Pandemic Pearls – Biggest shock for Years?

Posted on March 29, 2022January 16, 2025 by Annabell Parry

Pearls – the gem that will go with everything, crosses the generations and decades. Safe, predictable, eternal. Is now the time to reassess their value?

Thanks to the Chinese market, there has been a growing production of quality fresh-water and saltwater pearls over the last decade. The downside of this monumental growth is that the market is arguably becoming saturated.

This is borne out in the price of pearls at auction. Japanese salt water Akoya, good Chinese fresh water and even small Tahitian pearls keep on under-performing and can be picked up for next to nothing.

This situation may be about to undergo a seismic change.

If I can cast your mind back to 2020, the world literally stopped. Not only the obvious things such as air travel and carefree shopping, but the thousands of ‘route to market’ supply lines. This included the people who support and make those supply lines run like clockwork – Normality went on hold.

Pearl Creation

The industry of Pearl farming and production walks a delicate tightrope between man and nature. There are many different types of pearl bearing molluscs, who have their own specific growth cycle, but to make a generalisation each pearl mollusc is either dived for by hand or is born, raised and seeded in stringently checked temperatures with the correct food, space and daylight. This process generally can take between 2-4 years of consistent care and attention – this was not possible during the pandemic.

During the global lockdowns, pearl growers, specialists, itinerant labourers and their vital support network all returned home. For the first time in decades, the seasonal flow of global pearl farming ground to a halt as there simply were not enough people to assure the continuity especially for South Sea, Tahitian and fine quality pearls.

Take the case of Paspaley in Northern Australia, a three generation pearl farming family who produce some of the most beautiful pearls in the world. They were so affected by the pandemic that they applied for and received a licence for specialised staff to continue working, but they were only allowed to work on boats moored offshore so there was no chance of Covid spreading. Even with this intervention their normal levels of production were curtailed.

This seismic shock to the usual farming life has caused a gap in the pearl production world and a shadow over future yields over the next few years.

Only time will tell what the quality and yield will be but it is understood by those in the know that it will take 2-3 years to get ‘back to normal’.

The basic economic principal of supply and demand may come to bear with reduced gem quality pearls coming to the market where the prices may harden and quite likely increase. Not only will this hopefully invigorate the auction pearl market but also remind pearl owner’s to have their pieces re-valued. Depending on how this industry is affected, Covid may have caused the pearls in your jewellery box to be very under-valued. A once predictable and safe commodity may have a trick in the tail and prove to be more valuable than they once were.

The King James Bible

Posted on March 25, 2022January 16, 2025 by Rupert Neelands

The King James Bible first appeared in 1611. No special tribute was paid to it then, yet it became the ‘Authorised Version’ for English-speaking Protestants, universally read or listened to from the mid-18th century onwards.

Perhaps the secret of its success lay in its secure foundation in the work of William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale. Tyndale’s New Testament of 1525, the first English translation of the Bible ever printed, survives in one imperfect copy. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536. But all subsequent translations owed much to him, and ‘nine-tenths’ of the King James New Testament is said to be his work (David Daniell, William Tyndale: A Biography, 1994, p. 1).

Whereas Tyndale worked in isolation, the making of the King James Bible involved a massive collaborative and consultative effort. Some fifty translators were divided into six committees in the three locations of Westminster, Cambridge and Oxford. Each committee was allotted a different part of the Bible to work on, and given the same rules or guide-lines to follow.

Every translator but one was ordained and therefore familiar with Holy Scripture. Some were to gain rich benefices as a reward for their scholarly work.

James I played more than a nominal part in the Bible named after him. The son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, he became James VI of Scotland at the age of one in 1567, when his mother abdicated. He succeeded Elizabeth I thirty-three years later on 24 March 1603, becoming head of the Anglican church while already head of the Presbyterian church in Scotland.

The new king of England had hardly left his palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh on the journey to London before he received a Millenary Petition from a delegation of English puritans, this urged him to hold a conference in order to discuss religious abuses. The idea met with his approval, and the conference was convened at the Presence Chamber, Hampton Court Palace, on 14 January 1604. John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, seven bishops and five cathedral deans all came fully robed. A smaller group of four moderate puritans represented the opposition.

When John Rainolds, leader of the puritans, used the conference to stand up and make an unexpected petition for a new Bible translation, Richard Bancroft, bishop of London, argued that the Bishops’ Bible was sufficient for the Church’s needs and should remain in use. The Bishops’ Bible of 1568 was a revisal of the Great Bible of 1539, so called because a group of Elizabethan bishops had responsibility for it. Despite the wish of the church hierarchy to keep on using it, James’s imagination caught light at the thought of a new Bible dedicated to himself. He soon agreed to the proposal and actively involved himself in management of the project.

The fifteen ‘rules to be observed in translation’, surviving in several manuscripts, were drawn up by Bancroft in probable consultation with the king. Rule 1 expressed the precedence to be granted to the Bishops’ Bible. ‘The ordinary Bible read in Church commonly called the Bishops’ Bible’ was the text ‘to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the Original [Hebrew or Greek Septuagint texts] will permit’. However, in practice rule 1 tended to be ignored by the translators who freely ‘absorbed, copied, and adapted from any source they wanted’ (Adam Nicolson, Power and Glory, 2004, p.73). This was allowed by rule 14.

The Geneva Bible of 1560, familiarly known as the ‘Breeches Bible’, was an English translation by William Whittingham, Miles Coverdale, Anthony Gilby and other protestant exiles strongly influenced by John Calvin. Over 150 editions were published, illustrated with woodcuts. It was first published in England in 1575-1576, and became the first Bible printed in Scotland in 1579, where it proved highly popular. James I, who felt threatened by its anti-authoritarian marginal glosses, ordered a stop to further printings shortly after first publication of the King James Version (KJV). Robert Barker, the king’s printer, nevertheless continued to print the Geneva version surreptitiously, using the false date of 1599 for copies printed from 1616 to 1625.

The rules made no other attempt to exclude the Geneva version as a source. It was the first English Bible to be divided into chapters and verses, and the KJV followed the same divisions. Use of the Geneva text was actually encouraged under rule 14 which allowed all the earlier Protestant versions to be made use of ‘when they agree better with the [Hebrew and Greek] text than the Bishops’ Bible’; in practice its influence was ‘very considerable’ (Herbert p. 131).

One memorable turn of phrase which the KJV borrowed from it was St Paul’s ‘For now we see through a glass darkly’ (I Corinthians 13.12). On the other hand, there was no compromise on the issue of the hated marginal annotations. Rule 6 expressly forbad their use, allowing only short philological notes.

