UK

A round-up of news and events from around the trade

Veteran dealer Peter Petrou looks back on five decades in the trade ahead of an auction of items from his collection

First Kempton event this year will involve 100 dealers at the racecourse venue

Collection of molecular biologist Brenner attracts a lively response

Preparatory works by the Bloomsbury artist were created for spectacular works at Berwick church

Following equivalent sales in November 2024 and May 2025, Dore & Rees (25% buyer’s premium) in Frome was again offering Japanese objects at the end of last year from the wider collection of Asian works of art formed over more than half a century by Eva and Aubrey Sweet.

Demand for Japanese works was first hit by the so-called ‘Lost Decade’ that followed the collapse of the Japanese economy in 1991. However, changes in fashion, taste and legislation have also impacted prices.

Vase is thought to be from a group that share a provenance to the 1908 Japan-British Exhibition

A picture of a carriage horse by a once nearly forgotten animal painter is one of the stand-out offerings at the Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair.

A recent sale at Whittons (21% buyer’s premium) in Honiton, Devon, included this Meiji or Taisho (1912-26) vase by the Ando Company.

According to the Greeting Card Association, the UK spend on Valentine’s Day in 2024 was more than £51m with around 25 million cards sent.

A recent item on BBC Antiques Roadshow focused on a collection of stereoscopes, some dating to the 1850s.