LAPADA, The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers has unveiled the entries for this year’s LAPADA Country Life Object of the Year and the selection of the first shortlist of thirty from the total fifty plus entries has been arrived at which must have been an extremely difficult task given the quality of the entries this year.

The thirty shortlisted entries will be vetted and this list will be winnowed to twelve entries for the final shortlist which will be previewed on Country Life web site and in the magazine with a full report on 23 May 2012. The finalists selected will be displayed at the Country Life-LAPADA Object of the Year Stand at the Olympia International Fine Art and Antiques Fair 7-17 June 2012. The winner will be announced during the Fair on 12 June at 12 noon.

The group of experts on the judging panel includes Dr Paul Atterbury and John Bly, both well-known from the BBC Antiques Roadshow; Tim Knox Director of the Sir John Soane Museum, and Tessa Murdoch of the V&A, a specialist in sculpture and metalwork.

Last year the People's Vote on the Object of the Year web site was a huge success and it is time for you to once again select your favourite piece of history from the extraordinary group of objects!

The criteria for member dealers of LAPADA is to submit a rare or unusual item, not necessarily of great financial worth but of historic interest. The People’s Choice web site is a great read for anyone interested in the art and antiques panorama because each member must not only provide extensive background to the object but must also explain why he or she believes their entry is indeed object of the year. The provenance of these items, some of which is quite personal and moving, see our editorial on Patrick Macintosh’s great uncle’s Olympic medal, tell us much about the habits and interests of our predecessors.

See Trade Roundabout for a preview list of some exceptional items

To vote for your Object of the Year in the People Choice please visit LAPADA Country Life Object of the Year People's Choice

With prices from £10 to £100,000, The Annual Buxton Antiques Fair from 17-20 May 2012 is a place for connoisseurs and collectors and an important event in the cultural calendar of the Peak District. Supported by the Buxton Opera House the four day fair enjoys a national status and is recognised as one the most important events of its kind outside London. The Buxton Antiques Fair is distinguished by its wide variety of high quality exhibits, from early English and Continental furniture and works of art from the 18th century to 20th century to fine pottery and porcelain, silver, jewellery, watches, metalwork, glass, sculpture, samplers, folk art and much more.

Organiser Sue Ede of Cooper Fairs told us “The Buxton Fair has an immense charm and a unique appeal to serious collectors. We seek to indulge the most discriminating collectors and first-time buyers. Last year leading art specialists Haynes Fine Art sold a number of important paintings including an important 19th century oil for in excess of £60,000.”

Among the specialist exhibitors will be Paraphernalia Decorative Arts from Buxton, specialising in Arts & Crafts furniture and lighting; Richard Glass from Derbyshire with Old Master drawings, John Newton from East Yorkshire, showing fine porcelain; Garth Vincent from Lincolnshire, with a selection of antique arms and armour; early English pottery on the stand of Roger de Ville from Staffordshire; Persian and Oriental carpets and rugs from M.& N.Rugs from Manchester;. Among the jewellery specialists, Shapiro & Co. from London promise a glittering display of Russian and French pieces including pieces by Faberge.
New for this year are J. Collins & Son, Devon – period furniture and paintings. Julian Eade, Oxfordshire – fine porcelain, Mayflower Antiques, Worcestershire – fine silver and boxes, Cloud Gallery, Cheshire – contemporary art, Eastdale Antiques Shropshire – period silver and Price Davies Fine Art, London – 19th and 20th century paintings and watercolours.

Images:
Regulars returning include Peter Bunting Antiques, Derbyshire – early English furniture.
S & S Timms, Bedfordshire – period furniture specialist. Image shows a delightful mid 19th century papier mache tray with painted and gilded decoration priced at £1650 from a wide selection of fine furniture and accessories from this hardworking dealer seen at many of the premier fairs across the UK.

Arthur Swallow Fairs’ first dedicated Home, Restoration & Salvage Show on 19 and 20 May 2012 – less than one week and counting ...

The first Home, Restoration and Salvage Show, at Ripley Castle (near Harrogate) for organisers of Lincoln and Donnington big fairs has been a long time in the planning.

Organiser Richard Burgoin told our roving reporter Ivor Hughes: “Although it’s been maybe a year now since we announced our intention to hold a dedicated fair the conception, research and planning go back much further. It’s been frustrating at times, but the event is now only one week away. Marc and I are delighted to have secured such an ideal venue – and pleased that we were able to agree co-promotion of our events with Thornton Kay of SALVO.

“This is the first time that this kind of event has been held outside the south of England and media interest has been incredible at both local and national level. We are confident that Ripley Castle will be a success for both trade and public alike, and a valuable springboard for its sister event at Cheshire County Showground, Knutsford, on 18/19 August – also a first in the northwest.”

Owner of the triplane shown in our image, Chris Holmes Antiques and Interiors of Harrogate, is one of a number of local dealers delighted to have a show on their doorstep; “Yes, the proximity makes exhibiting – and restocking – that much easier. But the event will also be a wonderful showcase for the local trade.”

Deadline for booking pitches is 15 May as is registration for free tickets to the trade preview on the Friday (18 May) via Tickets at AS Fairs

For dates and times see Arthur Swallow Fairs web site via TRADE INDEX

LUTON’S most expensive historical artefact has been stolen from Stockwood Discovery Centre.

The Wenlok Jug, a very rare example of metalwork that can be associated with royalty from the 1400s, was on display in a high security display cabinet at the Stockwood Park centre when it was stolen during a burglary on Saturday night.

Theives struck between 11pm and 11.25pm.

The bronze artefact, pictured, is 31.5cm in height, weighs 6.1kgs and is decorated with coats of arms, badges and is inscribed with the words “MY LORD WENLOK”.

Anyone with information relating to this incident should contact Beds Police on 101, send a text message to 07786 200011 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Snapped by Antiques are Green founder Nigel Worboys of Worboys Antiques at Kempton Park Antiques Fair early in the morning on 8 May 2012, Harry Stiles of boy band One Direction currently topping the charts in the US and a product of Simon Cowell's X- Factor tv show, loading his finds from the fair into a big van.

Harry bought among other things a large chest of drawers and was happy to be snapped by Nigel keen to prove that the young crowd really are buying up good value antiques - nice one Harry!

Italian born Laura Bordignon has been appointed as the new Chairman of the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair. Laura has been exhibiting at the Fair since 2001 and has been a Director since 2009.

An antiques dealer since 1991, Laura Bordignon began specialising in Japanese art in 1997 and became a member of the British Antique Dealer’s Association in 2000. Since
then many collectors worldwide have consulted her for guidance on expanding their existing collections, or to start new ones.

Laura Bordignon said, "It is a tremendous honour to have become Chairman of the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair. It has become the best event of its kind in the UK and has established a great reputation for quality that now attracts international buyers. I hope to help build on this during my time as Chairman of the Fair."

The next BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair will take place from 13-19 March 2013.

Founded in 1971 by Michael and Patricia Oxley, PA Oxley Antique Clocks is a true family firm with son Christopher Oxley showing how the next generation of the family is taking this respected business into the 21st century with a state of the art web site and full panoply of social media presence.

Christopher keeps a very prominent presence on Twitter and Facebook and their Twitter account - Twitter account and web site recently under the scrutiny of Theo Paphitis of BBC TV's Dragon Den during his weekly selection of six new members for his Twitter based Small Business Sunday Club. Theo was clearly impressed and chose the business with five others from a list of five hundred, to join the club. Each week, on a Sunday between 5:00-7:30 he reviews over five hundred tweets during this period from small businesses and retweets his top six.

LAPADA and WEADA members, P A Oxley have recently acquired a number of locally made clocks and barometers including a spectacular Chinoiserie longcase clock by William Harris of Chippenham, Wiltshire which is fine and rare example of a provincial quarter striking and musical long case clock.

The 6 pillar three train movement striking the quarters on eight bells and the hour on a further bell. The brass dial with separate silvered brass chapter ring, engraved silvered centre and enclosed by four brass spandrels. The arch with a silvered brass cartouche engraved with the tune title, The Happy Clown. The London made green lacquer case with gilt chinoiseries to trunk and base. The hood with separate brass capped angle pillars and with broken arch top with sound fret below, standing 7ft 6 ins tall with a ticket price of £17500.

A few miles along the A4 is the town of Royal Wootten Basset and this is where the fine mahogany wheel barometer by Pozzi & Co of Wootton Bassett was made c1815 long before the town was awarded its Royal Warrant.

The 8" diameter silvered brass scale calibrated from 28" to 31" and engraved with usual weather indicators. The glazed cover with concave cast brass bezel. The silvered brass thermometer scale calibrated from 10º to 110º Fahrenheit. The mahogany case with boxwood edge stringing, crossbanded sides and inlaid with shells and flowers. The broken architectural top with central brass acorn finial. Priced at £1,850, height 39".

For the full range of clocks and barometers see P A Oxley Antique Clocks web site via TRADE INDEX

Sky Arts is looking for contestants to take part in a brand new antiques television games show. The show is a national competition, and teams of made up of 2 contestants will compete to win valuable antiques and for a place in the final, where the ultimate winner will be named the best amateur antiques brain in Britain!

