He was a true enthusiast and always more than willing to share his extensive knowledge and to help novice dealers and collectors. Some, now famous, international dealers are known to have bought their first Japanese woodblock print or piece of lacquer from him.
As a boy, Brian was fascinated by a pair of lacquered Japanese chopsticks he saw and bought, in the early 1950s, from his aunt’s antique shop near the Sussex village of Amberley. However, his working life began as a motor mechanic, working at the family-run garage in Brighton.
After a brief dabble at being a jazz pianist and potter, 1968 found him dealing in antiques from his Brighton home, focusing on his passions: Oriental pottery and porcelain, English and Continental slipware, modern studio pottery and Japanese lacquer.
His first shop was in the early 1970s, a shared premises in Lewes, followed by two or three location moves, but still in Lewes, eventually trading under the name Kokoro.
After a few years he moved his business to Brighton and opened a shop jointly with his brother Colin of Colin Page Antiquarian Books. Following this, but remaining in Brighton, he went into partnership with David Hawkes of Edo Gallery as Page & Hawkes, expanding into furniture and artefacts from the Arts & Crafts movement.
Eventually, while continuing his varied interests, he settled on the business name of Brian Page Antiques, now concentrating on Chinese, Japanese and other Far Eastern antiquities and works of art. His shop has been called, by more than one person, “the best museum in Brighton”.
He is survived by his son Matthew, who will continue the running of Brian Page Antiques.
Obituary courtesy of family
