wave of the flourishing international market.
Below Malcolm Fairley
Tsumugi meanwhile had moved to England to study contemporary art. She had worked for a museum briefly in Tokyo but at that time there were very few jobs in the field of antiques in Japan, so she had switched focus. To earn some money, however, she also began to work for Barry Davies, assisting with sales. Soon Tsumugi, Fairley and the curator Oliver Impey were set to work researching, cataloguing and building the world’s most outstanding collection of Japanese art of the Meiji period outside that of the Japanese Imperial family, assembled by Professor Sir David Nasser D. Khalili. Khalili had recognised that this sometimes neglected field represented a decisive moment in Japanese history. When the young Meiji Emperor assumed the throne in 1868, Japan’s new leaders saw in the historic skills of the metalworker, lacquerer, enameller and ceramic artist the way to compete in international markets. A style evolved blending traditional Japanese design with prevailing international taste, giving full scope to the refined craftsmanship nurtured during Japan’s centuries of isolation. Fairley explains: “A lot of the work was made for the eight big world exhibitions, visited by 8-10 million people. So it was a major form of currency for the Japanese. These were expensive objects.”
The three became experts in an under-researched field. Tsumugi says, “It was very interesting for me and for Malcolm to research something which people had not discovered before.” At the time, even Japanese curators turned their noses up at a field they regarded as tainted by its appeal to an international audience. There were few texts available and those only in Japanese. No one had attempted to distinguish between dross churned out at the time to feed an insatiable international appetite for Japanese art and design, and the finest pieces commissioned by the Imperial household and sought after by discerning Japanese collectors. It was with these latter works that Tsumugi and Fairley concerned themselves, developing their connoisseurship in the field.
Below Grace Tsumugi
They each opened galleries in the days when they could source new masterpieces regularly from old collections around the United Kingdom, in Europe and in Japan. Fairley has a particular admiration for cloisonné enamels because until the 1830s, the Japanese had very little expertise in the ancient medium. “Then in the 1830s one Kaji Tsunekichi started making objects and for the next thirty years it became very popular.” Within fifty years, from a standing start, Japanese enamellers had outstripped the world: “I don’t think there is any other art form you could say that about,” Fairley suggests. The masters in this field were Namikawa Yasuyuki (a former Samurai) and Namikawa Sosuke ( no relation), who became the most famous cloisonné artists of the 1890 to 1910 period. There were several major collectors in Japan, America and Europe. "The first exhibition I held as an independent dealer,” Fairley reports, “ I had 21 Namikawa Yusuyuki pieces and I think 8 Namikawa Sosuke pieces, including large panels. It was a different world. Nowadays if there is one piece that turns up somewhere we are on a plane or a train to look at it because there are so few perfect pieces on the market.”
Over the last ten years this scarcity has afflicted the entire field. Focusing only on immaculate examples from the finest artisans, however, Tsumugi and Fairley still have collectors keen to improve their collections.
At this year’s Treasure House Fair, the pair are sharing a stand to showcase the masterpieces they own in common. Among them will be a textile screen “which we had thought to keep for ourselves,” Tsmugi says, “but we haven’t got a wall big enough to display it on. A silk embroidery of a hawk. Dated 1900 to 1910. We found it in Japan in mint condition. This is very rare.” Another outstanding object is a large, elaborate gold lacquer cabinet (1870) by the master Harui Seizaburō, which it took the master five years to complete. Fairley says: “We will put on an exhibition of a quality that no other museum could achieve except the Imperial museum in Tokyo.”
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May 23, 2024
By Emma Crichton-Miller
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.
In 2023 dealer Willoughby Gerrish, Director and Curator of Thirsk Hall Sculpture Garden in Yorkshire, curated a selection of art works by Emily Young, Nick Fiddian Green, Anthony Caro, Mark Coreth, and Johnny Hawkes, some within and some outside the main tent at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. He will curate a new Sculpture Walk for 2024. These displays of monumental sculpture outside major art fairs remind us that great art can hold its own with nature and the built environment - and indeed may reach its full potential in that context. After all, human beings have been creating large scale monuments in the landscape since the ancient Egyptians. Henry Moore once said, "Sculpture is an art of the open air. I would rather have a piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in, or on, the most beautiful building I know.”
He is certainly not the only one. Peter Osborne suggests that all the sculptors whose work he shows at Osborne Samuel would prefer to make work for outside: “I do not know any sculptors who are not more challenged and provoked by the outside environment than the domestic or gallery space.” With a strong specialism in the work of Henry Moore and Lynn Chadwick, the gallery also deals extensively in other major post war sculptors including Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Anthony Caro, Tony Cragg, Elisabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth and Eduardo Paolozzi. Osborne adds, “One of the joys of being a dealer is working through with artists their response to context.” They also work closely with collectors to find the best location for any piece they buy.
Edward Horswell of London’s Sladmore Gallery is more precise: “As many artists as could get a patron would aspire to make monumental work out in the landscape. Particularly in a public setting.” But many of their artists - including Nic Fiddian Green and Johnny Hawkes - can produce bronze sculptures from a single maquette, at various scales, to suit a variety contexts. “You have the courtyard garden scale, and then the larger garden scale and then landscape,” Horswell explains. “Where you place something is a balance between the scale you prefer and your budget.”
Edward Horswell posing with a monumental sculpture, 'Mighty Horse' by Nic Fiddian Green at the 2023 inaugural edition of The Treasure House Fair.
Gerrish suggests that when you have sculpture in the elements, “you experience the object in a totally different way every day, as the light and weather conditions change.” He notes that works inspired by nature, such as the bronze sculptures of artist Austin Wright, who came to prominence in the 1950s and 60s, which are heavily influenced by the fauna and flora of Yorkshire, where he then lived, are particularly in tune with landscape. On the other hand, he adds, “Something totally abstract that makes a total contrast with its surroundings”, such as the work of sculptor Mike Lyons, “also works very well.” He recently mounted an exhibition in collaboration with Richard Green, London, of the latest work of Emily Young, a sculptor renowned for her free-carving of beautiful heads, which emerge from the unique specimens of stone she selects specially. Those made of quartzite are particularly suitable for showing outside as they provide a continuity between the ground beneath our feet, the human imagination and the cosmic space beyond where the elements that constitute our world were first formed. Gerrish remarks that we are particularly fortunate in the UK to have the example of so many great sculpture parks - the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Jupiter Artland and the Henry Moore Studios and Gardens among them - to inspire us. Where the wealthy once aspired to buy paintings, now many aspire to create a sculpture park.
For all owners of outdoor sculpture, maintenance is a prominent consideration. Emily Young, for example, sends a team to install her larger pieces, with full instructions on how to care for it. Gerrish points out that while some sculptors, such as David Nash, “have a view that deterioration is part of the work”, others, such as Lyons, want the piece to remain pristine: “He expects to repaint every ten years.” Horswell says that at Sladmore they make their own outdoor wax for sculptures that is also bird-repellent and are in touch with a range of businesses that specialise in conservation. Osborne meanwhile comments “When we place a sculpture outdoors, we provide strong advice about how the work should be kept in good condition.” In extreme cold, as in a Swedish winter, marble can crack, while in Palm Beach, Florida, sand whipped up by wind can erode sculptures. Bronze is on the whole resilient but still requires maintenance. As Osborne puts it, “Most galleries handling big sculpture know you cannot just sell the piece and forget it. You must attend to it.” Still, with new sculpture parks popping up regularly, it seems there is no end to our appetite for sculpture outside.
'Stillness Born of History II', Onyx, 2014, ht 94cm.
By Emily Young
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May 10, 2024
By Huon Mallalieu
Huon Mallalieu is an historian who writes on art, antiques and collecting for The Times, Country Life and The Oldie. He is the author or editor of many books, including The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists and 1066 and Rather More, a Walk through History. He is FSA and Hon RWS.
The British and Dutch art and antiques trades have been intertwined since their beginnings in the 17th century when Bathasar Gerbier and Daniel Nijs helped Charles I build his unrivalled collections. Over the centuries many distinguished Dutch dealers have established themselves in London either as branches or their principal business, and they still do so today.
For decades Koopman Rare Art, has been one of London’s pre-eminent silver dealers, but it has roots in pre-War Amsterdam, where the father of Eddy and Jacques Koopman dealt in antiques. Eddy, the eldest son, realised what was coming, and in 1938 moved to England where he set up as a silver dealer in Manchester. The youngest, Jacques (pronounced as English Jack) was 9 years old in 1942 when he is parents pushed him out of the train that was taking them to a concentration camp. He survived the next four years in hiding.
After the war, and a period working as a taxi-driver in Canada, he too settled in England and in 1952 set up the London business with Eddy, who retained the small northern shop. The partnership worked well, since in Manchester Eddy could buy stock from old money 19th century collections, and in London Jacques could attract new money buyers. In 1969 they were well enough established to move the southern business to the Silver Vaults in Chancery Lane, taking what was described as “a sprawling establishment” on the ground floor.
Jacques Koopman continued to work at the shop until just before his death in 1991 aged only 60, having earned the reputation of being the “dominant force in the market” and he was followed soon afterwards by his nephew Michael, who had taken on the business. Jacques had believed that good dealers must love what what they do and what they deal in. He recognised that quality in Lewis Smith, who had come to the Silver Vaults as a porter, and he became a mentor to the 18-year old. Lewis, who had been collecting and dealing from his schooldays, emphasises that willingness to learn from older dealers and to work all hours are two of the essential attributes for a tyro in the trade. For a while he left to run his own business, but in 1993 he returned to Koopman as a director, working in partnership with Michael’s son Timo, and together they have maintained and enhanced the legacy of the founding brothers. As it happens their skills are complementary: Lewis relishes the business of buying and selling, while Timo is in his element in libraries and archives, providing meticulous research as they unveil their latest treasures.
The firm handles English silver from the Tudors to the 19th century, but thanks to Jacques, who had recognised the potential of sculptural pieces, it developed a special expertise in the great makers of the 18th century and Regency, notably Paul de Lamerie (1688 - 1751), Paul Storr (1771 - 1844) and Rundell Bridge & Rundell, Principal Royal Goldsmiths, Jewellers and Medallists from 1797 to 1830. The catalogues of its exhibitions are as impressive as the treasures in them.
Koopman has formed and dispersed many great collections, and worked with an impressive roster of museums in the United States as well as Great Britain and Australia. One of their sculptural pieces that has most impressed me over the years was a 26.8in high six-light candelabrum centrepiece by Paul Storr, 1811, which they showed as part of London Art Week in 2020. The palm-like column was flanked by three satyrs with Pan pipes, which were probably modelled by the sculptor William Theed II and inspired by a bronze from the circle of the Renaissance master Andrea Riccio (1470 - 1532). Other outstanding pieces include an Elizabethan silver-gilt cup and cover made by the London smith Affabel Partridge in 1578, which had once been owned by J P Morgan and was acquired by Temple Newsam House, Leeds, and a 1731 silver bowl and cover by Edward Feline that was a christening present from George II to his god-daughter Lady Emilia Lennox, later Duchess of Leinster, which was bought by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2014.
Silver christening cup and cover, marked Edward Feline, London, 1731.
Sold by Koopman to the V&A in 2014.
In 2021 Koopman left the Silver Vaults for Dover Street in the West End, and at the same time brought in Lewis’ daughter Kimberley to deal in 19th and 20th century jewellery. Previously she had run her own Kimberley Fine Jewels and worked in the department at Sotheby’s.
Lewis and Timo recognise the need to encourage young dealers, and as importantly a new generation in allied trades such as restoration. It is vital to the trade that skills and knowledge are passed on, especially as the pool of the very best items available to the market inevitably shrinks. Where for some people this might prompt a move towards the contemporary field, they prefer the history and uniqueness of older pieces. However, they are by no means backward-looking, and they regard the increasing importance of internet trading, especially in the last few years, as very positive for the future. Not only is it vital to research, but it helps to bring down barriers between markets and extend the reach of dealers to all parts of the world.
Timo Koopman and Lewis Smith, directors of Koopman Rare Art.
Courtesy of Koopman Rare Art
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April 25, 2024
By Emma Chrichton-Miller
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.
For dealer Adrian Sassoon, the UK's leading dealer in Contemporary Works of Art and Antique French Porcelain, art fairs are critical. Without a gallery space, it is his reassuring presence over many years at art fairs from Maastricht to Paris to London, New York and, last year, Miami, that has confirmed his reputation for excellence and consistency. At leading fairs he displays on serried shelves and central plinths the latest creations of his virtuoso glass, ceramics and metalwork artists. Crucial to his display each time, Sassoon explains, is not just that all the works on display by both eighteenth century and contemporary makers conform to his exacting standards, but that there is new work: “Our artists don’t make the same thing again and again. They move on. Even with contemporary objects you can weave patterns of development over a twenty, or even twenty five year period.”
Sassoon’s first expertise was in seventeenth and eighteenth century decorative arts, especially porcelain. An intern at the Getty Museum aged nineteen, he cut his teeth for the next five years under the redoubtable British ceramics curator Gillian Wilson. She was happy to let him take the lead on all things Sèvres. During his brief European holidays, he would buy the odd contemporary piece. Having learned to pot at Eton College from the distinguished studio ceramicist Gordon Baldwin, he recognised the value in the work he was seeing at galleries in London and elsewhere: “After I left school I realised that Gordon Baldwin was a man whose work was in the V&A collection. I was aware of galleries in London who had his work. Contemporary Applied Arts was in Covent Garden, in a vast space: there would be a nice piece of glass and a nice piece of this and a nice piece of that and so I had started collecting, when I was in my late teens.”
A Pair of French 18th Century Early Hard-Paste Sèvres Porcelain Vases and Covers 1774 (vases à batons rompus)
Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
By the time Sassoon returned to London, he had a small collection of contemporary art works. He was then working for the distinguished dealership Alexander & Berendt, with its focus on French, German and Italian furniture, all 17th and 18th century. But in 1994 he launched on his own, making his first fair appearance at the British Ceramics Conference held in the Dorchester Hotel. “That first stand there was so small that it was actually underneath the stairs and if I stood up straight I’d hit my head on the bottom of the stairs. I was literally not even on a shelf but underneath the stairs.” Nevertheless he managed to draw attention, with people “realising that they were looking at very fine things that they weren’t used to seeing.”
Sassoon credits his connoisseurship, rooted in eighteenth century porcelain, for his exacting taste: “The crucial thing if you are interested in contemporary objects, contemporary painting or contemporary architecture, is that you have to have some level of awareness of what has happened historically, otherwise you get confused. If something is newly made it does not prove that it is a new idea. You cannot understand or judge contemporary art if you disregard historic art.” His schooling in Sèvres also opened his eyes to the possibilities of his artists creating pairs or even whole garnitures of objects - aiming high in terms of aesthetic impact. This would include ceramicists like Kate Malone and Felicity Aylieff or metal workers like Junko Mori and Hiroshi Susuki.
Black Pumpkin, 2023 Kate Malone
Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
Sassoon freely admits that he is drawn to highly finished, technically accomplished work: “My taste is for the shinier, smarter type of porcelain, glassy, silver object. I am personally not so interested in asymmetrical volcanic firings and seeing how a piece of ceramic can lean one way in the kiln. I like things that, when they exit the kiln, are pretty much as the artist intended.” It also suits him to show work within a context where art and architecture also play a role: “One of the keys to collecting is that if you want to mix things, they must be of a similar quality. The architecture is just as much part of the collecting as anything else. I always thought that having paintings by Rubens and furniture by Chippendale on the other stands in the show was quite good company!” In this way, he wants visitors to his stand not to be impressed by his own curation but already dreaming of the spaces they have at home waiting to be enhanced by his art works.
Homeland Britain, 2020 Bouke de Vries
Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
Sassoon insists that his choices are personal and aesthetic and not influenced by a desire to be fashionable or politically correct. Many of his artists are women, but many are not. Similarly, although through his career he has seen the prestige and popular appeal of ceramics rise tremendously, for Sassoon you feel this recognition of value comes as no surprise - indeed his mother collected contemporary ceramics when he was a child. Most recently Sassoon has taken on a young Korean artist, Woosun Cheon, who works with fine strips of metal to create intricate soldered vessels inspired by ceramic forms. Sassoon comments, “They are beautifully finished. They cast shadow in a way that is remarkable. And it is unlike anyone else’s work. That is the relieving thing. We want things to be in the definite style of an artist.”
What thrills him as a dealer is that clients in their nineties are still coming to his stand to check out the latest new piece. Each is a distinct contribution to the history of transformation in that primary material.
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April 11, 2024
Have you ever heard the theory that pets look like their owners?
By Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
A portrait of a pet dog or cat is often simply an expression of their human’s emotion: the love of an owner for an animal companion. It’s difficult not to see one of Gwen John’s self-contained cats without seeing there a reflection of the artist’s own austere and self-sufficient aesthetic vision. In an eighteenth-century painting by George Stubbs, horses and dogs bestride the landscape like their aristocratic owners, grand tourists surveying a world of which they are the heirs and overlords. The pre-eminent early twentieth-century painter of horses, Alfred Munnings, shows the world not only of the racing plutocrats of his time but the poignant dignity of horses in the man-made hellscapes of the First World War. A painting by Munnings, full of excitement and energy, recently displayed by the Rountree Tryon Gallery was commissioned by Baron Mildmay to depict his son on the horse Davy Jones, just before the 1936 Grand National. The great Victorian animal artist Edwin Landseer often placed his animals in theatrical tableaux: a large white poodle, for example, playing the judge in ‘Trial by Jury’ (1840). Even Nipper, the terrier made famous in Francis Barraud’s 1898 ‘His Master’s Voice’ was intended to advertise the hours of companionable family pleasure to be found in listening to a phonograph.
Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. 'Davy Jones with the Hon. Anthony Mildmay up'
Image courtesy of Rountree Tryon Galleries
Even though that kind of anthropomorphism is less fashionable now, animal portraits speak vividly to us still. And a whole new generation of animal artists has emerged to capture horses, dogs, cats and even farm animals for their owners. Michael J Austin, whose wonderful depiction of a horse’s head, Inception 2023, is on show with the Jonathan Cooper gallery at the Treasure House art fair this year, is a fan of Landseer. But he sees Landseer’s dogs as belonging to a particular context; they belong to a ‘wider scene.’ And Martin is less keen than the Victorian artist on ‘fluffy’ animals: he prefers, for example, whippets or beasts in which you can ‘see the musculature.’ His own paintings are vivid examples of painstakingly close observation of the bones working beneath the skin. His horse’s head bends forward in profile with a combination of submission and nobility. It’s a gesture Martin finds particularly powerful and he observes that it is a feature of un-bridled horses, noting that the steeds found in, for example, ancient Greek reliefs, have reins pulled tight in battle and heads lifted.
Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A., R.I. 'The rounded English pig and the scrawny French pig pen and brown ink'
Image courtesy of Rountree Tryon Galleries
Originally Martin painted primarily human portraits but since moving to Devon several years ago became interested in cattle, particularly bulls with their rippling muscles and bulk. In bulls too, he tells me, it is the downward head that speaks most strongly of the nature of the entire animal, even when they have lost their horns. They are in battle mode, ‘ready to charge, forehead to forehead.’
Sculptor Mark Coreth, whose depiction of a guide dog (that most moving of animal/human co-dependencies) will be shown by the Sladmore Gallery at Treasure House in maquette, is similarly eloquent on the importance of capturing the elusive ‘essence’ of his animal subjects. Because an animal model of course won’t stay still to order, the artist has to use on other senses. Correth works as far as possible ‘face to face’ and though he takes photographs, he says, he doesn’t end up using them much: the process of capturing the form of the animal is more about memory and feeling. ‘One’s eyes are the lenses and one’s memories are on the memory stick,’ he says. ‘It comes from within, an internal recording.’
Mark Coreth in his studio, Wiltshire, 2021
Image courtesy of Sladmore Gallery
Coreth has sculpted animals in the wild and also animals for commission. His most famous is probably his 2016 bronze of Frankel the racehorse, unveiled by the Queen at Newmarket. ‘There is,’ he says, ‘a very deep bond between an artist and his animal. You’ve got to become the animal, to understand it.’ Coreth, like Martin, is fascinated by the brute strength of bulls. He created a bronze of Rodmead Prague, a splendid, prize-winning ‘solid-A’ bull from Wiltshire, beloved of his proud farmer owner.
Coreth tells of a gorilla model he once studied in London Zoo. The two of them, artist and ‘beastie’ stood eye to eye for hours in mutual communion. ‘It’s portraiture in its raw form,’ he says. Making a portrait of an animal, revealing something truthful about animal nature, is a pilgrimage of empathy.
Guide Dog ‘Grady’, maquette, 2024 by Mark Coreth (British, b.1958), Bronze, Height: 38” (97cm)
Image courtesy of Sladmore Gallery
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February 08, 2024
By Michael Prodger
Michael Prodger writes on art for a wide range of newspapers and journals including the Sunday Times, Times, Guardian, Financial Times, and Spectator. He is currently Associate Editor of the New Statesman and art critic for both the New Statesman and Standpoint magazines. He has been a judge on various literary prizes, including the Man Booker, the Samuel Johnson, the David Cohen and the Costa prizes.
David L. Mason started life as a dealer on his knees. In 1956, at the age of 17, he joined his father Leslie MacConnal-Mason in the family business in Duke Street, St James’s in London, and found himself, somewhat to his surprise, cleaning the doorstep and toilet. With a table, a chair, a six-month renewable lease and £15,000 in the bank, Mason’s fledgling career was not a glamorous one. Now, shortly to turn 85, the MacConnal-Mason Gallery owns two buildings on Duke Street and Mason’s son, David MacConnal Mason, represents the fourth generation to take the business on.
David L Mason OBE
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
Mason senior is an amiable and gregarious figure, a natural raconteur, from whom, as he sits among the Georgian furniture in his plum-coloured office, stories flow effortlessly. Some are about the picture business, such as the time he and Andrew Lloyd Webber offered the Puerto Rican industrialist and politician Luis A Ferré £10 million for Lord Leighton’s celebrated Flaming June and were gently rebuffed, and some more randomly colourful, such as being brought before a magistrate for a mere half dozen driving offences committed just a day after first gaining his licence.
Eugene de Blaas 'The Venetian Flower Vendor'
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
With his rival Richard Green, “We’ve scrapped over the years… competition is integral to being a dealer”, Mason is one of the most venerable picture dealers in London. The gallery specialises in 19th-century British and Continental works – fancy pictures, seascapes, Impressionist landscapes, Dutch works and figure paintings – and early modern British works by the likes of Henry Moore and LS Lowry. “We cater for the majority of tastes”, he says. Not quite: he goes nowhere near “that contemporary crap they are playing around with” in galleries nearby.
Sir A J Munnings 'Lord Astor's High Stakes'
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
Mason reckons that over the decades he has sold perhaps 300,000-400,000 paintings at every price range. As he helped Lloyd Webber build his spectacular collection, a relationship that has lasted more than 20 years, he paid £10 million for Canaletto’s The Old Horseguards from St James's Park and £18 million for Picasso’s Blue period portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto. The business has £15 million worth of Lowry’s in stock, he says, although the majority of MacConnal-Mason paintings aren’t quite as stratospheric. While Mason has watched the market turn increasingly towards more modern works, his clientele nevertheless remains steadfast.
L.S Lowry 'Excavating in Manchester'
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
So, how would he treat someone who walks off the street and says: “I know nothing about art but I want to start a collection”? Mason ponders: “I’d say, ‘I need a day with you.’ We’d have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We’d go to the National Gallery, for two hours – you can’t look at pictures for more than two hours – and by the end of the day I’d know what you like.” It is a personal process that he makes sound very much like a courtship. Then “I’d keep showing you pictures and see your reaction. I’d tell you the price of things and why they cost that much. And I’d remind you that one good painting is better than 25 also-rans.”
Mason is unsniffy about collectors’ motivations. He has dealt with enough of them to know that buying paintings for aesthetic reasons is, for a commercial gallery, no more valid than buying for investment or for “furnishing”. His own taste is, he says, for “top quality” and he is particularly fond of the Impressionists, James Tissot and Constable’s The Hay Wain – “People say, ‘It’s too bloody obvious.’ No, it’s not.”
Paintings, however, are not his only interest. For many years he was a driving force behind the battle to compensate the families of Thalidomide victims – his daughter Louise was one of them. The campaign was successful, not least because of Mason’s insistence, backed up by badgering Harold Wilson, that payments should be tax free. While from the ages of 18 to 80 he was a competitive racing driver – endurance cars mostly – winning numerous races of note. He retired from racing just three years ago and sold six of his Ferraris. Did he make money on them? “I do better with pictures. A car dealer I am not.” He perceives one similarity between driving cars at 200mph and dealing paintings though: “lunacy”.
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
Nonetheless, it is his achievements as a dealer of which he is most proud. “After all, I’ve been doing it for more than 60 years and it’s been brilliant,” and he is still dreaming up plans for the company’s future. However, he adds a cavil: “Some people might say that if you are still sodding about with pictures at 84 ‘You can’t have been that successful.’” And for the record, he has no points on his driving licence.
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January 11, 2024
Iconic characters can demand iconic prices.
By Alexander Larman
“The name’s Bond. James Bond.” Five of the most iconic words in cinema, and, of course, they owe their immortality to Commander Ian Fleming, the man who created Bond in 1953’s Casino Royale. He was a character who owed a great deal to his author, given Fleming’s own distinguished career in military intelligence and penchant for wine, women and cigarettes. In doing so, the writer gave the world one of its most beloved heroes. Yet Fleming also remains one of the most avidly collected of all twentieth century novelists, whose books can be found in any self-respecting bibliophile’s collection. Not bad, really, for a man who said of Casino Royale to a friend that “I really am thoroughly ashamed of it ... after rifling through this muck you will probably never speak to me again, but I have got to take that chance.”
Today, a first edition of his first novel inscribed to his fellow novelist Paul Gallico can be bought from Jonkers Rare Books for an impressive £125,000; an unsigned copy of the same book in what Christiaan Jonkers calls “well used, but not irredeemable condition” will set you back a rather less dear but still punchy £22,500. Yet Fleming is one of those authors, like J.R.R. Tolkien and Roald Dahl, whose books represent a blue-chip investment; they have been in fashion for seventy years, show no signs of getting less popular, and, as the casting of the next James Bond actor is eagerly awaited – my money’s on James Norton – continue to represent the pinnacle of contemporary book collecting.
Ian Fleming, Casino Royale. Inscribed to Paul Gallico. Images courtesy of Jonkers Rare Books.
According to Jonkers, who sells the books from his shop in Henley-on-Thames, the reasons for their success is straightforward. “Despite the books appearing somewhat dated now, Fleming created something with a timeless appeal in James Bond, with his juxtaposition of just-unobtainable glamour and all too obvious flaws that can be easily appreciated by audiences over a seventy-year span with very little fundamental change.
And Fleming was a journalist who wrote in a very spare but meticulously detailed way, presenting the reader with all the information needed to form a precise image, but with very little unnecessary verbiage. This made the style and feel of the books very easy to translate to film scripts.”
Jonkers initially began dealing in the books in the early Nineties, and now says “One of my earliest projects was helping a customer who had become quite successful in the entertainment world to build a Fleming collection. We started with a set of first editions in perfect condition, something that was quite attainable then, but not valued to the extent it is now. They were often just sitting on people’s bookshelves unnoticed. Not infrequently, I would be visiting friends at home and they would have a small clutch of Flemings sitting on the bookshelf, which had been bought by their parents as they came out in the 50s and 60s, read once and left untouched.” He quips “I think the book trade must have thought I was printing them.”
The signed copy Jonkers is currently selling is rare, because, as he notes, “though happy to inscribe his books, Fleming only tended to do so for friends and acquaintances.” When asked if he has any more affordable titles, he remarks “We currently have a copy of Thunderball, inscribed to a journalist colleague for £12,500 which is about as inexpensive as you might expect to pay for an inscribed first edition. One occasionally sees signed reprints for sale which should cost less, but are very much less desirable.
One also sees forgeries on the market from time to time. When buying material of this sort the usual rules of common sense apply: buy from an experienced and knowledgeable bookseller and if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
Yet these pale in comparison to the pièce-de-résistance the dealer is offering, Fleming’s original corrected typescript of Diamonds are Forever, copiously annotated by the author in his distinctive blue biro, and retailing for a cool £350,000. As Jonkers says of it, “I have handled a number of manuscripts, though none as early or as heavily reworked as this.
The final revised typescript of 'Diamonds Are Forever' with Ian Fleming's autograph revisions throughout. Image courtesy of Jonkers Rare Books.
The annotations are interesting, not just as historical artefacts, but also as an insight in Fleming’s creative process of bringing James Bond into print. It is now the third time I have owned it, having bought it back twice within the space of 20 years. It really should be in a museum or long-term private collection.”
There are other hugely desirable items of Fleming memorabilia that Jonkers has sold in the past – a copy of Live and Let Die inscribed to Winston Churchill, for instance, and an edition of Moonraker signed for Raymond Chandler – but as the bookseller comments, ‘One of the attractive things about collecting Fleming is that all of the books are relatively attainable. There are esoteric oddities, variants, copies in different coloured ‘trail’ bindings etc., but most collectors aren’t very interested in those. Of the mainstream books, the most difficult to find is probably a Moonraker in perfect condition. The dustwrapper design is orange and yellow flames on a white background and almost as soon as the book is exposed to light the orange and yellow fade and the white tans. I have probably only seen two or three genuinely perfect examples of the jacket in some thirty years.”
Moonraker Ian Fleming, this first edition on offer by Jonkers Rare Books is one of those rare copies with little fading to the dustwrapper. Image courtesy of Jonkers Rare Books.
The less well-heeled Fleming collector does have a few options; a copy of the final James Bond book, Octopussy and the Living Daylights, can usually be found for around £200, and the first editions of the Pan paperbacks retail for under £100, even now. Yet there has also been mild controversy when it comes to the author lately, with Live and Let Die being edited and rewritten at the behest of ‘sensitivity readers’, deleting racial slurs that are thought to be unpalatable today. Does Jonkers ever believe that there will be a time when Fleming and Bond shake, rather than stir, book collectors? “I think that Fleming’s books will have a following for at least a generation after they stop making the films. After that point it is hard to tell whether the cultural momentum would be enough to propel the Fleming bandwagon in perpetuity, but I think, in any case, it is unlikely that anyone living today will see a time where Ian Fleming and James Bond is not well known.”
007 may have had a licence to kill, but, in today’s ever-fertile bibliophile market, dealers in his work have a licence to print money, as the titles become ever-more sought after: a state of affairs that shows no signs of changing.
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December 07, 2023
The gender pay-gap in the world of antiquarian books.
by Francesca Peacock
If Margaret Cavendish; the 17th century Duchess of Newcastle and polymath, poet, philosopher, and scientist, had been in New York in December 2022, she may well have had the shock of a lifetime. Not just for the obvious reasons (she would have to be a well-preserved 400 years old, or a spectral ghost), but for something rather more exciting. As she swanned into Christie’s in the Rockefeller Plaza, she would have seen one of her own books on sale: a first edition of her first volume, Poems and Fancies (1653).
This edition has been well-looked after, and well-loved. Its title page bears two hand-written inscriptions of ownership: the first, an “Elizabeth Pain” on the “13th January 16?3”, and the second, nearly a century later, “Elias Harry Paine and Mary Paine, their book 1747”. Cavendish may well have been delighted to know that her book — the book that got her the reputation of being mad; more insane than the “soberer people in Bedlam” — was still being valued in the century after her death. But, she would have been infinitely more excited to know that, in December last year, that very same book sold for no less than $30,240 — nearly three times its estimate sale price of between $8000 and $12,000.
Just seven years ago – in 2015 – an edition of the same book in a comparable condition, sold for only $2750. Back in 2011, a collection of five of her works from across her career had an estimate between £6,000 and £8,000.
Poems and Fancies by Margaret Cavendish, a group of 5 volumes that was offered by Sotheby's with an estimate of £6,000-8,000.
What on earth has happened, then, to the valuation of Margaret Cavendish’s works? Her fortune is, in fact, part of a broader picture of the increasing price for early modern women’s writing. In the same lot that saw Poems and Fancies reach over $30,000, a first edition of Katherine Philips’s work — the 17th century Royalist poet and Cavendish’s contemporary — reached some $13,860. In 2016, another copy of the very same edition, fetched only £900.
It’s a picture of commercial value increasing which can be echoed for almost every other women early modern writer, from Aphra Behn (a collection of poems sold in 2008 for £750; individual plays now reach over £6,000), to, a century later, Mary Wollstonecraft. In 2018, a copy of her ground-breaking work of feminist thought, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman sold for over £10,000. At the turn of the millennium, the same work reached only £1,840.
Indeed, if other women’s writing is anything to go by, the sky is the limit with auction prices: just in September 2021, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein went for $1.17 million — the most ever paid for a printed work by a woman. A year later in 2022, a small book of handwritten, previously unseen “ryhmes” by Charlotte Brontë went for $1.25 million.
'A Book of Ryhmes' by Charlotte Brontë. Image courtesy of James Cummins Bookseller.
There’s evidently a gulf between these record-breaking figures — books by some of the largest female names in the literary canon — and the smaller sums reached by the likes of Margaret Cavendish, but what do these increases in value mean?
The increase in value speaks to a greater interest in historic women’s writing more generally. For Margaret Cavendish, collectors are paying more for her works just as she has become, rightly, a “hot” academic topic, and as discussions of ground-breaking nature (she was, amongst other “firsts”, the author of the inaugural work of science fiction — The Blazing World). Finally, her work — and that by other early modern women who were so brave to publish their work — is being valued by collectors.
But, it’s too easy to tie monetary value to literary and critical importance. In the art world, this assumption that has long seen art by women thought to be less “good”. It’s a recognised phenomenon, the art world’s gender pay gap and self-perpetuating cycle; the price ticket attached to the art becomes a short-hand for its artistic merit and the factors which have influenced it — the historic undervaluing of women’s work — are ignored.
Does the increase in value of these women’s books suggest that the rare book market has avoided this issue? Unfortunately not. Even while the price for women’s writing is increasing, it is still nowhere as high as the auction records for men’s writing: in a list of over 150 books sold at auction for over a million dollars, women author’s names — six, in total — are rare enough to count on your fingers. Financially, at least, women’s writing is still nowhere near as valued as that by men. But, of course, for all that the record-breaking price reached by Frankenstein pales in comparison to some of the prices reached by men’s books, nobody could argue that Mary Shelley’s work was not incredibly important; a seismic contribution to literature. With books, as with art, there’s always a judgement beyond the monetary.
And, for every story of an increase in value — Margaret Cavendish’s upturned fortunes, or Katherine Philips’s — there’s a story of jaw-droppingly-low prices. Currently for sale on Oxfam is a copy of Charlotte Smith’s Elegiac Sonnets — poems written in the last two decades of the 18th century, beloved by writers from William Wordsworth to John Keats. It’s a slightly battered copy of the sixth edition (Charlotte saw ten editions of her poems published in her life-time; she was incredibly popular) but it is still only selling for £100. It is hard to think what other antique or artefact from the 18th century would sell for that little, not least one which includes sonnets that Samuel Taylor Coleridge described as “creating a sweet and indissoluble union between the intellectual and the material world”.
From Cavendish to Charlotte Smith — now might well be the time to snap up some literary bargains, before their prices rise even more. But, just don’t take any bargains you come by as proof of their lesser literary merit.
Mary Shelley's letters are also collected. This autograph letter signed to Frederic Mansel Reynolds is offered by Peter Harrington Rare Books.
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November 30, 2023
Condition is everything, including for those pieces that are purposefully restored.
By Emma Chrichton-Miller
As everyone in today’s art and antiques market is aware, condition is everything. Collectors are increasingly disinclined to take on objects which are not immaculate.
A handsome degree of patina on some Georgian furniture is allowed, but otherwise gleaming perfection is the order of the day. There is one field of collecting however where there is leeway. Japanese craftsmen have long espoused the values of imperfection encapsulated in the phrase, wabi-sabi. It was the fifteenth-century Buddhist monk, Murata Shukō, creator of the Zen-influenced tea-ceremony, who is credited with developing an aesthetic of deficiency. He suggested that alongside Chinese ceramics, with their regular forms and perfect glazes, practitioners of the tea ceremony should also use humbler, rustic Japanese wares which bear the marks of their making. One quote ascribed to him, from a document now known as the Kokoro no fumi (“Letter of the heart”), is the saying, 'A moon which is not behind clouds is disagreeable.’ The lesson from this is the beauty also of transience: that it is the movement of the clouds to reveal and conceal the moon as it itself moves, that makes the scene so beautiful.
At last year’s Treasure House Fair there were two objects that derived directly from that tradition - the tea bowls of Raku Kichizaemon XV on show at Offer Waterman. These lively, irregular raku tea bowls, though made in 1987 and 2002, reach back through centuries. The gallery explains that “the artist uses clay often prepared three generations ago by his ancestors in the creation of these rich and rugged tea bowls. It is this permanence and continuity [that] sits at the heart of the family tradition.” These works also display an affinity with Offer Waterman’s Modern British art works. This is partly because during the 1920s the British potter Bernard Leach brought these Eastern ideas directly into the mainstream of thinking about art, design and craft in Britain, with his writings but also with the founding of his Leach pottery in St Ives, in 1920, aided by the Japanese potter, Shoji Hamada. Offer Waterman regularly shows other potters within this Anglo-Oriental tradition - including the highly various works of Lucie Rie, which revel in the accidents of form that arise in the moment of throwing and the ebullient drips or volcanic explosions of glaze that her once-firing method encouraged.
White Raku Rekiyū type tea bowl named Ganshō (Pine Tree on the Rock), c.1987 by Raku Kichizaemon XV b. 1949. Image courtesy of Offer Waterman.
Dutch artist Bouke de Vries, who is presented by Adrian Sassoon, takes the idea of imperfection further. An expert in the restoration of priceless historical ceramics, some years ago de Vries began to make art works that emphasised rather than hiding what he describes as being the most dramatic moment in the art work’s life. De Vries comments, “I was always a bit bemused by people’s obsession with things being perfect. In ceramics, damage is a no no. And yet we venerate the Venus de Milo.” Recognising that the fragments of fine ceramics had their own poetic power, he has used these to create a range of new vessels. Sometimes he uses kintsugi, or the art of mending visibly with gold leaf; sometimes he collages pieces together from different broken pots to create a new whole, vibrant with its own life; and sometimes he places the broken pieces of a historic piece inside a transparent glass vessel shaped to offer a ghostly match for the original form.
18th century Worcester porcelain teapot fragments with butterflies within a perspex box, 2022, by Bouke de Vries.
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon.
Another aspect of wabi-sabi, or the valuing of impermanence and imperfection, is a love of nature and natural processes. At last year’s Treasure House Fair, Geoffrey Diner Gallery showed some of the beautiful tables by Japanese-American craftsman and designer George Nakashima. These take their form from the untrimmed shape of the original tree, whether cut length ways or across the trunk. At the root of his philosophy of making was the idea, expressed on his website, "A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.”
As humans, throughout history, we have seen ourselves reflected in nature. This lies behind the traditional admiration of many Chinese and Japanese scholars for strange and marvellous twists of root or branch or stone, which tease the imagination. Dealers Patrick and Ondine Mestdagh, from Brussels, exhibitors at Treasure House Fair, have available currently a Japanese bamboo scholar's object or “okimono”. Depending upon your angle of vision, this entirely natural object looks like a dragon or an insect or the branch of a tree. A Lighthouse Called Kanata is a Tokyo-based gallery committed to introducing to Western as well as Eastern audiences contemporary art works inspired by a distinctly Japanese aesthetic. One of their artists is Osamu Yokoyama, a graphic designer turned master of bamboo. He captures the wayward organic energy of the material and turns it to his own expressive purposes. As the gallery suggests: “For it is within its bends and curves, its ability to be cut, bound and stretched to its limits, that one can find the meandering, ethereal and poignant vicissitudes of life itself.”
Yakinuki type black Raku tea bowl named Kikyorai (Homecoming), 2002. By Raku Kichizaemon XV b. 1949. Ceramic.
Image courtesy of Offer Waterman.
Raku seal impressed on the base of the bowl. Further: inscribed on the lid of the box Yakinuki Kuro (Yakinuki Black) and Kikyorai on the underside of the lid with kao cypher reading Kichi-Mitsu, as well as the inscription reading Hinoe-uma no toshi Aki (Autumn 2002), the artist's signature Kichizaemon XV (seal) on the base of the box.
Learn more in this video about the artist.
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November 23, 2023
The legacy of dealer decorators such as Robert Kime, Christopher Gibbs and Geoffrey Bennison is that they recognised that antiques had the capacity to transform the mood of a room.
By Giles Kime
Giles Kime is Executive and Interiors Editor at Country Life.
Anyone born much after the swinging sixties will remember a time when good antiques were treated with the sort of reverence normally reserved for senior clergy and decorated soldiers. Knowledge of their past lent them a glow; names like ‘Hepplewhite’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Gillow’ were uttered in the same hushed tones as ‘Major General’ or ‘Archdeacon.’ They still do; pedigree and provenance still rules the world of antiques and rightly, so. The origins of a piece and the hands and houses through which they subsequently passed adds an extra dimension that is transformative and which has the potential to add significantly to its allure.