Sky Arts promise that the programme will be a lot of fun to film, and they are hoping to attract people with a genuine knowledge and interest in antiques. The show will celebrate antiques which have artistic or design merit and each week there will a showcase feature of many beautiful items delving into the social history of the familiar objects we have shared our homes with across the centuries and the show will use some spectacular country houses for the series including Squerryes Court (shown).

The show will feature genuine antiques and collectibles of distinction from the Georgian, Victorian, Pre War and Post War periods and the producers would also like to hear from any interested dealers or collectors who would like us to feature their objects.

If you are interested please apply as soon as possible to To apply, go to ITN Antiques or email us for an application form at Antiques House ITN

We are delighted to announce that our favourite antiques and collectibles expert Mark Hill is back on BBC 2 with a brand new show Antiques Uncovered" which airs on Wednesday 2, 9 and 16 May 2012 at 8pm.

He will be co-presenting a with Dr Lucy Worsley (images shows Mark and Lucy) and the show focuses on the social history, collecting, and creation of antiques, rather than viewing antiques purely as financial commodities. Lucy is well known from her numerous history series including ‘If Walls Could Talk‘ for BBC4.

Mark explains the brief of the new show: "When we look at an antique, many of us don’t look much beyond its surface beauty and appearance, apart from perhaps questioning its value. Some started life as practical objects, whilst others were purely for decoration and an expression of wealth. But whether they’re from a stately home or a ‘two-up two-down’, they unlock a fascinating history of the way we lived – then and now.

Lucy is going to uncover the stories behind some of these remarkable objects and how they relate to our lives today. I’ll be looking at why some items have become priceless, while others will become the collectables of tomorrow.

Along the way we’ll meet the historians and curators who preserve these pieces, the highly skilled craftspeople who still make them, and the passionate people who collect them.

Mark will be exhibiting for the first time wearing a dealer's hat at The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair from 24-29 April 2012 with his collection of some classic designs by many of the greatest and most influential designers in postwar Czech glass design which is a natural progression for Mark who wrote the best selling Hi Sklo Low Sklo - Czech Glass Design From Masterpiece to Mass-Produced. Mark told us: "I'm particularly delighted to be offering a small selection of these fantastic but scarce cased and cut vases designed c1968 by Ladislav Oliva for Exbor at around £400 depending on shape and design." (shown)

See Trade Roundabout for details of the Thames Valley Antique Dealers' Association Antiques, Decorative and Fine Art Fair 11-13 May 2012

The Christophe Edwards and Andrew Webb Gallery are excited to announce ‘The Nile Style,’ an exhibition of Egyptian influenced furniture and objects dating from 1000 BC to the 1970’s. The collection began three years ago when Andrew Webb discovered a collection of English panels from the 1920’s depicting The Ancient Book of the Dead of Ani.

Fourteen metres in total, the panels would have been part of an important interior decorative scheme. Christophe and Andrew were sufficiently excited by the find to decide to mount a room set around them leading to the creation of the Egyptian themed exhibition which will be held at their gallery at Core One Antiques in Fulham, London SW6 with a private preview at 6pm 28 June 2012 with the exhibition running until 5 July 2012.

The collection now includes amongst other things a wonderful over scale mahogany bookcase, (shown) two daybeds that once formed part of Cecil B. DeMille’s prop collection and a 19th century museum plaster cast of a sacred cow from the late Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664 BC- 525BC.)

Christophe told Antiques News and Fairs: “I love the timeless quality of ancient Egyptian design and how its appeal has been interpreted through the ages. This exhibition has allowed us the opportunity to show the adaptability and versatility of fine Egyptian art. This has been a three year project and everything in the exhibition Andrew and I have hand picked based on high end design, expert craftsmanship and in some cases, its quirkiness and wit. We have covered everything from ancient Egyptian artifacts to a 1970's coffee table.”

At the Spring Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair from 24-29 April 2012 in Battersea Park, London SW, regular exhibitor art dealer Robert Barley will create one of his popular garden displays celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee. Expect a traditional idea, but with a difference; he will be incorporating quirky objects and elements of sculpture that this premier decorative event has been known for since it was founded in 1985 to cater to needs of the design community.

Around 140 antiques dealers and specialists in antiques and 20th century design gather from around the UK and Europe to exhibit a well-curated selection of stock with the emphasis on pieces for interior decoration. With such a wide selection of the best examples under one roof, customers save time in trawling the countryside or internet for choice vintage or antique design.

Affordable decorative accessories rub shoulders with fine Georgian furniture which at the Winter event which closed on 29 January 2012, showed a big spike in sales. Traditional mahogany and other dark wood furniture including Regency breakfast tables, mahogany bookcases and period upholstered pieces, decorated European commodes and cupboards were holding their own against the lighter wood and painted pieces which sold in great numbers.

The Spring Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair entices buyers seeking a wealth of opportunities to search out unusual antique and vintage garden ornament, an important element of the Fair. Statuary, urns and planters, stoneware, architectural elements, seating and smaller decorative items will be on sale in abundance.

Images:
A C19th red sandstone carving of a leaf on a panelled scagliola column priced at £1250 & a pair of Arts and Crafts obelisks with carved detail on each face, possibly American priced at £1950 the pair from Nick Mellors Decorative

A C19th carved marble twin seat bench in the Middle Eastern manner with inlaid lozenge panels to the centres of the back with carved lion arm rests on end supports. Price on application from J W Blanchard

A Pair of Italian basket weave terracotta urns circa 1870
country Italy priced at £1150 from Christopher Jones Antiques

An unusual oval composit stone planter priced at £138 from Fontaine Decorative

For a full exhibitor list and times see The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair via TRADE INDEX

The National Glass Fair has now been twice a year since 1989 and has expanded from twenty-eight exhibitors to the current one hundred at each event.

The next National Glass Fair at the National Motorcycle Museum and takes place on Sunday 6 May 2012. With some of the most respected and experienced glass dealers in the UK the event is a must see for serious collectors and trade alike who come to see a host of loyal exhibitors - some of whom only ever exhibit at this event.

The wide variety of glass on offer is sold by general glass dealers, as well as exhibitors specialising solely in the glass of one specific type or period. For instance, the fair regularly features exhibitors specialising in Whitefriars glass or Scandinavian and Italian Art glass from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The fair also boasts some of the UK’s most prestigious 18th century drinking glass dealers, as well as specialists in decorative Victorian glass, paperweights and contemporary Studio glass.

In recent years there has been a bit of a buzz surrounding Michael Harris and the glassware he produced for Mdina. Signed pieces are especially desirable and hard to come by, so one of the highlights of the next National Glass Fair will undoubtedly be a fantastic Crizzle Stone vase (shown) that will be offered for sale by long standing exhibitor Mark Newsum. The vase was made in 1971 and signed by Michael Harris. Further examples of quality 20th century art glass will be offered for sale by the likes of Ron Wheeler and Stephen Hazell-Smith; with Heart of Glass and Glass Geometric bridging the gap between 20th century art glass and the work of contemporary glass artists.

In addition to the glass offered for sale the fair will also feature an exhibition of commemorative glass that celebrates the various Royal jubilees, from Queen Victoria through to the present Queen's coronation. The exhibition has been organised by the The Glass Association and should feature around 100 pieces of glass drawn from several collections.

The next National Glass Fair will also see the launch of a new book on hyacinth bulb vases. Patricia Coccoris' 'The Curious History of the Bulb Vase' catalogues the diverse range of bulb vases manufactured in Great Britain from the mid-18th century to the present day.

This is glass on a grand scale with a broad mix of quality dealers, occupying three exhibition spaces and offering a wide variety of glass of all periods but if you have the time the venue is ideally located near to historic attractions associated with the decorative glass industry including The Red House Glass Cone and Broadfield Houses Glass Museum.

Images:

1. Stevens and Williams sulphide flask made for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 which will be featured in the Glass Association exhibition at the fair

2.Crizzle Stone vase by Michael Harris which will be sold by Newsum Antiques at the fair.

For more information and times see The National Glass Fair web site via TRADE INDEX

The Harrogate Antiques and Fine Art Fair at the Harrogate International Centre from 3-7 May 2012 enjoys a special position in the social calendar of the smart northern spa town of Harrogate. A well appointed venue and an elite list of exhibitors from the premier antique dealers associations The BADA and LAPADA together with a Gala Charity Evening on 3 May to raise money for their chosen charity Motor Neurone Disease Association ensures that it does what it says on the tin and provides an exceptional and very well established antiques fair which does not aim to surprise but to fulfil its standing as the northern showcase for the exhibitors involved.

Showing fine art will be Walker Galleries of Harrogate, Haynes Fine Art of Broadway,and Rowles Fine Art. Specialist company Art of the Imagination are returning with their stunning illustrations. Fine jewellery will be represented by Howards of Stratford, St James Antiques of Manchester, Sheldon Shapiro and Licht & Morrison of Mayfair. Silver will be shown by Jack Shaw & Co from Ilkley and Vine Antique and Edward Burd are back with their fascinating range of clocks and barometers.

