Category Archives: News

Sir Terry Frost, 1915-2003

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To be asked to write an article about one of my favourite artists is truly a delight. Sir Terry Frost’s muse wasn’t a person but the Cornish town of St Ives. Thanks to Covid this unique seaside town with all its artistic heritage, glorious light, sights and sounds of the sea, which was for so long an inspiration for Terry, is now the ‘go to’ vacation spot for families across the UK, so hopefully current and future generations will get to see for themselves just what inspired Terry and so many other great artists over the years.

Terry was born and brought up in Warwickshire, he left school at 14 and started work locally, working mostly manual jobs with no sense that his natural artistic ability would ever make him a living. When war came he served as a regular soldier, first in France then the Middle East and Greece before joining the Commandos. While serving with them in Crete in June 1941 he was captured and sent to various prisons for the duration of the war. During his time at Stalag 383 in Bavaria, he met the painter Adrian Heath who saw Terry’s talent and encouraged him to paint. Terry later described these years as ‘a tremendous spiritual experience’, he felt that he had gained ‘a more aware or heightened sense of perception during my semi starvation.’




As soon as the war was over, Terry went to study at the Birmingham College of Art, he soon discovered the action was in London and moved down to Camberwell School of Art. By 1946 he had removed to study at St Ives School of painting for one year where he held his first one man exhibition in 1947. He continued his studies in London and Cornwall and when in 1950 he was elected a member of the Penwith Society, he made a move to St Ives in 1951. He later taught at Leeds and in Cyprus and finally settled in Banbury, Oxfordshire in 1963.
In 1960, Frost held his first one-man show in New York at the Bertha Schaefer Gallery. This exhibition was a seminal moment in his career and he said of this experience:
‘In New York they all came to my exhibition, de Kooning, Rothko, Klein. Newman and Motherwell all took me to their studios.

I accepted it all as normal and they accepted me. They were all painters struggling to get somewhere like I was. They worked hard; they would sleep until noon, do eight or nine hours in the studio, and then starting at eleven at night proceeded to drink me under the table! Then we’d go out at four in the morning and have breakfast at a Chinese restaurant.’

I first met Terry in the 1980’s during my early days at Christie’s, I would see him either at our auction preview ‘Drinks’ or at his shows at the Whitford gallery just around the corner in Duke Street. He was always full of fun and told great stories such as this one from his days working in the 1950’s as an assistant to the sculptor Barbara Hepworth in her studios in St Ives … Hepworth was convinced her clients would not buy her work if they knew she didn’t make everything herself, so she was understandably nervous whenever prospective clients came to visit her studios. Terry told me that whenever visits took place he and the other assistants all went down to the pub until the coast was clear. One particular day important clients were coming so Terry and the other assistants made themselves scarce in the pub as usual, expecting on their return to find the visitors long gone. However as soon they arrived back Barbara told them to hide, the clients has arrived late and were still in the house and would be coming up the path any minute now. The assistants all managed to quickly find a hiding place and Barbara began showing the clients around the garden and studio. Terry was well hidden behind a bushy tree, however he could feel all the beer was beginning to well up inside him and very soon he was going to have to pee ! He hung on and on but with the tour continuing he could hold out no longer. He couldn’t risk nipping to the loo so performed the task from his bushy hiding place thinking he had got away with it. However unknown to Terry he had unwittingly created a small river which was running swiftly down the path towards Barbara and her prospective clients, Barbara noticed the stream but luckily her clients were too busy enjoying their tour to notice and Terry got an ‘earful’ from the boss after they had gone.


Terry’s many talents were fully recognised during his long career, he was made an R.A. in 1992 and Knighted in 1998. Speaking in the 1980’s about his work he said; ‘A shape is a shape, a flower is a flower.

