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The process was known in various parts of the world under other names but that made in several areas of England took the title 'delft' generically, rather like 'hoover'. The blue and white decoration was popular as it imitated the oriental porcelains being imported at the time. Sadly the chips and cracks do deter from the value but it is by no means ruined, and remains a good example of its type. Value would be in the mid to upper hundreds.

So you want to be a Dealer

To begin with the first and most important thing to remember is that the dealing part is primary; the antique part comes second. You must learn the art of dealing, and it is essential to understand how the trade works, who buys what and from where, who is the end purchaser, what channels do pieces go through to reach that end and what is the chain of events from beginning to end. Knowledge of the type of antique you choose to deal in will come quickly and naturally once you start to trade, but before then several months must be spent observing. That means no income, and you should not strive to earn one.

Apart from living expenses you will need to be able to, and afford to, drive a car. There is no need for a spacious estate version yet, so any economic run-around will do. This is to enable you to view and attend auction sales and visit shops throughout the provinces as well as London. These will range from top-of-the-range house sales and high-end dealerships to local market salerooms, small shops and antique centres.

Visit two or three to begin with and pick on perhaps three types of antiques that appeal to you more than anything else. Note those to which your eyes naturally go and rest upon and which you feel have a natural affinity with. It is much easier to learn about something you like. Having established that set three different routes covering particular areas of the country, say the West Country, Wales and the Midlands or the South East, Essex and Lincolnshire. Do not stretch too far afield from where you live to start with; the main object at this time is to see and absorb as much as possible to get your eye ‘in’. Then do the same in London. For example go to Kensington Church Street, Westbourne Grove and The Fulham Road, or St. James’s, Mayfair and the Pimlico Road. Plan your routes and timing with care; there is nothing more frustrating than visiting an area where there are a few shops and a saleroom to find the saleroom is closed or between sales and there is nothing to view, when the following week there will be.

Do not at this stage venture into boot fairs or massive events like Newark. It will only be confusing and distracting, there will be plenty of time for that sort of enterprise later.

So, for the Next Month plan as follows:- Week One (1) Armed with a map of the antique shops in your State or Country plan a route that will not stretch you too far. (2) Establish the whereabouts of auctions and situations of shops. (3) Check for accommodation according to your pocket. (4) Visit each shop and auction and establish what type of antiques take your eye and interest. Take your time when viewing. (5) Note which shops seem to specialise in a particular merchandise. Week Two repeat Week One with a different route. Week Three repeat Week One precisely. Week Four repeat Week Two precisely. You will quickly recognise items that have moved from the first time you saw them. Note these and their price tags and create a list for reference. You will already have witnessed a profit being made. In six month’s time it could be yours. Watch this space next month.


Fakes and Forgeries.

Since people first collected, people have copied and so the minefield is old as well as wide. Alterations for utility purposes as well as financial gain also complicate the issue and so to deal with the problem rationally it is best to gain some understanding of the environment when the original would have been made. There are certain areas more prone to reproduction than others; ancient Greek and Roman remains, early English silverware and highly carved Chippendale furniture are good examples. On silver the transposition of hallmarks is an ever-present danger, being done either to give age and authenticity and thus value to an otherwise spurious item, or an attempt by the silversmith to avoid the duty or tax imposed upon such wares between 1784 and 1891. Eitherway it is most likely that the marks will be in a position that would not have been compatable with the supposed age of the piece or they will be struck in a precise manner not available to a silversmith from an earlier period. Experience gained by looking carefully at a range of pieces from three or four different periods from say the first half of the 17th century, the first half of the 18th century, the last quarter of the eighteenth century and the early 20th century will soon give you an eye accustomed to seeing how the marks are arranged and placed. Any positioning out of the ordinary does not mean instant condemnation but should give justification for further investigation, and serious doubt can be answered by The Antique Plate Committee at Goldsmiths' Hall. future articles in trhis space will deal with specific instances.


Life Magazines Article. Designers.

