With the first CADA fair to be held in Chelsea receiving positive feedback (see story also in this edition), we now look ahead to a much more local event available for traders.
An 18th century song-bird cage in oak and wrought iron with linked hook suspension and sliding door, 2ft 2in (66cm) high, available for £750 from Nic McElhatton Art & Antiques.
The Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair returns to Westonbirt School from April 11-13.
Organiser Sue Ede of Cooper Events says: “This is where people come to decorate and furnish their homes in their own personal style.
Mixing and matching antique and contemporary with Mid-century accessories, fine art, sculpture and furniture from the past centuries.
The fair has something for everyone including jewellery, silver, ceramics and textiles too.”
Debut appearance
Nic McElhatton Art & Antiques is exhibiting for the first time at the fair. McElhatton began his career at Christie’s South Kensington joining the company in 1984 as a porter.
He worked his way up to become a specialist in European works of art; an auctioneer; a director; and finally becoming chairman of the saleroom in 2010, until its closure in July 2017.
The seasoned expert is off to a flying start with a potential beginner’s kit for those who do not have the space for a full-blown aviary. On offer is an 18th century song-bird cage in oak and wrought iron with linked hook suspension and sliding door, 2ft 2in (66cm) high (pictured top).
Obviously, a feathered friend is optional. This item would probably work best as a decorative flourish strung from the ceiling. And if anyone comes to your home and asks why the cage is empty, just let your eyes brim with tears, then whisper ‘avian flu’. It is offered for £750.
Pair of English carved walnut figures of Shakespeare and Milton, early 19th century, 13½in (34.5cm) high, from Nic McElhatton Art & Antiques, priced £850 (the pair).
The dealer is also exhibiting a pair of English carved walnut figures of Shakespeare and Milton, early 19th century. The 13½in (34.5cm) high figure of Shakespeare comes with old typed paper labels to the base pertaining to trees felled in Shakespeare’s garden in the 18th century. They are priced £850 (for the pair).
Other new exhibitors include Mark Rowles Fine Art and The Fine Art Fund, Gloucestershire.
Alfred Augustus Glendening Snr, Fishing On A Welsh River, oil on canvas, 18in x 2ft 2in (45.5 x 66cm), available from Mark Rowles Fine Art for £3950.
Sir Kyffin Williams, Above Nant Ffrancon, watercolour, 16 x 19in (40.5 x 48.5cm), offered for £12,500 by Mark Rowles Fine Art.
Deathly reminder
Memento Mori from Andy Maule Antiques, priced £3000.
Thanks to one particular item, Andy Maule Antiques will no doubt have the schlocky appeal of the Haunted House at a Victorian carnival, thanks to a macabre ‘memento mori’.
It’s a scientific and medical collector’s piece in the form of a decaying corpse entombed in a glazed mahogany case. Crafted from wax, bone, wire and real human hair, it depicts the human skeleton with muscles, veins and internal organs in a decomposing state. This composition model dates from the 19th century and is likely to be of Italian origin. Similar models are held in the collections of the V&A, The Science Museum and most notably La Specola in Florence, Italy.
This exhibit would be a sure-fire conversation starter at any dinner party, or it could serve as a bracing educational gift for any child spending too much time on their smartphone. A rotting corpse in a box might be the analogue novelty to remind a sulky teen that life is for living, and whatever compelling horrors lurk on the internet, the gory and inspirational history of 19th century medicine can probably outflank most.
This cadaverous creation is offered for £3000.
Andy Maule Antiques specialises in quirky medical paraphernalia and rare collectors’ items.
Maule says: “A memento mori is an object that serves to remind the viewer of the inevitability of their death and the brevity of life. ‘Memento mori’ is a Latin phrase that translates to ‘remember you must die.”
Throughout history human beings have been gripped and haunted by the mysteries of our inescapable obsolescence. Examples of memento mori are found in almost every civilisation. Towards the end of the 17th century, European artists began to create realistic anatomical waxworks that functioned as memento mori. Pigments in the wax emulated the pallid and clammy appearance of human flesh in various states of decay. The creation of wax anatomical models was often based on observing real corpses putrefy.
Prototype model of a high-wing, single-engine aircraft, £1200 from Andy Maule Antiques.
Maule will also be selling a fossilised dinosaur egg and a handcrafted manufacturer’s prototype model of a high-wing, single-engine aircraft. This one-off mahogany piece boasts fruitwood inlaid windows, brass wing struts and aluminium wheels, propeller and engine.
It was probably made in Italy possibly from the Caproni aircraft manufacturer (1908-50) of an unknown model type (it may not have gone into production), c.1930. It is priced £1200.
Comfy settee
Chippendale period mahogany triple camel back settee, with a shaped top and outscrolled arms, raised on three front and three back square section legs with barrel casters, c.1765, height 3ft 1in (94cm), width 7ft (2.13m), depth 3ft (90cm), from WR Harvey Antiques, offered for £12,500.
Among the tempting highlights to look out for at the fair is a Chippendale period triple ‘camel back’ settee dating from 1765, offered by Oxfordshire furniture specialist WR Harvey Antiques.
Priced at £12,500, it is described by the dealership’s owner David Harvey as “one of the most comfortable and superb pieces of English furniture” he has had the privilege to sell.
George II period mahogany tripod writing table, the divided rectangular top with a moulded edge and centre lock with heart shaped escutcheon, opening to reveal a compartmented interior and writing surface covered in blue leather above a long slide to the frieze, a short frieze drawer to one side, raised on a stop-fluted column and cabriole legs ending in carved ball and claw feet with brass castors, c.1755, height 2ft 6in (76cm), width 2ft 3in (68cm), depth 21½in (55cm), available for £6950 from WR Harvey Antiques.
WR Harvey will be showing other pieces including a George II period mahogany tripod writing table which opens to reveal a fully compartmented interior. It is offered for £6950.