One thing I have learned in this business is to never ignore even the most junky of junk shops. It’s always worth a look around – even for two minutes. You need to keep your ‘quality control’ eyes wide open however, as it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying what is effectively ‘the […]
Every good, middle or upper class Victorian gentleman worth his salt would have owned one. A small silver propelling pencil, perhaps attached to an Albert chain with a fob watch on the other end and stored in a waistcoat pocket, or kept with a notebook for a day’s important jottings. These retractable, sliding pencils were […]
I’m very fond of antique and vintage fountain pens. In fact, they were one of the first things I began to collect seriously. They were also the main part of my first job in the antiques business when I worked in the Collectors Department in Bonhams in London during the late 1990s, which was then […]
In many ways, Barry Cullen was an archetypal ‘true’ studio glassmaker, particularly if you compare him to a studio potter. He fulfilled the roles of both the designer and the maker, perhaps with assistance from time to time. But Cullen did more than that as he also marketed, exhibited, sold, and fulfilled sales of his […]
By the time you get some experience out there in the wild under your belt, if you see something that you haven’t seen it before, it’s worth considering. The longer and broader that experience becomes, the more it’s worth buying something that you haven’t seen before – if you like it and can afford it. […]
There are some things in my collection that I don’t really know about. In fact, it’s these things I’m drawn to – and buy – the most. The world has enough experts and dealers in Royal Worcester, Meissen, and such things that have been heavily researched for decades, even centuries. If it’s highly unusual and […]
What goes on in my head when deciding to buy or not to buy… There’s so much scope with small sculptures. In my experience, unless a sculpture looks something like a Henry Moore, is clearly Art Deco, or looks like some fine 18thC Classical marble, it’s often ignored. Most people focus on ‘flat art’ for […]
I adore costume jewellery pins, and I do love a good crown pin. Forget the precious metal and gemstone ones, especially with gold being at the heights that it is now. Costume jewellery designs are just as eye-catching, and the story behind them can be a ‘crowning glory’. There’s one pin in particular that always […]
I don’t usually buy blue and white transfer-printed pottery. If I did, I guess it would be to use. And that’s what it was made for – solid, workaday dinner and tea wares for ordinary homes, inspired by the ever-present fashion for Chinese blue and white porcelains. Just much less expensive, and much more resilient. […]
I’ve long been a fan of studio glass – glass made from the mid-1960s onwards when the studio glass movement finally freed the medium of glass from factories to be used by individual artists. Glass could finally become a medium for art. It’s a seriously major turning point in 20th century design, art and decorative […]
I’m a huge fan of antique prints. Yes, I know most dealers or auctioneers groan when presented with one unless it’s by an internationally known master, but I think they’re an undiscovered treasure trove. Partly because they are typically extremely affordable and allow us to own an original work by a major artist, or they […]
I’m not much of a fan of bar brooches, if I’m honest. But I know that those once-reviled Victorian silver bar brooches engraved with names have become popular once again, driven by the recent revival of girl’s names from that period. Still, not for me. At all. However, one bar brooch kept gently waving at […]