DEFRA may be ready to end dilemma of horns

It seems DEFRA may now be granting permission to sell rhino horns mounted pre-1947 regardless of the specific technique employed by the taxidermist.

Most antiques that include the "parts and derivatives" of endangered species enjoy an exemption from CITIES controls known as the "worked item" derogation. This states that an item shall be exempt from the normal sales controls if it was acquired prior to June 1947 and has been significantly altered from its natural raw state for jewellery, adornment, art, utility or musical instrument. The problem has been the interpretation of the term "worked".

More problematic are objects such as a rhino horn mounted on an oak shield. A pair of rhino horns in their natural state simply attached to a shield by the taxidermist has been deemed unworked and illegal to sell regardless of date.


Defra

Traditional antique market on the up

Overall sales figures for the top art and antiques salerooms outside London were largely down in 2008, but most ended a difficult year with better than expected results. Many remain optimistic that the market for traditional art and antiques, already subject to a decade of seismic change, is relatively well placed to survive the economic gloom forecast for 2009.

Guy Schwinge from Duke's of Dorcester anticipates 2009 will present a challenging operating environment, but remains upbeat. "At times like this people often focus on their homes. Bland minimalism seems to be giving way to a more furnished look."

The more general feeling across Britain's auctioneers is that the various facets of the contemporary market will lose momentum in 2008. But most expect the traditional antiques market upon which regional salerooms largely rely to be more stable, primarily because so many categories have already experienced major price readjustment.

Modular floor tiles made of recycled belts

Reclaimed item of the week

Ting London has a brilliant new product out using their recycled leather belts. The group of designers recently introduced the modular floor tiles made of vintage leather. Around $75 a square foot, the recycled belts are laid carefully onto a reconstituted leather backing with a water-based glue. No two tiles will ever be the same.








Haute Nature

Ting London

Results that defy the credit crunch

Above: At Sworders/Olivers in Sudbury on November 11th the target for collectors was the well known and very desrable sign claiming Bovril Makes Contented Cooks, picturing a Highland cow peering at a jar of Bovril and saying "Alas! My poor brother". Six bidders on the phone lines competed against two in the room, dashing all hopes any of them may have had of snapping up the sign anywhere near its £50-£80 estimate. It finally sold at £2600 to a collector who had journeyed from Blackburn for the sale.



Above: An RSPCA sign (51cm x 54cm) with an estimate of £150-£200 sold for a surprising £1700 at Clevedon Salerooms near Bristol on December 4th, when two determined collectors in the room pushed prices way beyond estimates.



Above: A rare example of a Barnard Bishop and Barnard cast-iron chair to a design by Thomas Jeckyll was sold at Tennants. It smashed the £100-£150 estimate to make £7000.


Sworders/Olivers


Clevedon Salerooms


Tennants

Contents of Cafe Royal goes under the hammer

Bonhams, The Knightsbridge Sale
Including the selected Contents of Cafe Royal
Tuesday 20 January 2009 at 11am, Knightsbridge

Bonhams will be holding a sale on the 20th of January which includes items from Cafe Royal. All items removed from Cafe Royal are to be sold without reserve.



Above: Cafe Royal - The Front Hall A pair 20th century cut glass tent and bag chandeliers approximately 86cm drop.
Estimate: £400 - 600, Sold for £1,020 inclusive of Buyer's Premium


Above: Cafe Royal - Second and Third Stairwell. A carved giltwood console table in the Rococo style with foliate scroll supports, the table decorated with masks, c-scrolls and foliage, 136cm wide, 48cm deep, 85cm high (53.5" wide, 18.5" deep, 33" high).
Estimate: £200 - 400, Sold for £840 inclusive of Buyer's Premium


Above: Cafe Royal - The Napoleon Suite. A mid 20th century full size boxing ring of steel construction and spring floor, with roped sides steps and cushioned end posts, 620cm cm wide.
Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000, Sold for £456 inclusive of Buyer's Premium



Above: Cafe Royal - The Cellar. Two late 19th century/early 20th century painted iron hand re-corking machines both with seats, one made by Carlson, together with two cast iron bottle sealers, 135cm wide, 128cm high (53" wide, 50" high).
Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000, Sold for £1,080 inclusive of Buyer's Premium



Above: Cafe Royal - The Cellar. A pair of late 19th century/early 20th century oak coopered barrels labelled Gin and Brandy, complete with taps, 113cm high 44" high).
Estimate: £1,200 - 1,800, Sold for £8,400 inclusive of Buyer's Premium



Above: The top items in the sale included lot 34, a large early 20th century Venetian clear glass and gilt 20m light chandelier which was estimated to make £5,000 to £8,000 and sold for £15,600.