The six companies chosen for the translation did painstaking work through the years 1604 to 1608. The First Westminster Company, led by Lancelot Andrewes, dean of Westminster, a scholar of outstanding abilities, was given responsibility for Genesis up to the Second Book of Kings. John Overall, William Bedwell and Richard Thomson were all members of the same company. The dean of St Paul’s, Overall had taken part in the Hampton Court conference. Bedwell had become the country’s leading specialist in Arabic, a language which he rightly regarded as an aid to the understanding of Hebrew; he was vicar of All Hallows, Tottenham, from 1607. ‘Dutch Thomson’, so called because he was born in the Netherlands, was known for his drinking but also considered ‘a most admirable philologer’, equally at ease translating the Bible or the obscene epigrams of the Roman poet, Martial; Andrewes rewarded him with the living of Snailwell, Cambridgeshire.

for Genesis up to the Second Book of Kings. John Overall, William Bedwell and Richard Thomson were all members of the same company. The dean of St Paul’s, Overall had taken part in the Hampton Court conference. Bedwell had become the country’s leading specialist in Arabic, a language which he rightly regarded as an aid to the understanding of Hebrew; he was vicar of All Hallows, Tottenham, from 1607. ‘Dutch Thomson’, so called because he was born in the Netherlands, was known for his drinking but also considered ‘a most admirable philologer’, equally at ease translating the Bible or the obscene epigrams of the Roman poet, Martial; Andrewes rewarded him with the living of Snailwell, Cambridgeshire.

The task of translating some of the Bible’s finest poetry — the Book of Job, the Song of Solomon, and the Psalms — went to the First Cambridge Company. The first line of Psalm 23 had been translated as ‘The Lord is my shepherd: therefore can I lack nothing’ by Coverdale. The Company changed the line to ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want’ with simple but profound effect. Its leader was Laurence Chaderton, the first Master of Emmanuel College, and one of the four puritans who had attended the Hampton Court Conference. Thomas Harrison, its most learned member, had studied Hebrew at Merchant Taylor’s School like Lancelot Andrewes but had much greater sympathy for the puritan cause.

Having been the person to propose the new translation, John Rainolds, President of Corpus Christi College, became the effective leader of the First Oxford Company. Entrusted with the final third of the Old Testament from Isaiah to Malachi, ‘this was the only company whose collective expertise rivalled Andrewes’s First Westminster Company’ (Gordon Campbell, Bible. The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011, Oxford, 2011, p. 52). Thomas Holland knew rabbinical as well as biblical Hebrew. Richard Brett’s languages were Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic and Ethiopic. Richard Kilbye ‘had an incomparable command of Hebrew sources’. Miles Smith, a scholar with no current university affiliation, possessed an extraordinary knowledge of Jewish exegesis and ancient languages.

Smith’s appointment as Bishop of Gloucester in 1612 suggests that his work was highly appreciated. Besides fulfilling his role for the First Oxford Company, he also sat on the Committee of Two, with Thomas Bilson, Bishop of Winchester, the two acting as the Bible’s final revisers at proof stage. He contributed an anonymous preface to the KJV entitled ‘The Translators to the Reader,’ in which he declared that Bibles in all languages were consulted in the revisal process: ‘Neither did we think much to consult the Translators or Commentators, Chaldee [Aramaic], Hebrew,
Syrian, Greek or Latin, nor the Spanish, French, Italian or Dutch [i.e. German], neither did we disdain to revise that which we had done, and to bring back to the anvil that which
we had hammered’.

The Second Oxford Company, responsible for a large proportion of the New Testament, met in the rooms of Sir Henry Savile, the Warden of Merton College. Savile has been described as ‘the most glamorous of the translators’ (Nicolson, p. 163). The only one not to take holy orders, he combined the roles of courtier, astronomer and translator. He had a love of mathematics, was England’s foremost astronomer, and the possessor of an eminent knowledge of patristic Greek. To join the company of translators, he broke off work on his 8-volume edition of the works of St John
Chrysostom (eventually published at ruinous cost).

The translators were traditionalists ‘content to leave in place the language of earlier generations that was embodied in previous translations’ (Campbell p. 73). The KJV shows a consistent bias towards older linguistic forms, and a preference for plain language and monosyllabic words. Its use of language is conservative for the time, even archaic in key respects. The pronouns ‘ye’ and ‘thou’ and ‘thee’, and the ‘-eth’ endings used for singular verbs had already ceased to be standard English by 1611.

Rules 3-4 concerned the avoidance of puritan terminology (e.g. ‘Congregation’ for ‘Church’, ‘Washing’ for ‘Baptism’) and, closely related to this, the necessity to stick to traditional
usage when a word had more than one possible meaning. Yet the solemn cadenced quality of the language was not the product of prescriptive rules but a readiness to efface differences in personality in order to achieve an enduring and consistent style of biblical English.

In 1608 the work of the companies was presented at the ‘General Meeting’ or revisal committee referred to under rule 10. Two more years, 1609 and 1610, were spent in review by the six members of the revisal committee sitting in London, then by the Committee of Two who saw the book through the press. The following year the King James Bible was printed for the first time by Robert Barker.

‘The quality of the first edition of KJV, judged purely as a printed book, comfortably exceeded that of any other book printed in the seventeenth century’ (Campbell p. 107). It is of deeply impressive size befitting its place on a church lectern, the 74 preliminary pages add to its weight, the black letter typeface in double columns suits the solemnity of the text, and the margins are uncluttered by extensive notes.

The leaf after the title carries a dedicatory epistle to James I who is revered as ‘the principal mover and author of the work’. Surprisingly though, there is no royal portrait in the first edition. None of the translators are named. The principal decorative features are the engraved general title by Cornelis Boel (see illustration), a woodcut title to the New Testament, and a double-page engraved map of Canaan after John Speed. Woodcut illustrations are restricted to the genealogical tables, and nothing impresses so much as the spacious columns of Holy Scripture, divided into chapters and verses.

There are two issues of the first edition, known as the Great ‘He’ and Great ‘She’ Bibles, one with the incorrect reading ‘and he went into the city’ (Ruth iii 15), the other with the pronoun
corrected to ‘she’. Though both are dated 1611, the ‘He’ Bible is the recognised first issue.

The folio editions published within the first few years are not very rare but, after decades or even centuries of church use, they tend to be in poor condition with pages missing and other imperfections. The $52,500 paid for a first edition, first issue, at a Chicago auction last year was an impressive sum for a defective copy — this was rebound and lacked the title-page, map, last leaf, and six other leaves; 31 leaves at the beginning and end were frayed or torn with loss of text and repaired (Hindman, May 2021). Even single leaves are traded. But complete copies of an early edition are rarely met with.