There will be pottery and porcelain from Roger de Ville, John Newton and Philip Carrol and furniture from Millington Adams, S & S Timms and Church Street Antiques and period glass from Mark West.

Images

Mark West Glass A crystal glass jug enamelled in Islamic style Fritz Heckert, Germany c.1880
S & S Timms Antiques An extremely unusual mid 19th century walnut pair of canterburies having gothic type dividers and turned fluted upright supports terminating on original brass castors
Garth Vincent Arms and Armour A fine cased pair of flintlock duelling pistols by Knubley, Circa 1790. with octagonal swamped browned twist barrels signed on the top-flat, with gold line at the breech and gold lined touch-holes, finely engraved tang incorporating back-sight, signed engraved bevelled lock with engraved safety catch, stepped tail, figured walnut full-stocks, the butts with characteristic chequering, finely engraved iron mounts, horn tipped ramrods, one with worm: in original fitted mahogany case. The trade label is a replacement.

For a full exhibitor list and times see Harrogate Antiques & Fine Art Fair web site via TRADE INDEX

An original painting on celluloid by Walt Disney in 1940, depicting a moment from the award-winning children's movie, Pinocchio, goes on sale at The Tatton Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair, 27 - 29 April 2012. It will be priced in the region of £19,500.

Belonging to David Smith of from London, the cell is an extremely rare original work by the Disney originator, and is certain to attract fans and collectors of Disney art and memorabilia. The work measures 18 x 16ins and is clearly signed by Walt Disney in bold green crayon on its mount. It is offered with a complete history tracing it back to the Disney studios. Pinocchio won two Academy Awards, one for Best Original Score and one for Best Original Song for the song "When You Wish upon a Star".

This popular event, organized by Cooper Events will host forty-five exhibitors offering a huge variety of enticing objects: a Victorian engraving for less than £30 to more than £10,000 for the finest oil paintings. A wide range of pottery, porcelain, glass, Oriental artifacts, scent bottles, oil and watercolour paintings, engravings, silver, jewellery, tapestries, and all kinds of fabulous objets d’art will be on sale.

For times and full exhibitor list see Tatton Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair via TRADE INDEX

April and October IACF International Antiques & Collectors' Fairs are the busiest of the six fairs at Newark Showground. This year’s April event, most unusually, fell in Easter week. One exhibitor delighted to be there was Debbie Woodhouse of Doll Collectiques. It had already been a busy week for Debbie – on the preceding Sunday she had run her own dedicated doll and teddy fair in Leeds. Also a regular at IACF Ardingly and Shepton Mallett, Debbie told Antiques News and Fairs: “Newark is always good for us. Today has been no exception – we’ve done very well this morning, very well.”

The next IACF events are on 25 and 25 April (Ardingly), 11 to 13 May (Shepton Mallet) and 28 May (Swinderby). The next IACF Newark is on 21 and 22 June 2012. All details via IACF web site via TRADE INDEX

There is something for everyone at Arthur Swallow Fairs three day 2000+ stand indoor-outdoor event at Lincoln County Showground. There has been a greater choice of high-end vintage fashion since last year, when Jill Barron of Butterfly Girl Vintage in her mobile shop (a converted library van) became a regular exhibitor. Jill told us “I stand at dedicated vintage events in the South of England and find Lincoln a refreshing change. There isn’t the same concentration of competition and it has opened up an entirely new market for me.”

Meanwhile, organisers Marc and Richard Burgoin were looking forward to their first dedicated Home, Restoration and Salvage Show at Ripley Castle (Harrogate) on 19 and 20 May 2012. Marc said: “We’re really looking forward to the new event. It has generated a lot of interest outside the mainstream antiques press and we are looking forward to attracting a lot of newcomers.”

For times and information see Arthur Swallow Fairs via TRADE INDEX

The most important collection of earliest-known Windsor chairs ever publicly displayed, comprising some 35 of the finest 18th century examples, will be shown from 6-31 May 2012. The exhibition will be called Windsors at Wycombe and will be held at West Wycombe Park (National Trust). The area around the nearby town of High Wycombe has been synonymous with the manufacture of Windsor chairs from the late 18th to the mid-20th century. The chairs are on loan from public and private collections.

Among exhibits curated by Michael Harding-Hill of The Windsor Chair Company and Robert Parrott will be:

Captain Cook's comb-back Forest chair. It travelled with Cook on his last voyage, dating the chair to c1776. (Trinity House Collection)
A painted 'Pitt-type' comb-back, mid-C18th, one of five or six identified as by John Pitt (1714-1759), the earliest-known Windsor chair maker who worked in Upton-cum-Chalvey, now part of Slough. (Wycombe Museum)
An unusual bow-back chair with ribbon slats, c1770s (Private Collection)

Cambridgeshire police have launched an investigation after a group of eighteen Chinese works of art were stolen from the The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

A group of people were involved in a break-in at the museum in Trumpington Street at approximately 7.30pm on Friday 13 April 2012. The items stolen are mostly jade and part of the museum's permanent collection.

Forensic examinations have been carried out at the scene and CCTV footage is being examined.

Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Daber, who is leading the investigation, called Operation Tundra, said: "The items stolen are very valuable and are of great cultural significance so we are absolutely committed to recovering them and bringing those who stole them to justice."

A spokesperson for the Fitzwilliam Museum said: "These works are a highly important part of our collection and their loss is a great blow. We are working closely with the police to aid in their recovery. A thorough review of our security measures is also underway. We urge anyone with information that could help the enquiry to come forward.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

Information can also be reported by email at: Cambridgshire Police

Image shows jade tablescreen one of the stolen items from the museum.

To see the full group of stolen items follow this link:
Fitwilliam Museum

Regional antique dealer associations are currently very busy with the return of established and successful events - West of England Antique Dealers Association, (WEADA), members Dairy House Antiques 3rd Annual Vintage Textiles and Costume Day, 15 April, 2012 and Thames Valley Antique Dealers' Association, (TVADA) Antiques, Decorative & Art Fair 11-13 May and the debut of a major new fair for Cotswolds Art and Antique Dealerss Association (CADA), to be held at Blenheim Palace from 20-22 April.

Antiques News and Fairs will be keeping up to date with the association news on Trade Roundabout and we begin today with details of the 3rd Annual Vintage Textiles and Costume Day at Dairy House Antiques.

Please Email Antiques News & Fairs with any news from the UK antique dealers' associations.

See Trade Roundabout

Those of us at the LAPADA conference on Tuesday 26 February 2012 were witness to a real call to arms when art dealer Niall Fairhead took to the stage to make an pithy, impassioned and not entirely untheatrical plea for support for the campaign to fight the recent extension of the levy charged under The Artists’ Resale Right legislation.

Mr Fairhead's energetic and heartfelt presentation had the delegates rapt attention and we wish him luck with the campaign which does seem to have galvanised the trade and has already caught the eye of the art world and now Niall is appealing to the trade at large to go on line and sign the petition with the aim of getting at least 20,000 signatures.

Niall told Antiques News and Fairs “We are very grateful if you have already signed the petition but it is not just one signature we need - we need 20,000! Please get all your friends, family, clients and employees who disagree with the ARR extension, to sign. Please do everything you can to resist the threat and to fight it!

Another speaker at the conference and expert on the subject, Ivan Macquisten of The Antiques Trade Gazette told delegates that the campaign has been hampered a little by the unweildy amount of detailed information attached to the legislation (some features of which are as yet unresolved). Following on from this Antiques News and Fairs asked Mr Fairhead to provide us with a selection of concise role playing episodes which you can see via Features - Artists Resale Right and we hope the engaging feature will clarify some of the cloudy issues affecting the trade.

To sign the petition please click on the logo for the campaign and please leave your comments.

Which camp do you belong in? Does Damien Hirst or the very thought of him bring you out in a cold sweat? Do dots make you cry? Or are you one of those Brian Sewell aficionados who thinks art belongs on a canvas and in recognisable form? If the answer to these questions is yes and you are over 60 and you consider yourself artistically capable, then why not enter the new Oldie British Artists Award created by The Oldie and specialist heritage fine art insurer Ecclesiastical.

Editor of The Oldie, Richard Ingrams says of the new award: "We are all familiar with rooms full of formaldehyde and rotting meat and sump oil and exploding sheds. So we thought it was high time that the art world was encouraged to produce a spot of painting. Let’s hope the OBA Award does just that."

THE OBA, which has a prize of £5,000, is being launched as a counterblast to the unmade beds of the YBAs (Young British Artists), to celebrate figurative art: pictures which are recognisably derived from the real world.

Acclaimed artist Maggi Hambling has agreed to chair the judging panel which also includes editor of The Oldie Richard Ingrams, Huon Mallalieu, Philip Athill of the Abbott and Holder Gallery, and Clare Pardy of Ecclesiastical Insurance.

The winner will be announced and presented with the OBA at a ceremony on 16th October 2012 at the English Speaking Union, 37 Charles St, London W1. Additionally, Abbott and Holder in Museum Street will host an exhibition of the winning artist’s work.