But it was in the sixties that a new type of antique expert emerged on the scene - and with them a very different type of client. In following decades, Christopher Gibbs, Geoffrey Bennison, Robert Kime, David Mlinaric and Piers Westenholz - most of whom plied their trade around London’s Pimlico Road - recognised that as well as having historic and aesthetic value, antiques also offer a unique opportunity to cast a spell over a space. It wasn’t just clients such as Lord Rothschild and Weidenfeld who bought into this philosophy but also a new generation from the world of film and music, including Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, David Putnam and Terence Stamp. ‘Chrissie Gibbs sought out the unique, the unusual and the unrelated, so you might have a 17th-century sculpture next to a piece of Arts-and-Crafts furniture on a beautiful rug, creating that soft, sleepy aged sense of beauty,’ says the antique dealer Will Fisher of Jamb in London. The emphasis was as much on the whole as it was on the sum of the parts. Richard Coles of Godson and Coles concurs with the sentiment; 'Quality antiques bring depth and gravitas creating focal points in a room, generating a tangible and exciting atmosphere that is timeless, interesting and less liable to date,’ he says.
One of the late Robert Kimes’s most influential projects was the gentle transformation of South Wraxall Manor in Wiltshire for John Taylor and his wife, Geela Nash Taylor, the founder of Juicy Couture. It was not just structural changes such as re-opening the loggia to the outside that brought this beautiful 15th-century house back to life but the extraordinary mixture of furniture and fabrics that lend the house its highly distinctive mood. ‘It had to have some ordinary things in it - and some wonderful things too,’ he commented. And so it does; the study is furnished with a French ebony and Boulle desk and a gilt mirror, while the family sitting room is anchored by a pastel Smyrna rug. Elsewhere there are antique pelmets, bed hangings, curtains and upholstery as well as embroidered suzanis. There are 18th-century French twin beds in their original Toile de Jouy fabrics, hand-painted DeGournay paper and the Spanish painted leather walls that provide magical backdrops. The value of these ingredients to the succession of spaces was not just as individual pieces but also as components in an entity that enhanced the mood of the building.
The drawing room at Wraxhall, designed by Robert Kime. Image courtesy of Robert Kime, photographer Tessa Traeger.
Key to the South Wraxall project was the mix of styles and eras; European and Middle Eastern, 17th-century with 18th, ordinary with the extraordinary. That perhaps is one the greatest features of the work of the dealer decorators; in their search for magic, they refused to be hidebound by the period of a building. As a result, the alchemy of their work relied on juxtaposing one piece with another, regardless of its origin. It was a dramatic shift away from interior design projects of the past that had been burdened by historicism and involved furnishing rooms with pieces that were from the same period as the houses they occupied.
What has been exciting about this seismic shift in approach is the creativity that it has precipitated at every level of the market; freed from the constraints of connoisseurship, the process of decorating with antiques has become more creative. While academic rigour still prevails, so too does a celebration of beauty for beauty’s sake and the form, colour and texture that they bring to an interior.
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November 16, 2023
Do you need a full set of medieval armour in your life? Perhaps a replica for the re-enactment circuit will do?
By Charles Hartley
Charles Harley is the Director of Hartleys Auctions and specialises in arms, militaria and taxidermy.
As an auctioneer I have a wonderfully varied life, not just in the items, but the situations I find myself in. Harking back to the earliest part of my career, I visited a semi-derelict property via a particularly sheepish solicitor. The front door remained fixed as the warped wood had fused shut, giving it “the shoulder” it burst open sending me unbalanced and heavy into the hallway where the wormed floorboards started giving way underfoot. As if in a scene from Indiana Jones, I scrambled to safety into a room veiled in the dull darkness of cigarette-stained net curtains. Once my eyes adjusted, I was met with the most amazing scene, as if this suburban bungalow was transformed to a castle armoury, lay before me was a myriad of weapons; from drums to spears, from sabres to muskets. Although within this surplus there had been some real treasures, the piece that held my attention the most was a Cuirassier breast-plate excitingly pierced by two musket balls; unlike any other item in the market, this damage only increased value as it left the stark imprint of its gruesome past.
Composite South German heavy field armour, partly Nuremberg, circa 1540, with a North Italian close helmet, circa 1570.
Sold for £11,000, including buyers premium, image courtesy of Olympia Auctions.
I spoke to Thomas Del Mar, founder of Olympia Auctions famed for their sales of Armour. He painted a picture of a highly diverse demographic of buyers, from your focused and dedicated collectors through to your interior designers. One thing said that really stuck with me was the fact that armour can reflect value for money. Effective musket fire made armour relatively redundant in the 1600s, so much of the full suits you see will be 16th century or earlier, yet many sale results fall within the £8 -16-thousand-pound range and as Thomas said “You find me a sculpture from the 1500s for less!”. He is absolutely right, the artisan nature of their creation, the history that they represent and their beauty in a modern context sings to me more than carved marble. Such a piece can be seen from a German heavy field armour from 1540 with later Italian helmet, that found a new home for a mere £11,000. Of course, not all armour (suits or otherwise) are “bargains”, often being owned by the rich and used in historically defining moments, strong provenance or quality can send prices rocketing. For example, Olympia Auctions recently reached a whopping £96,000 for an important German etched, gilt and embossed burgonet helmet – bosting strong provenance and stunning quality.
Keith Dowen, curator at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, suggested that now was not the best time for armour. He felt the UK market had contracted since Brexit and few major collections had been under the hammer since. He also felt that armour remained largely unaffordable to younger enthusiasts and although careful scouring of the European market can turn up the odd bargain, there are few “sleepers” these days. But I suppose it depends what you mean by a “bargain”, though I am not in a position to throw £15k at a suit of armour and I know my wife would not forgive me if I did, as a value relative to anything else it does seem affordable. Even with less to spend you can pick up a genuine antique but not a period piece, in the form of Victorian armour produced for the purpose of decorating grand houses for between £800 - £2,000.
An important South German etched, gilt and embossed closed burgonet, Ausburg, circa 1555-1560. The etching attributed to Jörg Sorg the Younger.
Sold for £96,000, including buyers premium, image courtesy of Olympia Auctions.
There even sits a colourful market for modern armour, from cosplay and its armour-plated brassieres, reenactors fighting an eternal battle with historic accuracy, to the extremely serious world of full-contact armoured combat; where you can quite literally knock seven shades of steel out of each other. I think with all three modern forms, beyond the fun, socialising and in the latter case great exercise, there is an element of escapism. I must stress that I do not see this negatively, a lot can be gained from stepping back to a simpler rawer time where the dogmas of modern life are abandoned and in exploring the ways in which our ancestors lived and died, we can ground ourselves. Speaking to Jake Coles of Armoured Combat Gloucester, he sees it as a niche but growing market where everyone from ex-soldiers to accountants, sharing a love of history, contact sports and in many cases computer games, can really “let loose”. The modern suits are mostly made in Russia and Ukraine (currently tricky), often costing £3,000 or more – interesting when you reflect on the value of the antiques.
So, whether you are a student of history, fancy an interior show piece or identify as Sir Lancelot at the weekend, there is a suit for you. Armour is quite literally a tangible representation of history, whether it be armour worn by those who ruled, or worn by those who with a single axe blow changed the world forever, it cannot fail to strike awe and inspiration.
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The Ladybird Book, Wikipedia in Technicolour
November 09, 2023
The conveniently pocket sized books that proliferated for a time are not hard for an enthusiast to find.
By Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
Between the 1950s and the 1970s, before the internet, when children watched television for an hour a day, the defining images of a British childhood were found in Ladybird books. Their colourful illustrations were instantly recognisable, they were full of wondrous information and ‘amaze your friends’ skills to master, Ladybirds were the background to mid-twentieth-century growing up. It would be hard to find anyone born before 1980 who wouldn’t pounce delightedly on a battered Ladybird: they are old friends.
Ladybird titles ran into thousands. There were series on garden birds, fairy tales, kings and queens, shopping with mother, nuclear power and steam locomotion. There is virtually nothing that hasn’t been covered comprehensively but succinctly by a Ladybird book, Wikipedia in technicolour. In the 1960s, the Ministry of Defence even recommended its employees read the ‘Computer’ edition from the Ladybird ‘How it Works’ series.
Some of the 'How it Works' series of ladybird books. Image courtesy of Helen Day.
Ladybirds emerged in Loughborough, from Wills & Hepworth, a printing company which had, since 1914, produced basic, black and white illustrated children’s books under the ‘Ladybird’ imprint. In 1939, the company spotted a market for reassuring stories that chimed with ‘Children’s Hour’ on the wireless. The range was expanded and given a recognisable logo – a ladybird with open wings. The series kicked off in 1940 with ‘Bunnikins’ Picnic Party.’ Wartime paper shortages necessitated the pocket size which would shape the look of Ladybirds for the next three decades.
It was the arrival of the visionary Douglas Keen in 1952 which moved Ladybirds away from Bunnikins and into the cosmos and everything in it. Keen saw that post-war changes in social attitudes about education, a new Education Act, the opening of comprehensive schools and a standardised curricula opened up a new seam of publishing. In 1953, British Birds and their Nests was the first non-fiction Ladybird, illustrated by Allan W Seaby, celebrated for his Japanese-influenced woodcuts of birds. In 1959, the logo was changed to the familiar Ladybird with closed wings. By the time Keen retired in 1972, the year Ladybird was sold to the Pearson group, the imprint had acquired a near impregnable dominion of the bookshelves of British children. But it marked the end of the Ladybird golden age: the imprint still exist, now part of Penguin, but since the early 1980s has sunk in the now hugely competitive children’s book market; their current one-dimensional, computer-inspired illustrations no longer seem original or distinctive. Far more successful recently have been Jason Hazeley’s satirical Ladybirds for nostalgic grownups (‘How it Works: The Dad’; ‘The Story of Brexit’).
An illustration from 'Bunnikins' Picnic Party'. A copy of the second imprint is currently listed for sale at £125. Image courtesy of the seller.
Ladybirds had such enormous print runs that most are now easy to find for £2 or £3; many collectors will simply enjoy the pleasure of accumulating those coloured spines. Ladybird expert Helen Day (‘I have the collecting gene’), whose website www.ladybirdflyawayhome.com should be the first stop for anyone interested in starting a collection, says that the rare volumes are fiction, particularly those from the 1940s, hard to find in good condition as wartime rationed paper was so fragile. The books in the Tasseltips series, illustrated by Ernest Aris, have rarity value, as does ‘The Adventures of Wonk’ and ‘High Tide’ from the 1940s. Copies of The Impatient Horse (1953) have reached £350. Dating is difficult as Ladybirds don’t follow the antiquarian rules for first editions, instead listing the initial publication date on subsequent editions. Helen Day suggests going by price – and her website provides a useful chart. If the date is 1950 but the price is in 1970s decimal then you have a clue to date. The Ladybird completists’ holy grail, however, is still the brown-paper-covered edition of The Computer: How it Works that was rumoured to have been specially commissioned by the MOD to save its readers’ embarrassment. Is it out there? Helen Day is doubtful but it’s worth keeping an eye out.
A copy of book three in the Ladybird 'Great Artists' series can be picked up for less than £5. Image courtesy of the seller.
A shelf of Ladybirds is therefore a pleasure but in hardcore collecting terms not perhaps an investment. But what of the original artwork? The list of Ladybird artists is distinguished – and yet, says Helen Day, their work ‘consistently undersells.’ She has picked up pieces for between £25 and £100. The original illustrations, commissioned for a flat fee and returned to the artists when Pearson bought the imprint, were mostly gouache on board. Having gone to the Loughborough factory for print value checking, they were returned to the ownership of the artist in pristine condition. Decorative, figurative and full of detail, it is the magical pictures that make Ladybirds so compelling. And each illustrator brought a distinctive style. As Day puts it: ‘the skills of the artist are perfectly matched to the nature of the composition.’ Douglas Keen was a bold commissioner. Frank Hampson, for example, creator of sci-fi hero Dan Dare, illustrated the nursery rhymes. Ronald Lampitt (Birds and How they Live, What to Look For Inside a Church) had a style quite different from, for example, Martin Aitchison (Peter and Jane) or Charles Tunnicliffe (the What to Look for in … series).
Some of the original artwork is held in the University of Reading which houses the Ladybird collections following the closure of the Wills & Hepworth printing works in 1999 (a bereavement still remembered by those for whom ‘Loughborough was Ladybird’). But there is still ‘a lot out there’ says Helen Day whose travelling exhibition of Ladybird art (currently in Alnwick) is an inspiring place to start. Evocations of everything in the world from elves to cars to kitchens to rockpools: what a glorious thought.
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October 19, 2023
Early editions of James Joyce's Ulysses are notoriously full of errors but that's what makes them special.
Francesca Peacock
Francesca Peacock is an art, books and culture writer.
When you think of Ulysses, what is it you picture: pasty-faced students, lost in the labyrinthine world of their essays and Dublin’s streets? Or perhaps one of its more glamourous readers: Marilyn Monroe with the book in the playground, her copy tellingly open at the last few pages of Molly Bloom’s famous “yes I said yes I will Yes” monologue?
Maybe what sticks in your mind is that illusive, perfect shade of Ulysses blue used in the first edition — a colour Joyce was so particular about that he had it custom-mixed by his artist friend Myron Nutting. It is thought that Joyce was aiming for a “Greek” blue — the colour of the country’s flag, but others have seen it as a “homage to glaucoma” and Joyce’s life-long eye problems. If that sounds like an oblique connection too far, you must remember that this is Ulysses we are dealing with: the book Joyce himself claimed he “put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries”. The first edition is immortalised in a painting by Paul Cadmus: painted in 1931, Cadmus’s nude lover Jarred French looks out of the canvas with a first edition of Ulysses resting on his torso.
Ulysses, James Joyce. Edition: Paris - Shakespeare and Company, 1922. This copy was once on offer for £300,000.
Images courtesy of Peter Harrington.
First published a century ago, Ulysses’ publication history is anything but simple. It was the victim of an obscenity trial in the United States before it was even published as a result of the “Nausicaa” episode appearing in The Little White Review. In the offending scene, Leopold Bloom masturbates on a beach, and ponders tactics for seducing girls: “Nausicaa” is, admittedly, hardly something you’d recommend as a story for a class of four-year-olds. But in the grand scheme of Ulysses (magical sex-shifting prostitutes; orgasmic monologues; lecherous men stalking women around the city), it’s a bit like banning Dad’s Army for bad war jokes before Germany’s even been mentioned for the first time. Ulysses couldn’t legally be published in the US until 1933 after another trial: United States vs. One Book Called Ulysses. Random House, under the leadership of Bennett Cerf, produced an error-laden edition in 1934.
Over in Europe, Sylvia Beach owner of the famous Parisian left-bank bookshop Shakespeare and Company, published 1000 copies with the famous blue cover. Chris Saunders, of the antiquarian bookshop Sotheran’s, pays homage to Beach’s “bravery and nous to publish a book that no one else would touch”. Of all Joyce’s works, Ulysses is this most collectible — and this edition more than any other. Of the first Paris edition, 100 copies were signed, and on Dutch handmade paper, 150 were numbered and printed on verge d’Arches paper (an expensive, watercolourist’s paper), and 750 were printed on bog standard handmade paper.
Ulysses, James Joyce. Edition: Paris - Shakespeare and Company, 1922. One of the copies distributed by Harriet Shaw Weaver.
Image courtesy of Peter Harrington.
One of the 100 copies printed on Dutch paper, in excellent condition was for sale at the London bookshop Peter Harrington for a cool £300,000, a lesser condition copy of the same is currently offered for £55,000. One of the 750 printed on the least special paper — but still in the first 1000 — can set you back over £60,000. Saunders remembers Sotheran’s selling one of the 750 of the first edition for £40,000 in recent years, but he draws attention to the “notoriously fragile” nature of the books — their much-prized blue cover is surprisingly flimsy. He says, “if you have a copy, get a box made for it!”
Just a few months later in 1922, The Egoist Press — under Harriet Shaw Weaver, whose magazine The Egoist had published some episodes as early as 1919 — published 2000 numbered copies of “the English edition” on handmade paper, using the same plates as the first edition. This edition included the first printed list of “errata” — something that would continue to dog Ulysses editions, and debates, for decades to come.
How can you tell what’s an error in Ulysses, and what is just authorial choice? Is a moment of punctuation in an otherwise punctuation-averse scene a strong authorial choice, or a grave printing error that ruins the episode’s meaning? One Joyce scholar, Jack Dalton, went as far as to claim that there were no fewer than 2000 errors in the first printed edition, whilst John Kidd — something of a maverick Joyce scholar — attacked Walter Gabler’s 1984 “corrected text“ as being “marbled with the fat of pseudo-restorations”. In response to what some of us may perceive as a minor errors (“beard” for “bread” and suchlike), Kidd responded — in The New York Review of Books, no less — “is no one awake at the wheel?”
Bronze of James Joyce’s death mask. Cast at Lunt’s Foundry Birmingham, 2017.
For sale at Sotheran’s. Image courtesy of Henry Sotheran’s Antiquarian Bookdealers.
There is, then, a certain irony to the fact that it is the most error-laden editions of Joyce that are now most prized by collectors: it isn’t the 1932 Odyssey Press edition — “specially revised, at the author’s request” — which, in 2009, sold at a record-breaking price. Indeed, you can buy each of the 1932 volumes for a mere £35 a piece. Blue covers they may lack, but they also have a corresponding absence of printing errors.
It is not just Ulysses which sells for brilliantly high prices: you can buy a bronze cast of Joyce’s death-mask for £4,300, whilst a manuscript notebook of the “Eumaeus” episode reached £861,250 in 2001, and something as seemingly slight — but highly erotic — as a letter between Joyce and his wife Nora went for £240,800 in 2004. If the irony of the error-laden copies reaching hundreds of thousands wasn’t enough, there’s an especial tragedy to the fact that the letter in question was written after the couple had quarrelled over a lack of money.
What would Joyce say if he could see the price his works raised today? Would he be uncharacteristically squeamish, or would he have the commercial mind of Ulysses’s advertising salesman Leopold Bloom. I think the answer might be the latter: “…yes I said yes I will Yes.”
This was first published in The Open Art Fair Magazine.
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September 07, 2023
Casting a shine on the rare yet prolific women silversmiths
Emma Crichton-Miller
This year, among many other significant objects on their stand at Treasure House Fair, New York silver specialists S.J. Shrubsole had placed a beautiful silver porringer. Dated to 1675, during the reign of Charles II, it has two elegant, serpentine handles and the bottom third of the bowl is chased with lively acanthus leaves.
What makes the piece particularly interesting, however, is that it was made by a woman. Katherine Stevens was the wife of the goldsmith Roger Stevens of Foster Lane, who died very suddenly in 1673. Rather than slip into penury, Katherine took over the business, including the bound apprentice John Duck, who later married her daughter. Whatever the division of labour within this small family business, it is her mark, not that of the today better-known John Duck, that appears on this porringer, which has a degree of accomplishment that suggests it is not the work of her young apprentice.
A Charles II Antique English Silver Porringer, 1675 by Katherine Stevens
Courtesy of S.J. Shrubsole
That women figure importantly in British silversmithing in the eighteenth century has long been well known. In 1935, Sir Ambrose Heal, in his magisterial work The London Goldsmiths, determined that between 1697 and the Victorian era, a total of 63 women silversmiths, each with their own registered mark, worked in London alone. He also revealed that many of these women had definite trade designations in the records: they were not just widows running their late husband’s businesses but hands-on designers and craftsmen. Among the most famous are Louisa Perina Courtauld, Eliza Godfrey and Hester Bateman, but these just mark the peaks of a booming trade that was nation-wide. Another piece shown by Shrubsole was as extraordinarily large silver tray, hand-rolled, from 1729, with the mark of Sarah Parr, widow of Thomas Parr I. Philippa Glanville, formerly chief curator of the metal, silver and jewellery department at the Victoria and Albert Museum and co-author of the 1990 volume ‘Women Silversmiths 1685-1845’ has noted other names elsewhere - for instance, Welthian Goodyear, a Bristol spoonmaker, Ellen Dare of Taunton and Elisabeth Haselwood of Norwich. Furthermore, as Lewis Smith of London dealership Koopman Rare Art suggests, “There must have been other women who never gained a mark - the workshop of a silversmith was not a genteel place and there would have been female workers and family members.”
The collectors’ market is focused inevitably on the finest silver, those pieces which have survived multiple disasters of war and bankruptcy. The greatest boost to British goldsmithing in the early eighteenth century was undoubtedly the arrival of highly skilled Huguenot craftsmen, fleeing religious persecution in France. Elizabeth Godfrey, for instance, born Elizabeth Pantin in 1720, was the daughter of the distinguished Huguenot silversmith Simon Pantin. Her first husband, Abraham Buteux, was also a goldsmith from the French immigrant community. Elizabeth registered her first mark as Elizabeth Buteux in 1731, designed, as was customary, in a lozenge shape, to denote a widow, presumably after her husband died. She carried on her first husband’s silver business until her marriage to another goldsmith, Benjamin Godfrey, in 1732. Elizabeth registered a second mark as Elizabeth Godfrey in 1741, presumably when Benjamin died. The majority of her work is in the flamboyant French rococo style then becoming popular in England amongst the wealthy. Smith says of her, “By comparison with the work of her second husband, Benjamin, Eliza Godfrey’s work has a certain finesse.” The set of three monumental sugar casters by her they currently have “are the best rococo casters we have ever had - the quality of the chasing alone.”
A Monumental Set of Three 18th Century Rococo Casters by Elizabeth Godfrey
Courtesy of Koopman Rare Art
Louisa Courtauld, born in 1729, was also of Huguenot extraction. Her father, Pierre Abraham Ogier, was a silk weaver, who brought his family to London when she was a child. Her husband, Samuel Courtauld, was the son of Augustin Courtauld, a Huguenot metalsmith. A portrait of Louisa Courtauld from the 1770s, grandly posed in silk, testifies to the strength of the Courtauld business, appealing to the highest ranks in society. A year after her husband died, in 1766, Courtauld registered her own mark, continuing to run the business until she created a new joint mark with her son, Samuel Courtauld II, in 1777. Courtauld was not an unusual figure in eighteenth century London. In 2019 an exhibition running through the City of London displayed the business cards of the many women entrepreneurs from the period, beside their original premises. The exhibition’s curator, University of Cambridge historian Dr Amy Louise Erickson, commented: “There was nothing unusual about these businesswomen at the time. They were members of trade families and it was normal for women to be in charge. This history has been completely overlooked.”
A George III Antique English Silver Coffee Pot by Louisa Courtauld, 1764
Courtesy of S.J Shrubsole
Perhaps the most famous example is Hester Bateman. Born to a poor family in 1709, in 1730 she married John Bateman, a goldsmith and chainmaker, before inheriting his business on his death in 1760. After registering her mark in 1761, she built a formidable enterprise, helped by her children and apprentice John Linney. By using cost-efficient manufacturing methods, her workshops were able to turn out thousands of pieces - coffee pots, tea urns, cruets, teapots, salvers, goblets, salts, sugar tongs, and flatware - all of elegant but simple design, appealing to the middle classes.
A Pair of George III Antique English Silver Wine Labels by Hester Bateman, c. 1770
Courtesy of S.J. Shrubsole
According to both Smith and Jim McConnaughy of S.J. Shrubsole, there is a strong interest in female silversmiths, especially in America, where, suggests Smith, they appeal especially to their fellow women entrepreneurs. The price differential between men and women silversmiths is negligible, says Lewis Smith.
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June 06, 2023
How to find rare copies by the literary legend
Alexander Larman
The American author and journalist Ernest Hemingway was one of those men who lived when days were longer. Over the course of the 61 years that he spent on the planet, he married four times, published seven novels and novellas – a further two came posthumously – and served as a foreign correspondent everywhere from the Spanish Civil War to the D-Day landings on the Normandy beaches, although he was thwarted from his intention of travelling in the first wave of the troops. He was also a committed, largely successful self-mythologiser, who claimed to have done everything from being the first American into Paris during WWII and to have liberated the Ritz in the process to countless feats of prowess, whether literary, social or sexual.
He’s undeniably one of the most fascinating figures of the twentieth century, and so it’s little surprise that his books are eagerly sought-after and collected. As Pom Harrington, the owner of the estimable Peter Harrington bookshop, tells me, “Hemingway is unusual as an author as he is widely read and valued by both academics and readers of fiction alike. His famously straightforward style of writing has much to do with the democratic appeal of his work, in addition to the universality of the themes he writes about and his persona that transcended his role as a writer. He was an icon to many, and not just as a literary figure.” This translates into an enormous universality, although, as Harrington says, “He is undoubtedly a legend, even if some of his legendary status has a whiff of infamy.”
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
In Our Time.
With an introduction by Edmund Wilson.
Peter Harrington London
Harrington’s career dealing in Hemingway featured a spectacular early purchase. “I remember buying at auction on behalf of a customer a presentation copy of The Old Man and The Sea for $164,800 in 2004. It was inscribed by the author to Spencer Tracy who played the old Cuban fisherman in the 1958 film adaptation of the book. This copy was inscribed and given to Tracy over an Easter weekend when the actor and the producer Leland Hayward went to Havana for preliminary discussions with Hemingway about the making of the film.”
Yet he has subsequently handled an even rarer copy of the book: perhaps Hemingway’s most famous and beloved title, something that can be described as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the author’s work. “I sold one of the 15 extremely rare pre-publication copies of The Old Man and The Sea, one of only three such inscribed copies known to exist. It was signed “yours always Ernest Hemingway” and had an additional latter inscription of Charles Sweeny, a long-time friend of Hemingway’s, re-presenting the copy on his behalf: “To Betty from Ernest Hemingway by way of Charles Sweeny with love”.
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
In Our Time. Stories.
Peter Harrington London
Should one be in the market to buy a Hemingway item of spectacular rarity today, Harrington can – unsurprisingly enough – assist. “We are currently offering a very rare first printing of Voyage to Victory, Hemingway's account of 'a battle for a Normandy beachhead' in 1944 for £60,000. It is certainly one of the rarest items anyone could add to any Hemingway collection.” As Harrington says, “Although Hemingway did not appreciate his journalistic pieces placed alongside his fiction and famously said 'if you have made your living as a newspaperman, learning your trade, writing against deadlines, writing to make stuff timely rather than permanent, no one has any right to dig this stuff up and use it against the stuff you have written to write the best you can', his reportorial work clearly was a great influence on his fiction, with episodes and sometimes language being used in later novels and stories. As he notes in the prologue: 'Real war is never like paper war, nor do accounts of it read much like the way it looks. But if you want to know how it was in an LCV(P) on D-Day when we took Fox Green beach and Easy Red beach on the sixth of June, 1944, then this is as near as I can come to it.' "
HEMINGWAY, Ernest.
Winner Take Nothing.
FIRST EDITION, IN THE FIRST ISSUE JACKET
Peter Harrington London
Inevitably, signed presentation copies of Hemingway’s work remain sought-after; Harrington notes that costs of these would be a comparatively trifling few thousand for a signed reprint of For Whom the Bell Tolls to around £300,000 for a book of great personal significance, such as a copy of the novel that he inscribed to his third wife Martha Gellhorn (“we narrowly missed buying it at auction.”) And Harrington singles out his key early novel The Sun Also Rises as hugely collectable too, on the grounds that “a fine presentation copy of [the book] in its original dust jacket was the first of Hemingway’s novels to achieve wide acclaim.”
Inevitably, given his rambunctious and robust lifestyle and writing, Hemingway is today a controversial as well as beloved figure, and I wonder if he is in danger of being censored, cancelled or otherwise muzzled by the outraged forces of political correctness and decency. Harrington disagrees, however. “Hemingway is extensively read and studied; he is part of the canon of 20th century writers whose works I believe will remain truly timeless. In terms of American authors, he is up there in the top three with Fitzgerald and Faulkner. His creations will live on no matter what people think of the man.” And should you wish to buy one of these creations in impeccable condition, inscribed by Hemingway himself, Harrington is your man for them.
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June 06, 2023
Blending time and space with Adrian Sassoon
Francesca Peacock
“I like things to be very smart and shiny” says Adrian Sassoon, the 18th century porcelain and decorative art collector, and director of the gallery which bears his name. He likes things “to be not necessarily functional, but very apparent in a room because they look smart”; “things in pairs, in groups, in garnishes, in sets”, he tells me.
I’d asked him about a possible link between the two sides of his practice — the ornate, antique porcelain works produced in the Vincennes and Sèvres factories in 18th century France, and bold contemporary works by artists ranging from ceramicist Elizabeth Fritsch CBE to Japanese metalworker Hiroshi Suzuki. This mixture — 18th century plates, cups, and saucers, alongside “contemporary ceramics and glass and silver, lacquer, hard stones, some artist jewellery” — will be on show at the gallery’s stall at the Treasure House Fair.
Seni Vase, 2022
Hammer-raised and chased Fine silver 999
Made by the artist in Japan
Height 26cm (10 1/4"), Diameter 29cm (11 3/8")
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
Sassoon does believe there’s a “slight” link between these two sides of his profession, and puts it down to a similar confidence in both types of work. His gallery is “looking for work by mature artists, but that doesn’t really mean age”. Instead, he’s drawn to artists “already on a well-worn path with a very good identity”, but who aren’t afraid to change in style from year to year. “Not so that you would have lost track of what they have made in the past … but just moving on, developing new ideas, new themes, new shapes.”
With this emphasis on boldness, strength, and size — Sassoon tells me “I do like things that are large” — it is no surprise that he represents Felicity Aylieff, the master ceramicist whose contemporary gargantuan porcelain structures are deeply influenced by the Chinese ceramics tradition. One of her works — the 2 metre tall vase ‘Chasing Black’ — sits in the permanent collection at the V&A, while another — the 4 and a half metre tall ‘Chinese Ladders’ — was bought by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and now lives in perhaps the only house that could rival the object for scale and grandiosity: Chatsworth.
Blue & White Monumental Lidded Vase, 2019
Made by the artist in Jingdezhen, China
Height 196cm (77 1/8"), Diameter 72cm (28 3/8")
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
Ayeliffe’s ‘Chinese Ladders’ is part of the Devonshires’ own personal collection, but it is far from the only time that Sassoon’s works have found themselves in the grand settings of country houses. Until October, works by the silver maker Ndidi Ekubia are also on show at Chatsworth. Ekubia’s fusion of “hugely traditional techniques” with a “distinctive style […] very much like stretched textile patterns” matches the fusion of old and new produced when contemporary art is hosted in such a historic space. Sassoon’s gallery has also staged shows and exhibitions in the Elizabethan rooms of Parham House in West Sussex, and an Arts and Crafts house in the Lake District.
Cascade Tall Vase, 2018
Hammer-raised Fine silver 999
Height 26.5cm (10 3/8")
Diameter 16.5cm (6 1/2")
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
I asked Sassoon about the effect of placing contemporary objects in such old spaces. He thinks his “objects will fit really beautifully into a historic interior, as long as it’s not overdone”, and enjoys the feel that “a collector lives in the house”. But, at the same time, he wishes “that we could get our hands on a really fine contemporary interior, and show the same objects in one”. As yet, with all the practicalities of filming and staging an exhibition, this has proved impossible.
Within the houses that the gallery has put on exhibitions, visitors would, perhaps, more often expect to see objects from the other side of his collecting interests: antique silverware, porcelain, and ceramics. Sassoon is an expert on porcelain produced in 18th century France, when soft-paste porcelain was a recent import from Germany. These objects — the type seen at the V&A, or behind the glass cases of the Wallace Collection, where Sassoon was trustee for a number of years — form a market that has only grown in recent years. In Sassoon’s words, “things don’t get cheaper”.
Sassoon first became interested in 18th century porcelain through sheer exposure: living in a family of collectors, it was his grandmother’s collection which inspired him to take History of Art A-Level, where he quickly learnt that there are far “fewer books about the decorative arts”. As his interest grew, he forwent university in favour of an internship at the V&A and, later, becoming a junior curator at the Getty Museum in California.
A Spectacular Sèvres Porcelain Vase Hollandois, 1757-63
Height 17.2 cm
Depth 29 cm
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
Sassoon’s interest in decorative arts and objects was as organic as it is now infectious. He tells me how he became interested in contemporary works because “materials like glass and ceramics and silver” are “addictive across boundaries”. “If you’re interested in a piece of ceramic made in 1800, your eye will probably be caught by a piece of ceramic made in 1880 and 1980. It’s not about buying or anything […] but the materials have not changed in technique profoundly”.
“Chasing metal, soldering metal, blowing glass”; Sassoon’s delight in the processes by which these objects are made is matched only by his interest in their democratic possibilities. Despite representing high-end artists and sought-after techniques, he repeatedly tells me how works can be surprisingly accessible to collectors of all budgets.
Eclosion, 2017
Cast glass with Kirikane, a traditional Japanese technique of gold leaf decoration
Made by the artist in Japan
Height 8.5cm (3 3/8"), Width 24cm (9 1/2"), Depth 6.2cm (2 1/2")
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
For Ndidi Ekubia — the artist he represents who is currently exhibiting at Chatsworth — he tells me that some of her range in scale “means that a range of collectors can afford pieces”. And, when talking about 18th century porcelain, he notes that “prices have gone up”, but is keen to stress that some, still, are comparatively reasonable. Some pieces that are “in the same condition as when they were made in the 1750s”, still sell for hundreds, rather than thousands of pounds. As Sassoon says, porcelain “doesn’t fade”; “it’s quite a welcoming market”.
To end our interview, I ask Sassoon if he ever comes across people buying antique porcelain for everyday use: to eat their toast off, serve their dinner on, or drink their tea from. Sassoon’s reply is surprising: “serving some sorts of biscuits or something on a plate isn’t putting it in great danger”. He reminds me that a sculptural vase standing on a shelf is, still, in a way, being used, and makes a case for living with collected objects: “there’s no reason why not to use it. Just with care”.
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April 01, 2023
From the Paleolithic to Picasso - the rise of ceramics.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
‘Needless to say Sèvres has killed ceramics’, wrote Paul Gauguin in 1889. ‘… With the American Indians it was a central art. God gave man a little bit of mud, with a little bit of mud he made metal and precious stones, with a little bit of mud and a little bit of genius.’
Gauguin’s own radical ceramic works, of which around sixty survive today, rarely appear on the market and can command hundreds of thousands at auction. These vivid, deliberately non-functional vessels were part of his engagement with the ‘primitive’ artistic spirit.
The great Spatialist Lucio Fontana, who pushed clay into bold sculptural shapes, similarly claimed to detest ‘lacy designs and dainty nuances.’ His dramatic, Baroque-inspired figures and Crucifixions of the 1940s are especially sought after; a spectacular ceramic fireplace hit the record price of €1,450,200 in 2015.
The delicate, decorative objects these modern artists so disdained are, of course, only part of the story. Pottery has been part of human life since the Palaeolithic era and covers myriad forms and functions, from the practical to the pretty and the earthy to the ethereal. Broadly, though, to make ceramics has always meant to work with your hands. The increasing interest in ‘craft’-based TV shows such as Channel Four’s The Great Pottery Throwdown speaks to a renewed popular appreciation for the handmade and tactile. In our age of NFTs and immaterial imagery, ceramics offer something to hold on to, and seem to be having something of a moment.
This year’s ennoblement of Sir Grayson Perry, while also honouring Perry’s achievements as a broadcaster, writer and public figure, is testament to ceramics’ ascendancy in the field of contemporary art. Twenty years ago, Perry was the first ceramic artist to win the Turner Prize. His vases might look classical or domestic from afar, but incorporate subversive images and text that deliver biting social commentary and complex autobiographical themes. His Warhol-Basquiat tribute I Want To Be An Artist sold for a record-breaking £632,750 in 2017; twelve more vases have achieved prices over £100,000 since then.
PERRY, Grayson b.1960
I Want To Be An Artist, price realised £632,750 Christie’s
The ceramics of Pablo Picasso are a perennial—and accessible—auction favourite. Plates, plaques, bowls and vases produced at the Madoura pottery in Vallauris can be found for a few thousand dollars upwards. Inventive, colourful and often charming in design, these editioned works offer an appealing entry point to the Spanish master’s practice. A unique prototype of his Grand vase aux femmes voilées (1950), which sold for almost a million pounds in 2013, holds the record—still a bargain relative to his work on canvas.
Collectors of a more esoteric persuasion might consider George Ohr, the self-styled ‘Mad Potter of Biloxi’, who died relatively unknown in 1918. His studio, a five-story wooden pagoda in Biloxi, Mississippi, overflowed with pots in transgressive shapes and colours, many of them rumpled, frilled or ‘scroddled’—made from scraps of differently coloured clay. Half a century after his death, a cache of some seven thousand pots was rediscovered in his son’s auto-repair garage. Artists Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol began buying Ohr in the 1980s, followed by celebrity collectors including Steven Spielberg and Jack Nicholson. He retains a devoted following today: exceptional works command thirty to fifty thousand dollars at auction.
The equally rebellious Peter Voulkos, who founded the art ceramics department at the Los Angeles County Art Institute in 1954, reinvented ceramics during the years of Abstract Expressionism. ‘Calling Peter Voulkos a ceramist’, wrote Karen Rosenberg in 2016, ‘is a bit like calling Jimi Hendrix a guitarist.’ A master of functional pottery, he went on to work gesturally and monumentally—sometimes in front of a live audience—creating towering behemoths from paddled, wheel-thrown and slab elements. These ‘stacks’ have sold for major prices in recent years, but Voulkos’s chargers, bowls and plates can still be picked up for a few thousand dollars.
LEIGH, Simone b.1967
Untitled VI (Anatomy of Architecture Series), price realised $819,000 Christie’s
Among Voulkos’s students was the West Coast abstractionist Ken Price, whose psychedelic fired-clay sculptures drew on Surrealism and surf culture. His work was recently included in the Hayward Gallery’s group show Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art, which closed on 8 January this year. The exhibition showcased the medium’s wild mutability in an array of works—by turns painterly and sculptural, cerebral, playful and technically dazzling—by artists including Price, Takuro Kuwata, Rachel Kneebone, Jonathan Baldock, Beate Kuhn and Leilah Babirye.
At the Whitechapel Gallery in 2021, Theaster Gates’ exhibition A Clay Sermon explored the material, social and spiritual potency of clay, from its ritual and ceremonial uses to its role in colonialism. Alongside his own early hand-thrown pots, large stoneware vases and totemic ‘Afro-Mingei’ sculptures—which combine themes of Black identity and Japanese philosophy—Gates made a selection of historic ceramics from collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum. ‘As a potter’, the Chicago-based artist said, ‘you learn how to shape the world.’
Simone Leigh, who last year became the first Black woman to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, uses ceramics—among other media—in similarly complex works that layer references to African traditions, ethnographic research, and feminist and post-colonial theory. After years working in relative obscurity, her star has risen over the past decade. A small-scale sculpture from her Anatomy of Architecture series, which conflate women’s heads with pitcher or vase-like forms, recently sold for more than $800,000 at auction. In Leigh’s hands and others, the future of ceramics in contemporary art looks brighter than Gauguin could have imagined.Heavy lies the hand that wears the Crown. How the royals unburden themselves through writing.
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Beneath the Surface - the Power of Infrared Imaging
September 09, 2022
Discovering secrets beneath the surface of a painting can dramatically alter its value.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
Examining a painting can be rather like visiting the scene of a crime. What material clues have been left that might tell us how—or when—the work was made? Can we retrace the movements of the artist’s hand, or see someone trying to cover their tracks?
Often, the answers lie beneath the surface. Short of physical micro-sampling, infrared imaging offers insightful information that uncovers many hidden clues.
A form of energy beyond the visible light spectrum, infrared radiation (IR) passes through some pigments, but not others: crucially, it is absorbed by the dark materials painters have historically used for underdrawing, such as charcoal and graphite. Used correctly, infrared reflectography (IRR) captures an image that effectively renders the paint layer transparent, revealing potentially critical evidence below.
Museum discoveries made using this technology, such as the startling spectre of a man behind Picasso’s Woman Ironing (1904), have made headlines for their art-historical importance. As well as institutions, however, the advantages of IRR are available today to private collectors, auction houses and insurers through leading analysis firms like ArtDiscovery.
Left, Red and Blue Rayonism (Beach) by Mikhail Larionov. Right, X-ray image of the painting.
Credit: ArtDiscovery
‘We use it both alone and in combination with other techniques to answer questions around the condition, the process of development, and the authenticity of works of art’, explains the company’s UK director, Dr Jilleen Nadolny. ‘It has been used to reveal aspects of an artist’s creative processes, underdrawings, alterations and reworkings (sometimes revealing overpainted or faded signatures, text or drawings) and restorations. Infrared examination can also be used to differentiate between certain groups of pigments and inks.
IRR methods have come a long way since the Vidicon cameras developed in the 1960s, which required multiple small images to be mosaiced together. ArtDiscovery’s scanning technology is fine-tuned to each artwork, using cameras with different capabilities to record high-resolution images across a range of wavelengths.
What is uncovered can be transformative. One client’s painting, Dr Nadolny tells me, had been attributed to a follower of Bellini, and was marred by some later restoration. ‘However, on the basis of the quality of the underdrawing revealed through the IR, the client was able to present the work to a Bellini expert, who reattributed the work to the master himself, increasing tremendously the market value of the object.’
A variation on the reflective technique, known as ‘transmitted IR’, captures IR energy that has passed X-ray-like through an object, exposing even more deeply hidden information. ‘Using transmitted IR on a work that was undergoing research as a possible Titian, we revealed the stamp of King Charles I, “CR”, on the back of the painting, which had been covered for centuries by a lining canvas. The discovery, which helped to confirm the provenance of the piece, allowed the work to realise its full value.’
