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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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, […]
I didn’t want to die at 36, but to a young art history student living away from home for the first time, Amedeo Modigliani’s life (1884-1920) seemed dramatic, charismatic, exciting and bohemian. I loved (and still love) his art and set myself a challenge of one day owning something directly connected to it and him […]
I love finding a piece with its original label or sticker still attached, as it can yield a lot of useful information, especially if the piece is otherwise unmarked. Most labels were washed off, or otherwise removed, by the original owner when they got home, so survivors are scarce. Obviously, the first indication a label […]
Anyone who has seen glass being made will know mesmerising the process is, from the silent dance of the skilled glassmaking team to the transformation of a blob of hot, orange glass into a three dimensional artwork. My good friend and colleague Graham Cooley recently told me about a fascinating film produced in 1980 by […]
When I was pulling together my ‘Design At Home’ 20th century design auction for Dawson’s Auctioneers earlier this year, a vendor contacted me wishing to sell a group of British postwar furniture owned by his uncle, who had sadly recently died. His uncle had bought all the pieces brand new in 1961, and had looked […]