For details on how to enter click on the image above.

The 17th Annual Chelsea Art Fair takes place at Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, from 20th – 22nd April 2012. Sculpture, paintings, prints and ceramics by leading artists from the past 100 year will feature together with exciting new works by contemporary painters and designers.

"It’s a feast of colour and inspiration,’ explains organiser Caroline Penman, ‘with all kinds of traditional and challenging works on display and at prices to suit every pocket.’ With forty galleries showing, this annual event is a regular highlight of the art scene in London in the spring.

One of London’s most popular art events, the Chelsea Art Fair attracts collectors of all ages and tastes, from connoisseurs looking for the latest works by established artists to first-time buyers looking to invest less than £200 in breaking contemporary art. Prices range from less than £50 for sketches and signed engravings to more than £20,000 for the latest works by well-known artists.

London dealers include Quantum Contemporary Art with abstract, figurative and landscape works; Eleven and a Half, with Cornish artists, Enid Lawson Gallery, featuring works by Susan Ashworth, Richard Burel, Chris Daynes and David Farrant, Caroline Farmiloe Fine Art with works by Carol McDermott, Endre Roder and David Paul Gleeson, The Russell Gallery, with paintings by Sarah Bowman, Neale Worley and Richard Pikesley; and The Rae Smith Gallery with works by well known cartoonists and illustrators.

Well known provincial galleries include David Genty Fine Art from Tonbridge, Cube Galleries from Bristol, Contemporary Fine Art Gallery, Eton, Cameron Contemporary Arts from Brighton, McAllister Thomas from Godalming, Bohemia
Galleries from York, Art World from the Cotswolds, Wren Gallery from Burford, White Space Art from Totnes, Gallery Perutz from Calstone, John Iddon from Richmond and Lighthouse Gallery from Penzance.

Images:

Sweet Peas, an oil on canvas by Sarah Bowman, from White Space Art, the Totnes gallery

Eventail Rouge by Wang Gang, a well know Chinese artist based in Paris. Oil on Linen - Size 120x60 cm. £3000. To be shown by The Marigold Gallery

For full exhibitor list and times see Chelsea Art Fair web site via TRADE INDEX

The 17th Naworth Castle Antiques Fair organised by Galloway Fairs from 20 -22 April 2012 not only brings together a fine selection of dealers from across the UK but also offers visitors a unique chance to step inside the romantic medieval Naworth Castle near Brampton, Carlisle set in rugged countryside not far from Hadrian’s Wall, as the venue is not normally open to the public.

The fair is spread throughout the castle including the Great Hall, The Library and The Dining Room and visitors will see many familiar faces exhibiting including Jo Brayshaw and Jane Kirsopp Reed, Mike Melody, Just Glass, Angling Antiques, Bottlebrook Antiques, J.
Dickinson, and Art of The Imagination. Among the new faces this time will be Art Nouvocative from Kent who will be selling a fantastic selection of Art Nouveau And Arts and Crafts items by leading designers such as Archibald Knox, Alvin Muller and Hugo Leven. D & M Chaddock of Cheshire will have a great selection of copper and brass fireside furniture and 19th / 20th century ceramics. Plaza also of Cheshire will join the other jewellers at the fair, Brieve, Once Upon a Time, Scarab and Anderson Jones. Lancashire dealer Lancaster House will be selling clocks, paintings, furniture and decorative items and Plumbs Fine Art of Shropshire will be selling antique and contemporary art and bronze sculpture. Highland Antiques from Aberdeen will be bringing a great selection of silver, Scottish provincial being his speciality.

Images:
A painting titled ‘Lost Sheep’ by Walter Hunt who exhibited between 1861 – 1941 will be available from Plumbs Fine Art.

A very pretty gold brooch in the shape of a basket of flowers made c1950. The flowers themselves are a multigem set consisting of tourmalines, garnets, pearls, amethysts, citrines, aquamarines and topaz. This will be available from Plaza

c.1990's heart shaped designer 18ct white & yellow gold opal & diamond pendant and chain.

New chairman of the Cotswolds Antiques Dealers' Association (CADA)pottery dealer John Howard of Woodstock has pulled off soemething of a coup by securing World Heritage site and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace, for the first ever Cotswolds Antiques and Art Dealers Antiqus Fair.

The event will be the first ever antiques fair to take place at Blenheim and free entry to the grounds will be included with the ticket which is downloadable from the CADA web site.

See Antiques News & Fairs - TRADE ROUNDABOUT for a preview and images.

Image: ANTIQUE STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERY SPANIEL HEAD STIRRUP CUP (c. 1840 Staffordshire)from John Howard.

Regular contributor to Antiques News and Fairs, George Johnson of Lady Kentmores Antiques has been out and about in the Stirling area of Scotland putting togther the first of a series of two-day antiques trails. George is blessed with local knowledge as his own shop is in the scenic town of Callandar in Stirling and he has revealed some of his secret sources and some unmissable sights along the way and he has not forgotten tips for the essential on the road activity of eating and drinking. See Antiques Trail - North of the Border.

Antiques for Everyone at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham from 12-15 April 2012 is one of the largest and most popular vetted and datelined fair in Britain with more than 20,000 visitors over four hectic days, and three hundred dealers selling a huge variety of desirable objects, furniture and works of art designed to appeal to a broad market living up to its name - Antiques for Everyone. With prices from less than £10 to more than £50,000, elegance, diversity and scale is guaranteed for collectors, homemakers and trade alike.

Collector's treasures from the Renaissance, the Georgian Age of Elegance, the Edwardian period of the hugely popular television series "Downton Abbey" and the chic Art Deco style of the Roaring Twenties will be a particular feature at the fair responding to the popularity of current television programmes and the plush room-set and gallery style displays which run adjacent to rows of the eye-catching specialist and general stands will be devoted to a Downton Abbey theme for this first event of three this year.

Fine period furniture continues to be a major attraction with leading specialists including Yellow Lantern Antiques from Hove, S & S.Timms from Bedfordshire Antiques, Mark Buckley Antiques from Yorkshire showing a range of 18th and 19th century smart mahogany and rosewood pieces including sets of chairs, dining tables, bookcases, dressers and chests. Mark Seabrook Antiques from Cambridgeshire specialises in oak and country pieces ideal for the farmhouse or country cottage, so too Melody Antiques from Chester. Le Style 25 has pristine 1920’s and ‘30s walnut and rosewood furniture in typical Art Deco style, with cocktail cabinets, lounge and bedroom suites.

Specialist ceramics and glass dealers gather at the fair, providing one of most important magnets in Britain for pottery and porcelain collectors. David Scriven Antiques from Cheltenham, John Newton from East Yorkshire, Julian Eade from Oxfordshire all specialise in fine 18th and 19th century porcelain. Roger de Ville from Staffordshire and John Howard from Woodstock show early English pottery, including figures by Elijah and Ralph Wood, while Catherine Hunt specialises in early Chinese Blue and White from 1500 to 1900. Wayne Hopton from Devon specialises in Moorcroft while Andrew Muir from Birmingham shows a superb range of Clarice Cliff pieces.

The fair is also a showcase of specialists in the European Decorative Arts Movement, including English and Continental Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Hickmet Fine Art from London has items of the finest design by sculptors and artists including Emile Galle, Rene Lalique, Ferdinand Priess and Demetre Chiparus. Titus Omega, also from London, specialises in silver and will be showing pieces by Liberty, WMF and Dr Christopher Dresser. M. & D. Moir has a range of Gallé and Lalique glass.

Fine art galleries provide a wide choice of styles and periods. Among the leading exhibitors in Section One will be Callaghan Fine Paintings, Benton Fine Art, Art of the Imagination, Cambridge Fine Art, Art World, Baron Fine Art and Saunders Fine Art who present large displays of late 19th and 20th century paintings by well-known artists including Helen Bradley, Beryl Cook, Montague J Dawson, William Lee Hankey, Alfred de Breanski, Edgar Hunt, William Henry Mander, Antoine Bouvard, Claude Cardon, Eugene Galien Laloue, Cecil Kennedy and Dorothea Sharp.

Across the fair there are specialists in almost every collecting area: Persian and Oriental carpets, Folk art and samplers, French and English dolls and toys, English and Continental glass, stonework, farming tools, kitchen antiques, etchings, arms and armour, mezzotints and antiquarian maps, fireside metalwork, portrait miniatures, Japanese Imari, original cartoon artwork, clocks, watches, barometers, original book illustrations, fine silver, 19th and 20th century jewellery and all kinds of decorative collectables.