ArtDiscovery also employ IRR scans in combination with X-rays, their cousins from lower down the electromagnetic spectrum. One such instance found a painting hidden beneath a newly discovered work by Kandinsky; the concealed composition was matched to a known sketch by the artist, bolstering the attribution.
‘A similar case was a painting deemed to be “after John Constable” that we analysed through technical imaging, unveiling features that helped experts confirming its attribution to Constable himself’, says Dr Nadolny. ‘The artwork, purchased for $5,000, is now estimated to value around $5 million.’
Such dazzling revelations, beyond the reach of the human eye, have sometimes led to the view that the authenticating role of the ‘connoisseur’ might one day be rendered obsolete by cold, hard science. ArtDiscovery, whose team are both technical art historians and trained conservators, see the disciplines as complementary.
Carbon-14 dating, for example, can allow connoisseurs to form an opinion according to solid evidence of an object’s age. Equally, scientific work can help to quantify the subtle hallmarks of a specific artist’s technique. Having seen dozens of both real and ersatz Modiglianis, ArtDiscovery has been able to build a detailed dataset on the artist’s idiosyncratic brushwork, which has become a valuable resource for the scholars currently revising his catalogue raisonné. Working together, scientists and connoisseurs are able to pool their expertise to draw conclusions with the greatest degree of certainty—and that certainty has enormous value.
As the field of art analysis evolves, new techniques such as sound and laser imaging and elemental mapping promise to reveal new depths of information, though it may be some time before these technologies become viable for regular commercial use. ‘As objects are complex structures, there are many variables when considering the challenges of authentication and attribution’, explains Dr Nadolny. ‘We try to offer the best options to our clients in a manner that works with their objectives.’ For now, infrared imaging remains a vital tool in ArtDiscovery’s interdisciplinary work and is sure to uncover many more exciting secrets yet.
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September 01, 2022
When auction estimates go out the window, it can be a big problem.
By Charles Hartley
Charles Hartley is the Director of Hartleys Auctions Ltd. and specialises in arms, militaria, fieldsports and taxidermy.
An Arts and Crafts style brass table lamp, early 20th century.
Sold by Hartleys Auctions for £3,600 after an estimate of £150-250.
A week ago, the editor of The Open Art Fair Magazine, came to me with a sad tale of an old man who undersold his table. It was a couple of years ago and the gent was flogging his furniture, having sold his stately. “Not to worry”, the guy said when the young Londoner who had been sent down to buy it turned up, “local chap at the auction house has told me what it’s worth so £6,000 will do fine”. The young buyer nearly fell over. He’d been all ready to part with £60,000 and the table sold some weeks later, for £120,000. The lad who’d been sent to buy it, apparently still loses sleep over the incident to this day. So what caused the colossal difference in estimate and sale price? Or to put it as the editor did, “what went wrong?”.
I must admit the idea that something had “gone wrong” made me chuckle, being an auctioneer, these are the occasions we dream of. Though like with everything, it is all about perspective. The hopeful purchaser always wants to pick up an item for a song, yet the auctioneer and owner will inevitably want everything to sail well beyond expectation. In any case, for an auctioneer whether selling at or above estimate, it is often a win-win; you are either proved correct, or shown to be an excellent salesman.
So, what can cause such a difference, is it a valuer outside of their comfort zone naively walking into the dark? I am not going to say this is not sometimes the case, no matter where you go the valuer is only ever human and simply cannot know everything. But with the resources we have at our fingertips, it is amazing what we can do and most auction houses, mine included, have great depth in experts who work behind the scenes aiding us in our endeavours. Though a specialist in arms & militaria, I am in the main a general valuer. Every day I am placed into houses across the country where there’s always the chance of a surprise. The true skill is knowing something is “special” through its unspoken quality, you then collect data, take necessary measurements and delve into your resources. But even with all the resources in the world, sometimes an item has no comparable, no expert and the valuer must pluck a figure from their gut, place it up for sale and hold on for dear life. Like police officers have a nose for crime, valuers must have a nose for the valuable. Let’s also not forget that a valuer can even get it right, but it only takes two people to want something enough, for a price to rocket and leave would-be competitors to comfort each other with the familiar “they’ve more money than sense”. Frankly, arts and antiques needs such people.
Back in March my colleague Gerard and I spotted an intriguing brass lamp dripping in arts & crafts style, though our initial hunch that it was by W.A.S. Benson was unfounded, we still felt it deserved a higher marketing push. With a “come-get-me” £150 – 250 estimate, we were thrilled when the gavel came to rest at £3,600. Not only did it find its way into the “dick of the day” column of the Antiques Trade Gazette, but they ran an article outing the designer as Arthur Dixon. But the true brilliance of this situation came when they ran a correction one month later, showing an opinion will only hold water until the next piece of evidence appears; in this case the discovery of a historic interiors catalogue for Jesson, Birkett & Co. But ultimately, we had performed our job in spotting the quality and doing the marketing necessary to do right by our vendor.
Within the same sale we also had a Chinese censer and cover, estimated at £2000 – 3000 that reached a thrilling £30,000. But when it comes to Chinese pieces, there is little judgement within the market, such results are commonplace as Chinese antiquities have boomed. Often with market movement, there is a lag as experts clamber to readjust and find their feet; after all valuing is often a game of quantitative market analysis. So, when markets shift, previous data can be misleading and with Chinese items the market never seems to adjust enough.
A Chinese cloisonné enamel tripod censer and cover.
Sold by Hartleys Auctions for £30,000 after an estimate of £2,000-3,000
A great example of this was seen at Bainbridges of Ruislip in 2010. Clearing a deceased estate their valuer discovered a fantastic Chinese Qianlong-era vase. Far from being a “sleeper”, the valuers saw star quality and much to the amazement of the family, placed it up sale at £800,000 - 1.2million. Yet 30 minutes after the opening bid, Peter Bainbridge brought his gavel crashing down to the sum of £43million! But this rostrum fairy tale was far from complete as over a year later the vase remained unpaid, with everything from simply a bad buyer to talk of Chinese government conspiracy being cited as reasons by the media, suggesting it to be a protest against the sale of historical treasures looted from China – this was of course never proved and the debt was eventually settled.
So, is a high price always a good thing? The sister who placed the vase with Bainbridges should have been over the moon, but soon found herself with a revised inheritance tax bill of over £17million, requested by HMRC before she saw a single penny from the vase. I dread to think the stress this must have caused her and I bet at times she wished it had never happened. Sadly, bad debtors and late payers, particularly when it comes to Chinese antiquities, have been commonplace in the trade. It is now normal to request large deposits on big ticket Chinese items prior to sale and you never count your chickens until they’ve hatched. I will admit that rather than being elated by our recent £30,000 censer, I was left feeling rather anxious. An item always has its best chance in the first sale and if a bad buyer leaves you high and dry, the rest of the market will wonder “what’s wrong with it?”; if unpaid, it will unlikely do as well again and rather than be happy with a price at or above the original estimate, the owner and I will only find ourselves counting the difference between the first and second result. Happily, I can confirm the sale was completed and the censer is currently on a boat back to China.
Though I pride myself on a strong sale record and rarely see an auction total not land between the cumulative estimates, there is always the chance of a record ahead. An auction is a wonderfully organic thing where so much of human nature can move a result and even in a time where technology has narrowed the chance of a shock, with a whole planet watching, a more common phenomenon in the ever more virtual post-covid age - there is still the possibility of a life changing moment.
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July 14, 2022
Some works by renowned artists can be acquired for surprisingly low prices.
Francesca Peacock
Francesca Peacock is an art, books, and culture writer.
The Fall of Icarus by Henri Matisse. Lithograph, 1943, Signed in plate. 26.5 x 35.5 cm
Available from Goldmark Gallery for £2,250
What would you think if I told you I have a Matisse on my kitchen wall? Would you think I’d stolen it from some unsuspecting art museum in a yet unreported (but very glamorous) heist? Or that I have greater reserves of art-collecting cash than my somewhat precarious employment as a writer might suggest?
But what if I told you the answer was neither international art-thievery, nor some shady oligarch lover who buys me paintings whenever I so demand. The Matisse in question — which sits above the endless piles of books, half-read magazines, and the general detritus of a kitchen which is rather messier than the delightful interior Matisse himself painted — was acquired in a disappointingly above-board fashion from Goldmark Gallery.
As a lithograph page from Matisse’s 1950 hand-autographed and illustrated book, Poemes de Charles d’Orléans — a fifteenth century French poet, who was captured during the Hundred Years War, and wrote in both Middle French and Middle English — it is hardly one of the artist’s most famous works. But, with its colourful drawings of fleurs-de-lis, and its stanzas of poetry about being utterly indifferent to Valentine’s Day, it is one of my most prized possessions. And, at just under £400, I like to think it was something of a steal. It is, after all, a mere fraction of the auction record for Matisse. His 1923 painting, Odalisque couchée aux magnolias, fetched $80.8 million in 2018. Nor was my bargain a one-off: Goldmark Gallery currently has authentic works by the artist ranging from £250 to £7,450.
As Mike Goldmark of Goldmark Gallery notes, this proliferation of cheap works is not an accident of history. Matisse, and many other artists, had distinct “social consciousnesses” and “loved the idea that ordinary folk could afford their work”. And, accordingly, they made work expressly for this purpose: unsigned prints, or prints signed in the etching plate or supplied with a justification page — all would, and still do, sell for much less than signed works or paintings.
Poèmes - Charles D'Orléans by Henri Matisse. Lithograph, 1950. 26.5 x 41 cm
Available from Goldmark Gallery for £250
And indeed it is just not Matisse that the thrifty art collector can find on the cheap. The auction record for Picasso is a cool $179 million (for his 1955 work Les femmes d'Alger, Version 'O'). But, at Sotheby’s, you can currently find works ranging from 1000 to 10,000 US dollars. In an auction just at the end of June, many drawings, lithographs, and ceramics sold for under $10,000.
Whilst Picasso may now be predominantly revered for his paintings and works on paper, his ceramics — anthropomorphic jugs and vases, and gorgeously colourful plates and platters — are rather better value for any aspiring collector. Still not cheap (a plate sold for over $200,000 at Christie’s in May), they represent a chance for an individual collector to own a work by the artist — even if I can see the potential for tears if some clumsy oaf drops your much-loved artwork when using it as a vessel for their bacon sandwich.
But it is not just the big European names that are able to be bought on a budget. Renowned painter (and sometime-suspected Jack the Ripper) Walter Sickert is currently the subject of a major exhibition at The Tate. Rooms and rooms of famous paintings, on loan from prestigious galleries throughout the world — it is easy to think his works would be off-limits to anyone who did not have a few hundred thousand pounds to throw around.
But, just a few miles north of Tate Britain lies the art collector’s paradise of Abbott and Holder, a gallery on Museum Street. Twice a month, they send out “Lists” of their new stock to avid (and sometimes rabid) subscribers. The foaming-at-the-mouth enthusiasm makes sense when you see the quality of the works: more than once, works by Sickert have appeared on the list for under a thousand pounds. At the moment, four etchings of his are for sale, ranging from £1500 to £1800 — including a particularly brilliant etching of a recumbent figure on an iron bedstead. And, back in March, a rare Gwen John watercolour made an appearance, although at the slightly less wallet-friendly price of £12,000.
‘The New Tie’ by Walter Sickert (1840-1942). Etching. Second (final) state. Signed. 1922. Signed, titled and dated in the plate. 10.5x6.75 inches.
Available from Abbott and Holder for £1,500.
'The Iron Bedstead' by Walter Sickert (1840-1942). Etching. 2nd (final) state. Signed. The first state of this print dates to c.1915 but this, the second state, is probably later. 7x10.5 inches.
Available from Abbott and Holder for £1,500.
There is, of course, a caveat to be made about these budget-loving works by famous artists. Whilst they will cost you a fraction of the prices paid by international galleries and billionaire collectors, they are, it must be said, not quite the same as the works you might pay to see in an exhibition. It is Sickert etchings, not oil paintings which come up for sale at such appealing prices. And it is Matisse lithographs, linocuts, and posters which are available to purchase for the same price as return flights to somewhere exotic, rather than his more famous paintings and collages.
But, there’s a delight in the off-beat, the unusual, and the otherwise unappreciated: everyone knows of Matisse’s brightly coloured collage works, but how many people have ever had the chance to ponder his love for a fifteenth century poet? And everyone has heard of Picasso’s Guernica, but how many people are able to say “pass the water” and have an original pitcher by the artist handed to them?
These cheaper works are not just great value for a keen collector: they are also an opportunity to see — and love — another side of artists we all think we know too well. And, if that’s not enough to persuade you, just imagine the delight of dropping the phrase “my Matisse…” into conversation. C’est parfait, non?
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The Cult of the 21st Century First Edition
May 19, 2022
First editions may seem like a safe bet but does that follow for more recent, 21st century titles.
Alexander Larman
Alexander Larman is the author of several historical and biographical titles including The Crown in Crisis & Byron’s Women. He is books editor of The Spectator world edition and writes regularly about literature and the arts for publications including The Observer, Prospect, The Chap and the Daily Telegraph.
JK Rowling has seldom been out of the news over the past few years, but she is most notable from a bibliophile perspective for being that rarest of things: a living author, still relatively young at 56, whose first editions and signed books command dizzyingly high prices. A recent Chiswick Auctions sale saw a set of galley sheets from her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sell for £37,500, which a spokesperson for the auction house commented caused ‘quite a stir’, and Peter Harrington are currently offering a signed deluxe edition of 1999’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for £5000.
These are sums far in excess of those realised by any other living writer, which contribute to a sense in the book collecting trade that Rowling remains an untouchable figure from a commercial perspective, whatever social or political controversies she finds herself in. Yet it also begs the question as to whether there is an emerging market for millennial novels and authors to be sought after by both established collectors and institutions and younger, more socially engaged types, who feel an empathy with their creators that they may not instinctively possess for, say, Graham Greene or William Golding.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling. Galley Proof.
Sold by Chiswick Auctions in April 2022 for £37,500 including buyer’s premium.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling. First Edition, first impression.
The first and scarcest of the Harry Potter books. Available from Peter Harrington, £17,500.
According to Henry Gott, modern first editions specialist at Blackwell’s Rare Books in Oxford, this emerging market is one that lacks the historical context which many booksellers cherish. ‘Other dealers are much happier to promote younger writers, whereas our attitude is often “We’ll give them a bit of time”. On the other hand, living novelists and their work can still be big business. Gott singles out a signed first edition of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, complete with rare wraparound band (£400), as an example of a much-loved modern novel that is also a highly collectable artefact. (‘If the film had been a bigger hit, it would be worth even more.’) Other examples of currently sought-after millennial novels include Zadie Smith’s White Teeth – Maggs Bros. Ltd. are currently offering a signed first edition for £250, which seems almost cheap – and Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series; Gott estimates that a fine signed first edition of the first novel alone would retail at around £1000, and a signed trilogy is currently being sold by Peter Harrington for £2750.
White Teeth, Zadie Smith.
First edition. 8vo. Original red cloth, spine lettered in gilt, dust jacket. London, Hamish Hamilton.
Images from Maggs Bros. Ltd. Available, £250.
And there are individual oddities, too. Tom McCarthy’s (daring entitled) debut novel Remainder was rejected by English-language publishers, appeared with the independent Parisian press Metronome in 2005, and subsequently became a bestseller. A first edition of the Metronome edition of 750 copies is currently being offered by the dealer Peter Gidal for £1250.
Yet there is also an element of guesswork about which contemporary writers will become collectable, and which ones will fail to appreciate. Signed books are now much more common than they were, with many authors regularly inscribing thousands of copies pre-publication, and well-known writers have enormous print runs for their new books. Even a signed first edition copy of Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light would only be worth slightly more than its original publication price of £25. Likewise, modishness plays a role in collectability. The author Sally Rooney may be totemic for a certain kind of millennial reader, but Gott is still unconvinced by her longevity, or that of her peers. ‘It feels a bit like the Grand National; many start, but not all of them finish. And it’s a bit of a fool’s game to collect signed first editions almost at random in the hope that their values will appreciate, as many don’t.’
Instead, his advice is for collectors both to acquire the books that they want to read, and to use their own judgement. ‘Even with books that become a phenomenon, they tend to take some time to become represented at our level. Although there are certainly people in their twenties who we’re selling to, there aren’t many living writers who are collected at the highest level – Rowling and Philip Pullman, perhaps.’ And even the big-ticket limited editions may be a waste of money. A signed limited edition of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird sequel Go Set A Watchman is being offered by Lucius Books for £3750. It sounds impressive, but it originally retailed at £2000; at least one other dealer is now offering the book for under that price.
Contemporary collectability may still be fanciful because it lacks the ability to transport buyers that ‘traditional’ bibliophilia possesses. It is wonderful to own a book as it might have appeared in 1925; less so if it first came out in 2015. As Gott says, ‘In my view, the sense in collecting first editions is the idea of obtaining the version of the book as it first entered the marketplace. There is an element of time-travel, or recovery of the past, about it; unless one can have a clear sense that the marketplace or cultural context in which a book has appeared has changed a little, it doesn’t seem to me very compelling to wish to reconstruct it.’
Millennial novels may yet be the future of book collecting. But there may be no need to stockpile the signed Sally Rooneys just yet.
Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee.
First edition. Signed Limited Edition. Complete with the original mailing carton and paper wrapping with issue number sticker.
Images by Lucius Books, available, £3750.
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March 24, 2022
How and why collectors live with art installations at home.
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner is a writer, editor, and Senior Lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts. His work has appeared in Frieze, Art Review, gorse and others.
“The House of the Farmer”, a site-specific installation conceived by British artist Mike Nelson and curated by Didi Bozzini, at the Palazzo dell’Agricoltore until June 2022.
Image courtesy of Palazzo dell’Agricoltore, credit: Lucio Rossi.
It was dark in the basement of the German castle. Some dusty light came in through the floorboards and in front of me there was an open bank vault door. The place was empty and I felt I shouldn't be there even though I had been sent by my boss. I looked around to check nobody was around and I went in.
Inside I could just make out the faint glint of metallic objects and a smell of wet earth surrounded me. Newly graduated from university I was working as an architect’s assistant, visiting the home of a collector to measure some of its outbuildings so more of the estate could be turned into gallery spaces. The client was a hedge fund manager with a vast private collection and wanted the extra room to house complex installations by Anselm Kiefer and Anthony Gormley. It was going to be a tricky project with both artists requiring reinforced floors to carry tonnes of sculpture and walls to be absolutely straight within fractions of a millimetre. However, that day I had mostly been distracted leafing through paintings worth millions that were just stacked against the walls.
Edmund de Waal, Cupboard Cargo, 1999 installation at High Cross House, Devon.
Image courtesy of Edmund de Waal, credit: Sara Morris.
Within the vault, after a slightly panicked search, I found a switch and the strip lights buzzed on one by one. I was surrounded by glass vials containing strange, autumnal pigments, clerical clothing spread out like pieces of meat and surgical instruments. It gave me the feeling of fear and intrigue I remembered from hearing ghost stories as a child. The next day I found the client’s groundskeeper and he told me it was an art installation by the Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch. He called it the nightmare room and I was relieved I hadn't stumbled on something else.
The room stayed with me, it was like finding a new band I didn't want anyone else to know about, and this highly personal feeling is not uncommon when people talk about their encounters with installation art. The typical boundary between viewer and object is broken and leads to an immediacy and intimacy that is rare in wall-based artworks. Rather than looking at an object from a distance, you are living within the work. Instead of moving from one individual sculpture or painting to the next, you are free to explore an environment that is a complete unified experience.
A permanent display of Edmund de Waal’s work is installed in the Artists’ house at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire. The Artists’ House opened in 2001 and was designed by the architect Stephen Marshall. New Art Centre is open daily 11am – 4pm.
Image courtesy of New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
I searched for more installations in domestic settings that combined art and architecture. The Californian artist James Turrell has been extending American homes with bunker-like spaces for his meditative sensory installations. In 2008 he created a light coloured pool for a private residence in Greenwich, Connecticut—an artwork the owners can swim through as well as look at. The John Lautner–designed Sheats-Goldstein house, which features in The Big Lebowski, now includes a Skyspace that compresses the sky into a picture and transforms picturesque sunsets into psychedelic dreamscapes. And in Las Vegas the CEO of MGM commissioned the artist to design him a pyramidal installation, which looks like the modern equivalent of a Neolithic monument. Turrell has been so prolific in people’s homes that some get forgotten. A resident in Malibu found one of his installations in her guest house, hidden behind children’s toys, surfboards and exercise equipment.
These spaces are largely detached from the complexities of the domestic, more standalone structures than being integrated into the home. On a less invasive scale, this is where artist and writer Edmund de Waal composes his cargo works, subtle groupings of ceramic vessels that are placed to absorb existing interiors into an all encompassing artwork. At the modernist High Cross House in Devon his pots are half hidden in cupboards, obscured behind furniture or placed high up where people don't usually look. His objects are where you might expect them, but don't look quite like what you would expect. They have a ghostly presence, projecting a feeling of unease, which then throws disquiet across the rest of the space—even those areas the artist hasn't touched. De Waal cleverly negotiates the boundary between installation and interior design to explore feelings of the homely and unhomely, a distinction which is often a problem when artists bring their installations into the home.
Edmund de Waal, Lidded vessel, c. 2005, Tall Lidded Jar, 2006, Tall Lidded Jar, 2006. A permanent display of Edmund de Waal’s work is installed in the Artists’ house at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire. The Artists’ House opened in 2001 and was designed by the architect Stephen Marshall. New Art Centre is open daily 11am – 4pm.
Image courtesy of New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
“The House of the Farmer”, a site-specific installation conceived by British artist Mike Nelson and curated by Didi Bozzini, at the Palazzo dell’Agricoltore until June 2022.
Image courtesy of Palazzo dell’Agricoltore, credit: Lucio Rossi.
Their work is site specific, made for a particular location or environment. This could be a white cube gallery space, where Do Ho Suh’s minimal and colourful passageways work so well, without the distractions that come with the interiors of older and more elaborately decorated galleries. Or it could mean they work with historical settings, where you would not expect to see artwork. Mike Nelson, known for winning the Turner Prize and his installation Coral Reef, currently has an expansive work of gnarled tree fragments in the Palazzo dell’Agricoltore, the ex-headquarters of an agricultural consortium in Parma. The nuances of context and how this contributes to meaning, makes it difficult to just place these works into different settings—it disrupts the intentions of the artist. Instead, most are broken down and sold in smaller parts, reducing their impact as a total environment. Or the artists reject selling larger works, relying on the sale of smaller editions, books and drawings to fund their more substantial projects.
A few years ago I visited Sammung Hoffmann in Berlin. The collection is housed over two floors in a private apartment within a former factory and the owner, Erika Hoffmann, welcomes people into her home every Saturday. I was there to see Joëlle Tuerlinckx’s Atlas of wall 81 Extraits, a 1:1 mapping of a space for Manifesta 10 in Saint Petersburg transplanted onto the walls of the collector’s home. The paper, or map, had been hung from floor to ceiling in rectangles and squares of different sizes. There were cut marks where sockets had been traced and rough lines of fluorescent orange paint. It matched the fabric on the dining room chairs and the flowers in vases placed around the room. Associations which drew it into a lexicon of complementary colours, wallpaper and fabric selections, rather than standing out as an artwork.
Joëlle Tuerlinckx, "Atlas of wall 81 extraits ‘Manifesta’ #10, Musée Hermitage, Saint Petersburg’", 2014-2017, paper, pencil, casein acrylic, nails, magnets; Warren Platner, Table and chairs, designed 1964/66; Foto studioschuurman.
Copyright: Sammlung Hoffmann, Berlin.
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December 09, 2021
A look at two family-run art businesses in which second and fourth generations are taking over.
Colin Gleadell
Colin Gleadell writes on the art market for The Daily Telegraph, Artnet and Art Market Monitor.
Not long ago, an eminent dealer in Old Masters told me he had advised his son not to follow in his footsteps. Good pictures were harder to find, and the pendulum of taste was not swinging his way. However, the issue of succession has not gone away; it is more omnipresent than ever. And, if you are successful in an expanding business, who better to hand it onto than your children. It’s a moot point though, whether art dealing is in the DNA or whether it’s the allure of easy money in a job for which you don’t have to interview that determines things. So, when the art market is on the up, so are the kids.
Over the past decade we have seen several high profile art dealers handing a rein to the next in line – from Pace’s Arne Glimcher, Lisson’s Nicholas Logsdail and David Zwirner, to smaller dealers like Piano Nobile’s Robert Travers and The Open Art Fair 2020 exhibitor Harry Moore Gwyn (both a dealer and an auctioneer like his father). What is clear in all these art dealing dynasties, and going back to Wildenstein, Gimpel and before, is that a lifetime spent in the pursuit of knowledge, wealth and beauty, not be forgotten at the end. That would be such a waste.
In the first of a series on art dealing dynasties, Colin Gleadell talks to two London based families in which second and fourth generations are taking over in the quite distinct areas of historic Chinese and Japanese paintings and works of art, and the latest international contemporary art.
Paul and Oliver Moss
Paul Moss. Courtesy Sydney L. Moss Ltd.
For dynastic longitude, Sydney L. Moss Ltd, London dealers in Chinese and Japanese works of art, is hard to beat. This year is their 111th as the fourth generation of the family settles into its stride. Now aged 70, current clan leader, Paul Moss’ early memories of the family business were rows of dusty shelves full of ceramics. “I hated it,” he says, but he was interested in China, and after a little encouragement from a history teacher who told him going to university was the best way to meet girls, he went to Durham University where he studied Chinese and wrote his dissertation on Tibetan thangkas.
After an extended Indian temple hopping tour and some translation work for his uncle, Hugh Moss, in Hong Kong, Paul took over the family business in 1979, aged 28, after his father, Geoffrey died prematurely. Both Paul’s father and grandfather (Sydney), were pre-eminent in the fields and were presidents of the British Art & Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA). Sydney was a founder of the industry’s flagship event, The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair in 1934.
Although the business had had its ups and downs – “sell the Bentley, travel by bus”, Sydney told Geoffrey after an impulsive purchase at auction – there was a certain amount of family pride at stake when Paul moved into the driving seat. The market for Chinese antiques was beginning to heat up (though nothing like today), and Paul applied his own academic and aesthetic interests to refocus the business away from predictable Chinese ceramics to the literati arts and, significantly, the less expensive arts of Japan, on which he has published numerous books, notably a three-volume tome on the eccentric stag antler carver, Kokusai, in 2016.
That publication coincided with the growing likelihood that the government would ban the trade in antique ivory works of art, a trade which included the Japanese netsuke in which Paul excelled.
In a 2017 interview with the Antiques Trade Gazette, he addressed the dynastic issue with characteristic aplomb saying: “I bestride my indulgences like a colossus; art dealers are a one-man show.” But he knew he would have to make room for the next generation before long. Two years later, as the anti-ivory legislation date began to close in, he announced that he would take a back seat and that his son, Oliver, then 34, would take control of the business.
Oliver Moss. Courtesy Sydney L. Moss Ltd.
In one sense, the transfer was timely because Paul’s aversion to Instagram might not have helped him cope with the pandemic lockdown situation. Oliver, on the other hand, had been good at maths at school, understood technology and had been thinking in terms of business management – which, as luck would have it, is just what Paul, more focussed on scholarly research, was going to need.
Oli’s training was, as he puts it, ‘unusual’, building on his father’s old fashioned card index system which recorded ‘painters, collectors and hangers on’. But with the advance in technology, which his father had not mastered, he developed a new outreach system, bombarding clients with regular e-blasts detailing 10 objects at a time.
In spite of Paul’s colossus complex, the pair work well together. The only area of disagreement in our conversation came when discussing art fairs. Having distanced himself from the fair circuit early on, Paul agreed to apply for TEFAF, Maastricht in 2015, and he and Oli quickly became part of the furniture there. Then “what about doing Masterpiece, or TEFAF New York?” chimes Oli. “Be careful,” says dad, questioning the timing and emphasising how many good American clients they already have...but then backs down. “I’m only a shareholder, a consultant,” he says. “Oli makes all the decisions...”
Nicholas and Alex Logsdail
Nicholas Logsdail the founder of Lisson, London’s leading gallery for international contemporary art over 50 years ago, was the first member of his family to become an art dealer but will not be the last. He had a Victorian forebear who was a painter (William), and he was taught to paint at a young age by the English fauvist, Sir Matthew Smith. He was also inspired to look at art by his uncle, author and collector Roald Dahl....but no one taught him how to sell art. “I don’t think it’s necessarily in the DNA”, says Logsdail, 76.
Nicholas and Alex Logsdail. Courtesy Lisson Gallery, photo by Roberto Chamorro.
His father, a stockbroker, discouraged him because ‘the art world was full of shady characters’, he says. Perhaps that is why he may prefer the term ‘gallerist’ to ‘dealer’ as he does not buy and sell but promotes new work by living artists.
Logsdail never really set out to be a dealer; he was an artist. He kind of fell into it as a student at the Slade after he found lodgings in a disused house in Marylebone where he could show his own art and that of his friends. By the mid to late 80s Lisson was home to the most talked about artists in Britain – Richard Long, Bill Woodrow, Tony Cragg and Richard Deacon, winning one Turner prize after another. In addition, it introduced the latest American minimalist art by Donald Judd and Sol Lewitt to British collectors like Charles Saatchi. Now it has grown into a $100 million a year powerhouse representing such major international artists as Anish Kapoor and Ai Weiwei with branches in New York and Shanghai as well as London.
Whilst building this empire, it was only natural that Logsdail should want his children to be part of it. Of his four children, his daughter, Kitty, is a chef, and eldest son, Rory, a painter who does his own thing, entirely separate from the gallery. The next son, Alex, studied music developing a penchant for German electronic bands and punk. Jobs in the gallery kept him going while he pursued his music career, until he realised how minimal the chances of success were.
Joining his father’s business was not a foregone conclusion, he says. The first shift came in c. 2005 when he met the editor of Art Forum magazine who offered him an internship in New York. Leaving home for the Big Apple, there followed four years of doing various art world gigs and having the time of his life. “It was wild, crazy and energetic” he recalls “often staying up til 4am...”.
At one point his father took him to an exhibition in Los Angeles with Anish Kapoor. Succession talk was not on the menu. But Kapoor brought the subject up and told Alex that if he was going to run a gallery, he ‘would have to be better than your dad.’ “That was scary,” says Alex.
“But the real turning point was in 2009 when I got ill in New York and was faced with a $25,000 medical bill. I had to come home to London and work it off at the gallery.” Before he knew where he was, he had become completely immersed in the business and was appointed associate director. Wanting to make his own way, he returned to New York and searched for a gallery space. By 2012, Lisson New York was born under Alex’s directorship.
“We did not agree on everything” he says, “but I introduced a number of new artists to the Lisson programme”, like the now hugely successful African American, Stanley Whitney. Nicholas was not prescriptive but told his son the most important thing was to be original.
“I used to think I was always up to date with the contemporary art world”, says Logsdail, “but not anymore. Now I have to ask Alex things and he tells me things I don’t know about.”
At least as Nicholas Logsdail embarks on his third quarter of a century, he’s got the issue of succession sorted, with yet another son waiting in the wings. “I’m a lucky ducky”, he muses contentedly.
To be continued....
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Where the Value of Silver Lies
September 23, 2021
Design, age, and provenance can all have a part to play in the value of antique silver.
Charles Hartley
Charles Hartley is the Director of Hartleys Auctions Ltd. and specialises in arms, militaria, fieldsports and taxidermy.
A Queen Anne silver punch strainer, Henry Tolcher of Plymouth, Exeter, c.1710-5, 16.5cm long.
Image courtesy of Michael Baggott.
As an auctioneer, many summers have passed cruising around the sunny countryside bouncing from valuation to valuation. You never know what you might find and this truly is the best part of my job, from dusty houses filled with ancient oak to sleek modernist interiors accented with Danish teak and impressionist art. Though this presents a patchwork quilt of variety, there is always one constant, my late father’s leather gladstone valuation bag and its contents. Other than the pens and paper, possibly the three most highly used pieces of equipment in this bag of tricks would be my eyeglass, silver scales and my pocket book of hallmarks barely holding onto its cover. But what is the true value to those silvery items hidden amid the bric-a-brac, that have me rifling through sideboards and flipping over salvers?
Easy, you may cry, a quick google and you will see a multitude of websites listing bullion prices changing on a daily basis. Silver is of course often valued by weight and though this is an oversimplification, it does bode true, though typically only with damaged or very dull items. One afternoon working at my desk one of our trusted house clearers appeared at my door with a glint in his eye. He’d been sent to a house that I had not visited, this is not typical as usually I would value the property first, but in this case the items were in such a poor state, that the solicitor had deemed it unfit for sale and in need of a heavy hand. He was 99% right: upholstery was moth eaten, furniture wormed and mold ravaged the paintings. Though what was that brick supporting the rotting settee? It was a 999.9 grade 5000g solid bar of silver from the Argor-Haraeus Mint - which went to auction selling by weight for £3,388.
But please don't think this means it’s time to take grandma’s silver tea set to the nearest “cash for gold” store. Bullion price is only one part of the equation which is used to value an item, as so much more in the nature of the piece could add to this.
The design credentials of silver will always impact the value, be it a Mappin & Webb classic or a Georg Jensen statement of arts & crafts design, such as a 20th century tazza I auctioned in March. Its “melt price” would only add up to £540, but on the day it raised over eight times that, seeing £4,598. This same category could also cover “novelty” silver, where small quirky pieces demand a high value with avid collectors desperate to fill a certain gap in their cabinet - like a rabbit pepperette by Sampson Mordan of London 1899, which I sold in 2019 for almost 23 times the melt price at £700.
Paul Storr (1771 - 1844), a pair of silver-gilt wine coolers & stands, silver-gilt , George III, London, 1809, Maker’s mark of Paul Storr, H: 35.5 cm.
Image courtesy of Koopman Rare Art.
Another major factor is age. “Flog It” star Michael Baggott became enamored with the world of hallmarks. He points out that “hallmarking was brought in to assure that no one sold substandard wares to an unsuspecting medieval public and is possibly the oldest bit of consumer protection. Although only introduced to assure purity, happily these marks can allow anyone to know who submitted an object for assay, where in the country it was marked and most importantly when. This immediately gives so much historical information, making silver collectors amongst the luckiest in the field of collecting”. Proving the point, amongst Michael’s collection is this small West Country orange strainer. Weighing only 2oz 9dwt, the value of the silver would be around £35. However, as a very rare provincial Queen Anne example, by Henry Tolcher of Plymouth (c.1710-15), it is worth roughly a hundred times more at £3,750.
But if you truly want to stretch the value of silver you have to not only look at the age and design of a piece, but its provenance. No better place to represent this is Koopman Rare Art, which is one of the world’s leading dealers specialising in antique silver, gold boxes and objets de vertu. Director Lewis Smith explains that “one of the great points with important silver is that it was often made for important families and individuals. Secondly, it often was designed by the great names to fit into houses that were being built at the height of fashion of the day”. Asking them for examples, Lewis spoiled me for choice, but my favourite amongst their offerings was a pair of Paul Storr wine coolers. The identical model is displayed in the royal collection, the V&A and by strange coincidence The White House, Washington. These were made around the time that the British burnt the building down during the War of 1812 and since their creation have held a long list of aristocratic owners and are valued in the hundreds of thousands.
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June 03, 2021
Portraits are having a moment - but why do people buy pictures of strangers?
Joe Lloyd
Joe Lloyd is a journalist who writes about architecture and visual art for The Culture Trip, Elephant, and The Economist's 1843 magazine, among others.
John Vanderbank (1694-1739), Portrait of a Young Gentleman and his Greyhound, signed by the artist ‘John Vanderbank 1726’, 127 x 102cm.
Image courtesy of Period Portraits.
Last month, a work by a little-known old master defied all expectations. German baroque painter Johann Heinrich Schönfeld’s A bearded man in armour was auctioned for $150,000 at Christie’s, almost double its $80,000 estimate. It is a striking painting, warm-toned and subtly articulated. But Schönfeld, for all his talent, is hardly the sort of name that usually sets the art market alight. What could have caused this uptick?
Portraits are enjoying a moment. The past few years have witnessed numerous acclaimed exhibitions dedicated specifically to the genre, from Goya at the National Gallery to Lucian Freud at the Royal Academy. But their popularity reaches beyond the hallowed halls of the art world. “You see portraits now on television adverts,” says art dealer Nick Cox, “you see them everywhere. Now even young couples putting their first home together might potentially buy a Victorian portrait to put in their dining room. It’s a trend across all eras and price points.”
Cox runs Period Portraits, a web-based dealership specialising in 17th to 20th century portraits. He believes recent years have seen a shift among collectors. “Though there are still people who are just into, for example, Civil War portraits or military uniform,” he explains, “the new type of collector often buys across a whole range of genres and periods.”
Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569 – 1622), An unknown noblewoman of the Bourbon court, oil on canvas, 75 x 58 cm, circa 1615.
Image courtesy of The Weiss Gallery, London.
Portraiture is itself an enormous field, and an immensely varied one. For many artists, it was a route to success. Portraits are generally smaller-scale and less time-intensive than history paintings. They also fed a near-constant demand. Rulers and courtiers needed them to project their might and majesty. The ever-growing middle classes followed, commissioning portraits as status symbols and decorations. Nicolaes Maes, among the most in-demand of Dutch Golden Age portraitists, left five houses and 11,000 guilders at his death (his tutor Rembrandt only earned around 340 guilders in a good year).
Formal painted portraiture began to wane in the 19th century as photography engulfed some of its functions, though numerous artists continued to paint portraits. But portraiture in its loosest sense is arguably more prominent than ever: in profile pictures, avatars, social media posts. “At the moment,” explains Cox, “we live in a selfie-obsessed society, full of disposable images. Portraits do a similar thing, but with more permanence.” Their current popularity combines our mania for depictions of people with a desire for less ephemeral, more material images.
While the prosperous and powerful used portraits to immortalise themselves and their families, however, today’s collectors seldom have such connections. To collect historic portraits is to be surrounded by long-dead strangers. Wherein lies the appeal? Sometimes, it comes down to the aesthetic. “As with any other work of art,” says Mark Weiss of Weiss Gallery, which has specialised in old master portraits since 1985, “there is the intrinsic beauty of the portrait itself. Portraits of a beautiful or handsome sitter will always have great decorative appeal.”
An image of an attractive person can light up a room. As can one of a strikingly unattractive person: cognitive scientists have found that beautiful and ugly artworks light up the same area of the brain. This might explain the enduring popularity of works like Quentin Matsys’ The Ugly Duchess, or the enormous $137.5 million auction price achieved by Willem de Kooning’s Woman III in 2006.
But there are reasons beyond the purely visual. One is provenance. “It could have come from a famous royal or noble collection,” says Weiss, “or one now dispersed.” To own a painting once held by the Duke of Mantua links you to an esteemed past collector. “It could be,” says Cox, “the history that they're interested in, it could be the decorative aspect of the costume. And then there's the human, fundamental thing of the gaze, wanting to lock eyes with people.”
British School, Studio of Sir Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), Portrait of a Lady and Her Child, circa 1760, 76 x 104 cm.
Image courtesy of Period Portraits.
Studio of Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599 – 1641), Charles I (1600 – 1649) in coronation robes, oil on canvas, 223 x 149 cm, circa 1636 – 1640s.
Image courtesy of The Weiss Gallery, London.
It was the costumes that initially attracted Cox, who previously worked as fashion editor for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. But his interests soon broadened. “What I love about dealing in portraits is that every time you acquire one and research it, it opens up a window into a specific area of history.” Portraits serve as authentic gateways to a different era. Those attracted to Tudor age, for instance, might be drawn to portraits that embody that milieu. This March, Sothebys sold a cache of Tudor portraits estimated at £80,000 for a staggering £650,000. It is likely that the recent abundance of books, film and television set in the period, from Wolf Hall to The Other Boleyn Girl, influenced this upsurge.
Portraits are never just of a person, but also about them. Clothing, facial expressions, posture, scenario: all tell us something about the subject, or the image they wanted to present. “A portrait,” says Weiss, “is by its nature a unique creation capturing a specific moment in the life and times of a person — and which more than often is the only surviving memento of that life. That in itself can be a very compelling motivation.” Owning a portrait gives you the exclusive ability to commune with an individual across time. What more could a budding collector want from a painting?
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Between the Earth and the Divine
March 14, 2025
Swinging chandeliers - more than a lighting solution
By Catherine Milner, Treasure House Fair Magazine Editor
Cover Image:
Colpo di vento, artista Kimiko Yoshida, maestro Gianni Seguso, fornace Seguso Gianni Murano. Photo by Giorgio Bombieri, courtesy of Venice Glass Week.
Chandeliers are more than mere lights; they are suspended somewhere between the earthly realm and the divine. Their grandeur can define an interior, casting not only light but a mesmerising interplay of shadow and brilliance akin to the stars in the sky. For collectors, each chandelier tells a story of craftsmanship, innovation, and historical significance.
The word “chandelier” originates from the French chandelle (candle), a homage to its earliest incarnations—wooden crosses holding flickering flames in medieval churches. As technology advanced, so chandeliers evolved. In the 1600s, they began as metal and wire frames adorned with rock crystal beads and rosettes.
By the 1700s they were revolutionised by the invention of leaded glass, which was clearer and could be more finely chiselled, creating the dazzling glass waterfalls that continue to captivate collectors today.
