Gothic Revival Furniture. An Exhibition at Newark Antiques Warehouse
Newark Antiques Warehouse will be staging a selling exhibition of Gothic Revival Furniture from 3 – 22 November 2008.
One of the furniture pitches has been reserved to show the pieces which include “fresh to the market” carefully sourced furniture and decorative objects including a magnificent sideboard, probably attributable to John Pollard Seddon, several pieces by Gillows and a chest in the manner of Bevan. Many other pieces – practical to quirky – writing and centre tables, dining chairs and display cabinets to stained glass panels and even a pair of coffin stands will be on display
The thirty or so items will be catalogued and illustrated on both the company web site www.newarkantiques.co.uk and on eBay at Newarkantiqueswarehouseltd for the duration of the exhibition.
A series of exhibitions is planned to continue in 2009 with one on Liberty, another on the Arts and Crafts Movement and possibly a 1960’s – 70’s design theme. Nick Mellor, owner of Newark Antiques Warehouse, believes that antiques need to be re-invented for the younger generation. The furniture needs to be viewed in a de-cluttered setting showing people that the odd individual pieces can look stunning in a more modern environment. He says “Antiques are still the future - they have already been recycled once or more and this can happen over and over again. They are objects of beauty and are always individual – making a bold statement of a person’s aesthetic.”
Nick hopes that the exhibitions, introducing new themes, will encourage new buyers and perhaps some decorators to visit. Anyone coming to view the exhibition will be able to look at 15,000 square feet of good quality antique furniture from more than forty resident exhibitors dealing in formal and country furniture, decorative antiques and accessories. There are also sixty cabinets of small antique items and collectables that can be as diverse as ceramics, silver, treen and metalwork, glass and jewellery.
Newark Antiques Warehouse publishes a regular Newsletter, available by request on line, which keeps visitors up to date with events at the centre, including new exhibitors moving in and more recently, the change of opening times to accommodate visitors to nearby Newark Antiques Fair.
THE 20th
BATH DECORATIVE
AND ANTIQUES FAIR. The Pavilion, North Parade Road, Bath BA2 4EU
5 - 7 March 2009
Trade: Thursday 5 March 12.00 pm - 8.00 pm
Public: Friday 6 March 11.00 am - 7.00 pm & Saturday 7 March 10.00 am - 5.00 pm
Charity Preview Evening: Thursday 5 March 6.00pm - 8.00pm
This well loved premier provincial event is now in its 20th year and promises to uphold the standard it has become famous for. Once dubbed “a mini Olympia” there will be plenty for both the trade and the collector to feast their eyes upon. Many of the 45 exhibitors only stand at this annual event and so save fresh stock for the occasion. The queue winds around the building and up the steps from early in the morning with a mixture of both local and
international
trade and private
buyers keen to visit a concentrated exhibition of the best in decorative antiques and accessories outside London.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, television celebrity Paul Martin of BBC Television “Flog It” will open the Fair to the public on Thursday 5 March. Paul is a long time fan of the Bath Fair having been a dealer and regular visitor for many years.
Robin Coleman, founder of the Fair and exhibitor of folk art and country and painted furniture and decorative accessories will host the launch of the
West of England Antique Dealers’
Association’s new Guide to Buying Antiques 2009/10 on the opening night of the Fair and the Chairman of the Association, Patrick Macintosh will be one of the regular exhibitors showing his range of Country House furniture from the 17 – 19th century, including painted Bath basement dressers, upholstery and some Colonial pieces.
Other regular exhibitors include Tristram Latimer Sayer of Primal in Castle Cary with period painted and decorative furniture, upholstered and leather furniture and sculptural objects for interiors and exteriors. Another long term exhibitor at the Fair is Sonia Cashman who deals in period portrait miniatures, silhouettes, samplers, needlework and objects. Based in the city of Bath, Sonia, a native of Boston Massachusetts, is well placed to acquire unique pieces to complete important Collections for clients in America. French provincial furniture and mirror dealer,
Martin Dearden of Pennard House Antiques in Somerset,
will be showing his usual array of exquisite fruitwood
furniture and gilt mirrors.
Garden statuary and decorative objects for the garden will be seen on John Robbins stand.From Norfolk, also trading from Core One in London, Roderic Haugh, dealing in 18th and 19th period and decorative furniture and objects. Also from Norfolk Malcolm Cannell of M D Cannell Antiques will be showing not only carpets but country furniture including French decorative antiques.
More information about all exhibitors can be found via
the Fair web site
The stands were fully booked by mid November and there is a lengthy waiting list of hopeful dealers from across the UK who would love to exhibit.
A visit to the Fair may also be easy on the pocket - exhibitors donate £25 to the Fair’s chosen charity, Rowdeford School for Children with Special Needs, and as a non-profit making event prices are kept to a friendly level to encourage trade and public alike to visit the splendid Georgian city of Bath each year.
All told it promises to be an exciting event, retaining its position as a premier Fair in the antiques calendar.
Some free tickets available in West of England antique shops and from the office
Free entry to trade on Thursday with business card
Public Entry £3.00, concessions available
Easy Disabled access please contact office
On site restaurant and bar, easy parking nearby
Planning restrictions in the World Heritage City of Bath prevent road signs, so please follow signs for the Sports Centre
More information from:
Telephone:
Email:
Web:
Office:
The London antiques fairs calendar reaches a climax each June with three overlapping major shows. These also coincide with an increasing number of individual dealers' in-house selling exhibitions at their own galleries, showrooms and shops around the metropolis.