Images:

*A Very Rare Pair Of Early 18th Century Mahogany Linen Presses with beautifully figured oval panelled doors standing on elegant original splay feet priced at £18800 from S&S Timms Antiques
*A cylinder musical box by Paillard Vaucher Fils (P.V.F) of St. Croix, Switzerland, playing 10 airs as listed on original tune sheet circa 1885. From Steve Kember, musical box specialist.
*Abstract work by Birmingham artist William Gear, dated 1957. From Edge FIne Art.
*Two Khmer pots, around 2,000 years old, from Mark J.West Antiques.
*A group of early Welsh rushlights, from newcomers Country Oak Antiques.
*An extremely rare and large Liberty's silver and enamel rose bowl was made and hallmarked in Birmingham in 1902 and marked Cymric Liberty priced at £9,500, from Eastdale Antiques.
*Flowers in a Vase, by Harold Clayton (1896-1979), oil painting, to be shown by Benton Fine Art.

For a full exhibitor list see Antiques for Everyone web site via TRADE INDEX

Tireless BBC Antiques Roadshow antiques experts and busy best selling authors Judith Miller and Mark Hill will again be at Antiques for Everyone at the NEC Birmingham from 12-15 April 2012 creating a buzz with the public when they pick some favourite pieces from the exhibitors' stands as subjects for a series of daily talks.

Judith told Antiques News and Fairs: "Mark and I will be hosting special talks, one each, once every day, in which we’ll talk about our favourite pieces from the fair, share our advice about buying antiques and answer any questions. For those who can’t make it to the talk, Mark and I also have our own stand (G36) where we’ll be selling and signing the brand new ‘Collectables Handbook 2012-2013’. We’ll also have a variety of other Miller’s books, including the ‘Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2012-2013’ and my ‘Costume Jewellery’ book, which I’ll also be very happy to sign."

Mark will soon be changing to the other side of the exhibitor stand when he appears at The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair at Battersea from 24-29 April 2012 making his debut selling some classic designs by many of the greatest and most influential designers in postwar Czech glass design including Vladimir Zahour, Pavel Hlava, Ladislav Oliva, Karel Wünsch, Frantisek Vizner, and Jirí Suhájek. Prices range from £65 to £1,800, This choice is a natural progression for Mark who wrote the best selling Hi Sklo Low Sklo - Czech Glass Design From Masterpiece to Mass-Produced and he will also be selling copies of his books including those on postwar Czech glass design (£20), and 'Fat Lava' West German pottery (£18). Mark told us: "I'm particularly delighted to be offering a small selection of these fantastic but scarce cased and cut vases designed c1968 by Ladislav Oliva for Exbor at around £400 depending on shape and design." (shown)

See Antiques for Everyone and Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair via TRADE INDEX

BBC Antiques Roadshow antique clock expert Richard Price will officially open LAPADA and WEADA members Walton House Antiques in Mere, Wiltshire at 12.30 on Saturday 31 March 2012.

The collaboration is a group of established dealers including Nicholas Arkell each with a wealth of experience in their respective fields. The emphasis is on fine quality antique furniture, silver, fine art, porcelain, militaria and glass at prices that are both realistic and affordable. There are plans for a Contemporary Gallery which will show both art and craft works of the highest quality together with an interior design service.

Superb Arts & Crafts furniture, metalwork, silver and objets d’art will be on sale at The Cotswolds Decorative Antiques & Fine Art Fair at Westonbirt School, near the charming Cotswolds town of Tetbury from 30th March – 1st April.

The Cotswolds and the Arts and Crafts Movement share a close history during the early 20th century when leading Arts and Crafts practitioners were drawn to the Cotswolds by its rich craft tradition, its accessibility to London and Oxford and by the cultivated charm of the landscape. The local architecture served as an inspiration for the numerous large and small buildings undertaken by Arts and Crafts architects.

Regular Cooper Events exhibitor Paraphernalia Decorative Arts, specialist dealers in Arts & Crafts and the Aesthetic Movement, will be showing a range of highly collectable pieces including pieces from leading designers including Ernest Gimson, C.R.Ashbee and C.F.A. Voysey, William Burgess and Dr. Christopher Dresser. Proprietor Steve Bentley promises a selection of furniture, silver and copper pieces, mirrors, lighting and decorative prints.

The Cotswolds region is a honeypot for antiques hunting and the thrice yearly fair organised by Cooper Events offeres visitors a chance to visit the fair and some of the best antiques shops in the country in one hit. Fully booked and offering some forty-eight exhibitors across a wide range of specialities including interior furnishings from Hassan Alabaf from Middlesex specialising in colourful Persian carpets and rugs, English oak and country furniture from Mark Seabrook Antiques from Cambridgeshire; 20th century glass and lighting from Retrospective from Bristol, and 20th century and contemporary paintings from A.J.Art from the Midlands.

The fair offers plenty of choice for collectors, including fine English and Continental porcelain from John Newton Antiques from East Yorkshire, Japanese arts and crafts from Fu Ts'ang Lung Oriental Antiques from Yorkshire and Amelie & Melanie Japanese Antiques & Art from Bristol. Candice Horley from Surrey specialises in early 20th century porcelain and Art Deco prints, Chiltern Antiques offers scientific and medical items, while several dealers offer a range of 19th and 20th century formal and costume jewellery.

Image: Clutha glass liner designed by Archibald Knox, c 1903, with a ticket price of £2750 from Paraphernalia Decorative Arts.

For full exhibitor list and times see Cooper Events web site via TRADE INDEX

It's all the B's for Homemaker Events whose Flea & Vintage Markets are racing along at Bath and Bristol Racecourse and now they have added the new Brighton Flea and Vintage Market at Brighton Racecourse, the perfect location for a giant outdoor flea and vintage market. The first Brighton Flea & Vintage Market takes place at Brighton Racecourse on 3 June 2012 with another one on 16 September 2012.

Organiser Shaun Baker of Homemaker Events has decided on a novel way to launch the new Brighton events by offering stallholders a flat entry fee of £3.00 with no stand fee. With an expected four hundred stalls and the high profile Brighton venue, the fair is likely to attract a big crowd.

For details of Brighton and other Homemaker Events throughout the year see Bath & Bristol Flea and Vintage Markets via TRADE INDEX

Co-chairs Named for Masterpiece London's Inaugural American Committee

New York: Twelve leading galleries from the United States have signed on to exhibit at this summer's Masterpiece London, the yearly art, antiques and design fair renowned for the pre-eminence of its selections. Returning to Masterpiece London are Kentshire Galleries, Michele Beiny, Les Enluminures, Safani Gallery, Elle Shushan, Tambaran Gallery, A La Vielle Russie and The Silver Fund.

First-time participants include The Merrin Gallery, Fred Leighton, Siegelson, and Sperone Westwater, who will share a stand with Alberto di Castro, the Roman dealer, juxtaposing contemporary art with antiques. Says Thomas-Woodham Smith, co-founder and Creative Director of Masterpiece London: "The reputation of these eleven galleries in their respective fields is utterly unsurpassed."

Philip Hewat-Jaboor (shown) has been appointed as (non-Executive) Chairman of Masterpiece London. Thomas Woodham-Smith, co-founder of the fair takes on the role of Creative Director after his two year tenure as Chairman.

Masterpiece London is no ordinary antiques fair but a forum for distinctive design and aesthetic excellence from all around the world. The fair showcases the best of the best in fine and decorative arts, along with premium collectors' items such as classic cars, fine wines, jewelry, and exemplary design. Building on its stunning successes in 2010 and 2011-and in the middle of what promises to be London's most exciting summer ever (centered around both The Olympics and The Queen's Diamond Jubilee) - Masterpiece London returns in 2012 to the South Grounds of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3. Masterpiece London runs from June 28- July 4, 2012. A Preview will take place on June 27.

In addition to the twelve U.S. galleries, Masterpiece London 2012 will also launch the fair's first American Committee. Thomas Woodham-Smith announced that Committee co-chairs include Geoffrey Bradfield, Mario Buatta, Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake, Audrey Gruss, Susan Gutfreund, Scott Snyder, and Rose Tarlow. Says Woodham-Smith: "The participation of these design luminaries on our American Committee is indisputable testimony that Masterpiece London offers one of the most outstanding collections in the world."

See Masterpiece London via TRADE INDEX

Dropping on doormats across the UK (and world) this week is the latest glossy brochure from Richard Gardner Antiques. The production values of this brochure are superb, but we are reliably informed that the investment is always returned with excellent sales from the sumptuous collection each time.

Richard Gardner Antiques have been busy over recent months, not only with their epic move from the enormous premises on Petworth Market Place to a charming Georgian townhouse premises in nearby Chichester, but with their energetic campaign to win “Britain’s Best Antiques Shop” award as part of National Antiques Week.

Richard produced an attractive flyer about voting in the competition to send to clients and to display in the showroom and his efforts have been repaid because the shop is on the shortlist of five for Best Antiques Shop.

Richard will, like all the other shortlisted hopefuls, have to wait until 8 March 2012 when Kirstie Allsopp will announce the final winners at Bath Decorative Antiques Fair. We wish him and the other candidates lots of luck!