The gas-lit fixtures of the mid-1800s gave way to the electric revolution of the late 19th century, ushering in a new era of dazzling innovation with ever more baroque styles incorporating floral, mythological, and even Egyptian motifs.
As Giles Forster from Adrian Alan Limited remarks: “The apotheosis of chandeliers came in the late 19th century with the advent of electricity. The biggest collectors were the maharajas of India, who commissioned chandeliers of breathtaking scale and opulence”.
An ormolu and crystal glass Baccarat chandelie, Late 19th century
Image courtesy of Adrian Alan
In the early 20th century Tiffany introduced the stained-glass chandelier, blending Art Nouveau elegance with luminous colour; a style sharply curtailed by the Bauhaus movement between the wars with its minimalist forms, while mid-20th century modern designs combined traditional and unconventional materials to create bold, brassy abstract pieces.
Today’s chandeliers integrate LED technology, allowing for dynamic lighting effects at the mere wave of a hand or a stern word to Siri.
Yet for collectors, it is the Georgian crystal chandeliers that still remain at the pinnacle of desirability.
At the heart of these dazzling works was an intricate and labour-intensive process—each crystal prism meticulously hand-cut and polished from fine leaded glass. The elaborate, weight-bearing structures of cut crystal, festooned with hanging pendants balanced simplicity with elegant detail.
Candles and glass were highly taxed in the 18th century, elevating chandeliers and dining after dark to the ultimate status symbol.
But to economise on materials without compromising grandeur, designers developed the “tent and bag” style, in which triangular-cut glass cascaded into a lower “bag” of delicate glass buttons. This innovation ensured maximum radiance with minimal glass, an ingenious balance of luxury and practicality.
Few names in the world of chandeliers are as revered as Baccarat. Founded in 1764, this French glassworks earned the title of making the “crystal of kings,” crafting breathtaking pieces for European royalty as well as the King of Persia and the Queen of Siam.
Baccarat’s most prized chandeliers date from the late 19th century, a period when the house’s designs reached their zenith. One of their most extraordinary creations—a towering thirteen-foot candelabrum for seventy-nine candles—dazzled visitors at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878.
Exposition Universelle 1867 Paris
Image courtesy of Adrian Alan
At the same time, ormolu chandeliers—luxurious gilded bronze fixtures—were a hallmark of aristocratic and royal residences in 18th and 19th-century Europe, particularly in France. The term "ormolu" (from the French or ormolu, meaning "ground gold") refers to a technique where high-carat gold was finely ground and applied to bronze using mercury, resulting in pieces of lavish wonder.
Still highly coveted among collectors, ormolu chandeliers feature mythological figures and scrolling foliage.
The art of chandelier-making continues to evolve and is currently undergoing a renaissance. Recently, at Venice’s Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square, an exhibition was held bringing together eleven internationally acclaimed artists, including Joseph Kosuth, Kengo Kuma, and Philippe Starck, who have collaborated with Murano’s master glassmakers to create masterpieces of contemporary chandelier making. Meanwhile, Nicola Anthony’s sculptural spiral-bound word chandeliers, available through Long-Sharp Gallery, redefine this centuries-old form through a lens of contemporary artistic expression.
Digit Light, artista Emmanuel Babled, maestro Marino Gabrielli, c Nason Moretti. Photo by Giorgio Bombieri.
Image courtesy of Venice Glass Week
For collectors seeking timeless elegance, dealers such as Adrian Alan, Fileman Antiques and Butchoff Antiques offer some of the world’s finest examples of antique chandeliers. Rose Uniacke is currently selling a chandelier designed by W.A.S. Benson one of the key figures in the British Arts and Craft movement. Inspired by mistletoe, the ‘golden bough’ has always been held sacred for its association with vitality and has particularly powerful resonance when captured so poetically in brass.
Whether you are drawn to the grandeur of 18th-century crystal, the elegance of ormolu, or the bright and often fantastical new interpretations of today, collecting chandeliers is more than acquiring lighting—it is preserving craftsmanship and the beauty of human ingenuity through the ages.
A Rare Brass Chandelier by W.A.S. Benson
Image courtesy of Rose Uniacke
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February 07, 2025
by Çiğdem Baker
Japan has long captivated the Western imagination with its approach to an exquisite kind of beauty, characterised by its delicacy and restraint. It is embodied in the principle of kanso, a cornerstone of Japanese aesthetics that finds beauty in simplicity and the art of subtraction. This permeates every facet of Japanese culture - from watercolour painting and ceramics to the choreography of their tea ceremonies and culinary presentation and nowhere is it more vividly expressed than in Japanese textiles and garments - particularly the kimono. Its clean, unadorned lines and elegance celebrate the natural qualities of its materials - whether the subtle sheen of silk or the muted tones of hand-dyed fabric, making the garments transcend mere functionality to become wearable art.
The history of the kimono reflects the blending of kanso with global influences. In the 16th century, Portuguese traders introduced silk fabrics that enriched Japanese craftsmanship, followed by the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch introduced a range of new materials that expanded the possibilities of kimono design, including wool, dyes and metallic threads that added subtle brilliance to ceremonial garments.
By the late 19th century, during the Meiji era, Japan began sharing its artistry with the world, most notably at the 1873 international exhibition in Vienna where kimonos as well as prints, lacquerware and ceramics, were introduced to international audiences.
The kimono’s international debut captivated countless artists, from Monet and Van Gogh to Whistler and Klimt, who used it as an excuse for geometric abstract structure in their paintings. In modern times, pop culture icons such as David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Madonna, and Björk have transformed the kimono into a dazzling emblem of style and artistic expression. Freddie Mercury, an avid collector, amassed over 50 exquisite vintage kimonos, including a richly embroidered stage-worn piece that commanded a breathtaking £57,150 at auction. The kimono’s allure transcends the stage and canvas, shaping the costume design of the Star Wars saga and inspiring the avant-garde creations of Alexander McQueen.
For those entranced by the allure of Japanese textiles, the journey into collecting kimonos can be a scholarly journey. A good starting point is the acclaimed book Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, created alongside the V&A’s 2020 exhibition of the same name. This exhibition brilliantly traced the kimono's evolution from traditional attire to a contemporary fashion icon.
For those seeking a deeper dive, the Khalili Collection of Kimono offers an unparalleled exploration. Assembled by British-Iranian scholar, collector, and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili, this extraordinary collection comprises over 450 garments and is widely regarded as one of the most significant in the world. To explore this treasure trove, visit khalilicollections.org.
Kimono for a Young Girl 1912-1926, The Khalili Collection
Image courtesy of The Khalili Collection
How then do you start a collection worth cherishing? Collecting kimonos comes with its challenges; without specialist knowledge, verifying the authenticity and the age of a kimono can be tricky. However, the cost is generally related to the age, material and craftsmanship of the kimono. As a rule of thumb, ceremonial kimonos are more expensive. For instance, museum-quality ceremonial kimonos are upwards of £2,000. For those interested in contemporary versions, the website Gallery Japan is well worth a visit. There you will find many breathtaking kimono designs by contemporary textile artists; many of whom are international exhibited and have won prestigious awards.
Laura Bordignon is a specialist antique dealer in Japanese works of art from the Meiji period 1868-1912. An expert in textiles and embroideries of the era, Laura says: “during the Meiji era the textile firms in Kyoto who previously mainly produced kimono and temples garments, underwent significant changes due to the modernisation policies of the new Meiji government. They started to cater for a Western export market manufacturing extremely fine ornamental textiles art for interiors such as silk embroidery pictures, screens, drapery and wall hangings which were imported through dealers and shops like Libertys in London. Silk pictures were often based on actual paintings but delicately embroidered with fine stitches techniques to create a great visual effect and also using layers and texture to create a sense of depth, which from a distance and to the untrained eye appear like paintings”.
A fine example of this is a Japanese silk panel she is selling made in the Oshi-e technique depicting the Samurai Nitta Yoshisada.
Japanese silk panel made in the Oshi-e technique depicting the Samurai Nitta Yoshisada with his attendant kneeling at his side, late Meiji Period 1868-1912.
W: 58cm (22.8") H: 81cm (31.9”)
Image courtesy of Laura Bordignon
Malcolm Fairley has been specialising in Japanese works of art for over 40 years and he played a critical role in creating the landmark catalogue for the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art, titled Meiji no Takara: Treasures of Imperial Japan.
One of his key pieces is a silk embroidery made by the company Takashimaya and first purchased (by repute) at the 1906 World’s Fair in Milan. Made at the turn of the last century, it is decorated in a rich array of flowers including chrysanthemums, peonies, irises, hydrangea, wisteria, lilies and roses. Takashimaya was a company that commissioned famous Japanese artists to make designs which their company would produce as textiles, ready to market for the export market and a table cover like this, would have been luxurious items even in their day.
It would originally have had tassels or a fringe around the edges and hung over a table so that the floral embroidery would have been visible hanging down the sides. It is highly likely the table would have been used to display a vase and not used every day for eating on and its colours are still unusually vibrant.
Fairley says “we have been collecting textiles for over 30 years, but finding them in really fine condition is increasingly difficult. We do still occasionally find smaller framed embroideries, which are often great examples of their very finest work but comprehensive collections are rare”.
Takashimaya - A fine silk embroidered table cover. 176 x 173 cm, mounted on a wood stretcher late Meiji Period (1868-1912).
Image courtesy of Malcolm Fairley
Detail below:
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The Art of Ingenious Table Furniture
November 27, 2024
by Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
Everyday dining tastes and fashions have changed so much in the last two centuries that it may be hard to imagine the amount of effort that once went into opulent table displays of wealth and opulence. Flower arrangements are probably the one decorative constant – medieval feasting tables were often strewn with sweet smelling blooms – but mere posies were for the cash-strapped. In seventeenth-century Holland, tulips, the most valuable commodity of the time were displayed in towering Delftware tulipieres where each flower could be seen in its magnificence.
And why limit oneself to real flowers? In 1694, the Duchess of Brunswick’s birthday table was spread with an entire landscape made of sugar, with fields and parterres containing tiny sugar crops made of marzipan or parterres of fruit and flowers in coloured jellies. In 1756, a dinner at the Duchess of Norfolk’s was spread with an edible feast involving a parkland, a plantation of flowering shrubs and in the middle a ‘Fine piece of water with Dolphins Spouting out water, and Deer dispersed Irregularly over the Lawn.’ Horace Walpole joked in 1750 that ‘all the geniuses of the age are employed in designing new plans for dessert.’
Detail of Apollo standing holding a lyre from A Monumental Porcelain Figural Group of Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus. Germany, Circa 1880.
Courtesy of Adrian Alan.
Table furniture became an artform of staggering ingenuity and imagination: candelabras, fruit baskets, animals, figures and ornamental landscapes presented diners with fantastical scenes and skills. The dining table became a kind of stage in which eating was only one of the entertainments on offer. The fashion for tables decorated with complicated pastry or sugar-paste pastoral or classical tableaux was the forerunner of the enormous and complicated porcelain centrepieces that were made by Sèvres and Meissen in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. And with the increasing popularity of dining ‘a la russe’, or having courses brought sequentially to the table rather than having everything spread out at once, the more permanent table centrepiece became particularly desirable. Errol Manners of E&H Manners notes how by the eighteenth century, ‘a lot of figures were designed specifically for the dining room.’ And Manners also observes how, showing its closeness to the sugar-paste tradition, ‘a lot of porcelain was actually held by the court pantries’ where the skilled sugar-workers were employed. Decorative pieces by Johann Joachim Kändler (1706-1775), celebrated modeller at the Meissen factory, were particularly sought after. Kändler was the master of the diverting table scene: he created a vast range of birds, stag beetles, monkeys, rhinoceroses as well as groups of figures, including pastoral compositions with shepherds or classical figures and, perhaps most popular of all, characters from the Commedia del Arte.
Dealers Adrian Alan are currently selling a rare Meissen centrepiece, a wondrously rich and complicated scene designed by Kändler and composed of sixteen interlocking pieces – Apollo and the Nine Muses on Mount Parnassus. It was made in 1880 from Kändler’s original models (and using exactly the same methods that would have been used a century earlier) and only two from this date are known to be in existence. One of the only two contemporaneous with Kändler himself, who designed the piece for the Elector of Saxony, would be, says Giles Forster of Adrian Alan, ‘priceless.’ This one (with a £190,000 asking price) is, Forster says, ‘the most important piece of nineteenth century Meissen on the market today.’
A Monumental Porcelain Figural Group of Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus. Germany, Circa 1880
Courtesy of Adrian Alan.
He adds: ‘Meissen was the first European manufactory to discover the secret of Chinese porcelain prized for its white, almost translucent quality. Porcelain figurines replaced table ornaments made in sugar and pastry. Centrepieces of such scale were impossibly valuable, with only two being recorded in the 18th century; one supplied to Frederick the Great of Prussia and one other to St. Petersburg. This example is part of a reissue in the 19th century, made by Meissen employing the original moulds. It is equally rare with only one other example known. Beyond the obvious wow factor, it really is beyond comprehension how they managed to sculpt and fire such a remarkable and delicate creation, made from sixteen interlocking pieces. Placed at the centre of a table it would be quite the conversation piece, as it tells the myth, familiar to Baroque and Rococo art, of how Apollo at Mount Parnassus inspired the nine muses representing poetry, music, and learning. Knowledge literally springs from Pegasus’ hoof. It is one of, it not the most, rare and impressive example of 19th century Meissen in existence.’ It is certainly lovely – full of entrancing detail and colour: Perseus on the gold-winged Pegasus, Apollo with his lyre and the muses seated below him with the symbols of their arts. As Forster observes, ‘It has everything to show off your classical knowledge.’
Detail of the Goddess Calliope, seated and shown writing, representing eloquence and epic poetry from A Monumental Porcelain Figural Group of Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus. Germany, Circa 1880.
Courtesy of Adrian Alan.
Nowadays, centrepieces will usually be brought for display not necessarily on the dining table. Though as Forster puts it, not everyone ‘is eating at a breakfast bar’: for the rich collector, a dining room still needs a dramatic central focus. And if the table is big enough, there is really no end to the flights of imagination it can carry. Those in search of inspiration might try a visit to Apsley House and see the extraordinary Sèvres dinner service commissioned by the Empress Josephine in 1809 and presented to Wellington by Louis XVIII in 1818. In celebration of Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the wild popularity of all things ancient Egyptian and archaeological, it contains a vast centrepiece organised around three temples and four obelisks connected by an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes.
Surely neither food, conversation nor company could ever compete.
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June 13, 2024
A Profile of Malcolm Fairley and Grace Tsumugi
By Emma Crichton-Miller
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.
Grace Tsumugi and Malcolm Fairley are long-time members of St.James’s dealer community. They have carved out a distinctive niche in the finest Japanese applied arts of the late Edo and Meiji periods. Fairley leans towards cloisonné enamels, those richly coloured, highly polished, “Shippo” wares, created by applying fine metal wires to a base material (often copper or bronze) to delineate a design which is then filled with different coloured enamels and fired. Tsumugi’s special focus is lacquer. But between them they also handle the most refined and skilfully accomplished metalwork, porcelain, textiles, paintings and screens of the period.
The two stumbled upon this area by accident. Malcolm Fairley was a furniture specialist at Sotheby’s Belgravia, who looked after all things nineteenth century. One day he walked through a Japanese sale: “The quality of the metal work and the enamels was so exceptional and much better than the European ones I was dealing with, so I moved departments.” By the early 1980s, the sector had taken off and in 1987, Fairley left Sotheby’s to join Barry Davies Oriental Art, one of the world’s leading dealers in Japanese art, who was then riding the wave of the flourishing international market.
Below Malcolm Fairley
Tsumugi meanwhile had moved to England to study contemporary art. She had worked for a museum briefly in Tokyo but at that time there were very few jobs in the field of antiques in Japan, so she had switched focus. To earn some money, however, she also began to work for Barry Davies, assisting with sales. Soon Tsumugi, Fairley and the curator Oliver Impey were set to work researching, cataloguing and building the world’s most outstanding collection of Japanese art of the Meiji period outside that of the Japanese Imperial family, assembled by Professor Sir David Nasser D. Khalili. Khalili had recognised that this sometimes neglected field represented a decisive moment in Japanese history. When the young Meiji Emperor assumed the throne in 1868, Japan’s new leaders saw in the historic skills of the metalworker, lacquerer, enameller and ceramic artist the way to compete in international markets. A style evolved blending traditional Japanese design with prevailing international taste, giving full scope to the refined craftsmanship nurtured during Japan’s centuries of isolation. Fairley explains: “A lot of the work was made for the eight big world exhibitions, visited by 8-10 million people. So it was a major form of currency for the Japanese. These were expensive objects.”
The three became experts in an under-researched field. Tsumugi says, “It was very interesting for me and for Malcolm to research something which people had not discovered before.” At the time, even Japanese curators turned their noses up at a field they regarded as tainted by its appeal to an international audience. There were few texts available and those only in Japanese. No one had attempted to distinguish between dross churned out at the time to feed an insatiable international appetite for Japanese art and design, and the finest pieces commissioned by the Imperial household and sought after by discerning Japanese collectors. It was with these latter works that Tsumugi and Fairley concerned themselves, developing their connoisseurship in the field.
Below Grace Tsumugi
They each opened galleries in the days when they could source new masterpieces regularly from old collections around the United Kingdom, in Europe and in Japan. Fairley has a particular admiration for cloisonné enamels because until the 1830s, the Japanese had very little expertise in the ancient medium. “Then in the 1830s one Kaji Tsunekichi started making objects and for the next thirty years it became very popular.” Within fifty years, from a standing start, Japanese enamellers had outstripped the world: “I don’t think there is any other art form you could say that about,” Fairley suggests. The masters in this field were Namikawa Yasuyuki (a former Samurai) and Namikawa Sosuke ( no relation), who became the most famous cloisonné artists of the 1890 to 1910 period. There were several major collectors in Japan, America and Europe. "The first exhibition I held as an independent dealer,” Fairley reports, “ I had 21 Namikawa Yusuyuki pieces and I think 8 Namikawa Sosuke pieces, including large panels. It was a different world. Nowadays if there is one piece that turns up somewhere we are on a plane or a train to look at it because there are so few perfect pieces on the market.”
Over the last ten years this scarcity has afflicted the entire field. Focusing only on immaculate examples from the finest artisans, however, Tsumugi and Fairley still have collectors keen to improve their collections.
At this year’s Treasure House Fair, the pair are sharing a stand to showcase the masterpieces they own in common. Among them will be a textile screen “which we had thought to keep for ourselves,” Tsmugi says, “but we haven’t got a wall big enough to display it on. A silk embroidery of a hawk. Dated 1900 to 1910. We found it in Japan in mint condition. This is very rare.” Another outstanding object is a large, elaborate gold lacquer cabinet (1870) by the master Harui Seizaburō, which it took the master five years to complete. Fairley says: “We will put on an exhibition of a quality that no other museum could achieve except the Imperial museum in Tokyo.”
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June 06, 2024
By Huon Mallalieu
Huon Mallalieu is a historian who writes on art, antiques and collecting for The Times, Country Life and The Oldie. He is the author or editor of many books, including The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists and 1066 and Rather More, a Walk through History. He is FSA and Hon RWS.
In his 1896 Florentine Painters of the Renaissance Bernard Berenson discussed the “tactile values” that “occur in representations of solid objects when communicated, not as mere reproductions (no matter how veracious), but in a way that stirs the imagination to feel their bulk, heft their weight, realise their potential resistance, span their distance from us, and encourage us, always imaginatively, to come into close touch with, to grasp, to embrace, or to walk around them.”
I rather think that tactile values have been out of fashion for a while in art history courses but are now making a come-back. In any event, when applied to objects rather than just to paintings, and to the actual sense of touch rather than a notional one, this is something that is widely understood among dealers and connoisseurs. The surface of a terracotta or a good bronze, of a wood or marble carving, fine patina on furniture, balance of a knife, all demand to be felt and judged literally by hand. Some people are made wary when assessing even a framed painting that feels dead in the hand.
Errol Manners speaks about porcelain with erudition and enthusiasm, and it is not long before he mentions how much he loves the feel of it. Good dealers must also be historians and lovers of stories. Porcelain is rich in stories, and Errol, Henriette and their son Henry Manners are as happy in their researches as they are in making a good sale. Their catalogues are as scholarly as they are handsome and often contain notable additions to knowledge of the subject. Here Henry’s previous job with a publisher is a bonus.
As with many people in and around the trade it was a childhood fascination with the romance of historic objects that started Errol on his way. “I had what I grandly described as a museum (actually a small cabinet), and friends and uncles would give me anything from Indian carving to a fragment of Roman pottery. Coins particularly, which come with so much historic baggage, caught my imagination.” Later, in his early twenties, he found a broken late 18th century Chinese export porcelain bowl on a market stall. “It was £11, simple but quite beautifully decorated, and I recall taking it back to my flat and staring in awe at something that had come all the way from China through trials and storms and had delighted a sea captain or sailor and then, and after all this time, thrilled me”.
For a moment he had thought that he might follow a distinguished family tradition and join the navy, but instead followed his heart and signed on as a porter at Christie’s. At that time, together with study in museums, the London auctioneers’ Front Counters and portering were the best possible training for anyone keen to learn. You saw and handled everything, good and bad, fake and fabulous. Later he was given a position as a cataloguer in the European and Chinese ceramic department, where he found himself working for the first time with Henriette, the Dutch secretary, who was to become his wife and business partner.
After five years they left to set up their own business, operating for 18 months from a stall in Portobello Market, and then from 1986 as E & H Manners at a series of addresses in Kensington Church Street. They have not only become one of the world’s foremost dealers in 17th to 19th century British and European ceramics, but have expanded their range from the Middle Ages to the 20th century embracing the Arts and Crafts and Modern Movements, and across the world to include East Asian, Near Eastern and Mexican colonial period ceramics. Since Henry joined them in 2015 early glass has also become a speciality.
Among the more exotic wares they have handled was a pair of large Mexican redware vases from Tonalá. Such búcaros were highly fashionable in the 17th century, and one may have a starring role in art history. The clay is soft and fragrant, and was not only used to give a delicate flavour to medicinal potions, but thought to be beneficial in itself; it was nibbled, especially by young women and sickly children, for internal problems and to whiten the complexion. In fact, it was harmful and mildly narcotic, which may explain why the Infanta being offered what has been said to be a small búcaro in Velasquez’ Las Meninas died aged only 21. On the other hand, that may turn out to be a a Portuguese pot. Luckily no one tried a nibble before the Manners pair was sold to the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
Another satisfying early piece in current stock is a tin-glazed earthenware jug boldly dated 1558. It matches pieces excavated from a kiln site in Utrecht, where an archaeological report suggested that in about 1560 a potter from Antwerp introduced Italian maiolica techniques to the Northern Netherlands, foreshadowing the Dutch Delft tradition. As they say, “ It is not often that one finds something that rewrites ceramics history, even if only by a couple of years”.
An ambitious project, also current and to be launched at The Treasure House Fair, is the compilation of a major catalogue of Hausmalerei, 18th century century ceramics decorated by home-workers for Meissen and Vienna porcelain, followed by factories in France and Britain.
Below: Errol, Henriette and Henry Manners.
Image courtesy of E&H Manners
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May 10, 2024
By Huon Mallalieu
Huon Mallalieu is an historian who writes on art, antiques and collecting for The Times, Country Life and The Oldie. He is the author or editor of many books, including The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists and 1066 and Rather More, a Walk through History. He is FSA and Hon RWS.
The British and Dutch art and antiques trades have been intertwined since their beginnings in the 17th century when Bathasar Gerbier and Daniel Nijs helped Charles I build his unrivalled collections. Over the centuries many distinguished Dutch dealers have established themselves in London either as branches or their principal business, and they still do so today.
For decades Koopman Rare Art, has been one of London’s pre-eminent silver dealers, but it has roots in pre-War Amsterdam, where the father of Eddy and Jacques Koopman dealt in antiques. Eddy, the eldest son, realised what was coming, and in 1938 moved to England where he set up as a silver dealer in Manchester. The youngest, Jacques (pronounced as English Jack) was 9 years old in 1942 when he is parents pushed him out of the train that was taking them to a concentration camp. He survived the next four years in hiding.
After the war, and a period working as a taxi-driver in Canada, he too settled in England and in 1952 set up the London business with Eddy, who retained the small northern shop. The partnership worked well, since in Manchester Eddy could buy stock from old money 19th century collections, and in London Jacques could attract new money buyers. In 1969 they were well enough established to move the southern business to the Silver Vaults in Chancery Lane, taking what was described as “a sprawling establishment” on the ground floor.
Jacques Koopman continued to work at the shop until just before his death in 1991 aged only 60, having earned the reputation of being the “dominant force in the market” and he was followed soon afterwards by his nephew Michael, who had taken on the business. Jacques had believed that good dealers must love what what they do and what they deal in. He recognised that quality in Lewis Smith, who had come to the Silver Vaults as a porter, and he became a mentor to the 18-year old. Lewis, who had been collecting and dealing from his schooldays, emphasises that willingness to learn from older dealers and to work all hours are two of the essential attributes for a tyro in the trade. For a while he left to run his own business, but in 1993 he returned to Koopman as a director, working in partnership with Michael’s son Timo, and together they have maintained and enhanced the legacy of the founding brothers. As it happens their skills are complementary: Lewis relishes the business of buying and selling, while Timo is in his element in libraries and archives, providing meticulous research as they unveil their latest treasures.
The firm handles English silver from the Tudors to the 19th century, but thanks to Jacques, who had recognised the potential of sculptural pieces, it developed a special expertise in the great makers of the 18th century and Regency, notably Paul de Lamerie (1688 - 1751), Paul Storr (1771 - 1844) and Rundell Bridge & Rundell, Principal Royal Goldsmiths, Jewellers and Medallists from 1797 to 1830. The catalogues of its exhibitions are as impressive as the treasures in them.
Koopman has formed and dispersed many great collections, and worked with an impressive roster of museums in the United States as well as Great Britain and Australia. One of their sculptural pieces that has most impressed me over the years was a 26.8in high six-light candelabrum centrepiece by Paul Storr, 1811, which they showed as part of London Art Week in 2020. The palm-like column was flanked by three satyrs with Pan pipes, which were probably modelled by the sculptor William Theed II and inspired by a bronze from the circle of the Renaissance master Andrea Riccio (1470 - 1532). Other outstanding pieces include an Elizabethan silver-gilt cup and cover made by the London smith Affabel Partridge in 1578, which had once been owned by J P Morgan and was acquired by Temple Newsam House, Leeds, and a 1731 silver bowl and cover by Edward Feline that was a christening present from George II to his god-daughter Lady Emilia Lennox, later Duchess of Leinster, which was bought by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2014.
Silver christening cup and cover, marked Edward Feline, London, 1731.
Sold by Koopman to the V&A in 2014.
In 2021 Koopman left the Silver Vaults for Dover Street in the West End, and at the same time brought in Lewis’ daughter Kimberley to deal in 19th and 20th century jewellery. Previously she had run her own Kimberley Fine Jewels and worked in the department at Sotheby’s.
Lewis and Timo recognise the need to encourage young dealers, and as importantly a new generation in allied trades such as restoration. It is vital to the trade that skills and knowledge are passed on, especially as the pool of the very best items available to the market inevitably shrinks. Where for some people this might prompt a move towards the contemporary field, they prefer the history and uniqueness of older pieces. However, they are by no means backward-looking, and they regard the increasing importance of internet trading, especially in the last few years, as very positive for the future. Not only is it vital to research, but it helps to bring down barriers between markets and extend the reach of dealers to all parts of the world.
Timo Koopman and Lewis Smith, directors of Koopman Rare Art.
Courtesy of Koopman Rare Art
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April 11, 2024
Have you ever heard the theory that pets look like their owners?
By Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
A portrait of a pet dog or cat is often simply an expression of their human’s emotion: the love of an owner for an animal companion. It’s difficult not to see one of Gwen John’s self-contained cats without seeing there a reflection of the artist’s own austere and self-sufficient aesthetic vision. In an eighteenth-century painting by George Stubbs, horses and dogs bestride the landscape like their aristocratic owners, grand tourists surveying a world of which they are the heirs and overlords. The pre-eminent early twentieth-century painter of horses, Alfred Munnings, shows the world not only of the racing plutocrats of his time but the poignant dignity of horses in the man-made hellscapes of the First World War. A painting by Munnings, full of excitement and energy, recently displayed by the Rountree Tryon Gallery was commissioned by Baron Mildmay to depict his son on the horse Davy Jones, just before the 1936 Grand National. The great Victorian animal artist Edwin Landseer often placed his animals in theatrical tableaux: a large white poodle, for example, playing the judge in ‘Trial by Jury’ (1840). Even Nipper, the terrier made famous in Francis Barraud’s 1898 ‘His Master’s Voice’ was intended to advertise the hours of companionable family pleasure to be found in listening to a phonograph.
Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. 'Davy Jones with the Hon. Anthony Mildmay up'
Image courtesy of Rountree Tryon Galleries
Even though that kind of anthropomorphism is less fashionable now, animal portraits speak vividly to us still. And a whole new generation of animal artists has emerged to capture horses, dogs, cats and even farm animals for their owners. Michael J Austin, whose wonderful depiction of a horse’s head, Inception 2023, is on show with the Jonathan Cooper gallery at the Treasure House art fair this year, is a fan of Landseer. But he sees Landseer’s dogs as belonging to a particular context; they belong to a ‘wider scene.’ And Martin is less keen than the Victorian artist on ‘fluffy’ animals: he prefers, for example, whippets or beasts in which you can ‘see the musculature.’ His own paintings are vivid examples of painstakingly close observation of the bones working beneath the skin. His horse’s head bends forward in profile with a combination of submission and nobility. It’s a gesture Martin finds particularly powerful and he observes that it is a feature of un-bridled horses, noting that the steeds found in, for example, ancient Greek reliefs, have reins pulled tight in battle and heads lifted.
Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A., R.I. 'The rounded English pig and the scrawny French pig pen and brown ink'
Image courtesy of Rountree Tryon Galleries
Originally Martin painted primarily human portraits but since moving to Devon several years ago became interested in cattle, particularly bulls with their rippling muscles and bulk. In bulls too, he tells me, it is the downward head that speaks most strongly of the nature of the entire animal, even when they have lost their horns. They are in battle mode, ‘ready to charge, forehead to forehead.’
Sculptor Mark Coreth, whose depiction of a guide dog (that most moving of animal/human co-dependencies) will be shown by the Sladmore Gallery at Treasure House in maquette, is similarly eloquent on the importance of capturing the elusive ‘essence’ of his animal subjects. Because an animal model of course won’t stay still to order, the artist has to use on other senses. Correth works as far as possible ‘face to face’ and though he takes photographs, he says, he doesn’t end up using them much: the process of capturing the form of the animal is more about memory and feeling. ‘One’s eyes are the lenses and one’s memories are on the memory stick,’ he says. ‘It comes from within, an internal recording.’
Mark Coreth in his studio, Wiltshire, 2021
Image courtesy of Sladmore Gallery
Coreth has sculpted animals in the wild and also animals for commission. His most famous is probably his 2016 bronze of Frankel the racehorse, unveiled by the Queen at Newmarket. ‘There is,’ he says, ‘a very deep bond between an artist and his animal. You’ve got to become the animal, to understand it.’ Coreth, like Martin, is fascinated by the brute strength of bulls. He created a bronze of Rodmead Prague, a splendid, prize-winning ‘solid-A’ bull from Wiltshire, beloved of his proud farmer owner.
Coreth tells of a gorilla model he once studied in London Zoo. The two of them, artist and ‘beastie’ stood eye to eye for hours in mutual communion. ‘It’s portraiture in its raw form,’ he says. Making a portrait of an animal, revealing something truthful about animal nature, is a pilgrimage of empathy.
Guide Dog ‘Grady’, maquette, 2024 by Mark Coreth (British, b.1958), Bronze, Height: 38” (97cm)
Image courtesy of Sladmore Gallery
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March 21, 2024
A more pared back approach to interior design shows antique furniture in a new light.
By Giles Kime
For at least a decade there has been speculation in the press about the health of the market for antiques imprecisely described as ‘brown furniture’ that could refer to anything from a piece of post war utility furniture to a George II walnut secretaire. Like the fashion for flares and German Riesling it's either on the way in or the way out, usually at the same time. Those who love antiques will tell you two things; one is that it’s a market driven less by prevailing taste and more by the size and proportions of the piece (ie not everyone has room for an eight foot Regency sideboard); the other is that the demand for good antiques has never gone away - it has simply evolved, as it has done for centuries.
‘Twas ever thus. There are simply times when period and styles are a little more sought after than others - Georgian, Regency, Victorian, Biedermeier, Gustavian have all had their day in the sun. However such is the glorious variety of antiques, one has never (and will never) eclipse another. Our relationship with antique styles is like a parent with children - they are all loved for different reasons, and you never go off them.
Photograph Courtesy of Godson & Coles
What changes, however, is how furniture is presented; the unhinged eclecticism of the Victorian era, the burden of historicism that dominated the first half 20th century until it was dispelled by the pervasive influence of Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler who lightened the mood of classic interiors with delicate curtain treatments, chintz and painted furniture as well as the atmospheric tableaux of the dealer decorators of the 1970’s and 1980’s. These are subtle and nuanced shifts that happen over decades rather than years.
In the early decades of the 21st century it happened again. After the minimalist revolution of the 1990’s came, as it always does, counter revolution. Decoration became sexy again; with a revival of everything from wallpaper and chintz to lustreware and antique furniture. But this time it was different; there was none of the heavily layered fullness of the 1980’s.
Photograph Courtesy of Godson & Coles
In a sense, it was a more disciplined approach that invoked the spirit of the pared back interiors of the early 19th century.
Mario Praz’s Illustrated History of Interior Decoration reveals the rigour of continental interiors in the early 19th century when few extraneous objects disturbed the linearity of an interior. Even as late as the 1850’s RS Tait’s portrait of Thomas and Jane Carlyle in their house in Cheyne Row demonstrated an ordered simplicity that dominated Victorian interiors before the more full throttle style typified by the home of the Punch illustrator Linley Sambourne in Stafford Terrace in Kensington. It is a monument to the materialism stimulated by the possibilities of mass manufacture and growing global trade. Like the Carlyle’s home it’s still intact and open to the public.
Photograph Courtesy of Godson & Coles
The new mood in decoration relies on a variety of elements; quality over quantity and a carefully curated eclecticism, a spirit that is perhaps most eloquently expressed by the Ben Pentreath Studio; the interiors arm of the architectural and masterplanning practice. The Studio demonstrates how a pared back approach can bring pieces to life with a clarity that is often lacking in more crowded interiors. More pared back still is the work of the interior designer Rose Uniacke in which antiques bring a distinctive look to large rooms which take on the look of large, gallery-style spaces. Antiques are also a regular feature in the work of a new generation of designers such as Rita Konig, Nicola Harding and James Thurstan, for whom they bring all the qualities that we love about good antiques - colour, craftsmanship and exquisite design.
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November 30, 2023
Condition is everything, including for those pieces that are purposefully restored.
By Emma Chrichton-Miller
As everyone in today’s art and antiques market is aware, condition is everything. Collectors are increasingly disinclined to take on objects which are not immaculate.
A handsome degree of patina on some Georgian furniture is allowed, but otherwise gleaming perfection is the order of the day. There is one field of collecting however where there is leeway. Japanese craftsmen have long espoused the values of imperfection encapsulated in the phrase, wabi-sabi. It was the fifteenth-century Buddhist monk, Murata Shukō, creator of the Zen-influenced tea-ceremony, who is credited with developing an aesthetic of deficiency. He suggested that alongside Chinese ceramics, with their regular forms and perfect glazes, practitioners of the tea ceremony should also use humbler, rustic Japanese wares which bear the marks of their making. One quote ascribed to him, from a document now known as the Kokoro no fumi (“Letter of the heart”), is the saying, 'A moon which is not behind clouds is disagreeable.’ The lesson from this is the beauty also of transience: that it is the movement of the clouds to reveal and conceal the moon as it itself moves, that makes the scene so beautiful.
At last year’s Treasure House Fair there were two objects that derived directly from that tradition - the tea bowls of Raku Kichizaemon XV on show at Offer Waterman. These lively, irregular raku tea bowls, though made in 1987 and 2002, reach back through centuries. The gallery explains that “the artist uses clay often prepared three generations ago by his ancestors in the creation of these rich and rugged tea bowls. It is this permanence and continuity [that] sits at the heart of the family tradition.” These works also display an affinity with Offer Waterman’s Modern British art works. This is partly because during the 1920s the British potter Bernard Leach brought these Eastern ideas directly into the mainstream of thinking about art, design and craft in Britain, with his writings but also with the founding of his Leach pottery in St Ives, in 1920, aided by the Japanese potter, Shoji Hamada. Offer Waterman regularly shows other potters within this Anglo-Oriental tradition - including the highly various works of Lucie Rie, which revel in the accidents of form that arise in the moment of throwing and the ebullient drips or volcanic explosions of glaze that her once-firing method encouraged.
White Raku Rekiyū type tea bowl named Ganshō (Pine Tree on the Rock), c.1987 by Raku Kichizaemon XV b. 1949. Image courtesy of Offer Waterman.
Dutch artist Bouke de Vries, who is presented by Adrian Sassoon, takes the idea of imperfection further. An expert in the restoration of priceless historical ceramics, some years ago de Vries began to make art works that emphasised rather than hiding what he describes as being the most dramatic moment in the art work’s life. De Vries comments, “I was always a bit bemused by people’s obsession with things being perfect. In ceramics, damage is a no no. And yet we venerate the Venus de Milo.” Recognising that the fragments of fine ceramics had their own poetic power, he has used these to create a range of new vessels. Sometimes he uses kintsugi, or the art of mending visibly with gold leaf; sometimes he collages pieces together from different broken pots to create a new whole, vibrant with its own life; and sometimes he places the broken pieces of a historic piece inside a transparent glass vessel shaped to offer a ghostly match for the original form.
18th century Worcester porcelain teapot fragments with butterflies within a perspex box, 2022, by Bouke de Vries.
Image courtesy of Adrian Sassoon.
Another aspect of wabi-sabi, or the valuing of impermanence and imperfection, is a love of nature and natural processes. At last year’s Treasure House Fair, Geoffrey Diner Gallery showed some of the beautiful tables by Japanese-American craftsman and designer George Nakashima. These take their form from the untrimmed shape of the original tree, whether cut length ways or across the trunk. At the root of his philosophy of making was the idea, expressed on his website, "A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.”
As humans, throughout history, we have seen ourselves reflected in nature. This lies behind the traditional admiration of many Chinese and Japanese scholars for strange and marvellous twists of root or branch or stone, which tease the imagination. Dealers Patrick and Ondine Mestdagh, from Brussels, exhibitors at Treasure House Fair, have available currently a Japanese bamboo scholar's object or “okimono”. Depending upon your angle of vision, this entirely natural object looks like a dragon or an insect or the branch of a tree. A Lighthouse Called Kanata is a Tokyo-based gallery committed to introducing to Western as well as Eastern audiences contemporary art works inspired by a distinctly Japanese aesthetic. One of their artists is Osamu Yokoyama, a graphic designer turned master of bamboo. He captures the wayward organic energy of the material and turns it to his own expressive purposes. As the gallery suggests: “For it is within its bends and curves, its ability to be cut, bound and stretched to its limits, that one can find the meandering, ethereal and poignant vicissitudes of life itself.”
Yakinuki type black Raku tea bowl named Kikyorai (Homecoming), 2002. By Raku Kichizaemon XV b. 1949. Ceramic.
Image courtesy of Offer Waterman.
Raku seal impressed on the base of the bowl. Further: inscribed on the lid of the box Yakinuki Kuro (Yakinuki Black) and Kikyorai on the underside of the lid with kao cypher reading Kichi-Mitsu, as well as the inscription reading Hinoe-uma no toshi Aki (Autumn 2002), the artist's signature Kichizaemon XV (seal) on the base of the box.
Learn more in this video about the artist.
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November 23, 2023
The legacy of dealer decorators such as Robert Kime, Christopher Gibbs and Geoffrey Bennison is that they recognised that antiques had the capacity to transform the mood of a room.
By Giles Kime
Giles Kime is Executive and Interiors Editor at Country Life.
Anyone born much after the swinging sixties will remember a time when good antiques were treated with the sort of reverence normally reserved for senior clergy and decorated soldiers. Knowledge of their past lent them a glow; names like ‘Hepplewhite’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Gillow’ were uttered in the same hushed tones as ‘Major General’ or ‘Archdeacon.’ They still do; pedigree and provenance still rules the world of antiques and rightly, so. The origins of a piece and the hands and houses through which they subsequently passed adds an extra dimension that is transformative and which has the potential to add significantly to its allure.
But it was in the sixties that a new type of antique expert emerged on the scene - and with them a very different type of client. In following decades, Christopher Gibbs, Geoffrey Bennison, Robert Kime, David Mlinaric and Piers Westenholz - most of whom plied their trade around London’s Pimlico Road - recognised that as well as having historic and aesthetic value, antiques also offer a unique opportunity to cast a spell over a space. It wasn’t just clients such as Lord Rothschild and Weidenfeld who bought into this philosophy but also a new generation from the world of film and music, including Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, David Putnam and Terence Stamp. ‘Chrissie Gibbs sought out the unique, the unusual and the unrelated, so you might have a 17th-century sculpture next to a piece of Arts-and-Crafts furniture on a beautiful rug, creating that soft, sleepy aged sense of beauty,’ says the antique dealer Will Fisher of Jamb in London. The emphasis was as much on the whole as it was on the sum of the parts. Richard Coles of Godson and Coles concurs with the sentiment; 'Quality antiques bring depth and gravitas creating focal points in a room, generating a tangible and exciting atmosphere that is timeless, interesting and less liable to date,’ he says.