The old established Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair www.grosvenorfair.co.uk venue opposite Hyde Park attracts a truly international audience of seriously rich connoisseurs and collectors. The Great Room has thronged with champagne-imbibing buyers since the 1930s. Almost a hundred leading dealers offer some of the finest quality antiques and works of art to be found anywhere in the world.
A few miles west, the summer Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair www.olympia-antiques.co.uk has more than twice the number of dealers displaying the choicest items from their current stock. It is housed in the capital's huge historic exhibitions halls. The current organisers are gradually moving this fair upmarket. With the advantage of great space the show can look spectacular. On the ground floor, tall individually designed stands, some double deckers, line broad avenues surrounded by others, with more above in the gallery.
The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar at the Park Lane Hotel, www.haughton.com/ceram/index.htm which is actually in Piccadilly, is compact and perfectly suited to accommodate magnificent pieces within a strong cultural and educational environment. Leading experts from home and abroad present lectures, and museum curators attend enticed by the quality of the stock on offer.
The Winter Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in The Marquee at Battersea Park, www.decorativefair.com marks the start of each year in January. Two more annual Decorative & Textile fairs follow in the spring and autumn. The diverse content on around 150 stands is just what the title says. This is an excellent venue located just south of the river Thames from Chelsea, outside the capital's traffic congestion charging zone. Besides free parking on site, there is courtesy transport from Sloane Square to the fair
.
The BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair in March www.bada-antiques-fair.co.uk pitches its marquee on The Duke of York Square at the east end of King's Road, Chelsea. This is the annual showcase for a large proportion of the entire membership of the British Antique Dealers' Association founded in 1918.The fair followed much more recently, maintaining the association's high standards, and has consistently proved successful.
The oldest London event of its kind running continuously at the same venue since its inception in 1950, is the Chelsea Antiques Fair www.chelseaantiquesfair.com at the Old Town Hall, King's Road, Chelsea. There have been over a hundred shows here over the last 58 years in spring and autumn. The spring fair often co-incides with the BADA event along the road. The same organiser has announced the revival of the old West London fair as the Kensington Fine Art & Antiques Fair at Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8.
LAPADA, the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers London showcase members-only fair has moved around dates and venues which over the years include the Royal College of Art, the Commonwealth Institute and Claridge's Hotel. Most recently it has staged its "Objects of Desire" fairs at the Royal Academy buildings off Piccadilly. However this venue is no longer available and LAPADA has announced that their September 2009 flagship annual event in the capital will be housed in a spectacular purpose built marquee set in Berkeley Square in the heart London's Mayfair. www.lapadalondon.co.uk/
The autumn sees a regular re-run of the Decorative & Textiles, Chelsea and Olympia fairs. The latter in November is an entirely different show to the summer show with mainly BADA and LAPADA dealers making up the exhibitors list.
In addition there are numerous one day events including the largest grassroots show at Alexandra Palace, www.nelsonfairs.co.uk north London, and the Little Chelsea Antiques Fairwhich is not run by the same organiser as the bi-annual event, but is over two days at the same venue. Dates for all these events should be checked year by year.
Art fairs add another dimension to the London calendar. Not all appeal to the same audience as antiques and fine art fairs. One that has consistently excited interest since it was founded in 1988 is the 20/21 British Art Fair, www.britishartfair.co.uk, unique inasmuch that it specialises exclusively in modern and contemporary works by British artists. It is held in September each year at the Royal College of Art, adjacent to the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington. The same organisers' more recent annual presentation of the 20/21 International Art Fair www.20-21intartfair.com at the same venue in February is proving to be equally worthwhile
Antiquesnews Fairs Calendar includes listings of all the events mentioned above. Check the Trade Index for full details of individual shows in London and throughout the country.
From top down: Image 1:
Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair
London Longcase Clocks – A Brief History
by Christopher Oxley
In this article we will concentrate on the London longcase clock. During the late 17th century the clockmakers of the time experimented to produce a clock that was a good timekeeper, subsequently the anchor escapement was invented. It was found to be a very good time keeper but due to the longer pendulum being exposed to the elements the idea of enclosing everything inside a wooden case was thought of.
The first designs were very basic and were made for a purpose and not to be decorative in any way. These designs evolved quickly and the first recognisable longcase clocks were being made by makers like Edward East and Fromanteel during the 1670’s. The cases were very slender in design, made principally of oak or pine and veneered in fruitwood which was then ebonised to create a black polished finish.
Many of these early clocks were of 30 hour duration but the 8 day and month duration longcase clocks followed very closely. There were even some made that were of year duration. These clocks are very rare and were made by the famous makers of the time such as Quare and Tompion who were working from the 1680’s. A number of longcase clocks by these makers are in the Royal collection.
Thomas Tompion is widely regarded as a very famous maker. All of his movements were of the highest quality and some of them very complicated in design. One of the reasons he is very highly thought of is because of the high standards he set. He also numbered his movements along with the cases. The only maker to do this other than Tompion was George Graham who was his Partner in the business. When Tompion died in 1713 Graham continued the same numbering sequence.
