News

EDINBURGH dealer Andrew Fletcher, who as Twentieth Century Antiques specialises in original works from 1920-1970, normally trades via his website or by appointment, but for the duration of the Edinburgh Festival he is taking space at Concrete Butterfly, a large complex at 317-319 Cowgate in the Old Town which retails furniture and interior design.

BLOOMSBURY Auctions (recently Bloomsbury Book Auctions), who have recently moved to Maddox Street W1, are diversifying. Andrew Litherland and Rick Coleman have left Bonhams (aka Glendinings) and, after gardening leave, will be found at Bloomsbury where they will be setting up a coin and medal department.

UNTIL the end of this month The Fine Art Society have a selling exhibition of Recent Acquisitions at their galleries at 148 New Bond Street, London W1.

THOSE wanting access to the 1.8m photographs and reproductions of paintings, drawings and engravings at the Witt Library will now have to register and pay a fee.

THE 463 lots that made up the first portion of science books from the Earl of Macclesfield’s library at Shirburn Castle, sold by Sotheby’s on June 10, covered just the letters A-C, but the contents of this extraordinary library, virtually untouched since the 18th century, are such that even this starter helping raised a premium-inclusive total of £3.57m.

AUCTIONS are often the best way of settling whether a work is genuine or not. Of the speculative entries in Christie’s South Kensington’s 584-lot sale on June 11, most were contested by Hong Kong and mainland Chinese dealers. Before the sale, trade and auction specialist opinion was divided as to whether this 10 1/2in (27cm) high blue and white vase (shown right) was a Yongzheng (1723-35) mark and period vessel or a 19th/20th century copy as catalogued.

IT was amongst the shaded woodland of the Thames Valley that Windsor chairs are thought to have originated. The forerunners of their kind may have been merely a humble form of seating, but, as two lots in forthcoming English furniture sales show, it wasn’t long before the form began to branch out.