One of the late Robert Kimes’s most influential projects was the gentle transformation of South Wraxall Manor in Wiltshire for John Taylor and his wife, Geela Nash Taylor, the founder of Juicy Couture. It was not just structural changes such as re-opening the loggia to the outside that brought this beautiful 15th-century house back to life but the extraordinary mixture of furniture and fabrics that lend the house its highly distinctive mood. ‘It had to have some ordinary things in it - and some wonderful things too,’ he commented. And so it does; the study is furnished with a French ebony and Boulle desk and a gilt mirror, while the family sitting room is anchored by a pastel Smyrna rug. Elsewhere there are antique pelmets, bed hangings, curtains and upholstery as well as embroidered suzanis. There are 18th-century French twin beds in their original Toile de Jouy fabrics, hand-painted DeGournay paper and the Spanish painted leather walls that provide magical backdrops. The value of these ingredients to the succession of spaces was not just as individual pieces but also as components in an entity that enhanced the mood of the building.
The drawing room at Wraxhall, designed by Robert Kime. Image courtesy of Robert Kime, photographer Tessa Traeger.
Key to the South Wraxall project was the mix of styles and eras; European and Middle Eastern, 17th-century with 18th, ordinary with the extraordinary. That perhaps is one the greatest features of the work of the dealer decorators; in their search for magic, they refused to be hidebound by the period of a building. As a result, the alchemy of their work relied on juxtaposing one piece with another, regardless of its origin. It was a dramatic shift away from interior design projects of the past that had been burdened by historicism and involved furnishing rooms with pieces that were from the same period as the houses they occupied.
What has been exciting about this seismic shift in approach is the creativity that it has precipitated at every level of the market; freed from the constraints of connoisseurship, the process of decorating with antiques has become more creative. While academic rigour still prevails, so too does a celebration of beauty for beauty’s sake and the form, colour and texture that they bring to an interior.
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September 28, 2023
How the arcane and fragile porcelain continues to withstand the test of time.
by Emma Chrichton-Miller
Two stands at The Treasure House Fair openly share their double passion: for eighteenth-century porcelain and for contemporary decorative art of the highest level.
The two galleries are known to each other: Adrian Sassoon and Michele Beiny have been friends for longer than they have been dealers. Beiny, based in New York, started her own gallery in 1987 specialising in 18th and early 19th century English and Continental porcelain and European faience, as well as French furniture and decorations, objets de vertu, and renaissance jewels.
More recently, she has broadened her focus to include a handful of contemporary American studio glass and studio ceramics artists - including the renowned Dale Chihuly and Jennifer McCurdy.
Gilded Radiatori Vessel by Jennifer McCurdy
2018, Courtesy of Michele Beiny
Chinese Red Seaform by Dale Chihuly
1995, Courtesy of Michele Beiny
Sassoon, meanwhile, early on made French Sèvres his specialism - unrivalled in its decorative exuberance and technical virtuosity - but since the mid 1990’s he has established a significant parallel interest in the work of contemporary specialists in ceramics, glass, gold, silver, paper, wood, lacquer, bamboo and hard stones.
What becomes evident in the displays of both galleries at fairs is the continuity of spirit between the work from these two eras, separated by four hundred years.
Beiny puts her finger on it. “I am not interested in contemporary art that just uses porcelain or glass as a medium. I want to see work by people fascinated by the material, its history and its techniques, seeing where they can push the limits of the material, innovating both at the level of design and craftsmanship.” She adds, “That’s what they were doing in the eighteenth century - working with porcelain, this great new discovery.”
Today she defines her particular passion as the early years of English and Continental porcelain manufacture - when across the continent princes and monarchs strove to outdo each other in the splendour of the porcelain artefacts emerging from their manufactories. Currently, for instance, she has available a Meissen Böttger porcelain teapot from 1715, named for the alchemist, Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719), credited with discovering the formula for ‘true’ or hard-paste porcelain in 1708. This led in 1710 to the foundation of the Meissen porcelain manufactory by Augustus II, King of Poland. Another item on her website is a Vienna Du Paquier trembleuse cup and saucer from around 1725-30 - just a few years into the earliest phase of production for this Viennese manufactory, founded by the Dutch entrepreneur Claude Innocentius du Paquier in 1719. She has a strong interest also in English soft-paste porcelain and faience; tin-glazed and enamelled earthenware, which first emerged in France during the sixteenth century, and spread widely across Europe.
Vienna du Paquier trembleuse cup and saucer
1725-30, Courtesy of Michele Beiny
Faience was highly valued among elite patrons during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, before soft-paste porcelain factories came into being but continued to be used throughout the eighteenth century, with inventive fruit, vegetable and animal shaped vessels demonstrating the ebullient creative imaginations of the makers. Beiny comments, “As soon as it becomes repetitive, I am not interested.” In her view, only Sèvres maintained its high standards of experimentation - “new shapes, new glazes” - into the nineteenth century: “They were haemorrhaging money making porcelain in ever new and innovative ways.”
It is this spirit of excitement that Beiny finds in the American modern and contemporary makers whose work she showcases. She says, “It is seamless, the continuity between Jennifer McCurdy and eighteenth century porcelain.” She is also a significant collector of the work of English potter Kate Malone, represented by Adrian Sassoon. Malone is renowned not just for her expressive, generous forms inspired directly by nature but also by the depth and intensity of her commitment to the science of glazing, of which she has become a master.
Encouraged by Sassoon, she has consistently sought to extend her own technical abilities and learn from the past. Beiny notes; “Kate looks at eighteenth-century faience to inspire her.” If this seems an obvious inspiration, Kate has looked also at eighteenth-century porcelain, which at first she found a bit cold. “But then you get to Sèvres and there is no way Sèvres is frigid - all those flowing lines, those Missoni zigzags and those checks and those corally patterns, as if they are out of the funkiest magazine from Italian Vogue. You look at those elephant vases or the tureens,” she says, “and the form, the glaze and the decoration are all one fantastic knot intertwined, with relevance to each other. I think that’s amazing.”
A Soft-Paste Sèvres Porcelain Tray
1762, Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
All of Adrian Sassoon’s contemporary artists are similarly marked out by their technical brilliance and commitment to pushing the boundaries of their material, whether the master silversmith Hiroshi Suzuki, the British glass artist Colin Reid, the British-based Japanese blacksmith Junko Mori or her compatriot Hitomi Hosono.
Miyabi-Fire Vase by Hiroshi Suzuki
2023, Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
Hitomi Hosono’s detailed porcelain vessels, inspired by the natural world and botanical specimens, with their chalk-like finish and gold embellishments, are feats of astonishing technical virtuosity. As the gallery’s website proclaims, “An authority on Sèvres and Vincennes porcelain, Adrian’s specialism has given him an appetite for exquisite design and detail.” It seems they are as abundant today as they were in 1740.
A Hawthorn Bowl by Hitomi Hosono
2020, Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon
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American Craft in collectors' hearts
September 14, 2023
How the the humble genre swept its way to the highest ranks of the art world becoming one of the most sought after movements in contemporary design and woodwork.
By Emma Crichton-Miller
Twenty years ago, Robert Travers of the London Modern British gallery Piano Nobile told me; “I was at Sotheby’s for a sale, when I walked through another sale of Modern Design. I saw a table. It was very splendid. I discovered it was by George Nakashima.”
From that point, Travers began to collect good pieces when he came upon them, and indeed deal in them: “I like that East meets West aesthetic and Nakashima’s lovely feel for natural timber.” These have become an essential part of the gallery’s display of their roster of Modern British artists, both in the gallery and at art fairs. Travers comments; “The furniture is not too extreme, but there is this quiet intensity of engagement with the material that is complementary to our pictures.”
George Nakashima Floating Shelf and Frank Auerbach portrait of David Landau at Piano Nobile's stand at The Treasure House Fair 2023
Image courtesy of PIANO NOBILE, London.
Today, the market of the Japanese American woodworker, architect and furniture maker, is flourishing. George Nakashima, born in the US in 1905, is widely acknowledged to be the founder of the American Studio Craft Furniture movement, which had its birth in the rural artists' colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania, in the 1940s. After travelling the world as a young man, including stints working as an architect and designer in Japan and India, it was in an internment camp in Idaho that Nakashima met the Japanese master carpenter Gentaro Hikogawa and began to apply himself to making one-off pieces of hand-crafted furniture, using traditional Japanese joinery techniques. In 1943, the American architect Antonin Raymond successfully sponsored Nakashima’s release from the camp and invited him to his farm in New Hope, Pennsylvania. There, in his studio and workshop, Nakashima began to explore the organic expressiveness of wood, and embarked on his hunt for timbers with ever more dynamic knots and burls and figured grains. While he constructed many different kinds of distinctive furniture, he is best known for his large tables made from giant slices of tree, sometimes entire, sometimes linked by butterfly joints, with the natural edge of the trunk creating the contoured edge of the table.
Minguren II Coffee Table by George Nakashima
Image Courtesy of PIANO NOBILE, London.
Detail of butterfly joint on Minguren II Coffee Table by George Nakashima
Image courtesy of PIANO NOBILE, London.
One of the world’s most renowned specialist dealers in the work of Nakashima, is Washington DC-based Geoffrey Diner. His own exemplary cross-disciplinary collecting provides a model for how great art and great design converse together. Growing up in Buffalo, New York, where the leaders of the American Arts & Crafts Movement were highly regarded, he expanded his interest through the 1980s to British Arts and Crafts, as well as contemporary makers. Today, his focus is post-war art and design, and his outstanding display of fine pieces at Treasure House Fair in 2023 included a highly desirable Nakashima Conoid Bench, with split seat and stick back, from 1973, and a monumental “Minguren II” Coffee Table.
Unique three-seater sofa by Wendell Castle
Stack laminated walnut, leather, 1974
Image courtesy of Phillips
Conoid Bench by George Nakashima
Image courtesy of Geoffrey Diner Gallery
Nakashima drew equally on his Japanese heritage and North America’s distinguished Arts and Crafts tradition. Already Wharton Esherick, born in 1889, had begun to work by hand with wood in the 1920s. He was followed by Phillip Lloyd Powell on the East Coast, while on the West Coast Sam Maloof, Jack Rogers Hopkins and Arthur Espenet Carpenter formed another group. A second generation included the daring sculptural designers Paul Evans (1931-1987), and Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Judy Hensley McKie (b.1944) and Mira Nakashima (b.1942), George’s daughter, who for many years continued to oversee production of furniture in her father’s workshop alongside making her own work. Each pursued their own personal aesthetic, using a wide range of materials, but rooted in a dedication to hand processes - whether the sensuous wood carving of Wendell Castle or Paul Evans’s sculpted metalwork.
Geoffrey Diner Gallery at The Treasure House Fair 2023
Image Courtesy of The Treasure House Fair
Leading collectors of the day - including Nelson Rockefeller, Stephen Spielberg and Diane von Furstenberg - bought enthusiastically, alongside many homemakers who saw in these makers’ work a rebuff to modern mass-production. In 1973, Nelson Rockefeller commissioned two hundred pieces from Nakashima alone for his house in Pocantico Hills, New York. During the 1980s, however, the work of the studio craft makers fell out of fashion. Indeed, Robert Aibel of Moderne Gallery in Philadelphia, a leading gallery for American Studio Craft Furniture, remembers buying a Nakashima dining table and chairs in 1985 for $3000 from a doctor who referred to it as “used furniture.” Aibel had an instinct that there was a market out there, however, and, slowly, the market rebuilt, until the dizzying heights of the early 2000s, when, in December 2006, at Sotheby’s New York, a beautifully patterned, wildly irregular table made from a single cross-section slice of redwood burl, created by Nakashima in 1988 for his patrons, Dr. Arthur and Evelyn Krosnick of Princeton, New Jersey sold for $822,400. Since then, other notable auction records include the £225,000 paid for the unique stack-laminated walnut three-seater sofa by Wendell Castle, from 1974, achieved at Phillips London in April 2018, and the $382,000 paid in 2017 at Rago Arts and Auction for a 1977 Paul Evans cabinet.
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June 06, 2023
The Easter egg everyone wants
Poppy Mckenzie Smith
As a child, I wanted nothing more than a Fabergé egg. I was endlessly fascinated by their delicate mechanisms, bejewelled panels unfurling like a chrysalis to reveal anything from a sultry ruby to a miniature train. My childlike fascination in Fabergé has been shared by generations of collectors and admirers. Emperors, kings, socialites and princesses from across the globe have all lusted after the unmatched craftsmanship of a Fabergé piece.
An Imperial miniature pendant Easter egg by Carl Fabergé
Chief Workmaster: Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, c. 1900.
Length: 2.5 cm (from top of loop)
Image courtesy of Wartski
Much like the Mona Lisa has come to represent the total sum of Da Vinci’s artistic prowess, Fabergé’s genius has been unfairly distilled down to a few handfuls of Easter eggs. In reality, both he (Carl) and the house of Fabergé produced some of the most unusual and beautiful items running the whole gamut of artisanal skills. Enamelling, gem-setting, goldsmithery, silverwork, glassblowing and wood carving are all present in Fabergé’s works, and the diversity of items would fill a (very glamorous) department store. He created cufflinks and hat pins, parasol handles and cross quartz owls. There was seemingly Edwardian object he could not render beautiful.
Hat pin, Carl Fabergé, c.1890
Chief Workmaster: Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, pre 1896.
Contained in its original silk and velvet lined wooden box.
Image courtesy of Wartski
After inheriting his father’s jewellery business in 1882, Carl Fabergé rapidly developed the name in to an international icon. He moved away from the blingy but traditional gold and diamond jewellery to focus on design-led pieces which showcased his astonishing workmanship. Having studied at Dresden Arts and Crafts School, Carl toured Europe learning different artisanal skills. He went on to work as a restorer at the Hermitage museum in St Petersburg (his home town), focusing on gold and enamel snuff boxes.
He quickly put his new skills in to practice – the workshop became renowned for having perfected the enamelling process - and his works caught the eye of Tzar Alexander III who put them on display in the Hermitage. This led to the first Imperial Easter Egg commission in 1885, and Fabergé was established as the most desirable craftsman in all Russia.
Word of his exquisite objets d’art spread among the world’s elite. By 1890 the Fabergé workshop had doubled in size to nearly 500 craftsmen, and 1900 saw the house’s first appearance at the World Exhibition in Paris. In 1903, the first international House of Fabergé opened on Bond Street, and the great British love affair with Fabergé blossomed.
The great and the good(ish) of Britain vied to procure a piece from Fabergé, but entry to the ownership club was hard to come by. Much like an Hermes Birkin today, it wasn’t possible to simply waltz in and select your bijoux of choice. Introductions had to be made, and handshakes exchanged. For some, the opening of a physical shop was greatly lamented – Empress Maria Fedorovna wrote to Queen Alexandra complaining “Now that that silly Fabergé has his shop in London, I can’t send you anything new, I am furious!”
An Enamel and Gem-set Easter Egg Pendant by Alexander Tillander, St Petersburg, c. 1900
Signed: ‘AT’ for Alexander Tillander
Length (excl. loop): 1.8 cm
Image courtesy of Wartski
Fabergé’s charm lay not just in his exclusivity, but in his ability to create gifts for the people who had everything. His clients would already have owned houses and jewellery boxes groaning with treasures, so the value had to lie elsewhere. His exemplary craftsmanship was unquestioned, but Fabergé was also a shrewd creator. He knew that his pieces had to be able to surprise and delight those who had grown tired of unbridled luxury. He thus turned to sentimentality.
Fabergé knew well of the Brits’ obsession with their pets and was keen to cater to his new customer base in England. Cherished animals recreated in precious gems were enormously popular – a beloved Fox Terrier carved in white onyx with sparkling ruby eyes, a prize bull hewn in glistening obsidian and even an intricately wrinkled turkey decorated with lapis lazuli were given as gifts among the Royal Family. These animal figurines are among the most valuable pieces today and prices can run in to the millions thanks to their clear provenance – many bore the engraved name of the pet depicted making them easy to trace.
In a further attempt to woo his British fanbase, Fabergé decided to capture the very country in his works. Intricate enamelled boxes depicting stately homes and castles painted on to gold and mounted in nephrite frames served as decadent postcards and proved a shrewd business move from Fabergé . How could his clientele resist purchasing such an ornate depiction of their own pied-a- terre in snuff box form?
While many modern collectors may be unable to find their own home depicted on one of Fabergé ’s creations, those with a healthy budget will be able to find many items with which to fill it. Kieran McCarthy, an eminent Fabergé expert and Managing Director at Wartski advised that prices can range from £2,000 for a piece of silverware up to several millions for unique figurines, flowers and animal studies with exceptional provenance. As with any collectable, rarity sharply increases value and can allow condition to be somewhat excused.
A match-striker by Carl Fabergé
The matches are taken from a cavity in his back and struck against his sandstone body in order to light them.
Workmaster: Julius Rappoport, St. Petersburg, before 1896.
Image courtesy of Wartski
With such a vast array of items on offer, it can be difficult to know where to begin. What unites these seemingly disparate pieces is the mix of exemplary craftsmanship and sheer whimsy. What desk wouldn’t wish to be adorned by a hefty silver anteater paperweight or a rather cross frog? While the infamous eggs served only to astonish, the more practical Fabergé pieces are not to be overlooked. A handsome set of cake cutlery can fetch about £8,000, while a cigarette case creeps to the £45,000 mark. For those seeking an interesting yet more adorable entry in to the Fabergé owners club, sketches of his works are a marvellous alternative starting at about £1000 and offering a glimpse in to the creative process of arguably the world’s most inventive artisan.
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April 06, 2023
A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind. From Georgian to Mid-Century, which era will boost your productivity?
Francesca Peacock
Francesca Peacock is an art, books and culture writer.
Why is a raven like a writing desk? It’s a question the Mad Hatter asks Alice at the poor girl’s confusing tea-party, before remarking that it’s a riddle without an answer. He, and the March Hare and the Dormouse, can’t think of a single link between the bird and a desk.
It’s a question I found myself returning to this week, when exploring the endless possibilities of antique writing desks: from bureaus to elegant escritoires and sexy roll tops, surely one — just one — of them must have something in common with a raven.
When you’re writing your witty tweets, verbose Instagram captions, and heartfelt correspondence with one’s lovers (I find that quill and ink has a far higher success rate than a mere text message), how are you sitting? Are you typing from bed, the kitchen table, the loo — anywhere other than a desk?
Early 19th Century Regency Period Rosewood Davenport Desk
Available from Patrick Sandberg for £3,800
You see, the poor writing desk has rather gone the way of the typewriter, the chaise-longue, and the grandfather clock (as the Mad Hatter says, “If you knew Time as well as I do, you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him”). They’re thought to be elegant, antiquated, and beautiful — but fundamentally rather redundant and unnecessary in the modern world. Who needs a desk dedicated to writing letters like a Davenport with a slanted top — although, at the time of writing, Patrick Sandberg has a particularly fine rosewood example — when every email can be composed from an iPad?
Luckily for the poor old beleaguered writing desk, there are a few Luddites lingering in the world. Deep in the wilds of West London is The Old Cinema — a beautiful antiques shop housed in, as their name would suggest, an old picture house. I spoke to shop’s Will Hanness about the modern-day market for writing desks, and the picture he painted was not as bleak as a world of blandly-furnished We Works and (the worst of all modern inventions) standing desks might suggest.
Danish Midcentury Teak Desk by Gunnar Nielsen Tibergaard for Tibergaard c.1960, £3,995
The Chiswick-based shop gets about one desk in stock a week, with the examples normally ranging from beautiful Georgian bureaus with delicate drop-flap writing surfaces and countless cubby-holes and draws to stash your letters in, to mahogany turn-of-the century Carlton House desks — a style believed to have been designed in the 1790s for George V when he was still Prince of Wales. Sitting down at one of these — or a delicate French desk with curved legs — and the temptation to pretend you’re a Jane Austen heroine, a less-annoying Marie Antoinette, or a correspondent of Charlotte Brontë is undeniable.
But what if your writing desk inclinations are rather more modern, and you fancy trying your hand at some mid-century verse rather than a Regency diary entry? There are many brilliant 20th century desks on the market, from the Scandinavian cool of Gunnar Tibergaard Nielsen’s 1960s teak pieces — complete with stylish desk chairs — to more streamlined, metal designs from the Bauhaus school. Despite being more modern, these pieces are liable to set you back a fair amount more than my lusted-after Georgian bureau — a Nielsen desk and chair can reach £3000.
But my favourite 20th century works have to be those by the Hungarian artist and designer Mathieu Matégot: his desks are little more than bent pipes with a flat surface on the top, but their contortions — and those of his magazine racks, umbrella racks, and plant stands — brilliantly strain at the boundary between functionality and art.
After you’ve bought an antique writing desk, it will magically make you write a masterpiece — that’s how it works, right? It would seem to have been the case for all the writers whose desks are now for sale. Why else would someone in 2009 pay £20,000 at auction for Charlotte Brontë’s small, sloping mahogany desk, unless they thought it would help them pen their very own Villette? More recently, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “writing slope” — not even a full desk — sold for £6000 in 2015: a modern version of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner is surely about to be published any day now.
But, if you do buy an antique writing desk, I’ve got the subject for your masterpiece all planned out. After making time for your love letters, secret missives, and poetry, why not dedicate yourself to writing about why a raven is like a writing desk. C. S. Lewis’s explanation — “"Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front! — has never satisfied anyone. A proper answer would surely be a book that everyone would read.
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April 01, 2023
From the Paleolithic to Picasso - the rise of ceramics.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
‘Needless to say Sèvres has killed ceramics’, wrote Paul Gauguin in 1889. ‘… With the American Indians it was a central art. God gave man a little bit of mud, with a little bit of mud he made metal and precious stones, with a little bit of mud and a little bit of genius.’
Gauguin’s own radical ceramic works, of which around sixty survive today, rarely appear on the market and can command hundreds of thousands at auction. These vivid, deliberately non-functional vessels were part of his engagement with the ‘primitive’ artistic spirit.
The great Spatialist Lucio Fontana, who pushed clay into bold sculptural shapes, similarly claimed to detest ‘lacy designs and dainty nuances.’ His dramatic, Baroque-inspired figures and Crucifixions of the 1940s are especially sought after; a spectacular ceramic fireplace hit the record price of €1,450,200 in 2015.
The delicate, decorative objects these modern artists so disdained are, of course, only part of the story. Pottery has been part of human life since the Palaeolithic era and covers myriad forms and functions, from the practical to the pretty and the earthy to the ethereal. Broadly, though, to make ceramics has always meant to work with your hands. The increasing interest in ‘craft’-based TV shows such as Channel Four’s The Great Pottery Throwdown speaks to a renewed popular appreciation for the handmade and tactile. In our age of NFTs and immaterial imagery, ceramics offer something to hold on to, and seem to be having something of a moment.
This year’s ennoblement of Sir Grayson Perry, while also honouring Perry’s achievements as a broadcaster, writer and public figure, is testament to ceramics’ ascendancy in the field of contemporary art. Twenty years ago, Perry was the first ceramic artist to win the Turner Prize. His vases might look classical or domestic from afar, but incorporate subversive images and text that deliver biting social commentary and complex autobiographical themes. His Warhol-Basquiat tribute I Want To Be An Artist sold for a record-breaking £632,750 in 2017; twelve more vases have achieved prices over £100,000 since then.
PERRY, Grayson b.1960
I Want To Be An Artist, price realised £632,750 Christie’s
The ceramics of Pablo Picasso are a perennial—and accessible—auction favourite. Plates, plaques, bowls and vases produced at the Madoura pottery in Vallauris can be found for a few thousand dollars upwards. Inventive, colourful and often charming in design, these editioned works offer an appealing entry point to the Spanish master’s practice. A unique prototype of his Grand vase aux femmes voilées (1950), which sold for almost a million pounds in 2013, holds the record—still a bargain relative to his work on canvas.
Collectors of a more esoteric persuasion might consider George Ohr, the self-styled ‘Mad Potter of Biloxi’, who died relatively unknown in 1918. His studio, a five-story wooden pagoda in Biloxi, Mississippi, overflowed with pots in transgressive shapes and colours, many of them rumpled, frilled or ‘scroddled’—made from scraps of differently coloured clay. Half a century after his death, a cache of some seven thousand pots was rediscovered in his son’s auto-repair garage. Artists Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol began buying Ohr in the 1980s, followed by celebrity collectors including Steven Spielberg and Jack Nicholson. He retains a devoted following today: exceptional works command thirty to fifty thousand dollars at auction.
The equally rebellious Peter Voulkos, who founded the art ceramics department at the Los Angeles County Art Institute in 1954, reinvented ceramics during the years of Abstract Expressionism. ‘Calling Peter Voulkos a ceramist’, wrote Karen Rosenberg in 2016, ‘is a bit like calling Jimi Hendrix a guitarist.’ A master of functional pottery, he went on to work gesturally and monumentally—sometimes in front of a live audience—creating towering behemoths from paddled, wheel-thrown and slab elements. These ‘stacks’ have sold for major prices in recent years, but Voulkos’s chargers, bowls and plates can still be picked up for a few thousand dollars.
LEIGH, Simone b.1967
Untitled VI (Anatomy of Architecture Series), price realised $819,000 Christie’s
Among Voulkos’s students was the West Coast abstractionist Ken Price, whose psychedelic fired-clay sculptures drew on Surrealism and surf culture. His work was recently included in the Hayward Gallery’s group show Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art, which closed on 8 January this year. The exhibition showcased the medium’s wild mutability in an array of works—by turns painterly and sculptural, cerebral, playful and technically dazzling—by artists including Price, Takuro Kuwata, Rachel Kneebone, Jonathan Baldock, Beate Kuhn and Leilah Babirye.
At the Whitechapel Gallery in 2021, Theaster Gates’ exhibition A Clay Sermon explored the material, social and spiritual potency of clay, from its ritual and ceremonial uses to its role in colonialism. Alongside his own early hand-thrown pots, large stoneware vases and totemic ‘Afro-Mingei’ sculptures—which combine themes of Black identity and Japanese philosophy—Gates made a selection of historic ceramics from collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum. ‘As a potter’, the Chicago-based artist said, ‘you learn how to shape the world.’
Simone Leigh, who last year became the first Black woman to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, uses ceramics—among other media—in similarly complex works that layer references to African traditions, ethnographic research, and feminist and post-colonial theory. After years working in relative obscurity, her star has risen over the past decade. A small-scale sculpture from her Anatomy of Architecture series, which conflate women’s heads with pitcher or vase-like forms, recently sold for more than $800,000 at auction. In Leigh’s hands and others, the future of ceramics in contemporary art looks brighter than Gauguin could have imagined.Heavy lies the hand that wears the Crown. How the royals unburden themselves through writing.
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December 15, 2022
Can Alexander Larman tempt voracious collectors to stray from plain text, and into the colourful world of illustrated books?
Alexander Larman
Alexander Larman is the author of several historical and biographical titles including The Crown in Crisis & Byron’s Women. He is books editor of The Spectator world edition and writes regularly about literature and the arts for publications including The Observer, Prospect, The Chap and the Daily Telegraph.
WATKINS-PITCHFORD, D.J.
The Whopper, 1967. available at £950 from Ashton Rare Books
When you think of ‘the Golden Age of children’s illustration’, which artists come to mind? The estimable likes of Quentin Blake and Axel Scheffler are perennially popular today, and in the middle of the twentieth century, everyone from Edward Ardizzone to DJ ‘BB’ Watkins-Pitchford produced extraordinarily interesting, brilliant work. To purchase a signed copy of BB’s The Whopper in its original dustwrapper will currently cost you around £950 from Ashton Rare Books, and The Bookshop on the Heath has BB’s own copy of The Countryman’s Bedside Book on offer at the moment, for a comparatively trifling £275.
RACKHAM, Arthur
Rip Van Winkle Heinemann, 1905. Jonker’s Rare Books
But in order to understand the true ‘Golden Age’ of the medium, you have to go back to the beginning of the century to the Edwardian era, at a time when artists from Arthur Rackham to Kay Nielsen were renowned for their mastery of form, colour and subject. Although the subjects dealt with might seem juvenile, there is absolutely nothing childish about the books that they illustrated – nor the prices that the titles command today, especially the rare signed limited editions that are eagerly sought-after by collectors.
One man who has been dealing in Golden Age children’s books since he began his career is Christiaan Jonkers, proprietor of Jonkers Rare Books in Henley-on-Thames. For Jonkers, it’s easy to say why the books became so successful, from the beginning of the twentieth century onwards. ‘It coincided with the beginning of mainstream colour printing. The four-colour process (where the impressions of four electronically engraved printing plates each printing a single colour, red, green, blue and black are superimposed to produce a multicoloured image) meant it became commercially viable to reproduce detailed watercolour paintings. Beforehand, colour was either added by hand using a stencil process or by lithography, both of which were expensive and time consuming and generally reserved for the grandest natural history books.’
DETMOLD, Edward
Illustration from The Arabian Nights, 1924 available at David Brass Rare Books
This meant that artists of great genius could emerge, but for Jonkers, there is one figure who is primus inter pares. ‘Arthur Rackham is the most prolific of the golden age illustrators and therefore the best known and most widely regarded. It was his illustrations to Rip Van Winkle in 1905 which set the template for illustrated books of this period and he continued working until his death in 1939.’ Nonetheless, Jonkers also singles out other artists with distinctive styles. ‘The most notable of these is probably Kay Nielsen, a Danish artist who moved to London and later to California. His work is very stylised and inventive with a strong fantasy element. In later life, he worked for Disney and contributed some of the scenes to Fantasia.’
When it comes to lesser-known figures, Jonkers considers Edward Detmold underrated- ‘he is less well known than he should be. He trained as a zoologist so his animal studies are very precise, but he also had a sparkling use of colour, which is evident in his work for The Arabian Nights and Aesop’s Fables’ – and he has his own soft spot for a lesser-known artist. ‘I particularly enjoy Harry Rountree’s rendition of Alice in Wonderland. It differs from most of the grand illustrated books of the period in that the book is printed on coated paper throughout so there are illustrations on virtually every page, interspersed with the text.’
These illustrators’ most famous works were sold in limited edition formats, which are now hugely desirable. As Jonkers explains, ‘Although even in their standard format, these books are very much a deluxe production, the limited editions take this a stage further: they are usually on larger, handmade paper, bound in vellum and signed by the illustrator. There is also the exclusivity of knowing there are only a small number (usually a few hundred) of copies produced.’ The prices are therefore commensurately high, but, as Jonkers notes, condition is vital. ‘It has a significant impact on the value of these books. They are produced as objects of beauty so being damaged or in rotten condition rather defeats their purpose. As booksellers, one of our most important services to our customers is to ensure that they are buying the best available copies of these books. All the books we sell have been carefully checked for any repairs and that they have all the requisite illustrations in an undamaged state.’
Jonkers is in the enviable position of being the go-to bookseller for the original watercolour artwork from these books. He explains that ‘We usually have examples by most of the major illustrators for sale. We follow similar principles in selecting artwork to buy as we do with our books, selecting only the best examples from each illustrator’s range. The price depends on a number of factors: illustrators, subject matter, and quality of work being the most significant. A small Rackham drawing might be £2000, whereas a full-size watercolour would start at about £10,000 but the choicest examples might be in excess of £100,000.’ Not all the work is so bank-breaking, however; Jonkers says that ‘Some lesser known illustrators work can be had from £500 upwards.’
ROUNTREE, Harry Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Nelson, 1908. Jonker’s Rare Books
Christmas is, of course, a traditional time for these books to be given as gifts; as Jonkers points out, ‘These books were originally timed to be released for the Christmas market and were sold as ‘Christmas Gift Books’. It is easy to see why they make such good gifts and will appeal to all book lovers, not just ardent collectors. That said, we sell a steady stream of these books throughout the year.’ And there are also times when something really unique comes in, which will be snapped up by the eager collector. ‘Occasionally, we find books which have had an original drawing added by the illustrator, making them unique and particularly special. Usually these are a small pen and ink doodle; however some years ago we had the limited edition of Alice in Wonderland with Rackham’s illustrations, in which he had drawn a full page in watercolour of Alice and the Queen of Hearts playing croquet. That was very special indeed.’
So if you fancied a Christmas present to remember, get thee to Henley, forthwith. Whatever you buy is likely to be wonderful, beautiful and unique – and, if you’re willing to spend the money, might even contain its own artistic delights, too.
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December 08, 2022
The centuries-long struggle to capture the essence of London.
Joe Lloyd
Joe Lloyd is a journalist who writes about architecture and visual art for The Culture Trip, Elephant, and The Economist's 1843 magazine, among others.
Auerbach, FRANK Tower Blocks, Hampstead Road, 2007 available at Marlborough New York
London is a difficult city for an artist to capture. Rome has been ossified and Paris homogenised. Everyone knows what they look like. But London is a stranger beast. There are some consistencies — rows of terraces in stock brick, black-painted railings, ragged late Victorian and Edwardian high streets, tiled corner pubs, the red-and-blue roundel of the Underground. There are landmarks, such as the Palace of Westminster and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and an unavoidable natural feature in the form of the Thames.
But London’s palette and profile are ever shifting, from gleaming Portland stone to peeling stucco, stained concrete to shimmering glass. It makes the metropole both thrilling and hard to pin down into a single image, in the way a Haussmannian street corner can come to stand for the whole of Paris. Perhaps this is why London is best appreciated in literature, from Ben Jonson and Daniel Defoe to Patrick Hamilton and Iris Murdoch: it is a place that demands multiple impressions rather than a fixed image.
Nevertheless, some of the greatest names in the history of art have tried. Many of them have brushed with failure. Canaletto's imaginative renderings of Venice proved especially popular with the English. He moved to the country between 1746 and 1755, for a spell living in Soho, and set about attempting to do for London what he had done in his hometown. Though Canaletto created some fine vedute of the Thames, many found his work repetitive and mechanical when compared to his magical views of Venice. One critic even claimed that he was an imposter who had usurped the true painter’s name. This judgement has held true in the art market today: only four of Canaletto’s London paintings are included in his top 50 works sold at auction.
L.S LOWRY, Piccadilly Circus, London 1960 Christie’s
Over a century later, in 1870, a young Claude Monet arrived, fleeing conscription in the Franco-Prussian War. His paintings of Green Park and London’s docks have none of the freedom and luminosity that had already begun to appear in his French work. It may have been the weather, an attempt to appeal to English tastes or his own dark mood in self-exile. Or it may have been that smog-sheathed London itself failed to ignite his vision. Monet’s older contemporary, Camille Pissarro, fled the Prussians and ended up in suburban Upper Norwood. He brilliantly captured the then-rustic outskirts of the capital. But his work gives little insight into a metropolis by then double of the size of the French capital.
All of these painters were, in a sense, outsiders. And many of the great London paintings were executed by those originally from elsewhere. L.S. Lowry, a lifelong resident of English’s industrial northwest, embodied the city's bustle in Piccadilly Circus, London (1960), with crowds rushing beneath the stifling buildings and billboards of the West End. It was sold for £5.6m at Christie’s in 2012, a record for the artist.
BILL BRANDT, A Night in London, 1938, First Edition available at Hyraxia Books £3,250
The American master James Abbott McNeill Whistler spent the majority of his adult career in the city. In his twilit Nocturne paintings, he turned the Thames into a strange, dreamlike place. This not did always find favour with the natives — critic John Ruskin accused Whistler of “flinging a pot of paint in the public's face” after he exhibited the masterful, near abstract Nocturne in Black and Gold (c. 1875), an imagined depiction of a Chelsea pleasure garden. Whistler successfully sued for libel, but became bankrupt in the process. A few years earlier, his Thames Set (1871) of etchings had captured a rather grittier aspect of the city.These 16 prints deftly capture life on the city’s then thriving ports. "I assure you,” Whistler wrote to a friend, “that I have never attempted such a difficult subject”.
Another fascinating outsider-insider is the photographer Bill Brandt, currently the subject of a retrospective at Tate Britain. Brandt was born in Hamburg to a German mother and a British father who had spent most of his life in Germany, and spent his childhood in a Swiss sanitarium and under psychoanalysis in Vienna. But he disavowed his German origins and claimed himself a native of South London. In his 1930s photographs he captured the raw street life of the city as it had never been seen before, capturing everything from the aristocratic town houses of St. James to the tattoo parlours of Waterloo and the porters of Billingsgate fish market.
Bill Brandt, In the Public Bar at Charley Brown's, 1942 available at Holden Luntz Gallery $10,000
Brandt's 1938 photo book A Night in London (1938) did for the British capital what Brassaï’s Paris de Nuit (1936) had done for the French one, leaving no corner unturned. He later wrote: “I photographed pubs, common lodging houses at night, theatres, Turkish baths, prisons and people in their bedrooms. London has changed so much that some of these pictures now have a period charm almost of another century.”
This constant change represents perhaps the greatest challenge for those artists aiming to capture the city. Yet there are two post-war painters who arguably do this better than anyone else. Frank Auerbach and the late Leon Kossoff capture their own patches of the city again and again, constantly resisting train tracks, building sites and junctions. Often rendered in heavy impasto, their London paintings show a dirty, fragmented, always moving city. Auerbach himself has repeatedly noted the difficulty of capturing the city: “I have a strong sense that London hasn’t been properly painted… But it has always cried out to be painted, and not been.” Auerbach acknowledged that many artists had captured bits and pieces, but no-one had truly grasped the whole.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Monet made several return trips to London where he took a room at the Savoy and painted the Thames. His extraordinary depictions of a fog-shrouded Westminster only convey a fragment of the physical city. But they also capture something bigger: a combination of the monumental and the fleeting that might reveal something of the ancient, ever-changing city as a whole.
Kossoff, LEON King's Cross, Spring, No. 1, 1998
Kossoff, LEON Christ Church, Spitalfields, Early Summer, 1992
Kossoff, LEON A Street in Willesden, Evening, 1982
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March 24, 2022
How and why collectors live with art installations at home.
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner is a writer, editor, and Senior Lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts. His work has appeared in Frieze, Art Review, gorse and others.
“The House of the Farmer”, a site-specific installation conceived by British artist Mike Nelson and curated by Didi Bozzini, at the Palazzo dell’Agricoltore until June 2022.
Image courtesy of Palazzo dell’Agricoltore, credit: Lucio Rossi.
It was dark in the basement of the German castle. Some dusty light came in through the floorboards and in front of me there was an open bank vault door. The place was empty and I felt I shouldn't be there even though I had been sent by my boss. I looked around to check nobody was around and I went in.
Inside I could just make out the faint glint of metallic objects and a smell of wet earth surrounded me. Newly graduated from university I was working as an architect’s assistant, visiting the home of a collector to measure some of its outbuildings so more of the estate could be turned into gallery spaces. The client was a hedge fund manager with a vast private collection and wanted the extra room to house complex installations by Anselm Kiefer and Anthony Gormley. It was going to be a tricky project with both artists requiring reinforced floors to carry tonnes of sculpture and walls to be absolutely straight within fractions of a millimetre. However, that day I had mostly been distracted leafing through paintings worth millions that were just stacked against the walls.
Edmund de Waal, Cupboard Cargo, 1999 installation at High Cross House, Devon.
Image courtesy of Edmund de Waal, credit: Sara Morris.
Within the vault, after a slightly panicked search, I found a switch and the strip lights buzzed on one by one. I was surrounded by glass vials containing strange, autumnal pigments, clerical clothing spread out like pieces of meat and surgical instruments. It gave me the feeling of fear and intrigue I remembered from hearing ghost stories as a child. The next day I found the client’s groundskeeper and he told me it was an art installation by the Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch. He called it the nightmare room and I was relieved I hadn't stumbled on something else.
The room stayed with me, it was like finding a new band I didn't want anyone else to know about, and this highly personal feeling is not uncommon when people talk about their encounters with installation art. The typical boundary between viewer and object is broken and leads to an immediacy and intimacy that is rare in wall-based artworks. Rather than looking at an object from a distance, you are living within the work. Instead of moving from one individual sculpture or painting to the next, you are free to explore an environment that is a complete unified experience.
A permanent display of Edmund de Waal’s work is installed in the Artists’ house at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire. The Artists’ House opened in 2001 and was designed by the architect Stephen Marshall. New Art Centre is open daily 11am – 4pm.
Image courtesy of New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
I searched for more installations in domestic settings that combined art and architecture. The Californian artist James Turrell has been extending American homes with bunker-like spaces for his meditative sensory installations. In 2008 he created a light coloured pool for a private residence in Greenwich, Connecticut—an artwork the owners can swim through as well as look at. The John Lautner–designed Sheats-Goldstein house, which features in The Big Lebowski, now includes a Skyspace that compresses the sky into a picture and transforms picturesque sunsets into psychedelic dreamscapes. And in Las Vegas the CEO of MGM commissioned the artist to design him a pyramidal installation, which looks like the modern equivalent of a Neolithic monument. Turrell has been so prolific in people’s homes that some get forgotten. A resident in Malibu found one of his installations in her guest house, hidden behind children’s toys, surfboards and exercise equipment.