Recently I have looked at modern craftsmen – and women – and a while ago I commented on designers of contemporary wallpaper and their application of modern technology to produce such wonders as movement on a flat surface created by holograms; birds and trees that move as you walk by, clouds that pass. So I was more than intrigued to meet Janet Dixon, an interior designer who has taken a new approach to the production and sale of fabrics and textiles.
But when did the idea of having someone design and decorate the interior of your home start? The answer is longer ago than most people imagine. In comparison to the rest of Europe, high society in England came late to adopt the practice, but even so we have been consulting the experts for close on 350 years. With the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, Charles II brought with him artists, craftsmen, architects and designers from the countries of his exile, France and Holland, so it is not surprising that the first prominent name in the field is that of Daniel Marot, 1661-1752. Marot, the French-born designer and architect who worked for William of Orange in Holland and then England was the first here to decorate and furnish rooms complete in every detail, well ahead of William Kent in the 1720’s and the Adam brothers in the second half of the 18th century. Best known on the continent for his use of the baroque style for furniture, his name in England is synonymous with his then revolutionary corner fireplaces, over which an arrangement of receding shelves allowed the show of a family’s wealth in its display of porcelain or silver. In turn, William Kent became one of the most famous exponents of the Palladian revival, a form of architecture that dominated grand houses and civic buildings from the 1720’s to the 1770’s. Born in 1686 the son of a coach-painter Kent spent the best part of ten years in Italy studying the noble orders of architecture and befriending Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. He returned to England with an educated talent that was to see him influence landscape gardening and interior furnishings from carpets to wallpaper, which quite quickly became made of fabric for the super-rich aristocracy. This was a natural development from flock wallpaper, which was first recorded in the early 1600’s but its progress was halted by the Commonwealth period of austerity and took another generation to become popular, by which time suitable fabrics were also available. While there were several French interior decorators and designers during the Adam period working on both sides of the Channel a most significant character in this field was Henry Holland, son-in-law to Capability Brown and favourite architect and decorator to the wealthy Whig fraternity, and in particular to the young George, Prince of Wales. Holland was most influential during the period from the 1780’s until his death in 1806 after which his place was taken in the area of establishing the look of high-style ‘Regency’ taste by Thomas Hope. Hope was more wealthy than he was popular, but left us with schematic interiors based on myths and legends of ancient cultures and religions. He used a great deal of fabric on walls and ceilings, which tenuous link brings me back to Janet Dixon and her new concept in making and marketing furnishing textiles through her company, Ruby Rose Fabrics. This state-of-the-art enterprise is computerised in more than one way. In addition to sales being web-based all her designs are drawn and reproduced electronically which means there are no limitations as to colour and quantity. As far as I am aware this is the first opportunity a customer has of buying as little as a metre length of a chosen pattern, either from Janet’s folio or especially designed, and printed to any colour combination to suite an established scheme or one’s own personal taste. And if the result is not as expected it can be fine-tuned. But what of the cost I hear you thinking…well this too is another surprise. Depending on the choice of cotton or fine linen, prices start at £28 per metre, which I’m sure William Kent would have found irresistible. At the moment Ruby Rose Fabrics are for curtains and cushions but a new line suitable for upholstery is in the pipeline, and looking at the illustrations here, a riot of colour is going to be the best way to brighten up the view of a rather gloomy financial landscape. American designers have for years used modern high coloured fabrics to cover antique seat furniture to great effect, but as the old school of established taste in Britain has tended to veer away from this, we have in fact missed the point of why, when done with flair, it looks so good. It is because, throughout most of our relatively modern history, textile coverings for chairs, windows, walls as well as people have been bright, vivid, imaginative and glorious. Take as examples the illustrated ‘flame-stitch’ covered chair and the yellow silk brocade covered chair, both materials being faithful copies of the originals from the 1720’s and 1760’s respectively. Two world wars in the first half of the 20th century rather knocked the stuffing out of frivolity and it is marvellous to see it returning and being created here in our homeland as well as on the other side of the Atlantic.

www.rubyrosefabrics.co.uk