A shape of red can contain as much content as the shape of a red flower. I don’t see why one should have to have any association, nostalgia or evocation of any kind. It boils down
to the value of the shape and the colour.’
Terry was always making art and exploring new avenues and mediums. I went to his last London show at the Whitford Gallery to see he had totally changed his medium and had made wonderfully colourful moulded and blown glass pieces. Forever energetic and full of new ideas, Terry Frost represents all that is good and great about late 20th century British Art.

Silver – What’s Hot and What’s Not?

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Jenny Knott, Silver and Jewellery Specialist

Silver is a commodity which is in an interesting place. Last year the price rose hugely, in line with gold, and as a result of global economic concerns. Typically, when there is economic uncertainty the price of precious metals rises because they are a safe haven. The silver price has now declined again, also in line with gold, but many people believe that the price of silver is being suppressed (conspiracy theorists have a field day with the control banks and governments may have over this) and that it may rise dramatically in the medium to long term. To this end there are people collecting/hoarding silver against this possibility. Sometimes these people will buy from dealers who have picked up uncommercial items and are happy to sell them on at slightly above scrap price.

Image of Georgian silver tea service

A Georgian silver tea service – not much called for in entertaining today

Silver is also interesting because whilst gold is, by and large, used for decorative purposes silver is used a lot in industry, particularly in medical equipment, electronics, the nuclear industry and many other areas so the price is indexed against these uses too. For example, the price of platinum is greatly reduced now because it is no longer in demand for catalytic converters in diesel cars.

Image of a silver claret jug

A silver claret jug – still a beautiful addition to the sideboard

So, this brings us on to what is and isn’t saleable in the silver market.

Image of a novelty silver mustard pot in the form of an owl

A novelty silver mustard pot in the form of an owl – very much a collector’s item today

The most apposite question to ask would be “Is it useful, is it rare or is it beautiful?” If it ticks one or more of these boxes the market is extremely strong. If not, then silver may be worth little over scrap. To give some examples, in the 20th century wedding presents were often silver gifts, cruets sets, tea sets, fish eaters and servers. As we no longer used ground white pepper, or tend to make tea in a silver tea pot or even eat our fish with fish eaters, the prolific examples of these relatively ordinary things are not in great demand. However, there is a huge appetite for unusual items, novelty items, maybe a mustard pot in the shape of an owl or a mouse? Tableware is always popular; candlesticks, claret jugs, wine coasters and some flatware are greatly in demand.

image of a silver cup made by Omar Ramsden

A silver cup made by Omar Ramsden – still much sought after today

Finally, the rare. Dealers and collectors will battle over rare silver, pieces by sought after makers across the ages, for example Paul Storr, Paul de Lamerie, Hester Bateman and the Bateman family, Liberty, Omar Ramsden, to name but a few. These are a handful of the makers across the years whose work is highly sought after. Bateman pieces can be acquired relatively inexpensively, whereas pieces by de Lamerie would command seriously high prices. All would be in demand. As is silver with unusual hallmarks, for example provincial silver and also early silver.

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Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) – Painting as a Pastime

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Jonathan Horwich, Modern Art Specialist

It’s 1915 and the First World War is raging. Winston Churchill, now aged forty, was in the thick of the fighting, leading his men at Ypres. It was while resting behind enemy lines at Ploegsteert, nicknamed ‘Plug Street’ by the Tommies, that he first picked up a brush to paint for the first time. His reasons for doing so are most eloquently expressed by Churchill himself in the introduction to his book ‘Painting as a Pastime’ first published in 1947.

Image of painting by Winston Churchill, Plug Street, 1915

Plug Street, 1915. Oil on canvas. 51 x 60 cm
Painted during WW1 while Churchill was resting with his men behind the battle lines at Ploegsteert near the front at Ypres.
In the National Trust collection at Churchill’s home , Chartwell, Kent

“Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day. To have reached the age of forty without ever handling a brush or fiddling with a pencil, to have regarded with mature eye the painting of pictures of any kind as a mystery, to have stood agape before the chalk of the pavement artist, and then suddenly to find oneself plunged in the middle of a new and intense form of interest and action with paints and palettes and canvases, and not to be discouraged by results, is an astonishing and enriching experience. I hope it may be shared by others. I should be glad if these lines induced others to try the experiment which I have tried, and if some at least were to find themselves dowered with an absorbing new amusement delightful to themselves, and at any rate not violently harmful to man or beast.”