The first type of dial used for the longcase clock was the square brass dial (separate chapter ring and brass spandrels to the corners) used approximately between the 1670’s to 1730. As more features were required the dials were made with an arch to the top (shallow at first) which would contain features such as strike/silent, phases of the moon, date and time regulation. Sometimes just the name of the maker was shown. The dials on these early longcase clocks were also very decorative with half hour markings on the chapter ring, ringed winding holes, engraving to the edges of the dial and elaborate signatures either on a cartouche to the centre or on the chapter ring.
As a general rule all London longcase clocks have five pillars between the plates. Most provincial clocks have only four pillars. This was a sign of quality and also kept the movement more stable and assisted the clockmaker when he was assembling the movement.
The wood being used at this period was mainly an oak carcass with either walnut or marquetry veneer and sometimes ebonised. Mahogany virtually took over completely during the 1760’s and the first London mahogany longcase clocks started to evolve. These had features such as brass reeded pillars to the trunk and sometimes to the base. This feature was also repeated on the hood pillars. They also had the classical pagoda top with three brass finials making these clocks over 8ft tall. Lacquered cases were also very popular throughout the 18th century. This again was a mainly oak carcass but decorated with Oriental designs.
By the 1770’s the painted dial had been introduced and towards the end of the 18th century this had become much more popular and eventually replaced the full brass dial. Also around this period the flat silvered dial was introduced in London and throughout the country. This consisted of a flat brass dial which was silvered. This type of dial was also used with the fashionable round dial commonly used with Regulators. The cases also became smaller and plainer at this stage with fewer finials and clean straight lines. In the early 19th century the production of Longcase clocks in London started to slow down. The reasons for this are unclear but the rest of the country started to produce longcase clocks in huge numbers especially in the West Country and the Midlands.
We have therefore a period from approximately 1670 to 1870 when the longcase clock evolved. After this period longcase clocks were still manufactured but the style that was used was a reproduction of styles used in the previous 200 years.
This article is written by Christopher Oxley,
Partner in the well known company P. A. Oxley Antique Clocks.
All current stock can be viewed at www.british-antiqueclocks.com
From top down: Image 1:
Mallett – Barnstaple - A fine mahogany London made Regulator longcase clock. C.1835.
Image 2:
Gretton – London – An excellent walnut longcase clock by this eminent maker. C.1690..
Image 3:
Blackburn – London – An impressive mahogany London longcase clock with an unusually large dial. C.1785
Image 4:
Smith – London – A fine black/green lacquered longcase clock. C.1725
Image 5:
Parker – London – An excellent Olivewood and Marquetry longcase clock with Bolt & Shutter maintaining power. C.1680
The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair is a specialist event held three times a year for the discerning decorator and private buyer looking to source unusual English and Continental antiques, original 20th century designs and works of art from all periods to the present day.
Since 1985, it has proved to be a rich source of French furniture and accessories of the 18th and 19th centuries. From opulent show-stoppers to useful furniture, some 140 exhibitors offer a broad range of both fine quality and affordable pieces for inspired interiors, in the relaxed surroundings of The Marquee in Battersea Park, London SW11.
Mistresses, Milkmaids and Emperors: Influences on the furnishing of French châteaux.
Madame de Pompadour and Queen Marie-Antoinette both exerted a profound influence on the design of 18th century French interiors, and Napoleon on the 19th century.
Madame de Pompadour, paramour of Louis XV (whose period, 1715-1774, is commonly referred to as Louis Quinze by antiques dealers and designers), encouraged the King to promote the fine arts of architecture, furniture and furnishings – it was the age of rococo (curvaceous, asymmetrical, organic style using natural motifs such as scrolls, floral and shell designs) and chinoiserie. Decorating colours were delicate, although the carved furniture was often gilded. La Pompadour even urged Louis XV to take control of the Sèvres porcelain factory; in the early 18th century, porcelain was valued more than its weight in gold. The brilliantly coloured and lavishly gilded artefacts produced by Sèvres were incorporated in furniture designs as inset plaques and table tops.
Metal work by gold- and bronze-smiths such as Caffieri and Gouthière perhaps most eloquently expressed the rococo (also known in France as ‘racaille’), as it was by their burnished embellishments and gilt mounts that the sinuous curves of the furniture were highlighted, and decorative accessories became more important.
Rococo is often viewed as the high point of French furniture design, and it was revived several times in the next two centuries. The flourishing of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail of this Louis Quinze period might be said to be the epitome of French chateaux style as we think of it: a lightness and elegance, combined with minute and careful decorative accents such as interlacing shell decoration, plant and flower motifs, C-scrolls and S-scrolls, the cabriole leg and scroll foot.
Leading designers/cabinetmakers: Juste Aurele Meissonier, and the master craftsmen’s Guilds of Paris, who were obliged from 1743
to 1790 to stamp or sign items of furniture.
Almost the opposite in style to rococo, neo-classicism became the major influence of the next 50 or so years in French design. In the mid-1700s there was a scholarly interest in the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome, just then being ‘re-discovered’ with excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii for example, which gave rise to neo-classicism. By the time of Louis XVI’s accession in 1774, the straight lines and right angles, seriousness and logical design of ancient classical architecture had infiltrated furniture making. Colours were light in tone. Restraint in form and decoration imitated Athenian and Etruscan designs: slender proportions were emphasized in furniture, with fluted columns, convex mouldings, carved friezes of leaf, flower and wreath in the frames, often painted white and touched with gilt. This was the new decorative order entering château interiors.
Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, was responsible for combining this neo-classical straightness of line with the most luxurious of damask wall-coverings, silk hangings and painted furniture in her Petit Trianon at Versailles. Its accompanying bucolic vision of a village – Hameau – complete with dairy, mill and cottages, was where the Queen could ‘escape’ the weight of the Court and indulge her whimsical milkmaid fancies. Where Marie-Antoinette led, France’s châtelaines followed in adding these new elements to their château interiors, influenced by the Queen’s courtly and countrified tastes, and putting even greater energies in to their own gardens.
Leading designers/cabinetmakers: major late 18th century names are Jean Guillaume Beneman, Jean Henri Martin Carlin, Jean Henri Reisener, Adam Weisweller.
The Revolution brought restraint and simplification to French design. A transitional period, termed The Directoire (after the government of the day) in the 1790s, continued the geometric influences of neo-classicism on a less extravagant theme. Napoleon’s meteoric rise, and his desire for imperial association with the cæsars of Rome, led the theme of The Empire style, which roughly spanned 1804 to 1830. Marquetry and carving all but disappeared. Columns and pillars came in. The plain veneered surfaces of furniture were decorated with ormolu (carved bronze) mounts and design features such as the wreath, the bee (the Empress Josephine’s monogram), Roman eagles, Egyptian sphinxes and Greek symbols. Classical curves, from the Roman and Etruscan models, created the ‘gondole’, or bateau-style bed and ‘lit repose’ (day bed).
After 1830, the restored kings of France had matters other than architecture and furnishings to occupy their money and energies, and French cabinet-making, whilst maintaining its quality, became in design terms a revivalist competition: Cathedral and Gothic style, Italian Renaissance, baroque and Boulle, rococo and neo-classical all saw themselves re-made in the era before Art Nouveau arrived
From top down: Image 1:
Rare Malicorne faience birdcage c1920 with rare French
Desvres faience birdcage circa 1960– David Litt *
Image 2:
Late 18th century French Directoire architect’s model of chateau – Augustus Brandt *
Image 3:
19th century painted and gilded sofa in rococo taste – Lee Wright *
Image 4:
Bureau plat, ebonised with gilt bronze mounts & central medallion depicting the ‘Sacrifice of Love’. Circa 1860 by Befort Jeune (documented & illustrated). Signed. – Antiques 4 Ltd *
Image 5:
Red floral toile, as cushions, circa 1840 – Diane Kane at Linge de Bery *
* All exhibitors at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair October 2008
Any furniture specifically made to breakdown for ease of travel can be described as campaign furniture. The vast majority is of British origin or was made for the British market, although it was also used to a far lesser degree by other nationalities. The British Army was unlike any other in that ranks could be purchased and so many officers were from wealthy backgrounds. They were used to the best and saw no reason why they shouldn’t be able to sit comfortably at a fashionable dining table on the eve of a battle in the middle of nowhere. How well their tent was kitted out was a sign of their social standing. With the huge growth of the Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, the popularity of the Grand Tour and the increase of emigration to the colonies, a large market was created for furniture that was easily portable.
Such prominent furniture designers as Chippendale and Sheraton had considered campaign furniture and by the end of the 18th century specialist cabinet makers sprung up to supply the need. Some also made metamorphic furniture, such as Thomas Butler and Morgan and Sanders, who were both based in Catherine Street, London; for others such as J.W. Allen and John Shepherd it was a natural addition to their trunk making businesses. Indeed, the majority of makers of campaign furniture are to be found under trunk makers as opposed to cabinet makers in the trade directories. Ordinary cabinet makers who were asked by army officers to adapt their standard work also made travel furniture as one off bespoke pieces.
Travel versions of just about every type of furniture was made from four poster beds and side boards to mirrors made to be hung on tent poles and pairs of candlesticks that would pack up to the size of a donut. Decoration was often a concession to make a piece conveniently transportable but it also led to ingenious furniture that would dismantle easily and could be fixed back together quickly. Pieces were made that had a dual purpose such as both a washstand and a desk. Others were made with Naval use in mind, where space was at a premium and cannon were situated on most parts of the ship. Decks had to be cleared quickly and furniture that couldn’t be folded and stored rapidly would be jettisoned overboard.
Some campaign furniture stood out as being obviously made for travel with protective brass corners and clean lines. Other pieces looked identical to their standard counterpart with clues such as bolts or hinges in unusual places only becoming apparent on close examination.
Perhaps the extent that British army officers went to, to ensure their comfort on campaign, is best summed up by the entry that William Howard Russell, The Times correspondent, noted in his diary on the 2nd of February 1858: ‘ Sir Colin Campbell’s baggage, & c., extended for eighteen miles, when he came down from Lucknow’. Even for the Commander of the British army in India, at the time of the mutiny, this might seem excessive. The Victorian age saw a great increase in the number of patents taken out regarding portable and folding furniture and its use extended further into the domestic market. Sporting events, country house parties and the extra house guest all benefited from folding furniture that was easily carried or stored.