These spaces are largely detached from the complexities of the domestic, more standalone structures than being integrated into the home. On a less invasive scale, this is where artist and writer Edmund de Waal composes his cargo works, subtle groupings of ceramic vessels that are placed to absorb existing interiors into an all encompassing artwork. At the modernist High Cross House in Devon his pots are half hidden in cupboards, obscured behind furniture or placed high up where people don't usually look. His objects are where you might expect them, but don't look quite like what you would expect. They have a ghostly presence, projecting a feeling of unease, which then throws disquiet across the rest of the space—even those areas the artist hasn't touched. De Waal cleverly negotiates the boundary between installation and interior design to explore feelings of the homely and unhomely, a distinction which is often a problem when artists bring their installations into the home.
Edmund de Waal, Lidded vessel, c. 2005, Tall Lidded Jar, 2006, Tall Lidded Jar, 2006. A permanent display of Edmund de Waal’s work is installed in the Artists’ house at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire. The Artists’ House opened in 2001 and was designed by the architect Stephen Marshall. New Art Centre is open daily 11am – 4pm.
Image courtesy of New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
“The House of the Farmer”, a site-specific installation conceived by British artist Mike Nelson and curated by Didi Bozzini, at the Palazzo dell’Agricoltore until June 2022.
Image courtesy of Palazzo dell’Agricoltore, credit: Lucio Rossi.
Their work is site specific, made for a particular location or environment. This could be a white cube gallery space, where Do Ho Suh’s minimal and colourful passageways work so well, without the distractions that come with the interiors of older and more elaborately decorated galleries. Or it could mean they work with historical settings, where you would not expect to see artwork. Mike Nelson, known for winning the Turner Prize and his installation Coral Reef, currently has an expansive work of gnarled tree fragments in the Palazzo dell’Agricoltore, the ex-headquarters of an agricultural consortium in Parma. The nuances of context and how this contributes to meaning, makes it difficult to just place these works into different settings—it disrupts the intentions of the artist. Instead, most are broken down and sold in smaller parts, reducing their impact as a total environment. Or the artists reject selling larger works, relying on the sale of smaller editions, books and drawings to fund their more substantial projects.
A few years ago I visited Sammung Hoffmann in Berlin. The collection is housed over two floors in a private apartment within a former factory and the owner, Erika Hoffmann, welcomes people into her home every Saturday. I was there to see Joëlle Tuerlinckx’s Atlas of wall 81 Extraits, a 1:1 mapping of a space for Manifesta 10 in Saint Petersburg transplanted onto the walls of the collector’s home. The paper, or map, had been hung from floor to ceiling in rectangles and squares of different sizes. There were cut marks where sockets had been traced and rough lines of fluorescent orange paint. It matched the fabric on the dining room chairs and the flowers in vases placed around the room. Associations which drew it into a lexicon of complementary colours, wallpaper and fabric selections, rather than standing out as an artwork.
Joëlle Tuerlinckx, "Atlas of wall 81 extraits ‘Manifesta’ #10, Musée Hermitage, Saint Petersburg’", 2014-2017, paper, pencil, casein acrylic, nails, magnets; Warren Platner, Table and chairs, designed 1964/66; Foto studioschuurman.
Copyright: Sammlung Hoffmann, Berlin.
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August 26, 2021
When the demand for samurai swords declined after the Meiji Restoration, artisans turned their skills to decorative objects, and the era was marked by exceptional workmanship.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
Silvered bronze Tanuki in the guise of a priest, signed Gyoko, Meiji period. W: 33.5cm H: 18.5cm D: 24cm
Image courtesy of Laura Bordignon.
In 1868, the Emperor Meiji ascended to the throne of Japan. Reigning until his death in 1912, he oversaw a period of extraordinary social, political and artistic change. Prompted in part by the gunboat diplomacy of the United States, this new era brought an end to the Tokugawa shogunate that had governed since the early seventeenth century, and the transformation of Japan into a modern market economy. The policy of sakoku—which had threatened entering foreigners (as well as exiting nationals) with the death penalty—was lifted. Japan, isolated for more than two hundred years, was opening up to the world.
The Meiji Restoration initially spelled disaster for the country’s metalworkers. These artisans had long relied on the patronage of the samurai, the elite military class who administered the shogunate’s provinces on behalf of powerful feudal lords. Demobilised and gradually abolished by the Meiji government, the samurai were prohibited from carrying swords in public. The demand for weapons, armour and other accoutrements of noble households went into a steep decline.
As Japan developed its relationship with the wider world, however, new opportunities emerged. In 1867, the country presented its first ever pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. The paintings, prints, swords, screens, and sculptures on display—entirely novel to most European viewers—sparked a frenzy of interest. Foreign diplomats and advisors invited to Japan early in the Meiji years were equally impressed by the art they saw. Turning their skills to decorative objects, the craftsmen who had lost their samurai clients now found themselves at the centre of a flourishing export market.
Meiji period rotating bronze and mixed metal vases, circa 1880, H: 30in D: 16in.
Image courtesy of Wick Antiques.
With the combination of imperial support, an eager new audience and unfolding creative freedom, Meiji-era art reached great heights of technical and artistic sophistication. To this day, says Charles Wallrock of Wick Antiques, it’s the superior workmanship that attracts buyers of Meiji bronzes. The most exquisite examples—as seen in the world-leading Khalili Collection, and in some Japanese museums—are beyond the reach of most. Often featuring complex inlays of gold and silver, these creations, Charles explains, ‘take it to another level. They’re just breathtaking.’ Works by masters such as Shoami Katsuyoshi can reach hundreds of thousands at auction.
At the more accessible end of the spectrum, however, the calibre remains appealingly high. Genryusai Seiya, Charles tells me, ‘is a very popular maker, one of the more commercial, but always a sign of quality. The attention to detail is extraordinary.’ Common subjects include animals such as tigers and bears, and human figures from all walks of life—woodcutters, scholars, young boys at play. Ranging upwards from a few thousand pounds, they are typically ‘table-top sized’, and are sought after by decorative buyers in the United States, Russia and China alike.
Apart from a brief dip during the global financial crash of 2008, the market for high-quality bronzes has remained strong, with a recent increase in interest at the top of the range. ‘I’ve got a pair of bronze vases that are very good quality’, says Charles. ‘I love them because they revolve, which makes them different. Those are probably my favourite pieces I own currently, as far as the Meiji period is concerned.’
As Japan negotiated its global identity, cross-cultural currents flowed both in and out of the country. With art students newly able to study overseas, Emperor Meiji encouraged the promotion of Western artistic modes in Japan, most notably in the yoga style exemplified by painters such as Kuroda Seiki; this in turn prompted a reactionary neo-traditional Japanese style known as nihonga. At the same time, the impact of Japanese aesthetics on Western art—for which the nineteenth-century French critic Philippe Burty coined the term Japonisme—was enormous. From intricate enamelwork to the ukiyo-e prints of Hokusai and Kunisada, Japan’s influence resounds throughout the Art Nouveau movement, and in the work of Post-Impressionists including Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh.
A large Meiji period silk embroidery of a sea eagle, circa 1890, H: 73.75in W: 56in.
Image courtesy of Wick Antiques.
The Western craze for Japanese objects continued well into the twentieth century. ‘There were companies through to the 1900s and 1910s doing unbelievable silver and bronze metalware’, says Charles, ‘and even going into the Taisho period, the 1920s.’ Beyond bronzes, countless examples of wood-carving, lacquerware, ceramics and embroidery also stand testament to the era’s remarkable innovation and excellence. ‘Another beautiful thing from the Meiji period was the silk works’, Charles notes. ‘I’ve got one really fantastic one of a sea eagle. The workmanship is just breathtaking, all highlighted in gold thread: you can scarcely believe how somebody could make something so good. They just always seemed to do beautiful things well.’
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August 12, 2021
Antique wallpaper provides an insight into different layers of design history, and, with the skill of specialist restorers, it can live on.
Cal Flyn
Cal Flyn is a writer from the Highlands of Scotland. She writes literary nonfiction and long form journalism. Her first book, Thicker Than Water, was a Times book of the year. Her critically acclaimed second book, Islands of Abandonment—about the ecology and psychology of abandoned places—is out now.
Wallpaper fragments rescued from New Lanark.
Image courtesy of Allyson McDermott.
Have you ever, while decorating, pulled away a fitted cupboard to find another era waiting underneath? An expanse of old wallpaper, perhaps, which has been hidden from view for many decades, or even better—the sheaved edges of every wallpaper that has graced these walls. This is the history of the house, taken corporeal form: layer upon layer of it, sometimes perfectly preserved. And invaluable insight into the tastes and mores of the past.
In Britain, the first wallpapers were monochrome prints of pictorial scenes, or repeating floral patterns. They came in sheets a little smaller than today’s A2 printer paper, and were usually used inside cupboards in 16th century merchants’ houses. By the 17th century, these sheets had morphed into longer rolls of the kind we might recognise, and more complex repeating patterns and block printing techniques were in use. Vivid colours, intricate designs and flock textures soon came to the fore, and took pride of place in the grandest aristocratic houses.
The introduction of machine printing in the 19th century meant that wallpaper became accessible to the masses; since then, we have cycled through many fashions, each iteration of wallpaper telling us something about the era, inspiring revivalist designs, and sometimes retaining significant resale value.
In 2019, for example, Bonhams sold a set of 15 wallpaper panels reputedly removed from Moor Park, a Palladian mansion in Hertfordshire. Dating from between 1790 and 1810, these were prime examples of Chinese wallpaper of the sort that became extremely fashionable in aristocratic circles in the 18th century; at this time, every grand house in Europe would have had at least one ‘Chinese room’ decorated with these intricately hand painted sheets (or European-made ‘chinoiserie’ copies). Authentic Chinese wallpaper was so valuable that it was often removed and rehung in new rooms. The Moor Park Wallpapers featured mountainous landscapes, pagodas, and dragon boats, and were thought to have been removed from the walls when the house was sold and framed. The papers sold for £37,562.
The Moor Park Wallpapers: One of a set of fifteen late 18th century Chinese wallpaper panels, sold for £37,562 inc. premium at Bonhams in November 2019.
Image courtesy of Bonhams.
That same year, Sotheby’s sold a similar suite of wallpaper panels dating from the same period. This suite of 24 panels, featuring watercolour birds flitting through a flowering forest of trees, were first procured for Spetchley Park near Worcester, but never used (“which explains,” the auction listing noted, “the undimmed freshness of the colours”). Initially valued at £50,000 to £100,000, they sold for £137,500.
Retouching Chinese wallpaper from The Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
Image courtesy of Allyson McDermott.
Allyson McDermott, the historic wallpapers expert, had been asked to conduct conservation work on the Spetchley Park wallpapers ahead of the sale. McDermott specialises in complex restoration projects; previously she has undertaken wallpaper conservation at Buckingham Palace, Temple Newsam, and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, where the Chinese wallpaper of the saloon was removed with palette knives during renovation and rehung in its original position in Queen Victoria’s first floor bedroom.
Antique wallpaper can be extremely difficult to conserve: the paper is often discoloured or bleached unevenly by sunlight. Adhesives can fail, or insects like silverfish might eat away at the surface. The sheets might be as thin as cigarette paper, or imbued with poisonous chemicals. (Scheele’s Green, an arsenic-based dye, was commonly used in 19th century wallpapers; in poor conditions it can produce toxic fumes.) Calling in the experts in such cases is critical.
“I do a lot of testing, and work under the microscope to understand how it’s been made and why it’s in the condition it’s in,” says McDermott. They might be affixed with water-soluble glues, and therefore loosened with moisture; others require solvents, or be removed with a backing layer and separated out later. “Historic wallpapers are very fragile. We very carefully separate it along the joins and lift each sheet off in one piece. It’s real heart-in-mouth stuff.”
Every project is extraordinary, says McDermott: “everything from identifying a tiny fragment and recreating the design, to conserving an entire room of wallpaper. We’re separating layers from a house in London right now. It’s so exciting: you have a sandwich, which you slowly separate out. We’re finding paper dating back to the 1750s. One of the 1770s wallpapers is very, very bright: yellow and black—who would have guessed it?”
McDermott regrets the recent fashion for muted palettes: “Grey, taupe and beige don’t work in Georgian houses. Colour was the thing: blues, greens, reds, yellows—the brighter the colour, the more expensive it was; it was a question of status.” Now her studio also produces a range of contemporary wallpapers based on historic designs, often extrapolated from fragments she has recovered.
“So much craft and skill and talent went into 18th, 19th, early 20th century wallpaper,” she says. “You had to create the design, carve the blocks, know how to flock or gild… an enormous amount of knowledge and craft skill. A really good wallpaper stands alongside a work of art.” Far from ephemeral, the most skillfully designed wallpapers will live on for many centuries.
Chinese wallpaper in Allyson McDermott’s studio.
Image courtesy of Allyson McDermott.
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June 10, 2021
The enduring attraction of the plaster cast.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
19th century plaster bust of Nero, France, circa 1860, H: 57cm x W: 37cm x D: 22cm.
Image courtesy of Vagabond Antiques.
With the recent frenzy for NFTs, the art world’s long-standing authenticity obsession has arrived at a metaphysical extreme. An NFT, or non-fungible token, is effectively a contract that certifies the ownership of a digital artwork. While that artwork—be it Tweet, gif, jpeg or video—might be infinitely and identically reproduced online, the NFT is unique. It allows the collector to feel they own the original, stable and definitive work from which all others are derived, despite the fact that no such original materially exists. To own an NFT is to claim the elusive essence of the real thing.
In the more tangible realm of sculpture, the line between original and copy seems clearer. An ancient Greek or Roman marble—an artwork often equated with the very word ‘antique’—is surely more valuable and important than a plaster cast of that same statue. The cast is not the real thing, and doesn’t carry the same history. Far from being soulless replicas, however, casts are often artistic creations in their own right. Not just more affordable and mobile than their marble counterparts, they also tell fascinating stories about our changing relationship with the past, and provide opportunities for playful and thought-provoking display.
The plaster cast’s heyday was in the 19th century. While European society held classical and Renaissance art in high esteem, seeing its greatest glories in person—even as rail travel opened up the continent—was possible only for the privileged few who could afford a Grand Tour. Casts offered access to this cultural grandeur at home. They became coveted household ornaments, as well as tools for artistic education. In 1793, an atelier de moulage was established beneath the Louvre to supply the growing demand for casts from France’s prestigious Beaux-Arts academies. The studio still operates today in a large warehouse on the edge of Paris, and preserves its own artisanal traditions: a six-year apprenticeship is required to become a cast maker, and the creation of a large mould might take a year of work.
French cast plaster architectural Ionic capital element, circa 1960.
Image courtesy of Guinevere Antiques.
A Victorian plaster section from the Parthenon frieze, attributed to D. Brucciani & Co, probably late 19th century, after the antique. Sold for £6,500 at Dreweatts in January 2021.
Credit: Dreweatts 1759.
A rare pair of busts from the studio of the Neoclassical master Antonio Canova recently sold for almost half a million dollars at Christie’s. They had been cast directly from Canova’s finished marbles during his lifetime, and their flawless surfaces indicated that they had not been used to produce further versions. More typically, a 19th-century cast after the antique might only set you back a few thousand pounds. Modern casts of those casts can create huge visual impact at relatively little cost, as demonstrated in the striking rooms of Aynhoe Park, which juxtaposed monumental plasters from a range of different eras.
Casts likewise offer great freedoms in a museum context. A gallery of them can bring together sculptures from locations across the world whose side-by-side display would be otherwise impossible. The plaster Kore of Lyons in Cambridge’s Museum of Classical Archaeology reassembles a figure whose two halves are held in museums in France and Greece; its Peplos Kore, meanwhile, has been brightly painted in a speculative restoration that would be unthinkable with a true ancient artefact.
Plaster cast and reconstruction of the Peplos Kore (circa 530 BC, now stands in the Akropolis Museum in Athens). In the Cambridge Museum of Classical Archaeology.
Credit: Zde, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Aynhoe Park auction featured a number of architectural casts, including one derived from a pilaster at Lincoln Cathedral. Such moulds, taken in-situ, harmlessly duplicate fixed elements without the need for their removal. If the 7th Earl of Elgin had used this method two centuries ago, the Parthenon might look very different today. Indeed, if casts had been made at that time, they could have recorded features of the marbles that have since been lost. The British Museum’s were overzealously cleaned in misguided attempts to restore them to ‘that state of purity and whiteness which they originally possessed’, scouring away significant surface detail; the parts of the frieze that remained in Athens have been damaged by air pollution and acid rain.
This aspect of the cast—its ability to capture the state of an object prior to erosion, destruction or restoration—informs the work of the art conservation company Factum Arte, which uses pioneering 3D technologies to document at-risk monuments down to micron levels of accuracy. In 2013, they completed a facsimile of Tutankhamun’s tomb, whose fragile state of preservation is threatened by the flow of visitors. Historian Tom Holland was not impressed. ‘In our society there is a huge premium set on authenticity,’ he said at the time. ‘Clearly, were there not a difference between the original and a copy, it wouldn’t matter—you could make a replica and trash the original.’ Anyone who has seen the queue to view the Mona Lisa, or observed the heights of NFT mania, would have to agree. But reproductions have important roles to play, and we would be poorer without them. Today’s copy, after all, might be tomorrow’s real thing: many ancient Roman sculptures are replicas of much older Greek originals, long lost to the ravages of time.
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Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury
January 03, 2025
by Lucy Lethbridge
Lucy Lethbridge is a journalist and writer. She has written several history books, including, most recently, Tourists: How the British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.
Crop-haired, coltishly boyish, energetically creative and friend and lover of both men and women, Dora Carrington (she dropped the Dora early on and was known simply as Carrington) was the very embodiment of the Bloomsbury Group spirit and the jazzy bohemianism that flourished in the inter-war years. As is the case with so many of the Bloomsberries, Carrington’s biography tends to overshadow her work and she is often viewed as an artist on the edge of the group rather than in the central space her works deserve.
Her life was free-spirited and buffeted and romantic without a trace of sentimentality and often marked by sadness. And her end was tragic. She ran away from her kindly father and a mother who was an enthusiast for martyrdom and respectability, to study at the Slade, just before the First World War, part of the generation of young artists described by their tutor Henry Tonks as ‘a crisis of brilliance.’ Among her fellow students was Mark Gertler, who became her lover and whose paintings at this period (though darker and stranger than Carrington’s) echo hers.
Dora Carrington, Lytton Strachey Reading, 1916, Oil on panel
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Carrington took her prodigious talent for draughtsmanship, modelling and still life out into the world and was soon swept up in the convention-defying and convivial excitements of life in the Bloomsbury Group. And she might (who knows?) then have moved on to different worlds entirely were it not that, while staying with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant at Asheham in Sussex, she crept upstairs to cut fellow guest Lytton Strachey’s beard off. Legend has it that he opened his eyes and she fell instantly in love. From that moment, Strachey was the lodestone of Carrington’s life. He was gay so their relationship was cosily domestic but non-sexual. She had many lovers and eventually married Ralph Partridge, a writer and sportsman, with whom Lytton was also in love. Their menage a trois (‘a triangular trinity of happiness’), much of it at Ham Spray, their Hampshire house, was a time of great happiness and stability but was shattered when Lytton died in 1932. Unable to continue without him, two weeks later Carrington took her own life. She was only 39.
Dora Carrington, Cat and nude, illustrated letter to Poppet John, 1928.
Courtesy of the Dora Carrington Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
A wonderful new exhibition at the Pallant House gallery in Chichester has put Carrington’s art back into the foreground. And not just her paintings but all the teeming creativity that characterised her whole life: her misspelt letters illustrated with wonderful sketches of life at Ham Spray or cartoonish pictures in the margins; the furniture she painted with brightly theatrical scenes; a fireplace decorated with her painted tiles; a trompe l’oeil bookcase filled with books with funny titles (‘Deception’ by Jane Austen being one). She had a profitable sideline making tinsel pictures (in the tradition of Victorian ‘treacle’ paintings) on glass which she sold in Fortnum & Mason – she would feed her guests sweets and hoard the coloured sweet papers. Very few of these pictures have survived but the show’s curators, Ariane Bankes and Anne Chisholm (editor of Carrington’s letters) have scoured the country and come up with some delightful examples, displaying Carrington’s love for popular and folk art, for pantomime, circus, and Victorian ephemera. One of Carrington’s tinsel pictures sold at Bonhams in 2021 for £57,000. She would have been mightily surprised and, I think, amused to know this.
Dora Carrington, Iris Tree on a Horse, c.1920s, oil, ink, silver foil & mixed media on glass, The Ingram Collection.
Courtesy of The Ingram Collection.
Carrington’s paintings are lovely, compelling, sometimes intimate (her well-known portrait of Strachey, his long-fingered hands holding a book to his nose, is here) and sometimes shadowed by a kind of foreboding – such as ‘Farm at Watendlath’, her oil of a white farmhouse in Cumbria surrounded by hills that bear in oppressively. Like Gertler, she was influenced by pub-signs, with their flat, colourful one-dimensionality and this is apparent in many of her portraits: she liked the solid- planed beauty of her housemaid Annie Stiles and painted her portrait several times. And ‘Mrs Box’ is a portrait of the housekeeper who looked after the Cornish house where the Carrington family went on holiday. Foursquare, her hands on her lap, her old-fashioned bonnet surrounding an impenetrable old face, ‘Mrs Box’ portrait seems a remarkable achievement for a 20-year-old.
Dora Carrington, Mrs Box, 1919, Oil on canvas.
Courtesy of The Higgins Bedford.
Known works by Carrington are few – but many are now integral to the visual chronicles of Bloomsbury. Her painting of Tidmarsh Mill, for example, the first house she lived in with Strachey, with its dark waters and lonely swans. And her portraits of the novelist Julia Strachey, Gerald Brenan and EM Forster – as well as that one of Lytton himself, now in the National Portrait Gallery. It’s difficult to separate Carrington from Bloomsbury but on the evidence of this exhibition, her work can also stand very firmly on its own two feet.
Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury is at Pallant House, Chichester until the 27 April 2025.
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October 22, 2024
By Emma Chrichton-Miller
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.
Ink paintings are one of the fundamental art forms of China. The discoveries of ink and paper-making during the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) enabled the rapid spread of literacy, embedding writing, or calligraphy, at the heart of Chinese culture. The tools of ink painting - the bamboo and animal hair brush; the ink made from pine soot and animal glue; the variety of ink stones and the paper - were the tools equally of poetry and philosophy. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) in particular saw a surge in ambition in ink painting, with the emergence of landscape paintings that reflected Daoist, Confucian and Buddhist principles. The art form has remained a significant thread within Chinese art production to the present day, evolving through a process of observing tradition whilst innovating in style, subject and technique.
Fundamental to the quality of the art form is the paper. The most highly valued paper was that made from the bark of the mulberry tree, principally the Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia Papyrifera). This has been used for papermaking in China since a period between the 2nd and 8th century. The technology is found also in Korea, where the oldest existing block print in the world (c. 751 AD) is printed on what the Koreans refer to as hanji paper, made using mulberry bark fibres. It is thought that the Japanese learned the craft from the Koreans, adding their own refinements to the process and using the material not just for calligraphy and print making but also for origami.
High quality Chinese Sangpi and Xuan (especially refined paper), Korean Hanji and Japanese Washi are all typically made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry, which is pounded by hand and mixed with water to produce a paste, and dried into sheets. An important additional substance is the mucilage that oozes from the roots of Hibiscus manihot, which helps suspend the individual fibres in water. The pounding compacts the fibres, to limit the amount that the inks bleed.
To admire the discernible contribution of mulberry paper to the overall impression of Asian ink painting, you need to get up close. At The Treasure House Fair, three galleries will be showing examples. Michael Goedhuis has been showing Chinese Ink Paintings in the west for more than a decade. His 2012 exhibition “Ink: The Art of China,” at the Saatchi Gallery in London introduced visitors to some of the fifty among the many thousands of Chinese practitioners who are well-respected in the west. This year he will show a range of styles and approaches, from the more classical to the decisively radical. Guan Zhi’s poetic landscapes follow closely the DNA of the masters, with his avowed intent, according to Goedhuis, being to transform “the classical canon of Chinese ink painting into works which are meaningful to both Chinese society and the West today.” Wei Ligang meanwhile creates abstract ink paintings composed from deconstructed characters, recalling but also confounding well-known calligraphic scripts. The specific absorbency of fine xuan paper is critical to the impact of colour and form in his 2011 ink painting, Magnificent Palace.
Guan Zhi, Autumn Lake, 2023. Ink and colour on paper. Signed.
Image courtesy of Michael Goedhuis
Gallery Sundaram Tagore shows the spectacular work of New York-based Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju. Balancing on the cusp of abstraction, his often monumental images of waterfalls and cliffs draw on the material presence of mulberry paper - its substantiality that also allows for his conjuring of fine elusive phenomena such as mist and spray. In this way Senju marries the muscular aspects of American Abstract Expressionism with the subtle poetry of Japanese traditional ink painting. The three-dimensional quality of mulberry paper is explored explicitly by Neha Vedpathak, a Detroit-based artist who creates sculptural installations and wall reliefs made from paper. Inspired by nature, she plucks apart the fibres of mulberry paper to create lace-like networks of fibre, which she then paints and stitches into abstract compositions. The Korean artist Chun Kwang Young exploits the sculptural potential of paper further with his well-known Aggregations, a series of tactile, abstract assemblages made from thousands of triangular forms wrapped in hanji, traditional Korean mulberry paper. These have grown into larger scale floor based sculptures and installations, with their own life, as if the mulberry tree itself had reclaimed its living matter.
Chun Kwang Young, Aggregation 17 - JL038 (Star 12), 2017. Mixed media with Korean mulberry paper.
Image courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Also at The Treasure House Fair, Gallery 3812 had on show the range and variety of Chinese ink specialists from the renowned Hsaio Chin to Qian Wu, one of the outstanding emerging artists who form part of the gallery’s Ya! Young Art programme. Hsaio Chin is part of the post-war generation of Chinese artists who, travelling after the war, sought to bring the traditional vocabulary of Chinese ink painting into conversation with European and American modernism. His lyrical, geometrical abstractions introduce mulberry paper to a sphere dominated in the west by canvas. Qian Wu, meanwhile, born in 1991 in Xiamen, China, but educated equally in the United States and China, crosses between canvas and paper, exploring an abstraction that draws confidently on both traditions, mixing acrylic, oil and ink. As he makes clear, mulberry paper may reach into the past, but is today as potent and expressive a contemporary medium as any other.
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June 24, 2024
By Catherine Milner, journalist, curator, Creative Director of Messums and editor of The Treasure House Fair Magazine.
“There is a visceral connection if you are in front of a work of art,” says art dealer Sundaram Tagore. “If you view art online, you can have the visual and auditory appreciation of the work, but the other senses are missing. The smell, the touch.” As Tagore prepares his stand for the Treasure House Fair next week, he reflects on the evolution of the art world, particularly since the pandemic. “I thought art fairs might become a thing of the past,” he admits. “But how wrong I was about that.” “I was flying around the world 24/7 before the pandemic. There were so many exhibitions; way too many things happening. It was globalisation in excess. Now, at the gallery we are slower, more thoughtful in the way we work, and have deeper interactions with people. A more compassionate world is emerging. The 'Go Big or Go Home' mentality cannot be sustained."
Tagore emphasises that technology, despite its utility, cannot replace the experience of seeing art in person, especially the delicate kinds of works he likes. “The material factor is very important,” he says. “The tactility is what draws me in.” One striking example is the work of Hiroshi Senju, who uses natural materials like seashells, corals, animal glue, and pigments on Japanese mulberry paper—a centuries-old medium—to create contemporary masterpieces. "You have to be in front of his pictures," Tagore insists. "Otherwise they could just look like poured paint. What makes them so beautiful is how the paint coagulates into tiny bubbles; the fragile textural quality is what makes them so captivating."
Below: Hiroshi Senju, Waterfall, 2024, Pigments on Japanese mulberry paper mounted on board 162 x 130 cm
Tagore also highlights Chun Kwang Young, a Korean artist known for his crystalline sculptures made from mulberry paper, and Miya Ando, a New York artist whose luminous works on aluminium centre on the ephemeral imagery of twilight clouds. Both artists exemplify the fusion of traditional techniques with contemporary aesthetics. Tagore speaks passionately about the gallery’s commitment to fostering global artistic dialogue. He mentions the artist Sohan Qadri, whose artistic journey spanned continents and cultures. “Sohan Qadri spent a big chunk of his life in Copenhagen where he liked the Northern sky and that he wasn’t jostled by the ideas buzzing elsewhere else. He grew up in a very ecumenical way in Punjab under the influence of a Sufi saint and a Tantric guru. Both were teaching the same things: how to discipline your mind and find commonality. All of us are different rivers getting to the same ocean,” he concludes.
The gallery’s global reach and collaborations with museums highlight its dedication to showcasing diverse voices. Tagore points to Karen Knorr, a German-born photographer who grew up in Puerto Rico. Her surreal, dream-like works critique how animals are treated as extreme forms of otherness, blending the political with the poetic. As the gallery gears up for the Treasure House Fair, Tagore reflects on the excitement of showcasing art in London and also having recently opened a new gallery there in South Kensington.
"As a gallery, we do well in global cosmopolitan cities like New York, Miami and Singapore. I am very excited to be in London, which – even after Brexit – is the most truly global metropolitan city in the world."
Tagore's lineage also underpins his commitment to internationalism. His great grand-uncle was Rabindranath Tagore, the poet. “He was in the service of people when he built the world university and travelled to every corner of the globe. He was ecumenical and unusual."
Below: Chun Kwang Young, Aggregation 23 - NV123 (BLUE), 2023, Mixed media with Korean mulberry paper 163 x 131 cm
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June 24, 2024
By Emma Crichton-Miller
Emma Crichton-Miller is Editor-in-Chief of The Design Edit, and an arts journalist, editor and writer. She contributes regularly to the Financial Times and is a columnist on Apollo Magazine.
Michael Goedhuis, born in Holland but educated at Eton College, is an astute and committed dealer. He trained first as an economist, accumulating degrees throughout Europe, before completing his MBA at the European Institute for Business Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau. He began his working life as an investment banker. In 1975, however, Goedhuis, already a keen collector of French and Italian Old Master Drawings, changed direction, taking a BA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art under Anthony Blunt. Bringing together his financial acumen with his passion for art has been the foundation of his success ever since. What drives Goedhuis is the impulse to pioneer – to find an untapped area of exceptional art which he can then support with informed enthusiasm and entrepreneurial energy.
At first Goedhuis worked with Lord Rothschild, helping to initiate the Oriental Department at Colnaghi, starting with the sale of Baron Edmond de Rothschild's famous collection of Persian and Mughal manuscripts and miniatures to the Shahbanu of Iran. By 1982, however, Goeduis had set up on his own, dealing in Islamic paintings and works of art, Indian, Japanese and Chinese art. One early interest was Chinese archaeological bronzes. The Chinese discovered bronze, an alloy of tin and copper, over 4000 years ago. Today our knowledge of the first Great Bronze Age of China depends largely on the ritual vessels that symbolized power and prestige for China's earliest dynasties from the Xia, (2200 BC - 1750 BC) to the Han (206BC - 220AD). As these astonishing objects began to be excavated in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, they inspired what Goedhuis refers to as China’s second great bronze age, from the Song (960-1279) to the Qing (1644-1911). For Goedhuis, this pattern of Chinese artists learning from what has come before, but then producing their own contemporary examples in order to make sense of the present, is intrinsic to the depth and resonance of their art. It also seems to Goedhuis to represent a way of thinking that permeates every area of life in China. He has said, in an interview with Bonhams, “I became interested in the whole ideological structure of the Chinese elite, an elite which has never existed in the world before and has never existed really since. People running the country who were educated, had to be cultivated.” This ‘literati’ ideal, where knowledge of the art, literature and music of the past as well as the present is an essential requisite for every civilised person, is one element within China’s historic strength, Goedhuis believes.
The 1980s and 1990s were dominated by Goedhuis’s enthusiasm for the contemporary painting then emerging from China. This was technically brilliant, reflecting both Chinese and Western influences, with a subversive political edge that he found interesting. He mounted a series of groundbreaking exhibitions in the west, culminating in a significant display at Sotheby’s, New York, in 2001, China Without Borders, which showed the work of a whole range of contemporary Chinese artists, including the dissident artists Ai Weiwei, Cai Guo-Qiang, Zeng Fanzhi and Zhang Xiaogang. Impressed by the response of Americans, in 2002 Goedhuis opened a gallery in New York: “Chinese art was very much in vogue,” he recalls. On behalf of two investors, he then assembled and curated the major Chinese contemporary art collection, the Estella collection, comprising 200 works by 69 artists, which he named after Pip’s great love in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. The project certainly met financial expectations. After being exhibited at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, it was sold in 2008 for $23.5 million from an initial investment of $3.8 million.
Since then, Goedhuis’s attention has been drawn to the Chinese contemporary artists innovating in the traditional field of ink painting, whose endeavours had been overshadowed during the 1990s and 2000s. Goedhuis quotes Britta Erikson, independent scholar and founder and artistic director of Beijing-based Ink Studios, who regards the new generation of ink artists as “the most idealistic and intellectually daring” of China’s artists. Goedhuis mounted an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in 2012, “Ink: The Art of China”, an important moment in a market that has since shifted from attracting a predominantly western clientele, to drawing greater interest from Chinese collectors.
Goedhuis suggests that there are only about 50 of these who are truly breaking new ground, adding: “We show the twenty-five who have most international interest.” He is a great admirer of Liu Dan, the “great enterprising artist of his generation”; Wei Ligang, who deconstructs Chinese calligraphy, and Qiu Deshu, renowned for his “fissured” paintings. To create these, he applies vivid colors to xuan paper, which he then tears up, mounting the fragments on a base layer. The cracks left between the fragments, Goedhuis suggests Qiu feels, reflect the vicissitudes of life. Goedhuis comments of this market: “I don’t see better value anywhere.” Chinese collectors, in particular, recognise that “they are buying something that connects to their long Chinese history but which represents a new paradigm.”
At Treasure House Fair, Goedhuis will also exhibit examples of Japanese bronze flower vases from the Eco and Meiji periods. These reflect a further evolution of the original bronze making techniques and aesthetics of archaic China, transmitted through later Chinese and then Japanese examples. These flower vases, imported into the west after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, had a profound impact on European taste of the time, inspiring first Art Nouveau and then Art Deco reinterpretations. As Goedhuis puts it, they show that “Art Deco has a connection to the second century BC, in China.” It is these connecting threads of admiration and emulation that Goedhuis so enjoys.
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Contemporary Chinese Ink Paintings
June 17, 2024
By Simon de Burton, author and journalist who contributes regularly to the Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, GQ and Vanity Fair.
Dating back to the founding days of the Tang dynasty during the seventh century, Chinese ink painting is among the oldest of the widely collected art forms – but its ancient cultural roots are inspiring an emerging group of contemporary talents to adapt it for the present day. So says Michael Goedhuis, who has been collecting and dealing in the best of Chinese contemporary ink art for 30 years, having set his focus on the field during the early 1990s. Notably, Goedhuis was the first Western dealer to curate and organise a major exhibition of Chinese contemporary art, which he staged in a 20,000 square foot space at the top of Sotheby’s York Avenue HQ in 2001.
Called ‘China Without Borders’, it attracted almost 3,000 visitors on the opening night. Anyone who is yet to discover the beguiling world of Chinese contemporary ink painting – and those who have already fallen under its spell – should certainly head to this month’s Treasure House Fair, where Goedhuis will exhibit highlights from a blue chip collection put together by a Swiss connoisseur when he was living in Asia between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Of the 18 works in the collection, Goedhuis hopes to show between six and nine – space permitting – each measuring around 100cm by 80cm. Between them they represent a ‘who’s who’ of the best of the best of contemporary Chinese ink painters, among them names such as Lo Ch'ing, Wei Li Gang, Guan Zhi and Yao Jui-Chung. “To me, the really extraordinary thing about this genre is that, out of 1.4 billion people living in China there is a mere handful of artists working in ink on paper who have attracted an international audience – and, when I say a handful, I mean only 100 or so out of the country’s entire population.”
Below: Guan Zhi Autumn Lake 2023:
Goedhuis likens the emergence of this new order of ink painters to that of major European names of the early 20th century such as Braque, Picasso and Kandinsky who, he says, were able to create a new, contemporary language as a result of gaining knowledge and understanding studying the works of Michelangelo, da Vinci, Poussin and Delacroix. “This small group of internationally recognised Chinese ink painters is revolutionary, but in subtle ways,” he says. “Britta Erickson [the American Chinese art scholar and founder of Beijing’s INK Studio gallery] describes contemporary Chinese ink painters as ‘the most idealistic and intellectually adventurous of any artists working in China today’ – and I think that’s right. “As with those great European artists of 100 years ago, so China’s contemporary ink painters have absorbed the lessons of their country’s old masters and then gone on to create something that is clearly inspired by them, but is also entirely new.”
The comparison is upheld by the story of the aforementioned Lo Ch'ing. Now aged 76, he was introduced by his parents at a very early age – around 10 – to Pu Ru (1896-1963), cousin of China’s Last Emperor, Pu Yi (1906-1967), to study classical painting in the ‘Northern style’ using coloured inks; the medium he still uses today. Lo Ch'ing’s works and the others being offered by Goedhuis at the Fair range in price from around $35,000 – $100,000 which, says Goedhuis, makes them attractive to younger, 40-something collectors – most of whom hail not from mainland China but from the U.S. and Europe.
Below Lo Ch'ing The Mirrored Landscape (2), 2017:
It seems likely, however, that the value of contemporary Chinese ink painting will rise when the area is discovered by more Asians, whose appetite for ‘buying back’ their culture has proved to be the driving force behind the growth in collecting categories ranging from porcelain and bronzes to postage stamps and, of course, more ancient forms of ink painting. And if the simple, succinct and often ethereal qualities of ink painting are your thing, the Treasure House Fair promises other buying opportunities, too. Elsewhere in this website’s magazine section, you can read about 3812 Gallery, which will also be exhibiting. 3812 represents modern and contemporary Chinese artists at its spaces in London and Hong Kong, including Hsiao Chin, Paris-based Ma Desheng, (whose work can be seen in the Centre Pompidou and the British Museum, among others) and will exhibit ink art by Hong Kong’s Raymond Fung at the Fair.
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February 08, 2024
By Michael Prodger
Michael Prodger writes on art for a wide range of newspapers and journals including the Sunday Times, Times, Guardian, Financial Times, and Spectator. He is currently Associate Editor of the New Statesman and art critic for both the New Statesman and Standpoint magazines. He has been a judge on various literary prizes, including the Man Booker, the Samuel Johnson, the David Cohen and the Costa prizes.
David L. Mason started life as a dealer on his knees. In 1956, at the age of 17, he joined his father Leslie MacConnal-Mason in the family business in Duke Street, St James’s in London, and found himself, somewhat to his surprise, cleaning the doorstep and toilet. With a table, a chair, a six-month renewable lease and £15,000 in the bank, Mason’s fledgling career was not a glamorous one. Now, shortly to turn 85, the MacConnal-Mason Gallery owns two buildings on Duke Street and Mason’s son, David MacConnal Mason, represents the fourth generation to take the business on.
David L Mason OBE
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
Mason senior is an amiable and gregarious figure, a natural raconteur, from whom, as he sits among the Georgian furniture in his plum-coloured office, stories flow effortlessly. Some are about the picture business, such as the time he and Andrew Lloyd Webber offered the Puerto Rican industrialist and politician Luis A Ferré £10 million for Lord Leighton’s celebrated Flaming June and were gently rebuffed, and some more randomly colourful, such as being brought before a magistrate for a mere half dozen driving offences committed just a day after first gaining his licence.
Eugene de Blaas 'The Venetian Flower Vendor'
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
With his rival Richard Green, “We’ve scrapped over the years… competition is integral to being a dealer”, Mason is one of the most venerable picture dealers in London. The gallery specialises in 19th-century British and Continental works – fancy pictures, seascapes, Impressionist landscapes, Dutch works and figure paintings – and early modern British works by the likes of Henry Moore and LS Lowry. “We cater for the majority of tastes”, he says. Not quite: he goes nowhere near “that contemporary crap they are playing around with” in galleries nearby.
Sir A J Munnings 'Lord Astor's High Stakes'
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
Mason reckons that over the decades he has sold perhaps 300,000-400,000 paintings at every price range. As he helped Lloyd Webber build his spectacular collection, a relationship that has lasted more than 20 years, he paid £10 million for Canaletto’s The Old Horseguards from St James's Park and £18 million for Picasso’s Blue period portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto. The business has £15 million worth of Lowry’s in stock, he says, although the majority of MacConnal-Mason paintings aren’t quite as stratospheric. While Mason has watched the market turn increasingly towards more modern works, his clientele nevertheless remains steadfast.
L.S Lowry 'Excavating in Manchester'
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
So, how would he treat someone who walks off the street and says: “I know nothing about art but I want to start a collection”? Mason ponders: “I’d say, ‘I need a day with you.’ We’d have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We’d go to the National Gallery, for two hours – you can’t look at pictures for more than two hours – and by the end of the day I’d know what you like.” It is a personal process that he makes sound very much like a courtship. Then “I’d keep showing you pictures and see your reaction. I’d tell you the price of things and why they cost that much. And I’d remind you that one good painting is better than 25 also-rans.”