The Loup River, Alpes Maritimes 1936 by Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965

THE LOUP RIVER, ALPES MARITIMES, 1930. Oil on canvas. 20 1/8×24 (51·5×61). Presented by the artist 1955. Exh: R.A., 1947 (174); R.A. Diploma Gallery, March–August 1959.
The picture was painted in 1930, and the site lies about five hundred yards from where the main Cagnes to Grasse road crosses the river.
It was one of the two pictures Churchill exhibited at the R.A. in 1947 and were submitted to the Selection Committee under the name ‘David Winter’.

Churchill soon found that watercolours were not his ideal medium, and instead switched to the more robust medium of oil paint – as ‘you can more easily paint over your mistakes’. Early encouragement came from an amateur prize he won for “Winter Sunshine, Chartwell,” a bright reflection of his Kentish home. Also, under the pseudonym Charles Morin, he sent five paintings to be exhibited at the Paris Salon in the 1920s, where four were sold for £30 each. However, making money was not the incentive, then or ever. It was simply the sheer delight of painting that accounted for Churchill’s devotion.

Image of painting by Winston Churchill, Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque.

Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque. Signed with initials ‘W.S.C.’ (lower right). Oil on canvas. 45.7 x 61 cm.
The world auction record holder for Churchill sold on behalf Angelina Joli for £8,285,000 in January 2021 the only painting Churchill completed during WW2 and gifted to President Roosevelt, probably the most historically Important picture by Churchill.

He readily received tuition and guidance from some of the leading artists of the day such as Sir John Lavery, Sir William Nicholson and Walter Richard Sickert. This led, in 1947, to the then president of the Royal Academy, Sir Alfred Munnings, suggesting Churchill submit two works to the annual Summer Exhibition. Churchill was eventually persuaded, on the proviso that they be submitted under the pseudonym of David Winter. Both pictures were accepted, with one being acquired later for the National Collection by the Tate. A few years later during the first post-war Royal Academy Dinner in 1949, Churchill was made an Honorary Academician (Hon, R.A), the first and so far, only person to be awarded this honour.

Image of painting by Winston Churchill, JUG WITH BOTTLES

JUG WITH BOTTLES, signed W.S.C. (lower right). Oil on canvas board. Unframed: 51 by 35.5cm.; 20 by 14in.
Painted at Chartwell sold in Nov 2020 for £983,000

Churchill had a true craftsman’s dedication to his art and readily accepted the advice to visit Avignon and later the Cote d’Azur where he discovered artists who worshipped at the throne of Cezanne. He also acknowledged the inspiration he derived from his many visits to Marrakech, Morocco.

Image of painting by Winston Churchill, MIMIZAN

MIMIZAN, signed with initials. Oil on canvas, 56.5 by 36cm.; 22¼ by 14in. Executed circa the 1920s
SImage of painting by Winston Churchillold June 20128 for £430,000
Gifted by the Artist to Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1950

Churchill sought and found tranquillity in his art. His much-quoted words, summing up his expectations of celestial bliss; “When I get to heaven, I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject…”

Image of painting by Winston Churchill, THE SCUOLA DI SAN MARCO VENICE

THE SCUOLA DI SAN MARCO VENICE, signed with initials. Oil on canvas, 50.5 by 61cm.; 20 by 24in. Executed in 1951.
Churchill loved Venice, he spent his honeymoon there in 1908, this picture was painted on a family holiday at the Lido in 1951.
Sold Nov 2015 for £500,000

By far the best and most enjoyable way to get to know the man and his art is to visit his beloved Chartwell in Kent. Now owned and run by the National Trust, Churchill’s paintings and artefacts are all around the house, but for me the revelation is the Garden studio which is full of Churchill’s paintings, hung corner to corner almost, with his paints, brushes and easel all set out as if he were returning shortly… not to be missed!