Many of the specialist makers of campaign furniture began to disappear at the beginning of the 20th century. Department stores such as The Army & Navy Society, where the traveller could buy everything under one roof, or could order from one of their agents across the world proved, tough competition for the independent maker. Added to this its use began to die out at the beginning of the 20th century. This was due to the end of purchased commissions at the end of the last century, changes in the way warfare was conducted after the sharp lessons learnt in the Boer War and the rise of the motor car that allowed for faster travel. However, some campaign furniture, such as the Roorkhee chair, invented by army engineers in India, and the Paragon chair enthused the great domestic furniture designers of the 20th century. So, furniture born out of practical necessity lived on as the inspiration for cutting edge design throughout the last century.
Sean Clarke is a Director of Christopher Clarke Antiques, one of the very few specialist antique dealers in campaign furniture and travel items.
From top down: Image 1:
An early 19th century Anglo Indian Teak Campaign Chest.
Image 2:
A pair of Silver ‘Brighton Bun’ Travelling Candlesticks. Mid 19th century.
Image 3:
An Imperial mahogany Dining Table made to dismantle for transport. Circa 1800.
Image 3:
A pair of mahogany campaign Chairs by Ross & Co. of Dublin. Circa 1870.
Image 4: A section from the panorama Line of March of a Bengal Regiment of Infantry in Scinde after Lieutenant F.P. Layard. The image shows a chair tied to the back of a camel. Published by Ackerman, 1843.
My Favourite Item and Other Thoughts on Glass
by Mark J West, BADA.
When asked to write a short article on glass by the editor of Antiquesnews my first thought was what period or type of glass should I choose. My second thought was that the people reading this will probably have good specialist knowledge of antiques and many years of peripheral knowledge of the subject in general and if interested in glass would buy a book rather than read a short article.
So this is my third thought. We have just finished with the June 2008 London fairs, Olympia and Grosvenor House. Clients, friends and journalists all want to know what is your favourite item of stock, what was your best buy, what do you collect? This is not glass specific, the same questions are asked of all dealers at all levels so for future reference these are my answers, good at any time and for any fair.
My favourite item of stock is always the last one I have sold; this item is my latest success as all the others are at that time by default failures. The rarest most beautiful piece of 18th century glass begins to pall after its third outing, I am sure that even the newly discovered Rembrandt looses some of its charm each time you have to knock in the nail to hang it at the next show or move it in the gallery.
My best buy? I was asked to write on this for the Financial Times some years ago and I cannot fault my then answer. My best buy was a cup of tea bought some years ago at the Chelsea Kitchen (now closed) in the King’s Road whilst my stand was being vetted at the BADA fair. The tea was for a pretty, shy oriental lady at the next table, we have now been married for ten years. This was not my most cost effective buy but certainly one I will never regret.
What do you collect? This is the subject that comes up when someone feels they need to make conversation. Come on, get real, I am a dealer I would sell the shirt I am wearing or grand parents (sadly unavailable) if there was a profit in it. I/we have small groups of things at home that we like. Collections so often end up looking like a shop as the only way to display them are in rows as if for sale. My advice to would be collectors is to buy what you find interesting and attractive. I am a dealer here to tell you what something is, you are the client and are going to have to live with it.
To glass specifically, unique among the applied arts, table glass is designed to be handled (by table glass I mean drinking glasses, decanters, etc), a plate is eaten from, a chair is sat on, a picture is looked at, but glasses are held and often towards the end of a meal played with. Hence a glass should be tactile and feel good in the hand, so many modern glasses look good on the table but the weight and balance is all over the place.
To glass specifically, unique among the applied arts, table glass is designed to be handled (by table glass I mean drinking glasses, decanters, etc), a plate is eaten from, a chair is sat on, a picture is looked at, but glasses are held and often towards the end of a meal played with. Hence a glass should be tactile and feel good in the hand, so many modern glasses look good on the table but the weight and balance is all over the place
People forget that glass as in all things has fashions; champagne glasses have changed shapes several times over the years going from goblets to saucers to flutes. The antique flutes that people want nowadays were designed for white wine not champagne, goblets were used for champagne as it was decanted and drunk slightly flatter than we expect today. The scion of the family on which Brideshead Revisited was based considered it “terribly middle class to serve champagne from the bottle” - this was in the 1930s.
It is good to know what the item was for but then use it for what makes you comfortable, old red wine glasses were small (you had a butler to refill them), they make perfect dessert wine glasses today. All decanters are for wine (decanting). However the very heavily cut Regency and Victorian ones are too decorated for modern wine lovers but look great with brandy and whisky.
To decanters, I am asked (often by Americans) is lead crystal safe? The answer is that lead will leach from the glass into the contents. However this process is so slow that if you keep your alcohol in the decanter that long you deserve to be poisoned! I had an aunt who brought out ‘the sherry’ every Christmas and served you a thimble full, the lead content of that could have been interesting.
Finally as a fourth thought, care of glass. Remember a dishwasher should only have two legs, machine washing is not recommended for good glass. If your decanter is dirty use bleach, wash it out well and dry upside down over a heat source (UK airing cupboard ideal or on a cloth over a radiator). If it is cloudy we can clean it, you cannot. Anything you do (Steradent, lead shot, etc.) is either a waste of time or detrimental to the glass. Small chips can be repolished, on early glass this may not be recommended and advice should be taken. Cracks are always terminal, there is no such thing as a small crack, they will grow up.
