May auctions and fairs

UK - THOS Wm Gaze & Sons in Diss, Norfolk, sale of architectural salvage and statuary will be held at 10am on 19th May, run by expert in charge Carl Willows, and this time round has a fine Arts & Crafts oak porch (est £200) among the 1,000 or so lots.

Sotheby's Billingshurst is apparently going to be turned into luxury flats and houses but before that it will host a spring sale on 22nd May of antique garden ornament, fossils and modern sculpture, and this time four olive trees in wood planters (est £4k).

Christie's South Kensington's Toby Woolley will sell a load of garden and architectural items collected by Mike Roberts on 23rd May, including terracotta, statuary, a large number of lanterns, and several fireplaces. The top ranked lot is a pair of Coade ovoid urn finials (est £20k).

Drewette Neate have a garden section at the Csaky house sale in Stockbridge, Hampshire, on 22nd May. Fleury Antiques, who have had a year's worth of sales, are now advertising a clearance sale on 15th and 16th May in Cahir, Co Tipperary, of decorative antiques probably including some architectural and garden. David Erquhart of Posterity in Herefordshire is having his annual auction on 20th May at 12.30pm. Watsons in Heathfield, East Sussex is holding a 500 lot sale of garden and architectural salvage and repro on 18th May. As if this is not enough, Swinderby is on 29th and 30th May, followed by Newark on 31st May and 1st June.

Sotheby's Amsterdam will be holding its annual (is it annual?) Piet Jonkers sale of antique garden ornament on 30th May. Described in the catalogue as 'The Piet Jonker Collection' as if it were the disposal of a lifetime's gathering up of antiques, the sale is a preferred way of trading for an antique dealer. These types of sale are becoming more common, as in 'The Property of Michael Roberts' at Christie's above, so perhaps it would be fairer if their periodicity, and the regular relationship between auction house and dealer were noted somewhere in the catalogue, in case someone not in the know obtained the wrong impression. Would it be fairer to call them a 'Dealer Sale'? That may make them sound slightly downmarket and mercenary which could put off high-spending customers. The trouble is that 'dealer sale' is also used to describe a sale at a trade fair for the benefit of dealers.

After a long absence (who knows what happened to Kevin Scott) Bonhams have decided to hold a garden sale on 6th June and an architectural sale on 21st July in Henley.

Chelsea Flower Show is being held from 22nd to 26th May and will feature, among others no doubt, Mike Corbett of Triton UK's collection of unique and replica garden ornament, Ed Holloway unrolling the agos range, Alex Puddy with the antique and new garden ornament of Architectural Heritage, Bulbeck and H. Crowther. Not sure if Hughie Powell and Cotswold Decorative Ironwork will be there this year.

Last but not least, LASSCO Three Pigeons is holding a dealer swap shop sponsored by TVADA but open to all-comers in the car park of its new ex-pub premises at Milton Common in Oxfordshire on Friday 18th May from 12pm to 3pm.

Brief reports or photos (please ask permission) would be appreciated of all events listed if anyone can be bothered.

Gaze auctions and other paying advertisers are listed on the
Salvo Auction & Event Calendar