Welcome
Two months into the new government makes me wonder what changes the administration will bring to the UK art and antiques market? If nothing else, the question has sparked much online speculation for a start.
Could it be more collections will come to market ahead of the widely-predicted increase in capital gains tax? Will the new government look to soften some of the more onerous Brexit restrictions by reducing shipping costs and
streamlining paperwork such as that required for Temporary Admission? Will Labour’s pledged review of the Arts Council England unlock new opportunities for artists and institutions across the country?
On page 18, gallery owner Simon Rastall takes a much more bricks-and-mortar approach, based on Labour’s plans to build 1.5m new houses. Smaller paintings, he points out, have a broad appeal because they fit into any space and suit any small home. But if the housing market picks up and collectors ‘scale-up’ what will they fill their walls with? ‘Big’ art is the answer and now, Simon says, could be the time to buy.
Of course not all – in fact I would venture very few – collections are started with £ signs in mind. Most, like the collection of fairground art described on page 44, are the result of an obsession forged in childhood. Or, as in Simon’s own experience, come from a random meeting of an artist who went on to become a family friend.
But, whether we collect for profit or passion, it’s great to keep abreast of the latest trends. On page 12, our monthly round-up of sale results acts as a barometer to what’s hot in the current market. This month an amber butterscotch necklace defied its estimate in Suffolk, while a collection of hock glasses, each expected to sell for around £200, sold for £2,000.
Elsewhere in the magazine, on page 36, Catherine Southon describes her surprise when celebrated spoon-bender Uri Geller was revealed as the buyer of a pair of John Lennon’s glasses, for which he paid more than £50,000, at her recent sale. On page 42, Eric Knowles tells us how a strangely modern-looking dish found on a domestic sideboard was revealed to date back to the 1500s and, on page 30, we go behind the scenes of a collection of pottery by a well-known north Devon maker. Enjoy the issue.
FIRST WORD
IN THIS ISSUE
SUZANNE ZACK 30 seconds with Olympia Auctions’
new expert, page 6
JOHN BLACK Lifts the lid on an important sale of
early Moorcroft, page 26
MARY CHILCOTT Previews ceramics from the renowned makers, the Fishley
family, page 30
Georgina Wroe, Editor
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We love!
This 19th-century Viennese glass beaker which has an estimate of £800-£1,200 at Woolley and Wallis’ British and continental ceramics and glass sale on
September 3.
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ERIC KNOWLES
Discovers a mother-of-pearl dish dating
to the 1500s, page 42
THE TEAM Editor: Georgina Wroe, georgina.
wroe@accartbooks.com Online Editor: Richard Ginger, richard.ginger@accartbooks.com
Design: Philp Design,
philpdesign.co.uk Advertising and subscriptions:
Charlotte Kettell 01394 389969, charlotte.kettell
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ANTIQUE COLLECTING 3
