Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Homes & Antiques

Welcome to the May issue of H&A! This month we consider collections in all their forms, from the 2,300-odd works of art held by the National Gallery (p31) – arguably one of the most important art collections in the world – to more personal passions, such as Murray Pollinger's fascination with Staffordshire potter, Samuel Alcock, which Willa Latham discusses on page 93. Displaying the pieces we collect is one of life's great joys, as we explore in our feature on page 23. Lapada's CEO, Freya Simms, points out that ‘the careful placing of objects can transform the atmosphere in a room’, which is clearly demonstrated in all four of this month's houses (from p43). However, a really thoughtfully presented collection has many advantages beyond the purely aesthetic: it can help…

Fabric Wallpaper…

As any antiques collector well knows, what starts as the casual purchase of a couple of choice pieces can quickly escalate, and before you know it you've amassed a hefty hoard that's taking over a sizeable portion of your home. If this sounds familiar, putting some thought into the display of your hard-won collection is worthwhile – it'll give your treasures the showcase they deserve and enhance your home at the same time. ‘Placing antiques is part of the pleasure of buying and collecting,’ agrees Freya Simms, CEO of LAPADA. ‘Art and antiques are part of a home's interior scheme and the careful placing of objects can transform the atmosphere of a room, whether you're trying to create a space that is formal, dramatic, cosy, calm or studious.’ We chatted…

Stars, chevrons, stripes, interlocking circles, spirals, fish scales and herringbone: the patterns that adorn Frances Priest's colourful ceramics, which are held in numerous collections (including the V&A, the National Museum of Scotland, and The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), are a glossary of the language of ornamentation. And while the pieces she makes – sculptural bowls and vases, as well as tiles – look strikingly contemporary with their colliding patchworks of patterns and bright colourways, the motifs also call to mind decorations seen on Art Deco tiled fire surrounds, or even Iznik pottery from 16th-century Turkey. The familiarity of this decorative language is no coincidence. A self-confessed ‘pattern obsessive,’ Frances describes her work as ‘utilising the narratives and cultural histories of ornamental motif.’ This is a subject that has fascinated her since…

‘We immediately loved those authentic details, such as the original doors and window frames. Although the building was empty, it had a lot of atmosphere’ Tineke Tichelaar believes the old train station she now calls home could be the most photographed building in North Friesland. Situated a stone's throw from the Wadden Sea, in a village called Tzummarum, it was built in 1902 as part of a plan to connect the villages with a railway line, however the initiative didn't last long. As early as 1925, passengers made way for potatoes, and in 1961 the trains disappeared from the track completely. The platform is where Tineke and her partner, Rick, now sit to enjoy the evening sun. In 2015, while searching online for an unconventional house outside the city, Tineke…

Any antique dealer or auctioneer worth their salt will have a decent stash of old auction catalogues. They are invaluable reference sources for both prices and historical research; and knowledge in the art and antiques game always puts you one step ahead. I've hoarded a vast collection of auction catalogues in a box-room upstairs, collected over many years, and some of them are now surprisingly valuable. There's a thriving second-hand market for auction catalogues online, especially in niche areas of collecting and also what's known in the trade as ‘single owner sales'– auctions dedicated to the property of a single celebrity or tastemaker. That said, don't expect a routine catalogue from your local auction house – the dog-eared copy you've had lying around for the last year – to be…

Who hasn't felt a twinge of envy upon seeing a beautifully furnished home with an equally well-curated ‘gallery wall’ of artworks that ripple seamlessly through rooms on a wave of warmth and soul? Creating an art collection is a form of psychology that reflects much about a household, says independent gallerist Katherine Kittoe of Kittoe Contemporary: ‘These artworks are not just decorative objects, but things that are going to bring joy to your life over many years. Pictures are the backdrop to family life, with meaning and interest gathering as your taste evolves.’ So, an art collection tells a personal story, but how to begin that narrative? ‘A wonderful thing for budding collectors to do is to go to as many exhibitions as possible to be amongst paintings, prints and…

