Dear Friends,
At the bottom of my garden is a luscious field full of cowslips and Lady’s Smock, or the cuckoo flower, beckoning us into summer. None of us can wait.
Just before then though we have a great sale for you, perhaps the last with viewing by appointment and no presence in the saleroom on sale day.
It’s on Thursday the 27th May at 11am with viewing on the 26th from 12 noon to 7pm.
In the 70s and 80s John Sparrow and his partner ran a shop in Islington specialising in Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Long gone now and most of the stock disposed of, we have been asked to sell the furniture and lights from their home in Highgate. It comprises well-selected items mainly in mahogany in the style very much associated with Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple, and includes a sideboard, side cabinets, a desk, occasional tables and stands. Also a piano. The lighting is equally stylish.
The FURNITURE isn’t limited to this period. We have a spectacular table, and ten chairs made in Sweden, and an exquisite quality sideboard by Dyrlund with tambour closures, and another 60s draw-leaf table in exotic hardwood with six chairs and a teak sideboard by Kofod-Larsen, possibly for G-Plan. The antiques include a Gillow stamped low chair, a pair of revolving conversation chairs stamped J Stevens with registration stamps for 7th December 1880. We have an antique oak plank top table, an antique dresser, a Victorian partners desk, a set of eight 19th century mahogany dining chairs including a pair with arms, and a fantastic dining suite in the Chinese taste including 6 chairs that are superbly carved and two matching side cabinets, one incorporating a hifi and record player.
From deceased estates in Ealing and Pinner we have put together another brilliant PICTURES section with interesting paintings of dogs and cats, a signed print by John Piper of a Norfolk church ruin, oils of children after the classical, a stylish watercolour by Norman Garstin and a large watercolour of The Thames, signed David Roberts. But is it right? You must decide! There is also a quantity of vacant picture frames, including many in gilt and carved wood. Artists include Anthony Green, Salvador Dali, Guercino, Frank Jaffé, Aose Lykkenberg, William Drury, Cat de Rham, Caroline Arber, James Gilbert, B. Whiteside, Drouet, Melita/Militta Schiffer, E.A. Waterlow, Tomas Harris, G. Cox, James Taylor Brown, Tom Keating, James Wood, Jeffrey Robb, Erté, Manfred von Diepold, H. Hora, W. Appleton, A. Betts, Karolina Larusdottir, Romolo Jessari, S.J. Cooper, Yolanda Mack, Norman Garstin, Irsam, John Piper, T. Austen Brown, etc., and maps by Thomas Bowen, Michael Burghers, Thomas Kitchin, and John Speed.
TOYS include Thunderbirds and Star Wars figures, games and some lovely quality doll house furniture.
We have a good selection of mainly rock and pop RECORDS, also some jazz, classical and musicals. BOOKS include a large collection of books on antiques, mainly on Art Deco and Art Nouveau, and sales catalogues similar. Also books on cinema and film stars.
COSTUME AND TEXTILES includes furs, handbags and accessories including some embroidered shawls, and fabrics.
The backlog of jobs mean that the shelves are full to bursting including the usual plethora of table ware, table lights, vases and bronzes. Of particular interest are two figures of Dutch children in bronze and ivory by J. d’Aste, a figure of ballet dancers signed Bruno Zach (it cost £9 in 1936) and groups of Japanese ivory figures. Two CLOCKS come to mind, one a four-glass mantel clock, the frame in champleve and with a mercury pendulum, the other in wood carved as a monkey. The Highgate home included a collection of 17 fabulous Vienna plates; we are normally thrilled to have two! There are three good Parian figures and a collection of 18th and 19th century British pottery including a silver-mounted Neale jug. If you need period hifi we have a set-up by Leak including a Thorens deck. There are great curtains, good garden pots, lead garden statuary, a period dressmakers’ dummy, modern televisions, white goods, COLLECTABLES including old planes and saws, tools, a bronze porthole frame, a ships anchor, old farming implements with 10 ft long handles, a pretty fire basket, garden benches, golf clubs, bridge chairs and tables and much more.
From various deceased collectors we are selling extensive collections of old POSTCARDS (many of children), STAMPS and COINS, including good Victorian florins, lots of pre-1947 silver and a Victorian gold sovereign. We also have a large quantity of glamour magazines.
The SILVER AND PLATE section is very busy whilst the jewellery we might hold over as there’s not much here.
Brian Seifert who has dealt with us for 20 years, is a potter. We have a selection of his studio works, some with more energy than others. His biography is included at the bottom of this note.
We are very pleased to welcome Joanna as a trainee porter. I know you will treat her kindly.
THIS SALE FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU CAN BID WITH THE SALEROOM, THEY CHARGE 4.95%. WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE UKAUCTIONEERS AS WELL.
All lots are illustrated and available to see on our website from this Sunday.
Ring Mel to make an appointment to view – 01895 621991.
See you on the 26th. Best wishes,
Peter
Brian Seifert writes:
I have spent a large part of my life connected to the Art World. I spent the sixties as an Interior Designer working on banks, hotels and homes.
I moved into the printing industry and spent over 30 years building a reprographics company. This was followed by ten years during which I founded a company that was sold and serviced photocopiers. We were nominated on several occasions for inclusion in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 companies. In 2003 I sold the company to Toshiba.
Throughout these 40 years I continued with my art and design work in my spare time. For the past 20 years I have been able to devote more of my time to the arts. Until Lockdown I was a member of a working sculpture studio where I was able to work in stone. This, together with my ceramics (out of Chris and Freya Bramble’s studio in West Hampstead) and drawings has kept me very busy.
I was taken up by The Wychwood Gallery who sold my works from their Oxfordshire gallery and also took my work to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea for a couple of years, where it sold well.
In 2004 I opened my own gallery in St Johns Wood, London, called Hang:Ups and sold works by many young artists, as well as my own pieces. In 2008 due to the recession, I moved the gallery to Boundary Road NW8. I was still concentrating on sculpture and ceramics but now encompassed picture framing as well as box-frames in Perspex.
When I eventually closed the gallery, I continued designing products in Perspex and now have a successful small business working for artists, designers and collectors, making all sorts of display items from box frames to furniture – even beds!
My last ceramic exhibition was at The Ice House in Holland Park, London, which was really successful as almost every item sold. My intention was to exhibit annually at that venue but the pandemic has put paid to that.
