The first Tribal Auction, to include Ethnographica and Oceanographica, will be held on January 23 and three a year are planned at the Etwall saleroom, although Charles Hanson adds that he is keen to use his London base (in Teddington) to “source tribal items and build the department”.
The new sales will be run by Bret Gaunt on a consultancy basis. His fascination with the past was sparked off “as a seven-year-old living in Portchester on the Hampshire coast. The castle at Porchester had a small shop that sold Roman coins and sherds of Samian pottery that I would buy with my pocket money.”
Sale development
Work as an archaeologist and at a number of museums followed, then came experience as a freelance consultant for auction houses for several years, such as Halls Fine Art in Shrewsbury and TimeLine Auctions in Essex.
Gaunt says: “I am very excited to be working with Hansons where I will be developing the tribal sales, featuring material from Africa, Oceania, the Americas and the Himalayan regions and India – beautiful, intriguing and exotic pieces that will be the pride of any collection.”
The latest sale means Hansons will run 12 monthly antiques and collectors auctions plus more than 50 specialist auctions.
These include stand-alone sales such as The Magic Collection (January 29), and regular auctions such as the new tribal (three a year); fine art (four), decorative art (two), toys, trains and railwayana (four), football, sporting memorabilia and cameras (four); library auction and antiquarian books (four); wine, whisky and breweryana (three); objects to inspire and folk auction (two); textiles and vintage costume (11); and fine art jewellery and watches showcase (four).
As reported in ATG No 2322, the London operation is set to hold monthly art and antiques auctions from February. Hansons has taken a part-lease on Normansfield Theatre in Teddington, in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Hansons London has already opened a consignment and valuations office in the Hampton Court area, three miles from its new saleroom. Charles Hanson told ATG that specialist sales are envisaged in London at a later date.