Mason is unsniffy about collectors’ motivations. He has dealt with enough of them to know that buying paintings for aesthetic reasons is, for a commercial gallery, no more valid than buying for investment or for “furnishing”. His own taste is, he says, for “top quality” and he is particularly fond of the Impressionists, James Tissot and Constable’s The Hay Wain – “People say, ‘It’s too bloody obvious.’ No, it’s not.”
Paintings, however, are not his only interest. For many years he was a driving force behind the battle to compensate the families of Thalidomide victims – his daughter Louise was one of them. The campaign was successful, not least because of Mason’s insistence, backed up by badgering Harold Wilson, that payments should be tax free. While from the ages of 18 to 80 he was a competitive racing driver – endurance cars mostly – winning numerous races of note. He retired from racing just three years ago and sold six of his Ferraris. Did he make money on them? “I do better with pictures. A car dealer I am not.” He perceives one similarity between driving cars at 200mph and dealing paintings though: “lunacy”.
Courtesy of MacConnal-Mason Gallery
Nonetheless, it is his achievements as a dealer of which he is most proud. “After all, I’ve been doing it for more than 60 years and it’s been brilliant,” and he is still dreaming up plans for the company’s future. However, he adds a cavil: “Some people might say that if you are still sodding about with pictures at 84 ‘You can’t have been that successful.’” And for the record, he has no points on his driving licence.
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October 12, 2023
Unfinished works of art, far from being of minor significance, can be of exceptional interest and value.
Colin Gleadell
Colin Gleadell writes on the art market for The Daily Telegraph, Artnet and Art Monthly.
Several volumes could be written about unfinished works by artists, why they were left unfinished and how much that may have affected their value. A good exhibition on the subject, ‘Unfinished; Thoughts left Visible’, was staged by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016 citing nearly 200 examples ranging from a Salvator Mundi by Durer the execution of which had been interrupted by his travels, never to be completed, to a handful of Cézannes and contemporaries such as Louise Bourgeois. The exhibition was useful in that it went some way into dissecting the meaning of ‘unfinished’ and whether it was unintentional as in Lucian Freud’s last, uncompleted painting, intentional, or ‘non finito’, as in many cases by Titian, or just a sketch, as in Manet’s The Funeral which was described by Camille Pissarro, who bought it, as ‘an extraordinary sketch.’ A portrait which Alice Neel could not finish when the sitter stopped modelling for her looks clearly unfinished but is signed on the back signalling that the artist was happy to call it complete. And the fact that ’Unfinished’ was staged in a museum underlined how an unfinished work, far from being of minor significance, could be of exceptional interest and value.
Titus Kaphar, ‘Page 4 of Jefferson’s “Farm Book”’, signed and dated 18 on the reverse, oil and tar on linen mounted on panel, 152.4 x 121.9 cm. Sold for $854,900 at Sotheby’s New York in October 2020. Credit: Sotheby’s.
As Degas said of one of his paintings that he never stopped reworking, now in the Mellon collection: "It is one of those works which are sold after a man’s death, and artists buy them not caring whether they are finished or not." Or they could have an appeal outside their own period. An unfinished portrait of a Spanish noblewoman, but with her face blanked out by the 18th German artist Anton Raphael Mengs was estimated at £12,000 at Christie’s in 2012, far below complete portraits by Mengs that can fetch six figures and in line with works by his followers. But it was bought for £40,000 by the dealer, Otto Naumann, for a client.
A good reason for the added value could be the modern, surreal look of the painting, or even the contemporary touch. Titus Kaphar who shows with the Gagosian gallery, blacks out faces and cuts out figures from classical art historical subjects to reconfigure appropriate meaning in our post slavery but still racially tense era. While they make look unfinished, they are absolutely preconceived and they sell for as much as $5 million.
On the other hand, what appears to be the finished version of the Mengs portrait turned up at the Dorotheum in 2020 and sold for €45,300 – little different from the unfinished version.
Anton Raphael Mengs, ‘Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento, duquesa de Huescar (1740-1784)’. Sold for £40,000 at Christie’s London in July 2012.
Image courtesy of: Private Collection, New York.
Anton Raphael Mengs, ‘Portrait of Mariana del Pilar Ana Silva-Bazán y Sarmiento (1739–1784), half-length, with a dog’, oil on canvas, 51 x 41 cm, framed. Sold for €45,300 at the Dorotheum in November 2020. Credit: Dorotheum.
One of the first articles I wrote as art sales correspondent for The Daily Telegraph was in 1998 concerning a painting by Piet Mondrian which he left unfinished at the time of his death. There was enough of the diamond shaped Victory Boogie Woogie, however, to sell to top US collectors, the Tremaines, soon after the artist’s death in 1944 for $8,000 and thence to publisher Si Newhouse in 1987 for $11 million. In 1998, Newhouse was approached by a Dutch art foundation to sell it to them for $40 million so they could donate it to the Gemeentemuseum (now Kunstmuseum) in the Hague....which they did.
Not everyone was overjoyed. Dr Bob van den Boogert of the Rembrandt House Museum expected some skulduggery and complained that, apart from not liking it, “it is an unfinished painting. On the free market it would never have made such a price. We could have acquired at least two good Rembrandts for that price.” However, Joop Joosten, author of the Mondrian catalogue raisonné argued that because it was unfinished it captured unintentionally his working methods as he moved toward a new stage in his development – one that remained tantalisingly undeveloped. And so the price, a record for the artist at the time, was paid.
Among the most famous ‘unfinished’ works of the 20th century are the so-called ‘abandoned’ paintings of Francis Bacon. In 1964, Ronald Alley, a curator at the Tate Gallery, published a catalogue raisonné of Bacon’s work to date. In a separate section at the back was a list of abandoned paintings which Bacon did not like or had not finished or had left to artists and friends to paint on the back. For several decades, the abandoned paintings would not be given a full catalogue status in the market so had little value. But after Bacon died in 1992, his estate set about updating the catalogue raisonné to include abandoned paintings with recognised finished works thus enhancing their value.
Several were launched onto the market for the estate by the New York dealer, Tony Shafrazi, cleaned up or ‘enhanced’ as a rival dealer put it to me, with million-dollar price tags.
Francis Bacon, ‘Head’, oil on canvas, 1949. Provenance Robert Buhler, sold for £468,500 at Sotheby’s London in 2008, later sold for £772,000 at Phillips London in March 2022. Copyright: Phillips.
It took 10 years to update this catalogue (2006 -2016) and from the outset the word quickly went round the trade that the abandoned paintings were going to be given added value by inclusion in the new publication. These included several paintings Bacon left behind in his South Kensington flat in 1950 to the painter Robert Buhler. Some of Buhler’s Bacons had been included in Alley’s ‘Abandoned’ paintings catalogue and were considered worthless until word got out that their status was to be revised. By 2008, at the height of an art market boom and 8 years before publication, one of Buhler’s inherited works was sold for £470,000. In 2012, another Buhler Bacon ‘Head’, listed in Alley as ‘Abandoned’ sold at Sotheby’s for close to £1 million and then again at Sotheby’s in Paris in 2019 for €1.7 million. For comparison, a completed Bacon study for a screaming head from 1952 sold in 2019 for $50 million.
Of course, when it comes to financial worth, anything that can be verifiably linked to a famous artist’s hand accrues some value. The case of the slashed and cut out canvases which Bacon put in a refuse bag, but which were recovered by his electrician, surfaced when, many years later, the electrician placed the dismembered shreds, mostly heads with the faces cut out, in Ewbank’s auctions in Surrey. Purist Bacon scholars and dealers pooh-pooh’d the sale as rubbish, but it was a runaway success. One almost complete, if dishevelled portrait sold for £400,000, and group of faceless heads sold for round £40,000 each, some to reputable collections such as jeweller Laurence Graff, who is said to have framed them three in a row like ghostly triptychs.
In a conversation with Tate curator, Jennifer Munday, Bacon said he found it difficult to ‘finish’ a work, and “his canvases often became so clogged with pigment that they had to be discarded.” But nevertheless, he told her he thought his destroyed works were among his best.
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November 10, 2022
Think outside of the box when collecting big names.
Richard Smyth
Richard Smyth is a writer and critic. His latest novel The Woodcock was published by Fairlight Books in July, 2021.
Success, for an artist, can be both a constriction and a liberation. Success – sales, a reputation – may furnish the time and means to work; it may also, though, fix the artist on rails, so to speak, limiting their creative direction, sapping the will to explore their talents, and setting them on that thankless course: giving the public what they want.
In art, of course, a living is a living, and many artists are happy in their pigeonholes. But no matter how strong an artist’s brand – to use 21st-century parlance – there are nearly always adventures, experiments, to be found in their work, if you look closely enough.
LORD GROSVENOR'S SWEET WILLIAM IN A LANDSCAPE
George Stubbs, ARA, 1779 read more at Rountree Tryon Galleries
‘Any artist constantly has to balance between following their creative impulses or continuing with tried and tested territory that they know provides a living,’ says Rowland Rhodes, Associate Director at Rountree Tryon Galleries. ‘If a niche has been found and demand is there, it might seem risky to go in a different direction. On the other hand, artists don’t want to be seen to be standing still and those that manage to successfully evolve and diverge over time are often considered the best.’
Few artists are as closely associated with a specific subject as George Stubbs (1724–1806). From the late 1750s onwards, Stubbs was celebrated as the greatest of all horse painters; his masterpiece Whistlejacket today hangs in the National Gallery, and his Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath fetched £20 million at auction in 2011. But prior to his move to Lincolnshire in 1756, Stubbs had been a jobbing portrait painter in the north of England. Even after fame, there was more to him than horses.
‘In the 1760s Stubbs began to paint more ‘exotic’ animals,’ Rhodes explains. ‘These subjects are perhaps considered secondary to his well-known equine works but were brought into the spotlight in 2013 when his paintings of a kangaroo and dingo were saved for the nation following an appeal from the National Maritime Museum.’
These works were commissioned by the botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who had voyaged in the Pacific with Captain Cook and provided Stubbs with sketches and descriptions of the animals.
‘The paintings are regarded not only important to art but also science and exploration, and it was considered a huge triumph to raise the £4.9 million required to keep them.’
AUTUMN GARDEN WALK
Jonathan Atkinson Grimshaw 1879-80, oil on canvas $445,000 at M.S. Rau
A tidy sum, of course – as was the £6.8 million paid for Stubbs’ Tygers At Play in 2014. It is, however, still some way short of Gimcrack’s £20m, and Stubbs’ ‘exotic’ animals remain obscure in comparison to his equine subjects.
SUR LA TERRASSE
C R W Nevinson 1919-1920, lithograph £22,000 available at Goldmark Gallery
Critical responses to work that deviates from a customary theme can be unpredictable. The reputation of Atkinson Grimshaw (1836–1893), for instance, rests chiefly on his remarkable nocturnal urban landscapes. Less well-known are his handful of ‘fairy’ paintings. Works such as Spirit Of Night and his depictions of Iris, goddess of autumn, showcase Grimshaw’s masterly handling of gloom and luminescence in a new way; there is a different kind of beauty here, and layers of magic and eroticism that are somehow absent from his nocturnes of Leeds and Glasgow. For some admirers of Grimshaw, these works constitute a fascinating excursion; others feel more strongly. ‘It is a remarkably effective and haunting fairy image,’ writes the critic Christopher Wood of Spirit of the Night, ‘and one can only wish Grimshaw had painted more of these, and fewer versions of the Liverpool docks.’
Change, of course, is not always an artistic decision; often, it is imposed from outside, and the artist has no choice but to forge a new path in response. Just as we can imagine an alternative timeline in which Siegfried Sassoon lived out his days as an obscure country versifier, Wilfred Owen as an unknown Keatsian in suburban Reading, so we can wonder in what directions artists such as Frank Owen Salisbury (1874–1962), Paul Nash (1889–1946) and Christopher Nevinson (1889–1946) might have gone, had war not intervened.
‘Many [painters] became official war artists or documented experiences while serving abroad or on the home front,’ says Rowland Rhodes. ‘This was uncommon ground for all, and forced artists in a different direction.’
There is of course a near-infinite range of variables, creative, emotional, social, political, that might push an artist toward a new theme, genre or style. It’s likely, though, that they may have to wait for their less on-brand works to get the recognition they may or may not deserve – and they may be waiting forever.
‘The more famous or collected an artist becomes, the greater the interest is in all the work they made,’ says Rhodes. ‘In many cases, the knowledge and appreciation of ‘off brand’ works is not until after an artist’s lifetime.’
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Beneath the Surface - the Power of Infrared Imaging
September 09, 2022
Discovering secrets beneath the surface of a painting can dramatically alter its value.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
Examining a painting can be rather like visiting the scene of a crime. What material clues have been left that might tell us how—or when—the work was made? Can we retrace the movements of the artist’s hand, or see someone trying to cover their tracks?
Often, the answers lie beneath the surface. Short of physical micro-sampling, infrared imaging offers insightful information that uncovers many hidden clues.
A form of energy beyond the visible light spectrum, infrared radiation (IR) passes through some pigments, but not others: crucially, it is absorbed by the dark materials painters have historically used for underdrawing, such as charcoal and graphite. Used correctly, infrared reflectography (IRR) captures an image that effectively renders the paint layer transparent, revealing potentially critical evidence below.
Museum discoveries made using this technology, such as the startling spectre of a man behind Picasso’s Woman Ironing (1904), have made headlines for their art-historical importance. As well as institutions, however, the advantages of IRR are available today to private collectors, auction houses and insurers through leading analysis firms like ArtDiscovery.
Left, Red and Blue Rayonism (Beach) by Mikhail Larionov. Right, X-ray image of the painting.
Credit: ArtDiscovery
‘We use it both alone and in combination with other techniques to answer questions around the condition, the process of development, and the authenticity of works of art’, explains the company’s UK director, Dr Jilleen Nadolny. ‘It has been used to reveal aspects of an artist’s creative processes, underdrawings, alterations and reworkings (sometimes revealing overpainted or faded signatures, text or drawings) and restorations. Infrared examination can also be used to differentiate between certain groups of pigments and inks.
IRR methods have come a long way since the Vidicon cameras developed in the 1960s, which required multiple small images to be mosaiced together. ArtDiscovery’s scanning technology is fine-tuned to each artwork, using cameras with different capabilities to record high-resolution images across a range of wavelengths.
What is uncovered can be transformative. One client’s painting, Dr Nadolny tells me, had been attributed to a follower of Bellini, and was marred by some later restoration. ‘However, on the basis of the quality of the underdrawing revealed through the IR, the client was able to present the work to a Bellini expert, who reattributed the work to the master himself, increasing tremendously the market value of the object.’
A variation on the reflective technique, known as ‘transmitted IR’, captures IR energy that has passed X-ray-like through an object, exposing even more deeply hidden information. ‘Using transmitted IR on a work that was undergoing research as a possible Titian, we revealed the stamp of King Charles I, “CR”, on the back of the painting, which had been covered for centuries by a lining canvas. The discovery, which helped to confirm the provenance of the piece, allowed the work to realise its full value.’
ArtDiscovery also employ IRR scans in combination with X-rays, their cousins from lower down the electromagnetic spectrum. One such instance found a painting hidden beneath a newly discovered work by Kandinsky; the concealed composition was matched to a known sketch by the artist, bolstering the attribution.
‘A similar case was a painting deemed to be “after John Constable” that we analysed through technical imaging, unveiling features that helped experts confirming its attribution to Constable himself’, says Dr Nadolny. ‘The artwork, purchased for $5,000, is now estimated to value around $5 million.’
Such dazzling revelations, beyond the reach of the human eye, have sometimes led to the view that the authenticating role of the ‘connoisseur’ might one day be rendered obsolete by cold, hard science. ArtDiscovery, whose team are both technical art historians and trained conservators, see the disciplines as complementary.
Carbon-14 dating, for example, can allow connoisseurs to form an opinion according to solid evidence of an object’s age. Equally, scientific work can help to quantify the subtle hallmarks of a specific artist’s technique. Having seen dozens of both real and ersatz Modiglianis, ArtDiscovery has been able to build a detailed dataset on the artist’s idiosyncratic brushwork, which has become a valuable resource for the scholars currently revising his catalogue raisonné. Working together, scientists and connoisseurs are able to pool their expertise to draw conclusions with the greatest degree of certainty—and that certainty has enormous value.
As the field of art analysis evolves, new techniques such as sound and laser imaging and elemental mapping promise to reveal new depths of information, though it may be some time before these technologies become viable for regular commercial use. ‘As objects are complex structures, there are many variables when considering the challenges of authentication and attribution’, explains Dr Nadolny. ‘We try to offer the best options to our clients in a manner that works with their objectives.’ For now, infrared imaging remains a vital tool in ArtDiscovery’s interdisciplinary work and is sure to uncover many more exciting secrets yet.
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July 22, 2022
What does religion have to offer as subject matter for contemporary art?
Fergus Butler Gallie
The Reverend Fergus Butler-Gallie is a clergyman and the author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy, a Best Book of the Year for The Times, Mail on Sunday and BBC History.
Joachim van der Klugt, The Samaritan. 2015, oil on canvas, 170 x 140cm.
Available at 1stDibs or Artistics.
Preconceptions are strange things, aren’t they? If I say ‘I’m interested in religious art’, doubtless your mind leaps to the works of Titian, Michelangelo or Veronese. We hive it off as a past genre, as something that, presumably, nobody really produces anymore. But, in truth, religion hasn’t gone away- in fact it’s more present than ever- and nor has art. As a result, despite our misconceptions, there is a booming market in contemporary religious art, both in terms of new commissions by places of worship and in terms of collectors seeking to buy.
There is, of course, an inbuilt dichotomy in religious art itself- namely between that which is art made specifically for religious devotion and that which represents an artist addressing a religious subject. For many believers it’s a false dichotomy; devotion or meditation on religious matters can be provoked by even explicitly secular art. It would, after all, be strange to worship a God whose purposes and actions were limited by the categorisations of an auction catalogue.
Perhaps the most famous example of a contemporary artist addressing a religious theme in their painting is Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross. It’s also an example of the supposed tension between contemporary art and traditional religious- and in particular Christian- subjects. Dali attracted considerable criticism for addressing what was critics thought to be a ‘kitsch’ theme in such a traditional medium. Indeed, such was its initial unpopularity that the Corporation of Glasgow managed to acquire it for about two-thirds of its original asking price of £12,000. It proved to be a sensible investment- it’s now the most visited piece in the city’s Kelvingrove museum and was voted ‘Scotland’s Favourite Painting’ in 2006.
The idea that religious subjects must be addressed using traditional medium is a pervasive one. Mark Wallinger’s Ecce Homo drew on traditional sculpture as well as the influence of Rembrandt in order to make a mark on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. In the world of sales, often contemporary works inspired by traditional artistic tropes fetch some impressive sums. The influence of Michelangelo’s Pieta is evident in Joachim van der Klugt’s 2015 work The Samaritan, which has an asking price of over £7,000.
Andres Serrano, Immersion (Piss Christ), 1987. Cibachrome print face-mounted on Plexiglass.
Number four of the edition of ten was sold by Christie’s in 2008 for $277,000.
Yet, for all the continued prevalence of traditional forms, there is a strong abstract streak in much contemporary religious art. Take, for instance, the work of Maha Rukab, a Palestinian Christian artist who often takes direct inspiration from Bible quotes- such as Matthew 5:16- to inspire her abstract acrylic work which often fetches four figure sums at auction. Of course, some of the world’s major religions prohibit depictions of the human form, necessarily lending themselves to abstract works of art. The Saleha Gallery specialises in contemporary Islamic abstract art, with paintings inspired by passages from the Qur’an.
Some contemporary art that engages with religion goes beyond the abstract. There is, of course, the genre- now a little tired, it has to be said- of ‘transgressive’ religious art. Andres Serrano’s infamous Piss Christ photograph realised a sale price of $277,000 when sold at Christie’s in 2008. Despite the iconoclastic nature of the piece, it would be impossible to deny the role of religion in its inspiration. Indeed, in affirming the beliefs (one might say prejudices) of its audience and making a statement about the role and relative position of God to the artist, perhaps we might justifiably call Serrano’s work a religious one.
Even without that leap, there can be no denying that the preconceptions about what constitutes ‘religious art’ are changing all the time. Modern religious art is necessarily at the forefront of those changes in perception and buyers are still happy to back those innovations with cold hard cash. The Church is no longer the largest sponsor of artistic creativity, but religion remains a major source of inspiration for many artists and churches and other places of worship still commission and host art of all form. Take London’s oldest surviving church building, St Bartholomew the Great; the Norman nave hosts, inter alia, Exquisite Pain by Damien Hirst, Golgotha by Richard Harrison and Madonna and Child by Alfredo Roldán.
Despite our preconceptions about its presence in the past, the world of contemporary religious art is a busy one. In truth, regardless of preconceived ideals of form- as long as humanity seeks to answer questions about beauty and truth, there will be religion and there will be art, of all types, as well.
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June 03, 2021
Portraits are having a moment - but why do people buy pictures of strangers?
Joe Lloyd
Joe Lloyd is a journalist who writes about architecture and visual art for The Culture Trip, Elephant, and The Economist's 1843 magazine, among others.
John Vanderbank (1694-1739), Portrait of a Young Gentleman and his Greyhound, signed by the artist ‘John Vanderbank 1726’, 127 x 102cm.
Image courtesy of Period Portraits.
Last month, a work by a little-known old master defied all expectations. German baroque painter Johann Heinrich Schönfeld’s A bearded man in armour was auctioned for $150,000 at Christie’s, almost double its $80,000 estimate. It is a striking painting, warm-toned and subtly articulated. But Schönfeld, for all his talent, is hardly the sort of name that usually sets the art market alight. What could have caused this uptick?
Portraits are enjoying a moment. The past few years have witnessed numerous acclaimed exhibitions dedicated specifically to the genre, from Goya at the National Gallery to Lucian Freud at the Royal Academy. But their popularity reaches beyond the hallowed halls of the art world. “You see portraits now on television adverts,” says art dealer Nick Cox, “you see them everywhere. Now even young couples putting their first home together might potentially buy a Victorian portrait to put in their dining room. It’s a trend across all eras and price points.”
Cox runs Period Portraits, a web-based dealership specialising in 17th to 20th century portraits. He believes recent years have seen a shift among collectors. “Though there are still people who are just into, for example, Civil War portraits or military uniform,” he explains, “the new type of collector often buys across a whole range of genres and periods.”
Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569 – 1622), An unknown noblewoman of the Bourbon court, oil on canvas, 75 x 58 cm, circa 1615.
Image courtesy of The Weiss Gallery, London.
Portraiture is itself an enormous field, and an immensely varied one. For many artists, it was a route to success. Portraits are generally smaller-scale and less time-intensive than history paintings. They also fed a near-constant demand. Rulers and courtiers needed them to project their might and majesty. The ever-growing middle classes followed, commissioning portraits as status symbols and decorations. Nicolaes Maes, among the most in-demand of Dutch Golden Age portraitists, left five houses and 11,000 guilders at his death (his tutor Rembrandt only earned around 340 guilders in a good year).
Formal painted portraiture began to wane in the 19th century as photography engulfed some of its functions, though numerous artists continued to paint portraits. But portraiture in its loosest sense is arguably more prominent than ever: in profile pictures, avatars, social media posts. “At the moment,” explains Cox, “we live in a selfie-obsessed society, full of disposable images. Portraits do a similar thing, but with more permanence.” Their current popularity combines our mania for depictions of people with a desire for less ephemeral, more material images.
While the prosperous and powerful used portraits to immortalise themselves and their families, however, today’s collectors seldom have such connections. To collect historic portraits is to be surrounded by long-dead strangers. Wherein lies the appeal? Sometimes, it comes down to the aesthetic. “As with any other work of art,” says Mark Weiss of Weiss Gallery, which has specialised in old master portraits since 1985, “there is the intrinsic beauty of the portrait itself. Portraits of a beautiful or handsome sitter will always have great decorative appeal.”
An image of an attractive person can light up a room. As can one of a strikingly unattractive person: cognitive scientists have found that beautiful and ugly artworks light up the same area of the brain. This might explain the enduring popularity of works like Quentin Matsys’ The Ugly Duchess, or the enormous $137.5 million auction price achieved by Willem de Kooning’s Woman III in 2006.
But there are reasons beyond the purely visual. One is provenance. “It could have come from a famous royal or noble collection,” says Weiss, “or one now dispersed.” To own a painting once held by the Duke of Mantua links you to an esteemed past collector. “It could be,” says Cox, “the history that they're interested in, it could be the decorative aspect of the costume. And then there's the human, fundamental thing of the gaze, wanting to lock eyes with people.”
British School, Studio of Sir Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), Portrait of a Lady and Her Child, circa 1760, 76 x 104 cm.
Image courtesy of Period Portraits.
Studio of Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599 – 1641), Charles I (1600 – 1649) in coronation robes, oil on canvas, 223 x 149 cm, circa 1636 – 1640s.
Image courtesy of The Weiss Gallery, London.
It was the costumes that initially attracted Cox, who previously worked as fashion editor for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. But his interests soon broadened. “What I love about dealing in portraits is that every time you acquire one and research it, it opens up a window into a specific area of history.” Portraits serve as authentic gateways to a different era. Those attracted to Tudor age, for instance, might be drawn to portraits that embody that milieu. This March, Sothebys sold a cache of Tudor portraits estimated at £80,000 for a staggering £650,000. It is likely that the recent abundance of books, film and television set in the period, from Wolf Hall to The Other Boleyn Girl, influenced this upsurge.
Portraits are never just of a person, but also about them. Clothing, facial expressions, posture, scenario: all tell us something about the subject, or the image they wanted to present. “A portrait,” says Weiss, “is by its nature a unique creation capturing a specific moment in the life and times of a person — and which more than often is the only surviving memento of that life. That in itself can be a very compelling motivation.” Owning a portrait gives you the exclusive ability to commune with an individual across time. What more could a budding collector want from a painting?
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December 18, 2020
Why the sea is such a compelling subject.
Lamorna Ash
Lamorna Ash writes for The TLS and is the author of Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2020.
In my family home, we have three paintings of a particular stretch of Cornish coast – Porthkidney Beach, just across the sand dunes from where my mother grew up, in the village of Lelant. The paintings are incredibly simple: thin strips of pale sand half-swallowed by the rich blue of the sea and sky that together take up three-quarters of the canvas. The artist, John Miller, (1931-2002), spent most of his life in a cottage overlooking the estuary that divided Lelant from its neighbouring village, Hayle. Miller’s work has since become synonymous with idyllic Cornish summers, his paintings reproduced on postcards and posters thousands of times over.
Thomas Whitcombe (1752-1824), ‘The Battle of Camperdown, 11th October’, 1797, oil.
Rountree Tryon - A33.
Why is it that some people feel they must keep images of the sea close to them? Perhaps this allegiance is related to where you grow up or choose to live out your years; perhaps it is less obvious, an ineffable part of the psyche connecting you to that mutable substance that lies between the land.
When I ask my mother what it means to have these artworks in her landlocked Wiltshire house, she tells me they are a way through to her youth: the place that matters most to her, where her grandmother, mother and now brother are buried in the small churchyard above the sea.
Bonhams is the only international auction house that retains its Marine Sale. This takes place twice a year – grand paintings of sea battles, nautical memorabilia and relics of naval history, all selling from several to hundreds of thousands of pounds. Sarah Reynolds, a maritime picture specialist at Christies, told me that, though they no longer have a separate maritime sale at Christies, the market remains stable and privately driven. In 2012, the contemporary maritime artist Jamie Medlin made a Christies’ auction record, with his photorealistic painting of J-class yachts on the Solent selling for £127,250.
And yet, in America, several gallery owners have suggested sales in maritime art are falling. Monique Foster, director of the Maritime Gallery in Connecticut, which recently folded as a result of the pandemic, suggested that, “Many of the big collectors aren’t buying more marine art, and their children don’t want it.”
It makes sense that tastes are changing. The maritime art on sale in prestigious galleries and auction houses tends to celebrate empire – Christies’ clients often have special interests in Napoleon or Nelson.
Charles Pears P.S.M.A. (1873-1958), ‘Needles by moonlight’, oil.
Rountree Tryon - A33.
Jamie Rountree, the director of Rountree Tryon Galleries, agreed that there has been a decline in sales of maritime art over the past thirty years. But, since 2009, he tells me, “there has actually been a small uplift in buyers.” A potential explanation for this is a number of clients moving from London flats to larger, countryside homes, “which suit a more old-fashioned look rather than contemporary art.”
In the twentieth century, a new kind of maritime art emerged, its subject more explicitly personal. Rountree tells me that the “1930’s ‘look’” of graphic, poster-like paintings of the sea – produced by artists such as Norman Wilkinson and Charles Pears – is popular with his clients. As the writer Lily Le Brun, whose book Looking to Sea: Britain Through the Eyes of its Artists is to be published in 2022, explained, “Images of the sea are revealing not only of the time in which the artist lives, but of the personal, prosaic and philosophical concerns that weave an artwork into being.”
Dame Laura Knight RA (1877-1970), ‘Lamorna Cove’.
Walker Galleries - A1.
In the late nineteenth century, a group of painters formed an artist colony in the Cornish port town of Newlyn, attracted by the clarity of light, the potency of the sea and the simplicity of those who sailed upon it. Unlike the fishermen who became their chief subject, the painters of the Newlyn School, including Walter Langley, Stanhope Forbes and Laura Knight, were able to observe the sea from a safe distance, creating sombre portraits of fishwives praying for their husbands’ return to harbour and fishermen lamenting their lack of catch.
Alfred Wallis, (1855-1942), was first fisherman, then painter. He began his career as a mariner, sailing schooners between Penzance and Newfoundland, and later became a deep-sea fisherman, operating out of St Ives. It was only in the wake of his wife’s death in 1922, when Wallis was seventy, that his attention turned to painting. Like the ‘Ship Portrait’, one of the earliest forms of maritime art, most of Wallis’s paintings were of the ships he himself had worked upon, done on scraps of old cardboard with thick ship paint. He painted six days a week, his cottage soon filled with his artworks.
Wallis’s work was championed as an example of ‘naïve art’ – art made by those without formal training, recognisable for its distorted scales and skewed perspectives. To view a Wallis painting is to feel like you are floating somewhere above the scene: the boats themselves dwarf the land, while cartoonish figures perch upon their decks. It is a world away from the remote, melancholic depictions of the sea and the men who work upon it envisioned by the Newlyn School artists.
In a letter to the art collector H.S. Ede, Wallis wrote that he worked “out of my own Memery what we may never see again as Things are altered all to gether.” Painting allowed him to hold onto the past, while all around him the old boats he had known were being broken up in favour of mechanised trawlers. He painted the sea because it was all he knew, because what other subject could there possibly be for a man who had lived a life half on the water?
Wallis and Miller’s devotion to their subject reminds me of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop, for whom the sea was equally a constant theme. In ‘At The Fishhouses’, she wrote “I have seen it over and over, the same sea”. The sea is an attractive subject because it both is and is not the same each time you turn again to face it. Perhaps this is what makes art pertaining to the sea so compelling; one experiences a sense of yearning while viewing them, feeling keenly that what we are seeing will never be the final word, will never be the same sea.
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November 20, 2020
The magnetic nature of portrait miniatures, and the dealers fighting for their future.
Billy Jobling
Billy Jobling is Senior Writer and Researcher in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London.
Portrait miniatures are often found in eighteenth-century society paintings, but you wouldn’t know they’re there. What might be seen is a chain, on which a miniature was worn like a pocket watch. The portrait would be tucked under clothing, on the left, close to the heart; it faced inwards, so that nobody else could see it.
Henry Pierce Bone, Louisa, Countess of Craven, 1836.
Image courtesy of Elle Shushan
‘They’re really very different from large portraits that were meant to hang over the fireplace’, Elle Shushan explains. ‘That was your public self, and miniatures were your private self.’
A third-generation specialist – the Latter-Schlesinger Collection of portrait miniatures in the New Orleans Museum of Art belonged to her great-uncle, and later her aunt – Elle grew up with these objects. Today, based in Philadelphia, she is one of the world’s leading dealers in the field, and works with many prominent public and private collections.
While the fashion for wearing miniatures may have peaked some two centuries ago, their intimacy still speaks powerfully to collectors. ‘They’re all personal,’ says Elle, ‘whether or not you even know who is pictured. Because unlike a larger portrait, you can only really view these by holding them. And if you’re holding something, it’s a personal object. They were never meant for public consumption – they were always meant for the eye of the recipient only.’
In 1785, the Prince of Wales – the future King George IV – sent his mistress, Maria Fitzherbert, a discreet love token: a picture of his right eye, painted on a tiny ivory panel. The pair wed in secret soon afterwards. George was said to wear a miniature of Maria’s eye in a locket wherever he went. An aristocratic fad ensued. Eye miniatures were later made to mourn George’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, who died in 1817.
Dr David Skier and his wife, Nan, began acquiring these uncanny, jewel-like windows to the soul on a whim in the 1990s – Dr Skier is an ophthalmologist. They became hooked, and now house the world’s largest collection at their home in Birmingham, Alabama. Having already worked on a 2012 exhibition and accompanying catalogue of the Skier Collection, Elle is now deep into volume two, to be published in spring next year.
John Downman, A.R.A. Portrait of a Lady, circa 1790.
Image courtesy of Elle Shushan
Such devoted collectors go to great lengths to obtain their miniatures, and rarely part with them. More casual buyers in America, however, have become cautious since the introduction of a draconian ivory ban in 2014. Under the new rules, no ivory of any age, under any circumstances, can be shipped in or out of the country.
‘This came out of left-field’, Elle tells me. ‘It was a presidential order – nobody knew it was coming. I got stuck with about seventy pieces in London that I can never bring home. I tried for a couple of years to keep two stocks, and to continue selling at Masterpiece, but it became just financially impossible.’
While state laws vary across America, there is an exemption for miniatures in New York, where an object can still be sold if it is more than a hundred years old and less than twenty percent ivory. ‘I made a presentation,’ says Elle, ‘and they actually used my wording: that ivory in miniatures is absolutely as thin as a piece of paper, and if it’s not translucent it doesn’t work for what you’re painting on ivory for. So in New York, although it’s a long, complicated, time-consuming process, they will give you licenses.’
In 2018, the UK introduced its own stringent Ivory Act, which has yet to come into force. Here, too, portrait miniatures from before 1918 will be exempt with the right certification. But the maximum proportion of ivory allowed in other objects – which must be pre-1947 – is just ten percent. Pre-1918 objects containing more ivory are permitted only if they meet the forbiddingly high standard of ‘museum quality’.
Samuel Shelley, The Gaily children, 1804.
Image courtesy of Elle Shushan
‘The de minimis rule is one thing that I really objected to’, says Alastair Gibson, who deals in Chinese ceramics and works of art. ‘I said that ten percent was far too low for worthy art objects, which could be wholly made of ivory. You won’t be able to sell, in theory, something like a beautiful Ming Dynasty figure of a Guanyin, even though it could be three or four hundred years old. The ban never made any sense, and it still doesn’t for those who are in the art business. It’s punitive.’
Alastair sees the ban as a knee jerk reaction to public sentiment, and as symptomatic of a diminished appreciation of art history. He was one of the directors of FACT – the Friends of Antique Cultural Treasures – who brought an action to fight the ban in the High Court.
‘It was interesting in the first hearing, when we took along a few objects’, Alastair says. ‘It was clear that anything that looked like a piece of ivory, the judge found it slightly abhorrent, and couldn’t really see the artistic value. But as soon as you showed him a portrait miniature, the face changed.’
The court rejected FACT’s appeal, and the Ivory Act is due to come into effect. Brexit and the pandemic, however, have pushed it low down the government’s agenda, where it may remain for some time yet.
As for miniatures, Elle is hopeful that she can return to England next year for The Open Art Fair, to share these small wonders as she has for the past twenty-seven years. ‘There’s something absolutely hypnotic about opening a case, or opening the drawer of a tiny cabinet’, she says. ‘They’re new every time you look at them.’
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June 17, 2024
The time is ticking down to the opening of The Treasure House Fair, and as part of this we are delighted to welcome back Somlo, London’s leading experts in vintage and antique pocket watches. With over 400 years of horology to discover, Somlo curates everything from complicated Patek Philippe perpetual calendar wristwatches to early ‘pre-balance spring’ pocket watches.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
The Fair represents a wonderful opportunity to display a broad range of vintage wristwatches from some of the finest brands of the 20th century, such as Patek Philippe, Cartier, Vacheron and Constantin and Piaget. However it also gives us the unique chance to showcase our collection of Antique pieces which are not generally on view for the public. This museum-worthy selection of watches contains treasures whose intricate works can no longer be produced as the knowledge of their manufacture has been lost to history.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
One of our highlights is going to be a Patek Philippe pocket watch from the turn of the last century. Combining several complications including a perpetual calendar, minute repeater and chronograph, this watch is one of the loftiest achievements of the brand and an exquisite example of its core ethos and dedication to pristine form and function.
It is also the 150th anniversary of Piaget this year so in honour of that we are bringing a gorgeous selection of vintage bracelet watches with stone dials and intricately engraved cases. These watches have been wildly under-appreciated for a long time and are now rising in value as people realise the quality of the workmanship.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair?
We were contacted by the original founders of Masterpiece and asked if we wanted to take part. As the only exhibitor that specialises exclusively in watches, we felt that it was a great opportunity and an event that the London social calendar sorely needs.
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
Unlike many other fairs, Treasure House does not have areas specifically associated with different categories such as Jewellery or Old Masters. This encourages visitors to really go around the entire exhibition and discover what each stand has to offer. The smaller size of the fair makes this an achievable goal in a day or two - so do not be afraid to spend some time at every exhibitor.
Below: Daniel Somlo, who joined the family business in 2016. His father, George Somlo has been running the watch business in Mayfair since 1977.
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June 15, 2024
As the oldest family-owned Asian art dealership in the Western world, Sydney L. Moss is excited to showcase its passion for Chinese arts at The Treasure House Fair this June, including painting, calligraphy and objects in "the scholar's taste". It also specialises in Japanese art forms most beloved of serious collectors: netsuke, lacquer, inro and other sagemono, tea ceremony utensils, sword furniture and temple sculpture.
Why are you participating in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We were part of the inaugural edition of the fair last year, and liked its size and its stated mission to be a more boutique, curated art fair, which would take itself more seriously than Masterpiece – the fair it replaced in the London Art calendar.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
We are very excited to show our Japanese sculpture highlights: reat rarities of the 13th and 14th centuries – works almost never available outside of Japan. Our extensive Inro and Netsuke selections are probably the finest in the world. We’ll also be exhibiting an early 13th century 11-headed Kannon sculpture attributed to the master Zen'en, and a 14th century sculpture of the rain god Uho Doji, very rare indeed and originally removed in 1880 from the entry sub-temple to Byodoin, in Uji. Finally, we’re delighted to share a striking six-fold screen painting, byobu, depicting Shojo enjoying themselves drunkenly by Kawanabe Kyosui. She was the daughter of the famed Kyosai – subject of a recent Royal Academy exhibition – and painter of many of his late works.
Below: Uho Doji 14th Century
Below: Kyosui Shojo Screen
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair?
I discovered the Fair three months before its first iteration in June 2023 from other dealers, and then the organisers, while exhibiting at TEFAF Maastricht. We had previously decided not to participate in London fairs unless there was something special about them, since we have a very lovely gallery in Mayfair. However, the scale and scope of Treasure House – populated by dealers I respect – led me to want to participate.
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
Because the fair is of a manageable size (compared to TEFAF – which is wonderful but huge), a visitor should slow down and focus seriously on anything that speaks to them. They will find new dimensions to it, as dealers tend to bring some very special things there.
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June 15, 2024
For the second iteration of The Treasure House Fair, we’re delighted to welcome Wartski back to our pavilion at Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Established in 1865, the renowned antiques business specialises in Russian works of art, particularly those by Carl Fabergé, as well as fine jewellery and objets d’art. Over the past century and a half, Wartski has established itself as one of the UK’s foremost jewellery specialists – even creating HRH Princess Catherine’s wedding ring for her marriage to HRH Prince William in 2011.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
The Treasure House summer fair is ideally positioned at the height of the London art season. Collectors from around the world gather in the city. London at this time is at its liveliest, basking in the June sunshine, with a calendar full of events across the city.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
We have recently acquired some astounding pieces, including a monumental gold armlet which was given by the painter Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema to his wife, Lady Laura Theresa. She wore it when she modelled for some of his greatest masterpieces. It represents the intersection of fine art and jewellery, where the most magnificent treasures are created.
How did you first learn about THF and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
We have been exhibiting at the Treasure House Fair since it first opened in 2023. It follows in a long and important tradition of summer art fairs which bring so much to the city and have become a fixture of the summer calendar. A space for art and antique dealers across the world to exhibit their finest pieces in London.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Not to rush your visit. Make sure you leave plenty of time to really savour the fair and see all the exhibits. If you are traveling from outside London, leave a few days to enjoy all the wonderful things the city has to offer at that time of year.
What are a few highlight works your business is bringing to the fair?
Visitors can expect a wonderful collection of Carl Fabergé, including two beautiful, enameled egg pendants which were gifts from the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. A dazzling diamond necklace by Cartier and a solid gold evening bag in the form of a pig by Parisian firm Lacloche Freres. Truly something for everyone.
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June 14, 2024
With the second iteration of The Treasure House Fair just around the corner, we are delighted to continue our exhibitor series, and introduce Sladmore Gallery: internationally renowned experts in sculpture who exhibit works spanning three centuries - from nineteenth century to modern, and from impressionistic to contemporary.
Tell us about what we can expect from Sladmore Gallery this year?
