Dealer John Howard who has exhibited at major international antique fairs for over 40 years.
1 What is your area of focus?
The best examples of 17th, 18th, and early 19th-century British pottery including delftware, slipware, pearlware, creamware, and early Staffordshire figures.
2 What is one great discovery you have made?
One of the most important and rarest Staffordshire pearlware figures from the early 19th century is Polito’s Royal Menagerie. This celebrated and detailed figure was made at the ‘Obadiah Sherratt Pottery’. I acquired this elusive piece last year, fulfilling a long-standing ambition.
Polito’s Royal Menagerie.
3 Where are you exhibiting in the near future?
For the past 40 years, we have regularly exhibited at major international antique fairs such as the BADA Fair, The Ceramics Fair in New York, The International Fair at the Armory in New York, and the Olympia fair in London. Our current policy is to concentrate on our online business and focus on our showroom located in Woodstock, near Oxford.
4 Who do you admire in the antiques trade?
My guiding and inspirational influence in the trade is the sadly departed Jonathan Horne, the British pottery dealer located in Kensington Church Street. His legacy in the British pottery field still resonates today. Currently, I admire some young dealers (under 60 years old!) for their energy, professionalism, and dedication.
5 What is one item you couldn’t do without?
My wife is not an item, but I could not do without her. My PC is the most used item in the business, and we could not exist without the internet, which provides a global reach with communication for acquiring, selling, and marketing. How times have changed since we started the business in 1976.
If you would like to be featured in 5 Questions, please contact francesallitt@antiquestradegazette.com