Inheriting a love of trawling through antique barns and shops from her parents, Nicky Keen has cultivated a career centred on transforming houses and orchestrating beautiful events alongside her co-director, stylist Klara Bromley. Their journey began in 2017 with the success of a charity open-house event. Since then, they have expanded their endeavours, now hosting three events a year in the heart of the Midlands. Their signature style – pretty, pastel and whimsical – defines these popular events. Tell us about Joy Events We host three seasonal Country Home & Brocante events – in spring, autumn, and at Christmas – all held at Middleton Hall, a Grade II-listed building just south of Tamworth. It's a gorgeous, historical location, absolutely perfect for the look and feel we wanted our events to…

Tiffany Panter and Matthew Hall run contemporary gallery Panter & Hall, and Panter & Hall Decorative, which specialises in mid-century paintings. Tiffany talks art temptations and London locations with Jenny Oldaker We sell original works of art from the last two centuries, with an emphasis on contemporary art. After a career in galleries in the 1990s, and working together in London, we finally decided to take the plunge and dive into the darkness of launching our own gallery in 2000. We currently operate two premises in London's West End. Our contemporary paintings live in a large space in Pall Mall, while works at Panter & Hall Decorative – sourced on the secondary market, generally dating from the 1940s to 1960s – are housed in a Victorian shop in Cecil Court near…

I spent a lot of my childhood going to museums and National Trust properties, but we had no connections to the art world. At 19, and about to do a veterinary medicine degree, I was offered a summer job in a local auction house. It opened my eyes to a world I knew nothing about. I loved constantly working towards the next auction, the variety of objects that came in, and the range of people I met. I subsequently enrolled at Sotheby's Institute for a degree in fine and decorative arts, where I found myself more drawn to objects and furniture than paintings and sculptures. While doing my degree I worked part-time at Sotheby's; then, in 2004, I joined Bonhams’ contemporary ceramics department as an administrator. It was all hands…

1824 Sir George Beaumont's idea comes to fruition: the repayment of an Austrian war loan allows the purchase of the founding collection. 1838 Current building opens in London's Trafalgar Square. 1842 The Arnolfini Portrait is purchased; the first Netherlandish painting in the collection. It was considered intriguing in its realistic portrayal and level of detail from the start, and has remained a favourite with the public ever since. 1855 Sir Charles Lock Eastlake becomes the National Gallery's first director. During his tenure, the Gallery acquired over 150 pictures. 1857 Margarito D'Arezzo's The Virgin and Child Enthroned was considered so ugly it caused a sensation, but Eastlake was fufilling his role as first director to tell the story of Western European art. It is now the oldest painting in the collection.…

Ancient and MODERN A crumbling Dorset barn nestled in a beautiful garden has been transformed into a quirky open-plan home, filled with art and antiques A derelict stone barn, with a coffin-sized hole in the floor, was a bit more of a project than Jane and Colin Brownrigg planned to take on. And yet something about the building's situation in the landscape felt special, says Jane. ‘It was a unique place, with amazing views in every direction – even so, the scale of the project was terrifying!’ The barn lies on the fringes of one of Dorset's most picturesque villages, which is built around an ancient abbey, and it transpired that the alarming hole in the floor wasn't from an exhumed corpse, but the remnants of an archaeological excavation. A…

Understated, robust, affordable and versatile – what's not to like about the iconic country chairs named after a famous royal town? But if you've always assumed Windsors were christened after the place where they were made, think again – their association is rather less straightforward. Legend has it that George II sought shelter in a cottage in a storm and was offered a simple wooden seat. He was so impressed by it that he had a copy made and called it a Windsor chair. Sadly, however, this colourful tale is unlikely to be true, and Windsor was actually the hub where many of these chairs were sold, rather than the place they were created. What defines a Windsor chair? Styles vary according to when and where they were made, but…

