20
Jun
Jun
Research into the artist Aedwyn Darroll (1929-2005), based on a late 1950s oil on board portrait of ‘Ron’ by him.
25
May
May
Sometimes we don’t know what it is. Well, actually, it’s obvious what it is – a glass vase. With an Art Deco pattern. The more astute of you will know that it was firstly mould blown, with hot-worked green swirls being then applied. It was then acid-etched with an Art Deco floral and foliate pattern […]
10
Apr
Apr
Information about the glass eggs sold by Ikea, and designed by the Swedish designer and artist Bjorn Ronnquist
06
Apr
Apr
Ludwig Hohlwein (1874-1949) is one of the most celebrated and successful poster artists of the early 20th century. Renowned for his use of flat, interlocking planes of bold, contrasting colours with sharply defined forms, he reached the height of his skills from c1912-25. He trained in Munich as an architect, but moved into poster design […]
30
Mar
Mar
An examination of an early Fish vase designed and made by Michael Harris and made at the Royal College Of Art, London, therefore before those made at Mdina Glass.
23
Mar
Mar
I can’t resist a bargain, so when I saw this small epergne on a market stand in Hampstead for £10, I reached for my wallet. The detail of the pewter base is wonderful, being made up of three swans with outstretched wings on a base of lily leaves and branches evoking a pond. A group […]
15
Jan
Jan
As regular readers of my blog will know, I buy a lot of pictures and prints. I began buying them at school, when I was 15, and they’re all still surrounding me, spread around our home. And I honestly like all of them as much today as I did when I bought them. Whether or […]
04
Nov
Nov
Last month, I was lucky enough to be asked to be the special guest at the biannual SylvaC collectors’ event in Peterborough. After a thoroughly fascinating day with friendly, warm and dedicated collectors, I was presented with a thank you gift of a piece of SylvaC for my collection – how incredibly kind! I had […]
28
Oct
Oct
One of my favourite places to browse on a Sunday afternoon is Oxfam Books. What people turn off their bookshelves and out of their homes is endlessly fascinating for me. It’s always the pamphlets and booklets that I am drawn to first, from exhibition catalogues to more esoteric publications. A few years ago, I found […]
16
Oct
Oct
Visiting the ‘OstBerlin‘ exhibition in the Museum Ephraim-Palais in Berlin last weekend, I was impressed by the quality and quantity of period paintings, drawings and prints of the developing East German part of the city, dating from the 1950s-80s. So, when I stumbled across an etching of a notable West German building from the same […]
03
Jun
Jun
The discovery of a group of architectural sketches by the Arts & Crafts architect Philip Webb in Bogota leads antiques expert Mark Hill to consider why they are there as he walks around the city.
29
Jan
Jan
This Christmas and New Year (December 2018 & January 2019), the banker and I decided to continue the holidays we’ve taken in South America over the years and cashed in our air miles to make a trip to Colombia. Despite what you may think, and the large numbers of policemen and soldiers on many streets, […]