Antiques Trade Gazette


3 news For whom the bells toll


■ 300 bells to be sold in South Africa during the initial stage of an incredibly varied selection


Mark Bridge reports


ON July 28, Provenance Auction of Cape Town will sell the fi rst instalment of an extraordinary collection formed by the late Keith Blumgart. The 300 bells in the fi rst sale this


Saturday include a wide selection from all over Africa, including wooden camel bells from Somalia, bronze bells from Benin and square-section Yoruba bells from the Congo basin. There are also bell-inspired works of art


specially commissioned from prominent South African artists such as Robert Slingsby, Conrad Thys, David Reade and Guy Du Toit. The most valuable are likely to be examples from the Far East, with a large Archaic Chinese bell among the highlights.


Above left to right: 19th century Japanese bronze bell 12¾in (32cm) high, estimated at ZAR7000-9000 at the Provenance sale; Chinese Zhou style bronze bell, 6in (15cm) high, estimated at ZAR2000-3000 in the Blumgart sale; and a green patinated Djenne bell, 2½in (6.3cm) high, excavated at the confl uence of the Niger and Bani rivers in Mali and estimated at ZAR1000-1500.


Mr Blumgart began collecting seriously


in 1986 with a core of six bells that he and his wife had accumulated over the years. From this small beginning he developed a passion that became an obsession from 1994 when he retired and started travelling widely, buying bells wherever he went and engaging agents to seek out exotic and unusual examples, so that new additions would arrive almost daily. Among the 4000 bells that are his


legacy are a number of historic items to be included in future sales, like the dinner bell used on the White Train when the


Queen fi rst travelled to South Africa, or the bell used to start the fi rst horse race at Gosforth Park in Johannesburg. He was also interested in the practical


applications of bells. Some, like a bell from an original Alexander Graham Bell telephone, have obvious signifi cance. Others might go unnoticed by those who have not developed an eye (or ear) for such things, such as bells from typewriters, pinball machines, alarm clocks and one-armed bandits. ■ The sale is on view at www.the-saleroom.com


Private sales and the web remain Christie’s chief focus


CHRISTIE’S fi rst half results for 2012 show that the focus of competition at the top end of the international auction business remains the private sales market and online auctions. Headline fi gures beyond the 13% increase in year-on-year


global sales (to £2.2bn/$3.5bn) are the 53% rise in private sales to £413.4m – now representing 18% of all sales by value – and the 15% growth in the number of clients bidding via Christie’s Live, the company’s live online auction facility. As reported on page 3 of ATG No 2048, Christie’s are


launching online-only sales for a range of suitable disciplines, such as wine. The company are also keen to highlight the healthy growth in


their audience, announcing that 19% of all registered bids come from new clients and sales now have a reach to 124 countries across the world.


“While sale totals decreased from the record levels of 2011


for Asian art and auction sales in Hong Kong, there was a 31% increase in Asian clients registering to bid in New York and London,” said a spokesman. Meanwhile they also note that there is a 20% increase in


online activity. This represents the uplift in visitors to their main website, www.christies.com, but how that correlates with increased business activity is not so clear. Results continue to be dominated by Contemporary and


Modern art, which accounted for all top ten lots sold during the fi rst six months of the year at Christie’s, led by Mark Rothko’s oil on canvas, Orange, Red, Yellow from 1961, which took $77.5m (£50m) on May 8 in New York, setting a world record at auction for Contemporary art.


Ivan Macquisten Thefts could be linked


HOME owners who have valuable antiques are being warned by police to be vigilant after three burglaries in the space of three days in the Brighton and Hove area. On Friday, July 6, at about 10.30am a


‘high-value’ Georgian clock along with solid silver items including rose vases, coasters, bowls, an Edwardian silver sweet dish, and an original Staffordshire water/ gin double fi gure, were taken when the householder had popped to the shops. About the same time, an antique charm bracelet with a little fork and trowel charm was stolen from a nearby property. Two days later, an elderly man was


asleep in his home when burglars took a large number of antiques, such as two 2ft brass clocks, a solid silver tea set, solid silver greyhounds, and brass candlesticks. Police believe all three burglaries could


be linked and the homes were specifi cally targeted. If you have information call 101, quoting serial number 817 of 6/7 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. ■ An incorrect date was printed on


the advert for the Epsom Racecourse International Antiques & Collectors Fair (Continuity Fairs) in ATG No 2050. The fair date should have stated ‘Tuesday 24th July’.


Precious metals


On Friday, July 20, Michael Bloomstein of Brighton were paying the following for bulk scrap against a gold fi x of $1583.00 (€1291.29, £1007.83)


GOLD 22 carat – £864.76 per oz (£27.81 per gram) 18 carat – £707.53 (£22.75) 15 carat – £589.61 (£18.96) 14 carat – £550.30 (£17.69) 9 carat – £353.77 (£11.38)


HALLMARK PLATINUM £24.35 per gram


SILVER £14.10 per oz for 925 standard hallmarked


• Over 100 centres across the UK and Ireland • Collection service • Expert packing • Compensation cover • Choose from UPS, FedEx, DHL and Parcelforce Worldwide


• Customs paperwork and expert advice • Tracking and proof of delivery


Professional Packing & Worldwide Delivery


T R U S T U S T O H A N D L E W I T H C A R E


At Mail Boxes Etc. we specialise in logistics for fi ne art, antiques and collectables. Whatever it is, and wherever you want it to go in the UK or around the world, you can relax in the knowledge that we’ll get it there safely.


0800 623 123 mbe.co.uk Mail Boxes Etc. Centres are owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc. (UK) Limited in the UK and Ireland. © 2010 Mail Boxes Etc.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52