Of special historical note is the Houghton copy, last seen at auction in 1989. Copies of the first edition do not get better than this one. In place of the usual engraved title, it has a very rare woodcut title previously used for the Bishops’ Bible. The natural assumption is that the earliest copies came from the press before the engraved title was ready, the woodcut title was used as a substitute for advance copies. The Houghton copy also possesses a stunning red morocco binding with a central lozenge built of small gilt tools around the insignia of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (see illustration). In 1979, this copy realised £17,000 in Arthur Houghton’s celebrated single owner sale at Christie’s.

In the ‘Garden sale’ ten years later, competition for it had grown to such an extent that it sold for £143,000 (Sotheby’s, November 1989). If re-offered at auction today when high spots are in such strong demand, £400,000 hammer would certainly be a fair expectation.

Currently, the $396,500 given for the Moore – Silver – Newberry Library copy at the Pyrie sale (Sotheby’s New York, December 2016) is the highest price paid for a first edition. Although this was a record amount, the winning bid of $320,000 (before the addition of premium) was under the ambitious pre-sale estimate of $400,000- 600,000. The Pyrie copy satisfied the demand that a
bibliophile copy be complete. It was also an impressively tall copy, according to the catalogue ‘the tallest copy known’; though rebacked it had kept its contemporary blind-tooled calf covers; and it had belonged to Louis H.

Silver (1902-1963), the great Chicago book collector. Two other first edition copies made big prices at the same period, they were complete but had the disadvantage of being rebound. One made £173,000 (Bonham’s, April 2015), the other the almost identical sum of £167,000 (Christie’s, July 2017). Although a folio size seems integral to the KJV’s character, smaller formats were printed for the benefit of family devotions and private study. The earliest separate edition of the New Testament was a 12mo printed in 1611. The first quarto and first octavo edition of both parts appeared in 1612, printed in roman type. The first black letter quarto edition then followed in 1613. The second folio edition is dated 1613-1611. An apparently rushed response to the quick sale of the first edition, some copies of the second are a mixture of pages from both. A third distinct folio edition, printed in large black letters, made its appearance in 1617.

To add to the possible confusion, there were also small folio editions distinct from the large ones. Up to 1629 all English Bibles were printed by Robert Barker in partnership with Bonham Norton and John Bill. In 1630 Bill’s death and Norton’s imprisonment restored Barker to full control. However, the king’s printer was in financial difficulties which only deepened when a 1631 octavo edition of the KJV omitted the ‘not’ from the seventh commandment in Exodus 20. Adultery was recommended to all. Matters were made even worse because some copies printed the beginning of
Deuteronomy 5:24 as ‘The Lord our God hath shewed us his glory, and his great asse’ (instead of ‘greatnesse’).

As a result ‘the whole Impression was called in, and the printers deeply fined [said to be 300 pounds]’ (Peter Heylyn, Cyprianus Anglicus, 1668). Barker spent the rest of his life in debtor’s prison, and the offending Bible became ‘rare and valuable’ to collectors. The Pyrie copy of the ‘Wicked Bible’ made $47,500 when first sold in 2016, and advanced a little on this figure when resold in 2018. Its big plus was the contemporary blindpanelled calf binding, however the text was not complete.

In Charles I’s reign the monopoly of the king’s printer was ended by the printing of the KJV in Cambridge. The first Cambridge folio, dated 1629, carries the imprint of the university printers, Thomas and John Buck, for the first time. With over 200 changes to the text, it more than compensated for the ‘declining standards’ of the king’s printer. Still more editorial improvements were made in the second Cambridge folio of 1638. Oxford too won the right to print Bibles, eventually exercised in a 1673 New Testament and a complete King James Bible in 1675. The second Oxford quarto (1679) introduced a biblical chronology with dates ‘anno mundi’ rather than ‘anno domini’. The Nativity is dated 4000 years after the Creation.

In the early eighteenth century Bible imprints are dominated by one man, John Baskett, who fought hard to secure a Bible monopoly, partly achieved though leasing the right to print Bibles for Oxford University. Baskett published twelve folio editions of the KJV, the first of which, dated 1717-1716, is the most sought after. Red rules circumscribe its half-page engravings by Vandergucht and text in double columns.

Grades of paper varied and three copies were even printed on vellum at astonishing expense. However, there were failings not in magnificence but in textual accuracy, leading one reviewer to refer to Baskett’s Bible as ‘a Baskett-ful of Errors’. After it got noticed that his version of Luke 20 was headed ‘the parable of the vinegar’ instead of ‘the parable of the vineyard’, it became the ‘Vinegar Bible’.

The folio King James Bible printed in Cambridge in 1763 was also an impressive undertaking. It too was printed on huge sheets of imperial paper but without the adornment of engravings. It strove to attract the reader through the serif typeface designed by its printer, John Baskerville. Despite its relatively late date, the Baskerville connection makes it a valuable Bible today. An average copy will sell at auction for £3000-5000 hammer. The Wardington copy, in contemporary Irish red morocco, still holds the auction record, selling for as much as £18,000, with premium added, sixteen years ago (Sotheby’s, 2006).

Two folio Bibles with eminent editors were published in the 1760s. The Cambridge University Press Bible, edited by F.S. Parris, appeared in 1762, to be followed by the Oxford edition of 1769, edited by Benjamin Blayney. Blayney had incorporated most of Parris’s improvements into his edition which became the standard text for the mass printings of the 19th century.

F.S. Parris, appeared in 1762, to be followed by the Oxford edition of 1769, edited by Benjamin Blayney. Blayney had incorporated most of Parris’s improvements into his edition which became the standard text for the mass printings of the 19th century.

Of great renown in the United States is the Bible printed by Robert Aitken in Philadelphia, 1782-1781. This was the first complete English Bible actually printed in America. A 12mo reprint of the KJV, it became known as the ‘Bible of the Revolution’ and was small enough for Washington’s soldiers to fit into their coat pockets. A worn condition is almost obligatory for it, as it evokes the hard-fought war of American Independence. As many as 10,000 copies may have been printed but a bedraggled copy sold last year for $94,500 (Sotheby’s New York, April 2021). This fell slightly
short of the $118,750 given for a copy with minor losses and edge wear to pages sold a few years earlier (Christie’s New York, June 2018).

It took time for the KJV to become the predominant, and most loved Protestant Bible in English, its use of our language almost mystically linked with patriotism and love of one’s country. As Peter McCullough and Valentine Cunningham point out, the translators themselves were reluctant to give up earlier versions whose use was habitual to them (see ‘After Lives of the King James Bible 1611-1769’ in Helen Moore and Julian Reid, editors, Manifold Greatness.

The Making of the King James Bible, Bodleian Library, 2011, p. 141). However, this was not the case with younger generations who grew up with the Bible of King James. John Donne’s greatly admired sermons, issued in three successive volumes, nowhere deviate from the KJV text.

