South-east England

Traders and buyers express relief – and gratitude – at return of twice-monthly fixture.

It’s nearly four months since the UK left the EU’s customs union and single market – a hard new reality for those Continental antiques dealers who regularly make the day trip from Belgium, Holland or France to stall out at fairs in southern England.

Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt was one of the stand-out lots in a 300-lot white-glove auction.

Sunbury Antiques Market, better known simply as Kempton due to its Surrey racecourse location, last week became the first open-air fair to return after the most recent lockdown.

The mouthwatering kitchenalia collection of Annie Marchant (1951-2020) certainly served up a treat when it came to auction on April 12-13.

The best known of the decorators who worked at Aynsley in the 20th century is the flower painter Joseph A Bailey.

Two English Orientalists made the biggest impression at a recent sale at Gorringe’s (23% buyer’s premium) in Lewes.

Organiser Peter Binfield is hoping for fine weather and a good turnout of 100-plus dealers at the first of this year’s Vintage & Classic Arms Fairs at Kempton Park on Sunday, May 2.

The West as well as the East made a major contribution to the success of Gorringe’s £1m sale on March 30 where, overall, 86% of the 593 lots sold.

Wick Antiques has opened a new showroom in Lymington dedicated to maritime objects.

Chrissie and John Masters of The Design Gallery in Kent are offering this fine Art Deco sideboard by Hille at their showroom sale in Edenbridge from April 23-25.

When Cecil Beaton photographed the Wyndham-Quin sisters in 1950, he chose to copy both the setting and poses used 50 years earlier by John Singer Sargent in The Wyndham Sisters.

This copy of the Uffizi’s Medici Apollo (Apollino) is signed for the Italian sculptor Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (c.1716-99).

The binding is an early 20th century one, and the very last leaf has been supplied as an autograph facsimile, but on March 17 the 1578 first English edition of Rembert Dodoens’ A Nievve Herball, or Historie of Plants shown here was bid to £3000.

Dorking Antiques was launched last August by three dealers: Mark Holden, Eddie Hawkins and David Whalley.

Classic Hammer Horror film posters are always popular at auction. This example below was probably the first UK quad release of The Hound of The Baskervilles (1959) starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

The late Michael Armstrong was such a film fanatic that when the local cinema closed in his home town in 1993 he opened his own mini replica in his garage, complete with recycled fixtures and fittings.

Portraits boosted takings at Mallams’ (24% buyer’s premium) latest picture sale in Oxford.

Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, has been a favourite subject in art since ancient times.

First published in the UK as a ‘Collins Crime Club’ title in 1970, an Agatha Christie novel brought a bid of £850 at Claydon Auctioneers (19.5% buyer’s premium).