Young visitors and sophisticated private buyers looking for “serious decoration” drive sales at The Spring 2023 Decorative Fair, 9-14 May
Timothy Langston
The rare, the unique and the traditional were top of the sales charts at the Spring Decorative Fair held in Battersea Park from 9-14 May, opening just after coronation weekend.
There was a noticeable number of younger visitors in attendance, especially at the weekend and on weekday evenings, taking advantage of the Fair’s recent new policy of free entry after 4pm each day. Sales were driven at the Spring Fair by sophisticated, ultra wealthy private buyers looking for stand-out and exceptional pieces not just as statement interior design, but collectors’ items too. As one exhibitor put it, “Decoration can be serious”, and many customers were evidently looking for objects of excellence, as well as affordable or more purely decorative pieces.
Streett Marburg & Charlotte Casadéjus; Peter Bunting; Justin Evershed-Martin
Traditional English and country antiques were popular at this Fair, and a pleasing volume of vernacular and early furniture sales was reported. Farmhouse tables sold well especially to decorators, and painted antique furniture too. The Foyer display, which featured Carolean and C17th furniture in an old-fashioned country home setting, made many sales including a rare late C17th William & Mary period coaching table in beautifully patinated walnut c1690, a Charles II armchair, a Regency pine dresser with original paint, a large C19th painted marriage chest, an Edwardian high back sofa, a pair of 1953 coronation stools, and a wonderful length of C19th crewel work in the C17th manner. Julian Simon Fine Art also sold a very traditional mid-C17th Italian oil painting of a putto to a new client. These sales were primarily to private buyers.
Foyer Display sales included an Edwardian sofa, C17th side table, Georgian footstool, painted chest, C18th dresser and a rare C17th coaching table
Mirrors of all styles, sizes and periods sold strongly, especially fine, ornate examples, such as an exceptionally rare Regency mirror adorned with dolphins sold by neo-classical expert Craig Carrington, a large pair of mid-C19th gilded gesso and carved wood mirrors, and a huge C19th ornate gilded mirror which was purchased to fit an existing panelled room by a new private buyer refurbishing a large country house. Good examples of statement textiles made stand-out sales at prices well in to five figures, including a large C17th Aubusson landscape tapestry, and an unusual Spanish C17th armorial tapestry. Textile and furniture dealers Streett Marburg & Charlotte Casedejus sold a number of large Chinese embroideries mounted as art as well as a very rare example of C18th Italian silver bead and crewel work, which was much admired by the textile vetters as one of the most important textiles in the Fair. Katharine Pole, specialist in antique French block prints and indigos, had a very good week, noting strong sales of C18th and C19th quilts.
Large C17th Aubusson tapestry (Hudson Antiques); the stand of Vagabond Antiques with a set of four bronze C19th statues of the Four Seasons.
Art of all periods was in demand among the specialist dealers. Darnley Fine Art met a new client who purchased a large Fauve impressionist work by Robert Deborne (1870-1944) priced at a high five figure sum. Saunders Fine Art sold C20th Scandinavian pictures to new clients and made good sales to the trade. Jenna Burlingham Gallery (ModBrit & contemporary), Julian Simon Fine Art (fine European art from the C17th to C20th), David Brooker Fine Art (traditional and contemporary paintings), Osborne Gallery (traditional decorative paintings and prints) and Catharine Miller (contemporary) reported good sales. Panter & Hall Decorative, who bring mainly C20th Scandinavian works, sold a number of larger than usual paintings. Interior Boutiques sold a number of contemporary décollage abstracts by Huw Griffiths at four-figure prices, whilst new participant Cal Smith Gallery specialising in brutalist artworks enjoyed a positive reception; amongst sales was a wrought steel brutalist table and chair to new clients.
Florence Evans Fine Art, a young gallerist standing at her first-ever fair, had a brilliant opening day and sold to new clients throughout the week, of works at prices from around £200 to around £20,000 spanning wood cuts to important collectors’ pieces. “It was a great first-ever fair for my business, it was exciting to take part and I’m already looking forward to exhibiting again – Battersea has a truly collegiate feel. I met and sold to private clients, decorators and serious art collectors. One very good existing client of mine made their first visit to Battersea on my invitation and went away delighted, with bulging bags of purchases from around the Fair.”