At the Restoration in 1660 the Bible was reissued, becoming the ‘go to’ text for English religious vocabulary. The Anglican poet George Herbert, and the Anglo-Catholic Henry Vaughan made consistent use of it. John Milton, ‘republican, regicide, enemy of established churches’ and yet the versifier of Genesis and author of Samson Agonistes, a biblical tragedy, seems to have preferred using a Latin Bible; the Greek and Hebrew originals were also totally familiar to him.

Nevertheless, he owned a first quarto edition of the King James Bible, published in 1612. This was poignantly used to record births and deaths in his own family, the first entry being his own birth on 9 December, 1608. Swift, writing in 1712, praised the KJV for its ‘Simplicity,’ preferring its use of English to the contemporary language.

Important links were developed between the Bible and contemporary music. Henry Purcell, ‘the giant of Restoration music’, gave choral expression to the ‘Song of Solomon’ and other key passages of the KJV. In McCullogh and Cunningham’s words (p. 147), nothing ‘did more to ingrain the most loved passages of the KJV into popular consciousness than Charles Jennens’s libretto for Handel’s Messiah (1741-42)’. The source of its ‘masterful textual fabric’ was ‘almost exclusively’ the King James Bible.

What is an NFT?

Posted on March 9, 2022January 16, 2025 by Jonathan Horwich

Will they stand the test of time? Non-fungible tokens explained. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) seem to have come out of nowhere, however the technology has been around since at least 2014 if not before. The catalyst seems to have been Lockdown, if you can’t go to the saleroom then let the saleroom come to you, albeit virtually. Auctioneers, Galleries and Artists transformed their web presence almost overnight in order to offer NFTs that take the form of art and music and everything in between and are selling like hotcakes, some for a few £ and others for millions and millions of £, sometimes it feels like ‘Tulip Fever’ has re-visited us from the 17th-century… What is an NFT? An NFT is a digital asset recorded on the ‘Blockchain’ that represents actual objects such as art, music, in-game items and videos. An NFT is created, or “minted” from digital objects that represent both tangible and intangible items. They are bought and sold online, mainly using cryptocurrencies and are generally encoded with the same or similar software to that used by many crypto currencies. I think it’s best to assume that to be involved with buying NFTs you will have to embrace crypto currencies, the most common one used in NFTs is Ethereum. The value of Crypto currencies changes minute to minute day to day, before Christmas one Etheruem was worth around £3,000 to 1 Ethereum today its down to nearer to £2,200 to E1. Ethereum’s value is not only affected by the usual world events and demand but also by the sale of significant numbers of NFTs. Just like the Stock market, a collector offloading significant numbers of NFT’s creates downward price pressure on both crypto currency and the value of NFTs. New NFTs are announced as ‘Drops’ and are either unique one off pieces or part of a limited edition exactly like limited edition prints, which interestingly were all the rage exactly 100 years ago back in 1922! NFT ‘editions’ can be one off unique works or one from of a very limited run, large or small and each will have a unique identifying codes or features. Similar to Banksy print editions that are produced in total numbers of either 150 or 500, each print is individually numbered and carries formal certification and the ownerships changes are recorded, the smaller edition of 150 is also signed, typically numbered by hand in pencil, 7/150 the larger 150/500 etc. What does fungible mean? Physical money and cryptocurrencies are “fungible,” meaning they can be traded or exchanged for one another. For example I give you a fiver you give me one back and we are quits, i.e. they are fungible and equal in value – one dollar is always worth another dollar; one Bitcoin is always equal to another Bitcoin. Crypto’s fungibility makes it a trusted means of conducting transactions on the Blockchain. What is Blockchain? NFTs exist on a blockchain, which is a public ledger that records transactions and ownership. If you are already familiar with Crypto currency then blockchain is the same underlying process that makes cryptocurrencies possible. Specifically, NFTs are typically held on the Ethereum blockchain, although there are other blockchains that support them as well. Each individual unique NFT is different. Each one has a digital signature that makes it impossible for NFTs to be exchanged for or equal to one another (hence, non-fungible). NFTs can have only ever have one owner at a time their unique data verifies their ownership and transfers ownership to new owners and artists can sign their artwork by including their signature in an NFT’s metadata. Are NFTs here to stay? I think yes, and they offer new opportunities and life enhancements. For example artists can now cut out the gallery and sell direct to the public and also engage with them face to face and online. Owners form communities who join together to discuss the artists they collect and follow. The discussions are not just about money, the NFT is very inclusive and no longer the exclusive domain of the mega wealthy collector and in buying NFT’s you support artists and get the inside track on the latest news and drops. Also its all virtual you don’t have to worry about where to hang your piece, it lives in the secure ‘wallet’ on your phone and you can look at it anytime you like. Who are the big names in NFT’s and why do collectors spend such huge sums of money on them? The most famous and valuable digital artist is Mike Winklemann, better known as “Beeple” he made a composite of 5,000 daily drawings he made over five years to create perhaps the most famous NFT of the moment, “EVERYDAYS: The First 5000 Days,” which sold at Christies New York in March 2021 for £69 million. However you don’t have to own the Beeple NFT to see it, anyone can view the individual images—or even the entire collage of images online for free. So why are people willing to spend millions on something they could easily screenshot or download? Owning the NFT allows the buyer to own the original item. Blockchain offers authentication and provenance which offers proof of ownership. Artists can also program in future royalties so they can receive a percentage of sales whenever their art is sold to a new owner. This is an attractive feature for artists as generally they don’t always receive future proceeds after their art is first sold. How do I Buy NFTs First, you’ll need to get a digital wallet that allows you to store your new NFTs and cryptocurrencies. You’ll need to purchase some cryptocurrency like Ethereum, which you can buy using a credit card on platforms such as Coinbase, Kraken, eToro and PayPal. There will be fees so watch out for these, most exchanges charge a percentage of your transaction when you buy crypto. Once you’ve got your wallet set up and funded, you are good to go. Currently, the largest NFT marketplaces are:

OpenSea.io
Rarible
Foundation

These platforms are host to thousands of NFT creators and collectors, equally you can also go to auction as all the main International auction houses now have fully staffed departments dealing only with NFT’s with private and regular auctions and ‘Drops’. Also the bigger galleries such as Pace now have a separate NFT department. Should I buy NFTs? NFTs are risky because there is no discernible secondary market as yet and so there are no comparable secondary sale prices that you might be looking at if collecting mainstream art. It’s all just so new, so maybe it’s worth just dipping your toe in the water and go for individual artists selling direct like ‘Waxbones’ via the site knownorigin.io. I was very impressed when I heard him on Radio 4 recently, as he says himself ‘I design information and wayfinding for cities by day and expel my creative juices under the alias ‘Waxbones’. by night.. his prices start at around £300 for his limited editions. Buying NFTs must be a personal decision and only if you have money to spare and remember that the value is based entirely on what someone else is willing to pay for it. An NFT when it comes to resale may go for less than you paid for it, or you might not be able to sell it at all if nobody wants it. I heard a collector speaking on the radio recently, he owns 15 NFT’s which he has bought as part of his broader investment portfolio, he has valued them all at £O! This way as he says ‘the only way is up’! There lots to study and see out there on NFTs so take a good look around and enjoy!