Our selection from the latest brochure:
A lovely 19th Century circular gilded convex mirror with ebonised slip, surmounted with a cresting carved eagle with a carved foliate apron.
A Regency ebonised penwork and decorated work table with still life panel to top, printed landscape within the frieze with birds and butterflies, the sabre toed legs with trumpet vine.
A pair of adjustable height brass standard lamps, converted to electricity, with Corinthian columns and stepped bases with lions paw feet.
Adjustable additional height: up to 12 inches / 30.5 cm

For pricing and further information see Richard Gardener Antiques web site via TRADE INDEX

We are delighted to welcome a contribution from the very successful blog (80,000 views a month and counting) of Michael Chappell of Chappell & McCullar - LAPADA members and specialists in fine English furniture in San Francisco.

We love Michael's style and look forward to publishing regular extracts - see Features - The Hollywood Set

The annual British Antique Dealers Antiques and Fine Art Fair opens to the public from 21-27 March 2012 at the Duke of York Square on the Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW3. A showcase for the excellence of one of the world's leading antique dealers' associations, the event is a destination for collectors and visitors who can enjoy a full day of shopping and cultural treats. The Fair’s unique venue, a purpose-built pavilion standing in the heart of Chelsea, provides the perfect setting for both browsers and buyers. Visitors enjoy facilities which are synonymous with the quality of the exhibits for sale: an a la carte lunch menu is offered by top caterers in the Fair’s own Cellini Restaurant with more sparkling refreshment available from the Taittinger Champagne Bar. Shippers are available to advise, pack and ship purchases to anywhere in the world.

One hundred members of the prestigious British Antique Dealers’ Association will exhibit for sale fine furniture, paintings, glittering silver, jewellery, ceramics, textiles and beautiful works of art. From Chippendale to Cartier, Tompion to Turner, there is something for all discerning individuals who share a passion for quality.

Specialist in the field of fine boxes is Hampton Antiques of Northampton who will bring a wonderful and very topical object to the fair, the ‘Titanic’ Vanity Box, circa 1910. A Thuya Silver Gilt Vanity Box by Betjemann & Sons. Retailed by the famous department store B. Altman & Co of New York. This outstanding box was given by Joseph Bruce Ismay (known as Bruce Ismay) director of the White Star Line of steamships (famous for building the Titanic), as a present to his wife Julia Florence Schieffelin. It’s possible that the box was commissioned as a wedding anniversary present. This year, 2012, sees the commemoration of Titanic’s 100th Anniversary.

The box, made from rare Thuya wood (very unusual in these type of boxes) contains a total of twelve silver gilt bottles, a carriage clock all stamped George Betjemann & Sons, and dated 1909 &1910.

Based in Devon, BADA and WEADA members Elford Fine Art specialists in marine and coastal paintings, will bring the painting "White Barque in Carrick Roads" by Henry Scott Tuke, RA, RWS, NEAC and RBA (1858–1929). British. Signed and dated 1896. Oil on canvas, 36.8 x 58.4 cm (145 x 23 in). Tuke’s Register No. R237. Provenance: Private collection, UK. Exhibited: Ridley Art Club, 1896.

S & S Timms of Bedfordshire dealers in period English furniture will bring A fine George II period mahogany bureau bookcase with fielded panelled doors at the top above well figured fall and four long drawers. Original open plate handles standing on original bracket feet. Circa 1750. Height: 208.3 cm (82 in). Width: 96.5 cm (38 in). Depth: 55.9 cm (22 in).

Among the sparkling stock from glass dealer on the international stage, Mark West will be a large and impressive red flashed goblet, very well engraved with a picture of the Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition, London 1851. Bohemian. Height: 23 cm (9 in).

For a full exhibitor list, details of on site exhibitions, cultural events and times see The BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair web site via TRADE INDEX

On 23 February 2012 Mallett will leave its New Bond Street showroom to move to Ely House in Dover Street, in the heart of fashionable Mayfair. Ely House is the former London palace of the Bishop of Ely, built between 1772 and 1776 by the renowned architect Robert Taylor, and was described as 'one of the best houses in London' by Country Life in 2002.

Founded in 1865, Mallett is one of the oldest antique dealers in the United Kingdom Giles Hutchinson Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Mallett, says: "The move to Ely House
marks an exciting new chapter in Mallett's distinguished history. This magnificent 18th century house provides the perfect environment for a 21st-century antiques business.
The new space is entirely in tune with the Mallett ethos ... The new space will provide an entirely new retail experience for our clients and we look forward to welcoming them here."

Running at the same time as the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair just along the Kings Road is Chelsea Antiques Fair from 21-25 March 2012 a boutique-style and elegant fair in the fine Old Town Hall, built in 1906 in 17th Century style. Small and relaxed with some thirty-six exhibitors the fair is fully vetted and offers a wide variety of furniture, paintings and the decorative arts.

Joining the fair this spring will be a number of new exhibitors including Scarab Antiques who deal in jewellery of all periods, studio glass and ceramics. Alan and Sue Poultney are specialists in costume and mid century jewellery and will bring some highly desirable examples of named costume jewellery to Chelsea including pieces by Art and the American De Luxe label.

Other new faces at Chelsea will be M & A Moir specilists Lalique and Art Glass, Andrew Morrell early oak and clocks, Petersfield Bookshop books, prints and maps, Simon Pirzada porcelain and Santana decorative arts.

Since the demise of the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, the Chelsea Antiques Fair is now the oldest Fair in Britain, and possibly the World! Chelsea Antiques Fair was established in 1950, and from 1951 to 1984 was run by Josephine Graham Ballin, establishing its fine reputation across the globe, and especially in the United States. From September 1984 to the present, Caroline Penman has been at the helm.

Images:

From a selection at Scarab Antiques:

c.1960-70’s yellow metal (tests 18ct white and yellow gold) Scandinavian designer diamond dress ring.

Contemporary American 'De Luxe' designer rhodium plated metal claw set clear crystal and opaque round and rectangular cut paste, layered necklace.

c.1960’s gilt metal and rhinestone bracelet by ART. There are 9 large oval blue green and red faceted rhinestone crystals in four claw gilt metal collets. The bracelet is made up of three separate rows of gilt metal chain links and the rhinestones are mounted onto the main larger links of the bracelet with a large gilt metal snap clasp. On the back of the bracelet is an oval maker’s mark APEX ART©.


For times and full exhibitor list see Chelsea Antiques Fair via TRADE INDEX

Around lunchtime on Thursday 22 March 2012 a very recognisable silver coffee pot with rococo chasing, made in London, 1763, by John Swift, was stolen from a member's stand at the BADA Antiques and Fine Art Fair .

It stands 36 cm high and weighs 1475g (47.4 Troy oz). The unusual rococo chasing employs marine and naval motifs: to one side - the area below the baluster being decorated with a sea and a frieze of bull rushes below the water line with a sea monster chasing a porpoise and Neptune with his chariot dawn by 2 horses above; to the other the sea and bull rushes have a fully developed rococo cartouche with British flags incorporated into the design. Above all of this is a garland of flowers and the spout and top are cast with rocaille decoration.

The second image shows the coat of arms of Wylie impaling Smith or Smart.

If you have any information regarding this coffee pot, please contact Kathryn Millirons, Membership Secretary at the BADA on 0207-589 4128 or Email Antiques News & Fairs
.

As the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic approaches in April 2012, the public fascination for the tragedy does not abate and some rare memorabilia from the doomed ship is appearing at fairs this Spring.

The Pavilions of Harrogate Antiques and Fine Art Fair organised by Cooper Events from 21-25 March will remember the story of two Titanic passengers who became acclaimed tennis champions in Britain and America will be remembered in a unique display of sporting memorabilia presented by Robert Fuller, a collector of tennis memorabilia who will also be offering for sale a number of rare items from tennis history.

In a story widely unknown, Karl Behr (shown) and Richard Williams were world-class tennis players who survived the tragedy and went on to win numerous major tennis championships on both sides of the Atlantic. The first of
these men was Karl Howell Behr, a Yale graduate, who
won the US Inter Collegiate Doubles in 1904. He played in the US Davis Cup team in 1907, which lost to Australia, the eventual winner, but Behr and his partner beat the current Wimbledon Champions, Norman Brookes and Tony Wilding, in the Doubles rubber.

At the time of the disaster, in April 1912,Behr was travelling with his fiancée, Helen Newsom and her parents, the Beckwiths, from New York. Newspaper reports following their rescue made sensational claims that Behr proposed to Helen Newsom in the lifeboat. They married a year later in March 1913. He was ranked 7 times in the US top ten between 1906 and 1915, reaching No 3 in 1914. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1969.

Robert Fuller will be offering for sale original photographs from the period and a collection of unique tennis medals, trophies,photographs, programmes, jewellery and advertising memorabilia belonging to many of the most famous names in tennis history, including Fred Perry, Arthur Gore, Bunny Austin, Elizabeth Ryan and Dwight Davis. The display will provide a valuable insight into the history of the lawn tennis game since it was invented in Leamington Spa in the 1870's.

Othere exhibitors include M. & N.Rugs from Manchester showing Persian rugs and carpets; F.D.& R.J. Story from Yorkshire specialising in fine clocks; John Newton from East Yorkshire shows fine 19th and 20th century porcelain and and Ryland Fine Art from Yorkshire has 19th century oil paintings.

