Opening the new year in style, The Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art Fair takes place at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, London W1K 6JP from Thursday 5 until Sunday 8 January 2017. Organised by The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited, the fair, now in its fifth year, is supported by Mayfair property specialist Wetherell and NFU Mutual Godalming and attracts an international audience of collectors and interior decorators, museum curators and visitors still in London after the festive season.
Newcomers at this fair include antique glass and lighting specialist, Fileman Antiques, Jonathan Harris Studio Glass, a second generation glass artist, whose father Michael Harris started Mdina Glass in Malta; jewellery dealers Nigel Norman and The Gilded Lily and vintage watch expert Timewise.
Former head of the Wellington Collection at Apsley House in London, Jonathan Voak of Atelier is showing London etchings by Whistler, priced around £3,750 to £4,750; two original pencil illustrations of toads by Walter Sickert, £2,500 the pair, which were originally laid onto cards advertising 'Mr and Mrs Sickert's Finishing School for Painting for Women' (the cards accompany the studies). Another highlight is Isoult la Desirous and the Forest Maidens by Sir William Russell Flint RA, PRWS, RSW (1880-1969), £30,000, based on the popular Victorian novel The Forest Lovers, which marked a turning point in the author, Maurice Henry Hewlett's career. Unusually for watercolour artist Russell Flint, this painting is an oil on board; it was only exhibited once in public at Russell Flint's first exhibition in Manchester in 1908, where it was bought by Mr Bouchier, editor of The Colliery Guardian.
Broadway based Haynes Fine Art, which recently opened a London gallery, is returning to exhibit at the fair with The Farmers Family by Giovanni Batiste Torriglia (Italian 1857 - 1937), oil on canvas, signed, £125,000 - 150,000; Figures Skating on a Frozen River by Fredrick Marinus Kruseman (Dutch 1816 - 1882), oil on panel, £65,000 - £75,000. Other picture dealers exhibiting are Cambridge Fine Art, Saunders Fine Art, Ashleigh House Fine Art, Baron Fine Art, and the doyenne of the London art scene, Manya Igel of Manya Igel Fine Arts bringing paintings by Royal Academicians and members of the New England Art Club and other talented artists, including Neale Worley, Susan Ryder, Diana Armfield, Peter Kuhfeld, Donald Hamilton Fraser and Fred Cuming.
Other art for sale comprises both contemporary and 19th century bronzes from Garret & Hurst Sculpture with works by Dutch sculptor Margot Homan (b.1950) and wildlife artist Robert Glen (b.1940). Antique bronzes include Mozart by Maurice David Gabriel de Gheest, gilded bronze, c.1890, £3,450 and Dancer (possibly Isadora Duncan) by Peter Tereszczuk (Austrian, fl.1895-1925), c.1900, £4,350. Hickmet Fine Arts is bringing a sizeable collection of antique European pieces by important names like Chiparus, Preiss and Lorenzl complemented by animal bronzes by Barye, Bonheur and Jiji and Giselle by PJ Mêne (1810-1879), bronze, 1860, £3,450.
Adding glamour to the fair is a fine collection of jewellery dealers returning to exhibit, offering a variety of antique, vintage and designer pieces such as Matthew Foster Art Deco Gallery, Markov and T Robert. A highlight from Wimpole Antiques is a striking 18 ct gold stag beetle brooch, made by Buccellati in the 1920s, which could sport a man's jacket as easily as a beautiful dress, POA. From Nigel Norman comes a fine Austrian brooch in the form of a tied ribbon, set with brilliant cut diamonds and shaped Burma rubies in silver and mounted in gold, c1875, £36,000. Burmese rubies can also be found in the diamond and facetted natural pigeon's blood ruby and diamond bracelet, made by Wander of Vienna in the 1980s, selling for £55,000 from The Gilded Lily. Anthea AG Antiques has an iconic 18ct gold Bulgari collar, Italian, 1980s, £15,000 and from a hundred years earlier is a Victorian natural pearl star tiara, c1880, £5,500.
A number of antique glass specialists are exhibiting including Fileman Antiques, leading antique lighting restorer and glass experts since 1890; M&D Moir, Brian Watson Antique Glass, Mark J West and Hickmet Fine Arts, with Daum, Loetz, Lalique and Gallé, including an impressive French Art Nouveau soufflé glass vase with a naturalistic design of raised fruiting plums, signed Gallé in cameo, c1920, £15,500. Emile Gallé used science and technology in the development of his work. New exhibitor, Jonathan Harris Studio Glass creates unique, bespoke art glass, combining innovation and technology with ancient craftmanship at the Coalport China Museum in the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge Gorge.
Other antique glass highlights include a fine six light cut glass ormolu mounted chandelier of classic tent and basket design, attributed to John Blades, English, c1825, £9,600 from Fileman Antiques; a pair of Bohemian Thousand Eye glass vases by Carl Meltzer, 1915, £1,500 the pair from M&D Moir; and jewellery specialist T Robert has an exceptional cut glass scent bottle with a gold Medusa stopper, swarming with cabochon ruby headed snakes, c1875, £14,500.
Mary Cooke Antiques Ltd brings an important pair of George III covered silver dishes, from the Duke of Newcastle dinner service, made in London by John Parker and Edward Wakelin, 84 oz the pair, 1774, priced at £6,500 and a rare George III silver drum tea caddy by Swedish born Andrew Fogelberg (Paul Storr's master), made in London in 1773, £5,950. The rare drum form was produced for a short period during the 1770s before the advent of oval forms. Also exhibiting are JH Bourdon-Smith Ltd and Stephen Kalms Antiques specialising in silver from ornaments to tableware.
Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts specialises in Arts & Crafts, Art Deco, Liberty, Knox, Art Nouveau bronzes, art glass and pewter, amongst which is an Art Deco chrome plated monkey table lamp by Hagenauer, Austrian, c1930, £2,400 and a selection of Art Deco polychrome pottery vases by Charles Catteau for Boch Frères of Belgium, 1930s, priced around £600. Pottery and porcelain can be found on Carolyn Stoddart-Scott's stand.
BBC Antiques Roadshow expert, Richard Price, returns to exhibit with a fine collection of antique clocks, including a rare French Empire ormolu mantle timepiece of chariot form with white enamel dial forming the wheel, surmounted by Amour being pulled by two dogs, c1810, £6,450.
Furniture spans the centuries with mid-century and Art Deco chairs, tables, cocktail bars and accessories provided by Jeroen Markies Art Deco. Earlier furniture includes a late 18th century satinwood secretaire bookcase with oval silver plated handles and superb proportions, c1790, £18,450 and a small William & Mary chest of drawers with olivewood oyster and holly banding, c1690, £13,850 both from Walton House Antiques. From S&S Timms Antiques comes a mid19th century satinbirch dwarf bookcase, c1840, £5,500 and walnut stool with tapestry top on raised cabriole legs, c1860, £2,500.
A number of scholars from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, are demonstrating some of their skills including architectural and stained glass (Eleanor Lachab), leatherwork (Mark Angelo-Gizzi), sculpted typography (Wayne Hart), stonemasonry (Thomas Merrett), artistic metalwork (Jenny Pickford) and decorative finely turned woodwork (Joey Richardson). Some of the scholars' work will also be for sale.