Above: Lot 96, a late 19th century electroplated twin handled grill serving trolley estimated at £2,000 to £3,000 sold for £12,000.



Established in 1865, patrons of the Café Royal over the years include Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, Sir Winston Churchill, Cary Grant, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, Mick Jagger, Margaret Thatcher, Virginia Woolf, Muhammad Ali and Yul Brynner. The doors to the Café Royal closed forever on Monday 22nd December 2008 following confirmation that the Crown Estate is to redevelop the lower end of Regent Street. Charlie Thomas, Head of Knightsbridge Furniture, says “Building on the success of the Savoy sale last year Bonhams is delighted to be selling the contents of the Café Royal. Bidders will have the opportunity to acquire a small piece of this iconic London institution”.

A packed Bonhams saleroom in Knightsbridge today (20.1.09) saw 120 lots from the iconic Café Royal go under the hammer at Bonhams. The bidders were largely private individuals who had memories of celebrations at the Café Royal or some other personal link. The sale which was expected to make £90,000 in fact achieved £220,000. Some of the top lots included; Lot 59, another 20 light chandelier made £9,600 against an estimate of £4,000 to £6,000. Lot 95, a Mathurin Moreau (French 1822-1912) L’immortalite bronze made £7,800 against an estimate of £1,500 -£2,000. Paintings of the interior or the Café Royal, lots 36, 9, and 13, which hung at various points within the establishment estimated at £500 to £1,000 made £6,600, and two at £4,800.


Bonhams

Decorative Fair sold to Church St dealer

Founders and organisers Patricia and Ralph Harvey have sold their long-running Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair to one of their regular exhibitors; David Curan of Magnus Antiques, Church Street, London NW8.

Magnus Antiques have exhibited at the fair for many years and Mr Duran has long been a member of the Fair Committee. Patrica Harvey, herself a decorative dealer in Church Street, is particularly pleased the event will remain a dealer-focussed business.

The purchase price has not been disclosed but industry observers speculate it should be in the region of £1m. Both sellers and buyers say that there will be no immediate change in the organisation of the event. The next decorative fair will be in Battersea from January 20-25.


Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair

The increasing problem of metal theft

At a time of high global demand for raw materials, thieves are targeting many types of metal, typically lead and copper but also increasingly steel. Whilst roofs are the most likely targets, particularly on churches, other sources such as rainwater goods, lightning conductors and statues in the grounds are all at risk.

By the end of 2007, Ecclesiastical, the main insurer of churches, reported claims of over ten million Pounds. Lead sheet was the main target, but a significant proportion of this cost was making good damage caused by the thieves and the subsequent ingress of water. English Heritage believes that 'the dramatic increase in theft has come about because of spiraling prices caused by worldwide demand for lead-acid batteries, both for vehicles and UPS (uninterrupted power supplies) and more recently because of speculator activity this rising market price has attracted. Significant amounts of lead have been stock-piled and kept from the market to encourage prices to rise. Prices started to fall by the start of 2008 as new sources of supply opened up.'

English Heritage has issued specific guidance on metal theft in view of the intensification of the problem in recent months, particularly on lead roofs on churches. The guidance highlights the importance of prevention and the need to use a combination of security measures to deter thieves. Many of the options suggested are low cost but effective measures like locking gates to prevent vehicles getting close, preventing easy access to roofs such as removing water butts and waste bins, applying anti-climb paint to drain pipes and roof guttering, and erecting prominent warning signs.


[Salvo would encourage anyone who has had lead roofing or any other antique or architectural item stolen to raise a Salvo Theft alert. These are charged at 2p per day and are viewed by the thousands of people who look at SalvoWEB everyday.]


English Heritage


Salvo Theft Alerts