B for Boucheron

Posted on March 1, 2022January 16, 2025 by Aurélia Turrall

Boucheron, a brief history

The luxurious brand’s story starts when Frédéric Boucheron became an apprentice jeweller to Jules Chaise at the young age of 14 in 1844. Descendant from a family of drapers, he seemed to already have a thorough understanding of how to work with delicate fabrics like silk and lace.

He opened his first boutique in 1858 at Palais Royal, in Paris, next to the Louvre. A decade later, he won gold medal at the Exposition Universelle. He partnered with Paul Legrand for several years as chief designer. During their collaboration, Boucheron won the Grand Prix for Outstanding Innovation in a jewellery collection in 1889.

After winning this prize, Frédéric Boucheron opened the first boutique in 1893, Place Vendome in the heart of Paris. He was the first jeweller to take up space in this exquisite location, at n.26 where it is said that it was the sunniest part of the square and “the diamonds would sparkle all the more brilliantly”.

In 1900 he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur for his display at the Exposition Universelle, encapsulating the Art Nouveau style. He died two years later and left the Maison to his son Louis.

Outstanding and Unique Innovation

In 1879, Boucheron created a clasp-less necklace, named the “Point d’Interrogation” (the question mark). It was the first time a jeweller had created a piece of jewellery which women could place on themselves without any assistance if they so wished. Throughout the 164 years the Maison Boucheron has reinvented the style and adapted it to different styles with more or less foliate detail or a more contemporary look. It is its “stylistic approach, featuring asymmetry and curved lines” which make this necklace a signature piece for the jeweller, synonym of freedom and outstanding innovation.

Carat, 159 carat to be exact

Boucheron is synonymous of luxurious jewellery and “drapes” Royalty such as Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Rania of Jordan and some of the most famous women. One of these famous women of the 19th century was Marie-Louise MacKay, married to John MacKay who made his fortune through silver mining in the USA. She was intent on building one of the most important jewellery collections and Boucheron was her go-to jeweller. In 1878, Boucheron was entrusted with setting what was said to be the most beautiful Kashmir sapphire in the world, weighing 159 carats, of oval shape. It was valued at over Francs 700,000.

Hotel de Nocé

The Boucheron store is located in the grand Hotel de Nocé, built in 1717 and named after Charles de Nocé. The building has passed to numerous owners, including Jean-Baptiste-Francois Gigot d’Orcy, who had a passion for minerology. Sometimes the Hotel is called Hotel d’Orcy. The Hotel was home to some of the most famous people such as Marquis de la Baume, the “most expensive boot maker in the world” Yantorny and Countess Castiglione, also known as Virginia Oldoini, ex-mistress to Napoleon III. When Boucheron moved in to the building in 1893, “the most beautiful woman of her century” refused to move out until 1894. Two portraits of the Countess still look down on the boutique to this day.

Boucheron was the first jeweller to take up space on Place Vendome.
When Boucheron was bought in 2016 by the Kering group, they undertook a full restoration of the Hotel.

The façade of the building is listed which means that if Boucheron were to move out, it would be impossible for the new owners to make any changes. The inside was restored to its glorious state, with attention to detail such as Chinese wallpaper restored by Atelier Mériguet-Carrière.

With the renovation came the creation of hotel rooms, where guests come to spend a night within the Boucheron boutique at the heart of Paris.

Princess Eugenie

In 2018, on her wedding day, Princess Eugénie wore the Greville emerald and diamond tiara, initially created by Boucheron in 1900 and set with a 93.70 carat cabochon emerald, mounted in platinum.

The tiara in 1921 after modifications to include the centre emerald and a more geometric style, contemporary of Art Déco jewellery.

The Hon. Mrs Greville, who lived at Polesden Lacey, was a friend of Prince Albert and Elizabeth, Queen Mother. After they were married, the couple spent their honeymoon in Mrs Greville’s home.

In her will, Mrs Greville bequeathed the tiara to the Queen, who in turn lent it to Princess Eugénie for her wedding. It was the first time in over a century, that the Boucheron tiara had been seen in public.

Reflet wristwatch

In 1947, Boucheron created the Reflet wristwatch with interchangeable bracelets. The collection has a rectangular dial with baton hourmarkers and Roman numerals.

The watch comes in stainless steel or gold, with or without diamonds.
Not only was Boucheron the first jewellery to introduce this system, it has also added extra sparkle. Its sapphire glass is particularly magic: a breadth on the glass and the Place Vendome column appears for a brief instant.

Each watch is engraved to the reverse “Je ne sonne que les heures heureuses” (I only ring the happiest hours).

Only women

Traditionally, the jewellery industry has been male-led, but in 2015, Boucheron appointed Hélène Poulit-Duquesne as CEO and Claire Choisne, as Creative Director.

Hélène Poulit-Duquesne graduated from l’ESSEC, one of the most prestigious business school. She began her career in 1998 when she joined LVMH. Later she would join Cartier, where in 2014 she became Director of International Business and Client Development.

Claire Choisne also began her career in 1998. In 2001 she joined Lorenz Baumer as Creative Studio Manager. Over a decade ago, she moved to Boucheron, where she oversees all the jewellery and watches designs.
Boucheron has paved the way, once more, by handing the direction of a leading jeweller to two women, and has created resplendent new collections.

Nagaur necklace

In 2015, Claire Choisne integrated sand from the Thar desert in Rajasthan to include in the new Boucheron collection, the Nagaur necklace.

It is inspired by the Nagaur fortress.

The necklace is set with multiple strings of pearls with the sand encased in the rock crystal pendant, overlaid with diamonds.

The necklace is part of the Bleu de Jodhpur collection which comprises of 105 designs. Claire Choisne, says, “The aim was to create an image of India far from all clichés and stereotypes with the innovation of unused materials. The city of Jodhpur covered with the blue façades of its houses became a strong inspiration. Bold blue represents audacity because of the innovations behind the creations. The link between Jodhpur, the ‘Sun City’, and Boucheron, a jeweller in the ‘City of Light’, made the inspiration more obvious. India has always been an important concept in Boucheron’s creative history with its rich and vibrant heritage, the architecture of its palaces and the colours of its towns and cities. I believe that through audacity and maintaining a clear link between heritage and modernity, one is able to create figurative designs and thus translate this into contemporary high jewellery.”

