Letters to the Editor

MADAM – A friend in the trade asked me over a year ago, ‘what will you do if antiques containing ivory are made illegal?’. Since then I’ve given it serious thought. What can any of us do?

MADAM – I write regarding your Pick of the Week article (ATG No 2354,) on the Walter Crane vase (1890) for Maw & Co, sold at the Kingham & Orme auction in July.

MADAM – Peter Cameron writes in ATG No 2353 that only 691 people have signed the ivory petition [now at 1688 as we go to press], that a response from the government requires 10,000 signatures, and that 100,000 are needed to raise a parliamentary debate.

MADAM – Six hundred and ninety-one people is actually a fairly decent response from a trade in which there are only a handful of interested parties (Letters, ATG No 2353).

MADAM – For the record, Mr Jeremy Thorpe (Previews, ATG No 2353) did not refuse to give evidence – he was advised by his lawyers not to and reluctantly took their advice.

MADAM – I thought your readers might be interested in having a greater understanding of the importance that CITES plays in protecting wildlife and fauna.

MADAM – My congratulations to Anthony Bernbaum and to Lewis Baer for their excellent letters: Mr Bernbaum’s account of why he left Online Galleries and Mr Baer advocating the creation of a global trade body for the art and antiques sector (ATG No 2352).

MADAM – Have ATG readers got a Grayson Perry pot or plate from the 1980s lurking in their living rooms? If they have, then the Holburne Museum in Bath wants to hear from them.

MADAM – I was interested to see the picture of ‘outsize tongs’ considered to vegetable tongs or salad servers from a recent Adam’s sale in Dublin (ATG No 2352, page 21).

MADAM – I wanted to add to the discussion (ATG No 2344) on the recent fee increase by Online Galleries (Anthony Bernbaum of The Peartree Collection writes).

MADAM – ATG readers may know about the online petition created by dealer Alastair Gibson to raise the ivory ‘de minimis’ in the government’s ivory ban (Freya Simms, chief executive of LAPADA, writes). We have just written to our members, in case they wish to support this, to pass on a tip about filling in the online form. I am passing on this information to ATG readers also.

MADAM – I write in reference to the letter from BADA chairman Michael Cohen, and the reply by LAPADA chief executive Freya Simms (ATG No 2351), on cooperation between the two organisations (Lewis J Baer of Newel, New York writes).

MADAM – May I trespass on your letters space? Some time ago, I bought at auction a painting by John Hoppner, RA (Leo Keane of Lancashire writes).

I would like to extend my warm congratulations and warm welcome to Freya Simms as the new LAPADA chief executive, writes BADA chairman and dealer Michael Cohen.

MADAM – I write in support of the views expressed in BADA chairman Michael Cohen’s letter (ATG No 2349), written in response to another letter supporting the ban (ATG No 2348).

MADAM – I am writing to counter the simplistic view espoused by Niall Milligan concerning the banning of ivory (Letters, ATG No 2348).

MADAM – News that the British Museum is to accept the donation of more than 500 Chinese ivory figures from the Sir Victor Sassoon collection, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries, is to be welcomed… to a degree!

MADAM – Despite extensive editorial coverage as well as correspondence in Antiques Trade Gazette, the debate on banning ivory seems to lack balance.

MADAM – Like David Carter (ATG No 2345) I can remember the time when we auctioneers could make a living with only seller’s commission of 10%.

MADAM – As a collector of antique ladies’ skirt lifters, I was extremely interested to learn that Carole Walker bought one in silver (type unknown) dated 1836.