Mark West exhibits at Winter and Summer Olympia Fairs, Grosvenor House Fair and the British Antique Dealers’ Fairs in London also the New York Ceramics Fair, Palm Beach and Chicago Fairs in the United States.
Chelsea Antiques Fair Returns as a
“Boutique Event”
25th – 29th MARCH 2009.
The Chelsea Antiques Fair,
Chelsea Old Town Hall,
King’s Road,
London SW3
Organised by Penman Fairs Tel: 0870 350 2442
The world famous Chelsea Antiques Fair returns to the King's Road with leading specialist antique dealers from across Britain displaying art and antiques valued at more than £5million. The Chelsea Antiques Fair is a brand name that is still well known in America where it is almost synonymous with the history of the UK antiques trade. Organiser Caroline Penman is re-launching the fair in 2009 after a year’s absence.She explains:“We feel there is an increasing need for the more personal event for discriminating shoppers and collectors in London. In the last decade, so many London Fairs have either disappeared or become impersonal giants, and Chelsea’s unique position is ideal to buck this trend, offering a “chic boutique” event to accentuate its intimate setting and emphasis on high quality objets d’art with a strong emphasis on rarity andhigh quality.”
The sister event The King’s Road Antiques Fair, which ran in March for the past three years will return to its former name – The Chelsea Antiques Fair, capitalising on the title that has been in use since 1950. Hence there will again be two Chelsea Antiques Fairs, spring and autumn in 2009 as in the ‘60s to ‘90’s.
The Chelsea Antiques Fair first opened at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in 1950. For many years it was regarded as one of London’s top three antique fairs and enjoyed the patronage of leading dealers and collectors from across the world. It ran annually and bi-annually at various times until 2007. It was acquired by Penman Fairs in 1984.
Since Mrs Penman organised her first Chelsea Antiques Fair it has been patronised by collectors and celebrities from across the world. Noted visitors have included Sir Michael Caine, Margaret Thatcher, Lord Snowdon, Jeffrey Archer, Patrick Lichfield, Michael Winner, Bernie Ecclestone, Elaine Stritch, Robert Vaughan, Elaine Paige, Charlie Watts, Michael Portillo, George Melly, Amanda Donohoe, Edward Fox, David Jacobs, Eric Knowles and Esther Rantzen among many others.
The re-launched fair is timed to coincide with the BADA Fine Art and Antiques Fair at the Duke of York’s Square, just half a mile away and there will be a complimentary chauffeur service between the two Fairs, running approximately half hourly from noon to 5.00 pm (starting at 1.30 pm from the BADA Fair on Wednesday 25 March). The Chelsea Fair, which now runs in March and September, will have an entirely new floor plan and variety will be the essence of the Fair which will feature exhibits with prices from less than £100 to more than £20,000, and everything will be expertly checked for quality and authenticity. The 35 exhibitors provide a wide spectrum of art and artefacts from the past 300 years – including formal and country furniture, ceramics, oil and watercolour paintings, fine silver, jewellery and objets de virtu. Many of the exhibitors are members of the UK's leading trade associations, BADA and LAPADA.
With paintings particularly popular currently, (perceived as excellent tangible assets to enjoy and appreciate) there will be a wide variety on offer from sporting paintings to 19th century landscape oils and works from the 20th century.
Derbyshire dealer Peter Bunting, a loyal and regular exhibitor, will be showing an extensive collection of 16th, 17th and 18th century oak and country furniture, metalwork and accessories, including court cupboards, early carvings and portraits. He is joined by other furniture specialists S.& S.Timms Antiques from Bedfordshire and Gravener Antiques from Brasted, Kent, with formal furniture. Smithson Antiques from Lincolnshire will be showing a wide range of kitchen antiques and accessories, including several large butcher’s blocks.
The fair promises a range of collector's items from several specialists including Brian Watson, the glass specialist from Norwich and ceramics specialists including Carolyn Stoddart Scott from London, Jupiter Antiques from Kent, Peter Jackson the Derby specialist, Roger de Ville from Staffordshire and Aurea Carter from London. Ben Cooper from Worcestershire will be showing Oriental ceramics and antiquities.
Fine art, from the 18th and 19th centuries, is represented by Ashleigh House from Essex, while traditional images but modern work will be shown by The Hunt Gallery from Kent. Paul Mayhew from London joins the fair with 19th and 20th century works.
Also showing will be several specialist jewellers including London dealers Anthea AG Antiques, Shapiro & Co and Monika. They are joined by Terry Robert from Norfolk and Plaza from Wales.
Silver and glass will be shown by Brayhawks of Kent, alongside very interesting early metalware and Delftwares. Visiting card cases will be featured by Simply Antiques from Suffolk, together with a range of other boxes.
Joining the list of exhibitors who have not shown at Chelsea before are
Pars Oriental Rugs, Great Grooms Antiques Centre, Hungerford
Sporting Moray, Moray, Scotland – paintings with a sporting theme
Baron Fine Art, Chester, 19th and 20th century oils and watercolours
Carlton Clocks, Amersham
Walter Moores Antiques, Leicestershire – period furniture
Everything will be attractively displayed for sale, with each exhibitor ready to talk to visitors on his own subject with great enthusiasm and knowledge.
