East Anglian dealers sign up for first fair of the year


EAST Anglian fair organiser John Harbottle of Lomax Antiques Fairs will have his first event of the year, the annual City of Norwich Antiques Fair at the City of Norwich School over the weekend of February 17-19. Now in its fourth year at the venue,


the fair sees 35 art and antiques dealers from across the UK, including four East Anglian newcomers. They are Granta Fine Art from


Cambridge with 20th century paintings and drawings; The Rowans Gallery from Brackley with jewellery and East Anglian paintings; Malcolm and Alison Bennett of Norfolk with early 20th century art glass and lamps and Steve Marsling from Suffolk with Modern British and contemporary art. Many of the Lomax regulars return


too, including two Norfolk-based clock dealers, Olde Time and The Norwich


Antique Clock Shop, as well as fellow Norfolk-based dealers Shaun King (period furniture) and Elisabeth Glen with an eclectic mix of glass, ceramics and books. There are few antiques fairs in


Norfolk and, although this fair has a solid local following, some exhibitors travel to it from further afield. Among them are the Derbyshire


porcelain dealers Bottlebrook Antiques; Celia Rose from Oxford with a wide selection of furniture, miniatures and porcelain; the jewellers Trivette from Shropshire and Anderson Jones from Yorkshire; London silver dealers S & A Marsh; Chris Fowler from Yorkshire with country furniture and early objects and the Oriental rugs and carpets specialist Hassan Alabaf from London. www.lomaxfairs.com


Above: Lapwings by John Edgar Platt (1886- 1967), a 6½in x 8¼in (42 x 21cm) colour woodcut, of 1936 from an edition of 25 – £775 from Hilary Chapman Fine Prints at 20/21.


work. Regular exhibitors include Dr Denys


Wilcox, of the Court Gallery in Somerset, who will bring with him a rediscovered Matisse titled Vieux port de Marseilles, which belonged to the critic and painter Roger Fry, then to Vanessa Bell, and hung for many years at Charleston in Sussex. Although known to art historians, until recently the work has been in America and its significant link to British art history was not realised. Other recurrent exhibitors with mainly


British and European stock include: Simon Hilton, based in Essex and with a gallery in East London, with Modern British pieces; London print dealer Dominic Guerrini; Belgrave St Ives and Manya Igel Fine Arts, also of London. Artists of Russia, from Hampshire,


and Danusha Fine Art of the Ukraine both will bring ballet-related works by Eastern European and Russian names, while Vernissage, established in London by artist Izabella Kay, promotes the work of Polish artists. Meanwhile ArtChinese, also from


London, will show a selection of Chinese and Korean artists, and there are two London specialists in Japanese art – Hanga Ten with contemporary Japanese prints and The Fine Art Consultancy. This year there will also be a display


from the Royal College of Art print making department.


Right: among a selection of Norwich School paintings which John Day of Eastbourne Fine Art will take to the City of Norwich Antiques Fair, is this oil on panel by the Suffolk artist Thomas Churchyard (1798-1865) titled Woodbridge Riverside, which measures 5 x 6in (13 x 15cm) and is priced at £795.


Life expands at 40 for Brian


THIS year, The Brian Sinfield Gallery in Burford will celebrate its 40th birthday. But owner Brian Sinfield is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, he is expanding with a move to more spacious premises at 127 The Hill, at


the top of Burford High Street, which, he says, will allow scope for larger exhibitions. While the emphasis will continue to be on contemporary paintings and exhibitions,


Brian also plans to develop the art brokerage side of the business, which encompasses a broader range of pictures including period paintings and early English watercolours. Brian hopes to be up and running in the gallery by February 10, and will be marking


the 40th anniversary with a special exhibition in late September. The telephone number, 01993 82 4464, and email: gallery@briansinfield.com


remains the same. Philip looks for more TV mysteries


MANY of you will be familiar with last year’s BBC1 programme Fake or Fortune? co- hosted by Fiona Bruce and the Mayfair picture dealer Philip Mould, in which they try to identify unknown paintings with the help of art historian Dr Bendor Grosvenor and a team of forensic experts. The programme has been re-commissioned for a second series, with filming due to


start imminently (early February) and run through to next month. But Philip is still looking for pictures to investigate for the series, so if you have a


mysterious painting that you would like to be looked at, please email a clear, high- resolution photograph to philip@philipmould.com.


Q


Antiques Trade Gazette 23 10 uestions


PAUL A. SHUTLER Dealer in designed furniture and works of art, 1750-1950, Cotswolds. www.invest-in-antiques. com


1. How long have you been dealing? Since 2006, before that I was with Bonhams in Oxford.


2. What was your first job? Gardening for the local manor house from the age of 15.


3. What has been you best buy, and your biggest mistake? Probably discovering and managing to buy the William Beckford casket on stand at Sworders that caused the stir in the press, thankfully it’s now back safely where it belongs, in the Beckford Tower collection in Bath. My mistake was not buying a wonderful James Pearson fire screen about five years ago, it was pure Arts and Crafts at its best. Luckily I still have a photo.


4. What is the biggest threat, in your opinion, to the trade at the moment? Clearly it’s the lack of young blood in the trade.


5. Guiltiest pleasure? A bottle of good red wine, maybe a Boekenhoutskloof Syrah!! It has the bonus of having a great label…Google it!


6. Any advice for those starting out in the trade? “While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” – Henry C. Link.


7. If you weren’t a dealer, what would you be? Probably a cabinetmaker or restorer given that is what all my qualifications are in.


8. What keeps you awake at night? The piece coming up for sale the next day and the bloody cat!


9. Michelin Star or greasy spoon? Michelin Star the night before, greasy spoon the morning after.


18. What gadget would you be lost without? My BlackBerry. But it doesn’t mean I like it, I haven’t had a proper holiday since I got one.


If you are a dealer and would like to be featured in 10 Questions email annabrady@atgmedia.com


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