Our stand this year is, as ever, based around the very best sculpture, from small scale to large scale – home to landscape. Contemporary and modern works will feature from our stable of long-established artists - many of which exist in museums - providing an exciting opportunity for clients to own another cast of a work in their own homes which, by its very definition, is museum worthy.
In the gallery during Treasure House, we have an exhibition entitled ‘Three centuries of the Horse in Bronze’, which will feature artists such as Nic Fiddian Green, Edgar Degas, Rembrandt Bugatti, Charlie Langton, Adam Roud, Antoine-Louis Barye, and we will be bringing highlights from this exhibition to our stand during this exciting week in Chelsea.
Still Water by Nic Fiddeon Green. Courtesy of Sladmore Gallery
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We feel it’s vital that London continues to have a strong art market and for that you need an international level fair. We were supporters of the fair before its inaugural year last year and met some great collectors over the course of the week, so we can’t wait to discuss sculpture again in the grounds of the beautiful Royal Hospital Chelsea. We also strongly feel that there is nothing like being in the buzz of a fair, surrounded by experts, and collectors who are stepping out of their collections into new interests.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
We were great supporters of Masterpiece and so of course we were delighted to hear about Treasure House taking up the banner. The fair stands out due to the strong ethos of it being dealer led. We know our clients and we know the environment in which it is pleasant to purchase artworks, which you can appreciate in your home, because you have had the time to speak to the dealers and see a large selection of works.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
This year we have some new stone pieces by Nic Fiddian Green, which really demonstrate not only his ability, but the breadth of stones our planet has given to us. We are excited to show some special 20th century modern sculptures by Rembrandt Bugatti, who is having a strong year around the world with museum exhibitions and strong sales. And, of course, Mario Dilitz’s monumental ‘Boxing Boy’.
Can you tell us about a few other highlight works you’ll be showcasing?
We will be bringing a rare Bugatti work of one of his larger felines; and a quartz work by Nic Fiddian Green, which is an elevation of his previous work to date. We will also be displaying a large Mario Dilitz Boxing Boy: he has always been successful in the London fairs and this remained true at last year’s Treasure House, so for this year we have gone bigger!
Finally, we will be bringing ‘Grady’ by Mark Coreth in the smaller size – just unveiled in our gallery and featured in Country Life, which was commissioned for service dogs to drink from at York Racecourse.
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
We always recommend to everyone to build in moments to absorb what you have seen. After viewing for an hour, pause for a drink or pastry, or even lunch, in the exceptional cafes and restaurants, so your brain can process each part of the fair before filling it to the brim again.
There is so much to see, of such variety, that if you try to do the whole fair at once you may miss something more subtle that will have a bigger impact in your home or collection.
Do also take a moment at the start of the fair to highlight on the map the dealers you definitely want to see and make sure you focus on them. And, of course, try to come back for follow up viewings. However, the key advice - especially for new collectors - is to talk to the dealers; they are the key to discovering the works on show. There are centuries of knowledge just waiting to be discovered that you can only learn by asking questions. We are at heart all ‘geeks’ in our specialism, and love talking to new collectors about our passions.
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June 14, 2024
Next up in our exhibitor series, we are delighted to welcome the return of Philip Mould Gallery to The Treasure House Fair. Located in London’s historic Pall Mall, Philip Mould gallery is one of the largest commercial gallery spaces in St. James’s and showcases 500 years of British art and portrait miniatures from the Tudor period through to the late 20th century.
Below: Cedric Morris, September Diagram, Early 1940s.
Courtesy of Philip Mould & Company
Brief overview of the exhibition:
Our stand will include works by Harrington Mann, Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and Boris Anrep among others, and will be characterized by Bloomsbury-like elements, vibrant colours, and the feel of a domestic setting reminiscent of Charleston where modernism and inherited randomness unite.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
The Treasure House Fair offers a prestigious and sleek space that reminds the visitor of London's pre-eminence in art and antiques, and the days of ‘The Season’ - as it was known - at Grosvenor House.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
We are extremely excited to show a sophisticated portrait of a young woman by Harington Mann (1922). As soon as she was delivered to our gallery last year she beguiled us and we decided there and then to hold her back as our defining image. Indeed she has the look of someone you could well have encountered as a debutant during The Season in the 1920's!
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair and what makes it stand out from other Fairs?
We discovered Treasure House through our longstanding participation in Masterpiece, which was always very successful for us. Like the old Masterpiece, Treasure House seems to be a real highlight of the summer arts calendar that everyone is looking forward to.
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
I'd recommend taking your time to explore, and don't hesitate to ask questions. Also bring your dog! (Note from the editor: only if its small and well behaved!)
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June 14, 2024
A leading specialist in Modern British paintings and sculpture, Osborne Samuel Gallery is among the many exhibitors to return to the Royal Hospital Chelsea for The Treasure House Fair this summer. Founded in 2004, following the merger of Peter Osborne’s company Berkeley Square gallery and Samuel & Co, we cannot wait to see what the Gallery brings to the Fair for 2024.
Tell us a little more about your gallery?
Our exhibition will predominantly feature the very best of Modern and Contemporary British Art with post-war sculpture a particular feature, alongside St. Ives School and Neo-Romantic artists. As Osborne Samuel represents the Estate of John Craxton, and following on from Pallant House Gallery’s acclaimed recent exhibition, this artist will be showcased at The Treasure House Fair. Contemporary artists on display will include Brendan Burns and Sean Henry.
Why are you returning to The Treasure House Fair?
We wanted to build on the momentum of exhibiting at the inaugural Fair in 2023. We believe it is an excellent arena to exhibit the very best of Modern and Contemporary British Art, which is a significant component of our gallery’s focus. It also takes place at a key time of year for the London fine art market.
What are you most excited to showcase at The Treasure House Fair?
Lynn Chadwick, Dame Barabara Hepworth and Henry Moore sculptures will be prominent in our booth, in keeping with our historical track record for these international names. We are also looking forward to presenting a very rare and elegant portrait by Sir William Nicholson, Lady in Grey, dating from 1918; the only painting the artist ever made of his second wife, Edith. We’ll also be bringing an exquisite Dame Barbara Hepworth made from lead crystal, titled Two Forms (Gemini) (1970); an extremely desirable Henry Moore, Family Group from 1945; and a mesmerising, unique Lynn Chadwick sculpted in 1958 from iron and composition, titled Beast (Old Leather Head).
Below: Lynn Chadwick, Beast (Old Leather Head) 1958
How did you first learn about the Fair?
We were aware of The Treasure House Fair from its inception owing to our long-standing representation at Masterpiece. The fact so many disciplines are included in The Treasure House Fair means there is an excellent opportunity to engage with new collectors to our field. This, the time of year, and location make it an ideal platform for Osborne Samuel.
What advice would you give to first time visitors of the fair?
Perhaps my best advice would be to leave as long as possible to soak up everything the fair has to offer, including the fabulous food and drink in a wonderful and glamorous outdoor setting! Also, be sure to engage personally with the exhibitors. They hold a wealth of information about their objects on display and are only too happy to share this knowledge.
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June 14, 2024
Introducing the next exhibitor in our interview series, Coulborn and Sons: a third-generation family business, run by Jonathon Coulborn, and dealing in furniture and objects from 1600-1830.
Known for combining pieces from diverse traditions and pieces that reflect cross-cultural influences like Chinese Export furniture and paintings, Spanish Colonial works and Anglo-Indian pieces, Jonathan continues his grandfather’s work to cement his family’s international reputation and legacy.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
Having been a regular exhibitor at Masterpiece we were very keen to return to exhibiting in London and think Treasure House is the perfect fair to take on the mantle of a high-quality London antiques fair at an optimum time of year.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
We will be showing a Chinese Export lacquer pagoda with its original case which is a unique object and bound to attract lots of attention. Other highlights include a pair of Regency Antiquarian chairs made for Earl of Talbot; a set of ‘Four Seasons’ Chinese Export Oil paintings; and a pair of Peruvian carved giltwood mirrors.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Remember, it’s not a museum! Talk to the exhibitors… They will be generous with their time and knowledge and keen to explain why the items they are showing are so special.
Below: A Chines export laquer Pagoda with original case.
Courtesy of Thomas Coulborn & Sons
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June 14, 2024
Bringing a truly international flavour to the heart of Chelsea is Sudaran Tagore, a contemporary art gallery representing both established and emerging artists from around the world. Returning to The Treasure House Fair this summer Sundaram Tagore specialises in work that is both aesthetically and intellectually rigorous as well as historically significant in the art world.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We were a prominent exhibitor at Masterpiece for many years, so when Treasure House appeared, we were thrilled. I like a space that is inclusive in terms of bringing together art that’s ancient with art that is current. The idea of art existing in isolation doesn’t make sense to me – everything has a genealogy. Artists are always looking at great art from the past to synthesize and create the art of the present, so that’s why spaces like Treasure House are ideal: they reveal that connection.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
We will be exhibiting work by some outstanding artists, including Hiroshi Senju, Miya Ando and Yayoi Kusama, among others. Part of what makes these artists so compelling is how their cross-cultural experiences inform their work – but even more importantly, the materiality of the art they create, where the hand of the artist is so present. The works we are showing are seductive in their tactility, but also, they are created with a great deal of thought and philosophical exploration.
Can you tell us about a few stand-out highlights?
For Treasure House 2024, we will be exhibiting paintings by acclaimed Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju, best known for his monumental waterfalls, which are in museums across the globe; gravity-defying steel sculptures inspired by droplets of water suspended mid-air by Chinese artist Zheng Lu, which are similar to his most recent public work – twenty-foot-tall sculpture adjacent to the United Nations in New York; and stunning work by internationally renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her wildly creative paintings and installations.
Below: Hiroshi Senju Waterfall, 2024
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Take it slow! If you take your time and really look, you can appreciate the diversity of art, from antiquity to the present. Try to find the continuity in the creative process and, if you look, you will discover it is the same no matter what period the artist is from.
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June 14, 2024
A stalwart of Masterpiece, Long-Sharp Gallery joined us at the launch of The Treasure House Fair last year, and is returning for another year to showcase its specialist works on paper, multiples and drawings by modern and contemporary masters including Picasso, Miro, Francis, Frenkenthaler, Gilliam, Warhol, Haring, Indiana and Lichtenstein. A proud woman-owned business, Long-Sharp Gallery is a member of the International Fine Print Dealers Association, and will be bringing a number of Warhol drawings to the Fair for 2024.
Why have you chosen to participate in the Treasure House Fair this year?
We exhibited at the Fair last year and at Masterpiece London in the 10 years before that. We were particularly impressed with the high quality of the vetting, the sophistication of the collectors, and the overall quality of the galleries who participated.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair?
We first heard about the possibility of the Fair in early 2023 from a group of Masterpiece London exhibitors who were devastated to hear about its cancellation. We confirmed that we would participate when we learned that Jocelyn Poulton, the head of the Masterpiece London Vetting Committee, had joined Treasure House.
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
Take your time on every stand, even if the offerings don’t, at first glance, attract your eye. This is a mixed discipline fair. I would have never dreamed a dozen years ago that I’d come to covet British furniture or fine silver, but I have learned so much about these disciplines having been a part of both Treasure House and Masterpiece London. The experts are in the building and there for one to explore and learn from.
Tell us about a few highlight works you will be bringing to Fair?
We’ll exhibit five Warhol drawings from 1974: studies for a series of Flower screenprints he created that year. These were in his estate and later authenticated by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. They were framed for the first time in the last few months. We’ll also have a pair of works on canvas from Warhol’s black and white Ads series created in the 1980s. Having available both the “positive” and “negative” side-by-side from this series is just delightful. Finally, three fresh to the market prints by Roy Lichtenstein will take center stage. All were just framed for the Fair. We simply can’t wait to see them together.
Below: Roy Lichtenstein Reflections on Soda Fountain 1991
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June 14, 2024
“The Fair holds a unique DNA, attracting the top dealers, collectors and museums worldwide.”
With the return of The Treasure House Fair imminent, we are delighted to feature an interview with Richard Green Gallery: an international family business located in the heart of London’s art world, Mayfair: one of the Fair’s founding galleries and member of the board. For four generations, the gallery has been dealing paintings of the highest quality from the 17th to 21st century, and is proud to exhibit a constantly changing selection of paintings in the gallery and at international art fairs, including The Treasure House Fair and Frieze Masters in London; TEFAF Maastricht and TEFAF New York; and the Winter Show in New York.
Why are you participating in The Treasure House Fair this year?
As one of London’s preeminent fine art fairs, it is a privilege to present our collection amongst the world’s top art and design dealers. Richard Green is delighted to have exhibited at Treasure House since its inception last year as one of its founding galleries, and we look forward to its continued success. The Fair holds a unique DNA, attracting the top dealers, collectors and museums worldwide.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
We are exhibiting an exceptional group of masterworks at this year’s Treasure House. A particular highlight for me is William Scott’s, Bowl with lid on blue, 1975, a mature, minimalist gouache. It has everything you want from a Scott; contemplation, meditative qualities and in perfect condition, of course. We are also very excited to show Bryan Wynter’s masterpiece, Meeting place, 1957, recently deaccessioned from the Museum of Modern Art, New York, as well as a selection of works by Ben Nicholson including 1943 (painted relief), a magnificent modernist, abstract work of architectural musing and influence, inspired by the distinct light and colours of the Cornish landscape.
Below: William Scott, Bowl with lid on blue, 1975
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair?
The gallery was approached by the organisers in its early stages and we were excited to support Harry van der Hoorn and Thomas Woodham-Smith who, with their expertise and knowledge, were able to pull together and efficiently organise a new fair in record time and establish a much needed London Summer Art Fair. We are proud to be on the Board of this important, highly selective, dealer-run fair with a uniquely intimate atmosphere.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Visit the Richard Green booth, of course.
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June 14, 2024
Founded in 1959, Rountree Tyron specialises in sporting, maritime and wildlife artworks from the 17th century to present day. It is also a Royal Warrant Holder, and proud to have sold important paintings to museums and institutions throughout its 65-year history.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We exhibited at the inaugural Fair last year, and were delighted with the look, feel and atmosphere of the fair – which is very similar to the Winter Show in New York, which we also exhibit at. We intend to take a stand for a long time to come. We also enjoy the variety and brilliance of each individual gallery and dealer, and their expertise in their specialism. I learn something every time I walk around Fairs such as The Treasure House, and find a lot of the exhibits absolutely fascinating, with the varied histories and provenance.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House and what makes it stand out from other Fairs?
We discovered The Treasure House following the turbulent Covid years, and immediately signed up as it looked like it would become the premier fair in the UK. It stands out mainly due to the quality of galleries represented, but also due to the atmosphere and look which is a wonderful accompaniment to viewing wonderful items.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Take time to wander around, and speak to the experts in their field. Perhaps come back for a second viewing if you feel you have been too rushed – quality exhibits get better on second viewings, and this fair is no exception.
What highlight works will you be bringing to the Fair?
We have a diverse group of paintings from across our specialism spanning the 1600s to the 21st Century. In our sporting section we have a collection of works by the brilliant equine artist Sir Alfred Munnings, as well as some excellent horse racing oil paintings by artists such as J.F Herring and Charles Cundall, and from the modern era, Sue Crawford and Peter Curling.
Our maritime section includes a very rare historical painting of The Battle of Tobago, 1677 – which we believe to be the earliest known representation of that island, painted when under the control of the Dutch. Alongside this are other naval actions by Richard Paton and Thomas Whitcombe, as well as a dramatic painting of ships in a cyclone by William Huggins and finally a work depicting the funeral procession for Lord Nelson, 1806, down the river Thames with the myriad of boats involved. Our wildlife section hosts famous artists such as Archibald Thorburn, David Shepherd, Peter Scott and Keith Shackleton – both of whom co-created the WWF alongside HRH Prince Philip.
Below: Jan Karel Donatus Van Beecq, The Battle of Tobago 1677
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June 14, 2024
A fourth generation, family owned business, operating from two freehold galleries in St. James, we’re delighted to welcome Macconnal Mason back to The Treasure House Fair this summer.
Why are you returning to The Treasure House Fair this summer?
We are excited at the prospect of exhibiting again at Treasure House, following a very successful exhibition last year. The Fair is in an excellent location, held at the height of the season, and has established itself as the successor to Masterpiece – at which we exhibited continuously.
What are you excited to showcase at the Fair this year?
We will be showing a varied collection of fine British and European paintings and sculpture to include Impressionist and post Impressionist works by Pierre Auguste Renoir, Boudin, Gustave Loiseau Henri Lebasque, and Henry Moret. We will also show Modern British paintings including works by LS Lowry, and Nineteenth century British and European works.
Below: Boudin Le Havre, le Bassin du Commerce, 1884
Below: Louis Marie de Schryver (L’avenue des Champs-Élysées, 1895)
What advice would you give those visiting the Fair for the first time?
The Treasure House is an enjoyable fair to visit; it is not too large as to be overpowering, and one can see everything in the course of a day quite easily – with time for refreshments along the way. Concentrate first on your particular areas of interest before enjoying the rest of the very varied works on show.
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June 14, 2024
Another returning exhibitor to the 2024 Treasure House Fair is Grace Tsumugi Fine Art: a gallery specialising in works from the Japanese Meiji, as well as immaculate art from the late Edo, Taisho and Showa periods, including metalwork and lacquer, cloisonné enamel, textiles, and ceramics. Located on 8 Duke Street in St. James’s, London for over 20 years, we are delighted to welcome Grace Tsumugi back to Royal Chelsea Hospital this summer.
Below Grace Tsumugi
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We trust the quality of the exhibits and exhibitors in The Treasure House Fair, which we believe to be an appropriate venue to invite our clients. We would like to take this opportunity to showcase our selected objects so they may be appreciated by visitors, with a view to this leading on to the next stage of our business.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
An exceptionally beautiful silk embroidery screen with a hawk on a stand, which we found in Japan. This has never been on view in our gallery. In addition, there is an important and very fine metalwork piece with flawless inlay work. Another piece is an important gold lacquer cabinet from an old British private collection, sold at a London auction in 1917.
We are proud to show some pieces with great provenances and exceptional metalwork– both of which have been exhibited at one of the 1905 Liege Exposition Universelle in Europe and illustrated in the record.
What makes The Treasure House Fair stand out from other fairs?
The Fair showcases varied forms of art from antiquity to contemporary, in a most enjoyable atmosphere. When we visited the fair last year all the exhibitors looked relaxed and enjoying being there.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Enjoy the art brought together by top dealers from around the world in one place, and ask any questions on the exhibits. The exhibitors are specialists and they are more than happy to discuss their pieces. It is a truly great studying opportunity.
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June 14, 2024
Below: Jamie Coreth “My Life”: Portrait of Issy and Clare 2024
Courtesy of Fine Art Comissions
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We have exhibited at many Art Fairs over the last 27 years including Art London, Olympia, Palm Beach and The Open Art Fair. We felt it was the right time to present a show at Treasure House and are delighted to be included this year.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
We have a unique full-length completed sketch of HM Queen Elizabeth II, as well as a working sketch of TRH Princes William and Harry by Nicky Philipps (finished piece is at The National Portrait Gallery, London) and HM The King by Gareth Reid. All are fantastic conversation starters. We hope that these works will grab the attention of visitors!
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
We have followed Treasure House as we had a Stand at the inaugural ‘Open Art Fair’. Anything that Thomas presents is going to be top quality, so we are thrilled to be part of this year’s edition. Treasure House is based in a fantastic location, has strong exhibitors, and is thoroughly enjoyed by our clients.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Give yourself enough time, and don’t miss the entrance area!
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June 14, 2024
When it comes to advice on how to spend your time at The Treasure House Fair, Maison D'Art can't be bettered. "Consider bringing along your friends or your partner to spend the entire day together, have a light lunch, admire the artworks, and indulge in the whole experience."
Founded in 1997 in the Principality of Monaco, Maison D'Art brings modern and contemporary art to the fair, along with a smattering of Old Masters from the 13th to 18th century.
MAISON D’ART has contributed to the enrichment of some highly important collections, both in the private and the public domain. Among these we find such names as the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth (Texas), the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musée National d’Histoire et d’Art of Luxembourg to name a few of Museums.
Why have you chosen to participate in the Treasure House Fair this year?
Before the pandemic, Maison D’art had exhibited at the Masterpiece fair. Despite their differences, we anticipate that The Treasure House Fair will achieve a comparable success to what Masterpiece experienced.
Furthermore, we aspire to establish a presence in the UK art market, driven by our firm belief in its promising expansion. According to the statistics, the UK art market surpassed the entirety of the European Art Market in 2023 (BAMF, 2023). Additionally, it has also maintained its position as one of the global centers for art trading (BAMF, 2023).
What are you most looking forward to during the event?
Apart from the fact that it’s widely known that the optimal time to visit London is during the summertime, with its blue skies and milder breezes, our anticipation extends beyond the weather. We are eagerly looking forward to discovering a diverse clientele and seizing the opportunity to present an exceptional showcase and stand.
How did you first learn about THF and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
We learnt about the fair through its extensive media coverage. Initially disheartened by the news of the closure of Masterpiece, we were thrilled and pleasantly surprised to learn of the opening of The Treasure House Fair, and its 2023 edition. We had the chance to visit the fair during the summer last year, and we’re delighted by its attractiveness.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
When attending the Treasure House Fair for the first time, consider bringing along friends or your partner to spend an entire day together, have light lunch, and take time to admire the artworks, and indulge in the whole experience.
What are a few highlights works your business is bringing to the fair?
We are excited to bring a lovely blend of contemporary and more classical masterpieces that perfectly complement each other. Regarding eighteenth-century pieces, we will showcase exceptional landscapes by Francesco Foschi. We are equally excited to feature works by Marcello Lo Giudice, the most renowned Italian contemporary artist who creates outstanding compositions with an intense combination of pigments. We are equally delighted to showcase a 17th-century sculpture.
Below: One of Maison d'Art's Francesco Foschi landscapes that they will be bringing to the Fair.
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June 07, 2024
To continue our interview series we are excited to present the hugely experienced fine art connoisseurs De Musson, who will be exhibiting the work of Rashid Al Khalifa at this year’s edition of The Treasure House Fair.
Born in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Rashid Al Khalifa moved to the UK in 1972 to study at the Hastings College of Arts and Technology in Sussex. During his studies, he became inspired by English romantic painter J.MN.W. Turner and, upon his return to Bahrain, began painting his own renditions of his country’s landscapes, producing works encompassing deserts, seas and historical sites.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
Simply because it epitomises the essence of luxury and artistic excellence. It's an unparalleled platform where collectors and enthusiasts converge to celebrate the finest in art and craftsmanship. Rashid Al Khalifa's work resonates deeply with the ethos of the fair, embodying a fusion of tradition and innovation that captivates audiences worldwide. We're thrilled to be a part of this prestigious event, showcasing our commitment to the arts and offering collectors a glimpse into the work of Rashid Al Khalifa.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the Fair?
What excites us the most is the opportunity to showcase the breathtaking creations of Rashid Al Khalifa. Each piece in our collection represents a harmonious blend of artistic vision and cultural heritage, meticulously crafted to evoke emotions and inspire. Rashid Al Khalifa’s work is always exciting to show, for most it will be the first time they have interacted with his work in person. We will be focusing on two groups of work – the Convex series from 2019 and Mizan form 2020. The works focus on a reduced palette and play with dimensional layers to create shape through penumbra.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair?
We first learned about the Fair as part of our strategic initiative to expand our presence in the UK. Having previously showcased Rashid Al Khalifa's work at prestigious events like Art Dubai, we were eager to find a platform that would provide the perfect backdrop for his creations. The Treasure House Fair stood out to us for its unparalleled blend of luxury, sophistication, and curated excellence. It offers a distinguished setting where artistry and craftsmanship are celebrated with the utmost reverence, making it the ideal showcase for Rashid Al Khalifa's artwork
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
My advice is to give themselves plenty of time. With such a wealth of art and craftsmanship on display, there's truly something to captivate every discerning eye. Take your time to explore each exhibit, immerse yourself in the beauty and detail of each piece, and engage with the artists and dealers to gain deeper insights into their work. The Treasure House Fair offers a rare opportunity to discover and appreciate the finest in art and craftsmanship, so savour every moment of your visit!
What is a highlight work you’re bringing to the Fair?
Rashid Al Khalifa
Spherical Compression in Grey, 2019
Enamel on Aluminum
150 x 150 cm
Below: Courtesy of De Musson
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May 30, 2024
Looking for the very best in contemporary art? As are we, which is why The Treasure House Fair is delighted to be joined by Jonathon Cooper this summer.
A homegrown gallery highlighting works from Chinese, Australian, American, Italian and UK artists, Jonathan's recommendation to first-time visitors to the Fair is to "plan in enough time to really look at the quality of the exhibitions and talk to dealers". And don't forget to peruse a few of his highlight pieces while you're there, including Heat Line & Haze by Tim Storrier and Amur Tiger by Gary Stinton.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We were approached by The Treasure House Fair after the cancellation of Masterpiece where we exhibited. It is the standard of the Fair and its exhibitors which attracted us, and is the natural follow up fair after Masterpiece. We believe it is highly important to have a fair of this calibre in London.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
We will show - for the first time - the major contemporary Australian artist Tim Storrier (b.1949). He used to be shown with Fisher Fine Art in London and his works haven’t been seen in the UK since 1989.
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
Make sure you have enough time to really look at the quality of the exhibitions, and talk to the dealers. They would be only too pleased to share their knowledge.
What are a few highlight works you’re bringing to the Fair?
Tim Storrier, Heat Line & Haze, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 42.13 x 96 ins (107 x 244cm); Gary Stinton, Amur Tiger - Close Encounter III, Pastel on museum board, 40 x 36ins (101.5 × 91.5 cm); Tim Hayward, Suspended - Blue, 2023,Watercolour & gouache on Saunders Waterford 300 gsm paper , 60 x 40 ins (152.4 x 101.6cm).
Above: Tim Hayward, Suspended - Blue, 2023,Watercolour & gouache on Saunders Waterford 300 gsm paper , 60 x 40 ins (152.4 x 101.6cm).
Courtesy of Jonathan Cooper.
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May 29, 2024
As we get ever-closer to the opening of 2024’s The Treasure House Fair, we are excited to continue introducing the roster of exhibitors who will be joining us this summer.
Today we meet Piano Nobile: a specialist dealer in 20th century British and European art, which aims to source and show the very best works of its kind in private ownership - and works with museums, institutions, as well as private collectors in the process.
Above: Matthew Travers, Director, Piano Nobile.
Courtesy of Piano Nobile.
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
London is one of the global centres of the art world and there has always been much attention on a multidisciplinary art fair over the summer season held in the city. We enjoy showing in the context of such a diverse range of colleagues, from dealers of Antiquities to Modern Design.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
We will be showing a very significant early 1970’s head of Laurie Owen by Frank Auerbach. It is exceptional for its early date and impressive scale, and will be shown alongside further oils by the artist. This collection allows for a fascinating insight into Auerbach's working practice and stylistic shifts. For those who have not seen it, the powerful exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of Auerbach’s early charcoal heads is very much worth a visit before it closes on 27 May.
How did you first learn about THF and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
We started showing at the Fair at its inception last year and have been friends with the organisers for many years. We were delighted to learn they had taken up the mantle of continuing the tradition of a cross disciplinary summer fair in London.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Talk to the exhibitors and don’t be shy of engaging and asking questions, they are all experts in their fields and passionate about their subjects. Talking to the dealers can be a wonderful way to develop one's knowledge. I always learn something new when visiting fairs, be it about art, design or jewellery. The fair boasts some of the best dealers in their fields and it is always an exciting opportunity to train one's eye in new areas, with the confidence you are looking at the best - a useful exercise whether buying or simply admiring.
What are a few highlight works your business is bringing to the fair?
We will be highlighting works from across the 20th century, with early paintings by Augustus John and Walter Sickert, to major examples of London School paintings by R. B. Kitaj, Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach alongside sculptural and conceptual works by Barbara Hepworth and Edmund de Waal. The stand will trace the trends and artistic developments of the last 100 years.
Walter Sickert (1860-1942). The Bridge, Chagford, 1916. Signed lower right 'Sickert'. Oil on board, 24.2 x 15.8 cm.
Courtesy of Piano Nobile.
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May 24, 2024
Bringing Japan to London this summer is Laura Bordignon Antiques, a specialist dealer in Japanese works from the Meji period (1868-1912). Exploring the interrelationship between archaic symbolism, contemporary mythologies and sophisticated craftsmanship, a selection of these exquisite objects will be exhibited at The Treasure House Fair from 27 June.
Laura Bordignon, founder and proprieter of Laura Bordignon Antiques.
Courtesy of Laura Bordignon Antiques
What are you looking forward to bringing to The Treasure House Fair?
The focus of the exhibition is sculptures by metalwork masters like Takaze Kozan, Sekiguchi Shinya and Kano Seiun. To complement this offering, I’m also showing a select grouping of silver and cloisonné enamel objects by artists like Ishikawa Katsunobu, Kobayashi Bishun, Ando Jubei and Namikawa Yasuyuki.
What makes The Treasure House Fair stand out from other art fairs?
I visited the fair last year and was impressed by the variety of disciplines showcased. It was full of marvelous and rare objects of the finest quality.
The elegant surroundings and its great central London location makes it a heaven for art lovers. I am really looking forward to participating in this prestigious event this June alongside so many of the world’s top dealers.
What are a few of your highlight pieces?
There are many highlights works, but the standout piece is a Japanese silver and shibuichi box by master Ishikawa Katsunobu, which is finely inlaid in gold, silver and shakudo, illustrated with two cranes on a shore among pine trees and crashing waves beneath a rising sun. The composition is well thought out and beautifully balanced. He was one of the most talented metalworkers of his time and also exhibited at many International exhibitions, including the Japan-British Exposition in 1910.
ISHIKAWA KATSUNOBU 石川 勝信
A Silver And Shibuichi Box With Two Cranes And Crashing Waves Beneath A Rising Sun, Meiji Period 1868-1912.
Courtesy of Laura Bordignon Antiques
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May 22, 2024
We continue our exploration of The Treasure House Fair exhibitors with Wick Antiques: the foremost antique dealer for nautical models, paintings, prints, yacht racing trophies, medals and cups - who are also commemorating the bicentenary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution this year.
Charles Wallrock, Director of Wick Antiques with Portrait of Emma, Lady Hamilton as Ariadne by Richard Westall RA (1765–1836).
Courtesy of Wick Antiques.
Why have you chosen to participate in this year’s The Treasure House Fair?
It’s all down to the quality of both the organisers and the dealers. The exhibitors really are on par with Masterpiece, where we exhibited for 12 years.
What are you most excited to showcase at the Fair?
We are delighted to be back at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea in London this summer, exhibiting at The Treasure House Fair. Since the inception of Masterpiece in 2009, Wick Antiques has been honoured to regularly exhibit historically significant and interesting works of art in this iconic location. This year we will continue our summer tradition showcasing models and medals, paintings and prints to celebrate the bicentenary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, alongside other important nautical pieces.
What advice would you give to first-time visitors of the Fair?
You must absolutely allow yourself time to enjoy everything that's on offer!
'Clipper Ship South Australian in Heavy Seas' by Henry Scott (1911-2005). 61cm x 92cm.
Courtesy of Wick Antiques.
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May 09, 2024
“Treasure House Fair has this je ne sais quoi, which makes it unique.”
After 10 years exhibiting at Masterpiece, Galerie Mestdagh - founded by Ondine and Patrick Mestdagh - is once again swapping its home in Sablon, the antiques district of Brussels, for London as it returns to The Treasure House Fair this summer.
For over 30 years, Galerie Mestdagh has focused on works of art, jewellery, rare objects, contemporary art and objects, all united by Ondine and Patrick’s shared appreciation of exquisite design. Their dedication to choosing only the items they fall in love with during their many travels results in an extraordinary selection of objects from outside Europe, from Oceania to Africa, from South-East Asia and Japan to North America.
Exploring these different cultures, Ondine and Patrick like nothing better than to mix beauty with functionality, and you can discover the treasures of Mestdagh for yourself from 27 June - 2 July 2024.
An Elema mask, Made from Cane, plant fibre, barkcloth, pigments, human hair. Papuan Gulf, New Guinea.
Courtesy of Patrick & Ondine Mestdagh.
Why are you participating in this year’s The Treasure House Fair?
For the past decade our gallery has taken part in an event in June in London. Ten participations at Masterpiece made us realise the attraction of London to a vast international audience: fairs, exhibitions, gallery activities, sports events - all of it makes London unmissable at this time of the year… It’s therefore the logical choice to carry on with it.
The Treasure House Fair also has this je ne sais quoi, which makes it unique.
What are a few highlight works your business is bringing to the fair?
We will be presenting the thematic exhibition ‘l'Oeil’, with the following introduction:
In a world where expressions can transcend words, the eyes are windows to the soul.
It is our pleasure to share a series of curated objects from the Five Continents that contemplate behind the gaze; prompting a collective reflection of beauty that is encapsulated in our inner selves.
Brussels-based photographer Gilles Lorin brings these objects to life, appreciating the silent conversations that unfold through their eyes.
A rare carved wood armchair, after a model by Vasilii Petrovich Shutov, Russian Empire circa 1870.
We will also be presenting other objects from five continents, including a rare Russian wooden armchair, attributed to Vasily Petrovich Shutov, in moulded and carved oak with trompe l'oeil decoration of stylised motifs. The rounded back is engraved with a motto in Russian which translates to "the more carefully you drive, the faster you'll arrive"; the armrests are in the shape of an axe; and the seat is adorned with a pair of carved wooden gloves, engraved with rosettes.
A similar piece was part of Pierre Bergé's collection, and is kept in his dacha.
And finally, what advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Allow yourself more time in town to enjoy The Treasure House Fair and everything London in summer has to offer.
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May 09, 2024
“The Treasure House Fair brings an arthouse buzz and captures the joie de vivre of a sunny evening in Chelsea, and we’re delighted to be part of it.”
A world-renowned expert in exceptional nineteenth century furniture and works of art, what Adrian Alan - who established his eponymous business in 1964 - doesn’t know about the era isn’t worth knowing. As a founding exhibitor at The Treasure House Fair in 2023, we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Adrian - and his eye for quality and beauty - back to the event this summer.
Why are you taking part in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We were a founding exhibitor last year and are delighted to return. London was lacking a great summer art fair, and Treasure House has brought together a very high calibre of exhibitors and established itself as a part of the social season. Treasure House is especially well timed to attract an international audience, as only a London fair can.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
This Italian white marble statue depicts intertwined nymphs representing ‘Falling Stars’. It shows their celestial journey through the heavens. Carved with great technical skill by Vittorio Caradossi (1861-1918) it is imbued with the sensual elegance of the Art Nouveau.
Giles Forster, Director at Adrian Alan Ltd, posing with ‘Falling Stars’ by Vittorio Caradossi (1861-1918)
The nineteenth century offers such a wealth of creativity and variety, and we look forward to showing exceptional furniture by François Linke, the most prized ébéniste of the Belle Epoque, a spectacular garniture with conical pendulum clock by Eugène Farcot and a silver sculptural racing trophy by Elkington & Co.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
The Treasure House Fair brings an arthouse buzz and captures the joie de vivre of a sunny evening in Chelsea, and we’re delighted to be part of it. It has the perfect mix of exhibitors bringing the very finest antiques, art, sculpture, jewellery, silver and objects – from ancient to modern - under the one roof!
What advice would you give to people visiting the Fair for the first time?
Do a quick walk around first, only stopping to make a mental note of what catches your eye. Then grab a drink or a bite before returning to those pieces you remember most.
Adrian Alan, the founder of Adrain Alan Ltd in the gallery.
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Q&A: A Lighthouse Called Kanata
May 08, 2024
With The Treasure House Fair soon opening its doors, we are delighted to showcase some of the wonderful exhibitors who will be joining us this year.
We are excited to introduce A Lighthouse Called Kanata; a contemporary art gallery in Tokyo, Japan. Established in 2007, the gallery specialises in paintings and sculpture, with a focus on artists who push the boundaries of their materials and techniques to new heights.
Bloom Softly 3-24 by Yoko Togashi, 2024. Blown, cut glass, H45 × W26 × D28 cm.
Courtesy of A Lighthouse Called Kanata
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
We had been exhibiting at Masterpiece for several years, and it was a natural progression for us to continue participating at this boutique fair.
And we love London in the summer.
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
A small white-marble sculpture by Kan Yasuda, the last student of Isamu Noguchi and one of the greatest living sculptors in Japan today.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
We have known of the fair since its inception, and it stands out because of the elegance of the fair in the centre of London when it is basking in the summer sun.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
Drink champagne. Taste the cuisine. Enjoy the art!
What are a few highlight works your business is bringing to the fair?
The aforementioned small white sculpture by Kan Yasuda.
Paintings by Japanese painters Takafumi Asakura, Ayane Mikagi, Kentaro Sato, Chiko Takei and Kiyo Hasegawa.
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April 29, 2024
With The Treasure House Fair opening its doors at Royal Hospital Chelsea in just two months’ time, we thought it high time we began sharing details on the brilliant galleries, dealers and artists joining us at the event.
We begin the series with 3812 Gallery, co-founded by Calvin Hui and Mark Peaker: a dynamic art space with locations in Hong Kong and London. It represents both modern and contemporary Chinese artists, such as Hsiao Chin, a major post-war painter whose works can be found in prestigious institutions like M+ in Hong Kong and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; and Ma Desheng, an internationally renowned Chinese artist based in Paris, who had a solo exhibition at Centre Pompidou in 2022. His works are collected by international institutions including Centre Pompidou, the British Museum, and M+ Museum. 3812 also highlights the significance of ink art, including the works of Raymond Fung from Hong Kong, whose works can be found in notable collections such as The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the Hong Kong Palace Museum.
The gallery also represents Liu Guofu, a meticulous painter based in Nanjing, whose works are collected by Macau's MGM Chairman's Collection and the Shanghai Art Museum. 3812 continuously expands its artistic vision by working with contemporary artists from diverse genres. This includes celebrated Beijing-based artist Zhao Zhao, recipient of the Artist of the Year Award of Art China (AAC) in 2019, as well as the captivating porcelain creations of Li Hongwei, which have been collected by over 30 prominent institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago and the British Museum, among others.
Li Hongwei, Allegory of Balance #35, 2022, Fired porcelain & stainless steel , 65 x 45 x 127 cm,
Courtesy of the Li Hongwei Studio
Why have you chosen to participate in The Treasure House Fair this year?
In 2023, 3812 Gallery had the opportunity to participate in the first edition of The Treasure House Fair, an experience that left a lasting impression. As this art fair continues to expand at a rapid yet consistent pace, our gallery would be absolutely thrilled to grow alongside it, presenting an exciting opportunity for the audience to immerse themselves in the world of Chinese contemporary art.
The fair successfully attracted a diverse group of international collectors who possessed a wide range of interests and a keen eye for quality. In 2023, we had the privilege of connecting with new collectors who held a sincere admiration for the artworks we showcased. A remarkable example of this was the purchase of Chu Teh Chun's vase by a young collector from Southeast Asia, who currently resides in London. The vase was acquired for an impressive sum of EUR 120,000.
Chu Teh-Chun, Luminosité résonante I, 1988
Courtesy of 3812 Gallery
What are you most looking forward to exhibiting during the event?
This year, 3812 Gallery is proud to spotlight the fusion of Chinese mastery with modern European artistry, featuring iconic figures like Chu Teh-Chun and Ma Desheng. These pioneers, including the "Three Musketeers" of modernism and members of the influential 'star group,' have redefined abstract art across continents.
Chu Teh-Chun's masterpieces grace over 50 museums worldwide, earning him prestigious French honours such as the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2001. Meanwhile, Ma Desheng's significant contributions are recognized globally, with works in the Ashmolean Museum, the British Museum, and a solo exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. His artistry has been celebrated with France's "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres."
But that's not all - we're also shining a light on contemporary talents like Liu Guofu, Li Hongwei, and Qian Wu, alongside emerging artists from our YA! Young Art exhibition both in London and Hong Kong. This diverse assembly of artists, spanning different backgrounds and eras, allows us to present a rich tapestry of the past, present, and future of the art scene.
How did you first learn about The Treasure House Fair and what makes it stand out from other fairs?
3812 Gallery had the privilege of being acquainted with Mr. Thomas Woodham-Smith and Mr. Harry Van Der Hoorn, the co-founders of The Treasure House Fair, during our participation in Masterpiece in previous years. Their exceptional vision and professionalism left a lasting impression on us, and we are delighted to embark on this remarkable journey with the new team behind The Treasure House Fair.
We take great pride in sharing The Treasure House Fair's vision of bridging tradition and innovation, fostering an art collective, and embracing bespoke lifestyle experiences.
What advice would you give to people visiting the fair for the first time?
The Treasure House Fair offers an intimate and charming setting, brimming with delightful surprises. Beyond its remarkable museum-quality exhibits, the fair also presents an array of truly impressive culinary delights and exquisite wine selections, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to the event.
At booth 106, we will present a collection of Chinese contemporary artworks by master artists and a new generation of talents, where the dialogue between tradition and innovation flourishes, creating a harmonious blend that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. Whether you're captivated by the dynamic energy of a contemporary painting or the serene beauty of a sculptural piece, our collection is a testament to the diverse expressions of human creativity.
Ma Desheng, One Heart, 2009. 150 x 250 cm. Acrylic on canvas
Courtesy of the Artist
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