A revival of the Plume de Paon is now set with marble and diamonds on white gold.

Boucheron is synonymous of luxury and exquisite craftsmanship. Throughout the centuries, the Maison has invented, innovated and reinvented its timeless pieces, moving through the fashions and adapting to contemporary designs. It undoubtedly has the “je ne sais quoi” that great and unrivalled French jewellers have.

The House of Gucci

Posted on February 22, 2022January 16, 2025 by Alastair Meiklejon

This week marks the long awaited (for me at least) release of The House of Gucci on streaming services around the world. The Cinema release was of course one of those impacted by the pandemic, but thankfully not to the same degree as No Time to Die but realistically, nothing could be that delayed.
The film tells the story of Patrizia Reggiani and her downfall as the long-suffering wife of Maurizio Gucci, part of the much fabled and respected fashion house. Whilst the film takes some interesting turns and slight elaborations on history, what cannot be debated is the importance the house has in the world of fashion – be that in couture, handbags and even jewellery.
There are some things the Italians just do better; fashion, wine, and arguably cars (if you have read my article on Alfa Romeo, then you will understand my thoughts on this subject) and some of the classic designs in the handbag world have evolved from the house.
My personal favourite must be the 1947 Bamboo model, with perfect proportions and the daintiest outline. In a tan calf leather, it can be matched with anything, be it dressed up or down – as comfortable at dinner, as it is at the polo.
The great thing about Gucci, is that it sits at an affordable level, it doesn’t try to be Hermes, nor would it want to, the pieces are unique and instantly identifiable whilst maintaining a mid-level price, and for years have been very affordable, this however has changed in the last three years when the inevitable price increases have hit every fashion house, with Gucci being amongst Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vuitton seeing an almost 25% uplift
in replacement values.
The jewellery that Gucci produces is always bombastic and designed to create (and usually divide) opinions, its sits in a position that knows its place – whilst not high end it is good quality and more about design than its components, and over the years they have produced some stunning pieces, again my favourite pieces are a pair of 1970s silver cufflinks that are simply the definition of Milan in the era, not subtle but with enough flair to
get away with it.
With a lot of ‘fashion jewellery’ it sometimes is relegated to the bottom of the jewellery box along with Chanel and Dior pieces, however again with the price increases we are constantly seeing, perhaps it needs to be looked at in more depth – with the respect it deserves.

Love is in the

Posted on February 14, 2022January 16, 2025 by Ben Hanly

Nothing says I Love You more on Valentine’s Day than a big red heart – so if you’re the romantic type with deep pockets and a love of Urban art, why don’t you pop down to Sotheby’s on 2nd March and buy a belated Valentine’s gift for your better half?

Robbie Williams, the former Take That singer and one of the UK’s most successful pop star of the past 30 years, has decided to sell three major works by Banksy from his personal collection at Sotheby’s London contemporary sale. No doubt hoping to capitalise on the strong prices original works by Banksy have achieved in the last couple of years, Williams is offering a strong selection of iconic works for sale.

‘These works unite the cultural legacies of two of Britain’s biggest stars: Robbie Williams and Banksy,’ said Hugo Cobb of Sotheby’s. ‘Like their creator and like their owner, they are acerbic, iconic, irreverent and unique.’

The earliest work of the group is a 2002 unique version of Banksy’s famous Girl with Balloon, painted on a metal sheeting. This work is earlier than the infamous 2006 version which was shredded live during a Sotheby’s auction in 2018, and which subsequently sold again last year at Sotheby’s under the new titled of Love is in the Bin, making £18,500,000 – a world record for the artist. The Williams version might not have the notoriety of the shredded work, but its strong rock ‘n roll provenance, and the fact that it is the only version painted on metal to come to auction, will no doubt ensure a strong result. The work is estimated at £2m-3m.

Also up for sale is a 2005 version of Kissing Coppers, which depicts two male British police officers in a passionate embrace.

This image first appeared on the outside wall of the Prince Albert pub in Brighton in 2004 and was a very public demonstration for Banksy’s support for acceptance of homosexuality. The original mural was removed in 2014 after being repeatedly vandalised, but you can buy the Williams version at Sotheby’s, which is estimated at £2.5m-3.5m.

The third and final work being offered is a strong example of Banksy’s Vandalised Oil series, in which Banksy has superimposed a stencil of two military helicopters flying over and disrupting a serene pastoral landscape. It is part of a series of works the artist made in which he superimposes graffiti and stencilled images on top of traditional paintings. Flying Chopper, carries a pre-sale estimate of £2.5m-3.5m, but it will no doubt attract strong interest from buyers.

The three works were available for viewing at Sotheby’s New York between January 22nd-27th, Hong Kong between February 8th-9th, and are now heading back to London for the final public viewing from February 22nd before being sold on 2nd March.

Of course, if your Valentine’s Day budget is a little too modest to allow you to buy the famous big red heart for your loved one, I’m sure a box of chocolates will do just fine!

Australian Opal

Posted on February 8, 2022January 16, 2025 by Mary Waterfall

According to Aboriginal legend a giant rainbow snake formed the main rivers throughout Australia when he slithered across the land in search of water. The water in Australia is said to be blessed by the Rainbow Serpent, as water is one of the necessities of life. Without the Great Artisian Basin, a body of water under the Australian Earth, opal would not have been formed. There are therefore great connections between the Rainbow Serpent and the opals of Australia.

Opals are truly mesmerizing treasures of the earth, the way their vibrant colours dance with the light. Australia has been the main producer of opals since the 19th century. Opal is a hardened silica gel composed of tiny silica spheres and the stunning iridescence seen in opal is caused by the way these little spheres interact and diffract light. The larger the spheres the greater the range of colours.

Many people believe opals to be unlucky because it is quite common for opal stones to fall out of their setting and be lost. However, this is not because of some great curse, it is due to the fact that opals are composed of 5-10% water and over time they can dry out and shrink and therefore become loose and fall out of jewellery settings.

The major mines in Australia can be found in Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. When valuing and grading an opal it needs to be assessed under the correct light source. It needs to be examined holistically – face up but also underneath, if the setting allows, so that any defects, holes, and fractures can be taken into consideration. The following factors determine the value: the opal type – i.e. solid black, grey, white, crystal type, The origin, body tone, play of colour, colour depth percentage, colour pattern, shape, cut, polish, weight, dimensions, visual inclusions, condition, and provenance.

One of the most famous Australian opals is The Aurora Australis. It was discovered in 1938 in Lighting Ridge (NSW) in an old seabed. Its body colour is black which highlights the dramatic play of colour of intense blues, greens, and reds. It got its name because it resembled the brightness of the Southern Lights. It weighs 180cts and has been cut and polished into an oval shape. It is said to be worth an estimated $1,000,000 AUD.

