We are now over a quarter of the way through our alphabetic tour of the decorative arts, focusing today on the Gothic. The Gothic style in England became a pervasive trend toward the end of the eighteenth century with a renewed interest in medieval motifs drawn from English churches and architecture. Batty Langley's Ancient Architecture Restored … Continue reading The ABCs of Decorative Arts: Gothic
Photography is a fundamental part of running any art gallery, including ours. These photographs go on our website, in our catalogues, and through the variety of social media channels we use to share our collection. We take photographs in our gallery when possible, as shown in the leading image when we had our magnificent George … Continue reading Behind the Scenes: Photographing Our Collection
If you picked up a copy of Home & Antiques Magazine recently, you may have seen their feature entitled 'Timeless Terracotta.' What an apt title for a material that is incredibly rich in its history and form. The term terracotta derives from the Italian terra cotta, which in turn comes from the Latin terra cocta, or 'baked earth.' The … Continue reading Timeless Terracotta: Terracotta Throughout the Ages
We have started set up at the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square, which runs from September 15 to 20 this year, and we are looking forward to showing you some of our latest acquisitions on our stand A2. Our gallery has had several mentions in the press recently, including Mayfair Magazine's … Continue reading LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair 2017: Press Roundup
Mirrors may be commonplace today, but when they were first created they were highly treasured and valued objects. The first known mirrors date back to Turkey around 6000 years ago and were made from obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. The Egyptians created mirrors from polished copper and other rare metals. The first instance of … Continue reading Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…
We have discussed japanning, the European imitation of lacquer, in previous blog posts here, here, here, and here, but we aren't quite done yet. The names John Stalker and George Parker are synonymous with the rise of japanned wares in England due to their seminal publication in 1688 entitled Treatise on Japanning and Varnishing. This treatise … Continue reading Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: John Stalker & George Parker’s Japanning
Imagine our surprise to be featured in this month's fashion issue of Mayfair Magazine! Perhaps antiques are fashionable after all... After a closer read of the issue we saw our name mentioned in the magazine's article entitled 'Holding Court,' focusing on the upcoming LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair. The article highlights our George I giltwood … Continue reading Mayfair Magazine: ‘Holding Court’