Rare hooded Orkney chair, Robert Lorimer table and Spanish armorial tapestry (Drennan & Sturrock); large C19th Parisian Verdigris lantern (Disquarded); rare C18th Italian silver bead & crewel work sold by Street Marburg & Charlotte Casedejus
Buyers were seeking out extra-special accessories: unusual antique and vintage lighting, decorative objects such as folk art and sculpture, collectable glass and ceramics. Sue Norman Blue & White China made good sales of C18th and C19th English pieces; Mark J. West (collectors’ and decorative glass), Laura Bordignon Japanese Works of Art did well, while Galerie Arabesque (textiles & Asian works of art) practically sold out of antique Delftware vases and tiles.
Traditional furniture dealers reported good sales – of formal collectors’ pieces, vernacular oak, country house classic and more ornate, gilded examples proving popular. Highlight items going to new owners for five-figure sums included a superb table by C19th Scottish architect-designer Sir Robert Lorimer and a pair of C18th gilded neo-classical Italian console tables.
Home Bothy; oak sided table circa 1690 sold by Wakelin & Linfield
Wakelin & Linfield sold mainly good early furniture to collectors and private buyers, “pieces that felt comfortable and reassuringly old fashioned, and that work so well with modern art and objects, as the one shows off the other in a home; it was most encouraging” said Helen Linfield. Their sales included a very good Sheraton linen press, a superb C18th English dresser base, and a selection of good C18th delftware plates. From the Foyer display they also sold a rare C17th William & Mary walnut drop leaf coaching table and a good oak side table. Both dated to circa 1690, and both sold to private clients.
Joe Chaffer of Vagabond said “we had a great fair, we found there was a steady flow of customers throughout the week and we made sales daily. The Decorative Fair always creates an energetic atmosphere and is a great chance for us to catch up with existing clients and to meet new people”. Important sales included a good set of C19th bronze statues of the Four Seasons, a Régence period commode c1720 in the manner of Etienne Doirat (1675-1732) with rosewood and kingwood veneers to a new private customer, and a group of 31 large Portuguese C18th glazed terracotta bowls.
An extremely fine late C18th Venetian settee upholstered in a rare C19th Indian chintz textile (Chalet White)
Nick Jones, who had one of his best ever Battersea’s, was selling high value items, primarily practical furniture, especially for storage, such as bookcases, chairs and mirrors, and exceptional decorative objects including a bronze by the Czech sculptor Franz Fischer (1900-1980), Le Toro, dating to 1960. Dorian Caffot de Fawes (C20th design) had “a great fair! I sold to my usual interior designers and private collectors, and met new ones: around 30% of sales were to new customers.” Among sold pieces was a very unusual and large (over 8m wide) early C20th polychrome Chinese screen in a traditional inlaid style, and a pair of c1930 chairs by Art Deco design master André Sornay.
Giles Hutchinson-Smith of Chalet White said: “We sold to both a local and an international audience with buyers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, New York and Marrakesh, and one particular sale of a group of exceptional C19th ship dioramas to a yacht being completed on the Mediterranean.” They sold many notable and unusual antique pieces including a rare painted ornate chinoiserie clock, a group of C19th tinsel paintings, a late C17th Welsh oak side table c1690 with a lovely dark patina and an extremely fine late C18th Venetian settee in original painted decoration upholstered in a rare, unique C19th Indian chintz textile.
Well-known faces attending the Fair included entrepreneur and owner of 5 Hertford Street Robin Birley (possibly shopping for his latest club to be opened in New York), actors Nigel Havers, Eddie Redmayne, Stephen Beresford and Lorraine Chase, dancer and actress Cherry Gillespie, Bob Geldof, Bryan Ferry, and Holly Valance.
Amongst designers and trade buyers shopping at the event were Jermaine Gallacher, Katherine Pooley, Kathryn Ireland, Rita Konig, Edward Hurst, Willie Nickerson, Nina Campbell, John Minshaw, and Saffron Wace of Aldridge & Supple; Colefax & Fowler, Guinevere, and Ray Azoulay of Obsolete USA.
Edwardian sofa (Holtby & Co); group of C19th ship dioramas (Chalet White); large early C20th Chinese screen sold by Dorian Caffot de Fawes.