Opal can also be found in other countries such as Ethiopia, USA and Mexico, however Australian opal is considered the finest. As with most gemstones there are many synthetic opals and opals that have been artificially enhanced on the market. Slocum stone is a man-made glass that imitates the play of colour in opal. Gilson imitation opal has a very defined mosaic pattern which can be detected under magnification that is said to resemble chicken wire.

Black opal is the most highly prized and valuable, however before purchasing the consumer should be aware of treatments such as ‘smoking’. The opal is wrapped in paper and the paper is heated to a temperature that makes it smoulder. The smouldering paper then releases fine black particles of soot that enter the pores of the opal and darken its body colour.

The darker body colour contrasts with the opal’s play-of-colour, making it appear stronger and more obvious. Many Ethiopian opals are smoked and consequently are less valuable. The question is can you tell the difference?

“In precious opals there might be a dash of red here, a seductive swirl of blue there, and in the center, perhaps, a flirtatious glance of green. But each stone flickers with a unique fire and a good opal is one with an opinion of its own.” Victoria Finlay

Bugs and minibeasts in jewellery

Posted on February 1, 2022January 16, 2025 by Jenny Knott

History is crawling with jewellery depicting bugs and minibeasts. Our preoccupation with insects and mini-reptiles is thousands of years old. Mankind has always made jewellery to be beautiful, but also often talismanic. In the case of bugs and minibeasts it was believed the jewellery would bring to the wearer the attributes associated with creatures themselves.

Ancient Egyptian scarab images are familiar to most of us. The Egyptians saw the beetle as a symbol of renewal and rebirth. It was believed to be a manifestation of Ra, God of the sun, and the connection was thought to be so powerful that the sun god was considered to be reborn each morning in the form of a winged scarab beetle. This connection with renewal, rebirth, hope and good luck makes it easy to understand why the scarab has such a prominent place in jewellery from ancient times and remains a potent and popular motif to this day.

The interest in all things Egyptian reached a crescendo with the Egyptian Revival, a movement centred around archaeological discoveries in the 19th century, the translation of the Rosetta stone; the construction of the Suez Canal and later, importantly, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun; in which there was, of course, much jewellery, including gold and carved lapis lazuli scarab jewellery which was put into the tomb to help with the transition to the next life.

These events provoked a huge wave of popularity in all things Egyptian; including an interest in snakes which became hugely commercial in the Victorian period. This trend was undoubtedly encouraged by the engagement ring presented to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in the earlier part of the century. The ring, in the form of a coiled snake, symbolised eternal love with its endless coil. Victoria’s ring was set with an emerald to the head, this being Victora’s birthstone. Known as an ouroboros, the emblematic snake or serpent with its tail in its mouth represents eternity and rebirth. It is a motif which occurs frequently in jewellery, not only in rings but also necklaces and often suspending a heart locket.

The bee was also an important symbol in some early civilisations. It was considered to be sacred and was believed to be a bridge between the natural world and the underworld. The Mayans thought that the bee was a symbol of goodness and would bring life and abundance. Ancient Greeks saw bees as characterising wealth and well-being. The hierarchy of the hive with its Queen and workers as well associations with hard work and individuals working together for communal good added to the imagery. It is easy to see why humankind has been drawn to the bee as a powerful symbol.

The fascination with insects and minibeasts arguably reached its zenith in 19th century. The rise of industrialisation and with it rapid urbanisation meant a large migration to town and city dwelling. This gave rise to a nostalgia for the countryside and nature. People felt that they were falling out of step with nature, and they sought to reconnect through jewellery depicting birds and insects.

It’s easy to see why butterflies, lady birds, and dragon flies lend themselves to beautiful and inspirational jewellery. However, the Victorians embraced all insects, including flies which symbolised secrets and secret keeping; as well as the fly on the wall which hears all but does not divulge. Spiders, similarly, were related to intrigue and secrets and remain a perennially popular motif. You may remember Baroness Hale wore a substantial spider brooch when delivering the verdict on the legitimacy of Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament. There was much speculation about what she might have intended to convey. Retrospectively, she said that had she known that people would be looking to interpret the brooch she might have chosen innocuous bunch of flowers. However, the episode serves to show the power of the symbolism. Politicians started to wear spider brooch tee-shirts and the late Ruth Bader-Ginsburg described the stylish arachnid as ‘a symbol of swashbuckling womanhood’. Not bad for a costume piece that had cost £12 from Cards Galore.

We are drawn to wear insect jewellery for its symbolism and meaning, but that is not the whole story. The other side of the equation is how well the subject matter lends itself to interpretation in so many of the media associated with jewellery making; from fine pavé set pieces with emeralds, diamonds, rubies and sapphires, to enamel work, glass, carved stones and pearls. The interpretations are almost limitless, as is the appetite for this jewellery. Although not every interpretation is easy to stomach. Now considered in questionable taste we have also used the body parts of insects themselves as part of the jewels, including butterfly wings and scarab shells. Even this, however, is not as distasteful as the practice of late 19th century Britain, and still current in some parts of South America, of wearing live insects, sometimes caged and occasionally even with jewel encrusted shells.

Notwithstanding the huge influence of the 19th century, insect jewellery continued to be popular in the early 20th century. René Lalique produced some exquisite plique-a-jour butterfly and dragonfly pieces. Child and Child produced realistically designed butterfly pieces in shaded enamels; Boucheron is known for its bee pins and many other important ateliers produced fine gem-set pieces in this genre. These are always in high demand when they come up at auction.

Hello magazine recently announced, ‘Butterfly jewellery is making a comeback’. Good to know, but it’s never really gone away. The Duchess of Sussex often wears a pair of butterfly earrings which used to belong to Princess Diana and other celebrities are pictured with butterfly jewellery; but the truth is that this jewellery has never gone out of fashion. Prices at auction are strong with huge demand for good pieces; but more modest offerings do well too. Whether antique or modern where demand is great, price matches demand. As I have been writing this two of the pieces illustrated, the snake necklace and the costume butterfly brooch went under the hammer. Both realised twice their higher end estimates. Proof, if proof were needed that the world of insects is indeed buzzing – sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

Sir John Lavery and the image of tennis

Posted on January 25, 2022January 16, 2025 by Ben Hanly

2022 is not a year that anyone except the most reclusive could possibly claim not to have heard of the Australian Tennis Open – the high profile legal wranglings between the Australian Government and Novak Djokovic over his entry visa, covid vaccinations and his deportation, have made the already famous sports tournament front page news worldwide. Founded in 1905, the Australian Open, or the ‘happy slam’ as it is affectionately known, is the first of the 4 grand slam tournaments worldwide, which takes place in Melbourne every year. Although it is not the highest paid tournament (the prize money is only A$75m!), the Australian Open is by far the most popular in terms of attendance numbers, with 812,000 spectators attending the 2020 tournament.