Some Complimentary Tickets are available for
ANTIQUESNEWS readers.
Antiques for Modern Living at
The Decorative Fair
April 21-26, 2009 A Classic Club Room takes over the Foyer
Launched in 1985, the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair has led the way as the antiques fair for interior design. It was the first in the UK to offer a ‘look’ for decorating. The Spring event runs Tuesday 21 April to Sunday 26 April 2009. Each year the Fairs are held in January, April and early October at The Marquee, Battersea Park.
“After many years of minimalism and simplicity, I think people want to add more personality into their homes…”
Sir Paul Smith
This recent statement by the eponymous British designer may be one of the reasons why the Decorative Antiques Fair, unlike some others, has seen continued growth in the past year, with an unflagging demand from increasing numbers of both decorators and private buyers for the stock they bring to the Fairs.
At the 2009 Spring Fair, the special theme in the Foyer is The Club Room, featuring all items one might associate with a classic gentleman’s bolt-hole: a complete Victorian billiard room, comfortable leather seating, a library area, sporting and gaming memorabilia, drinks-related items and associated decorative touches. All items will be offered for sale from exhibitors at the Fair, and will provide a perfect antidote to minimalism, offering some superb trappings of a comfortable lifestyle that has been appreciated for centuries!
Whilst the make-up of the Fairs has changed since they launched 24 years ago, the experience at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fairs has not. Buyers still find it the most inspiring and relaxed antiques event in the UK. Dealers offer interior decorators and private buyers the best design options around for a very individual look
The mainstay of the Fairs is: Decorative and painted furniture Traditional English wood furniture Art Deco and post-war modern design Lighting: from 18th century rococo chandeliers to modernist 1960’s wall lights Mirrors: from carved & gilded or mirror-framed, to painted over-mantels Textiles: for wall decoration or practical application, rugs and kilims Upholstered and leather furniture Garden and outdoor furniture and ornament
Design schemes are also about the personal touch, and the Fair does not omit the needs of collectors of objects from the C17th to C21st, with dealers in: Sculpture and statuary Ceramics, porcelain & glass Oriental antiques and artefacts Paintings and prints Kitchenalia and gardening antiques Collectors’ items from snuff boxes to antiquities, …from tribal art to toys
But the unique aspect of the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fairs, and for which it is renowned, is the quirky and the unusual: dealers have a great eye for spotting objects that work as decorative highlights in a home. You might find: Industrial or factory furniture Architectural antiques Shop fronts and fittings Fossils and other natural objets trouvé
Current trends include:
black accents: look out for lamps, small furniture such as ebonised or japanned chairs, desks and occasional tables, and glassware.
upholstered furniture is more popular than ever; it was flying off the stands at the Autumn 2008 fair. Antique offers better quality value-for-money than new.
Hotel Chic incorporating boudoir glitz and gold, with C20th furniture especially in unusual finishes such as parchment, vellum and lacquer, antique Venetian mirrors, and lots of antique gilding - furniture, frames or lamps.
industrial lighting vs feminine crystal: top sellers include quirky wall lights, original Anglepoise lamps, modernist glass chandeliers, extravagant antique crystal chandeliers and all kinds of floor-lamps.
floral and colourful textiles, used as a ‘statement’ in a room: just one piece of upholstered furniture will get the look, or cushions and bed/sofa throws using antique textile lengths such as C18th toile de Jouy and chintzes.
useful, English & Decorative wood furniture that complement wallpaper schemes: chests of drawers, side tables, consoles. It’s a great time to buy. Some prices are half what they were in the 1990s.
In April 2009, around 120 dealers from around the UK and Europe will exhibit.
Event: The Spring Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair
Date: Tuesday 21 April to Sunday 26 April 2009
Venue: The Marquee, Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ
Tickets: £8.00 including catalogue (which allows free return to Fair)
Transport: Sloane Square Tube – a free Renault shuttle service runs from Sloane Square to the Marquee every 10-15 minutes during opening hours.
Open: Tuesday 12pm – 8pm
Wednesday, Thursday 11am – 8pm
Friday 11am – 7pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am – 6pm
Organisers: Harvey (Management Services) Ltd
Enquiries: +44 (0)20 7624 5173
Website: www.decorativefair.com
FUTURE DATE: Autumn Fair 29 Sept-4 Oct 2009
NB – Opening times may be subject to change; please call to check before travelling.
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trade and private 
Other regular exhibitors include Tristram Latimer Sayer of Primal in Castle Cary with period painted and decorative furniture, upholstered and leather furniture and sculptural objects for interiors and exteriors. Another long term exhibitor at the Fair is Sonia Cashman who deals in period portrait miniatures, silhouettes, samplers, needlework and objects. Based in the city of Bath, Sonia, a native of Boston Massachusetts, is well placed to acquire unique pieces to complete important Collections for clients in America. French provincial furniture and mirror dealer,
Martin Dearden of Pennard House Antiques in Somerset,
will be showing his usual array of exquisite fruitwood
Madame de Pompadour, paramour of Louis XV (whose period, 1715-1774, is commonly referred to as Louis Quinze by antiques dealers and designers), encouraged the King to promote the fine arts of architecture, furniture and furnishings – it was the age of rococo (curvaceous, asymmetrical, organic style using natural motifs such as scrolls, floral and shell designs) and chinoiserie. Decorating colours were delicate, although the carved furniture was often gilded. La Pompadour even urged Louis XV to take control of the Sèvres porcelain factory; in the early 18th century, porcelain was valued more than its weight in gold. The brilliantly coloured and lavishly gilded artefacts produced by Sèvres were incorporated in furniture designs as inset plaques and table tops.