This November will be the 10th anniversary of Art on a Postcard (AOAP), the timed online auction founded to raise money for The Hepatitis C Trust. Initially, artists were asked to create an anonymous, postcard-sized work of art for auction, which made the bidding process particularly piquant. Nowadays, artworks are attributed to artists and the big names continue to donate – Grayson Perry, Julian Opie, Andrew Cranston, Vanessa Garwood, Antonia Showering and Shaqúelle Whyte among them. To date, AOAP has raised over £2.5million for the Trust and has recently run similar auctions for other worthy causes, such as War Child and International Women's Day. The barnstorming initiative is the brainchild of filmmaker Gemma Peppé, who spends her year combing art schools and Instagram for new talent, as well as approaching…

Cambridge Founded in 1846 to replace a smaller predecessor, 40-acre Cambridge University Botanic Garden was always designed as a visitor attraction as well as a research tool. Elegant glasshouses, a luminous lilypad fountain and picturesque pathways fringe a space now home to around 8,000 species, their study supporting explorations of some of the big botanical challenges of our times. Nine national plant collections are based here, including geraniums, tulips and alchemilla, and the garden is associated with Charles Darwin, who was suggested for his voyage on HMS Beagle by the university's Chair of Botany, John Henslow. botanic.cam.ac.uk Sheffield Dominated by a magnificent glasshouse, the Paxton Pavilions, Sheffield Botanical Gardens stretch across 19 acres just west of the city centre. Opened in 1836, at the behest of the Sheffield Botanical and…

The Antique Kitchen Mikki Towler is based in Norfolk and sells beautiful pieces of treen – bread knives, butter stamps, egg racks and spice containers – alongside useful kitchen storage jars, tins and tea caddies. The Instagram account is a delight to follow and browse, too. theantiquekitchen.co.uk; @theantiquekitchen Appleby Antiques Mike and Sue sell from Atlam on London's Portobello Road, as well as online, and specialise in usable culinary antiques, especially moulds – be they copper, pewter or ceramic – dating from 1750 to 1920. Their Instagram account is also worth a follow for the images of beautiful moulds, not to mention fascinating titbits of food history. applebyantiques.net; @applebyantiques AntiqueKitchenalia Seek out the Insta grid of @antiquekitchenalia and you'll find wonderful white ironstone jars, copper chocolate moulds, herb choppers, dough…

Trailing toile New York-based decoupage artist and collector, John Derian, started his studio in 1989, his collages of 18th- and 19th-century imagery later being used as decoration for crockery, textiles, and wallpaper. Peacock Toile (Scene 2), shown here in Parchment, is from Picture Book Wallpapers II, a collaboration with Designers Guild, and comes from a hand-painted set of screens in John's studio. Available with or without the peacocks, it costs £220 per roll. designersguild.com ABOUT THYME Working with Lorfords, the hotel and restaurant, Thyme, has produced a collection of upholstered pieces, which you can experience while staying there or buy for your home. Choose a plain fabric or a delightful vegetable pattern such as ‘Radish’, designed by Thyme's founder, Caryn Hibbert. Glasshouse headboard, £3,485. lorfordsantiques.com GLOSS GOSSIP Interior designer Jane…

Celebrated French designer Jacques Adnet created furniture that was at once luxurious and understated. His prolific career began in the 1920s, and his innovative approach to form and materials kept his work at the forefront of the modernist design movement until the 1970s. A champion of practical, functional furniture, many of his pieces featured streamlined metal structures coupled with leather, and it is this aesthetic that inspired Soane Britain's Crillon collection. The range launched back in 2005 with the Crillon chair, an elegant armchair informed by Adnet's mid-century French design: a sleek metal frame clad in inviting, hand-stitched leather. Since then, the collection has expanded to include more pieces – dining chairs, benches, bar stools and more – all united by their pared-back metal form and leather coverings, and completed…

Buy Now 19th-century watercolours Charlotte Russell, Roseberys The 19th century was a golden age for watercolour painting; a time when small, hard cakes of water-soluble pigments became easily available and were well suited to the fashionable pursuit of sketching outdoors. Another technological advancement was the advent of ‘wove’ paper, which had a more uniform texture than its earlier counterparts and allowed artists to use watercolours with greater precision. Our Old Master, British & European Pictures sales always feature fine watercolours by important British artists of this period. By their nature, watercolour paintings can fade, so look out for strong colours when buying at auction, such as those in View of a Country Path by John Middleton, which fetched £656 recently. One of my favourite things about watercolours is how personal…