Image of painting by Winston Churchill, View of Blenheim Palace through the branches of a cedar

View of Blenheim Palace through the branches of a cedar. Oil on canvas. 61 x 51 cm
A view of Churchill’s childhood home painted in 1920 and gifted to Churchill’s daughter Mary Soames, and sold from her estate collection sale in December 2014
for £566,000

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Hallmarks

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Jenny Knott, Silver and Jewellery Specialist

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Hallmarking is one of the oldest forms of consumer protection. It dates back to 1300 when Edward 1st instituted a statute for the assaying or testing of precious metals. The purpose of this was to make sure that silver in production for domestic use would have the same fineness as that of coin silver. The standard of silver was therefore set as the same as that of coinage. This is ‘sterling’ silver and denotes silver in which pure silver makes up at least 92.5% of the content, the rest being alloy. This alloy is necessary to make pure silver, which is soft and malleable, into silver that is more user friendly, but still attractive and workable.

The hallmark for Paul Storr. London 1810

The hallmark for Paul Storr. London 1810

There is a theory that the term ’sterling’ comes from the word Easterlings – who were people experienced in coin making, from the Eastern German states brought to England in the reign of Henry II to improve the quality of the coinage.
The original statute allowed wardens from the Company of Goldsmiths in London to circulate around the workshops in the city and test the silver and gold. At that time, silver was assayed and marked with the lion’s head, which is still the symbol of the London assay office today. The term for a lion at the time was ‘leopart’ and so it became known as a leopard’s head, though as you can see from the images it is a lion.
Gradually gold too came to be assayed and bore the same leopard’s head mark. In 1363, the maker’s mark started to be added. Originally this was a pictorial mark, as literacy was negligible in much of the population. Over time this changed, and the maker’s or sponsor’s initials became more common. Silver plate, however, bore pictorial marks for many centuries and sometimes still does.
A century later the date letter was added. This came about when the Goldsmiths acquired their own hall and employed an assayer to test and mark pieces that were submitted for testing. The date letter enabled people to know who the assayer at the time had been, and therefore who could be held to account for standards.

Below Victorian hallmark for London 1860

Below Victorian hallmark for London 1860. Maker’s Edward and John Barnard

This gives us three of four marks which we are accustomed to seeing on silver and gold. The final mark is the town of the city. In theory, the Goldsmith’s Hall in London had jurisdiction over the whole of the country, but in practice, it was difficult for provincial makers to bring items to London to be assayed. It is also likely that the London makers took little interest in their provincial colleagues dismissing them as inferior. However, there is plenty of evidence that gold and silver work of high quality was being produced all over the country and there was a demand to have this recognised. In 1423 Henry VI appointed York, Newcastle, Lincoln, Norwich, Bristol, Salisbury and Coventry as having their own borough mark or ‘touch’; albeit that the London Goldsmiths still claimed the right of control over all silver and gold. These days early provincial marks are highly sought after as these assay offices have long since closed. It’s worth noting that although certain cities have a reputation for particular items, for example Sheffield cutlery, Birmingham small wares, London marks are still associated with the largest and most prestigious commissions.
These days only four assay offices remain in Great Britain – London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh.

Hallmark above for Birmingham 1927

Hallmark above for Birmingham 1927. The maker’s mark is Elkington and Co.

Birmingham’s town mark is an anchor, which seems odd given Birmingham’s lack of proximity to the sea. Silversmith, plate maker (and, incidentally, partner of James Watt the engineer) Matthew Bolton set up camp in London to campaign for an assay office in Birmingham so that his burgeoning business could assay their goods locally. The silversmiths of Sheffield adopted a similar campaign. Whilst this lobbying continued, they stayed at the Crown and Anchor Inn and according to tradition, when they were successful in their submissions, they decided to use the symbols of the inn in which they had lodged as their city marks. They tossed a coin and Birmingham and got the anchor and Sheffield the Crown.