Rococo is often viewed as the high point of French furniture design, and it was revived several times in the next two centuries. The flourishing of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail of this Louis Quinze period might be said to be the epitome of French chateaux style as we think of it: a lightness and elegance, combined with minute and careful decorative accents such as interlacing shell decoration, plant and flower motifs, C-scrolls and S-scrolls, the cabriole leg and scroll foot. 
Almost the opposite in style to rococo, neo-classicism became the major influence of the next 50 or so years in French design. In the mid-1700s there was a scholarly interest in the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome, just then being ‘re-discovered’ with excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii for example, which gave rise to neo-classicism. By the time of Louis XVI’s accession in 1774, the straight lines and right angles, seriousness and logical design of ancient classical architecture had infiltrated furniture making. Colours were light in tone. Restraint in form and decoration imitated Athenian and Etruscan designs: slender proportions were emphasized in furniture, with fluted columns, convex mouldings, carved friezes of leaf, flower and wreath in the frames, often painted white and touched with gilt. This was the new decorative order entering château interiors. 
Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, was responsible for combining this neo-classical straightness of line with the most luxurious of damask wall-coverings, silk hangings and painted furniture in her Petit Trianon at Versailles. Its accompanying bucolic vision of a village – Hameau – complete with dairy, mill and cottages, was where the Queen could ‘escape’ the weight of the Court and indulge her whimsical milkmaid fancies. Where Marie-Antoinette led, France’s châtelaines followed in adding these new elements to their château interiors, influenced by the Queen’s courtly and countrified tastes, and putting even greater energies in to their own gardens.
Some campaign furniture stood out as being obviously made for travel with protective brass corners and clean lines. Other pieces looked identical to their standard counterpart with clues such as bolts or hinges in unusual places only becoming apparent on close examination.
of February 1858: ‘ Sir Colin Campbell’s baggage, & c., extended for eighteen miles, when he came down from Lucknow’. Even for the Commander of the British army in India, at the time of the mutiny, this might seem excessive. The Victorian age saw a great increase in the number of patents taken out regarding portable and folding furniture and its use extended further into the domestic market. Sporting events, country house parties and the extra house guest all benefited from folding furniture that was easily carried or stored.
Department stores such as The Army & Navy Society, where the traveller could buy everything under one roof, or could order from one of their agents across the world proved, tough competition for the independent maker. Added to this its use began to die out at the beginning of the 20th century. This was due to the end of purchased commissions at the end of the last century, changes in the way warfare was conducted after the sharp lessons learnt in the Boer War and the rise of the motor car that allowed for faster travel. However, some campaign furniture, such as the Roorkhee chair, invented by army engineers in India, and the Paragon chair enthused the great domestic furniture designers of the 20th century. So, furniture born out of practical necessity lived on as the inspiration for cutting edge design throughout the last century.
for wine (decanting). However the very heavily cut Regency and Victorian ones are too decorated for modern wine lovers but look great with brandy and whisky.
If it is cloudy we can clean it, you cannot. Anything you do (Steradent, lead shot, etc.) is either a waste of time or detrimental to the glass. Small chips can be repolished, on early glass this may not be recommended and advice should be taken. Cracks are always terminal, there is no such thing as a small crack, they will grow up.
Organiser Caroline Penman is re-launching the fair in 2009 after a year’s absence. She explains: “We feel there is an increasing need for the more personal event for discriminating shoppers and collectors in London. In the last decade, so many London Fairs have either disappeared or become impersonal giants, and Chelsea’s unique position is ideal to buck this trend, offering a “chic boutique” event to accentuate its intimate setting and emphasis on high quality objets d’art with a strong emphasis on rarity and high quality.”
The Chelsea Antiques Fair first opened at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in 1950. For many years it was regarded as one of London’s top three antique fairs and enjoyed the patronage of leading dealers and collectors from across the world. It ran annually and bi-annually at various times until 2007. It was acquired by Penman Fairs in 1984. 
The Chelsea Fair, which now runs in March and September, will have an entirely new floor plan and variety will be the essence of the Fair which will feature exhibits with prices from less than £100 to more than £20,000, and everything will be expertly checked for quality and authenticity. The 35 exhibitors provide a wide spectrum of art and artefacts from the past 300 years – including formal and country furniture, ceramics, oil and watercolour paintings, fine silver, jewellery and objets de virtu. Many of the exhibitors are members of the UK's leading trade associations, BADA and LAPADA. 
It was the first in the UK to offer a ‘look’ for decorating. The Spring event runs Tuesday 21 April to Sunday 26 April 2009. Each year the Fairs are held in January, April and early October at The Marquee, Battersea Park.
Mirrors: from carved & gilded or mirror-framed, to painted over-mantels
