LONDON.- For the seventh consecutive year,
Art Antiques London returns to Kensington Gardens, London SW7 from Friday 24th to Thursday 30th June 2016. Organised by the London-based fair organisers, Anna and Brian Haughton, the fair takes place in an imposing purpose-built pavilion at Albert Memorial West Lawn, Kensington Gardens, London SW7, directly opposite the Royal Albert Hall.
Launched in 2010, the fair is respected for its commitment to the highest standards and provides the perfect setting for 60 international specialist dealers offering the very best antiques, fine and decorative arts available. This year's exhibitors come from the USA, Israel, Belgium, France, The Netherlands and the UK and will show a mixture of furniture, silver, jewellery, sculpture, antique pottery and porcelain, paintings, Chinese and Japanese works of art and textiles, clocks, books, maps, historic medals and 20th century art and objects. With its relaxed atmosphere and stylish presentation, Art Antiques London has cultivated an ardent following of collectors, art consultants, museum experts, interior decorators and the public, earning it a reputation as one of the most popular antiques fairs of the summer season.
There are some fantastic highlights being unveiled at the fair such as the Hohenzollern Collection of a group of 45 ancient bronze statuettes from the Sigmaringen Castle branch of the family. The collection was bought by dealer Ted Few about 15 years ago and he and an academic colleague have been meticulously cataloguing them ever since; a silver-mounted Meissen tankard, dated 1745, decorated with a huge spray of European flowers by Johann Gottfried Nitzschner from Brian Haughton Gallery; a pair of exceptionally fine carved glass Edward VII claret jugs with silver mounts, dated 1901 from Silverman Antiques; and a pair of Imperial yellow silk monumental wall hangings from the Qianlong period (1736-1795) from Jacqueline Simcox.
Asian works around the fair to catch the eye include a very rare Chinese fan painted on paper from the early part of the 18th century from D & M Freedman. Roell Fine Art are bringing a late 16th/early 17th century important Japanese Namban sawasa reliquary crucifix, the crucifix dating from the brief decades during which Christianity was tolerated in feudal Japan. From Jacqueline Simcox is a fabulous bolt of Chinese silk brocade with sprays of flowers in brilliant pink and blue silks on a gold ground, c 1900. A Japanese bronze hawk with a silvered body perched on a tree stump by Masatsune, a very accomplished bird artist, to be found on Laura Bordignon's stand.
The fair offers a very comprehensive display of fine art. One of the highlights comes from Sim Fine Art, specialist dealers in 20th century war art, who are bringing a very rare lifesize head study for George V's State portrait by Sir Luke Fildes RA. The King was too busy to do the usual number of sittings for an oil portrait so this drawing took on a special importance. The artist donated it to the famous Red Cross Sale in 1918 at Christie's to raise money for the victims of the Great War where it sold for 100 guineas (roughly £20,000 in today's money) where it has remained in the same collection every since. Fairhead Fine Art Ltd is bringing Futbol by Salvador Dali (1904-1989), 1979, a study for the Olympic Medallion made for the American Olympic Committee which is for sale together with the 1984 Silver USA Olympics Medal by Salvador Dali priced at £32,000. Shani Joel, born 1991, who won the Saatchi Prize aged 17, is showing Buddha, composed from mixed media such as ceramic embellished with shells, jewellery, butterflies and fabric, with Vanessa Clewes Salmon Modern & Contemporary Art. A spectacular collection of monumental sculptures made from cherrywood by the internationally acclaimed artist, h.ollary.b. will be a talking point on Love Wood Gallery's stand - they have most recently been exhibited on the Champs Elysées during FIAC/Paris Art Week in October 2015. Other picture dealers include Babbington Fine Art, Illustration Cupboard, Freya Mitton, Panter & Hall, Quantum Contempory Art and The Hunt Gallery.
Ceramics feature storngly around the fair with a collection of the finest porcelain from Brian Haughton Gallery including an extremely rare and complete Nymphenburg Rechaud, probably modelled by Johann B Haringer; a lead-glazed earthenware Beauvais 'Plat de la Passion' dish, dated December 1511 from E & H Manners; a very rare moulded Chelsea plate with the Red Anchor mark, c 1755 from Robyn Robb and a French porcelain and ormulu mounted scent bottle box by Flamen-Fleury, Paris from Mary Wise Antiques.
The jewellery stands provide instant glamour and this year Yvel from Israel makes its UK debut bringing a fabulous range of Baroque pearl jewellery in a palate of delectable colours from dark grey to champagne in differing shapes and sizes. Yvel (a mirror image of Levy) was established as an international jewellery brand in 1986 by Isaac Levy and his wife Orna, who is the fourth generation of the illustrious Moussaieff jewellery family. Licht & Morrison, specialists in Art Deco jewellery, are displaying a magnificent Jabot pin in the form of a parrot by Cartier London which comes in its original green leather box. Mayfair jewellers, Lucas Rarities, is bringing a 14 carat yellow gold, ruby, diamond and sapphire money bag brooch by the popular American jeweller, Paul Flato, based in New York City from the 1920s to 1940s. His diamonds were worn by Hollywood stars like Greta Garbo, Rita Hayward and Merle Oberon. Other jewellers exhibiting are Morelle Davidson.
Antique Indian and Oriental jewellery is a highly collectable area shown by two specialist galleries, Samina Inc and Sue Ollemans. Highlights include a very large nose ring in gold and diamonds, rubies and emerald and strung with natural pearls from the 19th century Royal courts from Samina Inc and a 19th century gold Priest's ring from Bali from Sue Ollemans.
Amongst the furniture is an extremely rare yew wood English lowboy, c 1700 from David Pickup and a very fine English waterfall satinwood bookcase, c1795 from Christopher Buck Antiques. A good selection of antique clocks and barometers are found with Raffety Antique Clocks such as a George II ebony and gilt mounted Baroque cased bracket clock by Charles Cabrier, London, in the region of £48,000.
The fair is also an excellent hunting ground for quirky objects such as an extremely unusual set of spiders in a glazed sealed case, c 1820 from Ted Few and an ornately carved mulberry wood goblet and lid inscribed around the base, 'Shakespeare's mulberry wood from New Place 1867' from Timothy Millet. Shakespeare bought New Place for his family in 1597 and the mulberry tree which grew in the garden of New Place was widely reported to have been planted by Shakespeare himself. By the mid-18th century the tree had grown to a prodigious size and New Place was bought by a Reverend Francis Gastrell. He had little regard for the link with Shakespeare and had the mulberry tree felled and in 1759 he had the entire New Place property demolished and it has never been built on since. Londoners will enjoy the extremely rare poster map of London's Underground, 1932, by Frederick Stingemore, an employee of the Underground from Altea Gallery with a price tag of £12,500. Wine lovers will appreciate a magnificent diamond cut magnum decanter with an engraved crest on the stopper, c1815, which takes two bottles comfortably offered by Delomosne & Son Ltd.
The fair's spectacular pop-up restaurant 1851, catered by EventOracle, described as having the 'best location in London' will once again dazzle visitors with its delicious menu and breathtaking view.