The £50 note with Matthew Boulton and James Watt.

The £50 note with Matthew Boulton and James Watt

In 1975 Sheffield changed its mark to a rose and in the same year, the assay offices brought their date letters, which had been individually attributed to each office, into alignment. Now all assay offices have the same year letter. Originally the date letters were changed on the day that the Goldsmith’s guild wardens were elected, which was St Dunstan’s day – May 19th. The Hallmarking Act of 1973 bought the remaining four British offices London, Birmingham, Sheffield, and Edinburgh into line with each other the date letter now changing on January 1st each year.
So next time you glance at the back of your fork and see those four little marks winking at you, you will know the centuries of history that caused them to look as they do.

My Favourite…

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cunha braga cup banner

The Cunha Braga Cup. By Jonathan Horwich, Modern Art Specialist

Knowing that I am a picture specialist, it may come as a surprise that I have chosen this 14 cm long, ceremonial drinking vessel. It is a rock crystal masterpiece of renaissance craftmanship, carving and decoration and is my favourite piece of all time. I am not sure if I know myself why I love it so much – maybe it is because it is so tactile, almost warm to the touch, and just oozes history. It fits neatly in the palm of your hand and is beautifully made – and nearly 400 years before Carl Faberge turns up and makes anything nearly as good.

Image of The Cunha Braga Cup

The Cunha Braga Cup

I first saw the cup in October 2006 on its preview in New York. I was previewing pictures alongside my colleague from the works of art team who was accompanying the cup. My colleague gave me some of the background to its discovery. Amazingly, he spotted it among a bunch of Polaroid shots sent over from Portugal by a client just in case there was anything of interest. Even more remarkable is that the photographs were general room shots of a room full of display cabinets all rammed with various pieces and the cup was spotted tucked in a cabinet full of undistinguished objects. He was on a plane to Lisbon the next day to see it and the rest is history. I remember he told me that at first it was thought to be a copy or later version of a similar cup in a Munich museum. However, once the two were put together side by side in the museum the curators were delighted to discover that our one was made by the same craftsman as theirs – making these two the definitive pieces and ours the only other example in the world available to buy.

It had belonged to Alfredo Baptista Cunha Braga (1869-1932) from Lisbon. He acquired it circa 1920 and then by direct descent to the owners in the auction. The piece was offered in London on 30/11/2006, the pre-sale estimate was £200,000-300,000 but it sold for an astounding £1,968,000

My favourite item that I have valued

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I feel very blessed to be a jewellery valuer because I get to see and examine some stunning pieces of jewellery. It’s actually quite hard to single out just one item as a favourite. I love more vintage pieces such as tiaras, gem set cocktail watches and anything from the Art Deco era. As I hold them I love to imagine who has worn them and how many amazing parties they have been to. My mind always wanders to the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Holly Golightly dressed to the nines and going to countless ‘soirees’. I recently valued a beautiful old cut diamond festoon necklace and the owner sighed and said to her husband: ‘well darling I doubt I will be wearing it at any more balls at Buckingham Palace anytime soon……’
However if pressed to choose one particular item as a favourite it would have to be something set with sapphire. Sapphires are my all-time favourite gemstones, so much so that when I worked in the auction world and on the TV show Dickinsons Real Deal, I had to be really careful not to overestimate sapphire set pieces and give the clients over inflated expectations because I loved the gemstones!