From the 10th of May, 12 masterpieces from the National Gallery are going on show at 12 museums and galleries around the UK as part of the National Treasures programme. Works on tour include the sublime and mysterious Wilton Diptych which will go on show at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford; Renoir's much-loved The Umbrellas will find a temporary home at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, while Rembrandt's Self Portrait at the Age of 34 is sure to delight visitors to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.…

After 20 years working for a fashion agency in Hamburg, Christine Pink needed a break from the rush of the city. ‘I loved to spend my holidays by the Baltic Sea; I enjoyed the peace and tranquillity, so whenever I could, I'd rent a cottage.’ It was on one of those holiday trips, back in 2007, that she came upon an old house with a ‘For sale’ sign. ‘It was love at first sight,’ she says. ‘I didn't even have to look around; I wanted to buy it immediately! Initially, I was only planning to use it at weekends.’ The location of the former smithy, built in 1856, couldn't have been more idyllic: surrounded by fields as far as the eye could see, and a garden filled with mature magnolias…

London is an international centre for the antique textiles trade. Dealers are a connected fraternity, selling to each other and being in touch when one has acquired a piece likely to interest another. The dealers’ clientele includes museums, interior designers, costume designers for film and theatre, textile designers, artists and private collectors. Dealers sell at textile fairs, from websites, by appointment, and use Instagram to keep potential buyers informed of new pieces in stock. Esther Fitzgerald has honed her skill and knowledge in antique textiles over 40 years of buying and intensive research. She declares herself ‘a cultural flirt. I look at things other people don't look at and buy outside the norm and not from one area. I gravitate towards textiles combining colour and beauty, then I research each…

1. A fashion for faux bamboo Estimate £400–£600 Sold £6,560 The Regency period of the early 19th century was an eclectic time for high-fashion furniture. For inspiration, cabinetmakers drew on the styles of ancient civilisations – from Egypt, to the Neoclassical world, to China. The Prince Regent, later King George IV, was a leader in fashionable society and the looks he chose for his homes rapidly caught on. None more so than faux bamboo furniture, which was used liberally at his seaside party palace, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The Royal Collection Trust records a set of ‘36 bamboo chairs japaned; the backs and seats caned £71’ made in 1802 and supplied to the Pavilion by Messrs Tatham & Bailey, furniture makers to the Prince's household, based in Mayfair. The…

THE WEST END, HAWARDEN ESTATE, FLINTSHIRE, NORTH WALES H A Review As you pass through the gates to Hawarden Estate, the imposing Gothic Revival castle up ahead, it's impossible not to feel slightly regal. Built in the 18th century, Hawarden Castle was once home to four-time British Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone, and is now in the hands of powerhouse couple Charlie Gladstone (great-great grandson of William) and his wife Caroline, who have transformed the estate and dilapidated outbuildings into a vibrant creative idyll: luxury holiday lets, campsite, farm shop, café, organic farm, thriving pub, a ‘Walled Garden School’, wild swimming, yoga, open-fire cooking and events. Housed in a mid-1860s ‘extension’ wing of the crenellated castle, The West End has recently been renovated by the Gladstones, with beautiful paint colours…

What first sparked your interest in antiques? I grew up in period buildings, with parents who were interested in antiques – my father is a cabinet maker and I remember the antiques catalogues and reference books he used for research into particular pieces of furniture. There was always a great appreciation for anything hand-crafted. Although I'm drawn to paintings and photographs, or small handmade items, my main interest is ceramics. I have a large collection of Victorian children's plates and I also collect lustreware jugs. There are some patterns I particularly love, such as floral creamware by Wedgwood c1810; it's tricky to find, but I have a few mixed-and-matched plates. I also find antique tea caddy shapes very inspiring, as well as flower bricks and bough pots. I look at…