News

While the antiques trade no longer totally shuts down during late July and August it really gets into gear in September, a particularly intensive time for antiques fairs. There are three major fairs in the capital this month, The Chelsea Antiques Fair, The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair and the 20/21 British Art Fair.

Monart glass specialist and collector Ian Turner is a familiar name to many in the trade, having devoted the last two decades to buying and researching this vividly coloured 20th century Scottish art glass. In addition to building a 260-piece collection, he has also contributed to several books including Ysart Glass, edited by Frank Andrews, 1990.

The snuff mull is one of the most common Scottish silver forms – but shown here are three examples that proved a few cuts above the norm. Top right: favourite Victorian entry at Bonhams’ Scottish Sale was a ram’s head table snuff mull by Mackay & Chisholm of Edinburgh, 1880.

Scam letters targeting small businesses continue to fall through the letterboxes of Britain’s antiques dealers.The Antiques Trade Gazette has warned in the past of the dubious practices of firms with official-sounding names who ‘offer’ to register dealers under the Data Protection Act for £95.

The Antiquities Dealers’ Association have welcomed the news that Switzerland looks set to ratify the 1970 UNESCO Convention which calls for signatory countries to collaborate on the repatriation of stolen and illicit works of art.

The Fine Art Auction Group have announced three new appointments aimed at strengthening the Group’s business in the South West. Nigel Trevelyan has joined the group from Rendells in Ashburton to run Robin A. Fenner’s saleroom in Tavistock.

Representatives of a US company trading in class action certificates are coming to London to meet UK recipients of vouchers relating to the Sotheby’s/Christie’s price-fixing settlement in the USA.