Image of single sapphire ring

Single sapphire ring. Valued for insurance at £30,950 NRV (New Retail Value)

I recently valued a single stone ring. It was set with a Ceylon sapphire weighing 13.73cts, measuring 12.4mm by 12.1mm. The stone came with a certificate stating there was no evidence of heat treatment, something which is becoming increasingly rare because nowadays most coloured gems undergo some form of treatment to enhance their colour. As I gazed into the gem with my 10X loupe I could see a multitude of natural inclusions. Inclusions are what I most love about gemmology. I just think it’s incredible that these beautiful gems have been formed in the earth over thousands of years, each is unique and each tells its own story through the inclusions that lie within. Examining them is like diving into another world and this particular gemstone was a real feast for the eyes, a gemmologist’s delight! I could have looked at it for hours and would have loved to have put it under a microscope. However I had to settle for a quick fix because as valuers we work under time constraints and don’t really have the luxury to truly enjoy and appreciate such magnificent pieces when they arise.

Image of Typical sapphire inclusions.

Typical sapphire inclusions

To the layperson the ring may look rather heavy and clunky. It’s set in platinum and weighs 21 grams. On the surface the sapphire facet edges are slightly rubbed. However for me, because of the magical world contained within, it was a real highlight and my favourite piece I have valued.

You have £5,000 to spend – David Oxtoby prints

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How Would I Invest £5,000? By CEO and Old Master Specialist, David Dallas

If my godfather left me £5,000, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend every penny buying the suite of etchings (24), which David Oxtoby produced in 1974.

Image of David Oxtoby swonderful etching

“S’wonderful”: Stevie Wonder. Signed, inscribed and dated ‘74. Published Sept 1974. Artist’s proof for an edition of 50. 3 colour etching on handmade English paper. Plate size: 165 x 142 mm

David Jowett Greaves Oxtoby is undoubtedly one of Britain’s greatest printmakers, as the show at the British Museum proved two summers ago. He was one of the notorious ‘Bradford Mafia’, a group of young Yorkshire artists, who after attending the Regional College of Art in Bradford, came to London to further their education at the Royal College of Art and The Royal Academy schools. As well as Oxtoby, the group included David Hockney, Norman Stevens A.R.A, John Loker and Mick Vaughn. Before he had left the Royal Academy schools, Oxtoby had his first one man show in New York. His was and is a prodigious talent.

By the early 1970s his hands were starting to crack, and he was told that he was allergic to the acrylic paints he was using. After taking medical advice, he took up etching and what a triumph that was. In collaboration with J.C. Editons he produced a suite of 24 immensely complicated, in some cases, 4 colour, etchings. I have the good fortune to own a set of artist’s proofs.

Image of david oxtoby the man etching

‘The Man’: Stevie Winwood. Signed, inscribed and dated ‘74. Published Sept ‘74. Artist’s proof for an edition of 50. 4 colour etching on handmade English paper. Plate size: 335 x 115 mm

In 1974 I worked for Alex Postan Fine Art and was entrusted with getting publicity for the show of etchings, which included watercolours and acrylics as well as prints. It was the easiest job I have ever had. Marina Vaizey wrote a half page review of it in The Telegraph, Bill Packer, a half page in the Financial Times and it was in the list of the 10 best things to do this Christmas in London in the Daily Express. Rod Stewart came to the private view.

Oxtoby went on to exhibit with the Redfern Gallery in Cork Street in the 70s where the private views would sell out. Elton John bought Oxtoby’s canvases in vast numbers, for prices that were somewhere between Hockney and Picasso. He is still with the Redfern.

Image of David Oxtoby and Rod Stewart

Private View at Alex Postan Fine Art, Dec 1974. David Oxtoby and Rod Stewart in front of a 5 ft high watercolour by Oxtoby. Photograph by Miki Slingsby

He has had more than 50 solo exhibitions and taken part in more than 70 group shows, yet for much of the last 30 years has lived like a recluse and kept all his latest work from public scrutiny. The result of this has had an adverse effect on the value of his work.