Notwithstanding our current fascination with the dramas playing out in Oz, we, the public, have always had a fondness and affection for the game of tennis, one which is totally different to that of other sports, and one which goes back centuries to its origins. The racket sport we now call tennis, is the direct descendant of ‘real’ tennis or ‘royal‘ tennis, which continues to be played today as a separate sport with more complex rules. Most historians believe that tennis originated in the monastic cloisters in northern France in the 12th century, but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand; hence, the name jeu de paume (game of the palm). It was not until the 16th century when rackets came into use, and the game as we know it emerged. The roots of the game are firmly linked to the royal courts of France and England, with Henry VIII of England being one of the most avid players of his day – his luxurious tennis courts still remain to this day at Hampton Court Palace. In France the sport was so firmly associated with the Court and Nobility that during the Revolution many of the tennis courts we deliberately destroyed as a sign of a new era emerging.

Subliminally these Aristocratic links and associations have remained with us into modern times. Tennis still has the perception of being a genteel sport, one which is played out on immaculate lawns on sunny summer afternoons, with players dressed in immaculate tennis whites. One only has to look at Wimbledon to confirm this – the tournament is so much more than simply a sporting occasion, it has become a firm part of London’s social season, with its Royal Box, champagne, strawberries and cream! Without doubt this image belies the seriousness of the sport, and the huge financials at stake in modern tennis, however, it is also this je ne sais quoi that also adds to its modern success.

Depictions of tennis in western art very much follow the image of tennis as a jolly, social pastime played by the leisured classes and gilded youth. The summer is always eternal, and the player are carefree without a worry in the world! One of the most brilliant and prolific painters of this subject is the Victorian artist Sir John Lavery, who is more usually associated with the glamorous and elegant society portraits he produced throughout his life. Tennis, however, fascinated him and he returned to paint the theme on a number of occasions, producing both informal studies and highly complicated compositions.

One of the earliest depictions is Lavery’s 1885 painting, Played!! which captures the movement and drama of an exciting new sport, as a young woman lunges to return serve. In the early 1880s, Lavery had returned from Paris, where he was studying at the prestigious Academie Julian, and was quickly taken by the game. In the summer of 1885, he visited the home of a friend in the suburbs of Glasgow, where a tennis court had been set up. The painting was inspired by this visit, and marked a new direction for the artist, away from his more usual society portraits towards depictions of ‘modern’ life – no doubt influenced by the Impressionist works he would have seen during his stay in Paris. His choice of the subject and naturalistic portrayal was considered extremely avant-garde at the time. Lawn tennis was then at an interesting stage in its development as a modern sport. It had emerged in the 1870s and had been inaugurated at Wimbledon as recently as 1877, when the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club introduced men’s singles championships. Ladies’ singles and men’s doubles had not been incorporated until 1884. The process by which women arrived on court was a gradual one, then, and mixed doubles matches were yet to come.

Played!! turned out to be a mere prelude to Lavery’s undoubted masterpiece on the subject which painted the same year. The Tennis Party, which is in the collection of the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums, is an absolute tour de force of a painting, showing huge sophistication of composition, movement and bravura brushwork. In spite of its apparent spontaneity the picture is not merely an arbitrary slice of life, rather it is highly constructed work aimed at giving the illusion of spontaneity. The depiction of both male and female players in the same game, which seems uneventful to a modern viewer, would have been the height of modernism at the time, where casual, real-time depictions of the opposite sexes cavorting together was very rare at the time.

Throughout his career Lavery, returned often to the subject of tennis, which more than any other sport held his fascination. Although Lavery’s first depictions of tennis might have been painted in Scotland, his later works were increasingly international showing the growing popularity of the sport. The paintings Lavery produced in the first quarter of the 20th century whilst on the French Riviera and in America are some of the most spontaneous and evocative depictions ever produced on the subject. Whether they were painted at the famous courts at the Hôtel Beau Site in Cannes – then ‘the’ place to go for well healed British holiday makers, or at the courts of the Breakers Hotel in Florida or in the private residences of Palm Beach, these paintings have a freshness and sense of movement which still have the power mesmerise to this day.

Lavery’s 1885 The Tennis Party remains, however, his most accomplished and monumental depiction of the sport, an image which, more than any other artwork has influenced our vision of what we feel tennis ‘should’ be, and it remains to this day the quintessential image of the sport.

How are traditional auction houses changing?

Posted on January 18, 2022January 16, 2025 by Jonathan Horwich

It’s fantastic to see so many new artists’ work coming to the fore all over the globe, and how the role of buying and selling fine art is evolving to attract new audiences.

Attracting new buyers

Somehow the art world has managed to fast forward thanks to technological advances brought in as a matter of necessity during the pandemic, removing many or all of the old barriers that were putting first time buyers off auctions, or more positively pulling them in!

How many online bidders at Christie’s?

As an auctions career ‘lifer’ myself, I have always believed it’s a numbers game. The more active bidders you have in any auction the better it will perform.
Thanks to technology – Christie’s managed, in a heartbeat, to get from an average 8-1,200 hundred online bidders to 50,000, which is what happened at their global ‘one’ event in 2020. There were so many bidders that when I tried logging on, it bounced me out!

Is online bidding here to stay?

Although the online affect could diminish as the post-pandemic era progresses, thousands of new collectors and buyers are now hooked as auction houses have demystified the process of an auction.
I can see that it’s happened by accident and not design. We’re entering into a new era with contemporary art auctions still growing, Old Masters are doing well especially Prints. Jewellery, Watches and Design are still strong but the focus is heavily on masterworks or special pieces.

How are auction houses evolving?

New ways of selling are now starting to emerge thanks to the new owner of Sotheby’s Patrick Drahi who bought the business pre-lockdown. He has quite logically seen his brand is much more able to penetrate into new areas. Yes Sotheby’s is an auction house but it’s also a luxury shop selling branded goods.

Christie’s ‘One’ live auction held all one day July 10th 2020, it was one very long auction broadcast from four locations starting in Hong Kong,
then switching seamlessly to Paris, London and finally New York

New auctioning ideas are appearing all the time with the most recent being the Las Vegas MGM Grand live auction of works by Picasso from the Casino Picasso Dining room this October. Only 11 pictures, all by Picasso were in the auction, and raised a staggering total of $110,000,000 from what is only a selection of works the Casino owns.

The next day luxury items, sneakers, handbags, watches and the like all did equally well in a smaller MGM Casino downtown. This was truly an event auction and I think it will set the trend for the years to come.

I think we can all be encouraged by the fact that more people than ever before are taking an active interest in auctions both as buyers and sellers.

Here are some fine art pieces sold highlighting what an extraordinary year 2021 has been.