For a full exhibitor list and times see cooper Events web site via TRADE INDEX

The boys at Fontaine are throwing a bit of party dubbed as their "Spring Deballage" on Sunday 25 March from 12 noon at their splendid pavilion style premises, once the town laundry.

The town in question is Margate, voted Best Cultural Destination of 2011 by The Times Newspaper.

There will be a chance to buy from their existing stock at massive savings of up to 50% off and there will also be a chance to view their new stock before it goes off to Battersea never to be seen again!

This is your ideal opportunity to see what this new cultural destination has to offer with its cafe culture and many art galleries including the Turner Contemporary.

For full details see Fontaine's web site via TRADE INDEX

Congratulations to the five very happy winners in the Best of British Antiques Awards organised in conjunction with Homes and Antiques Magazine as part of National Antiques Week announced by Kirstie Allsopp at Bath Decorative Antiques Fair last night (8 March 2012)

A very big thank you to our lady of the hour the delightful Kirstie Allsopp who presented the awards assisted by our very own Oscar worthy presenter Mark Hill of BBC Antiques Roadshow

BEST ANTIQUES SHOP - BLIGHTY ANTIQUES - CHELTENHAM


BEST SPECIALIST SHOP - CLARKE BROTHERS ANTIQUES - STOW ON THE WOLD


BEST ANTIQUES CENTRE - HUNGERFORD ANTIQUES CENTRE


BEST VINTAGE / MID CENTURY - NANADOBBIE BRIGHTON


BEST AUCTION HOUSE - MCTEARS - GLASGOW


Congratulations also to the worthy runners up in each category the numbers were incredibly close so everyone did fantastically well!

The Bath Decorative Antiques Fair 8-10 March 2012 looks set to please once again with a starry line-up from the decorative antiques trade who will travel from across the UK to exhibit at the Pavilion which has been home to the fair in the Georgian City of Bath for twenty three years.

The fair continues to attract the attention of the trade and had a very long waiting list this year. Organiser Robin Coleman who maintains a very happy ship in the wonky old Bath Pavilion building has always been clear in his aims for the fair – that it should be “for the benefit and enjoyment of the trade and visitors alike with a friendly atmosphere”. The result is a fashionable confection of fresh to the market displays from dealers who start to save goods months before this premier regional event.

The fair welcomes a diverse band of new exhibitors each year and this year is no exception with no less than eleven debuts and three returning after gap. Newcomers include A & L Antiques of Lillie Road, Fulham dealing in decorative furniture and paintings of various styles and periods, Antedeluvian based in Swindon, neo-Classical decoration and Grand Tour souvenirs, Walton House Interiors & Antiques, East Sussex, elegant and inspiring works of art, furniture and decorative items, Doe and Hope Antiques, Bedfordshire, rare and unusual antiques and curios, coupled with an Oriental twist of textiles, Hudson Grove, Marylebone, London, decorative antiques from the 18th to the 20th century, French and beyond, Llewelyn and Company, Hay on Wye, antique French, Scandinavian and British furniture and vintage homewares, Nick Mellors Decorative Antiques Newark, vintage and decorative pieces from the UK, Europe and America for the contemporary interior, Ottoman Street Shaftesbury, Dorset, colonial furniture and unusual decorative accessories, and a group of Winchcombe dealers who are sharing a stand to celebrate and promote the art and antiques shops in the charming Cotswolds town, among them regular exhibitor Mark Newsum and newcomers Antique Interiors and Anton and K.

Returning to the fair having been busy organising their own events in Carmarthen, Wales, are Robert and Carol Pugh of Towy Events specialists in Welsh pottery and Philip Adler of Tetbury dealing in decorative furniture and objects of all periods and another Tetbury dealer Amy Perry who specialises in painted and decorative furniturea and accessories for the home and garden.

The balance of exhibitors, around seventy-five per cent, are stalwarts who have been with the event for many years and use the gathering as chance to meet old friends and make the most of the opportunity to buy from the great selection of names under one roof.

There is a further attraction for visitors this year when Kirstie Allsopp Channel 4 Television prime time presenter of homes and interiors shows Location Location Location and Kirstie’s Home Made Home will reveal the winners of the well publicised Best of British Antiques Awards as part of National Antiques Week. The awards have been a joint promotion between Antiques News and Fairs and our colleagues at Homes and Antiques and more than 2500 members of the public have been quick to get on line and vote for their favourite shop, specialist shop, centre, vintage/mid C shop and auction house. The shortlisted group will gather to hear from Kirstie which of them will walk away with the coveted framed award as best in their category.

Robin Coleman told us that he was delighted to hear that one of the exhibitors Blighty Antiques of Cheltenham together with local dealer and former exhibitor Michael Saffell Antique Tins had both been shortlisted.

Images:
Moorish mother of pearl inlaid table with ebony elephant - Piccadilly Antiques - Bath
Marble top bombe chest - Blanchard Collective, Marlborough
A Pair of gilded coronets with lions - Hudson Grove, London
A Baltic glazed cabinet with chinoiserie decoration - Roderic Haugh, London
A pair of gilded convex mirrors - Blighty Antiques, Cheltenham
A 19th c painted cast iron jardiniere - Roderic Haugh, London

For full exhibitor list and entry times see Bath Decorative Antiques Fair web site via TRADE INDEX

Following an enjoyable outing at Tortworth Court Luxury Antiques Weekend in the Cotswolds where HRH The Duchess of Gloucester (shown) spent an hour and half talking to the dealers and viewing their stands, organiser Ingrid Nilson of The Antique Dealers Fair Limited is getting ready to open the doors at the next Luxury Antiques Weekend which returns for the fifth time to the Macdonald Linden Hall Hotel Golf & Country Club, Longhorsley, near Morpeth, Northumberland NE65 8XF from Friday 9 until Sunday 11 March 2012.

This boutique-style fair brings together some twenty specialist antique dealers in the north-east of England, mostly members of either the BADA or LAPADA.

Anyone looking for unique and unusual furnishings and accessories for the home will not be disappointed. This is the sole opportunity in the year for the private buyer, collector and interior designer to find the very best antiques and fine art.

Two local exhibitors from Jesmond include Graham Smith Antiques and John Nicholson & Dunelm Fine Art . Amongst the furniture Graham Smith is bringing two George III mahogany bow-fronted „His & Hers‟ five drawer box wood chests selling for £5,250. They are slightly different sizes, with „His‟ being taller. Both have the original paper lining to the drawer bottoms. He will also bring this fine A 19th century Ceylonese coromandel wood veneered sewing box, c1840, with a ticket price of £1,150 (shown).
John Nicholson & Dunelm Fine Art are bringing „Playing School‟ by Harry Brooker (1848-1940) who specialised in genre painting, and this painting from 1895 depicts the artist‟s five children, priced at £25,000.

Odyssey from Southport is a member of the Association of International Antiquities Dealers and is bringing an exceptional example of a Tang dynasty terracotta walking horse priced at £8,800, as well as a trio of Roman marble heads dating from the late 2nd century AD, priced from £1,800 - £2,600. (shown)

A newcomer to the fair circuit is Clerkenwell Fine Art who has galleries in London and Cornwall. They are bringing a portrait of Anne Estell Rice by John Fergusson (1874-1961), one of the major Scottish Colourist artists as well as paintings by contemporary artist Sean Jefferson. Campbell Wilson from Aberdeenshire has a plaster relief of Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) by Thomas Woolner RA (1825-1892), one of the founder members of the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, priced around £5,000. This medallion measures 9½ inches in diameter and was described by Carlyle‟s biographer, James Froud, as the “best likeness of him on the days of his strengths.” A charming bronze from Garret & Hurst Sculpture, “Deux enfants sur un Tortu” by Barrias is selling for £4,475. Solo Antiques is bringing two Chiparus bronzes selling at £9,950 and £14,950, as well as a selection of Gallé and Daum glass, priced from £500.

For a full exhibitor list and times see The Antique Dealers' Fair Limited web site via TRADE INDEX

The popular Little Chelsea Antiques Fair from 12-13 March 2012 is again fully booked and if the last event is anything to go by, a long queue will be waiting on the doorsteps of the Chelsea Old Town Hall.

Organiser Daniel Cotton himself a silver and metals dealer, told Antiques News and Fairs that he is delighted with the popularity of the fair which attracts a large number of the Portobello Road dealers plus others from around the country.

Expect to see jewellery from Gem's Fine Jewels, silver from Schredds of Londonceramics from Carolyn Stoddart-Scott amongst the range of lighting, silver, jewellery, bronzes, china, glass and porcelain, treen, textiles, scientific instruments, sculpture and paintings.

Times and more information from Little Chelsea Antiques Fair web site via TRADE INDEX

Long term exhibitors at Bath Decorative & Antiques Fair, exhibiting duo Patrick Macintosh and Richard Nadin will occupy no less than three stands at the Fair when it opens on Thursday 8 March 2012.

Patrick and Richard enjoy exhibiting at fairs together because their stock is so complementary - colonial furniture, upholstery and 19th century vernacular furniture embellished with interesting artwork and period mirrors, and operating as a partnership for fairs gives them both flexibility not least the sharing of stand manning and financing!