Oxtoby has not had the recognition for the brilliance of his draftsmanship and use of colour from the establishment that his oeuvre deserves. This seems to be because his work is inspired by popular culture, pop, rock and blues music, which is considered low brow and because he works from photographs, despite knowing subjects like Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison and Roger Daltrey well.

He was 82 in January and is not in good health. The cracked hands, which turned him into a printmaker, were actually caused by misdiagnosed diabetes. What future generations will make of his work remains to be seen, but I believe he is ready for a critical re-assessment and should take his rightful place amongst the greats of late 20th/early 21st century British art.

samuel johnson dictionary

My Favourite Book – Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language

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It is 265 years since Samuel Johnson’s 2-volume Dictionary of the English Language was published on 15 April 1755. Though many forms of reprint are available, to own a copy of the first edition would be the best of all options. Completing the Dictionary from A to Z was solely Johnson’s responsibility. As his preface points out, it had taken whole teams of academicians to produce dictionaries of Italian and French, whereas he worked in the solitude of his garret at 17 Gough Square, supported only by a succession of feckless and rather drunken copyists — five out of the six were not English but Scottish.

Samuel Johnson Dictionary

The Samuel Johnson Dictionary, 1806 edition

One has to admire the Dictionary as a book which received no academic support, compiled “not in the soft obscurities of retirement, or under the shelter of academick bowers” but in London “amidst inconvenience and distraction, in sickness and in sorrow”. Johnson’s contract was with a group of influential London booksellers including Robert Dodsley and Andrew Millar. Although he had agreed with them to finish the work in three years, the first volume was not completed for seven. The whole task took nine years altogether. Far from thinking himself a national celebrity, Johnson felt reduced to “a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words” (the Dictionary’s definition of lexicographer). When his wife Tetty died early in 1752, his morale must have hit rock bottom.

Image of Dr. Samuel Johnson

Dr. Samuel Johnson

Johnson’s brilliant handling of illustrative quotation means that his lexicon can also be enjoyed as a unique form of anthology. Though quotations from 18th-century sources, particularly Pope, Swift and Thomson, occur with some regularity, Johnson’s highest regard was for writers from before the Restoration whose works were “the wells of English undefiled”. Many recently introduced words, particularly anything “Gallick,” are condemned as “cant” or “low”. Giving such frank expression as it does to the author’s tastes and personal prejudices is what makes the Dictionary so endlessly fascinating.

Most impressive of all is Johnson’s battle with his own indolence or what his Dictionary termed “the repugnance which we naturally have to labour”. His publishers became exasperated by the years of procrastination. Boswell recorded Andrew Millar’s oath, on receiving the last sheet of copy from Johnson’s messenger: “Thank God I have done with him”. On returning the messenger duly passed on Millar’s words to Johnson who replied: “I am glad that he thanks God for any thing”.

Modern British Sculpture Sleeper

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Known in the Art business as a ‘sleeper’ this 19 cm high, charming, and unique marble carving sold for 150 times its low estimate at Mellors and Kirk’s auction last month.

Modern British fawn sculpture
Very temptingly priced at a ‘come and buy me ‘estimate of £40-60 and intriguingly catalogued as ‘Modern British School’, this sculpture of a fawn grooming was finally hammered down at  £6,000.

The Fawn is often depicted as a mythical creature and this piece certainly bears the hallmarks of early 20th century British carving. The attribution to Modern British School, although somewhat broad, is I believe, largely accurate as the piece could be attributed to the ill-fated and short-lived artist, Henri Gaudier Brzeska, (1891-1915), who although 100% French, somehow became an honorary ‘Brit’ and an integral  part of the early dawn of the Modern British Art Movement at the beginning of the 20th century. He exhibited alongside greats such as Walter Sickert and Augustus John and is now very highly regarded as a sculptor and original work by him rarely if ever appears at auction.  If this piece is by Gaudier then it’s a particularly good buy for someone as it could be worth 10-15  times the purchase price.

Another possibility is the sculptor and first husband of Barbara Hepworth, John Skeaping (1901-1980). If by him then it is still worth more (but not hugely more – value may increase by 2 or 3 times). I do not think it is by any of the big guns of Modern British sculpture such as Henry Moore or Barbara Hepworth, at least neither of them sculpted fawns.  However it is an intriguing, good quality and well carved piece and so well worth a punt at £6,000…..

Watch this space for an update in case I hear anything more about its final attribution!

Caring for Paintings

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Pictures, like small children, prefer consistency of treatment. In the case of caring for paintings and watercolours this means no violent fluctuations in temperature or humidity.

Water damage

If you have a damp room a de-humidifier can bring the relative humidity down around 40%-60%, above this level and there is a possibility of mould growing on surfaces and this can stain the paper on which watercolours, drawings and prints have been worked, irrevocably. Some moisture in the air is good, especially for inlaid furniture and panel pictures. I was in the Pinacoteca in Bologna 40 years ago, where there was about zero relative humidity and the great wooden altarpieces were groaning like ships’ timbers, as they dried out and moved. It is not like that now!

Example of water damage

Example of water damage

Where to hang your painting

Hanging paintings above radiators or chimney breasts is to be avoided as the paint layer dries out and becomes brittle and if the painting is on a panel it can warp. The same applies to furniture.

A light-damaged painting

A light-damaged painting

Direct sunlight is a no-no, especially for watercolours. I remember seeing a large pair of watercolours by Turner hanging in a lightwell. They had been there since 1800 when the owner’s forbear had bought them at Christie’s. I tracked the sale and instead of being worth £200,000 (they were obviously very early ones) they were worth about £5,000 as curiosities. All the colour had been bleached out – no blues, no greens, just pale pink and brown smudges. What a tragedy!

Whether light travels in waves or pulses, it equals heat, and this will damage anything subjected to it. Ultraviolet inhibiting strips can be put on windows, but they are only about 60% effective and should not be exclusively relied upon. Old-fashioned velvet curtains, with brass rods stretched through the bottoms are an ideal way of protecting watercolours in daytime and can be turned back at night.

Artificial lighting can be harmful too, although it lacks the sun’s power, so low energy bulbs should be used and try to avoid picture lights on brass arms attached to the frame of an oil painting. They are too close to the surface of the painting and can cause stress to an old carved and gilded frame.

Cleaning of paintings

The cleaning of all paintings must be left to well-trained professional conservators. It is a highly complex procedure requiring in-depth knowledge of chemistry. Never use a damp cloth to clean the gilding on a frame. If it is water-based gilding, as opposed to oil, it will dissolve. A feather duster is preferable to a cloth duster as it is less likely to snag the carving and pull it off. You can dust the surface of an oil painting, very gently, with a cloth duster.

Lastly, never dust the glass on a pastel, it can cause static electricity to build up and the pastel (powdery chalk), which was never treated with a fixature in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries, will jump off the paper and adhere to the inside of the glass!

Damage caused by fly faeces

Damage caused by fly faeces

Some things you just must live with, such as houseflies whose poo can stain an oil painting and can only be removed with a scalpel (don’t try this yourself!). Thunderflies, in high summer, can find their way under the tightest-fitting glass and litter the surface of a watercolour or drawing. Wait until autumn and take the backing off the work on paper, dust them out and reseal.

An example of damage caused by silverfish

An example of damage caused by silverfish

Silverfish are a menace. If they get into a Victorian watercolour, they can munch their way through the pigments, which have been impregnated with gum Arabic, (the substance that Osama Bin Laden’s family fortune was based on), leaving patches of bald paper. Try to keep on top of silverfish by regular hoovering.

Another example of damage caused by silverfish

Another example of damage caused by silverfish

If you do have the misfortune to have water or fire damage or a painting falls off the wall, it makes sense to have a good photographic record of it, as this could help a conservator restore it and a loss adjuster assess a claim.