Patrick runs his own shop in the charming Dorset town of Sherborne and the building, which is part of the Sherborne School estate in the town centre, is a perfect foil for his look with the atmosphere of an erudite housemaster's home about it.

Their style at Bath will follow previous very successful outings, plenty of big painted furniture and useful stylish upholstery.

Patrick told Antiques News and Fairs that he was thrilled to find one particular piece, a large birds eye maple haberdashery cabinet from the now defunct early C20th London department store Gammages. Patrick said "It is without doubt the best shop's cabinet we have ever had with original glass and brass fittings and the timber is superb."

Other hightlights on the stand will be a late C19th Japanese Aesthetic movement games cabinet with parquetry inlay (shown).

The pair will next be seen at Summer Olympia Antiques & Fine Art Fair 7-17 June 2012.

See: Macintosh Antiques, Bath Decorative Antiques Fair & Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair via TRADE INDEX

The results of the eagerly awaited BRITAIN'S BEST ANTIQUES AWARDS which was organised by Homes and Antiques in conjunction with Antiques News and Fairs as part of National Antiques Week 2011, are now in and we are delighted to announce the shortlist ahead of the announcement of the winners in each category by Kirstie Allsopp on Thursday 8 March 2012 at Bath Decorative Antiques Fair.

For more information and links to shortlisted dealers web sites see National Antiques Week

BEST ANTIQUES SHOP
Blighty Antiques, Cheltenham
Richard Gardner Antiques, Chichester
Spencer Swaffer Antiques, Arundel
Phoenix Antiques Barn, Penrith
Collinge Antiques, Llandudno

BEST SPECIALIST SHOP
Christopher Clarke Antiques, Stow on the Wold
Glass Etc, Rye
Manfred Schotten Antiques, Burford
Michael & Jo Saffell, Bath
The Design Gallery, Westerham

BEST ANTIQUES CENTRE
Brackley Antiques Centre, Brackley
Hemswell Antiques Centre, Gainsborough
Hungerford Antiques Centre, Hungerford
The Swan Antiques Centre, Tetsworth
Woodbridge Antiques Centre, Woodbridge

BEST VINTAGE - MID C SHOP
Decoratum, Marylebone at Alfie's Antiques, London
Nanadobbie, Brighton
Purple Haze, York
Vintage Emporium, York
Vintage Treasures, Hinckley

BEST AUCTION HOUSE
Adam Partridge, Macclesfield
Fellows & Son, Birmingham
McTears, Glasgow
Roseberys, London SE27
Tennants, Leyburn

Complimentary tickets for the ceremony are available via the Bath Decorative Antiques Fair Best of British Antiques page.

The fair organisers’ life is often busy and stressful and for the next four weeks Susan Galloway of Galloway Fairs will be crisscrossing the UK as four key events on the Galloway calendar unfurl starting with Stoneyhurst Antiques Fair near Clitheroe, Lancashire 17-19 February, then North of the Border at Scone Palace 24-26 February for the Scone Palace Antiques & Fine Art Fair, 9-11 March at Arley Hall Antiques and Fine Art Fair near Knutsford, Cheshire and back south from 16-18 March for the Goodwood House and Fine Art Fair.

High profile and often majestic venues are a feature of the Galloway cannon offering visitors added value to their day out. Their established events attract regular exhibitors like Scarab Antiques who travel far from their base in Kent for a number of Galloway events and they will be at both Stoneyhurst College and Arley Hall.

Scarab are known for their extensive jewellery range from affordable treats from mid century named costume designers like Trifari, Boucher, Hagler, Isaky, Vargas and Anne Klein, to the revered Scandinavian designer Jorge Jensen and other designer names like Yves St Laurent. They also specialise in fine jewellery, studio glass and silverware and fine watches and collectables. Their wide ranging stock means they can produce a fresh look at every event and their stand always attracts a crowd and our research for today’s editorial resulted in an hour’s diversion on their web site which is brimming with up-to-date desirable stock all fully priced and described and well photographed. Image shows an 18 carat gold Cartier watch c.1970’s available to purchase from Scarab at Arley Hall Antiques and Fine Art Fair for £4995.00.

Scone Palace Antiques and Fine Art Fair always hosts a good selection of local dealers and Highland Antiques of Aberdeen, specialists in Scottish silver will show this most Scottish of objects, a finger purse (shown) in the shape of a sporran with a ticket price of £2950, made in Edinburgh by John Ronaldson in 1859.

Other regular Scottish dealers returning include antiquarian book dealer Hilary Farquharson of Angus, furniture dealers Cathedral Antiques of Fortose, Carse Antiques of Perthshire and The Anthony Woodd Gallery of Edinburgh to name a few among the thirty or so dealers who have booked the fair. Among the many dealers travelling quite a bit further to exhibit at Scone are Edwardian furniture dealer Mark Buckley Antiques of Skipton, jewellery dealers Markov and Saul Greenstein Antiques of London, Rowles Fine Art of Shropshire selling traditional and contempary art including bronze sculpture, Hassan Alabaf of Middlesex selling oriental rugs and carpets and Angling Antiques of County Durham.

Goodwood House one of the most prestigious stately homes in England, will once again provide a magnificent backdrop for Galloway with their antiques and fine art fair set out in the majestic staterooms including The Ballroom, The Yellow Room and Red Hall providing a stage for some forty nationally known and respected dealers who are mindful of the need to show a wide range of items at this very well attended venue. Visitors can expect to find period town and country furniture, porcelain, silver, traditional and contemporary sculpture and fine art, antique and vintage jewellery, glass, oriental carpets and many decorative items.

Paul Mayhew Fine Art of London will show a charming watercolour entitled “A Fine One to Follow” signed G D Giles and dated 1911, bound to be a popular exhibit with County Set at Goodwood (shown).

Local dealers, Wilson of Worthing will bring a fine inlaid mahogany kidney shaped desk c 1900 with a ticket price of £5650 (shown).

The Galloway calendar continues at a brisk pace for the rest of the year with events every few weeks and we have written in the past about the life of organisers and exhibitors on the circuit – Features: Troubadours of The Trade. Our Fairs Calendar is packed with well run events on almost every day of the year, offering the trade a vital lifeline in the harsh economic climate affording exhibitors a chance to meet new clients with their best stock on show and offering these same dealers a chance to mix with their peers and buy as well as sell.

See Galloway Antiques Fairs web site via TRADE INDEX

We are delighted to provide a link to The North Wales Weekly in which proactive dealer Nicky Collinge of Collinge Antiques of Llandudno has secured a great page of publicity for the business following the news of being shortlisted for the Best of British Antiques awards as part of the National Antiques Week campaign.

All the shortlisted finalists are available to view via Homes and Antiques and National Antiques Week and in The Antiques Trade Gazette.

A delighted Mr Collinge told our colleagues at Homes and Antiques "It has been a great bit of publicity for us. To see our name on the front page of the Antiques Trade Gazette yesterday was the realisation of a long held ambition for us."

The Llandudno Junction business located on Conwy Road has been dealing in antiques for more than 30 years. It is based in a former Fyffe’s banana warehouse.

The winner in each category is to be announced by TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp at the Bath Decorative Antiques Fair on March 8 2012.

Now in its third year, the Luxury Antiques Weekend at Tortworth Court, Tortworth, near Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, organised by The Antique Dealers’ Fair Limited, has become one of the Cotswolds’ established annual art and antiques events. Taking place from 24-26 February 2012 this boutique-style fair brings together twenty-two specialist dealers presenting a treasure trove of works of art from all periods to the present day.

Eminent fair organisers are working hard to provide superb venues for their events and Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel, a magnificent Cotswolds country house surrounded by thirty acres of private grounds complete with arboretum, is testament to this trend. Interior decorators, art connoisseurs, collectors and those in the know can shop for a huge variety of the very best antiques - all under one alluring roof.

Regulars at ADFL’s events around the UK are period furniture dealers S & S Timms of Bedfordshire and Mark J West specialist glass dealer both British Antique Dealers' Association members.

One of the smaller pieces on the Timms stand at Tortworth Court will be a delightful 18th Century toleware tea caddy with red Chinoiserie decoration complete with the original axe drop handle, with a ticket price of £850.

Glass dealer Mark West travels extensively to attend fairs both in the UK and the USA. Mark deals in period glass right through to the 20th century and his beautifully displayed stock is seriously tempting for collectors who know it can be carefully wrapped and boxed and travel home with them. One of the exquisite pieces on display will be a large crystal glass goblet engraved with a Jacobite rose, English c.1900 standing 11.5 inches high (shown).

From Old Masters to contemporary paintings and sculpture, stunning Art Deco and designer jewellery to 19th century bronze sculpture, ancient Persian carpets to fine English furniture or highly ornate French clocks to a wonderful mix of the quirky and eclectic will tempt visitors whether their budget is £50 or £20,000.

Help for Heroes is the fair’s chosen charity.

For a full exhibitor list and times see Tortworth Court Antiques & Fine Art Fair via TRADE INDEX